Previous part of part of The Day Before You.
***
Chapter 13: Cause for Celebration - Part 2"Hey," Sara greeted her boss from the doorway of his office. "Nick and I got back a little while ago. I offered to handle everything so he could take off and start his big weekend."
"Big weekend?" Gil removed his reading glasses and leaned back in his chair.
"Greg's birthday party," she reminded him. "We're going, remember? We bought him a rare edition Sherlock Holmes book, a Deerstalker Hat and a Calabash pipe. Is any of this ringing a bell or should I be worried about Alzheimer's?"
"Right, right." He tossed his pen on the desk. "Sorry, I'm preoccupied with that Jane Doe murder."
"She's still a Jane Doe?"
"Yes, and the autopsy revealed that she was two months pregnant at the time of her death."
Sara bristled when she heard 'pregnant'.
"We have a suspect, an ex-con named Dawson Miller. Sofia has him in custody."
"I take it you're here for a while?"
Gil nodded as his cell rang.
"I'll finish up my stuff and see you at home."
"You don't have to wait up."
"I know." An almost imperceptible smile followed. "But I will." She winked since Hodges was on approach. "I'll see you later."
"He's so late that I've polished off two bottles of vino," Greg grumbled as he lit the last of twelve Mood Candles. "Just a few more things to do." Nick had called from the locker room saying he was grabbing a shower and would be home shortly. "I'm going for romantic Tantric ambiance." He pressed 'play' on the stereo. "This CD is called Erotic Moods. It's supposed to stimulate the senses and inspire passion. What do you think?"
The plastic doll was sitting under the covers, mouth gaping and eyes wide.
"You're stunned and speechless!" Greg laughed. "That's a good sign." He uncorked the third bottle of Cab so it could breathe. "Check out the stud wear I bought when I got you and all my other romance supplies." He showed off his new black lycra briefs and twirled them on his index finger. "No moose pictures or silly words on these sexy shorts. The tag says they have a built-in pouch that's guaranteed to show-off my package." While pulling off the garment tags, he told his blow-up doll/new best friend, "The cowboy thinks I'm just a silly, horny teen trapped in a thirty-something body, but today I'm going to prove that I can be a romantic and mature lover." Too tipsy to successfully stand on one leg, he tripped and fell over pulling on his underwear. "Ha! Good thing he didn't see that move!"
"G..."
Surprised to hear the doll talking, Greg shrieked.
"What the hell are you doing?" Nick asked as he walked into his barely recognizable bedroom.
"You're home!" The surprised boyfriend scrambled to his feet while tugging up his sexy new underwear. "You just called five minutes ago, so I wasn't expecting..."
"I called a half hour ago."
Greg burst into a fit of giggles. "Time flies when you're having fun."
"What kind of fun exactly?" Scratching his head, the puzzled man queried, "Why is there a blow-up doll in our bed?"
"That's Amber and she's in our bed to help me make a statement to you."
"Really? What does Amber have to say to me exactly?"
"That you, me and her are as close to a three-way as I ever want to get." Vulnerability flooding his voice, Greg stood his ground, "Don't make me screw girls, Cletus. I hear they have cooties."
"You don't want the threesome?" Nick's heart pounded in his chest. "Really?"
"No, and I really wish that you didn't want me to either. I wish that you weren't okay with other people touching me, because if you're okay with it, that probably means you want me to be okay with other people touching you and..."
"No! No, not at all. I'm not okay with it."
"Uh...I'm confused." Greg blamed the wine. "How can you not be okay with it when it was your idea in the first place?"
"Because I was a drunken idiot when I made that stupid suggestion." Nick stepped closer with a hand over his heart. "It's been tearin' me up seein' you so jazzed about goin' there."
"I was only acting that way because I thought you wanted me to be jazzed." Smiling, Greg slurred, "This is so cool! You were doing something for me, while I was thinking that I was doing something for you. It's kinda like O. Henry's Gift of the Magi, isn't it? But gay...and not at Christmas. It would really seem that way if you shaved your hair again - but don't, because I love running my fingers through it."
"C'mere, you lunatic." Relieved that they wouldn't be heading to the ranch later, Nick embraced his partner. "You have no idea how stressed I was. The thought of you bein' with anyone else, male or female, was makin' me crazy. I almost lost it at work when that new girl in Records was flirtin' with you yesterday. I freaked out thinkin' that if you liked the Bunny Ranch, you'd want to try bringin' a guy home next. I don't want that kind of relationship. I don't care if a lot of gay couples struggle with monogamy, I think we have what it takes to make fidelity happen." Their lips brushing, his said, "I wish it was July tomorrow, because I think we'll be way more relaxed once those rings are on our fingers."
After a lengthy smooch, Greg licked his lips and spoke in a dreamy wine haze, "In case you haven't noticed, I've morphed our bedroom into a romantic lair."
"A dozen candles, incense, and new age sex music...yeah, I definitely noticed, and you smell like Irish Spring, so I know you wanna get lucky." Nick caressed his lover's freshly shaven cheek. "What's goin' on, honey? What's your overactive imagination up to today?" He had a feeling it would be complicated. "Hmm?"
Emotional and inebriated, Greg rambled, "You know me - I'm always worried about my body and overall geekiness and now it's my birthday tomorrow and birthdays make everyone a little introspective, don't they?"
Just as Nick was about to answer, Greg resumed talking.
"So, in the spirit of birthday introspection, for the past few weeks I've been thinking about stuff I need to work on to feel better about myself. I thought I was doing better in the confidence department because I bounced back really fast from my insecurity crisis last week with the party planner, but then on Tuesday you shut me down when I suggested we stop using condoms."
"Shut you down?"
"You glared at me and yanked on a Trojan in record time. I'd call that shutting me down on the subject." Greg sighed, "I don't know, you not wanting to talk about it was like a red flag that maybe you're not 100 percent convinced that we're going to be together forever. I mean yeah, there's a chance of getting infected with something at work, but I don't think Doc Robbins uses a condom out of fear of work contamination, do you?"
Nick had honestly never considered the details of Doc's sex life and didn't want to start.
"On second thought, don't answer that. Thinking about Doc's sex life is kinda squicky." Too drunk to find his point, Greg kept rambling, hoping he'd discover it along the way, "I'm Boy Wonder to your Batman and the crazy thing is I'm fine with that, I don't mind being a pseudo-wife in this pseudo-het world we're living in as gay men. I love our relationship. I love how you take care of me and teach me things, but I know I still have a lot of issues to work on in your eyes, like my lack of control in the sack."
"Huh?"
"You keep making fun of me for losing it too fast during sex and telling me I need to get some control, but I did extensive research and there may be a little more to it than me just being horny and immature."
"Extensive research?" Nick was shocked to learn that he had driven his partner to obsess. "I..."
"You know how one year for humans is seven for dogs? Well, I think one tap to my prostate is like a hundred for a regular guy. But there's hope!" Greg rejoiced. "There's a good chance that I'll get less sensitive to direct stimulation over time and learn how to control my body. In the meantime, it said to use Viagra whenever longevity is critical. I have an appointment on Monday with our favorite gay-friendly physician, Dr. Willis. So, don't worry, I'll get better one way or another."
Starting to feel like he stepped into the Twilight Zone, Nick said, "I was never worried, G. I only suggested workin' on your control so your pleasure would be prolonged. Think about it - why would I be pissed off that I make you pop in record time? It's a compliment."
It took a minute for Greg's wine-fuzzy brain to process the information. "I never thought of it like that."
"Hold up." Nick sobered, "Does this have anything to do with why you wanted to skip foreplay?"
A nod preceded the answer. "I thought if it didn't feel pleasurable in the beginning that I'd last a lot longer."
"Why would you want somethin' to last that isn't pleasurable?"
"Yeah, I kinda figured that out two seconds into the suffering."
Hands stuffed on his hips, Nick asked, "Why didn't you tell me any of this? I thought we agreed to be completely honest about sex stuff."
"Why didn't you tell me about not wantin' the threesome?" Before Nick could answer, Greg's brain switched gears again, "Do you like cheesecake? I saw a billboard for the Cheesecake Factory and I think we should go there with my family tonight."
"How much booze did you drink? Because you're talkin' about your prostate, Batman, Doc's sex life, and dessert all in the same ramble. I'm the one with ADD, remember?"
"Two," Greg chuckled.
"How big were the glasses? Wait, did you only drink? Or did you pop some painkillers too?" When they were packing to move he found out that Greg had a prescription for Vicodin with refill privileges "You know I'm not thrilled about you..."
"Bottles of wine, not glasses." Greg pointed to the empties lined up on the dresser. "I totally blame Amber. She's a reeeeeally bad influence on me." Turning toward the bed, he yelled 'lush'. Then he whispered, "I think she wants to have sex with me."
"Two bottles?"
"I was going to share all three, but you were late."
"Holy hell." Nick shook his head, "You probably forgot to eat first too, didn't ya?" He had recently become obsessed with his diet and body image.
"No, I was starving when I was shopping at The Erotica Boutique, so I bought a pair of edible underwear and a candy penis and ate them on the drive home. Ooh! Right!" Suddenly remembering his point, Greg held up a Tantric Mood Candle and excitedly said, "I'm going to combine hot sex and high romance to prove that I can be more than just a horndog in bed. Then you'll never want to leave me."
"I already don't want to leave you. Why can't you believe me?"
"Because you called Warrick to carry the IKEA box."
Nick's frustration flared, "Again with the IKEA box? Seriously? We've discussed this five times. Please tell me you're jokin'."
"No, I'm not. You still don't get it." The wine fueling his emotions, Greg got easily agitated, "You outsourced just like Jeff and Lacey. I wasn't enough for them, so they had to bring someone else into the equation and you had to bring Warrick into our home because I'm not enough for you."
"You really are bringin' this up again." Nick stood in the middle of the room shaking his head. "There has to be more to this than you're tellin' me."
"Okay, fine, there is." Uninhibited from the alcohol, Greg released a concern he hadn't been sharing, "I overheard you and Warrick talking. I heard him say it's not the gay part he can't believe, it's that you picked me. That of all the queers in Vegas, you couldn't do better than a wacky geek. And then you laughed! You laughed together about the wimpy geek boy just like the two of you did the first day I stepped into the Lab!"
"Is that it? That's your big A-Ha Moment?" Nick gaped at his partner. "I was rippin' on 'Rick about Cath, so he came back with that line you heard and there was laughter, because we were jokin' around. I'm relieved that 'Rick can crack gay jokes with me, because I honestly thought he'd be so freaked out that he couldn't even look me in the eye. I don't suppose you stuck around long enough to overhear me tellin' him about the commitment ceremony and how we're so excited that we already bought rings? I asked him..."
"If Warrick was gay would you pick him or me?"
"What?" Nick exploded, "That's a fucking ridiculous question!"
"I don't think it is, especially since you didn't say no."
"I didn't invite Warrick over to have sex, G, I asked him here to carry a box, that's a huge difference in my opinion." Gripping his head, he paced the room. "You really are the kid who won't believe the stove is hot until he burns his hand. Why is it so hard for you to just believe what I'm saying? Why do I always have to demonstrate shit for you to make a point? You're the genius for cryin' out loud. I'm the one with the inferior IQ! And what about that? Do you see me worried that you're gonna dump me for Grissom or Henry because they have higher IQs than me? No! Everybody has their strengths and weaknesses, there is no such thing as a perfect person. Yes, you can't lift heavy shit, but you can do a thousand other great things and you're as close to perfect as it gets for me. Why can't you fuckin' believe me already! What's it gonna take for you to believe me?"
Impaired by alcohol and a raging insecurity complex, Greg didn't relent, "Since my first day at the lab I've been the geeky guy trying to fit in with you and Warrick. When you called him here to lift the box and I heard you laughing about me, I was right back to being the geek who wasn't worthy of being one of the boys. Don't you get it? You made me the third wheel in my own house and it was humiliating."
"G..."
"Silly me," Greg snarked, "I thought I could be your bitch and still be one of the boys, but I guess not."
After a deep breath Nick calmly said, "Should I dismantle the furniture and shove it back in the box, so you can lift it with me? Is that what needs to happen here? Do you need to dislocate your shoulder to believe that I was worried about your injury and not tryin' to humiliate you?" He got in his face. "If we spent your birthday in the ER waitin' on an X-ray, would you feel better about yourself, G? Just let me know, because I'll start takin' it apart. Do you want me to call 'Rick over here to watch you carry it with me? Just tell me and I'll do it. I'll do whatever it takes to make you feel better about this. Should I get my tool box?"
"No." Staring at the Berber carpeting below his bare feet, Greg wished he could take back everything he said because he hated fighting and loved Nick.
"Why not?"
"Because taking apart the furniture would be stupid."
"Damn right it would be stupid!" Nick blasted. "This whole argument is stupid! You're being stupid! Being stupid again is more accurate. I'd blame the booze, but you argued the same stupid point when you were sober!"
"I know! I know I'm being stupid!" Greg whined, "I just don't know why. I was totally happy, I had this great romance plan and...I don't know what's wrong with me."
"Let's just try to get this one thing behind us, okay?" Nick stuffed his hands on his hips, "Are you ready to hear me this time?" After seeing a nod, he continued, "I asked Warrick here to help me carry the box because I knew if you lifted it, you'd hurt your shoulder. Yes, Warrick can lift heavy boxes better than you, but even though he can, I don't want to date, make love with, marry, or spend the rest of my life with him or any other heavy-box lifters or anyone else. Why?" He answered the question with conviction, "Because only I love you. I only want to make love with you. I only want to marry you. I only want to spend the rest of my life with you. Did you hear me that time, G?"
Greg nodded without looking up. "I'm really sorry for doubting you."
"For doubting me again." Nick stuffed his arms across his chest. "The last thing I wanted to do today was fight."
"Me either."
"Your family's comin' over tonight, your party is tomorrow - I just wanted to be happy."
"Me too. I didn't want to get you upset."
"Then why the hell did you challenge my honesty and accuse me of doin' shit behind your back?"
"I don't know!" Greg fearfully asked, "How pissed are you?" He used the scale he had heard his mother use many times. "Are you 'sleep in the guest room pissed'or are you 'packing your bags pissed' or..."
"Hold up." Watching his partner fret, everything suddenly snapped into place. "You're trying to get me to leave."
"That's crazy, the last thing I want you to do is leave me. It's my biggest nightmare."
"Exactly."
"Huh?"
"The second I leave for good, you don't have to worry about me leavin' anymore, or bein' cheated on, or havin' your heart ripped to shreds." Proud that he had solved the Mystery of the Manic Boyfriend, CSI Stokes excitedly explained, "You said you don't know why you start the fights, that's because you're doin' it subconsciously. Deep down you don't believe Happily Ever After is possible for you, so you're undermining our relationship." Angry at himself for yelling at an emotional and insecure drunk, he headed for the walk-in closet. "Think about that for a minute, G."
Standing in the middle of the candlelit room, Greg pondered the theory as tears formed in his eyes.
Desperate to make his partner's insecurities vanish forever, Nick reached into an empty shoebox he had been using to store Greg's birthday gifts and selected the one he thought might help. "Let's hope this does the trick," he muttered on his way out of the closet.
"I think you're right," Greg sadly agreed. "My subconscious is probably working overtime because of my birthday...because my birthday reminds me of Jeff beating the crap out of me."
"I'm not Jeff," Nick quietly stated as he moved his hand from behind his back and placed a small wrapped box in his partner's palm.
Surprised to see a gift, Greg asked, "What's this?"
"Open it and find out."
With shaky hands, the anxious birthday boy tore off the gold paper.
"Happy Birthday, buddy," Nick stated, intentionally using the same words that he knew Jeff had uttered.
Greg gasped when he saw an Omega logo. "You..." A second gasp followed the opening of the box. "You bought me a watch just like..."
"Say what you said to him."
Remembering how the words had earned him twenty-seven stitches and a re-set nose, Greg's voice cracked as he spoke them, "Thank you. It's amazing. I love it. I love the watch and...I love you." In his memory he heard Jeff cursing him out 'I'm not a fucking queer, you candy ass piece of shit!' His body tensed from the memory and instinctively anticipated a blow, but instead of a right hook, he felt a tender kiss land squarely on his cheek.
"I love you too, G."
"Thank you, this is..."
"I'm glad you like it." Nick threw his arms around his partner, squeezing him tight. "Jeff was a fool to walk away from you. He knows it too - that's why he was so hell bent on gettin' another chance in Long Beach. I may not be a genius, but I'm smart enough to know that you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. Happy Birthday." Cupping his face, he brought their mouths together for a tender kiss and when their lips parted, he whispered, "I can't wait to celebrate 100 more with you."
"This is like the best birthday moment of my entire life," Greg said as he wiped his eyes. "Not counting my actual birth, because I was pretty excited to get out of my mother's womb after nine months of captivity, but you can't blame me for feeling that way now that you've met my mother."
Nick helplessly fell a little deeper in love. "C'mere, I wanna see how that watch looks on you." Beaming with pride, he plucked it from the box and handed it over upside down so his observant CSI boyfriend wouldn't miss the inscription. "In case you're too drunk to read, it says 'until the end of time'. That means the same thing as forever, ya big dope. I'm never leaving."
"I believe you." Greg resumed staring at the black-faced stainless steel Seamaster watch. "I'm blown away by the symbolism and the sentiment."
"Good," Nick winked, "because that's exactly the reaction I was goin' for."
"Wait...how did you afford this watch? It had to set you back three grand and you put all the money you got from my dad for your townhouse into this house."
"I sold my championship game ball to a guy who has been houndin' me for it for years."
"The one awarded to you for being MVP?"
"Yep." Nick grabbed the open bottle of wine from the dresser. "I need a drink. Hell, I need the whole bottle after what you just put me through." Relieved the fight was over and that a major issue had been resolved, he started chugging.
"I can't believe you sold your ball. That ball meant everything to you."
"No." Nick shook his head. "You mean everything to me. That ball was a piece of ancient history. It represented the old Nick, the fake Nick....the guy who used to join in with his teammates and pick on the campus queers. I'm more than okay with lettin' that ball and that part of me go, believe me."
With a whimsical sigh, Greg lamented, "If only I were buying you a new display case for the ball for Christmas then we really would have a Gift of the Magi situation here."
"You're such a frickin' nutjob." Nick raised the bottle of wine in a toast. "And I thank you for bein' one, because life was really boring before I started sharin' it with you."
"Jan is going to bawl her eyes out when she hears you sold your ball to buy me this."
"I hope she didn't buy you a watch too. Speakin' of purchases..." Bringing the bottle to his mouth, Nick curiously inquired, "Are those new briefs?"
"I was hoping you'd notice."
"They're hard to miss." Nick kept lightening the mood. "Did ya stuff a sock in 'em, sweetheart?"
"Ha! No." Tearing his eyes off the watch, Greg walked to the dresser to find the descriptive tag he had ripped off the shorts. "Check this out, they have a built in pouch that gathers up the goods and makes a big bulge."
"Really?" Chuckling, Nick checked the tag. "Another breakthrough in sex technology. What else did you buy on your shopping trip today, you little perv?"
"Check the dresser," Greg busied himself popping shirt buttons for the man who was clearly about to rock his world to the liquid core. "There's more on my nightstand too."
"Jeez, was the Erotica Boutique havin' a sale?" Nick laughed upon seeing ten different items littering the dresser. "Love Dice? Micro-thin condoms?"
"They're the next best thing to nothing at all," Greg stated as if he were in a commercial touting the product. On his knees, tugging open his partner's belt, he excitedly said, "Let's give 'em a try."
"No."
"They're just as safe as..."
"I said no."
Greg finished unbuttoning Nick's 501s in silence. Shut down again! After the fight they had just had, he wasn't about to argue.
"Hey..." Raking his fingers through the obviously disappointed man' hair, Nick explained, "I said no because I don't want to use anything."
A surge of excitement raced through him upon hearing the news. "Really?" Greg glanced up to meet his partner's steady gaze.
"Even though I didn't want to talk about it when you brought it up on Tuesday, I've been thinkin' about it ever since. It makes perfect sense. We're monogamous and have a clean bill of health." Three weeks ago, they had gone to a 'gay friendly physician' to get a sexual health physical, which included every STD test available. "As I see it, we don't need to use condoms again unless one or both of us has a contamination incident at work."
Pushing Nick's jeans to the floor, Greg grinned in anticipation.
"How about I finish up my wine while you run off to the bathroom and do whatever it is you do before we fall into bed." He chuckled, "Are you ready to divulge the details of your secret pre-sex routine?"
Greg laughed, "No, it would ruin the mystique."
"You know what I think is really goin' on? I think whenever you see the size of my package, you run into the bathroom to pee like a nervous race horse," Nick joked.
"And I thought I was the one with the delusions of grandeur." Whinnying on his way into the master bath, Greg said, "If you're hungry, there's a box of chocolate penises on my nightstand."
Nick choked on his wine. "Do they have nuts?" He went to check for himself. "No nuts." He decided to amuse himself by biting off the heads.
"Done!" Greg announced when he finally emerged from the bathroom.
"Hey, G...are we gonna let our friend Amber watch our first trip to Bareback Mountain?"
"No," Greg laughed. "She's a fun joke, but this is kind of a significant moment in our relationship. Sex without condoms means we're completely committed to one another and trust each other with our lives. It's serious, it's like getting married."
Nick set down his box of candy and crossed the room. "You're right, it is a big deal."
"Uh oh, are you changing your mind?"
"Nope." Nick shook his head and smiled, "I'm just gettin' a crazy idea."
"I bought fuzzy handcuffs."
"Not that kind of crazy idea, ya little perv." Nick opened the top drawer of their dresser. "If we were a hetero couple livin' in Vegas, we would be drivin' to the chapel right now, but we're gay and we're not allowed, at least not yet, thanks to closed-minded bastards like my brother." Holding up their ring box, he grinned, "I still want the ceremony in July, so we can publicly declare our union...and so your mama doesn't kill me for takin' away her special day, but I want to feel united with you right now." He cracked open the box. "Dr. Henry and his partner wore their rings on their right hands as a private sign of commitment to each other and when they came out as a couple and had their ceremony, they moved them from right to left. What do you say to doin' that?"
"I'm...wow." Greg stared at the two titanium bands they had selected because the Celtic knot design continuously engraved around the circumference reminded Nick of his grandfather's wedding ring. "I'd love to, but it's not a very practical idea, because the rings match and cops are observant."
"I don't care what those assholes think. We're not the only gay couple at LVPD and the more of us that come out, the easier it gets for everyone else, right?"
"I can't believe you're the same guy who wouldn't hold my hand on Catalina Island."
"I'm not the same guy. That guy was scared and ashamed of who he was, I'm not."
"Okay." Greg's excitement notched. "Then there's only one other problem."
"What's that?"
"You're already wearing your Aggie ring on your right hand. How are you going to...oh!" Greg gasped when Nick removed his prized college ring. "You're never supposed to take that off."
"I just did." Nick beamed, ready to move forward in his life. "Let's exchange 'em in bed."
"I'll put Amber in the closet." Greg raced to grab the doll.
"I didn't know you could run that fast." Without any food in his stomach, the wine buzz was coming on strong. "Hey, I'll be right back."
"Where are you going?"
Nick laughed on the way to the bathroom. "I really do have to pee like a race horse!"
Greg used the time to put on Volume 2 of Erotic Moods and move a couple of lit candles to each nightstand. "Hurry up, Cletus! I want my bling!"
"Jeeeeez." Nick snatched the ring box off the dresser as he dashed toward the bed.
"Did you wash your hands?" Greg joked, "I want clean bling."
"Fear not, honey, I even brushed my teeth for the ceremony." Showing off his pearly whites, Nick slid close and occupied his talkative partner's mouth with a gradually deepening kiss. "I love you," he whispered before pulling Greg's ring from the box. "I've loved every day we've shared - the good and the bad, the stupid arguments, the crazy sex and the quiet moments – all four of them." After laughing together, he took his partner's hand. "Puttin' this ring on your finger won't make us stop havin' stupid arguments, but when we're havin' one, I hope it'll remind us of the vows we've made and give us the strength to work things out." Slipping on the ring he felt a twinge of nervous excitement, "I promise to try my best and be as patient as I can. I know I won't be perfect, because I'm a hothead and you drive me crazy," he smiled wide, "but I'll always be faithful and like the watch says - I'll love you until the end of time." Holding the ring in place, he sealed his vow with a kiss. "Your turn."
"Now I'm wishing I went first," Greg said in between smiles. "That sounded great and suddenly I'm at a loss for words."
"You?" Nick steadied his partner with a tender kiss. "Just say what you feel."
"Okay, um...on this eve of my birthday," Greg immediately choked up, "after the year I've had...I feel lucky, incredibly lucky, because I'm alive and with someone who not only appreciates me, but can tolerate my random bouts of stupidity." He tugged the ring from the box. "I feel honored that you picked me to share your life and that I'm worth the grief you've gotten from most of your family. I've never been worth that much to anyone except my parents." Holding the ring with trembling fingers, he said, "I feel happy and content and a million other things that I never experienced before you held me in your arms."
Nick filled with anticipation as Greg took his hand.
"I feel proud every time you introduce me as your partner, because not only are you a great friend and a trusted co-worker and a fantastic lover...you're my hero. When I was hanging on for life in that alley, broken and bloody and terrified, I thought of you and your strength that night in the coffin...I drew from it and made it out alive. Nicholas Stokes, you're an extraordinary man in an ordinary world and I feel privileged to give you this ring." With shaky fingers, he slid the band into place. "Thank you for agreeing to be my partner in life and love. When you're a hundred, I hope you can glance down at this ring and say it was the best decision you ever made."
Although they had a long way to go, Nick knew in his heart that he'd never regret the decision.
A smile cresting on his face, Greg pulled in a deep breath and then said. "I can't promise to be completely normal, stable or sane. I'm sure I'll drive you nuts and piss you off on a regular basis, but I can guarantee that 24/7, 365 days a year, I'll be faithful and love you with all my heart." Holding the ring in place, he wildly grinned. "Because the State of Nevada won't, I now pronounce us hitched! You may kiss your bride."
Nick threaded his fingers through Greg's hair and pulled him close for a deliriously romantic kiss. "I loved what you said." It wasn't official, and they had no certificate proving the exchange, but he felt united in every sense of the word.
"It feels real to me, does it feel real to you?"
"Absolutely." They took a moment to mutually appreciate their rings in the candlelight. "I can't believe we exchanged vows in bed in our underwear."
Greg laughed, "And my mom thought barefoot on the beach was too casual for a wedding."
"There are undeniable perks to an underwear ceremony in bed...it's easy to start the honeymoon."
"Hey, have you ever used this stuff?" Greg reached for the jar and brush on his nightstand. "Kama Sutra Honey Dust."
"Can't say that I have." Nick read the label. "Dust it on and enjoy nature's sweetest gift." Curious about the taste, he twisted open the lid and coated the duster with the golden powder.
"Ooh!" Greg chewed his bottom lip as the feathered brush tickled his skin.
"This stuff is makin' you shiny like a stripper girl."
"Don't leave a mark like you did last week," Greg warned as he tugged his lover's hair, "it's not turtleneck weather and we're having dinner with my mommy."
"Aww, will your mommy yell at you if I give you a hickie?"
"No, I'm afraid she'll ask to hear the details of how I got it." Greg rolled his eyes. "She'll want to include it in the gay sex how-to manual she is seemingly writing."
Laughing with his bedmate, Nick said, "I still can't believe she sent you that article on The Bottom Diet."
Greg mocked his mother's voice and quoted her phone call, "It's not really a diet, it's a high-fiber, low-fat lifestyle plan that's a healthy choice for everyone. After all, bottoms aren't the only people who need regularity, Gregory. I started your father on it a couple of weeks ago, only I told him it was a Heart Smart diet." He giggled like his crazy mother and then rejoiced like she had, "I believe your father's constipation problems are a thing of the past! He hasn't needed an enema in over a week!"
"I don't know what's worse," Nick said as he gasped for air, "that we know way too much about your dad's ass or that your mom likes to involve herself in the inner workings of yours."
"For me it's an equally horrifying toss up." As Nick tried not to pee himself, Greg droned, "One day I might actually have to kill her and dispose of her body like only a CSI can." Breaking into a drunken-laugh, he announced, "That diet really is working great though."
Near tears, Nick crashed onto his back. "Are ya gonna tell her you're followin' it?"
"God no." He shivered, "Just think of the questions she'd ask."
"I really needed that laugh...and all the kissing...and the sex I haven't had yet that I know is gonna be great." Sharing a pillow with his soulmate, Nick grinned at him uncontrollably, "It's frickin' ridiculous how much I love you."
Greg deadpanned, "And now that my mommy has converted me to the high-fiber, low-fat food lifestyle, you can love me a lot more frequently."
"The equally enamored lovers locked eyes and breathed in unison until the sensual music and candlelight calmed them down.
"How's your birthday so far?" Nick asked in a loving whisper as he stroked Greg's hair.
"New watch, new ring, hot romance, and a promise of a lifetime of happiness." The birthday boy grinned, "It's one Carvel Ice Cream Cake away from perfection."
"Guess what I brought home for breakfast?"
"No way? Seriously?"
Nick beamed with pride, "Who loves you, baby?"
"You do, Cletus." Greg's smile was as bright as the candles lighting the room. "I can't believe I pissed off about that damn IKEA box. I'm such a friggin' five year old sometimes!"
"How old of a child are you interested in, Ms. Sidle?" Kim Reynolds, the volunteer coordinator, queried while filling out a form.
"Um..." Anxiously glancing around the Big Brothers/Big Sisters office, Sara asked, "What ages are available?"
"I have a waiting list with 246 names and that's just the girls. Any age, any race, any creed – you pick it, she'll be on the list."
"Okay." Saddened by the statistic, the last of Sara's doubt disappeared. "Anywhere from...12 to 15 maybe? Yeah, I think that would be good." She took a deep breath. "Bookish would probably work well, not sports-crazed or boy-obsessed, and definitely not a girly-girl looking for someone to do her hair. If she's in foster care, I could probably help her with that since I was in system."
"That will narrow it down nicely, thank you." Kim noted the requests. "And when you would you like to start being a Big Sister?"
"Um..." Sara figured it best to start while Nick's encouraging words were still in her head. "As soon as possible. I have weekends off and I could do school volunteering first thing in the morning. I get up around seven every night, but that's flexible if they needed me to go to something."
"Terrific! You'll have to go to an orientation class, but after that you can jump right in." Sensing the woman was terrified, she warmly said, "Don't worry, it'll be a piece of cake."
"Make a wish," Nick said when he lit the single birthday candle he had plunked into the Carvel Ice Cream cake.
Sitting at the kitchen counter in his new home with his dog and partner watching him, Greg shook his head, "Usually I pull from a huge wish list, but this year...I don't have anything. All my wishes have come true."
Nick placed his hand on top of his partner's and gave it a pat. "I know I'll feel the same on my birthday too."
"Ooh! Got one!" Greg blew out the candle laughing. "I wished my mommy would leave my ass alone."
"You're not supposed to tell, ya big dope. It won't come true now."
"Damn."
"Nice goin', genius."
Leaving the community center, Sara couldn't stop smiling. This will be good.
While grabbing her car keys out of her purse, she saw her significant other had left a message on her cell. That's when she realized she should have asked his opinion before giving away part of their weekend and bringing a kid into their lives. Oops.
***
Chapter 14: Cause for Celebration - Part 3"Greg!" Jan shouted when she reached the top of the stairs.
With his eyes clamped shut, Greg pulled the bed covers tighter and mumbled, "Ten more minutes, Mom, pleeeeeeease."
Nick bolted up. "What's goin' on?" When he saw his partner peacefully slumbering next to him, he figured he had dreamed the yelling.
"Nicky! Greg!" Jan called out as she strolled down the hall toward the master suite. "Your vehicles are in the garage so I know you're home!" Checking her watch, she sighed, "They're probably getting it on in the shower and lost track of time."
"G!" Nick gave him a hard shove.
"What?"
"Your mother is in the house," Nick whispered. "I thought she was gonna use the keyafter she moves to Vegas so she could stop by and give Chico attention and cook and do laundry some afternoons while we were sleeping. What's she doin' upstairs today?"
"Haven't you heard the saying there's no such thing as a free meal?" Rubbing his face, Greg droned, "The price of clean underwear and a freezer full of heat and serve dinners is going to be her invading our privacy on a regular basis." He waved to his mother who was in the doorwary grinning like a Cheshire cat. "Hi, Mom." He pulled the covers to his neck. "We didn't answer because we were still sleeping, but you really shouldn't have barged in, because we could have been...discussing confidential case files."
"Yeah, I'm sure that's how you spend your time in bed."
"We honestly we do discuss case files in bed...and while we're brushing our teeth...and when we're putting away the groceries. We're only part-time lovers, but we're full-time geeks." Greg chuckled, "Our solve rates have soared since we moved in together. We're right behind Sara and Griss, but they've been hitting the sheets longer, so..."
"Whatever." She tapped her watch, "It's six-thirty. You're supposed to be at the restaurant at seven. You would have slept right through dinner if I hadn't barged in."
"Doh!" Glancing at his clock, Greg huffed, "You said you set your alarm, Cletus."
"No, you said 'got the alarm', so I said 'okay' and didn't bother."
"No," Greg corrected his bedmate, "I said 'got the alarm?' and you said 'okay' as in you'd get it."
"No, I said 'okay' as in I wasn't setting my alarm because you were setting yours."
"Ha!" Greg laughed, "This totally reminds me of that Friends Thanksgiving episode."
"Got keys?" Nick chuckled.
"Exactly!"
"Boys!" Jan snapped her fingers. "I told your father to drop me off here and then take the girls to the restaurant to put our name on the waiting list for a table. It's Friday night and The Cheesecake Factory doesn't take reservations, so it'll probably take an hour to be seated." She held up her bags, two from Nordstrom and one from Petsmart. "I have deliveries - one for each of my boys. You said that Chico loved the fleece stuffed toys, right? And Gregory, I got you this fabulous Michael Kors zip-front cashmere hoodie and a Juicy Couture shirt with this crazy face on it, it reminded me of some of the nuttier stuff you like. And Nicky, I'm trying to push you out of your conservative clothing rut a little, so I bought you a few fashion-forward sweaters and button downs."
"Fashion forward?" Nick said with a curious lilt.
Greg laughed, "That's another word for gay."
"No," she huffed. "They're just slightly less heterosexual than his usual attire." She pulled out a black button down with a large grey crest on the back. "See."
Greg lisped, "That's so gay, mother."
"I kinda like it actually." Nick admired the shirt.
"Congratulations, Cletus, you're officially a raging queer."
Jan laughed, "From the amount of supplies you two tore through on the Freyja, I'd say he has been for a couple of months now."
With indignation in his voice, Greg corrected her, "I'll have you know we donated all those condoms and bottles of lube to the poor and horny of Catalina Island."
"I'm so proud of my philanthropist son." Jan placed a hand over her heart. "Compulsive liar that he is."
"Thanks, Jan." After envisioning the shirt with his favorite jeans, Nick was excited to wear it. "I appreciate you thinkin' of me when you're shoppin'."
"You're very welcome, honey. Since your commitment ceremony is less than two months away, I thought dressing on the fringe of gayness would be a subtle way to give your co-workers who don't know about you, a hint. That way you won't shock the hell out of them by showing up at work with a wedding band that matches Greg's." When her son suddenly hid his right hand under the blanket, she grew suspicious. "What are you hiding?"
"She's gonna see at dinner, G." Nick proudly held up his right hand. "We couldn't wait, so..." Before he could finish, Jan started shrieking and clutching her head.
"I don't believe you! How could you do this to me?"
Listening to the woman shriek, Nick said, "Now I know where you get your girly hysterics from, G."
"You ungrateful little bastards!" The outraged mother threw her shopping bags to the ground. "I have spent weeks planning and the girls were all excited to be in it, and UGH!" Too angry to speak to them, she stomped for the door.
"Jan! Jan!" Nick jumped out of bed to calm her down. "Stop! Listen!" He rushed to block her. "We're still gonna have the big ceremony! We just..."
"Dude!" Greg shouted. "You're naked."
Jan couldn't stop herself from looking...twice.
"Ugh." The squicked son rolled his eyes. "Stop checking out his package, mom."
Horrified by his faux-pas, Nick raced back to bed and dove under the covers. "I'm very sorry, ma'am. I didn't mean to offend you."
"I've been going to nude beaches for decades. I'm not offended by high quality nudity." Jan chuckled, "Too bad your father wasn't here for this, Greg. His ego would love to know he'd win a Most Endowed contest by a landslide."
Greg nodded at his cringing partner. "You know when you're little and you see your dad naked and think that one day you're gonna grow up and look just like him? Well, I'm still waiting. My daddy has a porn-worthy weenie, but all I got were his brown eyes and gangly toes."
"Great, just what I needed – more personal information about your dad that I didn't need to know." Sighing, Nick told his crazy mother-in-law, "You know, Jan...I'm really much more conservative about sex than you, so it makes me uncomfortable to talk like this...especially when I'm in bed...naked...with your son."
After glancing around the room, Jan picked up a jar of Kama Sutra Honey Dust and a box of chocolate penises. "Conservative, huh?" As Nick cringed she continued to take inventory. "Three empty wine bottles, two dozen sex products, and a blow up doll in your walk-in closet. I'm no CSI, but this evidence doesn't scream conservative to me."
"We're on our honeymoon, remember?" Greg held up his right hand. "We kicked it up a notch."
"Thank you for reminding me." Jan's ire returned. "I can't believe you put the rings on before the ceremony! Now what are you going to do to symbolize your commitment? Shake hands?"
"We're gonna move the rings from our right hands to our left," Nick explained. "I'm sorry, but I just couldn't wait to have somethin' that said we're together forever."
Jan melted when she saw Nick take her boy's hand and smooth his thumb across the band. "Aright, fine. I think moving the rings from right to left will be lovely actually. I'm sure the minister will be able to re-work the ceremony wording to accommodate the change."
"Minister?" Greg laughed. "The only time you ever took me to church was for weddings, Mom. How do you even know a minister?"
"Jillian found her when she attended services at a gay church in Dallas. Her name is Reverend Hale. Your mother was very impressed with her, Nick."
"Really?" He was stunned. "She didn't tell me any of this. I didn't even know there was a gay church in Dallas."
"Yes, it's called New Hope Church and it's not small, it's a mainstream megachurch with nearly 3,000 members. I forget which denomination it's sanctioned under, but it's one of the bigger ones. Your mother went there to speak with one of the ministers in private. After several sessions, I'm happy to report that she no longer believes that you'll burn in hell for bein' gay hell, Nicky."
"When did she tell you all this?"
"We speak almost daily, honey," Jan informed him with a smile. "New Hope Church conducts gay weddings and your mother toyed with the idea of asking you to get married there because she thought it might turn your Holy Roller sisters around. Ultimately she decided not to because she was concerned how it would affect the family name and your brother's campaign since he's been very outspoken against gay marriage. The ceremony did sound lovely though. I checked out the church's website and it is beautiful place. They would give your a real marriage certificate, not that it gives you any rights here in Vegas, but it's something. I was all for it, because it would have been very classy and there are some lovely places to hold a reception in Dallas."
"G..." With a gleam in his eye, Nick asked, "Do you have your heart set on a beach ceremony? Because I think a church wedding would be real nice."
"You do, huh?" Staring at his grinning partner, Greg asked, "Do you want to get married in the church because it's spiritually important to you? Or because you think it will help your family be more accepting of us? Or do you just want to do it because it will piss off your daddy?"
"Honestly?" Sitting up taller, Nick excitedly replied, "To have a real minister in a real church pronouncin' us married in the eyes of God will get a lot more respect from my family than a barefoot ceremony on the beach. It probably won't be enough to persuade my twin sisters, but I think it would be enough to get Nancy and Marcia there, instead of just Gwen. And I bet my Aunt Katie would come and some of my cousins." He took his partner's hand and gave it a squeeze, "I'm an old-fashioned guy and kinda like the idea of havin' our union blessed in a church...and I think it would be a lot of fun to show you where I grew up and the places I used to go. Like you got to do in California with me. We may not get an invite to the ranch, but I could bring ya to Gwen's house."
"Okay, I can see that being special." Greg stared down his mate. "Any other reason you want to get married in Dallas?"
Nick burst into a shit-eating grin, "Hell, yeah, there's one more reason. If my gay wedding is the talk of the town, then my brother and father will freakin' lose their minds! Whaddya say?"
"I say..." Greg whooped, "Yee haw! We're goin' to Dallas, cowboy! I'd love to help you piss off your pompous, closed-minded brother and complicate his Neo-Con life."
"Me too." The proud PFLAG parent raised her hand. "I'm also thinking as a gay rights activist. A Stokes family member getting married at New Hope Church would be a huge victory for the Dallas gay and lesbian community. Nicky, it might give other people in your position the courage to come out to their conservative families – especially if they know your family attended."
"My father still won't come," Nick assured them. "He's pretendin' I'm not gay and my parents haven't told anyone, not even their closest friends. That's why it'll be a big shock to have Stokes and Sanders Wedding on the marquis."
Jan huffed, "If the Vice President of the United States doesn't hide his lesbian daughter, why is a Supreme Court Justice hidin' his son? Why isn't he at least doin' the same as his political contemporary? He should at least be acknowledging you while not condoning your lifestyle."
"Here's my idiot brother's answer to your question." Nick spoke with Chuck's arrogant tone, "Cheney wouldn't be sayin' a damn thing if he had a gay son gettin' his ass pounded instead of a daughter who liked to munch rug. Men don't give a shit about two women gettin' it on, it's our biggest fantasy'."
"Wendy," Hodges groaned, "oh, yeah...yeah...spray a little more whipped cream on Mandy. That's it...good girl." Writhing under the covers with his eyes clamped shut, the sleeping man watched his biggest fantasy come to life in full Technicolor and surround sound. "Oh yeah, yeah..."
Unfortunately his vintage Howdy Doody alarm clock on his nightstand sounded and ended the fun.
"No!" He shrieked when he realized it had been merely a dream. "No!" It had seemed so real." They were at Greg's birthday party on Saturday night and both women had fallen hard for him. When he broke the news to them and prepared to choose, the girls kissed and said 'Why choose when you can have twice the fun, stud?'
Staring at his tented boxer shorts, the lonely Lab Tech slid out of bed and trudged to the shower to take matters into his own hands...just like he did every day upon waking up...just like he would be handling things twenty years from now if he didn't find a partner to fill the void. He used to say that super geniuses were destined to live solitary lives, but then Grissom ruined the juicy rationalization by inviting Sara to share his home and his life.
"I'm home" Gil announced as he entered the house. Exhausted and ready to sleep for the next twelve hours, he dropped his belongings. "Sara?"
With Bruno at her side, Sara rushed into the living room. "We dozed off waiting for you."
"Sorry I'm so late." He pecked her cheek and knelt down to scratch Bruno's head. "We believe the Jane Doe is a woman named Teresa Martinez. We're waiting for a positive ID from a family member. I would have been home an hour ago, but Ecklie pulled me into a meeting he was having with the DA and their newest hot shot attorney."
"A hot shot, huh?" Sara joked, "Is he a hot hot-shot? Catherine will want to know if she should send her tightest court suit and lowest cut silk blouse to the dry cleaners."
"The hot shot's name is Carrie Blake and unless Catherine's taste has significantly changed, she won't need to dry clean her best suit." Gil kicked off his shoes. "This woman is five foot three, 110 pounds soaking wet, and she looks sweet as pie, but two minutes into a conversation with her and you realize she's a pit bull in disguise. I'm going to warn everyone that they better have their ducks in a row if they're testifying on her watch."
"Great, another 24 year old hothead just out of law school who thinks they can change the world until they find out the pay sucks and the hours are suckier." Sara rolled her eyes. "She'll last two months and then quit to work corporate law just like the rest of them."
"No, she's 30 and was hired in as an ADA. She's passionate about her career because her 9 year old childhood best friend was molested and raped by their coach while taking private swim lessons."
Sara got goosebumps thinking about an innocent child going through that kind of hell.
"The coach never touched Carrie because her 16 year old brother Paul accompanied her to private lessons, but one afternoon Paul asked the coach if it would be okay for him to come back at the end of the hour – he wanted to secretly meet up with this girlfriend who was leaving for summer camp. He was gone for about two minutes when he got this gut feeling something was wrong. He hurried back to the coach's house and caught the bastard sliding his sister's hand inside his swim trunks."
"Whoa." Sara shivered.
"You'll love this." Gil excitedly relayed the rest of the story, "The brother was a huge fan of police dramas and he knew from watching rape case episodes, that if he grabbed his sister and ran, the coach would deny everything and they would have no proof the incident had occurred. So, he jumped out from behind the bush and told his sister to 'scratch the coach's wiener really hard' and then he ordered her to run. After she did as told, he grabbed her and ran to the neighbor's house screaming for them to call the police. When he was brought in for questioning, they found the scratches on his body to corroborate the story and the scrapings under Carrie's fingernails. The coach called it a set up, accusing the Blakes of trying to get money in a lawsuit, but when Carrie's best friend heard what happened, she broke down in tears and told of her own ordeal. The coach had threatened to kill her family if she exposed him, and she had been too frightened to speak up. Five victims stepped forward within a week and the coach ended up behind bars."
"That is a good story. Now I'm looking forward to meeting her."
"You already know her brother; he's Captain Paul Blake from the Sex Crimes division over in Henderson. We worked with him a few times, most recently on the rape and murder of that ten year old girl found in a garbage can - Keisha." Sighing, Gil removed his jacket. "After hearing Carrie's story, it's easy to see why he wanted to be a cop when he grew up. Saving someone you love and helping put an animal behind bars would give a 16 year old boy a rush and make him hungry for more busts."
"Have you ever met a person you didn't analyze?"
"No. Have you?"
"Nope." After they shared a laugh, she asked, "Did Ecklie the Pig try to hit on her?"
"No, he called her a Femi-nazi and declared her a lesbian."
"In his world lesbian means 'woman who doesn't find me attractive'."
"I believe you're right," he chuckled. "Enough about work." Taking Sara's hand, Gil strolled for the bedroom. "Let's talk about you. How much sleep did you get?"
"Not much. I was too preoccupied." Remembering the news she had to share, she tensed.
"What did Bruno do this time?" he droned as they strolled into the bedroom.
"Nothing."
The boxer followed his owners over to the bed and reclaimed his divot in the comforter.
"So what were you preoccupied about?" Gil popped open the buttons of his beige shirt while waiting for an answer.
"Case stuff." It wasn't a lie. "And Greg's birthday...we almost didn't get to celebrate it this year and look at everything he would have missed out on if he had died. That's stuck in my head."
"Yeah." Thinking of his own mortality, Gil sat on the edge of the bed and sighed, "I'm sure Greg's feeling a little reflective and solemn about the day too."
"Time for another round of shots, Jan!" Greg cheered as he approached the Cheesecake Factory bar with his mother. She already had one at the house while he and Nick had two"After the year I had, I'm celebrating my birthday for 48 hours straight! Straight...ha!" He snapped his fingers. "Bartender! Four shots of your smoothest tequila, por favor! And keep the bottle handy, 'cause I'm drinking on my Daddy's tab."
"None for me!" Dave yelled over the din while holding up his Scotch. "I'm already on my second double and I'm not mixing. I'm waaaay too old for that shit," he laughed. "Believe it or not, back in the day I could drink you under the table, Nick."
"Yeah, I hear ya about the age-factor. I've been on the downhill slide since thirty." Nick laughed, "Hell, I only have two shots in me and I'm already feelin' it. Back in college, I wouldn't have noticed a difference until I downed five." He pointed to Greg swaying at the bar. "This is why we took a cab here, Jan. One more round, G! Then we're gettin' some food in ya and switchin' to beer!"
"I love how protective you are of him, Nicky." Jan smoothed her palm over her future son-in-law's back. "You're his lover, but you're still his best friend. That's a really good sign that your relationship will stand the test of time."
"Yes, ma'am. It most certainly will."
Watching her son explain to the bartender that it was his 'lucky to be alive birthday celebration weekend', Jan said to her husband and Nick, "I knew it was a good move letting the girls have a sleepover at Mama Evelyn's." When she was at the house, Dave had called her cell to say the restaurant had a 90 minute wait and the girls, who hadn't seen each other in 3 weeks, were begging him to just grab a pizza and let them have a quiet girls night. "One more, Gregory, and then I'm done with tequila for the night. I'm too old to keep up with you."
"He can't keep up with himself," Nick informed his future in-laws. "You should have seen him after the two bottles of wine earlier."
"Bottoms up!" Greg joked as he handed his lover and mother glasses, "Sorry, that's your line, Cletus."
"That's right."
Standing in the corner of the packed bar with his family, Dave cringed behind his tumbler.
"Oh, come on, Dad!" Greg needled, "I'm heading to the chapel in seven weeks and you still can't think of me having sex with Nick without cringing? I stopped cringing at you and mom having sex years ago...except that time I caught her on her knees in the kitchen gooping you up with chocolate syrup while only wearing her Christmas apron."
"It was chocolate Fondant," Jan corrected as she turned to Nick. "Greg and his best friend Becca came home from Stanford for Christmas break a day earlier than expected and I had been drinking a lot of wine while prepping all the food and Dave came downstairs wearing his old Santa costume that he used to put on for Greg every year and to make a long story short, Santa was stressed from Christmas deadlines and Mrs. Claus decided to coat his peppermint stick and take his mind off work for a little while."
"Sorry about the cringing, son," Dave said trying to change the subject and get Nick to stop imagining Jan on her knees with a mouth full of fondant and flesh. "I really do try."
"You try to think of me having sex with Nick?" Greg teased, intentionally trying to fluster his father. "Do you picture me on top? That's my new favorite position."
"G!" Nick smacked his smartass partner upside the head. "Leave the poor man alone and be thankful he's still talkin' to you, unlike my father."
"You've gone versatile?" Jan gasped recovering from the tequila.
"Hell no!" Nick quickly and vehemently answered as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "We know our places, right, G?"
"Yep." Laughing, Greg unconfused his mother, "I meant like when a woman is on top, Mom."
"Oh!"
"People! Why the hell are we talking about this stuff here?" Dave shook his head. "Even if the bar is too noisy for anyone to hear us, I can't believe we're having this conversation in public."
"Geeeez, when did you become a prude, Dad?" Greg informed his partner, "When I was little, my 'rents threw wild pool parties once a month. In the morning I'd go looking for tossed bikini tops. I'd find them in the pool house, in the bushes, even in my treehouse." He needled his father, "So have you gone conservative, Daddy-O, or is it just gay sex you can't joke about?"
Since he had a couple of strong drinks in him, Dave didn't hold back, "You want to know why I cringe, son? I'll tell you why I cringe." He pointed at Nick. "It's your smug attitude about being the top that makes me cringe. Whenever sex comes up in conversation, you puff out your chest and make sure everyone knows that Greg isn't allowed to touch your ass, but you're entitled to his whenever you snap your fingers. I hate that." He imitated Nick's accent and body language, "'Hell no! We know our places.'"
"What?" Upset by the statement, Nick protested, "No, I..."
"Yes! Yes, you do." Dave shot back. "As a father, it's hard for me to hear you treating my son like a piece of meat." After a breath, he said, "I think you're a great guy, Nick, I really do, except when you're making sure everyone knows my boy is your bitch. I've never demeaned my wife in front of people like that - and don't tell me that it's a gay culture thing, because I have gay friends who have been together for over two decades and I've never heard Larry flaunt his top status and he's a big, macho guy."
"Dad! Chill, okay. No more Scotch for you." Surprised and touched by his father's reaction, Greg said, "I appreciate you looking out for me, I really do, but you're wrong. I'm allowed to touch my man's ass whenever I feel like it, isn't that right, Cletus?"
Mortified to be involved in yet another Sanders Family sex discussion, but desperate to make Dave feel better, Nick quickly nodded.
"See!" Greg clarified, "And about a month ago, he even insisted that we switch roles to be fair. We both found it to be mutually awful to be in the opposite role, so that's why he said 'we know our places'. Okay?"
"Were you sober or drunk at the time?" Jan giggled, "Because I only find it fun when I'm plastered, Nicky. And if it was Greg's first time in the lead, I'm sure he stunk, because he's always been a little slow when it comes to learning new physical activities. He didn't ride a bike until the 2nd grade and it took him an entire summer to learn how to swim across the pool."
"Mother." Greg shook his head. "So not helping."
"Okay, fine, this time I was wrong," Dave huffed, "but you have to admit that you've made other comments on other occasions. When I was out here on moving day, I heard you laughing about it with Warrick. Maybe I'm overly sensitive because I heard Greg being bullied and belittled his whole life...geek, dork, loser, freak, faggot, fairy, you name it, but as a father it's important for me to know that my child is going to be respected by his spouse and not be the butt of every joke."
"My dad said butt," Greg gasped air as he laughed. "And considering the context...ha...damn, I'm plastered for the second time today. I love my birthday."
Ignoring his intoxicated son, Dave dropped a hand on Nick's shoulder and spoke from the heart, "When you're a parent I'm sure you'll feel the same way when it comes to your child, so I hope you understand where I was coming from."
"Absolutely, Sir." Nick nodded at the concerned father. "I promise that I won't even crack jokes about it in front of you anymore."
"Thank you." Dave set his empty Scotch glass on a ledge. "I would have been more tactful without the booze."
"That's okay, I appreciate you tellin' me how you feel, because I want us to have the best relationship possible." Nick sobered, "Having your respect is more important to me than ever now that my father is ignoring my existence."
"Come here." Feeling bad, Dave stepped forward and gave the rejected son a bear hug. "We may disagree on things from time to time, but I'll always be here for you, Nick...unless you break my boy's heart of course, then I'll kill ya."
"Not gonna happen." Watching his partner laugh by himself, Nick sighed, "I'm afraid I'm addicted to the lunatic." Reaching out he grabbed Greg's hand, yanking him close. "God help me."
"Aww." Jan snapped a photo for her scrapbook.
"It's the paparazzi, Cletus!" Greg covered his face while his mother tried to take pictures. "They want a scandalous photo for the Dallas society page." He posed provocatively while doing a voiceover, "Nicholas Stokes, son of Justice William Stokes and brother of Republican House of Representatives candidate Chuck Stokes was seen wearing a queer shirt and vigorously Frenching a gay geek tonight. The photo is a little cheesy, but they were at the Cheesecake Factory, so..."
"Stop it, Gregory!" Jan huffed, "I want a nice photo."
"Sanders Party of four!" Cambree, the perky hostess called into the bar.
"Ooh! Right here!" Jan almost fell over waving at the girl. "Those shots are hitting me hard, Gregory. Hold onto me as we walk."
"Mommy's a lush," Greg told the imaginary tabloid reporters while navigating the bar crowd.
"I'm partying because I'm a full-time mother again and this will probably be my last night without having a child to tend to for a while....and because it's your birthday."
"We're driving Dad crazy."
"I'm make him forget his worries later." She giggled, "In honor of your birthday, I may even go gay tonight and let your father in the backdoor."
"Are you trying to make my ears bleed, Jan?" Appreciating his wacky mother's love and ability to joke about his love life, he scolded, "I can't believe you bashed my ability to top. You assumed I was bad just because it took me years to learn to ride a bike...ha!"
"Sorry, honey." She giggled as they strolled into the bustling restaurant. "Were you good?"
"God no, I stunk." Sliding into the booth, he cringed at the memory. "It was like two guys breaking down and having prison desperation sex and Nick lost the coin toss."
Jan placed her hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter.
"Menus are on the table and your server will be right with you," Cambree stated before darting off.
Since their men were taking their time arriving, Greg confided in his open-minded mother, "Nick said he'd let me try it again now that we're not using condoms, because I've never gone without and he thinks I should experience it at least once in my life. I plan to take him up on it one night when I'm drunk but not too drunk to..."
"You're barebacking?" Jan blurted in a whisper.
"You're killing me with the lingo, Jan."
"I don't approve, Gregory." Her eyes narrowed. "Stop laughing! I'm being serious – I'm not happy about this decision."
"There's no reason to worry. We were tested for everything, things I'd never even heard of, and we're squeaky clean."
"What if he..."
"Not gonna happen."
"You can't say that with 100 percent certainty."
"I just did," he serenely replied. "This morning we shed our clothes, morphed into swans, and mated for life." Taking his mother's hand, he assured her, "Nick won't cheat on me. I'd bet my life on it."
"You are betting your life on it, son."
"Don't go all 'Afterschool Special', Mother." He pleaded with his eyes. "Think about what you're saying...did you make Dad wear a condom after you got engaged?"
"These are different times in a different world, sweetheart."
"True, but Nick's an old-fashioned guy." Tequila and happiness surging through him, he dreamily said, "And I can't imagine spending my life with anyone else."
"Hi there! I'm Tawny!" The bubbly blonde waitress greeted her newest customers. "How are you doing tonight?"
Feeling a strong buzz, Jan cheerily replied, "Wonderful!"
Eye-to-eye with a pair of D-cups, Greg said, "Hello!" Chuckling, he lifted his eyes to the girl's face. "Whoa, I'm getting the strangest sense of deja vu. Have we met before?"
"I don't think so. No." She smiled at the men sliding into opposite sides of the booth. "Hi, I'm Tawny. Welcome to the Cheesecake Factory. Can I start you off with something to drink?"
"Just a glass of ice water," Jan said, still feeling the tequila burn in her throat. "My son made me do shots and I need to regroup."
"Ooh, are you guys celebrating something?"
"It's my birthday tomorrow and the 'rents are taking me and my..." Greg gushed a smile at Nick and nudged him with his elbow. "What are you now that you're wearing my ring on your right hand? Definitely more than a boyfriend, but not spouses until we say 'I do' in the chapel, right?"
"Yeah." Looking forward to the day he could officially say 'spouse', Nick rested his arm on the back of the booth so Greg could rest against it. "I guess it's still partner."
"I kinda figured you guys were a couple." Tawny smiled.
"Why?" Nick asked out of curiosity.
Tawny winked at the dark-haired man. "A guy as hot as you wearing a flamboyant shirt like that...totally gay."
"Ha!" Greg lisped, "I told you that shirt screamed queer, mother."
Dave smiled at the gorgeous young lady. "My family is wacky, but I tip well."
"Tweeters!" Greg shouted and pointed at the waitress. "The billboard next to The Erotica Boutique on Tropicana! That's where I know you from. You're wearing a skimpy gold costume and saying 'come watch me shake my tail feather'. Am I right?"
"Tweeters?" Dave said, thinking of Hooters.
With his eyes on the menu, Nick explained, "It's a high-end gentleman's club that caters to clientele with cash – high rollers, rappers, celebs, sports pros."
Dave chuckled to himself when he saw his future son-in-law checking out the menu instead of the babe. Geez, you really are gay.
"Yeah, I figured that's where you knew me from." Tawny laughed, "I didn't want to say anything in case it would get you in trouble with your mommy."
"I knew it!" Greg boasted, "I'm a CSI for LVPD, so I'm a very observant guy."
"Something's on your mind, Sara." Propped up on an elbow in bed, Grissom studied his lover's eyes. "And it's not a case or Greg's birthday."
She glanced at Bruno. "For once I'm the one in the hot seat instead of you."
Gil's concern grew. "Sara..."
"It's nothing bad," she began. "I'm just not sure you'll like what I did."
"There's only one way to find out."
"The vasectomy thing has been bothering me. You have to know that."
"Yes, I've been wearing an extra sweater all week because of the chill."
Sara rolled onto her back to stare at the ceiling. "I was bitchy at the scene today and Nick asked me what was wrong and before I knew what happened, I blurted everything to him."
Stunned by the news, Gil huffed, "You talked to Nick about my testicles?" He gaped at her. "How would you like it if I spoke to Catherine about your uterus?"
Glaring at her lover, she asked, "You haven't, have you?"
"No, I was illustrating a point and considering your offended reaction, I think I proved my point." Sitting up against the headboard, he said, "Our reproductive systems shouldn't be used as conversation starters while killing time in the field."
"I wasn't killing time, I was teetering on the edge of a nervous breakdown." Sitting up to see eye-to-eye she said, "And talking it through with a guy made me get it."
"Get what?" he asked, feeling humiliated and lost.
"I get why you changed your mind about getting snipped. It doesn't have anything to do with wanting children." Smiling, she shared, "Nick theorized that you want to have sperm left to help repopulate the post-apocalyptic world."
"What?" He shook with laughter.
"Is that not why?"
"No." He released a second round of laughter. "No offense to Nick, but sometimes his deep thoughts are very shallow."
"He also thought since you're a Biologist, that you have all this 'survival of the fittest' BS in your head and you'll feel like a weak, old species if you lose the ability to reproduce."
"Oh." Gil stopped laughing. "Yeah, that was it."
"Really?"
"I was sitting in the waiting room and I picked up a copy of National Geographic. I saw two male hippos fighting over a female and I panicked. I fled the office clutching the magazine with one hand and my balls with the other."
"But I'm the only female you need to worry about and I'll love you the same with or without sperm. Actually, I'll love you more without sperm, because then we won't have to use condoms and I won't have to worry every month."
"Did Nick say he'd get snipped if he were me?"
"Yeah, he would, but first he'd make a few deposits in the sperm bank, so if there was an apocalyptic event, he could still help re-populate the world. He thinks geeks like us would be obligated to make a geek baby, because the new world will need as many geniuses as it can get. He and Greg will fill turkey basters and find geek girl survivors to make geniuses of their own."
"How generous of them." Sliding back onto his side, Gil clicked off his bedside lamp and relaxed, "So that's what was on your mind?"
Sara nodded. "Yep, that was it." She clicked off her bedside lamp, pecked his cheek, and settled in under the covers. "Night."
"Maybe I should get the vasectomy."
"I'm pregnant," Mandy confessed to Jacqui as she stopped in front of the Motherhood maternity store in the mall.
"Greg?" Jacqui blurted. "Wait...if you're pregnant with his baby, then why are we here shopping for a birthday gift for him? You're already carrying his spawn, what more could he want?" She chuckled, "I don't suppose I could just sign your card and..."
"No." Tears forming in her eyes, Mandy shook her head. "It's not Greg's baby."
"Damn. Now we'll still need to get a gift."
"Jacqui!"
"Sorry." It was time for another guess. "Warrick?"
"No!"
"Please not Hodges." Jacqui wracked her brain for something positive to say in case the answer was tragically 'yes'.
"It's Henry's baby," the mother-to-be cried as she watched glowing women shop for maternity-wear. "And he hates me."
"Thank God."
"What? Why are you thanking god that Henry hates me. Were having a..."
"No, I was thanking god that you hadn't slept with Hodges."
"Oh." Mandy's smile gave way to a laugh. "Thanks for making me see that the situation could be worse."
"Do you want to go inside and..."
"No." As a happy couple holding hands strolled into the store, Mandy's smile faded. "I'm dying to check things out, but everyone's coupled up and I'll feel like a loser."
"Come on, honey! Don't be shy, let's go in!" Jacqui boisterously directed her pretend-partner. "Our baby will be here before you know it." She yanked her into the store.
Too busy laughing to cry, Mandy hurried inside. "Thank you."
"Yeah, yeah." The supportive co-worker joked, "I'm drawing the line at paying child support."
"Have you ever thought about being a surrogate mother, Tawny?" Jan continued analyzing the girl's bone structure while the men inhaled the food she had just delivered.
"You mean like get impregnated for someone who can't have a baby of their own?"
"Exactly."
"Can't say that I have, why?"
The desperate grandmother grinned, "You said you wanted to give up stripping, but couldn't afford it, right? If you offer your gestation services to the right people, you would be compensated very well. And while taking it easy, you could study for your GED and start taking online college classes. The right family might even let you move in and take care of you...nurture you, and make you feel like part of the family."
"Really?" The desperate girl queried, "Like how much?"
"Some people have been known to pay a hundred grand plus room and board and college tuition."
"Seriously?"
"Uh, Mother..." Greg stopped chewing and gaped at her. "Are you commissioning our waitress's uterus while she serves us dinner? Do I get a say? After all, it's my sperm."
"If anyone gets a say, it's me, it's my cash." Slicing his steak, Dave said, "You are just drunk and kidding about all this, right?"
"Look at her!" Jan pointed to the girl. "She's a Nordic beauty. She'd make beautiful babies with our boy."
"OH!" Feeling silly for not catching on, Tawny said, "You want a grandkid and your son is gay. I get it."
"Here's my phone number, sweetheart." Jan handed over her business card. "If you ever want to discuss the matter, just give me a ring. Or if you ever need a stand-in mommy." The poor girl had shared her tragic life story and she wanted to reach out. "I've recently adopted a fourteen year old girl and in a few weeks we'll be adding an eleven year old girl to our family. Both of them have sad stories like you, you poor girl."
"Thanks." Tawny tucked the card in her pants pocket for safe keeping. "Too bad I didn't meet you when I was sixteen instead of twenty-one."
After a sip of beer, Nick asked, "So are ya gonna find a girl for my sperm too, Jan?"
"Don't worry," Tawny winked, "for a hundred grand a kid, I'll do it twice." Laughing, she joked, "I'd even have sex with you."
"Hey!" Greg nearly choked on a shrimp. "What is that supposed to mean? Impregnation by turkey baster for my kid?"
"Aww." Tawny ruffled the geek's mop of hair. "I was only kidding, Chuckles. I'm an exotic dancer, I don't even like boys."
"Right." He didn't believe her.
"Hey, maybe we could do a sperm cocktail and luck out with twins from different daddies." Tawny giggled, "The double daddy thing happened on a soap opera I watch."
"Tawny!" the restaurant manager yelled. "You have more than one table y'know!"
"Oops." She flustered. "Gotta go. We'll have to talk out the sperm details later."
"Have your sperm frozen," Sara said, hoping Gil would like the idea. "That was Nick's suggestion. Then you can have the vasectomy, but know that you could produce a geek baby if called upon after the apocalypse. And the procedure is reversible if you dump me for a kid-crazy babe."
"You're the only babe crazy enough to want me, Sara." Gil rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. "You were supposed to protest the validity of my statement by saying lots of women would want me."
"Oh." She laughed after a few seconds.
"Fine." He breathed deep. "I'll make a new appointment."
"Really?"
"Yes," he answered upon meeting her eyes. "Before they get snipped though..."
"You think you deserve a little spoiling?"
"I don't know." Gil smirked, "What would your buddy Nick say if you asked him?"
"Do it!" Nick goaded Tawny. "It'll be fun."
"I don't know," she pondered the proposition while wiping the table. "It sounds a little mean."
"If you knew Hodges, you'd have no problem saying yes."
Greg nodded. "What he said."
Even Jan had to agree. "The man is as irritating as they come and he's been torturing my boys ever since he found out they were gay. He's held it over their heads, threatened to out them, told endless jokes, you name it. He definitely deserves some payback."
Dave sipped wine and let the lunatics plot.
"Okay," Tawny giggled, "I'm in." They offered to pay her $300 for her performance and all the food and drink she cold inhale at the party. "It'll be an easy gig compared to the private parties I usually work. I know a bunch of LVPD guys won't force themselves on me."
"Yessssss!" High-fiving his partner, Greg cheered, "Thank you, Tawny! Sweet revenge on Hodges is exactly what I wanted for my birthday!" He slurred, "This is gonna be grrrrrrrrreat."
***
Chapter 15: Planning for the Future"This place is hilarious," Greg remarked in a drunken laugh as he took in the gaudiness of Tweeters. "This decor here is even over of the top for Vegas." Every glitter-drenched stripper was wearing a bird feather thong and some were perched above the lusty male crowd on swings and in cages. "How much money do you think it takes for the caged birds to sing?"
"I don't know. I'm so glad I'm done with places like this." Nick relaxed in the booth and lifted his beer. "As soon as Tawny's set is over and we do what we said, we're out of here." Instead of paying her for the practical joke, she had asked that they come to Tweeters and give her the $300 as a tip for an impromptu lap dance in the open so the high rollers in the club that night would think she's worth that kind of cash and request her presence in the champagne room. "Here she comes, G. Are ya ready?"
"You're gonna get jealous, Cletus."
"I'm sure I will." Nick laughed as he waved cash. "Glitter!" he called her by her stripper name. "It's my buddy's birthday. Can you give him a hug?"
"Aww, what's your name, cutie?"
"Whatever you want it to be, sweetheart," Greg replied in a sexy rasp. He immediately cracked up. "I've always wanted to say that."
"You laugh a lot, so I'm gonna call you, Chuckles." She had given him the nickname at the Cheesecake Factory because every time she passed by his booth, he was joking around and laughing with his family. "You know the rules, right? You can look, but you can't touch."
"Fine by me," Greg whispered, "I don't want to catch any girl cooties."
"Okay, Glitter." Nick winked and tucked a fifty in her g-string. "You rev him up for me and then I'm takin' him home and finish him off."
"Wow, he's already sporting," she announced. "Are you sure you're gay?"
"He's a horny little bastard," Nick chuckled, "girls, boys, even a stiff breeze can make him stand at attention."
"I can see that." While going through the motions, Tawny asked, "Hey, what do you guys want me to wear to the party?" They had asked her to come and pretend that she was really into their co-worker David Hodges. She was to laugh at every joke he made and cuddle up to him at every opportunity. They wanted him to think that she found him irresistible and just when he was certain he would be getting lucky, she was to yell 'gotcha' and clue him in.
"Dress cute and normal, but show some cleavage," Nick instructed. "We don't want you to look like an exotic dancer, because we're gonna say you're a neighbor who works retail at Nordstroms."
"How much did you pay for your boobs?" Greg queried while studying the silicone-enhanced spheres.
"Seven grand," she answered before using them to cut off her pretend-customer's air supply. "I was starving when I had A's. Ramen noodles got old, so I saved up and got the girls done. They were totally worth the investment."
Nick anxiously cleared his throat. "Let's not do too much boob-smotherin', honey. Just stick to grindin' and teasin' him from afar."
"Sorry," she giggled and removed her chest from Greg's face. "I take it you guys aren't into threesomes."
"Nope," Greg proudly declared, "We're one of those rare types of couples in this town - monogamous. Are you really a lesbian?" Considering her actions, it was hard to believe she didn't enjoy men.
"After being used and abused by men since I was fifteen, I'm done with them." Turning around on his lap, she said, "Girls are fun and with the toys available in this town, who needs a man? I can have any size I want, any time I want, either alone or with a girl doing the honors." She giggled, "I'm guessing you're six and half inches. Am I right, Chuckles?"
"6.6," Greg corrected. "Is guessing pole size you're hobby?"
"It's one of the ways I take my mind off things when I'm pretending to care about the loser beneath me. Speaking of which - you need to look a little more orgasmic if we're going to convince the losers around us to open their wallets."
"Sorry!" Greg closed his eyes. "I'll think of the hot guy sitting next to me and how he rocked my world in bed this morning. Mmm...all 8.1 inches of him," he lied, trying not to laugh.
"Wow." Tawny glanced over. "That's a porn-worthy piece, Tex."
"Yeah," Nick lifted his beer to his mouth trying not to laugh. "If I didn't love bein' a CSI, I'd be makin' a fortune as a porn star."
"What would your porn name be? If you don't have one, you're supposed to take the name of your first pet and the name of the street you grew up on. Mine's Fluffy Douglas."
With his eyes still closed, Greg squirmed and said, "Mine's Skippy Lambert. Ha! Even my porn name screams geek. What's yours, Cletus?"
"Buck Rockview."
"Ooh!" Tawny smiled with approval. "That actually sounds studly."
Greg wildly grinned as role play ideas popped up in his head. "We are so playing Buck Rockview, porn star when we get home."
"I knew you were gonna say that." Nick immediately started thinking of things to say.
"You into role play?" the stripper asked, making small talk.
"Not before I met the little pervert here." Nick set his empty beer bottle on the table. "He got me started and after a couple of months, I don't even feel stupid doin' it anymore. It's a lot of fun, and a good way to relax after a shit day on the job. My favorite is the adventures of Jocko and Dex – I'm the star quarterback and he's the geek who has been secretly lusting after me. We meet up in the shower, he comes over to my house to tutor me, the possibilities are endless really."
"It's good that you have an outlet," she remarked imagining the guys in their roles. "Because I bet it's pretty stressful being a CSI."
"Yeah." Nick beamed, "That's why I like havin' Chuckles around. He helps me decompress. Before he was livin' with me, I was wound tighter than a spring and the only thing I did to relax was drink and have one-night stands with girls I didn't like. It's nice havin' someone to come home to, especially him," he laughed, "besides bein' fun, he's a great cook, knows how to load the dishwasher right, and will do just about anything in bed."
"Just about anything, huh?" Tawny giggled as he returned to facing her customer. "What don't you do, Chuckles?" She always found people's bedroom limits interesting.
"Bestiality and S&M for sure," he answered, "My dog is a good friend, not my lover and since I've already been beaten within an inch of my life on the job, I don't like bruises."
"Is spanking off limits?" Tawny queried, "Or can I give you your birthday licks?"
"I don't think of spanking as violence, so I'm cool with it." Greg laughed, "But Cletus already gave me my birthday licks."
"Yep." Taking a fresh beer off the cocktail waitress's tray, Nick said, "I can't believe I'm in a gentlemen's club watching my gay lover get a lap dance and discussing our sex life with a stripper girl." He grinned, "Your mom would be so proud of me, G."
"Maybe we should take a picture for her scrapbook."
"You guys are a riot," Tawny said while throwing back her hair with stripper flair. "And your mom is crazy, Greg, but so sweet at the same time. I think it's great that she's taking in two girls. I'm living proof of what happens to teenagers who have no family and nowhere to go."
Nick counseled, "You could do somethin' else, Tawny. At your age, you have your whole future ahead of you."
"Hopefully I will be," she excitedly replied, "I just applied to work at the Moonlite Bunny Ranch."
Nick didn't mask his disappointment. "Why do you want to do that, sweetheart?"
"To get rich of course! Another girl from here works there only one week a month and makes a fortune. She has a ton of regulars and just paid cash for a new car. I figure if I work for five years, I'll be able to retire and live comfortably for life."
Greg shook his head, "We worked a case at a brothel and trust me, you don't want to be a part of that lifestyle. The money isn't worth it."
Tawny patted his cheek. "Easy for you to say when you have a mommy still spoiling you at 33. How much did this cashmere sweater cost you, Chuckles?"
"Uh," Greg averted his eyes. "I don't know...my mom bought it for me."
"See! You have a Mommy treating you sweetly, so don't complain about me looking for a Sugar Daddy."
"Okay, time's up." Nick waved the $300 and yelled above the loud music, "Was she good, Greggo?"
"Tip her big, pal!" Greg cheered, "Best lap dance I ever had!" As horny men turned their heads, he exclaimed, "If she was that good out here, I can only imagine what she does in the Champagne Room. I saw stars!"
"Hey, Glitter!" A 300 pound 55 year old man with a raging case of psoriasis wiped the sweat from his brow and waved his wallet. "You got room on your dance card for me, little girl?"
"Little girl?" Nick shivered. "Eww."
"Only in the champagne room, handsome!" When the man nodded, Tawny whispered to her newest friends, "See! It totally worked! Thanks for your help."
"Yeah, you're um...welcome." Nick's stomach turned from the thought of the cute young woman grinding all over the sweaty beast. "Stay safe, honey."
"I always do!"
Greg got the heebies watching the girl trot off with her salivating customer. "Ick."
"My thoughts exactly. I don't know how these girls do it. And she wants to work at a brothel and have sex with guys like that." Nick chugged his beer while trying to purge the repulsive visual.
"We can't let her have our kids after having sex with guys like that," Greg joked. "I'll break the news to Jan."
"After meeting Tawny, I'm more thrilled than ever that your mom is taking in Cassie and Jenni. Without a home and a family, they could end up like her."
"Yeah, my mom's a nutjob, but she's really good when it comes to helping needy girls. My friend Becca would be dead by now if my mom hadn't taken her under her wing."
"How's that?" Nick started for the door.
"Becca's parents divorced when she was five and her mother was too busy jet setting to give a shit about her. I met her at prep school when we were 14. One afternoon as I was walking across campus to get to my mom's car, I found Becca slicing lines into her arm with a shard of glass. I told her to stop and she said 'why should I, no one cares if I'm breathing'. I had my suspicions that she was anorexic and depressed, but I had no idea she was into cutting and getting suicidal. I got totally freaked and raced to the car to tell my mom. Super Jan stepped into action. She called Becca's mother in New York, read her the riot act and got her to approve putting Becca in therapy with a doctor who was also a family friend. From that day on, Becca stayed and our house whenever her mom was out of town so she wouldn't have to go home and hang out with maid and the gardener. In six months, Jan got her to gain weight and get straight A's. After graduation, she went to Stanford with me so I could keep an eye on her."
"Where is she now?" Nick pushed open the front door.
"She majored in Art History and got a job at a gallery in San Francisco after graduation. While I was getting my Master's she fell in love with a starving artist, which worked out great since she was rich. They got married a year later and they have two kids, Zach and Bella. Their dad stays home with them and sculpts and Becca is the Assistant Director of the gallery now." Greg spoke in his TV announcer voice, "Those are the kind of results you can expect when enrolled in the Jan Sanders Smothering Program. You can also expect Jan's graduates to be a little quirky since she is."
"Quirky is a hell of a lot better than depressed or dead." Hailing a cab, Nick said, "I'm glad Jenni and Cassie will be goin' through the Jan Sanders Smothering Program. After what they've been through, I want them to be as happy, healthy and successful as possible."
"We did it! It's midnight!" Cassie announced when her alarm clock sounded. "Only six hours until sunrise!" They vowed to party all night and watch the sun rise together.
"We should drink another Coke," Jenni advised while lounging in a bean bag chair.
"And we need to eat more candy to keep us hyper. I'll get more from..." A knock on the bedroom door made Cassie freeze in her tracks. "Come in!"
"It's just me, girls." Evelyn opened the door and smiled at the sisters-to-be. "You need to settle down and get some sleep."
"Jenni's fourteen, and I'll be twelve in three weeks," Cassie reminded her guardian. "We can handle staying up late."
"You don't want to be tired at Greg's party tomorrow night, do you?" The plan was for them to stay until cake was served and then Dave would bring them over before the adults were too drunk to be around. "You get to have another sleepover tomorrow, so you don't have to do everything in one night." After blowing a kiss, she started to shut the door. "Night, girls."
"Night, Mama Evelyn!" they sang out together.
When the door shut, Cassie dove for her stash. "She sleeps like a log," she assured while retrieving two cans of Coke and an unopened bag of Red Vines from under her bed.
"Where did you get all the junk food?"
"Nick." Cassie cracked open a can and handed it to her sister. "Soda and candy wasn't allowed in his house when he was a kid, so he and his sister used to buy it with their allowance money and stash it in their rooms. Whenever he sees me, he gives me a six-pack and a bag of snacks. All I have to do in return is promise to brush my teeth extra good twice a day and get plenty of exercise."
After taking a sip, Jenni said, "We have the coolest big brothers. Well, Nick's not technically your brother, but we'll say he is because it's fun to each have one." She waved a Red Vine in the air. "Your brother buys you junk food, and mine buys me teen magazines and funky nail polish. Ooh! That reminds me..." She reached for her backpack. "I've been saving the latest issues for us to look at together. Who do you think is cuter..." She showed the cover of J-14. "Daniel Radcliffe, Orlando Bloom or Cody Linley?"
"I think Mitchel Musso is cuter than all of them."
"Really? I liked him last year, but not this year." Jenni flipped open the magazine. "Ooh! Check out this article. 'How I learned to kiss. Two stars spill their smooching secrets'."
"Read it!" Since hitting puberty two months ago, Cassie couldn't get enough information about boys and romance.
"Cheetah Girl Kiely Williams says she had makeout sessions with pillows to develop her skills."
"No way!" Cassie giggled into her hand. "I thought I was the only one who did that."
"I do it too! When I was in the hospital, I'd kiss my pillow and pretend it was Greg, the prince who rescued me. Then I found out he was gay and now he's my brother." Jenni laughed, "Pretty gross, huh?"
"I think it's kinda funny actually."
"This article says 'laugh if you want to, but Kiely is a more confident kisser today because she practiced on her pillow."
"I guess we should keep it up then."
"I could have played spin the bottle last summer, but I want my first kiss to be special, not during a stupid game." Lowering the magazine, Jenni shared, "Our new mom and dad kiss a lot. Mostly it's just little smooches or pecks on the cheek, like when they're in the kitchen making dinner together, but they give each other bigger ones whenever they're leaving or coming home...lots of hugging too. One time I caught them making out on the couch." She whispered, "They were using tongues and running their hands all over each other. Do you think it's normal for old married people to be doing that?"
"Yeah, and it's good news for us," Cassie said with relief. "If parents are kissing and touching each other a lot that means they're in love, and if a mom and dad are in love, then they're not on the fast track to divorce. My mom told me that once." The mention of her parents tugged at her heartstrings and she wished she hadn't brought them up.
"I never saw my father kiss my mother because they hated each other by the time I was one."
"Hey...I don't want to get sad tonight." While it always felt good to purge a little bit of their sadness together in a good cry, she wanted their first all-night sleepover to stay upbeat.
"Yeah." Jenni nodded in agreement. "No tears tonight. Unless we're laughing so hard that we cry. Promise?"
"Promise."
They sealed the deal by clinking their Coke cans.
"Have you ever seen our brothers kiss?" Cassie queried while swiping another piece of licorice. "Because I've never seen two boys kiss ever and wonder what it's like. Do they kiss the same as a girl and a boy?"
"I've seen them kiss. It was a little weird the first time, but now it seems totally normal and cute to me, and yeah, it works exactly the same for two boys." Jenni shared, "They only do little kisses when people are around – like when Greg's at the kitchen counter, Nick likes to wrap his arms around him from behind and peck his cheek. But there was this one time when Nick's mom was visiting." She giggled into her hand, "Mrs. Stokes asked them not to kiss in front of her because it makes her uncomfortable to see people of the same sex together. I guess going without kissing all day was too much for our brothers because when I went to the bathroom I looked out the window and saw them making out in the backyard. They were totally trying to suck out each other's tonsils! Nick even grabbed Greg's butt and squeezed it through his jeans."
Cassie laughed into her hands.
"Yeah, I laughed too. Mom was waiting outside the door in case I had trouble without my walker and she heard me cracking up. I didn't tell her why though. I thought they might get in trouble for doing that while I was at the house." She proudly said, "A sister has to cover for her brothers."
"Thanks for clearing that up." Cassie said, "At my school last month, all the girls going into 6th grade were shown a movie about periods, dating, and how babies are made. It didn't say anything about how two boys do it."
"Two boys can't make a baby."
Cassie threw a Red Vine at the brainiac. "I know that! I mean they didn't say that boys kiss and...well, I guess there's nothing else for them to do since they can't have sex."
Sensing her younger sibling was missing some critical information, Jenni whispered, "Do you know about the bases?"
"Duh! I play softball, remember? It's has bases just like baseball."
"Not the sports bases, the fooling around bases." Excited to impart secret knowledge, the bigger sister said, "There are four - first base is making out, second base is touching each other's private parts with your hands..."
"You mean like a boy puts his hand down...there."
"Uh huh. And the girl pets his thing with her hand."
While cringing, Cassie said, "Like you pet a puppy?"
"Kind of I guess, and if you pet it long enough, it shoots out sperm, the white creamy stuff that fertilizes the woman's egg and makes babies."
"Ewwwww!" Horrified by the idea, Cassie asked, "Why would anyone want to do that and get that stuff all over their hand?"
"I know, it sounds gross, doesn't it?" Jenni nodded, "But when we're older and in love with a boy I bet we'll want to do it because it makes boys happy and when you love with someone you want to make them happy, right? That's really the only reason I can think of for doing something so nasty."
Cassie pondered the activity for a moment and then asked, "Can the girl wear gloves?"
"I don't see why not," Jenni replied after consideration. "Why would the boy care? Unless they were like itchy mittens. You mean latex gloves, right?"
"Yeah."
"Sure."
Cassie breathed a little easier. "What are the other two bases?" she asked with trepidation.
"Well...third base is touching and kissing each other's parts with your mouths."
"What?" Completely unnerved by the newest revelation, Cassie snapped, "You're making this stuff up to freak me out!"
"I swear, I'm not!"
"That was definitely not in the movie they showed at school and it's not in any of the magazines."
"Of course not! Only grown ups are supposed to do it, that's why they don't tell you at school or put it in the teen magazines." The older sister leaned in close, "Boys and girls at my school were doing it at parties though. Not people I hung out with from Science Club, I mean like the bad girls and boys."
"The ones that wear lots of black?"
"No, the slutty girls who wear a ton of makeup."
"Do you think Mom and Dad do that?" Cassie asked while trying to picture the horror. "And our brothers? Do you think they do that to each other?"
"I think most grownups do."
"But Mom and Dad have been kissing us on the cheek. How can they kiss us on the cheek with their mouths after they've..."
"I'm sure they brush their teeth after they do it!" Jenni cracked up. "That's like worrying about them wiping their dirty butts when they go to the bathroom, and cooking food with the same hands, right?"
"I guess." Cassie clutched her favorite teddy bear. "I kinda wish you hadn't told me any of that."
"You have to know this stuff before you get to Junior High next year." Enjoying her new role as the older and wiser sister, Jenni taunted, "Do you want to know how two boys have sex?"
"They can't have sex, because they both have penises. There has to be a hole."
"There is." Jenni pointed to her butt. "Back there."
"You mean..."
"Yep. Sometimes boys like to do that to girls too."
Cassie's blood curdling shriek woke Mama Evelyn, who dashed across the hall as fast as her aching bones could carry her. "What's wrong? What's the matter?" She was accustomed to her psychologically damaged foster kids waking up screaming. "Did you have a nightmare, honey?" she asked when she saw Cassie as pale as a ghost. When the girl nodded and started crying, Evelyn opened her arms. "What was it about, sweetie?"
"The future! I don't want to grow up!" Cassie ran into her guardian's arms and burst into tears. "Grown ups are crazy sex freaks!"
"You knocked up Mandy!" Hodges said as he stood in Henry's Tox lab. They were both working an extra shift , so they could have Monday off to attend a conference at UNLV. "Did you slip some GHB in her drink and have sex with her while she was passed out?"
"No!" Henry threw a latex glove at his obnoxious co-worker. "What kind of animal do you think I am?"
"Honestly, I'm still trying to wrap my arms around you not being gay." Hodges lowered his voice, "Or did you purposely get her pregnant so people would believe you were straight."
"I'm not a ballet dancer, I'm a Toxicologist." Henry lamented, "We both had too much to drink and fell into bed."
"Ah." Staring at his geeky co-worker, Hodges said, "Just another alcohol booty call."
"Hi," Greg nervously greeted his partner who was approaching their backyard Jacuzzi with two longnecks. "What's your name?" Sitting in the bubbling water, he waited for the answer that would make him grin.
"Buck Rockview," Nick replied in his best macho porn star voice. "You?"
"Skippy Lambert," Greg answered while pushing up his black-framed glasses that were part of his nerd Halloween costume last year. "I'm at the hotel for a pocket protector convention. What about you?"
Pocket protector convention. Ha! Trying not to laugh, Nick said, "I'm a bartender in the lounge here. I just finished my shift." He held out a bottle. "You drink beer, Skippy?"
"The Jacuzzi rules clearly state that glass bottles are not allowed, so it would be wrong to drink those in here."
"I'm not really a rules kinda guy." Pulling the remote control out of his pocket, Nick aimed it at the boombox on the Jacuzzi deck.
When porno music suddenly filled the air, Greg hid his outrageous grin behind the beer bottle. The student is becoming the master. Watching Nick remove his clothes, Greg played the part of the frazzled pocket protector salesman to a tee. "Um...where are your swim trunks, Buck? The rules clearly state that appropriate swimming attire must be worn at all times."
"I don't own any swimming attire." Nick took a seat next to his playmate. "Do you have trunks on, Skippy?"
"Of course I...oh!" Greg feigned surprise when a hand landed squarely on his swimsuit.
"Yep, you do."
When their eyes met, both men broke into laughter.
Too tired to keep up the charade, Nick said, "What do you say we save this one for another time?"
"Did you drink too much to get it up?"
"Yeah."
"Me too."
"C'mere." Grinning, Nick directed his partner to sit between his thighs and recline back against his chest. "Let's do some stargazing instead."
"I was hoping you'd say that." When they were on the deck of The Freyja one night, Greg learned his partner was a constellation expert. "In honor of my birthday, find Taurus for me."
"Sorry, honey." Nick shook his head. "We need a winter sky for that one." He brushed a kissed over Greg's cheek. "I'll give you a rain check."
"Okay."
After a minute of quiet contemplation, Nick softly asked, "Did you have fun tonight, G?"
"My sides still hurt from laughing." Nestled in the arms of the man he loved, the 33 year old stared at the sky and counted his blessings. "It's after midnight and officially my birthday."
"Yep." Nick set down his beer and tightened his grip around Greg's waist. "Happy Birthday." He caressed his lips with a kiss as soft as the moonlight streaming down on them.
"I can't think of a better place to be spending it than in your arms."
"Aww, are we gonna get all mushy-like," Nick teased, knowing he was the mushier of the two.
"Maybe."
"I'm kinda in that mood myself." Nick mindlessly ran his fingertips over Greg's arm and watched the sky. "Thanks for defendin' me tonight."
"The thing with my dad?"
"Yeah." Nick dropped a kiss on his significant other's cheek. "It meant a lot to have someone go to bat for me like that."
"I defended you to my mom too."
"What?" Feeling blindsided, Nick tensed, "Jan had a problem with me too? Same problem as your dad?"
"No, I let it slip that we stopped using condoms and she got worried. She told me I was risking my life." Nestling closer, the confident lover said, "I told her I wasn't risking anything...that she had nothing to worry about, because you would never cheat on me."
Thrilled with the level of trust in their relationship, Nick said, "This son-in-law thing is a little rougher than I thought. They're like bulldogs when it comes to their little boy and I seriously think they'd kill me if I ever hurt you. It's easier for you because my father doesn't give a shit if live or die anymore. He's not gonna threaten you, that's for damn sure. He'd probably be thrilled if I contracted AIDS from havin' sex with you and died. It would prove him right." His voice weakened, "And if there's one thing Judge Stokes like to be above all else, it's to be right."
"Hey..." Turning a little, Greg met his partner's eyes. As he suspected, they were glassy.
"I friggin' drank way too much tonight." Nick fought to keep his tears in check.
"You don't have to worry about cryin' in front of me, tough guy."
"It's not 'cause I'm gay that I cry, it's growin' up with five overly emotional sisters. They did this to me....them and the beer and tequila."
Watching his partner struggle, Greg reached out and caressed his cheek
"Tonight was a lot of fun with your parents...with your dad, and to see him love you like that...love you enough to stick his nose in our sex life and demand I respect you..." As soon as the first tear rolled a dozen followed. "I've never had my dad in my corner like that. I've had to defend myself to him my whole life, it's never been the other way around...but then I hear Tawny's story and I should be glad he kept a roof over my head and didn't beat the shit out of me."
"He just beat the shit out of your mind instead," Greg countered, "those scars last a hell of a lot longer than a right hook to the nose."
"I'm fuckin' 35 years old, G...I'm still cryin' about my daddy not lovin' me?" He tried to shake it off. "It's pathetic."
"How?" Greg reasoned, "How is it pathetic that you still feel bad when he's still actively trying to hurt you? SuperNick, you may leap over tall buildings in a single bound every night at work, but you're still human."
Feeling loved and supported, Nick released what he had been keeping locked inside, "It was my nephew's birthday last weekend and my mom had a party at the ranch. My cousin Margie asked about me and my mother did a song and dance to cover up why I didn't come for my usual Spring visit or to visit Skye when she was in the hospital or even now that she's home for the summer. Afterwards, Gwen heard Chuck mutter to my dad that if I had just died in the coffin I would have been a family hero instead of a disgrace as the family fag. He said 'to think we were three minutes of oxygen deprivation away from never knowin' Nicky was queer and dealin' with this shit'."
For the hundredth time in his life, Greg wanted to fly to Dallas and strangle Chuck Stokes.
"My father nodded and walked away," Nick cried, "your dad is makin' sure I treat your ass nice and my father is wishin' my ass was dead. It's hard...it's really hard to see your father so excited about our house and the ceremony and my dad...he's barely talkin' to my mother and I don't...I don't know, G...what if he divorces her for supportin' me? We're supposed to be celebratin' their 50th anniversary in a few months and I've caused this huge rift and half my siblings hate me twice now – once for bein' gay and once for causin' my parents to fight, and now they're all fightin' with each other over me and over how Chuck and my dad are treatin' my mom and...it sucks and every day it gets a little worse, not better. It's hard. I know we weren't a perfect family...but we were one - we celebrated Christmas together and took family photos together, but now...now we're completely broken apart. Chuck and Linda won't take the anniversary pictures if you and me are gonna be in it, Gwen, Marcia and Nancy won't take it unless we're in it. Eileen's just prayin' on it all and waitin' for a divine sign. None of us know what's gonna happen in the future. It's...I'm scared and I feel bad for the grandkids who are caught up in the mess." His words were replaced by quiet sobs.
"I'd give anything to make this better." Wrapping his arms around his partner, he pulled his head to his chest and let him have a much needed purge of emotion. "But all I can say is the same thing I've been saying...it's less than two months since they found out, which isn't a lot of time. You have to trust your mom and just ride it out. If she's hanging tough, then you need to do the same. I think she's giving your dad and siblings a huge dose of that infamous Stokes Tough Love"
"I hope you're right." Feeling better from the purge, Nick sucked in a soothing done of night air.
"I've been having second thoughts about the church wedding though."
"Are ya dumpin' me when I'm at my lowest?" Nick joked, trying to snap himself out of the funk. "Nice."
Greg returned the joke with one of his own. "If I dumped you, then who would lift all the heavy stuff around the house? I'd have to call Warrick all the time." He nudged him. "And I'd miss you bitching about me not clearing the lint out of the dryer." After laughing together, he wiped his partner's tear-stained face and said, "I'm having second thoughts about the church wedding in Dallas. It's not going to help the family strife to humiliate your father and brother publicly. And you can call me selfish for not wanting my wedding to be a political statement, but I'm only getting one shot at this in my lifetime and I want it to be about us and our love - nothing more, nothing less. The liberal activist crowd that hates your brother and his kind will turn our wedding into a media circus and antagonize the conservative whackjobs. I don't want that kind of bullshit on our special day. If you want to get married and then go to Dallas to make a statement, that's fine, but I'm going to insist that we don't exchange vows there."
"Insist, huh?"
"You heard me," Greg smiled, "I may be a bottom in the bedroom, but we both know I can make you do anything I want."
"Very true."
Greg jumped up. "Right now I'm gonna make you get out of the Jacuzzi with me because if my balls boil in here any longer, I'll be sterile and unable to impregnate the stripper."
"Shake it, Boom Boom Sidle!" Gil raised his champagne glass and enjoyed the view. "Here's to a successful vasectomy and a lifetime of hot sex and not worries."
Tossing her thong, Sara shook her head, "The things a girl does to get her man to slice open his balls."
"Now there's a line I've never heard." Gil stared at the woman awkwardly gyrating above him. "Sara Sidle, you are one of a kind."
"Yeah, but what kind am I?" she laughed.
"You're my kind of gal...brilliant, sexy, witty...mine."
"Technically, I'm not yours."
Gil gently tackled his lover to the sheets. "You're right." Enjoying her smile, he said, "Marry me."
"How much champagne did you drink?" she asked, stunned by the question.
With a sparkle in his eyes, Gil kissed Sara's hand, "The question is...have you drank enough champagne to say yes?"
***
Chapter 16: Surprise!"Happy Birthday, Gregory Hojem Sanders!" Jan assaulted her son with a bone-crushing hug upon stepping into the entryway of his house. "33 years, fourteen hours and seventeen minutes ago, I was cursing like a sailor and pushing you out of my body." She tightened her grip. "I couldn't wait for you to arrive so I could start smothering you."
"And you haven't stopped." Gulping for air, the birthday boy waved to Jenni and Cassie who were laughing their heads off. "Can't...breathe."
"Stop it, you little ingrate." Jan huffed as she clung to her pride and joy, "I'm just trying to tell you I love you for crying out loud."
"I love you too, Mom," Greg wheezed once his mother backed away. "Thanks for lugging me around for 9 months and for smothering me with love for 33 years, fourteen hours and eighteen minutes. But since I'm getting married soon, do you think we can finally cut the umbilical cord?"
"Not until your wedding day." She pinched his cheeks. "I'll walk you down the aisle and snip it right before you tie the knot with Nicky. Then I won't have to worry about you being alone out in the big, bad world."
"I've waited this long, so I suppose another six weeks won't kill me." Laughing at his mother's irritation, Greg waved his family inside. "Girls, you wanted to go for a swim, right? The pool is yours until the caterer gets here in about 45 minutes."
"Where's Nick?" Cassie excitedly asked while peering out the window into the yard. "I want to show him the A+ I got on my 'Who is Your Hero' essay. My teacher was told to select the best two for the state-wide contest and she submitted mine and Trinh Phan's. If mine gets picked for the finals, I'll get to read it in front of a panel of judges. The winner gets a savings bond, a gold medal, and a plaque to present to their hero."
"It's an excellent essay," Jan remarked with pride in her voice. "Twenty bucks says Nicky will cry when she reads it to him."
Greg laughed, "Talk about a sucker bet. You'll have to find someone who doesn't know the sentimental cowboy to take your action."
"Too bad the contest was only for 5th and 6th graders," Jenni said as she hobbled along without her walker. "I definitely would have written about you."
"It's the thought that counts, Sis. Hey, you're really walking much better since I saw you a few weeks ago."
"I'm working extra hard all summer, so I'm better before school starts up again."
"Where's Nick?" Cassie inquired for a second time. "I really want to..."
"Sorry, sweetie, he's not here right now." Greg explained, "I needed him out of the house so I could stage a little surprise. I had Warrick call with a diversion." He glanced at his watch. "The surprise party guests I invited should be here shortly."
"But it's your birthday," Jenni replied. "Why are you surprising Nick?"
"Because he's been missing his family," Jan answered, hoping to end the confusion. "Greg wanted Nick to feel his family's love and support, so he bought plane tickets for Jillian, Nick's sisters Gwen and Nancy, and his niece Skye to fly out and attend the party."
Greg added, "If Marcia wasn't too pregnant to travel, she would have flown out too. As of this morning, there's one more surprise guest, Mom. Nick's 20 year old cousin Roy." He explained to the girls, "Nick's aunt threw Roy out of the house because he was gay. He was allowed to pack one suitcase and then they gave him a one way plane ticket to San Francisco."
"Wow." Jenni slipped her arm around Jan's waist. "That's really sad."
"Yeah. He hasn't seen anyone from the family since. He didn't think anyone wanted to see him." Greg explained, "But Gwen tracked him down and told him about Nick coming out. He was stunned. Then, when she said he was welcome to come here for the party, he broke down in tears, so I'm really glad I asked him to join us. He sounds like a nice guy. Even though he was kicked to the curb, he's been working as a waiter and saving up for college. According to Nick, he was a straight-A student who was accepted into Rice and planned on majoring in Chem just like his uncle." He smiled, "And a certain other cool guy I know."
"Warrick?" Jan deadpanned.
"No, Mother." Greg rolled his eyes. "Me."
The girls cracked up.
"Yeah, yeah, she's hilarious isn't she?" Greg warned his sisters, "Just wait until she starts ripping on you. Then you'll change your tune."
"Greg loves the Y – M – C – A...because he's reeeeally, reeeally ga-ay." Snickering, Hodges took a seat at his kitchen counter and reviewed the custom lyrics he had written. His plan was to serenade his friend at the party...in front of as many people as possible. This is gonna be great. I'm so glad Showtune Boy told me there would be karaoke. Henry had been practicing Surrey with a Fringe on Top all night at the lab.
Since the moment he had discovered the truth about his gay coworkers, Hodges had been torturing them. "Hmm...maybe I should hire four dudes to come to the party in costume and sing it instead of doing it myself." Most days he couldn't decide what he enjoyed more – teasing them in front of their friends who knew they were gay or taunting them around people who weren't in the know, so he could watch them sweat about potentially being outed. Under normal circumstances he might be charged with employee harassment, but since he had been the butt of jokes in the lab for years, he knew Nick and Greg considered it payback and consequently they took every barb, joke and quip without tattling. Those stripper dudes are always huge. If I pay them to sing and take their shirts off for all the hard-up women and gay Ballistics Bobby, then I won't feel guilty calling it charity work and I'll be able to deduct the expense on my taxes.
I'll make some calls after I finish fine-tuning the lyrics. "No man does it all by himself, so Sanders put his pride on the shelf...and he went there, lookin' for love - he found a cowboy, a real Texas stud." It wasn't perfect, but he figured everyone would be too drunk and laughing their asses off to care. There was also the matter of keeping it PG-13 in mixed company, but he cleverly found a way to get his point across without saying any bad words "It's fun to be gaaaaaayyyy with Ni-ick! Greg loves his reeeally big...tr-uck. Now every day after shi-ift, they race home to..."
"It's pure genius," he told his biggest fan when he saw him reflected in the window of the microwave oven. "Brilliant."
"Hey, genius." Standing in the doorway of the home office, Sara had watched Gil fastidiously clean his roach tank for a moment before interrupting. "Got any more great ideas today?"
Lost in thought, Gil startled. "I didn't see you there."
"Did you sleep well?"
"Very." His lips curved into a loving smile. "You?"
"I had the strangest dream." Walking to meet him in the center of the room, Sara matched the intensity of his grin. "I dreamt that we got married."
"What a coincidence." Placing his hands on her shoulders, he leaned in for a kiss. "I had the same dream."
"Welcome, Gil and Sara," the minister in the black suit and tie greeted. "I'm Reverend Hap."
Both anxious, they only acknowledged the man with quick nods and quivering smiles.
"Before we begin, I always ask my couples to think back to when they first became acquainted with one another, to that special time when all was wonderful and love seemed simple and unshakeable."
Grinning uncontrollably, they did as requested, recalling the ridiculous cat and mouse game they had played for far too many years.
"Love will not always be as simple as those early days and as you forge ahead in your life together, please draw upon the commitment you make today and use it to meet and overcome any challenges you may face." The minister opened his ceremonial book. "Please join hands."
Gazing into each other's eyes they did as requested, and soon the silly décor of the tacky Vegas chapel began to fade away.
The minister, quite certain the couple in front of him were more than ready to proceed, quickly began, "Gil, do you agree to receive Sara as your lawfully wedded wife? Do you promise to love and respect her, to honor and cherish her, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others as long as you both shall live?"
Her stomach in a knot, Sara watched Gil open his mouth.
"I..."
When no additional words came, it seemed like old times to Sara and she half expected Gil to say 'I don't know what to do about this'. She nudged him with her eyes.
"Sorry. I do," Gil finally answered. "I definitely do." Once the words were out, he inhaled sharply. Now it was her turn, and he eagerly waited to hear the love of his life say 'I do' too.
Reverend Hap turned to the bride. "Sara, do you agree to receive Gil as your lawfully wedded husband? Do you promise to love and respect him, to honor and cherish him, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others as long as you both shall live?"
"I do," She replied without hesitation. "Absolutely," she added for good measure. "I agree to keep him and even his roaches for as long as I live."
Happiness flowing between them, Gil and Sara were so lost in the moment they didn't even notice the coordinator present the ring box to the minister. "Gil...please take Sara's ring and hold her left hand." When he got no response, he tapped the groom on the shoulder. "The ring."
"Oh." The preoccupied groom apologized and plucked Sara's ring from the box.
"Please repeat after me, and then slip it on her finger. Sara, I give this ring to you as a token and promise of our constant faith and abiding love."
With a trembling hand, Gil held the shiny band. "Sara...I give this ring to you as a token and promise of our constant faith and abiding love." Then he slid it on her ring finger and cradled her hand between his. "I love you."
While the couple dreamily gazed at one another, the time-conscious minister kept things moving, "Sara...please take Gil's ring."
Excited to present her ring, Sara snatched it from the box. "Um..." Much to her surprise, she was suddenly overcome with emotion. An eclectic mix of joy, fear, excitement and trepidation swamped her. Would they live happily ever after or would the marriage be a disaster just like her mother and father's was? Were they rushing into something or had they spent the last eight years preparing for this moment?
"Ms. Sidle," the minister prodded with a smile. "Did you hear what I said? You're supposed to repeat..."
"Sorry." When she saw the blood draining from Gil's face, she sweetly laughed, "I didn't mean to panic you. I wasn't having second thoughts, I was just..." She held up the ring and repeated the requisite words. "Gil Grissom...I give this ring to you as a token and promise of our constant faith and abiding love." Unexpected tears slipping down her cheeks, she gently placed the platinum band on his finger. "I love you too."
Reaching out with his right hand, Gil wiped away his wife's tears. "Thank you for this." She had understood why marriage was important to him even if he still didn't quite get it himself. Maybe it was to feel more secure. Or maybe it was to fill a void that began when his own father died and traditional family life ended. They were truly a family no, in every sense of the word - a husband, a wife and a dog who loved them unconditionally and gave them a ton of grief just like a child. It was a tiny bit of convention in their unconventional world and he suddenly felt a peace he hadn't experienced in decades. "Thank you," he repeated, his joy growing exponentially. "You've just given me something I didn't even know I wanted."
"And I just got something that I swore I didn't need, but now that I have it..." Her smile lit the room. "I'm part of a family...a happy, stable family, so...thank you too."
As much as he was enjoying the couple in front of him heal, Revered Hap had a schedule to keep. "Gil and Sara have consented together into wedlock as witnessed here today, so I now pronounce them husband and wife according to the laws of the State of Nevada."
Cupping Sara's cheeks, Gil brought his lips to hers and initiated a tender kiss.
The minister chuckled, "You may kiss your bride."
"If you insist." Gil yanked his wife close for a deeper, longer kiss.
Turning to his long-time assistant, Reverend Hap said, "I actually believe this marriage will last. Wanna bet?"
After watching the loving couple for a few seconds, the assistant shook her head. "Nope."
"Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Grissom."
Sara whirled around. "It's Dr. Grissom and Ms. Sidle actually. I'm not doing the name-change thing."
Grinning, Gil took his wife's hand, leading her out of their home office. "I never imagined we'd be spending our honeymoon at Greg's birthday party."
"I never imagined you'd be cleaning a roach tank on our honeymoon, but only because I never imagined us having a honeymoon...or a wedding. You cleaning a roach tank on our honeymoon is actually quite believable." Chuckling with her husband, Sara checked to see if the shiny white gold band was still on her left hand. "I'm still in shock."
"Me too. Any regrets?"
"None."
Her confident reply delighted him. "We'll have to take off the rings if we want to keep it a secret."
"Yeah," she agreed with sadness in her voice. "I really didn't think I'd like the feel of a wedding band." Sara glanced up smiling. "But I do."
"I do too."
"That's the second time today we said 'I do'." Lips brushing, fingers locking, she whispered, "I can think of something else I'd like to do for the second time today."
"Really?" Sliding his hands over his wife's back, Gil innocently asked, "What?"
"Sex," Henry lamented as he stared at his reflection. Getting ready for the party he said, "That's all it was to her...meaningless sex. I thought we were making love. I thought she wanted me. I never would have slept with her if I knew she wouldn't want to be my girlfriend the morning after." When his reflection appeared skeptical, he corrected, "Okay, okay...I never would have slept with her without a condom if I knew she could get pregnant and didn't want to be my girlfriend the morning after." It was a fine line, but it was the only thing separating him from his deadbeat father who had slept with his mother without loving her or caring about her.
"I bet she'll look beautiful tonight." He envisioned her looking adorable in her dark-rimmed glasses while her oh-so-kissable glossed lips glimmered in the moonlight. "Gorgeous." Closing his eyes, he brought his fingertips to his mouth. Even though six weeks had passed, he could still feel her lips on his and taste the sweetness of her kiss. He could still hear her giggling as they crashed onto the bed, two lovers in love...or so he thought. "It was the best night of my life," he admitted upon opening his eyes. "But it was the worst night of hers. I'm her biggest regret."
"Sleeping with Henry was the best thing that ever happened to me," Mandy tearfully informed her reflection as she got ready for the party. With a palm over her womb, she envisioned him looking adorable as he sweetly laughed with his coworkers. "I hope our baby has his laugh."
Intently listening to the Rent CD she had grown to love in only a matter of hours, tears pooled in Mandy's eyes. Desperate to develop a love of show tunes, she had ordered the Top 10 Broadway best sellers from Amazon and was working her way down the list. "Without You gets me every time. Without you is what I am." She stared at her empty left hand. "Pregnant without a boyfriend, fiancé or husband."
"I love the rings you chose," Gwen released Greg's hand and glanced up smiling. "The Celtic knot reminds me of my grandpa's ring."
"That's exactly why Nick wanted these." While his mother was in the kitchen pouring iced tea for the guests, Greg peered out of the living room window hoping to see Nick. "He should be here any minute."
Sitting on the couch between her troubled granddaughter, Skye, and her estranged nephew, Jillian said, "Are you sure Nicky doesn't suspect we're comin'?"
"I'm positive he doesn't suspect a thing." Greg couldn't wait to see the look on his partner's face when he found five members of his family sitting in the living room. "He's gonna lose it."
"Thanks again for invitin' me," Roy said for the tenth time in fifteen minutes. "And thanks for takin' a risk, Aunt Jillian. My mom will be pissed when she finds out you were hangin' out with me."
"She'll have to get in line, sugar," Jillian assured the boy who had lost 20 pounds and his self-esteem since she had last seen him. "These days I'm thinkin' for myself and not carin' about what other folks think I should do. I do what I feel is right and will let the Lord judge me when I knock on His door one day."
"He's here!" Greg shrilled, "Shh!" When the five family members were lined up on the edge of the brown leather sofa, he hurried to the front door. "Stay quiet!" Once they were quiet, he twisted the knob and waved to his partner who was walking up the path. "Hey, Cletus. How'd it go helping 'Rick with his new TV?"
"It went fine, but I still don't know why he insisted on doin' it today when..."
"SURPRISE!" everyone cheered, causing Nick to startle.
"I hope you don't mind," Greg said as he tossed his arm around Nick's shoulders, "but I invited a few extra guests to the party." Greg sweetly asked the phrase usually spoken by his partner, "Who loves ya, baby?"
"You do, G." The gesture, like Greg's love, was perfect. "You do," his voice crackled with building emotion. "Thank you." For the second time in 24 hours, Nick Stokes glanced down at the ring on his finger and felt like the luckiest guy on the planet.
***
Chapter 17: Long Time Coming"Do you have another birthday gift hidden in your closet?" Greg asked in a laugh when Nick shoved him into their bedroom and locked the door.
"No." Nick had made up an excuse about needing to be on a conference call about a case and told their guests they'd be back down as soon as they could.
"You look really happy, Tex. Seriously, you're glowing." Greg clutched his head and joked, "Are you pregnant? Oh my God! Is that why you brought me up here? To tell me you're knocked up!"
"I guess that's what we get for doin' it without a condom, huh?" Grinning, Nick said, "Back in high school, the football team had to attend this mandatory health class, and during the sex lecture they warned us that we could still get a girl pregnant if we stuck it in her tush without a rubber, because of spillage." He started laughing, "But they never said it was possible for a guy to get pregnant from stickin' it in another guy's tush, so I blame the conservative Texas education system for my delicate condition."
"I didn't learn about male pregnancy in school either," Greg said in a studious tone. "I had to read about it on my own."
"Cite your source."
"Harry Potter fanfiction. I used to read it online when the DNA Lab was slow. Yeah, Harry got pregnant all the time, once it was even Hedwig's baby."
"Wait, I always thought Hedwig was the owl?" When he saw Greg nod, Nick cringed.
"If you think that's bad, you should read Teletubbies fic. That Tinky Winky is really kinky, that's why he carries a purse – it's full of sex toys, and you don't want to know how Dipsy got his name."
"Stop talking. Please." Nick covered his partner's mouth with his hand. "I don't know how the hell we got on this subject, but let's pretend we just walked through the door and never got to it." He moved his hand and smiled. "Here's what I wanted to say."
A warm pair lips pressed to his mouth prevented Greg from speaking. "Mmm." He thought about saying something after the smooch, but opted to breathe and return for a second, deeper kiss. Even though they had a living room full of family, the house and the rest of the world temporarily faded to black.
"That's why I brought you up here," Nick gazed into his partner's eyes. Feeling amorous and grateful, he spoke from the heart, "I just wanted to privately thank you again for thinkin' of me on what's supposed to be your special day. I'm really touched by what you did...overwhelmed really." Cupping Greg's face, he felt a rush of emotions, "I love you so much. I'm..."
"Wait," Greg deadpanned, "Does this mean you're not pregnant?"
Frustrated that the romantic spell was broken by another stupid joke, Nick huffed, "Forget it. Just kiss me again."
Greg puckered up and fulfilled the request with zeal. "Better?"
"Yeah." His giddy-in-love mood instantly returning, Nick placed a hand over his heart and gushed, "These last 48 hours have been crazy - first the vows, then the rings, and now you bringin' my family here. I'm on cloud nine. I really do feel like I'm glowin' on the inside and it's important for me to say...."
"If you really do feel like you're glowing, maybe I should buy a pregnancy test."
"Dammit!" Nick forcefully shoved his insensitive lover with both hands. "Why is it so fuckin' hard for you to hear me say how much I care about you?"
"Hey!" Greg ended up plopping onto the bed after the unexpected push left him off balance physically and mentally.
"I'm so tired of you laughin' in my face when I'm bein' serious."
Greg was still miffed from the shove. "I can't believe you just did that!" He rubbed his chest where the hot head's hands had made contact. "That hurt. It still does."
"And you laughin' at me doesn't? I'm serious!" Nick warned, "You better not pull this crap during our ceremony. When you said you wanted us to write our own vows I was thrilled. I've been writin' and re-writin' them in my head, believin' they would be the most important words that I ever said. But if you're writin' jokes instead of vows, forget it, we'll go with the standard text."
"Nick..."
"No, that ceremony is bein' conducted by a real minister and I don't want it to be a stand-up routine."
"Time out!" Greg made a T with his hands and snipped, "I have this thing about getting manhandled and yelled at on my birthday, remember? So, take a deep breath and chill out, hot head. You shoved me!" He rubbed the sore spot. "Hard."
After following orders, Nick anxiously said, "I'm sorry."
"I'm not the opposing quarterback." Greg flashed his ring. "I'm your partner, remember?"
"I'm really sorry," Nick repeated while staring at the ground.
As much as he wanted to stay angry, Greg couldn't. "Apology accepted."
"I didn't mean to hurt you, and it wasn't out of anger, I swear."
"Really? Then what emotion was it that made you curse me and knock me off my feet?"
Nick dug for the truth. "I shoved ya because I was frustrated and disappointed that you didn't want to hear what I had to say when I was standin' there happier than I have ever been in my life. I don't get why my happiness is a big joke to you."
Hearing his partner's perception of the moment, the last of Greg's anger and concern disappeared.
"Maybe I'm too sappy and I'm expectin' too much from you." Nick shrugged. "Maybe I'm just a big needy girl in disguise. I was surrounded by five emotional sisters growin' up and all I got to watch on the family TV was sports and chick flicks. When Nancy had to babysit me, instead of talkin' me roller skatin' or to the park, she'd take me to the movie theater and plop me down with a bag of popcorn and a box of SnoCaps while we sat through the same chick flick twice." Recalling the movies, he sighed, "There was always a loved one dyin' or gettin' hurt. I bawled my eyes out at all of them...Ice Castles, Somewhere in Time and Terms of Endearment. I was chubby emotional wreck at the ripe age of 10 thanks to Nancy." Stuffing his hands on his hips, he said, "My point it, I grew with these romantic ideas of what love and marriage were supposed to be, but I never found anyone to love until now. I wanna feel the things I've been waitin' for all these years, but you're makin' me for stupid for feelin' and sayin' 'em...and it sucks."
Visualizing a chunky 10 year old Nicky Stokes wearing corduroy bell bottoms and crying with clutching a box of Sno Caps at a wimpy Robbie Benson movie, Greg fell a little deeper in love. As tough as Nick was on the job, at times like this, it was impossible not to see the vulnerable little boy still lurking beneath the surface - the kid who was still hoping his father would unconditionally love him some day, the damaged victim of a pedophile, and the child who really needed a day off from trying to be perfect.
"Is it me? Am I really the only romantic gay man on the planet? The only one who enjoys callin' his partner honey and bringin' home a box of candy? Tell me, because I have no idea what's normal." Nick hung his head and sighed, "Maybe I shoulda borrowed that box set of Queer as Folk your mother offered." He sighed, "Should I keep my thoughts to myself and just screw your brains out? Is that the norm you're expectin'?"
"You're killing me, Cletus." His voice cracking, Greg reached out and pulled him over to sit next to him on the bed. "As much as I love having sex with you, no, it's not the only way I want you to express yourself. And for the record, I like when you call me honey and bring me candy. I loveyour sappy romantic side."
"You have a real funny way of showin' it." Nick glanced over. "Literally."
"I know. I know I do." Greg tenderly explained, "You're the retired ladies man, remember? Not me. I've never been part of a romance until now. I spent my weekends playing chess against a computer and watching porn. I don't know how to do romance and I don't know how to respond to it...at least not without feeling awkward and stupid. You saw my latest attempt...a blow up doll, a bag of candy penises, and a dissertation on my prostate. Hello? I suck at romance. When I get flustered or feel clueless about how to respond to you, I fall back on what I know...using humor to mask my nerves and incompetence. It's what I've been doing that my whole life to get by. It's how I survived high school, and when I arrived at LVPD and couldn't make the ladies swoon or the jocks think I'm cool, I made everybody laugh. I was the funny guy in DNA who wore a lampshade on his head, among other things. You're not the one with the problem."
Remembering a few of Greg's wackier lab moments, Nick's smile returned.
"In high school I was the dorky class clown who made all the girls laugh, but I never got a dance at the prom. You were the jock who had all the right moves at the prom and knew just what to say to get the ladies to swoon and dance with you." Greg nudged his lover. "I'm sorry I made you feel bad when all you were trying to do was love me."
"I can't believe I shoved you like that." Nick covered his mouth as the seriousness of his actions caught up with him. "Is there a mark? I'm turning into my father...a big bully who tosses his weight around and manhandles the people he's supposed to love. It's a cycle and I'm continuin' it. Shit."
"I'm fine. Really." Greg unbuttoned his shirt to prove there wasn't a bruise. "I was being a drama queen, milking the incident for attention. See."
"Oh God." Nick shielded his eyes. "You can see my finger impressions and they're all gonna turn into bruises. I bruised you on your birthday. If you take your shirt off to swim tomorrow, your dad is gonna see I bruised you and lose it. He should too...I'm turnin' into his biggest nightmare."
When tears started popping from Nick's eyes, Greg desperately tried to justify the shove. "I was beyond annoying laughing in your face while you were trying to sweep me off my feet. I would have shoved me too!"
"You can't make excuses for your spouse's violent behavior, we tell women that all the time. We hear it all - I burned the dinner, I ruined his shirt, I ran up the Visa bill." Nick shook his head. "There's no rationalizing a bruise. That's what we tell 'em. Don't rationalize what I did."
As the locks on Nick's excessive baggage loudly clicked open all around him, Greg begged, "Please stop. I know you didn't mean it and you won't do it again."
"Holy shit." Nick's panic flared. "You sound just like one of the women we counsel. That's what they always say. I know he won't do it again."
When his guilt-ridden man continued swirling into a shame spiral, Greg knew he'd have to do something drastic to pull him back from the abyss...so he started singing...the theme from Ice Castles...as if he were channeling wimpy Robbie Benson. "And nowwwwwww, I do believe, that even in the storm we'll find some liiiiiiiiiiight. Knnnnnooooowing you'rrrrrrrre besiiiiiiide me, I'm alriiiiiight."
His tears halting, Nick glanced up. "What the hell are you singin'?"
"The theme from your favorite childhood movie, Ice Castles, in the key of wimpy Robbie Benson." Greg jumped to his feet. "I'm bringin' the romance, dork style." He belted out the chorus, "Pleassssse...don't let this feeling end. It might not come again, and I want to rememmmmberrrrr...how it feels to know you!"
"How the hell do you know the words by heart?" Nick asked while he wiped his face.
"My friend Becca made me sing it with her whenever she was depressed from breaking up with a boyfriend....or a girlfriend." Greg dropped on one knee and took Nick's hand. "Looking through, the eye-yi-yi - yizzzzzzz...of lovvvvvvvve." After placing a tender kiss on the back of Nick's hand, he glanced up grinning. "Feeling better?"
"Except for my bleedin' ears, yeah." Nick's smile returned. "Keep your night job, honey." He yanked him up on the bed. "Every note was off key, but the sentiment was pitch-perfect."
"See! That's what I'm talking about!" Greg tossed his hands in the air. "I will never come up with a line that smooth if I live to be 100. And you think of them on the fly." He blanketed Nick's body with his. "It's not easy being Don Juan's boyfriend. Now kiss me like you mean it, mi amor."
"Can you button your shirt first?" Nick requested while shifting his eyes to the ceiling. "I don't want to see the marks."
Doing as asked, Greg assured him, "I swear it doesn't hurt. I bruise easily, always have. Now please promise me that we'll put this behind us and leave it there. We have thirty people coming here in a little over an hour."
"I'll try. I just feel like such an overbearing, aggressive beast. I can't shake that feeling."
"I know how to shake it." Greg feverishly worked open Nick's belt and zipper.
"My mom's downstairs, G." Nick laughed like a naughty schoolboy. "I can't give it to you while my mommy's downstairs."
"Not a problem." Greg snickered in between lusty kisses, "Because I'm giving it to you."
"Huh?"
"Bottoming is the quickest way to snap a guy out of an overbearing and aggressive funk." He knew just thinking of the act would be enough to get Nick to snap out the mood and race downstairs.
"Um." Much to his surprise, Nick's body snapped to attention. "But you don't enjoy...do you think you could enjoy it this once?"
"You really want to?" Much to his surprise, Greg's body snapped to attention.
"Yeah, I really do." Nick couldn't believe the words were slipping off his tongue. "Like it's all I'm thinkin' about suddenly."
"Me too." What had started out as a joke, was rapidly consuming Greg's mind. "Okay." Lunging under his bed pillow, he groped for what he needed. "I put this there for after the party," he stated upon finding a bottle. "I didn't think I'd be the one doing the honors though."
They further steamed their bodies and minds with a series of increasingly urgent kisses.
"I can't believe I'm doing this." Greg raced his mouth over his lover's chest.
While wishing he had more than two beers before coming upstairs to 'make a phone call about a case', Nick passively let his partner entice his body in a variety of ways, and much to his surprise, ended up enjoying the warm-up to a heated extreme. "I almost lost it," he confessed when Greg returned to look him eye to eye. "God, that was good...especially..." He tossed his head back. "I can't..."
Suddenly feeling bad for foisting the idea on his non-submissive lover, Greg whispered, "It's okay, you don't have to go through with it."
"No, I was gonna say I can't even think, 'cause I'm so heated."
Fingers threaded in each other's hair, they shared a voracious kiss that fueled their already blazing passion.
"How do you..."
"Your call," Nick rasped when they finally stopped kissing each other like they were going off to war. "I just need you."
His partner's unbridle and unexpected enthusiasm had Greg throbbing, and he sprung off the bed like a jackrabbit. "Slide all the way to the edge." He wanted eye contact and an easy, comfortable position for both of them. "Hey..." He stalled, feeling his old insecurities. "Let's pretend the other time didn't happen, okay? You weren't doing it for the right reasons and I wasn't saying no when I wasn't in the mood. I don't want to compare..."
"What other time?" Nicky serenely whispered. "Make love to me, G." As wrong as their first attempt felt, this one felt right. "I want..."
"Wait." Greg stood up for a second and tugged his shirt off in spite of the earlier request to keep it buttoned. "It's make up sex. Say you're sorry and it all goes away with the lovin'. Agreed?"
Nick remorsefully touched the marks his fingertips had left. "I'm sorry."
"You're forgiven." Seeing Nick's eyes aligned with the bruise, Greg whispered, "It'll be okay."
Nick tried not to tense
"It's normal." Greg timed the words to match his movement. "A little pain now and then is part of the package deal."
Gripping the wide shoulders above him, Nick reminded himself to breathe.
"Love has to hurt sometimes." Greg waited for his partner to open his eyes. "If it didn't, we wouldn't feel the difference when it's fantastic." Against Nick's parted lips, he said, "Trust me...a dash of pain before ecstasy makes it much, much better." He dispensed the sweetest kiss to the pair of warm lips beneath him. "I love you."
"Don't stop," Nick breathed out when the pace suddenly slowed. "I was just..."
"Sorry." His gaze locked on Nick's wide brown eyes, Greg said, "I need a minute, because you were right about it feeling intense when you don't use anything." The unsheathed pleasure living up to its reputation and he teetered on the brink of ecstasy for a perilous moment or two. "I'm good now." Simultaneously dominating Nick's mouth, body and mind, Greg felt a surge or excitement like never before. Every fear of inadequacy was gone and he had self-confidence to spare. "I think you like this."
"Yes," Nick squeaked, as the last touches of discomfort were outweighed by pleasure. In case his partner was skeptical based on precedent, he used every inch of his body to urge him on as they feverishly kissed. It was had to believe their roles were usually reversed and as the minutes passed, the kissing got hot, and the words exchanged between gasps of air became hotter.
Then, without warning, Greg abruptly abandoned his partner's body.
"Why..." Nick knew the answer when he was rolling over. For a guy who supposedly hated topping, Greg was acting like he had been doing it twice nightly his whole life. Always in control, both in life and in bed, the role reversal to submissive had him reeling, but not negatively as he had expected. It was like being locked in his seat on a runaway train...there was nothing he could do, except enjoy the wild ride and hope he survived to do it again another time. It was shockingly liberating, and as both of their trains raced toward their finals destinations, he shoved his face in a pillow, to stifle the uncontrollable exclamations pouring from his mouth.
Draped over Nick's sweaty back, Greg clung to him and panted to catch his breath. "You okay?"
Nick's brain was still too jumbled to form a reply.
Running his fingers through his partner's hair, Greg worried that it had been too much. "I got carried away. It felt so good."
"I'm fine." Nick continued sucking in gulps of oxygen. "More than fine...fantastic.."
Once he knew all was well, Greg relaxed and basked in the afterglow.
"I don't know what all went on down there," Nick grinned, "but it all came together in one blinding moment and blew my mind."
"I know exactly what you're talking about. It doesn't always work out like that, but when it does..." Purring, he sprinkled post-coital kisses until they were both breathing normally. "Ready to..."
"Yeah." Even though their bodies were separating, Nick felt closer than ever to the man at his side. "I'm good," he confirmed when his partner kissed him with love and concern in his eyes.
"But you kind of miss me, don't you?"
"Yeah," Nick shyly replied.
"But I'm kind of still there."
"It's weird," Nick confessed. "But kind of a good weird."
Smiling wide, Greg tapped their noses. "Yeah, it gets less weird the more you do it. Assuming you want to..." When he saw Nick smile, he chuckled, "But not every time."
"No, not every time." Nick reached out and stroked his lover's flushed cheek. "What about you? How do you feel?"
Propping up on his elbow, Greg said, "Honestly...I think we both needed it."
"I was just thinkin' the same thing." Brushing a hand over his sweaty forehead, Nick laughed, "I can't begin to explain why I feel 110 percent better about our relationship because of it, but I do." He shook his head. "Unbelievable. I think I just became versatile."
"I think I just became a man."
They burst out laughing.
"I can't believe how long you lasted, G."
"I know!" The surprised lover, chuckled, "It was like I took mental Viagra."
"I took time to commune with my feminine side and I liked it." Nick thought back to his impromptu psychic reading at Cassie's old house. "I bet Sage would say I'm radiating a shitload of feminine energy right now."
"You know it, bitch." After cracking up, Greg asked with a lilt, "Was I good? It felt like I was good. Unless you were faking. It was awesome for me either way, so..."
"Hell, no I wasn't fakin'! You were that good. I don't know what the hell you were doin' the first time, 'cause that sucked six ways from Sunday, but this time...you were on fire." Nick leaned in for a kiss. "You were better than me. Trust me, I wish I was lyin'." After a playful kiss, he said, "I'll go grab us some washcloths and..."
"Hell, no." Greg slid out of bed and deepened his voice, "That's the man's job."
While they were laughing, the guys heard a distinct knock on the door.
"Oh, boysssss," Jan sang through the door. "I know you're hard at work on a confidential case in there, but the caterer is asking for his check and I don't know where it is."
"Do you think she heard us?" Nick whispered.
"Yes, she did," Jan answered before snickering. "Good Lord, you didn't honestly think we bought the work story in the first place, did you?"
"We really weren't planning..."
"It doesn't matter," Jan clarified, "When you're newly engaged or married, passion has a way of taking you by surprise when you're alone. We knew what was coming even if you didn't," she snickered. "As soon as you left the room to be alone, I sent Dave out with the girls and your niece to walk the dog, so they wouldn't figure it out. Then your mother made your sisters drive her to Walgreens to buy toothpaste and pantyhose. Thank goodness I had the sense to get rid of the girls, because the air vents in this house really carry noise."
Blood draining from Nick's face, he caught the wash cloth Greg tossed him. "I can't go out there."
"Don't worry," Jan assured her squeamish future son-in-law. "We've all been there, Nicky, don't be embarassed. Emotions, both good and bad, will continue to flair without warning all the way up until the wedding, so don't worry about the shoving incident. I threw a toaster at David the day before our wedding. My mother had to cover up the bruise with makeup, so it wouldn't show up in pictures."
"Your dad knows about the shove," Nick panicked.
"No!" Jan assured him. "Everyone bolted before the yelling started. It was just me inside. Roy was outside partying with the catering staff."
"My dad isn't going to kill you over a shove," Greg moved to the bed and tugged up the corner of the fitted sheet.
"Passion does crazy things to people. When Dave and I first got engaged we couldn't keep our hands off each other." Jan giggled into her palm. "As a matter of fact, on the drive home from the restaurant I glanced down at the beautiful diamond on my ring finger and decided if I got a shiny new gem, he deserved to get his pole polished."
Balling up the sheets, Greg shook his head. "I can't believe you're worried about being embarrassed in front of her." He yelled in the direction of the door. "We'll be down in ten minutes, Mom! We're on our engagement honeymoon for cryin' out loud! Can we have a little privacy?"
"We could go public and tell everyone we're married," Sara suggested on her way to her husband's car.
"We could announce it on a neon sign over The Strip too...but we won't." Gil shot his wife a look. "Why didn't you say happily married?"
"I figured it was implied after what we just did in the shower." Grinning, Sara stepped into her husband's Mercedes as he held open her door.
"Why didn't you ever let me do that before we were married?"
"The cow can't give away all the milk now can she?"
Laughing, Grissom shut the door and rounded his car. "Are there any other things you'll do now that we're married?"
"That's for me to know and you to hope." Sara returned to the original topic. "Ecklie already figured us out, so maybe it would be okay."
Sliding behind the wheel, Gil replied, "Ecklie knowing without the world knowing isn't the same as him knowing when everyone knows. As the Assistant Director of the Lab, he'll be obligated to take action if our relationship is public You know what the Sheriff will say...if a defense attorney finds out we're together and needs a way to get their client off the hook, he might bring up our relationship. Think of the time you were on the stand and that bitch grilled you over wiping chalk off my face."
Sara smirked.
Gil shook his head at his spouse. "There really wasn't any chalk, was there?"
"There was a negligible amount of chalk."
"So, you really were just copping a feel."
"Yeah, just like you were really checking out my ass all those times you asked me to bend over and pick up evidence."
"Guilty as charged."
"Perv."
"Not at all." Gil smiled, "Just a dysfunctional geek in love."
Intoxicated by the sentiments they were sharing and his cowboy's radiant smile, Greg said, "Good thing we decided to be open about the rings and our relationship, because I don't think I could hide my feelings if my life depended on it."
"I feel bad for our miserable friends." Nick stole another kiss before finishing his thought. "They're gonna have to put up with us be nauseatingly happy tonight."
Grinning wildly, Greg smoothed his hands over his lover's body, "And you know we won't be able to keep our hands off each other after five or six drinks."
"Good thing the girls are leavin' after cake."
"And as soon as the last guest leaves..." Greg merged their mouths in a kiss that foreshadowed the late night passion they'd share.
"Damn." Nick backed away wiping his mouth. "Look what you did to me. Seriously, you have me crazy tonight." Breathing deep, he adjusted himself. "I can't go talk to my mommy with a raging boner."
"Just think of Ecklie eatching Cheetos naked while scratching his pimply ass."
"Eww." Nick cringed. "That's nasty."
"Not as nasty as picturing him dropping one of the Cheetos and flashing his crusty crack when he bends over to pick it up."
His stomach instantly churning from the horrific visual, Nick shivered. "You really are a real freak, Sanders."
"Yeah," Greg laughed, "and you're marrying me, so what does that say about you?" He pointed to Nick's lack of arousal. "Admit it...naked Cheeto eating Ecklie is the ultimate anti-boner thought, and much less violent than going the traditional 'dead puppies' route. It's a PETA-approved anti-boner thought."
Stepping into the hall, Nick spoke like a TV announcer, "No animals were killed or injured during the deflation of my boner."
"These chicken wings are yummy!" Jan informed the caterer. "What do you have for vegetarian selections? I know for a fact that Greg's friend Sara doesn't eat meat."
"I can't believe I just did that." Sara grabbed her bottle of water from the cup holder. "While you were driving! This newlywed thing is hitting me harder than I thought."
"You have to do my fly for me, honey," Gil announced, still panting. "I don't want to take my hands off the wheel and end up explaining this at an accident scene."
"Wouldn't Ecklie have a field day?"
"Please don't ever talk about Ecklie while touching my penis." Gil shivered.
"I feel bad for the miserable people coming to the party." Sara retrieved her lip stick from her purse. "We're gonna be nauseating."
Perched over the toilet waiting to see if she was done vomiting, Mandy dreaded the food and smells of a Mexican food party. But since the party was her best chance to make Henry see she didn't hate him or think he's unworthy of being her baby's daddy, she had no choice but to pull herself up off the bathroom floor and get dressed.
"I don't even like dealing with morning sickness alone," she whimpered while padding out of the bathroom. "I can't imagine going through the last trimester, childbirth and the first months alone."
Standing in front of the mirror feeling alone in the world, she considered calling her mother and confessing the scandalous baby news.
"What do you think, Mama?" Standing poolside, Nick inspected the party planner's work.
"I think they did a lovely job, honey." There was a Mexican food buffet and bar in the corner of the yard and fiesta-inspired tables and decorations set up around the perimeter of the pool. "The piñatas remind me of your birthday parties." It was always his favorite part.
"You used to take me to that store downtown that made all the different kinds and you'd let me pick. My all time favorite was Godzilla. After pickin' the piñata, we'd go to the café next door for ice cream. I'd set the piñata next to me in the booth. Do you remember that?"
"Yes, and I'm glad you do." Jillian smiled at her youngest child. "As a mother of seven it wasn't easy makin' y'all feel special, but I hoped you would remember the little things and the quiet moments we managed to share." Smoothing her palm over her son's back she sweetly said, "Today you're spoilin' Greg with a big backyard party, but in no time it'll be your son or daughter you're indulgin'."
"With Jan poundin' the pavement lookin; for surrogate mothers, I have no doubt it'll happen." He chuckled, "One of the prospects is comin' to the party tonight to help us play a practical joke on a coworker."
"Are you jokin'?"
"Yeah, we were drinkin' a lot last night celebratin' Greg's birthday and Jan propositioned our waitress who also works part-time strippin'."
"You want a stripper to be the mother or your child, Nicholas?"
"No, jokin' around about it just got us to thinkin' about the whole thing is all." Walking back to the house, he said, "On the cab ride home Greg came up with a plan that I liked though. He suggested that we combine our soldiers, that way we don't know who the daddy is the first time and we can both enjoy feeling like it's our biological child in the womb. Then, after the baby is born, we'll test its DNA and whoever isn't the daddy gets to be the sole contributor the next time."
"You're really serious about usin' the surrogate, instead of adoption?
Nodding, he smiled, "Yeah, we both want to try to have one of our own. If it doesn't work, then we'll go the other route. Not any time soon though...Greg and I still have things to work out as a couple and then again when we become spouses. It's important to both of us that a child doesn't arrive until we can provide a stable, loving home."
"Don't you worry about not havin' a mother for the babies?"
"Are you kiddin'?" He chuckled, "With Jan, Cassie, and Jenni livin' five minutes away, there'll be plenty of female influence, believe me. They'll be fightin' over the baby."
"I'm sure you're right." Jillian bit her tongue and kept the rest of her concerns to herself.
"I don't want to walk in there alone," Henry informed Hodges as he paced his living room talking on the phone. "How about I have my taxi swing by and pick you up too?"
"Are you kidding? People will thinking we're a couple."
"Just because we share a taxi?" Henry rolled his eyes. "Paranoid much?"
"On a Saturday night...to a party...with a Mama's boy like you? Yes!" Hodges huffed, "Sorry. No way."
"I'll pay."
"I'll meet you at the curb. Don't come to the door! If you come to the door, people will think we're a couple of geeks in love."
"It's Grissom and Sara, everyone!" Jan cheerily announced when she escorted them onto the patio a two dozen guests. "They're my 2nd favorite geeky couple!"
"Uh." Gil froze like a deer in headlights as his employees gaped at him. "We're not a couple."
On her third glass of wine, Jan giggled, "Then how do you explain sharing a room at the forensics convention in Long Beach? And why did your headboard bang against my son's wall nightly? The kiss you gave her at dinner was pretty telling too."
"Yeah." Sara grinned at her husband. "Care to explain that evidence, CSI man?"
"Um..." Gil cleared his throat, stood tall, and said, "What I meant was...we're not a couple, we're spouses."
Everyone reached for their wallets to collect or pay on their 7 year old Grissom and Sara marital bets.
"It's Vegas." Brass pocketed a c-note from Warrick and raised his Scotch with a smile. "A toast! To Mr. Bugfreak and his lovely wife who puts up with him for a reason that's yet to be determined! We always knew the two of you would hook up one day." He laughed, "But most of us didn't think you'd be crazy enough to marry him, Sara! To Gil and his much better half! Cheers!"
"Cheers!" the group echoed!
Blushing to a deep red, Gil and Sara felt every eye on them.
"I think we can wear the rings now," Sara stated, once she swallowed the lump I her throat.
"Yeah." Gil watched Catherine shaking her head and mouthing 'marriage, what were you thinkin?'.
"We're here! But not together!" Hodges announced as he stepped onto the patio with his lab co-worker at his side. "Henry and I just shared a cab because we're into carpooling and saving the environment." Swiping a mini-burrito off a passing tray, he asked, "Did we miss anything? Of course we didn't, the party never starts until Davey Hodges arrives."
Tawny's hysterical laughter shot through the air. "Oh my gosh!" She stopped and stood in front of her target. "You're like totally funny and cute! If you're a friend of Greggy's, I bet you're really smart too."
Hodges glanced over his shoulder to see who the gorgeous woman was speaking to.
The pranksters turned around quickly so no one would see them biting back their laughter.
"Dude!" Greg elbowed his mate.
"She's awesome," Nick stated, while watching Hodges trip all over himself. "And this pay back has been a long time comin'."
"I'd totally marry Tawny if I wasn't marrying you," Greg snickered as he watched the blonde cutie skip off to the bar with Hodges on her arm. "The party has officially started."
***
Chapter 18: You Only Live OnceOnce all the guests had arrived, Nick whistled to get their attention. "Sorry, for interruptin' your conversations, but I just wanted to take a minute to officially welcome everyone and to say thanks for bein' a part of the celebration. I'm thrilled that y'all could make it, but I want to say a special thanks to my mom, Jillian Stokes, my sisters Nancy and Gwen, my niece Skye, and my cousin Roy, who flew into town just for the occasion." After kissing his mother on the cheek, he stepped away and walked over to his partner. "C'mere, G."
"Uh oh." Greg sensed an emotional moment coming. "Uh...is this when the female stripper arrives? Or is she already here in disguise?" He loved Tawny's loud giggle in the crowd.
"I thought a male stripper was more appropriate," Catherine informed her co-worker. "I hope you don't mind."
"I mind," Warrick muttered and shot her a look.
"No one will be disrobin' here tonight," Nick assured the group and most of all, his conservative mother.
Catherine openly hassled her friends, "Even after the guests leave? Poor Greggy, what kind of a birthday celebration is it if you don't end up in your birthday suit after the party?"
"Children present!" Jan reminded the self-centered irresponsible woman who blew up the lab a few years ago and almost killed her son.
"Sorry."
"I just wanna make a toast!" Nick blurted in frustration. "Focus, people!"
"Listen to the control freak." Warrick nodded at his buddy. "Let's hear it."
In a whisper Greg told his mate, "Don't worry, we'll work out your control issues later in the bedroom."
Nick answered his partner with an all-knowing grin and lifted his bottle, "I hope everyone has a drink."
"Are you kidding?" Brass yelled out. "It's an open bar...we all have two." He glanced around. "And we're all going home in taxis, right folks? Because I don't want any late night calls asking to bail your..." he stopped himself from saying asses, "...tushies out of jail."
"There are a few DD's too," Nick, the responsible host, told the crowd, "Super Dave and his Super wife, Doc and the lovely Mrs. Robbins, and Dave Sanders aren't drinkin' tonight and they have offered a lift to anyone goin' in their directions."
Henry wondered why Mandy wasn't on the DD list since she was pregnant with his child. The idea of her poisoning his baby with booze only stoked his anger. Bitch! I can't believe her! On top of everything else, she's...
"Me too!" Mandy announced, because she didn't want Henry to think she was killing their baby one drink at a time.
Glancing over at the mother of his child, Henry felt guilty for calling her a bitch. He quickly shifted his gaze to the stars. Her new hair style looks nice. In silence, he struggled not to love her.
"Except Hodges," Doc Robbins shouted above the din. "We can't give him a ride home, because he's banned from my car." He scowled in the Trace Tech's direction. "I'll just say it's a long story and leave it at that."
"Aww." Tawny winked at the object of her feigned affection. "Are they picking on you?"
"They always do." Hodges whispered to the beautiful department store perfume spritzer on his arm, "They're jealous of my superior intellect, so they lash out."
"That's exactly what I was thinking!" Tawny enthused in her best bubblehead voice. "I better watch my back talking to you. All the single women must be jealous of me."
Hodges gave a regal nod. "Women have shed blood over me before." He neglected to mention it was when a two women were attacking him for being an ass.
Catherine did a cat call to get everyone's attention. "Nicky has the floor, remember?"
"Thanks, Cath." Grinning wide, Nick placed a hand on Greg's shoulder and said, "Greggo...we came very close to losin' you this year, and I think I speak on behalf of your family and friends here tonight when I say that the world wouldn't be the same without Greg Sanders. I thought it would be nice to have a party and show you how happy we all are that you're a part of our lives and to celebrate you bouncin' back from the year from hell. Personally, I'm also hopin' this party is the kick off to one of the happiest years of your life, because I know it's gonna be the happiest year in my life."
"Here it comes." Watching his partner's eyes well up, Greg's did the same. "I should have known you would make me cry, Barbara Walters."
Archie jumped on a chair and asked, "Did anyone have 'toasting Greg' in the 'Nick's first tear tonight' pool or is the money still up for grabs?"
"Sorry, Arch...I bet it would be the toast." Catherine raised her champagne. "You can give me the pool money later, Jim."
Nancy laughed when she saw her brother's embarrassment. "Awww, it's my fault he's an emotional guy. I forced him to watch chick flicks and soap operas as a child."
"Told ya, G." Nick felt vindicated.
"Is that how you became gay?" Warrick teased his buddy. "I guess I should thank my grandma for bein' a hard ass who made me play baseball six days a week to stay out of trouble."
"I'm afraid I encouraged Nicky too," Gwen added, feeling giddy from the margaritas she had consumed. "I made him play Barbies and dress up games with me all the time. The big clue that he was gay shoulda been him cryin' if he didn't get to wear my sparkly red Dorothy shoes, but I rationalized it away somehow."
Greg grinned at his blushing partner. "I love how it's my birthday, but they're roasting you."
As the crowd laughed, Bobby D blurted, "Wait a minute! Since when is Nick gay?"
"He's always been gay," Greg laughed, the tequila in his veins kicking in nicely. "But he only started acting on it this year. I thought you gave him the memo, Cletus. Sorry, Bobby D!"
The ballistics tech considered outing himself, but promptly chickened out. "So when everyone was talking about you two being together, they weren't joking?"
"No, we were joking," Jacqui explained, "when we thought they were living together in the 'Bert and Ernie, we look totally gay, but even though we share a bath tub and a bedroom we're just really good friends' sense, but then we found out they really were sharing bars of soap and with each other's rubber duckies. We kept making the jokes out of habit."
Jenni and Cassie laughed over the Bert and Ernie joke while Jillian tensed from the public silliness over her son's homosexuality.
"We've never seen them get mushy though," Jacqui said to Bobby, "but in the pool, I've got a 'first public kiss during the toast'...no pressure guys, but I'm savin' up for a nip and tuck and every dollar helps spare you from looking at my 40 year old saggage."
"Anything to help a good cause!" Nick set down his Corona. "I'm drunk enough to kiss ya in front of our co-workers. C'mere, darlin'..." Nick pecked his cheek. "We'll make 'em wait for a liplock."
Cheering for her brothers, Jenni shouted, "They just got engaged too! Does anyone have that in the betting pool? Cassie and I get to be bridesmaids at their ceremony."
"Little sis outed us," Greg chuckled as he held up his ringed hand. "He asked and I said yes, because..."
"Grissom was already spoken for!" Jim shouted, much to the crowd's delight.
"Why would I need Griss?" Greg pointed to his father. "I already have a Daddy in my life."
"OH!"
Grissom raised his wine glass. "In the immortal words of ...Donald Trump - you're fired, Greggy."
Some members of the crowd started chanting, "Who's your daddy? Who's your daddy?"
Judge William Stokes entered the house he had called home for the last 46 years and hung his car keys on the hook he had been using for decades, yet nothing felt the same. The heated argument that he had with his wife before she left for Vegas that morning had left him rattled and unsure of their future together just three months shy of their 50th wedding anniversary. Never in her life had his devoted wife spat the word 'divorce' and his mind and heart were still having a hard time accepting that she had...
Since the moment I said I do, I have been a supportive wife." Jillian stood toe to toe with her hard ass husband and spoke her mind, "I have stood at your side and helped you further your career, even when I thought you were making the wrong decisions or sidin' with the wrong people, but I'm not bitin' my tongue when it comes to Nicky. We're not talkin' about a controversial trial or a candidate runnin' for office, we're talking about our son."
"Our son the sinner," Bill reminded his wife, "and your support of his sinning is makin' you a little more of a hypocrite every week."
"I know he's disappointed you his entire life, but here's a secret I've never shared with you." She steadied herself with a deep breath and stood tall. "He's made me proud his whole life. He pulled straight As all through high school while playin' sports and holdin' a job, he got a full-ride to A&M playin' ball, he finished first in his class at the police academy, he's saved innocent citizens in the line of duty, and mostly importantly...he didn't put a bullet in his head while buried alive...he didn't do it even though he was sufferin', because he knew it would have killed me to know he shot himself. Nicky is as far from a disgrace as child can be to a mother and for that reason, I refuse to be ashamed of him. Shame is for mothers of criminals and cheaters, not the mother of a workin' class hero."
"So because he's a hero on the job, he's allowed to ignore the Lord's word."
"He's livin' the way he was made and the Lord doesn't make mistakes. The Bible, on the other hand, was written by men and is interpretable."
"You weren't raised to believe that."
"I wasn't raised usin' a microwave either, but times change and people learn..."
"Oh please." Bill snarked, "Did you learn that smartass line from one of the mouthy PFLAG liberals you're havin' lunch with daily?"
"Are you insinuatin' I'm too stupid to think for myself?" Her ire flaring, Jillian spat, "No matter how much you and Chuck try, you will not get me to exclude Nicky from my life or this house, which I'll take this opportunity to remind you is half mine. When Nick and Greg come to visit, you can stay on your side while I welcome them into mine." Grabbing her suitcase, she huffed, "If you think I won't divorce you because I'm too old, too proud, or too set in my ways, you better think again. If you keep bullying and belittling me, mark my words, I will run, not walk to my lawyer!" Rolling her suitcase out the front door, she yelled, "I know my son is a good, kind-hearted man, not a freak like you and Chuck want me to believe he is!"
"You should see some of the freaks that come into the club lookin' for action," Roy said as he walked alongside his cousin. He had asked to tag along when Nick announced he had to take Chico for a quick walk because he was crying and scratching on the doggie door that had been locked for the duration of the party.
"After workin' in Vegas for nearly a decade, nothin' surprises me anymore." Crossing the street to get to the park, Nick asked, "Are you makin' good money cocktailin'? Enough to pay the rent? From the look of ya, I know you don't have any left over to buy food." Roy was three inches taller than him, but 15 pounds lighter and looked nothing like the vibrant blue-eyed boy he once was. The only part of him that looked healthy was his thick dark blonde hair, which he purposely styled into a trendy mess. "San Francisco is an expensive city to live in when you're young and broke."
"Between us...I said I was cocktailin' for Aunt Jillian's sake. I'm not. I'm dancin' for tips."
"Dancin'?" Nick stopped and checked his cousin's eyes. "Like in your tighty-whities on the bar?"
"Sometimes they have me on the bar," the boy shamefully replied, "but usually I'm on a little platform on the dance floor. I'm not allowed to take off my underwear, so it's not strippin'." His gaze hit the sidewalk. "I'm not proud of what I'm doin', Nick, but I'm payin' my own way and it's not forever. It's just until I can afford school, which seems like never right now, because I can't afford dinner most days, but I'm gonna make it happen. I'm not a quitter."
Stunned by the news, the concerned older cousin, who had always been like an uncle to the boy, said, "I'm sure things work the same in San Francisco as they do here, 'cause club owners are universally sleazy as hell. The strip clubs here make the girls do stuff to get a good shift and then they make 'em do stuff to keep their spot once they get addicted to the money rollin' in." When he him cover his face, Nick softened his voice, "Hey...I'm not judgin' you, I'm just worried, okay? Is dancin' all you've been doin' to make ends meet?"
"No." Roy cried as he leaned against a thick tree trunk.
Suddenly scared to death for his cousin, Nick urgently said, "Tell me you've been careful. Tell me you're not havin' risky sex for cash."
"One night, this older guy who comes into the club all the time – he's like fifty," Roy's lips quivered as he spoke, "he offered me a roll of cash to bareback. He was real nice and I needed the money really bad, but I said no. A week later I found out the guy is HIV positive. I puked when I thought about how I almost had sex with him."
"How much have you been hustlin'? Every night? Three times a night?"
"Just when I can't make the rent and buy food." It felt good to tell someone, especially someone he respected and who was capable of helping him find a way out of the nightmare. "I was lucky, if you could call it that - one of the guys I work with taught the ropes..."
"You could be in jail or dead right now."
"I know, but I was real careful."
Staring at the former star athlete and valedictorian, Nick's stomach churned. It was a story he'd heard too many times from runaways over the years, but he couldn't believe he was hearing it from a family member. "I used to cut the crust off you PB&J and now we're sittin' here talkin' about you havin' sex for cash."
"I can't imagine what you think of me."
"I honestly think a whole lot less of your mom and dad for kickin' you out when the worst thing you ever did was get caught kissin' your boyfriend." Roy's mom had returned home early and found him and his classmate making out in the family pool.
"I had the phone in my hand to call home a dozen times." Roy's eyes welled. "I was gonna say 'you win' and go to that conversion camp they want me in, but every time I ended up slammin' down the phone before the first ring. I decided I'd rather starve than go to that psycho boot camp for queers. Yeah, it's scary not knowin' where your next dollar is gonna come from, but I think that place would be scarier."
While picking up after Chico, Nick replied, "Greg and I checked out the website of the adult treatment facility my father wants me to go to. I got the heebies reading the testimonials and lookin' at the photos. They sound brainwashed."
"You know I'm not a slacker, Nick. I never thought I'd be homeless and hungry. I'm supposed to be in a dorm, not the YMCA. I tried a bunch of different shelters, but it was worse than bein' on the street, that's why I had to hustle." I had money saved from workin' after school for years, but I used it to buy a used car for four thousand dollars. That car was supposed to get me through college and..."
"Why didn't you take the car with you?" Nick asked out of analytical habit. "You coulda sold it. You still could if..."
"No." An edge creeping into his voice, Roy explained, "I tried to take it, but my dad showed me the title was in his name. I forgot he put it in his name to keep insurance costs down. He told me he would call the police and report it stolen if I drove it away. What could I do? I had to leave it."
"What?" Nick snapped to anger. "One minute they're yellin' at you for not bein' a good Christian and the next minute they're stealin' your car? I friggin' hate hypocrites! I'm gonna get that car back for you or the money it's worth. They thought no one in the family would cross them to help you and they were right, no one has...until now. It's queer cousin Nicky to the rescue. Trust me, your daddy will cooperate, because I'll threaten go public in Dallas with how he's treated you. He's a county judge, he can't afford to the press, especially when it proves he's a bigoted thief."
"You'd do that for me?" Roy's spirits soared. "Really?"
"Damn right I would. I'm gonna have you move in temporarily. I'll get you a job at the lab, it'll be grunt work, but it's money. Then I'll sign you up for classes at UNLV. Once you're at the lab for 6 months, you'll qualify for tuition-assistance benefits. Don't worry, we'll work out all the details tomorrow."
"Thank you!"
"I'm happy to help." Smiling, Nick ruffled the boy's hair like he used to a decade ago. "Cousins and queers need to look out for one another and we're both."
"I so glad you finally came out."
"Finally?"
"Yeah." Roy chuckled, "I knew you were gay, but I didn't say anything when you were living as a straight guy. I figured you didn't want anyone to know, so..."
"You knew before I knew?" Nick prodded as they crossed for home. "What tipped you off?"
"The way you stared at men. I saw you checkin' out the waiters at cousin Kelly's wedding. I distinctly remember you checkin' out Carson Maynard's ass one 4th of July."
Nick tossed his head back laughing. "You're probably right. He's hot."
"Actually, I can speak from experience when I say..." Roy chuckled, "He's not all that." He held up his fingers four inches apart. "Total disappointment."
"I know we're only 15 years apart and you're an adult now, but it still hard to get used to talkin' like this...or maybe it's just makin' me feel old. I can't believe you fooled around with a guy ten years older than you who I'd hit on if I was single."
"I think it's really cool that you exchanged rings with Greg. Most guys I've met just want to get laid. At first it was heaven, but after a while it got depressing."
"Greg is a very special guy and I'm thrilled to have him wearin' my ring." Nick's smile shone in the darkness. "You think you want to settle down one day when you're older?"
"Hell, after everything I've seen and done in the last year, I'd love to find someone normal to come home to every night. This past year aged me like 10 years."
"I'm sure there's a few single gay guys at UNLV," Nick laughed, "Once you start eatin' again, you may get buff enough to date one. What's your type?"
"I'm versatile."
"I didn't mean that."
"Sorry, it's habit from workin' in the club."
Nick cringed thinking about his 'little cousin' having sex with strangers for rent money. "I meant like jock or geek."
Desperate for another laugh, Roy dug deep and dusted off his sense of humor. "I think I'd like to follow in your footsteps and get me a nice geek boyfriend."
"Good choice." Laughing with his favorite cousin, it felt like old times. "Geeks make great boyfriends."
"Hi, Henry," Mandy nervously greeted her baby's daddy as he stood perusing the Mexican buffet offerings. "Fun party, huh?"
Staring at a bowl of salsa, Henry muttered, "Seems like people are having a good time."
"They're getting the cake ready."
"I don't have much of an appetite."
"After cake they're going to have karaoke." Desperately trying to connect, she enthused, "I bet they have showtunes."
Henry yelled at the top of his lungs, "Would you drop the showtunes harassment already?" When he realized everyone had halted their conversations to stare at him, he regretted ever showing up. "I never should have come here." Carefully setting down the margarita he had been using to drown his sorrows, he decided to end the torture. "I'm leaving. Happy Birthday, Greg!" he yelled in the CSI's direction.
"You can't leave, dude!" Greg pointed to the cake the caterer was placing candles in. "It's Carvel! We're gonna cut it as soon as Nick to gets back from walking our dog."
"Maybe Henry turns into a pumpkin at midnight," Jacqui cackled into her mondo marg. "It's only 10:45, but...what was I saying?" She decided she didn't care and took another gulp.
Desperately trying to be witty for the babe on his arm, Hodges yelled over to Greg, "Stokes has been gone a while. Wouldn't it suck if he walked out on you on your birthday? He doesn't smoke, so he couldn't use the 'went out for a pack of cigarettes excuse. The dog thing..."
"Shut up," Jan sneered at the man riling her boy. "You wouldn't like it if that pretty little thing on your arm suddenly turned to you and said that she was being paid to be nice to you and we were all in on the joke, would you?"
"No, ma'am," Hodges answered, genuinely fearing the overprotective mother who had once threatened to kill Catherine for maiming Greg in the lab explosion. "Sorry, I was just trying to be funny."
"If you have to try, you most likely won't be."
"It's okay, Mommy." Greg raised his margarita. "Payback's a bitch and I know he'll get his."
"Don't worry, Davey." Tawny cuddled up to her date once the attention shifted off him. "Mrs. Sanders is probably just pissed that you're smarter than her son. Kind of how other women are envious of my big, beautiful breasts. No one likes me either, I think that's why I'm so attracted to you...you can empathize with my plight." Batting her eyelashes, she cooed, "I'll make you forget everything later when we're alone in a bubbling Jacuzzi at my place."
Salivating at the thought of bubbling with the bombshell, Hodges grabbed her hand and tugged, "Let's go!"
"And miss the cake?" Tawny giggled. "No way! It's Carvel! The yummy chocolate crunchies are my favorite." She winked, "But if you're a good boy, I'll let you feed it to me."
"Davey good," he assured her with a Cheshire grin.
"I'm back!" Nick yelled from the patio as he hustled back to the pool area. "Sorry, Chico was sniffin' everything and takin' his own sweet time." Momentarily forgetting they had an audience, he stepped behind Greg, put his hands on his hips, and rested his chin on his shoulder. "Ready to light those candles and make a wish?" When he heard multiple 'awws', he glanced up flustered. "Like you've never seen affection before?"
"Not between you and another person," Catherine teased. "When it comes to action, Stokes, you've been all talk. I've never even seen you kiss a woman."
"I've seen him with women," Warrick laughed at the memories. "We went to Cancun for Spring Break every year for the first 3 years we worked together. All I'm gonna say is...for a guy who doesn't like women, he was a damn good faker."
"Tell me about it," Sofia teased. "I honestly thought I had a shot with him at one point." She laughed in the direction of the birthday boy. "To lose out to you, Greg, is a nice blow to the ego."
"How do you think I feel?" Greg drunkenly giggled, "I lost Sara to Grissom in a fugly straw hat!"
Grissom quietly beamed satisfaction from his seat next to his beautiful wife.
Noting all the inner-office lust, Brass made an astute observation, "You guys really need to get out more. There are other people to hook up with than your coworkers. Who here hasn't slept with someone they work with?"
"Henry! Don't go!" Mandy's anxious voice blared from the karaoke speakers, "You can't leave yet! I have a special song to sing to you!" A squeal of microphone feedback shot through the night air. "A love song."
Cassie turned to Jenni and Skye, "Drunk grown ups are hilarious. This party is going to keep me away from the bottle for a long, long time. They say and do the stupidest things when they're drinking."
"This goes out to Henry." Mandy sweetly caressed her belly. "The father of my baby."
Gasps were heard around the pool.
Finding the news unfathomable, Archie blurted, "The Henry we work with?"
Brass leaned over to ask Catherine a burning question, "Did we bet on a Mandy/Henry hookup?"
"No, because we were all positive he was gay and she was frigid."
"Right, right." Brass returned to sipping wine and enjoying his co-workers' dysfunction.
Sitting down on a poolside bench, Nick pulled Greg next to him. "I'm glad we're not the only couple with issues."
Already at the backyard gate when Mandy made her plea, Henry remained frozen. I can't believe she told them I got her pregnant. I thought she was too ashamed.
When Mandy belted out the first line of 'Without You' from the musical Rent, guests had a hard time deciding whether to cover their ears to block the off-key whiny delivery or to shield their mouths so their friend wouldn't see them cringing.
"The Earth turrrrrrrrns, the sun burrrrrrrrrns, but I diiiiiie...without you."
Hodges heatedly asked, "Is someone videotaping this shame fest?"
"Duh," Archie, the AV Tech who never left home without a bag of equipment, had one stationary video camera pointed at the train-wreck while he had his hand-held tracking Henry hypnotically walking towards Mandy as though she were the Pied Piper.
"I know bluuuue! Only bluuuue! Lonely bluuuuuue!"
Thinking Mandy sounded worse than their neighbor's screeching cats, Nick whispered in his partner's ear, "She's makin' your Ice Castles song sound Grammy worthy."
"Without you..." Mandy's heart skipped a beat when she saw Henry appear in the audience before her.
Henry responded by singing Roger's lyrics in the famous duet, "Without you...the eyes gaze, the legs walk, the lungs breathe."
"Whoa," Catherine leaned against Warrick. "This is playing out like a movie...an incredibly bad, sappy movie that I'd demand my money back for, but still...it's kinda sweet in a geek woos geek sort of way."
"I rapped for a girl I loved in high school," Warrick shared. "She laughed in my face thinkin' it was a joke."
"Imagine if we weren't shit-faced," Brass told them. "Imagine how bad she'd sound sober."
"The mind churns!" Overwhelmed by his lover's gesture, Henry reached out his hand.
"The mind churns!" Mandy stepped forward, tears streaming from her eyes.
Greg clapped at his friend's efforts, "She sounds better now that she's choking up."
Nick winked, "There's the rest of the proof that you're tone deaf, G." When he saw everyone was focused on the freak show in front of the Karaoke machine, he stole a kiss. "I hate havin' to keep my hands off you."
"I'm having the best time," Greg replied, giddy from the tequila and the fun. "Kiss me again."
Mandy sobbed as she sang, "The heart yearns!"
"The heart yearns!"
Skipping the rest of the song, Mandy yelled into the microphone, "I swear it was more than a drunken lay to me, Henry! And since we've been apart, I've learned that I lovvvvvvvve showtunes!"
Jan graciously stepped forward and switched off the mike for the flustered girl. "Carry on, Dear. He seems primed for a change of heart."
Standing by the fireplace clutching a glass of whisky, William Stokes stared at the photos covering every inch of the wall in front of him. Every one of them showcased a happy family memory, or so he thought until now. Upon further inspection, the analytical man began to notice his youngest son looking distant in many of them. Sometimes it was noticeable in his body language, but most often it was his eyes.
After the abduction, he had learned from a co-worker that Nick was molested by a babysitter as a child. A month ago he heard his boy confess to attempting suicide at the age of 12, because he overheard Chuck say it was better to be dead than queer. Those elements considered, he had no reason to doubt the sadness in the photos was real.
Plucking a picture from the wall, the troubled father sat down in his favorite arm chair and set his tumbler of scotch on the pile of mail he had yet to open that day. Considering the fact that Nick had been struggling with homosexuality since puberty, he began to wonder if maybe there was some truth to his sexuality being fueled by an innate desire instead of a choice.
"C'mon, G," Nick pressured his partner, "think of a wish before the candles melt the ice cream in the cake."
Since Greg truly felt he had everything, he closed his eyes and wished for something for someone else. "Done!" Leaning over, he blew out the 34 candles, getting them all with one mighty blow. "This time, I'm not gonna blab it, because I want this one to come true."
"If it was a Mandy and Henry reunion..." Nick pointed to the lovebirds sitting by the firepit holding hands and talking a mile a minute, "then it's already come true."
"I knew that was gonna happen, so I didn't wish for it."
Jan hurried over and grabbed the knife the caterer had set next to the cake. "I'll slice it up, just like I used to at your kiddie parties."
Catherine bristled when she saw Mrs. Sanders wielding a blade. "Warrick, watch my back until she puts that knife down. I think she's still holding a grudge over the lab explosion."
While his mother sliced the Carvel cake, Greg turned to Nick and whispered, "I'm feeling kind of guilty about the Hodges prank. I mean, yeah, he's been a jerk with the gay jokes and threatening to out us, but in a way I think he's just trying to fit in somehow, and there is the fact that he figured out the coffin was going to explode if Grissom pulled you out. You'd be dead if it weren't for Hodges, we can't ignore that fact."
"I've kinda been thinkin' the same thing." Nick glanced over and saw his annoying co-worker picking up the karaoke microphone. "Hell, he's so smitten, he's gonna sing a love song to Tawny. We gotta put a stop to the prank, before he confesses his undyin' love or somethin'."
Before the guilt-ridden pranksters could act, Hodges started singing his re-worked version of Y-M-C-A.
"Then again," Greg's irritation returned tenfold.
"I'm with you, honey." Nick winked and picked up a slice of cake. "Wanna practice for our ceremony?" He held up a forkful.
"Nah, I want to wait and do it for the first time on our wedding night."
Standing in front of the horndogs, Jan choked on her laughter. "That'll probably be the only thing you two haven't done by your wedding night."
"Gimme a break, mom." Greg rolled his eyes. "The only new thing you and dad did on your honeymoon was pay for a hotel room for the night instead of by the hour."
"Oh!" Nick ducked in time to avoid the cake Jan mashed in her son's face.
"Smart ass." Jan waved the girls over with a sunny smile, "Cake time, kids! Then it's off to Mama Evelyn's for the night."
"Mmm, I love the chocolate crunchies," Greg remarked as he wiped the melting cake from his face. "I need a new shirt."
Jan purposely flicked a large glob of ice cream on Nick's sweater. "Oops! Me bad! Now both of you need to run upstairs and change." She winked, "Who loves you?"
"You do, mommy," they both chimed.
Leading the way, Nick said, "We'll be right back, Jan."
"Surrrrrrrre you will."
Watching her son hurry towards the house laughing with Greg, Jillian remembered how in love she was with Bill when they got engaged. How they stole every moment they could and risked getting caught and in serious trouble. With tears in her eyes, she remembered their first time. Two months before their wedding, they gave into their deepest desires and made love under a shady tree while their horses grazed in the sunlight. Closing her eyes, she wondered where that cherished man had gone, because the one she still called husband had become completely unrecognizable.
As Bill Stokes sifted through the pile of mail he had been ignoring all day, he noticed an envelope addressed to him in purple glitter pen. "What's this?" Cassie McBride was the name on the return address and the name seemed familiar, but his exhausted 73 year old mind couldn't place why. As soon as he opened the envelope, he remembered she was the little girl Nick saved from dying.
Dear Justice Stokes,
My name is Cassie McBride. We met last year at Nick's commendation ceremony. I was the girl who gave him the medal for saving my life. He doesn't know I wrote this letter and I know he'll be really upset when he finds out I did. At least in the beginning, but then I'm pretty sure he'll realize that I was just trying to help and forgive. I think he'll tell me I wasted a stamp, because he doesn't believe you'll ever change your mind about him. He told me you always hated him a little, but now you hate him so much, you wish he had never been born. That was one of the saddest things I ever heard anyone say and I cried in his arms when he told me. I miss my daddy all the time, but I know he was killed and it wasn't his choice to stop loving me. I can't imagine how much it would hurt if he were alive and not loving me by choice.
I know you're a really smart guy, because you have to be smart to be a judge on the Supreme Court of Texas. A guy like you probably won't listen to a 12 year old girl whose biggest achievement is a blue ribbon at her elementary school science fair, but I thought I'd try to get you to listen to me, because I have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
I have a problem. I have a huge debt to pay off. Nick saved my life and I owe him for that, even though he's told me a million times he was just doing his job. I owe him big, because not only did he save my life, he caught the guy who killed my family, he found me a great foster mom, and for the last 2 years, he came to all of my school events and softball games in place of my daddy. As if that weren't enough, he found the BEST family to adopt me, which means I won't have to live in a group home for the next six years. That's kind of like saving my life all over again, don't you think?
Attached to this letter is an essay I wrote called 'Why Nick Stokes Is My Hero'. My teacher entered it in a state contest and I'm praying every night that it gets selected for the finals, because then I'll get to read it in front of a bunch of people, including the Governor, and then everyone would know how great he is – Nick, not the Governor, although I'm sure the Governor is nice too.
As great as winning the hero essay contest would be, I don't think it's enough to pay back Nick for saving my life...twice. So, I sat down and decided to go for something that would be enough – getting you back in his life.
"Move in with me," Henry excitedly asked while squeezing Mandy's hands between his.
"But I'm a slob," she confessed.
"I won't care."
"Yes, you will."
"Move in with me," he pleaded a second time. "I want to cook healthy meals for you and the baby. I want to rub your feet when they're tired after a long shift. I want to be a good daddy-to-be. Please let me." He cupped her face and moved closer. "Please."
"But I'm a slob," she reminded him as their lips brushed.
"We'll hire a maid to clean up."
"I think I made a mess in here." Greg's margarita laugh rattled the walls of the closet. On his knees and gripping Nick's hips for balance, he said, "I was particularly uncoordinated right as your big moment came. Could you tell?"
"I started catching a clue when my pecker ended up in your eye."
"That poke really hurt." Greg massaged his closed lid. "Still does."
"They don't call it a hard-on for nothin'." Grinning, Nick yanked his lover to his feet. "Maybe you shoulda heeded the alcohol label warning to stay away from big machinery while intoxicated."
"Nah, I wanted to show my gratitude for the party." Glancing down at his watch, Greg teased, "My incompetence didn't interfere with you losin' it in record time. We walked in here three minutes ago."
"It's all that practice I had with women over the years at parties, my brain and my loins are conditioned to know you have to be quick when you're gettin' lovin' on sly." Nick laughed, "You also need to be neat, because you usually don't have a change of clothes and don't want to leave any DNA evidence." Noting the giddy gaze on his partner's face, he slipped further in love. "Kiss me."
In the semi-darkness of the closet, they gripped and groped one another until they were forced to come up for air.
"G..."
"Yes," Greg dreamily replied, waiting for his cowboy's predictable romantic words.
"I think I figured out the spunk trajectory." Belly laughing, Nick pulled his fingers from his partner's sticky hair. "You've got a real nice Somethin' About Mary look goin' on. If the party weren't crawlin' with Techs and CSIs, I'd say go for it, everyone would think you used hair gel when you came up here to change your shirt, but we're talkin' about a patio full of LVPD's most discerning noses and analytical eyes."
"I'll grab a two minute shower, but first..." The hapless romantic drilled his eyes into his lover's and said, "I won't tell you what I wished, but I want you to know my wish was for something special for you." His hope was for family harmony for his partner, including reconciliation with his father. "Thank you for the party and for putting up with me even though I'm an unromantic geek, and insecure relationship-paranoid freak, and a drunken sloppy lover who crashes your pecker into his eye. I've never felt more loved in my life than I do tonight, but in my heart I know a year from now, I'm going to look back and think the amount of love I felt on my 33rd birthday was nothing compared to how much I feel on my 34th."
"Wow." Trading Eskimo kisses as they swayed, Nick murmured, "Look who's bringin' the romance."
"You like my moves?"
"I do."
"Say it just like that in July." Greg whispered into Nick's lips. "Maybe all the guests went home."
"We've only been gone 7 minutes." Nick slid his hand around to the front of Greg's jeans. "Remember that game 'seven minutes in heaven'? We always played it at high school parties...a guy would ask a girl to step in the closet for 7 minutes of hot and heavy pettin' and kissin'."
"I was the tech geek who played the music at parties while all the couples made out. Instead of seven minutes in heaven, all I ever got was several hours in hell."
With a smirk, the new fan of role play said, "I've been wantin' to kiss you since I saw you presentin' your prize-winning science project at the assembly last month." Caressing the heated body in front of him, he asked in the sexiest rasp, "Wanna spend seven minutes in heaven with me, Greg Sanders?" Nipping at his ear lobe, he urged, "Please say yes."
His glorious smile glowing in the dimly lit closet, the geek who never got the hot girl or the jock guy in high school, gratefully replied, "Yessss." Closing his eyes, he rested against the closet door. "I'd settle for two, but seven will make my night." As his partner kissed his way down his chest, Greg weaved his fingers in his dark brown hair and tried to lose himself in the fantasy, but reality seemed even sweeter, so he opened his eyes. "It's even hotter thinking of you giving this to me in our closet on my birthday while our coworkers, people who have made fun of geeky me for years, are eating cake on our patio." He tugged on the clump of hair in his hand. "Nick Stokes is on his knees giving me the best damn BJ of my life. Happy birthday!" Banging his head against the wall, he let the need for release build until he saw stars.
Glancing up at his suddenly silent mate, Nick said, "Penny for your thoughts."
"I'm alive."
Nick laughed until he realized his partner had tears streaming down his cheeks. "G..."
"I almost died. All of this...this last three months...us...this house, our dog, the rings, the cake with the 34 candles...it almost didn't happen." Trembling, he covered his mouth. "I almost died. I really almost died before any of this."
"But ya didn't." Nick patted his damp cheek. "You'll feel even freakier on the anniversary of the day you survived, but I'll be with you and get you through it."
"Holy shit, that feeling came out of nowhere." Clutching his head, Greg pushed out a laugh, "I can't believe we're standing in our closet with our jeans around our ankles crying after blowing each other while we have a house full of guests downstairs."
"I can." Nick laughed, happy to see his buddy returning to normal. "We're two pretty fucked up guys with sex addictions and a ton of emotional baggage. I have daddy issues, you have mommy issues and not a day goes by without one of us snapping over something. Face it, we're nuts."
"True." Greg echoed the laughter. "But at least we're not Hodges."
"Isn't Tawny the hottest girl you've ever seen?" Hodges asked Archie. "She's gonna take me back to her place as soon as she's done eating cake."
"You think so, huh?"
"She said it."
"She's faking."
"Jealous much?" Hodges laughed.
"Nick and Greg are paying her to flirt with you. It's payback for all the crap you've given them." Archie readied his video camera. "Are you that delusional? Girls like that never want geeks like us. Deep down you have to know something's not right with the situation."
A lump rising in his throat, Hodges stared at the beautiful bombshell.
"Check this out." Archie showed him the replay. "I caught Jan Sanders talking to Greg about it."
Hodges watched the tape and recalled what the woman had said to him earlier. You wouldn't like it if that pretty little thing on your arm suddenly turned to you and said that she was being paid to be nice to you and we were all in on the joke, would you?
Archie lowered the camera. "You've been punked, dude."
"Duh!" Hodges put on a brave face. "I knew what they were up to all along. I'm just going along with it until the right 'A Ha' moment arrives.
"Right."
"This is so wrong," Sara whispered as she and her husband snuck upstairs. "We're mature adults, but we're acting like horny teenagers looking for a room to get it on? People our age don't do this."
"Catherine does it all the time."
"I stand corrected...people with healthy moral compasses don't do this." As Gil tugged her into the first room he found, she laughed, "but maybe we could take a walk on the wild side just once."
"It is our honeymoon." In the dark room, the eager husband began lustfully kissing his wife. "Having a torrid sexual encounter with a gorgeous woman at a party is on my list of things to do before I die. Indulge me."
"I indulged you in the car on the way here, remember?"
"Right." Gil smirked, "That means it's my turn to please you."
"No, let's just have sex." When she saw her husband's panic, she clarified, "I mean I want us both to enjoy it, not just me. It's your fantasy after all, not mine."
"I should probably protest, but I won't."
"Is the door locked?" she panicked when her jeans were shoved to her ankles.
"Yes."
"Just check to make sure."
He lunged to twist the knob. "Definitely locked."
"Okay." Sara dropped to all fours on the floor.
"I..."
"Wait!" She glanced over her shoulder. "We still need to use a condom. The doctor said the vasectomy isn't confirmed until you've gone back and been tested."
"I think I have one in my wallet." With his pants already around his ankles, Gil rolled onto his back and tried to reach his pocket.
"Don't aggravate your back injury."
"There's a line you never hear horny teens say in the dark." Laughing with his wife, he said, "I think..."
Much to their surprise the room was suddenly bathed in light.
Walking out of the bathroom naked, Nick and Greg never expected to see a bare-assed Sara imitating a doggie and Grissom poised like a turtle on its back with his pants at his ankles.
"You said you locked the door!" Sara screamed while rushing to pull up her jeans.
"They were already on the inside!"
"Uh." Nick whirled around so he wouldn't see Sara naked, but quickly realized that meant she was being treated to a view of his naked ass and he rushed for a bed pillow to cover his parts. "G! How about coverin' up?"
"Sara already checked me out in the decon shower and unless Grissom's a grower, I'm feeling pretty good."
Gil raced to yank up his pants.
Holding a pillow in front of his hips, Nick cleared his throat and said, "I think it goes without sayin', but...we're never gonna speak of this again, right?"
"Right," Sara and Gil chimed.
The birthday boy who was high on life had other plans. "Do what you want, but I'm totally gonna laugh my ass off about this regularly." Rubbing his hands together, he said, "Anyone up for streaking? It's on my list of things to do before I die. C'mon! You only live once!"
Sara half expected to see her husband raise his hand. "We'll pass, thanks."
"Yeah." Grissom nodded, "We need to get going."
Hurrying for the door, Sara yelled, "Happy birthday!"
"Night!" Wearing only a radiant smile, Greg waved. "Grissom got the girl, but I have an inch."
"I'm happy on both counts."
"The birthday gods are being very good to me tonight."
"And there's still Carvel cake to be eaten."
"Ooh!" Greg made a beeline for the door.
"G!" When his lover turned, Nick said, "Ironically, your birthday suit isn't appropriate attire for your birthday party."
"Doh!"
Feeling like a fool, Hodges ducked out of the party via the backyard gate. I can't believe I thought she wanted me! As pissed as he was, he couldn't deny he deserved the payback.
"Hodges!" Wendy shouted after him. "Wait up!" Having witnessed Archie's revelation, she knew her co-worker was hurting. "I overheard Archie telling you..."
"And you just couldn't wait to rub it in my face." He stuffed his hands on his hips. "Go ahead! Have a field day, Simms."
Seeing the hurt in his eyes, she softened her expression and voice, "I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I didn't want you to drive if you were upset."
"I took a cab." Realizing he was stranded, he stomped, "Dammit!" Reaching for his cell, he readied to call a cab company.
"I can drive you. I wanted to stay sober in case Mandy needed to bolt and cry on my shoulder, but she's back together with Henry and I'm...alone."
"Thanks, but I'll just call for a taxi."
"Okay."
Watching the girl of his fantasies walk away, Hodges realized he just turned down a ride home from her. What the hell is wrong with me? "Yes!" He slammed his cell phone shut. "Yes, I'd love a ride!"
Wendy turned around smiling. "Then I'll get my purse and be right back."
"I'll be here." He pointed to the sidewalk. "Waiting....for you." When she turned her back he pumped his fist in the air. "She sooooooo wants me! She wants me bad!" He grabbed a branch off a shrub and started plucking leaves. "She wants me. She wants me baaaaad. She wants me. She wants me..."
"Hodges?" Gil stared at his most irritating employee. "Are you talking to yourself?"
"Yes," The Trace Tech proudly admitted, "I'm one of the few people who can keep up with me in conversation." He strolled down the sidewalk whistling the theme from The Love Boat. "The USS Wenvid is about to set sail! Or crash into an iceberg." He resumed whistling.
***
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