"That is so cool!" Sydney rushed over to the ice skating rink in the middle of the entertainment complex known as LA Live. It was a city block of buildings that housed the Convention Center, Staples Center, Nokia Theatre, Grammy Museum, and a flurry of small shops and restaurants. She looked down at the rink and smiled as she saw it was real ice. The ice was so white, it was almost clear. She could faintly make out her reflection within it.

Dean slowly strolled behind his girlfriend and watched in delight as she looked down at the ice-skating rink. It was amazing how things he often took for granted was truly brand-new to her. He loved experiencing moments like that with her already. "Have you ever tried?"

"What? Ice skating?" Sydney shook her head. "My coordination is off. I never even roller-skated."

He wrapped his arms around her as he pressed his body against hers. "Oh, I think your coordination is just perfect," he whispered in her ear.

Despite just having an impromptu sex session that was hotter than the Equator in Dean's SUV, Sydney suddenly felt she could go for another round. "You are awful."

"Oh, I don't know," Dean nibbled on her earlobe, "I think I'm just right for you like you're just right for me."

Just when Sydney was about to suggest they head back to home so she could channel her inner porn star yet again, Dean surprised her. "Come on, let's go." He stepped from her and started towards the gate to the rink.

Sydney looked at the rink and then back at her boyfriend. "What?"

"You never went ice skating before, right? There's a first time for everything." He suggested. "You said you wanted to take more chances with your life, right? Here's one now."

Sydney felt like she was eating crow. She did want to take more chances with her life; that is true. Hitting her ass on hard ice wasn't one of them.

"What? Come on! You had to have tried at some point."

"Um, no." Sydney shook her head. "Never tried and never wanted to."

"Well, here's your chance." Dean smiled. "Unless you're…"

"Unless I'm what?" She narrowed her eyes at him. Dean began flapping his arms and making chicken noises and Sydney chased him. "Oh, it's on now!"

After being fitted for a pair of skates, Sydney held onto Dean as he guided her around the rink. When she felt he was going too fast, he slowed down and held onto her tighter. The smell of his cologne briefly wafted around her nose and she felt his light breath tickle the nape of her neck.

Heaven was where she was. Heaven was Dean.

"Have you thought more about what you want to be when you grow up?" He asked as they circled the rink one last time.

Sydney briefly looked up at the dark starry L.A. sky before briefly turned her attention to the ginormous Christmas tree in the middle of the complex. She majored in art when she was in college, knowing that wasn't going to get her very far in the real world. For years, she tried to break into the industry, eventually accepting unless she was going to be someone's latchkey and errand girl, she was never going to have her own studio. Being rejected once was bad; suffering through it several times was unbearable.

She briefly entertained becoming a teacher but she couldn't picture herself being restricted in a classroom. Her parents encouraged her to go to law school but she didn't want to spend her time in a courtroom, neither.

She'd always marched to the beat of her own drum, though she could argue, the drum was slow and safe. She was the wild-child out of her friends and family and had the several intricate tattoos in curious places on her body to prove her theory. Maybe that's why she was so good at retail. It was fast-paced and unpredictable just like how she felt inside.

There was a bad girl inside of her wanting to break free. The question still remained – what did the bad girl want to be when she grew up?

"I don't think I'm going to figure it out in a few days," she finally answered, "I honestly don't know when I'll get it. There are people having mid-life crisis wondering the same thing."

"What are you afraid of?" He asked.

"I'm afraid I'm going to wake up one morning and regret everything," she admitted, "that I spent all of this time and energy, and for what? Not doing what I want to do."

"You never said what it is you want to do," he replied.

"Because I don't want you to laugh at me," she gave a half-chuckle, "I'm used to people giving me The Speech and I would rather save your energy."

"Oh?" They skated a bit more. "What is The Speech?"

"The 'You'll never get hired anywhere with that degree!' or some variation of it. So I just don't tell anyone what it is I want to do."

"Well, I'm not just anyone so shoot," he nudged, "what is it you want to do?"

"I want to have my own art gallery. I want to sell and create paintings. I want to teach art classes and inspire kids and teens they can become artists when they get older. Hell, I even want to inspire those my age or those who just want to learn more."

"So why don't you do that?" He finally asked. "What's so hard for you to do that?"

Sydney quickly glanced at her boyfriend. "You're not serious, are you?"

"You said you want to have your art gallery, right? You want to become an artist and draw for a living? Well, what's stopping you?"

"Money."

"And if that wasn't an issue?"

Sydney took a deep breath and blew it out in the brisk air. "Are you familiar with The Wizard of Oz? I mean, I never seen it; I grew up on The Wiz but you get the gist, right? Same thing."

"What's The Wiz?"

"What?" Sydney shook her head. "I'm giving you a DVD copy of The Wiz."

"Okay, semantics aside, what about the characters?"

"I identified with the Cowardly Lion more than with Dorothy," she admitted, "I talk a good game but when it comes down to doing something, I get all cowardly."

"I don't know," Dean shrugged, "when you told me I was going to sing like a canary, you weren't lying."

"Besides that," she blushed, "I don't want to hype myself up for failure. That's my issue."

Dean led them to the gate and he helped her to the side. "Syd, if you believe in yourself, you can move mountains. If you think you're going to fail, you will. If you think you're going to succeed, there's nothing can stop you. But if you quit before you even get to the arena, you will never know what could've been."

Sydney looked into Dean's eyes and felt the warmth and sincerity within them. She's had friends and some family members give her encouragement before but he was the first that made her feel she could climb Mount Everest wearing her best Prada heels. She leaned over and kissed him, sweeping her lips across his. "What did I ever do in my life to deserve you?"

"You know I ask myself the same question about you."