Buy Me A Plasic Ring And Tell Me That You Love Me

by Emono

50 Blushes challenge response on LJ, I did most of them. Ranges from G to M, fluff to angst, but mostly just done out of love. Mentions of other pairings, but mostly The Hardy Boys *snicker*. M/M, slash, Eric/Ryan, H/C, smut

Title: Buy Me A Plastic Ring And Tell Me That You Love Me

Prompts: 50 Blushes

Author: Emono

Fandom: CSI: Miami

Rating: From G to faint M

Pairing: Eric/Ryan

Other Pairings: past Speed/Ryan, past Eric/Speed, non-con Rick/Ryan, past Ryan/Ericka, a faint shade of Ryan/Marisol

Warnings: Violence, fluff, H/C, some angst, slash

Disclaimer: CSI has so many lawyers, I have no inclination to deal with any of them. I just play in their world with my poetic license and my first-amendment rights. Sometimes Ryan's an jackass, but he's a loveable jackass and I can't help but pet him. Eric is too pretty for his own good, I wish I had his lips...*le sigh*

Notes: I'm still doing prompts *smiles brightly* I was going through all the pairings I've done, and I realized I've totally ignored the Eric/Ryan pairing when it's so obviously there. Actually, I just watched "Nailed" like four times in a row and pointed to every bit of slash. Teehee!

Beta: gil_follower

AN: I have to warn you, 50 prompts is seriously a lot. After a certain point, I just started pulling things out of thin air and drawing from everything around me. So some of them are pure crack! If there are any mistakes in here, then know I'm a moron and just jot it down as AU.

01 – Black

The oil slick was one sorry sight. Haz-Mat guys as far as the eye could see, sand clotting in large bits, and teams of volunteers cleaning up the animals who had managed to get caught in it all.

And to wrap it all up, it was a murder scene.

Alexx was already at the body, the area around the DB already clear. Horatio was there as well, talking quietly to Frank and peering around behind his shades. Calleigh was maneuvering her way through the oil, taking pictures along the way.

But Ryan was having some trouble.

"Come on, Wolfe" Eric was getting impatient, the younger CSI was almost hiding behind a rock "It's just oil, it'll come off."

"But my clothes..." Ryan complained "No one told me we had an oil spill, damn it!"

"Wolfe, you've got to the count of three to get over those rocks before I drag you over them" Eric caught himself on his growl, softening his voice "I promise you, you'll be fine. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

"Oh...ok" the brunette chewed his lower lip, climbing up over the rocks to reach the crime scene. Eric watched in horror as Ryan lost his footing half-way over the boulder blocking his view, screaming as he fell out of sight. The Russian-Cuban scrambled over the boulder blocking his view, leaning over to peer into the crevasse. It was a pit of oil, collected and pooled to provide the perfect liquid cushion.

Bad news, Ryan sat up in it covered in oil.

"Oh man" Eric gaped stupidly, watching the young brunette sputter and cough "Come on, Ryan..."

Delko seized the young CSI by the arm, managing to pull him up and out past the rocks. Head to toe, pure oil was dripping from every part of him. Ryan seemed to have slipped into some sort of OCD shock, he had gone quite still and clenched his eyes shut.

"Don't move" Eric instructed, pulling out a cloth and carefully wiping the oil from his face. Skin was revealed, flushed crimson.

"I'm so graceful" Ryan muttered, moving slowly to wipe off any excess oil "I can't believe I fell like that."

'In front of you' he added silently.

"It's alright, Wolfe" Eric dragged the boy over to the cleaning team by his arm "Come on, I'll rinse you off."

That didn't help cool the blush on his face.

02 – White

The stark white sheets of the hotel bed looked clean to Ryan, so he snapped a couple of pictures and moved on.

"Ah-ah, Wolfe" Eric directed him back, brandishing a black light with a grin "You gotta look between the lines...this'll bring up anything."

Ryan simply nodded, he knew that.

Eric ran the light over the sheets, immediately bringing up a rather large stain.

"That, Wolfe...is semen."

Ryan flushed right up to his hairline, hiding behind his camera and taking a picture.

03 – Summer

Eric kept sneaking peeks at Ryan past the lens of his camera, the shorter man was crouched beside their DB with Alexx. The summer sun beat down upon them all, but Ryan had this sexy scarlet stain on his skin that was just to irresistible. He had the horrible urge to kiss the flushed skin, feel the heat beneath his tongue...

"Why Eric!" the Cuban whipped around, coming face-to-face with a grinning Calleigh. He had been caught staring at Ryan openly...again, red handed.

"Oh, hey."

"Are you blushing?"

04 – Winter

It didn't snow much in Miami, but it got plenty cold a few times during the winter. Apparently, since it stayed warm so long, some people forgot this.

"Why's it so cold?" Ryan grumbled, shivering in the passenger seat of Delko's hummer.

"It gets that way, and the heat's broken" Eric glanced briefly from the road to the dark sky "It won't last long, maybe a week or two."

"Too damn cold..." the brunette muttered, touching the chilly glass of his window cautiously "It's Miami, for God's sake."

"It's a nice break, quit bitching" Eric rolled his eyes "Look at that, your nose is red."

"It's cold!" Ryan repeated, rubbing at his nose absently "And my ears are numb. I hate winter..."

"I think it's cute" the Cuban replied honestly, shutting his partner up pretty quick. Keeping his dark eyes on the road, Eric reached back and snagged up his coat. Ryan took the offered article, slipping it on and realizing it was a size too big. But that didn't matter...it smelled like Eric. Musk, cloves, and the tang of sweat...

Ryan brought the sleeve casually up to his nose, his face heating up as he let himself drown in the scent of Eric Delko.

05 – Weather

The hurricane winds whipped hard across Miami, kicking up trash bins and heavy sticks and such. The crime lab was on high alert, everyone was to head home and lay low until the storm blew over the state.

"Eric, take Ryan home in the Hummer!" Horatio barked the order at the retreating Cuban, urging Ryan towards him.

"Yeah!" Eric nodded, and with that they set across the parking lot. The winds were too harsh, sending Ryan staggering backwards every few feet. Eric finally snatched up the brunette by the arm, plastering him to his side and dragging them both to the hummer.

Once they were both inside, the vacuum that their ears had been assaulted with disappeared and they were left temporarily deaf. Eric looked over into his partner's face, absently starting the heavy car.

"You make wind-burn look hot, Wolfe" Eric grinned, then directed his attention to the task of getting them home safely. He hoped the brunette was just as deaf as he felt, cause that had just slipped out of his mouth without any warning to his brain.

Ryan looked down at his shoes, running the back of his knuckles over his flushed cheeks.

06 – Sleep

Eric snatched a blanket from the storeroom, making his way to the morgue. Opening up the door, he was met with the sight of Alexx digging into an older gentleman. She was up to her elbows in blood, and seemed to be struggling with a rib.

"Tough old sucker..." she muttered, then looked up and jutted her chin to the right "He's over there, honey. Poor baby..."

Ryan was curled up on a spare cot in the corner, a pillow stuffed under his head, jacket and shoes on the floor at the foot of the bed. Delko made his way over, snapping out the cream-colored blanket and spreading it over the brunette.

Ryan murmured happily, stretching out under the new warmth.

"You forget how coarse he can be when he's sleeping like an angel" Alexx commented, finally pulling free the heavy heart of her DB.

"He's not coarse" Eric countered, smoothing the blanket evenly over the younger CSI and gazing on him with a certain fondness "He's much more technical than us...he's all statistics and patterns. He's learning fast, he's a good kid."

"Don't propose too fast" Alexx chuckled.

But since she was turned away, she missed how darkly the Cuban blushed.

07 – Whisper

Ryan held up the shiny, new handcuffs. The light caught them, the surface glittering beautifully. His old ones had finally given out, collapsing when he had slipped them on their perp's wrists. Horatio had pulled a box from the storage, offering him a new pair straight away.

Only one thing ruined his innocent fascination with his new cuffs...

"I can't wait to use those on you tonight" Eric whispered in his ear, pausing only briefly to touch his shoulder before continuing down the hall.

Ryan hurriedly put his cuffs away, blushing furiously.

08 – Illusion

Ryan wasn't sure about much past the pain and shock of having a nail in his head. But he recalled someone gripping his arm, screaming his name, and commanding him to stay awake and alert. When all he wanted to do was slip into the darkness at the edge of his vision, a solid force kept him grounded to reality and the agony.

Being pushed into the hospital on a gurney, that solid grip was still on him and dark eyes were pleading with him to stay alive.

An angel...

The thought made him blush, standing across from Eric at the lab table.

09 – Live

"I'm alive..." Ryan murmured, curled up with Eric in the back of the hummer. The monster car was parked in the middle of nowhere, the vents pouring out cool air to make the Miami heat fade away and keep them comfortable. Their guns were on the front seat, along with the brunette's white coat.

"Yeah" Eric assured him, making sure to keep his voice soft. Ryan had been in a certain state of shock since their sniper had been taken down, unsure if everyone was truly safe again after three days of constant worry for the team.

"And your alive?" Ryan looked up into dark eyes, the taller man nodded slowly "And no one was hurt? The sniper didn't get anyone else?"

"He didn't hurt anyone else after that poor woman" Eric smiled slightly, nuzzling into his lover's jaw "Horatio took him down."

"Mm" Ryan relaxed into the touch, reaching up to caress heated skin "Remind me?"

10 – Sit

"Everyone into the hummer" Horatio instructed "Let's get there all in one run."

Ryan dreaded those words, for he was in the back of the group and knew he wouldn't get his own seat. Horatio and Frank both took the front, and Ryan watched in dismay as Calleigh and Alexx piled in before Eric.

"Hurry, Mr. Wolfe" Horatio was a tad impatient, spotting the hesitation in his younger CSI.

"But-"

"You heard him, Wolfe" Eric grinned impishly, taking the brunette's wrist and dragging him into the hummer. Ryan flushed so hard his ears burned, solid arms circling his waist and pulling him into the Cuban's lap. He cursed how the women smirked at his discomfort, Eric was a warm weight against him and he couldn't help but melt into him after a few moments. He watched as dark fingers laced over his stomach, holding him in place while letting knuckles brush his groin.

"Comfortable, Ryan?" Eric sounded so amused, the bastard was enjoying this.

"Fine" he choked out, trying to concentrate on anything but the tightening in his stomach.

11 – Scream

"You see, I..." Ryan stuttered out, suddenly too nervous to get out a word. He had stopped Eric in the hallway, holding him up from his job to try and admit his feelings. But the Cuban seemed impatient today, arms crossed and foot twitching to tap like a cliché woman.

"Come on, Wolfe, spit it out" Eric demanded.

"I can't help but-" Ryan looked up into dark eyes, his heart breaking at the irritated look "It doesn't matter, sorry."

Eric merely shrugged it off, turning to make his way down the hallway.

Ryan watched the Cuban walk away, something desperate welling up inside him. He couldn't let this moment pass him by, he knew that if he let it go he'd never get it back again. He would never work up his courage again, that was just he way he was. Do something right once, or never again.

"I love you!"

Except Ryan hadn't meant to scream it like that.

It's as if the whole world went quiet, all eyes suddenly on him. He flushed, swallowing hard at the sudden attention. Eric turned back around, clearly shocked.

"I mean..." Ryan choked, someone dropped something heavy nearby "Thought you ought to know."

Ryan bolted out of there, missing the glares that were shot at Eric.

12 – Manipulation

"No comment" Ryan stated, Ericka approaching him from behind the police tape "Get out of here."

"What's wrong?" the bottle-blonde smiled sweetly "Has Delko been riding you hard about your leaking?"

Ryan blushed at the image, "I said 'no comment', I've got nothin' to say to you."

"The last time you were on the news, you didn't look too noble" Ericka was leaning in closer, amused "Did Delko take that well? Did he get violent?"

"Eric would never hurt me" Ryan stated "He's my partner, I'm sure he understands. I didn't mean how it sounded."

"So he cares about you?" her eyes lit up.

"Why are you so interested in Delko?"

"Because he's your favorite subject."

The next day, a piece aired that talked about how 'open' the crime lab was. How gay-friendly they were, and clips were shown of several officers standing a bit too close to one another. There was even a clip of Eric draping himself over Ryan, pointing out some key evidence.

Horatio's team watched this with wide eyes, even Eric was blushing.

"So..." Horatio turned, removing his shades to stare between Eric and Ryan "Do either of you want to tell me something?"

13 – Frantic

Eric's heart beat a tattoo in his chest, one hand curled around Ryan's forearm and the other trying to control the steering wheel. The officers he had called in were doing their work, the traffic was parting easily for him. Ryan was whimpering and writhing in the seat beside him, unable to stop looking at the nail sticking out of his eye. Eric wished desperately that he could take his lover's pain away, but he knew he needed to get him to the hospital as soon as possible.

"Eric...Eric!" Ryan gasped violently, covering his eye with his hand "I gotta take it out!"

"Don't you do dare take it out, Ryan" Eric barked, grasping his lover's hand and squeezing it "You could die if you take it out!"

"I don't want to die..." Ryan whimpered.

"You won't, love" Eric promised, lacing his fingers with the younger man's "You'll be fine, it won't even scar."

The blood rushing to Eric's head gave away his lie.

14 – Drunk

A drunken flush stained both their faces, the younger pressed into the wall with his legs wrapped around the older man. They had managed to get to Ryan's apartment without wrecking, something the brunette would have to scold his partner for in the morning (drunk driving, not safe.) They were both impatient, but it seemed they couldn't even manage to get their pants off.

"You won't respect me in the morning" Eric teased, nipping down the brunette's throat.

"I barely respect you now" Ryan lied.

15 – Shock

Eric gaped dumbly at his partner, feeling like an absolute jackass and a bad friend. Ryan had his head down, fiddling with his key ring. Delko had finally plucked up the courage to ask Ryan out, only to be given information that he would have never guessed before.

"You...I can't..." Eric stuttered out, generally shocked "What?"

"I was...with Tim. Or Speed, as you guys called him" Ryan smiled wanly "That nickname never really caught on with me."

"Speed...and you?"

"Yeah" Ryan looked away, then back at Eric "I was in love with him, his feelings...well, I'll never know now."

The pain in Ryan's eyes struck something deep in Delko.

"The point is" the brunette continued, voice stronger "You were his colleague, his best friend. I couldn't go out with you...it just feels wrong. It's nothing personal, on any other terms-"

"No, no...I get it" Eric attempted a smile, fighting off the embarrassed flush on his face "It'd be weird."

"Yeah, thanks for understanding" Ryan flashed a smile, then he disappeared out of the locker room. Eric was left behind feeling like a complete moron, rubbing a hand over his mouth to try and force the shock and vague heartache down.

He didn't know if he was more upset that Ryan had turned him down...or that Speed had never mentioned he had a boyfriend he loved before.

16 – Essential

Eric tried to get to the lab earlier than anyone, as in 'as the night-shift was leaving' early. It wasn't that way before he got with Ryan, before that he had blown off work whenever possible. Sometimes he had his reasons, other times he was just lazy.

Eric only got here early because Ryan was so OCD that he arrived early too. The Cuban couldn't get through the day without their secret good-morning-kiss, it was something only they knew about.

"Morning" Ryan murmured, the sunrise colors dancing through the window to bathe his face in a warm red.

"Morning, Ry" Eric smiled, leaving a last kiss and touch-to-the-hip on his lover before stepping away "Coffee?"

17 – Smear

"Eric, do you know what you're doing with Ryan?" Horatio corned the Cuban, shades around his neck and piercing blue eyes locked with dark chocolate.

"I'm not-"

"Don't bother lying" the red head smile faintly "Eric, he's young...like yourself. He's vulnerable now, being a newbie. This can break you both if you don't play it right."

"I understand" Eric tried to smile back "I'm really into him, and...I'm hoping he's kinda into me too."

"By the look of your pants..." Horatio slipped back on his shades "He's very into you."

Eric turned red as he looked down at his jeans, a smear of white along the top of his thigh.

"Damn...H, I'm sorry-"

"Just pay attention from now on" Horatio began to walk away "I'm sure it's hard to grab clean jeans with your tongue down Ryan's throat."

Eric could only make a choked sound, trying to rub off the evidence.

18 – Please

"Please, H, just a few days off" Ryan pleaded.

"No" the red head replied bluntly "Mr. Wolfe, we're going to need you this weekend."

"There's no cases right now, and none have re-opened" Ryan tried to be reasonable, but his boyfriend's happiness was on the line "What could happen that couldn't be death with on Monday?"

"Someone could die."

Ryan paled, "Don't hold back for my sake."

"You asked, Mr. Wolfe" Horatio's gaze went back to his case file "Anything could come up, I can't grant you or Eric the weekend off."

Ryan got quiet, visibly crestfallen.

"But if I do" the boy perked up at this "Only if, mind you...what were you planning to do?"

"I was planning on taking Eric out on my uncle's boat" Ryan blushed horribly at the 'awww' look he got from his boss "He does all his diving for the lab, and he's always wanted to teach me...I thought...you know, it'd be a good time-"

Horatio held up a solemn hand, silencing him instantly.

"Then...you have the time off."

Ryan broke out into a smile, spilling out a quick 'thank you' before dashing off.

19 – Lick

"Eric..." Ryan murmured, fingers twisting in the stark sheets of his bed. His lover grinned against his skin, the rasp of his tongue tracing the outline of his shoulder blade. That hot mouth had been teasing him for over half an hour, licking and nibbling every inch of his neck and shoulders.

He hated (loved) when Eric Delko was feeling playful.

"Be patient, Wolfe" Eric let his lips brush against the sensitive spine of the brunette. He followed the curve with his tongue, drawing a gasp from Ryan. Eric rested his mouth at the base of his spine, warm breath washing over over-sensitive skin to make his lover squirm pleasantly.

"Please" Ryan whined in frustration.

Eric bit down, forcing a cry from the junior CSI. Ryan arched under the pleasure/pain, after a moment a slick tongue soothed the ache.

Eric kissed the reddened skin, he loved how he could tease Ryan.

20 – Sound

Calleigh had her mind half on her case file, half on walking a straight line down the hall. She had too many open cases laying on her desk, there was no way she could get it all done during the day. She was hanging around, avoiding the night shift.

"Entry wound at 46 degree angle...penetration: four inches..." she muttered to herself, trying to do the math in her head. A sudden noise caught her attention, a muffled groan like someone had hurt themselves. Her head shot up, looking around with a creased brow. She was alone in the hall, and there were no labs here. There were only a few doors that led to a bathroom, store rooms, and a janitor's closet.

Another groan, this one cut off abruptly.

"Hello?" she called out, afraid that someone had hurt themselves. A lot could go wrong in this station if someone wasn't paying attention, and if anyone else from the dayshift was around they would be getting careless this late. There was a bang, a clatter that made her jump two feet off the ground.

It was coming from a nearby storage closet...

Calleigh crept over, heart pounding and file falling forgotten to the floor. She was first afraid someone had broken in, but that was just absurd. Security was much tighter later, and what would a perp be doing in a storage closet? She leaned in, pressing her ear to the door and resting the tips of her nails on the surface.

"Eric..." came a breathy moan.

Calleigh's brow furrowed at that, she couldn't identify the gender of that sound. But she couldn't back away just yet. If Eric had a woman in there, she swore she was going to tell Alexx and then they could scold him together. Another moan, this one much more deeper, and other sounds of passion.

"So tight..." Calleigh gaped a bit at this, there was no way that Eric had a guy in there "Touch yourself, babe...so pretty..."

There was a desperate moan from the other, definitely male.

Calleigh blushed so hard she was sure her hair turned pigment, she had never known Eric to swing such a way. She knew he had been close to Speed, and he seemed rather chummy with some of the techs...

"Please, Eric..."

"Hush, Ryan" Calleigh gasped dramatically "Someone will hear you, babe."

"If you waited till we got home..." Ryan sounded strained, though lost in his passion.

"I can't wait, I have to have you now" Eric growled, then there was a rough scraping sound. She couldn't help it, she dropped to the floor and took a peek under the door. Those were Eric's shoes, his pants barely clinging to his knees. He was on the far side of the room, standing next to a table. Another pair of shoes were in front of him, a pool of faded jeans and dark jade boxers around them. Her face couldn't have gotten redder, for a sudden jerk and the table moved a bit.

"Keep the table steady!" Ryan hissed, voice still tight.

Calleigh started giggling hysterically, pushing herself off the door and snatching up her file. She rushed down the hallway, missing the faint curses and shuffling as the men pulled away from one another and fixed their clothes.

"Shit! Was that Calleigh?"

21 – Void

"I heard about how you were after Speed's death" Ryan whispered, his lover and himself spread out on their bed. It was early, sunset colors were filtering in-between the golden curtains. Eric was bathed in a dark coral, his olive skin standing out even more. Dark chocolate eyes fluttered open, Eric's brow creased as he peered at his lover from over his forearm. His head was cradled in the nest of his arm, back being warmed by upcoming sunlight.

"What?" Eric mumbled, pulling himself out of sleep. Ryan was on his back, staring up at the ceiling with his hand behind his head. Delko's eyes were drawn to the slice of golden light that had cut through the pink, landing along the line of Ryan's hipbone.

"All the anonymous sex you had..." Ryan didn't look away from the shadows on the ceiling, he didn't think he could "Why would you do that?"

"It was before this grew between us" Eric smiled a bit, reaching out with his right hand to trace the light across his lover's hip "It didn't mean anything."

"No...why?" Ryan turned his head finally, staring straight into his lover's eyes "Did Speedle's death hurt you that bad?"

"It's the same as if you lost Alexx, or Calleigh" Eric tried to clarify, lying.

"...no" Ryan saw through his lover's façade easily "It'd be as if I lost you...you loved Speedle, didn't you?"

"Tim and I shared a bed, yeah" Eric refused to meet his boyfriend's gaze any longer "Maybe once a week."

"You don't have to tell me" Ryan turned his eyes back to the ceiling, tensing as the Cuban let his hand drop from his hip "Alexx just mentioned something-"

"Then Alexx should keep her mouth shut" Eric pulled away completely, the pink along his back turning a hot red as the clouds shifted and revealed more of the rising sun "Tim and I were a long time ago, it doesn't matter anymore. He's dead-"

"But if you loved him-"

"I have you now" Eric crawled over him, burying his face into the brunette's neck.

"Am I his replacement?" Ryan murmured "Am I filling the void?"

Eric gave a bitter laugh, "You've left your own void, babe."

22 – Impossible

Eric was being led by Rick Stetler and his two goons down the hall, his head up high while others stared upon him in curiosity. Stetler seemed overly pleased with himself, leading the way to the elevator. Eric didn't care what these people thought of him, what Rick accused him of, because he knew the truth. He'd never done pot, it was his poor sister Marisol who was in constant pain and needed attention.

He was just glad his lover wasn't here to witness it, he was sure that Ryan was still out on the field working a minor case or something similar to that.

"What's going on?"

Eric almost groaned out loud, Stetler turning and stopping the march. Ryan was coming around the corner, brow drawn in confusion. Eric bit his lip lightly, he didn't want Ryan to see this...to think he would do drugs...

"Not in front of him" Eric hissed lowly at Rick, their eyes meeting.

"I think he deserves to know" Rick whispered, eyes lighting up with malicious intent "You're pretty fuck-toy should know what kind of person's been playing with him."

"Bastard" Eric sneered.

"Eric, Stetler" Ryan reached them, looking so lost "What's going on?"

"Nothing" Eric turned, giving him a look "Just go, Ryan, I'll be fine."

"I want you to know that Delko has been tested, and he was positive for THC" Stetler was looking smugger than before, and the Cuban watched his lover piece it together.

"THC..." Ryan murmured, eyes going a bit wide "Marijuana? Impossible, no way."

"I'm afraid your boyfriend's a pot head" Rick jutted his chin towards the witness room, the brunette turned to see the black man who had fallen through the roof and on their victim "That's his dealer, had his private number."

"Eric?" Ryan was gaping a bit like a fish, looking back at his boyfriend for some kind of explanation.

"Ry, you have to believe me" Eric looked straight into liquid topaz eyes "It's not mine, I can explain everything."

"Then please do" Rick gestured to the younger CSI "Tell Ryan. We'd all like to hear why you've been smoking marijuana. On the job, no doubt."

"You can rot in hell" Eric hissed.

"The papers..." Ryan took a step back, looking a bit hurt "And I believed you."

"I wasn't lying" the dark haired man took a step forward, but Stetler clamped a hand down on his shoulder and pulled him away from his boyfriend "Let go of me-"

"Eric, you need to keep cool" Horatio pretty much poofed up next to the younger CSI, slipping off his shades (when is he not?) "Ryan, I assure you Eric is as truthful as you have known him to be. And Rick...Eric doesn't need to be escorted out, I'm sure he knows the way."

"Rules and regulations" Rick gave a nasty smirk "Mr. Delko can't drive a company car. I'll be escorting him all the way home...to continue the safety of others, I assure you."

"Why don't you shove it, Stetler?" Ryan made a face, then turned soft eyes on his boyfriend "Eric, I believe you."

The taller man gave a thankful smile.

"That's good of you, keep your hopes up" Rick stepped closer, right up to Ryan's personal space "But when it all comes crashing down...I want you to know that I'll be here for you, ready to lend a shoulder to cry on..."

Stetler trailed off, reaching up to run the back of his knuckles over Ryan's cheek. The brunette turned a bright red and recoiled, shocked that he would try such a thing in public...let alone with Eric standing right there. The Cuban clenched his fists, stepping up with a snarl on his lips. One of the guards seized him by the shoulders, but he struggled anyways.

"Don't you ever touch him" Eric growled, spotting his lover's scared look and going right into protective mode.

"Rick, I think you've overstepped your bounds" Horatio put himself between Stetler and Ryan, a flicker of pure hatred projecting from him "I'll drive him home myself. Eric, meet me at the Hummer."

The Cuban nodded, giving one last long look at his boyfriend before pushing the button at the elevator.

"Eric, wait-" Ryan went to step closer, but Horatio held out an arm to stop him "H-"

"Ryan, I want you to go get the truth out of that drug dealer" the brunette's face hardened as he nodded, Horatio's eyes never left Stetler's own "Take Calleigh."

"On it, boss" Ryan turned, going off to fetch the blonde southern bell.

"And you, Rick" Horatio took a step closer, cocking his head to the side a bit "You stay away from my team, unless absolutely necessary...even then, I want a note from your superior and proper evidence."

"All of them?" Rick's eyes flashed something dark "Or just Ryan?"

"You leave Ryan alone" Eric snapped, the elevator opening.

"Eric, go" Horatio commanded, the Cuban replied and disappeared down the shaft.

"This isn't the last you'll see of me" Rick assured him "You're going to pay for taking my promotion, Horatio."

"And messing with my team isn't the way to go about it" Horatio slipped back on his shades "I know you'll find some way to worm your way back around my team, but until then...I'll fight you every step of the way."

"I'm counting on it."

23 – Lonely

Horatio and Speed observed Eric chatting up a local patrol officer, the pretty brunette laughing lightly and fingering the edge of the document he was supposed to be delivering to the red head. But Horatio had no qualms about this delay, Eric seemed so alive leaning in and making the brunette smile even more.

"I hear Wolfe's trying to get his CSI transcript finished up" Speed nudged his boss "Chemistry degree, seminars, all statistics...no field work. Just doing patrol until he can finish it all up."

"Wolfe, is that the boy's name?" Horatio smiled secretly "Well, I hear your assistant is going to be transferring soon."

"This is the first I've heard" Speed's brow drew.

"I know" the red head looked over at his junior, suppressing a full-on smirk "I imagine he'll be just as surprised."

"Oh no" Speed glared hard "I refuse to take on a newbie."

"Eric seems to like him" Horatio countered easily "I'm sure he'll take him under his wing, if only with the right push."

Speed made a face, watching the two chat casually back and forth. It seemed Eric got the boy to drop his eyes, a flush staining his cheeks, and this made the Cuban laugh heartily behind his hand.

Speed sighed, "...it kinda reminds me of how lonely I am."

"Oh, come now Tim" Horatio slipped on his shades "Next time we have a crime scene, you can pick out your very own patrol boy. I'll even let you keep him, if you're lucky like Eric."

24 – Hate

(Continued from Impossible)

"Your plan didn't work."

Stetler turned around, a smug Eric Delko standing behind him. He made a nasty face, still displeased at having his plans foiled. Horatio had maneuvered his way around him again, proving Eric's innocence and letting him off without a hitch.

"And I can see your reaping the benefits, already back at work" Stetler tisked "Horatio's far too lenient with his staff."

"He's a good man, you're the bad guy here" Eric pointed out.

"Just as naïve as your fuck toy" Stetler shook his head, seeming amused "There are no bad guys, Delko, it's all gray-"

"Don't give me that 'shades of gray' shit" Eric scowled "You can't take being upped-one on something, and...so you know, Horatio will always be a step ahead."

"That includes on you as well, Delko" Stetler wrinkled his nose, but his eyes caught something and his face smoothed out. Eric followed his gaze, anger flaring. Ryan was half-bent over the table in the Trace Lab, chatting away to the junior CSI who seemed to be running samples. Ryan laughed suddenly, smiling and lighting up his whole face. Stetler was almost drooling, eyes glued on the brunette's ass.

"Hey!" Eric barked, seizing a fistful of the man's collar and getting right in his eyes "Look at me, you scum. You ever touch Ryan again, I'll rip you off. You ever look at him like that, when I can see you, then I don't care who's watching-"

"Back off" Stetler pushed the Cuban away, narrowing his eyes "You may have snatched him up, Delko...but I've been watching Ryan since he was in patrol. I have no intention to stop my advances at him, even if he has become your whore-"

But Rick didn't get another word out, he couldn't speak past the fist in his face. Ryan saw this from across the hall, in his lab, and ran out when his boyfriend advanced to keep beating the hell out of the Internal Affairs officer.

"Eric, stop!" Ryan gripped the crook of his boyfriend's raised arm, pulling him back desperately and whispering into his ear "If you beat him up anymore, you'll get fired for sure. He'll take you down, Eric, he knows how. Just walk away and let Horatio threaten him, please. Whatever he said, it's not worth this."

Eric turned away from Stetler, seeing Horatio approaching quickly. He picked Rick up off the ground, barking at him to shut up and dragging him away to threaten him.

"He called you a whore" Eric muttered, being dragged away by his boyfriend.

"He can call me whatever the hell he pleases, but you're not going to fight him" Ryan's heart gave a jerk at the comment the IAO had made at him.

"Ryan" Eric stopped him, pulling him close to the corner and out of earshot of anyone else "If he ever touches you, or makes you uncomfortable at all...tell me, and I swear I'll kill him."

"Uh, no" Ryan glared half-heartedly, he couldn't be mad at Eric when he was being all protective and cute "I'll tell Horatio."

"Fine" Eric curled his fingers over the back of the brunette's neck, pulling him forward into a hot kiss. Ryan gasped, quickly obliging the kiss before pulling away and flushing brightly.

"Not at work" Ryan hissed, backing away out of his boyfriend's reach.

"It accomplished it's task" the Cuban winked at someone on his left, and the brunette followed his gaze to see Stetler glaring at them through the glass of another office (an abandoned one Horatio had dragged him into.)

"Eric, I swear!" Ryan through his hands up in defeat, making his retreat back to the Trace Lab.

25 – Wordless

Ryan gaped dumbly, like a fish out of water. He was frozen to his spot, his coat half-way on. He was in the middle of the locker room, getting ready to leave for the day, and Eric Delko was standing patiently before him. He was sure he was blushing, he could feel the heat in his cheeks.

"So?" Eric urged "What do you say? One date?"

"..."

"If you don't want to-"

"No! I do, really!" Ryan gushed "I just...yeah, De- er, Eric. That'd be...yeah."

Eric smiled easily, "Cool."

26 – Moment

Ryan opened his eyes suddenly, jerking a bit as he awoke from a dreamless sleep. He was curled up on his bed, head buried in his pillow and blankets pooled at his hips. The air-conditioner had kicked on, scaring him awake. He sighed, relaxing as he glanced at the clock and realized he had hours before he had to get up.

A warm arm wrapped around his waist, "Go back to sleep, babe."

"Mmm..." Ryan snuggled into his boyfriend, letting his eyes flutter shut as sleep-flushed skin pressed along his back. He let himself savor the moment, warm breath brushing the back of his neck and lazy fingers stroking along his naked stomach.

Before he knew it, he had slipped back into sleep.

27 – Time

"What time is it?" Eric asked Calleigh, eyes glued on the piece of glass he was trying to reconstruct.

"Uh...just turned three" she replied, looking up from her display of bullets to glance at the clock on wall "Why?"

"Time...for Ryan's antibiotics" Eric whipped out his cell phone, pushing the speed-dial three number and holding it to his ear. He slid a corner piece into place, which set in motion only two more pieces before the brunette picked up.

"Ry, it's time to take your medication" Eric sounded stern, there was a pause "Don't give me that 'I feel better crap', take it."

Calleigh's brow drew in confusion, why wouldn't Ryan take the assigned prescription for his eye?

"I'll send Alexx down there so fast your head'll spin" Eric's voice was a tad angry "If you don't take it, I'll shove it down your throat myself."

After another pause, "Thanks, that's all I ask love."

He hung up, slipping his phone back into his lab jacket before sliding the final piece of the glass panel into place and revealing a single print.

"Why won't he take his medicine?" Calleigh inquired.

Eric only flashed her a smile, "He's just stubborn."

28 – Picture

Eric didn't think much about how Horatio gave him Speed's wallet, slipping it to him after the funeral and telling him to keep it safe and away from anyone would steal Speedle's identity. He had never gone through it, he had never felt the urge.

Months after Speed was gone, and Ryan was the new man in his life, Eric was going through his drawers looking for any spare change for the laundry mat (his washing machine was broke beyond repair at that point.)

He came upon Speed's wallet, tucked safely in the bottom drawer of his dresser. He hesitated, biting his full lower lip, feeling guilty as he shook it softly. It rattled a little, there were some coins within it's folds.

"I'm sorry Speed" Eric whispered, opening it up tentatively. No bolt of lightening struck him down, no ghost floated up through the floors rattling chains, and the lights didn't go out. Thinking this was a good sign, the Cuban opened it wholly up and peering inside. There was a pocket for change, but his curiosity got the better of him. He flipped through the cards absently, mentally counting them out...

Bank card, library card, license, emergency credit card, Walden's Book Store, and...

There was a single picture inside, and it made Eric drop his jaw in surprise. It was a picture of Speed's bike, gleaming in the sun and newly shined. It seemed to be a joke shot, because there was a man in the picture holding up a bat and grinning like a lunatic. He seemed poised to strike it, but his smile was much too warm.

The man was Ryan.

"Hey, Eric, you got the change?" Ryan was lugging a basket of clothes, their shirts all mixed together "I think I found all the boxers, but there are probably some lurking under the sink or something."

"You told me you didn't know Speed" Eric stated, standing up straight and brandishing the wallet. Ryan turned a bit pink, swallowing hard as he eyed the worn brown leather.

"Where...where did you get Tim's wallet?" Ryan sounded a bit choked suddenly, the basket dropping to the floor "His mother said he was buried with it."

"H gave it to me, to take care of" Eric couldn't help but feel a little hurt "You're in his wallet, Ryan."

"I ought to be" the Cuban was surprised when his boyfriend shed two fat tears, streaming down his cheeks "I did know Tim Speedle...I knew him very well..."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Eric felt like a moron "All those times I complained about his death...I opened to you, about how I thought I missed a chance to be with him...how I hid my feelings and all that crap...why didn't you say anything?"

"It wouldn't of made a difference" Ryan tried to explain "It just would've made things awkward. You would have never accepted a date with me if you knew...God, Eric, he was half in love with you anyways..."

Eric struggled with words, "Have you been...comparing us this entire time?"

"That's not fair" Ryan's words were tinged with a bit of anger "I loved...love you both, you're too different...I can't compare you. Eric, I would've told if...if I hadn't of thought that you would leave me."

Eric broke down, advancing quickly on his boyfriend. Ryan tensed, clenching his eyes shut and hoping Eric hit him quickly and just left. But strong arms wrapped around him, pulling him in close and hugging him tight.

"Never" Eric muttered, kissing the single tears away "It doesn't matter, Ryan...we've got each other now, it doesn't matter."

29 – Day

Everyone thought the day shift was weird. No one could deny that, so no one tried. There was Calleigh Duquesne, with her southern bell appearance and sharp shooting abilities. Alexx Woods, a rather lovely woman who cooed over their DB's and could go through you like a hurricane. And then there was there boss himself, the aloof Lieutenant who had a kind and harsh word for almost everyone (he was a bit too eccentric to explain properly, they found out.)

But what made the women blush and giggle were the couples.

There was Hagen and Calleigh, an odd pairing to begin with. There was Marisol Delko and Horatio Caine, that was another that made them all talk.

And, of course, there was the fact that Ryan Wolfe and Eric Delko were dancing around each other. It made some of them frustrated, and it also pissed Calleigh off (she was the one they constantly asked.)

So when Ryan got wind that they were talking about him, he couldn't help approach Delko on the subject. That led to a coffee date, then dinner at Ryan's apartment, then drunken sex, then a few more slow dates, then some rather amazing sex...

Musing back on it now, Eric wondered if he should send the night shift a muffin basket.

30 – Memory

Ryan traced the line of his lower lip with the tips of his fingers, sighing softly once more. He slid to the floor, back pressed to his desk. It had been almost ten full minutes since Eric Delko had grabbed him and kissed him hard, whispering that he swore he'd be back at the end of the day.

Their highly-homicidal-trigger-happy perp had been spotted on the streets, and Horatio had taken Eric and a team with him to the spot. Ryan was to be left here, and when he tried to protest his boss quietly reminded him about the last time a large man with a gun got in his face. How he had frozen, put his and another man's life in danger.

"Eric..." Ryan murmured, eyes clenched shut. His lips were no longer kiss-swollen, the flush of crimson gone from them.

He hoped that wasn't the last memory he had of his lover.

31 – Random

"Bird flu on a cruise..." Calleigh muttered, walking with Horatio, Frank, and Alexx down the hall to the elevators at the end of the day "Misdialed calls, Horatio getting married to Eric's sister...I really don't know if anything weirder and/or more random could happen this month."

"It's been an insane coupla' weeks" Alexx sighed, rubbing her temple absently.

"Nothin' could shock me at this point" Frank stated.

Horatio pushed the button to the elevator with a secret smile, "I wouldn't speak just yet, Frank. There's still some daylight to burn."

After a pause, the silver-stained doors opened and revealed that Frank was indeed wrong.

Eric had Ryan pinned against the side of the elevator, one hand tangled in brunette hair with the other groping his ass through his dress pants. Ryan was responding desperately, kneading at the Cuban's mouth and blunt nails digging into his shoulder. They were pressed impossibly close together, and one of them let out a loud porn-moan.

Everyone was quite silent and shocked.

Except for Frank, "...the hell?!"

Eric and Ryan pulled away, eyes wide and frightened as hands went back to themselves. They were both a bit dishelved, the back of Ryan's hair was sticking up where dark fingers had raked through it. Their clothes were rumpled, and Wolfe tried to fix his jacket a bit. They were panting, obviously much more familiar with one another than everyone had thought.

"But I thought he annoyed you?" Calleigh gave Eric a look, arms crossed.

" 'He puts himself on a pedestal', huh?" Alexx rose a brow, hips cocked and fists resting there.

"Well..." Ryan's cheeks flushed "He came down for a bit."

"Uh..." Eric reached a new level of red for his skin tone "He grew on me."

"Gentlemen" Horatio stepped into the elevator, putting himself between his CSI's "How have your day's been?"

"Fine" they both looked down at their shoes, the others pouring in.

Calleigh snickered, "Everyone going down?"

32 – Smell

After a hard day, Eric was achy and he still had a slight vertigo from diving so deep for so long. He had managed a quick shower at work before he left, but he still felt a bit grimy on the inside. His stomach was growling violently, shaking him from his hair to his toes. The smell that assaulted him when he stepped into his apartment was heavenly, warm and sweet and tangy.

Eric drooled, walking with his nose up in the air all the way to the kitchen. He was inhaling so hard he was briefly afraid that he would pass out from over-oxidation. He found his boyfriend working around the stove, stark white apron around his waist and wife-beater already stained with a bright red sauce. Thankfully, it had been Ryan's day off, so Eric didn't have to suffer by watching his boyfriend suffer alongside him. He had merely called ahead, gave Ryan a brief rundown what had happened, then quickly informed the OCD CSI that the case stopped short of being so bad that Ryan would have to be called in.

But this...this was more than Eric could have hoped for. Ryan's hips were keeping a beat that issued from his headphones, bits and pieces of lyrics being uttered from pink lips. He remained oblivious that he was being watched, he just kept cooking.

Eric approached the brunette from behind, circling his arms lazily around his middle. Ryan froze, then glanced down and saw the tanned skin of his Cuban lover. He smiled, letting his headphones fall down around his neck and letting his iPod belt out more FOB.

To hands between legs, to "whatever it takes"

To drinks at the club to the bar

To the keys to your car

To hotel stairs to the emergency exit door

"Hey" Ryan let the other CSI lean all his weight into him, flushing a bit at being caught dancing and trying to sing "Tired?"

"More hungry" Eric managed to place a few lazy kisses on his lover's neck "What are you making?"

"Nothing special" Ryan shrugged, stirring one pot before flipping some fried-bread looking things over in a skillet "Spring rolls, spicy-sweet beans and noodles. Just everything I can cook into one."

"Mm, sounds nummy" the Russian-Cuban mumbled, almost falling asleep there against the slighter man.

"Grab yourself a beer, babe, it'll be done in just a minute" Ryan swore, turning down the heat when he knew the dark haired man was drifting off "Never mind, come on."

"I wanna eat first" Eric grumbled, but let his boyfriend half-carry him to the couch.

"Nap, Eric, it'll be completely done when you wake up" Ryan promised, laying the man out along the length of couch and making him as comfortable as possible. Eric moaned, so glad to be laying down and not moving for once since the morning. Ryan smiled, placing a chaste kiss on a tan forehead before returning to the kitchen.

Eric fell asleep easily, dreaming of Ryan and spring rolls.

33 – Lost

"Come on, Ryan!" Eric shouted, desperately pulling on his shoes and running at the door at the same time. Their kits were ready, set precariously right in front of the door (so as not to run off without them.) "Fuck...we're so late..."

"I can't find my sock!"

Eric stopped dead in tracks, gaping at nothing and mouthing the words his lover had just shouted from the bedroom.

"Uh, Ry, we've got ten minutes and counting" Eric glanced at the clock, trying to fit his foot in his other shoe without touching it with his hands "If I put on the siren, then maybe we'll make it."

There were sounds of shuffling, muffled curses.

"Find it later!" Eric barked, watching his boyfriend dart from the bedroom fully dressed and into the bathroom. His commanding tone turned into a whine, eyes locked on the clock and begging it to go slower "Please, Ryan...just let it go, please?"

Eric was bouncing on the balls of his feet impatiently when the brunette gasped.

"Ready now?"

"Uh..." Ryan came out of the bathroom, clutching a wet sock with his cheeks dyed a deep rose "Did you see the shower...?"

"Not since we left it for the bed" the Cuban took a moment to leer "Why?"

"There's...stuff, everywhere" Ryan gestured grandly "Like...oh man, do we have time to clean it?"

Eric released a growl, seizing his boyfriend by the collar and dragging him out the door.

They were halfway to a crime scene hours later when they realized they left their kits behind.

34 – Friend

"So I was thinking..." Speed leaned against the cop car, the cute patrol officer (Ryan Wolfe, he had found out) was taking notes on the scene "We should date."

Ryan took in a deep breath, ready to reply, but then deflated.

"...you're that Trace Lab guy, aren't you?" Ryan held up pen thoughtfully "Speedle, right?"

"Yeah" Speed grinned, putting his sunglasses up on his head to stare at the brunette full on "I saw you around...at crime scenes and all that. You seem really smart and all...I would really like to get to know you."

"That's so sweet" Ryan forced a tight smile "But uh...I'm sorry, I don't think we'd work out."

Truthfully the brunette had seen Tim Speedle growl and bark and be an overall broody bastard (too much like Angel from BTVS for his taste.)

"Oh man, I'm sorry" Speed straightened a bit, scruffy cheeks flushing a dark fuchsia "Don't swing that way, huh?"

"Oh no, I swing" Ryan cocked his hips a bit, smiling coyly "I plan the whole damn game. I just think...we're too different."

Speed's ego deflated, "...oh."

"But, Speedle, you could help me" Ryan bit his lip, tilting his pen to the right "Can you introduce me to your cute friend?"

Speed looked over, Eric was snapping pictures of the blood trail that led across the street. The Trace expert saw how wistfully Ryan gazed at him, a certain longing in his eyes like the looks school girls gave college boys.

Speed thought about it for only a moment, "...yeah, sure, why not."

35 – Shadow

"That's a pronounced five-o-clock shadow, Eric" Calleigh pointed out, they were going over every inch of a car together "Doesn't it bug Ryan? I mean, the beard-burn alone would give you guys away..."

Eric grinned secretly, "Where I kiss him, you can't see the burn."

Calleigh turned a bright pink, ducking behind the seat of the car to check underneath it for any evidence she might have missed.

36 – Hug

Ryan was pretty over-sensitive, his skin...at least. Not emotionally, of course, he was a man after all underneath his liking-other-guys thing. But he was young, so when someone brushed his skin it kinda...jolted him a bit.

When Eric Delko clasped his hand, telling him what a good job he had done, Ryan turned a whole new shade of red. He knew he had fallen pretty hard for Eric, but if simply touching his hand made his face burn...

He shuttered, afraid a hug would kill him.

37 – Secret

"You like Delko!?"

"Shhh!" Ryan turned bright red, waving his hands in front of Ericka's face to try and silence her. She put a hand over her mouth, looking around quickly before gaping at him. "You don't have to announce it to the world."

"Delko?" she whined "Is that why you won't take me to dinner? You're in some weird, big, gay love with Delko?"

"Yes, ok" Ryan hissed, exasperated "Now stop asking me in front of him, alright?"

"You think you'd want me to ask more often, to help keep your secret" Ericka was a bit put out, leaning hard on the railing outside the Crime Unit building "Why?"

"What?" Ryan's brow creased.

"Why would you want Mr. Panty-Peeler over me?" she really seemed upset "I'm pretty, just as pretty as him. I bet if I get my lips done, they can look just as good as his."

"...ok, one: Eric's never had lip-work" Ryan sighed, a bit put out himself "And two: Can't you see what I see in him? He's loving, he's perfect. And...well, he's built like a freakin' tree. Well...a Cuban tree."

Ericka tried to smile, "You mean a palm tree?"

They both shared a quiet chuckle, unaware dark eyes were watching them from a window high above their heads.

"Ericka...you won't tell him, will you?" Ryan bit his lip nervously.

The blonde woman smiled sympathetically and hugged him, "No, Ryan, I won't."

"Thanks" he hugged her back briefly, then they stepped away from one another.

Ericka forced her usual smirk, "I'll be seeing you around, Wolfe."

Ryan grinned back, "No comment, Sikes."

38 – Three

(Continuance of Secret)

Ryan was pretty sure no one had caught what he had told Ericka, so when he finally reached the Trace Lab he breathed a sigh of relief.

"What were you doing with her?"

Ryan turned, Delko was charging full at him (walking fast, really.) He was full of anger, dark eyes practically embers and lips pressed into a thin line.

Ryan's cheeks bloomed a rosy color at being caught, "Eric?"

"You were leaking to her again, weren't you?" Eric barked, obviously irate

"No" the brunette shook his head.

"Damn it, Ryan, quit lying to me" Eric held up three fingers "You've got to the count of three Ryan to tell me what the hell you thought you were doing."

"Eric, I didn't-"

"One..."

Ryan took a breath, as if to confess everything, but no sound came out.

"...two..."

Ryan merely lowered his head, his stomach twisting on itself.

"...three. Damn it, Ryan" the Cuban hung his head briefly, then looked back up with righteous rage "You know I can't trust you anymore, right?"

Ryan could only nod.

"Why do you keep lying to me?" Eric asked, sounding a bit hurt "We're partners, we shouldn't have to do this."

The brunette nodded once more, looking up at the taller man silently.

"I saw you talking to her" Eric stated, arms crossed as he tried to restrain himself from hitting the brunette "I thought Horatio explained this to you, leaking is only going to make us look worse. Do you know how many people are gunning for our department?!"

Ryan stood there and took the verbal abuse. Yes, Horatio had talked to him, and he had seen what he had done wrong. But it was better if Eric thought he was leaking rather than know about his weird, gay love for him. He'd rather be a rat than a pathetic school girl trailing after the hot senior, drooling and letting his heart bleed on his shoes.

"...I'm sorry" Ryan shrugged, choking on his heavy heart "I guess I'm just a natural born snitch. I can't help it."

"Of course you can" Eric looked so disgusted, so revolted "God Ryan, I don't know if I can work with you if you're going to go off and leak on every case. You're making us all look bad, and you make me look worse for trusting you. I'm going to request to Horatio that we not work together anymore."

Ryan's heart broke deep in his chest, "Yeah...maybe it's better if you do."

39 – Ache

(Continuance of Three)

Ryan had taken a day off, his cell phone laying broken about three feet away. Horatio had tried to call him in, but his pager was being buried in the sand by the oncoming waves. The brunette had hidden himself away on an abandoned patch of white-sand-beach, arms crossed over his drawn-up legs and chin resting on his knees.

Coffee-colored eyes stared out at the illuminated sea, watching the water bounce and dance off each wave. The water had disabled his pager about ten minutes ago, a black square sticking up from ivory grain.

Ryan didn't wish to be bothered.

His heart was sick, beating like a heavy block of lead in his chest. His stomach was writhing, churning, he hadn't eaten since Eric had requested to never work with him again. And Ryan hadn't stopped him, had merely nodded when Horatio asked if it was what he wanted too. He would never stand in the way of what Eric thought made him happy, between Marisol and his money...Eric needed every bit of happiness he could get.

"If being away from me makes him happy...so be it" Ryan murmured, pulling his legs in tighter. His feet were bare, the hot-cool surface of the sand comforting to his numb body. He wore a simple wife-beater, it was worn through along his stomach to show bits of skin. His jeans were a little holey as well, revealing the childhood scars on his knees and the faded-cut marks on his thighs from when he was a teen.

His eyes were dry, he couldn't cry more if he tried.

The wind wasn't cruel, though. It ruffled his hair like a concerned friend, the coolness flushing his cheeks pleasantly, and let bits of sand dance over the pale planes of his feet. Ryan wasn't sure he wanted to leave, it was so peaceful here...no Eric, no worries...only his heartache and the sea...

"Mr. Wolfe, what do you think you're doing?"

Ryan tensed all over, eyes going wide. He buried his face in his knees, praying silently that Horatio would just go away and leave him to lick his wounds. Or maybe it was all a dream, a hallucination, his guilty mind playing tricks.

But the body who sat down beside him wasn't an illusion.

"Ryan...are you going to tell me what you're doing?"

Ryan bit his lip, hesitantly peering out from behind his arms to stare into the warm face of his boss. His shades were around his neck, piercing cerulean eyes softened and laying on him with a certain affection. The same wind that brushed his hair like a best friend was also ruffling Horatio's red tresses, making him look so much less fierce than he usually was.

"Horatio, boss..." the brunette choked, his throat tight.

Horatio looked around at the broken pieces of technology, "I assume you wanted to be alone, Ryan?"

Ryan nodded slowly.

"Does this have anything to do with Eric's request to not work directly with you?" Horatio's voice was gentle, that calm liquid-warmth that settled some of the younger man's nerves.

"Yes" Ryan's voice was a bit steadier "He...thinks I leaked to Ericka Sikes again."

A red brow rose, "And? Did you?"

"No" liquid topaz eyes stared up at Horatio pleadingly, trying to get the truth across "I-I would never do that again. But I'd rather Eric think that than know the truth."

Horatio scooted closer, "You'd rather he think you're a rat than let him know that you love him very much?"

Ryan couldn't deny it, "He deserves better, H."

"No, Ryan...I think a dose of you would do him some good" the red head replied honestly, staring out at the ocean "I've been around Eric for quite some time, and I must say...he's gone through a number of women. He's had some men, Ryan, but none of them have stuck around as long as you have."

"I don't think I count, H" Ryan replied honestly, despairingly.

"That's where you are wrong, Ryan" Horatio looked back, smiling that small smile he has "I believe you count...much more than you realize."

He chewed his lower lip, "If I told him the truth...do you think he'd be angry?"

"No, Ryan, I don't believe he would" Horatio reached out, letting his hand rest on the brunette's shoulder "You see, there aren't enough people in this world who care about Eric Delko. I believe he could use as many as he can get."

"...I'm sorry I didn't come in today" the CSI ducked his head "I didn't think my heart could take it, Eric being so angry with me and all."

"I think it's high time you and Eric sort this out" Horatio was a comforting weight on his shoulders "You work very well together...I have no reason to think you couldn't work as a relationship. I believe you'd work better than most, actually."

"Thanks, H" Ryan sniffled pathetically, being pulled until he could bury his face into the red head's shoulder. Protocol and personal space suddenly didn't matter, because Horatio was there and he was making everything make sense...like always.

The brunette cried into the shoulder of his bosses jacket, letting himself be comforted.

"It'll be better tomorrow, Ryan."

"God..." Ryan sobbed quietly, forehead pressed hard into solid muscle "I hope so, H."

"It will, I promise...it will."

40 – Hands

(Continuance of Ache)

Eric scowled, glancing up from his coffee to see Ericka Sikes of all people coming straight at him. It wasn't that he hated the woman in particular, he had technically never met her before, but she did piss him off to no end. Not only was she the source Ryan leaked to...but she stole Ryan's attention in a way he could never hope to.

As she approached, Eric mentally compared himself to her. He straightened up a bit, eyes roaming over her. He definitely had prettier lips than her, that made him smile, and maybe his teeth were better to. She...might've had better hair, but only because it was long and she could do a lot of different things with it. From a man to a woman, he was pretty sure his body was better. He was sculpted and cut in all the right places, and she had...breasts and such all over her.

So on the whole, he had no idea what Ryan saw in her.

"Miss. Sikes" Eric tried to sound polite, but his lips twisted in a sneer "So good to see you so soon after a leak."

"Buddy, where do you get off?" she growled, hips cocked and fists resting on them.

Eric gaped, "Excuse me?"

"Poor Ryan...what the hell did you do to him?" Ericka snapped "You kick him like a dog, then tell your boss you don't want to work with him anymore?"

"I don't know where you get your information, lady" Eric scoffed "Oh wait, I do. Ryan's a leak, I can't put my trust in a weasel that'll go off every time-"

A solid slap to his cheek shut him up, a solid crimson blemish blooming slowly on his cheek. Eric looked back at her in surprise, she was a bit flushed herself.

"Sorry" Ericka snapped curtly, shock in her eyes and her fingers trembling "But...Delko, he's madly in love with you, and I can't let you treat him this way."

"Ryan...loves me?" Eric's face contorted in confusion.

"Yes" she sighed in exasperation "That's what he was telling me. He was turning me down because he loved you, and didn't feel right stringing me along. Are you happy? Now you've turned Ryan away, and he's upset and isolated, and I can't get ahold of him."

Concern softened his dark eyes, "Is he alright?"

"I don't know" she waved her hands in a gesture that screamed 'he's an idiot, I give up' "But I hear Lieutenant Caine is out looking for him, maybe even found him."

Eric turned to leave, but turned back after a moment.

"Uh...thanks" he made a face.

"You better not hurt Ryan, he's a sweet kid" she made a face back "A little technical and callous sometimes, but in the undertone he's sweet."

Eric only flashed her a faint smile, then turned to try and find his partner.

41 – Weird

(Continuance of Hands)

Horatio locked the door on his way out of the lab, "Have fun."

Eric and Ryan both looked after their boss, being locked in the Trace Lab until they made up. They were both feeling a little awkward, shifting from one foot to the other and glancing up now and then. They must have stood there for a full ten minutes before Eric tried to speak up, but a hoarse sound came out.

He cleared his throat and tried again, "So...you ran away to the beach?"

"A piece of one" Ryan turned a bit pink "Horatio found me easily enough."

"There's a tracking device in the hummers" Eric smiled a bit.

The brunette scoffed, "I should have known."

They stayed quiet for quite some time after that, hearts pounding nervously.

Eric bit his lip, "Ericka told me you were madly in love with me."

"Yeah" teary topaz eyes gazed up at him, smiling a bit "That's me. Pining for you with the weird, gay love. Sorry about that, by the way."

"No, don't be sorry, it's cool" Eric assured him, and as Wolfe was trying to get over his shock he continued "So...coffee? With me? As in, coffee not from the break room?"

Ryan broke out into a happy smile, "Yeah...of course!"

42 – Colors

Ryan spotted the young girl in the lobby, the one the other officers had been talking about. She couldn't have been more than eight or nine, and the cutest thing Ryan had ever seen. She had long red hair, braided into two separate pigtails and the most adorable sprinkling of freckles along the bridge of her nose. Her eyes were a clear green, and she seemed to be carrying the weight of the world on her sundress-ed shoulders.

She was sitting at a table that they used for children who's parents were being interrogated, but this little girl's parents had just died. She hadn't cried, it looked that way at least. Her eyes weren't puffy, and she was simply coloring on some blank papers.

Ryan couldn't help it, he was a sucker for a young child all alone in the world. He approached her cautiously, and when her eyes shot up and glared he flashed his badge.

"Hey, sweetie, my name's Ryan Wolfe" he assured her softly, approaching slowly like she was a wild horse rather than a small child "I heard the other officers left you by yourself, I wanted to check up on you."

"Mr. Horatio said he would check up on me" she cocked her head to the side, peering up into her face "I saw you earlier with that pretty-eyed man."

"Eric" Ryan smiled fondly "Yeah...we're really good friends."

"You should get married" she smiled at him for the first time since she arrived "Like my daddies were. You guys would have pretty kids."

Ryan flushed right up to his hairline as he sat beside her, "You had two daddies?"

"Yeah" she smiled fondly "We used to live in California, it's legal there...we were so happy...I miss it."

"Do you have any other relatives there?" Ryan watched her color the sun with a bright yellow.

"Yeah...my daddy's aunt, she gave up her eggs to my father" one fat tear rolled down her freckled cheek "So we were all related, no matter what the law says."

"It sounds like your daddy and father fought hard to get you" he smiled at her when she looked up "Has anyone told you what happened?"

"My daddy was shot, my father died trying to defend me" she gave a small sigh "Nothing's ever going to be the same."

"I won't lie to you" Ryan replied truthfully, handing her an orange "But they'll always be with you in your heart, and in a way it'll be the same. They'll still love you, and I'm sure your aunt will love to have you around."

"She'll be sad" the girl made a face.

Ryan tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, "When bad things happen to good people...it makes them stronger."

"Father always said I needed to toughen up" she gave a weak giggle "He told me that since I'd have two daddies, I would have to make a shield to make bad people bounce off me."

"Yeah, that's kinda how it goes" Ryan nodded, fiddling with a purple crayon "People can be mean, call them horrible names...but your dads were good people, no matter what."

"Exactly!" she smiled completely, showing her growing teeth "You get it!"

"Only because me and Eric..." he leaned closer, as did she, as though they were sharing a big secret (not that it wasn't known everywhere) "We're in love."

"Oh!" she went all teary-eyed, clapping "Like fairytale, everlasting-apple love?"

"Yeah, a bit like that" Ryan chuckled at her words "We fight and stuff, but at the end of the day we really love each other."

"My dads used to fight to, but daddy always made this face...like a pout" she tried it out, her small lips working into a puppy-pout "And then father would give in."

"Oh yeah, the eyes and the pout, makes them give in every time" Ryan assured her, then realized he didn't know this girl's name "What's your name, sweetie?"

"...Pandora."

Ryan wasn't surprised at all, "Well, Pandora, would you like to get out of here real quick and grab some sweets from the gas station across the street?"

Pandora perked up at this, jumping up and smiling brightly.

"Can we get sugar-daddies?"

Ryan almost peed himself he laughed so hard.

43 – Wrong

Calleigh was there with Ryan when Eric lost his badge, when the Cuban had went off to collect fingerprints off a building in hopes of finding the girl he had casually fucked against the night before.

Calleigh saw the pain in Ryan's eyes when he found out the reason Eric had lost his badge, the way his fingers had tightened around a beaker and his eyes had suddenly gone wide. She knew then why the brunette had tried to desperately to make a friendship with Eric, why he had kept fumbling up...he had a crush on Eric.

"Just because he's making some wrong decisions, Ryan-"

"No, Calleigh, just...don't" Ryan turned to her, flushed with anger or repressed tears she couldn't tell "It doesn't matter, and don't ever tell him."

But Alexx was the one there when he finally broke down, sitting on the floor of the morgue with Ryan's head in her lap and stroking his hair as he shook with tears.

"That bastard, why is he doing this?" even broke down and crying, Ryan was still strong and callous "I told him, Alexx...I told him that I could be there for him. And...and he went off and fucked some girl again..."

Alexx could only shake her head, "Sh-sh."

Ryan's voice finally broke, "What am I doing wrong?"

"Nothing, baby" Alexx glared at Eric when he appeared at the door, thankfully the brunette couldn't see him with his head buried in her pants leg "Eric is just empty headed sometimes, that's all. Sometimes...he just doesn't care who he hurts."

Ryan nodded absently, Eric's eyes showed hurt when he left.

Alexx sent a silent prayer to whoever that Eric would see reason and that Ryan would find some calm, they all sure as hell could do with some new love in the unit.

44 – Selfish

Eric Delko was sulking, he was leaning over a table with his fist under his chin and absolutely sulking. He gave a sigh out through his nose, teeth grit tight, shifting his weight from one foot to the next.

"Eric."

The Cuban didn't move from his spot, merely sunk deeper onto the table.

"Eric, you are going to have to learn to share him" Horatio leant next to him, speaking softly "If you continue to brood like this, to be selfish, then we will end up having enemies all the way from patrol to the DA."

Eric grunted, eyes never leaving the scene before him. Ryan was half-surrounded by some of his fellow patrol, all men, and then a handsome tech from the night shift. The brunette was seated on a high table, laughing with the rest and gesturing a bit. They had been going on like that for about ten minutes, all the men's eyes glued straight on Ryan with unwavering attention.

The brunette said something with mischievous intent, the tech flushed hard

"He's mine, H" Eric growled "I shouldn't have to share him."

"Okay" Horatio replied slowly, slipping on his shades "What if I go break it up right now? Then will you return to work?"

Eric nodded in return, trying to suppress his scowl.

45 – Anger

Eric sat down across from their new suspect, Ryan was standing beside the table spreading out the evidence to show a poor young man who had been strangled with what looked like the thread-y, yellow rope that was used to hold up tire swings to trees.

The suspect in question obviously wasn't the perp, but he just-as-obviously knew who was. He was gazing down at his nails, looking quiet bored. He was a rather tall, handsome man with bright green eyes and perfectly gelled straw-colored hair.

"This type of rope was found in your apartment, John" Eric was the one speaking, but Ryan pushed the picture towards the blonde. John looked up briefly, ignoring the picture and gazing straight at the brunette.

"What's a pretty boy like you doing working in a Crime Unit?" John smiled brightly at Ryan, leaning in and suddenly very interested "You could be out partying with the best, or...at the very least, peddling your ass out a week for what you make here in months."

"I'm doing my job" Ryan narrowed his eyes, and acutely aware of Eric glancing at his denim-clad ass "What were you doing with this rope?"

John turned his eyes away, "Ho-hum..."

"You know what we found embedded in the bottom of your shoe, John?" Eric slid out another picture of a shell-casing "It puts you at the crime scene, the very least."

The blonde turned his head, eyes seeming to stare at something past Ryan.

"I didn't kill that pretty boy" John pouted at nothing "Doesn't mean he didn't deserve it..."

"No one deserves it" Eric's anger and impatience were welling up, slamming his hand on the table (making Ryan jump) but getting green eyes to lock on him "Hey, John...pay attention when I'm talking to you!"

"I'm sorry" John grinned impishly, eyeing the brunette again "I just can't concentrate when I have something so pretty in front of me...how do you get all that delicious ass inside those jeans?"

Ryan's jaw dropped, face burning a fierce scarlet.

Eric almost jumped over the table, seizing their suspect by his collar and holding him tight to the point where he couldn't breath. John gasped desperately, clawing at the officer's hands like a cat.

"You better tell him the name" Ryan stated smartly, sounding a bit exasperated.

"R-Roger...Roger Coleman!" John gasped, and almost immediately he was thrown back. He landed hard into his chair, landing flat on the floor with the breath knocked out of him. Both CSI's were glaring down at him, but once he caught his breath he was grinning again.

"So...does that mean I get a chance with Officer Wolfe?"

"An officer will take your statement outside" Eric snarled, pulling the blonde up to his feet by his collar again and physically tossing him out of the room "Then get the hell out!"

When he turned back, Ryan was sitting on the table and repressing giggles.

Eric deflated, "What?"

"Oh Eric..." Ryan began to gather the photos back up "You honestly don't know how cute you get when you're angry."

46 – Indirect Kiss

Their first kiss ever was a complete disaster, and it happened weeks before they actually got together.

Eric had been running one way, and Ryan was trying to run to Horatio with new information. Eric's eyes were over his shoulder, making sure the loading guys were being careful with his diving gear. Ryan's eyes had been locked on the ground, maneuvering his way through the rough terrain of the swampy area.

And it hadn't helped that they had been running along a hill, one that eventually rolled into the water (where Delko would be diving in later for the gun of their case.)

Horatio had shouted at them to be careful, that for them to slow down, but neither noticed in time. They certainly didn't look up until the last moment, when Eric's foot had caught on a snarled bit of weed and he had knocked his whole girth into the younger CSI.

Ryan had gone down easy, clutching onto the solid force that had hit him. Together, a tangle of arms and legs, they had rolled yelling and cursing down the hill. One on top of the other, round and round until they both equal parts of nauseous and dizzy.

When they had finally stopped, Eric's weight was all bared down onto the brunette and pressing him down into the unstable earth. Water seeped into his jacket, staining their jeans and arms. But none of that mattered...

Their mouths were crushed together, lips locking with lips. Two sets of dark eyes went quite wide, pulling away briefly. But that didn't help, they were too close, every exhale was pulled into the other and vice-versa.

Looking back, they both blamed it on the stress of the day. That's why they dove back in for more, Eric's eyes fluttering shut as their lips met once more with vigor. But Ryan had kept his eyes half-open, observing as he was kissed so thoroughly by his male college.

He had realized Delko was very, very...pretty.

This had set Ryan's face on fire, and they both pulled away in shock and horror. Of course, when Eric had pushed off him it had only sent something very sharp into his back.

Alexx had ended up treating him for bruised ribs, Eric had felt so horrible afterwards that he had offered him a ride to the hospital. Horatio hadn't been surprised, he merely stood nearby and smiled his secret smile and hid behind his shades.

That day had started their friendship...which eventually led to more.

47 – Oops!

If you look back on the events, it really had all been Eric's fault. He was the one who hadn't been looking, and Ryan had been much too wrapped up in his coffee to really look ahead of him. They had collided full force, searing hot coffee spilling over them. Eric's file, thankfully clean and dry, had dropped to the ground.

"Oops!" was the first stupid word out of Ryan's mouth, then he dropped to the ground and started picking up the other man's file "I'm so sorry, that was so stupid. I wasn't looking, and my mind was somewhere else completely. Oh man, really-"

"Hey, calm down" Eric remained calm, ignoring the burn he knew he would have on his stomach later to kneel down with the cute patrol cop "You're Wolfe, aren't you? Good work today, at the crime scene."

"Thanks" Ryan looked up, flushed a bit "And you're Eric...erm, Delko, right?"

"Yeah" the Cuban accepted the file, pulling a towel for them both out of his kit "Here you are."

"Thanks" Ryan couldn't meet the man's eyes, berating himself for making such an awful first impression "You're boss, Lieutenant Caine, seemed to think I did well today...he just hired me for the open CSI position."

Eric was torn between his want to work closer to the cute brunette and the fact that Horatio had already hired him to replace Speed, "...oh...well, you deserve it."

"Thanks" Ryan repeated, seeing the upset expression in the Cuban's eyes "I really should go, I have to get ready and everything."

Eric nodded, taking his file and kit and leaving first. Ryan looked after him wistfully, then threw away his empty coffee cup.

What an awful first impression...that blew his chances of getting Delko to like him right out of the water.

Ryan muttered to himself as he went to his new locker, "Smooth one, dumbass."

48 – Inches Apart

Ryan stared shamelessly at Eric and that stupid bottle-blonde, laughing stupidly and flirting right in front of everyone. It was nothing new, and the brunette couldn't be bothered by it as much as he used to. She leaned in, an inch or two away from pressing right up against him and humping like dog in heat.

Hot breath touched his ear, "Mr. Wolfe..."

Ryan jumped in his seat, blushing when he realized he was so caught. Horatio moved so he was standing beside him, but the brunette didn't move from his chair. His feet were propped up on the coffee table, hands folded on his stomach, relaxing slowly.

"You don't seem as upset as you used to be with Eric flirting" Horatio pointed out casually, messing with the line of his sunglasses "Has your undying love for him already fizzled out?"

Ryan gave his boss a smile, "No, sorry boss."

"Then are you planning on telling me why you look so serene?" the red head rose a brow at his younger CSI, intrigued.

Ryan shrugged, "Every girl wants him, salivates all over him. I've decided to just stand back and let it flow, but I flirt when I can. I'm not the kind of boy who gives up so easily, H, I just have to wait."

"Until...?"

Ryan sighed a bit, "Until it's my turn."

49 – ...what!?

"Hey, Marisol" Eric smiled, stepping out of the elevator to see his sister standing there.

"Eric" she forced a smile, though obviously surprised he was there.

"We didn't have a lunch today, did we?" he bit his lip, worried he had missed something as important as time with his precious sister.

"No, not today" she tried to be flippant, off-handed, but she only looked guilty "I...you talked so much about that Ryan, I just wanted to meet him."

"Ryan?" Eric cocked his head a bit, he had only told Marisol about how he was trying to work up the nerve to ask Ryan on a date. After all, he had been a bit rude to him when he was first hired, but he had developed feelings for him after the nail-incident.

"Yeah" she reached out, touching his shoulder "To put in a good word for you, and all."

"Mari, I can get my own date" Eric rolled his eyes playfully, but shrugged "He's over there, in the evidence locker."

She looked over and smiled much more brightly, "Thanks, hermano, I'll see you later."

Marisol almost sashayed over to Ryan, she had taken a few extra hits today to make sure she was ready for this. The brunette looked up from the hat he had taken out of an evidence bag, smiling at her when she approached.

"Marisol Delko, right?" he put down the blood-spattered hat, she stopped right beside him with a nod "I'm Ryan Wolfe, it's good to finally meet you properly."

"Oh, I know who you are" Marisol put a hand on his arm "My brother's told me so much about you. He goes on and on about how smart you are, how you can anticipate a perp's next move. Second only to Horatio..."

"Eric said that?" Ryan bit his lip to try and suppress his smile, a dusting of pink working it's way over his cheeks and the bridge of his nose "No, I miss stuff sometimes. I just take pictures, do all the Trace stuff. I get lucky sometimes, that's all."

"As cute as you are" she moved a bit closer "I'm sure you get lucky all the time."

"Well I..." he trailed off, his smile fading "What?"

"Ryan, you know a lot about me, so there's no awkward moment when I reveal how sick I am" Marisol gave a cute pout, lips shining "I've been looking for someone familiar, someone who I can have fun with..."

"Marisol, you're not asking me-"

"Come on, Ryan" she moved straight into his personal space, running a hand down his arm "Just one date...I'll make it worth your while-"

"Stop!" he almost shouted, panicking a bit as his mind chanted over and over 'I need an adult, I need an adult' "Marisol, quit it. I don't even know you, and you have no idea...apparently, who I am."

"Of course I do" she made a face "Eric won't shut up about you."

"Just...no, ok?" Ryan held up his hands, slowly backing away towards the door "You're a gorgeous girl, you're in a lot of pain, but I'm just not the right guy for you. Have you tried Horatio? I'm sure he's straight...ok, gotta go, bye!"

Ryan all but sprinted away from the evidence locker, running all the way back to the Trace Lab. He was a bit out of breath, darting inside and snatching his coat up.

"Crazy frickin' Cuban-Russian women..." Ryan muttered as he buttoned up his coat with shaky fingers, nerves rattled "Straight women, always hitting on me...crazy frickin' people, I swear up and down I'm going to get a neon-light that flashes 'Hands off, completely ga-' "

"Hey Wolfe."

Ryan's eyes went wide, looking up to see Eric working on the blood samples that had been taken out of their victims air.

"Oh...hey" he smiled.

"I saw you talkin' to my sister" Eric's heart sped up a bit at the thought of Marisol trying to put in a 'good word' for him "What'd she have to say?"

"Oh, she was nice" Ryan said nervously, afraid what Eric would do if he told the truth. But he knew he couldn't keep it secret for very long, he was a terrible liar. "We talked about you a bit...she seemed to be painless, seemed happy. And, uh, she asked me out on a date."

"What?!" the beaker in Eric's hand shattered, but past his rubber gloves he didn't care. His wide, dark eyes were locked on Ryan and they were filling with disbelief and a lot of anger...or was that betrayal?

"Eric, I'm so sorry" Ryan babbled, shaking his head faintly "I didn't provoke her or anything, she just asked me...I-I totally turned her down. She's a nice girl and everything, but she's not my type. I would never go out with her...not that she's not attractive, cause she's lovely girl, really she is. Not that I ever thought about her or anything, not in that way-"

"Wolfe, shut up" Eric barked, causing the brunette to shut up immediately. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then softened his voice "Ryan...my big sister just asked you out on a date...with her?"

Ryan nodded slowly.

"She was supposed to get in a good word for me!" Eric scoffed, shaking his head "Why would she do that? That's so...underhanded, and mean."

"...you want a date with me?" Ryan's eyes widened, heart leaping "Eric, I-"

"Hold on" Eric held up a finger, then shed his lab coat and walked out of the lab with a determined look on her face "I have to go figure out why she did that...she never said a word to me about it...Marisol! Where are you!?"

"But Eric-" Ryan half-followed the Cuban.

"Horatio, have you seen Marisol?" Eric stopped the red head in the hall "She just asked Ryan out when she was supposed to be helping me get a date with him."

"You can catch her if you hurry, she's out in the parking lot" Horatio gestured vaguely at the front doors.

"Thanks, H" Eric flashed a smile.

"But Eric, I want to!" Ryan hurried to catch up, but the red head stopped him.

"He's basically deaf right now, Mr. Wolfe" Horatio slipped off his shades "I suggest bringing it up tomorrow, when he's sane."

Ryan pouted a bit, but deflated and went back to the Trace Lab.

50 – I'm Not Blushing!

"Officer Delko?"

Eric turned, flashing his most charming smile at the cute patrol officer. The man gave a shy smile in return, handing him a tape.

"These are the feeds from the convenience store, good odds say that you got a full-frontal shot at your perp" the brunette explained, receiving a grateful look from the Cuban.

Eric accepted the tape, "Thanks."

"Good luck catching him" Ryan gushed, then walked away mentally scolding himself for acting like a thirteen-year-old girl.

Eric bit his lip, eyes glued on the cute officer's ass as he walked back to his squad car. He was to the point where he was sure he would have to wipe his mouth when someone spoke up, breaking him out of his trance.

Speed grinned at him, "I saw you talking to Officer Wolfe."

"So?" Eric narrowed his eyes.

The scruffy CSI resisted full-on giggles, "You're in love with him!"

"Shut up!" Eric put out a hand, ready to subdue his best friend in a moment "Damn it, he's still right there, Speed!"

"You should ask him out" Speed removed his shades, giving the Cuban a very serious look "Word has it that there's another guy on the force trying to win him over. On the DL, of course."

"I don't care" Eric lied.

Speed gave a sigh and pointed, "You're still blushing from where he smiled at you."

Eric's eyes went wide, rubbing at his cheeks absently to feel that they were still a bit heated. He glared at his friend, throwing the tape at him.

"There's the feeds from the store."

"Hey H!" Speed shouted, brandishing the tape "Eric's secret-lover gave us the tape!"

Eric did jump on the man this time, covering his mouth and growling at him to shut the hell up before he dumped him in a swamp.

"They'll never find you, Speed, I swear!"

Finite