Title: Wolverine Blues
By: viva-nova
Pairing: Nick/Greg
Rating: NC17
Genre: romance, drama
Warnings: Violence and/or graphic sexual content, WiP
Cross-story: X Men/CSI
Beta: _slytherin_girl
Credit: geekwriter143 (For Mrs. Palmbach, who shows up in chapter six)
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters (although owning Nick and Greg would be nice *s* p.s. - I‘m sorry, I can't shave Nick‘s head - I know it's season five, but...)

***

(One - The Mutants)

The first person to greet Nick, Greg and Grissom at the Charles Xavier School for Gifted Children was Professor Xavier himself. Calm, gracious and professional, he led them into the front hall of the school. "Welcome to my school. I hope that you'll be able to find the 31 missing students from what was left behind. I've tried locating them myself, but so far have been unsuccessful."

"What methods are you using to find these children?" Grissom asked. "Nick, take Greg into the kitchen and start processing the first scene there."

Being alone with him makes me so nervous! Charles chuckled to himself when he caught the tail-end of the younger man's thought as the two of them were led by an officer into the kitchen.
"May I ask what you're laughing at?" Grissom inquired, cocking his head. "And I believe you were going to tell me how you were trying to find the missing children. Maybe you'd also like to tell me what went on earlier tonight." The two of them passed by several uniforms, talking to a couple of teenagers in their pyjamas.

"Please, come into my office." Xavier opened a door to reveal a large, oak-paneled room with an expansive desk and a blackboard. Books covered two of the walls, and a huge window dominated a third.

"Mr. Grissom, I'd like to let you know what sort of school I run here. My children are not gifted in the same way that you were gifted as a child. My school houses children, teenagers and adults that are genetically different than yourself. The common term is ‘mutant'." Grissom raised an eyebrow.

"Mutant?"

"Yes. If you test any of our DNA, you'll find massive and extensive aberrations on each strand. My school is a haven for these children that have been rejected by their families, or have just come to a school where they are ‘normal'. Mutants are not well-responded to in your society." Grissom eyed Xavier cautiously, a question forming in his mind.

"Yes, there are families who will disown their children because they are different. Here, they are safe." Xavier responded. Grissom looked uncharacteristically surprised. "I'm telepathic," the Professor explained. "I read thoughts, I can make you hear mine as well." The man that your CSI's are looking for is in the gym, sparring. Again, Grissom looked startled. His phone rang.


(Two - The Kitchen)

Greg kneeled by the fridge to examine the first body.

"He looks like he's got three stab wounds through his body armour... what sort of knife or object could get through that?" Nick turned from the counter, where he was dusting for fingerprints. A thought flashed through his mind of Greg... kneeling... He squashed the image before it was barely formed. What the hell are you doing, Nick? You have to be professional. The second thought was about how when someone talks to himself, it's in second-person. Odd.

"Don't know, Greggo. We'll have to get the body to Doc Robbins and see what he says. According to the officers that responded to the call, most of the bodies have similar wounds. I've got a couple of good prints here. It's too bad you're not in the lab anymore, you were the best." Oops, was that too much? Greg looked up at Nick again, a lazy smile playing around his lips.

"I know. I'm smart, I'm talented, I'm fast, and don't forget... I'm good looking, too. I just miss being able to have a cup of my Hawaiian Blue whenever I want. This guy doesn't look like he's got any other trauma. Let's get him bagged and...." He trailed off, looking at the closed fridge. "Would you get a load of this." He pointed at three diagonal slash marks that cut right through the door. "What the hell are we dealing with?" Usually being so close to Nick flustered Greg, but there was something about this crime scene that was just... strange.

"I'm going to call Griss and tell him that we're going to the hallway to check out the next scene." Nick flipped his phone open and dialed. "Hey Griss? Yeah. We're going to the... what? What?? How do you know? O...kay... Yeah, we‘ll be careful." He hung up. Greg looked at him, expectantly. "We're going to the gymnasium. Griss just told me that our suspect is in there."

"Is he dangerous?"

"Griss just said to be careful." A shot of fear ran through Greg, and he had the absurd urge to hold Nick's hand. This was only his third time in the field, and all of a sudden he missed his little glass box, with its great coffee and his CD collection.

(Three - The Gym)

She was almost on top of Wolverine before he managed to duck out and rake his claws up her side. She was his favourite sparring partner, but she was cold. There was no passion when she fought him, and it was confusing. He let all his rage out on her, and it provoked no response. It seemed as interesting to her as watching a boring movie. Yet she was more than his equal, she was his superior. As she wheeled away from him, wounds healing almost spontaneously, her own claws unsheathed and she stabbed him in the side. Blood squirted down his shirt.

Logan was livid about what had happened earlier in the evening, and even more furious that he had been told to wait behind. When he met Karma in the gym, it was natural that they turned on each other.

"Shit. SHIT," he yelled. "Get back here, you fucking BITCH." Karma had leapt away and was crouched in a nook, high up on a wall. She smiled coolly down at him, her dark eyes cold and unresponsive.

Both of them started when the gym door swung open. Karma hopped blithely down from her perch to meet the newcomers. Both the men were amazed at her agility and her ability to land neatly from a nearly twenty-foot jump.

"I'm Nick Stokes and this is Greg Sanders. We're here to question you about what happened tonight. And you are...?"

"Wolverine."

"Karma."

"Could I get your real names, please?" Greg asked. Logan scowled at him.

"It's Logan." He dared the skinny, freckled geek to ask more questions.

"Is that a first name or a last name?"

"It's Logan." Greg shot Nick a fast glance. Nick nodded at him. Greg turned to the girl.

"Olivia Huntington. I use Karma." She half-smiled at him, and held out her hand. He shook it, tentatively.

I can't stop thinking about Nick. It's killing me, the smell of him when he leans over my shoulder, the touch of his chest against my back, I want him to take me home and... take me. Hard. I want his mouth on mine, I want to taste him. I want him to taste ME. To suck him and fuck him and have him make me all his. Oh God, I think I'm in love with him.

She smiled broadly. Greg's face dropped comically and he flushed dark red. "Just remember, Greg. You can't control Karma, but when Karma touches you, you can't stop it." Logan stalked away. "Don't mind him. He's... temperamental. Especially after what happened tonight. The professor wanted some of us to stay behind to talk to people like you."

"Well," Nick started, "would you mind telling us your account of what went on tonight?" Eyewitnesses were the worst evidence that a CSI could base his judgment on, but it was, at least, a start.
"Well, I was getting ready for bed when I heard Logan yell from the kitchen. I came out of my bedroom and there were men in black suits, helmets and guns running towards me. Several of them broke into the students' rooms and fired at them. I don't think they were standard rounds, as one of them shot me, too. It stuck to my skin, like a dart." Nick frowned. "Did Professor Xavier not tell you what sort of school this is?" Nick shook his head. Greg simply watched. "Sir, you might want to get your camera out for this one." She smiled brightly at him, and shot out her claws. "Adamantium," she continued. "The strongest metal in existence. Only a sub-atomic particle beam can cut it, but other than that, it's utterly indestructible. I heal very quickly, too." Greg snapped two or three pictures of her, then brought out what looked to Karma like an extra-long Q-tip.

"May I swab... your... things?" She laughed.

"Sure." Greg put on his latex gloves and got the swabs ready.

"Do they hurt?"

"Yes." He quickly wiped down each blade and sprayed the cotton tips with Luminol. They turned red.

"Positive."

"Of course it is," she said. "I had to defend myself somehow. The three that are in the dorm hallway are mine, there is one in the kitchen and five more between the foyer and the kitchen. Those are Logan's. We had to get the other ones out safely. I don't know where they took those kids. I don't know. What are they going to do to them?" She looked at Nick, angry. "And here you are, judging me on what I am, making me look like a killer. I was defending them!" Nick put his hand on her arm and got the shock of his life.

He loves you, he really does. He wants to touch you and feel you inside him, love him, kiss him and take him all the way.

Nick looked at her, startled. She dropped her voice.

"I'm a sensitive kinetic, as well. I can touch objects and know things. I can't wear gloves because of the adamantium, so I have to be careful with what or who I touch." Her voice came back to a normal level. "We are a school of mutants, but there isn‘t anything to fear from us. If you need anything else from me, please let me know."

"Uh, we're going to need a DNA sample from you," Greg piped up. He was oblivious to what had passed between Nick and Karma.

"Of course." He swabbed the inside of her mouth and took her fingerprints. "Just... don't judge me because I'm different. Logan is angry about it, but... the people here have been very good to me."

"We don't think you're bad or that you're a killer," Nick said quietly. "We just want to know what happened, here."

"I hope you find out the truth, Mr. Stokes." (Four - Nick's truck)

The two of them sat in Nick's truck outside the school, a deep, uncomfortable silence between them.

"I don't like that place," Nick started. "That Logan guy has serious aggression issues."

"I dunno," Greg said, and laughed. "I think it'd be pretty cool to have mutant powers. Can you imagine being able to... I don't know... fuck someone from across the room, with your mind?" Nick chuckled and looked at his hands, which gripped the steering wheel.

"What do you mean? Mental intercourse? Or just screwing with their head?"

"Mental intercourse, duh." Greg reached over with both hands and joggled Nick's head. Laughing, Nick reached up and took Greg's hands to remove them. Suddenly he found his mouth on Greg's and his hands slid up Greg's arms and laced themselves behind the younger man's neck. The kiss was hot and urgent, nothing like Nick had ever felt before. Gently, he pulled away.

"We can't let Griss catch us here. Plus, we have to get the evidence back to the lab." Greg looked at him, his eyes dark and his mouth swollen. Nick had the overwhelming need to kiss him again.

"When can we....?"

"After shift ends. I'll meet you out in the parking lot. You can follow me to my place." Greg smiled lopsidedly, and Nick's gut lurched. It was the first time Greg's smile seemed not-so-innocent. Nick planted one more quick kiss on that mouth, and started the truck.



(Five - Doc Robbins‘ Autopsy)

"This man died of three stab wounds to the upper chest area, shearing right through the adipose tissue and severing his aorta. He bled out, and fast. There‘s also a secondary blood source on these wounds. I‘ve swabbed them and sent them to trace for DNA." Robbins pointed to a large black-purple area surrounding the puncture marks. "Post-mortem bruising, too large even for a pitchfork. Broken ribs, underneath. Just like the others."

"It's from a fist," Nick mentioned. "We met the woman who did it. Her name's Olivia Huntington. Her prints check out in AFIS. There's no history on her, aside from her admission papers to the school in 1994." Robbins interrupted him.

"You mean a woman did this? There's no way she'd have the strength to cause damage like this. The vic's ribs were shattered. It would take a huge amount of force to leave a bruise like that." Nick shrugged.

"She admitted to it. She's a pretty amazing woman. Did anything come back on the tox screen?"

"No, he's clean."

"Anything else I need to know?" Dr. Robbins shook his head. "I'm going to call Griss, I think. See if we can get Miss Huntington to come in so we can cast her... weapons."


(Six - The School)

"What are you doing, talking to them?" Wolverine stood in the doorway of Karma's bedroom. She had just hung up the phone. "Do you want them to bring attention to us? Do you want the school closed?" His voice crept up in volume. "Do you even know what you're doing?"

"Yes, I do." She stood and faced him. "I am going to help those two young men catch who invaded our school, our privacy and our lives." She brushed by him and he grabbed her by the arm, hard.

"You disgust me," he hissed. "You side with the people who look at us like we're freaks. These guys want nothing more than to make us into their newest science project." She regarded him impersonally.

"I'm not afraid of you, Logan. I know what you don't. Just hope that I don't tell you who you were... before." She ran her hand through his hair and he jerked away. "I am tired, I'm angry and I'm very sick of your ‘I'm-so-pissed' song and dance. I'm going to meet with those boys, and I'm going to help them in any way I can."

"I hope Charles knows what you're doing," Wolverine growled. She stopped for a moment, thinking, then smiled.

"He does."


(Seven - The Lab - Karma)

Karma sat grimly, her right arm extended, claws unsheathed. Nick casted her whole arm, up to the elbow. A cup of coffee sat by her left hand, Hawaiian Blue. She thanked Greg absently when he offered it to her, and had only drank a few sips.

"Are you uncomfortable, ma'am?" Nick asked, his Texan charm coming through. Greg smiled at him, a sweet smile that said everything.

"A little. Nothing I haven't felt before. It's just... cold. And wet." She laughed a little, and Nick returned Greg's smile. It was apparent to her that while they were doing their job professionally and efficiently, they were in their own world together. "Do you think this is very strange? My being here, so you can test me?"

"It's certainly admirable, ma'am," Nick said. "With the way you guys are treated in the media, you'd think that mutants are born with 14 heads and fangs and claws and just want to hurt us. I‘ve never been in close contact with one before."

"It's Karma, and no. We don't want to hurt you. I don't think I've ever seen a mutant with more than one head, either. Claws and fangs, definitely..." She waved her left hand around, "...tails, fur, the occasional set of horns... but never more than one head." Greg's beeper went off, and he excused himself. They had sent the hairs she had gotten from Logan's head to Mia, to establish his own DNA pattern in comparison to hers. Nick and Karma sat in relative silence until Greg bounded back into the examination room.

"You are NOT going to believe this!" He exclaimed. "How well do you know this Logan guy?"

"Well enough," she said, dryly. "There's no love lost between us, I can assure you."

"There may be no love lost, but there's also no DNA lost between you, either. You've got eight alleles in common on your strands. Congratulations, you've got a brother!" Nick stripped the latex mold off of Karma's arm and filled it with plaster while she sat there, utterly dumbfounded. It amazed him that such a violent weapon could come out of a smooth, delicate hand like hers. I wonder what Greg's hands feel like? He thought, and shivered. He had a suspicion he'd know within a few hours.

"My brother? He can't stand me. I don‘t remember having a brother, and he has no memory of me, either. I guess that would explain the similar mutations. If one of my... our... parents had the mutant gene, then chances are two out of three that it's passed on to the children." Both Greg and Nick sat back, impressed. Suddenly, Greg slapped himself on the forehead and left the room, muttering.

"Greggo's got more energy than anyone I know," Nick smiled. "He's forgotten to get his neighbour to feed his fish, I'll bet."

"He cares very much about you."

"I know he does," Nick admitted. "Thanks for letting me know, though. God, I thought he just flirted with everyone!" He laughed.

"But it's you he wants. Here he comes." Greg came back into the room.

"Sorry, guys. I forgot to call Mrs. Palmbach before my shift started, to get her to feed my fish." Both Nick and Karma laughed. "What?"

"I knew it, Greggo. Don't worry, we're off in an hour." He tipped Greg what he thought was a subtle wink. "Well, ma'am... we'll contact you if we need anything else."


(Seven - The Lab - Greg)

Before Karma showed up, Nick and Greg prepared the exam room for her. Greg could barely keep himself under control with the older man being so close to him. Having Nick hover over his shoulder didn't seem quite so harmless anymore. He could smell Nick's cologne, his clean clothes and what must be Just Nick's Smell.

Nick watched Greg buzz around and smiled. This was the Greg he was attracted to, who always thrummed with an almost-electric sort of drive. Even when he was sitting still, he was never actually at rest. He bobbed his knees and tapped his fingers, nodded his head as if following his own beat.

Greg couldn't understand how Nick was so calm all the time. He hoped that the last two hours of their shift together would go quickly, so he could take Nick home, where the walls were thick and dear old Mrs. Palmbach respected his privacy.

When Karma came in, Greg was amazed at her transformation, between meeting her in the gym at the school and now. Before, her dark hair had been in a loose ponytail and she was wearing close-fitting track pants and a tank top, no makeup, and sneakers. Now, her hair was loose, falling almost to her waist and she wore... well... Greg would consider it business-casual: a short-sleeved white blouse and a black skirt, and open-toed sandals. But when he saw the colour of her hair, he thought of Nick's, which was also dark and thick. He was dying to feel the texture of it in his hands. Later, later, he reminded himself. Work has to be done now and playtime comes after. This could possibly be the longest two hours of his entire life.

Things progressed smoothly enough, she sat with her arm out while Nick took the mold of it and Greg even offered her a cup of his famous Hawaiian Blue coffee, which she barely touched. When his beeper went off, he excused himself and paid Mia a visit.

"Hey, what've you got?" She handed him the printout.

"Look at these anomalies. Have you ever seen anything like this before? Compare this with a normal DNA strand. This is crazy!" Seeing the actual test results on paper drove the point home to Greg, who had been a lab rat for the entirety of his career with the Las Vegas CSI. He had never been the one to see the physical evidence, he had only dealt with the paperwork. "Oh, and here's the results between your Logan guy and Olivia Huntington. They've got eight alleles in common, which means he's either her father or her brother. I'm making the call for brother, since what you said about them being close in age." Greg nodded, concentrating on the paper in front of him. "The blood that Doc Robbins gave me from..." She leafed through a pile of files, "...Hey Greg?"

"Yeah."

"Are they..."

"Mutants? Yeah. She's pretty cool, he's sort of an asshole." Understatement of the century, Greg, he chided himself. That guy would have been more than happy to tear you a new one.

"The reason I'm asking is not only because of the DNA, but her blood reacted really strangely to the EDTA that I added to thin it. Blood cells generally can't live in it for very long, but hers absorbed it completely."

"Yeah," Greg said for a third time. "She's got regenerative abilities, too. Did you find anything on the dart that she was shot with?"

"Yeah, it's a tranquilizer dart. I'm surprised it didn't knock her out entirely - from the size of the chambers and what was in them, there was enough drug in them to take out an elephant." Greg thought it might have something to do with her ability to heal, and Mia agreed with him.

"I'm going to take this back and show Nick." He made a kiss-face at Mia and left the lab. He realized that he missed it, but knew that being in the field was right for him.

The moment he barged into the exam room, his senses were full of Nick: the sight of his smile, those beautiful white teeth; the mouth that had been on his not three hours previously; his hands, which were large and strong-looking; his shoulders; and That Smell again. He felt like he was blushing, but the blood certainly wasn't in his face. Knob, he thought, and almost slapped himself on the forehead. That word only made it worse. He managed to cover his churning guts and emotions and announced what Mia had told him. She took it well, he thought, all things considered.

"Well, ma'am," Nick said in that voice that made Greg's skin want to crawl right off his body and wrap itself around the other man, "We'll contact you if we need anything else." After she left, Nick made some notes to the growing case-file. Greg hovered over his shoulder, reading.

Self-defense, suspect (victim?) shows no sign of injury due to genetic mutation causing regeneration of the body's tissues. She seems non-aggressive and eager to help. Need to keep tabs on her anyway, just in case.

"Do you want to get some breakfast when we're done?" Greg asked. Nick turned, bumping Greg's chest with his shoulder. "I make way better pancakes than any restaurant around here."

"Sure," Nick answered, casually. "I'll meet you out in the parking lot in half an hour. I'm dying for a shower before we go." (Eight - The Lot)

Greg leaned on his car, waiting for Nick to come out of the lab. He still couldn't get over how hot it was at six in the morning, as he squinted in the early-morning sun. His heart damn-near stopped when Nick emerged from the building. His thick black hair was still wet and he had changed into a close-fitting t-shirt and jeans. He walked over to Greg, flashed him that patented Nick Stokes smile, and leaned against Greg's car beside him.

"Ready for the best breakfast of your life, Nick?"

"You bet." Before he could stop himself, Greg leaned over and put his mouth on Nick's. He tasted minty, like he had just brushed his teeth. Nick made him feel like had a fever, all hot and shivery.

"Aren't you afraid that someone's going to see us?" Nick asked when the kiss broke off.

"No."

"I just don't want anyone to see us because of that no-dating-in-the-workplace rule," Nick said.

"When did we start dating?" Greg grinned. Nick flushed.

"Well. Uh. I just don't want you to get in trouble."

"Suuure. Come on, follow me to my place."


(Nine - Greg's House)

Greg unlocked his door and motioned for Nick to come in. Nick looked around as Greg opened the curtains and checked on his fish. His place was tidy and comfortable looking, not what Nick would have expected from the younger man. He turned at the voice behind him.

"Hello there, young man." Peering through the screen door was the epitome of "grandma". Permed white hair, blue eyes and a dear smile, this had to be the neighbour that Greg had mentioned. "I'm Mrs. Palmbach. I was just wondering if Gregory was home."

"Morning, ma'am." Nick opened the door and let her in. "Greg's just gone to check on his fish."

"I knew it. He didn't call last night, so I came and fed them anyway. Have you seen his aquarium? He's got the most beautiful Golden Butterflies. He has to keep that room so warm so those fish won't die..."

"Hi, Mrs. Palmbach," Greg said, coming out of the back room. "Thanks for feeding my fish. What are you doing here so early?" She held out a basket.

"I brought you some tomatoes from my garden. If you weren't home, I would have just let myself in and left them in the fridge for you. Is this your new boyfriend?"

"Yes." Greg.

"No." Nick. They looked at each other.

"Yes." Nick.

"No." Greg. They both burst out laughing. Mrs. Palmbach smiled at them.

"Well, you boys enjoy your breakfast. I have to go walk Schmoopie." Schmoopie? Nick thought. Mrs. Palmbach waved at them and left.

"Who's Schmoopie?" Nick asked.

"Her pomeranian," Greg answered, and grimaced. "I love Mrs. Palmbach dearly, but her dog drives me crazy. Any dog that can fit in a woman's purse..." Nick laughed. "I'm glad that we're alone. How about them pancakes?" Greg stepped into the kitchen and got pancake mix out of the cupboard.

"Mix? You're making my breakfast out of mix?" Greg grinned at Nick, and Nick forgot about his rumbling stomach. Joining Greg in the kitchen, he put his hands on the younger man's slim hips and kissed him. Greg crossed his arms behind Nick's head and slid his tongue into Nick's mouth. He pulled away for just a moment.

"I've got fresh maple syrup, too."

"I don't feel like eating anymore." Greg smiled lopsidedly.

"Shall I give you the grand tour?" He slipped out of Nick's arms and took him by the elbow. "Kitchen. Ta-da! You've seen the living room. How about the bedroom?" He led Nick towards the back of the house and opened a door. "And this is it."

Nick pushed him into the room and kicked the door shut behind them. "Show me the bed." Greg laughed and guided him over to a bed that looked far too big for just one person. Nick leaned in again and kissed him. Barely breaking the kiss, he started to unbutton Greg's fly.

"Mm, I like a man who goes after what he wants," Greg murmured. He didn't think it was possible, but it seemed like Nick's eyes had gotten even darker, almost black with passion. How had this happened so fast? Yesterday, Nick had only been someone he worked with, it was almost unreal that this was happening now. How hot it was, how right. Greg stepped backwards out of his pants and boxer-briefs, and landed on his back on the bed. He stripped Nick's shirt off and admired the beautiful body underneath. Just how I thought it would look, Greg thought. But better. Nick kneeled between Greg's long legs.

"Do you have condoms?" He breathed. Greg nodded and unzipped Nick's swollen fly. He could barely wait to see the rest of Nick. Inching his pants down with one hand and grasping Nick's cock with the other, a smile crossed his face that made Nick want to skip the foreplay and get right into it.

"Oh, God," Greg sighed. "This is totally surreal." Nick chuckled and his head dipped down and started kissing Greg's throat. His tongue started a hot liquid trail that began under Greg's right ear and stopped at his collarbone.

"Take your shirt off." A deep, purred command, and Greg more than happily complied. "Is this what you want?" He put his hand over Greg's and started moving it up and down, and groaned low in his throat. Greg nodded, speechless for the first time in his life. Nick's other hand took hold of Greg's swollen penis and caressed it. It was smooth and rock-hard, and throbbed slightly. "What do you want me to do to you?"

"Just take me, any way you want." The hand that covered Greg's on his own cock slid down and cupped Greg's testicles, rolling them around gently. The younger man moaned and Nick's cock twitched in his hand. Slow, slow, Nick thought. He wanted to take his time and please Greg, instead of just fucking him without thinking. His hand left Greg's testicles and slid down between his buttocks, rubbing the tight ring of muscle there. Greg arched against him and gasped, squeezing Nick's dick.

"Condoms, condoms," Nick panted. "Where the hell are they?"

"First drawer, bedside table," Greg breathed. "Lube, too. Hurry." Nick found the condoms just fine and rolled one down on himself, tossing the wrapper onto the floor. Greg poured some lube into his hand and slid it up and down and Nick murmured something incoherent. He pushed Greg's legs up and rubbed the head of his cock against his ass. "More, more," Greg moaned. "God, Nick. More." Nick's hips moved forward and Greg made a noise that was halfway between a laugh and a gasp. "All of it, yes, yes..." His head fell back and Nick's tongue darted out, tasting the sweat at the base of that long throat.

"So good, Greggo." Nick stroked in and out of Greg, keeping the pace slow for both of them. He reached down in between them and grasped Greg's cock again, keeping in time with his own movements. Greg groaned and arched against him, and Nick knew he was close. His thighs shook and his breath was coming in ragged gasps. Had it been any better with anyone else? Nick didn't think so. No, he knew it had never been better. With a grunt that sounded like Nick‘s name, Greg came, and his ass contracted around Nick's cock. Nick couldn't stand it and grasped Greg's hips, banging himself in and out. His own orgasm started in his spine and surged out of him in what felt like a white-hot ejection of fire. He collapsed on Greg's chest and let out a deep sigh.

"Whoa." Greg's voice was soft. Nick pulled himself out and lay beside Greg, an arm draped around his waist. After letting their breathing slow down, Nick walked naked to the bathroom, where he tossed the condom in the toilet and turned on the shower.

"Gonna join me?" He asked, one side of his mouth turned up in a smile. Greg didn't need to be asked twice. (Ten - Capture)

She slept fitfully, dreaming about... before.

She closed her eyes when the bombers roared overhead, steeling herself against the impact of their cargo. Blood stained the front of her uniform, and when the noise subsided, she looked around to see who needed to be tended to next. Adjusting the white cap on her head, she sat down next to a particularly badly burned man. He lay on his side, drifting in and out of consciousness. He moaned and stirred, and she sat down beside him, putting a comforting hand on the side of his face. She knew his whole story without him having to say a word. The extensive cuts and burns on his face and back were from a proximity mine that had been placed in a deserted home. The mine had half-exploded, and instead of killing the soldier outright, it had blown him through a window and into the street. He'd regained soupy semi-consciousness long enough to tell his regiment that Weapon X had gotten through. Weapon X ? She wondered. Olivia had a good idea what happened around the field hospital, and what went on outside of it. Her gift of touch gave her a knowledge that most of the nurses were without. Weapon X was something she was entirely unfamiliar with.

"Hi," she said, gently. "I'm Nurse Huntington. Don't worry, you're safe here." She leaned over him to read his dogtags: Gregory S.H. Sanders. No, that couldn't be right, Greg was that nice forensics boy. When she looked again, the name was different, but she couldn't read it.

Then, as is normal in dreams, she was suddenly somewhere else. Olivia and Logan stood facing each other outside of a huge white building, stood in the snow, stood waiting for their destinies to change.

Awake.

From the moment she opened her eyes, Karma realized she was in trouble. Her head pounded and her eyes hurt; her stomach lurched and her hands burned. Panic flared through her when she realized that she'd been restrained, and heavily. Through the plain hospital-green wall, she could hear Logan's voice, raised in fury. Karma breathed deep, trying not to vomit. How did I get here?


(Eleven - The News)


Nick peeled his eyes open, groaned and stretched.

"Did you sleep okay?" He looked over to see Greg sitting beside him with the sheets pooled around his hips, cross-legged with a cup of coffee in his hand. Nick smiled up at him.

"Yeah, I slept great." The hand holding Greg's coffee cup trembled minutely. The thick, just-woken-up Texas drawl, combined with the sleepy smile, almost made Greg want to toss the cup onto the floor and buck his favourite bronco. He took a deep breath and his hand steadied again.

"Good. I made coffee. Your cup's right there." He gestured at the table on Nick's side of the bed. Already picking sides of the bed, Greggo? He thought to himself, and grinned.
"What time is it?" Nick scooted up in the bed and sat up.

"Just past six. I was going to turn the news on, if that's okay." Greg turned on the television and they both sat back in disbelief.

" Earlier today, the Las Vegas PD arrested two suspects in the Mutant School murders ...." The shot cut away from the reporter and showed footage of the Charles Xavier School. Nick and Greg watched as Olivia was literally dragged out of the front doors by officers, her hair hanging in her face. A close-up shot revealed that she was blindfolded and her wrists were heavily shackled.

"What's that on her hands?" Nick asked, pointing. Greg crawled down to the end of the bed and squinted at the TV.

"It looks like chemical burns. I can't tell though, from just seeing it on a screen. Shh, they're talking to someone." The shot changed again to a stocky man with a beard and glasses. His name-graphic read "General William Stryker."

" We've managed to, thanks to CSI Conrad Ecklie, apprehend two dangerous mutants who are partially responsible for the deaths of at least nine of our elite organization...."
"Hey, isn't that the guy who does the mutant raids?" Greg asked, just as Nick's cellphone rang.

"Stokes." He listened for a moment, then nodded, as if the caller could see him. "Yeah, I've seen the guy. I'm watching him on the news right now, as a matter of fact. Yeah. I'll uh... call Greg and let him know. We'll be there." He snapped his phone closed. "That was Grissom. He wants us to come in early, Ecklie wants to talk to us."

"Bastard. I hate that guy," Greg grunted, and got out of bed. "From what we knew, they were defending themselves from these army guys. And now Ecklie goes behind our backs and totally makes us look like jackasses. Do you think someone who's really guilty is just going to hang out and wait for someone to come and arrest them?" Nick shrugged and pulled his pants on.

"I have to stop by my place and get a change of clothes. I think it would be a little strange if we showed up together and I'm wearing the same clothes I had on when I left yesterday." Greg laughed.

"Was that weird? This morning, I mean. Was it okay?" Nick smiled and kissed Greg.

"Yessir. And yes, it was weird. But in a good way. In the best way. I'll see you at the lab." (Twelve - Ecklie, You Bastard)

"I'm glad you're both here," Conrad Ecklie started. "I'm just curious what you two were thinking when you let two self-admitted murderers remain free when we've got both their confessions and proof that they've committed a crime." Greg glanced over at Nick only to see his face cramp into a look of distaste for the day supervisor.

"Well, from the evidence we recovered from the scene, it looks like it was self-defense," Nick said, flatly. "It was noted in the file that we'd keep an eye on them, but there was no reason to bring them into custody. Speaking of which, I don't see either of them in the holding cells."

"They've been taken to Charter Behavioural Health for assessment," Ecklie replied. "I just want you to know that you'll be monitored closely from now on in this investigation. Especially you, Sanders. You're just a trainee. One word from me and you'll be in the lab until you retire." Greg looked up sullenly.

"Yes, sir."

"Besides," the day supervisor went on, "I don't know why you two would be so concerned with the treatment of animals, especially violent ones. They're better off where they are, under supervision. Monsters that should have been destroyed at birth." Nick looked at his hands, which were quickly trying to strangle each other in his lap. Greg stared out the window, his jaw tense, his mouth drawn into a tight knot. "Just bear in mind that your actions on this case are being watched. Do your job and don't get involved. You are dismissed." Greg stood so quickly that his chair rocked back onto its hind legs, then decided to settle back on all fours. Nick nodded curtly at Ecklie and followed Greg out of the office.

"I hate that guy. So. Much." Nick put his hand on Greg's shoulder.

"Yeah, he's on a power trip. Apparently he's up for a promotion of some sort. God forbid," the Texan shuddered. "I don't think I could stand him being any more pigheaded than he is already."

"Hey, Nick? I heard something about Ecklie's wife... that when she was pregnant and the baby... ah... wasn't normal." Nick stopped Greg and looked him severely in the eye.

"Don't talk about that. It's just a rumour. It's not worth losing your job to talk about it."

"Okay, okay. Forget I said anything. Want to take a trip to the hospital when shift starts?"

Nick nodded. "Yeah. Let's go get some dinner."

***