Title: Nothing Can Come Between Us
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Greg Sanders/Nick Stokes
Fandom: CSI: Vegas
Rating: PG-13
Table: Crimes, mission_insane
Prompt: 2, Murder
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the lovely Greg Sanders or Nick Stokes, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

Nick glanced over to where Greg was sitting on the couch, gazing out of the window as though he was looking at something that completely captured his interest. Nick was sure that Greg wasn't really looking outside, but inward, contemplating his own thoughts.

He didn't like how Greg had become so introspective ever since that terrible night they'd found him in Shane's house. His boyfriend had changed so much; there were only moments here and there when the old exuberant, happy-go-lucky Greg shone through.

He knew that Greg had a right to brood over what had happened; after all, it had changed his life in a lot of ways. But Nick hoped that some of those changes had been for the better -- after all, they were together now, and that was definitely a good thing.

But Greg was still brooding a lot more than Nick thought was healthy, even though he knew that his boyfriend wasn't clinging to the past as much as he had been when all this had first happened. He was gradually letting go; the process just needed to be helped along with a little nudge.

He'd tried to give Greg that nudge, many times over. But so far, it didn't seem to have worked -- even though his boyfriend would come out of his melancholy for a while, he always sank back into it, as though he couldn't keep his mind off everything that had taken place.

Nick could tell that Greg's mind was moving along those lines again, and he wanted to nip it in the bud, if he could. He didn't want Shane to poison his time with Greg; that bastard had done enough to wreck Greg's life when they were together. Nick wouldn't let him keep doing that.

"Do you think that Shane would try to murder me, even knowing that I'm living with you now?" Greg asked, turning his head to look at Nick. "I do. I think about that possibility every day. The idea that he might come after me and you might end up in the middle of it scares me to death."

"Where did that come from?" Nick couldn't stop himself from blurting the words out; he had no idea that Greg had been thinking about such a morbid subject. He had to get his boyfriend's mind off this train of thought, and the more quickly he did it, the better.

Greg shrugged, looking down and obviously trying to sound nonchalant when he spoke again. "I was just .... thinking about all the things that could happen. And it makes sense that Shane might try to come after me. And beyond that -- I know you'd jump between us."

"Yeah, I would," Nick said softly, getting up from the chair he was sitting in and moving to the couch to sit down beside Greg. "You know damn well I would, Greggo. He's come between us before, and I won't let him do it again. I'm keeping that bastard away from you."

"But what if you can't?" Greg whispered, his voice sounding more shaky than it had when he'd first spoken. "You can't protect me every second of every day, Nicky. And if he gets to me, I think he would try to kill me. He hates me enough for it, I know that."

Nick had to agree with that statement, but he didn't want to make Greg feel any more scared or vulnerable than he already did. Still, he felt the same way; he knew that Shane was full of hatred and anger, and that he more than likely would turn those emotions towards Greg.

"If he wants to murder you, it's not likely that he's going to get the chance," he said, trying to keep his tone as mild as he could. "You've got a lot of people protecting you, Greg. Everybody watches out for you. And we're going to catch him. It's just a matter of time. You know that."

Greg nodded slowly, the movement of hs head making Nick relax a little. It wasn't as though Greg thought that being hurt again by his ex-boyfriend was something that would be inevitable; he knew that there were people who were watching out for him, and that no one was going to let Shane get near him.

But he was right; he couldn't be watched over every second of every day. He was a grown man, not a baby, and he had a life to live. He couldn't let Shane scare him so much that he ceased to live that life; Nick wasn't going to let him go that route, and neither was anyone else.

"We deal with murder every day, but we never think about it happening to us," Greg said softly, looking down at his hands clasped in his lap. "It's like we think it can't touch us. But we put ourselves in the path of danger every day when we go to work. Willingly."

"Yeah, we do -- but we all understood when we took on this job that there's some risk involved in it," Nick said slowly, wondering if Greg was at the point where he was afraid to go to work. "Greg, you know that nothing's going to happen to you at work where Shane is concerned."

"He'll find a way if he wants to get rid of me bad enough," Greg whispered, the color draining from his face. "If he wants me dead, then he'll do whatever it takes to make it happen. I don't want to end up being just another murder statistic, Nicky. And I'm scared that I will."

"No, you won't, baby," Nick said softly, his heart breaking at Greg's words. "You don't really believe that we'll let Shane get close to you again, do you? And I don't think he wants to kill you, Greg. He wants to ...." Nick swallowed hard before he spoke again. "He wants to own you."

He reached out for Greg, wrapping his arms around the younger man's waist and pulling him close. "There's no way I'm going to let him touch you again," he whispered, raising a hand to stroke Greg's hair. "You're mine now, Greg. He can't have you back. He'll have to go through me first."

"That's what I'm scared of, more than anything else," Greg whispered, his voice breaking on a sob with the last words. "I'm scared he'll hurt you, Nick. I couldn't stand that. I could deal with anything he tries to do to me -- but I'd rather die than know that he did anything to hurt you."

"He's not going to hurt me, babe," Nick assured his boyfriend, holding Greg close and wishing that there was some way he could assuage his lover's fears completely. "I'll be careful, I promise. And there's people looking out for me, too. You don't have to worry."

"It's hard not to," Greg choked out, raising a hand to wipe away the tears that were trickling down his cheeks. "If I lost you, then I wouldn't give a damn about being alive, Nicky. You're the most important thing in my life. I don't want him to get to you. Or to me, either."

"He won't," Nick said, keeping his voice firm and strong. "Neither one of us are going to end up being a murder statistic, Greg. You've got to think more positively. We're going to find that bastard -- he's going to trip up and make a mistake sooner or later. And when he does, we'll get him."

"I keep telling myself that you're right, that nothing can come between us." Greg's voice was stronger now; he sat up straight, taking a deep breath and looking into Nick's eyes. "I believe you, Nicky. He's not going to get to me again. And if he does, I can stand up to him."

"Yes, you can," Nick told him, his words and tone earnest. "You've grown a lot since you were with him, Greg. You've been through a lot that you shouldn't have had to deal with, but it's made you stronger. You don't have to be afraid of him. You can stand your ground. I know you can."

"I can, and I will." Greg took another deep breath, smiling at Nick and nodding his head. The smile was a little wobbly around the edges, but it was there. "He's not going to murder me. And if he tries, he won't succeed. I'm not going to let him turn me into a statistic. Or you, either."

"Damn right he won't," Nick said with a smile, his arm tightening around Greg and pulling his boyfriend close against his side. He had managed to quell Greg's fears, at least for the time being. He only hoped that he would indeed be able to stop any attempts to come between them in the future.

***