Chapter 11: Fireworks
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Okay, so the whole abuse-the-guy-who-owns-CSI-and-steal-the- show plot didn't work, so no, I don't own them.
Author's Note: I know that last chapter kinda sucked and was really short. The reason for that is because it was originally part of this chapter, but then this chapter was too long, so my friend suggested that I split them, so I did. Anyway, this chapter is better and longer...well, it's longer, and I *think* it's better...
Dedication: This chapter is dedicated to Ryan, my friends' brother who was born on May 30.
~*~*~*~
The carnival lights shone across the lot, illuminating it in artificial brightness. Colorful shadows were cast over the group that had just parked their car and were now making their way to the ticket booth. Lindsay and Lexi raced ahead of the others and Sara and Catherine chased after them while Nick waited in line. A few minutes later he strode up to his companions with three books of tickets: one for each of the giggling girls and one for the adults to share.
"I want to go on the roller coaster!"
"I want to go on the teacups!"
"No, I want cotton candy!"
"Popcorn!"
Lexi and Lindsay shouted out requests excitedly, impatient for Nick to hand them the tickets.
"Will you wait a second, you little nutcases?" Nick admonished, handing a ticket book each to Sara and Catherine and keeping one for himself. "First of all, you just had pizza, so you don't need anything to eat yet. Second of all, you can't go off by yourself; we'll go together, and I promise we'll get to all the rides."
The two girls seemed satisfied with that.
"So, where do you want to go first?" Sara asked.
"The roller coaster!" Lindsay screamed.
"The teacups!" Lexi called at the same time.
Catherine put both hands up in front of her. "Only one at a time. We're staying together, remember?" They nodded. "Okay then. Why don't we go on the teacups first, because they're closer." Lindsay pouted. "And then we'll go to the roller coaster," she promised, making her daughter grin.
"Teacups it is," Nick said, and led the way to the ride.
They walked up to the attraction and waited on line for the current ride to end. When everyone on the teacups had exited, Sara handed the attendant ten tickets, two each, and they cautiously made their way to a blue and white teacup with gray seats, careful not to trip over the cracks in the metal flooring.
Catherine, Lindsay, and Lexi sat down first, and Sara was about to get in when a man stopped her.
"You all can't fit," he said in a gruff voice, "You two take the one next to it."
Sara gave Nick a look and he shrugged. "We'll be in the next one, Lex, okay? Do you want to come with us or stay with Lindsay and Catherine?"
"Stay with Lindsay," she said without hesitation. "And don't worry, Daddy, it's not scary. I went on something just like this in Disney World. You don't need me there to protect you," she said solemnly.
Sara turned her head so Lexi wouldn't see her grin and Nick stifled his laugh. "If you say so," he said, and she gave him a reassuring smile.
"You'll be okay, Daddy."
Nick and Sara walked over to the next available cup and slid in, laughing.
"She's too much," Sara said, pulling the safety bar closed. They settled into the seats and a moment later they heard the creaking of the mechanisms below them and the teacup started spinning.
Sara and Nick laughed as they spun around, waving at Lexi and Lindsay when they saw them, and cringing at Catherine's green face. Before they knew it the spinning slowed and the ride came to a halt. Pushing the safety bar forward, they stepped out of the tilted teacup and walked towards the exit, meeting up with the other three.
"I want to go on again!" Lexi exclaimed.
"Me too!" Lindsay echoed.
"Uh-uh. I don't think I'm up for another spin, Linds. Sorry," a green- faced Catherine said, clutching her stomach.
"Are you alright, Catherine?" Sara asked, trying to sound concerned but at the same time amused by the fact that her strong friend couldn't handle a little kid's carnival ride.
"I'll be fine. I just need a water or something, I think," she said.
"You sure?" Sara asked.
"Yeah, I'm sure. I think there's another food stand near the roller coaster. We can head in that direction and I'll find a bench to sit at while they're on the ride."
They walked for a few minutes until they came to the roller coaster, the carnival's main attraction. 'Brain Scrambler', the sign read, and showed a picture of brains on a frying pan.
"Nice," Sara commented sarcastically as they neared the excruciatingly long waiting line. She looked up at the attraction. It had many steep ups and downs but thankfully only one loop that didn't look too bad. "Are you sure you guys want to go on this?"
"Yeah!" they called in unison.
"Okay, then," Sara said, not looking forward to it but willing to go on to please them.
They got on the line and Catherine spotted a bench not far away, saying she would go sit there and wait for them. Sara and Nick nodded and followed the excited girls up the line. As they drew closer to the entrance, Nick spotted a sign that depicted an alien, one long finger protruding outward and forming a line. 'You must be this tall to ride' was written in disfigured lettering above it.
"Go see if you're tall enough, girls," Nick said.
The girls raced up to the sign. Lindsay stood next to it and put her finger to the top of her head. Stepping away, she grinned when she saw that she was tall enough to ride. Lexi repeated the action, but frowned when her finger only reached to just below the line.
"She's not tall enough, sorry," the attendant said. Lexi pouted, tears pooling in her eyes.
"What if we ride with her?" Nick asked.
"Weellll . . . . ." the attendant said, drawing the word out and contemplating his options.
"Come on," Sara pleaded, "She just barely doesn't make it, and both of us are going on, too. Couldn't you bend the rules just a little?"
Lexi looked up at him expectantly.
"Let me see you by that sign again," he said, walking up to the alien with her.
Lexi stood by the sign, trying to make herself as tall as possible.
"Tiptoes," the attendant whispered, winking at Lexi.
She grinned and raised herself up on her tiptoes, meeting the height requirements.
"Well whaddaya know, she is tall enough," he said, taking the 12 tickets from Sara, three each for the roller coaster, "Keep on going straight, and enjoy your ride."
Sara tickled Lexi from behind. "You got lucky, munchkin. Good thing he was a nice guy, or we would have been sitting on that bench with Catherine."
Lexi smiled up at Sara. They kept walking till they reached two available carts, side by side, and got in, Nick and Lindsay in one, Sara and Lexi in the other. Sara pulled the buckle tight around the two of them and pulled the safety bar towards them, pushing to make sure it was locked in place. "You ready?" she asked a grinning Lexi.
"Yup!"
In the other cart Nick repeated the same action Sara just had, checking to make sure he and Lindsay were secure. Once he was positive they were strapped in, he bent down towards Lindsay's ear.
"You know the plan, right?" he whispered.
"Yeah," she replied, giving him a thumbs-up sign. Before they could say more the carts began to move and the roller coaster began slowly ascending a steep hill, creaking with every inch it moved.
"You nervous?" Sara asked Lexi, who was gripping her hand tightly.
"A little," she admitted, "but I'm having fun." Sara gave her hand a squeeze as the cart crept up ever so slowly before reaching the top of the hill and pausing. Sara gave Lexi a smile and squeezed her hand as their cart raced down the hill at full speed. The sound of Lexi's delighted screams filled the air, joining the other voices around them. Sara joined Lexi, and the two continued screaming and laughing through all the ups and downs, and their laughter escalated when the reached the loop. Soon the ride was over and the coaster slowed to a stop. Sara and Lexi got out of their cart and Nick and Lindsay out of theirs, the entire foursome laughing.
"That was great!" Lindsay exclaimed, "Can we go on again?"
"Yeah, let's go again!" Lexi chimed in, looking expectantly at her father and Sara.
Nick and Sara looked at each other, then at the unbelievably long line for the ride.
"I don't think so, chickies," Sara said, walking towards Catherine's bench, "The line's too long."
"But there are tons of other rides we can go on," Nick said as they approached Catherine, "Like the Ferris Wheel," he added with a wink at Lindsay.
"Ooh! I love the Ferris Wheel," Catherine said, "A nice, calm ride. Whaddaya say, Sara? The Ferris Wheel sound appealing?"
"Actually, I've never been on a Ferris Wheel before," she admitted, a response that Nick already knew.
"You're kidding? Nick, you've got to take her. This poor girl's missing out on some of the best things in life," Catherine said, playing her part perfectly.
"Don't worry, Cath," Nick said, draping his arm around Sara's shoulder, "We'll make sure she gets her chance. How about it you two," he said to Lindsay and Lexi, "You wanna go on the Ferris Wheel?"
"I don't want to go, the Ferris Wheel's lame. I want a funnel cake," Lindsay said.
"And I want cotton candy," Lexi added.
Catherine sighed. "Okay, okay. How about this: I'll take the two little piggys to get something to eat, and you two can go on the Ferris Wheel by yourselves."
"It's really okay; I don't have to go," Sara said.
"No, no, go. It'll be fun," Catherine insisted, "Plus you and Nick took the girls on the roller coaster so I'll take them to get food. What's fair is fair."
"Fine," Sara conceded, "But you're buying me a funnel cake when we get off, Nick."
Nick laughed and led the way to the Ferris Wheel. When Sara was a few feet ahead of him he turned his head and mouthed 'Thank you' to Catherine, who mouthed back 'Good luck'.
The couple arrived at the ride just as it was ending. Nick pulled four tickets out and handed them to the attendant, who winked and let them on. Sara slid into the bench first, followed by Nick. He pulled the safety bar towards them and it snapped into place. "You ready?" he asked Sara.
"As ready as I'll ever be," she said with a grin as the swinging basket ascended into the sky. They neared the top, the lights of Las Vegas sparkling below them, and Sara took a sharp intake of breath. "Oh my God, Nick," she breathed, "It's so beautiful."
"You're beautiful," he said.
Sara looked at him and smiled, kissing him softly. "Thank you, Nick. For everything." She took his hand in her own and gazed out across the sky at the beautiful sight before her.
"I've really enjoyed tonight," she said. "I've enjoyed spending time with Lexi."
"Me too," Nick replied.
"She's . she's really become like a daughter to me," she confided, and looked into Nick's eyes to gauge his reaction. She smiled when she saw happiness spread across his face.
"Really?"
"Really. I know that I don't ." She paused. "I know that she's your daughter not mine, but I really love her Nick, and it feels like she's mine. And I want to keep her."
"Sara, I don't know what to say, except thank you. I love you," he said, and placed a tender kiss on her lips.
"I love you, too, Nick," she said, returning his kiss.
"Sara," he began, pulling away and taking a deep breath, "I love you. I don't know what my life would be like without you, and I don't want to know. You're my whole life. You and Lexi. And knowing that you want to keep Lexi makes me so happy you can't even imagine. I want you to be a part of our lives forever." He pulled a small velvet box out of his pocket.
Sara's eyes filled with tears when she realized what was happening.
"I want you to be my wife, Sara. My wife and Lexi's mother." He opened the box and took out a sparkling diamond ring.
"Oh my God."
"Is that a yes?" Nick asked tentatively.
"Oh my God."
"Is that a good 'Oh my God' or a bad 'Oh my God'?" he asked, fearing the worst. If Sara said no his life would crumble to pieces. She had to say yes. She had to.
"Yes!" She cried, wrapping her arms around him as best possible in their close quarters. "Yes!"
"You said yes?"
"Yes! I said yes!" she said, kissing him again.
He slipped the ring on her finger and leaned over the side of their basket. "She said yes!" he called down, and Catherine, Lexi, and Lindsay cheered.
"They were in on this?" She asked incredulously.
"Yup," he replied, grinning from ear to ear.
"You little sneaks!" she called down to them, laughing. "I love you," she said, turning to Nick.
"I love you, too, Sara," he said as the sound of fireworks was heard and their bright colors painted the sky.
Sara settled into Nick's embrace, his strong arms holding her close, her head cradled under his chin. She looked down at Lexi, who was smiling and waving excitedly and literally jumping up and down. She looked out across the sky at the beautiful fireworks that Nick had arranged for her. She looked down at her hand, the ring sparkling on her ring finger and looking perfect, and felt completely content for the first time in her life.
~*~*~ A/N~ I have been wanting to write this chapter for so long, and I really enjoyed writing it. I hope you guys enjoyed reading it. Also, I know that I don't frequently update, but that's mainly because I can never have time to sit at the computer and type uninterrupted. So, I'm getting a laptop so I can update more often. The things I do for my readers. lol Please review! Please, please, PLEASE review!!!
~Emily
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Okay, so the whole abuse-the-guy-who-owns-CSI-and-steal-the- show plot didn't work, so no, I don't own them.
Author's Note: I know that last chapter kinda sucked and was really short. The reason for that is because it was originally part of this chapter, but then this chapter was too long, so my friend suggested that I split them, so I did. Anyway, this chapter is better and longer...well, it's longer, and I *think* it's better...
Dedication: This chapter is dedicated to Ryan, my friends' brother who was born on May 30.
~*~*~*~
The carnival lights shone across the lot, illuminating it in artificial brightness. Colorful shadows were cast over the group that had just parked their car and were now making their way to the ticket booth. Lindsay and Lexi raced ahead of the others and Sara and Catherine chased after them while Nick waited in line. A few minutes later he strode up to his companions with three books of tickets: one for each of the giggling girls and one for the adults to share.
"I want to go on the roller coaster!"
"I want to go on the teacups!"
"No, I want cotton candy!"
"Popcorn!"
Lexi and Lindsay shouted out requests excitedly, impatient for Nick to hand them the tickets.
"Will you wait a second, you little nutcases?" Nick admonished, handing a ticket book each to Sara and Catherine and keeping one for himself. "First of all, you just had pizza, so you don't need anything to eat yet. Second of all, you can't go off by yourself; we'll go together, and I promise we'll get to all the rides."
The two girls seemed satisfied with that.
"So, where do you want to go first?" Sara asked.
"The roller coaster!" Lindsay screamed.
"The teacups!" Lexi called at the same time.
Catherine put both hands up in front of her. "Only one at a time. We're staying together, remember?" They nodded. "Okay then. Why don't we go on the teacups first, because they're closer." Lindsay pouted. "And then we'll go to the roller coaster," she promised, making her daughter grin.
"Teacups it is," Nick said, and led the way to the ride.
They walked up to the attraction and waited on line for the current ride to end. When everyone on the teacups had exited, Sara handed the attendant ten tickets, two each, and they cautiously made their way to a blue and white teacup with gray seats, careful not to trip over the cracks in the metal flooring.
Catherine, Lindsay, and Lexi sat down first, and Sara was about to get in when a man stopped her.
"You all can't fit," he said in a gruff voice, "You two take the one next to it."
Sara gave Nick a look and he shrugged. "We'll be in the next one, Lex, okay? Do you want to come with us or stay with Lindsay and Catherine?"
"Stay with Lindsay," she said without hesitation. "And don't worry, Daddy, it's not scary. I went on something just like this in Disney World. You don't need me there to protect you," she said solemnly.
Sara turned her head so Lexi wouldn't see her grin and Nick stifled his laugh. "If you say so," he said, and she gave him a reassuring smile.
"You'll be okay, Daddy."
Nick and Sara walked over to the next available cup and slid in, laughing.
"She's too much," Sara said, pulling the safety bar closed. They settled into the seats and a moment later they heard the creaking of the mechanisms below them and the teacup started spinning.
Sara and Nick laughed as they spun around, waving at Lexi and Lindsay when they saw them, and cringing at Catherine's green face. Before they knew it the spinning slowed and the ride came to a halt. Pushing the safety bar forward, they stepped out of the tilted teacup and walked towards the exit, meeting up with the other three.
"I want to go on again!" Lexi exclaimed.
"Me too!" Lindsay echoed.
"Uh-uh. I don't think I'm up for another spin, Linds. Sorry," a green- faced Catherine said, clutching her stomach.
"Are you alright, Catherine?" Sara asked, trying to sound concerned but at the same time amused by the fact that her strong friend couldn't handle a little kid's carnival ride.
"I'll be fine. I just need a water or something, I think," she said.
"You sure?" Sara asked.
"Yeah, I'm sure. I think there's another food stand near the roller coaster. We can head in that direction and I'll find a bench to sit at while they're on the ride."
They walked for a few minutes until they came to the roller coaster, the carnival's main attraction. 'Brain Scrambler', the sign read, and showed a picture of brains on a frying pan.
"Nice," Sara commented sarcastically as they neared the excruciatingly long waiting line. She looked up at the attraction. It had many steep ups and downs but thankfully only one loop that didn't look too bad. "Are you sure you guys want to go on this?"
"Yeah!" they called in unison.
"Okay, then," Sara said, not looking forward to it but willing to go on to please them.
They got on the line and Catherine spotted a bench not far away, saying she would go sit there and wait for them. Sara and Nick nodded and followed the excited girls up the line. As they drew closer to the entrance, Nick spotted a sign that depicted an alien, one long finger protruding outward and forming a line. 'You must be this tall to ride' was written in disfigured lettering above it.
"Go see if you're tall enough, girls," Nick said.
The girls raced up to the sign. Lindsay stood next to it and put her finger to the top of her head. Stepping away, she grinned when she saw that she was tall enough to ride. Lexi repeated the action, but frowned when her finger only reached to just below the line.
"She's not tall enough, sorry," the attendant said. Lexi pouted, tears pooling in her eyes.
"What if we ride with her?" Nick asked.
"Weellll . . . . ." the attendant said, drawing the word out and contemplating his options.
"Come on," Sara pleaded, "She just barely doesn't make it, and both of us are going on, too. Couldn't you bend the rules just a little?"
Lexi looked up at him expectantly.
"Let me see you by that sign again," he said, walking up to the alien with her.
Lexi stood by the sign, trying to make herself as tall as possible.
"Tiptoes," the attendant whispered, winking at Lexi.
She grinned and raised herself up on her tiptoes, meeting the height requirements.
"Well whaddaya know, she is tall enough," he said, taking the 12 tickets from Sara, three each for the roller coaster, "Keep on going straight, and enjoy your ride."
Sara tickled Lexi from behind. "You got lucky, munchkin. Good thing he was a nice guy, or we would have been sitting on that bench with Catherine."
Lexi smiled up at Sara. They kept walking till they reached two available carts, side by side, and got in, Nick and Lindsay in one, Sara and Lexi in the other. Sara pulled the buckle tight around the two of them and pulled the safety bar towards them, pushing to make sure it was locked in place. "You ready?" she asked a grinning Lexi.
"Yup!"
In the other cart Nick repeated the same action Sara just had, checking to make sure he and Lindsay were secure. Once he was positive they were strapped in, he bent down towards Lindsay's ear.
"You know the plan, right?" he whispered.
"Yeah," she replied, giving him a thumbs-up sign. Before they could say more the carts began to move and the roller coaster began slowly ascending a steep hill, creaking with every inch it moved.
"You nervous?" Sara asked Lexi, who was gripping her hand tightly.
"A little," she admitted, "but I'm having fun." Sara gave her hand a squeeze as the cart crept up ever so slowly before reaching the top of the hill and pausing. Sara gave Lexi a smile and squeezed her hand as their cart raced down the hill at full speed. The sound of Lexi's delighted screams filled the air, joining the other voices around them. Sara joined Lexi, and the two continued screaming and laughing through all the ups and downs, and their laughter escalated when the reached the loop. Soon the ride was over and the coaster slowed to a stop. Sara and Lexi got out of their cart and Nick and Lindsay out of theirs, the entire foursome laughing.
"That was great!" Lindsay exclaimed, "Can we go on again?"
"Yeah, let's go again!" Lexi chimed in, looking expectantly at her father and Sara.
Nick and Sara looked at each other, then at the unbelievably long line for the ride.
"I don't think so, chickies," Sara said, walking towards Catherine's bench, "The line's too long."
"But there are tons of other rides we can go on," Nick said as they approached Catherine, "Like the Ferris Wheel," he added with a wink at Lindsay.
"Ooh! I love the Ferris Wheel," Catherine said, "A nice, calm ride. Whaddaya say, Sara? The Ferris Wheel sound appealing?"
"Actually, I've never been on a Ferris Wheel before," she admitted, a response that Nick already knew.
"You're kidding? Nick, you've got to take her. This poor girl's missing out on some of the best things in life," Catherine said, playing her part perfectly.
"Don't worry, Cath," Nick said, draping his arm around Sara's shoulder, "We'll make sure she gets her chance. How about it you two," he said to Lindsay and Lexi, "You wanna go on the Ferris Wheel?"
"I don't want to go, the Ferris Wheel's lame. I want a funnel cake," Lindsay said.
"And I want cotton candy," Lexi added.
Catherine sighed. "Okay, okay. How about this: I'll take the two little piggys to get something to eat, and you two can go on the Ferris Wheel by yourselves."
"It's really okay; I don't have to go," Sara said.
"No, no, go. It'll be fun," Catherine insisted, "Plus you and Nick took the girls on the roller coaster so I'll take them to get food. What's fair is fair."
"Fine," Sara conceded, "But you're buying me a funnel cake when we get off, Nick."
Nick laughed and led the way to the Ferris Wheel. When Sara was a few feet ahead of him he turned his head and mouthed 'Thank you' to Catherine, who mouthed back 'Good luck'.
The couple arrived at the ride just as it was ending. Nick pulled four tickets out and handed them to the attendant, who winked and let them on. Sara slid into the bench first, followed by Nick. He pulled the safety bar towards them and it snapped into place. "You ready?" he asked Sara.
"As ready as I'll ever be," she said with a grin as the swinging basket ascended into the sky. They neared the top, the lights of Las Vegas sparkling below them, and Sara took a sharp intake of breath. "Oh my God, Nick," she breathed, "It's so beautiful."
"You're beautiful," he said.
Sara looked at him and smiled, kissing him softly. "Thank you, Nick. For everything." She took his hand in her own and gazed out across the sky at the beautiful sight before her.
"I've really enjoyed tonight," she said. "I've enjoyed spending time with Lexi."
"Me too," Nick replied.
"She's . she's really become like a daughter to me," she confided, and looked into Nick's eyes to gauge his reaction. She smiled when she saw happiness spread across his face.
"Really?"
"Really. I know that I don't ." She paused. "I know that she's your daughter not mine, but I really love her Nick, and it feels like she's mine. And I want to keep her."
"Sara, I don't know what to say, except thank you. I love you," he said, and placed a tender kiss on her lips.
"I love you, too, Nick," she said, returning his kiss.
"Sara," he began, pulling away and taking a deep breath, "I love you. I don't know what my life would be like without you, and I don't want to know. You're my whole life. You and Lexi. And knowing that you want to keep Lexi makes me so happy you can't even imagine. I want you to be a part of our lives forever." He pulled a small velvet box out of his pocket.
Sara's eyes filled with tears when she realized what was happening.
"I want you to be my wife, Sara. My wife and Lexi's mother." He opened the box and took out a sparkling diamond ring.
"Oh my God."
"Is that a yes?" Nick asked tentatively.
"Oh my God."
"Is that a good 'Oh my God' or a bad 'Oh my God'?" he asked, fearing the worst. If Sara said no his life would crumble to pieces. She had to say yes. She had to.
"Yes!" She cried, wrapping her arms around him as best possible in their close quarters. "Yes!"
"You said yes?"
"Yes! I said yes!" she said, kissing him again.
He slipped the ring on her finger and leaned over the side of their basket. "She said yes!" he called down, and Catherine, Lexi, and Lindsay cheered.
"They were in on this?" She asked incredulously.
"Yup," he replied, grinning from ear to ear.
"You little sneaks!" she called down to them, laughing. "I love you," she said, turning to Nick.
"I love you, too, Sara," he said as the sound of fireworks was heard and their bright colors painted the sky.
Sara settled into Nick's embrace, his strong arms holding her close, her head cradled under his chin. She looked down at Lexi, who was smiling and waving excitedly and literally jumping up and down. She looked out across the sky at the beautiful fireworks that Nick had arranged for her. She looked down at her hand, the ring sparkling on her ring finger and looking perfect, and felt completely content for the first time in her life.
~*~*~ A/N~ I have been wanting to write this chapter for so long, and I really enjoyed writing it. I hope you guys enjoyed reading it. Also, I know that I don't frequently update, but that's mainly because I can never have time to sit at the computer and type uninterrupted. So, I'm getting a laptop so I can update more often. The things I do for my readers. lol Please review! Please, please, PLEASE review!!!
~Emily