"So you'll go to rehab then?" Nick asked him, not sure he actually heard Greg right.

"I'll go," Greg nodded slowly. He figured if he agreed it would be better than arguing. He didn't plan on staying long though. If he got a chance to leave, he would take it and disappear again out of Nick's life. He couldn't get close to him again. He believed at this point anyone he loved would die on him and he didn't want that to happen to Nick. Deep down he still had feelings for Nick but he had muted them for so long and wouldn't open himself up to those feelings again in fear of putting his life in danger.

Nick smiled in relief. He thought he was going to have to drag Greg to rehab but now he knew he would go and he felt better about it. He still had questions he had to ask Greg though and ones he knew Greg would not be happy with.

"So did you only get your money by selling yourself or did you actually have a job here in Vegas?" Nick asked him. His reaction was not good.

"Do you have a problem with me selling my body? I mean it is my life after all. I can do what I want," Greg replied coldly again. Nick looked up, wondering why he bothered asking. He looked back at Greg, whose eyes bore into him. "Yes you can do what you want to, however it is still an illegal activity. You do realize everything you have told me so far by all means I should have you in jail right now with all these confessions."

Greg went to hold out both his wrists as if to be handcuffed but then scoffed seeing as one already was. "Oh that's right, I pretty much am already arrested seeing as I have to call a fucking nurse to even pee."

"Can't you just answer the damn question? Did you have any other job besides prostitution?" Nick asked angrily.

"No, I didn't. If you must know I've been doing it since I've been to Vegas. Gus Waller was one of my first because he could hook me up with the heroin in exchange for sex. But there have been others. It's actually quite amazing how many rich, seemingly straight men come to Vegas and seek out paying for sex with a man," he said with a smirk.

Nick knew he was trying to goad him into making him angry but instead it just made Nick sad. "When did you start taking heroin, Greg?"

Greg looked away now and shrugged. Nick was taking him back to his painful past. He didn't want to but again he knew Nick would not let up and he had nowhere to run off to at this point. "My spine was fractured in the car accident. When I came out of the coma I hard to go through physical therapy to walk again. I was given oxycodone to deal with the pain I was in. When I first left the hospital I still had to use a cane to walk. I eventually was well enough to walk on my own but the pain was always there. It still is there at times. I took the oxycodone until my doctor made me stop but I had grown addicted to it. I was taking it not only to fight the pain from my injury but just to relax me from the emotional pain. My doctor told me over the counter drugs would have to work instead for me. Well they didn't and I went to clubs that I knew I might be able to find some 'help' for my problems. So I sought them out and they found me. I started with black market Oxy first but then I got invited to a party where heroin was heavy at. I decided to give it a try one time and that would be it. Well you obviously know that it was not just that one time. I stuck with it since it did for me what I really needed it to do. End of story," he told him flatly.

Nick had wondered if it had anything to do with the car accident and now he knew it did. The addiction had started with pain pills and ended with heroin. "So how long have you been using heroin?"

He shrugged again but still was not facing Nick. "I don't know over a year. Since I moved back to Vegas I've been using it more often."

Nick wished he would look at him but he figured it was hard to face him knowing he probably had the disappointed look on his face. "Why did you move back here?"

"Honestly? I am not sure even myself. I knew I had nothing left in California for me. I was all alone and I needed my distance from the graveyard of my family and Matthew. They were buried only a few rows apart from each other. I could visit them all at once." He ran his free hand through his messy hair and sighed. Nick could see it was hard for him to even mention their graves. "Anyways, I just found myself packing my stuff up and driving and I ended up here in Vegas. I thought I was going to keep going but I stopped and stayed."

"And you never tried to get in contact with any one of your old friends here," Nick said more as a fact.

"No, because I was already an addict and I knew you would be doing what you are doing now, trying to fix me."

Nick wanted to see his face. He reached over and put his hand on Greg's chin and made him turn his head toward him. Greg's eyes gave nothing away, no emotion at all again. "Look I know you probably hate me right now but once you are past the need completely you will be thanking me for changing your life."

Greg stared at him but didn't say anything. Greg knew he would never be over his need because he would never be ready to face his buried emotions. Nick let go of his chin and he didn't turn away again. He finally spoke after the awkward silence.

"Are you done with your questioning? Or do you have more?"

Nick leaned back, still gazing at Greg, trying to gage his pretty much non-reaction. "No, I guess not. I should probably go and finish the arrangement for you to go to the rehab center tomorrow when you are released."

"Bye then," Greg simply said, giving his best not caring look to Nick. Nick sighed and left the room. He was walking to his truck when his phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and answered it.

"Hey," he said softly.

"You left me messages but we were out of range for several days and I just got back into town so I figured I would call you now. What's going on? You sounded very somber," the familiar female voice said on the other line.

"I rather we talk in person about it. It's not something to easily say over the phone. Can you come over to my place?" he asked her.

"Sure, give me a couple hours, is that okay?" She asked him.

"That's fine. I'll be home. Can't wait to see you, Sara," he told his old friend. She still worked as a CSI but had taken a leave of absence again to be with her husband, Gil Grissom. He was doing research in South America on bug species again in the jungle and she had joined him. He needed to tell her about Greg since she was the only person still in town that cared about him almost as much as he did. He knew the news would be shocking but he hoped maybe she could visit Greg after hearing the news and make him realize that Nick was not the only person who still cared for him.

Nick was at his place, making some hor'd'erves for Sara when she came over. When he was nervous he tended to cook lately. He was hoping Sara would not be mad that he didn't arrest Greg and put him in jail so he couldn't get into any more trouble with the drugs. He didn't believe the hard act was going to work on Greg. Nick thought that if Greg was put in jail he would withdraw into himself even more than he already had.

A knock came at his door and he went to answer it. When he opened it up he saw Sara looking refreshed and happy. He gave her a hug as she came in. He closed the door behind him while she took a seat on the sofa.

"I smell something cooking. What's got you worked up that you cooked for me?" She smiled at him. He took the hot spinach and artichoke dip and some warm pita chips and placed them on the coffee table.

"Do you want something to drink?" He asked her. He was putting off the inevitable as long as he could. She told him water would be fine. He brought a bottle of water out to her before finally sitting down.

"So what is all this about? You look beat but nice to see you shaved finally," she smirked at him.

"Yeah well the undercover stuff is over for a little while. But let me get to why I called you here. I know I have asked you before but you have not heard from Greg since he left Vegas, right?" He asked her, just wanting to make sure.

"Correct, he shut us all out when he left. Why, did you hear from him suddenly?" She asked feeling a bit excited hoping it was so. She missed Greg a lot and was hurt when he left town without even telling her but she knew he had been miserable after losing his job as a CSI and going through the two trials. The press had butchered him and it was hard to ignore it so in a way she didn't blame him for leaving town.

"I saw him by accident at Hooks Night Club. I saw him as I was trying to spot the drug dealers. He was buying drugs, Sara."

Her eyes opened wide but she shook her head. "He had to be working undercover like you. Maybe he got some work in California or something," she said, trying to reason it out just as he had.

Nick looked woefully at her. "No, Sara. I followed him. He's a full blown drug addict these days, doing heroin." She shook her head, even as her eyes grew moist. "No, you didn't see it right."

"Oh Sara, I wish I hadn't, trust me. It killed me to see the track marks all over his arms and even his legs. I approached him and I knew, I just knew and I couldn't believe it either. This was over two weeks ago Sara. He overdosed and ended up in a coma. He's awake now and going to be released from the hospital tomorrow. He's agreed to go to rehab but I'm not so sure he's going to be sticking around."

Sara held up her hand, making him stop. "Wait, he overdosed? Did you find out why he started the drugs?" Nick filled her in on everything he knew up to this point, even his being a male prostitute. She had tears in her eyes, not able to believe the sweet man she thought of as a little brother had turned his life into such a travesty.

"He lost his boyfriend and his parents in less than six months' time? I guess that could be something to bring you down but still I thought he was smarter than that." She said to him.

"He felt he lost everyone he loved. He somehow feels responsible for their deaths. He told me to stay away from him because he said people he cares about tend to die around him." Nick told her with a heavy heart.

"I want to see him," Sara said to him.

"That's what I was hoping for. I think he needs to see that someone besides myself still cares about him. He's been surrounding himself with losers and people who are just using him. He says he is dead inside and when I look at him I sort of believe it. I'm just scared that once he is out of the hospital he will go back to his old ways when he gets the first chance. The rehab clinic can't keep him prisoner. They can only do so much and hope that he does leave."

"Maybe he should be under like, house arrest," Sara suggested.

"He's already been handcuffed to the bed at the hospital and he hates me for it. He basically is drug free at the moment with the exception of them giving him Methadone. Maybe it will work, hopefully it will work," Nick said with a deep sigh.

"We have to believe it will. Tell me where he's at so I can see him," Sara said to him. She wanted to see him because she just couldn't believe he was as bad as Nick said he was. She had to see for herself.

Greg was edgy. He wanted out of the hospital. He was wondering what was going on with Will Larson and his bodyguard Nelson. Did they really try to kill him? Had he ruined another way to get the drugs? They couldn't possibly trust him anymore. What about Rocco? Was he going to make him go on his own? Nick thought that once he went to rehab he would be all fine but Greg already knew that once he had his chance he would be back to his old ways. It was getting harder and harder for him to keep his emotions locked up. The hospital reminded him too much of the worst times of his life. He remembered Matthew lying in a hospital bed similar to his room now.

He walked into Matthew's room and tried so hard not to show his tears to his love. He looked worse every day. He had sores all over his body. He was nothing but skin and bones. His eyes looked like his face was about to swallow them. He was looking at him, or so it seemed but his vision had gone bad along with so much of him. The doctor didn't give him much time anymore. He had advised Greg to say his goodbyes. He walked up to the bed and leaned down and kissed his forehead. "Hey Handsome," Greg said to him. He saw the eyes blink, searching for him. "Greg?"

"Yeah, it's me." He took his hands in his and held them so he knew. "You feel so good, so warm," Matthew's voice came out weakly. Greg brought his hand to his mouth and kissed it. "I'll keep you warm then," Greg said to him.

"I wish I could see you again," Matthew said to him as tears began to fall from his eyes. Greg bit back his own tears. He had to stay strong for him. He couldn't fall apart. "You'll see me again someday, I know you will."

"Where will I see you again?" Matthew asked him. Greg tried to think of a beautiful memory. "Remember that secluded spot on the beach we found. It'll be sunset and we will meet there again. We will be sitting on the beach as the waves wash up at our feet, watching the colors of the sun reflect off the ocean waters."

"Sounds like heaven," Matthew said softly. Greg gazed lovingly at him. "It is heaven and we will meet there again one day," he said to him as tears escaped anyway.

"You are the best thing that ever happened to me. You've made these final days easier because you are here. I love you so, so much Greg," Matthew said to him, barely audible, his eyes closing again.

"And I love you. You brought me out of my depression. You'll always be with me in my heart and soul. I'll love you forever," Greg said to him, finding it hard to hold back tears as he felt Matthew squeeze his hand one last time before taking his last breath.

Greg wiped at the unwanted tears that came from the memory. The emotional pains taking its toll on him again as he tried to push down those feelings so they could not hurt him. He had to shut it down.

He didn't even hear someone come into his room. He just heard his name being said. He looked up and froze a moment seeing her face. "Sara?"

She walked in cautiously. She could see he seemed to have been crying when she entered. He did look tired and thinner than she had ever seen him before but he still had a boyish innocence about his looks as he looked at her now. She could see it in his eyes, the emotional pain he had to be going through still from his losses.

"Hey, Nick filled me in on everything," she told him as she came up to him and put her hand on his arm. "I don't care what you've been doing. I just want you to get better Greg. I want you to know I'm with Nick. We will do anything we can do to help you stay off the drugs and clean up your life."

He shook his head though. "I told Nick I didn't want help. I don't want to get better. I can't stand this right now. The only thing that will help me is the drugs. It makes it go away," he told her, his voice thick with emotion.

She sat down and stared at him. "You can't seriously mean that, Greg. I know dealing with the loss of loved ones is difficult but acting like it never happened or that you don't have feelings about it is not healthy."

"What do you know about anything?" He said angrily, sick of people telling him what to do.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I saw my mother kill my father in cold blood. Don't you think that leaves emotional scars?"

He closed his eyes and looked away, forgetting about her past. "I'm not you, Sara."

"That's a cop out Greg Sanders if I ever heard one. You were always one of the strongest of us but now I realize why. You lock everything up inside you. The only problem is it won't stay locked up on its own anymore. It's trying to break through and you don't want it to, so you turn to heroin to make you forget for a while. I drank sometimes to do the same but it never really removes the pain, Greg. It will always be there until you force yourself to face it head on and deal with it. Only then can you actually move on," she said to him.

He turned back and studied her. She looked beautiful still after all these years. He noticed a ring on her left hand. "You're married?" He said, changing the topic.

She looked to where he was looking and smiled slightly. "Yes Gil and I finally got married. We've been married four years now. I was just with him in South America where he is studying certain insects down there. I came back home to work."

"You're still a CSI or did you turn detective like Nick?" He asked her. "Still a CSI and by the way, nice way to change the subject but I'm with Nick on this. We are going to make you face your emotions so you can be free of the lifestyle you have been living for too long."

He stared at her before smirking. "Nice seeing you too Sara."

"I'm serious Greg. It hurt me that you left without saying goodbye and I could have told Nick to tell you to fuck yourself but I still care and hearing what you have been through I want to help you. Why can't you just let us help you?" She said to him with concern.

He sighed finally. "I told Nick I would try but I can't promise anything."

She smiled a little. "Well it's a start, I guess. But you will have to deal with the wrath of Sara Sidle if you get busted with drugs again."

He was slightly amused but deep down it felt nice talking to her again and realizing he still had friends. "Okay," he responded simply.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter...if you did, do a review. I really do appreciate my faithful reviewer(s). :)