Title: Smile a little smile for me…
Author: Dee
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 454
Pairings: Gil/Nick
Characters: Gil Grissom, Nick Stokes and the gang
Warnings: Fluffy
Spoilers: YES! For Season 9 Episode 10 ‘One To Go’
Disclaimer: In my dreams they are like, totally mine!
Beta: Not beta-ed! Just a little ficlet with an alternative ending! I had to; I couldn’t not do it. Murghy31 chose the ending…I had three!!

I saw him do it, but I didn’t look back at him; I don’t think I could have looked at him without tearing up. I know it’s ridiculous.

When I just said about his teaching staying with me forever and then he said I was his best student, I don’t know how I held it together for those couple of minutes until I got to the bathroom.

In the stall I tried to cry as quietly as possible and when someone did come into the bathroom, I flushed and hoped no one suspected what was going on; but when all is said and done, I know I’m not the only one.

Hodges has been sniffing suspiciously; the guy thinks he’s Gris’ right hand man, he’s good in trace but the man drives Gris to distraction - even more so than Greggo in his heyday.

Greggo kept up a good cover when he spoke to Gris in the lab, but later he was a man on the verge, I could tell.

Jim looked defeated, as if he’s never going to recover and man, that’s a bit dramatic, but he was close to Gris; but there’s no reason he shouldn’t stay close, as far as I can see. Same goes for Doc Robbins.

Archie and Bobby seemed quite stoical, but you couldn’t say that about Super Dave…now that guy is a million times worse than me. That’s good, someone more emotional than me, makes me just a bit less of a wuss.

And then the girls…I swear Wendy and Mandy were feeding off one another and Hodges, yes, there he was in the middle of them, spreading gloom and despondency. I sometimes wonder how Hodges has never managed to have the crap beaten out of him…perhaps he has. He wouldn’t have lasted a day at my old school.

So, Catherine was all dewy eyed and dry eyed. I reckon she’s not that sad to see Gris go, she is inheriting his position after all…but she was my supervisor before and man, I ain’t going to take that crap again.

So I did see his little smile for me reflected in the window of the car I was examining, but I kept my own smile to myself…and my tears too.

When I got home I dumped my bag in the hall, I walked through the living room and out of the open door onto the deck and there, together with a bottle of champagne on ice, sat my lover.

Smiling the same little smile just for me and for our future together; doing some writing, some teaching, maybe some forensic consultancy – whatever and whenever he wanted. With me; always with me.

The end without the jungle!