Chapter 7

It had been a long double shift for Nick. He had accompanied Grissom out to process the scene of another murder perpetrated by the Nazi looking for Greg – of course, Grissom didn't know this, and Nick was bound and determined that his supervisor never would. The fact that this victim resembled the other three wasn't lost on Grissom. He even clued in to the fact that the four men all looked remarkably like Greg.

Grissom knelt next to victim number four, a twenty-five year old man named Daniel Weisman. The look of intense concentration on his face told Nick the supervisor was deep in thought, putting puzzle pieces together in his mind, as he often did. Nick could imagine what a few of those pieces were.

Nick had managed to control his initial fear response this time, keeping it firmly in check so he didn't nearly pass out. He did feel his stomach roil, bile rising in the back of his throat, but managed to tamp it down.

"Nick," Grissom looked up from his contemplation of the victim's body to Nick, who was across the room, taking pictures of broken pictures, signs of a struggle.

Snapping another picture, Nick let the camera hang from the strap around his neck and turned to face Grissom. "Yeah, Gris?"

"You weren't coming down with the flu last week, were you," it wasn't a question.

"Ya know, I realized after I'd gotten home that I hadn't eaten anything before shift. It must have been low blood sugar." He prayed that Grissom wouldn't see through his deception.

"That wasn't it, either, and we both know it. Greg fits the victim profile. You're afraid for him," Grissom had turned back to the corpse, documenting something in its hand with his camera, then set the camera aside and retrieved his tweezers from his kit. Carefully grasping whatever it was that he'd seen, he held the tweezers up for a closer inspection. "Looks like our perp lost a few hairs. I've got some blond strands, follicular tags intact." As he tucked the evidence into a small envelope, he continued as if he hadn't mentioned the hairs, "Brass can have a protection detail assigned to him."

Nick knew the last thing Greg would want would be a uniformed officer following him around, not just for the obvious reasons, either. "I'll admit, I'm worried, but I don't think he's in any real danger." Chancing a glance at Grissom, Nick saw disbelief plain on the other man's face. With a sigh, he said, "We moved the last of his stuff into my place yesterday. Two days ago, I had an alarm company come in and install the best unit on the market. That Glock he carries around isn't just for show, either. He knows how to use it."

"Okay, Nick. If either of you change your mind, let me know," with that, Grissom turned back to searching for evidence on the body.

Letting out a small sigh of relief, Nick turned back to taking photos of the damage caused in the struggle.

Once he'd returned to the lab, Nick had found that he and Grissom had been called out to search for clues to a woman's sudden disappearance. He made a quick stop by the DNA lab to let Greg know what was going on and tell him not to wait around after his shift, then left again.

Now he was finally pulling up in front of the house. Letting out a tired sigh, he reached for the garage door opener. Hand poised to push the button, Nick let out a soft curse. As he'd driven past the front of the house towards the garage, something had seemed a bit off, but in his exhausted state it had taken a couple of minutes to fully sink in what was wrong. The front door had been standing wide open. Greg wouldn't have left the front door like that.

Ramming the transmission into park, Nick grabbed his radio from the cup holder it usually sat in. "This is CSI Stokes in need of back up." He rattled off his address. The dispatcher told him back up was en route, five minutes away, and to wait for them before proceeding, but Nick was frantic. By the time back up arrived, Greg could be dead. Almost yelling into the radio, he said, "I'm going in. Get that back up over here!"

Dropping the radio onto the passenger seat, Nick opened his door and slipped out of the truck. As he moved, his hand went to the holster on his belt. He unclipped it and drew the silver and black Glock, taking a two handed grip with his arms extended in front of him so the barrel was pointed towards the ground. Moving as quietly but as quickly as he could, he cautiously approached the open front door.

Heart hammering in his chest, Nick prayed he wasn't too late. He knew that whatever had happened had only transpired within the last fifteen minutes, as he'd called Greg when he'd finally managed to get away from the crime lab to let him know he was on his way home.

Moving stealthily up to the door, Nick planted his back against the wall to one side of it, gaze flitting around the area he could see beyond, then to the door itself. There were no signs of forced entry, and he couldn't see anyone in his limited field of vision into the house. He could hear plenty, though.

A harsh voice was speaking in German. Nick still didn't understand the language, except for a word here or there, but he could guess just from the tone what the man was saying. A quiet whimper was the only response to whatever the Nazi had said. Relief flooded Nick's system. Greg was alive, and as long as Nick moved cautiously, he'd remain that way. The voices were coming from the living room.

Crouching down, he moved into the entryway, the muzzle of his gun following his eyes. No one was in the hallway beyond the door, and he couldn't see anyone through the archway into the living room, but the angle he was at only allowed him to see one corner of the room. That left most of the living room unaccounted for, but he knew they had to be in there. Taking a quiet step forward, he took a quick peek into the room.

Greg, back pressed up against the wall, was struggling against his tormentor's grip. The Nazi had Greg pinned to the wall with his body, his left hand was pounding Greg's right hand against the wall, to make him drop his gun. The man's right arm was pressed across Greg's throat, cutting off his air. His lips were already starting to lose color.

Using the sounds of Greg's hand and the gun hitting the wall as cover, Nick stalked into the room.

Greg's eyes widened at the sight of Nick approaching Emerick, murder in his eyes. Greg knew he was about to pass out. Emerick's arm across his throat was making it extremely difficult to draw in enough air, and black spots were beginning to dance in his vision. His hand was hurting, where it contacted the wall each time Emerick slammed it forward. He wasn't sure how much longer he'd be able to hold on to the Glock. He supposed it didn't really matter, now that Nick was here, though.

He watched Nick press the barrel of his gun into the side of Emerick's head, saw Emerick's ice blue eyes go wide.

Nick's voice was cold as ice, as he growled, "Get your fucking hands off of him!"

The pressure against his windpipe was suddenly gone and Greg drew in a welcomed lung full of air that had never tasted sweeter. It took him a moment to realize that Nick had literally thrown Emerick backwards to the floor, lack of oxygen making him slow on the uptake. The sounds of sirens drifted through the open front door, telling Greg that Nick had already called for assistance.

Gun still pointed at the Nazi soldier – Greg had never told Nick his name, making Nick wonder if the younger man even knew it – Nick risked turning just enough to look over at Greg. "You okay?" he asked, watching as a healthy pink began to flood back into Greg's cheeks and lips.

The Nazi's movement drew Nick's attention back to him instantly. He was reaching for something beneath the waistband of his pants. In Nick's experience, that meant only one thing. Before the soldier even got his hand wrapped around the grip of the gun, Nick fired off two shots, hitting him in the chest and killing him instantly.

Holstering his gun, Nick moved to stand in front of Greg, pulling the younger man into his arms. Adrenaline ebbing away, they sagged against each other, Greg's body wracked by sobs.

Squealing tires outside announced the arrival of back up. Shouting to be sure they heard him, Nick said, "We're in the living room!"

Vartann's voice called back, "Nick?"

"Yeah. Greg and I are fine. Call the coroner, I was forced to shoot an intruder."

A moment later, Vartann, gun drawn, cautiously entered the living room. He eyed the dead man on the floor, then swept the room for other possible threats. "He the only one?"

When Greg nodded against Nick's shoulder, Nick replied to Vartann for him, "Yes."

Vartann followed procedure and checked the rest of the house anyway. As he walked back into the living room, he holstered his gun. He blinked at the familiar, more than friends, way Greg clung to Nick, but didn't say anything. He'd heard the rumors flying around the lab that the two were together, but it didn't bother him. In fact, he tended to be one of the cops who put his foot down if people were gossiping in his presence, and had told several people to leave it alone, no matter what the truth was, because it wasn't their business.

"Nick, Greg, what happened?" Vartann asked, pulling his notebook from his pocket.

Pulling back from Greg enough to look the younger man in the face, Nick laid a hand gently on his cheek. He wiped a tear away with his thumb, noting how blood shot Greg's eyes were. "Can you tell Vartann what happened before I got home?"

Nodding slightly, grateful to be alive and have Nick with him, Greg turned slightly towards Detective Vartann. "Nick called me about twenty minutes ago to tell me he was on his way home. I looked to see what time it was and realized that the mail should be here, so I went out to check it. H-he came up behind me, when I was on m-my way back in. P-pushed me through the door so fast, I almost didn't have a chance to draw my gun. B-by then, he had me against the wall, and my gun was useless. T-tried to fight back, b-but he was too strong for me."

"Did he say anything?" Vartann asked, as he quickly jotted down the details Greg had given him.

When Greg glanced nervously at him, Nick gave him a barely perceptible shake of his head. He hoped Vartann hadn't noticed it.

"No, he didn't say anything," Greg said, sagging back into Nick, as all of his strength seemed to desert him at once.

"Nick, what happened when you came in?"

"It was pretty much what Greg said, the guy had him pinned against the wall, was trying to make him loose his grip on his gun. Had an arm across his throat, cutting off his air supply. He was too preoccupied with Greg to notice me, so I was able to sneak up on him and pull him off of Greg. I was covering him with my own weapon, asked Greg if he was okay, and the guy moved his hand towards his waistband, like he was going for a gun. I shot him." Nick's arms went instinctively around Greg's shoulders, pulling the younger man protectively against him.

"Okay. Grissom and Catherine are on their way. You won't be able to stay here tonight, but you can grab whatever you need from your room." As Vartann spoke, he finished jotting down notes, then bent over the body. He used his pen to push aside the guy's shirt, exposing the waistband of his worn jeans, and a Walther P38. Pulling a pair of latex gloves from his pocket, Vartann worked his hand into one before taking the gun from the dead man's waistband.

As Vartann was clearing the gun, Grissom and Catherine walked in carrying their crime scene kits.

Setting down her kit, Catherine rushed over to Nick and Greg. "Are you guys okay?"

Nick gave Catherine a wane smile. He could feel himself about to lose it, as the weight of almost losing Greg came crashing down on him. All he could do to answer Catherine's question was nod.

Once Catherine had assured herself that both men were fine, she took Nick's gun and secured it, then did the same with Greg's.

Grissom took the secured P38 from Vartann, eyeing it as he spoke, "Once you get a hotel room, give me a call and let me know where you're staying."

Finally finding his voice, Nick managed a choked, "Sure thing, Gris." Doing his best to steer Greg towards the bedroom while keeping the younger man clutched against his side, Nick murmured, "Let's go pack up some stuff. I don't know about you, but I could use a hot shower and a soft bed."

He felt Greg move his head against him, as he nodded, and heard a barely audible, "Okay, Nicky."

When they reached the bedroom, Nick pushed Greg gently down to sit on the bed, then went in the closet and grabbed a duffle bag. Not really paying much attention to the clothes he took, Nick randomly pulled garments from both of their stocks before going back to the bedroom. He stuffed everything from the closet into the bag, then went and grabbed other needed items from the dresser before moving into the bathroom. His last stop was to his night stand, where he pulled out a solid black Glock similar to Greg's. He put it in the duffle bag on top of everything else, then zipped it closed.

By the time they had everything they needed, Greg had composed himself enough to walk on his own.

In the living room, David Phillips was just collecting the dead man's body with the help of his assistants.

~~~CSI~~~

The hotel wasn't the best there were around, but it was cozy, and not break-the-bank expensive. Nick had pulled the Glock from the duffle bag and left it with Greg, while he went in to pay for a room. They would have their department issued side arms back as soon as the investigation was over. While that should only be two or three days, since it would be expedited due to Nick and Greg being law enforcement, Nick didn't want them to be defenseless in the meantime. As per department policy, they were both off for a week, pending the investigation's findings.

Sitting in the passenger seat of the truck, Greg had to fight to stay awake. Emerick may be dead and gone, but that didn't mean other Nazis wouldn't come back in search of him. Especially when Emerick didn't check in. The fact that no one else had come yet just meant that they still hadn't been able to get their calculations close enough.

Nick's tap on the window caused Greg to jerk awake several minutes later. Smiling sheepishly at Nick's concerned look, Greg hit the button to unlock the doors.

"I booked the room for three days," Nick said, as he slipped back into the driver's-side seat of the truck. Bringing the engine roaring to life, Nick drove farther into the hotel's parking lot, until he found their room, then pulled into the space in front of it.

In the room, Nick secured the door.

Greg had kicked off his shoes and collapsed on the bed, too tired to think about a shower, food, or anything else. Agreeing with the younger man whole heartedly, Nick pulled off his shoes and crawled onto the bed to warp himself around Greg and fall asleep.

~~~CSI~~~

Greg woke feeling trapped. Panic rose quickly inside him, and he had to fight down the urge to lash out. Gaining control of himself, he smiled as he realized why he felt trapped, and that it was nothing bad at all.

Sometime in the night, Nick had draped one of his powerful thighs across Greg's legs. A strong arm held Greg tightly against Nick, back to chest. Putting his hand over top of Nick's, he interlaced their fingers, gently squeezing. He was going to miss this. For the last few months, he'd been working on a way to stop the Nazis from using the time bracelets and the home base unit. He planned to tell Nick what he had to do, but not right now. Right now, he wanted to enjoy being with his soul mate, because there was a very good chance he wouldn't survive what he had to do.

Releasing Nick's hand, Greg squirmed to his other side, so he was facing Nick. Needing to feel as much of Nick as he could, he pushed his hands up under Nick's T-shirt, while he softly kissed Nick's chin. Trailing kisses from Nick's chin up his jaw, Greg let his hands wander over Nick's stomach and up his chest.

The feeling of soft lips on his stubbled chin and jaw, and lightly calloused hands brushing over his stomach and chest brought Nick awake. Rolling to his back, he tilted his head farther back, giving Greg better access to his throat. Moaning when Greg nuzzled against him.

Drawing in a deep breath, Greg tried to lock the scent of Nick's skin away in his brain, wanting never to forget it. The smells of skin, sweat, and arousal caused his own half hard cock to swell further, becoming fully hard.

Nick's hand went to the back of Greg's neck, pulling him up so he could claim the younger man's lips in a slow, tender kiss.

When they broke apart a moment later, Nick met Greg's gaze and felt his heart shatter. The look of pain and loss in Greg's eyes told Nick that something was going to happen that would tear his world apart. He wanted to demand what Greg was planning to do, but found himself unable to when Greg whimpered, "Make love to me, Nicky!"

Nick had no choice. He could not deny anything Greg asked him for, ever.

Moving his hand up from Greg's neck to his hair, Nick tangled his fingers in it, and pulled Greg back in for another kiss. His other hand trailed to the hem of Greg's T-shirt, pushing underneath it to brush across his stomach, before moving around to the small of Greg's back.

Nick's hand at the small of his back, tugging gently at him, Greg allowed himself to be maneuvered so he was straddling Nick's thighs. Goose bumps raised along the skin Nick's hand was in contact with, as it pushed down the back of Greg's jeans. As Nick's fingers brushed across his hole, Greg pulled back from the kiss, his back arching.

When Greg pulled back, Nick lost his grip on Greg's hair, so instead allowed his hand to trail down the younger man's arm to his hand, interlacing their fingers together.

Pulling himself into a sitting position, Greg still straddling his lap, Nick brushed his fingers across Greg's entrance once more before removing his hand from Greg's pants. Yanking Greg's T-shirt off over his head, Nick leaned in to tease one of Greg's dusky nipples with his tongue and teeth, bringing it to a taut peak.

Gently freeing his hand from Nick's, Greg reached for Nick's shirt, pulling it over the older man's head, then tangling both hands in Nick's hair. Nick's mouth only left his chest long enough for his T-shirt to be removed, then Nick's lips were back on his skin, nipping lightly with his teeth.

Taking a fistful of Nick's hair, Greg gently pulled his head back, gazed down into the older man's eyes, pouring all of his love for the other man into the look, before bending down to brush his lips across Nick's. His tongue slid against Nick's lips, begging entrance that was instantly granted.

Nick's hands, previously resting on Greg's hips, went to the front of Greg's jeans. While he fumbled one handed at Greg's fly, Nick brushed the fingers of his other hand across the bulge Greg's cock had created.

The sudden loss of Greg's weight, as the other man bounded off the bed, made Nick whimper. The younger man scampered across the room to their bag, where he rummaged around for the lube he knew he'd seen Nick stuff in there earlier. As he walked back to the bed, he shimmied out of his jeans and underwear. The hunger in Nick's eyes made Greg's cock twitch in response, even as he felt a small part of himself die inside at the thought of never having this again.

Before Greg could reach the bed, Nick stood and stripped out of his own jeans and briefs. Crawling back into the bed, he knelt in the center, ass resting on his heels, cock curving up to rest against his stomach.

Handing Nick the lube, Greg scrambled back up on the bed, kneeling so he was facing Nick.

Wrapping his arms around Greg – lube still clutched in one hand – Nick pulled the younger man against him. As their erections rubbed together, the first words to be spoken in what seemed like hours spilled from both of their lips, as Greg sighed, "Nicky!" and Nick gasped, "G! Fuck!"

Leaning into Nick's embrace, Greg nuzzled the older man's neck again, drawing another deep breath before murmuring, "I love you, so much, Nicky!" He kissed his way back up to Nick's mouth, where they both became lost in another searing kiss.

As Nick's tongue probed Greg's mouth, Nick's slicked up fingers probed at Greg's tight opening. Feeling Greg's muscles relax, Nick kissed his way from Greg's jaw to his ear, rasping in a voice so husky it was nearly unrecognizable as his own, "Turn around, G."

While Greg moved to comply, Nick drizzled lube over his cock, hissing at the cool liquid hitting his fiery skin. A moment later, he found himself gasping at the sight of Greg before him. The younger man was looking over his shoulder at Nick. He was on his knees, which were spread as far apart as possible on the bed.

Scooting up behind Greg, Nick pressed his chest to Greg's back, then helped Greg settle onto his cock. When he was sheathed to the hilt inside of Greg's body, he wrapped his arms around the younger man, holding him close, as their bodies trembled with need.

"Nicky!" Greg sighed again, laying his head back on Nick's shoulder.

Nick could feel the pounding of Greg's heart, where he had his right hand splayed across the other man's chest. Turning his head into the side of Greg's neck, taking a deep breath of Greg's heady scent, Nick murmured, "Love you, G! Wish we could stay like this forever." Biting gently at Greg's neck, Nick laved over the small hurt with his tongue. Right now, marking the younger man seemed to be the only way Nick could think of to leave Greg a lasting reminder of what they had. Deep down inside, he had the worst feeling he knew what Greg was planning to do. He just prayed he was wrong, or that he could talk Greg out of it.

"Please!" Greg's plea brought Nick back into the moment. "Move! Bitte!"

Settling one hand on Greg's hip, the other wrapping around Greg's engorged cock, Nick set a gentle rhythm. While Greg had discovered that he did occasionally like their sex to get a little rough, they both loved this slow, easy pace. It was just enough to draw them both inexorably closer to completion, but was slow enough to drag that moment out as long as possible.

Twisting his head awkwardly to the side, Greg pulled Nick into an awkward and sloppy kiss, the fingers of his right hand trailing over Nick's stubbled chin as their lips and tongues met.

The feel of Greg's silky channel around his painfully hard cock, along with the steady rocking of his hips, thrusting him in and out of that tight heat, pushed Nick closer and closer to the edge. He could feel his balls drawing up tightly to his body, the tingling sensation of impending orgasm settling in his spine and stomach. He could sense that Greg was close as well, as the younger man pushed himself as close to Nick as he could get without physically getting under his skin.

"Come with me, Greg," he murmured in the younger man's ear, and that was all it took. Greg's channel convulsed around him, as Greg's seed covered his hand. Nick felt his cock pulse, as he shot semen deep inside Greg's body.

Sagging against Nick's chest in the aftermath of their simultaneous orgasms, Greg felt sated. He could still feel Nick's flagging cock inside of him, and he never wanted to lose the feeling, but knew that with all things, even this couldn't last forever. Pulling carefully off of Nick, he stood and moved toward the bathroom to get a warm wet cloth. He could feel Nick's semen dribbling out of his hole, but found nothing disgusting or revolting about it, as he had always felt after being raped by Emerick. This had shocked and surprised him, the first time he and Nick had made love without a condom.

When he returned to the bed, Nick had settled back against the headboard. He watched Greg with a sad knowing look on his face that tore another piece of Greg's heart out. He refused to meet Nick's eye, as he helped the older man clean up.

Before he could retreat to the bathroom with the cloth, Nick grabbed his arm, pulling him back to the bed and into his arms. "Why did that feel like the last time we're ever going to make love? What are you planning to do?"