CSI: Jumping Guns
Title: Jumping Guns
Rating: T
Disclaimer: disclaimed.
A/N: Yes, this is slash. No, I'm not telling you the pairing.
Sara frowned in concern, noticing the bracelets Greg usually wore were missing, replaced by dark purple bruises. He didn’t seem bothered by it at all, instead humming and offering her a cup of his special Blue Hawaiian brew.
“Greg,” she began slowly. “Are you okay?”
He looked up, blinked. “Yeah. Why?”
Maybe he was good at hiding it. She wondered how long it had been going on, and if there were anymore bruises, how far it had gone and who had done it. If anyone else knew about it.
“Your wrists.”
He looked down, as if noticing for the first time that he had bruises instead of bracelets. “Oh, yeah,” he said sheepishly. “I was running late, didn’t have time to grab my usual accessories.” He grinned awkwardly before nervously walking out the door, probably to his lab.
As she sat brooding over the possibilities, Catherine came in, smiling when she spotted the coffee. “This Greg’s pot?” she asked, pouring a cup.
Sara nodded absently, watching as Cath sat down across from her, inhaling the aroma of the coffee. “Have you noticed anything… off about Greg lately?”
Catherine looked thoughtful for a moment before shaking her head. “He’s been a bit more spacey than usual, but that’s just Greg.”
“Have you seen him today?”
“Yeah, just passed him. Why?” Catherine was looking at her now, over her coffee cup.
Sara swallowed, wondered if she should say something or let Greg come clean about it. But then she thought about all those cases she’d heard about, had worked on, and thought better about it. “Did you notice his wrists?” she asked quietly.
“His wrists?” The way Catherine said it made it sound like it was the craziest thing she’d suggested. “Should I have?”
Sara widened her eyes. “He had bruises, Catherine.”
Suddenly, Catherine looked serious. “What do you mean, bruises?”
“Like someone was holding his wrists down or tied him tightly.”
Catherine shrugged. “This is Greg we’re talking about, right? Maybe it’s something he’s into.”
Sara shook her head. “When I asked him about it, he looked nervous. Hightailed it right out the door.”
“I don’t know. It’s Greg - you think he’d know better, right? He wouldn’t let something like that happen to him.”
“What happened?” Warrick asked, taking a seat next to Catherine, who was still frowning.
“Have you seen Greg today?” Sara asked.
“Sanders? No, why?” He leaned back in his chair, looking at the two ladies and their worried expressions. “Something happen to him?”
“It’s possible,” Catherine began slowly. “That he’s being abused.”
Warrick sat up straight. “What?” he hissed. “By who?”
Sara shrugged. “I don’t know. But he has these bruises around his wrists…” She trailed off, worrying her bottom lip.
“Someone talked to him about it, right?”
Catherine shrugged, gulping her coffee. “Evidently, he didn’t want to talk about it.”
“That’s just… Sanders?” Warrick shook his head. “No, can’t be.” He stood up then, waving Nick into the break room. “Nick, come here.”
Nick smiled, laying his jacket over one of the chairs as he headed straight to the coffee. “Whoa, does Greg know he left his coffee alone?” Without waiting for an answer, he poured himself a cup and sat down, noticing the tense silence around the table. “What’s up, man?” he asked Warrick, who was shifting in his seat.
“It’s Greg,” Sara said, swallowing thickly.
Nick just smiled. “Yeah, what about him?” No one else was smiling, though. “What’s wrong? What happened to Greg?”
Catherine sighed, calmly stating, “His wrists are bruised Nick.”
“We think he might be in an abusive relationship,” Sara added.
“Greggo? No way, man,” Nick laughed. “He’s into that stuff.”
Warrick frowned, scratching the back of his head. “Now that you mention, Cath, I think I saw him limping the other day, too.”
Nick raised his eyebrows. “Sure it wasn’t another one of Grissom’s experiments?”
“Is this a joke to you?” Sara suddenly exploded, incredulous. “He could be in danger and you’re laughing at him? I thought you were his friend!”
Nick stood abruptly, smile gone, throwing his jacket over his arm and grabbing his coffee sup. “I am his friend, which is why I know that’s he not being abused.”
“Oh, and you’d automatically know, would you?”
Nick smiled, staring at her. “Greggo’s not the kinda guy to let something like that happen to him. Unless, of course, he wants it.”
As he moved to the door, Sara stood, too, suddenly furious. “Nobody wants it, Nick.”
He didn’t seem concerned, though, merely shrugged before leaving the break room. “Some people do,” he said, and then he was gone.
“Can you believe him?” she asked of the other two, her finger pointing to the door.
“You know,” Catherine observed, “He’s been acting weird lately too.”
Warrick held up his hand. “You don’t think… No, no. Nick wouldn’t do that. He’s not that kind of guy.”
No one was sure of anything anymore.
Grissom walked in then, frowning at his team just sitting around the table. “Don’t you have things to do?” he asked them.
Catherine looked him. “Hey Gil, have you noticed Nicky and Greg acting weird lately?”
“No,” he said, like it would be obvious if he had.
“Well, have you noticed any marks or… say, bruising, on either of them?”
Grissom frowned, looking inquisitive. “No more than usual. Why? Should I be worried?”
Sara raised her eyebrows. “What does that mean? Usual?”
At that moment, Greg and Nick passed each other in the hall, Greg smiling as he turned into the break room. Before he could enter, Nick grabbed his arm, pulling him back and pressing something into his hand.
“You forgot those last night,” Nick said, frowning at his audience.
“Ah! I was wondering what happened to them!” Greg exclaimed, pulling on his bracelets and sparing Nick a grateful smile.
“Next time, try looking under the bed,” Nick told him. “Where you put them.”
Greg just grinned, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. “You should see what else I have hidden in your room.”
Nick rolled his eyes, finally letting his Greg’s arm go, feeling the leer of his entire team as he turned his back and walked away.
Greg frowned at the four of them. “I think you scared him away. What did you tell him?”
Ignoring him, Grissom turned back to Sara. “It means they have a healthy relationship.”
“Relationship? Who?” Greg asked, curious.
“Did you see his wrists?” Sara asked in disbelief. “What kind of relationship has bruised wrists?”
“Is this about me?” Greg tried, looking between the four CSIs. “I’m flattered, really, but it’s not what you think.”
“A healthy relationship,” Grissom repeated, as though Greg had never spoken.
“Yes,” Greg agreed. “Very sexual, too.”
Catherine laughed. Warrick shook his head. Sara tried to protest, but Greg didn’t let her.
“Do you know how much begging I had to do to get him to use the cuffs? And seriously, for an ex-cop, he doesn’t have many aggression issues. Pity, really, because I could have totally used it last night…” As he trailed off, Sara allowed her jaw to drop.
“Like I said, a healthy relationship.”
-
A/N: Please don't think I condone abusive relationships. I don't. And believe me, I know it's a serious issue. But I couldn't help this one. It seems like something Greg would do (what WOULDN'T he do?) and everyone seems like the type to worry about it.
I hope you enjoyed.