Title: Good Enough

Chapter 12

Author's Notes: Reminder—this is slash.  It's not graphic, but it's there.

*****

I'm barely aware of what's happening right now.  I know Greg has his arms around me, and I know he's kissing me.  But I honestly don't remember how we got this way.  But I barely remember my own name at the moment.  All I'm really cognizant of is the fact that Greg is licking my bottom lip.

My legs must start to buckle, because I feel Greg slide his arms around my waist.  "Whoa," he half-laughs.  "Steady there."

"I need to sit down," I say hazily.

"All right." 

He starts to lead me to the couch, but I plunk right down on the floor.

"Have it your way, Nicky," he laughs, lowering himself to the ground.

We sit there a minute, not really saying anything.  Then I laugh self-consciously, "So."

"Yeah," Greg chuckles.  "I've wanted to do that for a long time."

He has?

"You have?" I say distantly.  "I didn't know."  I swallow and then repeat, "I didn't know."

Greg shifts his body so he's sitting beside me.  Putting an arm around me, he whispers, "It's okay."  He half-hugs me with his arm, and then kisses me on the neck.  "I think we got our wires crossed."

I turn my head to face him.  "If I'd have known . . ." I can't think of anything to say, so I let my words trail off.

"I know," he says quietly.  "I've been walking around afraid that you'd find out about my feelings for you."

I smile sheepishly.  "Ditto, man.  We definitely got our wires crossed.  After that day in the lab, I figured I'd wrecked our friendship."

"I thought you ran out of there because you knew."

We both laugh softly, and then Greg starts to nuzzle my neck.  When he finally comes up for air, he asks, "So, what now?"

I lick my lips.  "Uh, I guess we should talk.  Really talk."

Greg nods and stands up.  "Let's move this to the couch."

I stand up shakily.  My knees aren't made for sitting on the floor.  "Hang on a sec, okay?"  I say.  "I'm gonna grab something to drink." I disappear into the kitchen, and reemerge a few minutes later with two cans of cherry cola.  "No matter how fast I run out of food, I always seem to have a steady supply of soda."

Greg smiles.  "Thanks," he says, taking a can from me.  Then he pats the cushion beside him.  "Quit stalling."

Letting out a breath, I slump down onto the couch.  Greg slips his arm across my shoulders and pulls me close.  It feels nice to just sit here, but we've got some things to sort out.

Taking his free hand in mine, I say, "I think Catherine knows."

"Oh yeah," he nods.  "She knows."

I narrow my eyes.  "As in she told you she knows?"

"As in she said if I didn't tell you how I felt pretty soon, she was going to clock me one."

I grin.  "So, who else do you think knows?"

Greg squeezes my hand.  "I don't know."  He pauses, and then cocks his head to look at me.  "My family knows.  About me."

"Yeah?" I say.  That surprises me, because I can't imagine telling my family. 

"Yours?" Greg asks.

"No way.  Not even."

Greg purses his lips.  "I've known I'm bisexual since I was in high school."

"I've been trying to pretend I'm not since high school."

Greg wraps his arms tightly around me.  "So," he says tentatively.  "Have you?"

"Have I what?"

"With a guy."

"Oh," I say.  "Yeah, but not since college. I mean, it's one thing to have a couple of flings in college.  It's another to be a cop in Texas and openly date men."

"You're not a cop in Texas anymore."

I lick my lips.  "Yeah, man, I know."  Then I pull out of his embrace and say, "You know, Greggo, I've known you for quite a while.  I had no idea you played for both teams."

"Yeah, well."

"Yeah, well, nothing, man."

He smiles.  "Point taken."  He pulls me back into his arms.  "Nick, I only started hiding it when I figured out I had feelings for you.  I don't know.  I guess I thought you'd freak if you knew."

"Brass and Warrick would freak."

"No doubt," he nods.  "Sara would be broken-hearted, of course.  Losing me to you."

I laugh.  "She's probably just glad you stopped hitting on her."

He smirks.  "What about Grissom?"

"Oh, man," I say.  "I don't know."  I twist my body so that I'm facing Greg.  "So, did anybody tell you what happened today?"

"Well, Catherine said she wasn't buying my sick act."

I take a deep breath, and then release it.  "I blew up at Grissom."

Greg scoots forward.  "Get out!  Really?"

"Yeah," I smile guiltily.  "In front of Warrick, Sara, and Brass."

"And I missed it?  Did anybody get it on tape?"

I take his hand.  "Listen, man," I say.  "I got to tell you something because you're gonna hear about it."

"Okay."

"Well, Gris and I had this interview with a potential suspect and her father.  Gris treated them like serial killers and I went off.  Told him he didn't know how to talk to human beings."

"Ouch."

"Yeah, Brass tried to stop me, but I was venting, man."

"What did Grissom do?" Greg asks excitedly.

"He just stared at me.  But listen, here's what I have to tell you."  I swallow.  "Remember, I was venting.  I told Grissom that I was starting to think I'd have to be a dead body to get his attention."

Greg gapes at me.  "You were just mad, right?"

I rub my hand up and down his arm.  "Yeah, I was going off.  I didn't mean anything by it.  Sara's all worried, though.  And to make matters worse, Gris called me into his office so he could tell me how he cares about all of us—it was really weird, man—and then Sara comes in and says Cody Briers tried to kill himself."

"Harsh, Nicky."

"So, right before I left today, Sara kept asking me if I needed to talk.  I'm hoping she doesn't hover the next few days."

"Rough day at the office."

"So, I wanted to hear what happened before Sara tells you the dramatic version."

Greg takes my face in his hands.  "You'd talk to me—or someone—if you ever felt like hurting yourself, right?"

"Yeah, I would."

Wrapping his arms around my neck, Greg kisses me gently on the lips.  "I don't want anything to happen to you."

We sit quietly in each other's arms for a while, and then I say, "I'm having a hard time with this case."

"How so?"

"It's hitting a little too close too home."  I burrow further into his arms.  "My parents are a lot like the Kincaids and the Briers.  I don't know.  I'm missing something.  I can't figure out what."

"Maybe you're ignoring for the obvious."

"Possible.  And something else," I say.  "When we went to the hospital about Cody Briers today, the Kincaids were there.  And that girl Brass and I interviewed at the school."

"Kincaid's girlfriend?"

"Yeah.  And the girl and her dad—the people we talked to today—they were there.  It was weird.  They just sat by themselves and everyone ignored them."

"Who were they to Kincaid?"

"Well, the girl says she and Kincaid were dating."

"So, Kincaid had two girls?  Hmm…"

"Grow up," I grin.  "But it's weird.  The whole situation is weird."

"Does the girl have a connection to Cody Briers?"

I frown.  "I don't know.  I was wondering that.  She never said anything.  I know Cody is friends with the Cooper girl—the girl from the school—but the Cooper girl said that Natalie—the other one—doesn't travel in her social circle."

Greg slides his hand along my leg.  Feels nice. "Hmm . . . Okay," he says. "Then you got one girl who openly dated Kincaid and knew Briers, and another one who stayed in the shadows."

"But not so much in the shadows that she and her family didn't show up when Cody Briers tried to kill himself."

The hand that's been massaging my leg stills.  "Hmm . . ."

When I sneak a quick glance over my shoulder, I can see in Greg's eyes that he's starting to analyze this whole situation.  In other words, he's slipping into CSI mode.

Reaching down, I cover his hand with mine and start slowly moving our hands along my leg.  I crane my neck around and kiss him on the cheek. "We can think about this tomorrow, Greg," I say smiling roguishly.