Author note: Sorry for the slow update! I can't thank you all enough for the support and messages that I've received...it means so much to me! How crazy was 4x09?! I swear that I'm falling more in love with this pair as the weeks progress!

"So," I said looking at Nick from across the corner table in the Penny, "Where do we go from here?"

It had been thirty minutes since we confessed to wanting to be with one another and all we had done in that time was simply gravitate towards the nearest seat and sit there, watching and seeing each other in a new light.

"We can go wherever you want, Andy. I don't want to rush this- I don't want to rush you. As long as you're happy, I am too." He looked at me, his eyes imploring me to believe the sincerity of every word that he spoke.

Relishing in the little bubble that had cocooned our table, I felt at ease with my thoughts and desires as I realized what I wanted.

"Do you want to get out of here?"

There was no cause for words instead; the fire that grew in his eyes spoke volumes. Placing his hand on the small of my back, he guided me past the tables filled with friends and colleagues and out into the parking lot of the Penny. As we approached his car, he opened the door for me and proceeded to walk around to the driver's seat, leaving the Penny and its patrons in the rear view mirror.

As we pulled up outside of my apartment, Nick turned the keys and killed the engine. Out of the corner of my eye I saw his shoulders drop as he turned in his seat to face me and waited as his hand reached across the console in search of something to hold. I turned to face him and as I did, I felt his fingers clasp around mine and rub circles on the back of my hand.

"Andy," it sounded like it was the first time he'd ever said my name before, "I just want you to know that I'm not expecting anything. This," he said looking down at our intertwined fingers, "This is enough for me. I'm willing to go at whichever speed you want. Just being here and knowing that this is what we both want, is all I need."

I couldn't help but get lost in his eyes and bask in the light radiating around his face from the streetlight we'd parked under. For the past few years, my relationships had moved at an incredible pace. I'd gone from being single to engaged to single again in little under a year and then, with Sam, I'd fallen so deeply in such a short period of time that I didn't know how to stop the emotions from swallowing me but with Nick, it's different. For once I actually feel in control of everything and the fact that he's willing to let me dictate things gives me the opportunity to regain some of the balance that I've lost. Steeling myself for the words I was about to say, I looked deeper into his eyes and took a breath.

"Do you want to come in? For coffee or something." I quickly added, hoping to ensure that he understood the simplistic innocence of the request.

"Sure" he said, smiling as he exited the car and walked around to open my door.

When we reached my door, I quickly turned the lock and opened it up to reveal the living room of my apartment.

"Make yourself comfortable," I said, nerves starting to creep into my voice, "There's a bottle of…"

"Beer in the fridge." Nick interrupted and finished my sentence for me. " I know Andy. I'll get it."

Watching him walk around my home brought something to life deep in the pit of my stomach, something that hadn't been alive since the time Sam and I were baking in the kitchen. I sat down on the couch and waited for Nick to join me.

After 3 hours of dubbing our own lines to the foreign films I managed to find on the TV, Nick stood up and said that he had to leave as we both needed to sleep if we were on the early shift tomorrow. I walked him to the door and held it open for him. Taking measured steps towards the hallway, he stopped in his tracks and pivoted to face me. Carefully placing a hand around my arm, he leant in and placed the gentlest of kisses on my cheek but pulled away before either of us pushed it too far; my eyes lingered closed for a second longer as I emerged from the heady scent of his cologne mixed with the tingling sensation where his lips had been pressed against my skin.

"Good night Andy." He said as he turned to walk away.

"Nick, wait!" I replied, striding a little faster to reach him before he disappeared from sight. "I do want to take this slow but not for the reasons you might think. I'm ready for this…for us- I am. I haven't felt this happy or content in a long time and I know that this thing that we have is only going to get better. That's why I want to take it slow. Even if Gail and Sam didn't exist, I'd still want to go slow because we're worth taking the time over. We're worth enjoying every moment that we spend together. I don't want to look back in a couple of years and see that we rushed things just because it felt right, I want us to look back and have memories that we can get lost in and that we can enjoy. This is what my idea of simple is Nick. "

"Andy, I meant what I said; I want simple with you. I'll take whatever you're willing to give me. You do something to me and it makes me feel like every nerve is on fire when you're near me. I don't want to rush this either and neither do I want to miss out on the chance to make a lifetime of memories with you."

"Ok then." I said, smiling like a little girl on Christmas morning as she stares at the expanse of presents in front of her. "Come here," I ordered as I pulled him closer to me.

The moment that our lips crashed together, it was like someone lit up a thousand fireworks in my mind. The sensations that I'd felt when his hand touched mine or when we kissed the first time in my kitchen were nothing compared to this. This kiss was a promise; it was a promise of opportunity, a promise of love and a promise of thousands more kisses to come.

As always - reviews are greatly appreciated and welcomed with open arms :)