Chapter 9

Anya had figured out she'd better not be around when Horatio learned the full extent of his new nighttime wardrobe, so she was glad - and surprised - to see Ryan pulling into the drive. She smiled and waved as he got out.

"Hey," He greeted, while rubbing the back of his head. He had on a pair of dark jeans and a green shirt.

"Hi. Are we ready to go?" She asked, hoping they could leave before Horatio came back down the stairs. He nodded and, like the prefect gentleman she expected him to be, he helped her in before settling in himself.

As they pulled out of the drive, she willed the excited feelings inside of her to go away. She didn't want to look like an idiot on their first date. She frowned; technically they weren't on a date. All Ryan said was this was to celebrate her new job and really, given her history, did she really want a steady boyfriend? Yes, a small part of her admitted, but the bigger, more logical part, was unsure. This was a job for Izzy, who had guys bending over backwards to please her since the 9th grade.

They pulled into a bar called Spike's. Anya thought it was funny considering all the date rape drugs that were going around. She hopped out of the hummer and turned to Ryan. "Don't you think you should ditch MDPD's Hummer?"

He looked at her sheepishly. "Well, I went straight from work to H's house so I didn't have time to go home and get my bike."

Her eyes widened. "You have a motorcycle?! That is so cool!" She loved motorcycles, but she had never been on one.

He smirked, "Do you want to take a ride sometime?"

"Really?!" She exclaimed. The next thing she knew she was hugging him, without even realizing she had moved. "Oh, yes! Thank you, Ryan! Thank you!"

He went red, but he hugged her back. "You're, uh...your welcome, I suppose." She let him go and the smile on her face matched his own. Suddenly, as if she realized how close she was to him, she jumped back.

"We should go in," She mumbled. He grinned and grabbed her hand, leading her into the bar. He snagged them a table and ordered their drinks. They sat and hours went by. They were visited by a couple of people who she knew from the lab, including Eric, who was with a bodacious blonde, and Dan Cooper, who was dancing with every female who happened to go by. Ryan was shook off when he suggested that Anya take it easy. They had sat at they're table talking and drinking when the song 'Paralyzed' came on. Anya in her slightly inebriated state, squealed and grabbed Ryan's hand. "I love this song!" she yelled over the noise, "Let's dance!" She dragged him onto the dance floor and twirled until she was facing him. As they began dancing, it was apparent that Isabella wasn't the only one in the family who inherited the dancing gene. He briefly wondered if she had taken lessons as her sister did. Eric and Dan jostled to partner her, spinning her off from one to the other and back to Ryan.

Even the band seemed to get a kick out of the crowd. Their lead singer screamed his way through the 'Twist and Shout', while the lead guitarist posed and strutted whenever Anya came near, breaking into moves that looked like something Jimi Hendrix or Elvis would do.

Ryan and Anya came back to their seats laughing and breathless. "Your a great dancer!" Anya slurred slightly. She was a little more than drunk and he knew that there was no way she was going back to Horatio's house now.

"You know, I wasn't really supposed to do this." She mumbled.

His eyebrows furrowed. "What? Why."

"I wasn't supposed to go out much. Not with that guy following me...Grissom and Allie, and even Allie's husband, told me to keep my head low and keep my nose clean. But they're no fun! You know I could tell you some really embarrassing-"

She didn't get to go on because at that moment she passed out. Ryan started panicking. Was this a side effect of her being shot? Ryan wasn't going to leave her but he stood up so he could look for Eric. He spotted him four tables away with the same blonde. "ERIC!" he bellowed above the noise. Eric's head shot up and when he saw the look on Ryan's face he came over.

"What is it, Wolfe?" He asked, talking no notice of Anya.

"I-it's Anya! She just passed out." Eric bent by her and then started laughing. Ryan was looking at him in disbelief. "What? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Wolfe. She's just drunk. Let me help you get her to the car." Ryan nodded and scooped Anya up in his arms. Her arms rested on her stomach and her head lolled onto his chest. After Eric explained quickly to his date (Yolanda, as it turned out her name was) what was going on, he helped Ryan out.

After placing her in the back seat Ryan thanked Eric and got in the front. He took a quick look in the rearview mirror and immediately regretted in. Anya, who was still out cold, was laid out on her back with one arm on her stomach, the other on her chest. Her head was slightly tilted, with her black hair framing her face. Her mouth was open a bit with her lips fully puckered. Ryan looked away and swallowed hard. He drove the short distance to his apartment, and when he opened the back door, he was surprised to see Anya sitting up in the seat, her green eyes dilated from her drinks.

"Where are we?" She asked, the slur still present in her voice.

He smiled. "We're at my place. Before you think the wrong thing, you passed out at Spike's and your too drunk for me to send back to Horatio."

She nodded absently and got out stumbling. Ryan caught her before she could do any real damage and helped her up to the fourth floor. He unlocked his door. "You can, uh, take my bed and I'll sleep on the couch." Anya looked about ready to fall asleep and Ryan experienced a burst of male pride as she leaned on him for support.

They hobbled their way into the bedroom and he set Anya on the bed as he bent to take off her shoes. When he came back up he found his face was inches from hers. She didn't seem bothered by this and leaned closer. Ryan shot up and her head ended up hitting his stomach. He pushed her back slightly and pulled down the covers. She automatically laid back and he pulled them up to her chest. He was about to turn when he felt her grab his wrist.

"Please don't leave me." She whispered, the slur absent. Her eyes were wide and the fear was rolling off of her in waves. He crouched down to her level and touched her cheek.

"Anya, what...what's wrong?" He asked, concern lacing his voice.

Quietly, almost to where it was inaudible, she said, "I'm afraid of the dark."

If it had been anyone else, Ryan would have laughed, but Anya was another story. She was truly scared and he couldn't leave her like that. He sighed know that he was going to regret his choice in the morning.

"I'll be right back," He said, and she nodded. He walked the short distance to the bathroom, and stripped his clothes. He pulled on his sweat pants that he wore to bed and put the dirty clothes in the hamper. After brushing his teeth, he walked back into the bedroom and climbed into the bed. He laid on his back and closed his eyes, determined not to think of the woman next to him. He was going pretty good, until he felt her roll over and place her head on his chest. He couldn't help the grin that came to his face. He wrapped an arm around her waist and drifted into a peaceful sleep.

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Anya awoke in what she considered the most comfortable bed that she'd ever been in. She smiled and went to stretch when she felt an arm around her waist. Her eyes snapped open and she looked beside her to see Ryan in a deep slumber. She gave a sigh of relief when she looked down and noticed the only thing missing from her was her shoes and her purse. She slowly unwrapped his arm and made to get up. He groaned and rolled over. She grinned and stepped out into the living room, glad that today was an 'on-call' day.

"Now where does Ryan keep his food?" she mumbled to herself. She made her way into the kitchen and opened his fridge. Grimacing at the sight of it being bare, she calculated how long it would take her to make it to the store and back. She sighed. Too long. The only option left was to wake Ryan. It was probably a good idea too, seeing as she'd never cooked before.

She walked quietly into his room and pushed open the door. He wasn't in his bed anymore, but she hadn't heard him get up. Thinking he had possibly gone into the bathroom, she softly called, "Ryan? Are you awake?"

When he didn't answer she frowned. Where the heck was he? She was about to call for him again when an arm wrapped around her middle and another went over her shoulder and across her chest. She bit back a scream and grabbed the arm. She got a good grip and pulled it and her assailant over her head and onto the floor.

"Whoa! Anya! It's me!" Her attacker yelled. She blinked as she removed her foot from Ryan's neck. She grabbed his hand and helped him up.

"What the Hell was that all about?" He asked, more than a smidge shocked.

"Sorry! You scared me and I kinda went into attack mode."

"Tell me about it. Remind me to never get on your bad side." He laughed walking into the kitchen.

He opened his fridge and took out a carton of eggs, some bacon, ham, cheese and tomatos. "How do you like your omeletes? I know your a vegetarian, so just cheese?"

She nodded, dumbfounded. He turned his back to her and she walked over to his book shelf seeing as she had nothing better to do.

Fifteen minutes later, Ryan had finished cooking. She came in and her eyes sparkled with delight. They sat down and began eating in comfortable silence. Ryan soon learned that Anya could eat enough for three people. When they were finished Ryan turned to her.

"So what are your plans for the day?"

"Well, I was probably going to begin moving in to my new place."

He looked surprised. "Where is it?"

"Uh...427 Coconut Palm Dr." She said looking up.

Ryan's eyebrows shot up. "That's right across the hall."

"Really?! That's amazing! I mean," she added, "I have movers coming with my furniture, but, uh, could you maybe help me?"

He smirked. "What's in it for me?" He flirted.

Anya looked upwards very innocently, "Well, I could try to make you dinner..."

He held out his hand. "It's a deal."

She looked at his hand and then back at him. "What? No spit shake?"

He pulled back his hand so fast it made her head whirl. "I was kidding!" she exclaimed, "I didn't really want you to spit shake! You just reminded me of a boy scout."

He turned red and looked down. "I have a slight case of OCD." he mumbled.

She cocked her head to the side. "Really? So does my friend Geoffrey, but we all love him."

Ryan smiled as she gave him a very quick, very soft hug and bounded towards his bedroom. She came back out with her shoes and smiled. "I'm going to call the moving van and see where they are, okay?"

He nodded and pointed to his phone. After she called them she went back to where he was sitting on the couch. "They said they were about three minutes away. So I'm going to meet them downstairs. You wanna come?"

"Sure thing. Are we moving this by ourselves?"

"Are you nuts? We can't move all my furniture by ourselves. Horatio is sending Eric I think. So come on!"

She grabbed his hand and led him out the door and down stairs. Never had he met such a free-spirited, energetic female. They had just reached the landing when the Mighty Movers van pulled in followed by a silver Dodge Stratus. Anya's eyes widened and she let go of Ryan's hand, running the rest of the way down. From the silver car emerged a woman with red hair that fell in waves. Anya reached the car and the woman screamed in delight as she nearly jumped on her.

"Anya!" the woman yelled as they hugged each other.

"Oh, Izzy! I've missed you!"

The woman, Izzy apparently, held Anya away from her. "You retard. You've only been gone two and a half months!"

She heard a muffled cry and looked towards the car.

"Oh, Tristan!" Anya exclaimed as she reached into the backseat and pulled out a little boy with black hair and big, bright blue eyes. "And how are you, young man?"

"Aunt Ana!" the boy said, mispronouncing Anya's name. But he was a kid, so she didn't mind.

"Yes, love?"

"I can count to ten! In 'panish!"

"You can?! That's so good!" She exclaimed, hugging him tightly. She looked back to Ryan and smiled, motioning with her head for him to come over. He took tentive steps toward the trio and he saw Izzy do a double take. He smiled as he came to stand beside Anya.

"Hello."

"H-hi!" Izzy said.

"Izzy, I'd like you to meet my very good friend, Ryan Wolfe. Ryan, I'd like you to meet my younger sister, Isabella Martin-Caine." When Ryan looked at her quizzically she added, "Oh, she changed her name to Caine when she turned thirteen."

"Ryan Woof!" Tristan said, holding his arms out for Ryan to grab him. "I wanna go wif him Aunt Ana!"

"You'd better ask Mommy." Anya said in a stern tone. The little boy had the grace to look sheepish before he turned to his mom.

"Pwease Mommy. Aunt Ana knows him, so he's not a bad guy. I'll be good. Pinkie swear!" he said in an almost desperate tone.

Izzy looked to Anya for reassurance. "Okay, I suppose. But make sure you stick with that being good plan."

"Yay!"

Ryan took Tristan in his arms and bounced him a couple of times. The boy's giggles made him laugh. He felt that eyes were on him and he looked up in time to see Anya quickly look away.

(Anya's POV but still in third person)

Anya watched in wonder as Tristan willingly went into Ryan's arms. She looked up into Ryan's face and could help but think, 'he's going to be an awesome dad.'

She immediately blushed at the image that came into her head of her and Ryan in a back yard with little black and brown haired kids running around.

"Something wrong, Anastasia?" Izzy's voice whispered in her ear.

"No. Why?"

Izzy smiled a wicked grin. "Ryan, can you watch Tristan for a minute? I need to speak to dear Anastasia in private."

After Ryan's nod, Anya let Izzy drag her toward the apartments. "What is it Isabella?" She snapped out, getting annoyed at her younger sister's pushy attitude.

"I'll be blunt. What is your relationship with Ryan Wolfe?"

Anya was taken aback. "W-what?!"

"Are you screwing him?"

"Isabella! No! We only went out for drinks and I got drunk but nothing happened!"

"I worry about you. You're still too young for kids-"

"Oh! So says the girl who lost her virginity at 14!"

"You know that was an accident. I was drunk at the 'West Side Story' after party."

Anya's eyes softened at Izzy's hurt tone. "Izzy, I'm sorry. I know that the ass spiked your drink."

They hugged and made their way over to Ryan who was tossing an excited Tristan into the air. "Okay, buddy," Izzy said as she took Tristan from Ryan. Let's go get you settled into our hotel. Oh, and Anya?"

"Yes?"

"I paid the movers extra, so they'll be moving your furniture for you and go grab your mongrel from my backseat!"

Anya gasped. "Munch is not a mongrel! He is a purebred mini Chihuahua."

"Whatever. By the way," she added, "Your Guiana Pig is at Uncle Horatio's house."

"Grampaw?" Tristan said.

"Yes, baby, Grandpa." Izzy said as she put Tristan in his baby seat. She kissed his forehead and closed the door.

"Love ya, sis. See you later." Anya and Izzy hugged and Anya waved as Izzy drove away. She turned back to Ryan.

"You seemed to have fun with Tristan."

"Yeah, he was okay. He's a cute kid, but he looks more like you than Izzy."

Anya looked pained for a moment but as soon as it came it passed. "Yeah, I guess he takes after my dad." She sighed, "Well I guess I need to get home."

Ryan looked down at her."You, could stay at my place. I mean, it's closer to your apartment."

Anya thought for a moment but there was no denying his logic. "Okay."

A/N: My longest chapter yet! Woo! And I'm uber excited to say that my mind has been going haywire with all the stories I want to write! My goal is to at least start some of my OC Chronicles. What's going to happen is that every make in the CSI universe (save NY) will be paired with an OC.

Ryan, Eric, Horatio, Greg, Nick, and Grissom.

I'm daft but, I enjoy my illusions of adequacy. Love ya'll!

XOXOX Kel