A/N: Hey guys! Remember me? It's okay if you don't since it has been such a ridiculously long time since I have updated. Sigh. I don't even really have all that great an excuse either. I suppose I could make one up but I doubt you'd believe me; you're far too clever for that. So anyway, here it is, the end. Thanks so much to all those who have reviewed. My ego, uh, I mean I really appreciate your feedback. I hope this final chappie proves to be worth your patience. Special thanks to Sask. This one's for you kid.
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Chapter 9- Goodnight Sun
Nick lay stretched out on the couch in his pajama pants and a t-shirt, idly tossing pieces of popcorn into his mouth as he stared at the television. He giggled every once in a while, still as delighted by the children's cartoon now as he had been as a kid.
Sara came around the corner, buttoning up the pajama top that matched Nick's bottoms and grinned when she saw what he was watching.
"Aren't you a little old for 'The Grinch Who Stole Christmas'?" she asked, ruffling hid hair and dropping a kiss on the top of his head on her way to sit on the opposite end of the couch.
"Nonsense," Nick argued around a mouthful of popcorn, opening his legs for her to sit between them. "It's a Christmas classic."
"And how can you be eating? We just had a huge breakfast at the diner." She pulled her towel-dried hair out of her face into a messy bun and settled back into the cushions, letting her legs rest on either side of him.
"Well maybe it's got something to do with that little indiscretion on your kitchen table not too long ago," Nick smirked, the reflection of the TV screen dancing in his dark eyes.
She smiled feeling heat touch her cheeks, and reached for a handful of the snack, eating some before trying to toss the kernels one at a time into Nick's open mouth.
"You throw like a girl," Nick announced when one of the pieces hit him in the eye.
"Oh, shut up," Sara laughed, pitching the rest at him.
Nick chuckled and turned his attention back to the Grinch. Taking her bare feet in his warm hands, he brought them up to rest on his chest, massaging gently. Sara moaned happily when he started pressing his thumbs into her arches, and he smiled, lifting his head to kiss her wiggling toes.
"What is it with you and my toes?" she asked.
He shrugged. "I dunno. They're so soft. And cute," he replied and she made a face. "They are!" he protested earnestly. "See, look. This little piggy went to market..." he indicated her big toe.
"You are such a dork, you know that right?" she said shaking her head with a smile.
"Shush, you, I'm not done. This little piggy stayed home, this little piggy had..." he stopped and glanced at her, and caught her raised eyebrow. "Had a salad-"
She snorted a laugh.
"- And this little piggy had none. And this little piggy," he looked up at her again, her baby toe between his thumb and forefinger. "He went wee-wee-wee..." Slowly he sat up, his fingers walking up the inside of her leg, heading for the apex of her thighs. "All... the way... ho- Hey, you're wearing my boxers again!"
"So?" she demanded, slightly annoyed by the sudden change of events. She had been quite happy to have his hand right where it was.
"So, if you keep wearing my underwear what the hell am I supposed to put on?"
"You could go commando," she suggested with a wink and a suggestive cluck of her tongue. The look he sent her relayed that he wasn't so impressed with that idea. "Well, it's not like you leave them on me for very long anyway. And besides, who's the one who washed them?" she pointed out.
Unable to come up with another argument, he stuck his tongue out and crossed his eyes. She giggled and whacked him in the face with one of the cushions. Sara loved the fact that she was comfortable enough to act so silly and be so relaxed around Nick. It was fine and dandy to be a sophisticated criminalist all the time but felt marvelous to chuck maturity out the window now and then.
Nick grabbed a cushion of his own and commenced a counter-attack, hitting Sara's cushion out of the way and sending the popcorn in a wild spray across the room in the process.
"Okay, truce! Truce!" Sara shouted, shielding her head with her arms. "Great Nick, I just vacuumed."
"You know, you wouldn't be doing my laundry or the vacuuming if we went to my place every once in a while," he informed her, replacing the cushion behind his head. He grabbed as much popcorn off the floor as he could reach and ate it.
"Fine, let's go to your place then," Sara agreed, pushing loose hair out of her face. She poked him in the ribs with her toes. "My neighbors would probably appreciate the peace and quiet."
"Why Sara, whatever do you mean?" Nick asked innocently with a wide grin, his eyes sparkling.
"Oh, like you don't know. I mean that when in the throes of passion, you tend to be a bit... vocal."
"Me?" he asked incredulously. "What about you?"
"I, Nicholas, am a perfect lady," she said primly, smoothing her flannel top.
Nick scoffed. "Oh, really?"
She nodded, a smug smile on her thin, pretty lips.
"So this doesn't sound at all familiar then?" He cleared his throat and started speaking in falsetto, doing a terrible job of mimicking her voice. "Oh Nicky, that feels so good, oh god, don't stop!"
Sara went a deep scarlet from her throat to her hairline, and let out an indignant laugh. "I do not!" she protested, trying to smack him with a cushion again but he deflected it, batting it out of her hands to the floor.
"Oh, baby yes! Right there Nick!" he kept on, his voice growing steadily louder and higher in pitch. "Yes, yes, yes!"
"Okay, Nick, stop it!" Sara hissed, knowing her nosy neighbor Mrs. Brewster was just on the other side of the living room wall, but Nick paid no heed.
"Harder! Faster! Don't stop! Don't stop!"
Sara pounced on him and tried to clamp her hands over his mouth, but he caught them in his own and pulled them away.
"Stop it! I mean it Nick!" she tried to scold, but he sounded so ridiculous she couldn't help the giggle that escaped.
"Oh god, oh god, oh god!" he howled, dramatically thrashing back and forth on the couch. "Ah, ooh, aah, aah! NICKY!..." He took a deep breath, paused for effect then squeezed his eyes shut and shrieked at the top of his lungs.
Sara completely forgot about being mortified and lost it, bursting into hysterical laughter. Nick grinned and pulled her down onto him for a long kiss, their lips salty and buttery from the popcorn.
"You asshole," she said, pulling away.
"Potty-mouth," he grinned. "I may be an asshole, but you're the one dating me so what does that say about you?"
"I'm not dignifying that with a response, but I hope you do realize that I'm going to have to move out of the building now. Most likely to the other side of town."
Nick contemplated this for a second, twirling a strand of her chestnut hair around his finger. "Hmm, you know, I live on the other side of town..."
Sara looked up from nuzzling his neck, her expression guarded. "Uh, huh..."
He shrugged and tucked the strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm just saying," he said quietly, his voice becoming serious as he looked deep into her big brown eyes. "The offer is there."
Sara searched his gaze for a moment then a small grin touched her lips. "We'll see if you play your cards straight."
Nick's smile returned and he lifted his head to kiss her again, content to leave it at that for now. He pulled back, the teasing glint back in his eye. "You're very cute when you're embarrassed."
"I'm always cute," she retorted, pressing her mouth back against his. "Now shut up and kiss me like you mean it."
Nick chuckled and the Grinch and all the Whos down in Whoville were soon forgotten. His hands slid up under the back of her top, caressing her warm satiny skin while his tongue conducted a thorough search of her mouth, then hers returned the favor.
By the time they broke apart, the Grinch had long since carved the roast beast. Now Charlie Brown was decorating his little woebegone Christmas tree. Sara rested her head comfortably on his chest and wrapped her arms around his torso. Nick let out a content sigh as they both watched the screen in silence for a while.
"You know," she said suddenly. "I think we've pretty much christened every room in this apartment anyway."
Nick grinned. "Is that a yes?"
Sara turned her head, resting her chin on his breastbone. "Maybe," she said sassily.
Nick touched her cheek, the pads of his fingers moving over her lips. She leaned forward and they were kissing again. Sara pressed herself deeper between his thighs and feeling his arousal poking into her belly through the thin flannel, she ground her hips against him. He groaned softly, pulling his mouth away from hers to latch onto her collarbone.
"Actually," Sara panted moistly against his ear, humming when his hands found her breasts. "We still haven't gotten to the guestroom..."
"You have a guestroom?" he mumbled against her throat.
"Mm-hmm."
Nick pulled away to meet her eyes. "Race you there?"
She pushed off him and quickly went over to the front door ensuring it was bolted and flipped off the lights in the kitchen. Nick turned off the TV and drew the blinds before meeting Sara at the hallway leading to the bedrooms. He scooped her into his arms, her legs automatically going around his waist, and kissed her again, blindly making his way down the hall.
"Bathroom," she mumbled, and he backtracked a bit so she could reach around the doorframe and grope for the light switch.
Nick moved on, his tongue tangled with hers, and fumbled with the first doorknob he came to that he knew didn't lead to her bedroom.
"Next one, baby, that's the closet."
"Shit," he muttered then finally made his way to her rarely, if ever, used guestroom.
Entering the room, Nick ceremoniously kicked the door closed behind him. He set Sara down and immediately his fingers set to work undoing the buttons of her pajama top while his mouth continued it's assault on hers.
Sara reached for the hem of his t-shirt, tugging at it. "Off," she commanded, and he backed away long enough to help her get it over his head.
He came back to finish unfastening the last two buttons and push the flannel barrier off her shoulders, his hungry lips on her throat. Sara wrapped her arms around his neck, wanting to feel his skin on hers. The sensation of her soft breasts pressed against his chest was like euphoria.
Slowly he sunk to his knees before her, kissing and tasting every inch of skin he could reach along the way. Both her breasts got the careful attention he thought they deserved, his lips, teeth, tongue and hands working her nipples into tight, sensitive points. Sara's head rolled back as she whispered his name and ran her fingers through his hair.
Nick kissed his way over her soft tummy, her muscles fluttering under her skin, and flicked his tongue into her bellybutton in the way he knew she liked. His fingers hooked into the waistband of his boxers and drew them down her long legs. His kisses continued to her hipbones that he nipped carefully, then to her thighs while his fingertips lightly traveled up the backs of her legs, lingered at the soft skin behind her knees, then up to gently squeeze her ass. Sara had to steady herself on his shoulders when he pressed a kiss to her dark curls.
"Nicky," she gasped, and pulled to bring him back up to her, their mouths meeting in a frenzy.
Suddenly she broke away and backed up until she sat on the edge of the room's double bed. In the dim pre-dawn light Nick could just make out the warm smile on her face as she crooked a finger, beckoning him to her. He came to stand in front of her and right away her hands were on him, running over his muscled chest and abdomen, flicking over his nipples, making him shiver in anticipation. Her dexterous fingers made their way to his erection, stroking him through the soft material until he groaned. Then, before he knew it, the pants were gone and she had taken him into her hot mouth. He gasped loudly and didn't dare look down for fear of bringing it all to an abrupt and disappointing end. He stroked her hair, neck and shoulders lovingly, holding on as long as he could before he reached his limit.
"Sara... baby, please," he sputtered around a groan. "I can't... you gotta stop..." He breathed a sigh of relief when she released him and waited a few seconds to regain control of himself before opening his eyes.
Sara was looking up at him with a wide smile, her face so full of tender affection it made his heart ache. Stooping down, he captured her mouth with his. Her arms again went around his neck and Nick wrapped one arm tightly around her waist, carrying her with him as he crawled up to the center of the bed.
"Make love to me, Nick," she purred in his ear.
"Not yet," was his soft reply. He gently pulled away despite her protests, and again made his way down her body, rediscovering all the familiar places and finding them just as enthralling and responsive as they had been the first time they had made love together.
He wrapped his arms around her thighs, delicately parting her legs and dropping his head to press a kiss to her sex. Sara moaned, her hips writhing as he skillfully made love to her with his mouth. Her back arched off the bed and she gripped handfuls of the comforter as he drove her insane with desire with his tantalizing tongue. She was so close and yet he kept her on the edge for what felt like bittersweet hours before granting her her release in a dizzying spiral of pleasure.
Nick crawled back up and they lay there for a moment, bodies pressed together but not joined, just kissing. Nick cupped the side of her face and used his thumb on her chin to hold her mouth open and allow their tongues to dance freely. It was one of the most erotic and intimate gestures Sara had ever experienced, causing her to whimper at the new wave of heated desire sizzling in her belly.
"I need you," she whispered urgently, scrambling to pull him even closer. Her hand slid between them and clasped him gently, guiding him to her entrance.
Nick smiled, kissing her softly as he shifted his weight onto her and slid into her body. They emitted twin moans of ecstasy, looking deep into each other's eyes as they became one. Sara's hips instinctively began to rock beneath him, but he stilled her with his hands.
"Let's go slow," he whispered against her lips, wanting to prolong the experience as long as possible. "Is that okay?" He loved body-slamming, sheet-gripping, headboard- banging, toe-curling sex just as much as the next guy, but there was something about the way Sara looked, they way she was moving that enticed him this morning.
Sara gazed at him in wonder, reached to touch his face and nodded, pulling his head down to kiss her again. Their hips began a slow synchronized rhythm, rocking together at a steady pace and bringing them closer and closer to climax. They communicated without words now, responding to each other's movements and the soft gasps and moans they incurred. They shared one breath, one heartbeat and seemingly one mind, always knowing where and how the other craved to be touched.
Nick's gentle movements were luxuriously torturous and the pleasure only increased when he hooked his arm under one of her legs, pulling it up around his ribs, changing his angle and deepening his thrusts inside her. She moaned into his mouth, one hand fisting in the hair at the back of his head, the other clutching his back. They were both sweating freely now and she could feel his body trembling in her grasp as he fought to maintain control.
Eventually it became a loosing battle, his urges overtaking him and his pace increasing. It didn't take much to push Sara over the edge and she came apart in his arms, softly crying out his name into the crook of his neck, her hips bucking to meet his. Seconds later she felt Nick's entire body tense then shudder, his shouts muffled in the pillow beside her head. He collapsed against her, breathing hard against her neck. As he went to roll off he glanced up at her, surprised when her arms tightened around him.
"Stay. Stay there, just for a minute," she requested breathlessly, an almost hesitant tone in her voice. "You feel so good..."
Nick smiled and nodded, pressing a tender kiss to her lips and brushing a sweaty strand of hair off her cheek. He resettled his head in its place against her neck and sighed heavily, deeply breathing in the scent of Sara and sex and relishing being completely surrounded by her in every sense. Her fingers trailed lightly up and down his back, lulling him close to sleep. When they stopped, he realized she was nearly asleep as well and carefully extricated himself, finally withdrawing from her body. They both moaned at the loss of contact, and she opened her eyes, smiling softly at him.
"I love you," she said, tracing his lips with the tips of her fingers. She failed to stifle a yawn and he chuckled, leaning over to kiss her.
"I love you," he murmured.
They exchanged more languid kisses then Sara rolled away from him onto her stomach. Nick smiled fondly and reached for the quilt that had been kicked into a heap at the foot of the bed and pulled it over them both. Settling himself against her he laid his head between her shoulders. Wrapping a protective arm around her waist and sticking his leg between both of hers he effectively covered her up in what had become a favorite post-coital position for them both.
Not a minute later they had both drifted off, sound asleep, blissfully unaware of the sun that had risen nor the sounds of the city waking to greet it.
THE END