Ryan groaned when the phone rang for the second time.

He felt a slight prickling through his close eyelids. Probably the sun, he thought, as he remembered that his mom was on duty this morning. At least, he hoped it was still morning.

He turned around in his bed and away from the window, keeping the sheets on top of his body as he blindly reached for the phone that sat somewhere on his nightstand. He was too tired to really pay attention to the sound of his keys and wallet falling to the floor as he picked up the corded receiver; the base now hanging off the side of his bed.

His spoke through a large, unapologetic yawn, knowing his words were probably indecipherable on the other end of the line. He'd speak properly when he actually had a chance to wake up. "Hello."

"Ryan."

"Greg?" Ryan rolled his eyes through closed lids, opening them briefly to look at the small clock on the wall. Grateful for the large numbers, he knew he should have expected this from his friend. "It's ten in the-"

"I think I've died and gone to heaven."

But Greg should have known better than to say something so vague to a sleepy Ryan…a sleepy Ryan who was in limbo between being unconscious and conscious. "Oh my God!"

"Ryan, what's the-"

Any previous annoyance – from this morning only – was quickly forgotten and Ryan nearly leaped out of his bed, the base of the phone now dangling beside him as Ryan stood. "You had sex!" Of course the fact that Nick wasn't in California – as far as he knew – didn't register to Ryan. Not to mention that Greg was probably calling from Grissom's house.

He wasn't his most coherent on weekend mornings.

"Ryan, I-"

Again, Ryan didn't give Greg any chance to explain, dropping the sheets that were once around his shoulders as he began to pace the floor. So many things were running through Ryan's mind, too many what-ifs and could haves. But he should have seen this coming…kept a better eye on Greg and should have done something to stop this earlier. "You're only seventeen!" Ryan just had to enlist Warrick's help to keep Nick's sorry ass from leaving San Francisco last year…that would have been the perfect time to end it.

"Ryan, you're not-"

"You lost your virginity to a sleazy old man!"

Greg was caught off guard by the comment. "Nick is not a sle-"

"Greg…you…God, you-"

"Ryan, calm down."

"Oh my God!

"Ryan, I didn't have sex!"

"Oh…" And Ryan was suddenly calm, acting as if he wasn't in hysterics moments before. "You should have said so."

Greg scoffed into the receiver. "What do you think I've been trying to do?"

"What am I supposed to think? You call me this early in the morning and talk about heaven. What do you think a seventeen year guy's going to think, huh?"

"I just got up a while ago."

"What are you talking about?"

"I woke up."

"You did have sex." Ryan said accusingly, his voice low and breaching on sinister as he once more neglected to remember the fact that Greg was no where near Nick.

"No!" Greg almost yelled, catching himself in time as he remembered his uncle was still downstairs. He spoke again into his phone, making sure his voice was softer. "No. I just got off the phone with Nick."

"You had phone sex," Ryan stated blankly, the tone of his voice flat as he crossed one arm over his chest, holding the phone to his face with other hand.

"For the last time…no, Ryan. No kind of sex at all."

"I'm just…"

"Really, Ryan… I can take care of myself."

"Not saying anything." Ryan knew better than to argue the statement…no matter how untrue they both knew it actually was. If he had to be honest, neither one of them could take care of themselves. That's what they had each other for. But Ryan was convinced he would be better off by himself than Greg would be if Greg was alone.

"The real reason I called-"

"When you just could have come over?" Ryan interrupted, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"You mental? You don't just go to somebody's house at ten on a Saturday morning."

But apparently you could call them, Ryan thought as he struggled not to roll his eyes for the second time this morning. Greg was either pulling his leg or he really did miss the point. It was too early in the day for this.

"Nick's finally coming up next week," Greg said excitedly, breaking Ryan's thoughts.

"And where do I come in?"

"Have I told you lately how much I love you?"

"Have I asked you lately why you always come to me for these kinds of things?" Truthfully, Nick was actually going to be in California tomorrow and stay until next weekend. Greg just didn't know that yet and would probably threaten to kill Ryan if he found out that Ryan knew beforehand. So, jumping to conclusions about Greg and Nick getting more personal than Ryan's ever seen them – or even wanted to think about them - wasn't completely baseless.

"That's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about."

Ryan's interest was peaked when he heard more than a trace of nervousness in Greg's voice. It was something he wasn't used to and more often than not was an ominous sign…because as far as Ryan was concerned, Greg and Nick's relationship just kept growing into some annoyingly lovey-dovey fairy tale like…thing. "About what?" He asked cautiously.

"I like Nick."

Ryan kind of figured out that Greg liked Nick on his own…probably before the actual dating – if he could call it that - thing began. It was just something he didn't admit to until now. "Duh, Sherlock."

"No, I mean…I really 'like' Nick."

"…"

"Ryan, you still there?"

"Yeah…just…" Yes, Ryan knew that Greg liked Nick and the fact that Nick even reciprocated those feelings on a more than friendly level, especially now that it was a year later. For the most part, he accepted it, not only because he had no choice, but because Nick could be kind of cool…for an old guy, that is. But Ryan also knew that he liked his best friend on a more than friendly level and still held on to that small possibility that Greg would like him in the same way.

It wasn't as bad as it was before, but it still hurt to know that Greg didn't Ryan as he did Nick.

Ryan tried to let it go.

He even spoke to Sara – of all people – about it. Of course, that led to a dead and uncomfortable end as she left him with some clichéd nonsense about there "being more fish in the sea" and maybe Greg wasn't the "right one" for Ryan, coming from the one who waited four years for Grissom. But he was desperate so he took her advice, which resulted in a short-term solution. Yet, as he found himself becoming closer to another person from school, the more he was reminded how intimately removed he was from Greg.

Because Calleigh was no comparison to his best friend.

And like the self-proclaimed idiot he was, Ryan still held on for the smallest chance to be with Greg.

"Do you think I'm ready?"

Ryan immediately perked at the question, too involved in his own internal monologue that he apparently missed the part about Greg speaking and ended up tripping over his fallen sheets, but fortunately landing on his bed.

They were not having this conversation.

"Ryan, are you okay?"

Ryan ignored the concern he heard from Greg's voice, now busy trying prevent himself from chocking on his own saliva. He still hadn't fully grasped Greg's initial question and the implications behind it. So, he was grateful when he found the use of his voice once more, holding the base of the corded phone in his lap as he spoke anxiously into the receiver. "Do you know what statutory rape is?"

"Ryan, he hasn't even brought it up…yet."

"Yet?" It was that pregnant pause that got to Ryan, hearing Greg sound so unsure of himself made him nervous. "Is he pushing you to-"

"No…I'm just not sure…"

Ryan withheld the urge to sigh in relief. He didn't want to explain that one to Sara. But he sighed anyway knowing he would have to go through this with Greg. Sex Ed classes could only take you so far. "If he'll stay with you?"

When Greg failed to answer, Ryan could guess he was nodding. He pursed his lips, wondering how he was going to approach the subject. "Greg…what do you even know about sex?"

"The same things you know."

Which Ryan knew was next to nothing because neither of their parents decided to engage in the talk. Though, that wasn't entirely true. He had a feeling that Greg's parents were holding it off as long as possible, but Ryan could remember his mom reducing his once idealised perception of sexual intimacy to – as she said – sticking 'tab a' into 'slot b'.

Then again, Ryan never knew his father.

"Greg, it's been a year." And Ryan was surprised it lasted this long. But at the same time he worried that Greg had put too much of himself into the relationship – his first 'more than friends' relationship with another person. "I doubt he's planning to leave anytime, soon."

"You think so?"

Ryan cringed as he heard Greg's voice, soft and hesitant. "Greg…"

"It's just…Nick is…I can't really explain it, but it's there."

It wasn't the best explanation but Ryan could hear the exasperation in Greg's voice. But it unnerved him to hear that, as well and he did his best to get Greg's mind on something else. Like the more normal parts of their conversations – the usual teasing and less uneasy things that came before the reality of growing up. "You questioning me, Sanders?"

"Got a problem with that, Wolfe?"

Ryan immediately became more comfortable when Greg began to laugh, practically able to hear the smirk through the voice. He knew they'd have to talk about it eventually, and Greg would bring it up again. But for now, Ryan wanted to pretend they'd never had this conversation.

Well, they hadn't really had the conversation, yet. But Ryan wanted to at least wait until after twelve.

Because that's when most of the fast food places stopped selling breakfast.

"Ryan…thanks, I mean…"

"Don't worry about it." And Ryan meant it - he'd help Greg out…put his nonexistent life in the figurative backseat for Greg's sake. It wouldn't be the first time and certainly wouldn't be the last. Because he knew this couldn't possibly get any worse…at least not as bad as last summer.

There was no way.

Greg was actually surprised it took him this long to talk to Ryan about it. Sex with Nick. The thought had been popping up in his mind since the last time he'd seen Nick, the weekend before Greg's seventeenth birthday.

That was when Greg actually introduced Nick to his parents. Until then, Greg had downplayed his relationship with Nick. After finally confessing to the minor shooting incident and car chase with the police that happened last summer, he was afraid his mom was going to make him participate in some kind of confinement that would make it easier for her to keep a more watchful eye on Greg.

And it wouldn't have been hard because his dad was already on her side.

Like they didn't do crazy stuff when they were his age.

Greg knew that he should have known that Sara would have told his parents something in the least. But it wasn't until he received a less than subtle Christmas present that Greg was actually confronted by them. He supposed he would be concerned if his child received a package labelled for next day shipping from a stranger who lived in Texas.

As tolerant as his parents could be, they didn't take chances with certain stereotypes.

Consequently, Greg skirted around the issue, claiming the package was from a friend who went to school in Texas. He skirted around the issue some more when his parents made him open the package in front of them, making him cave in and admit it was from his friend - that happened to be a boy - who went to school in Texas. However, it wasn't until they saw the expensive, framed photos in said package that Greg had to admit that it was a package from his boyfriend – no matter how sappy the word sounded – who went to school in Texas.

Though, he still left out the fact that he met said boyfriend through the case that involved the shooting and the car chase and only disclosed that they met during the summer.

Greg was still somewhat surprised his parents even let him come back to San Francisco this summer.

And he was even more surprised Grissom wasn't being held in contempt.

Because he barely escaped not being grounded for withholding such information…like having a boyfriend or really anyone that equated to more than "just a friend". Sara wasn't the only who teased him. At least you have good taste is what his mom said. His dad experienced the remainder of Christmas day in denial of Greg being old enough to be intimately involved with someone on a level that was not attributed to parenthood. And the subject was closed until the next day, which was when the real questioning began. The most difficult part of the conversation was telling Nick's age, since his parents already knew Greg's. But Greg was fortuante that when he said Nick was a senior, his parents made the assumption that the status applied to high school and not to college. He decided to save that monumental revelation for his seventeenth birthday.

And it was a decision well made.

"Hey."

Greg was startled by the soft voice accompanying a knock on the door, quickly straightening the phone on the beside table and turning to see Grissom standing in the doorway. "Hi."

"I see you're finally up."

Greg couldn't tell if his uncle was being sarcastic or not. But decided it probably didn't matter as he lifted his legs form the side of his bed, crossing them and putting his hands in his lap. "How long you been standing there?" He hoped the other man hadn't heard his conversation with Ryan. Grissom may have paid no attention to appearance of spankables with breakfast, but Greg had a feeling Grissom would definitely take notice if it concerned his only nephew and sex.

It wasn't that much of a difference in Greg's book, but he knew better than to tempt fate…and more importantly, his mother's brother. And as hard as it was to imagine, Greg knew that his uncle and his mother shared much more in common than he would like to admit.

Grissom shrugged his shoulders, something Greg learned not take at face value. It was like a universal kind of manoeuvre that was supposed to take the place of a more appropriate gesture. He once tried to call Grissom on it, but was only rewarded with some drivel about working smart and not working hard. "Not long. Just wanted to let you know that I'm heading to the station in half an hour."

Greg raised his eyebrows in anticipation. They hadn't been handling any interesting cases since last summer when Nick came in – confined to cases about misplaced items - and it was already July. Maybe actual work would help get rid of his anxiety of meeting Nick next week. "Can I come?"

"Not this time," Grissom said, not unaware of the fallen expression on Greg's face. "But you can help Sara with the paperwork."

"Come on, Griss…a Saturday…alone with Sara?"

"As a matter of fact, I want you to."

"You know, I read about this somewhere…in a book for summer reading." Greg narrowed his eyes at his uncle. "Crime and Punishment."

"Have your fantasies of grandeur rendered you incapable of processing reality?"

"Don't get all poetic on me…I'm coming." Greg grudgingly stood from the bed, slowly beginning to stretch, knowing the sounds of his joints cracking wouldn't bother his uncle. "Let me call Ryan and let him know."

Grissom slightly opened his mouth, intending to speak, but quickly closed it, lips forming a straight line.

Leaning down to put on his shoes, Greg didn't see Grissom's small intake of breath. His laces were already tied as he simply slipped them on his feet. He rubbed his hands against his thighs as he stood. "Ready?"

"Did you already eat breakfast?" Grissom glanced at his watch, not giving Greg a chance to open his mouth as he spoke again. "Fast food places are already closed."

"Right," Greg said while he moved his hand to rub the back of his neck. He smiled as he knew it was a habit he picked up from Nick. "I have one of two options. Three really, but I don't think what's in your office fridge is edible."

"And the remaining two are?"

"Grab from here…or snag something from Sara. She always has breakfast food with her."

"Either one is fine, as long as you eat. Your mom has been getting on me about that lately." Grissom frowned at the idea of having to make Greg eat. He knew his nephew could take care of himself. At least on a basic level.

"I try to tell her that I eat, you know? And she's seen me...eat, I mean."

"The tighter your grasp," Grissom looked at Greg, tilting his head in a familiar manner. "The more easily it slips away."

"You must really want me to go if you're fabricating quotes about parenthood."

"How could you tell?" Greg ignored the rhetorical question, watching as Grissom raised one eyebrow, something he'd never really been able to do. It just looked…well, Greg didn't really know what it looked like at the moment but it was still something he couldn't do.

"Seizing Sara's food it is, then."

SID: Don't own.

Yeah...I'm back with this utter nonsense. I know I claim to do neither sequels or direct follow-ups, but technicallly, this takes place a year later.

Though, I really love portraying Ryan and Greg in this little bit and I had fun with "The Summer of Watson and Holmes." Because I've already written a short prequel (no slash) with just Ryan and Greg as friends and I've truly taken a liking to it. Not to mention, I don't know where to find any other teenaged Ryan and Greg fics...that are slash friendly.