Date: Sun, 20 Dec 2009 20:33:49 -0600
From: Marie Sanders <slinkylubber@gmail.com>
Subject: Time Well Spent

***** THIS STORY CONTAINS M/M SEXUAL CONTENT. IF SUCH ACTS OFFEND YOU, TURN
BACK NOW. THIS STORY IS FANFIC ABOUT GREG SANDERS AND NICK STOKES OF CSI. I
DO NOT CLAIM OWNERSHIP OF THESE CHARACTERS, AND AS STATED BEFORE THIS STORY
IS FOR ENTERTAINMENT ONLY. SCENARIOS INCLUDED IN THIS STORY SHOULD NOT BE
TAKEN SERIOUSLY. *****

Stokes & Sanders: Time Well Spent

For the past nine years, Greg Sanders and Nick Stokes of the LVPD Crime
Scene Investigation department have been less than coy about the way they
truly feel about each other. Silent stares. Secret rendevous on the strip.
Nights out on the town. Passionate embraces when they thought that no one
else was looking.All of that was about to come to an abrupt end, but let's
back up to where the story really begins.

Greg was preparing for a night out on the town with his "friend", Nick
Stokes. After countless text and unanswered phone calls, Greg started to
get concerned with the fact that Nick was not replying to him. To top it
all off, Greg was already nervous about this evening. He had decided that
tonight was the night to tell Nick that he loved him and that he wanted to
spend the rest of his life with him.

Nick had always been extremely reserved, especially when it came to the way
that he was feeling. He had decided that tonight was the night that he was
going to call off all of their secret meetings. Ten years was enough. He
had decided that it was time to move on with his life and find someone else
to be with. It wasn't that he didn't love Greg, because he did. It had more
to do with the fact that Nick was tired. Tired of the same routine. Work,
coming home and fucking Greg. He needed something new. He had been ignoring
Greg's calls all night. He just couldn't find the words to say that would
make breaking up any easier.

While Nick was running over what he might say to Greg when he came over,
there was an unexpected knock on the door. "Hey Greg. I wasn't expecting
you for another hour." Nick said.

"Well, when you didnt answer any of my calls of texts, I started to get
worried. So, here I am. Are you okay?"

Nick did not respond to any of what Greg had just said to him.

"Hello? Nick? Are you there?"

"Huh...Wha...I'm sorry. I kind of dazed off there for a minute. What were
you saying?"

Greg, perturbed by the fact that Nick was completely ignoring him, repeated
what he had said just 60 seconds ago. "I'm sorry, Greg. I've just got alot
that I need to talk to you about."

"That's good, because I wanted to talk to you about something too. Go ahead
with what you have to say. I'm all ears."

Nick took a few minutes to pause and gather all of his thoughts together
before he dropped the bombshell on Greg.

"Greg, we've been seeing each other for the past ten years. And even though
I have enjoyed every minute of the time that we have spent together, I
think it's time for us to part ways. And before you interupt me, let me
finish what I have to say. The last ten years have not been a mistake. I
love you, I really do. And all the time that we have spent together has
been time well spent. But I'm not happy. I need some variety. I need
something new."

After Nick had finished what he was saying, Greg just sat there on Nick's
couch wondering what he had done wrong. Wondering why Nick was breaking up
with him. Wondering how he was ever going to move on.

"Greg? Please say something."

"What the fuck do you want me to say, Nick? That I'm fine? That I don't
regret our relationship? Even though your ass was too scared to come out of
the closet long enough so we could have a real date? Did you ever stop to
think that that may be the reason that you are so unhappy? Huh, Nick? Did
you? Did you ever take time to think about what you're doing or not doing
that is making you so upset. I came here tonight to tell you that I loved
you and that I was ready for us to make a life; build a home together. I
guess it's done now. Nothing else to say."

"Here," Greg said, throwing the flowers that he had gotten Nick on his way
over at Nick's feet. "Enjoy the rest of your fucking evening!"

With that, Greg was gone. Nick sat on his couch wondering what had just
happened. What had he done? It was at that moment that Nick realized that
it was him that needed to change. For so long he had been concerned with
keeping his love life secret that he didn't even think of how it was making
Greg feel. Before Nick could run after Greg and convince him to stay, Greg
was gone.

Driving down the interstate, face and shirt soaked with tears, ignoring all
of the calls that came from Nick, Greg felt like his stomach was going to
explode. He was so mad that he was having trouble keeping his eyes on the
road. This was something that he knew had been coming for a long time, he
just didn't want to believe that it had actually happened tonight. Wishing
that he could rewind time, Greg replayed the incident over and over in his
head.

"What if I had told him that I loved him first? Would this still have
happened?" Greg said aloud to himself as he ignored another call from Nick.

****************************************************************************************************************

Once Greg arrived at his home he pondered what he was going to do now that
he and Nick were no longer "friends". "I can't face him at work
tomorrow. What the hell am I going to do? I can't avoid him all day?"Greg
cried himslef to sleep that night.

Nick, on the other hand, didn't sleep at all. He wondered to himself as he
lay in his bed staring at the ceiling, how he could have done that horrible
deed to Greg. Greg was there for him after he had been kidnapped and buried
alive. And he was by Greg's side everyday in the hospital after Greg was
attacked and almost killed. It was then that he realized that he did love
Greg, and he was going to spend the next day proving to him that he truly
did love him.

The next day, Greg called into work. Said he was sick. Which was somewhat
true. He was sick to his stomach and he couldn't bear to be in the same
building as Nick right then. Nick was worried about Greg all day long. He
sat in his office all day moping. He must've tried calling Greg at least 20
times before he finally gave up. If Greg wasn't going to answer any of his
phone calls then he would just go over to Greg's after he got off work.

Nick spent the rest of the day practicing what he was going to say to Greg
when he saw him.

"I'm sorry. Take me back. Ugh...that too corny," he said to himself.

*****************************************************************************************************************

After the day was done and Nick had finished all of his paperwork for the
day, he went straight to Greg's house. Once he got there, he couldn't
convince himself to get out of the car.

"I've already hurt him. What if he won't take me back?"

Nick spent 15 minutes trying to convince himself to get out of the car and
knock on the door and once he did, no one answered. He knocked again and
again, until finally he heard Greg call from the other side, "Get the fuck
away, Nick. Don't you think you've caused enough heartbreak in the past 24
hours?"

"Greg, open the damn door right now!" Nick yelled. "I know why you called
in today, and quite frankly, the fact that you couldn't bear to be in the
same building as me is, well, unprofessional."

Greg ripped the door open and yelled, "Unprofessional?! So, I guess you
fucking me in the lab was 'professional'? Why don't you just get your shit
and get the hell out of here so I never have to see you again."

"Greg, what the hell are you talking about?" asked Nick. "I came over here
to apologize to you and you're fucking throwing me out?

"Why not? Isn't that what you did to me last night?"

"Greg, I never meant to hurt you. Honestly, I didn't."

Greg slammed the door in his face.

"Before you shut me out of your life for all eternity please listen. I was
scared. I am scared. I never wanted to come out because I see all of the
humiliation that you get, and I didn't want to go through the same thing. I
love you, Greg. I'm sorry about everything that I said to you last
night. I'm sorry that I'm to chicken to go on a real date with you. And I'm
sorry that I never told you how much I love you until after I decided to
break up with you."

Greg leaned against the door while Nick was giving the most heartfelt
speech he had ever heard.

He opened the door. "How long did you rehearse that speech?"

"The entire drive over here." Nick said with a silly grin on his face. "Can
you ever forgive me?"

Before Nick had finished his sentence, Greg had locked lips with him.

Nick moaned into Greg's mouth. They had never shared a kiss so
intense. Greg quickly pulled Nick inside and locked the door. Nick was
headed for the stairs when Greg stopped him and pulled him back into an
embrace. Lips locking and tounges entwining. As they shared another kiss,
Greg pulled off Nick's shirt and slammed him up against the wall.


***** COMMENTS OR SUGGESTIONS FOR THE NEXT INSTALLMENT, EMAIL ME AT
SLINKYLUBBER@GMAIL.COM. IN SUBJECT: MARIE SANDERS; CSI. *****