Title: Leave His Fears Behind
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Greg Sanders/Nick Stokes
Fandom: CSI: Las Vegas
Rating: PG-13
Table: mission_insane
Prompt: 4, Candy
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, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

"Are we going to pass out candy to kids this year?"

The question was one that Nick hadn't expected; he had thought that Greg would more than likely want to spend their Halloween quietly, since they both had the night off.

But "quietly" could mean answering the door and giving candy to kids, couldn't it? That seemed like a great way to spend the holiday as far as Nick was concerned.

He liked the idea of handing out candy to children. It was what he usually did when he had this particular night off; he wsn't really a party type, and he didn't go out on the club scene. He liked seeing the kids' costumes, and the looks of happiness on their faces when they received a handful of candy.

Still, he had to wonder why Greg had asked him the question. And he hadn't missed the slight quaver in his boyfriend's voice as he'd spoken.

"We can if you want to," he answered slowly, wondering how he was going to broach the subject of what was wrong. He could guess, but he wanted confirmation from Greg.

He was sure that his boyfriend was thinking about Shane.

He'd noticed that Greg didn't particularly like to answer the door when the doorbell rang; he was sure that it was because Greg expected to see Shane standing there when he opened the door.

Nick chose his words carefully, speaking slowly, thinking about the words as they came out. "Greg, are you afraid to open the door to trick-or-treaters? Scared of who might be there?"

Greg didn't look at him at first, but then, he nodded slowly, glancing over at Nick. "You know why I don't like to open the door. I always think he's going to be there, just waiting for me. Only this time, I always think he'll have a gun and he'll just raise it and ...."

Greg's voice trailed off; Nick could see a shudder go through his body. Quickly, he moved to his boyfriend's side, his arms wrapping around Greg's slim wait to pull him close.

"Greggo, you know I'm not going to let anything happen to you again," he said softly, his lips against Greg's hair. "He's not going to touch you as long as I'm around."

He could feel Greg nod against his shoulder; his arms tightened, holding Greg against him.

"I know you won't," Greg choked out, his voice muffled against Nick's shoulder. "But I can't help being nervous every time I hear the doorbell ring. I'm so scared that he'll be there."

Nick could understand how Greg felt, after all that he'd been through with Shane. He had been terrorized, and he'd had to suffer through some of the worst things that could possibly happen to anyone. But he was still alive, still here, and he had managed to deal with all that had happened.

Nick was proud of Greg for being a survivor, for standing strong and coping with all of his problems. He didn't blame his boyfriend for still having some fears.

But he wanted Greg to be able to leave those fears behind him, once and for all, though he knew that couldn't happen until Shane was put behind bars for good.

Until he knew that Shane was in prison and would never get out, then Greg would always be jumpy about little things like a doorbell ringing. He wouldn't be able to do something as simple as pass out Halloween candy to children until he was rue that he could do it without having to face a nightmare at the door.

How could anyone blame him for that? After all that he'd been through, he had a right to those fears. Anyone would feel that way. Nick couldn't fault him for that.

"Baby, I'll answer the door for the trick-or-treaters," Nick said softly, raising a hand to stroke Greg's hair. "You won't have to get near the front door if you don't want to."

But surprisingly, Greg pulled back slightly, shaking his head.

"No, I'm not going to let you do that," he said, his voice stronger now, less hesitant. "I'm being stupid. I can't hide from him forever. I've got to face up to my fears sometime."

Nick wanted to jump up and down and cheer. He didn't know what accounted for the sudden turnaround, but he was glad that Greg had said those words.

"Yes, you do, baby, but you can take your time about it," he said softly, his fingers threading through the softness of Greg's hair. "What about if we both go to the door when the kids show up? That way, you won't feel like you're having to face anything alone. I'll be right there with you."

When Greg raised his head, his face was wreathed in smiles, and Nick could almost feel his heart melting. This was the way he loved to see Greg, happy and smiling, his eyes sparkling.

"That sounds perfect," Greg told him, glancing towards the kitchen table as he spoke. "We've only got one problem with passing out candy to kids. We don't have any candy."

Nick laughed, relieved that nothing else seemed to be bothering Greg now.

"Well, we can remedy that pretty easily," he said, raising his brows. "I can get the car keys, and we can take off to the grocery store and buy a whole ton of Halloween candy."

"I've got a feeling that we'll be getting just as much of it for us as for the kids who'll show up on Halloween night," Greg said, his tone teasing. "We'll have to spend a lot of time at the gym."

"Not you!" Nick scoffed, laughing now. "You can eat whatever you want to, and it never shows up. Me, I can just look at a Snickers bar and I'll gain five pounds." He smiled ruefully, shaking his head. "I sound like a girl, don't I? But it's true. I've got to watch what I eat."

"You always look great to me, even with a few extra pounds," Greg said softly, taking Nick's hand and bringing it to his lips, kissing his boyfriend's fingertips. "You can eat all the candy you want."

"Yeah? So you're gonna love me when I weigh four hundred pounds and can barely get off the couch?" Nick teased, glad to see that Greg was in a good mood again.

Greg looked at him with eyes full of love, and Nick felt his heart turn over.

He loved that look. He loved knowing how Greg felt about him without his boyfriend having to say a word. He loved the effect that those dark eyes had on him.

"Even if you were four hundred pounds and ate candy all the time, you'd still be the man I love more than life," Greg told him, his voice catching in his throat. "Always, Nicky. Always."

With that, Nick couldn't stop himself from wrapping his arms around Greg again and hugging him close, tears coming into his eyes. He knew that Greg loved him, but it was always so good to hear it. So good to know that no matter what, he'd always have Greg's heart, just as Greg would have his.

No one could come between them. Not any more. Not Shane, or anyone else. He and Greg had made their relationship something that no one else could ever touch.

"Come on," he finally said, reluctantly letting his boyfriend go and reaching for his keys. "Let's go get that candy. And maybe go out for a burger and fries while we're at it."

Laughing, he grabbed Greg's hand, feeling as though one hurdle had been safely jumped over.

***