Disclaimer: I don't own them.

Spoilers: Pirates of the Third Reich, Grave Danger and Up in Smoke (eventually)

A/N: This is the alternate version of Nick's Changes promised last week. This first part is basically the same as the other version, with the ending focusing on Greg instead of Nick.

So, be forewarned, this is slashy, and not a Snickers fic.

Also be forewarned, this is my first, and maybe only, attempt at a slash fic. It might suck!


Nick Stokes was changing, before his own eyes. He hadn't actively set out to change. It just seemed to be happening. When he had flipped the quarter that fateful night, he had been one man. When he had come out of the hospital, he had been another. And now, looking in the mirror, he could feel that something was different.

He was a little harder.

He was a little more serious at his work, but he felt a little more devil-may-care about his private life. Carpe diem, maybe. Seize the day – try a new hairstyle. Wear your shirt untucked every now and then. Listen to new rock rather than classic country. Let Greg recommend a stylist instead of a barber. Let Greg recommend anything other than coffee.

So was this new Nick into letting a certain someone pass him by, day by day without making a play?

Warrick had made a comment at a recent case.

"So, are you into delayed gratification?" Warrick had asked. He had been talking about a warrant. They could smell the decomp, but there was a "Corpse Flower" in the shed that explained the odor. Was a warrant less search justifiable?

"Hell no. That's Grissom," Nick had answered. Nick was a little less respectful of Gil these days, a little more confident in himself. But as Nick had said it, he knew that he meant more than just the warrant. There were some pretty important places in his life where Gil had delayed gratification. Did Nick want to be single, in his 50's with no one to share his life with? The answer was no.

That thought had been with him, on and off, since that day standing in the shed with Warrick. When he had said that, Warrick had given him a look. He knew him too well. Though they had continued to talk about warrants, once they were headed back to the lab in Warrick's ride, he had questioned Nick.

"So, if you're not into delayed gratification, why haven't you made any moves?" he had asked, smirking at Nick in the passenger's seat.

"What do you mean? Move on who?" Nick had said, looking genuinely confused.

"OK, if that's how you want to play it," Warrick answered, giving him a disappointed sigh. "But there's no time like the present."

"What, you're married now, so you're trying to live vicariously through me?" Nick countered, making Warrick scowl. Nick laughed at his friend, and they went on to other topics, but the thought stayed with him.

Why hadn't he made his move? What was keeping him from it? If the new Nick wasn't into delayed gratification, then hop to it.

"Today," Nick said to himself in the mirror and smiled. It was like his old smile, but different in some indiscernible way. Anyone else would have said that it just didn't feel quite the same; there was a subtle, dangerous quality to it. A cavalier attitude covered the fact the smile had been brushed with death in too many ways. Nick didn't consciously see the difference, but he felt the change in himself. He brushed his new, shaggier hair over to the side and wondered if he should get a trim. He would decide later. Maybe, like Samson, Nick's new attitude, his new strength, lay in the longer hair.

"Let's just hope I don't meet Delilah," he said to his reflection and smiled again.

He drove into work feeling excited. Making the decision to make a move, to ask a question, made him feel good. There was no apprehension or anxiety. He bounced into the lab, shooting the receptionist a smile that had gotten many a sorority girl giggly in his college days.

He joked with Warrick in the locker room and together they headed into the break room where Greg was chatting up Sara. He gave them both a grin. He was still smiling when Gris handed out assignments.

"Nick, Sara and Greg, I want you on a double homicide. Lucky Strike Motel - way off the strip. Nick, you take point," Gil had said, doing a slight double take at Nick's face. He wasn't smiling now, but there was something about the way his lips were braced that looked like Nick was holding a smile inside.

"I'll drive," Sara said.

"Shotgun," Greg said, and gave Nick a haughty look. Nick looked at him in surprise. "Sorry, Nick, but she makes me carsick when I sit in the backseat," he offered. Nick shrugged it off.

All he was thinking of was how he was going to make his move when there was a third wheel.


Evenings like this made Nick glad that the crew was back together. He had missed working with Sara so much when they were split, but what surprised him was how much he enjoyed working with Greg. He enjoyed sitting in the back seat of the Denali, he arms and legs stretched out, listening to Greg and Sara's back and forth banter. He didn't remember ever hearing Sara laugh so much. Still, it wasn't like Sara was laughing like an idiot, but Greg's stream of consciousness verbiage would be punctuated here and there by Sara's giggle, or by a comment like, "Greg, please" which would sound like she was offended, but then Nick would look at her face and she would be smiling from ear to ear. Greg, Nick realized, had been very good for Sara. He had a brief pang of jealousy. What if there were more to this than met the eye? Sara and Greg had been together a lot, and sometimes that led to something more. It wouldn't be the first or last time that co-workers became lovers.

But this new Nick blew the jealousy off. He would never steal a lover from one of his friends, but if they were being covert, he couldn't be expected to know. And if he were rebuffed, then he would deal with it, and go on. He had proved to himself one thing, at least – he was a survivor. And no broken heart was going to do him in if being buried alive couldn't.

He was sitting in the middle of the Denali's bench seat, and every time he looked up, he could see Sara's face. He looked up at her, caught her eye and gave her a wink and a big smile. She smiled back and gave him a look that was hard to read before returning her eyes to the road. Greg continued his unabated talk, but Nick knew that Sara was thinking something similar. This was good, the three of them together. If Warrick were with them, it could have been even better, but with the task Nick had set himself, he really didn't need War's smirking, know-it-all presence.

They arrived at the Lucky Strike Motel, and Nick couldn't think of a worse dive. Not everybody in Vegas struck it rich, and though the Strip could be glamorous, the underside of Vegas was more like this little no-tell motel. A place where you could get pimped, get high and get by with no one to see or tell who you were.

And a good place to kill two people with no one to know better.

"This is where I would choose to leave two bodies. Whatcha bet we have no valid ID on the person who last rented the room?" Greg volunteered, echoing Nick's thoughts.

"You're probably right Greggo. That's why we have to follow the evidence," Nick said, throwing heavy emphasis on the last part. Sara gave him a withering look, and Greg snickered.

"Thanks, Gil," Sara said caustically, but her eyes were gentle. Nick smiled.

"Well, I am point on this, so I have to keep the young pup in line," Nick said, giving Greg a friendly nudge on the shoulder.

"You're way late on that," Greg said as the trio walked up to the taped off motel room. "Sara's always on top of that."

"I'm on top of a lot of things," Sara said quietly, looking archly at her companions. By this time they had come to the crime scene, and neither man could say anything in return because of the deputy at the door. Greg leaned in and whispered to Nick.

"Close your mouth, man. You'll let flies in like that, Papa Olaf always said."

"Did Papa Olaf ever get a girls to say things like that," Nick replied.

"Papa did a lot of things," Greg said, nodding his head up and down. Nick gave him a bemused look. They stepped under the crime scene tape to see Det. Curtis inside.

"Been waiting on you guys for a while," Sofia was saying, accusingly, to Sara, who was already inside.

"But I am so worth the wait," Nick offered as he came in the door. Sofia lightened up upon seeing Nick and Greg. She even smirked a little at Nick's comment.
"Nick. Greg," she said as a greeting. But she and Sara weren't standing at an impasse for now, so Nick figured his ice breaker had worked. After Sofia gave them the details and walked out, Sara gave Nick a look.
"Takes a lot of guts, flirting over a DB," she said. "Two DB's, point of fact. A guy I once knew told me that." Nick smiled, remembering the night he and Sara had met Hank the Skank, as Nick thought of him.

"Yeah, so I guess I've got a double load," Nick said, puffing up his chest. Sara twisted her lips. He knew that it meant she was trying not to smile.

"Um, are we going to start processing the scene?" Greg asked, a little taken aback by Sara and Nick's interactions. Nick wondered if he was jealous. And who he might be jealous of.

"Oh, Greggo, you're not the only one that has ridden shotgun to Sara's driving," Nick said. "But, since you mentioned it, process away. You take the perimeter, and Sara and I will process inside."

As Greg walked out the door, Nick stopped him.

"Make sure the deputy is within eyesight at all times, Greg. When it gets to the point you are out of his line of sight, you come get me or Sara," Nick warned, his voice now deadly serious. Greg frowned a little.

"Of course, Nick."

Nick watched Greg go out the door and wondered if he had sounded as paranoid as he felt just then.

"If you want to go with him, I can start by myself. Or vice versa," Sara said. Nick turned to see her looking at him with concern. It was a look he had gotten from her a lot, though with Sara, it was always a nice type of concern. It wasn't pandering or condescending, and she always said it in a tone of voice that made him feel as if he were having the most normal reactions in the world. Which is what his counselor had told him, but Sara could do more with one look than the counselor seemed to be able to do with a host of sessions.

"It'll be quicker if two process inside," he said. She nodded her head in quick assent and they began to work, Nick fighting the urge to check on Greg's process.

Nick and Sara had always had an easy kind of rhythm when they worked. Nick was grateful that the work was keeping his mind occupied. Instead of wanting to run check on Greg every couple of minutes, it was every 10 minutes. Finally, after about an hour of processing, Sara stood up straight and stretched.

"Go check on him," she said in a tone that was on the edge of being exasperated.

"Am I that easy to read?" Nick asked.

"Yes," was Sara's resounding answer. "Actually, I would like to check on him too." She gave Nick a smile and they moved towards the motel room door.

"Rock, paper, scissors on who gets to help G?" Nick asked. Sara shook her head at his suggestion, but held her hand and fist out in preparation.

Nick came up with paper. Sara was waggling her fingers in a downward motion.

"Water," she said, smiling mischievously. "It erodes rock, rusts scissors, and dissolves paper. I win."

"That's not an option," Nick protested, but Sara just gave him a backwards glance and grin as she walked out into the night air to help Greg. "You cheat!" Nick said under his breath, but he smiled at how his friend could surprise him after all these years.

The end of shift saw the trio still working at the crime scene, thought they were close to the end. They had taken only one break, and Nick could feel the fatigue weighing down on him. The three were riding back to the lab to log in evidence and finish their paperwork. The mood was more somber than at the beginning of shift; Greg's logorrhea had subsided and now the younger man was more subdued, though his and Sara's conversation was light hearted and still punctuated by Sara's smooth giggles. Nick found himself smiling, and he was thankful for that.

The scene was brutal, and he knew that posting the body tomorrow would be grueling as well.

"Let's get a drink, after paperwork is finished," he suggested as they pulled into the parking lot. Nick could see Cath and Warrick walking together across the asphalt. He sometimes wondered how Warrick could reconcile his flirtatious nature with Catherine to his marriage to Tina. Nick pushed that thought aside. Whether Warrick flirted or not was really not his business, and furthermore, it was pulling his focus away from the task at hand: drinks with Sara and Greg.

"I could go for that, as long as we get something really good to eat, too," Greg said. They both turned to Sara expectantly.

"I guess. But you will both have to help with the paperwork," she warned. Then she smiled, and Nick saw the smile reflected in Greg's face. Once again, he wondered what might have been going on with the two.

Nick was having a good time. The restaurant was small, and more of a bar and grill than anything. Given it was Vegas, people all around were eating anything from pancakes to rib eyes.

Sara had picked it and it seemed a little like her - the interior was warm and eclectic, but the outside had belied the atmosphere inside. And of course, they seemed to have more vegetarian choices than normal.

Nick loved that the place had a jukebox instead of canned music. Greg had worn himself out by making a play list that would end up costing him ten bucks to cover. Whenhe went to make his selections, Nick saw his chance to pump Sara for information.

"So, Sara, how are things these days?" he asked. Sara gave a little shrug of her shoulders.

"Good, I guess." She took a pull of her beer, but she was looking questioningly at Nick. It wasn't like they hadn't been working together this year.

"You seeing anybody?" he said, trying for casual. He thought he pulled it off, but Sara was smiling at him.

"Maybe," she said, with a wide smile that said she was.

"Serious, or casual?"

"Casual. We're just having fun," Sara said. "You?"

"Nah," Nick said, trying to play it cool. "What about Greg? Is he seeing anyone?" Sara gave Nick an inquisitive look. Nick tried to look as innocent as possible, but Sara knew him very well.

"He hasn't mentioned anyone particular," she said. "You know, with the new job, he hasn't had time to hit the clubs like he used to. It's put a crimp in his love life." She stopped and took a drink of her beer. She gave Nick an appraising look. "He's grown up a lot in the last year. I think the clubs don't hold his attention like they once did." They shared a smile. "Why now?" she asked. "After all these years?"

"I've quit hiding from myself. I've discovered that I'm stronger than what anyone else thinks," Nick said. "I'm a little different these days. I'm tired of playing it safe. Nothing ventured, nothing gained," he finished.

At that moment, Greg's be bopping form came back into Nick's line of sight. He gave Sara another smile, then picked up his beer.

"What's going on here? You two look like you're up to something," Greg asked suspiciously, his song momentarily forgotten. Nick chuckled. "Well, whatever it was, it's over now, because Sara is going to dance with me," the younger man declared. Sara smiled and let Greg lead her out to a small dance floor. Nick watched with a wistful smile.

Before long, it was time to settle up tabs. They still had to work tomorrow. He couldn't separate Sara and Greg as they were leaving, even though Sara "forgot" her jacket in the restaurant. Instead of standing outside with Nick, Greg ran back into the restaurant and retrieved the jacket for Sara. She and Nick stood together.

"Sorry, Nicky. I tried," she said.

"I know. Thanks," he replied. He was surprised as how anxious he was to talk to Greg alone. Now that he had made his decision, he wanted to know the outcome. Greg came back out of the building with Sara's jacket and a big smile on his face. Nick loved that smile, and realized that it had been a while since he had really seen it. They walked Sara to her vehicle together, then finally shared a moment alone.

"So, G, we should get together and go do something on a day off sometime," Nick stuttered. He had never been this self conscious with girls. Where had his smooth confidence gone?

"Yeah, man," Greg answered, distracted by using his key fob to unlock his car. "I've got no plans day after tomorrow. Are you off then?" Nick wasn't, but he would see if he could take vacation or get someone else to switch with him.

"I think so. You want to catch a baseball game?" Nick asked. Then he thought the better of it. G wasn't really a baseball sort of guy. "Or we could go do something else. Have you ever gone bird watching?" Nick wished he had stuck with the baseball. Bird watching? He could kick his own ass. Greg looked at him in surprise. "Or, you know, something else," Nick said, faltering towards the end. Why was this being so hard? Where had all his confidence gone?

"Actually, I would like to go bird watching. What do I need to wear? Do I need binoculars? What about a picnic?" Greg was saying each question in rapid fire style. Nick could tell the wheels in his head were spinning overtime.

"G, man, calm down. Jeans and a t-shirt and a jacket are fine. We won't go anywhere too rough, and yes, packing a snack or lunch would be a good idea," Nick said, trying to remember if he had answered all of Greg's questions at one time.

"Cool. So where do we meet? What time?" Greg asked, his face a light. Nick wasn't sure whether to be please the man was excited about bird watching, or apprehensive that he would be bored to tears once it was over.

"We can discuss everything tomorrow," Nick said. Nick patted Greg on the shoulder. "See you tomorrow Greggo," he said. He wondered if he had left his hand on Greg's shoulder too long, because Greg seemed to look at him a little differently.

"Sure, Nick. Drive safe," he said.

"You too Greg," echoed Nick, wishing to say so much more. This was a start. Eventually, maybe, he would have the guts and the opportunity. Maybe the day after tomorrow.

Maybe.


A/N: I am trying to expand my creative horizons by writing a GN fic, so let me know how I do. Can I keep the characters real?