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Chapter 15
Title: "We Two"
Rating: PG-13 for now, R later
Pairing: Nick Stokes/Jim Brass
Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Drama/Romance
Summary: Post ep to "A Bullet Runs through it Part 2". A rather unexpected source shows Jim Brass a fierce friendship in his hour of need that makes him question just how deep his emotions for the CSI run.

Chapter 15 - Working together for the first time.



“We Two”

Chapter 15

Brass POV

Jim crouched low beside the body inspecting it as best he could without touching anything. The young woman was lying spread-eagled tied to her bed wearing only her undergarments with dark bruises around her neck.

He looked up at the suspect, her lover, being lead away and shook his head in disgust. The man seemed remorseful but it could’ve been an act, just as easily as it could’ve been genuine.

‘Where are the CSIs anyway?’ he thought idly as he stood, his knee clicking slightly making him wince and resting his hand on the back of his neck he stretched it slightly to work out any kinks.

“I swear sometimes I’m too old for this job,” he muttered more to himself but the young female cop standing at the door smiled all the same.

“You’re not old Jim.”

Opening his eyes Jim smiled when Greg Sanders and Nick Stokes came through the door, silver cases in hand. He shook his head lightly and stepped over to the pair as they placed their kits down and quickly surveyed the room.

“Liar. Sweet comment, but a liar all the same.” He teased and Nick glanced up at him winking when he was sure the female officer had stepped out of the room.

“I never lie Jim, it’s my job to only say the truth,” Nick replied as he pulled on a pair of latex gloves whilst keeping his eyes on the Captain standing in front of him.

Greg groaned and stuck his tongue out in a grossed out manner.

“Please, I’m all for you boys but no flirting yeah?” he said moaning slightly as he tugged on his own set of gloves and smirked when the other two men flushed lightly. Unfortunately despite the fact that Jim was blushing he refused to be outdone by a Level One and smirked wickedly.

“And Sanders has just volunteered to ALS the bed sheets, how sweet of you,” he said and chuckled when Greg made a noise of disgust.

“No way, you can’t tell me what to do,” Greg replied sticking his tongue out and looking smug.

“I can,” Nick said smiling, “I’m your superior. So…hop to it Greggo.”

Greg opened his mouth to complain but thought better of it when he caught Jim’s face. His jaw snapped shut and he puffed his cheeks out as he walked out of the room to retrieve the apparatus grumbling under his breath.

Jim looked over at Nick who was smiling back at him. He winked and moved towards the body again.

“Clara Gilmore aged 25. Neighbours heard screaming and called the Cops, when we turn up we find the boyfriend raving up a storm and her tied to the bed beyond help. Guy kept screaming something about her belonging to only him.”

Jim shook his head again as he looked down at the young woman with her eyes still open and her face twisted in one of fear. He hated that look, the fact that you could sometimes see the person’s last emotions smeared all over their faces.

He looked back at Nick who was taking in the body and its surrounding environment. He followed with his eyes as the young man moved towards the scene, crouching down to get a better look at the marks around the woman’s neck and Jim smirked at himself when he felt a familiar feeling flutter in his stomach.

‘You are a man in your fifties, act your age…and gender actually. No one likes to see a grown man act like a little girl with her first crush,’ he firmly told himself silently and chuckled making the man kneeling on the floor look up at him.

“Something funny?” he asked with a grin of his own and Jim shook his head.

“No, sorry. Not the time.” He said nodding his head towards the girl again. Nick offered a quick wink and went back to work just as Greg came back into the room carrying an UltraLite ALS.

“All right ladies, coming through,” Greg said sulkily as he placed a pair of goggles on and set up the equipment. Jim stepped back and continued to keep an eye on the two CSIs.

“Oh goodie,” Greg quipped dryly as he dragged the light over the bed around the body.

“Lit up like a tree at Christmas time?” Nick said idly and the other man nodded sagely.

“Well I suppose we’ve got a DNA sample at least.”

“Still need to get one of him.”

“We know he did it.”

“Yeah but the jury are fickle beings. They’ll want to hear there was a comparison. First need David to clear the body.”

Jim continued to watch silently as the two younger men bantered back and forth between themselves and found himself smiling indulgently.

He kept an especially close eye on Nick as the man laughed at something Greg had said. The man looked so relaxed, so at ease at his job and Greg seemed to relax under Nick’s supervision as well. His lover, and dammit but that thought still made his heart beat that fraction bit quicker, was a natural at his job, Jim knew this of course but there was something else there that he hadn’t noticed before.

Nick was beautiful. He moved with the knowledge of what procedures needed to be handled, of where would be the next place to look for the best evidence, of how to handle such a delicate situation as someone’s death. His empathy, the very thing that was brought up countless times against him, made him practically glow. If you’re sister, or your mother, your lover, whatever had been taken from you then this was the man that you wanted to have find them, dead or alive.

And it was these kind of thoughts that were making it increasingly difficult to resist the urge to move towards Nick and kiss him thoroughly.

Nick seemed to sense the intensity of Jim’s eyes on him and looked up curiously. He offered a small smile to the older man and Jim returned it.

God just wait till he got the man home.

………………………………………………………………..

“So I’m going to drop these off at the Lab but I guess we need someone to go to the Precinct with Brass to watch the interrogation.”

Both Jim and Nick looked over at Greg who was tapping his lip thoughtfully in mock-thought.

“Now who should we send to ride alone in the car with a certain Captain?” Greg gave a fake gasp and looked over at Nick, “Nicky, could you do it?”

Jim growled low in his throat but Nick seemed to find the situation humorous and sniggered.

“I think you’d better run Greg, Jim might just set the Police Dogs on you.”

“Who said anything about dogs? I’d take the guy out myself,” Jim threatened with an overly innocent smile on his face that clearly unnerved the ex-labrat as Greg shuffled away before darting towards his truck.

“Guess I’m with you,” Nick said with a cheeky smile.

“Looks like it Nicky,” Jim said and quickly unlocked the door of his car for both of them to climb in.

The first five or so minutes were in silence but when they were safely out on the main road Jim felt Nick’s hand snake onto his thigh and he took one hand off the wheel to place it over Nick’s.

“How’re you holding up?” Jim said amusedly and Nick gave a groan.

“I want to kiss you badly,” he admitted and Jim chortled as he nodded.

“Know the feeling.”

Nick grinned at him and squeezed the thigh gently. Jim linked their fingers together, enjoying the warmth on his palm as he moved his thumb back and forth. He loved to stroke the smooth skin like that, it was already an addiction to him to feel it under the pad of his thumb and was dearly beginning to wish that the shift was over.

“I spoke to Grissom.”

Jim blanched and whipped his head over to look at Nick. The younger man returned the look with a steady stare of his own and Jim let out a sigh.

“What’d you say?” he asked gruffly and felt Nick squeeze his hand tightly.

“That he had his chance once but didn’t take it. That I’m over him…that I’m with you now, that I belong with you.”

Jim’s heart thudded heavily, pleasantly and he smiled at the tingles that erupted on the back of his neck. Maintaining eye contact with his younger lover he raised their joined hands and brought them to his lips. The smile that Nick gave him was its own reward.

“Yeah?” he said more huskily than he would’ve liked and Nick’s eyes crinkled in amusement.

“Thought it was obvious.”

“Still nice to hear it.”

“Then Jim Brass, listen up. I’m with you, intend to stay with you and I wish you and Grissom would make up because you two are better than this.”

Jim snorted in amusement and kissed Nick’s knuckles again.

“Pushy little thing aren’t you?”

“You have no idea. But now you’re stuck with me so there.”

“Lord help me,” he said moving their hands slightly so he could rub his fingertips over Nick’s palm soothingly, “And what can I say? There’s a pretty boy involved this time…but you’re right.”

Nick beamed then put on a woeful face.

“As you’ll find out more often now you’ve got me. Its both a blessing and a curse.”

Jim laughed and mock-glared at the smug young man in his passenger seat.

“You’ve been around Sanders too long.”

“Jealous?”

“Of that pipsqueak? Please.”

“You’re with a guy a day and he’s already insulting you’re friends.”

“Oh shut up,” Jim said lightly as they came to a red light and tugged Nick closer to him. Nick was still grinning madly so Jim quickly covered his lips with his own, tilting his head for a better angle and deepened the kiss drawing a moan out of his lover.

‘I could get used to this,’ he thought briefly before bringing a hand up to caress a cheek as he pressed them closer together.

They both jumped when a horn behind them sounded and blushed furiously as they moved back into their seats.

They were both also grinning like madmen however.

(TBC)

AN: Felt good writing this chapter. And I’m in such a good fucking mood right now because I’ve just come out to my brother and sister with success! Just the parents to go now *slaps hands to cheeks and looks worried.* Feedback please!