TITLE: Special
Part of the Evidence Series (CSI)

Answer to the Birthday Challenge by elfin
Set early on in the Evidence Series.
AUTHOR: Macx
RATING: PG-13
PAIRING: Nick/Gil
ARCHIVE: yes
DISCLAIMER: CSI belongs to CBS, Alliance Atlantic, Jerry Bruckheimer, Anthony E. Zuiker and whoever else claims rights. We don't. Nu-uh! We just play with 'em.
Macx's Voice of Warning (aka Authors' Note): English is not my first language; it's German. This is the best I can do. Any mistakes you find in here, collect them and you might win a prize The spell-checker said everything's okay, but you know how trustworthy those thingies are....

***

Some days, it just didn't pay to get out of bed. Like today, Nick Stokes mused as he trudged across the lawn to the entrance of his little townhouse.

It was in the middle of the day, the sun was out, people were walking their dogs, and he received some curious glances as to why he was in this state. Well, he was a sight, he thought darkly. Splattered in mud and what-not from head to toe, featuring a spectacular rip in his shirt across the back. His skin was unbroken, though.

It had all sounded rather simple. Dead body found eighty miles out in the desert. Apparently a hiker. Grissom had assigned him the case and he had headed out in the car, prepared for everything but what had happened.

Not only had a bad weather front hit the area, no. It had apparently decided to get stuck right above where Nick was trying to examine the crime scene. It had started with a spectacular display of lightning, then rolling thunder, and finally it had rained. Hard.

And he had been caught right in the middle. And to make it worse, he had slipped on the ground, sailed down an incline, got caught in what looked like the jaws of an old metal dinosaur, and bumped his left shoulder painfully. That his wild ride had solved the case was of little consequence to the thoroughly mud-bathed man, who now had only one aim in life: get cleaned up. His car was a mess, his skin itched from the by now dried mud, he felt cold, and all he wanted was a shower and forget this day ever happened.

Nick hadn't even bothered to go back in. He had called dispatch to inform them he would head straight home. He could write his report later.

Stepping into his home, he stopped in the entrance hall, drawn between the siren call of his shower and the logical next step: don't mess up the floor, too. Nick finally decided that he could clean the entrance hall later as he undressed and dumped all his clothes, then proceeded, completely naked, to the bathroom.

***

Grissom had been home for a while now, aware that Nick was long overdue, but a call to dispatch had told him that Nick was still stuck out in the middle of Monsoon Central. The sudden thunderstorm had been on the news and roads had to be closed because of the conditions, but by that time, Nick was already past the worst areas. Since he hadn't checked back in at the lab, Grissom had decided to head over to his lover's house, where he had easily spotted the severely muddied car. It was hardly a pathfinder's work to follow the footprints and when he stumbled across the clothes in the entrance hall, he had to smile.

Yes, Nick was home.

And from the sound of it, he was in the shower.

Grissom walked over to the bathroom and peeked inside. Nick stood under the hot shower, arms against the wall, head hanging between his shoulders. The water pounded his back, cascading off his shoulders and splashing onto the floor. Most of the mud had already been washed out of his hair and face, but there were still tiny brown rivulets in the tub. Nick was completely unaware of Grissom's presence and the older man smiled. It was such an enticing sight, the slender body, the play of muscles under wet skin, and the short strands dripping water. Mouth-watering indeed.

But from the droop of the shoulders and the pinched look on Nick's face, Grissom knew his lover was far from in the mood for playing around. He was exhausted, in a bad mood, and in need for some downtime. Tip-toeing out of the bathroom again, he went to the kitchen and made some quick sandwiches, just in case Nick was hungry.

The shower was off after another minute or two, and footsteps leading to the bedroom could be heard. When Nick didn't emerge after another fifteen minutes, Grissom frowned and headed over to the bedroom. The sight made him smile.

Nick lay sprawled on top of the sheets, clad in only a towel, his hair still damp. He was on his stomach, turned away from the door, and from the looks of it, he was sleeping. Grissom took the folded afghan from the chair next to the window and covered Nick gently, then quietly left the room.

He picked up the dirty clothes and put them into the washing machine, then settled down in the living room, with a book on his lap and a sandwich in his hands. Time for everything else later.

* * *

Nick woke, feeling much refreshed and in a better mood than when he had fallen asleep. He yawned and stretched, briefly wondering why he was on top of the covers, wrapped in a towel and blanketed by the afghan. The last he remembered was taking a shower and collapsing on the bed. Must have been more out of it than I thought, Nick mused. He padded into the bathroom, still semi-asleep, and took a quick shower, brushed his teeth, and slipped into a pair of sweats. The small clock in the bathroom told him it was four in the afternoon. Time enough to grab a bite to eat, watch the news and then head over to the lab later. Nick walked out of the bathroom only to stop dead in his tracks. The table was set for two and there was a candle in the middle of it. Freshly squeezed orange juice and coffee, pancakes and bacon, toast and cereal.

"What.?" he blurted. "Gil?"

Grissom stood at the kitchen counter, smiling at him, busy with the last batch of pancakes. "Sit down before it goes cold."

"What. why. how.?" Nick stuttered.

Not that they hadn't had afternoon breakfasts before. As a nightshift CSI eating habits were odd, though Sara topped odd by a long shot sometimes. She could eat steak and eggs for breakfast as easily as she could live off coffee a whole shift. But this looked like more than a simple get-together-meal.

Grissom carried the last plate of pancakes over, then turned to his very baffled lover. He picked up a slice of peeled orange, slipped an arm around the slender waist and pulled him close. Nick automatically accepted the orange and chewed on it.

"Happy birthday, Nicky."

Birthday. His birthday. His. birthday.

Nick's eyes widened. Shit, he had forgotten about that. With all the cases and time pressure lately, his birthday had been the last thing on his mind. Not even the small mountain of mail from his family, which was now neatly sitting on the side table, had managed to jolt his memory. And if today was his birthday. Then.

Nick closed his eyes and groaned as if in pain.

"Damn," he breathed.

Grissom's arms tightened and he felt wonderfully warm lips next to his ear. "Not a sentiment I'd have expected today." The spot beneath his ear was nibbled and Nick felt his knees go weak.

"I forgot," he sighed, his own arms around Grissom now, head buried in the other man's neck.

"You forgot your birthday?"

"Yeah, that, too."

"What else?"

Nick drew a deep breath, aware of the unique scent that was Grissom, and wishing he had some time to rectify his mistake.

"Yours."

There was a moment of silence, then Grissom pushed back a little to look at him. His eyes were sparkling gently. "Mine?"

"Yeah. Yours was yesterday, right? One day before mine. I've known it ever since you told us not to bother. I mean, it was okay then," he babbled on. "We were just colleagues. Now. You'd think I'd have thought of it, since it's just a day before mine.. I'm sorry, Gil."

"Well, you forgot yours, Nicky," Grissom teased, smiling. "You're excused."

"No excuse, man! I mean. I forgot everything! I know I wanted to give you something special, but with everything going on I." Nick shook his head, looking angry. "Shit, listen to me. Looking for more excuses. I'm sorry, Gil. I simply forgot."

He tried to push away but Grissom held him tightly.

"Nick, it's just another day. I've never celebrated it before, I don't expect it to be celebrated now. I just got the team to accept that," he teased. "Even Catherine, who keeps reminding me to be more human."

"All the more reason to do it now!" Nick insisted. "You're special to me, Gil. I wanted to give you something on this day. I mean, I know Christmas and such is just another day, too. It's a marketing strategist's dream. But your birthday is only for you. I." He broke off.

"Nicky," Grissom said softly, rubbing his lover's back. "It's okay. You don't have to give me anything. You gave me something very special already and nothing, no present on whatever day, can top that."

"Huh?"

Grissom framed his face with his hands and then leaned in for a gentle kiss. Nick opened his lips, met the inquisitive tongue, and briefly lost himself in the loving contact.

"You, Nick," Grissom told him when they separated. "I have you. You're the most special thing I've ever been given. You gave this freely, without second thoughts, without strings attached, and it's why I love you."

Nick stood stunned, gazing at the older man, meeting the warm blue eyes, speechless. No one had ever seen him as a gift - except his mother, who had told him he was her little treasure. But these simple words out of the mouth of the man he loved so deeply touched something inside of him he hadn't felt before.

"Wow," he murmured.

Grissom smiled mischievously and gave him a little push toward the set table. "Now let's eat something before it goes cold."

"Gil?" Nick stopped him.

"Yes?"

"Thanks," he whispered and placed another kiss on the wonderful lips of his lover.

Grissom smiled and traced his fingers along Nick's jaw line. "Happy birthday."

"Yeah, happy birthday."

A twinkle appeared in Nick's eyes as he studied the other man. "So, what did you get me?" he teased.

Grissom suddenly smiled impishly. "I had been thinking about a night out of town, just the two of us, but maybe a car wash and a batch of new clothes might be better."

Nick cuffed his arm playfully, laughing. "A car wash for my birthday? Only you could think of that."

"I pride myself with originality."

Nick rested his forehead against Grissom's and smiled. "Yeah, you're one of a kind. My one of a kind."

"Possessive," Gil murmured.

"Of you? Very much."

"So, the car wash is a no go?"

Nick chuckled. "Uh-huh. Gotta do better than that."

"Oh well, then the night out of town it is."

"Cool. Where to?"

Grissom's hands slipped under his t-shirt and Nick smiled more as teasing fingers explored his back.

"There's this little cabin out in Zion National Park."

Nick's smile widened. "Yeah, I remember that."

It was where he had taken Grissom when they were still quite early in their relationship, where he had gone all the way for the very first time. Where they had made love, he thought fondly. Where he had truly discovered the depth of Gil Grissom. Where a lot of memories were stored in a tiny space.

"It's my gift to you."

"Thanks. You didn't have to go such a length. I mean, a nice ticket to a game would have been enough."

Gil's mouth nibbling along his neck made Nick almost crazy and the exploring fingers did their part.

"It's your thirty-third birthday. The first we celebrate together," Grissom said softly. "I wanted it to be something special. And it roughly coincides with our anniversary."

Nick chuckled. "Yeah. Very roughly."

They shared more kisses, nipping and licking at each other's lips.

"Gil?"

"Hm?"

"Food?"

"Having some."

Nick grinned and kissed the other man's nose, drawing a nose twitch from his lover. He always did that when Nick decided to place a kiss there. "We have to be in in a few hours."

"Enough time," was the reply.

"For food and then some?"

"I'll take the 'then some' first."

"Has someone ever told you that you're insatiable," Nick asked breathlessly between trying to devour his lover and maneuvering around the table.

"I take it as a compliment every time," was the equally breathless reply.

Nick smiled, glancing at the beautifully set table again. Grissom blew out the candle as they passed. Pancakes tasted good when reheated, too, Nick decided, then let himself be steered to the bedroom by his lover. Somewhere on the way he lost his shirt and stumbled out of his pants while tugging at Grissom's shirt in the process.

Well, sometimes did pay to get out of bed - even if you ended up in it not such a long time afterwards.