And here it is - part two to yesterday's update! This one is less crime - more cute! :)


Happy Birthday, Brina.

She stared at the text, debating on whether she should respond. She hadn't spoken to Rosalind Walker since the day she confronted her about sleeping with Harvey. Seeing Roz's name on her screen with the simple birthday wish made her heart hurt just a little more. She missed her best friend.

"I know you said this was going to be a lot more low key than previous years, but if this is low key…" Theo dropped onto the step beside her. Below them, the Spellman yard was full of people in Halloween costumes, laughing, eating, and drinking. The house had been transformed into a Halloween wonderland, and while the flow of trick-or-treaters had finally stopped for the night, the party kept going.

"You know Aunt Zelda," Sabrina said. "She never misses a chance to remind the townspeople she's the mayor."

Zelda, for all of her complaints about Sabrina's tendency to go overboard with her birthday plans, had hijacked her party, taking it from the simple gathering Sabrina wanted to the blowout it was. She supposed, in another setting, one where Angela Fields, Cassius, the Wardwells, and maybe even the girls were present, she would have loved it.

"Checking to see if Nick has texted?" Theo asked.

"Something like that," Sabrina admitted. "I know he's working late and I told him he didn't have to come, but it's been a long day, and I'm selfishly hoping he does show up."

"You really like him, don't you?" Theo asked.

"I do," she admitted. "I really do. He's – different. He's not safe, like Harvey was yet I feel safe with him. Does that make sense?"

"Harvey was a safe choice," Theo nodded. "You knew what to expect with him. I guess, right up until…"

"He slept with my best friend," Sabrina finished. "I recognize the irony."

"With Nick, you just seem so much more – you. From where I sit on the sidelines, I see Nick as a guy who is really confident in who he is, what he does. You have always been like that – you have have always known who you are. Nick lets you shine. Harvey, for all his good points, held you back." Theo smiled. "I'm really happy for you, Sabrina. And it's really good to see you happy again, too."

Sabrina smiled ruefully. It was an odd place to be , happy with Nick, devastated over everything happening around her.

"We haven't had 'the talk' yet," she confided in Theo. "I'm not seeing anyone else, and I don't think he is either – I don't think he would have time to at the moment – but we haven't put any sort of official label on what we are."

"He's your future husband," Theo determined. "I don't need Roz's weird way of knowing stuff to know that. You can write down that I said that on your 29th birthday so I can say 'told you so' at your wedding."

"Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves," Sabrina shook her head with a smile. "I think I can see myself with Nick for a long time, though. If he'll have me."

"Has he?"

"Has he what?" Sabrina repeated. Theo raised his eyebrows.

"Had you?"

"Theo!"

Sabrina brushed profusely. She loved Theo's bluntness, the way he just asked what he wanted to ask, said what he wanted to say. He was, by all accounts, the bravest person she knew, living his life as a man when his physical body told the worth otherwise. But sometimes, he still caught her by surprise.

"He's hot," Theo shrugged. "No one would fault you. I'd even celebrate you."

"We haven't," Sabrina answered. "He slept over the night Cassius was murdered, but he was exhausted." She left out both Nick's nightmare and how they had made out in the morning, his hand sliding under her shirt, him leaving no doubt as to his desires. Had Prudence and Ambrose not stumbled past, laughing and discussing breakfast, she wasn't sure they would have stopped. "But that's it. It's only been a few weeks since our first date, and he says he's trying to be a gentleman. It's sweet."

"Be honest, you don't want him to keep being a gentleman."

"I really don't," Sabrina admitted, making Theo howl laughing. She waited until he settled down to change the subject. "Roz texted me. She wished me a happy birthday. It's the first time I've heard from her in four months."

"You told her not to talk to you," Theo reminded her. "She's had a hard time with that, but she's abided by your wishes."

"She has," Sabrina agreed. "Harvey texted too. He obviously continues to try to get back into my good graces." She played with the lace of the elaborate dress she wore. "They seem happy together."

"They are," Theo confirmed gently. "They just – make sense. Harvey has started going to church with Roz and her family, Roz is more confident in who she is. I know they broke your heart, but you have Nick now, so I feel like I can say this. They fit together in a way you two never did."

Sabrina couldn't argue that point.

"I miss Roz," she confessed. "Now that I've had some time, some space… And with Nick, too… I think, maybe, I could forgive her someday soon. Harvey, I'm not so sure about, but I think I would like to have Roz back in my life.

"She would love that," Theo said. "So would I, if I'm being honest." They traded smiles that spoke to years of memories and friendship. Theo saw the car turning into the driveway first. "I think you got your birthday wish."

"What?" Sabrina followed Theo's gaze. She broke into a genuine smile. "Nick." She looked back at Theo. "Do you mind if I…?"

"Ditch me for the hot detective?" He asked. "Nah. I'm going to go find some matches and light the fire pit. We need s'mores."

They stood and descended the stairs together, but Sabrina only had eyes for Nick. And Nick, Theo observed, certainly wasn't looking anywhere else. He couldn't blame him. Sabrina was a vision in her costume.

"You look… Incredible…" Nick stammered.

"I didn't have a costume," Sabrina shrugged. "With everything going on, I never got around to putting together my usual over the top number. This was my mom's wedding dress."

"You look perfect." He met her at the bottom of the stairs. She looped her arms around his neck as he pulled her into him. "I'm sorry I'm so late."

"You're here," Sabrina said with a shake of her head. "That's enough."

"Even if I came dressed as an exhausted detective? A look that happens to be my day-to-day norm right now?"

"Even if," Sabrina confirmed. She hugged him tight. "I would have been okay if you hadn't made it, but I'm so glad you did."

"It's your birthday," he reminded her. "And I meant what I said earlier. You're my priority." Something told her that there was more behind Nick calling her his priority than simple words. He meant it, for one, but it was as though he needed to remind himself. She remained sure there was something in Nick's past he was trying to put behind him. Now wasn't the time to push for more, however. "Happy birthday, beautiful."

"You've said that a time or two today," she teased.

"And I've meant it every time."

They shared a kiss, right in the front yard for all to see.

"Are you hungry?" she asked when they parted. "I'm willing to bet you haven't eaten a proper meal today."

"I'm starving and I haven't," he admitted. "Donuts with you this morning, a bag of chips right before the funeral, and some M&Ms out of the vending machine a few hours ago." Sabrina shook her head.

"Come on, Scratch. Let's get you some food."

An hour later, his stomach full, Nick was trying to extricate himself from the grips of two women he thought were called Agatha and Dorcas. They had cornered him when he went to refill his drink, and now he couldn't seem to shake them.

"What's the most gruesome murder you've come across?" the one named Dorcas asked. "Tell us all about it – we love true crime!"

"We do," Agatha confirmed. "But Dorcas more than me. She listens to podcasts all the time…"

"You two do know he's with Sabrina, right?" Ambrose appeared, wearing part of a pirate's costume over his Greendale PD uniform.

"Of course," Dorcas replied too quickly. "We were just talking…"

"Yeah, Captain, we were just welcoming our newest resident to Greendale."

"Well, I'm afraid this conversation has to come to an end," he said. "I need Scratch to help me break down one of the Halloween displays for my aunties."

"Happy to help," Nick said, seeing right through the lie. "Lead the way." Ambrose jerked his head for Nick to follow. "You're my hero," he said when they were out of earshot of Dorcas and Agatha. "I've been trying to get away from them for ten minutes."

"They're Prudence's friends, but I don't like them all that much," Ambrose confessed. "Agatha isn't entirely awful. She's newly engaged and relatively stable in her day-to-day life. Dorcas though – she's jealous of Prudence and Agatha and entirely desperate. I like you enough to not subject you to any more conversation with those two than is strictly necessary."

"You're a good man, Ambrose," Nick said in appreciation. His eyes searched the crowd for Sabrina. He found her easily, sitting on a bench near the fire, talking to Theo and someone he thought was named Billy. Again, he was struck by how beautiful she was.

"I was starting to think you weren't going to make it," Ambrose commented. "In spite of me telling you to leave the office by eight when I left at seven."

"I could have stayed and worked well into the night," Nick condessed. "Maybe even should have, given what we know. But," he hesitated for a moment before deciding to be honest, "I haven't always been the best at prioritizing my personal life. I'm trying to be better this time, do things differently. It's Sabrina's birthday. This party is important to her, no matter how she tried to downplay it, and she's important to me."

Ambrose clapped his shoulder.

"I like you, Scratch," he declared. "I'm glad she's got you."

He left Ambrose to go to Sabrina. He joined her on the bench, his arm around her as they talked with her friends. He made it a point to try to get to know them bettr, for her, but also for himself – if he was going to live in a small town, he needed to be better about making connections with his neighbors. It wasn't like New York, where he could be just another face.

Around them, the party goers started to trickle away. When Theo and Billy left and it was just them for the first time since he arrived, Nick seized his opportunity.

"I have something for you." He reached into his jacket and produced a thin square box. "I've been waiting for a chance to give this to you all day." He blushed a bit. "Sorry its not wrapped. That's not exactly in my wheelhouse."

"You're sweet." Sabrina leaned over and brushed her lips along his cheek before she opened the box. She let out a soft gasp. An elegant gold bangle with detailed etchings lay inside. "This is absolutely beautiful, Nick." She went to clasp it around her wrist. He stopped her.

"I had it engraved," he said nervously. He turned her hand so she could see the inside of the bangle.

"Bellissimo," she read.

"Beautiful in Italian," Nick translated. "Which is what you are – beautiful, inside and out. I thought the Italian would be a nice touch, a reminder of our first date." Her eyes filled with tears. "Hey, don't do that," he hushed, wiping them away. "It's your birthday, and you've cried enough today."

"These are happy tears," she promised him. "This is perfect, Nick. Thank you." She kissed him soundly. There was no more falling for Nicholas Scratch. She was full in full on free fall with no hope of being caught. She didn't want to be – unless it was Nick doing the catching.

"I'm glad you like it." He had agonized over the perfect gift, wanting something meaningful but not too over the top. The bangle had felt right, and he was glad he went with his instincts. He kissed her again. "Happy birthday, Sabrina."

He stayed by her side for the next half hour, making small talk with the few remaining party guests or else pitching in to help clean up. Conscious of the fact that it was getting late as he put down the platters he had carried inside for Hilda, he took Sabrina by the hand and turned her to face them.

"I should get going. I've got to be in the office early tomorrow morning."

"Stay here," she proposed. "I liked having you here the other night. And besides, its my birthday."

"You really do go for the jugular, don't you, Spellman?" he asked, finding it hard to resist.

"Like I said, a girl has to ask for what she wants." Her hand trailed down his chest. She wasn't conscious of what she was doing, but he certainly was. He caught her hand in his before her aunts or Ambrose walked in.

"As much as I want to stay, I've got to go home to let Dublin out. I ran home late afternoon and took her for a walk, but she's probably getting pretty annoyed with me by now." Sabrina tried to hide her disappointment. "But if I may make another suggestion…" She raised an eyebrow to show she was listening. He took his chance. "You could come home with me, stay with me tonight."

"Oh yeah?" she asked.

"Yeah," he agreed, pulling her closer. "I liked sleeping next to you, too." He kissed her. "Besides, Dublin would love to see you."

"Is that so?"

"It's a fact. She told me so on our walk today."

"Wait for me to go upstairs and change out of this?" she proposed. q

"I'll be here. Put on something comfortable." She kissed him again and hurried out of the room, her dress flying behind her as she rounded the corner from the kitchen.

He exhaled, trying not to think too much about how she looked in her mother's wedding dress, or the thoughts that had run through his mind when he saw her walking down the stairs towards him.

"You crashing here tonight?" Ambrose asked, walking into the kitchen with Prudence. "How do you feel about banana pancakes for breakfast? I'm trying convince Hilda to make them and if I've got your vote…"

"Sorry, Captain," Nick shook his head. "I'm heading home in a few minutes."

"Where's Sabrina?" Prudence asked. He could tell by the smirk on her face she already knew the answer.

"She's upstairs, changing. She's going to… stay at my place… tonight."

"I guess that's good," Ambrose reasoned after a moment. "She hates banana pancakes and would be a vocal opponent to my campaign."

Nick chuckled in relief. No matter how many times Ambrose gave him his approval, he still felt the need to toe the line when it came to his relationship with his superior's cousin.

"Okay," Sabrina said, returning to the kitchen with a small bag over her shoulder, her clothes replaced by leggings and an oversized sweater that draped off her shoulder. She was still wearing the bangle, Nick noted. "I'm ready."

"I'll see you at the station," Nick told Ambrose with a nod. "Goodnight, Prudence."

"You two really are cute together," she smirked as she watched Nick take first Sabrina's bag and then her hand. "I suppose I'll see you both soon enough. Sleep well. Or not at all, as it may be."

"Tell the aunties where I am?" Sabrina requested, ignoring Prudence's suggestion.

"I'll do your dirty work," Ambrose confirmed. "Keep my cousin out of trouble, Scratch."

"I'll try," he promised.

If nothing else, he reasoned as they left the house, she would be with him.

And if she was with him, then she was safe from whoever was wandering around Greendale, taking lives seemingly without reason.

He would make sure of it.


Sabrina curled her legs under her on Nick's couch. She liked his couch, she decided. It was older, nondescript, but it wrapped around her like a hug when she sunk into the cushions. Dublin trotted into the room and didn't hesitate to leap onto the couch. She laid down, her head in Sabrina's lap.

"So it's just the bed you need an invitation for, huh?" she asked as she smoothed the dog's fur. Dublin sighed contently. She had accompanied Nick while he walked Dublin around the cul-de-sac, their hands intertwined. Now, she was growing ever more comfortable as she waited for him to shower.

"I'm going to make some coffee." Sabrina had to remind herself to breathe. He stood in the living room, hair damp from a quick shower, shirtless, a pair of grey sweatpants hung low on his hips. He had slept in an undershirt and boxers when he stayed at her house. Seeing him so comfortable made something in her hum. "Do you want a cup of tea?"

"I thought you weren't a tea drinker?" she asked.

"Maybe I was presumptuous, but I figured if you were going to be here, I should have some tea." Her smile was all he needed to know he had made the right call. "It's a variety pack, so you have options. I had no idea what I was looking for."

"I'd love some tea," she told him. She made to stand.

"Stay right there," he instructed. "It's still your birthday. I'll bring it to you." He left the room, but returned almost right away. "I've got chamomile, peppermint, blackberry, lemon and ginger, earl grey, and pomegranate."

"Blackberry, please," she fought back her smile at the effort he was going to.

"And I literally just – boil water, right?"

"Then pour it over the tea bag." Sabrina had to work hard to keep her amusement from showing. "But – leave the tea bag."

"Easy enough," he decided. "Be right back."

"He's a good one, Dublin," she told the dog. She stretched in response. Nick returned a few minutes later, a steaming mug in either hand. "I'm not sure where you're going to sit, Scratch," she said. Dublin had spread the length of the couch and looked to be intent on staying there.

"On my couch," Nick stated. "Dublin, platz!" The dog let out a loud puff of annoyance, but obediently jumped off the couch. She settled on an armchair while Nick took her spot. "I'm starting to think she likes you more than she likes me."

"Well, I am prettier than you," Serena said seriously.

"You're not wrong." He passed her a mug, then pulled her legs around so they draped across his lap. "I'm glad you came home with me, Spellman."

"I'm glad I did, too." She smiled at him. "It's been a rough day – after several rough days. But you, Nicholas Scratch, managed to make today special, with the donuts this morning and then being there tonight, my bracelet…" She held up her tea. "This."

"Minus that whole part where you yelled at me and I called you a brat?"

"That wasn't my finest hour," Sabrina admitted.

"You were pretty cute, all worked up like that." His free hand rested on her knee. "You don't hear the word 'no' a lot, do you?"

"I hear it. I just don't accept it."

"That's my girl." He squeezed her knee. This was as good of a time as any to come clean about his true intentions. "You said something in my office that's been on my mind ever since."

"I did?"

"You said 'we're not – whatever we are – right now' while you were reaming me out about the barricades. I know what you meant – that in that moment, I was the detective, you were the reporter, and things were meant to be professional. But I want to…" His words suddenly failed.

"You want to what, Nick?" She thought she knew where he was going.

"I want to – clarify – what we are." He looked at her, a nervous glint in his eyes. "I know what you are to me. I hope I'm – something similar – to you."

"What am I to you?" She needed him to say it first. She was still a little skittish from Harvey. She needed him to put the label down first.

"My girlfriend." He said it easily, as though he were reporting on the weather. His fingers danced along her knee in his nervous way. "I don't know where I stand with you though."

"Nick, how could you not know where you stand with me?" she asked. "Despite my being a little raw from Harvey, you came in and swept me off my feet. You're my boyfriend." She shifted her eyes from him to her tea and back again, nervous now. "As long as you want to be."

"Any man would be a fool not to want to be your boyfriend." He took her free hand in his. "I can't say Officer Kinkle is my favorite person, and I hate that he hurt you, but selfishly? I'm damn glad he did." He lifted her hand to his lips. "It means I get a chance with you and I don't plan on blowing it."

"You're quite the smooth talker, Scratch." She laced her fingers with his.

"It's working out for me," he reasoned. "I've got a girlfriend now." They kissed again, both feeling the shift towards level ground in their relationship. "I do have to worry about you stealing my dog, though."

Sabrina laughed.

"Dublin is still yours, no matter how much she likes me." She curled into Nick's side, content to sip her tea while Nick did the same with his coffee. His comment about Harvey had brought a question she'd kept in the back of her mind over the last couple of weeks to the forefront. "Nick?"

"Spellman?"

"You know all about my last boyfriend. Tell me about your last girlfriend?"

There was a period of silence. Sabrina felt the growing tension coming off of Nick while he thought over her question. She was plotting what she could say to reverse course and let him have an out when he sighed heavily, almost as though he were deflating a balloon, his mind made up.

"Her name was Amalia," he shared. "I met her in a bar, as one tends to do in New York. She was a bartender, I needed a stiff drink after a rough day at work. I was investigating an especially grizzly murder of a four-year-old and it was just a little more than I could take." Sabrina unconsciously shifted closer to him in an effort to comfort him. "I dated her for a year and a half. If I'm being entirely honest, it was a year too long. I put my job first, led her on." He pursed his lips for a moment, his nervous tick.

"I feel guilty about it all now, but I also learned a lot about myself, relationships." He looked at her. "My mistakes with her showed me where I needed to be a better man. The guy I was even a few months ago wouldn't have left the office to go to his girlfriend's birthday party with a fresh case on his desk." He still had her hand and squeezed it. "I would have picked up the first piece of jewelry I saw at the first store I passed en route to your door a day or two too late, maybe bought some flowers from a bodega, and said some pretty words to get you to forgive me. I wouldn't have spent a week trying to find the perfect gift." He clicked his mug with hers. "I certainly wouldn't have had Amazon send me a selection of tea I'll never drink because I know my girlfriend likes it before bed."

"Never say never," she said softly. She offered him her tea. He smiled a little and took a sip. He made a face as the liquid hit his tongue.

"That's awful," he declared, making her laugh. "You've got a lot of tea to drink, Spellman."

"I'll see what I can do," she promised. She put her nearly empty mug on the coffee table, then took Nick's half-full mug. He didn't protest as it joined hers. "Thank you, for telling me about Amalia." He only nodded. She was sure there was more to the story, but she was also sure she wouldn't get more tonight. That's how it was with Nick. He would open up, but only in increments, and only on his timetable. She was okay with that, so long as he continued to let her in. "Thank you for making my birthday special."

She kissed him, leaving no room for doubt as to what she wanted. He slid an arm around her waist and brought her close. His gentlemanly act, another holdover from his days with Amalia, was quickly coming to an end, and he hoped, maybe soon, the cold showers would, too. He had taken far too many in the last few weeks.

His lips left hers and trailed down her neck. She gasped softly when he closed his lips around the place he had discovered she liked. Her hand curled into his hair as she tilted her head to give him more access. He obliged, kissing down her neck and along the collarbone exposed by the way her sweater fell off one shoulder. Her other hand glided down his back, his muscles flexing under her touch.

He lowered her to the couch with the intention of taking her to the bedroom soon, but not before he had an appetizer. He paused to check in as he settled over her. She responded by bringing his mouth back to hers.

Hands began to roam. He was aware of her every reaction as he slipped a hand under her sweater. Her skin was soft, smooth. He pressed his hips into hers, let her know his intentions. She kissed him harder.

"Nick," she sighed between kiss. "Bedroom."

"We're going," he promised. "But first…" He sat back and pushed her sweater upward. She raised her arms and allowed him to lift it off of her, revealing a lacy black bra. "God, you're beautiful."

The next kiss was searing, full of promises. Sabrina wanted to hurry him up, have what she was growing ever more impatient for. She also wanted this moment, this feeling of lust and desire, to last for as long as possible.

Again, his mouth trailed away from hers. This time, he followed a path down her throat. He dipped his tongue in the hollow of her neck and smirked at the way it made her shutter. He knew he was good in bed, and he had a feeling Sabrina had an inner vixen that hadn't had the chance to shine. He would bring it out. He moved his lips down her chest, let a hand slide up to cup her breast. He pulled down her bra cup.

A sudden shrieking sound filled the air.

"What the hell?" he exclaimed, sitting up fast.

"What is that?" Sabrina asked at the same time, grabbing for her sweater. Dublin was up in her chair, sitting on her haunches, ears pointed, every point of her body on high alert. "It sounds like a car alarm."

"Stay here," Nick directed, pushing himself off of her, every scenario possible, from the innocent to the sinister playing through his mind. "Dublin." The dog looked to him for direction. He pointed at Sabrina. "Pass auf!" Dublin dutifully left the chair and joined Sabrina on the couch.

"Nick, what are you doing?" The shrieking continued. "I'm sure it's just a car alarm…"

"Stay here," he repeated. "I'll be right back."

Sabrina was sure she could feel her heart in her throat. She listened as Nick made his way through the house, first to his bedroom, then back towards the front door. She heard the sound of a gun magazine click into place. The door opened. She made to get up. Dublin blocked her progress.

"Seriously?" Sabrina asked. Dublin only looked at her. "Sitz!" Dublin sat. "Blieb!" She made to stand. Again, Dublin blocked her. "Freaking Nick," she muttered.

A minute or two passed.

The shrieking stopped.

Another couple of minutes passed. The front door opened. She heard a click, then a thunk. Nick appeared in the living room.

"Car alarm," he confirmed. "The car belonged to the guy two houses down, but he parked it across the street earlier when the trick-or-treaters were out and he couldn't get to his driveway. It took him a minute to realize it was his car." He ran a hand through his hair. "A Halloween prank, I guess, maybe a fluke thing. I didn't see anything out of the ordinary."

"Could you tell your dog to let me get off of this couch?" Sabrina replied.

"Dublin, fuss!" She jumped off the couch and trotted to Nick. "Good girl," he praised. "We'll get you a treat in a minute." She accepted his scratch behind her ear. "You okay?"

"What just happened?" Sabrina asked in respon. "It was a car alarm, Nick, not an invasion."

"I overreacted," he admitted, stepping further into the room. "With everything going on…" he trailed off, but she didn't need to hear any more. She could read between the lines, both now and hours earlier in his office.

"Angela Fields was murdered, wasn't she?" she asked.

He sighed.

"Sabrina…"

"Don't lie to me, Nick."

He locked eyes with her.

"Off the record?" he asked.

"Off the record," she agreed.

"She was murdered." He saw the horror in Sabrina's eyes. He reasoned she may as well know the rest of it. "Whoever killed her, also killed Cassius."

"There's a serial killer in Greendale." She looked shocked. "Nick…"

"It's too soon to jump to the serial killer explanation." He knew he was lying. He was sure whoever was behind the murders was a serial killer. They left Scrabble pieces as calling cards. He was also sure they planned to kill again unless he got to them first. "This has to stay off the record, Sabrina. Ambrose and I are going to address the town tomorrow, but we're not planning to admit that it was murder – we need more time to investigate, gather the facts. We've already increased patrol around town and we plan to emphasize ways the community can keep themselves safe. But this is serious, and I need you to keep it quiet."

"The community has a right to know…"

Nick came to sit beside her.

"The community only needs to know enough," he corrected. "We plan to tell them enough. If we let too much out there, we run the risk of showing too much of our hand and we firmly believe that this person is local. They're in the community. We probably saw them at some point today. Hell, they could have wrote 'Happy Birthday' on your Facebook wall, Sabrina."

"What do you know?" she questioned. "What evidence do you have? Is there a person of interest?"

"I've already told you too much."

"You've told me hardly nothing."

"What I have told you is off the record," he reminded her. "I shouldn't have even told you in the first place."

"I know," she sighed. She dropped her head to her hands. "God, Nick, there's someone in this community murdering people."

"I know." He rubbed small, comforting circles on her back. "This is my investigation. I'm using every avenue I know of to find this guy. If I need to call in the FBI, I will. I'll find him. I almost always do."

"You think it's a him?" she asked.

"The crimes have the M.O. of a male suspect, but I can't be sure. Not yet. It's highly unlikely that it's a woman."

"Almost always?" she continued.

"I've solved a hell of a lot more cases than I've left unsolved," he said with confidence. "This one will be solved, too." He put an arm around her and kissed her temple. "I'm going to keep you safe."

"Don't worry about me…"

"I'm going to worry about you," he informed her. "Generally speaking, but especially right now. That's what boyfriends do. Good ones, at least."

Sabrina was reminded that she was sure there was something more to his relationship than Amalia, but it was the least of her concerns at the moment.

"You'll be safe?" she asked.

"As safe as I can be." He kissed her temple again. He was intentional in not promising her. His job was dangerous, and that danger was heightened at the moment. "You ready for bed?"

"I am," she confirmed. Her heart was heavy, but she accepted there was nothing she could do, at least at the moment. The mood from earlier was wrecked, but she could at least sleep in his arms. He caught her hand and pulled her to her feet. "What did you tell Dublin when you left?"

"To guard you," he confessed. "If there had been danger, she would have done whatever she could to protect you."

"She did her job. She wouldn't let me get off the couch."

"She's a good dog." He stopped in the kitchen and gave Dublin her promised treat. In the hallway, he double checked the locked front door, then picked up his gun from where he left it when he came inside. With sure hands, he removed the magazine. He caught Sabrina watching him. "Does the gun make you nervous?"

"No," she shook her head. "Ambrose has guns."

"I keep it unloaded at home," he assured her. "And always on safety. Just so you know, I carry it with me at all times, even when I'm off duty." Sabrina nodded. Ambrose did the same thing. It was part of being a cop. "You sure you're okay with it?"

"I'm sure," she confirmed. "You're a detective. It's part of the package."

The gun itself didn't bother her. It both made her nervous and excited her to see Nick handling it like it was an extension of his own body. He was comfortable with it, sure of himself with it in his hands. It was what the gun symbolized however – the danger he, and Ambrose, put themselves in every day, the very real fact that there was someone out there that had killed two members of the Greendale community, that put her a little on edge.

She followed him to his bedroom. Like the rest of the house, it was simple, straightforward, neat enough. There was a stack of clean clothes in an armchair, his duty belt and tactical vest stacked on the dresser. There was a dog bed in a corner that looked like it had been rarely slept in. Dublin went to it.

"Do you have a preferred side of the bed?" Sabrina asked. Harvey had been steadfast in his belief that he needed to sleep on the left side, no matter what. For her own sanity, she hoped Nick preferred the right.

"Well," he stepped out of his sweatpants, getting down to just his boxers, "I tend to sleep in the middle." He tilted his head, taking in her leggings and oversized sweater. "You sleeping in that, Spellman?"

"I brought pajamas." She picked up the bag Nick had put in his room when they first got there. "I'll be right back." She made quick work of changing her clothes, brushing her teeth, and washing her face. When she came back, Nick was in bed, squarely in the middle of it. "You weren't kidding."

"Pick a side, Spellman."

She went to his left, the side she never got to sleep on. He held the covers open for her and she slid close. She settled with her head on his chest, a position that was quickly becoming her favorite.

"Is Dublin joining us?"

"Only if I invite her. She's a big dog. She takes up a lot of space. I think she can sleep in her own bed tonight." He brought her close. "I'm glad you here," he told her again. "I'll sleep better with you next to me."

He found comfort in having her in his arms. She soothed the anxious parts of him, just by being there, but she was also safe with him.

"I think I'll sleep pretty well myself," she agreed. "Although I'm sorry that car alarm was effectively a bucket of cold water." Nick chuckled and reached to turn out the bedside lamp.

"What's that saying? Good things come to those who wait?"

"I suppose." Nick chuckled again and ran a hand up her back. He was aching to have her, but he wanted it to be right, not on the fringes of telling her there was a murderer living among them. "Goodnight, Nick."

"Goodnight, beautiful."

He kissed her forehead. She sighed contently and settled into his embrace.

In the dark, his mind raced as it usually did when he had a quiet moment and a big case on his desk. He ran through the evidence he knew of, trying to find the common thread, the thing that would lead him to his suspect. He came up empty, yet again. He needed more – more evidence, more clues, more than an empty list of suspects. His thoughts of an unknown murderer led him to consider the woman in his arms.

"Sabrina?"

"Hmmm?"

"How did you get home today, when you left the station?"

"I walked," she answered sleepily. "I drove home when your stupid barricades kept me away from the bell tower, but I got more and more annoyed waiting around, so I walked to the station to demand answers. Believe it or not, my temper had cooled off a bit before I got there."

"Can you do something for me?" His hand trailed over her shoulder as she nodded. "Don't walk home alone, especially through the woods, until we've got this person behind bars."

"Do you really think its that dangerous out there?" she asked through the darkness.

"I know there have been two murders in the last few days. It's time to be smart, Sabrina. I'd feel better knowing you were at least not trekking through the woods."

"Will you promise me to be careful?" she countered. "Wear your vest, don't do anything stupid, stuff like that?"

"I'll do everything I can to come home to you." He kissed her hair, but again didn't make her a promise he wasn't sure he could keep. "Promise me you'll stay out of the woods?"

"Promise," she echoed. She snuggled closer to Nick. "Find whoever is doing this, Nick. And make sure he never sees the light of day again."

He could only hug her tighter in response.


What a sleepover.

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