AN: -growls- I've been trying to post this for the past twenty-four hours. In case this ever happens again keep a close eye on my livejournalwhere I will be posting each chapter regardless of what does. And with that brief rant done, enjoy the story!

VKaos and the WolfeV

Despite his late night spent unpacking his things, Ryan was awake at six in the morning just like he always was. It took him a few minutes to orient himself and remember where he was. Once he figured that out he grabbed a change of clothes and took a nice long hot shower. Feeling fresh and ready to face the new day, Ryan grabbed his keycard and slipped out of his room. A little early morning reconnaissance couldn't hurt. He didn't think anyone would be up this early so he could check out the perimeter to set up an escape route in case things went bad.

The front desk was empty when he arrived on the ground floor. He could hear the sounds of movement back in the dinning room area and assumed it was the chef fixing breakfast. For the time being he was going to just avoid meeting anyone else. He was still reeling from meeting almost all the Raging Dragons the previous night. They were quite the characters.

The morning was warm with a gentle breeze. Dew still clung to the grass, but the sun was starting to move up in the sky. It wasn't often that he took the time to observe the beauty of the world, but as he walked around the side of the building he couldn't help but look at the sunrise. The sky was a fiery mix of gold, red, and purple that was simply breathtaking. For a moment he stood and gazed at the sunrise that represented the things that were still beautiful and good in such a corrupt world.

Shaking himself out of his sudden sentimental mood the undercover cop laughed at himself and moved on. He rounded the corner and started toward the back of the building when the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. His instincts and cop training screamed danger and he swung around. Ryan didn't even get a chance to fight. A large hand closed around his throat and he was pulled off his feet and slammed against the side of the building.

"Who the hell are you?" A deep voice growled menacingly. Ryan struggled against his captor. "Did Team Kaos send you? Doesn't matter, you picked the wrong place to trespass."

The hand squeezed tighter and suddenly Ryan couldn't breathe at all. He struggled fiercely, but the big man was too strong. His struggles started getting weaker and the world started to go black. This was not how Ryan expected to die. Ambushed by some Neanderthal too testosterone pumped to let him explain. What an embarrassment.

"Ronon! Put him down you big ape!"

"He's trespassing." The big man growled.

"You numbskull!" Ryan vaguely recognized the voice, but in his fuzzy mind he couldn't place it. "That's the new Lightweight fighter Horatio brought in."

Finally the hand around his throat let him go and Ryan slid to the ground as he gasped for breath. He felt a hand on his shoulder, but for a moment didn't have the strength to look at the owner. His breathing was starting to come back under control as he listened to the two men argue.

"He was snooping around." Ronon snarled.

"He lives here Ronon. He has the right to walk around outside without big apes trying to choke the life out of him." The familiar voice retorted. "Horatio will not be happy when he hears about this."

"You gonna squeal on me Speed?" Ronon hissed.

"I won't need to. You just left your handprint around Ryan's neck. As soon as Horatio sees that he'll start asking questions and he'll find the answers."

Speed. Speed was his rescuer? That was totally unexpected and Ryan snapped his head to look at the scruffy fighter. Speed was kneeling beside him and looking back at him with a calm, almost emotionless face. It was only in those deep eyes that Ryan was able to catch the traces of concern. Speed raised an eyebrow at him before turning his attention to Ronon once more.

"I think your shift is over big man. It would be in your best interest to go home." Speed said, his voice holding an edge of warning.

Ronon growled. "Are you threatening me? I could pop your head like a melon."

"Try it." Speed said, getting to his feet.

The two men glared at each other for a few long minutes before Ronon stalked away, growling under his breath. Speed glared after him for a moment then turned his attention back to Ryan and offered his hand. Ryan grabbed onto it and was mildly surprised as Speed yanked him to his feet with ease. The quick change from sitting to standing threw Ryan off balance and Speed's hand on his shoulder kept him from falling. When his head stopped spinning Ryan glanced over at his rescuer, but Speed had already turned and was walking away.

"Hey!" Ryan called, running to catch up with the older man.

"Don't thank me. I didn't do it for your benefit." Speed said, preempting anything Ryan was going to say. "Horatio would have been pissed, Eric would have been sulking, and we would be stuck searching for a new security guard after Battle killed Ronon."

That gave Ryan pause. Eric would have sulked? Battle would have killed Ronon? Why? Eric didn't really know him and Battle sure didn't seem to care when they met. But he didn't buy the excuses anyway. Speed had been concerned. The concern had been right there in his eyes for Ryan to see.

"It's breakfast time." Speed called back to the confused newbie.

Ryan shook his head and followed the older man back into the building. Ronon was filling out some paperwork and growling at Archie whenever the doorman tried to talk to him. Ryan quickly looked away before the big brute got offended he was looking. Speed went straight to the room identified as the dinning room and Ryan followed, his stomach growling at the idea of food.

The dinning room was more like a dinning hall. There were dozens of round tables each with five chairs and along one wall was a long table that was loaded with food. There were muffins of all kinds, pancakes, waffles, fresh fruit, pitchers of different juices and two pitchers of milk. At one end was a cappuccino machine as well as two coffee machines with pots already made. The spread was impressive with enough food to feed an army. Which was a good thing because Ryan had a feeling that some of the guys could eat like an army.

Ryan went to the food table and grabbed a plate. He filled it with fruit and a few blueberry muffins and then went down to beverages and hesitated. He really needed some coffee to wake up, but apple juice would go better with the food. In the end he decided to get coffee after eating and poured a cup of apple juice. With that done he turned to face the tables and hesitated again. Where to sit? If he sat by himself he'd look like he didn't want anything to do with his teammates. Even the antisocial guys were sitting together at one table. But if he decided to sit with one of the groups they might feel like he was intruding.

"Hey Wolfe!"

Ryan turned at Danny's shout and found the older man waving him over. That was certainly a nice surprise, though he still thought he probably needed to keep a close eye on Danny. He didn't pass up the invite though and instead moved across the room to Danny's table. Eric, Ben, Kar, and someone Ryan didn't recognize were already seated at the table. Ryan took the empty seat between Eric and Ben and smiled his thanks at Danny.

"So, who'd you piss off already?" Eric asked. It was obvious they all noticed the hand shaped bruise around Ryan's neck. "I thought you did well last night."

"Was it Deke? Cause he's been in an awful mood since his girlfriend dumped him." Kar asked.

"No, it wasn't Deke." Ryan answered. He took a big bite of a muffin so he wouldn't have to immediately answer the question. He wasn't sure if he should tell them it was Ronon. They might see him as a squealer and then never tell him anything.

"My bet is on Ronon. That guy has never been good with newcomers." The unknown man piped up. He smiled at Ryan and held out his hand. "I'm Tyler Jenson, we didn't get to meet yesterday."

"Nice to meet you." Ryan said and shook the offered hand.

"Now answer the question. Did Ronon do that?" Eric demanded.

Ryan looked at him. "It was a misunderstanding. Speed cleared things up."

"Speed helped you?" Kar asked in surprise. "You might have a chance yet."

Ryan's reply was on the tip of his tongue when a shout from across the room grabbed everyone's attention. He saw a man he didn't recognize leap out of his seat and snatch Tom by the collar of his shirt. The angry man lifted Tom off his feet and shook him while yelling angrily.

"You goddamn trouble making punk!"

"I didn't mean for you to get hit!" Tom exclaimed.

"Well I did!"

"Funsch--." Temple started, but a furious look shut him up.

"Don't even get me started on you!" The man, now identified as Funsch, barked.

Ryan was a little surprised that no one was moving to help Tom. If they were such a family why were they leaving the guy to be throttled? The Raging Dragons were a bunch of confusing contradictions. He was starting to wonder if maybe he would have to try and make a stand for Tom when he saw Horatio enter the room.

"Evan, put him down." Horatio said calmly. "Tom, apologize for whatever you did."

"But--."

"Tom."

Funsch set Tom's feet back on the ground and crossed his arms. Tom stood staring up at his taller teammate with a frown on his face. Funsch growled. Tom took a step back.

"Sorry for hittin' ya with the muffin." Tom said hurriedly.

Funsch glared at him for a moment longer before his face broke. Ryan watched as Funsch ruffled Tom's hair and pushed him toward his seat. Tom batted the hands away, but Ryan could see he was relieved to be out of the big man's grasp. Funsch sat back down and returned to his meal and Tom did the same. After that the rest of the room went back to the conversations they had been involved in and it was like nothing had happened.

"That's why you didn't meet everyone at once." Eric said, bringing Ryan's attention back to the table. "Funsch and Tom are always at each other's throats."

"It's a love-hate relationship." Danny said. "They act like they hate each other, but you should have been here for the time some of Team Kaos ambushed Tom and Temple. Funsch, Deke, and I were headed back to the Lair when we just happened to walk by the alley. There were four of them and they were putting a serious hurting on Tom and Temple. Funsch attacked before Deke or I could react. It was not a pretty sight."

"He cracked the skulls of two of the guys and broke both arms of another. But the last guy, who had just stabbed Tom, got it the worst. Funsch practically destroyed him. He broke his leg in three places, broke six ribs, dislocated his shoulder, and beat his head against the sidewalk until the guys brains were practically coming out of his head." Kar explained the extent of Funsch's rage. "The guy survived, but he has the mentality of a six year old."

"Wow." Ryan murmured.

"Yeah, well, they may act antisocial and give off the air of not caring, but those big guys are extremely protective." Tyler said. "If you're lucky they'll include you."

"If I'm not I'll stay the hell out of their way." Ryan's reply earned him laughter from the other men.

Ryan listened as the other men began to banter back and forth. They sounded like brothers or at least what he imagined brothers to be like. He didn't have any of his own. Didn't actually have much of a family. He was a kid that went through the system until he was old enough to live on his own. He became a cop because he wanted to be able to dispense the justice he rarely saw done. His best bet of doing that was to get down and dirty and get right inside the worlds he wanted to take down. Get in, gather evidence, and take them down that's what he always did. But he was starting to get a feeling that things were going to get more complicated than that.

VVVV

Ryan's first impression of Commissioner Mobley was that he was a grade A asshole. He talked to Ryan as if he were a lower life form. Mobley gave him his fighter ID card and told him what it was for and that he would need it to get past security on the upper levels. He explained the rules, of which there were few, slowly and in small words as if he were explaining it to a third grader. Ryan sincerely hoped that Mobley had some part in the drug trade so that he could bust his ass hard.

"Do you understand the rules and regulations of this sport?" Mobley asked, sounding intensely bored.

"Yes." Ryan confirmed, trying not to grit his teeth.

"Good, your first match is tonight at 8 against Grant Morgan."

"What? But I haven't had any time to train." Ryan argued.

"This isn't the kickboxing league kid. You don't get a chance to train before every match. If you can't get used to that your time here will be very short." Mobley said with a nasty smirk. "Now, get out of my office."

Oh yeah, definitely hoped to bust Mobley's ass hard. Ryan managed to keep his cool until he was out of the office and then he growled all the way down the hall. He didn't have a reason to stick around the stadium. His match wasn't for hours, but the fights started in an hour and a lot of fighters were already there. It was a good chance to snoop around.

The upper level of the stadium where the offices were was well taken care of and brightly lit. There were security guards prowling around and he got stopped twice and had to show his ID card. One security guard in particular was a real jackass about it, but after hassling Ryan for a few minutes he was allowed to continue.

The entrance level where patrons came into the building was not quite as nice as the office level. There were merchandise booths, concession stands, and other more necessary amenities. Ryan used his ID card to get into the seating area and got his first look at the fighting arena. The arena was a little bigger than a boxing ring and was surrounded by a steel cage. There was only one way in and out which was locked as soon as the fighters entered. The floor was padded, but Ryan had a feeling it could still hurt quite a bit.

There was a match going on when he entered and he decided it was in his best interest to see a match first hand before he competed. He found the section designated for fighters only and took a seat away from the other group of men already there. The match was already well under way and one of the fighters was already bloody and struggling. The referee was circling just out of the reach of both fighters and watching just as avidly as the audience. There were so few rules that refs were almost unnecessary. As the bloodied fighter hit the mats the ref forced the other fighter to back away.

"Get up you fucking pussy!"

The taunt was picked up and the whole crowd began to chant "pussy" trying to get the downed fighter to get up. The ref continually asked the man if he wanted to surrender, but the bloody fighter refused to submit. Eventually he staggered to his feet and took a lunging swing at his opponent. The other man caught his wrist jerked him forward and slammed a backhanded blow to the nose. Things quickly went downhill from there as the crowd roared with approval. With one final, deafening blow one man went down and the ref called the match.

"Winner by knockout, Jamie Knolls!"

The crowd's response was a thunderous roar. Ryan watched as the cage door was unlocked and medics went in with a stretcher. The winner, Jamie Knolls, circled the inside of the cage pumping the crowd up as the medics loaded the loser onto the stretcher. Knolls strutted out in front of the stretcher and disappeared into the passages leading back to the locker rooms. The medics went around the outside of the cage and down a different passage. As both competitors moved out of sight the crowd slowly calmed again though there was still a buzz of excitement.

Ryan stood from his seat and headed toward the passage to the locker rooms. Two security guards stopped him and checked his ID before letting him pass. Just out of sight of the crowd the passage came to a flight of stairs that led down into a dark hall. Ahead of him he could see Knolls being congratulated by some other fighters. His instincts screamed danger and he thought it best to avoid them. He moved to pass them, but they noticed his presence and two of the guys blocked his way.

"New fighter, huh?" One of the men said. Ryan couldn't see details in the dark, but he could tell four of them were bigger than him. They were Light Heavyweights at least, while the fifth guy was about his size.

"Fresh blood." The other man said, elbowing his partner.

"Should we give him the Team Kaos greeting?"

Ryan twisted his head to see that the other three men had moved to stand behind him. Ryan knew he was in trouble. The last time he had been in this kind of position he'd had his partner with him. John could sweet talk them out of anything, but on the occasions that his powers of persuasion failed John was a real fighter. Ryan wouldn't have been afraid if John had been by his side, but outnumbered and alone he presented an easy target.

Movement in front of him caught Ryan's attention and he looked forward again, but that just gave the guys behind him the opening they needed. He was seized roughly and a hand dipped into his pocket to grab his ID. There was no doubt in his mind he was about to take a vicious beating because, everyone with any knowledge of the UFL knew about the intense hatred between Team Kaos and the Raging Dragons.

"Ryan Wolfe...Lightweight class...ah shit, the fucker is a Dragon." The man growled the last part. "Grant, this is the little bastard you're fighting later."

"Want us to soften him up for ya, Grant?"

"Nah, little fuck doesn't look like much." Replied a voice that must have been Grant's. "Although, I think I'll give him something to think about."

With that Ryan was shoved against the wall. As soon as his back touched the wall a fist connected with his stomach and the air whooshed out of his lungs. He crouched against he wall as he struggled to get his breath back as the members of Team Kaos laughed at him.

"Hey!" A familiar voice shouted. "Back the fuck off!"

Ryan could feel the men back away from him, but that was only to turn and face the new challenger. When he could breathe again he looked up at his rescuer and couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"What are you going to do about it Speedle? You think you scare us by yourself?" Grant sneered.

"Maybe I should remind you of the last time we tangled, Morgan." Speed sneered. Ryan was a little surprised to see this different side of the man. "You left the cage talking to your mommy about baking cookies." There were growls from the group and several of the bigger guys took a step toward Speed. "Might I add that Battle and Funsch were only a few minutes behind me and will be walking by any time."

"What the fuck is going on here?" Ryan looked behind Speed to see Battle and Funsch quickly approaching. Neither man looked very pleased at all.

"We were just saying "hi" to your new teammate." Grant said, trying to keep his voice calm.

"This is your chance to say goodbye and walk away." Funsch growled. "Otherwise none of you will make your matches tonight."

"Nah, we're good." Grant said as if he wasn't terrified of Battle and Funsch. "See ya later Wolfe."

Ryan watched as the members of Team Kaos strolled away as if they hadn't been about to beat the shit out of him. His thoughts were taken off of them when Speed moved to his side with Battle and Funsch close behind. They were silent as they gently led him the rest of the way down the hall and around into the brighter corridor that contained the locker rooms. Once in the light they stopped and looked him over. For the second time that day Ryan could see concern in Speed's eyes that wasn't mirrored on his face.

"That's the second time today I've saved your ass. I hope you don't plan on making a habit of it." Speed said. "I don't play hero very well."

"It's not like I'm trying to get my ass kicked." Ryan retorted. He was starting to get to the point where everything was irritating. "I haven't done anything to anyone."

"That's part of your problem kid." Battle said gruffly. "Actions speak louder than words around here."

"If you want any respect you have to earn it in that cage." Funsch added. "But you'll always have to watch your back around those assholes."

"I didn't even know it was Team Kaos until they said something." Ryan replied as he gingerly rubbed his stomach.

Speed cocked his head and moved before anyone could ask him what he was doing. He pushed Ryan's hands away and lifted the bottom of the shirt enough for him to see if there was any damage done. Ryan was frozen, having been surprised by Speed's quick move. Speed prodded Ryan's lower ribs to see if any of them had been broken, but there was no give and Ryan didn't seem to have any pain there. Ryan suppressed the shiver that Speed's touch elicited.

"You're going to have to guard your stomach tonight." Speed advised Ryan. "Morgan's going to know you're already hurting there."

With that little bit of advice Speed walked away. Ryan watched him go with a look of shock still frozen on his face. It slowly sank in that Speed had just said something that wasn't sarcastic or rude. The bigger shock was his body's reaction to Speed's touch. What was the shiver all about?

"He's going to mother hen you now." Battle said with laughter in his voice.

Ryan turned to look at the big man and raised an eyebrow. "He doesn't seem like the mother hen type."

"Oh he's not your common mother hen type. He'll do it in his own way." Funsch explained with a grin.

Ryan was uncomfortable with the idea of anyone watching over him for any reason. Just the idea that someone was watching him caused him to instinctively glance over his shoulder. He wasn't paranoid to think that people were always watching him when they weren't, but knowing that someone was watching him bothered him.

"You have hours until your match. My suggestion is to hit the gym and get warmed up. Maybe see if one of the other little guys will do a warm up match with you." Battle advised.

"Work on quick knockouts Wolfe, otherwise Morgan is going to follow up on the advantage he gave himself." Funsch added before he and Battle walked away.

Ryan winced and rubbed his stomach. Yeah, Grant Morgan had hit him hard, a lot harder than he'd been hit in a long time. The last guy to hit him that hard had been fucked up on Meth and ready to take on the entire police force. Ryan knew he was going to have to get used to taking blows like that, but he had just been unprepared for it. The next time he faced Grant Morgan he would be ready.