Title: Heaven Sent
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Greg Sanders/Gil Grissom
Fandom: CSI: Vegas
Rating: PG-13
Table: Holiday Non-Bingo, tv_universe
Prompt: 12, Pet
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 Gil Grissom, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

Greg laughed softly as he knelt to pet Aghra when the puppy brought back the stick he'd thrown across the yard, barking joyously as she chased after it.

He loved this little dog that Gil had given him.

Somehow, a pet could make all the difference in feeling happy sometimes, he thought to himself as he threw the stick again and watched the puppy give chase.

Gil had somehow sensed that he hadn't been feeling himself lately, and he'd known that a puppy would be one way to get him out of the doldrums he'd fallen into.

Aghra had been a heaven-sent gift, Greg thought, another smile curving his lips as he watched the puppy growl and worry at the stick before she bounced back across the yard to him with it held in her mouth. She had lifted his spirits in a way that he never would have expected.

Gil had known that he would love this little girl from first sight, and that she would become dear to him. She'd given him a new lease on life when nothing else could have.

She had even made his relationship with Gil closer. He was less stressed now, less worried, and Aghra was the cause of that relaxation. He couldn't thank Gil enough for her.

Having a pet had given him something to think about besides himself.

Aghra had turned his thoughts away from what had happened to him, if only for a short time. He did still think about all of that, but he didn't focus on it the way he used to.

Greg realized that he'd been thinking about that horrible experience much more than he should; he had been going over it again and again in his mind far too much.

There was no way that he was going to recover if he didn't stop obsessing about what he'd been through. He wasn't letting his mind rest from it; even in his dreams, it came back to haunt him. And Gil had somehow known that, as well as knowing the way to pull his mind away from his own problems.

He couldn't hold back a smile at that thought. How was it that Gil always seemed to know the best way to deal with any kind of problem that could possibly crop up in their lives?

He'd always thought that Gil was the wisest man he'd ever known, from the time that they'd first begun working together at the crime lab until they'd become a couple.

Maybe he had always hero-worshiped Gil, in some ways. And now, he was involved with the man who he'd always looked up to. It might seem odd to some,especially since there was such an age difference between the two of them. But it hadn't bothered Greg at all.

He and Gil loved each other, and for him, nothing else really mattered. What other people thought of them had never been important; it was their own hearts that meant the most to him.

He had even said as much to the therapist that he'd begun seeing, and she had nodded and said that perhaps Gil was exactly what he needed in his life, a stabilizing influence.

She was probably right about that, Greg told himself. Gil was what he needed.

He'd never really been into the younger guys he'd dated, even guys who were his own age. Gil had always been his ideal, even when he'd thought that them being a couple was impossible.

Yes, his boyfriend was older -- and wiser, Greg thought as he went down on his knees to pet Aghra and take the stick from her. He had known that getting him a pet would be just what he needed.

Aghra had taken him out of himself, given him something to care for, something that would absorb some of his free time and his focus. And really, he'd felt so much better since the puppy had come into his life. He felt less stressed, more relaxed, and a lot happier.

He really needed to thank Gil again for bringing this little girl to him, he thought to himself as Aghra jumped up to lick his cheek. Greg ruffled her fur, laughing softly.

Getting to his feet, he opened the sliding glass door, letting Aghra run inside. The puppy yipped excitedly, heading to her food bowl and looking up at Greg expectantly.

He couldn't help laughing again as he picked up her dish to feed her.

Greg smiled when he put Aghra's food dish down, petting the puppy as she began to eat. Yes, Aghra had been heaven sent, indeed. And he knew just who he had to thank for sending her to him.

***