Disclaimer: I don't own any of the recognizable characters, Valve does. But if I did I would just make them canon already!

"Do you want more eggs?" Rochelle asked a glum Francis as he poked at his plate.

"No thanks," he said.

The fact that he had added the 'thanks' was enough to make Rochelle worry about her boyfriend's state of mind. Nick had called her place the night before, asking to talk to Francis. Once the biker had finished on the phone, and after he'd nearly punched a hole in her wall, she'd learned that both Z-Men were going to have to go through a hearing. And it seemed like neither Nick nor Francis were optimistic about the probable outcome. Between caring for Wednesday while she mourned and caring for Francis while he brooded, she felt like her schedule was filling up very quickly.

"Do you want anything else before I start putting the food away?" she asked, standing up from the table, and Francis shook his head.

"No."

So she merely loaded up the dishwasher and let him continue to sulk. She looked at the couch, wondering if any of the noise of cooking or eating was going to awaken the sleeping girl. But apparently Wednesday could sleep through World War Three if she was tired enough.

"Do you know how emasculating it is for him to take our guns?" the biker asked out of the blue. "I understand that we're in trouble and shit, but dammit, we aren't going to go on a shooting rampage or nothin'!" Rochelle smiled sadly to herself, and shook her head.

"I'm sorry, baby."

"I hate this."

"I know," she replied, sitting back at the table and rubbing his hand. "Are you going to call Nick? Tell him you're here and not jumping off a bridge?"

Francis shrugged. "He'll figure it out."

"….. Should I call him to make sure that HE isn't jumping off a bridge?"

"That's Ellis' job," Francis smirked. "Besides, it's better to just let him stew on his own. After the whole thing with The Witch he learned how to sulk like the best of them."

"What thing with the Witch?" Rochelle asked, quizzically.

"…. Just more Creevy bullshit, Cupcake," Francis replied. Rochelle didn't ask what that meant, even though she was curious. "….. How did he do it?"

"How did who do what?" she replied, standing again and massaging his shoulders.

"How did Creevy set us up? He HAS to have set us up, I just can't figure out how," he grumbled as she worked on a knot in his shoulder. He smiled a little as she massaged him, she gave damn good massages. He'd never known a girl who could work his stress out in that way. Well, outside the 'legitimate masseuses' he used to visit, but he didn't have to pay Ro to do the things they would do. And Rochelle did it better anyway. "Are we sure that he was at the Festival the whole time?"

"Yeah," she nodded, digging her thumb into the knot. "Talking to other people yesterday, it sounds like he arrived early and didn't leave... And frankly, isn't THAT convenient?"

"Huh? Yeah, I guess so," Francis nodded, and hissed as she hit an especially sensitive area. "Easy!"

"Just relax…. But I mean, it's a bit too convenient, don't you think?" she continued, wheels starting to rotate. "He's made it no secret that he has nothing but disdain for this town and it's inhabitants. So why would he go to a Harvest Festival that only accentuates the problems he has with it?"

"Hey, Nick went didn't he?"

"Only because he wanted to get laid."

"Hm. True."

"But Creevy had no other motivation, outside of needing to be SEEN there," she continued, massaging harder the more her mind worked. "….. I think I'm going to go see if I can get my hands on that police report about the moving truck."

"The what about the what?" he asked, his turn to not follow her train of thought as it chugged along.

"Well, I know this hacker who's been giving me some information about Creevy-."

"I told you to drop-!"

"SPARE ME, please!" she snapped, kneading his shoulders harder. "He sent me this rental truck record. Creevy rented it a few weeks ago and then reported it stolen soon thereafter. But it's not like we've seen any rental trucks around town, right? And what would he need to move? You guys were going to be here awhile longer."

"Yeah…. But what does that have to do with-?"

"I don't know yet, but I can't imagine it's NOT connected….." she said, and removed her hands from his shoulders. She thought for a few moments, and then chewed on her fingernail. "I'm going to the police station to get that police report."

Until this moment, Francis would have been entirely fed up with her need to keep digging and prodding for information on Creevy. But now he was just thrilled that he had a sneaky and nosy reporter on his side. "So do you want me to come with you?"

"No, you should stay here in case Wednesday decides she does want to actually get up today," Rochelle replied, casting an eye at the couch again. "And if she does, make sure she eats something. She hasn't been eating much."

"I know how that is," he mumbled, and she snorted as she put her boots on.

"You ate three eggs, four pieces of toast, and five sausage links."

"Yeah, that's not much for me!" he insisted, and she snickered as she put her raincoat on. Just in case.

Rochelle drove into town and parked her car outside the police station, hoping that getting a copy of the report wouldn't cost too much. Even though she had a very comfortable safety net, being unemployed for the foreseeable future made her very nervous, and any expense was going to chap her ass at least a little bit. She got out of her car and confidently trotted up the concrete steps and into the station, chin held high and flirtatious smile on her lips. If she wanted that police report given to her today instead of later, she'd have to use a little extra motivation. And she'd also learned through the years that looking especially sweet could get her a lot of information she wouldn't otherwise get.

Of course, in her experience, it worked a lot better when the person she wanted info from was a man. And the officer on duty that day happened to be a woman. She wrinkled her nose, knowing that she'd have to use persistence instead of wiles.

She walked up to the desk and cleared her throat, and in turn the officer put down her book and looked at her, frostily. "May I help you?" the officer asked.

"You sure can," Rochelle replied. "I need to request a police report. And I kind of need it as soon as possible…. Like, now."

The officer folded her arms over each other, and gave Rochelle a condescending crook of the eyebrow. "You do know that it does take a little longer to get a police report than that, right?"

"Usually, sure, but this is sort of an emergency," Rochelle replied. "Soooo, if you could do me this favor-."

"First of all you'll need to fill out a form," the woman cut her off, and Rochelle's eyes narrowed. And people wonder why I get along better with guys, she thought. "Once you fill it out it may take a few days to get you the report."

"Okay, is there any way, any way at ALL, that I can get it today?" Rochelle asked as the officer handed her the form. "Because like I said, it's important."

"What do you need it for?"

"… Why does that matter? I'm fairly certain that it's public record," Rochelle replied.

"…. We're too busy to go digging up police reports willy nilly," the woman replied, obviously perturbed that Rochelle wasn't being forthcoming. "With what happened the other night and usual police work-."

"Oh yes, I can tell you're INCREDIBLY busy, with your Karen Kingsbury novel and jelly donut taking up all of your time," Rochelle snipped, receiving yet another glare as she walked to a chair. Bitch, she thought, and scribbled out the pertinent information.

Once she was finished, she returned to the desk and slammed the sheet down in front of the officer, who hadn't picked her book up again, having been shamed by the reporter.

"Is there any way that I can get you to do this by tomorrow?" Rochelle asked as the officer looked over the form to see if she'd missed any of the information boxes. "Because I really need it as quickly-."

"I can tell you right now that you aren't going to get this police report," the woman replied, once again cutting her off. Rochelle crossed her arms.

"What the hell? Why not? I filled out your form, I'm willing to pay whatever fee you want me to pay, and I know, for a FACT, that police reports are supposed to be available to the public! So what gives you the balls to say that I'm not going to get one?" When she noticed the angry look on the woman's face, and remembered that the woman had the power to throw her in jail, Rochelle swallowed, and shifted her weight. "If, uh, I may ask? Respectfully?"

The officer couldn't help but smile a little bit, and exhaled, shrugging . "It isn't because I'm hiding something from you or being spiteful. Though I'm VERY tempted. It's because no such incident has been written up or filed at this station."

Rochelle took the form back, double checking the info she'd put in. Creevy's name, the time frame that it would have happened, the description of the crime itself, all of that was correct. At least, she thought it was.

"Well, maybe the date is wrong-."

"It has nothing to do with the date, it's the incident itself," the officer continued. "A moving truck hasn't been reported stolen in the past few weeks. Heck, that kind of thing hasn't been reported in the past few YEARS, before and after the Green Flu."

"Are you sure?" Rochelle asked, completely thrown.

"I'm positive. That's something strange enough that I'd remember it," she continued, picking up her book again. "Sorry. I don't know where you heard that a moving truck had been stolen, but you were taken for a ride."

"… I'm thinking I'm not the only one," Rochelle replied. "… Thanks anyway. Enjoy your terrible book." With that she turned and walked out of the police station.

Ellis hopped up the front steps of the Z-Man's house, a cheerful grin barely able to be contained on his face. Even though there wasn't much to be cheerful about today (he'd heard from Nick the night before and was told about the hearing, and how the consequences were dire, not to mention the impending storm clouds that were darkening the entire sky), he was going to find cheer in whatever area he could. And he had some good news that had been bred from the bad, and couldn't wait to share it with his boyfriend. He opened the front door, and poked his head in before calling "Hey Nick? Where are ya?" He knew that Francis was spending all his free time with Rochelle as of late, and that because of it he would have some alone time with the gambler. While Nick may have been reluctant to be optimistic about anything, maybe he would at least appreciate the time together.

He was fairly certain he heard footsteps upstairs, so he strode up the steps and through the hallway. "Nick? Are ya here?"

Nick's head craned through his bedroom door, clearly surprised to see the mechanic in his house. "What are you doing here?" he asked, tone mildly accusatory. Ellis stopped in place, and wrinkled his nose bashfully.

"I… I just wanted to stop by and say hi," he said, tentatively stepping forward. "Is that okay?" Nick crossed his arms, and then nodded.

"Yeah, yeah kiddo, of course it's okay," the older man said. Ellis exhaled, and smiled again, stepping into the bedroom. "What's, um, what's going on?"

Ellis just kept on grinning, and walked past his boyfriend. "I didn't tell you last night because…. Well, I just didn't. But I wanted to tell you now that I have a surprise for you."

"Yeah?" Nick asked, eyebrow rising.

"I talked to Rick yesterday about lookin' into gettin' some time off," Ellis explained, sitting on the bed, "an' he said that if I wanted to I could use my vacation days I have comin' to me. So I said that yeah, I would really like to use them for this week."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Cuz I thought that I would go to D.C. with you," Ellis continued, sitting on his hands nervously. "I know that you probably don't wanna talk about all this stuff with me, and that's fine, but I at least wanted to be there to, I don't know, support you and stuff. And since Ro quit her job she thought that she'd go too, but she has to come back early in case Wednesday needs anything, so she wouldn't be there the whole time. But I would!"

Nick paused for a few beats, and then ran a hand through his hair. "Kiddo, that's a nice thought, but remember, you have to have a travel permit to go up to D.C.," he said, patiently, and that was when Ellis' smile turned into a full out beam.

"Well yeah, I know that, and that's why I got THIS," he said, and took a piece of paper out of his jeans pocket. He unfolded it and held it up for Nick to see. The older man squinted a bit, not making a move for his reading glasses, and Ellis pointed at the signature. "It's a travel permit! I went in early today and applied, and they said that I could have a whole WEEK with this thing. So I figure that we can go to D.C. and I can be there for the hearin' and you won't even have to smuggle me out of the city limits or anything like that!"

Nick showed no reaction for a moment or two, but then finally did smile at his lover. "Well hey Overalls, that's really thoughtful of you. Your first time traveling out of Roanoke II for more than just star gazing."

"Yep! I thought it might be a nice surprise, well, as nice a surprise as it can be," Ellis said, trying to sound optimistic.

He wasn't sure what Nick was thinking. It was hard to tell sometimes, as the gambler was quite good at shutting his outward emotions off when he wanted to. Even for an intuitive guy like Ellis it was hard to sort out at times, but he decided to take the smile at face value. Even if it was a little bit sad.

"I mean, I don't hafta go if you don't want me to-," Ellis started, but Nick shook his head, and abruptly tugged him up from the bed, placing a long kiss on his lips. Oh good, he likes this idea, the mechanic thought, and put his hands on Nick's shoulders, expecting the kiss to be cordial and appreciative. But at the same time he wasn't surprised when Nick's arm snaked around his back and pulled him closer. He beamed even more as the kisses became fiercer, and began to melt as Nick ran his tongue into his mouth. At least he was opening up again; Ellis wanted to believe that it was a good sign. He pulled his mouth away shortly to catch some breath, and Nick leaned in again, holding him tighter.

"Let's fool around," the older man suggested, and Ellis nodded.

"Okay!" he agreed, and they began to kiss again, their jaws fighting and grinding against each other. He rutted his hips up against Nick's, and the gambler pulled away and unbuckled his belt, arms almost wobbly as he did so. It was odd to see the subtle lack of composure, and Ellis fixated upon it briefly before Nick's hands went to his own belt buckle. So the mechanic ignored it and yanked his tee shirt off, tossing it on the bed.

"God you're sexy," Nick murmured after pulling away, putting his hands on Ellis' chest and running them up and down and around.

"Well so're you," Ellis replied, unbuttoning Nick's shirt as well and flipping the cloth over his shoulders. Nick didn't reply, and snagged Ellis' face in his hands again, attacking his mouth once more. The younger man threw his arms around Nick's shoulders, wiggling out of his pants and happily falling back on the bed as Nick removed his own slacks. The con man landed on top of him, grinding down on his crotch and extracting a satisfied groan from the mechanic before reaching for the nightstand drawer. "Oh, you're already ready?"

"Is that a problem?" Nick asked, tartly.

"No, I'm not complainin'," Ellis said, though he did find it a bit strange. But he didn't question it any further, instead choosing to remove his boxers and get on with it.

As Nick rocked into him, Ellis couldn't ignore the fact that he was being held so tightly he could barely breathe. Usually when they had sex there was little constraint; Nick liked being free to move about and contort in whatever position he saw fit. But right now he was squeezing Ellis so close, moaning with an air of pain about it, that Ellis nearly couldn't keep his attentions on the pleasure involved. Nick's arm hooked across Ellis' shoulder, and he whimpered 'Ellis' with every movement. While the sex was good, like it usually was, the younger man couldn't help the suspicion that something was off. No, not off. Something was flat out wrong.

He craned his neck distractedly, gazing around the room and trying to just focus on coming, when his blue eyes quickly fell on a duffel bag by the door to the bedroom. Initially he didn't think much of it; it made sense, as they had to go to D.C. in two days and he had to bring his things in SOMETHING. But….. it made the younger man that much more uneasy. He held Nick's shoulders, vocal chords starting to act of their own volition as he began to pant and moan with his building pleasure, and tried to think about how everything was okay. Everything had to be okay. It was okay because they were like this, forgetting the world and the problems that were stalking them. Things weren't so bleak, and Nick wasn't practically falling apart as he thrust into him, and his heart wasn't suddenly petrified.

"Nick!" he cried out, his lungs barely able to get that through even, and Nick moaned raggedly, releasing just as Ellis' own climax finally made it's appearance. Both men yelled as they came undone, and while Nick's usual response was to go limp and ease his grasp, today he continued to hold Ellis close, as if he didn't want to let him go. Ellis heaved in thick breaths, and looked over at the bag again as his hazy thoughts started to piece themselves back to coherence. He ran a hand across his forehead, and pushed Nick up so they could look each other in the eyes.

"…. What's with the duffel bag?" he asked, squarely.

Nick blinked, his green eyes briefly flicking to the side, and then he shrugged. "Going to D.C. in a couple days, just wanted to be prepared for the trip."

"You've packed already?" Ellis asked, raising his eyebrows.

"You know me, I'm a planner," Nick replied, and pulled himself up from the younger man. He broke eye contact and began to put his clothes back on, the entire time Ellis watching him suspiciously. The gambler looked back at him as he buttoned his shirt, and snorted. "What?"

"No garment bag or nothin' for your suits?" Ellis asked. Nick sniffed, brushing his nose with his thumb, and shrugged.

"Just haven't packed those yet."

"….. Nick, what's goin' on?" Ellis asked.

"Nothing!"

"You're lyin', I can tell," the younger man replied, softly. "You're lyin', and you're actin' weird, and I want to know why."

Nick opened his mouth to protest again, but then seemed to think better of it. He buckled his pants, and sat back down on the bed, still not looking at the younger man. He entwined his fingers together, and frowned. "…. Have you ever been to prison, kiddo?"

Ellis shook his head. "No."

"Ever been to jail?"

"No."

"Not even overnight for a drunk and disorderly? Or as a lesson the local police tried to teach you and that dumbfuck Keith?" Nick asked.

"No, I haven't," Ellis answered, wishing that Nick would just look at him.

"Well, I've done it," Nick admitted, voice tenuous. "From the time I was twenty two to the time I was twenty four I was in Nevada State for grand theft auto. And let me tell you, kiddo, prison sucks. I'm just lucky that was the only thing they actually put me away for back in the day, because two years was more than enough for me. But now, Francis and me? We're fucked. Even if we aren't convicted of five counts of negligent homicide, we're still done with FBICE, and since we're done with FBICE all our warrants will be pursued and charges will be filed. So I'll be going to prison for fraud, assault, extortion, and theft."

"Nick, you aren't goin' to prison-."

"Hey, I appreciate your blind optimism to a point, but now it's just getting annoying," Nick snapped. "Here's the thing, Overalls: if I stick around here, I AM going to prison."

"No you won't because the hearin' hasn't even happened yet, and Rochelle's workin' real hard-."

"It doesn't matter how hard she works, kiddo, we're not going to get off."

"Aw Nick, you just gotta have a little faith, cuz I think that you have a good chance-."

"I'm leaving," Nick blurted out, firmly, and it shut the younger man right up.

"…. Huh?" Ellis asked, hoping against hope that he hadn't heard him right. Nick scratched his neck, still unwilling to look at his boyfriend, and he sighed sadly.

"….I'm not about to go to prison for something I didn't do, nor am I going to go to prison for crimes that I've already paid for with my time and risk to my life. So…. I'm leaving."

Ellis took a few moments to process this new information, the dread in his body turning into…. He wasn't even sure what it was. Shock maybe.

"What do you mean you're leavin'?" he asked, in disbelief. "Where are you gonna go?"

Nick shrugged. "The Grey Zone, probably."

Ellis nodded slowly, and asked the last question that he could think of. "…. Are ya ever gonna come back?"

"… Probably not."

Yes, shock was a good way to describe it. Shock and anger. "…. Were you even gonna tell me?" Ellis asked, voice thick as he grasped the sheets in his fingers.

Nick finally looked over at him, hearing the anger and the heartache, and closed his eyes. "Yeah."

"When?"

God how he hated what he was about to say. "I…. I was going to leave a note-."

"A note?" Ellis cut him off, starting to tremble. "So, what, you were gonna let me go on and on about how I was gonna be there for you, fuck me one last time, and then let me walk out that door and not even TELL me that I wasn't gonna see you again?"

Nick swallowed, and nodded. "….I guess."

Ellis remained glued to the bed for a few more seconds, and then threw the covers off of himself, snatching up his clothes. "Unbelievable."

"El, come on-."

"Don't 'come on' me like this is somethin' that's okay!" Ellis exclaimed, yanking his boxers back on. It was his turn to refuse to make eye contact now, and he stared at the floor as his heart began to tighten once again. He was damned sick of how much his heart could hurt over this man. "You were just gonna go without sayin' goodbye? You were just gonna go an' leave me behind without tellin' me why-?"

"Hey, I was going to explain it all in the note!" Nick protested.

"A NOTE DOESN'T COUNT!" Ellis shouted, the ferocity making Nick jump. "It doesn't count! You don't even have the balls to tell me to my FACE why you're leavin-!"

"I didn't tell you because you'd act like an idiot if I did!" Nick snarled back. "You'd either beg me to stay, which I'm NOT going to do, or you'd beg to come with me, which isn't happening because it's too dangerous out there! It was going to be easier that way-!"

"For you!" Ellis spat, pulling his shirt over his head. "It would be easier for YOU because you wouldn't hafta see this! You'd cheat me out've sayin' goodbye to you, but FUCK, who CARES as long as you don't hafta deal with it, right?"

"You're overreacting!" Nick said, though he knew that this wasn't exactly true.

"The hell I am!"

"Jesus, Ellis, see it from my perspective! I was going to do it because I was trying to protect you-!"

"Protect me?" Ellis exclaimed, absolutely livid. "HOW is that protectin' me? Protectin' me from what?" Nick huffed, not wanting to explain his reasoning, but going forward anyway because the kid was stubborn as hell and would demand an explanation.

"If I had given you the chance to insist on coming I would probably have said yes, and then you'd be living in the goddamn Grey Zone, where Infected are all over the place!" he barked. "I knew that I had to keep that from happening, so I was going to make sure that you didn't even have a CHANCE to get that idea in your head!"

"How goddamn thoughtful."

"You should be thanking me!" Nick spat, and Ellis laughed incredulously.

"Yeah right! It's just like back at the Milltown!" he said, shaking his head vehemently. "It's nice to know that I still don't get a say when it comes to the decisions in our relationship!"

"That's NOT what I was doing!" Nick shouted.

"Yes it was! You did that at the Milltown when you lied to me and said all those awful things, and you were gonna do the exact same thing with that goddamn note!" Ellis shouted. "You haven't changed a BIT!"

"That's not fair-!"

"How isn't it fair?" Ellis raged. "It's true, isn't it? You knocked me aside at the Mill so it would be easier to not feel responsible for what I did, and you're knockin' me aside now because it's easier for you to do that than it is to face how much you're fuckin' me over! You're full of shit!" He stamped for the bedroom door, and Nick snagged at his arm. But the mechanic yanked away.

"Goddammit, Ellis, this is EXACTLY why I didn't want you to know!" Nick snapped after him. "Where are you going?"

"I'm leavin'!"

"Hang on-!"

"Why should I? You weren't gonna!" Ellis said, shaking his head.

"Jesus CHRIST Ellis, stop! It shouldn't end like this!" Nick exclaimed, starting to feel a bit of panic come to life inside of him. "I want to remember us as… as, FUCK, as HAPPY! What we did today wasn't just one last fuck, dammit, it was the way I wanted to remember you by!"

"But how would I have remembered you?" Ellis demanded, knocking Nick's hand away again as they came to a stop at the top of the steps. "I guess I would've remembered you for what you are, huh? I would've remembered you as the selfish sonuvabitch who didn't let me say goodbye!"

"But we're here now! You can say goodbye now-!"

"Only because I caught you!" Ellis snapped, voice snagging. "If I hadn't caught you you woulda done it anyway, not worryin' about what it would do to me, not carin' about me-!"

"Oh 'you you you,' you're only thinking about you!" Nick shouted, losing his temper. "How it would have affected you, how it makes you feel! What about me, and how much this sucks for me now?"

"I'm thinkin' about US!" Ellis shouted back. "It's not you versus me, it's the two've us together in this! At least I thought it was, but if you don't care-!"

"STOP SAYING THAT!" Nick cried, taking Ellis' shoulders, and the younger man squirmed, his lover's grip desperate and a little painful. "HOW can you think I don't care about you? After everything that's happened, after the great time we've had, after how many times we've laughed and joked and horsed around! After all the times I've just watched you sleep, and held you and kissed you and had sex with you…" He put his hands to Ellis' face, resting his forehead against the younger man's, starting to shake and not wanting to let him go. Ellis put his hands to Nick's, blinking back tears as he took in a deep breath, smelling that wonderful molasses smell that he craved and needed. "I hate that you think I don't care about you because I do! I can barely stand how much I care because I can't remember caring for anyone this much!"

"Nick," the mechanic whispered, gripping the gambler's hands tighter, and Nick kissed the bridge of his nose, trying to get through to him, kissing his lips, his cheeks, and cradling his chin and jaw in his hands just as he'd done not forty minutes prior.

"I've shared everything with you but no matter what happens I don't get to be with you! I'm either in the Grey Zone without you, or I'm in jail without you! I'm going to be without you no matter what, and I hate it!" Nick jabbered. "We were just getting started for God's sake! I would cut off my right arm for more time with you, I would!"

"Nick, PLEASE-."

"It's killing me that I have to do this because you're… you're the BEST thing that's happened to me!" the older man confessed, all out quaking now, the emotions getting the best of him. "You're the only good thing that's happened to me! You said I haven't changed, but I have, because when I'm with you I feel like a better person! I've never felt like a good person, I've never BEEN a good person, but you make me feel like I am! I want to be a good person for you, and when I'm with you I think I can be! I haven't cared for anyone like this since Sam! I, I love you, okay? God, I LOVE you, and I love you so much it hurts! It fucking hurts!"

Ellis heard the words, and at first he was overjoyed. At first he was excited to say that he loved him back, finally say those words that he'd been dying to say, and hug him, and kiss him, and try to convince him to stay and fight for the love that they both had for each other.

But then….. He remembered that Nick had previously referred to those words as his Failsafe…. Those words were used to get him out of the dog house, and if he was ever in a dog house, this moment was it.

So he took a step back and shoved Nick away from him. The older man's mouth opened slightly. "… Ellis?" he asked, the question feeble. Ellis shook his head resentfully, and gripped the staircase banister.

"Go to hell, Nick," was all the mechanic could get out.

The words were like a kick in the gut to the older man. He moved backwards one step in disbelief, and could do nothing but helplessly watch the younger man rush down the steps and out the front door, slamming it behind him. Nick took in a shaky breath, then another, and one more before exhaling the little air he'd been able to gain. He suddenly needed to break something. Anything. Because if he didn't break something he was going to burst into tears.

He spun around and ran into the bathroom, slamming the door and fist connecting with the mirror. The glass shattered with a horrible noise, his knuckles gashing with it, and as he watched the shards fall to the floor his legs finally gave way. He slowly sank to the tile, trying not to hyperventilate but failing, and hugged his knees to his chest as he gasped for air. It had never hurt this much. Not even with Sam. This was the single handed worst pain that Nick had ever been in, and as he tried to calm down and stop the anxiety attack, he couldn't help but feel as if part of his very essence had gone out the door along with the mechanic. So he just closed his eyes, the heartbreak causing all of his body to protest as he forced it to stay inside.