Title: Rage
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Greg Sanders/Gil Grissom
Fandom: CSI: Vegas
Rating: PG-13
Table: Emotions, mission_insane
Prompt: 4, Vengeful
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the lovely Greg Sanders or Gil Grissom, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

Gil moved around the kitchen, pouring boiling water into the mugs of cappuccino that he'd made for himself and Greg. He knew that his boyfriend would probably prefer a beer, but he didn't think that it was a good idea for Greg to drown in liquor at the moment.

The younger man was clearly shaken by what he'd seen; Gil didn't blame him for that. It had to have been frightening for him to see one of the men who had kidnapped and raped him, though he wasn't entirely sure that Greg was correct in his certainty of what he'd seen.

After all, from what Greg had told him, the man had been a fairly good distance away from him, and he'd been in near-darkness when he'd been in that house. Could he have possibly made a mistake in his identification? He hadn't heard the man's voice; he had only gotten a glimpse.

But still, something told him that Greg couldn't be wrong about this. He wasn't the kind of person who would be completely rattled by something he'd seen, even if it was a sight that terrified him. He was a rational man, and his instincts could be trusted.

Gil couldn't keep his hands from clenching into fists at the thought of what he'd like to do to that bastard if they ran into him again. He only wished that he had seen the man, that he'd been by Greg's side so that his boyfriend could have pointed his assailant out.

He wasn't going to doubt Greg. He was going to believe wholeheartedly that his boyfriend really had seen one of his rapists, and he was going to do everything in his power to make sure that the man -- and his colleagues -- were all brought to justice.

If he had been the one to see the man instead of Greg, he would have thought nothing of it -- but then, he wouldn't have had any idea who the bastard was. But seeing him had unsettled Greg to the point where his boyfriend had barely been able to function at work.

Sighing, Gil picked up the tray that he'd put the mugs, milk and sugar on, and took it into the living room. Greg was curled up on the couch, his knees pulled up to his chest, his chin rested on them, eyes closed. Gil could hear the uneven breathing, see the trembling of the young man's hands.

All he wanted to do was to take Greg into his arms and soothe him, tell him that everything would be all right, even though he himself had no idea if that statement was true. But anything that might make Greg feel better was something that he'd say, if he had to.

The CSI team had to find the men who had kidnapped and raped Greg. He was going to do all that he could to aid in that, even though he no longer worked for the crime lab. This was a mission for him; it was personal, something that would eat at his soul if he didn't accomplish it.

Greg needed the closure, and so did he. But feeling vengeful and wanting to kill all of the men who had hurt the young man he loved wasn't going to help. He couldn't approach this situation with anger; he had to look at it with calm, practical eyes, not through a haze of red.

"Thanks," Greg whispered when Gil handed him the mug of cappuccino. His hands wrapped around the mug, as though he was grateful for the warmth that the steaming liquid provided. Gil picked up his own mug, sitting back against the cushions and turning to Greg.

"Greg, I know that this is hard for you to deal with, or to even think about," he began, keeping his voice very soft and soothing. "But are you sure that the man you saw was one of your attackers? And do you remember anything about him that stood out in any way?"

Greg closed his eyes, swallowing audibly and resting his head against the couch cushions. "I know it was one of them," he whispered, his voice trembling. "It was dark most of the time in that house, but I saw some faces clearly. And I saw them when they pulled me out of the car, too."

Gil nodded thoughtfully; he'd forgotten that Greg had indeed seen some of the men who'd abducted him when they had dragged him out of the car they'd taken him to the house in. "So it was definitely one of them," he mused. "And I don't have to ask why they're following you."

"They want to get rid of me," Greg whispered, his voice even more shaky than it had been. "They know I can identify them -- and they didn't intend to let me live. I wasn't supposed to make it out of that house. So now they're after me to finish what they started."

"I'm not going to let that happen, Greg." Gil's voice was strong and firm, and he was indeed convinced of his ability to protect his boyfriend. There was no way that Greg would suffer any more harm, not now that they were finally together. He was going to make sure of that.

No one would get close enough to Greg to harm him. Not on Gil's watch. This man was too precious to him to allow anything to happen to him -- and Gil had waited too long to have Greg by his side and in his arms to let anything take that prize away from him now.

He wished that such a horrible trauma hadn't had to happen to Greg to finally bring them together, but he was confident that, in time, they would get past what had happened. They had already made great strides towards that in the short time that they'd been a couple.

The main thing now was to find a way to keep Greg safe, while still allowing him to do his job. He wouldn't be able to handle crime scenes on his own, not when this new threat was hovering over him. He'd have to partner with someone every time he went to work.

Greg wouldn't mind that too much -- at least, Gil hoped not. It was only a temporary measure, until all of the men who had kidnapped and violated him were caught. It was better for Greg to have to deal with a little annoyance at work rather than risk his life for his job.

Gil was sure that Ecklie and the rest of the crime lab would agree with him on that score. No one wanted to see Greg harmed in any way; they would all do everything that they could to track these men down, and to keep Greg safe until that had been accomplished.

He could feel the need to exact revenge on these men rising in him again; Gil tried to hold that feeling back, but it was getting more difficult by the moment. He had never thought of himself as a vengeful man, but in this case, he was leaning more about himself than he wanted to know.

He wasn't vengeful in most situations, but he'd never been faced with anything like this before. The man he loved had been kidnapped and violated, and he wasn't going to let that slide by without making sure that the men who had done so paid for their crimes to the fullest extent.

Gil had to concentrate on not letting his hands clench into fists again; he didn't want to alarm Greg by doing so. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment, trying to calm and center himself. The last thing Greg needed right now was a boyfriend who couldn't control his anger.

That anger would be appeased, he told himself firmly. They would find these men, and put them behind bars where they belonged -- for the rest of their lives. They wouldn't get away with what they had done to Greg, and his boyfriend would have closure.

"It's all going to work out, Greg," he murmured, wishing that he had something more concrete to help bolster his boyfriend's confidence. But for now, those words would have to do. They were all that he could say, all that he had to offer. At least for the moment.

But in the future, he would have more. He would be able to give Greg the closure and peace of mind that he needed, though he had no idea how he was going to manage that. Still, he had to find a way to do just that. They would have their revenge -- and it would be served hot.

Greg gave him an unsteady smile, looking as though he was trying his best to believe Gil's words. "It's hard to believe that, but I'll try," he whispered, lifting his mug and taking a sip of the steaming tea. "I have to hang on to that hope. Everything's going to be okay. It has to be."

Gil nodded, putting down his mug and wrapping both arms around Greg, drawing the younger man closer to him. With Greg in his arms, the vengeful rage receded, and he could breathe more easily. He could only hope that his words were true, and that soon, that rage would be banished forever.

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