Title: Keeper of My Heart
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Greg Sanders/Ryan Wolfe
Fandom: CSI: Vegas/CSI: Miami
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the lovely Greg Sanders or Ryan Wolfe, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

Greg held out a hand to Ryan as he straightened up from closing and starting the dishwasher, smiling as he looked at his boyfriend. "I've got plans for tonight. Come on, let's go in the living room so they can get going," he murmured, his smile growing wider.

Ryan returned the smile, slipping his hand into Ryan's as the two of them went to the other room and sat down on the couch. Within seconds, Greg jumped up again, heading for the hallway that led to the bedroom, turning around before he reached the hall.

"Wait right there," he said breathlessly, holding out his hands as though he was making Ryan sit down. "I"ll be back in a few minutes." With that, he disappeared down the hallway; Ryan leaned back against the couch cushions, wondering what Greg was doing.

He found out a few moments later; he heard his boyfriend padding back down the hall, and looked up to see Greg come back into the living room carrying the bag with their necklaces in it. Ryan's eyes widened, his mouth falling open; all he could do was stare, speechless.

Greg had gone into the bedroom to strip his clothes off; he stood naked before Ryan, his body pale and slender in the soft light of the one lamp that they'd turned on in the living room. Ryan couldn't take his eyes from that beautiful body; he wanted to drink in the sight before him forever.

He had seen Greg naked before, but there was something about his boyfriend tonight that made him seem even more beautiful than he usually was. Ryan couldn't put his finger on just what made Greg look so transcendent; he almost seemed to glow.

"I think I'm overdressed," Ryan said softly as Greg sat back down beside him, turning to him with a smile and pulling one of the velvet cases that contained their necklaces out of the bag. "I need to take my clothes off for this too, don't I?"

"Yeah, I think you do," Greg told him, carefully opening one of the two velvet cases. He looked over at Ryan, raising his brows. "You should be getting undressed, shouldn't you?" he inquired, a note of laughter in his tone. "We can't put these on each other until you are."

"Your wish is my command," Ryan said, smiling as he stood up and pulled his t-shirt off over his head, then began to unbutton and unzip his jeans as Greg watched. Within moments, he was naked; he sat back down next to his boyfriend, turning expectantly to the other man.

Greg laid the gold necklace down carefully on the coffee table, picking up the other velvet case and giving it to Ryan to open. "I wanted us to put these on each other with no covering and no artifice," he said softly, his gaze meeting and holding Ryan's. "I thought it would be kind of romantic."

"It is," Ryan whispered, leaning forward to brush his lips against Greg's. "I think we should be just as we came into the world when we put these on each other. We're giving ourselves to each other, heart, body and soul -- so we should present our bodies to each other."

"I want us to make love after we put them on," Greg whispered, his voice so soft that Ryan almost had to strain to hear him. "I want us to .... to become one for the first time tonight, to kind of .... to solidify the promises that they're symbolizing."

"I don't need anything to make those promises more solid," Ryan told him with a smile, "but I understand where you're coming from. That's a beautiful thought, Greg. And of course I want to make love to you tonight. Tonight, and every other night, for the rest of our lives."

He opened the velvet case, looking down at the beautiful silver necklace. Slowly, carefully, he picked up the small key, amazed that it would actually work in the lock. They had tested the locks at the shop, and they did indeed work; once the necklace was locked, it couldn't be taken off.

"I want us to wear these for the rest of our lives, and never take them off," he said softly, raising his gaze to Greg's face. "Every time I see you wearing it, I'll know that you belong to me -- and that I belong to you. It's a beautiful way to show what we mean to each other."

"Put mine on me," Greg whispered, his voice a little unsteady. "I want you to be the one who turns the key in the lock, Ry, not me. This necklace symbolizes me belonging to you, so you have to be the one who locks it. And keeps the key."

"Then you'll have to do the same with mine," Ryan answered, feeling tears rise behind his eyes. He had to blink rapidly to hold them back; somehow, this felt like a solemn moment. It a serious milestone in their relationship, and it meant a lot to both of them.

"I will," Greg told him, his voice hushed, his tone almost reverent. "But I want you to put mine on me first. Okay?" he asked, sounding anxious. Ryan smiled, putting both hands on his boyfriend's shoulders and leaning forward to kiss him again.

"If that's what you want, then that's the way it'll be," he assured Greg, wanting to see that light come back into his lover's eyes. He wanted to see Greg happy in every way; he would do whatever he had to do for that happiness to reside in his boyfriend's gaze.

He reached for the case that held Greg's necklace, slowly lifting it to study the delicate chain links. They looked lacy and fragile, yet he knew that they were deceptively strong. And they wouldn't rust, or discolor; the silver was real, not just a glossy covering.

Greg closed his eyes, his lips slightly parted; Ryan had to force himself not to kiss his boyfriend again, instead clearing his throat softly and placing the necklace around the slender column of Greg's throat, admiring the way that the silver shone against his pale skin.

"Greg Sanders, you are the keeper of my heart, my soul, and my life," he said softly as he settled the necklace into place and carefully turned the small silver key in the lock. "And I'm the keeper of your heart. I promise to always keep it safe, treat it gently, and cherish it for eternity."

He heard Greg catch his breath; when he looked away from the necklace and focused on his boyfriend's face, there were two shiny streaks making their way down Greg's cheeks. Ryan reached out to capture the tears on his fingertips, bringing them to his lips and kissing them away.

"There's no need to cry, sweetheart," he whispered, giving in to his impulse to brush Greg's lips with his own. Nothing had ever tasted as sweet as this kiss; he knew that he would remember this night, this very moment, for the rest of his life, no matter how long that might be.

He could never forget this night, or what it meant. He would wear that gold necklace for the rest of his life; it would be with him when he finally departed this world for another -- and when he did, he knew that Greg would be by his side in the next world, just as he was in this one.

Greg nodded, sniffling a little as he slowly picked up the golden match to the necklace that was now in place around his throat. Ryan closed his eyes, ducking his head slightly as Greg slipped the gold chain over his head, settling it into place before taking a deep breath.

"Ryan Wolfe, you're the keeper of my heart, and you always will be. I want to keep your heart safe next to mine, hold it and cherish it until the end of time, and protect it with all the love in my heart." He turned the key in the lock, looking up at Ryan as he did so.

Ryan had to struggle to hold back tears; he reached for Greg, pulling his boyfriend into his arms to hold him tightly, burying his face against the softness of Greg's hair. He hoped that they could both make their words a reality, and make them come true for all of their lives.

"I love you, Greg," he whispered, tightening his arms around his boyfriend's waist and closing his eyes tightly to keep the tears from escaping. "I love you more than I ever dreamed it was possible to love anybody. I'll love you until the end of time."

Greg was trembling in his arms; he was sure that his lover was also holding back tears. They clung to each other, both overwhelmed by their emotions; when they finally lifted their heads and drew apart, the tears on their faces came from the happiness they felt.

"You've been the keeper of my heart ever since the first moment I saw you, y'know," Ryan told Greg, one hand stroking through the other man's hair. "You always will be. I can't even begin to imagine myself with anybody else -- you've spoiled me for all other men."

"I should hope so!" Greg said with a shaky laugh. "No mentioning other men around me! There aren't any others, not for us." He took a deep breath, looking more serious as he spoke again. "Honestly, Ry, I couldn't ever be with anybody else. Not after you. I can't even look at other people."

"You won't have to be," Ryan assured him, smiling and pulling Greg back into his arms. "I'll always be with you, Greg. I couldn't ever leave you -- it'd be like ripping out my own heart. We're together for eternity, babe. And these necklaces are just more proof of how we belong to each other."

Greg's arms were around him, his boyfriend clinging to him again; Ryan closed his eyes, breathing in the soft scent that was uniquely Greg's. He wanted to stay here for the rest of their lives, wrapped in each other's arms, reveling in the nearness of the man he loved.

"Let's go to bed," he murmured, moving his hands down Greg's back. All he wanted to do at the moment was to take Greg to bed, curl up with him under the covers, and make love. He wanted them to be as entwined physically as the hearts on their necklaces were.

Greg nodded, not speaking as he stood up and held out his hands. Ryan got to his feet, sliding an arm around his lover, his free hand going to the necklace he now wore. He intended to wear that necklace for eternity -- just as he intended to be the keeper of Greg's heart for all time.

***