Author's Note: I know in the first chapter I mention that Nick lived in an apartment. However, after reviewing the second season, I've come to the realization that Nick lives in a house. Sorry for the inconsistency.

Chapter 7

Greg walked in to the break room and spotted Nick in the corner. He'd been trying to find a moment alone with Nick for the last four days, but between the three dead bodies with few clues and all the new scenes popping up, it'd been impossible. So, he was glad that he would finally get his chance.

Nick sat there stewing about the cases that vexed him, while trying to eat something. His mind so wrapped up with them, he hadn't even noticed that Greg had entered.

"Hey Nick," Greg greeted him.

"Hey, Greg," Nick replied, looking up at him.

"You got a minute?" Greg asked.

"Yeah, what's up?" Nick responded, glad for a small diversion from work.

"It's about you breaking up with Alex," Greg started.

Nick's face quickly turned to a frown. Alex was the one diversion he really didn't want to talk about and especially not with Greg. He'd done his best not think about her since his last conversation with her. "Listen, I don't really want to—"

Greg held up his hand to stop Nick. "Don't be the same jerk I was. You can't just let her walk out of your life. You'll regret it. And I should know."

Nick rolled his eyes. "I would have thought you'd be happy about this."

"Happy? Why?" Greg questioned. "Because then maybe she'd take me back? Be happy with second place? I don't think so. I want her to be happy and you're the one who makes her happy—or at least you used to."

Nick's anger started to grow. "You don't know a damn thing about my relationship with Alex."

"I know that four days ago she was so heartbroken that she tried to drown her sorrows in alcohol," Greg evenly replied. He knew the rest of the story wouldn't help his cause at the moment. Plus, he didn't want to fight with Nick. "She loves you, Nick. She's lost without you. Can't you just give her another chance?"

Nick took a deep breath to calm himself. He didn't realize that Alex had been so broken up about everything. She had seemed okay when she left his apartment. But, she must have made quite an impression on Greg for him to come to Nick like this. "It's just not that easy."

"Then make it that easy," Greg told him. "Don't live every day wondering how you let her slip through your hands. Because if you think this is hard, trust me, getting over her is much harder."

"It's just not that easy," Nick repeated, shaking his head. He had never thought about getting over her. In truth, he hadn't really thought much about the future at all—with or without her. He only knew that right now, he was hurting and she was part of the reason.

"Hurts heal. Pain eases. But your heart isn't going to forget her," Greg replied.

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Alex had risen the day after her attempt to drown out her sorrows with a horrible hangover. Her head throbbed, her throat was parched and her regret weighed heavy on her. She couldn't believe she'd come on to Greg, but at least he had the good sense to be a gentleman.

She had spent most of the day in bed, knowing no one would really miss her. Nick hadn't spoken to her since that day she left his apartment. Gil had been wrapped up in a case, as usual. Even Lindsey, who once used to call her every other day, had found some new friends and rarely spoke to her now.

By the second day she felt better. Her mind was clearer and so was her heart. She knew what she needed to do, and what she needed to do was leave Las Vegas. This time, however, she would let everyone know where she was going. Now, she just had to figure out how to tell Nick—and it took her another two days to figure that out.

Alex strolled up the walk to Nick's front door. She had parked a couple houses down, not wanting to see if Nick's car was in the driveway. She just wanted to see if he would answer the door. What happened after she knocked was fate's privy.

She knocked and then held her breath. She was trying to be as silent as possible to see if she could hear any movement inside. After a few moments of not getting a response she knocked again.

After not getting an answer and not hearing anything inside, she took the letter out of her pocket and stuck it in the door. If this was the way it was meant to be, then this was the way it was meant to be. She could only hope Nick wouldn't be angry that her good-bye was on paper.

She hung her head as she turned around and started back towards her car. She was a little disappointed. She had hoped to see him again before she left. Not that she was even sure he would want to talk to her. That's why she had prepared the letter.

Before she realized what happened, she bumped in to something. Thinking she had wandered off the walk and hit a tree or something, she quickly took a step back. She took another step back as she looked to find that she had actually bumped in to Nick. Only this time, when she stepped her foot landed on a loose rock, causing her to lose her balance and she fell to the ground.

Nick was surprised to see her and stood for a moment in shock looking at her. Then he quickly offered his hand to help her up. "Are you ok?"

She looked at her left hand that she had used to cushion her fall. "It looks like I'm cut slightly," she bent her wrist in a couple directions to see if it was sprained. "But otherwise I'm alright."

"What…what are you doing here?" Nick asked, leading her towards the door.

She quickly removed the letter before he could get it. "I needed to talk to you," she answered him.

"That's coincidental," he replied, an odd look in his eyes. "I just came from your house. I wanted to talk to you."

Alex gave him an apprehensive look. She wasn't sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing. She wasn't even sure what would be good or bad with the decision she had made. She only nodded and followed him inside.

After they were inside, Nick had disappeared into the bathroom to get some bandages and something to clean her cut with. She felt strangely uncomfortable and paced near the couch. She knew this was going to be a lot harder to do in person and almost wished he hadn't shown up. Deep down, she was glad he had come home—maybe he would give her a reason to stay.

"Here we go," he said, motioning for her to sit down on the couch and she obeyed. He sat down on the coffee table in front of her and lightly grabbed her hand. He paused slightly, his eyes drifting to the finger that once held an engagement ring and then he started cleaning her wound.

"So you wanted to talk to me?" she asked, noticing how gentle he was being while caring for her hand. After everything that had happened, she half-expected him to pour alcohol on it and make her take the pain. But, as it was, he lightly dabbed the cut, blowing on it to help ease the pain.

"Yeah," he nodded as he replied. "I had an interesting conversation with Greg today."

Alex stiffened. She swallowed the lump in her throat and then questioned, "With Greg?"

Again Nick nodded. "It was very…eye-opening. And it got me thinking."

"Well, I guess it shouldn't scare me that much if it made you want to talk to me," she said with a slight smile.

He finished bandaging her hand and then lightly kissed it. "I'm sorry I've been so…" he wasn't sure what the right word was. "Quiet?"

She cupped his cheek with the hand he had just kissed. "The moment you said hi to me all the silence was forgotten," she told him, tears glistening in her eyes.

His heart broke from the look in her eyes. Nick hadn't realized how much his silence had hurt her. And he knew what he was going to tell her would hurt her even deeper. "Don't forgive me yet," he replied.

Her hand didn't leave his face. She could only guess by his statement that he had come to the same conclusion that she had. "What is it?" she inquired, bracing herself for the words he was going to speak.

"We need…I need to take the maybe off of our good-bye," he quietly told her, looking at their feet. "I can't say that I'll be ready tomorrow or next week, next month or even next year. And it's not fair to either one of us to keep hanging on." He paused, expecting her to protest, loudly, but all he received was silence. He looked up to see if her expression revealed what she was thinking.

She was nodding her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. "We need space, time, to heal," she agreed with him. "That's what I was coming to tell you. I'm leaving Vegas and going back East."

"Back East?" Nick repeated, a little surprised. He knew that they needed space, but he didn't think thousands of miles were required.

She could tell by the expression on his face that the idea of her moving across the country didn't sit well with him. "I can't be here, in this city, knowing that you are so close, but that I'm unable to see you, talk to you. At least with a few states between us, there's a good reason," she answered him.

Nick didn't want to be the reason she left Vegas. He didn't want to come between her and Grissom. "What about Grissom?"

"What about Gil?" she replied. She was just as frustrated with her father. "You and I both know that Gil has always been more good intention than follow through where his personal life is concerned."

Nick couldn't argue; he agreed with her. "What about your friends? The last year of your life?"

She sighed. "I'd rather forget most of the last year," she responded, trailing her hand over the light scar on her cheek. "But I can't. And, unfortunately, neither can most of the people within a hundred mile radius, so I can't get a job here. If I move, it'll be a lot easier."

Nick let out a deep breath. "You're right," he conceded, as he pondered the warring feelings with in him. He hated the thought of her leaving, but his heart couldn't welcome her back. He didn't know when—or if—he would be able to open his heart back to her, but always thought when he did, she would be close at hand.

She could see the torment in his eyes and then took his hands in hers. "This wasn't an easy decision, Nick. Please don't think it was. I just…I just need a fresh start."

"Then you should take it," he told her as he stood, trying to make himself believe the words he had just uttered, needing a little of that space they had been talking about.

She stood as well, causing them to be closer together as they were wedged between the couch and the coffee table. She looked up in to his beautiful, emotion-filled eyes and almost recanted everything she had just said. Instead, she took a step back, carefully. "I guess I should get going."

He nodded as he moved to the side. "I'm going to miss you," he said in barely above a whisper as she passed him.

She heard nonetheless and stopped, throwing her arms around him. "I will always love you, Nick."

"Love you, too," he replied in the same quiet voice.

She let go after another tight squeeze and started towards the door. "Good-bye," she had to force the words out. Then she disappeared out the door and out of his life.

Nick let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding as he sank back on to the coffee table. He missed her already and knew this was going to be every bit as hard as Greg had said. He also knew that it was what was best. He knew she deserved to be loved by someone who could love her with all his heart and right now, that person wasn't him. Maybe someday, but that day was not today.