Flashback:

The fire crackled as the flames danced over the faces of the two that sat curled together on the sofa in his small suburban apartment. On the coffee table in front of them sat four empty beer bottles, an open bag of potato chips, and a medium sized pizza box with only one slice left.

Allison Cameron shifted from her comfortable position curled up into his side so that she could look up at his shadowed complexion. He was staring straight into the fire, a far off look in his crystal clear blue eyes. So deep were his thoughts, that he did not sense her staring at him.

"Hey", she said, "You're awfully quiet tonight. What's the deal? Case got you upset?"

At the sound of her voice, Greg snapped out of his thoughts and lowered his head.

"No.", was all he said.

She studied his face for another moment, searching for a sign to let her know what was bothering him. He was usually so easy for her to read, but something about him tonight had her dumbfounded.

Suddenly, he stood up and hobbled over to the fire place and knelt down in front of it, took the poker from the rack and pointlessly stabbed at one of the logs. He did this for a few minutes, trying to gather his thoughts, trying to get a hold of his emotions, of his fear.

Allison just sat on the couch watching him, having decided that he would let her in when he was ready. She noted a slight change in his posture, and watched as he slowly turned around and limped back over to where she sat. He looked at her for a moment, studied her face, as if he were trying to memorize something, trying to…she didn't know what.

"Come on." he said, as he walked over and put his jacket and tennis shoes on. She didn't ask where they were going; she just complied and put her coat and shoes on as well. She knew him well enough personally now, to know that everything he did had a distinct purpose, and had learned not to question his motives.

Even though it was a relatively cool evening for late July, he left the top down on his vette, and let the wind ruffle his hair as he drove on into the clear night. Allison just listened quietly to the music playing softly in the background, something by Brian Adams, it sounded like, and let the wind whip her hair around and put a flush on her pale face.

They drove like this for forty minutes or so, before finally stopping out next to a small pond surrounded by beautiful willow trees and cattails, lit only by the soft glimmer of the stars and the moon.

He got out of the car, and hobbled over to the other side of the car to open the door for her. He held out his hand, and she took it, unused to this kind of behavior from him. Still holding her hand gently in his own, he made his way to the edge of the pond where he lowered himself into the soft grass, and settled her in between his legs.

After a moment of admiring the scenery, he finally spoke.

"You know, it's been a really long time since I've watched the stars, you know, really stopped and looked at them. It makes you think. Well at least it makes me think."

"And when I'm looking at them, I think of how far away they are, how huge they really are, and how small I really am. And then I think that I really am a miserable bastard, and I wish I wasn't, but I haven't known anything but bitterness and loneliness for a very long time, and Allison, I'm babbling, and I don't usually do that, but I am, and I finally gave in to what my little stone heart was trying to tell me, and that was to love you, and I do, so much, and I'm so afraid. So very afraid."

He buried his head in her neck, and she thought she heard him sniff quietly. She's never seen him cry; had really decided that he probably couldn't cry…but maybe…

"So am I, Greg." she said turning around in his arms and gently holding his face. "But I know that I love you, and I'm never going to leave your side, even if you want me to. I couldn't."

He looked up at her from underneath his hooded eyes, and seemed to decide something. He stood up, moved back a little way, and sat down again. He reached into his jacket pocket, and hid what he pulled out inside of his large hand. He stared at it for a moment before he took her hand in his free one, and spoke again.

"Allison…I can't kneel, so this will have to do. I told you I'm scared. I'm scared of the future; scared that I won't be good enough, or that you'll come to your senses and leave me to my cane and my pills, but I'm not going to let that stop me anymore. I don't know what the future holds, but whatever comes, I want to be with you, forever. Marry me."

At this he opened up the little black box he had concealed in his hand, revealing a beautiful 18 karat gold diamond ring adorned with the Celtic knot of eternity on either side of the stone. Allison, however, did not even look at the ring. Tears streamed down her face as she stared at him.

Just when she had him fidgeting, she leaned over, cupped his stubbly face in her hands, and kissed him more softly than ever before.

His heart stopped beating in his chest in that moment, and just when he was sure he would die from the sheer raw emotion of that single kiss, she breathed a single word into his mouth.

"Yes."

A/N: More to come ducklings…more to come.