Title: Chocolate Covered Love
By: Tiffany F
Pairing: Gil/Nick/Greg
Rating: AO
Series: I Swear All I Meant Was..., Life Blown Away, First Time Forever, Family Feud, Loving Jackpot, Broken Heart
Summary: It's a time of healing for Nick, Gil and Greg after the events of Grave Danger. Seventh in the I swear universe. I don't own anything you know and am only playing around.

Nick awoke with a gasp, his heart pounding as his deep brown eyes took in his darkened surroundings. He was safe. He was home with his lovers. They found him in time and brought him back to where he was safe and loved. He pulled Greg in tighter with a small sigh and moved to press back against Gil when something registered with his confused and sleepy mind. Part of the bed that shouldn’t be empty was and Nick’s back was cold. That meant that his older lover was awake and somewhere in their house. Untangling himself from Greg, who had more arms than an octopus when asleep; Nick pulled on a pair of sweats and went looking for his missing lover.
 
He slipped up behind Gil, who was staring out a window in the kitchen, and pulled him into a hug. “I still have those handcuffs you know,” he whispered.
 
“I’m sorry, Nicky; I didn’t mean to wake you,” Gil replied.
 
“You didn’t,” Nick said. “I had a nightmare and woke up to find one of my pillows walked away. Do you want to talk about it?”
 
“I’m fine, I just wasn’t sleepy,” Gil sighed. “There’s no reason for all of us to get screwed up so I came down here to work on that article that’s due next week.”
 
“You’re not fine, Gil,” Nick said. “I can see the shadows in your eyes when you look at us. You’re scared all that shit Greg screamed at you is true and neither of us wants you any more.”
 
Gil turned and pulled Nick into a tight hug. “I love you both so much, Nicky,” he whispered. “It would kill me to lose either or both of you and it’s just going to take me time. Now tell me about your nightmare.”
 
“Same as always,” Nick murmured. “Like you, Gil, it’s just going to take time. Come back to bed? I sleep better with both you and Greg sandwiching me in.”
********************
 
When Gil arrived at the lab that night he found Catherine standing in the door to his office, arms crossed, tapping her foot. “I can accept that you are a bug-obsessed recluse,” she said glaring at him. “But its time to draw the line. We have two lab techs in hysterics and Jackie had to take a night off. This is one of the most disgusting things I’ve seen in my life.”
 
Gil took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “Catherine, I just got here and I haven’t even checked assignment sheets for the night,” he said. “Could you at least let me put my briefcase down before you start lecturing me?”
 
“Just tell your girlfriend to send presents to your home.”
 
“For the last time, Catherine, I don’t have a girlfriend and I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
 
“That!” Catherine moved to the side and pointed into the office.
 
Grissom stopped short of his desk and stared for a moment. There was a vase of glowers sitting there holding two red roses and one each of white, yellow, pink, peach and purples roses, white spray and green ferns. He could also see what had upset Catherine and the others in the lab. Nestled in and amongst the flowers were chocolate spiders, ladybugs and other assorted insects. Gil smiled and plucked out a spider. “These are solid chocolate, Catherine,” he said. “This is frosting they’ve been painted with. If these were real the chocolate would be less even. Try one.”
 
“No way!” Catherine exclaimed holding up her hands. “I’ll leave the bugs to you.”
 
Gil smiled and popped the spider into his mouth. He knew the candies were homemade and he had a fair idea who it was from.
********************
 
It took some doing but Gil managed to pair himself up with Greg. He could feel the tension rolling off his youngest lover as they drove to their scene and he finally pulled off to the side of the road.
 
“I assigned us together for a reason, Greg,” Gil said taking Greg’s hand in his own. “We haven’t had any time alone since Nicky’s kidnapping and I just wanted to reassure you that I’m not leaving you.”
 
Greg sighed softly. “I know it’s all my fault, Gil,” he said. “But I’m trying.
 
“I know you are, Greg,” Gil replied. “Although the chocolate bugs made Catherine mad.” He reached over and tilted Greg’s chin so he could look into his lover’s puppy dog eyes. “But I loved them. I didn’t know you were so creative, Greggo.”
 
“It’s a kit I had as a kid,” Greg grinned. “They had molds to make creepy crawly bugs and I just boiled them sterile and used chocolate. I’ve got plans to spoil both you and Nicky rotten, Gil. I owe you both so much.”
 
“You love us and you gave us your heart, Greg,” Gil said. He pulled Greg over and kissed him softly. “Just give us old men time to heal.”

Greg was bouncing a little when he got back to the lab to put the second part of his plan into action. He knew he wouldn’t be able to get away with flowers and chocolate for Nick; one because the man didn’t have a desk and two, he didn’t have a girlfriend that anyone on shift knew about and there would be awkward questions. So he had to go with the next best thing. And he had.
 
Nick’s appetite had been off since they found him and Greg had taken the time to cook some of Nick’s favorite finger foods, things that could be eaten while reading through case folders in the break room. With a grin he set them out along with a note that said “hands off” and went to find his lover. As he’d thought Nicky was in one of the back labs, out of the way where people wouldn’t stare at thim, reading through folders.
 
“Hey Nicky,” Greg said softly, making sure to make some noise as he walked into the room. “It’s time for you to take a break and get some food into your stomach before you waste away to nothing.”
 
“I’m not hungry, Greggo,” Nick replied.
 
“Come on, Nick, I know you’re hungry somewhere in that crazy mind of yours,” Greg said. “And you do need to eat something, even if its just a nibble, so you can keep your energy up for what I have planned for the end of shift. But I need your help with it because I don’t think I can take on Gil by myself.”
 
“I’ll come sit with you while you eat, Greg, but I’m not hungry,” Nick said. But he had to smile as he followed his hyper young lover through the halls to the break room. It was good to see the old Greg making an appearance again, if only for a little while.
 
Nick paused in the doorway when he caught sight of the table. There were not only little turkey and ham sandwiches with small slices of pickle, Greg had packed baby carrots, pea pods, and chocolates in the shape of birds. “Greg,” he said softly.
 
“Just a nibble, Nicky,” Greg smiled. “I was going to try and get Grissom to eat tonight too but the case caught his attention and he’s buried in the evidence somewhere and I’ll consider it an accomplishment if I can get one of you to eat tonight.”
 
“You didn’t have to do this, Greg,” Nick said. He looked at his young lover and let his emotions show in his eyes.
 
“I know,” Greg said. “But I wanted to. It’s like I told Gil. I’m going to spoil the two of you rotten until you’re all better. It’s a little bit of Greg Sanders magic.”
********************
 
When he was done with dinner, and Greg smirking at him, Nick went to find his older lover. Gil was in his office digging through a couple of books and Nick stood for a moment and just watched. He didn’t know what he would do if he lost either of the men in his life but the thought of how close they’d come to losing Gil still pained him. “Hey,” Nick finally said shutting the door behind him.
 
“Nicky,” Gil smiled. “What can I do for you?”
 
Nick noticed the flowers on the desk and snagged a lady bug. “Greg?” he asked.
 
“Greg,” Gil replied with a fond smile. “Although it seriously pissed Catherine off when she saw it. Apparently my girlfriend has no taste if she dares to send me something like that at work and no one wants to see anything like it ever again.”
 
“I think it’s cute,” Nick said. “When did he have a chance to do all this because he just surprised me with a dinner I was able to eat.”
 
“I’m not sure, Nicky,” Gil said. “He told me that he’s going to spoil the two of us rotten and prove that he was wrong. I’m a little concerned about it, truthfully, but I don’t know exactly how to tell him. And it did get you to eat more than a bite or two.”
 
“He’s just as worried as I am that you’re going to leave,” Nick said. “Gil, it would kill us both if you walked out. But I don’t know how to convince you of that.”
 
Gil sighed and took off his glasses. “And I don’t know what to tell you, Nicky my boy,” he said. “On one hand I want to say that I’m never going to leave, that you’re my life and I don’t think I can life without you. But then I see Greg’s face twisted up in pain, hear the words and that hollow echo as his pendant hit the floor. I see you in the coffin screaming as the ants bit you and the gun pressed under your chin. And I wonder how the hell we all got so messed up.”
 
“We’ll get through it, Gil,” Nick said reaching across the desk for his lover’s hand. “I don’t know how because we can’t tell Dr. Kane everything but we will.”
 
“Maybe we should look into a private doctor,” Gil said. “Someone we can talk with freely. Someone we don’t have to worry about talking to our bosses and causing problems.”
 
“Can you think of anyone like that?” Nick asked.
 
“I can’t, at least not off the top of my head,” Gil replied. “And I suppose there would always be that concern that they’d be so freaked out by our relationship that they’d break confidentiality and talk with the bosses anyway. Can you imagine the look on Conrad’s face if he found out?”
 
“He’d think Christmas had come early,” Nick snorted. “I don’t know, Gil; maybe we should open up to the friends we trust and talk with them. Jim knows, I think Warrick suspects something but doesn’t want to say and Cat at least knows about us. They’ll all keep quiet and be willing to listen.”
 
Gil nodded and rubbed his eyes. “Jim’s been after me to talk with him anyway and I’ve been putting it off,” he said. “I think my old fears are still lurking around in more ways than one.”
 
“Jim took it in stride, Gil,” Nick said. “Up until the point that I told him I thought you were going to hurt or kill yourself. Then he got worried. I think he’s serious about not freaking out or doing anything to hurt your friendship this time around. Maybe he learned his lesson.”
 
“Maybe he did,” Gil said. “I’m working the case with him so I’ll see if he wants to go out for breakfast and talk.”
 
“Let me know because I think Greg’s got something planned for after work,” Nick said. “Hell, I think Greggo’s got something planned for the next six months to show you how much he loves you.”
 
“Like I said, I wish it were that easy, Nicky,” Gil said. “I’d like nothing more than to go back to the way things were. But we can’t.”
 
“Nope, we just have to make ‘em better,” Nick said.

Four months left……
 
“Nick, I think it’s possible we’re looking at the equivalent of a vehicular through and through,” Gil said. He was so happy to have his lover in the field with him that he didn’t realize how insane his suggestion might sound to someone else.
 
“A flying car,” Nick said with doubt evident in his voice. “That’s what we’re going with?”
 
“Mmhmm,” Gil said softly.
 
“Okay,” Nick agreed. It was obvious to his lover that he was trying very hard not to laugh.
********************
 
“I still can’t believe you were right,” Nick said. He sank onto the sofa with a small sigh.
 
Gil grinned his little grin that drove everyone mad. “I just looked at the evidence, Nicky my boy, and came to the most logical conclusion.”
 
“So if I was to pull you down here and ravish you, what do you think the most logical conclusion would be then?”
 
“That you’re tired of waiting and we should really wait until we had Greg with us if you feel ready to reconnect,” Gil replied. “Nicky, do you want me to take my pets to the lab?”
 
“The bugs in your home office?” Nick was a little confused. “Why would I want that?”
 
“One of the officers commented that you had a problem with a bug crawling on your,” Gil said. He pulled his younger lover in against him. “If having them in the house is going to upset you in any way then they can go to the lab.”
 
“That’s sweet of you, Gil, but I spend more time in your office at work that the one here at home. I think having them here will be easier.”
 
“But you’d tell me if they started bothering you?”
 
Nick sighed and closed his eyes. He was still upset at the damage Walter Gordon did to his family when he was kidnapped. Even after two months Gil was still so unsure when dealing his younger lovers and it killed Nick to see it. Gil was the corner stone of their relationship and, while Nick knew that both Gil and Greg were trying, Nick just wanted to scream. He was getting so tired of them dancing around each other even with the small gifts Greg was making for Gil.
 
“I’d tell you, Gil,” Nick said. “Where is Greg, anyway? I thought be only had a little paperwork left.”
 
“I’m not sure,” Gil said. “I hope he’s not upset that I pulled him from the trailer fire and put him with Sara for the decomp case.”
 
“Fire or trying to figure out remains,” Nick sighed. “He and Sara work well together and I doubt he’ll even give it a second thought. Greggo’s like a puppy, he just wants to please. In fact, I think that’s him now.”
 
Gil made it a point if he and Greg didn’t drive home together then he would meet the youngest member of their family at the door. He knew it would be a long time before he was able to banish all the nightmares from when Nick was taken from them but he was trying. And he knew the moment he saw Greg that something was wrong. “Are you okay, Greg?” Gil asked trying to hide the fear in his tone.
 
“No, I need to talk with you and Nick,” Greg said. “Something happened at the lab that I need to tell you about.”
 
Nick joined his lovers in the hall. “What’s wrong, Greg?”
 
“I was stupid and we’ve got to make some decisions,” Greg sighed. “Can we sit down, please?”
 
It didn’t take long for the men to settle on the sofa tangled together with Greg between his older lovers. “I forgot my mask,” Greg said. “And Sara didn’t remind me about it. She had me looking for the trunk drain and I got some of that decomp soup in my mouth. One of our victims was a drug dealer.”
 
“Physically are you okay?” Gil asked seriously. He was frowning. Sara should have mentioned something or at the very least sent Greg to rinse out his mouth. It sounded like Greg had just kept working.
 
“I went and got my blood work done after work,” Greg said. “And I talked with Doc Robbins. He said he’d do some tests tonight but he thought the bodies were too degraded for it to really work.”
 
“How are you doing?” Nick asked rubbing Greg’s arm softly.
 
“It shook me up,” Greg replied. “Sara commented that it technically made me a cannibal and that you’d be proud, Gil.”
 
“What did you say?” Gil asked.
 
“I joked back that you would have tasted it on purpose,” Greg said.
 
Gil sighed. “It just shows that she really doesn’t know me,” he said. “You haven’t caught anything, Greg. No one, not even a virus is going to split us up again. I know we’re still having a lot of problems but we’ll work through it all. Somehow.”
 
Greg held up the bag he’d been holding. “But we’ve got to start using protection again,” he said softly. “I’m not risking either of you to this.”
 
“If that’s what we have to do then we will,” Gil said. “Nick has something he wanted to tell you.”
 
“I’m ready, Greggo,” Nick said softly.
 
“For what?” Greg asked.
 
Nick kissed Greg’s shoulder gently. “To feel you in me. For all of us to make love again.”
 
“All of us? Gil too?” Greg lit up.
 
“Yes Greg.” Gil kissed the top of his youngest lover’s head. “All of us.”
********************
 
While Greg and Nick showered Gil fed the dogs and made sure that everything was secure before heading to their bedroom. At his insistence they had stopped all intimate contact until Nick was physically healed and they were all comfortable with each other again. Deep down he knew it was to protect his heart from breaking again. He knew that if Nick or Greg rejected him again he wouldn’t survive and his lab would be investigating his death. But Gil had a feeling that they were finally coming through the rough patch stronger than they had been before.
 
But he couldn’t help but wonder when the nightmares would finally stop; for Nicky and for himself. Gil didn’t know what haunted Nick while they slept, Nicky wouldn’t talk about it with them. They had found a private counselor that they trusted and were talking through their feelings with him and also with each other. Gil’s own nightmares involved the sound of Greg’s pendant hitting the floor of his office and the echoing words the young man had thrown at him. He never thought he’d be able to forget that moment, no matter how hard he tried.
 
“Gil?” Nick asked from the bed. “Gil, are you in there somewhere?”
 
“I’m sorry, Nicky, I was just thinking,” Gil replied.
 
“You’re brooding on that night again,” Greg said. He wrapped his arms around Gil and started to unbutton his shirt. “I don’t know how many different ways I can say I’m sorry but I am. I love you so much, Gil. I never wanted to hurt you. I never wanted to do anything so evil to you.”
 
“I know, Greg,” Gil said. “It’s just hard on an old broken down heart to have to try and live with such things. I think I’m just going to need more time.”
 
“Does that mean you want to wait?” Nick asked. He crawled to the end of the bed and sat back on his heels.
 
“No,” Gil said. “No, I want to feel you both with me. I need to know that you’re both real.”
 
Nick and Greg glanced at each other. They both knew how badly Gil had been hurt in the past but they were starting to wonder if he had told them everything about the relationship that Jim Brass had more or less ended. “Why don’t you finish undressing him,” Nick said. “I’ll be right back.”
 
“Don’t call him, Nicky,” Gil said. He took off his shirt and dropped it in the hamper. “Because he won’t be able to tell you anything I haven’t.”
 
“How did you know I was going to call Jim?”
 
“I can read your eyes,” Gil said. “Just stay here, Nick. Don’t leave.”
 
“Okay,” Nick said. “But you’d better hurry up and strip and get into the bed because I’m getting very impatient.”
 
“How many months has it been?” Greg asked. He dropped to his knees and sucked Gil’s erection into his mouth. Gil’s knees buckled and only Nick’s hands on his hips held him upright as Greg worked him hungrily. Nick grinned and leaned in to suck on Gil’s neck.
 
“Three and a half,” Nick finally whispered against the damp skin of Gil’s neck. “I understand why you wanted to wait, Gil, but I think it’s been three and a half months too long.” He used the lube he’d grabbed to slick his fingers and slid two of them into Gil’s body.
 
“Not going, not going to,” Gil panted as his body started tensing up. “Greg, Nicky, I’m going…” He cried out as his climax him out of left field. His body sagged down to the floor, taking both his lovers with him.
 
It was Nick that started laughing and Greg that it hit next. “We have waited too long,” Nick finally said. “Come on, Gil, lets get you up on the bed and you can just watch.”
 
“Need you,” Gil moaned softly.
 
“Are you sure?” Nick asked as they moved to the bed.
 
“Please.”
 
“Okay,” Nick said. “Greggo, you first.”
 
Greg only just remembered to grab one of the condoms from the bedside table and roll in on before he crawled in and kissed Gil gently. Gil grabbed the back of his head and pulled Greg in for a deeper kiss, taking control and handing it back to Greg again all with two thrusts of his tongue. Both of them moaned as Greg slid home. “So tight, Gil,” he groaned. “You’re so tight around me.”
 
“Move Greg, please.”
 
Nick watched his lovers for a moment before he grabbed the lube himself. As much as he wanted to feel his lovers in his own body they needed to make the first night back together special for Gil. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t surprise Greg. He slicked his finger and slipped in into Greg’s ass as the young man moved back and then with him as he moved forward again.
 
“In me, Nicky,” Greg moaned as he tried to hold back. He wanted to wait until Nick was in him to come.
 
“You’re not ready,” Nick said as he added a finger. “Hold on, Greggo. We’ll get there. You can do it.”
 
“Hurry,” Greg said.
 
Gil knew he wouldn’t be able to come again no matter how long Greg held on but it felt so good to have his lovers so close to him again. For a moment he was able to close his eyes and pretend that nothing had changed. He felt the thrust when Nick joined them and set the pace, his hips pushing Greg into Gil’s body and moaned again. But the truth was pushed home once again when Greg’s climax hit and Gil didn’t feel anything in him. He wanted to feel his lovers come apart in him, the essence joining them together again. And even that had been taken from them. He wondered exactly when, if ever, things would be right in their lives again.

When Nick got home he shut the door to the house and was promptly pushed up against the wall and his mouth claimed in a fierce kiss. He moaned, wrapped his arms around his older lover and pulled him in closer. Gil had been teaching at the body farm and not able to respond to the triple homicide. Nick had been running the team and Gil had been getting reports from Greg as well as the local police and Gil was worried about what he’d been hearing. Greg had come home, kissed Gil briefly and gone up to the bedroom to set up while Gil waited for their other lover.
 
Nick opened to the assault and moaned softly. He felt hands in his hair and then the same hands running down his neck, along his shoulders and then his back. His own hands started exploring curly hair that was going gray and down to his lover’s shoulders.
 
“Nicky,” Gil said pulling back just enough that he could look into deep brown eyes. “You did a wonderful job today but I’m worried about you. You have such a big heart you want to take care of everyone but you never think about what it’s going to do to you. Nicky, when I got the phone call that you slammed the suspect up against the wall you could have lost the case. It’s possible that you could have lost the young girl. What would have happened if she’d been out longer in the elements?”
 
“I know, Gil, I know,” Nick said. “I lost it when I shouldn’t have but I just wanted to find Cassie. She was talking to me the whole time and I needed to find her. When I saw the picture Archie put together I don’t know what happened. I just lost it.”
 
“Why didn’t you tell Greg?” Gil asked. He pulled Nick in again and just enjoyed the feel of his lover against him. “Or call me? No matter how busy I am, Nicky, I will always have time for both of you.”
 
“I didn’t think anyone would believe me,” Nick admitted with a sigh. “I mean, hearing voices ain’t exactly scientific and I thought that everyone, you guys included, would think that it was because of what happened to me.”
 
“Oh Nicky,” Gil said. He kissed Nick’s neck softly. “Please don’t think that I’m such a scientist that I won’t believe you. I might ask you questions but I’m never going to doubt you.”
 
Another set of arms wrapped around them and Greg kissed Nick’s neck as well. “Hey, how’s Cassie doing?”
 
“The doctors say she’ll be fine,” Nick said. “But I dunno, man, how can you be fine after losing you family like she did?”
 
“How can you be fine after being kidnapped and buried alive?” Gil asked.
 
“I’ve got you guys to help me,” Nick replied. “She doesn’t have anyone.”
 
“She has you,” Greg said. “You’ve already been there to talk with her. You know what she went through so she doesn’t have to talk about it if she doesn’t want to. Don’t sell yourself short, Nicky. You’ve got more than enough love to go around.”
 
“You guys are right,” Nick sighed. “It was just so hard because Sara was my main contact on this case and I could feel her watching me the whole time like she was waiting for me to break. I could feel her eyes boring into me the entire case.”
 
“Did she say anything to you?” Gil asked.
 
“Just that she was worried about me,” Nick replied with a sigh. “I dunno what to make of it, Gil. I’m just glad the case is over and I’m back with you guys.”
 
“I set up the bedroom,” Greg said. “Go take a shower and meet us there. I see a back rub in your future.”
 
Nick kissed both his lovers and made his way up the stairs. Greg sighed and leaned against Gil. “Nick kept Panther in the car the whole time and I don’t know why,” he said.
 
“Would Panther have helped the case?” Gil asked. He kissed Greg’s cheek.
 
“Who knows,” Greg replied. “The local cops spent most of their time walking back and forth in the victim’s flower bed like they didn’t know what they were doing. Once we worked out a rough timeline I took over and found treads and the like. Nevyn and Panther are more guard than search and rescue dogs so I suppose it could have hurt the case more than helped it.”
 
“We have to trust Nick,” Gil said. “Although I did have Nevyn out with me at the body farm. He found all three bodies we set for him.”
 
“Expanding his horizons,” Greg grinned. “What are you going to do next, teach him to sniff out bugs?”
 
Gil snickered. “Have I told you recently how much I love you, Greg?”
 
Greg turned and his face lit up. “You have but I’m never going to get tired of hearing it,” he said. “I love you so much, Gil.”
********************
 
Nick let the warm water run over his body, down his back and sighed. He knew that he’d gone a little overboard on the case but, at the same time, he couldn’t feel sorry about it. Cassie was safe and, while she’d lost her family, his lovers were right. He’d be able to help her work through it and move forward because he’d been there and knew what it was like to go through a massive life changing situation. The case had proven a few things to Nick – the main one being that he was so lucky to have his lovers in his life.
 
He grabbed the shampoo without looking and it wasn’t until he had it in his hair that Nick realized that he’d grabbed Greg’s vanilla-scented shampoo. Nick groaned softly but went ahead and used it along with the lavender conditioner. As much as Nick objected to the vanilla he just wanted to be a little closer to his younger lover that night. Plus Nick knew that Greg wouldn’t tell anyone about it.
 
“Nicky?” Gil’s voice came from the doorway.
 
“Hey, are you going to come join me?”
 
“Do you want me to? Greg’s getting a little antsy,” Gil replied. “He wants to take care of you tonight.”
 
“Gil,” Nick said as he turned off the water, “do you feel like things are getting a little more normal for us?”
 
Gil handed Nick one of the large towels with a smile. “What is normal, Nicky,” he asked. “Do I feel like our interactions are less strained and more like they were before than the answer is yes. Do I think the counselor is helping, I really do. Will we recover from what happened; only time will tell but I’m starting to really feel like we will.”
 
“Your nightmares have been easing up,” Nick said. “You don’t vanish on us nearly as much as you used to. Gil, are you ever going to tell us the full story of what happened when Jim showed up and found out about you.”
 
“Maybe some day,” Gil said. “Right now I just want to work through everything between us and get back on a more even keel.”
 
Nick hung up the towel and grabbed his robe. “Gil, I think we’re more than half-way there,” he said.