I just thought that maybe a twist was in order for my final chapter...

"So tell me Nikki. Anyone special for you?" She glared at Amita, knowing fine well that this was a reflection of their conversation of yesterday morning.

"Amita wants to plan another wedding." Hands down, Charlie was usually right, but this time, he was a tad off base. Nikki sure as hell wasn't going to correct him though.

"No need: I'm not having a wedding anytime soon. Concentrate on Liz, she's the one in a relationship." The young agent shot back, adopting her best interrogation technique. Smooth, inpenetrable and deflective. However, she couldn't help but to glance sideways at her partner, who caught eye contact before looking back down to his dinner. He was clearly as uncomfortable with these questions as she was.

Nikki accepted the following glass of wine, knowing Amita's motives, but not caring quite enough to pass up alcohol. Offering to help them clean up, she was metaphorically shot back down by Alan, who insisted readily that she was a guest here, and that they were making Charlie do the cleaning up for once. The two Eppes and their newest addition disappeared into the darkness of the house, and Nikki leaned back in her chair, finally allowing herself to turn to Don fully.

"You do realise what she's trying to do, right?" She asked, and Don looked down at his glass, then back up at his partner.

"Getting us drunk on three glasses of wine?" He offered, one eyebrow raised.

"She's trying to set us up." Nikki corrected him. "She thinks that a night under the stars will start a wonderful relationship." Don laughed, and dodged the napkin she threw at him.

"What?"

"It's not funny, Don!" She hissed. "This is your family, you deal with them." He held up his hands in mock surrender.

"Deal with them? What are you, the Godfather?" She gave him another none too gentle shove in the arm. He was a big guy. He could take it. "Sorry."

"I'm just saying that I think that they've noticed." Don took a drink, his eyes perplexed over the rim of his glass.

"Noticed what?"

"I know that Charlie's supposed to be the smart one, but seriously, Don." Nikki leaned her elbow on the egde of the lawn chair, as if convinced that the stars were listening in to their conversation. "Noticed about us." Against the cold of the night, she felt his hot fingertips brush against her palm, even though he still refused to look her in the eye.

"And that's a problem why?" He mumbled, and Nikki pulled her hand back sharply.

"Hey, you were the one who wanted to keep it a secret." She said, maybe a little too harshly. "We could have been like everyone else, not sneaking around; pretending that we liked working overtime and taking two different cars to work. But you wanted to keep a secret because you didn't want everyone knowing that you've screwed all the women on your team."

"Woah, Nik!" His mouth formed a small o shape, and his forehead crinkled in annoyance. "It's nothing to do with that."

"Then what's the problem? Everyone already thinks that you're a sex addict."

"I just - they do?" Nikki shrugged.

"Yeah, a lot of people."

"Anyway." Don shook it off. "I didn't want people knowing because in the beginning, we were just messing around. Let's face it, neither of us had intent to stay with each other. It was just really great sex!" She rolled my eyes, but smiled all the same. "But that's changed. I wanna stay with you now, and I don't care if anyone else knows." Nikki rose her hand so their fingers interlaced again.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"So you think that we should tell them?" She asked, feelings of pride and excitement fluttering in her chest. He grinned.

"Yeah. Tonight."

"Fast."

"What's the use in going slow?"

"Yeah. You're already thirty-seven... next stop: death." She dodged the half-assed swipe he threw in her direction and laughed. "I'm sorry. I love you."

"I love you too." He chuckled, and her eyebrows shot up. Many were the times which she had told him how she felt, but zero were the times which he hadn't been distracted, pulled away, or responded with a none too elegant grunt. Masking her surprise, though knowing that he would see straight through the mask, Nikki leaned over the side of her chair and kissed low down on his cheek, nosing his warm face and feeling him smile. One of the things that she never expected of Don Eppes before they had become lovers: he loved innocent body contact. As well as not so innocent body contact, but that wasn't something either of them would adhere to in his brother's back yard.

Suddenly, she heard the door to the porch opening and pulled away, used to the secrecy and tabu nature of their relationship. Nikki tried to pull her hand from his as well, but he held on firmly, not letting her fingers slide away through his. Keeping them safe.

Alan and Charlie appeared, closely followed by Amita, all bearing Alan's famous apple pie.

"Dessert!" Amita sang, and Nikki shook her head, knowing exactly why she sounded so pleased with herself. Charlie, however, was once more in the dark.