Brian heard the clock by the door quietly chime three times. Despite darkness outside, and an otherwise silent house, he couldn't sleep.

His visit to his parents had been emotional, and despite going through everything that had happened, and helping through the tears and apologies, the relief and the happiness, he's known that their house wasn't his home – and hadn't been for many years. It had taken a little persuasion, but he had finally convinced his mother that there was no need to make up a bed for him, that he wasn't moving back in – at least, not yet.

He'd mentioned Allison's situation, how he and Claire had found her and brought her back to the city. He had spoken about John, and how his life had brought him back home. He'd spoken of Claire and Andy, and his conversations with both.

His parents had realised, as his friends had, that this wasn't the son they had tearfully waved off to college all those years before. This was now a man who took his responsibilities seriously, and who wouldn't be running away again.

Brian had given them Claire's address and his cell number, and promised to call them the following day. Only after that had they let him go with hugs and more tears, Brian to head back to Claire's house, his parents to start the task of calling family and friends with the good news of their son's reappearance after so long.

It was little wonder that he couldn't sleep, with so much going through his mind. After John's arrival, the four had sat and talked – well, three of them had talked, John had sat nursing his coffee in near-silence, only speaking when directly addressed. Brian understood why, but as with Allison, knew that it was John's place to talk when he was ready. An early night had been called around 10pm, and John had been shown to the remaining bedroom, leaving Brian on the couch downstairs. He'd tried to sleep, but had found that he couldn't stop the events of the past few days from occupying his thoughts.

He stood and walked over to the window, and looked out at the still, empty street outside. He saw the streetlamp opposite – the one that he had stood under when he first made the call to Claire's phone. That brought back even more memories – he had not known what Claire's reaction would be when she heard his voice, but he certainly had not anticipated seeing her framed in the upstairs window, as naked as she had often appeared in his boyhood fantasies.

After a minute or two, he sensed that he was not alone. He turned to see Claire, leaning on the doorframe, her hair messed from her pillow, her eyes tired, and her robe clasped tightly around her waist underneath folded arms.

"Can't sleep either, hey?" she asked.

Brian shrugged his shoulders. "Too much happening up here," he replied, raising a finger to his temple and tapping his skull twice. "What about you?"

Claire smiled, and walked into the room. Brian dragged his bedding aside so that she could sit, and then dropped to the floor by her feet.

"Strange dreams," Claire whispered. "Some very strange dreams."

She reached out and touched Brian's hair, pushing her fingers through the loose blond curls.

"Must be strange having John back in town, huh?" Brian asked.

Claire paused for a moment, as if coming to a decision.

"Yes, but that's not what's on my mind" she replied. She resumed the movement of her fingers through his hair, and noticed that he had let his eyes fall closed. "I wasn't dreaming about John, I was …. dreaming about you…."

Brian didn't move, or open his eyes, but Claire heard the faintest intake of breath.

"I've been thinking a lot over the past few days" she continued, "and much of it has been about you. You know, you've helped more than you can possibly understand."

Brian shrugged his shoulders again. "All I've done is hose down some cows, shovel some horseshit and make some coffee" he muttered. "You're the strong one, dealing with Ally, with John, and with me turning up again out of the blue."

Claire pulled her hand away from his hair, and gestured to the seat next to her.

"Brian, sit up here – where I can explain this properly" she said.

Brian knelt up, and sat alongside her. Claire took a deep breath, and began to talk.

"The best thing that has happened over the past week is you coming home. Seeing you, and knowing you are safe, well, and here – that alone makes everything all right. But it's more than that."

Claire looked into his eyes, and continued.

"I spoke with John before we came back here. He told me how he felt when he saw you in the truck-stop, how his life just stopped – and then started again. He said that as you two sat and talked, he let go nearly 20 years of loneliness and anger – at himself as much as at anyone or anything else – and you took it, understood it, and helped him to let it all go. Remember back at school, you were always nervous around him, like his attitude and aggression intimidated you, the way he always acted so sure of himself?"

Brian nodded. That pretty much summed up how John had made him feel.

"Well," said Claire, "John told me that's how he feels now around you. Not fearful because of any aggression, but intimidated, because everything you do, seems to be exactly the right thing for the moment and the person. He told me that you cut right through the wall he'd built around himself, and it's only because of you that he was able to come back at all."

Brian started to speak, but Claire raised her finger to his lips.

"When we went to see Ally, and found her alone at the farm, you gave us the space we needed to start the process" Claire said, in a softer tone. "You looked around, saw what needed to be done, and did it. Ally told me that you had asked her about… "

"Suicide?" asked Brian.

"Yeah" replied Claire. "I can't even say the word, but you saw that we had to know, and you were able to ask her when nobody else could or did. Ally told me that talking to you gave her the strength to start taking control of her life again."

"It's not just been me" Brian said. "You were the one that she spoke to first. You were the one sat with John, and you are the one that helped me sort stuff out with the folks. You've been the strong one, coping with us all. Nobody's given anything back to you."

"That's not true, Brian. You've given me something. I think you've given me something more than you could possibly know."

Claire turned her head away, scared to look at his face whilst she spoke the words.

"Brian – when I said I'd been dreaming about you, that wasn't entirely true. I had actually been dreaming of you… and me."

Claire could feel the familiar blush start to warm her chest and neck, but she'd gone too far to hold back now.

"Brian, what do you think when you look at me?

Brian cleared his throat. This conversation had snuck up on him before he'd been able to work out what he was going to say. Oh well, let's go with honesty…

"Claire, you know I've always had something for you. It's hard to explain, but remember what I was like as a kid. Nobody was more of a geek than me. I couldn't cope with girls, certainly couldn't cope with compliments from anyone but teachers. I'd have never dared say anything to you – or to Ally."

Claire sat silently, her breathing the loudest thing in the room. Brian reached over and took her hand.

"A lot has happened since then" he continued. "I've changed, and so have you. One thing hasn't changed, though. You are still the most beautiful person I know. Only now I know that you are the strongest, smartest, most dependable, most loving woman."

He let go of her hand, and reached to cup her face in his palm and turn her back to look at him. He was surprised to see the tears falling from her eyes.

"Claire, I always wanted you – but now I love you as well" he said. That brought more tears, and the tightly-held lips parted into a slowly growing smile.

With that, Brian slowly leaned forward and drew her face to his, for their first kiss…