Disclaimer: Unfortunately, Due South was not my creation and I do not own it, though if Alliance would like to give me the rights, I wouldn't complain. As it is, I make no claim on the show or the characters, and no infringement is meant.

A/N: For those that have stuck with this story this far, we are fast approaching the end. Hopefully, you have enjoyed the ride. And now, on with the story...

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The meeting was over and the first people had started to leave. People chatted and laughed with each other as they exited the building, some heading towards nearby parked cars, others cutting across the campus to the main streets of the city. He watched as she walked out. She was walking with another woman of similar age. The two seemed deep in conversation and he watched as her face broke into a gentle smile. How he wanted to hold her again, but he couldn't approach her here, not in front of all these people. He had imagined their reunion to be more private than this. How he wished that other woman would leave, go her separate way.

Keeping a safe distance behind, he watched as Meg and her friend moved towards the edge of the campus grounds. Here, finally, the friend left, walking away down the street to the left, whilst Meg turned right.

Fraser suddenly had no idea how he was going to approach her. What would he say? He had dreamed of this moment a thousand times and yet, now that he was here, nothing he had thought about saying seemed appropriate to the situation. Should he just call out her name? Would she recognise his voice? God knows he'd heard hers a thousand times in his dreams.

She was getting further ahead now, walking with an ease of someone familiar and comfortable with their environment. A brief thought crossed his mind, and he wondered if he could just follow her home, talk to here there, but that just brought up more questions. Did she live alone? Or was there someone waiting for her? Please no, Fraser didn't think he could bare that. No, he had to talk to her here, before she met anyone else she knew.

Suddenly, Meg turned aside, walking into one of the bars that lined the streets. Fraser briefly toyed with the idea of waiting for her to exit, before deciding to follow her in. If she saw him first, well, that just allowed her to be the one to make the first move.

The bar was set out in the form of a traditional jazz club. There was a grand piano set on a small stage, and all around the outer edges of the room were comfortable looking sofas and wooden tables. Once his eyes had adjusted to the dim light that illuminated the room from replica candle holders, Fraser began to search the room for her. His eyes finally settled on the far end of the long bar, where she was in conversation with the barman. He was pouring her a drink whilst they chatted and from their body language, Fraser was sure that the two knew each other. As he began to approach her, she turned, her dark eyes finally focusing on the man moving in her direction. The drink smashed onto the floor of the bar and yet Meg hardly seemed to notice. In fact, it wasn't until the barman was at her side, asking if she was alright, that she finally dragged her eyes away from man she'd walked away from nearly two years ago.

Pierre, the barman, was laughing now, saying something about her clumsiness, offering her another drink, but Meg couldn't focus. How had he found her? She thought she'd been careful. What had tipped him off? Running through everything she'd done in the last few weeks, she could think of nothing that would immediately alert him to her presence here in Paris. Why was he looking anyway? She thought when she'd left him in the cabin, that that was it, she never thought she would see him again.

Finally managing to make her muscles obey her brain, Meg forced herself to walk forward. As she reached him, she felt all the feelings she had worked so hard to bury try to force themselves back up to the surface.

"Fraser?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, but even over the music playing in the bar, Fraser heard her clearly.

"Yes ma'am." The old title came easily.

"What are you doing here? I thought…you, um," she faltered then, not sure what it was that she thought, everything had suddenly become very confused inside her head.

"I had to see you, there's so much I need to tell you." Looking around the bar, Fraser realised that this was not exactly the setting he had wanted to have this conversation in. "But, perhaps here is not the best place."

"I guess we could go back to my place." She still seemed hesitant, as though not quite sure she should believe what she was seeing.

"OK."

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It turned out that she lived not far from the bar, and the walk over was quick. All the way, both were silent, neither knowing exactly how to start the conversation both so desperately wanted to have.

In the end it was Fraser who started, launching into one of his monologues, detailing everything that had happened since he had seen her last. Meg could only listen in shock, sitting as she now was at the kitchen table in her apartment. When he had finally finished, silence descended on the pair. Fraser's brow creased in concern. Meg had hardly said two words during his explanation and was being no more communicative now. Had he made her angry by coming here? He didn't know. Perhaps she had never wanted to see him again, after what had happened between them in the cabin. When she finally did speak, it was not the words he was expecting.

"You did all that for me?" He voice was soft and full of wonderment at the man sat opposite her.

"Yes."

"Oh God." Meg turned away, her hand coming up to rub across her brow. Fraser wasn't sure what to say. Had he upset her? He didn't understand what he had done wrong.

"I'm sorry, I, um, I didn't mean…" He didn't know what he was apologising for, though he was sure there must be something.

"No, it just, um," Meg took a deep breath, "no-one's ever done anything like that for me before. I can't believe you went to so much trouble."

"It was no trouble," Fraser reassured her, glad she was not angry with him.

"Fraser, it's been almost two years. You shouldn't have given up so much for me." She turned her head away from him again. As Fraser watched her, a thought crossed him mind. Did she really not understand what she meant to him? If there was a chance he could make her happy, he would have given his life for it.

Reaching across the table, Fraser gently turned her head to face his, looking straight into her eyes.

"I would have done anything to bring you home." The statement was simple, but Meg felt her eyes begin to sting. Months of unshed tears threatened to overcome her as his clear blue eyes seemed to look straight through the layers she hid behind.

"I can't give you what you want, Fraser."

His hand dropped from her face. Did she really think he had done all this just to have some kind of claim on her?

"I never…"

"I'm sorry." Both spoke at the same time, their words mingling in the heavy air that surrounded them. Finally, it was Fraser who began again.

"I'd never ask for anything like that from you, ma'am."

Meg looked at him suddenly, puzzlement written plainly on her face.

"Why not?"

"Excuse me?"

"Don't you think you've earned it?"

Fraser didn't understand what she was saying. Was she implying that she thought he would expect something more from her, or that he would somehow force himself on her, as some kind of payment? How could she think that about him?

"I don't…I would never do that."

"Why not?" It was that question again. That question he just didn't know how to answer. What did she want him to say?

"How could you think that I…?"

Meg got up suddenly, walking to the window. She leant on the frame, hugging herself as she stared at the lights twinkling across the city. She was silent for a long time. Fraser didn't know what to say. How could he explain? He had never imagined this conversation to go this way, but somehow, somewhere along the line, the happy news he had come to tell her had turned into accusations and suspicion and he had no idea how to bring it back.

"I'm sorry." Her voice was soft and filled with sadness. "You do all this for me and the best I can do is accuse you of having ulterior motives." She still remained facing away from him, watching the darkness settle ever further over the nearby buildings.

Fraser stood up, moving to stand beside her. She shifted slightly at his presence, but didn't move away again. "I missed you." He spoke to the window, too afraid of the reaction he might get to look directly at her. "But I would never force you into something you didn't want."

Her silence was beginning to unnerve him, but he had started and now it was up to her.

"I know." Finally she turned to look at him, and he was startled to discover the presence of tears on her cheeks.

She felt his hand gently touch her face, wiping away the droplets that remained.

"You deserve better. Better than me."

He shook his head. "I want you." He watched her close her eyes briefly, taking in a deep breath.

"I don't know how much I can give you, Fraser."

"It doesn't matter, Meg. Whatever you offer will be enough."

Her deep brown pools of her eyes swirled with all the emotions she was feeling, finally settling on him in wonderment.

"How do you do it? How do you overlook all the horrible things I do to you enough to stand there and say that you want me? You really do deserve better, Fraser."

Again he shook his head. "You are one of the smartest, strongest people I know, Meg. You've handled everything the world and the RCMP has thrown at you and yet you are not afraid to make the difficult choices to protect the people you care about. How could I ask for more?"

"I'm a mess, Fraser. I don't handle things. I just stumble around desperately trying not to get the people close to me killed."

As he reached for her, Meg pushed against his chest, trying to pull away from his embrace, but he just gathered her closer. He held her tightly against his body as she fought against him.

"No," her voice came out in a sob.

"I love you." She shook her head, refusing to believe his words, but her hands gripped the fabric of the t-shirt he was wearing, before sliding around his neck. Finally, Fraser felt her break down in his arms. He could feel where her tears made wet patches on his shoulder, but he didn't care. He held her for a long time while she cried, knowing she needed to let go off all the tension she had been living with for the past two years.

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