A/N: As usual, I would recommend putting the video on loop.

"Do you think that he's going to take the jump, Jake?"

"I don't know, Derek. He's been standing on the edge for awhile ... Wait ... Oh, he might just ... Wow! Would you look at that! Do you think that he's even trying?"

"I don't know. He's just kind of bouncing all over the place on those trampolines."

"Yeah, but he might just make it ... Oh! Oh!" Splash! "Yikes! Did you see that slip, Jake?!"

"I did, Derek, and Ouch! That was one fall. It would look like he's swimming to the side to forfeit."

"Well, not everyone can withstand it."

"Huh?" Nick mumbled out, feeling a vibration in the right pocket of his grey coat. Soon enough, he took out his phone and answered while (f/n) muted the television program. "Hey Chris." He hummed to a few things that the younger woman was speaking about on the other end. "Are you both heading out to Castle Lake to pick up the check, then?" Another hum left him. "Right, I'll expect to hear from one of you tomorrow morning." A laugh parted from him before he responded, "Deidre and I will prepare a fresh thing of coffee for when you both get back." His eyes rolled in amusement. "Yes, Deidre will make homemade whipped cream too for it."

Suddenly, though, embarrassment crossed his countenance. "That's not going to happen, and tell Ren to stop snickering in the background." He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I'm going to hang up. I'll talk to you in the morning." Nick ended the call and sighed in slight irritation as he placed his phone back in his pocket and leaned back.

"Everything okay?" (f/n) questioned, popping a piece of popcorn into her mouth since they had finished dinner, which had been spaghetti and a salad, earlier, and their hot chocolate had been gone before that.

"Yeah, Chris and Ren just are trying to get a reaction out of me."

Releasing a slight chuckle, she commented, "I'd say that it's working." A slight glare was sent her way, but she only laughed more. "Are you going to be heading back soon?" she asked as her optics shifted over to wall clock by the front door. "It's eleven thirty." Nick usually left around eleven thirty, sometimes midnight, when he came over.

"I'm going to ..." He paused and furrowed his brows as his left hand dug around in his left coat pocket for his keys. Nick sat up straighter before he stood up fully and searched himself for his keys. "You didn't see me put them anywhere, did you?"

"Umm ..." Now, she got to her feet. She placed the popcorn bowl on the small coffee table and entered the kitchen, looking over the counter and in the drawers too. "I'm not finding anything, Nick." As she scanned over the kitchen one more time, she inquired, "Did you leave them in the bathroom?"

"I'll go check, but I don't know why I would've taken them out while I was using it," he answered as he headed over to that room. He flipped on the light switch and began to search the restroom for his keys. "Nothing," he called back shortly after and turned off the switch before he stepped into the living room once more.

"Maybe, call Deidre. You might've left them at the house."

Combing his fingers through his very light brown locks, he shook his head. "She most likely went to bed an hour ago, and she's a heavy sleeper despite our line of work."

"Still, call her. She might be up, or you could call Chris back and ask her." Nick nodded and pulled out his phone once more. First, he placed a call to Chris, but it went straight to her voicemail. A mental sweat drop formed. "Right, she turns off her phone when she's driving."

"Ren?" Nick tried him next, but he wasn't picking up either much to his annoyance. "He's probably sleeping, right?" Directing his brown optics over to (f/n), he nodded and sighed before he dialed Deidre's number. Unfortunately, she didn't answer either.

"I doubt that she'll hear the doorbell if I ring it," he mumbled to himself, sitting back down on the couch. (F/n) joined him on the piece of furniture and turned off the television momentarily. She reached over to the popcorn bowl and held it out to him. Nick thanked her and took a piece before he chewed and swallowed soon after.

"Do you want to stay here for the rest of the night?" (F/n) crossed her legs on the couch. "I don't mind. You can take the couch." He gave her a look of hesitation. "Well, you did help me secure this place after all." She smiled to him some before she gave out a nervous chuckle and rubbed the back of her head. "And, it might be nice to have company over for once during the night."

Slowly, surprise entered his orbs, and she hit his upper right arm lightly. "Not like that," she quickly stated, pushing any heat in her cheeks away. "Just ... It would just be nice not to worry about every sound outside."

"If the creature does ..."

"I know," she swiftly interrupted him. A light sigh parted from him before he leaned his head on the back of the couch. Some of his bangs fell over his forehead, and he blew a couple out of his right eye. "If he comes, then I'm putting you in trouble. I don't want that, but I ..." Her shoulders fell a little. "I just like feeling a little safer even if that's not the case."

A hand rested on top of her head, and he ruffled her hair gently while his eyes shut. "It's probably safer. If the creature is out there, he might see me crossing the street from here. Then, I'd endanger everyone." He opened his eyes back up and smiled to her some. "I'll stay. We can have a sleepover."

Laughing lightly, she nodded. "I'd like that. Should we switch to a movie, then, and begin a marathon?" She pointed over to the bowl of popcorn with her left thumb. "We even have the snack ready."

"You're forgetting the drinks." Pushing himself off of the couch, Nick made his way back to the kitchen and opened her refrigerator. "Iced tea, soda and milk. Which one?"

"I'll take one of the sodas. Sounds refreshing." He hummed in response before he grabbed them both one, closed the fridge and seated himself back on the couch. Nick held out a grape soda to her, which she thanked him for and accepted, before she opened the can after wiping the top off with a tissue from the nearby tissue box.

Before she grabbed the remote, Nick stopped her with a question. She leaned back and faced him fully in the process. "Why haven't you gotten on a plane yet, (f/n)?" Silence was his immediate response. "You had told me about how the airport had been your original plan before you had needed to make changes, but you still had wanted to find one that was south." He opened up his can of lemon-lime soda. "Wouldn't it have been better to leave a week or even two weeks ago?"

Not taking a sip of her beverage, she stared into the open can some. "Probably, I should've tried that even with this nice setup you managed for me." Her thumbs rubbed over the aluminum some. "But, I like it here." A fraction of a smile met her lips. "I've been able to relax to a degree. Not everyone is a stranger, and I don't have to worry about any of you bringing me into the police unless Ms. Zacerson finds out, which she hopefully won't."

After a small sip, she held the can in her lap again and diverted her (e/c) optics over to him some. "It's been nice, and I don't want to leave this if I don't have to. I don't want to go to some unfamiliar place and try to figure out how I'm going to survive there until the game is over. I might not even know the language, which would make things all the harder." She took a breath and exhaled slowly. "Not being stressed constantly has given my mind a needed break. And, I know that this might not last forever, but I," she exhaled again and held onto the can tighter, "I just want to savor this. Maybe, it's foolish, but I ..."

"(F/n)." She glanced up to him. "You don't need to explain anymore. I understand." He smiled to her reassuringly. "It's been nice being able to talk to you and hang out with you without the creature looming over our heads. I like having you here; I just worry about all of our safety. And, I don't want you to lose this deal with the creature." A chill raced up his spine. "I don't even want to imagine that."

"I don't either," she responded back softly and bitterly before she took another sip of soda. A hopeful smile met her lips. "But if things work out, I might have to thank that teen that brought about this deal. Otherwise, I might've still been at my house with the creature."

"And, I probably would've never heard from you again, huh?" She nodded her head while he sat up a little more and held out his soda can to her. "Well, should we toast to a peaceful rest of the year and then some for you?" (F/n)'s smile grew, and he smiled back to her before they both tapped their cans together and partook of another sip of their soda.