Title: Still in the Game
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Greg Sanders/Ryan Wolfe
Fandom: CSI: Vegas/CSI: Miami
Rating: PG-13
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 Ryan Wolfe, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

Ryan woke suddenly, his eyes snapping open and taking in the darkness of the room around him. It took him a few moments to realize where he was; he was here in Vegas, in bed with Greg, and not alone in his bed in the apartment he'd had in Miami.

Closing his eyes again, he let his breath out slowly, in a measured exhale. He hadn't woken Greg; his lover still slumbered next to him, snuggled against Ryan's side, his head resting on Ryan's shoulder. He could almost pretend that he hadn't had a terrible nightmare.

But he had, and there was no getting around the fact. Ryan didn't want to think about it; usually, if he let his nightmares fade away once he awakened, he wouldn't remember much about them after a few minutes. But this was one stayed with him, imprinted on his mind in living color.

He wasn't afraid for himself. He already endured what he was sure would be at least close to the worst that his nemesis could possibly do to him. His nightmares hadn't been about himself being in the situation that he'd already suffered through.

No, his nightmares had been about Greg. He'd been bound and helpless while his boyfriend was being tortured, forced to watch Greg being raped over and over again and unable to do anything to stop what was happening. They'd been the worst dreams he'd ever had.

He couldn't get the image of Greg bound and helpless, being held down while the man who had obviously followed Ryan here thrust into him, making him scream in pain. The image was so vivid in his mind that he couldn't repress a soft groan, the sound cutting through the air.

Greg was instantly awake, lifting his head from Ryan's shoulder, then sitting up and reaching out a hand to stroke his boyfriend's face. "Ryan, what's wrong?" he asked, his voice slurred with sleep. "Are you okay? Did you have another nightmare?"

Ryan started to shake his head in the negative, then nodded, knowing that it would do no good to hide the truth from Greg. His boyfriend could probably already tell that he'd had a bad dream; there was no use in denying it when the fact was apparent.

"I was dreaming about that guy showing up again," he rasped, clearing his throat when he discovered how scratchy his throat was. "But it wasn't me that he was hurting. It was you. And I had to watch. it was the worst nightmare I've ever had."

Greg's arms wrapped around him, drawing him close against the pliant warmth of his boyfriend's slender body; Greg's lips were against his hair, then his cheek, then brushing across his mouth. The kiss was soft and gentle, loving and sweet, just like Greg himself.

Ryan wanted to bury his face against Greg's chest, to let himself tremble in his boyfriend's embrace, but he didn't. Instead, he merely rested his head against Greg's shoulder as the other man moved a hand up and down his back to soothe him.

"I think you were right when you said that he wanted to shock me, to throw me off my game," Ryan told Greg, sighing as he spoke. "He's definitely managing to do that, as much as I hate to admit it. I feel all jumpy and nervous. I have ever since he showed up."

"Nobody can blame you for that. Not after what he put you through," Greg whispered, his lips against Ryan's hair. "Don't think about it, babe. Just try to put it out of your mind. I'm here, and I'm safe. I'm with you. And nothing's going to happen to me."

"How can you be so sure?" Ryan wanted to sit up and look at Greg, but he didn't feel like moving out of that safe, warm circle that Greg's arms held him in. "The Cuban mob is good at getting to people, Greg. And he wouldn't hesitate to use you against me."

"I don't doubt that he would," Greg said, sounding matter-of-fact. "But one of the reasons we're partners is so we can watch each other's backs. And I know you're not going to let anything happen to me, Ryan. Just like I'm going to keep you safe."

Ryan couldn't doubt the veracity of Greg's words; ever since he'd been kidnapped by those men who had stripped him naked and thrown him into a freezer, Greg had been especially vigilant whenever they were working a crime scene. His boyfriend definitely had his back.

He was still in the game, no matter what his adversary might think. It was going to take more than threats or intimidation to bring him down -- but what worried him the most was the possibility that Greg could be drawn into the middle of this.

If Greg was harmed in any way because of the apparent vendetta the Cuban mob still had against him for being rescued from their clutches, he would never forgive himself. He had sworn that he would keep his lover safe -- and he intended to do just that.

He wasn't going to let any harm come to Greg, even if it meant that he himself had to step into what could very well be the line of fire. He might be breaking his promise to Greg by doing that, but nothing would keep him from protecting the man he loved.

He'd told Greg that he wouldn't take any unnecessary risks -- but he didn't considered protecting the man he loved more than life itself unnecessary. No matter what situation he might put himself in, he would make sure that Greg wasn't threatened.

If that meant turning himself over to his enemies to keep them from going after Greg, then he would do it. And if they killed him, leaving Greg alone to mourn him for the rest of his life, then Ryan would consider his sacrifice worthwhile if it kept Greg alive and safe.

"We'll get through this, Ryan," Greg said, his voice very soft and husky. "Together. No matter what this guy might try to throw at you, we'll come back at him with a curve ball. After all, there's two of us, and only one of him. Those are good odds."

Ryan nodded, though he didn't feel as confident as Greg seemed to be. But then, Greg hadn't been through what he had -- and he hoped that his boyfriend was never in the clutches of this man, and never faced with a situation like that.

"We're still in the game, I guess," he said softly, wishing that he could push away the unsettling feeling that seemed to have taken up residence within him, the feeling that made him nervous and jumpy all the time. He didn't want to have his nerves on edge like this.

"And we're going to win the game," Greg told him, sounding much more confident than Ryan was feeling at the moment. "We've got the police force and the crime lab behind us, Ryan. We'll be the ones who come out on top of this. Wait and see."

"It's the waiting part that worries me," Ryan murmured, not wanting to tell Greg exactly what was on his mind. He didn't want to make his boyfriend worry, or make him feel threatened by someone who, after all, could only be here looking for Ryan and no other reason.

But he was certain beyond a shadow of a doubt that the man he'd seen would do anything to get at him -- including kidnapping and torturing his partner. And if the man was following them, and found out what Greg meant to him, there was even more danger involved.

He could have been here for a while, Ryan told himself, horror seeming to envelop him as the thought took root in his mind. He could easily have seen the two of them together, hand in hand, when they were out walking Wolfie. He could already know how close they were.

If he did, then Greg was already in danger. Ryan took a deep breath, closing his eyes, wondering if he should say something to Greg. No, that would only make his boyfriend feel paranoid and more worried than he was already. There was no sense in getting him upset.

He'd just have to be even more vigilant whenever they were out together, Ryan told himself. Both at work and on their own time. He wasn't going to let that bastard get anywhere near Greg -- and if he could, he was going to keep his suspicions to himself.

"Don't worry so much, Ryan," Greg told him, brushing soft lips across his forehead. "We're still in the game, and we're going to be the ones who win it in the end. That bastard is going to be looking at us from behind bars before too long. I'm sure of it."

Ryan nodded, but he wondered if Greg was going to be proven horribly wrong. Somehow, he couldn't shake the feeling that they were in for a bumpy ride -- and that they might not come out of this as unscathed as his boyfriend wanted to think they would.

***