Disclaimer - I don't own CSI.

A/N: Okay, here it is, the final chapter. I've really enjoyed writing this and now I'm kinda sad it's finished. I'd like to thank everyone who has read this, I just hope you've enjoyed it. Merry Christmas!

Chapter 10

"Ready to go home, Sara?" Grissom asked as he stepped inside the doorway of the locker room.

Sara was absentmindedly gazing into her near empty locker, but she turned to address her supervisor with a straight, tired smile. "More than ready."

"Been one of those days?" Grissom guessed.

"Something like that," she nodded, shrugging slightly. "I'm going straight home to have a nice long bath and relax."

"Are you alright?" he asked, furrowing his brow with concern.

Sara nodded vigorously, her eyes brimming with emotion. "Aha, I'm fine. I'm always fine."

"Would you be offended if I said I didn't believe you?"

"I'm just tired, that's all," she insisted, plastering on a smile.

"Get some sleep then," Grissom told her.

"Don't worry, I will," Sara nodded.

"I'll see you tonight."

"Yes you will," Sara forced a wide smile as she watched Grissom turn and leave.

Once he'd gone her tired expression returned, followed closely by a sigh. She looked at herself in the mirror, mentally psyching herself up for the journey home. By the time she was sitting in her car her thoughts had shifted back to Nick again. She kinda felt guilty for yelling at him like she did; maybe she had overreacted just a little bit. But he'd hurt her, and while Sara doubted that had been his intention that didn't change how she felt. No, the bet wasn't exactly the crime of the century or anything but it also wasn't a very nice thing to do. He claimed to care about her, to... to love her... yet he made a bet about her. Sara wasn't exactly an expert when it came to relationships but she didn't think that messing with someone's feelings was a very good way to go about things.

She swung her apartment door closed behind her, letting it slam louder than usual. Throwing her keys down on the kitchen counter top, Sara made her way to the fridge. She fished out a bottle of water, pushing past the bottles of beer that sat in front of it; it was probably best to stay sober. She switched on the TV and lifted her legs up onto the sofa, spreading out as she searched for something half decent to watch.

Meanwhile, Nick was growing more and more frustrated by the second as he sat in a traffic jam on the opposite side of the city. He'd taken a drive to clear his head once their shift had ended, but now, as he sat gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white, he was beginning to regret that decision. Leaning back in his seat, he wondered if any of what he'd done over the past two weeks had really been worth it. What was he thinking? Would it be too cliché of him to say he hadn't been thinking? He hadn't been thinking any further ahead than that moment. He realised now that he should have, but he didn't. He had been selfish and narrow-minded. He wouldn't have blamed Sara if she hated him and really didn't want anything more to do with him. It was never supposed to happen like that. Nick understood now that there were possibly hundreds of better ways he could have chosen to tell her how he really felt about her, but it felt like the right thing to do at the time, to just come out and confess it all. Why couldn't he have just kept his mouth shut? Why couldn't he have just left things how they were? They had been muddling along just fine before, but no, he had to go and ruin everything. He had to go and think only about himself, only what he wanted. And just when he thought they were actually getting somewhere another spanner was thrown into the works. Nick felt beyond hopeless.

He smiled shyly in spite of himself as the car slowly crawled along the ground. Sometimes you need to remember the reason why you do things, what your motives and intentions were. His face broke out into a larger smile - bordering on a grin, in all honesty - as he thought of Sara. She just had this effect on him, plain and simple. With just a simple look she could turn him into mush, make his heart skip a beat. A simple touch could quite easily send a flurry of butterflies erupting inside of him. And he didn't even know where to start when she uttered his name. She was amazing, and so beautiful. How she never saw herself like that Nick would never understand. And he loved how she'd always have a glint in her eyes whenever she had an idea or a theory about a case. Oh, those eyes. They were by far the deepest, darkest, most twinkling chocolate brown eyes he'd ever seen. He could've sworn he could just get lost in them. And that smile; he was sure it could literally light up an entire room. She was just beautiful, every part of her, even her slightly-larger-than-average feet - her words, not his. She was elegant, and effortlessly so. She was thin without being skinny, yet was curvy in all the right places. He considered her to be perfect. And he wasn't going to just give up on his chance to be with the most perfect woman in the world, not lightly anyway. That was why he'd risked everything, to have a chance to be with her, and he couldn't let that slip through his fingers, he just couldn't.

And maybe more importantly he still needed to know how she felt; that much hadn't changed. He owed himself that much. It'd taken him long enough to come to terms with his feelings for her and let himself believe it wasn't a bad thing, so he wasn't just going to quit. He would almost certainly go insane if he were to just keep guessing, keep wondering. What was done was done, that couldn't be changed. And even if she doesn't come running with open arms and instead tells him she's just never thought of him in that way then at least he could finally move on with his life, at least he tried to reason as much. Maybe it wasn't a complete lost cause yet. Maybe Nick just needed to give her some more time. After all, he had had a lot more time to think things over than she had.

Nick looked into his rear view mirror, giving himself a stern look. He knew he had to get a grip. He wasn't getting anywhere by sitting there feeling sorry for himself. He couldn't change the past, no one could. He could sit there for hours thinking over everything he could've done differently - whether or not he should have made that bet, whether he should have elaborated on what Greg had said when he and Sara were standing holding a bomb in a strangers kitchen, or if he should have even taken his fathers advice in the first place - but what would it achieve? The past was irrelevant now, and it was the present that mattered. It was time for him man up and deal with the choices he'd made. Nick couldn't change the past but he could do something to alter his future.

With that, Nick revved the engine and manoeuvred his car out of the traffic jam and momentarily into the path of oncoming traffic, causing several other drivers to angrily beep their horns at him as he disappeared down a side street.

A short while later he climbed out his car, feeling his legs turn almost to jelly. God, he was nervous. He knew this was probably it; do or die. Okay, so he'd established that he wasn't going to give up yet, on what was fast becoming a fruitless exercise, for as crazy as that may sound. But he cared a lot about Sara and he didn't want to lose her, though some would say he already had. But the whole plan of not giving up had seemed so much better when he was on the other side of Vegas. He was that nervous he actually felt sick. Why was it so difficult to go and talk to her? Maybe it wasn't such a good idea after all. Nick forced himself to take a deep breath as he climbed the few flights of stairs until he reached the third floor, giving himself a pep talk as he lightly tapped on Sara's apartment door.

Nick waited patiently for her to answer. It would break him, it would actually break him if she were to turn him down. Though he feared that had already happened without the actual words being said. But he was sticking to his guns; he wasn't going to give up without a fight, without at least one last ditch attempt to save things.

Sara silently answered the door, casting him a glare.

"Hi," he smiled sheepishly.

Sara instantly began to close over the door again.

"Wait!" Nick stepped forward, trying to hold the door open. "Please, just give me a chance..."

"Just go home, Nick," she insisted before closing the door on him.

Sara waited to hear him huff and puff outside, probably even swear a few times, before he stomped down the stairs, and then hear the sound of a car door slam shut and an engine rev as it disappeared down the street but she heard no such sounds, nothing even remotely similar. After maybe ten minutes of waiting she reluctantly decided to open the door again to be greeted by Nick, sitting on her doorstep staring off into space.

"Are you gonna sit there all day?" she wondered.

"If I have to," Nick replied, looking over his shoulder.

"So you're just gonna sit there and wait? What for? For me to fall madly in love with you?" Sara glared at him.

"Or until you hear me out," he offered. "But which ever comes first."

Sara pursed her lips as he smiled sweetly at her, straightening up to face her fully. "You should probably come in then," she relented, walking off and leaving the door open for him.

Nick quickly scrambled to his feet. He followed her inside and quietly closed the door behind him.

"This place looks different. Have you redecorated?" Nick gulped, making small talk.

"You wanted something...," Sara folded her arms over her chest.

"Yes, yes I did," Nick cleared his throat. "I'm here to talk to you."

"Is that so?" she glared. "Remind me again why I should even listen to anything you have to say?"

"Can you just give me a chance to explain?" Nick asked impatiently, with a childlike expression on his face.

"You tried that," Sara reminded him, sarcastically. "Didn't work out so well."

"Just hear me out," Nick said insistently with raised his eyebrows.

Sara let out a low sigh, keeping her arms tightly folded, giving him a warning look as she waited for him to continue.

"Okay, so, a couple of weeks ago now I went back to Texas to visit my family. It was when we had that big case and you called to tell me what happened. I stayed for a week and...," Nick began.

"Yes, I know all that," Sara interrupted sternly.

"But what you don't know is I spent the whole time mopping around, well at least the first couple of days I did."

Sara looked confused.

"It was because of you, Sara," he elaborated. "I was missing you."

Sara raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"I just wasn't myself, and it was my dad who finally talked me round. I told him everything. I told him how I feel about you and how I didn't want to say anything because I didn't want to ruin what we already had," Nick continued. "But he told me I should just go for it, just take the plunge and see what happens. I honestly thought he was mad, but now I know he was right. I couldn't keep it to myself anymore, and if that makes me a bad person then so be it."

Sara gave a slight nod of acknowledgment as she waited for him to continue.

"So when I got back I was all set to confess everything to you but what had seemed like a great plan back in Texas didn't seem so good when I got back here. And then we worked that case with Cal from day shift, and I gotta be honest with you, I was jealous. I'm not proud of it but it's just a fact. And Greg was all over me for it. I let win. I let him convince me that making a bet would solve all my problems, somehow make everything turn out how I wanted. But it didn't. It was more hassle than it was worth," Nick explained. "I told them I was trying to find the right time to tell you, but I don't know if I would have ever found it. I don't think there would have ever been a right time to drop that kind of bombshell on you."

Sara took a deep, slow breath as he continued.

"And then we worked that case, the case I'm sure neither of us will forget for a while, for one reason or another. And Greg was just being Greg when he called us. He was trying to be helpful in his own way. And I thought that if I didn't take the chance to tell you how I felt about you at that exact moment, when Greg had left the door open for me and we could have blown up at any second, then I never would have," Nick stated, with a sigh as he thought back over what had happened. "I probably didn't go about it the right way, and I probably didn't deal with it very good afterwards. But I don't know what to do, Sar. I don't know what to say. All I know is that I've had these feelings for you for a long time now and I needed you to know. Yes, it was selfish but I can't take back what I said."

"Why now?" Sara wondered, her voice low.

"I finally decided I needed to know what was going on inside your head, Sara. I never know what's going on inside your head at the best of times, and that is in no way a criticism, far from it," Nick replied. "It was all well and good that I knew how I felt, but I needed to know where you stood on this."

Sara shrugged slightly as she looked down. "I guess that makes sense.

"We think we have all the time in the world. We put it off and we put it off, and we put it off. But the fact is our time could be up at any time. We don't know how long we're really going to be here for. Sure, we expect to live well in excess of our eighties, especially in this day and age, but who really knows what's gonna be round the next corner?" Nick added. "Fact is, I suppose, that maybe next time we end up holding a bomb, or have a gun waved in our faces, or even the next time we get in our cars to go to work, we might not be so lucky."

"Life's way too short," Sara mumbled in agreement.

"Exactly. And I don't want to have any regrets."

Sara gulped and nervously licked her dry lips. She spoke hesitantly, "I... I still don't understand why you would do something so crazy as to grab hold of the bomb."

Nick just shrugged. "It was instinct, I guess. I knew I couldn't leave you there by yourself, and I guess I was trying to help you in the only way that I could at that moment in time. I care about you and I didn't want you to go through something like that all by yourself."

"So it wasn't because you were trying to get me into bed?" Sara gave him a look.

Nick resisted the urge to smile. "No, not at all."

"Well, you're half way there. My bedroom's only down the hall, ply with me some alcohol and I'm yours, right?"

"Do you hear yourself, Sara?" Nick raised his eyebrows, trying to subdue his a smirk that was threatening to expose itself. "Do you actually hear what you're saying?

Sara looked down and frowned slightly. "I sound bitter and twisted, I know that. But I've got every reason to be suspicious."

"I know you do," Nick nodded, his face falling slightly. "But, you know, if you're offering to sleep with me then..."

Sara looked down again so that Nick could see her smirk. "Don't even go there."

"But seriously, I like to think that I'm different to all those other stupid guys who didn't treat you right and let you slip away," Nick stated sincerely. "You mean way more to me than that."

Sara gulped. "You are different. You're honest about your feelings for one, which is a new thing for me."

"I know it's weird and scary, I know that because it's the same for me, but I just want to know where you stand in all of this. Is that so much to ask?" Nick wondered, tentatively looking at her.

Sara just looked lost, in every sense.

"It's not going away, Sara. I've tried to ignore how I feel about you, thinking it would go away in time but I'm still waiting for that to happen. At first I thought that it was just admiration for your quick thinking and your determination to find the truth that I was feeling but that's not it. I can't explain why so don't start with the twenty questions, all I know is I wouldn't change these feelings I have for you for anything," Nick stated honestly. "I'm not gonna stand here and lie to you, I want you to know the truth. I have feelings for you, and rather strong ones at that. And I needed to tell you. Yes, it was for purely selfish reasons but you know everything now. I just want us to move past this, in whatever way that is..."

Sara looked completely embarrassed, as her face turned a light shade of red.

"I think you're incredible, Sara. I have done since the first day I met you," Nick felt compelled to continue. "Lots of things have changed since then. We're older, supposedly wiser, we've convicted however many murderers and serial rapists, but the one thing that is still the same for me as it has been since you first arrived here is that I still think you're incredible."

Sara met his gaze. "I don't know what to say to that..."

"Don't say anything then," he shrugged. "If you still need more time then that's okay, I just needed you to know... to know everything really. And now you do."

"I get that," Sara nodded, gulping anxiously. "I get that you had to say what you did, but you have to understand that this is kinda new for me."

"I do. But you know, even if I wouldn't have said it out loud that wouldn't have stopped me feeling the same way," Nick stated matter-of-factly. "Yes, you wouldn't have known but I still would have had feelings for you that I was keeping to myself, and what's the point in that?"

Sara opened her mouth slightly, but words failed her.

"I know it's a massive risk to take but I think it'll be worth it in the long run," Nick continued, somewhat hesitantly. "It's scary now but we could have something really great together, maybe even in the not-so-distant future."

"You're being very presumptions, don't you think?"

"If you didn't feel anything for me than why did you need time to think about it?" Nick raised an eyebrow with curiosity. "Give us a chance."

"No, don't go there. We're not talking about this. You came here to explain and now you have so you can go," Sara demanded.

"I stand by everything I've said. I don't regret one word of it," Nick persisted.

"You can't just drop something like this on me and expect me to take it," Sara insisted, pacing around.

"I know that."

"Yet you did it anyway and expected everything to just be okay, for me to just go along with it?" Sara questioned, sarcastically.

"I don't know what I thought...," Nick admitted.

"Clearly," Sara scoffed.

"Like I already said, Sara, I don't want to have any regrets. And I guess it's coming to that stage in my life when that's important to me, when I can clearly see what it is I want. I want you, Sara. I want to be with you. But obviously that's a two person scenario, and I sorta need you to play your part in it. I don't want to force you into anything, I just want you to be happy," Nick explained.

"Can you please just go?" Sara pleaded, tears brimming in her eyes.

"You have to know that I never wanted to hurt you, Sara," Nick stated. "Regardless of whether or not you have feelings for me I care about you a lot and the last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you."

Having made his peace, he made a move for the door.

As he left, she wiped away the few stray tears that trickled down her cheeks. That son of a gun, making her get upset like that. Who did he think he was, coming round and saying all that stuff? Who did he think he was?! She knew that women had been known to practically through themselves at him but if he thought for even one second she would be the same, be eternally grateful that he had chosen her over all others, then he was wrongly mistaken. She was beyond angry with him. How could he do this to her?

Sara wiped at her tear stained cheeks and made her way back towards her sofa. She collapsed onto the soft cushions, leaning her head back. She felt really stupid for getting upset, but she had been on an emotional roller coaster for the past couple of weeks. And a very twisty one at that. She'd had more ups and downs over the past two weeks to last her a lifetime. She was sick of the drama. She wanted her life to just be simple and easy for a change, nothing challenging or confusing. Was that too much for her to ask? But now she felt she had a new problem; how on earth could she turn him down? She couldn't break his heart like a twig, she just couldn't. She cared a great deal about him and the thought of causing him any kind of emotional trauma made her feel awful; it'd be like kicking a puppy. But did she want to turn him down? That was the perhaps the most important question.

She took a few deep steady breaths to try and calm herself down, mentally screaming at herself to count to ten. Counting had never worked for her before, as many people over the years and insisted to her, in more often than not, a patronising voice to step back and count to ten, and more often than not she'd tell them where they could stick all ten numbers. But now, she was willing the counting thing to actually work. She didn't have time to be angry, she had a thousand and one other things going through her head. She could be angry at him later. Many people would probably argue that she'd been angry enough already.

But could anyone actually blame her? Sara was scared. There, she admitted it; it was probably easier to extract evidence from a terrorist than it was for Sara to admit she had weaknesses. This she just couldn't deny. Although, if anyone were to ever challenge her on that fact she would deny it till the day she met her maker. And Nick was right, you don't ever know when your day is coming. Neither she nor Nick expected to hold a bomb at some point in the shift when they woke up that evening. No one ever really knows when their day is nigh, when the clock is about to run out. Even terminally ill patients with only a few weeks left to live can defy the odds and fight for a few more months, maybe even years, but a perfectly healthy person could walk outside and hit by a bus; it was just the roll of the dice. She truly did believe that everyone had their day set in stone, and when it was your day it was your day, like she'd said to Nick several years ago. Science tells us that we're basically programmed to die. For as morbid as that sounds, it's true. It is written in the DNA of every single one of us how we will die. So it's what we do in the in between times that matters. Now that was food for thought.

Sara leaned forward, rubbing her forehead with her hands. Maybe she had been a bit harsh to just shut the door in his face like she did. But it was so typical Nick to stay put, to wait it out. They could be just as stubborn as each other at times, and that didn't exactly help them in this sort of situation. But it had felt quite nice to find him still sitting there, actually. And she definitely had to give him points for trying, and double points for not giving up. Many people would have given up, especially on her. But Nick didn't; he wouldn't. And that felt good too. But it only confused her more.

Of course she couldn't say she wasn't physically attracted to him. But there was a lot more to him than just his handsome features and well defined abs. He was kind, genuinely caring towards other human beings. He was trusting and dependable, not to mention intelligent. He really seemed like the complete package, and how he hadn't been snapped up already she had no idea. Her attraction to him had been smouldering for a while, simmering away like a pan of water on the stove, just waiting to boil over. But in all honesty she wasn't sure how she should feel.

With him she could be herself, without worrying about being criticised or judged. There relationship was quite unique, at least Sara thought so. Not only were they very close but on a near daily basis they trusted each other with their lives. She supposed trust would never be much of an issue if they were to enter uncharted water. But then again she had had difficulty trusting people in the past, especially men. She'd somehow managed to make some crap choices when it came to potential suitors in the past, almost all of which hadn't turned out to be quite the person Sara hoped them to be, or maybe even expected them to be. Yes, she had high standards but she didn't think spending the rest of your life with someone was something you should compromise on. Nick knew all that, knew all her little quirks and yet he still stuck around, still cared about her. He understood her, he knew what made her tick. Not many people can say that. Yes, it was scary for her to think that someone knew her that well, but maybe that wasn't such a bad thing. He was patient with he, but could tell it to her straight when no else would. He was genuinely one of the nicest people she'd ever met. He was always there for her, even the times when she didn't think she needed his help. When she was with him she felt as though she could put her guard down and be herself. He was one of those kind of people that you could just get along with, who could be friends with everyone. And he was one of the few men - possibly on the whole planet - that knew how to express his feelings and wasn't scared to. That was just who he was; he always wore his heart on his sleeve. They were opposites in that fact, in how he was always open and trusting towards others while she could be more reserved when it came to having relationships with other people. But you know what they say, opposites attract.

She did feel something for him, more than a little something. She had feelings for him that were anything but friendly, that much she knew for certain. And she had tried to subdue them for the simple reason that they worked together. This was Nick; Nick from work, who she spent almost every evening with; Nick, her friend, maybe even her best friend; Nick, her knight in shining armour, always swooping in to save the day. She didn't know if it was worth the risk, and she still didn't.

Maybe there was some chemistry there between them, maybe there always had been. So maybe they should do something about it, she mused. After all, it has been scientifically proven by psychologists that if you subdue your feelings you only make them worse. Plus, it wasn't exactly very healthy for them both to keep their feeling pent up inside. But a man and a woman can just be friends without anything untoward going on, or without having feelings for each other. It did happen; it could happen. It wasn't impossible. But it also wasn't unheard of for a person to fall in love with their best friend.

However, she was still hurting. She'd trusted him, and a small part of her felt betrayed. Sara was still feeling bewildered by the whole thing, and still somewhat baffled by where her own feelings lay, when she'd become aware of the bet that had been made between Nick and Greg. It hadn't turned out to be as bad as she first thought, and it was on the most part harmless yet Sara had still felt hurt by what they did. But she was trying her best to get past it and focus on what was important. But it was turning out to be harder than she first thought. As she sat with her head in her hands she wondered why she'd ever trusted him. The bet might have been harmless but it put everything into doubt in Sara's mind. She couldn't believe he was doing this to her. How could he be so selfish? She was almost at the stage of trusting him with her heart when Greg had let it slip. Maybe that was the most confusing part. One minute, she'd be actually contemplating having a relationship with him and the next, she'd wonder if he actually meant what he said. Having said that, the look in his eyes when he as he poured his heart out to her only a short while ago convinced her that he was telling the truth. Nick was many things - kind, thoughtful, intelligent, dependable, sweet, strong just to name a few - but deceitful was of one of them. Maybe Doc Robbins had been right, maybe what she had to focus on was her own feelings.

She straightened up and continued thinking, weighing up the pros and cons. At times it seemed like there were more pros than cons but others it seemed that there was more cons than pros. But which ever way the pendulum swung, it was always going to be risky. Because that's exactly what it was, a risk. It was like they were gambling down in one of Vegas' many casinos, but with something much more valuable than money; their feelings. And she feared what would happen if they were to have a messy break up, or be forced apart. She didn't know what would happen if they were to get together and stay together either, what that would mean for them working together and what their superiors would have to say about it. And that's not to mention what their friends would say about it.

With him she could be happy. Maybe be truly happy for the first time in her life. She could let him love her, and in turn learn to love him back. They could have something incredibly special together. They could have the perfect life together, live happily ever after like in some kind of fairy tale. Whilst she'd long since stopped believing in fairy tales somehow she could convince herself to believe in this, in him. Yes, she was scared. But fear wasn't always something to be feared. Fear can be healthy, normal even. It's normal to be scared of things, even small minuet things. In all honesty she was probably freaking out so much at the thought of everything good in her life falling apart, and what she and Nick had right now was good. But fear was telling her that maybe it could be even better. Good things come to those who wait. And they'd waited long enough.

Sara quickly rose to her feet, grabbing her car keys and heading out the door before she had the chance to change her mind. Life was too short to wake up with regrets. So, if you're lucky enough to get a chance at something, you should take it, because who knows if it'll ever come back around again. And you never know, it just might change your life. Nobody said it would be easy, they just promised it would be worth it. Sometimes you just have to cross your fingers, close your eyes and dive in head first, hoping for the best. Yes, she was scared of getting her heart broken again, but she was throwing caution to the wind; acting first and asking questions later. But something's had to be done on impulse. She was quite possibly mad for doing this, but she climbed into her car regardless. Sara had made up her mind.

On the drive over to Nick's house, Sara turned the radio on to distract her. She was going to do this and she wasn't going to turn back. She'd somehow managed to convince herself that maybe, just maybe, the potential outcome would be worth the risk. She'd decided to throw caution to the wind, and follow her heart. It wasn't long before she was pulling into Nick's driveway.

Hands shaking, she knocked on the door. She anxiously stood fidgeting, breathing deeply to try and take back some control of the situation. The sooner he answered the door the better.

Inside his home, Nick woke with a start. Was that the door? He pushed himself up to a seating position on the sofa, where he'd drifted off after consoling himself with a beer or two. He couldn't do anything to stop the yawn that surfaced as he tried to stretch out his crumpled body. Finding his feet, he scooped up his t-shirt from the back of the sofa and walked to the door. Bleary eyed and not fully awake yet, Nick pulled on his t-shirt before opening the door.

Nick's eyes instantly lit up, and a smile took over his tired face.

"Is it a bad time?" Sara blurted out the moment she saw him.

"No, not at all," he shook his head, opening the door wider for her to come in.

"We're not very good at timings - you and me - are we?" Sara questioned, almost rhetorically, as she stepped inside his hallway.

Nick closed the door and turned to face her. "I guess not," he shrugged.

"You, saying what you did when we were holding a bomb; me, coming round here like this..." she continued. "But I'm glad you told me, I'm glad I know."

"Well, I'm glad that you're glad," Nick smiled, nervously shoving his hands into his pockets.

"And getting the timing right in these sort of instances is quite important," Sara stated, inhaling sharply.

"I suppose so," Nick nodded, smiling politely.

"The people involved need to ready, emotionally and physically, for the timing to be right for them," Sara maintained, gulping. "That's the most important thing."

Nick just nodded, waiting for her to continue.

"I've gotta be honest, Nick, I changed my mind half a dozen times since you left. It'll be such a risk, and I'm really not sure if that's a risk worth taking. We'll be playing Russian roulette, not only with our feelings but with our careers too."

"I know," Nick sighed, bracing himself for her words to tear his world apart.

"But here I am, and I'm about to do something crazy. But you've gotta do something you've never done in order to get something you've never had. I'm gonna ignore every shred of evidence that suggests that this'll end badly, and let us make the decisions for a change. The ball's in our court; our fate is in our hands."

Nick smiled broadly, in disbelief.

"I can't make any promises, neither of us can," she continued, meeting his gaze. "Things might work out, they might not. We're probably stupid for even doing this, for even contemplating it. Who knows, we might end up hating each other."

"Or we could live happily ever after together," he grinned, a glint in his eye.

"I don't believe in happily ever after," she stated, glancing at the floor.

"You should," Nick insisted, as he stepped towards her, cupped her face with his hands and kissed her gently on the lips.

Thank you for reading. This is another very long one, but that's always a good way to end it. More to dome from me soon. Please review.