Fic: When All is Said and Done - Chapter 29
April
Nick was bored. Greg had gone to file their paper work with the county clerk as well as take care of his adoption form for Elijah which not only had to be filed at the Las Vegas courthouse, but it also had to be faxed to Malcolm, and they didn't own a fax machine. Said toddler had gone with because of a demand that he needed his own suitcase. His dad's duffel bag just wouldn't cut if for such an important trip.
He had already packed his and Greg's clothes, called Grissom to confirm the planes departure time for tomorrow as he and Greg were paying for his plane ticket, and laid out Elijah's clothes and toiletries. Now, he was wandering through the house, poking his head through various doors. He started on the second floor, and other than the coat closets in the hallway leading to the backstairs, there was nothing he hadn't seen before. Granted, he hadn't been out on the decks, but the two were rather small and not worth being out on for long periods of time.
He followed the back stairs down into the mudroom and paused at the bottom. There was a door there that he had never opened, figuring it to just be another closet, but now that he thought about it, they kept their coats in the closet off the front staircase. Curious as to what was stored underneath the stairs, he opened the door.
Much to his shock, he found another set of stairs leading down. Seeing a switch on the wall, he flipped it and took the wooden steps down into the basement. There wasn't much down there to look at. The water heater and furnace were in the far corner of the room, there was no need for a washer and dryer down there due to the laundry room on the second floor, and other than that there were just boxes and other odds and ends strewn about the barren room. There was also another staircase, and from the positioning of it, it was coming down from the back of the main staircase. Nick was beginning to wonder if he had spent the last few months blind if he was just noticing all this now.
Confused and wondering why he and Warrick had practically killed themselves trying to shove all of his things into the semi-detached garage, he missed his fiance calling out to him from the floor above. It wasn't until Greg stumbled across the open door that Nick finally realized he was home.
Greg joined him in the basement, Elijah dead to the world in his arms, "Hey cowboy. I've just spent the last ten minutes looking for you. What are you doing down here?"
Nick shrugged, "Got bored. Answer something for me?"
"If I can?"
"All this extra space down here and we crammed my stuff into a half full, one car garage why?"
Greg looked around the room that was the same three thousand four hundred square feet of the first level, "Never thought about. I haven't been down here since just after I moved in. That's the last time the heater and furnace was checked and when I brought all this stuff down here."
Nick tapped his toe against one of the boxes, "What is all this anyway?"
"Some of it's mine from the apartment I had during college and the rest is Uncle Rick's and Aunt Sabine's things from both here and the townhouse out in New York."
Nick's eyes widened and his eyebrows rose. That was news to him, "They had a townhouse in New York?"
Greg grinned, amused by the response. He supposed now was as good as time as any to let Nick know exactly the kind of money he was going to be signing himself on to handle the following Monday after work, "Nick," He said slowly, "Just where do you think we stayed when they took me out there? Aunt Sabine didn't like condos at all. Said it felt like the floors above where pushing down on her. Actually, it was the townhouse where they were killed. I only went out there once after their death to pack the place up to sell."
"You did? Does that mean you got both houses? What about Rayne and Lauren?" Nick had only recently found out about Rayne's 'relation' to Greg when he had overheard his lover calling Rayne aunty in a joking tone of voice and had questioned him on it. It had never occurred to him that Rayne had been Rick's sister-in-law.
Greg shrugged and adjusted his hold on Elijah, "Rayne just wanted the cottage and Lauren enough to get through med school. Aunt Sabine willed them more than that, but I still got the most of it and both houses. Well, my parents got money and stuff too, but no where near as much as me."
Nick shoved his hands into his pockets and his eyebrows creased together as he tried to take all that in, "How much exactly?" He had never felt the need to ask, but his curiosity finally compelled him to.
"Ah, well, lets see. The townhouse was in a pretty good location and the market was good at the time. I think it went for two point three million."
Nick's jaw dropped, "Are you serious?"
Greg's eyes narrowed in mock irritation as he said sarcastically, "No Nick, I'm exaggerating." He sighed, "Can we finish this upstairs? My arms are getting tired and it's kind of chilly down here."
Nick scooped Elijah out of Greg's arms and carried him up two sets of stairs to drop him off in his room. He then met Greg in their room, where the lab rat was packing Elijah's things into his new, neon orange mini suitcase, "Can you believe it? We'll be flying out to Vermont in less than twenty four hours and will be as married as we can get in just over thirty." Greg said with a grin on his face as he zipped up the suitcase. He set it by their larger cases and turned to wrap his arms around Nick's waist, "You know I wasn't hiding the exact amount of money I had from you, right?" He asked, picking their conversation back up quickly.
"I know and I never thought to ask, but I kinda think I should be prepared come Monday so I don't pass out in front of whoever it is we'll be meeting with at the bank." Nick replied, wrapping his own arms over Greg's and leading him backwards to the seating area.
Greg managed not to trip as he went up the two steps backwards, "Fair enough. I wouldn't want you to faint either." He let go of Nick long enough for the Texan to sit, before plopping himself down on Nick's lap, "Now, I shouldn't say exact amount, 'cause theres no way I could tell you dollars and cents, but in my checking alone I have just under a million. The rest, which includes the townhouse payment, is up over five million, which is split between two savings accounts. There's also a few trust funds set up for Eli and...any future kids."
Nick stared up at Greg for a moment before letting out a low whistle, "Why the hell do you work?"
"You're kidding right?
"Well it's not like you have to." Nick had a feeling he knew why Greg worked, but his curiosity was still working overtime and he felt the need to ask.
Greg nodded, "True, but just think of how sweet retirements gunna be when we give up on the daily grind." His eyes glazed over briefly before he shook himself, "Besides, It's not like I was always rich. Well, I guess it depends on your definition of rich. The house my parents bought when I started high school was pretty nice. Even has an elevator." Greg frowned at his own babbling before continuing, "Anyway, I like working, I like my job. Don't think I could sit around and do nothing every day. I think the tedium would even get worse once Elijah starts school."
Nick's felt decidedly impish as he said, "Our retirement is going to rock."
~~
Greg stared across the table at Grissom and Elijah, shock his primary emotion at the moment because of what he was witnessing. The soon to be four-year-old had not left their bosses side since the plane ride out the night before, thanks to the older man toting entomology books in his carry on bag. Elijah, who had had the plane seat next Grissom, had taken one look at the bugs portrayed in one of the books and promptly fell in love.
Now, Elijah's chair was pulled as close to Grissom as he could get it and was asking him all kinds of questions. Both his mom and Jillian had tried to tempt him away and had also told him to leave the poor man alone long enough to eat, but Grissom had just brushed them off as he answered all of the questions patiently.
Greg turned to Nick, who was watching the scene in amusement, "Well, at least he's interested in science." He whispered, leaning over so just Nick could hear him.
Nick snorted and started eating again, "Wonder how long it's gunna last?"
Greg shifted his eyes back to their boss and son, "With Grissom around? Probably for a very long time."
After they finished eating, the group trudged their way to the courthouse. The building was only two blocks from their hotel and none of them were used to driving in snow, which the town they had chosen to commit themselves to each other in still had an abundance of. When Greg had called to set the day and time for the ceremony, he had inquired about the weather, an after thought that he was now insanely grateful for. Not only was the snow deep, but the air was cold at twenty seven degrees and because of that information, he had been able to pack the necessary clothing needed.
The judge met them just outside the courtroom. She held out her hand to both men and introduced herself, "I'm Margaret Grenier." She reached an easy five foot eight in height and had graying black hair that was pulled back into a fierce bun, "The paperwork was faxed to me last night by Malcolm Warner, so that is out of the way. If you'll follow me inside?"
She led the group into a courtroom and to the front. She picked up her robe from it was laying on a table and pulled it on over her black power suit, "I like to treat my civil unions like marriages. You mentioned on the phone that rings will be exchanged?"
Nick spoke up before Greg had a chance, "Something like that. It's going to be a little different."
Greg cocked his head at Nick, confused. The Texan had informed him that they didn't need to worry about looking for rings, that he had already taken care of it. Greg couldn't get more than that out of him however. Shrugging and deciding to go along with whatever it was that Nick had planned, he nodded his head in agreement.
"All right." Judge Grenier moved to the front of the area and pointed at where she wanted the two men to stand. They dropped their winter coats on the table and helped Elijah out of his. This prompted their parents and Greg's grandparents to do the same as did Grissom. They then moved into position in front of her, Elijah standing between them and back a few feet. Grissom stood behind him so he could be close at hand for when the time for rings arrived. Bill and Jillian stood behind Nick while Jan, Dave, Olaf and Krista moved to stand behind Greg.
"Nicholas Stokes, Gregory Sanders," Judge Grenier began, "You come before me today to join in a civil union in the eyes of the law in the state of Vermont. You come with witnesses and I find I must ask. Is there anyone here who opposes to this union?"
When no one spoke up, she smiled along with the two men standing before her and continued, "A civil union is a marriage and should be treated as such and so I ask, Gregory, do you take Nicholas as your husband, to have and to hold in good times and in bad, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, from this day forward?"
Greg looked into Nick's eyes and felt his smile grow into a sappy grin as he nodded and said, "Yeah...I mean, I do."
Judge Grenier chuckled and turned her attention to Nick, "Nicholas, I ask the same of you. Do you take Gregory as your husband, to have and to hold in good times and bad, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, from this day forward?"
"I do."
Greg's breath hitched and his eyes welled up with tears. He never thought that he would get so close to marriage and in just a few minutes, Nick would be hishusband. He felt his heart squeeze in happiness at the thought.
"You have chosen to exchange rings, but have decided to go a slightly different route. As it's obvious Gregory has no idea what's going on, we'll start with you, Nicholas."
Nick nodded and looked at Grissom, who smiled and pulled a silver looking band, with a jagged edge on one side, off of his pinky and pulled off the strip of tape he had affixed to it to keep the ring on his finger. He passed it to Nick, who pulled a band off of his own ring finger that matched the one passed to him by Grissom, "Greg, I need your engagement ring."
Greg frowned and slid it off his finger and handed it to Nick. Confusion turned into shocked awe as Nick snapped the two pieces onto the ring, enlarging it considerably and making it look as if the engagement ring were inlaid into a whole nother ring.
Nick looked at Grissom who repeated the rings significance to the confused lab tech and surrounding family. Then, he added another bit of the Gimmal history that he hadn't brought to Nick's attention, "The reason for the witness is that he or she is to watch the couple through their engagement period. If they were to find fault in the couple, they had the power to refuse to allow the marriage to take place. In the times it was popular, they were the only ones allowed to make that decision outside of those being wed together."
Greg and Nick both stared at their boss, shock on their faces. Nick's eyes were wide, not just from the new information, but because he now understood why their boss had agreed so readily to be their witness. Not only was he their friend and a father figure of sorts, but he was also the only one they spent any time with who could easily give an impartial decision without letting his own feelings get in the way of what needed to be done. Instead of being upset at this, however, his respect for the entomologist grew.
Even Judge Grenier's eyes widened at that bit of news. She then cleared her throat after Grissom stepped back into his place behind Elijah, "Are you all set?"
Nick nodded slowly, "Yes."
"All right." Judge Grenier cleared her throat, "Nicholas, please place the ring on Gregory's finger and repeat after me. With this ring as a token of our union, I commit to you."
Nick slid the ring back onto Greg's left hand as he said, "With this ring as a token of our union, I commit to you."
When the judge turned to him, Greg's cheeks were dusted with red as he raised his eyebrows at Nick. Nick blushed as well and turned back to an amused Grissom who passed him a ring that was similar in design to Greg's. The only difference was that instead of having the jagged edges from the diamond shapes inlaid between the gold and white gold edges, they were wavy. Nick handed the ring to Greg, who then looked at Judge Grenier to continue.
Greg slipped the ring onto Nick's finger and repeated after the judge, "With this ring as a token of our union, I commit to you."
"May these rings represent the never ending cycle of your bond as the years pass. Is there anything you wish to say to each other?"
Nick cleared his throat and took Greg's hands in his as he looked his lover in the eye, "This past year has been fraught with bumps and hills that we managed to overcome because we were together. Not once have I felt doubt and I can tell you now that I never will. I love you so much."
Greg sniffed and just managed to keep himself from bawling as Judge Grenier turned to him, "Gregory?" She asked gently.
"I...I don't..." He cleared his throat, at a loss. He glanced at their son, who was beaming at them in happiness from his spot in front of Grissom, and inspiration struck, "Nick, before I met you, and even after, I never thought I'd find someone to share my life with. When we finally decided to become a family, it was one of the happiest days of my life and I know it's only going to get better. I love you."
Before the judge had a chance to speak, Nick turned to her, "There's something else I would like to do at the moment, if that's okay?"
A flicker of surprise crossed her face before she nodded, "Of course."
Nick smiled and, choosing to ignore the confusion that was back on Greg's face as he knew any questions would be answered in a matter of mere moments, looked behind them to where Grissom stood with his hand resting on Elijah's shoulder, "Come here, little man."
Elijah broke away easily from Grissom's hold and all but ran to his fathers. He was swung up into Nick's arms so that he was facing the judge but could still easily see the two men. Grissom stepped forward again and pressed a jewelers box into Greg's hands. The lab tech flipped the catch on the box and lifted the lid as Nick and Elijah watched, one with mirrored curiosity and the other with anticipation.
Nestled inside was another ring that looked to be the same size as Greg's but was resting at the bottom of a thick, white gold chain. It was clearly the same style as their rings, but had a woven design in the center as opposed to his diamonds or Nick's waves. Greg lifted the piece of jewelry from its cushioned resting spot and as the chain left the confines of the box, the light flashed on the ring and drew his eyes to the interior.
Along the inside edge of the ring was an inscription that read, 'Tre hjertet, un amor, one family.' Quickly deciphering the odd cacophony of words he realized it read, 'three hearts, one love, one family" in the three languages that Elijah was learning; Norwegian, Spanish and of course, English. He looked up sharply at Nick, who smiled at him, "I know that it's not customary at all to give a ring and vow to the children going into the marriage, but he's a part of this too and it seems only right to do so."
Greg nodded, "I like that idea." He was really loving that Nick had a not so normal view when it came to romance and family. Most people who were to marry single parents would more often than not not include the child or children in the actual ceremony itself beyond having them stand in it in some way.
"As do I. How do you wish to proceed Nicholas?" Judge Grenier asked, smiling at a giggling Elijah who seemed not to have the fainest idea as to what was going on around him, but finding the expressions he was seeing on his various relatives funny.
Nick cleared his throat and smiled when Elijah looked up at him with an expectant grin. Despite the toddlers antics, Nick had actually talked to Elijah about this little plan, although despite the explanation Nick had given in response to the continuous 'whys' that had flowed from the small mouth, he hadn't told the almost four-year-old what he was going to say exactly.
"From the start, Little man, you had grabbed hold of my heart with both hands and to this day I'm glad you never let go." Nick blinked back a sheen of wetness that was starting to cover his eyes, "No matter what may happen between daddy and me, I want you to remember that I will always be your poppy. I love you so much."
Greg's own eyes were again threatening to release the barrage of tears that he had been managing to keep at bay up until this point. He lifted a finger and traced the happy grin on their sons face, "Like poppy said, no matter what happens, we'll always be there for you. You have always been the best thing to ever happen to me and always will be. I love you too."
Elijah all but flew into Greg's arms, "luv you." he whispered, wrapping his arm's tight around Greg's neck and burying his face against the warm skin of his fathers.
Nick took the necklace holding the ring from Greg and urged Elijah to sit up. He slipped the chain, which was thick so as not be broken during rough play, around Elijah's neck and clasped it shut as he and Greg said together with a small cue from Nick, "With this token of our union, we commit to you." Nick pressed a kiss to Elijah's temple before the two men met eyes and simultaneously turned to the woman overseeing their commitment.
Judge Grenier's smile grew into a grin, and when the two men looked at her, said, "By the power vested in me by the state of Vermont, I hereby grant this union. You may kiss if you'd like."
Greg and Nick looked at each other before casting bashful glances at their family, not used to kissing in front of them. They both shrugged and met in a kiss that for them was terribly chaste due to the small child nestled between them. They pulled apart after a few seconds as Elijah started giggling again.
"Well, that's it. I'll get the papers signed verifying your union and get you a copy of the certificate. Any questions?" The judge asked.
They both shook their heads and when she turned to head to her office to take care of what she had to, the men turned to their family as they surrounded them with congratulations.
After dinner, their treat from Grissom in congratulations, the two 'newly weds' parted ways from their family. Elijah was spending the night with Grissom, much to the shock of the toddlers grandparents who figured he'd be joining one of them, to let the men have some alone time. As Nick let them into their hotel room, Greg found that he couldn't take his eyes off of his ring. He sat down on the bed they had claimed for themselves the night before and continued to stare at. It was getting to the point that Nick was starting to get concerned.
"Greg?"
Greg looked up and smiled, "We're married."
"Or the equivalent thereof, but yeah, we're married." Nick grinned as he answered. He sat down on the bed and cupped Greg's face in his hands, "Today has been...incredible. Love you."
Greg rested his own hands on Nick's arms, "You too." He then leaned forward and caught Nick's mouth in a soft kiss.
The kiss escalated and it wasn't long until they were scrambling to remove their clothes, both swearing at the buttons and clasps getting in the way. Greg pulled away from Nick and all but ripped his own shirt off, sending two of the buttons into the great beyond. He dropped it on the floor before going after Nick's, actually slowing down while removing the Texans shirt. As he released each button, he put his mouth to work kissing and licking the smooth skin as it was revealed.
Tonight was going to be his night. Normally, Nick played the aggressor when it came to sex but Greg was feeling so elated by their actions that afternoon that he wasn't about to let Nick take over. Once he had the dress shirt on the floor and tangled with his, he set to work on the belt and slacks of the panting man beneath him. Once his husband was naked, he began using his hands and mouth once again, working to urge the man to higher heights of arousal.
One of the things the two men had done in preparation for their union was to have tests done so they could lose the condoms. It wasn't a concern on Greg's end, because of his extreme lack of sex life prior to Nick and his yearly physicals, but Nick wanted to be sure on his side of things. Now that they knew they both were negative, Greg didn't have to let up on his assault to take care of the proper protection.
Instead, he pulled the bottle of lube from under the pillow, which he had stashed earlier, and began to apply it to Nick. He knew Nick loved it when he was on top, because with as little as he was in that position it made it seem like a rare treat.
While he slowly slid home, Nick just breathed out and stretched his arms forward like a cat as he pushed back into Greg. Adjusting his grip on Nick's hips, he shifted his own and began to move. It wasn't long before they both felt the need to be attached at the mouth as well. The sensations seemed more intense without the condoms in place and it was pushing them along faster then they had thought it would. Nick used his greater strength to push Greg up and backwards so he was on his back with his head at the foot of the bed.
Nick swung around without dislodging himself and grinned down at Greg, taking up the pace. He leaned down and, resting his hands and forearms on the bed, he attached himself to Greg's mouth. Soon, Greg was slamming up his hips to meet Nick's in a desperate attempt to find release. He fell over the edge first with Nick following closely with a little help.
Nick didn't dare move off of Greg until his husbands breath had returned to him, knowing he would be extra sensitive at the moment. Once Greg was able to take a few deep breaths, Nick shifted his hips and lifted up. He leaned in and kissed Greg before sitting back on his calves, "I'll go get a cloth." He said, running his fingers through the mess he had left on Greg's stomach and chest.
"That's not a bad idea." Greg said, still gasping slightly, "I don't think I can move just yet."
Nick gave a breathless laugh and climbed off the bed and onto his own wobbly legs. That round of love making had been more intense then usual, although whether it was from lack of protection or from their elated feelings of the day he couldn't be sure.
After wiping himself down and then Greg, he pulled on a pair of boxers and put on a pot of coffee. He sat on the bed next to Greg's head and ran his fingers through the messy locks, "So what are we going to do for a ceremony when we get back to Vegas?"
Greg stretched and shifted his head so it was resting on Nick's lap, "Jacqui said she had wanted to come to the wedding, which got me thinking. Maybe we can have a small ceremony. Like exchange vows in front of our friends or something."
"Sammy said the same thing." Nick said, "We can do that. Did you find a place for the reception?"
"Yeah. I had them put it on hold for the weekend after Eli's birthday. It'll be a little rough having two parties two weeks in a row, but..."
"We could combine them. Mama and Cisco said they wanted to be there for the reception and Eli's birthday, but weren't sure if they could do it."
Greg bit his lip as he tried to work out the logistics for such a thing, "We could," He stretched the words out as he thought, "I mean, if the place is booked for next weekend, we can always find somewhere else."
Nick looked down and met Greg's eyes, "Why next week? Why not hold off on Eli's party until the following weekend?"
Greg reached up and patted Nick's cheek, "Sure and you can explain to your son why you're putting off his birthday party."
"Next week it is."
TBC...
All right, I made a mistake and didn't realize it until long after I wrote this. While one test works for STD's, technically you're supposed to have six, one a month, for HIV. I, of course, didn't know this. And actually, I'm not sure if thats the correct number of times, but it is at least half a year before your pronounced 100 percent free I believe. Obviously, I couldn't change the story around to fit that in. Sorry.