Title: A Speical Gift
By: Fran Holland
Pairing: Gil/Nick

Gil was glad to be home. He was hot, tired and in dire need of a shower. He could have taken one at work, but he had seen Nick go in the men's shower, so he decided not to put himself through that ordeal. Then he got held up with Ecklie about overtime allocations, and so, here it was, almost two hours after quitting time. He locked the doors of the Denali and walked up the sidewalk to his front door. He stopped abruptly when he saw the large box by his front door.

The box was plain brown with holes punched out around the top. Gil had reason to be nervous around unsolicited packages. He had just made up his mind to call Brass when the box moved. A scratching sound came from inside. And then Gil heard a whimpering sound. He moved to the box and tried to peek into the holes. It was too dark to see anything, but then a dark, damp nose stuck out of one of the holes.

Gil's eyebrows knit together and he stood up so suddenly that he felt dizzy. He stepped around the box and unlocked his door. When he turned to pick up the box, he noticed the envelope stuck to the side with duct tape. The box was heavy and the weight of the animal inside kept shifting, so it was awkward to carry. He ripped the tape off the box and slit open the letter with his house key.

"Gil,

I wish I could be the one to fill your lonely days, but I think my wishes will go unanswered. You shut yourself away from people. I wonder if it's because you've been hurt before. Maybe this gift will help.

I can imagine your face and thoughts when you open the box. You will think that this is a bad idea. That you don't have the time. That you cannot give it the love it needs. But you are wrong.

I hope this makes you smile and I wish I could see your face.

A friend"

He stared at the note and then stared at the box. He quickly got a knife out of the kitchen and carefully cut the duct tape. When he opened the flaps, his breath caught. Staring up at him from inside the box was the cutest puppy he had ever seen. Gil reached down and picked up the trembling puppy.

"Hey little guy." Gil crooned into the puppy's soft fur. The puppy snuggled into Gil's neck and Gil was lost.

He noticed writing on one of the inner flaps. Written in black marker were the words, 'I don't have a name yet, that's up to you. I'm a registered boxer, my papers are in your mailbox.'

Gil had never had a dog, or a cat, for that matter. He had never had a hamster or bird either. He had insects and other creepy crawly things and they made him happy. But he could not get over the feel of the wiggling, warm body in his arms.

He held the puppy out from him and said, "So, you're a boy." The puppy responded by licking his nose. He laughed and walked into the kitchen.

"Let's get you some water and then we'll have to see about your other needs." Gil sat the puppy on the floor and got a small bowl out of a cabinet and filled it with water. He sat it on the floor and the puppy sniffed it, then lapped a few times. The puppy sat back on his haunches and yipped sharply.

"What is it?" Gil did not know the first thing about dogs and their needs. He realized that he needed to get on the Internet or buy a book really fast.

The puppy stood up on gangly legs and trotted over to Gil and peed on the floor.

"Okay, well, thanks for telling me." Gil grabbed some paper towels and bent to clean up the mess. The puppy grabbed the paper towel and ran. Gil chased the puppy around the living room and back into the kitchen, catching him when his feet slid out from under him on the tile floor.

Gil finally got the mess cleaned up and picked the puppy up again. He snuggled with the puppy for a few minutes and then picked up his phone. He dialed his friend's number.

"Jim. Hope I caught you before you went to bed." Gil said into the phone.

"I was just about there, what's up?" Jim said sleepily.

"Have you ever had a dog?" Gil asked.

"Dog?" Jim shot back.

"Yes, Jim. Canine."

"Okay, okay, I know you have a reason for asking, but I really don't want to know what it is right now. My wife had one of those frou-frou kinda dogs, does that count?

"What did you feed it? How do you stop it from peeing in the house? Hey, little guy, stop chewing on my shoe."

"Who's chewing on your shoe?" Jim asked, wide awake now.

"My puppy." Gil said distractedly, since the puppy had taken one of the entomology magazines on the floor and was tearing it to shreds.

"When did you get a dog?" Jim was stunned, Gil never seemed the 'pet' kinda guy,

"Today. Someone gave it to me as a gift." Gil was chasing the puppy, trying to wrangle the magazine from his mouth and the puppy thought that this was a great game.

Jim could hear high-pitched barking. "Who?"

"Who?" Gil asked.

"Who gave you the dog? Jesus, Gil, try to follow the conversation." Jim said.

"Oh, the dog. I'm not sure." Gil was relieved when the puppy finally lay down next to the couch and rolled over on his back. He reached down to rub the fat belly. His heart melted when the puppy shut his eyes and fell asleep with all four paws stuck up in the air.

"Not sure? What do you mean you aren't sure?"

"He was left on my doorstep." Gil had sat down on the floor next to the puppy and just watched him sleeping.

"Are you going to keep it?" Jim asked.

"Of course." Gil said, and realized that he meant it. He was already half in love with this little furry bundle of energy. Besides, someone wanted him to have it. Someone who knew he was lonely. Someone that obviously cared about him. Sara.

"I just don't know anything about dogs." Gil said quietly.

"Okay, here's what you do. Pack up the thing and take it to one of those megastores for pets. I think there is one over off 95, over near the airport."

"He's a puppy, Jim, not a thing." Gil sounded peeved.

"Alright, take the puppy to the megastore and they will help you. I've seen their ads on television, they have everything you need." Jim said. "Now, I'm going to bed. See you tonight." He hung up.

Gil closed his phone and continued to gaze down at the puppy. He dozed off with his head up against the couch.

The first thing that registered was that his neck was killing him. The second was that something wet and warm was on his face. He opened his eyes to see the puppy eyeball to eyeball with him.

Gil glanced at his watch. He had only slept for an hour. Yawning, he sat up and scooped up the puppy.

"It looks like you and me are going shopping." Gil slipped his shoes back on and grabbed his keys.

The puppy peed on the seat of the Denali. "Look, you can't be doing that." Gil mentally added upholstery shampoo to his shopping list. Soon, he was pulling into the large pet store that Jim told him about. It was huge. He bundled the puppy in his arms and headed inside.

He had not even gotten into the door good when three young salespeople, wearing dark blue shirts came up to him.

"Ohhh, look. Isn't he sweet?

Can I hold him?

What's his name?

Gil let the two girls and the one boy rant and rave over the puppy for a few minutes, trying to answer each of their questions. Finally, he had enough and cleared his throat loudly.

"Excuse me, I need everything that a puppy needs, including books, food, whatever. Could you help me with that?" Gil looked at each salesperson expectantly.

"Sure!" The young man answered first. "I'll get a cart and show you want you need." By the time the young man proclaimed they were done, Gil was dazed and if the cart was anything to go by, he was broke too. Stuck on top of the pile of bowls, treats, food, leash, collar, crate and other assorted stuff, was the book 'Puppies for Dummies". How appropriate, Gil thought.

Two hundred dollars later, Gil loaded the puppy in the car and headed home. The puppy, who had been passed all around at the pet store was sleeping again. Gil glanced down at him. Why had Sara given him this dog? It was Sara, he was sure of it. He'd have to approach her about it and say thank you.

Gil pulled in his parking spot and began the job of unloading the truck one-handedly, since he was afraid to let the puppy loose. There were cars, after all. He could be hit.

Once he had everything in, he set up the puppy gate so it blocked off the kitchen. He tossed several of the toys in the kitchen, set out food and water in the new stainless steel bowls, and set up the crate with a soft sheepskin blanket. He had even put down the special pads that the salesperson had recommended for potty-training. He watched the puppy chewing blissfully on a stuffed bumble bee for a few minutes. He sure was cute. He had to come up with a name soon.

Gil headed upstairs to shower and sleep. He was hungry too, but that could wait. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

His alarm woke him at 6:00. He had two hours to shower, eat, play with the puppy. He rushed through his shower and dressed quickly. He was halfway down the stairs when he heard the pitiful whining. He rushed over to the puppy gate and once the puppy saw him, the whining stopped abruptly and the puppy threw himself at the gate. Gil reached down and hugged the wiggling creature.

"Hey, little one. Did you miss me?" Gil crooned softly.

The puppy was bathing his face with his tongue. Gil laughed. He took the puppy out onto his patio. It was a small area, but fenced so Gil did not have to worry about traffic. Gil sat the puppy down and the puppy set off to do some exploring. Gil watched with amusement as the puppy chased his tail.

Gil went back inside to microwave a frozen dinner. Once it was done, he brought the meal and a bottle of water outside to eat at his rarely used patio table. Every few minutes, the puppy would run over to Gil's feet and gaze adoringly up at him before running off again.

For once, Gil didn't want to go to work. He wanted to stay home and play. Unfortunately, that wasn't an option and after putting the puppy in the kitchen and making sure he had fresh water, Gil grabbed the 'Puppies for Dummies' book and headed to the crime lab.

He met his team in the conference room. After he sent Nick, Warrick and Greg on a double homicide, and Catherine on a B&E, he told Sara that she was with him.

"What do we have?" Sara asked.

"We have a missing person. Husband hasn't been seen for three days. Police found his car at a strip mall over near Henderson."

Gil waited until she had her seatbelt buckled before he handed her the police file on the case. She read in silence while he drove. When she finally finished and shut the file, Gil asked her, "Have you ever had a dog?"

Sara looked at him quizzically, "Dog? I've never been a dog lover. I mean, I like looking at them, I just never wanted one around me. You know, fleas, slobber, it's all kind of gross to me. Why do you ask?"

"Just making conversation." Gil said staring straight ahead at the traffic.

Several hours later, Gil and Sara returned to the crime lab to process their evidence. Greg came into the trace lab where Gil was busy with the floor mats of their missing person's car.

"Hey Grissom, I've got our vic's clothing" he said holding up two brown paper bags, "can I share the table?"

"Sure Greg, I just have these two mats. I'll be out of your way in a second." Gil said. "Oh, Greg, by the way, do you like dogs?"

"Dogs? Sure, doesn't everyone. I had a cocker spaniel named Miss Poe when I was in high school. She was so sweet, but she had serious issues with peeing every time she got excited. Mom got rid of her when I left for college. I don't....." Greg rambled on until Gil interrupted him.

"Thanks, Greg. Look, I have to ask you a question." Gil said seriously, glancing towards the open doorway and then lowering his voice. "Did you give me a puppy?"

Greg busted out laughing, but abruptly stopped when he realized Gil was serious. "No, I didn't. What's going on?"

"Someone left a puppy on my doorstep this morning and I don't know who it came from." Gil said quietly. "I asked Sara too. I'm just trying to figure out where he came from."

"Are you going to keep it?" Greg asked.

"I guess so, someone thought enough about me to give me a gift, so I suppose I should keep it. I've never had a dog before though, I really don't know what I'm doing."

"Let's see, sounds like you need Dog 101." Greg leaned on the table between them and said, "Warrick doesn't strike me as a dog person. Catherine has a kid, so she could probably help, but your best bet is probably Nick."

"Why Nick?" Gil asked.

"I know that Nick's sister is into that whole dog show thing. She's in Vegas at some big dog show at the Civic Center. I know this, because Nick introduced her at breakfast the other morning."

"Were was I?" Gil wondered aloud. He usually joined his team for breakfast when he could.

"I believe that was the morning that you and Ecklie had your meeting with the sheriff."

"Right, I remember. So, Nick's sister shows dogs. That's interesting. Thanks, Greg." Gil said as he walked out of the room.

Gil went to his office and sat down. He leaned back in his chair and sighed. He was no closer to finding out who gave him the puppy. He had been sure it was Sara. He knew Catherine wouldn't have done something like this. He picked up the thick yellow book and began reading about housebreaking.

The end of shift came and went and Gil left for home. After pulling out of the parking lot, he decided to stop by the Civic Center and see he could find Nick's sister. He could only stay a little while, because he had to get home to Tex. Tex, where did that name come from?

The Civic Center parking lot was packed with cars, trucks, vans and campers of every shape and size. He parked in the loading zone. The official plates on the car would prevent it from being towed and he really was only going to be here for a few minutes.

The buzz of activity inside the building assaulted his senses. There was barking and laughing, sounds of blow dryers and dogs of every shape and size. He followed the signs towards the show rings. He couldn't really make sense of the controlled chaos around him. He saw several men and women in gold jackets, so he walked up to a middle aged women and asked, "Could you tell me where a particular person is showing?"

The women smiled and said, "I'm sorry. This show has over 350 entries." She held up a thick book. "I have the catalog here, which breed are they showing? Maybe we can narrow it down."

"I really don't know. I'm sorry to bother you. I didn't realize dog shows were so big." Gil said looking around him.

The woman laughed softly, "This is not nearly as big as some."

"Well, thanks again." Gil turned to leave and then turned back, "Where are the boxers showing?"

"Lovely breed. Let me see." She said thumbing through here catalog. "They will be showing in thirty minutes in Ring 3. There are forty entries in the various classes. If you want to talk to the exhibiters, I believe they are set up over by the back entrance. Most of the exhibiters stay in one area for their grooming."

"Thank you." Gil turned and headed for the back entrance. He did not know what he was looking for but he'd know it when he found it.

When he got to the main entrance, he saw several large boxers up on tables and figured this was the right area. He stood there and looked around and finally approached a portly gentleman around Gil's own age.

"Excuse me. May I ask you some questions?" Gil asked.

"Sure. Are you interested in boxers?" The man had a southern accent.

"Yes. Someone has given me a boxer puppy as a gift and I know nothing about the breed, actually, I don't know anything about dogs at all."

The man shook his head. "I wish people would think things through before they gave dogs as gifts. It isn't fair to the dog or the person receiving the dog. I go in the ring in about 25 minutes, but I'll answer any questions you have. Bosco is ready for his big day, aren't ya, boy?" The man gave the dog a gentle hug.

"Well, I really don't know what questions to ask. I got a book and I plan on getting on the Internet. He's a beautiful little guy and I've decided to keep him."

"First thing I would do, besides reading, is find a vet. A good one, near your home. Ask around here, there are locals showing today, they can point you in the right direction for a reputable vet."

Before Gil could respond, a very attractive young woman approached. "Tom, do you still have that brindle bitch out of El Rey's Born to Run?" She noticed Gil and said, "Oh, I'm sorry to interrupt."

"It's okay." Gil said, studying the woman closely. She looked vaguely familiar.

"Stephanie, this gentleman just received a puppy as a gift and I was trying to point him in the right direction. In answer to your question, I do still have her. She has seven points, one major. I didn't bring her here, she went into heat and it's so distracting to all the other dogs. I've got her registered in the Boulder show in two weeks though."

"Great. I can't wait to see her. We'll talk then about breeding her to my newest boy once she takes her championship."

Gil felt like he was listening to a foreign language. He looked from one person to the other.

The woman looked at him. "Sorry, we get carried away sometimes." She held out her hand, "Stephanie Stokes. You got a puppy, huh? What breed?"

Gil's eyes widened in shock. "Stokes?"

"Yes." She looked amused. "Is something wrong?"

"I...no, not really. Do you have a brother named Nick?"

It was her turn to look shocked. "Yes, I do. Do you know him?"

"I'm Gil Grissom. Nick is one of my CSI's."

"Oh my God!" She grabbed Gil's arm. "Excuse me, Tom." She pulled Gil around a corner.

"You're him." She seemed agitated.

"Him?"

She covered her face with her hands. "Oh, no."

"Miss Stokes?"

"I'm sorry, this is a little strange." She looked up at him. "Look, I'm due in the ring in ten minutes. I should be done with all my dogs in around an hour, then I'll have a break. Please, please wait for me. I've got to talk to you."

"Miss Stokes, what is going on here? I received one of your puppies, didn't I?" Gil asked.

"I can't explain now." Before Gil could stop her, she was gone.

Gil was torn. He knew that Tex had been alone for almost ten hours. Even he knew that it wasn't good for the small dog to be alone that long. On the other hand, he wanted to unravel this mystery. He decided to run home, let Tex out and make sure he had food and water, then come back here. He could manage it all in under an hour.

****

Gil made it back to the Civic Center with about ten minutes to spare. He felt bad about leaving Tex alone again so soon, but he would make it up to him when he got home.

He went right to Ring 3 and watched as Stephanie Stokes' received a blue ribbon from the judge. She bent to hug her big, red male. As she exited the ring, Gil was waiting for her.

"Congratulations." Gil told the young woman.

"Thank you. Come with me." She turned and made her way through the crowds with her dog. They got back to the rear entrance and she walked over to a quiet area. There were five crates and a large table, Gil assumed for grooming dogs.

"Mr. Grissom. I love my brother. He is a very special man. When I told him that I was coming to Vegas for this show, he asked if I had any litters available. It just so happened that I had a litter that was ready to go. He asked me to bring him one. He was very specific. He said that this puppy was going to someone...someone that he really cared for."

Gil felt light-headed. What was she saying?

"Mr. Grissom, are you okay?"

"I'm not sure." Gil whispered.

"Oh God, I've really messed up. Please, please don't tell Nick what I've told you. He....you....aren't interested in him that way, are you?"

"Miss Stokes, I had no idea that Nick felt..." Gil swallowed hard. "I assumed it was one sided on my part. I just assumed that Nick was...I mean he's so...."

She touched his arm and smiled, "Texan? Straight? Gorgeous?"

Gil returned her smile, "All those things."

"Mr. Grissom, Nick is almost forty and this is the first time I've ever seen him like this. When I got into Vegas, all he talked about was you and how much he cared about you and how he wanted to surprise you with a puppy because he felt you needed something to love you."

"I named him Tex."

"What? But I thought you didn't know..."

"I didn't. The name just came to me."

"Wow." Suddenly she laughed. It was a delighted laugh. "You and Nick are perfect for each other, I just feel it."

"Miss Stokes." Gil started but was interrupted.

"It's Stephanie." Then she did something that had Gil at a total loss. She hugged him.

"Stephanie, then." He disengaged himself. "I'm at a loss here. I don't know what to do about this."

"I would suggest that you call my brother, or better yet, go see him. You both need to talk, don't you think?

Gil just looked down into her smiling face. "I don't know...."

She grabbed his hand and began walking towards the exit. Once they got to the front door, she turned, "Gil, can I call you Gil? I've got to be here for several more hours. I've got a group win today, so I won't be back to Nick's place until probably 4:00 or so. Go." She pushed him. "Go talk to Nick."

"You're pushy." Gil said simply.

"You'll get used to it." She smiled, waved and went back inside.

Gil drove home, his thoughts chaotic. He unlocked the door and headed straight to the kitchen. He heard whining and spoke softly, "It's okay, it's just me. I'm home now."

Gil picked up the quivering puppy and hugged him and headed out the back door. Once Tex was on the ground, he leaped and rolled and ran. Gil laughed at his antics and sat down in a chair to watch. Finally, the puppy lay at Gil's feet and began chewing on his shoestrings.

"No. Tex." Gil pushed the little dog away. Tex wondered off to explore the potted plants. Gil pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. He pulled up Nick's number and was just about to dial, when he noticed the time. Nick would probably be asleep. He clicked the phone shut and sat there wondering what to do next.

He should be tired. But Stephanie's revelation about Nick's feelings had all his nerves sizzling. Could it really be true? Did Nick share his feelings?

Tex squatted down and peed. Gil praised him. He had read in the book that you should always praise your dog for going outside.

Before he could talk himself out of it again, he flipped open his phone and hit Nick's number. It rang three times before Nick's groggy voice answered.

"Stokes."

Gil could not speak, he had a sudden mental picture of Nick's tousled hair, Nick in bed with sleepy eyes.

"Grissom? Are you there?" Nick asked, more awake than before.

Caller ID, Gil thought. That's how he knew it was him. Damn, he sometimes hated caller ID. He cleared his throat. "Nick, I...I'm sorry I woke you.

"It's okay. Do I need to come in?" Nick asked.

"What?"

"Grissom, are you okay?"

"Nick, can I come see you. Wait, no. Can you come over to my place?"

"What? Now?" Nick's voice sounded very alert now.

"No, look, Nick, just forget I called. Go back to sleep. I'll just see you tonight at work." Gil clicked his phone shut before Nick could reply.

Gil stood and Tex rushed over to bark at him. "Come on, let's go to bed."

Gil walked towards the door, and Tex followed. Once they were inside, Gil gave him fresh water and put him in the kitchen. "I'll see you in a few hours."

Gil was only halfway up the stairs when he heard Tex whining. He paused, the book said not to let your puppy sleep with you until they were completely housebroken, but he sounded so pitiful. No, he wanted to do this right.

Thirty minutes later he had showered and was just about to pull the comforter down to crawl in bed, when the doorbell rang.

Since Gil usually slept nude, he had to throw on a pair of sweat pants. He jogged down the stairs and not bothering to look out the security hole, swung the door open.

Nick stood there, getting ready to ring the bell again.

"Nick. What are you doing here?"

"I got a very strange call from my boss and I just wondered what was going on." Nick said. "Can I come in?"

Gil moved to the side and followed Nick into the living room. He noticed that Nick seemed to be looking for something.

"He's in the kitchen."

Nick managed to fake confusion, "Who?"

"Tex."

Nick sat heavily on the couch. "How did you find out?"

"I followed evidence." Gil said. "And for the record, I named him before I found out he was from you."

Gil turned and went to the kitchen. Tex bounded out of his crate and wiggled all over. Gil picked him up and held him to his neck. He went back to face Nick.

Nick smiled at the gentle way that Gil was holding the puppy. At that moment, Nick knew he had made the right decision. "I'm glad you like him."

"I do. Very much." Gil said softly.

"He's got great bloodlines, both of his parents were champions. My sister, Stephanie, breeds some of the best boxers in the country. She travels all over to dog shows. She's in town...."

"I've met her." Gil interrupted.

"Oh." Nick looked contrite. "I hope she didn't talk your ear off."

Inside, Nick was panicking. What had Stephanie told Gil? Nick had poured his heart out to his sister. She wouldn't have repeated any of that, would she?

"We had a very insightful conversation. She's very persuasive."

"Persuasive? What do you mean?" Nick suddenly felt sick to his stomach. Stephanie had spilled the beans. Nick looked down at his shoes and refused to meet the eyes of his boss.

"She seems to think that we'd be perfect for each other." Gil's voice was so soft that Nick had to look up. "I was hoping that you would agree with her."

"What?" Nick said stupidly.

Gil sat down on the other end of the couch and put Tex on the floor. The puppy ran around for a minute, then he noticed Nick and ran over and sniffed around his shoes.

"Nick, I've had feelings for you for a long time. I had no idea until today that you were bi-sexual. I would really like to explore this...this..." Gil motioned with his hands, "whatever this is."

"I would like that." Nick was still watching the puppy and avoiding eye contact.

"I'm so glad that you gave me Tex. I've never had a dog before, and didn't know how much one could come to mean to a person."

"I'm glad." Nick said softly.

"Nick?" Gil reached over and turned Nick's head with his fingertips. "Kiss me."

THE END