Thanks for the reviews. So, this is it. The last chapter. I hope all the readers, even those who did not review, enjoyed the fic. I immensely enjoyed writing it.

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Nick unlocked his apartment and guided Sara through the front door.

"You OK?" he asked noticing that she winced a little bit in pain.

"Yeah," she brought her hand up to her temple, rubbing softly as the pain settled. "It's just the sun . . . it's kinda bright."

"Sorry," he apologized, quickly leaving her side and stridding across the room, closing the windows shades.

"Don't be," she smiled walking towards the kitchen in the darkness.

Nick smiled at how well she knew her way around his home. Of course, she should . . . not only had she spent a lot of time there, she'd helped him look for apartments after the Nigel Crane fiasco. What they'd found was astounding. The Mandalay Bay had recently taken a few floors of the hotels room and turned them into luxury apartments and penthouses. Because it was a hotel and casino, there was security always present, as well as video servelliance. And it didn't hurt that he'd have access to the pools, gym and other ammenities that hotel guests had. The price on the spacious two bedrooms, two bath apartment, with an office, and view of the Strip and mountains, was unbeatable and Nick had jumped at the chance, then enlisted Sara's help with the finishing touches. Since they had found the apartment prior to it's completion, he was able to create the apartment of his dreams, with the right style kitchen, paint colors, floor, window trim -- everything. Of course, it had meant that he stayed at Sara's a few additional weeks while the finishing touches had been completed.

"You hungry?" he asked, flipping on a lamp that sat on a side table in the living room. The apartment was then bathed in a gentle glow.

"Not really," she said quietly. She had a jello cup at the hospital and the pain medication that had been prescribed left her with no appetite. "Just tired."

"I'll grab you something to wear," he smiled softly, disappearing down the hall and into his bedroom. He grabbed his University t-shirt and a pair of track pants then placed them on the counter in the master bathroom before pulling out a couple of towels from under the sink. He wandered back into the living area where he noticed that Sara had taken a seat. "The clothes are in the master bathroom along with some towels. I thought you might want to grab a shower."

"Thanks Nicky," she cuddled into him as he took a seat beside her. She smiled against his chest as she felt his arm wrapping around her waist, pulling her closer to him, protectively.

He kissed the top of her head before leaning his cheek against her hair. "Anything for you."

She shuffled a little in her seat next to him before pulling herself up. "I won't be long."

"Take as much time as you need," he said quietly, knowing what it was like to feel dirty -- like whatever happened was going to seep into your skin and stay embedded there. "And I want you to sleep in my room, too."

She shook her head no. "Nick-"

"My bed is far more comfortable, Sara, and you need rest," he said, cutting her off. "I'll be in the guest room if you need anything, OK?"

Again, she shook her head no. A few tears pooled in her eyes and he immediately stood up and took a few strides toward her. "What's wrong?"

She sniffed, embarassed. Her emotions were all over the place and now, being with Nick, in his apartment, while he was being so caring -- it was too much.

"Sara, baby," he soothed, "you can tell me anything." He pulled her into his chest, once again placing a kiss on the crown of her head.

"I don't want to be alone," she whimpered, burrying herself into his chest and holding him tightly.

"You're not," he assured her. "I'm going to be in the other room, and -"

"Stay with me?" she asked suddenly, leaning back in his embrace to look him in the eye.

He looked at her, but said nothing as her words sunk in. "Sara . . . "

"Nick, will you hold me? While I sleep? I just . . . I need to feel safe. You make me feel safe," she admitted. She felt so vulnerable, but it was the truth. And if she could be open with anyone, it's was Nick.

He smiled, and nodded his head slightly. "Lets go."

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Nick lay under the covers, the bed beside him empty. It had been thirty minutes since Sara had disappeared into his bathroom and the water had been running for about as long . . . he knew that she was trying to get Kevin off of her. The bonus of living at a luxury hotel was the never ending supply of hot water from the buildings massive hot water heater. When he heard the water stop, he listened closely and could hear a few hiccups from behind the closed door. Two minutes later, Sara walked out wearing his clothes that made her small frame appear even smaller. He smiled a little at her, then patted the bed next to him when she seemed to hesitate.

She crawled onto the bed, the pillow top soft under neath her. It felt like she was on a cloud.

"Are you sure you want me to stay?" he asked quietly.

She nodded her head and although the room was dark, he could tell she had been crying. She tentatively placed her cheek on his chest, the back of her head craddled by the back of his arm. She sniffed lightly and felt Nick's arm tighten around her as he placed a kiss on the top of her head.

"You're safe now," he whispered into her hair.

She sniffed again and moved to wipe the tears that were flowing down her cheeks, once again, like a river. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he said assertively, but calmly. "Just let it out."

It was then that the sobs that she'd been holding back came out. Nick gently rocked Sara in his arms and soothed her as best he could until she finally succumbed to an exhausted, and much needed, sleep. He watched her for a while, gently stroking the hair that framed her face. "I promise," he whispered to her sleeping form, "I will never let anyone hurt you again." Finally, he allowed himself to close his tired eyes and drifted into a slumber, content to know that the woman he loved was in his arms.

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Nick woke up hours later to find the bed empty. "Sara?" No answer. "Sweetie?" He knocked on the closed bathroom door, but she didn't answer. His heart stopped beating and then when it started again, it thumped wildly against his chest. Where had she gone?

He stepped out of his bedroom and noticed that fading sunlight was once again filtering into the apartment. Sara had opened the blinds and he could see her sitting out on the decent sized patio. He gently opened the door and stepped outside into the cool evening air.

"Now I know how you felt," he smiled slightly at her, grabbing her attention.

"Sorry," she smiled sheepishly at him, but it brightened considerably as he sat down on the padded bench that she had insisted would be perfect for his outdoor space. "Now I know how you felt, too. Well, sort of."

After he'd been buried, Sara had stayed with him a number of times just to make sure that he was comforted when he was upset. On occasion, she woke up and found that he wasn't anywhere inside the apartment and would immediately be terrified that something had happened and she hadn't realized it. But, all of those times, she always found him sitting on his deck, staring out at the Strip and the mountains.

"Really is calming, huh?" she asked rhetorically. The sun was just setting and the neon lights of the Strip were coming alive.

He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her against him.

"All I could think about was you," she admitted softly. She tilted her head up to look at Nick. She couldn't resist reaching up to gently stroke his face with the back of her fingers when he looked down at her with those chocolate eyes that she could drown in. "Everything was happening so fast, but it all seemed to be in slow motion, you know?"

He nodded his head. He knew what if felt like to be powerless to stop what was happening - that it seemed to be happening at warp speed . . . but yet, so slow that it was painful . . . so slow, that while you were processing what was happening to you, you had seemingly all the time in the world to think about your life . . . the things you'd done wrong, or right . . . the things you'd do differently . . .

"I thought about when you were in that box," she looked down, not sure if he wanted to hear this, but knowing that she needed him to know, "we were all so scared. And I swore up and down that when we got to you, not if -- because there was no way we weren't going to get to you in time, I was going to be honest with you . . . but I wasn't." The tears fell down her face furiously.

He used the pads of his thumb to wipe the tears away, knowing what she was trying to say. "I promised myself the same thing, too," he said, his own eyes tearing up. "But I didn't keep my promise to be honest with you either. I don't think I was in the right place," he shook his head.

In a lot of ways -- he wasn't. He was so screwed up. He'd known for a long time that he had feelings for Sara, but he didn't really know how deep those feelings went . . . he knew he felt a deep rooted jealousy when she looked at Grissom in a certain way, or when she was dating Hank . . . but it was when he was in that box that he realized he loved her. But he was so certain that he was going to die -- so certain that he'd almost pulled the trigger. And as much as his heart ached to tell her the truth, he couldn't take the risk. The risk that she'd mirror his feelings because he was certain that he would screw it up. Or that perhaps, she'd tell him what he wanted to hear out of fear of pushing him over the edge . . . so he kept quiet and as he got back to normal, they'd fallen back into their easy routine of flirting . . . and it just became too big a risk yet again . . . their friendship meant the world to him and even though he felt he was strong enough to move past the incident, if he lost Sara because he was honest, he knew he couldn't take it . . .

"Nick, I have to tell you," she said quietly, her lip quivering, "no matter what happens, you have to know that my life has been so much better because of you. I don't know what I would've done if we'd lost you. And I wish I hadn't waited for something like this to happen to tell you how I really feel . . . I wish that I hadn't wasted so much time . . . " she sniffed and looked into his eyes, "but you have to know that I love you." She held her breath and she watched as Nick processed what she'd just said. And although he was silent, the wheels in his head apparently still processing her words, she felt like a big weight had been lifted. "I really love you."

"Oh, Sar," he finally managed to say, "I love you too."

"You do?" she asked quietly, though she had heard him perfectly fine. A giggle escaped her lips as his hand found it's way to the back of her neck, playing with the hair at the base of her head.

"I really do," he smiled, matching hers. "I love you, Sara."

He leaned down and gently pulled her head towards him, their lips meeting together in a sweet, tender kiss. They slowly, and without hesitation, moved their lips in unison. Nick's lips part slightly and his tongue gently touched at Sara's bottom lip, requesting entrance. She eagerly complied by parting her own lips and moving her tongue to meet his. When they first touched, she moaned softly as her body heated up from his touch.

She pulled herself from her position onto his lap, straddling him and wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him as close as she could. His arms instinctively went around her waist, pulling her close to him as well, and protected her from possibly loosing her balance and falling backwards.

Finally, the lack of oxygen was too much and they broke apart, gulping in the air.

"Wow," she smiled. "I don't think I'm ever going to get used to that."

Nick smiled. "Me either," he agreed. "Just as long as we never get tired of it, I won't mind."

"That's never going to happen, Cowboy," she smiled, leaning down and kissing him again.

"I love you," he murmured against her lips, continuing to kiss her.

"Love you too," she smiled.

Suddenly, the phone rang and they slowly broke apart groaning at the interruption.

"I suppose we have years to do that," Nick smiled, leaning his forehead against hers.

"The rest of our lives," she agreed.

They didn't speak another word as they listened to the answering machine pick up and Brass's voice broke the quiet in the apartment.

"Hey guys, it's Jim. I hope you're doing OK. I thought I would call and tell you that Kevin Danes has been formally arrested and the judge will not grant bail." Nick squeezed Sara's hip in support. "We, uh," he fumbled for the right words, "found your clothes from Boston, Sara. They are going to go a long way in putting this guy away. He copped to killing Vanessa White, too, so it's only a matter of time before he admits to the others. He's going away for a long, long time. I spoke to Sophia a little while ago and she said that your apartment should be released as a crime scene as early as tomorrow." They could hear Brass clear his throat, and Sara smiled a little, tears forming in her eyes as she realized that Jim was trying not to cry. "I'm so relieved that you're alright Sara. Next time I see you, be warned that I'm giving you the biggest hug of your life," he laughed a little as his voice wavered. "Take good care of her, Nicky." Click.

"I plan on it," Nick smiled, answering Brass's demand as if he were with them. He placed a kiss on the tip of Sara's nose before pulling her into a tight embrace.

"So, tomorrow," Sara stated, swallowing against the lump in her throat.

"Hey," he said softly, making her look at him, "you don't have to do anything you don't want too, OK? You can stay here . . . wait, that came out wrong . . . I meant, you can live here." He smiled at her and she smiled softly in return. "I don't want to pressure you or anything, but I know what it's like to have your home, somewhere that is supposed to be safe, turned into a crime scene. So, if you don't want to go back, I'll understand. We all will. And if you want to find a new place to live, that's fine too . . . but I love you, and I want you to know . . . my home is your home. I'll understand if you think it's too soon, but I can't imagine you not falling asleep in my arms, and --"

He was cut off when Sara's lips came crashing down on his.

A moment later, when they needed air again, he opened and closed his mouth like a fish before finding the right words, "not that I minded, but what was that for?"

"You were rambling," she smiled. "I love you, Nick. And you're right, I don't want to go back to my apartment . . ."

"So . . . .?" he asked her, his eyes shining with anticipation.

"I'd love to live here with you," she smiled at him.

"Yeah?" he asked, just to be sure . . . he was already so excited that he felt like jumping out of his skin.

"Yeah," she smiled. "I love you too much to waste another day apart from you."

He stood up with her in his arms before gently lowering her feet to the patio. "I love you too."

They both knew that some people might think it was too early in their relationship to make such a bold move as to live together, but they'd known each other for seven and a half years. They knew each other like they knew themselves. And they knew that they were in it for the long haul. There was no reason to wait.

Nick held Sara tightly against his chest as the now dark sky looked down upon them, two new lovers holding on for the ride of their lives, wondering what the future would bring them, but both knowing that it was as bright as the neon lights that shone back at them from The Strip.

THE END.