Sara sleepily rubbed at her eyes; She was a little disoriented at first but after blinking she realized where she was.
On the couch in the living room. The letter from her mother was still in her lap and her mascara had smeared onto the pillow she had been resting her head on in her sleep.
"Gil?" She called, getting up from the couch and making her way into the kitchen.
"Mommy, you have to get ready!" Liz shouted from upstairs.
Sara had no idea what she was talking about, so she glanced at her watch.
Five o'clock.
They were going out to dinner in just a little while; Why would Gil have let her sleep so long?
"Okay! Just give me a minute!" She replied.
"Sara, I didn't know you were awake," Gil greeted as she entered the kitchen.
She joined him at the table and sighed.
"Why didn't you wake me up?"
Gil pursed his lips; Almost like a small child, not wanting to get in trouble for something they did, so they figure they can act cute and get out of it.
"I thought you could use the rest. But now that you're awake, you have no time to yell at me because you must go get dressed," He smiled.
Sara angrily sighed and stood up from the table; She sprinted up the stairs and into her room.
"Liz, did you brush your teeth?"
"Yes, Mommy," The girl replied happily. "I want a hamburger. Am I allowed to eat those?"
"Of course! You may get whatever you like. Everyone's going to be there, you know," Sara grinned, pulling on her black evening dress.
Somehow she managed to zip it up herself and put on earrings and make-up in under five minutes.
"Ladies, are we ready?" Gil asked.
Liz, who had been sitting patiently on the bed, jumped up and ran out the door.
Sara smiled as she followed Gil down the stairs.
She knew this evening was bound to be eventful; She just didn't know how lively it would be.
The Bellagio Dining Hall
"Hey you three! I didn't think you'd ever so up!" Catherine greeted happily.
She was wearing a black gown that looked very similar to Sara's; Neither seemed to mind the stares from their coworkers.
"Jenna, I need to talk to you," Liz smiled, climbing into the brunette's lap.
Sara really liked it that Jenna was good with kids; She made sure to include Liz in all the conversations and not to make her feel forgotten.
Gil pulled out a chair for Sara and she sat down; He sat down in the chair next to her as the rest of the table welcomed them.
Catherine sat back down next to Warrick, who whispered something in the strawberry-blonde's ear; She giggled quietly and Sara smiled.
Everyone knew those two would get together sooner or later; They looked perfect next to each other and often flirted heavily, both in and outside of the lab.
Liz and Jenna were still talking contentedly; Sara could hear Liz explaining her first day of school.
Nick was watching his girlfriend with shining eyes; You could see that he obviously loved her very much.
"Liz, don't talk her ear off," Sara reminded her daughter.
"She's not bothering me. I think she's adorable!" Jenna smiled at Sara.
"Are you all ready to order?" A tall waitress asked, suddenly appearing by the table.
Everyone ordered their food then resumed talking.
Sara was quiet, just taking in the presence of her friends.
She noticed Nick pull something out of his pocket; A box of some sort.
He stood up with his famous Texan smile and raised his glass of wine.
"Quiet, y'all; I want to make a toast. To friends and living well," He grinned, blush tinting his cheeks.
Everyone followed him in raising their glasses, except Liz who was still sitting in Jenna's lap, and applauded him.
No one expected his next move.
He remained standing up for a moment, then knelt down on one knee, facing Jenna; Tears formed in her eyes and before Nick could say anything, she was crying.
"I love you with all of my heart. Jenna, will you marry me?" He asked, voice cracking slightly as his emotions came into view.
The brunette smiled and after trying several times to give her answer, she could only nod yes.
Cheers erupted from the table; The men, Warrick and Gil, clapped loudly as Sara and Catherine grinned at the newly engaged couple.
Liz didn't know what to do so she clapped as she hopped off of Jenna's lap and ran over to Sara.
Nick hugged Jenna as she continued crying her tears of joy; Once she was calmed down, the two moved their chairs closer together and Nick happily rested his muscular arm on Jenna's still shaking shoulders.
"Mommy, why was she crying? Did I do something wrong?" Liz asked as she scrambled up into Sara's lap.
"You didn't do anything wrong; They're going to get married," She explained.
Liz nodded her head knowingly, her brown ponytail bouncing slightly.