Title: Too Tough

Author/pseudonym: Loonywoif

Email address: loonywoif@juno.com

Rating: PG

Pairings: Gil/Greg

Status: Done

Date: 3/6/01

Archive: Yes, just tell me where but if you want it go ahead

Series/Sequel: Seems like it Sequel to Just Talking

Category: Romance

Author's website:
http://www.angelfire.com/journal/sevens/front.htm -for slash go to the woods

Disclaimer: Does anyone think i own them? Please raise your hands if you do?

::crickets chirping:: good then

Though i would like to have them pretty please for my birthday

Notes: Looks like this will be a series. Yes Eckley will show up in the next one. You don't think he's gonna let Gil get away with ravaging Gred when you and I know he wanted to ravage greggy.If anyone can come up with series title for this, i'd be grateful.

Already posted to site if that makes it easier for archivists.
http://www.angelfire.com/journal/sevens/Tough.htm

Summary: Set after the episode 'Too Tough to Die'. After Sara accuses Gil of not feeling anything for the victims and being cold, he goes home to his lover and wonders if Sara isn't right.

Warnings: none. oh yeah! There's no sex. None. At. All. This is a comfort fic.

by Loonywoif

Grissom sighed as he got up... sometimes he thought he should get double pay, extra for counseling. As usual Sara misunderstood what he had meant. He hoped but knew that she would be one of the ones suffering burnout within five years. Looking at the clock, he stretched. All cases closed. Shift is over. Now it was time to go home to Greg. Go home and just hold his lover. Sara was wrong, he did feel something. Relief... relief that they caught the bad guys again, relief that he had someone to go home to, relief that that someone would keep the ghosts away. Grabbing his files and memos, he left the hospital with all its silently screaming ghosts.

* * *

Greg sat outside on the front step waiting for Gil to get home. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. Gil is going to love it. Absolutely love it. I can't blame him for not hearing about it, he's been so busy at work lately. Just wait til Gil finds out I requested two weeks vacation. For both of us.

A dark SUV pulled up in front of the house, the lights temporarily blinding Greg. Blinking out the dark spots, Greg smiled up at his lover, standing in front of him.

"Gris."

"Greg."

"Welcome home, baby. Brass called, told me you had a horrid day."

"Yeah, is there some reason you are sitting out on a cold cement door stoop at," Grissom turned his wrist to look at his watch, "6:27 am?"

"Yep."

"Are you going to tell me?"

"Nope. Use your investigative skills."

Grissom sighed; his lover was in a playful mood. Taking a minute he stepped back and looked the house up and down. No cat in the window. His lover was wearing his usual comfortable off duty clothes. The plants were not hanging from the hooks on the porch. The lights were off. On the swing seat are three bags. "I guess we are going on a trip?"

"Yes."

"A trip long enough to send the cat to the neighbors?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Cause you have been working way too hard. About three weeks ago, I saw an article... I read it and knew you would want to go to Florida."

"Florida?"

"Yes, in Broward County, they just reopened an old fashioned wooden rollercoaster. It's large. It's old. It's you, Gil. And you need time off."

"How long did they give me off?" Gil tucked the memos and files under his arm, hands free he reached out and ran his thumb over Greg's cheek.

"Two weeks. Come on. If you go in you won't come out." Greg took his beloved's hand and pulled him over to the SUV. "Already got the plane tickets, give me that stuff."

Happy, Gil gave Greg the paperwork and climbed into the passenger side, reclining the seat, he closed his eyes and listened to his man get the bags. A trio of thumps in the back, told Grissom that Greg had opened the back flap and tossed the bags in. A quick, srrrp and the flap was zipped back up. A door opened and Gil turned and held his hand out to Greg.

"Thanks, Gris. I shoved the paper work through the cat door. Everything is ready. The plan leaves in two hours. So tell me about your day." Greg turned out on the road.

* * *

"A young woman was kidnapped, raped, and shot. Left for dead in the desert. We caught the guy, a teenager. He's only getting 48 months. And if she doesn't die in a year and a day of the shooting... he'll get away with it... even if she dies because of what he did to her later... if it's not a year and a day."

"Oh... one of those. Gris, they ought to repeal that law. It's useless. Maybe back when forensics wasn't a science but now... they need to get that one of the books. Who was working it?"

"Me. Nick. Sara. Do you know that Sara has no distractions? She goes home, listens to police scanners, reads forensic journals and texts."

"Burnout?"

"Yeah..."

* * *

Sara walked into the lounge and sat down, holding back tears, she said, "The husband just doesn't get it... he's so happy she's going to live that he doesn't realize that she's going to be in a vegetative state for the rest of her life."

Gil just looked at her, "That's the system."

"What kind of system rewards a suspect because their victim is too tough to die." Sara looked over expecting Gil to give her one of his profound answers. She was startled to see him, his eyes half closed looking down.

"Sara... you got to learn to let this go or you are going to spend all you time in hospital try to help those you couldn't save."

Sara shook her head in amazement and got up. Walking over to ddor, she paused with her hand on the handle, "I wish I could be like you, Grissom. I wish I could not feel anything." She walked out.

Gil watches as the door closes and sighs, "Oh."

* * *

"So the talk didn't go well?"

"She said she wished she could be like me. She wished she could not feel anything."

Greg pulled off the road, "If I could see that bitch now..."

"Thanks." Gil covered Greg's hand and squeezed it.

"Nothing good?"

"Well I got to beat up on Ed a bit."

"That's considered good, my love." Greg looked out and carefully pulled back onto the road. "Don't leave it there tell me all about Mr. Ed."

"Don't insult the famous Mr. Ed. I can tell you about Catherine's ex."

* * *

Growling, Ed grabs Catherine and shoves her back against a glass wall, "I'll let you go when..."

Grissom had watched enough. First this scum, who left his wife to pursue younger women desperate to get into videoa, dragged his wife back into his life only get him out of a rape case. Then he calls Children's Services because she was two hours late picking up *their daughter* from his house. Now he convinces her to keep their house, simply so he could take a loan out on it. Enough is enough. Maybe Grissom can't stop Ed from hassling her off duty but Ed is going to learn a lesson. Wrenching Ed's hand off Catherine's' wrist, he threw Ed back. "Get your hands off of her." Turning to Catherine, "Are you ok?"

Catherine shook her head in disgust, shaking with adrenaline, "Just get him out of here." Controlling her anger, she walks away.

Ed stares at Grissom, "I always knew you two had something."

Grissom stared at the man, "I never want to see you in this building again. This is our place of business." With that he moves out of the way and watches as Ed retreats, tail between his legs.

* * *

Greg laughed. "Was that as good for you as it was for me, baby? Side's you never had anything with her, ever." Greg stated flatly. Looking over at his man, Greg chuckled, pulling into the airport long-term parking lot. "Come on, you've had your nap, now it's time to go in search of the great wooden monster coaster, ok?"

Wrapping an arm around his lover waist, Gil kissed his neck, "Never, my love, never anyone else." Taking two bags and lead Greg over to the terminal. By the time they had checked their bags, gotten to the gate, and gotten in their seats, Greg was almost asleep.

"Hey, I was up all night waiting for you. You need more than a nap too, rest it's gonna take us nine hours to get to Florida. There's an hour layover but we can stay in the plane. Now rest. Gilford Gerard Grissom."

"Yes, Greggy." Gil turned over and closed his eyes.

Greg got up and pulled down two blankets, draping one over Gil large frame, he sat back down. "It's not true. You feel a lot. You're just too tough to show anybody. Aren't you glad that I'm too tough to let you get away with it? Sleep now. No more ghosts." Greg curled up beside his beloved and covered himself with the other blanket.

END