This was based on a request, as I'm not a Greg/Nick shipper, but oh well, I tried. Based off 'Targets of Obsession' Hope you like it.
Disclaimer: I only own my imagination.
Close Calls.
Greg walked into the hospital, after snapping his cell phone shut. His nerves bounced in a million ways; anticipation, anxiety, worry. The sun beaming in through the windows heated the back of his neck, calming him, despite the task seeming impossible.
Ray's acknowledgement of Nick and Catherine's safety still rung in his ears, but he didn't shake it out. Greg wanted to hear it a million times over, until he went deaf.
The relief still stung at his heart, that was still frozen in the now, long over shock. His breath had hitched hard in his throat when Sara had run into the break room, her eyes showing an emotion he couldn't decipher.
"Greg!" He heard Sara blurt out from the door of his office, and he spun around in his leather chair.
He expected to hear news about a case, or some excuse as to why she needed to run, even though he knew about her Skype dates. But her face was crinkled in worry.
"What's wrong?" He asked urgently, already on his feet. Sara Sidle didn't overreact, actually it was quite the opposite, so if she was this scared, he had something to be terrified of.
"There were some complications at the warehouse Nick and Catherine went to. There was a bomb planted and the whole place was booby-trapped..." She said and trailed off, leaving him to his million-mile-an-hour thoughts.
Complications? What complications? That could mean a million things. Or it could mean that one thing that he feared the most out of anything in the universe. Nick. Nick had to be okay. Just the thought him in danger electrified Greg's heart.
No, he had to be okay. But Sara hadn't spoken yet and he couldn't calm his thoughts. Nicky couldn't be gone. The beautiful Texan made the world around him glow, even when he himself was devastated. He made the world happy, he felt the need to comfort anyone in distress, he had the biggest heart in existence. But that heart could stop. Even though Greg denied it in every way, it very well could. Even though he was more than that to the younger man, Nick Stokes was human.
Finally, putting a speed block on his thoughts, Greg spoke.
"Nicky." He said exasperatedly, and Sara put a hand on his arm.
"He's fine Greg. He's fine. Vartann took a bullet to the thigh, but he should be fine. Cath and Nicky have some scratches and bruises, nothing else." She said, all quickly, and he hung onto every word.
"He's okay?" Greg asked in disbelief, his knees threatening to give out.
"He's okay." Sara repeated and hugged him, probably reading his mind. But that must have been hard, they were going so damn fast.
The stairs echoed as he bolted up them, too lazy to wait for the elevator. He couldn't stand the thought of being still, with Nick somewhere in this hospital. He had to see him okay. Happy and smiling and laughing. That was his Nicky.
He slammed through the door of the fourth floor, knowing that's where he would be. Because that's where Vartann was, which meant the same went for Catherine, and therefore Nick. He was always the protector.
He turned the corner, out of breath, but ignoring the harsh wind in his throat. It smelt like disinfectant in the hallway, something He and Nick both despised. They had joked about it before, while sitting on his TV room couch. He smiled on the inside, recalling more memories, but at the same time being in the present.
And then Greg saw him. His back was to the younger man, and he was looking in on a brightly lit room, no doubt Lou and Catherine's. His heart pounded in his ears as the familiar figure pulled every ounce of his focus onto him, like a magnet.
Instantly, Greg walked, no- jogged, towards him, not caring about anything else. Because it was Nick, and he was okay, and alive and...Nick.
Right before he reached him, the slightly older CSI turned, hearing something, and instantly relaxed his shoulders. His deep brown eyes welled up in some form of relieved sadness, despite the small smile already on his perfect face.
And then Greg reached him, and after a brief hesitation, just for fear of hurting him in anyway, he pulled him into the tightest hug he had ever given. The force caused them to wobble slightly, but his tight grip never lessened, and the smile never left his lips.
"Your okay." Greg stated, more to himself than anyone. Nick nodded and grinned, his eyes crinkling.
'I'm fine." He replied and hugged tighter, if that was possible.
Greg didn't say anything for a few minutes, he just pulled back to stare into the other man's eyes, still in disbelief.
"You are never going into a warehouse again. Ever. I'm not allowing it." Greg said seriously, but Nick chuckled at the ever present goofiness in Greg.
"No problem. Actually, I'm beyond okay with that."
The twin smiles of relief stayed on their faces for what seemed like eternity, before Nick's phone buzzed.
XXX
Three hours later they were behind the car doors, guns drawn.
Nick couldn't believe him and Greg had been thrown into danger again, by none other than Jason Mcann, the boy they up until now, believed was innocent.
The Vegas air was hot and humid on the highway, and the blowing desert air wasn't helping.
Nick heard Jason's shouts from inside the truck's cab, but it felt like there was a screen inbetween them. He knew exactly what the boy was yelling, but he couldn't get his brain to understand.
"I want to talk to Nick!" Jason shouted once more, and the only other sound was the re-balancing feet of the dozen or so police officers beside them. And for just a second, Nick considered it.
If he walked over to the kid, he could stop this right now. Jason wouldn't get hurt. Greg wouldn't get hurt. And his Greggo was not getting hurt on his watch anytime soon. Nick knew he had a guilty conscious, for god's sake, he had felt bad when he had burned Greg's finger while cooking him pancakes.
But before he could even shift his weight, and uncharacteristically bold voice sounded from beside him.
"Don't even think about it." Greg demanded, his gun clocked on to the fifteen year old's head. Nick glanced at him for a millisecond, before snapping his head back at Jason.
The rest of the words shouted between were a blur, because all Nick could think about was Greg's newly found dominant role. He didn't mind it, after all it felt nice to be cared about. It was something knew, and it actually made Greg that much more attractive, if you could even imagine that.
And then the kid made the dangerous move nobody wanted. His shaky hands flew towards a gun and everything happened so fast that Nick's eyes couldn't catch it all.
Bullets whizzed through the air, police officer's, Greg's, and even a few of his own, and hit the teens chest with such an impact that he was held in mid air for a few seconds. But then he collapsed to the ground, his mysterious face empty.
The realisation rushed to Nick's heart and tears filled his eyes. He hated being so emotional. After all, hadn't that very kid been the one trying to kill him all along? But then again, he was just a kid. Nothing more. He could have had an entirely different life. But he didn't.
The Texan leaned against the side of his Denali, ignoring the speculative looks from the uniforms. But then he felt two slender, comforting arms slide around his waist and he leaned back into Greg's chest.
"He shouldn't have done that. He had his whole life ahead of him." Nick muttered in the heated air, listening to Greg's breathing.
"But he did, Nicky. And you can't change that." Greg said quietly, and spun him around to look into his chocolate brown eyes.
"G-" Nick started, but the younger man put a finger to his lips.
"No. Stop blaming yourself. You can't control everything, and sometimes people make mistakes. Ones that can cost them their lives. Okay? It had nothing to do with you." Greg said in his honey-sweet voice, pressing his lips into a sad smile.
Nick looked down, but realized his partner was right. He couldn't have stopped this. A car can't stop if the owner won't step on the brake.
So he nodded and smiled, before leaning in and kissing the younger man, completely ignoring everyone else around them.
They'd been through enough for one day. Had too many close calls, too many scares and way, way too much time apart. But none of that mattered because the two were together and happy.
At least for the moment.
Soooooo? I was bored, and I got a request from someone :D I love requests, so if you have one, inbox me or review to tell me. But you know...if you could just review anyway... that would be great :D