Title: Untitled
By: Caroline Crane
Pairing: Nick/Greg
Rating: PG

It's the first time he's been out on a solo since...well, he tries not to think about that night. Especially not now, because the convenience store's well-lit and yeah, there are cops milling around somewhere, but he's still more or less alone.

He's not really sure how long he's been here; long enough to photograph the entire scene and lift about a thousand prints that will lead nowhere, and long enough for the abandoned store to start to feel a little creepy. The sound of his phone ringing makes him jump, and he wills his heart to slow down as he digs it out of his pocket and flips it open. "Sanders."

"Hey."

And it's funny how the sound of Nick's voice instantly calms him, but Greg's not going to analyze that right now. Not when he finally feels warm for the first time all night, and he sits back on his heels and forgets about collecting evidence for a minute. "Hey. I thought you were tied up on the interstate."

"We cleared the scene a lot faster than Gris expected," Nick answers, and Greg waits for him to make a joke about their boss's faith in his team, but it never comes. "I'm headed back to the lab now. Listen, G, you okay out there? I can swing by..."

"No, it's okay," Greg answers automatically, though there's a part of him that wants to say 'yes' and 'please' and 'hurry'. Instead he grips the phone a little tighter and nods, like he's trying to convince himself that he's okay. "I'm almost finished anyway."

"Okay." For a few seconds there's silence on the other end of the line, and Greg knows Nick's about to hang up. He tells himself it's fine, that he doesn't need Nick babysitting him just because he's out in the field alone. He doesn't, and he's going to have to get used to doing solos again if he wants Grissom to take him seriously. But instead of hanging up Nick clears his throat, and a second later he's talking again. "You sure? I don't mind, G. If anybody knows how it feels..."

That's the closest either of them ever get to saying it, really. They just don't talk about it, because what's there to say? It's a dangerous job; they all knew that when they signed up, and talking about it isn't going to change anything. Still, it's nice to know that Nick gets it, and Greg grins into the receiver as he stands up and gets back to work. "I'm sure. But if you're that bored you can talk to me while I finish up here."

He pictures Nick's smile on the other end of the line as he pulls another fingerprint off the cash register, and for the first time all night he's not thinking about how pointless it is to dust for prints in place as public as this. Instead he's listening to Nick's voice describe the details of the fatal carjacking he and Warrick spent their night on, and he lets Nick catch him up on the case Catherine and Sara spent their night on. All of which is a lot more interesting than what Greg's spent his night doing, but he doesn't really mind when Nick's keeping him company.

And there's a part of him that still wishes he'd told Nick that yes, he could use the company, and let Nick drive out to the middle of nowhere just to check up on him. Still, just the sound of Nick's voice is so relaxing that he barely reacts when the bell sounds over the front door of the convenience store, and he glances up in time to watch one of the cops on duty walk in.

"Everything okay?" Nick asks, tension creeping into his voice and that fills Greg with a whole different kind of warmth. Because Nick cares, and he never has to say it because he shows it all the time.

"Yeah." Greg nods at the cop and drops the last envelope in his kit, then he straightens up and fishes in his jacket for his car keys. "I'm about to head back to the lab. Wanna stay on the line and talk dirty to me on the ride back?"

Nick laughs at that, the soft, embarrassed laugh that sounds best when it's right in Greg's ear. Except usually they're in the same room when he hears it, and now he really wishes he'd let Nick drive out here to check up on him. "Get your ass back here and I'll say whatever you want."

"Anything?"

"Yeah, G," Nick answers, still laughing but Greg can tell he means it. "Just hurry up."

"I'm on my way."

He flips his phone closed and slides into his car, turning the key and pressing down hard on the gas. There's no one around to see him speeding down the deserted road, and even if there was, it's worth the risk when Nick's waiting for him at home.