Nik pulled up to the front of Kim's house at 9:00 that night. He turned off the engine and leaned back in the black and blue Momo racing seat. He thought back to that afternoon…

Her lips were soft and light. Her body felt warm. She had been so close to him. He had loved that kiss. But his mind kept asking himself the same question over and over. Should he have done it?

He wasn't sure if she had thought he jumped on her. He left a minute after she walked in her house and he returned to his non-dazed state. Then after a 3 hour's of drifting he had returned to his normal state of mind. Then he started to think and that's always a bad thing.

Nik looked over when he heard someone knocking on his window. It was her. Nik rolled down his window and looked at her, "Hey, do you want to take two cars or just one?"

Kim said, "Let's take two. I want the guy from Bakersville to know I'm there."

Nik nodded and watched her walk away. He sighed and put his eyes back on the road. He wet his lips as he leaned back again. They still tasted like watermelon…

Kim slid into her black and red Sparco bucket racing seat. She pulled the restrains over her shoulders and then connected them at her waist. She put her left hand on the wheel and put the keys into the ignition with her right.

She stopped for a moment and thought back to the afternoon. She couldn't realize if she had done the right thing by kissing him. It didn't feel wrong, but it hadn't felt right either.

She turned the ignition and looked in her rearview mirror. He was cute… And he seemed nice... And he was a good kisser… But she couldn't get over the fact that she wanted to make him eat her dust.

She put the car in reverse as she pulled out of her driveway. She then put the car into first gear and drove along the road ahead of Nik. She took a light left and headed on to the highway.

Nik was still a mystery to her. He wasn't the kinda guy she was used to, which made getting inside of his head more difficult then it should have been. She sighed as she turned off the highway. She glazed in her rearview mirror for a second. He was still there.

She drove along the main strip for about a minute or two before lightly shifting the car right and heading towards the starting line. She turned into the parking lot where most of the cars sat and saw the Tom along with Black Metals top driver, Kevin.

She saw the eyes of a lot of drivers following her. She smiled at the recognition. She then parked close to the two racers. She stepped out of her car and looked over at him in disgust. She hated him…

Nik stopped next to her and stepped out of his own car. He looked over at the guy from Bakersville. His car was what intrigued him. It explained everything about his driving style. How he could have conquered the Bakersville touge. It made everything so simple.

"I don't fucking believe it."

Nik looked over his shoulder at Kevin. He smiled, "What's up?"

"I can't believe you didn't drive yourself off of one of those mountains."

"What can I say, I rock."

"So what are you doing here?"

Nik pointed to Kim. Kevin nodded and then shook his head while grinning, "Back for not even a week and your already pimping…"

Nik sighed, "I ran into her the other night on the lake."

"How'd you do?"

"Tied."

"Wow…She's gotten better…"

"Hmm?"

"She beat me on this run just barley. The lake is a lot curvier, meaning her cornering technique has improved."

"Are you interested in running against her again?"

"No thanks, I was beat, I don't want to be humiliated."

Kevin's eye's shifted over to the 240SX. He smiled, "You still have the balls to drive this old piece of shit?"

"What are you running now?"

He pointed behind him at a black car, "My supra. I pushed it to around 300 hp and I doesn't have a turbo. No lag, I like it that way."

He looked down the car, "Yeah, I remember you never put a turbo in your old MR2 either. You N/A bastard…"

"Yeah, but I have no idea how I plan to take down that Stealth…"

Nik nodded, "Agreed. My guess is that he's running the 4WD turbo model. It would explain how he got so good at the Bakersville touge."

Kevin sighed and whispered, "Here come the physics…"

"The Bakersville touge is pretty much nothing but a continuous S-curve. A normal FR car would spinout during the tighter sections if he didn't slow down to compensate. In FF would understeer greatly, but that would only mean that the car wouldn't turn. A 4WD could keep up high speeds and turn excellently if handled correctly. He could master that run in two months, tops."

"Yeah… that helps me how?"

"I don't know. The curves here are relatively light until the end of the course. I've never seen him handle turns before. It's up in the air at the moment."

"That's all the advice you have to give me?"

"Yup. See you at the finish line."

"Thanks a lot asshole..."

Nik looked over at Kim. Well, Kim was there. She now had walked over by the guy from Bakersville. Nik was about to walk over when Kevin said, "Do you know about them?"

"What about them?"

"Tom is Kim's ex. They went out a few years back. He taught Kim the basics of drift racing. He used to race a Chevy Camaro but he traded to the Stealth in '96. Kim started out with a BMW M3, an older model. They used to run together."

"Really?"

"Yeah, well, legend has it that they had some relationship problems. Kim wanted to get out, she felt like Tom was holding her back. They raced, Kim lost, so they stayed together for another couple of months before Kim caught Tom cheating on her with one of her friends. At least that's what I heard."

"Ahuh..."

He looked over at Tom. Kim looked serious. He wondered about what their real past was. Only two people honestly knew. He only knew one of those two. The one he had kissed... (BTW, He has not and never will kiss Tom (I'm not into that kinda thing...anymore...No comment...)

Kim sighed as she looked up at him, "I want that rematch."

"And I want you back, but you don't see that happening, do you?"

"Tom, get it through your 7 foot thick skull. I'm not getting back together with you."

"Wasn't it good for you?"

"Nothing about you is good." She turned and walked away from him and looked up to see Nik walking towards her. She could hear whispers coming from everywhere. One she heard clearly was "Is Willow's Red Rose and the Highland 240 going out?"

She sighed as she stopped in front of him. She looked up at him, "You ok?"

"I should be asking you. You're the one who just went to talk to your ex."

Kim stopped, "How did you know that he was my ex?"

"Kevin told me."

"Oh...well, there's nothing between us anymore except for tension."

"Sexual?"

"I never had sex with him. By the looks of 'things', he wouldn't have been much good anyway."

Nik smiled and Kim returned his smile. She asked, "I don't know this run that well. Do you know a good vantage point?"

Nik nodded, "Yeah, get in."

Kim walked over to her car and locked it before walking over to Nik's car and sliding into the passenger seat. She watched as the two car's pulled up to the starting line before looking at Nik and saying, "We better hurry before they start."

Nik looked ahead at the line, "Were already in the best seat in the house."

Kim looked at Nik as the race started. She then felt the car she sat in shoot forward out of the parking lot. She felt the rear end kick out as they turned out of the lot and followed the two lead drivers. She was watching this race in a chaser seat...

Nik followed them out of the first curve, sliding a lot. He wasn't watching for baby mistakes. He was trying to pay more attention to there downhill run. He followed them both into the steep downhill section where speed was imminent.

The steep downhill was followed by the first curve. It was a double turn set. The first curve was light, but the second was sharp. Kevin began a very effective feint drift after exiting the first turn. Tom powered through the first turn utilizing and out-in-out strategy. He then kicked out his back end and held down the accelerator his car stayed tight to the inside before exiting.

He noticed Tom let up on the accelerator as he came out. Kevin regained a lead but then Tom went back onto the accelerator and held his car tight to his tail. A long straight was ahead before the second turn set.

All three approached the start of the second turn set. It involved long slide drift followed by a feint drift for maximum effectiveness. He watched Tom's entrance to the turn. He accelerated and lost no grip upon entry. Kevin started a long slide drift and Nik only heard the engine down gear twice. He was keeping up his speed.

As the second turn neared, Tom swung his backend out and pushed Kevin back as he downshifted. He accelerated and powered out of the turn as Kevin finished it and began his steady acceleration towards the next turn.

Kim looked over at Nik and asked, "Who do you think will win?"

Nik answered, "Tom has the lead."

"That's not what I asked you."

"I can't answer that question. It all depends on Kevin's mastery of the course..."

Kim's eyes gently shifted her eyes back to the road. He didn't seem especially confident in his friend's technique. On the other hand though, Kevin may have improved since Nik last saw him race and he had never seen Tom race before.

She looked ahead as they passed the half way mark of the course. They then entered a medium left curve. It was followed by a medium right. Both car's powered through it and then went on towards the last leg of the course.

This part of the course was hard to maneuver because the road got narrower and curvier. They drifted into the first turn and then used the force gained from the turn to shoot them around for the second turn. Kevin gained about two feet on Tom but Tom remained calm.

No more then 20 seconds later they came to the long left curve. Kevin began a drift while Tom once again went to an out-in-out technique. Tom let up on his gas and Kevin slid ahead of him. They exited that turn and immediately had to handle another set of 90 degree curves.

Kevin went out and then inside before drifting out of the second, sending his car far to the outside. Tom followed Kevin's line through the first turn and then went inside and held a tight line as he used pure grip to come out of the turn ahead of Kevin and block him.

They both slid around the next curve and Tom gained half a car length on Kevin. He then powered along the quarter mile stretch to take the win at the line. Kevin finished off 1.5 seconds behind him.

Kim sighed, "Fuck..."

Nik looked over at her as she swore, "What's wrong?"

"His ego grows with every win..."

Nik pulled up next to them and saw Kevin and Tom exit their cars. Nik got out as Kim did. Nik walked over to Kevin and smiled, "You've gotten a lot better since I've been gone, racing at full speed down a mountain with a car with 300 hp. You were freaked out of your mind driving on the lake with only 200."

Kevin nodded, "I still can't believe I lost..."

Nik sighed, "He had 4WD plus 20 more horsepower then you."

Kevin looked at him angered, "What happened to 'it's not the car, it's the driver'?"

Nik looked down at him, "Ok, you didn't hold a tight enough line and you slid like crazy. You left him a lot of openings to pass and I saw him hold back and let you keep the lead at least twice."

Kevin sighed, "Asshole..."

Nik smiled before he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see Tom standing in front of him next to Kim. Nik didn't know why, but seeing Kim next to him made him want to beat his face in.

Nik smiled at him, "Congratulations."

He returned the smile, "Thank you. It's nice to meet a living legend."

Nik sighed, "I'm a legend, wow."

Kim looked up at Tom, "Why couldn't you have been modest like him?"

Tom looked over at her with a glare but then looked back at Nik, "So, I was wondering if you might want to race sometime?"

Kim looked over at Nik, "Hold on a sec, you have to race me first."

"Don't waste your time with her, she's a worthless racer."

"Me? You're the one who drives a 4WD just so you don't slide off the road."

"I drive 4WD for the overall traction and even with 4WD, I can still drift better then you."

Nik sighed as the they continued to argue. This was turning out to be a quite interesting night. He looked at both of them, "May I offer a solution?"

They both looked at him quickly, "What?"

"Why don't you two race each other, then I'll race the winner on the lake run."

Kim couldn't deny the fact that she wanted to race him and she also wanted revenge on Tom for taking her down years ago. This really seemed like a win/win situation. This made her suspicious.

Kim looked up at him, "So what do we get if we win? The satisfaction of beating the best?"

Nik nodded, "That, plus my title as the fastest on Highland."

Kim smiled but then stopped smiling. Something else was confusing her..., "So does that mean that you're retiring from racing?"

Nik shook his head, "No, it's just... I had this plan..."

Tom looked up, "Yeah...?"

Nik shook his head again, "Forget it. Name a time and a place where you two will race."

Kim looked at Tom, "We can't race on Willow's hill or on the Bakersville touge. I refuse to have or let you have home course advantage."

Tom nodded, "Considering I need the practice to go up against the 240, I say we run on highland."

Kim scowled at him but agreed. Tom smiled and said good bye before shooting off in his Stealth. Nik got back into his car and Kim followed him. They began driving back up the mountain in an attempt to find Kim's car.

Kim was wondering about something and she couldn't keep her mouth shut about it, "What was your plan?"

Nik continued to stare at the road, "What plan?"

"Back there, you said you had a plan. Why didn't you tell us?"

"Oh, it's just a stupid idealistic thought."

"Tell me."

"No."

Kim exposed her lower lip and pouted, "Please Nik...?"

Nik sighed, "Fine, I'll tell you."

Kim smiled and waited. Nik said, "Back when I first decided to move to Japan, I had a plan that was never carried out to its full potential. I wanted to go and race against the best I could find and whoever beat me would have my title so I could leave America with nothing weighing me down."

Kim nodded and smirked, "Let me guess... No one beat you?"

Nik nodded, "Racers weren't like they are now back then. The drifting scene was new to everyone and it still is."

Kim nodded, "Mostly."

"Well, the time came around and I left America while still retaining the title of the Highland 240. Ever since then it's always put pressure on me to retain my title but I never really saw anyone as a challenge anymore."

"Now you're insulting me."

Nik sighed, "I don't mean to. It's just... ever since I went to Japan; I've been getting more and more connected with driving my FC. Yet I can't stop thinking that this is my car because of my title. Honestly, all I want to do is give it up but I won't give my title to some good for nothing driver like Jesse."

"So, you want to just give up everything you have, everything you've worked for?"

"I'd rather just leave my old career and start over. Being able to drift around a few turns on a lake is nothing compared to the types of racing done on the mountain passes. It doesn't mean shit to anyone in a different country."

"How can you give up your roots though?"

Nik slammed on his brakes as the car came to a stop on the uphill stretch. He yanked up the E-brake and stepped out of the car. Kim stepped out as well and walked over to him, "What the hell is your problem!"

He looked over at Kim with heavy eyes, "Look. There are things here I would just rather forget about, ok?"

Kim looked over at him angered, "Will you just shut up and get over yourself! This is your home; you can't run away for ever."

"I can sure as hell fucking try!"

"You're such an asshole!"

"Shut up!"

"Make me!"

And he did. He pulled her body to his and firmly clamped her lips shut with his own. Kim slowly shut her eyes and felt her entire body melt in his arms. He wasn't holding her tightly but just tight enough.

Kim fell into Nik and brought her hands up to his shoulder. They continually separated their lips for less then a second before bringing them back to the others again.

Kim loved this almost too much. She could sense that Nik was enjoying it too. Was it just her being paranoid or was she really sensing what he felt? Did he really like kissing her?

Nik did. Her lips were soft, full, and they still tasted like watermelon. Her body felt warm against his and her skin was soft. He gently pulled away from her and looked into her lustful green eyes.

Nik opened his mouth slowly, still savoring the smell and taste of watermelon, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that."

Kim eyes looked up at him with the same glare they had earlier today, "Then why did you do it... twice?"

Nik shook his head, "I don't know, something just came over me and there I was, pulling you to me and kissing you."

Kim looked up at him and sighed, "Nik, I'd appreciate it if you could try to keep your lips to yourself around me."

Nik looked up almost saddened, "Why?"

Kim looked over, her eyes calling him an idiot, "We're rival racers. I can't be making out with a guy I have to beat."

Nik sighed, "I don't have to be your rival you know..."

Kim looked up, "I'm sorry, but I either have allies or rivals."

Nik looked up, "Then why don't you let me be your ally?"

Kim sighed, "How?"

Nik stood and thought for a moment, "I can show you how to beat Tom."

Kim sighed, "I can beat him on my own."

"Kim, if he gets the lead on you from the start, you wont be able to pass him, his car is too wide and his drift is too fast because of the 4WD."

"Thanks for the confidence."

"Look, I'm considering if I can beat him or you. If you let me teach you, I'm sure that I can show how to beat Tom, and from that, you can beat me."

Kim stepped back, stunned, "What would make you want to so that!"

"It's not the race I really care about, I just...like being around you...I fell this way when I'm around... I like it."

"Are you gonna just sit there and start telling me how much you love me or something?"

"What if I did?"

Kim stopped. Did he just say what she thought he said? Was he about to start telling him how much he loved her? Did he love her? Why where these questions running through her head?

Kim shook it off, "Well we both know you're not going to, but I would appreciate the help."

Kim honestly didn't want his help. She was convinced that she could beat Tom and Nik by herself. Unfortunately she wanted to explore this "What if I did?" scenario.

Nik nodded with a smile. He was apparently very happy about this. It was apparent that he did like her, but love her? She didn't especially think it was possible for a guy she met less then a week ago to be in love with her.

She sat in the 240 quietly until they got to the parking lot. She slid into the bucket seat of her 911 and watched the 240 drive away. An odd emotion came over her when she saw him drive away. She was sad.

Kim drove him with the radio on a local station. The music was low while she thought about the possibility that he did love her. Love. Four letters. Four extremely meaningful letters that made up a word that showed the deepest emotion in the entire world.

Love...

Sorry for the wait. I told you that it would take a while. I've been having writers block for a while because I didn't really have the story set up in a direction I liked. That's why I'm really glad I wrote this chapter. It helped me set up the rest of A BN X-mas. I should spewing out chapters as fast as I did with the original BN story. Thanks for reading. Sayonara.