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Chapter 13:

"So how was you're vacation?"

Was the first thing Nick heard when he entered his lab station that night. Jacqui was wringing her hands in a nervous manner like she was anxious about something. Nick rolled his eyes.

"It wasn't really a vacation. It's not like we went anywhere." Nick said.

"So you guys just stayed at home?"

"You're awfully interested in my life."

"Look, I know David is like your best friend and all, but remember when it was just the two of us? We'd tell each other everything and gossip." Jacqui said with an earnest smile on her face. Nick smiled a little.

"Yeah okay. We used to be really good friends."

"I thought we still are?"

"We are."

"So... spill." Jacqui said. Nick rolled his eyes

"You know the reason David is my best friend is because he doesn't demand knowledge on my life." Nick said.

"I know you don't like talking about those things, but come on you gotta give me something. All those times we'd sit here and talk about your little crush on Greg. I let you gush Nick. Gush.

"I don't even let Archie gush about Star whatever like I let you gush about Greg. Or well how you used to gush. You get what you want and suddenly the gushing stops. Come on Nick you owe me details."

Nick lowered his head and sighed. Jacqui wasn't going to give up any time soon.

"Fine, what details do you want?" Nick asked in an exasperated tone.

"The obvious. What did you and Greg do with your time off? Did he take you anywhere special?" Jacqui asked. Nick smiled.

"We didn't go anywhere. We stayed at my place." Jacqui frowned.

"You didn't go anywhere?"

"Nope. We stayed in. Greg cooked."

"Greg can cook!"

"Yup. Really well too. Cooked me breakfast in bed." Nick said with a smile on his face. Jacqui sighed.

"Now how come I can't find me a guy like that. I mean seriously."

"He is great isn't he." Nick said bright smile on his face.

"Oh see now you're gushing. You're big time gushing. As long as you don't do a happy dance though I guess I'm okay. Completely one hundred percent jealous, but okay." Jacqui said.

"I can't help it. Every time I think about Greg... does it sound girly to say I get butterflies in my stomach?"

"Yes, Nick, it's very girly, but very sweet at the same time. So... any exchange of I love yous yet?" Jacqui asked. Nick frowned.

"Jacqui it's only been four dates."

"And you two have been dancing around each other for like forever. Now I may have been blind to Greg, but not you, babe. I know you're in love with him." Nick felt like biting his fingernails, which wouldn't have been good considering he was wearing latex gloves.

He wasn't entirely sure that he was in love with Greg. The thought had crossed his mind a few times, but he was never really sure. He hadn't ever really been in love like that, sad and pathetic as it may seem. Things with Greg... they were right. They fit. Everything just seemed so perfect and Nick was just a little scared that it was going to turn out wrong.

"Can't I just enjoy the fact that we're together without getting all heavy about it?" Nick asked.

"Sure, of course, but you know... you and I both know that this is the real thing. Don't waste time just because of nerves or something even more ridiculous." Jacqui said.

Nick nodded. Jacqui could be wise when she wanted to be. Nick knew she was more than likely right about what she was saying, but he couldn't seem to get passed the fact that the whole thing, as right and good as it felt, was still pretty brand new.

"You're right. And I won't. I just wanna be sure that we're both ready for something like that."

"Uh huh. No I get it. Make sure everything's right and perfect. Makes total sense."

"Good. Anyway I better get back to work. My break ended like five minutes ago." Jacqui said.

"Mmm... kay see you later."

"You too." Jacqui said.

"And Nick."

Nick looked up from his work. Jacqui stood in the doorway, soft smile on her face.

"Yeah."

"Don't wait too long."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"So did you break out the toys?" Sara asked grin on her face as the processed the car.

"A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell." Greg said bemused look on his face.

"Oh you so broke out the toys." Sara said with a snicker.

"As a matter of fact, I didn't. We were at Nicky's house the entire time therefore I didn't really have any toys to break out."

"But if there were toys to break out..."

"Nicky's not ready for that kind of stuff yet. I'm trying to ease him into the hard stuff."

"But he's worth it apparently."

"Not everyone I've dated was into the hard stuff, Sara. Yeah sure I've had a few wild experience, but just because I've had a few doesn't mean they're all wild."

"Right. That's why you have a whole drawer filled with sex toys. Because you're not wild." Sara said rolling her eyes.

"Sara, do you really think this is something we should be discussing at a crime scene."

"It's not like the cops care who your dating. And I sure as heck don't. Doesn't make a lot of sense to tiptoe around it." Sara said.

"I guess you're right. Still..."

"Bet you're just pissed off because you had to work a double your first day back and Grissom hasn't allowed you to take evidence back to your boyfriend." Sara said. Greg rolled his eyes at her.

"Well, it is kind of sadistic of him, but I'm dealing really. I mean it's not like I have to see Nicky every minute of every day." Greg said though he wasn't exactly sure that was true.

Nick had entered his mind more than once since he and Sara started processing Alison Carpenter's rental car. He'd had Nick on the brain ever since they parted ways at Nick's house.

They'd gotten a little more sleep, both of them barely being able to keep their hands off of each other despite getting caught by the cops. He didn't want to go back to work. He didn't want to do much of anything besides lie around with Nick, but he knew that that dream was impossible.

"No, but it's definitely nice that you can go back to the lab after a brutal crime scene and see someone that'll make you smile."

"Ah, Sara you underestimate yourself. You make me smile." Sara rolled her eyes.

"You know you're in a relationship now Greg. The incessant flirting... it should stop soon."

"I know, but sometimes I forget. I guess you're right though. But it's not much different from before Nick and I were Nick and I."

"You got that right. I think you showed lots of restraint holding yourself back from throwing him over a desk or something."

"There were times when Grissom's desk did look mighty good." Greg said with a smirk.

Sara laughed and shook her head.

"You're crazy you do know this right."

"Yeah, well I make no apologies for it."

"I'm sure Grissom will let you give Nick evidence to process... that sounded kind of dirty." Sara said scrunching up her nose.

"Yeah. It really did."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"So then Grissom tells me to just wait for Greg and Sara. Like he's immune to my ass kissing." David said in an exasperated tone.

"Well you sure do a lot of ass kissing, David. I mean sometimes people just... tune it out." Nick said.

He was way to busy processing evidence. He was working on the semen found in Greg, Grissom and Sara's case. He had hoped that Greg would bring it to him, but Grissom showed up.

Not that Nick wasn't happy to see his boss, but he wondered if Grissom had forgiven him for the blackmail earlier. Despite Grissom saying that he liked Nick because of his bold behavior, Nick wasn't going to take any chances.

"Yeah, but I was laying it on thick."

"You're always laying it on thick. You're only not laying it on thick when you don't think the person is worthy of your ass kissing."

"Hmmm... okay you're probably right, but he could have at least acknowledged the great work."

"Why? They never acknowledge are work as great unless it breaks the case. You're expecting Grissom to fall for it... that's asking a bit much. Even Ecklie doesn't go for that brown-nosing routine." Nick said. He pressed a few buttons on his computer to run his results through CODIS.

"Yeah okay. I don't understand why though."

"Because that's just the way it is." Nick said. He sat patiently waiting for his results.

When the machine beeped, he printed out his results. He looked at them and frowned.

"What?"

"Well, looks like I've got a hit. Jason Kent. 1987 'The Circle Killer'."

"You're knowledge about these things is outstanding." Hodges said in a dull tone. Nick rolled his eyes.

"Seriously though. This is important. This is a lucky break. I gotta get these to Grissom."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Greg was way too pleased with himself. He couldn't believe that there case was going so well. And Grissom had let him take a break knowing full well he was going to go bug Nick. Greg wasn't sure when he gotten to the point where he needed to see Nick all the time day in and day out, but he was there and he wasn't about to complain.

Nick was letting him see him day in and day out. Letting him be close and Greg couldn't ask for more.

"Hey, you busy." Greg watched as Nick looked up from his work, bright smile illuminating his face. Greg couldn't help but smile back.

"Not really I guess. I could always take a break." "So take a break. I wanna talk to you."

"Not about anything bad I hope?" Nick said in an uneasy tone.

"Of course not, Nicky. Why would me wanting to talk to you be bad? I just... I haven't seen you in awhile and I know it sounds completely sappy, but I can't help it. Warrick would so tease me until forever if he just heard that." Nick laughed at that statement.

"You don't want it getting out that you're sappy. You're gonna have to talk to Jacqui about that one." Nick said as he shook his head.

"Oh so you talked to Jacqui about us. Miss Queen of the Lab. Thought you wouldn't talk to anyone about our personal lives."

"I never said that. I mean I have to talk to my friends."

"Can I assume that Hodges knows everything about our relationship too." Greg said in a teasing tone.

"No, David doesn't know much. Just that we're dating. He seems to have it in his mind that I can do better." Nick said in a nonchalant tone. Greg looked affronted.

"And..."

"And I told him that if he couldn't say anything nice than don't say anything at all. Besides he may be okay with the fact that I'm... you know... gay, but that doesn't mean he wants details. Jacqui on the other hand..."

"How much did you tell her?"

"Well I didn't tell her the positions or where if that's what you're asking." Nick said rolling his eyes.

"I didn't think you did. And of course that car thing..."

"Greg mentioning it isn't going to help Grissom keep it quiet. The lab has ears you know." Nick said shaking his head.

"Yeah I know. Still... got admit... it was pretty..."

"Yeah okay. It was pretty..."

"Of course it's always like that with us." Greg said with a smile.

"You won't hear any contradictions from me." Nick said his smile matching Greg's.

"People are gonna start talking if we keep smiling at each other like this. Thought you wanted to remain professional."

"People are already talking. And you kind of blew that whole professional thing when you tempted me into the backseat of your car."

"Oh so that was all my fault. None of the blame falls on you."

"Well I blame myself for not being able to resist you better. Maybe if I had been more of a grown up that wouldn't have happened."

"You're not going to lord it over me for the rest of our existence... are you?" Greg asked.

"Well I think it deserves a good amount of lording for the time being, but not for the rest of our existence. It'll all be forgotten in the future." Nick said.

"Yeah you say that now, but I've seen you in action, Nicky. I know you can be evil when you want to be."

"Me evil? No, I think you've got the evil on the wrong shoe here. You're the one who's evil."

"Moi, I'm evil. No see, I didn't blackmail my boss."

"Yes, but I'm not the one that seduced me into the back of a car for sex. If you hadn't done that then I wouldn't have had to blackmail Grissom... again."

"But you blackmailed him in the first place."

"Yeah, but... that was for a good cause." Nick said weakly.

"Us having three uninterrupted days of fucking is a good cause."

"Greg!"

"What? I thought you said our professionalism is out the window. Besides it's not like they don't all already know. Hell Sara even asked if I used some of my toys." Greg said shrugging his shoulders.

"Still... all professionalism may be gone, but we could at least not be blatant about it."

"Fine we're being subtle. If I can be professional, I can be subtle. I most really love you or something." Greg muttered from his chair.

Nick's head snapped up, his eyes went wide and his mouth opened.

"What?" He asked.

"What, what?"

"Did... I mean did you just say that... you loved me?" Nick asked. Greg's eyebrows furrowed and he bit his lip. He shrugged his shoulders and sighed.

"Yeah I guess."

"You guess? You guess you said you loved me? Greg... do you even realize how big something like that is? You can't just throw that out there like you were commenting on the weather." Nick said.

"I thought you knew that I loved you. I mean... I thought it was pretty obvious." Greg said shrugging his shoulder again.

Nick was really getting sick of him shrugging his shoulders.

"Have you ever said it? I mean... Greg we've only been dating for a few days. Love?"

"What you don't love me?"

"No, that's not what I'm saying, but..."

"Look the way I see it Nicky... we've been wasting time. Lots of time. Had we both been honest with each other from the start we'd be at this point already. I know I've been in love with you for the longest time. I think you feel the same way about me." Greg said.

Some time during the conversation he'd ended up very close to Nick. They were merely inches away and Nick wasn't sure that was good if he was barely noticing something like that. It was probably really bad.

Greg had taken Nick's hand and was playing with his fingers and Nick couldn't help but melt just a little bit because he did love Greg. He loved Greg a lot. He loved Greg more than he thought he could ever love anybody in the whole world.

"You have the shittiest timing... not to mention the fact that you just blurted it out like it was no big thing."

"It isn't. I mean it's just something that is."

"No, Greg, it's special. You don't just... okay I'm going to sound like a girl when I say this, but when you say I love you for the first time it's gotta be special and romantic and there should be a date or something involved." Nick said fidgeting a little bit.

Greg might laugh at him, but that was just the way he felt.

"Oh, um... well... I've never done the I love you thing before, but technically I didn't say I love you. I said I must really love you or something. So technically I didn't blow it." Greg said. Nick laughed.

"You logic is astounding you do realize that right."

"So, I get a chance to do this right, right? Flowers, chocolate, fancy restaurant, nice clothes, back to your place for I love yous and making love." Greg said.

"You know I don't think you're supposed to plan out when you say I love you." Nick said.

"Sure you do. Or at least one party does. And I'm sure Sara plans it out to the tee, not even caring what the other guy says." Greg said.

"It's not right to make fun of your friends."

"Oh she loves me. She wouldn't care. I'm like the annoying little brother she never had." Greg said.

They stood there smiling at each other for an endless amount of minutes, which was really only three, before Greg's beeper started going off. Greg took it out from his pocket and looked at it.

"Archie's beeping me. Looks like he's ready to start going over those tapes. So I'll see you later." Greg said eyes a bit pleading. Nick bit his bottom lip and shook his head.

"Of course."

"Good. I swear I'll make up for being... well me."

"It's okay Greg. You're just you."

"But you still want the extravagant?" Nick shook his head yes.

"Well than what am I to do but give it to you." Greg said placing a small kiss on Nick's nose.

"You better go." Nick said when Greg pulled away.

"Yeah, Archie gets kind of grumpy when you don't immediately return his page."

"Yeah, the only thing he's really serious about." Nick said as Greg walked out the door.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"So, you paged, Archie." Greg said flopping into the seat next to Archie.

"Yes, I did. I just got finished with some back log from dayshift and I'm ready to go over those tapes you found in Alison Carpenter's motel room." Archie said slight smile on his face.

"Day shift's always backlogging. You'd think, what with their supposed better than us status they'd be able to get their things done." Greg said.

"Well you don't have to talk to me about that. I mean I've had their backlog tons of times to know that there's nothing remotely superior about them." Archie said.

"Must just be Ecklie spreading some more wild rumors."

"Well at least he hasn't gotten word of you and Nick. I think he'd have a conniption."

"Not his place to have a conniption. No where does it say that interoffice relationships aren't allowed."

"That's true, but anything that's remotely bad looking for the lab, Ecklie gets on. Now I like you and I like Nick and I think whatever you to do on your own time is great, but Ecklie... he's a stickler for all things confirmatory." Archie said as he grabbed a few things and took out a few tapes.

"Not to mention he's always having Nicky do things for him just because." Greg said.

"Yeah, if it were me I'd tell him to have his own techs process things. But you know Nick is the best and being that Nick is the best Ecklie just loves to abuse the fact that Nick can't really say no to anyone."

"Yeah, I'm trying to work on that."

"Good, because I may just be a lower rung of 'The Circle', but I know that Nick's just letting Ecklie walk over him too much." Archie said shaking his head.

"Thought you were allowed to talk about 'The Circle'?"

"Well, I'm not, but I figure Nick's probably already talked to you about 'The Circle'. Besides I don't think Jacqui would mind. Other lab techs know about it, but if the CSIs every really figured it out..."

"Let me guess... it would be total and complete chaos." Greg said. Archie smiled.

"Yeah, something like that." Archie said as he put a tape into the player.

"Now let's get..."

Archie was cut off by a loud bang coming from inside the lab. The whole place shook hard as though there had been an earthquake. None of Archie's equipment fell, but it did move out of its place.

Both Archie and Greg had to hold onto something as the whole crime lab shook and then settled. The smell of smoke and burning chemicals filled the air. Screams and cries could be heard from outside of the A/V lab.

"What the hell was that?" Archie asked.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out." Greg said as he walked out of the A/V lab.

He knew Archie was probably following behind him. Greg was practically running through the other labs. People were pushing past him to the exit, but Greg kept walking to the area of whatever had happened. He heard the words 'explosion' and 'broken glass', but it was only when he heard the words 'DNA lab' that his eyes went wide with fear and his heart started to beat faster. He pushed past all the people as hard as he could, fear and bile rising in his throat.

He wasn't sure what he expected to find when he got to the blast area. Pieces of ceiling were hanging out of place, glass crunched beneath his feet. Smoke rose from the destroyed area.

The DNA lab was definitely the focal point of the blast, whatever the blast was, and it was in ruins. All of Nick's fancy equipment was destroyed, not to mention whatever evidence he hadn't processed yet. Smoke irritated Greg's eyes and made him cough, but he pushed forward.

When he saw him, just lying on the ground on his stomach not really moving, Greg panicked. He wasn't sure if he had screamed or not. He probably had, but he couldn't remember. He knelled down on the ground, not even noticing the bits of glass that tore into his clothes and hands.

He didn't even care that the smoke was burning his lungs and he might pass out from all the fumes. Nick wasn't moving and his mind was screaming, not letting him think one single thought for more than a few seconds. He knew he must have called Nick's name, but he couldn't hear his voice over the noise of everything going on.

Nick was unconscious and injured and Greg just couldn't move away from him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Nick remembered the smell of burning plastic. He had had the goofiest grin on his face when Greg walked out of his lab. He got back to work, Grissom stopping by to ask him a few questions before passing by again. Nick had been working on Grissom's fingernail scrapings when he smelt it.

The smell was something he'd never smelt in his lab before. He turned away from his work to try and figure out where it was coming from when it happened. He couldn't even clearly remember the blast, just that it had happened and he flew through the glass walls that surrounded his lab.

He was lying on the ground, glass cutting through everywhere, his back so hot he didn't think he could stand it. He could feel his skin sizzling. He could feel the blood flowing from the cuts on his face and back and hands. Everything around him was hot and sticky and loud around him.

He could hear screaming and yelling and harsh footsteps on the ground. People were running out of the lab. People were leaving him lying on the ground. He wanted to scream, but hit voice didn't seem to come out. He wanted to hold himself up, but his arms were so weak and his body was so tired from his injuries. He looked forward and let himself fall to the ground.

The last thing he remembered before his eyes closed was Greg yelling his name.

Chapter 14

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