Moonstar's Library

When in Vegas

It was supposed to be a treat for all involved. Mac had a feeling that they would all remember this trip for other reasons. The annual national forensic conference was being held in Vegas, and his team had been lucky enough to be selected to go. Unfortunately, Sheldon had a conflict, but Flack had been tapped to attend a few seminars on police/forensic team cooperation and relations. Things had been shaping up to be a very good weekend.

It had gone well at the start. The seminars were interesting, and Mac enjoyed meeting investigators from other labs. He had struck up a discussion of recipes for fingerprint powder with Gil Grissom, and Peyton had run into her old college roommate from Harvard and was catching up.

Then that catching up had turned into a ladies night out for the women of the Vegas and New York labs. And the next thing he knew, Mac was being called down to the police station to pick up his ladies. Thankfully, he had brought Danny and Flack along as back-up. The ladies had been fine. Slightly tipsy, but fine. It had been a minor altercation, and no one had been hurt, but the sight of Peyton attempting to sing one hit wonders from eighties with her former roommate did odd things to his heart.

So over breakfast he asked her.

"Marry me."

Peyton blinked. "Mac?"

"Marry me."

"Have you been drinking?"

He smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "No, just thinking. I want to marry you."

"All right." She smiled back at him. "We can start planning when we get home."

Mac kissed her. "What's wrong with today?"

Peyton blinked again. "Who are you and what have you done with Mac Taylor?"

He just laughed and wrapped an arm around her. "It's been something I've been thinking about for a while. Besides, we're in Vegas. Stella and everyone are here, and it would be simple."

"All right." She bit her lip then smiled. "No Elvis impersonators."

Mac kissed her. Stella threw a napkin at them from the other end of the table.

"What are you two lovebirds up to now?"

Grinning, Mac tossed the napkin back. "Planning a wedding. Do you want to be a bridesmaid?"

Stella laughed. "It's about time. When's the wedding?"

"This afternoon."

Her jaw dropped. "You're joking. Mac, do you have a fever or something?"

"That's what I wanted to know," Peyton laughed. "Want to be my maid of honor?"

Stella grinned. "I'd love to. Let me grab Lindsay, and we'll find you a dress. And you," she pointed a finger at Mac, "had better round up the boys. You'll need rings as well. Or do you already have them?"

He smiled sheepishly.

"Rings, Mac. We'll take care of the venue. We'll call you once we've got a place and time."

Mac watched as his best friend dragged his fiancée out of the room. So rings and tuxedos, he could do that. Now he just had to find Danny and Flack.

Peyton bit her lip to keep from giggling. She stood in one of the bridal rooms at the Chapel of Flowers while Stella and Catherine, from the Las Vegas crime lab, fussed over her dress. Stella had taken over all the details with Catherine's help, and before she knew it, Peyton was dressed in a wedding gown and about to walk down the aisle. The chapel outside was filling up with various CSIs and police officers.

"Here." Stella unclasped her necklace, slipping it around Peyton's neck. "You need something borrowed."

The other woman kissed her forehead. "Take care of him, okay? You mean as much to him as Claire ever did. Don't doubt that you're a part of our family now."

She nodded. She wasn't sure she could answer Stella without bursting into tears.

Stella just grinned. "Besides, I want godchildren. Remember, we have this all figured out."

Sara handed her a bouquet of white roses and English ivy. "Remember, Love is an act of endless forgiveness, a tender look which becomes a habit. Peter Ustinov."

Catherine just laughed. "You've been spending too much time with Grissom. We're going to grab out seats."

Stella and Lindsay were acting as her bridesmaids. Stella winked at her as they took their places by the entrance of the chapel. The music started, and Peyton found her eyes drawn down the aisle to Mac who stood smiling at the alter. This wasn't what she had in mind when she had agreed to come to the conference. It had seemed like a good opportunity to relax with friends and trade stories with others in their field. But meeting Mac's smiling eyes, Peyton found that she didn't mind this sudden change in plans. With a smile, she slid her hand into his, and surrounded by their friends, they went through with the spur of the moment whim of Mac's.

After all, they were in Vegas.

Sisterhood

Girls' nights were infrequently planned and actually occurred even less frequently. It was seldom that the three of them all had the same night off, and half the time when they did at least one of them got called in. However, Mac had banned all three of them from the lab for the next forty-eight hours, and they planned to use all of it.

The case really hadn't been that big a deal. It had been a fairly ordinary: a young man has been beaten to death. It looked like a regular mugging. Stella was interviewing some of the people in the apartment building by the alley while Lindsay was working the scene. Peyton had been there to pronounce and take the body, but when she had gone to bag the man, Peyton had stumbled across what could be key evidence and called Lindsay over. Before either of them had realized there was a problem, two of the men watching the scene had jumped the crime scene tape and were on them. Of course, neither of the two men had expected Lindsay or Peyton to fight back.

It had taken less than five minutes for their attackers to be pulled off them and cuffed. Both Peyton and Lindsay were fine, just minor bruises: a black eye for Peyton and bruises around Lindsay's neck. Of course, neither Mac nor Danny had seen things that way. Then one of the suspects had reacted rather violently in interrogation, slamming the table away from him and knocking the wind out of Stella. She was currently sporting a purple bruise across ribs. That had been the last straw for Mac.

They were summarily banned from the lab, over all three's protests. Then they had started planning. The first priority was sleep; it had been nearly a twenty-four hour shift for all three of them. But once they were rested, Stella had suggested that shopping, movies, and comfort food. Peyton and Lindsay agreed, and the plan was set.

The three of them met the next morning at a little café for breakfast and to compare shopping lists.

"So thanks to Hawkes I need a new pair of sneakers," Stella said, picking at her eggs. "And I've been looking for something to go with that skirt I found a few months ago."

"The green one?" Lindsay asked. "My folks are actually coming to New York in a month or so, and I need something to wear when Danny and I take them out to dinner. We're not going any place fancy, but this is the first time they've visited me here, and the only other time they've met Danny was when he flew to Montana for the trial, and neither of us were really at our best, so…"

"Breath, Lindsay." Stella laughed. "Peyton? Looking for anything in particular?"

"Not really, but it would be nice to find something to wear for my birthday. Mac has been rather mysterious about what he's planning."

"So we're looking for casual dress. Good, that narrows it down some."

Stella took change of the shopping expedition, quickly laying out a plan of which shops to hit. Four hours later, Peyton's feet hurt, and Stella and Lindsay were hungry. Lunch was clearly in order. Once they had managed to fit both themselves and their bags into a booth and ordered, the conversation turned to movies, specifically what movies to watch that evening.

"I'm in the mood for explosions. Lots of explosions." Peyton smiled. "I just need to see something go up in flames."

Lindsay laughed. "That's fine by me as long as there is some comedy. I could really use a good comedy. I definitely don't want to watch anything serious right now."

"Throw in some romance and I think we're set. Sounds like Sahara, The Italian Job, and Twister are in order." Stella smiled

"Add The Princess Bride and The Wedding Date to the list, and I think we're in business." Peyton stretched, snatching Lindsay's last fry from her plate.

"So the real question becomes do we want Ben and Jerry's or Hagen Daaz?"

"That depends," Stella grinned, "on what exactly we want from our ice cream."

They ended up five pints of ice cream being liberally shared round the couch as Dirk Pitt attempted to explain he didn't speak English.

"This is probably my favorite scene. Poor Admiral Sandecker, we all know he'll never see his boat again." Peyton grinned. "What I want to know is just what happened in Panama? Pass the Vermonty Python please."

A knock on Stella's door interrupted them. Stella groaned, "I'll get it."

Since they were already in her building, it could only be one of a few people, but Stella checked the peephole anyway. She opened the door and raised an eyebrow. "And you're here because?"

Flack shrugged. "I got elected to bring the peace offering? Mac and Danny kind thought you wouldn't really want to see them."

"You come bearing gifts?"

"Tell him if it's not chocolate, we're not interested!" Peyton called.

Flack grinned and held up a giant bag of M&M's. "This is just Danny's contribution. I have more."

Stella decided the M&M's were enough to get him inside the apartment. They could always kick him out later. "Come in and bring the chocolate."

Flack carefully edged into the apartment, wary as if something was going to jump out and attack him. He pulled out a box of chocolates from his jacket. "These are from Mac."

Stella took the box. Twenty-four chocolate truffles of various types from Moonstruck Chocolates, Mac knew his chocolate bribes. She passed the box to Peyton and flopped back on the couch.

"So, did you bring us anything else?"

"What? M&M's and truffles aren't enough for you?"

Stella grinned. "Come on, Flack, you know me better than that. You have points for not flipping out like Mac and Danny, but chocolate is never amiss."

"Stella, stop flirting and hand over the chocolate," Lindsay called.

"You heard the lady."

Flack sighed and produced one more box of chocolates from his jacket. Stella smiled as she peeked inside, assorted Godiva caramels; Flack knew her well.

"Is it okay if I tell you that I'm glad none of you were seriously hurt? If it's going to cause any problems, we can just skip it."

Peyton smiled. "Don't worry, detective. We're not mad at you."

Lindsay was already into the M&M's. "We won't be mad at them in by tomorrow either."

"But you don't need to tell them that," Stella added. "It won't hurt either of them to grovel some."

Flack shook his head. "Remind me not to offend all three of you at once."

"You can stay if you want. We're watching The Wedding Date next," Stella said brightly.

"Sorry, I have to be back at work shortly." Flack began backing towards the door. "I'll see you all later."

He fled from the apartment, leaving giggles in his wake. Stella settled back on the couch, reaching for the remote. "Shall we continue?"

With the movie going again, the three ladies turned back to their various forms of chocolate. By the time they went back to work, all three of them would be in much better moods. Not that they would tell Mac and Danny that. After all, who turned down free chocolate when it was offered? Besides, as sweet as they were, they had overreacted, and the sisterhood was perfectly capable of taking care of themselves.

The Greatest of These

Faith

They would find her.  The team would find her.  Grissom would find her.  Sara knew that.  Yes, she was scared and worried; she was trapped under a car in the middle of nowhere during a downpour.

But they would find her.  Maybe not alive, but there was comfort in knowing that her team would find her.  She knew them.  They wouldn’t let this go.  Even if her case went cold, Sara knew it would go on the board.  It would come down every time a new lead was found, a new perspective discovered.  It would come down every night with no new cases to solve.

So in the cold mud, in the dark of the rain, Sara held on to faith.  They would find her.

Hope

Sara was cold and wet and very tired.  More than anything, short of Grissom, she wanted to rest.  She also knew she didn’t dare.  There was no way to know how badly she was injured, and she was afraid that she wouldn’t wake up if she closed her eyes.  She had taken to running through what ever random knowledge she could dredge out the depths of her brain.

She currently was reciting entries from the O.E.D.  Hey, she’d had insomnia for years; the dictionary had been great for getting some sleep.   Hope.  Verb.  To entertain expectation of something desired; to look (mentally) with expectation.

She was currently hoping.  That her team would find her soon.  That she could tell Grissom she loved him again.  That Grissom wouldn’t blame himself if they didn’t find her in time.  That the team would take care of each other if they didn’t find her in time.  That they caught the woman who did this.

She kept hoping because it was all she could do.

Love

They had sprung her from the hospital at the first opportunity.  The team knew her well enough to know she wasn’t going to get the prescribed rest there.  And it wasn’t like she didn’t have supervision here at home.  Grissom’s, their townhouse had seen more traffic in the last week than it had in six months.
Brass brought take out and old movies.  Greg came with silly stories and novelty t-shirts.  Doc Robbins dropped off homemade pie (made by his wife thank God).  Warwick would drop by with odd and interesting books to read and half a dozen custom cds he burned for her.  Catherine came for girl talk and chick flicks, surprisingly enough with Lindsay in tow.  Nick stayed the one night Grissom was called away, understanding her fears of being alone in the dark.  And the flowers were everywhere.  From the lab techs, from the police department, there were even flowers from Hodges and Ecklie.

And there was Grissom.  Grissom who would discuss cases with her to when she needed a distraction.  Grissom who knew when she just needed someone to share the silence with.  Grissom who was there to hold her when the nightmares haunted them both.  Sara wasn’t worried about her recovery; she had everything she needed.

Midday Ramblings

He hadn't expected her to be here when he came home. He had hoped, yes, but had not expected it. Relief had spread through his chest when he found her asleep curled up in their bed. He had been a little surprised to find her asleep, but perhaps that was for the best. Grissom knew he had hurt her with this case. He wasn't quite sure how he had done it, but he knew he had. There had something off about their conversation in the lab. He settled down beside her on the bed, not touching her just watching. She had said she understood.

How had she understood? He had never explained it to her. He sighed at that. That was his mistake. She didn't know about Heather's granddaughter. She didn't really know anything about his history with Heather either, come to think about it. She had never been a primary investigator on any of the cases involving her, and they had never really discussed the subject since they had become involved. And given the case and knowing the lab, there had probably been all sorts of gossip going around about him and Heather.

What it boiled down to was trust. He knew Sara trusted him, but he hadn't trusted her this time around. Not because he didn't trust her, but because he didn't think about it. Now he had to fix it. The question was how? He sighed and watched her sleep. She'd been sleeping much better after moving in with him. Her insomnia had decreased since they had started dating, but since they had really started living together, her sleep patterns almost resembled a normal person's.

"I'm sorry, honey. I really am. Sometimes I forget you don't know everything that's going on in my head and do stupid things like not let you in on what's going on. You remember the case with Heather's daughter? Well, she had a baby, a little girl. Heather was denied any custody or visitation rights. She was suicidal. She sold her life in order to make sure her ex-husband could have all the money the baby would ever need."

Logically, he knew Sara was asleep and wouldn't remember anything he said, but Grissom needed to get this out. And maybe if he got through it once, he could do it again when she was awake. "That's why I wasn't here when you got home. I convinced her ex to let her at least meet her granddaughter. I can't imagine what it would be like to loose the last connection you had to the person you loved the most. I don't know how I would function if someone kept me from our child or grandchild. I should have told you though. I do trust you, honey. I just forgot that I need to tell you things instead of just think them. We don't need words so much of the time that I forget there are times we need them."

His hand had moved to her hair, gently stroking it. "I hate it when I hurt you like this. That's one of the reasons I was so afraid of having a relationship with you. Heather was a one night stand at most. She was intriguing, available, and there were no messy complications with her. But she wasn't you."

"I'm not very good with words when it comes to my emotions, Sara. I'll try to explain everything tomorrow. I love you, honey."

Grissom slid off the bed to make his own preparations for sleep. When he finally slipped between the sheets next to Sara, he found she had turned on her side, now facing him. One hand lay curled palm up stretched out to him.

She had woken when he sat down on the bed. She had planned on just ignoring him and going back to sleep. And then Grissom started talking. It took all of her self restraint not to react. She was half afraid if he realized she was awake, he would stop talking. By the time he was done, she was willing to forgive him. At least, she would be tomorrow even if he was as eloquent then.

When Grissom finally came to bed, she had turned so she was facing him, hand palm up. Grissom slid under the sheets next to her and gently brushed his hand against hers. Sara twined their fingers together, letting out a sleepy murmur. "Turn off the light, Griss."

One Sweet Love

Riza had treated it like any other day. Today might be the most romantic holiday of the year, but that didn't really mean much to her. The day would be no more special than any other day of the year, and Riza was doing her best not to dwell on that thought. It was neither Roy's fault nor her own that they couldn't publicly spend time as a couple, and most of the time, Riza didn't resent that fact. But there were some times when she just wished that they could have a day or two to themselves without having to worry about who might find out about them.

So she went out to the market as she normally would have and did her grocery shopping for the week. It was late afternoon by the time she got home. Riza let herself into her apartment, slipping Hayate's leash off. Her puppy let out a happy yelp and dashed off, and that was when Riza realized that there was something off about the apartment, almost as if someone else was there. Of course, given that Black Hayate wasn't reacting to a strange presence, Riza had a feeling she knew who her visitor was.

Her suspicions were confirmed when she made her way into the kitchen (after passing her dining table laid out with her nice dishes and candles) to find Roy bent over her stove. Hayate was seated at his feet, just waiting to see if there would any treats for him.

"Just what are you up to, Roy Mustang?"

He jumped a little at her voice, but when he turned to face her, Roy greeted her with a smile. "I'm making you dinner. What does it look like?"

Riza let out a sigh, even though she was smiling. "Are you sure it's a risk you should take?"

Roy smirked. "Maes thought it was a good idea."

"Maes also thought it was a good idea for you two to go to that bar in West City, and Gracia had to bail you both out of jail."

"Don't I get any points for being romantic and surprising you with dinner and dessert?"

Riza laughed and leaned in to kiss his nose. "Yes."

They worked in companionable silence with Riza putting away her groceries while Roy continued to work on dinner. Once she had finished her task, Roy shoed her out of the kitchen with instructions to put on some music and light the candles. Roy brought the food out, and the two of them sat down to their first private dinner in months. Riza wasn't honestly sure what she had eaten when they had finished. It had been good, but she had been more caught up in her conversation with Roy and just the feeling of being with Roy without having to worry about anything else.

When the meal was over, Riza found herself drawing Roy out into the middle of the living room, so they could dance together. Wrapped in Roy's arms as the two of them swayed to the music, Riza couldn't help but feel content for the moment. Tomorrow things would go back to normal for them both, and they wouldn't act as anything over than co-workers and military officers, but tonight, they were just two people on love. And that was reason enough to celebrate.

Four Weddings That Noin Planned and One That She Didn't

1 – Off the Cuff

The first wedding that Noin threw together was a rather hasty affair. Of course, that was in part due to who was involved with it. Hilde and Duo wanted to be married without much fuss and as soon as possible. Of course, for Duo that meant basically eloping while Hilde actually wanted more of a wedding. And as it turned out between their thriving salvage business and Duo's other part time job, Hilde wasn't getting any wedding planning done. So she'd appealed to the only relative that she still talked to. Then again, Noin was actually her fourth cousin at least twice removed, but Hilde claimed it was the principal of the matter.

Somehow instead of helping Hilde plan her wedding though, Noin ended up planning it herself. On the up side though, two months after Hilde had begged Noin for help, she got married in a simple ceremony surrounded by friends. The ceremony had been held in the private room of one of Hilde and Duo's favorite restaurants. A justice of the peace had officiated the ceremony, and Relena and Heero had respectively been the maid of honor and best man. The ceremony itself had been short followed by dinner for the group of about twenty people.

Hilde had been absolutely delighted with the whole thing. The young bride had looked beautiful in her sleek modern dress, and the whole affair had been casual enough to suit the couple but still gave Hilde the romantic feel she had wanted. Noin had been pretty pleased with herself. She watched with a smile when Relena caught the bouquet of iris, leaning into Zechs and feeling generally satisfied. Both Hilde and Duo seemed happy, and she didn't have to worry about any of this anymore.

2 – A Royal Occasion

Noin had not intended to become Relena's wedding planner. In fact, she hadn't really thought that she would be that involved with Relena's wedding at all. Yes, she was Relena's brother's best friend and close with the bride herself, but she didn't really consider herself family. Relena had other ideas. Of course, the young politician's wedding was going to be quite the event. There was really no way she could have a small, quiet wedding, and Relena had decided that if she couldn't have that, she was going to have the fairytale wedding of her dreams.

Relena had in fact hired a wedding planner. Unfortunately, barely two months into the planning, two things were discovered. First, Relena and her wedding planner definitely had artistic differences and the woman was actively sabotaging Relena's plans. Two, the wedding planner was also selling information and photos to the tabloids. So she was promptly fired, and Relena was left trying to figure out what to do next. She didn't trust hiring some one else, and she was currently too busy to do it on her own.

So she had turned to Noin for help. Noin had just put on administrative leave while she recovered from an injury in the field. She was still involved with training the new recruits, but she was basically only working half time. Relena had asked for help, and Noin had said yes. She really hadn't known what she was in for. Hilde's wedding had been simple to arrange. Relena had five hundred guests, major security considerations, and major media outlets involved with hers.

To be honest, it was a bit of a nightmare. Noin could see why Relena had wanted to hire help with her wedding. And while Noin might be associated with the only remaining members of one of the most prominent political families of the era, she was not used to being in the spotlight. Nor was she really used to dealing with the political elite on a regulate basis. Well, there was Zechs and Relena, but they were practically family.

Still, organization and logistics were one of Noin's strong suits, and she waded in to the task with determination. And it did help that Zechs was more than willing to provide sympathy and caffeine whenever she needed it. Within a month she had gotten arrangements caught up with where they were supposed to be. Another month saw everything running smoothly, and the wedding was set to be the event of the year.

Relena Peacecraft married her long time bodyguard, Heero Yuy, in a lavish ceremony followed by a reception that was considered to be one of the biggest social events of the year. The young woman was described as the epitome of a fairytale princess, and everyone talked about how lovely the wedding was. No one paid that much attention to the maid of honor. The most attention she got was her dance with the bride's brother. Noin was content with that. And she was more than happy to let Lady Une be the one to catch the bouquet; she'd had enough of weddings for awhile.

3 – Simple Elegance

Six months later, Lady Une shyly asked Noin for help with planning her wedding. While the older woman might be a very capable and formidable administrator, she was also an orphan and had very little idea about what went into a major family event like this. Furthermore, her fiancé, Treize Kushranada came from a large old money family who didn't quite approve of Lady. They also had artistic differences when it came to the wedding. Treize's family wanted something on par with Relena's wedding; Lady just wanted a fairly small, elegant wedding.

Between the two of them, Noin and Lady managed to make plans that would make the bride and groom happy. Thankfully, Treize was backing his fiancée on the wedding plans, and he was the one wrangling his family. That left Noin and Lady to deal with most of the details. Of course, neither of the women had planned on an unexpected political crisis. Treize and Une had spent the last two months leading up to their wedding dealing with that, leaving Noin in charge of the wedding itself.

But in the end, Lady and Treize were married on a spring day in the middle of a rose garden. Both seemed rather oblivious to everything around them, but Noin figured that was pretty normal for a bride and groom. She would call the wedding a success. It was what Lady had wanted, and her new in-laws had not made a scene. Noin had toed off her heels in favor of walking around barefoot on the grass during the reception while Zechs teased her about running around barefoot while in an ankle length gown. The two of them had commandeered on of the wicker benches set up around the dance floor. Noin's feet rest in his lap as they watched the other couples dance.

"So, are you going to quit the Preventers and start a wedding planning?"

Noin laughed. "Not on your life. I'm not planning on making a habit of this. There have been extenuating circumstances these few times. I won't be planning any other weddings any time soon."

4 – Traditions Old and New

She had to eat those words a month later. Her friend Sally Po would be marrying her partner Wufei Chang. And after an all out screaming match that had lasted for nearly four hours, they had decided it would be best if they gave someone else the guidelines they wanted followed and let them plan the wedding. That way there wouldn't be any fatalities involved. Since of all their friends and colleagues Noin had the most experience with weddings, she was asked to plan it.

What possessed her to say yes, Noin still didn't know. Especially since the couple had decided that they wanted a blend of traditional and modern Chinese traditions to be included. Of course, that did mean that Noin spent quite a few evenings enjoying Chinese take-out with Zechs while doing research. The pair of them tried out just about every take-out place within delivery range of their apartment. In some ways, it was a very interesting project.

And thankfully, Wufei and Sally were pleased with the results. Noin didn't want to think about the chaos that could have been caused if they weren't. Still, she was getting rather twitchy anytime people brought up the subject of weddings. She'd planned four weddings within the past year and a half. None of them her own, and to be honest, Noin was rather sick of weddings. She could definitely use a break from them.

Catching Zechs staring at her, Noin reached out and caught his hand in her own. "What are you thinking about?"

He laughed and pulled her into his arms. "Just wondering if we should skip the whole wedding ordeal ourselves and run off?"

She blinked up at him. "Was that a proposal?"

Zechs kissed her. "Not exactly. More of a heads up. When I propose, you'll know."

1 – Behind Her Back

Zechs had been right about one thing. She had known when he actually proposed to her. It had been quite lovely actually. The pair of them had gone out to observe a meteor shower one evening as planned, and over a midnight picnic and a thermos of hot chocolate, they had ended up engaged. Of course, that did pose one problem. Eventually, there would be a wedding. And Noin did not really feel like planning one right now. So far, both she and Zechs had been ignoring the issue.

That couldn't last though, and they both knew it. Noin was rather dreading the wedding planning. It wouldn't be especially hard. They both knew what they wanted: a simple, small wedding. Zechs could be every bit as much a society figure as his sister if that was what he wanted. It wasn't which was why he had never gone back to using his birth name permanently. In all honesty, it would be simple enough to arrange the wedding once they actually got down to doing it.

However, that didn't mean she did not dread the thought of planning the wedding. Besides, she and Zechs had plenty of things to occupy them at the moment. In some ways, the marriage itself was only a formalization of the way things already were between them. They already lived together and were partners in most ways. So the wedding went on the back burner, and Noin tried not to think about it.

She didn't expect to return home from running errands one afternoon to find a fancy dress laid out on their bed. Stepping forward, she frowned at it. She didn't remember the white chiffon dress being in her closet at all. It was beautiful though and oddly familiar. Behind her, Zechs cleared his throat. Noin turned to find him leaning against the doorjamb, looking mysterious.

"We're going out. You might want to take a shower before you change?"

Noin arched an eyebrow at him. "You saying that I stink, Marquise?"

He leaned in and kissed her nose. "I know better than that. We've got reservations at two."

"What are you up to?"

He kissed her properly. "That would be telling."

Half an hour later freshly showered and dressed up, the pair left the loft they called home. Noin fiddled with her necklace as Zechs drove them to their destination. Grand romantic gestures were not exactly common from Zechs, but when he decided to pull one off, the results tended to be rather spectacular. She was a bit puzzled though when he pulled up in front of the court house.

"Zechs?"

"How do you feel about getting married this afternoon?"

She blinked at him.

"It's all planned, and everyone can be here in five minutes if you want to do this."

It took a moment for what he was saying to really sink in, but then she started to grin. She could have her wedding without having to plan it. And that was why the dress looked familiar, it had been one she'd seen when dress shopping with Relena.

"I'd like that very much."

Fifteen minutes later they were up in front of a justice of the peace. The ceremony was simple and to the point. Though Noin really had to admit she wasn't aware of much besides Zechs' hand in her own and his eyes meeting hers. The rings on their fingers were a new addition, but somehow they felt like they belonged there.

"…I pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss."

Noin was more than happy to follow that instruction.

Kiss Me

Shunsui was beginning to worry. Nanao had been withdrawing more and more lately, and unfortunately, he could guess the cause. He just didn't entirely know what to do about it. He could pinpoint the start of her behavior to the return of the Vizards to the Seireitei. And Shunsui could guess what was behind it. Or at least part of what was behind it.

Nanao was worried about being replaced. Only she wouldn't call it that because in her eyes she was the one who was a replacement. She felt that her position as Lieutenant of the Eighth Division rightfully belonged to Lisa. And his Nanao-chan was very reluctant to let people get close to her, in part because of what had happened to Lisa. Shunsui could count on one hand the people who Nanao was truly close with, and she was pulling back from all of them, especially him. It was as if all of the progress their relationship had made since he'd realized he was in love with her had been undone. Nanao was preparing for those around her to decide that she wasn't important any more. It was a defense mechanism, and Shunsui wasn't even sure if she was completely conscious of what she was doing.

It wasn't going to happen. Nanao had never been just a replacement, and those who loved her were not about to abandon her. And Shunsui didn't know how to make sure she understood that with both her head and her heart. He sighed. He hated the fact that this situation was causing his Nanao pain, but he couldn't figure out how to convince her that she was irreplaceable. Shaking his head, Shunsui continued on his way to Jyuushiro's. He was hoping that his friend would have some good advice on the subject. Shunsui was out of ideas.

Snow had started to lightly fall by the time that he'd reached the Thirteenth. Shunsui was more than pleased to get inside out of the cold. He couldn't help but smile at the sight that Jyuu and Retsu made together. That had been yet another of the changes after the Winter War. Those two had finally finished dancing around one another and had settled into a happy relationship. Shunsui was happy for his best friend. He thought the pair suited one another quite well, and he'd been trying to get them to do something about their feelings for centuries. However, he also had to admit that he was a little bit envious of them as well.

"What's with the long face?" Jyuu asked.

Shunsui shrugged as he took a seat. "Nanao."

Retsu nodded. "I was wondering how long it would take for you to feel like you needed to do something about that."

"Do you think I can? Nothing I have done so far has made much of a difference. She's not replaceable."

"And no one is actually trying to replace her. Though she does have some reason to worry about that, you do have to admit." Jyuu handed him a cup of tea. "She's never really had an easy time of transitions. Give her time and space, and she'll probably come around."

Retsu frowned at that. "I'm not sure that is the right approach actually. You've been acting like nothing has changed. But things have changed, and Nanao knows that. Even if her own role in things hasn't changed, things around her have. Acting like nothing at all has changed is not going to set her at ease."

There was logic to that. And while Shunsui tended to avoid confrontation when it came to his Nanao, perhaps it was what was called for this time. Until the Winter War, Shunsui had been content to let things develop at Nanao's own pace when it came to their relationship. He had been more than willing to wait until she was ready to face that idea. However, now waiting wasn't nearly as appealing, especially when he could lose her to something so silly as a misconception.

"Do you have any particular advice?"

Retsu simply arched an eyebrow at him. "Other than actually telling the girl what you feeling instead of dancing around the subject like you have been? No. I think that will be enough."

There was a clear command behind that. Shunsui wasn't entirely sure why Retsu was being so insistent about this, but it typically was a good idea to listen to her. So Shunsui finished his tea before going off in search of his Nanao-chan. Knowing Retsu, if he stuck around, she would continue with her subtle hints until he left. The snow wasn't coming down much harder than before, but the sky had the looks of a snowstorm on the way, and Shunsui would much prefer to be nice and warm inside anyway.

Furthermore, he didn't even know where to start looking for his lieutenant. She wasn't in the office (he knew that much), and she had become very adept at disappearing in the last few weeks. Wherever she was going, it wasn't her normal places of solitude, and Shunsui wasn't entirely sure where to start looking. It seemed far more sensible to head back to his own quarters and come up with a plan than wander around in a snowstorm looking for Nanao.

As it turned out, fate had other plans. He had barely turned down the path towards his quarters when he came across Nanao. She was wrapped up in a thick wool haori, but what really startled Shunsui was the kimono she was wearing. Nanao actually had several of those (most of them had been gifts from him), but she seldom wore them. This one was a deep plum color and patterned with white plum blossoms. She was carrying an umbrella to keep the snow off of her, and she looked absolutely picturesque and charming.

"Nanao-chan?"

She looked up, startled. Then she shivered. Shunsui immediately swept into action.

"You must be freezing, Nanao-chan."

Before she had a chance to protest, Shunsui had scooped her up in his arms and had flashstepped them to his quarters. Given the fact that Nanao was still shivering despite all her layers, he could guess why she hadn't complained. Thankfully, his quarters were nice and warm, and it wasn't long before both of them had warmed up. Nanao had been fairly silent since they had arrived, though she had accepted the cup of tea he had offered.

"What are you thinking about, sweetheart?"

Nanao stared down at her empty tea cup, not meeting his eyes. "Just how much has changed. I don't think anyone had a clue how much the Winter War would change things."

"Is that good or bad?"

She was silent for a long moment. "I don't know."

"Not everything had changed though." He reached for her hand. "You're still my Nanao-chan."

That made her look up at him. And for once Nanao didn't try and use her glasses to shield what was in her eyes. There was both hope and fear there as well as a great deal of affection. Shunsui smiled and cupped her cheek with his other hand.

"You will always be my Nanao no matter what your position in the Gotei Thirteen is." He held her eyes. "Nothing will ever change that."

It wasn't until he saw the acceptance of that in her eyes that Shunsui leaned in and kissed Nanao. It was a cautious tentative kiss, but when Nanao kissed him back, Shunsui pulled her into his arms. She was his Nanao, and he would not be giving her up. No matter what changed.

Kisses Sweet

Kara was exhausted, and all she really wanted was some sleep. It had been yet another insane day, and for once, she was not feeling like joining the rest of the pilots for a game of triad. Her knee was aching, and not even a hot shower had restored any semblance of energy. All she really wanted was to climb into her rack and sleep. She had just settled in for a serious nap, and the bunkroom was blessedly silent for a change. So she was rather startled when Lee pulled open the curtains, climbed in beside her, and pulled them shut behind him.

"Lee, you'd better have a very good reason for-"

"Shh. I don't want to attract any attention."

He held out a little blue box. Nestled inside were four chocolates. Kara's eyes went wide. She could understand his secrecy; these were probably worth their weight in gold anymore. And for chocolate, she was willing to give up sleep.

"Where did you get chocolate?"

He grinned. "I actually had it with me when I came for the decommissioning ceremony. I sort of forget about it though with everything. Happy Birthday, Kara."

She blinked at him.

"You forgot, didn't you?" He smirked. "I didn't."

He pressed the box of chocolates into her hands. Kara looked down at the little chocolate squares. She didn't know why Lee had the chocolates with him when he arrived at Galactica, but they were really nice ones. She carefully plucked one out of the box and nibbled at its corner. The rich taste of chocolate mixed hints of caramel flooded her tongue. Kara closed her eyes, savoring the taste.

Kara popped the rest of it into her mouth, letting it melt on her tongue. She decided that she didn't care where the chocolates came from. They were delicious, and they were hers now. She opened her eyes to find Lee watching her, looking very smug. In that moment, Kara decided that it was completely unfair for her to keep her treat all to herself. After all, he hadn't had to give the chocolates to her, and they were probably worth a small fortune these days. He could have traded them for just about anything he'd wanted.

Lee must have caught something in her shifting expression because he opened his mouth to say something, and Kara used that opportunity to pop one of the chocolates into his mouth. The look on his face was part startled, part bemusement, and part contentment. Kara would bet that last had to do with the chocolate. Chocolate could fix many problems. Then, impulsively, she kissed him. Lee tasted like chocolate and coffee and something she couldn't quite put her finger on, and his fingers somehow got tangled in her hair.

She was breathless when she finally pulled back, resting her forehead against Lee's. He was smiling at her, and Kara smiled back, just enjoying the moment. A yawn slipped out, and Lee chuckled, shifting slightly so she was tucked in between him and the wall. Kara closed her eyes. Lee's shoulder made a good pillow, and his warmth beside her was nice. Besides, he had to be as exhausted as she was, and neither of them were on duty for another eight hour at least. She licked her lips, still tasting chocolate and Lee. Not a bad birthday present at all.

Heart's Desire

Elena was utterly exhausted. She reached for the stapler with a sigh. At least she would be able to call it a night as soon as she got this report finished up. It had been a long day and an even longer week. And while she was looking forward to the weekend, Elena did not hold on to much hope that it wouldn't be interrupted by some sort of emergency or another. That would be perfectly in keeping with the way the week had been.

She left out a sigh of relief as she turned in her report to Tseng's box. Gathering up her coat, Elena headed out the door. Midgar was in the grip of a cold snap, and by the time that Elena reached her apartment, she was shivering despite her thick coat, and even inside her gloves, her fingers were nearly numb. She fumbled in her pockets to find her keys only to discover that they weren't there. Swearing, Elena began searching through her purse. She finally let out a sigh of defeat; her keys had to be back at the office. And breaking the new lock she had just installed on the place did not seem like a great idea.

So instead, Elena began the trek back. She made it about half way to the office before she was shivering so badly it was getting hard to walk. Glancing around, she realized that she wasn't that far from Tseng place, and while she was a little embarrassed to be dropping in on her partner unannounced like this, she didn't think she'd make it all the way back to the office, and it was starting to snow again.

Tseng's reaction to her presence on his door step, shivering and looking rather bedraggled, was not what Elena had expected. Within minutes Elena found herself out of her coat and wrapped in a warm blanket. Tseng was frowning at her.

"I'm going to run you a hot shower. What were you doing out in this weather?"

Elena shrugged. "I left my keys at the office."

"You can pick them up later. I think we're going to be stuck here for the weekend. The snow's coming down harder now, and it doesn't look like it's going to stop anytime soon."

After a hot shower and changing into some sweats that Tseng had left for her, Elena was feeling human again. And it wasn't long before she found herself curled up on the couch in front of Tseng's fireplace. Elena was once again wrapped in a blanket, and she had a mug of warm soup in her hands. Tseng occupied the other end of the couch, reading a book. Elena let out a soft little sigh. She was finally warm again, and she had to admit that this was far more pleasant than spending the weekend snowed in at her own apartment.

Tseng glanced over at her with a small smile on his face. "Feeling warmer?"

She nodded. "Thank you."

He rose to his feet and brushed a kiss across her temple. "You're welcome. I'm going to fix some hot chocolate."

Elena smiled and let her eyes drift shut. This wasn't exactly how she had planned to spend her weekend, but somehow it had turned out to be exactly what she needed.

Finesse D'Amour

With a satisfied sigh, Nanao broke down the last of the cardboard boxes. She was completely moved in to her new apartment. That alone would fill her with a sense of satisfaction, but she also happened to adore her new place. The Seireitei Ballet Company had found it for her, though it hadn't escaped Nanao's attention that her apartment was just down the hall from Shunsui's. The apartment was on the top floor of the building and was filled with large windows and hardwood floors. The ceiling was even high enough to do full lifts with a partner. Not only was a great living space, but it doubled as her own private studio, something that Nanao had always wanted.

Even Gale, her cat, seemed to approve of their new home. Really the only thing Nanao had left to do now was grocery shopping. But she really didn't have enough energy to accomplish that today, so take out was probably the order of the evening. She was sitting down at her computer to figure out where the closest Chinese place that delivered was when there was a knock at her door. That made Nanao frown a little you had to be buzzed into the apartment in order to get it.

However, when she answered the door, Nanao was greeted with eight smiling faces, only three of which she recognized.

Rangiku grinned at her. "I figured you wouldn't have had time to much grocery shopping, and you need to meet the rest of SBC's female principal dancers, so we're taking out to dinner. Grab your coat, Nanao, and we'll be off. I'll make introductions on the way."

So Nanao found herself carried off to a sushi bar where she was introduced to a number of her new co-workers. Retsu and Yoruichi she had met before. However, Isane, Momo, Orihime, Rukia, Kiyone, and Yachiru were all new faces to her. She had a surprisingly good time. Nanao hadn't interacted all that much socially with the principal dancers in her old company, and they had always made it clear that they were not interested in befriending a mere soloist. However, it seem like the attitudes here were much different. It was a nice change. Most of the dancers were younger than her, but like her they had just recently become principal dancers.

Rangiku was the real veteran of the group as both Yoruichi and Retsu had pursued other avenue besides just dancing. But all of the other women had been with the SBC longer than Nanao had, and she was more than happy to learn all she could about her new company. It was a nice way to spend her evening, and it made Nanao a whole lot less nervous about starting to practice with the company next week.

Shunsui watched Nanao warm up before class with smile. She seemed to be settling in quite well with the SBC. He had known she was a good fit for them, but that hadn't kept him from worrying about her some. Transitions were never easy, and Nanao had been with the Rukongai Ballet Company for her entire career up until now. They might have treated her particularly well, but it had been a familiar setting. This was uncharted territory for the young dancer. Of course, it did help that Rangiku had befriended her before hand. Ran might not currently be dancing, but she had a way of making people welcome.

He knew that Rangiku had dragged Nanao out to dinner with a number of the female principal dancers the other night. It was a good idea. Given the amount of people Nanao would be meeting in the next few weeks, it didn't hurt to start her off early getting to know those who she would be working most closely with. Shunsui watched as she chatted with Momo Hinamori as the two of them continued with their barre work. She was going to fit in just fine here.

Class went very well, even if Shunsui couldn't help showing off Nanao a little. He knew it embarrassed her, but really, he couldn't help it. She was the best dancing partner he'd ever had, and he wanted everyone to see just what a fine dancer she was. Of course, many of them had seen her dance before, even if Nanao didn't know it. When the word had gotten out that she was to join the SBC, there had been a steady flow of SBC members attending The Nutcracker in order to get a sneak peek at their new dancer. Shunsui was fairly certain they had all gone away impressed.

Towards the end of class, Yama-ji showed up to make his announcement. Shunsui knew what it was about, but he was looking forward to it all the same.

"As you know, this season with mark the Seireitei Ballet Company's 30th year. As a celebration this spring, we will be putting on a special performance starting in the middle of May." Yama-ji looked around the room. "We've finally settled on a program. Balanchine's Jewels with addition of two new pieces choreographed by our own Jyuushiro Ukitake. The program will be Emeralds, Sapphires, and Rubies followed by an intermission and then Amethysts, and ending with Diamonds. Roles will be assigned next week."

It would be an interesting program. Shunsui was sure of that. He already knew that Yama-ji wanted Jyuu and Retsu to perform in at least one of the pieces. It would be interesting to see what Jyuu had come up with for Sapphires and Amethysts. Shunsui was familiar with Emeralds, Rubies, and Diamonds. They were great pieces. Balanchine really had been a genius when it came to choreography. It didn't really matter what part he got assigned this time; all of the parts were great. It definitely would be a good celebration of the company.

Once their class let out, Shunsui decided to collect Nanao and see if she wanted to go out for dinner. He hadn't really seen her much since she had banned him from helping her unpack her apartment. That probably shouldn't have surprised him. Nanao was almost inhumanly neat, and he was not. Still, he had missed being around her. Shunsui found her chatting with two of the younger principal dancers, Rukia Kuchiki and Orihime Inoue. Nanao said her goodbyes, and the two of them head out of the studio.

"So what do think about our next project?"

Nanao smiled. "It should be interesting. I saw the Rubies portion once when I was younger. The New York Ballet was on tour, and that was one of the pieces they did."

"Do have any preferences to which part you get?"

She shook her head. "Not really. This is one of those instances where every part is a good part. I am curious to see what Jyuushiro has come up with to for Amethysts and Sapphires though. Do you have any idea?"

"Nope, but then Jyuu's always been a little secretive when it comes to his new work. You're better off trying to get some information from Retsu." Shunsui grinned. "So, what are we in the mood for tonight? I was thinking maybe Italian or Mexican."

Nanao blinked. "Mexican I think. Are we going out or eating in?"

"It's up to you. I know a nice place near the apartment building, but if you'd rather stay in, I can probably whip us up something."

The two of them parted ways momentarily to go change into their street clothes. When she rejoined them, Nanao had decided to give the restaurant a try. Shunsui drew her into a conversation about what she thought of the SBC so far, and that lasted until the waiter came to take their orders. It was easy to see that Nanao was beginning to really settle in and feel comfortable here. That was important to Shunsui. While one of the reasons he had pushed for the SBC to hire her was professional (Nanao was a talented dancer, and the SBC would definitely benefit from having her.), the other was purely personal. Shunsui Kyoraku was fairly certain that he was falling in love with Nanao Ise.

Nanao fought the urge to giggle as Shunsui told her about a disastrous tour he'd been on several years ago. He definitely had a flare for storytelling. The little Mexican place he'd chosen was lovely. There were basket's of tortilla chips on the tables that were freshly made, and salsa was spicy but not too hot. They had mostly discussed ballet in one way or another, and Nanao hadn't felt uncomfortable once. She had next to no experience with dating, but she had always assumed it would be kind of awkward and uncomfortable if her few experiences at parties were any indicator. It was never like that with Shunsui.

There were times when she felt like he was flattering her (she knew she wasn't that pretty and she was just a fairly average dancer), but that just made her blush more than anything. Part of Nanao was unsure and nervous about where this relationship of theirs was going. Shunsui seemed extremely enchanted with her right now, but she couldn't help but wonder at times if it would last. There were times when she wasn't entirely sure what he saw in her. But those moments of doubt never happened when Shunsui was around. When she was with him, Nanao just felt happy and rather loved.

Their food arrived quickly, Nanao's steak fajitas and Shunsui's chicken enchiladas. The food was delicious, and Nanao felt quite full by the end of the meal. However, Shunsui insisted that he knew the best place for dessert, and so the two of them wandered down the lamp lit streets until they arrived at a little ice cream and pastry shop. Nanao found herself hard pressed to choose which dessert she wanted to try. She finally settled on a dark chocolate and orange torte while Shunsui got the raspberry ice cream. Nanao stole at least one bite of that.

All in all, it was a really nice end to her first real day at the SBC. Sure Nanao had been in town for a week now, but today had really been the first time that she had done anything except fill out paperwork at the ballet studio. Nanao had enjoyed herself though. The class for the principal dancers had been a challenge, but it had been a good challenge. The classes she had taken with the soloists at the RBC had stopped challenging her to be a better dancer a while ago. And the other dancers had been quite nice. She knew most of the women from the night out with Rangiku, but it was her first time meeting a number of the male dancers. She was happy here so far, and she expected that she would continue to be. This was the kind of place she had always hoped to work. Shunsui walked her to her door and kissed her goodnight to cap off the day. Nanao went to sleep happy and content.

She quickly established a pattern for her life. Mornings were spent practicing at home before going in to the SBC studio for classes in the afternoon (Nanao assumed that the afternoon classes were because of people like Shunsui and Rangiku who couldn't show up on time to a morning class to save their lives). She also found herself helping out with some of the after school children's classes that SBC held. Her evenings tended to be a little more variable. Nanao had dinner with Shunsui at least twice a week, either just the two of them or with friends. They ate out or cooked about equally. Sometimes she had evening classes. Others side just spent the evening on her own with a good book.

Nanao was just as excited as everyone else at company class as they waited to hear the roles they would be assigned for the upcoming ballet. It was probably a good thing that the announcement would be at the beginning of class rather than at the end. Yamamoto smiled at the assembled group and began naming the major roles. Momo Hinamori and Toushiro Hitsugaya and Isane Kotetsu and Shuuhei Hisagi would be the two sets of couples for Emeralds with Kiyone Kotetsu, Soi Fong, and Nemu Kurotsuchi as the three female soloists in the number. For Rubies, the major solos went to Rukia Kuchiki, Ichigo Kurosaki, and Yachiru Kusajishi. Orihime Inoue and Uryuu Ishida got the major solos for Diamonds.

That just left the roles for the two numbers choreographed by Jyuushiro to be announced. Nanao bit her lip. It was clear if she was going to get a major role it would be in one of those. Shunsui reached over and squeezed her hand. Jyuushiro and Retsu would dances the solos for Sapphires while Nanao found herself partnered with Shunsui for Amethysts. They would be breaking the class up into groups to work on their various performances and setting up joint rehearsals with corps de ballet for each section. As the groups began to form, Shunsui herded her over to where Jyuushiro was talking with Yamamoto.

"So, Jyuu, what exactly do you have in mind for us?" Shunsui grinned at his friend. "No offense, but we don't even know what music we're dancing to at this point."

His friend just laughed. "Well, I can fix that. You two have got the Aaron Copland piece. Retsu and I get the Holst."

Nanao raised an eyebrow; she was comfortable enough with the man to tease him. "You do realize that Copland wrote over two dozen pieces of music?"

Ukitake shook his head. "You two really are well matched. We might as well get started."

Shunsui might tease his friend mercilessly, but he did enjoy working with Jyuu's original choreography. This was going to be a fun one too. Jyuu had chosen to use Copland's Rodeo for the music, and the choreography for the most part was light and fresh. It was very reminiscent of some of the ballets in Broadway musicals and Jerome Robbins' work. It was also a good work out for him and Nanao. Jyuushiro walked them through the major pas de deux in the piece as well as the two minor ones. It was a little hard to tell what the final ballet would look like without the other dancers, but Shunsui liked it so far.

Mostly, they just worked on getting down the footwork. Knowing Nanao, Shunsui didn't doubt that she would convince him to practice with her in their free time. Not that he minded, and truth be told, Shunsui did prefer dancing with other rather than just on his own. Jyuu had copies of the choreography for both of them, so they would be able to work on it on their own. Shunsui would have to check his music collection to see if he had a recording of that particular piece of music. He always liked to actually work with the music he was performing to.

With a smile, he watched as Nanao practiced her solo for the piece. Even though she hesitated at some parts, still unfamiliar with the dance, it was a pleasure to watch her move. Nanao very much typified the elegance and grace that people thought of when they thought about ballet dancers. And quite truthfully, given that ballet was not the easiest dance type to pull off, that was harder than it sounded. Ballet had the tendency to look deceptively graceful and effortless to an untrained eye. The fact that there was hours of practicing, effort, and pain involved didn't seem to occur to people. But then again, watching Nanao dance, you could see why people didn't make the connection.

Nanao began the series of steps that led into the beginning of the pas de deux, and Shunsui took up position opposite her, ready to begin. Their hands met and the pas de deux began. It wasn't flawless or even effortless, but it was a beginning. Practice would refine the steps and their movements together. Shunsui doubted it would be long before the two of them looked flawless when they danced it together. Jyuushiro just smiled at them.

"I knew you two were the right choice for this. You always do so well with my choreography."

Shunsui watched as Nanao blushed at the complement. He just grinned at his friend.

"And here I though you liked choreography because it was an excuse to get Retsu alone. I know I've heard you use the line 'come over and help me with my choreography' more than once."

His friend hit him. Nanao laughed. Shunsui just kept grinning. He never passed on a chance to tease his best friend about his love life. After watching Jyuu and Retsu dance around each other (both literally and figuratively) for years, it was nice to have them finally on the same page. It had been a fun courtship to watch, and Shunsui's own love life at the time hadn't been nearly as interesting. Then again, Shunsui had never really fallen in love until Nanao came along. He had had relationships, yes, but never anything serious. Nanao was different.

He and Nanao went their separate ways after practice. Nanao to go lend a hand with some of the after school ballet classes, and Shunsui himself went home to check his music library. He found their piece of music in his collection and put it on the stereo. It never hurt to familiarize oneself with the music you were dancing to. In Shunsui's mind, the better he got the music in his bones, the better he would dance the piece. There was just something about being able to hear every note in your head that made it easier for Shunsui to dance his part.

With the music on in the background, Shunsui fixed himself a cup of tea and settled down on the couch with a book. After all, no work and all play makes Shunsui a dull boy, and no one had ever accused him of being dull. Besides, Shunsui was fairly certain that taking the time to just relax and enjoy himself kept him sane. As much as he loved dancing, there were times when it could be extremely stressful. There were probably as many dancers who left the profession because of stress as there were who left because of injuries. It was one of those hazards that you didn't think of right off the bat.

And it was one of the reasons he liked to kidnap Nanao to go have some fun. One of the things Nanao had not really learned yet was how to take time herself. Now admittedly, before she had ended up at the SBC she had been working full time as a dancer and attending university part time, and that would be a full plate for anyone. Despite the fact that the woman rather adored school. She every much enjoyed learning. But now that she had graduated, she really needed to learn to take time for herself, and Shunsui was not at all averse to helping her discover that.

Maybe he'd drop by her apartment this evening and see if she was up for dinner and a movie.

Nanao let out a deep sigh as she slipped into the hot water. She absolutely adored this bathtub, and right now, she really needed it. They were two weeks into rehearsals for Jewels, and her feet were killing her among other things. The dancing was challenging and fun, but it also was taking a lot out of her. Of course, it probably didn't help that she was putting another two hours right afterwards working with the older children's classes. Maybe she should cut back on that until after the show was done. As much as she hated to admit it, Nanao was beginning to think she had a little too much on her plate.

She settled back in the tub and reached for her book. It was one of her guilty pleasures: historical fantasy set in Regency England. This one involved Society and demons and was turning out to be a great read. She might be exhausted and sore, but Nanao was pretty happy. Not only was she loving her new ballet company, but she was also really enjoying her romantic relationship with Shunsui. There was something nice about having someone who was always just a phone call away. More often than not, the two of them would spend at least three evening a week on one of their couches either watching TV or some movie.

Nanao was quite honestly not used to having people around her that cared about her when she wasn't working with them or in class with them. She had no family to speak of, and truthfully, until the dancers from the SBC had showed up at her company, she had no real friends, just acquaintances, coworkers, and classmates. But the friendships she had found with the other dancers in this company were nice. It was a little overwhelming at times, but Nanao was happy. She enjoyed being able to spend a Saturday out shopping with the girls or having a night of chick flicks and ice cream with her friends.

Signing the contract with Seireitei Ballet Company had most definitely been a good decision on her part. Nanao was definitely happier here. Still, it would be nice if her feet didn't hurt, but then again, she couldn't have everything. With another soft sigh, Nanao let her book take her away into the story. The water in the tub was beginning to cool when she finally set aside the book. It didn't take her long to dry off and change into some comfortable practice clothes. She wasn't actually planning on practicing tonight, but they were comfortable to lounge in, and Nanao never really knew when the mood to dance might hit her.

Deciding to treat herself, Nanao set about fixing a pot of hot chocolate from scratch. She was pretty sure she had a can of whipped cream in the fridge and she knew she had a bar of chocolates that she could grate over the top. Nanao had just taken her first sip of the cocoa when someone knocked at the door. Nanao sighed but padded over to the door and opened it. Shunsui was on the other side. He grinned at her then leaned in and kissed the corner of her mouth.

"You had some whipped cream there."

Nanao raised an eyebrow at him. "Can I help you?"

Shunsui shrugged. "I wanted to see if you were up for a little practice. I've had this one section of the main pas de deux stuck in my head most of the evening."

"Let me finish my hot chocolate first."

"Is there enough to share?"

Nanao laughed. "Sure."

Fixing Shunsui a mug of cocoa didn't take long, and the two of them settled on the couch, conversation turning to the dance they would be practicing. Nanao never minded talking about dancing with Shunsui. He was one of the few people she had met that seemed to really understand when she started talking about dancing in depth. There had even been dancers that had given her strange looks when Nanao really got going on the subject. By the time, they had finished the cocoa, both of them were ready to actually get down to the dancing.

Nanao already had the music for their dance in her stereo, and it only took a moment to get the music cued up. The two dancers moved out into the open space that served as Nanao's personal studio, and as the music began to play, they began to dance. The next half hour was spent dancing the same section of the pas de deux over and over again, each time with slight variations. It was the entrance to a lift that was really giving them both the trouble. The lift itself wasn't the problem, but currently the choreography that led into it made it rather difficult to execute.

It took some doing, but Shunsui and Nanao managed to work out a way to pull the whole sequence out. They had to add a few steps to Nanao's part, but hopefully, Jyuushiro would be willing to okay that. Otherwise, it was going to be difficult for them to execute the lift without someone getting bruises. But Nanao didn't think the choreographer would complain too much about it. He seemed to be pretty easy going about most minor changes to the dance.

The music on the stereo changed from Aaron Copland to Bruce Springsteen, and Nanao blushed. She had forgotten that the playlist included her own selections for warm up music. Shunsui just laughed and pulled her into an impromptu swing dance. Nanao followed his lead; she could dance more than just ballet after all. The music eventually ended, and the two dancers settled back on the couch. Shunsui struck up a conversation about literature, and it was only when Nanao started yawning that she realized how late it had gotten.

Shunsui smiled at her. "Go to bed, sweetheart. I'll see myself out."

"All right. Good night, Shunsui."

"Sweet dreams, precious."

Nanao went off to bed feeling tired but happy and content.

Shunsui had to say that the ballet was really shaping up. Over the past two months, things had really started to come together. It really was going to be a spectacular season. Even if this was his least favorite part of the rehearsal process: costume fittings. Yoruichi had come up with some fantastic ideas for their costumes that reflected the theme of "Jewels", but Shunsui wasn't really fun of standing there while the woman and her assistants took measurements and held up swatches of fabric to his skin and made all sorts of notes. It might be better if he had some sort of input in the process, but that wasn't the case.

Still, he couldn't ever argue with the results. Yoruichi might have been a dancer first, but her talent as a costume designer was just strong. Over the years she had created some magnificent costumes for the SBC, and Shunsui had no doubt that this year's costumes would stand out as some of her best. He had already seen what she had put together for the Emeralds and Diamonds sections of the ballet. The dancers for Diamonds would be garbed all in white and silver with clear crystals sewn into the fabric. The costumes themselves were the very traditional short, poufy tutus with only a slight variation for the soloists. For the dancers of Emeralds, on the other hand, Yoruichi had gone for a more romantic look with the long Basque tutus. The costumes were green and gold in coloring and where the Diamonds costumes were strewn with small crystals, large green stones were prominent in the Emeralds costumes.

The Rubies costumes were currently in the midst of production, and Shunsui had yet to see the finished product, but he had no doubt that they would be fabulous. Yoruichi had a deft touch at the design, and while each portion of the ballet's costumes would be unique, they would also be a piece with one another creating a whole. Still, Shunsui really did wish he could skip this part of the process. He wasn't the only one who had to suffer through it though. Jyuu was also here getting measured for his costume for Sapphires.

They were about three and half months away from the premiere of Jewels. Of course it wasn't the only performance this season, but it was the biggest one, and it would be Nanao's debut with the company. Most of the other performances that would take place earlier in the year would showcase other members of the company, though all of the principal dancers were involved in Jewels. Shunsui tried to keep from fidgeting as he waited for Yoruichi to finish with him. While they had not done a complete run through of Amethysts yet, the piece was really shaping up. Shunsui rather thought that Jyuu had out done himself with it.

"So how is your partner feeling about the performance so far?" Jyuu asked. "I'm quite pleased with her dancing so far."

Shunsui grinned. "Nanao's enjoying it. She gets nervous whenever she think about the premiere, but the dancing itself she's enjoying. Of course, we do have the fun piece. I like the Jerome Robbins style you used for it. It should contrast nicely with Diamonds."

"That was the idea. After all, Balanchine was trying to evoke styles with the original three Jewels and who I am to change that? Why is she nervous? Nanao's been performing professionally for years. A premiere should be old hat to her."

"You forget that the Nutcracker was her first ballet as a principal dancer. Nanao's not used to being noticed."

"True enough." Jyuushiro smirked at him. "So what are you doing to keep her mind off her nerves?"

If Shunsui could have thrown something at his friend, he would have. Jyuu really was enjoying teasing him about his relationship with Nanao far too much. Shunsui supposed that it was payback for all the teasing Shunsui had done when Jyuushiro was courting Retsu. He still wanted to throw something at his friend. Thankfully, for both of them, Yoruichi prevented the situation from escalating.

"All right, boys, you can go, but I want both of you back next week for fittings."

Neither Shunsui nor Jyuushiro was averse to getting away from the costume shop. The two men headed for the studio's largest practice room where most of the rehearsals for Jewels were now taking place. The Amethysts' rehearsal wasn't actually for another thirty minutes, but Shunsui knew that Nanao was probably already there by this time. She liked to come early, warm up, and go over her own parts before the actual practice.

So Shunsui wasn't at all surprised to find Nanao standing in front of the mirrors in the practice room in the middle of a graceful arabesque. Her eyes were closed, so she didn't notice Shunsui's presence. He took the moment to just admire her. Nanao wore her usual practice clothes, a charcoal grey leotard and leggings with a pair of violet leg warmers. Her hair as usual was worn up in a neat bun, and for once she was without her glasses. Shunsui waited until Nanao was done with the sequence she was dancing before alerting her to his presence.

"Ready for rehearsal?"

She jumped a little, startled, but offered him a smile. "Sure. We're doing the complete run through today?"

"That's the plan. Has Yoruichi nabbed you yet for costume measurements?"

Nanao shook her head. "That's tomorrow."

Other dancers began to trickle in, and Shunsui and Nanao joined them for warm ups. It didn't take long for Jyuushiro to get the rehearsal underway, and Shunsui focused his attention on his dancing and his partner. This was the first time they had danced the entire ballet all the way through. It wasn't a perfect performance by any means, but it did help to see the full picture when it came to the ballet. Shunsui always liked to know how all the various parts came together and what the ballet he was dancing looked like as a complete work.

It was clear that there were a number of sections that still needed a lot of work, but they had time to get everything performance ready. Besides, it wouldn't be a challenge if they got everything right the first time around. Shunsui always preferred it when he had to work at the dancing rather than being able to coast through a piece. Still, even with the work that was left to do, the dance was coming together. They would be ready for opening night before they knew it.

There were some forces that were nearly impossible to resist, and Rangiku on a mission was one of them. This was how Nanao found herself spending a Saturday out shopping with many of the other female principal dancers. Rangiku had recruited them all to help her get a nursery put together. Her due date was sometime in May, but the woman wanted to get most of the work done while she was still easily mobile. Of course, Rangiku was currently showing quite a bit at five months, but she didn't seem to have lost any of her energy.

Still, the shopping expedition was proving to be rather fun, even if they seemed to stray off course quite frequently. By lunch time, they did have about half the things on Rangiku's list. However, they had also picked up new shoes for Momo, a scarf for Yoruichi, two sweaters for Orihime, several cooking gadgets for Retsu, and Nanao herself had found a number of books. Retsu directed them to a nice little bistro for lunch where they had the amusement of watching Rangiku order.

Rangiku was eating for two after all, and watching the waiter's face as she placed her order was rather interesting. Nanao was a little worried for a moment that the man would have a heart attack when he realized that the five entrees that had just been ordered were all for one woman. The women's conversation turned from baby things to ballet, and Nanao found it fascinating to hear about the other parts of Jewels that were also being put together. The separate sections didn't practice together, so if you weren't working on a particular ballet, you didn't know much about how it was going.

So the ladies chatted and trade stories about favorite parts or frustrations with the dancing. When they finally finished with the meal, it was back to the stores. Once again they were easily distracted by items other than what they were looking for, but by the end of the day, Rangiku could call the shopping trip a success. Nanao headed back to her own apartment with her books as well as with a pair of leg warmers she just couldn't resist.

She couldn't help thinking that her life was rather different now from what it had been a year ago. A year ago she would have been traveling between university, the ballet studio, and her apartment. And that was it really. Oh there would be the necessary trips to the grocery store and other errands and the occasional trips to the bookstore or the movies, but school and work had dominated her life, and her main companion was her cat. She had loved dancing, but at the time, Nanao would have had to admit that her work at Rukongai Ballet Company didn't challenge her, and the environment wasn't exactly a supportive one.

That had changed when the RBC had been given the chance to work with SBC dancers and choreographers. Nanao hadn't expected to be singled out by any of the SBC dancers, but she had somehow attracted Shunsui's attention, and quite honestly, Nanao was not going to argue with the results. She was quite happy with her new position as a principal dancer with the Seireitei Ballet Company. Nanao was much more comfortable and happy here. The dancing was challenging, and her fellow dancers were wonderful. She definitely had found the right company to dance with.

Though Nanao would admit the next week that costume fittings still made her fidgety. But her costume was gorgeous, and when Yoruichi was done with, Nanao knew it would fit like a dream. She tried to hold still while Yoruichi worked and focused her attention on the woman's voice.

"As I as have all the principal costumes done, you'll have the promotional photo shot. They want a bunch of staged photos for jewels as well as the candids from your practices. I don't know if you've done staged photos before, but we'll get you in full performance get up for them. I'll need you here at least an hour before the shoot. I'll send you an email when we get the date and time of the shoot figured out."

Nanao nodded as Yoruichi made yet another adjustment to the skirt. Her costume was rather modern in style. It was really just a long sleeved leotard and a knee length skirt, a soft, pale purple in color. What really stood out about the costume were the intricate patterns made by hundreds of little purple jewels that were sewn all over the skirt and bodice. Nanao had no doubt that under the stage lights it would look dazzling.

"There." Yoruichi took a step back. "I think that's done. Turn around slowly, so I can take a look."

Nanao carefully spun around. Yoruichi gave a satisfied nod.

"You can change back into your practice clothes. I'm done with you for today."

Nanao nodded, glad that the fitting session was over with. She actually had company class in about twenty minutes, but that was enough time for her to grab a cup of tea in the dancers' lounge. That was another difference between the RBC and the SBC that Nanao had noticed. The SBC kept a lounge complete with couches, refrigerator, and TV for the dancers to use. It was a great place to relax if you didn't have time to run home between classes, practices, or something else at the main studio. Nanao certainly appreciated the space.

A few other dancers greeted her as she entered the room. It didn't take Nanao long to fill the electric tea kettle with water and turn it on. She grabbed a mug from the cupboard and started to peruse the tea selection. While someone did stock the lounge, people also had the tendency to bring in their own tea or donate to the collection. Nanao settled on Lemon Zinger just as the water was boiling. Once the tea was brewed, she doctored it with sugar and honey and took a few moments to just sit still and enjoy her tea.

The couch she was curled up on dipped a little as someone else sat down, and Nanao looked up from her tea to find Shunsui seated beside her. He smiled but didn't try to engage her in conversation. Nanao appreciated that. She needed a little peace and quiet to center herself before practice began. But his presence beside her was very nice. By the time she finished her tea, Nanao was ready to get to work. She rinsed out her mug and set out to dry before linking hands with Shunsui.

The two of them made their way to the rehearsal studio they were currently using. None of the other dancers were there yet, but that didn't stop the two of them from getting started on their warm ups. By the time the other dancers started trickling in, Shunsui and Nanao were engrossed in running through their major pas de deux. They were caught up enough in their dancing that Nanao didn't notice the rest of the cast for Amethysts had arrived until the applause at the end of the pas de deux. Nanao blushed a little. She honestly still hadn't gotten used to the attention and praise she got at the SBC. Shunsui just beamed at their audience, and Jyuushiro took advantage of the lull to get practice underway.

Nanao Ise was beautiful. Of course, Shunsui had been of this opinion from the start, so it really wasn't a new thought. Still, there was something about seeing her in full stage costume that just emphasized the fact. The pale purple color of her costume suited her extremely well, and the simple hairstyle that had been chosen (her hair braided into a crown around her head) had been highlighted with ribbons that matched her costume. They brought out her eyes. All in all, it made for a stunning picture. Nanao was sure to command all eyes when she stepped onto the stage to dance.

However, dancing wasn't what they were here today to do. Promotional photo shoots weren't as bad as costume fittings, but they weren't Shunsui's favorite thing either. Even if they did have the benefit of getting Nanao all dressed up. Thankfully, this time around they had photographer who both knew what he was doing and what he wanted from the dancers. They started with the group pictures of all of the assembled soloists in Jewels before moving on to the soloists for each individual Jewel in the collection. The final set of pictures taken was of each dancer on their own.

Still, by the end of the session, Shunsui felt drained and in need of a snack. He was more than happy to get out of his costume and get the make up off. When Shunsui got out of the men's dressing room, he found Nanao waiting for him. She favored him a warm smile.

"Do you know any place around here that serves breakfast all day?" she asked. "I've been craving Belgian waffles for the past hour or so."

"There's a great little place about a fifteen minute walk from the studio."

"Perfect. I'll meet you at the front desk in three minutes."

It didn't take the staff long to get them seated once they arrived at the little restaurant, and Shunsui watched feeling rather bemused as Nanao proceeded to order two Belgian waffles and an extra side of bacon as a substitute for the eggs. Like many dancers that he knew, Nanao had a pretty high metabolism rate, but Shunsui didn't think he had ever seen her pack away that much food before. Then again, it wasn't like they ate every meal together. Still, it was rather impressive.

After her food had disappeared, Nanao let out a soft sigh and cradled the mug of hot chocolate she had ordered in her hands.

"I overslept this morning and had to skip breakfast," the woman admitted. "It probably doesn't help that I desperately need to go grocery shopping as well. I keep putting it off, and about all I have in my cupboards is tea and some saltines."

His Nanao definitely needed to do some grocery shopping then. "I take it that grocery shopping is next?"

She nodded. "Definitely. Other than that, I have the day off. What about you?"

Shunsui grinned. "Jyuu and I have to go pick up Retsu's birthday present later on today. It's finally arrived and we're stashing it in my apartment until her party. And no, I'm not telling you what it is."

"You made the mistake of telling one of the other female principal dancers once, didn't you?" Nanao teased.

He had made that mistake once, and Shunsui would never do it again. It had been an innocent slip of the tongue, but within nearly twenty minutes it had been all over the ballet company's grapevine, and the cat was out the bag. It had taken Shunsui nearly a year and a half to convince Jyuu that he could still keep a secret. And to this day, no one would let him live it down. It was more than a little annoying, but then again, no one would let Jyuu live down the incident with the fish or Rangiku the encounter with the insane Frenchman. Shunsui was sure that after a few years, Nanao would have her own story to add to the collection.

"So, are you still glad we convinced to join the SBC?"

Nanao smiled and nodded. "Yes. It might be hard work, but it more of a challenge with dancing than I've had in years. Besides, the company here is a lot easier to work with and more fun as well."

"Good. I don't want you to have regrets."

Nanao laughed. "I don't think I could regret that decision. I'm happier here than I have been for a long time. And it doesn't hurt that I do have something of a social life."

They parted ways, each with their own errands to run.

Being called at nearly four in the morning by a rather distressed Rangiku was a new experience for Nanao. It had taken Nanao a few moments to grasp the situation, and then it took several more minutes for her to calm Rangiku down and get the woman to wake up her husband and go to the hospital. Apparently, having her water break in the middle of the night had rather rattled Rangiku.

Nanao dragged herself out of bed and threw some clothes on, no bothering to do more than pull back her hair in a loose ponytail. She didn't exactly know what help she could be in regards of delivering babies, but Rangiku had asked her to come to the hospital, and Nanao wasn't going to say no. She pulled on a worn pair of tennis shoes and headed out the door. Thankfully, she had the common sense to call a taxi before hand.

It was a quick drive to the hospital, and Nanao had no trouble finding or getting admitted to the maternity ward. The nurse seemed more than happy to escort Nanao to Rangiku's room. Rangiku was still rather frazzled, but really, that was only to be expected since she was in labor. Nanao found herself being pressed into service in order keep Rangiku calm. The woman had been rather disgruntled when she was told that it would several more hours before anything else happened.

But between herself and Gin, they managed to keep Rangiku calm and entertained until it was time for the real work to begin. It was nearly ten hours later that Rangiku finished giving birth to a pair of twin girls. Nanao left the proud new parents at the hospital and headed back to her apartment feeling rather exhausted. She hadn't expected to find Shunsui camped outside of her apartment. But then again, now that Nanao thought about it, she had missed a private practice session of theirs that they had planned. His expression was relieved as he greeted her.

"Nanao."

She offered him a smile. "Rangiku went into labor."

He let out a long sigh. "You scared me, sweetheart. How's Ran?"

She blinked a little. She wasn't exactly used to be worrying about her if she didn't show up at things.

"She's fine. She had two little girls. Rangiku and Gin were still arguing over names when I left."

Shunsui grinned at that. "Twins. They're going to run those two ragged. Serves Gin right though. He'll probably be too busy to get into much trouble for at least a few years."

Nanao laughed, unlocking her apartment door. "That's true. If you still want to practice, just give me fifteen minutes to grab quick shower and a bite to eat."

"Take as much time as you need, sweetheart." Shunsui followed her inside.

Nanao took no more than five minutes in the shower and towel dry. Her wet hair was twist up into a bun and pinned out of the way before Nanao donned a set of practice clothes. She exited the bathroom and made her way into the living area to find that Shunsui had made them both tea and her a plate of toast with strawberry jam. Nanao applied herself to the food rather quickly. She hadn't had a chance to eat much at the hospital, and the food there hadn't been very good.

Shunsui let her demolish the food without engaging her in conversation. Once the toast was gone and both of them had finished their tea, Nanao rose to her feet with a soft sigh.

"So what did you have in mind to practice?" She tilted her head to the side a little. "I wouldn't mind going over our major pas de deux as well as our part for the finale."

Her dance partner shrugged. "I figured we could go through all of the major parts we dance together in the piece."

That sounded like a good plan to Nanao, and it didn't take long for the two of them to complete their warm ups and get into position for their parts of the ballet. By this point, they were both familiar enough with the music that it was easy for them both to start from any place in the piece and know where they were. It proved to be a good work out for Nanao. The two of them did have their parts nailed down for the most part. There were a couple places that could still use a little more polishing, but given that they had at least another few weeks before opening night, Nanao was more than pleased.

Shunsui grinned at her. "Not bad. We'll definitely be ready for opening night when it comes."

Nanao smiled, but her stomach rumbled. Shunsui just laughed.

"I'd say it was time to get you a proper meal."

At his urging, Nanao changed into street clothes and met Shunsui at his apartment about ten minutes later. Shunsui met her at his door, dressed in jeans and pink button down shirt. Nanao shook her head at the shirt but let him lead the way once they were out of the building. They ended up a little Italian place no more than a stone's throw away from the apartment building. Once the food was ordered, Shunsui insisted on hearing the full story of the morning's events.

Nanao recounted the events that had taken her to the hospital, and then the two of them spent the rest of the meal speculating on just what changes the twins might bring about and just what names Rangiku and Gin would finally decide on for the girls. It was clear that the twins would keep their parents busy, especially if either of the girls was anything like either one of their parents.

The couple got gelato to go for dessert and meandered their way back to the apartment building. It was not the day Nanao had planned, but it had been an interesting one. She would have to remember to give Shunsui a call the next time she had an unexpected change of plans. Nanao honestly hadn't meant to worry him, and she didn't want to repeat that again. While it was nice to know that Shunsui worried about her, she would prefer not to give him cause to. Of course, Nanao was rather hoping that there weren't many more calls at four in the morning in her future.

Opening night was now barely two weeks away. The costumes were ready. The sets were built. The performers knew their parts. It was almost time to put everything together. Dress rehearsals would start next week, and then they would finally be ready for opening night. Shunsui was excited for several reasons. Not only was this going to be a spectacular performance all around, but it would be Nanao's debut with the SBC, and their debut dancing together for the company. Not to mention the fact that the gala party after the opening performance would be a blast. The SBC knew how to throw good parties.

There was still plenty of work to do before then though. He and Nanao were still fine tuning their dancing. It was one thing to practice on their own, but they also had to integrate a number of parts with the corps de ballet for Amethysts. The presence of other people on the stage always changed things slightly. So their afternoons were kept busy with rehearsals, and most of their evenings were spent either on Nanao's or his own couch, watching movies. That was proving to be an effective way for the both of them to unwind at the end of the day, and Shunsui wasn't going to complain about any time spent with his Nanao.

He was quickly coming to realize that Nanao was more than just the best dancing partner he'd ever had and one of his best friends. Shunsui had dated other women before, but the relationships then had never been as intimate or as important to him as this one. His other girlfriends had most often been more girlfriends than friends. Not Nanao. She knew him almost as well as Jyuu did, and while their relationship was romantic at times, Nanao was equally as much his friend. And to tell the truth, Shunsui hadn't dated that many other dancers. It had always seemed like a bad idea to get involved with someone and perhaps ruin their professional relationship.

But Shunsui hadn't been able to settle for just friendship with Nanao, and he was serious considering the fact that he wanted her in his life permanently. While Shunsui was quite ready to ask Nanao to marry him, he also had the feeling that if he did so right now, it would probably scare her off. Nanao was cautious, especially when it came to her heart. The proposal would have to be a project that he kept on the backburner for now. Maybe after a season with the company would be a better time. Besides, he hadn't exactly found the right engagement ring for her yet.

Catching sight of the time, Shunsui headed for the door. If he left now, he'd have time to grab a mocha for himself and a chai latte for Nanao at the coffee shop on the way to the ballet studio. He arrived at the studio with five minutes to spare before practice started. Nanao accepted the latte with an absent smile. Shunsui grinned. She was really quite adorable when her mind was absorbed with dancing. Nanao often got like that before practice.

His mocha was gone by the time Jyuu got the practice underway. They did a straight run through of the ballet with almost no stops. There was one part that Jyuu was still not quite happy with, but other than that he was pleased with the dancers. They spent the rest of their practice working on the problematic section. It was actually one of the corps de ballet sections though there were several entrances for soloists towards the end of it. Given the way Jyuu was working all of them, Shunsui would bet the entire piece would be up to his friend's standards by the end of the week.

The excitement of opening night was beginning to creep up on all of them. While that was still a ways from now, everyone was getting more and more intense about the rehearsals. There were last minute adjustments to costumes and minor corrections to the choreography. They also were now rehearsing in the studio's largest studio in order to be able to practice with the orchestra that would be accompanying them. There was always a difference between dancing to live music versus canned music. But everything was coming together.

Of course this also meant that neither Shunsui nor Nanao did much these days except dance, eat, and sleep. They didn't really have energy for much else. Though Shunsui had to admit there was something nice about falling asleep on the couch watching a movie with Nanao. Though, they would probably have to watch a couple of those movies again so they find out how they ended. And Nanao did need a more comfortable couch.

One thing that did worry Shunsui a little was the fact that the closer they got to opening night, the more nervous Nanao seemed to get. Shunsui wasn't quite sure why she was nervous. This wasn't her first time performing with a large ballet company, and it wasn't even the first time that she had danced a leading part. To be fair, it was Nanao's first performance as a principal dancer for the SBC, but she had to know that the SBC never would have signed her on as a principal dancer if they didn't believe that she would do them justice.

He would just have to find a way to distract her. Shunsui had some ideas about that. So he cornered Nanao after practice.

"Let me take you out for dinner tonight, precious. We haven't done much beside work lately, and we both could use a break and some time to relax."

Nanao bit her lip. "I don't know."

"I know a great place with chocolate desserts to die for," he wheedled. "Come on, sweetheart. You know that one night off isn't going to cause the entire ballet to fall apart."

That made her laugh. "All right."

Shunsui grinned. "Great."

Dress rehearsals always made Nanao nervous. Though she had to admit, she was more nervous than usual tonight. Performing badly in her first role as a principal dancer for a world renowned ballet company would not be a great start. Quite honestly. Nanao didn't think she would perform badly, but there was a small chance that she would. No one was perfect after all. And it was that little chance that she might perform badly that always made her nervous before opening night. Typically, once she was on stage, Nanao was fine, but the waiting got to her.

It did help that Shunsui seemed to be going out of his way to distract her. More often than not she didn't have time to be nervous. Still, waiting in the wings for her entrance, Nanao had more than a few moments to worry. The music for Amethysts began, and Nanao watched as the corps de ballet took the stage. She smiled as she watched them. Everyone's hard work had clearly paid off. She recognized the music leading into her own cue and took a deep breath. Pushing away her nervousness, Nanao took her first step onto the stage.

Once she started dancing, there wasn't really anything else in the world that Nanao was aware of. Oh, she was aware of the music and the other dancers on stage, but that was really it. She got caught up in the dancing itself, and that became her whole world. And at the moment, that world consisted of herself, Shunsui, and the music they danced to. The two of them had no difficulties with their pas de deux, and before Nanao knew it, they were dancing the final sequence. The group took their bows and then made their exit.

The best part of dress rehearsals was that once your part was done, you could watch the other dancers perform. As soon as Nanao had changed out of her costume, she found a seat in the audience to watch the final segment of Jewels. It wasn't long until Shunsui joined her, and the two of them were treated to an almost flawless performance of Diamonds. It was a rare treat to be able to watch a ballet performance in full costume for Nanao, and she enjoyed being able to sit back and watch other people dance.

Once the rehearsal was over, the dancers gathered around the stage to hear the feedback from the chorographers and directors. Given that the ballet consisted of several separate sections, there were several of each for the entire production. Thankfully, everyone seemed pretty pleased with the rehearsal. There were a few minor glitches in some of the sections, but other than that, it was a solid run through. Everyone was in high spirits once they were dismissed.

"Nanao, how does dinner out sound?" Retsu snagged her elbow. "Yoruichi and Kisuke are going to come, and I thought we'd give Rangiku a call, and she and Gin could bring the twins."

Nanao grinned. "Sure. When and where?"

"Biwa's in an hour and a half. Jyuu will let Shunsui know."

"I'll meet you all there."

"Great. See you later."

She caught a ride back to the apartment building with Shunsui, and they spent most of the ride discussing the performance. While she was a little tired, a hot shower revived her energy. Nanao threw on a pair of leggings and a long tunic sweater. Leg warmers and fuzzy socks completed the outfit. It probably looked a little odd, but it was comfortable and none of her friends would care. Besides, most post rehearsal dinners tended to see rather odd fashion choices. Almost all anyone cared about at that point was being comfortable. Grabbing her purse and sliding on a pair of flats, Nanao was ready to go.

Just as she was locking her door, Shunsui appeared in the hallway.

"Feel like carpooling?"

"Sure."

While Biwa's was not that far from their apartment building, Nanao was too tired to think about walking there. She was more than happy to let Shunsui drive them and catch a few minutes of rest. They were the last to arrive at the restaurant save for the Ichimarus. A large table in the back of the place had been snagged for the group, and someone (probably Kisuke) had already ordered a bunch of appetizers. Nanao found a seat and snagged one of the yakionigiri for herself. Shunsui took the seat across from her and dived into the current debate on costuming going on between Yoruichi and Jyuushiro.

Five minutes later, Gin and Rangiku arrived with the twins. The waiter came around, and the group ordered as the twins were passed around to be admired. In some ways, it was a little surreal to Nanao. Especially the moment she found herself holding Inari while discussing who the all time best prima ballerina was with Rangiku and Retsu and sharing a plate of gyoza with Shunsui. Fun, but a little surreal. Still, Nanao wouldn't mind doing this again. Especially since the entire evening passed without her worrying about opening night.

By the time Nanao returned to her apartment, she was sleepy and content. Shunsui kissed her good night, and Nanao went to bed without worries about the performance tomorrow.

Nervous energy was common before any performance, let alone an opening night. And especially if you didn't have anything to do until after the intermission. Still, Shunsui was more than tempted to kiss Nanao and see if that would get her to stop pacing. If he didn't think that the make up artists would kill him for messing up her make up, he would definitely do it. As it was, she was working herself into a panic. With a sigh, Shunsui snagged her wrist and pulled her close.

"You're making me dizzy, Nanao-chan. Things will be just fine. We don't have a mob of children with water balloons and squirt guns in the audience."

She blinked at him and then shook her head. "I'm not even going to ask."

Shunsui just shrugged. "It's a long story, but I'll have Jyuu tell it sometime. He probably does the best version of it."

"Is there a reason that chaos seems to be the default setting for this ballet company?"

"Because it makes you smile?" He kissed her nose. "Seriously, Nanao, you'll be just fine once you're on stage. Don't wear yourself out before hand."

She sighed and leaned back against him. "I know. Opening nights always make me a mess."

He frowned at her. "I didn't think you were this nervous with the Nutcracker."

Nanao shrugged. "You distracted me."

Shunsui couldn't help himself. He leaned in and kissed her properly. Nanao let out a soft sigh and kissed him back.

When he pulled away, he grinned at her. "Let's see if we can find a deck of cards. I bet we can get a game of poker going before our turn on stage."

Scrounging up a deck of cards proved to be pretty easy, and it didn't take them long to get a game started with some of the dancers from Diamonds. And true to form, the game quickly turned interesting. Shunsui also learned that his Nanao-chan was something of a card shark. He bet she had managed to win all sorts of money off unsuspecting college students. She might hide it well, but his Nanao had a mischievous streak.

By the time intermission was over, Nanao was much more relaxed, and Shunsui was ready to get on stage. He and Nanao parted ways as they entered from different sides of the stage. Shunsui took up his position in the wings and watched as Amethysts began. The corps de ballet was in fine form from what he could see. He heard the subtle clue in the music that his own entrance was coming up, and Shunsui took a deep breath, let go of conscious thought, and got ready to dance.

Once he was on stage, it was easy enough for Shunsui to narrow his focus to the music and the other dancers. As he and Nanao began their pas de deux, Shunsui caught her eye. The smile her face seemed to brighten, and his focus tightened to the steps the two of them were dancing. Nanao slid into his arms perfectly, and they danced on. It didn't seem long at all before the corps de ballet joined them on stage, and Amethysts reached its grand finale. And when hand in hand he and Nanao took their bows, the thunderous applause (and standing ovation from a section in the front and another in the first balcony) they received told Shunsui that it had been one hell of a performance.

Jyuushiro was waiting backstage for them with water bottles and praise. It was clear that he thought the performance had gone well. Nanao shot him a brilliant smile before sipping her own water. Shunsui grinned.

"I take it we did your chorography justice."

His friend laughed. "That was a great debut. Just wait till you see the recording. You two were amazing. They're going to be talking about you and Nanao for quite a while after this."

Shunsui stole a kiss from his partner. "And you were nervous that you wouldn't perform well."

Nanao blushed. "How have the other performances been?"

Jyuu's grin grew. "Well, I didn't see Sapphires since I was dancing in it, but all of the other pieces have gone well. I'd have Amethysts was the best of the four I watched. There was a slight misstep in Emeralds, and Rubies didn't quite have same flare you all did. Still, if I didn't have to compare performances, I'd say they all were some of the best dancing I've seen. We're going to have a hard time topping this show."

When Diamonds ended, Shunsui took to the stages with the rest of the principal dancers to take their bows. The applause was thunderous, and most of the audience was on their feet. Someone had put together bouquets to match each of the different ballet numbers, and these were handed out to the principal dancers. After another set of bows and the acknowledgement of Jyuushiro as the choreographer, they finally managed to leave the stage. Shunsui stole another kiss from Nanao.

"I'll meet you by the exit in twenty minutes, and we can head to the party." She grinned at him. "We'll see if these SBC parties live up to all of your stories."

Shunsui laughed. "All right, sweetheart. I'll be waiting."

It didn't take Shunsui long to change out of his costume and into the suit the gala party that would celebrate both the SBC's anniversary and Jewels' premiere. He was waiting when Nanao reappeared in a stylish violet dress. She smiled at him, shook her head, and promptly fixed his tie. Shunsui stole a kiss.

"Ready to go?"

Nanao nodded. "Yes."

By the time they arrived at the party, it was already in full swing. The two dancers quickly found themselves receiving compliments and congratulations on their performance. Someone had set up a TV in one corner of the room, and the recording of Jewels that had been made was playing. There was a table set up with cakes, each done in the color of one of the jewels, as well as punch and Champaign. Retsu and Rangiku dragged Nanao off to a group of ballerinas that were discussing the performance, and Shunsui decided that cake sounded like a good idea. Besides, it would give him an excuse to rescue Nanao from the ladies if she needed it.

Shunsui did get waylaid by Jyuushiro and Yamamoto. His friend clapped him on the back.

"I'd say we made the anniversary rather memorable."

Yamamoto was smiling. "You all certainly did. I do have to say that was a remarkable debut for your girl, Shunsui."

"Speaking of which," Jyuu's smirk was almost evil, "when are you going to do something about Nanao? You're head over heels for her, and we're all waiting for you to do something to make the arrangement permanent."

Shunsui groaned. "I'll propose to Nanao in my own time. Thank you very much."

"So you are planning on proposing."

He had to endure quite a bit more ribbing from both his friend and mentor before he managed to escape with cake and Champaign for himself and Nanao. Shunsui managed to extricate Nanao from the knot of ballerinas without too much difficulty. She immediately stole the piece of chocolate cake, leaving him stuck with the lemon cake. Shunsui just grinned at her.

"Having fun?"

Nanao nodded. Then to his surprise, she bounced up on her toes and kissed him. "Thank you."

"For what, precious?"

She smiled up at him. "Deciding to take an interest in me. I don't think I would be here otherwise."

Shunsui smiled down at her. "You don't need to thank me for that. I'm pretty sure that I would definitely regret it you weren't here. We're probably even in that regards."

He held out a Champaign glass out to her. "How about a toast to a long partnership together? I plan to be dancing with you for any number of years to come."

Nanao took the glass and clinked it against his own. "I'll drink to that."

They shared the Champaign and cake in silence for a few minutes and just enjoyed the party. Then Nanao grinned and set aside her dishes. She held out her hand to him, glancing over at the impromptu dance floor that their colleagues had put together.

"Come dance with me?"

Shunsui took her hand. "Always."