Title: Take This Heart
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Greg Sanders/Ryan Wolfe
Fandom: CSI: Vegas/CSI: Miami
Rating: PG-13
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 signed his name to the report on his desk, pushing it aside and looking over at his boyfriend. Greg was still working on the report he was doing, writing furiously in one of the sections. Ryan smiled and leaned back in his chair, surreptitiously watching the other man.

He loved watching Greg, no matter what his lover was doing. He could be washing dishes, collecting evidence at a crime scene, brushing his teeth -- or just sitting at his desk writing up a report, as he was doing now. No matter what he did, he was irresistible.

It was still hard for Ryan to believe that Greg had fallen in love with him; somehow, it didn't seem possible that such an incredible man hadn't already been snapped up before Ryan had come into his life. How was it that he had gotten so lucky?

But he shouldn't question that, Ryan told himself firmly. He was with Greg, and they had managed to find each other through some quirk of fate. Destiny had brought them together; he couldn't help feeling that the two of them had always been meant for each other.

What was it about Greg that made Ryan want to take this man into his arms and kiss him breathless, to hold him and love him and protect him until the end of their days? There was something about Greg that called to his soul, that had captured his heart in every way.

If only he could show that affection publicly! Ryan wanted more than anything to get up from his chair right now, go around the desk to where Greg was sitting, pull his boyfriend into his arms, and kiss him, here in their office, within sight of everyone they worked with.

He'd do that if he could, Ryan told himself, holding back a sigh. But as things stood now, with that stupid rule in place about people who worked on the same shift not being able to date each other, they had to keep their personal relationship a secret.

It wouldn't always be that way -- at least, he hoped not. He didn't want to keep hiding his feelings for Greg behind a mask of simple friendship, the camaraderie that inevitably developed between people who had to work together on a daily basis. He wanted to let his real emotions come out.

He wanted to be able to kneel in front of Greg and tell his boyfriend to take his heart -- no, he wanted to tell Greg that he had already lost his heart, and that he never wanted it back again. He wanted to make that declaration in front of the entire world.

What he wanted to do was marry Greg, he thought, his eyes widening as the thought struck him. Yes. He wanted them to be united as one in the eyes of the law, seen as a married couple. That was what he had wanted ever since he'd given Greg that promise ring.

He had thought of getting married before, but it had seemed like something that was a long distance from him, a hazy "someday" that never quite seemed to take shape in his mind. But when the thought of being married to Greg, the picture in his mind was different.

Somehow, the idea of being married to Greg seemed immediate and comfortable. It wasn't scary at all to think of giving his name to this man; he'd already given Greg his body, his heart, and even his soul. There was nothing else to give him but his name.

Greg was the center of his life, the core of his being. Ryan wanted to immerse himself in this man in every possible way, to spend every second that he could with Greg. He wanted to spend all of eternity loving him, keeping Greg not only in his arms, but in his heart and soul.

He had never really wanted to marry anyone else. He'd never even wanted to live with another person -- and look at how easy that had been with Greg. They had seemed to slip into each other's lives with the ease and comfort of long familiarity.

Was he really starting to believe in things like destiny? Ryan couldn't hold back a wry smile at the idea. He'd never given things like that much thought, really. Not until he had met Greg -- and he'd become utterly convinced that destiny had brought him here to Las Vegas.

If he had stayed in Miami, he would have spent his entire life looking for someone like Greg, without ever finding the man who he had been intended for. He'd made the best decision of his life when he'd decided to come here, no matter what anyone else might think.

As though Greg had finally realized that he was being scrutinized across their desks, he looked up, his gaze meeting Ryan's. "What are you thinking about?" he asked with a smile, leaning back in his chair and pushing the report away from him. "You look so serious."

"I was thinking about you and me," Ryan said softly, his lips curving into an answering smile. "About how much I love you, and how coming here is the best thing that I've ever done for myself. And how I want to give you my heart and spend the rest of my life with you."

"I thought you already gave me your heart," Greg pointed out, frowning slightly as he started to search through his pockets. "Wait a minute .... I've got it here somewhere. I know I put it in my pocket last night before we came to work. I'm sure of it."

Ryan couldn't help laughing at his boyfriend's silliness; somehow, Greg knew just how to touch the right spots to take him out of a slightly somber mood and make him smile. "Of course you've already got my heart. You've had it since the first moment we met."

"But I can't find it!" Greg told him, still making a show of searching his pockets and obviously trying not to laugh as he did so. "I might have left it on the night table at home. I promise I won't ever go out without it again," he added, looking up at Ryan, his eyes sparkling with laughter.

"Then I'll just have to give it to you again, won't I?" Ryan told him, glancing at the window to their office. He stepped over to it, pulling the blinds down so they would have some privacy, then checking to make sure that the door was locked.

Going down on one knee in front of the chair that Greg was sitting in, Ryan took his boyfriend's hand, bringing it to his lips to kiss Greg's fingertips. Then he placed that hand over his own heart, speaking softly, the words tumbling out almost of their own accord.

"Greg Sanders, I give you my heart. For now, and for always. Take this heart and keep it safe, and I'll do the same with yours." He paused, gazing up into Greg's eyes, focusing on the expression on his lover's face. Greg almost looked as though he was going to cry.

"That's the most beautiful thing anybody's ever said to me," he whispered, raising a hand to wipe at his eyes. He wasn't crying yet, but Ryan had the feeling that he would. It was one of the things he loved about his Greg -- the fact that he could be so emotional.

Greg took Ryan's free hand in his, pressing it against his chest. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment before he spoke. When he did, his voice was just as soft as Ryan's had been, but his words were firm and decisive.

"Take this heart, Ryan Wolfe. Take it and hold it and keep it safe for the rest of our lives. For eternity." His voice was so full of love that Ryan could feel tears coming to his own eyes; he hadn't realized that his Greg could be this poetic, this full of romance.

With an effort, Ryan broke their eye contact for just a moment to get to his feet and pull Greg into his arms. He didn't care who might see them; all he wanted to do was to show Greg how much he was loved and wanted, to show his lover what was in his heart.

"I love you," he whispered, his voice soft in Greg's ear. He wanted to say so much more, but he knew the power that those three little words could have. He knew that Greg would understand that his heart was filled to overflowing, and that no words could express how he felt.

"I love you, too," Greg answered, his arms wrapping around Ryan's waist and holding him tightly for a few moments. Reluctantly, the two of them slowly pulled away from each other, knowing that they couldn't let themselves be caught in an embrace here at work.

"Come on," Greg said, his voice hoarse with emotion. "Let's get these reports turned in to Catherine and then get out of here. It's almost time for the shift to end, anyway. And I want to get home where we can get comfortable and not have to worry about anybody else seeing us."

Ryan's heart leapt at his boyfriend's words; he had no doubt that once they were home, they would be continuing what they had started here. Suddenly, he was looking forward more than ever to going home -- and hoping that he wouldn't be getting any sleep for quite a while.

***