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Feb. 11th, 2005 04:33 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
girlnorth.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
nickngregTitle: The Intricacies of Grief, 3/?
Fandom: CSI
Pairing: Nick/Greg
Rating: R for language
Spoilers: Up to and including "Who Shot Sherlock?"
Disclaimer: Yeah, right.
Previous Parts:
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
“Nick,” Jacqui said, surprising him by pulling him into a hug.
“You too, Jacq?”
“Nick, I just think you could have been a little more discreet,” she said, lighting a cigarette.
“Discreet? Damn it, Jacqui, I was discreet. We never went out in public together, as much as he wanted to. I’ve been hiding all my life, and you want me to be more discreet?”
“The courthouse, Nick? Come on. It’s like you wanted to get caught.”
“Trust me, this isn’t the way I wanted everyone to find out. You know, Jacqui, I really thought you’d be more supportive.”
“Nick, a lot of my opinions differ from Mom and Daddy, but I don’t go rubbing their noses in it. I just think it was bad form, Nick.”
“Hey, Jacqui.” Nick awkwardly returned her hug.
“I’m really happy you’re here,” she said, ushering them into the house. “But why aren’t you at the house?”
“I had a run-in with Audrey,” he said. A dark look crossed Jacqui’s face, and she nodded in understanding.
“Hello,” she said, turning to Greg and extending her hand. “Jacqui Stokes.”
“Greg Sanders,” he said, shaking her hand.
“Are you two…”
“No,” Nick said. “Greg’s another CSI, a friend. He just thought I could use some company.”
“That’s nice,” Jacqui said with a sad smile. “Well, you can stay here, that’s not a problem. Before we go in any further though, I should tell you that Tina and Lee-Ann are here.”
Nick let out a long sigh, and then shrugged. “I’ll have to see everyone sooner or later.”
Jacqui led them through the house, Greg stopping off at the bathroom. Nick walked into the kitchen where his sisters Tina and Lee-Ann were sitting at the table drinking coffee. Tina was the eldest Stokes child, though at fifty, child wasn’t really an appropriate description. Audrey was next in age, and then Nick’s only brother, Mike. Lee-Ann came after Mike, and then Jacqui. Then came Sandy, and finally, Nick.
“So are you, uh, seeing anyone?” Lee-Ann asked.
Nick was glad she couldn’t see him through the phone as he smirked at her obvious discomfort. He gave her points for trying, though.
“No, not right now,” Nick told her. “Work is crazy. I’ve just switched shifts and we’re stretched pretty thin. No time for dating.”
There was silence on the line as they both struggled for something to say. They called each other every couple of months, but they weren’t as close as they once were.
“How’s Jake,” Nick asked out of courtesy. His brother-in-law was the reason his relationship with Lee-Ann had become so strained. While not exactly comfortable with Nick’s sexuality, she accepted him for who he was. Her husband, on the other hand, told her that “That faggot will never step foot in my house,” making sure Nick was on the phone to overhear as he did so. Lee-Ann was too timid to stand up to him. The fact that she even kept in touch with him was a major rebellion, though Nick doubted Jake even knew.
“Nicky,” Lee-Ann said as she got up to greet him with a hug and a kiss. “How are you?”
“I’m okay, Lee-Ann, how are you?”
“Oh,” she said, wiping her nose with a tissue, “I’ve been better.”
“Tina,” Nick said as he turned to his other sister. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek.
“Are you sure, Nick? I’ve heard of people who think they’re… that way… but then they end up getting married and having three kids.”
“I’m sure, Tina.”
“You know you’re breaking the law. You could get fired for that.”
“I’m well-aware.”
“Well thank God it was Mom who walked in on you and not someone else, someone who could have reported you.”
“We were just kissing in a meeting room, it’s not like he was sucking me off on the witness stand.”
“Nick, don’t be disgusting.”
Nick clenched his fists.
“Oh well, Daddy will take care of it. No one needs to know.”
“And what if I don’t want Dad to take care of it?”
“Oh Nick, don’t be ridiculous.”
“It’s good to see you, Nick,” she said, her smile tight. “I wasn’t so sure…” She stopped mid-sentence as she looked over Nick’s shoulder.
“This is my friend Greg,” Nick said as Greg walked up behind him.
“Oh for Heaven’s sake, Nick.” Tina’s voice was full of disapproval. “I hardly think this is appropriate, do you? Daddy’s not even in the ground.”
“Greg and I are just friends,” Nick said tightly.
“Right.”
“Well you believe what you want,” he said. “You always have.”
Tina walked back to the table and picked up her purse. “Nick,” she said as walked over to the sliding glass door that led from Jacqui’s kitchen to her back yard, “this is hard enough for all of us. You’re just making things more difficult.”
Nick watched her leave without saying a word. He was wondering how much more of this was going to come around before they left Texas, and once again thought that he’d made a mistake in bringing Greg. He ran a hand over his face, the lack of sleep catching up with him.
“I’ve got to get going too,” Lee-Ann said, looking at Nick sympathetically. “I’m supposed to go to the house to help Audrey with the arrangements. It’s good to see you, Nicky. Bye Greg.”
She left the same way Tina had, and Nick let out a long sigh.
“Why don’t you go lie down?” Jacqui suggested. “One of you can sleep in the spare room, and the other on the couch downstairs.”
“I’ll take the couch,” Nick said, but Greg shook his head.
“You take the bed, Nick,” Greg said. “You need the sleep more than I do. Besides, I caught a nap on the plane so I’m not ready to crash yet. Maybe I’ll watch TV or something.”
Nick didn’t really like to let Greg sleep on the couch, but he was too tired to argue. Nodding, he left Greg and Jacqui in the kitchen and went upstairs.
*~*
Jacqui Stokes watched as her brother left the room. She was glad he was there, even if the occasion wasn’t a happy one. She, like Nick, had mixed feelings about her dad. He pissed her off a lot, often infuriating her. Their opinions differed on almost everything and she resented him for how much of herself she had to keep from him, but he was still her father. He was still the man she had looked up to as a child in sheer admiration, wishing to someday be like him. He was the man who made her strive for excellence, who made her want to push herself beyond her boundaries. He was the man who beamed at her with excess pride when she’d graduated from law school, and when she’d passed the bar. He was her daddy, and she loved him.
She looked at the man standing in her kitchen, looking like he wasn’t quite sure what to do with himself. Nick had said they were just friends, co-workers, but she wasn’t so sure. That wasn’t the vibe she was getting, at least not from Greg.
“You want some coffee, Greg,” she asked.
“I’d love some,” he answered with a smile.
“Sit down,” she said, gesturing toward the table. “I’ll pour you a cup.”
“Thanks,” Greg said when she sat the steaming mug in front of him. She sat down across from him and reached for the pack of cigarettes sitting on the table in front of her.
“Smoke?” She waved the pack in Greg’s direction.
“No thanks,” he said. “I quit years ago.”
“Wish I could,” she said, fishing one out of the pack and lighting it. The first drag was good, and she wondered if she really did wish she could quit. It was something that everyone said, but in truth she really loved to smoke.
“So,” she said, exhaling, “does my brother know you’re in love with him?”
Greg looked at her for a long moment, seeming surprisingly unflustered. Then he grinned.
“Does your brother know you’re a lesbian?” he asked.
“Touché,” she said with a grin.
TBC in Part Four
Fandom: CSI
Pairing: Nick/Greg
Rating: R for language
Spoilers: Up to and including "Who Shot Sherlock?"
Disclaimer: Yeah, right.
Previous Parts:
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
“Nick,” Jacqui said, surprising him by pulling him into a hug.
“You too, Jacq?”
“Nick, I just think you could have been a little more discreet,” she said, lighting a cigarette.
“Discreet? Damn it, Jacqui, I was discreet. We never went out in public together, as much as he wanted to. I’ve been hiding all my life, and you want me to be more discreet?”
“The courthouse, Nick? Come on. It’s like you wanted to get caught.”
“Trust me, this isn’t the way I wanted everyone to find out. You know, Jacqui, I really thought you’d be more supportive.”
“Nick, a lot of my opinions differ from Mom and Daddy, but I don’t go rubbing their noses in it. I just think it was bad form, Nick.”
“Hey, Jacqui.” Nick awkwardly returned her hug.
“I’m really happy you’re here,” she said, ushering them into the house. “But why aren’t you at the house?”
“I had a run-in with Audrey,” he said. A dark look crossed Jacqui’s face, and she nodded in understanding.
“Hello,” she said, turning to Greg and extending her hand. “Jacqui Stokes.”
“Greg Sanders,” he said, shaking her hand.
“Are you two…”
“No,” Nick said. “Greg’s another CSI, a friend. He just thought I could use some company.”
“That’s nice,” Jacqui said with a sad smile. “Well, you can stay here, that’s not a problem. Before we go in any further though, I should tell you that Tina and Lee-Ann are here.”
Nick let out a long sigh, and then shrugged. “I’ll have to see everyone sooner or later.”
Jacqui led them through the house, Greg stopping off at the bathroom. Nick walked into the kitchen where his sisters Tina and Lee-Ann were sitting at the table drinking coffee. Tina was the eldest Stokes child, though at fifty, child wasn’t really an appropriate description. Audrey was next in age, and then Nick’s only brother, Mike. Lee-Ann came after Mike, and then Jacqui. Then came Sandy, and finally, Nick.
“So are you, uh, seeing anyone?” Lee-Ann asked.
Nick was glad she couldn’t see him through the phone as he smirked at her obvious discomfort. He gave her points for trying, though.
“No, not right now,” Nick told her. “Work is crazy. I’ve just switched shifts and we’re stretched pretty thin. No time for dating.”
There was silence on the line as they both struggled for something to say. They called each other every couple of months, but they weren’t as close as they once were.
“How’s Jake,” Nick asked out of courtesy. His brother-in-law was the reason his relationship with Lee-Ann had become so strained. While not exactly comfortable with Nick’s sexuality, she accepted him for who he was. Her husband, on the other hand, told her that “That faggot will never step foot in my house,” making sure Nick was on the phone to overhear as he did so. Lee-Ann was too timid to stand up to him. The fact that she even kept in touch with him was a major rebellion, though Nick doubted Jake even knew.
“Nicky,” Lee-Ann said as she got up to greet him with a hug and a kiss. “How are you?”
“I’m okay, Lee-Ann, how are you?”
“Oh,” she said, wiping her nose with a tissue, “I’ve been better.”
“Tina,” Nick said as he turned to his other sister. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek.
“Are you sure, Nick? I’ve heard of people who think they’re… that way… but then they end up getting married and having three kids.”
“I’m sure, Tina.”
“You know you’re breaking the law. You could get fired for that.”
“I’m well-aware.”
“Well thank God it was Mom who walked in on you and not someone else, someone who could have reported you.”
“We were just kissing in a meeting room, it’s not like he was sucking me off on the witness stand.”
“Nick, don’t be disgusting.”
Nick clenched his fists.
“Oh well, Daddy will take care of it. No one needs to know.”
“And what if I don’t want Dad to take care of it?”
“Oh Nick, don’t be ridiculous.”
“It’s good to see you, Nick,” she said, her smile tight. “I wasn’t so sure…” She stopped mid-sentence as she looked over Nick’s shoulder.
“This is my friend Greg,” Nick said as Greg walked up behind him.
“Oh for Heaven’s sake, Nick.” Tina’s voice was full of disapproval. “I hardly think this is appropriate, do you? Daddy’s not even in the ground.”
“Greg and I are just friends,” Nick said tightly.
“Right.”
“Well you believe what you want,” he said. “You always have.”
Tina walked back to the table and picked up her purse. “Nick,” she said as walked over to the sliding glass door that led from Jacqui’s kitchen to her back yard, “this is hard enough for all of us. You’re just making things more difficult.”
Nick watched her leave without saying a word. He was wondering how much more of this was going to come around before they left Texas, and once again thought that he’d made a mistake in bringing Greg. He ran a hand over his face, the lack of sleep catching up with him.
“I’ve got to get going too,” Lee-Ann said, looking at Nick sympathetically. “I’m supposed to go to the house to help Audrey with the arrangements. It’s good to see you, Nicky. Bye Greg.”
She left the same way Tina had, and Nick let out a long sigh.
“Why don’t you go lie down?” Jacqui suggested. “One of you can sleep in the spare room, and the other on the couch downstairs.”
“I’ll take the couch,” Nick said, but Greg shook his head.
“You take the bed, Nick,” Greg said. “You need the sleep more than I do. Besides, I caught a nap on the plane so I’m not ready to crash yet. Maybe I’ll watch TV or something.”
Nick didn’t really like to let Greg sleep on the couch, but he was too tired to argue. Nodding, he left Greg and Jacqui in the kitchen and went upstairs.
*~*
Jacqui Stokes watched as her brother left the room. She was glad he was there, even if the occasion wasn’t a happy one. She, like Nick, had mixed feelings about her dad. He pissed her off a lot, often infuriating her. Their opinions differed on almost everything and she resented him for how much of herself she had to keep from him, but he was still her father. He was still the man she had looked up to as a child in sheer admiration, wishing to someday be like him. He was the man who made her strive for excellence, who made her want to push herself beyond her boundaries. He was the man who beamed at her with excess pride when she’d graduated from law school, and when she’d passed the bar. He was her daddy, and she loved him.
She looked at the man standing in her kitchen, looking like he wasn’t quite sure what to do with himself. Nick had said they were just friends, co-workers, but she wasn’t so sure. That wasn’t the vibe she was getting, at least not from Greg.
“You want some coffee, Greg,” she asked.
“I’d love some,” he answered with a smile.
“Sit down,” she said, gesturing toward the table. “I’ll pour you a cup.”
“Thanks,” Greg said when she sat the steaming mug in front of him. She sat down across from him and reached for the pack of cigarettes sitting on the table in front of her.
“Smoke?” She waved the pack in Greg’s direction.
“No thanks,” he said. “I quit years ago.”
“Wish I could,” she said, fishing one out of the pack and lighting it. The first drag was good, and she wondered if she really did wish she could quit. It was something that everyone said, but in truth she really loved to smoke.
“So,” she said, exhaling, “does my brother know you’re in love with him?”
Greg looked at her for a long moment, seeming surprisingly unflustered. Then he grinned.
“Does your brother know you’re a lesbian?” he asked.
“Touché,” she said with a grin.
TBC in Part Four
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Date: 2005-02-12 12:51 am (UTC)I love the questions at the end. I'm enjoying this a fair amount. ^_^
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Date: 2005-02-12 01:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-12 01:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-12 01:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-12 01:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-12 07:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-12 01:43 am (UTC)I love how Greg was able to pick up on Nick's sister being a lesbian. That was great.
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Date: 2005-02-12 07:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-12 02:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-12 07:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-12 02:37 am (UTC)The last lines? ROCKED. They killed me! Can't wait for more! :D
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Date: 2005-02-12 07:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-12 02:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-12 07:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-12 04:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-12 07:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-12 04:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-12 07:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-12 05:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-12 07:24 am (UTC)And thank you, your opinion means a lot to me.
no subject
Date: 2005-02-12 08:55 am (UTC)I so love the ending lines of this. ;)
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Date: 2005-02-13 07:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-12 06:33 pm (UTC)Greg looked at her for a long moment, seeming surprisingly unflustered. Then he grinned.
“Does your brother know you’re a lesbian?” he asked.
“Touché,” she said with a grin.
Endings don't get much better than that :D Great story, loving it so far!
no subject
Date: 2005-02-13 07:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-13 08:20 pm (UTC)Now, I want to read more. :P
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Date: 2005-02-15 04:52 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-13 08:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-15 04:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-14 03:58 am (UTC)Poor Nick. :( But the end of the chapter was fantastic. :) *patiently awaits for more*
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Date: 2005-02-15 04:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-03-11 08:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-14 09:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-15 04:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-16 02:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-16 05:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-20 08:25 am (UTC)And you're right in the previous comments: Greg would SO have great gaydar.
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Date: 2005-03-04 06:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-03-11 08:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-03-11 09:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-03-12 01:32 pm (UTC)