Author's Note: Ok, the inspiration for the tutu came from something my three sisters and I actually did to our younger brother when he was three, and yes, there are pictures. The tax return thing also came from real life. We still like to tease my brother about it, and he always retorts that my dad amended the return and fixed the problem.
Nick looked at Sara with a curious smile as they danced to a slow song along with the other dinner cruise guests. They were on the edge of the dance floor near their table. "You aren't going to share that picture are you?" There was a hint of worry creasing his forehead.
Sara smirked. "I don't know, if you didn't want everyone to see it, why did you tell me about it?"
He let out a chuckle and raised his eyebrows. "You're not everyone."
Sara felt her smirk being tugged into a smile. "Oh, so what your sister said then is true?" She still hadn't told Nick exactly what Lisa had said, but as she watched panic flash across his face, she had a pretty good idea that he knew what she'd said.
Nick's grip on Sara's waist tightened slightly. "What exactly did she tell you?" He looked worried but the tone of his voice was intentionally light.
Sara let out a soft laugh. "I don't know if I should tell you." She had a mischievous expression on her face.
Nick shook his head and chuckled. "And how did you figure out that was my sister Lisa's number anyway?''
Sara rolled her eyes slightly. "Does the name 'Zippy' do anything for you?"
Nick pursed his lips together for a moment, wondering when he would have told her that.
Sara laughed. "Nick, remember I'm a CSI. Besides I figured anyone that you'd put in your phone by their nickname had to be related."
He looked a little sheepish and then chuckled as the song finished and they stepped off the dance floor to sit at their table. "I still can't believe you did that. I honestly thought you needed to call the lab about something."
She deadpanned. "Me? Call the lab on my night off?"
Nick leaned in and whispered in her ear as they sat down. "Don't look now, but Hank and Elaine are headed this way."
Sara found herself glancing over just as Elaine was pulling Hank in their direction. Sara looked back at Nick. "Would it be too obvious if I went to the ladies room?"
Nick chuckled and whispered again. "I think it's too late." He put a smile on his face as the couple stopped next to their table.
Elaine was beaming. It was obvious by the diamond engagement ring on her finger that Hank's mission had been successful. "He proposed." The fact that she barely knew Nick and Sara didn't seem to matter as she just wanted to tell someone her news. She flashed the ring in front of them.
Sara forced a smile. "Wow, that's great." She glanced at Hank who had an apologetic expression on his face for interrupting and then she felt a genuine smile replace her forced one. She truly wanted to be happy for Hank. "Congratulations."
Elaine didn't seem to pick on the undercurrent of tension as she squeezed Hank's hand and then looked at Nick and Sara again. "Who knows, maybe you two will be next."
Sara's eyebrows shot up and she tried to keep her expression neutral as she looked over at Nick. "Uh, we're not." She didn't want to make any assumptions about their evening out, regardless of how much she was enjoying Nick's company.
Nick smiled at her though and stopped her comment cold as he reached over and took her hand, giving it a squeeze, before looking back at Elaine and Hank. "First date."
Hank's eyebrows arched upward in understanding and Elaine looked a bit embarrassed at her assumption. "Oh, I'm sorry." She giggled.
Hank put his arm around Elaine's shoulders and smiled. "Setting the bar pretty high there for a first date, Stokes."
Nick glanced over at Sara and squeezed her hand, a grin spreading across his face. "I think she's worth it."
Sara's face flushed with color and she nervously reached for her water glass, taking a sip to try and get the attention off of her.
"Honey, we should let them be alone so they can enjoy the rest of the cruise." Hank could tell Sara was uncomfortable and began propelling Elaine back to their table.
"Have fun." Elaine waved as they walked away, her smile getting bigger as she noticed the flash of diamond on her left hand.
Sara let out a nervous laugh, not quite looking at Nick who still held her hand. "Well that wasn't at all awkward."
Nick's thumb began caressing the back of her hand. "Do you want to go for a walk on the upper deck?"
As she looked at him fully, she noticed concern on his face and nodded. "Fresh air sounds really good."
Without letting go of her hand, Nick stood up and led Sara towards the stairwell that led to the upper deck, smiling at her reassuringly. As they walked across the deck, Sara shivered. Nick glanced over. "You cold?"
She tried to restrain her smile. "It's a little chilly up here." She chuckled softly when he so predictably shrugged his suit jacket off and pulled it around her shoulders.
"What?" Nick looked at her curiously.
She shook her head. "Nothing. You are ever the gentleman though." She smiled as he laughed.
"You say that like it's a bad thing." Nick defended with a grin.
Sara shook her head again. "No, it's not a bad thing; I'm just not used to being treated like this."
He slung his arm over her shoulder as they continued walking. "Warmer?"
"Yeah, thanks." She kept thinking about what Nick had said when Hank and Elaine had stopped at their table. She furrowed her brow and stopped, glancing up at Nick who regarded her expression with interest. "Nick?"
"Yeah?" He turned to face her, watching the conflicting emotions on her face.
In a nervous gesture, Sara hugged the jacket around her a bit tighter. There were several things that she wanted to say, but none of them seemed willing to come out. Instead she found that her mouth had a mind of its own when it came to speech. "Thanks for letting me wear your jacket." As soon as she heard the words in her own ears she thought she sounded like a teenage girl wearing some guy's letterman jacket instead of a grown woman out with a man that she found attractive.
He smiled at her. "Anytime." He studied her for a moment and felt nerves in his own stomach. "Hey, I was thinking." He felt his throat constrict slightly as she looked at him.
"Be careful, you might hurt yourself." Sara's quip came out of nowhere, but it helped relieve the tension a bit.
Nick looked at her for a moment and then started laughing. "Very funny." He reached over and tucked a curl behind her ear, his expression softening as he looked at her in the moonlight. "You look very pretty."
Sara tried to swallow her embarrassed smile. "Was that what you were thinking?"
Nick smirked. "Well, it was on my mind, but that wasn't what I was going to say."
She smirked back. "What were you going to say?"
He looked a bit apprehensive. "I was just thinking that Hank was an idiot, but I think I was an even bigger idiot."
She looked at him a bit confused. "I know why Hank is an idiot, but why do you think you are?"
He smiled at her. "I'm an idiot because I should have asked you to come here tonight as my date and not leave you in a position in front of your ex- boyfriend and his fiancée to wonder what my intentions are."
Sara swallowed hard, her eyes widening. "You didn't know they would be here."
He touched her cheek softly as he looked into her eyes. "I still should have asked you out, Sara."
A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she looked back at him. "You know it's not too late."
Nick looked at Sara with a curious smile as they danced to a slow song along with the other dinner cruise guests. They were on the edge of the dance floor near their table. "You aren't going to share that picture are you?" There was a hint of worry creasing his forehead.
Sara smirked. "I don't know, if you didn't want everyone to see it, why did you tell me about it?"
He let out a chuckle and raised his eyebrows. "You're not everyone."
Sara felt her smirk being tugged into a smile. "Oh, so what your sister said then is true?" She still hadn't told Nick exactly what Lisa had said, but as she watched panic flash across his face, she had a pretty good idea that he knew what she'd said.
Nick's grip on Sara's waist tightened slightly. "What exactly did she tell you?" He looked worried but the tone of his voice was intentionally light.
Sara let out a soft laugh. "I don't know if I should tell you." She had a mischievous expression on her face.
Nick shook his head and chuckled. "And how did you figure out that was my sister Lisa's number anyway?''
Sara rolled her eyes slightly. "Does the name 'Zippy' do anything for you?"
Nick pursed his lips together for a moment, wondering when he would have told her that.
Sara laughed. "Nick, remember I'm a CSI. Besides I figured anyone that you'd put in your phone by their nickname had to be related."
He looked a little sheepish and then chuckled as the song finished and they stepped off the dance floor to sit at their table. "I still can't believe you did that. I honestly thought you needed to call the lab about something."
She deadpanned. "Me? Call the lab on my night off?"
Nick leaned in and whispered in her ear as they sat down. "Don't look now, but Hank and Elaine are headed this way."
Sara found herself glancing over just as Elaine was pulling Hank in their direction. Sara looked back at Nick. "Would it be too obvious if I went to the ladies room?"
Nick chuckled and whispered again. "I think it's too late." He put a smile on his face as the couple stopped next to their table.
Elaine was beaming. It was obvious by the diamond engagement ring on her finger that Hank's mission had been successful. "He proposed." The fact that she barely knew Nick and Sara didn't seem to matter as she just wanted to tell someone her news. She flashed the ring in front of them.
Sara forced a smile. "Wow, that's great." She glanced at Hank who had an apologetic expression on his face for interrupting and then she felt a genuine smile replace her forced one. She truly wanted to be happy for Hank. "Congratulations."
Elaine didn't seem to pick on the undercurrent of tension as she squeezed Hank's hand and then looked at Nick and Sara again. "Who knows, maybe you two will be next."
Sara's eyebrows shot up and she tried to keep her expression neutral as she looked over at Nick. "Uh, we're not." She didn't want to make any assumptions about their evening out, regardless of how much she was enjoying Nick's company.
Nick smiled at her though and stopped her comment cold as he reached over and took her hand, giving it a squeeze, before looking back at Elaine and Hank. "First date."
Hank's eyebrows arched upward in understanding and Elaine looked a bit embarrassed at her assumption. "Oh, I'm sorry." She giggled.
Hank put his arm around Elaine's shoulders and smiled. "Setting the bar pretty high there for a first date, Stokes."
Nick glanced over at Sara and squeezed her hand, a grin spreading across his face. "I think she's worth it."
Sara's face flushed with color and she nervously reached for her water glass, taking a sip to try and get the attention off of her.
"Honey, we should let them be alone so they can enjoy the rest of the cruise." Hank could tell Sara was uncomfortable and began propelling Elaine back to their table.
"Have fun." Elaine waved as they walked away, her smile getting bigger as she noticed the flash of diamond on her left hand.
Sara let out a nervous laugh, not quite looking at Nick who still held her hand. "Well that wasn't at all awkward."
Nick's thumb began caressing the back of her hand. "Do you want to go for a walk on the upper deck?"
As she looked at him fully, she noticed concern on his face and nodded. "Fresh air sounds really good."
Without letting go of her hand, Nick stood up and led Sara towards the stairwell that led to the upper deck, smiling at her reassuringly. As they walked across the deck, Sara shivered. Nick glanced over. "You cold?"
She tried to restrain her smile. "It's a little chilly up here." She chuckled softly when he so predictably shrugged his suit jacket off and pulled it around her shoulders.
"What?" Nick looked at her curiously.
She shook her head. "Nothing. You are ever the gentleman though." She smiled as he laughed.
"You say that like it's a bad thing." Nick defended with a grin.
Sara shook her head again. "No, it's not a bad thing; I'm just not used to being treated like this."
He slung his arm over her shoulder as they continued walking. "Warmer?"
"Yeah, thanks." She kept thinking about what Nick had said when Hank and Elaine had stopped at their table. She furrowed her brow and stopped, glancing up at Nick who regarded her expression with interest. "Nick?"
"Yeah?" He turned to face her, watching the conflicting emotions on her face.
In a nervous gesture, Sara hugged the jacket around her a bit tighter. There were several things that she wanted to say, but none of them seemed willing to come out. Instead she found that her mouth had a mind of its own when it came to speech. "Thanks for letting me wear your jacket." As soon as she heard the words in her own ears she thought she sounded like a teenage girl wearing some guy's letterman jacket instead of a grown woman out with a man that she found attractive.
He smiled at her. "Anytime." He studied her for a moment and felt nerves in his own stomach. "Hey, I was thinking." He felt his throat constrict slightly as she looked at him.
"Be careful, you might hurt yourself." Sara's quip came out of nowhere, but it helped relieve the tension a bit.
Nick looked at her for a moment and then started laughing. "Very funny." He reached over and tucked a curl behind her ear, his expression softening as he looked at her in the moonlight. "You look very pretty."
Sara tried to swallow her embarrassed smile. "Was that what you were thinking?"
Nick smirked. "Well, it was on my mind, but that wasn't what I was going to say."
She smirked back. "What were you going to say?"
He looked a bit apprehensive. "I was just thinking that Hank was an idiot, but I think I was an even bigger idiot."
She looked at him a bit confused. "I know why Hank is an idiot, but why do you think you are?"
He smiled at her. "I'm an idiot because I should have asked you to come here tonight as my date and not leave you in a position in front of your ex- boyfriend and his fiancée to wonder what my intentions are."
Sara swallowed hard, her eyes widening. "You didn't know they would be here."
He touched her cheek softly as he looked into her eyes. "I still should have asked you out, Sara."
A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she looked back at him. "You know it's not too late."