Title: Challenge: When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade
Author: Trashy Woman
Pairing: Warrick/Brass
Rating: R
Category: Angst, Romance, Warrick's POV
Summary: Warrick is jilted by his longtime lover, but finds comfort in the arms of another.
Archive: Absolutely
Disclaimer. All are owned by CBS. I do not own any. I will return them when I'm finished.
This story was based on a Challenge from Carina Scott

"You tire an old man out," he says, while we lie balled up together. We breathe heavy in the darkness, trying to make sense out of everything that has happened.

"I thought you were just getting warmed up." I answer. I blow softly in his ear and feel him shiver against me. When this all started I never imagined I'd find myself here, in bed with Jim Brass. I think it came as quite a surprise to him too.

"I believe I need a little rest before going round two with you. You're very energetic." I could feel him smirk as he said it. Jim always did have the cutest smirk. It could be infuriating sometimes, but mostly it was endearing.

Sorry, but I digress. I was about to tell the world how Jim and I came to be at his place, in bed together, having the most amazing sex I'd ever had. It's all pretty sordid, but my gram's had an old saying, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." I never forgot that saying, and well, I guess I took her literally. I've never been much of a crier. When I fuck up I prefer to correct the situation, rather than wallow in self pity. Luckily, I had a little help correcting things this time, and I'm really grateful. Jim is the best medicine I could've found. I just wish I'd found him sooner. Oh well, better late than never, another one of my gram's favorite sayings.

flashback

Almost seven years, I've spent seven years of going through life with blinders on. I fell in love with him the day we met and I never looked back. I knew he had faults, but I chose to ignore them.

He was my rock. He always defended me. When I royally screwed up, he was there to rescue me. After getting my life back on track and kicking the gambling habit, I put on a pair of rose colored glasses and forged ahead.

First there was that girl in the lab, the one that was always hitting on Gil. I told myself she was not Gil's type. Sometime later, I found out that he'd taken her to a concert. I let it go. I had enough problems dealing with Sara Sidle. The bitch from hell. She was always on my case and I had all I could do not to knock her unconscious.

Terry Miller breezed into town one day, and she was damn hard to ignore. She brazenly flirted with my man and when they went out to dinner--I was pissed! Gil said it was to discuss the case. Do I look that stupid to you? Ok, maybe I am. She left town and never came back. I was really relieved and Gil was pretty attentive for a whole month after that.

The next threat was Lady Heather. I know for a fact that Gil slept with her on more than one occasion. I almost broke up with him over that one, but he came crawling back, begging my forgiveness. Like an Idiot, I took him back.

In seven years, Nick never suspected a thing. I regaled tales about my sex life and all the hot babes I'd bagged and he just nodded, smiled and went along with it, but I don't think he was fooled. Not for a second. He saw the way I looked at Gil. It was kinda hard not to notice. Nick is probably a lot smarter than me. He's never let himself be tied down to one person. I think he's better off that way.

When the little people convention came to town, I'd had just about enough. I figured that Gil didn't care who he slept with as long as he got off. We had a huge fight, but I wasn't ready to give up. I gave in and a month later we we're fucking three times a week. He's been pretty faithful ever since, except for that brief incident with Lady Heather, when her daughter was killed.

I sometimes wish he'd tell me he loves me, but he never has. I guess he's just that way. I say it all the time. Usually, he just looks at me in that detached kinda way and then goes on with what he's doing. Depressing, huh?

We're just about up to the present and back to the bitch from hell. We sorta put our differences behind us and formed a tolerable working relationship. It was rough going for awhile. Once, when Gil put me in charge, I thought I was going to have to kill her, but I managed to keep my cool. Unfortunately, now, my cool has deserted me and at this moment, the only thing I want to do is drive my car off a cliff.

I've been driving around for along time. It's been hours since I left Gil's place. Right now, I'm sitting in the middle of the desert looking at the stars and wondering what I'm gonna do with the rest of my life. I know it's going to be different. I can never take Gil back. It's over this time--for good! I can't even put into words the pain I feel. I knew what he was like, but he always came back to me. There was always hope. No hope left now, just pain.

It started out innocently enough. Gil and I had a date to go to the movies. He was gonna pick me up at my place, but he never showed up. I called him, called him again, called again, he never answered. Finally, I gave up. I got in my car and drove over to his place. The lights were out, but his car was in the driveway and parked right behind his was Sara's.

I could feel my heart pounding. I stared at the house for a long time. I don't remember getting out of the car or walking up the steps, but I guess I must've, cause here I stand looking at the front door. I grabbed the emergency key out of it's hiding place and quietly opened the door. This probably wasn't a good idea, but I had to know the truth.

I walked in, turned on the hall light and made my way into the living room. No one was in there. The kitchen was empty. There was a woman's jacket thrown over the sofa. I turned and walked toward the bedroom. I put my ear to the door and just listened for a moment. I could hear noises coming from inside and it didn't sound pretty. This was the moment of truth. Did I really want to know? For my own piece of mind, yes.

I turned the knob and slowly opened the door. Gil was in there with Sara. They were rocking together slowly, bodies glistening with sweat and their groans were getting louder. I could tell from experience that Gil was about to reach his peak. He arched his back and gave one last thrust. He came inside the bitch with a howl and a declaration.

"Oh, God! Sara, Sara, I love you. I love you more than anything."

As I walked away, I heard Sara answer his cry with one of her own. "Love you, too."

Life's a bitch and then you die. That was my first thought, as I reached fresh air. My second thought was how could he say I love you to Sara and in seven years--never speak those words to me.

I've started to put things in perspective as I sit here staring at the stars. Gil never told me he loved me, because he never did. I don't know why he kept coming back to me. I guess I was just a convenient fuck in the storm. Now I really feel like a whore, but no matter how depressed I am, I can still her my gram's saying, "Boy, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade."

In the after math of Sara, Gil never even bothered to call me anymore. We just went on with work like nothing had ever happened. Seven years were erased in a blink of an eye.

I'm still functioning, but people have noticed my lackluster performance. Nick has been really supportive. I don't talk about it, but somehow he knows what happened. He's been trying to set me up on blind dates, but I keep refusing. Never again! That's my new motto.

End flashback

In the end, my gram's was right. When one door closes another door opens. All you need, is the courage to walk through that door. I was scared as hell, but I walked through it anyway.

So, here I am a year after the Sara incident. I'm still standing and doing pretty good, considering. Life and love can be sweet with the right person. He brings me to new heights of ecstasy on a daily basis. Sometimes, he only has to look at me and I'm ready to come. I never believed after that first night together that we'd become a couple. It was a shock to the my system. Someday, if you're all good little boys and girls, I'll tell you how Jim and I got together. I'll give you a bit of a hint, though. Catherine was heavily involved. She just couldn't stand to see me so unhappy. Nick conspired right along with her. It's nice to have friends who really care.

Today was a great day. I finally heard the words I've been waiting eight years to hear. We were driving home after a long shift. Jim kept looking at me funny. When I asked what was wrong, he smiled and said nothing. We kept on driving, but his smile never faded. When we pulled into the driveway, he leaned in close and kissed me.

"I love you, Rick. I didn't know what my life was missing, until I found you."

I stared. I couldn't even speak. The longer I stared, the worse Jim looked. I flashed back to all the times I'd said those same words to Gil, and all I got was stared at. Jim lowered his eyes to the floorboard and I snapped out of it. I pulled him back to me and kissed him. I whispered softly, "I love you too, Jim." And I meant it! I loved Jim Brass with all my heart. He smiled at me and I heard my gram's voice clearly, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. So, I did!

End