Title: Buried Alive
By: Belladonna
Pairing: Gil/Nick
Rating: NC-17
Permission to archive: yes
Warnings/Spoilers: Grave Danger
Summary: Aftermath of episode 'Grave Danger'.

***

Nick writhed in pain, the ants bites were like fire in his veins and he couldn't make them stop. Make them stop! MAKE THEM STOP! Grissom!!!

The nurse was trying to inject something in Nick's I.V. but his flailing around was making the I.V. stand jerk violently back and forth. His father was trying to talk Nick down and his mother was crying in the background.

"Grissom!"

The frantic cry burst into the air from Nick's swollen lips, when startling those in the room Grissom swooped in through the door and cupped Nick's battered face in his hands, "Nicky! It's ok, I'm here. Shh." He crooned and to the amazement of his audience, Nick immediately settled down, relaxing into Gil's touch.

"That's it, I'm here. You just sleep and heal." Gil brushed Nick's sweaty hair off of his forehead, "Shhhh. Sleep." He waited for tense moments until Nick relaxed into a fitful sleep, then he straightened up, nodding at the nurse who smiled and finished what she was doing and left.

"He trusts you." The Judge's voice was quiet, non-condemning.

Grissom looked up in surprise. In his rush to reassure Nick, he'd never even noticed the younger mans' parents in the room. "I sorry, I didn't you see you there. How are you both doing?"

The sincere concern in his voice and eyes made Nick's mother think better of him, "Now that our boy's safe, we're doing much better." She walked around the foot of the bed and gave Grissom a hug, which he uncomfortably took. "Thank you so much for saving him."

"I had to." He said simply. Gil had heard of near death experience's forcing epiphanies, but never had thought to feel one himself. He was a man of science, everything, including emotions had a scientific explanation, a category to be filed in. But when he saw Nick panicking in that clear box, he'd realized that he loved him. Not just the physical, carnal type of love, though that was a given, but the 'If I could take your place' kind of love.

"Griss?" Nick's voice was slurred, his swollen eyelids fluttering open to stare sightlessly around.

Grissom was immediately back by the bed, taking the one had that didn't have an I.V. poking out of it, "Hey Nick, thought I told you to go back to sleep? You need your rest."

"Can't sleep. Ants everywhere."

"No," Gil said quietly, "Remember? Greg froze them with the CO2 extinguisher."

"Oh yeah, froze the little bastards in their tracks." Nick murmured.

"Nick?"

Nick blinked in surprise, "Mama?" The surprise made him more alert to his surroundings.

"Hey Pancho." His father's gruff voice made him smile.

"Hi dad. What brings you and mama to Vegas?" Nick cracked wise. His family was tight and he knew that they'd be there if anything ever happened to him.

His father merely smiled and rested a hand gently on his son's head, "We were a mite worried about you. But Grissom and your friends are the best. They found you."

Nick's eyes opened a bit wider and met Grissom's, "I know."

The door opened and the doctor came in, "I need to check Mr. Stokes over. If you would all step outside?"

"No!" Nick pleaded, "Let Grissom stay." Seeing the doctor's doubt, he added a heartfelt, "Please?"

Grissom hesitated at the doorway, but the doctor nodded, "Fine. Just keep back, Mr. Grissom."

"Ok." He said softly. He gave Nick's parents an apologetic look before quietly closing the door.

The doctor lifted the sheet, checking Nick's skin and nodding to himself. "It's a good thing you're not allergic to fire ants. This looks good." He dropped the sheet back. He looked seriously at Nick, "We need to discuss treatment."

"I don't want to stay here any longer than I have to." Nick said quietly but firmly.

The doctor made a face and opened the door, "Mr. and Mrs. Stokes, if you'd come in here for a moment?"

"That's Judge Stokes." Gil said, but the older man waved it away.

The doc nodded, "Your honor, ma'am. It's like this, Nick will need not quite round the clock care, but pretty close. He'll need someone to take care of the ant bites etc."

Nick's mother nodded, "We'll take him back home with us."

"No."

"Nick?" His mother said in surprise.

"I'm staying here. I can take care of myself." There was that stubborn tilt to Nick's chin that Grissom recognized, and he shared a wry smile with his younger co-workers father. Apparently his parents were acquainted with it also.

"Mr. Stokes..." The doctor began, his tone severe when Grissom surprised himself by blurting-

"He can stay with me."

Everyone looked at Gil in surprise, and he fought to keep his face bland. Like he'd actually been prepared to make an offer like he had, and not just blurted the first damn thing that had popped into his obviously Alzheimer's addled gray head.

"Ecklie will let me have some time off, in fact he's been on insisting on it for awhile. Nick and I are on opposite shifts, so no one will be too shorthanded. It's the best possible solution." He added reasonably.

Nick winced as he shifted slightly, his eyes were getting heavy again, "I won't be any trouble, Gris."

Grissom smiled warmly, "I know you won't, Nicky."

The younger man's eyes finally slipped shut and the doctor herded them out of the room. "I'll give you a list of instructions for his care and a schedule for his meds. It's not difficult."

"Thank you."

The doctor shook everyone's hands and then headed to his next patient. Gil looked after him for along moment, then made himself face Nick's parents, "I'm sorry. I know that you want him home."

Nick's parents exchanged a knowing look then his mother said, "I can see that you care for him. It won't be an imposition for you, will it?"

Grissom firmly shook his head, "No, I'm happy to do it."

"Grissom." Sarah called and Gil turned to watch Sarah and Greg head towards him. Warrick and Catherine had ridden in the ambulance with Nick, and he absently wondered where they'd disappeared to.

"Paperwork's all finished?" He inquired, his eyebrow arched.

"We just wanted to see how Nick is." Sarah said, her eyes darting to the closed door.

"He's sleeping right now. You can come tomorrow." Grissom said firmly. "I'll let him know you were here."

"You're staying?" Sarah asked in surprise. She didn't notice Greg's speculative look at Grissom's protectiveness, but Nick's parents did.

"Hello ma'am, your honor." Greg said respectfully.

Sarah merely nodded and turned to Grissom, "When are you coming back to the lab?" her voice was only slightly strident in it's demand for information.

Gil shrugged, "May not be for awhile. Listen you two, I've got phone calls to make, and I'd like your reports to be on Ecklie's desk first thing tomorrow. I really appreciate everything that you did for Nick. We wouldn't have found him in time if not for you two." His voice was warm and sincere and Sarah preened slightly at the compliment.

Greg smiled, "Hey, I'm just glad we could find him." He touched Sarah's arm, "Let's get going Sarah. Paperwork waits for no man, or woman."

Sarah reluctantly left, glancing at an oblivious Grissom over her shoulder to see if he was watching her. Greg rolled his eyes and made sure she didn't walk into a wall because of her unrealistic fantasy life.

Judge Stokes snorted softly, "That young woman is clueless."

Surprised, Grissom tilted his head curiously, "In what way?"

Now Nick's mother smiled, "That you're in love with our son, and that she is pining after you to no end."

Gil winced as the truth stuck home. He knew that Sarah wanted what she couldn't have. His heart was with Nick in the other room. He felt suddenly wide open and vulnerable to Nick's parents, "You don't mind?"

"Oh my dear. We just want Nick to be happy." She glanced up at her husband and Gil could see that they were in perfect accord.

"I promise to do my best." Gil swore.

"We know you will, son." The Judge clapped him on the shoulder and then he and his wife left.

**

Nick watched in bemusement as his parents said good bye to him and Grissom then left.

They knew he was gay, but they treated Grissom as his lover or partner and he hoped that the older man wasn't going to freak out because of it. Well, he hadn't seen Grissom being uncomfortable with their fond attention, but then again the man was good at hiding his feelings. .

Nick sighed as he gazed upon Grissom's extensive bug collection.

It wasn't that he didn't lust after the older man, but he knew that Grissom was straight. He knew that Gris wouldn't be interested in someone emotionally dependant and needy, someone who was a basketcase, someone...

"Nick?"

He looked up into Grissom's questioning gaze, "Huh?"

Gil chuckled, "I think that was my question. You sighed like you were going to say something."

Nick grimaced, saying the first thing that popped to mind, "Well, I can go home now that my parent's are gone. You don't have to..."

"Hold it right there." Grissom came and sat down besides Nick on the couch, "I want to take care of you." His eyes were solemn behind his glasses.

"You do?" Gil heard the wealth of uncertainty and doubt in the two words.

Taking a deep breath, Grissom took one of Nick's strong square hands and held it, watching as the disbelief bloomed on the younger man's face, "Oh yeah. I do."

Gazing into those hazel eyes, Nick could see love there. Not just obligation to a team member and subordinate, but genuine caring. "Gris?" He asked huskily.

"I'm only going to say this once, Pancho." He smiled as Nick winced at the old nickname, but tightened his fingers, twining them tighter with Nick's, "I have feelings for you. Romantic feelings, but I'm not good at this stuff. Ask Sarah." He grimaced and saw Nick make a face as well. "I want you here with me because I need you here with me. Not because I'm, or was, your supervisor, but because someday I'd like to be your lover."

"Wow." Nick sat for a long moment, unable to comprehend that his feeling were returned. He finally focused on Grissom and saw the worried look in the other mans' eyes, "Oh, shit. Me too! I mean, yes, I'd love to stay here with you and see what else happens between us." He waved a wry hand at himself, "I'm not much to look at..." and his self-deprecatory remarks were interrupted by a breath-stealing kiss.

Gil pulled back and stared into the starry brown eyes, gently tapping Nick on the nose, "I don't love you for your looks, though you ~don't~ look bad, but for who you are, Nicky."

Suddenly overwhelmed, Nick's eyes filled with tears that he heroically tried to stop from falling, "I love you too, Griss."

"Good." Gil leaned and kissed him gently, then stood up before his famed self control decided to leave him, "How about lunch." He headed for the kitchen, then glanced back, "I can make 'Ants on a Log'."

Nick made an adorable face, "Ew, no thanks. I think I want to avoid anything with ants for awhile."

Gil chuckled, "Contrary to popular opinion, I do not keep insects in the 'fridge to eat. I was referring to raisins and peanut butter on celery."

Slowly shaking his head at his soon to be lover's oddball sense of humor, Nick grinned, "Just make me a sandwich, I don't think I can be too careful if I'm going to date an entomologist." He felt happy enough to burst.

"You got it." Gill went into the kitchen and couldn't keep from smiling. He had Nick, and he had everything.

***