A/N: Usual disclaimer. Not altogether too much to say about this chapter. A wee bit of angst towards the end, but the next chapter will have more, I promise.

"High enough for you to make me wonder

Where it's going"

The next day, Ryan and Greg only had a session for the conference in the morning, so at one o'clock they strolled out of the Hyatt. Greg looked over at Ryan and rolled his eyes. "If they show me one more time how to lift a fingerprint using a mold," he said threateningly, shaking his head.

Ryan chuckled. "Hey, you're the one who volunteered to come to this conference," he reminded him. "Besides, I for one thought it was very sexy when you informed the instructor it was still possible to get DNA from compromised evidence, depending on what compromised it."

Shrugging nonchalantly, Greg took Ryan's hand and squeezed it. "She was being a douche, so she deserved it." He lifted his face up and felt the sun warm it. "It's a beautiful day out," he remarked.

Ryan nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it feels like summer today." He looked up at Greg. "We should do something today, like go to the beach."

"Oo, yeah!" agreed Greg. "Let's go to the Michigan dunes. We can even surf together!"

"Er…" said Ryan hesitantly. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea. I have like nil balance, and besides, I've never surfed before, so…"

"What!" exclaimed Greg, stopping and giving him an incredulous look. " You live in Miami and you've never gone surfing? Why the hell not?"

"Um, cuz I value my life?" suggested Ryan. "Really, I'll be perfectly happy watching you surf."

"Oh, no way," said Greg, smirking evilly. "I'm teaching you to surf whether you like it or not. By the time I'm through with you, at the very least you'll be able to ride a wave in."

"Alright," agreed Ryan reluctantly. He looked up at Greg and grinned. "Teach me."

Greg looked around the semi-crowded Michigan dunes and grinned. He reached up and took his sunglasses off, squinting as the intense sun pierced his eyes. "Oh yeah, look at those waves," he said to Ryan, eyes glinting with a sort of wild light. "Perfect surfing weather."

Ryan looked with a critical eye at the large waves crashing onto the shore and swallowed, hard. "If you say so," he said, trying to shake the feeling of apprehension that gnawed at his stomach.

Picking up on this, Greg took Ryan's hand and squeezed it. "Hey, it's ok," he said quietly. "You don't have to surf if you don't want to." He paused, then grinned slowly. "If you're too chicken."

Ryan looked up indignantly. "I am not chicken," he protested hotly, glaring at Greg. "I'll prove it to you, too."

"Great," grinned Greg. Leaning down, he spread his towel on a clear spot of beach before pulling his shirt over his head.

Even though he had seen it many times before, Ryan couldn't help but marvel at the sculpted masterpiece of Greg's chest. Running one finger over Greg's abs, Ryan remarked, "Jesus, Sanders, you're as pale as a vampire! Have you ever seen the light of day?"

Greg grinned, and the brightness of his smile was enough to cancel out the paleness of his skin. "Sorry I'm not as sun-kissed as you, Wolfe, but I work nightshift in a city not known for its extensive beaches."

Ryan smiled as he too took off his shirt, glad his skin wasn't blindingly white like Greg's. As he put his towel on the ground, he said aloud, "Well, maybe you should come back to Miami with me."

Silence fell for a few seconds until Ryan realized what he had implied. "To visit, I mean," he added hastily.

Greg nodded shortly, looking over at the water "Yeah, maybe I will," he mused. Grinning suddenly, he reached for Ryan's hand. "C'mon, let's go! I want to hit these waves now."

"I guess," groaned Ryan, but he followed Greg over to go rent some boards.

Roughly forty-five minutes later found Ryan clutching onto his surfboard for dear life as he bobbed up and down with the waves that swelled around and under him. Greg, who had already ridden in three waves, was sitting up on his board, to the left of Ryan, apparently oblivious to the spray of the cold lake water. "C'mon Ryan," encouraged Greg, glancing behind him at the forming waves. "You can ride this one in. It's a nice, gentle one, just for you."

Ryan gulped and sat up, looking at the wave coming in behind him. Then he looked over at Greg, and Greg smiled at him, giving him a small nod in encouragement. Swallowing hard, Ryan took a deep breath and stood up shakily on his board, miraculously managing to stay on. The wave swelled underneath him and took him towards the shore. Somehow able to stay on until he neared the shore, the wave suddenly pitched him off the board.

Spluttering, he stood up in the shallows, spitting out water and trying to wipe his dripping face off with no avail. Greg took the next wave in and, hopping off his board, jogged over to him. "Nice job!" he exclaimed. "You just rode your first wave in! What did you think?'

Ryan looked up at Greg through the wet locks of hair that were plastered onto his forehead. "I think I never want to do that again," he said, wading out of the water and sitting down sulkily on the ground.

Greg laughed out loud as he fished Ryan's board out of the water. "Well, you tried it once, and that's good enough for me." He sat both boards down next to Ryan and sat down beside him. Giving him a grin, Greg put his arm around Ryan's shoulders and hugged him to him. "I'm proud of you," he whispered, kissing him gently on the temple.

Smiling up at him, Ryan pushed Greg away. "Go surf," he commanded, tempering his harshness with his grin. "I know that's what you want to do."

"Are you sure?" asked Greg, looking worriedly at him. "I'd feel bad just leaving you here all alone."

"Go!" said Ryan again. "I'll be fine. Besides, I need to work on my tan, don't you think?" He stuck his already-tanned arm out at Greg, who scowled at him.

"Sure, rub it in," muttered Greg, reaching over and picking up his surfboard before he stood and strode back into the water.

Ryan smiled and shook his head before picking himself up and heading back to his towel, further up the beach. He sat down, watching Greg paddle out, farther than he had gone out with Ryan.

Ryan lay back against the warm sand, watching Greg expertly ride the crest of a wave, doing tricks and all sorts of things. God, he was falling for him so hard…but did Greg feel the same? Or was he just in it for fun?

Ryan watched Greg surf, watched his face. He looked so carefree, so independent. And Ryan wondered if he'd ever settle down, ever want to commit. Was he as committed to this relationship as Ryan already was? Jesus, and here he was thinking commitment. This was supposed to be fun, not a life sentence.

Even as he thought this, Ryan knew that to him, this wasn't just fun. This wasn't just a fling or a quick fuck. This was the real deal.

With a sigh, Ryan sat up and reached into his bag to pull out the sunscreen. He knew he had to tell Greg. Had to tell him how he felt, how he really felt. He just didn't want to scare him away. How do you tell the same person who can't sit still for more than five minutes at one time that you wanted a life-long relationship with them? Ryan knew it would be like caging him, like clipping Greg's wings and sticking him in a cage, and he just knew he couldn't do that to Greg. It would kill everything Greg was, everything he stood for.

What was the phrase, about how if you love someone, you have to set them free? Ryan took a deep, shaky breath, feeling tears in his eyes. Maybe he had to set Greg free. Maybe.

A sudden shout from Greg broke through Ryan's thoughts. Greg jogged up to him, dropping his board and collapsing on the ground next to him, panting. "Those are some amazing waves, dude," he said, wiping off his face with his towel. He sat up and gave Ryan a worried look. "Are you ok?" he asked, reaching out and cupping Ryan's face with one hand. "You look worried about something."

Ryan shook his head quickly. "No, I'm ok," he heard himself say, heard himself lie. He forced his mouth into a smile. "Everything's fine."

A/N: Aw, poor Ryan...But it has opened a bit of a Pandora's box as far as issues they need to deal with...Stay tuned...