Hello, readers! Thank you so much for all the wonderful views and reviews yet again. I apologize for the delay, but my girl and real life will always my number one priorities. Stress and other things have inhibited my muse, but I'm happy to say it's back now. Hope you enjoy this installment!

Now go pester the amazing and lovely writergirl2003 to update Serendipity! ;) I'll lead the way.

Beth was flattered by Kate's consistency. When they had plans, they were irreversible, and both of the girls loved that. Never before had either of them been rewarded with such certainty. All day, Kate had gushed about what they could do together later that night. They had arranged to have a sleepover. Beth was overtaken with Kate's sweet and excited remarks about their evening.

"It's been years since I've had a sleepover," She murmured to Beth excitedly.

"Years?" Beth pressed her affectionately.

"Yes!" Kate admitted happily, thrilled by the idea that she actually had a friend who was interested in them now. "We'll have to do everything."

Beth smiled warmly toward her friend.

"All that and more, of course."

Kate continued to beam, her blue eyes gleaming with happiness. Beth loved seeing her so upbeat and cheery. She did nothing but smile these days—that perfect, cute smile where her eyes closed somewhat while she giggled softly. It was undeniably cute.

"Hey," Beth started, after a moment. "I have to pick something up at my place after school. I'll meet you at your house at five-thirty. Is that okay?"

Hardly skipping a beat, Kate turned to look at her friend. Beth tried not to flinch when she saw that animated, inquisitive flash in her eyes.

"Could I… maybe go with you?" She inquired optimistically, smiling too adorably for description.

"No, Kate. That's really oka—"

"Or… we could just have the sleepover at your house," Kate offered innocently, grinning widely.

Beth's heart virtually tripped over itself.

"Uh," She tried to laugh it off. "Your house is much better."

Kate dismissed the notion energetically.

"We've been to my house every time," She said, her eyes gleaming up hopefully at Beth. "You've got to be getting tired of it by now."

Beth smiled to her, unable to become irritated with Kate. She was afraid that this would happen eventually, anyway.

"I promise that your house is a better idea, Kate," Beth commented quietly, her gaze even.

"But—"

"Kate," Beth placed her hands on either of Kate's arms, instantly silencing the other girl. "I swear that we'll crash at my place one day really soon, but… today: can I please just go and get my things so we can get this thing off the ground?"

Kate paused, appearing to be deep in thought for several seconds. Beth watched her guardedly, her nerves flaring up on the inside. She felt terrified and anxious. The last place that she wanted to take Kate was her side of town. There was only one thing in the world that embarrassed Beth, and it was her living space. Her stomach twisted at the thought of having to show Kate.

"Okay," Kate sighed, her plans vanquished. "but can I still go with you?"

"You really don't have to do that, Kate," Beth chuckled slightly. "That's one less trip for you, and I'm a big girl, you know."

"I know," Kate insisted, her blue eyes pleading. "Beth, please. It would mean a lot to me."

Beth found herself staring into Kate's gorgeously blue eyes. It was difficult to combat that sweet and persuasive look within them. Beth was very easily swayed when it came to a pretty girl.

Allowing her shoulders to fall, Beth sighed, willing herself to smile, despite how scared she felt. She didn't want to ruin Kate's streak of happiness now.

"Oh, okay."

"Really?" Kate perked up, her eyes wide with astonishment. "Thank you!" She threw her arms around Beth, but then recoiled after a couple of seconds with a soft, nervous giggle. "Sorry."

"No," Beth shook her head and smiled. "Let's go, I guess. I'll drive."

* * *

The drive to Beth's house was filled with excitement for the first stretch. Kate was practically bubbling over with joy, though she showed it mainly through the sweet smile that she portrayed.

Beth, however, was incredibly tense and concerned. There had been a reason she had never mentioned her home before.

"So, where do you live?" Kate's voice asked through the silence.

Beth winced. She should have guessed that would have been asked eventually.

"The lower part of town," Beth answered coolly.

Kate merely nodded, which was a good sign. Clearly, she had no idea what "the lower part of town" entailed. She would soon enough, though. Beth tried not to appeared more worried than she actually felt. She was a wreck inside. Yet, she felt somewhat ashamed. Why she was so desperate for Kate's approval was beyond her.

"I'm sure it's a wonderful place," Kate commented softly. "You live there, after all."

The candid sincerity in Kate's voice was astonishing. Beth found herself smiling automatically.

"I hope I live up to those expectations," Beth added with a grin, causing Kate to giggle.

"I'm not worried," Kate replied with a knowing look.

And then the scenery outside the car's window abruptly shifted.

Suddenly, all around them, suspicious people roamed the streets, their pants practically trailing behind them on the concrete. They looked mean and unforgiving. Kate tried not to recoil at the sight. How had she not noticed this before?

Her eyes fell on Beth, who was diligently driving and almost paying Kate no attention at all. Kate swallowed her nerves and averted her eyes. She didn't want Beth to see how frightened and anxious she had become in such little time.

Beth had noticed, though, unbeknownst to Kate. She had tried to withhold her sigh of exasperation as they entered the area where her apartment was. Kate was obviously not used to this part of town, given that her little house was in a moderately nice neighborhood.

"Where is your house exactly?" Kate asked tautly, mentally berating herself for sounding so distant and witless.

It was now or never.

"Apartment, actually," Beth corrected her gently, with a sigh. "It's on the next block."

Kate frowned. She hated to think that she had offended Beth. The idea that she had possibly placed that hurt look on Beth's face mad Kate feel very distressed. She vowed to fix it.

"It's… a nice place," Kate murmured, instantly feeling like an idiot. She had never been a good liar.

Beth flashed an almost undetectable, brief quirk of a smile before laughing stiffly once.

"It's okay, Kate," Her voice was rigid now, causing Kate to flinch. "You don't have to say anything."

Kate retreated into herself. Out of nowhere, she was just anxious to see Beth smiling again.

As they pulled into the apartment's parking lot and Kate unbuckled her seatbelt, she craned her head to look at Beth, who was presently unbuckling her own.

"Hey," Kate breathed the word. Beth looked up at her expectantly.

"I can't wait to see your apartment, Beth," Kate told her sincerely, her eyes dimmed with concern.

Beth looked at her long and hard, her expression refusing to soften. She couldn't lie; Kate's reaction when they entered her neighborhood, though expected, had really hurt her feelings. Beth was angry with herself for caring so much. Kate was just a girl, her friend. She shouldn't feel as though she had to be on a pedestal whenever she was around her. That wasn't healthy.

However, seeing that soft, essentially angelic shine in Kate's expression, Beth found herself faltering. Her heart was thumping fiercely in her chest, and she suddenly realized that she had nothing to say, that she had forgotten to even respond to Kate at all. Trying not to trip all over herself, she cleared her throat. How could she possibly stay mad at Kate? She was too damn adorable.

Smiling, Beth sighed and shook her head.

"Kate," Beth was smiling hard now. "You're so cruel."

Kate's face lit up with relief and humor. A smile! Kate thought, grinning satisfactorily. There was Beth, finally shining through. Kate found herself intoxicated by her newfound, blissful mood. Her piercing blue eyes traced over Beth's pretty face suddenly, finding her lips in an embarrassingly short amount of time.

Those dimples! Kate had, somehow, never noticed them before. Her heart twisted and turned anxiously in her chest. They were above verbal description as far as cuteness went. Kate realized, only too late, that she was giggling like a silly schoolgirl.

"What're you laughing at, Kate?" Beth asked her jovially. "Are you ready to go yet, or what?"

Kate giggled uncontrollably for another moment before nodding her head. Her brain currently couldn't conjure up anything intelligible to say. She was lost in the adorableness that was Beth Davis. She was so real and raw. And those dimples! It was no wonder all the girls wanted Beth. Kate's friend was quite the catch.

As they slipped out of the car, Kate instinctively stayed close to Beth. She refused to move farther than eight inches from her. Whether it was the bad neighborhood or the need to feel close to someone, it was unknown.

"Don't set yourself up too much," Beth explained to her as they entered the elevator. "It's no masterpiece, obviously."

"Hush!" Kate knocked her hand playfully against Beth's arm. "It'll be amazing."

Beth eyed her suspiciously before shrugging.

"Well, at least you're in a good mood now."

Brief guilt stung Kate before she bounced back off the wall and recovered with what appeared to be seasoned expertise. Beth witnessed it with veiled surprise. Who was this Kate Spencer, and what did she do with the original? The brunette smiled to herself.

It wasn't long before the two girls had arrived at the door of Beth's apartment: Room 521, fifth floor, two bedrooms, one bathroom, with a balcony view (or so Kate assumed from the outside of the building). Beth had mentioned her living space having two bedrooms and only one bathroom before. Though, at the time, Kate had presumed that it was a smaller house, or something of that nature.

Beth unlocked the door slowly, almost reluctantly. She was still hesitant about Kate tagging along, as much as she adored her. Her lower belly was nothing but knots and nerves as she swung the door open. Luckily, the apartment was relatively clean, even with a hot-pink-and-black-dyed-hair, young woman bustling about the small kitchenette.

She looked sharply toward the door.

"Sky!" She called an unfamiliar name and then rushed forward to hug Beth. Kate watched, perplexed and curious. Why was she calling Beth, 'sky?'

"Hey, Em," Beth hugged the girl, smiling. Kate instantly felt jealous. Who was this girl, anyway? Kate hated to think who.

After another second, Beth stepped aside, revealing Kate to the strange woman. Kate had to admit, though: her hair was something incredible. Somehow this girl had made it work flawlessly. She had a relatively pretty face, though it was significantly influenced by erratic and colorful, yet grunge-inspired and even stylish make-up. The girl was thin—too thin, Kate thought, and her clothes were all over the place. It was hard to keep up with this girl; she was a walking, mismatched rainbow.

"Kate," Beth announced smoothly. "This is my sister, Ember Rose."

Kate's mouth fell open. So, this was Beth's sister! She could hardly believe it. Beth spoke of her sometimes, always about how much she partied, meddled with drugs and alcohol, but also of how close they were. However, she found it difficult to believe that this was her older sister. And—what kind of name was Ember Rose, anyway?

"Please," Ember groaned at the name, and then thrust her hand forward for Kate to shake. "Just Em is fine."

Kate shook her hand uncertainly. Vaguely she recalled Beth mentioning an 'Em' before. It must have slipped Beth's mind that Kate had no knowledge of whom 'Em' was.

"Nice to meet you," Kate replied automatically, causing Ember to snicker.

"Yeah," Ember smirked. "Got a polite one now, huh, sis?"

Beth laughed dismissively and shook her head. Kate found herself feeling defensive again. What was that supposed to mean?

"No," She grinned. "Kate's my friend."

Kate frowned. 'My friend' sounded very demeaning, and she unwillingly took offense to it.

Ember quirked her left, pierced eyebrow upward.

"If you say so, Sky," She sighed and looked at the old, digital clock on the counter. "Shit!" She hissed, stomping over to the kitchen table to retrieve her purse. "You completely threw me off, sis! I gotta go."

"It's not our fault you're easily distracted," Beth reminded her teasingly, beckoning Kate inside the apartment with a slight tug at Kate's nearest sleeve.

Ember stared at Beth with a hard, yet obviously playful stare. She flipped her off, and then shrugged her purse onto her shoulder.

"Don't wait up," Ember proclaimed habitually. "I'm crashing at Gavin's house."

Beth sighed irritably but said nothing as Ember fled the apartment, swiftly shutting the door behind her. Kate watched Beth's sister leave, her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. The blonde could tell that something about Beth's personality had taken a brief turn for the worse in the past few moments.

"Sorry about that," Beth spoke diffidently. "Em's… her own person."

"She's fine," Kate commented warily. She was afraid that her offense from Beth's previous remark was showing, but she attempted to brush it off. "She's very interesting."

Beth forced a smile, preparing to turn, before Kate spoke again.

"But… why was she calling you 'sky?'" Kate wondered aloud quickly, her curiosity spilling over.

Beth's features softened, producing a smile. She sighed and combed her own fingertips through her curly, brown hair. It was a cute, nervous habit, Kate decided warmly.

"Remember how I told you my mom's a total hippie?" She grinned furtively. "I guess I never got to tell you my full name."

Kate's interest suddenly skyrocketed.

"Of course you have my sister, Ember Rose," Beth explained, causing Kate to become unreasonably impatient. "My mom's name is actually Moon Beam." Kate's thought process paused. Okay, now that was something.

Kate smiled in a bewildered manner.

"Really?"

Beth nodded affirmatively.

"Really, really," She replied warmly, her eyes sparkling with affection.

"So… what's your name?" Kate couldn't contain her curiosity any longer.

"Bethany Rainbow Sky Davis," Beth declared matter-of-factly.

Kate stared at Beth in awe. What a name! She had never known that Beth had such a unique name since they had started to become so close. It made her feel a bit upset, but she easily brushed it aside.

"That is… so cool!" Kate exclaimed unintentionally, immediately recoiling, her face stained red. "But, really… you're so… cultured."

Beth stifled a spirited laugh.

"I wouldn't call my hippie pedigree culture," She admitted lightheartedly.

"It's better than Kate Emily Spencer!" Kate blurted out with a smile.

"At least your name is really, insanely adorable," Beth told her sweetly, her eyebrows lowering for emphasis. Kate couldn't help but blush somewhat.

"So… what do you call your mom?" She paused, realizing how silly it sounded in the open. "I mean, you know… do you just call her Moon Beam?"

Beth's eyes gleamed both happily and with amusement, and Kate smiled right back at her. It was nice to see her friend so upbeat, even if she always appeared to be.

"Just Moon, usually, or—you know—Mom."

"And they call you Sky?" Kate prompted, her excitement bubbling over like a child's. Beth was mesmerized by how damn cute she was acting. It was absolutely precious and endearing.

"Em does," Beth explained. "My mom calls me that, too, sometimes, if she's feeling lazy. She prefers to call me Rainbow Sky, in all its glory." She laughed and slid her fingers through her own hair. Kate knew that she must be grinning like a fool at this point.

"Wow," Kate's voice sounded so genuinely incredulous. "I can't believe you never told me!" There wasn't a hint of anger in Kate's voice; she was just pleasantly surprised.

Beth nodded her head smoothly before curling her finger at Kate, beckoning her.

"You want to see my room, or what?" Beth smirked. "Don't tell me that wasn't why you fought so hard to come with me."

Kate flushed, her blithe embarrassment completely out in the open now.

"No way," Kate played it cool for once. "I-I… I just thought you needed an escort is all."

Beth was smirking harder by the second.

"Yeah, and my name's Kate Emily Spencer," She cooed teasingly, before rounding on her heels and heading for her bedroom.

"I wish it was!" Kate replied cheerfully, almost forgetting to follow after her. "Because then I'd get to have your cool name."

"Whatever makes you happy, sweetheart," Beth called to her, now inside her room.

Kate's features brightened at the endearing term. She had always enjoyed when Beth called her 'sweetie,' 'sweetheart,' or 'honey.' It made her feel very warm and content inside.

Stepping delicately toward the door where Beth had disappeared mere moments ago, she held her breath, unsure of what to expect. She had always had high expectations of what Beth's room was like. Though, she couldn't really say that anything she saw could ever particularly "let her down"; after all, this was Beth she was talking about. In Kate's eyes, Beth Davis could do no wrong.

As she slipped into the room, Kate was instantly greeted with an array of plentiful and perfectly produced colors. It was literally a poetic explosion of colors. Kate uttered a small gasp.

Each of Beth's bedroom walls held its own personal color, which was absolutely perfect for her. One wall was a feminine, yet sultry pink; another wall was an alluring and attractive shade of purple; the third wall was a lustrous and vigorous shade of green; and the last wall was a soothing and influential shade of blue. Somehow, Beth had made the collection of colors work and match effectively. Her walls meshed together in perfect harmony, which was surprising to Kate.

Beth's carpets were a plain, yet effective beige color. It was the standard apartment carpet, Kate knew, but with Beth, it was something special.

The comforter on Beth's twin-sized bed was of an intricate design. It was every color of the rainbow, an assortment of complex and beautiful swirls that formed the most elegant, yet calming and humble patterns. It looked so soft and inviting, warm and beckoning like a goose down comforter. However, with a smile, Kate remembered that Beth would never own such a degrading and inhumane product.

Her pillowcases were of the same pattern; however, these had couples of hearts interlaced on them. It was cute; it was so Beth.

Hanging and plastered to Beth's bedroom walls were many, many posters. Whether it was human rights, gay rights, animal rights, environmental concerns, or political propaganda: Beth had them all. Though, Kate was surprised to see posters of a few music artists and actresses, as well. Beth was still a young adult, after all. Kate tried not to giggle to herself as singer Pink scowled at her from one of Beth's posters, just as Angelina Jolie gazed at her sensually from another. Suddenly Kate found her friend even more adorable and endearing.

Beth had also apparently dedicated one of her walls (the pink one, to be precise) a collage of photographs. Kate felt that now-familiar, hot feeling rising up in her cheeks as she realized that there were hordes of previously unseen and personal pictures of Beth pasted on that wall. She made a mental note to casually steal a glance or two at them soon, even if that meant seeing Beth with other girls.

Other than that, a fair-sized television sat opposite the room from the bed on a black stand that housed both a gaming system and a DVD player. There was a small, cute desk, scattered with countless papers that Kate was deeply curious about. Then, of course, lastly, the room was scattered neatly with multitudes upon multitudes of cute, fluffy, and downright adorable stuffed animals of all species. Though, Kate noted that there were many more little puppy stuffed animals. She smiled.

"Kate?" Beth called to her gently, her eyes twinkling with that usual, knowing look. "Honey, you all right?"

Kate exhaled heavily. She knew her face must have been blue for all of the five or ten seconds that she had been holding it.

"Yeah," She spoke tautly, still amazed by her surroundings. "Beth," Kate gave Beth's room another once-over. "Your room is… amazing!" Her words tripped over themselves. "It's so… it's so…" Kate couldn't put her feelings into words. "—you." It was a lame finish, but Kate didn't mind. She merely stepped further into the room, greeted by a grinning Beth.

"You think so?" Beth chuckled enchantingly. "Thanks, Kate," Her green eyes showed the eternal depth of her gratitude. "I'm glad you like it so much."

"I love it!" Kate turned around, memorizing each characteristic of Beth's room. "I wish my room was this… awesome."

"Kate," Beth looked at her with playfully reprimanding eyes. "Your room is fantastic. Believe me, I've been in it more than once." A smirk enhanced her features; Kate held her breath again briefly.

"Yeah, but," She did a turn for effect. "it's nothing like yours."

Beth held her hands up in mock defeat.

"Okay, okay," She smiled to Kate. "No need to get all sappy and cute on me yet, Spencer. I need to pack my things, remember?" Something sparked in Beth's eyes. "How am I supposed to do that with you being so adorable, huh?"

Kate's insides were melting, and that frightened her a bit. Beth had called her cute before, but with that extra flash of something in her friend's eyes, it made this time different, significant. She nodded her head wordlessly and managed a tiny smile as she watched Beth stuff all her essentials in a green duffle bag.

Green. It looked magnificent on Beth. She wore it constantly, and Kate had easily assessed that as her favorite color long ago.

"Ready?" Beth's voice stole Kate from her private thoughts.

"Uh," Kate recomposed herself. "Yeah. Let's go."

"Unless," Beth began, shrugging her duffle bag onto her left shoulder with ease. "you'd prefer to stay over here for the night."

Kate's face instantly drained of all its color. She felt horrible for being so afraid of Beth's "part of town," but, right now, she couldn't particularly help it. She wasn't so sure she was ready to venture into this part of the area for a long period of time just yet, much less spend an entire night here. All she wanted was for Beth and her to go back to Kate's house and have a magnificent, safe night together there.

Nervously, Kate opened her mouth to speak, just as Beth interrupted her with a hearty chuckle.

"Relax, Kate," Beth spoke warmly, her eyes ignited with humor and even affection. Kate suddenly relaxed that Beth's fingertips had curled themselves delicately around her right arm. Heat immediately flooded to that area of her body, and she tensed. "I was only playing. Now, c'mon," She let go of Kate's arm—much to Kate's subconscious disappointment—and began toward the door. "I'll protect you, okay?"

Kate had to smile. The idea played in her head a bit wilder than it probably should have—Beth protecting her. It made her feel warm, safe, and at-ease.

"Good," Kate affirmed with unbridled enthusiasm. "I'll need it."

Beth just smiled at her as they started toward the apartment door.

"Don't worry, Kate," Her voice was laced with such hidden sentiment that it made Kate's heart nearly ache. "You're with me."