CSI Fic: Battlefield (7/11)
Title: Battlefield
Chapter: 7/11
Author: Jedi Princess Clarrisani
Beta: Stalker of Shadows
Additional Helpers:
galuxkitty and
puppytraining
Fandom: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Pairing(s): Nick/Greg, Grissom/Sara, Warrick/Tina, wishful Catherine/Warrick
Rating: NC-17
Total Word Count: 25, 184
Tag: The storm’s been brewing for some time now.
Summary: With a serial killer on the loose and Greg’s job on the line, Nick finds himself caught up on several battlefields - professional, personal, external and internal…
Disclaimer: Do not own. If I did, you would have found several shots of Nick and Greg in the background creeping out of the supply room after their long bouts of absence…
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Nick was lucky in the fact that he and Greg lived in roughly the same area of Vegas. In fact, Nick sometimes drove passed Greg’s apartment building on the way to the lab. Nick knew it was no coincidence Greg lived so close to the lab, just as Sara did. Sara only lived a few blocks away, and Grissom a little further than that. Catherine lived the furthest away, while Warrick was the happy median.
Nick pulled his Denali in beside Warrick’s, hoping out and wincing at the harshness of the sunlight even with his sunglasses on. He made sure he locked his car before heading inside, taking the stairs two at a time and stepping out onto Greg’s floor.
He found Warrick leaning against the wall beside Greg’s door, Warrick glancing at him as Nick removed his sunglasses and hooked them onto his belt, fishing the keys to Greg’s apartment from his pocket. He smiled tightly at Warrick as he stopped before Greg’s door, sliding the key into the lock and turning it easily.
“Archie has a set of keys too, you know,” Nick said as he opened the door. “He only lives a block away.”
“I would have called you anyway,” Warrick followed him inside. “You know what’s going on. More than I do.”
“Mm-hm.” Nick peered around the apartment, smiling at the lingering scent of hair products and the strong smell of coffee. The tv was off, but the stereo was on albeit silent. The light from the aquarium threw long shadows over the semi-dark room, blackout curtains pulled tightly closed over the windows. The down lights in the kitchen were on, Warrick drifting in that direction as Nick moved to peer in the bedroom door.
The bed was made, blackout curtains closed over the glass of the balcony doorway. Nick noted that the bedside lamp was on, Greg’s phone resting on the table. Nick moved toward it, glancing at the screen and noting the number of missed calls.
“Nick!”
Nick looked up sharply, the urgency in Warrick’s voice causing him to hurry back into the main living area. He found Warrick in the kitchen behind the counter, Nick’s eyes widening as he spotted the form slumped on the floor beside where Warrick was kneeling.
“He’s alive,” Warrick said, slight waver to his voice as Nick dropped down on Greg’s other side, a sick feeling forming in the pit of Nick’s stomach. “There’s tequila on the counter, bottle almost empty. I saw some sleeping pills on the sink.”
“Yeah. He told me he was taking them. They were left over from the explosion.” Nick reached out, finding Greg’s neck pulse and noting the rate.
“From the explosion? Shit, that was back in ’03. They’d be passed their used by date by now. Jesus.” Warrick reached into his jacket. “I’m calling the paramedics.”
“No!” Nick reached across, grabbing Warrick’s arm. “Let him sleep it off.”
Warrick’s eyes widened. “But Nick-”
“Sara almost lost her job from a DUI. Imagine what’d happen if Ecklie heard about this.”
“Yeah. I get it.” Warrick set his jaw, looking down at Greg. “Be just the excuse he needs to toss Greggo back in the lab. Say he can’t handle the stress of the field.”
“Exactly.” Nick sighed heavily, brushing the hair gently away from Greg’s face. “I don’t like it, but Greg would never forgive us if we called in help. This will have to stay between us.”
“My lips are sealed.” Warrick nodded to the side. “Move him to the couch?”
“It’s a plan.”
Together they gently lifted Greg, moving him into the lounge and laying him on the couch. Nick gently eased a pillow under Greg’s head, setting himself down on the edge of the middle cushion and looking down at Greg. Surely Greg would have known better than to mix alcohol with his medication. He was a scientist, a CSI - he dealt with cases like this everyday. It was a good thing Warrick had been trying to contact Greg or he may never have been found.
He looked up toward where Warrick was easing himself back into a seat. “Hey Rick, what time did you start calling?”
Warrick met his eye. “Couple of hours ago. Why?”
“Shouldn’t you have been home? Asleep?”
Warrick winced. “Yeah. I should’ve.”
Nick frowned. “Warrick…”
“Tina threw me out.” Warrick sighed heavily, shaking his head. “Got home, we had another fight, she told me to get out and I did.”
“Jesus, Warrick. Why didn’t you call?”
“Was going to. Just thought I’d check on Greg first.”
Nick sighed, running a hand over his eyes and setting his jaw. Warrick could be as self-sacrificing as himself, sometimes. Nick had known that things weren’t going well between Warrick and his wife for some time. Warrick had refused to say anything, and Nick knew that Greg had become an excuse for Warrick to hide behind.
“I wish you’d said something sooner.”
Warrick shook his head. “You had enough to worry about.”
“I don’t care, Warrick. You should have said something.” Nick shot him a firm glare. “Jesus, man, I’m supposed to be your best friend.”
Warrick ran his hands over his eyes, brushing them back through his hair. “Yeah, I know. I guess… I just didn’t want anyone to know. I rushed into the marriage and… I just wanted to prove it would work.”
“You didn’t have to prove anything.” Nick looked down at Greg. “Neither of you do.”
Warrick leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he looked at Greg. “He is going to have one hell of a hangover when he wakes up.”
“Yeah. He will.” Nick’s eyebrows rose. “His own fault. He should have known better.”
“Can’t blame him. All the shit he’s been through lately.” Warrick set his jaw. “Come on, bro. Tell me what’s going on.”
Nick narrowed his eyes. “Only if you tell me the whole thing between you and Tina.”
“Not much to it.” Warrick shrugged. “I caught her cheating with her ex, she denied it. Our shifts don’t line up. She spends more time with her friends than with me. Spends all our money on films, shows…”
“I head you fighting on the phone at one point.” Nick frowned. “So what was the last fight about?”
Warrick looked at him. “Shoes.”
He blinked. “Shoes?”
“Yeah, shoes. Her having too many, and me not taking mine off when I go inside.”
“Shoes.” Nick chuckled. “Man. What a thing to break up about.”
“Happens.” Warrick tugged at his wedding ring, frowning. “I think we were just looking for anything to fight about. All we’ve been doing lately: fighting. But she’s going to need to think twice if she thinks she’s getting the house.”
“Yeah. That’s your place.”
“Sure is.” Warrick straightened. “I’m going to put in for a divorce. Been thinking about it for a while now.”
“Well if you need a place to crash you know I’ve got a spare room.” Nick smiled. “And you’ve got a key.”
“Everyone’s got a key to your place, man.” Warrick chuckled. “So, what’s the deal with Greggo?”
Nick wasn’t sure what he was and wasn’t supposed to say, but he told Warrick the basics of the problem - Ecklie, Atwater, the report, the articles and PhD, the O’Conner case. He omitted a few things, but only things he knew Greg wouldn’t want everyone to know, such as Grissom being his proof reader. Warrick already accused Greg of kissing arse.
When Nick finished, Warrick slumped back in his seat, generally stunned by what Nick had said. He swallowed hard, working his jaw a moment before he spoke. “Damn.”
“Twisted, eh?” Nick said.
“Yeah.” Warrick nodded toward Greg. “I’m surprised he didn’t OD sooner.”
“I’ve been expecting something like this.” Nick reached out with one hand to smooth Greg’s hair. “Just hoped it wouldn’t happen, that’s all.”
“You always hope things like this never happen.” Warrick shook his head, pushing himself up. “He’ll probably wake up soon so I’m going to go stick some coffee on.”
“The smell alone would wake him up,” Nick joked.
Warrick laughed. “Yeah, it would. Surprised he hasn’t ODed on caffeine yet.”
“Probably has.”
“Probably.”
Nick watched as Warrick moved into the kitchen, Nick turning to look down at Greg. He hadn’t moved for the whole time they had been there, and adding it up, Nick estimated it to be somewhere around four hours since Warrick started trying to contact their youngest colleague. It was hard to be certain how long Greg had been out, but it could be close to seven hours, meaning that he just may wake up at any time.
A couple of years ago, before Greg had been given permission to do any real field work, he and Nick had found themselves at a forensics convention together. Due to the limited hotel rooms they had ended up sharing, Nick discovering Greg could only sleep for between five to six hours. It was below the recommended limit of eight, but that was Greg.
He brushed a fingertip lightly along a dark ring under Greg’s eye, frowning. Greg had said that he was sleeping, but evidence led Nick to believe otherwise. He had to admit Greg had slept well yesterday - Nick had too. Nick set his jaw, pushing aside the thought of asking Greg to sleep with him. He had no intention of moving so fast; he didn’t want Greg to think he was taking advantage.
He paused as he saw Greg’s eyelids flutter. “Hey Warrick. He’s coming around.”
“Good. Coffee’s almost done.”
Nick shifted so he was facing Greg completely, gently cupping Greg’s face with one hand and brushing his thumb over Greg’s cheek. “Greg. Can you hear me?”
He smiled as he saw eyelids flutter again, cracking open slightly. Nick ran a hand through Greg’s hair, bringing it back to caress his forehead. “Hi.”
Greg looked up at him before sighing heavily, eyes closing with a faint wince. “Nick…”
“Right here, G.” Nick straightened, sliding a hand down to find one of Greg’s and squeezing it gently, his smile widening as he felt Greg squeeze his back. “How you feeling?”
Greg groaned softly. “Like shit.”
Nick laughed. “Yeah, I’d imagine so.”
Greg’s eyes fluttered open again, looking up at him with faint confusion. “Why’re you here?”
“Warrick called me when you wouldn’t answer your phone or come to the door.”
Greg frowned. “Warrick?”
“Right here, Greggo.” Warrick knelt next to the couch, setting the coffee down on the carpet as he reached out to squeeze Greg’s arm. “You gave me quite a scare.”
Greg looked at him, frowning. “What happened?”
“What do you remember?” Nick asked.
“Coming home. I was pissed at Ecklie, so I dragged out the hard stuff.”
“Tequila,” Warrick said.
Greg nodded. “I started getting ready for bed, fed my fish, tossed some Placebo into the stereo and took some sleeping pills…” His eyes widened. “Oh shit.”
Nick and Warrick exchanged a knowing look as Greg reached up to run a hand over his eyes.
“Shouldn’t have done that. God… I… I should know better than that. Christ.” He looked up sharply, eyes wide. “You didn’t call anyone, did you?”
Nick shook his head. “We’re the only ones who know.”
“Thank god.” Greg slumped, relief spreading over his features. “I seriously owe you guys.”
“Yeah. You do.” Nick looked up sharply at Warrick’s comment, seeing the smirk on the other’s face. Warrick reached out, running Greg’s arm. “You can repay us by helping us crack this case, showing Atwater what an ass Ecklie is.”
Nick tried to suppress his grin. “Wouldn’t be hard.”
Greg laughed, wincing and reaching up to hold his head, closing his eyes.
“Made you some coffee,” Warrick said. “I’d offer you some painkillers, but…”
“It’d only make things worse,” Greg finished, easing himself up into a sitting position. He tucked his legs under him, gesturing for the coffee. “I still don’t know how I could be so stupid. I mean, medication and alcohol? Not exactly the best of bedfellows.”
“You were pissed at Ecklie,” Nick reminded him.
“Yeah. That’d drive any man to it.” Warrick handed him the coffee. “You just get over this hangover. Need you at the top of your game.”
Greg nodded, holding the coffee between his hands and sipping from it. He shifted again so that he was leaning against Nick. Taking another sip from his drink, he sighed and closed his eyes, resting his forehead on Nick’s shoulder. Nick smiled, putting an arm around Greg and pulling him closer. Greg tilted his head to smile at him, a smile Nick returned. They looked up as Warrick laughed, the other sitting back.
“Oh you two are so together.”
Greg smiled, looking at him. “Don’t spread it around, okay?”
“Like I’d need to. Half the lab thinks you are anyway.” Warrick glanced at his watch. “Still a few hours til shift starts.”
“You need some sleep,” Nick said, eyeing him. “G’s not the only one who needs to be at the top of his game.”
Warrick narrowed his eyes but said nothing, glancing at Greg and raising an eyebrow. “Mind if I sleep in your chair?”
“Take the bed. Not like I’m going to be using it today.” Greg looked at Nick. “You sleep any?”
“Couple of hours.” Nick watched as Warrick stood. “Before Rick rang me.”
“Want the couch?”
Warrick chuckled. “He’s got you sleeping on the couch already, Nick.”
Nick shrugged. “Not like I’ve been in the bed yet.”
“Want it?”
Nick looked at Greg. “Where you going to be?”
Greg pointed straight down at the couch, Nick turning to look up at Warrick and smile innocently. Warrick laughed, moving in the direction of the bedroom.
“See you guys in a few.”
Nick frowned as Warrick disappeared, looking down at the sound of his name. Greg took a long drink from his beverage, nodding after Warrick.
“He and Tina are separating, aren’t they.”
“Yeah. Yeah, they are.” Nick turned to face him. “You going to be okay?”
“I’ll be fine, Nick.” Greg shook his head, sighing heavily. “The hangover will be gone in a few hours. And trust me, I won’t be doing it again anytime soon.”
Nick nodded, sliding a hand behind Greg’s neck and trailing his fingers lightly over the skin. He felt Greg shudder beneath his touch, Nick smiling as he leaned forward to press his lips to Greg’s forehead. Greg grinned, taking another long sip from his coffee and scooting forward.
“You need to sleep, Nicky.” Greg smoothed his palm over Nick’s cheek. “We all need to be at the top of our game. Especially you.”
Nick nuzzled Greg’s palm, closing his eyes. “I just wish we were getting somewhere with this case. I’m surprised the Mayor hasn’t been on Grissom’s back yet.”
“He has. Gil just hasn’t said anything.”
Nick opened his eyes to look at him. “On first name basis with the boss, G?”
“Outside work, yeah.” Greg hid his smile behind his mug as he took another drink from his coffee. “He still makes me nervous, though.”
“He makes everyone nervous.” Nick watched Greg finish his coffee, setting the mug down on the coffee table. “Warrick told me about what Ecklie did to you. The suspension thing.”
Greg cringed. “Didn’t know anyone heard.”
Nick nodded, setting his jaw. “Why didn’t you tell me, Greg?”
“Honestly?” Greg looked up at him. “Grissom told me to forget about it. He told me not to tell anyone.”
“Rick said he saw Griss go after Ecklie.”
“Yeah, he did. Said if he caught Ecklie threatening a member of his team again, he’d put in a formal, written complaint.” Greg smirked. “Then Gil called Atwater.”
Nick chuckled. “Griss calling Atwater voluntarily. Wish I could have seen that.”
“Hard to believe, I know.” Greg shrugged. “I’m not sure what Atwater said. Griss wouldn’t tell me. All he said was to ignore Ecklie.”
“What Griss usually says.” Nick stifled a yawn, not wanting to admit how tired he was becoming as the adrenaline wore off. He kicked off his shoes, swinging himself around to stretch out on the couch, chuckling when Greg instantly joined him, clinging to his side. “You going to be right to work tonight?”
“Yeah. Already starting to feel a lot better.” Greg smiled sheepishly. “Still a bit woozy.”
“Well, you go easy when we get to work. Rick and I will try to keep Ecklie off your back.”
“Easier said than done.” Greg sighed heavily, closing his eyes. “Warrick got a place to stay?”
“My guest room.” Nick closed his own eyes and let out a shuddering breath as one of Greg’s hands slipped under his shirt, caressing his abdomen. “Easy, G. Don’t start anything. Warrick could come out at any time.”
“Adds to the thrill.” Nick opened his eyes to find Greg smirking, eyes sparkling mischievously. “Don’t worry, Nicky, I won’t start anything. I just like touching you.”
“Oh?” Nick brushed his lips over Greg’s. “Why’s that?”
“Guess it’s just my way of telling myself this is real.” Greg glanced up at the back of the couch, effectively avoiding Nick’s eye. “I’ve had a thing for you for a while. Just never thought… well, you know. We’d actually end up together.”
“Yeah. Know the feeling.” Nick sighed, closing his eyes again as he rested his forehead against Greg’s. “I love you.”
“Love you too.” Greg kissed him, curling tighter against his side. “Sorry I scared you.”
TBC...