Fic: Up in Smoke

[vampwb36.livejournal.com]

Title: Up in Smoke
Chapter: 4/?
Rating: PG:13 for now but could go up.

Spoilers: None for now, takes place season 6.

Warnings: None yet
Disclaimer: Not Mine >8( Any characters you recognize belong to Bruckheimer and Zuicker, the rest are mine

 

 Thank you for Beta'ing jayceepat 

 

Summary: Based on an episode of Law and Order. The CSI team investigates the death of a comedian's child and accidentally uncovers his dirty little secret. Will their inability to leave his secrets alone destroy Greg?

A/N: Here is ch 4! yay! Extra Special thanx to my Beta jayceepat who helped me a ton with this chapter! Read, Review, Enjoy >8)

Disclaimer: Not Mine >8( Any characters you recognize belong to Bruckheimer and Zuicker, the rest are mine

 

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Greg walked calmly out of the locker room.  He signed out at the desk, then walked out the front door.

 

He walked slowly out to his car nodding a greeting when he ran into a woman from the day shift that he knew.

 

He got in the car, threw his jacket in the back seat, started the engine and drove out of the parking lot.  

 

Greg arrived at his house, got out of the car, unlocked the front door, walked inside and headed upstairs.  He entered his bedroom and laid face down on the bed.  That was when his brain kicked back on.

 

A single small sob escaped, followed by another and then another.  Soon, his whole body was shaking with the force of them.  He curled up on his bed and cried until there were no tears left although a small sob still escaped from time to time.

 

He felt sick to his stomach.  He couldn’t believe this was happening. He knew they’d figure everything out soon, and then what?  He had no answer.

 

It was his own fault he was hurting right now. He’d put his trust in the wrong people.  Hell, he’d staked his happiness on them. What a stupid thing to do. Trusting people just caused you pain and Greg was not going to accept the pain anymore; he would not be the victim again. Not again.

 

Tomorrow he would go back to work and pretend that nothing had happened. He would forget about Nick and the brief possibility of more that had made his heart flutter.

 

He would strike the name ‘Monty Bender’ from his memory.

 

From now on he and his co-workers were strictly that; co-workers.  No more jokes. No more flirting. No more meals after shift or video game marathons. Especially with a dark haired Texan who had the ability to hurt him so much just with his words alone.  He refused to be hurt any more. No more pain.

 

He had to protect himself since no one else would. No one ever had.

 

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“Catherine are you absolutely sure about this?” Gil asked.

 

Nick responded before Catherine could. “Absolutely Grissom; she checked it twice and so did I. The parents names are right, Age is right… and he lived in New York for 3 years when he was a kid.” Nick looked a bit guilty. “I called his grandfather and asked… told him it was for a game we were playing.”

 

“We need to talk to Greg,” Catherine said. She felt sick at the thought of the conversation they would be having.

 

“Catherine and I will go and talk to him,” Grissom told Nick standing up and making ready to leave.

 

“No!  Nick blurted out. “I should go.”

 

“Nick, I don’t think that’s a good idea.  Haven’t you upset him enough for one day?” Catherine asked.

 

 Even though she knew Nick didn’t know the truth when he yelled at Greg, it still pissed her off that he had hurt him.

 

“I know.  That’s why I want to go; I need to apologize to him.” Nick explained.

 

“Well this isn’t about your needs, it’s about Greg” Catherine argued.  She knew that she was being a little stubborn but she was worried about Greg.

 

“I know that I just… I made a stupid selfish mistake and I need to fix it. Please,” he begged, sadly sending her a plaintive look.

 

“I know that Nick,” Catherine said gently “but you just may make it worse. He may be ashamed to talk about it with you.”

 

“And he won’t feel ashamed talking to you or Grissom?” Nick asked; a slight edge to his voice.

 

“Nic-” Catherine tried to interrupt him but Nick continued talking.

 

“He’s going to feel worse talking to either of you.  Grissom is his boss and intimidates the hell out of him and you and he barely know each other.”  

 

Catherine opened her mouth to protest. She and Greg were not best friends but she cared about him. However before she got a chance to correct Nick he beat her to it.

 

“I’m not saying you don’t care about him, I know you do. But Greg sees you two as authority figures and I think it will really freak him out having both of you there trying to get answers.

 

“Nick’s right” Grissom sighed.  “He’s going to feel cornered if I go; like he has to tell me.

 

 Catherine, you and Nick go talk to him tonight. I think this is a matter better discussed outside the lab.” Grissom sat back at his desk and began working on some paper work, effectively dismissing them.

 

Catherine and Nick shared a look, rolled their eyes and headed out.

 

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The trip to Greg’s apartment was completely silent. Both Nick and Catherine were deep in thought.

 

Catherine was thinking about Nick and Greg.

 

Something was up with them. She just couldn’t quite figure out what. Nick had defended Greg so fiercely; completely unwilling to even theorize that Greg was involved in Benders scheme. Then later, when all the evidence seemed to prove that Greg was guilty, Nick had been so angry.

 

Catherine didn’t think she had ever seen him so angry; he seemed to take it personally..

 

Then there was the whole scene she had walked into after her coffee break. If she didn’t know better she would say that Nick and Greg were about to kiss. The way they had jerked apart and Greg’s subsequent blush and fidgeting only reinforced her theory.

 

But both men were straight. She knew that. Nick was a ladies-man; she’d seen the evidence first hand. Then there was Greg.  She’d caught him looking down her shirt enough times to prove to her that he was straight.

 

On the other hand they had chemistry. Over time Catherine had watched them change. They started as coworkers who got on each others nerves and then became close friends who seemed to relate to each other in a special way.

 

Catherine remembered a time when Greg used to complain to she and Sara about Nick all the time; how he treated him like lab equipment, like a machine rather than a human being. He talked to him only when he needed something and as soon as he got it he was gone. The thing that irritated Greg the most was that after Greg gave him his results, he would talk out loud to himself as though the results weren’t clear. That particular habit drove Greg nuts and no matter how many times Greg had asked him not to do it…he still did.

 

Lately, Catherine couldn’t remember the last time Greg had complained about Nick, or vice versa. In fact, before the shift split, when Greg was still a trainee, Nick had been the one least bothered by working with Greg, and often defended him when the others got irritated at his constant questions.

 

Nick had really taken Greg under his wing, always willing to answer a question or lend an ear when Greg was upset by a case. He always had time to quiz Greg or listen to his theory on a case and, unlike Warrick or Sara, Nick was able to play devils advocate when Greg theorized without completely decimating Greg’s self-esteem.

Greg helped Nick out just as much. He helped the CSI 3 mellow out a little. Sometimes it was a stupid joke and sometimes he simply told him to relax when he was angry about a case; something no one else in the lab, except Grissom, was able to do.

 

The more Catherine thought the more she began to wonder if something was going on between them.

 

Nick and Greg had really become friends during Greg’s training.  The question now was; were they more?  Or had Nick ruined it with his misplaced anger?

 

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Meanwhile, Nick was brooding.  He had messed up; big time. He had let his anger take over blinding him to everything else.

 

It had just hurt to think that the man he considered his best friend, was a fake. That everything they had done or talked about hadn’t been real.

 

That the almost kiss hadn’t been real.

 

By the time Nick had figured out what he wanted with Greg and finally decided to go for it. Nick was in deeper than he wanted to be;deeper than he should be. He wasn’t in love with Greg now, but he could see it developing, in the not-so-distant future.  It had hurt to lose that.

 

He was somewhat prepared for Greg to reject him, especially if he was straight but to lose that future because Greg wasn’t the type of man he claimed to be; the type he seemed to be…that had hurt worse than he was prepared for.

 

Nick had reacted foolishly. Yelling at Greg in the locker room until he cried and begged him to stop…

 

The fear and sadness he’d seen in Greg’s eye’s made sense now in the light of Catherine’s discovery.

 

Nick swallowed the lump in his throat as they pulled up to Greg’s house. He sent a silent prayer up to God asking him to help Greg forgive him. He put the car in park and hopped out sharing a quick look with Catherine before knocking on the door.

 

 

“That was quick,” Greg said as he flung the door open, obviously expecting some one else. Instead he found Nick and Catherine standing on his door step looking decidedly uncomfortable.

 

“Hi.  Oh, you’re not delivering my Chinese take-out orde,” he said frowning, obviously not happy to see them.

 

“May we come in?” Catherine asked.

 

Greg eyed them both warily for a moment. He looked tired and his eyes were red and looked as though he’d spent sometime crying. Nick sadly acknowledged, to himself, that he probably had.

 

“Please,” Nick added after a moment seeing that Greg had been about to say no. He smiled sadly at Greg hoping to convince him he wasn’t out for blood this time.

 

Greg sighed and he stepped back letting them in.

 

“What do you want?” Greg asked coldly. It was obvious he was not in the mood for small talk.

 

Nick just looked at the floor, a guilty expression on his face. Catherine looked back and forth between the two men before rolling her eyes and taking over.

 

“We have some questions for you.” She said, in her most professional voice, her face blank.

 

At the sound of her voice, Nick had looked up and taking a cue from her, pulled himself together and plastered a neutral expression on his face.

 

“Should I call my lawyer?” Greg asked sarcastically.

 

“If you feel like you need to,” Nick answered, wincing on the inside a bit. He knew that if he was to make it through this meeting unscathed, he needed to put up a professional front.

 

Greg scowled, and led them into his living room but remained standing.

 

 Catherine shifted on her feet uneasily before beginning, “I don’t know if you are aware Greg but Nick and I are working on a case related to the Casino fire.”

 

“I was vaguely aware,” Greg answered looking at Nick. Nick blushed and looked at the ground before struggling to return to CSI mode.

 

“I was questioning Mike Stephens and he brought some interesting information to light.” Nick said, while watching Greg for any sort of reaction. “He told me a story about an ice cream truck and little boys.” There was a definite flinch when he’d mentioned the ice cream truck.

 

“Your point?” Greg asked shortly.

 

“We know Greg,” Catherine said gently.

 

“What exactly do you think you know?” Greg asked a look of both confusion and anger on his face.

 

“We know what Monty Bender did to you. I found your statement on a celebrity scandal web site under Bender’s real name,” Catherine answered in a detached voice.

 

Greg’s jaw tightened his hands balled into fists. “What are you talking about?” He growled out glaring at her.

 

Nick and Catherine shared a look before Nick passed him a print out from the website. Greg grabbed the papers and began reading.

 

Nick watched all the color drain from Greg’s face for the fourth time that day. He stumbled back until the backs of his legs hit his couch and then he collapsed onto it.

 

“Where did you get this?” Greg asked.  He was slumped on the couch, his eyes glued to the document in his hands.  His voice was weak, as though he was out of breath.

 

“A website, someone posted it there several years ago.” Catherine said, a frown marring here other wise blank face.

 

“Is there anything more you can tell us that wasn’t in the statement?” Nick asked. 

 

 He knew he and Catherine were being slightly cold, but it was for the best.

 

Greg snapped his head up. He looked back and forth between Nick and Catherine a sad look on his face.

 

“Anything you can tell us could stop him from doing this to another kid.” Catherine added.

 

Greg snorted, “Who said he had ever hurt any kids before?” 

 

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Catherine and Nick gaped at Greg.

 

“You did,” Catherine said gesturing to the papers Greg had in his hands.

 

“Sit down and I’ll explain everything to you.” Greg said gesturing to the love seat across from him.

 

Nick and Catherine sat down quickly, both eager to understand what the hell was going on.

 

Greg took a moment to gather it all together unsure where he should start and how much to tell them, “When I was seven, my brother David was born.” He haltingly began, “Davy had a bad heart and had to have surgery immediately.”

 

“We moved from California, where I was born, to New York where they had the best children’s hospital in the world. It was my brothers best chance at survival.”

 

Greg paused and looked down. He could feel Nick’s eye’s on him watching him, waiting for him to give something away with his body language. Greg fought down the urge to yell at him to quit staring and continued on with his story.

 

“It was really expensive and Davy racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in hospital bills. We lived in this awful apartment in an terrible neighborhood. Nothing worked and I hated it. When Monty Bender invited me up to his house for a weekend it was the first good thing that had happened to my family in a long time. My Mom and I drove up the next Saturday, my dad stayed at home with Davy.”

 

Now came the hard part Greg stood and walked across the room until he was standing in front of his bookcase. He needed to put distance between himself and the two CSI’s.

 

“On our second day there, my Mom found me crying in the bathroom and I told her that Monty had…” Greg’s voice cracked and a slight sob forced its way out but he forced himself to continue on, “I told her that he had touched me…” Another small sob forced its way out. “And then made me touch him…” several more sobs and Greg stopped talking for a minute but still didn’t turn around. He could still remember the guilt and the shame he felt when he’d told his mother. Greg gave himself a moment to be miserable but then he quickly squashed it all back down and continued on with his tale.   

 

“She didn’t believe me,” Greg said after he was back under control though his voice was a little rough, “and she was right not to.”

 

“You lied?” Catherine blurted out. Greg winced and squeezed his eyes shut forcing the tears back.

 

“I lied,” Greg agreed after a moment.

 

“He never touched me. The reason I was crying was because the weekend was almost over.”Greg finally turned around once he was sure he was in control of himself again.

 

“The next night I’d have to leave and go back to our awful apartment with my dying brother who we couldn’t afford to keep alive much longer,” Greg explained. He walked back over to the couch and sat down.  He hadn’t looked at Nick or Catherine yet.  He wasn’t ready to see the disappointment he knew would be on their faces.

 

“You made it all up?” Nick asked in a strained voice.

 

Greg ignored Nick’s question and just continued on with his story “When we got home my parents questioned me about it and I stuck to my story afraid I was going to get in trouble. By the time I told my parents the truth, it was to late they had already filed the law suit.” Greg sighed, finally looking up and meeting their eyes.

 

He was surprised to find not disappointment but sadness in their eyes.

 

He continued on, telling the final part of his story. “They decided to go ahead with it and hoped he would settle out of court. He did; he paid off Davy’s medical bills and agreed to pay my parents $100,00 a year for the next 25 years.”

 

 “So what you’re saying is that Bender never touched you?” Catherine asked uneasily

 

“Yes” Greg answered shortly wanting this just to be over and them to leave.

 

“Never?” Nick asked.

 

“No he never touched me”  Greg answered, suddenly remembering that they weren’t there as his ‘friends’ but as CSI’s interrogating a witness.

 

Greg realized the sadness in their eyes wasn’t for him; for what he’d gone through.They were sad because he wouldn’t give them what they needed to prosecute Bender. Greg scowled and glared at Nick, however mid-glare, their eyes met and Greg saw something in Nick’s eyes he wished he hadn’t.

 

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Nick wasn’t too sure he bought Greg’s story. Not only did it sound like a cover up story, but the way Greg acted when telling it was suspicious.  He had been unable to even face them when he’d talked about the ‘alleged’ abuse.

 

Not only that but Greg’s reaction to Bender at the crime scene hadn’t been guilt, it had been fear. He hadn’t looked guilty in the locker room either; he looked sad, and hurt.

 

When Greg’s and his eye’s had met while Greg glared at him Nick had seen a flash of himself, of his secret pain in Greg’s eyes. He wished he hadn’t.

 

“Greg, you can tell us the truth, we’re your friends. We care about you” Nick said.  He doubted that Greg would respond by telling them the truth, but he hoped he would.

 

“Oh so you’re my friends now? 5 minutes ago you were CSI’s and I was a case.” Greg yelled standing up. The anger that had flashed in his eyes a few moments ago now back in full force. “Now that my statement won’t help your case we’re all friends.” Greg continued on sarcastically.

 

“We’re just trying to help you.” Catherine said calmly.

 

“No you’re trying to solve a case, if you were trying to help me you wouldn’t have come here and treated me like a suspect.”

 

“We didn’t treat you like a suspect,” Catherine argued. Though Nick had the grace to blush and look ashamed.

 

Greg was right they had treated him like a suspect, but for a worse reason than Greg thought. They had done it to protect themselves. If they were really his friends, they would have braved the pain with him; not thrown him into it alone. They hid behind their professionalism.

 

“Well then, since this is just a plesant meeting between friends, I can ask you to leave without legal repercussions” Greg said walking over to the door and pulling it open. “Get out.”

 

Nick knew in that moment what he needed to do to fix this. He rose and walked out quickly out the front door dragging Catherine behind him. Both Greg and Catherine looked shocked at his behavior, though Greg recovered first slamming and locking the door.

 

Once outside Catherine rounded on Nick, “What the hell was that Nick?”

 

“Catherine, Greg just all but screamed at us that what he wants right now is a friend. He needs a friend right now. So you are going to get in the car and head home. I am going to go back in there, take my licks, beg for forgiveness and hopefully be able to prove to him that I’m there for the right reasons this time.”

 

Catherine stared at Nick in shock for a moment before agreeing and wishing him luck. She gave him a quick hug and hoped in the Denali. She stared out the window at Nick for a moment in a very calculating way before starting the engine and driving off. 

 

Nick watched her until she turned the corner heading back to the lab as he’d known she would.

 

He took a deep breath and attempted to gather his thoughts before walking back up to the door and knocking.

 

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A/N2: CH5 is about half-way done so expect it Friday-ish. Review and it'll inspire me to write faster >8)