They had just had a fight.

"Jess. I'm so tired of this. She's my boss, I have to interact with her!"

"I know that, but it's almost 3 am and you were obviously drinking! You've slept with her! How am I supposed to feel about it?"

"You're supposed to trust me!"

It was stupid. Shane was leaving soon, and Nick had stayed late to do inventory. His ulterior motive was to try and talk himself up. He wanted to make grown up moves, and managing the bar was his opportunity. Shane wasn't his biggest fan, after the whole guy's night fiasco and he needed to show her that he could do the job. So yes, they did a bit of drinking. Nick knew he should've told Jess all this, but when she had overreacted to an innocent drink with his boss, it became about more than whether anything had happened or not. (Nothing did, just to be clear.)

Jess didn't say anything. Where the room had just been filled with yelling, it was now filled with an almost overbearing silence. She still looked angry, but also kind of sad. Nick didn't get it, did she really not trust him after all this time? What was going on?

She turned her back to him, indicating that she didn't want to talk about it anymore. That was fine with him, "Whatever." He mumbled and walked to the door.

She turned to look at him, to say something, but he was gone.

His fists clenched by his side, brow furrowed, he began to walk in the cool November air. If he was a cartoon character, he was sure there'd be steam coming out of his ears and his face would be firetruck red. She didn't trust him. Almost 3 years of friendship and dating and she still thought he was the guy who would fuck everything up eventually. He was trying so hard to prove her wrong, and it made him furious that she wasn't seeing any of it.

He kept walking, fists slowly relaxing, brow straightening out. It was windy and he felt a chill go up his spine. He realized he hadn't brought a jacket. He folded his arms for warmth and stopped to sit on a bus stop bench. Brain de-fogging, he thought about it all.

He knew she loved him, and she knew he loved her. Maybe it wasn't about him at all. He thought back to the first day they met. She sat across from him (and Schmidt and Coach) looking wide-eyed and fragile. She relayed to them the story of why she needed a new place to live... It clicked. Spencer.

He had forgotten all about him, probably on purpose. He didn't want to think about the men in Jess' life before him, (he had seen enough of them), and he especially didn't want to think about Spencer. He remembered hating him even before he really knew Jess, and way before they were a couple. How could someone be so cruel to her? He would never do that. She knew that, didn't she? She did. She knew he would never hurt her, but it wasn't about that. Even though it was 3 years later, he figured she must still have anxiety about it. Maybe it would never go away.

He hung his head in his hands. He had run away. He didn't even try to fix the situation. Just like Jess had her own problems and insecurities, so did he. One of those problems was the way he handled life. Running away was in his DNA, and although he had mostly stopped doing it, it was like his constant fall-back. He had been dealing with so much stress at work and in the loft that he had just turned on autopilot and left. He needed to talk to Jess, needed to remind her of just how deeply his love for her went. Needed to be honest with her about work. He had to fix it.

He stood up and looked around. He hadn't realized how far he had walked. He was anxious to get back and remembered a shortcut through a back alley he had taken before. He didn't think about how dangerous it might be at 3 am.

Jess watched the front door close and tears welled up in her eyes. She slammed her bedroom door closed, leaned against it and dropped to he floor. She was sobbing. Tears fell from her eyes and ran down her face and onto her robe and hands. She closed her eyes and hugged herself close, trying to calm down.

"I'm such an idiot," she thought. She trusted Nick. She had never trusted anyone more, actually, not even Cece. It scared her to know that she might be making a mistake. How was putting this blind faith in Nick, any different than the blind faith that she had put in Spencer? She thought they were going to get married, only to walk in on him and another woman. She didn't like feeling this way.

Things with Nick were different though, it had always been different. She had seen him grow from a guy who couldn't talk about his feelings, didn't face his problems, and hated everyone, into a man who was honest and open, brave sometimes even, and he definitely didn't hate her. Just being near him, she could feel the love radiating, this warmth he had when she was around. She knew from talking with Schmidt and Winston, that this was a new thing for him and she was so happy that she was the recipient of it all. That she was the catalyst for his change. She liked him just the way he was, or however he wanted to be, but she knew he had potential and to see him make an effort was touching.

So what had happened tonight? Nick had been quieter than usual the past week. She guessed that was what had sent off the red flags. 2 years ago, a grumpy silent Nick would've been normal, but the sudden change in demeanor made her feel on edge. She was insecure, deep down, and quietly wondered if he was falling out of love with her. Then tonight, when he hadn't called about being late, and she learned that he was drinking with a woman he had slept with... his boss. Yes, it was his boss and Jess had worked very hard to not act like a nutcase when they worked together. She understood that they worked together, had to see and talk to each other. But coupled with Nick's unexpected grumpiness and quietness, it made her feel uneasy. Her brain flashed back to 3 years ago. Spencer and Rochelle coming out of the bedroom Jess had shared with him for 6 years. She could feel the pain in her chest as if it had happened yesterday. But there was also a new pain that came with it, the pain of losing Nick. She couldn't lose him. She needed him.

"Oh god." She said allowed, realizing that in her anger, in her fear of losing him, she might've done just that. Where had he gone? Why didn't she follow him? Was he coming back? She got up and searched for her phone, finding it underneath a tangle of bedsheets. No missed calls. No texts. She hurriedly dialed his number, but the phone went to voicemail. She figured it was dead, so she got dressed and put on her coat. In seconds she was flying out the door and into the elevator. She had to find him.

Nick ducked into the alley. He took his phone out to send Jess a text, tell her that he was on his way and that he loved her. The screen lit up his face but before he began to type, something smacked him hard in the head.

"Oomph. What the fuck?!"

He fell to the ground and rubbed the back of his head. He turned to his side and tried to get up, but suddenly something was on top of him. He soon realized it was someone.

He started to struggle and writhe around to try and get loose from the stranger's grasp. His eyes adjusted to the dark and he could begin to see the man's face. He could feel how big he was, because he was basically on top of him, holding him down. The stranger shifted his arm up to Nick's neck in a sort of choke hold.

"Give me the phone and your wallet, or I'll fucking kill you."

Nick could see more now, and he could see that the man was holding a gun. He stopped moving and started to panic a bit inside. The man's arm was cutting off his air, but he managed to reply breathlessly in between the sounds of choking, "...Just...*uhg*...take it...warning ya...*uuhk*...you're...gonna be...*kchh*...dissa...pointed."

The man let up on Nick's neck, grabbed his shirt collar, lifted him into the air by it and shoved him forcefully against the wall of a building.

"What did you say?"

Nick realized this wasn't the time to be a smart ass. The gun this man was holding was now pressed up against his temple. His phone was still in his hand, and he dropped it beside him. He reached into his pants pocket and retrieved his wallet, dropping that as well.

"Here. Just take it," He said and pointed to the ground. The stranger looked to where Nick had dropped his possessions and then back up at Nick. He smiled and began to release his grasp on Nick's shirt. The hand he was holding the gun in, lowered. Nick felt relieved for a brief second until the man lifted his arm back up and struck Nick across the face with his gun.

Nick cried out in pain and the man let him fall to the ground. Nick's hands went up to his face as he fell over onto his side. The man began to walk away but turned back and kicked Nick in the stomach with full force. Nick cried out again and felt tears grow in his eyes. He listened as the man's footsteps faded away.

Jess didn't know where to go. Which direction had he gone in? His car was still parked near the loft, so where had he walked to? She ran south for a bit, looking for him with no luck, before turning around to try the other way. She ran up the sidewalk frantically searching for him until she heard a low, pain filled moan. She stopped dead in her tracks. She really shouldn't be walking around right now. She thought of turning back, just waiting for him to come home until she heard it again, but this time she recognized it. It was Nick.

Her eyes went wide and she began to run towards the sound, not knowing what she would find there or if it was even a good idea. She turned a corner and raced past the buildings, passing an alcove in between. Before she got too far away she heard the noise again behind her, and she retraced her steps backwards until she was in front of an alley. She could hear quiet groans.

"Nick!?" She called out. She was only met with a louder groan. She squinted into the darkness until she could see something moving on the ground a few yards away. She turned the flashlight on her phone on and walked down the alley carefully until the light lit up Nick's red plaid shirt. She rushed towards him and knelt beside him, frantically caressing his face and smoothing his hair.

"Oh my God, Nick! What happened?" Tears began to fall freely from her eyes.

He raised his head off of the ground, still clutching his midsection, and smiled at her.

"Jess." He seemed dazed and looking closer she could see blood on his face. She pulled him towards her so his head was resting on her lap.

"Nick are you okay? How did this happen?" He was still smiling at her, while she was basically sobbing.

"Some guy. With a gun. Took my shit. Did this." He laughed.

"A GUN?! Why are you laughing? You're bleeding!" Jess was seriously upset now and was a little annoyed that her boyfriend, beaten up by a man with a gun, was laughing.

"Well Jess, there wasn't any money in my wallet and my phone was free. So he's a fucking dumb ass." Nick smile grew wider as he laughed and Jess tried to stifle a little giggle, but ended up laughing along with him. Nick must've laughed too hard because he suddenly winced and groaned, clutching his stomach. Jess' face went back to looking concerned.

"Dude kicked me while I was down. It fucking hurts Jess...so does my face."

"Well you're bleeding. We should probably go to a hospital..." Nick winced again but this time it was at the word "hospital," not because of his pain.

"Okay. No hospital. We should go home though. Can you get up?"

"With some help."

Nick began to sit up and Jess stood, placing her arms under his shoulders and lifting him to his feet.

It took a while to get back to the loft, with Nick propped up by Jess' shoulder and shuffling along slowly. They didn't talk much except for Jess asking him if he was ok, and his confirmation that he was. The elevator dinged and opened onto the fourth floor. They hobbled out and over to the apartment door. Jess opened it for Nick and he stumbled over to the couch and sat. "I'll be right back." Jess said, and she walked away to get her first aid kit.

Nick couldn't believe he had just been mugged, threatened with a gun, and beaten. All for a shitty phone and a pharmacy rewards card. That's all he had in his wallet anyway, besides his license, but he doubted the mugger needed a fake ID. He was shaken, but he felt kind of invigorated. Like he had stared death in the face and won. It wasn't heroic at all really, but it could've ended with him being shot so, he chalked it up as a victory. His thoughts trailed off as Jess walked back into the living room. Her face was smeared with mascara and her lip quivered slightly.

She walked over to him and opened the kit, retrieving some alcohol swabs and bandages. She went to work cleaning up his face. He was cut just above his left eye and a large bruise had appeared around the wound. She carefully swabbed it clean and applied antibiotic cream. She stepped away to try and figure out how to bandage it. It was in a weird spot. She held up the bandage, and then turned it a few times. Nick smirked slightly at her concentration. Finally, she decided and took off the paper that protected the bandage's adhesive. She lightly pressed on it as she placed it over his injury. She threw everything back into the box and put it on the floor.

Nick looked up at her and held out his arms, inviting her to hug him. No longer able to hide her emotions, Jess dove into him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and releasing her tears.

"Nick, I'm so sorry! I love you so much. I'm an idiot. I can't believe this happened! I'm so stupid." The words rushed out of her mouth as she cried into his shoulder.

He rubbed her back to sooth her, "Shh. Shh. Jess, it's okay. It's not your fault. I'm okay. Everything's okay."

She sat up and looked at him, tears still running down her face. He lifted his hand to wipe them away and caressed her cheek with his thumb.

"No. I'm sorry for before. I don't know why I got so mad and crazy. I trust you, I swear I do."

Nick brought his face slowly towards her and kissed her softly. "I know Jess. It's okay."

"I don't know what I would've done if you weren't okay...if that man had...had...sh..shot..."

Nick put his finger on her lips to quiet her, "Jessica, don't." He looked pain. Seeing how afraid she was and hearing her say it would be too much. He was alive, it was over, but it had scared him. He didn't want to focus on what could've happened. He moved his hand back to her cheek and grasped her jaw with the other.

"Jess. I love you. I am ALWAYS going to be there for you." He pressed a hard kiss onto her lips. "I'm sorry I ran away tonight. I've tried to stop doing that, but I couldn't help it." She began to speak but he stopped her, "I've been stressed out lately. Shane's leaving the bar and I've been trying to talk my way into the manager's position. She doesn't like me that much so it's been hard. That's why I stayed late with her tonight. I should've told you before."

Jess smiled, "You want to be the manager?"

"Yeah. I know it's dumb but I want you to be able to count on me. I want a future with you, and I don't want us to be poor living in this loft for the rest of our lives."

Jess' face lit up. She had never heard him talk about their future. She had hoped he felt this way, but she decide to play with him.

"Rest of our lives, Miller?" She said with a smirk. She expected him to falter, try to take back his slip of the tongue. Instead he locked eyes with her and a seriousness overcame his features.

"Yes Jessica. I love you. More than I ever thought was possible. I've loved you for 3 years. I could've...I could've..." He stumbled over his words a bit, looking down to regain his composure. After a deep breath and exhale, he looked at her again, "I could've died tonight Jess. And I would've never held you again." Tears began to prickle in Jess' eyes and Nick kissed her again, holding her face in his hands. "Never kissed you again. I got a glimpse of my greatest fear tonight. Not death, not a guy with a gun. Losing you. I don't ever want to feel like that again. I am never letting you go."

He crashed his lips onto hers and kissed her with more vigor than she had ever felt. She ran her hands through his hair and he grabbed at every part of her body, tugging and pulling, trying to feel every part of her. His tongue ran along her lips and she quickly opened her mouth to let him take what he wanted. She moaned into his mouth and he held her as close to him as he could. A few tears ran down his face as the emotion of the night caught up to him.

She pulled away and ran her fingers over his cheek. He pecked her lips again softly and they embraced. She hugged him tighter and whispered, "I'm yours. I'll always be yours."