Nick had the day off, and they spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing together in front of the TV. Alex had managed to reach a calmer state as she snuggled into Nick's side on the sofa.

"Alex?"

She felt her nerves start up again. Everytime he spoke to her, she started getting ready for him to bring up the phone call to Sam... And what had been driving her nuts for days. But he just rubbed her arm affectionately as she answered.

"Yeah?"

"I was thinking maybe we could have our own New Year's celebration tonight, since I'm off. Just you and me. What do you say?"

She felt her heart warm up and she leaned away so she could look at him. She smiled.

"I'd love that, Nick. It sounds wonderful."

He kissed her forehead, then raised one eyebrow in question. "I don't suppose you would consider wearing that dress two nights in a row?"

She laughed at his hopeful expression. "I think I can manage it. As long as nobody else sees me. I wouldn't want to be seen committing a fashion faux pas."

He snorted with disbelief.

"Baby, if I had my way, you'd wear it every day!" He smiled mischievously. "That, or nothing at all..."

She laughed out loud. "Well, sometimes I like to vacume wearing nothing but high heels..."

He pretended to be shocked and pushed her back down on the sofa. She giggled as he leaned closer in, his lips brushing her neck.

"Darlin', don't tell me these things. It's making me all hot and bothered..."

Nick made Alex gather up all her necessities and lock herself in the spare bedroom until he was ready for her.

She smiled into the mirror as she put on small dangling earrings. She was truly excited about spending a special evening alone with Nick. Then she sighed.

Maybe I should try and get to the truth tonight. I've let myself put this off for too long.

She loved Nick and they were always up front with each other. Now was not the time to start hiding things.

She finally finished getting ready and sat down on the edge of the bed, putting on her heels. She hadn't been waiting 5 minutes when there was a tap on the door. She heard a strange whooshing noise and then the door opened. Nick was tossing a towel into their room across the hall, and her breath caught in her throat. He was wearing his navy suit and tie, with a white shirt: Her favourite.

He smiled as he turned back to her, and she felt the urge to swoon.

"I had a towel across the bottom of the door so you wouldn't smell what I was cooking."

She recognized the wonderful aromas coming from the kitchen and looked at him in wonder.

"Is that...?"

"B.C. salmon. Your mom helped me find some that I could bring back with me from Vancouver."

Her smile grew. "Oh yum! I can't believe you snuck that one past me."

Then she blushed as she recalled what else he'd almost snuck past her. She pushed the thought back before it put a damper on her high spirits, and she made a decision on the spot.

Not tonight. I just want to enjoy the evening.

He grinned at her red cheeks. "What?"

She laughed. "You look so handsome." And it wasn't a lie.

He smiled and did a little turn where he stood. "I look OK?"

She smiled her appreciation. "You are the most handsome man I've ever seen. I feel... I feel nervous all of a sudden."

He laughed. "It's just me. Nick. Remember?" His mouth tilted up at one side.

She grinned, embarrassed. "Uh, you're too unforgettable for me to... Um... forget."

He laughed lightly and then held out an arm for her. She moved towards him and took the offered arm as he looked into her eyes, which for once were at the same level as his own.

"Well you, my love..." He kissed her cheek softly. "... look incredibly beautiful." He smiled down at her high heels. "And tall!"

They both laughed and he gestured down the hall.

"Your table awaits, madam."

He led her to the table and pulled out her chair. She smiled as she looked around at the candles arranged throughout the living room. There was no other light in the room and the kitchen light was turned low while Nick finished up.

"Everything looks amazing, Nick. I didn't realize..." She found her voice had left her as she looked across the room to where he stood, and he smiled gently.

"You didn't realize I could do romantic?"

She laughed lightly. "Yeah, I guess. Not that it would have mattered to me anyway." She smiled again. "But this is so beautiful. Thank you."

He grinned as he finished with the plates on the counter and turned off the kitchen light. His eyes were glittering in the candle light as he moved towards her.

"Wait til you taste the fish. I think I may have even outdone myself tonight."

She laughed, shaking her head but saying nothing. Truthfully, he usually wasn't exaggerating about his cooking skills and she had no doubt tonight would be no exception.

And she wasn't disappointed. The fish was delicious, and Alex couldn't stop from smiling through the whole dinner. Nick grinned back at her, but neither of them said very much as they enjoyed their meals and each other's company.

Alex brought her wine glass to her lips, still smiling over the rim. Nick laughed.

"Did you enjoy the meal?"

She nodded, her eyes sparkling. "Very much. Thank you."

"You're very welcome." He reached for her hand across the table and she sighed contentedly.

"This is so much nicer than last night."

He stroked the back of her hand with one finger, staring into her eyes. "Yeah?"

She smiled and nodded slowly. "Oh yeah. Much better."

He smiled wider. "I'm glad." Then he tilted his head at her. "Wanna dance?"

She nodded. "I'd love to."

He moved to the stereo and she noticed his iPod was plugged into it. He pressed play and a slow song that they both really liked from the new U2 album started to play. She smiled.

He grinned and took her hand. "Shall we?"

She put her hands on his shoulders and smiled up at him. They slowly began to move in a small circle in the center of the living room. He pulled her closer against him and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"... I kneel 'cos I want you some more
I want the lot of what you got
And I want nothing that you're not..."

His hands slid across her bare back and she ran her own fingers up through the hair at the base of his neck. She smiled as she heard him singing softly along. "And you feel like no-one before..."

She kissed his neck tenderly and then snuggled in closer. The song faded out and another slow one started to play. Nick's hand continued to massage her back and she felt a strange, overwhelming pressure in her chest.

Everything about this moment was so... intimate.

She'd been as close to Nick as a person could physically get, but something about the way he was holding her, the candles, and the music he'd obviously carefully chosen without her knowing about it... She could feel her eyes welling up and she fought against getting too emotional.

Come on Winters... Keep it together.

But her heart was betraying her. She buried her face deeper into Nick's shoulder and he ran his hand up her back to her shoulder.

"I love you, Alex."

She couldn't help but sniffle then and he stopped dancing and leaned carefully back, looking closely into her face.

"Hey... You OK?" He ran a finger across her cheek and she smiled up at him as a tear ran down her face.

"Would you believe me if I told you I've never been happier in my entire life than at this very moment?"

He smiled and wiped away the tear. "Really?"

His own eyes became a little glassy now. She nodded and another tear ran down her face.

"Yeah, really. This is all so...beautiful. And you look so... so handsome, and the music... I... I'm just so happy right now, I'm a bit... Well, overwhelmed or emotional or something. Sorry."

He leaned in closer. "I'm not sorry. Not at all." He stroked her cheek softly again. "You look so beautiful tonight, Alex."

He kissed her tenderly and her stomach did a couple flips. The kiss deepened and she clutched at him weakly. She couldn't believe she was being such a girl, but she couldn't seem to help herself.

Nick slowly pulled away and looked down into her face once more. She smiled at him weakly, her eyes still watery.

"Alex, I... there's something I need to talk to you about." He smiled gently again.

She smiled back, despite the fact that her stomach had suddenly knotted up. "OK."

"Well, um... OK, where do I start?" He wrinkled his forehead in thought and she put her hand on his cheek.

"How about at the beginning?"

He smiled again and nodded.

"Alright. In the beginning, I met you and fell head over heels in love with you. Every day I thought I couldn't possibly love you more, but somehow every day I did love you more..." He rubbed her back softly.

Her heart lept and she couldn't take her eyes off his face.

"Then, we went to Vancouver, and I overheard something one night."

He chuckled lightly at her sudden change of expression. "Just wait, Alex. Let me tell the whole story before you speak, OK?"

Her nerves were stretched tight at the moment, but she nodded nervously. "OK."

"I woke up early Christmas morning and you weren't beside me. So I went downstairs to try and find you."

Now she was confused.

Oh. This isn't what I thought...

"When I got downstairs, I heard you talking by the Christmas tree with Sam. And the last thing he said to you was that you needed to get over your contempt for marriage."

Alex's heart jumped into her throat, but Nick put a finger to her lips, still smiling. "Just wait, honey. There's more."

She swallowed and waited for him to continue.

"So, I was a little uncertain about...about us, I guess. I mean, I know we've only been together a few months, but I thought we were progressing towards... Well, something. We weren't just about having a good time; I was pretty sure that this meant more to both of us. And when I heard that from Sam, well..." He shrugged. "I just didn't know what to think."

Alex was ready to kill her brother at that moment.

Is that why he didn't ask me...?

He noted Alex's panicked expression and laughed lightly. "Maybe you should sit down, honey. I'm not finished yet."

He pulled out a dining chair for her and eased her into it. He pulled the other one around and sat facing her, then he grabbed her hand and began to speak again.

"And my confusion only increased as we spent more time together in Vancouver. I was certain I couldn't be mistaking how much you cared about me. We just... We fit, Alex." He grinned. "Anyway... Then we went out for drinks that night, and that proved... enlightening. In many ways."

Alex let out a breath and Nick smiled, continuing before she could try to say anything.

"First, I didn't realize how jealous I could get... I mean the sight of that guy with his arm around you..." He shook his head in amusement. "Let's just say it's a good thing you blew him off before I got to the table."

She grinned weakly and he squeezed her fingers in reassurance.

"And then later, you said something interesting on the drive home..."

Her heart dropped out of her throat and landed in the pit of her stomach.

Oh god. Here it is.

"You were arguing with Sam about him getting married, and you told him... Well, you told us all that you were going to marry me someday."

Her eyebrows shot up and her jaw dropped. He watched her, one side of his mouth quirking up into a half-grin. His eyes were sparkling.

"I know you were pretty drunk, but... Did you mean it, Alex?"

The words seemed to reverberate around her head like an echo in the Grand Canyon.

Did you mean it, Alex? Did you mean it, Alex? Did you mean it, Alex?

She tried to speak but no words would come. He smiled at her once more.

"We've been through a lot, you and I. More than anybody should ever have to go through. But we did it... And we did it together. I tried to be there for you during that awful Meadfield mess..." He looked grim for a moment, then seemed to shake it off. "And you were there for me during my own nightmares, about my past. And then the baby... The baby we lost."

He leaned back and sighed.

"It's all been tough on both of us." He tightened his hold on her hand again. "But we made it to the other side, and I swear my love for you just kept growing through it all."

Then he smiled so tenderly she felt her mouth going dry.

"Alex, you once said you'd do anything for me... And, well... You already have. You've done so much for me, I can hardly believe..." He grabbed her other hand now.

His eyes were misting up again and her own tears threatened to spill over once more. "I... I need to ask you to do one more thing for me."

He looked at her intensely, then removed one of his hands from hers again. She gasped as he reached into his pocket and withdrew the small velvet box that had been tormenting her since Christmas.

The tears finally started to fall as he went down on one knee and asked her the question she thought she may have been waiting her whole life to hear.

"Alex, will you marry me?"