(A/N: So Kitty has returned, and Dudley is happier than we've seen him in this story! Let's see how things are going now.)
It had been 2 weeks since Kitty returned to Petropolis, and her job at T.U.F.F. Never had Dudley been so happy. But it also made him reluctant to leave Kitty's side. And even though Kitty noticed, she didn't mind. She knew that Dudley had really missed her.
Also, Dudley and Kitty greeted each other with a hug each day. They also hugged each other before heading home at the end of every day.
One day, while they were on break, Dudley realized that there was something he hadn't done yet. It was something he wanted to do ever since she got engaged, but he hadn't been able to. Now was as good a time as any to do it.
"Kitty, I have something I need to say." Dudley began.
"What is it, Dudley?" Kitty asked.
"I'm really sorry for all the times I did you wrong. I never meant to hurt you or make you angry or anything like that." Dudley said.
"It's okay, Dudley. I forgave you a long time ago." Kitty said.
"You did?" Dudley asked.
"Yup." Kitty replied with a smile.
"Even after I destroyed your life savings? I never meant to do that, and I promise I'll pay you back as soon as I can." Dudley said.
"Dudley, it's been taken care of. When Eric and I were getting divorced, I sold the clothes and jewelry he gave me, and I got all that money back. So don't worry about it, okay?" Kitty told him.
"Okay." Dudley said. Then he added, "I'm also really sorry about Halloween, when I kept calling you a black cat, even though anyone can see that you're tan. I also apologize for refusing to give up the candy to the zombies when they had us cornered in the (empty) Candy Reserve."
"Dudley, it's water under the bridge. Forgiven and forgotten." Kitty assured him. She added, "I also remember that time you said you wouldn't want to have anyone but me as a partner."
"And I meant it. I wasn't lying about that, even though I lied about other things, and I'm sorry for having done so." Dudley said.
"And I'm sorry for the times I wronged you. Like that time I ate your candy bar without asking you first. I shouldn't have done that." Kitty said.
"You apologized for that already. And I forgave you for it. But I think you deserved it, since I ate things that belonged to you before that time." Dudley said.
"You were forgiven for those times. Including the times you were blaming me for things that were entirely your fault. Heck, I even forgave you for using a spritzer bottle on me when you were trying to help me relax. I wasn't even trying to relax, and I apologize for being so difficult. But I'm really sorry for almost letting you, Keswick, and the Chief die when the Chameleon turned himself into a spritzer bottle." Kitty said.
"You overcame your fear, though." Dudley said.
"'Cause if I let you die, I'd never forgive myself. Ever." Kitty told him, thinking back to the dream she had. She'd felt awful when she'd gotten the bad news about Dudley.
"You really mean that?" Dudley asked.
"You're more than my partner, Dudley. You're my best friend. If anything happened to you, I'd probably go out of my mind." Kitty told him, meaning every word as she gave him a hug.
"I feel the same way, Kitty." Dudley replied, returning the hug.
Their closeness didn't go unnoticed by Bruce and Katrina.
"I haven't seen Dudley this close to anyone before. He wasn't this close with Becky and Daisy when he was seeing them." Bruce pointed out to Katrina.
"You know what they say, Bruce: absence makes the heart grow fonder." Katrina reminded him.
"I know, but I didn't know it was that fond. Then again, Dudley has a pretty big heart, and he felt really bad about the times he did Kitty wrong." Bruce said.
"Yeah, I think by spending all this time with her, he's trying to show her how sorry he is for the bad times in the past." Katrina said. Then she said, "Then again, I noticed that Kitty hasn't tried to push Dudley away from her. And she did ask about him when she called me for the first time since the wedding."
"She did?" Bruce asked.
"Yeah. One would've assumed that she had developed feelings for him, in spite of the fact that she was a 'supposedly happily' married woman, but judging by how much Dudley missed her, I'd say he's the one with the feelings." said Katrina.
"That's true. He was really upset about Kitty leaving when she got engaged. But with Kitty letting him stay close to her, I'd say that she feels the same way." Bruce said.
"Only time will tell, Bruce. 'Cause there's no way they're going to tell us anytime soon." Katrina said.
Yes, time will tell, and it should be soon. But we learn that Dudley was forgiven for the times he wronged Kitty in the past. And Kitty even apologized for one of the times she did him wrong. That's a hint of DudleyXKitty, even if it's very small. Stay tuned for more hints!