Title: In the Name of Love
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.

***

Ryan lay awake long after he and Greg had made love, looking down at the man in his arms and letting his thoughts roam. He couldn't sleep; he didn't want to fall into slumber and awake tossing and turning only a few hours later to startle Greg into wakefulness.

If only they could stay like this all the time, he thought ruefully, just the two of them alone together, with no world outside the front door, and no responsibilities. But that wasn't possible, and they had to face the world as it was, like it or not.

Even with all of its imperfections, the world wasn't such a bad place, Ryan reflected, stroking a hand through Greg's hair. If they could manage to find his nemesis from Miami and put the man behind bars, then it would be a much better place, at least for the two of them.

He was getting more tense and nervous as each day went by; he had thought that the passing of time might lull him into a more relaxed state of being, but it was having the opposite effect. The more he tried to push the problem to the back of his mind, the more it worried him.

It hadn't started to affect his work yet, but he had no doubt that it eventually would. And then he would really be in trouble. He was the one who had brought this problem here; without him being in Vegas, the CSIs wouldn't be threatened.

At least it wasn't the entire team who were threatened, he thought with a sigh. It was only himself and Greg -- which was bad enough. He shouldn't have brought this kind of trouble into his boyfriend's life. Greg would probably be better off without him.

Ryan shook his head as though to clear it, frowning at his own thoughts. What was he saying? he asked himself sternly. Of course Greg wouldn't be better off without having someone who loved him in his life. They needed each other. They always would.

Without Greg, he would be half a person -- and he was sure that his lover felt the same about him. They were going to stay together, no matter what happened -- and they were going to confront this man and win out in the end. He had to believe that.

But if they didn't .... Ryan shook his head, closing his eyes as though he could ward off the images in his mind by doing so. All he could see was that man grabbing Greg in the park, waving that gleaming silvery knife in front of his face, threatening his lover's life.

Maybe he should seriously think about the idea he'd had of leaving Greg -- not for good, he told himself hastily, only on a temporary basis -- until this man was caught, just to keep him safe. He could stay in a hotel, somewhere far away from their apartments.

Would that throw this man off Greg's trail? Would the fact that they weren't here together keep him away from someone who he'd obviously already made a target? Or was that a vain hope, an action that would leave Greg even more vulnerable to being harmed?

Ryan didn't know what to do, but he knew for certain that he didn't want to leave Greg. He was here now -- and this was where he should stay. Even if that man was coming after him, he'd already made it clear that Greg was one of his targets as well.

It was too late for Ryan to back away and hope that he could keep Greg safe by doing so. They were in this together -- and they would stay together, he told himself determinedly. They belonged with each other, not parted in a hopeless effort to divert their enemy.

What would he do for Greg in the name of love? he asked himself. Even if it would have done any good, would he have actually had the strength to stay away from his boyfriend for any length of time, even if he knew that it wasn't going to be on a permanent basis? He didn't think so.

Yes, they would have still been working together every day, but it wouldn't have been the same as being able to come home to Greg every night, to spend their free time together, to make love to him every night and wake up next to him every morning. Nothing could replace that feeling.

He would never have been able to stay away from Greg. If it had come to that, and he'd been forced to live in a hotel for a while, he would have been calling his boyfriend every hour to find out if he was all right. Or they would have found a way to meet somewhere.

They couldn't have stayed apart. Ryan knew that beyond a shadow of a doubt; he and Greg would always find a way to be with each other, somehow, no matter what risk might be involved. For them, being together was more important than any risk they would be taking.

He couldn't stay away from Greg if he tried -- and he knew that his boyfriend felt the same about him. For better or for worse, they would stay here; and if they were threatened, they would find a way to make it through that threat and defeat it by working as a team.

Maybe it would be safer for him to be somewhere else, but he knew that they would both be too unhappy and too unsettled if they were apart to be effective at their jobs -- or at anything else. And in the long run, it might even be more dangerous for them to be parted.

Not being with each other all the time would leave them both open to attack. There would be nobody there to watch their backs, to look out for their safety as they did for each other. Even if they had protective details around them, it wouldn't be the same.

No, he belonged right here, Ryan told himself, stroking Greg's hair. In this apartment, in this bed, next to Greg, with the man he loved sleeping in his arms. There was no other place that he wanted to be -- and no other place that he should be.

There were so many things that he was willing to do for Greg in the name of love -- but leaving him wouldn't have been one of them. He had thought that it was in their best interests to do so, but he could see now that it would do more harm than good.

Greg stirred in his sleep, snuggling closer to Ryan and murmuring something in a whisper. Ryan bent his head to try and catch the words, tears coming to his eyes when he realized that Greg was whispering "I love you." The words were unmistakable.

How could he have thought that he could leave this man for even one second, temporarily or not? Greg was his peace of mind, his heart and soul. Greg was his oasis, his center. He couldn't be anywhere else but with this man; he didn't belong anywhere else.

Bowing his head, he brushed his lips gently across Greg's forehead, hoping that he wouldn't wake his sleeping lover. He didn't want to disturb Greg's rest; neither of them had been sleeping well lately, and he knew that his boyfriend needed this peaceful time.

Hopefully, Greg's nightmares wouldn't stay with him; Ryan hated to think of Greg continuing to suffer with them for the rest of his life. Already, they were less prevalent than they had been when the two of them had first met; he hoped that they would eventually slip away for good.

If only he could wave a magic wand, shout some incantation, and have everything in their lives be back to normal! But unfortunately, that sort of thing only happened in fantasy novels and kids' movies, Ryan thought ruefully. It had no bearing in the real world.

All that he could do was try his best to keep Greg safe, to love him and cherish him, and to protect him in every way possible. He knew that Greg would do the same for him; there was nothing that they wouldn't do for each other, no matter what sacrifice might be required.

He had no intention of leaving Greg, not even for a day, or so much as an hour. It didn't matter if others thought that it might be safer for them to be apart; he knew in his heart that they needed to stay together, to face any threats as one.

Ryan pressed one hand against his own heart, closing his eyes and making a vow. He would keep Greg safe, no matter what he had to do. He would love and protect this man not just in this life, but until the end of time itself. He was Greg's forever -- however long that might be.

He wanted to say those words to his lover, but there was time. There was plenty of time, he thought, his gaze focusing on hs boyfriend's face as he watched Greg sleeping. When the other man awakened, he would repeat that vow out loud for all the world to hear.

But for now, it was enough to say it to himself, and know that he meant those words with all of his heart and soul. He would love and protect this man in the name of love, Ryan vowed to himself again, his inner voice strong and firm. That was a promise he would never break.

***