"Really, Amelia, the children will be fine," Dr. Doppler said, trying to smooth his wife's ruffled fur. "Maybelline has watched them for us before, and they were right as rain when we got back."

Amelia shot him a glare across the table. "Maybelline is an irrational, half-witted, shallow excuse for a Geordian."

Ms. Hawkins sighed, catching the end of their conversation, and brought over their food. "I've told you; I wouldn't mind watching them for you now and again."

"Don't be ridiculous, dear," Amelia reprimanded her with a smile. "You have an inn to run."

"Well, then," Ms. Hawkins said, sitting down, "Jim could watch them, now that he's on summer holiday. Wouldn't you, Jim?"

A young man with broad shoulders, a deeper voice, and the same blue eyes brought over two more plates of food and sat down beside his mother with a smile. "It'd be no problem, Doc, Miz Doppler."

Amelia gave him a smile over her plate of tuna and riah pasta. "Thank you, Jim."

"So," Doppler said, fanning the odor of his food towards his nose in his usual pre-eating ritual, "Have you found a college to attend yet?"

"I'm still looking, Doc," Jim replied, leaning back casually. "I've got a good idea of where I want to apply, though."

"He'll get in wherever he wants," Ms. Hawkins said fondly, reaching up to ruffle her son's hair. "His grades practically guarantee acceptance."

"That doesn't surprise me a bit," Amelia laughed.

The four were interrupted by a soft knocking at the door.

"I'll get it," Jim offered, placing a hand on his mother's arm to prevent her from getting up, and headed into the living room.

He peeked out the peep-hole, but the evening masked all but a general outline of the figure in the entryway. He shrugged and opened the door.

Hazel eyes – once green – met blue, and widened.

"…Jim?"

Jim took an involuntary step backwards, stunned into silence. For almost a minute, the two just stared at each other. Jim blinked, and finally spoke in a flat deadpan.

"…Kim."

It was as if the world had gone deaf. The three adults at the table looked towards the doorway instantaneously. Ms. Hawkins rose and practically flew to her son's side, a smile spreading across her face. "Kim, dear! Please, come in!"

"Thank you," the young woman said softly, walking into the Inn. With a graceful swirl, she hung up her cloak on the hook. When she turned around again, her visual hit Jim like a blast from a laser cannon.

It was the same curly brown hair, perhaps a bit shorter. The simple blouse and pants she wore nicely accented a curvier, more toned body than he remembered. Her face was longer, and her eyes had morphed into a hazel, still green, but with brown in them, too.

He was torn between hating her and wanting to hug her.

"Kim…" he exhaled again.

A small smile spread across her face for the first time. "No…I go by 'Kimberly' now," she corrected him softly.

The smile didn't reach Jim's face, though. "I'll bring out some water," he replied with the same, horribly flat voice, and turned his back on her, striding to the kitchen.

Kimberly let her eyes drop in shame. She knew he'd react this way, and she honestly couldn't blame him. Ms. Hawkins put a hand on her shoulder. "Come sit, dear. Tell us what happened."

Bless her, Kimberly thought, walking with the matron back to the dinner table. The Dopplers stifled expressions of surprise, assuming – correctly – that Kimberly would explain herself.

Ms. Hawkins sat Kimberly between herself and Amelia. Jim returned, his face wiped of emotion, and set down a glass of water in front of his old friend. Then he sat next to his mother, and waited to have his waiting explained.

Kimberly took a breath, then looked up and locked eyes with Jim. "…I'm sorry." She looked around the table. "I owe all of you an apology…and I can explain."

A pause.

Amelia spoke up. "Go ahead," she encouraged her, surprisingly sincere.

Kimberly nodded with a grateful smile and continued.

"Halfway through the night, I heard this 'pop' and when I opened my eyes, I was home." She held up a hand as Jim started angrily. "Not at the Jedi Academy. I mean…my own home. My house…and my family…" She looked over at him, jaw set. "I haven't heard from the Academy any more than you have. So don't you DARE assume that I forgot about you."

There was much more fire in her than he remembered.

She continued. "I grew up." Shaking her head with a self-chiding smile, she explained, "I lived the life I would have lived if I'd never met any of you. I went to a military academy, and graduated High School…and…if I'm honest…I forgot." Kimberly wanted to look at the table so badly – it wasn't going to glare at her – but she kept her chin high and her back straight. "Then, a few days ago, I ran across my old diary.

And I remembered.

I suppose that was all it took. I heard the same popping noise and found myself at the Montressor spaceport. I hitchhiked over here…because I knew I owed you all an explanation.

And here I am."

Jim's head was in a daze, though each of her words rang through like a bell.

She hadn't willfully left him behind.

She'd been looking for him.

And he could barely remember the sound of her voice.

This girl – no, this woman – was a stranger to him. Two years had changed both of them into new people. He could still see the Kim he'd known, but Kimberly…she was downright intimidating. What if she didn't want to get to know him again? She'd obviously moved on with life, as he had; what if this was the last goodbye?

Jim needed to think. He stood, turned his back on Kimberly, and walked out for a long sit on the roof. But he could feel her eyes on him as he left.

Let her wait to talk to him. He'd definitely waited long enough to see her.

They were two different people now. Two years of what could have been had been lost. Only more time would let them reconnect.

But not tonight. Not right away. First, he needed to convince himself all this was real.

Watching the door close, Kim felt the same way.