"You're amazing, and I want to make sure I make you feel that way. So today, we fly."

"Awesome," she replies, shaking her head in wonder. Buck's not sure whether she's talking about him or the hot air balloon, but he hopes the sentiment is the same for both. "Awesome," she says again. They walk hand-in-hand the rest of the way up the trail to the balloon, where Buck introduces Abby to their pilot.

"Bob Smith," the man says cheerfully. He offers her a hand in order to ease her climb into the basket, which she accepts and lands gracefully inside. Buck, ever the athlete, places one hand on the side of the basket and effortlessly propels himself inside.

"Smooth," Abby comments dryly. Her tone is all amused affection, but he doesn't miss the way her teeth sink into her bottom lip as she lets her gaze linger over the length of his body. He makes a mental note to indulge in displays of agility more often.

"So," Bob asks, catching their attention. "Have either of you ever done this before?"

Buck and Abby shake their heads in unison and Bob smiles brightly. "Well then, be prepared for the experience of a lifetime!"

Abby reaches for Buck's hand and squeezes. He squeezes back enthusiastically, and they take a second to share an excited smile before turning back to Bob.

"There's a few things to know before we get started. One, the basket is not going to sway or tip. These things are very stable. You're safe in my hands. Two, people usually want to take a lot of pictures during the ride, and I encourage it, but if you do, be careful about it. There have been more than a few incidences of dropped phones on these flights."

"Oops," Abby remarks.

"Yeah," Bob agrees dryly. "And I can't go back for them no matter how much people might want to. The flight usually lasts about three hours, but may end sooner if the wind kicks up. The fastest we'll go is about 10 miles an hour. That's about it. If I need to give you any other instructions, I'll let you know. Do either of you have any questions?"

"How high will we go?" Abby asks curiously.

"Up to about 2,000 feet, Ma'am. But we may not go that far up. It depends on how conditions unfold. Anything else?"

They shake their heads again in reply. Bob claps his hands and then rubs them together in excitement. "Ok, then! Let's get this show on the road!"

He goes about his business of getting them into the air, and Buck smiles to himself when he notices Abby watching the man work, bouncing a bit on the balls of her feet in anticipation. "Excited?" he teases. She bestows a dazzling smile upon him that fills him with a sensation of pure happiness that he hasn't experienced in a very long time. Seeing her so relaxed and blissful, unfettered by the stress of her job and caring for her mother, if only for a moment, is exactly the kind of outcome he'd been hoping for. He's glad that he seems to have nailed it. He reaches out a hand and when she takes it, pulls her into a hug just in time for Bob's announcement that their flight was now beginning.

"Here we go!"

The takeoff is a lot smoother than Buck was expecting it to be, which goes a long way toward dispelling any lingering feelings of apprehension he was harboring. The balloon rises into the air, and he has to admit to himself that the view is truly breathtaking. It's not long before they start seeing familiar sights, and Buck gets a kick out of Abby's delight at seeing everyday landmarks, if only from a different vantage point.

"Oh, look! The Hollywood sign!"

"And LAX," Buck points out, joining in the fun.

Abby then sees a unique building in the distance, three large dome topped structures joined by three longer portions in a triangle shape. "I wonder which one that one is," she says, pointing. Buck leans forward and squints, acting as though he were trying to decide which city landmark they were catching a glimpse of. Finally, he turns toward her, the picture of seriousness.

"I'm pretty sure that's the Sphinx."

That comment earns him an elbow to the side.

"I believe that's the observatory," Bob interjects with a chuckle, "they have a pretty impressive planetarium if you're interested in that kind of thing."

"Oh!" Abby pipes up, eagerly. "That sounds great. We should go sometime!"

Buck nods in agreement. "Definitely."

Their pilot points out a few more notable sights, and then gradually goes quiet as they all settle in for the rest of the flight. They watch the world pass by, buildings and roads, fields and trees. Everything gets smaller as the balloon continues to climb. Before long they reach their maximum altitude and Bob turns to them with a smile. "And now, we float."

Abby releases a contented sigh and relaxes back against Buck, who wraps his arms loosely around her waist. They stand for a while in companionable silence, taking in the view. The sky is vibrant blue, and the few clouds that they can see are nothing but snow-white wisps. "It's so beautiful, isn't?"

Buck leans down, his nose in her hair, and speaks directly into her ear.

"It's got nothin' on you."

The compliment makes her blush, her cheeks pink when she tilts her head up and smiles softly at him. She presses a slow kiss to his jawline. "You're amazing," Abby tells him, her voice a bit thickened with emotion. "What did I do to deserve you?"

Buck chuckles. "I feel the same way about you all the time," he says modestly.

Facing forward again, she wordlessly tugs his arms more tightly around her body. Her head falls back against his chest, and Buck feels a burst of warmth shoot through his heart. He can't believe that they have only really known each other for a few months. Before Abby had stumbled into it, his life had been all about the thrill of the chase. Whether it was another sexual conquest or his next adrenaline rush, it didn't matter. He'd thrown himself into things with a kind of reckless abandon that, now that he thinks about it, he's surprised hasn't gotten him killed. He's still an adrenaline junkie, his job is proof enough of that, but now he finds himself being a little more cognizant of risk, a little more careful. Buck finds that he's ready and willing to ease the breakneck pace of his life and add some domesticity. He looks down at Abby, marveling at how quickly life can change. He'd always assumed that settling down with one person was something he could never do, let alone something he'd even want to do. Now though, he can't imagine his life without Abby in it.

He's shaken out of his thoughts by Bob informing them of their imminent landing. "It might be slightly bumpy," he says. "I'd grab the side of the basket for support." They heed the pilot's warning and hold on tightly as the balloon comes to rest not far from where they started.

"So," Bob asks once the balloon is secured. "Did you enjoy it? Would you do it again?"

"In a heartbeat!" Abby declares enthusiastically, and Buck agrees with a nod. "Absolutely."

"That's what I like to hear!" Bob smiles and shakes hands with each of them. "Thanks for flying with me today, I hope to see you both again. It was great to meet you."

"You too," Abby says to Bob. "Thank you so much!"

"You're very welcome. Here, let me give you a hand out."

"But wait," Buck says to Abby with the flourish of a game show host unveiling a particularly exciting prize. "We're not done yet. Remember the champagne and truffles I promised you? I have a blanket in the car. I thought we'd spread it out on the ground and have a kind of picnic." With that, he reaches for a wicker basket tucked into the corner that had so far gone unnoticed.

"Ooh," Abby says willingly, "that sounds great. You're just full of surprises, aren't you?"

Buck shrugs, pleased with her reaction. "I try."

Bob, who has seemed utterly amused by the two of them all morning, winks at Abby. "I think this young man likes you a little bit."

She nods, smiling. "I think he might," She moves closer to Bob and puts a hand to the side of her mouth, stage whispering "don't tell him I like him back, though. I like to keep him on his toes."

"Your secret is safe with me," Bob promises, playing along. He shoots an amused glance at Buck. "You've got your hands full with this one."

"You don't know the half of it, man." Buck tells the pilot jokingly, causing Abby to give him a suggestive look over the top of her glasses that makes his throat go dry.

They thank Bob one last time before exiting the balloon, Buck just as nimbly as he'd entered it, and began strolling arm-in-arm toward their waiting vehicles.

"I'm a handful, am I?" Abby asks, amused. She's looking up at him, squinting due to the sunlight, and he still can't quite believe his good fortune. "Well," he replies nonchalantly, "only when you're awake." She cracks up at that, and he grins. He loves making her laugh.

A few minutes later, they're sitting face to face on Buck's aforementioned blanket. He fills both their flutes with champagne and holds his out. "To a successful second date!"

Abby clinks her champagne flute against his. "To not having to cancel at the last minute," she points out. They both take long sips, savoring both the champagne and the moment.

"Wow," Abby comments afterward, "that's good!"

"And," Buck says, opening the box of truffles and offering it to her to choose one. "It probably goes even better with these."

She picks one and takes a bite, closing her eyes and breathing in deeply. She swallows, eyes still closed. "God, Buck."

"That good, huh?"

She nods and makes quick work of the rest of her truffle. He pops one into his mouth and finds out that they really ARE that good. "Damn," he comments appreciatively. He holds out the box again. Abby takes another one, but fiddles with it a bit instead of eating it right away. She looks up at him thoughtfully.

"I don't want to sound cliché or anything, but this whole morning has been magical. Like, Disney-level."

He grins confidently. "What's wrong with cliché, especially if it's true?"

She rolls her eyes. "I'm serious, you dork." She leans forward and covers his hand with one of her own. "Nobody has ever done anything like this for me before. Thank you for, I don't know," she shrugs, "making me feel special." Abby pops the truffle into her mouth and reaches beside him for the bottle of champagne, but doesn't get the chance to grab it before Buck gently catches her wrist in one hand. She looks up and raises an eyebrow at him.

"You should always feel special," he tells her seriously. "I want to make you feel special because you are special." He searches her eyes for a second, hoping he's not about to make a giant mistake. He takes a breath, harnessing courage. "I love you, Abs. I'm in love with you. You know that, right?"

Abby doesn't say anything for what feels like hours, but in reality is mere seconds. She pulls him into a bone-crushing hug and releases a sound into his ear that's half a sob and half a laugh.

"Abs?" he asks, slightly worried. She still hasn't said a word, and even though he's pretty sure a hug is good news; he'd like to be certain. Mercifully, she pulls away just then and takes his face in her hands.

"Oh, Buck. I love you too." She's smiling brightly through her tears, which Buck knows is definitely a good sign. He's so focused on her physical reaction that it takes him a moment to process what she actually said. "Wait. You do?" he asks her, sort of amazed.

Instead of answering, she kisses him, long and slow and languid, as though there were nowhere else in the world she'd rather be. He responds in kind, tangling his fingers into her hair as he brushes against her cheek with his hand. When she finally breaks the kiss, Abby smiles and studies his face, as if seeing it for the first time. She traces a thumb over his lips, resting it on his chin.

"Abs?"

He sees her eyes sparkle when she answers him. "Just thinking about how lucky I am."

"Only half as lucky as me."