Title: The Dragon 2
By: Tiffany F
Pairing: Gil/Nick
Rating: FRM
Series: part of The Dragon Chronicles
Summary: Massive AU fic. Continues the story of "The Dragon" and I strongly recommend reading it first. Grissom isn't exactly human and, as he starts to change, others in the lab begin to notice. I don't own anything CSI related and am only playing.

One thing most people overlooked was how much Greg Sanders actually saw in the labs. And people would be surprised to know how much he actually kept to himself given how much he loved to talk. He was the first to notice how much younger Grissom looked, his silvering curls once again dark and a number of wrinkles gone. It puzzled Greg to no end because he didn't think that his boss would dye his hair or get plastic surgery. Actually Greg didn't think Grissom paid any attention to how he looked other than to be sure whatever he was wearing was dark. And Greg was ready to swear that no one else had even noticed that Grissom looked different.

"Do you think I need glasses?" he asked Nick while they were waiting for some test results.

"What brought this on?" Nick asked in reply, turning in his chair. "I thought you had perfect vision."

"I do, or at least I thought I did," Greg replied.

"So what's changed your mind?"

Greg leaned over closer to Nick. "Have you noticed anything odd about Grissom lately? I mean, more than usual?"

"Nope, he seems fine to me," Nick said, trying not to smile. "A little sensitive about his hands maybe but they were burned up pretty good."

"I've been watching him a lot this week," Greg commented, "and I would swear he's getting younger."

"Greggo, man, how can anyone get younger?" Nick asked, laughing.

The printer beeped and spit out the test results they'd been waiting for. Greg grabbed them and glanced over the page. "You've got a match," he said shortly, his feelings obviously bruised. "You can laugh at me all you want, Nick, but I know what I'm seeing and I am going to figure out what's going on."

"Y'know, Greg, if I didn't know better I'd say you were crushing on Gris," Nick commented, adding the DNA results to his case folder. "Watching him all the time, wondering about his looks..." Nick ducked the magazine Greg threw at him and left the lab to find Brass.

Truthfully Nick felt bad about teasing Greg but he didn't want his friend any closer to the truth. A little over two weeks ago Nick's dreams had come true in a way he had only, well, dreamed of.

When he was a child he'd learned that dragons were by no means fictional or dead. They had altered their DNA so their offspring would be born in human form. Nick's teacher was a non-transformed dragon; he'd never found his perfect mate. But in the small boy he'd seen potential so he'd trained him as best he could. Will had been old when they met and died when Nick was fifteen, leaving the younger man all his books and journals.

Nick never thought he'd meet another dragon and had been stunned by the sight of one at his interview for the CSI labs in Vegas. Nick was positive Gil Grissom wondered why he'd kept staring at him. He'd known instantly what Grissom was and was crushed by the knowledge that Grissom didn't know.

So Nick watched and waited until the night his life was in danger and he was saved by Grissom in all his black-scaled blue-eyed glory.

"Careful, Nick, or you'll walk into a wall." Jim Brass' amused voice cut through Nick's thoughts. "I didn't think DNA was that interesting."

"Huh, oh, sorry Brass," Nick replied. "I was thinking about something else. But I do have those results you've been waiting for."

"Great, the suspect was just brought in," Jim said. "I think Gil's been looking for you so I'll just call if I need you for anything."

"Do you know where he is?" Nick asked.

"Where else, playing with his bugs," Jim replied, laughing.

Nick smiled and turned down the hall that would take him to Grissom's office. He shook his head, thinking it was going to be a very strange night.
********************

During the week he'd been home Gil had immersed himself in the books and journals Nick had brought over. At first he didn't want to believe the evidence the younger man presented him with. There was no scientific proof that dragons existed. That the dragon picture had his eyes was harder to explain but Photoshop wasn't hard to learn.

But as he read he realized how much of it was true. He was reclusive, bookish, focused, dedicated and almost dangerous when angry. He tended to keep people out of his personal space and, above all else, he was secretive. The evidence was too plentiful to deny after he finished reading and Gil had to accept that he was, in fact, a dragon.

He was nervous about the transformations. The first one had been brought on by his mate's life being threatened but he didn't remember any of it. Nick had promised there were ways to focus the mind so he'd be able to recall more facts each time he transformed. The younger man had also promised they could go out into the desert on their next day off and try it again, see if Gil could manage to transform into the black scaled dragon that had Nick so transfixed.

The other thing Gil hadn't counted on, when he claimed Nick as his own, was the sudden ability to know what the other man was feeling no matter how far apart they were. And that was why he wanted to see Nick that night; he'd felt fear from his partner.

"Hey Gris, you were looking for me?" Nick asked from the door.

"Close the door, Nick," Grissom replied, looking up from the jar in front of him. He waited until the room was secure from anyone who might be trying to overhear their conversation. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Nick replied. "Why?"

Gil stood and pulled his partner over to the sofa in the darker corner of his office. "Because I felt fear from you," he said softly. "About ten minutes ago. What's wrong?"

"Greg was asking me if I'd noticed your looks changing," Nick admitted. "I tried to throw him off the scent but I'm not sure how good a job I did. He's noticed you're changing."

"We knew this would happen," Gil said. "How did you get his attention off me?"

"By accusing him of a crush," Nick said, smirking. "He didn't like that too much; threw a magazine at me."

"Forensics, surfing or girly?" Grissom asked.

Nick pulled back and looked into those blue eyes he loved so much. "Why does that matter?"

"Because it's a gauge of his anger," Gil said. "I hope it wasn't one of his more outlandish ones because you might really be in trouble then."

"Have you been stealing his books?" Nick asked.

"No, but I do notice what he's reading," Gil replied softly. "You're the only one I could ever want or need."

"And we are not doing this at work," Nick said. "What if we get caught?"

Grissom grinned and his eyes lit up, literally glowing as he allowed a little of the dragon to come forward. "Then I think one of us should think of a reason to leave the labs very, very soon," he said.

Gil did get his wish but not exactly in the way he wanted. A 419 call out to the desert reminded him of the previous trip out into the wilderness that had led to the changes in his life.

"You'll be fine," Nick said, picking up on his dragon's nerves. The link went both ways when they were close. "Just stay focused and remember not to panic over anything that happens to me."

"I'm going to 'happen' to you, Nicky, just as soon as I can," Gil promised. He was amazed at how much power his feelings for Nick held over him. All he wanted to do was sooth his mate until there was nothing between them, not even air. He knew the link was there and active all the time, but he'd grown used to it being more and he wanted that back.

"Think we can convince Brass we got lost on the way out here?" Nick asked.

"The road is awfully hard to follow," Gil said. He was battling with himself. The CSI knew they needed to get to the scene to process the evidence, to do their jobs and figure out what had happened. The dragon wanted to be with his mate.

Nick pulled off to the side of the road and parked. "Gil, don't fight it; that's all you, there are no 'parts' to consider. You'll only make yourself sick," he said. "Hang on a minute." He pulled out his phone and punched in a number. "Hey Brass, it's Nick. Look, we managed to get turned around out here and are having to back-track. Is there anything on scene that looks time sensitive?" He listened for a moment. "Yeah, this road is a bitch isn't it? Okay, we'll be there as soon as we can. A what? Okay, that's not an image I needed, but thanks. I'll keep my eyes open."

"What, Nick?" Gil asked.

"Brass says the body looks a couple of days old and they got lost driving up there too," Nick replied. He put his phone on the dash and looked over at his partner. "But he'll take pictures until we get there." He grinned at Grissom and put his seat back so he could crawl into the cargo space of the Tahoe. "Are you going to join me?"

"No; what did Jim say that you said that you...oh, forget it," Gil sighed. He wasn't as agile as Nick but managed to join his mate with a minimum amount of cursing and wiggling.

Nick just smiled and pulled Gil to him, their lips meeting in a soft kiss. Grissom moaned and deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue past Nick's soft lips. He could feel himself slipping away, the dragon coming to the fore and also the magic that activated any time they were together.

"We can't take too long," Gil muttered as he pushed Nick's shirt up. He'd asked the younger man to wear something with buttons but Nick had just grinned and pulled on the gray and black shirt. He leaned back enough to stare at Nick for a moment, thinking how perfect it all was, before leaning down and attaching his mouth to one of Nick's nipples.

"Oh gods, Gil," Nick gasped, arching up. He thought for a minute and, after recalling how to move his hands, reached for Gil's belt, wanting to touch flesh as soon as he could, if not sooner.

"Get your jeans down," Gil said, reaching for his own zipper. It wasn't exactly how he'd pictured their evening together, in the middle of nowhere in the back of one of the Tahoes. He just hoped no one ever had cause to go over the vehicle with an ALS.

"Do you have lube?" Nick asked. He toed off his shoes and pulled off his pants. He knew it had to be fast but he wanted to be able to move his legs around.

"Lotion in my kit," Gil replied. He knew, as Nick did, that they didn't need any aid, the magic of their bonding allowing their bodies to join without pain but both men enjoyed the extra slide the lube or lotion provided.

Nick rummaged in the silver case and came up with a small bottle of lotion. He grinned as he opened it and warmed some in his hands.

"What?" Gil asked, biting back a moan. Nick's hands were on him, slicking down his cock.

"I'll tell you later," Nick said. "Come here."

The power of the bond intensified as Gil pushed forward. He moved slowly, knowing that Nick's body would stretch around him, but it still made him nervous. He'd done some research while Nick was at work and learned how easily the receptive partner could be hurt if not prepared correctly. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt Nick.

"Come here," Nick murmured, pulling Gil down and kissing him. He wrapped his bare legs around Grissom's butt and pulled him in closer. "You feel perfect in me; move, now."

The younger man watched, fascinated as Gil's eyes darkened and glowed at the same time, the lust trying to override the dragon. He knew he had his own power in the relationship, he was the one who made the transformation possible and he was the one who provided the needed balance to Grissom's life. If anything happened to Nick, if Gil couldn't protect him and he was killed, he knew that Gil would die within a month of angst.

"Faster, Gil," Nick whispered, trying to catch his partner's mouth for a kiss. The sensations running through his body were amazing and he could feel that he was losing focus as Gil thrust into him. "You can't hurt me."

Gil growled and bit at his neck. Nick arched against his lover praying that it didn't leave a mark because Brass had already seen him once that evening and his shirt wouldn't hide anything.

The men became lost in each other, time slowing down to just them and the fire running through their veins. Both could feel the power of the connection they shared growing more powerful with each thrust, wanting the end to come, to reconnect them at the deepest level. Nick wondered, with barely two brain cells working, if they did this more often how deeply they could actually connect. Gil seemed desperate for him and, if they didn't have to work, Nick would agree to stay in bed for days on end if only it meant feeling as good as he did.
********************

"Hey, Brass was right," Nick said, making the correct turn, "it is a rock shaped like a cock."