Title: Call and Answer
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Greg Sanders/Gil Grissom
Fandom: CSI: Vegas
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the lovely Greg Sanders or Gil Grissom, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

Gil looked down at the book on his desk, trying to concentrate on what he was reading. He didn't know why, but there was a tension in the air; he could almost feel it seeping into his bones, making him feel nervous and on edge without knowing why.

He'd felt that tension ever since Greg had gone back to work; he was always worried that something would happen to his young lover while he was on the job. He had to hold himself back from following Greg to the lab and tagging along to every crime scene.

He had to break himself of that need, Gil told himself sternly. Greg was a grown man; he didn't need his lover right by his side every moment of every day. It was enough that they were living together now; he had to let Greg do his job without looking over his shoulder.

There were still nights when he found himself deep in a nightmare, back in that horrible place where the CSI team had found Greg. He'd been so sure that the man he loved was dead, taken from him forever before he could declare his feelings aloud.

Fortunately, those nights were few and far between; his own nightmares were dissipating more with each night that he held Greg in his arms and felt the other man's presence, calming and soothing him. But that didn't seem to hold true for Greg's bad dreams.

Those dreams had seemed to wane for a while, but in the last week or so, they'd been attacking Greg even more ferociously than they had before. Greg had awoken from a nightmare every day, making Gil feel even more tense and nervous, waiting for the next one.

Just as the thought formed in his head, a scream came from the direction of the bedroom, bringing Gil to his feet and sending him running down the hallway. He knew what that cry meant; Greg was having another nightmare, and Gil wasn't there to soothe it away.

He opened the door and rushed to the bed, sitting down and taking Greg into his arms, murmuring into his boyfriend's hair and holding the younger man against the warmth of his body. Greg was shaking, sobbing, tears streaking down his cheeks, his chest heaving.

"Shhh, Greg, it's all right," Gil murmured, stroking one hand through his boyfriend's hair, the other moving up and down Greg's back as he held the younger man close. "I'm here, sweetheart. Nothing's going to hurt you, Greg. I've got you. You're safe."

He couldn't hold back a feeling of guilt; he should have been here beside Greg, in the bedroom, when his lover's nightmare had started. He should have been there when Greg called; it wasn't enough to come running in from another room.

He sat there, rocking Greg back and forth as though he was child, until his boyfriend's tears had subsided and his breathing was more steady. Finally, after what seemed like a very long time, Greg raised his head from Gil's shoulder and took a deep, shuddering breath.

"I guess you d-don't have to ask what happened," he whispered, his voice shaky. "I had one of those n-nightmares again, and when I woke up, y-you weren't here. I'm s-so used to you being in bed b-beside me that I kind of freaked out. I'm s-sorry, Gil."

"Greg, you don't have anything to apologize for," Gil told him, genuinely surprised that Greg should think of doing so. "I'm the one who should be telling you I'm sorry. I should have been here with you, not in the other room. I'm sorry it took me so long to get to you."

Greg shook his head, giving Gil a wan smile. "I know you've got work to do, and you're not on the same schedule that I am. It's enough that you're always here for me whenever I need you. I can't expect you to just drop everything because of my neuroses."

"You're not neurotic, sweetheart," Gil said softly. "You're still recovering from a traumatic experience. You shouldn't feel guilty about needing to call me, Greg. That's what I'm here for, to love you and take care of you and help you through this."

"I don't know what I'd do without you," Greg whispered, burying his face against Gil's shoulder. "I'd be a complete mess by now if you weren't with me. If I had to deal with this alone, I'd probably be hiding in my bedroom and never sleeping again."

"I wouldn't have let you deal with this alone," Gil said, raising a hand to stroke Greg's hair. "I'd have been here for you, no matter what. Whenever you call, I'll answer. And whenever you need me, I'm going to be right here beside you. For all of our lives."

"What if you hadn't happened to come to the lab on that particular day?" Greg asked, raising his head to look at Gil. "What if you hadn't known that I'd been kidnapped? Do you think it was just luck that made you decide to be there that day, or was it fate?"

"I don't know, Greg." Gil shook his head, sighing softly. "I've thought about that a lot, and I don't have an answer. If it was fate, then it decided to strike at the best time it possibly could have. And if it was luck, then it was good luck for both of us. I don't know which one it was."

"I don't really care which one it was," Greg murmured, resting his head against Gil's chest. "As long as it brought us together, then I'm happy. I shouldn't even be questioning why we're together. It's enough for me that we are, no matter how we ended up like this."

Gil nodded, pondering silently on Greg's words. He didn't know just what force had brought hm back to the crime lab when Greg had needed him most; maybe it was some kind of fate that had decided the two of them had spent enough time apart.

Had something told him that he needed to be at the crime lab, that he needed to go to Greg, that the man he loved was in danger and needed his help? He couldn't deny that he'd felt somehow drawn to the lab, as though he had to be there.

Was that fate, or destiny, or whatever name people might put on it? He didn't know, and he didn't care. All that mattered to him was that when Greg called, he would answer -- for now, and for always. If Greg needed him in any way, Gil would be right by his side.

Greg was no longer crying and trembling in his arms; slowly, he released the other man, let Greg lie back down on the pillows as he pulled the covers up over his lover's nude body. Gil leaned down to kiss Greg, his lips lingering on the softness of his boyfriend's mouth.

"All you have to do is call me if you need me, Greg," he murmured, feeling reluctant to leave the room now that he knew he could. "If you want me to stay here with you for a whle, I will. Or you could always sleep on the couch. It's comfortable enough."

Greg shook his head, giving Gil a wan smile. "No, I'm not going to do that," he said, sighing as he spoke. "It'd just distract you from your work, and I don't want that. C-can you just leave the door open? Just so I can hear you moving around in the living room."

Gil nodded, but he still didn't get up. He felt reluctant to leave Greg; he wanted to lie down next to his boyfriend, take Greg into his arms, and hold him until he fell asleep. He wanted to lie there next to the man he loved, to feel him breathing, to know that he was safe.

But he had to finish what he was working on; he would need those papers tomorrow, and he couldn't let himself be distracted, just as Greg had said. Still, it was so hard to get up, to go back to dry paperwork when he would much rather be lying here with Greg.

He would just be in the living room if Greg needed him, he told himself with an inward sigh. As much as he wanted to stay here in this room and be by his lover's side if he had another bad dream, he knew that he couldn't. He had responsibilities that he couldn't turn away from.

"I'll just be in the living room, sweetheart," he said softly, stroking Greg's cheek before he stood. "And if you call, I'll answer. I'll leave the door open, and I'll hear you if you cry out again. Just remember that I'm here, Greg. I'm not more than a few feet away."

"I know you are," Greg told him, his voice soft and husky. He raised a hand to stroke gentle fingertips down Gil's cheek, making the older man smile. "And I know that you'll answer me if I call. I know you'll be right here. Don't worry about me, Gil. I'm fine."

He still hesitated to leave the room, though he knew that he should get back to work, and let Greg get some sleep. He made his way to the door slowly, looking back at his lover and smiling when Greg blew him a kiss before he settled back onto the pillows.

The door was left open, and even though he couldn't see into the bedroom from his desk in the living room, he knew that Greg would be there, sleeping soundly. He hoped that it would be a sound sleep, free or any more bad dreams, at least for today.

Settling himself behind his desk again, Gil looked down at the papers he'd been working on, keeping an ear out for any sound from the other room. If Greg called, he would answer. He would rush to his lover's side -- and if Greg called again, he knew that this time, he would stay there.

***