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.(This one does not have a flashback, I couldn't get it to fit in well anywhere.)Thanks for all the reviews!

By: Animegirl1129

Chapter 5:

"Are you sure about this?" Nick questioned, sipping the cup of coffee he'd made while Greg was in the shower now handing the younger man a cup.

Greg nodded. "Work's the only escape I have. I need to do something. I'd go stir crazy just sitting around."

The Texan knew what that felt like, sitting home alone doing absolutely nothing. He'd done it several times in the last few years.

"Nicky?"

He looked up at the younger man. "Yeah?"

Greg cast his eyes downward, reaching into his bag. "Could… could you help me with the cuts on my back?" he asked, setting several bandages, a bottle of peroxide and a tube of antibiotic ointment on the coffee table.

"Of course," he agreed, moving behind him. "I have to lift up your shirt, okay?" he told him, knowing he was better off saying it than freaking his friend out by just doing so.

Greg nodded, pulling the shirt up to his neck. "It looks terrible. As if my scars weren't bad enough already…"

Nick ran a finger over the spider web of scarred flesh from the lab explosion several years ago, the new wounds were horrible. Six deep slashes marred his skin and what looked like rug burn covered most of his back, from the brick wall he was thrown against, he figured. He could see a few gashes on Greg's shoulders and upper arms as well.

"It's weird seeing you like this," he said, cleaning the wounds before dressing them. "I'm so used to you being wild and crazy, not scared and shy." He said, pulling the shirt down when he finished.

Greg nodded his thanks, turning to pull the older man into a hug. "I couldn't do this without you."

"I wouldn't want you to," Nick said. "Do you need any help with the other cuts?"

"I already did the ones on my stomach, but the ones on my shoulders I need you to do, if you don't mind." Greg added.

Nick nodded, quickly bandaging those four lacerations as well before standing. "We should get going."

Greg nodded, following Nick out to his car and taking refuge, once again, in the backseat.

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As they pulled into the lab parking lot, Greg found himself wondering whether or not this had been a good idea.

"You sure you're up to this?" Nick asked, looking back at him.

"Yeah, I can go back in the field today, so I'll have something to keep my mind off of it."

Nick nodded, climbing out of the car, the younger man doing the same.

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Soon, the two of them were seated in the break room with Sara, Warrick, and Catherine, awaiting case files from Grissom.

"Cath, where is he?" Warrick questioned, impatiently, tossing his empty coffee cup into the trash from across the room.

Catherine rolled her eyes. "Your guess is as good as mine," she replied, leaning against the counter.

"You guys aren't supposed to be guessing," a voice in the doorway stated, as the figure walked into the room. Grissom sat down across from Warrick, as Catherine pulled up a chair as well.

"What have we got?" Sara asked, pulling her hair back into a ponytail, sitting on the other side of Greg, Nick to his right.

Grissom flipped through the slips of paper in his hand. "Rick, you and Cath have a DB in the mountains. Go check it out." He handed the paper off to two overjoyed C.S.I.'s before returning his attention to the others. "Nick, you and Sara take the B&E in Henderson."

Sara stood to leave, but Nick stayed seated, "Just let me finish my coffee," he lied, wanting to make sure whatever Greg ended up working on wouldn't make the younger man worse.

"I'll be working on paperwork since Ecklie has started breathing down my neck again, and Greg, you're solo on the rape-murder investigation at the Belagio." He handed Greg the slip of paper. "Go. All of you; shoo."

"Ugh, Gris…" Nick started, seeing the color drain completely from Greg's face. "Could Greg and I trade?"

"Why?"

"It's just that… I know Greg called out sick yesterday and I thought that he'd maybe want something a little less stressful." He said the first thing he could think of.

Grissom looked to Greg. "If that's the case he shouldn't have come in."

"No, I'm fine," he lied. He couldn't go home or back to Nick's, he needed the distraction, even if the distraction was going to do nothing to, in fact, distract him. "I can do it."

Nodding, Grissom walked to the doorway. "Good."

"You ready?" Sara asked, turning to Nick.

He reluctantly nodded, "One minute." He followed Greg to the locker room. "If you want to do this, call me if you need help." He told the younger man.

Greg nodded. "I will."

With that, Nick turned and walked away.

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Field kit in one hand, car keys and sunglasses in the other, Greg walked out of the lab in bagging faded blue jeans, a tight, long sleeve, black shirt, his field vest and black Converses. He had his cell phone in his pocket and was trying to convince himself he could handle this.

As he approached the department issue, silver, Chevy Tahoe, he noticed a piece of yellow paper under the windshield wiper.

Hoping this wasn't what he thought it was, he picked it up, after slipping a latex glove on and carefully unfolded it.

"Stay away from him before we do to him what we did to you."

The words on the page terrified him almost as much as the actual rape had. He'd told Nick that he didn't want him to get hurt and now they were threatening him. He couldn't let that happen.

He looked up, scanning the parking lot to see if the man in question had left yet. His car was gone, but another was in its place. That face. He could never forget that face. One of his rapists was sitting not twenty feet away from him.