Cutting My Losses

Greg hung up the phone and lay back in the bed. He and Warrick had the day, well night off and unsurprisingly they were spending it apart. Greg had gone to bed with such high hopes.

XXXXXXXXXX

Warrick had come over after work. There had been a multiple homicide, four bodies, killed execution-style. They both ended up pulling double shifts, although both Catherine and Grissom had tried to convince Greg to go home after his first shift.

Ever since the lab explosion, Greg had been a little shaky. He knew they were just trying to look out for him, but the last thing he wanted to do was go home to an empty bed where nightmares awaited him.

The nightmares were always the same, a reenactment of the explosion. The sound, the fire, the feeling of being blown away from the lab, tiny pieces of glass flying everywhere. The nightmares always ended with him lying on the ground with Sara laying unconscious a few feet away from him, and he unable to help. But the unconscious body next to him wasn't always Sara. Most of the time it was Warrick. It had been Grissom a few times, and once it was even Justin. Just the thought of someone getting hurt in what he kind of considered to be "his lab" was enough to tear Greg up inside.

The worst were those couple of days when he thought the explosion might have been his fault. A guilty relief washed over him when Catherine told him that the explosion was the result of a chemical she had absentmindedly put near a heat source. With that burden off of his
shoulders, his health and disposition visibly improved.

Within a couple of weeks, Greg had seemed to make a full recovery. Of course his back was scarred from the glass fragments, but he had thought he was ready to work. Unfortunately, he quickly discovered that he couldn't hold a pipette without his hand shaking. It was frustrating, but he tried not to let it depress him too much. It didn't prevent him from doing his job accurately. It just made him a little slower than usual, which was still a lot faster than the
daylight lab techs.


By the time the two men had stepped into Greg's small apartment, they were both exhausted. They took the time to eat a little food before crashing in bed. Greg had fallen asleep with Warrick's warm body curled around his and a heavy arm thrown possessively across his waist.

The first thing he saw when he woke up was Warrick's back, and if that didn't represent the crux of the problem, nothing else did.

"Where are you going off to?" Warrick was sitting on the edge of the bed tying up his shoes. Greg tried to make his voice sound light. He didn't want to be one of those people that harped on their boyfriend for spending time without him. Warrick turned around at the sound of his voice and leaned over to press a soft kiss to Greg's lips.

"Hey, I didn't want to wake you."

"You didn't. So where are you headed?"

"It's Saturday, Greg. Time to hit the gym with Nick. You know that."

When they first started dating, Warrick would invite Greg to join him and Nick at the gym for their weekly workouts. Greg had always turned him down. He didn't want to be an overbearing boyfriend and he didn't really care for the gym. He liked getting exercise the natural way, through activities and sports, rather than on machines inside of a building. If he knew then that it would be a battle to spend any kind of time with the older man, he wouldn't have been so careless with those early invitations.

"Right. It must have slipped my mind." He tried to smile, but it must have come out as more of a grimace if the concern in Warrick's green eyes was anything to go by.

"Hey, are you alright? Did you get enough sleep?"

"I'm fine Rick." The last thing he wanted to talk about was his nightmares.

"Of course you are." He rolled his upper lip into his mouth and nodded slightly before taking a breath and continuing. "I better get going, Greg. I'll see you later."

"Wait," Greg reached for Warrick's wrist, stopping him from standing up. "What are your plans for the rest of the day?"

"Well, I thought I'd get out of your hair for the day. I haven't seen Grams in awhile so I'll probably visit her for a long while after I'm done hangin' with Nick. And apparently Lindsay has been requesting my presence so I'm having dinner with her and Catherine later tonight. And I have a set tonight at Tony's."

"Maybe I'll show up there, see you perform."

"It's not exactly your type of music. My jazz is a little different than your heavy metal, babe."

"Still, I've never seen you perform before. I'd like to."

"I promise to give you a very private show tonight." Warrick's voice dropped a little lower, taking on a sexual, yet sensual edge. He leaned over to press partly open lips to Greg's and the younger man was quick to respond, opening his mouth to receive Warrick's tongue. The older
man had a way of turning him on like no other lover, knowing exactly what to do to leave him craving more. After a few minutes he pulled away from a flushed Greg.

"I gotta go. Nick's probably waiting for me. I'll be back tonight, probably three or four."

"Mmkay, see you tonight."

XXXXXXXXXX

Thinking back to those few minutes brought forth a mix of emotions for Greg. He didn't enjoy being shut out, and that was what it felt like Warrick was doing. He had filled his day with things to do and people to see and, he didn't think to invite Greg along for any of it. Granted, he could do without spending time with him and Nick at the gym. He hated going to the gym.

And he really could care less about spending time Catherine and her daughter. Catherine and Warrick had become very close over the last few years, and Warrick was always sure to look out for the woman and her daughter. Greg had to make a constant effort to keep his jealousy at bay. There was an undeniable sexual chemistry or tension between the two. They both came from the same kind of background. Before becoming CSIs they both did what they had to in order to survive, Warrick running numbers and Catherine stripping. They had a kind of street smarts that Greg would never understand or have, never having to worry about how to make it day to day. Yeah, Catherine and Warrick would make a very striking couple. Sitting through a dinner where Warrick, Catherine, and Lindsay played the happy little family was not Greg's idea of a good time.

But he would have liked to see Warrick perform or meet the Grandmother he heard the man speak so fondly of. Nick, Catherine, and even Grissom had met the famous "Grams." And both Nick and Catherine have heard him play. And Greg could willingly admit that he was jealous. The relationships the other man had with the other three was something that Greg could never touch.

Warrick admired and respected Grissom like all of them did, but he had a comfortable way with the man that no other CSI has with the exception of Catherine. And Catherine was Warrick's equal, strong, beautiful, and streetwise, words that Greg wouldn't exactly use to describe himself. And then there was Nick. If Nick wasn't as straight as an arrow he would have been worried. Warrick and Nick were best friends, closer than anything. Nick was the first person Warrick would go to if he had a problem. They were each other's confidantes, and there was no doubt
that they loved each other, maybe not like lovers but definitely like brothers. They even had that cute little "Rick and Nick" name thing going on.

So yeah, he was a little upset when Warrick left him out of his plans, but he was looking forward to tonight. There was no doubt he loved spending time with Warrick and just thinking about that kiss made him want the older man with him now, in bed. But he had to wait. He really didn't have anything to do but wait around for tonight.

After talking and catching up with Justin he decided to call his other confidante, Poppa Olaf. He could tell his grandfather anything, which was a far cry from the relationship he barely maintained with his parents.

"Hey, Poppa."

"Gregor! How is that boy of yours?"

"Well…" and Greg started what would be a long conversation in broken Norwegian.

XXXXXXXXXX

Greg spent the rest of the day and night reading a few science journals, watching television, and basically resting. He wanted to be ready for tonight. The thought of spending a romantic night with Warrick was enough to make Greg forget about all of the problems they'd been having recently.

Greg waited until six for Warrick. He didn't show up, didn't call. Greg started looking at ticket prices. He bought a one way ticket for Pittsburgh. The plane was leaving at 8:30 which gave him just enough time to call a cab and pack some clothes.

During the cab ride he called Grissom to ask for time off. He asked for a week but let the man know that plans might change and he might need more time off. Justin was right about one thing. He had a lot of vacation time to use up. He rarely missed a day of work. He loved his job. The second call he made was to Warrick. He couldn't leave the city without telling the man. As soon as the phone picked up he started speaking.

"Warrick, I need to tell---"

"Hey, babe." Greg could hear Nick's voice in the background. "Can this wait? I'm getting breakfast with Nick."

"Yeah, it can wait. I'll talk to you later." Greg snapped the phone shut. It was nice to know exactly where he stood.