Two days later, Leslie was released from the hospital with the belief that she had suffered a terrible bout of food poisoning. She didn't question the explanation since she was so excited about getting back to work. The Spring Fling wasn't going to plan itself after all!

A month later, it was almost ready to go. The lot where the festival would be held was decorated and rides were brought in from an Indiana carnival company. The town was buzzing with excitement. It was something to do which was already a huge win, plus it wouldn't break the bank for the families in the area. Comments were pouring in about how grateful the citizens were to the Parks Department for planning this event.

On the day of the festival, Ben stood outside Leslie's home. One foot was planted on her walkway, but the other was turned towards the sidewalk. He wasn't sure if he was actually going to go through with this, but he figured he might as well try. Neither had spoken of the kiss they shared a month before in the hospital room and it had not happened again since. Ben meant what he told Ann about loving Leslie, but he was also so focused on figuring out who had made her so sick that he didn't even think much about pursuing a relationship. Then the Spring Fling happened and everyone was talking about who would ask who. It was very high school. Even Chris decided to ask Ann. "Just as friends," he insisted, but Ben knew he was as guilty as he was when it came to falling for the Pawnee girls.

Ben swallowed and took another step, and then another before he had finally willed himself to Leslie's front door. He knocked three times and then stepped back so she could swing the door open. A moment after his knocks were heard, a muffled "Coming!" sounded from inside followed by thumping, a minor crash, and then the sound of a door clicking open.

Leslie was wearing a blue floral blouse and white dress pants with dressy but sensible shoes that would need to be worn while walking around all day. The front ends of her hair were pulled into a clip at the back of her head and her eyes sparkled when she saw who her unexpected guest was.

"Ben!" she exclaimed as she leaned her head over to fit her earrings in. Before he could return the greeting, her eyes grew wide and she shot up straight. "Oh, no am I late? Did it start? Crap! I was going over the welcome speech and lost track of time."

Before Leslie could go run off into the pit of her home, Ben grabbed her arm gently. "No, we're on time. I was just…" He stopped, catching himself before he told her god knows what about why he was there. He wanted to ask her to go to the event with him, but that felt a little silly. Still, there wasn't really any other way to broach the subject. "I was going to go too," he finished lamely.

Leslie laughed at his awkwardness. "I hope so, you told me you would!" she said. "Well, since you're here, do you want to go together?"

God, she was so smart. Ben was so grateful he fell in love with such a smart, confident woman. "Yeah, I was wondering if you would," he said, starting to gain his footing in the conversation. "I was hoping you would go with me."

"With you, with you?" Leslie asked, raising an eyebrow over her amused expression.

Ben nodded. "I mean, I know we can't really go officially together. Things are still… tricky. But I would love to go with you to the Spring Fling."

"I can't think of anything that would make this a better day," she replied. "Let me grab my bag and I'll be all set to go!"

It only took a minute for Leslie to get the last of what she needed to go and then she and Ben were off, walking along the residential sidewalk towards the lot where the festival was to be held. While they were still far away from the crowds, Leslie slipped her hand into Ben's and he gave her a little squeeze. They chatted about the events and Leslie went on about how Ben would finally get to meet Lil' Sebastian. She went on about him for nearly the entire walk and only after they saw the ferris wheel in the distance did Ben catch on that Lil Sebastian was just a miniature horse. He knew better than to express such skepticism since Leslie sounded so excited, so he just feigned enthusiasm.

For a festival planned in a little over a month with limited resources and only hesitant acceptance from city council, Leslie had done an amazing job. She had the best entertainment that Southern Indiana could offer, some great rides, and events for people of all ages. There were kid-friendly singers and attractions, teens enjoyed more exciting rides and games, there were two bar booths for adults, and there was even an old folk singer for the elderly. No one walked around without a smile on their face and frequently as Leslie and Ben walked towards the entrance, people stopped to give her thanks and praise.

"You even got a Meat and Stuff truck," Ron said with a rare smile on his face when Leslie approached. He was standing in a clear spot off the path with the rest of the Parks and Recreation Department. Half had spent the morning getting ready and were going to take their leave for the day while the other half was getting ready to start helping.

"It was the only thing you wrote on my plan proposal," she replied and turned to everyone else. "Do you guys have your assignments for the day?"

They nodded. Andy was going to help with ride tickets until he went on stage for the kids at three. April would run the teacup ride. Tom was Lil' Sebastian's manager for the day and Ron was going to be sure the food trucks had enough supplies.

"Alright! Go have fun! Let's do this!" Leslie stuck her hand out for a cheer and Andy followed immediately. April put her hand in because Andy did and the rest followed after, except for Ron, who just raised up his stick of meat. "On three. One. Two. Three!"

"Go-Yay-Pawnee-Spring!"

Leslie laughed. "Okay, next time we'll decide what we're saying before, but for now, break!" She clapped her hands together, her whole short self vibrating with excitement. The group disbanded to their stations and Leslie and Ben started walking towards the main stage. The opening ceremonies would begin soon.

"This is really amazing, Leslie," Ben told her. "How did you even do all of this?"

"It was all in the proposal," she explained. "Didn't you see it?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry, a lot of things crossed my desk. Must have slipped my mind." Hopefully, that was a decent enough cover. He was so busy working on the actual mission that he signed off on Leslie's proposal without even reading it. He figured other people had already seen it and would have amended anything that was a glaring issue.

"Anyway, I couldn't have done all of this without everyone's help," she continued seeming to be unaffected by Ben's forgetfulness. "You too, you know. I couldn't have done this without your signature."

"Glad I could help," Ben replied, despite not feeling like a mere signature was much of anything. But, Leslie had a way of making the smallest contribution seem like the most important thing in the world to her.

They approached the stage and Leslie walked up to welcome everyone to the festival. A crowd gathered and everyone listened as she recited a great speech about friendship and community, and how glad she was that everyone could make it out that day. She gave special shout-outs to the entire Parks Department as well as Ann who helped gather volunteers for the medical tent on the far side of the lot. When she was finished, the people clapped loudly and she gracefully exited the stage before one of the many performers came on.

For the rest of the day, Ben and Leslie wandered around together, lost in the crowd of people enjoying the event. They tried their hand at a few games, which Ben lost miserably at, but Leslie managed to win a somewhat decent prize at the ring toss.

Evening fell and the lights on the rides illuminated the lot. The pair made their way to the ferris wheel and climbed aboard the slow-moving ride. "You can see all of Pawnee from here," Leslie explained. "Well, most of it, besides the part that's right behind us." Ben couldn't help but laugh at that as he sat on the plastic bench. They were strapped in and the ride started.

They rode in silence for about two minutes before Leslie turned to face Ben as much as she could with the metal bar across her lap. "So," she started. "What's up with your timing?"

Ben scrunched his eyebrows together as he turned to her, but quickly realized what she was talking about. The hospital kiss.

"I don't know," he admitted. "Things are still kind of weird."

"Ben, do you like me?" she asked.

"Of course!" He sounded defensive.

"Well, I like you too. And you know what? There's never a good time for these things. I was just about ready to get this Spring Fling rolling when I got that food poisoning. And look, we're here now and it all worked out. These things work out." She leaned back and faced forward as more of Pawnee came into view. "You're so cautious. You're afraid of what could happen instead of focusing on what's actually happening. That's great for campaigns, but not so much for life."

"I know," Ben responded quietly, not able to think of anything else to say.

"So, why don't we just try it? Try us? So what if it doesn't last and so what if you have to go back to Indianapolis at any time? We'll figure it out." Leslie reached over and grabbed his hand. "We're smart people. We'll be fine."

He glanced over and wrapped his hand around her. As the ferris wheel stopped, he leaned over and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. She returned the kiss, moving as close to him as she was able and even managing to rock the car a little.

They parted and her smile was absolutely radiant. It lit up the night sky even brighter than the bulbs that lined the ride they were on. He loved it. He never wanted to stop looking at it. At her.

"Alright," he nodded. "Let's give this thing a try." If her smile could get brighter, it did. She leaned her head against his shoulder and Ben relished the feeling of Leslie snuggling up to him. They rounded the top and started to come down, but he never wanted this ride to end.

Eventually, it did, and they were on the ground, yet Ben still felt like he was floating. Leslie walked with such a skip in her step, she actually looked like she was ten feet off the ground. "I'll walk you home," Ben offered once Leslie made sure everything was good to be shut down for the night.

They walked the darkened streets hand in hand, silently enjoying the crisp night and each other's company. "Leslie," Ben started gently when they were a few blocks from her house. "We do need to talk. About us." She looked up at him in concern and he knew she was worried he would take back what he said on the ferris wheel. "I'm a state auditor which technically makes me your boss," he explained. "We could both get in a lot of trouble if this relationship was ever found out."

"Then we'll be careful about it," Leslie replied as if that was the easiest answer she had ever given someone. "We'll be secret. I won't tell anyone, not even Ann." She paused and bit her top lip. "Maybe Ann. She doesn't work at City Hall anyway."

Ben nodded and agreed. This was what he was hoping for anyway. It wasn't that he cared about some fake city auditor job, but that he needed to be sure they were both on the same page about keeping this quiet. If his bosses in DC ever found out, he'd be canned so quickly. He couldn't even let Chris know which upset him since Chris was his partner and best friend. Maybe he could spin it that it was just a front to keep an eye on the campaign, but he knew his colleague wasn't stupid. He'd see through that excuse in a minute, given that Ben was already Leslie's campaign manager.

They made it to Leslie's house and the couple paused on her porch before she went to unlock her door. "I had a great time tonight," she told him, taking a step closer.

He wrapped his arms around her waist. "Me too," he replied. "I think it was one of the best nights I've ever had here in Pawnee."

She grinned. "Good," she murmured before lifting herself up on the tips of her toes to plant a goodbye kiss on Ben's waiting lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he pulled her closer to him. Then, all too soon, it was over and Leslie was back inside her home after promises of another date that weekend.

Ben shoved his hands in his pockets and started the walk back to the hotel. It wasn't a long walk and it was a nice night, and he also wanted the time in the cool Indiana air to clear his head. This night had been everything he'd wanted as far as dating Leslie Knope went, but it also pushed the mission completely out of his head. On one hand, that was great. He needed a break when he spent all day reading dead end reports on the Newport goons. On the other hand, he needed to protect Leslie and every other innocent person in this town and he couldn't do that if his head wasn't in the game.

"Hey!"

Ben jumped, startled, and whirled around to find himself looking at the loaner car the FBI had given him and Chris. Inside was the other agent, tapping the steering wheel. Ben found this rather strange. Chris only drove to work so he wouldn't get his outfit all sweaty and he didn't want to be weighed down by a duffle bag and briefcase. Otherwise, he was up for walking and running anywhere, especially on a nice night like this.

"Need a ride?" he asked unlocking the doors.

Ben smiled gratefully and opened the passenger's side. He slid into the car and said, "Thanks, man. Appreciate it."

Chris just nodded and drove off just as Ben shut the door. They rode in silence for a while before he spoke again. "So," Chris started in a steely voice Ben didn't recognize. Ben turned to look at him. "Enjoy your date?"

His blood went cold and he froze. "I-" he started but couldn't think of any other words to go after that. A million thoughts ran through his head but he couldn't even latch on to one of them before another thousand raced by. The only thing he knew was that he felt like he was going to puke.

"How did you know?" he finally choked out, feeling as if all the air in the car was gone.

"I saw you. I thought you were walking her home for her own safety," Chris replied.

"I was-"

"No, you weren't, Ben. You and I both know it."

"I was trying to keep her safe!"

Chris had just pulled up to a red light and he turned to Ben, his eyes narrowed in an uncharacteristic glare. He'd seen his partner look nervous, scared, sad, and disappointed, but never this angry. "Don't lie to me! We've been through too much for you to lie to me."

Ben opened his mouth, then closed it. He leaned back in the chair and looked out the window, his cheeks burning in embarrassment. "I'm sorry," he mumbled meekly.

The look on Chris's face softened as the light turned green. The car started to once again roll down the road. "Why?" he asked. "Why would you lie to me about this? I thought we were friends. You can tell me anything, Ben."

"I know," Ben replied, not able to look anywhere but directly out the car window. "But I don't want to jeopardize the mission or my involvement in it. I just… fuck, Chris, I really like her. I want to keep her safe and protect her and I want to bring down the Newport's, but I also just want to have her too. And tonight, I just decided... Fuck it! Why not? We're going to leave here one day anyway so why not make the most of it?"

"You love her?"

"I've known her for like two months," Ben replied, but he was nodding. "And yeah, I do."

There was a wave of silence that washed over the car. Ben didn't have anything else to add and Chris said nothing until they pulled up to the hotel. Neither moved, even after the car turned off and the light dimmed until the only glow was from a streetlamp nearby.

"I'm not going to tell anyone," Chris said suddenly.

"You're not?" Ben asked.

"Does she know about who we really are? About the investigation?"

"No! Of course not."

"Then I won't say anything. But, Ben you have to be careful. This whole thing could go bad really quickly and I need your head in this a hundred percent. You can date whoever you want to, that's not my place to tell you what to do. But, we're here for the people of Pawnee first and foremost, and there are more people in this town than just Leslie Knope."

"I know," Ben replied. Chris started to shift and Ben followed suit, exiting the car after him. "I know," he said again once they were walking to the lobby door. "And I'll make sure I'm ready for everything. I just… need this, Chris. I haven't felt like this in a long time. Hell, I don't think I've ever felt like this before."

Chris smiled, his charming characteristic grin suiting his face much better than the tired aggravated look he sported most of the ride back to the hotel. He placed a friendly hand on Ben's shoulder. "I'm glad. You deserve to find happiness, Ben. You have a great and exciting job, but that doesn't do it for everyone. I'm glad this town has been good to you."

"Yeah," he agreed as they walked down the hallway. "Me too."

They parted at the door to their rooms with plans to meet in the morning. After changing and washing up, Ben fell into bed and was asleep almost instantly. He dreamed of kissing Leslie all night long.


After everything, I think they deserved a nice fluffy chapter. Especially considering what I have lined up for them in future chapters!

Thanks as always for reading, I apprecaite it so much that people are enjoying my little P&R story. As I'm sure you can tell, this is not canon-complient. Canon divergent... maybe? Depending on how you view these things. Anyway, I hope you continue to enjoy my take!