Sorry for the lateness, but the anticipation for the new season premiere gave me severe writers block. But here is chapter five. Hope you guys like.

Ch. 5 – Memories That We'll Have After

It was their last day together in the city. The last day they had to spend with just the two of them, and they wanted to treasure every second of it. It had to be incredible. Unbeknownst to the other, each of them had their own reasons for wanting to make this day memorable. Knowing how down Cece was about the fun half of this trip coming to a close, Schmidt's objective was to get her to smile and laugh as much as possible. He wanted this to be a memory the two could recall on as their friendship grew and remember it as a pivotal experience they shared. Cece's intention was just as simple but not one she would readily admit to. After today, she would have to spend the next six days without Schmidt, spending the holidays with her large and intrusive family for the holiday. She loved her family as much as anyone, but she was not sure she could survive spending that long of time away from him. These last few days, as they were constantly together, she had somehow developed a craving for his presence that was stronger than anything she had ever desired. They could sit together in complete silence for several hours and the second he was gone, she would instantly start to miss him. She thought this is what having an addiction must feel like.

Cece had never taken the subway before. It wasn't as bad as she had been expecting it to be. Schmidt, though, was shocked that she had even suggested it as the means of transportation for their day. Last night in her hotel room, while she was too wired to sleep, she watched a documentary about tourists visiting the city and said she wanted the complete New York experience. It mentioned every place they visited so far and even pointed out how despite popular movie lore, the subway is very safe and it was the perfect place to encounter random street performers, and observe real New Yorkers in their element.

It was nearing 10 am the day before Christmas Eve, and the entire subway was packed beyond belief. Undoubtedly of people rushing around trying to purchase last minute gifts and finishing up whatever work they may have to do before their holiday break. Whatever the reason, they all seemed to have the same idea of avoiding the streets for fear of irritating traffic and the less than typical cold weather.

Cece wasn't one who enjoyed large crowds, but had no problem braving it for the day since it meant getting the full feel of the city. She looked all around the packed car, amazed at the collection of people surrounding her. Back and forth she swayed as the vehicle rolled along the tracks. Every once in a while, they would hit a bump causing her to lose her footing, and she would either stumble into Schmidt, or one of the random strangers standing directly beside her. At first, she didn't think standing the whole way wouldn't be that big of a deal, but after the fourth round of 'sorry' she wished a seat would open up.

Schmidt offered up a solution to her conundrum. "Here." He said softly. With his right arm, he took hold of her, wrapping it around her waist and pulling her close. Using his other arm, he reached up and grabbed one of the railings to support their stance. Cece realized what he was trying to accomplish, and surrendered her body onto his, feeling a rush of warmth the second they touched. For lack of a better place to put them, her hands were pressed between their bodies, lying flat on his chest. Once again, the subway car hit a bump, and instead of stumbling into random people, she was held steady, swaying only slightly.

After his idea proved to be beneficial, it started to dawn on each of them just how awkward of a position they were in. To everyone around them, they were nothing more than a young couple holding each other sweetly, but if they knew the details of their history, they would agree that the situation had to be uncomfortable. Their faces were so close that they could feel each other's breath. Cece kept her head down to avoid making eye contact with him. She inhaled deeply trying to maintain control of her composure, but once she did, she wished she hadn't. Catching a full whiff of his cologne, her eyes closed as every memory she ever shared with him flashed through her head. It was the exact same cologne he had always worn. It was his signature scent that served as a trigger for her. Even through the gloves and his coat, Cece's hands could feel every inch of his skin, every contour of his muscles & the beating of his heart. She bet that hers was beating just as fast.

Somehow, the memory of his scent had begun to fade from her mind, so like an addict she took another sniff to get it back. This time, the only memory that came to her was one in particular. It was the night she 'borrowed' one of his shirts after their secret midnight trysts, during which Schmidt had accidentally ripped the seam of her dress. At the time, Cece was so overcome with lust that she couldn't be mad. In fact, his forcefulness turned her on all the more. When their fun was over, she snuck out of the loft as quietly as possible wearing one of his t-shirts that reeked of his cologne. When she got home, she tossed it into one of her dresser drawers making a mental note to give it back later. Over time, she had of course forgotten about it only to come across it weeks after he ended their relationship. Whenever she found herself thinking about him, she would pull it out and smell it, remembering everything they had shared. To this day, she still had that shirt tucked away in her dresser, but the smell had since faded.

They had finally reached their stop at the Stillwell avenue station and exited the car to the platform, immediately feeling the cold sea air on their cheeks. Cece looked out over the railing and saw the amusement park set against the backdrop of the Atlantic Ocean. She couldn't wait to get down there. Schmidt led her downstairs and across the street to the entrance.

Arm in arm, the two walked around taking in liveliness of their surroundings. Cece didn't know what she wanted to do first. There were so many rides and games it made her overwhelmed with excitement. Walking past the shooting gallery, the attendant took notice of them and called to their attention.

"Hey there pretty lady. You look like a femme fatale. Why don't you show your man here what you can do?" He held out one of the rifles trying to entice her. Cece looked over to Schmidt who returned her gaze with a shrug.

"Alright." She said walking up to the booth and grabbing the rifle.

"Excellent!" he yelled as she took it. He flipped the switch bringing the targets to life. The machines kept them in constant motion, pushing them back and forth & spinning around on a giant turntable. "You get ten shots. Let's see what ya' got."

Cece brought the rifle up to her shoulder letting it rest tilting her head to use the sights to aim. Schmidt looked at her and thought how sexy she looked with a gun. One by one, she fired at the moving targets. She managed to take down a few, but for the most part she had missed.

"You knocked down four." The operator told her. "That's not bad." He glanced to Schmidt's direction. "Think you can show her how it's done?" Cece turned to look at him as well & a fun idea struck into her head.

"Oh there's no way he can do any better than that." She said goadingly hoping he'd play right into her plan. After hearing her say that he stared daggers at her, playfully. He knew she was challenging him and decided to try to prove her wrong.

Just as Cece had hoped, he fell for it. She handed him the rifle and held her place right next to him. "You ready?" the guy behind the counter asked him getting ready to flip the switch and start the game.

Keeping his eyes locked at the targets in front of him, trying to maintain his focus, Schmidt didn't even look up. "Bring it." He said. The operator turned the game on and once again, the targets danced and spun. Schmidt was concentration hard and fired one shot after the other. Cece, standing directly next to him, leaned into his ear and whispered, "Don't miss." He tried to ignore her, knowing this was nothing more than an intimidation tactic. Since whispering to him didn't work, Cece chose to step it up a notch. She ran her fingers up and down his back, wanting him to jump. However, he was able to fight it.

When his tenth shot rang out, the targets ceased their motion. "Nice!" said the operator, "You hit 7!" Schmidt turned to Cece with a devilish grin. She looked at him and rolled her eyes. Turning back to the operator.

"I'm going again." She said sharply.

"Looks like we got a little standoff here!"

Schmidt handed Cece the gun again with the smile still plastered on his face. Gripping tightly, she brought the rifle back up to her shoulder and set the targets up in the sights. The game started to move again and she was determined. Schmidt took a page right out of her playbook. Every time it looked like she was about to pull the trigger, he would playfully nudge the back of her leg, but not even that worked.

"Nine! She hit nine out of ten!" he yelled to no one in particular. Cece set the rifle down on the counter and threw her arms up in the air like she just won the World Series. Schmidt couldn't believe it. He just stood there flabbergasted with his eyes locked on the wall of targets, and she just had to laugh at that.

"Who are you? Angelina Jolie from Mr. & Mrs. Smith?" He asked confused.

Continuing their stroll through the carnival games and rides, they were still laughing and arguing about their friendly competition. That's when two kids no older than eight ran quickly past them screaming about wanting to ride on the bumper cars. Schmidt and Cece watched after them as they made a beeline to their destination.

"Bumper cars sound fun." Cece said turning to Schmidt. He smiled back at her and held his arm out motioning towards the ride.

"Lead the way." Cece returned his grin loving how cute he could be.

The line wait wasn't that long and it also proved to be entertaining. They watched each of the groups before them take their sets driving around and ramming into each other, laughing as they did so. Every once in a while, someone would get hit unexpectedly and their car would spin out earning an uproar from those watching in line.

When the group before them were done, the attendant opened the gate and ushered Schmidt & Cece's group through to claim their vehicles. They found two cars next to each other and hopped in before anyone else beat them to the punch. Schmidt made sure Cece was securely strapped in before putting on his own seatbelt. Once every one of the cars had been claimed, the attendant spoke over the P.A. system quickly running through the rules of safety. He reset the 10 minute timer and wished them a good time, then let them begin.

It was pure chaos. All around them, people of all ages were crashing into each other and catching others off guard. Cece drove her car through all the others trying to find Schmidt and hit him with a sneak attack. Every time she got the best of him, he would scream "Dammit!" in frustration. He tried to turn and chase after her, but there was something wrong with the vehicle he chose. The gas and brake pedals kept getting stuck and the steering wheel was impossible to control. He was growing increasingly irritated allowing Cece more than enough opportunities to mess with him.

After a few minutes, he started to get the hang of working with the car and set out to find Cece and repay her for her treachery. He found her across the way waiting for a small group of teens to move out of her way. That's when she saw him, with a look of determination and an evil smirk, coming straight for him. She tried to push past the teens, but they had her trapped. She smiled knowing how proud Schmidt must have been feeling at that precise moment. He was bearing down on her. She braced herself for the impact.

Schmidt was only a few feet away, ready to taste sweet victory when suddenly, he gets knocked off his course by one of the young kids that had ran past them earlier. It was so unexpected and the force sent Schmidt spinning out and crashed into the wall. Cece let out a bellowing laugh so big it brought tears to her eyes. The teens had since dispersed, freeing her from her confinement, so she made her way over to where Schmidt had landed.

"You okay?" she asked trying hard to sound genuine, but failing to do so as she was still chuckling. Schmidt's foot kept hitting the gas pedal, but he remained stationary. His bumper car was completely totaled and he didn't even get to retaliate against Cece.

He was so angry at that kid for thwarting his attempt and wrecking his car, that he slammed both of his fists on the steering wheel several times. "Oh no, oh no, oh no!" he screamed. He looked up at Cece shaking his head while she laughed on. "Youths!" he said angrily and folded his arms.

When their time was up, they made their way to the exit gate. Schmidt felt beyond defeated and Cece taunting him was not helping. He tried to suppress his smile and pretend to still be angry, but watching her do her little victory dance and teasing him was adorable.

As they were leaving, they heard the announcer over the loud speaker. "Hey folks. Just a friendly reminder that our next Sea Lion show will be starting in 30 minutes. Come check it out!"

Schmidt and Cece looked at each other and communicated telepathically. They simultaneously nodded their heads and made their way towards the Aquarium.

With a half hour to kill before the show got started, they decided to check out the other animals. Cece nearly lost it when she saw the penguins. These ones weren't as goofy as the ones at Central Park had been but she still thought they were funny. A few of them jumped into the water and swam around. Cece was mesmerized by how beautiful they look gliding through the water like they were flying, completely elegant and graceful.

They moved on to the Conservation Hall and walked through the tunnel that ran directly through the enormous tank which housed the largest collection of various fish they had ever seen. It was truly magnificent. Looking in all directions they spotted so many fish they didn't even know existed. Swimming near one of the coral reefs, Schmidt saw a Lionfish. He smiled to himself remembering the last time he had encountered one during his brief bout with depression over losing the woman who now stood five feet away from him. Shaking himself out of his thought and putting it past him, he rejoined Cece down the hall and they headed for the Aquatheater to finds seats to enjoy the show.

The theater was packed with people, but fortunately enough, Schmidt and Cece had managed to find great seats with a perfect view of the show. The second they sat down, Cece pulled out her phone and started taking pictures of the two of them. When the show finally got underway, she redirected her camera towards the Sea Lions and their trainers.

Watching the show transpire was amazing and fun. It was incredible what they could get the animals to do. Cece got a lot of cute and funny videos and couldn't wait to show Jess when they got back home. She always had fun at these kinds of things.

After the Sea Lions performed their last few tricks, their trainers got them to wave goodbye to the crowd wishing them a Merry Christmas'.

Together they spent the next few hours playing every game they could, trying all the famous carnival foods and riding every ride that interested them. They were really going all out. Cece wanted to get a picture of the two of them at the very top of the Ferris wheel and Schmidt was more than happy to oblige.

They waited in line for roughly ten minutes before they were ushered into a seat. One after the other, their capsule rose higher and higher while the rest of them got filled. They got to the very top and Cece snapped a really great picture with her and Schmidt, faces side by side, smiling with the view of the rest of Coney Island behind them. As she turned to put her phone back into her pocket, she looked down and suddenly realized just how high up they actually were.

Cece slammed herself back facing forward in her seat and closed her eyes. "Hey, Cece…You okay?" Schmidt asked concerned. She looked like she saw a ghost.

"Yeah. I just didn't know that this was as high up as we were going to be. From down there it doesn't seem that high."

Schmidt grabbed her hand and turned to face her. "Just breathe okay. Everything is going to fine I promise." She knew he was right, but her body wouldn't let itself rid her of the fear. Cece nodded her head feverishly to let him know she understood but also to convince herself he was right.

The Ferris wheel started moving again and Cece's stomach got that same sick feeling that she had on the plane. "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!" she said panicked. Schmidt let go of her hands and grabbed hold of her face, turning towards him quickly but gently.

"Cece, hey…Look at me." She reluctantly opened her eyes and stared straight into his. "That's it, just keep your eyes on me. Only on me. Everything is fine." Cece did exactly as she was told and kept her eyes focused on his and nothing else. And just like that, she got lost in them as she always had. The world continued on all around them, she was oblivious to it all. The Ferris wheel sped up and their capsule plunged down, but she had no idea.

Slowly, the ride had come to a complete stop and the capsule they were on was pulled into the platform. "See that?" Schmidt spoke bringing her out of her momentary hypnotism. "It's over."

He was speaking to her, but she couldn't hear his words. All she could hear was the pounding of her heart as it sped up and fluttered. That warm sensation she got every time she was with him spread throughout her body consumed her. She was hoping like hell that he would kiss her, but after what almost happened the other night, she knew that was just wishful thinking on her part.

Schmidt got out first and turned back to help her up. They went down the stairs from the platform and were back on land. For that Cece was grateful. "Hey," she called to Schmidt. "Thank you. For what you did back there…calming me down. It really helped."

He smiled. "Anytime." He said. "Do you want take a ride on the Carousel before we leave?"

Cece nodded her head. "Yeah." They started walking towards the Merry-Go-Round with a little more eagerness in their stride. "I think carousel are becoming our thing."

During their venture back to Manhattan, they Subway was just about as packed as it was earlier in the day, and once again, Schmidt and Cece were left standing.

"So," Schmidt began. "Our tour of all things New York is officially over. Did you have a good time?"

"I absolutely did. I'm glad I got to do this with you."

"I'm glad too. It was nice hanging out with you like this."

"You know…nobody has ever done anything like this for me. I am never going to forget this trip."

"I guess we'll always have New York." At that the two of them shared in a lighthearted chuckle. It was their last day together and they had succeeded in treasuring every moment and making it unforgettable. Each of them were contented with that for now.

The next few minutes were spent in a comfortable silence only to be interrupted by the craziest of all things.

"Hey Schmidt." Cece asked in a weird tone.

"Yeah?"

"Please tell me that's your hand on my ass."

Schmidt gave her a puzzled look then pulled both his hands out of his pockets and showed them to her, shaking his head "No."

Both feeling creeped out, they look around behind her and find that the hand on her ass belonged to a homeless man. One that looks eerily similar to Outside Dave from back home. He looked back and forth between Cece and Schmidt and pulled his hand back. "Sorry…I thought that was my ass." And with that, he shuffled through the crowded subway car in the opposite direction leaving the two of them speechless and disgusted.

49th Street Subway Station

Walking up the stairs from the station back out onto the street, it was clear that the city had transformed during their absence. Roads were gated off by cops & officials in neon jackets, the streets were decorated and the sidewalks were packed beyond belief. The Holiday Festival was only two hours away from beginning, and Cece's parents were expecting her by then.

"So I got a text from my mom. She and my Step-dad want me to meet them in Planet Hollywood." Cece had to practically scream it into his ear. With everyone in New York packed together like sardines, it was hard to hear yourself think.

Schmidt looked around the area where they were standing to get his bearings. "Okay, I know just where that is." He grabs ahold of Cece's hand and gripped it tightly. "Hold on to me." He said to her. She nodded to let him know she understood and brace herself for what she could only describe as hell.

Growing up near the city, Schmidt knew just how crazy things could get in these situations. He also knew that it was every man for himself, so if he wanted to survive, he had to be insistent and assertive. He wormed his way through the crowd creating a path for Cece to follow. The closer they got to the main area of the festivities, the more difficult the task proved to be.

Suddenly, there was a shift and the herd of people all moved at once. In the erupting chaos, Cece and Schmidt's hands were forcefully pulled apart. Cece became panicked, losing visual of him. Schmidt instinctively reverted into his protective mode, pushing through the opposite direction of the general flow to find her.

"Schmidt!" he heard her scream, loud enough to know that she was close.

"Cece!" He drove through a few more people until he saw that beautiful face riddled with fear. Heading straight for her, he reached out and grabbed her hand with his.

"I thought I lost you." He let the relief escape into his tone.

"Yeah. Me too. God this is crazy."

"Yeah it is. We still got about three blocks." Schmidt looked up the block trying to gauge how long it would take. Normally, they would only need five minutes to walk three blocks, but with all these people around, it might as well have been a hundred miles. Up the street at the next intersection and comes up with a plan. "Here…I have an idea." He said getting her full attention. He turned around and crouched forward to let her climb onto him and piggy-back the rest of the way. "Hop on."

"You sure?" She asked him. He turned to look at her.

"Absolutely. I'm not losing you again."

"Okay." Cece hopped onto his back and wrapped her arms around his shoulders tightly. He resumed his bodyguard mentality that proved useful back at JFK.

As Cece held on and enjoyed the ride, she again took a moment to breathe him in and remember the scent of his cologne. She knew there was a strong chance at it rubbing off onto her clothes and didn't mind one bit. She also found herself noticing something else. Through his coat, she could feel the muscles she had felt on him earlier on the subway. These were different, though. What she felt earlier were the muscles on his chest that she knew and loved…and even missed. Now, with her body pressed to his back, he seemed bigger. It was clear that he had increased his workout regimen exponentially so.

Schmidt reach the intersection he was aiming for and turned right. Before Cece could ask where he was going, he offered her reassurance. "I know a way around where it won't be so congested." He told her.

"I trust you."

Schmidt cut through an alleyway and found that about fifty more people had the same idea he did. But fifty versus the hundreds of thousands he had just come from was definitely the lesser of two evils. They were right around the corner and Schmidt hadn't even broken a sweat yet. Cece was more than impressed. Minutes later, they were two stores down from the restaurant and could see the sign up ahead.

"They're just right over there." Cece told him. Schmidt stopped and let her off. For a few seconds, they just stood there. The first awkward silence they'd had all week. "So this is it then?" she asked.

Schmidt nodded uncomfortably. "I guess so. Until after the holidays."

"We'll meet up at JFK. On the 30th?" She already knew that was true. She just didn't want to say goodbye to him just yet. Even if it was only going to be a few days.

"Right."

"Hey. I um…I wanted to thank you. This has been the most amazing trip I have ever taken and spending time with you was incredible. There's nobody I would have rather done that with. You really are one of my best friends Schmidt."

"Yeah. I had fun too. And you are definitely one of my best friends as well…just don't tell Nick."

"Got it. Don't tell Jess either."

That was all they had left to say. There was nothing else. So, with great reluctance to part ways, they each leaned in for a hug that was unlike any other hug they had shared in the recent years. Using both arms, they embraced bringing just a touch of strength into it. It was the kind of hug that made Cece feel safe and warm. Something she had never felt in any of her other past relationships. It was his way of letting her know that he cared about her more than anything. It had been a while since they hugged at all, making this one all the more special. Before letting go completely, Cece gave him a soft and sweet kiss on the cheek, getting a smile in return.

"Merry Christmas Schmidt."

"Merry Christmas Cecilia."

He watched her turn around and head towards the restaurant, savoring the sight as long as he could before turning around himself and walking back around the corner to catch a cab back to Queens.

I'll try to have the last two chapters up ASAP. Hope you guys liked this & I hope you guys were as excited about the new season as I was. Please review!