Disclaimer:Not mine, no money made, yadayadayada ...
Note: Fourth story in the series. Idiot Muse® won't let it alone … oh well. They're short (well, sorta – for me, anyway) and fun to write. So, enjoy, and please pass by the feedback box on your way out? Happy New Year, everybody! DB

Forty Ranger Romance Themes: Jason and Kat

#4: Dare

by Dagmar Buse

"What do you expect me to do, just pick up the first guy to come along who's asking me out, let him kiss me goodnight and all will be well?" Exasperated, Kat flung herself onto the couch beneath her window.

"What if I do?" Tanya challenged her as she leaned against the vanity in Kat's room.

"You can't possibly be serious!"

"Don't bet on it, girlfriend. Maybe I'm not expecting you to follow precisely that scenario, but you certainly have got the general idea right!"

"That – that's preposterous!" Kat sputtered. She no longer knew whether to be amused, outraged or plain shocked at Tanya's suggestion.

"Says who?"

"Every sane person, that's who!"

"Right. And your behaviour over this has been perfectly sane, has it?" Tanya muttered.

"Give it up, Tanya. I'm not in the mood for this – and even less in the mood to go back on the dating circuit anytime soon," Kat sighed, her expression once more shifting to the despondency that had provoked her friend into starting this particular argument. Again.

"I really don't see what would be so wrong if you stopped moping around," Tanya said. "What would it take to snap you out of it, anyway?"

"Nothing you could possibly do or say," Kat declared as firmly as she could.

"Oh yeah?" Her sarcasm seemed lost on Kat, and something about the whole sorry mess made Tanya lose all patience. Her friend was behaving worse than in High School when she was still pining after Tommy, and that thought gave Tanya a truly crazy idea. It was totally juvenile, but if it worked … it'd definitely be worth it. Before she could have second thoughts, Tanya confronted Kat.

"I dare you!"

Kat stared incredulously at Tanya. Her best friend stared right back at her, dark eyes flashing.

"Dare me to do what?"

Tanya hid a triumphant grin. Had she finally succeeded in jostling Kat out of her funk following her break-up with Tommy?

"Go on a date. With a nice, decent, good-looking guy you can actually have a conversation with, not some loser you're just feeling sorry for. Someone who might conceivably like you. Get kissed again. And enjoy the experience."

Almost speechless with confusion and shock, Kat shook her head helplessly.

"What?"

"You heard me." Tanya said sternly. It wasn't the kind of advice she usually doled out, but in her considered opinion, it was high time her friend stopped thinking about what had been and started looking for what might be.

"But … but I can't do that!"

"Why not? Give me one good reason!"

"I …" There was none, and Kat knew it. Flustered, she closed her mouth. "I just can't," she still protested. -And why do I sound so wimpy when I say that?-

Deciding on another tack, Tanya sat down next to her friend and hugged her.

"Whyever not, honey?" When Kat just mutely shook her head, the blue eyes filling with tears, she sighed. "Look … you told me your break-up with Tommy was a mutual decision, right?"

"Y-yes," Kat sighed. "We just don't have that much in common anymore; not after three years of being separated and without our Ranger duties. We thought we could make it work, but … we couldn't. There was just no use in pretending anymore."

"Okay. So let's take that as fact – it's over. That was how long ago?"

It really shouldn't have taken any time at all to come up with the correct number, Kat felt, but to her surprise none was right at hand. Mentally, she tallied the time. "Um … three months and eleven days," she answered at last.

"What, no precise timeline down to hours, minutes and seconds?" Tanya teased gently. "Girl, two weeks ago you wouldn't even have to think about how long since you separated. I think you already are on the mend, you just don't want to admit it!"

The blonde just looked away, afraid she'd have to confirm … and unwilling to deny. -Because I just might be lying …-

Tanya knew when to let things rest; sometimes, just sowing a seed was enough for a person to arrive at the conclusion you wanted them to. She let go of her friend and put on a little show about having to be elsewhere soon. Not surprisingly, Kat didn't try to hold her back.

When the girls said good-bye to each other at the door, Tanya grinned at her friend.

"So, are you taking my dare?"

"In your dreams," Kat smiled weakly. "I might consider dating again sometime in the future, but certainly not the first guy to ask me out."

"Oh, I dunno; it could actually be fun," Tanya winked. "Seriously, though – I really don't expect you to date just anybody, turn into a nymphomaniac, or something. I only want you to start living again instead of merely vegetating."

"Hmph. That's better, but not by much."

Exasperated, Tanya stepped into the driveway. "Just think about it, okay?"

"Maybe."

With that vague promise, Kat watched her friend climb into her car and drive away.

•••

"Tanya dared you to do what?"

Jason nearly choked on his iced tea. He had called Kat to meet for dinner after their respective classes – he was teaching part-time at Rocky's karate school to earn money for college, and Kat was once again substitute-teaching at Angel Grove High while she was waiting for replies to the various applications she had sent out to ballet companies across the country. It was a habit they had gotten into after Kat's return from London, since it was a rare weekend when more of the group was home and/or had free time. Now they were sitting in a quaint little Italian restaurant, sharing pizza and salads.

"To go out with the first guy who asks me, accept a good-night kiss and enjoy it to boot," Kat explained once more, taking a bite of her salad. After she'd swallowed the morsel, she sipped her own drink. "I really didn't know whether to laugh in her face or strangle her for even suggesting such a thing. As if I'd ever do that!"

"Er, no, I can't really see that," Jason murmured. The mere idea was beyond preposterous … and more than a little disturbing to his peace of mind.

He'd been attracted to Kat pretty much from the moment he'd met her – by her looks, her grace, her nature and the core of steel she usually hid under a layer of ladylike sweetness. However, her attraction to and later involvement with Tommy, his best friend, had kept him from making any kind of move on her … and his own relationship with Emily was another powerful deterrent.

Jason Scott did not cheat, period. Not on his girlfriend nor on his friend, whether in thought or deed. Not even when his own relationship ended with a bang over Emily's assumption that he'd forego college, take a job and move in with her practically right out of high school. When Jason refused, declaring that he planned to put himself through college with as little help from his parents as he could and as few student loans as feasible, she'd stormed out in a huff, leaving him sad, slightly shocked and bemused, but hardly heart-broken. Instead, Jason had mourned what might have been for a decent interval, then gone on with his life.

He'd completed a year's worth of classes in twice the time, working when and at whatever he could, concentrating on his future – namely, finishing his education and getting a teaching degree.

When Kat and Tommy called it quits earlier in the year, he'd commiserated with both of them, but Tommy was busy with his racing career which often took him away from Angel Grove as well as provided the distraction he needed from his personal problems. Thus, by default, he'd ended up being Kat's confidant as much as Tanya, often giving her the male perspective on what might have gone wrong in her love life.

True, hope had reared its head once or twice since the break-up, but Jason could see Kat was still carrying a large torch for Tommy; there was little sense in forcing something which might, after all, exist only in his imagination. They were friends; that had to be enough.

He was jerked out of his musings to the here-and-now again by Kat's voice.

"Well, thank you. That's more like what I expected from Tanya, not such a hare-brained idea."

"Hey, I'm sure she meant well, at least," he soothed her ruffled feathers.

Katherine sighed as she finished her salad and pushed her plate away. "I know that. It's only … why can't she let me go on at my own pace?"

"Probably because she cares about you and wants to see you happy," Jason suggested. "And … no offense, Kat, but all of us could see that you were anything but happy these past few weeks."

The blue eyes glared. "Excuse me for not dancing for joy when my relationship of three years just fizzled out for no real reason!"

"I didn't say you had to," he defended himself.

"It certainly sounded like it!"

"I'm sorry if I came across that way," Jason apologized. There were a few things he wanted to explain, but was momentarily unsure whether he should. The mutinous, even stubborn look on the pretty face decided him, though, and he forged on as gently as he could. "What I meant to say was … Kat, we understand that you need time to get over your split with Tommy and that you were hurt by it all, but we didn't expect you to practically bury yourself inside your room. You wouldn't go out at all for weeks, not even when the girls just asked you to go to a movie with them; you didn't come to Rocky's birthday party, and as for anything else … every suggestion to take your mind off things was shot down by you. You either flat-out said no, gave us a vague 'maybe' or just didn't show up at whatever we'd planned." He paused and finished his tea.

"Can you really blame Tanya for losing patience? How can she – or any of us – help you, if you won't let us?"

Across the table, Kat squirmed and felt herself blush as blinkers she hadn't even known she was wearing suddenly disappeared from her eyes. She wanted to hotly deny everything Jason had just said, but in all honesty couldn't. She had rebuffed any and all overtures of help from her friends. When Aisha or Tanya finally managed to corner her at home one time and tried to get her to talk at least, she hadn't really listened to them … and instead spent the time moaning about her lost love.

-And that's putting things mildly; if I'm perfectly honest, I haven't been grieving, I've been whining. It's a miracle my friends haven't washed their hands of me yet!-

"W-was I really that bad?" she mumbled, suddenly mortified.

"Sometimes," Jason agreed gently, a smile softening the rebuke.

-Ouch.-

Out loud, Kat groaned and covered her flaming cheeks with both hands. "I'm sorry," she muttered.

"Don't be." Jason reached out and drew her hands onto the table top, gripping her fingers firmly in his own large hands. "We understand."

And that was the simple truth. Looking into the dark eyes watching her so warmly across the table, Kat knew that she needn't feel ashamed of what she'd put her friends through with her behaviour these past three months. They hadn't given up on her, just tried again and again to coax her out of the shell she'd crawled into, and would be there for her when she was ready to face the world again. -Or, as Tanya put it, when I start living again.-

She gave the one friend sitting with her a somewhat wobbly smile that was nevertheless the most genuine expression of joy she'd been capable of in far too long.

"I know. Thanks." She swallowed, then allowed her smile to grow a little. "I promise, I'll be better from now on."

With a final, careful squeeze, Jason let go of her hands, released a long breath and grinned.

"Good. Now, was that so very hard?"

"You have no idea," she murmured, but deep inside her heart there was a lightness that she hadn't felt in quite a while. "But I guess I needed someone to talk some sense into me."

"Hey, that's what friends are for, right?

"Yes, but you guys went above and beyond by being so patient with me. Especially you and Tanya … you're the best."

Jason looked pleased at the compliment, and accepted it gracefully. "Thanks. "

There was a brief pause during which Kat toyed with her napkin. "Who helped you when you broke up with Emily?" she dared to ask after a while. Jason had never really talked about it, but knowing him as she did, it was obvious that he hadn't just shrugged things off lightly.

"Mostly Billy," he replied after a moment's hesitation. "He'd gone through something similar with Cestria, so …"

"Oh, right; I remember."

Just then, the perky high school girl who'd served them appeared at their table and somewhat noisily began to stack their dishes. "Can I bring you folks something else? A refill, or dessert, maybe?"

A glance was enough between them. "No, thank you. Just the bill, please?" Jason requested.

"Sure. Back in a mo." The girl bustled off.

Jason reached for his wallet before Kat could snap open her purse. "Don't bother; tonight's my treat."

A little flustered, Kat looked up. "But …"

He grinned and winked. "Consider it your reward for finally letting one of us nag you out of your funk," he teased.

She pouted prettily. "Well, if you put it that way – how can I resist? Thanks."

"Welcome."

Once outside, Jason draped a friendly arm around Kat's shoulders. "Come on, I'll walk you home."

It was a pleasant thought; somehow, Kat didn't want the evening to end yet despite the bit of soul-searching she'd ended up doing. However, she still felt obligated to protest.

"You don't have to …"

"I know, but I want to. Gotta walk off some of the calories, y'know."

That made her laugh. If there was anyone who could afford to eat a hearty meal without any regrets, it was Jason. She cast a slightly mocking glance at his hard, admirably flat stomach. "Right. Because you're so fat."

"Hey!" His offended look made her giggle, and the two strolled off towards Kat's house, teasing each other all the way. As they turned into the quiet street, Jason once more brought up their earlier conversation.

"I still can hardly believe Tanya dared you to go on a date again."

Kat nodded. "Not only that, she practically stipulated I had to let myself be kissed, too."

"It's a wonder she didn't tell you who the lucky bastard had to be, too."

Kat snorted, now more amused than angry. "No. The only thing she said was that the guy had to be …" she paused to recall her friend's exact words, "… 'nice, decent, good-looking and able to hold a conversation'. Oh, and of course he'd have to be the first one to ask me out."

Jason laughed as an idea occurred to him. "Heh. Technically, that'd be me."

The blonde girl at his side stopped in her tracks. "What?"

He looked at her sideways, eyes twinkling. "If you remember, I did call you and ask whether you wanted to have dinner with me tonight. And going out to dinner is what people usually do on a date, right?"

"Um, yeah, I guess," Kat replied a little warily. She hadn't seen it in that light, but technically, Jason was correct.

"Well, I like to think that I'm kinda nice and decent, and we did have a conversation," he continued with a grin. "Can't say for the 'good-looking' part, though …"

-Oh, definitely!- was Kat's immediate reaction. She'd always admired Jason's dark good looks, which were so different from Tommy's … and yet somehow a little similar. And she'd only confessed once to Tanya during a sleepover that she'd been tempted more than once to even drool a little over his physique after a day spent on the beach. Of all her male friends – who all were eye-candy to any red-blooded girl – Jason was the one who stood out. But of course she couldn't say that out loud, could she?

Fighting the need to clear her suddenly constricted throat and hoping that the gathering darkness hid her tell-tale blush, Kat tilted her head. "You'll do," she conceded.

Jason prayed that Kat wouldn't notice how hard his heart was beating all of a sudden – or how sweaty his palms were getting. He'd fantasized once or twice about kissing Kat, but had never entertained any serious hope that it would ever happen. After all, Kat had never shown any interest in him that way. It was wishful thinking on his part, nothing more.

"See? So the next time you see Tanya, you can tell her you've accepted her dare and, um, done the deed, so to speak."

"I suppose I can," Kat mused, a slow smile curving her lips. "Boy, will that throw her for a loop!"

"At the least, it'll get her off your back, I think." -Of course it's not going to happen. Get a grip, Scott. No way a classy girl like Kat will let me or anyone else kiss her on a first date. Dare or not. And calling tonight a 'date' is stretching things anyway.- He tried not to let any disappointment seep into his voice.

Oblivious to what was going through her companion's mind, Kat did a little jig of glee.

"It sure will. Thanks, Jase!"

"Welcome."

Kat looked up at him. "Of course, I wouldn't be entirely truthful," she murmured mischievously.

He was confused. "Huh? How so?"

"My date has to kiss me good-night, too, remember?"

Jason gulped. Kat couldn't be serious, could she? If it had been any other girl – Tanya, Aisha, even Kim in her more playful moments – he'd have bet her words were an invitation to do just that. But Katherine? The demure, ladylike Kat? -No way!-

"Er … so?"

She thought it was adorable how flustered the usually self-controlled young man seemed. It made her just slightly reckless.

"Well, aren't you?"

"Aren't I … what?" -She doesn't mean it! She can't possibly mean it! … Can she?-

Apparently, Kat could. And did.

"Kiss me, silly," she stated, trying to sound matter-of-fact about something that inexplicably sent her pulse to racing. -I didn't just say that! Oh my, I did!-

Jason coughed. He'd only meant to tease, to cheer Kat up by calling their dinner a date. He might have wished it to be real, but had never really expected things to take a turn this way. But somehow, completely out of the blue, it seemed as if he just might get his wish. If – and it was a very big if – Kat decided to go through with Tanya's dare.

"Don't tempt me," he said hoarsely.

Kat's breath caught. -Tempt him? Can I really? Do I want to? … YES!-

"What if I want to?"

It was Jason's turn to inhale sharply. Almost against his will, he stepped closer to the blonde, drawing her loosely into his arms.

"Be very sure this is what you want, Kat," he murmured. "I'm up for a lot of fun and games, but this isn't something I play with."

Any fear Kat might have felt evaporated as she gazed into his suddenly-serious face.

"Neither do I."

With a small groan, Jason pulled her completely into his embrace. His mouth sought hers, and they kissed – tentatively at first, but with growing passion soon after. They only stopped when the need for oxygen became overwhelming for both.

Breathless with excitement, a myriad of emotions swirling inside her, Kat's eyes were brighter than the stars overhead as she stared at Jason.

"Oh my." -Maybe it hadn't been static shock after all when he hugged me that first time after Tommy got brainwashed!-

"Yeah," he agreed, panting slightly. -She does feel as good in my arms as I remembered. No, better!- Their kiss had been everything he'd ever dreamed about, and more. Dare he hope it wouldn't be the last one – the only one?

Only one way to find out. Slowly, giving Kat every opportunity to withdraw, he kissed her again … and to his surprised delight, she met him more than halfway. They stood on the sidewalk for a long time, lost in each other as they explored their newly-awakened feelings through kiss after kiss.

Some unspecified time later, Jason walked Kat the rest of the way to her house, closely entwined and her head on his shoulder. When they reached the front door, he gave her a proper good-night kiss.

"I'll call you tomorrow," he promised huskily.

"Mmm. I'll be waiting," she purred. Jason chuckled softly and touched her cheek.

"Good-night, Honey."

"'Night …" More kisses.

Regretfully, Jason released her at last. "The way things are going, I may have to send Tanya a thank-you note," he whispered into Kat's hair. "If she hadn't dared you … I'd never have dared to kiss you."

Kat smiled, basking in the warmth of Jason's arms around her back. She hadn't felt this light and happy for longer than she cared to remember.

"If Tanya hadn't dared me, I'd never have asked you to kiss me." -But boy, am I glad I dared to!- "You know, I never really planned on going through with it, but … when you first said that we kind of had been on a date … I kept thinking of one thing." She smiled lovingly. "An old adage, really. But somehow very fitting."

"Oh? What's that?"

"'Who dares, wins'."

Jason smiled back and bent his head for one last kiss.

"In that case, I'd say we've both won."