You Save Me

A story of opening yourself entirely to someone, loving someone unconditionally, and trust.

Nick/Greg friendship and eventually pairing. Characters are not mine. Please R & R.

By: Animegirl1129

Chapter 4:

"I'm calling Grissom." Nick stated, walking back towards the phone.

Greg ran after him, grabbing his arm before he could reach it. "No! You can't do that! If they find out…"

The older man turned to face him. "You can't let them control you like this, Greggo. Eventually they'll come after you again, they could kill you. I can't let that happen to you."

"Nick. Grissom can't help. He doesn't need to know about what they did to me. No one does. If I thought you'd tell I wouldn't have told you, either. I trust you enough to think that you wouldn't do that to me." He said, still holding Nick's arm.

The Texan motioned for him to sit down on the sofa again. "They're threatening you. They're controlling everything you do. It's about control, if you take it back, they can't hurt you anymore."

Greg looked away, "I can't tell. Not yet. I'm not ready for everyone, anyone to know. I just can't handle that yet."

Nick nodded. "I understand that, I do." He said, rubbing circles over the younger man's back which seemed to be calming him down. "But you're not safe here. If you won't tell or let me tell, come stay with me."

"What?"

"Move in with me for a little while, until you feel like you can tell someone else."

"Are you serious?"

"This is not a trick question, Greg."

He laughed softly a small smile spreading across his tear-stained face.

"Is that a yes?" Nick asked, locking his eyes with the younger mans.

"I don't want you to be in danger because of me," He sighed, trying to look away but unable to. "You'd be at risk with me around you. They'd know."

Nick took Greg's hand in his. "I want you to be safe. You can't tell me you feel safe here, knowing that they can find you. Please, come with me?" he begged.

"Alright, I'll stay with you." He nodded.

Nick let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you. You want to go pack?"

Greg stood, retreating to his bedroom to grab some clothes and toiletries he'd need for his stay at Nick's house, he tossed a few books and his beloved iPod into the duffel bag, grabbing a pillow off of his unmade bed and returning to Nick who had remained n the sofa.

"That didn't take long," the Texan smiled. "You want to go now?"

Greg nodded. "The sooner the better."

Several minutes later they were in Nick's Denali, pulling onto the busy street. Greg laying in the backseat, his bag on the floor next to him. Nick's country music was playing softly in the background, Big & Rich's hit song, 'Holy Water' causing more meories to surface.

"Pulse is weak…" he heard the voices around him swirling into words he couldn't bring himself to understand, questions he couldn't answer, and thoughts he couldn't process.

One paramedic was starting an IV the other was trying to get information out of him. "Sir, Is there anyone we can call to meet you at the hospital?"

"Mmm… Nick…." He mumbled incoherently, the EMT's hadn't even understood it.

His attackers had taken his wallet, which, of course, had his ID, and since he wasn't exactly completely conscious at the moment, the paramedics had nothing to go on other than a frantic 911 call from a pedestrian walking home and happening upon what was almost a body. When they'd first arrived at the scene, they'd started to call in a DOA but Greg's subtle mumbling proved them wrong, though he was nowhere near safe yet.

"Nicky…. Help me…" he mumbled, but the haze had already taken over his mind and his plea had gone unheard to everyone but himself.

"Greg…" Nick's voice pulled him from his trance, and, had it not been for the current need for secrecy, he would have sat bolt upright and tackled the man with a hug.

"What?" he whispered.

Nick's gaze fell on the rear view mirrors. "I think someone's following us."

"We have to loose them!"

"No kidding. The purpose of getting you away is kind of defeated if they follow you to my place." Nick replied, making a random turn down a road that would take them further away from his house. "Let's see if they are or not."

He made another turn and another, pulling into a parking lot before checking the mirror again, the black Nissan Ultima was no longer behind them.

"Well?" Greg questioned, meeting Nick's eyes in the mirror.

Nick shrugged. "If they were following us, we lost them."

Greg sighed in relief, "Good."

"Just… stay down," the older man told him, pulling out onto the street yet again, unaware of the car that pulled out of the shadows of a nearby building.