Disclaimer: Same old, same old…

A/N: Here it is… the BIG one. Please let me know how I did. I'm really sorry for all of the long delays. I do have some sort of a life and all…

May 3, A/N: 50 reviews is pretty big for me. I want to thank ALL of you for reviewing, and a special thanks to Geller Bing for making the number 50 on my review count. I figured that was more than enough incentive for me to get this last chapter out. Then I might be able to start some of my new ideas! Again, a big thanks to you all, and please enjoy this last chapter.

June 9, A/N: So, I guess I didn't finish this story last month like I'd hoped to. So much for my "just get it done and over with" way of thinking. Haha...

July 10, A/N: Wow. I'm such a lazy butt. Then again, my life has been busier than it ever was, what with my constant working and all. But here I finally am, ready and willing to finish this thing! I've got Breaking Benjamin playing on the old Launch Cast player, half of a cinnamon roll and a glass of milk, and my fingers have been cracked and are ready to type like there's no tomorrow. (By the by, I've had at least ¾ of this chapter completed since the first A/N. I know, I know. I've already slapped myself for you.)

'Thoughts' "Speech"

School's Out

(3:15 p.m.)

'A… C… B… A… and finally, D stands for done.' Kim closed her booklet and leaned back in her chair, letting out a satisfied breath. 'Any more of those and I might as well have yawned myself to death.' A thirty question multiple-choice test on the booklet and safe driving strategies was not her idea of fun… but neither was getting ticketed and having to come here at all. 'At least class is almost over,' she reassured herself.

Mitch had assigned the test over twenty minutes ago. Surely everyone else was finished by now. It wasn't that hard. The sound of scratching pencils and turning pages led her to believe that there were still a few slackers, so she closed her eyes and began to re-live the day.

Embarrassing herself in front of an officer didn't compare to what happened afterwards. Running into Tommy at traffic school of all places and kissing him, however, was certainly the highlight of her week. 'That's definitely a step up from flirting with that cute guy in the coffee shop the other day,' she mused. 'Maybe there's hope for you yet, Kim. If Tommy doesn't need to wait for a second first date to kiss it's got to mean something, right? Even if he claims it was only an act…' The man could kiss, whether he meant it or not!

Suddenly, she began to feel down right stupid for lashing out at him because of his silly dream. How many times had she woken up with a smile on her face, recalling her fantasies being played out during the night? How many guys had she dreamt up to challenge Tommy in winning her hand? And there were countless dreams where even her closest guy friends stood up to the challenge! Jason certainly had his fair share of boyfriend qualities, Zack and Rocky had always made her laugh from the pit of her stomach, and Adam had a smile that could melt the liquid foundation right off her cheeks. She had even thrown second glances at Billy from time to time… but she wasn't going to get into that now. She had to apologize to Tommy for her unfair assumption of "what kind of man he had become."

No matter how many years slipped by, Kim would always know Tommy to be the caring, courageous, good-willed, respective type. He was clumsy at times, but so was she. He had a bad habit of being tardy to any appointment, but most often made a fashionably late appearance. However, he wasn't usually perverse… intentionally, anyway. It seemed almost against his character to dream such a dream, but the mind works in mysterious ways.

Kim grinned. 'What other dreams do you hide up there, Tommy?' she asked him mentally. Then, as the possibilities came to mind, she crinkled her nose. 'Maybe its best I don't know.'

Laughing quietly to herself, she began to play with the eraser end of her pencil, drawing invisible hearts and stars to frame the booklet.

"Kimberly the-red-light-runner Hart," Mitch called out suddenly. He held up a pink slip of paper, waving it slightly in the air.

Kim glanced up from her doodling and let out an, "Oh!" in realization of what was going on. She got to her feet and walked up to Mr. Cross in order to receive her certificate.

"Here you are," he said, feeding it to her hand and smiling when she snatched it rather excitedly.

"Does this mean we can go?" she asked hopefully.

"Not quite yet. There're still others who need to get theirs, and then I want to say a few words."

Kim nodded and turned for her seat, carefully looking over the pink slip that ensured her freedom. 'I almost can't believe this day is finally over!' She thought, biting her lip to hold the relieved grin that was beginning to spread. 'No doubt it's been the longest, most interesting day I've had in a long while.'

She raised her head just in time to see Tommy retrieve his own certificate, and blushed at the wink he gave her. As soon as the last certificate was passed out, Kim settled all of her belongings (a pencil, her booklet and certificate) in her lap and straightened her back, eager to be released.

Mitch stood in the center of the room and cleared his throat. "Before I let you all go," he began, "I just wanted to say in all sincerity that you've been a great group, and I only hope that I never have to see your ugly faces again." That got a forced laugh from few, and he continued on. "No, really. I know as much as you do that this class isn't something you want to repeat. Please, guys, for your own sake, drive safely and obey the traffic rules. Thanks for putting up with me, people. Now go and have a wonderful rest of the evening."

The class rose as a whole and pushed for the door. Some stopped to chat with Mr. Cross, ignoring his commands of, "Go! Be free! Show's over!" Kim smiled and shook her head, walking away from him and his fans, and out through the doors to the parking lot.

"I have to say," said Tommy, who appeared at her side rather suddenly, "that wasn't as bad as I thought it might be. A little on the boring side, granted, but I actually remembered most of the stuff I was supposed to have already known!"

Kim only gave him a weird look, and finally laughed. After the tiniest of sighs, she said, "Tommy, I want to apologize for yelling at you earlier. I was way too harsh on you, even after you had warned me. You can't really help what you dream…" she trailed off, and he jumped in.

"Don't worry about it, Kim. I know you didn't mean it." He gave her a sincere smile, and could see the sparkle in her eyes as she was forgiven. "So... what now? It's still pretty early. Got time to catch a movie or something?"

Kim's eyebrows rose slightly at that. Was he asking her on a date? 'Of course not, stupid! He's only asking if you want to see a movie!' She began debating with herself whether or not she should go. 'If I don't, I can finish the laundry and vacuuming… but then, there's always tomorrow!' 'If I do go, I'll be tempted to buy a snack of some sort, and I have been on a diet… but the theater is dark, and there's a new romance out, and the whole possibility of catching up on old times… in the dark… with Tommy…' Kim had to stop herself there. If anything were to happen, it would be a hug goodbye, or maybe even a peck on the cheek. There was too much to be resolved before they could get involved again. 'Of course, if he can see right through me and realize that I haven't moved on, then maybe-'

"Kim? Hello? Earth to Kimberly…" Tommy snapped several times in front of her face, amusement in his voice. "Welcome back. It looked like you sort of spaced out there for a minute."

"Oh. Sorry." She shook her head, fully returning from her thoughts.

"So… can you go, or not? Because, you know, it's not a big deal…"

"No, no! I can!" Kim interjected, sounding more eager than she had intended to.

"Yeah?!" was Tommy's similar response. "Um, I mean, okay. Cool." He mentally slapped himself for expressing his obvious eagerness.

Kim nodded and smiled shyly. "But it might have to be a little later in the evening, if that's okay. I've got some chores to finish up" '…And an outfit to pick out!'

"No problem." By this time, the two had found themselves standing in front of Tommy's car. He walked over to the driver's side door and pulled out his keys, fitting the correct one into the lock. "Where do you live? Maybe I can just pick you up."

"Oh. Sure, that'd be totally cool." Kim proceeded to pull out her pencil and tore a corner of paper from her booklet, jotting down her address and directions to her house. When she finished, she handed the piece to him.

Tommy accepted it and looked it over. "Wow. Stone Canyon, huh?" he said. "Well, how about I pick you up around… let's say six. Does that sound reasonable for a movie? Maybe we can grab some dinner afterwards?"

Kim wanted to jump for joy. "Yeah, sure, that's fine. I guess I'll see you at six, then?"

Tommy opened his door and just before he sat down, said coolly, "It's a date." With that, he shut the door and started the engine, backed out of his parking spot and thrust a hand out the window to wave as he drove off.

The brunette brought hands to mouth as she smiled so greatly that it was beginning to hurt. When she was sure he was completely out of sight, she hopped a foot off the ground and landed, squealing out "Yes!" Taking notice of the confused stares coming her way, she quickly composed herself and tugged on her shirt to cover her exposed midriff, then walked calmly to her little BMW, entered the vehicle and eagerly headed for home.

The "date" had been fairly uneventful. The two re-acquaintances took the opportunity to catch up more extensively. Before they knew it, time had completely slipped by, the hours behind them only feeling like minutes. The moon hung in its crescent form among the stars that glittered in the dark sky, and a walk around a small park near the restaurant they'd chosen to dine at seemed a fitted ending to the simple evening.

Now they were seated in Tommy's car, in the parking lot below her apartment in Stone Canyon. There was silence for a moment, until Kimberly decided to speak first.

"Thanks for the evening. I had a really nice time."

"Me too."

Kimberly nodded. "Well, thanks for the ride… and good luck with your dojo!"

Tommy smiled. "Do you want me to walk you to your door?"

Kim blushed. She had been hoping he'd offer. She just didn't think it would take some work… "That'd be nice."

Tommy headed out of the car and around to her side and opened the door, taking her hand as she stood up. Shutting the door, Tommy lead Kim up the stairs to her balcony, were she stopped in front of her door and searched in her purse for her keys.

When Kim found them, she unlocked the door and pushed it open, turning on the nearest light switch, allowing Tommy to peek inside.

"It's nice," he admitted, his eyes scanning the semi-dark room with its white washed walls, Ikea furniture and floral decors. "For you, I mean. You've done well for yourself."

"Yeah, it's homey." Kim bit her bottom lip, wanting to ask the question, but too nervous. It had been so long….

"Well, I better let you get to bed. It's late, and I've got to get home myself."

Kim sighed. "Right. Well… good night, Tommy." She looked up at him, her purse still clutched in both hands.

"Good night, Kim." He lowered his gaze to her level, and for a moment, the two shared a memory long since passed. He swore he could feel the lake's breeze cool against his flesh, and the sun's warmth pouring over his bare shoulders. And there she was, innocent as ever, looking into his eyes with such fondness and honesty.

Before she knew it, his hand had reached for hers, and his face was coming in close. She slowly closed her eyes, waiting for the moment when his lips would press against her cheek… only to be caught off guard when they landed on hers! The feeling was new, yet so right. She dropped her purse and lifted her hand to his face. It was like their first kiss all over again.

As the two slowly broke away, their eyes met again and a stilled silence settled around them. After a long moment of staring, Kimberly was able to clear her throat and speak. Her voice was timid, yet hopeful as she formed her words, never lowering her gaze.

"Would you like to come in?"

Tommy smiled. Her hand was still enclosed in his, and it led him through the front door of her home, leading him back into her heart once again.

Final A/N: Heh. I never have a problem laughing at myself, and this is just one of those moments. I agree with those of you who saw this ending as pretty lame, because honestly (and I hate how it ends up like this with most of my stories) I lost interest in it. Sorry if I ruined it by getting sick of it and wanting to just finish it off. Oh well. I've got some pretty good ideas for future stories, and they'll hopefully turn out better than this did (for me). If you loved it, then I'm glad. Otherwise, I just hope I won't disappoint you (or myself) when I come out with more stuff. Thanks for sticking along! Jessica