Alfredo sauce and bowling balls

A short piece of fluff for all you Neal and Sara fans in which they continue to deal with impending parenthood. Hope you enjoy!

(Week 28)

'Neal, what are the five ingredients for the alfredo sauce, again?' Sara was looking preoccupied and flustered as Neal arrived home after a day at the Bureau.

'Hi' he said as he closed the door behind him and walked towards her, setting down the bottle of Shiraz he had picked up on the way home.

'Oh, hi, sorry, I guess I'm kinda caught up in my recipe here' she said without looking up.

'First things, first' he said, snaking his arms around her waist and pulling her to him. He looked into her eyes trying to get her attention and she smiled as she realized that she had practically assaulted him with her question the second he walked in the door.

He wiped a small smatering of flour from her cheek and proceeded to kiss her in that very spot, very slowly, hoping to get her focussed so she could regain her composure. She started to laugh. His kisses continued to her other cheek, her eyelids and finally her mouth.

'Now, what's this about the alfredo sauce?' said Neal

'Forget the alfredo sauce' she replied as she kissed him again, this time deep and probing.

Sara had developed a voracious sexual appetite during her pregnancy and most days Neal was very appreciative of this fact. However, she often turned it on so suddenly and he was expected to rise to the occasion at a moment's notice and let's face it, no matter how much a guy wants to, he has to have a little lead time! She was also extremely emotional – quite a novelty when you knew the real Sara Ellis. More than once, Sara had started to cry during sex and he didn't know what the hell to do when she did that. She would insist that she was just really happy or that she couldn't control her emotions but Neal had always associated tears with being upset and he found it difficult to keep enjoying their lovemaking with his girlfriend sobbing in his ear.

The mood swings had been the most obvious change in Sara since she had gotten pregnant and Neal learned that they were called 'swings' for a reason. She went from being happy, energetic and giggling one minute to upset, angry and crying the next. He had read about this stuff on the internet but he had put it down to some stereotypical description of pregnant women – unfortunately, he was finding out that the website's description could have easily had a picture of Sara next to it.

Neal gently pulled away from Sara, reminding himself that they had company coming and that he would have to keep Sara to a low simmer if he wanted to be in one piece by the time they got there.

'Let me see your ankles' said Neal as if he were conducting an inspection.

'No' whined Sara, fiddling with her feet so he couldn't get a good look.

'Let me see your ankles' he repeated as he lifted the bottom of her jeans to take a peak. 'Oh, Sara, look how swollen they are. That's it, off your feet right now.'

'No, I have to finish the sauce and the salad' she added.

'What time are Peter and Elizabeth coming, anyway?' he asked

'Seven' she responded

'Sara, that's two hours away – it's too early for the sauce, it'll dry up'

Despite her efforts to control herself, her bottom lip started to quiver and between this admonition and his earlier comment about her swollen ankles, the water works started suddenly and abundantly.

'Jeez, Neal. I'm doing my best here!' she cried.

Now that she was spending more time at home, Sara was doing more of the household chores and this did not sit well with her. As her third trimester began, Neal had convinced her that she needed to slow down on her 14 hour days and she had to agree - she didn't have the stamina for the long days. Some days, she had found herself falling asleep at her desk or nodding off in a meeting – especially after lunch. So, two weeks ago, she had begun working half days at her job at Sterling Bosch and although she appreciated the slower pace, she did not like having to hand over some of her cases to her co-workers, particularly Jerry Brennan, 'Mr. I can't wait to move in on your territory'. Sara hated not being in total control of her own cases but she knew this was non-negociable at this stage of her pregnancy.

'Oh, shit' thought Neal in reaction to the tears – he never could figure out what would trigger a crying jag and although he had been exposed to them regularly over the past six months, he could never master the proper response to give her. If he smiled and made light of it, she would accuse him of not taking her seriously and if he went with serious empathy, it seemed to spur her on to new heights.

'What's really going on here, Repo?' he asked trying to muster the right balance of emotions.

'I caaan't put on my damn shoooes anymore!' she wallowed loudly.

'What?' he said, puzzled and lifting her chin so he could look into her eyes and let her see his sincere confusion.

'My shoes… none of them fit with my ankles the size of bowling balls!'

'I'm sorry, Sara' said Neal, trying to muster as much empathy as he could 'but you know it's only temporary, right? You'll be back in those shoes before your know it. Why don't we go shopping this weekend and pick up some comfortable shoes just to tide you over 'till the baby comes. Now, come on, let's get you off your feet and try to bring the swelling down. I've got dinner under control.'

Neal couldn't believe that after a day of working undercover on a case involving a dangerous mobster and taking his life into his hands, this was becoming the biggest challenge of his day.

'Alright' Sara finally relented, too tired to argue.

Neal walked her over to the bed and helped her lie down. She looked up at him and her mood had suddenly changed. She smiled and said 'Do you want to join me for a little while?'

Again, trick question thought Neal – if he said no, she might take it as a rejection but if he said yes, chances are that he wouldn't get the dinner on the table by the time Peter and Elizabeth arrived. He took the coward's way out, hoping to buy some time.

'Let me get out of these clothes and I'll be right back' he said giving her a wink and a quick kiss on the lips.

He headed to the the back room to change and hoped that she would be asleep when he came back out so he could get started on dinner. He took his time changing his clothes and actually took a peek before coming back into the open loft. Her eyes were closed and she was snoring gently – this was another new non-Sara Ellis thing that had changed just recently. She would die if he told her that her snoring had started to wake him up on occasion.

He tiptoed out into the kitchen area, barefoot and clad in chinos and a casual shirt and started to get the ingredients ready for the sauce and salad.

By the time he had the meal under control and the table set, Sara was beginning to stir.

'Hey gorgeous' he called out from the kitchen 'how do you feel?'

'Much better', she admitted. 'What time is it?'

'Six thirty' he said 'just enough time for you to get ready. Peter texted that they are running about ten minutes late' – he secretely wondered if Peter had given in to Elizabeth where he had found a way to resist Sara's advances on his end.

With difficulty, she sat up on the edge of the bed and smiled over at him. Sara had never had a weight problem and she always worked very hard to keep in shape. To have this large (and getting larger) protrusion limiting her movements was not easy for her to adapt to. She reached out to Neal, asking silently for some help in getting up.

He wandered over, smiling, finding her irresistibly beautiful and he reached out his arms. She curled up against his chest feeling safe and secure. Despite Sara's mood swings and other ajustments he had learned to make, he loved Sara pregnant. Her eyes were always shiny and bright, her skin glowed and just the thought that she was carrying this beautiful baby that they would soon be able to hold in their arms made him feel almost giddy.

Sara changed into a lovely chiffon two piece pant suit and decided to go barefoot and once again, Neal looked at her with love and lust in his eyes.

Peter and Elizabeth arrived at 7 :15 and truth be told, Peter looked a little too happy - making Neal wonder once again if his theory about before-dinner sex was correct and he had a moment of regret that he had not given in to Sara earlier. He resolved to make it up to her when Peter and Elizabeth left.

Dinner was a grand affair, as it always was. Peter and Elizabeth had become close friends and confidants to both Neal and Sara and as time went on the two women had developed a close friendship.

After dinner, they sat back finishing the wine – tea for Sara – and basking in the afterglow of a wonderful meal. Neal signalled Sara to put her feet up on his lap and he proceeded to rub her ankles trying to bring the swelling down and just generally enjoying the close contact. Every once in a while, with a twinkle in her eye, she would push in just a little against his groin and he would give her the look that said 'Keep that up and I won't be able to stand up'. But she was having fun with the little game and if he was honest, so was he. Thankfully, Peter and Elizabeth were oblivious to the charade or if they weren't, they had the good sense not to comment on it.

The guests left at 10 :30 as it was a week night and Sara began straightening up just as Neal came up behind her. He put his arms around her, enveloping her curves and, lifting her hair, he planted a nice lingering kiss on her neck.

'Oh no, you don't' he said 'leave all that alone. You are coming with me, young lady.'

Sara didn't need much convincing and allowed him to gently coax her towards the bed all the while kissing her down her neck and back up behind her ear.

'Alright, Caffrey, you win' she whispered

Life with a pregnant lady was pretty wonderful, thought Neal, as he pulled her down onto the bed in a warm and penetrating kiss.

This ficlet is part of a series called 'Neal and Sara's Wonderful Adventure' which includes 'Coloring outside the lines'