A/N: Hey, all. I felt the desperate need to write this crossover one-shot. If you have never heard/watched "Special Unit 2," it was a short-lived show Jonathan Togo was on before Miami. There has been the joke that the character he played, "Jonathan" (I know, creative, right?), is actually Ryan as well (at least, with the crossovers I've read).
To get the idea of the show, I suggest you watch the episode I mention in here: "The Love." (I added something extra for story sake). You can find it on youtube from the user goldeneaglecleaners (luckily, all 19 episodes still reside there!)
Anyway, enjoy my geekiness.
NOTE: I wrote this with Ryan and Natalia together. Why? You'll find out at the end, =).
The early morning sun warmed the streets of Miami, the birds chirping at every second. Ryan Wolfe had already been awake for a few hours, enjoying the sunrise, a ritual he relished every working day. Looking at his watch, he realized Natalia, his ride, would be at the apartment soon.
Walking in from the porch, he stared down at his couch at the items lying adoringly out of the shoebox. Chuckling lightly, he began to shuffle the nostalgia back into the box when a knock on the door came.
"Just a second!" he yelled, briskly walking towards the front. Opening the door, he smiled sweetly. "Hey," he breathed.
"Hey, yourself, babe." Natalia stated, leaning in for a peck. "You ready?"
"Yeah, just about. Let me get my keys and clean up." As Ryan walked away, Natalia's eyes wandered to the items in the box, the top removed.
She smiled as she lifted a picture of a younger Ryan with a strawberry-blonde woman and a brown-haired, older man. The three seemed over-the-moon happy with their crazy smiles. Another picture displayed a much older gentleman, dark in skin, with a detested facial expression.
Oddly enough, there was a third picture of a gnome of some sort. "Weird fascination with lawn décor?" she whispered quietly, a single brow arched in curiosity.
On the back of the fourth picture read the words, "Marnie and I, 2001." Ryan looked so eager in this picture. Natalia mildly wondered who this younger Ryan in the picture was; she would love to have met him. The young lady in picture, kissing Ryan's cheek, seemed just as eager, her brunette locks carelessly framing around her glasses.
Just a pinch of jealousy overwhelmed the CSI, a smile casting itself across her face, as she set the photo back down.
"Hmm, what's this?" she pondered, lifting a beautiful, and probably ancient, bottle. It had weight to it, meaning there was some kind of liquid still captive in it. Perfume? she thought curiously as she placed her finger against the spray, intent on sampling the scent.
"Talia, stop!" exclaimed Ryan, his hand raised in defense and his eyes widened in fear. Rushing over, he swiped the bottle from Natalia's hand, cradling it cautiously. "That was close."
"Ryan! What the hell?" Natalia yelled.
"Sorry, it's just that-," he paused mid-sentence, eying the brunette strangely, before realizing how close he came to his nonchalant confession. "Nothing, sorry about that." Quickly, Ryan threw the bottle back into the shoebox.
"What? Is it perfume from an old girlfriend or something?" Natalia jokingly accused, her arms sarcastically folding into each other.
"No, it's not that."
"Fine, don't tell me." Picking up her keys, Natalia retraced her steps back to the front door.
"Wait," Ryan exclaimed quietly as his shoulders slumped over. As his eyes lowered to the floor, a menacing smile finding its way to his mouth. "Have you ever heard of... Special Unit 2?"
Natalia scrunched her face up confusedly. "Huh?"
"Special Unit 2? A secret division that specializes in cases other cops can't?"
"I know what it is, Ryan," Natalia replied in annoyance. "But I also know it's an old wives tell. You know, a myth?"
"Oh," Ryan's stature straightened seriously, "it's anything but a myth. And this-," he stated, presenting the bottle again, "is but a few of its many secrets."
As Natalia bounced on her hip, she groaned and rolled her eyes. "I get it, Ryan. You don't want to tell me. Now let's get to the lab."
"Humor me," Ryan pleaded and grabbed Natalia gently by the arm, coaxing her closer. Shrugging, Natalia willingly obliged. "Okay, while there were many agents within this division, only two of them ever really got any work done: Nick O'Malley and Kate Benson. Together these two were on the constant hunt for Links loose throughout Chicago."
"Links?"
"Monsters who were basically the missing links between animal and human," Ryan rapidly trailed off his tongue as if second nature. "Anyway, they were headed by Captain Richard Page, a man of his own world. I tell ya, that man could scare any demon from their own sleep." Falling into a laughing fit, Ryan took notice of Natalia's confused look. "Sorry."
"Anyone else I should know about?" Natalia stated monotonously.
"Uh, Carl, their not-so-friendly, uh... acquaintance who gave them inside information of current renegade Links," he quickly mentioned. "Oh, and probably the best member of the team, their Link expert, technician, and inventor, Jonathan."
"Wow, seems like an amazing guy," Natalia chuckled, her eyes lightly glowing in mild interest at Ryan's demeanor.
"And very handsome," Ryan blushed.
"So, the bottle?" the female CSI inquired.
"Oh, yeah. Well, there was this one time when the link, Cupid-"
"Cupid?"
"Yes, Cupid is a Link," Ryan spat, "Cupid, or as he liked to call himself, Bowman, accidentally dosed a gavel-happy judge, turning him into some moral compass who gave convicts a free pass. So Nick and Kate had to go hunt down Bowman and force him to change the judge back."
"Ryan, the bottle?" Natalia proclaimed, her foot tapping impatiently. God, all he needs to tell me is that it belongs to an ex, she thought in aggravation. I would have accepted that than this worldly excuse!
"The bottle, right. So while Nick and Kate went to find Bowman, Jonathan, the handsome scientist, thought maybe they could engineer an antidote to the Cupid's "love potion" back at the lab."
"They?"
"Yeah, Jonathan and Marnie, another technician."
Marnie? Natalia recalled the picture she observed before. That's the name of the girl in the picture. "Did they create the antidote?"
"No," Ryan retorted somberly. "It was an utter failure. But, after bringing Cupid back to HQ, the scientists bottled a sample of the love potion for future tests." Holding up the bottle again, Ryan eyed the item and smiled nostalgically.
"Ryan," Natalia began to walk closer to the male CSI suspiciously. "Didn't you tell me one time your christened name is Jonathan?"
"Huh?" his eyes broke the gaze with the bottle and stared directly at her with unease. "Did I?"
"And that picture in the box," the brunette attempted to reach for the box, but Ryan immediately pivoted away from her. "Ryan, a woman, Marnie, is in one of those pictures with you."
"She is?"
"Ryan, stop it!" she laughed. "Now, either you're really good at lying to me, or this all really happened." Natalia paused for a confirmation but found only hesitation... then tease.
"What? No, Natalia," Ryan jeered, "It's just a story, that's all."
"That's a lot of detail for it to only be story, Ryan."
"Talia, babe," Ryan crooned, setting the box on a nearby chair and trotting up to her, "I was just messing with you, really." Placing a soft kiss upon her, Ryan caressed Natalia's lips gently. "Now, let's go. We're going to be late."
The brunette grinded her teeth in contemplation before giving in. "Okay." I don't completely believe you, she thought, but I'll let it slide this time.
"I'll meet you out there," Ryan suddenly stated, collecting the box again. "I need to put this away first." After a reassuring nod, the two parted, Natalia heading for the front door and Ryan heading for a nearby closet.
The male CSI waited patiently as he listened for the front door to close. Quickly, he ran back to his room with obvious apprehension.
After obtaining a key hidden between the cracks of a corner in his wall, the only imperfection he was satisfied with, Ryan widely opened his closet, pushing away the hanging suits and jackets to reveal another door.
Behind it?
Outrageous devices, mechanisms, and inventions of all sorts.
Ryan lovingly placed the shoebox back in its home, grateful he was able to keep so many memories of his past with Special Unit 2.
It was a great relief, if only for a while, to let this secret go.
He sighed, wishing he could share this life with his friends but understanding the complications should they ever discover the truth.
After all, he was sworn to secrecy.
A/N: giggles. Anyway, this is my present to you guys for... MY BIRTHDAY! Yup, I posted something fun for you guys to celebrate me turning 25! (Which is why Ryan and Natalia are together in this... cause I felt like it!) Hugs to you all, and thank you for being such amazing readers!