I Said Date!
by Emily

Summary: Jessie and Katie's first date. Duh.
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Nothing is owned, only borrowed.

**********

"Hey, Jess?" Katie asked, somewhat apprehensively.

"Hey, what?" Jessie responded, not looking up from her homework, oblivious to her girlfriend's tone of voice.

"I was thinking," Katie began, growing more nervous, and cursing herself, because she never was this clumsy with talking.

"Were you?" Jessie teased, feigning surprise.

"Yes," Katie returned defensively, and Jessie finally noticed that whatever Katie wanted to say was making her agitated.

"Okay, what's up?" she asked gently, sliding off her bed to sit by Katie on the floor.

"Well, I was thinking…that maybe you'd like to do something tomorrow night? With me?" she suggested quietly, looking at the floor.

Jessie very nearly melted at how adorably shy Katie had become; it was so unlike her, and Jessie loved this new vulnerable side of the girl. However, she couldn't resist teasing her just a little more. "Why, Katherine, are you asking me out on a date?" she asked slyly, lifting Katie's head so she could see her face.

"Well, yes. I mean…you are my girlfriend. And we've been together for, like, three months, and you know, now that everyone knows about us, I thought…"

"Yes."

"Yes?"

"I'd love to go out with you."

"Oh, excellent," Katie beamed, visibly relieved. "God, I have no idea why that was so hard."

"It's cute when you get all shy," Jessie said fondly.

"I'm glad you appreciate it," Katie returned smartly, before leaning forward to kiss Jessie.

"And I'm glad you're glad," Jessie decided, smiling against Katie's lips.

**********

Katie was nervous, and she had no idea why. She had known this girl for almost a year, had been with her for three months, and now she was nervous. Plus, it was very unlike her to be nervous about anything, let alone a date with the girl she was in love with. But it was their first date, and first dates always seem bound to be awkward, even if the two people have known each other their entire lives.

So, as Katie stood outside the front door of Jessie's mother's house, she fidgeted. With her keys, with the bottom of her shirt, with her belt loops, with the white gardenia she held in the palm of her left hand—until she realized she'd probably end up ripping all the petals off and discontinued that nervous action. She was only outside for about thirty seconds before Karen answered the door, but to Katie it felt like seven years. "God! Chill, Singer," she berated herself. "It's a date. With Jessie. Jessie, the only person you've ever really felt comfortable around. So just….chill!"

"Hi, Katie," Karen greeted her warmly.

"Hi, Miz Sammler," Katie returned pleasantly.

"Bye, Mom!" Jessie said, breezing out the door before Karen had a chance to invite Katie in.

"In a hurry?" Karen questioned her daughter.

"Uhm, no," Jessie said, standing beside Katie and looking back at her mother.

Karen smiled. "Have a good time, girls. Home by midnight, Jess."

"Yes, Mom."

With that, the girls walked to Katie's car. "Oh, I got this for you," Katie said, remembering the gardenia.

"Oh, Katie, that's so sweet," Jessie said, smiling at the gift, as Katie deftly secured the flower in Jessie's hair, behind her ear.

Katie shrugged. "I figured I should do this date thing right."

"You're off to a really great start," Jessie said encouragingly, leaning over to kiss her girlfriend before climbing into the car. "So what did you have planned for this evening?"

"Well, I thought I'd take you to a movie, and then we could go out for coffee or something," Katie said, starting the car.

"Sounds good. What will we be seeing?"

"Your choice. There are several movies playing between the hours of seven and eight at the Cineplex; any one you want to see, I will gladly accompany you to."

"Even if I decide I wanna see Scooby Doo again?" Jessie asked, laughing.

"Even if you decide you wanna see Scooby Doo again," Katie confirmed, smiling.

They had already been to see that movie three times, once with Grace and Zoe, once with Tad and Russell, and once with Katie's younger cousins, Mary and Vicky, who had been in town visiting her family for a weekend. And the fact that they had seen this particular piece of brilliant cinema had absolutely nothing to do with the hotness that is Sarah Michelle Gellar. Absolutely nothing.

"So… Scooby Doo again?" Katie questioned, as they stood in front of the ticket window, looking at the list of movies, kind of hoping that the answer was no.

"Nah. Three times is enough," Jessie decided. "I pick Lilo and Stitch."

Katie choked back a laugh. "Really?" she said, unable to keep herself from smiling.

"Yes, really," Jessie said firmly. "It looks cute."

"Okay," Katie grinned, and at that moment, she lost all of the self-consciousness that was still floating around in her head. Just because this was their first date didn't mean there had to be pressure. Jessie wanted to go see a Disney movie for crying out loud—it would be just like every other time they'd gone out.

So Katie bought the tickets, delighted to see the way Jessie's face lit up when she said, "Two for Lilo and Stitch." It was a real date if she was paying for both of them.

"Popcorn? Soda? Candy?" Katie offered, as they walked into the lobby.

"I could go for some Swedish fish," Jessie decided.

"All right, one over-priced package of Swedish fish coming up," Katie said cheekily. "You wanna split a Coke?"

"Yeah, sure."

Katie went to purchase refreshments, while Jessie waited, trying her best not to be impatient. The movie was supposed to start in two minutes, though, and when Katie returned with soda and candy, Jessie was unconsciously tapping her foot. "Sorry to have kept you waiting, Princess," Katie teased, handing Jessie her fish.

"What? Oh, I just…the movie's starting," Jessie said, showing Katie her watch.

"Then let's go," Katie advised, taking Jessie's hand and heading into the theater.

"Oh, bleck," Jessie said, realizing that the preview for Disney's new movie The Country Bears, which they had seen three times already at Scooby Doo, was rolling as they entered the theater.

"Worst. Movie. Ever," Katie proclaimed, picking a row of seats.

"Ugh, and I just realized that the voice of that dumb bear is that little puke from The Sixth Sense."

"Aw, I liked that movie," Katie said.

"Mm-hmm, well, that part about the girl whose mother had poisoned her was interesting—almost made me cry," Jessie humored her. "But he's still a little puke."

"Give you that," Katie conceded. "That part always freaked me out, when she popped out from under the bed. Yeesh." She shuddered involuntarily just recalling it.

"You know what I really don't need to see another preview for? Stuart Little Two."

"One of many movies that never should have been sequeled," Katie said sagely.

"I whole-heartedly concur," Jessie agreed, as the preview for Stuart Little 2 inevitably appeared on the screen.

"This is what we get for going to see kids' movies, you know," Katie told her.

"I know," Jessie sighed. "I think this `ll be worth it, though."

"Yeah," Katie agreed, for her girlfriend's sake. Disney movies weren't really her bag, but she'd sit through anything for Jessie.

Fortunately, Lilo & Stitch was the furthest from some form of torture; it was actually quite enjoyable, even for Katie. [It really is an excellent movie; I don't care what anyone says. Y'all should see it.] Jessie absolutely adored the movie, and she was all happy and bubbly as they exited the theater, and it made Katie feel really great. It was rare that Jessie was ever this happy, and seeing her like this made Katie fall for her even further.

"So…coffee?" Katie offered, taking Jessie's hand as they headed to the car.

"Sure," Jessie said agreeably.

They drove to a nearby Starbucks, choosing to go there, because they both were having cravings for chocolate brownie frappuccinos [try one—they're excellent]. After ordering their drinks and securing themselves a table, they fell to discussing their favorite parts of the movie. Katie's was the surfing montage, while Jessie's was the very end, when Stitch figures out where he belongs.

"That would be your favorite part," Katie teased.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Jessie demanded, expressing the very best in mock indignation.

"You always go for the touching stuff," Katie replied, with a sly smile. "I mean, case in point, `I'm gonna plant three thousand trees a day and win a golden shovel for you' as your favorite part of that whole movie?"

"Well, yeah, that was cute," Jessie said defensively. "Plus, the rest of that movie was insanely depressing."

"Yeah," Katie agreed, nodding.

Suddenly, something small and hard hit Katie in the back of the head. "What the—?" she muttered, turning just as an ice cube landed on the table in front of her.

"Singer!" a voice crowed, and Katie turned to find her old pal Tad seated at a table behind them with one of his jock friends—Zach Grey.

"Throwing ice at me, Thaddeus?" Katie asked coolly, hoping the use of his full name would anger him at least a little.

"Thaddeus!?" Zach guffawed, and Tad shoved his shoulder.

"Just havin' a little fun, Katherine," Tad returned. "I wanted to share a piece of information with you."

"Well, I'm a little busy, dude," Katie said, growing irritated that Tad and his doof friend were cutting in on her date with Jessie.

"Come on; Sammler can share you," Tad said, moseying his oblivious self over to the girls' table, Zach his eager lackey following. "Zach and I totally just met somebody famous," he divulged, as he dragged a chair over from another table, placing it backwards before sitting in it, leaning his arms on the back, all Slater from Saved By the Bell style.

Only Jessie caught the look of death Katie was shooting her friend, as Zach pulled over another chair, setting it way too close to Katie for Jessie's taste. Both girls were irritated at the interruption of their date, and neither one wanted to actually take the bait and let Tad indulge in telling them his little story of how he and Zach met that guy who had tried to hit on Lucy Liu in Charlie's Angels—or whoever it was that they had met. But Katie knew it was the only way to make them leave.

"Who'd you meet, Tad?" Katie asked reluctantly, expressing the best in non-enthusiasm.

"Sam Rockwell," Tad said excitedly, while Katie's expression remained blank.

"I was right about the Charlie's Angels," Jessie muttered, and Tad and Katie turned to look at her, confused. "Sam Rockwell was the bad guy in Charlie's Angels," she told Katie.

"Oh. Which one?" Katie asked.

"The one who they didn't know was bad first," Jessie said. "The one who was in that movie with that girl and the guy from Happy Gilmore—he was the dad."

"Oh! Oh, yeah, yeah, that guy. You met that guy?" Katie asked curiously.

"Yeah. We saw him at the Seven-Eleven," Zach said. "Buying Cheerios."

"Cheerios. Fascinating," Katie sighed. "So d'you ask him all about getting to kiss Drew Barrymore?"

"Nah, no way. We asked him about the stunt stuff," Tad insisted.

"Like he even talked to you," Katie said, rolling her eyes. "I bet it wasn't even him. I bet you saw this guy at the Seven-Eleven buying cereal, and you said to each other, `Hey, he looks like that guy from Charlie's Angels,' and you didn't even talk to him."

"That is so untrue!" Zach and Tad protested.

"Whatever, guys," Katie said, bored. "Jessie and I were kind of in the middle of something, so if you wouldn't mind…"

"We get it; we get it. I gotta go pick up Rocky anyway," Zach said. "Sorry to bust in on your date, Singer, Jessie."

"We forgive you, Zach," Jessie said generously. She liked Zach. He wasn't as big of a clod as Tad was, though he had his moments.

"I'll let you know later if we forgive you, Thaddeus," Katie said, and Tad scowled at her.

"So where is your sister anyway?" he asked Zach, as they left.

They were out of hearing range before Zach gave his answer, and both girls breathed a sigh of relief. "Sorry about that," Katie said, rolling her eyes. "No matter how hard I try to train him, he never learns."

"Tad is like a big puppy, isn't he?" Jessie asked, eyes gleaming. "S'not your fault anyway. I mean, you didn't say, `Hey, I wish somebody would throw coffee-covered ice cubes at my head.'"

"Maybe I actually did, in a language only Tad understands," Katie suggested, and Jessie laughed, rolling her eyes at her girlfriend's weirdness.

"Interesting thought, Katie."

"Okay, so enough with Tad. You wanna go?"

"Sure."

They got up, throwing their drinks away, and headed to the car holding hands. "Jessie?" a voice called from their left, and both girls turned to see who had spoken.

"Oh, hi, Lily," Jessie said, spotting her stepmother.

"I thought that was you. Hello, Katie."

"Hi, Mrs. Sammler."

"What're you girls up to?"

"Oh, we were just getting coffees," Jessie said amiably.

Lily nodded. "Well, see you later."

"Yup. Bye, Lily."

"See ya, Mrs. Sammler."

"God, how many people are we gonna run into before the night is over?" Jessie moaned, climbing into the car.

"Well, I know of a little place where we can be alone," Katie said mischievously, as she started the car.

"I knew there was a reason I wore the black lace bra," Jessie remarked, just to see what Katie's reaction would be.

Much to her amusement, Katie's eyes practically dropped out of their sockets, as her face flushed a deep red. "Black…lace bra?" she gulped, and it took every ounce of strength for Jessie to keep from busting up laughing.

"Aw, I'm such a tease. Sorry, honey," Jessie said, leaning over to kiss Katie's pouting lips. "I don't own any lace underwear."

Finally, Katie remembered to breathe. "Well, that was just mean."

"Plus, with my luck, we'll see Grace at whatever secluded area you wanted to drive to for making out purposes."

"Ick, Grace? With who?"

"Oh, I dunno. Her dream man, Brad Renfro?"

"Don't you mean, `her dream man, August Dimitri'?"

"Katie," Jessie admonished, but she couldn't help giggling. "That's cruel."

"I know; I'm awful."

"Well, it's too early to take me home. Where is this place you had in mind?" Jessie asked playfully.

"It's, uh, you know that park? On Greeley Street," Katie said, suddenly nervous again. "There's a spot out in the woods…"

"Well, I'm up for it if you are."

"Okay. I just…I mean, it's just making out right?" Katie stammered.

"Sure," Jessie said gently, to assuage Katie's apprehension over the fact that she might be expecting something more.

"Okay, then, no objections here," Katie said, eagerly driving over to Greeley St.

For an hour, the two girls sat in the back of Katie's Explorer, kissing, touching, caressing, both perfectly content and immensely happy that they had found themselves an interruptions-free zone. Every time Katie felt Jessie's lips against hers, she felt herself falling harder and harder for this girl, and as she fell, she began to worry less and less about the control she was relinquishing in falling that far. Jessie made her feel loved, wanted, needed, and Katie had never gotten that from anyone else; there was no way she'd ever give that feeling up.

Whenever Katie touched her, Jessie felt life surging through her veins, and it was the most intoxicating feeling. Kissing this girl always left her completely inebriated, and as she spent more and more time with Katie, she began to realize why. Katie was the first person who had made Jessie feel comfortable—really and truly comfortable. There were no pretenses, no games with Katie, and it was so relaxing, so comforting. There was no way she'd ever give that feeling up.

"Hey, beautiful, I hate to cut this short—and I mean hate in the fullest sense of the word—but if I don't get you home before midnight I doubt very much your mom will let me see you for a while," Katie said, reluctantly breaking away from the girl in her arms.

"Yeah," Jessie agreed, sighing.

They disentangled themselves from each other and returned to the front of the car, buckling seatbelts before Katie turned the car towards Jessie's mom's house. When they arrived at Karen's, Katie walked Jessie to the door, intent on stealing one last kiss before the night ended.

"I had a wonderful time," Jessie told her softly. "I especially enjoyed the last hour or so."

Katie grinned. "Me too. You know, I may be a bit biased, but I have to say that this may have been the best first date ever in the history of the world."

"I think I may have to agree."

"Well, g'night, Jess," Katie said.

"'Night, Katie."

With that, Katie leaned in for her kiss. And she didn't even have to steal it.