Disclaimer: It's Saban's sandbox. I just play here because it's fun.
Author's Note: Well, I'm back. Sorry it's been so long. I won't go into details, just saying I missed you guys and sorry if my writing is rusty. This part sits at the day after Patch Jobs.
**Denotes Thoughts**
- + - + - + - + - + -
Something wasn't right.
It wasn't exactly wrong either . . . just different. Trapped in the surreal, too-wide border between sleeping and waking, Kat lay in her bed and tried to sort out what it was.
The process was terribly slow. Mainly because in this half-awake state all firm facts were a little soft and mutable, and she kept getting confused as to what was real and what was pulled from her dreams. Was it supposed to be this dark? Who was talking to her? Or was the voice merely coming across the barrier of the dream world? And what was that smell?
Little by little though, her world became more solid, certain things shifting into sharper focus. The first and most definable --- it was too early. The light was still the soft pink of new dawn, not the brash full sun that usually streamed through her blinds waking her long before her alarm.
Pieces started to come together. It was early because she had the AP today and had to be at school by seven, so she had set her alarm . . . only it wasn't her alarm that had woken her.
Where was her alarm?
Music.
She didn't own a clock radio. Rolling a little, Kat looked in the direction the music was coming from. Sitting there on her desk was a boom box, playing what sounded like . . . the Theme from Rocky?!?
Now she could place where she had seen that stereo before. It was Tommy's, and she was going to kill him.
Then she smelled the food --- eggs, bacon, and coffee. Maybe his death could wait.
Rolling out of bed in what many would have called an uncharacteristically clumsy manner, the Pink Ranger made her way over to the window, gathered up her courage and threw open the blinds. **God, why couldn't they have this test in the afternoon?**
"Oh good, you're up."
Turning away from the cruel light, Kat looked over at her roommate who sounded entirely too cheery for this early in the morning.
"Did you do this?" It was finally beginning to sink in with her that someone was doing something extremely nice.
Tanya shook her head, grinning in that way that made it impossible not to return her smile. "Wish I could claim it, but this is entirely Tommy's doing. I was just supposed to make sure you were up."
"He's here?!" Kat yelped, her hands coming up to smooth down the rats nest of her hair. No matter how many times her boyfriend had witnessed her in rugged post-battle glory, bleary-eyed morning slovenliness was an entirely different creature.
"Hey, slow down," The Yellow Ranger soothed, with a tinge of amusement in her voice. "He's not here. He wanted to be, but from what I understand Billy wouldn't let him, said he didn't want you to get distracted." Tanya waggled her eyebrows suggestively.
Rolling her eyes, Kat walked over to the still steaming food sitting on her desk, and picked up the note that lay beside it. She barely noticed when her roommate took that as the cue to exit.
~~~~~
Kat,
I wanted to help you get off to a good start this morning, so I tried to make all of the stuff you love, but won't eat normally. Just tell yourself you deserve it for working so hard. I wish I could be there with you this morning, but Billy barred me, so I'll have to wait and take you out tomorrow night, your pick.
I want you to know that I'm so proud of you for doing this, and I'll be thinking about you all day.
Love,
Tommy
~~~~~
Smiling softly as the loving warmth of the note seeped through her, she looked down at the breakfast before her. Sure enough, he had put together a pretty full spread with bacon, eggs, french toast, orange juice, and fresh fruit. He must have gotten up so early to make this. It was this type of thing that had made her fall for Tommy --- these amazing, slightly extravagant gestures that transformed her from plain old Kat to a goddess-like heroine in a romance novel.
Taking a sip of her orange-juice, she surveyed the breakfast feast trying to decide where to start. That was when she noticed the odd item out.
The coffee was not from Tommy. Firm believer in the elimination of caffeine that he was, she doubted he even knew how to brew it. So that left . . .
Sure enough, sitting under the mug was a second note that warmed her just as much if differently than the first.
~~~~~
Morning Captain,
First things first, I swear I didn't touch the food. All I did was make the coffee and provide slightly illicit use of teleport technology. So breakfast is safe and edible.
I'd tell you not to worry and that you'll do fine, but we both know you won't listen to me. There's a set of notes under the mug. Stick to those so you don't get bogged down in detail, and I'll just have to have enough confidence in you for both of us.
By the way, the mug is yours to keep. I saw it in a store the other day and for some reason it reminded me of you. Consider it an early congratulations gift.
Billy
P.S. Could you bring me the two signal transmitters the next time you come to the Power Chamber? They're a pain to make.
~~~~~
Looking at the mug she held, Kat emitted a tiny giggle at the cartoon tabby in a karate uniform throwing a sidekick, with the words "Cat Fight" emblazoned beneath it. That was going to get its own special place on the break-room shelf.
She found the two signal transmitters one on the tray and one on her desk. **When did he get a chance to put that one there?** Putting aside the small silver disks, near her work clothes, so she wouldn't forget, the Pink Ranger sat back down to the breakfast that had been made with so much love, and reviewed the notes that had been prepared with equal care.
*****
**I should have brought a book** Billy thought for at least the third time this morning only to look down at his watch and realize it was now officially noon.
He felt like an idiot, anxiously waiting here in the hallway, pacing enough to give Jason a run for his money. He probably looked like an idiot too.
Luckily no one had thrown him out yet. Since non-students weren't supposed to be at AGHS during school hours and *no one* was supposed to be in the halls right outside the AP testing, his luck was running at an all time high. The only teachers he'd seen were Paulson and Miss Appleby, and both were inclined to look the other way since his reputation gave him a place in student heaven.
Shoving his hands in his pockets, the teen genius leaned against the lockers and stared at the door to classroom 203. She was in there somewhere, her head bent studiously over the test booklet, errant strands from her pony tail tucked back behind her ears.
And he was out here . . . only God knew why.
He told himself he was worried that his own stupid selfish anger might have somehow thrown her off balance and threatened her chances. And then just as quickly he told himself it was ridiculous to think his interactions with Kat would have that much say in her equilibrium. Tommy's maybe, his . . . of course not.
So he told himself she might want someone to hang around with after this, and with everyone else in class he was a logical candidate. But what if she wanted to be alone?
**I should just go**
Except no movement actually accompanied that thought. He needed to see her, even if it was just long enough to apologize. The young scientist needed to know if he could still make her smile in a way that wasn't sad or if he had destroyed that, and he needed to know now. That and he was going to go crazy if he had to wait one more second to find out how she did.
The muffled sound of movement caught his ear, and Billy turned his attention back to the door just in time to see it fly open and a small group of rather disheveled looking students file out. A few, who recognized him, gave him an odd look, but no one said anything as he continued to keep his gaze fixed on the doorway.
Just as he was about to start asking the others whether he had the right room, Kat appeared, her head bent down as she redid her pony-tail smoothing pale gold locks back into place with her scrunchie. Pushing off the lockers the teen genius took a step towards her, and at that moment she looked up.
**Yup, shouldn't have come** Billy thought as he took in his friend's bewildered look. She was going to ask why he was here, and he wasn't going to have an answer at least not a safe one. He was pretty sure 'I needed to see you' was about as dangerous as he could get.
Kat look of surprise had now transformed into a wide grin, but the ex-Ranger didn't see that as he tried to casually look around at the other students, and think of something to say.
The Pink Ranger got there first. "Hey."
Whipping his head back around to meet her gaze, Billy felt a wave of relief wash over him at the realization that she wasn't going to interrogate him, or question his motives, and that he could still make her smile.
"Hey," he replied softly, meeting her smile with one of his own, "I-I came to see how you did."
Kat bit the bottom of her lip, and for a second Billy's heart sunk, until it became apparent that she was only doing so to suppress a wide grin. "I don't want to jinx myself, but . . . I kicked its ass."
Letting out a laugh that he had to work hard to keep quiet, the young scientist unthinkingly swept her into bear hug --- exuberance spurred on not only by her answer but her phrasing. After Tommy's reaction to Billy's casual use of the mild profanity, the two had started to use the phrase a little more frequently taking a kind of illicit delight at the idea of how the Rangers would react to the two mild-mannered team members being, well, not quite so mild.
As he started to come back down from his cloud, Billy became aware of the fact that he was still holding her, and had been . . . for far too long. Embarrassed he fumbled to release her, only to have his breath catch in surprise at the feeling of her resistance.
"Please don't." She whispered, in a way that if he trusted his interpretations he'd call slightly desperate. Lifting her head a little, Kat met his eyes, and he could see the shining beginnings of tears in hers.
What had brought on this sudden change?
"Please don't pull away again." She whispered her voice rough with tears she was holding back.
As he felt her arms tighten around his back, it became blindingly clear to him. With the exception of helping her up off the floor on Monday, he hadn't touched her since she broke her promise. That easy contact, which had once been so unthinkingly natural, had been lost. Even as he attempted to extend an emotional hand of friendship, he'd been exceedingly careful not to extend a physical one.
It had never occurred to him that she'd notice the loss.
Yet as his mind struggled to wrap itself around this thought, his arms had no trouble wrapping around her waist and pulling her close, letting her feel what he couldn't figure out how to say.
"I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry." She was crying now. With her face buried against his neck he could feel the damp of her tears, the soft breath of her choked sobs.
He lifted a hand to stroke her hair, but quickly dropped it to her shoulder. "Shh, I blew it out of proportion. You know that."
Feeling her nod, he laughed silently. Kat still had no trouble calling him on his faults. She had calmed a little now, but still made no move to extricate herself. Knowing that he couldn't be the first one to move away, Billy just let her stay there, holding on to him like he was keeping her afloat.
She felt so natural in his arms, too natural, like little pieces of her were melting into him and it would be painful when she stepped away. It hadn't been like this before. When they had held each other he always felt good or comfortable or safe, but never before had he felt . . . right.
He desperately wanted to stay here holding her, feeling this way. He desperately wanted to step away before anymore of her melted into him, and he was lost. Fear won out over joy.
"Kat?" Turned slightly so he could whisper to her, after all this hall was supposed to be a completely quiet zone.
"Hmmm?" The Pink Ranger lifted her head to look at him, her eyes read and puffy, tears still fresh on her cheeks.
Unable to help himself, Billy lifted his hand and brushed away the moist spots with his thumb. "The next set of testers will be coming soon. We should leave."
For the tiniest of infinities, neither of them moved. All Billy could manage to do was stand there dumbly with his hand cupping her face, and Kat seemed to be just as transfixed as he. Then fear returned in full and he had to force himself not to jerk away.
"Yeah." Her hands took over swiping away the tears as she bent down to pick up her bag from where she had dropped it. Straightening back up, she smiled at him. "I have the rest of the day off, please don't make me spend it alone."
*****
"Come on, one splurge is not going to kill you or your physique or whatever it is that you're worried about." Billy enticed holding out a forkful of what was possibly the most decadent looking chocolate confection Kat had seen in years. "The ice cream is melting."
Heaving an overly loud, exasperated sigh, the Pink Ranger leaned forward and let him feed her the proffered morsel. God, it was actually better than it looked!
At Billy's far too self-satisfied chuckle, Kat opened her eyes to find him sliding a clean fork across the table to her with a knowing smile. "You know you want to."
Even as she picked up the fork and began to dig in, she continued to protest, "I feel like such a failure. Here I volunteer every week with the drug program, talking about peer pressure, and just saying no, and I can't even manage to resist you and chocolate."
"Well it's a potent combination, highly addictive." He grinned. "Besides it is a well known fact that a little bit of chocolate now and then is extremely healthy."
"Is that your official medical opinion, Doctor Cranston?"
"Absolutely, the addition of chocolate to one's diet is as essential as pepperoni on pizza."
"Yet another thing I don't eat."
"Why?"
"Why what?"
Pausing for a moment to savor the bite he had just popped into his mouth, Billy finally continued. "Why don't you eat it?"
"I don't like pepperoni."
"Okay, but eggs, french toast . . . chocolate? You can't tell me that you don't like those things, so why don't you eat them?"
"Habit mostly, from when I was in training."
The team scientist shook his head in mild reproach. "Kat, when you became a Ranger your metabolism jumped about four-fold. You don't have to worry about it so much anymore. Look, at what Rocky packs away, and he doesn't gain a thing."
Leaning back in her chair, the Pink Ranger put her fork down and sighed. "I know that, I really do. I compensate by eating more, but only of those things I already let myself eat. I can't just let myself indulge even a little bit . . . I don't know, I think it's part of my thing."
Mimicking her actions, Billy looked at her in puzzlement. "Thing?"
"Yeah, haven't you ever noticed how we all have this set of stuff that we do, like being Rangers and saving the world from monsters isn't enough, we have to be super people as well?"
"Keep going."
"Well, I mean think about it. Do any of us ever say to ourselves, you know I think that because I spend most of my time risking my life to fight the Machine Empire I should take a break?"
Billy let out a small chuckle, "Not unless I'm really out of touch."
"No, we spend the rest of our time being model teenagers, and even exceptional ones. Tanya sings, Kim did gymnastics, I dance, there isn't a piece of technology you don't eventually figure out, and all the guys can play any sport they set their minds to. Then on top of that, we do tons of community service, teach children, and decide to learn new skills."
"So where does the food factor into this?"
"It's hard for me. I love chocolate and heavy comfort food, and when I was on the diving team indulging was bad . . . and we're . . ."
"Good." Billy completed for her in a flash of comprehension.
"Exactly," Kat sighed, "The list of things I wouldn't do, even if my parents didn't care, because a Ranger just wouldn't is a mile long. Don't smoke, don't drink . . ."
"Don't curse." The ex-Ranger supplied, and popped a now completely ice cream soaked piece of brownie into his mouth.
"Don't go to wild parties, don't have sex." Kat followed suit.
"Don't go off your diet." Another forkful.
"Don't skip out on any obligation."
"Unless it's for a Ranger emergency."
"Don't sneak into R-rated movies."
"You're seventeen."
Kat stuck her tongue out. "Yeah, but I wasn't when I joined."
"And you're not at the moment."
"Well, since I'm already being so immature . . ." Before the young scientist had a chance to process the evil glint in her eyes, Kat had scooped up some of the whip cream that was left and smeared it across his cheeks.
At the stunned expression on her doctor's face, the Pink Ranger burst out laughing, "Oh God, you . . . *giggle* . . . you look . . . *gasp* . . . so ridicul--" Her statement was cutoff by the feeling of something cold and sticky being swiped across her nose.
Shooting a mock glare at Billy, who sat across from her trying to appear serious and innocent, and failing miserably mostly due to the whip cream that still adorned his cheeks, Kat reached for a napkin . . . only to discover there were none.
"Looking for these?" With a triumphant grin, the teen genius held up the stack of napkins, and waved them at her.
Leaning over the table in an effort to grab one, Kat harrumphed when Billy pulled them just out of her reach. "You know I don't think a Ranger is supposed to steal."
"Well, we're not supposed to start food fights either."
Ignoring his comment, the Pink Ranger again made a lunge for the napkins. This time Billy was too slow in pulling back and she managed to grab hold of the entire stack, but her hard earned victory was a pyrrhic one because as she went to sit back down the edge of her shirt trailed through what was left of their dessert.
"Damn."
"Oh God Kat, I'm sorry."
Shooting him a quick reassuring smile, Kat surveyed the damage. "Please, don't worry about it. It wasn't your fault, and I'm sure Mom can get it out."
"Hang on." Getting up from the table, Billy made his way over to the waiter's station, and returned with a glass of ice water. "Here, that should help with preliminary damage control."
"Thanks." Dipping a clean napkin into the water, she began scrub trying to get out as much of the stain as possible.
"Are you sure it's going to be okay?"
"Pretty sure. Besides, it's not as if this is my only pink shirt." She commented wryly. "I don't think my closet will feel the loss."
"That's true."
By now the stain had faded to a fairly light spot surrounded by a large circle of water. "There, almost as good as new. Thanks for the water."
"Your welcome, I'm getting pretty good with stain removal, one of the hazards of wearing light colors."
Kat grinned, "Tell me about it. You know I wonder how Tommy did it when he was white."
"I've been thinking about that. I mean in just under a week, I have managed to stain every light colored piece of clothing I own. I've come to the conclusion that he must have done it with a very scientific blend of magic and luck that I wish he'd pass on to me. It was so much easier on my clothing when I wore black."
"You looked better in it too. I wish you'd wear it again." The Pink Ranger replied absently, as she tried to dry her shirt with what was left of the napkins.
Silence.
**Damn** Kat hung her head, and squeezed her eyes shut trying to wish her unthinking comment away. **Nice, just go ahead and insult his looks your first day back to normal why don't you?**
She would have banged her head against the table if she thought it would do any good. Everything had been so perfect, from the moment she had walked out of the room and seen him standing there, waiting for her like . . . well, like *her* Doctor. They just fit each other so well as though nothing had ever gone wrong, from the way she felt in arms . . . to the way she made him laugh. It had been like sliding into a favorite pair of jeans that you hadn't been able to wear for a while, and suddenly finding they fit better than ever --- she'd felt comfortable, giddy, and maybe just the tiniest bit flirty . . .
"God, I'm sorry Billy . . . I didn't mean . . . you look good, it's just . . ."
"Captain . . . slow down . . . it's okay . . ." At the gentle reassurance, Kat finally looked up to find that he didn't seem to be insulted at all. Instead, his eyes danced with a combination of amusement, embarrassment, and something almost . . . hopeful.
"Oh." Suddenly, she felt almost ridiculous leaping from one extreme emotion to the next, trying to follow him only to look up and see him standing where she'd just left. "When you went silent, I just thought . . ."
"No . . . no . . ." Billy shook his head. "It's just . . . well . . . it's been a long time since I've had any kind of female commentary on my wardrobe . . . I guess you caught me off guard."
"I'm sorry if I overstepped."
"Overstepped?"
"Yeah, at our age clothing 'commentary' is firm girlfriend territory . . ."
"I don't mind the encroachment . . ." As soon as the words left his mouth, his cheeks turned the slightest bit red, almost as though he were blushing, and inexplicably, Kat found herself blushing back. Hastily, he added, "I mean since I don't have a girlfriend. I guess I have to make do with friends who are girls."
"Well, you don't really need any style advice any way."
"Oh, yes I do, or didn't you know I was a project?"
"Project?"
"Trini and Kim's project to be exact. You've heard about the overalls right?"
"I've seen a few pictures . . . you were cute . . ."
"In a little boy kind of way." Kat started to protest, but he cut her off. "It's okay, Kat. I know what I looked like."
The Pink Ranger sighed, "It's not okay. Someday, I'm going to get you to stop pretending that it is . . ." It was her turn to cut him off. "But I'm not pushing my luck today. So what did they do to get you to let them make you over?"
"Nothing. I asked them to."
"Why?" Kat pressed gently. She knew the look on her friend's face, the sadness there was familiar so much a part of him that she could close her eyes and see the shadows simply from memory. Usually mere traces, sometimes they flashed a little darker only to pass, but now they stayed . . . made heavy and intense by memory.
"I got tired of pretending that she was coming back."
"Your mother." She knew the stories, at least all the happy ones. The ones that made his eyes glow, and his face crinkle as he remembered, but he never shared the others . . . the ones that caused those shadows to come after the glow.
Swallowing hard, he nodded tightly. "Everything stayed the same after she died. Except we never said she died, just that she had gone away. It was like living in limbo for years . . . staring at the same pictures, buying the same food, watching the same TV shows even the medical dramas neither of us liked . . ." A pained chuckle broke his recitation.
"Wearing the same clothes . . ." Kat supplied, moving her hand to cover his, trying to feed him strength and joy simply by her touch.
Taking a deep breath he continued. "And then one day . . . I just couldn't do it anymore. Maybe it was being a Ranger, maybe it was my friends, maybe I simply reached my breaking point, I don't know, but I got up that morning and . . . I couldn't put them on. I couldn't keep wearing this completely false hope, it was too heavy."
She didn't say anything . . . couldn't say anything, there was no response to an admission like this, and he wouldn't want one. So instead Kat sat there her eyes locked with his, supporting, waiting for him to decide where the conversation would go now.
Finally he dropped his gaze back to the table, managing a half-hearted smile and a small false chuckle. "I really know how to put a damper on things don't I?"
She was about to launch into another protest about his penchant for coming down on himself, when Billy looked up, his eyes pleading with her to let it pass, to let them move out of those shadows. Responding with an equally false smile, she replied a shade too brightly, "Well, Rangers are always the best at whatever they set their minds to, and obviously that's even true for making a teammate over. I've got to tell you Billy, if I didn't see the pictures of you, I wouldn't have believed it."
His face cracked with a genuine grateful smile, as he practically pounced on the opening, "Oh come on, I've almost reverted."
"No, you haven't. You're just more understated than you were. I don't know I think it's more mature, like you'd look just as at home talking with a professor as you do sitting here at the mall."
"Okay, now I know you're just being nice. You practically said I needed help."
"No," She corrected him, with a smile, "All I said was I wish you would wear black again. It's a good color on you, and I've got to tell you Billy, I really don't think that tan was ever meant to be your signature color."
"Well, I'm kind of running out of options on the color front." He grinned ruefully, "After all a Ranger doesn't . . ."
"Wear another Ranger's color." Kat completed for him, with a trace of annoyance. "Yet another stupid unwritten rule for the list."
"Hey," Billy looked at her quizzically. "What brought this on?"
Deliberately choosing not to understand his question, the Pink Ranger motioned to a waiter for the check. "What brought what on?"
"You know exactly what I'm talking about. You've never expressed even the slightest bit of discontentment with your place on this team --- mine maybe, but never your own --- so what's going on with the sudden spurt of bitterness."
Cringing a little at his description, she asked, "Do I really sound bitter?"
"For other people . . . no. For you . . . yes. So what's wrong?"
Kat shook her head. "You're just going to think I'm being selfish."
Billy shook his head. "I know you too well to ever think that. Besides even if you are, do you really think I care? It's me, Captain."
The words resonated within her, tugging at the strings holding together all those 'bad thoughts' she usually kept so neatly packaged away in some corner of her self. "It's Tommy."
Kat shot a wary glance at her friend to see how the simple name went over with him. For a moment she wasn't even sure he had heard her, his expression was so very neutral, until it struck her how uncharacteristic the cool neutrality itself was. Still, although the gaze that met hers might be a little sharper around the edges than usual, at its core was the same gentle, concerned light that always shone for her.
"I can't help but be just a little bit angry that he isn't coming over tonight to celebrate with me. Does that make me an awful person?"
"No."
"But you don't even know why he isn't coming over."
"It doesn't matter."
"It feels like it does."
Billy sighed, "All right, since you're obviously determined to beat yourself up about this, tell me why he isn't coming over."
"His students have a tournament in Stone Canyon, and since he has to miss so many of them because Mondo has really great timing, he feels like he has to be there when he can no matter what."
"And you feel bad for resenting that he's doing that rather than spending the evening with you." He didn't even bother to phrase it as a question.
"Plus I'm angry that I feel bad about it."
"Have you talked to Tommy?"
Kat let out a burst of partially hysterical laughter. "Would you? I mean honestly, if you had to pick a person least likely to understand being resentful of Ranger duties and noble actions, who tops your list?"
"But I'm not dating him."
"It almost feels harder. I mean don't want him to think that I'm being selfish . . . even though I am, but . . . god, what if he took it the wrong way?"
"Being up on that pedestal is pretty scary, huh?"
The Pink Ranger's head snapped up to meet her friend's gaze. **God, how does he do that?** Two seconds ago, she could barely articulate her feelings, and still Billy had managed to grasp what was at the core and present it to her in a neatly wrapped package.
Before she could stop herself, the words tumbled out in a frightened whisper. "What if I fall?"
Getting up from his chair, the teen genius came and knelt in front of her, dabbing at her tears with a napkin. "Then he'll build you something wider, closer to the ground."
Managing a tiny, sniffle-filled laugh, at having her words turned on her, Kat grimaced. "I wish I could just stay there with out having to worry."
"No you don't." Billy stated with conviction, as he gathered up both her and her things and maneuvered her towards the door. "No loves an idol, they're cold and unattainable. You'd get lonely."
As she crossed the threshold of the restaurant into the mall, it finally registered with her that they were leaving. "I didn't---"
"Took care of it. They were starting to look like they wanted us out."
"Oh." She continued to let him guide her through the mall for a moment, but then stopped again. "You don't think I'm cold and unattainable, do you?"
Visibly brought up short by her question, Billy took a moment to regain his composure. Smiling softly, he responded, "Captain, you are one of the warmest souls I have ever known. Besides, I think it's safe to say that we've both had our share of falls together."
"Yeah." Kat whispered, shifting her eyes away from his partly because of the reminder, but more so because in that instant she had forgotten the entire reason for the conversation in the first place. Searching, desperately for another place to look that wouldn't make him notice, her gaze landed on a tiny smudge of whip cream that still rested on his cheek. "You missed a spot."
Grinning sheepishly, Billy brought his hand up to swipe it away. Unfortunately he swiped the wrong side.
"Um, other side."
This time he just missed.
"Still there. Here let me . . ." Stepping a fraction closer, and simultaneously over that boundary that defined personal space, Kat lifted her fingertips to his cheek.
"Hey, Kat!"
- + - + - + - + - + -
Thanks for reading.
As always comments and criticism appreciated
Author's Note: Well, I'm back. Sorry it's been so long. I won't go into details, just saying I missed you guys and sorry if my writing is rusty. This part sits at the day after Patch Jobs.
**Denotes Thoughts**
- + - + - + - + - + -
Something wasn't right.
It wasn't exactly wrong either . . . just different. Trapped in the surreal, too-wide border between sleeping and waking, Kat lay in her bed and tried to sort out what it was.
The process was terribly slow. Mainly because in this half-awake state all firm facts were a little soft and mutable, and she kept getting confused as to what was real and what was pulled from her dreams. Was it supposed to be this dark? Who was talking to her? Or was the voice merely coming across the barrier of the dream world? And what was that smell?
Little by little though, her world became more solid, certain things shifting into sharper focus. The first and most definable --- it was too early. The light was still the soft pink of new dawn, not the brash full sun that usually streamed through her blinds waking her long before her alarm.
Pieces started to come together. It was early because she had the AP today and had to be at school by seven, so she had set her alarm . . . only it wasn't her alarm that had woken her.
Where was her alarm?
Music.
She didn't own a clock radio. Rolling a little, Kat looked in the direction the music was coming from. Sitting there on her desk was a boom box, playing what sounded like . . . the Theme from Rocky?!?
Now she could place where she had seen that stereo before. It was Tommy's, and she was going to kill him.
Then she smelled the food --- eggs, bacon, and coffee. Maybe his death could wait.
Rolling out of bed in what many would have called an uncharacteristically clumsy manner, the Pink Ranger made her way over to the window, gathered up her courage and threw open the blinds. **God, why couldn't they have this test in the afternoon?**
"Oh good, you're up."
Turning away from the cruel light, Kat looked over at her roommate who sounded entirely too cheery for this early in the morning.
"Did you do this?" It was finally beginning to sink in with her that someone was doing something extremely nice.
Tanya shook her head, grinning in that way that made it impossible not to return her smile. "Wish I could claim it, but this is entirely Tommy's doing. I was just supposed to make sure you were up."
"He's here?!" Kat yelped, her hands coming up to smooth down the rats nest of her hair. No matter how many times her boyfriend had witnessed her in rugged post-battle glory, bleary-eyed morning slovenliness was an entirely different creature.
"Hey, slow down," The Yellow Ranger soothed, with a tinge of amusement in her voice. "He's not here. He wanted to be, but from what I understand Billy wouldn't let him, said he didn't want you to get distracted." Tanya waggled her eyebrows suggestively.
Rolling her eyes, Kat walked over to the still steaming food sitting on her desk, and picked up the note that lay beside it. She barely noticed when her roommate took that as the cue to exit.
~~~~~
Kat,
I wanted to help you get off to a good start this morning, so I tried to make all of the stuff you love, but won't eat normally. Just tell yourself you deserve it for working so hard. I wish I could be there with you this morning, but Billy barred me, so I'll have to wait and take you out tomorrow night, your pick.
I want you to know that I'm so proud of you for doing this, and I'll be thinking about you all day.
Love,
Tommy
~~~~~
Smiling softly as the loving warmth of the note seeped through her, she looked down at the breakfast before her. Sure enough, he had put together a pretty full spread with bacon, eggs, french toast, orange juice, and fresh fruit. He must have gotten up so early to make this. It was this type of thing that had made her fall for Tommy --- these amazing, slightly extravagant gestures that transformed her from plain old Kat to a goddess-like heroine in a romance novel.
Taking a sip of her orange-juice, she surveyed the breakfast feast trying to decide where to start. That was when she noticed the odd item out.
The coffee was not from Tommy. Firm believer in the elimination of caffeine that he was, she doubted he even knew how to brew it. So that left . . .
Sure enough, sitting under the mug was a second note that warmed her just as much if differently than the first.
~~~~~
Morning Captain,
First things first, I swear I didn't touch the food. All I did was make the coffee and provide slightly illicit use of teleport technology. So breakfast is safe and edible.
I'd tell you not to worry and that you'll do fine, but we both know you won't listen to me. There's a set of notes under the mug. Stick to those so you don't get bogged down in detail, and I'll just have to have enough confidence in you for both of us.
By the way, the mug is yours to keep. I saw it in a store the other day and for some reason it reminded me of you. Consider it an early congratulations gift.
Billy
P.S. Could you bring me the two signal transmitters the next time you come to the Power Chamber? They're a pain to make.
~~~~~
Looking at the mug she held, Kat emitted a tiny giggle at the cartoon tabby in a karate uniform throwing a sidekick, with the words "Cat Fight" emblazoned beneath it. That was going to get its own special place on the break-room shelf.
She found the two signal transmitters one on the tray and one on her desk. **When did he get a chance to put that one there?** Putting aside the small silver disks, near her work clothes, so she wouldn't forget, the Pink Ranger sat back down to the breakfast that had been made with so much love, and reviewed the notes that had been prepared with equal care.
*****
**I should have brought a book** Billy thought for at least the third time this morning only to look down at his watch and realize it was now officially noon.
He felt like an idiot, anxiously waiting here in the hallway, pacing enough to give Jason a run for his money. He probably looked like an idiot too.
Luckily no one had thrown him out yet. Since non-students weren't supposed to be at AGHS during school hours and *no one* was supposed to be in the halls right outside the AP testing, his luck was running at an all time high. The only teachers he'd seen were Paulson and Miss Appleby, and both were inclined to look the other way since his reputation gave him a place in student heaven.
Shoving his hands in his pockets, the teen genius leaned against the lockers and stared at the door to classroom 203. She was in there somewhere, her head bent studiously over the test booklet, errant strands from her pony tail tucked back behind her ears.
And he was out here . . . only God knew why.
He told himself he was worried that his own stupid selfish anger might have somehow thrown her off balance and threatened her chances. And then just as quickly he told himself it was ridiculous to think his interactions with Kat would have that much say in her equilibrium. Tommy's maybe, his . . . of course not.
So he told himself she might want someone to hang around with after this, and with everyone else in class he was a logical candidate. But what if she wanted to be alone?
**I should just go**
Except no movement actually accompanied that thought. He needed to see her, even if it was just long enough to apologize. The young scientist needed to know if he could still make her smile in a way that wasn't sad or if he had destroyed that, and he needed to know now. That and he was going to go crazy if he had to wait one more second to find out how she did.
The muffled sound of movement caught his ear, and Billy turned his attention back to the door just in time to see it fly open and a small group of rather disheveled looking students file out. A few, who recognized him, gave him an odd look, but no one said anything as he continued to keep his gaze fixed on the doorway.
Just as he was about to start asking the others whether he had the right room, Kat appeared, her head bent down as she redid her pony-tail smoothing pale gold locks back into place with her scrunchie. Pushing off the lockers the teen genius took a step towards her, and at that moment she looked up.
**Yup, shouldn't have come** Billy thought as he took in his friend's bewildered look. She was going to ask why he was here, and he wasn't going to have an answer at least not a safe one. He was pretty sure 'I needed to see you' was about as dangerous as he could get.
Kat look of surprise had now transformed into a wide grin, but the ex-Ranger didn't see that as he tried to casually look around at the other students, and think of something to say.
The Pink Ranger got there first. "Hey."
Whipping his head back around to meet her gaze, Billy felt a wave of relief wash over him at the realization that she wasn't going to interrogate him, or question his motives, and that he could still make her smile.
"Hey," he replied softly, meeting her smile with one of his own, "I-I came to see how you did."
Kat bit the bottom of her lip, and for a second Billy's heart sunk, until it became apparent that she was only doing so to suppress a wide grin. "I don't want to jinx myself, but . . . I kicked its ass."
Letting out a laugh that he had to work hard to keep quiet, the young scientist unthinkingly swept her into bear hug --- exuberance spurred on not only by her answer but her phrasing. After Tommy's reaction to Billy's casual use of the mild profanity, the two had started to use the phrase a little more frequently taking a kind of illicit delight at the idea of how the Rangers would react to the two mild-mannered team members being, well, not quite so mild.
As he started to come back down from his cloud, Billy became aware of the fact that he was still holding her, and had been . . . for far too long. Embarrassed he fumbled to release her, only to have his breath catch in surprise at the feeling of her resistance.
"Please don't." She whispered, in a way that if he trusted his interpretations he'd call slightly desperate. Lifting her head a little, Kat met his eyes, and he could see the shining beginnings of tears in hers.
What had brought on this sudden change?
"Please don't pull away again." She whispered her voice rough with tears she was holding back.
As he felt her arms tighten around his back, it became blindingly clear to him. With the exception of helping her up off the floor on Monday, he hadn't touched her since she broke her promise. That easy contact, which had once been so unthinkingly natural, had been lost. Even as he attempted to extend an emotional hand of friendship, he'd been exceedingly careful not to extend a physical one.
It had never occurred to him that she'd notice the loss.
Yet as his mind struggled to wrap itself around this thought, his arms had no trouble wrapping around her waist and pulling her close, letting her feel what he couldn't figure out how to say.
"I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry." She was crying now. With her face buried against his neck he could feel the damp of her tears, the soft breath of her choked sobs.
He lifted a hand to stroke her hair, but quickly dropped it to her shoulder. "Shh, I blew it out of proportion. You know that."
Feeling her nod, he laughed silently. Kat still had no trouble calling him on his faults. She had calmed a little now, but still made no move to extricate herself. Knowing that he couldn't be the first one to move away, Billy just let her stay there, holding on to him like he was keeping her afloat.
She felt so natural in his arms, too natural, like little pieces of her were melting into him and it would be painful when she stepped away. It hadn't been like this before. When they had held each other he always felt good or comfortable or safe, but never before had he felt . . . right.
He desperately wanted to stay here holding her, feeling this way. He desperately wanted to step away before anymore of her melted into him, and he was lost. Fear won out over joy.
"Kat?" Turned slightly so he could whisper to her, after all this hall was supposed to be a completely quiet zone.
"Hmmm?" The Pink Ranger lifted her head to look at him, her eyes read and puffy, tears still fresh on her cheeks.
Unable to help himself, Billy lifted his hand and brushed away the moist spots with his thumb. "The next set of testers will be coming soon. We should leave."
For the tiniest of infinities, neither of them moved. All Billy could manage to do was stand there dumbly with his hand cupping her face, and Kat seemed to be just as transfixed as he. Then fear returned in full and he had to force himself not to jerk away.
"Yeah." Her hands took over swiping away the tears as she bent down to pick up her bag from where she had dropped it. Straightening back up, she smiled at him. "I have the rest of the day off, please don't make me spend it alone."
*****
"Come on, one splurge is not going to kill you or your physique or whatever it is that you're worried about." Billy enticed holding out a forkful of what was possibly the most decadent looking chocolate confection Kat had seen in years. "The ice cream is melting."
Heaving an overly loud, exasperated sigh, the Pink Ranger leaned forward and let him feed her the proffered morsel. God, it was actually better than it looked!
At Billy's far too self-satisfied chuckle, Kat opened her eyes to find him sliding a clean fork across the table to her with a knowing smile. "You know you want to."
Even as she picked up the fork and began to dig in, she continued to protest, "I feel like such a failure. Here I volunteer every week with the drug program, talking about peer pressure, and just saying no, and I can't even manage to resist you and chocolate."
"Well it's a potent combination, highly addictive." He grinned. "Besides it is a well known fact that a little bit of chocolate now and then is extremely healthy."
"Is that your official medical opinion, Doctor Cranston?"
"Absolutely, the addition of chocolate to one's diet is as essential as pepperoni on pizza."
"Yet another thing I don't eat."
"Why?"
"Why what?"
Pausing for a moment to savor the bite he had just popped into his mouth, Billy finally continued. "Why don't you eat it?"
"I don't like pepperoni."
"Okay, but eggs, french toast . . . chocolate? You can't tell me that you don't like those things, so why don't you eat them?"
"Habit mostly, from when I was in training."
The team scientist shook his head in mild reproach. "Kat, when you became a Ranger your metabolism jumped about four-fold. You don't have to worry about it so much anymore. Look, at what Rocky packs away, and he doesn't gain a thing."
Leaning back in her chair, the Pink Ranger put her fork down and sighed. "I know that, I really do. I compensate by eating more, but only of those things I already let myself eat. I can't just let myself indulge even a little bit . . . I don't know, I think it's part of my thing."
Mimicking her actions, Billy looked at her in puzzlement. "Thing?"
"Yeah, haven't you ever noticed how we all have this set of stuff that we do, like being Rangers and saving the world from monsters isn't enough, we have to be super people as well?"
"Keep going."
"Well, I mean think about it. Do any of us ever say to ourselves, you know I think that because I spend most of my time risking my life to fight the Machine Empire I should take a break?"
Billy let out a small chuckle, "Not unless I'm really out of touch."
"No, we spend the rest of our time being model teenagers, and even exceptional ones. Tanya sings, Kim did gymnastics, I dance, there isn't a piece of technology you don't eventually figure out, and all the guys can play any sport they set their minds to. Then on top of that, we do tons of community service, teach children, and decide to learn new skills."
"So where does the food factor into this?"
"It's hard for me. I love chocolate and heavy comfort food, and when I was on the diving team indulging was bad . . . and we're . . ."
"Good." Billy completed for her in a flash of comprehension.
"Exactly," Kat sighed, "The list of things I wouldn't do, even if my parents didn't care, because a Ranger just wouldn't is a mile long. Don't smoke, don't drink . . ."
"Don't curse." The ex-Ranger supplied, and popped a now completely ice cream soaked piece of brownie into his mouth.
"Don't go to wild parties, don't have sex." Kat followed suit.
"Don't go off your diet." Another forkful.
"Don't skip out on any obligation."
"Unless it's for a Ranger emergency."
"Don't sneak into R-rated movies."
"You're seventeen."
Kat stuck her tongue out. "Yeah, but I wasn't when I joined."
"And you're not at the moment."
"Well, since I'm already being so immature . . ." Before the young scientist had a chance to process the evil glint in her eyes, Kat had scooped up some of the whip cream that was left and smeared it across his cheeks.
At the stunned expression on her doctor's face, the Pink Ranger burst out laughing, "Oh God, you . . . *giggle* . . . you look . . . *gasp* . . . so ridicul--" Her statement was cutoff by the feeling of something cold and sticky being swiped across her nose.
Shooting a mock glare at Billy, who sat across from her trying to appear serious and innocent, and failing miserably mostly due to the whip cream that still adorned his cheeks, Kat reached for a napkin . . . only to discover there were none.
"Looking for these?" With a triumphant grin, the teen genius held up the stack of napkins, and waved them at her.
Leaning over the table in an effort to grab one, Kat harrumphed when Billy pulled them just out of her reach. "You know I don't think a Ranger is supposed to steal."
"Well, we're not supposed to start food fights either."
Ignoring his comment, the Pink Ranger again made a lunge for the napkins. This time Billy was too slow in pulling back and she managed to grab hold of the entire stack, but her hard earned victory was a pyrrhic one because as she went to sit back down the edge of her shirt trailed through what was left of their dessert.
"Damn."
"Oh God Kat, I'm sorry."
Shooting him a quick reassuring smile, Kat surveyed the damage. "Please, don't worry about it. It wasn't your fault, and I'm sure Mom can get it out."
"Hang on." Getting up from the table, Billy made his way over to the waiter's station, and returned with a glass of ice water. "Here, that should help with preliminary damage control."
"Thanks." Dipping a clean napkin into the water, she began scrub trying to get out as much of the stain as possible.
"Are you sure it's going to be okay?"
"Pretty sure. Besides, it's not as if this is my only pink shirt." She commented wryly. "I don't think my closet will feel the loss."
"That's true."
By now the stain had faded to a fairly light spot surrounded by a large circle of water. "There, almost as good as new. Thanks for the water."
"Your welcome, I'm getting pretty good with stain removal, one of the hazards of wearing light colors."
Kat grinned, "Tell me about it. You know I wonder how Tommy did it when he was white."
"I've been thinking about that. I mean in just under a week, I have managed to stain every light colored piece of clothing I own. I've come to the conclusion that he must have done it with a very scientific blend of magic and luck that I wish he'd pass on to me. It was so much easier on my clothing when I wore black."
"You looked better in it too. I wish you'd wear it again." The Pink Ranger replied absently, as she tried to dry her shirt with what was left of the napkins.
Silence.
**Damn** Kat hung her head, and squeezed her eyes shut trying to wish her unthinking comment away. **Nice, just go ahead and insult his looks your first day back to normal why don't you?**
She would have banged her head against the table if she thought it would do any good. Everything had been so perfect, from the moment she had walked out of the room and seen him standing there, waiting for her like . . . well, like *her* Doctor. They just fit each other so well as though nothing had ever gone wrong, from the way she felt in arms . . . to the way she made him laugh. It had been like sliding into a favorite pair of jeans that you hadn't been able to wear for a while, and suddenly finding they fit better than ever --- she'd felt comfortable, giddy, and maybe just the tiniest bit flirty . . .
"God, I'm sorry Billy . . . I didn't mean . . . you look good, it's just . . ."
"Captain . . . slow down . . . it's okay . . ." At the gentle reassurance, Kat finally looked up to find that he didn't seem to be insulted at all. Instead, his eyes danced with a combination of amusement, embarrassment, and something almost . . . hopeful.
"Oh." Suddenly, she felt almost ridiculous leaping from one extreme emotion to the next, trying to follow him only to look up and see him standing where she'd just left. "When you went silent, I just thought . . ."
"No . . . no . . ." Billy shook his head. "It's just . . . well . . . it's been a long time since I've had any kind of female commentary on my wardrobe . . . I guess you caught me off guard."
"I'm sorry if I overstepped."
"Overstepped?"
"Yeah, at our age clothing 'commentary' is firm girlfriend territory . . ."
"I don't mind the encroachment . . ." As soon as the words left his mouth, his cheeks turned the slightest bit red, almost as though he were blushing, and inexplicably, Kat found herself blushing back. Hastily, he added, "I mean since I don't have a girlfriend. I guess I have to make do with friends who are girls."
"Well, you don't really need any style advice any way."
"Oh, yes I do, or didn't you know I was a project?"
"Project?"
"Trini and Kim's project to be exact. You've heard about the overalls right?"
"I've seen a few pictures . . . you were cute . . ."
"In a little boy kind of way." Kat started to protest, but he cut her off. "It's okay, Kat. I know what I looked like."
The Pink Ranger sighed, "It's not okay. Someday, I'm going to get you to stop pretending that it is . . ." It was her turn to cut him off. "But I'm not pushing my luck today. So what did they do to get you to let them make you over?"
"Nothing. I asked them to."
"Why?" Kat pressed gently. She knew the look on her friend's face, the sadness there was familiar so much a part of him that she could close her eyes and see the shadows simply from memory. Usually mere traces, sometimes they flashed a little darker only to pass, but now they stayed . . . made heavy and intense by memory.
"I got tired of pretending that she was coming back."
"Your mother." She knew the stories, at least all the happy ones. The ones that made his eyes glow, and his face crinkle as he remembered, but he never shared the others . . . the ones that caused those shadows to come after the glow.
Swallowing hard, he nodded tightly. "Everything stayed the same after she died. Except we never said she died, just that she had gone away. It was like living in limbo for years . . . staring at the same pictures, buying the same food, watching the same TV shows even the medical dramas neither of us liked . . ." A pained chuckle broke his recitation.
"Wearing the same clothes . . ." Kat supplied, moving her hand to cover his, trying to feed him strength and joy simply by her touch.
Taking a deep breath he continued. "And then one day . . . I just couldn't do it anymore. Maybe it was being a Ranger, maybe it was my friends, maybe I simply reached my breaking point, I don't know, but I got up that morning and . . . I couldn't put them on. I couldn't keep wearing this completely false hope, it was too heavy."
She didn't say anything . . . couldn't say anything, there was no response to an admission like this, and he wouldn't want one. So instead Kat sat there her eyes locked with his, supporting, waiting for him to decide where the conversation would go now.
Finally he dropped his gaze back to the table, managing a half-hearted smile and a small false chuckle. "I really know how to put a damper on things don't I?"
She was about to launch into another protest about his penchant for coming down on himself, when Billy looked up, his eyes pleading with her to let it pass, to let them move out of those shadows. Responding with an equally false smile, she replied a shade too brightly, "Well, Rangers are always the best at whatever they set their minds to, and obviously that's even true for making a teammate over. I've got to tell you Billy, if I didn't see the pictures of you, I wouldn't have believed it."
His face cracked with a genuine grateful smile, as he practically pounced on the opening, "Oh come on, I've almost reverted."
"No, you haven't. You're just more understated than you were. I don't know I think it's more mature, like you'd look just as at home talking with a professor as you do sitting here at the mall."
"Okay, now I know you're just being nice. You practically said I needed help."
"No," She corrected him, with a smile, "All I said was I wish you would wear black again. It's a good color on you, and I've got to tell you Billy, I really don't think that tan was ever meant to be your signature color."
"Well, I'm kind of running out of options on the color front." He grinned ruefully, "After all a Ranger doesn't . . ."
"Wear another Ranger's color." Kat completed for him, with a trace of annoyance. "Yet another stupid unwritten rule for the list."
"Hey," Billy looked at her quizzically. "What brought this on?"
Deliberately choosing not to understand his question, the Pink Ranger motioned to a waiter for the check. "What brought what on?"
"You know exactly what I'm talking about. You've never expressed even the slightest bit of discontentment with your place on this team --- mine maybe, but never your own --- so what's going on with the sudden spurt of bitterness."
Cringing a little at his description, she asked, "Do I really sound bitter?"
"For other people . . . no. For you . . . yes. So what's wrong?"
Kat shook her head. "You're just going to think I'm being selfish."
Billy shook his head. "I know you too well to ever think that. Besides even if you are, do you really think I care? It's me, Captain."
The words resonated within her, tugging at the strings holding together all those 'bad thoughts' she usually kept so neatly packaged away in some corner of her self. "It's Tommy."
Kat shot a wary glance at her friend to see how the simple name went over with him. For a moment she wasn't even sure he had heard her, his expression was so very neutral, until it struck her how uncharacteristic the cool neutrality itself was. Still, although the gaze that met hers might be a little sharper around the edges than usual, at its core was the same gentle, concerned light that always shone for her.
"I can't help but be just a little bit angry that he isn't coming over tonight to celebrate with me. Does that make me an awful person?"
"No."
"But you don't even know why he isn't coming over."
"It doesn't matter."
"It feels like it does."
Billy sighed, "All right, since you're obviously determined to beat yourself up about this, tell me why he isn't coming over."
"His students have a tournament in Stone Canyon, and since he has to miss so many of them because Mondo has really great timing, he feels like he has to be there when he can no matter what."
"And you feel bad for resenting that he's doing that rather than spending the evening with you." He didn't even bother to phrase it as a question.
"Plus I'm angry that I feel bad about it."
"Have you talked to Tommy?"
Kat let out a burst of partially hysterical laughter. "Would you? I mean honestly, if you had to pick a person least likely to understand being resentful of Ranger duties and noble actions, who tops your list?"
"But I'm not dating him."
"It almost feels harder. I mean don't want him to think that I'm being selfish . . . even though I am, but . . . god, what if he took it the wrong way?"
"Being up on that pedestal is pretty scary, huh?"
The Pink Ranger's head snapped up to meet her friend's gaze. **God, how does he do that?** Two seconds ago, she could barely articulate her feelings, and still Billy had managed to grasp what was at the core and present it to her in a neatly wrapped package.
Before she could stop herself, the words tumbled out in a frightened whisper. "What if I fall?"
Getting up from his chair, the teen genius came and knelt in front of her, dabbing at her tears with a napkin. "Then he'll build you something wider, closer to the ground."
Managing a tiny, sniffle-filled laugh, at having her words turned on her, Kat grimaced. "I wish I could just stay there with out having to worry."
"No you don't." Billy stated with conviction, as he gathered up both her and her things and maneuvered her towards the door. "No loves an idol, they're cold and unattainable. You'd get lonely."
As she crossed the threshold of the restaurant into the mall, it finally registered with her that they were leaving. "I didn't---"
"Took care of it. They were starting to look like they wanted us out."
"Oh." She continued to let him guide her through the mall for a moment, but then stopped again. "You don't think I'm cold and unattainable, do you?"
Visibly brought up short by her question, Billy took a moment to regain his composure. Smiling softly, he responded, "Captain, you are one of the warmest souls I have ever known. Besides, I think it's safe to say that we've both had our share of falls together."
"Yeah." Kat whispered, shifting her eyes away from his partly because of the reminder, but more so because in that instant she had forgotten the entire reason for the conversation in the first place. Searching, desperately for another place to look that wouldn't make him notice, her gaze landed on a tiny smudge of whip cream that still rested on his cheek. "You missed a spot."
Grinning sheepishly, Billy brought his hand up to swipe it away. Unfortunately he swiped the wrong side.
"Um, other side."
This time he just missed.
"Still there. Here let me . . ." Stepping a fraction closer, and simultaneously over that boundary that defined personal space, Kat lifted her fingertips to his cheek.
"Hey, Kat!"
- + - + - + - + - + -
Thanks for reading.
As always comments and criticism appreciated