Cutting My Loses

Chapter 1

Justin sat on the bed as he talked to his best friend.

"Maybe you need some time away. You know what they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder. I know I miss you." Justin could hear Greg sigh into the phone.

"I miss you too. I just, I can't leave him."

"I understand, Greg, I do. But he's taking you for granted. Maybe you two just need a little break."

"Look who's talking. You're still dating Mr. Brian - I don't do relationships - Kinney, right?"

"You know it's not like that. We are in a relationship. I know that and he knows that. It doesn't matter what he says to other people. It doesn't bother me. I don't need a label on what we are. And we're not supposed to be talking about me. It's your turn for relationship woes, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah. But don't think you're fooling me with that "it doesn't bother me" shit. You may have fooled everyone in Pittsburgh, but I know you, Jus. There's no way that it doesn't hurt you. But like you said, this call is about my problems. I have no idea what I'm going to do about him, Jus. I mean, I love him so much. I love him more than..." Greg's voice trailed off.

"I know."

"I just never know what's going on in his head. He's so fucking private." Justin had to laugh at that.

"I know exactly what you mean."

"There are times, when we're alone, that I feel like...god...I feel like we're the only two people on Earth, and I have no doubt in my mind that he loves me. But other times..."

"You feel like you're not even there."

"Yeah."

"I'm really the wrong person to get advice from, Greg."

"I know that. Believe me, if I was ever going to get relationship advice, it wouldn't be from you." They both can't help chuckle at that comment. "I'm just using you to vent."

"Ah, thanks. It's good to know I'm loved."

"You know I love you."

"Yeah, I know you do. You're not the one that has a problem saying it."

"So he still hasn't whispered those three little words you so long to hear."

"Shut up, Greg."

"Believe me, Jus. The words aren't that important. Warrick tells me he loves me, but I'm still not sure he does. Sometimes I just feel like a fuck buddy he calls whenever he wants to get laid."

"You're preaching to the choir."

"That's just it, Jus. I kind of understand Brian and the tricking and not saying I love you. He has commitment issues. But Warrick isn't like that. He tells me he loves me, and I'm almost positive he isn't sleeping with anyone else. He's just so fucking distant sometimes that I'm not sure if he's still with me because he wants to be or because he feels sorry for me."

That sounded so familiar to Justin.

"You know I went through this exact same thing after the bashing. And I'm going to ask you a question my very best friend asked me. Has Warrick ever seemed like a person that does things he doesn't really want to?" There were a few seconds of silence.

"That was a fucking stupid question to ask. What was I thinking? That doesn't solve anything! I don't know why you listen to me." Justin broke into laughter.

"Neither do I." The laughter died down to a comfortable silence that often occurs between long time friends.

"I don't know. I've just been thinking a lot about things lately. It's like he already has his little group of friends. He spends time with Nick and Catherine, and hell even Grissom. They've been friends for so long that sometimes I feel like such an outsider when I'm around them, and a part of me wonders if that's the reason I want to become a CSI...if I'm just doing this to fit in, to be part of the in-crowd, to be closer to Warrick. I told myself I wasn't going to be one of those people, changing who they are just so they can hold onto their boyfriend."

Justin can't help but wince at that statement, recalling the times of threesomes, foursomes and birthday hustlers.

"You're not one of those people, Greg. You've kind of always been interested in the whole crime scene investigation thing, haven't you? I think I remember you telling me about helping out with a case and there was a guy and scuba gear or something like that." Justin really can't remember the details, he has a tendency to zone out when Greg goes into elaborate stories about cases and evidence and DNA.

"It's good to know you were paying attention. Yeah, there was a case with a guy and scuba gear or something like that. You are right though, I have been interested in it for awhile."

"See, told you."

"You're such a brat. Always have been."

"Hey!"

"I still don't know what I'm going to do about Warrick."

"Well I already told you what you should do. Knowing you, you've probably got a thousand vacation days to put to use. And I miss you. And I know you miss me, because really, who wouldn't? So take a couple of weeks off, get your bony ass on a plane and come up here to see your favorite person."

"You know, just because I don't carry the majority of my weight in my ass like some people, doesn't mean it's bony."

"Are you saying my ass is fat?"

"You said mine was bony!"

"You're such a bitch sometimes."

"And you're always a brat."

"So are you coming here or what?"

"Sure, I have the next couple of days off. I'll request the next two weeks off and if it gets approved, which I'm sure it will, then I'll be able to fly out sometime tomorrow."

Brian walked through the loft door, setting his briefcase on the kitchen counter. He knew Justin was supposed to be home, but he didn't see him right away. As he took off his jacket, he heard Justin's low voice on the phone. He walked into the bedroom and caught what sounded like the end of a phone call.

"Good. 'Cause I do miss you Greg. And even if you're not sure about him, you can always be sure that I love you. I always will."

Hearing Justin say those words to someone else felt like a sucker punch to the stomach. In all their time of knowing each other, Brian had never heard him sound quite so comfortable, affectionate, or intimate. He imagined what the next months would be like, like the months after Justin met Ethan. He couldn't let that happen again. He couldn't hold on with the knowledge that Justin would eventually leave him...again. He made a decision and stepped in front of Justin, silently announcing his presence.

"Greg, I better go. Brian just got here." Justin hung up the phone. He had only seen Brian this upset once before, Lindsay's anniversary party. The expression on his face right before he punched Michael was exactly the same as the one wore in front of Justin - angry, but more so than that, hurt and betrayed.

"Who the fuck is Greg?"

Chapter 2

Greg hung up the phone and lay back in the bed. He and Warrick had the day, well night off and unsurprisingly they were spending it apart. Greg had gone to bed with such high hopes.

XXXXXXXXXX

Warrick had come over after work. There had been a multiple homicide, four bodies, killed execution-style. They both ended up pulling double shifts, although both Catherine and Grissom had tried to convince Greg to go home after his first shift.

Ever since the lab explosion, Greg had been a little shaky. He knew they were just trying to look out for him, but the last thing he wanted to do was go home to an empty bed where nightmares awaited him.

The nightmares were always the same, a reenactment of the explosion. The sound, the fire, the feeling of being blown away from the lab, tiny pieces of glass flying everywhere. The nightmares always ended with him lying on the ground with Sara laying unconscious a few feet away from him, and he unable to help. But the unconscious body next to him wasn't always Sara. Most of the time it was Warrick. It had been Grissom a few times, and once it was even Justin. Just the thought of someone getting hurt in what he kind of considered to be "his lab" was enough to tear Greg up inside.

The worst were those couple of days when he thought the explosion might have been his fault. A guilty relief washed over him when Catherine told him that the explosion was the result of a chemical she had absentmindedly put near a heat source. With that burden off of his shoulders, his health and disposition visibly improved.

Within a couple of weeks, Greg had seemed to make a full recovery. Of course his back was scarred from the glass fragments, but he had thought he was ready to work. Unfortunately, he quickly discovered that he couldn't hold a pipette without his hand shaking. It was frustrating, but he tried not to let it depress him too much. It didn't prevent him from doing his job accurately. It just made him a little slower than usual, which was still a lot faster than the daylight lab techs.

By the time the two men had stepped into Greg's small apartment, they were both exhausted. They took the time to eat a little food before crashing in bed. Greg had fallen asleep with Warrick's warm body curled around his and a heavy arm thrown possessively across his waist.

The first thing he saw when he woke up was Warrick's back, and if that didn't represent the crux of the problem, nothing else did.

"Where are you going off to?" Warrick was sitting on the edge of the bed tying up his shoes. Greg tried to make his voice sound light. He didn't want to be one of those people that harped on their boyfriend for spending time without him. Warrick turned around at the sound of his voice and leaned over to press a soft kiss to Greg's lips.

"Hey, I didn't want to wake you."

"You didn't. So where are you headed?"

"It's Saturday, Greg. Time to hit the gym with Nick. You know that."

When they first started dating, Warrick would invite Greg to join him and Nick at the gym for their weekly workouts. Greg had always turned him down. He didn't want to be an overbearing boyfriend and he didn't really care for the gym. He liked getting exercise the natural way, through activities and sports, rather than on machines inside of a building. If he knew then that it would be a battle to spend any kind of time with the older man, he wouldn't have been so careless with those early invitations.

"Right. It must have slipped my mind." He tried to smile, but it must have come out as more of a grimace if the concern in Warrick's green eyes was anything to go by.

"Hey, are you alright? Did you get enough sleep?"

"I'm fine Rick." The last thing he wanted to talk about was his nightmares.

"Of course you are." He rolled his upper lip into his mouth and nodded slightly before taking a breath and continuing. "I better get going, Greg. I'll see you later."

"Wait," Greg reached for Warrick's wrist, stopping him from standing up. "What are your plans for the rest of the day?"

"Well, I thought I'd get out of your hair for the day. I haven't seen Grams in awhile so I'll probably visit her for a long while after I'm done hangin' with Nick. And apparently Lindsay has been requesting my presence so I'm having dinner with her and Catherine later tonight. And I have a set tonight at Tony's."

"Maybe I'll show up there, see you perform."

"It's not exactly your type of music. My jazz is a little different than your heavy metal, babe."

"Still, I've never seen you perform before. I'd like to."

"I promise to give you a very private show tonight." Warrick's voice dropped a little lower, taking on a sexual, yet sensual edge. He leaned over to press partly open lips to Greg's and the younger man was quick to respond, opening his mouth to receive Warrick's tongue. The older man had a way of turning him on like no other lover, knowing exactly what to do to leave him craving more. After a few minutes he pulled away from a flushed Greg.

"I gotta go. Nick's probably waiting for me. I'll be back tonight, probably three or four."

"Mmkay, see you tonight."

XXXXXXXXXX

Thinking back to those few minutes brought forth a mix of emotions for Greg. He didn't enjoy being shut out, and that was what it felt like Warrick was doing. He had filled his day with things to do and people to see and, he didn't think to invite Greg along for any of it. Granted, he could do without spending time with him and Nick at the gym. He hated going to the gym.

And he really could care less about spending time Catherine and her daughter. Catherine and Warrick had become very close over the last few years, and Warrick was always sure to look out for the woman and her daughter. Greg had to make a constant effort to keep his jealousy at bay. There was an undeniable sexual chemistry or tension between the two. They both came from the same kind of background. Before becoming CSIs they both did what they had to in order to survive, Warrick running numbers and Catherine stripping. They had a kind of street smarts that Greg would never understand or have, never having to worry about how to make it day to day. Yeah, Catherine and Warrick would make a very striking couple. Sitting through a dinner where Warrick, Catherine, and Lindsay played the happy little family was not Greg's idea of a good time.

But he would have liked to see Warrick perform or meet the Grandmother he heard the man speak so fondly of. Nick, Catherine, and even Grissom had met the famous "Grams." And both Nick and Catherine have heard him play. And Greg could willingly admit that he was jealous. The relationships the other man had with the other three was something that Greg could never touch.

Warrick admired and respected Grissom like all of them did, but he had a comfortable way with the man that no other CSI has with the exception of Catherine. And Catherine was Warrick's equal, strong, beautiful, and streetwise, words that Greg wouldn't exactly use to describe himself. And then there was Nick. If Nick wasn't as straight as an arrow he would have been worried. Warrick and Nick were best friends, closer than anything. Nick was the first person Warrick would go to if he had a problem. They were each other's confidantes, and there was no doubt that they loved each other, maybe not like lovers but definitely like brothers. They even had that cute little "Rick and Nick" name thing going on.

So yeah, he was a little upset when Warrick left him out of his plans, but he was looking forward to tonight. There was no doubt he loved spending time with Warrick and just thinking about that kiss made him want the older man with him now, in bed. But he had to wait. He really didn't have anything to do but wait around for tonight.

After talking and catching up with Justin he decided to call his other confidante, Poppa Olaf. He could tell his grandfather anything, which was a far cry from the relationship he barely maintained with his parents.

"Hey, Poppa."

"Gregor! How is that boy of yours?"

"Well..." and Greg started what would be a long conversation in broken Norwegian.

XXXXXXXXXX

Greg spent the rest of the day and night reading a few science journals, watching television, and basically resting. He wanted to be ready for tonight. The thought of spending a romantic night with Warrick was enough to make Greg forget about all of the problems they'd been having recently.

Greg waited until six for Warrick. He didn't show up, didn't call. Greg started looking at ticket prices. He bought a one way ticket for Pittsburgh. The plane was leaving at 8:30 which gave him just enough time to call a cab and pack some clothes.

During the cab ride he called Grissom to ask for time off. He asked for a week but let the man know that plans might change and he might need more time off. Justin was right about one thing. He had a lot of vacation time to use up. He rarely missed a day of work. He loved his job. The second call he made was to Warrick. He couldn't leave the city without telling the man. As soon as the phone picked up he started speaking.

"Warrick, I need to tell--"

"Hey, babe." Greg could hear Nick's voice in the background. "Can this wait? I'm getting breakfast with Nick."

"Yeah, it can wait. I'll talk to you later." Greg snapped the phone shut. It was nice to know exactly where he stood.

Chapter 3

Warrick put his foot on the accelerator, speeding through the green light, following Nick's SUV, only to stop a couple blocks later at a red light. He used the few seconds to think about Greg. As of late, his mind was never far from the younger man, and the state that Warrick left him in this morning ensured that his thoughts wouldn't stray far. Greg sitting in a sleep rumpled bed, thin sheets draped precariously across slim hips, cheeks and chest lightly flushed. It was enough to make Warrick want to turn around and go home, back to Greg. But he couldn't do that.

The sound of a car honking interrupted his thoughts. The light was green. He drove through the light and down a few blocks before making a right into the small diner's parking lot. He parked his car and walked toward the building. Nick was already leaning against the front wall next to the front door.

"What happened at the light, man? You didn't see it change? Sight failing you in your old age? They say it's the first to go." Warrick spared a few seconds to send a mock glare Nick's way as he opened the diner door.

"You do realize you're not that much younger than me, right?"

"The operative word being 'younger.'" Warrick let out a chuckle and shook his head at their friendly teasing as they walked toward their usual booth.

They sat down, and, like clockwork, Sheila came to take their order.

"What you want?" Warrick was the first to answer.

"Just the usual." They always ended up getting the same thing, but every time Nick would insist on looking at the menu. He stared at the menu for a few minutes, his lips pursed as if concentrating. Without taking his eyes from the menu he ordered a chef salad with turkey and a side order of fruit salad. Same thing he always ordered. Before he had a chance to close the menu and hand it back to Sheila, the older woman snatched the menu from his hands and was walking away from their table.

"You know, I think she likes you." Nick's eyes flickered to Shelia's wide ass, following it for a second before looking back to Warrick in all seriousness.

"Man, don't even joke like that. That's not even funny."

"Beggars can't be choosers, Nick. When was the last time you got laid?" Nick's face reddened a bit.

"That's none of your business."

"That long, huh? You know, I can pull some strings for you. I got a little black book full of numbers."

"Yeah, that's exactly what I want. Your hand-me-downs. And shouldn't be burning that little book? Now that you're off the market and all." Warrick looked appalled by the thought of destroying his book.

"You never burn the book, man. It's a sacred rule."

"Mmhmm. I'm sure Greg would have something to say about that. Is he going to Tony's tonight, see you play?"

"Nah. It's not really his kind of thing. I used to invite him all the time to different things, but he never seemed that interested, you know? I've just stopped asking. We see each other all the time at work and we're at each other's place almost every other night. He probably likes having the time to himself. We made some plans to hook up after though. A romantic night in. I'm not planning on either of us leaving the bed for a least a few hours."

"Too much information, man. The last thing I wanna think about is Sanders in bed." Shelia walked over, placing their plates in front of them.

They continued a light conversation as they ate, discussing work for a bit before getting into other things. Nick talked about the latest news from his family. His youngest sister called him every week to update him on the family gossip. Warrick spent a few minutes talking about his grandmother's health. She had been in the hospital for a couple of days about a month ago with respiratory problems. He and Nick had visited her in the hospital, keeping her company. Fortunately, she was doing better now. They changed her medication and she hadn't had any complaints since.

"Speaking of hospitals, how's Greg doing?"

"He's fine. His back is completely healed. He'll have scars, but physically he's fine."

"He doesn't look too fine. I saw him in lab, he was shaking. According to others, it wasn't a one time kind of thing." The thought of people talking behind his lover's back was enough to piss Warrick off.

"Fuck! Everyone's in his business, huh? You're all talking behind his back?"

"Calm down, Rick. You know it's not like that. We're just concerned."

"He flew through a fucking glass wall a couple of weeks ago! Of course he's gonna have some problems."

"Problems, as in plural? What else is going on?" Warrick sat back and sighed, some of the anger leaving his system.

"I'm just telling you this 'cause you're my friend, Nick, and I trust you. Greg obviously doesn't want anyone to know. So this stays between you and me, 'kay?"

"Yeah, you know I won't tell, Rick."

"Well, besides the shaking thing in lab, he's been having these nightmares, every night. He won't talk to me about it, won't consider seeing someone about them."

"How bad are the nightmares?"

"Nick, almost every night he wakes up screaming. Most of the time it's my name. I try to wake him up, but eventually the screaming turns into crying and sobbing. And I end up holding him, trying to calm him down. He always falls asleep after a few minutes. How can he fall asleep after something like that? I know I can't."

"Have you tried talking to him about it?"

"I just said he won't talk about it, Nick. It's not like I haven't tried."

"Why won't he?"

"Hell if I know."

"Maybe he's not sure if you wanna hear what he's got to say."

"Why would he think that, Nick? I listen to him all the fucking time. I listen to him babble about work, his Poppa Olaf, our co-workers, his career, his favorite cartoons, his expensive coffee. The boy can talk. I do nothing but listen."

"Man, no offense or anything, but even on the best of days, you got that whole poker face, uncaring, stoic attitude thing goin' on. Sometimes you even fool me. I mean, I know that you care and that you're listening, but for someone that doesn't know you as well, or someone that's just getting to know you, it's probably hard to tell when you're interested and when you're not."

"So you think Greg thinks I don't care about what he's feeling?"

"Yeah, maybe you should do something special for him. Let him know you care, get him to open up. You're doing something tonight, right?

"Right."

"You should do something real nice. And I'm not talking just sex, man. Maybe you could take him away somewhere? Get him away from work and Vegas. A weekend, alone, just the two of you." Warrick nodded his head as he thought about the possibilities.

"Maybe."

"Which is Warrick-speak for 'yes, I'm gonna take Greg away for the weekend', right?" Nick asked with an easy grin.

"Right."

XXXXXXXXXX

Warrick used his key to unlock the front door. And almost as soon as he entered the house, he was hit with the smell of baking brownies.

"Is that you, Warrick?" He followed the sound of his grandmother's voice and the smell of the brownies.

"Yeah, it's me, Grams." He walked into the kitchen to see the elderly woman standing near the counter, stirring some batter. Warrick walked over, leaning down to press a kiss to her cheek. "How you doing, Grams?"

"I'm doing good, baby." Warrick took a seat on a stool at the kitchen island. "I made a batch for your friend Nicholas. I know how much he likes them. And I know he doesn't get enough home-cooked food with his family so far away." Warrick had to chuckle at the thought of calorie-counting Nick pigging out on brownies, which he would undoubtedly do once he received them. He just couldn't resist the temptation.

"He'll be glad to hear that. He loves your brownies."

"I'm making a batch for you and Gregory, too." She had her back to Warrick, pouring the batter into a brownie tray.

"It's just Gregor, Grams. Remember? It's Norwegian." They had this same discussion every time Greg's name came up in conversation.

"You know what I meant. What kind of name is Gregor, anyways?"

"It's Norwegian."

"I know that. You just told me that, Warrick. You don't need to repeat yourself." Warrick rolled his eyes.

"And don't you roll your eyes at me, boy." She said it with her back to him, putting the tray of batter in the oven.

"What, you got eyes in the back of your head now?" She placed the batter bowl in the sink and turned around to face him.

"No, I just know you all too well. You haven't changed a bit. So how is Gregor doing? He seems like a sweet boy, although I wouldn't really know since someone refuses to let me meet him." Warrick chose to ignore that second part and focus on the first.

"He is a sweet boy. And he's doing just fine." Grams took a seat across from Warrick, making herself comfortable.

"Warrick, how long would you say I've known you?"

"Um...31 years, give or take a few months."

"Right, so I've known you all your life and you think I don't know when you're lying?"

"No, I just--"

"How 'bout we start over. How is Gregor doing?"

"He's having nightmares about the explosion. They're pretty bad. He won't talk to anyone about them, including me."

"That poor boy. Maybe you should invite him over for dinner, let me talk to him." Warrick knew exactly what she was doing. For the last month or so, she'd been trying to get him to introduce Greg to her.

"Grams, I've never brought any of my girlfriends here. What makes you think I'll bring Greg?"

"He's different."

"How? Because he's a guy?"

"Don't be dumb, boy. He's different because you love him."

"I've been in love before, Grams. It's nothing new. It doesn't mean it'll last."

"I've got a feeling about this one. I know it'll work. What makes you think it won't last?" She got up and poured a couple glasses of milk and set a plate of brownies in front of Warrick before taking a seat across from her grandson again.

"I don't know." He took a bite of a brownie before continuing. "We're just--"

"Don't talk with a full mouth, Warrick."

"Sorry, Grams" he mumbled around brownie crumbs before swallowing and taking a sip of milk. "He's just kinda young, I guess. We're really different. We come from different backgrounds. He's never been in a serious relationship before. He goes for the casual kind of thing. I don't know. I guess there's nothing that says he's too serious about this, about us."

"I know there are some differences between you two, baby. But that's not what this is. What's really going on in that head of yours?" Warrick met his grandmothers soft brown gaze, before looking away, focusing instead on the brownies in front of him.

"Grams, I love him. I really do, no doubt. But, like I said, I've been in love before. And every time, they leave. What's to say that this time won't be like those? I mean, there's a pattern here, right? Eventually he'll leave me."

"Oh baby. You don't know that. It might be different this time." She walked around the counter, sitting next to him, so she could wrap her arm around his shoulders in a sideways hug.

"That's what I'm hoping Grams."

XXXXXXXXXX

Warrick was on his way to Greg's place from Tony's when he got the call. He was still floating on that natural high he got whenever he performed. Of course something had to bring him crashing down to reality. Apparently while he was performing at Tony's, there was a little crime spree in Vegas. Cath, Nick, and Sara were all out at different scenes. Another scene came up and they were short on investigators. Gil called to see if he could come in. There was a shooting, two kids, no older than sixteen in an empty park.

It was already past three when he got the call. Warrick spent the early morning processing the scene. The kids turned out to be twelve and thirteen, Raleigh Middle School IDs. Warrick wished Gil would stop assigning him this kind of stuff. He really couldn't take it. If he had to see another little kid killed way before his time, he would just...well, he would investigate it. He would figure out who did it and pray to God that the person would be punished justly. It was all he could do in the end.

He and Nick finished their scenes around the same time, and both decided to pick up some food before heading to their respective homes. While Nick was placing his order, Warrick called a little bed and breakfast that Catherine had told him about last night when they were having dinner. He reserved a room for the entire weekend, a little retreat from it all. As soon as he hung up the phone, it started ringing. Warrick smiled when he saw the display. It was Greg.

"Warrick, I need to tell--"

"Warrick!" It was Nick. It was his turn to order.

"Hey, babe. Can this wait? I'm getting breakfast with Nick."

"Yeah, it can wait. I'll talk to you later." Warrick closed his phone and placed his order. He ordered some waffles for himself and those gross chocolate chip pancakes that Greg liked so much.

When he got to Greg's apartment, he used the key the younger man had given him a couple of weeks ago. He set the bags of food on the kitchen counter and walked through the living room toward the bedroom.

No Greg.

Warrick glanced at the closet across from the door. Half of Greg's clothes were gone. The suitcase that always occupied the closet floor was missing. His laptop wasn't on the desk in the corner. The extra pairs of shoes he left by the dresser weren't there. Warrick walked toward the bathroom. The toothbrush and toothpaste was gone. He took his pain medication and sleeping pills too.

He was gone.

Warrick sat on the sleep-rumpled bed, his head in his hands. Greg left. He didn't leave a note, didn't tell him where he would be. He was just gone. Warrick shook his head silently. It wasn't supposed to be like this. He wasn't supposed to leave so soon. They were supposed to have more time.

Chapter 4

"Who the fuck is Greg?" Justin rolled his eyes. He really wasn't in the mood to deal with Brian's anger.

"He's a friend." He stood up and walked toward the kitchen, putting some distance between himself and the angry brunet. Brian was quick to follow though.

"He sounded like more than a friend." It was an accusation.

"You were eavesdropping on my private conversation?" Justin stood on the opposite side of kitchen island and opened the fridge to grab one of the ever present bottles of water.

"It's not eavesdropping when you're in my loft, using my phone." That statement stung, but it wasn't the first time he was treated as an unwanted guest rather than an equal partner. Justin took a sip of water before responding.

"We both live here, Brian. It's supposed to be our loft and our phone. Whatever, I'm not having this conversation with you." He walked around the island and made an attempt to pass Brian and walk toward the sofa, but Brian grabbed his arm.

"Justin, who the fuck is Greg?" Brian repeated for the second time.

"He's my best friend, Brian. I've known him since I was six. He lives in Las Vegas. He's a DNA analyst in a forensics crime lab. Anything else you need to know?" Justin pulled away and sat down on the couch, picking up a magazine to flip through. Brian moved to stand in front of him.

"Drop the attitude, princess." Justin dropped the magazine on the coffee table and looked up at Brian.

"Seriously, Brian, what do you want to know?"

"How is it that I'm just now hearing about him?"

"I don't know, Brian. He lives halfway across the country. He doesn't really come up in conversation." It wasn't an answer and they both knew it.

"How do I know you're telling the truth?"

"What? You think I'm lying?"

"We both know that honesty isn't your strong suit, Justin."

"You're still throwing Ethan in my face? It was a mistake, Brian! I told you it was a mistake. I've apologized. What more do you want? And for your information, I never lied about Ethan. You never asked and I never told."

"Just like you didn't tell me about Greg? When was the last time you saw him?"

"After the bashing. He visited me in the hospital. He was there for me." Brian reeled back as if physically hit.

"Right. He was there for you like I wasn't. Like I'm not."

"Brian, I didn't--"

"Stop, Justin. I don't want to hear it." With that, Brian turned away and walked toward the bedroom, effectively dismissing Justin. Of course the younger man wouldn't allow that to happen. He followed him into the bedroom and stood on the opposite side of the bed.

"What the fuck is your problem, Brian? This isn't about me and Ethan or me fucking Greg. Because you know I'm not sleeping with him. I told you I wasn't. I told you exactly who he is to me. And you know I'm not lying. So what is this about?"

"You know what I still don't get? How am I just hearing about your bestest friend in the whole goddamned world? You talk all the time, Justin. You tell me about shit I don't even want to know about. But you've managed to keep your friend your own little secret."

"He wasn't a secret, Brian! I tried to tell you about him a couple of time when we first started seeing each other. But you didn't want to hear about it. So I stopped talking about it."

"The fuck you did. I listen to everything you say. There's no way you told me about him."

"You're not serious, are you? The first time I tried to tell you about him, he hadn't called me in months. I was so excited when he finally sent me an email and I got to talk to him. As soon as you walked in the door I tried telling you about it, but you just told me to â€˜Get dressed. We're going to Babylon.' The second time was pretty much the same thing. You didn't want to hear it. Believe it or not, I do have some sense of self-preservation. I'm not going to bring up the same subject over and over again so you can brush me off each and every time."

Just then, the phone rang. Brian was closer and picked it up. The last person Brian wanted to talk to. Luckily the call wasn't for him.

"It's your mother." Justin took the phone, walking into the living room area to talk with her. He listened to her for a few minutes before ending the conversation.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be there." He walked back into the bedroom to hang up the phone. Brian was sprawled on the bed, his arm over his eyes.

"I have to go. Mom has a house showing. It just came up and she needs someone to watch Molly. I'll probably just stay there the night." Justin already had his shoes on. He grabbed his phone and wallet off of the bed.

"Good, I won't have to listen to your shit anymore." Justin rolled his eyes. And if Brian was listening very carefully, which he was, he could hear a very low, muttered "drama queen." The older man exhaled a breath he didn't know he was holding. Things were going to be just fine.

Brian heard the loft slide shut. He stayed in the bed for half an hour before he considered getting up to take a shower. He was still in his work clothes. But the decision was taken out of his hands when he heard a knock at the door. He really had no idea who it could have been. Everyone he knew would have just walked in.

He slid the metal door open to see a stranger with messy hair, two suitcases, a back pack, and a goofy smile.

"Who the fuck are you?"

Chapter 5

"Greg. Greg Sanders. I'm sure Justin told you about me." And without another word, Greg was squeezing between Brian and the doorjamb, the bulky bags in his arms effectively pushing Brian out of the way. Greg walked a few feet in and dropped his bags on the floor. He couldn't wipe the smile off his face at the thought of seeing his oldest friend. He turned back to the brunet still standing at the door.

"Where's Justin?"

"Not here." Brian walked behind the kitchen island to grab a bottle of water from the fridge, keeping a suspicious eye on the stranger in his loft.

"Well that doesn't really answer the question, does it?" Greg took a seat on one of the island stools and dug in his pocket for his cell phone. "See, if I had asked, where is Justin not, then that would have worked." He finally pulled out the phone and pressed a speed dial number. "But, I didn't." Greg put the phone to his ear and within a few seconds the person on the other side was picking up. "Justin, where are you? Your boyfriend was being uncooperative." Greg looked up just in time to see Brian roll his eyes. Brian walked to the sofa and took a seat, picking up a copy of ADWeek to flip through and pretend to read while he listened to one side of a phone conversation, something he had been doing a lot lately. A few minutes later, Brian pretended to be surprised when Greg showed up in front of him and threw the cell phone into his lap. Brian picked it up.

"What do you want?"

"I want you to be nice, Brian. He's my friend, my best friend. I put up with Michael's shit all the--"

"Yeah, yeah. I heard you. Later, Sunshine." Brian flipped the phone closed and handed it back to Greg who was sitting across from him in one of the chairs. There were a few minutes of silence.

"So, is there a hotel I should be taking you to?"

"No, that's alright. I'm bunking with you guys."

"Is that right?"

"Yeah, have you seen the prices of hotel rooms lately? And I haven't seen Justin in forever. It'll be fun, like a sleepover."

"A sleepover?"

"Yeah, you know, camp stories, gossip, and junk food. Good times."

"You do realize there's only one bedroom, right?"

"No worries, my friend. That couch looks plenty comfortable." Brian resigned himself to having this guy in his home for way longer than he desired. He could just imagine the fuss Justin would make if he didn't let the guy stay at the loft.

"So how long will you be sleeping on my sofa?"

"Oh, I don't know. I only took off a week. But I could probably get away with taking as long as a month off."

"Don't really need you, huh?" Greg had to laugh at that.

"No, they just know my worth. Fastest lab tech in the west." Until recently. But Greg shook that thought. This was supposed to be a true vacation. He had made a promise to himself that he wouldn't think about the explosion or his problems in the lab. And he'd try his best to not think about Warrick, but he knew that would be impossible. The older man was never far from his mind.

Greg examined the man in front of him. The man that had taken his best friend's virginity when he was only seventeen. The man that had taken his best friend to prom and witnessed the younger man's bashing. The man that Justin left a few months ago only to come back to. The man that Justin would call to complain about, brag about, talk about. For the last two years, the name Brian had been a constant in their phone conversations. Greg had a pretty good idea what made Brian Kinney tick.

From everything that Justin told him which was a lot, the boy can talk, Greg had gotten a good picture of Brian in his mind. He had learned a few definite facts, Justin loved Brian, Brian loved Justin, and what's more he did his best to take care of Justin. Yeah, Brian was okay in his book. But that didn't mean he couldn't fuck with him a little. "You know, my boyfriend has those same jeans...they look a lot better on him though."

"You have a boyfriend?" Brian looked at Greg, taking in the bright, chaotic, retina burning shirt, the wildly gelled hair with terrible blonde highlights...He couldn't believe it. "I don't believe it."

"What? I'm cute in a mad scientist kind of way."

"Whatever gets you through the day." Brian could only imagine what his boyfriend could look like. He had to be a complete loser. Ted would go for Greg. Maybe Theodore had a long lost twin brother that was in Vegas awaiting Greg's return.

"You should have seen the guy sitting next to me. He had to weigh like ten thousand pounds. He was fucking huge. I don't know how he fit in that seat. And of course I made the mistake of having three coffees and a bottle of water before I got on the plane. I swear I had to use the bathroom at least five times. And every time I'd have to squeeze by that guy. And you know there's like no space in between the seats. So of course I was rubbing up against the guy every time I went past him. And he refused to step into the aisle. Man I can't stand those people. You know, the ones that just stand there and want you to squeeze by them. I mean, no matter how tiny you think you are, you're probably too big to squeeze by in a cramped airplane. But I think this guy had ulterior motives, he gave me his business card when we were exiting the plane. Like I'd ever call him though, right?"

Brian just stared at Greg for a moment before shaking his head and looking back to his magazine. He had gotten through half a page, when he heard the loft door slide open. Greg was already running to it before Brian had time to get on his feet. And by the time he was on his feet, Greg was at the door and embracing Justin.

Chapter 6

Nick was pissed. His best friend was hurting, and the person responsible was no where to be found. Lucky for him. Nick sighed and looked over the car that he was currently dusting for prints. Warrick was working on the other side, completely focused. Nick then thought back to last night's shift.

He and Warrick hadn't talked over the weekend, which was unusual for them. On any given day they were likely to talk more than once. Nick had just assumed that Warrick was enjoying his two days off doing other things. Namely, taking Greg out of Vegas and doing whatever he and Greg did when they were together. Definitely not something Nick wanted a mental image of.

So when he came into work last night, he expected to see both Warrick and Greg back from their little weekend with a couple of satisfied grins. As soon as he got in he went to the break room, sure that Warrick would be there, and of course, he was right. He grabbed himself a cup of coffee before taking a seat across from his friend.

"So, how was your weekend?"

"Fine." Nick knew automatically that something was wrong. Warrick's tone was curt, and the man barely looked at him, keeping his eyes on the cup of coffee he was sipping instead. He obviously didn't want to talk about it, but Nick had never let that stop him before.

"You guys didn't go away, did you?" He already knew the answer to his question, but he listened as Warrick recounted exactly what happened in that calm and collected voice, as if he was completely detached from the situation.

"After we picked up breakfast, I went to Greg's apartment. He wasn't there. A few of his things were packed. I'm guessing he left sometime that morning."

"He hasn't called you?"

"No, I haven't heard from him."

XXXXXXXXXX

Nick continued to dust the car as he thought back to that conversation. If he had known how things were going to turn out, he would have kept his mouth shut right there. But where Rick was quick to make judgments, Nick tended to give people the benefit of the doubt.

"Just because he left, doesn't mean he left you, Rick," Nick said, but the other man had just shrugged his shoulders.

"It had to end sooner or later." Nick wasn't so sure of that. He really thought Greg and Warrick were going to make it. Greg was obviously infatuated with Warrick, and Nick just didn't see him bailing on their relationship like that. If only he could make Warrick see that.

"Stop jumping to conclusions, man. Greg hasn't called you, saying it's over. He--"

"He's probably trying not to hurt my feelings. Or, he's--"

"Have you ever known Greg not to speak his mind? If he didn't want to be with you anymore, he'd tell you. He's always calling you on your shit."

"He used to. Before the explosion. He's different now."

And for once, Nick got a real glimpse of how much the accident had affected both Greg and Warrick and their relationship. When something like that happens, you try to understand what the person is going through, what they're feeling, but you can never understand completely. You're too far removed. Everything you say sounds meaningless and pathetic to your own ears. That's how Nick felt as he tried to talk to Warrick in the break room. And looking back, he had to wonder if that was how Warrick felt every time he tried to talk to Greg about the explosion.

"Warrick, I know things have been different since the explosion, and I know you and Greg have been having some problems, but I also know you and Greg care about each other. So, give him a chance, okay? For all we know, there could have been some family emergency and he had to leave town quick."

"Maybe--"

Just then Grissom walked in. He handed out assignments and began sharing some news. "Guys, the lab is probably going to be backed up for awhile, and I don't see that changing for the next week or so. Greg called in. He's put in vacation time for the next week or so."

Nick had looked at Warrick just in time to see that last bit of hope die in his eyes. Apparently Greg had the presence of mind to call off of work but not Warrick. Gris left and the two men walked out to the parking lot. Nick just had to try one more time.

"Maybe--"

"Maybe you should just mind your own business, Nick." And with that said, Warrick had walked ahead of him and got into the Denali.

XXXXXXXXXX

Since then Warrick wouldn't talk to him unless it had to do with the case. An hour or so ago, Nick had suggested Warrick give Greg a call instead of waiting for the younger man to call. He was basically told to shut up and that Warrick would not be calling Greg anytime this millennium. Nick had just rolled his eyes. He had already known Warrick wouldn't call. The guy was as stubborn as a mule. So was Greg though. In a way, Nick kind of credited himself with getting those two together, and now it was all going to shit. Nick lifted a couple of prints and sighed.

Warrick and Greg had been working together for years and while they were friends, they weren't close. They rarely hung out outside of work, and even then it was usually with a group. Over the last year or so, Nick had been becoming better friends with Greg and started inviting him along whenever he and Rick were hanging out. Soon enough, Warrick and Greg were hanging out on their own. They both had a love for music and going out and meeting new people.

Nick knew that he was kind of a homebody, and while he didn't mind going out, he didn't really enjoy it either. So he was happy that when he declined an invite for a night out on the town, both Warrick and Greg had someone they could hang with. And then Rick told him that he was going to ask Greg out. To say it came as a shock would be putting it mildly. At first glance Warrick and Greg were complete opposites.

Warrick grew up in the city, raised by his single grandmother. He'd experienced everything Vegas has to offer. You couldn't surprise him. He had a "been there, done that" attitude that always made him seem older than he was. He took everything seriously, from his job to his relationships. Greg couldn't take something seriously if his life depended on it. At least that's how it seemed at times. Nick knew the younger man had a serious side, he just rarely chose to show it. Greg was raised by both his parents near the beach, and Nick can still see that â€˜surfer dude' personality in him. For Greg it was all about having fun with what he was doing. He rode the wave, went with the flow. He didn't have that antagonistic personality that sometimes got Warrick into trouble.

So, yeah, they were total opposites, but they worked. They balanced each other out. Warrick grounded Greg. The lab tech's mind was always going a thousand miles a minute, and Warrick was there to bring him back to reality. Greg encouraged Warrick to not take himself so seriously. For those first three months, Nick had never seen Warrick happier. The man almost always had a smile on his face. Then the lab exploded. And things changed.

Nick thought about the aftermath of the explosion and sighed.

"Goddamnit, Nick. If you sigh one more time..." Nick looked up, making eye contact with Warrick. "Just stop thinking about it, okay?"

"How do you know what I'm--"

"You're thinking so loud I'm sure everyone in the lab can hear you. Don't worry about it. I'm fine. You'd think I'd be used to it by now, huh?" Warrick tried to laugh at that, but it came out all wrong. It didn't sound like him. It sounded fake and cold and humorless.

"Don't say that, man. And I know you're not fine, so don't lie to me, okay?"

"Yeah." And Warrick went back to lifting prints, focusing on his work. Nick had only been working for five hours, and he'd already had enough of this. He had to do something about it. If Greg didn't call Warrick in the next 24 hours, Nick was going to call Greg himself. After all, what were best friends for?

Chapter 7

The scene that met Brian when he arrived home from work was the same one that had greeted him for the past three days. Justin and Greg were sprawled across his $7,000 white Italian moda sofa eating out of pint-sized containers of Ben and Jerry's Chocolate-Chocolate-Chunk ice cream. At some point of the day they must have pulled themselves away from the television and sofa to go to the diner because there were empty Styrofoam containers scattered across his coffee table. Brian could only hope that they had the decency to change out of their pajamas before they went. Greg's feet were propped up on the table in front of him and Justin's were resting on Greg's lap. They were watching that god-awful show, House, all the while giving their own little commentary.

"Fuck! He's so hot, even with the whole morphine addiction and â€˜I'm an asshole' thing he's got going on."

"You've always had a thing for bad boys," Justin mumbled around a mouthful of the sweet, chocolate confection.

Brian slid the loft door shut, causing Justin to look up for a second to smile at him before turning back to the television. Brian walked over to the couch, towering over the two oblivious men, and kicked Greg's feet off the coffee table. "When the fuck are you leaving?"

"Brian." Justin warned in that calm, firm voice he used whenever Gus was on the verge of throwing a temper tantrum.

"When the fuck are you leaving, Greg?"

"Well, I don't know, Bri. I could be here for a week or a month...hell, I might even move here. This loft is pretty awesome," Greg replied, although he wasn't serious about the moving in part.

"Do not call me 'Bri.' My name is Brian or Mr. Kinney to you." Brian turned to Justin. "I want him gone."

"He's a guest, Brian. My guest."

"Well, he isn't my fucking guest, and he's sleeping on my couch, eating my food and watching my--"

"Hey, I could really go for something to eat." Greg had two sets of eyes on him immediately. They must have momentarily forgotten that he was still in the room.

"You're not using my money."

"I wouldn't dream of it, Brian." Justin rolled his eyes and turned to his friend. I'll pick us up a pizza from Antoon's. It's right around the corner." Justin went into the bedroom to change and emerged minutes later in beige cargo pants and a faded red hoodie. "I'll be back in a few minutes, guys." Justin walked out of the loft. As soon as the door slid shut behind him, Greg turned to look at Brian.

"You were killing yourself there, man."

"Excuse me?"

"That yours-and-mine bullshit isn't good for your relationship," Greg said matter-of-factly.

"So says the person that flew over 2,000 miles to get away from his little boyfriend."

"Warrick isn't little...by any means." Greg stood up to follow Brian who was walking towards the kitchen. "You know, I may not be a relationship expert, but I do know Justin, and he's thinking of moving out." Greg finally had Brian's full attention.

"I told him he should just stay, but he just kept going on and on about how this place would never belong to the both of you and how he sometimes felt like he was intruding on your personal space. Then he went on this tangent about independence and being his own man, blah, blah, blah. I don't really remember all of it, kind of tuned him out once he compared himself to some other crazy artist." Greg let out a small chuckle at his admission before continuing. "I just don't see his whole reasoning, though. He loves you, and from what I've gathered, you love him too. You take care of him and look out for him. You're even paying for his education. Why--"

"It's just a loan and--"

"It's only a loan because he made that distinction," Greg pointed out.

"It isn't conditional of our personal relationship."

"So I've heard."

"It's a business deal. An investment," Brian stated with what he hoped sounded like conviction as he walked over to the refrigerator. He opened the door and peered inside. Take-out containers from several restaurants cluttered the shelves, and from the smell of things, at least one of them was expired. Fucking Greg. Brian pushed past the reeking, leftover Chinese food and grabbed a bottle of water.

"Whatever you say, Kinney. I'm just telling you so you know. Justin's getting ready to leave this lap of luxury, and if you don't want him to go, then you need to do something. Just think about it, okay?"

Brian gave a slight nod, really thinking about what Greg had just revealed as he twisted the cap off his water and turned up the bottle to take a swig before setting it down on the stainless steal counter. "You know, Justin still hasn't told me a lot about you. I believe his exact words were â€˜He's my best friend, other than Daph, of course. I've known him since I was six. He lives in Las Vegas. He's a DNA analyst in a forensics crime lab. Anything else you need to know?' So just how did Sunshine meet a kid from Vegas?"

"And Justin says you never listen. I'm not from Vegas. I'm from California. San Gabriel. I have family in Pittsburgh, though...well, I used to. Now I just have Justin. My parents used to ship me off to Pittsburgh and my Aunt Judy every summer so they could go traveling. Aunt Judy was friends with Jennifer, and Justin used to follow me everywhere. No matter where I was, he would just show up."

"I know the feeling," Brian said, reflecting back on some of Justin's early actions.

"Yeah, he told me about his stint as a stalker."

"I couldn't get rid of him, still can't."

"Like you want to," Greg rolled his eyes. "You wouldn't believe what happened when I told him I was going off to college and wouldn't be coming here for the summers anymore." Greg's eyes moved to the direction of the loft door as it slowly opened. Justin walked in bearing pizza.

"Hey, Sunshine, sit down. Greg was just about to tell me what happened when he told you he was going into college," Brian said with a smirk, and Justin groaned in response.

"Please, Greg, do not tell this story. It's embarrassing." Justin set the pizza down on the kitchen counter.

"Oh, now you have to tell it."

"He's right, Jus. I do. It was so cute." Justin just put his head down on the counter as Greg began. "Well, earlier that year I came out to Justin. He was the first one I told. I had known the truth for years, and Justin was 12 at the time. I thought that he was old enough to understand. I gave this really scientific, analytical explanation of it, which, of course, he didn't understand. I finally just ended up saying that I liked boys instead of girls and would rather have a boyfriend than a girlfriend.

"Well, that summer I had my eighteenth birthday. Aunt Judy threw a small dinner party, and Jennifer, Daph and Jus were the only guests. After dinner everyone gave me their presents, except Justin. He said it was private and he would give it to me later."

"He didn't offer to give you a blow-job, did he?" Brian inquired.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Brian," Justin shot back.

"Okay, back to the story now. I told Jen that we were going to hang for awhile. I had to talk to him about the going off to college thing anyway. So after everyone left, I took him up to my bedroom, and he revealed his present. He had drawn this beautiful portrait of me. I still have it framed on one of the walls in my bedroom. Well, Justin gave me the portrait, and then he very politely asked if he could be my boyfriend." Brian let out a snort, and an embarrassed groan could be heard from Justin.

"Always after the older men, I see. So tell me, Sunshine, how did Greg answer your little proposal? I'm curious."

Justin looked up from the countertop, his cheeks a little red. "He freaked out at first. He went all fatherly on me and said that I was too young to even be thinking about boyfriends, but I told him that I was mature for my age. After a few minutes, he seemed to gather his thoughts and told me that he was going off to college and he probably wouldn't be able to visit me in the summers anymore and that we couldn't really be boyfriends if we never saw each other. He also said that I was his best friend and that best friends can't really date."

"Your first heartbreak," Brian replied, wondering if that was how Michael felt every time Brian shot down his advances.

"You know, there aren't many guys that would turn me down now." Justin gave a mock leer Greg's way.

"God, don't even joke like that. It'd be like incest. And besides, we're both taken."

Justin was sure Brian was going to say something denying that statement, but to his surprise, Brian just nodded slighty as Greg went on about how shocked he was that at eighteen, the first person to ever ask him out was a twelve year old.

XXXXXXXXXX

Brian, Justin, and Greg sat on the floor in front of the sofa, facing the coffee table and television. The television was on some movie channel, and but the volume was turned down low. None of them were really paying attention to what was showing. They were talking, having just started on the pizza.

"So, this boyfriend of yours, what's he like?" Brian said as he took a bite of the greasy mess of pepperoni and extra cheese. He promised himself he would run an extra hour on the treadmill tomorrow.

"Um...well, we work together. He was a chemistry major too. He was born and raised in Vegas, brought up by his grandmother." Greg picked at his pizza for a moment, stretching some cheese out in a long string as he tried to figure out what else to say. "He can play the piano. Uh...he DJs sometimes. I don't know. What do you want to know about him?"

"When Brian asks what's a guy like, he's talking about measurements."

"Oh. Well..." Greg looked confused for a moment before trying to respond. "I guess he's about 6'2"--"

"Not those kind of measurements," Justin interrupted. Greg caught on to what he was saying immediately.

"Now who's the one with their mind in the gutter, Sunshine?" Brian pushed the pizza box closer to Greg. He had never seen anyone inhale pizza like that. "So how'd you two end up together?"

"Well, like I said, I met him at work. He's a CSI, an investigator. I mostly work in the lab analyzing DNA, but sometimes they let me go out into the field. I don't get to do any collection or cool stuff like that, but still. Anyway, I had a crush on him almost as soon as I met him. He's just so...perfect. On top of being built like a god, he's intelligent and kind. He's--" Justin could already hear the change in tone that signaled that his friend was about to go off on a tangent about all the things that made Warrick Brown the most perfect person on Earth.

"I am not listening to you expound on the virtues of Warrick Brown for the umpteenth time. Every other week it's â€˜Warrick this' and â€˜Warrick that.'"

"Give me a break. Every other week I have to sit and listen to the virtues of Brian Kinney as told by Justin Taylor."

"Whatever. I gotta go anyway. Daph called while I was at Antoon's. Her car's in the shop and she wanted me to bring her over sometime tonight so she could see you before you go back to Sin City." Justin pulled on his sneakers and stood up.

"Are you driving?"

"Yeah, I'll just hop in my imaginary car, Brian." Justin replied sarcastically. "No, I was planning on taking a cab."

"Take the 'vette," Brian said, glancing at the keys that were resting on the counter, and Justin looked at him as if he'd lost his mind.

"Okay, Brian," he said slowly, as if he was talking to an insane person. "Bye, Greg." Justin grabbed the keys off the kitchen counter and walked out the door before Brian could change his mind.

"So, Warrick has the body of a god? I've been compared to a god once or twice in my lifetime. You got a picture?"

Greg nodded, got up from where he was sitting and quickly moved over to his duffel bag. After unzipping it and rummaging around for a moment, he pulled out his wallet and carefully plucked a picture out from inside of it. "Here's one," he said, walking back over to Brian and handing it to him. "Yeah, Justin called me that morning after your first night together and told me what happened. â€˜I saw the face of God, and his name is Brian Kinney.' I told him he must have confused the definitions of God and pedophile somewhere along the way."

Brian lifted an eyebrow. "What'd he say to that?"

"He hung up on me, which really shouldn't have surprised me. He's always had a mind of his own. And I knew I was completely wrong and out of line. I called him as soon as he hung up to apologize. I was still pissed, though, and that's probably the only reason I said it in the first place. Not to mention that I still thought of him as that little twelve-year-old I left in Pittsburgh. I just couldn't believe that he went home with a stranger. It was our first real argument."

"Who won?" Brian asked, still not having looked at the photo Greg had handed of him.

"Well he's still with you, isn't he?" Greg finished his fifth slice of pizza and pushed the box away from him. "That first day or so, I wished he'd never met you, but I got over it. Justin's going to do whatever he wants so I just sat back and waited for you to break his heart. You did it the next day, and I expected the whole thing to be over."

"He's a persistent little shit," Brian said, a slight smile on his face.

"Yeah, he is. He'd mention it if he'd seen you each week. And then certain names kept coming up. Lindsay and Michael and Gus. It wasn't long before I realized they were your friends and your son. After awhile I figured that he wouldn't have known so much if you didn't care about him. So I decided to be happy for him. Justin was happy, and you didn't seem like such a bad guy. Then there was the prom..." Greg trailed off.

"Your boyfriend isn't bad," Brian changed the subject as his eyes finally roamed over the photograph he'd been holding. Dark, flawless skin, sparkling green eyes, full lips. Yeah. That Warrick guy definitely wasn't bad.

"Isn't bad? He's fucking perfect." Greg leaned over Brian's shoulder to look at the picture Nick had taken when the three of them were out at Lou's.

"I'd fuck him," Brian said with a nod.

"Like hell you would."

"Whoa, a little possessive are we?"

"Like anyone can be possessive of Warrick Brown. Warrick loves his Grams. He loves his best friend. He loves his sexy ex-stripper co-worker. He loves the guy that mentored him through his entire career. He loves his music and the nightlife and Vegas." Greg let out a sad sigh.

"And because he loves all that, he can't love you, right?" Brian already knew the answer to that. It was clear as day in the picture that he was holding. Warrick and Greg were in some kind of bar that reminded him of Woody's. Greg was facing the camera, but it was obvious that neither of them knew that a picture was being taken. Greg's mouth was open and his hands were in the air as if he was explaining something. Warrick's eyes were on Greg. He was leaning in close, there was a small smile across his lips, and he looked utterly fascinated by whatever Greg was saying. Brian was sure Greg could be talking about what he ate for breakfast and Warrick would have that same look on his face. "If Warrick didn't love you, he wouldn't be with you. Because, believe me, a guy like that can have anyone."

"So I guess I can tell Justin you love him."

"But then again, if this Warrick guy is causing you so much trouble and you aren't happy, then you should just leave. Get out while you fucking can." Brian leaned over to pick up the lighter and pack of Marlboro Mediums that were lying on the coffee table. He pulled a cigarette out and lit up.

"Justin wasn't happy so he left. It was the biggest mistake of his life, or so I'm told. Running way isn't a solution."

"Isn't that what you did? You took off so you wouldn't have to deal with it anymore?" Brian took a long drag, let the smoke fill his lungs and blew a chain of smoke rings before offering a cigarette to Greg. Greg shook his head no.

"I took a break, a vacation. I didn't leave Warrick. I would never leave him."

"Are you sure he knows that?"

"Why would he think otherwise?" Greg asked, defensively crossing his arms across his chest.

"Why would he think you're committed to the relationship? From what I've heard, you guys have been having trouble for the past month or so. At the first sign of trouble, you take off without telling him anything. Hell, you didn't even leave a fucking note. And you put in for an indefinite leave of absence. You disappeared on him. If you leave every time things get difficult, how is he supposed to know that you want to be with him?"

"Warrick knows I want to be with him." Greg furrowed his eyebrows. Warrick had to know that.

"Like you know," Brian replied with an exaggerated eye roll. "If you're so unsure of how he feels about you, then most likely he's unsure about how you feel about him. You haven't given him any indication that you're serious about whatever it is you guys have, and you can't fault him for doing the same."

"You don't know Warrick." Greg shook his head. "He's not insecure. He knows I love him. I tell him all the time."

"Words are bullshit. I think running 2,000 miles away without telling him speaks a lot louder than anything you've ever said to him." There was a moment of silence that was broken by the first few bars of "Cowboy" by Kid Rock, playing somewhere behind the sofa.

"Fuck, I hope something didn't happen to Warrick." Greg scrambled off the sofa and back over to his traveling bags. He dug through a few compartments before he found his cell phone.

"Yeah?" he answered, his voice a bit uncertain.

"Where the fuck are you?" Nick demanded in a very pissed off tone.

"Umm...I'm in Pittsburgh."

"And what are you doing in Pittsburgh?"

"Hey, is Warrick okay? He isn't hurt, is he?"

"'He isn't hurt, is he?'" Nick mocked Greg's words in a disgusted voice. "Of course he's hurt! Why else would I be calling?" Greg felt his heart stop at Nick's words. "His inconsiderate boyfriend just up and left and didn't think to let him know!"

"Wait, wait. Just so we're clear, did Warrick get hurt at a crime scene?" Greg asked, a little confused but still very scared.

"What? No. What're you talking about?" Now it was Nick who was confused.

Greg let out a sigh of relief and sat back on the sofa. "Never mind. So what about me being an inconsiderate boyfriend?"

"He's been moping around here for the past three days."

"Moping? Warrick doesn't mope."

"Bullshit. You know that's not true. You saw him after the explosion."

"Nick, I was in the hospital the entire time," Greg pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess you were. What are you doing in Pittsburgh, man?"

"I'm visiting a friend."

"That's all well and good, but you didn't tell Warrick. What the fuck was that? You know how he jumps to conclusions and blames himself for every little goddamn thing that goes wrong."

"You seem to think I know a lot more about him than I do, Nick." Greg gave a sigh and sank further into the couch.

"Maybe you're not paying close enough attention. I know he doesn't speak his feelings a lot, but goddamn it, Greg, you know he cares about you. You need to call him."

"Nick, I'm probably only going to be here for a few more days. I'll just talk to Warrick when I get back."

"No, you need to talk to him now. Warrick thinks you left him. He thinks the relationship is over. He's ready to mark this up as another failure, put it behind him and move on."

"What?" Greg sat up quickly, startling Brian a bit.

"Greg, you're still my friend and everything, but you fucked up big time. I really don't know if he's going to listen to anything you have to say. He's stubborn like that. But if you care about him at all, then you need to call because that stubborn-ass isn't going to call you."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm on it. I'll talk to you later Nick." Greg closed the phone on Nick's voice, still unable to believe what he'd just been told.

"So that's the Vegas version of Mikey." Brian spoke up. Obviously Greg had forgotten he was still in the room.

"No, Nick isn't trying to get into Warrick's pants. I can't believe you were right. Warrick thinks I left him." Warrick seriously thought that Greg had left him. And he just accepted it. There were no phone calls, no pleading for another chance. There was no appearance in Pittsburgh, no begging to be taken back. It was like he didn't even care. Warrick thought he had left him, and he was already moving on.

"So, you're going to call him, right?"

"I'm not sure what to say."

"There's not much else you can do but be honest," Brian said with a shrug.

"Yeah...umm, you mind giving us a little privacy?"

"I guess I'll go intercept the teenagers before they barge in and give you two a chance to talk." Brian stood up and put on his shoes and jacket before walking out of the loft and closing the door behind him.

Greg stared at the phone in his hand for a second before pressing three on his speed dial. The phone picked up before the first ring was complete.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Warrick. It's Greg."

Chapter 8

Warrick walked into his apartment and dropped his keys on the table next to the door. He had the entire day and night off and couldn't drudge up the desire to do a thing. He wasn't exactly tired and he didn't feel like eating so he flopped down on the couch and turned on the television only to turn it off minutes later. There was nothing on that could hold his attention. He then picked up the book he had started reading a month ago, but the words blurred together and his mind drifted. He sat in front of the keyboard that never failed him and touched a few ivory keys, but he soon found that he just wasn't in the mood. Calling Greg was no longer an option. And he couldn't call Nick. By the way his friend was acting after shift, he was definitely up to something, and Warrick just didn't want to know what that was. He could call Cath, but she already thought that something was wrong and Warrick really didn't feel like going through an interrogation. Grams was always an option, but she'd know right away. He didn't need to be mothered right now. He needed Greg.

But Greg didn't need him or want him, and Warrick would just have to get used to that. Greg hadn't made it official yet, but it was only a matter of time, and Warrick sure as hell wasn't going to let it catch him by surprise. He turned off the keyboard and headed to his bedroom, stripping down to his boxers before getting into bed. Maybe he could fall into a dreamless asleep. He turned his face into a pillow and was surprised when he could still smell Greg's cologne, the cologne he only wore when he was going out or coming over to spend the night at Warrick's. Warrick groaned into the pillow. He couldn't escape Greg even if he tried. He sure as hell couldn't get him out of his head. And it certainly didn't help that Greg had left his shit all over the apartment. There were paperback mystery novels on the kitchen table, expensive coffee in the refrigerator, heavy metal CDs lying on top of his stereo. There was hair gel on his bathroom counter. There was a retainer case lying on his nightstand. A few pieces of Greg's clothing were even taking up space in his bottom drawer.

Warrick didn't even want to think about what it would be like once Greg came back, if he came back. He'd have to see him every single day, all the while knowing that Greg was no longer his. He'd have to watch him flirt with everyone in the lab without the comforting knowledge that they'd be in bed together later that night. He'd have to have conversations with Greg that weren't laced with innuendo or teasing. Maybe he should just throw in the towel and try to get a transfer now. Warrick shook his head.

He wouldn't do that. Vegas was his home. The next months would be hard, but he'd get over it. It's not like they were together that long or anything. Just a few measly months. And this was all for the best anyway. He and Greg weren't compatible. Warrick chuckled at the thought. That was a complete understatement. He and Greg were so different he was surprised it lasted this long. It was bound to end sooner or later though, and it might as well be sooner. Greg would find someone else, someone younger, and more fun, energetic, someone that wasn't as inept at communicating as Warrick could sometimes be. And Warrick...well, Warrick was swearing off of relationships for awhile, a long while. He'd brush himself off and continue on as he always had. No big deal. He'd get over it. No problem. He'd just stop thinking about Greg. Easy to do. Greg and he were a thing of the past. They were just coworkers. Nothing else.

Warrick heard the first few bars of "Sex Bomb" by Tom Jones and leaped off the bed, running toward the living room. He reached his cell just as Mr. Jones was calling him a sex bomb, sex bomb. Greg had this habit of stealing his phone every week or so and changing the ring tone for him to the most embarrassing song he could think of. Last week was "Johnny, are You Queer?" Warrick usually kept the ring tone until Greg changed it. He knew Greg got some perverse pleasure out of it, and Greg swore that he picked up the phone faster whenever Greg called because he didn't want everyone to know he had whatever song as a ring tone. Of course, Warrick never admitted to the fact that the reason he picked up his phone so fast was because he was just excited to talk to his boyfriend. Soon to be ex-boyfriend.

Warrick picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Warrick, hey. It's Greg." He already knew who it was, so he waited for Greg to continue. "Um...is...how are things? Is everything going alright?" Greg was asking questions, but Warrick was sure Greg already knew answers.

"I'm fine, Greg." Warrick settled down on the sofa in the living room. He knew that this was the end of the relationship. It was written in the cards, but there was a very small, very stupid part of him that kept hoping...just hoping that things wouldn't go like he knew they would.

"Great. That's great." A few moments of silence passed before Greg continued. "I'm in Pittsburgh. Uh, you remember my friend, Justin, right? I'm visiting him right now." The name did sound familiar. Warrick remembered Greg mentioning him once or twice.

"Is that right?"

"Yeah..." Warrick knew that he was making Greg nervous, but he just couldn't bring himself to care.

"Warrick, listen...I know I left without saying anything, but I just needed to, you know, clear my head a little. Put some things into perspective."

"Did it work? Are things in perspective now?" The question came out sarcastic and hurtful. He heard Greg take a deep breath before continuing.

"Yeah, I think they are. I think that me coming out here was...I don't know. What we both needed, I guess." Warrick could hear the imminent goodbye. "But Nick called me, and I think that maybe you misunderstood a few things."

Now Warrick knew what Nick was up to after their shift. "Enlighten me, Greg. What exactly did I misunderstand? You needed a break and you left. It seems pretty simple to me."

"Come on, Warrick. Don't even act like I was the only one that needed a break," Greg challenged. "For the past few weeks you've gone out of your way to spend time with everyone but me. You hang out with Nick, you make time for Catherine and Lindsey, hell, you even volunteered to work those doubles. How do you think that makes me feel, Warrick?"

One of the things that made Warrick Brown a great poker and chess player was his ability to read people, his ability to think two steps ahead, always knowing what someone will say or do. But Greg had never been transparent and those last words definitely weren't anticipated. He struggled for a moment to come up with a response and when he did, his voice was tight and controlled. "I volunteered to work those doubles because it's my job and it gave Catherine a chance to spend time with her daughter. I hang out with Nick and Catherine because they're my friends. And I spend time with you because..." The fact that he even had to say any of it just pissed him off. "Goddamnit Greg, I shouldn't have to explain myself to you!" His voice was loud and he took a calming breath. He didn't want to argue with Greg. When he spoke again, his voice was a lot more calm. "You took a break, Greg, because it was what you needed. Don't assume you know what I need."

There were a few more moments of silence before Greg spoke. "Nick told me that..." Warrick listened as Greg took a deep, shaky breath, "...that you said it was over between us. Why would you say such a thing to him?"

It was official. Warrick was going to have to kill his best friend. "Nick needs to mind his own fucking business."

"Don't be mad at Nick. He was just being a good friend. He called me because you obviously weren't going to. It was like you didn't even care that I was gone."

"There you go assuming again." Warrick mutterd it under his breath, not meaning for it to be heard, but he raised his voice so the next part was. "You left without telling me, Greg. Bottom line. If that doesn't say it's over, I don't know what does."

"I told you why I left!" Greg's voice broke.

"I don't give a fuck why you left, Greg!" Warrick didn't mean to yell, but for having such a high IQ, Greg just didn't get it. "You didn't tell me. You left without saying a goddamn word."

"Because I thought that's what you wanted. What we needed." Warrick had to stop himself from laughing at that. Like he ever wanted Greg to leave.

"Bullshit. You ran away. You left because things got too hard for you. Because you weren't man enough to stay here and deal with us or the nightmares. Or the explosion or whatever the fuck else you're going through. Frankly, I don't know what the fuck's wrong with you right now. You never tell me a goddamn thing."

"I didn't say anything because I can handle it myself. I'm a grown man, Warrick. I don't need you babysitting me."

"Do you really believe the fucking bullshit coming out of your mouth? You obviously can't handle it yourself, and you know what? No one expects you to. You were in an explosion. You were seriously injured. That's a big deal. Would you just fucking own up to it? You shake in the lab. You have nightmares almost every night." Warrick paused as a thought occured to him. "How have you been sleeping up there, Greg? No one's there to calm you down after a nightmare, to make sure you fall back asleep. Or does Justin do that for you?"

"Warrick, please don't do this. I didn't..." Greg took yet another deep, steadying breath. "I didn't call to fight with you."

"Then why did you call, Greg?"

"Because I miss you, and I don't want to lose you." The emotion in his voice was evident and Warrick did his best to ignore it. "I fucked up, okay? I know that. But that doesn't mean that you have to just go and...end everything like that."

"You ended everything when you left." You don't leave. It's the one thing you're not supposed to do. Warrick had more than enough people in his life that left when things got hard.

"Stop saying that!" Ignoring Greg's tone was becoming more and more difficult. "You can't believe that, Warrick. You never really thought that I'd just up and leave you, right? I just...I didn't think before I acted."

"No, you didn't." Warrick was ready for this conversation to be over. He didn't like hearing Greg sound so hurt.

Greg started talking quickly, desperately trying to keep him on the line. "Warrick, I love you. I love you so much, and I'm so sorry that I hurt you. I--I wasn't thinking about everything. You're right, I haven't been honest with you or with myself, but I want to fix it. I'll do whatever you want. I'll get on the next plane home and we can work all of this out, okay?"

"It's a little late for all that, Greg." What's done was done. It was time to cut his losses and move on.

"No, it's not! It's not too late. I swear, Warrick, I'll get on a plane right now and come home to you. We can fix this. No more excuses. No more bullshit. I'll do whatever it takes to make this up to you, I promise."

"Greg, Greg." Warrick stopped Greg from going on. "This is for the best. We both knew this would happen sooner or later." Warrick didn't realize his voice had dipped into that comforting tone he used whenever Greg awoke from a nightmare. "We both knew it had to end eventually, right? We're completely different people. It's time for both of us to move on. It's for the best, it really is. I'll see around, Greg. I have to go. Bye." Warrick closed his phone before Greg could change his mind. Because truthfully, he was damn close to telling Greg to just forget about it all and come home. Real damn close.

Chapter 9

"Would you just shoot the damn ball, Nick? You know it won't go in."

"Yeah, yeah. Quit your trash talkin'." Nick kept his eyes on the rim, dribbling the ball a couple times before raising the ball and letting it fly from his fingertips. He watched the ball make its way to the hoop, only to bounce off the rim and into Warrick's hands. Nick tried to hustle up court but he was too late. Rick was already making a lay up. All Nick could do was watch the ball swoosh through the torn net.

"And that, my friend, makes 21. I think someone owes me a couple bills, Nicky."

"Yeah, Yeah." Nick walked to the side of the court to finish off his water bottle. They'd been at the park for an hour as the black asphalt beneath their feet absorbed the sun and Warrick had Nick running up and down the court. Nick was ready to call it a day, but Rick was still on the court shooting and doing lay-ups.

Before the game even started Nick knew Warrick would kick his ass. He always did when they played basketball, and while they were playing he wouldn't shut up. Warrick could trash talk with the best of them. Under normal circumstances Nick would never invite Warrick to play basketball. It just wasn't a fun experience. But these weren't normal circumstances.

Warrick and Greg, well mostly Warrick had ended things two days ago, and Warrick hadn't said a word about it yet. He hadn't even seemed all that upset by the break-up. The one time Nick brought it up, he'd simply said "what's done is done." Nick wasn't buying it. To him it was obvious that Warrick hadn't been sleeping, and just that morning, he snapped at a lab tech over something the guy had no control over. It was then that Nick decided to invite Warrick out for a game of b-ball.

Warrick passed the ball to Nick when he stepped back onto the court. He aimed for the basket, catching the ball after it bounced off the backboard. He passed the ball back to Warrick. "So, have you heard from Greg?"

"I have a feeling I won't be hearing from Greg again, unless he comes back." Warrick answered before shooting the ball. Nick jogged up court to bring the ball back to the free throw line.

"He's coming back, Warrick." Nick felt Warrick's eyes on him. He bounced the ball a couple of times before making eye contact.

"How do you know? You talk to him?" Warrick already knew the answer so Nick didn't bother answering. Warrick just shook his head and walked off court. Nick followed him, carrying the ball. "He gave you his fucking itinerary, but he can't tell his own boyfriend he's leaving town. Un-fucking-believable." Warrick hadn't been facing him until that moment. He spun around, getting into Nick's space. "So, tell me Nick, did you two stay on the phone, late into the night, sharing all your deepest, darkest secrets?"

"Rick." Nick knew not to take his anger personally. Warrick turned around and sat on the park bench, shaking his head in a silent apology. Nick just waved it off and sat down next him. "You're not still angry with him for leaving, are you? This whole break up isn't just because of that, is it?"

"No...No, it just made me realize it would never work. He's too young for me--"

"You mean you'd never be able to keep up, right?"

"He's spoiled and--"

"You love spoiling. Man, you bought your last girlfriend a $300 purse."

"We work together and--"

"You guys made it work."

"He's never been in a serious relationship before."

"Maybe you're his first love."

"Maybe...although, I doubt that's true. I mean his actions prove that he obviously doesn't love me or trust me, right?"

"You know that's not true, Rick. He worships the ground you walk on." Nick wasn't even sure he was paying attention. Warrick was staring out at the park and there was the crease in his brow, a sure sign he was deep in thought.

"Maybe that's the problem. Lately I've been thinking about why were even together. It was convenient more than anything. We worked to together. We got along okay. He says he loves me, but there's no way he can. I mean he doesn't even know me."

Nick had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. It was time to lay a little truth on his friend. "Rick, you know I'm on your side and everything, but you gotta stop putting all this on Greg. If you think Greg doesn't know you, it's only your fault. You never introduced Greg to your grandmother, you never let him in on your whole music thing, and you never let him get to know you. Those are two of the biggest parts of your life. You do this with every single relationship, man. You put all this energy into your relationships. You learn all about them, care for them, do for them, but you don't let them do the same. You weren't open with Greg. You kept things from him. And I'm sure he had no idea you would break up with him when he left. Because like you said, he doesn't know you."

Warrick took a long look at Nick before turning his gaze back to the park. "It isn't worth it anyway."

"What isn't?"

"Relationships. I could call Greg right now. We could kiss and make up. But it doesn't change the fact that relationships are temporary. It would have ended sooner or later. At the first sign of trouble Greg ran. And with our jobs and all of our differences there's always going to be trouble. I just never want to get so attached to someone and have them leave me. I'm officially a confirmed bachelor. I'll be the next George Clooney."

"You're not as attractive."

"I knew what you were up to when you invited me to shoot hoops. You do realize you just paid $200 for a conversation, right?"

"Worth every penny, my friend."

From their bench, they had an almost complete view of the park. There were a couple of teenagers making out against a tree on the left. There was an elderly couple walking along the far edge of the park, holding hands. There were two women pushing a stroller on the sidewalk. "Don't you hate couples?"

Nick laughed before answering, "Sometimes. You remember that night we all went to that bar? Greg had his camera and put me in charge of snapping photos." Warrick nodded. "You two were hanging all over each other. I swear at one point in the night I went to the bathroom, sure I was going to throw up. It was just all so sickeningly sweet. You two didn't even know I was there. You couldn't stop looking at him. And he just kept trying to make you smile. I don't think I've ever seen you laugh as much as you did that night."

"Yeah." Warrick nodded and started to gather his things. Nick followed suit. "I better get going if I'm going to get any sleep."

"Yeah, okay."

Chapter 10

Justin sat at the kitchen counter trying to finish his sandwich, but Greg was distracting. He was on the sofa doing what he'd been doing for the past three days, lying down, playing Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and ignoring his ringing cell phone. It was strange that Greg's inactivity could be distracting, but Justin had never seen Greg so still. Over the last three days, he'd filled nearly half a sketch book with drawings of him. Justin couldn't remember ever being able to sketch Greg before. He was constantly moving, and now he wasn't. Justin could only assume that meant something.

He'd tried to get Greg to talk about the break up. Greg had just said, "It's over, and I'm moving on," which was the biggest load of shit Justin had heard in awhile, but he let his friend get away with it because he obviously didn't want to talk about it. Justin had tried distracting Greg, tried to get him out of the house, but Greg wouldn't leave, saying he â€œwasn't in the mood." Hell, even Brian had tried talking to him, in his Brian-like way, of course.

Greg's cell phone started to play the first few bars of "Cowboy" for the third time in fifteen minutes. The guy wouldn't take a hint.

Justin put his sandwich down. "Maybe you should just pick it up, Greg."

Greg frowned but didn't look up from the screen. "It's just Nick."

"He obviously wants to talk to you. He's been calling for the last three days."

"He just wants to cheer me up. I already told him I was fine." Greg paused his game and stood up, stretching. "I'm going to the bathroom." As Greg walked to the bathroom, Justin stood and walked over to the coffee table, picking up Greg's cell phone. He looked up the most recent missed call, pulled out his own phone and entered Nick's phone number into his cell.

Justin then went back to the barstool when he heard Greg leaving the bathroom. Greg sat back down on the sofa and resumed his game. Justin pulled out his sketch book. While he recreated the slouched posture, down turned mouth, glazed eyes and un-styled hair on the paper in front of him, Justin debated whether he'd use the newly acquired phone number in his cell phone.

Even though he lived hundreds of miles away, Greg had always been a constant fixture in his life. When his father had kicked him out, Greg was ready for him to move to Vegas to live with him. When his mother wasn't sure how to be there for him, Greg had called and tried opening her mind. When it looked like he and Daphne would never speak again, Greg had been there to keep his spirits up. When things weren't good with Brian, Greg was there to listen, be supportive and most importantly, be objective. After the Ethan debacle, he was the one that told Justin that there's no shame in going after what you want.

But right now it seemed that his friend had forgotten his own lesson. Justin had tried convincing Greg to go back to Vegas, but Greg had just shrugged, saying that he needed the time off. He had some life decisions to make. To Justin it looked he was avoiding doing exactly that. He was trying not to think.

So Justin sat at the kitchen counter and did it for him. He didn't like the thought of interfering with his friend's relationship. He'd never met Warrick, and he wasn't even sure the relationship was worth his interference. He didn't know if Warrick was good enough for his friend or if Warrick even loved Greg. All he knew was Greg loved Warrick...a lot.

When Greg had first started telling him about the people he worked with, he'd given them nicknames to help Justin keep them straight. There was the Bug Man, the Reformed Stripper, Pretty New Girl, Cowboy...and then there was Vegas, also referred to as Sex on Legs when Greg was going through a dry spell. Justin had gotten to know Cowboy very well. Nick and Greg became good friends after awhile.

And then a few months ago, Vegas started being referred to as Warrick, and Warrick came up in conversation more than anyone else. He and Warrick went to this club and that club. Warrick had tickets to a concert. Greg passed out at Warrick's after a night of partying. Warrick made this amazing dessert the other night. He and Warrick were going to see this movie. Justin never thought he could get tired of a name. And that was when Warrick and Greg were just friends.

One day almost four months ago, Greg had called, sounding like he'd won the jackpot or something. "You wouldn't believe what just happened. Warrick asked me out...on a date." Justin had never heard Greg sound that excited, not when he got into Berkeley or when he got his job at the crime lab.

Justin could remember the post-date calls. Greg had been near giddy after the first two. After the third there was a little disappointment and worry. Warrick hadn't made a move. "He just kisses me goodnight at the door. I don't think he's attracted to me."

"He wouldn't have asked you out if he wasn't. Not every guy jumps into bed the first night, Greg."

"What guy do you know doesn't?" Justin didn't have an answer for that one. "Exactly."

Justin never got a call the night of the fifth date. He got it the next afternoon, and Greg wasn't worried anymore. Justin didn't get any details, but Greg had said it was "beyond perfect," which was saying something. While Greg didn't have sex with nearly as many guys as Brian, he got out more than Justin. And he was always ready to give a blow-by-blow description of the activities. Greg kept quiet about what went on between him and Warrick, though.

He'd been so happy with Warrick. Justin put his pencil down and looked at the picture he'd drawn of Greg. He made a decision. "Greg, I'm going to go out for awhile."

Greg didn't look up from his game. "Okay, Jus."

Justin grabbed his coat and keys and walked out of the loft, calling Daphne on the way to her apartment. He just needed some place quiet to make the phone call, and a little moral support would be nice too.

Daphne wasn't too supportive, though. "I don't know about this, Justin. I'd be pretty pissed if you did this to me."

"I'll try to remember that." Justin tried to rationalize. "Just think, if everything goes right he'll be thankful, and if it doesn't go well, then...he'll have to forgive me. I'm like his brother. He can't stay mad forever."

"If you say so." Daphne didn't sound convinced.

Thirty minutes and a bus ride later, Justin was walking up to Daphne's apartment. She opened the door after the first knock and let him in.

"So, what are you going to talk to him about?"

Justin sat down on her couch. "I don't know. I just need to know if this guy still cares about Greg. If he does, then they should be able to work it out."

Daphne gave Justin a serious look. "You know it doesn't always work that way."

Justin sighed. "Yeah, I know that. Greg knows it too. He's a realist. And that's a part of the problem. Just allow me this one moment of romantic idealism for him."

Daphne rolled her eyes but smiled and plopped down on the couch next to Justin. "Alright, let's call the man, then."

Chapter 11

Nick had been trying to get in touch with Greg for the past couple days, with very little luck. They'd only had one conversation since the break up. Through this whole thing, Nick really couldn't decide who he wanted to kick most. Yeah, Greg left Vegas and now his best friend was hurting, but that phone conversation with Greg had been rough.

Nick must've called him right after the break up or something, because Greg had been a mess. Nick could hear the tears in his friend's voice. Greg just kept going on, blaming himself for just about everything under the sun. Half the conversation had been Nick trying to get Greg to calm down. The other half was him trying to get him to believe that Greg hadn't ruined everything and that Warrick still cared about him. Greg wasn't having any of it.

Nick had no idea what Warrick had said to Greg during that phone conversation, but he had a feeling it was less about what he said and more about how he said it. Warrick had a talent for appearing completely unaffected by even the most personal of matters. It cost him, though. When you keep all that in, keep it with you, it weighs you down until you're begging for a way to get rid of some of it. Warrick had so much emotional baggage that Nick was surprised he hadn't collapsed under the weight of his own. Warrick may have handled the weight just fine, but his relationship with Greg hadn't.

Nick had sincerely thought their relationship would last. Greg was the complete opposite. He was transparent. There was no filter between his brain and mouth. He wanted what he wanted, felt what he felt, and that was the end of it. Over the course of the relationship, some of Warrick's coping mechanisms must have worn off on Greg though, because after the explosion, Greg pulled a Warrick.

He pretended everything, including him, was fine. He didn't let anyone see what was going on in his head. And, under the weight of it all, he ran, which, to Nick, was such a Warrick thing to do. Granted, Warrick has never run from Vegas. That was only because he has more ties to the city than Greg. When things got rough, Warrick was unable to escape physically, so he did it mentally. Just a year ago, Nick found his friend sitting down in a casino trying to forget a girl.

So, Warrick ran mentally. He got pissed when Greg ran physically. And Nick figured Warrick probably ran off some bullshit to Greg about how he knew it wouldn't last, a self-fulfilling prophecy if Nick ever heard one.

Nick closed his cell phone after listening to Greg's voicemail for the umpteenth time this week. He walked into the kitchen to get a beer. He had just settled on the couch and was about to turn on the Discovery Channel when his cell phone rang. He didn't recognize the number on the display. It had a 412 area code, definitely not Vegas. He put on his friendly voice and answered it "Nick Stokes," just in case it was work related.

"Hi. This is Justin Taylor." The name sounded a little familiar, but Nick couldn't place it. "I'm a friend of Greg's." The friend in Pittsburgh and the cause for all the drama around here lately. "I got your number from Greg's cell phone." That immediately got Nick's attention.

"Is he alright? Did something happen? I've been trying to call and no one's been answering. I figured he was just sulkin'."

Nick sighed in relief at Justin's next words. "You figured right. I don't know what your best friend said to Greg, but the guy's an asshole." Daphne elbowed Justin in the ribs and mouthed, "be nice."

Nick chuckled at the honest description of his friend. "Rick ain't so bad, just stubborn." Nick paused for a second before adding dryly, "Greg leaving town so quick didn't help things much."

Justin was automatically defensive of his best friend. "Greg had his reasons for doing what he did."

"Yeah, well so did Rick." Nick sighed. "I can't say they were good reasons, but I'm sure they make sense in his head. Was there a reason you called? Or did you just want to beat up on Rick?"

Justin took a deep breath before exhaling. "I called because I wanted to know if you think they have a chance of getting back together. Greg seems to really like this guy, for what reason, I don't know. I mean he's hot and everything butâ€”yeah, I'm rambling. Okay. I just want to know if I should be telling Greg to forget him or go after him."

"You know, I don't really know. That's what I've been trying to call Greg about. I think if he'd just come back and they started talking, maybe they could work things out."

"Greg seems pretty sure that being here or there won't change anything."

"Warrick's pretty stubborn, I'll give him that, but if you ever saw them together...Warrick adores Greg. Warrick used to do all kinds of crazy stuff just to see Greg happy. I don't think that just disappeared overnight. If they could just talk to each other..."

Justin was disappointed. There was no way he'd be able to convince Greg to go back to Vegas. "Yeah...well, Greg's a mess. I don't see him going back to Vegas." That wasn't the only option though, was it? "Maybe you can get Warrick to come here?"

Justin hadn't even met the guy, but he could hear the smile in Nick's voice. "Well, I did have an idea. I'll need a little help though..."

XXXXXXXXXX

Nick jogged up to Warrick in the hallway and slapped his hand on his friend's back. "Bro, you're gonna be thanking me real soon."

Warrick felt the dread wash over him. "And why is that?"

Nick kept smiling. â€œI just scored you a week long vacation."

Warrick stopped walking. He brought his hand to the bridge of his nose trying to soothe away the approaching headache. "What did you do, Nick?"

"Keats from days backed out of that Visual Computing Conference happening this week. Ecklie asked me, because I could use the education credits. But I told him I knew you wanted to go to it and you were free this week. Even offered to cover your shifts." That's not exactly how the conversation went and Nick was forever indebted to Keats, but Warrick didn't need to know that.

Warrick gave Nick a hard stare. "That conference is in Pittsburgh, Nick."

Nick tried to look innocent. "Yeah, that's what Ecklie told me. Heard it's a nice city. Most livable in the U.S."

"Greg's in Pittsburgh."

Nick did a piss poor job of feigning shock. "Oh, man. Rick, I had no idea."

Warrick just rolled his eyes. "Just give it up. You're a shitty liar, Nick."

"I just thought if you guys were in the same city, you might consider talking to him."

"Did you tell him I was going to be there?"

"No."

"Well don't. I'm going to go this conference because I don't really have a fucking choice with you talking to Ecklie about it already. But hear me on this Nick. When I get there, I'm not calling Greg or talking to him. We're not getting back together. What we had is over, and that's the end of it. So stay the fuck out of it." Warrick continued walking out of the lab, leaving Nick in the middle of the hallway.

XXXXXXXXXX

Nick had the pleasure of driving a pissed off Warrick to the airport so the man wouldn't have to park his car over the week. "I'll see you in a few days, bro."

Warrick opened the car door to step out but turned to Nick first. "I swear to God, Nick, if I get there and I even hear Greg's name, I'm coming after your ass so fast there won't be time to run." Warrick got out of the car, closed the door and walked into the airport.

Nick watched Warrick walk into the airport before pulling out his cell phone and calling Justin. "Yeah, everything went fine. He's getting on the plane now. Hey...could you do me a favor? Make sure he doesn't come back until they've made up."

Chapter 12

Justin closed the platform screens so he and Brian would have a little privacy. "Brian, I need you to kick Greg out."

Brian didn't bother looking up from the magazine he was flipping through. "Yeah. I'll get right on that." He didn't make a move.

"I'm serious. I've been talking to his friend back in Vegas, Nick. And we've got a plan to get Greg out of his funk."

Brian continued flipping through his magazine. "You're meddling. Weren't you the one that was pissed when Mikey tried to interfere?"

Justin's mouth turned down in a frown just at the thought. "This is different. My intentions are completely benevolent. I'm trying to get Greg and Warrick back together. Warrick's flying into Pittsburgh today for a conference. I just have to get the two of them in the same room."

Brian didn't even have to think about it. "Warrick's going to be pissed."

Justin knelt down on the bed next to Brian. "No, he'll be just like you when I showed up out of the blue at Vangaurd. He'll pretend to be pissed for a little bit just for show, but like you, he'll be secretly thrilled that Greg's back in his life even if it's just for a moment."

"Wow, I think the size of your ego is beginning to rival mine."

"It's why you love me. So are you in or what?"

Brian gave a little martyr sigh and stood up. "Fine. I just have to kick him out, right? What for?"

Justin shrugged his shoulders. "Tell him you want to fuck me on the kitchen table without someone watching."

"At least I don't have to lie." And with that, Brian walked into the living room.

XXXXXXXXXX

"You're not pissed, are you? It's only for tonight." Justin stopped at the red light.

"No, I totally understand, Jus. I know I haven't been all that much fun this past week. I've been thinking I might just stay here for the rest of my vacation. Hell, I don't even know if I'm going back to Vegas. I guess I'll have to go back to pack my stuff and all. Maybe I could just--"

Justin cut off his friend mid-ramble. "You can't leave Vegas, Greg. What about your job? You love it."

"There's crime everywhere."

"What about your friends? You'd miss them."

Greg slumped in his seat, more dejected than before. "They're all friends with Warrick too, and he wants nothing to do with me."

"How do you know? Maybe he'll change his mind. Maybe you could change his mind."

"You've obviously never met Warrick. He's just so fucking stubborn...and his temper. When he makes up his mind, that's it. When we were just friends, he dated a few chicks. As soon as they did something wrong he would drop them, just like that." Greg snapped his fingers to make his point. "Brandy was too clingy, Lisa cheated on him and Rachel stood him up once. He never gave them a chance to explain. Brandy found him at a bar one night when we were all hanging out. She was in fucking tears, Jus, begging him to take her back. He barely gave her a glance, told her to go home." Greg huffed a laugh and shook his head. "God, I'm so stupid. I never thought I'd be one of them. I never thought...maybe because I was a guy or...we were friends first..." Greg's voice was getting thick with approaching tears. "He told me he loved me. He never said that to them. I thought it meant something." Greg turned toward the car window, trying to get a reign on his emotions.

Justin was having a mini panic attack in the driver's seat. Suddenly the big plan didn't seem like such a good idea. What the fuck had that cowboy talked him into? Warrick sounded like an asshole. "Hey, Greg?"

"Yeah?" Greg's eyes were glued to the passing scenery.

"Maybe we should go back. I could convince Brian to let you stay. We'll just fuck in the bathroom, it's no big deal. And, you know, the kitchen table thing, so uncomfortable. So, yeah, we'll just turn back around and--" Justin already had his blinker on, ready to pull into the first lot he could use to turn around.

Greg interrupted his friend mid-ramble. "No, Justin. I just dropped in on you guys and I've overstayed my welcome. Plus, we're already here."

It was true. The first lot Justin found to turn into was the hotel's. He parked the car and put his hand on Greg's knee to stop him from getting out of the car. "Greg, I don't know what's going to happen with Warrick. But, you deserve the best. If Warrick isn't it, then--"

"He ''is'' it."

Justin looked at his friend who still wasn't making eye contact with him. Greg was sitting there fingering the hem of the hoodie Justin had loaned him. The man Justin had looked up to for as long as he can remember. Unofficially adopted brothers. Justin smiled at the memory of Greg coining that phrase for their relationship. Greg had been everything Justin wanted to become. Intelligent, funny, popular. Unlike him, Greg had made friends easily during his summer months in Pittsburgh. Other kids were drawn to him. Not only was he entertaining, he was the best friend a guy could have. Still was.

He put his entire heart into every one of his relationships. The love Greg had for the people in his life was obvious. It was in his eyes when he saw them, in his voice when he talked about them, in his touch when he caressed them. Justin remembered the way Greg's eyes lit up when they saw each other for the first time in a year. He remembered Greg talking about Warrick with affection in his voice and love in his eyes. He remembered being in the hospital, and Greg's hand holding his, touching his brow. The only person Justin wanted touching him. The only person Justin trusted. Even now, out of all of his relationships, his with Greg is and will always be the most solid. Every person should have one person they can always depend on. For Justin, Greg was it. The one love Justin never had to doubt.

Justin impulsively hugged his friend. "I love you, Greg."

Greg was shocked by the sudden attack. He patted his friends back. "Uh...I love you too." Greg tried to joke. "But just because I'm on the rebound doesn't mean--"

Justin smiled into Greg's neck. "Shut up." He pulled away. "You know, you'll always have home at my home." Justin continued at Greg's pointed look. "Yeah, I know I'm staying with Brian now..." Justin joked, "but hell, if you really want to live with me and he doesn't want you there, I'll shell out for a cardboard box. We'll live on the streets. It'll do wonders for my art."

That got a smile out of Greg. Justin continued, seriously, "I guess I'm just trying to say, I'm always here for you."

"I know, bro." A term of affection Greg saved only for Justin. He looked out the window at the hotel. "So, did you guys get me a good room?"

Justin frowned and opened his door, ready to step out. He answered dryly. "Yeah, it's great." They got out of the car and walked into the hotel. A few steps into the lobby, Justin stopped and turned to Greg. "Wait, I left my wallet in the car. Could you get it for me?" Justin handed Greg the key, and started reaching for his friend's duffel bag. "Here, I'll take your bag and start checking you in." Justin walked toward the check-in desk, while Greg walked out.

"Hi, I have a reservation under Justin Taylor and Warrick Brown." When Justin had made the reservation, he told the receptionist that he was surprising his boyfriend. He made sure that Warrick would be given a key without knowing the other half of his reservation.

"Here's your keycard, Mr. Taylor. Enjoy your stay."

"Thank you." Justin looked back toward the doors and saw Greg walking in. He met him halfway. "Hey, sorry. I found my wallet. It was in my pocket. Imagine that. Here's your key." Justin walked Greg to the elevators at the back of the lobby and handed Greg his bag. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow morning, probably 10ish. Call me if you have any problems. My cell phone's on." Greg was just standing there with his bag, looking a little lost in his thoughts. Unpleasant thoughts, if his expression was anything to go by. Justin felt like he was sending his best friend off to battle. There was an open elevator. He gave Greg one last hard hug. "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow." He watched Greg step on the elevator and the doors close.

Justin walked out the side doors by the elevators to avoid the front desk and explaining why he was leaving minutes after checking in. As he walked around the building back to the parking lot, he couldn't help thinking that he sometimes hated how Greg was, how ''he'' was. When you wear your heart on your sleeve, it's bound to get hurt over and over again. And it seemed like you never learned. You just kept on hoping and wanting and loving. He wondered what it would be like to be Brian or this Warrick guy, to have a wall around your heart with a door that you could open and shut as you please.

Chapter 13

Greg closed the door behind him and tossed his bag on the floor to the left before walking further into the small hotel room. The curtains on the floor-to-ceiling windows were wide open. City lights gave the room a soft glow and Greg could just make out the details of the room. There was a medium-sized television, a small nightstand in the corner, and the hottest man Greg had ever seen lying on a full-size bed. His eyes had to be fooling him. Greg walked closer to the bed and sure enough, there was Warrick Brown, close enough to touch. He was lying on his stomach. His right arm was hanging off the side of the bed, his fingers an inch away from touching the ground. The blanket was in a ball at the foot of the bed. And the sheet was covering Warrick's waist and legs. Greg watched the city lights play off of Warrick's skin, and he had to smile. Warrick always slept with the windows uncovered and open. He liked hearing the noise and having the sunlight or city lights streaming in through the window. He loved living in the city. Vegas was in Warrick's blood more than he'd ever care to admit.

Greg sat down on the floor next to the bed and watched Warrick sleep. He couldn't believe Warrick was right in front of him. He didn't understand how it happened and he knew he should just leave. Warrick didn't want anything to do with him. But he wanted this so bad. For the past few days all he thought about was seeing Warrick...touching him. Warrick's all hard muscle and sharp lines, but he knew from experience that Warrick had the softest skin he'd ever felt. Greg could never keep his hands to himself when they were in bed. He just wanted to touch him one more time. He knew he shouldn't, but he'd never been very good at resisting Warrick. He lifted his hand and let his fingertips ghost over Warrick's cheekbones softly. Down his cheekbones to his lips. Greg loved Warrick's lips. He felt Warrick stir and pulled his hand away before he could get caught in the act.

Warrick opened his eyes, not quite sure of what woke him up. He looked in front of him and saw Greg. He figured he had to still be asleep, still be dreaming. Greg looked so much younger than Warrick had ever seen him. He was in jeans and a hoodie, and he looked so sad. Warrick just wanted to comfort him. He reached up, bringing his hand against Greg's cheek. It was warm and real and solid. "Greg?"

Greg wasn't sure what he was expecting to happen when Warrick woke up, but the soft touch from Warrick was the last thing he could have imagined. "Uh...hey." He tried for a grin, but it fell flat.

Warrick was suddenly wide awake. He pulled his hand away from Greg and sat up to turn on the lamp sitting on the nightstand. "What're you doing here?"

"This...uh, this is my room." Greg reached into his jeans pocket and held up the plastic keycard Justin had given him.

"No, it isn't. I checked in this morning." Warrick pulled the card key from Greg's hand. "Where'd you get this?"

Greg took the card back from Warrick. "My friends rented this room for me."

"Your friends? Your friends wouldn't happen to be friends with Nick would they? I'm gonna fucking kill him."

"What are you talking about?" Greg wasn't following. "Brian and Justin rented this room for me so they could get some alone time. And as far as I know, Nick is in Vegas...where I thought you were. What are you doing here, Warrick?"

"There's a forensics conference downtown. Someone from day shift was supposed to go, but at the last minute they were sending me. Nick said he pulled a favor, said I needed a vacation. And here we end up in the same city, in the same hotel, in the same room. It's not a coincidence."

"I had nothing to do with this, I swear!"

Warrick threw the sheet from his body and stood up before walking to his duffle bag in the corner of the room. He pulled out a pair of jeans and slid them on over his boxers. There was no way he was doing this in just his shorts. "I know you didn't, Greg. This has Nick Stokes written all over it. He just can't mind his own fucking business." Warrick pulled out a t-shirt to put on as well and sat back down on the bed. He took a good look at Greg, taking in his appearance. He looked just about as bad as Warrick felt.

Greg fiddled with the hem of his jeans, not knowing what to say but knowing he should say something. He went with the truth. "I'm glad you're here." He said it so quietly, he wasn't even sure Warrick heard him.

Warrick heard him and he didn't know what to say. Yeah, he'd missed Greg. No doubt. But being this close to him without being able to touch him or kiss him...knowing that Greg wasn't his anymore literally hurt. Breaking up made a lot more sense when Greg halfway across the country. Being this close to him was messing with his head. "I don't wanna be here." He mumbled it under his breath before he could stop himself.

"Yeah, I get it. It's over, you don't love me, you can't stand to be near me. I don't blame you for hating me. I'm kinda hating myself right now too."

"Don't do that. Don't try to be funny. Just be real with me."

"I am being real with you. It's over, you don't love me, you can't stand to be near me. You've made your feelings pretty clear."

"Would you stop being so melodramatic? I never said I hated you. I'll never hate you. Things just didn't work out."

"Because of me. Because I ran away."

"Well...yeah, what'd you expect to happen?" Warrick almost wanted to take the words back when he saw Greg flinch. He hated seeing Greg so broken up over this, blaming himself. He kept thinking about his conversation with Nick. He couldn't put it all on Greg. He had a part in it too. "You know it would've ended sooner or later. I mean it just...it's not all your fault...we're so different...and work...there's just no way it could've worked. It's better that we just end things now and move on."

"That's a lot easier said than done. I can't make myself stop loving you, Warrick." Greg didn't want to do this anymore. He knew none of it was going to make a difference and it just...hurt. He stood up to leave. "Look, I'm going to go, okay?"

"Don't go." Warrick never wanted to hurt Greg. He just had to make him understand. He reached out to Greg. "Come here."

Greg didn't move. "You've already made up your mind. You don't want me, you want this...us to be over. Did it even occur to you that maybe I didn't want us to be over? That maybe I loved you enough to want to fight for this relationship and try to fix it?"

Warrick dropped his hand and looked away. "Shut up, Greg. You don't love me. You don't."

"Oh, don't even go there."

"You think you do, but you don't." Warrick's voice was firm. "You wouldn't have left if you did. You would have came to me with your problems if you did."

"How do you know what I think? How do you know what I feel? You've never bothered asking before. How was I supposed to know that you'd even notice that I was gone?"

"What the fuck are you talking about? How could I not notice you were gone?" Warrick was sure that Greg had lost his fucking mind.

Greg didn't respond. Maybe Warrick was right. It was time to move on. If Warrick didn't understand now, he never would. He couldn't stop himself, couldn't let himself give up though. "I may have left physically, and yes, that was a huge fuck up, but you checked out emotionally a long time ago. I was honest and open with you from the beginning. I told you everything and got nothing in return. But you know what? I didn't care. I took what I could get because I loved you that much. So don't you fucking tell me that I never loved you, Warrick Brown, because I do."

"I gave you everything you could ever want, everything I could give you. And it wasn't enough. It was never enough. This past month has been hell, and I know you haven't happy. I saw this coming. I knew you were going to end it. I tried, I tried like fucking hell, and it still happened. I don't give a fuck what you say, Greg. You don't love me. I was just the first guy that fucked you and actually gave a damn about you too. But I couldn't make you happy. I couldn't do that, so you left."

"Exactly. You don't give a fuck what I say. You never have and you never will. I don't matter. I get it." Greg didn't think there was any fight left in him.

"How can you even say that?" Warrick genuinely didn't get it. There was no way Greg could be serious. "I've listened to every single thing you've ever told me. I practically begged for you to tell me more."

"That's bullshit and you know it. But you know what? I didn't care about that, just like I didn't care about playing second fiddle to everyone else. I loved you anyway."

"'I loved you despite of it all.' That's such a bullshit thing to say. I loved everything about you. You never played second fiddle. There was only you. I loved you."

Greg couldn't stop himself from laughing at that. Of course he played second fiddle. "You actually believe that. Whatever. It's not like it matters now, right?"

"I believe it because it's the truth. What, were you just that fucking jealous? You couldn't handle my relationship with Grams, or Nick, or Cath? Or maybe it was work or music? Believe it or not, Greg, I have a life. A very healthy, full life. And you were part of it, just like everyone else, everything else. I never thought I'd have to say something like this to you. You of all people should know. You understand my job, you understand my relationship with my Grandmother, you're friends with Nick."

Greg gave up. He stepped back and put both of his hands in front of him, palms facing Warrick. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I ran away from you. I'm sorry that I couldn't be everything that you want and deserve. I'm sorry for being 'jealous' and wanting to spend more time with you. I'm sorry for all of it...except falling in love with you. Because regardless of what you think, loving you was the most amazing, wonderful thing that has ever happened to me." Greg was done. Time to leave. He gave Warrick one last look and walked to the door.

Warrick didn't think he could watch Greg physically leave him. And in that moment he realized exactly what he'd done. Greg was leaving him. Greg would never be his again. And that...that was all on Warrick, because right now, Greg wanted to make this work. Warrick was at the door in a few strides and holding on to Greg's wrist. "Please...please, don't leave." His hand moved to Greg's hip to turn the younger man around. He lifted his other hand to cup Greg's cheek. He wanted this. Wanted it more than anything, and he made sure Greg knew it. "You're everything I want, way more than I deserve. I just...I just don't get why I wasn't enough for you. Explain it to me, and I promise I'll listen. No more arguing. Okay?"

Greg wasn't sure he could handle anymore. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Please, Greg. I'm asking you to stay. You can't leave me again. I'll do whatever you want. Just stay and talk to me."

Greg looked at Warrick with those big sad eyes. He didn't know what to say so he let Warrick lead him back to the bed to sit down. He looked down at his hands and fiddled with the hem of his borrowed hoodie. "What do you want me to say?" he finally broke the silence.

"Tell me everything I did wrong. Because we were really happy, right? I mean, we were good together. Then there was the explosion...and that was all kinds of fucked up. And I know you were dealing with that, but it wasn't just that. It felt like you didn't want to be with me anymore, or I wasn't enough for you, or...I don't know. Things were just different."

"You've always been enough for me...everything I could possibly want. And I know I've said this a million times, but I truly am sorry for everything. You're right. The lab explosion did fuck me up. I mean, it...I don't know. I had nightmares every night, vivd ones, and they wouldn't stop. The ugly scars on my back don't help. It's tough to be constantly reminded of something that almost killed you, you know? I know that it happened really fast, but it's something that I'm not ever going to forget. I remember everything about it." Greg felt stupid. He shouldn't feel that way. The explosion was over, he was still alive, he should be over it. "I guess after that happened I didn't feel safe anymore and I wanted you..." He trailed off, not finishing his sentence.

Warrick prodded. "Wanted me... what?"

"I just wanted you. With me, around me. I know it was a selfish thing, but that's the only way I really felt good...happy...safe, when I was with you. And it hurt so bad because it was like...that's when you really pulled away from me. You were spending all your time with Nick and Catherine and your other friends...you would forget about plans that we made and it just really hurt."

"God, babe, I wasn't trying to pull away from you. You just wouldn't talk to me. I knew you were dealing with it all, but you wouldn't share any of it with me. I kept asking. And after awhile it felt like hovering. I just thought you needed more space."

Greg couldn't help but grin a little bit at the term of affection, but it was short-lived. He shrugged. "I was just being selfish. You're right, you do have a very full and enjoyable life. You had it before you met me and you'll have it after I'm gone. I'm sorry that I...you know. The world doesn't revolve around me. I just...this is all so stupid, but I wanted to feel safe so bad. Justin...I've known him for so long and he's probably the only person in the world who understands me so I came out here."

"I get that. I do. I would have understood if you had just told me. Why didn't you?"

"I was going to, but you had forgotten our plans and when I called, you were with Nick. I honestly didn't think you'd care if I left."

"I was just picking up breakfast for both of us, you. I even bought those nasty-ass chocolate chip pancakes you love so much."

"Why didn't you call me?"

"I got called into work that night and just completely forgot. This little kid killed in a park, and by the time I was done, it was early morning. Nick and I went to pick up some breakfast. I wanted to surprise you. I even had this little weekend trip planned. There's a small bed and breakfast outside of town." Warrick smiled a little at the thought of the plans he had made. But he remembered where they were and why they were there, and the smile quickly disappeared. "We would have had fun."

"Yeah, we would have."

"We could...uh...maybe go sometime still, if you want to, I mean." Warrick was grasping at straws and he didn't know when their roles were reversed. When he wanted this more than Greg.

Greg just shook is head. "I doubt I'll go back to Vegas."

"What are you talking about?"

"I don't think I could go back there."

"What are you talking about?" And Warrick knew he was repeating himself. "You're in one of the best labs in the country. You couldn't find a better job. And everyone would miss you. Nick'll kick my ass if you leave Vegas because of me, Gris'll be pissed if he loses his best lab rat, Cath will miss the baby of the lab, and Sara won't have anyone left to flirt with her. Because God knows you're the only one that does. You can't leave."

"I can't stay there. Do you have any idea just how bad it'll hurt seeing you everyday, being constantly reminded of how I fucked up the one thing in this world that made me happiest? I can't do it."

"You didn't fuck up anything. We both did. If I can stick it out, so can you. And our rel...our friendship isn't beyond repair." Warrick took Greg's hand in his, interlacing their fingers. "We were friends first, you know. And even though it may not be the same, you'll always be a part of my life."

"And you'll always be part of mine. You're my first love and I'll never forget that, but I can't be 'just your friend.' I love you too much."

Warrick brought his other hand to Greg's chin and turned his face so they were facing each other. "Didn't you learn anything from all of this? Running away isn't a solution. Leaving isn't going to change anything, Greg. It never does. It just makes things worse. Just because it's out of sight, doesn't mean it's out of mind. In addition to dealing with everything, you also won't have any friends close by." Warrick dropped his hand. "That'd just be stupid, and you're ''not'' stupid."

"Nope, that's not true. I'm incredibly stupid and you know why. I ran away once and I ruined everything." They were both quiet for a few seconds before Greg blurted out, "I guess I'll never get to meet your grandmother, huh?" It was a very random thing for Greg to say and he realized that. He didn't even know where it came from...

"You wanted to?"

"Well, yeah...I mean, I've thought about it. You've mentioned her before and how she shaped the person you are so I figured she was a cool old lady. But I realize that she's a part of your life that never concerned me. Did she...did she even know about me?"

"Of course she did. I used to talk her ear off about you. She really wanted to meet you..."

Greg looks at Warrick with questioning eyes. "Really?"

"Yeah, I just...you know...I never introduce her to the people I'm dating. I mean, eventually, they leave, or dump me, or we break up, or I dump them. She's the only family I have left, the most important person in my life. The idea of introducing her to all these people that weren't going to be around for that long just seemed like a bad idea. It's funny. Out of all the people I dated, you were the only one she actually wanted to meet." And Warrick knew that had to mean something. "I don't think she likes my taste in women."

"I've gotta say that I agree with her on that one." Greg smiled at his own joke for a second, but Warrick's words definitely hurt. "So you knew we were doomed from the beginning? Maybe Nana Olaf isn't so psychic after all. She told me that you and I were going to last."

"I kinda thought we would too. You're everything I could want in a partner. And our first night together just felt so...right." Warrick couldn't stop himself from thinking about the night. "When we were in bed together, I just couldn't imagine ever being with anyone else." Warrick brought himself back to the present. "I didn't think we were doomed from the start, Greg. When it comes to relationships though, I tend to expect the worse. I think I would have introduced you to Grams eventually...I don't know."

"I guess it's a good thing you didn't," Greg said softly.

"I don't know. Maybe I should introduce you two. You are staying in Vegas aren't you?"

"I don't know."

"You should."

"Why?"

"Because everyone will miss you if you don't."

"Even you?"

"Especially me. I know it may be hard to believe, but I do care about you."

"Well, then I guess I'm staying in Vegas." He gave Warrick a small smile. "I really am glad you're here. This fight...talk, whatever it was...it needed to happen."

"Yeah it did." Warrick nodded his head and cleared his throat a bit. "I'm sorry for arguing with you before and not listening. I guess I can be a little stubborn at times."

"And I'm sorry for being a jealous, needy brat." Greg very gently pulled his hand out of Warrick's and stood. "I guess I better go find myself a room. I could always go back to Brian and Justin's loft, but I don't think Brian would appreciate that very much. Me being there has put a serious strain on their sex life. Brian even locked me out once."

"You should just stay here. The bed's plenty big for the both of us."

"You sure you don't mind?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah, you mind or yeah, you don't mind?" Greg wanted to be absolutely sure.

Warrick shook his head slightly, chuckling. He looked at Greg before answering. "Yeah, I don't mind."

Warrick took off his shirt and jeans, chucking the clothes into the corner near his duffle bag. He climbed into the bed and under the covers. He kept his eyes on the ceiling averted from the vision of Greg stripping.

"You want me to turn off the lamp?" Warrick looked at Greg, his eyes raking over Greg's lean form clad in a t-shirt and boxers. His gaze finally met Greg's.

"Yeah. That'd be good." Warrick's throat was dry. He swallowed before turning back to the ceiling. His eyes stayed on the ceiling as Greg climbed in the bed and under the covers.

Warrick's relationship with Greg was a lot like gambling. Greg was alluring... distracting... sexy... tempting. Within the same twenty-four hours, Greg could have him feeling like a king to feeling like shit. When they were together, Warrick would've spent his last dollar on Greg if he'd just ask. Above all, Greg was risky. Warrick had taken a big gamble when he kissed Greg in that crowded club so many months ago. Their first kiss. Warrick had known from that moment that he'd eventually have to give Greg up, just like he had gambling. Because wanting something so much you ached, needing something to get through a day, not caring about the consequences, just acting...that couldn't be good, right?

Warrick glanced at Greg. With all that, there was still the simple fact that like gambling, Greg was tempting. Greg was temptation personified. Being this close to him felt like the those first few weeks after he quit gambling. He'd watch a game and would have to stop himself from placing a bet. It'd be so easy. Just a simple phone call. He could end up losing it all. But placing that bet would feel so good, so fucking good. Putting himself on the line. Taking that chance, that risk. Making that jump, and just...falling. It could be euphoric. Now when it came to gambling, Warrick would start thinking about the consequences and how his actions would affect others. But here, in this hotel room, there was only Greg and Warrick. So Warrick took a deep breath and took his chance.

Chapter 14

Warrick woke up to a familiar scene the next morning. There was a loud, blaring alarm clock going off on the nightstand. Greg, pressed closely to his side, was repeating "turn it off, turn it off, turn it off" into a pillow. Warrick knew from experience, that Greg wouldn't move to turn off the alarm as long as there was someone else there to do it for him. So he rolled over his boyfri...his ex...his...Greg and turned off the alarm clock.

"You're squishing me." Someone was ready to face the world.

Warrick settled his weight more firmly on Greg. "You know you like it."

Greg's arms found their way from between their bodies to wrap around Warrick's shoulders. "Yeah. I do."

Warrick dropped a kiss on Greg's collarbone, his neck, the soft space below his ear, before bringing his lips to Greg's. The kiss was soft and easy, a simple "hello." Warrick was the first to pull away. He locked eyes with Greg. "You know, we probably should have talked last night."

"Talking isn't exactly our strong suit."

Warrick ran his thumb over Greg's lower lip. "No, it isn't. I'm sorry. I just wanted this...you so much."

Greg's hand moved to Warrick's stubbled jaw, "the feeling was mutual."

Warrick leaned into Greg's caress before taking Greg's hand in his and intertwining their fingers. He glanced at the clock on the nightstand at the side of the bed. "I have a workshop in twenty minutes."

"You know, somehow that whole conference thing slipped my mind."

Warrick grinned. "You were preoccupied." Warrick slipped out of bed and Greg sat up to watch him walk to the bathroom.

"I guess you could say that."

Warrick continued his conversation from the bathroom as he was brushing his teeth. After a month or so of dating, and more than a few instances of Warrick trying to talk while his mouth was otherwise occupied, Greg had mastered the art of translating Warrick's garbled speech for what it was. "We could meet for lunch to talk if you want? We should talk. I'll have a couple hours between sessions."

Greg answered from the bedroom. "Yeah, that sounds good to me."

Warrick walked out a minute later and planted a minty-fresh kiss on Greg. "Good."

XXXXXXXXX

Greg waited in the hotel's restaurant. Justin had visited while Warrick was attending the conference. Greg was able to thank his friend and say his final goodbyes. Because after last night there was no doubt in his mind that he'd be returning to Vegas. He and Warrick hadn't made any commitments or promises. They weren't back together. But, last night had given Greg hope. If there was even a slight chance that he'd have even a fraction of what he had before with Warrick, then he would take it. In fact, he had called Grissom that morning and told him he'd be returning to the lab right after the conference.

He watched as Warrick walked across the restaurant. He was stopped along the way by a few fellow CSIs offering him a seat. He'd smile, decline, shake their hand, and offer a rain check. Warrick was the best networker in the lab. It came natural to him. It's probably why he ended up handling more cross-jurisdiction cases, attending more conferences, and getting more articles published than anyone in the lab with the exception of Grissom.

When he finally arrived at their table he bent down to give Greg a hello kiss before sitting down. "Hey. Did you get a chance to order yet?"

"No, I was waiting for you." They passed time with small talk as they placed their orders and waited on their food. Warrick told him about the workshop he just attended and explained a few principles to Greg, feeding Greg's desire to become a CSI.

Halfway through their meal, Warrick started a monologue that sounded a little rehearsed, if not genuine. "I want you, Greg. I'll always want you. And I want us to work. I want us to be together for as long as you'll have me. I'm not good at relationships. I'm a pessimist at heart, always waiting for the other shot to drop...and I'm working on that. I will work on that, at least when it comes to this...us. I know I fucked up, and I know I'll fuck up again--"

"Hey, I fucked up too, Warrick."

"Yeah, you did."

Greg responded dryly. "Thanks."

Warrick smiled. "Anytime babe."

"So, we're back together?"

"Only if that's what you want."

"I never wanted us to be over in the first place."

"Then, yeah. We're back together."

Greg slumped back in his chair and tried to keep the smile off his face. "It feels a little anti-climatic, don't you think?"

"What, you're not thrilled to be back with me?" Warrick started paying for the bill that had been dropped at their table minutes earlier.

"I guess you're okay..."

Warrick stood up and reached for Greg's hand. "Come on. My session starts in 20 minutes. Let's find a bathroom to make out in."

XXXXXXXXXX

Now we request your full attention as the flight attendants demonstrate the safety features of this aircraft. Greg contemplated his and Warrick's future as the flight attendant gave her safety spiel. "So, I'll get to meet your grandmother." It wasn't a question.

We suggest that you keep your seat belt fastened throughout the flight, as we may experience turbulence."And you'll wake me up every time you have a nightmare."

"You'll let me hear you play for real this time."

There are several emergency exits on this aircraft. Please take a few moments now to locate your nearest exit. In some cases, your nearest exit may be behind you."You won't leave when things get hard."

"You won't make any decisions about us without talking to me."

If you are traveling with someone who requires assistance, secure your mask first, then assist the other person."You'll tell me when you need me."

In the event of an emergency, please assume the bracing position."Even when we're both acting like complete idiots, we'll remember that we still love each other?"

Warrick smiled. "We'll try."

Greg asked in mock shock. "Try? Don't you have this whole relationship thing figured out?"

Warrick laughed. "Not by a long shot."

You will find this and all the other safety information in the card located in the seat pocket in front of you. We strongly suggest you read it before take-off. As the plane took off, Warrick reached for Greg's hand, intertwining their fingers. "But we'll figure it out together."

The End.