Lee's smile turned to one of complete happiness and contentment when Tarin spoke, saying that pretty much all he'd been able to think about since they had gotten to Texas was bringing her out to see the stars here.

And then Tarin was kissing her jaw again. If the first time had felt good, had caused her to shiver, that was nothing compared to how the second, and third, kisses felt. With how he then went on to whisper in her ear after that...

"You have no idea how glad I am that I did this too," Lee whispered in return, and she really was glad she'd bought the tickets, Tarin seemed so much better now.

Tarin was holding her even tighter against him now, and Lee didn't even think about what she was doing. She turned in his arms, her head still resting on his shoulder. Even though it was dark, the stars above them more than gave Lee enough to see Tarin so close beside her.

"Me neither," Lee whispered, her lips so close to Tarin's lips. "This is absolutely amazing..." Lee's voice trailed off, the stars all but forgotten at this point looking at Tarin.

The world was cast in the blue-white light from the stars, Lee was with him at his favorite childhood spot, and Tarin couldn't remember a time in his life when he'd felt so absolutely confident that everything was going to be okay. All his adult life, Tarin had been convinced that he'd never have the things that 'normal' people had. The moving, the one night stands, the constant fear that he was going to be found out or cause trouble for anyone he got close to. All of that melted away when he wa with Lee because for the first time it was worth it to someone to be with him, even if there were consequences.

It was funny how the stars made him pensive, it had been that way since he was a kid, and obviously things didn't really change. Lee pointed out that she was glad that she'd booked the tickets and Tarin squeezed her again, "I have an idea. I think you're a little more country than you let on."

Then she was moving, turning in his arms and Tarin let her, his breathing hitching slightly when Lee stopped facing him, her lips so close to his that he could hardly concentrate on anything but her close vicinity. The moonlight and starlight shone down, making everything that much more magical and Tarin couldn't help himself. Lee commented that everything was amazing and he nodded his head, closing what had now become the infinitesimal amount of space between them. "You're amazing..." he mumbled, seconds before their lips met.

This wasn't one of the quick cursory kisses from before. This was intense, full of feeling, full of all the emotion of the last week...month..year. This was amazing.

Lee's breath was coming quicker, shallower, than before as she looked the mere inch or two into Tarin's eyes, feeling his breath on her lips as they lay there. She hadn't actually been this close to Tarin, for this long, in...actually, Lee wasn't wasn't sure she could even remember the last time she'd been this close to Tarin for this long, laying, sitting, or otherwise, even if her brain had been working clearly. Which it wasn't.

Part of Lee's mind noticed that the sleeping bags under her were soft, that the air around them were warm. That same part of her mind, as well as another part, noticed just how warm Tarin's body against hers was, how tightly his arm was wrapped around her, how hot his breath on her lips as he breathed was...

As she noticed each and every one of these things, Lee's breathing got quicker and more shallow. This was exactly why she hadn't been this close to Tarin before this since she'd returned from Toronto, she knew what happened when they were this close.

Lee wasn't thinking any of this. In fact, about the only thing Lee was thinking at that point in time was how great Tarin's eyes, so very, very close to hers, looked in the moonlight.

And then Lee heard Tarin's voice, slightly husky, a tone that she hadn't heard in forever, telling her that she was the one that was amazing.

Before she was able to do anything, say anything, Tarin's lips were pressed against hers, so much more passionate than anything she could remember in recently history.

Lee had been far from clarity before this, but the moment that Tarin's lips touched hers, her mind went blank. The next thing she knew, Lee's arms were raised, a hand in Tarin's hair, holding his head to her, returning the kiss just as hungrily, just as passionately as Tarin was kissing her.

Another reaction Tarin couldn't miss, another reaction that he was almost afraid to believe in. There'd been kissing before this point, even a few make out sessions during movie nights in the recent weeks. None of that lit a candle to what was going on under the stars at that very moment.

Tarin had completely forgotten that they were in a truck in the middle of nowhere, he couldn't even feel the hard metal of the bed through the soft cushion of sleeping bags and pillows. Ever fiber of his being was focused on the signs he was receiving from Lee. Her breathing was shallow and fast, and the way she was looking at him made his tenuous hold on self control that much harder to keep. Then he kissed her.

Tarin had worried when he'd done it that she would tense and the spell that the starlight seemed to have cast would break, and he was far more prepared for that reaction than the one he actually got.

Lee's hand closed in his hair and Tarin wondered for a moment if he'd actually heard the *snink* as his self control completely snapped. Lee had turned in his arms so she was leaning against him and Tarin reversed the positions so he was leaning over her, kissing her more then taking his turn to examine her face under the bluish glow of the stars. He marveled for a few moments, then resumed the kissing.

This was going too far, Tarin suddenly thought, pausing for just a second and remembering the last time he'd felt this particular crush of action and inaction all at once and how similar the situation was to the day they'd stood inside the shop and he'd given Lee a final chance to walk away. He had to be sure they both thought this was going to the same place. Taking a deep breath, hoping Lee wasn't already panicking and that what he was about to do wouldn't cause her to Tarin pulled away.

Reigning himself in seemed an absolutely insurmountable task, but Tarin leaned down and kissed Lee again in the exact same way as before, this time tangling his hands in her hair and cradling his face between them then pulled away, his breathing every bit as labored as before and a somewhat desperate look on his face.

"Yes or no..." he said, completing the parallelism and hoping with every fiber of his being that the result would be the same.

Oh wow! The kissing that was going on, the way Tarin's body felt against hers, had the night gotten hotter all of a sudden? Even if Lee had been feeling a slight chill to the night air before, it was suddenly feeling so much hotter in the bed of the truck.

Lee was almost furious with Tarin when he pulled away, ever so slightly, from the kiss. She didn't want him way over there, looking down at her, she wanted him kiss her.

It was only then that Lee realized Tarin had actually moved them, that he was now leaning over her similarly to how she'd been leaning over him as the kiss had started.

That realization caused Lee's breathing to hitch slightly, and it was only then that the small part of her mind that was still rationally thinking realized that maybe it was a good thing he had broken the kiss slightly; they did need to be able to catch their breath.

That thought didn't last long, and a second later Lee pulled Tarin back down to her using the hand entwined in his hair, her other arm wrapping around him to grip his shoulder and hold him there.

He kept pulling away, though, to gaze down at her between kisses. Normally, Lee wouldn't have minded in the least, not with the look in Tarin's eyes, even if at this angle the moon and stars weren't really hitting his face too well, but right then, Lee wanted Tarin to at least be kissing her. She wanted that contact with him.

Then Tarin pulled away again, but this time seemed a little different as Lee opened her eyes and looked up at him. "Yes or no..." she heard him say, and her breathing hitched as she saw the love, the passion, the desperation in Tarin's eyes. "Oh god yes..." Lee breathed, leaning up to reach Tarin's lips once more.

[some time later]

The stars were absolutely amazing, Lee thought, again, as she laid in the back of the pickup truck, her head on Tarin's shoulder with his arm around her.

But more than that, the man beside her was absolutely amazing. Yes, they may have some problems they had to deal with, but those problems didn't lessen how amazing Tarin was.

And this night had been far more than simply amazing.

Why the hell had she been so against letting Tarin get close to her again, Lee wondered. Even if she wanted to, Lee didn't think she could wipe the smile off her face. And that was with the fact that she was sure Tarin was dozing off beside her. Normally, that would be helping that smile disappear, but there were two important facts counteracting that at the moment; they had been in close contact for quiet a while, and it was the middle of the night. So, considering the fact that Tarin seemed to only be dozing when normally he would have been sleeping without all the contact....

Rolling over slightly, Lee turned her head so she was now looking at Tarin rather than the star specked sky, a slight crease between her brows as she thought.

"Tarin," Lee said softly, nudging him to try and wake him up before she continued. "I've been thinking, and I think Josh might have had a good idea..."

Floating. Tarin couldn't help but think the sky out there made a person feel like he was floating. Then again, he thought, continuing to trace his fingers up and down Lee's arm, maybe it wasn't the sky that made him feel like he was floating.

He'd said a while back that Lee was amazing, but he realized now, just how much of an understatement that was for the woman laying next to him. Not perturbed in the least about what had just transpired in the back of a pick-up truck in the middle of a field. Yup. At least amazing.

Eyes drifting open and shut at their whim, Tarin dozed slightly as he looked up into the Texas sky and he couldn't help but think that he'd brought Lee out here to surprise her, but in the end it had been she who'd surprised him in the most incredible way possible.

Lee shifted and Tarin's eyes, which had been half shut, snapped open and focused on her face as it came into view over his. Lee was frowning slightly and in turn, Tarin frowned too, then reached up, trying to smooth the wrinkle that had formed between her brows.

"Hmmmm?" Tarin said when Lee said his name, moving his thumb from between her eyes to run it through Lee's hair.

Lee pointed out that she thought Josh had a good idea and it was Tarin's turn to frown slightly, but in concentration, trying to remember what idea Josh could have had that Lee liked. Coming up blank after a few moments, Tarin laughed, all signs of the frown smoothing from his face. "You must still have me dazzled honey. I don't have a clue what you're talking about."

It didn't really take Tarin long to wake up; his eyes were open before she had even spoken, and by the time she had said his name, he was focused on her. His thumb rubbing her forehead, trying to get rid of that little crease there. That made Lee feel better, at least she wasn't waking him up when he'd actually been sleeping to share this thought.

He was frowning now, but Lee knew it was in thought as he tried to figure out what she was talking about. She had seen that expression on his face more than enough to know what it meant. But then suddenly, Tarin was laughing, and just the unexpectedness and the volume, though not even close to as loud as he could have been, made Lee jump slightly, though she was smiling along with Tarin by the time he spoke again.

"I dazzled you? Lee asked, her head tilted slightly as she looked at Tarin. How could she have dazzled him? He was the one who'd brought her out to look at the stars...

Still smiling happily at what Tarin had said, even if she didn't know how it could be, Lee shook her head slightly. "Yeah, I think Josh had the right idea," she continued softly. "No big to-do, no real planning to worry about. Just bing, bang, done, happily ever after.

"Cause really, who would we invite, anyway?" Pausing, Lee took a bit of a breath as she looked at Tarin. Not really in an examining way, but her eyes were gazing deeply and intently into Tarin's.

"We should elope," Lee finally whispered, a wide smile on her face.

For the love of god, the woman looked confused. Tarin almost rolled his eyes at just how crazy that really sounded. "Do you really need to ask that question?" he said, a knowing smile flashing across his features as he looked back at Lee.

She was surprised by his laughter at the unknown idea of Josh's and startled at the sound after the deep silence of the plains around them, but soon Lee was smiling as well and he tightened his arm around her. There was no such thing as too close out here. He wasn't tired either, well, he was...but not like normal. Usually it was all he could do to keep his eyes open after that much of that kind of contact, he felt alright at the moment though, his thoughts clear as he continued to puzzle out what idea Lee was talking about as she explained further.

Fuss, to-do...cloudy pieces of something Josh had mentioned started to float together as Lee pieced them together for Tarin. She looked concerned again, though, as she paused and looked at him in a way that made him feel like she was turning him inside out...but not in a prying way, just an intensely searching way.

"Invite to...wh-" he started when Lee paused for breath, then stopped mid-sentence as she blurted out one short little sentence, her smile wide and confidence obvious in her features.

"We should what?" Tarin said, looking back at Lee and not breaking eye contact. "Elope?" Tarin didn't move, but his posture definitely stiffened slightly as he thought again. After everything that had happened, now she wanted to get married.

"Lee are you sure?" he said, trying his best to choose his words carefully lest she retract the offer, and also trying his best to only be cautiously hopeful that she was sure.

"I mean...until just a little while ago, you were too afraid to get any closer to me than a cuddle on the couch...and we've only just fixed that. Are you sure you're ready for marriage? I don't want to rush into anything you're going to regret later." Tarin stopped and thought for another moment. "Don't get me wrong...I've wanted this for ages, and the idea of eloping seems amazing, but really...are you sure? If you're not. We can forget you said it and move on."

Tarin's expression changed a lot as she spoke, but confusion reigned highest among them. Until the moment that she had come right out and said she thought they should elope.

Once those words were out of her mouth, Lee could feel Tarin tensing beside her, could feel his arm tightening around her as a result. And the tone of voice he used as he questioned her suggestion...

"Well, yeah," Lee said, her voice barely audible, the smile shrinking at the look she was being given. Did Tarin really think it was that bad of an idea?

Tarin kept speaking, and every word he said almost made it seem like maybe it was a bad idea. Though the way he was phrasing things, it was like he was giving her reasons, giving her multiple chances to back out of what she had just suggested as a way out. Rather than him saying no...

By the time Tarin had finished speaking, the smile was gone from Lee's face.

"I had just thought," Lee said quietly once Tarin was done, her eyes dropping now, no longer staring into Tarin's. "With how everything's been so perfect here, with how happy we've been, what better time to do it?

"And Tarin, I don't think I could regret marrying you."

It was almost exactly how Tarin feared it would be. The light that had been in Lee's eyes almost completely extinguished itself and her gazed dropped from his eyes. She kept talking though, defending the idea like he'd told her he didn't want to do it. Then she said that she didn't think that she could regret marrying him and Tarin smiled and sighed.

"Oh Lee..." he said, keeping his arm tight, and now turning to wrap the other one around her. "I wasn't saying that I don't want to do it, not at all." he paused for a second after that, hoping it would be enough to reassure her, at least for a moment.

"I've wanted to marry you for ages Lee. There's nothing I'd rather do than spend the rest of my life with you. I was just making sure you weren't getting swept away in the moment. I always want you to be sure."

Tarin dropped a kiss on the top of her head and chuckled, "You won't see me that surprised again for a long time." he said, then took a deep breath, "So future Mrs. Brooks. When were you thinking this elopement should take place? We could probably make it to Vegas within the next day or so...if we drive enough."

Hearing Tarin's tone when he said 'oh Lee', she couldn't help but glance up at him. He just wanted to make sure that she was sure? Other than when they had first started dating, when had she done or decided something about them that she hadn't been sure about?

It had taken quite a while, but when she had decided she was ready to actually move in, she had been sure. It hadn't exactly been expected, but Lee had been sure when she asked Tarin if he wanted to get married. So why would she be unsure now?

"I'm sure, Tarin," Lee said, snuggling into Tarin when he tightened his arm around her as he spoke.

Then Tarin asked her when they should do this whole eloping thing, and mentioned that they could probably make it to Las Vegas in a day or so. With enough driving. Leaning back slightly so she could look at Tarin again, Lee smiled. "I guess the real question is how tired are you?" Lee asked in return. "You haven't taught me to drive yet, so are you going to need to sleep before we leave, or can we go now?"

It was kind of funny to Tarin how succinctly the conversation ended. They were talking about the rest of their lives and Lee had summed it up and made the decision final with two words. It would be an interesting parallel later when they each did the same thing...only they'd be standing in front of a minister and the words they said would be "I do" instead of, "I'm sure."

Lee was full of surprises this night, the most recent not the least surprising. She was ready to leave right that moment, only, she didn't know how to drive...yet. Tarin looked up at the cab of the truck, then frowned and sighed. "I don't think this old girl is going to make it that far...there's a hundred different little things wrong with it. Besides, it's a stick. I'd never be able to teach you how to drive it well enough to be inconspicuous."

A few more minutes of thought and Tarin grinned, "I feel alright. I could definitely get us to a highway where I could hand off to you and you could drive for a while while I took a nap. All you'd have to do then is stay in the correct lane and watch your speed."

A few more moments thought on the subject of a car and Tarin brightened up considerably, "I could ask Josh if we could borrow his car for a couple of days. I know they were planning on staying here for a while longer and it shouldn't be a problem."

That said, Tarin wrapped his arms around Lee and pulled her close again, "We're going to have to wait until morning to ask him though. Think you can wait a few more hours?"

Lee frowned with Tarin when he told her that he didn't think his truck could make the trip to Las Vegas, and even if it somehow made it, Tarin didn't think he could teach her to drive standard quickly enough that they wouldn't stand out while he was sleeping. Considering the fact that Lee wasn't sure how well she'd be able to drive in general when she finally got behind the wheel, she had to agree that the truck clearly wasn't a good idea.

But that left the problem of just how they were going to pull this off.

Suddenly, Tarin cheered up and suggested they ask Josh to borrow his carfor a few days. The same car that he had come to pick them up at the airport in. And, Tarin didn't think Josh would have a problem with it. But, they were going to have to wait until the morning to ask.

"What?" Lee asked, a playful smile on her face. "You don't think your brother would be happy to be woken up in the middle of the night so we can ask to take his car to Las Vegas?"

Laughing, Lee shook her head against Tarin's shoulder. "I guess if we really have to, I can wait." Then Lee got another idea and smiled as she snuggled against Tarin in the back of the truck. "How 'bout you get some sleep? I'll wake you up to watch the sun rise with me, and then we can go ambush Josh first thing so we can get going."

Lee seemed open to the idea that he posed and Tarin smiled as she joked. "I doubt they're sleeping." Tarin said with meaning, "But even if they are, I doubt they'd want to be disturbed either way." Tarin thought for a moment then chuckled softly, "Besides, I think I'm going to ask him to go along...it is his car, and we'd have never ended up here if he hadn't been willing to talk to me. I think he'd make a very suitable best man."

Lee assured him that she could wait, if they really had to, and since they did...Tarin was content. Then Lee was suggesting he try and get some sleep. Despite the fact that Lee was close enough that the very last thing on his mind was sleep, Tarin nodded his head slowly, then smiled at her suggestion that they watch the sunrise. "If you thought the sunset was pretty this afternoon, just wait until you see the sunrise out here. In the light you're going to realize just how far out in the middle of nowhere I drug you."

As if on cue, Tarin had to stifle a huge yawn and he realized how tired he actually was. Adrenaline and endorphins could account for a lot, he thought as he snuggled down into the sleeping bags. "I don't think a nap would be a bad idea at all. That way I can definitely take the first shift driving. Hey, another good thing about Josh going...you may not have to drive at all."

Tarin looked up at the sky again and stared at the stars, the floating feeling taking over again as he stared, eyes feeling heavy as he actually thought about sleeping. Before he even really knew it, the stars he was looking at became the far less spectacular backs of his eyelids.