The words in italics are obviously from songs. The songs don't belong to me, they belong to A Change of Pace and The Goo Goo Dolls. Hope you enjoy.
Greg couldn't accurately say that Alex was a bad guy. He had never spoken one word to him. The fact that Alex Ryan was Nick's replacement was enough to make Greg hate him. It was clear Grissom did everything in his power to make sure the two never even had to see each other, let alone work together. The team had basically paired off. Warrick and Greg always worked together, Grissom and Catherine, and then Sara and Alex were mostly together. Warrick wanted nothing to do with his best friend's replacement either.
So when Greg walked into the locker room to find Alex fastening his gun to his belt, he wasn't over joyed. He stopped dead in his tracks and hesistated for a moment before continuing on to his locker. He nodded slightly when he passed Alex, who smiled his hello. Greg sat down on the bench in front of his locker and ran his hand back and forth through his hair several times before the tension was cut slightly by Alex sitting down next to him.
"Look, I know you don't like me at all. And I honestly don't blame you, or Warrick. I understand this is really hard for you. I just wanted you to know I'm not trying to take over, cuz I know I could never do that."
Greg looked up at Alex in disbelief. The honesty in his voice was very unexpected. Greg sighed and smiled slightly. "I'm sorry I've ignored you and everything...it's just yo-"
"You don't have to apologize." Alex said, holding up a hand to silence Greg. "Believe me, I know what it's like to lose someone like you did. I'm not trying to become your best friend or anything, but I really do know what it's like."
"You do?" Greg asked.
Alex nodded. "Yeah. My girlfriend 'went out for milk' and never came back. Then after a year without anything, I transferred out here and I guess it really is a small world...she's a stripper out here now. I ran into her. At a restaurant, not a strip club." He added with a smile.
"I'm sorry to hear that. That must suck."
"Yeah...it does."
"Can I ask you something?"
"Shoot."
Greg took a deep breath and sat up straight. "Does it ever get any easier? Not knowing if they're okay or not, or if they're ever coming back?"
Alex didn't want to lie to Greg, but he knew every situation was different then his was. "It took a long time for me to accept it. Then finally I realized I'm wasting my time sitting around waiting for her, and got on with my life." Greg nodded slowly, but Alex continued. "But I can tell there's something different with you. I've never met Nick, and this is the first time I've talked to you...but from what I've heard, you guys had something rare. I don't mean to like...sound weird or anything."
Greg laughed lightly. "No, it's okay. Better than what most people say."
"Don't listen to what most people say. People like to spread rumors cuz they bored with their own lives so easily."
"Especially Day Shift."
Alex laughed and nodded in agreement. "Yeah...no one's too fond of them are they?"
"No, everyone hates them. They're jerks."
"I've noticed." Alex took a good look at the younger guy sitting next to him, and really felt sorry for him. He was just a kid, and seemed like a really good guy. He hoped everything would work out for him. "Well, I gotta get back to the lab." He said as he stood and started walking toward the door.
Just as he was about to leave he was stopped by Greg. "Alex?" He turned and faced Greg. "Thanks."
"No problem." Alex said with a smile right before he left the locker room.
Nick slowly opened his eyes and waited patiently for his vision to clear. He had gotten very used to passing out and waking up who knows how much longer after. The fact that he had also gotten used to the constant pain he was in wasn't good either. He was honestly surprised he was still alive after all the blood he had lost and the damage that had been done to every part of his body.
Breathing was almost impossible now due to all of his broken ribs and damage done to his windpipe too often. He could feel the life slowly draining out of his exhausted body. Any and all hope that he had once had was starting to slip away.
Despite his situation, Nick didn't care about himself right now. He knew that Greg was safe, and that was all he really cared about. What happened to him was irrelevant. As long as Greg was safe, everything was going to be just fine.
Greg sat in his Denali with the air conditioning on full plast as he waited for the red light to change to green. He was only half paying attention to the radio playing in the background of his thoughts. Then the DJ came back onto the air.
"Now we have a kinda weird request...for two songs. The caller didn't leave his name, he seemed to be in a hurry. All he said was that whoever this is for would know and would be driving home from work right now. They must have a weird job if they're driving home at 9 in the morning." This caught Greg's attention. "Anyway, this is A Change of Pace's 'Vague Memory.' "
Greg's heart skipped a few beats when he heard the song come out of the speakers.
Tears from yesterday carry on through tomorrow
These words were too soft spoken and I don't want to regret anything
No letter could express this fear I feel inside
But I'll write it anyway
Your name will be the last from my lips
Your face the last image in my eyes
Don't let the wind blow and take this all away
Only in death will we rise
Greg was shaken from his thoughts by the honking of a horn behind him. He noticed the light had turned green and quickly continued on his way home, but concentrated more on the song.
I'll leave you these final words and pray for better days
My voice a vague memory washed away by your tears
It's hard to contemplate the obvious
But you're strong enough to make it through
A poetic tragedy falls upon your doorstep as you wake
Confide in your friends and family to wash this pain away
Goodbyes are inevitable but I will see you again
And never forget the simple fact that I will always love you
Greg remembered the voicemail Nick had left him where he had said almost the exact same thing as the line in the song. Tears started to fall from his eyes as he listened to the song end and the DJ come back on.
"Great song...not played enough in my opinion. And now we have 'Let Love In' by the great Goo Goo Dolls.
You wait, wanting this world
To let you in
And you stand there
A frozen light
In dark and empty streets
You smile hiding behind
A God-given face
But I know you're so much more
Everything they ignore
Is all that I need to see
Greg smiled through his tears as he remembered all the times Nick had sung this song to him to get him to fall back asleep after a nightmare. He didn't hear John Rzeznik's voice singing the song, he heard Nick's.
You're the only one I ever believed in
The answer that could never be found
The moment you decided to let love in
Now I'm banging on the door of an angel
The end of fear is where we begin
The moment we decided to let love in
I wish
Wishing for you to find your way
And I'll hold on for all you need
That's all we need to say
I'll take my chances while
You take your time with
This game you play
But I can't control your soul
You need to let me know
You leaving or you gonna stay
Greg could feel Nick lying next to him, running his hands through his hair and over his back, soothing him. He could smell him and hear his voice. He just couldn't see him.
There's nothing we can do about
The things we have to do without
The only way to feel again
Is let love in
There's nothing we can do about
The things we have to live without
The only way to see again
Is let love in
Greg choked back a sob as he pulled into his driveway and sat back in his chair. He closed his eyes and could see Nick holding him tightly, keeping him safe. His voice had never been clearer in his mind than it was right now.
You're the only one I ever believed in
The answer that could never be found
The moment you decided to let love in
Now I'm banging on the door of an angel
The end of fear is where we begin
The moment we decided to let love in
The next chapter's going to be very, very short and will be up very, very soon. Thanks for the reviews.
