Seasons To Remember
by Dagmar Buse and Cheryl Roberts

Chapter 14: About Time

"Speaking of tiny tots," Ramon chuckled as he saw his twin daughters, age eight, peering through the door. He beckoned them over. "What's up, girls?"

"Can Mommy help us?" Colleen asked, holding out her brand-new Barbie doll dressed in an elaborate wedding gown. "I can't fix the veil right." Her sister nodded, looking balefully at Ken, whose tuxedo pants were hanging crookedly off the plastic hips.

"Yeah—and the stupid bow tie won't stay put, either," Caitlyn grumbled. Tomboy that she was, she didn't really like enacting wedding scenarios (she would have preferred a G.I. Joe, or another real 'action' figure), but she'd do it for her twin.

"Here, let me see," Trini smiled, and deftly took care of the wardrobe problems.

"Thanks, Mom!" And off they dashed again, hands full of cookies to share with their sibs and cousins.

The girls' dilemma, coupled with Tommy and Kat's earlier announcement, quite naturally brought the conversation around to weddings in general... and the Scott and Oliver ceremonies in particular. Obligingly, Tommy leafed through Kim's scrapbooks until he found the right place.

"Here're the photos from Kim's and my wedding," he smiled, remembering that special day as if it had been only yesterday. "Take a look."

"Oh my God... what is that?" Trini gasped in horrified amazement. It was a picture of Kimberly garbed in the most outlandish wedding dress she'd ever seen. The heavily embroidered, salmon pink bodice folded back like a vest or open collar in the back. The full satin skirt pouffed out, overwhelming the petite bride-to-be within.

"The hat has just about swallowed Aunt Kim whole!" Jasmine tittered. The bizarre millinery creation flared out over Kim's head and hung down almost obscuring her face.

"That was the latest in haute couture from Paris," Tommy explained, rolling his eyes.

Kat giggled. "Isn't that the one her mother thought would look so darling on her?"

"Grandma Caroline picked that out?" Jay murmured in astonishment. He'd always thought his maternal grandmother had the most discriminating taste.

"Caroline was still heavily into her if-it's-Parisian-it-has-to-be-good phase; thankfully, she grew out of it," Tommy remarked with relief. "Actually, Caroline offered to pay for the entire wedding if we let her do the planning."

He shuddered at the potential horror of his mother-in-law's machinations.

"Would it have been so bad?" Oliver wondered; he and Jasmine would have loved to have had someone offer to pay for the whole shebang; he thought turning over the planning would have been a small price to pay.

"Yes, it would have," Tommy said with unequivocal certainty.

"For starters, she would have found a different groom," Kat snickered.

"Grandma Caroline didn't like you?" Trini was aghast.

"Let's just say... she always thought Kim could have done better," he sighed, recalling that Caroline Hart Dumas had never taken a shining to him, even in high school. "I grew on her eventually, though. Although, up to our wedding day, she kept throwing 'good catches' in Kim's direction."

"And she wasn't subtle about it, either," Kat said with an amused shake of her head. "Kim really had to love her mother to put up with all of that."

"Kim fought her mother every step of the way to get the wedding she wanted," Tommy chuckled. "For a while there, it wasn't clear which woman was going to out-stubborn the other. Finally, we offered a compromise; Caroline could plan the reception—except for the DJ."

"That was awfully generous of you," Lynne remarked, knowing how she would have felt if her mother had been so domineering as to disregard her wishes when it came to her wedding.

"It was more like self-preservation," Tommy concluded. "Once Caroline had something to occupy her, we were finally able to get our wedding planned."

"I wouldn't complain too much," Kat interjected. "Caroline did do an excellent job with your reception. The Country Club provided an excellent atmosphere and the food was superb." Then, she smiled wickedly. "If it had been left up to you, you guys would have wound up at the Youth Center eating Ernie's pizza!"

~*~

The rehearsal had broken up, and everyone was headed back to their cars, except for the bride and groom. Kimberly remained behind gazing at the temporary gazebo that had been erected on 'their' spot in the park, trying to picture it bedecked with flowers as it would be tomorrow afternoon. Tommy stood behind her, his arms wrapped about her, waiting for her to speak. His wife-to-be had been, at turns, unusually flustered and unusually quiet throughout the day.

"You know, at first, I didn't think I wanted the gazebo here," Kim began at last. "I mean, it's never been here before.... This place has always been so special to us...."

"It's where 'we' began," Tommy murmured, his words a warm caress, evoking memories of the day he first asked her out.

Kim shivered with delight, then continued, "But the park director all but insisted that we use it in case of rain."

"A wise precaution," Tommy reminded her. Even in late May, Spring showers could whip up at any time, and he recalled how much Kim hated looking like a drowned rat.

"Now that I see it with the water behind it and the sun shining through... I like it."

"Me, too, Beautiful."

For a moment, the two stood there in thoughtful silence. Kim let her mind wander back to Valentine's Day two years ago: the most incredible day of her life. It had started at her apartment with the surprise that Tommy wasn't in Daytona with his uncle like he was supposed to have been. She'd already resigned herself to being alone on both her birthday and Valentine's Day, even though they'd only been back together as a couple for five months. However, Tommy had stayed behind to help her celebrate both occasions.

It had been unseasonably warm and sunny for February... it couldn't have been a more perfect day if it had been June. Tommy's celebration was a day in the park: long walks holding hands, playing on the swings, a picnic for two. The day ended at 'their' spot. They sat on the low stone wall and watched the sunset, sometimes kissing, sometimes talking. They snuggled together as the golden orb dropped below the horizon and the sky filled with tints of orange, pink and purple. They sat there, totally content, as the sky turned to black and the stars came twinkling into view.

"Oh, Tommy, this has been the best birthday I've ever had," she sighed happily. "I can't think of a thing to make this day more perfect."

"But I haven't even given you your present yet," he mock-pouted.

"You being here with me is present enough," she assured him, although secretly pleased he'd been so thoughtful.

Out of his pocket, he removed a small black jeweler's box. She gasped and reached for it with trembling hands. She almost couldn't open it; Tommy had to help her.

Inside was a ring, the crown a burnished rose in full bloom with a diamond set in the center. The shanks were sculpted to resemble leafy vines sprinkled with diamond flecks.

"Tommy, it's beautiful," she exclaimed in a hushed whisper.

"It belonged to Dad's great-grandmother; it's been passed down to the eldest child, finally winding up with me," he explained. He clasped Kim's hands around the box and continued, "Kimberly, I promised myself that if you ever came back into my life, I would never let you go ever again. Without you in my life, nothing's been right."

He shifted and dropped to one knee. "Kim, I love you... I have since that day by the lockers. Please help me keep my promise to myself by accepting this ring and consenting to be my wife."

Kim's eyes widened in astonishment at his words. She'd hoped and prayed that she'd hear them someday, but not so soon....

"Will you marry me?" he reiterated softly, removing the ring from its box. He gazed up at her with hopeful, soulful, puppy-dog eyes. Tears welled in her doe-brown orbs, and she had to close them to blink away the moisture gathering therein.

Thank you for giving me this second chance, she offered up in silent prayer, hardly able to contain her happiness.

Tommy, however, misconstrued her extended silence.

"Kimberly...?" he prompted anxiously, and she had to turn her head away to hide her smile. He sounded so much like he had at sixteen after he'd asked her out to the dance and she'd delayed answering.

When she faced him once more, the smile was still on her lips and her eyes sparkled with the reflection of the light glowing in her heart. She reached out to touch his cheek, then her fingers wandered up to ruffle his hair—except there was nothing to ruffle, and a slight frown tugged at her lips.

"Of course I'll marry you," she replied. "It's all I ever wanted, but there's one condition."

His brow furrowed. "What's that?"

"You grow your hair out before the wedding."

Kim's thoughts returned to the here and now, and she turned to face Tommy, reaching up to run her fingers through his once-again sexy locks.

"There were times when I thought this day would never come," she said, her voice rough with her emotions, a mixture of tears of joy and the more powerful stirrings playing with his hair never failed to awaken.

Tommy held her tighter. "I know; me, too, but our hearts never stopped believing. And tomorrow, I'll be the luckiest, happiest man alive."

Suddenly, Tommy picked her up and spun her around. Kim let out a startled squeak of surprise and happy laughter. However, instead of setting her down, Tommy scooped her into his arms and carried her across the threshold of the gazebo.

"Tommy, we're going to be late for dinner," she protested weakly as his mouth descended on hers passionately.

"Kim, I don't want to wait for tomorrow. I want us to be married now," he blurted out as he lightly placed her on her feet but held her so he could gaze into her eyes.

"I don't understand," she murmured, her pulse beating inexplicably faster as she looked up at the man she loved. The sun was setting, the water sparkling like gold. The reflected illumination lit Tommy's face like candlelight. His hair was loose, falling about his face, and his dark eyes were warm and all but glowing with the feelings inside him. When she found her voice again, she said, "How can we be married now? There's no minister... no witnesses...."

"They don't really matter," Tommy went on. "They're just legal formalities. What matters is what's in our hearts. And there is a minister and witnesses...." He gestured expansively towards the heavens.

Tears glittered in Kimberly's eyes, and smiling, she gave Tommy a small nod. He beamed with joy as he clasped both her hands.

"I, Tommy, take you, Kim, to be my wife...." he began rather informally. Tomorrow Thomas James Oliver and Kimberly Ann Hart would speak the formal phrases; tonight was for Tommy and Kim who'd loved each other since high school.

"I, Kim, take you, Tommy, to be my husband...."

"To have and to hold from this day forward...."

"For better, for worse...."

"For richer, for poorer...."

"In sickness and in health...."

"To love and to cherish...."

" 'Til death do us part."

They didn't have the rings, having entrusted them to Jason so Tommy wouldn't forget them. Instead, Tommy substituted, "With this kiss, I thee wed."

"With this kiss, I thee wed," Kim echoed.

Tommy reached up to touch her petal-soft cheek even as he bent forward. As if in slow motion, she raised up on her toes, meeting him, and when their lips met, it was not in the chaste kiss they'd share before their friends and families tomorrow.

Their passions flared brightly, and Tommy pulled Kim closer, holding her tighter, needing to feel her, so soft and warm and alive, in his arms... against his body.... The move surprised her, and she gave a startled gasp. Her lips had barely parted when Tommy's tongue darted in to caress hers. She responded with equal enthusiasm, devouring him as he drank deeply of her.

Her hands skimmed up his chest, feeling the pounding of his heart, before threading up around his neck. Her fingers played with the hair at the nape of his neck. Tommy's hands, meanwhile, traveled up and down the length of her back, pausing briefly to cup the swell of her derrière.

"Mmm...." Kim purred as Tommy's mouth left hers and began to deliciously nosh his way down the side of her neck.

Tommy's hands returned to her shoulders and without missing a beat, he brushed aside the white linen bolero jacket she wore so his kisses could cover the whole of her lightly bronzed shoulders.

He was still busy devouring her when he lifted her and sat her on the lip of the gazebo wall, placing her at a more convenient height.

"Kim," he murmured thickly, still kissing her senseless, his fingers dancing across the swell of her bosom bared over the edge of her pink sheath's strapless bodice. "Tell me to stop because I don't think I can otherwise."

He was referring to the old promise she'd made herself to be a virgin on her wedding day. It was a resolve she'd stuck to, even when she and Tommy sometimes shared her too-small bed. There had been times, though, when it had been difficult not to cross that ultimate boundary (though they had seriously taxed it on more than one occasion).

Kim didn't respond with words immediately; her hands returned to Tommy's chest where she deftly parted the buttons on his shirt, baring the strong planes of his chest. She leaned into him, nuzzling her cheek against the satiny-smooth flesh.

"I don't want you to stop," she murmured. She felt Tommy's start of surprise, and he pulled back to regard her with passion-darkened eyes.

"Kim?" he queried wonderingly... hopefully...

She wiggled her shoulders and torso so when she lifted her arms to encircle his neck, she lifted free of her bodice. Tommy shuddered with excitement and longing, feeling her softness against him.

"After all, didn't we just exchange our vows? This is our wedding night; isn't it?" she teased, planting a quick kiss on the tip of his nose.

Tommy's grin filled his face. "Should we go back to your apartment?"

"No. Here's just perfect—don't you think?"

Tommy's response was to capture her mouth in a spirited kiss as his fingers eased down her zipper.

~*~

"You missed the rehearsal dinner," Jason chided Tommy as he helped him with his ascot the next morning. Tommy was too distracted to arrange it himself.

"You only said you were going to be late," David, his other groomsman, interjected, shaking his head at his younger brother.

"By the way, Dave, how long did you stay behind?" Tommy asked. Last night, he'd totally forgotten that he'd asked his brother to hang back and snap a picture of him and Kim standing in the gazebo at sunset. David Trueheart, it turned out, had a great eye with the camera. Tommy had a couple of his shots of the desert in his room at his folk's house.

"I got out of there as soon as the mush started," David informed him. "Trust me, though; it's a shot Kim is going to love."

Jason noted the look of relief which swept over Tommy's face, which prompted him to ask with a knowing grin, "Is Kim going to be able to stand in the gazebo without blushing today?"

Tommy's expression was all innocence as he replied, "I thought brides were supposed to be blushing."

His brother by blood and brother by choice both snickered.

"It wasn't very nice of you to leave us to make your excuses to your future mother-in-law," David grumbled.

"I never realized Kim's mother had such a lurid imagination," Jason chuckled. He had finished placing the pin in the ascot and held out his hand for the boutonnière, which David dutifully handed over. Tommy, however, was too excited to stand still much longer. Jason warned, "If you don't stop fidgeting, I'm going to skewer you with this straight pin."

Once the flower was in place on Tommy's lapel, Jason stepped back to survey his handiwork.

"Think he'll do?" he wisecracked to Tommy's brother.

Tommy turned to his mirror to have a final look. The dark, Victorian-cut frock coat in charcoal grey fit him to perfection, and there was actually plenty of room in the lighter grey trousers. He fiddled with the unfamiliar neckwear and tugged at the dove-grey waistcoat. He had even endured an early-morning torture session with Kat and Aisha to make sure his once-again longish locks were fixed to Kim's liking. They'd finally settled on a loose ponytail at the nape of his neck. He had to admit, he looked pretty good, but then, when he and Kim had first selected the tuxes, she had taken one look at him and declared, "Yum!"

David scrutinized him carefully, then said, "He won't embarrass Jan and Thomas."

Tommy's groomsmen and the ushers wore the same tuxedo as he; the only difference was that their boutonnières were purple roses and his was yellow.

"And here I thought the two of you were here for moral support, not wisecracks," Tommy snorted in mock-disgust at the two comedians.

"You're not even nervous," David noted. "You're the most composed groom I've ever seen."

"Tommy, you're so sure of yourself, you don't need moral support," Jason observed dryly.

"That's because I know this is right. I have no doubts," Tommy claimed with conviction. "This is what I've waited forever for, and I can hardly wait."

"So what does he need us for?" David asked of Jason, who shrugged.

"To get him to the park on time?"

~*~

"Girl, Tommy's not going to be able to remember his lines when he sees you coming down the aisle," Aisha declared as she put the finishing touches on Kimberly's veil.

Kim's wedding dress was simplicity itself: white matte satin with an off-the-shoulder neckline and empire bodice. The princess silhouette was set off by pearl beading on the neckline, waistline and hem, and the floor-length gown had little to no train. Her veil was a simple headband with pearl beading to match the dress, and the tulle fell to her waist. Her hair was brushed back and tucked into the band, otherwise it fell loosely about her shoulders.

"Perhaps she should wear a cloak or something," Kat teased as she handed Kim her elbow-length gloves. "We don't want Tommy's infamous memory failing him today."

Kim scarcely heard the banter as she dreamily recalled the previous evening. She and Tommy had made love in the gazebo until the stars were out and the moon high in the sky. They had totally forgotten about their rehearsal dinner; thankfully Tommy had told Jason that they were going to be late, at the very least.

By the time they had the energy—and inclination—to leave the park, the wedding party had long since left the restaurant. Kim was supposed to have stayed with Kat and Aisha at the Hillards' house, so the three of them would have enough room to get ready. The hour had been so late that she had Tommy take her back to her apartment instead. However, when she arrived, she found her bridesmaids waiting for her.

"Girls," Doris called, opening the door and poking her head inside. "The photographer is here, and so are your parents, Kim."

"We'll be right down," Kim answered, snapping out of her reverie. The professional photographer had come to the house to get some informal shots, and Doris and Robert had graciously allowed them to borrow their parlor since Kim's family no longer lived in town.

"Here's your bouquet," Kat said, handing over a vibrant arrangement of yellow and orange tiger lilies, red, purple and yellow roses, orange mums, red bell flowers and greenery. Both Kat and Aisha had similar nosegays which played off their lavender gowns nicely. Their dresses were much like Kim's gown: lavender matte satin, off-the-shoulder neckline, empire waists... the differences being no pearl beading and the tea-length skirt.

Kimberly had surprised everyone when she selected lavender and dove grey as her colors. They'd all assumed she'd go with pink. She'd been tempted, but as she and Kat began talking about dresses and flowers, she saw how much Kat had her heart set on pink, so she demurred, thinking two pink weddings in succession would be a bit much. Not that she minded in the least; purple had been her favorite color back when she was a little girl—ever since her grandmother had told her amethyst was her birthstone.

"Do you have everything?" Kat queried.

"Something old...." Aisha prompted.

Kim held up her right hand, showing off the antique rose ring that hadn't left her finger since Tommy had put it there—until today.

"Something new...." Kat chimed in.

Kim fingered the gold chain about her neck with the delicate cross—a surprisingly tasteful gift from her mother.

"Something borrowed...." the bridesmaids intoned simultaneously.

Her fingers went to the simple yet exquisite pearl earrings Jan had loaned her.

"Something blue."

Kim frowned. She couldn't think of anything she had with her that was blue, not even a blue bow on her garter.

"Don't worry; I have just the thing," Aisha announced. From her overnight bag, she removed a small animal figurine with a blue bow tied around its neck.

"What...?" Kim began, puzzled. However, once she saw what rested in Aisha's palm, her eyes began to mist up.

It was a miniature sabertooth tiger.

"Oh, you guys...." she stammered, her lower lip trembling as she bravely tried to hold back her tears. Although Kat was standing up with Jason and Aisha with David, neither of her dear friends would claim the title of Maid of Honor. They had jointly decided that the honor would remain Trini's even though she was no longer with them.

"Don't cry, Kim; your mascara will run," Kat soothed even as she snatched up a tissue to dab away the moisture.

"There," Aisha murmured. She had inserted the tiger into Kim's bouquet.

"You guys are the best," Kim sniffled happily.

~*~

Tommy waited out of sight of the gazebo, awaiting his cue. Through the concealing rushes, he could see Rocky, Billy and Zack seating the guests.

"Hey, look," Jason said in surprise, "It looks like Adam and Tanya were able to make it after all."

Just then, David returned to the 'wings'. He'd been snapping some candid shots of the guests. He was primarily a nature photographer, but he still had a good eye for people as well. As he began putting up his equipment, he informed his companions, "The limo has arrived. Things will be starting soon."

"Nervous yet?" Jason teased, noticing that Tommy was shifting from foot to foot anxiously.

"I can't wait to see Kim in her dress," was the reply, with a touch of a pout. "She wouldn't even show me a picture of it."

All too soon, the music started. (Thankfully, Zack hadn't switched the tape to "Her Strut" like he'd threatened last night!) The minister took his position in the gazebo, and the trio made their way to their places.

Aisha started down the aisle first; David met her three rows from the front and escorted her up the steps to inside of the flower-bedecked structure.

Kat was next, and Tommy smiled at Jason, who was glowing with so much pride and love one would have thought him the lucky one being married.

"Just wait 'til next summer, bro," Tommy hissed just as Jason stepped forward to claim his fiancée's arm.

The music swelled into the wedding march, and Tommy stood a little straighter. He looked up the aisle for his first glimpse of Kimberly... and it took his breath away. Suddenly, he was sixteen again, seeing her for the first time. Her eyes sparkled radiantly and the warmth of her smile penetrated into his heart and soul, lighting the darkest corners within him. And once again, he knew that she was the missing part of himself... that she was his life.

Kim felt the intensity of Tommy's gaze as she glided down the aisle beside her father. She felt her insides turn to mush as his lips turned up in that shy, little-boy smile he'd first flashed her once upon a time, and his eyes shone with his love for her. It was all she could do to maintain her sedate walk when she really wanted to race down the aisle and throw herself into his arms.

"Wow," Tommy stammered in a hushed whisper as Ken Hart placed Kim's hand in his. It was all he had time for before they were standing before the minister.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered her today...."

Kim was grateful she and Tommy had exchanged private vows last night because she scarcely heard the words today as she lost herself in Tommy's eyes, and he in hers.

"Therefore, if any man can show just cause why they may not be lawfully joined together, let him speak now or forever hold his peace...."

Tommy's lips twitched, recalling Rocky's threat that if anyone said a word against them, he'd punch their lights out.

"Will you have this woman to be your wedded wife...."

Jason had to discreetly nudge Tommy when it came time to answer.

"I will, with all my heart," Tommy ad-libbed.

"Will you have this man to be your wedded husband...."

Kat had to do the same favor for Kim.

"I will," she answered, gnawing at her lower lip in spite of the certainty in her heart.

Though his hands were shaking, Tommy didn't drop the ring as Jason handed it over.

"With this ring, I thee wed," he intoned, sliding the plain gold band on her left hand. His words brought a fierce blush to Kim's cheeks as they also brought other memories to mind.

It took Kim a moment to collect herself before she could reciprocate. "With this ring, I thee wed."

The minister joined their hands together and said, "What God has joined let no man put asunder."

Before the benediction, David read a special blessing.

"Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter for the other. Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other. Now there will be no loneliness, for each of you will be companion to the other. Now you are two persons, but there is only one life before you. May happiness be your companion and your days together be good and long upon the earth.

"Treat yourselves and each other with respect, and remind yourselves often of what brought you together. Give the highest priority to the tenderness, gentleness and kindness that your connection deserves. When frustration, difficulty and fear assail your relationship—as they threaten all relationships at one time or another—remember to focus on what is right between you, not only the part which seems wrong. In this way, you can ride out the storms when clouds hide the face of the sun in your lives—remembering that even if you lose sight of it for a moment, the sun is still there. And if each of you takes responsibility for the quality of your life together, it will be marked by abundance and delight."

They allowed David's blessing to settle into their hearts, basking in its warmth and already knowing something of its truth. Then, the minister spoke the final words of the ceremony, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

"I thought he'd never get to that part," Tommy murmured cheekily under his breath as he drew Kim close.

"Behave! Remember, our parents are watching," she scolded him as she leaned into him.

However, neither one held back once their lips touched. Their heated exchange lingered until Jason tactfully cleared his throat. When they parted, Tommy smiled knowingly, and Kimberly blushed crimson.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Oliver."

The recessional music came to life, and Tommy and Kim headed down the aisle under a shower of soap bubbles.

They stood in the receiving line for what seemed like an hour, though the guest list to the ceremony had been small. They accepted graciously all the handshakes, hugs, kisses and other tokens of congratulations. When at last the final well-wisher had moved on, Tommy claimed Kim's arm.

"Your chariot awaits, Beautiful."

"I just hope Rocky and Zack went easy on the toilet paper," Kim said with a laugh.

"I don't think they'll have had a chance to get at the real getaway car," Tommy commented slyly.

"What do you mean?" Kim asked, glancing at him askance.

"Behold, m'lady, your chariot."

Kim gasped as her eyes followed his gesture. Just up ahead stood a white horse-drawn carriage, flowers like those in her bouquet decorating the sides.

"Tommy!" she gasped with delight. This was one detail she hadn't known about ahead of time. She smiled brilliantly as he handed her up into the open coach.

Once they were settled, the driver flicked the reins, and they drove off amid a chorus of cheers and hearty laughter.

~*~

"I never did find out how they pulled that off," Tommy concluded the tale, indicating David's picture of them driving off into the sunset. The rear of the carriage boasted a festive sign declaring, "It's About Time" instead of "Just Married".

"Making a guess at the likely culprits, I'm not sure you'd have wanted to know," Kat said dryly.

"You may have a point there," Tommy conceded with an amused snort. "Zack and Rocky had enough of a field day on my bachelor party!"

"It can't have been worse than Aisha's antics—both for Kim and for me."

"Oh? And I guess I don't want to know about that, either?"

"Maybe when you're a little older, dear," Kat deadpanned, causing their children to groan at the age-old parental evasion. "Be content with the nice memories... and speaking of which, I think my favorite memory of your and Kim's wedding was at the reception," Kat began, laughing softly. "When your Aunt Elsa told Caroline off...!"

"... the expression on Caroline's face was priceless!" Tommy chuckled. "Kim laughed so hard she had tears in her eyes. What I wouldn't have given to have had a picture of that!"

"Who's Aunt Elsa?" Jay wondered. He looked to Trini, and his sister was just as clueless as he. Their extended blood-family wasn't so large that they didn't know all the aunts and uncles at the very least.

"Aunt Elsa was my great-aunt—my grandfather's sister," Tommy explained. "She died a couple of years after you were born, Jay. She was in her nineties when she died... and had a mind like a steel trap. Most of the family was terrified of her; she was a feisty, sharp-tongued old gal. I miss her."

"What did she say to Grandma Caroline?" Trini wondered.

"Caroline was complaining about the music—the one aspect of the reception she hadn't been in control of," Kat supplied helpfully. "I can't imagine why. Curtis—Zack's cousin—played an incredible variety of tunes... including polkas!"

"Caroline made the mistake of voicing her complaints within Aunt Elsa's striking distance," Tommy resumed with fond amusement. "Aunt Elsa wielded her cane like a master swordsman. She pounded it on the ground and nailed Caroline's foot. Then she said, 'Put a sock in it, Caroline; this is a party, not a Broadway production. If you don't like the music, go home. If not, shut up so the rest of us can hear it instead of your incessant griping.'"

Tommy's mimicry of his aunt's tone was near-perfect, and the kids broke into peals of merriment.

"I bet Grandma Caroline was thoroughly put out," Jay snickered. Nobody dared talk back to his grandmother.

"She was," Kat chuckled.

"She was also secretly impressed," Tommy added. "She really took a liking to Aunt Elsa after that and was quite distraught when she died. Kim always thought Aunt Elsa must have reminded her mother of a beloved deceased relative or something."

"I think I would have liked her," Trini decided.

"I know she would have liked you."

Chapter 15: A True Romantic

"Hey, this one's not sorted right," Ramon realized as he held up a picture that showed not their parents but Lynne and Jay posing in front of the Scott house. Lynne was wearing a stylish pants suit and holding a lovely bouquet of purplish flowers. "When was that?"

"Let me see..." Jay took the photograph from his friend and brother-in-law, recognizing the scene instantly. "Oh, that was taken the morning after our wedding."

"Which I missed because of that stupid airline strike in Mexico," Ramon grumbled. He'd been visiting relatives and because he'd thought it'd be quicker had deliberately flown down instead of driving—which, in hindsight, had been the worst choice of transportation he could have made. He'd been stuck at the airport in Mexico City for two days straight, with no chance of getting back home. Otherwise, wild horses couldn't have kept him away.

"I knew I'd seen the flowers before," Rachel commented.

Lynne had picked up the picture and looked at it with a fond smile. "Mom, you took this, didn't you?"

"Yes," Kat confirmed. "If I remember right, you were all set to leave on your honeymoon."

"Uh huh. Only, there was no way I was leaving without saying good-bye to Dad first."

Trini suddenly giggled. "Wasn't that when you told us about your oh-so-unromantic wedding proposal, Aunt Kat?"

"Unromantic? According to Dad, Uncle Jason was anything but," Ramon murmured.

"Of course," Jasmine exclaimed, ignoring her brother-in-law's comment as she started to grin broadly at the memory. To Ramon and Rachel, who hadn't been part of the family then yet and were looking slightly bewildered, she explained, "You see, Lynne here wanted to bring the flowers she'd carried as a bride to church to her Dad; we all went along to the cemetery, and that's when we heard the story...."

~*~

Silent tears flowed down Kat's cheeks as she watched Lynne place her bridal bouquet on Jason's grave. She and Jay had gotten married the day before, and instead of tossing the beautiful flower arrangement to her friends, she'd decided to bring it here before the two left on their honeymoon. The whole immediate family on both sides had gathered alongside the newlyweds—Kimberly, Tommy and Trini, Kat, Jared and Oliver together with his fiancée, lovely Jasmine Park.

Lynne placed the bouquet just -so- until the delicate blossoms in all shades from palest pink to deepest purple rested against the black marble, creating a wonderful contrast on the lush grass.

"This is for you, Dad," she murmured. "I missed you more than ever yesterday; I so wish you could have been there with us."

"I'm sure he was, Sweetie," Kat whispered, feeling the pain of her husband's passing anew. Not that it ever quite left her. "I just know that Jason was watching you yesterday, from wherever he is right now."

Tommy cleared his throat, feeling rather choked up himself. He just had to say something light, or he'd start bawling all over again. He knew how much his best friend had wanted to walk Lynne to the altar when the time had come to give her into another man's keeping. Instead, both John Scott and Robert Hillard had shared that task.

"Yeah, he was probably sitting on his cloud, halo worn backwards like a baseball cap and boasting of how beautiful you looked as a bride. Telling every passing angel that it was his daughter floating down the aisle."

"Strumming his harp, too, no doubt," Jasmine ventured, recognizing the attempt for what it was and wanting to contribute. It hurt her to see her future family so sad. She'd hardly known Jason, as Adam and Tanya had lived on the East Coast for years before returning to California. She and the oldest Scott son had met at UCLA over a year ago, and their recent engagement was welcomed by both families. She was very much surprised, though, when her comment—along with the image Tommy's purposely silly remark had evoked—broke up the sombre mood quite effectively, with Tommy and the boys starting to grin broadly, Kim and the girls choking on rather shaky laughter and even Kat smiling through her tears.

"Jason? Hardly," the widow said. "He was an absolute dear, never minded my music when I practiced, but while he was a pretty good dancer, he couldn't carry a tune in a bucket."

"If whoever's in charge of the universe called Jason back so untimely early for his musical ability, they were in for a big disappointment," Kim agreed with a chuckle. "Not that it ever stopped him from singing, though."

"I remember," Lynne said softly, sharing a loving look with her brand-new husband. Their romance had started over just such a memory—when he'd comforted her for missing Jason's incessant (if off-key) carolling at Christmas. "I still wish I could have told him how much I've come to love Jay."

The young man kissed his wife's cheek. "And I wish I could have told Uncle Jase that I'll always take care of Lynne."

Kat leaned against Jared—at 16 already as tall as Tommy, and the only one of her children to have inherited her coloring. Oliver was the spitting image of his father, and Lynne combined Jason's dark hair with Kat's porcelain skin and blue eyes—a fact Jason had always been ecstatic about.

"He knows, I'm certain," Kat repeated. "And if I haven't told you before, he would have approved of you two getting married. Jason always liked, trusted and respected you, Jay. I doubt there's anyone else whom he would have thought good enough for his princess."

Lynne sobbed softly once at the reminder of Jason's pet name for her.

"Both of you have chosen well," Kimberly said, glancing fondly at her daughter-in-law. "In fact, when you all were babies your mom and I used to fantasize about our kids getting married to each other one day, especially as you were so close in age. Didn't we, Kat?"

"We sure did," the blonde woman smiled, opening her purse for a tissue. She dried her cheeks. "But of course Oliver had to choose elsewhere. Not that I mind, dear," she hastened to assure Jasmine. "Quite the contrary."

"No offense, Aunt Kat, but Oliver is too much like my own brother for me to ever fall in love with," Trini laughed before Jasmine could do more than smile a reply. "Bossy, opinionated, meddling, a veritable pain in the neck most of the time..."

"Hey!" Both Jay and Oliver chorused indignantly, to everyone's amusement. But Trini blithely ignored them.

"No, when I fall in love, it'll have to be with a true romantic—like Uncle Jase was. I can still remember all the lovely things he used to arrange for you on your anniversaries, Aunt Kat," she went on. "Like that dinner cruise along the coast one year."

Kat nodded, feeling fresh tears threatening. That had been Jason's gift to her on their fifteenth wedding anniversary and it had been truly memorable—they'd dressed up in evening clothes, there had been wonderful food, dancing, moonlight on the ocean... almost as perfect and magical as their original wedding day. Which reminded her of something else. A soft light lit up her blue eyes as she disengaged herself from Jared's hold and stepped to the headstone, wiping an imaginary speck off the smooth surface in a fond, very wifely gesture. They'd never told this story to anyone; should she reveal it now? A glance at Lynne decided her; her daughter's eyes were still misty and shadowed with loss when they should be glowing with love and pride like on the day before.

In the depths of her heart, Kat sent a mute question to her dead husband. You don't mind, do you, love? After six years of mourning him, she didn't care anymore whether it was a figment of her imagination or just wishful thinking, but she was sure she felt a sense of agreement wash over her from somewhere ² as if Jason approved of her decision. It felt right.

"Actually, Jason wasn't always such an inveterate romantic," she ruminated almost casually.

"Sure he was," Kim protested.

"Yeah; he never showed it much, only to those people closest to him, but Jase was the original softie of the gang," Tommy added. "Nothing but a big teddy bear under all those muscles."

Jay nudged his best friend. "Better give me some pointers, Bro; I think I may need them later," he muttered under his breath. Oliver nodded while both Jasmine and Lynne couldn't suppress a slight conspiratorial smile. Their mates certainly seemed able to recognize a hint.

Katherine grinned almost impishly. "I didn't say he wasn't. It's one of the things I loved about him. But... girls... in a man/woman relationship, what would you say is about the most romantic moment until the wedding?"

Lynne, Trini and Jasmine looked slightly baffled. "When he tells you he loves you for the first time?" Jasmine suggested at last.

"When you realize it's for real?" Trini asked, on uncertain ground because it hadn't happened to her yet.

Lynne nodded. "Both—and of course when he proposes," she added, sharing a smile with Jay. Then, she lifted incredulous eyes to her mother. "Are you saying that Dad botched these occasions?"

"Just one," Kat confirmed. "I couldn't have wished for better memories than I have for the first two, but Jason's proposal... let's say it left a lot to be desired in the romance department," she divulged.

"So that's why you never told anyone," Kimberly exclaimed. "I've always wondered."

"Uh huh."

The petite woman planted herself in front of her taller friend, hands on her hips. "Well, girl, you better tell us all now," she ordered peremptorily, a challenge in her doe-brown eyes. "Or I'll sic Tanya, Aisha and Rocky on you to nag until you do!"

Kat pretended to shudder. "Anything but that! Very well, then." She looked at each eager face in turn, seeing the lively curiosity mingled with affection in her loved ones' eyes. It made it very easy to share this particular memory.

"It was on Boxing Day 2002; you know that December 26 is a holiday in Australia, right? Anyway, even though it's not the custom here, my father habitually took the day off to spend with family. Usually it was just the three of us—he, Mum and myself—but Jason and I had been dating for over a year, and I'd invited him to spend the day..."

~*~

Jason leaned back in his chair with a satisfied sigh as he placed his spoon in the empty crystal dessert dish.

"Thank you; this was excellent," he complimented his hostess. "You're a wonderful cook, Mrs. Hillard."

"I agree, Mum. This was one of the best Christmas dinners ever," Katherine added, smiling warmly at her mother.

"You're both quite welcome," the older woman replied, clearly pleased that her efforts in the kitchen were appreciated. "It was only leftovers from yesterday, but..."

Jason chuckled. "My grandmother Scott always used to say that a cook's real mettle showed in how she managed to make something out of nothing. This was certainly more than nothing—and if I may say so, you made something out of it alright!"

"Granny Agatha said much the same thing," Robert Hillard added. "Living in the outback as she did, inventiveness was a necessity for more than cooking."

"I can imagine," Kat replied, flashing back to her meeting with her ancestor during her quest for her Zeo shard. "From everything I heard, she was quite a woman."

"A character, more like," Robert said dryly. "For her time, she was very much advanced, or so my father used to tell me. Independent, sweet but strong-minded... one of the first women to drive a car, living by herself most of her life, expecting everyone around her to be the best they could be... I loved hearing stories about her, but to tell the truth, deep down she scared me to death!"

Doris Hillard laughed, along with Jason and Katherine. "Well, if she really was the way I've heard tell, she wouldn't approve of us sitting here with all the dirty dishes staring us in the face. I guess I better clear things up before I start the coffee, if that's okay with everyone?" She got up and began stacking dishes.

"Of course, Mum; we'll help," Kat agreed readily, reaching for the meat platter. "Jase, there's a tray next to the sideboard; will you bring the glasses?"

"Sure." Used to lending a hand, Jason stood as well, ignoring Doris's automatic protest. He smiled at the older woman, who had passed on both her lovely looks and gentle character to his girlfriend. "Don't worry; my mother would read me the riot act but good if I just sat around watching you and Kat work."

"We'll both help," Mr. Hillard decided, nodding to himself in quiet satisfaction. He'd expected nothing less from the friends his daughter had made here in Angel Grove—a well-mannered, polite crowd, all of them. And Jason certainly was no exception; he very much approved of Kat's choice in boyfriends. Come to think of it, Tommy Oliver was just like that, too. She has good taste in men, my little girl has. "You and Kat take care of what's left while Jason and I clear the table and set the dining room to order." He suited action to words, and soon all four were busily going back and forth with china, cutlery, dirty napkins and the like.

Mrs. Hillard was putting leftover turkey into Tupperware containers, her husband was scraping the plates and stacking them while Kat filled the sink with hot water, added detergent and began washing the stemware first. She smiled over her shoulder at Jason when he brought the tray with the delicate glass bowls and gave him a quick kiss.

"Thanks. I'll do those as soon as I'm done with the glasses. There are clean dish towels in the left-hand drawer over there; you can dry while I wash." She would never admit it out loud, not yet, but doing little domestic things like this with Jason filled her with quiet pleasure despite the mundaneness of the task. It made her feel quite... wifely. Especially since she'd scraped back her hair into a loose ponytail to keep it from falling into her eyes while she worked and had wrapped herself in an old pinafore to protect her winter-white sweater dress from getting soiled. She'd commented laughingly on the frumpiness of her appearance, but practicality had won out. At least Jason hadn't recoiled in horror as he'd seen her. Surely if he didn't mind her present appearance, it meant that he cared enough to eventually... Kat stopped herself from thinking further.

Don't go there, girl! Wait until he asks you—if he ever does!

"No problem," Jason agreed readily, wishing he could kiss Kat back—much more thoroughly than the peck on the cheek she'd just delivered. But while he knew she wouldn't mind, he was feeling just a little shy around her parents. Not that the Hillards were stuffy or anything, and he knew he was welcome in their house—even as Kat's boyfriend—but they were just a tad more formal than his own parents. Not enough to make him uncomfortable in any way, and he'd certainly learned enough about proper etiquette through Kim and Trini and his time at the Peace Conference, but Jason doubted that smooching publicly with the daughter of the house was quite acceptable. After all, they were supposed to be responsible adults now, not teenagers anymore in whom such behaviour might be overlooked.

If our relationship was official, it might be different, he mused. I wish I knew how Kat feels about this. Sure, we're getting along great and I know I love her, but we haven't been dating all that long yet. What if she needs more time? What if she's still not quite over Tommy? Or what if she's decided to give up on teaching and go back to touring for another year, or even move back to Australia, to accept that offer from the Sydney Opera? I don't want her to go away again, not when I've just realized she's the one for me...

Those were the thoughts running through Jason's mind as he finished with the crystal and reached for the first of the dripping plates, trying to find a dry corner on his towel. Deciding he would have to get a fresh one after he was done, he grimaced as he wiped the delicately-patterned china.

"Of all the chores Mom made me do around the house, I detest doing the dishes most," he muttered.

Doris laughed. "I hear you. But for all that, you polished the crystal very well; the glasses positively sparkle." She handed him the tray with the clean glassware, to carry back to the dining room cabinet.

"Thanks," Jason grinned, grateful that his small grumble was accepted so easily. Carefully, he balanced the heavy tray, not wanting to break anything. He took a step towards the door. "But I know one thing—as soon as Kat and I are married, I'll buy her a dishwasher," he said over his shoulder.

As soon as the words left his mouth, Jason froze in his tracks and wanted to bite his tongue. I can't believe I said that! Closing his eyes, he counted to ten, then, as if in slow motion, he turned back.

The cheery clatter in the kitchen came to a sudden halt as three heads swivelled in his direction. Kat let the bowl she was rinsing sink back into the sudsy water with a small splash, her blue eyes widening with surprise. Had she heard right?

Doris and Robert exchanged an incredulous glance. The older man cleared his throat. His grey eyes suddenly bore into Jason's dark ones.

"Did... did you just say married???"

Jason felt his face heat up. He gulped once, suddenly afraid he might have ruined the very thing he wanted most. He didn't dare look at Kat, fearing she'd kick him out there and then, but he met her father's sharp look without flinching as he deposited his load back on the kitchen table and fought the urge to hide his suddenly shaking hands.

"Yes, sir." His deep voice was deceptively calm, not betraying anything of the quaking he was feeling inside.

"You... you want to marry my daughter?!?"

A sudden calm came over the broad-shouldered martial artist. He squared his shoulders and stood very straight, seeking out his girlfriend's face. It was up to her now.

"If Kat will have me," he replied simply. Please, God!

"Kitty???" Doris breathed, incredulous and more than slightly stunned at this unexpected development. The old pet name from Kat's childhood rose instinctively to her lips. This was her baby they were talking about; she couldn't possibly be old enough to be thinking of marriage yet! Could she? Doris looked back and forth from Kat to Jason, like a spectator at a tennis match, trying to gauge if it was true.

Katherine just looked at Jason, trying to read his eyes. In the dark depths, gazing at her so steadily from across the room, she found everything she'd ever hoped and dreamed of. Her cheeks slowly suffused with a pink blush as her pulse sped up to impossible heights, while at the same time her heart filled with a peace and surety she'd never known before. Her own eyes took on a deep sapphire hue and she heard herself answer as if from a great distance.

"Yes, of course."

Both young people slowly exhaled breaths they hadn't been aware of holding. The dies were cast—and they'd both won. Now that the immediate surprise was wearing off, they were both hard-pressed to keep silly, fatuous smiles off their faces. Thankfully, they were aided by Mrs. Hillard's exclamation.

"But I had no idea...!"

Kat lowered her lids demurely. "We haven't talked about it to anyone yet," she murmured, hoping that the slight tremor in her voice wouldn't be noticed.

Like, to each other, was what she thought.

"We, ah, we wanted it to be a surprise," Jason added, sounding a bit unsteady now, too.

And nobody's more surprised than me. Well... and Kat.

"Well, it's a surprise alright," Robert grumped, but it was easy to tell that he wasn't really displeased with the news. "I guess this means we break open the champagne I put on ice for New Year's Eve a few days early."

"Oh my, yes," Doris gushed, hurrying to the sink and pulling her daughter into a fierce hug. "Kitty, I'm so happy for you! Congratulations!"

"Thanks, Mum," Kat smiled, feeling giddy all of a sudden. She wanted to hug her mother back, but her hands were dripping with dishwater. She held them out awkwardly and mock-scowled at Jason, who shrugged minutely and managed to look both very sheepish and glad.

"Why don't we finish up quickly here and then Jase can call his parents? I think they ought to be here to celebrate with us," she suggested, taking pity on... her fiancé?

Oh, yes!

"Of course they'll have to come. And if you ladies don't mind finishing without us, I believe Jason and I ought to have a talk," Robert announced, placing a firm hand on the young man's back and steering him towards the living room.

"Uh-oh," Jason muttered, sending Kat a slightly apprehensive look which she answered with a brilliant smile and encouraging nod. Marginally reassured, he followed Mr. Hillard. He knew he had nothing really to fear; while he couldn't offer Kat great riches, he was secure enough in his chosen profession to be well able to afford a wife and—eventually—a family.

~*~

Things went very fast after that. There really wasn't all that much to talk about between the men; after all, Kat's father had known Jason for several years already and was aware of his financial situation and most of his plans for the future. He just wanted to make sure, like any good father would, that his daughter's husband-to-be was honest about his feelings. Jason certainly was that.

Kat and her mother finished cleaning the kitchen in record time, then Mrs. Hillard went off to fix her hair and wardrobe before the senior Scotts arrived. Katherine—sans ponytail and pinafore once more—was fixing a coffee/tea trolley in expectation of their arrival, when Jason snuck back into the sunny kitchen. He paused by the door, looking at Kat with an indescribable expression on his face. To his mind, she'd never looked lovelier than she did now, wearing a tea-length slim skirt with matching turtleneck shirt, the only decoration a waist-long necklace of pale pink rose-quartz beads—his Christmas present to her.

She straightened from what she was doing and returned the look with interest, watching outwardly dispassionate as he blushed almost as red as the cashmere polo shirt he wore.

Jason swallowed hard; he knew he'd messed things up, even if they had turned out so very right after all. "Uh, Kat, I..." he rubbed his hand across his chin, at a loss for words.

With just a hint of exasperation, Kat shook her head.

"You know... like most girls, I've had my fantasies of how and when I'd get my first marriage proposal," she said almost casually, moving slowly towards him with gently swaying hips. The movement seemed to mesmerize Jason, who could hardly tear his eyes off her. It made Kat feel just the tiniest bit smug as she stopped maybe three feet away. "But of all the scenarios I envisioned, none came even close to what happened."

Jason blushed even deeper.

"I'm sorry," he murmured. "Trust me, I didn't mean to blurt it like that, either. It just sort of slipped out before I could stop myself."

"Why?"

"Because I was thinking about it at the time," he admitted. "Or more precisely, I was thinking that I didn't want to lose you—ever. Not to another guy, to touring or you moving away. You're not going back to Australia, are you?" Jason asked, suddenly anxious.

Slowly, the blonde dancer shook her head no just once.

"I don't believe in long-distance engagements," she stated simply, gratified at the breath of obvious relief Jason let go.

"Neither do I."

The two stared at each other. Finally, Jason closed the last bit of distance between them. He took her hand in his, kissed the back, then held her palm against his cheek. Kat could feel the first traces of five o'clock shadow on his skin and fought the temptation to run her fingers through his short dark hair.

"Did you mean it?" Jason asked in a low voice, the loving timbre sending a shiver down her spine.

"Mean what?" she queried back, her own voice slightly throaty with emotion. Their eyes were locked together as if each was trying to look to the very bottom of the other's heart and soul.

"When you said yes."

"Uh huh. Did you?"

Jason never answered. He simply pulled Kat into his arms and kissed her, his lips saying everything that needed to be said and what she wanted to hear without a single word spoken between them. Kat replied in kind, melting into his arms as if she had always belonged there.

Only the need for oxygen eventually managed to break them apart. More than a little breathless, Jason buried his face in her flaxen hair.

"I love you, you know that?"

"I was hoping you might. Because it's mutual," she whispered, feeling light as a feather with happiness, snuggling as close as she could.

I wish I could translate this into a dance! But the thought was fleeting; she very definitely did not want to be on a stage right now, but in Jason's strong embrace, close to his heart which beat in his broad chest in time with hers. Suddenly, said chest began to rumble and vibrate. Surprised, Kat raised her head from Jason's shoulder. He was... laughing?

"What's so funny?"

Jason tried to compose himself, but another chuckle escaped him. Ruefully, he kissed the rosy lips once more.

"I don't even have a ring to give you," he admitted. "I forgot to ask Dad to get it from the office safe on his way here."

"You already bought a ring?" Kat wondered.

"No, not bought—it's a family heirloom I hope you'll like," Jason explained. "I always thought it'd suit you perfectly—an Art Deco design. Some sort of stylised flower, with tiny pearls, diamond splitters... and opals."

Kat flushed with pleasure. "Australian opals?" she hoped, smiling brilliantly when he nodded. "Oh, I'm sure I'll love it!"

"Yeah well, I just wish I had it with me right now," Jason sighed, then grimaced comically as he leaned back in for another kiss. "Can anything about our engagement go more wrong?" he murmured against Kat's lips.

As if on cue, a car door slammed shut outside the Hillards' house. The two heard the front door open and Doris greeting Helen and John Scott. Jason groaned and closed his eyes, resting his forehead against Kat's.

"I need to tell my folks their timing absolutely stinks," he groused. "I can't even kiss you in peace!"

Beginning to laugh helplessly, Kat stopped him with a gentle fingertip against his mouth.

"There'll be other times," she promised with a look that made his blood simmer.

"There better be!"

Reluctantly, they separated, but continued to hold hands as they moved towards the door. Just before they left the kitchen, Kat sent a teasing glance towards her fiancé.

"About those 'other times' we just mentioned...?"

"Yes? What about them?" Jason asked, somewhat baffled.

"You'll get them," she promised with a sultry look. "On one condition, that is."

"I'll get your ring out of the safe and bring it to you first thing in the morning," he assured her. "Or even tonight, if you want."

"Oh, I'm not worried about the ring," Kat said airily. "I trust you on that."

Confused, Jason shook his head. "Then what?"

"You better not forget about that dishwasher!"

~*~

"And he didn't," Kat concluded her tale. "I had one right from the day we got married."

Her audience laughed appreciatively.

"Oh, that's so sweet, Mom," Lynne sniffled, smiling through the remnants of her tears. "Thanks for sharing this with us!"

Kimberly shook her head in disbelief. "I'd have expected something like that from Rocky maybe, or even Tommy or Zack, but certainly not Jason," she huffed, ignoring her tall husband's protest. "Did Jase ever really ask you to marry him?"

Solemnly, but with a twinkle in her blue eyes, Kat moved her head from side to side in an unmistakeable 'no'.

"No wonder you never told anyone!"

"Why wouldn't you though?" Jared wondered. He was too young to understand yet, so his sister, future sister-in-law and Trini spared him anything but slightly pitying looks. He wasn't so lucky with his older brother, though. Before he could duck out of the way, he'd earned himself a noogie. "OW!"

"Behave, boys," Kat said automatically, using a tone she—and every mother in the world—had perfected years ago.

"Blockhead," Oliver chided his sibling with brotherly affection.

"Yeah, don't you know anything?" Jay asked, feeling immeasurably superior as a married man of one day.

"No, and if nobody tells me, I'll never learn!"

"Be nice, boys," Jasmine and Lynne literally chorused, causing a fit of giggles in both young women. The older generation smiled indulgently. Finally, Tommy took pity on the youngest Scott.

"Think, Jared. Haven't you realized yet that for the important occasions in their lives, women want to look their best—want everything to be just perfect?" he asked the youngster gently.

Having recently lived through his sister's wedding preparations, Jared groaned and nodded. "Oh, right! Duh!"

Katherine smiled nostalgically. She was still touching Jason's grave marker, as if that brought her closer to him.

"Exactly. In my fantasies, I used to picture moonlight, soft music, elegant clothes and just Jason and myself. As it turned out, I got dirty dishes, soapy hands, a pinafore as old as the pyramids, and my parents as an audience instead."

"How... unromantic," Jasmine snickered, torn between laughter and pity on her mother-in-law's behalf.

"That's what I said," Kat replied, very much unruffled. "And very much not like Jason, even then. But you know something? I wouldn't change it if I could." She nodded once, leaving her memories in the past and returned to the present with a will.

"And speaking of change—isn't it high time you two got to the airport?" she asked Lynne and Jay. "Or do you want to spend your honeymoon here?"

Lynne cast one glance at her watch, squealed in horror and tugged her husband away from Jason's grave towards the exit and the cars, their respective siblings giving chase immediately.

"Bye, Mom! Bye, Dad! Bye, Uncle Tommy/Aunt Kim," floated back towards the three friends, who followed their offspring at a more sedate pace. Just before a bend in the road took it from her view, Kat looked at the headstone once more. Unconsciously, she rubbed the delicate stylised lily blossom she still wore together with her wedding band, the three scintillating opals smooth under her fingertips.

"Good bye until next time, love. Thank you for giving me a beautiful, unique memory. And the dishwasher."

Chapter 16: A Memorable Day

"Mom, was your and Dad's wedding at least everything you dreamed of?" Lynne wanted to know next.

"Oh, definitely," Kat smiled. "After taking part in three ceremonies already, attending two of them as a bridesmaid, I was more than ready. After all, we'd started making plans ever since we set the date at your wedding, Tom."

In order, it had been the DeSantos, Park and Oliver nuptials—each of them beautiful and unique in their own ways. But none could compare, in Kat's mind, to the day when she and Jason had become husband and wife at last.

"So everything went fine?"

"Uh, not quite. The ceremony itself was just beautiful, but so many tiny things before and after went wrong—from the weather turning suddenly drizzly to having unexpected—and uninvited!—guests at the reception which made the whole seating order obsolete, three place settings missing despite place cards, a way too small amount of dessert on the buffet table... my mother nearly went crazy. She was such a perfectionist, and it bothered her a great deal that there were so many things spoiling the day—in her opinion, anyway."

"Remember how long the photographer took?" Tommy chuckled. "The old folks were dying for some coffee, but didn't want to sit down for refreshments without the bride and groom."

"Yes, and there was nothing we could do about it—not before we had all the formal pictures taken, anyway."

"Oh no, that must've been awful," Trini commiserated. "Mom and Mama Sarah organized everything so beautifully for Ramon and me!"

"Except when you tore the hem of your gown because you absolutely had to answer the downstairs phone while getting dressed," her brother reminded her dryly. "Not that we didn't have the answering machine on all morning... good thing Mom had her sewing machine at hand, or you'd have trailed more of your train down the aisle than you'd planned!"

Trini blew him a raspberry. "Like Lynne was any better?"

Jay looked questioningly at his wife, who blushed laughingly. "Well... if Grandma Helen hadn't come to my rescue, I just might have married you wearing black pantyhose," she admitted. "I was so fidgety with excitement, I ruined my special pair of white silk stockings and every neutral-colored hose I owned. Gran was an absolute angel and drove to the store to buy replacements."

"Hoydens, the both of you," Kat chided the younger women with a smile. "You can't imagine how glad Kim and I were to get rid of you and let your husbands handle you."

"Right—that's why you two cried whole rivers at both weddings," Tommy chuckled.

Quick as lightning, Kat stuck out her tongue at him, hoping her children hadn't seen. No such luck, though, and she reddened slightly. To divert everyone's attention, she got back to the original topic—glitches during her and Jason's wedding.

"To tell the truth, Jason and I couldn't have cared less about what outward detail went wrong. The important thing was that we finally were getting married." She paused to nibble on a cookie. "Although... there was one thing which could have totally ruined the ceremony, despite all the planning and preparations."

"Oh? What was that? You never mentioned anything of the sort—not that I recall, anyway," Tommy amended with a sheepish grin. "Did you?"

"Don't tell me you've forgotten Emma Price," Kat pouted. "That woman was almost enough to make me call off the wedding at the last moment just to get rid of her!"

"Good Lord, yes," Tommy groaned. "What a pest!"

"Emma Price?" Jasmine frowned. "Wasn't that Mom's first agent? What was she doing at your wedding, anyway, and how did she ruin it?"

"Her name should have been Nosy Parker," Tommy said.

"She just showed up along with Tanya," Kat shrugged. After 39 years, the memory was funny rather than annoying. "By the time we got to the church, she'd managed to get on everybody's nerves—especially my mother's. The only good thing about her presence was... wait, let me start at the beginning. Jason and I had decided to have a rather traditional wedding—mostly to please my parents, but also because after Rocky and Sarah's fiesta, the Buddhist-cum-African ceremony Tanya and Adam had and the outdoor wedding in the park, we kind of had run out of ideas." She suddenly grinned impishly, her slightly lined face transforming into that of a woman half her age. "I did suggest to Jason once that he might draw upon his family's Scottish heritage and wear a kilt, but he wasn't really happy with the concept."

"I'm not surprised. I wouldn't like wearing a skirt in public, either," Ramon muttered.

"It's not too bad," Jared commented. He'd performed a Highland Fling in full Scottish costume as one of his show routines a few years ago. "Once you get over the weirdness, that is."

"Wearing a skirt isn't weird," Rachel protested.

"It is too when you're a guy."

"It's an attractive outfit," Kat declared, cutting off the pleasant bickering. "Jason had a picture taken of himself in full Clan regalia once when he visited Scotland, and he looked very, very handsome wearing it. I've often wondered why Jason was so adamantly against my idea," she mused innocently. "He never said."

"Now that I do remember," Tommy snorted, chocolate eyes full of mirth. "Jase had no problems with a kilt per se—what he objected to was your suggestion that he wear it regimental style."

Lynne gasped, Oliver laughed out loud and Jared nearly choked over his coffee cup. All three then looked at their mother with a mixture of surprise, incredulity and laughing respect. Kat glanced back, her expression guileless, but with a wicked gleam lurking at the back of her eyes.

"Oh man, I would have liked to see Dad's face when you suggested that," Oliver snickered.

"No wonder he said no," his younger brother grinned. "But way to go, Mom!"

"Jared!" Lynne exclaimed, slightly shocked. "What a thing to say! Mom, you didn't—not really, did you?"

"Actually, yes," Kat confessed.

"Whoa, back up here," Ramon interrupted. "There's people here who have no clue about kilts and stuff. Somebody care to enlighten us?"

"Yes, what does 'regimental style' mean?" Trini wondered.

"Aren't kilts worn as uniforms by some of the British traditional regiments?" Rachel asked. "Like the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, for example. Maybe that's where the reference comes from."

"Not really," Oliver grinned. "But it does have to do with military tradition..." He let his voice trail off suggestively.

His wife whapped him. "Stop beating around the bush already, all three of you!"

"Yeah, tell us already," Jay chimed in, now fully curious—especially as Lynne seemed rather mortified, even if one corner of her mouth quivered in a tiny, reluctant grin.

She just shook her head. "Don't look at me. It's too embarrassing."

Both his brothers-in-law were laughing too hard to be coherent, and Kat just sipped her coffee, looking perfectly serene.

"Dad?" Jay pleaded, nigh dying of curiosity now. "What is 'regimental style'?"

Tommy had a hard time keeping a straight face. "Are you familiar with the expression 'commando style'?" All assembled shook their heads; not surprisingly, perhaps, as none of them had ever served in the armed forces. Jasmine's older brother Sloan would have known—he was in the Navy—but Sly wasn't here to help. Thus it fell to Tommy himself to give the sought explanation, with his voice trembling only slightly.

"Commando and regimental style mean basically the same thing. As Rachel mentioned, there are quite a number of regiments in the British Army which still wear a kilt as part of their dress uniforms. It is said that up until World War II, during inspection, the soldiers had to march over a mirror so that the officers could check if they were wearing the correct underwear."

"Which was...?" Trini asked, holding her breath. Surely it couldn't be...

It was.

"Nothing," Tommy said blandly. "Wearing a kilt regimental style means-"

"Going bare-assed naked underneath," Ramon hooted after a second of startled disbelief. "Oh man, no wonder Uncle Jason refused!"

Both Rachel and Jasmine broke into delighted giggles, looking at Kat with surprised awe. Seemed the lady had a decidedly wicked side! That was an aspect they hadn't known of the usually demure dancer, the epitome of class. But it was something they found they liked—a lot!

Rachel got up, still laughing, and hugged her mother-in-law. " I don't remember Uncle Jason as well as I'd like—I was too young when he died—but from the pictures I've seen, he was quite the hunk," she murmured. "For once I have to agree with Jared. Way to go, Mom!"

"Thank you, pet," Kat smiled back. "My thoughts exactly." She didn't mind admitting, even to her children, that she'd felt not only love for her husband, but also a healthy dose of purely physical attraction.

Her cheeks flaming—she did not want to think of her parents that way, no sirree!—Lynne cleared her throat.

"Guys, we're getting totally off the subject here," she said. "Mom was telling us about a major glitch at her wedding, weren't you?" Her blue eyes begged Kat not to pursue this further, and Kat willingly obliged. Those memories were too bittersweet anyway, and were best indulged in private.

"Yes, I was, sweetie. As I said, Jason and I had opted for a traditional ceremony, with more modern hymns and special music for the processional. We had asked an old school chum to play the organ for us, and Tanya had promised me a song when we exchanged rings..."

~*~

On the morning of her wedding day, Kat awoke in her parents' house, took one sleepy look out of the window and moaned in dismay. The weather had been changeable all week, and it seemed as if today, of all days, promised to be overcast at the least.

"I just hope it won't rain," she murmured, drawing her blanket over her head for just five more minutes. They were over too soon, though, and with a sigh Kat got up, had a light meal and then went back upstairs to take a long, leisurely bath until her attendants arrived. The warm water and some scented bath oil managed to relax her, and she was feeling cheerfully excited by the time she started getting dressed. Clad in lacy underwear and a silk kimono, Kat applied her own makeup, then greeted Kim, Aisha and Tanya with a genuine smile when they arrived.

However, there was a startled pause when a large woman in her mid-forties, with flaming red hair and dressed very flamboyantly in bright purple, breezed past Tanya and descended on Kat, shaking her hand heartily.

"So you're the bride, dearie? My, you're a tall one, aren't you? And so pale... be sure to use lots of rouge, or people will think you're consumptive. I just hope your dress'll be long enough—nothing worse than ankles showing, I always say. Is that your groom? Ooh, a real hunk!" She picked up, then carelessly dropped the picture of Jason Kat kept on her nightstand on the bed and made a circuit round the room, looking at and touching everything. "Pretty flowers. Pink is SO dated though, darling—especially for blondes. Oh well, your choice. Tanya, honey, get out of that draft! You want to sing later, you keep your throat covered! You gals look nice. Well, I'm off. Need to check the church. And the music. Buh-bye!" With a flutter of chiffon, she disappeared, her rather strident voice floating back towards the friends as she called for someone to drive her to Trinity Church—RIGHT NOW!

The four younger women had watched her silently—not that they could've gotten a word in edgewise through her disjointed, inconsequential chatter—exchanged bemused glances when she sailed downstairs, then broke out in giggles. "Who the heck was that?" Kim wanted to know.

Tanya looked slightly guilty. "Her name's Emma Price—she's my agent. Kat, I'm terribly sorry to do this to you at the last minute, and without warning, too, but when she heard I was planning to sing at church, she absolutely insisted on coming along. Honestly, she's a pain, rather loud and can be obnoxious, but she's a real whiz in the business and I need her, so..."

"It's okay, Tanya," Kat reassured her best friend. "One person more won't make a big difference, and I'd rather have you here with her than not at all!"

"Thanks," Tanya replied, relieved.

"I just hope that Skull can do an adequate job today," the bride worried . "I don't want him to ruin your song...."

"Don't worry, Kat," Tanya soothed. "I talked to him by phone a couple of times, and he knows what I need. I'm sure everything will work out. Trust me?"

"Why is it always making me nervous when someone tells me that?"

"Maybe because it usually means something is gonna get really wrong?" Aisha ventured, only to be glared at half-seriously by Katherine.

"Oh, now that's comforting!"

"Sorry," Aisha murmured, sounding not at all contrite.

They were distracted by the arrival of the hairdresser. While the woman went to work on Kat's long tresses with comb, hairpins and curling iron, the three friends slipped into their own gowns. In accordance with Kat's color scheme, they wore salmon pink—tea-length halter-top petticoat dresses in matte satin, with a sheer mantle-like, long-sleeved overdress in a slightly lighter shade. The style was vaguely reminiscent of the 1950s, and very becoming. Their nosegays were made of cream-white roses with salmon-pink ribbons.

Kat's hair was done at last—the blonde locks curled and pinned in a loose chignon at the back of her head. She put her mother's antique diamond studs into her earlobes, then fastened a thin platinum chain around her neck. The iridescent blue opal pendant had been Jason's last birthday present to her, and matched her eyes to perfection.

"Old and borrowed, new and blue," she smiled. "All in two!"

Next Kat put on her dress—a deceptively plain, strapless silk A-line gown which just brushed the floor in a hinted-at train. The only 'decoration' was the wavy décolleté. Over that came a long-sleeved lace camisole with understated silver embroidery. Tanya volunteered to fasten the long row of pearl buttons in the back. Kim and Aisha interestedly watched her struggle with the tight buttonholes when suddenly, the irrepressible Aisha snickered.

"Girl, Jason will die of frustration tonight until he's peeled you out of that thing! Couldn't you have found a way to torture him a little less slowly?"

Kat blushed promptly.

Kimberly giggled naughtily. "Don't worry, Ish; if all else fails, he's strong enough to simply rip it apart."

"Now that would certainly make for a wedding night to remember," Tanya commented, struggling to keep a straight face. "Somehow, though, I can't picture Jason to be so... well, rough. He has too much control and self-discipline."

The bride's blush deepened, and involuntarily a mysterious little smile was playing around her mouth. During their long engagement, there had been enough times when Jason had shown her exactly how passionate he could be. Naturally, Aisha noticed.

"Oh, oh, look at our innocent little kitty! Methinks the lady has been keeping secrets!" she chuckled with a sly grin, wagging her finger.

Kim and Tanya seemed startled for a second, then Kimberly smiled slowly, knowingly. "Well, well, well!"

"Kat? I know you and Jason haven't waited until today, but... you haven't done anything, um, outrageous, have you?" Tanya asked, sounding slightly scandalized.

Katherine couldn't help it, she pressed her hands against her flaming cheeks. With a cautionary glance towards the hairdresser, who was doing her best to appear unobtrusive (and failing miserably), she lowered her lids in a deliberately suggestive fashion that told her friends a great deal.

"Wouldn't you like to know," she muttered softly.

Impulsively, Aisha hugged her. "You bet we do, girl!" she hissed into Kat's ear. "And the next time we're having a girls' night out, you're gonna tell us!"

"Maybe," Kat smiled noncommittally, regaining control of herself. Good thing they can't see what thinking of Jason ripping my dress off is doing to me! Out loud, though, she only said, "Shouldn't we get ready?"

"Sure," the three acquiesced, reluctantly curbing their rampant curiosity. Fascinated, they watched as Kat's veil was pinned to her coiffure—a floor-length cloud of tulle simply edged with a half-inch-wide strip of satin. It was fastened with an arrangement of silk blossoms that sat just atop her chignon at the back of her head.

"What's that green stuff?" Tanya wanted to know, eyeing the tiny leaves nestled among the white blooms with interest. They provided a lovely contrast to the silk and Kat's flaxen hair.

"Myrtle," Kat replied. "It's an old European custom to wear it on your wedding day—a traditional carryover from my mother's side of the family. Jason has some in his boutonniere, too."

Aisha grinned. As a veterinarian (and thanks to Ashala's teachings) she had acquired a good knowledge of herbal lore from all over the world. "It's also a fertility herb," she said innocently. "You do have plans for that groom of yours, it seems!"

The bride adopted a positively angelic look that fooled none of her attendants.

"Who, me?"

Laughing, Kim picked up Kat's bouquet—an exquisite cascade arrangement of trailing ribbons, white and salmon-pink roses—and handed it to the tall blonde. "Yes, you. Let's get you married—before I die of curiosity!"

~*~

Meanwhile, Jason was getting ready as well, under the ribald comments coming fast and furiously from Zack and Tommy while Billy watched with obvious amusement. All were wearing classic black tuxes with gleaming white shirtfronts, dark red bow ties and cummerbunds. Only Jason's accessories were an understated silvery-grey, so as not to clash with the boutonnière he had pinned to his lapel—a single pink rosebud matching Kat's bouquet.

"I just hope it's not going to rain," he echoed Kat's earlier worries. "The limo can't quite drive up to the church steps, and I don't want anything to spoil things for Kat!"

"Even if it does, there's this handy little invention called an umbrella," Billy murmured soothingly. "I've taken the liberty of renting a few extra large ones. They're in my car, and if there really should be some precipitation, we can easily shelter the ladies on their way to the portal."

"What, no mad dash down the aisle?" Zack mock-pouted. "Here I was, all ready to catch Isha... you're taking all the fun out of things, Bill!"

"You and Aisha had enough fun two days ago, from what I've heard," Tommy said dryly. "Kim wouldn't tell me exactly what the girls were up to for the bachelorette party, but that stripper you and Rocky found... " He shuddered melodramatically as the others laughed, Jason hardest of all. When the classic number had blared out from a boom box at the Youth Center, he'd been worried that this time, the two inveterate jokesters—namely, Rocky and Zack—had gone too far, but when he saw what they'd come up with he'd been as hugely amused as the rest of his friends. For the stripper in question had been a woman slightly past her prime, obviously overweight, who'd given a hilarious performance of seemingly losing her clothes by accident—stopping when she reached her underwear. He just hoped the videotape had come out right; it was too funny not to share with Kat eventually.

"Where is Rocky, anyway?" Billy asked. "Was there a special reason why he is not here with us? Given that you and he are business partners, I assumed you would have chosen him to be one of your groomsmen, too."

"I did ask him, but with Sarah so close to giving birth, he preferred to stay at her side. I can't blame him for that," Jason explained. "He's one of the ushers, though."

"Ah. A prudent—and presumably satisfactory—decision."

Jason hid a smile. Billy still had a tendency to use half a dozen big words instead of a couple smaller ones. Without Trini around to translate for him, they all had to expand their own vocabulary at last. Thinking of their gentle friend, dead these four years, brought a tiny, sad sigh to Jason's lips, but he was cheered again by his best friend's next remark.

"Did you know they're expecting twins this time?" Tommy grinned.

"No way," Zack exclaimed. "Really?"

"Uh huh," Jason nodded. "Typically DeSantos—has to have a whole bunch of kids."

"He's never heard of the planet's overpopulation then?" Billy smiled, pleased for Rocky and his wife's good fortune.

"Nah. And if he has, Rocky wouldn't care," Zack opined. "Besides, I can't really picture him with just the regulation 1.5 kids."

"How do you have half a kid, anyway?" Tommy wanted to know. "That's always puzzled me..."

They were interrupted by John Scott entering his son's room after a perfunctory knock. "It's almost time to leave, boys," he announced, looking at his only son with a somewhat peculiar expression... a mixture of pride, puzzlement, and wistfulness. The young men caught it and wisely decided to let the two men alone. There were some moments between father and son that needed privacy, even from best friends.

"I'll wait for you in my car, Bro," Tommy said quietly, giving Jason's black-clad shoulder a supporting squeeze in passing before closing the door behind himself. Jason hardly heard him, focussing his attention on his father instead.

John walked up to his broad-shouldered son and needlessly straightened Jason's bow tie. It was a gesture strangely unlike him—John was hardly the fussy type. But the need to reconnect in some fashion with the boy his mind sometimes still insisted on seeing wouldn't be denied, even though it was the man standing before him now. Then he took a step backwards and met Jason's patient, serious dark eyes.

"I hardly know what to say to you, son," he murmured. "It seems like it was only yesterday that I taught you how to play ball, or that I drove you to your very first karate class. And now here you are, a teacher, a businessman... about to get married. Where has my little boy gone?"

"He's still there, Dad," Jason replied softly, feeling unaccountably touched. His father was not a very sentimental man—quite the contrary. Usually, John was ebullient and not given to emotional displays. It meant the world to him that John would show him his love and support like this today. "I think he's just taking a time-out, waiting for the right time to return."

John smiled, recovering his poise. "Yes. And I'm pretty sure I know when that time will be."

"Oh?"

"Yes—the day you'll hold your own son for the very first time. I know, because it happened to me, too."

"Shouldn't that be the exact opposite?" Jason wondered. "I'd always thought that becoming a father means having reached adulthood at last... sort of like the last outward sign of having grown up."

"It is that, too—but how will you understand your children if you forget what it's like to be a child yourself?"

"Good point," the younger man conceded. Then he grinned sheepishly. "But Dad—I'm not even married yet, and you're talking about me having kids already; can't that wait? I'm nervous enough as it is."

"Why would you be nervous?" John asked. "You're not having doubts about Kat, or getting married, do you?"

"No—not about Kat or me," Jason replied instantly, quiet conviction ringing in his voice. "I love her, and I'm absolutely sure she's the one for me. Marrying her is... right. No, it's just ordinary stage fright, I guess."

"I see. Trust me, son—that'll disappear as soon as she'll be coming down the aisle towards you."

"Been there, done that, Dad?"

"You got it," John smiled, then drew his son into a brief hug. "Now come on, let's get you hitched. Tommy's waiting for you."

"Now there's a first," Jason grinned cheekily as he left his room.

~*~

Billy's umbrellas weren't needed after all, and Kat disappeared into the small room near the church portal, to shake out her dress, fix her makeup one last time and wait while the ushers seated their guests. Peeking carefully through the door, she could see Rocky guiding a very pregnant Sarah to a third-row pew while Adam was looking after an elderly aunt of Jason's. Soft organ music filled the nave—Skull was indeed playing the complicated instrument as well as any concert grand piano.

The blond head of Jeremy Scott, Jason's cousin, suddenly appeared next to her. Giving Kat a beseeching look, he pleaded to be let inside. "Help me, coz!"

Puzzled, she opened the door a little wider, letting him duck inside. "What's the matter, Jeremy? You look as if someone's after you."

"Right on," the younger man grinned. "It's that fat redhead who's been all but chasing me," he explained. "She keeps trying to corner me with talk about screen tests and stuff."

It wasn't that far-fetched a notion; Jeremy shared his older cousin's good looks, only his coloring was light where Jason was dark.

"Is she for real, or just a crackpot?" he complained, but with a small, pleased smile.

Tanya groaned in comic dismay. "She's real alright," she sighed. "Her name's Emma Price, and she's my agent. I'll have a word with her to leave you alone after the ceremony, okay?"

"Whew. Thanks, Mrs. Park," Jeremy smiled. "I think I can keep out of her way that long. Now I better go and see if Jase isn't wearing a hole in the altar steps! And don't worry, I won't breathe a word about how gorgeous you all look!" Before anyone could thank him for the compliment or ask what he meant, he had already let himself back out into the nave.

"That's so Jason," Kimberly giggled. "Pacing up a storm!"

"Isn't Tommy supposed to help him keep calm?" Aisha asked.

"Well, yes, but... knowing Tommy, he's likely almost as frazzled as Jason himself," Kim admitted. "After all, it's his Bro and his Ex getting married today!"

"Is Jason there yet?" Kat asked wistfully. She hadn't seen Jason since the rehearsal brunch yesterday, only talked briefly to him on the phone before going to sleep. "I want to know what he looks like—when I wouldn't let him see my gown, he refused to show me his suit, too!"

Tanya opened the door a crack. "Up at the altar, waiting as calmly as possible with Tommy," she reported presently. "And looking very dashing indeed. You two will make a gorgeous couple—as if you wanted to pose for a bridal magazine."

The organ music had slightly increased in volume as the last guests were being shown to their places. Mr. Hillard was already checking his watch, taking a first step towards the waiting room.

"I think your father is ready to come here, Kat," Aisha remarked. Then, she frowned. "What is that tune Skull is playing? It sounds familiar somehow..."

Tanya and Kim strained their ears for a second or two. To a casual listener, it seemed like an ordinary hymn, but both were trained singers; when they recognized the melody over the majestic chords, both snickered, and Tanya began to hum merrily.

"Going to the chapel, and I'm gonna getting married..."

"Good Lord, it's 'Chapel of Love', that old Fifties song," Kimberly gasped, her eyes dancing with humor—and chagrin. "I'm going to kill Skull—I just know I won't get the tune out of my head for hours!" Now that they'd become aware of it, they noticed that Skull was playing any and all songs with a wedding theme, only thinly disguised as hymns.

"How will we ever be able to concentrate on the service?" Aisha murmured. "The tunes are so catchy, I keep wanting to sing along..."

Just then, the melody changed to another, very familiar to Kat.

"Oh no, that's the cygnets' dance from Swan Lake," she wailed, involuntarily rising to her toes and doing a couple of tripping dance steps—floor-length gown, veil and all. "I performed that on stage so often, I can do the steps in my sleep! If he doesn't stop that, I'll be dancing down the aisle on my toes!"

"Now that I'd pay to see," Aisha chuckled. However, seeing that Kat couldn't quite share her amusement—indeed, the blue eyes were moistening suspiciously—she sobered quickly. "I'll tell him to stop," she offered.

"Th-thanks," Kat gulped. But before her friend could slip away, the door opened and the tall, distinguished figure of Robert Hillard filled the frame. He glanced with pride and concern at his daughter, more beautiful in her bridal finery than he'd ever seen her.

"It's time, kitten," he murmured. "Are you ready?"

Suddenly, all levity disappeared, and Kat managed to compose herself in an instant.

"Yes, Daddy," she replied softly but firmly.

Kim and Aisha gave Kat a last hug before lining up at the door where Billy and Zack were already waiting for them. Rocky quickly handed over his oldest daughter to Aisha; three-year-old Sophia looked adorable in her pink gown and was clutching her basket with rose petals in a death grip.

"Remember, Sweetie—don't start scattering the flowers before we get to the carpet," she cautioned. The tiny flower girl nodded solemnly; Sophia had driven her mother to distraction this past week, practising with Styrofoam chips in the living room.

Tanya placed the bouquet into Kat's hand, kissed her quickly on the cheek, then joined Adam. She suppressed a giggle when Skull managed to incorporate the opening theme from Star Trek into his play. Her husband gave her a curious look.

"What's so funny?" Adam whispered. It wasn't like Tanya to act silly on such an occasion.

"Don't you recognize the tune? 'To boldly go...' down the aisle," she snickered.

Adam started, grinned, but was prevented from commenting when on a cue from up front, the light-hearted music segued seamlessly into the more solemn processional, and the three couples walked sedately towards the altar, Sophia in the lead.

Robert offered his arm to Kat. "I love you, baby girl," he whispered when she placed a slender hand on his sleeve, but Kat didn't answer. All her attention was now directed forward, down the aisle where the man she loved beyond anything was waiting for her. She never noticed when or how she fell into step after measured step with her father, never heard the awed murmurs at her beautiful gown... she was drawn towards Jason's glowing dark eyes like to a magnet, and the world around her practically ceased to exist.

~*~

Oblivious to the music, Jason had been conversing quietly with Tommy while the ushers guided the last guests to their seats. As soon as Skull intoned the first bars of the Wedding March, though, he cut himself off in mid-sentence, straightened and turned towards the portal, waiting for his bride to appear. As his father had promised, now that the time was at hand all lingering nervousness fled. This is right.

Rocky waited until his daughter energetically dumped the last petals from her basket on the altar steps, then scooped his little girl up and with a last, encouraging wink at the groom, went to sit with Sarah. Jason smiled back, pleased at the lovely picture Aisha, Kim and Tanya made in their pink dresses, feeling his heartbeat speed up once they aligned themselves to one side of the altar. Then, with a subdued gasp, he froze, eyes wide in mute admiration.

Standing next to his best friend, Tommy could understand perfectly why. To him, Kimberly would always be the most beautiful bride, but he had to admit—Kat came a very close second. Her slender height was set off to perfection by her gown and long veil, she seemed to float on air as she gracefully walked down the aisle on her father's arm, and the soft blush tinting her cheeks made her look as beautiful as he'd ever seen her.

During the rehearsal, Jason had waited for Mr. Hillard to lead Kat up the two steps towards him, but now he couldn't help himself. Before his Best Man could stop him, he descended and reached for Kat. As if in a dream, she withdrew her hand from her father's arm and without hesitation placed it in Jason's palm.

He lifted her fingers to his lips and kissed them tenderly. "I love you," he whispered almost reverently.

"I love you," Kat replied just as softly, her gaze never leaving Jason's. For both of them this single moment in time sealed their union; all else was just a formality.

~*~

Only Kimberly's sentimental sniffle brought them back to reality, and hands still intertwined they ascended the altar steps once more to face the minister. Smiling benevolently, the elderly man who had known Jason since he was a little boy conducted the ceremony, giving the age-old words a special significance by the way he said them.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the presence of God to join this man and woman in holy matrimony..."

The words spoken were short, familiar and yet deeply moving, especially when their rings were blessed to a few dulcet bars from the organ. Tanya then started to sing softly, her mellow voice gradually gaining power and volume until it filled the church.

"Suntanned, windblown...
Honeymooners at last alone.
Feeling far above par.
Oh, how lucky we are!
While I give to you
And you give to me,
True love, true love.
So on and on
It'll always be,
True love, true love.
For you and I
Have a guardian angel
On high, with nothin' to do.
But to give to you
And to give to me,
Love forever true."

She repeated the chorus once. Skull managed to make the song even more poignant by his subdued, expert accompaniment. When Tanya finished, the minister raised his hands for silence and addressed the couple in turn.

"Do you, Jason, take Katherine to be your wife?"

"I do."

"And do you, Katherine, take Jason to be your husband?"

"I do."

Their answers were given clearly and without hesitation.

"Jason and Katherine have decided to speak their own, private vows to each other." Reverend Carlsen nodded towards Jason, who swallowed once, then his voice rang out, low and sure.

"Today, Katherine, I join my life to yours, not merely as your husband, but as your friend, your lover, and your confidant. Let me be the shoulder you lean on, the rock on which you rest, the companion of your life. With you I will walk my path from this day forward."

He took the smaller gold band from the salver held out to him by Tommy and slipped it onto Kat's left hand.

Kat's lips were trembling in a gentle smile, but her own voice was just as steady when she replied in kind.

"Today, Jason, I join my life to yours. I pledge to be true to you, to respect you, and to grow with you through the years. No matter what we may encounter together, I vow here that this love will be my only love. I will make my home in your heart from this day forward."

She put the other ring onto Jason's hand, and they kissed, softly, almost chastely, but the deep, abiding love they felt for each other was apparent to all who witnessed the exchange.

Next, both knelt. The minister placed his hands on their heads and invoked a short blessing.

"This man and this woman are now husband and wife. Go forth from this day onward united forever in love and the peace of the Lord. Amen."

"Amen", chorused the wedding guests.

As both rose, the organ swelled up triumphantly, but any sentimentality the newlyweds might have felt was sublimated into wide, bright smiles when they recognized the melody Skull was adapting now. Barely disguised under the ringing chords was the theme to 'Star Wars'.

"Let the Force be with you," Zack tittered under his breath as he gallantly offered Aisha his arm and they followed Jason and Katherine towards the exit. "Good thing we're supposed to be smiling now, or I'd bust my gut laughing!"

"Hush," Aisha chided him, but she, too had a hard time keeping her mirth under control.

~*~

"It took me days to get rid of all the bits of birdseed the wedding party had been showering us with as we left Trinity," Kat chuckled. "We were just lucky that the weather held until we were at the hotel and sat down for dinner. Of course, what with Ms. Price as an unexpected addition, her dragging Skull along, the minister being accompanied by an Elder and someone bringing his grandmother, of all people, all our careful seating arrangements went out the window."

"But that was only five people; how difficult can it be to add a few extra plates to the table?" Oliver wanted to know.

"It's not if you have one big table," Kat agreed. "But we wanted something a little different and had asked the management to set up several round tables with ten places each," she explained.

"That must've looked nice," Trini commented.

"It did. Oh well, somehow we got it all sorted out; the food was excellent even though how anyone could think that one standard, family-size bowl of fruit salad would be enough for sixty people still has me baffled. Luckily, the cook managed to refill it in time."

"What about Mom's agent, though?" Jasmine wanted to know. "Did she make as much of a nuisance of herself at the reception as before?"

Tommy chuckled. "Some of the time, yes. Your mom was totally mortified, but there wasn't a blessed thing she could do about it. That woman was worse than a Megazord at full power once she got going!"

"The rest of the time, we were saved by Skull, of all people," Kat smiled. "Ms Price was so impressed with his talent, she kept hounding him every minute he didn't manage to hide. Not that I can blame her; he really did an excellent job during the ceremony, especially considering that he's not a trained organist."

"Skull looked scared to death of her, poor guy," Tommy laughingly remembered. "But as long as she was after him to fly with her to New York to audition for some producer, she at least wasn't criticizing the guests' clothes, the food, your mother's hairdo, the food, Helen's modest jewellery, the food..."

"She didn't like the food? Whyever not?" Jared wondered. He'd found one of the personal menus tucked behind his parents' wedding picture. "Consommé, smoked fish, cold salads, several meats and side dishes, served buffet style, followed by a dessert cart with everything from ice cream to a cheese selection—what did she think was wrong?"

"I honestly have no idea," Kat shrugged. "Every time I saw her, she had a heaped plate in her hand and was eating as if she were in danger of starving the next day."

"Figures," Jay muttered. "I hate folks like that!"

"Anyway, I guess Skull just got tired of protesting eventually, agreed to go with her, and the rest is now history," his mother smiled. "Meeting Emma Price was the best thing that could have happened to Skull. He got a recording contract, changed his name from Eugene Skullovich to Gene Lovich and has been quite successful ever since. If she hadn't met him on our wedding, and hadn't bullied him so much he was ready to agree to virtually anything just to get her off his back, who knows what he might be doing now."

"It sounds as if you and Dad had quite a day," Lynne smiled. "My wedding sounds pretty tame in comparison; the worst thing that happened was our flower girl overeating on cake and getting very sick all over her mother's dress."

"Just be thankful it wasn't more," Kat sighed. "Because we can thank your mother for the crowning glory to an already eventful day, Ramon."

Tommy's son-in-law frowned. "Huh? My mom? How so?"

"Oh Lord, yes," Tommy laughed. "Rocky's face was priceless!"

"Why, what happened?" Trini asked curiously.

"Remember that Rocky wasn't among Jason's groomsmen because Sarah was very, very pregnant with her twins?" Tommy grinned. "She was getting exhausted, her back hurt and she felt she couldn't sit any longer on the hotel's chairs. The dancing had just begun, and Rocky talked her into staying just long enough so he could have one dance with the bride."

"Sarah agreed, and even let Jason persuade her to make a very slow, token turn around the dance floor while Adam was getting Rocky's car from the parking lot," Kat took up the tale, eyes sparkling merrily. "We were just about done, saying our good-byes, when Sarah suddenly turned pale, gasped... and her water broke, right in the middle of the Marriott Hotel's ballroom."

"Oh no," Jasmine groaned in sympathy. "And I thought it happening to me in the garden was bad enough!"

"Sarah would have been in tears from embarrassment if she hadn't gone into labor so hard and fast. I think Rocky broke several landspeed records getting her to hospital," Kat explained. "As it was, we were all waiting to hear from him, and nobody left the reception until he called with the good news that all had gone well. Your sisters were born within the next three hours, Ramon, and trust me, none of you kids had more toasts given in their honor!"

"It's just like them to make such an overly dramatic entrance," Ramon grumbled. He had a very cordial relationship with all four of his older sisters, but would die rather than admit it to anyone.

"In any case, it made a memorable day even more so," Katherine smiled. "As if we could ever forget. But it sure was an event that got retold at each and every one of our anniversaries."

Chapter 17: Scavenger Hunt

"Is this picture out of order?" Ramon wondered, "It looks like something taken from a high school dance."

The photo was of Tommy and Kimberly decked out as if for a prom; the two were the only couple on the floor, apparently dancing.

"It can't be. Mom and Dad don't look that young," Trini countered.

"That was taken a few months after Jason and I were married," Kat spoke up. "It was the tenth anniversary of when your parents first met."

She gave Tommy a fond gaze. "That anniversary surprise had to be one of your finest, most romantic moments."

"What did you do, Dad?" Jay asked, always interested in ways to romantically surprise his lovely wife.

"Your mom used to love scavenger hunts...."

~*~

"It's not fair!" Kimberly declared over her cup of coffee, doing her best to hold back tears of disappointment and frustration. She had joined Kat in the Scotts' kitchen for an early morning cup of java, since the two were early risers and their husbands were not. "Tommy and I are more strangers than a married couple!"

Since their marriage a year ago May, Kim had hardly seen the love of her life. He was on the road almost constantly from February to November, and unfortunately, since she'd accepted a position as an elementary school teacher at Parkview, she couldn't go with him. Their calendars just didn't mesh, which meant they'd spent very little time together the first year of their marriage. They hadn't had a proper honeymoon—just a couple of days at Tommy's uncle's cabin. Their trip to Paris her mother had paid for had been a whirlwind tour right after Christmas due to her teaching schedule; they'd hardly had any time to themselves. Even their first anniversary celebration had been postponed for nearly a month.

"We didn't even have a chance to really be newlyweds like you and Jason are... and I don't just mean the mushy stuff. I mean, the everyday ordinary stuff, too."

Though Tommy had spent most of his time at her apartment when in town, the two hadn't officially moved in together. Kim's place had been too small, and Tommy's prolonged absences made getting a larger place impractical. There was still so much they didn't know about each other even after so many years together. One really didn't know a person until they lived together and interacted with each other day in and day out. And she and Tommy hadn't had a real chance to do that yet. Sometimes, it felt like he was a relative who dropped in every now and then—a guest in his own home.

Home? It's not a home... it's just a house... an empty ol' house. A home is where your family is. He's always somewhere else, and I'm always there alone!

Oh, why couldn't she and Tommy have a normal relationship like Jason and Kat? The two were so disgustingly happy, Kim almost couldn't stand it. She knew she wasn't being fair. Plainly put, she was jealous as all get out! She didn't begrudge Kat and Jason their happiness... she just wanted to be happy the same way there were: with her husband by her side.

Kat made appropriately commiserating noises, unable to refute Kim's claim but also unable to find words of comfort that would mollify her distraught friend. She understood all too well the difficulties of a long-distance relationship, but that had been while she and Tommy had been dating; she could only imagine what a strain it was on a marriage.

She allowed herself a private smile as she basked in the warmth of that word: marriage. She and Jason had at last exchanged their vows over the summer, and cliché though it was, she found herself falling more in love with her spouse every day. She didn't know how she'd make it through the day if she didn't wake up next to the man she loved every morning. It was like every day brought new discoveries... new adventures... some incredible and some not so good, but they were things Kim felt she was missing out on.

"Ever since John promoted him to full-time driver, I never see Tommy anymore," Kim continued glumly. "He can't get away like he used to." Which had been infrequently at best.

Kat recalled that there had been some talk about Tommy joining the dojo staff full time after he and Kim married, but it hadn't been feasible. Besides, as the primary driver, Tommy made pretty good money. However, looking at Kim's crestfallen expression, she wondered if the paycheck was worth it.

"Mom said we should have waited to get married until Tommy had retired from the circuit," the upset brunette went on. She frowned petulantly and stared into the murky depths of her steaming beverage. "If I'd done that, we'd probably never have gotten married!"

"Now, Kim," Kat chided gently, trying to put a check on the lonely young woman's melancholy.

"I miss him so much, Kat. Is it so terrible to want him home with me?" Kim shot back, a touch more sharply than she'd intended.

"It's not terrible; it's only natural," Kat assured her. "Kim, you know Tommy. This can't be any easier for him than it is for you. You know he wants to be here with you."

That was obvious to anyone who knew the couple. Tommy was as much in love with Kim now as he'd been back in high school. He called her every night regardless of where he was at or how late it was in his locale. Every month on the 22^nd, Kim received a long- stemmed rose with a card saying "happy anniversary." (Tommy said that way, regardless of what might happen the following May, she'd always have a dozen roses by their anniversary.) Greeting cards would appear for no particular reason other than Tommy was thinking about her.

Kat knew Kimberly appreciated and treasured his tokens of affection, but sometimes phone calls and roses were a poor substitute for a warm body on a cold and lonely night.

"He's only doing what he has to," she concluded.

"I know," Kim sighed defeatedly, brushing away a tear that refused not to be shed. "Normally, it doesn't get to me so much, but today's kind of special to me... and even if he was home, he probably wouldn't have remembered anyway."

Kat recognized the ploy for what it was: Kim trying not to get her hopes up so she wouldn't be disappointed. For all Tommy's memory problems, he did remember surprisingly well all the little things one wouldn't expect a guy to remember.

Before Kat could offer her friend further solace, the two heard Jason's off-key whistling as he made his way to the kitchen. Kat felt her pulse quicken and her face light up at the thought of seeing her husband.

"Good mornin', love," Jason greeted her warmly, sliding up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and nuzzling her neck.

Kat emitted a tiny squeal of surprise and tried to shy away from the collection of prickles rasping against her skin. Jason had obviously just tumbled out of bed; clad in flannel bottoms and an old Angel Grove Lions t-shirt, his hair was unkempt and he hadn't shaved yet.

"We have company," Kat hissed under her breath as Jason's hands began to wander.

"Oh... um, hi, Kim," Jason mumbled sheepishly but unrepentantly.

"Hi, Jase. I'll catch you later, Kat; I've got plenty of chores to take care of," Kim said hastily and excused herself from the kitchen.

"You don't have to go on my account," Jason called after her, but Kat made no move to stop her. She simply sighed sadly. "What's buggin' Kim?"

"Tommy being gone, what else?" she responded. They had noticed that since their marriage, Kim seemed to be more disturbed by her husband's absences. "I think she's a little jealous," Kat had observed not all that long ago.

"Yeah... but she seemed especially bummed out this morning."

"She said today was kind of special...."

"Ah, the tenth anniversary of when she and Tommy met," Jason concluded.

Kat eyed him wonderingly. "How would you know that?"

"Because it also happens to be ten years ago that Tommy and I first bowed to each other across the mats," her husband replied as he continued to tease her with roving lips and hands. "So, do you think I could convince you to join me in a little Saturday morning fun?"

"Only if you shave first," she scolded teasingly.

"Spoilsport; I'm trying for spontaneity here."

~*~

Kimberly slowly dragged herself back across the street to her empty house. She just couldn't deal with Jason and Kat's marital bliss right now. She didn't want to be envious of them, but she couldn't help it, not when she wanted Tommy's arms around her more than anything.

It's been ten years... and never once did I doubt that you were the One. I knew it the first time I looked in your eyes... saw your shy smile. You've had my heart since that day, Tommy Oliver, and you'll always have it.

Kim tried to shake off the memories. It would do her no good to be mopey all day long. There was nothing she could do about it anyway. Tommy would call later on, and they'd reminisce then. And she'd try not to let him know how keenly she missed him so he wouldn't feel guilty about leaving her alone.

For now, though, she had papers to grade... lesson plans to work up. Maybe by keeping busy she could keep her mind off her loneliness.

However, by early afternoon, she'd accomplished very little. She just couldn't seem to concentrate, and more than once she'd given in to her tears.

Get a grip, girl, she chided herself. She couldn't stand being weepy. Go putter with your flowers or something; don't just sit there moping.

Resolving to do something constructive with her day, Kim put up her books and lesson plans and decided to hunt up her gardening gloves. She was interrupted, however, by a knock at the front door.

Who could that be? she wondered. Probably a salesperson since they'd come to the front door and not the side door to the kitchen. She was rather surprised to find the Fed-Ex delivery person on the step.

"Kimberly Oliver? Sign here please," she said briskly, handing over her pad and stylus.

As she signed, Kim noted the slim express packet tucked under the woman's arm. Who would be sending her an express letter—and on a Saturday to boot? Saturday delivery cost extra. Absently, she accepted her envelope; curiosity aroused, she barely acknowledged the driver's good-bye.

Studying the package, she had no clue who it was from. There was no post mark. No return address. And the address label was neatly typed, not handwritten. Tommy briefly came to mind, but where would he get access to a typewriter or computer printer on the road?

The only way to find out what was going on was to open the letter, so she ripped back the tab. Inside the Fed-Ex pack was a plain, 9 x 12 manila envelope. On the front was typed a quote: "I love scavenger hunts."

The statement perplexed Kim, filling her with a sense of déjà vu. Where had she heard that before? Then it came to her: those were her own words! Way back in high school, she, Adam and Tommy had been teamed up on a scavenger hunt—which had been a lot of fun until Lord Zedd had interrupted the game.

But who would remember something like that?

She noticed that when she tilted the envelope she heard something moving within. There seemed to be something inside, so she tore it open, not bothering with a letter opener. Inside was a letter-sized envelope, and the words typed on it were: "He is really cute!"

Those she didn't need to rack her brain to recall. That was her first reaction upon first seeing Tommy!

There was a card in the white envelope, so she pulled it out. It was a three by five index card with the following, typed inscription: The first time you saw Him. Remember?

Remember? She needed no prompting; she would never forget. The first time she'd seen Tommy was at the Angel Grove Martial Arts Expo at the Youth Center. The four of them had been with Jason as he warmed up for his match with a newcomer to the local martial arts scene. They had stood in Jason's 'corner' watching the teen warm up with a series of spinning kicks. The others had noticed his obvious skill. She'd noticed how tall and muscular he was... his thick wavy brown hair... those deep, dark eyes.... In that moment, she knew she could seriously fall for him, and she had gushed to Trini, "He is really cute!"—much to the annoyance/amusement of the others.

She recalled watching the match breathlessly. She cheered for Jason, of course, but at the same time she didn't want the cute guy in green to lose. To her surprise and relief, the bout had been declared a tie. Afterwards, she'd hoped to meet Jason's opponent, but after bowing to Jason, he'd gone off by himself. Annoyingly, Jason couldn't even tell her his name (he'd been too preoccupied fighting with him and she'd been too excited —and didn't think — to check out the name on the scoreboard), and she prayed Trini was correct—that he was a new kid in school whom she'd meet the next day.

Ten years ago... and her pulse fluttered with excitement at the memory. In fact, her heartbeat still quickened whenever Tommy walked into the room. For all his shortcomings, he was still a sexy hunk of man and the best thing that had ever happened to her.

However, as pleasant as that little jaunt down memory lane was, it didn't solve the mystery of the envelopes. Who had sent them? Why had she been told to remember her first sight of Tommy? And what did a scavenger hunt have to do with it?

Unless....

It was a wild hunch, but Kimberly had the sudden urge to go to the Youth Center. After all, that was where she'd seen Tommy for the first time. Maybe she'd find another clue to the puzzle there.

~*~

When she arrived at the Youth Center, she found it strangely empty for a Saturday afternoon. Ernie wasn't even behind the counter, but he had to be about somewhere because the doors were unlocked.

However, that concern was swiftly replaced by even greater surprise. The karate mats were laid out on the floor with a judges' table and scoreboard set up off to one side. On the wall hung a banner which read: Martial Arts Expo. It was exactly like the one she remembered from ten years ago. She turned around in a slow circle, thoroughly astonished. Closing her eyes, she could almost hear the cheers of the considerable audience... the floor judge's calls... Tommy and Jason's exhalations and focus cries....

In making her circle, Kim spied a gym bag on the bench by the wall. The green bag seemed familiar... it couldn't be Tommy's old one, could it? There was a dark green headband resting next to the bag and a white envelope peeking out of one of the side pockets. She plucked it up.

Like the one she'd received at home, it bore a quote on the front: "Didn't you hear the lady? She said no."

Kim gave a start. Those were the first words she'd ever heard Tommy say—directed at Bulk and Skull who'd been harassing her. He'd come to her rescue, his 'demonstration' scaring off the annoying duo. She'd been caught between amusement at her antagonists' cowardice, delight at having such a good-looking guy come to her rescue and nervousness at finally meeting the object of her desire.

She let the memory go for a moment, feeling that the envelope wasn't empty. Inside was yet another index card on which was written: The first time you met Him. Remember?

Kim knew exactly where she had to go next, but how was she going to get into the high school?

~*~

Her dilemma was solved the moment she pulled into the parking lot of Angel Grove High. Mrs. Appleby was struggling by her car with a large box. Kim quickly leaped out of her vehicle.

"Let me help you with that, Mrs. Appleby," she called out as she hurried over.

"Thanks... why, Kimberly Hart! Is that you?"

"Hello, Mrs. Appleby," she greeted the round-faced teacher, who'd been a favorite of hers back in school. "And it's Kimberly Oliver now."

"That's right; I remember reading the wedding announcement in the paper," her old teacher continued. "I was so glad to hear you and Tommy got married at last. I always thought that the two of you had something special together."

Kim flushed, pleased and a little discomfited that what lay between her and Tommy had been so obvious—even to the teachers.

"Where to with this? Your classroom?" she asked, anxious to have access to the school's interior.

"Yes, I'm so glad you came along. I don't know how I would have managed...."

The two maneuvered the awkward package through the doors and down the halls. The school was larger now than when Kim had been a student. A new addition had been built several years ago, but no changes had been made to the original section.

After seeing Mrs. Appleby satisfactorily settled, Kimberly slipped away without drawing any further attention to herself. She wandered the halls awash in memories. There was the time she'd had the mother of all bad days.... She'd been drenched in the storm and looked like a drowned rat, but Tommy hadn't cared.... She remembered sitting on the stairs comforting Tommy as he slowly lost his Green Ranger Powers for the second time, but mostly she recalled that first day... their first meeting.

She finally came to her old locker, absently drawing her finger over the painted metal fondly as she thought of the day she'd lost her heart to a pair of soft brown eyes and heart-stopping smile. So distracted by the fluttering of her heart and the magic in his smile, she'd found it hard to think, let alone speak.

"Hey... um... I'm Kimberly. You're new around here, aren't you?"

Totally lame... and she'd felt like such an airhead, but at least it got them talking. All she'd really wanted to do was just stand there and stare at him, but when he'd turned to head to class, she'd nearly panicked. She didn't know where she'd found the courage for what came next. Seemingly, the impulse had come out of nowhere. All Kim knew was that she had to see him again....

"Listen... do you want to get together with some of us after school? You know, nothing major... just... hang out at the Youth Center?"

She'd never asked a guy out before (mainly because she'd never had to!), and in retrospect, it was a good thing she had been the one to break the ice. If she'd waited on Tommy to work up the nerve, she might still be waiting!

Well, maybe not that bad, she mused with a smile.

Of course, the hanging out never happened thanks to Rita turning Tommy into the Green Ranger.... Lord, she'd been so confused and hurt by Tommy's inexplicable hardening towards her, and once she learned the reason, she'd been so scared for him. Not breaking Rita's spell over him—failure—had not been an option!

Kim turned her thoughts from those dark early days. They'd had a happy ending after all. She was here to remember their first meeting and to find the next clue leading her down memory lane. Her gaze was drawn back to her locker. She studied it for a moment, then discovered a flash of white peeking out at the bottom, in the crack between door and the side of the door frame. She snatched it up eagerly, not even pausing to consider it might belong to the present owner.

She hadn't been wrong, though. It was the same as all the others, but the quotation had her stymied: "Tommy put it back together in time."

She couldn't immediately place it. After mulling it over a few moments, she gave up and tore into the envelope to see what the card had to say.

The first time you hugged Him. Remember?

Now that she remembered... and the quote fell into place. It hadn't been something she or Tommy had said, but Trini!

The first time she'd hugged Tommy had been at the Youth Center after she'd found out that he'd reconstructed her float model Rita's putties had destroyed. She had been so happy that she flung her arms around him in a joyous hug, and he hugged her back, holding her for what was the longest-shortest-happiest moment in her life! The way he felt—so warm and strong—the way he'd smelled—more enticing than all the flowers on her float....

With the memory of that first embrace wrapped about her, Kim raced down the halls of the school to return to the Youth Center.

~*~

Upon arriving at the Youth Center, Kim headed for the counter—the exact place where she'd hugged Tommy—but her surprise was waiting for her at the gang's old table. Sitting in the center was a photo of the float she'd designed for the Peace Parade, and next to it was a nosegay made up of flowers she'd used in her model. She lifted the small bouquet to her nose and inhaled deeply. Under the flowers sat the next envelope.

Reaching the words on the white paper, Kim all but glowed. She had a feeling this was going to be the next stop.

"I miss you."

"The first place he kissed me," she murmured aloud, and she was not wrong for the card inside bore the instructions: The first time He kissed you. Remember?

~*~

The first time Tommy had kissed her had been a bittersweet moment. Bitter because he'd just lost his Green Ranger Powers, but the sweetness of the first time their lips met all but wiped the bad memories away.

They had walked this particular path by the pond but a few days before when Tommy had tried to work up the courage to ask her out on their first official date. The poor guy had been so nervous and scared.... She smiled as she recalled Tommy's awkwardness and vulnerability. It was a side of him others rarely saw after he became the White Ranger and team leader. After that, it was like he had to be perfect, but she knew better. She was the only one he ever allowed to see his vulnerable side... she was the only one who knew that he was just trying to live up to Jason's legacy as leader of the Power Rangers.

She sighed, then let the memories return to those dark days when Tommy had been kidnapped and made Rita's prisoner. She'd never been so afraid for another's life. She hadn't even cared how much of her heart she'd revealed to her friends that day. All that mattered was getting Tommy home safe and sound.

She hated every moment she'd had to stand there waiting for Jason to return with Tommy through the portalcom. She'd wanted so much to go with Jason to rescue Tommy!

In the end, she'd gotten Tommy back—alive, if not necessarily whole. The loss of his powers—having to surrender his Power Coin to thwart Rita—had devastated him. He'd tried to distance himself from his friends in his pain, but she wouldn't let him run away and hide. He needed them! He needed her—and she him. That was why she'd sought him out in the park.

The folks at the gym had told her he'd be there, but he still could have been anywhere in the large park. However, she'd been drawn like metal to a magnet to the place where he'd been abducted. She couldn't imagine that he'd have wanted to be there... to be reminded of what he'd lost... yet, there he was on the low stone wall, working on a kata.

They'd talked, the words burned indelibly into her brain, until she made that simple pronouncement: "I miss you."

His eyes had widened in surprise and wonderment. He'd caught her hand in his and caressed the back of it gently with his thumb. Then, the world seemed to move in slow motion as he leaned forward and she stretched up until their lips met.

It was a gentle kiss, an innocent kiss of two young teens who'd never before expressed their feelings thusly. In reality, it had lasted such a very short time, but while his lips lingered on hers, it seemed as if an eternity had passed. When at last they'd parted, she'd been breathless, flustered, giddy and bursting with excitement, and so had Tommy—with an added dollop of relief. He'd taken a risk, reached out to her and hadn't been rejected.

In the aftermath, she'd been pleased to learn that he'd been wanting to do that as long as she had.

"Whew... now that that's over with, I guess my next question is a piece of cake."

She'd almost stopped breathing in anticipation; then, he asked her to the dance. At the words she'd wanted to hear for so long, she couldn't answer... couldn't even speak. She had to turn away to gain control of her surging emotions. It wasn't her intent to worry Tommy with her silence; she had turned from him to keep from throwing her arms around him and smothering him with kisses.

In the end, it was Tommy's exuberance which had broken free as he lifted her and spun her around.

Those had only been the first memories made at this particular spot in the park: their reunion after her letter had forced their break-up years earlier, Tommy's marriage proposal, the first time they made love... their wedding.... Kim sat down on the cool stones, letting the memories wash over her. So lost in thought was she that she almost didn't see the package wrapped in pink paper half-hidden behind the greenery. However, it caught her eye when her fingertips accidentally brushed the parcel. On top was one of her envelopes.

"Kimberly, will you be my date for the dance Saturday night?"

Tearing open the missive, the card read: Your first date. Remember?

That had been the most memorable dance she'd ever been to. For starters, the Fall Frolic had been held in the high school gymnasium, not the Youth Center like most of the functions, and it had been semi-formal—a real dress-up affair.

She'd worn a simple pink chiffon A-line dress with spaghetti straps and silver beading on the bodice. Tommy had worn a sports coat and slacks, white shirt and dark green tie which he'd tugged at all evening long. He'd looked so handsome when he came to her door to pick her up, she almost melted into a simmering puddle of hormones.

Looks like I'll be going back to the school, Kim observed ruefully, wishing whoever had planned this scavenger hunt would have made things a little easier in the travel department. Back and forth, back and forth....

That brought her back to the question of who was behind it all. She dismissed Tommy as soon as he came to mind; he was hundreds of miles away at a race. Her next guess was Aisha. While she wouldn't have been around when she and Tommy started dating, Kim was certain she'd told her best friend all the details of their early courtship.

And this setup is too detailed to be Tommy's work, she sighed a touch sadly.

Then, she considered the present waiting for her. Examining the box, she found that the lid lifted right off, no unwrapping necessary as both top and bottom had been papered separately. She opened it cautiously and was immeasurably surprised. Inside was a dress, and not just any dress but her dress—the one she'd worn to that first dance. She had carefully tucked it away in her grandmother's cedar chest... she brought the gown to her face and inhaled. She detected faint traces of cedar and the cologne she'd always loved.

As she lifted the gown out, she caught sight of a flutter of white paper. Scooping up the note, she read, "Kimberly, you look... wow!"

Apparently, she was meant to don the dress for the next phase of the hunt, but there was no way she'd fit into a dress she'd worn at sixteen, even if she was still slender and petite.

Unless it's been altered....

With a shrug, she replaced the gown and put the lid back in place. Gathering up her package, she headed for her car. What would it hurt to try and see if the gown still fit? Of course, that meant swinging by the house before going back to the school.

~*~

Feeling a little foolish decked out in prom-like finery, Kim returned to the high school to find the gymnasium doors flung open as if something was going on at AGHS that evening. Cautiously, she slipped inside the doorway, making sure no one was about. She didn't want to try and explain herself. Finding the coast clear, she wandered inside.

The gym was decorated as if for a dance, complete with shimmery foil streams and mirrored ball. There was a small spotlight fixed upon the banner above the DJ's equipment. It read AGHS Fall Frolic. She smiled.

Along the perimeter of the 'dance' floor, tables were set up, the candle centerpieces alight and flickering, the only other light in the darkened gym. Kim strolled about the tables until she came to one with a tell-tale white envelope. However, she frowned as she examined it. Unlike all the others, there was no quote written on the outside, and there didn't appear to be a card inside.

Just then, the music began. The opening strains of a song she hadn't heard in years—but as unforgettable as that first date—filled the air.

Soft heavenly eyes gazed into me
Transcending space and time
And I was rendered still
There were no words for me to find at all
As I stood there beside myself
I could see you and no-one else

"So, Beautiful, would you like to dance?"

Kimberly whirled in astonishment to find her husband standing behind her. It took her a moment to realize that he was wearing a sports coat, white shirt and dark green tie. "T-Tommy...?"

Before she could say another word, he pulled her into his arms and swept her out to the center of the dance floor. A spotlight hit the mirrored ball as Mariah Carey launched into the refrain:

When I saw you
When I saw you
I could not breathe
I fell so deep
When I saw you
When I saw you
I'd never be
I'd never be the same

"T-Tommy, how did you... when....?" Kim sputtered, perfectly flabbergasted. This couldn't have been the same sports coat he'd worn ten years ago that she was nuzzling her cheek against!

For his part, Tommy ignored her questions.

"You know," he began instead, "I specially requested the DJ to play this song for the first dance that night."

Only once in a lifetime love rushes in
Changing you with the tide
And dawn's ribbon of light
Bursts through the dark
Wakening you inside
And I thought it was all untrue
Until there, all at once, I knew

When I saw you...

"You did?" Kim gulped, feeling tears gathering in her eyes.

"Uh huh. While Mariah Carey wasn't exactly my kind of music, I'd heard someone playing her new album and that song was just too perfect. When I saw you, I knew I'd never be the same again."

With no beginning
And without an end
You are the one for me
And it's evident
And your eyes told me so
Your eyes let me know

When I saw you....

"I'm glad you remembered what it was like ten years ago, Beautiful," Tommy murmured softly, gazing down with absolute love in his eyes, "because I do. Every moment."

"Oh, Tommy...!" Kim sniffled. "So this really was all your doing."

"You didn't think I'd forgotten something as important as this, did you?" he chided with a teasing smile, knowing that was exactly what she thought. "You were the best thing that ever happened to me. How could I forget that?

"As for how... let's just say I had a lot of help."

At Tommy's gesture, Kim looked around and saw other couples joining them on the dance floor: Jason and Kat, Rocky and Sarah, Zack and Aisha.... Billy was there, too, with—Marge? There were several of the Space Rangers present with dates as well as Mrs. Appleby, Mr. Caplan... even Ernie was there, as well as another unlikely couple of someones.

"Bulk and Skull?" Kim queried in disbelief. While the two had reformed from their annoying high school days, they weren't exactly close friends.

"Of course. If they hadn't been harassing you that day, I'd never have worked up the nerve to come over and say hi," Tommy replied.

He halted their swaying and tilted Kim's chin up so he could look into her eyes.

"I know things haven't been easy for us at times, and I know I'm far from the perfect husband, but you'll always be the most wonderful thing that ever happened to me. I love you, Kim; happy anniversary."

His hands cupped her face, and he bent his head to hers to claim her mouth in a long, slow, tender, soul-stirring kiss. Her arms tightened around him as her fire melded with his, their surroundings all but forgotten as they lost themselves in each other....

~*~

"All that was missing were the cheers, cat calls and wolf whistles," Tommy concluded.

"Which Zack dutifully supplied," Kat added.

"How incredibly romantic!" Trini gasped. All the women present were appropriately touched by Tommy's gesture. As for the men, they were all looking rather uncomfortable.

"Kim floated on cloud nine for a month," Kat sighed dramatically. "The rest of us were so jealous...."

Tommy laughed. "I may have scored a ton of brownie points with you ladies, but your husbands wanted to throttle me."

"Why?" Rachel asked.

"Because he'd just raised the bar awful high in the romance department," Oliver responded. "How could Dad or Uncle Rocky hope to compete with—or out-romance—a move like that?"

"Not only that, but Tommy's surprise landed your father in hot water that very night," Kat went on to say.

"What do you mean?" Lynne wondered.

"It seems everyone was in on the surprise except for me," Kat harumphed good- naturedly.

"They didn't tell you?" Jasmine queried, incredulous. "Whyever not?"

All eyes turned accusingly towards Tommy.

"Hey," he held up his hands in a defensive posture. "That was entirely out of my hands. Jason made that call."

"According to Jason, he felt it was better that I didn't know in case Kim came crying on my shoulder that morning," Kat explained.

"Which she did, so why were you upset about not being in the know?" Ramon questioned.

"Dunce! It was because Uncle Jason practically told her he didn't trust her to keep her mouth shut," Trini spelled it out for her husband.

"How long was Dad in trouble?" Jared queried.

"Not for too long, but then, I could never stay angry with your father," Kat sighed.

Prologue
Section 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7