Oh, only one more chapter after this!! –gasp- I'm so going to miss this. :(

I have a very important poll up on my profile, so please vote if you haven't already. The question is if I should have a third piece of the Nicole and Kathleen series, and I really need to know how you all feel about it before I can finish this story. So please PLEASE vote!

Well, no more chatting, Chapter 18!

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Nicole

I looked around from my seat, taking another sip of my drink as I waited for the fireworks to begin. I was actually sitting alone and trying to look for Ben, even though I wasn't sure I wanted to.

It had been two days after we'd discovered Cibola, so they'd set up some sort of party and fireworks display for us. Riley and Kathleen had decided to stay at the hotel instead, so I was pretty much alone, which I was more or less OK with. I just needed a little time to think before going off to talk with Ben. I wasn't sure how easy or hard it would be, but I was prepared for it to be a little hard, just in case.

'If only I could find him.'

Finally, I got irritated and bounced to my feet, setting off to find him myself. And I did, eventually. Actually, I think bumped into would be the correct term. I actually ended up pouring the soda down front of his sweater. He looked up, looking like he was about to tell me off until he realized who I was.

"Oh, Nicole, it's you."

"Sorry," I muttered, half tempted to run away and hide in the forest or something. But I stayed rooted in place, searching his face for a moment. "I think we need to talk." I said slowly, quickly looking down at the ground.

He nodded. "Yeah, I was just coming to find you." He motioned for me to follow him, and we went over to a more private place so we could be alone. I hopped up to sit on the rock ledge and looked down at him again briefly and then up at the stars before I started speaking.

"This isn't really working out, is it? I mean, us being together and everything…"

"Not really, no." He confessed with a quiet sigh. "I'm sorry, Nicole, I think I was just looking for… A distraction, or something, I dunno. I mean, don't take it the wrong way, I do like you, you're a nice girl, but -"

"It's OK." I said, putting a hand up to shush him. He looked surprised. "I get it, Ben, I really do. I think we were both trying to find some sort of distraction. You still love Abigail, and believe it or not, I don't have a problem with that. You two belong together, you're happy together, and I don't want to mess that up for you. I get it. We could just forget this happened and move on, you know."

He blinked, looking surprised by my speech. Then there was an awkward silence, until he spoke up again. "So… where does that leave us now?"

"Right where we were before, I guess. Friends." I shrugged. "If that's OK with you, anyways. We could work that out.

"Yeah, that's fine. Friends." He repeated, and I smiled, giving him a brief hug.

"Enjoy the party." I winked, and then slid away, back into the crowd of people. "Well, that was rather easy. Almost too easy.

I felt a lot better after that, knowing that we had tied up that loose end. Now it was time for me to have a little fun. I went up and purchased myself a soda and a few other souvenirs before going back to where I'd been sitting before. However, another distraction caught my eye, so I shrugged to myself and went to where he was sitting, tapping him on the shoulder. I grinned at him, sliding into the seat beside him.

"Hey, I'm Nicole. What's your name?"

"Greg."

"Hi, Greg. Mind if I sit here?"

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Kathleen

"Hey, how you feeling?" I pressed my hand to Riley's forehead as he stirred, waking up from his brief nap. He groaned, wincing as I touched the bandage on his head.

"Better." He murmured, rolling over. "It doesn't hurt as much as it did earlier."

"That's good." I said with a smile, muting the television. "Did you enjoy your nap?"

"Yes." He nodded, stretching his arms. He half crawled across the bed, swinging his legs to the floor as his arm slipped around my waist. "What were you doing while I was sleeping, Miss Katy?"

I laughed, snuggling into his arms. "Watching you sleep. You talk, you know."

"No!" He gasped, his eyes growing wide. "God, what'd I say?"

"Nothing much, really. You said my name a lot, though. And something about chicken." I giggled.

"Ah, that reminds me, I'm starving." He slid off the bed, grabbing a few things out of his suitcase. "What do you say we go downstairs and grab something to eat after I clean up?"

"Sounds good to me." I smiled. I fell back onto the bed, propping my head up on my arms. It was nice to not have to worry about too much anymore. That part was over, thankfully.

'But the worst part is yet to come. Goodbye.'

I sighed, frowning to myself. It almost felt selfish, but I didn't want to leave. I was having such an amazing time here, my home almost seemed pale in comparison. And of course, I'd miss Riley immensely.

Before I could think anything else of it, Riley appeared from the bathroom, appearing a bit more decent.

"Let's go, then."

"OK." I switched off the TV and hopped to my feet, bounding over to where he was standing. He grinned at me strangely. "What?"

"It's funny." He remarked, stepping out of the room. "You nearly jump on every chance to be near me that you possibly can. No one's ever done that before. I find that flattering."

I blushed, staring down at the floor. "I think you're right." I giggled. "I think I do." I paused, looking around the hallway. "And the thing is, whenever I am near you, my heart speeds up and I have to try really hard not to trip over my words and sometimes I think I'm going to go crazy just being near you. You're just so amazing."

"Really?" He raised an eyebrow, grinning.

"Yeah," I smiled. "You're like a drug or something. You should be illegal."

He laughed. "You're just as bad, because you do exactly the same to me, you know." We stepped into the empty elevator of the hotel, and as the door shut he put his arm around my waist, breathing in the scent of my hair. "You are absolutely intoxicating."

I giggled, blushing red. "You're just saying that."

"No I'm not, I promise." He gave me a brief kiss on the lips, smiling.

"This seems so familiar." I said. "Like it was in the beginning. That giggly nervous feeling is so familiar."

"I know…"

The elevator lurched to a stop and the doors dinged open. I moved to walk out, but he pulled me back to him, hitting the button to close the door.

"You know, maybe we could just order room service instead? And then afterwards we could just stay in and… play?" He gave me a suggestive look as his finger trailed down my spine. I shivered and turned around, pulling his face down just inches from mine.

"What are you trying to do, exactly?" I quirked an eyebrow. "Because if you're trying to seduce me or something… It worked." I kissed him hard, suddenly needing to have his warm lips against my own. He reacted with the same intensity, and a minute later I was pinned to the wall of the elevator, gasping for breath while he smirked at me.

"I'm guessing that's a yes?"

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