Disclaimer: I completely forgot to put one on the first chapter. I admit, I was just excited that I actually had something to post.. But you guys know I don't own any of the CSI's, right? I don't even own Mac, I stole him from another show. I won't name which one, cuz, that would ruin the surprise! I don't own Mac or any of his friends, I swear! I'm just playing with them, torturing them here and there, but I'll give them back when I'm done.
No harm, no fowl! cluck-cluck
Author's Note: Hey guys, throw me a bone, why don'tcha? There has been overseventy hits on chapter one, and only one review! Must I beg? Must I threaten that I won't post a chapter until I get more? (I've seen it done, gang!) Just a reminder gang; there is nothing better than someone taking the time to give you a review of something you've done. Good, or bad…..okay, just don't make me cry.
As for the review: THANK YOU, nothing better than getting an email saying that someone has reviewed!
Now, on with the show...
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"Mac's plane was delayed, so he's not here yet." Warrick announced as a greeting as he answered the door to Nick and Greg. Greg held a twelve pack of beer and Nick was holding a bag that smelled suspiciously like Chinese food. "Come on in, I was just watching ESPN."
The guys settled in front of the television like they had done a hundred times. Chowing down on the take out, slurping down beers, cracking jokes and arguing over sports. Warrick had relaxed except for an occasional glance at the clock, he was back to normal.
"One day an employee came into work with both of his ears bandaged. His boss asked him what happened to his ears.
"Yesterday I was ironing a shirt when the phone rang and I accidentally answered the iron instead of the phone!"
"Well," the boss said, "that explains one ear, but what about the other?"
"They called back!"
Greg giggled as he finished the joke. Warrick and Nick chuckled along with him.
"Where'd you hear that one?" Nick laughed as he pushed the last of the sweet & sour chicken away from him.
"Archie and Hodges were telling jokes at the beginning of shift yesterday. That's the one I remember. Hodges actually told that one."
"Your telling me that Hodges has a sense of humor?" Warrick stood up, gathering the remains of the meal. Suddenly, he jerked towards the door, his attention completely focused on the door way. He grinned. "Mac's here!" He announced a full minute before a knock came at the door. He put the stuff back down and hurried to let the man in. Nick and Greg turned to look over the back of the couch, curious about the man.
Nick studied the man as Warrick answered the door. He wasn't as tall as Warrick, Nick guessed that he was about as tall as Greg but twice as wide. He was thick, muscular as if he spent a lot of his time working out. He wasn't one of those muscle-bound Neanderthal time of weight lifters, this man looked strong and tough like he knew how to take care of himself.
Looking past the muscles, Nick studied the newcomer. He was dark, most likely of Italian or Russian decent. He wore his long dark hair pulled back in a neat ponytail. Nick had always thought long hair on a man was too feminine. This man was anything but feminine. The look was good on him, instead of making him look girly, it added to his look of strength.
Nick wanted to learn everything about this man who made Warrick act so uncharacteristic. He'd never heard of this man who was suddenly so important to Warrick, yet here he was, watching his best friend hug this man. He'd thought he knew everything about Warrick Brown, yet here was a part of Warrick he didn't know.
He wondered where they had met and how long ago. This wasn't the type of friend he'd been introduced to in the past. This guy wasn't a fellow street kid, and he didn't look like someone from the casinos. Warrick had said that it had been a long time since he'd seen Mac. Nick guessed it'd been at least as long as he'd known Warrick, because Nick was sure…..at least, he hoped that Warrick would have introduced him before now.
Mac clapped his hand on Warrick's broad back. "Warrick Brown! You're looking good!"
"So are you Mac!" Warrick enveloped the man into another hug. Nick felt a twinge of jealousy spread through him. Warrick wasn't one to just hug anyone. You had to be someone special to get a hug from Warrick Brown. Releasing Mac, Warrick prodded him deeper into the room. "Mac, I want you to meet my best friends, Nick Stokes and Greg Sanders. Guys, this is Duncan MacLeod." Nick felt slightly better after being introduced as "Best Friend."
"Hi." Greg had risen and had worked his way around the couch. He offered the man his hand which was shook briskly. Nick followed suit, offering his hand quietly, sizing the man as they shook hands. Dark eyes, as dark as midnight, studied him as he studied the newcomer. Nick wondered what this man saw as he looked at him and if he measured up.
"Nick Stokes. It's a pleasure to meet you. I've heard quite a bit about you." Mac grinned at Nick.
"I wish I could say as much about you, Mr. MacLeod." Nick swung an reproachful glare at Warrick, who looked slightly crestfallen at the accusation.
"Ok…..I haven't heard all that much about you." Mac admitted. "But, what I have heard was said with such admiration that it spoke volumes. Please…..call me Mac or Duncan."
"So……Mac, " Greg cut in, trying to slice through the tension Nick was causing. "Warrick says you've repeatedly saved his butt. Care to share a story? The more embarrassing…..the better."
Mac turned and gave Warrick a questioning look. Nick didn't notice much of a change in Warrick's stoic expression, but it obviously was enough for Mac. He chuckled lightly and shook his head. "Let's just say….a gambler is often lucky if he has friends with large bank accounts."
Greg pouted. "So, you work in bail bonds or something?"
"Antiques….I've just bailed him out from time to time."
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"I'm not sure what to say." Warrick felt the need to apologize to Mac after his friends headed home to sleep. Shift start was only hours away and they needed to get some sleep before they could work cases. "I don't know what got into Nick-"
"He's worried." Mac interrupted. "He doesn't trust me. That's good. He shouldn't be too trusting. He doesn't want to lose you, and he can't afford to right now."
"Nick?"
"Do they know?"
"No." Warrick admitted, sitting down on the couch, covering his face with his hands. "I know I should tell Greg….train him even, but……I just haven't been able to tell him yet."
"Just Greg?" Duncan frowned. "They both need to know! They both need to be trained! Immediately! Damn Warrick, they should already be trained. Just because you pretend you're out of the game doesn't mean the game won't come to you. You can't sit here, hiding from the game and leave them as sitting ducks! What if someone challenged you and you lost? What would happen to them? Did you tell anyone about them? No? Who would train them? Who would explain it all to them? Did you warn them at all? Did you tell them who to go to if you lose the game?"
"No one has come for me……Greg's safe for now."
Warrick disagreed. "I'll train him if you think it's best."
"Him? You need to train them both! I'll stay and help you get them started." Duncan paced the length of the room.
"What do you mean? Nick's not part of the game. There's no reason to train him. I'll have to explain some of it to him….but-"
"He is part of the game." Duncan snapped. "They're both part of it. They both need to be trained." He frowned at Warrick, before it dawned on him. "You don't see it with Nick? He's one of us. Or, he will be."
"Nick? He's not….."Warrick shook his head in disagreement.
"You seriously don't feel it?" Duncan studied his age-old friend. "You've got to know that he's one of us. Or, that he will be."
"No……I can feel it with Greg, from the first moment I saw him…..but Nick?" No! He's got a family. I've met his parents. He's got sis….five sisters! He's not like us, he has a family."
"Families adopt us all the time, Warrick." Duncan shook his head. "I was adopted. I didn't know it until after I entered the game."
"Are you sure….about Nick?" Warrick frowned, unable to believe it.
"You don't feel it? Not even a hint of protectiveness of Nick?" Duncan probed.
"Well yeah, but that's because Nick has a habit of getting into trouble." Warrick defended himself. "Just because I like to keep him safe doesn't mean that he's supposed to be in the game!"
"But he is, whether you want him to be or not." Duncan insisted.
"I don't see it. Nick can't be adopted. I can't tell him that he is. If he doesn't know that he's adopted and I tell him this….." Warrick groaned. "I can't tell him!"
"He's a grown man. He can handle it. Besides it would be better coming from a friend then from his supposed family as they disown him for being a freak of nature, like my family did." Duncan maintained. "He needs to be trained."
"What's the chances of finding two in the same place at the same time?" Warrick grumbled. "I know that odds, I'm a gambler. This can't be happening!"
"Tomorrow?" Duncan questioned, ignoring Warrick's moans. "You need to tell them. We need to begin their training."
Warrick sighed heavily and studied his friend. Duncan was not going to let him slide on this one. "Okay, I'll tell them tomorrow."
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He frowned as he snapped pictures of the man entering Warrick's apartment. He'd never seen this man before. Ten years of watching Warrick and this was the first time he'd managed to surprise him. He opened his laptop and quickly uploaded the pictures into the system. A moment later the computer beeped, having found a match. His eyes scanned the screen and widened with shock. Perhaps watching Warrick Brown was about to get interesting. Something was brewing if he was here.
A grin spread across his boyish face. All this waiting was about to pay off. Perhaps a gathering was brewing. He'd heard of them, he'd read about them but with Warrick as his assignment it had never been a possibility. But this man, this man was a major contender. He'd been involved in some major things. He needed to look into this more. He needed to contact the man watching the newcomer.
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He didn't like this, not one bit. Who was this man that came barging into his business? He was too far away to really get a feel for the man, but he knew what he was. He did not like it. He needed him away from Warrick Brown. He needed Warrick to be alone, weak and unprotected. This newcomer gave off a vibe that could only be described as power. He was not prepared to battle someone that had real power. He needed to focus on someone like Warrick, someone who had backed himself into a corner. Someone who deserved to die.
This man changed things. He couldn't very well go through with his plans until he knew who he was and what he wanted. Was this man here to kill Warrick? Would he take offense if he did? Would he protect the other two? This did not bode well for his plans. It made him angry and he didn't like to be angry.
