A/N: Here is your angst warning. Just one of the ideas in my head since the Mars Landing episode.

Delta flight 1417 to New York La Guardia has been delayed…

Well isn't that just lovely, Nick thought to himself. It seemed booking a long layover for the international part of his flight had been an excellent idea. As it was, he was enjoying a greasy cheeseburger at a chain restaurant inside LAX. He didn't normally eat food like this these days, but this is what people do he reasoned, they eat food that is bad for them on vacation. To be fair, he never felt like he was on vacation while waiting for a bird in his departing airport, but he was doing so with a delayed flight, so exceptions could be made.

It surprised him how much he was looking forward to going on a family trip to Europe. Sure, there was a high possibility that someone would wind up in a jail cell, but as long as no international incidents resulted, this would be a successful trip. Taking a large bite out of the cheeseburger, Nick washed it down with his drink. It reminded him of his recent life mantra, how it's the simple things in life that you have to enjoy. A cheeseburger outside of his usual diet was considered a simple thing in his world. Letting his old paranoia get the best of him for a second, he turned around to make certain his carry-on wasn't swiped away. Satisfied that it hadn't been disturbed, his was going to give his undivided attention back to the beef patty when he heard an all too familiar voice.

"Nick? Nick is that you?"

A small part of him regretted worrying about his stupid bag now. He turned back around knowing full well what he would see. He would see the same thing that he saw most nights when he tried to fall asleep. Sure enough, he saw that raven dark hair draping over that unforgettable face.

"He- Hey Jess," Nick said with some forced enthusiasm.

Jess walked slowly over to the bar stool near Nick, seeming a little unsure of herself in the situation. She continued as she sat down. "It's been so long, how have you been?"

Awesome. The dreaded small talk. It was all that was left of their broken relationship.

"I've been good," he mostly lied. "How about yourself?"

"Pretty good too. So where are you headed?"

"New York, and then Europe, starting in London." Jess shot him a surprised look that encouraged him to explain further. "Ma always wanted to go visit before she got too old, so we all saved up and taking her there."

Jess' eyes lit up in genuine excitement. "That sounds like so much fun! Good for you guys. So what else is jet-setting Miller up to these days?"

"Not a whole lot, I've been working IT for a small call-center here." Nick waited for the inevitable disbelief from Jess, which never came. Instead she wore another questioning look. "I got into it after going back to school a few years back. It's nice not having to live hand-to-mouth. What about you, I thought you and Phil moved back to Portland." He still hated saying his name. He also muted the urge to ask if she ever got that lake house.

"We did, but we brought the kids to LA to see Disneyland. We were going to fly out earlier this morning, but they overbooked the flight and since I already have a couple more days off Phil agreed to take the kids home. I stayed back for some vouchers and a later flight."

Nick shook his head in understanding, though Old Nick would have spouted off his opinions about how airline vouchers are an industry scam to see who will take the most abuse from the airline. Instead Nick didn't say anything, and took the final bite of his burger and fries. Hoping that he could remain civil, like he had since that night when the one thing he was certain he wanted slipped through his fingers. Hoping for a graceful out.

Delta flight 1417 to New York La Guardia has been delayed an additional 20 minutes…

You have got to be kidding me.

Sensing the tension in Nick at the public delay notice, she approached Nick in a way she thought for certain would put him at ease.

"Can a girl get you a drink, you know, for old time's sake?"

A predictable course of action from her he thought. Why wouldn't she offer?

"No thanks."

"C'mon Nick, it may even help you catch some shut-eye on the flight."

"I said no, Jess."

Getting a little agitated at his refusal, her voice started to rise. "No need to get defensive about it Nick, I mean if you just want to sit here and make love to your empty plate, who am I to judge? I just thought maybe we could sit like adults who once had a friendship and relationship and behave with some decorum, but I guess that is too much to ask! Sorry I bothered you!"

"I don't drink anymore Jess!"

A look of pure and utter shock is what Jess wore now. Noticing the slight scene that the two were becoming, Nick lowered his voice. "Sorry to get you so upset, but I will be declining the offer." A waiter who had stopped by to make certain nothing escalated further received a gesture from Nick indicating he wanted his Coke topped off. Even though alcohol didn't pass through his system anymore, he still used liquids as a crutch in awkward situations.

"I…I'm sorry Nick. I didn't know. I…didn't mean to shove it in your face like that…"

"No worries, like you said, you didn't know." Nick's voice had softened seeing the genuine concern in his ex-girlfriends face.

"So…" she opened cautiously, "I am definitely curious how that came about, if you don't mind sharing that is."

There she goes again, always wanting to talk things through. She always wanted to talk about feelings, unless it involved their once-future. Suppressing more anger from that night with a few deep breaths, Nick decided now was as good as any to tell her the truth.

"The last time I had a drink…was the last time we all played True American together," Nick stated to his empty plate, while taking a long sip of the syrupy sweet liquid. He assumed the full meaning behind his declaration was not lost on her, but he didn't look directly at her. Feeling no more inhibitions from the years of longing for Jess, Nick knew there was no more chance of them getting back together. It was time to take the closure that he deserved, to say the things that she never really gave him an opportunity to say.

"After the next day…I thought about how maybe if I wasn't hungover that morning, maybe things would have been…different. I also remembered how Schmidt ruined one of his chances with Cece because his boss got him drunk. I knew how big you were on second-chances, so I knew I couldn't waste mine like he did. I needed to have a clear head when it happened. Nothing was more important to me. But then that second chance never came. I waited and waited, but it never happened. I mean, you gave Sam a second chance for crying out loud…"

Nick took a break to rub his hands over his eyes, and finally glanced at Jess, a decision he immediately regretted. He could see that she understood how hurt he was, but underneath there was probably a layer of her that was hurt as well. He could see her fighting back tears, with a pleading look that screamed an apology. It was bizarre that they were having this discussion after so much time of acting like everything would go back to normal. Nick knew there would be no normal for him from that night on.

"So yeah, that's why I haven't drank since then." Nick was interrupted by the waiter placing his check in front him, which he quickly placed down his credit card. He needed to leave…soon.

"Nick…I don't know what to say. I had no idea…"

Nick snorted derisively. Not the right thing to say Jess. You had to have a pretty good idea.

Thankful that the waiter returned quickly with his receipt, Nick made certain to leave a decent tip, because he was soooo cheap. After finishing off the slip with his signature, he stood up, grabbing his bag. As he stood, he didn't want to leave her like this.

"Look Jess, I'm sorry I unloaded all that crap on you, but I have carried around a lot of that for a long time." She briefly looked Nick and nodded her head in understanding. "Honestly, I really do hope Phil makes you happy. Just understand that if we cross paths again, I can't promise these feelings will be gone. Please, just respect that."

Sniffling back a small cry, she finally broke her silence. "I will Nick."

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his lucky quarter. It was time to symbolize the unloading of his emotional baggage. He thought that maybe it would be fitting to let her do with it as she saw fit. Placing the quarter on the bar next to her hand, she recognized it almost immediately. Patting her hand and giving it a squeeze, he tried his best to make her feel the sincerity he felt for her well-being.

"Take care Jess."