Title: Crying Shame
By: it-glitters
Pairing: Greg/Nick
Fandom: CSI: Vegas
Rating: R
Series: 1) Bewilderment, 2) Take Me Home, 3) Cynics, 4) Blood Spatters, 5) Hello Mr. Sanders, 6) Hitting The Wall, 7) Capable Of Murder, 8) The Good Boy
Summary: The aftershocks of Greg and the man.

***

Grissom sat Nick down at the table. He had already carefully placed the photograph in an evidence envelope after he found Nick standing at the mailbox, unable to tear his eyes from it. Gil poured two cups of coffee and sat down next to Nick without saying anything. Nick continued to run his hands up and down his arms. He hadn't stopped shaking.

"Nick, no one has to see this photo but you and me."

"Yeah, but it will be logged into evidence."

"Yes, but I can restrict who sees it."

They both were avoiding the issue – it wasn't that the photo existed, but that it had been taken. They both knew exactly what Greg was coughing up.

Gil put his hands over Nick's to stop the shaking. "At least he's alive, Nick. The postmark said Tuesday morning. We have to take solace in the fact that it means Greg is alive."

"Even if the photo was taken Monday?" Nick felt himself losing hope again.

"If they were going to kill him, I think they would give us some sort of sign."

"I'd have to say that raping him and then showing us evidence of that gives me reason to think that they don't intend to give him back."

"Nick, this isn't like you – you're not one to lose hope."

Nick stood up suddenly and overturned the kitchen table. "This is all my fault!"

"Nick, calm down. This has nothing to do with you – it was pure chance that Walter Gordon took you. It was his choice to blow himself up."

"Yeah and his daughter chose Greg! She chose Greg to punish me. Why couldn't she just have taken me instead?" He leaned against the wall and pounded his fists.

"Nick, I need your head on straight – I don't want to have to pull you from the case. We need to go back in there and connect Kelly to Greg and we need to know what made her choose him."

"Greg's been raped Gil – I don't know if I can handle that."

"You have to, Nick. When we find him, and we will find him – he's going to need you. Are you going to be there for him."

"Yes."

In silence they cleaned up the kitchen and drove into the lab.

....

The team sat down once again at the table in the lab to discuss what had happened in the last 8 hours. Nick and Gil knew they had to tell everyone about the photograph, but they wanted to wait until they had gotten all the information that the others had. Catherine was the first one to speak.

"We know that Kelly Gordon killed Sylvia Mullins in revenge. Walter Gordon left a substantial sum of money to Kelly that Sylvia smuggled through the Cayman's while Kelly was in jail. We also have found out that Kelly has at least one accomplice," she said, placing a photo on the board. "This is Robert Cohen. We know that they met in Kelly's apartment complex – the neighbor's say that they were always together, but they couldn't be sure if it was a romance or if he had something on her. He's an ex-con in for three counts of rape." Nick grimaced at the word, but Catherine continued. "While he was inside his sentence was extended after he raped his cellmate. The other man ended up in the hospital with extensive bleeding."

It was all Nick could take. He barely made it to the sink before throwing up. Everyone in the room had gone pale at the weight of Catherine's disclosure. Gil stood up and paced while Warrick helped Nick clean up and sit down.

"Nick received a picture earlier today – Greg's been forced into at least oral with this guy." The words ricocheted around the room, hitting each person differently. Nick threw head on the table and covered himself with his hands. Warrick stumbled back against the counter with his mouth open, unable to take in a decent breath. Catherine burst into instantaneous tears and fell to the floor. Sara made a retching sound and rested her head between her knees to keep her lunch down. For ten minutes the room remained silent, save for the sound of Catherine's crying.

....

Greg wandered around the room with his sheet wrapped tightly around him. Kelly had let him stay unbound since she came back – probably since it was doing more damage to his wrist than even she wanted. He knew to stay quiet and not try anything because he knew the man was just outside the door – sometimes he could hear him and Kelly fighting. Greg knew that if he stayed alive long enough, the man would be back – wanting more.

At least now he didn't have to depend on someone else to use the bathroom or to get a drink of water, but his stomach was growling and he wished Kelly would come back with some food for him. They only let him eat once a day – and despite his short stay with them he was already losing weight. The blood loss made him feel constantly cold and weak, and he was worried that the wound was infected – but he couldn't tell because of all the bruising and swelling around it.

After a half-hour of pacing, Greg heard the click of the lock and he hurried back to his spot on the bed. It was Kelly, carrying a bowl of pasta, juice and a bottle of aspirin. She set it down on the bed. Greg looked at her – she had a black eye and red marks around her neck. He didn't say anything – just silently reached over for the pasta. She didn't leave.

"Greg?"

"Yeah?" he said, swallowing a bite of his small meal.

"When they took your friend I said that I hoped he would die."

Greg stopped eating and stared at her.

"And then he came and visited me, and he said that I shouldn't take what happened with me. And I really wasn't going to; you have to believe me. It's just, I got out and nothing was like it was supposed to be. I found out that my accountant took all the money and the man wanted it or he was going to do horrible things to me."

Greg wanted to ask questions, but he was too afraid – afraid of her, afraid that she would send then man in.

"I had the man take you because I blamed Nick for everything that had happened." Greg felt his heart break at the mention of the name – he thought about how he would never get to see him again. "It's spun out of control, Greg."

"Are you going to kill me?" Greg finally asked the question.

"I'm not." And she got up to leave. Greg knew what it meant – she wouldn't – but the man would.

***

Next story in series - As I Lay Me Down.