Title: Waiting
Author: podga
Pairing: Gil Grissom/Nick Stokes
Warning: PG
Disclaimer: Characters don't belong to me and I don't make money off of them
Summary: Gil has requested a transfer; Nick's waiting for Ecklie to respond.
(Sequel to Simple)

Good things come to those who wait.

It's become Nick's mantra these days, but he's repeating it more and more often, and each repetition convinces him less. He doesn't want to wait any more; so far waiting has only brought misgivings.

He stands up slowly, carefully. For the past hour he's been kneeling in the dirt, painstakingly digging up the body of a young woman, and his legs and back protest momentarily as he stretches. Catherine is working alongside him, sifting through the dirt he digs up. Right at the edge of the illuminated circle created by the floodlights set up around the crime scene, he can see Gil and Brass talking quietly to each other. Their faces are shadowed, but from the tilt of Gil's head, Nick can tell that he's listening intently.

Gil loves this, Nick thinks. He loves working during the night, which isolates him from the clamor of day and creates a quiet space for him to think and work in. He enjoys being with his team, a team he almost single-handedly built and fought to keep together over the years. These thoughts are not a sudden epiphany for Nick, although he almost wishes they were, because then he wouldn't feel so responsible for letting Gil do what he did.

Nick should have stopped him. At first he hadn't realized the ramifications of what Gil was proposing, but when he did, he should have stopped him. Or at least stalled him, convinced him to wait and see what would develop between them and if it would be worth it. Or proposed that he be the one to ask for a transfer, because it meant less to him and would affect far fewer people.

But he didn't. He was swept away by the pleasure of what Gil was offering him, he wallowed in it, never considering if he was worth such a gift or if he should even accept it. What can Nick possibly offer in return to someone who is giving up so much just to take a chance with him?

Nick sighs and bends back over the body again. He wonders how this young woman, ended up in the desert and if anyone is looking for her. He hopes so.

They finish with the body at dawn, but there's still the rest of the scene to be processed. Catherine hitches a ride back to the lab with Brass, taking the evidence they've gathered so far. Nick is cold and tired, but he doggedly keeps looking for evidence in the hard-packed dirt. At some point he's aware of Gil coming to stand next to him, one hand holding a clipboard, the other in his pocket.

"No news from Ecklie yet" Nick states more than asks, keeping his eyes on the ground in front of him.

"No" Gil says.

Nick doesn't say anything more. He knows Gil doesn't want to discuss personal issues during shift, especially not at a crime scene. He doesn't feel right himself doing so, and almost apologizes.

"Do we have an ID on the victim yet?" he asks instead.

"Brass got a call about a missing person that fits the description; he's going to look into it" Gil answers. "Nick, it doesn't look like we're going to find anything else out here, it's not the primary scene. We should head back as well."

In response, Nick turns off his flashlight and puts in his vest pocket. He turns and starts slowly back towards the trucks parked a small distance away from the crime scene, Gil walking next to him. They drove to the crime scene separately, so they part ways when they reach the trucks, Gil giving a slight farewell nod.

The sun is slowly climbing above the horizon, its light still weak. The smell of sagebrush is strong and sharp in the cool early morning air. Nick wonders if this will be the day Ecklie responds, and he can't tell if what he feels is anticipation or dread.