an: First and foremost, I must thank you all for bringing me to 100+ reviews! YAY!!!! You guys, collectively, got a shoutout on my profile, but you get another one here. Thanks to all my reviewers:
First, the people that have been with me from the start—Azn Angel Hikari, Star Light (#15) –that must suck to have 14 other people with the same name as you, BTW, Little Birdie, Emmanuel, TogetherAgain, whose name matches the prequel of this story, and that is really cool, chloe-laroo, Takerus Lost Angel, + TheAngelofLove – Kuroi – you guys rock. Thanks for sticking with me from the beginning, and staying! I hope you continue to enjoy this stuff!
And then to others: DJ Green Lantern, veralidaine-sarrasri, flipstahhz, K9 (thanks for still reading even though you didn't find what you were looking for!), Agumon 2003, and Sunshine Anderson, among others, 'cause they've reviewed multiple chapters, thanks for your great comments. Also to the people with obscure names and to those who have only reviewed once—but still reviewed—thanks for all your feedback and kind words, it makes me feel special. =D
To Twilight Vin, yes I've heard that Kari is older than T.K. by some months, but I think I addressed that in an author's note somewhere in this story…
And now for the regular, long, boring author's notes!
--Look! I haven't abandoned you! This chapter is insanely long, maybe because it might be the last interlude. But you get to decide on that. It's hard to write when you have two awesome stories which you have inspiration for both running through your head, but have no time to write. *frustrated sigh* I wish I could just put something to my head and not have to type at all. You know, I just read a story that had a diary that did that… but anyway, I digress…
This interlude focuses mainly on Hope and Kevin. YAY! Now, I have news for you—there are only about two or three more chapters of the actual book and it's done. That doesn't mean the story's quite done, though. So, do you guys want another interlude, in between the ending of the book and the wedding (the final chapter), kind of like Kari's thoughts on the book and maybe something to tie up all the loose ends, or do you want me to go straight to the wedding without any interruption? Let me know.
Hope you like this chapter! I had fun writing it. Oh yeah—*gasp* three song credits, without giving away the chapter:
-"How Long" by Dream (Hope sings that one)
-"I Could Fall in Love" by Selena (played in the flashback)
-"There You Were" by Jessica Simpson and Marc Antony (the duet)
And, of course, the disclaimer:
Okay, okay, I claim most of these people… but not T.K. and Kari, okay? Grr.
Onto the story.--
*
SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1One Light, One Hope
Interlude Three: A Spark of Love
Ding-dong!
"I'll get it!" Aaron Kamiya-Takaishi yelled, out of pure habit, but then realized that there was no one else available. Rolling his eyes at himself, he rushed to the door and opened it, revealing his cousin, Raymond Ishida, and some of his friends from the summer camp that had changed his life–Steve Kido and Justin Hida. However, there was one more person with them that he didn't recognize, and then Aaron realized that they were here as a band first and then his friends second.
"Hey, guys, what's up?" Aaron asked them, ushering them in, letting them sit on the couch.
"Not much," Steve answered. "It's been a while since we've seen you, though, Aaron. We're actually here to see your mom and possibly your sister, but we haven't decided on that one yet."
Aaron noticed that at the mention of Hope, the unfamiliar guy's eyes lit up just a bit, and he raised an eyebrow. "Hey, guys... who is this? I don't think I've met him yet."
"Oh." Ray smiled. "Aaron, this is Kevin Nonaka, the lead singer for our band. Kevin, this is Aaron Kamiya-Takaishi, Hope's brother, my cousin, and the son of our hook-up in Stratus Records."
Kevin smiled and extended his hand. "It's great to meet you. I've heard about you from Hope."
Aaron's eyebrow raised just a bit further. "You know my sister?"
"Yeah... I met her at the New Years performance. She's really cool."
The older boy nodded and soon the group fell into an awkward silence. "So... you guys are here to see my mom? What for?"
"Well, we're working on our album, and we wanted to talk to her and see if she liked one of our songs. Hope, too. Hey, maybe if you want to hear it, you can as well," Justin explained.
"Yeah, maybe."
"And..." Ray took over. "We were debating on whether or not to ask Hope if she wanted to record a duet with us."
"You know what, she was talking about something like that the other day," Aaron told them. "Do you want to go see her? I just remembered–she's in the studio." With Aaron's arrival from New York, he and T.K. had made a makeshift studio for Hope to record in, even though the really good one was maybe only ten minutes away. Still, if she didn't want to leave, she could just warm up and record a few things at the house. Aaron led the way upstairs into the loft area, which had been cordoned off with pieces of soundproofing wall material. He opened the door and let them sit in the observation area.
Kevin took a deep breath as he heard Hope singing. He had always thought her to be pretty, and realized that she had to have a good voice–otherwise she wouldn't be a popstar–but he didn't realize how amazingly beautiful her voice was. They had walked in while she was singing, and she didn't seem to notice them–her eyes were closed, as she really got into the song.
I sit every night by my window, just wishing
and searching for one perfect star
Can anyone hear me?
Oh moon, if you're listening,
please send him right here to my arms
He must be out there, somewhere,
waiting for me
Tell me, just how long will it be?
Tell me, how long 'til I'm not just dreaming?
How long 'til somebody cares?
How long 'til I meet an angel
and give him my heart?
When can I start?
How long 'til I fall in love?
Hope Takaishi had chosen to sing this song because she knew what it was like to feel and wonder when she would ever find someone to love. She was surrounded by it–her parents, her brother, the Santa Monica boardwalk–and yet she still didn't have anyone. She wished with all her heart that she could find someone... she was lonely. However, she still held out hope [hence her name] that she'd find what she was looking for–namely, someone in particular.
Hope hadn't seen Kevin in quite a while–she supposed that they were both quite busy with recording and what not–but still, there was something she had seen in his eyes that let her hope, wish, think that maybe they had the slightest bit of a chance, if given more time and the opportunity to know each other. Until then... she kept singing her heart out, unaware that her inspiration was sitting there, watching her intently, having the same thoughts cross his mind.
I've always believed that my dreams would come true,
that one of these nights, he'd appear
He'd be here in my arms
I see it all so clearly, how it could be
I wish he was kissing me now...
As Hope sang that last phrase, Kevin flashed back to the night of New Years...
*Flashback*
"This stuff's really... interesting," Hope commented, holding up the glass of champagne that had been given to her. "It tickles. And it tastes weird. Oh, well." She threw her head back and dumped the remaining contents of the glass into her mouth.
Kevin watched her in amusement, and when she put her head back up and recovered from the shock, she looked at him strangely. "What?"
"You're just really cute, that's all."
Hope tucked a strand of her hair back shyly and flushed a bit. "Thanks." She smiled. They stood there staring at each other for a moment when a slow song came on and Kevin asked, "May I have this dance?"
Hope nodded and extended her hand, which Kevin took and lead her to the dance floor. Once there, they stood a bit awkwardly, one of Hope's hands on Kevin's shoulders with one of Kevin's arms around her waist, holding each other's free hands as was the "formal" way of dancing. Slowly, though, the music, the lighting, the mood... something was bringing them together, as they relaxed and Kevin pulled her closer. As Hope stared into his eyes, he saw just how beautiful she really was, and he wondered what it would be like holding her, caressing her face... but if he tried to do that, tried to pursue her... would it last? And as the music played on, he could feel himself wishing there was something he could do to stop himself from falling, drowning in this vision before him.
I could only wonder how touching you would make me feel
But if I take that chance right now, tomorrow will you want me still?
So I should keep this to myself and never let you know
I could fall in love with you
I could fall in love with you
And I know it's not right,
and I guess I should try to do what I should do
but I could fall in love, fall in love with you
The intoxicating beat and the entrancing words couldn't stop Kevin from what he wanted, and right as the song was ending, he locked eyes with Hope once again, and leaned in closer, trying to close the space between them. She leaned up slowly, he leaned down slowly, but before they could get any closer, the mood was broken by the beat of a fast song. The trance was dissolved and Kevin flashed a toothy but awkward smile at his newfound friend. "Thanks for the dance."
*Real time*
Kevin sighed, remembering what could have been, not knowing that inside the studio, the object of his affection was dwelling on the exact same moment and using it as a catalyst for her emotions inside.
Tell me, how long 'til I'm not just dreaming?
How long 'til somebody cares?
How long 'til I meet my angel
and give him my heart?
When can I start?
How long 'til I fall in love?
As the song finished, the five guys clapped and Hope was startled out of her musically-inspired reverie. "Oh, hey guys," she acknowledged them, smiling. As she walked out of the glass room and scanned her company, her gaze fell upon the one she had been thinking of for quite a while, and she faltered. "Hey... uh... yeah, what are you guys doing here? It's... it's good to see you."
"Good to see you too, Hope."
Hope turned and smiled at the voice. "Hi, Ray-Ray!"
The rest of the guys cracked up, save Aaron, while Kevin just smiled amusedly.
"Ray-Ray?" Steve asked, managing to hold in his laughter before another burst of laughs came from him, one that he tried in vain to stifle.
Ray sat there, glaring at his cousin, while Hope grinned wickedly. "I see your bandmates like my nickname for you."
"Well... you did make it up while you were drunk."
Hope's eyes became downcast. "Don't remind me of that." She glanced cautiously at her brother, knowing that was a touchy subject for him. Kevin, therefore, squirmed in his seat.
"Anyway," Justin interjected, getting over his own fit of laughter, "we came today to visit with your mom and ask her to review one of our new songs, and..."
"And?" Hope chided.
"And, we wanted to know if... if you wanted to record a duet with us," Kevin added, slowly.
Hope's eyes widened. "Are you serious! I would love to!" She rushed to embrace her cousin, followed by subsequent hugs to the rest of the group. When she reached Kevin, she hesitated for a moment, and then threw herself into his embrace. Kevin was shocked at first, but then marveled at how well she fit in his arms, and held her just a little longer than he should have. When she pulled away, she asked the rest of them, "So... when do we start?"
Ray laughed. "You're just all wired up to go, aren't you?"
Hope nodded her head up and down vigorously. Ray grinned. "You're so cute, Hope. We'll work the details up first, though, okay? Like, what song to sing, and recording schedules, and what not. We'll let you know when we've got it, though we're planning it sometime within the next two months."
"Okay. And as for my mom, well... she got delayed for a while, so she won't be here until another three weeks. You can send her a recording of your song, though, if you want."
Justin nodded. "Okay."
Now that the band was situated in Southern California, just like Aaron and Hope, they hung out a lot. Hope didn't mind being the only girl with five guys around (two of them were related to her, anyway); in fact, it was kind of fun. One day they were sitting around in the living room of the condo, just lounging. This time, Kendall was joining them and Aaron was absentmindedly playing with her hair as they sat around, trying to think of something to do.
"Movie?" Justin suggested.
A chorus of negative answers met his suggestion, with Kendall stating bluntly, "There aren't any good movies out anyway. And we're all broke." She looked hopefully at her boyfriend.
"Sorry, hon, no money here either," Aaron answered her.
"What about the beach?" Kendall tried.
Hope shook her head. "We've been there three times in the past week, and... it's not beach weather."
"Oh yeah." It was cold outside.
"Umm... how about food?" Ray suggested.
Everyone laughed. "What is it with you and food?"
"Well, I'm bored! And when I have nothing better to do, I eat, okay?" His protest fell on deaf ears–they were all laughing too much. And then Kevin caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye. "Hey, I know–the pier! Let's go to the pier!"
"Yeah!" they all yelled, and rushed to get their things in order so that they could leave.
The Santa Monica Pier, a short walk from the Takaishi residence, was a small amusement park in itself. This was the only pier of its kind in Southern California, and it was always fun to walk along a carnival-style midway with the ocean surrounding you on all sides.
Aaron and Kendall led the way, hand in hand, followed by the three guys, while Hope hung back, and Kevin hung with her. "So, how have you been?"
Hope nodded. "I've been good." She smiled her dazzling smile at Kevin. He loved that smile—it made her even more beautiful, if that was possible.
"Any stalker sightings yet?" Kevin joked. With Hope's fame growing, more people were starting to flock to her house and follow her around, but mostly they just stared at her on the street. In fact, as they were walking, Hope could feel eyes on her. "Hey, you know what I was thinking?"
"Yeah?" Kevin answered.
"Well, since there are all these guys who are trying to ask me out and/or follow me, I was thinking that I should have a boyfriend image, even though I really don't have one. You want to pretend to be my guy to ward all these other guys off?"
Kevin started. He didn't want to just pretend, he wanted the real thing. What he didn't know was that Hope wanted it as well… but she wasn't feeling especially brave enough to admit it. She did, however, need what she was asking for, and she figured that by pretending, something could happen soon enough.
"You know, if you don't feel comfortable with this, that's okay too, I can always ask Justin or Steve," Hope said quickly, taking his silence as a refusal.
"No, no… that's okay. I'll do it." Kevin agreed.
Hope smiled. "Thanks, Kev. You're awesome." She kissed him on the cheek as a sign of gratitude.
"So, now that I'm your 'boyfriend,' where do you want me to take you?" Kevin asked cheekily, as he offered his arm to her and she linked hers with his, smiling. "I don't know… wait… I do know." Hope grinned again. "Win me a prize, you know, one of those stuffed animal things."
Kevin laughed. "Yes, I know what you mean. And I will."
"Thanks." Soon, they had walked onto the wooden planks that made up the pier, and Kevin turned to Hope and asked, "So, which one do you want?" They were walking along the "midway" section, with booth-type games that would win someone a prize. Hope looked around, carefully considering her options, and then said, "That one," pointing to a large stuffed Spongebob Squarepants. Kevin laughed. "Okay, I'll try my best." He pulled a dollar out and led her to one of the booths—it was a game in which you squirted water at a target to make your horse run faster. Luckily, a race was just about to begin, and he took a seat at number seventeen—Hope had insisted on that, as it was her lucky number, not knowing it was also Kevin's favorite as well.
Hope watched as Kevin began to hit the target with the spray, smiling amusedly at the cute expression that he got when he was concentrating really hard. She also watched in anticipation as horse number seventeen was neck in neck with horse number twenty-nine. Kevin's resolve became more and more apparent, and it was intense, but alas, the little girl at seat twenty-nine squealed happily as the large Spongebob was awarded to her. Kevin turned to Hope, a bit dejected. "Sorry."
Hope smiled. "That's okay. You have plenty more chances."
Kevin returned her smile, and led her away from the games towards the ride part of the pier. "Still, though, you want one. And I promise I'll get you one before we leave."
"You don't have to," Hope said.
Kevin stopped walking and looked her deeply in the eyes, so deeply that she felt an involuntary shudder go through her. "But I want to. It makes you happy. Besides, I have to prove my masculinity after being beaten by a little girl." And with that, he resumed walking, while subtly finding her hand and interlacing his fingers with hers. Hope, who had been laughing at his last comment, felt her heart suddenly skip a few beats—was this really happening to her? She was so excited. She couldn't have asked for better—Kevin was only supposed to be pretending to be her boyfriend, but… somehow Hope felt that he wasn't really just pretending.
As they wandered about, they found themselves in front of the rollercoaster, and Kevin grinned at her. "Wanna go on?"
"You're on," Hope countered, always ready for a challenge. She wasn't too fond of rollercoasters, although many of her friends had told her they were quite fun, and that this one especially wasn't too bad compared to some of the others around. "Let's go." So they fell in line, every step taken bringing more and more anxiety and anticipation to Hope. She was sure Kevin could feel her jitters, but he never called her on it. Right as they were about to board—they were a few people away from the attendant asking "how many in your party?"—they heard a familiar voice call out, "Kevin! Hope!"
They turned and found Aaron and Kendall getting off the ride. "Hey, guys!" Kendall said brightly. "Hope, you're actually going on this thing?"
Hope nodded slightly and gripped Kevin's hand a little tighter. "Yeah."
"Well, good for you." Kendall smiled and took her boyfriend's hand, but not before noticing that her boyfriend's sister and Kevin were holding hands. She winked at Hope, being quite the crafty girl, and said, "We'll be at the arcade, okay? So come meet us later." And she dragged Aaron off before he got the chance to notice exactly what was going on. Hope smiled and shook her head at her best friend, momentarily forgetting the built up tension that had accumulated while waiting.
A few steps more, and they were boarding the ride. Hope took deep, calming breaths before pulling the restraint down to protect her. Kevin had chosen to sit in the front, and she didn't protest, but Kevin could still feel her anxiety. "Are you sure you're okay, Hope?"
She smiled a little too brightly and said, "Yeah, I'm fine!" Kevin just looked at her sympathetically and rubbed her hand. "I'm sorry… you don't have to do this if you don't want to."
"Are you kidding? Look, the ride's already starting." Her heart pounded in her chest, though, as the car rose higher and higher… and then it went super fast, going into a really fast spin that made Hope a bit dizzy and made her blonde hair fly out—but she was laughing, screaming, having the time of her life. It gave her such a thrill, kind of like an adrenaline rush, but it was so fun! By the time the rollercoaster went around a second time, she was much more relaxed and smiling. "Hey, that was fun!" Hope exclaimed as they got off the ride. "Let's do it again!"
Kevin laughed. "See, I told you it was fun. You weren't scared, were you?"
"Of course not!"
Kevin grinned. "Silly girl." He kissed her on the cheek as they walked toward the arcade, and she blushed. Once there, they met Kendall and Aaron—actually, they met just Kendall, as Aaron was engrossed in some video game. Kevin exclaimed, "Cool!" and went to join him, leaving the girls time for some girl talk.
"So yeah, Hope, what's up with you and Kevin?" Kendall asked slyly. Hope blushed again but retorted, just as slyly, "What makes you think there's anything up?"
"Oh, come on, it's so obvious! You guys are hanging out together, they way you look at each other… I mean, you were even holding hands!"
"You saw that?"
"Of course I did! Why do you think I made Aaron walk so fast? I didn't want the poor guy to be creamed by your big brother," Kendall answered matter-of-factly. Hope laughed. "Kendall, you're awesome."
"So, what's going on with you two? I know you like him," she chided.
"That's cause I told you that," Hope stated.
"So? You can still tell."
"Well… I kind of asked him out," Hope began.
"Kind of? Or you did?"
"I… kind of. He asked me how my 'stalker situation' was and I told him I needed a boyfriend figure so that guys would stay off my back, and thankfully, he said yes, and… he really is acting like my boyfriend now," Hope said, not being able to fight the smile that was forming on her face. "I really think something's there."
Kendall smiled at her best friend. "Hope, I'm so happy for you, you totally deserve it. And, if you get really lucky, maybe we'll be family!" Hope laughed. Kevin, coincidentally, was the brother of Kendall's dad's girlfriend, Natalie—they had discovered this not too long ago and it was just really weird. "You know, if my dad and Natalie get married, and then you and Kevin got married, then you'd be my aunt. That's weird!"
"Kendall, honey, I don't think Kevin and I are gonna get married anytime soon," Hope replied soothingly, patting Kendall's shoulder.
"Hey, you never know," Kendall shrugged. "So, you think you guys have a future? Aww, that's so sweet. It's about time, too. I know how lonely you are, and I feel especially bad because I'm always with your brother."
Hope smiled. "Don't worry about it. I know you guys love each other, and I'm happy that you two are together. So maybe I'm lonely sometimes, but I'm still alive, and I'm still happy, right?"
"Of course you are, 'cause you're Hope."
"I guess." The two friends laughed as the guys walked back over to them. "So, did you have fun?" Kendall asked.
"Yeah, there was this one really hard boss and Kevin and I kept punching him, he was slamming the button, weren't you, Kev?" Aaron answered enthusiastically.
Kevin nodded in response. "Yeah, it was awesome. But we have no more money. Still, though…" Having an older sister, Kevin knew how uninterested girls were in video games, so he kept his comments to a minimum as he saw the all-too-familiar glaze over of the girls' eyes as Aaron continued. He saw Kevin's pensive gaze and said, "Hey, she goes out with me—she's gotta deal with some of it. She knows that."
"Whatever you say, Aaron."
Hope snorted and said, "That doesn't mean the rest of us have to put up with it."
Aaron gave his sister a death glare and Hope casually asked Kevin, "So, shall we go now? You still owe me a stuffed animal."
"That I do. Later, guys," Kevin called to their friends.
"So… what shall I try now?" he wondered, facing the midway games.
Hope's gaze wandered, until she saw what she was looking for. "That one." She pulled Kevin over to a wall filled with balloons. "Can you do it?"
"I will, for you." Kevin plunked down a dollar and was given four darts. He picked up the first one and aimed, hitting a space between two balloons. Not discouraged, he picked up the second one and hit a yellow balloon. His goal was to hit a bright red balloon right in the center. The yellow balloon was about four balloons off. Kevin drew in a deep breath, and threw the third dart, loudly popping a green balloon next to the red one. Smiling, he picked up the last one, then did totally unexpected. He turned around so he wasn't looking, threw the dart over his shoulder, and grinned as Hope squealed excitedly just as a loud pop was heard. He turned to see the pieces of the red balloon floating to the ground.
"Good job, sir!" the attendant praised. "What would you like? Every prize is at your disposal."
"Whatever she wants, please," Kevin requested, as Hope giddily picked out a large stuffed crocodile. She hugged it lovingly. "Thank you, Kevin."
"An alligator?" he asked, incredulously. "I thought you wanted Spongebob."
"Well, women are allowed to change their minds, right?" Hope rationalized.
"I guess. I just hope you haven't changed your mind about me," he confessed.
"Actually, I have," Hope said, and Kevin stopped walking. "What?"
"I've changed my mind about you—you're way better than I thought you were when I first met you," Hope told him. "Don't worry, it's a good thing."
"Good." Hope wasn't really watching where they were walking, but Kevin was—he was leading them to the Ferris wheel. He had a plan.
"So, what are you gonna name him?" Kevin inquired.
Hope appeared thoughtful. "I don't know. Wait. I know—Bob."
Kevin laughed. "Okay." She was so amazing, he marveled, like a true ray of light. His mind was filled with good thoughts of her until they got to the Ferris wheel. The sun, which had broken through when they arrived, was just beginning to set, a perfect ending to a perfect day. "You wanna go on?"
"Sure, why not? Can Bob come?"
"As long as you don't lose him," Kevin agreed.
Hope hugged Bob tight. "Don't worry, I won't lose him. Besides, he's a little scared of heights, so he'll hang on tight."
Kevin smiled and shook his head. "What?" Hope protested.
"You're so cute." This made Hope blush again.
As the two of them got into the seat, as she promised, Hope held on to her new friend tightly. Kevin grasped her free hand as the seat began to rise up into the air, and they sat in silence, each thinking of their current situation, when Kevin broke the silence. "Hope, what were you thinking when you asked me to pretend to be your boyfriend?"
Hope was quiet for a few moments before she spoke, reflecting while gazing at the ocean she loved. "I needed someone to ward off all the fans—boys—that are quite stalkerlike. So I asked you. I asked you because we've had experiences together, albeit not all good ones, but we've got 'em. And I've liked you since the moment I met you." Hope tried to calm herself before the elaboration she was about to give. "You know, your eyes are beautiful. They drew me to you, that first moment you poked your head into my trailer on New Year's Eve. Your heart is beautiful as well—you're just a cool guy. And your voice is beautiful. I'm so privileged to be able to sing with you."
Kevin tried to suppress the smile that was growing, but he only partially succeeded. "Hope, all of that, none of it compares to you. You're more beautiful than anything. Your face, your outlook on life, your voice, you're like a ray of light… a ray of light for my life." Just then, the Ferris wheel began to slow to a stop, holding its position on the top of the turn. "Hope, when I told you that I'd agree to pretend to be your boyfriend… I didn't want to just pretend." And before she could reply, he put a finger underneath her chin and pressed his lips softly to hers.
The jerking of the ride in the opposite direction broke them reluctantly out of their reverie, and Hope leaned her head on Kevin's shoulder. "So, can I stop pretending now?" Kevin asked. Hope nodded, her eyes sparkling. They sat there a little longer, enjoying the ride and each other, until Kevin began to sing to her softly.
I was counting down the minutes
I was wishing on a star
I was praying for a sign, and trying to beat the odds
I was dreaming of you,
long before I saw your face,
that you were waiting for that day
Then you reached through the hurricane when you,
baby, you called my name
You broke through the storm
and you turned back the night
Baby, you are the fire burning the midnight sky
And your love keeps taking me higher
Just when all hope was gone, where the hero belongs…
…there you were
"That's beautiful," Hope breathed, looking up smiling softly at her new, real boyfriend.
Kevin blushed. "What would you say if I told you I wrote that?"
Hope sat up and looked directly at him. "Did you really?"
Kevin nodded. "And what would you say if I told you that not only is it a duet—" Hope gasped and shrieked excitedly when he said that, "but that I wrote it thinking of you… and me?"
"I would tell you that that's totally awesome."
"Would you like to sing it with me?"
"Of course." Hope kissed his cheek softly. "I'd be honored."
At this, Kevin, grinning like crazy, helped her out of the seat—for the Ferris wheel had stopped—and lead the way back towards the entrance of the pier when his cell phone rang. "Hold on."
"Hello?"
"Hey, Kevin, it's Ray. Listen, can you meet us at the entrance in like, ten minutes?"
"Yeah—Hope and I are making our way there right now, why?"
"Tell her that her mom's on her way into LAX in about an hour."
Kevin's eyebrows shot up. "Really? I thought she wasn't supposed to come in for another week." He glanced over at Hope, who had caught on and now was jumping up and down merrily at the thought of Kari finally being with them.
"Yeah, but I guess something worked out, 'cause Uncle T.K. just called Aaron and told him to gather us all so we can meet her there."
"Okay, we'll be there soon," Kevin complied and hung up. He turned to Hope. "You're excited."
"Kevin," she said, her tone of voice as if she was talking to a small child, "don't you remember the first time we met?"
"Of course…" Kevin replied, not knowing where she was headed.
"Remember what I told you about my parents?"
He blinked. "You said that your dad was here and your mom was in New York."
"And…"
"And… that it was a Parent Trap kind of thing, and that they were getting remarried," Kevin stated, trying to remember that night. Some of it stood out, but other parts of it were very blurry.
Hope sighed. "Well, it was a long time ago. I told you that we were trying to get her back here so that they could get married."
"Oh. Oh! So this means they can get married now?"
"Yeah!"
"Oh, Hope, that's wonderful news." Kevin enveloped her in a hug and she smiled. "Now you know why I'm so excited?"
Kevin nodded. "Yeah. Now, let's go get your mom."
~*~
Must have broke into heaven just to roll back the clouds
Were you on a mission; were you seeking me out?
Was I that one in a million, was I that one sacred kiss,
that you couldn't chance, you just couldn't miss?
And you, babe, you whispered through the silent tears,
when you, you swept away all my fears
Kevin smiled as he watched his girl sing. His girl. Shortly after Hope's mother, Kari, had arrived in Los Angeles, they had brought her home and the band serenaded her with the song that they had wanted to show her earlier. Delighted, Kari thought it was good, and when they told her of the duet plans, she got even more excited and wanted to hear the recording as soon as she could. So he played it out on the piano, as Hope marveled at his musical ability, and taught it to her. Having a great ear, she picked it up pretty quickly, and now he was watching her sing. Instead of having her sing, and then him sing, or vice versa, they decided they were going to record it together. So now, he was watching her sing, still marveling at the fact that she was his… and then he pitched in with his own vocals to harmonize with hers.
You broke through the storm,
and you turned back the night
Baby, you are the fire burning the midnight sky
And your love keeps taking me higher
Just when all hope was gone, where the hero belongs
They took turns letting each other sing out, then joined up together to sing the most dramatic part of the song.
There you were, babe
Standing in the middle of nowhere
with your arms wide open
And you, you were the reason when there was no reason in my life
You're the reason in my life
Finally, before the song was over, the rest of the band pitched in for the most beautiful part of the song—at least, in Kevin's opinion. It so reminded him of Hope, and as the band was singing the chant-like melody, Hope and Kevin caught each other's eye and smiled, knowing that this song was special, and that it embodied all that they felt for each other.
And watching from a small observation area, Kari smiled fondly—they reminded her so much of herself and T.K. when they were younger, She had a feeling this was going to last.
Like the light in the eye of the storm,
Telling me not to cry anymore
When I watched my whole world fall apart,
Shining through like an angel from afar
You broke through the storm,
and you turned back the night
Baby, you are the fire burning the midnight sky
And your love keeps taking me higher
Just when all hope was gone, where the hero belongs…
…there you were
Aww, it's done. Review! Review! My next goal: a 4 digit number! I don't think that'll come anytime soon. 200 would be nice, though. =D