So sorry it took so long for me to get this last chapter out. I thank all of you for your patience and support. I really hope you guys enjoy this story and be sure to keep an eye out for more because all I can write about these days is Schmece. Thank You guys...oh and PS - Let me know what you think.

Ch. 7 – Lift up Your Hearts & Feel the Love – Dec. 31st

Schmidt's eyes jolted open as he awoke quickly and immediately rolled over towards his nightstand to check his phone. Wading through the dozens of emails that were, at this moment, irrelevant, he grew discouraged at the fact that there no missed calls or text messages. He told himself the night before to not get his hopes up. If Cece liked the bracelet he got for her, she would let him know. But every second that passed that he didn't get a phone call or text message was another moment he doubted himself. What if she didn't like it? He thought to himself. Or, what if she thought it meant something? He had to ask himself if maybe it had meant something. It was a sweet and sentimental gift, but getting a person jewelry was always risky, and given their history, that risk was increased exponentially. Schmidt brought his wrist up to examine it. Looking at the bracelet she had gotten for him a few years ago, he remembered that they had been broken up then as well. Though their relationship was much more strained at the time, he convinced himself that there was no difference between then and now, and chose to forget about it.

Several scenarios ran through his head about how and when she would come across the box. He pictured her face displaying a multitude of reactions. That's when another thought had occurred to him. It was possible that when she got home, she went right to bed and hadn't even bothered to begin unpacking. Convincing himself that that was the reason for the radio silence on her end, he allowed himself to breathe. What he needed to do now was to find a distraction to prevent him from staring at his phone. Leaving it plugged into the charger on the nightstand, Schmidt got up, collected his shower caddy and headed for the bathroom to take a really long shower.

With the sun shining through her windows curtains and landing on her face, Cece stirred awake. The light pierced her eyelids forcing any further sleep to be impossible. Opening her eyes slowly, she saw her arm thrown haphazardly on her pillow next to her and clasped around it, the bracelet she had fallen asleep admiring. The sight of it instantly sent her face into the brightest of gleams. She sat up in her bed and turned to check the alarm clock. She had plenty of time before she had to meet Jess & Schmidt at the loft to pick up Coach, Nick & Winston at the airport.

Cece reached over and grabbed her phone. Scrolling through her contacts at warp speed, she found Schmidt's name and pressed it. Then, she froze. Staring at that green call button, Cece couldn't bring herself to press it. Wanting to, more than anything, just to hear his groggy, early morning voice, she just could not move her thumb. I can't thank him with a phone call, she thought to herself. For something this beautiful and thoughtful, she wanted to see him in person. She wanted to look him in the eyes and let him see just how much this meant to her.

As the thought of being in his presence took hold in her mind, Cece was hit with a sudden burst of energy. She was now fully awake and anxious as ever to get up and get ready for the day. Cece threw her blankets off of her and jumped off the bed like she was a kid again on the first day of summer.

Cece stepped off the elevator and strutted down the hallway as if it were a runway in Milan. The extra pep in her step this morning came from her impatient desire to properly thank a thoughtful friend for an extravagant gift. Approaching the door to apartment 4D, she was not the least bit surprised that it was unlocked. In her usual way, she knocked while simultaneously opening it and called out to the lofts present occupants.

"Knock, knock!" She yelled peeking her head in first before allowing the rest of herself to follow suit. The emptiness made the apartment seem eerie. The boys could not come back quickly enough. Cece closed the door behind her and steeped further inside just in time to see Jess come out of the kitchen.

"Hey, Cece." She said with slight enthusiasm as if they hadn't just seen each other the day before.

"Hey. You guys ready to go?" Cece quickly glanced down the hallway, then back towards the kitchen hoping to find Schmidt.

Jess didn't notice. "Yeah, I just need to put on my shoes and grab a jacket. I'll be right back." She headed back towards her room, banging on Schmidt & Nick's bedroom door. "SCHMIDT! LET'S GO!"

As soon as she disappeared into her room, the door across the hall opened and out came Schmidt. Cece didn't even bother trying to hide the smile on her face, especially since he wasn't hiding his. Walking to her with his usual stride, for her it just wasn't quick enough. Cece practically ran to him, closing the distance between them in record time. "Hey…I thought I heard your voice. How are y-" Before he could finish his sentence, Cece had her arms wrapped tightly around his neck with her body pressed against his in a bear hug. Schmidt softly chuckled to himself as he hugged her back. "I take it this means you got my gift."

Cece released him from her grip, leaving her hands on his shoulders, not wanting to let go. "I did & I love it. Really, Schmidt, it's the most amazing gift anyone has ever gotten me. Thank you."

He smiled. "You're welcome. I'm really happy you like it." She took her hands off of him to show him that she was wearing it, debating whether or not to tell him that she hadn't taken it off since finding it in her luggage the day before.

The two of them stood there, only a foot away from each other smiling through the silence. They were lost in each other that neither of them noticed that Jess had rejoined them. But Jess had noticed the way the two of them were looking at each other and became confused. "What's going on?" She asked them suspiciously.

Both Cece & Schmidt break their eye contact and take a step away from each other, turning to Jess while doing so.

"Nothing." They said in unison, shaking their heads. Jess wasn't convinced but decided to ignore it for now.

"Okay. You guys ready to go?"

"Yeah." Schmidt said grabbing his jacket off the back of the couch. "I'll drive."

LAX

Despite the fact that they left early and accounted for possible traffic, Schmidt, Jess and Cece arrived at Coach's gate with only five minutes to spare. They figured that the airport wouldn't be as packed and hectic as it was when they left, but they were only half right.

Coach was easy enough to spot through the crowd of people getting off the plane. If his height didn't help, the brand new Detroit Pistons home jersey he was wearing sure did. He was excited to see them, giving them an enthusiastic group hug that had temporarily cut off Jess' air supply.

With two hours to kill before Nick and Winston's flight from Chicago arrived, they all went to the food court to grab lunch. They passed the time by sharing in each other's stories from the vacations they had been on. Coach was more than happy to show off pictures of his adorable niece 'Ro-Ro'. All four of them were able to relate with one another when the topic of how crazy their families were and how many relatives they were surrounded by, came up.

Jess told them all about her trip to London and meeting Ryan's family for the first time. Schmidt went on about his crazy cousin constantly trying to rough house with him in an effort to prove his superior masculinity, as well as his mother trying to convince him to move back to New York. Cece recounted all of the cultural traditions she was forced to endure with her family. Each and every one of them, however, were so happy to be back home.

Two Hours Later

The four of them waited patiently at the gate for the flight from Chicago. Out the window, they were mesmerized watching the plane pull up the building, and seeing others take off and land. As the passengers began spilling out of the tunnel, Jess, Cece, Coach and Schmidt all strained their necks trying to see through everyone and find their two lovable idiots who hail from the windy city.

"There they are." Jess said loudly, catching a glimpse of Nick and Winston rounding the corner with their arms thrown around each other's shoulders. "Hey Guys!"

Hearing her voice, Nick, like a gazelle, perked up and scanned the area finding his roommates standing off to the side, waving them over. "Winnie look! It's Jess and everybody! Hey Guys!" The second the first words escaped his lips, they all knew that he had a few on the plane. Sadly, they weren't even surprised.

Winston's eyes followed the direction Nick pointed and spotted them too. "Heeeeyyyyy!"

Cece leaned over towards Schmidt & Coach's ears and asked them quietly, "They're drunk aren't they?"

"Oh yeah." Jess said overhearing.

Coach nodded. "So drunk."

"Typical." Schmidt said rolling his eyes.

Nick rushed over and threw himself into a hug with both Schmidt and Coach. "Schmidtty! Coach! We've missed ya!"

Coach smelled the alcohol on Nick's breath and almost caught a buzz right then. "So how drunk are you guys?" He asked as Nick released them.

"Oh I'm just buzzed." Winston chimed in. That was believable.

"I'm about as buzzed as you can get without actually being drunk. I'm like teetering the line right now." Nick said.

Against her better judgement, Cece felt the need to ask. "How and why are you guy's 'buzzed' at an airport at 6 pm?"

"Uh, I'm pretty sure the how is self-explanatory, Cece," Nick began with a hint of irritated sarcasm in his voice. "And the why is because it's freaking New Year's Eve! So there!"

"Oh yeah," Coach said coming to that realization as well. "What's the game plan for that? Like, are we doing anything? What going on guys?"

"Well we could go to the bar. Mike texted me yesterday that there's going to be a New Year's party. Sounds like fun." Nick said.

"Okay," Jess said. "We can do that. But let's go back to the loft first. We can exchange Christmas gifts."

"Do we have to?" Schmidt asked her.

"Yes. I want us to celebrate Christmas together. We didn't get to see each other for two whole weeks. I missed you guys. We're a family, and families celebrate the holidays." Nobody wanted to argue with her. She had a point. They had become their own little makeshift family over the years. Jess was like their surrogate mother, and they knew well enough at this point not to argue when your mother gives a heartfelt speech about spending time together. So with smiles on their faces, they all headed back to the car and headed home.

Apartment 4D

The place was a mess. Littered all around them in the living room were the remnants of wrapping paper and tape that their gifts to each other had been enclosed in. Sitting in a circle around the coffee table, they all took turns opening presents addressed to them and holding them up for all to see. Everyone received gifts that catered specifically to them, unless they were given to them by Nick, as he was well known among the loft as the 'Worst Gift Giver'.

Coach was excited to get a new sweat suit, a personalized gym bag, a top of the line Stopwatch, a Fitbit wristband and a few gift cards for the Nike outlet mall. All of the presents Nick was given, were all beer related and that didn't bother him a bit. He loved the bottle opener from Cece, the leather beer bottle holster that attached to his belt, the home brewing kit & especially the Keg fridge.

To everyone's expectations, Winston was over-the-moon getting all cat-related items. The rest of the group had the same idea, and got him costumes and playthings for Ferguson. He responded by telling them all to expect a well-crafted kitten calendar featuring Ferguson dressed in all the costumes each month. It made them all cringe.

One thing that surprised everyone, was Cece's gift to Schmidt. They all had gotten each other great gifts but what she had given him was somewhat extravagant. Opening the palm-sized box with his name on it, Schmidt's eyes lit up when he saw the Michael Kors Silver-Tone Lexington wrist watch. He was at a loss for words. Seeing this, Cece decided to offer up an explanation. "I remember you looking at it when we were window shopping in Times Square. After you dropped me off at the festival, I went back and bought it for you."

"Cece. This watch is incredible. I can't believe you got this for me. Thank you so much." He didn't care if the rest of the loft thought it was weird, he stood straight up and wrapped his arms around her in the biggest hug. The two of them stood there, holding each other as the rest of the group watched them in an awkward silence, exchanging looks between each other. After their really long embrace had finally ended, Jess tried to get the atmosphere back to normal by handing the next gift in line to its recipient.

An Hour and a Half Later

Their Christmas celebration was over and done. Everyone had opened all their beloved gifts and had basked in the joy of the belated holiday. Schmidt of course got his second wind of excitement by cleaning up after everybody, discarding the excess wrapping paper and boxes properly. By the time he was done, each of the roommates had gone to their rooms to unwind, unpack and get ready for the night ahead. Jess wanted to touch up her hair before Ryan arrived, Coach wanted to take a quick power nap, Winston wanted to 'catch-up' with Ferguson, and Nick, surprisingly enough, wanted to find the right clothes to wear to impress Kai.

That left Schmidt and Cece to themselves in the living room. She was glad they were finally getting a moment to themselves, because she had been trying to find the opportune moment to give Schmidt a second gift.

"Hey, so I actually have another gift for you?" she said with a nervous excitement.

Schmidt looked at her confused. "You do?"

"Yeah. It's not a big deal." Cece grabbed her bag and pulled out a photo album. "It's pretty corny but…" She didn't really know the right thing to say. This was a Jess type gift and it had her feeling incredibly self-conscious anticipating his reaction.

For the second time that day, Schmidt's breath was taken away by this woman. "Oh my god." He said grabbing it. Immediately, he began flipping through the pages and was sent back in time. "Wow. Are these all the pictures from New York?"

"Mmhmm."

"Cece…this is amazing." He closed it to look at the cover, noticing that she had decorated it herself and used the picture they took at Times Square where Cece was staring up at him. That one was his favorite.

"Yeah? You like it?" She asked.

"I love it. But I feel bad now. You got me two gifts and I only got you one."

Cece waved him off. "Oh Schmidt it's fine."

"No it's not." He said, insistent. "I'm getting you a second gift. Anything you want, just name it." She knew he would not let this go, so she gave it a quick thought. That's when she realized the opportunity that had presented itself in this very moment, and she was damn sure going to capitalize on it.

"Well…there is one thing I would like."

Schmidt's ears perked up, ready and willing to accommodate whatever her demand was. "What is it?"

Cece hesitated a bit, knowing full well that he did not want to share the information with her, but she was so curious. "Tell me what that guy said at the lounge."

"Seriously? That's what you're asking for?" He should have known.

"Yes, seriously. I'm dying to know. You don't go off on people like that unless there's a really good reason. I want to know," She could tell by the look on his face that he was going to try everything in his power to resist telling her, so Cece had decided to utilize her most deadly weapon. Extending her lower lip and batting her eyelashes ever so innocently, she displayed her 'Naughty Baby Indian' look once again. "…Please?"

Schmidt looked at her and his defenses instantly weakened. "Dammit! I hate that you can do that…" Shaking his head, he had no other choice. She was his Kryptonite. "Fine, I'll tell you." With that, Cece straightened up, giving him her undivided attention. "Okay, when you got up to get another drink from the bar, he offered me a deal. He would give me his first class lounge card if I let him…as he put it….'Take a run' at you."

Of all the scenarios she had thought up, that had never crossed her mind. "Really?" she asked him, her tone matching his.

"Yeah. Hearing him disrespect you like that… it really pissed me off, so I went off on him. I really wanted to punch him, but a guy like that…he'd probably press charges…anyway. That's the reason." Schmidt couldn't bring himself to look at her. He didn't know how she would react about something like that. The room went quiet as Cece was lost in thought. At first, she felt disgusted and violated thinking back to that day. Suddenly the way that guy had been eyeing her when he thought she wasn't paying attention had made sense.

Something else about that day stuck out to her. When they went to the food court, Cece remembered Schmidt saying that he had disrespected something that meant more to him than any stupid lounge, something priceless. Not knowing at the time that he was referring to her, she felt incredibly grateful now. He was always incredibly protective of those he cared about, and every once in a while, he would do something to remind her that she was one of them.

Cece looked over at Schmidt and could see his irritation resurface at the mere thought of that guy. She got up from her side of the couch and moved closer to him, sitting down right next to him. Without giving it a second thought, she leaned in and gave him sweet and gentile kiss on the cheek. As she pulled her lips away, their eyes met. "That…that was really sweet. Thank you."

Once again, he couldn't speak, he just nodded his head. They sat there a while longer, holding each other's gaze. She was getting lost in his gorgeous green eyes, debating whether or not she should kiss him again. She wanted to so desperately. Before her mind could finish the game of tug-of-war between 'should I, shouldn't I', the doorbell rang, causing both of them to jump back as if they were teenagers getting caught by their parents.

Their timing was spectacular since that was when Jess came running through the hall and past them in the living room. "It's Ryan! He's here!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, opening the door and jumping into the arms of her British boyfriend. Cece mentally cursed her best friend, frustrated at not being able to catch a break.

The Bar – 11:51 pm

It was the last night of the year, and no one was disappointed. The party at the bar they loved to spend time at was exactly where they were meant to be. Kai had met up with them and agreed to help Nick be Coach's wingman so he could find some lonely girl to kiss at midnight. Jess and Ryan sat with Winston at their usual booth taking in a very peculiar sight. Over at the bar, Schmidt and Cece were immersed in what seemed to be a very funny conversation while they waited for the bartender to serve them their drinks.

Winston felt like they were in a parallel universe, it was the only way to explain what was happening. "So…Is it just me, or do the two of them seem a lot more…friendly with each other than they were when we left?"

"Right?!" Jess responded quickly. She was glad she wasn't the only one to notice the closeness of the former couple. "They've been like that since we got back. Did you know they spent the first half of their trip together?"

Winston and Ryan shared a surprised look. "Really?"

"Yeah. Schmidt took her on a tour of New York City. They went to Central Park, he taught her to ice skate, and they even went on a Ferris wheel."

"Wow. That sounds like a plot for a holiday themed romantic comedy." Winston let that thought run wild for a moment and Jess indulged him.

"It does doesn't it? I could see Brad & Angelina playing them. They would kill it. I would totally watch that movie." Jess and Winston allowed themselves to get swept up in that fantasy, momentarily forgetting where they were until Ryan snapped them out of it.

"Well do you think their getting back together?" He asked in his lovable British accent.

"Cece says they aren't, they're just giving the whole 'friends' thing a real shot, but it's completely obvious they still have feelings for each other." Jess said.

"So obvious." Winston added.

"It really is." Ryan chimed in just to feel more a part of the conversation.

"I think we should say something to them."

Winston looked at Jess quizzically. "Like what?"

Jess shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Tell them they should get back together, that they have our blessing."

"I don't think we're the ones holding them back." Winston said with a slight chuckle.

"Well, maybe Cece is reluctant to try again because she thinks we'll judge her after everything that's happened."

"Jess, trust me, we cannot interfere. When they're ready, they'll tell each other how they feel."

"Are you kidding? It's Schmidt and Cece! They would never admit it to themselves, let alone each other." She had a point and they all knew it. "Can you, at least just talk to Cece privately at some point?"

Winston's eyes grew wide. "Why me? Why not you?"

"I already brought it up at the airport yesterday, but if you bring it up to her too, she might realize how noticeable the two of them are being and it'll convince her to talk to him."

Winston pretended to be annoyed with the request but honestly, he didn't mind. For whatever reason, he liked being included in the girls' business, but he had to fake his disdain otherwise the guys would tease him by calling him Fez from 'That '70's Show'. "Fine. I'll say something."

"But you have to wait for the right moment, when nobody's around."

Winston let his overconfidence take over, accidentally letting his 'sexy man' voice seep into his tone. "Hey…this is Winnie the Bish you're talking to. I'll get it done. Don't worry baby."

Jess and Ryan both looked at him awkwardly. "Can you just nod and say yes you understand, because when you talk like that, it kinda creeps me out." Jess said.

"Yes, I understand, I'll talk to her. I'm not a smooth man." He confessed.

Ryan looked up in time to see the duo with their drinks in hand, closing in on them to join them in the booth. "Here they come." He said quickly and quietly.

As Schmidt and Cece sat down, they were still in the middle of their conversation, laughing as they took their seats in the booth. "Oh my god, they were so freaking funny!" Cece said trying, unsuccessfully to suppress her laughter.

"That's unbelievable." Said Schmidt as he slid into the booth right next to her.

"Hey, what are you two talking about?" Jess asked nosily trying to remind them of their presence. Schmidt and Cece shared a smile at each other before turning back to them.

"Penguins!" They both said in unison, prompting another fit of laughter from the two as Jess, Ryan and Winston watched in confusion.

"Penguins?" Winston asked them.

Cece found the strength to hold her laugh long enough to respond. "Yeah we saw these penguins at the zoo in Central Park-"

"-And Coney Island." Schmidt interjected.

"Right, right…anyway, they were flopping around and fumbling all over the place and I just started dying."

"For a second, I was scared she was going to stop breathing."

Cece turned toward Schmidt. "Do you remember the fat one tumbling down that slide after he tripped?" she asked him.

"What I remember is you laughing at an innocent animal's clumsiness." Schmidt shook his head and turned back toward the others. "She's so evil."

"Oh whatever." Cece said sarcastically giving him a playful shove. Jess, Ryan and Winston just watched the scene before them unfold, feeling like they were in a real life Nicholas Sparks film.

Cece lifted her glass up to take a sip of her drink. As her shirts sleeve slid down, her bracelet became visible, catching Jess attention. Being the know-it-all friend of twenty years, Jess knew every piece of jewelry Cece owned and didn't recall the shiny chain that encircled her wrist.

"Hey I like your bracelet. Is it new?" She asked. Cece looked at the bracelet and smiled.

"Oh, yeah." She said. "Schmidt got it for me. It was a Christmas gift. All the charms represent things from our trip."

Jess was taken aback. "Wow." She said. "That's a really sweet gift Schmidt."

Schmidt smiled at the accolades. "Thank You." He and Cece shared a quick glance and smile one more time that did not go unnoticed by the rest of them. At that moment, they all heard Nick's slightly drunken voice from the opposite side of the bar.

"HEY SCHMIDTTY! COME HERE FOR A SEC!"

"I'll be back." Schmidt said to the group as he grabbed his drink and disappeared into the crowd.

Jess saw an opportunity arise and took advantage of it. "Hey, Ryan…Can you come help me over at the Jukebox. I need a really good song to end the year."

Ryan picked up on her deceptive tone and played along. "Umm…sure." As they got up, Jess caught Winston's eye and gave him a pretty obvious wide-eyed look. He took that as the signal to take this moment to talk to Cece about her and Schmidt. He nodded to her and took another swig of his beer for liquid courage.

Cece turned to him and sparked a conversation before he had the chance. "So…tell me more about your trip back home. Did the ladies love 'Winston the Chicago 10'?"

"Oh yeah. I had me some good times back home."

Cece smiled at him. "Nice."

"So…what about you?" he asked cryptically.

Cece shrugged. "What do you mean?"

"Well…Not to be nosy, but it seems like there's something going on with you and Schmidt."

"You too with that?" Cece rolled her eyes. "Jess asked me about it at the airport yesterday."

"And what did you say?"

"Nothing is going on. Schmidt & I care about each other and we're trying to be friends. That's all." The fact that she was avoiding full on eye contact, told Winston all he needed to know.

"Are you sure that's all? ...Look, Cece….I'm your friend too, so I can tell you that what you and Schmidt have is way more than a friendship. Seeing the way you two are with one another, it's so obvious that the feelings are still there and then some."

Cece took a minute to let that sink in. "So what do you think I should do? Talk to him?"

"Yes. After everything, Schmidt thinks that door is closed…permanently. No matter how much he loves you, he's never going to try again unless you tell him that's what you want to do."

Cece was so lost in thought, she didn't even notice that the entire bar had erupted into the countdown of the final minute of the year. "Back in New York, we had this moment. We…kind of…almost kissed and I was going to talk to him about it then, but he made it seem like he wasn't there anymore, so I decided against it."

"Trust me. He's there. He will always be there. He just needs to know if you're there."

Cece nodded her head fervently and smiled. "I am."

"So what are you sitting here talking to me for?" Winston said confused. "Go tell him."

"Here? Now?" She looked around as the room had made it down to 30 seconds.

Winston couldn't help his excitement at the situation. His inner feminine side was escaping. "This is perfect! Go find him and be his New Year's Kiss."

Cece fed off his energy. "Yeah. I'm going to go do that!" She got up, downed the rest of her drink and walked toward the crowd to find Schmidt.

"GO GET YOUR MAN GIRL!" As Cece disappeared, Winston looked around at the empty seats next to him. "I am so lonely." He said to himself quietly taking another swig of his beer.

Cece was a woman on a mission, maneuvering through the crowd, pushing past all the drunks and party girls, searching for Schmidt.

"22!...21!...20!"

She scanned every face she saw, but was lost in a mass of strangers. She had no idea of where in the bar she actually was.

"14!...13!...12!" With each passing second, the butterflies in her stomach flapped faster and faster, wanting so desperately to find his beautiful green eyes and get lost in them forever.

Cece found a barstool and stepped up on lower footrest bars, scanning the top of the crowd, trying to catch a glimpse of his head. That's when it dawned on her just how tall everybody around her was, which only increased her frustration.

Suddenly, across the way, she saw a group of guys raising their glasses to clink them together. She couldn't see their heads or faces, but beneath one of the glasses, wrapped around the wrist of the hand that held it was Schmidt's bracelet. That shiny Tungsten Carbide chain served as a beacon for Cece, drawing her towards him like their very own gravitational pull.

"10!...9!...8!"

She hopped down and headed straight in the direction from which she saw his arm. The more eagerly she tried to shuffle through the crowd, the more difficult it seemed.

"7!...6!...5!"

She was running out of time. She needed to reach him before the countdown ended.

"4!...3!"

Just then, the swarm of people before her parted like the red sea, and the path they opened up led directly to Schmidt. She could see him at the end of the tunnel. As quickly as her feet would allow, she made a beeline straight for him, her heart beating a million miles an hour.

"2!...1!" She was right behind him. As the every single occupant of the bar screamed, "HAPPY NEW YEAR!" Cece reached her arm out to him, ready to grab him, spin him around and plant her lips onto his.

Before her hand could grab hold of him, a woman she had never seen before jumped up onto him, throwing her arms around him and attacking his mouth with hers in what was supposed to be Cece's New Year's kiss. What hurt the most was that he was kissing her back.

Cece felt a pit form in her stomach the size of a black hole. She thought she was going to be sick. Turning around, she pushed past the people she fought to get through only moments ago and headed straight for the front doors of the bar. With every ounce of strength she had left, she held back her tears.

When she got outside, she struggled to catch her breath. It was like she got the wind knocked out of her. With a shaky exhale, she fought the urge to cry. Leaning slightly over the railing, her hands gripped it tight as she regained her composure.

Behind her, she heard the bar doors open once again. "Cece," came the voice of her best friend. "I saw what happened. I'm so sorry."

Cece nodded, not ready to let anyone see her face. "It's fine. It was stupid. I don't know what I was expecting to have happen."

"Are you okay?" She heard from Winston who had followed Jess out to check on her. With both of their presence behind her, she just didn't feel like holding up the tough façade any longer.

Turning around to face her two closest friends, she shook her head and let it hang in defeat as a few tears fell down the sides of her face and land on the ground. "No. I feel like an idiot."

"Cece…It's going to be okay." Jess tried to reason with her. But she was just not in the mood to hear any of it.

"No it's not. Back in New York, he said he didn't want us to jeopardize our friendship, so I let it go. I should have listened. But I didn't. I let myself get caught up in my feelings, misinterpreting everything he did, and now look where I am. Spending the first moments of the new year feeling miserable and alone and….heartbroken." She let out a sob. Jess and Winston pulled her in for a hug.

"Look, Cece." Winston began, hoping he could get the chance to talk her down. "We just have to regroup. That girl is just some random lonely skank throwing herself on the closest guy she could find. It meant nothing."

"No. It meant something. What just happened in there was a sign from the universe. I made it clear, very early on how I just want to be friends, I didn't give him any other choice, and now I have to accept that. I made my bed now I have lie in it."

"I wish there was something we could do." Jess had never seen Cece completely give up. In all the years she had known her, she had this 'go-getter' attitude that she admired, but looking at the grown woman before her, she just looked broken.

"You guys are already doing it." She squeezed each of their hands, silently thanking them for being there for her always. As they leant in for one more hug, they heard the bar doors open again and out came Nick, Coach, Schmidt, Kai and Ryan. The three of them quickly let go of each other and Cece turned around to wipe her face before they could see the evidence of her tears.

"Hey…there you guys are. We've been looking for ya'." Nick shouted. Jess stepped off to the side to divert all attention away from Cece and prevent any questions. She noticed Nick was holding a bottle of pretty pricey champagne and everyone else had their hands filled with glasses.

"What's with the Champagne?" Jess asked genuinely curious.

"We're going to toast to the New Year." Nick said.

Winston looked confused. "Didn't that just happen?" he started to wonder just how drunk he was.

"Well, yeah. But now I want it to be just us. It's like Jess said earlier. We're a family. A multiracial, irritating, weird and dysfunctional family. And no matter what…we'll always be a family. I love you guys." Cece finally turned back around to face them. She had managed to plaster a fake smile on her face, but avoided looking at Schmidt completely, not sure if she could handle that just yet."

Jess looked back at her friend telepathically asking her if she was okay, to which Cece responded with a slight nod that only she noticed. It was a perk of being friends their whole live. She turned back towards everyone else. "That's really sweet Nick."

"Yeah it is man." Winston added sounding as if he was about to burst into tears himself.

"Okay…" Nick said getting ready to open the bottle of Champagne. "Let's do this before my mascara starts to run." The group all laughed. With a pop of the cork, they all screamed and cheered, holding their glasses out to catch all the bubble spilling over.

When all the glasses were filled, Nick set the bottle down and they all instinctively circled around it in a small huddle holding their glasses up.

"To the New Year!" Nick said loudly.

"To new adventures!" Jess added next.

"To creating new memories!" Shouted Winston.

"To Family!" Coach offered up.

Schmidt rose his glass to meet theirs, and with his arm resting around Cece's shoulder, he spoke his toast. "To friends…that become family!" As miserable as she felt, Cece couldn't do anything to prevent the warm, safe sensation she always felt with his touch.

All together, they clinked their glasses with each other's and yelled. "CHEERS!" Everyone sipped from their glasses and hugged each other. Schmidt took advantage of the chaos to pull Cece aside without anyone noticing.

"Hey. You okay?" He asked concerned. "You look like you're upset about something."

Looking into those green eyes she loved so much for the final time that night, Cece smiled at him and with the poise and conviction she was known for told him. "I'm fine."

Schmidt wasn't entirely convinced, but let it go not wanting to push her. "Okay. Well come on then. Let me buy you another drink." He held his hand out to her and surprising herself, she took it and let him lead her back into the bar to drown her sorrows with the man she loved but didn't have, all the while thinking….Someday.

Epilogue

Times Square, New York – January 1st 4:03 AM

The street was silent, save for the garbage trucks and street sweepers cleaning up the mess from the celebration that had ended a mere two hours ago. The entire block was covered in confetti. Stepping off the truck to grab the several full trach bags off the curb, one of the garbage men had noticed some of the large pieces of confetti from the Wishing Wall had stuck to the bottom of his shoe. He tried to shake them off, but they were holding their ground. Using a wall to brace himself, he lifted his foot to grab them, ripping them from his sole. With a sudden curiosity, he read the pages that had clung to him, wondering what some complete strangers had taken the time to wish for.

Side by side, he held them up.

"I wish I had him back" – Cece P., L.A. "I wish I had her back." – Schmidt, L.A.

And that's all folks! Again, I hope you guys enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing it. If anyone has a story request you know where to find me...I'm all ears. Let me know what you guys think!