CSI: Sanctuary: Chapter 16
His ass hurt. But it was a good kind of hurt. It reminded him of Nick's final decision as he entered the crime lab. Every time he thought about it his heart rate sped up a little bit. This was really going to happen. He and Nick were really going to move in together and take care of Cara like a real family. His family.
As if on cue to ruin his good mood, Warrick's voice threatening him came to mind, and his nerves went bonkers. He couldn't say anything about the divorce. But then, what did he say when he saw Warrick? He would only have to get to Nick first, to make sure at least some part of the truth was out before he ran into the other man.
He moved quickly, almost in a flat out run, to Grissom's office, hoping Nick would already be there waiting for him.
But the office was empty.
He turned, expecting his boyfriend to be hiding out somewhere in the lab, in need of some coaxing, but was met with Grissom's worried face instead.
"Greg? Thank God you're here."
"What's wrong?" He was already on alert. "It's about Nick, isn't it?"
"He's been kidnapped."
Greg's heart dropped into his stomach. "How? Who? Why?" The questions spewed forth before he could even think about them.
"I don't know. I'm just glad you're here." Grissom spun on his heel and walked quickly back down the hall, leaving Greg to stare after him.
When he caught up to his boss, Grissom was in the A/V lab, watching the street cameras over Archie's shoulder. The supervisor talked to the lab tech for a moment and then was gone again.
From the corner of his eye, Archie caught sight of Greg and motioned for him to sit down.
"What happened?"
Archie told him all he knew. Nick had gone out to a crime scene and disappeared. Both Catherine and Grissom had been called out to the scene to find Nick's vest and other items laid out like a presentation.
Greg wilted at Archie's words.
Warrick came in not too long after and Greg's heart sped up again, but he ignored the one time lab rat in favor of news Archie might have from the video cameras, which wasn't much.
Greg didn't leave the room even after Warrick was gone. He didn't know where else he should go and Archie seemed to be doing the most in order to help find Nick.
It occurred to him that he'd found out about the kidnapping from Grissom. Perhaps Nick had tried to call him, to let him know something was wrong. He pulled out his cell phone and checked it for messages.
There were none.
Greg clutched his phone, knuckles turning white, praying the situation wasn't as bad as it seemed to be. If only Nick would call him, he'd feel instantly better.
But his phone stayed silent.
An hour later everyone spilled out into the hallway as Hodges wrestled a package away from an innocent delivery boy. Greg stood back and allowed Grissom to take the package into a lab, alone. All he wanted was to know where Nick was and if he was ok.
No, he wanted his boyfriend back, safe in his arms, where he belonged. Damn hero complex would be with him for the rest of his life, especially now that they were making everything official and permanent between them. He would do anything to keep his future husband safe and sound. There was no erasing that instinct in him.
When Grissom let them into the room to listen to the cassette from the package, Greg prepared himself for a goodbye speech from Nick, locking his intimate feelings away inside where no one could find them, hoping it wouldn't come down to that. Nick was a tough guy after all. He would fight for his life. For his daughter. And perhaps even for Greg if he had to. Greg was prepared to fight for him if there was no other choice.
What he wasn't prepared for was the stupid song they heard instead. The kidnapper was playing with them. Damn it! He wanted to cry, and if he'd been alone, perhaps he could summon the tears, but not in front of his friends and coworkers. Instead, he kept up his stony gaze, unsure what to do.
The USB drive was attached to the computer. Of course the jerk wanted a million dollars. Greg just wanted his boyfriend back. Was that so much to ask?
Nick came on the screen. Trapped. Buried alive.
Greg's throat closed up. He couldn't breathe. Visions of his new soon-to-be family slipped from his mind.
"I can't reach Kristy," Catherine said out in the hall.
Time was passing so slowly. How long had Greg sat in the AV lab watching Nick struggle and scream silently in that wretched box? He turned to see Catherine and Grissom not too far away.
"We'll need his family present. We need to notify someone. What are we going to do?"
"I've already called his parents in Dallas. They're getting the next flight out."
Family. They needed family present. Of course they did. Little did they know the closest family Nick had was sitting only a few feet away, unable to say anything. He wanted to scream along with Nick, but hid his face in his hands instead, hoping to hide any emotion that might be showing. Nick would want him considered family. But legally, he was nothing to Nick. Just an over concerned friend. Nothing more.
He was caught in a bind. If he came clean with them, and Nick survived, he would have outed Nick without Nick's permission. And even if Nick had planned on telling Grissom that night, he hadn't planned on telling the rest of the lab. News like that would travel fast, and Nick wouldn't be prepared for it, should he survive.
On the other hand, if Nick did... if he did... If he didn't come back, he would want people to know the truth about him. But would they believe Greg? There was no proof of their relationship except Greg's apartment keys on Nick's key chain and the watch Nick had bought him. What other evidence was there? It didn't seem right to let them into his apartment to fingerprint his bed frame or nightstands. Or even just the handle on his refrigerator. That felt too private. But if he said nothing, he would be the invisible boyfriend forever with no one except Bobby knowing the truth, and that thought hurt like no other.
Looking back up at the screen, at Nick's eyes closed against the bright light, he forced himself to think positively. Nick would survive. And they would come out together. They would make a beautiful family, and everything would work out ok.
Several more hours passed with no news. Greg hadn't left the AV lab, needing to be as close to Nick as he could, keeping a close watch on him. He'd moved to the corner of the room, to give others room to keep an eye on him too. They came and went, staying half an hour to an hour at a time, only to be relieved by someone else with fresh eyes. Only Greg stayed throughout those long hours, afraid that something horrid would happen if he even took one step outside of the room.
No one noticed he was there, silently watching the love of his life alone in his coffin.
Things changed, however, when Catherine and Grissom both returned with two new people Greg had yet to meet: Nick's parents.
Catherine finally noticed him in the corner, and motioned with her eyes and a nod of her head for him to leave. Grudgingly, he did as she asked, and slipped out behind Bill and Jillian Stokes, his heart cracking in half.
They didn't even know who he was, that he, of all people, knew Nick best. Knew all of his fears, needs, and wants. Everything.
Standing just outside the door in the hall, he overheard their brief conversation.
"Aw, Pancho, what the hell you got yourself into?" His father acted like this whole kidnapping was Nick's fault. But it wasn't! Nick was just focused on the job. That was all. There was no reason to blame Nick for any of this.
With a sigh, as his heart began to splinter into sharp shards, Greg turned and headed toward the breakroom, wishing he could hold Nick in his arms again, ensuring both of them that everything would be ok.
He needed a place to be alone. The breakroom wouldn't do. He spun around, intent on finding a good hiding spot when he ran smack into Warrick. The taller man grabbed his upper arm in a tight grip and dragged him down the hall, into the empty men's room. What the hell?
"Look. I don't have a problem with you being gay. Or bi, or whatever the hell you are. Ok?"
What a way to start a conversation. Greg only nodded, unsure what to say.
"What I have a problem with, is your stupid crush on Nick." Warrick continued, not giving Greg even a split second with which to get a word in. "I don't want anyone thinking Nick's gay when he's not. His parents are here, and if they caught wind of that, can you imagine what would happen? He's a married man, Greg. It would ruin his family. You have to think of these things. Someone's going to get the wrong idea, just by the amount of time you've spent hanging around the AV lab tonight and I can't let that happen. Do you understand where I'm coming from?"
Warrick hadn't let go of his arm yet, and it was starting to hurt. Greg hated the idea of Nick coming home to find bruises from his best friend on his boyfriend. He stared at the ground and nodded. "Yes. I understand." God. He sounded like a weakling in highschool giving in to the school thug. But what else could he do?
"Good. I'm glad we have an understanding. Now, what will you not be doing?"
"I guess I..." Greg could almost hear the cracks of his heart. "I'll stay out of the AV lab."
"And?"
What more did the guy want? "I'll stay away from his family."
"Good. Make sure that happens. I don't want to have to talk to you again." Warrick withdrew his hand and walked out of the room, leaving Greg alone.
He sank to the floor, wrapping his arms around his knees. Why couldn't he be stuck in the box instead of Nick? Why couldn't someone have had a beef with him rather than his sweet-hearted boyfriend. If it had to be Nick, why couldn't he at least be with him? He could keep him company, hold him, calm his fears, love him.
He paused. Love? Without a doubt. And he'd never gotten a chance to tell Nick before they'd parted. Nick might not survive this night and Greg hadn't told him just how much he loved him. He looked up toward the ceiling, and prayed for Nick's life, that he would be ok, and returned to Greg in one piece.
If he wasn't... a lot of lives would fall apart. Cara would lose her father, maybe even her mother...
"I have a minimum wage job! How the hell do you think I'm going to care for a kid I never wanted to begin with?" Kristy yelled at the rest of Nick's family and the CSI team surrounding her.
"Don't you ever say that about my granddaughter!" Jillian screamed.
Greg jumped to his feet. He knew what Nick would want. "Nick and I talked about this," he said, gearing himself up to be strong and stand up for himself, Nick, and Cara, as a family. Seeing Nick's daughter standing at her mother's side, tears streaming down her face, gave him the push he needed. "We talked about becoming a family together. With Cara. I know he would want me to take care of her if he couldn't, and I would like to adopt her."
Cara ran over to him and clung to his leg. He leaned over and rubbed her back, doing his best to soothe her.
"What are you saying?" Jillian asked, brushing her long brown hair out of her face. "Of course she'll come back to Dallas with us."
"My son is not gay!"Judge Stokes nearly screamed, his face turning red. "Don't you dare spread lies about Nick! He's smarter than that!"
"Come here, honey," Jillian tried to appeal to Cara. "Come sit with your Grandma."
Cara only cried harder, until Greg picked her up and cradled her in his arms, letting her hide her face in his neck while soaking his shirt with her tears.
"I don't want anyone like you touching my granddaughter."
"Anyone like me? What's that supposed to mean?" Greg held her tighter. "I love her just as much as I loved Nick."
"Love? Don't talk to me about that. You're disgusting!" The Judge towered over Greg, reaching out to take Cara away from him, even as she clung tighter to Greg.
"No! Don't take me away! I want to stay with him!" Cara cried.
Greg turned away from Judge Stokes.
"Nick would not cheat on his wife," Warrick said, getting himself into the family drama. "Do you even know what you're saying, Sanders?"
"He needed help!" Greg defended. "None of you know what he was going through, but I did. I loved him, more than anyone else ever seemed to."
"Don't you dare tell me I didn't love my son!" Mrs. Stokes got to her feet, an imposing figure along side her husband.
"If you'd loved him half as much as I did, perhaps he wouldn't have been so afraid to come out to you!"
The Judge's rage boiled over. "Give me my granddaughter. Give her to me now. Just because you think you had some relationship going on with my son does not mean you get custody of her. You were nothing to Nick. And you're nothing to her, and us. I don't ever want to see you near her again. And if I see you anywhere near Nick's funeral tomorrow, I'll have your dumb faggot ass in jail so fast you won't even know what hit you."
Tears were streaming down Greg's face when he felt someone lightly shaking him. He looked up to see Bobby kneeling in front of him.
"Greg? Are you here with me?" Bobby asked.
Greg looked around. He was still in the bathroom, sitting on the tile floor.
"Where are we?"
He blinked. Was Bobby confused? "We're in the bathroom."
"Ok. Good. What's the name of this building?"
"Why are you asking me this? We're in the crime lab. I'm not stupid."
"I just wanted to make sure. You didn't look like you were all there a moment ago when I walked in."
"I'm sorry." Greg wiped at his tears. "I'm just so scared right now. If anything happens... I'm not legally his family. We were going to work it out. Talk to Grissom. We were. And then this happened. What am I going to do?"
"Greg, come on, you need to be strong right now. You have to be strong for Nick. He'll need someone to be there for him when we get him back."
"What if he chooses Kristy over me because of what's happening?"
"If I know Nick at all, he'll stand by his word. And if he told you that he'd already made his decision, then I believe he'll stand by that decision."
Greg nodded. "You're probably right."
"I know I am. Now come on, go splash some water on your face and lets get back out there."
A/N: Thanks for all the vacation wishes! It was pretty relaxing and I did get some editing done, though not as much as I'd hoped. Nonetheless, there are only two more chapters and an epilogue left. Let's hope I can find the time to get them done soon. In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!