A/N: Thank you for all those who have read and replied. Now, this is the last chapter so I hope you all enjoy it. I may write another fanfiction covering season six and the last part of seasoon five, but I'm not sure.

CC placed the navy blue duffel bag, with the initials "N.A.B" near the zipper, on her bed. Her clothes were all neatly folded in two piles on the edge of her bed. She,without looking away from Niles's initials, gently placed the clothes in the bag. She wasn't sure what was going to happen when she saw Niles. She took a deep breath to calm herself. She pulled up the zipper before leaving her room for the final time.

The peppy brunette nurse, adorned in her usual bubblegum pink scrubs, met CC outside her room. "Hi CC, are you ready for your big day?" the nurse chirped happily as she accompanied CC down the hall. After three months in the mental hospital, the nurse and CC had become rather good friends, and the nurse's high pitched voice had become less grating to the former patient's ears.

"I guess so," she replied with a slight chuckle.

When they arrived at the lobby, CC's eyes landed on the man with dazzling pale blue eyes and golden hair. A small grin formed on her features as she nervously straightened her posture. They slowly approached one another. Niles contemplated giving her a kiss on the cheek or her forehead but refrained. "Are you ready to return to your cave?" he joked with a soft smile.

She slightly shook her head and laughed as she placed her hands on her hips. "Oh good, we can take your broom," she said warmly as she nudged him. Without thinking about ut, she wrapped her arms around his waist. Realizing what she did, she pulled away and walked to the nurses's station.

"What do I need to sign so I can leave?" CC asked. As she began scribbling her name across the black lines on each of the pages, he smiled. He smiled as he recalled CC hugging him, and he was warmed by hope and dreams. He couldn't help fantasizing about their upcoming conversation. So far, things were looked favorably for him. Perhaps, she wanted to be with him, but he wasn't sure. After CC finished signing the paperwork, she looked at Niles and said, "Let's go."

"Yes," he replied with a mild surprise. When they walked through the automatic sliding glass doors, CC was surprised to find how perfect the weather was. A slight breeze made the green grass dance. Two birds flew around the branches of a tall tree in front of the hospital. The blue sky was painted with white clouds. They walked on the sidewalk until they arrived at the car. Niles opened the passenger side door for CC, and she slid into the seat with such ease that Niles couldn't help admiring her possible grace.

Niles turned on the radio when he got into the car. He was terrified of the awkward silence that he was sure that was bound to occur. As he backed out of the parking spot, Jack Johnson's voice played softly on the radio. As the song gently played, he thought about their relationship. Despite their turbulent past, they were only ordinary people. They were fragile despite any facade. They had the emotional connection for a relationship; however, he realized they needed to take it slow.

After the song ended, CC moved her gaze from outside the car window to the man sitting in the driver's seat of the car. She ran a hand through her hair and pressed the back of her head on the window. She ran a hand through her hair as she began to think of any easy way to begin the conversation, but it needed to be done.

"Niles," she said softly.

"Yes," he responded carefully.

She closed her eyes as she pondered what she was going to say. "I really care about you," she admitted,"but I...we can't, shouldn't, be together."

Niles grimaced and nodded as he pondered the reasons why CC didn't want to be with him. Even though they had walked through hell together and spent the last three months together, he wondered if she hadn't forgiven him for the past. "Why?" he,unwilling to conjur any other reasons, asked calmly. He refused to get angry at her and kept his eyes on the road.

"If you hadn't noticed, I just was released from the crazy house, and the Sheffield house is anything but a controlled environment. I don't want to leap into a relationship and have it explode in our faces," she replied with a slight laugh. "I just don't think it's the right time...for us."

"I guess I understand," he said reasonably, "so have I melted your heart, ice princess?"

"You know I love you, dustbuster," she replied as a playful smirk crossed his features. "God, I've missed this."

"Me too. Acting normally is unbeliavably difficult especially for me," he replied proud that he didn't say "us." He was surprised when CC laughed, rested his head on her shoulder, and muttered something under her breath. Niles smiled as he came to the realization: one day, she would be his to hold. They would be closer than ever, but he would have to prove his worth, his loyalty, and his friendship to have her in his future.

"One day," he thought aloud. CC mouthed the same words as she looked at the brilliant blue sky with painted white pillowing clouds. Never before had she made a better decision, and it would pay off in an not-so-distant future.