A/N: This idea came to me while playing DDR (Dance Dance Revolution, for those of you who've been living in a cave for the past forever) with my sister. No 'ships. Just plain old happy fluff. But there will be a sequel that is chapterful and not complete fluff and it will make more sense if you've read this.
Rating: G
Summary: Sara Sidle; genius, CSI, physics major, Harvard grad…DDR freak?
Closet DDR Freak by Lowrider Angel aka Hannah Brown
Sara, you need a diversion. Sara, you need a life. Sara, you're going to burn out. The words bounced around in Sara Sidle's head as she entered the Tangiers casino. She strode past the clanging slot machines and around the blackjack tables to the very back of the casino, where tucked away for the children who could not legally gamble there were…Dance Dance Revolution consoles. Sara put fifty cents into the slot and waited for the machine to boot the song options. She selected her song, level, and character, then waited for the program to begin.
Sara was terrible. The game was harder than it looked. Sara was getting ready to put more money in the machine when a twelve-year-old bounced up to the console.
"Hi." She said shyly. "Would you mind if I played with you?"
"Not at all." Sara smiled. The girl stepped up onto the other side of the console. "What's your name?" Sara asked.
"Olivia Anderson."
"Olivia. That's a very pretty name. My friend has a niece named Olivia."
"Oh." Olivia tapped her foot on the console selecting a song and level. "Ready?"
Sara nodded and got ready. "So, where are your parents?" Sara asked.
"They abandoned me." Olivia rolled her eyes. "But what's new? Mom and Dad come to Vegas every year to visit my mom's little brother and drop me off here with like, fifty dollars in quarters and tell me to amuse myself."
"That sucks." Sara tilted her head sympathetically. "How long are you here for?"
"A week. I'll be at this console same time, every night." Olivia sensed she'd found a new friend in Sara. "How often do you come here?"
"This is my first time. Everybody at work is always telling me to find a diversion. I figured I'd try this arcade." She shrugged.
"Oh." Olivia nodded.
Sara glanced at her watch. "Oh, hey, look. I gotta go. But I'll come back tomorrow."
"That sounds good." Olivia smiled shyly.
Every night Sara returned to the arcade at the back of the Tangiers and she and Olivia played for two hour until that Friday. "So, I'm going home tomorrow." Olivia told Sara that Friday.
"You must be excited." Sara smiled fondly at the almost-teenager.
"Very. Hey, you've really gotten good." Olivia checked out their scores on the computer screen.
Sara laughed. "I guess I have."
Olivia scanned the crowd. "Oh, there's my mom and dad." She threw her arms around Sara's neck and gave her an impromptu hug. "Thanks for hanging out with me, Sara."
Sara was taken aback. "Sure thing."
Olivia jumped off the platform and ran to her parents. "Hey mom, hey dad." She jumped into the waiting arms of a third man. "Hi Uncle Nicky!" Her face broke out into a smile.
Sara's jaw dropped. Olivia's uncle was Nick Stokes, her co-worker. "Hey Livie." He hugged her tight.
"Uncle, Nicky, you have to meet Sara. She's been playing DDR with me!"
Nick laughed as Olivia dragged him back to where Sara was standing. His jaw dropped when he saw Sara.
"This is Sara, Uncle Nicky!" She jumped up and down.
"Sara Sidle." Nick raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess, you found a diversion?"
"Shut up Nick." Sara playfully punched him in the shoulder.
Olivia was confused. She tugged on Nick's shirt. "Uncle Nicky, how do you know Sara?"
"Sara is Sara Sidle, my co-worker." He winked at Sara. "Say, Sara, do you want to come get some ice cream with us?"
"Sara, come with us." Olivia bounced up and down again. "Come on, please?"
Sara laughed and shrugged. "Sounds like fun."
Later as Sara munched on a chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream cone and Nick was eating his chocolate superfudge he turned to her and said, "So I guess your big secret is out."
Sara was befuddled. "What big secret?"
"Sara Sidle; genius, CSI extrordinaire…and closet DDR freak."
