Disclaimer: Oh I wish I was a little bar of soap. I wish I was a little bar of soap. I'd go slippery, slippery, slidey over everybody's hidey, oh I wish I was a little bar of soap!
A/N: Lol, I'm having a blast writing pointless disclaimers. Fun times, hee hee. Anyways, glad y'all approved of the outfits, cause I had fun picking them. I spend time looking for outfits too, that I think fit my characters; I don't just randomly pick one. Like the purple one- some of y'all were a little surprised that Sara picked something that revealed so much of her stomach. The way I see it, and this may sound a little cheesy, but it's all part of the healing process still. She wants to prove to herself that she can wear something like that, and feel confident and beautiful. Also, I want to apologise- I wrote Philipino when it should be Filipino, so forgive my ignorance! Anyways, enough of my reasoning that probably doesn't make sense- and with a quick dedication to remoob1513, onto the chapter!
Dancing With the Law
Chapter Ten: In Which Violins are Heard
"A kiss is a lovely task designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous." –unknown
"Hello?" Sara picked up the phone early Sunday afternoon. It was just after one, and she knew to expect Greg around six or so to pick her up to make their six thirty reservations. The concert would start at about eight thirty.
"Hey Sara!"
"Cath?" Sara was instantly confused.
"Got it in one," Cath replied. "Listen, you're probably wondering why I'm calling."
"Yeah, a little."
"I know you needed help picking out your dress, so I wanted to offer my hair and make-up expertise to you as well."
"You just want more chances to try and find out who I'm going out with tonight," Sara grinned wryly.
"I'll admit that's part of it," Catherine said, a hint of embarrassment tainting her voice. "But honestly, I know how excited you were for tonight, and I just want you to have a good time."
"Well if that's the case, I'd love some help. And if things go well tonight, I may bring some pictures of us tomorrow to show everyone, will that satisfy you?"
"For now," Catherine sighed dramatically. "When are you being picked up?"
"Six."
"I'll see you at four then. Make sure you've showered. Don't do anything to your hair, face, or hands, though go ahead and paint your toes in a light champagne colour."
"Cath-" Sara started to question her, but she had already hung up. Sara clicked the phone off. "What have I gotten myself into?"
Looking through her medicine cabinet, she saw she was lacking in the nail polish department, and made a quick run to a nearby drugstore to pick some up. Not quite sure what do to for the next two hours, as it wouldn't take her very long to shower, Sara popped in the movie Phantom of the Opera. She had gone to see it in theatres on a whim, and fell in love with it. After it finished, Sara had lulled herself into a very relaxed state, and had to drag herself off the couch and into the shower. She made sure to take extra time to shave her legs, and also made sure to use some of the rose-scented body wash that had been a gift from Catherine last Christmas. With that done, she hopped out of the shower and secured a towel around her torso as she walked into her bedroom where she had previously laid out her undergarments.
She pulled on her black seamless satin underwear, enjoying the feel of the smooth fabric against her skin. Next was the matching black satin bra, complete with a little padding to provide support as well as give her a little extra in the bust department. Grabbing the nail polish, she made quick work of adding two coats to her toes. Once they had dried, the last touch was the thigh-high, slightly shimmery stockings she carefully pulled on. Sliding her feet into her slippers, she pulled on her fluffy blue robe while she waited for Catherine. Luckily for her, that was only about ten minutes.
"Hey Catherine," Sara greeted.
"Hey Sara," Catherine walked in and followed Sara to her bedroom.
"I wasn't sure if you wanted me to go ahead and put my dress on or not, so I've left it in the closet," Sara informed her.
"Let's go ahead and get it on," Catherine directed as she walked over to Sara's closet and carefully took it off the hanger while Sara disrobed. "Then we can see what make-up and hair-style looks best."
"You're the expert," Sara deferred to her as she took the gown and carefully slid it over her head. Catherine helped tug the satin lining into place, while Sara fixed the shoulder drapes.
"Cute underwear by the way."
"Thanks. From Victoria's secret," Sara admitted. "I buy my clothes cheap, but underwear's a whole other story."
"I know what you mean," Catherine nodded as she began to dry and brush Sara's hair. "When I worked at the French Palace, we would always warn the newbies to buy this certain brand of lingerie. However, it was really pricey, like 100 bucks a thong, so their first night they would always just dance in some cheaper brand, right? And by the middle of shift, they'd have the most painful rash. Of course, the first thing they did once shift had ended was to go buy some of the lingerie. Don't know why, but something about it just allowed us to do the pole and our work pain-free."
"Interesting," Sara commented, for lack of something else to say. She knew Catherine wasn't ashamed of having stripped, but it made Sara slightly uncomfortable to hear about it.
"Up or down?" Catherine asked suddenly after some more meaningless chit-chat.
"Huh?"
"Your hair; up or down?" Catherine repeated. "It depends on your guy really. Does he like to run his fingers through your hair, or is he the type who appreciates having easy access to your neck and collarbone areas?"
"I'm not quite sure," Sara replied hesitantly. "It's only our second real date, though we've had a bunch of un-official ones I guess you could say."
"Go up then, cause that'll make him want to kiss your neck then," Catherine grinned evilly as she began twisting and pinning Sara's hair into place before moving onto the make-up.
Before long, Sara was completely done. Her hair had twisted back in thick, chunky sections, and held in place with bobby pins that seemed to disappear within her hair. Catherine had also curled her hair and gathered it at the top and back of her head, allowing the curls to cascade towards her shoulders. Simple and elegant at the same time, and it suited Sara well, as did her light make-up. Catherine had applied some black mascara, a light silvery coloured eye-shadow, as well as a reddish-brown shade of lipstick that made her lips look plumper than usual.
Catherine had also given her a mini-manicure, filing her nails so they were a little neater than before. She also painted two coats of the champagne nail-polish on them, adding one layer of top-coat to keep them neat for the evening. Only after they had been allowed to sit for five minutes just to be safe, was Sara allowed to pull on the strappy silver sandals that laced up her ankles.
"You look gorgeous Sara, if I do say so myself," Catherine grinned as Sara threw the lipstick into a small silvery evening bag she had, along with an ID, some cash, and her spare house key.
"Thanks, and thank you for your help," Sara smiled back, and carefully hugged her.
"Bring pictures tomorrow," Catherine ordered. "If not of you and your date, than at least some of you, as I want to see the guy's reactions."
"I'll do my best," Sara laughed. "See you tomorrow."
"Have fun!" Catherine waved as she left Sara's apartment, leaving an excited and slightly nervous Sara behind.
"Come on Sara, no need to be nervous," she grumbled aloud to herself. "It's just Greg."
"And yet that's not a comforting thought," a little voice in her mind answered her.
"Why?"
"Because just Greg is who your heart is opening up too. You're sharing more and more of yourself with him, and you're happy about it. You're also taking your walls down, and you're letting him help you heal old wounds. Just think of work yesterday…you spoke with Grissom in a friendly, bantering way like you used to. And you didn't feel any tugs of regret or frustration on your heart strings. You're finally over him. You know you can move on, and you're scared."
"No I'm not," she muttered, continuing the conversation with herself as she paced back and forth in her living room.
"Yes you are. As long as you had Grissom keeping your heart captive, you didn't have to worry about taking a chance on anyone else. You didn't have to worry about being hurt. And yet here's Greg. He's wormed his way into your life as a dance partner, and even more importantly, as a friend and confidant. But for some reason you're still scared to take that leap of faith. I'm guessing because you can't bring yourself to hope that he'll be the one to catch you when you do."
"Maybe," she admitted to herself, wondering when her inner conscience got so smart.
"Well trust your heart, and trust him," her mind scolded her. "He's proven himself to be trustworthy so far, and he hasn't pushed you to do anything you aren't comfortable with. He's supportive of you in every way. You saw that yourself when you agreed to wear that skimpy purple costume, even though you were nervous about your stomach showing. He said you were sexy, but more important was whether or not you were comfortable in it."
"I know, you're right."
"Of course I'm right. Now, just have fun tonight, and see where things go."
"I'll try," she whispered to herself just as a knock sounded on her door.
"Wow, Sara," he breathed as she opened the door. "You look beautiful."
"Thank you," she blushed, ducking her head slightly. "You look great too."
Greg was wearing black dress pants, a dark red shirt, a black tie covered with music notes, and a matching black suit jacket finishing off the ensemble.
"Oh, this is for you," he smiled, holding out a clear box that contained a corsage made up of three miniature white roses, surrounded by baby's breath.
"Greg, you shouldn't have," she said as she motioned for him to come in. "I…uh, I didn't know I needed to get you something."
"You didn't really," he shrugged, popping open the plastic container. "I just wanted to make the night special for you."
"It already is," she gave him a smile as he slid the corsage onto her left wrist.
"Ready to go?" He asked, holding out his left arm for her to take.
"I think so," she nodded, and after locking the door, took his arm and allowed herself to be escorted downstairs and out to his car. He played the part of a gentleman perfectly, opening her door and helping her in, and opening the door and helping her out when they had reached the Bellagio.
"Have you ever eaten here?" Greg asked once the hostess led them to their table.
"No, have you?"
"Nope, but I've heard it's excellent," he said looking over the menu. "Ooh, I know what I want to get."
"What?"
"The Fettuccini Alfredo in a white clam sauce," he informed her.
"No filet mignon?" She asked, eyebrow raised in question.
"Well I like it on occasion, but one, I'm not in the mood for it, and two, I don't want to offend you with my meaty breath if I get a chance to steal a kiss later," he waggled his eyebrows playfully.
"Thank you," she laughed. "Though really, if you wanted it, it doesn't bother me to see others eat meat. I just can't myself, though seafood is okay."
"Really, I've been craving some good pasta, and this just sounded good," he insisted.
"I think I'll have the same," she decided, seeing their waiter come back towards the table. Greg ordered for them both, and also ordered two glasses of white zinfandel to go with their meal.
"Oh, when Catherine was helping me earlier, she ordered me to take pictures," Sara started slowly. "She also tried to find out more about my mystery date, as did the guys."
"Okay," Greg nodded for her to continue, not quite sure where she was going with this.
"Well I didn't say anything, cause I'm not sure what this is," she motioned between them. "I know Catherine wants to know who you are, but I didn't know if you'd want me to tell her or not. The same with the guys."
"Hey," he reached out and took her hand in his. "I would ecstatic for everyone to know I was your mystery date or whatever, but only if you're comfortable doing that. I know there's that whole worry about what happens if things don't work out; will it affect our working relationship, will it change how the others act around us, and so on. So like I said, I'll leave it up to you, and support you in what you decide you want to do. As for what this is," he mimicked her motion from earlier. "Again, I'll leave that up to you. You know I like you Sara, and that I consider you my best friend and soulmate. And I would be proud to call myself your boyfriend, or significant other, or whatever the appropriate term is. So again, I'll leave it up to you, and whatever you decide is okay by me."
"Thank you," she gave his hand a quick squeeze before pulling it back as the waiter appeared with the wine.
Once the glasses had been poured, Greg began telling her a little bit more about the concert they'd be going to, and some of the pieces that would be performed. He also told her about how an orchestra is set up; the different families of instruments, the different instruments, how they're organized on stage, and a bit about some of the pieces too.
"That's Orchestra 101 for you," he said jokingly as he paid the bill, leaving a generous tip for the waiter.
"Now to see if I can remember it," she joked as they made their way to the entrance of the restaurant, pausing just outside of it. "Hold on a second."
"Sure," he nodded, not sure what she was doing, but in no hurry to leave. They had a little time.
"Excuse me," Sara went over to a young couple waiting for their reservations to be called.
"Yes?" The woman turned around.
"Would you mind taking a picture of me and my date?" Sara asked, handing the woman her digital camera.
"Sure," the woman took the camera, and after Sara had moved back next to Greg, the woman snapped a few pictures.
"Thanks so much," Sara gave her a smile as she took her camera back.
"No problem," she smiled back.
"There, now I have some pictures to show everyone," Sara told him as she took his arm again.
"You gonna tell them?" He kept his voice even, though inside he was hoping she'd say yes.
"Maybe, I'm still not sure though," she smiled shyly up at him as they stepped outside the casino and handed the valet service their number. "As long as you don't mind."
"No! No, not at all," he gave her a reassuring smile. "Like I told you, I'd be proud too. Not to mention I'm dying to see the looks on their faces when they see I got you to go on two dates with me."
"They'll be surprised," Sara laughed. "I've always said no to others at the lab who've asked me before. Including you."
"Well things change. I finally got a chance to use my charms on you."
"Hardly," Sara scoffed as his car was driven up. Once again, he helped her in before walking around and climbing in. The drive over to the concert hall was relatively quiet, except for Sara asking a few more questions about music and such in general. Greg parked the car, and instead of offering her his arm, he simply held out his hand, pleasantly surprised when she took it. As they entered the concert hall, Sara felt almost as if she had been transported to the opera house from Phantom of the Opera, it had much the same feel.
"Where are our seats?" Sara questioned in confusion as he began pulling her towards the steps.
"We're in the first row of the lower balcony," he told her with an excited grin. They were prime seats, and he had been lucky to get them.
"Oh this is so exciting," Sara couldn't help but say as she sat down, looking at everything.
"Just wait till the music starts," Greg said as he opened his programme. "They're playing a lot of my favourites tonight."
"Like what?"
"Pachelbel's Canon in D, Handel's Watermusic, The Four Seasons, not to mention some pretty concertos and symphony excerpts," he replied absently, still looking over the programme.
"You do realise that other than Pachelbel's Canon, I don't know any of those," she said lightly.
"Yeah, but that's why you've got me, and the programme," he added as an afterthought.
"Very true," Sara laughed, smiling her thanks.
The lights dimmed at that moment, and Sara's attention was captured by the concert master walking onstage. He bowed to the audience's applause, and turned to give the orchestra its tuning note, to which they quickly made any last fine-tuning adjustments. A moment later the conductor walked out, stepped onto her podium after saying a few words of welcome, and then turned to lead the orchestra into its first piece; Handel's Watermusic.
The next two and a half hours passed in a whirl of musical prowess that simply astounded Sara. From the lilting high trills of the flutes, to the melodic violins, to the heart of the orchestra; the brass, Sara was captivated. She had, of course, heard classical music before, having taken ballet, but never anything or this magnitude. Not to mention hearing it while seeing it was something completely different altogether. Once it was over, Sara found herself wishing it could go on longer.
"So…what'd you think of your first symphony?" Greg asked as they joined the crowds now leaving their seats.
"I loved it," she squeezed his hand enthusiastically, her whole demeanor screaming she was thrilled. "I think I'm going to have to make a point of coming to events like this more often!"
"Good, maybe we can make it a regular thing?" He looked at her out of the corner of his eye as he broached the question.
"I'd like that," she replied after a moment, and Greg couldn't help but smile. "Oh look, they have CDs of tonight's programme. Do you mind waiting while I buy one?"
"My treat," he insisted, and walked over to the table and cashier before she could protest. He returned a minute later, bag in hand, and handed it to her.
"You didn't have to do that," she protested, gladly taking his hand when he held it out to her again. She smiled at the slight tingles that came with that simple gesture.
"I know," he grinned as he swung their joined hands back and forth. "But I wanted to. Consider it a nice souvenir from our date."
"I have this too," she held up her other hand that had the corsage on it. She shivered slightly as they stepped out into the cool night air.
"Here," he immediately took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders as they walked down the steps towards the parking lot.
"You know, I seem to be thanking you a lot this evening," Sara commented lightly, hint of a smile on her face.
"Well don't," he said immediately. "We're friends, not to mention I enjoyed treating you to something that's special to me. Besides, you can pay next time."
"I think I can do that," she laughed, and felt a tug on her arm as Greg stopped walking. "What?"
"You said you can do that," he repeated her. "Does that mean there'll be a next time?"
"I still want to take it slow, and I'm still not sure about classifying our relationship as boyfriend and girlfriend," Sara said slowly. "But yes, I want to keep dating, and see what happens."
"That's fine with me," he smiled, and dropping the subject, helped her in the car and drove her home.
"Thank you again," she said as they came to a stop outside her apartment door. Greg had insisted on walking her up to her door, saying it was only proper.
"Thank you for agreeing," he rocked back and forth on his feet as he stared at her.
"What?" She quirked an eyebrow at his behaviour. They may have been close friends, but she still had trouble figuring him out.
"Just wondering how bad you'll hurt me if I try to put the moves on you," he teased.
"I think you'll be safe with a hug," she laughed, and stepped forward into his warm embrace.
She let her arms rest loosely around his neck while his tightened around her waist. She smiled into his shoulder as she heard him sigh in contentment. She felt the same way; it was just so comfortable like this with him. She started to pull back, and couldn't help but laugh when he mumbled, "just another minute" in her ear. Finally though, she did pull back successfully, meeting his gaze. Greg's eyes were drawn immediately to her lips, and without stopping to fully consider the consequences his actions could have, he leaned down and gently covered her lips with his. It was short and chaste, ending almost before it had begun, but for both of them, in a word…perfection.
OooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooO
A/N: Well there you go, a date, a kiss, and the furthered beginnings of their relationship transitioning from close friendship to more. Sound good to everyone? I'm glad. Also, I have no idea whether the Bellagio has a fancy restaurant. I'm assuming there is a restaurant, as most fancy hotels have one, but I'm too lazy to go check. So if it's wrong, I don't care :-) Now, if you feel so inclined, leave me a review and let me know what you thought!