Title: Wonderful Tonight
Rating: PG, to be safe
Disclaimer: I don't own CSI, so please don't sue me.
Author's Note: This story was inspired by the song "Wonderful Tonight" by Eric Clapton.
~*~*~
I pace at the bottom of the stairs and glance at my watch. Sighing, I realize we're going to be late.
"Sara, hurry up," I yell up the stairs.
"Just a minute!" she yells down, and I know that no matter what I do, I won't be able to make her go any faster, so I continue my pacing.
Finally I hear her footsteps on the stairs and I look up as she pauses on the landing. My eyes grow wide as she continues to glide down the stairs.
She looks stunning. Her red dress hangs straight and brushes the floor at her feet, and a slit along the side reveals a wide expanse of leg. The neckline plunges in a V, and the dress doesn't hide her swollen stomach, which makes me so happy. I want the whole world to know the life we created. Her hair falls in curls to her shoulders, and the chocolate brown of her eyes are set off by the rich color of the dress.
I've never seen her look more beautiful.
She bites her bottom lip in a characteristic sign of nervousness, and her eyes seem troubled.
"Do I look alright?" she asks nervously, "I mean, I know I look like a blimp, but besides that?"
I stare at her in disbelief and kiss her softly and tenderly. "You look wonderful tonight."
She gives me a smile and I give her my elbow as I lead her out the front door. When we arrive at the annual police force gala, all eyes are on her as we walk down the wide staircase. We find our table and I greet the other members of the night shift team before sitting down. Soon the band starts playing and she looks at me, the glint in her eye telling me she wants to dance.
I pull the chair out for her and we head to the dance floor. As I hold her in my arms I think about how lucky I am to have her. We were married two years ago, and each day in those two years has been filled with so much happiness and love. I don't know what my world would be like without her. In a few months we'll have a baby, and our family will be even more perfect. I can't wait.
We sway to the music and I feel her head rest on my shoulder. I pull her as close as possible with her bulging stomach and plant a kiss on the top of her head.
I love her so much, and I want nothing but to hold her like this for the rest of my life. Suddenly she pulls her head away and looks at my face, her questioning eyes looking into mine.
"Do you feel alright? You seem a little…distant, distracted."
I smile and plant a soft kiss on her lips as we continue to dance. "I feel wonderful tonight."
She kisses me again as the song ends, and a faster one by Van Morrison begins playing. I look at her to ask if she wants to continue dancing, but she shakes her head.
"I don't think the baby's up for it," she teases as we walk slowly back to the table, "How about a drink instead?"
"The usual?" I ask as I pull the chair out for her.
"The usual," she confirms with a sigh. I laugh at her disappointed expression and head towards the bar.
"Champagne and a Shirley Temple," I order as I pull money out of my wallet.
"A Shirley Temple?" the confused bartender asks with raised eyebrows.
"My wife's pregnant," I clarify, and he nods in understanding.
I lean against the bar and watch her as I wait for the drinks. She's laughing at a remark Catherine made, and I wish I were there. Her laughter is one of the things I love most about her. The way her face lights up when she laughs and the way it can brighten my day no matter how bad it seems to be.
"You're a very lucky man," I hear a voice behind me say, and I turn around.
"Beg pardon?"
"For winning her heart," he says. I recognize the face as a cop I've worked with a few times, but I my brain doesn't produce a name.
"I know I am," I reply somewhat warily.
"And I see that you're having a baby. Congratulations. I guess it's too late to steal her away, huh?" he says good-naturedly, but his comment stays with me.
"Yeah, thanks," I say, and quickly grab my drinks, "Nice talking to you."
I make my way back to the table in record time and wrap my arms around her shoulders, kissing her cheek.
She smiles at me and pulls my lips to hers. I love it when she does that. I love that she's not ashamed of kissing me in public. I love that she's mine.
We spend the rest of the night dancing and talking and laughing. With each refill of her grenadine and ginger ale, I refill my cup without realizing how much I'm drinking. By the time the last song ends, I'm more than a little tipsy.
"Honey, are you okay to drive?" she asks me, and I respond by smiling and kissing her softly.
She cringes as she tastes the alcohol on my lips. "There's no way you're driving home tonight," she says, "Give me the keys."
I take the keys from my pocket and hand them to her. She helps me up the long staircase and into the parking lot. The drive home is spent in silence, but not an uncomfortable one. When we reach home she helps me upstairs and hands me a pair of boxers and a tee shirt, which I change into while she slips into her maternity nightgown. She pulls back the covers and I lay down.
She enters the bed on her side and kisses me goodnight, in spite of my drunken state. I turn off the lamp that rests on the nightstand and wrap my arms around her.
"Sara?" I say as I begin to drift off to sleep.
"Yeah?"
"You were wonderful tonight."
~*~*~*~*~
A/N~ Short but sweet. Probably the shortest thing I've ever written, except maybe for 'Rinse'. Anyway, please review! And as for the Shirley Temples, when my cousin was pregnant she hated that she couldn't drink, so she drank Shirley Temples all the time, and her friends always busted her for it. lol. I hope you enjoyed my little ficlet, so don't forget to click on that little purple button down there!
Oh yeah…the lyrics for "Wonderful Tonight" are posted below.
~Emily
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Wonderful Tonight
By Eric Clapton
It's late in the evening
She's wondering what clothes to wear
She puts on her makeup
And brushes her long blonde hair
And then she asks me
Do I look all right?
And I say yes, you look wonderful tonight.
We go to a party
And everyone turns to see
This beautiful lady
That's walking around with me
And then she asks me
Do you feel all right?
And I say yes, I feel wonderful tonight
I feel wonderful
Because I see the love light in your eyes
And the wonder of it all
Is that you just don't realize
How much I love you
Its time to go home now
And I've got an aching head
So I give her the car keys
She helps me to bed
And then I tell her
As I turn out the light
I say my darling, you were wonderful tonight
Oh my darling, you were wonderful tonight