Warnings: This story is slash, don't read if you don't like.
Disclaimer: What you recognize from CSI: Miami is not mine, Leonard Bertram, however, is! (Muhahahahaha cough, choke)
Beta: shadowfax27
A/N: This is it, the last chapter. Please R&R.

3. And Yet Again

Bertram was at a bar near the lab, watching a young Hispanic man get shot down by a very attractive young woman. He watched as the man walked down the length of the bar and sat on the only empty stool, the one next to him.

"She thinks you're gay." Bertram said, calmly.

"And why should she think that?"

"I told her you were."

"And you are?"

"Bertram. Leonard Bertram." Bertram held out his hand, but the other man just stared at him. "And who might you be?"

"Eric Delko," the man said. Eric and Bertram returned to their drinks, Eric glancing at Bertram every few minutes. "Why'd you tell her that?"

"Tell who what?" Bertram's face betrayed nothing, and Eric sighed.

"That woman, that I'm gay."

"It was funny," Bertram took a sip of his beer and laughed. "And you are."

"Oh, really? And how, may I ask, did you figure that out?" Eric inquired. He was tired and annoyed from being turned down, and Bertram's obvious amusement wasn't helping any.

"Well," Bertram paused and his phone began to ring. "Right on time! Hello?... No, Ryan, I promise I'm not meddling... I'm at home... I swear... Would I lie to you?... There's no need for name calling, now!... Okay, okay. I'm going home!" He slipped his phone back in his pocket, paid for his drink, and winked at Eric before leaving.

"What the hell?" Eric mumbled to himself, but all thoughts of Bertram left as one odd conversation led to the memory of another. They were replaced by Ryan's face earlier that evening. Eric couldn't shake Ryan's words or the look on his face.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Ryan stood in his apartment, wishing he could rewind time, stop himself from saying anything to Eric. He felt like an idiot.

He tried to go to sleep, tried to feel comfortable in his bed, but he had to move to the couch. He still couldn't sleep, and he listened as the phone rang and then shifted to the answering machine.

"Hey, Ryan, it's Calleigh. I know it's late, but I wanted you to know that if you need to talk, you can always give me a call."

Ryan laughed. He was grateful for the offer (or was it more like a reminder?), but he didn't need a shoulder. The phone rang again a little later, and he still didn't answer it. He was glad he hadn't when he heard the voice on the answering machine.

"Hey, Ryan, it's Eric. I'm just calling to make sure you're okay. You had me a little worried in the locker room. Anyway, just seeing if you're okay."

For all of the energy he was putting into being mad at himself for what had happened in the locker room, he was relieved to hear Eric's concern. He reached a hand over and played the message again. He fell asleep listening to Eric's voice.

Jessop is laughing.

"What's funny?" Ryan asks.

"You." Jessop pulls Ryan to him and kisses him. "You're cute when you're happy." Ryan's laughter joins Jessop's.

"Well, thank you!" Ryan intertwines his fingers with Jessop's, but the other man pulls away.

"Are you going to mourn?"

"I am."

"Are you going to move on?" Ryan is surprised that he knows what Jessop means.

"Maybe, someday."

"Don't mourn forever, Ryan."

Jessop falls at Ryan's feet, lifeless and cold.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Hey, Wolfie!" Ryan sighed but stopped walking to allow Bertram to catch up to him.

"What do you want, Leo?"

"Wanted to make sure you were all right." Ryan turned to face Bertram and froze. Over Bertram's shoulder, Ryan could see Eric walking towards them.

"I'm fine." Ryan said, trying to sound final so that Bertram would leave. Apparently, his body language had a different plan because the smirk on Bertram's face grew.

"Is that so?"

"Hey, Ryan. What's up?" Eric had reached them. Ryan couldn't decide if he was angry that Bertram was there or happy for the interruption.

"I'll see you around, Wolfie," Bertram said. He winked at Eric and then sauntered away.

"You know that guy?" Eric asked as they started towards the building.

"Friend from patrol." Ryan mumbled.

"Really? I wouldn't have thought so. I ran into him at a bar last night, he told some chick that I was gay." Ryan stopped walking and Eric looked over his shoulder to see what was going on. "Ryan? You all right, man?"

"Not again." Ryan turned and sprinted in the direction Bertram had gone. He got lucky; Bertram had stopped to talk to someone. Ryan paused to catch his breath before walking over to Bertram, tapping him on the shoulder, and then punching him in the jaw.

"Oi, Wolfie! Gimme a hand!" Bertram called from his position on the ground. Ryan grabbed Bertram's shirt and pulled him up.

"Stay out of it," he said. When Bertram gave him a confused look, Ryan pushed him back against the wall and pinned him there. He whispered the words, anger flowing through them like acid, his mouth right against Bertram's ear. "Stay the fuck out of it."

"Out of what, Woflie?" Ryan punched him again, this time in the stomach, and took a step back.

"Why do I stay friends with you?" Bertram straightened up and looked Ryan in the eyes.

"If I tell you, will you tell your boss you need some time off?"

"I don't!"

"Ryan. Will you?" They stared at each other for a moment, one pair of eyes full of anger and pain and the other calm. Ryan looked away first.

"Yes."

"You stay friends with me," Bertram lifted Ryan's head so that their eyes met again, "because I've always caught you on the way down."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Ryan sat alone in his apartment, watching some stupid made for T.V. Movie. He wasn't crying anymore, which was an improvement, considering that the trash can was overflowing with tissues. His little fight with Bertram had been the stone that tipped the scale. It had really hit him then... Jessop was dead.

Eric had walked with him to tell H. He stood in the back of the room while Ryan explained why he needed time off. It wasn't until they left H's office that Ryan lost composure. He had collapsed against the wall, sobbing loudly. Eric had given him a hand to his car and then decided to drive Ryan home.

He had made sure that Ryan had all he needed before leaving and promising to check in after he was done working.

The man he had never thought would understand was the one helping him put the pieces back together. Bertram may have caught him, but it was Eric who helped him stand.

-Fin-