nickngreg | For the April challenge (Reply)

For the “A look into the future challenge”

Rating: PG

Summary: Nick returns to his family home and faces up to some painful truths about his life with Greg

“Contemplating Eternity”

Part One “Rocking the Boat”

Going back to Texas had always been a time of joy. Everyone showed up at the airport, with hugs and laughter. It was a jolt for Nick when his plane landed and only his father was there to meet him. This was not a time for celebration, but of sorrow. His Grandfather had died quietly, as he’d lived his whole life, surrounded by family. All save Nick.

“Good to see you, son. How was the flight in?” His father took the carry-on from Nick’s hands. “No Greg?”

“He had to work. He’s covering for me, actually.” Nick sighed. He’d argued with Grissom, something he rarely tried, to get Greg the time off too. Grissom had refused, and Greg asked Nick not to push it. “Just go, see your folks. I’ll cover for you.” Greg gave him the cheeky grin he so loved. “You can make it up to me later!”

So here he was. There were at least a dozen cars parked on the front lawn of his parent’s ranch house. Everyone was there. It was probably for the best. Get all the questions out of the way, then focus on the funeral and the support of his Grandmother. He could do this.

“Nicholas!” At the sound of that voice, Nick’s dad grimaced and beat a hasty retreat. “See you later, son.” Nick turned to face the elderly woman bearing down on him.

Nick’s Great-Aunt Tassie was no one’s version of the fragile, maiden aunt. At 90, she still power-walked two miles each day. She had helped care for his grandfather before his passing, and would no doubt fill that role for his grandmother as well. She was tough as nails and scared the shit out of Nick. Even as a child, he’d avoided her whenever possible. “Where is your little friend?” Nick forced himself to remain calm.

“He’s not so little. And he’s working.” Well, things weren’t off the best of starts, now were they? “Good to see you too, Auntie.”

“When are you going to settle down? You worry your mother.” She wasn’t ready to let him go just yet.

“I am settled down. And my mom isn’t worried.” That’s it. Keep the answers short. Not rude, ‘cause that’s a whole new brand of hell around here, just short. Besides, since when was Nick’s love life open to discussion with Auntie?

“Married him, did you? Made an honest man of him?” Auntie was relentless, and really snide when she wanted to be.

“Now you know I can’t do that, Auntie. Not even in Vegas.” That’s the statement that always stopped these kinds of conversations with his parents. It should work on noisy great-aunts as well. “I love him. He loves me. We’re settled.”

“Of course you love him, Nick. I can see that, it’s written all over your face. But what kind of future can the two of you have? Have you given any thought to that? It’s all very good for the two of you now, but how will you make what you have into a family, into a home?” The worried yet compassionate tone kept Nick from reacting badly. She was genuinely concerned for him. It both surprised and unnerved him.

“We’re fine. Really. I don’t see what you’re so worried about.” He didn’t. Life was pretty good right now. Why question it?

“A fox may love the hen, Nick. But where would they make their home?” Noisy, snide and just as confusing as Grissom. Nick’s patience had come to its end.

“What the hell does that mean?” Okay, he was asking for trouble. Getting into an argument with Tassie Stokes was a guaranteed headache. So be it.

“Naturally you can’t marry him. He’s a man. You should have already figured that out.” There was no give in the old lady. She stared up into Nick’s eyes without flinching. “Have you worked out a domestic partnership? His name on the deed to your place? On the pink slip of your car?” She waited a fraction for a reaction from Nick. “No? Didn’t think so.” She snorted down her patrician nose at him. “Not as settled as you’d like us to think, are you? Tell me. Do you expect him to leave, or are you leaving the way clear for you to?” Not allowing Nick to reply, she turned away. “Go in to your Grandmother. She’s been waiting for you.” With that, she was gone.

Hours later, alone in his boyhood bed, Nick considered what Auntie had said to him earlier. He’d been furious at the time. Now he wondered, how much truth was in those statements. Why, after seeing each other exclusively for nearly four years now, did Greg still have his own apartment? True, they spent four or five nights a week together, but they’d never combined households. Why not? Was he waiting for Greg to call it quits? Did he want to freedom to do so himself? He knew he’d have to find answers and face whatever the consequences those answers brought. He was almost as afraid of that as he was of his aunt. What kind of a wimp did that make him? He tossed and turned late into the night, struggling with his questions until sleep finally claimed him.