Author's Note:

Hi there!

Today I am excited to post my first multi-chapter fanfic. :) This is a RK flashback piece that takes place between 1950-1954 when Red leaves for Korea to when he returns and they get married in 1954. These dates are pure speculation based on small details given throughout the series. This story may not be everyone's cup of tea considering it is pre-series and strictly RK; however, I still encourage you to give it a chance. It is no secret that RK are my favorite characters from the show. I adore their relationship, and especially loved the few flashbacks the writers gave us throughout the series. I have always wondered about RK's relationship while Red was at war and since there are not very many fics out there based on this time I decided to write one myself. :)

As always I own nothing to do with That 70's Show...this is just for fun. :)

Enjoy!

August 1950

To any outsider, the young couple seemed to be on a typical date. Red picked Kitty up from her house earlier that evening. They grabbed a quick bite to eat, and then Red drove them to their favorite parking spot out by the edge of town. Normally, the couple would spend more time in town hanging out with their friends, but tonight was different. Red didn't want to share her with a crowd. It was their last night together and he was eager to get her alone.

A week ago, Red had broken the news to Kitty that he was leaving for Korea. The couple knew it was bound to happen, but they were hoping to have more time together. Kitty felt that Red had been acting slightly off since informing her of his inevitable departure. He was always a quiet one; however, his behavior the past few days had caused her some anxiety. Red kept his feelings hidden, and that made him difficult to read. On several occasions, she had tried to start a conversation about him leaving, but each time he was quick to change the topic.

Currently, the couple was snuggled together on the hood of his car. Red had not spoken much since leaving the diner. He seemed to be lost in his thoughts. Kitty had so much she wanted to say, but she didn't want to pressure him. She decided to be patient and wait for him to take the lead. In the meantime, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the closeness. She knew it would be months… possibly years before he would be able to hold her like this again. She felt herself getting teary eyed at the thought, so she pushed those feelings aside and tried to live in the moment.

Kitty heard a soft voice interrupting her thoughts. "Kitty, we need to talk."

She instantly felt her stomach drop. Kitty had spent the past week worrying that Red might break up with her. He needed to focus on the war so maybe he didn't want the distraction of a relationship. Maybe there was a reason why he had been acting different. He was trying to find the courage to break it off.

She looks up at him and smiles, even though her heart is breaking. "Red, I know what you are about to say… It's okay."

He gives her a look of confusion. There is a slight feeling of hope in her heart. Maybe she was wrong.

"It's okay? Kitty, please just listen to me. This is serious." He sits up while grabbing her hand to bring her upright with him.

Kitty looks down at their interlocked hands as she speaks. "I understand Red." Her voice cracks and, as much as she tries to hide it, there are tears in her eyes. She can't find the strength to make eye contact with him.

He squeezes her hand before he speaks.

"No, I don't think you do, sweetheart."

He pauses for a second, his confidence fading.

She is not used to this Red. He is usually so confident…so sure of himself.

Kitty is sure he is looking for the perfect words to let her down easy. She is continuing to look at their hands when suddenly he lets go and she feels gentle fingertips lifting her chin.

When their eyes meet, Red finds his voice. "I love you, Kitty."

Her eyes widen and she feels a wave of relief wash over her.

He notices her wide eyes and he worries that he's made a mistake…maybe she doesn't feel the same. He starts to ramble… "These past ten months have been the best of my life. We have had so much fun together. I just couldn't leave without telling you how much I care about you. You don't have to say anything back…"

She cuts him off before he even finishes his sentence. She is kissing him passionately, and she feels his arms wrap around her small frame. As much as she wants to continue the kiss, she has to pull away so she can say it back. As their lips part, she leans her forehead against his.

"I love you too."

He lets out a gruff sigh and smiles at her. She can tell he is relieved. How could he possibly think her reaction would be any different? She kisses him again for reassurance. When they finally pull apart, she snuggles into his side. They sit there in a comfortable silence, relieved to have their feelings out in the open. Of course, it had always been obvious that the couple cared for each other, but they had both been hesitant and nervous to break out the L word.

Eventually, Red is the one to break the silence. He has so much weighing on his mind. So much he wants to say to her. His fingertips are lightly grazing up and down her arm as he speaks.

"Kitty, I know this is selfish of me…I have no right to ask…"

He struggles with his words because he knows it is not fair to her. Kitty is so young and has her whole life ahead of her. He is aware that he is being selfish, but he just cannot help it. She is his girl. It breaks his heart to think about her ever being with someone else.

For the first time tonight she understands what he is trying to say. She interrupts him with a quick kiss and looks deep into his eyes.

"I'll wait."

Kitty has known that Red was the one for some time now. He was different than all of her past boyfriends. He was quiet and didn't express his emotions often. However, that made the times that he did even more special. Red was genuine. She would wait for him forever if she had to.

He interrupts her thoughts. "Kitty, it's going to be really hard. There is so much interest in you. If I'm not here to…" His insecurities are showing. He fears that another man will sweep her off her feet while he is gone, and he will not be around to stop it.

She gives his waist a gentle squeeze as she repeats herself. "I'll wait for you, Red."

Her words settle his insecurities. As much as he struggles to say the words at times, deep down, he knows that he will never love anyone as much as her…she is it for him. She has just promised to wait for him and that means more to him than anything. Now that everything is out in the open, he finds it a bit easier to tell her what he is feeling. She looks up at him with her beautiful blue eyes and it makes him not want to hold back anymore.

"I'm going to miss you so much, Kitty."

"I'm going to miss you, too." She chokes back a sob, and tears threaten to fall.

They smile at each other again as he tries to memorize every line and feature of her face for when he's gone. The image of her will keep him strong and motivate him to make it home alive. He can picture their future together so clearly; however, he cannot get passed the unfairness of the situation. As much as he doesn't want to think about it, there is always the possibility that he won't make it home. He doesn't want her to go through that heart ache. As much as it hurts, he gives her one more opportunity to bail.

Red's voice shakes slightly. "I want to make you so many promises, but I just can't without knowing what's going to happen…"

This past week, he had mulled over the thought of proposing to her. He wanted to promise that she would be his when he returned home…that they would get married and have a family together. In the end, he decided it would be best to wait until he returned. He didn't want the proposal to seem like an act of desperation.

"I don't want to talk like that, Red. Not when you're leaving tomorrow... "She pauses and takes a moment to understand what he is trying to do. "…you can't scare me away. I want to be with you Red…more than anything. I will wait however long it takes."

He can't help but smile at her words. "I want you to be the first person I see when I get home."

"I'll be there." She asks the next question with worry. "Will you have time to write?"

"Yes, but probably not right away." A small frown appears on Kitty's face. "Sometimes it takes a while to get where we are going." He spoke from personal experience. "…but as soon as I can, the first letter I write will be to you."

Her smile returns and he leans down to give her lingering kiss on her temple. The feeling of his lips on her feels so right that a thought pops into her head.

"Red, honey..." She hesitates for a moment, before looking up at him with flirty eyes. "I think I left something in the backseat." She jumps off the hood of the car and out of his embrace. "I think you should help me find it."

He chuckles slightly and smirks at her before grabbing her hand and jumping off the hood of the car as well. He knew exactly what she was getting at.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

The couple had lost track of how long they had been in the backseat of Red's car. All of the kissing and exploring caused them to get lost in each other and made them forget that their time together was limited. As of late, this was one of their favorite pastimes and neither could imagine spending their last night together any other way, especially after speaking those three little words to each other earlier.

In the beginning of their relationship, Red would hold her hand politely on their date and give her a quick kiss goodnight when he took her home. He was so much of a gentleman that it took a lot of convincing on Kitty's part for him to step it up a notch. They had been dating almost five months before they ventured into the backseat. Of course, they had been in this situation plenty of times recently, but Red was always sure to put a stop to things before they took it to the next level. Kitty had hoped that tonight would be different. It was their last night together and she wanted it to be special. She had always thought she would wait until she was married, but something about tonight felt right to her.

They continue kissing and Red felt Kitty move to straddle his lap. He always let her take the lead for fear of pushing things too far. He was surprised by her movement and even more surprised when she reached for his belt buckle. As much as he wanted to follow her lead, he couldn't help but remember that she said she wanted to wait.

Red quickly removed her hands and moved his mouth from her lips to her neck.

His voice was playful as he spoke and placed small kisses down her neck "Kitty…what are you doing?"

She giggled at him and let out a small moan as he kissed that spot on her neck that drove her crazy.

She reached for his belt again and this time began to unbuckle it. She almost succeeded in her quest until suddenly Red pulled back. She was getting him excited, and he was quickly approaching the point of no return. He looked deep into her eyes as they both tried to catch their breath.

"What's wrong? Why are we stopping?" She was almost frustrated.

"Kitty, you were about to take it past the stopping point there." He paused for a moment before continuing. "I thought you wanted to wait until we were married."

She smiled at him. In the past he had always said 'you.' Tonight was the first night he said 'we.' He was thinking of marrying her in the future and it made her want him even more.

"That was before tonight. It feels right don't you think, honey?" She leaned in and began kissing him again. She wasn't going to make this easy.

Of course it felt right. He wanted her more than anything, but he also knew how special it would be if they did wait until their wedding night. The thought of her being only his had an appeal that he couldn't deny. He also knew that if they did it tonight, only to be torn from each other tomorrow would be devastating for the both of them. He worried that she might regret her decision tomorrow, and he cared more about her feelings than his current needs. It was incredibly difficult, but he decided to put a stop to it. He chose his words carefully. He didn't want to upset her.

Red pulled away again "Sweetheart, I don't want you to regret tonight."

Kitty rolled her eyes at him and let out a small chuckle. "Red, it's our last night together for God knows how long. Can you please just stop thinking? Let's just live in the moment, honey."

She leaned in again, but this time Red's hand gently pushed her off of him. He sat up in the back seat of the car and put his feet on the floorboard. Kitty sat back against the door as far away from him as she could get. He had never pushed her off of him before. Red rubbed his face with his hand as they set in silence for a moment. Kitty couldn't hide the hurt expression on her face as she waited for him to speak.

"Kitty, you know I want you more than anything..."

She gave him a confused look. "Then what's the problem?"

"Deep down, you want to wait, Kitty. I respect you, and I can't bear the thought of taking advantage of you just because it's an emotional night."

Kitty's eyes started to water. She knew he was right. She nodded her head as she reached out for him and snuggled in to his chest. Kitty had tried to be tough for him because she didn't want him worrying about her. She wanted him to put all of his focus into staying alive so they could be together again. However, his sweetness brought all of her emotions to the surface. She could no longer stop the flow of tears as they began to run down her face.

Kitty's voice cracked as she spoke of what she feared most. "What if this is our only chance, Red?"

For the past week, she had experienced a reoccurring nightmare about him dying. She tried to push the negative thoughts into the back of her mind, but she couldn't help it. She tightened her grip on him as he tried to comfort her. She didn't want this night to end. She never wanted to let him go.

"That's why we should wait, Kitty." She looked up him as he softly grabbed her face and wiped her tears away. He knew she didn't want to talk about it, but they need to get it out in the open so they could both be at peace. "I don't want to take something so special away from you…especially if I don't make it home."

"Red…"

"If something happens to me, Kitty, you have to promise me that you will move on and be happy. I want you to be happy if…"

"Stop, Red…"

His voice cracked slightly, but he somehow found the strength to keep his emotions intact. "Promise me."

She reluctantly shook her head. She didn't want to imagine her life without him, but if this is what he needed to hear she wouldn't argue with him.

"Good." He leaned to brush his lips with hers then pulled her to him.

Red laid her head on his chest and softly ran his fingers through her hair. They snuggled together in silence for a while. They were both trying to hang on to what little time they had left together. Red would have to get her home soon. He had a big day tomorrow and she needed to be home by her curfew.

Kitty was the first to break the silence. "Oh, honey, I almost forgot." She let go of him and wiped her eyes. She reached up into the front seat of the car to grab her purse. She reached into the main pocket and pulled out a small thin present that was carefully wrapped. "Here." Kitty handed him they present as he gave her a smirk.

"Kitty…you shouldn't have spent your money on me."

"I didn't, really. Open it."

He carefully unwrapped the gift and gave her a grin when he saw what was inside.

"You look beautiful, sweetheart." Inside the package was a picture of Kitty. She looked absolutely stunning in that fur coat. As he took a closer look, he noticed that something about the picture was off.

"Kitty…are you…are you not wearing any clothes under that coat?"

She gave him a flirty giggle and responded. "Maybe…Maybe not…"

"Kitty, who took this?" He was now a little concerned about who was looking at his girlfriend half nude.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. It was Paula." She couldn't control her giggle. "It was her idea actually, too…for me to just be wearing the coat that is." She paused for a moment. He hadn't said anything since discovering she was half naked in the picture and now she feared that there was something wrong.

"You like it…don't you?"

"Oh, I love it Kitty. You look gorgeous. I was just worried about who had seen it that's all." He didn't have a picture of her so he was excited to have one to take with him now.

"I'm glad…just don't let any of your buddies see it okay? This picture's for your eyes only."

"Don't worry, sweetheart. If any of them saw this they would try to steal you away from me, and I would never let that happen." Red chuckled before giving her a small smile and reaching out for her face. "You surprise me all the time, you know that?"

Kitty crinkled her nose at him and leaned in for another kiss. They snuggled together and tried to enjoy their remaining moments together without worry or fear.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Red pulled up into the Sigurdson's driveway and killed the engine. He opened his car door and walked around to the passenger's side to open the door for Kitty. The couple held hands as they approached the steps to the front porch. Kitty turned to face Red and gently reached for this other hand as well. She looked down as the tears started welling up in her eyes again. This was the moment they had both been dreading.

There was a slight tug in Red's chest. He hated to see her cry. "Everything is going to be okay, Kitty." He tried to reassure her. Truthfully, he was trying to reassure himself too.

She nodded as she looked up at him; however, she was still unable to control the tears streaming down her cheeks.

Red let go of one hand and gently cupped her face while using his thumb to wipe way the tears on her cheek.

"I'm going to miss you so much."

Kitty let out a cross between a chuckle and a sob as she looked down at the ground. Red waited patiently until she looked back up at him again before continuing.

"When you feel lonely…" Red paused and cleared his throat. "…don't ever forget how much I love you…more than anything."

Red dropped his hand as Kitty leaned in to give him a teary kiss followed by the tightest embrace she had ever given him.

"I love you too, Red."

As much as she didn't want to, she let go and gave him another quick kiss before turning from him and running up the stairs of the porch. When she reached the screen door she looked back at him. Red gave her a smile as they took in their last sight of each other. Kitty returned his smile with a teary one of her own. It took all of her will power to open the door and disappear inside the house.

Red turned to walk back towards the car. He sat down in the driver's seat and turned the ignition. He felt sick as he laid his forehead against the steering wheel. He wasn't even out of the drive way yet and he was already homesick for her.

There was no way he was getting any sleep tonight.

To be continued…