Nick drove to the hospital the next morning to pick up Natalie. Greg was slumped in the passenger seat, wearing thick sunglasses to protect his aching eyes from the harsh Nevada morning sun. If Hodges felt any ill effects from the previous night, he wasn't one to complain, though he did seem to doze in the back seat during the drive. The Texan took pity on his boyfriend and kept the radio tuned to quiet soft rock.

"Are we there yet?" Greg asked, his childish question was as whiny as it sounded.

"Almost, just looking for the entrance." Nick slowed down to turn into the parking lot. It took a good fifteen minutes to find a place to park. "Alright, here let's go spring the little lady." Nick thickened his accent, trying to coax a smile from Greg's lips. He was rewarded for his efforts.

"Don't you dare make me laugh. My head feels like it's about to fall off my neck."

The three made their way into the building, stopping only to let Greg purchase a weak cup of coffee. A friendly nurse pointed them in the direction of Natalie's room. They were surprised to see a tired looking Grissom sitting in one of the plastic chairs beside her bed.

"Hey, what's going on?" Natalie had a warm smile for them.

"What are you doing here, Gris?" Nick asked, and sat gently at the foot of the bed.

"He claims he's only here as my supervisor. Just making sure I'll be able to come back to work when I get back on my feet." She sent Grissom a saucy wink. "Not that he was worried about me or anything." Her face was still bruised, but the neck brace was absent and her eyes were clear.

"Did the doctor say you could go home today?" Hodges went to her side and took her hand. She brought it to her lips and brushed a kiss over his knuckles.

"He did. And he also told me that I'm out of commission for at least a week." Grissom cleared his throat and shot her a sharp look. She sighed and leaned back into the pillows.

"Alright, he also said that for the next two days I probably shouldn't be alone. Grissom suggested I go back to staying at your place," she looked at Greg and Nick. "Since its closer to the lab and after the next few days it will be easier to get to should something go wrong." She rolled her eyes. "But I'm sure it won't be a problem. I'm fine. All I need is some rest and some ice packs." All four men started to disagree at once. "BAH! That's enough! I'm not going to argue with it. I was going to talk to you guys about staying there until after the wedding anyway. It's only four weeks."

"Nat, are you sure you don't want to push the date back a bit? Give yourself a little bit more time?" Greg asked gently. She turned and glared at him.

"Do you know what I had to pay to book the place for this wedding? I practically had to sign a pact in blood. There is no way I'm pushing anything back."

"Okaay. Forget I said anything." Nick tried to disguise a bark of laughter with a cough.

"Um, yeah, it's no problem staying with us, Nat. You know the room is yours whenever you need it." Nick said, and put his arm around Greg. "Don't pout. Trust me that little episode is nothing compared to the pain and suffering I had to endure from my sisters when they planned their weddings."

"Do you need me to get anything for you?" Hodges asked her, pressing a light kiss on her cheek.

"Just you…" She murmured back, finding his lips with her own. Greg made a gagging noise and mimed throwing up in the trash can. "Fuck you, Sanders. I'm allowed to be sweet and cliché with my fiancée."

"Yeah, yeah, you don't need to do it in front of us though." Grissom stood up to end the playful argument.

"Okay, you guys get her checked out and home. Hodges can take tonight to stay with her. Depending on what gets called in tonight, either you," he pointed at Nick. "Or Greg can take tomorrow. Let's hope the next few nights are slow." He turned to leave.

"Aw, boss, you aren't even going to say goodbye?" Natalie called, fluttering her eyelashes. A subtle blush worked its way across his face, but Grissom stopped to awkwardly press a kiss on the top of her head. Before Nick, Greg, and Hodges' jaws had a chance to drop, he was out the door.

"Wow. Either I am hallucinating, or Grissom just showed blatant affection." Natalie laughed.

"He's a big softie. You just have to know which buttons to press."

"Yeah, I'll be staying far away from his buttons, thank you." Greg replied, throwing his coffee cup into the trash.

"And you don't have any business pushing anyone's buttons, Miss. Getting-married-in-four-weeks." Nick swatted at her playfully.

"Oh cram it." Hodges laughed and gently smoothed her hair back from her face.

"Why don't we get you checked out." Natalie sighed with pure pleasure.

"Yes please."

A young intern helped wheel her out to the waiting car. By the time he was on his way back indoors, his face was bright red. Even in her injured state Natalie managed to flirt shamelessly.

"How on earth do you get away with that?" Greg demanded, getting into the passenger seat. "How do you put up with it?" He said this to Hodges.

"She accepts me the way I am, so I accept her." He replied, shrugging.

"Yeah, and I let him touch my boobs."

"Oh, wow, Nat. That was a bit of an over share." Greg made more gagging sounds.

"You really just let whatever pops in your head out of your mouth, don't you?" Nick asked, navigating his way out of the parking lot.

"Pretty much. And you love it, don't you big brother?" She leaned forward and kissed him noisily on his cheek. Nick laughed.

"Of course I love it. Because you give me kisses, and you're awful purdy."

When they got back to Nick and Greg's apartment, Natalie felt like she could weep with joy.

"I know I was only there one night, but hospitals suck so bad." She slid out of the car and looked up at the door. "I need a shower and some really cozy pajamas."

"Lucky for you, we have indoor plumbing, and most of your stuff here." Nick replied and scooped her into his arms, making her squeal.

"Hey, my legs aren't broken!"

"Perhaps not, little sister, but doctor's orders were for you to take it easy." She pouted at Hodges' over his shoulder.

"Aren't you going to defend me here? I can walk up the stairs."

"I'd carry you myself if Nick weren't already." Her eyes softened.

"You're lucky I'm such a romantic fool." She muttered as Nick carried her into the apartment. "Will you put me down now?"

"Of course." Nick set her down and was rewarded with a light punch.

"It's nice to be fussed over by three tall handsome men, but don't take it too far. I'm not an invalid." Hodges gathered her into his arms and kissed her.

"Go take your shower, you'll feel better." She grinned and went into the bathroom. All three men went into the kitchen. Greg started a pot of coffee, while Nick and Hodges sat down at the table. They heard the shower start. It was the only sound for a few moments, before Nick cleared his throat.

"I have to admit," he started. "I still wasn't totally convinced you and her were real." He paused and took a sip of the coffee Greg across the table to him. "And I'm sorry that I had my doubts." He looked up at Hodges. "Because you really balance her perfectly. You're stable, sensible, and, if I may say, a more than a little anal retentive."

"You're not the first to say so." Hodges replied, taking long gulps from his own cup.

"Now wait, I'm not trying to be a jerk. The stability and sensibility are good qualities. It's something she needs. But she wouldn't marry you because she needs you. She's independent. She's pledging herself to you because she loves you, inside and out. The fact is you're smart, really smart. And when someone takes the time to listen, you're funny. It's a dry, sarcastic wit, but it's there." Hodges shifted, uncomfortable. "But most important, you love her. I can really see it now. The two of you are bound to clash at some points, but when it really comes down to what matters, you are so in love with each other."

"Is this your way of giving me your blessing?"

"We both think you're perfect for her." Greg finally piped up, joining hands with Nick. "And we hope that she'll put a little spice in your life."

"She's the spiciest thing I've ever come across, forgive the horrible pun." The woman in question sauntered into the room, a towel wrapped around her damp hair. She had paired one of Greg's concert tees with baggy flannel pants that pooled around her feet.

"Alright, stop talking about me. Someone pour me some coffee." She sat down, and winced. "And maybe some aspirin." Hodges jumped up.

"Why don't you guys try to get some more sleep before you have to go in? I can take care of her." He started to get her some coffee. Nick stretched and indulged in a yawn.

"Sounds good to me, G?" Greg nodded and took a bottle of aspirin out of the cabinet.

"That sounds great actually. My head still feels like I have a marching band practicing in it." He wrapped his arms around Natalie's shoulders and followed Nick into their bedroom. Both shed their jeans before crawling into the blankets. Nick set the alarm to wake them up with time to shower.

"I'm glad she's out of the hospital. I feel better knowing she's only a few feet away if she needs us." Greg said, pulling his tee shirt over his head. After Nick pulled his off as well, he found his favorite spot to rest his head on the Texan's chest. Nick let his fingers trace lazy circles over Greg's back.

"Mmm, I love when you do that." Greg purred. "Sometimes I wish we could just lie here forever, just like this."

"I love you, G."

"I love you too, so much." They lay quietly for a few moments.

"We balance each other too you know." Nick said after a while.

"Hmm?" Greg looked up into Nick's eyes.

"We balance each other. You keep me from taking things too seriously. You help me laugh at myself."

"And you help me with my absentmindedness, and to make sure that I take time to appreciate things."

"Some day," Nick murmured. "We'll be able to get married." His voice was thick with sleep. "And I'll pledge myself to you."

"Some day…" Greg whispered back, his eyes fluttering closed. A soft beam of sunlight illuminated the room as they fell into dreams, curled against each other.

Sorry this chapter took so long! I must have started writing it and then rewriting it at least three times. But, I'm happy with the final result. Please leave me lots of lovely reviews to let me know how you all like it!