Title: It's Not Always About Me
By: it-glitters
Pairing: Greg/Nick
Fandom: CSI: Vegas
Rating: PG-13
Series: 1) Bewilderment, 2) Take Me Home, 3) Cynics, 4) Blood Spatters, 5) Hello Mr. Sanders, 6) Hitting The Wall, 7) Capable Of Murder, 8) The Good Boy, 9) Crying Shame, 10) As I Lay Me Down, 11) Stoic, 12) You Tell Me, 13) Mother, Mother, 14) A Simple Smile, 15) Good Enough, 16) Smack, 17) Let Me Be The One, 18) There Isn't A Manual, 19) Call Me Magic Mama, 20) The Bus Stops in Suburbia, 21) He Needs You, 22) You're Not Really OK
Summary: Warrick's problems are shown. Greg confronts and comforts Nick.

***

Warrick was standing in front of Tina's hotel, banging on the door for entrance. He had been outside yelling for near 10 minutes to no avail. She was inside; she just wanted nothing to do with her drunk, soon to be ex-husband.

"Do you hear me in there? I know you do – you have to let me in. My best friend's a... a queer and he won't answer the damn phone. Open the damn door, bitch!"

Inside, Tina called the police.

....

Nick and Greg laid together on the couch until Nick felt Greg's stomach rumbling against his own. He looked at the clock. "We've been here a long time, haven't we?"

Greg raised his head slightly to look at Nick. "It didn't feel that long."

"I know, but it's been two hours. How are you feeling?"

"A bit sore. And of course, hungry."

"C'mon, get up. Between Cath and my mom, we've got enough food to feed a small army."

Greg shifted and then rose to his feet. He put his good hand out to help Nick up. "Your mom told me that I call her Mama. I just wanted to make sure that was okay with you."

Nick took Greg's hand and allowed himself to be pulled up. He looked deep into Greg's eyes. "I can't wait for you to meet the rest of the family."

Greg smiled. "So, I'm part of the family now?" He felt like he hadn't been part of any family in so long – since before he had told everyone he liked men – before he had come to Vegas.

"Of course, you're my family, my blood. I love you too much for words, G. I need you to tell me you understand that." He opened his arms to Greg.

Greg let himself fall into the embrace. "I'm trying."

....

Catherine and Jillian had managed to get most of the nightshift together – at least the ones who had known Greg the longest: Gil, Sara, and Archie. Everyone except Warrick – they couldn't get him to answer his cell phone, but they didn't want to postpone having everyone come together.

Jillian had already called her son to tell him and Greg to come to the 'traditional' CSI diner that they all secretly hated, but went to all the time anyway.

....

Greg followed Nick out into the fading sun and paused. Nick noticed that Greg was no longer a step behind him, as he usually was. He turned around to see Greg staring at his car.

"What's up, G?"

"Can I drive?" He was staring longingly at his car.

"Of course, you don't need permission."

"Well, you always drive. And then there is all the meds I'm on."

"If you're up for it, then drive. Anything happens, and I'll be right there next to you."

Greg smiled. "Wait here. I'll run inside and get my keys."

Nick watched as Greg half jogged, half skipped back into his apartment. He could hear the distant beeping of the alarm silenced and then reset and watched Greg come back out. In the dimming sun, he took a hard look at his boyfriend. The bruises were starting to fade, and the long-sleeved shirts that Greg had taken to wearing covered his bandaged wrist. He no longer limped or had trouble sitting – and Nick was beyond grateful for that. Grateful that, at least, Robert Cohen hadn't done permanent damage to Greg. The scar on his arm would never be gone, but the rest would heal.

Greg looked down at him from the balcony. "What are you thinking about Nick?"

"Come down here."

"Tell me."

"I'm not shouting it across your complex. So come down here."

Greg smiled; he knew what Nick was going to say. He came down the stairs with a silly exaggerated gait. "Miss me?"

"Yep."

"Jerk. You shouldn't toy with my emotions."

"I did miss you."

"I was gone for like, 30 seconds."

"Can I get deep with you for a second. And have you not feel smothered or weird about it?"

"OK."

"I miss you every time I can't see you. I don't think..." He stopped.

"Nick, tell me."

"No, don't worry about it. I'm just being selfish." He turned his back to Greg and started walking to the car.

"And how come you don't get the right to be selfish?" Greg called out to him.

"Let's just focus on you." His back was still turned away from Nick.

"No, I don't want to talk about me right now. It's been about me for too long. I won't fucking break, dammit. I'm not a goddam child. I've got stuff in my head right now, stuff that makes me hard to be around. I get that. But if you want to talk about forever – you want to talk about houses in the suburbs – then I have to be with you. It can't be about me all the time. You want a relationship, and so do I. It's been a fucked up way to start one, but here we are – and if you can't be honest with me right now, after everything we just went through..."

Nick finally turned around and saw that Greg wasn't going to give up ground on this issue. "Greg, when you were gone – when they took you – I lost hope. I gave up on you. If the team hadn't kept me together – I don't even want to think about. I thought I would never see you again. So now, I have this exaggerated need to be with you constantly."

Greg stepped towards him. "It's not like I didn't give up hope either – I mean, you know what I asked Kelly. I didn't want to live – even if it meant never seeing you again."

"But G, you had a reason to want that – you were in hell. I gave up in the security of the damn lab, where nothing could touch me."

"Hug me."

"What?"

"Right now. I want a hug." He stared at Nick and opened his arms. Nick stepped into them and put his face into the crook of Greg's neck and breathed deeply. "See, I'm here – you're here. We made it – and no one can take that away." Nick felt the tears spring to life in his eyes and he let them fall damp onto Greg's shoulder. Greg kissed his temple.

The vibration of Nick's cell phone interrupted the moment. He pulled away from Greg, and wiped his face, embarrassed. "Hell of a time for the phone to ring, isn't it?" he tried to joke. Greg gave him a weak smile.

"Stokes."

"Nicky, it's Brass." It was weird to have Brass calling him directly when there wasn't a case involved.

"What's up?"

"I overheard something on the scanner about a domestic dispute at the Mirage – I was in the area so I stopped by. It's Warrick – he's drunk and been screaming into Tina's hotel room."

"Jesus."

"We managed to get him calmed down and away – I think we can avoid an arrest and charges, but he says he'll only talk to you."

"Shit." He looked at Greg, who was fiddling with his keys, waiting for Nick to get off the phone. "Can you hold him off for just a bit – I've got to take care of something first, and then I can be there. Just make sure he knows I'm coming."

"Great, Nicky. Get here as fast as you can. Hopefully we can calm both of them down – Tina's in the station throwing a fit. You know what will happen if this keeps up and we have to arrest him..."

"I'll be there – just hold on."

He hung up the phone and looked at Greg. "OK – I need to drop you off at the diner. You can drive tomorrow – okay?"

"Sure. It's no big deal – what happened? Who was that?"

"Brass. There's a problem at the station."

"And he called you instead of Grissom?"

"It's about Warrick."

"Then go now – I'll take a cab." His words were shaky at the end.

"No, you won't. I know you don't want to get into a car with someone you don't know. Don't lie to me. I hate when you do that – don't put on the fake brave face – you don't need to."

Greg just nodded and quietly got into the passenger seat of Nick's truck. They drove to the diner in silence – too much on their minds to talk about properly. Nick stopped the car in front of the entrance so that Greg could get out.

"I love you, G."

"I love you too."

"I'm gonna miss you."

"Take care of Warrick now. Then when you come back, I'll take care of you for a little while." He gave Nick a quick peck on the lips and winked as he got out of the car and sauntered into the restaurant. Nick pulled out, unsure of what exactly he would find at the station.

***

Next story in series - Wasted.