A/N: Alright, thoughts are now displayed like this…

blah blah blah

they were displayed like this…

/-/ blah blah blah /-/

but they're not anymore...okay…that's it.

Rating: M…as always.

Disclaimer: I only own Anna, Regan, Jennifer…and any one else who isn't owned by CBS or Jerry Bruckheimer and Anthony E. Zuiker…but if only I owned George Eads…Just him…he's all I want…can't I have him?


Chapter 14: "Love is like a game of Russian Roulette. "

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Delmarco Residence

Saturday May 14, 2004

8:51 a.m.

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Nick rolled over on the couch and almost fell off. He moaned as he felt the effects of a hangover pound through him. "Good job Stokes." He muttered and struggled to sit up. He gripped his head and stumbled to the kitchen and the cabinet where he knew she kept the Advil. He popped them in his mouth and grabbed one of the last beer bottles on the counter to wash out his hangover, a trick he had learned in college. He almost gagged at the bitter taste and shook his head.

He sighed and looked around for Anna, she wasn't there. The sun had already risen and was pouring through the sliding doors. he sighed as he walked out of the kitchen and around the house, peeking into different rooms looking for Anna. He walked into her room and heard the shower running. He knocked on the wall to the bathroom and didn't get an answer. He heard a faint noise and he pulled back the curtain and stepped in the bathroom. He saw her naked form through the frosted glass and he saw her body shaking with sobs.

Immediately he forgot about his hangover and he stepped up to the glass and slid it to the side. Her tears were mixing with the water from the shower head, but he could tell by the look on her face that she was crying. She knew he was there but she couldn't look at him. Nick grabbed her hand and stepped into the shower in front of her and looked into her tear filled, Amazon Green eyes.

She sobbed again and Nick brought her to his chest. He knew that he looked pretty ridiculous, standing in the shower in his sweatpants, holding his naked crying girlfriend, and wanting to cry for her. She sobbed against him and Nick held her slippery body tighter, wanting to make her pain go away.

He felt the warm water pelt him in the back and on his head, and pour down his face and soak him. But he stayed there with her. She cried into his strong chest and covered her face with her hands and shook her head as if that would make everything go away. Nick's hands wrapped around her back and she rested her head on his shoulder. She placed her hands flat against his pecks and put her head under his chin.

Nick placed a kiss on her forehead and continued to hold her. She began sobbing again and Nick brought one of his hands to the back of her head, and held it to his chest as he kissed the top of her head again. "It'll be okay Sweetheart." He said softly.

She cried harder and Nick wanted so badly to make her stop. He couldn't stand to see a woman cry…he never could. And when it was Anna…he wanted to hurt whoever was responsible. But in this case…that was him, the new boyfriend, Josh, the jack ass ex-boyfriend, and Mac, the dead best friend/person she loves. Nick held her tighter and he felt her kiss his shoulder and caress his bicep softly. Nick sighed and rested his head on top of hers and absently rubbed her wet, naked back…and tried not to think of the fact that he was rubbing her wet naked back.

She pulled away from him and looked up at him with broken eyes. He gulped back his tears, not wanting to cry in front of her again for the third time that day, so he looked down…wrong move.

He got a good look at her wet, naked, flush breasts. He looked back up quickly and tried to focus on the ceiling instead of her body. She chuckled dryly and rested her head on his chest again. "Sorry." She apologized and Nick shook his head.

"Hey, it ain't your fault you're hot." Nick drawled and Anna chuckled and he held her tighter. He sighed and she scrunched her nose and looked up at him confused.

"I smell beer."

"Beer and one Advil the morning after a hangover, works almost instantly to erase the pains and strife of a hangover." Nick recited like a commercial. Anna looked at him not sure and she bit her bottom lip. Nick's gaze wandered to the bruise on her cheek that had seemed to grow throughout the night. He gulped back and looked into her green eyes.

"I need to finish shampooing." She stated and Nick paused for a moment before stepping back.

"Okay." He said simply and sat on the seat that was carved into the wall of the large shower stall. He looked around him and furred his eyebrows. "This is a friggin huge shower…this is like, three of my showers in one. It wraps around the other side of the bathroom…its huge!" Nick exclaimed and threw his hands in the air. "This is like a JLo size bathroom…like on Cribz." Nick exclaimed and Anna chuckled and turned towards the shower head to rinse her hair, and he got a nice view of her rear end and he smiled, but looked away.

"Well…I sure like it." She commented softly and tried to force a smile. Nick looked at her sympathetically and sighed.

"I already know the answer to the typical question you ask in a situation like this…so I'm just gonna say it instead of ask it…you're not okay."

She ignored him and continued soaping her hair.

"I think we need to talk."

"We talked for like four hours Nick." Anna pointed out and Nick stood up and walked over to her, entering under the water again and she looked up at him, their eyes never leaving contact.

"Yeah…but not exclusively about how you're feeling about everything…there is so much information that came out last night and…I know we talked some but…I wanna make sure you're…okay." He finished and Anna sighed and dropped her arms to her sides and stepped out of the spray of the shower head. Nick grabbed her arm to stop her from walking away from this situation and he turned to face her, letting his grip loosen when he realized she wasn't going to leave.

"Nick…"

"Anna…baby, I care about you. I wanna make sure you're okay." Anna didn't bother bull shitting him and saying that she was okay. "I know I said I wouldn't push you to make you talk…but it really isn't healthy to keep this bottled up…you have to find a release…and a healthy one." Nick stated and Anna sighed and smirked.

"Jen once told me that the two most common forms of release are sex and yelling…I don't like yelling." Anna informed him and Nick gave a crooked smile and shook his head.

"Dirty girl. Are you using your sexuality against me?"

Anna chuckled and shook her head playfully. "Never." She lied and Nick shook his head slowly at her and she sighed. "Ah, foiled again."

Nick stepped closer and brought her closer to him. "Hey…we need to talk." Nick said and she sighed heavily.

"I hate talking." She mumbled and rested her head against his chest. Nick chuckled.

"How reversed are we? The man likes to talk and the woman doesn't." Nick replied and Anna looked at him curiously.

"Do you think that your finger nails are too long?" Anna asked off the subject. Nick raised his eyebrow and looked at her oddly. He paused and stuck his hand out, palm down, fingers spread, out in front of him to examine his nails. Anna covered her mouth and began laughing hysterically.

Nick looked at her oddly and chuckled confused. "What?" He asked bewildered and Anna shook her head and continued laughing. "What?" Nick asked getting flustered.

"You're more feminine than you are masculine." She gasped between breaths. Nick looked at her confused and shook his head.

"What!" He asked in protest and she nodded.

"The feminine side of you dominates your actions and feelings…" She giggled and Nick gaped at her.

"Are you saying I'm gay?" He asked in amazement. She didn't answer, only laughed and snorted in a very un-feminine manner and Nick shook his head, frustrated that she had proved that about him. But actually, Nick was fine with that fact and that she thought that about him…anything to make her laugh. Trying to keep up the game, he huffed, causing her to laugh harder and bury her hand in his chest. "I'm not gay." Nick protested.

Anna continued laughing.

"I'm not…would I be with you if I was gay?"

Anna laughed harder and started gripping her sides and gasping for air. She calmed down a little and then looked at Nick, and started laughing again. "Now I know why you haven't made a move on me…a wet, naked, girl in a huge lonely shower."

Nick stared at her and then pulled her to him roughly and smothered her lips with a passionate kiss. His hands went from her back, to her hips, then her ass, where he grabbed her and thrust her towards him. Her hands came under his arms and held his shoulders as the water that poured down on them turned cold. They finally pulled apart and Nick looked at her with a smug smile on his face. "Still think I'm gay?"

Anna chuckled and licked her freshly kissed lips as she flashed a devious smile. "I never said I thought you were gay…" She pointed out Nick thought back to his comment about her using her sexuality against him. He finally realized what she had done and growled and pulled her back to him for another kiss.

She pulled away and turned off the water and jumped out of the shower. Nick watched her walk away and she turned her head back around to smile at him and toss him a towel. She grabbed a towel herself and walked out of the room, wrapping the towel around herself in the process. Nick chuckled and shook his head, while drying himself off.

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Turtle Park

Parking Lot

9:36 a.m.

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Anna and Nick stepped out of his Tahoe and waited by the car for Jen, Greg, and Regan. Anna was twirling her thumbs, and shifting back and forth, brimming with anticipation upon seeing Regan. She lifted her sunglasses and Nick looked at her cheek, the bruise was gone. Or covered up, rather. He secretly wondered whether she did it

Nick chuckled and walked up to her and leaned next to her against the car. He threw his arm around her shoulders and began playing with her long, brown, curly hair. She chuckled and moved into his warm embrace and leaned her head against his chest.

Nick cleared his throat and rested his chin on her shoulder. "So, tell me again, why are we meeting them here?"

"Jen said she needed somewhere for Regan to play…I don't know…she sounded weird on the phone." Anna commented and Nick sighed and wrapped his arms around her waist. She sighed but perked up when she saw Jen's car pull up. She smiled and jogged over to them and Regan ran into her arms. Anna squealed and hugged her tight. "Ah! I'm missed ya Toots!" She exclaimed and kissed the top of her head.

Nick chuckled and crossed his arms across his chest as he watched Anna pick Regan up and hold the seven year old on her hip. "Separation anxiety much Anna?" Nick asked and she stuck her tongue out at him.

"I missed her…so sue me." Nick chuckled and Anna turned to Jen and Greg. "So uh, what's up you guys…what's goin on?"

Regan smiled knowingly and slid out of Anna's arms to scurry off and play. Anna looked at her as she ran off and then back to Jen and Greg suspiciously. "What's goin on guys?" Nick drawled and Jen smirked.

"Jennifer Gabbler tell me what the Hell kind of uh-oh you made." Anna demanded and Jen smiled.

"Well it's not Jennifer Gabbler anymore!" She exclaimed and thrust her left hand towards Anna and Anna gasped in horror.

"Holy shit Jen!" Anna screamed and Nick gaped at her hand.

"Damn girl!" He grabbed her hand and examined the ring. "Look at that rock!" He exclaimed and Anna looked at Nick, giving him a sly smile in reference to their conversation of his sexuality from earlier. Nick dropped her hand and grunted. "I mean uh…" He grunted again. "Yeah…"

Anna shook her head and looked back at Jen and then to Greg's ecstatic face. "Oh God…tell me it's not Jennifer Gabbler-Sanders."

"It's not Jennifer Gabbler-Sanders."

"Oh thank God!" Anna exclaimed and grabbed her heart in relief.

"It's Jennifer Sanders."

Anna moaned and Nick caught her in his arms. "Uh Greg…what the Hell…"

"Well, I came home from work…"

/-/ Flashback /-/

She reached out and cupped his cheek. "I love you." He blurted and she dropped her jaw. "Marry me."

Jennifer looked at him, stunned. But her answer stunned her more…

"Yes." Jennifer answered.

"What?" Greg asked amazed and looked at her like she had just said yes to marry him…oh wait, she had.

"Yes."

"You'll marry me?"

"Yes." Jennifer said chuckling.

"Say it again."

"Yes!" She exclaimed and Greg picked her up and kissed her.

"Wait." He sat her back down on the couch and dashed for his room. He came back out and Jennifer had straightened out her 'bed-head' appearance. He walked back over to her and got down on one knee. "Jennifer Gabbler…while you marry me?"

She chuckled and shook her head. "Yes." She said and Greg slipped the ring on her finger. She gasped. "Greg…oh my God."

The ring was a gold band, three carrot, princess cut diamond. "It was my grandmother's."

Jennifer stared in awe at the ring and kissed Greg again. "Let's get married."

Greg chuckled. "I think we've established that we are."

"No, I mean right now."

"Like…Vegas style?"

Jennifer chuckled. "Yeah…"

/-/ Present /-/

Anna sat on the swing and stared ahead in shock. "So what, you just…drove to the wedding chapel and got married?" Anna asked in disbelief and turned in her swing to look at the newlyweds next to her.

"Yep…Regan was one of our witnesses."

"Who was the other one?" Nick questioned.

"Elvis." They both answered and Nick shook his head.

"I had to ask…"

Anna shook her head. "Okay…I'm having a hard time grasping this…"

"Annie, sweetie…calm down."

Anna sighed and looked straight ahead. "I think I need some Ben and Jerry's." She commented, and stood up, Jen hot on her heels. Nick watched them leave and Nick shook his head and looked back at Greg.

"Now, pardon my French, but what the Hell were you thinking!"

"I was thinking I was proving to her that I'd stick by her side." Greg explained and Nick gawked at him.

"Dude, I said do something heartfelt and sincere not stupid! Buy her a puppy and show her that you know how to take care of a 'baby' like a likelihood experiment of whether or not ya'll would make good parents. Not friggin marry her!"

Greg sighed, "Look, I almost lost her last night…not to mention it was because she took over for someone because she couldn't stand to be near me because she thought I was going to leave her…"

"So how the hell does marrying her change everything?" Nick inquired, flabbergasted.

Greg didn't answer. Nick sighed and looked back towards the girls at the counter.

"Jen…what the Hell were you thinking?" Anna asked while rubbing her head in a stressful gesture.

"Anna…don't you think you could be a little more supportive?"

"Supportive-" Anna threw her hands in the air, "Jen, you've known the guy for four days! Do you even know what his middle name is!"

Jen opened her mouth to answer, but snapped it shut when she realized she didn't. "Well…do you know his middle name?"

"No, but I'm not the one who married him on a brainless whim!"

"Anna! Chill out!"

"Jen, its Greg! As in Greg Sanders! He sticks markers up his mouth and pretends to be a walrus!"

"He makes me laugh!"

"So you married him because he makes you laugh and can give you and orgasm!" Anna shouted, attracting the attention of several people. Jennifer blushed and Anna ignored them. "Jen…you have to get this annulled."

"What? No! We can't…we've already consummated the relationship."

"Jennifer! Think about what you're doing! You barely know him, you can't even agree on what to do if you get pregnant, you have no idea how you two will react to each other…"

"Anna…"

"Jennifer, do you love him?"

"Love isn't everything."

"So why did you marry him…if not for love, then what? It isn't for security…he's poorer then you are. It's not for compatibility because the two of you hardly talk…it's mostly grunting. So why…why Jen?"

Jennifer sighed and didn't answer. Anna shook her head and looked over, her gaze landing on Nick who was thinking the same thing as she was…

These two fucked up.

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Sidle Residence

10:13 a.m.

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Sara walked up to her door and stood there as her date shifted nervously, like all first dates, it had been awkward. But Sara thought Aaron was charming…he was sweet, smart, charismatic…but there was just something about him that was missing. She couldn't place her thumb on it…but it was tugging at the back of her mind.

She sighed and turned to face him, wondering what the next move was. It had been a while since her last first date, and apparently they've changed the rules of 'the dating game'. Sara shifted and tucked a strand of brown hair behind her ear and let her dark brown orbs wander up to his bright blue ones… /-/ Wait! His eyes aren't blue, Aaron's eyes are green…green…not blue. The only person with blue eyes that I know is Gr-… /-/

She cut off that thought by clearing her throat. "Um…yeah, so…"

"I'll um…I guess I'll see ya later."

"Yeah." Sara said and flashed her signature 'toothy' smile that drove the men she knew wild.

Aaron was no exception. He licked his lips and shifted his eyes nervously. She chuckled and looked back down. When she brought her head back up Aaron's lips crashed into hers. She felt herself being figuratively knocked back, but she slowly began kissing him back.

Sara felt as though they were being washed, and adverted her eyes to the left; over Aaron's shoulder to the hallway behind him and opened her eyes. She gasped and pulled away from Aaron staring at the sight in shock. "Grissom?"

Aaron turned around to see and older man staring at Sara and him, a depressed and slightly distraught. "Sara." Grissom choked out.

"What are you doing here?" Sara asked in shock and Grissom opened his mouth to say something, but he ended up stuttering with no words. "Grissom." She snipped and shook her head aggravated. "Aaron…I'll see you later okay? Thanks for the breakfast and talk…I really enjoyed it." She said and gave a small smile. Until she looked back at Grissom where her expression was hard.

Aaron looked back and forth between the two, confused, but nodded. "Alright…bye Sara." He responded and walked out of the hall, giving Grissom the suspicious, quick, once-over and left. Sara stood there angrily for a moment, and then turned to unlock her apartment door.

"Sara-"

She whipped around to face him and shook her head. "Grissom…no. I don't want to hear it. Unless you have a logical excuse for being here you should just-"

"But I do have a good excuse…I came to bring you the case file." Grissom held up the manila folder and Sara sighed, half annoyed. She tugged on her navy blue button up shirt and walked over to him. She snatched the folder and skimmed through it and huffed.

"Thanks." She murmured and Grissom looked away and sucked in his lips as a trait of habit. She sighed and rubbed her forehead tiredly. "Well…I'm working tonight, so I'll see you at the lab." She said and turned to walk towards her door.

"Hey Sara," Grissom called after her and Sara turned around to face him. "I uh…" She looked at him, eagerness brewing inside her, but she didn't let it show. "I just wanted to um…" She looked at him and silently sucked in a breath. "You're doing a great job." He copped out and Sara sighed in irritation.

She nodded and bit her upper lip to keep from yelling at him for being such a wuss. "Yeah." Was all she said as she threw open her door and slammed it shut behind her.

Grissom sighed as he realized he just made things ten times worse. He could have said nothing. He should have said three simple words. But instead he said something stupid only to make her angrier…

"Good job Gil." He muttered and climbed down the stairs of her apartment building in a despondent mood.

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Delmarco Residence

10:15 a.m.

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Anna and Nick walked through the door with Regan trailing close behind. They laid their shoes by the door and proceeded through the house. Anna tossed her purse on the kitchen counter and huffed. "I cannot believe her…she barely knows him…why would he propose on such a whim?"

Anna asked no one in particular and Nick sighed. "I told him that he needed to prove that he'd stick around…I didn't think that he'd go off and marry her…" Secretly Nick was slightly grateful for Jennifer and Greg's little diversion from Anna and Nick's intense conversation the night before, it getting out of control, and Mac's death…

Anna sighed and sat down on the couch as Regan cuddled up in her lap, and Anna stroked her hair. Nick stood at the counter and watched them, Anna smiled and patted the couch next to her and Nick smiled and sat down beside her and Regan. He slung his arm protectively around Anna and pulled her so that she was leaning on him, and Regan was still curled up in her lap. Nick handed her the remote and she pushed it back towards him for him to control.

After a few minutes of channel surfing they all decided on a suitable show and settled in to watch it. Nick was lazily trailing his fingers lightly up and down her arm. She rested her head against his shoulder and it took everything in him not to bite, suck, and kiss the exposed skin on her neck. She heard him intake a breath and she lifted her head and turned her head to look at him and smile teasingly. Nick's other hand came around and gripped her arm tightly, the one that wasn't connected to the hand that was stroking Regan's hair.

She chuckled softly, barely loud enough for Nick to hear and he continued stroking her arm. She looked down to see that Regan had fallen sleep. She chuckled and nudged Nick, who looked down to see the sleeping seven-year-old. "Awww." He said softly and Anna chuckled.

"She's so cute." Anna remarked and Nick nodded.

"You wanna put her in her room?"

Anna shook her head and brushed the child's hair out of her face. "Nah…I don't wanna move her." Anna replied and Nick chuckled.

"Seriously Anna, separation anxiety." Nick joked and Anna scoffed.

"So…we've never spent more than a night apart…I like to keep her close by." Nick chuckled and gently stroked her other arm, and gripped the other one, holding her against him. "Nick…" She said in a warning tone.

Nick chuckled and shook his head. "What, it's not like I'm gonna try anything." He whispered and nuzzled his face into her neck, sending chills through her and she giggled.

"Nicky, control yourself." She teased and Nick sat back.

"Alright, alright, I'll be good." Nick said, and kept stealing quick glances at the area of her neck that was exposed. He smirked and dove back in for her ticklish spot on her neck and she tried to keep still so she wouldn't wake Regan. She giggled and tried to squish her neck to her shoulder to keep his face away from her neck, but he just went for the other side. She squealed and tried to pull away from him, but couldn't because Regan was blocking her.

"Stop Nick!" She whispered in a snippy/playful voice. "If you make me wake her up I swear to goodness…" She warned and Nick sat her up and took Regan off of Anna's lap and began carrying her into her room. "Where are you going?" Anna asked and followed them through the house. "Nick…"

He laid Regan in her bed, turned out the light, and closed the door. He turned to face Anna, and she dashed off in the other direction, squealing in mock-terror. Nick ran after her and chased her through the living room, kitchen, dining room, out the sliding glass door, across the patio, and to the docks. She ran to the end, and then turned around to face him.

"End of the line Delmarco." Nick said in a phony villain voice. "No where to go."

Anna smiled and turned around and jumped in the water, fully clothed. Nick stared at her in shock and waited for her to resurface. When she did Nick ran off the dock and jumped in, also fully clothed. He resurfaced and they were both struggling to stay afloat with the weight of their wet clothes. "Why'd you jump in?" Anna asked confused.

"I really don't know." Nick replied and began swimming towards her.

"No, Nick. I can barely stay up with the weight of my clothes…I can't stay up if you chase after me."

"So take off your clothes." Nick suggested jokingly with a smirk, and then gaped at her when she peeled off her shirt and unbuttoned her jeans and tossed them at the dock with her shirt. "Anna…I was just kidding."

"Yeah well, it was either sink or strip."

"I like your choice." Nick wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and she shook her head and swam towards him. "Anna…aren't you worried about people seein you?" He drawled and she shook her head.

"Nope, I'm the only one on the lake…and this looks like a bathing suit so…"

"Yes, a pink lace bathing suit that's enhancing your cleavage." Nick replied and Anna chuckled and swam up to him.

"Yeah well…I choose to swim in my under garments rather than sink because the weight of my wet jeans. And it ain't like you haven't seen me naked before…I'm wearing more clothes now than I was this morning."

"Yes, but then you were crying…it's like automatic system shutdown. Crying isn't a turn on. Especially when it is you crying." Nick pointed out and kicked his legs harder to stay afloat. She chuckled and shook her head.

"Just strip to your boxers, it's easier to swim that way."

"Well this is your entire fault so…"

"So, I didn't ask you to jump in after me. You did that yourself mister. I promise its easier to swim this way, no one will see you, and your clothes are wet anyway." She pointed out.

"You're so desperate to get me in my boxers huh?" Nick teased and she rolled her eyes.

"I just don't wanna have to save your ass when you're drowning."

Nick chuckled and pulled his shirt over his head and threw it on the docks with Anna's clothes. She chuckled as he struggled to take off his belt and take off his jeans and then toss them on the docks. Anna chuckled and swayed her arms around her to stay afloat and chuckled at Nick's self conscious blush.

She smiled and swam over to him and grabbed his arms and pulled him to her. "Relax Baby…you're way too tense and frigid…chill out. No one can see you except me."

Nick relaxed a little and she kicked away from him and began swimming backwards, doing back strokes out into the lake. Nick watched her sculpted body swim, and then started out after her. She picked up the pace and made him work to catch her. She stopped suddenly and he almost crashed into her, but stopped and grabbed her around the waist and kissed her, while kicking his legs to stay above the water.

He pulled on her hand so that he was doing back strokes, and she was doing breast strokes to get towards the shore, all the while their lips never leaving contact. Once they were able to stand but were still immersed in water they pulled apart and Anna began to laugh. "They should put that in the Olympics…that's tough."

Nick nodded and grabbed her hand to pull her back to him and he kissed her again. He let his hands travel over her body that was under the cover of the lake's water. His hands traveled down her thighs and she pressed her lips harder into his. He brought his hand to her hips and lifted her up so that her legs were wrapped around him, bracing herself up, and Nick walked out of Lake Mead, and onto the shore. He continued kissing her as they walked through the patio and into the house. They quietly slipped into Anna's room, so as not to disturb Regan, and Nick laid her back against the covers.

He went to the curtains and pulled them shut and closed the door. He walked over to the bed and lay down next to her. "We need showers." She informed him and he stared at her in shock.

"You just took a shower this morning! I swear to God you shower more than anyone else I know…" He shook his head and helped her off the bed. "Well…I will be a gentleman and let you take a shower first. But don't take too long cause if I get caught in a cold shower you're in so much trouble." Nick warned and Anna shook her head.

"I won't take long." She rubbed her smooth legs against his thigh and smiled mischievously. "I already shaved." She rolled over on the bed and pretended like it was no big deal and Nick shook his head.

"Oh! That ain't even right!" He exclaimed and pulled her back to the bed and gently pinned her by the wrists and straddled her hips. He brought her arms down to her side and released her wrists when her hands were tucked under her back. He raised her up slowly and kissed her neck. She closed her eyes, smiled, and bit her bottom lip. Nick let his hand brush the inside of her thigh, dangerously close to her heat and he pulled away. "Go take your shower." He said simply and she glared playfully at him. "Hey Baby, two can play at your game."

"Ah, you're striking back."

"Like the Empire." Nick replied in true 'Jedi' form. Anna scoffed and pushed him lightly.

"Geek."

"Tease."

"I've been called worse." She called over her shoulder and Nick chuckled and walked out of the room as they went their separate ways. He snuck into the guestroom and grabbed his duffle bag from work so he could change after his shower.

He lay back against the sheets of Anna's bed and closed his eyes. About ten minutes later Anna turned off the shower and stepped out, wrapping herself in a towel in the process. She walked into her room and saw Nick lying on the bed and he looked over and winked at her. She gave a soft smile and motioned to the shower. "Your turn Tex."

He stood up and walked into the bathroom as Anna went to her drawers for clean clothes. She grabbed a matching bra and panties set and grabbed an emerald green Tunic tank, a pair of jeans, and a matching brown leather belt with emerald stones and diamonds fashioned in it. She dropped her towel and reached for her underwear when Nick came around the corner.

"Hey Anna I- Whoa! Sorry!" He spun around and covered his eyes and Anna chuckled.

"Uh Nicky, you've seen me naked before."

"Yeah, but you were expecting it then and…I wasn't really looking so much as…"

"Feeling." Anna finished for him and clasped her bra and slid on her underwear. "I'm covered." She called and Nick turned around and blushed. "Aw, Sweetheart, calm down. It's okay that you saw your girlfriend naked." She stated and Nick chuckled.

"I was uh…I was gonna say that I wanted to take you to diner tonight."

"Okay." She saw how embarrassed Nick was and she gave a comforting smile. "Go take your shower." She said pointing to the bathroom. Nick darted off in that direction and she couldn't help but laugh…he really was too cute sometimes.

Completely innocent one minute…then a full blown man the next.

It was kinda sexy…

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Gabbler Residence

1:34 p.m.

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Greg stepped into Jennifer's apartment and was immediately hit by the earthy feel of the room. She had olive green walls with chocolate brown trim and gold accents. The furniture was plush and brown to match the trim of the walls. It was very homey and welcoming. She smiled and turned around to face him. "So whose house are we going to live at?" Jen asked, the questioned sounded absurd to her ears and mind…but she pushed that thought away.

"Uh…well, your place is bigger so…I guess I can just move my stuff in here and…yeah." Greg said awkwardly and Jennifer nodded.

/-/ Okay Jen, this is your husband…things aren't supposed to be awkward…oh my gosh…could Anna be right? Do we have nothing in common? Is everyone gonna tell us to split when they find out about this? How are we gonna tell them? Who exactly are we gonna tell/-/ Jennifer's mind raced at a mile a minute and she shifted uncomfortably. "So Greg…are we gonna tell everyone about this?" She asked and Greg raised his brow.

"Well I don't see how we couldn't…we're married." Greg had to think about the words before he said them. /-/ Holy shit Greg…you're married. You're somebody's husband…Jen is your wife…wow that sounds weird. Damn, was everyone right about this? Elvis sure seemed to think it was a good idea. But how much can you rely on a dead guy/-/ Greg thought and looked around, feeling suddenly suffocated.

"Well…how are we going to tell them…obviously we need a softer approach than we took with Anna and Nick." Greg nodded and sat down on his wife's couch…his wife…her couch…that wasn't his. Was that weird? He sighed and looked around the room as she continued. "They didn't handle it too well…but we can't really expect hem to, I mean, they're our best friends…could you imagine being dealt a shocker like that?" Jen replied trying to lighten the mood.

Greg was silent a moment, and then it hit Jen what she had said…they had been dealt a shocker like that…they lived it. And it was only hitting them just now.

They had rushed things…

Obviously.

They needed to think things through…

That was a given.

And they needed to talk…

Something they couldn't do.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

Delmarco Residence

3:18 p.m.

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"Men shouldn't talk to each other! They should just sit there, eat chips, drink beer, and watch football games!" Jennifer exclaimed and threw her head back on Anna's couch. Anna chuckled and sat in the recliner, tucking one leg under her as she sat and handed Jennifer a cup of hot chocolate.

Jennifer had come over so that she and Anna could talk, and they sent the boys to the lab to catch up on paperwork and cases, Nick was working tonight since he didn't the night before and they were slightly behind. Anna sighed and grabbed her loose pony tail and slid it onto her left shoulder and let Jennifer continue venting.

"If guys didn't talk to each other we wouldn't be in this mess!"

"We?" Anna asked half smirking, but Jen ignored her.

"If Nick hadn't talked to Greg then he wouldn't have been so compelled to ask me to marry him. Then I wouldn't have said yes and we wouldn't have gone to a drive thru chapel. Ick! That was so tacky! Annie, you know I've always dreamed of a big white poofy dress, with hundreds of guests, doves and bubbles because the doves can't digest rice and they'll blow up… and a big band, and flowers, and a big cake…" Jennifer said beginning to cry. Anna sighed and looked into her mug of chocolate, waiting for Jen's tears of regret and frustration to stop. "Now I'm not gonna have that because Nick likes to have deep, meaningful talks…"

"He's about as bad as a woman." Anna tossed in her two cents.

"I can't believe this."

"You can't blame this all on Nick. He talked to your idiotic…husband, true, but your husband made the move. And I thought you didn't regret getting married."

"I don't!" Jennifer whined and slid her feet under herself as she sat more comfortably. "I regret getting married so soon."

"What about regretting marrying Greg? Is that anywhere in the mix?" Anna asked knowingly. Jennifer bit her lip and shook her head.

"No." She said unsure. "He's a great guy and we really do care about each other. We make each other laugh and we actually good friends…its just sort of hard to talk to each other sometimes…" She said more to herself.

"Like how?" Anna asked, wanting her to go on.

"Like…we don't want to hurt each other's feelings, we're not entirely comfortable with each other, and we're not exactly sure how to approach some situations."

Anna nodded and thought. "Jen, I'm gonna point something out to you, you've probably heard this a few times already, maybe you haven't. You've probably thought it, you've probably seen it in Greg's eyes…the two of you rushed into this."

Jennifer sighed. "How do I fix this…? I've always wanted a guy who knew how to 'handle' me, for lack of a better word. And Greg seems really reliable, despite our fight." Jennifer paused and bit her lip at the singular word at the end of her statement. Anna practically read her mind.

"Fight? Singular? Now, take this from someone who knows…fights can be a bad thing, but they are also crucial for a healthy relationship. Everyone's gotta have a good yell now and then. Think of it like a bottle of coke. You're the bottle, and the coke inside is the bubbling emotion. Each time you shake the bottle, aka get angry with your spouse, the bubbles in the coke grow and grow. If you don't fight, take the cap of the bottle, after enough times shaking it, it'll explode! Or go flat." Anna added and nodded. Jennifer seemed to be processing the facts and taking it semi-well.

"So…you're saying we made a mistake by not fighting more?"

Anna sighed exasperatedly and took Jen's hands in a sisterly manner. "No. I'm saying you two haven't known each other long enough to be in a serious relationship, nevertheless have you two had enough fights to have a mature, adult connection. You don't know a lot about each other so you're shy and timid around each other, hence not having enough to fight about. Fighting helps you to realize what pisses each other off about the other person. If its something you can change, you try like hell to change and if not…then you split."

"Well like what? How do you know if its something you can work out without wasting all your time?"

"If its something you absolutely can't live without. Like, take Regan for example. I love her more than anything else in this world. If a guy I was involved with wasn't okay with that then…he's gone. She's something I can't and wouldn't change. Lucky for me, Nick adores her, and she adores him. Something that you can change…nasty habits. Like drinking. I don't allow alcohol in the house, so if Nick likes to drink, he has to leave it at the door or go out with boys. He didn't know that last night so when he got drunk…" She waved the thought away and tried to focus on Jen.

"What if its something you don't know if you can change but it could tear apart your relationship? Like your job."

"Well…in that case, you might just have to make it work. Like, you work days and he works nights. So, switch to nights."

"I hate nights…"

"So switch to swing shift. You'll get more time with him then you would if you were on days. Greg can't give up his job as nightshift DNA boy/ aspiring CSI."

"Why?"

"…Because he loves it." Anna said simply and flipped her ponytail of her shoulder. "That's one of the things the two of you have to work out. Relationships are all about adjustments and sacrifices. You just have to know your limits on adjusting and what you can and can't sacrifice. Sex is a big issue with that. But lucky for you and Greg all you've been doing is screwing so the two of you know that you have no problems there."

Jen gave a small sly smile. "Yeah…that we're good at."

Anna chuckled and wiggled her eyebrows. "Well, lucky for you, sex is a good outlet for stress."

"What about you and Nick?"

"What about me and Nick?"

"Well, do you guys have any problems in the bedroom?"

Anna sighed and sipped her hot chocolate, knowing that this information was safe with Jen, she calmed a little. "Well…we both uh…we both like to…well, for lack of a better word, 'dominate', in the bed room."

"Oh…so, you both like the top? I can fix this, who's better on top?"

Anna chuckled and shook her head. "I don't know…we haven't had a chance to figure that out yet."

"You two haven't had sex!"

"Hey, not every relationship consists of two rabbits like yours and Greg's." Anna defended. "We're taking it slow."

Jennifer eyed her suspiciously. "He can't get it up can he?"

"What! Jen! No! That is definitely not the problem."

"Gets it down too quick for you to enjoy?" Jen asked, a half smirk playing on her lips.

"Okay, I'm ending this conversation if you don't state your questions more tastefully."

"Okay, okay, chill out. So what's the problem?"

"Well…we keep on getting interrupted."

"Easy solution, I'll take Regan off your hands. You and Nick can give a good boink, everyone will be happy."

"Okay, first of all, I am not shipping my sister off just so I can screw my boyfriend without being interrupted. Second of all, boink? Seriously, who says that anymore?" Jennifer laughed and shook her head as Anna rolled her eyes. "Thirdly, we can't. I'm menstrual."

"Oooh! Sucky. Poor Nicky, he must be so 'pent up'. Is he running off to the bathroom every ten seconds?" Jennifer asked and Anna almost fell over laughing. "Aw, now don't laugh at the boy, he's young and horney, it doesn't help that he's shacking up with his super hot girlfriend who hardly ever wears full outfits around the house."

Anna continued laughing and Jennifer merely shook her head. "Nick and I are not shacking up. Jen…leave Nicky and Little Nicky alone for a minute."

"He named it Little Nicky?" Jennifer asked, interrupting.

"I know! It's too common."

"Totally…you should name it something crazy like…"

"Princess Sofia." Anna replied with a smirk and Jennifer laughed.

"Annie, you ripped that off How to Loose a Guy in 10 Days."

"Good movie though."

"Totally."

"What I don't get is, who in the Hell would want to loose Matthew Mcconaughey!" Anna asked and Jennifer shook her head.

"I do not know…but I'll take him!"

"Jen, watch it, you're married now."

"Oh yeah…shit…"

"You need to watch what you say and who you're flirting with…as in no flirting with anyone except Greg."

Jennifer sighed. "I'm not a very good wife am I?"

"You're inexperienced. Did you have an exemplar?"

"No."

"So how are you supposed to automatically know this? You've been on your own since you were, like, what, four?"

Jennifer nodded. "Four and a half."

"Well…foster homes don't leave good examples." Anna said sympathetically and Jennifer looked into her best friends green eyes. "You can't totally blame yourself…but you can't totally blame everyone else. Everyone had a part in this." Anna explained and she watched as Jennifer took it all in and sighed. "Despite your lack of a role model…you can't let your marriage go to hell because of what happened when you were younger. Yeah there's gonna be draw backs to it, and yeah, you're gonna have a tough time dealing with some things just because of the current situation. But if you actually think there is something worth saving between you and Greg…don't give up. No one ever got anywhere by giving up. Look at Belle." Anna said knowing that it was Jen's favorite princess. "She was forced into a shitty situation when she went to get firewood for her father, she got stuck with a beast. A hasty decision ended up in an even shittier situation."

Jennifer rolled her eyes and Anna smirked, as she continued.

"They were forced to stay together and bear each other's intolerable qualities. They actually survived, despite the fact that he was a beast with crazy hair, and she was a beauty with a strong will. They ended up falling in love, and he turned into her prince. Now, I'm not saying that Greg is gonna transform from a beast into a prince, and he's certainly not going to do it in 75 minutes." Jennifer chuckled. "But he just may be good for you. I don't know. No one does. It's all a game here, despite what most people say, love is a game."

"Which one, Candy land?"

"Why Candy land?"

"Full of sugary-sweet surprises."

Anna scoffed. "Hell no. Not unless you can substitute the river of chocolate for a river of shit." Anna joked and Jennifer rolled her eyes. "No, Love is like a game of Russian Roulette. You never know when its your turn to ask the questions, and at any moment, you can fall. Whether its in or out of love, or into a puddle of mud…you never know. One wrong answer can cost you the game. But that can be a good thing depending on who you're playing with or against."

"What do you mean against?"

"Well…sometimes the one person you hate the most, is the one that's gonna complete you. And the ones who start out hating the ones they're supposed to be with are the lucky ones."

"So, wait, hold on…then why do you hate them if you're supposed to be with them…and how are they lucky?"

"Well, they get to see how life is without each other before they even have to experience loosing each other."

"So…"

"So, odds are, that eventually every couple will break apart and separate for a while or just spend sometime apart. They then have to see how their life would be without the other person. Sometimes its better, sometimes it isn't. Its then that you realize your future is either with or without them and you make your move. The people who hated each other at first have a less likely chance of doing that because they already know what life is like, and they won't want to go back to that, but that doesn't mean its fool proof. They can still separate for a while and figure it out later…it's a waiting game."

"So many games when it comes to love."

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LVPD Crime Lab

Layout Room

4:32 p.m.

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Nick had finished laying out the evidence along the table when Greg walked in to hand him a piece of paper. Nick looked at him briefly, then back to the table as he motioned him over. "Hey, hey Greggo, come here."

Greg turned around and walked back towards him. "Yeah?"

"Help me lay this out." Nick asked and Greg nodded.

"Which case?"

"Diner shoot out."

Greg nodded slowly. "How'd Anna take it, Mac's death I mean, and knowing who did it?"

Nick sucked in a breath and winced. He really didn't want to talk about that subject and Anna's involvement…he had brought Greg over to subtly talk to him about Jennifer, not Anna. But knowing that it was only fair to exchange information, he sighed. "Horribly…we didn't do too well. How about you and Jen?"

Greg smirked and shook his head; he had suspected that was why Nick had brought him over here. He shook his head and chuckled dryly. "Well…I was so scared that I asked her to marry me…and she was so shaken up that she said yes…then we were both so freaked out that we were gonna die that we went to a drive thru chapel and got married so…I've been better."

"You're married?" A very annoying and familiar voice said from the doorway. Nick and Greg turned around and saw Hodges standing in the doorway. "Who would marry you Sanders?" Hodges asked in disbelief.

Greg and Nick looked at each other in dread. Oh no…the nose knew. They knew if the nose knew it wouldn't be good to know for anyone else who knew…oh no.

"Uh…" Greg said dumbly and Nick sighed.

"What do you need Hodges?"

"To know who Sanders tricked into marrying him."

"Is that all?"

"Yes."

"Good, then get outta here." Nick barked and Hodges went scurrying off.

Greg sighed in dismay and shook his head. "It'll be all over the lab by lunch."

"I don't doubt that."

"Man! Whoever said that love was not a game should be shot." Greg declared and Nick chuckled.

"Funny, Anna says the same punishment should be given to the bastard who invented pantyhose." Nick smiled and stared off into the distance, a sparkle in his eye as he thought about her. Greg looked up and gave him a look as if to say, 'Quit thinkin about her and help me out here!'

Greg sighed and regained Nick's attention. "Nick…what do I do?" Greg asked desperately. Nick felt his heart go out to the younger man he considered a brother and sighed.

"You can't do anything Greg. Everyone was going to find out eventually…you just have to take it and stay strong…I'll get Warrick and Catherine to help ward off some of the limelight and then bring it onto Catherine." Nick smirked and Greg let out a soft chuckle.

"Poor Catherine, she hates being in the limelight." They joked, knowing full well their good friend thrived on attention from the public eye.

Nick shook his head. "Yeah well…she's the last thing you got right now. I'll try to suppress some of the rumors to keep your stress level down…until them you might want to take some time off and schedule in a tiny thing Newlyweds such as yourself call a honeymoon."

"Uh, Nick, Jen and I are so stressed right now, a good romp in the sack is the last thing on both our minds."

" Oh I know, you two have to take your two weeks oh Honeymoon to talk, and get to know each other. Since you spent the time you should have been doing that practicing for the Honeymoon, you get to make up for lost time." Nick gave a mock-evil smile and Greg moaned.

"Great…we don't even get a real Honeymoon. Man, I wish we had done the talking before and we could do the fun stuff now."

"Hey, talking can be fun."

Greg scoffed. "More fun than sex?"

Nick thought about it for a moment and a goofy grin spread across his face. "No one said you couldn't have sex Greg, she is your wife after all. Please her. But you two have some serious talking to do. But go for a good roll in the hay. A good screw can do wonders for a stressed body. Especially when it's from your wife."

"How do I know when to stop and…decompress?"

Nick chuckled and shook his head. "I don't know…whenever it feels right."

"How will I know when it feels right? Like every other hour?"

Nick chuckled nervously and shifted away from Greg. "Man, I don't know." He drawled. "Figure out your own sex schedule. It's your wife…if at any time you ever needed to feel relaxed about messing around with Jen…this would be it."

"Because it's not fooling around anymore." Nick nodded and Greg sighed. "Man, how did you get so wise about marriage? Do you have like…five wives somewhere?"

Nick laughed. "Nope. I just had a good example. And I'm like a pillar of continuous wisdom…or Buddha."

Greg chuckled. "Can I rub your tummy for good luck?"

"Dude, you ain't rubbin any part of me for good luck." Nick drawled holding up his hands in front of him. They both chuckled and looked up to see Anna standing in the doorway. She was smirking and she raised her brow.

"Hi boys. Hard at work?" She asked and both men blushed.

"Uh, go back to your lab Greggo and think about what I said."

Greg nodded and smiled and greeted Anna as he passed. She chuckled and patted him on the back as she leaned against the door frame and looked at him. He moved in front of the table to subtly cover the photos of the diner and Mac…

"Manly advice?" She asked and Nick chuckled.

"Somethin like that. What're you doin her Darlin?" He drawled and she smiled.

"I came to drop Regan off with Mr. Grissom for a while. We accidentally forgot about her bug project so I figured I'd bring her by when he got a spare moment."

Nick smiled and walked up to her and kissed her gently. She pulled back smiling and looked at his chest. She grabbed the collar of his lab coat and folded it down properly. "You look mighty fine in this lab coat Mr. Stokes."

"Why thank ya ma'am." He replied and she chuckled. "How'd the talk with Jen go?" He asked leaning against the side of the wall, slightly protruding in front of the door. She sighed and nodded slowly.

"It went fairly well…she cried a little bit. I told her she had to try to make this, um, whole situation, work-"

"You can say that she and Greg got married, the nose already found out…no doubt he's spread it to the entire lab and greater Las Vegas area by now."

"The nose…is that Hodges?" Nick nodded. "Well you better be glad it was me that heard the two of you and that 'rub my belly' nonsense, seriously, what's that about? I think I'm kinda jealous…wasn't it my job to give you a good rub down?" She joked and put her hands on his sides. Nick moved his hands to her waist and chuckled deeply.

"Yes, we tried that, every time we get that far something goes awry. And I don't think I can handle being teased any more."

She giggled and shook her head. "It's not my fault…at least not every time."

"Oh admit it Ms. Delmarco, you like teasing me."

"Not as much as I'd like other things…" She insinuated and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. Nick let out a tiny moan and rested his head in her neck. Sure enough to the standard of horrible timing, the nose walked up to catch the little display.

"Stokes, aren't public displays of affection prohibited in the lab? Especially when around evidence and the second party isn't a member of the Las Vegas Crime Lab?" Hodges asked snidely. Nick glared and Anna turned around to face Hodges.

"You must be Hodges." She said simply and Hodges didn't bother to hide the fact that he was now checking her out. A smirk played on his lips and Nick involuntarily puffed out his chest and took a step forward. Anna reached back and wrapped her hand around his wrist, and held him in his place.

"And who are you?"

"Obviously not a member of the Las Vegas Crime Lab. Although seeing the employees here…I think I lucked out. But please, feel free to continue your journey down the hallway and ignoring us." She said pointedly at Hodges and sneered at him. Nick felt a surge of pride at her comebacks to the nose.

Hodges scowled at her and looked up at Nick. "You should get a muzzle for your girlfriend."

"Just let us borrow yours and we should be fine. Although I think your mouth may be bigger than mine, sticking your foot in it constantly, and all." She explained mock sweetly and Nick had to bite his tongue to keep from bursting out laughing. Hodges frowned and walked away. She turned to Nick and gave a guilty smirk. "Did I just get you in trouble?" She asked and Nick smiled and shook his head 'no'.

Truthfully you probably did...but you look so damn cute and I feel so proud I really don't care.

"No…bad day Baby?"

She chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Jen said that Greg told her about how much shit he puts everyone through…not to mention the horror stories I've heard from you and everyone else. Plus he was being an ass."

"It takes a strong woman to put Ecklie's Head Kiss Ass in place. You deserve a chocolate bar." Nick smiled and slid his arms back around her waist. She smiled, but then it fell and was replaced by a look of worry.

"Are you sure I didn't get you in trouble? He won't tell Ecklie?"

"Yeah, he probably will, but Ecklie's got a beef with me anyway."

"Why?" She asked curiously.

Kristy Hopkins flashed into his mind and he was once again reminded of how much Anna reminded him of her. That thought momentarily unnerved him, but he put on a smile anyway. "Cause I'm part of the nightshift...he hates the nightshift. He sees us as competition. And I'll tell you, the only time we're ever competition is when we're at the department softball games. And we cream their asses every time." He said smiling and she chuckled. Nick thought back quickly to Kristy and made a mental note to tell Anna some other time about Kristy...

"Well I need to let you get back to work."

"But now I'm distracted. Why'd you come by if you couldn't stay?"

"You weren't distracted before?"

"No." He lied and she chuckled.

"Whatever, and I can stay. I just figured you needed to get back to work...what're you working on?" She asked looking over his shoulder but not really seeing the photos.

He moved into her way so she couldn't see and smiled sweetly. "Confidential case stuff...sorry Baby."

She smiled and shook her head. "It's okay. I'm gonna go see how far Mr. Grissom and Regan have gotten."

"Alright, but see if we can get a babysitter tonight. I still want to take you out. I think Catherine has the night off...maybe you could see if she could take Raggs for a while and she and Linds can hang for a while." While Nick would have normally not minded that Regan would come, he was planning this night to be special...

She nodded and walked back towards Grissom's office where she had left Regan. Nick watched her go and smiled as he ducked back into the lay out room to finish his work.


A/N: yes, yes I know...seriously long update...sorry. And the date will be in the next chapter. And prepare to dive deeper into the Greg and Jen situation...plus I'm foreseeing some Geeklove quandaries ahead. Possibly YOBLING...I'm not quiet sure yet...