A/N — I mean, is any story really complete without a dose of sugar? These two are like icing, both so darn sweet. xoxo — kals

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Eric and Courtney

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Eric Miller stood stiffly next to his mother as they waited to enter the Abbot mansion. Next to him, Barbara was practically shaking from nerves. Although Eric told his mother that this evening would be fancy, she had still been shocked when the valet ran up to Eric's car to open her door. Now, she clutched at Eric's arm. "Are you sure that we're invited?"

"Mrs. Miller!" Eric had never been so happy to see the Greens. Kara — Eric still felt awkward calling her that despite being asked repeatedly — leaned over to kiss Barbara's cheek. "Have you met my mother, Debbie Foster?"

Debbie leaned in to give Barbara a hug. "It's so nice to see a familiar face. This place is definitely fancier than my usual digs."

As Debbie and Kara continued chattering, Eric could feel his mother relaxing. Suspecting that their appearance was deliberate, Eric turned to thank Danny, only to see that Danny was no longer there. Instead, he was in the back of the line talking to Carlton and a woman who looked kind of like the barista at the coffee-shop near base. Eric studied the line spilling down the stairs of the mansion, figuring that they had at least another fifteen minutes before they made it to the front of the line.

Eric had been here dozens of times over the past few weeks, usually on made-up errands for Danny or Carlton. The first few times Eric was sent over on some pretext, he had wondered if this was some kind of hazing. Then he thought that, perhaps, Danny didn't like him or — worse — had somehow learned about the totally ridiculous crush that he once harbored for Kara. It was only after the third time Eric had to come back in one day — after he told Danny and Carlton that Mrs. Abbot wasn't even home — that Eric finally figured out what they were doing. And, while he was originally annoyed, Wolf set him straight pretty quick. After all, the only reason to try to throw Eric and Courtney together was because the guys knew he liked her and wanted it to work out. Eric figured that nobody would go through so much work if they didn't like him, a little anyway.

Plus, if Wolf and Danny and Carlton all thought that Eric stood a chance with the most beautiful woman in the world, maybe he actually did.

Tugging on his uniform, Eric held himself a tiny bit straighter. Tonight, he was going to find out. He spent all week thinking about the perfect way to approach Courtney. Originally, he wanted to bring flowers, until he realized that it would look like he was bringing them for the party and not for her. So, instead, he decided to write her a letter, one that he spent hours laboring over. Even now, he thought he could almost hear the crinkling of the paper in his pocket. He just needed to get through this receiving line and give it to her.

"Is that her?" Barbara whispered, latching back on to Eric's arm.

"Yes, Mom." Eric noticed that Danny had rejoined them, leaning down to say something to Kara, who, in return, rolled her eyes. But Eric didn't have time to wonder what was going on as they came to the front of the line and he caught his first glance of Courtney. She was wearing a pale blue skirt that shimmered in the light, paired with a jacket of bright blue that looked kind of like the ones women in Asia wore, topped off by a scarf that seemed to match the skirt.

He had never seen someone so beautiful.

While Eric stared, unable to move, Kara leaned forward to brush a kiss against Courtney's cheek. "Thank you for having us tonight."

Courtney turned in their direction and Eric felt a hand on his back, propelling him forward, until he stood only a foot away. "You look beautiful," Eric managed to say, stumbling through the words. The flush that spread across the portion of Courtney's face that was visible made her even lovelier. Suddenly remembering that he wasn't alone, Eric added. "Did you meet my mother, Barbara Miller?"

Courtney's gaze switched from Eric to his mother, and she graced Barbara with a shy smile as she stretched out both hands. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Miller. Eric has been such a great help planning this event. I'm very glad that you could both join us."

"Please, call me Barbara," his mother replied, squeezing Courtney's hand.

The two women beamed at each other, then Courtney spoke. "I was hoping that I might be able to borrow Eric." She paused, before continuing. "I need an escort for the formal dinner, and I didn't get a chance to ask him earlier. But only if you can spare him, of course."

Eric wondered if it was possible to die from joy. Had Courtney just asked him to join her for dinner?

"You two young things have fun!" Before Eric could say anything, Debbie looped her arm through Barbara's and they were moving away, followed by Danny and Kara. Danny's mouth was slightly open, almost as though he was just as surprised as Eric by the turn of events.

Eric turned back to Courtney, pulling the letter. "I have this for you."

Courtney's hands rose, then lowered. "I don't have any pockets in this dress." She tipped her head. "Perhaps you could tell me what it says? While we stroll?"

Steeling himself, Eric held out an arm, feeling a soft wave of heat as she touched his sleeve. He waited until they were walking towards the head table before he spoke again. "I asked if ... well, I was hoping that you ... you might be interested in having dinner with me sometime."

Her head turning to gaze at him, Courtney beamed. "I would love to."