Title: Cynics
By: it-glitters
Pairing: Greg/Nick
Fandom: CSI: Vegas
Rating: R
Series: 1) Bewilderment, 2) Take Me Home
Warnings: violence
Summary: Greg never makes it back to Nick's and a CSI is taken.

***

By the end of shift Greg was desperate to see Nick. He had gotten stuck in the lab again as a favor – but it felt like all his hard work was going down the drain because of the lab's inability to hire and keep a DNA tech. He was relieved when he got a text message from Nick saying that he had left early and to come over whenever he got off. Greg turned into the locker room, grinning like an idiot and walked right into Sara.

"Why are you so happy?" She was tired and hostile.

"I got a date."

"You and Nick both have dates and I'm sitting at home alone. Fabulous."

Greg's heart had skipped a beat when he thought Sara had figured it out, but then he calmed down again. "Love must be in the air, I suppose. Warrick got married, people are going on dates."

Sara scoffed at him. "Waste of time – it always ends the same."

"Cynic."

"Shut up!" she cried, smacking him on the shoulder. "I want details later – suitable details – I need someone that I can live vicariously through." She waved over her shoulder as she left the room.

Greg thought about whether or not he should go home first to get an overnight bag – he wondered if that would be too forward, as if he were demanding to stay the night. But then again, he didn't want to be unprepared if Nick did want him to stay. He decided to go home, cursing himself for not bringing something to work with him. He packed up the few belongings that he did have with him and drove to his apartment.

....

Greg parked his car and took a short detour to his mailbox – bills and junk mail, which he deposited onto the kitchen table without a second glance. One thing that did catch his eye was a small card with no return address.

Dear Mr. Sanders,
I know something I bet you didn't know I knew.

There was nothing more to the cryptic letter and Greg looked once more to the envelope that he had set on the table. Not only was there no return address, there was no postage stamp either – someone had placed this directly into his box. He regretted leaving his kit in the car. He was pulling out his cell phone when something covered his face and everything went dark.

....

Nick waited impatiently for Greg. He knew Greg had to have gotten off by now, and even if he had made a detour to his own apartment, he should have been at Nick's by now. Nick paced around the apartment once more and called Greg's cell phone again – still no answer. Nick grabbed his keys and went to Greg's apartment.

He parked next to Greg's Jetta and was a little mad that Greg hadn't had the decency to call and say he wasn't coming, so Nick decided to find the problem at the source, and went towards Greg's building. Immediately he noticed the open door and sprinted up the stairs.

"GREG!" he yelled, but received no response. There was mail on the table, and a chair was overturned, but there were no obvious signs of a struggle. That was when he noticed the writing on the wall...

Hello CSI. Another one missing? It was written in blood.

Nick took out his cell and called for help.

....

They had been processing the scene for a half-hour when Grissom finally approached Nick.

"Why were you coming over here?"

"Greg was supposed to meet me, but he never showed and didn't answer his calls, so I came to see him. Do you think this has anything to do with the Gordon case? Walter's dead and his kid is still in jail."

"I don't know, Nick. I mean – there are a lot of similarities. And then the note on the wall... the one thing I can't figure is the card on the table. Do you have any idea what it could mean?"

"I don't know. It could just be that he's a CSI or..." Nick paused. He didn't know if Greg and his outing yesterday meant anything.

"Nick? What are you thinking?"

"Well, Greg and I spent the day together, but that would mean that someone had to have been following either me or Greg."

"Together how?"

"Do we have to talk about it here?"

Nick saw the realization spread over Grissom's face. "How long has this been going on?"

"Just since yesterday, we went to this hole in the wall bar and then back to my place."

"Do you think anyone was following you?"

"I didn't notice anything suspicious, but my head wasn't really in the best place."

"Nick, I want you back at the lab, I can't have you involved in this case. I won't tell anyone why, but we're all already emotionally involved, and your involvement would just make things worse."

Nick hung his head, he really didn't want to leave, but he knew that everything Gil had said was right. "Ok, can you just... keep me updated?"

"Of course."

Nick too one last look around the apartment – and when he left all he could think about was Greg's blood being used for some sick bastard's ink.

....

Greg awoke to a headache and a coppery taste to his mouth – the after effects of chloroform. He tried to look around, but the room was dark, save for a sliver of light from under the doorframe. He was also aware of the pain of his wrist, which was wrapped in gauze and tied behind his back. He tried to scoot himself in the chair, but that only sent shock waves of pain emanating from his wrist and into his body. He became dizzy from the lack of blood.

Before he passed out, he could hear at least two voices from beyond the darkness.

***

Next story in series - Blood Spatters.