A/N: Ok, this is officially the shortest chapter I've ever written. It's also my 4th chapter in 28 hours. Surely you'll forgive me? :P

Reviews are always appreciated. F.

She felt her breath catch in her throat at the look in his eyes. She'd never seen such yearning on his face before, not even when they were dating. How had she missed this? Her heart skipped a beat and started racing, even faster than before, and the butterflies felt like they'd increased exponentially. She stood transfixed, staring at him, unable to speak. Slowly the blazing look died out of his eyes, replaced by a sadness that made her heart ache. He pushed himself away from the wall, turning away from her and opening the door

"Please, just go" he told her, his voice shaking, still looking away from her. She considered for a moment, then moved on leaden feet to the door he held open. She swung it closed, twisting the locks until they clicked home, then turned to where he stood, shoulders slumped in dejection.

"I'm not going anywhere" she informed him. He lifted his head at that, a small spark of anger in his eyes

"Abby" he warned

"No, Tim. We need to talk about this" she insisted "This isn't going to just go away"

"Don't you think I know that?" he snapped, an angry red flush spreading across his face "It's never going to go away." He drew a ragged breath before continuing "Look, I made it pretty clear today what I want, Abby. We can stand here and talk about it all night, but it's not going to change anything if you don't want me"

She was a little baffled by his reaction; why had he gotten angry so quickly? She didn't think she'd ever forget the look on his face; recalling it, the tenderness that was part of the longing she'd seen, the pieces of the puzzle clicked into place. He was in love with her. And it was as if a veil had lifted from her mind; suddenly she knew why she'd been irresistibly drawn here. She'd even admitted to herself, but dismissed it as ridiculous. She loved him. She felt a surge of exultation at the knowledge, leaving her knees weak and her hands trembling. It was clear now, his sudden change of mood from sadness to anger. He'd taken her stunned silence as rejection, lashing out in hurt.

Her voice trembling, she asked "What if I do?"

"Don't say that, Abby. Not if you don't mean it" he told her, the pain in his voice clear to both of them

"But I do"