Casey's POV

I blinked at him in total shock. He had never said that to me before. Never told me he loved me, not like that.

When we were together. I'd said it to him and he'd always responded with a quick, ' luv, you too.' or even, 'me, too.' a couple of times. But he had never looked into my eyes like he was now, so intense and emotional and said those exact words before.

Something new crossed his face when I didn't react immediately to his proclamation and it scared me. He looked crushed, devastated and he tried to pull away from me.

I held him tighter. " Don't go." I whispered against his chest.

" Case, I'm sorry." he said as he relaxed in my arms and rested his chin on top of my head.

I pulled back and looked up into his face. " You're sorry ?"

" I just got carried away." He tried to explain.

" You didn't mean it." It was supposed to be a question, but it came out sounding like something resolute and painful.

His eyes searched my face. " Did you want me to mean it ?"

I heard his words and saw the look in his eyes and I knew that there was no way I would be capable of lying and telling him no. I decided to hedge instead.

" I saw something in your closet." I told him.

He looked anguished. His face paled even further that it already was and his lips quivered as he tried to think of some sort of response. " I'm really messing everything up tonight, aren't I ?" He asked, finally. " When I let you go, you aren't coming back." My eyes widen and I blinked again in surprise as I realized he was close to tears and his voice was quivering.

I put my hand on his chest and felt the reassurance of his heartbeat thudding away against my palm.

" Cappie, I need to know what is going on ? You said we could do this. You told me you were okay with us being friends. Tell me you didn't lie to me just to get close to me again. Tell me this wasn't all just one of your cheap stunts. Please." I was begging him because I wasn't sure I could take it if I was wrong. My own set of tears were threatening to fall and if this had all been a game for him, I wasn't about to let him see it happen. So I shut my eyes tightly and waited on his answer.

He responded by pulling me into his chest, his hand cradling my head against his beating heart. "Casey, I swear to you none of this was a game for me. There was no stunt. No hidden motives. I really did just want to be close to you again." His voice was solemn and sincere.

I blinked back the tears even harder and breathed a deep sigh of relief.

He pulled back to look in my eyes, " Now tell me the truth. Tell me now and we won't ever have to talk about it again. It'll be completely forgotten. Like it never happened."

I swallowed the lump that had form in my throat from the look in his eyes. " Okay." I nodded, even though I knew what he was going to ask me.

" Did you want me to mean it ?" He repeated his earlier unanswered question.

I paused, letting my eyes search out the ceiling, trying to consider what my answer was going to be. I knew what I wanted to say. Of course, I wanted him to mean it. But I wanted him to really mean. I couldn't let things go back to the way they were last time.

I drew in a deep breath and sat up, pulling out of his arms. " Cappie," I began.

He sat up beside me and put his hand on my leg over the blankets. " Its okay, Casey. Like I said, we can forget any of this ever happened. Blame it on the cold and the medicine." He encouraged me.

But I shook my head. I didn't want to pretend. I didn't want to go back to being just his friend. I wanted so much more than friendship from him. I wanted everything.

" I don't want to pretend it never happened." I answered and his eyes cast down to the blankets in his laps, his face was dejected. " No, wait." I said, putting my hand over his." Let me finish. I want you to mean it."

He looked up at me with eyes sparkling with moisture and a wide grin. I held my hand up.

" But, " I paused and his face fell again. It was almost humorous to watch his expressions changing so rapidly. " I need to know that you really mean it, Cappie. I mean, really mean it."

He blinked as if he were trying to understand what I was saying. And I laced my fingers through his and tried to explain.

" Last time -" I began, but he stopped me quickly.

" No, let me." He interrupted, I nodded and let him continue. " Last time I was an idiot."

I opened my mouth to protest, but he put his finger to my lips to quiet me. " No, last time I was an idiot. I could sit here and try to explain myself by saying I was young and afraid of everything that was happening between us. I could tell you that I got overwhelmed by all the new experiences. That I got caught up with the house and all my new friends. I could try to defend myself by saying I'd never really been in a relationship before. I could say all those things." He paused to take a deep breath and let it out. Then he looked at me so intently I wanted to squirm under the weight of his gaze. " But I'm not going to. Because no matter what else was happening to me or around me, the only thing that should have matter more than any of it, was that I had you."

I started to say something again, but again, he stopped me. " You were the only thing that matter, I just didn't know it until it was too late, until I'd already fucked it up and sent you running to Evan."

I squeezed his hand. " Cappie, I'm sorry I ever left you for him. I was the stupid one."

He shook his head and I caught just a hint of pain in his eyes at the movement. " No, you had every right to go to him. He made you feel special and loved and everything I didn't. He made you believe that you were his world. While I made you think you were an afterthought. I can't blame you for leaving. I never have. It was all my fault."

I let out a breath I hadn't known I was holding, and took a few moments to let his words seep through my rapidly moving thoughts.

" That's the sweetest thing anyone has said to me." I told him in all honesty.

"Wait," he smiled. " I'm not done."

I smiled and let him continue.

He took both my hands in his and shifted so that he was facing me completely. " Casey, I want you to know that you were always everything to me. I might not have known it at the time, but I know it now and I need to make sure that you know it, too. I do love you. I never stopped loving you. These last few weeks have just made me realize it." He paused and squeezed my hands. Then he rolled his eyes to the ceiling and gave a frustrated sigh. " God, I'm so bad at this." He muttered.

I swallowed the brand new lump and brightened my smile as I continued to fight off a fresh batch of tears. " You're doing fine." I assured him. I don't think he really understood what his words meant to me. We had had too many misunderstandings and things left unsaid between us. I didn't want it to happen again.

He looked back at me with a smile of thanks for my encouragement. " My point is that I want you to think about everything. Really think about it. I know I can make you happy this time. I know I can promise to never take you for granted again, to make sure you know everyday how much you mean to me. But if you can't trust that, if you think that Max can make you happier. Then go to him. Because what I want more than anything in the world is for you to be the happiest you can be. Just please tell me, if Max is your choice, tell me we can try to go back to being the kind of friends we've been for the last few weeks. Because I can't take losing you again."

I thought about all the things he'd said. I did just as he asked, I really thought about everything. It took me all of about three seconds. Then I launched myself into his arms. He was right, of course, THAT was the sweetest thing anyone had every said to me. And when I finally let him go long enough to inhale a breath of air I told him so.

Five years later – Cappie's POV

Decadent, lustfully rich spoonfuls of chocolate perched on the end of the spoon I was holding in mid air beckoning to the breathtakingly beautiful blond sitting beside me. She gave a soft groan as she enveloped the utensil in her mouth, wrapping her lips around it and darting her pink tongue out to lick it clean.

I shuddered at the sight and went back for another bite, but she beat me to it and held out her own spoonful, equally as delicious-looking as the one I'd just given her.

I pulled it into my mouth languidly, enjoying the creamy sweetness of the chocolate as it hit my tongue. I mimicked her moan and couldn't help the smile that covered my face.

" This is wonderful. " She moaned as she helped herself to more of the sinful desert that sat on a plate between us.

" Yes it is. " I grinned stupidly, unable to stop myself.

She slid the plate of pie to the side and laid her head in my lap, stretching the rest of her out on our king-sized bed. " You look rather pleased with yourself. "

I brushed an errant strand of that beautiful hair from her forehead and leaned down to kiss her, tasting the sweetness of the desert still on her lips. " I am so pleased with myself I don't think it would be possible for me to be any happier than I am right at this moment. " I answered, confident that I was telling the truth.

She tilted her head, brushing it against my thigh tantalizingly and blinked up at me. " Are you certain about that ? "

I let my hand drift up from where it rested at her waist until it was barely cupping the underside of her breast. " Well, maybe I could be a little happier. "

She reached for the spoon and offered me another bite of pie. " Really ? And how could you manage that?"

I swallowed the bite and offered her one in exchange, purposely letting a tiny bit of filling dangle from the end of the spoon. Then I maneuvered it over her chest and managed to shake the dangling portion off so that it landed right at the swell of her breast, just where the material of her black tank top was covering.

She glanced down at her chest and smiled as she took the spoonful I gave her. Then she watched me intently as I shifted and bent my head down to remove the mess on her chest with my tongue.

I lavished her skin careful to get every last drop of filling I had spilled, going as far as to move the material down until the rosy, pinkness of her nipple just began to show. I wanted to be as thorough as possible.

" For starters, " I answered as I leaned back up and began to finger the straps of her top casually. " You could be wearing a lot less clothing. "

She laughed and sat up, grabbing the shirt and pulling it swiftly over her head. " Somehow I just knew that the key to making you completely happy would be for me to be naked at some point. "

I let my eyes settle on her perfect breasts for a long moment as she continued to laugh at me as I stared unabashedly.

Then her laughter turned to a shriek of surprise when I grabbed her suddenly and pulled her under me, settling myself over her. " No, actually, " I told her as I dipped my head to the hallow between her breasts. " the key to my happiness is having you writhing under me. "

She gave a sort of strangled gasp and I heard my name fall from her lips as I suckled her delicate, oh-so-soft skin. " I'm so glad I married you, Cappie. " She told me, as her hand tangled in my hair.

" Mmm, " I whispered against the hard bud of her nipple before taking it in my mouth and sucking on it until she was arching her back into my mouth. " Best decision you've ever made. "

She took my shoulders in her hands and pulled me back. My mouth left her breast with an unconscious whine of protest. But the look in her eyes as she stared up at me, stilled me instantly.

" It really was, you know. " She told me, the sincerity of her words fortified by her ' Serious Casey ' expression.

" Asking you was the best decision I've ever made. " I answered.

" This feels so perfect. I can't believe we get to spend the rest of our lives doing this. " She smiled.

I nodded and let my own smile take over my face. " I know. We have to be the luckiest people in the world. "

" Promise me that no matter what else happens, no matter where our lives take us, we'll always have this. We will always have you and me and pie. " She demanded.

I looked down at her and gave her my brightest smile. " I promise the only thing that will ever change is the flavor of the filling. " I knew I couldn't tell her with absolute certainty that this would never change between us. The future was too unpredictable to really be able to make a promise like that. But I knew that I was going to do everything in my power to keep my word.

THE END

A/N : This is preview of the newest story from the gizmo8us files; Echoes of the past - Its a C/C story of course. Hope you enjoy. I can't wait to read your reviews.

Casey Cartwright-London sat in her perfectly beige, perfectly decorated, extremely spacious office and glared at the computer in front of her. Her mother had sent her yet another e-mail about Thanksgiving. She had already told the woman she was far too busy to make it home. Besides, Adam, her nine year old son, was just getting over a being sick and to be honest she hadn't been feelign her best either. It wasn't a good time for her to be traveling.

If she did manage to make it back to Chicago for the holiday, she would have to turn around and come right back to Washington the next day. She had meetings planned for most of the following Monday.

She wasn't like Rusty. She couldn't drop everything and run off at a moment's notice. She envied his position as an independent contractor for N.A.S.A.. It meant that he could take off and go home for a few days if he wanted.

She, on the other hand, had obligations, commitments. True, the election was over, but the Senator that her campaign had put into office was already rallying her for work with other candidates for the next years campaign trail. Her work wasn't over just because the election had ended. No, in fact, it was just beginning all over again.

That was the price she paid for being the best campaign manager money could buy.

The buzzer on her desk trilled obnoxiously and she stabbed the intercom button with her finger.

" I thought I said I didn't want to be disturbed." She fumed.

" I know." Her assistant's voice answered, completely non-plussed by her tone. " But Mr. London is on line one and he says its important. I thought it might be about Drew."

Casey sighed and instantly regretted her outburst. Of course there was a reason that Lauren wasn't honoring her wishes. " Fine, I'm sorry." She told her. " Thank you for letting me know."

She snatched up the phone and pushed the button to connect the line.

" Is Adam okay ?" She asked, before even saying hello.

" Adam is fine." A deep, bass-filled voice assured her. " But I just got off the phone with your mother and apparently we are going to Chicago for Thanksgiving."

She let out a frustrated, groan of exasperation. " I have already told her I couldn't come." She ground out between her clenched teeth.

" Casey, you said you wanted a chance for us to get together so we could go over our plans. You wanted an opportunity to discuss the situation with Adam." He explained patiently and it unnerved her even further.

" I wasn't thinking that my parents house over the Thanksgiving holiday would be the perfect setting for our divorce discussion." She spat angrily.

" Well, I disagree. I think it would be the perfect place. Its away from everything and we'll have no distractions. Your mother thought it was a brilliant idea." He argued jauntily.

" My mother would agree to bomb D.C. If she thought it would make me run home for the holidays."Casey muttered.

" I want a chance to spend one last holiday with our son together before we have to tell him about the divorce. He isn't going to buy the excuse that I'm out of town much longer, Casey." His voice was still so patient.

" So you want to explain to our nine year old over his Thanksgiving turkey that his daddy is living with is secretary now." She bit off.

" I'll see you in Chicago on Wednesday, Casey. You have a lovely week."

She slammed the phone down and buried her head in her hands.