A/N: Yay! Thanks for all the reviews!

Abigail Lincoln had collected her bags a good ten minutes ago, and she was still waiting for Wally to pick her up. She crossed and re-crossed her legs on the blue waiting room chair, tapping her foot to the music from her headphones. This was so not cool.

She sighed and dropped her head back, attempting to recline. That proved to be a mistake. She felt a sharp pain, and…

"Ow! What the – ?"

Abbey turned around in her seat and pulled her headphones down around her neck. The young man in the seat that was back to back with hers was frowning at her, and it didn't take more than a moment to figure out why. Her head had collided with his when she leaned back. Abbey silently cursed all airports for arranging their seats this way.

"Watch it, would you?" snapped the young man. He had a crisp British accent and hair buzzed very close to his scalp.

"Don't get your panties in a twist, it was only an accident," she said, irritated that he was so irritated. "I'm sorry, alright."

He appeared slightly mollified. "Yeah, okay."

"You're not going to apologize, are you?" Abbey said flatly. His brows drew together again. She predicted frown lines in his future.

"Why should I?"

"Oh, forget it," she sighed as she turned back around. She was surprised a moment later, when she heard a mumbled, "sorry," from the person in back of her.

"No problem," she told him, fully expecting that to be the end of that. She tapped her foot absently for a few moments, and then…

"I've seen you here before, haven't I?"

"Huh?" Abbey turned back around.

"I've seen you here before," he repeated. She rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, probably," she said, pausing to scrutinize him. "I think I've seen you too."

In fact, she was sure she had, two or three times, from across the room.

"Probably," he said. "I travel a lot. For business."

"Oh. Family obligations, for me," she offered. Jeez. What was with this guy? Why was she even having this conversation? It was weird. But it was better than nothing.

"France, huh?" he asked.

She raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "How'd you know?"

"Oh… heh, I just noticed you're always here when the flight from France comes in." He nodded to the arrivals and departures screen. That was awfully observant of him.

"You're not some kind of stalker, are you?" asked Abbey, folding her arms. She wasn't going to beat around the bush.

"No!" He looked surprised at the very idea. That was probably a good sign. "No, not at all!"

"Alright, then. I believe you."

She found she was telling the truth. There was something there that made her feel like she could trust this stranger. That was pretty stupid, though, because really he had a sort of shady, secret-agent look about him.

"I'm not a stalker," he said again. "Really."

"Don't protest too much," Abbey advised with a little half-smile.

"Er, yeah."

God, why was she still talking to him? She hated talking to strangers, but some sadistic little part of her didn't want to stop.

"So, you arriving or departing?" she asked, feeling more than a tiny bit lame.

"I'm just about to leave, actually." He hefted his baggage to demonstrate.

"Well, have a good flight," she said. "And when dinner comes around, stay away from –"

"The coleslaw?" he finished for her.

"Exactly…"

Huh. No one ever finished her sentences. But to be rational, that one had been pretty general as far as sentences went.

Suddenly, Abbey spotted Wally in a phone booth far across the room. It was a good distance off, but there was no mistaking that head of hair.

"Hey, my ride is here." She turned back to the stranger. "I guess I gotta go."

"Me too," he said, glancing at the plane schedule and back to her with his dark, serious eyes. "Goodbye… um…?"

"Abbey," she supplied.

"Nigel," he said, as he held out his hand. She shook it, finding warm, dry skin and a firm grip. "Maybe we'll meet here again."

"Maybe." She doubted it. "See ya, Nigel."

Nigel slid a pair of shades out of his shirt pocket and put them on.

"See ya," he said, as he walked away to the boarding gate.

Abbey bent to gather her luggage, and when she turned to find Wally, she saw that her friend was waiting for her a few yards off. She walked up to him and they fell into step together without a word.

They had a very easy friendship, and somehow it didn't need to be cluttered with sentiment.

"Who's the bloke?" he asked immediately, as he shouldered one of her bags for her.

"Nobody."

"Yeah, right."

"Who were you calling on the phone?" she countered coolly. "And why were you so late?"

"Erm," said Wally. His cheeks became slightly pink.

Abbey raised an eyebrow and studied him, curiosity peaked. Wally was only fluster-able over things he cared about. Or perhaps, people he cared about…? She chuckled, somewhat evilly.

"Looks like Wally has a girlfriend," she smirked.

He spluttered. "How did you kn – I mean, I do not!"

"Please. I could call you a lotta things, but a good liar ain't one of them."

He folded his arms and looked sulky.

"So, how long has this been going on?" asked Abbey as they exited the building and entered the parking lot.

Wally muttered something she couldn't quite make out.

"What was that?"

"We've only been out once, alright!" he growled. "Nosey."

"Oh." Abbey was surprised in spite of herself. Wally was already blushing over this girl? "Must be pretty serious."

"Oi, you can start minding your own beeswax anytime now, you know," he said. They had finally reached his car, an orange little Jetta, and he popped the trunk open to load her bags before climbing into the driver's seat.

Abbey looked out the window as the car back out of the parking lot, mindful of Wally's desire to change the subject (for now, anyway…). They were on the freeway before he spoke up again.

"Don't tell anyone," he said finally, clearing his throat, "but I… I'd like it to be. Serious, I mean."

Well, Abbey had known that already, of course, but the slow, wide smile spread across her face nevertheless.

"So when do I get to meet this girl?" she asked, teasingly.

Wally groaned.

In fact, it was three weeks before Abbey was able to finally meet Wally's new girlfriend, just before he drove her to the airport again. Wally needn't have worried, she reflected, as she waved goodbye to him. Abbey genuinely liked Kuki.

Although… the two of them had made fun of him a bit. Well, it was all in fun, and certainly not damaging. She would be surprised if anything proved damaging to that relationship. Even in the short time that she had spent with the two of them, Abbey could see that they just… fit together.

Part of her had been relieved to get out of there. Too many shy, loving glances in one day had to have some kind of brain-rotting effect.

After passing through the long, drawn-out tedium of airport security, Abbey moved on into the waiting area. She checked the flight schedule, and blinked in surprise. She was early! Well, this was a rare occasion, then. She sighed, and dropped into one of the seats. For a while, she just sat there, closing her eyes. But then…

"Oh, it's you."

She cracked one eyelid. Then the other.

"So we meet again," she smiled. "Hey, Nigel."

"Uh… hi, Abbey." He sat down next to her, a little awkwardly. "So… back to France?"

"Yeah, same old. You?"

It was the start of a new tradition.

A/N: Sorry, guys. Looks like Abbey took over this chapter. She can be quite persuasive… but I'll get it back on track next time. Which will be the last chapter. Stay tuned!