Title: Surprisingly Helpful
Author: Kacey
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: CSI: Miami
Pairing: Eric/Ryan
Summary: Ryan surprises everyone, including himself, when he helps out Eric's sister.
Disclaimer: I don't own them. CBS and their creators do. Just borrowing them for fun.
Fic Prompt: # 33, 89, 93: Enamored, Sick, Sympathetic (from 100 Moods table)
Warnings: Got bit by this bug while watching a rerun. Spoilers for The Score. AU after the scene where Eric and Horatio are in the lab talking about how much marijuana his sister had bought. Spoilers for other episodes? Hell, probably. Just assume there are. And, the whole Boa Vista thing, didn't happen! I don't like her, so she will not be appearing in the story, or, if she does, it won't be in a good way.

***

Ryan walked into Trace just in time to hear Horatio tell Eric that he had the names of several lawyers and Eric to tell Horatio that he was "tapped out." Feeling like he was intruding, Ryan coughed slightly to catch their attention. They both turned to him, and he smiled uncomfortably, especially when Eric glared at him.

"Sorry to interrupt. I needed to ask you something, H," he said, mentally cursing when his phone rang.

"Go ahead with the phone call, Mr. Wolfe," Horatio stated.

Grabbing his phone, he answered, "Wolfe."

Listening for a moment, he finished, "Thanks." Looking up at Horatio, he shook his head. "Never mind. I just got a different answer. Thanks, anyway."

"No problem, Mr. Wolfe. That's what I'm here for," Horatio said, leaving the two of them alone in Trace.

Eric warned, eyes flashing angrily, "Don't you dare tell anyone what you heard, Wolfe."

Rolling his eyes and shaking his head, Ryan turned and left, muttering to himself about people being jerks. If he wanted to be treated with hate and disrespect, he could always go see his brothers again. After this past weekend's visit, it had become painfully clear that he wasn't welcome in the house he'd grown up in any more. Stalking down the hallway, he wasn't prepared when a hand grabbed onto his elbow and propelled him into the locker room. Stumbling, he would have ran headfirst into the lockers in front of him, if the person behind him hadn't yanked him backwards. Vertigo washed through him, and he stilled, closing his eyes, trying to maintain his balance and not throw up.

He'd lied to Alexx when he'd told her that his eye was better, not that she had believed him anyway. Taking a deep breath to calm his churning stomach and to release his anger, Ryan softly growled, "Let go of me, Delko."

Instead of doing that, he led him over to the bench where he forced him to sit down. Crouching down in front of Ryan, Eric looked at him intensely and then softly asked, "Your eye isn't getting better, is it?"

Laughing bitterly, Ryan responded, "It's none of your business, now is it? Tell me what you want, and then leave me the fuck alone. I've had about all I can take this week."

Raising his eyebrow in slight surprise at the hostility, Eric asked, "You aren't going to tell anyone what you overheard, are you?"

Sighing heavily, Ryan closed his eyes and silently counted to ten. "No, Delko, I'm not. Your problems are none of my business. To be honest with you, I'm sorry I walked in at all. From now on, I'll just knock before I enter any room in the lab. Best policy. That way I don't see or hear things I shouldn't and don't want to know anyway."

"Thanks," he whispered as he got up to leave. Walking to the door and opening it, Eric turned to ask Ryan something and noticed that he was rubbing his temples, like he had a killer headache. "Ryan, are you sure you're okay?"

Ryan didn't answer him, just kept rubbing his temples in a circular motion. Eric walked back and sat down next to him. Reaching out, he took Ryan's hands in his own and quietly stated, "You should go see a doctor. And you should know better. That only makes headaches worse."

A sobbing laugh escaped from Ryan before he whispered, "Migraines. They're migraines."

"Jesus, Ryan, you shouldn't even be here," Eric said in disbelief. "How long have you been having them?"

"My entire life, Delko," Ryan muttered. "It'll go away soon. They always do."

"Soon? And just how soon is soon?"

Shooting Eric an irritated look, Ryan pulled his hands free, stood up and answered, "Well, since I just took my pain meds for it, about an hour. In the meantime, I have a case to close."

He walked away and out the door before Eric could say or do anything to stop him. Sighing heavily, Eric went back to work, trying to figure out how to help his sister.

---------------------------

Eric was blatantly eavesdropping in on the conversation Horatio was having with West, the state's attorney, when a women came walking up to reception and asked for Lieutenant Horatio Caine. Stepping up to her and still keeping one ear open, Eric stated, "He's with someone at the moment. May I help you?"

"You must be Eric Delko," she commented, after looking him over. "Tall, big and Latino, though he didn't mention how hot you are. I'm Liberty Wolfe, your sister's attorney. Nice to meet you."

Staring at her in shock, Eric automatically shook her hand, his mind racing. Wolfe? Ryan's sister or cousin or something? Ryan helped my sister? After the way I treated him?

"And before you ask," Liberty said, "Ryan is my brother. He called and asked me to look into this, since I owe him several favors. This will take care of one of them. Is Ryan around? I need to ask him something."

"Let me call him for you," Eric replied, grabbing his phone and dialing Ryan. "Wolfe. Someone's here to see you at reception."

Snapping his phone shut, he looked down at her and caught the amused expression on her face. She shook her head and sat down the bags she was carrying. Eric watched in bemusement as she began to pace up and down the length of the desk, talking to herself. He couldn't see any resemblances between Liberty and Ryan, not one. He hoped that she really was his sister and not someone Ryan didn't want to see.

Glancing over, he noticed that Horatio was walking over to them, brow raised in curiosity. He stopped near Eric and watched as the woman kept pacing the hallway. Ryan walked around the corner and sighed heavily in resignation. Stopping next to Horatio, he softly called out, "Liberty."

Her head snapped over to them. She smiled brightly and rushed over to Ryan, tightly hugging him. He winced, but did hug her back, eventually, not that she noticed. He glanced over at Horatio and Eric, shook his head and introduced her. "Horatio, Delko. This is my only sister, Liberty. Liberty, this is my boss, Horatio Caine, and my colleague, Eric Delko. Did you find anything out?"

"Quite a few things, actually," Liberty began, turning and picking up her bags. "Can we go somewhere where I can sit down and go over some things? I'd also like to meet my client, if I could."

"Right this way, Ms. Wolfe," Horatio said, leading the way to an empty interrogation room. "I'll go get her from booking for you in a minute. I'd like to hear what information you've managed to obtain."

Sitting the bags down in an empty chair, Liberty turned to Horatio and shook her head in the negative. "I can't share that information with you, Lieutenant. I'm bound by law. Until my client gives me permission to share information with you and anyone else she designates, I just can't."

"Well, then, let me just go get her," Horatio remarked, walking out the door towards booking.

Ryan leaned back against the wall in the farthest corner of the room and closed his eyes. "And what about me, Liberty? Do I need to leave?"

Laughing, she stated, "Oh, no, little brother, you're my co-chair on this one."

"What the hell for?"

"Because drugs were your specialty at the firm, not mine. I need that expertise to help me," she explained.

"Fine, but I do have a case I'm working on. I can't stay long."

"Wait a minute," Eric sputtered out. "You were a lawyer?"

"Yes, he was," Liberty proudly said, "once upon a time. In his previous life."

"His previous life?" Horatio asked from the doorway, escorting Marisol in and to the nearest seat. She smiled warily and looked to Eric for help on how to proceed.

"Mari, this is Liberty Wolfe. She's taken your case," Eric explained.

"Not to sound ungrateful or anything, but why?" Marisol asked. "You don't know me."

"My brother," Liberty began, gesturing at Ryan, "asked me to, as a favor. Since I owe him several, this is one less. Besides, it sounded interesting. I usually don't work drug cases."

"Then how are you going to help me?"

"Again, my brother. Before he became a cop, he was a lawyer, the only drug lawyer we had at the family firm. Ever since he left, we've lost a lot of business."

"Not you, too," Ryan groaned. "I got enough of that this weekend from the five morons."

"You still call them that?"

"Of course, I do," Ryan explained. "What else can I call them? They're morons."

Laughing, she said, "Let's get down to business. Come here, little brother. I'm sure I'll need your help."

"Whatever," he sighed, flopping down into the seat next to hers, rubbing his temples again. Liberty reached over and grabbed both of his hands.

"Stop that. You know it only aggravates the problem. Did you take your pills? You need to drink lots of fluid. Ideally, you should be lying down, resting. Also, you should be in a darker environment. Oh, does your eye hurt? If it does, we can go back to the doctor. And, why haven't you returned any of my calls? It's not like --"

"Liberty," Ryan warned. "Let's just get this taken care of. I am working another case. Calleigh's probably looking for me. So, hurry up."

"Fine, but we're not through talking about this, little brother."

"With you, we're never done talking," Ryan muttered, surprising a laugh out of the three other occupants of the room, who'd been listening to the two siblings argue.

Shooting her brother a scathing look, Liberty went over several things with Marisol, Horatio and Eric, Ryan interjecting something every once in a while but mostly just sitting there looking sick and absolutely exhausted, a lot like Marisol. When she had a good grasp on what had gone down and what Ryan thought she should do from there, Liberty left. Horatio escorted Marisol back to holding.

Ryan shifted and dropped his head onto the table on top of his arms. His entire body was tense, and Eric knew that his migraine wasn't going away like he'd said it would. Wondering what he should do, he noticed Calleigh stalking towards them, pissed off look on her face. Wincing at the thought of what Calleigh would do to Ryan for abandoning her, Eric silently left to run interference. After all, it was his sister that Ryan was helping out. The least he could do for the guy was get Calleigh-on-the-warpath off his back.

--------------------------

Five hours later, Eric having helped Calleigh with her and Ryan's case and Liberty working the sentence down to a misdemeanor, Horatio and Alexx stood outside the interrogation room, watching as Ryan slept peacefully, probably for the first time in a while. Alexx shook her head and said, "Horatio, we've got to do something. That boy is going to work himself to death."

Turning as they heard a flurry of commotion, they both spotted Pavel and Clorinda Delko walking towards them, Calleigh, Eric and Marisol in tow. Alexx greeted them both warmly, and they did the same with her. Clorinda studied the young man sleeping in the interrogation room and asked, "What's wrong with him, Eric?"

"I would assume he's exhausted," Eric guiltily explained. "He's been taking my calls when I've been with Mari."

Shaking her head in disgust, Clorinda sharply said, "The two of you are going to apologize and thank that young man. I can't believe you two. We'll be discussing this later. In the meantime, I'd like to meet the young man that kept my eldest daughter out of prison."

Stepping by everyone, she entered the room and slowly walked over to him, not wanting to startle him awake. Most police officers didn't react well to being suddenly woken. She knew from experience. After all, her own son was a cop. Stopping next to him, she gently shook his shoulder until he stirred. He sat up slowly and stretched. Blinking in surprise at how little light was left, he turned to the person standing next to him. Squinting up at Clorinda, he smiled warily and stated, "You must be Delko's mother."

"How did you know?" Clorinda asked in surprise.

"He looks like you," Ryan simply stated. "You passed on your facial features and bone structure to him."

"Hmm, you're the first person who's ever said that. Everyone always comments on how much he looks like his father."

"He might," Ryan shrugged. "I've never seen his father, so I couldn't tell you, ma'am. If you don't mind me asking, why are you here? And what time is it?"

"It's seven, young man," Clorinda replied, chuckling at his groan of dismay. "Don't worry about it. If you were in trouble, Horatio would have been in here already. And the reason I'm here is because you helped save my oldest child from prison. And don't worry, those two children of mine, they'll be having a long talk with their father and I about what you do and don't tell your parents, and what you keep from friends and family. Tonight, you are going to have dinner with us --" Raising her hand, she cut off his refusal. "Don't argue with me, young man. You're much too thin. You need a good meal or ten."

"Ma'am, while I appreciate the thought, I can't," Ryan protested. "My sister has already made plans for me."

"Yes, I know. I circumvented them. Both of you are having dinner with us. So, up. We'll be late."

"Ma'am --"

"Clorinda. Clorinda Delko."

Looking down at the she was holding out at him, Ryan sighed in resignation, wondering what it was about him that always drew the mothering types. Shaking her hand, he smiled wanly and introduced himself. "Ryan Wolfe."
"Let's get going then, Ryan. Your sister, Liberty, is going to meet us at the restaurant."

"Yes, ma'am," he agreed, following her out the door.

Spotting Horatio standing there, Ryan immediately tried to apologize. Horatio waved him off and chastised him. "You obviously needed the sleep, Ryan. Next time you're not feeling well, tell me. You recently had major trauma. It's not surprising that it's taken a little while to catch up with you."

Grabbing onto Ryan's arm, Clorinda said, "Well, let's go. Ryan here needs to go home and get some sleep after we eat. And, you two," pointing at Eric and Marisol, "are coming home with your father and I and explaining this mess to us. Escort me to my car please, Ryan."

Blinking at her in confusion for a moment, he finally shook his head and replied, "Yes, ma'am."

Tugging on his arm, Ryan finally walked with her, but not before shooting a look at Eric that just screamed, "Save me."

Pavel chuckled quietly and held out his arm to his daughter. She sighed and glanced over at Alexx, Calleigh and Horatio. Taking her father's arm, she looked over at Eric, raising her brow in question. Rolling his eyes, Eric turned to his friends and asked, "You guys coming?"

"I think your mother is going to spend the whole meal interrogating Ryan in between practically spoon feeding him," Calleigh laughed. "Are you sure she wants us there, Eric?"

"Please, the more the merrier," Eric groaned. "Maybe this way she won't be as pissed off later."

"Oh, honey," Alexx rebuked him, "I can't believe that the two of you didn't tell your parents what was going on. Both of you deserve to be yelled at. However, with Clorinda interrogating, maybe I can find some things out about my boy that he won't tell me. Lead the way."

---------------------------

Thirty minutes later, everyone was seated in a huge corner booth, Ryan firmly in the back between Alexx and Clorinda, an expression of discomfort on his face. His sister was sitting next to Calleigh and Marisol, amusement written on her face as she watched her younger brother try to fend off both women's questions. At one particularly embarrassing question, he turned bright red and groaned. Burying his face in his hands, he flatly mumbled, muffled, "I am not answering any more questions either one of you asks. This is getting very personal, very quickly. I think we need to move on to something else, anything else."

Liberty burst into laughter. "You should have seen your face, little brother. I didn't think you blushed any more, not after that reporter."

"Speaking of that reporter --" Alexx began, only to be cut off by Ryan.

"No, let's not. Suffice it to say, I'm not seeing her anymore, nor am I talking to her. Let's just leave it at that, Alexx," he ordered. "And let's talk about something else besides me."

"But you're so interesting, baby," Alexx teased.
Rolling his eyes, Ryan muttered, "Whatever. If you really want to know stuff, talk to Liberty. She remembers every little thing that happened in my childhood."

"Really?"

"Of course," Liberty brightly answered. "He spent most of his time with me. I'm seven years older than Ryan. Dad was always at the firm. The five morons are all a lot older than us. And, Mom had just died. So, I took care of him, along with Grandma and Grandpa."

"Who are "˜the five morons'?" Calleigh asked in confusion.

"Our older brothers. John, Paul, Matthew, Mark and Luke. Ryan's right, they are morons. Oh, don't get me wrong, I love all my brothers, Ryan more than the others, and they're all brilliant lawyers, but those five, they never see beyond what's right in front of them. Drives me insane."

"Would be a really short trip," Ryan added.

Glaring at him, she continued, "Ryan was the best, though." Looking her brother straight in the eyes, she asked, "Really, though, why did you leave? You never gave me a real answer."

"I got tired of getting murderers and rapists off, Liberty. That was it, plain and simple. And don't give me that bullshit about becoming a DA. I was tired of cases ending up on my desk. By the time they got there, it was too late. Besides, I do have masters' in biology and chemistry. It was time to use those," Ryan explained. "That and I was really bored. And exhausted. I was working eighteen hour days, six days a week. If I'd have stayed there, I seriously would have killed myself or them. And you know how well Father and I get along. It was time for a change. I just kind of went with the flow."

"Plus, you got a gun," Liberty deadpanned.

"What can I say?" Ryan shot back. "I love weapons. Although learning to shoot a gun was...interesting, to say the least."

The conversation came to a halt as their food arrived. They kept up small talk between eating and drinking. Ryan had to sit through his meal with both Alexx and Clorinda grilling him about his eating habits. He kept rolling his eyes at them and didn't answer their questions. When he finally tired of their inquisition, he coolly placed his fork on his plate and dropped his head in his hands. Taking a deep breath to calm his about-to-boil-over temper down, Ryan gritted out, "Would you two just stop it? I appreciate the concern, but I can take care of myself. Liberty, shut up. And, neither one of you are my mother. Again, Liberty, shut up. So please let's just not pick on me any more, yeah?"

Clorinda laughed out loud and commented, "You lasted much longer than my own son, Ryan. You have a tremendous amount of patience. If I was you, I would have left long ago."

"That would have been impolite," Ryan frowned, lifting his head. "Besides, what am I supposed to do, crawl under the table?"

"That I would pay money to see, little brother," Liberty crowed. "You, on your hands and knees, on a floor you haven't cleaned, crawling. I'd pay good money to see that."
Narrowing his eyes in consideration, Ryan said, "Don't tempt me, Liberty. All I really want to do at the moment is sleep and not get up for like a year."

"I think that's our cue that it's time to leave," Alexx softly stated. "Come on, baby, let's get you home."

Eric's parents paid for the meal, not letting anyone else even attempt to open their wallet or purse. The last thing Ryan remembered was Eric and Horatio helping him out to a car and putting him in the backseat.

------------------------------

A phone ringing somewhere in the distance woke him up sometime later. Sitting up slowly so as not to aggravate the nausea, Ryan glanced around, not recognizing anything that he saw. Well, apparently, he was in one of his co-workers', or Delko's parent's, guest room. And, he noticed looking down, they had undressed him, though they had left him in his boxers. Just great. He must have crashed from the drugs in his system and the complete exhaustion.

Moving to get off the bed proved to be a mistake, one he wouldn't be repeating any time soon. Pain shot through his head and eye. Groaning softly, Ryan pulled his legs up to his chest and rested his head on top of them, waiting for the agony to stop. A muted voice asked, "Are you okay, Ryan?"

"Not really, no," Ryan replied quietly. "Just give me a minute."

He heard the person leave and sighed in relief. He just wanted to curl up in a ball and hide from the world. However, moving was still a bad idea. The bed dipping beside him told him that the person was back and had sat down next to him. One hand carefully, carefully touched his forehead. The voice then said, still muted, "Well, your temperature has gone down. Alexx will be pleased. We had to really fight her to not get her to take you to the hospital."

"Well, I appreciate that very much," Ryan whispered. "Three questions. What happened? Where am I? And who are you?"

"You passed out. Your sister said that your doctor said it was from mixing pain meds, the ones for your eye and the ones for your migraines. Alexx is pretty pissed off at you, as is Horatio. Expect a lecture. You're in my old room at home. My mother wouldn't let your sister take you to her home or yours, especially once she found out that your sister wouldn't be there. Momma said that you needed someone to take care of you. And you don't recognize my voice?"

"Right at the moment, it's all I can do to not puke. That and I can't really hear much over the spinning in my head and the roaring in my ears," Ryan explained.

"Ah, well, that explains why you're so...not you."

The person stood up and gently began to pull Ryan off the bed as well. "Come on, let's get you up. Momma would like to see you eat something, as you haven't eaten for two days."

"Two days? I was out for two days?"

"Well, except for getting up a few times, yeah, you were."
Before the person could pull him off the bed completely, Ryan opened his eyes and squinted up at the blurry image in front of him, still not able to make out just who this person was. "Could I please have some clothes first?"

Soft laughter met his request. "Yeah, sure, just hold on a minute."

Ryan could hear rummaging around in drawers for a couple of minutes. Something dropped down on the bed beside him. "I don't know if they'll fit or not. They're some of my old clothes. They'll probably be big."

"At least I'll be covered up," Ryan muttered.

"Do you need help?"

"God, I hope not."

More laughter met that comment. Closing his eyes for a couple of minutes, Ryan opened them up again and still only saw blurred images. Sighing heavily, he quietly said, "I think I will need help. Everything I see is blurred."

"That's not good...Lift your arms up."

Ryan obediently lifted his arms, hearing the person in front of him mutter something about how easily he listened to them and did as he was told. "What?"

"Nothing, nothing."

A shirt was slid down his arms and head. It was a bit bigger than his normal size and hung on him slightly. Hands took his own and cautiously pulled him to the edge of the bed, not wanting to upset his delicate sense of well being at the moment. Closing his eyes at the sudden sensation of vertigo, Ryan felt sweatpants being placed on himself, dutifully lifting his hips when he had to. Grumbling to himself in embarrassment, he wasn't really prepared when the person in front of him practically lifted him off of the bed.

Stumbling slightly, he latched onto said person and cried out faintly in pain as the throbbing in his head became unbearable. Dropping his head onto their shoulder, and, by now, he was pretty sure it was Eric, Ryan stayed still, trying to limit the distress his body was going through.

"Sorry, sorry. I thought you were ready to move."

Swallowing heavily, again, Ryan whispered, "I don't really think that moving is such a good idea at the moment. At least, I probably shouldn't move until I can see."

"That's fine. You're still going to eat, however. Momma's orders."

His stomach turning at the thought of food, Ryan shook his head and mumbled, "Not unless you want to watch it come back up."

"Alexx mentioned you'd be nauseous. So, we'll wait until your body settles down. In the meantime, why don't you just lay down and rest?"

"Okay," he tiredly mumbled.

Gently and painstakingly, Ryan was placed back in the bed, laying on his back. The last things he felt before he fell asleep were the covers being pulled up over him and a hand running across his brow.

-------------------------------

The next time he woke up, he laid there for several minutes trying to overcome the queasiness enough to make it to the bathroom before he puked. Taking several deep breaths, he slowly sat up and crawled over to the edge of the bed. Opening his eyes, he was relieved to notice that he could see this time, mostly. There was still some residual blurriness, but, for the most part, he could see. And, judging from the assortment of items in the room as he studied it, he was most definitely in Eric's room.

Gingerly standing up, he took a couple of steps and stilled, closing his eyes, waiting for the dizziness to recede. Someone clearing their throat in front of him just about caused him to jump out of his skin. Without even opening his eyes, he admonished, "Don't do that. You could give someone a heart attack."

"I think you're a little young for that, Ryan," Eric said softly, amusement in his voice. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to get to the nearest bathroom before I puke on the floor."

"Wouldn't it be easier with your eyes open?"

"I'm waiting for the world to stop spinning," came the mumbled reply.

"Okay. Do you need help?"

"Only enough to find the bathroom."

"Open your eyes, Ryan."

Sighing, Ryan slowly opened his eyes, blinking several times to dispel the bright light that was on in the hallway and the dizziness. Focusing his vision as best he could, he saw Eric in front of him, concern and amusement on his face.

"Turn around."

Shooting him a quizzical look, Ryan nonetheless turned around. "The door on the left is the bathroom. The door on the right is the closet."

"Okay. Thanks."

Taking a step forward, Ryan once again stopped and closed his eyes. Swallowing heavily, he whispered, "Oh, fuck."

"What's wrong?"

"I can't make it that far."

Grabbing Ryan's elbow, Eric dragged him the two feet to the trash can, helping him down to the floor as he began to retch. Ryan felt him move away and was glad. Now he could get sick in peace, without anyone watching over him. He hated that. The feeling of a cool cloth being pressed to the back of his neck dispelled that idea.

"Are you all right, young man?" Clorinda asked from the doorway.

"Just give me a minute."

"Try two days," Alexx reminded him.

She sat down next to him and took the cloth from Eric. Wiping his face and neck off, she added, "You're going to the doctor tomorrow. Liberty called and made an appointment. I'll be going with you. And I will be going back to the room with you that way I can hear what the doctor says and you can't pick and choose what to tell me. Understand?"

"Whatever," Ryan gave in. "It's not like I can stop you."

"Wise decision. Are you ready to eat?"

Feeling his stomach rebel at the mention of food, Ryan shook his head and asked, "Can I take a shower instead?"

"As long as you can stand up on your own. If not, take a bath," Alexx said. "I brought you some things from your place."

"Can I go home?"

"Not on your life, baby. You can stay here, come home with me, stay with your sister, but you have to have someone with you."

"I'll call Liberty, then. I've imposed long enough on Mr. and Mrs. Delko."

"Nonsense. You've done nothing but sleep."

"Well, then I've taken up enough of Eric's time."

"Again, nonsense. My son owes you."

"For what?" Ryan asked in confusion, looking at Eric for the answer.

"For all the times he made you take his calls."

"That's nothing. I was just doing my job."

"It doesn't matter, Ryan. Momma's right. It is my responsibility, no matter what is going on in my life. I do owe you."

"We can argue about this later," Alexx remarked. "Let's get you cleaned up. Then we can decide where you're going to stay."

She stood up and let Eric help Ryan up. Picking up the bag she'd brought from Ryan's place, she took it in the bathroom and sat it on the floor. By then, Eric had Ryan in the bathroom.

"Can you stand up by yourself?"

"Long enough to take a shower, I can," Ryan answered. The tone of his voice left no room for argument.

--------------------------

Thirty minutes later, Ryan gingerly stepped out of the bathroom, carefully making his way over to the freshly made bed, where he sat down. He was covered head to toe in clothes, long pants on and long sleeve shirt on as well. Placing his bag on the end of the bed, he wondered if he could quietly sneak out before Alexx or Clorinda noticed he was gone.

"I wouldn't recommend you attempt that, Ryan," Horatio commented from the door. He smiled when Ryan jumped in shock, while Eric laughed.

"Wouldn't recommend what?"

"That you try to sneak out," Horatio answered, smiling at the confused expression on his face.

"It was written on your face," Eric finished, still laughing.

"You could help me, you know," Ryan reasonably pointed out.

"And get in even more trouble with my mother? I don't think so."

"Why is it that every woman I meet that's more than ten years older than me thinks they need to be my mother?" Ryan complained.

"You just must be lucky," Horatio replied. "Now up. Alexx is making decisions for you. We figured you might as well be there to hear the final ones."

"Why bother?" Ryan asked, slowly standing up. "She'll do as she wishes, my wants notwithstanding."

When he went to grab his bag, Eric said, "Leave that. Momma has decided you're not leaving until she says so."

"Really?" Ryan dryly asked. "Does she realize I'm an adult and can make my own choices?"

"Let me give you some free advice, my friend. You don't argue with Alexx once she's made up her mind. Well, you don't argue with my mother, either. She can be quite scary when she wants to be," Eric answered.

"Wonderful. Someone else to report to," Ryan muttered as he brushed by both Horatio and Eric.

Eric laughed out loud, and Horatio chuckled at Ryan as they followed his slow progress down the hallway. He stopped at the entrance to the living room, groaning softly in dismay at seeing Liberty, Alexx and Clorinda huddled together on the couch, Pavel and Marisol sitting in a couple of the chairs nearby.

Liberty happened to glance up and see him. She smiled brightly and said, patting the free cushion next to her, "Come sit down, little brother."

"What do you want?"

"What makes you think I want anything?"

"I know you, Liberty," Ryan answered, carefully sitting down in the chair across from the women, wincing slightly as he did so. "You always want something when you're being nice. I learned the art of manipulation from you, if you'll recall."

"How can I forget if you always remind me?"

Sighing heavily in resignation, Ryan made himself comfortable in the chair he was in and replied, "Just tell me what you want from me so I can do it and not start an argument with you."

"You'll do it?" she asked, voice full of doubt.

"Have I ever won an argument with you?" Ryan pointedly inquired.

"Well, now that you mention it, yes, all the damn time."

Ryan just stared at his sister. She looked away first and said, "Fine. I want you to promise me that you'll do what both your doctor and Alexx tell you to do. I know you so well, little brother. You're so damn stubborn and independent. You wouldn't do what you're told just to be contrary."

Shaking his head, Ryan flatly stated, "It's not worth arguing with Alexx over it. She'll just do whatever she wants anyway, even when she loses."

"My husband says that as well," Alexx remarked, a rare smirk on her face.

"Can I go home now?" Ryan plaintively begged.

"No. I gave you your options earlier. Did you pick one?"

"Alexx," Ryan all but whined, "let me go home."

"No," she once again said. "You can't stay by yourself, Ryan."

Once again sighing heavily, Ryan gave up the idea of having his own life and making his own decisions and mumbled, "Fine. Whatever. I don't care. Can I at least have my laptop? There's some things on there I really need to do by this Friday."

When Alexx nodded her head in agreement, Horatio answered, "Eric can grab it for you. You're off until the doctor clears you. And, you're staying here. So, he can go by your place and get it later today."

"Great."

Everyone could tell that Ryan was uncomfortable with the thought of Eric being in his place. Eric raised his brow in surprise before he lightly teased, "It's not like I'm going to steal anything, Ryan. If you don't want me there, I won't go."

Ryan's head snapped up. He winced slightly, before he asked, "What are you talking about?"

"It's pretty obvious you don't want me in your place," Eric shrugged.

"Not because I think you're going to steal something," Ryan replied, exasperation in his voice. "I just don't like people in my home that I don't let in while I'm physically there."

"Now that that's settled," Alexx interrupted. "It's time for supper. Are you ready to eat?"

He blanched white at the thought of food and whispered, "No. No food. Tea or something, but no food."

"Ryan, you haven't eaten in two days. You need to eat something."

"Maybe later. I can't right now. I just can't."

"All right," Clorinda said, concern evident, "but the minute you feel hungry, just raid the refrigerator. Okay?"

"Sure thing, ma'am."

***

----------------------------------- Two days later

Eric walked into his parent's house just in time to hear his mother order Ryan to go rest. Smiling to himself, he glanced down the hallway and watched as his mother escorted his co-worker into his old bedroom, and went in with him. She probably was tucking him in as well. Making his way into the kitchen, he sat down at the table, greeting his mother when she strolled in.

"Momma, don't you think you're being a little too bossy?" Eric asked, amusement on his face and in his voice. "I mean, Ryan is a grown man. He can make his own decisions."

"Alexx told me I could do what I thought was best. That boy is too thin by half and much too pale. He needs rest and lots of food that will put some meat on his bones," Clorinda replied.

"I'll take his things to him that his sister gave me today," Eric said standing up, grabbing the bag he'd carried in off of the floor.

"Are you staying for supper?"

"Of course, I am, Momma," Eric answered. "Why would I go home and eat when I can have your wonderful cooking instead?"

"Flattery will get you everywhere, mi hijo."

Laughing, Eric got up and walked down the hallway to his room, well, Ryan's room for now. Knocking quietly, he really wasn't that surprised when he didn't receive an answer. Ryan was absolutely exhausted, and it had showed for the last couple of weeks. Guilt flashed through him at the thought of why he was exhausted. No matter what Ryan said, this was still his fault. He should have been there when he was needed, no matter how much he also wanted to be there for Marisol.

Sitting the bag down on the floor in the corner near the bathroom next to Ryan's other one, Eric turned around and looked over at the sleeping figure on the bed. The dark circles under his eyes weren't as pronounced as they had been, nor was he as pale, either. Ryan looked a lot better than he had in a while. A pang of longing shot through him at the sight of the one person he wanted curled up in his bed, sleeping peacefully. Shaking himself, Eric went over, pulled the covers up and left. Ryan was not interested, and he'd just have to live with that.

-------------------------------

Ryan woke up slowly, someone carefully shaking him awake. Blinking several times, he turned to his right and squinted up at the person standing there. Smiling, he said, "Good evening, Marisol."

"Good evening, Ryan," she smiled back. "Momma says it's time for supper."

"Of course," he groaned. "I swear she's trying to make me fat."

Marisol chuckled and replied, "No, she's trying to feed you into what she considers a healthy weight."

"The way she feeds me, I'll lose all my muscle and be fat," Ryan complained.

"Maybe, although, trust me, you'd have to gain a lot to be considered fat," Marisol answered. "We'll all be in the kitchen."

"All?"

"Momma. Poppa. Me. Alexx. Peter. Janie. Bryan. Calleigh. Horatio. Eric. Liberty couldn't make it."

"Wonderful," Ryan sarcastically stated. "Why doesn't your mother just invite every person I know in Miami to supper as well?"

Laughing, Marisol called back as she left, "If you'd give her their names, I'm sure she would."

Sighing heavily in resignation, Ryan sat up on Eric's bed and stretched. It seemed like all he'd done for the past few days was sleep or rest. Eric's mother wouldn't let him do anything. Although, he could just do what he wanted and leave, neither Alexx nor Clorinda would ever forgive him. Plus, he'd be in big trouble. Besides, Horatio wouldn't let him work, anyway. At least, not until his doctor cleared him. Which, from the tone of his last visit, wouldn't be for at least two or three more weeks. Probably a month. At least he had a lot of sick time built up. Never being sick or taking a vacation would do that for you.

Climbing off of the bed, Ryan winced slightly as his head spun a little. His vision was still blurry at times, and his head was still very touchy about movement. Honestly, he was afraid he'd never get to leave Clorinda and Pavel's house. Much as he liked both of them, he really wanted to go home. Sleep in his own bed. Eat on his own dishes. Make his own food. Clean because by now he was sure his place really needed a good cleaning. Wear his clothes. Clothes that he'd washed. Do his own chores. And not sleep all day. He was tired of sleeping.

Shaking himself mentally, Ryan walked into the bathroom and quickly washed his hands. Grabbing a shirt, he slipped it on and made his way to the dining room. Stopping in the doorway, he peered in and groaned quietly to himself, the only free chair was between Clorinda and Alexx.

"Momma will drag you in there kicking and screaming," Eric warned from behind him.

Smiling slightly, Ryan simply nodded his head in agreement.

"Come on," Eric said, gently pushing him into the dining room. "The sooner you get in there, the sooner you can escape."

-------------------------- Two weeks later

Eric walked into his room, although, right now, Ryan was still occupying it. His doctors had released him for work in two weeks, only if he kept improving as well as he was. Ryan looked up at him from whatever he was doing on his laptop. Squinting slightly, he smiled at Eric and went back to work. Shaking his head in amusement, Eric sat down on the bed next to him and asked, "What are you doing?"

"My linguistics paper," Ryan answered distractedly.

"So, you don't want to get out of here?" Eric inquired casually.

Ryan snorted derisively. "Like your mother will let me."

"Alexx cleared it," Eric answered.

Ryan's head snapped up, and he winced slightly. "Are you serious?"

"Yes," Eric nodded. "Alexx said you could go out."

Eyeing Eric suspiciously, Ryan inquired, "What conditions did she place on this little excursion?"

"A lot."

"Figures."

"You can go out, supervised, of course. No loud noises. No bright lights. You have to wear sunglasses the entire time. No excitement. Anything else that probably isn't good for a sick person," Eric explained.

"So, what? We're going to the library?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of stopping at your place so you could get anything else you needed. Then, if you really want, we could go to the library."

"Actually," Ryan sheepishly admitted, "I do need to go to the library. The university library. Can we go there?"

"Sure," Eric slowly replied. "You ready?"

"Give me five minutes."

"Okay. I'll be in the living room."

"All right."

Five minutes later, Eric led Ryan outside. Clorinda watched as her son interacted with the object of his affections. Shaking her head in amusement, she decided that if they couldn't sort this out themselves, she would do it for them. Eric may not have figured it out, but Ryan wanted him just as much as he wanted Ryan, something Ryan, oblivious as he was, would have to have pointed out to him.

------------------------

Parking in Ryan's designated slot at his building, Eric got out and followed Ryan into his apartment. He watched some of the tension drain from Ryan's frame as he stepped into his apartment. Ryan looked around and grimaced. Making his way directly to his bedroom, not realizing Eric was following him, Ryan grabbed his backpack from the hallway closet and opened his door. Grabbing several things off of his desk, which, and this confused Eric, was the messiest he'd ever seen any place Ryan worked at. Papers and books were everywhere, along with pens, pencils, post its and several stacks of stuff. His apartment, in contrast, was practically immaculate, some dust not withstanding.

He placed the items in his backpack and looked to the bookcase next to the desk. He grabbed a couple of books, also placing them in the backpack. Next, he grabbed his iPod from the top of the bookcase. Completely turning around, he stopped momentarily at the sight of Eric in the doorway. Tossing his backpack on his bed, he walked over to his closet and opened it up. Eric shook his head at the sight the closet presented. Clothes arranged by color, style and size, he was sure. Shoes placed neatly on the floor. Everything had its own place, and everything was in its place.

Ryan reached up and brought down a small bag. He quickly packed some items in it, opening drawers and flipping items inside it. Throwing the bag in the general direction of the bed, he got down on his knees and reached into the back of the closet. Seconds later, Eric heard a safe door open. Ryan rummaged around, finally finding what he was looking for. Slamming the safe door shut, he got up. Taking the envelope in his hand, he lobbed it on the bed.

Eric could tell that he was tired. Ryan had gotten paler and was now leaning against the open door of his closet. "Do you need help?"

"I don't think so," Ryan quietly replied. "Just a few minutes. I didn't realize how tiring not doing anything could be."

"Ryan," Eric sighed out, "you got shot in the eye with a nail. That's a pretty traumatic event. You should have realized it would catch up with you."

"Probably. It was fine right after. I didn't think it would take this long to affect me."

"Usually it doesn't take this long. However, Alexx thinks your pain meds were camouflaging your symptoms. She's going to talk to your doctor about different meds for your migraines."

"I hope they find something that doesn't leave me sick or tired. All the others have."

Blinking in slight disbelief at how open Ryan was being, Eric wistfully thought about how nice it would be to have Ryan's trust. He was always closed off and somewhat cold. Now that he was open, it would have been nice if they were friends. Too bad their relationship was strained, although they were working on becoming friends. It was just a slow process. Ryan didn't trust easily. Eric was sure that now, it was too little, too late. They'd spent too much of the past year competing with each other, sometimes brutally and cruelly. He'd never been very nice to Ryan and vice versa. Much as he wanted him, he was sure Ryan wanted nothing to do with him.

-----------------------

Four hours later, Ryan slowly walked into the front door of the Delko's home, his backpack and bag on both shoulders. Eric was closely following him, amused and concerned expression on his face. He caught Ryan when he stumbled slightly. The exhausted expression on his face made Clorinda tighten her mouth in displeasure. Gesturing to her son to take Ryan to his room, she slowly followed them, mouth quirking up at the way Ryan leaned into Eric. Her son was absolutely blind if he couldn't see the way Ryan looked at him or the way he reacted to him.

She watched from the doorway as Eric took his bags from him, placing them next to his other two, and then helped him to the bed. Ryan practically fell on the bed, closing his eyes and hanging his head. Eric took his shoes off and then assisted him in standing up so he could take off his shirts and jeans, which Eric also had to assist him with. He then carefully and gently placed him under the sheets. Ryan was asleep before his head even hit the pillow. Sorrow filling her at the sight of her son's longing written on his face, she silently looked on as he tucked him in and made sure he was comfortable. She'd have to do something about this, and soon.

-------------------------

That night they had a quiet dinner, Ryan sleeping through it. Eric ended up sleeping on the couch. He didn't want to go home, and the couch was very comfortable. He got up once in the middle of the night for something to drink. Hearing a sound down the hallway, Eric followed it, ending up in front of the door to his room.

Quietly opening the door, he carefully stepped in, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, closing the door behind himself. When they had, he could see Ryan thrashing around on his bed, probably from a nightmare or something. Making his way over to the bed, he sat down on the bed next to Ryan and began to gently shake him, trying to wake him up. After a few minutes, he decided that Ryan wasn't going to wake up. Mentally shrugging, he lifted the sheets and settled down on the bed, pulling Ryan into his arms. Situating him with his head under his own chin, Eric soothingly ran one hand up and down his back, the other resting on his neck, slowly calming him down. They both relaxed, and Eric fell asleep.

--------------------------

Clorinda woke up at five thirty, like she had almost every morning for the past forty odd years. She walked into the living room, intending on waking her only son. Raising her brow in slight surprise at not seeing him on the couch, she still had a good idea of where he had wandered off to. He hadn't left, after all, the pillows and sheets were still on the couch. Eric knew better than to leave her house in a less than clean state. Leaving the couch as it was for the moment, she turned to go check on Eric and Ryan.

Meeting her husband in the hallway, she smiled and continued on, Pavel following her curiously. Opening the door very carefully, she peeked in, smiling happily at the sight that greeted her. Wrapping his arms around his wife, Pavel whispered, "Come on, my love. Leave them to fix this themselves. We can wake Eric up later."

Nodding her head, Clorinda wistfully stared at them one last time before closing the door and allowing Pavel to tug her along after him. Making up her mind, she decided she was going to talk with one of them today. Since Ryan would be here, he got volunteered.

-------------------

An hour later, she opened the door in order to wake Eric up so he could get to work on time. Her boys hadn't moved. Eric was still laying on top of Ryan, face burrowed into his throat and hands somewhere under the sheets. Ryan, on the other hand, was relaxed back into the bed, allowing Eric to settle comfortably on him. He had one hand on the back of Eric's neck, just under the hairline, and the other on his back. Every time Ryan moved, Eric settled more heavily on him, subconsciously letting him know that he was there. Much as she would love to let him sleep longer, he really did have to be at work today.

Sighing quietly, she stepped over to the bed and sat down on the edge. Slightly shaking her son, she made sure he was semi-coherent before she left him to fully wake up and get ready. Eric shook his head until he woke up. Looking down, he saw Ryan and laid there for several minutes, trying to get his bearings back. The night before slowly came back to him, and he wondered what his parents thought about this.

Regretfully climbing out of his bed, he was gratified to hear Ryan whimper in protest and see him reach out for him. Running his hand through his hair, Eric soothed him back to a trouble free sleep. Glancing at the clock, he sighed but got up and ready for work.

--------------------------

Clorinda walked into her son's room at eight thirty, intending to wake Ryan up. They were going to have a talk about Eric and their relationship whether he wanted to or not. Ryan was curled up in the middle of the bed, his back to the door, sleeping deeply. He needed the sleep, his doctor and Alexx had both mentioned that. Closing the door behind herself, she left him to wake on his own, planning dinner as she made her way to the kitchen.

--------------------------

Rolling over, Ryan blinked up at the ceiling for several minutes, trying to figure out where he was. When the past couple of weeks came back to him, he remembered where he was, sleeping in Eric's bed. Glancing over at the clock, he groaned in dismay when it read ten thirty. Logically, he knew that all the sleep he was doing was good for healing, but that didn't mean that he had to like it. Carefully climbing out of bed, he was pleased when there was barely any pain or dizziness. His doctor had mentioned both would lessen and quit all together eventually.

Making his way to the shower, he brushed his teeth first and then simply stood under the cool water for several minutes, letting the water run over him, before he cleaned himself like the voice in his head was insisting he do. Drying himself off, he quickly got dressed, making a note that he needed to do laundry, not that Clorinda would let him. Eric's mother didn't let him do much. Only if Alexx said he could. While it was annoying, he also didn't want to hurt either woman's feelings. So, he just went along with it.

Slowly walking down the hallway to the kitchen, he wasn't surprised to find Clorinda in there. She was getting things around for supper that night. He could remember his grandmother doing the same thing every late morning and early afternoon, letting him help her. Although, young as he'd been, he had been more in the way than an actual help.

Shuffling over to the refrigerator, he grabbed the orange juice and shut the door. Brushing past Clorinda, he took a glass from the cupboard and sat down at the table. Pouring a glass, he drank it slowly, taking the meds his doctor had prescribed, and Alexx had approved, from her hand and downing them as well. She sat down next him, intently watching him. When he got tired of her simply staring at him, he quietly asked, not looking at her, "What do you want, Clorinda?"

"I want to talk to you."

"About what?"

"Eric."

Raising his brow in question, not realizing that his eyes betrayed his panic, Ryan inquired, "What about Eric?"

Smiling reassuringly, Clorinda carefully weighed her words before speaking. "Why don't you just tell him how you feel, Ryan?"

He simply stared at her for several minutes in shocked disbelief before he replied, hurriedly standing up, "No. It's none of your business, nor is it any of his. He's not interested. Besides, we're just becoming friends. I'd like to leave it at that."

Shaking her head in exasperation, Clorinda sighed and watched as he stalked off down the hallway to Eric's room. Well, there went that idea. On to plan two. She'd just have to confront her son. Maybe he'd be more reasonable. If he wasn't, she could always smack him around until he did what she wanted.

-----------------------------

That early evening when Eric showed up on their doorstep, Clorinda dragged him behind her to the backyard. Pushing him into the in the nearest chair, she pointed at him and declared, "You want Ryan. Ryan wants you. I'm tired of seeing you so unhappy. Him as well. Now, go get him."

Before she could walk off, Eric softly asked, "Momma?"

"Yes, baby?"

"How did you know?"

"You're not as good at hiding your emotions as you think you are," Clorinda gently explained. "Don't worry. Your father and sisters love Ryan. He'll make a great addition to the family."

"And why exactly do you think that he's interested?"

"He can't hide his emotions, either. Trust me, baby."

"I don't want to ruin the friendship we're just beginning to build, Momma."

"Men! You're all so stubborn and too blind to see what's right in front of you," Clorinda sighed. "He practically said the same thing...Your father and I are going out for dinner. And, we're going to a hotel afterwards. No one else will be over tonight. I expect this to be resolved to my satisfaction in the morning."

With that, she turned and stalked back into the house, sticking her head out a few minutes later. "Dinner's in the oven, baby. Check on it in ten minutes."

--------------------------

Ryan walked into the living room three hours later, looking like hell warmed over. It was obvious that he'd had trouble resting. Wrapping himself up in the sheet he'd brought with him, he sat down on the far end of the couch, silently watching the baseball game that Eric had turned on. Eric studied him as the game wore on. Smiling slightly at the confused look on Ryan's face over some of the calls, he quietly invited, "We can watch something else, if you don't want to watch this."

"I just don't really care all that much for land sports," Ryan explained. "I've never been very good at them."

"Really? What kind of sports did you play?"

"Track and field. Equestrianship," Ryan rattled off. "I always preferred martial arts and hand weapons, like swords or staffs."

"I excelled in swimming and other water sports," Eric added, intently watching as Ryan relaxed. "That and martial arts. I'm a fairly decent kick boxer."

"Tai Chi and Tae Kwon Doe for me."

"What did you do in track?"

"Running and jumping. Long, triple and high jump. I also ran the 3200."

"Makes sense," Eric commented. "You're built like a runner and jumper."

"And," Ryan teased, "if I hadn't already seen all of the medals and trophies in your room to clue me into the fact that you're a swimmer, your build would give it away as well."

"We are what we do," Eric shrugged. "By the way, dinner is on the stove, if you're hungry. Momma made your favorite."

Groaning, Ryan muttered, "I really wish my sister and your mother would stop communicating. They're going to be the death of me."

"How so?" Eric asked, amusement in his voice.

"My sister gives all of my secrets away to Alexx and Clorinda," Ryan explained. "Plus, they all think I need to eat more, even when I eat more than I normally do."

"Well," Eric commented, "from what I've seen, you don't eat a lot."

"I do," Ryan insisted. "I just eat several times a day. Just because you don't see it, doesn't mean it's not happening."

"Anyway, why don't you go eat and then we'll find something to do."

Ryan simply nodded his head in resignation before standing up. Making his way to the door that led to the kitchen, he suddenly stopped and suspiciously inquired, "Where is everybody?"

Shaking his head, Eric replied, "I have no idea. Momma and Poppa left as soon as I arrived."

"Clorinda didn't mention anything about plans earlier."

"You'll never get a straight answer out of my mother, Ryan, ever. Just let it go."

--------------------------

Later that night, after having played several different card games and watching Sports Center, well, Eric watched and Ryan worked on his paper, it was obvious that Ryan was tired. His head kept dropping and his eyes kept closing. Laughing out loud after Ryan woke himself up for the fifth time, Eric shut the television off and got up, stretching as he did so. Gently taking the laptop from him and placing it on the coffee table, he ordered, "Let's get you to bed."

He pulled Ryan up off the couch and helped him down to his bedroom, catching him each time he stumbled. Opening the door to his room, he led him to the bed and placed him under the sheets, after pulling them back first. Once again, Ryan was asleep before his head hit the pillow. Eric forced himself to leave, but not before he tucked him in and made sure he really was asleep.

-------------------------

The sound of glass breaking woke Eric up later that night. It was pitch black. The only light was that provided by the moon. Silently getting up, he grabbed his gun from the table where he'd left it at. Making sure it was ready for use, he noiselessly made his way through the living room and to the kitchen, where the sound had come from.

Turning the corner, he stopped and closed his eyes in relief. It was only Ryan. Looked like his mother's cat had surprised him in the dark. Stealthily returning his gun to the living room, he quickly went back and watched as Ryan cleaned up the mess he'd made.

"Do you need help?"

Ryan's yelp of surprise was well worth the glare he shot him. "I'd be even better if you would stop sneaking up on me."

"Sorry about that."

"You don't sound very sorry," was the muttered reply.

"Probably because I'm not."

"Figures."

"Do you need help?"

"Yes," Ryan said, exasperation plain in his voice. "Can you come get your mother's cat out of the way while I finish cleaning this up?"

"No problem."

Eric walked over and picked up Lightning, so named because she was very quick. She struck and left, usually leaving no evidence that she'd ever been there. She'd taken a real liking to Ryan, following him around, sleeping with him if he left the door open and just plain being a nuisance. Everyone thought it was hilarious. Everyone except Ryan.

Lightning purred as Eric began to scratch her behind the ears, impatiently waiting for Ryan to finish cleaning up the water and broken glass. Once he accomplished that, Ryan walked over to the sink and washed his hands. Eric gently placed the cat on the kitchen floor when he noticed the blood on Ryan's wrist. Walking over to him, he huskily advised, "You really should bandage that."

Ryan whirled around in shock, gasping in pain and latching onto Eric's shoulders to stop himself from falling forward. He went completely still and groaned, eyes closing at the rush of vertigo that swept through him. "You have got to stop doing that to me."

"Come on," Eric urged, slowly backing up, taking Ryan with him. "Let's go take care of that cut."

"Give me a minute."

When Ryan opened his eyes again, he lifted his head and stared straight into Eric's eyes. Confusion crossed his expression at the dark look in Eric's eyes. Just as he was about to ask him what was wrong, Eric whispered, "Fuck it."

With that, he backed Ryan into the counter behind them. Wrapping one arm around Ryan's waist, pulling him tightly against himself, Eric leaned down and kissed him, tongue sweeping into Ryan's mouth when he gasped in surprised shock. His free hand ended up on the back of Ryan's neck, keeping him still.

Ryan had simply grasped onto his biceps, too stunned to do much else. He stood there, not sure how to respond. Not until Eric pulled back and stared into his eyes for a moment. Then, he didn't have much choice in what to do as Eric ran his hand up into his hair and yanked his head back. Hot, moist breath ghosted across and down his throat before lips, teeth and tongue began to explore his sensitive skin. He arched up into Eric when he nipped and then sucked on his pulse point to soothe the sting. The hand in his hair tightened, as did the arm around his waist.

A low whimper escaped him at the next nip of teeth. Ryan could feel the smirk Eric was sporting against his throat. When the hand that had been in his hair sneaked up under his shirt, softly caressing his abdomen, Ryan let out a breathy moan and whispered, "Eric?"

"Hmmm?" was breathed against his throat, Eric still exploring at will.

A swipe of tongue against his pulse point caused Ryan to arch up into him violently. Chuckling to himself, Eric reluctantly lifted his head and huskily inquired, "What, Ryan?"

Ryan lifted his own head and, glazed over eyes meeting intense brown, breathily informed him, "We can't do this in here."

"And why not?"

"It's the kitchen," his scandalized voice replied.

"So?" Eric responded. "Calleigh mentioned something about you saying something about shoving plates out of the way in order to have sex. Are you saying you really haven't done that?"

"No!" Ryan said horrified, face turning magenta. "I only said that because she said it looked like there'd been a struggle at the scene. To me, it looked like they'd had rough sex. And, that's all I'm saying."

"We could broaden your horizons a little," Eric playfully suggested.

"No, thank you. We're already broadening my horizons just with this."

Eric stilled and inquired, "You've never done this before?"

"Eric, I've never been attracted to another man before," Ryan explained. "Of course, I've never done this before."

Standing there for several minutes digesting that information, Eric finally said, "I must say I'm actually very thrilled to hear that, Ryan, even though it does change my plans just a little."

"Plans?"

"I've been making plans since the day I met you. I just thought you wouldn't ever have anything to do with me. I'm really glad that you're giving me a chance."

"You know, we both treated each other pretty badly. I am just as much at fault as you are."

"Okay. Now, let's go get your wrist bandaged," Eric replied, releasing Ryan and guiding him along in front of himself. "Then we can work on some of my plans."

"Some of them?"

"Well, we can't get to all of them in one night," Eric teased. "It will take the rest of our lives to get through all of them."

Ryan stumbled slightly and then spun around to face him, stopping in front of the door to Eric's room. "The rest of our lives?"

Smiling, a real smile, Eric huskily whispered, "You didn't think this was a one night stand did you?"

Eyes full of shocked disbelief blinked at him for a couple of minutes before Ryan whispered back, "I don't know. Your relationships seem to...last a couple of days. I...I..."

He stopped there, not sure how to continue, not sure what to say.

Eric simply shook his head and replied, "I've been waiting, very impatiently I might add, for the right person to come along. The person who would make me want to commit to them. I've been waiting for you."

"You don't even know me."

"Maybe not totally, but I know enough." Reaching out with one hand, he placed a finger on Ryan's lips to stop him from speaking. "For once, Ryan, just let go. You don't always have to be in such rigid control of yourself."

------------------------------

The next morning, Clorinda opened the door to her son's room and smiled at the sight that greeted her. Their clothes were all over the room, and Eric was sleeping on top of Ryan, face buried in his neck and arms hiding beneath the sheets. Ryan had his arms wrapped around Eric, and for the first time since she'd met him, he looked completely relaxed and at peace. Shutting the door behind herself, she wondered how long it would be before she could talk them into moving in together, that way she could have them closer to home. There was a nice house a few blocks away.

***