Nobody’s Listening

Summary: Greg’s been coming into work lately with his iPod headphones everlastingly attached to his ears. No one can figure out why…

Pairings: Nick Stokes/Greg Sanders, Warrick Brown/Catherine Willows

Warnings: Slash

Spoilers: Possible Twilight spoilers?

Chapter Eighteen: Disturbia

Nick slowly opened his eyes and inhaled that all too familiar of white pine and winter-fresh. Brushing his lips softly against Greg’s bare shoulder, the older man brought the warm body that lay next to him closer, wanting to share the youthful heat that radiated from the young CSI’s body. Last night had been a nightmare for everyone when the news that Dr. Bells corrective surgery didn’t work. It devastated Greg, who would babble a single phrase over and over again.

My career is over…

Peering over Greg’s shoulder at the bright blue lights that illuminated from the clock, Nick released a puff of tired air into the blonde’s neck. Both of them had exactly one hour to be at work before they would be late. Sitting up, Nick stretched his lean body upwards. Rejoicing in the welcomed popping sounds that rippled through his tight muscles, Nick leaned over Greg and softly kissed the CSI on the lips. “Wake up, babe, we gotta get to work.”

Kissing those soft, velvety lips again, Nick perched himself over the younger man. Starring down at the face of an angel, illuminated by the moons bright light, Nick swore Greg could’ve been a celestial being. Balancing his weight on his right palm, he used his free hand to glide over Greg’s body. Ghosting over his sensitive spots on his sides, kissing a hot spot behind Greg’s left ear and traveling down to his throat, Nick hummed. Leaning back, and examining his handy work, the southerner smiled when Greg’s eye lids fluttered open. “Good night, sunshine.”

Accepting the soft kiss to his lips, Greg smiled and brought a single hand up to cup Nick’s face. Breaking away, he starred at his partners soft brown eyes, glowing brightly in the moons dawning light, before glancing to the clock. “Good night to you too.” Sitting up, Greg popped a few knots in his back before wrapping his arms around Nick and kissing him fully on the lips. One arm curled up and around his neck to claw at the back of his head while the other found a way to sturdy himself on the soft mattress of Nick’s bed.

Breaking away, Greg offered a weak smile to his… well… wait! What exactly was Nick? They weren’t partners any more; no, the pair were more than that. Friends wouldn’t really describe their relationship either because the last time Greg checked he and Sara didn’t wake up like this, or go to each others family reunions for a holiday break, let alone, passionately make out. Friends with benefits? Maybe. But then why were their all these complicated and clingy emotions between the two? This thought really puzzled Greg for a long moment.

“Nick,” Greg said softly.

“Hmm,” Nick replied as he forced his friends chin up to look at his face.

“What exactly are we?” Greg slowly asked. He watched at Nick’s jaw slackened in the moon light before he sputtered to find the right words. Either he was using Greg or was completely thrown off by the question. “I understand if you just want a…a…fuck buddy. But, don’t toy with my emotions, Nick.” He continued, lacing his fingers with Nick’s. “I can leave anytime—“

Feeling Nick’s lips press forcefully against his lips, Greg felt the mattress come up and greet his back. The Texan’s weight shifted to straddle Greg’s lower body, while those velvet soft lips came up again to caress his collar bone and trace a patter all the way up t his ear, then over to capture his lips once again. Moaning into the mouth that continually dominated his mouth, Greg brought a single hand up to push gently on Nick’s shoulder. The gorgeous man above him frowned at the blonde before he placed feather light kisses on the fine line of Greg’s lips.

“I would have thought,” Nick said slowly between his kisses. “That you would’ve figured everything out by now and—“a soft kiss to his shoulder”—would never think that I’d want to take advantage of you.” Nick placed another kiss to Greg’s now hypersensitive skin, making him whimper in ecstasy. Greg’s eyes never left Nick’s lips, reading every emotion word that spilled over his lips. “I love you,” Nick confessed lovingly. “I love you, Cassie loves you to pieces—“a simple kiss to his lips”—and we want you to be a part of our family.” Cradling Greg’s blonde head in his hand, Nick brought their lips together for a brief moment. “We want you and Daxter, the both of you in our small—but weird—little family.”

Greg blinked up at Nick for a long moment, just blinking and thinking to himself. So, they weren’t just partners any more, they we not just friends either—nor friends with benefits. In fact, Nick and Greg were just the opposite. The two men went from partners, to friends, to now lovers. Suddenly, everything made sense. The multimillion puzzle piece set of Greg’s life all made sense now. He felt detached for a moment, no longer attached to a fantasy that he thought would never come true. The world caught up with the CSI and now there were no longer a million metal cables pulling him in all different directions, but one silvery cable that lassoed around one being. Nick.

A bright smile broke out over his face, as a sigh of relief escaped his lungs. “I love you too, Nicky.” Bringing their lips together, Greg wrapped his arms around Nick’s neck, pressing their bodies flushed together.

The game was over, and now he could finally fit into the world as a man who was ready to start a family and settle down. No longer would he, or Nick for that fact, enjoy a night by themselves at some strip bar, or club trying to get by in the world. Everyone needs contact, and love. Just, now the two wouldn’t need to search for their needs. They had each other, and that would be enough for now.

Moaning into Nick’s heated kiss, Greg cracked an eye open to glace back at the neon blue lighted number on the dressed across the room. Widening his eyes, Greg pushed Nick back and panted for a moment. With his hand resting on Nick chest, he took a few more breaths. “Greg?” The younger smiled at the slight vibration in Nick’s chest.

“We have twenty minuets to get to work.” The blonde CSI simply stated.

“Shit!” Nick swore.

“I heard that, dad!” Cassie yelled from down the hall, followed by a loud bark from Dax.

Scrambling to get to his feet, Nick found the light switch. Both men hurried to dress themselves for work before running down the stairs, into the kitchen to grab a quick cup of coffee, their keys, Nick’s gun and badges. Out the door they were in less than ten minutes.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation—

Cassie smiled to herself in the calm of her room. Dax lay at her feet, snuggled in the downy comforter and afghan on the foot of her bed. Down the hall, she could hear her fathers and Uncle Greg’s soft, murmured voices. Glancing to her own clock, she noted that they should be leaving soon. Then there was a loud scream of profanity that shook the whole house. Laughing, she playfully called down the hall.

“I heard that, dad!” Snickering into her fisted hand, Cassie laughed harder when Dax barked in agreement.

Aligning a book mark in her book, saving her place on page 353 of her newest book—Breaking Dawn, by Stephanie Meyer—the sandy blonde haired girl closed her book and sighed. There were enough demons in her life as it was, and here she was reading a teen romance novel on a regular girl, Bella, and her love for a vampire, Edward. Sometimes, she wished her life could be just as simple as Bella’s is.

She’d live with Nick, who was also a member of law enforcement, and move to some secluded town and meet some new friends before finally meeting the love of her life. Of course, she could deal without all the drama and the single fact that Edward was drawn to Bella’s scent. Just the smell of her essence drove him insane. Cassie easily decided she didn’t need, nor want, that.

But then why couldn’t she stop thinking about Hayden Ilario? Opening her book again as she heard her father and Uncle Greg leave the house, she continued to read. But Hayden’s soft dark chocolate eyes, thick brown hair, and sun kissed skin drove her insane these past few days. Hayden was her… lab partner at school, they hardly knew each other! But then there was that far off look in his eyes that drove her insane. Normally, before break, she’d pass it off as nothing and continue with her life like normal. But now… she was really, really curious.

Forcing herself to read, Cassie willed the seniors face from her mind. Focus! Compelling herself to think of the vampire God, known as Edward, the mortal girl, known as Bella, and the flea bitten mongrel known as Jacob, Cassie groaned in defeat when that familiar face popped back into her head. Frustrated, she snapped her book shut and tossed it aside with a loud scream. “What the hell?”

Glaring at the black book, as if it were mocking her, Cassie hugged her knees to her chest and tried to think of ways to burn her thoughts. Burn these stupid thoughts of Hayden and his gorgeous body. “Arg!” Tearing her eyes away from the mocking black book, her eyes landed on its glossy cover that lay on her desk. “Oh, for Christ’s sake!”

Rolling over, so she could hide her face into her pillow, Cassie sighed in content. In the back of her mind, she was hosting a bonfire, where the thoughts of Hayden’s beautiful face could ashen and burn with her silly thoughts. Silence was knocking at the wake of the front of her mind. Before the swimmer knew it, her eyes were slowly drifted closed. Her epic novel, the characters, and Hayden were all trashed in her bonfire. The only sound in her room was Dax softly snoring at her feet.

Then, it sounded like someone had taken their fingernails down a chalkboard. The screech doused her flames and suddenly the clear tone was her cell phone’s ring. Wide awake now, she quickly sat up and reached for her phone on the bedside night stand. Yanking her phone charger from its dock on her phone, she flipped open her phone and lifted it to her ear without checking the caller ID. “Hello?” She grunted as a yawn erupted from her mouth.

“Cassie, its Hayden…from Chem. Class?” He added as an after thought.

The phone in Cassie’s hand slipped and clattered onto her bed. Aggravated, she bit her lip and wanted to scream. There was no way he was calling her at this hour. NO FREAKING WAY! How did he get my number? A million thoughts rushed through her head. Hastily reaching for her phone, she brought it back up to her ear. “Oh, hi!” She attempted to sound perky.

“Did I wake you? I’m really sorry.” His thick Italian accent reverberated through her head a million times.

“No, no. I was just finishing up some chemistry homework.” Why did you just lie? He knows you do your homework in class! Dummy!

“Oh,” he said after a long moment. “Well, I was just calling to get the homework from you. I forgot my

planner at school.”

“Oh,” Cassie mimicked. Her heart was beating a million miles a minute. “Yeah, it’s pages 445, problems 1-36. Don’t worry, they are easy.” Cassie mentally noted that she was babbling, wanting to prolong this phone call.

“Thanks,” he said softly. “I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”

“Okay, bye.” The swimmer sadly said; breathed a sigh.

“Night, Cassie.” Then everything fell apart. With the dial tone in her ear, Cassie allowed her phone to fall onto her bed again. This time it landed so the phone would clip shut.

None of it made sense. How did he get her number, and Cassie faintly remembered him shoving his school planner in his book bag at the end of the day. Maybe it fell out? Maybe his dog ate it? “If he even has a dog.” Dax’s tail thumped against the bed as a small whimper erupted from his throat. Cassie crossed her arms again.

Groaning, she untangled herself and scratched the back of her head. Combing her fingers through her hair, she suddenly thought of how girly she must have sounded on the phone. What is he thought she was flirting? Tossing her head back, she threw her fists down to the side of the mattress and groaned. Why did things always have to be complicated? Couldn’t she be like Edward and read everyone’s thoughts? “Ha, but my luck would be that he’d be the only mind I couldn’t read.”

Frustrated beyond belief, Cassie threw herself into her mattress and screamed into the blue pillow. Her thoughts that should’ve burned in her bonfire were suddenly in the forefront of her mind. Her own Disturbia. Nothing could ever be simple. “All is a riddle, and the key to a riddle is another riddle.”

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation—

Kira: I’m so sorry for the late update. I can’t work up enough apologies for how long it took to finish this story. But, I’m past my writers block and hopefully by the weekend, there should be another update. No promises.

Thanks to all who reviewed. And, like some of you have asked, I’ve made a side story with Cassie and her little infatuation with Hayden. A little side romance for the muse? Lol, anyways, read and review!

THANK YOU TO ALL MY LOYAL READERS! You’re amazing!

-Dark Angel Kira-