One Last Kiss Good Bye

by Silver Winged ShininoTenshi

Nine years ago his true love left him. Now she's back and old feelings are coming back. Can they both deny or will they fall into the trap of an old love for the One Last Kiss.

Lin-Chan: Hey peoples!!! Ok, this is an attempt at a one shot fic, K? Sorry if it's not good or turns out sorta long… most of my one shots are really short and FUNNY. This isn't really a funny one, but it might have a few moments… it prob`ly will actually.

Sin: **Sitting in chair with notebook in hand. Looks at Lin.** Hmmm… Still need a life, huh?

Lin-Chan: -__- Yes, I do.

Sin: Ah… **Picks up Rottweir with tail not cut off** Ok, go on. I'll be quiet. **Pets puppy's head**

Lin-Chan: Ok! First, I don't' own Matt. Bandai Animation and a bunch of other places do… I do own Sin & Ant! My friend owns Roma though… you'll figure out who I own and who I don't. My friend might own some, but that's Ok. Ok… I think that's all… Here we go!

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One Last Kiss

She kissed him. Her long, purple hair went around them like a cloak. She was very tall for a girl, and he was tall for a guy, at seven foot. He slipped his arms around her and pulled her close. Her hair was soft and smelled like wild flowers. "I love you." he whispers between small breaths.

A look of hurt shoot through her eyes. "Matt, I wish you hadn't said that. Don't get me wrong, I really love you. I love you so much it hurts. Why are you making this so hard?"

"What's wrong?" he asked, fear creeping over his body. "Did someone hurt you? I swear if they hurt you-"

"No. No one hurt me. Kami, this is hard." She looked away from him and stared at a spot on the ground. "A lot of the time, love is blind. I know I'm goin' all adult here but… sometimes it isn't. You know what I mean?" She sighed "There's no nice way to put this." A tear ran down her cheek. "I'm sorry. Matt, we've grown up. It's time we get our own lives."

At that point Matt didn't get it. Sometimes it takes him a bit to catch on, and he hated it. "We could move out of our parents home." Matt offered. "Into an apartment."

"That's not what I'm saying. Damn. Matt I'm moving next week. Away from Joe, my parents, everyone. I need my freedom. I'm 19."

"Where we movin' to?"

"Not we, me. I'm happy you want to come, really I am, but I can't let you. You have to finish out your last year of high school, then college. I'm prob`ly never gonna amount to anything. You've already got your singing."

Matt started to shake in fear of the realization. "No. No… I'm not hearing you right. Tell me we're not breaking up. Please, tell me that's not what you're saying. I'd rather die then hear that. Tell me I'm wrong."

The tears ran freely now. "I'm sorry. I don't want to but I have to. Besides, someone like you can get a new girlfriend fast. You'll have so many you'll hardly notice I'm not around. I'll drop you a line sometime." She smiled. "It'll be in silver envelope. Maybe we can talk, huh?"

"Sin, I-" He touched her shoulder. "What'd I do? I can change it."

"You didn't do anything. It's just something I have to do. I want to start over, ya know? I can't do that if I know you're around. I don't want to hurt you… but if you don't want me to, tell me. I'll stay if that's really what you want."

Matt holds the tears in. "No. I… I want you to be happy. That's all I want. If that means breaking up then… it's ok with me." As hard as Matt tried to hold tears in they came out. Quickly he wipes his eyes, not wanting her to see him cry. "Just let me have one last kiss… and maybe a date."

She smiles slightly and nods. "Sure thing." She leans into him and brushes her soft lips against his for their last kiss.

Matt sits up with a start. Sweat runs down his face. He stares around the dark room, expecting to see something that's not there. "Just a dream." He growls through gasps for air.

He gets out of bed and walks into the kitchen. It takes him about eight minutes to get there. When he's there he gets into his fridge and pulls out a Vanilla Coke. As he's drinking it he looks at a clock. "7:19..." He mumbles sitting the coke down. "Wonder if Ant's up… I gotta talk to someone."

After a moment's protest with himself he goes into his living room and picks up the phone. He dials a number. He listens to its rings. "Yello!" Comes a cheery voice from the other end. "Anthony Ishida, what do I owe this early morning call?"

Matt smiles slightly. "Why are you so cheery, Ant?"

"Oh, hey Matt. What's up?" After a pause, "Why ya callin' so early?"

"Can't sleep. Why are you up an' so happy already?"

"How can I not be happy? I'm Ant! Really, what's wrong?"

Matt sighs. "I'm not sure. I keep havin' this dream… no, nightmare. I've had it off an' on for about two months."

"Ouch. What is it?"

Matt bites his lip. "It was just terrible. It may not seem like that to a lot of people but it kills me."

"What is?"

"Remember the day Sin left town?"

"When she left or when she broke up with you?"

Matt closes his eyes and a single tear runs down his cheek. "When we broke up. It just keeps happening. It's like the divorce all over again, but worse."

"Yeah… but our parents got back together."

"Which is why it's worse. Me an' Sin never did… and prob`ly never will."

"I'm sorry." Ant said. "Anyway I can help? Oh, I got some s'more brownies here, want me to bring ya some?"

Matt thinks for a second. "Sure, why not."

"Kay. I'll drop `em off at about noon or so. That Ok?"

"Yeah… Think you can stay for awhile?"

There's a pause on the other end. "Sure thing. As long as you want me to."

"Do you have something you have to do?"

"Nah… just some deadbeat job. I'm tryin' to get `em to fire me, but they won't. Go figure."

Matt chuckles. "Why ya wanna get fired?"

"Cuz, unlike you, I don't enjoy my job. I'm stuck behind a desk in a cubicle for most of the day. It's Hell with florescent lighting."

"Really? Maybe you should go back to college and finish your degree for psychology."

Ant laughs. "There's an idea! But I already have a family, and that'd be sorta hard. You know, holdin' down a job, goin' back to college and bein' here too… that'd also hurt budget."

"Save a bit. You don't even have half the courses to finish. You can go to night school, can't ya?"

"Oh, yeah, and all the sleep I'd lose?"

"During your deadbeat job?"

"That I could do… I gotta go. Later bro… the coffee's wailing, and my tea's screamin'. See ya at noon."

"Later."

"And Matt,"

"Yeah?"

"Try an' get some more sleep."

"You kiddin'? I just loaded up on coke."

"I'll bring ya some sleepin' pills too."

"You have those?"

"Need `em. Can't sleep other wise. Later." Then the phone clicks off.

Matt stares at the cordless in his hand. "Later. Love ya." he whispered. He put the phone back down to charge. With a sigh he flopped down on the couch grabbed the remote and started watching the Acme Hour, because the news depresses him too easily and he doesn't need to be depressed.

There's a knock on the door. Matt jerks his head up from his sleep. "Time? Who the hell woke me up at 8:00?" He searches for his clock. "12:10?! Aww, shit!" He jumps off the couch and to the door. Quickly he runs his fingers through his hair and cracks the door open a bit. "Hello?"

"Hi." Comes Ant's voice. "Where ya been? I considered goin' home. I brought you your mail, brownies, and some sleeping pills. I didn't wanna bring you many of those though…"

"Oh…" Matt smiles. "It's just you." He opens the door farther. "Come on in."

Ant does. "You didn't get lots of fanmail today. Who sends letters in a silver envelope? I didn't look cause it's illegal to tamper with the mail."

"Silver? Who'd do that? It'd stick out so much more then a pink one. And they make those? Someone went out of their- Sin! Gimme!" He grabbed the mail from Ant's hands and picked out the silver envelope and tossed the rest onto a table. "She finally wrote me. Bout time! Thanks Ant." He walks through the house back into his living room, opening the envelope.

"Uh… sure thing…" The black haired one says, sitting the tin and bottle down and then following Matt.

Matt sat down on the couch then pulled out the letter. Ant sat down on a chair. Matt's eyes flew over the letter. "What's it say?" Ant asks all of a sudden.

"Dear Matt,

Hey! Long time no talk. Sorry I didn't send you this sooner but I couldn't bare the thought of sending you something that I didn't mean. Damn, I must have started thousands of letters. They all said something about 'I love you', 'I miss you', other things. Things that aren't appropriate for letters for most of them. Scary thing is I meant every word I said in them, but I couldn't send them because nothing's like it use to be.

So, tell me, how's life goin'? I'm not talking about with singing though. I know all about that. Have a girlfriend? Shit… why'd I ask that stupid question? Why wouldn't you, I mean… any girl in her right mind would want you. They all crave your body. Oh… god damn it! I'm making a bonafied idiot of myself. I do this all the time. Shit… Why in the hell am I going on like this?

Hey, is Ant still a nut? Is everyone Okay? I haven't heard from them in Kami… how long? 19, 28... Nine years. Damn, that's a long time, ain't it? Out of everyone I missed you the most. Bitch… why'd I say that? So stupid… there I go again! Rambling on. And all this time I thought letters were suppose to be easier to do then face to face, or on the phone. Not true. This would be so much easier on the phone, but it's not hooked up yet. Not until the 27th. Hey, after then maybe you can give me a call. Or I'd call you. Somethin' like that. You might need my number, right? Ok, it's 415-2458. I'm getting called upon now. If I don't have the nerve to mail this, which I prob`ly won't, I love you, damn it, I love you. If I have the nerve, give me a call sometime. We can catch up.

Still in Love,

Sin"

Ant blinks. "I think she has issues. But hey, she wrote ya a letter, that's good, right?"

Matt laughs. "I think you're right, on both accounts." He folds the letter back up. He smells the faint scent of wildflowers and smiles. "She has to be mostly stable though. Wonder what she looks like."

"Prob`ly just as pretty as always. She couldn't have gotten shorter, could she?"

"No… but her hair could have."

"Her hair? Are you kidding? You know better then anyone she'd never cut that long hair. It seemed to physically hurt her." Ant laughed.

Matt laughed a bit too. "That's true. What's today?"

"The 21st. Gonna call her?"

"Maybe. Think I should?"

"When her phones workin', Hell yeah!"

"Thanks. Want somethin' to eat?"

"Nah, thanks for askin' though."

"Well, I'm hungry. But not terribly." He picks the silver envelope up and carefully slips the letter into it. "If you want you can leave now."

"Do you want me to?"

"I don't care."

After a skeptical look Ant sighs. "I should leave. Later, Matt. The brownies and pills are on that table next to the rest of your mail." Then Ant stood up.

"Kay. Later."

"Later, Matt. Oh, hey, write back to her. Tell her you love her too. Maybe, just maybe, she'll come back and…" He gave Matt a knowing look. "Maybe." Then the black haired one walked away.

Matt heard the door close. Then he started to cry. "Sin… Sin… I love you, Sin. God, I don't know… Why in the hell am I talking to myself?" He brought his hand up and punched his couch. "Paper. I need paper. Where's the god damn address on this envelope?" he asks looking over the silver envelope. "Ah ha!" He explains, staring at the gold writing.

Then he lays the envelope down and starts searching around for some paper and a pen. When he finds them he goes to back to the living room and sits down to write the letter.

About thirty minutes he had a letter. He'd found it very hard to write and had started about ten of them, that's why he'd gotten lots of paper. He just happened to have a lot of paper because he wrote a lot of his own songs.

His letter went something like this:

Dear Sin,

Hey! It has been along time, and there hasn't been a day I didn't think about you. What have you done with yourself? What do you look like, huh? Still got your long hair or did you cut it? Hate to sound rude but have ya gained any weight? Hope you haven't lost any, that'd be really bad. Hey, it's Ok about the letter. I'm sure you've been busy.

Hey, my life's fine! Ummm… no, I don't have a girlfriend. We broke up awhile ago. Oh, so you know about my career? God, who doesn't, right? Thanks for pointing out that girls crave my body. I wasn't totally aware of that. Are you one of them? Oh, damn. Why'd I ask that, huh? I'm sure you've got a boyfriend. You were always beautiful, even when I was too young to realize it. But we had a lot of good years together. Lots of fun, right? Fun…

Yea, Ant's still a nut, but now he has a family. He married Roma and has four kids. Two of `em twins. He hates it cause one of those look identical to me. The other looks like me, with red hair. But the other two look just like him. So much it's scary, especially since they're both girls. Everyone else is Ok. Sam and Joe got there degrees and now they're doctors. Sam got married to Tai and their first set of kids were quints. Damn, she was mad about that. Stupid question but, have you developed slight issues? No offense! But you didn't use to ramble, about anything. You wanna get together and go out sometime? Kinda like a date?

You love me? Really? Thanks, thanks a lot. That means a lot to me. Coming from you it means the world. Hell, I love you too! Jesus, you have no idea how many times I've dreamed of you. Maybe I shouldn't have told you that, huh? Oh wait, you had the nerve to send it… yeah, I just asked you out! Why don't we get together and talk! We make an awesome couple and you know it.

Love,

Matt

He stares down at the letter rereading it, seeing if it sounds Ok. He decides it sounds as stupid to him as hers did to her. He shrugs. "Where are the damn envelopes?" He gets back up and starts to look for them. After he finds them he slips the letter in and seals it. Then he sticks a stamp on it and lays it on a table to be mailed the next day.

A week passed by. To Matt it seemed to barely move. "Sin's phone should be installed by now." He says to himself, petting the huge black cat in his lap. "What do you think, Cutie? Should I call her? Could something have happened to her? She never answered my letter, and its been gone long enough to be delivered by now."

The cat purrs and rubs against him in affection. Then it looks up at him and meows.

"That doesn't tell me anything." Matt told it.

Then it did something Matt had never heard before; it hissed at him.

"Is that a yes?" he asks. The cat starts rubbing against him and purring again. "Ok… my life is ran by a cat. I can live with that. Where's the phone, huh?" The cat jumped off his lap and ran through the house. "Dimwitted cat." Matt muttered. A few minutes later the cat came back with a cordless flip phone. "Were you callin' your friends again?" Matt asked. The cat gives him a confused look, then jumps back into his lap. Matt picks the phone up. "Ok, I'll call her, but she may not pick up the phone." The cat just curls up.

With a sigh Matt flips open the phone. "What was her number again? Oh, right. 415-2458." He says while dialing. "One ring… two ring… three ring..-"

"Hello?" Comes a soft, somewhat lazy voice from the other end.

"Hello." Matt says in a shaky voice. "Is Sinthia there? Sinthia Kido?"

"Talking."

"Sin?" He asks, spirits leaping. "Hey! It's Matt."

There's a pause on the other end. "Really? Hi! It's nice to hear from you."

"It's good just to hear your voice again. Did you get my letter?"

"Letter? Oh… yeah."

"Is it a date then?"

"Matt, it's been great talking to you but I have to leave. I was just on my way out the door when you called. I'm going out for lunch with Mitch, and he doesn't want to be late. Is that Ok? I can stay if you want me to. I can talk… I guess. I'm willing to break a date."

Matt's heart started to crumble. "Mitch? Is he your boyfriend?"

"Umm… sorta. He's my fiancée."

Matt could feel all his hopes and dreams start to crash into the ground again. "You can go. I can call again sometime." His voice was cracking now.

"Thanks." She said. "I'm free all next week if you want to talk."

"Sinthia! Are you coming or not?" Matt hears in the backround.

"I'm coming in few minutes!" he heard her shout back. "I'm on the phone!"

"Make it fast!"

He hears her growl. "I will!" Then she got back on the phone. "Thanks for letting me go, Matt. I could kiss you. Love. Bye."

"Bye." Then there's a click. "She's engaged." He stuttered, laying his phone on the table next to him. "Engaged." He starts stroking the cat. "How can she be engaged? A boyfriend, sure, I can live with that, but engaged and didn't tell me? Cutie."

"Mreow."

"You're right. I should get engaged to! Show her she's not the only one who can be engaged in nine years! But I love her!" He picks up a piece of bubble gum that just happened to be laying on the table, and starts chewing it.

________

|XXXXXX|

There's a knock on the door. Matt sighs and goes to answer it. "Hello?" He asks opening it. He sees Ant standing there. He's holding a little girl.

"Hey, Matt. Can I ask you a favor?"

"What?"

"Can you watch the kids for a bit for me? Roma's on a rampage."

Matt heaved a sigh. "I guess so… but you know I'm not good with kids!"

"It's Ok! Just let them run around for a little while, but don't let them push you over. Make sure they listen to you. You'll be fine."

"Ok… I guess I can watch them then…"

"Thanks."

Matt opens the door. "Kids, in. Now. I don't want to stand here all day." Three kids run inside. One girl, with black hair, and two boys. One with red hair, the other with blond. The little girl was handed to Matt. "Later, Ant. Luck."

"You too!" Then he turns and starts to run off. "I'll be back in a few hours! Promise!"

Matt sighed. "Sure." Then he closed the door and went to the living room. He sat the baby on the floor. "OK, rules, don't hurt the cat, your sister, and don't break anything."

Three evil little grins go around the room. "Yes, Uncle Matt."

"I mean it."

"Yes, Uncle Matt."

After giving them a skeptical look he went into the kitchen. When Matt came back he dropped the glass he was holding. The whole room was a mess. The couch was flipped, and torn, a lamp lay cracked in half on the floor, along with a table, and he heard a sound like his television had just blown up. He saw the blond boy run past then, carrying his cat. "Not the cat!" He said, running after him. "Cutie! Put the cat down and you will not be put in time out!"

"How can you be put in time out?" The oldest girl, who was only five, asked.

Matt spun around on his heels. The girl was holding a bat. "No, give me the bat. No… no! Give me the bat!" He said, as the girl held it up to hit him. "Give it to me!" He said grabbing the end of it. The girl had a strong grip and yanked it out of his hands. Matt spun around and ran. "Cutie!"

He turned a corner and lost the girl. He leaned against the wall and breathed heavily. "I need to call someone. I can scratch out Ro or Ant right now, Tai too, he has more then this, Sam nor Joe have time, Sora's a bitch, Izzy don't understand kids, Davis is dimmer then Tai is at times, Mimi's in another country, Yolei is too smart, Kari, too annoying, Tk, busy researching his new book, Cody's in a trial, Ken's on a case I think… Whose left? Sin. She said she was free all week… I have no choice." He heard an agonizing cat screech. "Cutie! I'm comin', Boy!" He ran back into the room. He couldn't see the cat anywhere, and two were missing.

Slowly he snuck across the room. Where's my God damn phone? he thought bitterly. "Cutie!" He found his flip phone laying on the ground. After looking both ways he bent down and picked it up. He flipped it open and quickly dialed Sin's number. It rung and rung. Hurry up. he thinks angrily. Pick up!!!

"Hello?" Comes a voice from the other end. "Miss Sinthia Kido's. How may I help you?"

"Get your ass over here right now, Sin. Please."

"Beg pardon?"

"Sin, I need help, now!"

"I'm not Miss Kido, sir. I'm her maid. How may I help you"

She hears, "Ahh! Get away from that! Put the cat down!" There's a silence. "Can I talk to her?"

"Whose calling?"

"Matt."

"Yes sir. Hold on just a moment." She sets the phone down, hearing shouts of "No! Get away from me with that! No…! Cutie!"

She entered a room then. It was mostly dark violet, with blue trim. The carpet was dark blue and went very well with the walls. There were pictures of two people everywhere. One of the people in the pictures was a younger Sin. The other was a blond, icy eyed boy. Sin sat on the bed looking at one of the pictures, petting a Rottweir's head. "Miss Sinthia. There's a Matt on the phone."

Sin looked away from the picture she'd been looking at. "Matt who?"

"I shall check." The lady went back to the phone. "Matt who?"

"Matt Ishida. Just tell her it's Yamato Ishida, or her Mattie."

"Yes sir. I shall be right back." She hears his yells again.

She walked back into the room. "Yamato Ishida, your Mattie."

At this point Sin was rubbing the Rottweir's stomach. It was on its back, eyes closed, tongue hanging out looking totally relaxed. "Mattie?" She asked in a far off voice. "Ok, I'm coming. Come on, Lazie." She got off her bed and went to the phone. "Hello? Matt, what do you want?" (Lazie, if you haven't guessed is pronounced lazy.)

"Please get your ass over here right now!"

Rage shot through her. "Why in the hell should I?!" Then she hears a crash in the background, followed by a "Not the cat!"

"Because, I need some help. Ack! Please! I'm over ran by kids!"

Her rage got bigger. "You want me to help watch your kids?"

"They're Ant's. Not the lamp!" CRASH!!! "Damn. Please, Sin! There tearin' my house to shreds. And I don't even know where Cutie is."

"How do I know you're not just pulling my leg? You use to be good at that."

"You really think I'd play about not knowing where my cat is? I love that cat! And I- Antonia! Not the bat! Put it- No! Put it down! Sin, please!"

Then she hears the sound of something hitting something, followed by someone hitting the floor and the phone dying on her. "Matt! Matt! Talk to me, Matt! Don't play with me, Matt!" She cries into the phone. "Damn. Come on, Lazie, we gotta go." She runs through the house, grabbing a leash and car keys as she goes out the door.

She runs down the steps, through her pretty small property and jumps into pale blue a jeep. "Come on, Lazie! Get in!" The dog jumped in. She threw the seatbelt around the dog, then one around her. She shoved the key into the ignition of the jeep and turned it. Recklessly she drove out of her parking spot and down the road toward Matt's.

Minutes later she parks the jeep in front of Matt's huge house. Quickly she pulled the seatbelt off, undid the dog's and jumped out, pulling out the keys. "Lazie, stay and protect the jeep, Ok? Make sure no one, but me, gets in it. If they do, or try taking anything, tear into them, Ok?" The dog sat up with pride and nodded it's head. "Good, girl." Then Sin turned, ran through the small front yard, up the steps, and into the house.

When she entered she first only heard noise. She walked stealthily through the house. "Matt? Mattie? Matt-Chan?" Then she slipped into a room that was totaled. Immediately she saw two toilet paper mummies. One was somewhat large and tilted against the wall. The other was small and wiggling like crazy. As she looked around she noticed three kids, two were having a tug-of-war with a black cat. The other was drawing on the floor with markers. She groaned and finished looking around. She went to the couch and flipped it back over with great difficulty.

She went to the front of the room. "Quiet down!" She commanded. All noise stopped, except cat screeching. "Kids, let the cat go! On the couch or in a chair, A.S.A.P!!! Now! Go!"

All three kids, shaking, did as they were told. Sin beamed, then went to the wiggling mummy. She picked it up and unwrapped it. It had a shock of black hair, and huge icy eyes, with pale skin. "Hey, baby." She whispered quietly. "Why are you all wrapped up, huh?" She took it to the couch and sat it down there. "Stay right here, Ok? Don't move." Then she looked at the other three. "If you touch her I won't give you your lunch now. It's about noon, bout lunch time, right?" They nod. "Then don't touch her if you want it on time, Ok?" They nodded again. "Good."

Then she went back to the larger mummy. She gently knelt down beside him. "Matt-Chan, wake up." She told him, undoing the wrappings of his head. "Such a beautiful face." She murmured, unwrapping the rest of it. He fell into her arms. She gasped as she noticed the he bop on his head. "Oh my God… Who hit you, my Matt?" She asked, heaving him up. She dragged him across the floor and to a chair. She lifted him into a chair, but barely. After taking a moment to catch her breath she pulls a handle and the chair reclines. She spins on the kids. "Whose Antonia?"

The all shiver. The five year old raises her hand, while the two boys point toward her.

Sin narrows her eyes. "Listen to me, Ok? I'm not going to punish you, because you're not in my custody, but you do not, under in circumstance, unless they're very major, hit anyone, animal, or human, with a bat. Snakes, maybe, but nothing else."

"Yes ma`am."

Then she spins on the two boys. "And you two, don't try pulling animals apart. If you killed that cat you know your uncle would prob`ly have your heads?"

"Sorry ma`am."

"It's ok. You've been good so, what do you like? Pizza, hotdogs, burgers, what?"

"Pizza!"

"Cheese Burgers and fries!"

"Hotdogs and fries!"

"Pizza, hotdogs, cheese burgers and fries it is then. Anything you want to drink?"

"Pepsi!" They announce together.

"Stay here, play nice and I'll make lunch, Ok? And I mean nice. If I hear any cat screeches, cries or crashes I'll stop making it, Ok?" They nod. "I'm going to trust you." With that she went into Matt's kitchen.

As Matt opened his eyes his head starts to pound. "Where is she? I'll kill her." Matt mutters pushing the chair down. A scent floats into the room.

He fallows it into his dining room. He sees the four kids there. The blond had pizza, Antonia had a cheese burger, and the red head had hotdogs, they all had fries. "Where did you…" He stops his sentence and went into the kitchen.

There he sees a tall girl with long purple hair that dragged the ground. Her hair was down and pretty much hiding her, but he could see that she was scrubbing something in the sink. The air was full of the scent of dough, and cheeses baking together. "Sin?" He asked.

She spun around. Her hair flared around her like a cape. She was wearing his black apron that said 'I'm the BOSS, that's why." And it had a picture of Taz on the side. She seems tense. Matt mused. "Hi."

She relaxed and leaned against the sink. "Hi. Glad to see you're awake." Damn, I should have fixed that cut while he was asleep. Sin thought angrily with herself. But I don't know where the first aid kit is. She turned back around. "Are you hungry?" Sin wasn't sure why but this all felt right to her. The kids running around like monsters, the huge house, him standing there, even cleaning.

Matt sighed and leaned against the doorframe. "A little." He admitted. This was starting to seem right to him. The kids eating, her standing there looking irresistible, watching her, the entire atmosphere.

"Well then, what do you want? We have hotdogs, pizza, and cheese burgers."

"Nah, don't want th- did you say pizza?"

She looks at him and smiles. "Yeah, pizza. I put it in your microwave." She moved away from the sink, whipping her hands on the apron. She opened the microwave and pulled out a plate of pizza. "Here ya go." She takes it to him and hands it over. "Do you have a first aid kit?"

"Yes."

"Where is it?"

"Upstairs in the bathroom. Why?"

"Just wondering. Go and eat with the kids, Ok?"

He nods. "Sure…" He picks up a slice of the pizza and starts toward the dinning room. Sin followed him, but went right past him upstairs.

Matt sighed and ate the pizza. He glared at Antonia slightly. "Why'd you hit me?"

"Seemed like fun. Besides, papa told us that you two hit each other all the time when you were little."

"Not with baseball bats!"

Sin came back then. She set the first aid kit on the table and pushed it back. "Look at me, Mattie."

He did. "What?"

Unnoticed by him, she started to fiddle with the first aid kit. "Do you have girlfriend?"

"Nope." He answered. "Not since I broke up with Brook about a month ago."

"Really?" She said, dapping at the cut on his head. "I see you still have your love for pizza."

"Yeah… I also still have my love for something else."

She paused and stared into his hopeful eyes. "Really?" She asked resuming the fixing of his head.

"Yeah."

She then looked away from him and put everything she used back in the first aid box. "Eat your pizza."

"Who are you?" Antonia asked. "Are you close to uncle Matt Matt?"

"My friends call me Sin, and I use to be close to him. We use to be inseparable."

"Really?"

"Yeah. We were close friends."

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

"I've had lots of boyfriends… I had been engaged. He was a jerk and I broke up with him last week."

"What was his name?"

"Doesn't matter."

"Who are some of your boyfriends?"

"Can't tell you." She looked into Matt's eyes. "But there's one I'm sorry I broke up with. He was the best thing that ever happened to me and I let him go."

"What was his name?"

"Can't tell ya. It's classified. But I can tell you what he looks like."

"What?"

"Blond hair, icy eyes, tall. He was perfect."

"What's his name?"

"Forget about it. Are you finished eating?"

"Yeah." The three answered together.

"I'll get Lazie and let you play with her." She looks at Matt. "Can I?"

"Whose Lazie?"

"My Rottie. She's really gentle, unless you get her mad, and there's only three ways to do that. Hurting me, pulling her ears, and playing Night on Bald Mountain, but that's a different story."

Matt nods. "Ok… yeah, she can come in, she just can't hurt my cat."

"She loves cats. Don't worry."

"Ok then. Go get Lazie."

"Thanks." She gave him a fast hug then ran through the living room, out the door to the steps. "Lazie, come! Come on, girl! Matt-Chan said you could come inside and play with the kids." The dog looked at her then jumped out of the jeep and ran to her, leash in mouth. She takes the leash. "Good, girl, but we don't need your leash." Then they went inside.

The dog looked around and hide behind Sin's legs. She whimpered. The woman laughed and patted the dog's head. "Don't worry, no one's gonna hurt you. Kids, Lazie's in! She wants to play!"

The dog looked at Sin then went in front of her just as the kids were running in. They froze and look at it. "Puppy?" They ask.

The dog jogged to the kids and licked Jake, the red headed, boy. "Wroof!" It let its tongue hang out. They notice it has a pretty long tail and yellow collar. One of its eyes were icy blue and the other was emerald green.

"Good puppy…" they start to pet it.

She grinned. "Have fun. I'll be in the kitchen. Be good, Lazie." She then went back into the dining room, where Matt was still sitting, finished with his pizza. She looked at him. "I'll take your plate. I'll wash the dishes." She goes to him and takes the plate. After gathering the kids plates she went into the kitchen.

When Matt walked in Sin was already doing the dishes. At that moment she was holding a soap bubble in her hand, laughing slightly. She dropped it and scrubbed. "I'm jealous." Matt said, leaning against the door frame.

She looked at him. "Of what?"

"Your boyfriend, the perfect one."

She looked away from him and started to scrub at a plate with fury. "What do you have to be jealous of?"

"I thought I was perfect."

She clinched her teeth so she wouldn't say anything stupid. "You are."

"Then why'd you get engaged and talk about your old, perfect boyfriend?"

"Because they asked, and I didn't want to lie."

"But it's Ok to talk about ex's in front of an ex?"

"No, it isn't." She looked at him again. "But you're my friend, so it's Ok. Will you listen?"

"I suppose so, but only cause I wanna know more bout this guy."

"Ok. He was perfect. Tall, blond, blue-eyed, kind, funny, there when I needed him." She started to cry. "Of course he had his flaws. A tiny bit dimwitted, but I loved that about him, when he got angry, watch out, his horrible sense of direction, a bit pale… Damn I miss him."

"Why'd you break up with me?"

"I was young. I thought I needed space, new things. In the end I was happy with the old and the new just sucked."

Matt went to her. "Then get the old back."

She spun around on him. "Don't you understand? The old is gone and can't come back!" She cried. "It can never come back! I can't be nineteen again, but damn it, if I could I'd go back and stop myself from breaking up with you I swear I would!!"

"You do love me."

"No… I can't love you. The truth is a lie, and the lie is the truth. It's all mixed up. I can't tell what's true and what isn't anymore."

"I love you, Sin, I love you."

She stared at him for a moment. Then she brought her hand at him to slap him. It touched his cheek, but he caught it in the end. Her hand laid there, soft on his cheek. "Let me go." She cried quietly. "I hate you…"

"Your hands are soft."

"So? Lots of people have soft hands."

"Not after cooking, washing dishes, cause God knows there had been dishes in there, scrubbing the sink, and washing more dishes."

"What do you think I did then? Hire a maid to come in and do it for me?"

"I saw you do it."

"Why'd you change the subject?"

"I can't stand to hear you say you hate me, and I know you don't."

She started crying and leaned into him. "I love you, I really do, but I can't change what's happened. How can you still love me? After I left you, how?"

"I'm not sure, I just do. I built my entire career around you. Trying to get you back."

She buried her face in his chest. "Please, don't tell me. I don't want to know."

He hugged her and kissed her head lightly. "Shhh… it's ok." He felt her tears wetting his shirt. "Come on, don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you."

She pulled away from him. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." she looked back at the sink. Bubbles were still in it. She splashed it. "I'm so stupid. Stupid, easy, and fast. I mean, I've had ten boyfriends in the last seven years."

"That's not too bad." Matt told her. "I've had fifteen girlfriends."

"Maybe I should just go home." She said.

"No, please don't. Stay awhile. Help me. Maybe spend the night… we can catch up. Wait, your fiancée wouldn't like that, would he?"

"Don't you listen to anything? He annoyed me so I gave his ring back. We were divorced before we even got married. Does that tell you anything?"

"It tells me that you don't want to marry just anyone. So what ya say? Spend the night?"

As Sin looked into his eyes she saw everything she lost. His charming, loving, funny personality. She longed to hold him, for him to hold her. She wanted to just snuggle with him. Feel protected again. It saddened her. "What's the point? To remind me of what I can't have?"

"No. I just want to catch up. You said yourself, it's been nine years."

"Temptation."

"Then why deny it?"

"I don't go out with guys I've dated already."

"Just spend the night, I promise I won't do a thing. I won't even touch you if you don't want me to. I have more then one room ya know. Come on, just one night. What could it hurt?"

She muttered something Matt didn't understand, but finally stared him in the eyes and said, "I'll stay, but it doesn't mean a thing."

"Fine."

The next day had started off normal. They woke up, meet in the hallway and then went downstairs to eat breakfast. Sin always keep an extra change of clothes in her jeep, so that was no problem, but she didn't keep robes or night clothes with her, which is where the problem was. Matt had ended up loaning her a t-shirt. Now, Sin had on the t-shirt, which was black, and one of Matt's robes pulled up around her.

"Want some coffee?" Matt asked her, pouring himself a cup.

Her long hair feel down the side of her face. After a moments thought she said, "Yes, please. I'd love a cup."

"Cream, milk, anything in it?"

"Black. Just leave it black."

"Ok… but I warn you, my coffee's pretty strong." He came to the table and sat it down.

"That's Ok." She picked the cup up and carefully sipped it. "It is Ok that I borrowed a robe, isn't it?"

He smiled. "Fine. I think you look good in it."

She began to blush. "Thanks."

"For the truth? You look good in everything." He saw she was turning redder with what he was saying. "What do you want to eat?"

"Whatever… do you have any Oreos?"

"Still love them, huh?"

She shrugged. "Old habits die hard."

He laughs. "For breakfast though?"

"Well…"

"I'm offering to make breakfast, anything you want?"

"Whatever you feel like making."

"Ok…" He gets up and goes into the kitchen, she follows. "Like eggs?"

"Yeah. Eggs, bacon, sausage, gravy, all that stuff."

"And what do you do for a livin' again?"

"I'm a model."

"And you eat all that grease?"

"I love greasy food… almost as much as Oreos. And no one's tearing me away."

He chuckles. "Alrighty." He cracks an egg in a pan, turns on the stove and it starts to fry. "You wanna get changed before breakfast is ready?"

"Yeah…" Her eyes grow wide. "What will people think if they see me go out like this? They'll think we… and we… ahhh…"

He looked at her. "Since when do you care what people think?"

"I don't but if they think I… had sex with you won't that hurt your rep?"

"Yes… but I don't care… some things are more important then a rep." He looks at her. After a minute of thinking he goes to her and puts his arms around her. He pulled her close and gave her a kiss, knowing she prob`ly didn't want it. "We know nothing happened."

She looked at him. "You said you wouldn't touch me."

He sighs and lets her go. "Fine, you're right, I did say that."

She grinned at him. "But you didn't say I couldn't touch you." She brushed her lips against his. When she pulled away she was a tiny bit pink. With a grin she turned and went through the room, out the door and to her jeep.

She pulled a bag out of the backseat. She noticed people staring at her. She smiled and waved. "Hi. Why don't you take a picture? Huh? Its my experience that they last longer." They continued to stare. "Fine." She growled and went back inside.

As she entered she was greeted by Lazie. She jumped up on her hind legs and put her front paws on Sin. Sin laughed. "Good girl. Come on, I'm going to go take a shower." They ran up the stairs together.

Matt sat down at the table with a pencil and paper. He stared at it for a moment, then started to draw. He already had breakfast on the table, but wanted to wait for Sin. It never took her long in the bathroom. After awhile his picture started to take shape. Matt wasn't sure who it was, not until he was done. Then he stared at it.

Sin came downstairs then. Her hair was in two su lu knots. Actually, most of her hair was hanging down, because not all her hair would fit. She was wearing a pale pink blouse, which was cut in a V neck, that went pretty far down. She had a silver skirt on, that was pretty short. Matt stared. "Sin you look… amazing…"

"Thank you."

Matt looked down at his picture. He paled. He saw her staring up at him, and he knows he can't draw worth diddley squat, but there it was, a perfect picture of Sin. He flipped it over. "Breakfast's ready."

"Really? Cool." She sat down next to him and looked at the food spread across the table. "Looks good." She said, starting to pile her plate with the food.

"So do you." He said, before he could stop himself.

"What?" She asked.

"Oh, nothing." He said, stabbing at some eggs.

Cutie jumped up on the table. "Cutie, down. Off the table." Matt told him. "Down."

It looked at him. Lazie curled up on the floor next to Sin. She picked a piece of bacon up and gave it to her. She happily chowed down on it.

"Sin, you never really answered me, why'd you leave?"

"Cause you can get better. Look at me, Matt. When I saw girls looking at you, and then I saw myself in the mirror… you're younger, and it's no secrete how many B/F's I had before you."

"So?"

"I looked at myself and after four years, finally figured out I was a slut. You could do better then a slut, and you still can."

"You're not a slut." He said gently. "You're a beautiful young woman."

She laughed. "I'm 28. I have two years before I'm dried up and can't get a boyfriend. I'm getting old."

"But you're beautiful. I don't think you're old at all."

"Matt, are you wanting me to go back with you?"

"Yes."

By this point they were done with breakfast. "We've grown up. It all happened along time ago. Grow up. It would do good."

"You mean grow apart." Matt said darkly.

"No, grow up. It's different."

"You must have forgotten my family. Grow up means grow apart. The only time I really see Ant anymore is when he needs me to watch those brats or I call him. And Tk, I only see him when he's not busy researching his book, which is almost all the time. He calls, so he can work on that dumb website he made me."

She shivered. She didn't like see Matt's dark side. It scared her something awful. "Should I go home now?"

"If you want."

She stands. "Later Matt. Come on, Lazie." As she walked past Matt she looked at him for a second then kissed him lightly on the cheek. After that she ran to her jeep; crying.

Lazie jumped in and whimpered. She laid her head on Sin's lap. Sin rubbed her head. "You liked him, didn't you?" Tears ran down her cheeks. "We'll see him again, I'm sure of it."

Matt looked out his window. He clinched his teeth together and started crying silently. "I'm sorry, Sin. Stay, please." He watched as Sin started driving off.

_____
|XXXX|

Ant stared out the window. By the look in his eyes soft eyes Roma could tell he was deep in thought. "Is something wrong?" She asked.

"Yeah." He said. "I've been thinking. First off, would it be Ok if I finished out college? I only had about a year to go, and I could do that, maybe talk `em into a tutor, so I could just take my psychology exam and get my degree. That way I could skip most of the actual schooling, keep my job and still have some time to be at home."

"Wouldn't that be kinda expensive?"

"Well… prob`ly, but we're not poor you know, and I'm sure Matt would loan me a few bucks for awhile. Besides a shrink makes more money then a mechanic, I could pay him off fast." He chuckled. "And, I've been savin' a few bucks back each week."

Roma agreed with that. "Ok, that's one, what's two?"

"Matt and Sin. They love each other so much it's hilarious, but they won't hook up."

Roma laughed a little, because it was true. "What are you gonna do about it, huh, kiddo?"

He turned and looked at her with a wicked little grin. "I'll show ya." He picked up the phone and dialed a number. "Hello, Matt?… Umm… yeah…" He chuckled. "No, I don't need anything, not at the moment… No, I am not in jail again! I haven't been there since I was seventeen… and that was once! I just called to ask if you wanted to go to the beach this weekend for a picnic, jeez… no, I'm not kidding……… Great! Hey, give me a call in a few days, we'll talk about food… other people? Yeah… Ro, kids…" after a pause he mumbled, "Sin… that's all!" he added in a cheerier voice.

"Sin?" He asked.

"Well, maybe! Not sure if she'll come yet… Fine. Just call me Wednesday, ok?……… Great… bye! Yea, later bro." He slammed the phone down and stared at Roma. "I can't believe I'm related to him sometimes… he acts gay…"

"That's your plan?"

"Well, if Sin brings her jeep, and the van just happens to be full… Matt would have to ride with her."

"And if she doesn't bring her jeep?"

"Well… with all the stuff in there it's gonna be a little cramped in the back."

"You're a genius!"

"Yeah, I know. All I gotta do now is call Sin." He picked the phone back up. "What was her number again?" He thought. "… Oh, I know." He dialed. "Hey!… No, this is not a salesperson… No, I am not a pound wanting to take Lazie… I'm not the computer repairman… no, I'm not the manager… Ugh… no, I am not from a porno magazine!" Roma gave him a weird look. He shrugged. "No, my name is not Come on Baby, Let Me Show you How… My name is Ant, I'd like to talk to Sin!" He said, not wanting to repeat what had been said. "I'm Matt's little brother… I'm of the Ishida name. She'll know me, I'm sure of it… yea, I'll wait…"

"What was that about?"

"Don't know, don't wanna know." He answered. Then he heard someone on the phone. "Hey, Sin! It's Ant!… yes, I'm sure… no, I'm positive I'm not Mitch… I was just wondering if you'd like to go on a picnic this Saturday with me, Ro, the kids and Matt… you would? Really?… Where? To the beach… I have no problem with you bringing Lazie… Course! Bring your jeep! K… call me Thursday, we'll talk food. Fantastic, later, Sinny." He hung up. "Those were two of the weirdest convo's I've ever been in."

"What was the come on baby one about?"

"Come on baby, let me show you how. Not a clue… and, do we want to know?"

"When you put it like that…"

_____
|XXXX|

Sin stepped down the steps, with Lazie at her heels. She leaned against the bronze van parked in front of her jeep. "Hey, ready to leave?"

"Yup." Roma told her. "We just have to pick Matt up first. Think he could ride with you? It'd be a bit crowded in the back."

Sin thought for a moment. "Yeah… but I'm not sure if Lazie would give her spot in the front up for him, so he might have to ride in the back."

"You'd take your dog over Matt?"

"I'd take my dog over anyone in the male species. But, she likes Matt. She might jump in the back for him. Might."

Roma laughed. "That the pooch?"

"Yup, that's my baby." She said, patting the huge dog head. "Come on, Laz, lets go for a ride." She left the van and jumped into her jeep. After bucking Lazie and herself up she started the engine. She followed the van as it left.

It took a few minutes but they got to Matt's. "Laz, go get Matt. Go, knock on the door. Go on." She said, unbuckling her.

The dog jumped out and ran to the door. She started to scratch it. When she figured that wasn't working she jumped up on her hind legs and started hitting the doorbell. A few seconds later, when she was getting back on all fours, starting to look pitiful, Matt opened the door. He didn't see Lazie so he jumped a bit when he heard her bark. He looked down at her and smiled. "Hey, Lazie." He said, patting her on the head. "Give me a sec, gotta do somethin' really fast." He walked inside, Lazie followed him in.

Sin sighed and laid her head on the wheel. "I swear…"

Lazie's long tail appeared. She was dragging something. "Oh no…" Sin growled. "Lazie, leave the cat alone! He's not coming!"

"She don't have Cutie!" Matt shouted, as he appeared behind Lazie, her teeth sunk into his pants leg. "Ok, I'm comin'…" Matt muttered to the dog. He closed the door and locked it, then he ran down the steps and jumped in the jeep with Sin.

Lazie jumped in too, right in Matt's lap. She curled up. "Hey… Hey! Lazie, get off! Off! Now!"

Sin laughed. "Matt, don't you know? That's her seat. You might have to hop in the back if she don't want to go."

"You'd put me in the back and let your dog in the front?"

"Yes, I would. I love that dog. Laz," She said, taking the massive head in her hands. "Jump in the back, Ok? Go ahead, go on." The dog looked at her with huge eyes. "She doesn't want to go back there."

"I don't want to go."

Sin sighed. "Ok, I'll try. Lazie, go. In the back and lay down." She stared at her master. "Please." She stared with a look that said, 'No, I don't wanna! But, for you I guess I will.' She jumped in the back. "Go sleepy."

Matt sighed. "You love your dog too much."

They pulled out. "So? You gotta love something."

"Agreed."

_____

|XXXX|

Matt, and Lazie, were asleep by the time they arrived at the beach. Sin had been happy. She enjoyed the wind blowing her long hair around, the quiet. If she hadn't been driving she prob`ly would have went to sleep herself.

They parked. "Matt-chan," She said, shaking him. "Wake up. Matt." She gave him one good jerk.

He opened an eye and yawned. "What? What is it?"

"We're here. At the beach. Time to wake up."

"Oh… oh… Ok, I'm awake." He said opening his other eye. "Should I get your pup up?"

"No, I will." She said, unbuckling her seatbelt. "Lazie, time to wake up." She said turning and shaking her dog. The dog yawned, then looked at Sin.

"Come on, get out. We're at the beach. Hurry up." She said getting out of the jeep. A second later the dog jumps out after her.

They all started off toward the sand. Four kids, four adults, and one dog, kids running in front, dog on their heels. "When do we eat?" Ant asked.

"Is that all you think about?" Sin laughed. "Food?"

"Mostly. Don't you?"

"Of course she don't." Matt growled.

Sin blushed. "Actually I think of greasy foods and Oreos. I think about those a lot. Sorry, Matt."

Matt sighs. "Not your fault."

Sin sits down on the beach and stares at the water. She laughs a bit. "Damn, I can't even remember the last time I've been to a beach… wait, yes I can." She looks at Matt. "I was with you."

"Really?" Matt asked in disbelief.

"Yup. I'm going to go for a swim. That's why I came. Wanna come?" She asked, taking off her top to revile her silver bikini top.

Matt got the infamous eye twitch. "Yea… yeah. Sure."

Sin smiled. "Great." She stood and slipped off her red-violet jean-skirt. "Lets go then."

No! Ant though bitterly. Sure, you two should go swimming, but not now!!! Then he spotted a sign. "Hey, Sin. Do you take care in reading signs?"

Sin turned and looked at him. "What do you mean?"

He pointed to the sign. "No swimming. Sharks."

"Damn." Sin muttered, sitting down on a towel she'd laid out. "That's ok… I can work on my tan." She laughed at herself. "I'm gettin' sorta pale anyways. "She stretched out on it and yawned. Lazie, lazily curled up beside her. In moments both were asleep.

Matt sighed. "Thanks, Ant. I love that girl but… if she saw me in swim trunks she'd probly die laughin'."

Ant shrugged. "Yea, I know. That's why I pointed out that sign."

"Gee, thanks a ton."

Roma sat down next to Sin on a towel she had laid out. "Ant, come here." He listened. She handed him a bottle of suntan lotion to him. "Put this on my back. I'm afraid to burn."

He chuckled. "You don't need a tan!" He said, squirting the lotion into his hand and sitting down on the towel. "You're already dark."

"I don't make fun of you for being pale…"

He started rubbing it on her back. "Nope, I do enough of that for the both of us."

Matt sighed and sat down on the sand. "I shoulda stayed at home. I knew it from the time I heard you say Sin might be comin'."

"Why? Don't you want to be close to her?"

"Yeah, which is why I should have stayed home. If I get close to her again and she leaves I don't think I could go on."

"She loves you."

"She sure has a funny way of showing it."

"Matt," Roma said gently. "When Ant first fell for me remember how he showed it?"

"Lets not go there. Please." Ant said.

"He ignored you."

"After that."

Matt thought for a moment. "He started watching you a lot, causing himself moral danger. I believe once he walked off the bleachers, fell in a net and got himself all tangled up and they had to call the janitor to get him down and then the nurse to make sure he wasn't too hurt."

"Yeah." Roma said. "And once he walked off the building and ended up-"

"Ok! I get it! I didn't pay enough attention to what was happening around me. Give it a break… shesh… Can't a guy get a break around here?"

"Ant, remind me. Why'd you go to jail?"

"Funny."

"Seriously. Why? I never found out."

"Neither did I."

"I-"

"Mama!"

"Papa!"

"What?"

"Marco went into the water! And forgot that he can't swim!"

Roma sighed. "Only your kids, Ant. Only your kids."

"I'll get him." Ant said, standing and running to the ocean.

Matt yawned and laid back. "This sun can really get you tired, can't it?"

"Ummm-huh." Roma said, starting to read a book.

Matt felt an arm go around him. He hadn't laid down to far away from Sin and she had slipped her arm around him. He couldn't help but grin. He liked this. He liked it a lot.

Most of that day was full of laughing, eating, some sleeping, and tricks.

When the decided it was time to go home Sin asked Matt if he'd like to drive, and of course he said yes. Lazie jumped in the back. After Matt had started the car and they were starting down the road Sin leaned on him.

"Something wrong?" He asked.

"No. Just tired." She snuggled her head into his neck. He wanted nothing more then to just put his arms around her and kiss her. Apparently she had the same idea. He felt her kissing his neck lightly and she blew into his ear. "I love you." She whispered. Then, with her arms wrapped around him, she went to sleep.

______

|XXXX|

Matt hated being alone. He couldn't wait until that afternoon. Sin had a shoot, and had asked him if he'd like to come! Ok, so they weren't dating, but it was a start. Friendship first. If they could get that back he was sure they could go back to lovers.

Sin was coming to pick him up at 12:30. The shoot was at 1:00 and it was about a thirty minute drive and as she put it, "She was gonna drive like Hell and get there at the very last second." Matt wouldn't put it past her either, she had always drove like a bat out of Hell when she got behind the wheel.

He raced around the kitchen, because Cutie was meowing like crazy to be fed. He was gonna give him enough food to last a while, and some water. The cat stayed under foot and keep trying to trip him up. "Ya know, for a hungry little thing you're sure gettin' in the way pretty bad. What, ya want me to step on ya?" He laughed. He poured a can of cat food into a dish and sat it down. "I'll be back in a few hours." He poured water into a dish. "You be good." Then he heard a beeping noise.

He stood and ran to the door. "Be there in a sec!"

Sin was waiting patiently in the jeep. Her long hair was laying across the back of the seat and she had her knee up on the wheel. Lazie was sitting in the back. "Take your time." She said. "I'm two minutes early!"

He closed the door and locked it. Then he ran down the steps. "You brought your mutt?"

"She's not a mutt… besides I take her practically everywhere with me."

"And they let you?"

"Yes. I told them that I'm just a defenseless little model with no big strong man to protect me."

"And they believed you couldn't take care of yourself?"

"No. So I just told them that if they didn't let the dog in I'd beat up all their asses. They believed that so they let her in."

"I see." Sin took off then, speeding down the road. Matt grabbed his seat belt and fumbled with it. After a second it buckled.

"So, tell me, when do you get pictures taken for your album covers?"

Matt shrugs. "Whenever. It's a very long run around. Can you slow down a bit?"

"Huh? Oh, sure."

"I thought you were gonna slow down."

"I did. I was going 76. Now I'm going 75." Matt paled and hung on.

Sin walked out of the room. She was wearing a sparkling dress that had oranges and reds like it was on fire. Only one thought came to Matt's mind. Stunning. Her hair was mostly hanging down, except for some in the front, and that was just pulled into some of her hair and pulled through golden rings. She smiled. "What do ya think? Is it me?"

Matt nodded blankly. "Yeah…"

"Could you do me a favor? This has a zipper and I can't quite zip it, could you?" She turned and pulled her hair away. "Please."

"Sure thing." Matt said moving to her. He put his hand on her back and zipped it up.

"Thanks." She whispered, getting close to kissing him.

"No problem." He said, leaning his head down so she could.

"Sin!" Comes a shout. "On stage, now! We need to get his shoot! Are you two kissing?"

"I'm coming! And no, we're not kissing! I was telling his lips a secret." She grinned. She pulled away from him and ran to the cameras. Since she's so tall she didn't wear heals, or platforms often, she didn't need them. She was wearing sandals this time. Mostly they were orange, but, Matt noticed, when the light hits them the right way they looked red.

Like fire, Matt thought. He followed her to see what she did. Lazie sat obediently at the director's side.

Sin spun around. "Are you sure about this?" She asked. "Don't you think it looks a tad too much like one of my favorite things?"

The director laughed. "Love of fire, hot as fire, this dress was made for you, Sin. Just go and do what you do."

She smiled and went to the camera. Matt watched in awe as she modeled. It seemed to be just for him.

"You're good at modeling." Matt commented.

"Thanks." Sin said, driving calmly down the road. "And I can drive calm if I want."

"Yeah. Hey, you've admitted you love me, can't we just go out?"

"I told you, I don't date people I've already went with." She stared blankly at the road. "I already know them and if I broke up with them once I don't want to put myself through breaking up again."

"But… you've said you love me. And Hell, how can I not love you?"

"I can love you, and not date you."

"That's hurting yourself, Sin! You don't let yourself have something that's so close."

"So? It's called growing up, and I've done a lot of that in the last nine years. I guess you haven't. You need to."

"Are you trying to crush my soul?"

"No. We can be friends, but I can't date you…" I'm afraid to. I'm a coward. I can't force myself to reach for you.

"I love you! Sin, I want to marry you, why won't you let me?"

Sin holds back tears. "Because we're not meant to be together. Grow up and get it through your thick skull. We're over and it's too late to get back what we had." She stopped in front of his house. "See ya later."

"No… no you won't. Growing up means growing apart, remember that, Sin. You want me to grow up, so I will." He got out, and after giving Sin a hurtful look, went back into his house.

"Come on, Lazie. You can jump back in front now." The dog did. Sin buckled her up, then they drove home.

When Sin got home she went to the couch. Lazie jumped up next to her and laid her head on Sin's lap. "What do you think? Think he meant it? Think we're really over again?" Lazie nudged.

"Think so, huh? Maybe I should call Ant. Tell him that… no, I'm not that dim." Tears came to her eyes now. "Laz, I miss him. I want to have his kids, I really do… I'm scared. What if we get married and then we don't love each other anymore? Its happened." She hugged the dog's head. "That would be too much." She cried until she went to sleep.

________

|XXXXXX|

Sin was getting depressed. She hadn't talked to Matt in four and a half weeks. Lazie was felling bad too. She had liked Matt. It was getting so Sin only got up to go for a run with Lazie.

Matt had a concert coming up next week and she was debating about going to it. She could go, easy. Money didn't have any effect. She wanted to talk to Matt, she missed him a lot.

She heard a knock on the door. She stared at it. "Why'd Tia give herself the day off? Oh… right. Because she didn't want to be around a mobber." She sighed and pulled herself up. She wasn't wearing her usual outfit of a skirt and fancy top. She was wearing purple pajama bottoms and a baby pink shirt that had a picture of a heart on it. Lazie went protectively with Sin.

As Sin opened the door she saw Ant standing there. He wasn't wearing his usual outfit of jeans and shirt either! He had on gray dress pants, white button shirt, red tie that was flying loose, and a black blazer. In his hand was something like a briefcase. It looked like it might have a laptop in it. "Ant?" She asked.

He beamed as he pushed his pitch black hair from his icy-sapphire eyes. "Hey. What's wrong? You look… different. Beautiful, but different."

"Nothing's wrong… why are you wearing a uniform?"

"I've started back to college." He shrugged. "Have to have a uniform." He was holding the bag over one shoulder. "I gotta get to school in about an hour. I just dropped by to see if you were goin' to Matt's concert. Are ya?"

She shrugged. "Don't know. Tickets are gonna be pretty hard to get."

"I've got backstage passes. He gave me four. He's helpin' me pay off my college thing, but I have to help wit da light show, ya know?" He took the briefcase thing off his shoulder and opened a compartment. He pulled out a ticket and handed it to her. "Here, in case you decide to go. Matt really misses you, ya know? You don't have to listen to me, but pretend to, Ok? My personal opinion is that you and Matt care so much for each other it's physically painful. You two go together like an Oreo. You're one part of the cookie, he's the other and the cream's there to make sure you don't come apart in shipping, only difference is no one can pull you apart and like out the cream. You've both tried, and all it did was hurt more and more. That's love."

Sin hated to admit it, but what Ant said made sense, if only because he was using Oreos as an example. She stared down at the ticket. "I'll think about it, but I don't think I'll be going."

He looked at her, his eyes seeming to see right through her into her soul. It was a chilling effect he'd always had on people. Sin believed he might be able to see into someone's soul, her and about half their friends, including Matt, of course he always said he couldn't. "You miss him. Why hurt yourself denying it? It's not healthy… for either of you." The chilling soul seeing effect suddenly disappeared and replaced with his happy-go-lucky sunshine smiling face. "But hey, what do I know? My wife still calls me kiddo for Pete's sake! Well, later!" He rubbed Lazie's head then ran off.

"Later." She said watching him run off. She closed the door and stared down at the ticket. "Why should I go? He's the one that refuses to grow up. Damn it, why in the hell is he so pulling? I love that bastard. I… I really love him! All the more reason not to go, I love him." With a sigh she tossed the ticket onto a desk piled full of other papers.

______

|XXXX|

Sin wanted to mob, but she had more important things to do and she knew it. She'd gotten a call from her studio and they were having a show tonight. If she wanted to keep her job she'd better show up, and she did want to keep her job. It was nice getting a study paycheck. So she pulled herself together, got dressed, and went to her show.

The had her put on an beautiful dress. The top shaped her body perfectly. Her shoulders were showing. It was a slip dress. The bottom one was purple, and fit her whole body perfectly, and came a little above her knee. The one over it was see through, and a deep navy blue. The top fit her upper body like a glove, but at the waist this part loosened. It came down past her feet. Her shoes were black and had a small heel, and straps. They went from black, to blue, and purple as light hit them. And her hair was braided half way down, the other half hanging free. All in all she looked gorgeous.

As she walked on stage a new song began to play. "Miss Sinthia Kido," Came the announcers voice. "She's wearing an elegant evening gown any lady would love. And what's this song? Yamato Ishida's new one! Growing Up! It fits this outfit perfectly. Just perfect for a grown up lady, making your boyfriend jealous in this outfit!"

Sin had blocked out most of what the announcer said, like usual, but she tried listening to the song. The music was sweet, but dark. Soft, but soul touching. After a moment she blocked it out, but certain words hit her. "I've grown up, hope you're happy" She held in tears. "Never bother you no more, here I am, out of you life, tell me, are you happy now?" She only made it halfway down the stage before she turned and ran off, in tears.

The show went on, but Sin couldn't. She stayed back stage the rest of the time, crying. People tried cheering her up, telling her it was just a song. Some yelled at her, telling her to get back out there, there's no reason to cry. She knew better. She knew the song was aimed at her, and it hurt more then anything. Lazie stayed at her side, trying to cheer her up, but knowing it wasn't helping at all.

Sin looked at the clothes she was suppose to put on and wear that night, but couldn't. She knew she was kissing her career good-bye, but it didn't matter to her anymore. She could use the excuse of getting old, but it wouldn't work very well. She could just say she was burning out. Like anyone would believe that. She couldn't tell them that Matt was her boyfriend once and he'd sung that song for her. As far as anyone knew, they didn't even know each other.

"I'm going home." She told the director. "I'm tired and I don't feel well."

"You can't go!"

"If you don't let me Lazie might get mad, and you don't want that, do you?" The dog was standing at Sin's side, teeth bared ready to attack.

"Not at all. Go home." With that Sin walked away.

______

|XXXXX|

Matt was on stage. The lights were hot, but he'd became use to them. They shined in his eyes, but he ignored it. He'd gotten use to them. The show was half way over and it was time for a break. For him and the fans. They'd all been screaming, shouting and jumping for him. He knew they all needed some time to use the bathroom and rest their voices.

"Lets take a short break! We all know everyone needs it. I'll be back in a little while. I promise!" He walked back stage then.

Seconds after he leaves the stage he leans against a wall in relief. "Well, that's over for awhile…" The a girl comes up to him. She's wearing platform shoes that make her taller then him. She had long hair, that was hanging down and was a very pale purple, it was pushed back into a multicolored headband and she wore big round glasses that hide pale blue eyes. Her skirt had a base color of black and had leaf prints on them, it was long enough to come to her feet, showing they were platforms. And her top was a tight fitting hot pink mid-drift that the neck went down into a V.

"Oh my God!" She squealed. "I' m like, your biggest fan ever! Oh my God!!! I can't believe I'm like finally meeting you!!"

Matt looked at her. "Who are you?"

"Your biggest fan!!! Will you, like, marry me? No… wait, that's too big a request… will you go out with me? On a date? Please!"

Matt throws his head back in laughter. "Why? You don't know me that well."

"Yes I do! I know, like everything about you!" She giggled. "I know your favorite color is forest green, your birthday is February 14th, you were born in 1988, you have two brothers, one called TK, and other everyone calls Ant. You don't really have a favorite song but you like Billy Ray Cyrus's version of Burn Down the Trailer Park, you hate plastic pink Flamingoes and… I even know who you love."

Matt starts laughing uncontrollable again. "Who know who I love? Yeah, right! No one knows that except for my family, a few friends and her." Damn, I have to tell Tk to calm down with that whole website thing…

"I do!" She says defensively.

"Then who?"

She giggles. "Me!"

"I don't even know you!" He laughs. "How can I love someone I don't know?"

She threw her arms around him and pressed her lips against him in a long, tender kiss. That's when it hit him who it was. She pulled away and stared at him with pale blue eyes.

"Sin?" He stuttered.

She shrugged. "Yeah, Sin." She slipped her arms around him. "I'm sorry."

He pulled away from her. "What's wrong? Now that I've grown up you don't want to be grown up anymore?"

"You didn't grow up. Because you had to take out your anger out me I don't think I have a job anymore, but I don't care. I just want to be with you."

"Really?" He asks in skeptism. "What are you doing here?"

She thought fast, not wanting to get Ant in trouble. "I scored a backstage pass on the radio, and I had to come see you."

"Still running from your problems?"

"I didn't use to." She turned from him. "Fine, if that's how you want it I'll leave. I left once, I can do it again." She began walking away. Then she stopped. "Matt, I was serious about that date." She looked at him with hurt eyes. "Damn, right now that date means more to me than anything else in the whole fucking world."

"You don't date people you've already went out with, remember?"

"You're not the guy I broke up with. The one I broke with would have gave a damn about a broken heart, and it's my fault he's gone. I loved that guy, and I told him to grow up. I want that guy back." She looked away from him. "But since you don't care I'll walk out and never come back, if that's what you want. Stop me now and I'll never leave. The question is, will you? Will you stop me? Then after you have me will you leave me?"

"You walked out on me the first time, why should I stop you now?"

"Because I was young and didn't give a damn about anything but my freedom. I didn't think of how it would effect anyone else." She shrugged. "But you're right. You shouldn't have to stop me, and I don't blame me if you don't. I put you through Hell and you owe me the same." She looked at him again. "Just don't forget, I still love. Bye." She looked away from him again and started walking.

Matt bit his lip. He wanted her. She finally admitted how much she wants him. But he did owe her Hell. "Stop!" He ran to her and put his arms around her and pulled her to him. "I love you, too. I accept your date… one two conditions."

"Anything."

"First," He slipped the headband off her and tossed it aside. Then he pulled the glasses off her face. "Go back to yourself. I liked your dark hair, and green eyes. I loved your short skirts and tops."

"Done." She said tilting her head onto his shoulder. "And the second?"

With this one he turned slightly pink, but placed his head lightly on her shoulder. His eyes searched for hers. "Do you still have that one pink dress, with the slight?"

"No. I gave it to the Salvation Army. It reminded me too much of you." He sighed, in slight disappointment. He opened his mouth to talk, but she beat him to the punch. "I do have a blue slit skirt though. It comes up above my knee, and has a slit. And it has a cute blue top that shows my arms and comes up just high enough to hide my breasts. It's sorta sparkly. I could wear that."

He smiled. "Terrific. How do you know so well what I like?"

"I dated you for four years, most of our teens. How could I not?" She kissed his cheek.

"Whose picking who up? Are you picking me up or am I picking you up?"

"I sat the date, I'll pick you up." Their lips meet then.

"Matt!" Came a yell. "It's time to get back on stage!"

The two pulled apart and stared at each other, both grinning like idiots. "Stay here." Matt said. "Don't leave. I don't wanna lose you again."

"Why?" She asked. "If I stay here I won't get to see the front of the show. I'll be back, right after the show ends." She pulls him to her and gives him another kiss. "I promise, I'll be right back."

He bit his lip. "Ok." She kissed his cheek lightly then ran off. He smiled. "She's mine!" Then he spun on his heel and ran back onto stage. He grabbed up the mic. "Hey everybody! Did ya miss me?!" A scream came from the crowd. "Whoa… I'll take that as a yes! Anyhow," He walked across the stage. "Lately, like the last nine years… I've been mobbin' around and complainin'. I'm not a mobber, I'm not a complainer. It's time we lose some of that trash. I'm gonna get a helper out here… ANT!! Then we'll sing somethin' more oldschool. I'm totally screwin' up the show but, that's Ok." He waited. "Phil, someone push Ant out here. ANT!"

Then there's a yell of, "No! I'm not goin'! Forget it! Hey! Lemme go! I bite! I mean it!" Then they hear someone else yell. Then an "No! Lemme go." After that the black haired figure is thrust on stage. He glared backstage, then at Matt.

Matt laughed and came grabbed him. "This is one of my lil bros, Anthony, though we obviously call him Ant. We're gonna sing and old Uncle Kracker fav. Anyone wanna guess what it is?… no? Ok. Lotta people may not know what this song is but, it's an old Uncle K, song so now I'm gonna have to write him an apology for singin' Follow me!"

Music started playing. "Don't know how you meet

Don't know why you can't turn around and say good bye

All you know is when I'm with you make you free

And swim through your veins like a fish in the sea

I'm singin'" Then Ant joined in.

"Follow me and everything is alright

I'll be the one to tuck you in at night

And if you want to leave

I can guarantee

You won't find nobody else like me"

Ant stopped singing and let Matt have the next line. "I'm not worried `bout the ring you wear

`Cause as long as no one knows

That nobody can care

You're feelin' guilty

And I'm well aware

But you don't look ashamed

And baby I'm not scared

I'm singin'"

Ant joined again. "Follow me

Everything is alright

I'll be the one to tuck you in

And if you want to leave

I can guarantee

You won't find nobody else like me"

They stopped and let music play. Matt looked around the audience. Then he looked down. He was amazed. There Sin was, front row! She had her elbows up on the stage and was staring up at him with loving eyes. She wasn't wearing the long skirt outfit anymore. She had on a pair of short, tight fitting blue jean shorts and a pale yellow mid-drift that said 'Look, dream, touch and die'. He smiled and bent down in front of her with a smile. She grinned up at him. He chuckled and took her wrists. "Come dance with me." He whispered, pulling her up.

When the music started again Matt didn't sing and let Ant. "Won't give you money

Can't give you the sky

Your better off if you don't ask why

I'm not the reason that you go astray

We'll be alright if you don't ask me to stay"

Matt joins in with him. "I'll be the one to tuck you in at night

And if you want to leave

I can guarantee you won't find nobody else like me

Don't know how you met me

You don't' know why

You can't turn around and say good-bye

All you know is when I'm with you I make you free

And swim through your veins like a fish in the sea

I'm singin'

Follow me

Everything is alright

I'll be the one to tuck you in

And if you want to leave

I can guarantee

You won't find nobody else like me

Follow me

Everything is alright

I'll be the one to tuck you in

And if you want to leave

I can guarantee

You won't find nobody else like me

I'm singin'

Follow me

Everything is alright

I'll be the one to tuck you in

And if you want to leave

I can guarantee

You won't find nobody else like me"

"Thank you." She mummer softly in his ear. "But I'm going back to my seat now." She beamed slightly. "I believe I'm getting shy." She pulled away and started to jump off the stage, though she really had enjoyed dancing with him.

He took her wrist. "What, leave me again?" He whispered.

She turned her head and looked at him with narrowed eyes. "I might."

That's one thing he didn't want now. Technically they'd just gotten back together, it'd be plain ironic if they broke up already. "Ok." He let her go. He stood straight and held the mic up to his mouth. "Thanks Ant! You can go play now."

"Thank you!" He shouted, turning and running off stage. "And, Matt, I will get even with you!"

"Sure ya will… Ok, since now I'm outta song ideas… any requests?!"

"One of your firsts! The single from the Young Wolves in 2003!"

"No way! Every time I started singin' dat something happened! Never did finish that song on stage… I'm sooo not riskin' anything goin' wrong. Any other requests?" A shout came out from the audience. Bunches of different requests.

________

|XXXXXX|

Matt went off the stage at the end of the concert. He was genially happy and no one was gonna hurt that, not much anyway. He frowned slightly as he saw a man walk up toward him. He had dark, fake blond hair and blue eyes that came from contacts. He was a bit on the short side, but obviously worked out from all the muscle he had. He flashed a smile with a row of straight, white teeth. "Great show, Matt." He said strongly.

Matt forced a smile at the man he didn't care for. "Thanks, M.J." He folded his arms. "So you watch the whole show, did you?"

"Oh, yeah! Who was that girl you danced with? You must have caught her name."

Matt frowned again. "Ummm-hmm. I did. So?"

"What was it?"

Then Matt felt arms go around him. "Sin." Came a voice. "Her name was Sin, and she's his new girlfriend, and they have a date tonight." She brushed her lips against his cheek, and blew in his ear lightly. "I don't like this guy." She told him in her quietest voice. She then looked at M.J. and smiled. "Is it Ok if I steal him away? We've had this date for days." She let him go and grabbed his arms. "Thanks dearie, buh-buh."

"Ack!" Matt groaned slightly, to go along with the whole boyfriend/girlfriend thing. "Later, M.J.!"

"Bye, Matt! I want details on that date!" Then Sin pulled him around a corner and out of sight.

"What the hell is that guy's problem?" She asked. "What does he think? He's God's gift to women? Makes me sick." She let him go.

"Thanks for saving me." Matt told her. "I hate that guy. But, hey, he's good at what he does." They walked toward his dressing room.

"What's he do?"

Matt shrugged. "Not a clue." He laughed. "I think he does something with props, but I'm not sure." He slipped his arm around her waist. "Thanks for coming." He says sincerely. "Tell me, were you serious about the job thing?"

"Yep. Don't worry about it though. I'm sure I can get it back… to bad I can only hold it for about two more years. Doesn't matter." She smiles at him. "If I'm lucky I'll be married by then." They entered his dressing room.

The room was mostly white, with a mirror, table and loads of clothes. "Wow." She said looking around. "You have this many clothes and you don't wear half of them." There were jumper type outfits, sweaters, jeans, dress pants, t-shirts, button shirts, and lots of other things, in lots of styles and colors.

He shrugged. "Yea, it's kinda embarrassing owning that many clothes… I mean, I'm a guy." He began unbuttoning his shirt. She looked away and began looking through his clothes. "Hey," He said, "Can you reach me that blue t-shirt there? Please."

She looked for it for a moment. She finds it. "Oh, yeah." She picked it up and turned. Her grasp on the shirt tightened. She hadn't even seen him without a shirt before. It was true, they'd been dating for four years, and she'd never seen him shirtless. It was also true that he was tall and slim, but he had muscle on his thin built body. She studied every curve that showed, unable to pull her eyes from him.

"Sin?" he asked.

She felt guilty for staring, but couldn't help it. She was a woman, without a husband or anything else right now, on top of that she was nearly 30. It was instinct! Her eyes moved upwards and met his guiltily. "Yeah?" She chocked. She twisted her face into a nervous grin, handed him the shirt and turned away.

"Thanks." He said, pulling it on.

She picked up one of the shirts. "You know, I bet I could wear some of these outfits."

"Go ahead. If you can wear `em there yours. I don't want `em, nor need `em. If I needed `em it would be different, but I don't."

"I don't need them, I'm just saying I could prob`ly wear them."

"Yea. I'd give `em to charity but I don't think there are many people that could wear them."

"Maybe not, but they would."

She heard him chuckle. "Yea, probably. Can you hand me those black jeans, please?"

Her eyes widened. She hadn't wanted to pull her eyes off his upper body, it'd be near impossible if she looked now. "Sure." She picked them up and tossed them to him. "There ya go."

"Thanks." He pulled them on and zipped them.

"So, where you wanna go for our date? And when?"

"Why do I feel like a woman?"

"Probably for the same reason I feel like a nervous teenaged guy." She laughed. She spun around and looked at him. "But why should we care? And why should anyone else?"

He shrugged. "You're right. Toss me that green sweater and then I'm goin' home."

She picked up the soft cloth and tossed it to him. "Sure thing, big boy." She played. "Can I come with you?" She asked hopefully. "I don't want to stay home alone tonight. Tia goes home at night and the only night I felt safe was the night I spent at your house. Well, I felt safe that I had Lazie too, but-"

"Yeah. You can stay with me. I don't mind… where is the pooch anyway?"

"Lazie? She's at my house… and you'd never guess what I found today."

"What?"

"A black cat you call Cutie."

"So that's where he went to…"

"Yeah, just showed up on my door step! I couldn't leave him there, but I was scared out of my wits to take him back to you. And when I came tonight I couldn't leave him alone, couldn't bring him with me. So I left him at home with Lazie."

He yanked the sweater on. "We'll have to go get the two then, huh?" He bite his lower lip slightly. "Sin, I don't wanna sound like I'm hittin' on you or anything but…if you're so scared to stay alone then would you like to… uh… move in with me? We could have separate rooms and everything."

"Only if I could pay rent."

"Fine… but you wouldn't have to."

He put his arm around her. Then she put her arm around him. "But I want to. I wouldn't feel right other wise."

"How bout, instead of givin' me the money just give some to charity each month."

"I can do that." They walked out of the room. "But I refuse to move in until after our date… and something else. If one of us brought home a date…"

"I don't plan on having another girl." He said, looking down at her with something flickering in his eyes.

She laid her head on his shoulders. "Aren't you so sweet?"

"Yep, sure am."

"Won't you have a lot of screaming fans waiting outside?"

He froze. "Yeah…"

"I'll get rid of them." She pulls away. "I'll be back in a few minutes, love." She kisses his cheek, then runs out the door.

"Oh my God!!!" She shrieked. "He went like, out the other door! Come on, girls, lets go!" She jumped over the banister and started off. The other girls followed, wanting to get their hands on Matt.

After a minute of running she dunked behind a trashcan and hid. When they ran by she moved away from it and went back to the door she'd went out of it. After staring at it for a moment she realized something. If she goes in there she's giving her life back to Matt. The life she'd worked so many years to forget about. She'd have it back in a heartbeat.

Slowly she went up the steps. On the other hand, she could turn it all down again. It only took a moment. One door. One single door would determine her life forever. If she went in she could never leave. Not again. It was hard enough the first time, she wouldn't be alive a week before she died if she did it again.

But then again, if she didn't go in she'd had lied, and she's not a lair. Besides, when she's with Matt is the only time she feels safe, or even free. The rest of the time she feels trapped and always in danger. Like someone's going to cast a spell on her that could kill her. In a way, she thought, maybe they already have. Love.

She placed a shaking hand on the door knob. "He's just a guy, no different than any other. I can leave him if I really want to." With a nod of confidence she opens the door. Then again, I could always be wrong…

There he stood, looking like the Matt she'd always loved. Tall, happy, and hers. She smiled. "They're all gone. Go bye-bye. Come on, lets run before they come back." She rushed to him, grabbed his hand, and they raced down the street.

"Where we goin'?" Matt laughed.

Suddenly Sin stopped. "Good question. You have two choices. Ride home in a limo, or however you got here, or ride home with me in my jeep. Pick one."

"Well, that's not a choice at all." Matt said sternly. Sin sighed. Beaten. "I'll have to go with you. I have to get my cat."

She giggled. He'd gotten her again. "Lets go then, Captain Cat Lover." They started walking off toward her jeep.

_______

|XXXXX|

Sin stood, looking at herself in front of her mirror. The day of their date was finally here and she just wasn't ready. She'd even went and got her hair layered for this. It took three people to do it and she still wasn't ready. Her hair was still long enough to touch the ground! It looked nice with her outfit though. The long dark purple hair did anyway. The light purple wouldn't have looked good. It took her 24 washings to get all that lightener out. Which was a living Hell for her with as long as her hair is.

"Tia!" she called.

The woman appeared in the room. "Yes, Sin?"

She turned. "Do I look Ok? I mean, I haven't been out with Matt in nine years. I'm nearly 30, should I change?"

"Sin, calm down. You look amazing, and he must see something in you. You're a very beautiful young lady. 30 doesn't mean a thing with all the beauty you have." The woman went to her and placed her hands on Sin's shoulders. She turned her to look back into the mirror. "Look at yourself. You're beautiful and everyone loves you. You're not 30 yet either. You're 28, and that's how it is. Don't think too far ahead."

Sin smiled. "Thinks. You're sure I can do this?"

"Positive."

Matt had only been this nervous once before in his life; the first time he had a date with Sin. He looked at himself in the bathroom mirror. He was wearing a white button shirt and dark blue dressy pants. He'd throw on his dark blue blazer and be done. He didn't know how to dress up for a date. She wouldn't mind, she knew he couldn't dress up… not without a lot of help.

Cutie sat on the bar of the sink. He sat up straight with his tail waving. "You know, Cutie, Lazie's comin' over. I still don't see how you two can get along. You're a cat and a dog."

Cutie looked up at him with huge pale blue eyes. He meowed impatiently.

"Hmm… you're right. Me an' Sin are as different as a cat an' a dog, but we love each other. But you and Lazie can't be lovers. That'd be wrong." He smiled and pat the cat's head. "I'm happy I got you around, keeps life easy." He picked up the cat, grabbed the blazer and left the bathroom.

He went downstairs and sat the cat down on a couch. "I'll tell ya all about our date when I get back." Then he heard scratching on the door. "Guess whose here…" He pulled on the blazer as he jogged to the door. The Rottweir with the long tail sat there, wagging the tail. She had her mouth open, tongue hanging out. "Hey girl. Ready?" He played with her head.

After a moment he looked up to see Sin. She was in her jeep, looking stunning like usual. Even at this distance he could tell she didn't have on much makeup, which he liked. At her head her hair was pulled into a ponytail, but the bottom was pulled through and it looked good, of course, her hair long was enough that it ended up flaring around her not too far below the ponytail. He couldn't tell what she was wearing because a coat was over her body.

He got silent. "Amazing…" He snapped out of it when he felt something wet on his cheek. "Ack!" He looked at the dog. "Ok, ok, go inside." The dog listened. He closed and locked the door. Then he ran down the steps and hopped into the jeep. "Hey. You look good."

She smiled nervously. "You think? Thanks. Don't look too bad yourself." She pulled the coat closer around as if she was shy. "We're off then." She pushed down on the gas and they flew.

They reached the restraint and went inside. A soft light was the only light they saw. "You have a reservation?" The hostess asked politely.

"Yes." Sin said kindly. "Kido. Sinthia Kido, spelled S-I-N-T-H-I-A."

"Ah… Miss Kido." She studied Matt for a moment. "Or is it Mrs.?"

"It's Miss."

"Yes, Miss. I'll call someone to take you to your table." She tapped a bell lightly.

A young man came. He had red hair and honey eyes. A straight, sparkling white smile completed his kind look. "Yes?" He asked politely. "You call?"

"Yes. Show Miss Kido and her date to their table."

"Right away. This way, please."

Sin nodded. "Matt, follow him. I'll be back in a second. I'll find you."

"Ok."

With a smile she left him.

She walked through the restraint in search of a bathroom. When she found it she went in and stared into the mirror. She still had her coat on, which made her look a bit older. She didn't like that. She opened her coat and stared. She didn't like that either. It made her look desperate. She took the coat off. She didn't particularly like that either. "I look like a slut." She said sadly. "Matt's grown up. He'll think so too. How could I have asked him out? How could I have worn this?" She turned the water on and caught some in her hands. She splashed it on her face. "I'm not a slut, I know that… but no one else does." She sighed and wiped her face off.

She went out of the bathroom and started back to dinner carrying her coat.

Matt sat at a table. The only light they got was the soft glow of candle light. He liked that. This whole place was like something out of a movie. Their waiter had left them some menus and he was looking at one. Some of the things looked expensive. He sighed and sat it down to wait for Sin. This was her date and she was making him wait.

She walked through the door then. She held the coat in her arms looked absolutely stunning. "This was worth waiting for…" The muttered to himself. He could tell that she wasn't lying about the outfit. He could tell just by looking at the top it was a two-piece. That part went down pretty low, but did cover her.

She looked around for a moment then smiled at him. Quickly she went toward the table. "Miss me?" She asked.

"Course." He grinned. "You look… beautiful."

She smiled and turned lightly pink. "Thank you." She laid the coat down in the booth. "Don't you think it's a bit skimpish?"

"So?" He asked, looking over her body hungrily.

She sat down in the booth. "So, won't other people look too?"

"True, too true… can I look?"

She titled her head to the side. "Of course. Did I ever stop you before? For that matter could I ever? If not then why am I gonna start now?"

He reached across the table and ran his finger down her face lightly. "You're wonderful."

"Thanks." She took his hand in hers and kissed it. He could tell just from that she was craving him the same he was her. The look in her eyes helped to.

She let his hand go when their waiter came. "May I take your order?" He asked.

She glanced down at the menu. She hadn't even looked at it. "Can you come back in five minutes?" She asked sheepishly.

"Of course, Miss." Then he walked away.

"Anything good?" She asked, looking at him with the same hunger in her eyes.

He looked down at the menu. "I think… I'm not sure what half this is." He laughed.

She looked away, knowing that she's probably starting to freak him out. She looked at the menu.

"Whose paying?" Matt asked. "Me or you?"

"Me. I got money to burn. Bout $300. Eat whatever you want."

The waiter came back then. "Are you ready now?"

"Ummm… yes." Sin smiled. "I think so. I'd like he shrimp, please."

"And I'd like a steak, please."

"Anything to drink?"

"Just water, thank you."

"Same I guess."

He nodded. "Yes. I'll be back in a bit with your meals." Then he walked away again.

Another man came then. He was carrying a bucket of ice with wine in it and some glasses. He sat it down on the table. "Here, sir."

"We didn't order this." Matt said.

"No, sir. It's already been paid for by someone else." He sat the bucket down and left.

Sin stared at it. "I don't drink… at all. It goes straight to my head and I lose control."

"I'm sure one or two glasses won't hurt."

"I wouldn't be so sure."

Matt moved closer to her. He got next to her coat. He picked it up, moved it aside then scooted next to her. He put his arm around her. "I won't let anything happen to you, I promise. Don't be afraid to enjoy life."

She leaned into him. "One glass leads to two, two to three, three to four and it goes on until it's all gone and then a human craves more." She kissed his cheek.

He put an arm around her and pulled her to him. "You left because of me." Matt whispers.

"Yeah." She whispered back, weakly. "On our last date I had changed my mind. I was going to stay. I knew how bad I wanted you, it scared me a bit. I could control it until the last date. After that I lost it and took you with me. I didn't mean to and I'm sorry I did. It had been the best moment in my life but after that I knew what I was and where I belonged and it wasn't with you, not then. I knew your parents wouldn't have liked it, mine wouldn't either if they found out, Joe nor Jim would. No one would and if I didn't see them again no one could say anything, they wouldn't know."

"I never told."

"Neither did I."

"I'm sorry." Matt told her.

"Don't worry about it. I'm happy it happened." She smiled at him.

"Understood." He told her, rocking her back and forth slowly.

The food came then and Sin pulled away from him. "Thank you." She said.

The man nodded and sat the food down. He still had the smile on his face, which was starting to annoying Sin. He left and the two started eating.

"Wanna try the wine?"

She bit her lip for a moment. "Sure, but if I lose control, I blame you."

"Absolutely, but I promise, nothing will happen." He picked up the bottle and it opened with a pop. He poured it into the two glasses.

By the time the two went home Sin and Matt had each had two glasses of wine. It hadn't effected Matt in the least, but Sin was acting a bit tipsy.

Matt decided to take her home. "Can I have your keys?" He asked gently, leading her out of the restraint.

"My keys." She said stubbornly. "Mine, mine, mine."

He smiled at the hostess. "Thanks." He said. "Dinner was great." He pulled her to his side so he wouldn't loose her and lead her outside. "Sin, give me your keys. I'm not letting you drive. Keys, give."

"My keys." She told him selfishly.

"Sinny," He said kindly, "give me the keys." They stood on the sidewalk. "Ok… can you walk a straight line?"

"Of course!" She laughed. She pulled away from Matt and started walking. The line she walked was perfectly straight.

"How is that possible?" Matt asked himself.

"Simple," She answered. "I have great balance."

Matt sighed. "That was a hypothetical question, meaning it didn't need an answer. Now, give me your keys." He took her jacket and put it around her. "There, now are you all warm?"

"Warm, warm, warm…" She said, cuddling into her coat.

Matt slipped his arms around her. "Wonderful." As he was saying it he carefully slipped his hand in her pocket and grabbed the keys. They got to her jeep. "Now come on, get in."

"Kay." She didn't bother opening the door, she just jumped in and laughed. "Warm… Oh…! I drive!"

Matt opened the driver's door and got in. "No, I'll drive."

"I got key."

He held the key up. "No, I do."

"Oh… otay…"

He put the key in the engine and started it up. She leaned into him. She wrapped her arms around him, laid her head on his shoulder and sat her legs up into the seat. "Mine." She said lovingly.

"Yours." He said with a smile. "All yours."

First he took her to her house. He searched through the keys for her house one. When he decided he couldn't find it by looking he jumped out and went up to the door. He started trying the different keys. He heard someone yell at him. "Get away from that house!" Came a female shout. "If you don't I'll call the police!"

"I'm not breaking in!" Matt tried to explain. "I'm Sin's umm… boyfriend! She's sorta-"

"No excuses! I'm calling the police!" Then the woman disappeared back inside.

"Damn…" Matt growled. He ran back to the jeep and jumped in. "I guess we're goin' to my house." He told her. "They think I'm breaking in here…" He shoved the key in the ignition and started off.

Sin laughed. "You funny. But I love you." She kissed his cheek. It still felt soft and warm against Matt's skin.

"I love you too." He whispered.

When they got to Matt's house Sin had started to drift off to sleep. "Wake up." He said gently.

She sat up and stared at him blankly, a smile planted firmly on her face. "Huh?"

He put an arm around her. "Come on." Carefully he let her go, pulled out the key, got out of the jeep, closed the door and ran to the other side. He opened her door, put his arms around her and pulled her from it. "Lets go. I'm sorry, by the way."

Slowly he led her up the stairs. After a moment of digging in his pockets he pulled his key out and opened the door. They stumbled in. Lazie was there in a second, barking like mad.

"Hey girl. Calm down. Sin's just a bit… drunk. Don't worry, she'll be fine in the morning." The dog looked at him a moment then turned and ran off. Matt sighed and started pulling her up the stairs.

He took her into a room and laid her on the bed. She took his arm and pulled him down onto the bed with her. She snuggled into him. "Love me." She told him softly.

"I do."

She started kissing him. "I mean really love me." He felt her warm hands under his shirt.

"I can't. That'd be taking advantage of you. I don't want to do that."

She looked him straight in they eye. "I want you to take advantage of me." Matt knew that right then, no matter how out of it she may be, she meant those words.

He put his arm around her and pulled her as close as possible. "I can't."

She snuggled closer to him. "Then stay with me. Don't leave."

"Shhh… I'm right here. I'll stay right here. Go to sleep."

She buried her face into his chest. "Thank you." Then he felt her become very lose. He knew she was asleep. He kissed her head.

______

|XXXX|

Sin opened her eyes slowly. She had a pounding headache. As everything came into focus she felt something on her. Then she saw Matt. "Matt." She said gently, shaking him. "Wake up."

"Hmmm?" He asked in half sleep.

She kissed his cheek. "Wake up. Morning, time to get up."

"Hmmm…"

"Ok, you made me do this." She crawled up onto her hands and knees. She began to kiss him lovingly.

His hands crept up her side and to her back. She felt him began to return the kiss. He carefully turned her to her back and stood over her. Suddenly he pulled away.

"Glad to see you're awake." She said in a teasing voice.

He smiled. "Glad to see you're not drunk."

"Told ya I got drunk easily."

"Sorry."

"It's Ok. I'm glad I only got drunk in front of you. Anyone else could have been dangerous."

"You admitted you wanted to sleep with me. You tried to."

"Ask me, I'll admit that anytime, anywhere. I can't even put into words how I feel about you my feelings are so strong."

He crawled off of her and sat on the edge of the bed. "So, when you wanna move in?"

"Today." She said simply.

He looked at her. "Today?"

"Yes, today." She placed her arms around him and kissed his cheeks. "It's a wonderful day."

Matt chuckled. "Will Tia follow you?"

"I didn't hire her. Mitch did. She just took a liking to me… so she might come."

"Ok then. Lets go. Gotta get started sometime. I have Oreo poptarts just for you downstairs in the kitchen."

"Thanks." Then she let him go and got off the bed. She began to stretch.

Matt watched her every move. Slowly he moved his hand toward her and touched her warm flesh. "God, I love you."

She put her arms around him and began to kiss him, slowly unbuttoning the shirt he still had on.

_____

|XXXX|

It was finally November and Sin had lived with Matt for two months now and they were going study. Every week she went to a charity and gave money, because Matt refused to take rent. She didn't mind though, it was a good habit to give money to people who needed it.

Lazie laid curled on the couch next to them. Matt sat near the arm while Sin was laying cozily in his arms. She was barefoot and was petting the dog with her foot. Cutie lay on her back.

Sin stopped petting and pulled from Matt. She stood and stretched. "Matt, it's 11:00, lets go to bed. I'm getting tired."

Matt stood and put his arms around her. "Are you really that tired?"

"Yes."

She took his hand and pulled him up the stairs. She yanked him into his room and shoved him to his bed. "Take off your shirt."

"Why?"

"Because, you look tense. I want to give you a massage. Take off your shirt and lay down on your bed."

"Ok." He pulled his shirt off and laid down.

She began to rub his back. Her hands moved smoothly and he felt as if he would go to sleep. "You're good at this."

"Not really."

"Here." He sat up and turned to face her. "You seem tense too. Turn around, take your shirt off and I'll rub your back… unless you're embarrassed for me to see you like that."

"What do I have to be embarrassed about?" She turned around and took off the orange shirt she had on. Then she reached and unfastened her bra. She slipped it off.

Matt swallowed hard. He reached his hands out and began to rub her back. He tried to resist the temptation he was getting from her bare skin. It came to the point where he couldn't. He reached down and began to kiss her neck. "Temptation." He muttered.

"If it feels right…" She mummers. "do it."

He moved his arms around her and hugged her close. "Sin." He said. "Why should we date anymore? We dated for four years."

"Are you wanting to break up?" she asked in half sleep.

"No." He moved one arm away from her and into his pocket. He pulls out a box. "I want you to marry me, please." He opened the box and showed her a diamond ring.

She stared at it. "Yes." She said. "I'd love to." She titled her head back and began kissing him. She took the ring from the box and placed it on her finger. "It's beautiful." Then she turned around in his arms and they kissed passionately.

His arms began to slid down to her hips. She was wearing a pair of his sweats, which were lose on her. He slipped them down.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

She couldn't help but smile. They were finally getting married!! Matt was wearing black pants and a pale blue button shirt. He refused to wear a tux. She was wearing a dark blue wedding dress, because she doesn't like white. Matt's little black haired brother ran up then. He was holding a little black haired girl in his arms. "Hey, Matt. Hi, Sin."

His red headed wife came up then. She was carrying a black haired boy. "Hi, guys."

"You're kids are beautiful!" Sin explained. "Can I hold one?"

"Sue!" Roma said, passing the little boy to Sin.

Sin took him gratefully. "He's kinda heavy, isn't he?"

"Yeah."

"Can I hold him?" Matt asked.

"Here, hold Cass here. She's the good one." Ant said, passing the little girl to Matt.

"You better get use to holding kids." Sin told Matt sternly. "We're going to have at least one. I'll make sure of it." She grinned then because she was the only one to know, besides Sam, her doctor, to know she was already two months pregnant.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Lin-Chan: It's over!!! Hmm… not too bad… Did you like it or not? Hmmm? Tell me! PLEASE R&R!!!

Lebeau: @__@… WOW!!!!! LONG!!!!! 76 pages!?!?!?! That's longer then mine!!! Mine's plain out SHORT compared to that!!!

Lin-Chan: Where'd you come from?!?!

Lebeau: **Passes out, unable to answer**

Sin: She has even less life then you… **Rottie starts licking her face and she begins to laughing**

Lin-Chan: **Shrugs** All my friends are like that, you know that. Well, BYE!!!!!!!!!! **Waves and everything begins to fade**