Chapter 6

It was almost noon when they finally woke up, neither having moved much the entire night. Their legs were now entwined, and their arms at more comforting positions, but otherwise they stayed in the same embrace. Kim was the first to wake up, and all she could do was watch Drew as he continued sleeping. Seeing the clock-face behind him, she knew she should wake him up, and decided the best way was to simply blow in his face. It wasn't long before that worked, and he was fluttering his eyes, trying to open them, his nose twitching at the sensations. When he finally looked at her, his expression was panicked for a moment before he relaxed, and smiled at her. Without warning, he closed the distance between them and kissed her delicately on the lips, not staying long enough for her to react.

"Good morning."

"Good morning yourself."

"Kim?"

"Yes?"

"How long have you been awake?"

"Not long."

"Oh."

"So, what do you have planned today?"

"I was, um... I think I had to help your father with something."

"Is that why you were so paranoid yesterday?"

"A little bit, yes."

"You know my dad-"

"Would like to send me into a black hole?"

"No! I was going to say-"

"He'd like to launch me into space, far away from his precious little girl?"

"Drew, stop that!"

"Well, it's true."

"Only if you break my heart."

"I'm a bad man, I could do that easily."

"You are not a bad man."

"You used to agree with me on that."

"Well I don't know. can I finish what I was going to say?"

"By all means."

"He told me that I'm lucky to have you as a friend."

"If only he knew what else I wanted."

"I want it too, so he'd be extremely shocked." He froze, staring at her. "What?"

"You want it too?" She giggled.

"You sound like that's a bad thing. I'm an adult, and very aware of what I want. There is nothing wrong with me wanting to be with someone. And certainly not anything wrong with me wanting to be with you."

"But what about..."

"I'll always love him, but I can't live my life wanting someone who's dead."

"And what about..."

"The age difference doesn't matter to me, especially after how long we've known one another."

"And..."

"You're here, right now, and that's all that matters." She hugged him tighter, but he tried to keep some distance between them.

"I think we should get up now." She stopped moving, and he was visibly relieved.

"Why, what's wrong?" She sounded honestly worried, and he smiled.

"I have to get up, that's all." She let him go, and he did everything possible to make sure she didn't catch sight of his obvious problem. He didn't know how successful he was, but he was glad to finally make it to the bathroom to take care of his unfortunate reaction, one of the moments when Drew hated being so weak to not resist this kind of thing. Kim, however, did see, and she couldn't help blushing when she realised it was possibly because of her. So, instead of thinking any more about it, she got up, put her sweats back on, and made the bed. Sitting on the end, waiting for him to come out, she heard the most gratifying thing possible—her name—coming from the bathroom. It made this all the more real to her, and when he came out, now wearing a blue tee shirt with his pants, she couldn't keep the silly grin off her face.

"Ready for breakfast?" She followed him out of the bedroom, down the hall, and into the kitchen. Sitting at the island, once again, she folded her hands and kept out of his way.

"Of course. What are you going to cook up?"

"I was thinking french toast maybe coffee cake?"

"Both sound really good."

"Then both it is."

She watched as he got out the eggs, milk, butter, flour, brown sugar, bread, and a few other things she wasn't familiar with. He got out a pan, a three bowls, a skillet, and set it all on the island in front of her. After buttering the pan and skillet, he set the temperature for oven and just left the skillet alone. He mixed everything for the cake, and poured it into the pan, then mixing the topping and pouring it on top. putting that into the oven, he set about scrambling the eggs and taking that bowl over to sit by the skillet. Turning on the heat, he waited a moment before dipping a slice of bread into the egg mixture and flopping it into the skillet. very quickly, he grabbed two plates and put them on the side. She watched as he did the dip-and-flop for some time, putting the slices on the plates when finished. Once there were three pieces on each plate, he put the remaining scrambled eggs in and cooked them, putting half on each plate once done. Handing her a fork with the plate, he set her meal before her with the same grace all cooks seemed to have. He sat beside her,

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"It smells delicious."

"Tastes it too."

They ate in silence, much like with the ice cream, and like then, when they finished, she took care of the dishes. It was a while before the coffee cake would be done, so they waited, neither knowing what to say. When the oven made a loud 'ding', he got up, took the pan out, and set it on the stove-top to rest.

"We can't do anything to it for a while."

"I understand."

"Kim..."

"Yeah?"

"I'm not good at this sort of thing."

"What sort of thing?"

"The morning after."

"But we didn't do anything."

"I know, but all the same..." She couldn't help but feel a bit bad for him, the constant worry he was carrying, almost as if he deserved it.

"You wish something had happened, don't you?"

"More than anything." His voice cracked, and was almost inaudible.

"And the fact that I do too doesn't help?"

"Makes it worse, actually."

"There's something you're not telling me, isn't there?"

"Perhaps."

"Will you please tell me?"

"I don't think I should."

"Drew, I can't help you if you don't talk to me."

"It's hard to say it, even to myself." The feeling he had before, where he couldn't lie to her, was being suffocated by the fear of what she would think if he told her the real problem.

"Then write it down." She got up, walked over to him, and wrapped her arms around him, hoping he would take comfort from her embrace. He did, and returned the hug.

"I think I can cut the cake now."

"Maybe we should wait till later, I'm kind of full. You don't mind, do you?"

"Of course not!"

"Why don't we go watch television?"

"Um, good idea." She took his hand and lead him into the living room, handing him the remote while she just snuggled into his side. Having never been in a steady and equal relationship, he took the cues she gave, as if she understood that not only did he need the leading, but was thankful for it. Turning the channel to something interesting, he soon found his favourite science fiction series "Doctor Who" on. She didn't seem to oppose, and so he left it there. Apparently it was a mini-marathon, which was even more exciting for him. unlike other science fiction things, Kim seem genuinely interested in this one, and kept asking Drew about various things. This definitely took his mind off the things that were bothering him, and they found something that interested them both.

After that day, they tried to keep their relationship like it had been, but Kim continued to hint at spending another night over, or even Drew coming over to her house for a night, of which he immediately refused. He wouldn't even visit her home for fear of being put on the spot. She kept telling him there were ways around that, but he still refused. It took her almost a month to figure out a way to get him over to her house, but when she finally had, she felt guilty that she was doing it to him. But in her eyes, there was no other way with his attitude being so difficult. So she pretended she was sick and wanted his wonderful chicken noodle soup, something he had made for her once already. When he fell for it, she began preparing herself, making her at least appear sick, and waited for his arrival. She didn't have to wait long, thankfully.

Just to keep up the illusion, she took waited almost a whole minute after he rang the doorbell before answering the door, and tried to look as miserable as possible. The guilt was made worthwhile to see the look of concern on his face, and when she let him in, she was surprised how adamant he was about getting her back into bed with a hot cup of soup. So she let him lead her about, not wanting her out of his sight as she heated up the soup and got her back up to her room, under the coverlet, and the service table in front of her. He sat on the bed while she ate, and she was glad that he seemed content like this, talking with her in her room, the same room she had had growing up. Her parents never used it for anything else after she went to college, and her brothers used it for 'mission control' and nothing else. Although they had started using the basement shortly before she moved back in, so it was free for her to use. When she finished the soup, he moved the table to the floor, not wanting to interrupt their conversation. Sometime during the next hour, she slowly moved to one side, and when she patted the bed beside her, he moved over, laying atop the coverlet with his back to wall like she was, almost as if it was normal to do so. The day went completely by unnoticed, and by the time he had the coverlet over his legs, her parents were getting him, the twins in tow. At first, he wanted to panic, but her arms around him gave a reason not to.

"It's okay. Why don't you stay for dinner?"

"I wouldn't want to impose..."

"Nonsense. You've helped me today, more than you know." She was tempted to tell him why, but didn't want to ruin the plan.

"If your parents don't-"

"Kimmie, are you home?"

"Yes Mom, up here." Mrs. Dr. Possible came up the steps, and Drew noticed that she didn't seemed surprised to see him there.

"Oh, Drew, nice to see you. Are you-"

"He is." Kim answered, not letting him get out of it now.

"I'll go set an extra place. It's pizza tonight," She said as she went back down the stairs. Drew stared at Kim, while she gave the best innocent look she could.

"Why did you do that?"

"Because I could tell you were going to try and get out of it."

"You know I have-"

"very silly reason for keeping yourself from my family. The tweebs have wanted to talk with you since Christmas, and Mom has asked me plenty of times if you were ever coming over for dinner."

"You tricked me, didn't you?" She couldn't lie, now caught, and looked ashamed.

"Yes, I did. But with good reason. Everything was fine since the last time you came."

"But I changed." It was little more than a whisper.

"So have I." She breathed into his ear, resting her head on his shoulder.

"If tonight goes well, then I promise to quit hiding, and not just from your parents, all right?"

"Perfect!" She pulled him out of the bed, down the stairs, and into the dining room. Before either one of the twins got to the table, she sat Drew down next to her, and they waited a few minutes before everyone else joined them. under the table, from prying eyes, she held his hand, hoping it would ease the anxiousness he was going through. Surprisingly, for him at least, no one asked any strange questions, they all talked about normal things. The weather, the local sports teams, other such current events, and some abridged science talk from the twins and Mr. Dr. Possible. Drew didn't add anything, and Kim knew why, giving his hand another supportive squeeze. When everyone finished, the twins ran off to do their homework, and the Dr.'s Possible went to watch television, leaving the two to themselves.

"I told you it would be okay."

"Yes, you did."

"So you'll cover over more and go out with me on a proper date, right?"

"I promised, didn't i?" She smiled, and kissed his cheek.

"Yes, you did."

After that, Drew did keep his promise, and showed Kim as much by taking her out on her next day off. He wouldn't tell her where they were going, but when they arrived in New York City, she knew he had something special planned. She thought it would be dinner and a show, but considering it was early afternoon, that was unlikely. So when they did take in a musical, a newer one based on an 80's movie, she expected dinner next. They both enjoyed the show, laughing and even singing a bit. When the left the theatre, he took her hand in his and lead her back to the hovercar. It was a bit anti-climatic, but she tried not to show her disappointment. It was surprising, however, when he flew the vehicle to the middle of Central Park, took a picnic basket out of the trunk, and set up the food he brought. She couldn't help but feel that this was more romantic than going out to eat, and he was making the effort to be more romantic, which must mean he was getting over his initial issues with their relationship. She was so wrapped in her thoughts that she didn't noticed he had finished and was watching her.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"It's all right, just give me your hand."

He helped her out of the hovercar, and helped her sit onto one of the cushions that he brought for them. Sitting on the other next to her, he began unpacking the food. There was potato and macaroni salads, fruit punch, and chocolate pudding for dessert. Strangely, they ate in silence, but it was a peaceful one. When they finished and he had packed everything away, she leaned onto him, and somehow they both ended up laying down, her back to his front.

"Kimberly?"

"Yes Drew?"

"I've been thinking..."

"For a genius, that must be natural."

"I'm trying to be serious."

"I know. So, what's on your mind?"

"We've been dating for almost a year now."

"It'll be a year tomorrow, actually."

"Why am I not surprised you remember the exact day?"

"Because I'm a girl and very aware of the date most of the time."

"Yes, well... Like I started saying, I've been thinking about us lately."

"That's good. I would hate for you to forget me."

"Um... Of course not..." She turned her body around, comforted that his arms remained around her, and put a hand on his face.

"Please tell me, I'm all ears."

"I think I might, if you don't mind, be falling in love with you." He had his eyes closed, preparing for rejection, as he had received it the last time he said this to someone.

"Oh Drew..." She smiled, and pulled his face to hers, kissing him passionately.

It was at that moment that the overcast which threatened rain made true, and they were quickly drenched. Hustling back into the hovercar, Drew hit a button on the console, which made a metal and glass dome come up from the back, covering them. Kim watch, intrigued, as the wipers came up from where the glass had just set into place, clearing the water away so he could see as he drove them back to Middleton. He turned the heater on, which helped them get dry much quicker than she thought it would, and to pass the time, she got him into easy conversation. It wasn't until they were getting into the city limits that she thought of something that had been bothering her for some time.

"How are you able to fly this thing around without getting stopped by the police?" He looked over his shoulder at her, smiling that 'mad scientist' smile she'd seen often in the past.

Turning his attention back to his driving, or flying really, he answered, "I have a licence for this from the government. It's a registered aerodynamic craft, and I have the proper training and paperwork so that I can fly it in any state. After I invented this, I made sure to patent it and get everything in order. That was before I began my villainy, and yet the government has never revoked the licence. After my pardon, a few companies have asked me to lease or sell the patent, but I won't do either."

"Why a hovercar, that's the part I don't get."

"I don't like driving cars. I tried learning, but when you have a loved one die in a car crash, you find it a bit disconcerting to drive yourself."

"That's understandable, I should have thought of that."

"It's all right, really. We're almost to your house."

"I don't want to go home tonight, if you don't mind?" He glanced back at her, seeing her nervous smile.

"All right," and he turned the controls, causing the hovercar to turn in the direction of his home.

Setting down in the garage, the dome retracted, allowing a gust of the night air to envelope them. With only a week until Christmas, the nights had gotten much colder, and they hurried into the house just as the garage door began closing. Without a word, Kim went back to his room, and Drew took care of the remaining food. When he got back to his room, she was already in a nightgown, which suggested to him she had planned this after he told her he was taking her out. It was made of silk, A-line cut with a V-neck, pink and sleeveless, that went down to her ankles. It looked tasteful on her, even though he could see the outline of her body underneath. While she put her clothes back into her bag, he rushed, mostly to avoid the view that was surely being presented, and changed. This time he was wearing black pyjama bottoms, and decided to wear a dark blue tee shirt with it. Getting into the bed, him on the left and her on the right, they cuddled in the same position as the last time, a tender kiss shared before they both drifted off to sleep.

To Be Continued...