Title: Last Perfect Thing
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Greg Sanders/Steve McGarrett
Fandom: CSI: Vegas/Hawaii Five-0
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the lovely Greg Sanders or Steve McGarrett, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

Steve raised his head from the papers he was studying, focusing on the beach beyond the front lawn of his house. Greg was there, standing in front of the waves, looking out to sea as he walked slowly along the beach. The sight brought a smile to Steve's lips.

Greg fit into his life so well, as though he'd always belonged here. Steve had expected that having someone move in with him would cause ripples in his existence, that it would take him a while to adjust to having another person here in his house.

He had gotten used to Greg being here, to the point where he actually felt more comfortable when Greg was around than when he wasn't.Though, fortunately, that wasn't often. The only time Greg was gone while he was home was if his boyfriend ran out to the grocery store.

It was funny how finding the right person could make his life so much easier and more comfortable, Steve reflected, watching Greg as he ambled along the beach, picking up a shell and dusting it off with long, slender fingers. It wasn't an imposition at all.

With anyone else, he wouldn't have felt this way, he was sure. But that was because no one else was Greg; no one else made him feel the way this man did. No one else had captured his heart and soul in the way that Greg had. No one else ever would.

He'd messed up so many things in his life, Steve reflected, thinking back over the last few years. He'd had the chance for other relationships, and he'd always kept the people he was involved with at arm's length, never letting them fully into his heart -- or into his life.

If any of those relationships had worked out, his life would be very different now, he mused, his gaze still on Greg. He wouldn't have Greg in his life, and he would probably feel regret if they had ever met, knowing that this chance had passed him by.

Or would he have met Greg if any other relationship had been the one he'd settled into? Everything that any person did had an effect on those around him. If he'd chosen to settle down and get involved iwth someone else, Greg might never even have come to the islands.

The thought of never having Greg in his life made Steve shudder; he pushed it away from him, slamming a mental door and locking it away in the back of his mind. He didn't even want to contemplate not having Greg in his life. It wasn't a thought worth considering.

He had screwed up far too many good things in his life -- not only relationships, but other things that had come his way. And he wasn't going to do that this time by thinking of what his life could have been like if he had never been with Greg.

Greg Sanders was the last perfect thing in his life, the one pure thing that hadn't somehow been tainted by Wo Fat and his obsession with finding the man who had been behind the deaths of both his parents. He wasn't going to let Greg be tainted any of that.

Wo Fat wasn't going to come into Greg's life, not if he could help it. Of course, Greg would be involved in the 5-0 team's search for him, but his lover wasn't going to be directly involved. Steve wasn't going to let the man he loved be drawn into his personal vendetta.

Greg would have to be involved in the search for Wo Fat in a professional capacity, Steve told himself with a frown. He was part of the 5-0 team; there was no way he could be excluded from their manhunt. But he wasn't going to be personally involved. Steve would see to that.

He would protect Greg from Wo Fat and his thugs, no matter what the cost might be. He was already more careful than he'd ever been before; he kept an eye on Greg, unobtrusively, whenever he was around the house, or out on the beach.

Wasn't that what he was doing now? He was going to make sure that no harm came to his boyfriend; he would keep Greg safe at the risk of his own life. Nothing that Wo Fat could do was going to touch Greg. He would have to get through Steve first.

The last perfect thing in his life wasn't going to be touched by so much of the ugliness that had surrounded him the past, and still swirled around him at times. He was going to keep his relationship with Greg pure and pristine; his obsession wasn't going to mar it.

Nothing was going to get to Greg. He might be placed in harm's way sometimes in the course of their work, but even then, Steve was going to do everything he could to make sure that nothing touched Greg. He wouldn't let his lover be hurt, not on his watch.

What if Wo Fat were to find out just how close he and Greg were? A knot formed in Steve's stomach at the thought; he wanted to push that idea away, to scorn it, but he knew that there was every chance his enemy already knew about his relationship with Greg.

He didn't doubt that Wo Fat had his house watched -- and the two of them hadn't been circumspect about their love affair when they were at home together. They often took long walks on the beach, hand in hand, and they spent time outside,. not hiding their closeness.

If Wo Fat was watching him, then he already knew about Greg's place in his life. And that knowledge put the man he loved into Wo Fat's cross-hairs, just waiting for the trigger to be cocked and pulled. The thought sent a shudder through Steve's body and made his blood run cold.

It would be so easy for some kind of "accident" to befall Greg. He would have to be on his guard, careful to see that no harm came to his boyfriend. If Wo Fat knew how important Greg was to him, he wouldn't hesitate to attack Steve through his heart.

There was no way he could not know what Greg meant to him, not if he'd been keeping tabs on them -- and Steve was sure that he had. Wo Fat wasn't the kind of person to leave any stone unturned, not if it could get him the results that he desired.

Going after Steve through Greg would be just the kind of thing that Wo Fat specialized in. Steve didn't doubt for one second that if his enemy decided to use his boyfriend to back him into a corner, that he wouldn't hesitate to kill Greg once he'd gotten what he wanted.

He should never have gotten personally involved with Greg, he told himself, the words like a knife slicing through his heart. He had only put the man he loved in danger, even though Greg didn't realize that fact. He had done his lover a grave disservice.

But if he didn't have Greg in his life, he would still be lonely -- and somewhat bitter -- man that he'd been before they had met. He didn't want to go back to that lonely life; he wanted to keep Greg by his side, to love him for all of their lives, far into the future.

Somehow, he would find Wo Fat and put the bastard behind bars for all that he'd already done. He would avenge the deaths of his parents -- and his friends -- and he would protect Greg while he was at it. Wo Fat wouldn't touch the last perfect thing in his life.

Greg was off-limits to anyone who had the idea of coming between them. He was inviolate; he was Steve's serenity, his tranquility, his peace of mind. No one was going to take that oasis away from him; he was going to protect Greg and what they shared, no matter what it might take.

It took Steve a few moments to realize that he was standing rigid on the front porch, his hands clenched at his sides. He had to close his eyes and take a deep breath, force his fists to unclench, force his body to relax and his mind to clear itself of disturbing thoughts.

There was no use in letting his imagination get away with him. Yes, Greg could be in danger just by being with him -- but he could forestall that danger, neutralize it before it threatened his boyfriend. He just had to stay vigilant, and warn Greg to be careful.

He didn't need to look for trouble. That was only going to make him worry when he could be enjoying the time he spent with Greg -- and that, in a way, would mean that Wo Fat had won. He wasn't going to let that bastard destroy his happiness with the man he loved.

As though Greg could sense that he was watching, he turned and shaded his eyes from the sun, looking directly at Steve. One arm raised in a wave, his lips curving in a smile as he headed back up the beach towards the house to join Steve.

Steve closed his eyes for just a moment, knowing that when he opened them again, Greg would still be walking towards him. He wanted to keep that vision in his mind, the mental picture of Greg walking to him with outstretched hands, ready to be taken into his arms.

He would keep Greg in his arms for all of his life, he told himself, stepping off the front porch to meet his boyfriend. They needed no words, only a kiss; when Greg's lips touched his, Steve knew that this was indeed the most perfect thing he would ever have in his life, now and always.

Neither of them saw the lone figure standing near the trees at the far side of the front yard, a camera in his hand. He raised the camera to snap photos of Greg and Steve together before melting back into the foliage, the evidence of their relationship captured on film for Steve's enemies to see.

***