The Spoils of War (Sara)

[Nicolas Constantine]

He listened to her tell every detail about her previously school and thought she was a tough one. Nick smiled sensually and with deviance.

"Naked, eh? I wish I could have been there to see that."

He leaning into the table as well, mocking her in doing so. His eyes softened as he looked into hers.

"I definitely would have liked to have been there. I think you're pretty damn cute."

He wasn't playing the game. He wasn't trying to flirt. Nick sincerely meant what he had just said, and wouldn't have taken it back no matter her response toward it.

[Sara Quinn]

Sara's smile fell from her face as she met his gaze and she instinctively moved back slightly. The look he was giving her wasn't a game look. It was far to serious and it had caught her off guard. His first smile, she had matched in intensity. That smile had been pure flirt. But the look he was giving her now, was... genuine.

In a way, she felt kind of good about. The blush came back once again. She should have known it would. This was how she usually made a fool of herself, because all she could do was blush and giggle. Cue the nervous laugh as Sara averted her gaze trying to think of something to say.

Thing was, she didn't want to play that stupid game with him where she pretended to not want to hear it. She did want to. It made her happy. Her hands dropped to her stomach as she focused on the butterflies there. So she wasn't going to go with the typical brush off response, or the denial route. No, not Sara. She met his gaze again, smiling and nervous. "Really...? You mean that?"

[Nicolas Constantine]

At first, Nick thought he might have screwed the whole evening up by her immediate reaction, but after she stopped doing what was ingrained, she started to think about what he had said in what seemed a different manner.

"Really...? You mean that?"

"Yeah, I do."

The three simple words he said were much more complex than he could have said with a hundred. He thought that she would have tried to ignore the whole thing, but by not, and asking him if he really meant it, he knew she was thinking something to a similar degree.

"I really do. There's something about you, I don't know what it is, but I like it." he chuckled a little at the last part.

Frankly, he didn't know exactly what it was that attracted him towards her.

[Sara Quinn]

Sara blushed, squirming in her seat under his gaze. She smiled nervously, not quite sure what to think. Nick made her feel really good, special. She was nervous though, because of what had happened with her and Travis. She had cheated on him... What if she hurt Nick like that...? Sara truly believed that what had happened had been her fault, and the guilt was killing her, stopping her from enjoying her life. But how could she after what she had done?

The situation was getting serious, and she wasn't sure what to think. She had to admit, there was something about him that drew her to him, but it was a matter of whether the guilt she had inside her would allow her to enjoy it rather then fear it. She hadn't thought this evening was going to become so intense.

He seemed so serious though, and maybe he really did mean it. And that made her all the more worried that she would hurt him. And the worst part was, she did like him. She didn't know why she had let herself get to this point again, especially when she barely knew him. For all she knew, he had a million other girls or something. And then she felt guilty for thinking like that.

She sighed, not quite sure what to say. She didn't want to put an end to this. He made her feel happy. But the guilt was eating at her. She tried to choose her words carefully, not quite ready to make a decision, but leaving what ever this was, open to develop. She smiled at him, a small gleam coming to her eye as she tried to lighten the mood. "Thanks, I'm glad you like... whatever it is then." She chuckled and then continued. "It was nice of you to take me here. I'm having a really great time tonight... This is a nice place."

[Nicolas Constantine]

"Yeah, I hoped you might like it. I chose it not knowing if you would or not." he smiled embarrassingly.

Other than the smalltalk, Nick was watching her closely, not knowing what to think of her. When she spoke, she came off perfectly fine. But Nick could tell from her body language, that there was something inside bothering her. Little gestures and ticks gave it away, Nick was just educated in what these micro-expressions could mean.

So he had a choice. Nick could either let it be and have the night play out with this inner conflict or whatever continuing, or he could ask her or make her spill the beans to him. It was a difficult decision because Nick knew that trying to pry the information out of her could ruin the evening or, depending on how bad the conflict, it could ruin their relationship that was still in its extremely early stage. But then again, she might feel better and grow closer to him if she chose to exert her emotions unto him. That, and also Nick liked to take risks.

"Sara, I'm sorry if this makes you uncomfortable or anything, but I can see something's bothering you. If you don't want me to know, I respect that. But I'd really like you and I to work out, so... so I'd really like it if you would tell me whats wrong."

[Sara Quinn]

The smile fell from her face, and whatever defenses and covers she had built fell away. Her face fell into a shocked, scared expression, and she glanced around as though looking for an exit. But she knew she couldn't just run from this problem. It wasn't that simple. Not at all.

Her gaze fell back to him, and she continued to squirm, finally dropping her head. So much for trying to leave things open... It was now a do or die situation. She could either tell him now, or find out later in some sick way. She knew he needed to know. One look at her chest, and there would be more questions. Best to get it out now, before they became attached right...? He seemed kind of nervous though about asking her. Sara continued to squirm, biting her lip in nervousness as she avoided his gaze. She wrestled with herself, finally coming to the conclusion that it would be best to tell him.

Moving only her eyes to watch him, she spoke, her voice quiet. "I uh... just got out of a relationship... My boyfriend left me because I cheated on him... I... I hurt him so much doing that to him... And i didn't even have a reason for it." She couldn't watch him anymore. Her gaze dropped. If he hadn't stopped her by now, she would continue. "I don't want to hurt anyone else like that. I mean, I don't plan on cheating ever again.. But it only goes to show it can happen... And apparently I'm unfaithful."

She wanted to cry. She truly believed this. Almost like she was a carrier of some sort of disease that she would have forever now. She had done it once, so it must be that she would do it again. She felt terrible, worthless.

[Nicolas Constantine]

Just coming out and asking her worked. She told him the story and he felt bad. Sincerely bad. Even though it was her who cheated, he wondered how such a girl could be driven to do such a thing, but he didn't want to upset her further as she was already on the verge of tears. She had said that there wasn't a reason, but Nick couldn't think of any situation where there wasn't some kind of reason, subconscious or not. He smiled lightly.

"Well I'm glad you told me now, versus when we become closer."

It was a simple sentence, but it told that he forgave her and that he was glad she decided not to cover it up. But what was a deeper meaning in what he said, was that he wanted to continue to pursue a relationship with her, and hopefully she would understand that.

"I'm not one who lives in the past, Sara, but I do like to learn from past experiences. If you say you wouldn't do it ever again, then I believe that you will stay by that promise you made to yourself and to whomever you love."

Nick gave great advice if he did say so himself.

[Sara Quinn]

Sara had closed her eyes, afraid of watching his reaction. She didn't want to see his face when he realized the meanings of what she had said. But after a moment of silence, she couldn't help but flick her eyes open and up to see him.

"Well I'm glad you told me now, versus when we become closer."

Her breath caught. He was... forgiving her? Commending her for being honest? Telling her that he didn't mind...? Well maybe he did, but he was willing to look past it. The backs of her eyes burned, tears threatening to spill over at his words. He was so serious about it. He wasn't just saying it. Sara hadn't realized how badly she had needed to hear something like that this badly, needed to see that someone wasn't utterly disgusted with her actions.

She lifted her head, meeting his eyes as he continued to speak. She sniffled softly, trying to keep the tears from falling as she tried to not break eye contact with him. He was willing to look past her problems, put some trust in her... That was so sweet... He put a lot of faith in her though. She didn't know that she deserved it.

She reached across the table, her hand searching for his as she dropped her head again, a tear finally falling from her eyes. "I don't know what to say... Thank you, I needed to hear that, more then you'll ever know..." She laughed sadly as she grabbed a napkin with her free hand and wiped her eyes, trying to stop the tears before they got to bad.

[Nicolas Constantine]

He reached across the table and interlaced his fingers with hers when she outstretched her arm towards him. He grasped her hand firmly, letting her knew it would be alright. He smiled lightly.

"Don't cry, Sara. You're supposed to be happy, you're on a date with me. Besides, the food is coming."

Perfect timing for the food to arrive. The waiter set up the tray holder in front of their table and gave the corresponding dishes and glasses of wine to the appropriate person. Nick's Fillet Mignon looked marvelous and Sara's chicken didn't look bad at all, either. He cut a bite off of his and stuck it in his mouth. It was wonderful, perfectly cooked.

Nick looked across the table and waited for Sara to collect herself and take a bite at which he would ask.

"So? How's the chicken?"

[Sara Quinn]

"Don't cry, Sara. You're supposed to be happy, you're on a date with me. Besides, the food is coming."

She paused, giving his hand a tight squeeze, keeping her head down. The waiter didn't need to know that she was crying. Out of the corner of her eye she watched as the waiter set up their food, handing out the dishes and the drinks. As the waiter left, she lifted her head slightly and gave her eyes one more pat. Thankfully, she hadn't worn any hardcore makeup that would smudge and stuff. She hated makeup. With a passion.

Taking one final deep breath and giving one more sniffle, she looked up at him as he took a bite, and then looked at her own food. It looked good actually. Really good. But she was finding that she was even more anxious about eating now, then she had been before the crying. Now she would be mauling the piece of chicken while crying. Oh yeah... That was hot~

NOT

She picked up her fork and played with the food for a moment or two, just kind of checking it out, and then reached for her wine. She took a small sip... And then another for good measure, and put the glass back down. She just wanted to down the whole glass. Such was the addiction of the root~ The drink had helped warm her up a little, soothing her throat after crying. One more sip and she picked up her knife, cutting off a small piece of the chicken, using every ounce of strength she had not to look at him or bolt. She managed to get a small piece off and ate it.

"So? How's the chicken?"

She smiled softly looking across the table at him. "It's good. What about yours?" She asked as she picked up the glass again, taking another sip. She was feeling all warm and relaxed. Already. She wondered how quickly she was going to drunk this time. She liked to think she could control it, that there wasn't a problem. But the root had changed her body's ability to hold off drunks and highs. One sip and she was going to messed up. But she didn't like to admit it. On top of that, she was a lightweight anyways. Beautiful~~~<3 She let out a small giggle. ~Cute Sara, real cute~

[Nicolas Constantine]

Nick stopped eating for a second to watch Sara probe her meal. She seemed to like the wine and Nick assumed she was a lightweight due to her size. Nick was on the smaller side, too, but he knew his limits; he knew he could drink five martinis and not black out.

"It's good. What about yours?"

She was referring to his previous question.

"Mine's very good, would you care to try some?" he offered.

Nick picked up his wine glass and took a gulp as he awaited an answer. Sipping wine wasn't his style. Sara had been sipping her wine and she began to show the same drunk warning signs as Kate had when they went to the club together. The giggling would continue to worsen as Sara drank more, and Nick was probably correct in his lightweight assumption.

[Sara Quinn]

"Mine's very good, would you care to try some?"

She took another sip as she eyed his food. It did look good, she had to admit that. She noticed him take a gulp of his wine and wondered if he would mind if she did. Sara really wasn't one for sipping. She had a bad tendency to chug things, and could go through 5 drinks in the time it took someone else to go through one.

She giggled again, deciding to throw caution to the wind, and pushed her plate forward a little. "Ya, I'd love to try some. Did you want some of mine...?" She took a larger gulp from her glass, turning her head slightly in the hope that he wouldn't notice. Ya... 'Cuz the difference in amount in the glass wouldn't tip him off right...? She polished off most of the glass, and set it down. Under the table, her leg rubbed against his some more as she smiled sweetly at him.

[Nicolas Constantine]

"Sure, yours looks good! Looks like it was a good choice." he smiled.

Nick saw her gulp her wine like he did, and he wondered if she was trying to mimic his way of drinking, which wasn't the "proper" way. Alcoholic beverages weren't his thing, Nick would have much rather preferred a carbonated one or most overall, some tea.

Nick felt Sara's leg rubbing against his with a feel of affection. He enjoyed it and smiled lightly at her while returning the favor. He was really enjoying his time with her and he hoped she felt the same, even after her almost breaking down at the topic that had previously arisen.

He cut a reasonable piece of his steak, and held it out to Sara for her to take the bite.

"So what do you think?"

[Sara Quinn]

Sara leaned forward and took the piece of steak without a second thought. The alcohol was making her feel much more comfortable, setting her mind free of those pesky thoughts that had been plaguing her mind, and clouding it with doubt. Now she was simply acting without running it through in her mind. And it made it less awkward.

She chewed the piece he had given her thoughtfully. Under the table, he was rubbing back against her leg, and it felt really good to her. Every time she drank, it was like every nerve ending in her body was electrified. She felt everything that much more. Again, a result of the root, but at the moment, with shivers running up and down her spine, she was quite content.

"So what do you think?"

"It's really good. They cooked it well." She swallowed and finished off her wine, then cut off some of her chicken for him, dropping it onto his plate. She had cut off a larger piece for him, to large to just have him eat, because she knew she wouldn't be able to finish hers on her own. Well, she could... But she wasn't going to. 'Cuz that would make her look like a pig... She continued to cut her chicken so that she could eat hers.

Damn... She wanted another drink... Now the tough part happened... She wouldn't be able to stop drinking.

[Nicolas Constantine]

The chunk of chicken she gave him was larger than the piece he had given her, but he didn't mind. Fillet Mignon was the smallest part of cow you could get, as it was the most tender cut. He took a bit of the chicken.

"Mm, that's good. You have great taste, Sara."

When he looked over at her while he said that, he noticed she had finished her wine. Nick, however, didn't know how effected she was by just one glass, otherwise he probably wouldn't have asked the following.

"I see you finished your wine, you want another glass, love?"