The following day began for Nick like a proper normal day. He went on his run, had his breakfast, went in to the station, and sat with his coffee in the briefing room as Rhys and Allie gave their report on the swinger's party. Poor Allie was absolutely miserable about it all. She and Rhys were bickering as usual. Nick was rather sure they'd had a bit of a fling that ended with more hurt feelings than they'd anticipated. But that was none of his business. They'd get over it soon enough.

Rebecca's body was discovered shortly thereafter and Drew Preston had to identify his wife's body. Nick was so focused on this case that he'd almost succeeded in losing himself in it, in having his mind completely taken away from fairies and Dane Majors and all the rest of the madness that had turned his world upside down over the last two weeks.

But obviously that was too much to hope for. Bruce Dalton came storming into Homicide and taking Nick aside to berate him.

"That journo of yours has been sniffing around things that were solved and settled ten years ago! You know she's been bothering Graham Procter?" Bruce shouted.

"Yeah, I know. I told him this might be coming," Nick answered apologetically. He really had hoped that Juliette might have had a bit more tact, but Nick really didn't know her very well. Didn't want to.

"He was so upset when he came to talk to me that I had to drive him home," Bruce said. "What's this journo got? Why's she so fixated on all this? You're not sleeping with her, are you?"

"No!"

"Nicky, I've warned you, you never bed a journo. Nothing good ever comes of it. And here we are!"

He was started to get more than a little angry now. "I'm not sleeping with her. But she's got a source, and maybe that should be taken seriously. Someone is feeding her all this muck. There's gotta be something to it!" Nick insisted.

"Like what, hmm? You think you planted evidence? Is that what you're saying? You lied on the witness stand in court?"

"No, of course not."

"Then what're you worried about!? You know what happened, you were there! Stop giving this bloody journo the benefit of the doubt when she's got no right to it!" Bruce shouted.

Bruce was getting red in the face with his raging frustration at the whole mess and stormed out. Nick couldn't quite blame him for that. But Nick also couldn't quite be completely on his side about all this. There was something else to all this. Something in that source.

The current case took his attention back after that, thankfully. He sat in interview with Allie as she cornered Tom. He'd been arrested running away with the woman who'd been hosting the swingers parties with her husband, and Allie had cornered him with her theory. Tom had killed Sophie and Rebecca for the sexual thrill of it, and he dared Allie to prove it. And Nick sat there with pride as she did. She'd gone to his gym and into his locker and found the keys to Sophie's car. Nick took Tom to processing for his arrest.

After writing their reports, the day was miraculously done. Nick was eager to go home. Now that they'd finished this case, he did not have much to keep him distracted at the station. He needed distraction. He did not want to keep fixating over Dane Majors. And yet here he was. Fixating. There was a rugby match on tonight that would be a good diversion, hopefully.

Nick parked his car in front of his house like always and walked to the front door. There was a light breeze that carried a faint earthy, floral scent, and he smiled. Made him think of Jennifer. But then his smile faded. She'd said that she would come to him soon, that he would see her again. After all they'd shared, after all he'd learned so quickly, it was all starting to fade away into a distant dream. If it weren't for the singing trees, he might wonder if any of it was really real. Well, even with the singing trees, he could believe that his mind was playing tricks on him to remember and hold on to something that was no more than a very nice dream.

With a sad sigh, he went into the house. He went to close and lock the door behind him, but something blocked the door. It didn't close. Nick turned in confusion to see what was going on. And then, shimmering into view, was Jennifer.

"You look sad," she said without greeting. "What's wrong?"

Nick could hardly believe it. She was here. She was real. Her golden hair flowed around her shoulders and her golden skin was on display in a short, strapless white floral dress. Her wings were still invisible, though perhaps that was best while the front door was still open.

Jen watched him with concern. His face was drawn and tired, and his eyes were filled with a kind of disbelief. Perhaps she'd not arrived at a very good time. But she'd been sitting up in that tree for a few hours, not knowing when he would arrive home from work. And once he had, she'd not wanted to wait any longer. Maybe she should have. "Nick?" she asked tentatively, not knowing what else to do.

"Y-you're here," he said in awe.

"Yes," she answered with a small smile.

He gave a breathy laugh. "I just…I've missed you.

Jennifer's smile grew as she fully entered his house and closed the door behind him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and looked up at him. "I've missed you, too."

Everything else left Nick's mind as he kissed her. Her lips slotted against his in the now-familiar way. He wrapped her in his arms and held her tight and kissed her with everything he had. This was what he needed. This was all he needed. Just her. Only her.

Nick's hands moved down the back of her dress to the curve of her bum and lifted her up. Her long, lean legs wrapped around his waist, and Nick wasted no time carrying her up the stairs. Jen pulled away from his kiss to laugh at his exuberance. And it was probably best he could see where he was going so they didn't fall and break their necks. Though looking into her eyes as he walked, seeing that turquoise glint of joy and maybe even of love was distracting enough. He could look at her eyes forever, he was quite sure. The expressiveness and beauty and mystery and magic in her eyes was more than he could contemplate at times. He could not tear himself away.

Jen was happy to let Nick take her wherever he wanted. Her dress—created specifically for this little foray into the human world—was bunched up to her waist. Nick's hands gripped the lace knickers covering her bum. She rather hoped that his plan was to remove her clothes as soon as possible. They had much to discuss, surely. It was important that they talked. But later. They could talk later. She was in no rush for conversation just now.

He placed her gently down on top of his bed and stood back up to gaze down at her. He was smiling, and Jen was smiling back at him. But then his expression faltered.

"What is it?" she asked with concern.

"I was just…"

"Yes?" she pressed, pushing herself up on her elbows.

Nick felt a bit embarrassed for even thinking of it, but now he couldn't get it out of his head. "Can I see your wings?"

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Oh! You don't mind?"

Mind? Why would he mind? Perhaps it was strange, that he should be enamored with her wings rather than put off by them. After all, she was a fairy with wings and he was just a human man. But now that he'd seen her with her wings, Nick though of her as just slightly incomplete without them. They were a part of her, of course, and they were beautiful. Everything about her was beautiful. "I like your wings," he admitted softly.

A proud grin spread over her face. And her wings appeared. Enormous and golden and shimmering and full of magic. Jennifer's magic.

Nick knelt on the bed between her open legs so he could kiss her. "Is this alright?" he asked. "It won't hurt you or anything?"

His words were whispered on her skin as his lips ghosted hers, almost touching but not quite. "No, this is perfect," she replied with a trembling whisper of her own.

"Good," he replied. And he kissed her again.