~ Blood Lines ~
Nick walked into Jim's office, reached across the desk, opened the bottom drawer, pulled out the bottle of whiskey and two glasses, set them down with a thump, then took a seat across from the startled Detective.
"Did you want a drink? I can get another glass?" Nick smirked, as he poured a fair amount of amber liquor into each glass.
Brass chuckled as he took one and raised it for a toast before downing it. "Has this past week been that bad, or was it all a very nasty dream?"
"Oh, no! It sucked." Nick downed what was remarkably good alcohol, and coughed slightly. "Started off in a 'Days of our Labs' screaming match with Gil, and ended with the death of a woman who deserved so much better."
"And everything else in between." Brass poured them another glass. "Thomas mentioned something about Gil's man crush."
Nick eye rolled resentfully. "I'm still not speaking to Lady Heather." He picked up the glass and at least sipped at more slowly the second time around. "Evy on the other hand, called to inform me where they went wrong."
"It's rare for either of them to fuck up that badly," he pointed out.
Thomas had contacted him the day after Gil made his move on Nico, and explained the situation in perfect English, giving Brass full instructions.
A)Do not let Warrick kill Gil
B)Do not let Nick dwell on the situation
C)Smack Gil immediately
When Gil had returned to work, he'd pulled the man into his office and walloped him soundly on the back of his head, asking him what the actual fuck he was thinking. Gil had slumped into his chair and told him the whole sad story.
'Damn it Grissom, why didn't you come to me?' Brass demanded.
'You would've told me it was stupid.' Gil glared at him.
'Of course I would have. Because it was stupid! Nick's …' he paused, '… not available. At all! Hell, if there's any really other cute boy running around this lab, it would be Greg.'
Grissom frowned. 'Heather mentioned Greg also.'
'Well, she's a smart lady.' Brass sat down in his chair and looked over at his friend. 'Most of the time.'
"It seems when dear Greg was visiting their establishment, he took to picking older men, slightly bow legged, and scruffy." Nick laughed when Brass poured them both a third drink. "In one of these sessions, he called Gil's name out."
"And?" Brass swallowed his drink, trying to burn the image of Greg and Gil out of his minds eye. "Great that picture is going to linger."
"Somehow it got twisted around, so when Gil started asking about how to deal with a much younger man on his team…" Nick reached for the glass. "They assumed it was Greg. Evy rambled on about how she sees how they did it, but well…" He shrugged and took another gulp.
"Doesn't help the situation now." Jim shook his head. "So how's he doing?"
"Who knows? It's Gil." Nick set the glass down and eyed the bottle.
Brass rolled his eyes and poured him another. "You can go snack on Greg to sober up. Besides, it takes a lot more than this to get you wasted. How many barrels of rum did Warrick go through that day?"
Nick laughed heartily at the memory. "Three, I think. Speed never did get drunk, and Tony had the same cup the whole time. Now drugs on the other hand…"
"Is Gil treating you any better?" Brass asked sincerely. He was worried about Nico, knowing the General had a tendency to give people too many second chances.
"He's letting me work on my cases, but then he rarely questions my science skills. More like an over-protective Papa Bear." He shrugged, sipping the warm whiskey gladly. "He's watching me, like he finally got that last piece of the puzzle."
"Think he figured out about you and Warrick?"
"Not sure. But if he did, it's not like he can really complain, now can he." Nick snorted. "At least I didn't have to really deal with him, when I came back to work. Had a few extra days before he returned to the lab. I only had to deal with Ecklie as 'warlord', Sara in a huff, Catherine flailing over Braun, and Warrick in full Pirate Captain Mode. It's been a rough week. I need to stock up on alcohol at home, that's how rough of a week it's been." He slumped down in his chair, head resting over the back, eyes closed.
"I thought Sara apologized?" Brass cringed at the awkward angle his Clan Leader's body was displaying.
"She did, in Sara speak," he answered, not opening eyes. "She is genuinely happy that I got the promotion. Even said she would miss me if I took Ecklie's offer. It took a lot out of her to tell me, so I took it at face value."
"You've helped Sara more than you realize." One of Nick's eyes opened at that particular statement. "Noticed she's calmer with you, laughs more, willing to work as a team. She doesn't do that with anyone else, even with her hero, Grissom. She trusts you."
"Warrick said it’s the 'gay' thing." He even made the invisible air quotes, for emphasis.
"It's a 'Nico' thing." Brass mimicked his actions. "And who knew Braun would turn out innocent?" He laughed at Nick's growling. "Did you threaten him?"
"No, but I did have to deal with Catherine's sudden realization that taking money from a mobster would come and bite her on the ass in the long run." Nick sat back up in the chair. "Seriously, at what point did you think it wouldn't bite you on the ass? He's Sam Braun. I've been dealing with his bullshit since I got to Vegas. He even tried to muscle in on Caesars." Nick smirked remembering how Braun's goons ended up on their asses out in the reflecting pool. "The rumors Ocean started back when we opened, about 'mob' money and stuff, got Braun intrigued. Figured he could muscle his way in. Well you know how Jimmy and Noah feel about mobsters."
"Do not get that boy started on Mickey Cohen," Jim chuckled lightly.
"Add in the death of Eddie, and all the 'drama' in Catherine's life, Lindsey is being a spoiled brat who needs a good smack." Nico shook his head. "But it's one thing for me to be a shoulder to cry on, another to tell Catherine how to raise her kid."
"Why are you here?"
Nick looked over at him, slightly confused.
"Here, in Vegas, at this job. Why?" Brass asked again. "Gil has treated you like shit, the drama of everything is beyond ridiculous. Why not leave?"
"Catherine…"
"You have at least six Vampires in Vegas who would keep an eye on her," the Detective pointed out. "All of them would bury Braun if he crossed the line. Benedict would throw a lavish party in celebration."
"Warrick…"
"Can be a hotshot CSI in New Orleans, as you could too," he pointed out. "The Captain is using every inch of his self-control not to beat the shit out of Gil, and that's a lot considering his self-control is minuscule."
"Oh, it's not that bad."
"Do I need to bring up your first date?"
Nick's smirk was decidedly vicious, and his chuckle of wicked delight.
"So again, why?"
"Well, right now it's for the safety of my children." Nick poured himself another glass, frowning as the bottle was emptied. "Though Horatio did call Warrick. He's on his way to Miami."
"And Tony?" Brass asked.
"I'm tempted to shoot him." He lifted the glass to his lips. "Think it would work?"
"You'd probably wake up on Ducky's table, after the Gunny Sergeant shot you." Brass lifted his own glass and gave him a quick salute. "We know those reason are a bunch of bullshit. So try again, General."
"I need to be here," Nick answered honestly. He couldn’t tell Brass that he really had to stay for Greg. Keep an eye on his youngest son. That something told him to keep close by, as if… "I can't explain it, but I do. Besides, it hasn't been all that bad, and if we can get through the next few weeks, we'll make a good team." He looked down at his watch. "I should be going. Warrick will be landing in an hour, and I need to get home to start 'Operation Distract Speed' while my Mate tells Horatio the ways of the Vampire."
"Why did he call Warrick?" Brass asked curiously. "Because he met him?"
"Possibly, or you know, that whole thing where my kids think they know how Warrick was Turned." Nick smirked as he stood up. "Thanks for this, Jim."
"My pleasure, General."
Nick downed some coffee from the Break Room before heading out to his Tahoe.
As he walked through the corridors, he glanced into one of the conference rooms to see Ecklie talking with his team.
He paused for a second, eyes focusing on the woman with long blonde hair. Her back was to him, but there was something about her.
When Ecklie glanced up, Nick scurried away and left the building. He had turned down the Day Shift Supervisor's generous offer, but it hadn't stopped the man from trying.
He took his time getting home. He was sober enough to drive, the alcohol not having had too much affect, but he was tired as hell, and hadn't Fed in a while.
When he pulled into the driveway, he got a text from Warrick, stating that he had landed and was on his way to the Precinct.
What time is it?
God if I know
Not helpful :-/
Roman!
Nick tossed his keys into the dish, pulled his gun, and put it into the cabinet, looked upwards and strained his ears to make sure nothing was in the attic. Then he made his down the hall, stripping off his shirt, then his pants and tossing them into the basket. He missed.
After a hot shower, he slipped on some sleep pants and a t-shirt and made his way back to the kitchen, to find some packets of blood and maybe some solid food. If he was going to distract Speed, he was going to need nourishment.
He looked at his ringing phone in confusion.
"Stokes."
'Nick.'
"Sara?" he asked, not sure why she was calling him this late in the day. Last he had talked to her they had been walking The Strip. Warrick had left to go to the airport, and the two of them had continued on down the road together. She had apologized, and they'd talked for a few more moments before Sara wandered off. Nick had gone back to the Precinct to pick something up, and found himself talking with Brass. "What's wrong?"
'I fucked up.' Her voice was soft, and held more emotion than he had ever heard before. 'I was pulled over. I had been drinking. They called Gil.'
"And?" He sat down on the couch, concern running through him.
'He was able to get me out of it. I need to see a counselor, and I'm on 'vacation' for a week.' She sighed. 'He made a move on you, didn't he?'
"Yes." There was no reason to lie.
'I told him it wasn't fair.' Her laugh was humorless. 'I wanted him, he wanted you, and you have Danny.'
Nick looked down, not quite sure what to say. "Why are you calling me?"
'Because, despite the shit I toss at you, when I needed to talk to someone, I knew you were the only one who would actually listen,' she paused. 'Is that sad? I have no friends, and the only one who will give me the time of day is the person I treat the worst.'
"Sara…" He sighed, and leaned back into the couch. "I do consider you a friend."
'More than I have been to you.'
"So why the drinking? It's not like we haven't noticed."
There was a long pause and for a moment he thought she'd hung up.
'My mother killed my father…' He could hear her crying on the other end. 'He was an abusive asshole. Deserved it really, but she went to jail and I went into the system.'
And it explained so much about her behavior, and attitude towards abuse cases. "You became a CSI to prove that when women say they're being abused, it's self-defense not murder."
'Yes!' Sara almost seemed shocked that he had figured it out so exactly.
"I want you to do me a favor." Nick stood up and moved to his computer, pulling up his contact list. "I want you to call Dr. Domenico Rossi, write down his number." He gave her the details, then made a note to contact Rossi and let him know that Sara would be calling. If she didn't call, he wanted to know that too. "He's a friend. Good guy. I've talked to him a few times, especially after Crane."
'We didn't help much with that did we?' she asked.
"I had family and friends," he answered honestly.
'I want to be a better friend, Nick. One that will be there.'
He heard the sincerity in her voice. "I consider you my friend, Sara. Which is why I'm telling you to call Rossi. You can't speak for those who need us, if you can't speak for yourself."
'Thank you.'
"And Sara? Take this week to relax. Go to Caesars. I'll put your name down. Get a room, go to the Spa, eat, relax, sleep, and call Rossi." He wrote down a few notes to remind himself to contact Danny and Charlie, and get them to give her one of the smaller suites. "Might as well use my connections, and Danny still owes me for the whole Marc Antony nightmare."
'You did look good in a skirt,' she laughed lightly. 'You know what? I'm going to take you up on that offer. All of it, including this Dr. Rossi. If you trust him, then he's a good guy.'
"Now get some rest, then head to Caesars later today. And don't even think about work. We've got it covered."
'And don't let Gil come between you and Danny. He's good for you.'
Nick chuckled lightly. "I won't. Gil can't take me away from the one I made a commitment to."
'So that's how we're playing it?' Sara scoffed, then laughed lightly. 'Fine. Tell me when you want to. I'm going to take advantage of your kind nature and raid the hotel and all its goodies.'
"That's my girl."
'Take care Nick. And thank you.'
He hung up the phone and sat down at one of the barstools. Could the day get any weirder?
His phone buzzed.
Distract Speed!
Obviously it could.
To be continued …
Clan War: Bonding
10th Anniversary Edition