"I thought I'd lost you."

Ned gazed at her for a moment before replying. "Not that easily, Drew," he said, and smiled.

The two of them had gone for a jog on the banks of the Muskoka, and in sight of Chez Louis, Nancy couldn't help but remember the last time they had been here. She twisted her fingers in the cool grass at her side, tucking her bent knees up close to her chest.

She returned his smile, but weakly. "I'm serious," she said softly. "It scared me."

Ned reached over and rested his hand over hers. "It's all right."

She shook her head. "I know... how you always tell me that I shouldn't take so many risks, that it scares you, but... I've only felt that way twice. The time you were hit by that car, right in front of me, and you were in the hospital for so long... and when I thought that that plane was going to crash, with you on it. It was the most horrible feeling."

Ned turned and gazed out over the water. "It's who you are," he replied. Then he smiled. "And I guess I've been around you so long that I thought a little bit of your immortality had rubbed off on me."

She leaned to the side and bumped his shoulder with hers, lacing her fingers between his. "I'm not immortal."

"Then in addition to being the most gorgeous, intelligent, and fiercely independent girl I know, you must also be the luckiest."

Nancy ducked her head and blushed faintly. "Silver-tongued devil," she teased him, and when she turned toward him again, their kiss was brief but sweet.

"I plan on spending a long time with you," he said, smiling, his lips still brushing hers. "Maybe the rest of my life."

She closed her eyes when they kissed again. "So that's why we're here? You want to try your proposal over again?"

Ned chuckled and shook his head. "No, Nan. Not for a good long time."

Nancy stroked her thumb over Ned's hand. "You never did tell me what you would have done if I'd said yes."

"And I won't," he said firmly, but not without humor. His brown eyes were warm when they met hers. "You'll never know."

"You know what I think?"

"What do you think?"

"That you would have been scared out of your mind if I'd called your bluff."

"So it was a bluff?"

"Sure it was," she replied, mild surprise in her voice. "Otherwise you couldn't have proposed to Jessica and..."

"And what?"

"And been on that plane," she finished softly.

Ned leaned over and kissed her temple. "Sure I could have," he said lightly. "I could have told you about all this from the beginning."

"Then why didn't you?"

"I did always promise that you'd be the first girl I'd propose to," he said. "But I have to say, the look on your face when Jessica announced our engagement..."

"Oh, you enjoyed that, didn't you," she said accusingly, bumping his shoulder again. "I thought for sure I was having a nightmare. Or that you had been secretly replaced by a pod person. Or maybe some evil clone of my good, honest boyfriend. Because the Ned I knew and loved..."

"Well, yeah," he admitted. "It was kind of a huge bonus, to see you freak."

"You are evil," she announced, and tackled him. He started tickling her, his fingertips tracing over her sweat-dampened skin, and she shrieked with laughter, until they were sprawled on the grass, side by side, facing each other. She smiled up at him, memorizing his face.

"You're right," he said. "It was a bluff."

"So next time, it won't be?"

"I didn't say that." He narrowed his eyes. "Who said I was ever going to propose again?"

She pillowed her head on her bent elbow. "Look into my eyes and tell me you aren't."

He obligingly met her eyes, gazing deep into them, and opened his mouth, but then his gaze shifted away. She chuckled and laced her fingers between his again. "Right."

"Hey," he protested, then leaned forward, touching the tip of his nose to hers. "You don't always need to be right, you know."

She sobered slightly. "Sometimes I'm glad when I'm not," she admitted. "When I was sure that you were gone. I almost wished..."

"Wished what?" She could feel his breath on her skin, and she closed her eyes, shivering slightly.

"Would it be," she whispered, "too terribly cliche for me to say I wished I'd answered you differently?"

"Maybe," he murmured, and even though she couldn't see him, she could still hear the smile in his voice. "Although, even if you had said yes, we still wouldn't be married right now. I have college to finish, and you..."

"Have mysteries to solve," she sighed. "But I'll always have mysteries to solve."

"Yeah," he admitted. "But I won't be in college forever."

"And I won't say no forever."

"You didn't say no," he reminded her. "You said not yet. And next time, I guarantee... you'll say yes."

"You guarantee?"

He nodded, and his eyes were serious on hers. "Yep. You think that first try was good? You haven't seen anything yet."

Nancy raised an eyebrow. "White doves, an orchestra, and maybe a ring next time?"

"White doves? We can save for the wedding. An orchestra? Why an orchestra? Is that what you want?"

Nancy shrugged. "What I want," she said softly, "is to feel grown up enough... because what we have is too special to be ruined by impatience. And after you've graduated..."

Ned nodded. "After I'm graduated, and you've found some safer career, like navy demolitions or contract killing..."

She pushed him onto his back and leaned over him, her hair brushing his cheek as she kissed him. "Contract killing," she mused aloud. "Good idea."

Ned reached up and buried his hand in her hair, drawing her down to him, and he kissed her until she was breathless, leaning into him, melting into him. She drew her knee up over him and he made a soft slightly choked noise before he loosed his grip on her, letting her pull back.

"You sure about that waiting thing?" he murmured, still breathless.

She traced the backs of her fingers over his cheek. "Don't tempt me," she said softly. "Just try to keep yourself out of life-threatening situations until you buy that diamond, okay? Or, maybe I should just say, the rest of your life."

"Only if you do the same," he replied, and smiled. "You might be the first girl I ever proposed to, Nan, but I want you to be the last, too."

She leaned down and kissed him again, softly. "Me too."