I am almost finished shoving my stuff into my suitcase when the phone rings. I figured it was Nick, but he already called an hour ago to say he found a Continental flight to Dallas later tonight. So what else could he possibly want?

"Hello?" I pick up the phone and answer.

"Hey there cowgirl." He says with a drawl, and I blush. I don't think the fact that he can't see me is stopping him from knowing I'm blushing either.

"Shut up Nick." Is the only thing I can think to say back, and he laughs somewhere in the background.

"No, but really Sara, I think you are very brave for coming to see my family with only me as your back-up. If we had switched places, I know I probably wouldn't have the guts to go." He says, still laughing.

"Oh, so you're the wimp of the family huh? Great, and I thought going with you would at least be okay…" I tease, and he scoffs into the phone.

"Hey, you mean you don't love me?" he asks innocently, and I secretly wish I could hear that from him every day.

"Of course I do. Although, you might want to re-ask that when this trip is over…"

"Ha ha, very funny. You are obviously a very conditional-love sort of person."

He says, and I choose to ignore this comment.

"What'd you call for Nick?" I ask impatiently, although I'll never admit to myself how much I wish Nick and I could talk for a lot longer than this.

"Oh…umm…hold on….Right, I'll be at your house in an hour or so, okay?" he asks, and I smile. I'm excited about this trip.

"Yeah, that's fine. I'll be ready." I reply.

"Okay then, I'll see you in a little bit."

"Okay. Bye."

I hung up and sighed. I got up from my bed, and continued my task of shoving clothes into an increasingly small suitcase.

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An hour later, I heard the door bell ring. Nick was here. I straightened my shirt, fluffed my hair, and walked to the door.

"Hey there." Nick greeted. He was dressed in jeans and a shirt, my apparel was similar.

"Hi. Come on in." I said, smiling broadly, and opening the door widely.

"Okay. Where's your suitcase, I'll take it to the car." He asked, and I pointed to my bedroom.

"It's alright, I can get it. It's only got four days of clothes anyway." I said, but he shook his head and put on a stern expression.

"You most certainly will not! It is a man's job, so a man shall do it." Nick proceeded to tell me, and I laughed in spite of myself.

"Sure Nick. Are you sure you don't want to do it just to get into my bedroom?" I teased.

"Every job has its advantages." He shrugged, "Look at it this way. By becoming a C.S.I., you got to meet gorgeous, handsome me. By becoming a suitcase carrier, I get into the ladies bedrooms. I'd say the rewards are about equal, wouldn't you Miss Sidle?"

"You," I say with my hands on my hips, "have got to be the most conceited person I have ever met."

He laughs and comes next to me, holding me around the waist.

"And yet you love me…They all do…" he says, looking at the ceiling and shaking his head as if in amazement.

"Get off me and go do your job." I say, shoving him away. It's only when I do that that I realize how much I loved the feeling of him holding me near.

He just looks at me with a grin before heading off down the hall.

I hear him grab the suitcase without so much as a grunt, and I open the door for him on his way out. I make sure all the lights are out, grab my purse and cell, and lock the door.

"Okay, we're ready." I say coming down to meet him. He slams the trunk and beams at me.

"Let's set sail then."

We get into the Denali, and off we go.

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At the airport, Nick drops me and the suitcases off, finding a place to park. I watch him drive away before heading into baggage check. I stand in line for ten minutes until he comes inside.

"Hey!" I wave, raising my voice to attract Nick's attention, "Nick! Over here!"

He spies me from the crowd, and makes his way over to me.

"Hey. Got the bags ready?" he asks, and I nod with a smile.

"Thanks." He says.

"It's not a big deal Nick, I just re-wrote some tags." I shrug, and he smiles at me.

"Not that. I mean, for coming. I know I'd be pretty shaken up, and pretty lost without you. The part about how much I needed someone here is just hitting me now, I'm glad you had the intelligence to see that before I did. So, thanks for convincing me I needed you." He says, and I smile gently at him.

"Anytime." I murmur. He pulls me into a light hug, and I wrap my arms around his neck.

When I back out of his embrace, he smiles appreciatively at me. I bite my lip and look away as a blush creeps onto my face. He smiles one last time, as if in understanding, and looks away. I silently thank God for him and how he knew I needed time to…process.

We finally checked our baggage in, and by the time we were strolling through the concourses, we were back to our old selves, laughing and joking. He asked what I thought of his suitcase carrying service, and after I said I thought it was the best on the market today, he insisted he should be paid. I refused.

He offered to take me to court.

"You didn't tell me the price of your services beforehand! You cannot take me to court on those charges Nick, even a bloke like you knows that."

He put on a hurt expression with a puffy lip.

"I'm not a bloke…" he said, doing a good job of sounding on the verge of tears. I rolled my eyes and elbowed him.

"Of course you aren't." I said with a laugh.

We rounded the corner, found our appropriate boarding area, and walked into the check-in line.

"Hi. We're going to be on the flight to Dallas…" Nick says. I lean against the counter, zoning him, and the rest of the world out. I think back to my childhood, and back to my brother…NO. Not to my brother…I told myself I would forget that…

"Sara?" I feel someone shake me, and I look up. Nick gives me a concerned smile.

"You alright?" he ask gently, putting a hand on my arm. I nod and stand upright, walking over to a nearby chair and sitting gratefully. Nick comes over and sits next to me.

"Hey," he says as he leans back and looks at me, "whatever it is, I got your back."

I smile.

"Ya. I was counting on that."

At my acceptance of help he looks over with a furrowed brow.

"Want to tell me about it?"

I shake my head with a smile.

"Maybe someday. But not today."

He nods with a look of genuine understanding. We leave it at that, sitting in silence until we are able to board.

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"Flight 419 to Dallas is now boarding. If you are sitting in First Class, you are now encouraged to board. All coach passengers are asked to remain where they are." Came over the speaker.

I laughed.

Nick looked at me with a grin.

"What are you laughing at Sidle?" he asked me while poking my arm. I swatted at him and he stopped.

"I hope you brought your kit." I say, and he looks completely lost.

"Uhh…no sorry. Why?"

I snicker.

"We're on Flight 419 Nick. All you better hope is that it isn't you that dies." I say. He laughs too, finally getting where I'm coming from.

"Flight 419 coach passengers are now permitted to board." Announces the speaker. I share a friendly smile with Nick, and we get up together. After standing in line, being greeted by airport personal, Nick and I walk side by side down the narrow hallway to the plane entrance. Before entering, I take a deep breath