Sara looked completely panicked. She had no idea that planning a wedding
in a week's time was tantamount to asking to go insane. After Fiona's
birthday party a plan was put in motion by Nick's sisters to help Sara, but
she felt completely overwhelmed. She had just returned from almost a full
day of shopping with Grace, Andrea, and Chelsea with nothing but a pair of
shoes to show for it. She was sitting on the couch in the apartment when
Nick returned from running a few errands of his own.
He took one look at the tears that were slipping silently down her cheeks as she glanced up at him and his brows furrowed in concern. He sank down onto the couch next to her and wrapped his arms around her. "Hey, Sara, what's wrong?"
Sara's voice seemed really small. "I can't do this, Nick."
Nick was concerned. "Can't do what?" He hoped that she wasn't having second thoughts.
"I can't plan a wedding." She sniffled. "It's too hard." There was a whining quality to her voice.
"How can I help." He offered.
There was a hiccup in her voice. "That's just it. I've got too much help. Everyone keeps telling me what I should do and I don't even know what I want." She sniffled again.
"What do you want?" Nick queried her gently.
"I don't know." Sara had a hitch in her voice and leaned her head against Nick's shoulder. "Can't we just elope?"
Nick chuckled softly. "I suppose we could, but we've already invited everyone to a wedding."
"It's so easy for you, all you have to worry about is getting a suit." Sara continued sniffling.
"So you didn't find a dress, did you?" Nick thought that this was perhaps the reason why she seemed so upset.
"Do you know how many kinds of wedding dresses there are?" Sara whined.
"Do you want to tell me about it?" Nick offered.
"And most of them are ugly." Sara started to cry.
Nick wasn't sure what to do, he wanted to laugh, but he didn't dare. "Shh, it's ok, babe."
"No, it's not." Sara's voice hitched between sniffles. "I don't want to be ugly when I marry you."
Nick had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. "Sara, you won't be. You couldn't be ugly if you tried, even if you'd been around a decomp a little too long."
Sara started to giggle.
"You might smell bad, but you definitely couldn't be ugly." Nick teased.
Sara lifted her head off of Nick's shoulder and looked into his eyes. "I love you."
He grinned at her. "I know. I love you too."
She leaned in and kissed him softly, smiling as she pulled back. "Can't we just elope?"
He raised an eyebrow at her. "We'd still have to wait three days, we can't get a marriage license until tomorrow, and if we want to get married sooner than that, we'd have to fly back to Vegas early."
Sara pursed her lips and furrowed her brow. "I guess we should have a wedding then."
Nick chuckled. "Don't sound so excited."
Her expression softened. "I'm sorry, Nick. It's just that I never thought I would get married, so I've never really thought about what kind of wedding I'd want. I never wanted to marry anyone before now."
Nick looked a little surprised. "Even Grissom?"
She smirked. "Even Grissom."
Nick looked sheepish. "I guess he makes me a little nervous."
Sara smiled at him. "Nick, I'm in love with you. I want to marry you. Grissom is a great man and I admire him, but I fixated on him because deep down I knew I could never have him. I was too afraid to realize that who I wanted, who I needed was right in front of me the whole time."
Nick felt a lump forming in his throat and tears threatening to spill from his eyes. "I love you, Sara."
She grinned. "I love you." She leaned in and kissed him and as she pulled back, she teased him. "Now don't you forget that."
Nick smiled at her. "Hey, I've got something for you."
"What is it?" She gave him a quizzical look.
"Close your eyes." Nick had a mischievous grin on his face.
Sara rolled her eyes before she closed them, a smirk firmly in place. "What is it?" The was an edge of impatience in her voice.
Nick just chuckled as he reached for his pocket. "Just keep your eyes closed."
Sara felt him take her left hand and slide something onto it.
"Ok, open your eyes." Nick was grinning at her.
She could feel emotion welling up as she opened her eyes to see a diamond engagement ring in a filigree setting on her finger. Sara was speechless as she looked up at Nick.
He just smiled at her. "It was my grandmother's. She asked me if I wanted to give it to you."
Sara started to cry. "I can't believe this."
"She asked me if I wanted to wear my grandfather's ring." Nick was beginning to feel a little emotional himself.
"Oh, Nick." Sara smiled through her tears.
"She told me that she hoped we'd get to wear them at least as long as she and my grandfather did." Nick had tears running down his face now too.
"I sure hope so." Sara's voice was husky as she leaned in and kissed him softly.
He took one look at the tears that were slipping silently down her cheeks as she glanced up at him and his brows furrowed in concern. He sank down onto the couch next to her and wrapped his arms around her. "Hey, Sara, what's wrong?"
Sara's voice seemed really small. "I can't do this, Nick."
Nick was concerned. "Can't do what?" He hoped that she wasn't having second thoughts.
"I can't plan a wedding." She sniffled. "It's too hard." There was a whining quality to her voice.
"How can I help." He offered.
There was a hiccup in her voice. "That's just it. I've got too much help. Everyone keeps telling me what I should do and I don't even know what I want." She sniffled again.
"What do you want?" Nick queried her gently.
"I don't know." Sara had a hitch in her voice and leaned her head against Nick's shoulder. "Can't we just elope?"
Nick chuckled softly. "I suppose we could, but we've already invited everyone to a wedding."
"It's so easy for you, all you have to worry about is getting a suit." Sara continued sniffling.
"So you didn't find a dress, did you?" Nick thought that this was perhaps the reason why she seemed so upset.
"Do you know how many kinds of wedding dresses there are?" Sara whined.
"Do you want to tell me about it?" Nick offered.
"And most of them are ugly." Sara started to cry.
Nick wasn't sure what to do, he wanted to laugh, but he didn't dare. "Shh, it's ok, babe."
"No, it's not." Sara's voice hitched between sniffles. "I don't want to be ugly when I marry you."
Nick had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. "Sara, you won't be. You couldn't be ugly if you tried, even if you'd been around a decomp a little too long."
Sara started to giggle.
"You might smell bad, but you definitely couldn't be ugly." Nick teased.
Sara lifted her head off of Nick's shoulder and looked into his eyes. "I love you."
He grinned at her. "I know. I love you too."
She leaned in and kissed him softly, smiling as she pulled back. "Can't we just elope?"
He raised an eyebrow at her. "We'd still have to wait three days, we can't get a marriage license until tomorrow, and if we want to get married sooner than that, we'd have to fly back to Vegas early."
Sara pursed her lips and furrowed her brow. "I guess we should have a wedding then."
Nick chuckled. "Don't sound so excited."
Her expression softened. "I'm sorry, Nick. It's just that I never thought I would get married, so I've never really thought about what kind of wedding I'd want. I never wanted to marry anyone before now."
Nick looked a little surprised. "Even Grissom?"
She smirked. "Even Grissom."
Nick looked sheepish. "I guess he makes me a little nervous."
Sara smiled at him. "Nick, I'm in love with you. I want to marry you. Grissom is a great man and I admire him, but I fixated on him because deep down I knew I could never have him. I was too afraid to realize that who I wanted, who I needed was right in front of me the whole time."
Nick felt a lump forming in his throat and tears threatening to spill from his eyes. "I love you, Sara."
She grinned. "I love you." She leaned in and kissed him and as she pulled back, she teased him. "Now don't you forget that."
Nick smiled at her. "Hey, I've got something for you."
"What is it?" She gave him a quizzical look.
"Close your eyes." Nick had a mischievous grin on his face.
Sara rolled her eyes before she closed them, a smirk firmly in place. "What is it?" The was an edge of impatience in her voice.
Nick just chuckled as he reached for his pocket. "Just keep your eyes closed."
Sara felt him take her left hand and slide something onto it.
"Ok, open your eyes." Nick was grinning at her.
She could feel emotion welling up as she opened her eyes to see a diamond engagement ring in a filigree setting on her finger. Sara was speechless as she looked up at Nick.
He just smiled at her. "It was my grandmother's. She asked me if I wanted to give it to you."
Sara started to cry. "I can't believe this."
"She asked me if I wanted to wear my grandfather's ring." Nick was beginning to feel a little emotional himself.
"Oh, Nick." Sara smiled through her tears.
"She told me that she hoped we'd get to wear them at least as long as she and my grandfather did." Nick had tears running down his face now too.
"I sure hope so." Sara's voice was husky as she leaned in and kissed him softly.