Title: Practice
By: saras-girl
Pairing: Nick/Greg
Rating: PG
AN: I have a dream! Well, I had a dream...about this conversation, so here it is. It's a little silly and fluffy as anything, but hopefully it's also a little funny.
Disclaimer: I don't own CSI, Nick and Greg or any of the others, more's the pity. I make nothing from this other than a nice warm glow.
Summary: Sara has a masterplan, or so she thinks. Greg is not so sure. Shameless fluff, I'm sorry.

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"If you can't say it to me, you'll never say it to him."

Sara stared at Greg across the break room table, and he knew this time that she was not going to let this lie.

"Come on, Sara, no..." he wouldn't win this, he knew it, but still he tried. For the sake of his dignity, if nothing else.

"Trust me, Greg. You don't want to screw this up because of nerves. Just pretend I'm Nick." Sara grinned craftily.

"That's beyond disturbing, you know that, don't you?"

"Stop procrastinating. Just do it. I don't have all day." She set down her cup and fixed him with a squirm-inducing gaze.

"I'm not procrastinating, I'm...er...I'm contemplating."

"I'll contemplate you in a minute. Just do it. "

Greg paused, staring through Sara into his thoughts. He knew she was right, of course, and that he had to do something about the whole Nick situation. The man occupied his thoughts to the extent where Greg knew it was starting to affect his work. He hadn't asked to fall for Nick, but it had happened. He was completely, sappily, inappropriately in love. Listening-to-country-music in love. Staring-at-crime-scenes in love. First-thought-on-waking-up in love. Greg was in trouble.

And now it was threatening to burst right out of him in the most inappropriate manner if he didn't at least try to talk to Nick. Find out one way or another.

"Greg? I'll even close my eyes if you want."

"How is that going to help? It's me that needs to close my eyes. If you close your eyes I'll still know it's you," he pointed out, stalling for time.

"It's hard to believe some people think you're charming, Greggo. And to think I once thought you had a crush on me." She tilted her head on one side. Knew she was making him uncomfortable.

Greg coloured. "Did you have to bring that up?"

Sara smiled but said nothing.

"It wasn't my finest hour, I'll admit it. I can't help flirting, it's pathological. But...you are a very beautiful woman ok?" Greg wheedled, hoping to soothe and distract his friend with flattery. "Smart, and strong, and witty and... "

"You can stop, it's ok."

"Right." Greg closed his eyes. Here goes nothing.

Ok. Cleared his throat. "So, um, hey Nick."

"Hey."

Eyes snapped open. "You don't actually have to 'be' Nick, Sara."

"I'm trying to make it realistic. He's not going to sit there in silence while you declare your undying love for him, is he?" She smirked.

Greg dropped his head onto his folded arms on the table and groaned.

"Undying love?" he echoed somewhat weakly. "I don't believe I ever used the phrase 'undying love'. In fact, I don't think anyone has used the phrase 'undying love' since the 1950s, and even then it was in some trashy romance novel that was only bought by women in housecoats and curlers, to read out on their porches surrounded by cats and - "

"Greg. Shut up. You're babbling. This is what I mean about nerves."

Greg lifted his head a few inches from the table top and regarded Sara through the tangle of his untidy dirty-blond hair. "Yeah."

"If you start waffling on about cat ladies, do you really think Nick is going to get that you're trying to tell him you love him?"

"Mnnnpph...." Greg drew his arms in and pressed his palms against his face, muffling the sound of his denial.

"Come on, Greggo, pull yourself together. Breathing would be a good start."

Greg dragged his head up from his arms and exhaled slowly. Leaned on his elbows across the table, staring at the open doorway in order to not have to meet Sara's eyes. Sucked a deep breath in. Just words, that's all. Just words. Thinking better of it, he squeezed his eyes shut and tried again.

"Ok. Do you have a minute, Nick?"

"Mmm," replied Sara, and Greg couldn't help smiling a little, knowing she was trying to keep her voice neutral so as not to put him off.

"I need to tell you something. Something...important."

"Sure thing, G."

If Greg used his imagination, he could almost hear the words in Nick's voice. Almost. He continued.

"I've been thinking...no, I've been feeling..." he sighed with irritation and wrapped his arms around himself, eyes still tightly shut. Deep breath.

"Ok. Don't freak out, but I have feelings for you. I was wondering if you might want to go out with me, some time. You know, like, on a date."

Greg cringed, knowing his words were lame but feeling stripped of his usual confidence and savoir-faire, even when he was only pretending to talk to Nick about his feelings.

"Because, you know, I really like you a lot, and I know we're colleagues and everything, but I think I might love - " Greg paused, hearing an unseemly crash out in the hallway. Eyes flew open.

The rapidly retreating, black-clad shape was moving quickly out of sight but Greg saw it for long enough to know. To know that he had just screwed up, as predicted, rather spectacularly.

"Oh Sara...oh shit."

Still staring at the now empty corridor and what looked to be the remains of a broken cup scattered across the floor.

Sara twisted in her seat to follow his gaze, soft brown eyes puzzled.

"He heard me. He fucking heard me."

"Wasn't that the idea? I mean, I know this was supposed to be a practice run, but.." she shrugged, turning back around to face him.

"He heard me, and he freaked out," Greg replied softly. Allowing his eyes to meet hers at last. Felt something drop in his stomach and fought the urge to drop his head back to the table and bang it repeatedly against the hard surface.

This was why falling in love with co-workers was a bad idea.

This was why telling Sara about it was an even worse idea.

This, evidently, was why allowing Sara to 'help' him was the worst idea of all.

Because Sara...was laughing? Greg scowled at her.

"Hey! I've just messed up what was probably my only chance with Nick, and you're laughing? I thought you cared more for me than that, Sidle."

She folded her arms and smiled, that extra-bright, unique Sara Sidle smile that, had he been straight, would have probably ensured that he developed a crush on her.

"For a smart guy, Sanders, you can be incredibly dumb. Don't you get it?"

When Greg shook his head, trying not to think about the speed at which Nick took off down the corridor upon hearing his words, she sighed heavily.

"He thought you were talking to me. He thought you were telling me that you had feelings for me. Asking me out on a date. Telling me that you loved me."

"No."

"Yes, Greg, think about it. There's only me and you in the room. What was he supposed to think?" She paused, inviting realization to fill the spaces between her words. "Don't you think the fact that hearing you say those things to me made him drop his cup and take off down the corridor, might indicate something? Greg?"

Greg didn't answer, because he was already on his feet. The feeling now flooding him was something close to hope. Anticipation, unexpected. He was already at the door before he turned around and dashed back into the room, dropping a messy kiss to the top of Sara's head.

"I do love you, Sara, I do. Don't tell anyone!"

As he took off down the corridor, Sara rubbed her hair and grimaced at the damp patch, before smiling, in spite of herself.

**~*~**

"Nick! Wait!" Greg's voice was loud and slightly desperate. He was out of breath, too, having looked in every lab and bathroom before drawing a blank and sprinting out into the parking lot. Nick was standing in front of his car, and his back stiffened visibly at the sound of Greg's voice.

"Nick."

Still he did not turn around. Greg's heart was racing. He knew. He knew it, now. It was just a matter of saying the words. Sara had been right all along.

"What do you want, Greg?" There was a slight crack in the words that made Greg ache.

Taking several steps forward, Greg reached for Nick's arm and spun him around. The face he looked into was both cold and pain-etched, the intense dark eyes hard.

"I was practicing," he whispered.

"What? Greg, you know what, I don't have time for this. I'm glad you told Sara straight out...it took you long enough. Forgive me if I don't want the details." Nick paused, swallowed hard and pulled out of Greg's touch. "I'm tired, I just want to go home."

Greg, emboldened by the pain in the other man's eyes, and the knowledge of what that meant, took another step forward. Right into Nick's personal space. Close enough to feel the heat emanating from his skin.

"I don't like Sara...well, not like that, anyway." Reached out and ran his hand up Nick's arm, feeling the warm skin under his fingers. The tiny hairs that stood up, following the trail of his touch. "She was...helping me."

Greg looked down at the ground and laughed softly. It wasn't so complicated. He just had to say it.

"What?"

Confusion shot through that single word and Greg looked up, sharply, shocked into silence by the intensity of the look Nick was now directing at him. Greg caught his breath. Closed his fingers around Nick's upper arm. Swallowed.

"She thought I should practice, so I wouldn't get nervous and screw it up when I decided to tell you. I guess I managed to screw it up anyway. I'm sorry."

An inexplicable sadness tinged with hope and just an edge of hysteria tore through Greg and he didn't think he had any words left. Nick leaned back against the car and rested his hands on Greg's hips, suddenly pulling him close. Making him gasp.

Maybe he had a couple of words, after all. "It's you. I love you." Greg blushed furiously but maintained eye contact.

"Thank god." Relief displaced the hardness in Nick's eyes, his lips curving slightly.

Greg smiled so hard that his jaw hurt. Ignored the swirling, circling floodtide in his gut, he leaned in, dissolving the distance, and kissed Nick.

Feeling the grasp on his hips tighten and Nick's warm mouth opening against his, Greg deepened the kiss and grabbed handfuls of Nick's t-shirt, hard. Shivered at the first collision of tongues and pressed harder into the heat he had wanted for so long. Felt Nick kiss him back with a hunger that thrilled him.

Finally pulling apart, breathless, Greg leaned his full weight on Nick, pinning him against the car, eyes closed. "Oh, man."

Nick laughed warmly. "Parking lot," he reminded gently.

"Right."

Greg righted himself and stepped back slightly, not quite letting go of Nick's arm. The look in Nick's eyes made his stomach flip in a way he suspected a thirty-year-old man's should not.

"About that date," Nick ventured, fiddling with his keys. "How about breakfast?"

Greg grinned, unconsciously raking fingers through his hair and stepping back slowly.

"Give me five minutes." He held up a spread hand illustratively, still backing away toward the building but not wanting to tear his eyes from Nick until the last moment.

He just needed to grab his stuff from his locker. And thank Sara one more time.

**FIN**

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