YAY! new chap... finally i know. sorry, damn writers block! but it's OVER! AND ON WITH THE CHAPPIE! thanks for being patient!

When Sara woke up, she realized she was still lying in Nick's arms. She blushed despite herself. It was still dark, so she stood to look at the kitchen clock.

Suddenly, the front door opened. Sara started; shocked. She whirled around, finding herself facing Marissa. She looked back at the clock. It blinked: 1:00 AM. She was about to start lecturing her niece, but saw Nick out of the corner of her eye and bit back her tongue.

"Hey," Sara said. Marissa smiled nervously.

"Sorry I didn't call… we uh…" she mumbled quickly. "We stayed out a bit late and Greg got lost on the way here…"

Sara smiled, easing Marissa's nerves. She grinned slyly at her niece. "You didn't… you know." They both giggled, but Sara was relieved to see Marissa shake her head; no.

"What's he doing here?" Marissa raised an eyebrow at Nick, who continued to sleep soundly. Sara smiled.

"He came to talk. And uh… I owe you an apology," she said. She was usually stubborn, but Nick had broken through that wall a bit. The women hugged. Sara couldn't help but cry. Looks like I didn't mess it up too much, she thought. They both jumped slightly as Nick's voice rang out.

"Aw, Kodak moment," he said standing up, grinning. They both hit him as he attempted to make it a group hug. He grabbed Sara by the middle, threw her gently on the couch, and started tickling her. Marissa laughed, joining him. Sara tried to glare at them, but was laughing too hard to care.

Nick made Sara and Marissa promise to go to sleep, after they ate the omelets he made. Marissa said goodbye to him and walked into her bedroom. Sara smiled at Nick.

"Thank you," she said. She started to say goodbye, but he cut her off with a kiss.

"You're welcome," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her. She responded by kissing him again. And again. She never wanted to stop, but forced herself to let go. He smiled, kissing her once more, before walking out the door.

Grinning like a teenager after a first date, Sara hugged herself, as she walked to her bedroom; turning off the light and falling, calmly asleep.

In the morning, Sara tiptoed into the living room, trying not to wake Marissa. But her niece was already awake, so she smiled; gratefully taking the cup of coffee Marissa handed her.

"Morning," yawned Sara. Marissa smiled, nodding.

"Thanks," she said. Sara smiled back; relieved Marissa wasn't holding a grudge for before. "And I'm sorry for what my mother did. But I'm not her." She looked Sara in the eye. Sara bit her lip, smiling apologetically.

"Hey," Marissa said after a while, taking a sip of her coffee. "So… anything going on between you and Nick?"

Sara let out a sort of strangled laugh, and blushed furiously. "… No." Marissa glared sarcastically at her. "Fine, fine… we kissed. Several times." Marissa grinned.

"Shut up!" Sara said, grinning too. TBC...:-D