A/N: Before I start with the story, I'd like to thank all of my reviewers for their input, but a few especially for their advice:
Kanojotachi
Birdhead
mystic-angel1
Fireblade K'Chona
Anyways, thank you all, and I hope you like this story.
Chapter 17
Tennis Lessons
Kit had been up for three hours. He'd showered, watched TV, surfed the web, mindspoke with Dairine, finished a book, gone for a quick walk, and gotten breakfast for both of them. Nita was still asleep. He glanced at his watch. 11:16 in the morning. He tapped his foot impatiently, half-watching the Channel 11 news, then, in a fit of mischief, chucked a pillow at Nita. It missed, bouncing off the bed next to her. Kit turned a corner of his mouth up wryly, then grabbed another pillow. He wound up, taking careful aim at a spot just above Nita's head, and let fly. It hit Nita in the ear and bounced onto the floor. Nita sat up, startled, her hair crackling with static electricity. Kit bit his lip to keep from laughing aloud as her hair floated out to the side, and she glared at him.
"What?"
Kit shrugged.
"You've been snoozing ever since I woke up."
"Oh yeah?" Nita challenged. "And when was that?"
"Eight."
"Uh-huh. I heard you walking around at ten."
"I got back from my walk then, stupid."
"How long was your walk?"
She ducked as a McDonalds bag came flying at her.
"Shut up and eat," Kit laughed.
She rolled her eyes and slid out of bed, tossing the bag onto the nightstand. Sleepily, she stumbled into the bathroom and slammed and locked the door behind her.
She came out a few minutes later in a NYPD T-shirt and a pair of Levis, wide-awake. In between bites of an egg and sausage McMuffin, she inquired, "So what's today's game plan?"
"Dunno. Whaddya want to do?"
Nita swallowed.
"Uhh… "
"Anything."
Nita's face suddenly lit up like a Christmas tree.
"Maybe another walk," she suggested, mischief dancing in her slate-gray eyes.
Kit shook his head, smiling.
"Last time we took a walk together, I ended up having to pick snow out of my ears. Not that I didn't like the walk itself…" he finished hurriedly. "…but I don't think another snowball fight would be in order."
Nita glared at him, then, unable to restrain herself, grinned.
"Oookay. So…"
"How about a tennis game?"
Nita raised an eyebrow.
"Are you sure you're good enough?" she asked with a grin.
Kit laughed.
"Miss Big Ego."
Nita shrugged.
"You're on."
Whap.
Bam.
Nita shot another fuzzy green blur straight past Kit and into the chain-link fence behind him.
Whap.
Bam.
And another.
Whap.
Bam.
Yet another narrowly missed his forehead.
Whap.
Whap.
Kit, by some miracle of nature, ricocheted the 90-mph serve back at Nita. She coolly reflected it back at him.
Whap.
Whap.
Whap.
Whap.
Smack.
"Ow…"
The ball rolled away merrily, content with the injury its arch-foe had just sustained. Kit rubbed his forehead as Nita doubled over laughing on the other side of the net. He rolled his eyes as he heard the ball join in, sounding very much like a rubber sheep.
"Oh, c'mon you guys. Was it really that funny?"
Yeah.
"I wasn't asking you, fuzzball."
Whatever.
"Yeah," Nita giggled, her eyes alight with amusement.
Kit rolled his eyes.
"Fine. Team up with the tennis ball."
Nita shook her head smilingly and came around the net. Patting her best friend's shoulder comfortingly, trying to hide a smile, she grinned and murmured soothingly, "There, there, Kit…there's always a next time."
She stifled a scream as Kit grabbed her, sweeping her off her feet, and tickled her behind her left ear. She squirmed under his onslaught, laughing hard, then let out a gasp as Kit suddenly jerked, as if to drop her. He caught her at the last moment, and she gave a short, breathless laugh.
"Kit Rodriguez!" she cried, giving him a kick, hard enough to hurt him slightly, but not hard enough to cause a major bruise. "I swear to…if you ever do that again, I'm gonna…"
Kit hoisted her to her feet and grinned evilly.
"Oh, don't be such a spoilsport, Neets," he chuckled.
She bounced a pebble off his head, laughing.
"C'mon, Kit. Get the oversized neon ball of fur and let's go."
I highly object to that remark.
Kit bounced it a couple of times, then tossed it into his bag and started the walk back toward the hotel.
"You know, maybe I should give you tennis lessons," Nita mused.
Kit choked on his Pepsi. After he spat the half-regurgitated Pepsi out, he sighed.
"Ah, no. Last time I tried taking lessons from you…"
Nita smiled.
"C'mon, Kit. It'll be fun."
"No."
Nita's expression changed to her famed wounded-puppy expression.
Kit caved in with a bam.
"Fine, fine. So if I come back looking like Swiss Cheese…"
"We'll all point and laugh at you."
Kit gave her a light punch and resignedly followed her out the door to his imminent doom.