If this is a CSI fanfic under my account, it's going to have a Nick/Greg-ship, so if you don't like that, then please move on. ;0)

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AN: Don't own 'em, just love 'em.

Nick watched from the doorway as Greg snapped his cell phone shut and slammed his locker closed, leaning against it. It was unusual for Nick to see the lab rat in anything but an upbeat mood. In the two years since he'd been working in the lab, the CSI could probably count all Greg's bad moods on his fingers, and then probably not use every digit. And he'd been watching, really watching the young man, perhaps too closely, but….

"Shit," Greg said, gently tapping his forehead against the metal surface of the locker, before pulling away and sitting on the bench. He was bent forward, knees splayed, resting his forearms on his legs.

Nick entered the locker room slowly, not wanting to intrude, but worried for the lab tech. He'd become friends with the young man since he was hired, however it was not the best buddy type of friend, more of the 'how was your weekend' type of coworker friend. Nick didn't know much about Greg's personal life, although he really wanted to, but it appeared that something was very wrong.

"You okay, Greg?" he asked, walking nearer and sitting on the bench a few feet away from the upset man, wanting to be closer, but respecting Greg's personal space.

Greg's head snapped up and he took a deep breath. "Yeah, Nick," he nodded, before tilting his head back and looking at the ceiling. "I'm fine."

Nick watched Greg's face as his mouth tightened and he turned to look at him. "Really, Greg? I'm a trained CSI. I can see that something's not right. I could have just walked past the doorway and left you in here to deal with whatever's wrong, but I didn't. I'm asking you once again, are you okay?"

For the first time since Nick entered the locker room, Greg looked him in the eyes. "I have a problem at home, Nick. Don't worry. I'll be back in tomorrow to run your samples. I've just got to get home now and deal with something." He stood and fumbled in his pockets, looking for his keys.

Nick gave a frustrated sigh. "I'm not worried about how this might affect my cases, Greg. Can I help?" he asked, standing and blocking the other man's exit from the room. "I would really like to help if you'll let me." His eyes boring into Greg's.

Greg paused and looked at the older man, surprised at the intensity of his offer. The two men had rarely seen each other outside of the lab and although Greg would have liked there to have been more interaction, he could hardly believe that Nick would show more than a cursory interest in his life outside work.

"I'm not sure that there is anything you can do, Nick, but I appreciate the offer." Greg smiled wanly.

Nick nodded. "How about I take you out for breakfast and we talk about it, Greg? If I can't help fix the problem, maybe just talking about it will help." He hoped the young man would say yes. For two years he'd wanted to spend time outside of the lab with the wildly coifed man, but had never gotten the courage to ask him out.

"I can't, Nick. I have to get home, like right now." He watched as Nick's face clouded at his words, before the dark-haired man managed to cover his feelings. "If you really want to talk about my problem, how about following me home? I have to make breakfast anyway and you're more than welcome to join us."

Nick nodded. "Just let me grab my stuff from my locker and I'll meet you in the parking lot." He moved to the side to let Greg walk past him and out the door, before opening his locker and reaching inside. 'Us.' It finally hit him. Greg had said, 'join us.' Nick sighed. Here he had been fantasizing for two years about the lab rat and never realized that Greg had an 'us' in his life. Well, it was too late now to back out of breakfast. Besides he considered the young man a friend and if he could help, then he would.

Nick closed his locker door and moved to leave the building wondering what type of person would be waiting for breakfast at the Sander's home. He thought it would be easier if it was a female. A straight Greg would end all his hopes and maybe allow him to move on. However, if the bleached blond had another male living with him, Nick would be crushed to know that he might have had a chance and had blown it by not approaching Greg sooner.

He opened the outer doors and blinked as the harsh morning sunlight hit his eyes. He raised his sunglasses and immediately felt relief, his eyes searching the parking lot and finding Greg leaning against the side of a car waiting for him. Nick grimaced, realizing that up until this point he hadn't even known the make of Greg's vehicle, but had expected Greg to drive some type of sports car, not a sedan.

Greg raised a hand in acknowledgement and moved to get into his car. Nick moved toward his truck and unlocked it, already steeling himself for whatever he would find upon reaching Greg's home.

Pulling up behind Greg, Nick took a deep breath. "Get yourself together, man," he told himself. "Get in there and help your friend. You can deal with your own shit later."

He exited his truck and walked over to Greg, who was again standing by his car. "You sure you want to do this, Nick?" he asked. "If you've changed your mind on the drive over here, I won't hold it against you." Greg was giving the Texan an out.

"I said I wanted to help if I could, Greg, and I meant it." Nick smiled at the young man. As Greg turned to walk up to the apartment building, Nick happened to glance into the car he had just exited. He paused and took a deep breath before following the young lab tech up the front side walk. 'A car seat. Greg had a car seat in his car.' How had he worked with the man for two years and not known he had a child at home? Nick shook his head. Maybe he wasn't such a great CSI after all.

Nick watched as Greg opened the door of the apartment and called out, "I'm home," as he entered. He followed the younger man in, glancing around as he moved into the space. The living room, the entry opened into, looked lived in and comfortable. Nick couldn't see any evidence of another individual within the residence, but be could hear the faint sounds of someone moving about down the hallway off to his left.

Greg moved toward the sound, blocking Nick's view. "Here, let me help," he heard the lab tech say, as he moved quickly into the hall. "I'm so sorry, Marie." The Texan could see a suitcase suddenly appear in one of Greg's hands as his body bent forward and around the figure in front of him. "Can I give you a ride to the airport?"

"You are not waking that child up, young man. It took me long enough to get him to sleep. I called for a taxi. It should be here anytime." Greg straightened up and Nick took in the line of the wide shoulders, tapering down into slim hips, still unable to see past his coworker. "Maggie will be fine, Gregory, but she needs me right now. I'm so sorry leaving you in the lurch like this. I wish…."

Nick watched as Greg turned and walked the woman into the living room, his arm around her shoulders. "I understand. Your granddaughter and great granddaughters come first. Don't worry about us. We'll be fine."

The woman Greg called Marie looked at Nick and smiled, "You must be a friend of Gregory's. I'm Marie." The gray-haired woman walked forward and put her hand out for Nick to take. "I help out with the little one," she said, and then Marie grimaced. "Well at least I did. I have to go help out my granddaughter. She was in a car accident and has two of her own little ones needing a helping hand right now."

"I'm Nick. I work with Greg," he answered. "I'm sorry to hear about your granddaughter, Marie."

She nodded, "Thank you kindly, Nick." Turning toward Greg, she poked her finger at his chest firmly, "You call me and keep me updated on our boy." He nodded and swallowed heavily as they heard a horn honking outside. "That's my ride." She looked at Nick, "Could you help me with my bag, young man?" He nodded and took the suitcase from Greg, as she walked over to the couch and picked up a smaller case and a large shoulder bag, which could have doubled as an overnight bag.

Nick rushed forward to help with the other bags, but Marie pushed him back and got a better grip on them. "I'm not helpless, Nick." He smiled and shrugged his shoulders in apology. Marie reached over and, as Greg bent to meet her, she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and headed towards the door, as Nick held it open for her.

As she went out the door Nick looked over at Greg and said, "I'll be right back in and we can talk." Greg nodded and watched as the one person who was helping him keep his life under control walked out of his life for the foreseeable future, perhaps forever.

When Nick returned to the apartment, he stopped just inside the doorway and glanced around. There was no sign of Greg. He closed the door and stepped further into the room, listening for a clue as to the direction the lab rat had taken. Nick heard a sound of water running off to the right and he headed in that direction, finding himself in the kitchen. Greg was starting a new pot of coffee. Nick smiled, hoping that he was going to get a cup of the 'good stuff' that the young man preferred to drink.

Greg looked over his shoulder at Nick and asked, "Pancakes okay with you?"

"Yeah," he replied. "Can I help?" He watched the quick and easy movements of the younger man, as he mixed batter.

"Naw, I've got it. Have a seat." Nick nodded and sat down, allowing himself the luxury of watching Greg's back and arms flex under the long-sleeved tee shirt while working at the counter and stove making their breakfast. He was full of questions, but realized that Greg was using the simple task of making pancakes as a buffer against the realization of losing Marie and what that loss would mean to his life in the days to come.

Greg poured the batter onto the heated griddle and gave each puddle a swirl with the ladle. He opened the cupboard door for two cups and filled them with the freshly brewed coffee and carried both cups to the table, setting one in front of Nick.

"Thanks," Nick said with a smile. Greg reciprocated the look and turned back to the stove, using a spatula to lift the edge of one of the pancakes to check for doneness. When he was satisfied with the color of the cooking side, he flipped them and headed to the refrigerator, pulling out syrup, butter, and a bowl of fresh berries. Nick watched as Greg repeated the procedure with the batter until he carried two tall stacks of pancakes to the table, setting one in front of the CSI.

Both men ate silently and when he finished, Nick sat back watching Greg mop up the last of the syrup on his plate with his final forkful of pancake. Lifting his coffee cup, the dark haired man took a sip and decided it was time to talk to the young man, who looked as if his world was falling apart. "Okay Greg, so now I know you were upset back in the locker room about Marie leaving. Do you care to talk to me about the situation?"

Greg nodded and finished his cup of coffee, before lifting his gaze to the other man's. "I guess I'm scared. Things were so bad before Marie came into our lives. I couldn't find anyone who I felt comfortable leaving Carter with when I was at work. One day I was sitting in the park and both he and I were crying. Me, because I couldn't get him to stop, and him, well, I never did know the reason for sure. Marie came up to us and soothed us both, and just became family in a matter of minutes."

Setting his empty cup on the table, Nick leaned forward clasping his hands together and resting his forearms on the smooth surface. "I didn't know you had a son, Greg. How old is he?"

The young father smiled. "Carter is nine months old."

Nine months, thought Nick, I had no idea. "Is his mother in the picture?" he asked hesitantly. He watched as Greg swallowed heavily and closed his eyes, shaking his head.

"Gina was killed in an accident four months ago. That's when Carter came to live with me."

Nick thought back and remembered a tech from the day shift covering the lab for several days in a row about that time. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I didn't realize you'd lost someone so close to you recently."

Greg looked up at Nick and shrugged his shoulders. "I hadn't seen Gina in almost three years, but she was my closest friend in college. It hurts to think I'll never be able to talk to her again, or that Carter will never get to know his mommy."

"So you're not Carter's biological father, then?" Nick asked, frowning at the incorrect assumption he had made, wondering why Greg now had custody of the small child.

"Gina never told me who Carter's father was. When she informed me she was pregnant, I told her that if she and the baby ever needed anything they could count on me. I knew her parents had passed away and there was nobody else she could turn to for help. I never dreamed that she would put me down as next of kin and appoint me guardian of Carter if anything happened to her." He stopped and took a deep breath. "I guess it shouldn't surprise me, young people die all the time, but …." He looked at Nick and shrugged his shoulders. "I was told if I didn't follow through and adopt Carter, that he would be put into the foster care system. I couldn't let that happen to Gina's child."

Nick nodded. "So you're going through the adoption process, then?"

"Yeah. I get visits every so often from caseworkers, just to make sure everything's fine. I've been told it could take up to a year before everything is finalized." Greg stopped talking and Nick could tell he was listening for a sound outside of the room. "He might be up. Let me go and check."

The CSI watched as Greg left the kitchen. Rising he carried the dirty dishes to the counter and began to fill the sink with soapy water.

The young man returned carrying a baby monitor. "Hey, you don't have to do that, Nick."

Nick smiled and continued to wash the dishes. "You made breakfast, the least I can do is rinse off the dishes for you."

Greg smiled and put the monitor on the table. "He's still asleep. I guess he must have been dreaming." Opening a drawer he pulled out a dish towel and began to dry the clean tableware. "I guess I'm going to have to take a few days off and look for another sitter. Damn, it's hard finding someone who will actually care for Carter, and not just sleep, eat or watch T.V" He looked at Nick. "I even caught one chick banging her boyfriend in my bed when I came home early one morning."

Nick grimaced at this story. "Did you boil the sheets afterwards?"

"I tossed them in the trash," Greg responded with a laugh. "I guess I should have been glad they weren't going at it in the bed I put in Carter's room for his sitter to actually use to sleep in. He would have been sleeping right beside them."

The Texan realized that the young man was beginning to finally relax. "Hey Greg, I have tonight off. Why don't I sit with the little man for you? There's no need for you to take any down time if I can help out."

Greg looked at Nick and gave him a small smile. "You'd do that?"

Nick grinned. "I'm an old pro at watching babies, Greg. I have six older siblings and more nieces and nephews than should be allowed by the law. I'd be honored if you'd trust me with Carter."

Greg nodded and gave a relieved sigh. "I have the following night off. That would give me a couple of days to actually find someone I could feel comfortable leaving Carter alone with." He looked at Nick and gave him a huge smile. "Thanks Nick, I really appreciate the offer."

"Not a problem." He tilted his head toward the bedroom hallway. "Why don't you go ahead and get some sleep? I'll stick around and get to know the little guy when he wakes up. I can sleep when he naps later."

"You sure?" Greg asked. "I don't want to take advantage of your offer of watching him tonight."

"Go on," Nick smiled. "I'll be fine. We'll both be fine. Get some rest, Daddy."

Greg pushed himself away from the kitchen counter and started across the room, turning to Nick one last time, "If you need anything…."

"I'm beginning to think you don't trust me, Sanders," Nick joked.

"I trust you with my life, Nick. Thanks." Nick nodded, as Greg continued towards the bedroom hallway.

Nick let the cooling water out of the sink and dried his hands. Filling his coffee cup with the remains of the pot, he picked up the baby monitor and wandered into the living room, setting the device on the table in front of the sofa. He picked up the remote and turned the television on, adjusting the volume to a faint murmur, settling in until Carter decided to make an appearance.

I have all thirteen chapters written and plan on posting 3x a week. All that remains is the nervous fiddling I always do before the actual posting. LOL The entire story should be posted by the end of the month. Happy New Year!

Oh, P.S. - feedback is appreciated!