Title: Everything is Never Forever
Author: Circa
Pairing: Nick/Greg
Rating: G
Summary: Greg stared absently at the bright light, daring not to blink again or he may lose it forever.

***

Greg opened his eyes to the screen in front of him, the one he had hoped would disappear in the time it took for him to blink. He stared absently at the bright light, daring not to blink again or he may lose it forever. He pushed back the voice in his head throwing hypocritical thoughts at him.

The image stopped moving and the screen went white. He clicked the mouse, as he had done every 2 minutes before for the past hour. He brought his hand up to the screen and traced his fingers across the terrified man's face. He let his fingers linger over the pixelated lips that were speaking softly in reassurance to themselves.

Greg felt a presence behind him and released his eyes just as the white screen showed again. He instinctively moved his hand to the mouse to click, but someone stopped him. Greg let his gaze fall to his shoes. He wheeled his chair across the room and buried his head in his hands, biting his lip to hold back tears.

He heard the click of the mouse and shut his eyes tighter, but each colored dot that appeared turned into a nightmare.

"Greg," Grissom said. "Has he been doing this since you've been watching?"

Greg wiped his eyes of any tears that may have escaped and walked toward the computer. In the mini-movie, Nick had a tape recorder close to his mouth and was talking into it between heavy breaths, choking back a sob.

Greg stared vacantly at Nick's lips, quietly cursing himself for not being able to read them. He managed a glance at Grissom who was staring harder then he, moving his mouth right along with Nick's. Greg fixated his eyes on Grissom's silent speech until he recognized something.

He turned quickly toward the screen. Nick had let the recorder rest on his chest.

"Grissom," Greg interrupted the silence, never letting his eyes off the screen. "What did he say?"

Grissom was all silence. Greg waited for an answer, but it never came.

"Grissom!" Greg was yelling now. "I know he said-" Grissom stopped Greg mid-sentence and quieted him with a finger vertically across his own lips.

Nick had brought the recorder back to his mouth. He spoke quickly and let the recorder fall down to this side as he brought his hands to his face, letting the fear take control of him.

Greg faced Grissom, holding onto the table for support.

"I know he said my name. I saw you say it." Greg paused, clenching the table tighter and swallowing hard. "Tell me what he said."

"Greg...," Grissom removed his glasses and let his eyes wander Greg's, searching him to determine if he was strong enough to know. He stood, meeting the other's pleading eyes.

"He said...," Grissom looked down and took a deep breath. "He said he's sorry he wasn't brave enough." Greg's grip became tighter, but still he swayed in a slight rocking motion.

"And he's sorry that he never got to tell you that."

Greg's fingers loosened on the table and he fell to the left. Grissom caught him just in time to allow him to sink safely into the chair behind him.

He forced himself to look at the screen. He watched the cursor pointed at the "watch" button until it was all he could see. He reached his hand to the mouse and clicked.

Nick's slightly green image appeared again. He began beating on the walls of the box in panic. Greg buried his head in his hands a second time.

Neither of them were holding back now.

***