A/N: Alright, this took place just after 'Wolfe in Sheep's Clothing'. (The one where Ryan gets beat up and blackmailed by Russians.) I'm not too sure if I stayed in character at this point... but it's slightly hard to do when performing MAN-FLUFF!

Ryan stepped into his house, kicked off his shoes and threw his locker bag aside. He was exhausted from the day, and the unspeakable night before. He dragged his feet, and pain surged through his body with every move he made. All of the distrust and exclusion from his co-workers didn't exactly help alleviate the pain. He understood why they were being like that, Ryan had been throwing the case since the beginning, plus the fact he lied to them all day. But it didn't matter. He helped save a young life today, and they would never understand what he went through to get there. Slowly, he slunk into the kitchen to get himself some more saltwater for his mouth, as it had started bleeding again. Silently, he prayed that his newly-pulled tooth (along with his other wounds) wouldn't get infected, he should probably go see a doctor. After plopping down on the couch, he thought about never standing back up, he just felt so worthless. There he sat in the dark for about an hour, and before he knew it, actual tears streamed down his face. He chuckled (not really happy), thinking about what his co-workers would say about his moment of weakness. He'd let all of this go to his head so much that he was trembling with emotion. His doorbell rang. Ryan was afraid of who it might be; his co-workers come to scream him out some more, or maybe more scary Russians. He wasn't in the mood for either one. With a moan of pain, he rose from his couch, and gazed out the peephole. It wasn't his co-workers, or vengeful Russians; it was his boss. He quickly dried his eyes and opened the door to Horatio Caine. "May I come in Mr. Wolfe?" he asked. Oh shit! The IAB got me fired!! Ryan thought, but he nodded anyway.

"Excuse the mess." Ryan mumbled, noting his shoes and locker bag strewn on the floor. "Can I get you anything?" Ryan asked, attempting to kiss up one more time.

"No, thank you. I know you're in pain." Horatio insisted.

Ryan sat down next to Horatio on the couch. Ryan anticipated what Horatio had to say, he'd already said he accepted whatever consequences. "I bet you're wondering why I'm here," Horatio began. Ryan closed his eyes, and biting his lip, he waited for the bad news. Horatio didn't continue, seeing Ryan's lip start to bleed. "Ryan?" Said Horatio. Ryan turned, reached into his locker bag, and pulled out his badge. "It'd be easier if you just took it now. My gun, and Hummer keys are on the counter." He said sadly, tossing his badge in Horatio's lap. "I don't think you understand," Horatio explained, "I'm not here to fire you."

"Then why are you here?" Ryan asked, snatching back his badge.

"I noticed some of the tensity about the lab while you were there, it's clear they blame you."

Ryan nodded. Horatio didn't seem to be making things any better. Horatio continued, "I don't blame you, Ryan. You did what you felt was right, even though it felt wrong. You saved a life today, and went through a Hell that the rest of the team can't relate to. I also don't think any of them would've handled it any better than you did." Horatio concluded. Ryan was amazed. Flabbergasted, he tried to find words. "Thank you so mush, H. You have no idea what that means to me."

"You hang in there." Horatio said. ['Cause he always says that.] With that, the two men stood, and Ryan led Horatio to the door. "Ryan..." Horatio said, with one foot out.

"Yeah?" Ryan responded. Horatio then turned and engaged Ryan in a loose [and very manly] embrace. Then, with not a word, but a nod, left. Slowly, Ryan closed his front door. He felt much better about himself; and, as far as he knew, today was the first time Horatio had called him 'Ryan' instead of 'Mr. Wolfe'. H. was right, the people on the team were wrong. With a smile, he stepped into his bathroom to take some painkillers, go to sleep, and save more lives the next day.

Leave constructive reviews! ^_^