As promised...
AN: Don't own 'em, just love 'em.
Nick was dozing on the sofa when he awoke to a soft sound. He turned his head towards the baby monitor and realized that was where the sound was originating. Rising from his reclining position and wandering down the hallway, he paused and acknowledged he didn't know which room was Carter's nursery.
He could see the open door of the bathroom, but also two closed doors. Standing outside of the first door, he quietly turned the knob and gave a glance inside. Nick could see Greg sprawled across a queen-sized bed, the sheets twisted around his waist allowing the Texan to see the lab tech's smooth back. He paused within the open doorway, gazing upon a sight that would provide fodder for his fantasies at a later time. Swallowing heavily, Nick closed the door quietly and turned to the remaining door.
Opening the second door, he saw a crib to the right. Nick stepped inside the room and closed the door. Stepping over towards the crib, he saw a small figure sitting in the center staring back at him.
"Hi buddy. How are you doin', Carter?" Nick began talking in a soft, low voice. He watched Greg's son study him, trying to decide if he should cry out for his father or allow Nick to pick him up. Nick smiled when the boy lifted his small pudgy arms towards the unknown man, evidently deciding that he was safe.
He lifted the child in his arms and nestled him against his chest. "Guess we should check your diaper, little man, after that we'll find you something to eat. Sound good?" Carter smiled at Nick and produced spit bubbles in response. "I guess that's an affirmative, huh?" Nick moved to the changing table and quickly and efficiently provided Carter with a dry diaper. The baby kicked his legs in delight as Nick gave his bottom a sprinkle of talc. "That feels good, doesn't it, you little hedonist?"
After resnapping Carter's sleeper, Nick picked him up and headed towards the kitchen. He slipped the baby into the highchair, fastening the seat strap before turning towards the cupboards. Quickly locating some teething biscuits, he gave the babbling babe one to keep him occupied while he proceeded to gather up breakfast foods for the child.
A short time later after Carter had eaten his cereal and mashed banana, and Nick had rinsed his dishes, the two males settled into the living room couch so that Carter could finish his meal with his bottle of juice. The happy baby wrapped a fist around Nick's little finger and held on tight, his blue eyes gazing into the brown ones above him. Nick smiled and snuggled the little fellow closer to his chest.
The remainder of the morning Nick had the time of his life playing with Greg's son. The two sat on a blanket on the floor with a variety of toys the Texan had found within Carter's room and inside a basket in the living room. Carter's favorite activity involved tossing the toys off the blanket and allowing Nick to pick them up and put them back in the middle of the play area. Prior to a second diaper change, Nick had even given the baby a quick bath in the kitchen sink, afraid that the two of them would be too noisy for Greg if they used the hallway bathroom for the chore.
When Carter's eyes started to droop, Nick fixed a bottle of formula and settled back onto the couch with his small charge, knowing a full tummy would help the little guy sleep sounder and longer. Nick could feel the need for a nap also, having not gotten much sleep earlier. Deciding to rest his eyes, the dark-haired man lowered himself into a semi-reclining position as Carter worked to finish his formula. Nick drifted off to sleep just moments after the tiny mouth went slack around the nipple on his bottle.
Greg woke up and realized the house was silent. That was not a common occurrence since his life had changed four months ago. A glance at the clock surprised Greg. It was late afternoon, and he had slept for close to seven hours. Swinging his legs off of the bed and slipping on a tee shirt, Greg quickly made his way out of the bedroom.
After using the bathroom, he opened Carter's door, expecting to see his son sleeping in his crib, but the room was empty. Greg continued down the hallway and into the living room. His eyes swept the room and his gaze faltered as it fell upon the sofa and the two males asleep on the cushions. Well, he admitted, only one was on the cushions; the other one was using the first as his own personal cushion. Carter was lying on Nick's chest, his tiny hand around one of the man's thumbs. Nick's free hand was resting on the baby's bottom, holding him in place and keeping him from rolling off onto the floor.
Greg felt a lump in this throat. His son and Nick looked so good together, so natural. Nick was right, he was good with kids. Greg had fully expected to be woken up much earlier. Carter had recently reached the stage when he was afraid of unknown people and had proven to his father that his lungs were extremely healthy, screaming whenever anyone he didn't recognize came into his line of vision. But it appeared that Nick had managed to charm Carter. Greg smiled realizing that the concept of being charmed by Nick was an appealing thought, even to him.
Settling into an armchair, Greg allowed himself the luxury of watching the two sleep, daydreaming that Nick and he raising Carter together was a reality. It wasn't just that he realized that two parents would make it easier; Greg had been fantasizing about a life including the Texan long before Gina's death had brought the baby into his life. Listening to Nick and Warrick talk about their dating lives had been torture and he could have requested a transfer to another shift, but the idea of not seeing the dark-haired man on a regular basis was too painful to consider.
Nick woke to the feeling of warmth on his chest and gave a smile, realizing that Carter had nestled in close and fallen asleep for a nice long nap. He turned his head and saw Greg sitting in an armchair, looking down at his hands with a look of such sadness that it made him want to rush over and pull the young man into his arms. Shifting on the sofa slightly, he caught Greg's attention and for an instant Nick saw a look of intense longing on the lab tech's face when he looked at Nick and his son.
That look was quickly shuttered as Greg gave Nick a big smile. "So how did today go?" he asked in a cheerful voice that Nick thought sounded a little forced.
"Great. We had breakfast and lunch. Carter had a bath and we played with his toys." Nick looked down at the floor and the scattered items on the blanket he had found folded on the back of the sofa earlier. "I'll pick those up later. Carter decided lunch was more important than housekeeping." He grinned down at the sleeping baby and rubbed his back gently.
"Yeah, he's kinda like that," Greg chuckled. "He's got that egocentric thing working for him."
Nick continued to look at Greg closely, then making sure he had a secure grip on Carter, he shifted into a sitting position. "Greg…?"
"Hmmm?" He looked Nick in the eye.
"Don't worry, man. We'll figure something out. I already have a few ideas." The dark-haired man tried to reassure his friend.
Greg shook his head and replied, "Nick, I appreciate the concern, but it's my problem. You don't have to try to fix things for me." He smiled sadly and shrugged his shoulders.
Nick retained eye contact, watching for any indication Greg was being honest with him. Deciding the young man was perhaps only giving out what he thought was the expected response, the CSI tried to decide if acknowledging his feelings and making his concern for Greg and his plight more visible would be taking advantage of the new father's current predicament. He decided to take a chance, if later when Greg's needs weren't so pressing he felt he had taken advantage of the situation he would back off, however much it might hurt. "And if I want to make it my problem, too?" he asked softly.
Greg's eyes widened, a look of uncertainty on his face. "Nick….?"
"Yeah," he responded with a nod and a shy smile.
"How long?" the bleach blond asked softly.
Nick gave a sad smile, "How long have you been in the lab?" He looked down at the small bundle resting on his chest. "If this makes things too weird for you, then I can walk out and we won't ever have to discuss it again. I don't want to upset our working relationship because of my personal feelings. I just want you to know that I will do anything I can to help you out."
He looked back up at Greg, needing to see the effect his words were having, ready to hand over Carter and leave if the young man's response was negative. Greg, however, was smiling.
"Are we idiots, or what?" he asked, shaking his head slightly. "Sometimes it was just plain torture working with you, but the lab always seemed so empty when you walked out. I kept trying to invent ways of keeping you there as long as possible. Why do you think I played 'Guess the Chemical Compound' or gave such elaborate answers to your questions over test results?"
Nick grinned, "Yeah, you too?" He was having a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that his declaration was not being rebuffed, but was being accepted and reciprocated.
Greg nodded and chuckled, "When I interviewed for the job, I was trying to decide between Vegas and New York. I had a pretty hefty offer from the other lab. But when I caught sight of you in the hallway and found out the job I was interviewing for was on your shift…." He paused and grinned, "Well, as soon as Grissom offered me the job, I called New York and told them they'd have to keep looking."
"I can't believe we've wasted two years," the Texan shook his head in disbelief.
"We haven't wasted it, Nick. We've just taken the long road in getting to know each other. Never having had this talk would be wasting the last two years." He stood and walked over to the couch, sitting beside the other man and raising a hand to the strong jaw line. "May I?" he asked looking at Nick's lips and then up at his eyes for permission.
"Please," Nick answered, leaning sideways towards Greg.
Greg moved forward closing the remaining gap, careful to not trap Carter between their bodies as he captured Nick's lips with his own. His first touch was tentative, as if not really believing what the dark-haired man had told him was true, but when Nick answered that soft kiss in a more impatient manner, Greg responded quickly, slipping a hand to the nape of the other man's neck to hold him in place. The young man continued the onslaught until both men had to stop to breathe. Pulling back slightly, he rested his forehead on Nick's.
"Better than my fantasies," he whispered, carding his fingers through the hair at Nick's nape.
Nick chuckled, "Fantasies, huh? You'll have to tell me all about them and we'll try to make each one a reality."
Greg pulled back further until he could look into Nick's eyes. "If I wake up in a few minutes and find that I have been dreaming…."
Nick's eyes darkened, and in an emotion-filled voice he said, "Not a dream, not anymore." He leaned toward Greg again, asking without words for the young man to meet him halfway. The CSI slipped one hand from the sleeping infant and grasped Greg's nape, holding him in place as he took the lead in the next kiss, proving to the lab rat that he was very much awake and desired.
The possessive claiming eased into a series of feather-like kisses along the juncture of Greg's neck and collar bone, as Nick's hand caressed the soft skin underneath the ear on the other side of his face. The young man began to melt against his long-term crush, forgetting about the small child sandwiched between them.
A wail from Carter finally brought both men to their senses, and they reluctantly pulled apart. "Carter's making sure we're all awake," Nick quipped in a joking manner.
Sitting back into the sofa cushions, Greg reached for his son with a huge grin. "Hey Carter, I see you've met Nick. I'm glad you like him because I have a feeling he's going to be spending a lot of time with us from now on." Carter's whimpering ceased and he snuggled with his father.
Nick smiled and nodded. "Yeah Carter, if your daddy wants rid of me now, he's going to need a crowbar." Carter looked over at the sound of Nick's voice and as if understanding his words, reached out his little hand towards the man, patting him gently in agreement.
Nick could hear Greg in the kitchen talking to Carter as he fixed supper for the three of them. The Texan slipped down the hallway and pulled out his cell phone dialing the youngest of his five older sisters back in Texas.
"Hey Sis," he began, smiling as Beth took control of the conversation and all he was able to do was answer yes or no at the appropriate times. When she finally slowed down, he asked, "How are you doing?" His sister had recently gone through a messy divorce, the first in his family. His parents and siblings had been glad that Beth had eventually realized the mistake she had made in marrying her college sweetheart, and were thankful that there were no children stuck in the middle of the awful situation.
When she finally quieted for the second time, Nick approached her with an idea. "Bethie, how would you like to get out of town for awhile? I have a close friend and co-worker here with a small child. He's a single parent and his child care provider had to leave unexpectedly due to family reasons. Would you consider flying up here and spending some time with me and helping out? I'll pay your expenses." Nick knew that his sister was at loose ends, having left her job in her husband's company when the divorce papers were filed. Nick's parents and siblings had tried to keep Beth occupied, but he was sure his sister was beginning to feel constrained by the constant presence of the entire Stokes' family hovering around her.
Nick smiled at her acceptance to his proposal. "Thanks so much, Bethie. Start packing, sweetheart. I'll talk to my friend and call for airline tickets. When I get things finalized I'll call you back. No matter what happens with Carter's original sitter, you are more than welcome to stay with me as long as you want." He took a relieved breath as he closed his phone and wandered back to the kitchen, happy that he would be able to relieve Greg of the burden of looking for a care giver for Carter.
Greg and Nick sat down to eat, Carter's high chair between them. Nick had fed the small child most of his dinner while Greg was finishing cooking their meal, however the new father would stop every few bites during his own dinner to see if the boy would eat anything else. Carter seemed to like pleasing his father and every so often he would allow another bite of vegetable to cross his lips.
"I talked to my youngest sister, Beth, while you were cooking, Greg." The lab tech nodded and wiped Carter's mouth and fingers. Nick continued, "She just went through a nasty divorce and my family is driving her crazy with all their hovering. She's not working now and is at loose ends. I invited her to stay with me and she's willing to watch Carter for you, if that's agreeable."
Greg looked at Nick in surprise. "Nick, you didn't have to do that. I could have managed. Really."
The dark-haired man shrugged. "I hope that I'm not stepping on your toes…" He shook his head. "No, I know I am stepping on your toes and I apologize, but I didn't want you to worry about finding somebody. I know that Beth can use a break from home and she loves kids. The bastard she was married to didn't want any and took it upon himself to get a vasectomy without even consulting her." Nick paused and looked at Carter and then back at Greg. "Please let us help out."
Greg hesitated. He didn't want a relationship with someone who would steamroll over his wants and needs, but he did want someone who cared enough to want to make things easier for him. He knew that those two things could sometimes be contradictory. Greg gave Nick a smile. "We'll give your sister a shot, Nick. Lord knows, there were times when I needed to spend time away from my family, but the next time something comes up in regards to Carter please ask before you take it upon yourself to plan our lives. It's not that I don't want you to have a place in his life, but this thing between us is so new that…."
Nick placed a hand on his arm to stop him. "I understand, Greg. You're his father and right now I'm just the man who wants to be in his life because I happen to care for you. I'll respect that."
Greg nodded his thanks. "So when do you expect Beth?"
"I'll call and make plane reservations for her after dinner. She was so excited when I talked to her that I bet she's already packed and waiting for my call." Nick grinned. "You'll like Bethie. She and I are a lot alike. As the two youngest, we were inseparable as kids. She's the one sibling I've really missed like crazy since I moved to Vegas."
Greg smiled, "Well then, we'll have to see what we can do to keep her here then." Nick smiled in response and returned to his dinner feeling better about his earlier phone call.
*continuing my happy dance that the first chapter was well recieved*
