Title: End of the World
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Greg Sanders/Nick Stokes
Fandom: CSI: Vegas
Rating: PG-13
Author's Note: Post-ep for the S11 CSI: Vegas episode "Cello and Goodbye," and a sequel to the Greg/Nick fic "Bad Decision." Completely unrelated to the other Greg/Nick series that I write.
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the lovely Greg Sanders or Nick Stokes, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

Nick frowned as he pulled into the driveway at his house; he had expected Greg to be here already. Even though he knew that his boyfriend had to be angry with him at the moment, he was sure that he could explain his feelings to Greg.

He'd had to do what Catherine asked him, and go to LA to find Ray, even though it had meant that he'd had to disappoint Greg on his birthday. He hadn't really had a choice, had he? After all, work was work, even if Greg didn't always see it that way.

He wanted to move ahead of where he was at work now, Nick told himself as he got out of his truck and closed the door. And if that meant pandering to Catherine expecting him not to have any kind of life outside of work, then he was going to do that.

Greg would simply have to understand that they both needed to make sacrifices, Nick thought, his steps slowing as he walked to the front door, pulling his keys out. It didn't matter that the decisions he made usually weren't fair to Greg.

Did he really have the right to expect his boyfriend to understand that? Nick shook his head, hesitating for a moment before putting the key into the lock. He closed his eyes, resting his forehead against the cool wood of the door.

He had let Greg down so many times now. Maybe that was why Greg wasn't here; he didn't want to listen to more excuses, or hear Nick talk about how important his work was. It was time he stopped giving Greg those lame excuses.

Greg deserved someone who was going to put him first. Not a man who would always think that his work came first, whose job was more important to him than anyone in his life could be. Greg deserved better than what Nick gave him.

Nick's hand trembled as he put the key into the lock; what would he do if he didn't have Greg in his life? True, they would still work together, but it wouldn't be the same. If he didn't have Greg in his arms and in his heart, he didn't think he could survive.

Opening the door, he went into the house, wishing that he would see Greg there but knowing that it wasn't going to happen. If Greg was here, then his car would be in the driveway; he'd known from the moment he had turned onto the street that his boyfriend wasn't waiting for him.

Had he really expected that to happen? he asked himself with a sigh as he headed for the kitchen. He should have known that Greg wasn't going to be waiting for him with open arms. He'd made a big mistake by putting his job before his lover's birthday.

How many years was this that he'd disappointed Greg on this particular day and made him feel as though his birthday wasn't important? Four? Five? He'd lost count. But it seemed that every year, something came up to keep him at work on that day.

It shouldn't have happened this year, he thought angrily. Ray had been an ass, and even though Nick hadn't said so in those particular words, he'd made it clear that what Ray had done hadn't been his mess to clean up. He resented having to do so.

He shouldn't have had to go to LA and abandon Greg when they'd made plans for his birthday. He should have told Catherine that he couldn't do it -- after all, it had been a request, not an assignment. But he had, as usual, put his work ahead of the man he loved.

That had been the worst thing he could have done. Catherine would have understood if he'd said that he had something personal to do that he couldn't back out of. Or would she? Greg was right. She expected him not to have any kind of a life.

At the moment, he didn't. Without Greg here, he didn't know what to do; he could always go to bed, which was where most people would end up after all the hours he'd spent on the job. But he couldn't sleep, not without Greg here in his arms.

What he really wanted to do was to get back in his truck and go over to Greg's apartment, to beg the other man to let him in and talk to him. He had to get things straightened out between them -- and he had to apologize for the horrible choice he'd made.

Nick went back into the living room, frowning as he looked around. He couldn't say just why, but the place felt .... well, different. Nothing looked out of place, but something was off. There was the strange feeling of everything not being as it should.

It took him a few moments to realize what was wrong. There was an empty space on the bookshelf where Greg had kept a few of his dvds; his cds were missing from another shelf, and the pillow that he'd always liked to have under his head when he was lying on the couch was gone.

Nick could feel an icy shiver of fear run down his spine. With slow, heavy footsteps, he made his way down the hallway to his bedroom, the room that he had shared with Greg for longer than he could remember when his boyfriend spent the night here.

One look inside the closet confirmed what the absence of Greg's belongings in the living room had told him. The clothes that Greg had kept in the closet were missing; the drawer that he'd kept other clothes in was now empty. All of his things were gone.

For what seemed like a very long time, he couldn't do anything but stand there, staring at his own reflection in the mirror above the dresser. Gone. Greg was gone. He'd taken his belongings away. Not a single thing of his remained in Nick's house.

Finally, he stumbled across the hall to the bathroom and turned on the light -- only to see that Greg's toothbrush was gone, and so was the aftershave he always wore. His razor was no longer there, and all of the hair care products he used had disappeared.

Even his shampoo was gone from the shower. Everything of Greg's had been removed; it was as though he'd never spent time here, never been a part of the house that Nick knew would never seem like a home without his presence.

Stifling a sob, Nick sank down onto the tiled floor of the bathroom, resting his head in his hands. This was the end of the world -- or at least the end of his world. Greg was gone. And it was his fault. He'd brought this abandonment on himself.

He should have known how Greg would feel. He should have never put his job ahead of the man he loved; he should have proven to Greg that he came first, and always would. But no, he'd been stupid enough to think that doing what Catherine wanted would be best.

No, what would have been best would have been to tell her that he couldn't go to LA, and to have followed through on his plans with Greg. He should never have gone running off, thinking that his job was more important than his lover's feelings.

How could he have been so stupid? He should have known that if he kept putting his job ahead of Greg, he would drive the man he loved away. It had only been a matter of time -- and now, it had happened. He had managed to destroy what meant the most to him.

Where was Greg now? He was probably at home, Nick told himself, a spark of hope leaping to life within him. All he had to do was go over to Greg's apartment; he had a key, he could let himself in. Then he could tell Greg how sorry he was, beg for another chance.

They couldn't be over. Not like this. Not because he'd done something so unforgivably stupid. He wasn't going to lose Greg because of his job, of all things. That should be something that could bring them closer together, not rip them apart.

He had to find Greg and talk to him. He had to convince his boyfriend that he wasn't going to do this again; the days of him putting his work before his heart were done. Greg deserved better than that -- and Nick was determined to never let his lover down again.

If he lost Greg, it would be the end of his world. The end of his happiness. He couldn't simply let the man he loved walk out of his life; Greg meant too much to him. His world would be over without Greg in it; there wouldn't be anything left for him other than his work.

He had been stupid enough to put his work before Greg -- and now, thanks to his own idiocy, his work might be all that he had left in his life, Nick told himself as he slowly got to his feet and headed towards the living room to grab his keys. It might already be too late.

No, he told himself firmly. It couldn't be too late. He wouldn't let it be. He would go to Greg, explain why he'd felt that he had to go to LA, and he would promise that he wasn't going to let his boyfriend down again. Greg would forgive him. They would be able to start again.

His world couldn't end like this, Nick thought, opening the door of his truck and getting inside. As he put the key into the ignition, he felt his heart seem to tighten in his chest. Somehow, he would make this work. He had to. His entire life depended on it.

***

Next story in series - One More Try.