Discoveries at the Lounge.

 

By Valerie

 

„Nick, are you joining us for breakfast?“ Grissom didn’t look up when he heard Warrick ask Nick, still he waited for Nick’s answer with more than just curiosity. Catherine had already asked Gil for breakfast and he had agreed, now he hoped Nick would say yes too. It would give him some more time with Nick and god, how pathetic did that make him sound?

 

“Sorry bro, I can’t. I’ve got a doctor’s appointment later.” Nick sounded apologetic. Grissom frowned at the thought of Nick being ill . He made a mental note to ask Nick but immediately cursed as he that he couldn’t, not without confessing to listening in on his conversation with Warrick.

 

“Something wrong? I can drive you there, if you want...” Warrick’s question made him smile with relief, but it was a short lived one when Nick didn’t reply immediately.

 

“Nothing wrong, just a check up.” There was some inflection in Nick’s voice that made Grissom pause. Nick was a lousy liar, had always been and Grissom just waited for Warrick to call his friend on it. Warrick however seemed to buy lie and wished Nick a nice day. Grissom on the other hand was sure that Nick had not spoken the truth. He wondered though what Nick had lied about. Had he lied about the check up or about the entire doctor’s appointment? He suspected the latter, but without knowing for sure, he was reduced to guessing.

 

It was his duty as Nick’s supervisor to know if his CSI was seriously ill, wasn’t it? Making up his mind, he sent Catherine a text, cancelled the breakfast and walked out to his car to wait for Nick.

 

It took longer than he expected, but finally Nick showed up and Grissom smiled. Nick was wearing black pants and a white long sleeved shirt without an undershirt. It was a casual look and yet in combination with the sinful body and the still slightly wet hair, Nick looked like the sin personified. One drop of water ran along the neck and down to the collarbone before it disappeared under the shirt.

 

Grissom swallowed hard. The urge to touch Nick was always there, but he knew that a simple touch would never be enough. What he felt for Nick was a lot more. It was a need to claim and to possess, a desire to mark Nick as his for all to see and with a shiver he averted his eyes trying to think about anything but the feelings that Nick woke in him.

 

“Are you ok?” Nick’s voice brought all his thoughts to a stop and looking straight into the brown eyes he dreamed about so often, Grissom forced a smile as he asked casually. “Not going for breakfast with Cat?”

 

Nick shook his head and shrugged. “No man, I am beat. I’m just going to head home and sleep.”

 

And what about the doctor’s appointment? It was at the tip of his tongue to ask Nick, but he held himself in check. Instead he waited as Nick drove off and after another minute, he followed him.

 

‘It’s none of your business what he is doing in his time off.’

 

But no matter how many times, he reprimanded himself; he still continued to follow Nick as he drove towards the city. He wasn’t going home, or at least not to his home. Grissom wondered silently, whether he really wanted to see Nick with a date, but in the end he had always preferred knowledge to blindness, even if that knowledge had hurt him. He followed Nick as he drove towards a lesser frequented area of downtown and made sure that there were always enough cars between him and his CSI. He was sure Nick wouldn’t appreciate it, if he noticed that Grissom was following him.

 

Nick indicated right and disappeared into a smaller side street. Grissom cursed as the red light changed right before he could turn too and impatiently tapped his fingers on the wheel as he counted the seconds until the light turned back to green.

 

The street in front of him was empty and he cursed once more. He had lost Nick. He had no right to ask Nick where he was going and yet, he wanted to know. He was close to turn around and head home when he saw Nick’s truck in front of a large house. A man in a waiter’s uniform came out and Nick simply handed him the key as he got out and turned towards the house. For a moment, Grissom was tempted to call Nick, but he restrained himself and watched as his colleague disappeared behind the doors.

 

With Nick gone and the car parked all that was left to study was the house. It looked like some old fashioned, but very well maintained mansion. Large, but only three floors tall, it reminded him of the old mansions from the south. Was it a restaurant? A club? And most importantly what was Nick doing here?

 

He looked around once more and suddenly noticed the sign right next to the gated door. It was small, a blue circle on a black background and it read: “The blue moon lounge”

 

Grissom frowned. He had never heard the name, but to him it sounded suspicious. He wrote it down and smiled sarcastically. It wasn’t the name that intrigued him, it was the fact that Nick was there right now.

 

---

 

Nick moaned as the hard wood of the paddle came in contact with his bare ass. His arms were tied above his head and he was lying on a bed unable too more. He couldn’t escape the blows that came stronger now. He had thought that he needed a session today after the hard case he had worked on, but he couldn’t let go. Not for the first time he realized that since his abduction, he couldn’t let himself fall. Something was always holding him back and lately he had started to wonder if it was time to stop going to the lounge.

 

Another hard slap made him cry out and finally he could himself feel falling into the pain, into the sensations. More blows fell and he whimpered with a mixture of need and pain when out of nowhere Grissom’s face appeared in front of his mind.

 

“Please!” He didn’t realize that he had spoken loudly, but the response came immediately with another slap and he shivered. This was what he needed; he needed to be with Grissom and not some random stranger.

 

“You are getting into it finally.”

 

The sound of the unknown voice was like a bucket of cold water being dumped onto him. He tensed and as the next blow fell all he felt was pain and no pleasure. He tensed and shivered. The session was over and with a sigh, he safe worded.

 

An hour later he sat opposite the owner of the lounge and told him what had happened. When he had finished, Conrad Ecklie smiled and handed him a coffee.

 

“Why are you taking this so hard? Everyone’s been using their safe words once in a while; it’s why we have safe words.”

 

Nick shook his head again and tried to explain. “It’s not that, it’s just that I can’t do this anymore, not like this, not with complete strangers.”

 

Conrad frowned and looked at him closely. He smiled and Nick suddenly had the feeling of being an open book to Conrad.

 

“Who is it Nick? Grissom?” Nick hated both the fact that he couldn’t keep from blushing and the fact that Conrad knew him so well. “If you tell him...”

 

His voice had been almost aggressive, but he trailed off as Conrad raised his hands in a surrendering gesture. “Hey Nick, you know how it goes. What happens at the lounge, stays at the lounge.”

 

Nick knew the lounge’s credo and he knew that Conrad would never abuse his knowledge in a professional setting. He stayed for another cup of coffee and left about an hour later feeling more relaxed and calmer despite the fact that he hadn’t been able to completely let go.

 

---

 

Conrad Ecklie remained seated and looked at the place that Nick had just vacated, for a long time. He didn’t move at all but then suddenly he got up and walked over to his desk. He took an invitation card from a drawer and wrote Gil Grissom’s name on it. For a moment he hesitated, but then smiled and put it in an envelope. He started to write Grissom’s address on it, when a wry grin and a frown crossed his face and he tore both the card and the envelope into little pieces. Opening another drawer he took some latex gloves out and pulled them on, before grabbing another card. He knew Grissom would check it for finger prints.

 

He was Gil Grissom after all.

 

But if Conrad was right, then Nick’s problems would be solved very soon.

 

---

 

Three weeks. Three weeks since Grissom had seen Nick disappear in the lounge and he hadn’t been able to find anything useful about the place. All he had heard was that it was an invitation only place, something for people with special interests. The deeper he had been digging, the vaguer things had gotten and the more worried he had become. His only consolation was that Nick obviously was alright. Still the mysterious place was always on his mind until he broke down and turned to the one person he hadn’t wanted to ask for help.

 

“The blue moon lounge” Lady Heather looked at him through her lashes and smiled. “Is this for one of your investigations Mr. Grissom?”

 

She was enjoying herself, he could see it in the smile in her eyes, but he would play along. As long as it got him an answer, he was fine.

 

“No it’s a personal matter.” His answer seemed to surprise her, but she had herself under control immediately.

 

“I wouldn’t have thought you to be interested in that kind of lifestyle... Or at least not without a fix partner.”

 

Narrowing his eyes at the vague words, Grissom looked at her before asking slowly and deliberately. “What are you talking about?”

 

She sat back and watched him. Grissom felt like some lab rat and almost growled, when she finally answered. “It’s a private club for men who like to dominate other men or for those that seek to be dominated.”

 

For a moment, Grissom was in a daze, then her words registered and he swallowed. He fought to remain calm even though everything inside him cried out at the thought of Nick being dominated by strangers.

 

“You saw Mr. Stokes go there?” Her question brought him back like a slap and he stared at her incredulously. “Don’t worry, I didn’t know until a minute ago.”

 

She didn’t mention that there had been enough possessiveness in his face to scare even her. Nor did she tell him that there had been the same possessiveness, although toned down, in his eyes every time he had looked at Nick Stokes during the last investigation, she had been a part of.

 

Bugger, she thought not without humor, she owed Conrad 50 dollars.

 

---

 

Grissom didn’t notice the envelope at first. It wasn’t until he looked through his mail that he saw it. He frowned. There were no stamps on it. Cautious as always, he grabbed a pair of latex gloves and carefully opened the envelope. A black card fell out and as soon as he saw the blue circle on it, he knew what it was. The message on it confirmed his guess.

 

You are invited to join us at the blue moon lounge, to find what everyone searches for but only finds once in a blue moon. Friends, conversations and the freedom of being yourself.

 

Grissom stared at the card in his hands and one thought kept coming back again and again.

 

Had Nick sent it?

 

---

 

“I am not sure, you know I haven’t been able to let go since I was abducted.” Nick looked at Conrad who shook his head and smiled. “It will be different tonight Nick, I promise. Trust me Nick.”

 

That made him smile and Conrad smiled too, before he pointed to the window. “Not out there Nick, in here. Here in the lounge you trust me.”

 

It was true, because as unbelievable as it sounded, Nick trusted him. Conrad watched Nick closely and then suddenly spoke again. “Go to room 12, undress, prepare yourself and kneel on the bed, hands behind your back.”

 

For a moment Nick was torn, but after a second he nodded slowly.

 

“Do it now.” Conrad’s voice was different, as he spoke now, deeper and more dominant. Nick reacted instinctively; he lowered his eyes and followed him to the designated room.

 

---

 

If someone had told him six month ago, that he would trust Conrad to pick a man for him to dominate him, he would have called them crazy. Now though all those weeks after he had first set foot into the blue moon lounge, he did so without thinking twice. He trusted Conrad.

 

Six months ago, Alex Vartaan had taken him here as they went for drinks after closing a case. They had sat in the stylish lounge, had chatted, and drunken some beer. Nothing had seemed out of the ordinary, just a normal bar with a normal, although well off clientele. A week later they had come back and this time Alex had taken him to one of the member lounges. Nick had registered the lack of women and Vartaan’s choice of bar had surprised him. At the end of the evening, Alex had offered him a tour of the club and they had walked through several nice lounge-like rooms to another that had made him stop as if frozen. To some, the room would have looked like a torture chamber, but Nick’s body had reacted immediately. He had tried to hide his reaction and had laughed and jokingly commented.

 

“Is this the gym?”

 

Alex had just smiled and walked into the room and over to the shackles that hung down from the ceiling. He had stood there calm while he had let his hand trail sensually over the chains.

 

“You can certainly work out here.” Alex had locked his eyes with Nick’s as his hand continued to line out the restraints and Nick had known that he was caught. “How did you know?”

 

Before Alex had been able to answer someone else did for it for him.

 

“A good sub always recognizes another.” Nick had gaped although he had not been sure what had shocked him more; to see Conrad Ecklie stroll into the room as if he owned not only the room but Nick and Alex too or to see Alex slide down onto his knees with his head bent. Conrad had walked over calmly, caressed Alex’ hair and murmured something too low for Nick to understand. Alex had gotten up again and Conrad had smiled.

 

“You are welcome to join the club, if you are interested.”

 

Later he had found out that Conrad owned the club. He and Alex were devoted to each other in the kind of relationship Nick had only ever dreamed off. He envied and admired them for what they had and sometimes in the dark hours when he couldn’t sleep he dreamed of having it too.

 

And so now here he was, six months later; Nick shivered lightly. He was kneeling on a bed with his hands clasped behind his back, naked and prepared, waiting for the man who would be his master for the next couple of hours.

 

---

 

Grissom was nervous, but that couldn’t stop him from ringing the doorbell next to the entrance. For a moment nothing happened, then the Iron Gate opened slowly and he drove inside. The same young man who had parked Nick’s car stood there and smiled at him.

 

“Welcome to the blue moon lounge, sir”

 

Gris handed over his keys and took a deep breath, before stepped into the entry hall. Having expected something similar to Lady Heather’s dominion, he was surprised to see an interior decor that reminded him of a sleek hotel lobby. Grayish marble lined the floor, a couple of dark leather seats were sprinkled around and there was a grand but simple staircase leading up to the higher floors. He had expected to hear screams, instead laughter floated towards him underlined with soft piano tunes.

 

Tentatively he followed the sound and walked towards the open two winged door. Surprised he stared at the scene that he was presented with. It was a bar, nothing but a sleek stylish bar. Unlike the entrance hall which had been decorated in cold tunes, this room was more open, with white walls, a dark wooden bar and brown leather chairs and couches. There were surprisingly many people here. Everyone was chatting, laughing and sipping their drinks. The bar and its customers had a clear upper class feeling to the bar and Grissom swallowed hard as he imagined Nick among them. He could see him here, see how he chatted with some men, see how they looked at Nick enjoying his looks and his attention.

 

“Mr. Grissom” The soft voice to his right made him turn around and he acknowledged the waiter with a curt nod. “If you would please follow me, it is custom that new members get shown around on their first visit.”

 

There was something in the young man’s posture, in the way he didn’t look at him, that made Grissom tense with sudden anticipation. He followed him up to the first floor and into a room which looked very much like an office.

 

“Someone will be with you shortly.”

 

Sitting around and waiting wasn’t Grissom’s thing and he got up to study the paintings and books that were lined up in the shelves.

 

“That insatiable curiosity is going to be your death one day.” Dread filled him only to be replaced by anger and as he turned around to face Conrad Ecklie he was seething with rage. To his surprise though, Ecklie didn’t look annoyed or smug. He smiled and gestured towards the chairs. “Let me explain before you punch me, will you?”

 

Grissom had once sworn that Ecklie would never again get the upper hand, but just as he wanted to say something, Ecklie looked at him and calmly started to explain. “This is not a trap and not a joke. The blue moon lounge belongs to me and my partner and by telling you this I have already given you enough ammunition to destroy me. So will you listen now?”

 

To say Grissom was shocked would clearly be an understatement, but he also understood the power Ecklie had just given him, understood what Conrad had risked and he nodded slowly.

 

“Six months ago, Alex worked with a member of your team and afterwards mentioned to me that he thought he had found a like minded person. We invited him here and it tuned out my boy was right.” There was unmistakable pride in the way Conrad said ‘my boy’ and it made Grissom’s head spin. Alex? He thought of the Alex’s he knew and his mind screeched to a halt as the only possible person came to his mind.

 

“Detective Vartaan?” An amused smile ran over Conrad’s face at Grissom’s question and he nodded and gave Grissom time to digest the fact. After a minute or two, he fixed Grissom with a cold, assessing and yet not unfriendly look.

 

“You’re a Dom Grissom, I can see that now. You crave to dominate someone, to make them moan and writhe with that perfect mix of pain and pleasure, you long to bring someone to that place where only you matter...”

 

A shiver ran through Grissom’s body as Conrad continued to speak. It was indeed a shiver of longing, because Conrad was right, he did yearn for all that, but it wasn’t just someone he craved to dominate. There had been no one since he had met Nick and even now his mind was showing him images of Nick tied up.

 

“And you long for someone specific.”

 

Now he froze and stared at Ecklie who had gotten up and handed him a key. “He is in room twelve waiting for you. You can go to him and make your dreams come true or you can leave and go home. No matter what you do, outside of this house we will never speak of it.”

 

Ecklie put the key in Grissom’s and got up; he was already at the door when he turned around again. “Just remember, that when you walk in there, you can’t just walk out again.”

 

He left and Grissom stared at the key as if it was a poisonous snake. He had literally been handed the key to his greatest desire. Now the question was whether or not he dared to open the door.

 

---

 

Nick had lost all sense of time. His back had started to hurt a while ago, but the pain had gone as he moved into a more comfortable position and so he was kneeling on the bed caught in a strange mix of anticipation and fear. It was always there when he waited for a new Dom, but this time it was stronger. The fact that Conrad had asked him to do this, that he had found a Dom for Nick... Nick knew that Conrad never brought people together knowing the law only too well... and yet he had done so now...

 

The sound of the door opening and closing again brought him back to the room and he had to fight the impulse of turning and look who had come inside. He couldn’t hear anything apart from some harsh breaths from the other man, then soft steps and a warm yet strong hand was on his back. A moan escaped him as the hands of the stranger soothed his muscles and rubbed over his body from the tights to his neck. The caresses stopped then and while the man kept one hand loosely at his neck, the other supported his back as the whispered command floated through the room.

 

“Look at me, Nicky”

 

He obeyed instinctively and tensed at the same moment. His name had been spoken in a way only one man used it. He looked up and expected to see anger in the blue eyes that met his, but all he saw was tenderness, love and lust. Still he tried to get away, tried to cover himself, but the hand on his neck tightened and he moaned as a feeling of being controlled completely swamped through him.

 

“It’s ok Nicky, all is ok now.” Grissom was leaning in now, looking at him closely and then slowly met his eyes again. “Do you want this? With me?”

 

There was a trace of uncertainty in Grissom’s voice and Nick reacted to it automatically. “I’ve wanted you for years.”

 

Grissom closed his eyes for a moment, then looked at him once again and this time Nick felt as if the older man was looking right into his soul.

 

“Conrad told me before that if I walk into that room, I could not just walk out again. Now I am telling you the same thing.” Grissom’s voice had changed, had become stronger, deeper somehow and Nick felt himself react to it. Still he forced himself to listen as Grissom continued.

 

“If you say yes now Nicky, then you can’t walk out later. If you say yes, then I will be the only man to ever see you like this again and I will make you mine.” There was a hint of danger in the voice and the words, but Nick only smiled as he met the stern and clear look from his soon to be lover.

 

“I know what I want and it has been you for a very long time now... Sir.” Grissom shivered at the formal name and leaning closer, he brushed his lips over Nick’s then down to his jaw and collarbone. Looking up once again, he whispered Nick’s name and sank his teeth in the soft flesh.

 

Nick screamed at the unexpected pain, but even as it hurt, it also made him want to cry out with joy because he knew what the gesture meant.

 

Grissom had marked him.

 

He was owned.

 

A shiver went through him as he felt one hand return to his neck. Grissom’s eyes met his again and Nick could see the raging lust in them.

 

“I want you, want to claim you right now, but I need to know your limits and boundaries.”

 

He was surprised that Conrad had not told Grissom, but as he thought about his usual list, he realized that many things he normally not allowed would be allowed for Grissom. Smiling he blinked once to keep himself in normal head space and met Grissom’s eyes again.

 

“I need the restraints, the pain, the pleasure... I want to feel, to lose control and hand myself over to you. No blood play, no breath play and nothing with excrement though...”

 

His lover had watched him while he had talked and Nick knew that he was probably red from head to toe, so it didn’t matter if he humiliated himself even further.

 

“Afterwards... I... it takes a moment for me to come up...” Nick hated saying this, felt that it made him sound needy, but to his surprise Grissom smiled while he ran his hands over his arms. “I will take care of you Nicky... take all the time you need.”

 

One hand closed over his wrists while the other returned to his neck and Nick gasped, struggling against the fall that would bring him to that place where only Grissom mattered. He knew that his lover watched him and he didn’t want to disappoint him by falling too early.

 

“What’s your safe word?” Safeword? He fought for a moment to find the clarity to speak, then mumbled the word slowly. “Texas”

 

A smile ran over Grissom’s face before he once more clasped his hands together and Nick shivered, he could feel himself fall and he moaned as hot air caressed his ear. “Fall for me Nicky, let go... I’ll catch you. Fall for me...”

 

One, two breaths and he could feel the tension leaving his body, could feel how the world shifted and moved so that all that mattered was Grissom.

 

“Lie down on your back, hands up and legs spread.”

 

He moved to do so eagerly and shivered at the heated gaze from his lover. Grissom moved and Nick could feel cold leather close around his wrists and then his lover was back and looked at him.

 

“You are so beautiful Nicky and you have no idea how often I dreamed of this... dreamed of having you at my mercy, being able to touch, to caress and torture... having you as mine...” The heat in Grissom’s voice was unexpected and Nick moaned as he watched the older man undress himself, he too had dreamed of this, but nothing could have prepared him for the reality.

 

“Look at me” The command was soft, but still firm and Nick shivered as he saw Grissom stand next to him holding two clamps in his hand.

 

“I love seeing you twist in desire, hearing you moan with need, shiver with pain and pleasure...”

 

Nick cried out at the pain of the clamps but the pain transformed into pleasure and he gasped as soft hands trailed over his body, mapping him out, making a list almost like taking inventory.

 

“You’re mine.”

 

He couldn’t answer, just moaned as hard lips devoured his and he yielded without thinking twice about it, opening up, letting Grissom dominate the kiss.

 

“Mine”

 

The word alone made him shiver, but even more the soft touches, the kisses and nips that made him arch up into the hands and lips that played his body so skillfully.

 

“Please…” He begged without really knowing for what, just knew that he needed more of those touches, more of those kisses and he cried out when every movement suddenly stopped.

 

“Turn around.” One hand was released and he twisted to lay on his stomach, moaning as his rock hard erection pressed into the bed. “Get on your knees”

 

He did so and felt the cold leather of a cock ring close around his cock, shivering he had no time to think about it as cold, slick fingers probed his entrance and slipped inside.

 

“Relax”

 

It was hard with his mind being a jumble of need but he managed to relax enough for Grissom to slip three fingers into his body. Everything was heightened now, every sense more attuned, he could see the shadows of them on the white duvet, hear his hard almost desperate moans which were matched by Grissom’s deep and even breaths, smell that scent of sex that filled the room and made him sink even further into that state of complete surrender. But most of all he felt everything, every ridge in the fingers that thrust inside his body, every detail of the hand that moved along his side and the pain from his clamped nipples as Grissom suddenly tugged at them.

 

Nick was floating on a sea of emotions and he knew that in this moment he was completely Grissom’s.

 

“You are mine, Nicky.” He moaned and rocked back on the fingers, eliciting a moan from his lover in return.

 

“Look at you... you are so wanton, so needy... I could ask for anything and you would give it to me...” A shiver went through Nick at the words, at the power they implied and he answered without thinking. “Anything”

 

Slowly a hand stroked over his face, his neck to his back and Grissom leaned over him, covering him with his body.

 

“One day soon I will keep you like this all day, bound and hard... spread open for me, just waiting to follow an order... just waiting to be filled.”

 

Once again it sounded like a threat, but felt like a wonderful promise even though the thought of being like this all day made him moan.

 

“Not tonight though... Tonight I need you too much.”

 

Grissom had barely finished the sentence as he withdrew his fingers and plunged into Nick’s body. For a second it hurt and Nick felt split apart, torn and broken, then his muscles yielded and the pain morphed into pleasure, mending him and making him feel even more owned. It seemed like an eternity until Grissom began to move with agonizingly slow thrusts conquering Nick’s body with slowness and making Nick arch into every thrust.

 

“More, please...”

 

Nick wasn’t aware of what he was saying anymore, his entire body being on fire with no chance of relief and as the pace of Grissom’s movements changed, Nick cried out. Gone was the slow deliberate pace, instead his lover was fucking him hard, shoving his upper body into the bed causing him to cry out as the clamps dug into his chest.

 

“My Nicky, mine now.” The words made him feel even more dazed and then Grissom cried out and bit into his skin right where the neck met shoulder while his body jerked and shuddered.

 

Nick felt the effects of Grissom’s orgasm wash through him like a tidal wave swamping him with hunger and need as his own body screamed for release. He almost clamped down on his lover as the other man withdrew, not wanting to lose the feeling of fullness.

 

“Shhh, Nicky it’s ok... it’s ok.”

 

Grissom ran a soothing hand over his back and Nick felt himself calm down a bit, then one hand was loosened and Grissom nudged him to turn around. For a long time Grissom looked at him with pride and love, then he leaned down and kissed Nick. Their tongues met and Nick moaned at the feeling of strength in Grissom’s kiss. One small peck on the bruise that was forming on his collarbone and Grissom’s hand was on his cock stroking him.

 

“Please sir, please”

 

Grissom looked up as his hand went to the band that held Nick’s cock bound.

 

“Don’t come until I tell you to.”

 

Nick bit his lip but nodded even as the blood rushed through him as his cock was released. The strong hand began to stroke him again and he whimpered. He wouldn’t be able to hold back for much longer. Grissom was watching him and leaned down.

 

“Come for me”

 

Simultaneously with his words he removed the clamps and Nick’s body shook with the onslaught of pain even as his orgasm tore through him, making him cry out as stars exploded around his eyes. He sobbed as spurt of spurt of come flowed out of him while Grissom watched him and the expression on his face was one of love and pride.

 

And then everything went black.

 

---

 

Grissom held Nick close as he started to stir. He saw how confusion lit up the brown eyes, saw how it was replaced by recognition and fear. It was his cue, he thought as he remembered Nick’s plea for time afterwards. The fact that Nick had fallen asleep without coming up completely had moved him deeply, the implied trust in the gesture something he would always treasure.

 

“Grissom?” Yes, there was fear and need in Nick’s voice and in an answer to it, he tightened his arms and pulled Nick closer towards his body. His lover relaxed instantly and with a soft caress Grissom made him look up.

 

“I am here.”

 

Nick smiled and snuggled closer, he was about to fall asleep again, but Grissom needed him to come up to normal headspace first.

 

“Nick love, come back up ok? Slowly come up for me...” He saw and felt the moment when Nick was back to reality as the eyes cleared from the light daze and the body next to his grew more alert. His lover was still relaxed, just more present for the lack of a better word.

 

“Wow… that really was wow”

 

A smile stole on Grissom’s face as Nick blushed lightly, but his voice and eyes were serious as he spoke.“I know I told you before that you don’t get to say no later, but if...”

 

A hand on his lips muffled any further words and Nick glared at him. To Grissom’s utter surprise, Nick seemed genuinely angry.

 

“I told you I know what I want. I wanted you for years and I am not going to give you up now. Damm Grissom, I love you, don’t you understand?”

 

The look of horror as Nick realized what he had just confessed would be worth a picture, but right now Grissom had more important things to do. Capturing Nick’s lips with his for instance, the kiss tender and loving and an equal sharing...

 

“I love you Nick.”

 

The complete happiness that radiated from Nick made Grissom smile although he was sure that he looked about the same. For a while they where silent, then a thought came to him and he shook his head.

 

“Can you call me Gil when we’re like this?” Nick smiled and kissed his shoulder. “I love you Gil.”

 

And Grissom was sure that he had just died and gone to heaven. A chuckle from Nick brought him back to earth as the younger man grinned at him.

 

“I’d never thought that Conrad Ecklie of all people would be the one bringing us together.”

 

Grissom saw the irony in it too and nodded, then though his curiosity won the upper hand and he glanced at Nick. “Do you know their story? I mean Ecklie and this club and with Vartaan?”

 

Nick nodded, but a yawn broke his concentration and he snuggled closer.

 

“I’ll tell you tomorrow ok?”

 

And Grissom smiled as he watched Nick fall asleep, he could wait until tomorrow. They had all the time now.