Title: Moments
Author: Dee
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1622
Pairings: Gil/Nick
Characters: Gil, Nick and the usual team
Warnings: Fluff and AU
Spoilers: None
Disclaimer: In my dreams they are like, totally mine!
Beta: jayceepat and podga for their invaluable help in the Americanisation of the fic and their insightful comments. I thank high_striker for his wonderful icons. I am indebted to them all. Any errors are mine.
A/N: This is for my friend Sarah B ..." not a slasher ..." but this is a favourite of hers!


Catherine usually had a barbeque party a couple of times a year, when shifts allowed all their Saturdays off to converge.

This was a hot Saturday evening with lots of food and lots of drink and lots of friends all together. A good time was being had by all.

As the evening progressed the normal party mode was adopted. Even though most people could be accommodated on Catherine's deck most people had, naturally, converged on the kitchen area and were hanging around, leaning on counters and the breakfast bar, and on the stools that had been pulled about and relocated around the room.

Gil Grissom had, of course, noticed this, and in keeping with his thoughts about all the parties he'd ever attended, he tried to rationalise the phenomenon. He couldn't imagine why it happened at Catherine's parties because the drinks were outside on the deck or in the cooler in her laundry room. The food was mainly outside; with salad on the counters here in the kitchen ..." but the pack of wolves eating here this evening had decimated that, so there wasn't much left ..." and yet the majority of the attendees were congregated in this small area.

He then had to concede that he hadn't really had that much experience of parties anyway. True, he attended when invited but that had never been frequently. Of course in the last few years when his gregarious partner had been invited to all and sundry he'd been dragged along ..." no, that was a mean spirited observation ..." he'd gone willingly to be with Nick.

His thoughts then wandered to Nick, he couldn't see him around and he thought he was playing a computer generated game with Greg. They were both competitive and evenly matched ..." neither man could keep ahead of the other for too long. Gil suddenly remembered he was supposed to be paying attention to Hodges, who'd had him pinned to the counter extolling the virtues of... ... oh dear, what was the subject matter?

Luckily for Gil, Nick chose that moment to breeze in, he thought no-one could do it quite like Nick. Warrick had a sort of lazy gait and rolled into a room, Sara (try not to think about her, Gil) stomped into a room and Greg sort of fell into a room. Nick walked in with an air of authority, confident and assured, which further astounded Gil who knew that privately, Nick was prone to self doubt and insecurities.

But, looking at him now, Gil saw that he was tired, probably exhausted ..." he'd worked two hard shifts on Thursday and last night, working until midday today and those shifts were compounded by a court appearance during most of yesterday. So, Nick was ready to sleep ..." for a considerable time.

While Gil had been considering Nick's state of exhaustion ..." Nick had arrived at his side and let out a face splitting yawn hardly covered by his hand. He smiled at Gil as he finished yawning and just folded himself against Gil. He put both hands on Gil's chest and pressed his body close to Gil's. From his feet up he was aligned with Gil and then he sank his head down into the space between Gil's shoulder and neck and yawned again, his upper body trembling at the intensity of it.

As he leaned on Gil, one hand of Gil's wound itself around his waist holding him in place and the other, having relinquished a glass of beer onto the counter top, was placed at the top of Nick's back. At the same moment his head leaned slightly to one side and rested against the side of Nick's head. His eyes half closed, his face relaxed and a smile made its way to his lips.

All these fluid movements by the two men took a few moments of their time, but were witnessed by all the bystanders in their moments of time... ... ..

----00000----

Hodges was closest to the couple at that moment and his immediate response was "Damn, damn, damn ..." this supposed Texan charmer just waltzes straight up to him and takes over. I know they are 'a couple' but for goodness sake I was thoroughly enjoying my conversation with Grissom, it's not often I can enthral him as I was doing. I suspect he will recommend that I have the new DNA sequencing apparatus as soon as possible. He practically agreed that he would before his 'Nicky' spoiled the moment. What does the great man see in such a lightweight? I know I'm not homosexually inclined but I would make him a wonderful partner ..." we would be able to exist on a higher plain than any of this disparate group. I think I'm going home.'

Sofia was half in the kitchen and half on the deck as the moment unfolded before her. "Why can't I find man to look at me and touch me as these two men do to each other? I'm not that bad am I... my hair's nice, I know my dress sense could be better; perhaps Catherine could help me out. Sara would be useless she's worse than me. I don't know what it is about Gil, fancy him being gay when he's got such... ..what... attraction... magnetism, that's it, he attracts women like a magnet without lifting his little finger and they all drool around him. God, look at Sara around him and he notices no one but Nick. Always Nick. I wonder how they got together I bet that"d be a story and a half ..." wonder if Brass knows? Come on Sofe let's see about a bit of sleuthing'.

Brass was on a stool haranguing Warrick about his hair, which seemed in serious need of some control. He saw Nick walk up to Gil, looking dog tired. Nick just slipped effortlessly into Gil's arms and Gil held him. It was a seamless action on both parts. Brass had a lot of time for both men and had been friends with Gil for many years and a lot of beers. He'd been absolutely dumbfounded when Gil had told him about the relationship. Never, never, for a moment had he thought that Gil was gay ..." he was broadsided all right. He was one of the first to be let in on the secret, and he wasn't so straight laced that he couldn't accept it ..." geez he was a cop in Vegas for God's sake. But, what had really amazed him was that when you spent time in their company they were a couple, hell, not a couple of pansies, but a couple of ordinary guys ..." like a married couple. "And, a darn sight more married than I ever was. Uh-uh Sofia's looking purposefully in my direction ..." she's after something'.

Warrick, was defending his retro hair look to Brass when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Grissom's attention caught by something and he could tell, without seeing, that it was Nick. Now that was a turn up for the books, his best buddy, gay an' all, but Nick was Nick, and he didn't change. What was he... .constant and dependable. Yeah. When Nick had explained about his feelings and his life, he'd been genuinely upset for the guy. Hiding yourself, from yourself really, and then some, with his family in Texas. Nick hadn't been able to tell his family and had moved to Vegas to overcome the repression. To fall for a guy like Gris, thinking he was straight, had nearly caused him to move on again, but they'd struck lucky and damn if they hadn't been together longer than he'd been with any girl, ever. "Life, huh?'

Sara was sipping a coke and half listening to the one-sided conversation of Hodges and Grissom. Then Nick just walked straight up to Grissom and into his arms. She smirked to herself when she saw that Hodges looked as indignant as she felt. She tried not to hate Nick, or Grissom, because Nick was a really genuinely supportive guy and he was supposedly her friend. Grissom, well, even now that she knew about them she still wanted him and could not grasp that he didn't want her just as much. She wanted to be in his arms like Nick was now, to have his arms around her. And yet, even she knew that she wouldn't fit in those arms like Nick did. They had a symmetry about them that was so obvious, though they'd all missed the evidence for a long time. The bastards, being together, denying her the love that should have been hers, and hers alone. She needed to find herself another Grissom: as she thought this thought she also knew, without a shadow of a doubt ..." she never would. Why? Why not me?

Greg bounced into the kitchen behind Nick. He had slaughtered Nick: so, the guy could hardly see straight he was that tired, it was still a good win and he'd remind Nick as often as he could! Whoops, personal time here. I still can't believe that old Gilbert Grissom is a raging fagg... gay. But, he treats Nick real good and it's not hard to see that they've gotta a "whole lotta lurving' goin' on! Holy Homicide Batman! Sara and Hodges are about to murder the happy twosome with their looks alone. I wonder if Hodgy babe is in the closet. You'd think Sara would give it up as a bad job... I wonder if she'd fancy going to a movie with me, or something... ..definitely NOT a foursome with Gil and Nick though.

Catherine, leaning on the counter across from Gil and Nick, saw them fall into each other's arms. "God, if they're not the hottest guys ever... ... ..I wonder if they'd do a threesome... ... ... ... ... ... ... .

The end