Thanks for the reviews! They make me happy! And yes, I know you're all confused and such, but I think I know where I'm going with this, and I just hope that you can stick around until the end.
By the way, I don't own these characters.
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The rest of the drive to Estes Park was silent. Sara fell asleep just a few minutes after they left the rest area without another word about the invisible man she saw in the bathroom.
Truth be told, Nick was worried. It wasn't a common occurrence for Sara to get scared. He didn't believe in ghosts, but there hadn't been one vehicle in the parking lot when they arrived or when they left. He hadn't seen another human or even heard anything besides Sara's scream. And the rest area was out in the middle of no where. If someone was there, they had walked a long way just to scare one person.
It was at that moment when a scary thought had entered Nick's mind. What if someone had been following them and was after Sara? What if there was some whack-job out there waiting for the right moment to hurt her? No. No way. He didn't even want to think about that.
As they neared the entrance to the park, Sara began to stir slightly. "Nick?" she whispered.
"Good morning, glory" he smiled over at her.
Sara sat up in her seat, and took the headphones off of her ears. She had fallen asleep with them on, but the CD had ended nearly half an hour ago. 'Great waste of batteries' she thought to herself. "Are we there yet?" she asked with a smirk.
"Yes, Sara. We're there," he answered, still smiling. But his smile quickly faded, and he became more serious. "Are you feeling okay?"
Sara glanced out the window into the night sky. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"Are you sure? Did you sleep okay?"
"Yes and yes, I slept just fine."
Nick pulled the Denali into a parking space just outside of the visitors' center and turned and ignition off. "I'm going to go register and check in. I'll be right back."
"Okay."
Nick quickly slid out of the SUV, and hurried into the shop.
"May I help you, sir?" The young man behind the desk reminded Nick of a young Grissom. He had salt 'n pepper colored hair, and wore a pair of silver-rimmed glasses on the edge of his nose. Sitting on top of the counter was a thick book that Nick didn't quite get a good look at before the man pushed it aside.
"Uh, yeah, I have reservations," Nick answered.
"Last name, please?" The man, whose nametag read 'Anthony', asked.
"Stokes. S-T-O-K-E-S."
Anthony went to work at the computer, and then reached under the counter. He pulled out a bright pink piece of paper that would be hung on the rearview mirror, and wrote down the checkout date, and campsite Nick and Sara would be staying at. He pushed the paper across the counter to Nick, and then went back to the computer and typed out a receipt. "Quiet hours are from 10:00pm to 7:00am. If you enter the park between those hours, you need to use the code written on your pass to get in. And if you have any questions, someone will be here during park hours. Please don't feed any animals that you see. We don't need them hanging around and bothering other campers. Enjoy your stay."
Nick nodded. "Thanks." He looked around the little shop, and picked out a few of the brochures advertising different activities held at the park, and then quickly headed back out to his Denali.
"Is everything okay?" Sara asked him as he buckled his seatbelt and started the ignition.
"Yep. We've got campsite 23. And I also found a bunch of brochures about the park, and the town." He handed the pile over to Sara as he backed out of the parking lot and headed further into the park to where the campsites were located.
"This is beautiful," Sara commented as Nick pulled into their campsite.
"Sure is," he agreed, hopping out of the car.
Sara joined him in front of the Denali, and leaned up against the hood. The campsite was rather large for just one tent. There were plenty of trees, a picnic table, and a fire circle for camp fires. It was a clear night, and Sara could see plenty of stars, as well as half of the moon.
Nick stood beside her, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "We should get started. It's going to be quiet time soon, and I'm pretty sure they don't want us setting up a tent that late."
Sara leaned into his warm body, and wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to stay warm. "It's so much cooler here than in Vegas."
"That's why we packed warm clothes," Nick commented, pulling her body closer to his.
"Why don't we just sleep in the Denali tonight? There's plenty of room. And that way we don't have to even worry about the tent tonight."
Nick leaned over and kissed the top of her head. "Good thinking, sweetie."
"I have my moments," Sara grinned.
Nick and Sara both went to the back of the SUV. Nick opened the back door, and both of them pulled their toiletry bags and sleeping bags out of the vehicle. While Sara set up a makeshift bed for herself in the back seat of the Denali, Nick started a fire for them, and set up two chairs next to the glowing flames.
"Nick, I'm finished," Sara informed him as she plopped down in one of the chairs Nick had set up next to the fire.
"Okay, hon. I think I'm going to just sit out here for a bit before going to bed. I need to stretch my legs." He sat down next to her.
"Well, I can stay up with you. I mean I slept most of the way here. I'm not even tried," Sara finished with a small yawn, which she tried to hide.
Nick laughed, and took her hand in his. "Why don't we head up to the bath house to brush our teeth?"
Sara nodded. "I suppose I should do that before I fall asleep."
"Yeah, that and I don't want you walking all the way over there by yourself," he gave her hand a gentle squeeze to make his point.
Sara shot him one of her infamous glares. "Nick, I'm thirty-three years old. I think I can handle walking over to the bath house."
Nick shot her a glare of his own. "Don't argue with me when I'm trying to protect you from the boogie man."
Sara knew this was a serious moment, but she couldn't help the laugh that escaped her lips. "Sorry," she apologized. "Let me go grab our bags."
When she returned, Nick was already asleep. Sara smiled down at him. "Nick," she whispered. "Nick, wake up. You'll freeze if you stay out here all night."
"Mmmm?" he mumbled. "Just a little lower. Yeah, right there. Oh, Sara, you're so beautiful."
Sara looked at him; a confused expression crossed her face. In all their months of dating and sleeping together, she had never heard him talk in his sleep.
"I love you so much," he continued.
Sara smiled, and kneeled down on the dirt next to his chair. "Nick, wake up!" She said a little louder this time.
"Will you marry me, Sara?"
Sara felt her jaw dropped to the floor, and her heart stop beating. His eyes were still closed, and he hadn't moved. "What?" She asked, overcoming the lump that had formed in her throat. "Nick, wake up!" She gently shook his shoulders. "Nick!" She repeated.
Nick eyes fluttered open, and a concerned expression immediately washed over his face when he saw the expression on Sara's. "What's wrong?" He asked, sitting up straight and taking her hands in his. "Are you okay? Did something happen? Are you hurt?"
Sara shook her head from side to side slowly. "No, I'm fine. Everything's fine."
"You look like you've seen a ghost."
Sara choked down the lump again. She didn't Nick to know what she'd heard until she could figure out how she feels about it. "I just heard a noise. I think there are coyotes here."
"Well, Sar, it is Colorado. I'm sure there are lots of animals."
"Yeah, I just hope there aren't any strange men out there stalking us," Sara whispered as she looked around the campground, which was already extremely quiet; with the exception of for the occasional eruption of laughter form the kids in the campsite across the road from theirs.
Nick placed his hand on Sara's shoulder and cupped her cheek with his other hand. "Hey," he whispered. "No one is stalking you. I'm sure your mind was simply playing tricks on you."
"Nick-" She was cut off when he placed two fingers on her lips and smiled.
"I'll protect you." His voice was quieter than a whisper this time, and Sara wasn't sure she even heard him correctly. "Don't worry," he added as he leaned his and kissed her softly.
Sara pulled him closer as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you," she murmured against his lips.
Nick pulled away and buried his face between her neck and shoulder, lifting her up so she was sitting on his lap. Sara ran her fingers through his short hair, and down his back. She kissed the top of his head. "We should go."
They both stood together, still holding onto one another.
They made their way to the small, wooden bath house in silence, both enjoying the sounds of the silent night.
Nick stopped outside of the women's bathroom, and looked over at Sara. "Want me to wait here while you brush you're in there?"
Sara shook her head. "No."
"Okay," Nick stated, unsurely. "I'll just go and-"
"Nick, wait!" Sara exclaimed, grabbing his hand.
He turned around and watched as she stuck her head inside of the building, and then turned back to face him. "There's no one in there. Will you come in with me, please?" Her voice had suddenly become small and very un-Sara-like.
Nick nodded, and followed her into the bathroom.
There were three stalls, three sinks, and two showers inside. It was a very nice bathroom for a campground, Nick thought to himself.
Sara made her way over to the sinks, and began washing her face and brushing her teeth. Nick watched her for a moment, thinking about how they'd been together for a little over seven months now, and he'd still never seen her do something as ordinary as getting ready for bed before. He'd never seen her paint her nails, or curl her hair. He'd seen her put a little bit of make-up on, but only once.
"Nick?" Sara asked, breaking him from his thoughts.
She had come to stand right in front of him, with a concerned expression on her face. "Sorry," he said quickly. "I was just thinking."
"Yeah, I guess so. I only said your name three times before you even blinked." Sara turned back around to the sink and began gathering her belongings and shoving them back into her poop kit, as her best friend from high school had called it, saying "I just didn't feel like saying 'toiletry' all the time, so my mom and I came up with 'poop kit' one day." Sara smiled as she zipped up the little bag, and turned back to Nick. "Well, what are you waiting for? I don't want some poor old woman coming in here and getting the shit scared out of her when she sees you. No pun intended."
Nick laughed out loud. "Sorry. It will only take me a minute."
Sara looked at her reflection in the mirror. She looked tired; like she hadn't slept in a week. Which, up until today, wasn't very far from the truth. Work had been extremely busy the past few days. She and Nick really deserved this break, and were going to make the best of it.
Sara froze when she saw a flash of dark clothing out of the corner of her eye. But when she turned to see what it was, it was gone. She slowly made her way over towards the stalls, checking each one.
Empty.
Then she turned and peered inside both of the showers.
Empty.
"Sara?" Nick asked when he noticed she was no longer standing next to him. "Sara?" He repeated when she didn't respond.
"Yeah?" She asked finally.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing," she answered going back over to the sinks and picking up her poop kit. "I was just looking around."
"Okay. Well, I'm done. We can head back now."
'He must not have seen anything,' Sara thought to herself. 'How convenient.'
Nick and Sara exited the bathroom, and were soon engulfed by the darkness of the night. They quietly made their way back to their campsite, and climbed in the car.
Sara curled up on the backseat, while Nick tried to get comfortable in the front passenger seat, stretching his legs out across the driver's seat. Outside the temperature had already dipped below fifty degrees, and the wind was picking up quickly.
After a few minutes, Sara spoke up in a small voice, "Nick?"
"Yeah, sweetie?"
"Are you comfortable?"
Nick laughed to himself. "No. But I just want you to get some sleep."
Sara was silent for a few more minutes before speaking up again. "Will you come back here?"
"Sara, you and I both know that if I come back there, neither of us will be sleeping."
Sara sat up and gazed into Nick's eyes, her own pleaded with him silently. "Please, Nick?"
Nick didn't argue this time. He quickly hopped out of the SUV, and joined her in the back seat.
"Are the doors locked?" Sara asked.
"Yes."
Sara had hung up blankets along the windows in the back so no one could see inside the Denali while they were sleeping, but she hadn't covered the front windows. She turned around and began rummaging through her suitcase. She found two sweaters, and a towel. Without a word, she hung each sweater up in the side windows, and the towel in the front window.
Nick didn't say anything. Instead, and stretched his legs out across the seat, and leaned up against the door, using a pillow to cushion his head.
When Sara was finished, covering all of the windows, Nick motioned for her to sit on his lap. She did so, and leaned on him, so her back was against his chest. Nick pulled Sara's comforter up over their bodies, and wrapped his arms around her abdomen. Sara leaned her head back on Nick's shoulder and closed her eyes. "Thank you," she whispered against his neck.
Nick leaned down and kissed her forehead before closing his eyes, and drifting off to sleep.
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TBC
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I hope that the first chapter didn't turn you off right away. I think this is the longest chapter I've ever written! Go me! Haha! Please read and review!