Title: Ira Deorum
Author: sirjimmy24
Pairing: Nick/Gil
Rating: R
Summary: Nick Stokes has a story to tell…so he tells it someone he knows will care.
Author's Notes/Warnings: Takes place a few months after Worth. However, you do not have to have read it, to read this. I’m just using that as a starting off point. No spoilers. I’m setting things up here, but future parts will contain some dark stuff, violence etc...you have been warned. Bad things have happened. Nick’s POV.
Disclaimer: Do not own CSI. Just playing around.

 

You know, growing up, my parents were always throwing expressions and old sayings my way. Things like “pride goeth before a fall” and “where there’s a will there’s a lawsuit”-my dad’s favorite. But looking back on the last few weeks, one really sticks out in my mind. It was something along the lines of  “The gods don’t like to see mortals too happy” or something like that. I think it was my mom’s way of reminding us to show a little humility. To not flaunt things so, or whatever.
 
What was that?
 
Oh, I know. I know deep down that this wasn’t some retribution for how I live my life, or anything. OR how we live ours. None of us did anything to deserve what happened, despite what those ignorant bigots claimed.  Still, it’s fitting in a way, because overall, I’ve really been so happy since that day after leaving the warehouse on Carney Lane.
 
Hmm? Yeah…he’s…he’s been, is, wonderful.
 
I am NOT blushing. It’s the light from the candles on the table…Oh no, no. I like it. It’s so nice and relaxing. It’s warm, homey. I really enjoy that.
 
Of course you knew that, you always know. Gil admires and trusts you, so I know I can too.
 
Thank you so much for this by the way, for being here to listen. I can see why Gil likes coming here so much.
 
I mean, besides all that…
 
He’s shown me a few things….
 
Oh damn, I am NOT cute when I blush.
 
Iced Tea? Yes, that would be great. Thank you ma’am.
 
Oh I can stir the sugar in. My right arm is just fine.
 
The cast will be off in a few weeks. I can do some lab work when I go back to work in tomorrow, but I can’t go into the field until the cast comes off and I get my left arm back in order. That bastard got me good, but he wasn’t reckoning on Catherine being such a good shot.
 
Yeah, she’s running the whole crew while Gil’s away.
 
He’s visiting his mom in California, just for a few days. I wanted him to get away from this circus for a bit. He wanted me to go with him, but one of us has to stick around to answer the questions. The Sheriff is all in a tizzy over this, and the DA is going to use this case to make a name for herself, you just wait. They’ve been calling us at all hours. Drive’s Gil nuts.
 
Oh no, I’m not worried about that; Gil conveniently left his cell at the lab. I know the number of his mother’s home, but they don’t know I know that.
 
Well, NOW pretty much everyone at the lab knows we’re together. No ma’am, we didn’t try to keep things hidden, not really. We just never advertised it.  Of course Catherine and Warrick picked up on it right away, and since I really can’t lie that well, you know…
 
Exactly.
 
So, where should I begin?
 
You’re right; I’ll just start at the beginning.
 
Let’s see now…ok.
 
My family was coming to Vegas to have Christmas dinner with us, and yeah…I was a nervous wreck…

 

It was pretty pathetic really, how nervous I was. It was our first time playing host as an actual, in the open, honest to goodness couple. I wanted it to go so well.
 
Gil, of course, was like the rock of Gibraltar, completely unruffled.
 
Yeah, I know, sometimes I try to get a rise out of him, but he doesn’t play along. One day I’ll succeed, even it is just for petty amusement.
 
Candle wax? Really?  Hmmm….I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you!
 
What?
 
Oh! No, no, I wasn’t nervous about that.
 
Because my parents already knew.
 
It’s pretty funny really. I called them up a few weeks after Gil and I got together, telling them I wanted to come home to Texas for the weekend, and that I had news.
 
No, I wanted to do it on my own. I needed to come clean face to face with my family. Just me, no Gil for backup.
 
Granted, I would have my gun, just in case I needed it! HA!
 
So I’m trying my best to have a normal phone chat with my Dad, freaking about how a conversation I have yet to have will actually go down. Then I hear my Mom’s voice in the background, but I can’t really make out she’s saying. However,  I can hear my dad just fine:
 
“No Honey, I haven’t asked him that. NO! I’m not going to ask him now, he’s coming for a weekend, you can ask him…no I don’t have a problem if its true!…as long as he’s hap…what do you mean ‘you’re surprised’? Its not 1950 or anything….Well that’s up to his siblings isn’t it?…I don’t know…its his life and…what?! How do you know that?!…don’t give me that Mother’s intuition crap again..you always do…shouldn’t you be preparing for court or something?…hey now!…FINE! I’ll ask him!!”
 
I was all sorts befuddled.
 
“Hey Pancho?”
 
“Yeah Dad, what is it?”
 
“This news…uh...aw hell, are you seeing someone?…is it a guy? Because you can tell us if..…”
 
I almost fell through the floor.
 
My dad continued on quickly, “ Your mom and I just want you to be happy, you deserve it, and if you found it with some guy, well…what?..No! I’m not gonna ask if he’s seeing Mr. Griss…”
 
Hoo Boy!
 
“Dad, I’m involved with Gil, We’ve been together a few weeks and….”

 
I heard my mom give a squeal on the other end, followed by some tussling over the phone. I knew she had wrested it from my dad.
 
“Oh Nick, that’s wonderful to hear…”
 
She went on a good hour about how great it was, and asked loads of embarrassing questions. I was so relieved though, that I answered each one gladly. Of course, then she wanted to talk to Gil, but he was out running errands, and I wasn’t going to bother him with this.
 
Did you know that when badgered by his wife, a Texas Supreme court judge can have a cell phone number pulled on anyone in the country in about thirty seconds?
 
No, neither did I.
 
I thought he would be, but he took it good-naturedly. I didn’t want to know what the cell phone bill would be though, ouch!
 
That afternoon, as I curled myself around his body in bed, moving my hand incessantly across his chest-I can’t help it, it’s a compulsion, I need to touch him as much as possible!- he dropped his bomb:
 
“I invited your family over to my place for Christmas dinner, I thought it would be nice to see them over a happy occasion for once…”
 
Once again, I almost fell through the floor.
 
I know!
 
I was shocked! That man is just chock-full of surprises.
 
Yes, the whole family. Everyone.
 
Even the in laws and kids.
 
The Stokes clan, descending on Vegas and invading Gil’s house.
 
Of course, if I knew then, what I know now, I would have nixed the whole idea.
 
Because then those sick fucks might not have ever set foot in Gil’s home…

 

You can believe I expected awkwardness of a sort, but for the most part, my family was as open and accepting of my relationship with Gil as I could possibly hope for. I wish they could have met his mom, but she couldn’t make the trek down. Gil and I were going to head up there for New Year’s Eve, after bribing Greg and Sara to switch time off with us.

 
Yes, my brother, my five sisters, their spouses, their children, even some cousins tagged along. The Stokes armada in full regalia! I was ecstatic that they could-and were willing-to spend Christmas with us in Vegas. Arranging flights and hotel rooms would have been a nightmare for anyone else, but my mom is a master of organization, not to mention getting the troops in line. My dad pulled some strings, and they all got rooms at the Bellagio.
 
Yeah, perks of being a judge.
 
I know my mom very well, and you can bet she was plotting with my brother and his wife to hit the strip and gamble when they could get away for a few hours. Even highly regarded public defenders like to cut loose and go wild now and then.
 
My brother Mike is about Gil’s age, he’s a Detective with the Dallas force, big guy, and he loves nothing more than to pick up his baby brother in a bear hug and embarrass him in public, especially crowded airports on Christmas day.
 
I knew he and Gil would get along well, granted, I wasn’t sure how he would feel about me being...you know…gay. Shouldn’t have worried though as we headed to Gil’s:
 
“Hey Nicks…about time you came around and found a man to put up with you. I’ve been waiting for this for years…!”
 
I know!
 
Again…all sorts befuddled.
 
Apparently I was the last one to realize it! They all knew for years, while I was trying to hide it and deny everything. What a waste of time and energy...but hey, I have Gil, so I win in the end!
 
I am NOT blushing again…
 
My sisters? Sure?
 
Well first there is Jamie, the youngest after me. Apparently she squealed like my mom when she found out and…//
 
//…I thought if any of my sisters would have a real problem with this, it would be Beth. The middle of us seven Stokes’. She was always the most conservative, very proper and moral. She never broke a rule…ever. And she always tried to boss us around, but it never worked. I can remember her criticizing my dad for not doing more to prevent Lisa from sneaking out with her boyfriend on school nights, only to have him tell her he wouldn’t want to ruin the fun of catching Lisa as she tried to sneak back in. Oh the lecture he received! Honestly, how many teenagers incorporate Bible verses into every minutiae of conversation? We are a religious family, but that’s extreme. Dad just laughed her for that.
 
Not surprisingly, her husband Robert is an evangelical Baptist preacher. A real fire and brimstone, wrath of god, repent all ye sinners, fundamentalist bible thumping old testament kind of guy. In his case, the stereotype has full merit.
 
He probably longs for the fifties where it was easier to scare and control everyone through faith.
 
If anyone felt they had the right to disapprove of my life at this point, it would be Beth and Robert. They would hate and condemn Gil and I just for loving each other.
 
Sick.
 
Sorry, extremist types piss me off.
 
Yes, I was very surprised they came at all. Of course, when Mama Stokes snaps her fingers, we always come running.
 
No, they were actually quite cordial...at first. But I’m getting a little ahead of things.
 
The whole day was great. Because there were so many of us, we decided to buck convention and eat dinner outdoors.
 
Gil and I cooked everything.
 
Who knew Gil Grissom could roast a steer? He said he wanted to show respect for where I was from. So I dug a pit in Gil’s backyard, and to thank me…he…uhh…filled in my pit…hee hee!
 
Anyway, we all wiled away the afternoon outside. Kids running around everywhere. Adults milling about, drinking, laughing and talking. It was fun. Gil and Mike bonded while taking turns making sure the steer didn’t burn over the flames-honestly, how Jamie convinced them to pose for pictures and wear Santa hats all day is beyond me, but there you go- as I endured the badgering of my sisters who wanted details of everything.
 
Yes, especially the sex!
 
Except for Beth, she and Robert stood off to the side, and just seemed to be watching everything. It was only later on I realized that they were observing...and planning.
 
My mom rescued me, only to ask me how good a kisser Gil is. She said you can tell how a man feels about you in his kiss.
 
Apparently I got this dreamy look on my face because she smiled, patted me on the arm and said I didn’t have to answer. She knew it already.
 
Mothers.
 
Oh well.
 
Gil is a big hit with my family. That whole, ultra reserved, stiff cold demeanor he’s known for, especially when it comes to the Sheriff and suspects?
 
Total bullshit defense mechanism act.
 
The real Gil is open, warm, approachable, and so easy to talk to. Granted, the wine may have helped out some. 
 
I love that man.
 
Dinner was enjoyed, and the festivities continued late into the night.
 
My parents stayed to help us clean up and we chatted over coffee. It was so pleasant.
 
My Mom was brow beating Gil into joining her and Mike at the Blackjack tables after his shift the next night, my dad was telling her to leave him alone, and I was laughing my head off when the doorbell rang. I figured someone forgot something.
 
I was wrong.
 
It was Beth and Robert.
 

Now that I’ve thought about it, I guess they honestly decided they needed to “save” us.
 
Or damn us.
 
I don’t care at this point, what they wanted to do…what they did…tried to do…what they put us through…just…
 
No, No, I’m OK.
 
I guess, before I continue, could I ask you a question?
 
Are you familiar with “de-programming”?
 
***
Yes Nicholas…I’m afraid I am.

 

I’m sure you were given the textbook definition?
 
Of course.
 
Well, yes, it was once considered a good thing, created to help those who escaped from cults, those who were mentally abused or tortured. But today, there are new methods employed to assist those who require it. Less extreme. Better counseling to allow victims to gain some semblance of who they used to be, and get their life back.
 
As for traditional de-programming?
 
I despise it.
 
Ironically, it is mostly loved ones who hire “therapists”, or deprogrammers rather, to do it. I’m sure intentions are good and legitimate in some cases, but more often than not, a deprogrammer is hired to take someone who is considered different, and make them normal. The Midwest is reportedly littered with camps to help suspected homosexual teenagers. The Pacific Northwest supposedly has a safe house for those who have to be rescued from Scientology. My connections in New York City have noted that some high profile members of the BDSM community disappeared for days, only to turn up fragile shells of who they were, and avoiding the scene completely.
 
I myself almost lost a highly skilled submissive several years ago when his family hired a deprogrammer to save him from the Dominion. Their raid was unsuccessful of course. My guards know how to do their jobs.
 
The methodologies usually involved kidnapping and forced containment of the subject. You must realize that they were, and are, often taken against their will. In many instances, once contained, they are forced through what the purveyors of deprogramming called confrontational therapy. It is a hostile form of mental assault, brutal, devastating. The stronger the mind and will of the subject, the more extreme it may be.  I’m sure physical pain and sensory deprivation played a part as well until the desired affect is achieved.
 
It can take days, even weeks before someone is considered successfully deprogrammed.
 
I loathe it. 
 
To me, it’s about control my dear Nicholas.  Control of the mind, and of the spirit of a human being. It is the systematic breaking of the will of a person. It is about forced change, forced conformation of an individual to the mundane collective of a society.
 
Point taken, but here at the Dominion, it is about interactions between consenting adults. They want to be here. We expand their horizons, and give them an outlet to their desires, even when they are not sure what those desires are.
 
We provide them a haven, in which they can explore, grow, and learn about this aspect of human nature. We look out for them, we are all friends here. The Doms and Subs care for and trust each other explicitly, under these circumstances, powerfully fulfilling bonds can be forged.
 
I’m sure Gilbert has spoken of this with you in the past? He is quite knowledgeable, and, as I’ve expressed to him before, would make an excellent Switch, should he decide to delve deeper. Granted he would need a partner he could trust absolutely.
 
Really?
 
You’re very lucky Nicholas, he won’t pressure you at all, but you may wish to consider it. It can be very rewarding for both partners.
 
The two of you share love, respect and a strong foundation based in friendship. He takes great care in watching over you and…
 
Well, yes Gilbert is adept at looking out for his team, but with you, it is different. We all need looking after, some more than others. You watch out for your friends with a fierce protectiveness, I can tell. So much so, you tend to neglect your own needs, your very safety, so Gilbert tends to that now for you, does he not?
 
Catherine as well? Makes sense, she is a mother after all.
 
Of course you try to, but Gilbert is a very strong independent person. He can take care of himself as a matter of habit.
 
Goggle and Millander? Well, didn’t he just wish to speak with them?
 
He pursues the danger, whereas you are inflicted with it.
 
Don’t try to deny it…Hendler, Crane, Gordon… I am familiar with all that has happened to you.
 
That does not make you weak, you are strong and resilient.
 
Do not doubt yourself Nicholas, Gilbert considers it a blessing to have someone he cares for allow him to be there for them in that capacity. You need someone who will devote himself to being at your side, helping you fight the darkness that is drawn to you. Gilbert needs someone to devote himself to. Someone he can love and protect, as that is what completes him.
 
You are his balance.
 
And they wished to destroy that balance didn’t they?
 
They came for you did they not? They wanted to change you into who they thought you should be?
 
Is that it Nicholas? They came back to the house for you?
 
***


No ma’am, they came for Gil….
 

You know Lady Heather, that on any given day, the ER at Desert Palm is just a veritable hodgepodge of people. Especially on Christmas day, suicides and domestic disturbances aside, some of the accidents can be down right amusing.


My parents were fascinated, so many characters, and seeing my mom chatting with that drag queen…
 
Sorry, I do tend to just keep talking on about stuff. I once told Gil he can tell me to shut up anytime, but he said he loves to hear me talk.
 
So of course I indulge him daily.
 
I got ahead of things didn’t I? I tend to do that too, but I’m better than I used to be.
 
Anyway, Beth and Robert came back to Gil’s house that night, setting everything in motion.
 
Gil opened the door, only to have a dagger thrust in his face.
 
Oh its gets better believe me.
 
I remember yelling his name only to hear him calmly tell me to stay back.
 
It was surreal. There I stood with my parents, the three of us now in the living room, as my own sister steps through the front door with a knife in Gil’s face.

 
Like a bad Lifetime movie, seriously.
 
Robert comes in behind her, and would you believe he was wearing Gothic robes?
 
I almost laughed.
 
Good ole dad: “Robert, Beth, what the hell are you doing?!”
 
“We’re going to put a stop to this sin, and help Nick return to the flock.” Robert announced.
 
My reaction?  “What the fuck…?!”
 
Apparently, they only showed up to see if it was true. That I was living in sin with a man.
 
“Gil is coming with us tonight” Beth declared boldly. “We can save both of you from damnation…”
 
“I’ll take damnation over being be saved by you.” Gil told her coldly as I cursed myself for not having my gun on hand.
 
 “This is insane!” I said, “Why do you want Gil?”

 
“To save the sheep, sometimes you must save the shepherd…” Robert started.
 
Apparently, they concluded that it was Gil leading me down this path, and they need to save him, so they could save me.
 
Fuck that, I’m no one’s sheep!
 
And I sure as hell didn’t need anymore saving! Gil has saved my life enough times to last an eternity.
 
My mother remained mostly silent as my Father tried to talk sense into the two of them. I could see the shock giving way to anger that one of her children would act this way.
 
“Beth” she said, cold as steel.
 
“Mom, I have too…!”
 
“Beth” the warning in her voice was very clear.
 
“But mom!” Beth pleaded.
 
Robert spoke then: “This for their souls. To protect the family, we must stop this now. Its wrong for them to engage in these acts, forbidden…”
 
He went on and on, and started quoting things out of the bible.
 
“What version is that from?” Gil asked snidely after a particular nasty verse.
 
“King James you ignorant sinning queer...” was the cold reply.
 
“Maybe you should check out a new version?” Gil said then, and he smiled!
 
He was taunting them! I couldn’t believe it, but by then I was so pissed off, I had reached the end of my rope.
 
“Get out, you’re not taking Gil anywhere, God as my witness.”
 
“Nick, we’re trying to help you!”  Beth cried.
 
“I don’t need you’re damn help, I have everything I’ll ever need, and I would appreciate it if you drop the knife from his throat...”
 
“Nick, the word of God says…”
 
“Fuck what it says!” I screamed, “get out!”
 
I moved towards Robert, fully intent on knocking the shit out of him and hurling Beth out the front door.
 
 Should have realized he’d have a weapon too. A machete, I guess fanatics have a fetish for blades or something.
 
He held it aloft, “I’ll use this against you if I have to Nick. We are going to save Gil, and then maybe you’ll come to your senses…

 
Next thing we knew, Robert was flying through the air and crashing into the coffee table.  Gil had managed to disarm Beth and get to Robert before either of them could react.
 
Gil has a knack with his fists, trust me, I do speak from experience.
 
He went over to Robert, now struggling to stand up.
 
“Don’t ever threaten Nick” he told him coldly. “Or you will answer to me.”
 
Is it wrong to confess that I thrilled to that statement? I still shiver when I think about it.

 
Robert tried to lunge for Gil then, “Blasphem…!”

 
Only to feel Gil’s fist a second time, and this one launched him right through the living room window into the front yard.

 
“Bitch, please.” he said, so haughty and prissy. As an afterthought, it’s hilarious.

 
Through the now smashed window, we could see Beth rush over to Robert and help him up. Then they took off for their car parked in the street.

 
My mom was hot on their heels before I even made it out the door. She tore after them like a wildcat pursuing its next kill, and almost caught up with them before they pulled away.

 
She picked up a rock from the yard and hurled it at the car, breaking through the rear window. She turned towards us, and looked at my dad. She was flushed, but her eyes were sparkling with triumph.

 
“You know what to do dear,” she said matter-of-factly to my dad. He nodded and took out his cell.

 
“Mike, it’s dad…”

 

You’ve been watching the news surrounding these events I presume?

 
You got it ma’am, they don’t know the half of it.
 
A lot of things are being kept quiet so the DA can make her case and dole out justice to each of those bastards, not just here in Vegas, but in Texas too, and who knows where else.
 
Which takes us to the hospital. One day in Gil’s company, and my mom has decided that not only is he perfect for me, but that he would also make an excellent addition to the Stokes family. A family where she runs the show.
 
Hence the hospital.
 
Because Gil’s right hand looked swollen, and he had a nasty cut on his left arm, courtesy of my dagger carrying sister.
 
He tried to say no, but Jillian Stokes could steam roll over God if she felt like it, so he didn’t stand a chance.
 
You and Catherine are perhaps the only other women who could get him to cave.
 
And his mom of course, but that’s to be expected. The man adores his mother, which I think is just great.
 
Well the cut did need a few stitches, but his hand wasn’t broken or anything. The doctor put some ice on it while wanting to know what happened. Obviously we didn’t wish to discuss it, so Gil flashed the badge, as he’s wont to do. The doctor nodded and left the room. It the first time all day that Gil and I had a few minutes to ourselves.
 
What was that ma’am?
 
Oh, that’s when my parents were out in the waiting area making new friends with the people. Mom had dad take a picture of her and the drag queen, so she would have proof as she told her friends about “visiting Nicky and his Gil for Christmas.”
 
Yeah, among other things…
 
Anyway, we were alone. Considering what almost happened that night, I should have been a nervous wreck. But I was still riding high on adrenaline and in a state of general pissed-offness that would surprise most people.
 
Gil hates hospitals, so he was just annoyed that he had to be there in the first place. He also hates it when I’m upset, and he’s gotten very good at cheering me up when I’m down.
 
His timing is pretty good too.
 
“I never gave you your present Nicky”, he said to me, almost shyly. I was feeling riled up, and gift exchange was not on my list of priorities, but when he said it like that, I couldn’t help but smile.
 
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box.
 
No, not an engagement ring, it hasn’t been that long-though I would’ve said yes and dragged his ass to the hospital chapel without a thought just then, the law be damned.
 
It was a ring though, this one actually.
 
That’s what Gil said too, that it’s me.
 
It’s white gold.
 
Actually the stone in the middle is peridot, not emerald.
 
Yeah, my birthstone, same as Gil’s.
 
Thoughtful bastard.
 
I guess we think alike when it comes to gifts, because I got him a ring also. I saw it years ago when I was investigating a jewelry heist at the Venetian. Platinum band with a sapphire setting. I see shining blue and think of Gil’s eyes, so of course I thought of it when Christmas got close. Thank God they still had it.
 
His eyes are prettier, especially when he’s smiling at me with that look no one else gets to see.
 
He only takes it off in the shower, even wears it to the lab, and Sarah almost went nuts trying to figure out who gave it to him, thought it was Sophi…
 
Oh sorry, there I go, off on a tangent again.
 
It was one of those moments where nothing else existed. Just Gil and I smiling at each other like morons. It was when I was about to slide it on my finger that I noticed the inscription on the underside.
 
With faithful love-Gil
Yeah yeah, I started to cry, and babble, and be all happy and stupid.
 
Then he kissed me and I almost passed out. No surprises there.
 
“Merry Christmas Nicky, I love you.”
 
Then I got the hiccups from crying so much…
 
“I…hic!...love you hic!…t…hic!”
 
I am NOT blushing, everybody gets the hiccups, its no big deal!
 
I just smiled and buried my face in his neck as he hugged me tight.
 
Gil gives the best hugs, you can just feel his warmth, his power, and you know he’s sharing it with you.
 
We broke the hug as the doctor walked in with the discharge paperwork we all just love to do.
 
My parents met us in the lobby afterwards and we headed over to the Bellagio, my Dad somehow managing to have a room booked and ready for us on Christmas Day. Lordy!
 
They didn’t want us going home that night, not until they knew where Beth and Robert were.
 
That’s why my Dad called Mike, so he could track them down, with the help of the LVPD of course.
 
Courtesy of the tracking device he put on their rental car. The broken rear window thanks to my mom would help too. There must be hundreds of red Lexus’s in this city used as rental cars, but how many of them are spotted on the strip with a broken rear window?
 
Always thinking, my mom.
 
Mike was to find the car and alert us when they were caught, or if they managed to escape.
 
Then he was to come back to the hotel and tell us what he knew.
 
He knew a lot.
 
Its what he didn’t know that worried all of us about what had happened.
 

Because our nightmare was only beginning.

 

Dad called me while Gil and I were in our hotel room. Mike was still out tracking my wonderful sister and her pathetic excuse for a husband with the LVPD, and we really shouldn’t expect him till morning.

 
Gil looked very drained as he sat on the bed, and though he laid back and closed his eyes, I knew sleep wasn’t going to come easy to him.
 
When Gil is processing something, you can just see the gears turning, and they don’t stop until his brain is satisfied.
 
He once worked fifty-two straight hours on a case because…
 

Oh, there I go again…sorry.
 
Some more tea would be wonderful. Thank you.
 
Me? Oh I took a much needed shower. Got cleaned up, and thought some things out myself.
 
I also thought it would help me relax, a hot shower is usually a sure fire remedy for stress, but I was just getting more angry.
 
I still could not believe they thought they had the right to do these things at all, let alone to me and Gil.
 
Try to “fix” him, “fix” us.
 
Take my own, my whole world, from me…
 
Bastards.
 
You’d think Gil would be the possessive one in the equation wouldn’t you?
 
Most folks do.
 
But I’m the possessive son of a bitch here. Whenever we are out together, even just for a quick bite before shift, I’m usually touching him. If we’re not holding hands, you can almost guarantee I have a hand on him. His shoulder, the small of his back, I have no problem making it clear to the world that Gil is my man.
 
Hell yeah, there are potential rivals! Not just Sarah or Sophia either.
 
It’s Gil Grissom! I watch out like a hawk.
 
Before we got together, I use to imagine locking myself with him in his office and staking my claim. Of course this wasn’t when I was needlessly following him around like a puppy trying to win his approval.
 
Yeah, apparently, I did do a lot of that, as Greg likes to tell everyone.
 
Like he should talk…
 
Anyway, I was in the shower, letting the hot water rush over me, and trying to let it wash it all away. A shower is usually a pretty good stress remedy.
 
But this one wasn’t helping a whole lot. I could feel it building Lady Heather. Angry tears behind my eyes, frustration and tension, fear in my chest. I’m no psychic, believe me, but I just knew this was going to get worse before it got better.
 
All I wanted then was Gil. Wanted him to know how much I love him, need him. Wanted to hold him and feel him. I wanted him to know that he belongs to me, and that I’m his and this is forever.
 
I turned off the shower, naked, and soaking wet, I marched out of the bathroom.
 
Gil was sitting on the edge of the bed, head in his hands, no doubt thinking of the potential outcomes of this hellstorm we were being forced into.
 
He looked up at me, and when I saw his face, saw the determination, the love for me in his eyes, something in my chest exploded.
 
I ran to him then, caught him off guard. I threw myself onto him, kissed him, hard, defiant and forceful.
 
I began pulling off his clothes and he tried to slow me down.
 
“Nicky...Nick…wait…hmph!”
 
I kissed him again, noises I should be embarrassed about were coming out of me. Groans, needy whines. I couldn’t stop them. My hands moving over him like I was blind, reading him as if he was braille.
 
He tried to sit up, but I just pushed him back down, got him naked underneath me.
 
He was panting then, confused at exactly why I was on him like some wanton whore all of a sudden.
 
“Nick!” He tried to sit up again.
 
“No!” I growled at him, “Gil please…please…”
 
He looked at me then, captivating me with those blue eyes.
 
He could see all of me.
 
See right through me.
 
He knew.
 
Knew I needed this.
 
That we needed this.
 
This affirmation.
 
Of us.
 
And he gave it to me.
 

I was crying through all of it, my tears were flowing freely as I desperately slid into him. He was so warm, so alive beneath me. His legs wrapped around my waist as I slammed his tight ass as hard as I could.
 
I looked at his beautiful face the whole time, and he looked at mine. I linked my hands through his, kissing him fiercely.
 
“I love you, I love you, I love you…” I kept saying between gasping sobs.
 
Over and over, like a prayer.
 
Or a curse.
 

I still haven’t decided.
 

Honestly, I’m not sure how long this went on. Could’ve been a few minutes, could have been hours. The passage of time is irrelevant when your becoming one with someone. Claiming them as a part of yourself. Giving yourself to them in return.

 

Gil came first, the heat, sweat, the rough friction as I moved over him brought him off. His hot cum flowed between us…
 
But he never took his eyes from mine, not even an orgasm can break that man's focus.
 
I came with a gasp, then more sobs as I fell onto Gil. Our hands still linked, he kissed me. Soothed me with words.
 
”Its ok Nicky, I’m here, I’m with you”.
 
“They’re not taking you from me Gil. I love you too much. You…you’re…”
 
“I’m yours. And you’re mine. And no one can take me from you,” he said, “that’s all that matters right now.”
 
I smiled, and let sleep come to claim me for the night.
 
I believed him you see.
 
Silly me.
 

This tea is really good. May I ask what kind of blend it is?


Vanilla Lavender? It’s very nice.
 
Oh yeah, of course.
 
Hmm? Oh, no, we never got around to breakfast that morning with Mike and my parents.
 
Well, not exactly.  Remember what happened the day after Christmas?
 
I know it’s still hard to believe. The luxurious Bellagio, of all places.
 
Would you like an insider’s account? It’s relevant to the story…
 
I woke up in the morning in my usual position, on top of Gil, wrapped around him.
 
Yeah, Nick Stokes, the human blanket.
 
Me, being a typical red blooded male, I chose to briefly ignore recent events and revel in the fact that Gil had morning wood-sorry for the crude term- and I was horny.
 
My therapist referred to it as a state of temporary displacement. Me reworking the stress into something I could more easily comprehend: lust.
 
Whatever, I was horny, plain and simple.
 
The look on his face as he woke up with me going for a ride on his cock was priceless. He got into it very quickly of course, both of us being pretty damn good at driving stick.
 
It was hot and just heavenly. Gil can work it like a jackhammer, but whenever I’m on top, he never lasts very long.
 
He came before I did, though I was very close.
 
Lube? Sometimes, but I like it a little rough, and we have an endless supply of spit and sweat to use in a pinch. Ha ha!
 
Gil has this kink for me using his cum as lube for fucking him.
 
More than happy to oblige of course! Especially that morning.
 
Once I was able to peel my sated ass off of Gil, we took a quick shower together, but only to save time. There was a sense of urgency, a fear in the air, and the sun was only just rising.
 
Justified paranoia really does heighten the senses doesn’t it?
 
We were dressed when the phone in the room rang. My mom, saying they’ll meet us in the lobby in a few minutes, and that Mike was on his way.

 
They found the car off of I-15, but Beth and Robert were long gone…
 
I’ll get back to that.
 
Gil and I headed downstairs to the lobby, and I was aching for a cup of coffee.
 
So was he, well maybe not for coffee, but he was aching all right, wincing a bit with each step. He paused when we reached the massive lobby.
 
“Damn it Nicky, what did you do to me?” he huffed, but I could hear the smile in his tone.
 
“Well you know, just staking my claim,” I laughed as I gave him a hug, and then he kissed me, right there in the lobby, surrounded by people milling about, even at that ungodly hour. Neither of us are that demonstrative in public with our affection, but I don’t complain whenever Gil breaks out of that whole privacy mode of his.
 
“What was that for?” I asked him when he broke the kiss.
 
“Just staking mine,” he said simply, reaching up to stroke my left cheek with the thumb of his right hand. He does that almost daily, right where he punched me oh so long ago to stop my hysterical ravings.
 
The first time he did it, is was for an apology, now its done for comfort.
 
It gets me every time.
 
“Whatever happens Nick, however this plays out, I love you,” he told me.
 
I was about to say something similar when the hairs on the back of my neck stood straight up.
 
That’s when everything started moving in slow motion.
 
I remember turning, compelled in the direction of the hotel entrance.
 
It was a man who walked in ma’am. A man in a black cloak!

 
He walked to the middle of the lobby, saw us and stopped.

 
He pointed at us and yelled.

 
“Repent sinners, you had your chance renounce your ways. Now a test to see if you deserve another.”

 
I remember the man pulling a small box from inside his robes. He showed it to us before saying: “I was once as you are, but I was cured. I have seen the error of my ways, and have been saved. If you survive, let them help you.”
 
It had a red button on it…
My mind screamed “detonator” and my heart started pounding, but I couldn’t move.
 
I remember Gil stepping in front of me then.
 
He grabbed me, tucked me into his body, making a shield of himself.
 
“Behold! I return to my father, purified and redeemed!” the cloaked man shouted.
 
Then he blew himself up…
 

 

Lady Heather, have you ever been in a situation like that?

 
I hope you never are.
 
I’ve seen virtual scenes of explosions. The dynamics of one computerized, it looks so orderly.
 
Hell, I’ve watched tests of bombs being blown up in the desert so we can gather information for cases and stuff.

 
I’ve seen diagrams of the aftermath, and I know how to map out a bomb scene.
 
We’ve even been through drills in case of a terrorist attack on Vegas or a bomb at the lab.
 
It’s nothing to being right there in the middle of it though.
 
The noise, the force, I know Gil and I went flying, but I don’t remember hitting the floor…or chair rather.
 
Gil said a chair cushioned our bodies as we came crashing down…leave it to him to know what may have kept us from getting seriously injured.
 
I may have blacked out for a few minutes, but I don’t think I’ll ever know.
 
We were thrown into confusion, a melee of fear and hurt.
 
I was detached from what I was experiencing, barely aware of the screams, the smoke, the sprinklers were pouring down on us, but I didn’t even notice when I started to shiver.
 
It was all a blur, and I tried, was trying, so hard to get things into focus.
 
I remember hearing a thumping noise though, and my first thought was “Thank God”.
 
It was Gil’s heartbeat, I could hear it because I was still tucked into him, he was still alive. I guess we were just far enough away, and lucky as hell.
 
It was a few seconds before I realized he talking to me.
 
“Nick!… Nicky look at me! Are you ok? Can you move?! We have to get outside!”
 
I looked at his face, knew he was trying so hard to stay in control, to not lose it.
 
Like I wanted to.
 
I almost smiled to reassure him I wouldn’t.
 
Lose it, that is.
 
He was touching me all over, looking for injuries.
 
“My parents….”
 
“We’ll find them Nick…wha..hey!”
 
It was so fast Lady Heather, they moved so damn fast!
 
Gil was grabbed, and taken right from my arms.
 
“Gil!” I screamed, automatically lurching forward to try and get a hand on him.
 
I missed, I fucking missed!
 
I was able to stand up, and I ran after them. It took an eternity to make my way through the crowd. God, the people, the poor people….
 
I remember pushing, and yelling out Gil’s name, I was scared shitless.
 
I was near the blown out lobby when I stumbled over a body, groaning on the floor.
 
In a black cloak-where did they get those damn things?
 
Freaks.
 
I saw another just outside trying to get to his feet.
 
One thing I love about Gil Grissom, he never stops fighting, never gives up.
 
It was pure pandemonium outside, swarms of panicky people running around, sirens blaring.
 
Tourists and their damn cameras flashing away.
 
Reporters everywhere!
 
Cops and emergency workers arriving, running around trying to figure things out…
 
And of course no one stops to help a man being unwillingly taken away by guys in cloaks. This is Vegas, they probably thought it was part of a show.
 
Dumbasses…
 
I ran to the figure trying to stand up, and knocked him down.
 
“Where is he you sick fuck?! Where are they taking him?!”
 
“Nick! Nicky!..get the hell off me!”
 
Over the din, I made out Gil’s voice and I ran towards it…
 
‘Gil! Gil I’m coming!” I yelled, pure panic from me ma’am, though I never thought I’d admit that just now.
 
I was sick with fear, and almost threw up.
 
It was like out of Exodus, the crowds parted and I saw them, in the distance to my right, three figures forcing Gil towards a side street off the Strip.
 
Well, two then, Gil got a good kick off to the guy on his right, and I saw him go down hard, clutching his gut.
 
I ran like hell, but really, I didn’t have to.
 
A shot rang out freezing me in my tracks, and then another, and the two figures went down.
 
It was Mike!
 
He ran over to the guy Gil had kicked off him, and pointed his gun right in his face.
 
“Don’t fucking move…’ he hissed.
 
It was vintage Hollywood I say.
 
That’s when I felt a sharp blow to my left side, and could hear the bone crack as I hit the ground.
 
Adrenaline kept me from noticing the pain as I got up on one knee, turning to see who hit me.
 
It was the man I knocked down a few minutes earlier. I had forgotten about him.
 
My mistake.
 
And where did he get a metal pole?
 
I saw his face, his madness as he looked down on me.
 
“Die sinner!” he cried.
 
“Fuck you!” I shouted back.
 
He raised the pole to strike me again and I raised my arms in a feeble attempt to block it.

 
Then another shot rang out.
 
The bullet pierced his skull, on his left side.

 
He was dead before he hit the street.
 
The thud was memorable to say the least.
 
“You boys have some explaining to do.”
 
Standing over me, hair whipping in the wind like some avenging angel, gun pointed at the now dead bastard who tried to kill me…
 
…was Catherine.

 

Yeah, thank goodness Catherine likes the pineapple-cinnamon pretzels from that vendor on the strip. She was getting her weekly fix when the excitement started. That’s how she ended up saving my ass.

 
Of course, she gave Gil and I hell about all the paperwork she had to do though, and IA did some sniffing around, but she practically dared them to get in her business and they buzzed off.
 
Yup, the Bellagio will reopen in a few weeks. Right about when I lose the cast on my left arm here.
 
Turns out, the bomb wasn’t very strong as bombs go. Apparently, this group is relatively new to the whole “suicide bomber” thing. The hotel lobby was blasted out, but no damage to the other floors or shops or anything. The casino was just fine too. The poor folks right around the guy were killed, but most of the injured weren’t hurt that badly. Concussions, some broken bones and cuts and stuff.
 
Greg and Sara drew the bombing part of the case, seeing how they were the only CSI’s in the lab at the time and day shift hadn’t come on yet. Thank God, because no way would Gil let Ecklie’s team handle this, objectivity concerns or not, even though Mr. Conrad has been acting almost human since I was…uh…umm…never mind on that one. 
 
Sara has a thing for bomb cases. Personally, I think a blast zone turns her on myself, hey whatever gets your motor humming I guess. Greg determined that the cloak, or what was left of it I should say, was actually not a bad little insulator against the blast. The guy’s body being strapped to the bomb probably helped a bit as well.
 
It could’ve been so much worse than it was, something the news hasn’t been saying.
 
Yeah, sex sells, but fear works great too. The parts of this case the D.A hasn’t clamped down are still newsworthy. Cloaks, violence, and kidnapping of law enforcement officials…the nightly broadcasts are lapping this up with a spoon.
 
Either way, I know that sick fuck is in Hell probably wishing he never got involved in any of this.
 
Hope he’s having fun with the other three. No CSI’s needed for those! Doc Robbins stated the obvious there, COD was all head shots.  Mike always was a great shot, and rumor has it that Catherine aced her firearm provisional while battling the flu.
 
Gil swears it is totally true, but Warrick says she was faking it. I think he’s just jealous because she got a higher score than he did.
 
Hey now! I only failed once, I took it again and passed just fine thank you. I’m never walking around without packing heat these days. Lesson learned ma’am, lesson learned.
 
Hmm?
 
Oh my arm! Yup, a nice clean break. Right below the elbow as a matter of fact.
 
I’d love for you to sign it!
 
Greg doesn’t believe I know you on a friendly basis like Gil does, so now I’ll have proof. Of course, he doesn’t believe Gil and I have sex either… he has no idea.
 
So it was back to Desert Palm again. You know, if Gil and I end up going to the hospital each Christmas, I will NOT be happy.
 
We got the same doctor who stitched up Gil, and boy was he surprised to see us again!
 
Interestingly enough, the drag queen was back in the waiting room, nice dress too…mom was delighted and…
 
Oops, sorry, did it again. I’m working on that, really, I am.
 
Yes, my family was fine. In fact, Dad hustled them off to the airport, he wanted them home safe in Texas. My sisters were all upset about what Beth and Robert were doing and wanted to stay and help but Dad laid down the law and sent them packing. Besides, my parents had to leave for Texas soon enough anyway.
 
I know, loads of family drama unfolding in Vegas, but the Texas judicial system keeps on cranking, and my folks are pretty big gears. They had to get back.
 
Mike stayed behind.
 
Because it was his case.
 
He told us everything at Desert Palm.
 
Well apparently he was expecting something like this to happen. Turns out, the church Beth and Robert belong too has been under investigation for quite some time. Reports of possible kidnappings and deprogramming rumors started to surface months ago.
 
Well usually yes, since relatives belong to the church, Mike wouldn’t be involved because of conflict of interest. Mike became involved only when his neighbor’s son disappeared. He loves that kid like one of his own. Just the boy and his mom you see.
 
Yup, divorced.
 
He saw his dad one weekend a month.
 
So Mike took him under his wing. Hell, he taught the kid how to drive when he turned sixteen, and they even played on the same softball team in the summer, when the kid got old enough to join. 
 
He wouldn’t teach me how to drive…punk.
 
You got it, the boy is gay. Though you’d never know it upon meeting him. I asked Mike how he knew, and Mike goes:
 
“I have YOU for a brother don’t I?”
 
Yeah, he always was a smart ass.
 
Well, the kid didn’t make it home from school one afternoon and his mom got worried.
 
Naturally she called Mike, and of course he when went looking right away, that twenty-four hour guideline means nothing to him.
 
Didn’t take too long, apparently the kid had a very public fight with his father about his uhh…preferences.
 
And guess what church the dad had recently joined?
 
Exactly.
 
Mike went to the church and found him there, his dad dragging him inside saying he was going to get him “help”.
 
Sick.
 
Well, the dad got off light, and the church elders denied any involvement, so they got off too.
 
And then Mike found out the church was under investigation for stuff like this, but there was never enough evidence to really nail them, and in Texas, you better have a solid case before going up against a church, even one where members wear cloaks!
 
So Mike, being Mike, joined the team to help out.
 
He’s never liked Robert anyway...
 
Or Beth really, sister or no.
 
Of course, none of us did really.
 
Well, Gil dropped his invite to the family and that’s how we got tangled up in this mess.
 
So much for ending the year quietly.
 
Catherine of course was all over it, demanding to know everything, and wanted to question the guy who I had jumped over in the lobby when I was trying to get to Gil, which would have been great fun to watch, but Brass was putting him and his lawyer through the ringer.
 
Yeah, turns out, his lawyer was waiting for him at the lab when Brass brought him in.
 
Nope, he wasn’t very forthcoming to Brass, and was insisting on talking only to his lawyer and waiting for guidance from above. That’s what he said: from above.
 
Those were his orders.
 
Christ.

 
As for our motley crew in the ER, well, it was kind of funny: Catherine yelling at Brass on her cell, telling him to get some answers; Gil yelling at Sara on his cell, telling her to stay and finish getting evidence from the bomb site, and that he was fine, and not to come to the hospital; Mom yelling at Dad to get “your ass down here, our baby has gotten himself hurt again!"

 
Thanks mom.
 
I was getting my arm casted, and I really wasn’t paying that much attention to anything else.
 
So when Gil tackled me to the ground as Catherine screamed “get down” you can bet I was surprised.
 
I saw the doctor hit the floor before Gil covered my head with his body, once again shielding me from what was coming.
 
The sound of screams and machine gun fire ripped through the air. I could hear the breaking of glass, equipment being torn apart by bullets, but I couldn’t see anything
 
A pause.
 
A man’s voice:
 
“Send out Gil Grissom and we will leave.”
 
I didn’t recognize it.
 
Some more short bursts from the guns and more screams.
 
Another voice, a woman:
 
“Send him out or all will die!”
 
I knew that voice, it was Beth!
 
My sister, shooting up a hospital emergency room.
 
Again, Christ!
 
“Beth?!” My mom called out. “Stop this now!”
 
“I have no choice mother! He must be made an example of!”
 
More gunfire and more screams. I just knew innocent bystanders were being hit.
 
And then…I heard it. Both guns had jammed!
 
Mike and Catherine heard it too. They were up in a flash, guns out, and ready to kick some ass.
 
But they didn’t have too.
 
“Drop them, or I guarantee you my gun won’t jam…”
 
Warrick!
 

 

Danny, that’s his name. Well no, I had only met him once and that was years ago. But still, great kid...

 
Oh I hear ya, Warrick has impeccable timing with his entrances. He tried to talk it up and rub it in fiercely on the way to the lab…
 
“I just wanted to  drive out to see how you were, and wouldn’t you know it, I end up saving your sorry butt from a girl, and not just any girl…but your sister! What’s it with girls pointing guns at you anyway? Must be that threatening gay vibe you put out…”

 
I wasn’t upset because I knew that was all a front. Its taken me some time to learn how to interpret what Warrick is saying when he’s trying to taunt me, but basically it adds up to the “tease who you love” mindset that Warrick has. He was scared of what was happening, and relieved that for the most part, we were all ok.
 
Of course, when he learned that Catherine saved me too, well, I’ll never live that down.
 
Yeah, Catherine saved Gil from Goggle (why she had to save him at all is something I still give him grief for on occasion) but no way would ‘Rick taunt Gil with that. Only Brass could get away with it, and Catherine has yet to play that card, but she might one day, ha!
 
Oh that! Well, Sweet Bobby Dawson is our ballistics ace, he took one look and shook his head. They had fiddled with the ammo magazines so they could fire more rounds faster. Downside to that is that the guns are more prone to jamming that way.
 
Oh he doesn’t know we refer to him like that, but I doubt he would mind. Gil actually let it slip once to me as we talked over a shooting, and it stuck. Gil actually has pet names of a sort for most of us, mine is the only he actually uses all the time.
 
“Nicky” of course, but in bed he calls me all sorts of hot names…I remember when called me “Cowboy” the first time as we….
 
What? Sure!
 
“Ricky”
 
He he…“Sandy”.
 
“SIDE-swipe”…there’s a story with that one, believe me.
 
“Jimsie”.
 
“Miss Kitty”… and she’d kill him if she ever found out!

 
“Hodge-Podge”.
 
You know about “Sweet Bobby”.
 
Oh, and of course there’s “Useless”, that would be the Sheriff by the way, and “That Bastard Ecklie”, which is pretty obvious.
 
I plan to take those to the grave…well maybe not “Sandy”.
 
We were at the hospital for hours. There were several dead people, and folks with gun shot wounds, it was a war zone. Put that on top of the bombing victims and it was chaos!
All that going on, naturally casting my arm went way down on the priority list, but oh well.
 
Minor cuts, some bruises, more pissed off than anything, and damn, Gil is hot when he’s mad…
 
They were ok too.
 
Actually, it was dayshift handling the scene. I almost felt bad for them, because there were hundreds of shells to find and dig out of the walls and stuff. The look on Ecklie’s face when he walked in and saw all of us was priceless! Pity I didn’t have a camera. It was more just gathering and processing, we had the culprits in custody. Cops gave them a nice ride back to the Lab, Archie told me later that Brass was fit to be tied, and couldn’t wait to speak to them.
 
My parents had already given Beth a few select words before she was hauled away, and she was bawling, saying she had to do it, it was what was right and they wouldn’t understand and blah blah blah…
 
I never would have dreamed one of my sisters would get involved in a group of extremist types and go on a mission like this ever, let alone against the family.
 
I always figured I was the bad apple…never so surprised to be wrong I guess.
 
But hey, blood makes you family, but it’s your choices that make you the kind of person you are. Beth is definitely NOT a Stokes.
 
Hmm? Oh I wanted to know why too. Why the focus on us? What are they trying to prove? How many members of this church are there? Why go from trying to save us to being willing to kill us? Why the hell do they want Gil Grissom so damn badly, of all people.
 
Well, we intended to find that out.
 
Once I was taken care of, we headed out and to the lab. Hell yeah I was hurting, exhausted too, but I needed answers, we all did.
 
Dad went with Mike, Catherine and my mom rode in together, and I don’t want to even think about them talking about me and Gil…ugh.
 
Oh, Gil was with me and Warrick. He sat in the backseat, jabbering on his Cell, telling Brass what the deal was, and then telling Sara that he was riding in with Warrick and “NO! Get back to the lab and catalogue everything Sarah, its important, and Warrick is more than capable of driving us there without you...”
I couldn’t help but smile at that, he always puts her in her place, and she still thought she had a chance to get with him. Oh well.
 
Warrick was keeping up with the teasing, Gil was now talking to Greg, telling him to get a move on with the evidence, and I was wondering if I should pop one of the pain pills now, or wait till later.
 
I never got to make up my mind on that one.
 
Warrick had started to mutter about idiot limo drivers when he said “What the?…Shit!”
 
It was a black stretch in front of us, nothing out of the ordinary with that ma’am, but considering the how last 24 hours had gone down, when a guy in cloak comes out of the sunroof, its enough to give one pause.
 
And he had a surprise with him, just for us.
 
“Holy fuck…that’s…it’s… RPG!” I yelled.
 
He fired it right at us.
 
Warrick swerved violently. It missed us, but hit the road close enough to cause us to spin out and roll over onto the sidewalk,.
 
Yup, scared shitless again, and by the time we stopped rolling, I was so disoriented , it was like I was drunk. At least we were right side up.
 
I was trying to get my bearings while shouting for Warrick and Gil when I heard glass breaking, and a groan.
 
“Gil?…Fuck! GIL!…YOU ASSHOLES! GET YOUR HANDS OFF HIM!!”
 
They broke the glass on cabin door of Warrick’s truck and hauled Gil out.
 
I screamed for help and struggled to get the door open, I could see Gil trying to fight, but he was out of it too.
 
I got myself out and saw them throw Gil into the limo.
 
I was so close! I threw myself at the limo door to try and get a hand on it, but they pulled away before I could.
 
I was just screaming for help and chasing the limo on foot as it sped off.
 
I tripped, and landed on my broken arm and God it hurt!
 
Before I passed out, I remember crying out:
 
“GIL!”

Next part - Ira Deorum part 2