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Apr. 29th, 2006 09:29 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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nickngregCSI
Title: Don't Fence Me In
Chapter: My Strange, Beautiful Man (4/?)
Pairing: Nick/Greg
Rating: PG
Warnings: none
Summary: Coffee is served, and there is another Stokes arriving at the ranch.
Previously: One, Two, Three.
4. My Strange, Beautiful Man
The house smelt of coffee, and Greg took a deep appreciative breath. Although it gave an air of an empty nest, where children had long grown up and moved away, it was a well-lived in and comfortable home. Greg liked it immediately, and tried to imagine a younger Nick running around with his gang of siblings.
“You’re both in Nick’s old room, of course.” Jillian said. “Nick, you and Gray take the bags up while I get some coffee into Greg.”
“The blatant favouritism begins already.” Gray smiled. “Nick, do you remember the way?”
“I made Mom fax me a map beforehand.” Nick started making his way up the stairs.
Jillian watched them disappear, shaking her head. “I can’t tell whether that’s friendly banter, or them preparing for Round Two.”
“If I were a gambling man, I’d put my money on Round Two.” Greg sighed.
“They’ll sort it out eventually.” Bill said, although he was still casting a concerned look up to where his boys had disappeared. “Gray’s been a fool, but it’s lucky for him Pancho never holds a grudge for long.”
Greg felt that flush of pride people experience when someone speaks warmly of the person they love. Although it was true that Nick’s parents had probably always thought highly of him, it still didn’t stop the feeling from occurring, particularly in light of all of Nick’s previous fears about finally letting his defences down and showing his parents who he truly was.
Jillian cocked her head. “Well, it doesn’t sound like they’re killing each other, so I think it’s safe to start serving the coffee.”
Greg followed her into the kitchen, while Bill excused himself to go and make some phone calls.
“Wow!” he cried out.
“You like it?” Jillian asked, amused.
“It’s… unbelievable!”
“My favourite room in a house has always been the kitchen.” Jillian moved over to one of the counters where a large coffee-maker that immediately made Greg start drooling was situated. “I hate cooking, truthfully, but I love the smells and the warmth. Especially in winter. So I made this my room, and the best room.”
“I think you succeeded.” Greg took in the large space before him, that also branched off into a dining area and a sunny breakfast corner.
“I know I succeeded.” Jillian said proudly.
Greg moved over to the breakfast nook, where the walls were adorned with years of family photos. Of course he couldn’t help but be interested in the ones that featured Nick in every stage of development. Some he had seen before in Nick’s own photo albums, some were new. Greg smiled, thinking to himself that despite how cute Nick was when he was younger, and how he probably would have made Greg’s heart spontaneously combust in high school or college, he still liked him better as he was in Greg’s life now.
Jillian watched him studying the photos, and smiled to herself. Her hands suddenly shook as she remembered the night she had first seen him, standing over a work bench, lost for a moment in his own world. His jaw had been set, his face was like stone, and she had just assumed it was because he was a close friend of her son and taking it badly like everybody else in the Vegas lab was. Nick had mentioned Greg to her many times before, but she had always lumped him in the same category as Warrick or Sara. Nick was always good at keeping secrets, she had only found out about his treatment at the age of nine by his babysitter when he was in college. She took a deep, silent breath and tried to stave off the feelings of that night she had left him in danger as a child; and the night he had almost been taken away from her forever. Her son was now safe. Her son was now happy.
Greg noted how the partners of the Stokes siblings started appearing in the older photos, and felt his heart stop when he came across a photo that couldn’t help but stand out because of the brand new frame. It was a touristy shot that also sat on a mantel twelve hundred miles away from this kitchen. They had asked a fellow tourist to take it for them; in it Bill and Jillian, Greg and Nick stood on the walkway above the Hoover Dam, the water shining far below them. They all looked comfortable and happy, and Nick had his arm around Greg and was pulling him in close.
He felt the sting of tears wanting to form, but he managed to stop them by despairing of the fact that his hair was a terrible shade of faint orange. The night Bill and Jillian had arrived in Vegas he had dyed his hair bright red in order to prove to Nick that the crazy lab-rat spirit still lived within him. He had washed his hair about five times after their dinner together in an attempt to get the colour out, but the blonde that had been in there before meant vestiges of the red had stayed in for a couple of weeks.
His only picture on the Stokes wall, and he looked like a pumpkin.
Jillian readied a tray full of cups. “Gray!” she hollered. “Where are those doughnuts?”
She pushed Greg lightly towards a chair, and seated herself next to him.
“Before the others get here…” Greg said hesitantly. “I just want to thank you… for letting me into your home, the photo, everything…”
She shook it off. “You’re family now, Greg. I’m sorry if there was a time you thought it may have been otherwise.”
Greg looked at her earnestly. “Do you know how much I love you right now?”
Jillian laughed. “Where do you think Nick got all his charm from?”
Speaking of the devil, Nick entered the kitchen. He carried some of the Krispy Kreme bags, and Gray followed him with the rest. Although they still didn’t look at ease with each other, they sat at the table and Bill hurriedly joined them after hearing the word ‘doughnut’ being mentioned several times.
As the conversation flowed, and the sun through the window took the edge off the cold weather, Greg watched Nick happily drinking in the fact that he was with family and all seemed well.
----------------------------------
After they had socialised a bit more with the folks, Nick declared he was taking Greg on a quick tour, and dragged him outdoors. Once more Greg marvelled at their surrounds.
“Nick, this is a ranch!” he cried, open-mouthed.
Nick laughed. “Yeah, you knew that…”
“No, Nicky… this is a ranch! It’s like something out of a movie. I almost expect to see the Lone Ranger riding across that hill…”
Nick was enjoying Greg’s sense of wonder, glad that he was finding the beauty in where he had come from. He suddenly grabbed Greg by the shoulders and kissed him longingly. “Te quiero, mi hombre extraño hermoso.”* he breathed against his neck as he hugged him tight.
Greg burst out laughing. “I think this trip is agreeing with you. Either that, or you’re going crazy.”
‘Well, I’m not going crazy. I’m just happy.”
Greg slipped a hand under the back of Nick’s jacket and rubbed at the warm skin of his lower back. “Good.”
Nick snaked an arm around his waist, and they continued walking. “Come on, I want to show you the horses.”
“Let me guess, your dad has one called Silver?”
Nick tried to pinch a handful of flesh through Greg’s heavy coat, but was unsuccessful. “Silver was The Lone Ranger’s horse, Greg. Gee, with all your superior pop culture knowledge I would have thought you’d at least know that.”
“Fine, Nicky. What were Cisco and Pancho’s horses called?”
“Cisco’s was Diablo, and Pancho’s was Loco.”
“I’m betting we’ll find a Diablo and a Loco in the stables, then.”
“Diablo and Loco are long gone, Greggo. They died when I was still with the Dallas PD.” Nick smiled at a suddenly-silent Greg who thought he had stepped on a sore subject. “However, there is a Diablo II and a Loco II. They were both sired by the original Diablo.”
“Why would someone want to ride a horse named after the Devil? Just sounds like you’re asking for trouble to me. Oh, please come ride my horse called Satan.”
Nick laughed, his hand slipping from Greg’s waist to take his hand instead. “Diablo is a honey. He won’t hurt you. I suppose if you had a horse you would call him Mr Ed.”
“Mr Ed’s a perfectly fine name for a horse.”
The sound of a car horn made them turn around, as a laden SUV roared along the dirt track. On the passenger side, another dark-haired, dark-eyed being that was obviously a Stokes hung out the window and screamed “Hello, young lovers, whoever you are!”
Nick chuckled to himself, and waved with his free hand.
“Aah, Beth.” Greg said, thinking back to the worried woman he had met only once before in a darker time, and comparing her to the exuberant woman he had often talked to on the phone at great length.
“Here we go.” Nick’s eyes shone with love directed at a favoured sibling. “She’s one of the good ones, G, remember that. No matter what she does to us.”
He began to lead Greg back towards the house, his hand still firmly within his, as Beth jumped out of the car and began to run towards them.
*Te quiero, mi hombre extraño hermoso. I love you, my beautiful strange man.
Title: Don't Fence Me In
Chapter: My Strange, Beautiful Man (4/?)
Pairing: Nick/Greg
Rating: PG
Warnings: none
Summary: Coffee is served, and there is another Stokes arriving at the ranch.
Previously: One, Two, Three.
4. My Strange, Beautiful Man
The house smelt of coffee, and Greg took a deep appreciative breath. Although it gave an air of an empty nest, where children had long grown up and moved away, it was a well-lived in and comfortable home. Greg liked it immediately, and tried to imagine a younger Nick running around with his gang of siblings.
“You’re both in Nick’s old room, of course.” Jillian said. “Nick, you and Gray take the bags up while I get some coffee into Greg.”
“The blatant favouritism begins already.” Gray smiled. “Nick, do you remember the way?”
“I made Mom fax me a map beforehand.” Nick started making his way up the stairs.
Jillian watched them disappear, shaking her head. “I can’t tell whether that’s friendly banter, or them preparing for Round Two.”
“If I were a gambling man, I’d put my money on Round Two.” Greg sighed.
“They’ll sort it out eventually.” Bill said, although he was still casting a concerned look up to where his boys had disappeared. “Gray’s been a fool, but it’s lucky for him Pancho never holds a grudge for long.”
Greg felt that flush of pride people experience when someone speaks warmly of the person they love. Although it was true that Nick’s parents had probably always thought highly of him, it still didn’t stop the feeling from occurring, particularly in light of all of Nick’s previous fears about finally letting his defences down and showing his parents who he truly was.
Jillian cocked her head. “Well, it doesn’t sound like they’re killing each other, so I think it’s safe to start serving the coffee.”
Greg followed her into the kitchen, while Bill excused himself to go and make some phone calls.
“Wow!” he cried out.
“You like it?” Jillian asked, amused.
“It’s… unbelievable!”
“My favourite room in a house has always been the kitchen.” Jillian moved over to one of the counters where a large coffee-maker that immediately made Greg start drooling was situated. “I hate cooking, truthfully, but I love the smells and the warmth. Especially in winter. So I made this my room, and the best room.”
“I think you succeeded.” Greg took in the large space before him, that also branched off into a dining area and a sunny breakfast corner.
“I know I succeeded.” Jillian said proudly.
Greg moved over to the breakfast nook, where the walls were adorned with years of family photos. Of course he couldn’t help but be interested in the ones that featured Nick in every stage of development. Some he had seen before in Nick’s own photo albums, some were new. Greg smiled, thinking to himself that despite how cute Nick was when he was younger, and how he probably would have made Greg’s heart spontaneously combust in high school or college, he still liked him better as he was in Greg’s life now.
Jillian watched him studying the photos, and smiled to herself. Her hands suddenly shook as she remembered the night she had first seen him, standing over a work bench, lost for a moment in his own world. His jaw had been set, his face was like stone, and she had just assumed it was because he was a close friend of her son and taking it badly like everybody else in the Vegas lab was. Nick had mentioned Greg to her many times before, but she had always lumped him in the same category as Warrick or Sara. Nick was always good at keeping secrets, she had only found out about his treatment at the age of nine by his babysitter when he was in college. She took a deep, silent breath and tried to stave off the feelings of that night she had left him in danger as a child; and the night he had almost been taken away from her forever. Her son was now safe. Her son was now happy.
Greg noted how the partners of the Stokes siblings started appearing in the older photos, and felt his heart stop when he came across a photo that couldn’t help but stand out because of the brand new frame. It was a touristy shot that also sat on a mantel twelve hundred miles away from this kitchen. They had asked a fellow tourist to take it for them; in it Bill and Jillian, Greg and Nick stood on the walkway above the Hoover Dam, the water shining far below them. They all looked comfortable and happy, and Nick had his arm around Greg and was pulling him in close.
He felt the sting of tears wanting to form, but he managed to stop them by despairing of the fact that his hair was a terrible shade of faint orange. The night Bill and Jillian had arrived in Vegas he had dyed his hair bright red in order to prove to Nick that the crazy lab-rat spirit still lived within him. He had washed his hair about five times after their dinner together in an attempt to get the colour out, but the blonde that had been in there before meant vestiges of the red had stayed in for a couple of weeks.
His only picture on the Stokes wall, and he looked like a pumpkin.
Jillian readied a tray full of cups. “Gray!” she hollered. “Where are those doughnuts?”
She pushed Greg lightly towards a chair, and seated herself next to him.
“Before the others get here…” Greg said hesitantly. “I just want to thank you… for letting me into your home, the photo, everything…”
She shook it off. “You’re family now, Greg. I’m sorry if there was a time you thought it may have been otherwise.”
Greg looked at her earnestly. “Do you know how much I love you right now?”
Jillian laughed. “Where do you think Nick got all his charm from?”
Speaking of the devil, Nick entered the kitchen. He carried some of the Krispy Kreme bags, and Gray followed him with the rest. Although they still didn’t look at ease with each other, they sat at the table and Bill hurriedly joined them after hearing the word ‘doughnut’ being mentioned several times.
As the conversation flowed, and the sun through the window took the edge off the cold weather, Greg watched Nick happily drinking in the fact that he was with family and all seemed well.
----------------------------------
After they had socialised a bit more with the folks, Nick declared he was taking Greg on a quick tour, and dragged him outdoors. Once more Greg marvelled at their surrounds.
“Nick, this is a ranch!” he cried, open-mouthed.
Nick laughed. “Yeah, you knew that…”
“No, Nicky… this is a ranch! It’s like something out of a movie. I almost expect to see the Lone Ranger riding across that hill…”
Nick was enjoying Greg’s sense of wonder, glad that he was finding the beauty in where he had come from. He suddenly grabbed Greg by the shoulders and kissed him longingly. “Te quiero, mi hombre extraño hermoso.”* he breathed against his neck as he hugged him tight.
Greg burst out laughing. “I think this trip is agreeing with you. Either that, or you’re going crazy.”
‘Well, I’m not going crazy. I’m just happy.”
Greg slipped a hand under the back of Nick’s jacket and rubbed at the warm skin of his lower back. “Good.”
Nick snaked an arm around his waist, and they continued walking. “Come on, I want to show you the horses.”
“Let me guess, your dad has one called Silver?”
Nick tried to pinch a handful of flesh through Greg’s heavy coat, but was unsuccessful. “Silver was The Lone Ranger’s horse, Greg. Gee, with all your superior pop culture knowledge I would have thought you’d at least know that.”
“Fine, Nicky. What were Cisco and Pancho’s horses called?”
“Cisco’s was Diablo, and Pancho’s was Loco.”
“I’m betting we’ll find a Diablo and a Loco in the stables, then.”
“Diablo and Loco are long gone, Greggo. They died when I was still with the Dallas PD.” Nick smiled at a suddenly-silent Greg who thought he had stepped on a sore subject. “However, there is a Diablo II and a Loco II. They were both sired by the original Diablo.”
“Why would someone want to ride a horse named after the Devil? Just sounds like you’re asking for trouble to me. Oh, please come ride my horse called Satan.”
Nick laughed, his hand slipping from Greg’s waist to take his hand instead. “Diablo is a honey. He won’t hurt you. I suppose if you had a horse you would call him Mr Ed.”
“Mr Ed’s a perfectly fine name for a horse.”
The sound of a car horn made them turn around, as a laden SUV roared along the dirt track. On the passenger side, another dark-haired, dark-eyed being that was obviously a Stokes hung out the window and screamed “Hello, young lovers, whoever you are!”
Nick chuckled to himself, and waved with his free hand.
“Aah, Beth.” Greg said, thinking back to the worried woman he had met only once before in a darker time, and comparing her to the exuberant woman he had often talked to on the phone at great length.
“Here we go.” Nick’s eyes shone with love directed at a favoured sibling. “She’s one of the good ones, G, remember that. No matter what she does to us.”
He began to lead Greg back towards the house, his hand still firmly within his, as Beth jumped out of the car and began to run towards them.
*Te quiero, mi hombre extraño hermoso. I love you, my beautiful strange man.
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