"Vicki." He called softly. When she didn't look up, he pulled her face up so he could see her eyes. She fought it for a moment before giving in and looking at him.

"Vicki, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you…I just wanted to feel you hold me again." He trailed off as blush crept into his cheeks. Vicki had been working herself up to be mad at him, to try and slap him for that. But he had no idea how much that had scared her or her past. And when he told her that, she gave in completely.

"You j-….you what?" She looked confused. Timmy drew in a deep breath and wrapped his arms around the red haired woman who was still trembling before him.

"I'm sorry Vicki. I shouldn't have done that." Vicki snapped herself back to reality. She pushed him back a bit, just far enough so she could see him. He looked confused for a moment so she steeled herself up and did it.

She smacked his cheek. Here he was being so nice and she smacked him.

"Don't you ever dare do that to me again, you jerk."

Here she softened and jumped back into his arms. He was a bit apprehensive until he heard her voice in his ear.

"If you want me to hug or hold you, Twerp, all you have to do is ask."

Timmy felt his own lips curl up in a smile as she said that. He held her close before lifting her off the ground again. This time he didn't swing her around, he just held her. After a moment or two, he settled her back onto the ground and awkwardly released the hug. After a moment of pained silence, Timmy offered.

"So…still hungry?"

Vicki reviewed the rather empty park around her before looking back at him.

"Actually, I think I'd rather take a walk." She took a few steps onto the grass before looking back at him. "You coming?" He waited until she reached out a hand before grinning like a wild man and jumping over beside her. He grabbed her hand before she could pull it back.

"I thought you would never ask."

VXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVX

They spent the next hour strolling through the park updating one another on their lives. Apparently Timmy had actually been the smartest kid in not just his class but the school when he actually applied himself. That shocked and hurt AJ. But ultimately it hadn't mattered. Timmy got a full-ride to a state agricultural school and had then been off to Vet School in New York, at Cornell. He had managed to get a full-ride there as well which was no small feat. And he had taken an extra year to study not only small animals, such as cats and dogs and the more typical stuff you see in a vet clinic, but exotic animals as well. It had apparently worked out really well because not only did he get the spot at the vet clinic, but the Phoenix Zoo worked with him regularly for their animals.

Of course all of that was rather recent since he had just graduated from Cornell last May. Vicki listened to his tale intently and he did the same for hers. And she noticed that he never dropped their hands as they walked. It made her smile.

And after her story, which he thoroughly enjoyed, talk had turned back to the motorcycle. Timmy was still worried about it, even though Vicki was ready to let it go.

"I am really sorry about that Vicki. It was stupid and I should not have done it."

"Twerp, its fine, really. Just let it go."

"But I upset you that much. I can't do that. Not to you." Vicki let out a snort when he said that.

"And why not? I figured you'd be out to torture me after the way I treated you." Timmy didn't look at her when she said that. He mumbled something under his breath before offering another apology to her.

"Well, still, I'm sorry Vicki." Vicki let out an exasperated sigh.

"Timmy, there is really nothing to be sorry about. I've just had some bad times with motorcycles before." She stopped there. She couldn't believe she had said that out loud. She had never told anyone that ever. And she didn't want to. Motorcycles scared her for a number of reasons.

"Oh." It was all he said, but he apparently noticed her eyes starting to water again because Timmy finally dropped her hand in order to pull her into a hug. She let out a sniffle before going on.

"It's ok, really. It wasn't your fault." She paused, but then made the mistake of looking into his eyes. She couldn't stop. Those eyes made her want to tell him everything.

"It was one of my exes. He was the real bad boy type. You know the kind of guy I used to attract. Well still do in some ways." She noticed Timmy flinch at this. She hadn't meant him, but she didn't even know if he was attracted to her. So she went on. "Well, he was a real jack-ass. He would do things all the time to get me riled up, worked up, and pissed off. And it worked. He would do things like that on the motorcycle, just to get a reaction or a rise out of me." She felt her body tense, scared of where to go with this next. She really didn't want to say it, but one more look in Timmy' eyes and she suddenly felt safe. So she went on.

"Well it wasn't a healthy relationship as they say. He started beating me when we didn't do things how he wanted, and the tricks on the motorcycle got more aggressive. They went from making me angry to scaring me. And what's more, he wanted more physical stuff that I really didn't. So he forced himself on me. We went to a party one night and he did things I didn't want." She stopped and her breath hitched. Timmy pulled her close and when she looked up, she was sure she saw fire and rage in his eyes. It was something she had not expected from Timmy. Fighting back the tears at her memories, she went on.

"Once he got bored, I asked him to take me home. He was a real jerk about having to leave early, but finally relented. We got on the bike and went off. It was late and there weren't many cars around, so he decided to have some fun by scaring the shit out of me. He did what you did at a red light, but I didn't hold tight enough. He went too fast, to dangerous. The bike roared down and around a curve and I couldn't hold on. I got thrown off into a tree. And I was lucky as hell. It only broke two legs and shattered my hand. Cuts and bruises galore and a concussion. I fainted, thankfully, and woke up in a hospital. Never saw or heard from that dick again after that."

She looked up and saw a mix of sorrow and anger fighting in Timmy's face. She wasn't sure how to react, which Timmy saw, so he desperately pulled her into his embrace. And she felt safer than she had in years as he held her.

"I am so sorry Vicki. I was such a fool. Can you ever forgive me?" She felt him crying into her shoulder, offering her the power to walk away from him. She smiled. Even after all these years, he was still the same sweet twerp he had been when she watched him as a kid. She felt a shiver run down her body at the man he had become. And she knew she wanted him. So she reached up and pulled on his hair till her drew back enough for her to see into his eyes.

"I will forgive you as long as you warn me in the future so I can get a good grip on you first." Then she offered him a dangerous smile. "And as long as you still take me for lunch."