Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed, followed and placed this story on their favorites list so far. It means so much to me when you make your interest in this story known.

During the long drive to Mark's house, Cherokee had fallen asleep in the back seat of Sidney's car.

"Cherokee, wakeup girl." Sidney gently petted the dog's soft side, after she parked in Mark's driveway.

The golden hound lazily stretched her legs then shook her body while Sidney got out of the car and opened the door for her. With the trunk popped open, Sidney took out her suitcase and kissed Mark once he got out of his car. She waited for him to get his suitcase and together they walked up to his home.

The navy blue bungalow style house had one story, a small stone porch with a bench swing; grey stone stairs were located in the center of the porch and a chimney was on the home's right side. Its small but cute front yard had shrubs and a short hedge that served as a border between the sidewalk and lawn. His nearest neighbors were about fifteen feet away on both sides.

"Home sweet home," Mark said as he led the way.

"I like it, it's really cute." She flashed him a brief smile.

"Yeah, an old family friend owns a couple of properties, this is one of them. Luckily, the rent isn't killing me. But his wife is a successful realtor and she's always trying to get me to buy a place. Go on in." He held open the front door for her and Cherokee.

"Thanks," she walked past him and into the home.

With its open layout and white walls, the home had a spacious airy feel. Sidney stood in an informal sitting area where light blue couches and a glass coffee table were gathered in front of the fireplace. On her left were three long built-in shelves and below them were three matching cabinets. Framed photos, mini movie posters, books and awards took up the shelves. The dining area was in between the kitchen and informal sitting area. There was a small birch dining table with four dark grey padded chairs. In the far right corner of the room, the kitchen had navy blue cabinets; stainless steel handles and ash wood countertops. A matching island with a cooktop and sink was in the center of the sleek kitchen. To the left was the formal living room where a television, a charcoal sectional couch and an entertainment center filled with movies and a stereo system. Her flat strappy sandals slapped against the oak floors as she went right for the kitchen and inspected the stainless refrigerator. She then gave him a disappointed look.

"Give me a break; I haven't been here for a few weeks. I need to get groceries," he explained to her.

"I know, I'm just teasing," she grinned.

He rolled his eyes then gripped her waist, "So, what do you think?"

"This place is very…you. I love it."

He pecked her mouth, "I'm pleased that you do," he pointed to their left, "the guest room is the second room on your right."

"Thanks, I won't take too long," she gave him a quick kiss before heading into the hallway.

Cherokee made herself comfortable on the charcoal sofa.

"You look great Sid," Mark stood up from the couch and turned off the television.

She glanced down at the red peasant top and dark jeans she wore, "You told me that it would be casual and I want to make a good first impression on Wallace and Lila."

"You will, especially after we drop by her favorite bakery and get her pastries."

"All right, will Wallace still joke about me owing him a bulletproof vest?"

"Oh most definitely," he grinned, "let's get going."

"OK, come on girl!" Sidney clapped her hands and Cherokee obediently walked over to them.

A little over a half hour later they drove up to Wallace's home. The two-story Spanish style home was white with a red tile roof, a detached two car garage and a perfectly manicured front lawn. Once Mark rang the doorbell the sounds of a dog barking and the slightly muffled voice of a little girl were heard.

"Mommy, Uncle Mark is heeere!"

"Wait Kayla, Mommy has to open the door!" Lila shouted.

A few seconds later, a beautiful green-eyed redhead in her late thirties opened the door. Beside her was a five-year-old girl with curly red locks. She wore a tiara and a pink nightgown that had a tutu style skirt.

Lila smiled and kissed Mark's cheek as she accepted his one armed hug, "Hey you! Come in!"

"It's great seeing you, Lila. How you been?" Mark asked as he closed the front door.

"Good, busy, but good. You must be Sidney. It's nice meeting you. I love that top." She wiped her hand on the blue apron she wore and offered it to her.

Sidney accepted her hand and smiled, "Likewise. And thanks, your dress is stunning. You have a really beautiful home."

Lila brought her hand to her heart, "Thanks! That means a lot. I'm an interior designer so I take real pride in it."

"Oh a doggy!" Kayla hugged Cherokee and giggled when the hound licked the side of her face.

Sidney gently explained after she bent down, "Her name's Cherokee, I'm Sidney, I'm Mark's girlfriend."

"Oooh, you're pretty!" Kayla said as she touched Sidney's hair.

"Well not as pretty as you are!" Sidney replied with a grin.

Kayla smiled, "Thank you!" she then grabbed Mark's hand with both of hers, "Uncle Mark I have to show you my new toys!" She eagerly pulled at him.

"I can't wait to see them! I'll see you guys in a little bit!" Mark said as he was being helplessly dragged away.

Sidney held up a large canvas tote bag, "We brought you pastries from Nala's Bakery.

"Oh I love that place! Thanks so much. Now just follow me," she graciously accepted the bag and began strolling towards the kitchen.

Wallace opened the kitchen's sliding glass door, "Hey Sid."

"Hi Wallace." She spotted him standing at the grill with tongs in his hand, "Whatca cooking?"

"A whole chicken with garlic and herbs seasoning and your corn on the cob recipes."

"Thanks again, we just love them! Kayla can't get enough of the cinnamon one!" Lila said.

"Don't mention it. Can I help you with anything?"

She shook her head. "Oh you don't have to, you're our guest."

"I'd love to, please?"

"Well, in that case, can you make the salad?" She pointed to the right side of counter where a cutting board and knife were surrounded by a colanders filled with Greenleaf lettuce and vegetables.

"Sure!" Sidney answered as she made her way to counter.

When Wallace opened the sliding door again Cherokee ran outside and down the deck's stairs. She greeted a Black Labrador Retriever that sat in the backyard.

"Now Watson play nice with Cherokee!" Wallace called out before he stepped inside and closed the door.

"Hey Hun, Mark is upstairs with Kayla and Sidney brought us pastries."

"Ooh they're from Nala's.." He removed the box from the bag but Lila slapped his hand before he could open it.

"Not until dessert!"

"Fine, you're the boss," he kissed her cheek and smiled at her. Then he turned to Sid, "I see that there was no bulletproof vest in that bag."

Sidney said, "Wallace."

"Yeah Sid?"

She flatly answered, "That horse has been long dead, stop beating it."

Lila chuckled, "I already like you."

"No wonder Kincaid's gone all gaga over you," he dryly retorted.

In a casual pace, Sidney made her way upstairs and down the hall. Dinner was ready, she needed to get Mark. When she stopped at Kayla's opened bedroom door, her heart became instantly warm at the image before her.

Kayla and Mark were having a tea party where the latter was donning a pearl necklace, pigtails and blush. He spoke in an English accent and held his pinky in the air as he pretended to drink tea from a pink plastic mug. Despite having her hand over her mouth, Sidney couldn't hide the enormous smile on her face.

When Mark finally noticed Sidney's presence he simply grinned at her and said, "Well hello there, Miss Prescott!"

At that moment, Lila appeared next to Sidney and was equally amused. She complimented Mark's appearance and held out her hand, "Come on Kayla's let get you ready for bedtime."

"OK Mommy! Night Uncle Mark," she kissed his cheek, went over to her mother and took her hand, "Night Sidney!"

"Goodnight!" Both Sidney and Mark said as mother and daughter left the room.

"I must say, I am loving this look on you." Sidney stated with a playful expression that matched her tone.

He walked over to her, "The blush really brings out my eyes and this necklace makes me feel dainty."

Laughing, Sidney placed her hand on his back, "Come on, let's get you cleaned up – was that your mother's accent?"

Shrugging, he answered, "I go with what I know."

On the deck, in the cool night air while being surrounded by Chinese lanterns, they enjoyed their meal. During the appetizers and main course, Sidney learned some things about Wallace and Lila. They were college sweethearts but met during their junior year of high school. After graduation they married. Kayla has two older sisters, they're identical nine-year-old twins named Greta and Myla. Tonight is their best friend's birthday party, it's a sleepover. For the past three years Lila has been running her interior design firm with her best friend, Nyssa. Watson was eight-weeks-old when they adopted him. Lila is an only child but Wallace is the youngest of four and is the only boy. He believes that God has taken revenge on him by giving him three daughters and no sons. According to him, he was such a "little shit" to his big sisters and widow mother, so he finds God's revenge mildly amusing.

Wallace put down his beer and leaned forward, "So Sid, what are your intentions with our dear Mark?"

Lila gave an annoyed sigh, "Sidney, ignore him."

"You're unbearable," Mark said with a small shake of his head.

Sidney spoke, "It's fine, and I'll answer his question."

Wallace nodded, "OK then, let's hear it."

"I assure you that my intentions with Mark aren't improper."

The slightly older detective tipped his head to the right, "That's comforting to know."

"They're purely sexual." She smirked.

Lila and Mark burst out laughing and soon after Wallace joined them.

When they were about to start dessert both Lila and Mark received calls on their mobile phones. They both went inside to take the calls leaving Sidney and Wallace on the deck.

"Tonight was fun." Sidney stated after she took a sip of wine.

"It was. Great food, good conversation and nice weather, we could do worse."

"And Lila's really great. You're a lucky guy."

"Thanks, I am. Kincaid seems really happy with you."

"I'm happy whenever I'm with him."

His tone and expression were sincere, "He's like the annoyingly handsome and charming little brother I never had. But I-I saw what Millie did to him. Please Sid, be good to him."

She wasn't expecting him to be so open and honest but she appreciated it. Sidney briefly touched his hand, "Don't worry Wallace, I am and I will."

He gave her a gracious grin then cleared his throat when Mark and Lila returned with the box of pastries in her hands. Rubbing his hands together he said, "Our guests of honor have finally arrived! Oh and Mark and Lila are also here."

Lila rolled her eyes before remarking, "You're so lucky that I love you, jackass."

"Aww, I love your pet names for me." He pecked her cheek and they shared a sweet smile.

With her dark hair pulled back in a black clip, Sidney's beautiful face on was display. Standing in the master bathroom, she finished applying a pale red shade of lip gloss on and rechecked her subtle eye makeup. She turned around making sure that there wasn't any lint or fur on the plum maxi dress she wore, it was spotless.

A deep breath came from Sidney, today was Elizabeth's (Mark's mother) birthday party and she was a bit nervous. She never got to meet Derek's parents and she only had a brief exchange with Billy's. The sound of Mark's voice caused her to jump.

"Sid, you look amazing," he walked into the bathroom and hugged her from behind, his hands stayed on her slim waist, "Don't be nervous, my parents are gonna love you."

"I-uh, I hope so. I don't have much experience with this kind of thing," she leaned into him and breathed in his sandalwood scent as her hands rested on top of his.

"I know they will, especially after the pastry tower you made for them."

She flashed a grin, "A croquembouche."

"Yeah, I'm going with pastry tower. My French accent sounds like that pervy cartoon skunk."

They both chuckled then left the bathroom with their hands clasped together.

In the sky, the California sun stood high as they drove to his parents' house. Mark told Sidney a few things about his parents. They're spiritual but not exactly religious despite being raised Catholic. His mother rebelled against her wealthy blue blood upbringing. Like Sidney, she has a major sweet tooth. His father (Jack) is a fan of fishing and shares that interest with Mark but he isn't into team sports. Once a year, he and Mark go on their annual father and son trip, this year they had gone to Las Vegas where they broke even. Both of his parents are active in progressive politics and social causes; they've been arrested at several protests. Earlier this year, they adopted a 6-month-old Chow Chow and Golden Retriever mix that they named Chomsky.

"Oh wow…" Sidney said once Mark pulled into the driveway.

"Yeah, this is where I grew up."

They slowly drove up to a large pale yellow Mediterranean style home with a dark red titled roof and stucco siding. The front yard was perfectly kept with a flower bed and low hedges. Although their home wasn't as large or as extravagant as John Milton's mansion, it was obvious how successful they had been in their industry. As soon as Mark, Sidney and Cherokee got out of his car, Elizabeth and Jack walked out of front door and moved towards the trio.

"Hello Darling!" Elizabeth happily embraced her son and then exchanged cheek kisses.

Jack saw Sidney holding the croquembouche and lightly gripped her shoulder, "It's a real pleasure meeting you Sidney; let me help you with that."

"The feeling's mutual but you really don't have to-"

"Oh I want to, pardon me. CLANCY I NEED YOU OUT HERE!" He hollered as he carefully took the croquembouche from her.

Elizabeth gave her a warm smile and touched her shoulder, "I love croquembouches! Sidney that looks marvelous!"

"Thanks Mrs. Kincaid, that means a lot to me," she graciously smiled.

"Oh you can call me Liz. Welcome to our home and I just love your dress! You look absolutely divine!"

Sidney nodded and said, "Thanks, so do you." She admired the light blue off the shoulder Bohemian style dress Elizabeth wore.

A dark haired waiter came running out the front door, "I'm here Mr. Kincaid-oh, I'll get that!" He then carefully took the dessert from Jack.

Once Elizabeth placed an arm around Sidney shoulders, "Come on, I'll give you a tour of our home and show you ALL of Mark's childhood photos!"

"Oh how great…" Mark sarcastically stated.

Sidney giggled, "I can't wait."

Once Elizabeth and Sidney were inside, Jack placed a hand on his son's back, "Son, she's a real looker."

"She is and she's a really incredible woman."

"Of course she is, why else would you spend all that time with her? Come on, I need your help with the grill."

"OK, come on Cherokee!" Mark called out and the obedient hound followed his lead.

The inside of the Kincaid home truly matched its owners' personalities with its openness, soft yet warm colors, dark wood furniture and overstuffed beige couches that looked so inviting. Elizabeth showed Sidney all four bedrooms; two of which used to be Mark and Melanie's childhood bedrooms. The last bedroom was a guest bedroom that had a blue monochromatic color theme. There were also two separate home offices that she insists had helped the longevity of their marriage.

After they returned to the first floor, they settled down in the living room where Elizabeth started showing her family photos.

"Wow, Mark was a string bean!" Sidney said with a scoff.

Laughing, Elizabeth replied, "Oh yes, he was a late bloomer."

"Liz, Jack, we're here!" Ros called out as she and her husband Keith walked into the room.

Elizabeth excitedly got up and embraced her sister-in-law, "Ros and Keith! I'm so thrilled that you're both here!"

"We wouldn't miss it," Keith said as he hugged her.

Ros walked over to her and held out her hand, "You must be Sidney; it's an honor meeting you."

She shook her hand, "I feel the same way. Mark has told me so much about you."

"Likewise. It's great to put a face to the name that I've been hearing so much about. Great dress!" she grinned, "Oh Liz, don't worry about Lani, she'll be here a little bit later."

"Well that's good to know, I love seeing my favorite niece! Now come, let's bring this party outside!" Elizabeth gestured to the back.

Keith politely introduced himself to Sidney during the short walk to the backyard.

In the enormous backyard there was a large inground pool, a pool house, two long tables filled with food, a bar that was a part of an outdoor kitchen and grill. The dining area was setup on the east side of the yard where waiters were still setting the tables. Music blasted from the pool house's outdoor stereo system as Jack and Mark were talking by the grill. Cherokee and Chomsky were playing by the latter's dog house, it was located on the west side of the yard and was fenced in.

Throughout the day, over two dozen guests arrived at the party including Wallace, Lila and Watson. The people Sidney had met were charming, kind, interesting, and genuine. She became more interested whenever she met someone who had known Mark in his youth or for most of his adult life. Meeting the people who are a part of his life, it made her understand how he came to be who he is and why he was winning her heart.

Large smiles came across her and Mark's faces when they saw how much Elizabeth loved the necklace. It was a silver rope chain with interlocking hearts that had been accented with his and Melanie's birthstones, aquamarine and rubies. There were tears of joy in Elizabeth's eyes as she hugged and kissed both of them.

After an eventful day, Mark was relieved to be back in his home with Sidney. He was in his bedroom when she knocked on his opened door. She was wearing her favorite red silk nightshirt.

"Care for some company?" There was a hint of smile on her lips.

"Always," he simply answered as his mouth curved upward.

They got into bed together with Sidney planting a sweet kiss on his lips. She rested her head on his chest where she then listened to his heart. His long fingers stroked her soft dark hair. With the volume on low, the light from the television shone their faces as they slowly fell asleep.

During breakfast, Mark said what neither one wanted to acknowledge.

"Sid, this is our last full day together.." He set down his coffee mug.

"…I know. Time to get back to real life, at least for me. The director at the crisis center has been really understanding, I shouldn't take advantage of her generosity." She took a bite of her scrambled eggs.

"It'll just be three days. I have to meet with my captain again, speak to the department's therapist and run some other errands. But then - we'll have the long weekend together."

"I can't wait…but how are we gonna make this last night count?"

A confident smile and tone came from him, "I have something special in mind. After I have lunch with Sophia and her fiance, I'll call you and I'll pick you up."

With her interest piqued, she slightly leaned forward, "Can I at least get a hint?"

"We're gonna see the stars." he gave her a spirited smirk.

In Mark's living room, Sidney sat on the sofa and placed gel insoles in the black strappy wedge heels that she planned to wear. She had just finished putting on the heels when he walked through the front door.

"Hey you, how was lunch with Sophia?" She asked as she stood up.

"It went really well, her fiancé, Steve, he's a great guy. How was your day?"

"It was fine, I bought some groceries that'll last you a few days and Cherokee was very excited to see that she was going to spend a few hours with Watson."

"That's good, she could use a friend."

Sidney stood up and slowly turned around, "So?"

He admired the chocolate colored dress she wore. It was sleeveless with a crew neck and a high waist. The sheath silhouette fitted Sidney well and the above the knee hemline displayed her toned legs.

"Stunning," planted a slow kiss on her mouth and felt her lightly grip his neck.

The pure joy he saw on her face warmed his heart. He had brought Sidney to his favorite movie theater where a marathon of Audrey Hepburn movies was currently being hosted. She told him that Ms. Hepburn had been one of her favorite actresses; it was during their first dinner alone together. After giving him a gracious kiss, she playfully dragged him into the theater. They watched Breakfast at Tiffany's and Sabrina before Mark took her to his favorite Korean restaurant.

Sidney head pulled slightly back once they pulled up to their next destination. They found themselves at The Griffith Observatory, just one hour after sunset.

"I told ya Sid, we were gonna see the stars," he gave her a smile before he opened the car door for her.

"You weren't wrong," she wore a half smile; "I've never been here before."

"I have and trust me, it's amazing," he held her hand and guided her inside.

Mark regaled her with his knowledge of astronomy; it should have surprised her but then she remembered seeing telescopes in his bedroom and in his childhood bedroom. There was such passion and love in his voice as he spoke of the moon, stars, planets and beyond. It made her feel closer and more enamored with him to see this new facet of his life.

When they went onto the observatory's Promenade Walkway, she shivered and he immediately placed his black blazer on her shoulders. She thanked him as they gazed at the luminous city before their eyes.

"It's only three days…but I'm gonna miss you, Sidney." He admitted as he cupped her face.

"I am too, but we're together now.." She leaned into him and enthusiastically accepted his passionate kiss.

Their minds both grasped onto each other's scent, taste and warmth, in hopes that it would hold them over until they were reunited.