Title: Safe
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Greg Sanders/Ryan Wolfe
Fandom: CSI: Vegas/CSI: Miami
Rating: PG-13
Table: 3, csi50
Prompt: 13, Safe
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 looked around, trying to act inconspicuous and blend into the crowd. He hadn't expected his nemesis to suggest a meeting this soon -- or to send him a message in the way that he had. It had put him on edge, making him feel exposed and vulnerable.

That voice on the phone had chilled his blood; he remembered it all too well from the past, a voice that came from behind him, the face unseen, but hovering just over his shoulder. He hadn't been able to turn his head, to do anything but look straight forward.

He'd been afraid to do anything else. He knew exactly what his enemy looked like; he had stared into that face for far too long during the time that he'd been held captive in Miami. But it had been what had happened right before they'd let him go that had left a lasting impression.

Ryan closed his eyes, a shudder going through his body. This encounter wasn't going to end in the same way. This was going to be different; this time, he hadn't been taken by surprise and held captive without his team knowing where he was.

He was going to be safe this time. And, more importantly, his being here, offering himself up as bait, would ensure that Greg was safe. His enemy would be concentrating on their meeting, not on getting to Greg and doing him some kind of harm.

Greg was safe with the team, somewhere out there, watching him. Ryan could see three plainclothes cops from where he sat on a bench in the park; if he turned his head further to the side, he knew that he would see Nick, acting as though he was simply taking a stroll.

He could only hope that this man had been so focused on himself and Greg that he wouldn't realize Nick and Sara worked for the crime lab. They were both here, keeping an eye on him; Greg was more than likely with Jim Brass, hidden out of sight.

What he would give to have Greg within his sight, just for a moment! At the moment, he needed to know that he had his lover's support; he needed to see Greg's smile, to know that his boyfriend was safe and that Greg had his back.

Ryan turned his head slowly, wondering if he would catch a glimpse of Greg out of the corner of his eye. He didn't think he would; after all, he'd been adamant about Greg being kept on the sidelines, out of the path of danger. His first priority was Greg's safety.

So far, that goal seemed to have been achieved. He was the one who should be worried for their safety; he had put himself directly into the path of a proverbial speeding bullet. He had to be careful not to let this situation escalate out of his control.

His own safety didn't matter nearly as much to him as Greg's did. He'd already been through the worst that this man could do to him; he knew what to expect from the bastard. He wasn't going to risk letting this man put Greg through the same kind of torture that he'd endured.

And that wasn't going to happen to him again, either. Ryan suppressed a shudder at the memory; it was a dark blot on his consciousness, something that he didn't want to come to the forefront of his mind right now. He needed to keep his head clear, his senses alert.

What was it going to feel like, to look into the eyes of the man who had tortured him? Would that gaze be steady and steely, or cruel and mocking? Ryan imagined that it would have elements of both; he knew all too well just how cruel this man could be.

For what seemed like the thousandth time, he had to remind himself that he was the one who was making himself the target of that cruelty, and that he was thankful that Greg wasn't in his place. He still couldn't believe that Brass had even suggested doing that.

He would never have agreed to that scenario, even if it had aroused some suspicion about the true nature of his relationship with Greg. He had insisted that he had to be the one used as bait to flush this guy out; he wouldn't have had it any other way.

Brass had seemed to think that putting the man they all thought was only a partner and friend to Ryan would be enough to send the man they were trying to capture in their direction, but Ryan had vetoed that idea as calmly as he could, even as panic had risen inside him.

He couldn't let Greg be put in harm's way. That idea of Brass' would have made them play right into the criminal's hands -- and it would have also opened his relationship with Greg up to scrutiny. They wouldn't have been able to hide any longer.

Ryan was sure that if that plan had been the one they'd gone along with, the truth of his relationship with Greg would have come out. Their feelings for each other would have been made far too obvious; it was hard enough to keep those feelings under wraps at work as it was.

This was just as hard on Greg as it was on him, he thought with a soft sigh. Greg was the one who was having to watch him put himself in danger; he was having to stay with Brass and the rest of the team, to keep his worries for Ryan's safety hidden.

He was determined not to take any unnecessary risks, for Greg more so than for himself. He didn't want to cause his boyfriend any more stress; Greg was already dealing with enough, and worrying about his lover's safety wasn't going to make things any better for him.

Whatever happened today, at least Greg would be safe. And so would he, Ryan told himself, taking a deep breath and leaning back against the bench. He was being watched by a lot of people; they would move in if anything seemed amiss.

The main object of this was to trap the man who had been stalking them. They would manage to keep him behind bars once he was caught; Ryan was sure of that. Even if he had to bring out the ugly details of what the bastard had done to him when he was still in Miami.

That was exactly what was gong to happen, Ryan told himself, his hands curling into fists before he made himself relax again. They were going to catch this guy, put him behind bars, and keep him there. And both he and Greg would be safe -- at least from this particular criminal.

Ryan glanced around again, wishing that this was all over and he and Greg were safe at home. With any luck, the situation would be over soon -- and the two of them could go back to their life together and feel much more safe than they did now.

***