Fic: Before & After, Chapter 12 (CSI, Nick Stokes / Greg Sanders)
Title: Before & After, Chapter 12
Fandom: CSI
Pair: Nick Stokes / Greg Sanders
Disclaimer: Not mine, etc.
Feedback: Always Welcome
Spoilers: Play With Fire
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
CSI Las Vegas Main List
Nick stood outside the apartment building and checked the address. It should be
the right place. He went up the stairs to the third floor and rang the doorbell.
The sound echoed inside the apartment.
Few minutes later Greg opened the door. And stared at him.
“Hey.”
“What are you doing here? And why are you carrying more stuff with you than
an average hobo?” Greg measured Nick’s three bags with his eyes.
“Can I come in?”
“Can you?”
“Fine. May I?”
“Yes you may.” Greg moved to the side to let him in.
“I hate it people do that. My old English teacher was always correcting me
like that.” Nick complained and left his bags to the floor.
“Well, our conversation topics are pretty limited, so better take what you
can get.”
“I guess.”
“So, let’s get to the point. What do you want?”
“I left.”
“You left what?”
“I quit my job. At the lab. In Vegas.”
“Why?”
“Because I wanted to come after you.”
“I told you not to bother and you follow me anyway. Go back and beg Grissom
to give you your job back. Get on your knees if necessary. If I remember
correctly that used to be one of your favourite positions.”
“Greg, I’m not going back. You can’t run away from me and expect me to just
accept it.”
“Run away? If anyone has been doing that it’s you! You run away and everyone’s
worried for you. Then you come back and say I’m running away!” Greg’s voice
had gone up to screaming, and his left hand seemed to move on it’s own. It was
shaking, no matter how he tried to suppress it.
“Hey, calm down.” Nick grabbed Greg by his shoulders and pushed him back till
he slumped down to the couch. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. Just listen
to me, okay?”
Greg didn’t answer.
“I know I should have been there when you needed me. But I just couldn’t do
it. I couldn’t go there and see you like that. I couldn’t.”
“Nick….” Greg was now openly sobbing. “Go back. Go back to Vegas.”
“No.”
“No?”
“No.”
Greg took a deep breath. “I could never figure it out….”
“What?”
“How you can be just wonderful one minute, and an absolute asshole the next.”
“Greg…. I know you can’t just take me back, but…. Can I stay here so we can try?”
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea….”
“You wouldn’t kick a homeless man to the street, would you?”
“What do you mean homeless?”
“I sold my place in Vegas.”
“You did what?”
“I thought…. I can’t start here if I’m still living there.”
“You mean you have your stuff in those three bags?”
“No, just clothes and stuff like that. I sold some of my furniture and put the rest
to a storage to wait how it goes here.”
“You sold your place.”
“I already said that.”
Greg buried his face in his hands. “Nick.”
“We’re not gonna solve anything today.”
“What about tomorrow?” Nick asked hopefully.
“We’ll see. I need sleep, I got an early morning.”
“What are you doing?”
“Where do people usually go in the morning. To work.”
“I thought the trainee program didn’t start for some time.”
“It doesn’t. They offered me a chance to work part time in the DNA lab. They needed
a skilful, superior DNA god, and I get some extra money. The trainee pay’s not that
good.”
“I remember. You’re going to keep working there after you start your training?”
“Yep. I already did some courses in Vegas, so I don’t need to redo them here.” Greg
paused. “Why am I explaining this now? I’m going to bed.”
“Where am I going?”
“To the couch.”
“Okay.”
“You can sleep on the floor if you think that’s more comfortable.”
“No, no. Couch is fine.”
“Good. If you`re not awake when I leave, I`m probably back sometime after two.
We can talk after that.”
“Sounds good.”
“You could go see some sights while I’m gone.”
“I already saw the cable cars on my way here.”
“Did you like them?”
“One of them almost ran over me.”
“The tracks are there, Stokes, keep your eyes open. Pizza?”
“What?”
“There`s some old pizza in the fridge if your hungry, so don’t try to claim I’m
not a generous host. Good night.”
Greg pulled the bedroom door shut. Nick leaned back on the couch and placed his
head against the armrest. At least Greg didn’t kick him out. That was probably a
good sign.
TBC