Title: Some Thing Should Not Be Bet On
Pairing: David Hodges/Greg Sanders
Word Count: 3,224
Rating: R for mentions of rape and cursing(nothing graphic)
Warnings/Spoilers: no spoilers, just a little mention of rape (nothing graphic) SLASH. M/M. If you no like then please don't read. I don't want flames for that…
Summary: Greg ends their "relationship" and David finds out the reason they had a relationship to begin with and what it meant.

Disclaimer: CSI does not belong to me! So no suing, you will get nothing but my large student loan debts.

David walked into Greg's apartment after shift, the younger man having been off that night. He always loved being in the blonde's apartment, it looked so much more lived in than his own drab and sterile one, there were papers and science journals scattered on flat surfaces and cd's stacked precariously high next to the stereo looking like they would topple over at any moment. Carrying their Chinese take-out, which he had picked up on his way from work, he set it on the counter. They had planned to watch a movie before David went to sleep. For some reason Greg was not in the living room, perhaps he had already retired to the bedroom, a smirk appearing on his face at that thought, but it also made his heart stop. He went to the bedroom expecting Greg to be lying there either ready for something or asleep, praying it was the second. After all Greg knew, he knew that he wasn't ready for such a step, he knew what happened to David in LA and understood the need to move slow. He looked at the bed and saw it empty and neatly made. This slightly annoyed David, after all Greg was supposed to be here in the apartment and they were supposed to spend time together.

Becoming angrier as each moment passed, David calls out his boyfriend's name not expecting an answer at this point, when he noticed the bathroom door closed with the light on. Calling Greg's name again made the younger man open the door and look directly at his boyfriend. The look on Greg's face told David he was angry, and David could also see a look of sadness in his face.

"David. I am sorry, I can't do this anymore. I can't do this. It wasn't supposed to go this far." With that statement he slammed the bathroom door shut again.

David rushed to the door and started beating on it. "What the hell do you mean 'it wasn't supposed to go this far? I thought we were happy, I thought things were going well." A little voice in David's head, the paranoid one told him that this was all his fault, that he did something to chase the other man from him. After all Greg probably didn't want to move slow. Who wants a damaged boyfriend who cringes when someone wants to do more than kiss?

David continued slamming on the door, desperately trying to get Greg to talk to him, he needed him to tell him why, what the reason was for "them" being over. He wanted Greg to say that was just a joke, but Greg refused to come out, refused to explain.

David left out of the apartment, not knowing why his relationship was over, not knowing why the only good thing in his life ended. He walked down the three flights of stairs and got into his car. Once there he couldn't hold his tears anymore, knowing that it was him that ruined it all.

Work was hard after the break up, as he knew it would be. David still wanted to shoot Greg, but quelled his desires, after all a crime lab was a poor place to commit such an act. Still David couldn't help blaming himself, he knew that what happened to him in LA, he knew the rape had really hurt him. He thought that he was passed it, but when he was with Greg he quickly learned he wasn't, the first time they tried anything serious was evidence enough to prove that.

Greg and David were sitting on the couch cuddled up watching "Battleship Potemkin," a classic Russian film that David felt everyone should have to see at least once in their lives. His grandmother was the one to enforce that idea in him while still a child, so he was making Greg watch it. Greg was only pretending to be interested David was sure, because every time he looked over at the blonde he noticed that the man was staring at him rather than the television.

"Do you see something interesting Sanders?" he catches himself using the man's last name as habit and immediately feels almost guilty for it. Looking at Greg's face there is a look that he can't quite define, a look of longing and lust perhaps?

"Why yes Hodges I do see something rather interesting." Greg he notices continues the use of the last names, and puts his face closer to David's studying the trace tech. David felt as if he was under the microscope when suddenly out of nowhere Greg kisses him, it was by no means their first kiss which happened the second date, but this one is different. After Greg kisses him breathless he starts a path down David's neck sucking a little here and there, a nip at his pulse. David feels his breath becoming shallower and he begins to feel a little nervous. When Greg begins opening his shirt the top few buttons he is suddenly very nervous. When Greg lightly pushes him to lay on the couch after removing his shirt he starts to panic but is able to push it away, after all Greg isn't one of them, he cares about David. He is able to swat away the pesky feelings of being trapped and the ghosts of their hands traveling up and down his chest along with Greg's, his mind becoming less able to push away the sensations of pain.

He is unable to control himself when Greg's hand travels to the top of his jeans, he sees a smile on Greg's face, but to David it looks like the cruel smirks of /i them. i He suddenly feels claustrophobic in Greg's arms, he feels like he is being pushed down into the couch far too hard and the look on the man's face above him isn't helping. In order to feel safe David pushes Greg off with strength he long forgot he had and ran to the bathroom locking the door behind him. He curled up on the floor after splashing his face with water and trying to slow his breathing.

He lays there for a few minutes until he hears Greg knock and softly ask if he is alright. David can't admit out loud that he isn't, because if he tried speaking he would only break down into tears.

David spent the next shift avoiding Greg knowing that whatever they had before was definitely over. He was therefore pleasantly surprised when Greg invited him to dinner and seemed to act like the night before never happened.

He didn't want to open up at first and Greg seemed to understand and after a few weeks he finally explained to Greg what happened. Told him of the men in LA who attacked him after work once they found out he was gay, told him of the pain of those three evil men caused him. He told Greg of the aftermath, that his superiors felt it was his fault, since he was "openly gay." Told Greg the reason that he transferred to Vegas, the men weren't stopping and he needed to be far away to be safe. David had only told bits and pieces of this to Bobby and Jacqui, but he was able to tell Greg everything for some reason. He was slowly allowing himself to rely on another human being, something he swore he'd never let himself do. He even ignored the little voice telling him how stupid he was, and David never ignored that voice. Greg was helping him, he thought Greg was happy. After that night he knew that Greg tried, but he could no longer deal with his problems, that he wanted a boyfriend who could do more than cringe in his presence.

David could barely concentrate on work, so it was no shock that he decided to take a break. There wasn't much to run for once so he went to go to the break room and happened to hear Nick and Warrick chatting, as usual he blocked it out until he heard Greg's name.

"I wonder what's with Greg? He isn't really very talkative at the moment. You think it has something to do with bet?" Nick says to Warrick as he pours himself some of Greg's Blue Hawaiian into his blue coffee mug.

Warrick shook his head. "Maybe, I mean he did lose after all. He thinks he is such a stud and even after two months he still couldn't get him into bed? Some stud. You'd think Hodges would be all for it someone throwing themselves at him. Greggo'll get over it soon though don't worry. Just watch next week and he'll be going on about his newest conquest."

David couldn't comprehend what the two were saying, they were talking about a bet that Greg had and David was somehow involved. He didn't remember Greg talking about a bet, unless and then a look of comprehension comes across his face. To be fair it wouldn't have taken him more than a second normally to figure that out, but he couldn't believe that Greg would actually do something so cruel. He stalked past the break room down towards Bobby's lab. It all suddenly made sense, the fact that Greg no longer brought him trace, but had one of the others do it, the fact he broke it off two months into the "relationship." He had also been avoiding him like the plague since that night.

"Bobby, give me a gun, one that will make a very big hole." He practically screamed after he stalked into the lab like a bat out of hell.

Bobby jumped at the loudness of David's voice as well as comment. "A gun David? What in the blazes do you need a gun for?" Bobby's slight Georgian accent coming through.

David growled and held his hand out. "Bobby. Gun that makes big hole now." When Bobby didn't hand over the desired object David pushed past him and tried to grab one for himself.

Bobby slapped his hand. "No, David, you can't have a gun until you tell me why you need it." He hoped that if David explained things he could calm the man down and he would no longer want to resort to violence. After all David couldn't use a gun from the lab, there would be so many problems if that happened, so much red tape and he'd probably end up fired.

"Bet. CSI. Me. Greg." David tersely explained, hoping it would be enough to get the gun he wanted.

"What are you talking about David? What kind of bet could involve you and Gre." Then a light bulb went off in his head. Bobby hoped he was jumping to conclusions. He thought the Greg was good for David. After all David had not dated since coming to Vegas and he seemed really happy with Greg, or he was until Greg suddenly dumped him. But the idea that Greg would go out with the man to win a bet? Honestly. Now Bobby felt his own anger boil forth and he decided to reach for a gun to find the CSI and blow that big hole into him himself. Consequences be damned, David didn't deserve that, no one did. Greg couldn't get away with that, he wouldn't let him.

Jacqui happened to walk by the ballistics lab and see the two men plotting murder, seeing Bobby's hand much too close to a gun. She walked into the lab to see what would make the two look like they were going to shoot someone in a crime lab. "Bobby what is going on? Why do you two look ready to commit a crime?" She asked Bobby rather than David because one could make an angry Bobby talk, one could never make an angry trace tech talk without severe violence.

Bobby turned to Jacqui seemingly surprised that she was even in his lab, and was speechless, David on the other hand snarked back, "We look i like /i we about to commit a crime because we i are /i about to commit a crime dear Jacqui." The furious look on the man's face and the coldness in his eyes made Jacqui shiver. David maybe an angry bastard sometimes, but Jacqui could always look into his eyes and see at least amusement there. She had never seen his eyes so cold and calculating. It honestly made her want to leave the room and forget she asked the question, but she couldn't. She needed to keep her friends from doing something irreversible and she needed to know what would cause such behavior in the first place.

"And do tell why are you committing a crime? Just because we work in a crime lab does not mean you won't get caught." She was barely able to squeak out with David still staring at her with the cold look of fury.

After a few moments of the evil eyes, Bobby spoke up, "Greg, David, bet, CSI," were the only words he was able to speak in his total anger.

Jacqui was much faster in understanding it than Bobby had been and she wanted to hit the roof! She had agreed with Bobby that David dating was a good thing, and she didn't think that she needed to tell Greg that he shouldn't hurt David, she had trusted the former lab rat. She didn't think becoming a CSI would change the blonde that much. She had been wrong of course, now she knew that all the CSI's were total assholes and she wanted to join the two men in their murder, but realized that they needed another way to hurt them. Pushing her murderous rage aside and told them, "We can't kill them. Grissom would hurt you for taking away over half of the CSIs from graveyard." She of course not needing to ask who the dumb asses involved in the bet, she wasn't stupid. "We can find another way that doesn't involve you blowing them away. A more sneaky way that makes it less likely you'll get caught." Jacqui began plotting in her head the perfect triple homicide and making it look like an accident.

"I don't care about Grissom being pissy, I want to kill him now! I trusted him." David practically squeaked out the last sentence. The other two looked in shock, they knew what happened to David in LA and knew that he did not trust easy, or more like ever. This made the other two techs want to redouble their efforts in the crime. They didn't bother trying platitudes like 'it will be ok' and 'there are other fish in the sea, just forget about him.' Words like that were meaningless to David and both Bobby and Jacqui knew that he wouldn't even hear them if they tried. The best they could do was what they were doing now, helping him plan his ex's death, which was the best therapy for David.

The fact that Greg would go out with him on a bet with his fellow CSI's nearly broke David, and the fact that they betted how long it would take for Greg to get into his pants made him want to be ill. He meant what he said, he really had trusted the younger man. He trusted him enough to open up, trusted him enough to be alone with him, hell even trusted him enough to ride home with him a couple times. David does not trust easily, even before the rape he had been in a couple bad relationships making it already difficult to have enough confidence in people to even talk to them. The attack made it a hundred times worse, since he knew the men who did it and considered them friends. He even considered the man he told, his boss, a friend of sorts and they all broke the trust and caused him the worst grief imaginable. He was forced to deal with everything alone. Greg knew that, and yet he still was only a bet to the man, David was surprised the news of his attack weren't common gossip. Greg did help him though, thinking back on it, he taught him that trusting in people was stupid and a fool's dream. He would never make that mistake again. He was pulled from his brain by the screams of Jacqui and Bobby.

"What the hell do you think you are doing here?" Jacqui screeched at Greg standing nervously in the door way to the ballistics lab.

"I need to talk to David." He nervously answered feeling the glares of the both Bobby and Jacqui, after all Jacqui was scary enough, but with help it is truly terrifying. "He needs to understand why I broke up with him. Please Dav"

Jacqui broke him off quickly, "I am more interested in why you dated him in the first place personally." The glare telling Greg he was busted and running would be the best option if he wanted to remain alive.

Greg face fell, knowing he was screwed. They knew about the bet and Jacqui was going to gleefully fillet him alive. "I can explain…" but trailed off, because he honestly couldn't he didn't know why he took the bet. He was bragging that he could get anyone male or female, and that they would sleep with him. The CSI's decided he needed to get Hodges and gave him two months. He felt terrible after finding out what happened with David in LA, he never felt like such a bad person before. Every time Hodges opened up to him he wanted to run in the other direction, but he really wanted to win the bet, his pride more important to him than the feelings of someone else.

"Jacqui stop trying to kill the man with your eyes." David ordered, "I'll talk to him, and don't worry I have nothing to use as a weapon so both of you leave for a minute." Neither wanted to leave him alone, but they knew they'd never get him to listen to reason so they walked outside the door and closed it most of the way in order to give them some privacy. They kept the cracked enough to ensure that David was not close enough to the guns to shoot Sanders.

They both silently stared at each other for a minute when Greg breaks the silence. "David I am so sorry. No one was supposed to be hurt, I figured that you would say no and I'd lose the bet. I never thought you'd say yes."

David glares, "So it was ok to hurt me because you didn't mean to." Greg opened his mouth to respond but David talked over him, "Actually I'd like to thank you. You proved to me without a doubt I am better off alone. Don't worry I'll pull the hounds off. You don't have to worry about them popping around a corner to kill you. Can't make the same promise for Brown or Stokes though, I still hate Brown for that lab explosion so if they turn up dead it isn't any skin off my nose. Good-bye Sanders." With that he left the CSI standing in the ballistics lab alone and confused and feeling guiltier than he ever did in his life.

Learn To Be Lonely by Phantom Of The Opera
Child of the wilderness
Born into emptiness
Learn to be lonely
Learn to find your way in darkness
Who will be there for you,
comfort and care for you?
Learn to be lonely
Learn to be your one companion
Never dreamed out in the world
There are arms to hold you
You've always known
Your heart was on its own
So laugh in your loneliness
Child of the wilderness
Learn to be lonely
Learn how to love life that is lived alone
Learn to be lonely
life can be lived
life can be loved
Alone.