"Hey," Kimberly said as she answered the phone and he heard the delight in her voice. He was not sure that she knew it was him, but he loved to hear her like this.

"Hey. Kimmie?" Thomas asked as he heard her laugh and smiled to himself. He wanted to keep her this happy as long as he possibly could. "You got a minute?"

"Yeah- I have to leave for training in about 20 minutes," Kimberly said as he nodded. Hopefully what he needed to ask would not take nearly that long. He just needed his courage to stay with him for just a bit longer. "What's up?"

"I…I was wondering what you're doing this Saturday," Thomas said as his voice cracked and he inwardly groaned. Why now? His voice hadn't cracked in nearly a year and it decided to show off now.

"I've got training in the morning and then I'm free. Why?" Kimberly asked as she held her breath. She had wanted him to ask her out for so long and now it seemed like he finally felt like he could. She wasn't sure what had changed, but she wasn't going to really think about it too long.

"Want to do dinner and a movie?" Thomas asked as he heard her smile on the other end of the phone.

"Only if it's a date," Kimberly said as Thomas laughed. He was done with going to anything as 'just friends'- now that he had the all clear to date her, he was going to date her so long as she wanted it.

"Yeah, it's a date," Thomas replied. "So is that a yes?"

"Yeah, 6 o'clock?" Kimberly asked.

"That works great for me," Thomas said with a smile as he let out a sigh of relief. "I'll pick you up then."


Thomas glanced in the mirror as he looked down at his jeans and striped button down. He suddenly wasn't sure if this was a good idea, but he knew that he was not going to cancel on her. He had asked Theo for permission to leave for the afternoon and he had told him that he didn't have to ask permission on Saturdays anymore- so long as he was back by 11- it was fine. If he was going to be late, just give him a call and he could go to their house for the night. This level of trust was completely new to him and he wasn't sure what to do with it.

"Where are you taking her?" Theo asked as Thomas looked up and he chuckled. "You've been zoned out for a bit and didn't hear the first two knocks."

"The pizza place near the movie theater. And then we agreed on Independence Day for a movie," Thomas said as he let out a shaky breath. Theo walked over to him and gently combed his hair down from where he had obviously clutched it in stress. Thomas had always been handsome, but he was really starting to see the man that he was going to become. In many ways, it was going to be easier for him since he had met Kimberly so early in his life. Thomas was done looking, he had his soulmate.

"You'll have a great time. And remember- ice cream solves just about anything," Theo said as Thomas nodded and Theo shook his head. "Relax."

"Did you relax on your first date with Aunt Amy?" Thomas asked as Theo shook his head. He had actually managed to spill a full cup of soda on Amelia during their first date and somehow she had just laughed it off. "I just…I want…"

"She wants to spend time with you. You want to spend time with her- don't overthink it," Theo said as he clapped him on the back and started walking him towards the door. "You're going to be late if you don't get a move on."

"Oh crap," Thomas muttered as he looked at his watch and then ran off. Theo stifled back a laugh as he knew it would not make Thomas feel any better, but it was hilarious to watch his, normally, very put together nephew act this way. It was a glimmer of the life they all wanted him to have.


"Hello, Mr. Hart," Thomas said as he knocked on the door and Doug gave him a harsh look. While he had taken Kimberly to prom, that had been different and it was obvious that her dad recognized that. Prom had been when they both still pretended that they were only friends.

"Dad- you're not going to give him some crazy lecture. You've met Tommy before. We went to prom together and you had no problem with that," Kimberly said as she jogged down the stairs in a pink flowered dress and combat boots. Thomas smiled as she squeezed between the two of them and then gave her dad a hug. "I'll be back by 10:30."

"I promise we'll be back on time," Thomas said as he, calmly, met Doug's glare. He wanted more than one chance to take Kimberly out, he was not going to mess this up on the first go.

"10:30," Doug reiterated as Thomas nodded and Kimberly turned around, grabbed his hand, and pulled him towards his jeep.

"You look nice," Thomas whispered as he helped her into the jeep and he saw a faint blush on her cheeks. Apparently he wasn't the only one that was a bit nervous. "You're still good with pizza?"

"Absolutely. I've been looking forward to it all week," Kimberly remarked as he smiled at her. He was so glad that it was the little things that she loved the most. While he had definitely seen moments where she was a bit of a valley girl, he was glad that it was only skin deep. This was the Kimberly that he liked so much. "You sure you're cool with Hawaiian?"

"Absolutely," Thomas said as he reached over for her hand and he noticed how perfectly it fit in his. He had held her hand from time to time, but had never really taken time to take it in. He wanted to take everything about tonight in. He caught her smile out of the corner of his eye, but kept his eyes on the road. Every time he drove with her, he felt like he needed to be that much more careful.


"That was amazing," Kimberly gushed as she grabbed his hand and they walked out of the theater. He had not paid nearly as much attention to the movie as he had to her. Watching her reactions had been his favorite part of the movie. They got to the doors and looked out to see a downpour. "Oh no."

"What?" Thomas asked as Kimberly motioned to the weather and he gave her a look. The girl who loved skipping through the park was not a fan of dancing in the rain? "You don't like dancing in the rain?"

"No way," Kimberly said as he stood in front of her and grabbed both of her hands. She absent-mindedly swung them back and forth as she tried to work her nervous energy out. "What is that look for?"

"You trust me?" Thomas asked as Kimberly nodded and he then gently pulled her through the doors and out into the rain. She watched as he tilted his face up towards the rain and the smile that spread on his face. This was one of the first times that she had ever seen him this relaxed. She mimicked him and gazed up at the sky as well. As the rain pelted them, she heard Thomas' laugh and stared up at him. She had heard him laugh before, but this was different- there was a level of joy in it that she'd never heard before. He then gave her hand a gentle pull and began jogging towards his jeep.

She was surprised as he jumped into a puddle or two and as they got towards the back of the parking lot, he spun around to face her and she collided with him. He steadied her against him and she swayed closer as his hands grasped her waist a bit more tightly, it was just enough that she leaned into it and he fully supported her. She had given him plenty of hugs over the last year, but this was the first time he had held her like this. He timidly ran his fingers through her hair and she closed her eyes as a relaxed smile spread on her face. Thomas might be timid, but she was pretty sure she'd never get enough of this.

"Can…can I kiss you?" Thomas whispered as her eyes shot open and she saw him patiently watching her. She felt a jolt of panic, but then reminded herself that Thomas had never been anything other than a gentleman with her. He was not Griffin. He was putting this soundly in her court and she knew that if she said no- he might be disappointed, but it wouldn't change how he felt about her. She didn't trust her voice and instead nodded.

Thomas leaned down towards her and it hit her that this was really happening. He, clumsily, bumped his nose against her forehead before he gave her a sheepish smile and then tilted his head as he leaned down again. Her eyes fluttered closed as his lips touched hers. He hesitantly pressed his lips to hers before strengthening his resolve. She was surprised at the tenderness of his kiss and reached up to wrap her arms around his neck. This- him- Thomas was definitely worth the wait.

"Get a room!" a man yelled as he drove his car through a particularly large puddle and they were soaked in a tidal wave of water. They both pulled away and sputtered at the water that had somehow managed to get up their noses.

"I should get you home," Thomas said as she shivered against him, but nodded. He walked her over to the passenger's seat and helped her climb up. He leaned into the back and passed her a blanket that she gladly took and she snuggled down into it. She reached over and linked her pinky with his and she saw the smile creep onto his face. She had thought other boys were handsome, but there was just something about Thomas that kept her attention. She didn't ever want that to change.

"Walk me in?" Kimberly asked as Thomas parked in the driveway at 10:28. Thomas nodded as she watched him jump back out into the pouring rain and he reached up to help her get out. There was a loud clap of thunder and she clutched him as they sprinted for the front porch. "So…do I get a second date?"

"I thought I was the one that asked that," Thomas joked as she smiled up at him and just shook her head. At this rate, he wouldn't ask her out again for another six months and she really wanted to see him like this again before then. "But yeah- I think we get a second date."

"Good," Kimberly whispered as she pulled him down to her and gave him a fiery kiss. He was surprised by the intensity at first, but soon realized that this was just how his firecracker of a girl was going to be. The porch light flickered off and back on and he pulled away. "I think that means its 10:30."

"Yeah, I'll call you tomorrow," Thomas said as she pushed open the front door and she nodded back at him. She closed the door and he smiled as he placed his hands on his hips and just shook his head. He never knew what he was going to do with her, but he did know that she was the only person that had ever seen his authentic self. And he wanted to keep showing her more of who he really was.

AN: They deserved some fluff after the hell they've been through. I hope you enjoyed the fluff!