Disclaimer: CSI, Nick, Greg and all the rest of them are not mine. I make no profit off of my fanfiction hobbies.

Summary: Nick stays with Greg for a few days after he is attacked by Nigel Crane during which time Greg helps him face his demons and explore their own relationship. Slash.

Rating: PG-13 for swearing and sexual situations

Spoilers/Setting: Takes place immediately after Stalker, so Nick is all bruised and beat up and Greg has never been blown up, just remember that.

Moving in and Moving On

By Goody

When Nick woke up the movie was over, but he quickly found that the fears that had plagued him before falling asleep had become reality. The house was quiet, incredibly quiet.

That's the first sign, he reminded himself and felt his breathing quicken a little.

"Greg?" he called out, but there was no answer. Looking around, he found a note on the table in front of him.

Getting groceries, shouldn't be long. Hope you like spaghetti, Greg.

Nick breathed and tried to calm down. It was ridiculous to panic. He was at Greg's house, no one knew he was there, no one was watching, he told himself. The doors are locked, the windows are closed, you're fine!

The doors had been locked at least. What if Greg hadn't locked them when he left? This neighbourhood was pretty secluded so he might not feel the need to. But Nick felt the need to. Sitting up, he noticed how dark it was. Hadn't the lights been on when he fell asleep?

Not willing to take any chances, he veered off his path to the doorway and made a pitstop in his room. He had only brought a small bag to Greg's, filled with whatever clothes he had had in his locker at work, but Brass had also given him his gun back once Crane was handcuffed and he had packed that as well.

Gun held low, he slowly crept through the dining room and into the kitchen. He shook the front door knob – locked. Nick sighed, relieved and now feeling ridiculous for walking around with a gun, and knew he had to put it back before Greg got home.

When he got to the door to his room he stopped. A footstep, a floorboard creaked. The gun was brought up immediately, pointing down the hall as Nick stood frozen, shaking slightly with anxiety and fear.

The door down the hall began to open and Nick couldn't move. His eyes were trained on the door, his body tense, his finger poised on the trigger.

Greg shut off his bedroom light as he came into the hallway and yelped in terrified surprise to find a gun aimed at his head.

"Wha … Jesus, Nick put the gun down it's me. It's Greg, put it down!"

Nick heaved in a huge breath but lowered the gun as asked, "God Greg, are you trying to give me a heart attack? What are you doing sneaking around in the dark?"

"I wasn't sneaking. Jesus you scared me! You were still asleep when I got back with the groceries and I didn't want to wake you. I've been in my room reading," Greg explained, also breathing easier now that the gun was moved away. "What are you doing with a gun?"

"The note you left said you were gone. The lights were off, I heard someone else in the house – what would you do?" Nick defended, now leaning against the wall, exhausted with relief that it had just been Greg.

Greg took a calming breath and didn't have to remind himself of what Nick had just been through. He had a right to be paranoid.

"You're right, okay, I'm sorry. I should have thought to grab that note or let you know I was home or something," he conceded, more than sympathetic to Nick's state of mind.

Nick went to rub his eyes and realized he was still holding his gun, which he threw on his bed in disgust.

"No Greg, geez, I'm sorry. You're letting me stay here and making sure I rest and I point a gun in your face. God, I'm so screwed up right now," Nick admitted softly, face in his hands and showing his first real sign of vulnerability since Crane had been arrested.

There was silence as Greg took a step closer and put a hand on Nick's shoulder.

He nodded in agreement and said softly, "Yeah. You really are."

It got the hoped for laugh from Nick, at which point Greg added seriously, "But I'm known for being pretty screwed up too. If you need to talk I'm right here. Just, leave your gun at home."

"Thanks G," Nick replied, putting his own hand on Greg's shoulder. "I may take you up on that, just not right now."

"No problem."

A moment passed and they both left their hands where they were a second too long, until suddenly Greg asked.

"You wanna go for a ride?"

Nick's eyes widened, "What?"

"To your place, I mean. I know you don't have much stuff here so I called Gris. He said we can pick up some stuff from your house as long as we promise not to touch anything probative to Crane's case," Greg explained as he hastily stepped back.

Nick nodded, "Oh, yeah. That sounds great. Just give me a sec."

"Sure. I'm gonna get my shoes on."

The drive to Nick's was pretty much silent. Greg immediately flipped on the radio once in the car, but kept the sound to a minimum and even flipped it to a medium rock station. It was neutral music, something neither of them loved or despised but it kept them from fighting over what they listened to.

Greg was pretty sure music was the last thing on Nick's mind though, as he stared out the car window the whole drive, deeply lost in thought. He hadn't been back home since Brass and his men had bashed down his door (something else that'll need to be repaired, he thought) and stopped Nigel Crane from killing himself or Nick, maybe even both. He didn't know how he would react to being back in there. He wasn't sure if he would be able to control his emotions, or if he would even feel anything. Maybe he wouldn't even be able to go inside. He just wasn't sure.

But he was about to find out, because Greg was pulling into his driveway.

He took a deep breath. There was yellow tape across the front door that hung just on its hinges and even though Greg had shut off the car Nick made no move to open his car door. Instead he stared straight ahead, body suddenly aching and frozen.

He was scared of his own home.

Beside him, Greg continued to grip the steering wheel, unsure of what to do or say. It seemed Nick had no intention of going inside just yet.

"I uh, I can go in for you, if you want. Just tell me what you want me to grab. I'm sure I could find it," Greg offered. He was hesitant to go into another crime scene in case he screwed up again, but he also wanted to help Nick by any means necessary.

Silence.

"No." The word was stronger than Nick looked at the moment.

"No. I'll go in." He finally looked at Greg, almost pleading. "Will you come with me?"

Greg nodded automatically, "Yeah. Definitely."

They both slowly unbuckled their seatbelts and got out of the car. Nick led the way, Greg a supportive half-step behind him as he headed for the door which swung open slowly adding to the eerie feeling Nick was getting from his house.

The doorway was as far as they got for awhile as Nick took in the damage to his home and how its comfort and safety were destroyed, and Greg tried to imagine how one psychotic little man could wreck Nick and his home so terribly.

"Let me know if I'm next to something I'm not supposed to touch," Greg requested, remembering how inexperienced he had been at the bus accident a few weeks before.

Nick suddenly straightened a little and seemed to focus, "Just follow my footsteps. Hug the wall until we're down that hallway. Then we're pretty much in the clear."

"Okay," Greg replied, staying close to Nick, perhaps too close, but the entire house felt creepy. The silence and tension mixed in with the destruction was a horrible combination that made Greg want to leave. It also made him feel sorry for Nick for having to see his beautiful home reduced to this.

When they made it to Nick's bedroom he relaxed a little. There was no sign of Crane in here. Nothing broken or blood splattered or even out of place. It was just his bedroom, with his neatly made bed and his books and Greg. And God, if Greg was in his bedroom under any other circumstances he would consider it one of the luckiest days of his life, but for now, the labrat was just there for support and distraction. He would keep Nick from getting lost in thought while he was here and that was what he needed, so he started to empty out his dresser.

Greg stood in the center of the room, hands in his pockets, looking awkward, unsure what to do now that they were in here.

Nick noticed as well so asked, "Greg, would you mind getting my toothbrush and stuff out of the bathroom?"

"No, no problem," Greg said, shuffling out, looking around in wide circles as if he expected something to jump out at him at any moment.

Nick couldn't blame him. His house was freaking him out too and he started to load up his duffel bag even faster, not noticing what clothes he grabbed at this point. When he turned and saw his bed he stopped, suddenly remembering that Crane had invaded this room.

"You said her name in your sleep."

His eyes strayed to the ceiling but he didn't see anything. Wincing, he stepped onto the bed for a closer look. There it was. A small peephole right above his headboard, corked from the other side to make it barely noticeable. Crane had watched him. Crane had seen him do everything, every private moment of his life.

Nick shivered, feeling violated.

Crane had heard him talk in his sleep. Nick wondered if he had ever said Greg's name. He dreamed about the young lab rat frequently enough that he'd be surprised if he hadn't. What if Crane had heard that too? Well, it might explain why Crane had thought they could 'be together'. After all, if Nick had fantasized about one man, then why not another? It must have given Nigel a chance, at least in his own mind.

But there was no chance. There was only Greg. There had always only been Greg, and there he was again, standing in the doorway, waiting patiently for Nick to snap himself out of his own thoughts.

Nick licked his lips at the sight of Greg, but knew he looked ridiculous standing up on his own bed and though Greg was tactful, he was curious and had to ask.

"What are you doing?"

He looked at the ceiling again. The hole was plugged. No one was watching anymore. There was just Greg, who was looking at him with those understanding, beautiful eyes.

"Crane, he watched me sleep," Nick explained hastily, getting down off the bed. Greg's mouth dropped open and he stepped closer, trying to see for himself. He was about to say something and Nick tried to rush by, not wanting to hear another 'I'm sorry' or other empty platitude, but that was not Greg's style.

"What a freak," the labrat said instead.

Nick stopped, smiled and shrugged, "Yeah."

"He could have at least bought you dinner first," Greg continued, enjoying the rareness of Nick's smile these past few days.

"He did give me some free movie channels. Guess he figured that made him entitled," Nick shrugged.

Greg saw Nick hovering in the doorway and got the idea, "Let's get out of here. There's some spaghetti and beer at home with our name on it."

"Sounds good," Nick said, moving into the hallway. "But how about I cook this time?"

"That's the best plan I've heard all day."

When they got back Nick tried to help Greg cook as promised, but the younger man was so paranoid about Nick hurting himself or straining his injuries that the Texan gave up halfway through just so Greg would relax and focus on their meal. They ate on the couch, side by side, Nick having moved from his usual place in Greg's recliner. Their shoulders and hands 'accidentally' brushed more than a few times, and both could be blamed but neither said anything. Nervousness entered their conversations and eye contact seemed to be a thing of the past as they both now enjoyed looking at the other only in longing-filled side glances.

They watched TV and talked until late. Nick had wanted to watch the football game and Greg had agreed, pretending to be a fan though he knew nothing of the sport outside of video games. He tried to watch and stay attentive but by the second half he was asleep, exhausted from working earlier in the day followed by hours spent making sure Nick was comfortable and all right.

Nick wasn't watching the game anymore either though. Instead he watched Greg sleep, and found himself more at peace than he had been since he got thrown through a window two days before. All thoughts of Nigel Crane and his assault totally flew from Nick's mind when he was with Greg. Logically he knew he should be paranoid or traumatized in some way after everything that had happened, but all he saw was Greg. The labrat enveloped his every thought, and he couldn't seem to care that someone had invaded his life and tried to kill him. He only cared about these few days he would have in this new life with Greg and relishing every moment of it, and that was more comforting and allowed him to heal faster than he would ever be able to tell the younger man.

As he watched Greg sleep, peaceful and leaned up against the armrest, Nick found himself unable to resist one of the temptations he knew he would eventually succumb to while he was there. Reaching out slowly, he ran his hand through Greg's hair. It was conditioned and soft. The spikes that appeared hard were actually flexible and easily bent under his hand, then returned to their former position. His hand traveled lower, tucking a stray piece of Greg's hair behind his ear, then he continued with just his fingertips trailing down along Greg's jaw and his thumb hovering over those beautiful lips.

Greg shifted and Nick pulled back and panicked. Moving his hand quickly to Greg's shoulder, he shook him a little as though that had been his intention all along.

"Come on Greggo, you're gonna have a sore neck if you sleep here," Nick rushed out quickly, covering his actions.

Greg yawned and seemed unaware of anything, "Sorry, didn't mean to drift off on you. You're right though thanks. And I thought you were staying here so I could take care of you."

"Works both ways G. I gotta pay you back somehow," Nick said.

Greg shook his head, "They'll be no 'paying back' involved. I want you here Nick, get that through your head. Now, I'm taking your advice and going to bed."

"All right. I'm pretty beat myself," Nick replied, standing and walking behind Greg into the next hallway, more tempted than he cared to admit to follow Greg into his bedroom.

Greg sighed as he changed into a t-shirt and boxers, amazed he had survived the day. Then again, it was a lot easier to keep from acting inappropriately around Nick when the Texan was bruised and bandaged. A lot of times in the lab Greg would just be so happy to be around Nick that he would flirt non-stop, or ramble forever to keep the other man in the room, only realizing after Nick left that he was probably just making a fool of himself. But Nick never seemed to mind and in fact usually strayed a little while in Greg's lab, filling him in on his case or just asking how he was doing. And Greg reveled in it.

But here, with Nick visibly banged up, he was constantly reminded that Nick had just been through something terrible. His life had been completely invaded and he had almost died. Therefore, even though this situation seemed like the perfect circumstance to tell Nick how he felt, he just couldn't allow himself to unload his massive crush on Nick's shoulders when he already had so much to deal with. It wouldn't be fair to Nick, and it would also make things incredibly awkward since Nick was the ladies man who would never return Greg's feelings. And then he would have to go stay with someone else because he felt uncomfortable and that was definitely something Greg didn't want.

Choosing to keep things simple, Greg decided what he did want was a glass of water and then to go to bed. The day was over and there was nothing else to be done either way.

Down the hall Nick was getting dressed for bed with the door slightly ajar and just as Greg walked by he heard his friend grunt with pain.

"Uh Nick? You all right?" Greg asked worriedly as he poked his head in to see Nick standing in the middle of the room cringing as he gripped the collar of his shirt with his one good hand. Normally someone with cracked ribs and a sprained wrist would wear button up shirts that would be easy to get on and off. Unfortunately Nick had only had t-shirts in his bag from work, which weren't too bad going on, but with only one good arm he was finding it extremely hard to pull it off over his head without extreme pain. Seeing this, Greg stepped into the room to help.

"Here, lift up your arms," Greg instructed, as he took hold of the hem of the shirt.

"I got it," Nick assured him quickly, intimidated by the younger man's proximity. Greg was so close he could smell him, feel the warmth of his hands on his torso, and God, if Greg offered to help him with his pants too he might just explode.

"Just lift up your arms," Greg demanded with exaggerated exasperation, as if he was trying to undress a six-year old. Nick did as instructed and Greg gently pulled the shirt off over his head.

Time froze.

Now Nick was shirtless, Greg was in his personal space, both were breathing just a little too hard, and neither one was backing down. Nick closed his eyes and breathed deeply, enjoying the smell of Greg, the feel of him so close and subconsciously leaned forward, wanting more of everything that was Greg.

Greg's eyes remained open as he looked at Nick's bare chest. There were bruises and cuts in different stages of healing, threatening to diminish the beauty of Nick's body but were completely unsuccessful. Greg was taken aback by the perfection and couldn't believe it when his fingers traced down a line of bruises on Nick's ribs, his touch so soft Nick wasn't sure he felt it.

His eyes opened. He had felt it, and Greg felt it too. Nick leaned in closer. Not enough to scare Greg away, but enough to make his next move clear. Greg didn't back down, his breathing increased even more, their eyes met, there was understanding, and Nick couldn't take it anymore, he had to have those lips and taste them.

It wasn't the gentle, tentative kiss he had been hoping for. After deciding to go for it, Nick knew he had to go all the way, so he cupped the back of Greg's head and brought their lips together with so much force that Greg stumbled back and hit the wall. He just let Nick hold him there, let him devour him and told himself over and over again that this was real. This was Nick, gorgeous, funny, straight-laced Nick devouring his lips like they were the last spoonful of a sundae on a boiling hot day. Not that Greg wasn't responding in turn. He had waited too long for this moment to not react when it finally came so he allowed his tongue to explore Nick's mouth as he also snaked an arm around Nick's back to travel up into the Texan's hair. Then Greg became more forceful, pushing off the wall and running his hand down Nick's chest, amazed by the taut, strong muscles.

Then Nick pulled back and hissed and Greg opened his eyes to see he had touched a particularly bruised rib.

"Sorry. Sorry, I'm sorry," Greg whispered, out of breath from the kiss and the shock.

Nick shook his head and left his hand on the back of Greg's head, guiding it forward until their foreheads touched, "No, it's okay. Never apologize G. It's worth the pain, trust me."

Greg smiled and tilted his head up to renew the kiss again. It was softer now that they had both been reminded of Nick's injured state. Their lips didn't crush together but instead just met and there was true passion as they each enjoyed the taste and texture of the other's lips.

Even though he was taller than Nick, Greg pushed himself up on the tips of his toes, trying hard to express everything he felt in this moment through his body's reactions. Then he wrapped his arms around Nick's neck, a safe position he knew wouldn't hurt the older man.

Nick's hands had different ideas, but as soon as his fingers tried to dip below Greg's boxers, Greg froze up and pulled away, breaking the picturesque moment.

It was clear Nick was confused by Greg's reaction, but it was Greg's expression that kept him from being hurt. The young lab rat looked scared.

"Hey G, what's wrong? It's all right," Nick assured him, cupping his hand around Greg's jaw.

But Greg shook his head and closed his eyes, then after a moment responded stammeringly, "I … I think we should stop."

Nick heard Greg's words but the dirty blonde's body had a whole different message as it remained pressed against Nick's chest, maintaining as much contact as possible.

"Look Greg, you don't have to do anything you don't want to, but unless you just blacked out on me for a second, I'd say it's pretty obvious how we both feel about each other," Nick reasoned with him.

Greg looked down, "Is it?"

"What?" Nick didn't understand what Greg wanted from him.

"I …I want to help you get over what happened Nick, really, but you're on pain meds and you're in a weird headspace and …."

Nick sighed and took the slightest step back from Greg to give him the room it seemed he needed, "If you don't want do this you can tell me."

"No, I … I just don't want to do this for the wrong reasons. I can't just be a stepping stone in your recovery. I …"

"Greg, I want you!" Nick cleared up, taking Greg's face in his hands to make sure he got his message across. "I have for a long time now and I'm sorry that it took a life or death situation to make me willing to go after the things I want, but trust me, I could never use you as a 'stepping stone'. You mean too much to me. Trust me, this isn't some traumatic rebound."

"Really?" Greg asked hopefully and Nick could see his insecurity melting away. "Because I need to know you mean that. I'm too caught up to let this just be some thing that happens and … God, I can never make sense around you."

"Yes, really," Nick laughed. "This is a big deal for me Greg, I swear. When I'm around you I can't see anything else. It's like I'm wearing blinders that'll only look in your direction. And god Greg, I know I just went through something terrible and I should be traumatized but I don't even think about it when you're around. I feel safe here, I feel right, and …."

Nick had planned to say more but Greg's lips were on his again and the tentativeness was gone once more, replaced with a need to be as close as physically possible. Greg was so forceful that Nick had to take a step back and brace himself on a side table. He felt his erection growing and gasped when Greg's hand was suddenly down his boxers.

"So I guess you feel that too, huh?" Greg whispered huskily when he finally broke their kiss and nipped at Nick's earlobe. "By the way, everything you just said, was very pretty. Thank you."

Nick couldn't respond and it wasn't until Greg removed his hand and placed it on Nick's hip instead that he even noticed the labrat had spoken again.

"My bed, now!" Greg demanded.

Now Nick went for Greg's throat, sucking on the soft skin, "But there's a bed right here."

Greg really had to focus to reply, "Mine's double … no condoms here … let's go."

"Not even time for complete sentences?" Nick asked teasingly.

Greg took his hand and forced him to follow, "Definitely not."

They were just past the threshold of the bigger room before they were tangled in each other once more. Wet, demanding tongues probed one another, always searching, looking for more. Greg had to break away to pull his shirt over his head but immediately pounced on Nick's luscious lips again, not having tasted them nearly enough. Hands still groping each other desperately they fell into the bed.

Half an hour later Greg was panting as he slid off of Nick and rolled onto his pillow, landing sprawled on Nick's good arm and only having enough strength to squirm over the two inches needed to rest his head on Nick's shoulder.

"Wow," Nick said softly, breathing evening out as his whole body was engulfed in wonderous euphoria. He looked at the gorgeous face beside him and smiled, because Greg's eyes were already closed, and he was quite possibly already asleep and looking so peaceful it almost hurt.

Nick smiled, thinking that the only way to describe this feeling was pure calm and joy. It was happiness at its best and that almost never happened, but he wasn't going to scorn it when it did.

Kissing Greg's forehead lightly, he joined his lover in sleep.

TBC

Thanks for the great response guys, you are making my first slash fic a very enjoyable experience. There is more healing and loving to come for our boys, hope you stick around! Goody.