As they approached the house, they noticed that most of Nick's brothers in
law were standing out on the deck on the side of the house talking. Kevin
raised a hand in greeting. "Did the ladies drive you two away?"
Nick chuckled. "Something like that."
"You gotta watch out for those Stokes women, Sara." Andrea's husband Ryan quipped. "They're tricky; they managed to catch all of us."
Sara wasn't sure whether to laugh or run so she just pasted on a smile.
Nick slung his arm around her shoulder and gave it a squeeze before they entered the house. They could hear Amy, Andrea, Grace and Megan talking with Chelsea in the kitchen. None of them had noticed that Nick and Sara had walked back into the house.
"Do you think it worked?" Grace queried the others.
"Well, it got them out of the house together, didn't it?" Chelsea sounded extremely pleased with herself.
"I think you're right though, Chels. She is perfect for him." Megan added her two bits.
"I told you." Chelsea continued.
Nick and Sara paused in the entryway to the kitchen, having heard most of the conversation. Nick cleared his throat and put his hand on Sara's back in a supportive gesture. As his sisters turned around, he grinned at them widely. "So then, this was the plan?"
Chelsea feigned innocence. "Nick. Sara. I didn't see you standing there."
He chuckled. "That's obvious, Chels." He turned his attention to the rest of his sisters; he could feel Sara tensing next to him. "For the record, Sara is my friend. I'd appreciate it if all y'all would cut us a little slack. If she and I decide at some point that we'd like to be more than just friends, that's a decision that we need to make. We don't need your help. Ok?"
They nodded, but Nick could tell from their expressions that they weren't going to give up just because he'd asked. He looked over at Sara. "Hey, I'm going to say goodnight to my parents and my grandmother and then we can go downstairs and watch a movie or something."
Sara looked at him gratefully. "Ok, but if you don't mind, I'm just going to go downstairs."
Nick just nodded at her and smiled.
Sara felt relief wash over her as she entered the apartment. As much as she thought meeting Nick's family would be fun before they'd arrived in Dallas, she really wasn't prepared for the reality of it. She mulled over the events of the day as she changed into a T-shirt and a pair of pajama pants and sank into the couch, waiting for Nick. She was enjoying getting to see a different side to him, but she had never imagined that his family would overwhelm her that much. She was thankful that at least most of his nieces and nephews were more interested in getting to see the latest 'Spy Kids' movie than meeting her. They had all been gathered in the large family room adjacent to the living room watching it when they'd returned from their walk.
Nick had an apologetic expression when he entered the apartment. "I'm really sorry about all of this, Sara. I should have known that they would try something like this."
Sara smiled at him and gestured for him to join her on the couch. "Nick, you didn't know."
"But I should have. I've been in this family my entire life; I should know them by now." He smirked at her as he sat down. He had a couple of DVDs in his hand.
Sara just shook her head in amusement. "At least I survived."
Nick chuckled. "Ok, so what do you want to watch?"
Sara raised an eyebrow. "What are my choices? I'm assuming since you only have two DVDs in your hand, you've narrowed it down."
"Good deduction skills, Sara. Ever think about becoming a CSI? With attention to detail like that, you could go far." Nick teased.
Sara grabbed the DVDs out of his hand. "Ok, I can tell you right now that we are not watching this one." She held up one of the DVDs and a smirk spread across her face.
Nick feigned a hurt expression. "What do you have against 'Smokey and the Bandit'?"
She ignored him. "Now this one is more like it." She held up the other DVD.
Nick's expression betrayed the fact that she held up the movie he really wanted to watch. "I don't know, Sara. I mean really. 'Ocean's Eleven'?"
Sara smirked. "You like Julia Roberts and you know it."
He chuckled. "And it doesn't hurt that you like Brad Pitt and George Clooney."
Sara tried to restrain her smile. "There's just something sexy about a man named George."
Nick grinned. "Ok, 'Ocean's Eleven' it is."
They put the movie in and settled themselves on the couch. Nick slung his arm over Sara's shoulders and she found herself resting her head against him as they watched the movie.
"You know, that would never happen in Vegas." Sara commented.
"Yeah, because we'd be the ones investigating them." Nick agreed.
Sara smiled. "We're pretty good, huh?"
Nick chuckled. "Yes, we are."
Sara was quiet for a few minutes. Her thoughts somehow turning unbidden to the image of that young girl lying on the sidewalk in front of her home in a pool of her own blood. "We're not good enough though."
Nick noticed the change in her tone of voice. "Hey, are you ok?" He tightened his arm around her shoulder.
"We can't solve them all. Sometimes they walk no matter what we do." Sara mussed; a slight hitch in her voice.
"Hey, shh." Nick wrapped both of his arms around her and pulled her close.
Sara was quiet for a while, just leaning into the comfort of Nick's embrace. Finally, she let out a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Nick."
"You have nothing to be sorry for, Sar." His voice was reassuring.
"This is supposed to be a vacation, not psychoanalysis for Sara." She tried to keep her tone light.
"Hey, no psychoanalysis here. Just good old fashioned friendship." Nick replied with a smile.
"Thanks for everything, Nick. I'm sorry your family is giving you such a hard time because of me." Sara's eyes were closed. She just wanted to enjoy the security of Nick's arms.
"I'm glad you're here, regardless of how they're acting. Usually when I come to visit, I spend all my time with them. I never really get time to relax or do what I want." As his arms tightened around her, he was very conscious of how much he was enjoying the feel of her in his arms.
Sara smiled and pulled away from him. "Hey, we should both get some sleep. You still have to show me Dallas. All I've seen so far is the web your sisters are trying to spin for me."
Nick chuckled. "That's a pretty good way to put it."
Sara pulled herself up off the couch. "Here, let me help you pull this thing out before I go to bed."
Nick stood up and as they pulled the cushions off to pull the fold out bed out, they noticed that the mattress was missing. Nick cursed under his breath. "I'm going to kill her."
Sara crossed her arms in front of her body and smirked. "Chelsea's good."
Nick raised an eyebrow. "Devious is more like it. Even I wouldn't have expected this from her."
"She really wants you and I to get together, doesn't she?" Sara observed with a hint of amusement.
Nick tried to restrain his smile. "Yeah, and we're only on day one."
Nick chuckled. "Something like that."
"You gotta watch out for those Stokes women, Sara." Andrea's husband Ryan quipped. "They're tricky; they managed to catch all of us."
Sara wasn't sure whether to laugh or run so she just pasted on a smile.
Nick slung his arm around her shoulder and gave it a squeeze before they entered the house. They could hear Amy, Andrea, Grace and Megan talking with Chelsea in the kitchen. None of them had noticed that Nick and Sara had walked back into the house.
"Do you think it worked?" Grace queried the others.
"Well, it got them out of the house together, didn't it?" Chelsea sounded extremely pleased with herself.
"I think you're right though, Chels. She is perfect for him." Megan added her two bits.
"I told you." Chelsea continued.
Nick and Sara paused in the entryway to the kitchen, having heard most of the conversation. Nick cleared his throat and put his hand on Sara's back in a supportive gesture. As his sisters turned around, he grinned at them widely. "So then, this was the plan?"
Chelsea feigned innocence. "Nick. Sara. I didn't see you standing there."
He chuckled. "That's obvious, Chels." He turned his attention to the rest of his sisters; he could feel Sara tensing next to him. "For the record, Sara is my friend. I'd appreciate it if all y'all would cut us a little slack. If she and I decide at some point that we'd like to be more than just friends, that's a decision that we need to make. We don't need your help. Ok?"
They nodded, but Nick could tell from their expressions that they weren't going to give up just because he'd asked. He looked over at Sara. "Hey, I'm going to say goodnight to my parents and my grandmother and then we can go downstairs and watch a movie or something."
Sara looked at him gratefully. "Ok, but if you don't mind, I'm just going to go downstairs."
Nick just nodded at her and smiled.
Sara felt relief wash over her as she entered the apartment. As much as she thought meeting Nick's family would be fun before they'd arrived in Dallas, she really wasn't prepared for the reality of it. She mulled over the events of the day as she changed into a T-shirt and a pair of pajama pants and sank into the couch, waiting for Nick. She was enjoying getting to see a different side to him, but she had never imagined that his family would overwhelm her that much. She was thankful that at least most of his nieces and nephews were more interested in getting to see the latest 'Spy Kids' movie than meeting her. They had all been gathered in the large family room adjacent to the living room watching it when they'd returned from their walk.
Nick had an apologetic expression when he entered the apartment. "I'm really sorry about all of this, Sara. I should have known that they would try something like this."
Sara smiled at him and gestured for him to join her on the couch. "Nick, you didn't know."
"But I should have. I've been in this family my entire life; I should know them by now." He smirked at her as he sat down. He had a couple of DVDs in his hand.
Sara just shook her head in amusement. "At least I survived."
Nick chuckled. "Ok, so what do you want to watch?"
Sara raised an eyebrow. "What are my choices? I'm assuming since you only have two DVDs in your hand, you've narrowed it down."
"Good deduction skills, Sara. Ever think about becoming a CSI? With attention to detail like that, you could go far." Nick teased.
Sara grabbed the DVDs out of his hand. "Ok, I can tell you right now that we are not watching this one." She held up one of the DVDs and a smirk spread across her face.
Nick feigned a hurt expression. "What do you have against 'Smokey and the Bandit'?"
She ignored him. "Now this one is more like it." She held up the other DVD.
Nick's expression betrayed the fact that she held up the movie he really wanted to watch. "I don't know, Sara. I mean really. 'Ocean's Eleven'?"
Sara smirked. "You like Julia Roberts and you know it."
He chuckled. "And it doesn't hurt that you like Brad Pitt and George Clooney."
Sara tried to restrain her smile. "There's just something sexy about a man named George."
Nick grinned. "Ok, 'Ocean's Eleven' it is."
They put the movie in and settled themselves on the couch. Nick slung his arm over Sara's shoulders and she found herself resting her head against him as they watched the movie.
"You know, that would never happen in Vegas." Sara commented.
"Yeah, because we'd be the ones investigating them." Nick agreed.
Sara smiled. "We're pretty good, huh?"
Nick chuckled. "Yes, we are."
Sara was quiet for a few minutes. Her thoughts somehow turning unbidden to the image of that young girl lying on the sidewalk in front of her home in a pool of her own blood. "We're not good enough though."
Nick noticed the change in her tone of voice. "Hey, are you ok?" He tightened his arm around her shoulder.
"We can't solve them all. Sometimes they walk no matter what we do." Sara mussed; a slight hitch in her voice.
"Hey, shh." Nick wrapped both of his arms around her and pulled her close.
Sara was quiet for a while, just leaning into the comfort of Nick's embrace. Finally, she let out a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Nick."
"You have nothing to be sorry for, Sar." His voice was reassuring.
"This is supposed to be a vacation, not psychoanalysis for Sara." She tried to keep her tone light.
"Hey, no psychoanalysis here. Just good old fashioned friendship." Nick replied with a smile.
"Thanks for everything, Nick. I'm sorry your family is giving you such a hard time because of me." Sara's eyes were closed. She just wanted to enjoy the security of Nick's arms.
"I'm glad you're here, regardless of how they're acting. Usually when I come to visit, I spend all my time with them. I never really get time to relax or do what I want." As his arms tightened around her, he was very conscious of how much he was enjoying the feel of her in his arms.
Sara smiled and pulled away from him. "Hey, we should both get some sleep. You still have to show me Dallas. All I've seen so far is the web your sisters are trying to spin for me."
Nick chuckled. "That's a pretty good way to put it."
Sara pulled herself up off the couch. "Here, let me help you pull this thing out before I go to bed."
Nick stood up and as they pulled the cushions off to pull the fold out bed out, they noticed that the mattress was missing. Nick cursed under his breath. "I'm going to kill her."
Sara crossed her arms in front of her body and smirked. "Chelsea's good."
Nick raised an eyebrow. "Devious is more like it. Even I wouldn't have expected this from her."
"She really wants you and I to get together, doesn't she?" Sara observed with a hint of amusement.
Nick tried to restrain his smile. "Yeah, and we're only on day one."