Wow! So many reviews! For a while I was worried that the story just wasn't any good. It really inspired me to try to write a longer, much better chapter. That being said, I send a special thanks out to darkgal69, spriterx, Little-Madman-of-my-house, TroublesomeShikamaru, amethystgrl21, Sabaku no Kiri, and InnerChaos Mistress for your reviews and encouragement. Thanks also to those of you who are reading. I really appreciate it! Now on with the story...

Chapter 3: Mr. Nara

Tick. Tick. Tick.

The tick of the clock was all that could be heard around the Nara table. They had been waiting for Shikamaru's dad, Shikaku, to arrive for over and hour now. At first, no one but Shikamaru noticed his absence; Temari and his mother being too engrossed in conversation. However, when food was finally placed on the table, Shikaku was nowhere to be found. His fuming mother declared that not so much as one bite would be taken from anything until he showed up.

So the clock continued to count off every second of his father's lack of consideration. Hesitantly, he glanced over at his mother. She was getting angrier with ever tick of the clock. He could see it in her face. He could see it in her body language. She squeezed her napkin and began to drum her fingers on the kitchen table continuously. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally broke the silence.

"I guess I will go and get him…again." This evening was becoming a real hassle.

"I'll go with you," Temari said as she stood up and pushed her chair in, eager to depart from such an awkward situation. "It will be fun to take a walk…just the two of us."

Before he could even process her last comment, she grabbed his hand, pulled him through the hallway and out the front door. Much to his surprise, she continued to hold his hand as they walked down the streets of Konaha. The feel of her bare skin against his sent tingles up his arm. She shouldn't do this to him. She was the complete opposite of his vision of a tolerable woman. She was far too aggressive and much too beautiful. She was the equivalent of troublesome. His intelligent mind knew all of these things, but his heart and his body still needed convincing.

It wasn't long before they arrived at the nearby bar his father frequented. Just as he expected, Shikaku sat with his previous teammates, Choza and Inoichi, drinking sake and reminiscing about the past. They looked much like Shikamaru's own team, despite the fact that Inoichi wasn't womanly, and seemed to be in deep conversation.

"Well, at least he looks sober this time. Just wait here by the door…I'll handle this," announced Shikamaru before approaching the trio.

" I hate to interrupt, but it's time to go. Please don't make this difficult. Mom is already in one of her moods and we have a guest." Shikamaru motioned with his head over his shoulder at the blonde who stood by the door. Shikaku sighed, gave his regrets to his comrades, and walked with his son to where she stood.

"I've seen you somewhere before…you're that girl from the hospital back when Shika failed his first mission as a chunin."

"Thanks for bringing that one up again dad, but we really don't have time to chat. Mom's in one of her moods. We need to get back before she has an apoplexy. " And with that said, they headed back at a brisk pace.

As soon as they arrived, his mother ushered his father into a back room. Unfortunately, They could still be heard from the couch in the living room where Temari and Shikamaru awkwardly sat. The sound of breaking objects reverberated throughout the house as well as his mother's voice, which almost shook the walls.

"If you would get off your lazy ass once in a while, maybe things would get done around here!"

Shikamaru breathed in and out deeply, trying to calm himself. God only knew what Temari thought of his family now. And if this fight ended like the others…well, he would be mortified.

"Is your dad going to be alright?"

"He should be… this happens at least three or four times every week. It always starts the same way, and it always ends the same way."

Suddenly, things got quiet; too quiet. The silence was soon followed by soft moans.

"What do you mean?" she asked as she scooted closer to him on the couch, and put her hand on his thigh. Shikamaru felt his heart beat wildly in his chest. He took another deep breath before making his reply.

"Well, they start out arguing, but end up doing other things…I think you can figure it out for yourself."

"Do they do things like this?"

She began to gently rub the inside of his thigh while she used her other hand to stroke his back. Shikamaru let out a rough moan that caused Temari's lips to curl seductively.When she positioned herself across his lap, Shikamaru wrapped his arms around her waist. She brought both hands up to explore the smooth skin of his face and tenderly traced his soft lips with her fingertips.

Slowly, she raised her gaze from his mouth and looked deeply into his eyes. They sat like that for what seemed like an eternity, lost in the moment. With one hand, Shikamaru brushed her hair from her face and cupped her check in his palm. His gazed dropped to her mouth. He gradually leaned forward, their lips almost touching. He could feel her warm breath on his face as they both closed their eyes…

"Shikamaru! I need your help reheating dinner and…Oh! I'm sorry…was I interrupting something?"

They both scrambled quickly to opposite sides of the couch. When they looked up, they saw Shikaku standing in the doorway with his arms folded across his chest; his lips turned up to one side in a perceptive and self-satisfied smirk.

Well, that's it for chapter 3! I tried to put a little more romance in this one...Oh how I love fluff!!! Did the flow of the chapter suffer any from my attempt to make it longer? Please review and thanks for reading!