Author's note: Thank you for the reviews! I'm so sorry that I uploaded this later than what I expected. We're nearing the end. This story is just going to be 50 chapters long, and I am so proud of myself for writing this story. I feel so proud that when I read this story from the start again, I can proudly say that I have improved my writing, and I am so proud of myself for that.

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI.

Talk the Talk, Walk the Walk

A tense silence filled the room as Vincent paced back and forth, trying to find words to say. Sara shifted uncomfortably in her seat, wondering what Vincent had to say. Was this finally it? Was Vincent finally going to tell her that yes, she still had to marry him, for real this time? Sara was nervous. She didn't want to be with him, and yet, she didn't want to not be with him.

Not being with him meant that he would kill Gil, and she certainly couldn't have that.

"So, I've been thinking," Vincent started. He cleared his throat and continued. "A lot, actually. I've been thinking about me, you, and us. I also thought about Gil, and Ja-Jacque," he stammered.

Sara just nodded.

"I realized that I was wrong. What I did was wrong. I should never have forced you to marry me. I wasn't even that in love with you!" He sat down beside Sara, putting his head in his hands. "I didn't realize that until now."

"What made you realize it, then?"

"It's not a matter of what, Sara. It's a matter of who. It's Jacque. I can't believe that I've been so…oblivious. When I had that talk with her the night of what was supposed to be our wedding, I had an…epiphany, I suppose. I don't know, it was all so sudden, you know? I just realized that I didn't love you, that everything I thought I loved about you, those were things I loved about Jacqueline. Your hard headedness, I loved that about her." His voice was stilted, as if he was still looking for words to say. "It was all so sudden. Suddenly, I saw you in a new light. I saw her in a new light. I began having flashbacks, having memories come back to me. Memories of her, and me."

Sara awkwardly put her hand on his back, not knowing what to do. She had never been in his position, and she hoped never to be in his position. She settled on rubbing his back, making him calm down a bit from his stressed state. He calmed down, but he didn't stop talking. There was a want, no,a need, to tell her everything, to explain.

"So, I ran." He took a deep breath before continuing. "I know, it was stupid. But I just had to get out of there. I had to breathe fresh air, I needed to take a break from all the drama. It was so, so stupid of me to leave Jacqueline there, possibly thinking the worst of herself, but I couldn't take the pressure. I started seeing Jacqueline. The real Jacqueline. The Jacqueline before the whole Gil/Jacque relationship. I started noticing everything she did, started remembering the fun times we had. I compared those times to our brief relationship, and I realized that I didn't want this. I didn't want us. I didn't want to force you into loving me. I wanted somebody who really wanted me, like Jacqueline. I realized that the few times we held hands had much more meaning that the time we kissed at the wedding." Vincent took Sara's hands in his and looked her in the eye. "I want you to know that I never meant for this to happen. I never meant to hurt you. It's just that I was immature, and jealousy had taken over me, chasing my rational thoughts away. Believe me when I say I've never felt so awful in my life for doing so many horrible things. I was never that person, the person who bullied other people into doing things he wanted. I am so sorry Sara. I was never always like this, I promise."

He looked down, ashamed of all his wrongdoings, and Sara squeezed his hands.

"I believe you, and I forgive you."

He looked up slowly, as if not believing what he heard.

"Really?"

Sara nodded, and Vincent hugged her dearly, his tears coming down his cheeks in wet trails. When they finally parted, Vincent spoke. "You're a kind lady, Sara. Gil is lucky to have you."

"If he'll still have me, that is," Sara continued bitterly.

Vincent smiled sadly. "Don't worry Sara, he'll still have you. It's me we have to worry about. I'm not so sure Jacqueline would still have me after she found out about what I did and about the man I became. She is kind, but everyone has limitations, boundaries that shouldn't be crossed."

Sara smiled at him. "Don't worry about her. She'll still have you. How can she not when she is so in love with you?"

"Still, I can't believe how oblivious I had been," Vincent admitted.

Sara made him look at her in the eye, and in a lousy attempt to cheer him up, she joked.

"Apparently, it runs in the family."

A small flower. Blue, red, orange, yellow. What was he going to pick? There were a lot of purple flowers, but he guessed she liked blue.

Well, purple had blue in it, didn't it?

"Vince! Vince! Where are you?"

Vincent stood up quickly, picking a flower, not looking at what it was, just hoping that it was pretty, and that it wasn't dangerous, or poisonous for that matter.

A girl, wearing a light brown sleeveless dress, with a white hat upon her head, ran to him. She shouted, "Vince! I can't run properly in heels! Come here, please."

Vincent just smiled, and shook his head playfully. The girl pouted, and Vincent started walking to her, knowing he couldn't really resist her.

"Flowers for you, milady," Vincent said, handing her the flower from behind his back. When he gave her the flower, his thumb shifted and hit a sharp…something.

That was when he realized that he had picked a rose.

"Oh Vince," Jacqueline whispered, sniffing the rose, "you didn't have to do this."

"I had to. It was your birthday, and the dress I ordered for you hadn't come yet. This will have to do for the meantime."

"Come on Vince, let's go to your room and I'll patch up your thumb," Jacqueline said, taking his other hand and pulling him to the castle. One quick glance at his thumb and he saw blood slowly oozing from the pore.

Once they were at his room, she wrapped his thumb in gauze even though it wasn't that damaged. "Kiss it and make it better?" he joked. She smiled widely at him and kissed his thumb quickly. "There! All better?"

Vincent smiled. "Definitely."

Vincent sipped his wine, nodding to whatever Lady Adelaide was saying. He didn't really need to listen to her; just nod and agree with whatever she said, and you're alright. Besides, arguing with her didn't really matter, she would always, always, win. That was, of course, if he was listening.

But he wasn't.

He pushed her on the swings, her laughter infectious. He laughed along with her, and when her swing was high enough, he sat on the other swing, trying to swing the swing he was sitting on, as fast as the swing of Jacqueline's.

She was wearing a light yellow sleeveless dress, a gold headband on her head, and a butterfly pendant on her neck.

Their swinging slowed to a stop, and Jacqueline turned to him, a grin on her face.

"That was fun."

Vincent stood up, smiling at her gently. "Of course it's fun! That's why I invited you here in the first place!"

He helped her stand up, holding both her hands tenderly. Their feet, and hands were touching, and Jacqueline thought he was going to kiss her.

But he just smiled. "You're a good friend, Jacque. I just hope I'm also a good friend to you."

As Vincent walked away, she whispered to herself, "you are."

Vincent looked at her. "Aren't you coming?" He held out his hand, an invitation for her to start walking alongside him and hold hands with him.

She smiled.

"Of course."

Jacqueline was looking at Vincent, not bothering to hide the fact that she was full-on staring at him. It wasn't as if he noticed. At the time, he was currently in daydreamland, his eyes having this faraway look.

Probably thinking about marrying Sara and having twelve babies with her, she thought bitterly.

A small nudge to her shoulder brought her back to reality. She turned to glare at Catherine who nudged her, but then she realized someone had asked her a question.

"Why aren't you eating, dear?" Queen Emily asked. "Are you feeling sick? Do you want to rest? Or perhaps you don't want these? I can make them cook something up, if you want," she said kindly.

"I appreciate it, you highness, but no. I was just thinking. I'll eat this, I'm sure your food is wonderful," she said politely.

"Why, thank you dear," the Queen said.

Once the Queen resumed eating and chatting with Lady Adelaide and the rest, she took a small bite, not wanting anyone to question the fact why she wasn't eating.

The food was delicious, as always, but she wasn't in the mood.

The logs were burning, warming the room they were in. The flames casted shadows on the wall, and the twinkling lights on the pine tree were so beautiful.

"You first," she said. A smile gracing her lips as she handed Vincent her gift.

"You are so color coordinated," Vincent said. "Red, and green? How very traditional of you."

She laughed. "Oh, hush you! Be honored! Gil's gift was wrapped in blue and purple, and he's my lover! You're a friend, and you get the traiditional colors. Be proud."

"Who says I wasn't?" he said, and grinned at her. "Thank you, even though I'm about eighy percent positive that whatever you got me would be either something embarassing or something I already have."

"You hurt me deeply," she said sarcastically. "But really, open it! I found it, while looking for the original gift idea I had for you."

"What was your original gift idea?"

"Trousers."

Vincent stiffled a laugh.

"I admit, I'm not good at picking presents, so that's why I wrap my presents nicely."

"You do realize that people would just rip the wrappers you have worked so hard to decorate, right?"

"I do."

He smiled at her before gently opening the wrapper, careful not to tear it. Before he opened the box, he gave her the wrapper.

"Recycle it. Reuse it for next year."

She smiled at him, folding the wrapper neatly, and he opened the box.

In the box were a pair of green socks.

With turtles on them.

The turtles of which were colored red.

Vincent smiled, and looked at her.

"I correct what I said a while ago. You are very color coordinated."

A glance at his right told him enough. That Sara was still thinking about what happened a while ago. Vincent continued eating, looking at the people sitted at the table. Sara was at his right, not realizing she was sipping wine for the past five minutes now and counting. Gil was at her right, staring at her in the corner of his eye, the King was sitted at his right, at the head of the table, and the Queen was sitted at the right side of the King. At the Queen's left side was Warrick, followed by Catherine, then her.

Jacqueline. She was staring at her food as if it had personally insulted her. Vincent resisted the urge to continue staring at her and instead forced his eyes away from her. On her left was Greg, then Lady Heather who was rolling her eyes at whatever Lady Adelaide—who was on her left—was saying. Lady Adelaide was on the other head of the table and on her left was Jim, then Nick, then Sofia.

After Sofia was him. The man who messed everything up. Vincent.

He looked sorrowfully on his food, not wanting to eat anymore.

"The flowers look pretty, don't they?" Jacqueline said quietly.

Vincent sighed and sat next to her on one of the benches near the fountain. "I've been looking for you."

"Look, I'm sorry. Please don't get angry with me."

"Why would I be angry with you?"

Jaqueline looked at him, an increadulous look on her face. "I broke up with your brother. Clearly, that's enough reason to be angry with me."

"It's not enough reason for me. It's completely within your right to break up with someone if they weren't the one. Why did you break up with him?"

She sighed, looking forlornly at the birds happily chirping near the fountain.

"He wasn't the one."

"If he wasn't the one, then why are you crying?"

Jacqueline looked at him, her eyes brimming with tears. She wanted to tell him that the one for her was him, but she couldn't.

She didn't have enough courage.

She looked away as quickly as she looked at him and sighed.

"Because I know that I don't have a chance with the one."

"Don't say that," Vincent said.

"But it's true, Vince. It's true."

"Would you like some more wine?" Dorothy asked.

Vincent was one of the few who nodded their assent. He knew it was dangerous, drinking much more wine than he could handle, but he needed this.

He needed a break.

As he sipped his wine, he couldn't help but wonder if Jacqueline wanting more wine was purely a coincidence, or a sign that she was also thinking.

If it were the latter, he hoped she wasn't thinking about the wrong things he did, and instead, thinking about the few things he did right.

A lazy breeze ruffled her light green sleeveless dress. Her raven black hair swayed slightly to the breeze, her emerald green headband doing nothing to tame her hair.

She was on a meadow, surrounded by white daisies. Her amber eyes looked around, as if searching for something, or rather, someone.

"I know you're there," she said quietly but clearly.

He sighed and stepped out of the bush.

"I'm worried about you."

"Vince, don't be worried. We broke up on good terms. We both agreed to it."

He combed his fingers through his hair and made her look at him. "It's not that, I'm worried about. It's you I'm worried about."

Her eyebrow rose. "What about me?"

"You're not the Jacqueline I knew. You're a breathing, walking, talking Jacqueline, but not the Jacqueline who smiled frequently."

She looked away, not able to handle his searching eyes.

"I miss that Jacqueline," he whispered.

"I do too, Vince. I do. But she's gone."

"Who says she is? Maybe she's still there, just waiting for the right time to come back out and play."

The corners of her mouth lifted and Vincent felt a spark of hope.

"Smile. Always smile. You look pretty when you smile. Like an angel."

"Whatever you say, Vince. Whatever you say."

He couldn't take this anymore. He had to talk to Jacqueline, and Sara had to talk to Gil. It was time to make things right.

"If I can excuse myself, I have to take care of some things," he said calmly. "The food was wonderful, as always. If you will excuse me." He bowed a little, out of respect for the King and Queen, and started walking away.

He hoped he could make things right.