Title: Looking For Love

A/N: Thanks for all the great reviews on the last chapter. Hopefully this quick, long update will make up for leaving you ladies hanging ;D This is the final chapter of this story, so enjoy!!!

Tim pulled his truck up to the Panther field house, turning the ignition off as he sat there staring at the building. He had left work at Riggins Riggs with the intention of going home to his empty house, but had somehow ended up here, parked beside Coach's SUV.

It had been over a week since Julie had left. Tim wasn't one for being overly dramatic, but he felt pretty sure it had been of the worst weeks of his life. He missed her like crazy – her smile, her laugh, waking up to her curled around his body. Hell, he even missed her aggravating him about all the little things.

And Duke missed her too. He knew it was bad when his dog seemed as depressed as he had been. Tim had tried to drink the hurt away, but had found out that no matter how much alcohol he consumed, Julie was still there, even in his dreams.

Landry had been calling him a lot, most undoubtedly to make sure he was okay. Tim never asked about Julie, but Landry had told him that she hadn't returned any of Tyra's calls, but that he knew she was okay. Apparently Tyra had been checking in with Mrs. Taylor, and Mrs. T had talked to Julie several times since she had left.

Tim sighed, sliding out of the truck and heading inside the old field house, not knowing exactly what he was going to say, but knowing that he needed to talk to Coach. Tim muttered a hello and waved to a couple of assistant coaches that were on their way out, coming to a stop in Coach's doorway.

Tim stood there for a few seconds, listening to Coach talking on the phone, stepping into the small office and taking a seat as Coach waved him inside, motioning for him to sit down. Tim sat, his hands dangling between his knees as he leaned forward, waiting for Coach's phone call to finally end.

"Damn reporters." Eric muttered, taking off his blue cap and running his hands through his hair. "Always trying to put words in your mouth." He said with frustration, shaking his head slightly.

Tim nodded as if he understood, smiling slightly at Eric but remaining silent as he dropped his gaze down to the floor. Tim could feel Coach's eyes on him, more than likely taking in his haggard looking appearance and wondering why in the hell he was sitting in his office.

"What's going on, Riggins?" Eric asked after several seconds, his tone slightly worried. "You look like hell, son."

Tim laughed a humorless laugh, sitting back in his seat as he looked at Coach. "That's about how I feel."

"Everything okay? You and Billy having problems over at the shop or something?" Eric asked, leaning his elbows on his desk.

Tim shook his head, running his hand through his disheveled hair once again. "Nah, Coach. Billy's fine. The shop's fine." Tim answered, licking his lips as he tried to find the words to say. "I um, I've got a problem though. A...personal problem."

"A personal problem?" Eric asked quickly. "What do you mean? What kind of personal problem?"

"Well, you see…" Tim said, clearing his throat as he looked for the words to tell Coach – the man that had been more of a dad to him than anyone – that he was heartbroken over his daughter.

"Just spit it out, son. Use your words." Eric said impatiently, causing Tim to grin slightly as he took a deep breath.

"I'm in love with Julie." He said, wiping his sweaty palms on his jeans as he finally met Coach's gaze.

"My daughter Julie?" Eric asked, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Yes sir. That would be the one." Tim replied with a short nod, waiting for Coach to explode.

Much to Tim's surprise, Eric began laughing quietly, leaning back in his chair.

"Uh, Coach?" Tim asked, not sure exactly what his laughter meant, but knowing it had to be better than yelling.

"Gracie Bell spilled the beans about you two kissin' at the Alamo Freeze, and I pretty much figured that wasn't the only time it happened, but I didn't know it was this serious." Eric said, shaking his head slightly as he looked at Tim. "You love her, huh?"

Tim nodded. "Yes sir, I do." He answered solemnly.

Eric nodded slowly, leaning forward once again. "Well, it seems like it may be mighty hard for y'all to have any kind of relationship with you here and her all the way across the U.S."

Tim sighed. "That's the thing though, I don't think she feels the same way. I mean, she left. She's gone."

"Well son, did you tell her how you felt?" Eric asked quickly.

"No." Tim answered softly.

"Well, that was your first mistake." Eric said, shaking his head. "Women need to hear those kinds of things. Especially Taylor women – they're stubborn and they have a tendency to imagine all sorts of hair-brained scenarios if you don't come out and tell them exactly how it is."

If it wasn't so important, Tim would have found himself laughing at the conversation. Him – Tim Riggins – getting advice on women from Coach. But this was no laughing matter.

"So, what do I do?" Tim asked, looking at Coach anxiously.

"I can't tell you what to do, son. You've just gotta do what you think is right." Eric said with a small smile. "But I think if you love her, truly love her, then you need to let her know. No matter what happens after that. No matter how hard that may be."

Tim nodded, letting out a sigh. He had known all along that's what he needed to do, but it was nice to hear Coach telling him the same thing.

"Otherwise you're just gonna be miserable and lookin' like hell like you do right now." Eric added with a short laugh.

Tim grinned. "Thanks, Coach."

"No problem." He answered. "Now get on out of here so that I can finish up and get home to my lovely wife."

Tim chuckled, standing and walking toward the door.

"Hey, Tim." Eric said, causing Tim to turn back toward him.

"Yeah, Coach."

"Good luck." Eric said, a smirk on his lips.

"Thanks." Tim replied, a smirk on his lips too as he turned and left the field house, thoughts of what he needed to do on his mind.

Julie had always loved New York – the fast pace, the people, the culture. But since returning to New York almost two weeks ago, she found herself getting irritated with little things all over the city.

Things that had never bothered her before now seemed to be driving her crazy. The traffic was horrendous, taxi's were too expensive, and her tiny loft apartment seemed to almost be closing in around her, leaving her feeling damn near claustrophobic.

Not to mention that it had rained for the past five days, the stormy Manhattan weather matching her mood.

Twelve days.

Twelve days since she had left Dillon. Well, ran was probably a more appropriate term. Julie had ran, barely taking the time to tell Tyra, Landry, and her family a quick goodbye before taking off for the airport.

She had run, like a big ole chicken – not willing to stay and let Tim know how she felt. She had half hoped that he would come after her, tracking her down at the airport with declarations of love like some romance novel.

She shook her head, closing her umbrella and letting herself into her apartment building. That was her problem. Yes, she was in love but she was smart enough to know that love didn't happen like it did in books, even though that seemed to be what her heart kept hoping for.

She slowly made her way up the stairs, stopping at the second floor and walking slowly to her door. She dug her key out of her purse, letting herself inside and dropping her umbrella on the floor, alongside her camera bag and purse. She took off her wet jacket, hanging it up to dry before slowly making her way to the kitchen.

She poured herself a small glass of wine, needing it after the long day she'd had at work. She just couldn't seem to get back in the swing of things at work no matter how hard she had tried. She'd been up extremely late the last few nights trying to finish a project, but she just couldn't seem to get it right. It was as if she had gone to Dillon, only to return without a lick of creativity or inspiration anymore.

She topped off her glass of wine before heading into the tiny living area, pausing beside the blinking answering machine. She pressed the play button, taking a sip of her drink. The first two messages were telemarketers, which she quickly erased. The third message was from Tyra, demanding that Julie call her back.

Julie erased the message, sighing as she curled up in the corner of the sofa, tucking her legs underneath her. She knew she was being a horrible friend. That was the fourth message that Tyra had left for her since she'd been back, and Julie hadn't returned a single call.

She just couldn't bring herself to speak to Tyra right now because she knew that Tyra knew that something just wasn't right. Julie had seen it in her eyes the morning that she and Landry had returned from their honeymoon and she had said her goodbyes with tears in her eyes. Julie also didn't think she could talk to Tyra without asking about Tim, or blurting out her feelings for him in a blubbering mess on the phone.

No, she couldn't talk to Tyra right now. Maybe tomorrow, she thought as she took another sip of her wine.

On the other hand, she had spoken with her mother almost every single day since being back. Her mother hadn't asked any questions, but Tami Taylor was a smart lady – she knew that her daughter was upset and more than likely knew that it had to do with Tim Riggins.

Talking with her mother made her feel better, until she had to hang up the phone. Then Julie just felt homesick, which was ridiculous considering that she hadn't actually lived at home in years.

And lonely. She definitely felt lonely, sitting by herself in her tiny apartment. She had been thinking of getting a pet to keep her company, but that would be hard considering that there were times when she was out of town on assignments for weeks at a time.

Thinking of a pet made her think of Duke and his cute little self. He really was a sweet dog. Kind of like his owner in that way, she thought with a sigh.

She had to get over it, she knew she did, but damn it was hard to go five minutes without Tim entering her thoughts. And the nights were the worst, tossing and turning in her bed as she thought of the hot, lazy nights spent in Tim's arms.

"Get a grip." She mumbled to herself, standing to go get another glass of wine, stopping as she heard a knock at the door.

Julie sighed, sitting her glass of wine on the table as she made her way to the door. She wasn't in the mood to put up with anyone right now, especially not a pesky neighbor or a salesman when she knew it had to be one or the other.

She unlocked the door and pulled it open, the sight before her causing her breath to catch.

"Tim." She said, a myriad of emotions mixed into that one simple word.

"Hey." He replied, giving her a small smile as he looked in her eyes.

He was gorgeous, maybe more gorgeous than she remembered as he stood there in her doorway with his wet hair and his drenched clothes molded to his body.

"Uh, come in." She mumbled after a few seconds, stepping back to let him in, feeling excited and nervous all at the same time as she closed the door.

She watched him look around the tiny apartment, running his hand though his wet hair before turning to face her once again. They stared at each other for several seconds, so long that Julie felt sure that her heart was about to beat out of her chest.

"Wh-what are you doin' here?" She stammered.

Tim shrugged slightly, trying for a grin. "I was just in the neighborhood."

Julie crossed her arms, biting her lip slightly. Was he trying to be funny or was he really in the city to see Jason? That was a possibility.

"Oh, well, that's nice." She said with a forced smile, not sure what else to say.

"Nice?" Tim asked, his voice sounding deep, and different than Julie had ever heard. "Nice? No, I wouldn't say it was nice, Jules."

"Well, okay. Not nice then." She said slowly, looking at him closely.

Unless she was mistaken he sounded almost angry. She watched as he dug in his back pocket, pulling out a folded up piece of paper and holding it out for her. Julie took the paper, knowing without opening it that it was the letter that she had written for Tim the morning she had left.

She unfolded it slowly, realizing that she had been right. She looked up, meeting Tim's gaze, wondering what he wanted her to do with the paper.

"I've read over that letter about a thousand times since you left." Tim stated, taking a small step toward her. "And I don't know what the hell it means, Jules. 'xoxo'. What does that mean? Hugs and kisses? I love you? Huh? I've wracked my brain, wondering what those four little letters meant." He said, his voice laced with frustration.

Julie cleared her throat, glancing down at the paper. Those four little letters meant everything that she had been able to say herself – I don't want to leave, I need, I love you.

"You came all the way to New York to find out what 'xoxo' means?" She asked, purposely not answering his question, gripping the piece of paper like a lifeline.

Tim chuckled lightly, the sound causing her to look up at him. "No. I came here because I miss you, and because I've been goin' damn crazy without you." He said seriously, taking another step closer to her. "You left me. Without even a goodbye."

Julie looked at him, not knowing what to say as she felt the heat from his body as he moved closer.

"I-I uh, had to come back, Tim. You knew that. We both knew that." She said. "You never said anything –"

"You left before I had a chance to say anything." He said, interrupting her as he took a deep breath. "I'm not good with words. You know this. I didn't want you to go, but I didn't want to hold you back and I didn't know how to tell you that."

"Hold me back? Back from what?" She asked, a spark of hope arising inside of her as she began to realize that maybe Tim cared for her as much as she did him.

"Jules, I've always known that you would leave Dillon, even when we were younger. You were always different. Destined for bigger things and all that. And I knew that when you left this time too, but damn it I didn't want you to leave." He said, his voice almost a whisper as he cupped her face in his hands.

Julie shivered, licking her lips nervously as he stared down at her.

"I know I'm probably screwing this all up. Lord knows I'm no poet, but what I'm trying to say is that I've had twelve days to think about what it'd be like without you and I don't like it. Not one damn bit. I know you deserve better, but I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you Julie Taylor." He finished, a hesitant smile on his lips.

He loved her.

He really loved her, Julie thought as she tried to control the smile on her face. All the heartache of the past twelve days had all been for naught.

"You're wrong." She said, watching his eyebrows furrow together. "You didn't screw it up. That was perfect – everything you said." She said softly, wrapping her arms around his neck as she leaned in closer. "And I love you, too."

Julie smiled at the wondrous look on his face as their lips met. Julie wasn't sure where they would go from here, but as she stood in Tim's arms with the knowledge that he loved her as she loved him, she knew that everything was going to be alright.

- 5 months later -

"Riggins, how the hell did this happen?" Jason asked, gesturing his arms to the crowd of people gathered at the wedding reception being held in the courtyard of one of the four Baptist churches in Dillon. "How did my best friend end up being married to the Coach's daughter?" He asked with a laugh.

Tim smirked, his eyes coming to rest on Julie as she danced with her father.

His wife. They were married. Man and wife. For better or worse. Forever.

He didn't know how in the hell he'd gotten so lucky, but he wasn't gonna question fate. No, he was gonna embrace it.

"I don't know, Street. Just lucky I guess." He drawled, causing Jason to laugh.

"Damn lucky, I'd say." Jason replied with a chuckle, turning his attention out to the dance area where Tim was looking.

When Tim thought of the past five months, it seemed to almost be a dream. The morning after confessing his love to Julie, he had asked her to marry him as they had lay in her bed after a bit of early morning love making.

Tim hadn't planned on it. It had just felt right, and Tim knew he had made the right decision after her eyes had teared up and she had given him a soft yes, looking at him like he was the most wonderful man in the world and kissing him with all the sweetness that a man could possibly ever want.

Their lives had been a whirlwind after that. Tim had returned to Dillon a few days later while Julie had remained in New York for another three weeks, resigning from her job and getting everything squared away before returning home to Dillon herself.

She had moved in with him and Duke, her furniture and belongings bringing new life to his small home. Tim had to admit that it felt more like a home with her there.

He had been worried about telling her parents, despite the fact that she kept telling him that they would be ecstatic. It was one thing for Coach to find out that he was in love with Julie, while it was another for him to find out his little girl was going to be Mrs. Riggins.

But as usual, she had been right – the Taylor's had been very happy. Coach had even given him a brief, manly hug, telling him that he was glad his daughter had chosen a good man.

Tim had mumbled a thank you as he tried not to get choked up. Those words probably meant more to Tim than Coach would ever know.

After five months of planning and preparations, the day had finally arrived. Julie had looked gorgeous beyond words in her white gown, Tyra and Gracie by her side. He hadn't minded wearing a tuxedo, though Billy, Jason, and Landry had loved ragging him about it all day.

The ceremony had been beautiful and the reception was finally starting to wind down. They had already done all the wedding day things – their first dance, cutting the cake, throwing the bouquet – all the traditional stuff. Now all that was left was to get in the limo and drive away.

They were spending a night in Houston before their plane left in the morning for Europe – a place that neither had ever been. Tim had told her he'd take her anywhere, and that had been her first choice. Tim didn't care where they went as long as he was with her.

"Tim, you're grinning like you just won the lottery or something." Landry chuckled as he and Tyra came to stand beside Tim and Jason.

Tim smirked.

"Well, he pretty much did." Tyra stated, causing the group to chuckle.

"What's so funny?" Julie asked, wrapping her arm around Tim's waist as she appeared at his side.

Tim wrapped his arm around her shoulder, dropping a quick kiss on her lips as he stared down at her, silently thanking God for the hundredth time that day. "Just talking 'bout how damn lucky I am." He said with a grin.

"Tim, I don't think it's right to cuss at church, even if we are in the courtyard." She replied, returning his grin.

"Well, I think the good Lord would agree with me this time, Jules." He said softly, giving her shoulder a squeeze as a heated look passed between them.

Lord, he couldn't wait to get her alone. As gorgeous as she looked in her gown - he knew she'd look even better without it.

"Are you ready to go?" She asked quietly, clearly feeling the same need to be alone that he did.

"I've been ready." Tim replied, causing the group to laugh as they began poking fun at them for wanting to get a jump start on the honeymoon.

It didn't take long, and everyone was assembled in front of the church, birdseed in hand as they waited for Julie and Tim to walk out.

Tim squeezed Julie's hand, grinning down at her as they stood inside the church foyer. "You ready for this, Mrs. Riggins?"

Julie giggled, squeezing his hand back. "Oh yeah." She answered, giving him the sweetest smile, a smile that he knew he'd never get tired of seeing.

Tim opened the church doors, still holding Julie's hand as they made their way down the steps amongst cheering from their family and friends as birdseed rained down on them. They stopped near the limo, giving Julie a chance to say goodbye to her family while Tim turned to Billy and wrapped him in tight hug.

"You did good, little brother." Billy said softly, for only Tim's ears.

"Thanks, Billy." Tim answered, pulling back and sharing a grin with his brother.

Tim could see the pride in Billy's eyes and it made him feel good. He and Billy had been through a hell of a lot in their lives, and Tim knew that they both deserved to be happy.

Tim turned, finding Julie with tears in her eyes as she hugged her parents, telling them goodbye.

"You take good care of my girl, son." Eric said, giving Tim's shoulder a squeeze.

"I will, sir." Tim answered sincerely, meaning those words more than he'd ever meant anything. He was going to do his damnedest to keep her safe and to keep her happy.

"I know you will." Eric replied, a smile on his lips as he clapped Tim on the back.

Tim took Julie's hand. "You ready?"

She nodded slightly, smiling as she wiped a few tears from her eyes. "Yeah." She answered, giving her mom and dad another quick hug before turning and following Tim toward the limo.

Julie pulled him to a stop a few feet away, turning back to give everyone a final wave, causing Tim to chuckle. At this rate they'd never get to the hotel.

Before Julie could protest, he lifted her petite frame, throwing her over his shoulder.

"Tim!" She shrieked, hitting him on the back as the crowd roared with laughter. "What are you doing?"

Tim laughed, opening the limo door and dropping her inside, turning back to look at his family, which now included the Taylor's, and giving them a grin and a wave before crawling in the limo and shutting the door behind him.

"Finally." He muttered, turning to find Julie looking at him.

"Did you think that was funny?" She asked, trying to sound mad, but Tim could tell that she was about to start laughing.

"No…" He drawled, pulling her over onto his lap as he felt the limo begin to move, thankfully on their way. "I just wanted you all to myself, Jules."

She laughed quietly, placing her small hand on his cheek as she leaned forward. "Well, you got me." She said, dropping a kiss on his lips. "Forever."

Tim smiled, wrapping his arms more tightly around her as his lips met hers once again.

Forever sounded just perfect to him.

- The End -

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed it! (And Anamia, I added that whole Tim throwing Julie over his shoulder in there just for you!!) Thanks to everyone who reviewed this story and added it to alerts and favorites. Also thanks to all who took the time to read but never reviewed. It really does mean a lot. I'm thinking of doing a sequel - Tim and Julie in Dillon living the married life??? Let me know what you all think. Like I've said before, I don't want to write something that you all aren't interested in reading :D Thanks again!!!