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Nick hovered over his lover’s casket as the rain poured down around him and the small tent that covered them. The crew was standing by to lower Warrick into the ground, but Nick just couldn’t bring himself to walk away. Nick could see the men waiting with their shovels and he wanted to scream at them and ask them how they could be so insensitive, but he didn’t. He just stood there stroking the top of the casket as tears spilled down his cheeks.
Warrick’s lips would never graze his again. His arms would never hold Nick in a close embrace. Their bodies would never lie together basking in the wake of their love making. Nick would never again hear the words, “I love you” from the only man he was sure he would ever love. What was he to do now? Nick felt like he just couldn’t go on.
Gil stood back at the road by the waiting limousine so Nick could say his final goodbyes. Gil had taken each of these men under his wing and taught them everything he knew. Now, to see Warrick gone and Nick pining for him, it was almost more than his heart could bear. He dared not approach Nick and try to beg him away. He knew Nick would refuse to leave and in all honesty, Gil didn’t want Nick to leave until he was ready.
Nick pulled a small silver canteen from the inner pocket of his suit. The words “I love you forever and always ~Warrick” were etched on it and Nick rub his fingers over the etching with a smile remembering the day Warrick had given it to him.
It was their five year anniversary and Warrick had pulled out all the stops. The house was decorated top to bottom with red roses; 1,825 of them to be exact. Warrick had told him there was one for each day they had been together as husbands. He had apologized that he didn’t include one for each day they had dated. Just as it had that day, it made Nick laugh out loud again now.
They had been unable to schedule their yearly camping trip that week like they usually would have because of a case they were both working so they opted to celebrate in with a cozy meal and do the real celebrating the following week when they actually went on their trip.
Nick had been totally surprised when he arrived home to find everything arranged the way it was. He had chastised Warrick softly and felt guilty that he himself hadn’t planned something so elaborate. Warrick had assured him it was all done on a whim and thought up that very day and then he went on to tell him how difficult it had been to get his hands on all these roses in such a short amount of time.
Dinner went cold that evening as they lay together in the rose petals spread across their bed making love until they were both so exhausted they fell sound asleep.
When they woke the next morning, Warrick was laying beside him with a gift wrapped and sitting between them. Nick quickly opened the gift revealing the silver canteen that had become so dear to him he now clung to it as he mourned his loss.
They would never celebrate a 6th anniversary and that was something Nick was sure his heart couldn’t endure. He unscrewed the lid slowly. He had been unsure of whether or not to do this until the pain of seeing this man he adored be closed up inside this dark coffin and being prepared to be lowered into the ground gripped his mind, body and soul.
Nick had laced the Bourbon inside the canteen with heavy amounts of Belladonna root. It would be quick. He would swallow down as much of the liquid as he could and pray for God’s mercy to bring him and Warrick back together in the moments it took for drug to take affect and claim his life.
“I’m comin’ darlin’.” He whimpered tilting back his head and swallowing down all the drink from the canteen.