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Chapter 1:

Nick Stokes liked the silence of the lab. As a kid his life had been loud. He had been surrounded by his sisters his whole life as a child. They were loud and they were obnoxious and they always liked to pinch his cheeks or say how cute he was. Nick had hated it growing up and he hated it now.

He had decided early on in his life that he wanted to do something that could leave him in total isolation if he chose it. This left out becoming a lawyer like his parents had wanted. It was his way of acting out from being in a big family and being the baby. Science had always fascinated him as a kid so it made perfect sense that he do something involving science.

The whole law thing had come from his parents. He had felt that it was his obligation to at least do something that had to do with law. He had been a lab tech in a research lab before he realized how utterly boring it was and decided to try his hand at working in a crime lab. He found it was something he enjoyed.

Moving to Las Vegas had upset his parents terribly as well as many of his siblings. He knew that they'd get over it, but it was still a shock for them to digest. Nick thought it was for the best though.

When he got the job he couldn't have been more satisfied with himself. He'd been a little intimated by Brass. The man reminded him of his oldest sister's husband, Dan who was a cop. He wasn't a big muscular man, but his whole demeanor just screamed 'don't even try to lie to me'.

His boss, Gil Grissom, seemed very odd. If Nick hadn't worked in a research lab for as long as he did he might have been nervous around the stoic man. Grissom rarely talked during his interview and when he did it was a few words at a time.

He knew all about Dr. Grissom though. He had a good reputation and was very knowledgeable. It was easy for Nick to feel ill at ease around the other man.

Grissom had introduced Nick to the whole lab that night and the CSIs that worked there. All the lab techs were very friendly and eccentric in their own way, but Nick felt he'd fit right in with all of them. It was the CSIs he felt a little edgy around.

The first one he had met was Catherine Willows. She seemed really nice a little motherly but also worldly like she had seen a lot in her time. She was somewhat of a contradiction on herself.

She was cynical, but held hope for all the victims. She was nice to Nick and she flirted with him the first time they met. That had made Nick blush and stutter and all she did was smile and flip her red hair as she walked away.

The next person he met on his first night there was Warrick Brown. Warrick didn't give him even the time of day at first clearly viewing Nick as nothing but another lab rat.

The other man was tall and secretive and Nick just knew there was a tortured past behind those gray blue eyes. He had merely shook Nick's hand said his name and was off again to process more information.

Finally there was Greg. Nick smiled at the memory of the first time he met Greg. Nick had taken a break and was sitting peacefully in the break room sipping coffee. He hadn't seen Greg at all the night.

He had heard the name and Grissom had said that he worked there, but he hadn't seen him yet. Greg had come into the break room not even registering that Nick was there, poured himself a cup of coffee and then stared at it for a few moments.

When he looked up he smiled. Nick smiled back. He had never seen a CSI quite like him. They all looked professional in suit shirts and comfortable pants.

Greg didn't fit the bill. He wore a loud green shirt and tight jeans. His hair was cut at odd angles and stuck up weirdly as though he hadn't even tried to brush it flat. He wore Converse high tops and wrist bracelets.

Nick couldn't help but stare at him. He wasn't afraid to just be himself in a world where everyone else conformed.

"Hey, I'm Greg Sanders. You must be the new DNA tech." Greg said as pleasantly as he could, but Nick could see the dark circles around his eyes.

"Yeah, Nicholas Stokes." Nick said holding out his hand. Greg took it and gave it a slight shake.

"How you settling in?" Greg asked. It was the first time that night anyone had asked.

"Um... yeah good I guess. All the other lab techs are really nice."

"And the CSIs?" Greg asked. Nick blushed a little and sipped at his coffee.

"Well, they're... most are nice." Nick said.

"I'm assuming you've met Warrick. Don't worry about him. He doesn't know what it's like to be the new guy or a lab tech. Trust me everyone will appreciate you if you can do your job." Greg said.

"I'm sure as heck gonna try." Nick said with a bright smile on his face.

"That's the attitude. Now look I gotta go. The case calls, but I'll see you later. I'm sure someone had to have left skin tags on something." Greg said.

"Sure. I'll see you later." Nick said, but Greg had already breezed out of the door.

Nick had seen Greg later that night. He'd been a little stressed out about his case, but Greg had put on a nice smile for him. Nick had found out that Greg had been a lab tech in San Francisco for awhile, but had become a CSI not to long after that. Nick almost envied Greg. He had thought about becoming a CSI, but he didn't think he could do it. He liked the isolation the lab had to offer him.

"Hey Nicky. Slow night?"

Nick looked up to see Greg standing in front of his desk. Nick smiled. Greg had changed some since their first meeting. His hair was bleached blond and he had left the loud and rocker clothes for the suit shirts, but they were still colorful and his jeans were still tight. Nick had thought more then once that Greg was hot.

He never said anything though. Greg was hip and current. He went out to clubs and knew about liquid latex. He surfed and scuba dived and dated pretty blondes and sultry brunettes. There was no way he would go for Nick.

Nick, who wore glasses and baggy jeans and sweaters.

Nick who's idea of a good time was sitting in front of his TV in sweats eating ice cream while watching nature shows.

Nick who didn't care about his looks one bit and listened to country music way too much.

Nick who's hair was in his face because he hadn't cut it yet and couldn't be bothered to try and manage it.

Nick who surrounded himself in lab stuff and rarely talked to anyone except Greg and the occasional conversation with Catherine or Grissom.

Greg was too out there and Nick was too much of a recluse. Forget the fact that Greg seemed for all intents and purposes straight. There was no way Greg would ever fall for him.

"Yeah. Not too much stuff coming my way. Sara... she likes processing her own stuff." Nick said.

"Yeah, well Sara's the type to have no life whatsoever. If she wants to overwork herself that's not your problem." Greg said as he took a seat across from Nick.

"I guess. Still I feel a little... useless."

"Oh, you're never useless, Nicky. I could drudge up some stuff for you to process." Nick smiled at Greg.

"That's okay. Warrick thinks he's some big shot though... just cause he got that promotion. Comes in here and demands that I process his evidence first." Nick said.

"You don't have to listen to him. You know that. You gotta learn how to stick up for yourself, Nicky. You can't let them push you around for evidence." Greg said.

"Yeah I know... I put his evidence last." Nick said with a smile on his face.

"You're not processing... oh I get it. And here I thought you were all sweet and innocent. Got a mean streak on you, don't you." Greg said.

Nick just smiled and continued to read whatever magazine was on hand.

"You know you should come out to breakfast with us one time. I mean it's not like you aren't a part of the group." Greg said distractedly. Nick tensed at the thought of going out to breakfast with his coworkers.

"I don't think that would be such a good idea." Nick said as he shifted in his seat.

"Oh come on Nicky. When was the last time you went out anywhere?" Greg said. Nicky... Greg always called him Nicky.

Never Nick like everyone else. He had taken to calling him Nicky after Nick's first night.

"I... um... define out." Nick said hesitantly. He really wished he had something to do so he could avoid Greg's gaze.

"Out as in with friends or to a club or even to a diner. I mean how old are you... thirty maybe." Greg said.

"I'm thirty-one, Greg. Don't act like you didn't know that." Nick said slightly irritated.

"So what I'm getting at is you're young. You should be living life. What's with the hair and the clothes?"

"What's wrong with my hair and clothes?"

"It's like you're trying to hide something. Like you're trying to blend into the shadows." Greg said.

"I'm not exactly young, Greg. I'm not you. You're still in your twenties." Nick said.

"You act as if you were forty. If you were Grissom then I would say all hope was lost, but you're not. You're Nicky."

"And that means what Greg?" Nick asked his voice going back to the Texas drawl he wanted to get rid of.

"It means that I know you can be a looker if you tried. If you got rid of all these layers and stopped trying to hide yourself." Greg said.

"I happen to like the layers."

"We live in a desert, Nicky. I'm surprised you haven't spontaneously combusted yet. Just listen to me when I say that you can't keep hiding yourself from the world." Greg said.

"I'm not hiding. I'm just... I'm not putting myself out there." Nick said as he went to processing Warrick's evidence. Anything to avoid looking at Greg.

"Well I guess the world is just going to have to get used to being deprived of your presence. Course that makes me very lucky doesn't it." Greg said with a smile and Nick just knew he was blushing. Greg had the ability to turn him tomato red in a matter of seconds.

"I don't know how lucky you can be." Nick muttered.

"You really don't know do you?" Nick looked up at Greg who seemed shocked. That puzzled Nick. Greg could be the most random person at times.

"Know what?"

"Know how goddamn special you are. I mean I thought you were just doing the 'aww shucks' routine because it was a cover. I didn't know you were really so..."

"So what Greg?" Nick said a little affronted.

"So oblivious. I mean... Nicky you're one of a kind you know that. You actually don't really know that do you?"

Nick felt very nervous being around Greg when he was talking like this. He never had before and he didn't know what to do. He was saved from having to say anything when Greg's pager beeped.

"I gotta go. It's Bobby with a bullet from my crime scene. Look why don't you and me go out to breakfast? I'll pay."

"Greg..."

"I'm serious. I'm not taking no for an answer." Greg said as he walked away.

Nick tried his hardest not to vomit.

Chapter 2

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