A/N (duplicate, kind of): Thanks for all the feedback on my last two chapters, it was great! Sorry for the bit of a delay- once I put out my preferred ending, I'll admit that I was less motivated to finish than I expected. So this is the last installment. I wrote two endings because truthfully I like both guys, so it would have been too hard for me to choose (could ya tell?), but also because it's a fun challenge to write a story that can go both ways. But I thought Nick was a sweetheart (not to mention completely adorable) and from his last scene with Lindsay in "Discos and Dragons" I knew there was a lot that was unfinished between them, so I'm glad I got to explore that in this fic. Shout-out to GoatEatingToilet for making up fun chapter titles so I didn't have to :) Also, I used spoilery titles for a reason- if you're a Nick lover/Barry hater, read this chapter only (this is basically a request to not troll the Barry-centric ending, because it wasn't meant for you). Thanks for reading!

Ending 2- Just in the Nick of Time

Once Lindsay saw the picture in the locket, and the guy that she knew she wanted to be with finally clicked in her brain, suddenly Lindsay couldn't WAIT to see him.

But she was going to have to- and she was going to have to do something pretty difficult in the meantime- break it off with Barry.

But thankfully Lindsay had her epiphany late enough on Friday afternoon that she knew it wouldn't be too long before she could start to resolve everything in her mind. By late tonight, she would have delivered most of the bad news, and whenever she saw Nick next it would just be the matter of telling him the truth.

When Barry knocked on her window late that night, Lindsay realized that she didn't even want to let him into her room. Maybe it made her a horrible person, but she knew that this would hurt, and she just wanted to get it over with. Like ripping off a Band-Aid.

"Hi, Lindsay," Barry said softly. It looked like he may have had something in his hands, but frankly Lindsay didn't even want to know what it was. It would only make things harder.

"Hi," she replied, maintaining a safe distance from the open window. Barry was a smart guy, and he saw the expression on her face, her unwillingness to go to the window to invite him in. She didn't really even have to say anything else.

"Oh," he said. "I guess I don't really want to know what you've decided," he said, face falling.

"Yeah, probably not," Lindsay agreed. For a second, she wondered if she should just take the easy out, not say anything else. But that would be too mean. So she elaborated in the nicest way possible, stepping a little closer to him. "Look - it's just- you were right, you're leaving, the long-distance relationship thing isn't practical at all, and I don't want to hold you back from having fun, seeing other girls. And besides-" Lindsay continued, and though she purposely tried to make it sound like an afterthought to spare Barry's feelings, it was really the most important reason of all, "I don't want to stop seeing Nick."

Barry put his head down, seemed to let some of whatever he was holding fall, because he brought one of his hands up to scratch his face. "Yeah, I guess I understand," he said evenly, "I know I gave you an out the last time I saw you." He shook his head, clearly disappointed, before adding, "I guess I was just hoping that you wouldn't take it."

Lindsay shrugged. There wasn't much more than she could say. Except, of course, the obvious. "Barry, I'm so sorry. I should have been more upfront with you all summer. About Nick, I mean."

Barry shrugged back. "Yeah, well. Better late than never," He looked at Lindsay one more time, and then began to slowly walk away from the window. Lindsay didn't let him get far.

"Wait!" she exclaimed. Barry spun around and looked at her in surprise when he saw that Lindsay had extended an arm out the window towards him. "No hard feelings? Friends?" she asked him.

"No hard feelings. Friends," he repeated, shaking her hand, though she wasn't quite sure she believed him. "See you around, Lindsay." With that, Barry turned around again and walked away.

It wasn't until the next morning when she looked outside her window that Lindsay saw the pink roses and chocolates scattered across the ground.

Even though she was a little sad that Barry was leaving to go back to school while things were this way between them, a different emotion had begun to overtake her body, shutting the sadness out- relief. Relief that she had now finally made a decision, relief that she could now be honest with Nick about how she felt. The power wasn't hers anymore. While she had enjoyed it at first, Lindsay quickly realized that she had wielded it improperly- she had used it to take advantage of both guys. So maybe she didn't deserve it- and truthfully it was a relief to let it go. The power was all in Nick's hands now.

Her relief was short-lived- because it didn't take long for nervousness to set in. It crossed Lindsay's mind briefly that she could keep this from Nick, not tell him a thing about Barry at all, and he would probably be none the wiser. She could now be completely truthful to Nick about how she spent her time, and he wasn't likely to ask her questions about the last few weeks that would require her to lie to him directly. So if she just explained to him that she had been confused, then perhaps Nick would let it go and she wouldn't have to elaborate.

Except….. the horrible guilt that came with being dishonest was just too much. Lindsay had dealt with it enough in the last month or so. She couldn't bear to do it again. So even if telling Nick about Barry meant that Nick might choose not to be with her, it was a chance she was just going to have to take. Period.

Compounding her nervousness about opening up with Nick was nervousness about still being grounded and not having any control whatsoever over when all of this was going to happen. She asked Nick to not try to see her before "next weekend", but that was ridiculously vague. Essentially she could expect him anytime in the next two days- and that was of course assuming that he hadn't decided to exact some sort of revenge on her for making him wait so long to see her again.

All day Saturday Lindsay moped around the house. She cleaned her room (and the ground outside of it), and started the rest of her chores. She was interrupted, however, by some unexpectedly good news from her folks- they had received her final calculus grade. While they casually hinted that she probably could have gotten an 'A' if she'd just studied a little harder, overall they were impressed with her efforts for her first college course.

"And we've decided to give you a little reward," her Mom said in an excited tone. Lindsay fought not to roll her eyes. She wasn't sure she wanted to know.

"Lindsay, we're going to remove your grounding this coming Friday at 5:00 p.m.," her Dad added, smiling a little. "You're free to spend the weekend before school hanging out with your friends."

Really, it wasn't much of a reduced sentence- she was only getting a few extra days of freedom. Given how incredibly long this summer had seemed, though, hearing those words was music to Lindsay's ears. She bounded to her feet excitedly to give each of her parents a hug.

From that point onward, Lindsay was in much higher spirits. She set and cleared the dinner table on Saturday night, and finally agreed to the game of "Pit" that her father had been trying to get them to play for ages. It wasn't so bad, really, but Lindsay did start getting antsy as the evening faded away into night. She wondered if Nick was going to make his appearance at her window in a couple of short hours. She eventually excused herself. Yet despite her nervously waiting in her bedroom (or perhaps because of it), Nick didn't show.

All day Sunday Lindsay waited, too. This would have been the best weekend to pass the time at work- though coincidentally this a weekend that her father gave her completely off, telling her he appreciated all her weekend work during the summer and to take it easy before school started. She did go shopping with her Mom and Sam for school supplies, but she didn't need much, and it didn't take nearly as long as she would have hoped. So it was back home, reading, watching TV, untangling her lockets so she could wear Nick's alone, and being nervous.

But thankfully Nick wasn't that cruel- he showed up promptly at 11 that night, tapping on her window.

"Hey, Lindsay," he said seriously.

Lindsay went to the window to get a better look at him, and damn, did he look good. He had gotten his hair cut again, and it looked like he had just been playing basketball- under the full moon, his arms and face were glistening with sweat. Lindsay could catch a whiff of it, and just like the first time she saw him this summer, it only made him smell better. She nodded at him. "Hi, Nick. You, um, look great," she said, smiling. "Did you just have a tournament?"

"No," he replied. "It was yesterday. I just- I've been thinking, I guess. The courts are where I can really work things out in my mind."

Suddenly, Lindsay was even more nervous at what Nick might have been working out (besides his killer body, of course). "Oh, yeah? Like what?" she asked him, trying to sound casual, though inside she felt anything but.

Nick shrugged. "Well, really I've just been trying to prepare myself for coming here," he mumbled.

Lindsay stilled. "How's that?" she whispered anxiously. What on earth does he have to tell me?, she thought. Why did he need to prepare?

Nick shrugged again. "I don't know, the last time I was here, you told me you had been going through a bunch of stuff right before you kicked me out and told me you didn't want to see me for almost a week," he began. "I was trying to figure out how I should take all of that. Did- did I give you enough time?" He asked hesitantly, looking towards the ground.

"Yeah, Nick, of course. Please, come in," she said, grabbing his hand through the open window. Suddenly he felt much too far away. He obliged, maneuvering his way inside so that they were standing face-to-face with little separation. It was then that she noticed he had a single red rose in his hand. Another one.

He offered her the flower. "I wasn't sure if you'd want it," he told her quietly. "But I'd hate to break tradition now," he said, giving her just the hint of a smile.

"Of course," she said, giving a half-smile back at him. One look into his unsure eyes, and Lindsay's heart melted. All this time, she had been terrified that Nick was going to reject her when he came back, but it didn't occur to her until now that she had inadvertently put him in the same position. She hated it, and swore to herself then and there that she would never do that to him again. She sighed, mentally preparing herself to open up and tell him everything. Petrified that she would back out once she saw his reaction, she tried to say it all as quickly as possible.

"Nick, the truth is, I was acting crazy last week because I'd been seeing someone else for part of the summer," the words escaped Lindsay in a rush. She just couldn't hold them inside anymore. "Barry Schweiber, a guy that graduated from McKinley a couple of years ago, Neal's older brother," she said. Sighing, she added, "He asked me out and we went out on a few dates and I'm so sorry I wasn't upfront with you about it. But the bottom line is, before he left for school I broke it off with him because I only want to be with you."

Nick didn't say anything, just took a deep breath.

Nervous at his reaction, Lindsay rambled on. "If you don't want to see me anymore I completely understand, but Nick, please know that I only want to be with you. Barry's in Wisconsin, and I don't think we're going to even talk. I'm so, so, sorry." She wasn't really saying anything new, only repeating the same phrases over and over again. I'm sorry. I only want to be with you. That didn't make them any less true.

Nick finally spoke. "So- that night you said you were doing inventory at your dad's store?" There was hurt in his eyes and an accusing edge to his voice.

Lindsay broke down into tears. For what she felt like she was about to lose, but more importantly how selfish she had been, what she had done to someone who had genuine feelings for her. She hated hurting Nick. She remembered the day of their first kiss, when he had felt so helpless after bombing his Dimension tryout. All she wanted to do that day was take his hurt away. And now here she was, causing more. Head bowed in shame, she nodded. "Yeah, I lied to you. I went out with him instead. And then I lied to you again. But that was before I broke it off with him. I'm so, so sorry." Ashamed to look at him, she kept her head down, wiping her eyes.

After a minute or so, Lindsay finally glanced up to find Nick staring at her. His expression was indecipherable. "So- you- you don't want to be with him? Are you sure? Is it just because he left, Lindsay?"

Lindsay looked even closer, her eyes boring into his. She was sure of what she wanted; she just didn't know how to say it. "Yes. And no. I mean-," she sucked in a deep breath, "yes, I'm sure I don't want to be with him. And no, it's not just because he left. It's because I want to be with you. Nick, I'm not sure how much clearer I can be. Please believe me." She wasn't upset or impatient; she knew he needed to hear those words, as many times as she was willing to say them. But she wanted him to understand. She needed him to understand.

After a second, she saw the uncertainty that remained in Nick's eyes. And Lindsay realized that maybe there wasn't anything that she could say that would communicate to Nick how much she wanted to be with him.

But there was definitely something that she could do.

Lindsay leaned in to kiss him, projecting a confidence and certainty that was entirely disingenuous; she was terrified that Nick was going to push her away. But he didn't, and after a moment she softly pressed her lips to his.

Nick didn't really respond; clearly she had more to prove. That was fine. It might not have been natural for her, but she was going to show Nick how much she wanted to be with him if it killed her. Lips still pressed to his, Lindsay swiftly set the rose on her dresser, within reach. That freed her arms, which she snaked up Nick's back. Curling her fingers through the short hair at the base of his neck, she deepened the kiss and used her fingernails to lightly scratch him. That helped. Nick let out an involuntary moan. But Lindsay wasn't finished. Not even close.

Breaking off the kiss and pulling away from him slightly, Lindsay moved her hands down to Nick's muscular chest. Pressing on her fingertips, she stepped forward, guiding Nick backwards until he was essentially lined up at the foot of the bed. Then, before Nick had a chance to realize what was happening, Lindsay gave him a good, hard, shove.

Nick looked shocked, but the mattress braced his fall like Lindsay expected it would, and after a few bounces he seemed relatively comfortable on her bed. He looked good on there, too, though the surprise was still apparent on his face. Before he could really react, Lindsay went in for the kill.

She crawled onto him, slowly inching her way up his long legs. With every crawl she relished the feel of his warm, toned body under her open palms. She didn't break eye contact with Nick the whole time, and she didn't smile or laugh. This was serious. She wanted him. She wanted only him. And after she was finished with him there wouldn't be a doubt in his mind. She slithered her way up his body until she was straddling his torso and her face was less than an inch from his. And when she kissed him again, there was no innocence to it- she roughly pushed his mouth open with her own and shoved her tongue inside it.

It occurred to Lindsay at that moment that now that she had made her decision, now that she had made up her mind that she wanted to be with Nick and Nick alone, she was free to break her own self-imposed rule about kissing and PG-rated touching. And now that she had officially committed to him, suddenly breaking the rules was all she wanted to do. She lowered herself onto Nick as they kissed, so that there wasn't a single centimeter of space between them. Without as much stiff fabric separating them (Nick was wearing athletic shorts and Lindsay, pajama pants), Lindsay could feel Nick turned on against her, and suddenly R- or X-rated touching seemed all too easy- and tempting. Lindsay slowly began to slide her hand up the bottom of Nick's basketball shorts.

But Nick stopped her almost immediately, gripping her hand with his own, and smiling at her through their kiss. "I believe you, Lindsay," he said.

Lindsay pulled away, confused. "Believe what?"

Nick's smile only grew wider. "I believe you. That, um, you want to be with me. You don't have to do all of this just to prove something to me."

"Maybe I want to," Lindsay countered, defensive. The rejection stung.

But Nick picked up on her feelings, pulling her close for a hug, still smiling. "Look, I want this to happen for us, too. But like I told you before- nothing about you and me should ever be rushed. We've got time. We've got all the time in the world."

Lindsay smiled now, too. She remembered those words. She half-expected Nick to start serenading "Lady" to her again. But things were so much different now- because she remembered how she felt back then- freaked out, overwhelmed, a little annoyed. She felt nothing like that now- she was excited, and happy, and relieved. She brightened as she spoke. "Oh, I have some good news to tell you. I'm ungrounded starting on Friday," she said.

Nick grinned. "Lindsay, that's great!" He hugged her again, though they had never really separated from the last one. "How about a date on Friday night? I can't wait to pick you up at your front door, say hi to your parents," he said. "And we can go out to dinner, maybe go to the movies. We can share some popcorn and M&M's and soda and I can drive you home and we can make out in my car before we say good-night," Nick continued. Dropping his voice to a sexy murmur, running his hands down Lindsay's side, he added, "And we can go out every weekend and then maybe one weekend when my dad goes out of town and I have my place to myself you can come over and I can light a bunch of candles again and I can sing you your song and we can-"

Lindsay smiled. It was going to be a great year.