When Amanda was fifteen she was dating Jeff Boone. They went to the same high school but had only one class together. He wasn't the nicest guy, but she didn't care much about it. She just liked spending time with him away from her mother and her 'visitors' that's how Kim called them. She brought him over to the house one time and her mom hit on him, ignoring the fact he was her daughter's boyfriend and a minor. At least he thought she was old and stayed faithful.

They met up one night and he brought a bottle he took from his father, they had no idea what they were drinking, but they sat by an abandoned house, a spot Jeff liked and often spend time with his friends there, mostly vandalizing it.

After a few sips Jeff started laughing with no reason "the sky is black" he said, as if it was the first time he noticed.

"Yeah" Amanda took another sip, it felt weird and she was a little light headed.

"Let's have sex" he looked at her.

"What?" She was still a virgin and it's not like she hasn't thought about it, but she didn't really want to sleep with him.

"You're my girlfriend, we need to have sex already, even your mom was willing, so don't be a prude I even have a…" he took something out of his pocket and showed it to her, it was a condom.

She didn't really want to have sex, but it's not like it mattered, she'd have to at some point and why not with Jeff? All the things she saw in movies and TV shows weren't true, no great love would suddenly walk into her life. So why not?

She shrugged and Jeff took that as a yes.

It was over very fast and Amanda wasn't sure what to think, if that was it why would anyone make such a big deal out of it?

"I'm going" Jeff said "see you later"

At least he left the bottle, she took two more sips and felt sick, she started walking back home but her stomach hurt.

"Amanda" a pickup truck pulled over and Amanda saw Oliver "are you ok?" he walked out and she smiled at him.

"Oli" she giggled "I have a secret!"

"If it's that you're drunk, it's not much of a secret, get into the car I'll drive you home"

Amanda sat down but didn't even shut the door when she felt even more nauseous and threw up, at least she didn't mess up the car.

"Here" he handed her a bottle of water after she threw up again.

"Do you want to have sex with me Oli?" she asked.

"What are you talking about? Of course not"

"Mom said that's what you want, that you only want to get into my pa…" she threw up and didn't finish the sentence.

"Listen Amanda, all I want is to make sure you don't follow your parent's foot steps. Don't listen to your mom"

"I already did" she mumbled.

"Already did what?" Oliver wasn't sure what she was talking about. He knew Amanda was a teenager and teenagers experimented with alcohol sometimes. But Amanda couldn't afford this, not with her family history.

"Had sex" she chuckled and rested her sweaty forehead against the dashboard "I don't feel so good, but I had sex with Jeff"

"Did you use protection?" he had to make sure, not wanting her to get pregnant and screw up her future.

"Yeah…" she giggled "it sucked…I'm throwing up again"

"You can't drink like this Amanda" he said when she leaned back in the seat "alcohol is not water"

"Yeah..." she closed her eyes and started crying.

"It's gonna be fine, you'll get some sleep, drink a lot of water, you'll feel better"

"I don't think so, I'm dying" she threw up again, feeling like her stomach was completely empty.

"No, you are going to be fine" he smiled "but you need to take care of yourself, don't drink, don't spend time with Jeff, he's a jerk"

"But I want to…"

"He doesn't deserve you Amanda, you need to focus on school. You're a fast runner, how about you join the track team? It will do you good and help you get away from here. You don't want to end up like your mom and dad"

"I can't leave Kim"

"You're not going anywhere yet. But you have to put yourself first" he hoped she'd listen, Amanda was a smart girl, but she had a lot going against her "and break up with Jeff, he's a jerk"

"I don't want to be alone" she confessed, she didn't like him, but at least he was with her.

"You can't be with a guy just because of that, you need to be with someone you love"

"But nobody loves me" she replied quietly.

"Someday you will meet someone who will love you, and put you first. If it hurts you to be away from him, that's how you know it's real"

"That sucks" she mumbled.

"It won't, I promise" he smiled, she was young but he hoped that someday she'd meet someone who will treat her right "I'm gonna drive you home"

"Thanks Oli"

"Call me if you need anything, ok?" he looked at her "and listen to what I said, no drinking, no Jeff"

"I promise"

There was one person in Amanda's life that seemed to care about her, who helped her out, who was probably one of the reasons she didn't end up like one of her parents.

If he helped her get more than twenty years of mostly normal life, she would gladly give up fifteen years for him.

Nick knew Oliver has been retired for a few years, Amanda mentioned that he bought a trailer and was traveling with his wife. Nick asked the captain for help, he could tell she wasn't sure what to think but he convinced her to find him. He couldn't give up on Amanda. An hour later Berg called with results, she was able to find the last place Oliver used his credit card at, it was a trailer park, it was about five hours away, but if he leaves now he could get back to Atlanta in time.

During the five hours drive Nick just hoped this wasn't a goose chase, but if this man cared enough, he'd help her even if he wasn't the one who did this, he won't let her take the blow. Nick couldn't let her take it.

It was very late when he got to the park, the place was quiet, everyone were probably asleep. Nick had the plate number and was able to locate the right trailer. This was it, the only way to help.

He knocked a few times until a man opened the door. Nick recognized Oliver and for a moment he almost forgot why he was there.

"Do I know you?" he asked.

"My name is Nick Amaro, I'm a friend of…"

"Amanda" Oliver remembered seeing him in Loganville a few years ago, Amanda said he was just a friend but he felt like there was something else going on.

"Yes" Nick said "she's in trouble"

"Who is that?" a woman called, it was probably his wife.

"What happened to her?" Oliver asked.

"I don't know if you know this, but she's being charged with the murder of Carl Patton and in a few hours she will sign a plea, fifteen years in prison" Nick wasn't sure if he should say more, if he should ask if he was the one who did this.

Oliver's wife walked over to him "you said that one day this would happen"

"I'm sorry" he gave her a hug.

"I know" she gave him a tiny smile.

"Let me just get one thing, evidence" Oliver opened a drawer and took out a box "tell the kids I love them, I love you too"

"I will drive back after you" she nodded.

Nick walked out of the trailer, allowing them to say goodbye alone. A few minutes later Oliver joined Nick and they drove off.

He was going to spend five hours in the car with this man and Nick had no idea what to say to him. He probably didn't even hear about the case, it was kept quiet and the media didn't cover it.

But Nick didn't have to worry about for long because Oliver started talking.

"I take it you and Amanda are seeing each other"

"Up until she decided to take the deal, the lawyer sent her footage and she must have recognized your truck, she didn't even tell me"

"But you're still here" he noted.

"What happened that night?" Nick asked, hoping he'd get a straight answer.

"Amanda's sister was in trouble again and she called me to say she was on her way to Loganville. But it took her a lot of time and I was worried, you've seen her car" he knew Nick drove her to Loganville once "she wasn't answering so I decided to drive to Atlanta, see if she was ok. I spotted her car and I got there just when she kicked this guy and left. She didn't even notice my truck so I decided to have a chat with him. He returned to his car and I followed him for a while. When he stopped for gas I decided to have a word with him. He thought this was a joke, said some ugly things. I went back to my car and he walked over to me, said that our conversation only convinced him to try again. If someone would have said that about my daughter…and Amanda's like a daughter to me. I wasn't thinking clearly and hit him with my car. It was late and there was no one there…I didn't want to give up on my life, to leave my family so I drove to Atlanta to hide the body and returned the next day to get the footage. My wife knew but I kept it a secret"

Nick had a feeling he'd do the same thing, that guy wanted to use Amanda, to hurt her.

"But this is a mistake I need to pay for"

Oliver offered to drive but Nick declined, he couldn't sleep anyway, he just wanted to get to the station and stop this.

It felt like they would never get there but suddenly Nick recognized the street, the station. He parked the car and they both rushed inside.

"You need to sign here" the DA handed her a pen when the door opened.

Patton recognized the boyfriend, there was another man with him, what did they want?

"What are you doing here?" Amanda asked.

"I have proof, I am the one who killed Carl Patton"

"No" Amanda shook her head but the man gave a CD to her lawyer and he smiled and took the pen away from her.

"I guess we're watching a movie first" he took out his lap top while the Chief tried to think of a way to stop this.

Amanda tried not to look at Nick but he couldn't keep his eyes away. When Washington played the video everyone in the room turned to look at it.

Just like Oliver said, he was shown talking to him, going back to his car, being followed by Patton, exchanging a few words. When Carl walked away Oliver drove straight to him, hitting him. They saw him pick the body and put him in the truck, he sat there for a while and drove off.

"Well" Washington looked at the DA "I guess the deal is off, just like the charges"

"Yeah" the man looked at Patton who was furious, he stood up and walked away.

"I think this belongs to you" the lawyer handed the CD to the DA "we'll be leaving now"

Amanda stayed in her seat, she looked at Oliver and he mouthed "sorry" before an officer came to arrest him.

"Ms. Rollins, we are going to have a long chat about your options, but I'm gonna give you some time to take this all in, it's over"

Nick waited outside of the station. It was really over, the charges were dropped, Amanda was free.

She wasn't alone when she walked out, Washington opened the door for her and said he'd call later. Amanda remained standing there alone, she was looking straight ahead and didn't notice Nick approaching her.

Nick thought she looked hurt, not relieved, not happy to be free. It seemed like this is not the way she wanted things to go. But her anger was a price he was willing to pay, even if she won't forgive him, even if she asks him to walk away.

"Amanda" his voice startled her "I understand why you did this, I really do. I know that for years Oliver was the only person who cared about, helped you. So you were willing to take the bullet for him so he won't get life sentence or…" he didn't want to mention the option of death penalty, but she knew it was an option "but he is the guilty one, and I couldn't let you do that. If you ask me to leave, if you don't want to see me again, fine, I'll accept it. But just like you didn't want Oliver to go to prison, I couldn't let it happen to you. Not fifteen years, not even a day. You can be upset, you can hate me, but I don't care. Because this is the right thing. If you want it to be our goodbye…" Nick had no idea what else to say, he didn't want this to be goodbye, but he knew he betrayed her in a way. Maybe the fact he brought Oliver in was something she couldn't forgive. He looked at her and the blank expression on her face gave him no clue of what she was thinking, or even if she was thinking about anything. Was she going to leave him or live with him?

Autumn of 2006

Nick was woken up by a pair of soft lips on his back. They were nibbling on his shoulder blades, moving the blanket lower.

"It's bad luck" he mumbled.

"Only if you see me in my dress and you know what, I'm not wearing anything" she continued placing soft kisses on him "and you don't believe in that bullshit, do you?"

Nick turned around, kept his eyes closed and reached for her.

"Careful!" she warned "you almost took out my eye, now that would be bad luck"

Nick smiled at her and allowed his eyelids to open "you know what, every moment I can't see you is a waste of time" he moved some of her hair behind her ear, but it was back covering her face a moment later "you are so beautiful"

"Well, I am the bride"

"You're my bride" he kissed her "and I love you"

"I'm here for a little experiment" she let him know and he seemed confused "I heard that when you're married the sex isn't as good, so we're gonna compare"

"That sounds like a very important scientific experiment" Nick caught her lips for another kiss "what do you need me to do?"

Amanda pulled away and smiled "what you always do"

As she mentioned earlier, she wasn't wearing anything and that fact made him smile wider. He wrapped his arms around her and sat up with his mouth attached to hers. He pulled away to taste other parts of her. His tongue traveled down from her earlobe to her neck and shoulders. He lingered on her collar bone and moved to her breasts. He spread a few kisses before taking the nipple into his mouth.

They had a long day ahead of them but right now it didn't matter, so what if they were getting married in a few hours. Nick's teeth kept on teasing her until she couldn't take it anymore.

"Come on Nick" she pulled back, lying on her back "I've got somewhere to be"

"I'm not done tasting you" he got between her legs and reached for her breast again, pinched her nipple right when his tongue entered her.

Amanda's back arched and she asked him to continue, he knew very well how she loved to be touched, when to be tender and when to be rough. She pushed her face against him, needing him to get deeper.

Nick kept on teasing her nipples with his fingers, her clit with his tongue and the simultaneous movements made her orgasm so intense Amanda felt like she'd need an hour to come down.

"How about we save some time" he mumbled against her abdomen, his tongue circling her bellybutton "continue this in the shower, no time for a bath"

After they had a proof Amanda was innocent the lawyer didn't have a hard time proving she was framed. The judge admitted he was asked not to disqualify the evidence and with his testimony he offered Amanda to sue the APD. He knew this will get a lot of attention and they ended up settling for a lot of money and a lot of people being fired, including the chief and the lieutenant. After paying the lawyer and paying back Alice Amanda bought a house in New York and gave the rest to Oliver's family.

Captain Weiss from homicide offered her a job and she was able to leave Atlanta behind and move on. With Nick.

Summer of 2009

"I think this is the spot" Nick looked around.

"It's been ten years Nick, I'm not sure, a lot has changed" Amanda's hand wrapped around him "that Chinese restaurant is gone"

"Shame, they had great fortune cookies" he shrugged and kissed her.

"I think you got an empty piece of paper that time" she chuckled.

"You're the one who got it, we switched" Nick corrected her "you know what I wrote on it?"

"You wrote something on it?" Amanda seemed surprised.

"I wrote that I'd see you again and here we are, ten years later, not alone" Nick smiled at the two year old boy who fell asleep in his arms a few minutes ago.

"Are you saying that you can predict the future?"

"I can predict that we won't call this one Alberta" Nick caressed her belly, she was four months pregnant and he couldn't be happier.

"Fine" Amanda shrugged as if she was going to argue about it "you win"

Nick looked at her, ten years ago he fell in love with her and he only loved her more with each passing day. She gave him his family, her love.

Yeah, he won.

The end