It started innocently enough. The night was so slow it was just Nick and Greg holding down the fort. Since there was nothing better to do, they wandered up and down the halls, side-by-side, discussing whatever random topic flitted in to their minds. Nick was finding so much out about his younger colleague. He discovered that, just because the cover of the book is all science, doesn't mean that the inside doesn't go surfing on weekends, or read romance novels before bed, or have a secret passion for poetry. And if he told anyone that last one he would be their next case to process. So here they were, wandering past the glass walls where Wendy usually sat for the million-and-sixth time, trying to find the most random next topic.

"OK I got it," Nick announces excitedly, adding an extra bounce to his next step. Greg nods and defers, waiting for the question. "You're held up to a wall by a random criminal. It's a certainty you are about to die. What do you say?" He looks at Greg, who looks thoughtful, but not very deep in the thought.

"You mean like how do I use my last words?" he asks for clarification.

"Exactly," Nick says because that's exactly what he meant. There's no deep meaning to his question, it's not even pertaining to the times when he had begun to use his own last words. It's just a random curiosity. Greg answers right away.

"If I knew that they were my last words for certain, I'd use them to say all those things that I've left unsaid over the years," he states in an odd kind of voice. Nick grins and without warning he pushes Greg above the wall, holding the younger man's hands above his head with one strong hand of his own and holding a pretend knife to his throat with the other. He uses a pen for his pretend knife, because it's more believable than nothing. Greg's stares at him in shock, making Nick laugh.

"All right Sanders, you're trapped!" he declares with a smirk. "Any last minute confessions?" And, as I said before, it had started innocently enough. It quickly escalated out of 'game' status though because after a flicker of uncertainty, Greg's features harden in to determination, and he leans forward and places a soft, lingering kiss on the older man's lips. Nick is so stunned that he doesn't even resist. When Greg pulls away he keeps his eyes closed and he looks so much calmer than he feels.

"And I don't have to be scared cause in my world I'm about to die," he whispers. Nick is flabbergasted. "It doesn't matter what you think because I'm not going to be around long enough to find out, I'm going to draw my last breath filled with your scent. Then the knife will cross my throat and my eyes will open and the last thing I will see is you and the last thing I taste before the blood is you. My last thought is that I want to hear you say you feel the same way. Say it, Nicky. Say you feel the same way." Nick can hardly breathe enough to get the words out.

"Uh I, uh, I feel the same way," he speaks his line. Greg smiles with his eyes still closed and that look of bliss fills his face, the one that comes when you're on your deathbed but you know you've completed all you set out to do.

"Yeah. And it doesn't matter if you mean them or not because at least I heard them, and I can die having felt them on my heart." He opens his eyes slowly and Nick backs away at last, unsure of exactly how their question and answer game turned in to confessions of feelings. Scratch that, he knows exactly how it happened. He just doesn't understand. Greg gives him his biggest Sanders smile, but it's so fake it's sad. His eyes are sad too. Then he walks away, leaving Nick standing there with this brand new information trying to process in his head and not having much success. After a long (long long long long long) time he rallies his courage and goes looking for Greg. But he's nowhere to be found, as if he left the lab completely. Nick checks, but the blonde's car is still there. He keeps looking.

By the end of the shift when Grissom comes back with the other's Nick still hasn't found Greg, and he reports him missing to his supervisor. Gil immediately heads to his office, but when he sits down he sees a movement in the corner behind the door. Getting back up, he moves over and swings the door closed. There's Greg, curled up on the floor and fast asleep. His brows are drawn so far together that sleep can't even unknot them and it's obvious he was struggling with a problem when he hid in here. It must have been a big problem, to hide it from Nick of all people. Gil decides to leave the man there and sits down to his paperwork. Nick storms in not too much later, not gone home yet.

"Grissom, Greg is still missing, how can you just sit there!" he says. His face looks like it's not sure which feeling it's supposed to be showing. Gil sees a lone foot retract itself to hide further behind the door, completely out of sight. He looks up to the CSI 3 and shrugs nonchalantly.

"You're a CSI Nicky. Follow the clues," he urges. "Where's the most logical place in here for Greg Sanders to hide?" Nick nods and heads back out at the same speed with which he came in. From behind the door, the now very awake Greg pushes it shut and stares at his boss.

"You know very well I hid in here because it was completely illogical," he says. Gil just nods and goes back to his paperwork. He won't bother the blonde for now. He will wait until the problems are all resolved, and then he'll begin to wonder how Greg came to hide in his office from his best friend. But the wondering and guessing might be the death of him because he's seen so many cases that his imagination is boundless.

The next day, Greg hides in Gil's office all day. The boss takes pity and lets him. He goes to the other DNA techs with a special request that they find odd, but don't question because he's the boss, he can do what ever he wants. Any work that can be done without a computer is brought straight to him, and he surreptitiously slides it behind his door, where Greg sits with a microscope, a pad of paper, and his own amazing skills of observation. The frantic confused look that decorates Nick's face all that day raises many questions, but he explains himself to no one. If only he could find Greg! But it appears that the little rat is avoiding him. No one heard anything about him calling in sick, it's not his usual day off, but he's JUST. ISN'T. HERE. It's frustrating, but not enough to make him trip himself up in the field. The scene he is sent to process is not compromised. Again the end of shift rolls around and he finds himself in Grissom's office, expressing his worry. Gil listens to his concerns with a straight face, and then stands up and puts a hand on his shoulder and tells him that everything is fine.

"Here, stay in here and think for a while," he offers, strolling away to do who knows what. Nick watches him go, shaking his head. With a sigh he steps over and closes the door. Then he jumps in surprise. There's Greg, sitting on the floor behind the door, avoiding his eyes as he scribbles notes on to the paper resting against his drawn up knees. Nick stares in complete and utter shock until Greg finally gives in and peeks up at him. They stare at each other for quite some time actually, neither moving.

"You know, this is really childish," Nick finally says. That's not what he wanted to say; it just sort of slipped out. Greg hangs his head.

"I know," he agrees. Nick kneels down and leans against the door next to him.

"I've been thinking," he admits. Greg almost doesn't want to here it. Some part of him wishes he actually had been using his last words, and that he didn't have to face this awkward conversation. "And I've decided that…well I think…it…might be cool to give this a try." His head comes back up to stare is disbelief. Is it true? Or did he fall asleep again in his most uncomfortable position? No, it's true. Nick is still kneeling there and he's still smiling and he's waiting. Greg slowly puts down his paper and tilts his head.

"Really?" he asks. Nick nods and they both grin.

"Yes, but as it turns out they really were your last words," he says. "'Cause I think I'll kiss you until you pass out from lack of oxygen!" Greg has time to gasp before he feels those lips on his a second time. Oh bliss.