"May I help you?"
"May I speak to Ria Sangford, please?"
"Ria? Sure. I think she's just gotten…"
"TONY!"
He smiled as he turned, making her weak at the knees for a moment. "Ria!"
She placed the files that she'd been carrying onto the desk. "Tracy, if you could tell Dr. Sawyer that Mrs. Kingsley is waiting in Room 419, I'd appreciate it."
"Of course."
"Thank you." She walked closer to Tony, giving him a quick kiss. "Hello, Handsome."
"I should pick you up from work more often!" Tony teased. He handed her the flowers. "These are for you."
"Thank you." She said, obviously touched. "Something special happening?"
"Just escorting the most beautiful woman in the world to her car."
"Then you're in for quite a walk…my car's downtown in the shop."
"As long as you're on my arm, I'd walk to the ends of the Earth."
She grinned. "You're in rare form today, Tony…what happened?"
"Nothing." He chuckled. "Why do I have to have a reason for being in a good mood?"
"Ria's dating Tony Dovolani?" One of the nurses exclaimed rather loudly as they passed a group of Ria's colleagues on their way out to his car.
"Yes, she is…lucky girl! Did you see just how HOT he looked in People?"
Ria looked at Tony, confused, and was rewarded with a shrug. They almost made it to the car before another of her colleagues stopped them. "Mr. Dovolani?" She asked. "May I please have your autograph?"
In her hands, she held a pen and an open issue of People magazine. Ria noted that it was the "Sexiest Man Alive" edition and determined to ask Tony about it later. Meanwhile, Tony nodded, quickly taking the woman's pen. "What's your name?"
"Actually, it's for my roommate. She watches "Dancing With the Stars" religiously and was VERY disappointed when you and Stacy were voted off."
"All right, what is her name?"
"Stacy." She said, with a chuckle. "She said that she wanted to just cut out Stacy's last name in all of the articles so that people at work would think that SHE was dancing with you."
Tony smiled, appreciatively. "Ah." He signed the page with a flourish. "Well, thanks for watching!"
"You're very welcome!"
"Unfortunately, we really must be going." He said, putting his hand at the small of Ria's back once again, and leading her toward the car. He opened the door for her, and as she stepped into the car, she couldn't help but snicker. "Sexiest Man Alive, huh?"
"Nope. That's Nick." Tony smirked.
He closed the door on her astounded look before hurrying to his seat behind the wheel.
"Are you serious?!?"
He laughed. "Yes."
"Nick? I'm gonna have to see this…"
He chuckled. "Well, Lena's going to freak when SHE sees it."
"She doesn't know about it?"
He laughed again. "Nope."
"Oh boy…I'm gonna have to get one of these issues…"
Tony blushed a little as he started the car. "So…got a little thing for the Sexiest Man Alive?"
"If you mean you? Yes." Ria said, with a chuckle.
"Who said I was the sexiest man alive? I'm just in the magazine."
"I saw your ranking…it was behind your picture...Runner up?"
He blushed. "I'll get you a magazine if you'll just stop talking about it…"
She laughed. "Oh, poor Tony! A little embarrassed?"
"Wouldn't you be if you were a nice little boy from Kosovo who somehow achieved some level of fame?"
"Well, I wouldn't be dating you if I was a nice little boy from Kosovo." She said, cheekily.
"Ria!"
"What? If I was a nice little GIRL from Kosovo, that would be a different story!"
"I should hope so!"
"But I'm not a nice little girl from Kosovo…I'm a corrupted girl who was born in California, and raised in Kansas City, Missouri."
He chuckled. "And you're STILL dating me! It must be my lucky day!"
She laughed. "Now…really, what's the whole reason that you wanted to pick me up from work?"
"Can't a guy come and pick his girlfriend up from work without getting the third degree?"
"Of course."
"Thank you."
"But…that doesn't mean that I can't tell that you have an ulterior motive."
He sighed. "Okay…the competition that I'm going to be demonstrating at in a couple of weeks, also has a social dance."
"Social dance?"
"Yes. I would like to ask if you allow me the honor of having your heavenly presence at my side that evening."
"I would love to." She said, surprised.
"What?"
"I just…wouldn't you rather dance with your partner?"
"I will…but only for our demonstration. I would rather dance with you at the social dance."
"Okay." She said, with a smile.
"Excellent. Now…you're probably going to want to call Nick and Lena and see if they can help you with your gown."
"Gown?"
"Well…most of the people on the floor will be ballroom dancers, so…you may want to have a costume…"
She bit her lip. "Okay…"
"Nick and Lena will make a fabulous costume that will make you look even more gorgeous than you do now." He said, pulling up at her house. "If that's possible…"
She blushed. "Okay…you don't have to flatter me into going with you…I already said I'd go…"
He kissed her nose. "All right…I should go home, then. But Nick and Lena are going to want to hear from you ASAP."
"Okay."
"And this will include a fitting and a consultation…I would plan on a couple of hours at least."
She smiled. "I've really got to get back inside…"
"Something about your car?"
She nodded. "It's supposed to be done soon…"
"Need a lift?"
"Actually, no. The mechanic is a friend of a friend and offered to drop the car off…"
"Okay…well…I'll see you later."
"See you later." She said, chuckling inwardly as she remembered that he hated good-byes and much preferred 'see you laters.'
"What?"
"I said 'see you later…'"
"Yep…you did…" He said, softly.
"Well…gotta go."
"Then get going!" He teased, gently.
"Kicking me out, Mr. Dovolani? What would People have to say about that?"
He laughed. "Call me later?"
"Maybe." She said, kissing him again before she got out of the car.
"Love ya!" She said, stooping to the level of the window as she walked back toward her house.
"Love you too!" He said, affectionately.
--
Tony walked into the room, grinning widely.
"Okay, Tony, what happened?"
"What?" Tony asked, almost in mock indignation that "something" had to have happened for him to be in a good mood. "Can't a guy just be in a good mood?"
"Well, you just visited Ria at the hospital…something tells me that you two have a DATE."
"We've had them before…What on Earth would have given you the thought that this was a NEW phase in our relationship?" Tony asked, placing his hands in his pockets as he walked away, whistling "Shall We Dance."
"You asked her to the social dance at the competition, didn't you?" Nick demanded with a knowing tone in his voice.
"That's for me to know and for you to lie awake and wonder about." Tony smirked.
The phone rang just then, and Lena picked it up. "O'Neill residence."
Nick and Tony had a tiny stare-off while Lena listened to the person on the line introduce herself. "Oh, hi, Ria!"
Tony paled and Nick gave him a triumphant grin. It REALLY paid to have a woman on your side…
"Sure, we'll have to meet sometime soon. We'd like to talk to you about what you'd like to have it look like, and measure you…all of those fun things…" Lena said, a half-chuckle in her voice.
Nick raised his eyebrows as he looked first at his wife and then at Tony. "We're making her a costume for this gig?"
"Come on, Nick…everyone else on the floor will be a ballroom dancer…" Tony reminded him.
"Yes…"
"Look, it's going to be a waltz…I have two weeks to teach her a basic waltz, and maybe some turns and counter turns…the point is that this is an evening that I want her to feel like a princess."
Nick raised an eyebrow. "A princess?" He looked at his wife who was still chatting away on the phone. "We can do princess…"
"Yes, I know…you have enough Swarovski crystals to make the crown jewels look like a mere child's collection…"
Nick groaned. "Don't remind me…"
"And half of that is Lena's collection ALONE!" Tony laughed.
"I told you not to remind me." Nick said, looking at his friend with a pointed look.
There was a pause as Nick continued to think about this costume…he was starting to get excited about it as he considered the different shades that he could put against Ria's fair complexion and dramatic coloring. He pursed his lips in concentration, and was considering getting a pencil, but Tony's voice stopped him.
"What're your ideas?"
"Who said I had any?" Nick asked, calmly.
"You have that gleam in your eye…trust me, I know you have ideas…"
"Well, be that as it may, YOU, my dear sir, will not be seeing her gown until you pick her up for the dance." Nick finished with a flair of his hand.
"But Nick…"
"No buts…who sews your pants when you split the seam?"
Tony grumbled as Nick walked into the kitchen.
As he passed his wife to get a pad of paper and a pencil, his ear picked up part of her conversation: "Yes, he'll never admit it, but I think Tony's right…he's been missing the sequins and rhinestones…"
Nick's eyes widened and he looked at Tony who raced away in fear. "DRITON ANTONIUS DOVOLANI! YOU'RE DEAD!"
Lena chuckled as her husband raced after the other dancer. "I should warn you, Ria, he broke out the full name…he doesn't even do that to our boys when he's angry…"
--
"You told her that I LIKE sewing the bloody things on?!" Nick fumed as he finally caught up with Tony.
"No…I told her that you missed it…"
"Which implies that I had to like doing it in the first place."
"Well…there's always that." He said, a faltering grin on his face.
"You, my friend, are going to learn how to sew sequins so that YOU can sew them onto your girlfriend's dress…"
"Nick…"
Just then, Grace flew by in her little ballroom dance costume from the past Halloween. "Look, Uncle Tony!" She said, twirling for his inspection. "I'm Aunt Lena!"
Tony grinned and looked back at Nick, realizing that the little girl had just inadvertently proven his point. "Yes, you are…your dress is so VERY beautiful!"'
"Thank you." She said, with a curtsy. She tried to make it a low curtsy, but she almost fell over instead. Tony quickly helped her up.
"There ya go…why don't you go play inside…grass stains are a pain to get out of ballroom gowns."
Grace nodded, solemnly, as if she understood exactly what Tony was saying. She quickly ran inside and Tony turned to Nick, having clearly seen the sequins on the dress.
"So…you don't miss them at ALL?"
"Tony, she was a ballroom dancer for Halloween…what're ballroom costumes without sequins or rhinestones?"
Suddenly, Danny ran past, wearing a miniature Latin shirt, sequins lining the extended V-neck of the shirt. "Dad, have you seen Grace?"
"She went inside." He said, his face turning red with embarrassment.
"Thank you."
As Danny ran off to join Grace inside, Tony looked at Nick, an amused smile on his face.
"WHAT? Danny wanted to be you for Halloween, and Grace wanted to be Lena…hence sequins and Swarovskis…"
"That's what they all say." Tony smirked.
"That's it, Tony…you asked for it…I'm not sewing your pants if you split them…"
Tony's eyes widened. "No, Nick…please…"
Nick shook his head. "I warned you…"
"No, Nick, I take it all back!"
"Too late…" Nick said, smugly as he walked back into the house. Tony was running after him, practically begging to get back in his good graces.
Nick reached his sewing kit and handed Tony his pants and a needle and thread. "Good luck."
Tony heaved a sigh as he walked out into the front yard where Lena now stood, watching Michael and Nicky playing in the leaves that Jack, Daniel and Teal'c had gathered together. Suddenly, an idea came to his mind. "Lena…"
She saw the thread and the pants and shook her head. "Nope."
"Lena, how do you know what I'm gonna ask you?"
"Lucky guess." She said, dryly.
"Come on, Lena, you've gotta help me!" He practically begged. "You know I can't sew!"
"Then, you shouldn't have burned your bridge…" She said, calmly. "You should really remember that a 'lack of planning on your part, does not constitute an emergency on MY part.'"
Tony looked at the ground, muttering some choice sayings in Albanian.
Lena started to follow the kids around to the backyard. "Have fun!"
--
Ria pulled up to the house about a half an hour later. There on the front stoop, with black material in hand, was Tony. She chuckled as she watched him try to sew his pants…he obviously wasn't gifted with a needle.
"Something wrong?" She asked, as she approached him.
He looked up. "Oh…Ria!" He said, trying to hide the fabric. "What're you doing here?"
"I'm here to meet with Nick and Lena about my dress…"
"Ah."
"What happened to your pants?"
"Oh…nothing…"
"Tony."
"I, uh…" He showed her the rip, inadvertently showing her the several prick marks he'd left on his fingers as well. "I ripped my pants during rehearsal this week…"
Ria looked at him. "Doesn't Nick design your costumes?"
"Yeah…"
"So, why won't he help you fix them?"
"Because I royally stuck my foot in my mouth…"
She chuckled. "Okay…where's your needle and your thread?"
"Ria…you don't…"
"I'm a nurse, Tony…now, get your fingers bandaged, and I'll have these finished in no time…"
"Are you sure?"
"Positive…now go!"
He gave her a mock salute. "Yes, ma'am."
Tony walked into the house and to the kitchen sink where he quickly washed his hands, wincing a little as the soap stung the tiny punctures in his skin.
By the time he was drying his hands, Ria appeared next to him, his pants cleanly stitched in her hands. "Done."
He turned, surprised. "Are you serious?"
She smiled. "I'm one of the fastest stitchers in ER."
"Wow…I bet…"
"They give me all the kids that are going to squirm…" She chuckled. "It makes for an interesting experience."
"Sounds like." Tony said, taking his pants from out of her hands and inspecting the seam. "Thank you."
"You're welcome…but if you don't mind, I have an appointment that I'm now late for…"
"Right…my best friend is stealing you away for some dark and sinister purpose…" He teased.
"Actually, it's his wife." She said, playing along.
"But he had a gleam in his eye…" Tony warned, leaning into her and kissing her nose.
She chuckled. "Then I'll just have to watch out, won't I?"
He looked into her eyes with mock solemnity. "Or I could come…to make sure you're safe…"
"And ruin the surprise?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. "Lena already warned me that you'd try to weasel your way into my fitting…and I agree with her…you get to see the gown for the first time when you come to pick me up that evening." She said, leaning into him as though she was going to kiss him before pulling away and walking toward the living room where Lena sat, clipboard and pen in hand.
"Ha!" Nick laughed. "She SO got you!"
"Yeah…well, at least my pants aren't split anymore!" Tony said, showing the perfectly repaired pants.
Nick took the pants and inspected them. "You know, the point was to get YOU to sew your pants…"
Tony gave his friend a look of mock hurt. "And what makes you so suspicious that I didn't sew them?"
"Tony…I know you…you couldn't sew if your life depended on it." Nick said, an eyebrow raised.
"Okay…maybe you have a point there…"
"I KNOW I have a point there…"
"Okay, okay…you don't have to rub it in…" Tony said, crossly.
"So…who caved?"
"Ria."
"Ah…" Nick said, a suspicious gleam in his eye.
"Don't." Tony warned.
"What?" Nick asked, an innocent look on his face.
Tony took a deep breath. "Fine…say it…"
"Say what?" Nick asked, seemingly genuinely surprised at his friend's skepticism.
"Whatever is on the tip of your tongue that is undoubtedly going to embarrass me…"
"Like the fact that your pants belong in her hands?" Nick asked, innocently.
Tony closed his eyes and shook his head in exasperation. "Oh boy…"
"What?"
"Nothing…"
"No, really, Driton, I think it's great! It was about time that you found a nice girl who could sew your pants when you rip them…" Nick said, facetiously as they walked into the living room.
"That's it…no more family dinners for you!" Tony said, shaking his head in mock anger as he grabbed his pants out of Nick's hands and walked away.
"So…I'm just the girl who sews your pants when you rip them…" Lena said a hint of indifference in her casual tone as she nonchalantly continued taking Ria's measurements.
"No, darling, you're MUCH more than that…" Nick said, cautiously. "You're…" Just then, he shook his head, indignantly. "I fix MY OWN pants!"
"Oh, that's right, I'm the girl who cooks and cleans for you while barefoot and pregnant?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No." Nick said, realizing that his feminist wife could be out for blood. Nick looked at Lena and Ria, then said with a half smile, "We men are lucky that jewels such as yourselves put up with us and our less than pleasant ways..."
Lena looked up, her expression unreadable for a moment, and Nick was afraid that she would come back with another quick one, and that he would have to do more quick-thinking to get himself out of trouble. A slow smile spread over her face as she stood up, motioning for Ria to follow, and walked past him. "You're SO lucky that you're so charming."
"I never said I wasn't." He said, breathing a tentative sigh of relief.
Ria stifled a chuckle as she passed Nick as well.
--
As Tony walked away, his cell phone rang, and he opened the small phone. "Hello?"
"Tony, it's Elena. Where are you?"
"Where am I?" The dancer asked, worriedly. "Did we have a rehearsal that I forgot about?"
"No." She said, reassuringly. "But I haven't seen you for a few weeks, and we do have the competition…"
"Right…" Tony said, relief spreading throughout his panicked limbs. "Elena, I'm visiting Nick in Colorado Springs."
"Oh…" She said, surprised.
"So…what'd you need?"
"Well, I was doing some research in case you just wanted to meet in Denver and rehearse."
"What kind of research?"
"I found us a place to rehearse. It's actually right in Colorado Springs."
"That's perfect!"
"So, I should be there tomorrow, and I'll be ready to rehearse the day after. Usual time?"
"Elena, we'll figure all that out when you get here." Tony said, smiling. "What time should I be at the airport?"
"I'll get a cab, Tony…don't worry about it…" She said, a strain in her voice. "I'll see you at eleven a.m. on Wednesday, okay?"
"Elena, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Tony."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah…I'll see you then." She said before hanging up the phone.
He hung up the phone, somewhat bewildered as Lena walked past, swatches of fabric in her hands. "Who was that, if you don't mind me asking…"
"Elena." Tony said, still somewhat dazed.
"Something wrong?" She asked, noticing the confusion on his face.
"I'm not exactly sure…"
"Wanna talk about it?"
Tony bit his lip as he hesitated. Lena watched his facial expressions with a knowing eye. "Problems with the line between being dance partners and more than dance partners?"
He sighed. "She started to fall for me, but I…I didn't feel the same way she did…"
Lena nodded. "But you don't want to ruin your partnership…"
"No, I don't. I may not have romantic feelings for her, but…"
"She's still a special person to you, and you don't want to hurt her."
"Yeah."
"So, what happened on the phone?"
"I think she's pushing me away. She wouldn't let me pick her up at the airport…it's like she doesn't want to see me unless we're rehearsing…"
Lena chewed on this for a few moments. "You know, I might have a solution…"
"Okay…"
"Has she mentioned Artem Chezinski?"
Tony chuckled. "Yes. She shoved him into the pool when she was twelve."
"He's in Colorado Springs."
"He is? How…how'd you learn that?"
"Nick and I ran into him at the grocery store of all places…" Lena chuckled.
"Okay…but what does that have to do with Elena? Other than the whole "pool" thing…"
"He was asking about her."
Tony raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
"Yep. Apparently, he's found her quite intriguing…"
Tony took a deep breath. "Okay…so, what do I do?"
"Nothing." She said, with a twinkle in her eye.
"Lena…"
"My husband isn't the only licensed matchmaker in the family…" Lena said, slyly. "When're you rehearsing?"
"Eleven a.m.…day after tomorrow…"
"Perfect. Nice non-threatening lunch date to reminisce about old times…"
"Lena, I doubt Elena will want to relive THAT past!"
"Of course, she will." Lena said, matter-of-factly. "He's cute."
"LENA!"
"Tony, cuteness is a HUGE factor in a potential date…"
"Thanks, Lena…I didn't need to know that!"
"How'd you scar Tony?" Nick asked with a smirk as he walked into the kitchen.
"She didn't scar me, Nick!" He defended.
"Uh huh…" Nick said, clearly not believing the Albanian.
"I didn't, you know…" Lena admitted. "I was just telling him that cuteness is a HUGE factor in potential dates…"
"So, why didn't you need to know that, Tony?" Nick asked, puzzled.
"Because we were talking about ELENA! She's my partner…she's like a sister to me!"
"Ah."
"So…you understand how WRONG that would be for Lena to say something like that, right?"
"Nope." Nick smirked.
Tony groaned. "Must you torture me?"
"Yep."
Tony gave another groan as he walked out into the yard, and Nick wrapped his arms around his wife's waist. "So…if cuteness is needed for a potential date, what is needed for an already accepted suitor?"
Lena smirked. "I forget…"
Nick pulled away in surprise. "What?"
She grinned in triumph. "You'll just have to suffer from your incurable curiosity…"
Nick groaned as she walked away, smugly. "LENA!"