I thought I'd update sooner..I was wrong. But excuses, excuses. Thanks to the three of you for reviewing right up til the end, and thanks to everyone who read/reviewed throughout this and The Red Dress. Maddy I hope everything ends up ok with you and your friend. That type of thing's always complicated but I'm sure you'll work things out. This chapter will be the end, just coz I know I can go on forever with these two (as seen in this chapter, damn it's long!), but I'm gonna stop now before it goes any further downhill. I was going to go with remoob's ideas about wedding bliss, but this hopefully leaves it up to you to choose how their relationship will turn out. Please excuse anyspelling or grammatical errors. I typed it and uploaded straight away, and I don't have myself a beta. Anyhoo,I hope you like it. And thanks again, y'all are rad./ Britt

Does He Ever Get The Girl?

7. A Sure Thing

Greg leant in as he pressed the doorbell. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. It felt strange standing on that front doorstep, ringing that familiar doorbell, and waiting outside of his childhood home, waiting for his parents to invite him inside. Sara squeezed his hand. He glanced across at her, her comforting smile put him at ease. He drew in a deep breath as the door handle turned and the door creaked open, revealing his mother with her trademark grin. She opened her arms wide as she pulled him into a hug.

"It's so good to have my little boy home!" She exclaimed as she squeezed him tighter.

Greg inwardly groaned. Just what he needed; to be embarrassed in front of Sara. Sara watched them in their embrace, and began to feel as though she was intruding. Greg's mother finally released her son from her grip as she turned her attention towards Sara. She grinned as she pulled Sara into a similar hug, making her feel welcome although she felt a little uncomfortable.

"It's lovely to see you again Sara." She said as she finally let go and led the couple inside.

They entered the house and found themselves in the living room. Greg's mother quickly crossed the room and turned down the television volume before nudging her husband who had fallen asleep in front of the TV.

"Greg and Sara are here," she said as she nudged him again. He barely stirred as he remained asleep. She sighed and shrugged before remembering something.

"There's something I need to show you! Excuse us Sara..." She said as cheerfully as ever as she excitedly led Greg towards the back of the house. He looked back at Sara and shrugged before disappearing into the room at the end of the hallway. Sara studied her surroundings, admiring the various items which cluttered the room. She moved closer to the opposite wall which was adorned with photos of the family. She followed the photographs, as Greg transformed from a baby in the earlier photos into the college graduate in the last. She moved away from the photos as she heard footsteps approaching from the hallway. Again she felt as though she was intruding, as though she was out of place in a home like this...in his home.

They re-entered the living room. She immediately noticed the change in Greg. He seemed...well she really didn't know what it was about him, but something was different about him. She shrugged it off.

"You kids make yourselves at home, I'm going to get dinner ready..." Greg's mother voice trailed off as she went into the kitchen.

Greg followed her in, closely followed by Sara.

"Do you need any help mom?" He asked, being the good helpful son he'd always been.

"No, it's fine. You two get settled in."

The couple left the room after she further assured them that she could handle dinner on her own. Greg headed towards the front door. Once again Sara was close behind. She felt more at ease when she was closer to him. She felt like less of an intruder when she was by his side. They both quickly unloaded their travel bags from the trunk of the car. It was then that Sara realized just how much things they'd brought along with them for such a short stay. They re-entered the house, lugging their bags along with them.

"C'mon...I'll show you my room." Greg said with a grin before leading her down the hallway.

Sara smiled. She'd thought about his room a little on the trip down. They stopped at a closed door which was adorned with a small sign, 'Greg's Room'. He pushed the door open with his foot and quickly dumped the bags onto the floor. He took the bags from Sara before gesturing for her to enter.

"Welcome to my humble abode..." He said, mocking some kind of accent that she couldn't really identify.

She stepped across the threshold and looked around the relatively large room. It was exactly what she'd been expecting. He closed the door behind her as she was immediately drawn to the bookcase across from her. She began to investigate its contents. Greg took a seat on his bed as he watched her check out his things. She scanned the various photo frames, awards and trophies. She picked up one of the frames, showing Greg at a science fair with first place, his parents proudly beside him. It reminded her so much of herself, and yet it reminded her how different their childhoods had been. She gently sighed as she set it back in its place. Sara continued along the bookcase before reaching his desk, adorned with various books and objects, although one in particular stood out to her. Greg noticed her pause, and moved to her side.

"My first chemistry set...isn't she a beauty? Where the magic all began..." He beamed as he wiggled his eyebrows at her, before picking up a fragile test tube. It had started it all...and now it was even more special to him. Without that set, he'd never gotten so interested in science, and therefore never would've headed down that career path, and never would've met Sara. He grinned as he set the test tube back down. He returned back to his position on his bed, realizing just how tired the trip down had made him. Sara continued to look around the room before she focused upon him. He gestured to her, inviting her to join him on his bed. She moved to the bed and sat beside him. Greg grinned. Essentially, he really had been waiting for this exact moment his whole life.

"You know...you're the first girlfriend I've ever had in this bedroom, on this bed..." He trailed off as he continued to grin.

"Really?" She asked. It seemed a little unbelievable...but then again, his mother had said that she was the first girlfriend he'd ever brought to meet the Sanders, so it did make sense. But still, for a sweet guy like Greg, it was hard to believe.

"You can have the full Greg Sanders experience in the original Sanders residence." He said as he leaned towards her, though she put her hands up, stopping him from moving any closer.

Sara chuckled. "As tempting as that sounds...your parents are right outside." She'd have to postpone the 'Greg Sanders experience' for a while. The last thing she wanted was to be the first girlfriend in Greg's room, and getting busted with him at the same time.

"And?" He asked. Realizing that he wasn't going to get any kind of action before dinner, he put on his best pout and did his best to make her feel guilty.

"What? You really want to be caught with me by your mother? What would she think then of her innocent little boy?"

He shrugged. As much as he hated to admit it, she did have a point. No action in Greg's room, at least not at that moment anyway. He let his pout melt away as he watched her study his room. He wondered what her room had been like when she was younger, whether it was filled with a mix of athletic and scientific objects as his, or whether it had been completely different. He even wondered if it had been pink. His trail of thought was interrupted by a knock at the door and that familiar voice announcing that dinner was ready.

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Greg sighed as he settled into the couch, in the same old position he always had. He turned to his father, who had already managed to drift off to sleep so soon after finishing dinner. He turned his attention towards the kitchen, to the light chatter he could hear drifting out of the room. He wondered what the two women were talking about. Whatever it was, there's no way it could be any worse than the conversation over dinner. As if his mother hadn't embarrassed him enough at the restaurant the first time she'd met Sara, she had to take it even further tonight, relating stories from camps and his childhood antics that he'd love to be able to forget. Somehow he'd survived dinner and managed to retain some of his dignity, before his mother had promised to show Sara the several photo albums she had hidden in the closet.

As he watched the television screen before him he realized that he really didn't mind it at all. So what if Sara saw him at some of the most embarrassing stages of his life? She'd heard the stories, even back in Vegas, and she hadn't told a single soul. If it was only she who knew his deepest darkest secrets, he knew he could easily handle it. His thoughts shifted back to his parent's bedroom, the conversation he'd had with his mother...and what she'd given him. That was something he wasn't sure he truly knew how to handle.

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Sara quickly wiped the bubbles from the dish before setting it down on the counter. They'd suddenly fallen into silence, and she was almost glad. She felt so guilty knowing that Greg's mother believed that the two of them had been dating for a long time, when really it had been barely a few months. She'd broken his heart and mended it again, and already she'd broken a promise she'd made to his mother...to never hurt him. Now that they were a couple, she vowed to stick by that promise, as now she realized that she'd never be able to hurt him, intentionally or unintentionally.

"Sara honey, are you okay?" She asked realizing that the young woman had almost frozen while drying the last of the dinner plates.

Sara broke out of her thoughts and silently cursed at herself. "I'm fine," she replied with a smile, but that wasn't enough to convince her otherwise. She didn't know what else to say, whether to say what she had been thinking, or keep pretending that they'd been together for much longer than they really had. To see this woman so happy, she knew she couldn't shatter it all. She couldn't do that to her, or to Greg. Instead she simply drew in a short breath and nodded as she repeated her previous answer. "I'm fine, really."

Sara's response didn't cease her concerns, but she knew that if there was something Greg's girlfriend wanted to say to her, she would say it. Greg had always told her that Sara spoke her mind, why would now be any different? She shrugged as she pulled the plug from the drain, watching the soap suds spiral around the sink before disappearing. "Thanks for your help honey. Remind me tomorrow to show you the photo albums."

"Sure," Sara replied as she dried her hands and left the kitchen in search of Greg.

She found him sprawled across the couch, completely focused on the television screen. She didn't even think he noticed her standing there. She took the moment to watch him, to study his face. He seemed so happy there, so content being home. She smiled.

Greg sat up as he noticed that he had an audience. Sara blushed as he caught her watching him. "So what did you think of the show?" He asked as he shot her a cheesy grin. He stood from the couch and stretched. He crossed the lounge room and pulled her into a hug which closely resembled a bear hug. "There's something I wanna show you..." He whispered into her ear before taking her hand and leading her towards the back door. She let him lead her, as they exited the house and found themselves in the middle of a fairly large backyard. He headed towards the center of the backyard, to the base of a tree. As they got closer she noticed the ladder attached to the trunk. She looked up at the tree house situated amongst the tree's branches.

"Ladies first," he said as he gestured for her to climb the ladder first. Chivalry was always key, but in this case it worked two-fold. He could be a gentleman, and have a great view of Sara's ass at the same time. He followed her up the ladder and into the tree house. He smiled as the looked around the small room. He'd remembered it being a whole lot bigger than it appeared now, but he'd grown a lot since the last time he had visited. "Welcome to Greg's tree house of love." He said, knowing just how lame it sounded. It received a smile from his girl, and that was all that mattered to him. He leant across her into the small cupboard, retrieving an old blanket and a lantern. Light filled the small tree house as he spread out the blanket.

"So what did you mom show you earlier?" Sara asked, finally asking the question which had been bugging her for hours. It must've been something pretty spectacular for him to have reacted in such a way, although she still didn't know what kind of reaction he had actually had.

"Hmm? Oh nothing, just something she's been waiting a while to give to me." He replied, hoping that she wouldn't think any more of it. If he dismissed it as nothing important, hopefully she'd do the same.

Sara watched him. She knew he was telling her something, but she had a way of getting things out of him...eventually. She looked at the wooden walls of the tree house. "Is this thing safe?"

"Sturdy as ever," Greg replied as he knocked on the floor. It was still as strong as they day he and his father had built it so many years ago.

Sara had only ever been in a tree house once before, and even then she hadn't actually done anything in it. She was curious about what he had done, what had gone on in those tiny walls. "What'd you used to get up to in here?"

He smiled. He had so many memories formed within the tree house. From his early years he'd played in there with his friends, and later held sleepovers and club meetings. And eventually he'd had friends, and girls in there. He'd gotten up to his fair share of mischief in that little room. And who ever said tree houses weren't cool? "Just boys stuff." He replied with a grin. "Y'know, just your averagetree house shenanigans, truth or dare, poker... "He trailed off.

"Truth or dare?" She asked. She'd had memories of playing that during her early high school years. She'd never like it much, especially the truth side of it.

"Yeah. Asking questions, giving out dares. Except you always go with truth for the first few goes, just to show that you're not desperate and frighten the ladies." He nodded, remembering that sacred rule. Good times...

"Ask me."

"Okay Miss Sidle...Truth, or dare?"

"Dare." She replied with a mischievous grin. She laughed at his reaction. It definitely wasn't what he was expecting, at least not on the first go. Really, she'd never choose anything but dare. Truth held more risks for her than any dare ever could.

If he were still seven years old, or someone like Grissom, he would've certainly dared her to eat some kind of insect, but right now he was content with something simple, something that wouldn't 'frighten the ladies.' Seeing as he'd been waiting hours for a moment alone with her, he shuffled closer to her on the small picnic blanket and leaned in as they began to kiss. It soon turned into the best game of 'truth or dare' that he'd ever played in his life.

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Greg gently squeezed her hand as he continued to drive. He'd racked his brain trying to think of the perfect place to take Sara. So many places came to mind, but there was one that stood out on its own. She squeezed back as he glanced across at her and smiled. He focused on the road ahead as she stared out the window and thought about the events of the day. She hadn't had that much fun and felt so welcome in a long time.

Earlier that day Greg and his family had taken her to the beach. She couldn't remember seeing Greg more excited. He'd been acting like a little kid waiting desperately to arrive at Disneyland, constantly asking if they were there yet. Once they'd arrive Greg unloaded his surfboard and headed straight to the surf, intent on showing Sara just how well he could surf. He'd always said that surfing was a state of mind, and that day, his mind must have been somewhere else completely. What was meant to be a show of skill turned out to be something you'd expect to see on those funny video shows. Wave after wave Greg tried to catch waves, and failed miserably. And on the off-chance that he'd actually catch a wave, it wouldn't last long at all. He'd either lose balance, or be dumped by the waves.

She found herself smiling now as she glanced across at him. As funny and entertaining as it all had been to onlookers, she couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He had returned to the towels set out across the sand and collapsed upon them, defeated. She'd some how convinced him to teach her to surf. Although she'd known how to before, after all she had lived near the Californian coast almost her entire life, she still pretended to be completely lost. Out they'd gone into the surf, and he had set her up for her first wave. He instructed her to start paddling, and as the wave hit to paddle five more strokes before standing up. First try she was standing on the board, proud with herself before realizing that she was a 'beginner'. She'd began to shake and fell from the board, only to be scooped up into Greg's arms soon after. She hadn't meant to hold back, but she couldn't bear to see him once he'd realized that she could surf better than he could. She'd save that little bit of information for another day, perhaps when his parents weren't watching from afar.

It was her turn now to be the excited kid. She still had no idea where he was taking her, and she really didn't mind. She turned to him, and began to whine in the most annoying, child-like voice she could manage, "Greg, are we there yet?"

He chuckled and shook his head. "Not yet, but almost."

She looked back out the side window, and mentally pictured the hundreds of photographs Greg's mother had shown her mere hours beforehand. The two of them had spent hours flicking through the pages of the numerous photo albums. From his baby photos to photos of him recently, each had a story behind it that his mother was more than willing to share. Sara had particularly liked the photograph of a young Greg dressed in nothing but his mother's bra. She'd laughed so hard tears had formed in her eyes. Tears had almost formed once again when they had reached the end of the last photo album, where a single space remained vacant, waiting, as Greg's mother had said, for a photo of Greg and Sara together. She sighed as the car suddenly came to a halt, and Greg grinned at her.

"We're here." He simply stated as he got out of the car and took her hand. He gently pulled her towards their destination as he began to wish that he had had more time. If he had planned something earlier he could've found something a little more romantic than this. He sighed. This would have to do, and after all, it was special to him.

Sara frowned as Greg lead her through trees and shrubbery, the cover almost so thick that she lost sight of the sky at times. They reached a chain-linked fence, and followed it until he had found the hole in the fencing, the perfect entrance, and only entrance that he could manage into the place. He helped her though the fence as she continuously looked at her surroundings. She had no idea where she was, or where he was taking her. They continued through an area of more trees and shrubbery, before being met witha large wall of cement. She looked up, trying to see what exactly this thing was, but was quickly led towards a spiraling staircase which led nowhere but upwards. She followed him up as they scaled the stairs. They'd reached a landing which looked a lot like a balcony. Greg moved to her side, allowing her to view just how high up they were, and exactly where they were. She was taken aback by the sight before her. The city stretched out underneath them, with the ocean in the distance and the setting sun across the horizon. It was beautiful.

Greg took a seat on the landing, dangling his legs down over the edge as he watched Sara admire the view. That tower, at that exact same spot, had been the site of a lot of memories in his teenage years, drinking, smoking, talking, and just hanging out with his friends. Now he was sharing it with Sara, and from her reaction, she appeared to like it as much as he did. She took a seat beside him and leant her head against his shoulder as the sun disappeared, and the moon took its place. They both admired the amount of stars in the sky, neither of them seeing so many out during the night since they'd moved to Vegas. The city lights below them shone through the darkness, and were another beautiful sight.

As Greg sat beside her on the water tower, he found that all of the doubts he ever held in his mind had melted away. With her there in his arms, he'd never been so sure about anything in his life. He slid his hand into his pocket, gripping the small velvet case that held his grandmother's engagement ring. His hand shook as much now as it had when his mother had handed it to him the previous day. He'd never been so frightened, and yet so sure about something in his entire life.He knew that he truly had the girl, and he had no intentions of ever letting her go.

The End...