Author's Note: This is going a little slowly, so after the wedding, I'm going to speed things up a bit. And just to clarify one thing: Originally, they were going to Texas to meet Nick's family, then going back to Vegas, then going back to Texas again for their wedding. But now I changed it so there's only one visit. So now, I'm just speeding up the timeline a bit here.
And I decided to stick a little bit of my second favourite ship in here. (This is dedicated to all you YoBlingers!)
To Your Spell-Binding Lover: Wow. You are a machine. Four reviews in one day? That rivals my chapter writing speed early on in this story. But not really. Anyway, thanks for the review. And you know I didn't mean it when I called you Ms. Tuba. And I only need one guess as to who you want to kick, and I only have one thing to say to that: Can I help? Nick's sisters…dragging into lingerie store…hmmm…
To MollyMKS: Thanks for the review. Yes, I'm quite sure that the shopping trip should be quite interesting…
To Allie: (Review for Chapter 19) Believe me, there will be embarrassing stories galore. I really wish George and Jorja would wake up and smell the Blue Hawaiian. They should definitely get together before six more years. With any luck, the show will still be on. It better be. Don't worry, there's NO chance of me going back to the GSR side. I totally agree, the Snickers side has all the better authors. I'm now officially a diehard Snickers shipper.
To Allie: (Review for Chapter 20) I love that you're loving it. Thanks for the review, and I'm glad you liked the last lines between Sara and Michele. (And by the way, thanks for the review on my oneshot too!)
Spoilers: None, although I did steal one line from 'Swap Meet'
Disclaimer: (Norwegian again. I couldn't resist. I love Greg too much, I just had to keep paying tributes. Thanks again to Little Tussi for the translation!) Hvis jeg eide C.S.I., tror du virkelig at jeg ville ha vrt her enda?
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Michele practically dragged Sara into the mall, determined to find a wedding dress for her. There were three bridal shops in this mall, which was surprising considering its relatively small size. They went into the first shop, but Sara hated everything in there. They were all very gaudy, and a bit outdated.
"Let's go into another one," Michele said. Sara would have rather been anywhere but there.
The second store had a few possibilities, but nothing absolutely outstanding. The one that Sara thought had the most potential was white and sleeveless (but it had thick straps). The only problem with it was that it was more like an evening gown, slim and form fitting, but it didn't flow outwards at the waist. It just went straight down the whole way. Michele said that she looked really nice in it and that Nick would appreciate how it showed off her curves. Sara thought it was too plain. She wanted something that flowed out more. Not a poof, but still more flowing. She kept it in mind as they entered the third shop, but quickly forgot it when she saw what was on display in the middle of the room.
It was a strapless, ivory dress, which was exactly, what Sara had been thinking of. It had a fitted bodice and flowed out in exactly the way Sara had wanted. It was slightly ribbed on the bodice and had a small, layered fold in the centre of the skirt. It came with gloves that went above the elbow, and it felt like a dream.
Michele's jaw dropped. "Wow," was all she could say.
Sara nodded, speechless.
"You have to try it on," Michele finally managed to say.
Sara took it into the change room and tried it on, and when she came out Michele grinned.
"This is the one," Michele said. "It's perfect for you!" she exclaimed. Sara turned to look at herself in the mirror, and she gasped, knowing Michele was right. It fit her form perfectly, flattering her shoulders and hips and giving her a tan appearance.
They both knew that there would never be a better dress for Sara, so she bought it right then and there.
The dress was very heavy, and Michele insisted on carrying it since Sara was pregnant. They loaded it into the car, and then realized that she needed shoes to go with it.
They bought what may have been the most uncomfortable pair of shoes in the entire state. They had two-and-a-half inch heels and were the strappiest pair of shoes either of them had ever seen. Sara had laughed when she bought them, which confused Michele.
"I once jumped on a coworker when he said shoes like these were sexy. I explained to him very clearly that shoes like these put degenerative stress on the hip joints, throw off the curve of the spine, and the tilt to the pelvis, and that over time, women get headaches, sore backs, shortened calf muscles and, of course, bunions. I just wonder what he'd say if he saw me in these, that's all."
Michele laughed. "Well, just because they're bad for you doesn't mean you can't wear them every once in a while, right?"
"Right," Sara agreed, laughing, as they left the shoe store together and headed back to the car.
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Sara came home to a very worried Nick. "What's the matter?" she asked, concerned.
"I was just worried about you, that's all," he confessed.
"Nick, you're so sweet." She leaned up to kiss him on the cheek. "I'm feeling better now. I haven't thrown up yet today," she said cheerily.
"That's good." He was relieved that she was back to normal, but at the same time was now prepared for it if she wasn't touchy-feely again.
"I bought my dress," Sara said secretively.
"Really? Can I see it?" he asked, not realizing how stupid his question was. He was too excited.
"Of course not, Nick. It's a secret until the wedding," she answered.
"Oh, right." He sounded disappointed.
Michele piped up, "But she's a vision in it."
Nick was pleased. "I get to see it in less than a week anyway, right?" he said, raising his eyebrows.
"Yes, you do," she said, kissing him.
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In their bedroom, Nick and Sara were sitting on opposite corners of the bed, talking.
"We're going to have the wedding in the backyard, right?" Nick asked.
"That's what I wanted," Sara answered.
"Good," he said, leaning forward to kiss her on the forehead. "That's what I wanted too."
"Who are you inviting from your family?" Sara asked.
"Well, I know you don't want a big wedding, so I wanted to talk to you about that."
"Actually, the idea of a big wedding is growing on me," Sara admitted. Nick raised an eyebrow. She continued, "I love being around your family, and…well, I want them all there."
The grin that spread across his face rivalled the one when she'd accepted his marriage proposal.
"Which brings me to the next thing I wanted to say." Before she could lose courage, she just said it. "I don't want this to be our only child. I want to have a big family, too."
He looked a bit unsure, and he wanted to make sure she was talking about what he thought she was talking about.
"What would you think of four, five, even six kids?" she asked, a bit embarrassed.
If he'd smiled any wider, Sara was quite sure his face would have split.
"There is nothing I'd like more than to father your children," he said with a smile. The old Sara would have thought that was an incredibly sexist thing to say, but the way Nick said it, there was nothing sexist about it. Now he kissed her on the nose.
"And there's nothing I'd like more than to be your children's mother," she replied. He leaned forward one last time to kiss her on the lips. She eagerly accepted.
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Two Days Before the Wedding"Have you done everything you have to do?" Bill asked Nick. They were alone.
"Yeah. I invited Warrick to be my best man, he's coming down, we've got the minister, the photographer, the caterer, the florist, the limousine driver, all the invitations are sent out, the weather is supposed to be good, and I bought my tux. I think that's everything."
"Sounds like it. Are Sara's parents coming down to give her away?" Bill asked.
Nick bit his lip, unsure how to respond. "Sara's father died a while ago, and her mother isn't able to make it."
"Why can't she make it?" Bill asked gruffly. He didn't think it was at all appropriate not to go to your daughter's wedding.
"She's…been detained indefinitely," Nick answered carefully.
Bill shrugged. "Any other family coming down?"
"Sara's an only child and she lost touch with her cousins years ago."
Bill couldn't imagine how you couldn't stay in touch with your family. Nick felt bad about lying to him, but it wasn't his story to tell.
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Sara was talking on the phone with Catherine.
"So, you're getting married in two days!" Catherine squealed.
"Ugh. Don't remind me," Sara groaned.
"You're not happy?" Catherine asked, concerned.
"Oh, I'm ecstatic," Sara replied honestly. "I'm just scared and really tired."
"Don't worry, it'll turn out great!" she reassured.
"There's something else I wanted to ask you," Sara said.
"Shoot," Catherine said.
"I know it's kind of short notice, but will you come down and be my maid of honour?"
"I'd love to! Just let me talk to Grissom, I'm sure he'll be okay with that," Catherine said. "I'll call you back in a few minutes."
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Catherine walked into Grissom's office. "Sara just asked me to be her maid of honour!"
"That's great!" Grissom said.
"So, I need some time off. Just three days should be okay, but I'll probably need to leave tomorrow for a dress fitting."
"That's no problem. I'll just pull someone from Days or Swing," Grissom assured.
Catherine walked back to the locker room and whipped out her cell phone, calling Sara's number.
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Sara heard her phone ring again, and she answered it. "Hello?"
"He says it's okay!"
Sara was relieved. "Okay, well, I need your measurements so the tailor can start on a prototype."
"I figured you would. Let me grab my tape measure."
Sara chuckled. She was probably serious. Catherine actually kept a tape measure in her locker. She heard clattering coming from the other end. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, it's just…a little…difficult only using one hand. Oh, wait, Warrick's here. I'll get him to help me."
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She gestured towards Warrick to come over and help her. He took the tape measure in his hands. "Help me," she whispered.
He shrugged and took the ends. "Where do you want me to measure?" He was kind of oblivious. He opened his eyes wide when she motioned around her chest, but complied. He read the measurement out loud and Catherine repeated it to Sara.
"Now waist," she whispered to Warrick. He repeated his action.
"Now my butt," she directed. He moved in apprehensively, but was a little too high. "Little lower…that's right." He read her the last measurement.
"How tall am I, you said? I don't know. Up to my armpit?" She motioned to Warrick to take one more measurement, and he obeyed, running his hand up her side to extend the tape measure. She shivered. He leaned in dangerously close to her face as he wanted to say the measurement into the phone to Sara himself.
"Yeah, so…that's it," Catherine said. Warrick still hadn't withdrawn his face, and now they were engaged in a pretty intense eyelock. "I'll be down tomorrow…see you then…yeah, you too. Give my love to Nick. Bye." She snapped the phone shut, meeting his gaze the whole while.
They were just inches away from each other. Catherine quirked an eyebrow, daring him. He leaned in slowly and their lips brushed ever so lightly. She kissed him again, a little more firmly this time, and he reciprocated. She slid her arms around his neck and he around her waist.
They didn't hear the door open until it was too late.
Greg stood there, gaping. "Herre Gud," he said, using the Norwegian expression.
"Close your mouth, Greg. It's not attractive," Catherine said, cheeks turning red.
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Author's Note: Next chapter, the wedding! Finalement! There will be an even bigger incentive for me to put it up today if I get a lot of reviews!