A/N: Chapter two! Not much to say. Please read and review, and most importantly, enjoy!

Chapter Two

"I'll be your strength
I'll give you hope
Keeping your faith when it's gone
The one you should call
Was standing here along"

Greg wasn't expecting anybody when he got off the plane, so it came as a complete surprise to him to see Grissom standing at the baggage claim, arms crossed in front of his chest. Greg grinned at the man, then felt the grin slide off his face as Grissom answered his smile with a raised eyebrow. "Greg," Grissom said coolly. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Greg said, equally cool, as he shouldered his duffel bag. "How did you know I was going to be here?"

The frosty look did not fade from Grissom's face. "Horatio called me, after Ryan called him. You got my answer, now I want yours. What are you doing here, Greg?"

Greg's voice was quiet when he answered, quiet, tired and defeated. "I'm not running, Grissom, if that's what you're implying," he said wearily. "I'm planning on going back, so you have nothing to worry about."

For the first time since seeing Greg, Grissom smiled. "Since that's the case, I have no problem saying, it's good to see you," the older man said as he pulled Greg into an embrace. "But, if you don't mind me asking, if you're not running, then what are you doing here?"

"Well," Greg said, taking a deep breath. "I was suspended for three days, so I had a bit of time on my hands, so I decided that maybe I would come out here—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Grissom laughed, holding up a hand. "You got suspended for three days? What did you do?"

Greg frowned slightly, his forehead wrinkling. "I…I don't really want to talk about it," he said quietly. "Needless to say, a few of the cops on the force have had a hard time with Ryan and I being engaged, and, uh, shit kind of hit the fan. I decided it was a good opportunity to get out of Miami, clear my head. You know."

Grissom gave him a long look, then smiled slightly. "Yes, I know. I'm glad you decided to come here. You should head to the lab with me; I know everyone will be really glad to see you."

Smiling at Grissom, Greg shifted his duffel bag further up his shoulder. "Thanks, Grissom," he said softly, following Grissom to his car.

Grissom had been right—everyone at the lab was excited to see Greg. Catherine had sprinted down the hallway when she saw him, and Nicky had practically broken his ribs with a crushing bear hug. Even Hodges had managed a small, albeit painful, smile. But this was still Vegas, and it didn't take long for some more cases to come in. Everyone had to head back to work, except for Nick, who had just finished his case, and who offered to take Greg to their favorite diner.

Greg felt reluctant to accept, as Nick was his friend who was least likely to be sympathetic towards his plight. After all, Nick was from Texas, and been raised by a Bible-beating family that had probably vocally opposed the Supreme Court overruling Texas's anti-sodomy law. Still, Nick had yet to state any problem or opposition to Greg's impending marriage; in fact, he had enthusiastically agreed to being a groomsman, much to Greg's surprise.

When they got to the diner, Nick snagged the usual booth, and both men ordered cups of coffee. As the waitress poured their coffee, Nick leaned back in the booth and raised an eyebrow at Greg. "So what are you doing here, Greg?" he asked, lifting his coffee cup to his lips.

Greg returned the raised eyebrow. "I'm drinking coffee," he deflected coolly, taking a sip from his own cup.

Rolling his eyes, Nick leaned forward. "You know what I mean. What are you doing in Vegas? Shouldn't you be at home prepping for the upcoming nuptials?" When Greg just shrugged, Nick frowned. "Did something happen? Did you and Ryan get in a fight?"

Greg chuckled weakly. "Ironically enough, yes. But not what you think." With that said, he poured out the entire story to Nick, from the various officers comments since the engagement to the culmination into actual violence the past day.

After Greg had finished, Nick sat back, looking disgusted. "I can't believe someone would do or say that to you and Ryan," he said. "If I had been there, I probably would've bashed that officer's face in. No matter what your beliefs are, at a crime scene, at work, it's not the place to display them."

"But surely you understand where they're coming from."

Now Nick looked confused. "What do you mean?"

Greg put his cup down carefully. "Well, you aren't exactly in favor of gay marriage, right?" he said slowly.

Frowning, Nick shrugged. "I'm not really for or against it. Religiously, and the way I've been raised, I've always been taught that homosexuals are sinners. But I've also had to watch people deal with the worst situations of their lives, whether as victims or as CSIs, so whatever joy people can get from this life when they're confronted with images like that, I say let them. I mean, you're hardly hurting me by being gay, Greggo."

"Right, but not a lot of people think that way, Nick. Especially not where I live. I mean, on one side, there are a lot of Cuban-American and Cuban immigrants, which are highly Catholic, for the most part. And on the other side, you've got good ol' boy southerners who aren't really loving the gay population. Either way, Ryan and I are pretty much screwed."

Nick raised one eyebrow. "That may be true," he admitted, "but I'm still not getting what you're trying to say, Greg."

"I just…I think marrying Ryan might be a mistake." When Nick looked shocked, Greg hurried on. "I mean, my God, Nicky, look at the world we live in. California just banned gay marriage. People don't want gay people to be together…people don't want Ryan and I to be together. They look at us and they think that it's not natural, that there's something wrong with our love. And who knows, Nicky." Greg looked off into the distance, his eyes dark. "Hell, not even two years ago I was as straight as you, Nicky. And I love Ryan more than anyone else, male or female, that I've met in my life. But people don't understand that; people won't understand that. People will look at us and think 'Queers.' 'Faggots.' And I…" He trailed of, looking down at the table. "I just don't know anymore."

Nick looked down at his coffee cup for a few moments, his forehead wrinkled. Then he looked up at Greg, his gaze clear and direct. "Greg Sanders," he said in a low voice, "since when have you given a fuck what other people think?" Greg blushed and averted his eyes, but Nick continued. "Where is the man who blasted Marilyn Manson and wore really ugly shirts? Where is the man who danced around in a headdress, for Christ's sake?"

Greg's jaw was set. "That man grew up and saw the reality of the world."

Nick shook his head. "That's bullshit, and even you know it, Greggo. You're scared. You're scared out of your mind, so you're doing what you always do—try to find a way out. I'd say that you're a coward, but I know you're doing this because you're more worried about the implications that this will have on Ryan than on yourself—"

"And how can I not be?" Greg asked harshly, his voice full of unshed tears. "You weren't there, Nicky. You didn't hear what was said. You…you don't understand what it's like. Ryan's a cop, through and through. It's a part of his personality, a part of his soul. That's something I'll never fully understand and never be able to replace. But if we go through with this, if we get married, Ryan will lose that brotherhood he has with other cops. They would never treat him the same. And I would never want to take that from him. I could never forgive myself if I took that from him."

Shaking his head still, Nick looked down at the table, understanding on his face. "You can't take responsibility for all the bigoted idiots out there, Greg. Trust me. I've been one of them, and there is not amount of reason or anything that can change their minds." He looked up at Greg. "But you changed my mind. You showed me that gay people weren't evil or damned or anything. If anything, you showed me how much more natural and real your love with Ryan is compared to some random lay I have with a random woman. But it takes time, Greggo. And you're leading the rush. So of course they're going to say hurtful things and times will get hard, get violent. Look at Civil Rights Movement. But you have to suffer through for the reward in the end."

The tears in Greg's eyes had spilled over, and he stared miserably at the ground. "Sometimes," he whispered, sniffling slightly, "I just get so tired of being the weird one, the one that always seems to be doing something out of the ordinary. For once, I would love to be normal."

"Yeah, normal is easy," Nick agreed. "And normal is safe. But you were never meant to be normal, Greg. Your hair, your taste in music, your personality defies normality, and that's the way it is for you. To sink into the shadows would be your death. You were always meant to stand out, and you don't even know how lucky you are that you have found someone who's willing to stand out with you, to take whatever life throws at you." Nick broke off, his voice suddenly rough. "You have no idea how much I would give for a person like that."

Greg reached out and touched Nick reassuringly on the shoulder. "You'll find that girl, Nicky. And when you do, the wait will make it all the more meaningful." Pausing, he looked down at his coffee cup, a thoughtful look on his face. "And I suppose you're right. Normal just was never in the cards for me. And I am glad that Ryan has agreed to take me and love me in spite of all my abnormalities."

"Speaking of Ryan," Nick said cautiously, taking a sip of his coffee, "have you talked to him about any of this?" Greg looked away, expression sheepish. Nick choked on his coffee. "Greg, you haven't talked to him about this?" he spluttered, setting his coffee cup down and looking at Greg concernedly.

Shrugging, Greg looked away, his features decidedly unhappy. "I know what he'll say," he said softly, his brown eyes saddened. "He'll tell me that he doesn't care and that it doesn't matter and that he's happy. And he is. For now. But what about when I come home and find him practically in tears because of what one of his former friends said to him at a crime scene? What about like now, when he gets suspended for assaulting an officer, all in an attempt to protect me, or whatever?" Greg paused and took a deep breath. "He would never tell me that this was upsetting him because he wants so much for us to be happy. But he isn't happy. This is hurting him, I can tell, and there's nothing I can do about it! We can talk about it til we're blue in the face, Nicky, but it won't solve anything. Hell, I don't even know if there's a way to solve this."

Nick leaned forward to meet Greg's eyes. "Greg, I don't think there's a way to solve this because I don't think there's anything here to be solved. You and I can both agree that your relationship with Ryan will never be normal, nor will ever fit in to the point that people won't notice or make comments. So I don't think that's the problem. I think the problem is that for once in your relationship, you are happy, completely and utterly happy. And I think that because you're happy, you're worried that you're taking something away from Ryan because he's had to sacrifice something so that you can be happy. But Greg, Ryan's not the only one who has had to sacrifice something for your relationship. Greg, you moved from Las Vegas to Miami because you couldn't stand to be apart from him. You left a position in the field to take a job in the lab. And you went to rehab so that you could turn your life around and be with Ryan. Hell, Greg, you even decided to come out as a gay man because of Ryan. If that's not sacrifice, I don't know what is."

Snorting, Greg leaned back in his chair, his eyes hard. "That doesn't count," he said softly. "Those…those weren't sacrifices, not really. Not like the kind of sacrifice that I'm inherently asking him to make by being with me."

"I don't see a difference," Nick said quietly. "And neither will Ryan. I think that that's why you won't discuss this with Ryan, because you know that he will tell you the same exact thing as me. This sacrifice that he must make, if he even sees it as a sacrifice, is what he wants to do in order to be with you, and for you to be happy."

"That's not the point," Greg snapped. "He shouldn't have to sacrifice anything in the first place to be with me, no matter if he wants it or not."

Nick's hand squeezed Greg's. "Greg," he said, his voice thick, "when are you going to realize that you're worth it? You're worth the sacrifice Ryan has made because he loves you. When you love someone as completely as Ryan loves you and you love him, these sacrifices aren't even sacrifices. They're just what you do for the person that you love."

Greg looked away, his jaw clenched and his eyes bright with unshed tears. Nick sighed deeply and patted Greg on the shoulder. "Look, man, I wish I could say something else to help you, or give you some sage advice, but I don't have any other than what I've already said. You know, you knew before you even came out here that you need to be in Miami talking this over with Ryan. You've always known that. You keep running to Vegas when things get hard, but you have to know that there's nothing here for you anymore. We're all still your friends, man, a part of your family. But Vegas isn't your home. It hasn't been your home since you volunteered for some forensics conference in Chicago. Ryan's your home now, and you can deny and you can run as far as you want, but you will have to talk to him, because that's what you do with that one person who is your entire world."

Nodding once, slowly, Greg felt a small smile cross his face. "You're right," he whispered. "I can't live without Ryan. He makes me happier than I have ever known, and I will just have to work extra hard so that he is as happy as I am." Greg stood, and Nick stood as well, and then after a moment, Greg hugged him, hard. "Thank you for everything, Nicky. You said everything I needed to hear, and now I'm going home."

He turned to head for the door, but turned back slightly when Nick called after him. "Aren't you going to go say goodbye to everyone at the lab?"

Greg turned to face him fully, a huge smile on his face. "Why would I need to do that?" he asked. "I'm just going to see you all at my wedding anyway."