Title: With One Hand
Author: Meg-Of-The-Moon
Pairing: Nick/Greg
Rating: PG-13
Author's Notes: Inspired by a quote from Percy Bysshe Shelley. "Soul meets soul on lovers' lips".
Summary: Nick's still having nightmares about the burial.

***

"With one hand,

You calm me.

With one hand,

I'm still"

Nick's having nightmares again. He's back in the ground and there's a bright light. There's a tape-recorder, a gun with one case of bullets and some green strobe lights.

It's hot and the light flickers on and off. He's trapped and scared and suddenly claustrophobic. He's scared of green lights and being in tight spaces where the walls could crack and collapse on him at any second. He's terrified of ants now, they're evil and painful and some bites will scar. He feels like Snow White, from the horror version who's buried alive, conscious but paralysed, not the down played, sweet old Disney version.

He regrets not saying things like telling Warrick to just kiss Catherine Already, Tell Sara she should take a break from work for once. Most importantly, tell Greg that he loves him and has done since they met in the crime lab when he was going to finally give the day tech a piece of his mind for always taking ages with the night shift's things. He understands that the guy is processing two shifts but it takes the Mickey when he got his samples in half-an-hour before Jesse from day shift and Jesse got his samples back two days ago and Nick's still waiting for his.

He doesn't like being Snow White. As a boy he wanted to be Prince Charming who came up galloping on his pure white steed and saved the day with his dashing good looks, snowy white smile and quick thinking. Now look at him, he's the damsel in distress and he's waiting for his team of prince Charmings to come and save him but then reality, or is it fear, hits and he begins to realise that they don't know he's missing and he's going to die in this coffin, whether he suffocates or is eaten alive.

He jerks awake, a scream tearing from his throat and suddenly there's a hand. He's home, in bed, a year after the burial and he's said all the words he wanted to. The hand runs through his hair, soothes down the hair that's spiking in every direction possible then running down his neck, chest and finally rubbing at his stomach. It comes back up and tugs Nick's face to it's owner's own head and the two touch foreheads. Sarah finally took a break, Warrick kissed Catherine and he married her instead of Tina. And best of all...

Greg knows he loves him.

And loves him back.

***