A/N: Only this chapter and the next of sugary goodness before the story takes a dramtic turn. Usual disclaimer. Er...not much else to say...enjoy!

Chapter 19- First Date

"In the car, I just can't wait
To pick you up on our very first date
Is it cool if I hold your hand?
Is it wrong if I think it's lame to dance?
Do you like my stupid hair?
Would you guess that I didn't know what to wear?
I'm just scared of what you think
You make me nervous so I really can't eat

Let's go, don't wait
This night's almost over
Honest, let's make
This night last forever"

First Date by Blink-182

Greg sat in his car nervously, constantly checking his hair in the rear view mirror. He was almost fifteen minutes early to pick up Sara for their first date. They had both agreed that the date should be fairly casual, but Greg had other plans. He had called up an old friend from college who just happened to be the head chef at one of Sara's favorite restaurants. It had taken Greg almost two days to set everything up. He hated having to dip into his savings, but he knew that Sara was worth it, and that this night had to be perfect.

Now, he sat in the front seat of his car, dressed simply in a pair of loose-fitting jeans and a black blazer over a Pink Floyd shirt. Greg could not sit still. He tapped the steering wheel, fiddled with the radio, and kept checking his hair. Finally, when five minutes had passed, Greg trudged up to Sara's door, even though he was still ten minutes early. He rang the doorbell, then stepped back, hands in pockets, waiting for Sara. To his surprise, she answered the door promptly, dressed simply yet beautifully in a white blouse and black pants. "Hey!" said Greg, giving her a slow grin.

Sara shook her head and smiled. "Hey yourself. I was wondering if you were ever going to come up to the door."

He blushed. "Oh, sorry."

Sara laughed. "It's ok." They stood, there, slightly uncomfortable, until Sara asked, "So…um, are we going to go?"

"Oh, sure!" said Greg. He offered her his arm, which she took, laughing, and they proceeded to his car. He opened her door for her, then crossed around the front and got in on his side.

They drove for a few minutes, making quiet conversation, and then Sara asked, "So…where are we going?"

He threw her an impish grin. "That's for me to know and you to find out."

"Greg!" she exclaimed, whacking him on the arm.

"Hey!" he said, laughing. "I'm driving here!"

"Well, tell me where you're driving to."

"If I told you that, I'd have to kill you."

"Greg Sanders, tell me where we are going or…" She never got to finish her threat because at that moment, they arrived.

"All right, everybody out!" said Greg cheerfully.

Sara got out before Greg could come open her door and stared in shock. They were at her favorite restaurant in the world, a vegetarian place that was really nice and really expensive. It was also supposed to be closed today. She pointed this out to Greg. "Greg, I thought they were closed today."

He came and stood next to her. "I know. C'mon," he said, grabbing her hand and leading her in. They were met by a wiry man in chef's clothing. "Chef!" exclaimed Greg, giving the man a big hug.

"Greg!" the man said, laughing. "It's great to see you." The two pulled apart and he bowed courteously to Sara. "And you," he said, kissing her hand, "must be Miss Sara Sidle, our Greg's date for the evening."

She nodded and blushed, then asked, "Are you the chef here?" He nodded, and Sara exclaimed, before she could stop herself, "Oh, wow, I love the food here! The vegetarian pâté is especially good."

He grinned and said to Greg, "Looks like you've got yourself a keeper, here, Greggo." To Sara, he said, "I'm glad you like it. Yes, I am the chef, Chef Charles Danzinger."

"Charles?" said Greg incredulously. "Since when do you go by 'Charles', Chuck?"

"Um, I dunno, maybe since I realized that being called Chuck isn't very professional," he shot back, offering Sara his arm.

Greg cut in before she could take his arm. Giving Chuck a dirty look, he said, "I'm still called Greggo, and I'm very professional."

"Oh, yeah, your Pink Floyd shirt is an excellent example of that," smirked Chuck as he brushed past them to show them their seats.

Greg growled at him and Sara stroked his arm comfortingly. They walked into the dining room and Sara gasped out loud. "Oh my God, Greg!" she exclaimed. The dining room was set up beautifully, with a single table and two chairs next to the dance floor. The room was full of red roses, petals scattered on the floor, bouquets in the wall sconces, and a large arrangement on the table. The lights were dimmed and candles, flickering cheerfully, completed the ambiance. Music was quietly playing in the background, and Sara gave Greg a huge grin. "Did you do this all yourself?"

He shrugged, slightly embarrassed. "Well, I had some help…"

She threw her arms around him, giving him a huge kiss on the cheek. "Oh, Greg, this is fantastic! No, it's beyond fantastic, it's perfect."

He smiled shyly at her and took her hand, squeezing it gently. "I'm glad you like it. Now c'mon, I'm hungry. Let's eat."

They sat down at the table and Chuck wheeled out a cart with the first course on it. It was minestrone soup, and it was amazing. The courses that followed were equally as good, and Sara and Greg enjoyed them, and enjoyed each other's company.

When they were done, Greg stood and offered Sara his hand. "Will you do me the honor of a dance, milady?" he asked with a courtly bow.

She giggled and nodded, suddenly nervous. They walked to the center of the dance floor and stopped. Greg smiled and said, "I propose that the next song will be our song."

"No matter what song it is?" asked Sara.

"No matter what."

Sara shrugged. "Ok."

They stood and waited for the song to change. A new song came on, the chords in the beginning echoing slightly in the empty restaurant. Sara groaned loudly. "A Backstreet Boys song?" she asked.

Greg smiled, slightly knowingly. "Listen to the words," he whispered in her ear as they started to dance.

She listened.

"You don't run with the crowd
You go your own way
You don't play after dark
You light up my day
Got your own kind of style
That sets you apart
Baby, that's why you captured my heart
I know sometimes you feel like you don't fit in
And this world doesn't know what you have within
When I look at you, I see something rare
A rose that can grow anywhere
And there's no one I know that can compare

What makes you different, makes you beautiful
What's there inside you shines through to me
In your eyes I see, all the love I'll ever need
You're all I need, oh girl
What makes you different, makes you beautiful to me

Hey, yeah yeah yeah

You got something so real
You touched me so deep
See material things
Don't matter to me
So come as you are
You've got nothing to prove
You won me with all that you do
And I wanna take this chance to say to you

What makes you different makes you beautiful
What's there inside you shines through to me
In your eyes I see, all the love I'll ever need
You're all I need, oh girl
What makes you different makes you beautiful

You don't know how you touched my life
Oh in so many ways I just can't describe
You taught me what love is supposed to be
You saw the little things that make you beautiful to me

Oh yeah, yeah

What makes you,
What makes you different makes you beautiful
What's there inside you shines through to me
In your eyes I see, all the love I'll ever need
You're all I need, oh girl
What makes you different makes you beautiful to me

Everything you do is beautiful
Love you give shines right through me
Everything you do is beautiful
Oh, you're beautiful to me"

She felt tears making their way down her cheeks. "You picked this song on purpose, didn't you?" she sniffled, laying her head against his shoulder.

"Maybe," he said quietly, holding her closer to him, one hand reaching up to stroke her hair. The song ended and they pulled apart slightly. Greg wiped the tears off her cheeks with his thumb. "Sara," he began, suddenly serious. "This may not be the time, or the place, but I love you, and, well…" He faltered ever so slightly. "I'm pretty sure you love me. I can't imagine my life without you. So, Sara Sidle…" He dropped to one knee and pulled out a small, black velvet box in one fluid motion. "Will you marry me?"

Sara stared at him in shock. When she recovered her voice, the first thing she said was, "Greg, this was our first date."

"I know," he said quietly, ring still upheld towards her. "And," he continued quickly, obviously afraid of her reaction, "I was thinking we could have a long engagement, as long as you want. I just…I just want to know that you're mine."

She didn't answer. She took the ring from the box and looked at it. It was beautiful but classy, the perfect ring for her. Taking a deep breath, she slid the ring onto her finger. It fit. It fit as if that was where it was always meant to be. She reached down and drew Greg up, kissing him deeply. "Yes," she breathed, feeling his arms encircle her.

"Really? You…you mean it?" exclaimed Greg, excited.

"Yes, I mean it," smiled Sara. She held her hand up and examined the ring. "Some things are just meant to be."

A/N: What? They're getting married? Well...we'll see. Song is What Makes You Different by the Backstreet Boys.