A/N: Wow, you guys are amazing! Thank you to those who reviewed and those who added this to their story alert after the chapter, =). After this is only one more chapter, so down below is a doozy...

Disclaimer: nah...

"No...no," a quiet mumbling echoed, catching the ear of Eric as he passed by Trace. Poking his head in curiously, he noticed Ryan asleep, his head lowered heavily onto his crossed arms on top of the glass lab table.

"Wha...no." Ryan's pleads turned into terrified moans, an agonizing cry growling beneath his voice.

"Wolfe," Eric quietly whispered, walking up to the distressed CSI.

"Stop...please. Don't," Ryan continued in a trance.

"Wolfe," Eric started to lightly shake him, rouse him out of his mental suffering.

"NO!" Ryan shot up from his position, gasping shallowly and blinking his eyes to make sure he was awake. Looking around, he noticed his screaming caught the attention of some on-lookers.

"You fell asleep on your sample," Eric mentioned, pointing to the computer still zipping through samples of a current case. "You okay?" he asked concernedly.

"God," he shook his head, brushing his hands through his hair in aggravation. "It's like their getting worse!"

"Still having the nightmares?" Eric commented, worry etched on his face. "I thought Natalia went over to your house to help them stop...or something."

"We just talked it out," Ryan stated mildly, his forehead rested on both hands.

"Where is Natalia anyway?" Peering through the glass walls, Eric attempted to find the tall brunette usually walking prominently towards DNA.

"It's her day off. Thank God because I don't want her to see me like this." Ryan leaned back against the swivel chair, his eye lids sinking at the idea of sleep.

"I guess the talking didn't help?" Leaning against the lab table, Eric instantly noticed the bags under Ryan's eyes, noting his nightmares were worse than Ryan would truly admit.

"Not if I wasn't truthful to her, then no," Ryan confessed, his eyes giving in to their weight.

"Then what did you tell her?"

Ryan shot open his eyes immediately as he bit the inside of his mouth. No way, he thought. He's the last person who needs to know.

"I, uh," Ryan stuttered, standing up quickly, "I made up something. Look, that's not the point." Pacing, he took a deep breath and hesitantly stared back at Eric. "Okay, you need to keep this quiet." Quickly walking towards the older CSI, Ryan lowered his voice. "When Natalia was drugged by the psychic, Horatio and I left out what really happened at the warehouse. And now she's dreaming about it, and I don't know what to do."

"So, instead you told Natalia some lie to cover up a secret?" Eric, squinting his eyes in confusion, wondered how Ryan could lie to someone he was so close to.

"What was I supposed to say?" Ryan exclaimed louder, throwing his arms up carelessly. "That her dreams aren't dreams at all? That she tried to kill me and Horatio?"

"I did what?" a timid voice whimpered from the door.

Oh, God, thought Ryan as he tensed his shoulders and closed his eyes, terrified to look behind him. Please be Calleigh. Please, God. Let that voice be Calleigh. Turning around, he cursed himself for being such an idiot.

"'Talia," Ryan began, stalking carefully towards her, "you weren't supposed to-"

"Hear any of that?" Her steps an irate stride, Natalia stormed away from the two male CSIs. "I can't believe you Ryan!" she shouted, her back to him knowing full well the two were following her. "You told me I could trust you!" Stopping near the elevator, she turned back around, ready to confront Ryan.

"Natalia, you can!" Ryan reassured her.

Technicians and CSIs alike began to trickle out from the labs, curious about the current altercation; though, Natalia hardly noticed, her steamed emotions creating a tunnel vision to just Ryan.

"How, huh? How can I even think to trust anything you say after hearing you tell Eric that you've been lying to me for the past couple of months? And instead of telling me straight up what was going on, you gossiped about me...to Eric? At work?"

Natalia glared at Ryan, embarrassment and desperation washing over his body, his wall beginning to collapse with every word she threw at it.

"I should have known, Ryan," Natalia accused, rolling her eyes. "The way you were asking me last night-." Natalia stopped herself from saying anymore, fearful to continue the thought. Feeling betrayed by her best friend, she almost couldn't control her actions or her words as they spilled venomously.

"I wasn't trying to lie to you, Natalia," Ryan apologetically whispered.

"And your nightmares? They had nothing to do with 'being kidnapped', did they?" she asked.

Stiffening his composure, Ryan feared what her next words were. Natalia, don't, he thought, slightly shaking his head for only her to see.

"I heard what you told Eric! Everything you told me last night about being kidnapped and tortured by the Russians, that was all a lie, too?"

His breath rapid and shallow, Ryan widened his eyes in horror. She didn't just say that out loud.

"Kidnapped?" Walter asked worryingly, Ryan shifting towards his voice.

Oh, God. Walter's here?

"Ryan, what is she talking about?" Calleigh questioned in confusion, Ryan darting his eyes to her direction.

Calleigh heard it?

Hyperventilating, Ryan shut his eyes as he tried to wish the moment away.

It's just another one of your nightmares, Wolfe! he thought. You're going to open your eyes, and you'll be back in your room with a twisted ankle...or something.

"Mr. Wolfe, is everything okay?" Horatio walked up to the young CSI, the question causing Ryan to open his eyes to reality.

"Wolfe? Was it a lie or not?" demanded Eric from behind him.

Ryan examined the lab, noting the amount of people actually listening in, waiting for his response. Sure, he could leave without saying a word. It's not like any of them deserved an explanation, but at that moment, he realized how tired he really was from keeping that secret.

To hell with it.

"You know what? Screw it." Ryan threw his hands up in exasperation. "No, Delko, it wasn't a lie," he admitted, glaring at Eric before meeting eyes with anybody he could. "Ivan Sarnoff's men kidnapped me, and no one even noticed! Everybody listening?" he shouted at the top of his lungs.

He pivoted his body around, mentally laughing at the audience he now had, but he could care less. After putting up the front he created for the past two years, this full-on proclamation was a pleasant treat towards his mentality.

"Calleigh," he stated, snapping his fingers in her direction, "you especially will want hear this! After hours of torturing me, they kept me just above death to do their dirty work."

Not a word was uttered from a member of the room. Though, truth be told, what could they say?

"Oh, and the best part: I was kept in line with blackmail and threats that one of Ivan's men would kill a little boy. You happy?" he shouted to no one in particular. "Now you all know what happened to poor little Wolfe."

As Ryan began retreating towards the exit stairway, he noticed Natalia's face flushed with mortification. What did I just do? she thought.

"Ryan, I-," she attempted to speak, but Ryan wouldn't have it.

"Save it, Natalia." Ryan interrupted, his voice now calm as he pushed the door open with his back. "Just save it."

Entering the stairwell, Ryan mindlessly trailed down the steps. He didn't know where he was going, but he wasn't going to stop to figure it out.

A/N: Yikes. So Ryan gave up his number one secret (at least that we know about, : wink :). He could have easily embarrassed her with the warehouse secret, but then IA would have to investigate, and we don't need that. R&R!