Title: Fly Me to the Moon
Author: scgirl_317
Genre: Romance
Summary: Post 9.14, "Stoned Cold". Natalia shows an interest in Ryan's telescope.
Natalia was putting her things in her locker for the day when Ryan walked in. They exchanged the usual greetings when Natalia broached a subject the she was curious about.
"The sky was pretty clear, last night," she mentioned, trying not to look too pointedly at him.
"Yeah it was," Ryan replied, ignoring her not-so-subtle hint.
"Oh come on, are you seriously gonna stand there and tell me you didn't set up that telescope, last night?"
"I had no intention of saying anything of the sort," he rebuffed. "I just wasn't gonna bring it up at all."
Natalia laughed, "Yeah, well, there was no hope of that either."
They went about their business, going through the day's routines almost automatically. It was later that day when the subject of the telescope came up again. This time, Ryan was the one to bring it up.
"Have you ever seen the moon through a telescope?" he asked Natalia.
"No, I haven't."
"Would you like to?" he pressed.
"Yeah, I would," she replied with a smile.
"How about tonight? The forecast is calling for a clear sky with low humidity, so visibility should be pretty good."
"That sounds great," Natalia said, already looking forward to this evening. "What time?"
"The moon's supposed to rise around nine, so nine thirty?"
"Nine thirty. Okay, it's a date."
Natalia went back to work, but Ryan was left rooted in thought. He wondered if Natalia realized what she had said. He knew it wasn't intentional—at least, he thought it wasn't—but that didn't stop his heart from skipping a beat. It was something he had tried to ignore for years, but he had to admit to himself that he was in love with Natalia, had been almost from the moment they had met.
At first, it had been mere infatuation—she was one of the most beautiful women he'd laid eyes on—but that had grown into something deeper as he had gotten to know her. The FBI debacle had been a brief setback, but that was overcome fairly quickly. He had finally gotten the guts to ask her out, but she asked if they could stay friends after the date. He had been crushed, but he was proud of himself for not showing it. He said he agreed, and they shook hands when he dropped her off at home. Once he was back home, and half a bottle of tequila latter, he decided that she had been right. An inter-office relationship would be too messy, and he would rather simply have her as a friend than not at all.
Now Ryan found himself imagining what a relationship with Natalia would be like. He imagined taking her dancing, walking her up to her front door at the end of the night, a gentle kiss goodnight that grew until Ryan had to physically shake himself out of the daydream before he got carried away. Thankfully, Natalia's back had been to him, so she didn't notice as he leaned on the table for support as he regained control. He scolded himself for drifting away like that when there was work to be done, and he proceeded to throw himself fully into the task at hand to keep all non-professional thoughts of the woman next to him at bay. Nine thirty that night could not get there fast enough.
Nine thirty was getting perilously close, and Ryan fiddled with the telescope, suddenly full of nervous energy. A knock at the door made him jump, and it was several seconds before he had regained his composure enough to open the door. It amazed him how three little words—"it's a date"—had just about been his undoing. Today had been the first day in years that he had not cursed his obsessive-compulsive tendencies, instead letting them take over as he worked, knowing that that was the only way he wouldn't screw anything up.
He absently noted that Natalia had arrived right on time as he opened the door. She had changed clothes since leaving the lab; the peach blouse, khakis, and pumps were replaced by a red tank top, white broom skirt, and sandals. Trying desperately to appear casual, he swallowed past the lump in his throat and invited her in.
He watched as her gaze flitted around the room, taking in details much the same way she would at a crime scene. A thought occurred to Ryan that the last time she had been there was when he had been suspected in Stetler's evidence thefts, but he quickly squashed it; that train of thought never led anywhere desirable.
"Telescope's on the back deck," Ryan said, pointing past her.
He led her past the kitchen and through the sliding glass doors to the deck. Off to one side of the deck stood a small gas grill and table; on the other sat several lounge chairs and the telescope. Simple, and yet, so Ryan.
"It's nice out here," she said, mostly because the silence was starting to get to her.
Desperately needing something to do with his hands, Ryan stepped over to the telescope, adjusting the view until the full moon came in crystal clear, almost completely filling up the view. Once he was satisfied, he stepped back.
"Here, take a look."
Natalia tucked her hair behind her ear as she leaned her head down to the eyepiece. With her focus elsewhere, Ryan relaxed somewhat, and allowed his gaze to drift along her body. She truly was gorgeous.
"Amazing," she breathed, still looking through the telescope.
"Yes, you are," Ryan replied.
Natalia sharply turned to look at him. It was then that he realized he had actually spoken aloud. If ever there was a deer in the headlights, that deer was him. He was suddenly frozen, unable to speak or even think.
"Ryan?"
It was too late to try to cover his blunder, so he simply followed it, possibly digging himself an even deeper hole.
"You're amazing," he said. "The way your mind works is incredible. You pick things up so fast. You make these connections that don't even occur to anyone else. You're so strong. You've managed to overcome things that would take most people out. And you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, inside and out."
Ryan looked to the ground after this little speech, trying to hide the blush that was creeping up his neck. He was startled when he felt a hand come up and lift his chin. Natalia's smiling gaze squarely met his, and he found himself smiling as well, though he wasn't sure why.
"You know, you're not so bad, yourself," she said. "You're smart, funny, dedicated, loyal to a fault, and you're incredibly handsome. Any woman would be lucky to land you."
"You make it sound like I'm some prize fish," he muttered, the color deepening in his cheeks.
"Well, you are the one that got away," she replied softly.
Suddenly emboldened, Ryan took Natalia's face in his hands and placed a soft kiss on her lips. He felt her smile against his lips, and he smiled back. Taking the kiss even deeper, he wrapped one arm around her waist, pulling her close. Natalia responded by wrapping her arms around Ryan's neck.
Passion was overcome by the burning in their lungs. Ryan pulled back just enough to rest his forehead against Natalia's. He placed his other hand on her hip as his lungs replenished themselves. Could he not feel the solidness or warmth of her body through the thin material of her clothes, he would be temped to believe this was a very convincing dream. In fact, he still wasn't sure. But he also wasn't sure if he cared.
"Do me a favor," he said. "No pinches, no slaps, no loud noises, please."
"What?" Natalia asked, puling back enough to look him in the eye.
"If this is a dream, I don't want to wake up."
A grin slowly spread across Natalia's face, and she brought his head down to her, possessing his mouth with every ounce of passion she could muster. The intensity blindsided Ryan for a moment, and all he could do was stand there. Once he recovered, however, he returned the kiss, possessively devouring her in return. Then, just as suddenly as Natalia had kissed him, she pulled back.
"Did that feel like a dream?" she asked.
"Nothing I've ever dreamed has even come close," he replied, unable to contain the small laugh that escaped. "So, wait, what does this mean?"
"Sweetie, has it really been that long since you asked a woman out?" she laughed.
Ryan laughed outright at that. It was beyond him how he had gotten so lucky as to hold the woman of his dreams in his arms. With happiness bubbling within, he placed a kiss on her forehead. With one last chuckle, he stepped back.
"Natalia Boa Vista, would you go out with me?"
Natalia pretended to think for a moment. "Hm, I don't know. Let me think about it." She stepped up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'd love to."
"Great," he replied, unsure of what else to say. "Um, how about tomorrow night?"
"Tomorrow night? Short notice, but I think I can manage to squeeze you in," she teasingly told him.
"Glad to hear it," he said, leaning down to place yet another kiss on her lips.
Ryan found himself unable to express the emotions he felt as he kissed Natalia. Elation, disbelief and desire were the main feelings vying for superiority. The one thing he did know was that he had never been happier.
The soft breeze that had been blowing all evening picked up intensity, bringing goose bumps to Natalia's bare skin. Noticing this, Ryan suggested they go back inside. As they turned to enter the house, Ryan could hear the familiar strains of Sinatra that his neighbor was so fond of. The appropriateness of the song made him chuckle as he followed Natalia inside.
Fly me to the moon
Let me play among the stars
Let me see what spring is like
On Jupiter and Mars
In other words
Hold my hand
In other words
Darling, kiss me
Fill my heart with song
Let me dance forever more
You are all I long for
All I worship and adore
In other words
Please be true
In other words
I love you