Nicole stepped outside, hair still wet from her shower, and jogged down to the police station. She'd been told by Mason that the federal officer would be coming first thing this morning from Columbia. She wanted to meet him. He said she could if she got there early enough.

Even though she didn't say it, she felt like he was trying to train her to be a cop, herself.

Mason was leaning against his car when she got there, sipping a mug of coffee. "Not here yet," was his greeting.

She nodded and leaned next to him. "When is he supposed to be here?"

He shrugged. "Any time. Clive doesn't know he's coming. Speak of the devil." Clive's car pulled into its slot and Mason nodded at him.

"Morning." Clive nodded at them as he passed, eyes lingering on Nicole. He didn't say anything, but he didn't really need to. She shivered. His eyes weren't welcoming.

Mason didn't move, so Nicole stayed where she was. A few minutes later, a new unmarked police car pulled in and parked near Mason's car. A balding man and a short, heavy woman emerged. They walked up and nodded at Mason. "Are you Mason Spurlock?" the man asked.

"I am."

The man shook Mason's hand. "I'm Special Agent Craig Hadley and this is my partner, Betty Marks. We were sent here to see you. Seems you're having problems with your sheriff?"

Mason nodded, taking another sip. "We got together some evidence for review, and we also have a prisoner that's supposed to be sent up to Columbia in about five days, as per Sheriff Dodd's request. I've personally looked at the evidence, and I don't see the proof to arrest him and send him to trial."

Craig nodded. "Take us to the evidence and we'll review it."

Mason nodded and led them inside. Nicole followed at a distance. Mason held the door for her. She watched Clive. He rose when he saw the special agents. "Can I help you?"

They went through introductions and explained why they were there. Mason tapped Nicole's shoulder and she jumped. "What?" she whispered.

"You can go home now. They're just going to be sitting around reading, talking to people, and then if they decide anything today, I'll call you. They probably won't, though. Go have fun."

She stared at him, annoyed. "Right. Fun." She shook her head. "Well, you know where to find me."

---

Ashton spoke to the special agents that morning. He paced his cell. He did push-ups until his arms gave out. They were beginning to ache now, but, he thought, it was a good ache. He wished he could take a hot shower to relax the tension out of them, though. Once he couldn't do push-ups, he started on sit-ups. His abs were beginning to ache, too, so he didn't do as many as he had the day before. That was a more sensitive area.

Mason brought him lunch and, after he ate, he kept pacing. About mid-afternoon, he sat on the bench. He hadn't slept since he got there, and he was tired. Exercise just distracted him. It didn't take long for his eyelids to become heavy and the next thing he knew, someone was opening the door to the cell. He stood.

A smiling Mason was standing there. "Your dad is out of a job. He's in the next cell, actually. You're out for now. Charges are dropped, but you're still under suspicion." Mason grinned. "You're free to go."

Ashton grinned. He felt like a ton of bricks had been lifted. In fact, he felt like he could hug Mason. Which he did. Mason politely let him but pushed him away quickly. His thoughts turned to Nicole. "You haven't told Nicole yet, have you?"

He shook his head. "I told her I'd call her to tell her, though."

"Don't. Not yet, anyway. Give me about an hour. I'll go with you to tell her." He grinned. He couldn't stop. It was too good to be true.

---

By the time five rolled around, Nicole couldn't hang out on the beach anymore. She'd been there all day. Well, except when she went to lunch alone. And when she spent an hour with Ella while her mom visited. She headed home and showered. Her mom had dinner ready for when she got out. She sat to eat, but almost immediately the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," she told her parents as she got up. She opened the front door and found Mason. "I thought you were going to call, but what happened today?"

He smiled at her. "All good news. Clive's been arrested, Norman is now the acting sheriff until next election cycle."

"What about Ashton?" That was the only news she cared about in the moment.

Mason's smile grew. "All charges have been dropped. Norman's talking about hiring him right away. He says that since Ashton is really familiar with everything he'd need to be doing, he can go later to the Academy."

He was out. That was all Nicole could focus on. "Since he's out, where is he?"

Ashton laughed on the porch and she poked her head out. He was leaning against the house, grinning at her. She shrieked and threw her arms around him. He returned the gesture, chuckling. Mason cleared his throat as Nicole's parents came running. "What happened?" her mom asked. When she saw them hugging on the porch, she beamed. Mr. Downs was equally happy to see his future son-in-law.

"Well, I need to be going," Mason said, edging away from them.

Nicole pulled away from Ashton long enough to say, "No – stay for dinner." She buried her face in his chest again. He smelled clean and like his aftershave. His shirt was soft, too. Perfect. His nose was in her hair. It tickled her scalp. When she shivered, he pulled her closer.

Mason shook his head. "No, that's okay. I have a date tonight, actually."

"Oh, okay," she said, voice muffled by Ashton's T-shirt.

Mrs. Downs loudly said, "Dinner's getting cold – why don't we all go eat now?"

Ashton's nose left her hair, and she figured it was safe to move her head now. She looked up. "Oh, yeah, I kind of forgot about dinner." She laughed a little as she and Ashton released each other. He held her hand on the way to the table.

After dinner, she curled up on the couch seat next to Ashton. His arm didn't leave her shoulders while they watched a movie with her parents. After the movie went off, and it began to get late, Ashton kissed the top of Nicole's head and whispered in her ear, "I need to go. I'm really tired."

She nodded and stood when he did. "Where are you going?" Mrs. Downs asked.

Ashton smiled at her. "I need to get on home before I fall asleep on your couch."

She returned his smile. "Oh, okay. Well, take care, Ashton."

"You, too. I'll be back tomorrow." When Mrs. Downs nodded, he turned and walked to the door. They reached the porch and Nicole closed the door behind them. He gave her a warm smile. "Where's my ring?"

She took off the chain, took the ring off, slipped it on her finger, and put the chain in her pocket. She laughed quietly as she held up her hand. He gently reached for her hand and brought it to his lips for a moment before releasing it. "So, you're finally out."

"Yep." His eyes seemed to sparkle. "And there's so much for us to do, isn't there?"

She blushed. "Yeah, I haven't even started on anything yet."

He shrugged. "That's fine. I can help you now." He stepped closer. "Well, I can't help you out tomorrow. I was told to be at the station at nine. Norman says he's going to hire me, and so I'll be gone all day. That is how long the psych exam will take." He made a face. "I don't really need one, and neither does he, but it's mandatory."

"So it's really happening." She shook her head. "You're really going to be a cop."

He nodded with a small smile. "It's something I've wanted. My father wanted it for me, but I want it for me, too." He shrugged and glanced away. He edged closer until they were nearly touching. He put his hands high on her waist and leaned a little closer. His eyes never left hers. He swallowed.

She smiled a little at him and put her hands on his shoulders. She tilted her head up to him, her heart hammering. He leaned down and closed his eyes as his nose touched hers. He brushed his lips against hers and then he kissed her, gently. She returned the kiss, letting it linger before he pulled back. He smiled as he brushed her hair from her face. "Beautiful," he whispered. He leaned in and gave her another light, quick kiss.

Her heart felt like it was going wild. Warm tingles ran across her skin everywhere he touched her. After the second kiss, she pulled him back in for a third, letting it last a little longer. After a couple moments Ashton pulled back, smiling at her. He cupped her face in his hands. "Nikki, I'll be back in the morning. I'm not going away again – I promise." He kissed her nose and both of her cheeks before he let her go. "But I really do need to get home."

She felt her cheeks heat up. "Right." Her eyes opened. "Goodnight, Ash."

"Goodnight, Nikki."

She watched him leave and floated back into the house.

---

Ashton lifted his hand to knock on the door, but Nicole threw it open before he could touch it. He grinned, fighting down the laugh. He'd felt this way ever since he'd left her on the doorstep the night before. Seeing her, their kisses replayed in his mind. For a first kiss, he felt like it went pretty well. She had even initiated the third kiss. "Morning." He shoved his hands into his pockets, suddenly feeling just a little bashful.

"Morning." She studied him for a moment. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Not now." He gave her a quick peck on her lips. "Now, your mom is here somewhere, isn't she? I smelled something good coming up the walk."

"She's in the kitchen." She took his arm and slid her hand down his forearm as he slipped his hand out of his pocket. He barely managed to close the front door as she pulled him towards the kitchen. He saw her mom stirring some eggs and he flashed back to many days watching his own mom do the very same thing. He sighed, the smile leaving.

Ella. His mind went right to her, like it always did when he gave any thought to his family.

Mrs. Downs glanced over her shoulder. "Good morning, dear." She turned back to the eggs. "I made some extra in case you wanted some."

"Thanks, Mrs. Downs." He smiled at her, trying to stay in the moment. Nicole was here with him. He sat at the table and held her hand under it, resting their hands on his leg. He felt relaxed almost. It was so good to be out and able to touch Nicole without bars. The psych exam that day didn't worry him any. At least, not at the moment. On the walk over he'd thought about it and had a knot of worry that remained even when he tried to picture Nicole smiling at him.

Mr. Downs came into the kitchen, carrying the newspaper. "Morning, Ashton." He sat down and looked at him. "Hands on the table." Ashton immediately put both of his hands on the table. He nodded and began unfolding the newspaper. He didn't want to make her dad mad at him.

"Get yourself some OJ," Mrs. Downs said as she emptied the eggs onto plates that already had toast. He got up and felt a little strange opening the cabinet Nicole pointed out, opening their fridge, pouring some juice, and putting the carton back. He sat the glass down and helped Mrs. Downs carry the plates.

Once they finished eating, he checked his watch. "Oh, I need to go. I'm running a little late." He gave Nicole a peck on her cheek, the thought of kissing her on the lips in front of her parents not feeling right, and stood. "I'll see you when I get back. Find some stuff for the wedding and we can discuss it then. Okay?"

"Okay." She rose, gave him a quick peck on his lips, and dropped back into her chair. Heat flooded his cheeks as he glanced at her parents on the way out of the room. At least they didn't seem upset.

The walk to Benson's office seemed to take longer than normal. He began to dread the test. His dad had told him the things he'd be asked, and some of it he wasn't quite ready to answer. Too soon and too late he reached Benson's and slipped inside. The doctor smiled at him from the front desk. He checked his watch. "I know I'm late," Ashton said. He shook his friend's hand and sat in a chair.

"I was about to give up on you this morning," he joked. He sat back down and fiddled with the tie he was wearing.

"Ha, yeah, right," Ashton replied, watching him put a couple of sheets of paper on one clipboard.

Benson brought them to Ashton. "You fill this out and I'll get the rest."

Ashton looked at the paper on the clipboard he held. More? Well, it was supposed to take hours. He dove in. Past drug use: none. He raised an eyebrow. Unless cold medicine counted, and he didn't think it did. What do you think your personal strengths are? Your weaknesses? He smiled to himself. His one big weakness was leaving Nicole alone and not thinking about her, but he couldn't put that down.

The paper took about ten minutes to finish, and Benson still hadn't come back. He stood and went to his office. He tapped on the door and slipped inside. The man was reviewing a thick booklet. He looked up and squinted. His eyes widened. "Oh, sorry! I was reading the questions." He stood and handed it over to Ashton.

Ashton took it and his eyebrows rose. "This thing?"

"Yep. That's a lot, isn't it?"

"I'll say." He looked up at Benson. "So, how long is this really going to take?"

Benson thought about it. "Well, that booklet alone, for you, should maybe be about two hours, and then I have to review it, and then I'll probably have questions to ask you, so in total . . ." He looked to the ceiling as he ran calculations. "Maybe five hours. Then you have to bring your results to Norman, and he'll assign you a time for the physical part."

Ashton sighed. He supposed it could be worse. "Okay. I'll just need a pencil."