Title: Trust
By: karen/s
Pairing: Gil/Nick
Summary: Someone needs some advice. (Almost a drabble.)

"Definitely caught me by surprise..."

"You had no warning?"

He took a sip of his tea and looked around the quiet garden. Closing his eyes and lifting his face towards the sun, "None at all."

// "I don't know what I'm gonna do..."

"I think you do. You've talked all the way around it, bro, and if you were gonna tell her no and stay with me then she would be the one here for this discussion."

"I'd better go...//

"Most male/male relationships tend to be rather transitory."

He smiled sadly and reached into his pocket. "That's been my experience, but this led me to believe that we were in it for the long haul." He looked down at the expensive white and yellow gold band before looking up into her dark eyes. "That's a little expensive for just a token." He grinned. "At least in my wage bracket."

She smiled back in genuine amusement and then gestured towards the delicate china teapot. The young man nodded. "So what do you believe changed?"

Eyes that generally danced with amusement grew somber.

"She came back."

"So they'd been together before."

When he looked up this time, there was anger. "She hurt him. She was a drug user and couldn't give it up. It damned near killed him to walk away, but he did. He- he almost started gambling again. But just the one time, and I stayed with him. He stopped after about fifteen minutes and never went back."

"You're sure."

"Yes. I tried to be there for him as much as I could. I already l- loved him, and so that part wasn't hard. What was hard was not doing too much for him, smothering him, you know? After a while, our friendship became more...everything."

She gently covered his hand with one of her own. "That is common, I have found."

"Gris said that you were an excellent judge of human nature."

She smiled. "And that's why you're here talking to a virtual stranger rather than a friend."

"Well...that and-" He took a quick sip of his tea. "I want to figure out what went wrong...was it me? Something I did...something I didn't do? Why was it so easy for him to walk back to her?"

"It wasn't you, Nicky..."

The younger man looked up as Grissom walked out onto the patio. "I had a feeling she might have called you when she went into the house a bit ago." The older man nodded and sat facing the pair. He looked tired and frustrated.

"I was looking for you anyway." Gris arched one eyebrow. "Your cell phone seems to be turned off."

Nick looked down at the table. "I got really tired of being told that people were sorry."

"People being Sarah and Catherine."

Nick grimaced. "Even Brass got on the pity train..."

Grissom tilted his head. "I don't know which one surprises me more, Jim or Sarah..." He was gratified when Nick actually laughed, but sobered. "Nick, I was glad Lady Heather called me. I wanted to talk to you before work tonight."

Nick looked up sharply. "What's wrong?"

The older man sighed. "Warrick resigned. He came in shortly after you left and submitted his resignation. He will be traveling with- her."

Nick heard the momentary hesitation and appreciated not having to hear the bitch's name out loud. "There was no way to talk him out of it?"

Grissom frowned. "No, his mind was made up. I just hope it isn't the biggest mistake of his life."

Lady Heather spoke up. "If it was, he will be back. This is where he has ties and people that he can trust."

Nick stood abruptly and turned to walk away. "Trust has to go both ways." Moments later the front door could be heard closing.

Lady Heather smiled at Grissom.

"So ironic. Nick loves someone he doesn't trust, and trusts someone he doesn't love." She looked into the startled blue eyes. "Maybe you have your chance, after all."

The End