A/N: A few days after Mia's coronation… she and Nicholas decide to take a rendezvous in Paris for the weekend, away from Genovian life and Mia's responsibilities. Inspired by Blue October's "18th Floor Balcony"

Disclaimer: I own nothing

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Nicholas closed his eyes and smiled to himself, breathing in the night air of Paris. It smelled of roses and fresh rain. He leaned against the rail of the balcony, letting the breeze hit him, inhaling the sweet, dewy air, and thinking about the amazing events that just occurred.

"Ohh, Mia…" he sighed to himself. He wished that they could stay in Paris forever. He was glad they had come. They would stroll the streets of the city in the afternoons, hand in hand. They would laugh, and eat in tiny cafes. He would drink coffee, while she would take tiny sips of lemonade, looking around the city, studying the people, completely mesmerized with it all. They'd make love, twice each night, and he'd wake in the morning to see her lovely face, sleeping peacefully next to him.

Tonight was special, though. He and Mia had been together quite a few times… but he felt things tonight he'd never felt before. Not with anyone. It was raining tonight. Afterwards, they lay in bed together, catching their breath, looking into each other's eyes. She was so beautiful. He gently brushed the hair out of her face, and kissed her once more. She whispered his name, "Nicholas…" before wrapping her arms around him and drifting off to sleep. The rain had stopped.

He slept lightly for a little while, but not for long. He sat of in bed, with Mia still sleeping next to him. He couldn't sleep. He carefully got out of bed, and pulled on a pair of thin cotton pants. He stepped out onto the balcony, looking back once more to make sure he hadn't awoken her, before closing the doors. And that's where he was now. Just thinking about her, as he so often did.

He was suddenly startled by the sound of the balcony doors opening. He turned around quickly, to see Mia poking her head outside. "Nicholas?" she whispered. "What are you doing out here?"

"Nothing," he murmured. A small grin crept on his face. "Nothing, I was just…thinking. Come here," he said, stretching out his hand. She smiled, closing the door and taking his hand. He quickly took a good look at her. She was wearing a thin, pink nightgown. It hugged her slender body in all the right places, and he was almost see-through. She caught him staring and grinning. She smiled back at him suspiciously. She was amazed how confident she was with herself when she was around him. Nicholas never made her feel scared or insecure. She let him look all he wanted to.

She stepped next to him, leaning against the railing, looking out at the city. He came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her. She searched for his hand on her waist, and when she found it, she held it tightly. She giggled as he softly kissed her neck. "Isn't it beautiful?" he said, in between kisses.

"Mmmm…" was her only response. She ran her fingers through is hair, and kissed her neck, more and more, until he finally said, "Mia… let's lie down…" …kiss…

"Huh?"

"The couch over there," …kiss… "Let's," …kiss… "lie down." …kiss…

"Uhh… okayyy…"

Nicholas stood up straight and smiled at her. Her took her hand in his and led her to the small, comfy couch, nestled in the corner of the balcony. He lay down first, then pulled her down to him. She cuddled up close, lying half on top of him. He wrapped his arms around her, one hand on her thigh, the other on he shoulder. They lay in silence for a while, until Mia spoke up.

"Nicholas?"

"Yes?"

"What do you remember about your father?"

"My father?"

"Yeah."

"Why do you want to know about him?"

"Well… you know I never knew my father, and…we've only really been together since my coronation. It's been a three weeks since then. I…I guess I just…wanna know you. I mean, I wanna know more about you, Nicholas." She looked up at him, her wide eyes full of questions. He gazed at her for a few moments, then smiled.

"Well…"

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They were on that balcony for hours, whispering everything to each other. They spoke of family, friends, life… they bared their souls to each other that night. Until they both began to fall asleep. But there was something that kept pulling Nicholas away from slumber. There was something he wanted to say…

He raised hand from her shoulder and stroked her hair. She was falling asleep fast. "Mia?" he whispered.

"Hm?"

He had never said this before with true meaning, to anyone. And he was about to say it to her, with the truest, purest feelings he possessed. He took a deep breath. Here goes…

"I love you, Mia."

She slowly raised her head up, not sure if she had heard him correctly. She looked at him seriously, her eyes full hope; hoping she really heard what she thought she heard.

"I love you," he said again, his voice barely a whisper.

She smiled the sleepiest, sweetest smile he had ever seen, and it made his heart skip a beat. She kissed him softly, before laying her head back down on his stomach. "I love you, Nicholas."

He closed his eyes, feeling happier than he ever had been. "Oh, Mia," he began to say.

"Shh…sleep," she whispered. "Just sleep…"

He closed his eyes, smiling. "I'll try."

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I close my eyes and I smile
Knowing that everything is all right
to the core
Close that door
is this happening?
My breathe is on your hair
I'm unaware
That you opened the blinds and let the city in
God, you held my hand
As we stand
Taking in everything.

And I knew it from the start
So my arms are open wide
Your head is on my stomach
And we're trying so hard not to fall asleep

But Here we are
On this 18th floor balcony...
we're both flying away.

We talked about mom's and dad's
About family's pasts
Getting to know where we came from
Our hearts were on display
For all to see
I can't believe this is happening.
I raised my hand as if to show you I was yours
That I was so yours for the taking
I'm still so your for the taking
That's when I felt the wind pick up
I grabbed the rail while choking up
These words to say and then you kissed me...
I knew from the start
So my arms are open wide
And your head is on my stomach
And we're trying so hard not to fall asleep

But here we are
On this 18th floor balcony...

I knew from the start
So my arms are open wide
Your head is on my stomach
And we're trying so hard not to fall asleep

Here we are
On this 18th floor balcony...
we're both flying away.

And I'll try to sleep
to keep you in my dreams
so I can bring you home with me
and I'll try to sleep
and when I do, I'll keep you

In my...dreams

I knew it from the start
My arms are open wide
Your head is on my stomach
We're not going to sleep
But here we are
On this 18th floor balcony...we're both..
Flying away

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"18th Floor Balcony"

-Blue October-