Greg genuinely felt like he had been run over numerous times through the night, before being genetically modified to have super hearing that made the tiniest sound thud through his brain. The coffee machine slowly percolating in the living room and the sound of breakfast TV felt like it was crushing his brain as he carefully swung his legs out of the bed. He didn't remember much about last night at all, a vague image of a blonde girl hovered around in his subconscious and he wondered if it could be her outside making all that noise.

The sunlight streamed in through the window's bathing his apartment in a warm yellow glow. Caitlyn held a steaming mug of coffee between both her hands and was slouched into the chair by the window watching him slink out of his bedroom and screw is eyes up at the light.

"Wow, you look how I feel!" she smiled, somehow looking almost human despite their antics.

"I wish I felt how you looked, I need coffee" he heaved himself towards the coffee machine, trying hard to suppress the urge to run into the bathroom and spend the day sobbing over the toilet bowl. With his coffee in his trembling hands he took the chair opposite her and shook his head as she smiled at him.

"what did you do to me last night?" he accused. the coffee tasted remarkably like tar as it slid slowly down his throat, he knew it was his special brew, it looked like his special brew, it even smelled like his special brew but he had burned any description of taste buds last night with copious amounts of alcohol.

She didn't grace his question with an answer, just continued to watch him with a soft knowing smile as she basked in the sunshine. She was dressed surprisingly formal for someone who really should be incredibly hung-over.

"You're all dressed up… you got a date?"

"I have my meeting today, I could have a job by dinner time!" she beamed. Caitlyn had worked for the San Gabriel department of family services for so many years he was sure she could name every child in the city by sight yet nerves still plagued her when it came to interviews. The fact that she had been actively head hunted by the Vegas department apparently went unnoticed to her.

At the mention of dinner he glanced at his watch, it was already 4pm and he was on shift tonight. While the coffee made him feel slightly more human he had a lot of work to do before he could present himself at the lab as a responsible member of society.

"I'll meet you after and take you to dinner to celebrate, we'll say… 6 o'clock?" he grinned as he headed back to his room without waiting for an answer.

It took all his powers of self-control not to fall back into bed and sleep of the remnants of the night before and his escalating hangover. Instead he stood under the hot stream of water from the shower and prayed that he could make it through the next 14 hours without the grim reaper claiming his poor, alcohol soaked brain. He was sure if he was asked at any point to think too much he would probably pass out.

He wouldn't normally have made the effort to find a nice shirt or a tie, he would have slipped on a t-shirt and headed to work looking about as professional as he felt but since he was taking Caitlyn out to dinner he settled on his favorite charcoal suit and white shirt. Caitlyn probably wouldn't even notice, she had seen him much worse. If she would still be seen with him when he was gothing it up there wasn't much he could do to embarrass her. Peering in the mirror he realized that he didn't scrub up too bad. He might actually be able to pull off professionalism at work later, as long as Nick managed to keep his mouth shut.

He pulled up to family services not entirely convinced he should be driving at all, his head was still pounding, his vision still unstable and his hands still trembling. He silently vowed never to drink again and tapped out a text message to Sara to that effect as he waited.

Caitlyn arrived as he was in a full scale text messaging debate with Sara over whether he would, in fact, drink again. He grinned into his phone as she tapped the window and slid into the seat beside him.

"How did it go?" he asked cautiously, trying to read her expression in advance.

"I start next week!" she beamed "My reputation proceeds' me apparently, and I know the boss. I just have to find somewhere to live!"

"That's awesome! It would have been kinda hard to celebrate you not getting a job! And you can stay with me as long as you need"

He half hoped she would need to stay with him for a long time. It was all too easy to fall into that comfortable friendship they had enjoyed through the years, he had forgotten what it felt like to have her around, to have someone to reminisce with and laugh with. He liked waking up to see her silhouetted in the sunlight with her legs tucked under her and a wistful expression on her face, it felt familiar and comfortable, it felt like that's exactly where she should be.

He knew he would like coming home to her in the morning even if they would be ships passing in the night with their conflicting shift patterns. He did run a genuine risk of falling right into the dreaded 'friend zone', history with a person could be a great tool in seduction but it could also be a hindrance.

"Thanks, so should we set a date now or have an extended engagement?" she teased with a smile.

"What?" he wondered if he was really hung-over enough to be suffering conscious memory lapses.

"Oh are you going to play that old card? You know, Nick witnessed your proposal!" she smiled, fiddling with the radio station as he stared at her with a bewildered expression. He probably should have been focusing purely on the fact that he had proposed to her but instead only one thought swam about in his brain.

"He came home with you last night?" he wracked his brain for some miniscule form of recollection but came up blank.

"Well I couldn't exactly carry you home by myself; you had lost the use of your legs and turned into an octopus!" she was enjoying this far too much, his indignity only made worse by her smiling at him in amusement.

Humiliation washed over him, it had been a long time since he had lost control like that at the hands of alcohol. He blamed a long shift and a light lunch and he had a feeling he knew exactly why leggy blonde had disappeared if that's how intoxicated he was.

"I'm sorry, I'm never drinking again" he groaned.

"Oh I bet you are! Anyway I kinda liked your declarations of love; I especially liked you serenading the cab driver" she laughed "you did Bruno Marrs proud Sandy!"

The shame hung in the air as she teased and they drove to the restaurant and shared a meal. He felt altogether more human when they stepped out into the darkening night. He slung his arm around her shoulders as they wandered toward the car talking about prom night and old school friends.

It was beautiful, comfortable and familiar yet there was something new brewing. A feeling he couldn't suppress, a longing he had held for a very long time only now it had assumed a huge magnitude and he couldn't ignore it anymore. He couldn't pinpoint a pivotal moment where she had become more than a friend to him, he couldn't specifically remember when he started looking at her with lust in his eyes but he couldn't shake it now. he couldn't let her slip away again and find someone else.

Greg drove her home before he headed to shift, passing her his key as he pulled up outside the apartment building. His mouth was suddenly dry, his palms clammy as he tried to work up the courage to say the things he had been thinking for way too long.

"I'll get you your own key tomorrow… since you're staying in town" he smiled.

"Thanks Greg, I really have missed you"

She leaned towards him to kiss his cheek, her skin brushing against his just a little longer than he would have liked. Whether it was alcohol from the previous night or the way her presence seemed to possess him he wasn't sure but something made him tilt his head slightly and meet her mouth, something made his hand slide behind her head and through her silky hair as he caressed her lips, coaxing them apart ever so gently so that he could taste the raspberries from the cheesecake they had shared after dinner.

The air seemed to be sucked out of the car completely; he could barely breathe when she responded to his kiss and his touches. Her hand gently pressed on his chest, she could probably feel his heart thudding through his shirt with exhilaration but after a few long moments she pushed him away, slowly and gently as though she didn't really want to break the contact but felt like she should.

"Greg… I'm not sure that's a good idea…"

As much as he willed himself to say something, as much as he wanted to tell her it was the best idea he had ever had, he seemed to be unable to form the words. Instead he just looked at her, looked right into her eyes as she shook her head and left him in the car. It wasn't a rejection, she wasn't repulsed that he'd tried to cross the line but it still felt like he had thrown his one chance away.

He drove away as Caitlyn stood at the foot of the stairs watching him. she couldn't think of a time when she'd ever looked at Greg that way, she had never felt his lips against hers, she had never slept beside him like she did last night. it was overwhelming and a little frightening. She wondered if she could make herself cross the line with her best friend at the risk of losing everything they had built over countless years. As much as she wanted to there was a niggling doubt in the corner of her mind.

Nick loitered at the front door, unsure of exactly what he was doing there. He clenched and unclenched his fists as he paced trying to subdue the rush of memories hitting him when he spotted her running up the stairs towards him. He should have just asked Greg to bring his jacket with him to work, it wasn't that important. She didn't notice him until she was almost right by his side. Her eyes fixed on his shoes in surprise before she raised her gaze to meet his.

"I left my jacket here last night, I just wanted to…"

She ushered him inside with a glance behind her, choosing not to speak to him and slammed the door closed, he wasn't very sure what was going on at all. He stood in the center of the room like a naughty child and watched as she pressed her eyes closed and leaned heavily against the door with a deep sigh.

"Hey, you ok? I can come back you know…"

For the second time that day she chose not to speak to him instead shaking her head and turning away from his concerned gaze to face the door. He stood and watched as she fought with whatever torment was making her act like a crazy person and he had no idea what to do. He'd only known her for a day, he wasn't entirely sure holding her in his arms would be appropriate especially considering he was actively trying to avoid physical contact with her.

He drew a hand over his face and through his hair in an attempt to conjure up some inspiration and took a step towards her. A storm was brewing in his subconscious as he fought with himself about what to do, he knew that clearing the space between them and comforting her would open a can of worms he had decided to bury last night. He had silently vowed to himself and promised to Greg that she was forbidden fruit. No matter how much he wanted to he couldn't taste her, no matter how sweet he knew it would be he would never savor her body. He reached out his hand to her shoulder and it was then he realized she was sobbing softly, forehead pressed against the back of the door as the tears slowly snaked their way down her cheek like glistening streams of her sorrow.

He didn't need to over analyze it anymore, he turned her around and held her close, her face burrowed into his shoulder and her sobs disappeared into his skin as he attempted to draw her pain away. His hand stroked her hair and gently grazed the base of her spine; it occurred to him that he could happily hold her like that forever. He didn't think he could ever get tired of holding her body so close to his, like she was when they were dancing only then she had been happy and free and positively sparkling in the darkness, right now she was dull and broken and he didn't know why.

His whispers of comfort dwindled into her hair but they must have worked, she slowly pulled away from him and looked into his eyes.

"I'm so sorry; you must think I'm crazy!"

She sat heavily on the armchair and ran a hand through her hair, staring at the floor as though searching for something.

"I don't think you're crazy" he muttered, trying his best to comfort her while he was still terribly confused about the source of her upset.

"I do! I must be, I am always doing the stupidest things you know?"

"Not really…" he smiled and took the chair across from her resting his elbows on his knees and leaning towards her. "Is this about last night?"

She nodded weakly and played with the necklace nestling in the hollow of her neck. Her hands trembled as she struggled to find the words she needed. Her eyes searched for his as his hands enclosed hers. he had hoped that in the cold light of day, without the smoke screen of alcohol she wouldn't have the same effect on him. he was wrong, the intensity he felt when he looked into her eyes was just as powerful here as it was the night before.

"I had such a fantastic time…" she whispered, leaning in close and making the words settle on his ears.

"so did I" Nick's tone matched her own as he studied her expression intently. Memorizing the hues of brown and green in her eyes, the pinkness flushing her cheeks and the way her lips parted ever so slightly to let her breath escape. His hand reached out to her, stroking the soft, pale skin of her cheek, her hair lacing through his fingers, curling around them like ivy. She pressed her eyes closed, her breathing becoming steadily more ragged as her tongue moistened her lips. He wanted to taste them, in that moment his only thought was that of her lips on his. He couldn't think of anything else. Her hand rested on his chest, a slight sigh escaping her lips as she almost held him back.

"he… he kissed me…" she muttered, her breath brushing the tiny hairs on his neck as she released her hold on him and gently grazed the side of her face against his.

It took all his powers of self control not to tilt her head and kiss her himself. Her words seemed to linger in the air between them, neither of them making any effort to remove themselves from the situation they were in. he could feel her eyelashes flickering against his cheek, the silkiness of her skin against his was enchanting as he carefully ran his hands from her waist to the plains of her back.

Her heart was racing, he could feel it through her blouse as he pulled her closer into the embrace. Her arms slowly snaked around his neck, she was surrendering to him. he had complete control but doubt niggled in his mind.

"that's what upset you?" he couldn't help but ask, the words had formed on his lips before he had the chance to remind himself he already knew the answer. She pulled herself from his grip, curling her knees up across her body like a shield.

"I don't know what upset me….Greg is… he's everything any girl could want. He's sweet and romantic and loyal and funny…" a small nostalgic smile crossed her features and he realized sadly that he had already lost her.

"ok I get it" he mumbled, increasing the space between them.

"I slept beside him Nick, I lay in his bed and listened to his breathing, I could feel his heartbeat, I could feel his warmth and I … I want to do that. I want to lie beside him … and wake up beside him"

A lump slowly built up in Nick's throat as he attempted to keep a straight face, biting back the words that were sitting on his tongue. A sharp pain stretched across his chest cavity as he took in her form, his hands curled up in fists to stop them shaking. A part of him felt like laughing out loud at the universe for letting him believe that she could love him back. That she could ever want him. But he remained silent as he realized that this was Greg they were talking about. A friend who had never done anything but support him and help him throughout the years they had known each other. Someone who may love her in the way she loved him.

"Then why don't you, you know he loves you. He said as much last night" the words seemed to slide of his tongue so easily despite them burning his throat. He didn't want to tell her to go to him, it felt wrong when he wanted nothing more than to hold her in his own arms.

"Because I want that with you too…" her eyes were wide with honesty, tears shimmered on the surface threatening to break free if she dared to blink. His heart raced, she felt the same way, and their connection hadn't been a figment of his imagination. "If I feel this way about both of you, there's no way I genuinely feel it for either of you"

In that moment Nick realized that the disappointment was going to linger in his blood stream, flashing in his mind every time he saw her because he had to let her go.

He was the source of her confusion, there was no doubt in his mind that had Greg left shift at normal time or had she found the lab without asking his help that she would have found herself in Greg's arms a lot earlier. If he hadn't been the one walking down those steps everything would have been different. Every decision he had made had somehow led to heartache but he could fix this one, all he had to do was walk away. There was no need for 3 people to be miserable when there was really only reason for one of them to be.

So he left her, he grabbed his jacket and silently left the apartment without a single word. At the door he glanced back at her with a heavy heart. She looked so beautiful there by the window, the moonlight casting a romantic silver glow over her features. Her tears sparkled like stars as she turned her head to meet his eye. They didn't need to utter a word, they both knew what this meant, it was over before it even had the chance to get started.

She was meant to be with Greg, she was meant to be happy and contented in his arms. It was never supposed to be him.