Seal of approval

Author: Joy

Email: Julianna@ziplip.com

A/N: As to what my husband is like I will say the following Before we started dating he saw a future with me, with the first two weeks he had already decided in himself that he would marry me if I would have him. He spent several months giving me space to grow into the idea. My engagement ring was made for within eight months of us starting to date and we were married just over a year from the start of the relationship So ladies after having been with the same jerk for three years I learned a very important lesson: the nice guys you ignored in high school are very much the princes you want in life No I did not know my husband in high school but it's still a good analogy And no he has no brothers. Ironically his sister married a man just like him. My first words to my sister in law were, "You found another one."

Three weeks of absolute bliss had accompanied Sara and Gabriel. Aunt Sally and Gabriel's mother kept pushing for Sara to come to a Sunday dinner but firmly Gabriel had told his family no. Jake was adjusting to his new partners and staying out of trouble while Danny kept tabs on the boyfriend situation. The figure that was noticeably absent in the equation was one Mr. Ian Nottingham who had not popped in to threaten or maim curiously enough. Sara and Gabriel decided it was too tempting as to sleep beside each other so past the night Sara met Gabriel's family they had not done such

However a concert had ended later than planned and Gabriel's transportation was at his shop. Sara was still skittish about cabs so Gabriel once again spent the night snuggling his own personal Snuggle Bunny.

His watch started to beep waking the hacker to the wonderful sensation of Sara lying on top of him again Though it was even better then the first day because it was Sara's day off. There was also the matter that her right leg was slung high over his hip. Okay so the gentleman part of him hadn't woken up yet for the morning but other parts of him were very awake.

Gabriel kissed her neck and throat trying to arouse his love who began to slightly squirm and rub up against him in ways that were far too appealing for a man first thing in the morning. Sara leaned up a bit which only furthered the torture since her breasts were caressing his chest. "Sara," he gasped hungrily.

She gazed down at him, "An early riserI'm going to be a lot more fun at work from here out, I can tell."

That was all the encouragement Gabriel needed. He rolled them so Sara lay on her back and he hovered over her. "You have three choicesI get up and make breakfast; we make love, I get up and make breakfast; or we make love, we shower together, and I make breakfast. Any way you chose you're going to get fedIt just depends what type appetite you got going this morning."

Sara ran her fingers up and down his arms, "Now let me think Could we switch the order of the last?"

"To what?"

"I don't know shower or food first."

He gave her a look of annoyance, "Food yes; Shower no."

She pouted, "Why?"

"BecauseOur first time will be in a nice soft bednot hard and fast against the shower wall."

"Can I have the hard and fast against the shower wall later?"

"You're killing me Sara," he moaned closing his eyes and resting his head on hers.

Suddenly Gabriel's head shot up and was thrown back, "Oh god that feels good."

"What about this?" she whispered against his ear.

"Yes!" he squeaked. "Is this my punishment for something? Teasing me to a case of blue balls?"

"No," she said licking his ear. "Just a reminder of things to comeyourself included."

Gabriel captured her hand from his groin and stared her deep in the eyes. "This isn't an attempt at pushing my buttons so we'll just have hard, fast, uncomplicated sex, rather than making love which might actually mean you feel something deeply?" Sara got mad and went to wrench her hand away but Gabriel held fast. "This feels good But I want it to mean something." With that he rolled out of bed and got into the shower leaving Sara alone on the bed.

She sighed deeply staring at the little rabbit by the side of her bed. She picked it up and hugged it to her chest. "I guess he's right," Sara said to her stuffed animal. "Its scary ya know? He's one of my best friends and this is a lot" She looked into the rabbit's eyes and said, "I say that I love him because its true but I can't remember the last time I actually made love to a guy when it wasn't just lust. If I accept that this is us, then its seriousmore serious than I imagined and" She suddenly stopped. "I'm talking to a stuffed rabbit."

Gabriel heard Sara leave the room and then re-enter. The shower was just running on cold while he listened to her make confessions to the toy that he had bought her. Now he wasn't sure what she was doing. Sponge bath seemed to be the best option if he was going to stay up to speed. He would feel guilty for eaves dropping later.

"Danny Yeah I know I'm not a morning person. Hey called to talk, not to be interrogated Yeah well ya know how a while ago you asked me about consummating No Danny the sex wasn't bad. Jeez such a guy. We haven't had sex yet Well right If I hear one graphic detail of your sex life I'm going to kill you." Gabriel listened to the pause. "Okay well pretty much every time we start to go there so far I seem to be going straight for the Danny! Let me try to say this another way He is all about it being making love and I'm acting more like it's an extracurricular sport Well that's why I called I can't call Poe. She's dated less than I have in the last couple years."

The pause lengthened. " Who says I'm afraid of anything?" she snapped. "But FineI'm scared. I just want to know what to do about it I don't want to wait it out. I want to go taking against the wall in the bathroom."

Gabriel's hard on return in seconds. Listening could be a bad thing after all.

"DannyI just don't want to mess this up," Sara said softly. Gabriel breathed deeplyneither did he. "Okayuntil I can give myself to him that way, I'll be good," Sara whined. "This is what it must be like for guys when they want to lose their cherry It's a British thing. Never mind."

Gabriel heard footsteps coming toward the door so you got in the shower to at least get wet. "Gabe?"

"Yeah?"

"Danny's on the phone. He wants to know about dinner Friday night," Sara said softly.

"Friday night is good. What time?"

"Six."

"I'll close the shop early."

Sara shook her head, "Sorry. I didn't think of that Danny six thirty would be better Right."

"Hun?" she called.

"What?"

"Are you mad at me?"

Gabriel had to smile. Only Sara could honestly believe he was mad that she wanted to sleep with him. "No luv. Just want to keep thingson the right track is all."

"I'm sorry" she said softly.

"For what?" he inquired.

"For not being ready."

Gabriel rolled his eyes, "Bring yourself in here this minute." One very confused Sara stood on the outside of her shower curtain. He stuck his head out the part and said, "You're being honest What I don't want is to find out that I had a profoundly wonderful connection with you that you didn't feel because you weren't ready emotionally to handle that." She nodded. "Now go hug Bunny till I come out and I can snuggle you properly." Sara smiled. He laid his head against the tile, "Who knew I'd end up being the one to slam on the brakes," he muttered. "This is very emasculating."

Gabriel came out of the bathroom with damp hair dressed in his boxers and a t-shirt. "Sara?" She looked at him as he sat down next to her. "Don't get upset but I kind of need to know something."

"What?" she questioned.

"You are going to let me lead some times in bed, right?"

Sara doubled over laughing. Gabriel stared at her somehow feeling put down. "Honey that day in front of the precinct I would have let you drive right there if we weren't in public." He had to smile. "I like your confidence. Besides I got to take a break some times."

Gabriel began to tickle her sides until she begged for mercy. Then he leaned down and kissed her soft and slow before laying his forehead to hers. "We're coming along just fineno pun intended of course." Sara promptly punched his arm. "I just mean the universe is always on timeDark Angel-ism." She blinked a few times in confusion so he tried again, "In my not so eloquent manner I am trying to tell you I am willing to wait for you. Patience in all things Damnit! I was trying so hard not to say something else like"

Sara flipped them over pinning Gabriel to the bed and kissed him. "You are saying that it is okay that I'm not there yet but that it is important to you that we wait until I am. I got it So what's Dark Angel?" He rolled his eyes.

"Hey partner," Danny said Monday morning. "How is my favorite hacker?"

"Very well thank you," Sara said too politely.

"You still haven't gotten any," he smirked.

"And its driving me crazy," she said leaning her head on her desk. "I get the one guy in history that wants to hold out so it means something."

"Actually Pez there are several guys like that you just didn't know where to look for them," Danny informed her dutifully.

"And where prêt ell is that?"

He shook his head, "Doesn't matter you got a good one Oh by the way, what do you want for dinner on Friday This is the last part of the Woo Seal of Approval process."

"Oh really. I don't think I've dated a guy that has gotten that before," Sara said with a smile.

"Gabriel is the first I'm the only family you got. I have to do the family thing."

"Yeah well I still haven't done the Bowman Sunday dinner. Once that happens its all over. I will be the future Mrs. Bowman teaching at the police academy rather then running the streets and somehow Gabriel is going to have more steady worknot that he doesn't make a good living. But Mrs. Bowman, I mean the original Mrs. Bowman is planning our future to look like that."

"She sounds like a fun lady," he mocked. "Already having problems with the mother in law."

"Any woman who early in her son's relationship asks to have his girlfriend switch careers for the sake of her grandchildren is a trip and a half," Sara announced.

"I don't think I heard that story," Danny laughed.

"What story?" Jake asked coming in. Slowly but surely he had tried to reestablish relations with his former partners making them privy to some of the work he was doing.

"Oh Gabriel's mother and some of her inventive statements."

"Like?"

Sara smirked, "Gabriel had made this promise that he would never bring another female to meet his family unless she would be his wife well I did not know this so when Gabriel said just to turn down the invitation to meet his godmother I saw it as a way to get back at him for the Bunny rabbit and the precinct." She paused. "To make a long story short there was a great commotion made by my presence and that I'm Italian. Gabriel's godmother called his actual mother whom then Gabriel had to deal with and from the one side of the conversation I heard it was hysterical. Yes she's Italian. A police officer. Homicide. No if I married her I wouldn't make her switch departments NO, I won't think of your grandchildrenthere are no grandchildrenstop yelling at me in Italian,'" Sara imitated.

"Interesting woman," Jake raised an eyebrow.

"Yes well since that visit Gabriel has gotten a lot more calls from his mother and godmother. His mother is constantly dropping hints that she wants grandchildren which Gabriel promptly says then she needs to work on his brother and sister," she murmured.

"What's the matter Pez? Don't want a baby Snuggle Bunny of your very own?" Danny mocked.

"Iyou," Sara punctuated throwing pencils and pens at her partner.

"That thing is really called a Snuggle Bunny," Jake said referring to the now long absent stuffed rabbit.

"That and Pez," Danny stated.

"Excuse me?" Jake said with a smiled both eyebrows becoming part of his hairline.

"Danny," Sara warned.

"That is one of Gabriel's nicknames for her."

"Danny!" she started to growl.

"He gets away with this?" Jake asked cracking up.

"Danny!" Sara was out of her chair trying unsuccessful to silence her partner.

Danny used the advantage of the rolling chair to elude Sara saying, "Nope her own invention. Too much alcohol led to If you want something to cuddle, I'm your Snuggle Bunny.'"

Sara let out a frustrated snarl combing her fingers through her hair. Danny was by Sara's desk when the phone rangcaller IDTalismanic. "Detective Snuggle Bunny's desk, how may I direct your call?" he joked into the receiver only to hear Gabriel laughing his ass off.

"That better be Gabriel or your wife is a widow!" Sara demanded.

"I would never be that cruel You howeverthe little Sadist," Danny came back with where he promptly got hit upside the head handing over the phone.

"I'll call you on my cell," Sara told Gabriel. "I need some air," she huffed leaving the office.

Jake had slid down to the floor laughing at the situation. He had accepted that Pezzini was seriously off the market. "So do I even want to know about the Sadist thing?"

Danny stopped laughing realizing how badly it would sound if he told Jake the truth about his part in the nickname. "That same night of the alcoholic binge, Sara warned Gabe not to drink too much or she could talk him into anythingone thing was buying a Backstreet Boys CD." Both men cringed. "Gabe said he didn't realize she had this sadistic streak Time went on and it developed into My little Sadist,'" Danny explained.

Jake got serious for a minute and said, "Ya think Sara has forgiven me yet?"

Danny shrugged, "No overly angry statements have been made about you in my presence. The situation has been mentioned when she said she was glad that the girl came calling when she did. Things were new enough that it showed her that he was really committed to herYour part in thatI don't know." A thought struck Danny, "Hey Jake can you hang here a minute?"

"Sure."

Danny ran to the curb and caught Sara. "What do you want to bust my chops about now?" she snapped.

"I wanted to know if it would be okay with you and Gabriel if I invited Jake to dinner on Friday as well. Final proof of no hard feelings," he said.

"Did you catch all that Gabe?" she murmured. "Yeah Talk to ya later. Love you too." Sara turned to Danny and said, "What brought this on?"

"Jake wanting to know if I thought he had been forgiven yet."

She sighed, "Okaybut no funny business. Laying off any mention of those things we did to antagonize him."

"Yeah well he asked about the Sadist thing."

"Danny you didn't?" Sara asked with wide eyes.

He looked hurt as they walked back inside, "NoI told him about the night of drinking and the CD suggestionand that the name had evolved."

"Very good oh wise Asian Master," she said with a bow as they reentered their office.

Jake was still sitting on a desk. Danny lightly hit Jake with a file and said, "Gabe and Sara are having dinner at my place on Friday nightYou are welcome to join us."

The surfer boy blinked rapidly at the unexpected invitation. "Ah" He looked to Sara. "Is that okay? I don't want to encroach."

"Are you kidding? Gabriel will have someone to deflect Danny off of when he goes into Big Brother Mode!" Sara said in a deep voice.

"Seal of Approval dinner," Danny said with a nodded.

Sara gave a half smile, "This is pathetic but in the entire time I have been partnered with Danny this is the first guy to ever even approach S.O.A."

Jake chuckled, "Okay. If it's no problem and Gabriel won't be weirded by it then sure. I'd love to."

"One seat or two?" Sara said causally.

"I'm sorry," the blond questioned.

Danny smiled, "Will you be bringing someone? See Sara and I have a running bet as to whether it is a Friday night weekend, a Saturday night weekend, or a combo with you."

"Okay going to claim ignoranceWhat are you talking about?" Jake asked.

Sara laughed, "Ever Monday morning we get a hit on the weekend. On Wednesday we place our bets as to how occupied your weekend will be with dates. The next Monday we find out who has the closest guess and they buy the coffee. This way if we know you're bringing someone then we have a jump on next week."

Jake stared at her dumbly. "Yes you really are that shallow at moments," Danny said patting him on the back.

"Think of it this way we are always happy to see you on Monday and Wednesday!" Sara joked.

"Whatever," the surfer chuckled. "I wouldn't bring a date to something like this. I would have to be actively dating one single person to make it worth itbut since I'm not Friday night is a no date night."

"I'll sit you next to Mija. She's a teenager so she'll either ignore you or gaze longingly at you," Danny smirked.

"Great Just what I need to be fixed up with your niece," Jake snipped leaving the office. Danny and Sara chuckled amused at his display.

"So does Mija count as a date?" Sara questioned.

"Only if she starts to bat her eyes at him over dinner," Danny replied.

"I say notoo preppy."

Danny shook his head; "I don't knowCalifornia boy. Could take her away from all this."

"No bets till Wednesday," Sara stated.

"No pumping her for information," Danny countered.

"You either"

Jake watched the exchange from the door. "NO neither of you can count Mija as my dateperiod!"

TBC I love it when humor comes together in the best ways. Danny and Jake just make life so much fun.