Title: He's Mine (But Take Him, He's Yours)
Author: Jaxson K.
Pairing: Nick/other, Nick/Greg
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I own nothing.....

***

“Will you be coming by in the morning, Nick?”

“I don't know....depends on how my shift goes ...”

I want to say that he uses that excuse more and more these days, but that would just start another argument. It seems that argue is all we do these days. I can remember a time when there was hardly a cross word passed between us, but these days, that ain't the case. You see, Nick sent for me to come and be with him in Las Vegas from Texas. We met when Nick was a cop in Dallas, and we've been together ever since. To keep up appearances, Nick insisted on us having separate residences. It's worked out pretty good because he doesn't want the people he works with to know about his private life.


 

The problem about all this is the fact that I know something's going on. I have no absolute proof yet, just a feeling. I've learned to trust my “gut feeling” over the years because it's never steered me wrong. I'm not sure if Nick is cheating, or if he's thinking about it. I say that because we haven't been intimate in nearly a month. That's not usually like Nick. Every time I bring it up. I get excuse after excuse, and then we argue. It's almost as if he's trying to push me away.


 

I'm in the middle of trying to get some work done when the phone rings.....

“Hello?”

“Hey, Cody...”

“What's up, Nick?”

“I was calling to ask a favor.....”

“What's that?”

“Will you go by the condo and pack me a bag for a couple of days? I have to go to San Jose to pick up some evidence in an old case we've re-opened.....”

“Sure, Nick, anything in particular you want packed?”

“Not really, just the usual stuff....and don't forget my shaving kit.”

“Okay...you want me to bring this stuff by the lab?”

“Yeah, just put it in my truck.....”

“Hey, Nick....”

“Yeah?”

“Bring me back a souvenir.”

“Okay.....gotta go!”


 

I left work a bit early so I could go by Nick's and get his stuff. As I let myself in, I notice something different. I'm not sure what, I just know something's off. I make my way to Nick's bedroom, and that's when I notice that both sides of Nick's bed have been slept in. That's weird because Nick usually sleeps on the right side, the one closest to the door.


 

I went to the closet to get Nick's over-night bag and started packing his clothes. I thought I was finished when I remembered to put Nick's shaving kit in the bag. I went into the bathroom to get the kit when I saw clothes and damp towels on the bathroom floor. I knew Nick usually put his clothes in the hamper, and when I picked up the clothes to do just that, I froze.

I recognized the t-shirt immediately. It belonged to a guy that Nick worked with named Greg Sanders. What the hell was Greg's clothes doing on the floor in Nick's bathroom? Was that who slept on the other side of Nick's bed? Just what in gay hell was going on here?


 

I got Nick's kit and over-night back and left the condo. I headed to the crime lab and pulled in just as Nick was headed out the door. Greg came out right behind him, and they were walking toward Nick's truck together. I parked my truck next to Nick's and got out. I could tell he was a bit nervous, but I didn't say anything about it.....

“Oh, hey, Cody...”

“Nick.....I came to drop your travel bag off like you asked me to...”

“Great...thanks a bunch!”

“Hey, Greg....You know that really neat blue t-shirt you have with the Pixies logo? I was wondering where you got that because my nephew really likes them, and I wanted to get him one.”

“Uhhh, I got that at one of their concerts....I'll go online and see if I can find you one....”

“Great! Just let me know , and I'll pay you for it.”

“Okay...”

“Well, Nick, I better get a move on...I got a bunch of stuff to do.”

“Okay, Cody, thanks again.....”

“Give me a holler when you get back from San Jose.”

“Will do......”


 

With that, I got in my truck and left. When I got home, I thought about everything I had learned in the past hour or so. Greg's clothes in Nick's bathroom, both sides of the bed messed up, Nick and Greg sitting in Nick's truck on a break.....Hmmm! The fact that they were sitting in Nick's truck wasn't that big of a deal. I knew for a fact that they hung out together sometimes. Hell, I'd hung out with them more than once myself. The other two things I'd learned were a bit suspicious though.


 

Since Nick was going to be out of town, I decided to give my buddy James a call. We hadn't spent much time together lately, and I thought now would be a good time to catch up. I called him, and he gave me directions to his new apartment. When I pulled in the parking lot, I thought I saw Nick's truck. Couldn't be, I thought. I went up to James' apartment and knocked.


 

We spent most of the afternoon catching up on things, and he was telling me about his new boyfriend. They had met at the store where James worked, and he was very happy with his new guy. We talked some more about his guy, and other things, and I realized that it was getting late. I knew I had to work the next day, so I told James I needed to get home. While I was making my way to the parking lot, I saw Nick and Greg going into what I assume was Greg's apartment. I couldn't believe it! Nick and Greg? Really?


 

I went home and opened a bottle of wine. What the hell was going on??? I so wanted to think I was wrong, but my “gut instinct” was working overtime. What I saw explained a lot. Nick's foul moods, the arguments, the days without seeing him, and everything else that had happened the past couple of months. What the hell was I gonna do?

***

I got up the next morning and went to work. Thankfully, I was busy enough to keep from thinking about the situation with Nick. After work, I needed to stop at the market to pick up a few things. When I pulled in, I saw Greg's car leaving the parking lot, and lo and behold, Nick was in the car with him. I acted like I didn't see them and went on about my business. It was all I could do not to go over to Greg's and confront the two of them face to face.


 

The following afternoon found me at my desk not able to get anything done. This whole situation was getting me down. I knew something had to give, but wasn't sure what to do. I knew that Nick had lied to me about being out of town, and I knew that if I pushed the issue, he would lie to me more, and I had had enough of that. It was time I looked at our relationship, and took some sort of action.


 

I left work early and went home. I locked myself , turned on some music, and had a good cry. When I woke up from my tear-induced nap, I left the house, headed for Greg's apartment. I knew that I needed to hurry because Nick was due back from 'San Jose' in a couple of hours. When I got to Greg's, I took the stairs two at a time, and when I got to the top of the stairs, Greg's door opened. Nick walked out and put his bag down. He turned back and kissed Greg stating that he needed to get home so he could call me, and not blow his cover.


 

As he leaned in to kiss Greg once more, Greg opened his eyes and froze. We made eye contact, and Greg pulled back from Nick. Nick glanced at Greg and turned around to see me at the head of the stairs.....

“Oh, shit!”

“Oh, God!”

I never said a word. I just turned and made my way down the stairs out to the parking lot. I could hear Nick calling my name as he ran down to catch me......

“Cody, wait....please.....”

I wheeled around and froze....

“What, Nick?”

“Cody, about what you just saw...”

“Save it, Nick! I'm not dumb, and I sure as hell ain't blind!”

“But, Cody, please let me explain....”

“I don't want to hear it, Nick.”

“But...”

“I said I didn't want to hear it, Nick. You know, seeing what I did just now explains a lot. The one thing I want to know is how long has this been going on?”

“About a month now.....”

“Okay.....do you love him?”

“I do, Cody. I can't deny how I feel for him. He's special.....”

“Enough, Nick! You told me all I wanted to know. Just one more thing.....”

“What's that?”

“You'd better make damn sure that this is what you want because you have killed anything that was left between us.”

“Come on, Cody.....”

“There's nothing left. Now, the best thing you can do is get out of my way so I can go.”

“Cody, please.....”

“Goodbye, Nick.....”

I turned around and got in my car. The last thing I saw was Greg running across the lot to where Nick stood.....


 

I went home and gathered up all of Nick's thing he'd kept at my place. I put them in a box and took them over to Nick's to leave on the front porch. Luckily, he hadn't made it back there yet, and I was able to go about my errand in peace. I drove around for a while just trying to stop the thoughts from swirling around in my head, but it didn't help. I had developed a headache, so I decided to go home and try to get some sleep.


 

Sleep never came that night. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Nick and Greg in Greg's front door kissing, and that upset me all over again. The next day I called in to work and took a couple of vacation days so I could sort this mess out, and hopefully get some rest. Nick called several times that day, but I didn't answer the phone. I saw him drive by a couple of times, but he didn't stop. I guess he was trying to see if I was home.


 

I was feeling 'cooped up', so I went to the park. Little did I know that I would run into Nick there. He saw me sitting at a table, and made his way over. He sat down across from me, and asked if we could talk.....

“Nick, I think we've said all we need to say.....”

“Cody, I want to explain...”

“Nick, what's to explain?”

“Well.....”

“Let me make this easy for you.....You found someone you want to be with, and you lied to me to do it.....”

“Wait, Cody...”

“No, Nick, you wait! That's exactly what happened. The one thing that I don't get is why you felt like you had to lie to me....”

“Cody, I....”

“Nick, it's like this....I don't like this one bit, but this is how it is now.”

“Cody, what are you gonna do?”

“Does it really matter, Nick? I'm not your concern now. I haven't been in quite a while. I'll be alright.....”

“Cody....”

“Nick, just be glad that I'm not raising nine kinds of hell and making your life miserable. You know how I can get when I get mad.”

“Yeah, I do....Cody, I really am sorry things turned out this way...”

“No, Nick, you really aren't, and I know it. I'm not saying this to be hateful. It's just the truth.”

“No, Cody, I really am...”

“But Nick, no amount of 'sorry' can fix this. It's better this way. There is one more thing I want to do though.....”

“What's that?”

“I want to talk to Greg!”

“What!?”

“You heard me.....I want to talk to Greg Sanders.”

“Cody, please,.....”

“Don't worry,Nick. I'm not gonna hurt him. There's some things I want to tell him.....”

“I don't think that's such a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“Because I know you.....”

“No, Nick, you just thought you did.....”

With that, I got up and walked to my car to leave.....


 

When I got home, I looked up Greg's number and called. He wasn't in, so I left him a message stating that I needed to talk to him, and would appreciate it if he would call me back. While I was waiting on Greg to call back, I began thinking about this whole situation and what I wanted to tell Greg. I wouldn't be hateful or spiteful simply because I didn't want any more bullshit. I thought it best to come clean and be done with everything.


 

Greg finally called me back later that afternoon. I asked if I could come by, and he agreed. I told him that it wouldn't take long, and that he wouldn't have to hear from me after this. When it was time, I made my way to Greg's apartment, and wasn't a bit surprised to see Nick's truck in the lot. I made my way up the stairs and knocked on the door.....

“Hello, Greg.”

“Cody...won't you come in?”

“Thanks...hello, Nick.”

“Cody.....”

I could tell Nick had been crying and that Greg had been comforting him.

“Would you like something to drink?”

“No thanks, Greg...I won't be staying long.”

“Okay.....”

Greg went over to the couch and sat down next to Nick. I remained standing.
“So what did you want to say, Cody?”

“Well, I want you to know that I'm here to let you know I won't be giving you and Nick any problems. I know now that he's in love with you. I would try to fight you, but it's not worth it. It wouldn't do any good because you have his heart now, and without that, he's no good to me so I'm giving you my blessing, such as it is. Just treat him right and be the kind of man he deserves. This is all for Nick because I hate you and what you've done to me. He was mine, but take him, he's yours.”


 

Before anyone could say a word, I turned and left the apartment. I had said all I needed to say, and I needed to get out of there so they wouldn't see me cry. I've run into the two of them a few times since all this happened, and I have to say that Nick looks happy. Maybe Greg was good for him after all. Hell, who knows where Nick and I would have ended up? We'd been together for so long until maybe the outcome was inevitable. I heard too that Nick finally came out. That was a shock considering Nick's fear of doing so before. Don't get me wrong...I'm not jealous of any of that. I guess the time just wasn't right before.....


 

THE END