Title: Gotta be Somebody

Author: Sam/Greg Sanders

Beta: \Martha/Sanzo

Genre: Slash

Fandom: CSI Miami

Pairing: Ryan Wolfe/OMC, Ryan/Frank

Rating: FRAO

Warnings: Spoilers for "Under the Influence"

Summary: Ryan wants to start over.

A/N: This will be a series based on the lyrics from Nickleback's song Gotta be Somebody. Lyrics will be in italics.

Disclaimer: I don't own them I just play with them.

Gotta Be Somebody

This time I wonder what it feels like

To find the one in this life

The one we all dream of

But dreams just aren't enough

So I'll be waiting for the real thing

I'll know it by the feeling

The moment when we're meeting

Will play out like a scene

Straight off the silver screen

So, I'll be holdin' my breath

Right up to the end

Until that moment when

I find the one to spend forever with.

Ryan looked one last time around the condo he had shared with his boyfriend of 6 years, before picking up the last bag from beside the door. He was leaving behind a lot of memories, both good and bad, as well as his family and friends. But after finding out that his partner had been cheating for the last 6months but was too much of a coward to tell him that it was over, he just felt it was time to go. He was a little apprehensive about it, and really didn't know how he was going to manage stepping out of his comfort zone but he had to start somewhere.

Locking the door for the last time and sliding the key back through the mail slot, he let the tears that he been trying so hard to keep in, fall down his face. This was not how it was to go, they where suppose to be together forever. Ryan was not one to believe in fairy tales, but this had felt like a fairytale only to find he had woken up to a nightmare.

Ryan had met Chad at a seminar his first year at Boston University, and they had hit it off right away. At first it was just hanging out for coffee, study groups and the occasional movie night with mutual friends. It had been the best 3 months Ryan had ever had, then Chad had asked him out on an official date and he had fallen hard. They became attached at the hip and even moved in together that first summer.

A lot of people thought that they made a cute couple; Chad being 5 years older than Ryan only made the younger man feel that more loved and cared for. Chad doted on Ryan, making sure he was taking care of himself and not working too hard. After he had graduated with his undergraduate in Chemistry, Ryan was thinking of continuing his education and go after his masters in Genetics. At the time he thought that Chad would be supportive and help him like he had before. That had been a year ago, and then it all fell apart.

Ryan had taken a trip to Miami to visit his uncle for a week and when he got back his life as he knew it was over. He had planned on surprising his boyfriend by catching an earlier flight but it was him who got the surprise. He had pulled up in a cab and noticed a friend's car in their parking space, not thinking much about it he had walked up to his front door. The site that greeted him was one that was burned into is mind forever.

~ Flashback ~

"Honey I'm home." Ryan sang out as he opened the front door of the condo they had bought 2 years ago. Putting his bag down and dropping his keys on the console the young man headed into the living room. "Chad?"

"Ryan?" The undignified squeak said from the couch, "What are you doing home?"

Stopping just inside the doorway of the living room, Ryan took in the disheveled look of his boyfriend and the other person in the room. "What's going on here?" he asked, a lot calmer than he felt.

"It's not what it looks like Ry." Chad tried to explain as he untangled himself from the other person and got off the couch. "I wasn't expecting you home till tomorrow."

"I can see that." he answered, choking back the lump in his throat. "So, how long has this been going on?"

"Has what been going on? Charlene just came over to watch a movie and have pizza. She thought I would be lonely without you here." he said, trying to cover a very obvious erection, tenting his pants.

"And I bet she made you forget about being lonely." the younger man said as he headed for the bedroom. Grabbing the extra suitcase out of the closet, he started pulling Chad's clothes out of the dresser and closet.

"Ryan, what are you doing?" the older man asked as he tried to stop what Ryan was doing.

"What does it look like? I'm helping you get your stuff together so that you can spend more time with Charlene. As in not here and not with me."

"Ryan, baby, don't do this." Chad said, running a hand over the others back.

"Just go." he said, with more force than he felt.

~ End Flashback ~

That had been three weeks ago, and now he was heading to Miami to stay with his Uncle Ron and hopefully start over. He was still planning on doing his Masters in genetics but now he was going to work for a year first. He didn't understand how it all had gone to pot, he knew that what he had felt for Chad had not been love at first site, but he still had loved him. He kept racking his brain to see if there had been any clue as to what he had done wrong and when if there was anything he could have done different. But he kept coming up with the same thing, it wasn't his fault and there was someone else out there for him. He hoped so, because he really didn't want to be alone.

Walking down the loading ramp and onto the plane, he said his final good bye to the city he grew up in and the past he just wanted to forget.

Cause nobody wants to be the last one there

Cause everyone wants to feel like someone cares

Someone to love with my life in their hands

Gotta be somebody for me like that

Cause nobody wants to go it on their own

Everybody wants to know there are not alone

Somebody else feels the same somewhere

Gotta be somebody for me out there.

A year after his arrival in Miami, Ryan was walking around the mall cursing the season that found him here to begin with. How he hated Valentine's Day, not that it really should matter; he knew a lot of people that were alone on this, the epitome of coupledom. But Ryan just felt empty this year, and so alone.

He had called Chad a couple weeks after he had left, only to be greeted by a female voice on the answering machine stating that the couple where away on a holiday. He had cried for hours afterwards. Some piece of him had hoped that there was still a chance, but it was made very clear when a check arrived in the amount of his half of the condo purchase.

So here he was wandering around on his day off, in the mall that was filled with couples and decorations proclaiming love. Was it too much to ask that he could get even a glimpse of that love? Was there no one who could take the darkness from his heart?

He had wanted to start his masters this September, but had gone to the police academy instead, surprising himself when he graduated at the top of his class. Now here he was on his day off, wandering around an overly packed mall, nearly tripping over a few otherwise occupied couples.

He should have taken his uncle's offer for a day on the water, swimming and snorkeling. But no, he had to prove to himself that he was not slowly dieing on the inside. He was trying to get on with his life and you would think that after a year it would seem to be getting easier but it wasn't.

He just wanted to find that someone that would make it all better. He wanted to know what it felt like to really be loved by someone and not used. Sure, Chad had loved him at some point but there was this part of Ryan that kept insisting that he was just a convenience for their entire relationship. Someone dependable and that would always be faithful. And that sucked, the young man thought and not in a good way. He wandered around a couple more hours before giving up and heading back to the condo he was sharing with his uncle. Once home, he paced, feeling restless and unsettled about the day, so he got dressed and headed for the nearest club he knew. If he couldn't have Mr. Right, then he would settle for Mr. Right Now.

Arriving at Club Desire, Ryan parked his car and paid the door fee to get in. He glanced around and spotted a couple regulars that he knew before heading to the bar.

"Hey Mickey, can I get a Monkey's Lunch." the young brunet called over the thumping of the music.

"Sure Ryan, what brings you here tonight, thought you where going out with Ron." the large bartender asked, handing over the banana liqueur concoction.

"Decided to stay home and sulk." he responded with a laugh.

"So, who's catching your fancy tonight? You know that Patrick isn't around for the next few months as he went on that African trip." Mickey said, wiping his hands on a towel as he leaned against the bar.

"Not tonight Mike. Just didn't want to be alone." Ryan said, turning his back on the dance floor.

Smiling at the attractive young man in front of him, the bartender laid a hand on his shoulder, "Well I'm here if you want me."

Smiling in return at his friend, Ryan finished his drink before ordering something stronger. It was closing time before Ryan hauled his body off the stool that he had been occupying for the last few hours and waved at Mike.

"I'm out of here Mickey. See you next week."

"Hold up there buddy. You know my rules, if you can't walk a straight line, then it's a cab for you."

After proving that he was sober enough to drive, Ryan made his way home. After going through his normal nightly routine, he went to bed, only to let the despair wash over him and take him into an unsettled sleep.

TonightOut on the street, out in the moonlightAnd, damn it, this feels too rightIt's just like de ja vuMe standin' here with youSo I'll be holdin' my breathCould this be the end?Is it that moment whenI find the one that I'll spend forever with?

Ryan straightened out his uniform that morning, hoping to keep his breakfast down. He had an interview that afternoon on his lunch break with Lt Caine, the supervisor of the day shift CSI's. He had applied a few months ago but had been told that there were no openings at that time, but that his application would be kept on file for 6months. That had been four months ago and now there was an opening, although under the circumstances he wasn't all that sure about taking the spot now.

It had happened about three weeks ago, that Lt Caine had lost one of his own on the job. Apparently it had been a malfunctioning service weapon that was one of the factors involved. He had been warned by a few patrol officers that the day shift CSI's were a tight knit group who had closed in tighter around themselves with the death of Timothy "Speed" Speedle. Ryan had done his research, and felt that he knew enough about them, that he could make a good impression. But even knowing that left him a jumbled up ball of nerves.

The young patrol officer had just left a little coffee shop on the corner at the back of the shopping center when the call came in; someone had taken a header into an oncoming bus. He radioed in and since he was the closest, had arrived first on the scene. After setting up the perimeter, he turned to get the eyewitness accounts of what had happened. He was almost all the way through when he saw the familiar white van and silver Hummer arrive at the scene.

It was almost fascinating watching that teamwork. The ME, Alexx Woods, was carefully doing her preliminary findings report as Lt Caine stood listening. The tall, Cuban who approached the pair, Ryan recognized from his work photo to be one Eric Delko. It was said that Eric and Speedle had been really close to the point that the rumor mill had them linked intimately. But it was all just hearsay and water cooler type gossip, so Ryan didn't put much weight in it. Although he couldn't say he blamed anyone for wanting that man, he was stunning. Seeing his opportunity to tell the Lt what he had found out so far, he made his way over to the two CSI's with what he hoped was an air of confidence.

"Lt I've taken the eyewitness accounts and it would seem that the victim was clearly distressed and pushed her way to the front of the bus line." Ryan said, quickly scanning his notes to make sure that he had not left anything important out. "No one saw if she was pushed or just stepped out in front of the bus."

"Thank you officer." the older red head said, looking at him with somewhat of an amused look in his eye.

Walking away from the pair, Ryan sighed a breath of relief that he had managed to face the Lt without even flinching. Now if only his interview later that day went as smoothly.

Ryan had been a CSI for all of 2hrs before he was handed a case involving another CSI's father. What he had told Calleigh was true; he didn't need to prove himself to anyone. He got the job just like everyone else, based on his skills. He was trying to do his job and he did want to impress Lt Caine with his skills and his knowledge that he did know what he was doing.

Scrapping trace off the wheel well of the silver SUV, he tried to keep his temper down so that he didn't say something he would regret. After assuring the blonde CSI that he would do everything by the book, and that he did follow the rules, he got back to analyzing his trace.

Getting his results, he grabbed his phone and called Detective Tripp, telling him what he had found. After hanging up, he was a little taken back by his reaction to the voice on the other end. He hadn't even met the man yet and already there was something about him, that made Ryan's stomach flip.

Getting to the crime scene ahead of the detective, Ryan found the source of the orange paint transfer and was quietly checking for any other evidence when he heard a car pull up.

"And here I thought I drove fast." the deep male voice said, coming from behind Ryan.

Ryan stood up and turned to face the older man and was suddenly at a lose for words. He stared for only a moment before he turned to explain the what he had found from the case. Keeping the older man within his sight, Ryan continued his evaluation of what he thought had happened. Watching the larger man move around and listen to him was a little exhilarating.

By the end of the shift he had solved the case and got praise from both Calleigh and Lt Caine. The only person he really wanted praise from was the larger, older detective but that was also a little frightening. He was just standing outside the front of the lab and people watching. This was something he could do all day and never get bored. He saw the very man he was unconsciously thinking about coming towards him, and he tried to appear causal while on the inside he was dying.

"Mr. Wolfe, what are you still doing here? I would have thought that you would have been gone already." Horatio asked, stepping up behind his newest CSI.

"Was just waiting for my ride, Lt." the young man answered, as his eyes followed the larger form across the parking lot.

"Well then, have a good day and I'll see you tomorrow." the red head said as he walked towards the parking lot and his vehicle.

Watching the two older men converse, Ryan sighed and wondered if he would have the courage to approach the daunting older man. The younger brunet didn't know what it was about this man that made him flush and stammer like a school girl, but whatever it was he hoped that it wouldn't affect his job. Smiling he walked to the cab that had just pulled up, now interfering with his dreams was a whole other matter.

Cause nobody wants to be the last one there'Cause everyone wants to feel like someone caresSomeone to love with my life in their handsThere's gotta be somebody for me like that

'Cause nobody wants to go it on their ownAnd everyone wants to know they're not aloneThere's somebody else that feels the same somewhereThere's gotta be somebody for me out there

Ryan laid in his new bed, in his new condo and stared at the ceiling. He had finally gotten out of his uncle's basement and into a place of his own, but he still didn't feel satisfied. It had been over eight months since he joined Horatio Caine's team and still he felt like an outsider. The tension at work was sometimes so thick you could cut it with a knife, and at other times it was like he wasn't even there.

He sometimes thought he had made a mistake in taking the open CSI position, but he wasn't a quitter and he really enjoyed what he was doing. He just wished his co-workers would at least see him as a person and not as a replacement for someone who wasn't coming back. The brunet did have to admit that it wasn't as strained as it had been the first couple months, and at least now Alexx was talking to him without the hint of distain that she had originally had. Even the blonde, Calleigh, was slowly coming around. Now if he could just figure out a way to get past the fortress that both his supervisor, Lt Caine and the Cuban, Eric, had built around themselves.

There were days when he just wanted to smack the Cuban and tell him that Speed was not coming back and no matter how hard he tried, Ryan wasn't going anywhere. It didn't help that Horatio never referred to him as anything but 'Mr. Wolfe.' He always felt like he should look over his shoulder to see if his father was standing behind him. He just wished that they would at least give him a chance instead of tossing him out with the garbage before they got to meet him.

Then there was Det. Frank Tripp. Ryan sighed at the thought of the older, larger man. Now if there ever was a person he would like to get to know better it was him. The Texan had an easy going personality that drew the younger man to him, but he didn't take any crap from anyone either. Ryan had had many a dream about that man, that had ended in having to put clean sheets on his bed before he could go back to sleep.

Ryan had tried on numerous occasions over the last couple months to work up the nerve to ask Frank out for coffee after work, but every time he figured that he was ready to take that step he would chicken out at the last second. He didn't think that Frank was interested in men, but there were times when they were working together that Ryan thought that someone was watching him. He can't say for sure that it was the older man, because whenever he had turned to look, Frank was always looking the other way or talking to a witness.

Ryan huffed and fluffed up his pillow again before trying to settle for the night. He was starting to think that things couldn't get any worse, but he was wrong. His last weekend off he had gone back to Club Desire and ended up going home with a Frank Tripp impersonator, that he could have done without. What he really wanted was the real thing, and he knew that he didn't stand a chance.

Turning onto his back again, he let the sheet slide down his body so that it rested at his waist. Closing his eyes he imagined that his hand was actually Frank's as he trailed his fingertips over chest and around his hardening nipples. Moaning softly, he relaxed back into the bed and let his imagination take over, as he had done many times before.

He imagined a larger body covering his, pressing him into the mattress as feather light kisses were rained down on the side of his neck and over his collarbone. Ryan slid two fingers into his mouth and sucked on them, pulling them free once they were wet, before using them to roll his hardening nipples. Gasping at the sensations that were flooding his body, the young brunet unconsciously spread his legs, bending them at the knees.

Running his hands more firmly down his sides and across his stomach, Ryan made little mewling noises in the back of his throat each time he hit a hot spot. Running his fingers under the sheet, he toyed with his navel, gently tracing around the indent with feather light touches before trailing his fingers along the sparse trail of hair. Skirting his fingers around the curly patch of hair between his legs, Ryan rolled his head on his pillow moaning.

After tormenting himself as much as he wanted, Ryan wrapped his long fingers around the base of his erect penis. Using slow movements, the younger man stoked himself, pretending it was a larger hand on him, flicking at the top of the angry red and weeping head. Letting his hips rise off the bed, he started to slowly push up into his hand.

Knowing that he was close to completion, Ryan sped up his movements, groaning and panting the closer he got. Twisting his other hand in the sheet below him, his back arched off the bed, causing his entire body to tense as he shot creamy white fluid across his chest, calling out "FRANK", as he did so.

Slowly panting, he came back to his sense with a soft smile on his face, before grimacing at the mess he had made. Stretching one last time, he got up and changed the sheets, dropping them in the laundry before heading for the shower. Climbing in under the warm water, he scrubbed down his chest and groin, wishing that he wasn't alone. Finishing up, he quickly pulled on a pair of shorts and put new sheets on the bed before deciding that it was a waste of time to try to go back to sleep right now. The brunet headed for the kitchen where he made a pot of coffee and stepped out on to his balcony.

Settling on the lounger, he stared off into the starry night and tried to imagine what Frank would be doing right now if he was there. Would they be sitting together, the older man wrapping his strong arms around Ryan? Or would he be trying to coax Ryan back to bed with whatever means he could. Taking a sip of the lukewarm coffee, Ryan sighed and relaxed into the cushions. He really hated being alone.

Ooh! You can't give upWhen you're lookin' for a diamond in the roughBecause you'll never know when it shows upMake sure you're holdin' on

'Cause it could be the one, the one you're waiting on'Cause nobody wants to be the last one thereAnd everyone wants to feel like someone caresSomeone to love with my life in their handsThere's gotta be somebody for me.

Ryan was sitting in one of the empty rooms in the lab, working on cold cases when he had the feeling that someone was watching him. Turning ever so slightly, he caught Frank looking at him and their eyes connected. Smiling at the older man and getting one in return, Ryan turned back to his work wondering what the look had meant.

Ryan had had a long talk with his uncle about how lonely he was, and the advice the older man gave him was to not try so hard. He would find what he was looking for if he would just stop looking. He guessed that was true, because whenever he had looked for something in the past, the moment he stopped looking was the moment he actually found it.

Ryan stretched and rotated his neck, trying to work the kinks out that had taken up residece there. It had been a long day and there had been little in the way of breaks; although the few times he had left the room he had come back to find a mug of coffee or a bottle of water. At lunch he had come back to find a sandwich and a pop. Whoever it was leaving these things for him never left a note as to who it was and only left things when he wasn't around.

The younger man smiled to himself when he came back from his last break of his shift and found a chocolate bar and a rose left on the table. He picked up the flower and carefully smelt it, noticing that someone had taken the time to remove the thorns from its stem. Putting the flower back down, he picked up the chocolate and opened it, taking a bit.

He was trying to figure out who his sudden admirer was later that night. It was most likely Alexx, as she was always telling him that he wasn't taking care of himself. But it was nice to think that someone else was worried about his welfare. It wasn't that the people he worked with didn't care, they had slowly warmed up to him in the last few months. They weren't all that close, nothing like they had been apparently when Speed was alive, but they had mellowed a lot.

Arriving at the lab the next day, Ryan was taken back by the bag of goodies that where attached to his locker. Taking a look around and noticing no one else was there, he unhooked the bag form the hook . Sitting on the bench, he eagerly opened the plastic bag, grinning like a kid at Christmas when he got a look at the items within the bag. He found all his favorites in there: Nerds, assorted penny candies, and his absolute favorite a candied apple. Putting the bag into his locker after pocketing a few of the penny candies, Ryan made his way to the break room to get his assignment for the day.

This little ritual carried on for weeks, with Ryan coming into work and finding a bag of something attached to the front of his locker. Besides the bag of candy on the first day, he also got a CD from his favorite band, theatre tickets to a movie that he had wanted to see and then last week he had gotten a new gym bag after his had gotten torn when it gotten caught on the door of the hummer.

Ryan whistled as he walked into the locker room wanting to see what his new 'gift' was today. He knew that Calleigh and Eric had told him that he should process the items to see if he could get any evidence as to who this person was, but he had refused. So far everything had been harmless, and he had promised them that if the items started to get threatening in nature he would go to H.

Seeing a piece of paper attached to his locker, he again looked around and seeing that he was the only one in the room, pulled the paper off to read. He chewed his bottom lip as he pondered the note. It was a simple typed note asking him to join this person for lunch. He wasn't sure if that was a good idea, but then when he realized that the location was right out front. Putting caution to the wind he decided to do it.

Watching the clock, Ryan felt like the morning was never going to end. It seemed that every time he looked a the clock, the hands hadn't moved. Finally sighing in frustration, he decided that what he needed was a fresh cup of coffee. The young man was on his way back from getting his coffee, when he saw Frank leaving the layout room where Ryan had been working. Thinking that the older man had information for him from their case, he hurried up to catch him.

As he passed the open door, he happened to catch something out of the corner of his eye. Slowing to a stop and then backing up, he stared at the small bag that wasn't there before. Doing a great impression of a goldfish out of water, Ryan watched the retreating back of the detective before going into see what was in the bag. There was no way that Frank was the mystery gift giver, was there?

Ryan sat on the stool, and played with the bag before finally opening it. He once again represented a fish out of water when he saw what was inside. He almost fell off his stool in a hurried attempt to get up and race after the older man. Looking everywhere and asking just about everyone he ran into, Ryan was still no closer to finding him than he was before. Finally taking a look at the clock, he smiled as he realized it was lunch time.

Taking his last gift with him, he dashed across the parking lot to the picnic area for lab personal. He spotted who he was looking for and nearly plowed the older man over when he reached him. Frank smiled and wrapped his arms around the younger man, relaxing when he felt the slim arms around his waist.

"I take it you liked it?" he asked, looking down at him.

"I liked all of them. Thank you, but why did you do it?" Ryan asked as they moved over the an empty picnic table.

"Call me old fashioned, but I wanted to woo you but wasn't sure how you would respond if I just came out and asked." Frank said honestly as he brushed a lock of hair from Ryan's forehead.

"So, what now?" the brunet asked, looking at Frank.

"Now we eat, and maybe see a show tonight." the older man asked hesitantly.

"It's a date." Ryan said, knowing that his was the beginning he was looking for.

The end for now…..