Title: The Open Door
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Greg Sanders/Nick Stokes
Fandom: CSI: Vegas
Rating: PG-13
Table: 1drabble
Prompt: 39, Death
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination,and I make no profit from it. I do not own the lovely Greg Sanders or Danny Nagano, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

"When one door closes, I guess another one opens."

Greg looked down at Jonah's headstone, a small smile playing around the corners of his lips. "You'd say that, wouldn't you? You know it's true."

He laid the flowers that he had brought on the headstone, liking the way that the bright blossoms looked against the somber grey of the stone. Jonah had always liked flowers, he remembered. They'd had vases of fresh flowers around the apartment whenever Jonah had stayed with him.

Nick liked flowers, too, even though he might not remember to fill vases with them every day. But he appreciated the beauty of nature as much as Jonah had.

The two men were alike, in a lot of ways.

They were both amazing people, each in their different ways, Greg told himself. And he had been lucky enough to have both of them love him -- and to love them back.

Jonah might be gone now, but the memories of what they had shared could never be taken away from him. He would always have those memories to look back on, moments that could make him smile. He was grateful to have had that time with Jonah, to have been able to know him.

Life moved on, and even though death closed one door firmly, it opened others. Jonah wouldn't want him to mourn for the rest of his life. He understood that.

Jonah had wanted him to be with Nick. He had known that Greg's heart still moved in that direction, and he would have wanted things to be as they were now.

He'd understood that when one door was firmly closed, another one could spring open. He had known that this was the right thing for Greg, and he hadn't wanted the man he loved to be alone. Jonah had given him the greatest gift that anyone ever could have -- the gift of freedom.

He didn't have to feel guilty for loving Nick, though he had at first. It wasn't a betrayal of Jonah and what they'd had together. He was merely walking through the open door.

That was what Jonah would have wanted for him.

Greg smiled as he got to his feet, looking at the bright pink of the flowers for a long moment. He knew that it would be a while before he was here again.

It had taken him a while, but he had finally come to terms with Jonah's death, and with moving forward. This was what he had to do, and what Jonah would have wanted for him. Greg looked up at the sky, a soft smile on his lips. He was sure that somewhere, Jonah was smiling, too.

Turning, he walked out of the cemetery, his heart light. One door had closed, but another had opened, and he'd been right to take the opportunity it offered.

He would never regret walking through that open door.

***