"A thousand miles seems pretty far, but they've got planes and trains and cars, I'd walk to you if I had no other way…."

Lester Santos hummed softly to himself as he waited. He'd been singing to himself quite a bit the past few days, he thought bemusedly, and smiled at the reason.

"Our friends will all make fun of us and we'll just laugh along because we know that none of them have felt this way…"

As he waited and hummed, eyes searching the crowd, he leaned against the wall and did his best to just breathe. He'd vacillated between nervous and eager, anxious and excited the past four days, and now that he was actually here at the airport, waiting to surprise Giana when she arrived in Trenton from her work trip he was…well, he was feeling a combination of them all. Bobby had made fun of him only yesterday, asking where the self-assured ladies man had run off to, and Lester's only answer was, "This matters. No one else did," which shut Bobby Brown up pretty effectively.

A crush of newly deboarded passengers flowed past Lester, toward the baggage claim area, before he finally spotted a shock of auburn hair twisted into a fashionable bun. A few seconds later, her face came into view, and he had the chance to observe her, unseen, for a few moments.

"Oooh, what you do to me…" he sang softly.

She was beautiful, no one would argue that. She tended to dress in a way that didn't draw attention to herself, but Les had spent enough time sneaking glances at her and one glorious and very memorable day at the beach with her to know that her body was curvy and feminine, soft in all the right places. Oddly (for him, anyway), what he found himself thinking about the most the last few days were the things about Giana that weren't immediately discernable to other people; the way she bit not the nail itself, but her cuticle when anxious, or they fact that she intentionally sang the wrong lyrics to some songs, having changed the words to help her remember material for college tests. The way she used tablespoons instead of teaspoons for eating because 'teeny sips are for sissies'…and the fact that she'd hired an investigator to find the thing that, up until he'd met her, he'd valued the most.

And so he watched her for just a moment, so unaware and breathtaking, soaking up one final minute of quiet reflection before stepping behind her just as she raised her fingers to her lips.

"Don't bite." He murmured near her ear, causing her to jump and spin toward him, eyes wide. "Your cuticle; don't bite it. I'll grab your bag." She looked uncomfortable, and for one brief moment he considered abandoning his plan.

He shook that idea off, fast; he doubted very sincerely his ability to continue pretending that he wasn't crazy about her. So he smiled sweetly at her and turned away to pull her luggage from the carousel.

"Ehrm, it's the purple one." Her voice floated from behind him. Throwing a smile over his shoulder toward her, Lester reached and hooked the bag she'd directed him to and made his way out of the throng of travelers, mindful that Gia was close behind him.

They made their way toward the car in silence, and it was only after her bag was stowed safely in the trunk and they were both buckled in that she turned to him and said, "I, um, thought my brother was going to pick me up," before raising her fingers to her mouth again. Les gently took her hand and replaced it on her lap, smiling reassuringly at her surprised look.

"Something came up so I volunteered to get you." He said with a shrug. What he didn't add was that the something that came up was the fact that he'd offered Vaughn a bribe to stay home and let Lester pick her up from the airport.

"Oh…thank you." Came her soft reply before she turned toward the window. Frowning, Lester backed out of the parking spot before cruising through the airport toward the exit.

"Hungry?" he asked, his tone purposely casual. He was planning a quick detour before they headed back to Trenton, and he was counting on things going well…otherwise it was going to be one long ride home.

Shooting a quick smile at him, not meeting his eyes, she said, "I'm alright," before turning her attention back to the road. This earned another frown from Lester before he steeled himself to try again.

"I'm actually pretty hungry, and Ella packed some snacks. Do you mind if we stop? There's a park a few miles over." A park he'd mapped on Google and spent the better part of an hour searching for photos of to make sure it was nice enough…but still, a park.

Her surprise was evident in her voice. "Uh, sure, that's fine." She was nervously picking at her cuticles now, having been called out twice for biting them already. Lester felt his own nerves start to fray; did she suspect what he was going to do? Was she dreading this conversation, and the prospect of turning him down?

Pushing those thoughts away and sucking in a fortifying breath, Les steered them toward the park. He'd already decided once today that he needed to know, one way or the other, where he stood. He wasn't changing his mind now. Granted, there was a lot riding on this, but he'd survived worse. And he could always wear her down…

Reaching the park, he pulled around to what he'd deduced was the most private picnic area and shut the car off. He unfolded himself from the driver's seat before pulling the cooler Ella had, indeed, packed per his request and motioning for Giana to sit at the table.

She was even more anxious now than she'd been in the car, he noted unhappily. Shit. Well, too late now, soldier. We've got to power through this.

His earlier joviality dampened by uncertainty, he proceeded to next to her on the bench. He turned to her and opened his mouth, intending to confess everything, when she blurted, "I'm sorry!" before biting the insides of her lips together.

Lester blinked, then blinked again. He opened his mouth to speak and when nothing came out, shut it and crinkled his brow in confusion. Seeing his expression, Giana rushed on. "I'm really sorry for sticking my nose where it didn't belong; I was trying to do a nice thing by hiring the P.I. but still, I shouldn't have meddled where it wasn't my business. I mean, that's why we're here, right? So you don't embarrass me in front of anyone else when you tell me to mind my own business? I appreciate that, I do, and I'm so, so –"

It took Les a minute to catch up. When he did, the warm, affectionate feeling he was beginning to associate with Giana cocooned him and he thought, again, of how much this woman meant to him. Holding a hand up, he stopped her mid-sentence just as she was about to apologize again.

Taking her hand in his, he leveled his green eyes at her violet ones and said, "One, don't ever apologize for being a good, thoughtful person; not to anyone, and especially not to me. I love what you did. In my entire life," here he paused, letting himself feel the weight of the truth in his statement, "no other person has done something so big for me. It was selfless and beautiful and I appreciate it more than I could tell you in a lifetime; thank you, for that.

"Two," here he had to pause and clear his throat, "nothing came up with your brother. I asked him to let me pick you up because I wanted – needed – to talk to you, privately." Her expression had gone from anxious to relieved to curious, and Lester smiled at how revealing her face was; another small treat to file away and turn over in his mind at his leisure.

Showtime, Santos. "I'd like to date you, exclusively date you." He amended quickly, trying to gauge her reaction. "I don't want to come on too strong, but asking you out on one date isn't what I'm interested in. I like you, a lot, and I think you feel the same for me. I want to see where this goes, Gia…more than I've wanted anything in a good while." The last part of his little speech hadn't been planned at all, and oddly enough, it was the part that caused her shoulders to relax and a sweet, chaste blush to stain her cheeks.

"I'd like that, too." She breathed, smiling shyly at him before shifting her eyes away from his and back again, clearing her throat as she did. "If we, um, date, I want to be the only person you're dating." She rushed on before he could reply. "I know that might seem needy, especially right now, but I don't share." She flushed again, her brazen statement unnerving her resolve.

Lester didn't miss a beat before saying, "There's no one else I want, Gia. Just you." Pleasure at his admission made color bloom across not only her cheeks this time, but also her neck and collar; he wondered for a second how far the glow extended before snapping his attention back to her eyes. She huffed out a breath and said, "I'm sorry; that was ugly of me to assume. It's just…" before trailing off.

"Just what?" Les asked, now circling his thumb and stroking the back of the hand he was still holding. His attention was split between focusing on their conversation and how good it felt to be able to touch her, finally.

She fidgeted, clearly not comfortable, before saying, "Um…well, some of the guys were talking about you once…" Understanding caused Les to slide a fraction closer to her, trying to reassure her with his presence as well as his words.

"You heard some stories about me with different women…from Vince?" He took a shot in the dark; he'd planned on being honest with her about his past when the topic came up, he just hadn't counted on it being so soon. The look she gave him confirmed his suspicion. Little cockblocking maggot. "There were a few years where I had no interest in being committed to one person; I never lied about it to any woman I saw." That was as much as he wanted to share right now, and thankfully, Giana held her hands up.

"Say no more; I'm sorry I brought it up. It's not my business; I just wanted to make sure you knew that this," she gestured at the space between them, "is a one-woman show."

Smiling and taking her free hand in his, Les leaned closer so their faces were only inches apart. "You know," he purred, "it's been years since I've been someone's boyfriend." This time, her blush was so intense he could feel its heat against his face, and he reveled in the power he felt at the notion he could elicit this reaction from her, just with his voice.

Painstakingly, Lester eased forward, slowly closing the distance between them. He paused a hairsbreadth from her lips, giving her time to acclimate or to refuse him, and when he was met with only her ragged breathing, he sealed the gap and pressed his mouth to hers.

He'd heard, in song and poetry, how 'all noises ceased' when two lovers kissed; that they became oblivious to all external stimuli and became lost in one another. If he weren't so intent on the task at hand, he would have scoffed at this notion…because never had anything tasted as sweet as Giana's lips. No sound was more divine than the soft moan that came from her mouth as he licked her upper lip, and nothing had ever looked as vibrant as her long, black lashes, resting against her cheekbone as she closed her eyes and kissed him back. His own pounding pulse was thunderously loud and he wondered if Giana could hear it as well; surely it was as obvious to her as it was to him? There was no cessation of sound or awareness; Lester was acutely aware of Every. Blessed. Thing. that was happening while they were locked together. This is one of those moments, he thought as his mouth moved over hers, that I'm going to remember for the rest of my life.

He broke their kiss and pulled back, fractionally, to compose himself, and couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him when Giana followed his movement and captured his mouth with hers again. The thrill of that, of Gia being unwilling to stop their first kiss, made a satisfaction so potent bubble in his chest that he was wholly unable to stem the groan that followed.

Hearing Lester's groan, Giana pulled back with a look bordering on regretful; a public park was not the place to loose all sense of control, so she did the sensible, un-fun thing and smoothed her shirt while grinning at Les.

"So do you really have a snack or was that just a clever ruse?" she asked while batting her lashes at Les.

Grinning at her playful mood, Les winked and produced some cheese cubes and cut fruit. Also in the cooler were two liters of water and a handful of foil squares that, he discovered, were expensive chocolate.

"I kind of wish now that I'd taken you someplace nice to eat." He admitted while they picked through the food. "I wasn't sure how this was going to go, so I wanted to be someplace private where you wouldn't feel obligated to sit through a whole meal."

"This is perfect; it's quiet and it's a great day to eat outside." Her wide, happy smile mirrored his own before she said, "You thought I wasn't going to want you, too?"

What she said was innocent, but the way she phrased it made things south of Lester's waist tighten deliciously. Self-denial had never been his strong suit, and as determined as he was to show Gia where his interests lay…well, he was having a hard time remembering all of that when she said she wanted him, too.

"It was a possibility." He said, shrugging one shoulder.

She only smiled and shook her head before returning to her snack. They chatted about their missed time, what he'd been up to while she was in Chicago and how her conference had gone. It was the same easy flowing conversation he'd always had with her, the only difference being that now, he was allowed to touch her. Twice he tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear and twice, she smiled and blushed. She rested her hand on his knee when she turned to face him while he told her about an especially long stakeout where Stephanie drank a thermos of tea to help her stay awake and they had to abandon post three times so she could use the restroom. Her laugh at his story warmed him so much that he couldn't help himself – he leaned forward to steal another kiss.

This time when they broke apart, he sighed and said, "I should get you home, you probably want to unpack and grab a nap. Can I take you out tonight, celebrate your homecoming?"

"Sounds good." She said as they stood to clear their mess. After buckling in, Lester reached over and took her hand, threading his fingers through hers. Way to play it cool, Santos, he thought. Then again, she didn't seem to mind in the least, squeezing his fingers for good measure. On the way back to Trenton they took turns finding songs on the radio, teasing each other good-naturedly about their song choices.

"I am telling you," Gia said as they pulled into her driveway, "after Whitney sang the 'Star Spangled Banner' at the Superbowl, they should've just licensed the song to her and refused to let any other rendition to be sang, ever; it is that flawless."

Lester was grinning at her tirade as he exited the car and grabbed her bag from the back; he was aware that he'd been grinning most of the ride back from Newark, and the thought made him grin even wider. I may look like an idiot, but I'm the happiest idiot in the city, he mused.

After ordering Giana to wait on the bench that sat on her porch, Lester did a quick walk-through to make sure her house was secure. Deeming it free of boogeymen and Vince, he carried her bag in and, sneaking a last kiss, promised to be back to retrieve her at 6 for their date. "What Steph would call 'dressy-casual'," he said when she asked how she should dress, and left her in her living room sporting a wide grin that mirrored his own.

Back at Rangeman, Les had a few hours to kill so he headed to the gym; the idea of sitting in his apartment, whittling away the last few hours before he could publicly stake his claim on Gia practically gave him shingles.

After warming up and running for forty-five minutes, Les hit the weight machines and started a leg circuit. He was getting a lot of curious glances and figured the reason behind them was the intermittent beaming smile that lit his face up. He was so distracted by his workout and thoughts of his date tonight that he didn't notice Bobby until he was almost on top of him. With a nod of solidarity, the two moved to position themselves near the rowing machine where Vince sat, pulling and pushing while huffing air out at precise intervals.

Lester did a few cool down stretches as Bobby warmed up and the two seemed content to ignore Vince for a few minutes before Bobby asked, "Hey Les, wanna spar?"

Lester looked at his partner and winked; he'd texted Bobby earlier about Vince running his mouth, trying to put Giana off of him, and Bobby had come through for him.

"Nah, can't; I've got a date tonight, I don't want a black eye." He answered casually.

"Really? You meet someone new?" Bobby's voice projected above the sound of the rowing machine, and Vince glanced up, suddenly interested in the conversation.

"Nah." Les stood and grabbed his towel, slinging it over his shoulder. He turned to leave and threw over his shoulder, "I've got a date with Giana." The satisfaction of hearing the clang! and the whir of the rowing machine when Vince missed the next pull put a little extra spring in Les's step as he made his way to his apartment to shower and dress.

Lester pulled into Gia's driveway a few minutes shy of 6pm and sprang from the car, happily making his way to her front door. Not a bad day to be Lester Santos, he thought as he rang her bell.

After hearing her muffled, "Come in!" he opened the door and assumed the Patient Boyfriend position on the armchair. He knew men who'd complained of waiting for their girlfriends or wives taking forever to dress and never being ready on time, but he felt oddly content as he sat and waited. He took a moment to glance at his clothes; light gray slacks paired with a dark gray button-down, sleeves folded and pushed artfully up around his forearms. He'd gone for simple and neutral, not wanting to look overdressed if she went more casual.

She didn't leave him waiting for long; after only a few minutes she entered the living room, apologizing for keeping him waiting. "…and I'm not good at matching shoes to outfits so I had to find the specific heels my brother insisted 'went' with this…" The rest of what she said was lost on Lester as he stood and drank her in.

She'd erred on the side of caution, choosing a form-fitting mother-of-pearl dress that ended two inches above her knee in a flare. The neckline was a bateau with a pretty spattering of opaque black lace overlay that started at her left shoulder and extended over her left breast, ending just above her hip. The heels – God, those heels, he thought – were at least four inches high and peep toe. The material extended across her foot almost sporadically, leaving thatches of her skin exposed, mimicking the pattern of the lace overlay on her dress. She'd pinned part of her hair deftly behind her head and the rest flowed down her back in tight waves. She looked…

"Stunning." He murmured, not realizing he'd spoken out loud until he saw the pleased smile on Gia's face and the blush that spread over her cheeks. Shaking off his stupor, Lester walked with purpose toward her and stopped an indecent distance from her body. He took her hands in his and leaned in to kiss her cheek, lingering so he could whisper, "You're stunning; you look so beautiful in this."

She shivered at his hot breath so near her ear and stepped minutely closer to him, breathing in his scent. "You look great, Les, so handsome." She said, moving her hand to his waist and turning her head, silently urging him to kiss her. He happily obliged her for a full minute before pulling away and asking, "Dinner?"

They left the house and arrived at Rossini's just before their 6:30 reservation. As Lester steered her toward their table, his hand resting on the small of her back, he noticed the appreciative glances in her direction and felt, for the first time in memory, the sharp unpleasant stab of jealousy. With Michelle, he'd been careless and never noticed any wandering eyes, and the women after her…well, he hadn't cared what they'd done or who they did it with. "If this is karmic retribution, I'd rather get hit by a bus." He mumbled to himself while shooting glares left and right.

Once seated, they fell into the comfortable back-and-forth Lester had come to expect with her. Gia was laughing at a story Lester was telling about the time Bobby got his braids taken out and Les had managed to snap a picture of him with an Afro when their food arrived. A few bites in, she looked Les in the eyes and said, "Please don't turn right now, but there's a creeper behind you that keeps looking at my boobs. Look in a minute and tell me if you know him." while offering Lester a bit of her flounder.

"That's Dickie Orr." He said through gritted teeth after he'd glanced behind him a moment later. Dickie was eating dinner with a bottle blond who was struggling to reach around her fake breasts to reach her food.

Giana's eyes widened. "Stephanie's ex?" When Les nodded, she rolled her eyes and said, "What a twat."

Les's aggravation came to a screeching halt and he laughed at her assessment. "Did you just call Dickie Orr a twat? Oh, man, Steph will love that!"

The light mood continued throughout dinner, and after ordering a dessert to share, Lester pulled her onto the dance floor and into his chest. The power of this, having Giana pressed against him, swaying gently and looking utterly content, was a heady thing. He buried his nose in her hair and inhaled deeply, offering up a silent prayer of thanks for whatever he'd done to deserve this.

After a few songs they headed back to their table and shared dessert. As Les was paying the check, Giana asked where the restroom was so he escorted her to the back and excused himself to use the men's room.

It was uncharacteristically crowded and took Les a few minutes to make his way into a stall. His washing up done, he exited and went in search of his date. As me rounded the corner and went to step around the potted plant that obscured the lady's room entrance, he paused when he heard her voice.

"Giana." Said in a flat, bored tone.

"Giana – beautiful name for a beautiful girl." Came a man's slimy reply. Lester bristled; Dickie Orr had gone to wait for his date outside the restroom to troll on her. He made a move to interrupt them before his old companion, Insecurity, waved 'hello'. A bit ashamed of himself, Lester decided to wait a moment to see how this played out.

"Have we met somewhere before? You look so familiar." Dickie, Lester noted with scorn, was using the most obvious lines to draw out a conversation with her.

"Yeah, we have. I'm the receptionist at the V.D. clinic." She deadpanned. "Listen, I'm here on a date, something I know you're aware of since you couldn't be bothered to hide the fact that you were checking me out all through dinner. I'm not interested, so why don't you run back to your home under the bridge and wait for the Three Billy Goats Gruff to pass over you."

Biting back a laugh, Les stepped into view just as a now red-faced Dickie was opening his mouth to retort. The look on Lester's face silenced him and he was forced to take two quick steps back when Les approached to take Gia's hand.

"Ready, gorgeous?" he purred, more for Dickie's benefit than Gia's. She rolled her eyes playfully and accepted his outstretched hand, turning and leaving Dickie fuming by the restrooms.

Once they were seated in the car, she asked casually, "How long were you standing there?"

Shamefacedly, Les hesitated before muttering, "Since he asked your name."

"You wanted to see what I'd do." She said, no hint of question in her voice.

"I wanted to…" he started to defend himself, then stopped short. "Yeah. I guess I did."

He silently cursed himself; it was their first date and he was already showing his suspicious nature where women were concerned. He'd hoped this, of all things, would allow him a fresh start, and that Giana wouldn't be affected by the scars he carried.

So he was, naturally, surprised when she reached for his hand and brought it to her lap. "I can understand that." She said, her gaze fixed on their laced fingers. "I mean, I'm not a huge fan of it in the long-term, but I can understand how you would need some…reassurance with me. This is still new, for both of us, so let's just agree to work on trusting each other."

When they pulled into her driveway a moment later, Lester was humbled and more resolved than ever to put forth every effort to be the man she deserved. He knew, without questioning how, that ruining this with suspicion would have far-reaching effects on any chance of his future happiness.

Breathing through the impact her understanding had on him, he exited his car and jogged around to the passenger side. After helping her from his car and, again, instructing her to wait on her small porch while he cleared her house, he pulled her inside and tried to pour his gratitude for her earlier pardon into the kiss he gave her.

Pulling apart, breathless and flustered, Gia asked the question he'd been preparing himself for since he put his plan to make her, his, in motion.

"Do you want to stay awhile?"

Weaving his fingers through the delicate hair at the base of her skull, he rested his forehead on hers and sighed, "More than I want my next breath. But I'm going to take a rain check." He pulled back so she would see the sincerity radiating from his eyes and, chiding himself to trust that she would respect his honesty, said, "I want – I need – for this to go the distance. I'm going to do this right, so I want to wait until the time is right. I'm going to regret leaving you later tonight," and here he shot her a wicked grin that had her flushing pink, "but when this happens, it's going to be perfect."

Nodding that she understood, she pressed one last firm kiss against his lips and said, "Then you'd better go. I'm not the gentleman you are."

Chuckling while bidding her a good night, Les made his way to his car and went home to sleep off what had been one of the best nights of his life.

A/n: All together now: "FINALLY!" (;

Giana and I share the same opinion on Whitney Houston's rendition of 'The Star Spangled Banner'. It's traditionally sung in 3:4 time, to allow for the singer to breathe between notes and not die from lack of oxygen; Whitney was so badass they rearranged it to be sung in 4:4 time so she could draw those bitches out even further. It's truly spectacular to listen to.