He'd never felt anything like it.

Well, maybe something similar from Mandy's older brother when he picked her up for a date. Which he didn't completely understand because it wasn't like he told her brother that they weren't really going bowling that night.

Yeah, but that was the way Ryan was looking at him.

Like he was trying to steal his best friend away. And that was only partially true because he really wanted to be more than just Greg's friend. After many failed attempts at finding the right person, he had a feeling that Greg was it.

The one.

He knew it the instant he held Greg in his arms. Amidst the panic and chaos on the streets, Nick knew he and Greg were meant for each other. Even if he'd felt something similar that time when he danced with Judy, this something with Greg wasn't going to end with the word asshole spray painted on the hood his car.

Because Greg was different.

And he had a truck this time around.

"Um…" Sadly, it was the only thing close to resembling any kind of intelligence Greg could say as he shifted in the passenger's side of the truck. Uncharacteristically silent and fidgeting in the seat. His hands resting on his lap. Stretching his shirt to his knees, which were painfully close together.

So what if Ryan had cornered him yesterday. Publicly humiliated him and made him kind of confess something he had no desire to confess to. Not that Sara overhearing them actually counted for anything as she tried not to spend much time in public. So his humiliation really wasn't something public.

But the fact that he had to kind of confess to his first crush in front of Sara was bad enough.

Regardless, it was still uncomfortable in the least and had nothing to do with Greg's current situation. And that conversation wouldn't stop him from enjoying himself. Even if Ryan had instilled a type of self-consciousness he had never felt before.

No.

He was Greg Sanders.

This nonexistent crush wasn't going to get the best of him.

"Are you okay?" Nick kept both hands on the steering wheel, sparing a quick glance to Greg, who looked…Uncomfortable. And Nick could admit that he felt the same. But probably for different reasons. Because it wasn't Warrick's business who Nick treated to lunch.

Which was just something between friends.

Friends who'd only met four days ago.

Friends who'd hopefully become more with Nick's insistence.

"Yes..." Greg quickly covered his mouth, nearly jumping in his seat when he realised that it wasn't exactly the word yes as much as it was the squeak that came out of his mouth. He coughed and then tried to speak again. This time with a lower, more mature voice. Which ended up with the same high pitched sound that somewhat resembled his normal voice.

Greg could feel Nick's gaze on him as he turned his head to stare at the window.

Who knew leaves could be so…Green?

"You sure…" Nick spared another wary glance to Greg, who still looked nervous, almost curling within himself. Something Nick was trying not to do, romantic ambitions of finding the one aside.

Yes…Nick's mind did often wander to the possibilities of the future, which was probably why he hadn't had much luck with keeping a relationship. For some reason, people's minds were always on the present.

But for this particular occasion, he was willing to look to this so-called present. Because he really didn't have much of a choice right now.

Greg was three years younger than him. And as Warrick so adamantly pointed out, Nick was going to be twenty, soon. It would really be three years and some odd months, but once August eighteenth hit, it would turn into four years.

Which was a considerable amount more than three.

And put somewhat of a damper on those romantic ambitions.

He found his eyes wondering to Greg, again. Looking unlawfully – no pun intended – adorable with obviously dyed blonde hair falling over his eyes. The same hair that Nick wanted to run his hands through. He sighed at the thought of running his fingers through those strands. Dampened with sweat in the sweet after glow of-

"I'm sure." Greg affirmed, sighing in relief. The pitch of his voice was still high, but it was better than his previous attempts to speak. And he would be happy with the progress if he didn't keep releasing short sighs in a pattern that seemed like he was hyperventilating.

What would Ryan do in this situation? He'd count to twenty.

Greg felt his breathing regulate as he mentally reached fifteen, grateful he hadn't made himself look worse in front of Nick. Which he didn't think was actually possible, but he'd pass out if he let himself act like this anymore. Not that the idea didn't seem appealing. Nick looked like the person who would know CPR.

Greg wondered how long he could hold his breath.

Nick wasn't completely convinced by Greg. But they were almost there anyway. At the restaurant, that is. It was the same one they went to a couple of days ago. They only had an hour until he had to take Greg back. And he wanted to take him there because like when Greg first whispered in his ear, Nick wanted Greg to feel comfortable around him.

Not like he was doing well in that department, anyway.

But Nick could be tenacious when he wanted to.

As the restaurant came into view, Greg allowed himself a little smile. Despite the awkwardness of the ride, he didn't mind being with Nick. There was something about him that drew Greg's attention. And not in the bad way that Greg knew he was involuntarily attracted to, what Ryan called, peril. Speaking of which, he was still dreading the conversation he would have with his mom concerning yesterday's events.

Maybe he could refrain from telling her until after he moved out the house. She would probably think he dreamed it up by then.

But thoughts of his mother were soon forgotten when Greg found himself startled by a hand on his shoulder. A light touch making him jump in his seat. The movement causing the hand to travel down the side of his torso, briefly touching his arm and eventually resting on his thigh.

Until Nick took it away that is.

Greg looked up to see Nick's face completely flushed as he turned from him. He didn't doubt that his face was most likely the same. It was practically burning the first time he got in the truck. But it was in a good way. A fluttering, nervous kind of shy Greg had never had the chance to experience. A fluttering, nervous kind of shy Greg was beginning to like.

"We're here." Nick kept his gaze to the window as he pulled up the emergency break, resisting the urge to turn his back to Greg. He would have felt mortified at his actions if the soft sounds of Greg's laughter didn't reach his ears. The most infectious sound Nick had ever heard.

Greg covered his mouth with his hand, trying to stop the bubbling laughter at the expense of Nick's embarrassment. Finally beginning to feel at ease with the man sitting next to him.

Seeing that Nick was trying to stop a grin, as well.

He watched as the black truck disappeared in the distance. Still waving until he forced his arms to his sides and began the short walk to Grissom's office.

Greg sighed dreamily, hands now in his pocket as he tried to contain the absolute bliss he felt at the moment. Afraid he would break out in some sort of dance in an attempt to express the fact that he snagged a date with Nick Stokes. Not because Nick was rich or anything, but for the mere fact it was Nick Stokes.

Okay, it wasn't really a date and Greg didn't need dating experience, or in this case, lack thereof to know why it wasn't. He knew it was only Nick trying to make him feel better about what happened yesterday. Not that Greg minded Nick on top of him…Not at all. Plus, Nick had even invited Ryan, but his friend, for some strange reason, didn't want to come. Ryan didn't have as open a schedule as him. But Greg knew Ryan could work around it. He'd done it before.

Brushing the thought aside, Greg closed his eyes in content as he was nearing the door, not noticing it was already open. He reached for the knob only to find himself being pulled into the building. A hand around his wrist and Ryan suddenly standing in front of him.

Greg tilted his head quizzically, putting his hand on the one on top of his wrist. "Ryan, what-"

"You were with him, weren't you?" Ryan accused, not releasing his grip on Greg's wrist. He didn't really need to verify because he saw Nick when Greg got out of the truck…Since he'd been watching Greg through the blinds of the window.

And Sara said Greg was only going to pick up some shrimp.

Greg wanted to feign ignorance, but knew it was in his best interests to simply answer Ryan's accusation. Or at least admit to it. But of course, he wouldn't do so in a direct manner. "Don't tell Sara."

"Don't tell Sara?" Ryan asked, finally taking his hand off Greg's wrist. He kept his arms at his side, trying not to let them cross over his chest. He'd been doing it entirely too much in such a short period. "What do you mean don't tell Sara?"

"I told her I was going on a lunch break." Greg tried to reason, looking at Ryan imploringly. He knew Sara had told him not to go. She had even given him that look. The one that promised physical harm in some form or another. Most likely something that would disappear within a few days, leaving no evidence behind.

She was scarily good at that.

"Sara explicitly," Ryan pointed at Greg, trying not to poke his friend's chest…No matter how tempting it was. But it had nothing to do with the fact that Greg was so taken with Nick. Because Ryan wasn't upset with Greg. "Told you not to go."

"Wait a sec." Greg pushed Ryan's pointing finger away. Unlike his friend, he had the audacity to actually poke Ryan in the chest. "You said that you wouldn't be able to come." He poked Ryan again. "You said that your boss wouldn't let you off to come today."

"Because Sara told you not to go." Ryan countered.

"But you said it while we,"

Ryan mentally scoffed at Greg's pronoun usage. He wished he could ban Greg from saying the name he knew Greg was going to say.

"Were with Nick."

Yep, there it was. And Ryan could only do his best to ignore it. "That's beside the point." He tried to distract Greg. "She told you not to go." Ryan used his height to peer down at Greg. Even it he was only a centimetre or two taller. "But you went and she doesn't know."

"Lower your voice." Greg tried to shush. Sara was still in the building and there was still a chance she could overhear them.

Ryan huffed, seeing he wasn't getting through to Greg. Resolving to try a new approach. "We haven't been spending a lot of time together." Throwing Greg's words back at him. The same words that got him into yesterday's predicament.

If he'd knew those words would land him in a somewhat similar situation, Ryan wouldn't have said them at all.

Greg didn't understand Ryan's behaviour. He'd always made sure to spend time with Ryan because Ryan was his best friend. Albeit, most of that time started out with trying to beat Donkey Kong – something Ryan finally gave in to – it was like they'd never been apart. "Ryan, I've been coming to your house everyday. You're even spending the night at Grissom's tomorrow. And you know that's better than actually spending the night at my house."

"I'm taking you out to lunch."

"I just had lunch with Nick."

"I'm going to take you out for dessert."

"But-"

"Sara already said it was okay. She'll cover for you." Something Sara demanded Ryan pay dearly for. The woman was a slave driver. And the price was high.

"She would never say that." Greg looked at Ryan as if his friend had grown another arm. Not that Ryan would actually mind. He'd probably get off with the attachment until he realised he'd actually had a third arm. But four arms would probably be a different story.

As long as he had two arms on each side.

"When were you ever one to pass up free food?" Ryan tilted his head when Greg didn't immediately jump to the bait. Greg loved dessert. Especially when he didn't have to pay for it.

"Point taken." Greg let Ryan pull him through the door. "Lead on, Mr. Wolfe. Lead on."

It was a nice local café type of place. Inexpensive and offering a relaxing atmosphere, air conditioning, and surprisingly clean bathrooms. But most importantly, it was far away from Nick. Not to mention that Greg loved it.

Ryan bet that Nick didn't know that.

It was hard to take in the fact that Greg had a crush on the older man. Much too old by Ryan's standards. However, it wasn't going to be a problem soon. A crush was a crush and consequently didn't last long. Because Ryan didn't have a crush on Greg, despite what Sara kept hinting. He was just looking out for his best friend. Because that's what he'd do whenever someone tried to get uncomfortably close to Greg.

But Ryan wasn't going to let the thought of Nick hinder what was possibly the greatest revelation in his short lifetime. He had come to a very imperative religious, but not really religious, decision in the thirty-minutes that he was with Greg.

He wanted to be reincarnated as ice cream.

Chocolate ice cream as a matter of fact.

In addition, he was grateful they actually choose to sit and eat instead of taking it on the road...Even if he didn't like people eating in his car, Greg would somehow manage not to make a mess and was therefore the only person he'd let eat in his car.

Besides the fact that Greg was his best friend.

But it was more because Ryan was afraid he'd get into some sort of an accident, swerving on the road because he was distracted by the way Greg's tongue danced around ice cream. Swirling around the chocolate flavoured substance and creating that mini mountain he liked to create. And smiling at Ryan, the brown substance around his mouth contrasting with the whiteness of his teeth.

Ryan ate the last spoonful of his vanilla ice cream before placing the spoon and cup in the trash. Waiting by the exit for Greg, who was just about finished with his cone, taking the rest in his mouth in one last bite. Licking his lips at the remaining ice cream barely covering his mouth.

Pink and brown were complementary colours, weren't they?

Ryan suppressed the whine that tried to come out his mouth. Deciding to start a conversation to keep his mind off the things Greg could do with his tongue. Despite the fact that Greg was his best friend…Friend was a nice word. "I can't believe you were actually in his car."

"You're taking this surprisingly well." And Greg thought that Ryan was. Aside from not being over the small detail of Greg going out with Nick behind Sara's back. After their long discussion, and Greg's semi-admittance of having a crush on Nick, Ryan had actually taken the whole thing in stride. Outside reiterating the most obvious reason why Nick was no good for Greg.

Greg kept trying to tell Ryan it was just a three year difference, but age seemed to stick out the most for Ryan.

Alongside the fact that Greg was still in high school, Nick was almost through college – something Greg tried to use to his advantage because it made Nick more mature, but Ryan had turned it around using it for his argument, saying it made Nick more reckless – and the negligible fact that there was the possibility that Nick didn't like Greg that way.

He still didn't see what living in Texas had to do with anything.

"I can't believe you were actually in his car." Ryan said it again to emphasise the significance of the action. A car was a…Sacred place. That was something he and Greg had previously agreed on.

Because sacred things could happen in someone's car.

"You said that already." Greg personally didn't think that Sara wanted him to not go with Nick. She was probably still worried about the shooting. Even if she wouldn't admit, she was just showing her concern.

In her own special little way.

"You're on your own with this one." Except that Ryan knew Greg wouldn't be. As much as he feared – yes, actually feared – Sara, he wouldn't let Greg face her alone. But it made him feel better to at least say it to Greg. Not that much better, really. But having something was better than having nothing.

Greg nodded to Ryan as his friend held the door open for him. He licked his lips again, the chocolate taste still lingering. Stretching his arms above his head as he spotted a familiar figure walking toward a not so recognisable car.

Which wasn't too far away from Ryan's.

He'd seen him inside, the familiar stranger sitting only a couple of booths away. Now heading to what Greg perceived as his car at the same time he and Ryan were leaving.

It couldn't be a coincidence because Greg didn't believe in such a thing. Well, it was actually Grissom who didn't believe in coincidence, but Greg took anything that came out of his uncle's mouth to heart.

Ryan covered his mouth, stifling a yawn when he was suddenly accosted by a pair of hands. Both trying to get into his pants…Or pockets as it was. Not that it wasn't something that Ryan was looking forward to.

He was a healthy teenage boy, after all.

But Greg needed to get away before it actually started showing.

"Hey, what's your problem?" Ryan backed away from his friend, hands protecting his pockets. But since he only had two hands, he placed them on the pockets on his left side. The side closest to Greg.

"Ryan, give me your keys." Greg moved toward Ryan, again. Reaching for the bulge in Ryan's front pocket. His attention still on the only other person in the parking lot as his hands were blindly travelling over Ryan's jeans.

Ryan spoke up, realising Greg's intention as his fingers removed the weight in his pocket. Turning away and rushing to Ryan's car. "No. You are not driving my-"

"Get in the car, Ryan." Greg didn't wait for Ryan's protest, opening the car door, climbing in and buckling up.

Ryan looked in the direction to see what prompted Greg to want to drive his car. Recognising who caught Greg's attention. The man getting into the Mercedes and heading out of the parking lot.

The same man Greg was stalking yesterday.

At the start of the engine, Ryan ran up to the passenger side of his car – something somewhat demeaning as it was his car – and barely had time to close the door before Greg began to drive off.

Ryan rushed to get his seatbelt on, nearly hitting his head on the glove compartment, as Greg sped up. There was a reason why he didn't let Greg drive. "What are you-"

"That's the guy we were following, yesterday." Greg took a right turn, the needle on the speedometer gradually moving to the right as they passed a sign setting the speed limit at forty-five miles per hour.

"And why are we following him, again? Didn't you learn anything yesterday?" At least Sara couldn't get Ryan for this one. No, this time it was all Greg. All one hundred percent of it.

"He followed us back."

"Well…Duh. We followed him first." Ryan tried to get over the childishness of the conversation, wondering why he was following along. "What do you mean he followed us back?"

"I saw him looking at us while we were eating ice cream."

"And you didn't think to tell me this because?" Ryan gripped the side of the door with both hands as Greg made a sharp turn onto a narrow road. He should have never taught Greg had to drive stick.

His poor car.

"Because your back was facing him." Greg shifted gears as he continued on the road with only two lanes, pressing on the gas and speeding up. "Besides, I called Jim after I went to the bathroom."

"With what?" Ryan asked as he felt the car moving faster, looking at the speedometer to see Greg was now nearing seventy miles per hour in a fifty mile per hour zone.

"Megan let me use their phone."

Never mind that Greg probably flirted with her, too. "Damn it, Greg!" Ryan rose from his seat as he peered through the rear window. The sound of sirens echoing in his ears. "The cops are chasing us."

"Good..." Greg shifted to fifth gear. He didn't want to ruin Ryan's car while he was going this fast. "I don't want to lose him."

"Lose him…Who the hell do you think you are?! I swear I'm going to burn all your Raymond Chandler books!"

"No need to be hostile, Ryan. I'm trying to cut the man off."

"Hostile? Who's being hostile? You're chasing some stranger with my car and the cops are right behind us!"

The tires screeched when Greg made a hard left turn and put on the breaks. The police still heard in the distance and coming closer as the car came to a complete stop; covering both lanes.

Ryan wished he had automatic windows as he quickly downed his manual one. Sticking his head out as he fumbled to unbuckle his seatbelt. Debating whether or not he should make a run for it. Trying to calculate how much Greg would slow him down. Because he couldn't think of leaving Greg behind.

But in the end, he knew it would be no use. Figuring he was doomed, he turned back to Greg, gripping his friend's shoulders and shaking him none too lightly. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"Ryan…" Greg reached for Ryan's arm, trying to calm him. His head was moving up and down and it was making him dizzy.

But Ryan was tired of listening to Greg, smacking his hand away and squeezing Greg's shoulders with a new determination. "No." All dreams of college were gone down the drain. This was going to be on his record, haunting him for the rest of his life. He tried to shake some sense into Greg, but it didn't seem to be going through. Didn't Greg understand?

Ryan didn't want to do hard time.

"It's going to be fine." Greg again tried to reassure Ryan. Because it wouldn't be the same as yesterday. Okay, technically there would be guns involved. And the guy in the Mercedes was the same guy they were following yesterday and there was a possibility that the person who fired shots yesterday was also the guy in the Mercedes.

But Ryan didn't need to know all of that, now.

Maybe later, in the aftermath. But not now.

Ryan gave Greg one final shake when he heard the sirens dying down, still ringing in his ears. "Fine? What's going to be fine?" He pointed to the three police cars behind them. The sound of the officers getting out reminding Ryan of the door slamming on his future.

He was almost ready to meet his fate, hand on the door handle, when he heard more sirens in the distance. He looked to Greg in surprise as the police had already come for them. But the sound was coming in the opposite direction.

Coming closer and trailing the familiar Mercedes that suddenly appeared and was forced to break in front of Ryan and Greg. More police cars following it as the officers behind them, much to Ryan's astonishment and apparently to Greg's delight, passed by Ryan and Greg with guns drawn.

Ryan cocked his head as he saw Brass wink at him before closing in on the Mercedes.

"And you thought I didn't learn my lesson from yesterday." Greg smiled as Ryan sat stiffly beside him. Mouth hanging open and eyes almost crossed in confusion. Taking a guilty amount of pleasure at Ryan's state of shock. "I told Grissom about it, this time."

I've been having problems with again. And more so than with livejournal (which is almost a low-down dirty shame). I'm surprised I was still able to post this.

Anyway, file six is done and I need to finish the last one (seven) by tomorrow. My deadline is already here and I'm still wondering where I'm going with this...Even if it's already technically done.

But thank you for reading and thank you to silverrayne666 for reviewing.