Well, editing is now done for the entire story. Posting will be quicker...Enjoy!

Chapter 21:

"What took you so long? We had to start without you." Myles complained as he opened the door.

"We discussed the clothes a woman should wear on her wedding night." Megan quipped and Myles coughed loudly. Bobby shook his head.

"You started it, Sheila, you asked me." The tall Aussie defended himself.

"I don't know about you, but I prefer my future wife will wear nothing on her wedding night." Myles said, inviting them inside with his hand. Bobby grinned.

A few hours afterwards, the party was in full swing and Myles was just about to pass some more drinks along when Megan shrieked with laughter and lowered her head to her hands. "I let you drive in the ambulance, Sparky!" She accused Jack. Bobby grinned and raised his beer, toasting his best friend with a wink. Jack just rolled his eyes and opened his mouth, asking Bobby to sing something in Elvis style. Megan chocked on her wine and Lucy and Sue pulled her from the sofa, heading towards the kitchen.

"We thought you needed a break." Lucy said sweetly. "You can't really stop them once they start.

Megan fanned her face. "Thank you. My stomach hurts from laughing."

Lucy turned to Sue and motioned Tara to join them, the petite woman taking a seat beside her. "So?" Lucy nearly jumped up and down. "You promised me an update about you and Jack. Now is the perfect time, Tara is here so you wouldn't have to repeat yourself."

Megan looked around uncomfortably. "I think I'll go back there." She said, feeling a little like an outsider.

"No…no." Tara said. "We have a few things to discuss with you too, miss Paul."

Megan raised her eyebrows. "Okay…" She sat down again, feeling her face growing hot.

Sue smiled a little. "We're doing fine, Lucy." She said.

"What exactly does 'fine' mean, anyway?" Tara grinned.

Sue rolled her eyes. "We moved a bit forward." She elaborated. "We kissed." Megan snorted into her glass and Tara and Lucy both turned to look at her, they shared a look.

"She knows more then we do." Lucy whispered, smiling wickedly.

Megan laughed, raising her hands in the air. "I don't know anything. I swear, I just cleared my throat"

"You are aware of the fact that Tara is a special agent and can interrogate you very successfully." Lucy stated, smiling wickedly and then looking at Sue again and raising her eyebrows.

Sue laughed. "I wanted to tell you, Luce, but with everything that happened we barely had time for ourselves and I wasn't really sure at first. We needed to start on our own and this case is very difficult for both of us. I hope we'll have more time for ourselves."

Lucy hugged her. "Just know that I'm here if you need me." Sue nodded and the three turned to look at the paramedic. Megan swallowed and raised her eyebrows.

"Now…about Elvis there…" Tara started and Megan laughed.

"What's going on with you two?" Sue asked.

Megan shook her head. "Nothing's going on." She said and then grinned at all the eye rolling the three women did. "I'm not sure what's going on."

"We know what's going on." Lucy was proud of herself and her bright smile showed it. "We know him for a long time and he's being weird."

"He waited at the hospital for you until he made sure you'll be alright." Tara said. "He cares about you."

"He waited? I didn't see him when I woke up." Megan frowned, straining her memory.

"He said he didn't want to be there when you wake up because you'll yell at someone." Tara smiled. "He said something about a double dose of pain killers."

"He did take you over to his place, right?" Sue said and the other women gaped at her.

"He did?" Lucy squealed and Megan shook her head.

"Thank you, Sue.

"You welcome, Megan." Sue raised her glass of juice and Megan smiled as they toasted the glasses.

"Well…all we have to do now is see that Tara will find herself a nice man." Lucy said decisively and Tara shook her head.

"Thanks, Luce, I got it covered." She smiled.

"Peter has a nice friend, he's a lawyer…"

Myles entered the kitchen, holding his hands pressed to his ears. "I know I'm walking on dangerous ground here. You can keep on talking; I hear nothing of what you're talking about." He walked towards the fridge and pulled out some juice. Tara hurried to help him. "That's alright, Tara, I can handle it."

"Myles, I need some saving." She hissed and he nodded his head.

"I will gladly be your knight in shining armor." He grinned.

Tara followed him to the living room and the three women shared an amused look. Lucy raised her eyebrows. "Interesting…"

The ride back to his apartment was quiet. Megan sat with her head leaning against the window, looking at the snow that fell outside. Bobby shook his head and averted his eyes from her serene form, turning to look at the road. He wondered if he managed to scare her away or if she was having second thoughts about their private discussion in Myles' library.

He pulled her after him so that they could get some time alone away from the party who started to get a little bit too loud. They just returned from church and everyone helped themselves with some deserts before going home. D and Donna and their two kids joined them and the children were happily adding joy to the room. However, they still needed to get to the office tomorrow morning and see if they could make some progress before night fall.

He needed some time alone with her; he shared her with everyone else all evening. He pulled her after him and closed the door behind him, pulling her to sit beside him on the sofa. She swayed a bit before sitting next to him and he arched an eyebrow. "And you said you can hold your liquor." He teased.

"Apparently, one glass of wine is affecting me when it's combined with Advil." She smiled. She snuggled closer to him, the room was cold and he enveloped her in his arms, inhaling her scent as he buried his face in her hair. The feeling was intoxicating, her body was warm and soft against his and felt content just holding her close. He sighed and she raised her head, gazing at him.

He lowered his head slowly; his eyes open to see any kind of hesitation that might cross her face. She met him halfway and their lips met slowly. He swallowed before deepening the kiss, moving one hand to cup her face and the other to caress her hair. He moaned when she moved her hands and caressed his chest, her touch burning him through the layers of clothing. He ended the kiss with a sigh. "I wanted to do this ever since last night." He whispered.

"You did?" She seemed so surprised that he was almost laughed; instead, he kissed her again, cherishing the gentle contact. He rested his forehead against hers and then moved backwards to look at her.

"I wasn't sure before, but I do now." He said. "I want to be with you, I want us to try, once this case is over, to see where we could go together." The words seemed to tumble from his mouth and he wondered why he was so nervous. Women had turned him down before; there wasn't any reason for him to be so nervous. His heart was beating furiously and his palms were sweating. He breathed deeply. "You don't have to decide now; I know that you have a lot on your mind. The last thing I want to do is to pressure you."

"Are you sure?" She asked quietly and the sudden vulnerability in her eyes shocked him. He nodded his head, caressing her hair. She bit her lips and slowly nodded her head. "I think we could…try." A small smile illuminated her features and he grinned at her, leaning for another kiss.

He felt like it was a magical moment but now she seemed to pull away from him, closing into herself. She followed him quietly to the apartment and headed towards the bathroom. He grabbed a glass of water and some pain killers and left it on the night stand for her. When she emerged from the bathroom he went inside and took his time, allowing her to have some moments for herself. He was surprised to see her standing by the window next to his bed, still wearing her Jeans and sweater. He moved to stand beside her, taking her hand. "Are you alright?"

She sighed. "Bobby, there are some things you need to know about me. It's important for me that you'll know what happened…with Brian." She hesitated before sitting on the bed, folding her feet beneath her. He sat besides her, waiting for her to speak. "Promise me that you listen and that you'll let me finish before saying anything."

He caressed her hand. "You don't have to tell me." He said softly. "I know he hurt you. I don't want you to be upset all over again."

"If you meant what you said earlier then you need to know." She insisted. "You need to understand. I don't want to hurt you by not telling you." He waited patiently while she gathered her thoughts and watched when she took a breath and started talking. "I met Brian on my finale year. I majored in biology and I already been accepted into medical school. I guess I really liked that he was a med student on his second year and he was going to start his internship in two more years and I was flattered that he even looked in my direction."

She took another breathe, how do you explain one of your greatest mistakes to another person? "I was very naïve. I had this notion that we will have a private clinic and help people together. I guess it didn't take long for him to charm me completely. I fell in love and lost my wits at the same time. Our relationship moved very fast, I moved in with him and as much as it was convenient we encountered financial problems. I couldn't go back to the dorms so I gave up my medical school and got to work."

She raised her head and looked in his eyes. She saw the disbelieve and the pity and a frightening look of anger in his eyes as they darkened and seemed to be cold as he thought about something. She swallowed and then continued. "My life spanned around him. Everything he wanted, I gave him. I lost control and I loved every moment, I enjoyed taking care of him and his friends, I didn't care that he studied so much that there were times we hardly saw each other. I only thought about how wonderful it would be when we finally work together and I dreamed about the time he will ask me to marry him." She was silent for a long time and Bobby resisted the urge to flee from his own bedroom, sensing the there was much more to the story.

"I promised I would let you finish but…I wanted…" He took a deep breath. "At the restaurant, when I heard everything he said to you. Did he ever…hurt you?" He forced the words out of his mouth.

Megan shook her head forcefully. "No, he never hit me." She said quietly. "I wasn't that stupid." Her voice shook and she fought the tears that were threatening to come out. "After working for about a year and a half he finally started his internship and I could apply to med school again. We planned to move into a smaller place so that the little money he'd earned and my part time job could cover." She trailed off and shook her head. "Long story short…I found out that I was pregnant." She almost smiled at the chocking sound he did and glanced at his face discovering shock and then a sudden understanding when he seemed to connect pieces of information. She continued, before she lost her nerve. "I was terrified but he seemed perfectly calm and collected when I told him. He promised me everything I ever wanted that night."

Bobby breathed slowly, trying to regulate his beating heart. He watched with pain when she rose from the bed and started pacing the room. She moved her hands in her hair and he rose from the bed, reaching for her hands. "What happened?"

She met his gaze. "He left." She shook her head. "He went to work and never came back. When I came home from work the next day I found a note and an empty place."

Bobby closed his eyes briefly. "I knew I should have punched him." He mumbled, surprised when she burst out laughing.

"Maybe you could hold him for me so that I could punch him…" She trailed off and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't think it will help any of us."

"What happened afterwards?"

He saw her biting her lips before she took another breathe. "I left; I took the first bus out of town and ended up in here. I didn't have much money left; Brian pretty much emptied our joint account. I went through all the grieve stages." Megan chuckled a little and he raised his eyebrows.

"Didn't you look for him?"

"I almost did in my denial stage but then I moved to anger and decided that I can't go after a man who doesn't want me." She shrugged her shoulders. "I looked for a job and got accepted into paramedic's class. It was a good opportunity, they offered rooms and loans and for a while there, I stood on my own two feet again. It's the closest I ever got to practice medicine."

Megan folded her arms around herself and closed her eyes. She didn't know if she could continue. He was very understanding so far and yet she had the fear that he might just walk away from her or worse, stay with her out of pity. She wasn't sure which of them is worse. Bobby pulled her into his arms, leading her towards his bed and seating her in his lap. He needed to know, he could understand her decision, raising a child on your own could be very difficult and frightening. "What happened to the baby?" He whispered.

She shuddered and buried her head in the crook of his neck. He felt her hot breathe as she spoke. "You know what happened." She whispered. He shook his head, frowning.

"What do you mean?"

"James and I worked the night shift. We had a call…five years ago." She raised her head from his shoulder and looked into his eyes, noticing the moment understanding sunk inside, his eyes widened, his grip on her waist tightened as he gaped at her. "I was sixth month pregnant…" She said quietly. "She didn't survive the fall…"

Bobby rose from his bed so fast he almost dropped her. She watched quietly when he stormed outside the room and sat down on the bed again, her legs refusing to hold her. She shuddered when something heavy shattered in the kitchen and closed her eyes, wondering if she'll hear the front door slamming shut as well. She didn't.

Instead she felt his arms circling her from behind as he pulled her towards him, her back against his chest. "If I ever see Brian, I promise you I will gloat like a neon light." He said, his voice hoarse.

"What?"

"I will tell him how much he doesn't deserve you and how much I'm happy that he didn't marry you." He leaned backwards and laid them both on the bed. He leaned on his elbow and watched her when she settled on her back and frowned at him.

"I don't want you to feel pity for me or stay with me just because you feel sorry." She said and stopped talking when he placed a finger on her lips and then continued. "I don't want you to treat me like some china doll because someone hurt me once."

"I don't feel sorry for you." He said. "I'm…angry and upset with the chain of events that brought you into that night but I know that you're a strong woman and I appreciate that you told me." He smiled a little. "I know all about being treated as a china doll and I promise to never do that to you. We all make mistakes in love, Meg that is the exact reason why they say that love is blind." He grinned.

She chuckled. "I thought it's because love knows no bounds."

"Sometimes." He smiled and was surprised at the tears that covered her face. "Why are you crying?"

"I don't know." She laughed through her tears. "I thought you'll be like the rest of them. When I told James he treated me like I was about to break any second. I'm relieved that…you don't judge me for everything that happened." She paused for a moment. "Doesn't it bother you? That I was carrying another man's baby?

His face was incredulous. "Why would I mind? Megan, I had other women in my life too. I think we're both old enough to make a fresh start with each other."

She nodded her head, smiling and wiping her tears. "Why couldn't I find someone like you seven years ago? I was so stupid."

He stroked her hair. "You were not stupid." He admonished. "Naïve, maybe and very much in love, love makes us do stupid stuff."

"I gave him everything." She whispered. "My entire life spanned around him, to please him, to take care of him…"

"I don't want you to take care of me and I will only take what you can give me." He said, stroking her hair. "We all make mistakes in life, Megan."

She snorted. "You're talking from experience?"

He smiled tightly. "I was very close to give my whole life for Darcy. I wanted to marry her and move to L.A together."

"You loved her."

"Yes, I loved her but we wanted different things. She wanted her career and I was ready for some more then just casual dating. In the end she left and I rebounded on a dear friend that didn't deserve the way I treated her." He shook his head. "I don't regret staying but the break up did hurt me." She placed a kiss on his cheek and he smiled. "We should get some sleep, its getting late." She nodded her head and rose from the bed, heading towards the bathroom to change her clothes. Bobby pulled her close when she returned and covered them with the blanket. "There's broken glass in the kitchen, I'll clean it in the morning." He said.

"What did you break?"

"A flower vase…I really hated it. I didn't mean to scare you; I'm sorry if I did but at that moment I wanted to grab my gun and go look for him. I decided it was wiser to vent off in some other way." He felt her smiling as she laid her head on his shoulder and his eyes closed, enjoying the comfort of holding her. "We should go on a real date, you know?" He whispered. Megan nodded her head and he smiled. "Friday is good?"

She hesitated. "Bobby, what about tomorrow? What if…"

"Shhh…Megan, I don't want to think about tomorrow." He swallowed, everything could go wrong tomorrow. "If it was up to me, I would have made sure to skip tomorrow night all together."

"Will you be there tomorrow?" Her voice was hoarse. She would have gladly do anything to stop that creep but she finally had something to hope for and her luck was so rotten… she felt him nodding his head and tightening his embrace. "Friday is good." She said. "It will give me time to get something nice."

"Make it red, Sheila." He chuckled and she swatted his shoulder playfully.

She yawned and closed her eyes. "Good night, Bobby."

"Sleep tight." He whispered. "I'll be here if you need me."