Title: Confidence (#021 confidence for the lover100 challenge)
By: lin71
Pairing: Warrick/Nick (duh!)
Rating: PG-13
Summary: More news on who broken into Nick’s locker.
Series: 1) Rough Case, 2) Visiting Nick, 3) The Evening After the Morning Before, 4) The New Guy, 5) Honesty, 6) Seize the Opportunity, 7) A Night Out, 8) Tell Me, 9) Night, 10) Whew, 11) Warning, 12) Warning
Warnings: none, well, un-beta'd, as always.
Disclaimer: Not owning them, never have, probably never will, although I know they'd have more fun if I did.

Keeping his focus on investigating the scene turned out to be hard this shift. Nick’s thoughts kept drifting back to his brief argument with Leon, the attack on his car and the breaking into his locker. He didn’t want those things to be connected. Not only because it would more or less force him to take a big jump out of the closet, but also because he couldn’t stand the idea that someone that’s supposed to uphold the law could be capable of a thing like that.
 
He was snapped out of his musings by the sound of Catherine’s cell phone. Hoping it would be Mandy with the results of the prints, he walked over to her as she picked it up.
 
‘Willows’
 
‘….’
 
‘That’s great Mandy, thanks a lot. Could you do me a favor and send me the results right away? Okay, thanks hon.’
 
She turned to Nick with a victorious look on her face.
 
‘We’ve got a hit! Mandy sends me the results, so they should come in right about….now.’
 
She quickly scrolled down to find the name and picture of the owner of those prints.
 
‘Does the name Marco Logan ring a bell?’
 
Nick shook his head. ‘Never heard of someone with that name. Can I see the picture?’
 
She handed him her PDA. ‘Sure’
 
Nick looked at the photo of the owner of the prints, and saw a look-alike of the all too familiar face of the cop he’d had gotten into a fight with, Leon. This had to be his brother, or another close relative. So far Nick had hoped, maybe against judgement, that things had nothing to do with each other. That it would turn out to be some kind of joke gone a little too far, but this didn’t look too good. This seemed to be personal, and suddenly he felt like he was gonna faint. Obviously he looked that way too, because Catherine immediately grabbed hold of him and helped him into a sitting position.
 
‘Jesus Nick, sit down and put your head between your knees,’ she ordered, concern clear in her voice. ‘Deep breaths Nicky, keep breathing.’
 
She walked over to her kit and grabbed a bottle of water. ‘Here, take a sip.’
 
Nick obediently drank some water, trying to get the dizzyness to go away. He leaned back against the wall, heaving a sigh.
 
‘I take it you know him?’ Catherine asked tentatively.
 
‘No, I don’t,’ Nick answered. ‘But he could be a twin brother of someone I had a fight with a few days ago.’
 
He took a deep breath again. ‘Could you find out if he has a brother or some other relative that’s working with PD?’
 
Catherine immediately pulled out her phone again to call Mandy back. Five minutes later she returned to Nick.
 
‘Come on. We’re taking a break right now and we’re gonna talk. This scene ain’t going anywhere, we’ll finish it later.
 
Nick cringed. ‘Bad news huh?’
 
She helped him get up. ‘Well, it might be better to take this somewhere more private. I’ll go to Vartann and tell him we need to be somewhere else for a short while.’
 
When she got Nick to his feet and trusted him to be able to stand on his own, she went looking for detective Vartann, who was still canvassing the area and interviewing neighbors, to tell them they had to leave for a short period of time.

As soon as she left, Nick pulled out his phone to call Warrick.
 
‘Hey babe,’ Warrick said when he picked up the phone.
 
Despite himself Nick chuckled. ‘You answer all your calls that way?’
 
‘Nah, only the ones from handsome cowboys with beautiful eyes. Not too many of those around these days,’ he retorted. ‘Any news on your prints?’
 
‘I think so. Maybe.’
 
‘What do you mean ‘I think so’?’
 
‘Do you know the last name of that Leon guy?’
 
Warrick thought for a minute. ‘I don’t know. Something like Sloan, or Hogan or something. Why?’
 
‘Because the prints were from a Marco Logan, and he’s a dead ringer for that Leon guy. Could be his twin, as far as I’m concerned.’
 
‘Shit! That means..’
 
‘Yeah, this could mean Leon is probably involved somehow and tried to keep his own hands clean.’ He sighed, again, and despite himself he started laughing. ‘I gotta stop sighing like that. I sound like I’m about to give birth.’
 
He was quiet for some time. ‘I wish you were here now Rick. I’m gonna talk to Cath in a few, and I could really use some support. Guess there’s no way of avoiding telling her the truth, and I hadn’t really planned to out myself yet, or us for that matter.’
 
‘I know baby, believe me I do,’ his man answered. ‘It’s gonna be okay. I can’t imagine Cath giving you a hard time over this, over us. But you don’t have to deny anything or lie about it on my account. You just say what you think you need to, okay? I’ll wait for you at the lab and we’ll talk then. And if you need me earlier, just call. I’m busy at the lab with my murder case for the next few hours, at least, so it’s no problem when you call.’
 
‘Okay,’ Nick said, hoping he sounded more convinced than he felt. ‘Cath’s coming back. Gotta go darlin.’
 
‘Take care Nicky, and call me, promise?’
 
‘Will do. Bye.’
 
Catherine came into the room, looking a bit heated. ‘Vartann wasn’t exactly happy about the delay, so I had to promise we’d be back asap. Come on Nicky, we’re outta here.’
 
He followed her back to the car and didn’t protest when she took the wheel this time to drive them to a coffeeshop nearby. Within five minutes they were sitting in a boot of a small coffeeshop, both with a large cappuccino in front of them.
 
‘So,’ Catherine started, slowly stirring her coffee. ‘What’s the deal with you and this Marco Logan?’
 
Nick held his cup with both hands, looking into the hot liquid. ‘I don’t know him, Cath. All I know is that I had an argument with someone that looked a lot like him a few days back, and that guy works at PD.’
 
‘Leon Logan?’ Catherine brought up the name Mandy had given her.
 
‘That would be the one,’ Nick said. ‘I ran into him in a bar, where he started harrassing my date. I didn’t plan on getting into it right there, but I kinda lost it.’
 
‘What exactly did you do to the guy?’ Catherine asked.
 
‘I may have twisted his arm and told him to get lost and if he didn’t stop bothering us I would know where to find him.’
 
‘Jesus, Nicky! You can’t go around threathening people, you know that!’
 
‘I told you he was harrassing my date and insulting us both. I was off duty, minding my own business and he had no right to come up to us like that. What I’m doing in my own time is none of his goddamn business!’
 
‘What exactly did he say Nick? It’s not like you to lash out on someone over some verbal abuse.’
 
‘Is it enough when I tell you he made some discriminating remarks that I wouldn’t stand for?’ Nick almost pleaded.
 
‘Discriminating how?’ Catherine urged. ‘Come on Nick, this isn’t a time to be all shy. I’ve heard more than my share of your conquest stories. Spill. What is it? Were you dating a one-legged midget?’
 
Nick shot her a look. ‘Don’t even try to make fun of this Catherine.’
 
‘I’m sorry Nicky, but I need to know more in order to help you.’
 
‘You gotta promise this stays between us.’ It was the one condition he felt he could ask for.
 
She reached out and put her hand over one of his’.
 
‘As long as I can, but that will depend on the investigation. You know that Nicky,’ she answered, sounding motherly.
 
Nick felt a blush creep up his neck and cheeks before he had uttered another word, but he understood what she meant. And what’s more, she was right, this was not just about him anymore, this could be about the lab and the security of the evidence he had worked on as well.
 
‘Do you know a bar called Goodtimes?’ he started.
 
‘On Tropicana? Sure, isn’t that a…ooohhhhh,’ she clued in. ‘O my God, Nicky! I didn’t know that.’
 
He tried to work up some sort of smile. ‘Let’s say I’ve spend a lot of time living in the beautiful town of Denial, and I’m still not really out anywhere. Well, except for my mom and that didn’t go very well. Anyway, I’ve just gotten together with someone and after a few evenings spent at mine or his house we decided to go on a real date and we went to Goodtimes. Part of his plan to ease me out of my closet. After about an hour or so two officers, one of them was that Leon character, entered the building in search of someone when they noticed my ehm…friend and started insulting him.’
 
‘They hadn’t seen you?’
 
‘No, not as far as I know. I only saw them because I was watching him while waiting in line at the bar to get us some drinks.’

Catherine smiled. ‘Aw Nicky, you really are in love, aren’t you?’
 
Nick only blinked at the sudden change of subject. ‘Huh, why?’
 
‘You should see yourself when you talk about him. It’s been a long time since a man has looked at me like that.’
 
Nick’s blush got even deeper. ‘Yeah, I guess I am.’
 
She got back to the case at hand. ‘So, what was your boyfriend doing that drew their attention?’
 
‘Not much, apart from just standing against a pillar.’
 
Catherine looked at him with a stern look on her face. ‘Okay Nicky, cut the bullshit. I can’t imagine two cops looking for someone in a gay bar randomly insulting someone they don’t know to start an argument with someone they hadn’t seen in the first place. I want the whole story, and I want it now!’
 
‘They did know him,’ he said, voice barely more than a whisper.
 
‘Your dating a cop?’
 
‘Well, sorta.’
 
‘Nick!’
 
He groaned. ‘I’m dating someone from the lab. Someone that Leon knew, obviously, and as soon as he noticed him, that asshole started ranting along the lines of ‘us sissy CSI’s needing real men like cops to secure the site ‘cause we’re to scared to do that ourselves, and how this would become food for a lot of gossip around the station’. When I heard that I got so mad, that before I knew it I grabbed his arm, twisted it around his back and told him to shove off.’
 
‘What a goddamned asshole,’ Catherine spat out. ‘You think he’s got something to do with your car as well?’
 
‘Well,’ Nick said, ‘at first I thought it was some kind of prank, but it’s a bit too much of a coincidence. I mean, what are the chances of someone damaging my car and someone that is related to the cop I had a fight with breaking into my locker the next day to steal the evidence.’
 
‘Which brings me to the next question,’ Catherine continued. ‘How did they know where to find it? Or how did they even know which one was your locker? It almost sounds like they had some help from the inside.’
 
‘We need to check the video surveillance of the lab,’ Nick suggested. ‘We need to see how he got in and who he talked to.’
 
Catherine nodded. ‘So, here’s what we’re gonna do. We’re going back to the B&E first, finish up there, head back to the lab and I’ll ask Archie to run the tapes. He owes me one, so I know he’ll keep it under wraps if I ask him.’
 
She looked at Nick. ‘You’re not dating him, are you? I don’t want to include anyone involved in this.’
 
Nick shot her a look.
 
‘No, I’m not dating Archie, although he is a nice guy,’ he caught her grin and quickly added, ‘nor Hodges, if that was your next question.’
 
‘Thank God for that!’ Catherine smirked.
 
They got up and walked out of the coffeeshop together. Catherine put her arm around Nick’s waist on their way to the car.
 
‘Come on Nicky, don’t leave me hanging here,’ she mock-pouted. ‘I’m dying to know who the guy is that made you wear a turtleneck?’
 
‘You are not gonna let it go, are you?’ Nick sighed.
 
‘No,’ she smiled. ‘And I already determined it isn’t Hodges or Archie. So, Bobby? Greg? Someone from days or swing?’
 
‘No!’ He shot her a glare, knowing she would just keep asking until he gave up. ‘Okay, have it your way, but if you end up in a shock I don’t take any responsibility.’
 
‘Bring it on,’ she dared him.
 
‘Which one do you think is the most attractive man around the lab?’
 
‘You’re shitting me!’ Catherine exclaimed, picking up on the hint immediately. ‘You and Warrick?’
 
‘Yeah,’ he admitted, unable to keep a smile off his face.
 
That rendered Catherine speechless for a moment, before an evil smile broke through on her face.
 
‘What?’ Nick asked. ‘Or don’t I want to know what you’re thinking right now? You don’t have problem with it, do you? I mean, I know you’ve got this thing for him, and ehm,’ he ended, looking a bit awkward.
 
‘A problem? With the idea of two of my favorite guys getting it on?' She punched him lightly in the arm. 'Hell no, if anything, I’d like to watch!’