Title: The Battle for Everything
Authoress: Nicki
Rating: R.
Warning: Slash. Harsh language (at spots). Pain. (Hints at rape.)
Pairings: (Main!) Nick/Greg and Gris/Greg.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything!
Dedication: To the over 1200 reads on this story when it was posted on slashfanfiction! You guys rock!

A/N: W00t! Now I really want to work on this fic! I have the whole thing planned out, so here goes! Chapter 3! A little (WAY! ) shorter, but not bad at all! I think... heh-heh...
-Nicki!
( Fanfic STILL wont let me use an asterix to separate sections...so the line is there... still...)

Chapter Three: In the Closet

"Nick, I got your breakfast!" Greg hopped into the room with a brown Burger King bag. "If anyone asks, it's mine!"

"And if the nurses smell it on my breath?" Nick joked, grabbing the Cinna-buns from Greg.

The lab rat laughed, "Then you'll have to tell everyone you were making out with someone who had Cinna-buns for breakfast!" Nick grinned.

It had been two days since Nick had regained consciousness and it had been a very fun two days at that. Greg had taken a few days off of work to stay with Nick. Catherine, Sara, and Warrick had all come to check up on their fellow CSI.

The only one who hadn't visited Nick yet was Grissom. Catherine had said he was busy. Warrick and Sara didn't talk about it. Nick had asked about it only once, but Greg had shrugged it off.

Nick and Greg went through the next four days like the past two. Greg would get up before Nick and go to Burger King to get Nick some Cinna-buns for breakfast. They would watch TV all day. Lunch was at the hospital, but dinner was Burger King again--just like old times. After Nick fell asleep, Greg would sleep in the chair next to him and wake up in time to get Burger King for breakfast.

However, on the sixth day--a week after Nick's attack--the cycle was broken...

"Excuse me, could you tell me where I could find Nick Stokes?" Gil Grissom asked the head nurse at the desk.

"I'm sorry. I don't recognize you. You haven't visited him yet, have you?"

"Uh, no, I haven't..." Grissom was startled. Would they not let him in?

"He's had a few visitors. I think there's one with him right now, actually." The nurse smiled and pointed down the hall. "Sixth one on the left."

Grissom nodded. "Thank you." Gil started down the hallway, until he caught sight of Greg, leaving the bathroom. Grissom raised his hand, "Greg!"

The lab tech spun around upon hearing his name. Greg's newly-restores pep dissolved as he approached his supervisor.

"Hi, Greg," Gil began. The lab rat grabbed the fabric of Grissom's shirt and pulled him into the open linen closet m closing the door. He flipped the light switch and the glow illuminated his angry stare. "Greg, what are you DOING!"

"How DARE you show up here!" Greg snapped.

"What do you mean?" Gil questioned.

"I mean, you don't bother to shop up here while your best CSI is UNCONSCIOUS, but you'll show up after he's fine! What's wrong with you, Grissom? I mean, I know you don't get people. You get bugs, you get DNA, but when it comes to people, you're oblivious!"

"Greg, could YOU come visit someone you put in the hospital?" Gil asked, completely stoic.

"You didn't put him in the hospital, Grissom! Some psycho attacker did!" Greg was fuming.

"But he wouldn't have been in he parking lot then if I hadn't yelled at him," Gil countered.

"This wasn't a random attack. According to Nick, this was planned. His attacker taunted him with his name, you know!" Greg was practically smoking. "Oh, wait. You wouldn't know! You've been hiding like a coward. Avoiding Nick like the plague. Did you think you'd never see him again? He's going to come back to work."

"I know," Gil said, during the one second Greg took a breath.

"He's gonna come back and he's gonna solve this case. Because he's the best you've got, Grissom. He's the best damn CSI there is!"

Greg had to stop there. Not because he didn't have more to say. Not because he needed a breath. In fact, not voluntarily at all.

Gil had shut him up. With a kiss. A hard, passionate kiss.

Gris' lips were nothing like expected. They were not hard and shy. In fact, they were soft and friendly. And Greg's reaction was not like expected, as well. He responded. And he enjoyed it.

Blame it on the fatigue from spending a week at the hospital. Blame it on the fact that this lab tech hadn't been kissed like this for over six months--contrary to the stories he told his coworkers. Blame it on whatever you wanted--Greg was kissing Gil in a linen closet.

Obviously, this revelation dawned on the lab rat because he suddenly pulled away from his supervisor and caught his breath.

"What are you DOING!" Greg accused.

"You're right.. I don't understand people. But I DO understand how to shut you up." Gil said, trying to hide he mysterious smile he got whenever he understood something no one else did.

Greg winced, 'This is insane! Gris is my supervisor! I can NOT be sneaking around, kissing him in linen closets!'

'Shut up! That's NOT what you were doing! You were yelling at him for now visiting Nick!'

'Nick...' Greg felt a tear form in his eye.

'Yeah, Nick... remember? Your best friend? The only one who's stood by you through EVERYTHING? The one you really care about and might even love... Yeah, Nick.'

Greg gulped, "We can't say anything, Gris."

"This isn't high school, Greg," Gil chided. "I'm not going to brag to all my friends that I kissed Greg Sanders."

"I mean it! Nick would be devastated!" Greg had said it before he could think.

'You wish, Sanders,' Greg reminded himself.

"Why?"

"Because..." The lab rat had to think of something and fast, before Gil started to wonder. "Because... Nick... he's not too fond of you right now. How do you think he'd feel about his best friend kissing someone who abandoned him?" Greg groaned inwardly. He never was one for the English language, let alone excuses.

"Best friend, huh?"

"Yeah." The lab tech looked at his feet.

An awkward silence.

"Fine," Gris said finally.

"Fine?" Greg glanced at him.

"Yes, Greg... I won't say anything..."

Another silence.

"We should get out of here," Gil reminded the lab tech.

"Tell Nick I went to Burger King and I'll be back in a few minutes," Greg said, sounding like his pep was disappearing again.

"Will do." Gil sounded his normal stolid self. "You go first. I'll be out in a few."

Greg was on his way out to his car before he ever had a chance to think.

"You don't love Nick," he said to himself. "You can't. Love is for romantics. You, Sanders, are a bona-fide playa." Greg laughed.

'Yeah, right.'

Greg pulled his car up to the speaker at the Burger King drive-thru.

"Burger King. Can I help you?" a voice crackled. At least Greg hoped that was what they said.

"Uh, yeah. Can I have a super-sized Whopper with a Coke," Greg always ordered Nick's dinner first.

"Will that be all, sir?" the voice sputtered again.

"No. Can I have a double-cheeseburger value meal--no mustard, extra pickles--with a Dr. Pepper?" Greg smiled, thinking about a joke he wanted to tell Nick later, over dinner.

"Is that it?" the voice buzzed through the speaker.

"Can I also get two sundaes, one with caramel and one with hot fudge?" Greg paused. "Make that three sundaes...the last plain."

"That all?"

"Yes," Greg muttered.

"Your total is $12.89. Please drive up to the second window."

Greg glanced at his watch, as he walked up to the hospital. 7:02. He was late.

Picking up his pace, he ran past the nurses' station, where the head nurse smiled at his Burger King bag.

Stopping at Nick's room, he quickly looked through the big glass window. And stopped dead in his tracks.

There, in HIS chair, was Grissom. And there, in Nick's bed, was Nick. Smiling, and as happy as could be.

"I thought you were mad at Gris," Greg mumbled. turning away from Nick's room. "Guess not."

The lab rat sighed and dropped the Burger King bag in the trash on his way out of the hospital.

TBC...

A/N: So, what'cha think? It WAS shorter, but I liked the ending where it was.

Hope you enjoyed.

Please review!

Nicki-