Disclaimer: see first chapter

"Are you ready for this?" Nick asked tentatively, pulling Sara towards him into a hug.

"Well, it's a little late to be wondering that now, isn't it?" she laughed nervously, burying her head into his chest for a moment. She tried to pretend that they weren't standing in a parking lot to some greasy diner, that instead they were in the middle of her living room, or a park, or anywhere else; it didn't work.

"I'll go in with you if you want me too."

Sara faintly smiled, before lifting her head and planting a small kiss on Nick's lips. She felt his arms tighten around her, making her feel safe and secure. She was so tempted to say yes, but she knew she had to do this herself.

"No," she sighed, reluctantly pulling away from him. "I have to do this…"

"Well, I'll be right out here if you need me, okay?" Nick tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and leaned down for one more kiss. A few minutes later, he pulled back, kissing her forehead and whispering, "Whatever happens in there…I love you Sara."

"I love you too," she whispered back, allowing herself to lean against him for another minute before pulling away and walking towards the diner.

It had taken Sara a week to gather the courage to call Michael, and another week for them both to find the time to meet. He sounded surprised to be hearing from her, and had suggested a diner near his work, agreeing to meet her for lunch towards the end of the week. Sara had been on pins and needles ever since, wondering how Michael was going to take the news, and what sort of repercussions the revelation was going to have on their futures.

She took a deep breath and stepped through the door, looking around. She spotted Michael at a table in the corner, looking as nervous as she felt. She walked as quickly as her current condition allowed, plastering a smile on her face as she arrived at the table.

"Sara," he greeted her, jumping up to pull out the chair across from him. Sara awkwardly sat down and waited for Michael to sink back down in his chair. He had an identical smile plastered on his own face as the waitress came over to take their order. He quickly ordered some coffee and a sandwich, while Sara only asked for water.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, staring at each other. Sara opened her mouth a few times to speak, but Michael finally beat her to it.

"Look Sara…I know why you called me…"

"You do?" she asked, surprised.

"Yeah. I mean…I think a part of me knew it, even when you told me no. It was just easier to believe you."

"I'm sorry I lied to you," she replied quietly, gazing at the napkin she was shredding in front of her, not quite knowing what else to say.

"It's okay. I think I needed some time for it to sink in, and the police station probably wouldn't have been the best place to discuss it. And now I've had time to think it over, and I guess my question is…what do you want?"

Sara's eyes snapped up in anger, but before she could tell him exactly what she wanted from him, as well as where he could go, Michael held up his hands in surrender.

"No Sara…that came out wrong," he explained quickly, "I'm sorry…this has just thrown me for a loop. What I meant, is that I'm not sure exactly what kind of involvement you want from me…"

"I thought that you should know," Sara replied, her voice a little cool, as she was still recovering from their last exchange, "I don't expect anything from you. How much, or little you want to be in this child's life is up to you."

They were interrupted by the waitress coming back, setting a cup of water in front of Sara and pouring coffee into Michael's cup. Michael sighed, tapping his fingers nervously on the table before stirring in two sugar packets. "Okay, this is probably going to come out wrong to, but…were you telling the truth, before…there's a guy?"

Sara thought about snapping back a reply, but realized that it probably wasn't in her best interest. She took a deep breath. "Yes…there is somebody."

"And he knows about, well, all of this?" he asked, gesturing between the two of them.

"He knows everything. In fact…he's the one that convinced me to talk to you."

Michael paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "He loves you?"

Sara couldn't help but smile softly. "Both of us. More than anything."

Michael sighed again. "Sara…this is gonna sound awful, but I've finally worked things out with Susan…my wife. I'm happy with the way my life is right now, and it sounds like you have someone that can take care of you both a lot better than I ever could. I'm sorry, but…"

"No, it's okay," Sara interrupted, her voice much gentler than before. And she meant it; her daughter would be surrounded by so much love that it wouldn't matter that Michael wasn't a part of that. At least she had given him the option.

"If the baby ever needs anything, let me know…" Michael trailed off.

"She. She's a girl."

He smiled. "Well if she ever needs anything, I'll certainly make sure she gets it…but it sounds like she's already got a dad."

Sara nodded and sat silent for a minute, realizing that there was really nothing else to say.

"I guess I should be going," Sara finally announced softly. Michael jumped up and helped her out of her chair. He walked her to the door, holding it open as Sara walked out into the bright Nevada afternoon. She spotted Nick sitting on the grill of his car, hands shoved in his pockets and staring off into space. She couldn't help a tiny smile as she turned back towards Michael.

"Is that the guy?" Michael asked, and Sara couldn't help but notice that he gave Nick the once over.

"Yeah, that's Nick."

"And he treats you alright?"

Sara glanced at Nick again, feeling her smile widen as she answered. "He'd give me the world if he could."

Michael seemed satisfied by the answer. "Well, I'll let you get back to him then. Good luck with everything. And Sara…I'm sorry. About everything."

"It's okay, really."

Sara was walking back towards the car when she heard Michael call her name softly. Turning around, he was leaning nervously against the door.

"Do you think…I mean, maybe from time to time, could you send me a picture or something?"

Sara smiled, nodding at him before she turned back around and met Nick at the car. He was still staring into space, and jumped a little when Sara placed a hand on his shoulder. When he saw her, he smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry, didn't hear you comin' Sar. How did it go."

She smiled sadly. "Well, I didn't have to tell him, he kind of figured it out on his own. He, uh…well, he said that he'd help out if we needed it, but he doesn't really want…" Sara trailed out, surprised at the tears welling in her eyes. "God, this is what I wanted, but I guess part of me still wished…"

"Hey, it's okay," Nick soothed, standing up and pulling her towards him. "It sucks that he doesn't want to be a part of her life. But she has so many other people to love her. I don't understand how he could not want to be a part of his child's life, but you know what?"

"It's his loss?" she sniffled, looking up into Nick's eyes. He rubbed her back reassuringly. She drew comfort from his presence, the steadiness of his hand rubbing circles between her shoulder blades. "You know, you're right. She's going to have you, that's more than any kid could ask for."

Sara leaned her cheek against his chest, breathing in the scent of his aftershave and trying to stem the flow of her tears. Nick's hand reached up to stroke her hair as he murmured. "I love you Sara, both of you, more than I could ever tell you. I'm gonna do my best to do right by both of you." Sara heard the hitch in his voice, only causing her tears to overflow again.

"You already have," she whispered, gazing up at him before brushing her lips against his. She snaked her arms around his neck, toying with the hair at the nape of his neck as Nick deepened the kiss. One of Nick's hands was tangled in her hair, while the other one trailed up and down her back.

"Maybe I should take you home," Nick murmured as he briefly pulled away. He captured her lips again, giving Sara no time to respond. Not that she wanted to; at that moment, all that mattered to her were Nick's lips connecting her to him.

Finally, when the need for air became a problem, Nick pulled away breathlessly. "What do you say we get out of here?"

Sara grinned, planting one more quick kiss on his lips. "Yeah, we should go home."

Sara allowed Nick to help her into the car before he ran around to get into the drivers' seat. She still felt a pang of sadness, but she also felt an immense sense of relief that things were finally resolved with Michael. He may not want anything to do with the baby, but Sara knew that Nick would more than make up for that. And knowing that Nick would always be there made her smile. Nick started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot as Sara reached over and took one of his hands, entwining their fingers. They would be a family, and that would be more than enough.

A/N: Since I'm on vacation this week, the next chapter should be posted in a few days. And as always, let me know what you think by reviewing!