Kitty spent most of the next day going through all of her clothes and deciding which ones to take. Matt didn't let her know much about his plans, only that he had "taken care of everything." It was very rare for him to decide to take a vacation, so this was a monumental occasion and she wanted to be as prepared as possible. The only time she deviated from her mission was to go have lunch with the gang and then she was right back at home sorting through her clothes.

Before she knew it, it was the day of their trip and she couldn't have been any more happier. This was exactly what she needed to get get out of the funk that she had been in and she was looking forward to the rest and relaxation.

Matt, on the other hand, wasn't exactly looking forward to dealing with the collection of trunks and bags that were stacked on the outside of their house ready to be put up on the cart. Kitty decided that she would supervise to ensure that he was being as careful as possible as he began to load her belongings. "Gee, Kitty," Matt quipped in between bags. "I didn't say we were moving to San Francisco. You sure you got enough stuff here?"

Kitty nodded satisfactorily in the affirmative. "I didn't want to leave anything behind."

After a couple of grunts and a few words muttered under his breath, he wiped his brow which was now beading with sweat and sarcastically quipped, "I don't think that's a problem. You've managed to bring along the entire house!" Kitty narrowed her eyes and before she could say anything in return, he quickly returned to his mission as to keep in her good graces. Once he finished loading all of bags, he did a quick once-over to make sure that he didn't miss anything before turning back to her. "I think that's it. I just need to make a quick stop over at the jail and then we can be on our way." Kitty nodded and walked over to the front of the cart with Matt in tow. He helped her up into her seat before walking around and climbing into his own and giving the horse a quick snap of the reins.

As they pulled up to the jailhouse, he could see that Frank and Festus were sitting outside the door just chit-chatting a way. With a pull of the reins and a gentle "Whoa," they came to a stop and he hopped down. "Hard at work, I see," he joked as he looked over at the pair and they stood to their feet. Frank had gotten in at some point through the night and it had been a while since he and Matt had even seen each other. "Very hard," Frank gave a playful laugh. "How are ya, Matt?" He extended his hand in greeting.

"Fine, just fine. It's been a little minute, hasn't it?" Matt returned the handshake. "Hello there, Kitty," Frank waved up towards the cart. Kitty returned the wave and flashed him a smile. "Good to see you, Frank."

Matt walked into the office and returned a few minutes later and walked up to Frank. "Thanks again for coming at such short notice. Festus will appreciate the help." Festus nodded enthusiastically. "Eh," Frank pushed up the brim of his hat. "Don't mention it. Besides, I think Dodge can spare you for a couple of weeks." Matt nodded and reached in his pocket to pull out a deputy badge. "Here, have this," he said as he pinned the badge to Frank's chest. "I trust that the two of you will work a little bit harder than you were just a minute ago," he joked. "Well technically, I wasn't on the job yet," Frank replied sarcastically. "Well, we'd better get going. I'll see you two later. Thanks again, Frank." Both Frank and Festus waved goodbye as Matt climbed back into the cart and both he and Kitty returned the waves as they headed off toward the train depot.

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Before they knew it, they off to San Francisco with nothing ahead of them but blue skies and rolling hills. After a couple of days, they finally arrived at their destination. Once they got settled into their hotel room and their trunks and bags were delivered, Kitty began the laborious task of unloading all of her belongings. They had made plans to go out and do some sight seeing afterwards, but they were both so tired from their travels and then unpacking that they laid down for a nap and ended up sleeping clear until the next morning.

It was mid-morning when Kitty sat up in the bed, stretching her arms and letting out a big yawn as she opened up her eyes only to notice that Matt had already been up. Matt was sitting in a chair reading the morning paper when he saw her stumble sleepily into the living area. "Morning sunshine," he greeted. Kitty hadn't immediately noticed him sitting there and so she jumped at the sound of his voice. "Geez Matt," she covered her chest with a hand and muttered out breathily, "You almost gave me a heart attack." Matt folded the paper and stood up, walked over to her and pulled her into a hug, "Sorry honey. I was wondering how much longer you were going to sleep." Kitty narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips at the thought. "You could've woken me, ya know?" Matt just shook his head and placed a hand on each shoulder to keep her at arm's length away. "And then you would've been even grumpier." Kitty just rolled her eyes and walked back into the bedroom. "I'm going to get dressed."

A while later, she returned with her make-up done and wearing a simple white shirt and a periwinkle blue muslin skirt with her hair tied back with a simple ribbon. "I hope you're ready to go grab something for lunch, because I'm starved!" Matt rose from his chair and as he was putting on his gun belt, he couldn't resist the urge to rib her even further. "I can imagine you must've worked up an appetite after all that sleeping you were doing." Kitty just shook her head, placed her hands upon her hips and narrowed her eyes in his direction. "Matt Dillon, you are simply incorrigible." Matt let out a hearty laugh at her expense before announcing, "Incorrigible or not, I'm hungry as well, let's go." And Kitty walked past him and out the door. A small smile crept up on her lips once he was unable to see her face. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing that she had enjoyed the playful banter.

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After finishing up their lunch, Kitty noticed that the restaurant was only a short walk from the beach and decided that it was the perfect weather for a stroll. The two started off down the street when Matt took her by the hand and entwined his fingers with hers. Kitty smiled softly at the sentiment before asking, "Have you ever seen the ocean, Matt?" Matt shook his head, "Can't say that I have." Kitty laughed lightly. "You sure are in for a surprise," Kitty noted. "It's nothing like anything you've ever seen in Kansas." Matt just chuckled before replying in earnest, "I'm willing to bet you're right about that."

After a few more minutes of walking, the pair rounded one last corner and arrived at their destination: miles and miles of beautiful, pristine sand with not a cloud in sight. A gentle breeze rolled in off the water and Kitty inhaled sharply to take in the smell. Matt just stared in wonder, it truly was unlike anything he had seen before. He was entranced by the soft sound of the waves gently crashing unto shore. Kitty wanted to get closer but it took a couple of tugs of his arm before he came back to reality. "Well, come on, Matt. Don't just stand there. Let's go." Matt shook his head to clear his mind and let Kitty lead him closer to the surf.

Matt removed his hat to run his hand through his hair. "By golly Kitty, this sure is amazing." Kitty again took his head and lead them over towards a flat-topped rock formation that was near the surf that offered them a place to sit and enjoy the view. Matt lifted her up unto the rock before taking a seat himself. He pulled her against him and wrapped an arm around her. "It's the most beautiful thing I think I've ever seen." Kitty wrinkled her nose in mock offense. "Oh is it now?" Matt looked down at her and chuckled. "Well, besides you of course!" Kitty just smiled as she nestled into his side.

"Kit?" Matt motioned to her as he looked off into the distance. Kitty's eyes were closed as she was enjoying the feel of the sea breeze flowing through her hair and the sound of the waves crashing on the shore. "Yes, Matt?" Matt looked down at her and noted that a look of pure bliss was written across her face. "I know I'm a man of few words, but I just wanted you to know how much I love you." Kitty's ears flushed pink at the sentiment but her eyes remained closed. "Oh Cowboy, I know. I love you too."

Matt was taken away by her beauty in the moment, but implored her farther. "No Kit, look at me." Kitty slowly opened her eyes and looked up at him and batted her eyelashes playfully. "Yes, Matt?" He put a finger underneath her chin and lifted it up towards him. "You mean everything to me." And with that, he reached down and placed a soft kiss upon her lips. Kitty reached up and placed a hand on the back of his head to pull him in closer. Matt pulled her into his lap and wrapped his arms around him and deepened the kiss. Eventually they surfaced for air and Kitty leaned back against his chest. They sat there on those rocks for what seemed like hours just talking about anything and everything

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The several days just saw the two of them enjoying each other's company with hardly a worry on their minds. Sleeping, shopping, eating or even just walking around – they went wherever the mood struck. This was truly time well spent to relax and unwind.

A couple of nights before they were due to come home though, Matt let Kitty know that had one last surprise up his sleeve.

"Put on your best dress Kit, because I'm taking you out to dinner tonight somewhere nice."

Kitty was more than taken back by his announcement. "I've never known you to dress up and go somewhere, Cowboy."

"That so?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Kitty nodded and teased gently, "In fact, I didn't know you owned any clothes other than what you're wearing now." Matt looked down at his khakis and his salmon-colored button up shirt and then over at her, feigning offense. "And what's wrong with that?" Kitty let out the kind of belly-aching laugh that just warmed Matt's heart and one that he hadn't heard in some time. "Well, I didn't say anything was wrong with it, just that there's not exactly a variety in your wardrobe." Matt shook his head and walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. The hair on her arms stood at end and she shivered lightly as he pressed his lips against her ear and stated in a lowered tone, "Well I might just surprise you every once in a while." Kitty turned around in his arms and looked up at him. "So you're just full of surprises, are you?"

Matt offered her a warm smile. "That I am. So, go and get ready because I'm about to take the most beautiful woman in the entire country out tonight."

Kitty flushed at the thought and quickly went into the bedroom to dig through the dresses that she brought. She closed the door behind her.

After what seemed like hours, Matt had already finished getting ready and was waiting impatiently for her to appear – eagerly waiting to see what she had chosen to wear. On some level, she was right – he didn't' have much of a wardrobe so he dressed in his best pants, a clean and crisp shirt and his brand new courting jacket. He had thought about slicking back his hair to tame his somewhat unruly curls but had quickly nixed that idea because Kitty had expressed on more than one occasion that she, in fact, loved his curls.

"Kit, you almost ready in there?" He called out to her. "I won't be much longer!" Matt continued to grow impatient, idly sitting in the chair and waiting to see her had just gotten to be too much. "I'm going to go down to the lobby to make sure the buggy is here. I'll wait for you there."

"All right Matt, I'll be down in a few," she called out to him.

Matt went downstairs and confirmed that the carriage was indeed waiting for them out front just as he had scheduled. He was sitting down in the parlor, reading the paper to pass time when he overheard a couple of men standing near him beginning to chatter amongst themselves about the beautiful lady that was coming down the stairs. Unable to help himself, he set the paper down on the table beside him and looked up only to see that indeed, the most beautiful lady he had ever seen.

There standing at the bottom of the stairs, scanning the crowd to find Matt. She was wearing a short sleeved black beaded dinner gown that had an illusion neckline and a layered tulle skirt paired with a pair of killer black heels. He had never seen this dress before. She had her hair pinned in and half up, half down style and her curls spilled delicately across her shoulders. She had done her face paint in a moderate style, with a light eyeliner to accentuate her eyes and her lips painted with red rogue. Matt's mouth suddenly went dry as he bit the inside of his mouth in and attempt to not have his jaw drop all the way to the floor. He was quite simply devastated by her beauty. He stood and beckoned her over and she walked towards him.

A few of the men standing in the parlor were practically breaking their necks to see who the lucky guy was the the stunning beauty was meeting up with. The disappointment on their faces was evident when they noticed her walk up to the giant of a man. Matt licked his lips in a desperate bid to give them some much needed moisture. "My God, Kitty.. you look amazing." Her cheeks flushed a deep red almost immediately as she smiled at him. "Thank you. You look very handsome yourself, Cowboy. That a new coat?"

"Sure is, I had ordered it some time ago and luckily enough, Jonas was able to get the finish the alterations right before we left." She looked up at him with a twinkle in her eyes. "Well, it looks good on you."

He then reached out to offered her his arm, "Shall we?"

She smiled and accepted. "Lead the way, Cowboy." And with the amount of people watching them as they were leaving the hotel lobby, one could have easily mistaken them for someone famous.

The carriage took them to their destination, a swanky restaurant just a few blocks from the beach. As they entered, the maître d' took asked for their name. "The reservation should be under the last name Dillon," Matt replied. "Right this way, sir and madam," the maître d' offered as he led them to their table. Amongst the steady chatter of the other patrons, a piano located near a small wooden dance floor played softly in the background.

"Will this do?" The maître d' inquired. "It'll be just fine," Kitty replied with a small smile.

Matt went over to her chair and pulled it out for her and she took a seat. "Thank you, Matt."

"My pleasure," he replied as he went and took his seat. "Gee Kitty," he bit his lip as he looked around nervously. "I look and feel out of place here."

Kitty reached across the table and took his hand. "Don't worry, Matt. You look just fine." And she once again flashed him one of her dazzling million-watt smiles. This was exactly the Kitty that had been missing back in Dodge and he was glad to see her back.

The waiter came and took their order and not too long after, brought them their meals. Matt looked sheepishly at his utensils, unsure which one to use in the proper order. Kitty lovingly took the time to explain to him when to use each one, in such a way to be careful not to embarrass him or make him feel bad. The sentiment wasn't lost on Matt, either.

After a couple of drinks and being lost in conversation, they finally managed to finish their meal.

"That was amazing." Kitty exclaimed.

"Sure beats anything Delmonico's had ever made." Matt remarked. Kitty let out a bellowing laugh. Meanwhile, the piano continued to play in the background.

What Matt asked next though caught Kitty off guard. Matt had noticed that there had been a small dance floor situated near the piano. "Say Kit," after paying for their dinner, he stood and walked over to her side of the table. "How about a dance?"

"Oh, Matt.." and she rose to her feet. "I'd love to." He reached for her hand and guided her towards the back of the restaurant and unto the wooden floor. He pulled her tight to him and she wrapped her arms around his neck and he rested his around her waist. She rested her forehead against his chest. "Thank you for the best night of my life, Matthew." Kitty rarely used his full name so it made the sentiment even more endearing to him. "Anything for you, my sweet Kathleen," he said as he kissed the top of her head. She didn't know where this romantic Matt came from, but she was hoping he'd stay around a while.

They continued to dance the night away until eventually Matt pulled away from her. "How about we go for a little walk? It's a nice evening out."

"I'd like that."

He led her outside of the restaurant where he reached inside his pocket and pulled out his badge which he pinned to his shirt. Kitty had noticed what he was doing and arched an eyebrow over at him. "What's that for?" Matt just shrugged and looked over at her. "It's nighttime in a strange city. You can never be too careful." Slight puzzled, Kitty just shook her head and put her hand in his. "Ever the lawman," she remarked as they started off down the street.

Before they knew it, they were once again lost in conversation and had managed to walk all the way down to where the street ended and the sand began. The moonlight cast a dazzling glow on out on the water. "Isn't that beautiful?" Kitty remarked. "It sure is, Kit. It sure is." Kitty walked over to a bench and sat down with Matt following close behind. "Let's go for a walk on the beach," she suggested as she removed her shoes and sat them beside her. Matt sat down and removed his coat, boots and his socks, sitting them down beside her shoes and rolled up the bottoms of his pants. They then walked down to where the surf just barely covered their ankles and together enjoyed the feeling of the warm water on their feet.

After a while, a playful mood started to overcome Kitty. "Oh look, Matt," she exclaimed as she bent down to pick up a shell. He bent over to get a closer look at what she was talking about and that's when she used her hand to scoop up a little bit of water and splash it up into his face. "Hey!" He exclaimed. "That's not fair!" he exclaimed as he used his sleeve to wipe the water from his eyes. "What you going to do about it, Marshal?" she replied. He let out a deep growl, "Remand you into my custody, that's what."

"I'd like to see you try!" And she hiked up her skirt and took off running in a fit of laughter. Matt took off after her in hot pursuit, also bellowing out a few laughs. This is exactly the Kitty that he had hoped would come out when he got the idea to bring her to San Francisco.

Kitty was too busy laughing and frolicking along that her feet got caught up in one another and she tripped and fell into the water, getting her dressed soak. She immediately shrieked. Matt caught up to her. "Are you okay?" He asked in a concerned voice. "My dress!" She exclaimed as she rolled over to sit on her butt. A couple of tears fell down her cheeks. "It's ruined!"

Matt dropped down to his knees and took the back of her head into his hand and lowered her gently the rest of the way to the sand, head still in his hand. Chills went down her spine as she felt him lower himself on top of her and then reach down for a searing kiss. After a couple of minutes, he pulled away and left her lips absolutely swollen in his wake. All he said was, "I'll replace it."

"Oh Matt," she growled as she reached up and grabbed his head and to pull his lips back down to hers. They were both completely soaked by this point and not that it mattered anyway, for Kitty thought that this was the most romantic thing that had ever happened to her. They stayed there for quite a while, kissing and caressing each other in the tide underneath the moonlit starry sky.

TBC