Author: Tyria

Rating: Teen

Pairing: GSR

Disclaimer: If they were mine…oh, if only they were mine.

Author Notes: One morning, I woke up from a dream, and this is what came out. As always, a huge THANK YOU to my beta who pushes me to make my writing better. I'm also hoping by saying this, she will decide to spare my life after this one…

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Just another ordinary day, she thinks as she pulls into the driveway. She walks up the drive, opens the door and calls out for him the instant she walks into the room. She receives no answer, but can hear the stereo playing and can smell the faint hint of something in the air which she pays no attention to. Listening to the music, she laughs when she recognizes it as an 80's compilation CD of hers. From time to time, he puts on some of her CDs for background noise. His selections sometimes surprise her and it makes her wonder if he actually listens to them or simply treats them as white noise.

She continues to wander the house in search of him and eventually finds him in the backyard.

He is simply looking out into the yard, and appears to not really be concentrating on any one thing, his face the picture of serenity. She leans against one of the posts on the covered porch and silently watches him. She has a hard time believing that he finally asked her out…still in total disbelief that they are living together.

In the background she can hear the CD switch to the next song, and has to laugh when her favorite version of "Hooked on a Feeling" begins to play. She still remembers the first time she heard it with her friends as they drove along listening to the radio. The beginning of the song was just so different from anything else she had ever heard that it still manages to tickle her funny bone.

Ooga chaka ooga ooga

Ooga chaka ooga ooga

When the lyrics cut in, she returns her attention to the man still standing quietly in the yard.

I can't stop this feeling

Deep inside of me

Girl, you just don't realize

What you do to me

When you hold me

In your arms so tight

You let me know

Eveything's alright

I-I-I-I-I'm hooked on a feeling

I'm high on believing

That you're in love with me

As she stands there, the sun starts to shine in her eyes and impedes her view of the gentle man in front of her, so she changes position by leaning against the other post. Apparently, her new position shifts her into his periphery, because at the movement he turns his head around to face her.

He smiles when their eyes meet. "Hey," he says softly.

"Hey yourself, handsome. What are you doing?"

"I'm just thinking," his voice trails off and he turns away from her, but he speaks again a second later. "Observing nature has a calming effect. As Wordsworth wrote, 'Calm is all nature as a resting wheel. The kine are couched upon the dewy grass; The horse alone, seen dimly as I pass, Is cropping audibly his later meal: Dark is the ground; a slumber seems to steal O'er vale, and mountain, and the starless sky. Now, in this blank of things, a harmony, Home-felt, and home-created, comes to heal.'"

"I seem to remember the end of that poem being something about wanting to be left alone and not touched." She continues to look at him as she comments on his choice of prose.

He turns back and grins at her. "You are correct. It does end that way." He begins walking towards her, his face subtly changing from humor to something else equally familiar to her. "But I have no desire to be alone." He reaches out his hand and touches her cheek. "And I most definitely do not wish to be without your touch." She closes her eyes and smiles, touched by his gesture and his words. "Now, why don't you go inside and run yourself a bath? You must be tired after today."

She sighs and puts her head on his shoulder turning her face towards his neck, "That sounds so good right now." With her head lying on him, she can feel his hand slide up to the back of her head, and start to lightly massage her scalp. "Will my favorite back scrubber be joining me?"

After an interminable pause he simply states, "No, I'm sorry…I have a few things I need to finish. But please, don't let that stop you from enjoying yourself."

She gives him a soft kiss before turning back to the house for her bath.

ooooooooooooooooooo

He doesn't know what made him pick this CD. He just wants something playing in the background when she arrives, so he keeps it soft enough that it won't interfere with his being able to hear her arrival, but also loud enough for him to understand which songs are playing. He knows their tastes in music are different, but he wants to at least attempt to listen to something outside his comfort zone. Besides, occasionally he has found a song or two that he has enjoyed, and it is always pleasurable to experiment with new things.

As a surprise for her, he is preparing vegetarian lasagna in the kitchen. Yet another case of successful experimentation for my research into what makes her happy. He hears the motor of her car as she slows to turn into the driveway. Hurriedly, he hides everything to prevent her from knowing what he is doing. He knows she will be able to smell something, but holds out the hope she will not investigate the kitchen with any real scrutiny.

He quickly shuffles out into the backyard to calm himself down. She needs to suspect nothing.

Standing in the middle of the yard, he finally manages to get himself under control and is actually enjoying the sunrise and all the things of nature that are starting to either come alive in the morning, or hide away from the impending heat when he hears her soft laughter coming from behind him. He smiles softly, enjoying one of his favorite sounds. He hears her shift position behind him, so he turns his head to look upon her. She looks absolutely stunning in the sunlight, he thinks as he greets her. "Hey," he says softly.

"Hey yourself, handsome. What are you doing?"

He smirks and almost says, "Wouldn't you like to know," but holds himself back. "I'm just thinking," his voice trails off as he turns away from her, and he tries to put his thoughts into words. After a second a Wordsworth poem enters his mind. The ending is not exactly appropriate, but the rest will do nicely, so he decides to say it anyway, and leave out the end. "Observing nature has a calming effect. As Wordsworth wrote, 'Calm is all nature as a resting wheel. The kine are couched upon the dewy grass; The horse alone, seen dimly as I pass, Is cropping audibly his later meal: Dark is the ground; a slumber seems to steal O'er vale, and mountain, and the starless sky. Now, in this blank of things, a harmony, Home-felt, and home-created, comes to heal.'"

She speaks up, "I seem to remember the end of that poem being something about wanting to be left alone and not touched."

He turns completely around to face her fully and grins. She is just too smart for her own good. How did I get so lucky? "You are correct. It does end that way." His expression changes from laughter at her observation to the unbelievable contentment he always finds in her presence. "But I have no desire to be alone." He reaches out to feel her skin against his own by placing his hand on her cheek. "And I most definitely do not wish to be without your touch." She closes her eyes and smiles as he walks up the porch steps to close the distance between them. "Now, why don't you go inside and run yourself a bath? You must be tired after today."

She sighs and puts her head on his shoulder causing his hand to move from her cheek to the back of her head under her hair. As she speaks, he feels the words against his skin as well as hears them. "That sounds so good right now. Will my favorite back scrubber be joining me?"

He almost groans at the thought of her naked in the bath, him sliding into the tub behind her, and...He takes a steeling breath and painfully says, "No, I'm sorry…I have a few things I need to finish. But please, don't let that stop you from enjoying yourself."

She moves her face and gives him a soft kiss before drifting off into the house. After she disappears from sight, he closes his eyes to savor the feeling of the soft press of her lips to his. Then he sighs, remembering the chores he still has ahead of himself.

Sometimes it pays to be observant and have a good memory. He knows in order to enjoy herself, she will take at least half an hour, but has been known to lose herself in the sensations and stay soaking for an hour. Since the lasagna takes about forty-five minutes to cook, he needs to put the last few layers on and get it into the oven. He turns the oven on first to warm it up. Luckily, he can still hear the water running, so he knows his half hour window is still open. He finishes with the dish and slides it into the oven just as he hears the water stop. Perfect timing.

He lays the French bread on a cookie sheet, ready to slide into the oven when it's time in order to warm it slightly and make the crust a bit flaky. He will begin the salad when he hears the tub drain, to insure that the lettuce stays fresh. With his chores in the kitchen done for the moment, he moves out into the dining room with candles in hand and places them on the table. Lighting them will wait until after he has changed.

He makes the rounds of the whole area and closes the curtains on each window, effectively blocking out the morning sun and making it as dark as possible. Moving to the stereo, he removes her compilation CD and replaces it with one of his own; trading modern rock bands in favor of classical composers. Glancing at his watch, he sees that fifteen minutes have elapsed, so he hurries upstairs to get himself ready.

He leaves the bedroom dressed in his charcoal suit, and sporting the blue tie she bought him because she claimed it lit up his eyes. He had been quick to inform her that he didn't need a tie for that when she was around, which made her laugh and blush. He delights in making her blush, just as much as she loves shocking him. I don't understand where the perverse pleasure comes from…I'll have to ask her about it someday.

Thirty minutes have passed, and he knows she could be done at any minute, so he checks each item off his mental checklist. Suddenly, he realizes he has forgotten the most important thing, and quickly runs back upstairs to the bedroom. Once the item is in his possession, he hurriedly walks out of the room at the same moment he hears the tub begin to drain. Not a moment too soon.

He lights the candles on his way to the kitchen, and begins to toss the salad. Seeing that the lasagna is done, he removes it from the oven to setup and replaces it with the bread for warming. Returning to the salad, he puts the last ingredient into the salad bowl; cashews. He doesn't know why, but he loves the texture and extra flavor nuts or seeds always bring to a salad.

The bowl is set on the table as he hears her footfalls on stairs. When he looks up to witness her arrival, his mouth opens slightly at the vision she presents as she walks down to join him. Her little black dress; elegant and tasteful. Her hair is swept up and kept there by two chopsticks; her long legs encased in hose and ending in mid heel pumps.

She grins. "You know, I don't remember laying this out before I got into the tub. I thought you said you just wanted a quiet weekend, and that we weren't going anywhere?"

He moves from the table to join her at the bottom of the stairs, leading her over to her seat. He sees her looking around the room and taking everything in. Eyes sparkling in the candlelight, he pulls out her chair. "I took some liberties."

She laughs, "I can see that."

"I've gotta get the bread out of the oven, so don't start without me." He kisses her gently before going into the kitchen.

Once there, he switches off the oven, and checks to make sure the lasagna is setting up nicely as it slightly cools down. He decides to leave the bread in the oven to stay warm, not knowing how long they could linger over the salad. Taking one last, deep, calming breath, he grabs the Chianti he had left chilling in the fridge, and exits the kitchen.

oooooooooooooooooooo

As he leaves the room, she wonders what he is up to. The bath was a wonderful suggestion and she did need it, but it appears it was really just a ploy to get her out of the way while he prepared everything. She knows it is not an anniversary, and there are no special occasions she is aware of today. Maybe he just wanted a romantic dinner alone with me. It's not like he hadn't cooked a romantic meal for her before, but he usually gives her a little notice. He didn't tell her anything about this.

She was surprised to walk into the bedroom to find her dress and a note on the bed. "Wear this for me, please? I'll be waiting downstairs." There were no other instructions, but she quickly decided that since he obviously wanted the dress, she was going to give him the whole package. She took her time with her makeup and spritzed on some body spray she knows he loves. Then she chose a black teddy, garter belt and stockings before sliding on the dress and pulling her hair up off her neck. Satisfied that the look would garner a positive reaction, she left the room and went downstairs.

In the hallway, she is bombarded with the smell of her favorite; lasagna, probably spinach. He makes the best spinach lasagna, and he knows it's my favorite. Something is definitely going on here.

She sees him leaning over the table to set a bowl down when he comes into her line of sight. She takes in the charcoal suit and dress shoes as he turns to face her. She is glad she took the extra effort to get ready, as his face shows his appreciation; mouth slightly open and his eyes intensely riveted to her form. Seeing the blue tie she bought him, she grins. "You know, I don't remember laying this out before I got into the tub. I thought you said you just wanted a quiet weekend, and that we weren't going anywhere?"

As he moves over to meet her at the bottom of the stairs, she drags her eyes away from him in a suit, a very difficult thing to do, and looks at the room. She notices the curtains drawn to block out the light, the lamps turned down low, the music coming from the stereo, and the candles on the table. Soon, she finds herself next to a chair at the table when she finally turns her attention back to him. He pulls the chair out for her as he says, "I took some liberties."

Seeing the joy in his eyes, she laughs. "I can see that."

When she's seated, he says, "I've gotta get the bread out of the oven, so don't start without me." Then he leans over and gives her a gentle kiss before leaving the room.

She is really curious as to why he went to all this trouble tonight, but doesn't want to ruin the mood with her questions. She has decided to be patient and see if he mentions anything about today. If not, she'll question him when they wake in the afternoon.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

He serves her the entire meal, not allowing her to get up, or even reach for anything. They talk about mundane topics while they enjoy the wonderful food he has prepared. She lets him know how good the food is by her compliments and delighted noises, and he revels in them.

It isn't until he sees her finishing her glass of wine after wiping her plate clean with some of the bread that he realizes his time is up. He takes a deep breath, and then encloses one of her hands with his two as she releases the wine glass. "I know you've been curious all night long. I can see it in your eyes. Yes, there is a reason behind all this." He stops, swallows, clears his throat and starts again, looking deeply into her eyes. She holds his gaze lending him her trust and support. "You see…There comes a time…I want…" He sighs and drops his head. I know I'm ready for this, why am I stammering like a fool?

She smiles softly at his inability to voice his thoughts and raises her other hand to run her fingers through the curls just above his ear. "Take your time. I can wait until you're ready."

He smiles as he looks back into her eyes, having found his courage in her tender words. "You've been doing that a long time...Waiting for me to understand and say what I want. I'm hoping you'll want to continue doing that a while longer."

Her smile becomes larger. "I'm willing…for as long as you allow me."

His face instantly becomes very serious as he softly utters, "How about forever?"

Shock falls over her entire face and her jaw nearly drops onto the table. "Wh-what?"

He pulls her hand away from his face and joins it with the other still enclosed in his grasp. "George Bernard Shaw once said, 'When two people are under the influence of the most violent, most insane, most delusive, and most transient of passions, they are required to swear that they will remain in that excited, abnormal and exhausting condition continuously until death do them part.'" He takes one hand away from hers and slides it into his pocket, pulling out a ring, and holding it up between them. "Would you do me the honor…I would be deeply honored if you would consent to become my wife, Sara."

She sat there with her mouth hanging open during his entire speech, and continues like that a while after he is done. As he starts to become worried because she hasn't moved or spoken after a couple seconds, the hand holding the ring begins to tremble with fear.

When she is finally able to overcome the shock, she closes her eyes and mouth, and turns away. Taking a huge breath, she slowly turns back to him and looks at him through watery eyes. "Yes," she whispers. Her face contorts as she tries to keep from crying. "Yes," she says just a little bit louder, with a slight smile on her face. "Yes," she says into the skin of his neck after he gathers her to him in a hug following the second "yes".

They both cling to the other, still in utter disbelief; he over her agreeing; she over him asking in the first place. With tears escaping from his eyes, matching the ones escaping hers, he pulls her left arm from around himself and finds her ring finger. When she realizes what he's about to do, she moves her head just in time to watch him slide the band onto her finger. He then moves slightly away from her, bringing her hand to his mouth, and kisses the finger, as well as the ring upon it. She lays the hand against his face and moves his head to hers, enabling her to kiss him.

While kissing, he pulls her closer to him, bringing her to sit on his lap with his arms wrapped around her waist. She ends the kiss, buries her face into his neck and begins laughing. Confused, he tries to look at her, but she just keeps her face in his neck. "Sara? Honey? I know I said insane, but I meant insane together." At this she laughs harder. "Wanna fill me in on what's so funny?"

She lifts her head up and looks at him, grinning. "We're engaged!.! Oh my God, Gil, we're gonna get married!"

He laughs.

"I still can't believe…" She takes his face into her hands. "Keeping the fact that we're living together from the rest of the team was hard enough. How am I supposed to be quiet about this?"

He kisses her and says, "Well…we can either tell them before the wedding, or after. It's up to you, but I know a lot of people who would probably kill us if we didn't include them. And they also have the dubious distinction of possibly being capable of getting away with the crime."

She tries to frown, but soon realizes she can't stop smiling, so instead she settles for a pursed smirk. "You're right. But what should we do?"

"Whatever you want." He begins kissing and nibbling her neck. "I'm comfortable right here, so take your time."

"Mmmm," she sighs. "You know, you're very distracting. How am I supposed to think if you keep doing that?"

"Not my problem," he mumbles into her skin.

"It will be your problem if we don't come up with a way to keep it a secret, yet still have them all present…" Her voice trails off.

He looks up into her face and smiles at her sideways. "You have an idea."

She laughs. "That is so scary you reading me like that. Yes, I have an idea. And I think we can pull it off without them knowing. Do you trust me?"

He takes her face into his hands. "With all my heart."