Natalie sensed that something was different. She couldn't quite put her finger on it though; she wasn't sure if it was because Sara was feeling so much better or if Nick had been lying about being a perfect gentleman, in any case, it was all she could do to keep a smug smile from stealing across her face as she sat across the booth from Nick and Sara at the diner near the lab. Fiona was blissfully oblivious as she dug into a plate of hash browns and French toast; the French fries from the previous night had gone by the wayside in favor of some chicken noodle soup at Nick's since Sara's display had made Fiona feel a bit queasy.
"And when I get to Disneyland I get Mickey Mouse French toast. Conner says they have mouse ears with your name on them." Fiona sounded completely amazed that she just might get a pair personalized mouse ears.
"They do." Sara grinned at the little girl. "I used to have some with my name on them." She remembered one of the few happy memories she had of her family when somehow they had pulled together enough money and shut the bed and breakfast down long enough to take a 'family vacation' to Disneyland. It lasted all of 48 hours before her parents had started fighting.
Fiona's eyes widened. "You did?" She knew that Sara wouldn't lie about something so amazing; surely Uncle Nicky would only date an honest woman.
"Yes, I did." Sara had to restrain a giggle at just how excited Fiona was. It was times like that she was sure she wanted to be a mom, and yet there was a part of her that was scared she would end up just like her own mom.
Nick casually slung an arm across Sara's shoulders and leaned in to kiss her cheek. "I bet you were cute in your mouse ears too." He waggled his eyebrows at her, imagining a much less wholesome image in his mind than Sara in a Minnie Mouse getup.
Sara did her best to keep her smile to a fairly low wattage as she looked back at Nick. "Did you ever have any mouse ears?" For some reason the question just sounded dirty in her ears even though it was a perfectly respectable question.
Nick seemed to sense it too as he whispered a little huskily. "I don't know; did you want me to?"
Natalie rolled her eyes and cleared her throat as she gestured towards a somewhat confused looking Fiona. "This a G-rated outing you two, and yes, Nicky had several pairs of mouse ears...in fact I remember when you were seven..."
"Hey, now there is no reason to be bringing that up." Nick was clearly embarrassed.
"You were seven?" Fiona looked at him skeptically that he could have ever been seven; he was far too old to have ever been seven.
"Everyone was seven once." Natalie began to explain as she tried to keep from laughing.
"Not me." Fiona furrowed her brow and shook her head as she considered that she wasn't even six yet.
"You will be." Natalie assured her trying to hide a smirk.
"When?" Fiona tilted her head a little; six seemed so far away that she couldn't even imagine being seven.
"Sooner than you think, honey." Nick grinned at her. "Now did any of you ladies need some more coffee or cocoa?"
"I think I'm more interested in hearing about when you were seven." Sara had a mischievous smirk on her face as she wondered exactly why the mere mention of the event had Nick nearly blushing.
Natalie had a victorious smile as she glanced over at Nick and then to Sara. "Well let's just say that after we went to Disneyland one summer, Nicky didn't seem to want to take his ears off." She snorted out a laugh as Nick shot her a less than amused glance. "Not even in the bathtub."
Nick narrowed his eyes at her with a warning look.
Natalie paid no heed to it and plowed right ahead. "There's a picture of him wearing the ears au natural."
"Can I get regular ears instead of ala mode ones?" Fiona looked perfectly serious and slightly panicked that there seemed to be more than one kind to be had at Disneyland.
"I'm sure your mom and dad will help you get the right ones, honey." Natalie soothed.
The idea of Nick wearing nothing but a pair of Mickey Mouse ears had Sara's mind delving into territory that brought a wicked smile to her face. While she wasn't sure she was ready to cross that particular line just yet, it didn't mean that her mind hadn't crossed it more times than she'd care to admit.
"Yeah!" Fiona was no longer worried that she might end up with ear ala mode. She glanced over at Nick and Sara and a big grin spread across her face. "Do you still have your ears?" She had only heard about the ears, she'd never actually seen a pair.
"No, I think your grandma has mine." Nick wasn't sure that was true, but he knew he certainly didn't have them anymore and his mom tended to be a bit too sentimental at times.
"What about you Sara?" Fiona looked at her expectantly.
Sara shook her head feeling a bit nostalgic and sad. "No, I think they've been gone a long time." Most of her childhood mementos were long gone.
"Does your mommy have them?" It seemed perfectly logical to Fiona that if her grandma had Nick's that Sara's mommy should have hers.
"Uh, no...no, she doesn't." There was a slight waver in Sara's voice and she desperately hoped that she could find a way out of this conversation before it even started. Nick knew about what had happened between her mom and dad; they'd spoken of it one time and she hadn't wanted to bring it up again.
Natalie noticed the change in Sara's countenance and she tried to herd the subject away from Sara. "Fiona, not all mommies keep everything." She smiled at the little girl who seemed satisfied with the explanation as she dove back in to eat the last little bit of French toast on her plate.
Sara felt Nick envelope her hand with his and she felt grateful that she didn't need to explain anything to Natalie or find an excuse to tell Fiona. She looked into Nick's eyes and an understanding seemed to pass between them even though they hadn't exchanged a word.
"I know!" Fiona sounded like she'd just struck gold. "We can bring you new mouse ears!"
"Chels and Kevin did say that they might want to swing back through Vegas so Conner and Aiden could see you, Nicky." Natalie couldn't hide the conspiratorial grin that spread across her face as she looked at Nick and Sara. "And Chels wouldn't mind meeting Sara either."
"So we can bring you ears!" To Fiona it was a done deal and she practically squealed with delight.
"I think I might like that." Nick agreed, glancing over at Sara and imagining just what she might look like with nothing but her ears on.
