Title: Every Beat of the Heart
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Greg Sanders/Ryan Wolfe
Series: 1) Catch Me I'm Falling, 2) Sparks, 3) Holding Steady, 4) More Than Ready, 5) Talk About It, 6) Confessions, 7) Fate's Plan, 8) Exposed, 9) A Matter of Feeling, 10) Loving Every Minute of It, 11) Street of Dreams, 12) One of Our Own, 13) Cold Storage, 14) Life Or Death, 15) Hole in My Heart, 16) Someone To Pull the Trigger
Fandom: CSI: Vegas/CSI: Miami
Rating: PG-13
Table: writers_choice
Prompt: #415, Fate
Author's Note: Mentions of rape.
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the lovely Greg Sanders or Adam Ross, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

Ryan sighed softly as he turned over onto his side in bed, careful not to wake Greg. He was lying behind the younger man, spooning against him; he was surprised that Greg was comfortable sleeping that way, given the sexual issues he was dealing with.

Still, it was gratifying to know that Greg could feel comfortable enough with him to let Ryan be this close to him when they were both naked and vulnerable. But Greg hadn't shown any signs of pulling away from this kind of intimacy, and he was grateful for that.

How had he gotten so lucky as to fall right into Greg's life when he'd first gotten to Las Vegas? None of this had been planned; he hadn't come here to fall in love, or even to find someone he could have a good time with. He had thought it would be all about work.

Ever since he'd made the decision to leave Miami, Ryan had been determined to focus on his job, his career, where he was going professionally. He'd had enough of bad relationships and failed attempts at finding someone to care about to last him several lifetimes.

During the long drive from Miami to Las Vegas, he'd told himself over and over again that he didn't need a lover in his life. He'd gotten along fine for years in Miami without one -- there was no reason to think that Las Vegas would be any different.

But fate had other plans for him -- he had been thrown directly into Greg's path, and he would have been unable to keep away from the young man who now owned his heart even if he'd wanted to try. Greg was irresistible; Ryan had been drawn to him like the proverbial moth to a flame.

How could he have known he would meet someone like Greg? If anyone had told him that he'd fall in love with the first beautiful guy who smiled at him, he would have laughed and told them that they were crazy. But that was exactly what he had done.

And he didn't mind in the slightest. He couldn't imagine what his life would be like without Greg in it; they had already become so close, after only a couple of weeks of being together both at work and in their personal lives. Greg fit with him seamlessly, perfectly.

Ryan wrapped his arms more firmly around Greg's wasit, pulling the young man back against him. Greg stirred slightly in his sleep, moaning softly, Ryan hastily loosened his grip, hoping that he hadn't made Greg start to wake up. His boyfriend needed his sleep.

Greg had spent so many sleepless nights by his bedside after that horrible ordeal in the freezer; he hadn't wanted to let Ryan out of his sight for as much as five minutes. Ryan had laughingly drawn the line when Greg had almost insisted on getting into the shower with him.

Even though he'd love to take a shower with Greg, Ryan had reluctantly decided that it would come later -- when his boyfriend was less tense and nervous about the physical side of their relationship. He had to take things slowly with Greg and not frighten him.

That was more easily said than done, he thought with an inward sigh. Greg might not want to admit that he'd been severely traumatized by that long-ago rape, but Ryan could see the signs. It wouldn't be easy for Greg to push away those fears, even with someone he loved.

He hated to think that the rape had been a part of fate's plan for both of them -- but wasn't that a definite possibility? There were so many people who believed that everything in life happened for a reason -- and Ryan couldn't help thinking that they might be right.

His own rape at the hands of the Cuban mob had been the deciding factor in leaving Miami -- and maybe that had been a part of what fate had intended for him. If he had stayed there, then he would never have met Greg -- and that would be a tragedy for them both.

Could fate have intended for them both to suffer through such horrific ordeals so they could finally be brought together? If Greg hadn't lived through that experience, and if he hadn't been forced to leave the place he'd called home, then they wouldn't be here now.

Fate should really be more careful about what she put people through in their lives, Ryan thought with a frown. He'd come through his own ordeals fairly well -- but he hated to think of the psychological damage that had been done to Greg.

He closed his eyes, moving closer to Greg. Had he really dealt with his own demons as well as he thought he had? They might be somewhere in the back of his mind, but they were still there -- and he had no doubt that they would attack him when he least expected it.

At least for the moment, he was able to put them away, to slam a door on them and keep them silent. When they did come back to confront him, he would have Greg by his side -- and his boyfriend would help him fight those demons until they were vanquished.

He really didn't have a right to ask that of Greg, did he? Ryan had to suppress another sigh, hugging Greg close against him. Greg hadn't signed on to have to deal with a boyfriend who had intimacy issues; it wasn't fair to expect his lover to cope with his problems.

Was that what fate had intended for them both? Ryan wondered, the thought occurring to him out of the blue. Maybe fate had intended for them both to go through their own personal hells, just so they would be able to help each other heal.

Whatever fate had planned for them, he'd followed right along the path she had laid out by coming here, hadn't he? The idea made Ryan smile; he almost felt as if he was in a fairy tale, following a trail of bread crumbs that had led him to Las Vegas.

More importantly, they'd led him to Greg. If he had stayed in Miami, if he'd ignored that siren call that fate had apparently sent out to him, then he wouldn't be with the young man he loved; he'd still be trying to cope with his problems on his own, with no one to turn to.

Greg stirred again, murmuring Ryan's name; the younger man opened his eyes, blinking a few times before he settled back against Ryan and cleared his throat. "What are you thinking about?" he asked, his voice soft and slightly slurred with sleep.

"About us," Ryan whispered, moving his hand down Greg's side to rest on his boyfriend's bare hip. "About fate, and what brought me here to Vegas. About all the reasons I could have had not to come here -- and about how glad I am that I did."

"If you weren't here, then my life would be empty," Greg whispered, his voice still sounding hoarse with sleep. "I don't want to think about what that'd be like. I was so lonely before I found you, Ryan. I don't want my life to go back to being like that again."

"It won't, sweetheart. I promise," Ryan said softly, bowing his head as Greg turned his face upwards to capture the young man's lips with his own. His arms tightened around Greg's waist, pulling him closer, his pulse starting to race as desire coursed through his body.

Had fate intended this? Had he and Greg been meant to meet and fall in love at first sight? Had the two of them been destined for each other long before they were born, the courses of their lives mapped out by a fate that had never seemed to be overly kind to either of them in the past?

Ryan didn't know if it was fate that brought them together, but he did know that he would never Greg go now that they had found each other. Greg was the love of his life, the beat of his heart, the missing piece of a puzzle that had always seemed unfinished.

He'd never felt as comfortable with anyone as he did with Greg. This man wasn't just his lover -- Greg was his best friend, the other half of his soul. Greg was his heart; if they ever parted, Ryan was sure that he would crumble into dust and cease to exist.

Without Greg, his life would be an empty shell. He knew that now. He might not have come here to Vegas looking for someone to love, but that was exactly what he'd found -- and now that fate had given Greg to him, he never wanted to let this man slip out of his life.

Greg turned over in his embrace, wrapping his thin arms around Ryan's neck and pulling him down as the kiss deepened. Ryan moaned into his boyfriend's mouth, molding Greg's slim body against his own, his desire for Greg reaching a fever pitch.

Calm down, he told himself, opening his eyes as the kiss broke off to look down at the young man in his his arms. You can't have him yet. He's not ready for that -- and you promised him that you'd take things as slowly as he needed to go. Don't rush it.

Fate wasn't going to let them move any more quickly than they needed to. Ryan was sure of it. They had all the time in the world, after all; they knew how they felt, and they knew where they wanted to be. There was no need to rush; they could take their time.

Every beat of his heart belonged to this man, whether fate had intended it that way or not. That was what had happened -- and Ryan was perfectly happy with it. Life couldn't be better, he thought as he hold Greg close. With Greg in his arms, he had all that he could ever need -- or want.

***

Next story in series - No Promises.