Missing Tanya
by Jeremy Ray Logsdon

She had gone to U of K, he had gone to NYU, and that was the last they had seen of each other. A few letters, one long distance phone call, and that was it. They hadn't even really broken up. They had just stopped talking. Around April, Adam had gone on a very friendly date with a girl from his English Class, but nothing had come of it. They shared just a single, innocent kiss. "Of course, that's all Tanya and I ever did, too," Adam muttered to himself. He wasn't upset with that, however. Granted, Tanya was unbelievably beautiful, but he had never made even the slightest suggestion for sex.

Obviously, being a normal teenage male, Adam probably would have slept with her had she asked. But she hadn't asked, and Adam was mature enough to realize he had the rest of his life for a physical relationship.

When Tanya had called Adam, asking he meet her, he had tried to figure out the reason for the meeting. After confiding with Rocky, his friend jokingly suggested that Tanya was going to bring Adam their love child. With red cheeks, Adam admitted his virginity, to which Rocky explained he was joking. The two friends had attempted to explain Tanya's sudden contact. They had come up with two theories. One, Tanya wanted to resurrect their relationship. Two, Tanya wanted to officially dump him. Rocky was leaning toward the first theory, where as the mildly pessimistic Adam feared it was the second.

"Hello Adam," a soft voice said right beside him.

With a start, he snapped out of his reverie and looked up to see Tanya standing beside him. For a moment, all he could do was stare. She was even more beautiful than she had been the last time he saw her. Her figure was immaculate, her smile was still golden, and her hair now stretched halfway down her back. "Tanya," he finally managed to stammer, smiling as nervously as he had the first time they met. He quickly stood up and the two shared a brief hug.

"How've you been?" Tanya asked, sitting down opposite him in his booth.

"I've been good," Adam answered. "You?"

"I certainly can't complain," Tanya said, smiling warmly. "You look good."

"Thanks," he stammered. "So do you."

"So, are you ready?" she asked.

"Ready?" Adam returned. "Ready for what?"

"About what I wrote in the letter," Tanya said, prodding his memory. "Remember?"

"No, I don't," Adam said, digging in his pocket. He removed a small sheet of paper and laid it out before her. "That's all I got?"

"Just one page?" she asked, picking it up. She ran her eyes over the letter and said, "This is just the first page. I wrote two."

"That's all I got," he said, pointing to the last line of the letter.

It only read, 'Meet me at Winnie's Breakfast Bar on December 19 at eight a.m.'

"Didn't you wonder why I didn't sign my name?" she asked. "There was a whole lot more."

"I've wondered a lot of things since I got that letter," Adam admitted.

"Well, the basic gist of the next page was this. Bring a change of clothes, an open mind, and put yourself in my care for the next twenty-four hours," Tanya said, smiling slightly. She smiled even wider at the sudden expression on Adam's face.

"Oh?" Adam asked.

"So, you game?" Tanya asked. "I mean, if you have plans, I'll understand."

"No, I'm totally free," he answered. "Just let me stop by the house so I can get a change of clothes."

~*~

"Well," Tanya said slowly as she pulled away from his street, "have you ever been to the L.A. Zoo?"

"The Zoo?" Adam asked. "We're going to a zoo that's over two hours away?"

"Have you ever been?"

"Well, no."

"Then the first thing we're going to do is go to the Zoo," Tanya said with a determined face. "You hungry?"

"Actually, I am," Adam said. "There's a McDonalds just up there." He made a move for his wallet, but Tanya stopped him.

"Everything today is on me," she promised him. "Everything."

"In that case, I'll take two sausage biscuits and a Sprite," Adam said, a hint of humor in his voice. "Will you ever explain to me what this is all about?"

"Absolutely," she answered. "At the end of the day."

~*~

Tanya paid their way into the Zoo, and they spent the next eight hours just walking around. She still gave no hint to her intentions, although it certainly didn't seem to be anything bad. They talked, they laughed, and they joked. In general, they just had a good time.

On their way out, Adam did something he never would have suspected he would have had the guts to do. After walking away from the Aviary Cages, he slipped his hand inside her's. She didn't say anything, although she did hold his hand tightly as they walked back to her blazer.

Inside the blazer, she turned to him and said, "So, did you enjoy yourself?"

"I had a blast," he said.

"Ready for more?" she asked. "Such as a haircut?"

"Haircut?" Adam asked.

"Your hair is too long," she said, reaching over to flip a lock of his hair. "I think you should get a haircut. I thought you looked best when you were wearing it really short."

"Like when you showed up the first time."

"Exactly," Tanya said. "So?"

"Your treat?" Adam asked with a big grin.

~*~

"It's certainly more comfortable," he agreed, running his hand over his new hair.

"You like?" the hairdresser asked.

"Tres bien," Tanya smiled. After she paid for Adam's shampoo and haircut, the two found themselves in her blazer again. "So, what do we do next?"

"How about you tell me why you're treating me like a king?"

"Have you seen Titanic?" Tanya asked.

"Pardon?"

"'I'm king of the world!'" Tanya quoted. "The movie, have you seen it?"

"Actually, no, I haven't. Is it still in theaters? It came out last year?"

"Titanic is going to be in the theaters forever. Let's go."

~*~

"Me too," Tanya agreed. "But we aren't done yet."

"We aren't?"

"We haven't been to the Water Pyramids."

"Water Pyramids?" Adam asked.

"It's near Las Vegas," Tanya said. "It's this huge, four acre compound, indoors, where there are fountains and... well, it's kind of hard to explain."

She stopped talking as the waitress walked up to their table. "How ya'll doin'?" she asked. "My name is Lurleen and I'll be your waitress for the evenin'. Have ya decided what ya'll be havin'?"

"What do you recommend?" Tanya asked.

"Well, our roast beef is excellent, but we've had a lot of good words about our Steak and Fries for Two Dinner," Lurleen said. "It comes with a big platter of our Roast Chicken Nachos for the table appetizer, a crisp, cold Dinner Salad with thin strips of roasted tortilla chips, I know it don't sound very good but it is so much better than you'd ever think, and a twenty-four ounce sirloin plus a huge helping of crisp brown waffle fries. To top that off, you get your choice of dessert from our Daily Dessert Cart."

"I'll have that," Tanya said, smiling at Adam.

"Yeah, me too," Adam agreed, handing Lurleen the menu.

"To drink, we'll have Diet Dr. Pepper and Sprite, and we both like our steaks well done. Right?"

"Right," Adam agreed.

"She's a good 'un, boy," Lurleen said, tapping him on the shoulder with the menus in her hand. "Don't let her get away."

Adam smiled at Lurleen as she walked off. Turning back to Tanya, he said quite boldly, "I don't intend to again."

"I guess we do need to discuss that, huh?" Tanya asked, leaning across the table.

"I just wish I knew what you had up your sleeves," Adam sighed.

"That is a surprise," Tanya repeated. "So, why do you think we stopped talking?"

"I don't know," Adam said, shaking his head. "I guess..."

"Without the... power, we didn't have anything in common."

"You think?"

"That was part of it, I'm sure," Tanya murmured. "But I think it has to do with the fact that we just went to different parts of the country. Sometimes, people just drift apart. Think about it, how many other members of the team are you still in touch with?"

"Just Rocky and Jason, I guess. I mean, Kat's in London, and Tommy is in Covina. I did talk to Billy the other day."

"Really?!" Tanya squealed. "How's he doing?!"

"He's back on Earth," Adam said happily. "He and Cestria had a mutual break-up, as I understand it. Last I heard, he's in Geneva with Trini."

"Adam, I don't want to lose touch with you again," Tanya said sincerely.

"Me neither," Adam agreed, placing his hands on top of hers. Their eyes locked, and they simultaneously stretched across the table and shared an impassioned kiss.

~*~

"It's a total blast," Tanya remarked. "I went there this past summer, and I have never had so much fun!"

"How far away is it?" Adam asked.

"If we leave now, we can be there by two in the morning," Tanya said. "You still game?"

"I will be home in time to celebrate Christmas with my family, right?" Adam laughed.

"Water Pyramids is the last place on my agenda," Tanya swore. "Well?"

"Let's go," Adam laughed. "If you like, I'll drive first so you can catch some sleep."

"That'd be nice," Tanya said, handing him the keys. By the time Adam was on the interstate, Tanya was curled up beside him with her head resting on his shoulder.

~*~

"Huh?" Adam asked, sitting up. After switching places with Tanya around the California/Nevada border, he had promptly fallen asleep. "What?"

"We're at Water Pyramids," she told him.

Adam sat up and looked at the empty parking lot. "I think they're closed," he mumbled sleepily.

"Not for me," Tanya smiled. "Come on."

"What do you mean, not for you?" Adam asked as they got out of her blazer.

"You'll see!" Tanya laughed as she took off running across the parking lot. Adam locked his door and then ran after her.

Water Pyramids didn't live up to its name from the outside. The building, despite being impressive, was not a pyramid. However, as soon as Tanya and Adam neared it, lights lit up everywhere. Spotlights on the roof began to dance their beams across the parking lot.

Tanya ran up to the front door, where a woman was waiting. "Ms. Sloan?" the woman asked.

"That's me," Tanya laughed, pulling Adam along with her. "Is everything set up?"

"Yes ma'am," she said. "The place is all your's."

"Tanya, I-" Adam started as she led him indoors. However, as soon as they entered the compound, he found himself at a complete and total loss of words. Then, his mind latched onto the song filling the air. He knew the artist's voice, but he couldn't place her name. He knew she was young, and blonde, but nothing more.

What I'm lookin' for
Is a love that's forever
Someone who can capture my soul in a heartbeat
And stay for all time
What I'm prayin' for
Is a match made in heaven
Someone who will worship my body
And still put his heart on the line

The room was a perfect square, stretching off for several hundred feet in each direction. Fountains were everywhere, as were lights that colored the spraying waters. To enter the actual fountain area, they had to walk through a long row of pyramid shaped fountains. Adam tried to figure out how they actually managed to get the water to form such sharp corners. "Tanya, this place is beautiful," Adam sighed.

Commitment!
Someone who'll go the distance
I need somebody who'll stand power
Who'll me go weak in the knees
Commitment
And everything that goes with it
I need honor and love in my life from somebody
Who's playin' for keeps

"Tonight," she said, sticking her hand in one of the pyramid fountains, "it's all our's." She then flicked a few drops of water at Adam's face and slipped her hand in his. "Come on!"

What I'm searching for
Is a man who'll stand by me
Who will walk through the fire
And be my flame in the night
Oh, I won't settle for
Less than what I deserve
A friend and a lover who'll love me
For the rest of my life

Running, the two darted out into the room. They ran across a lighted grid, and marble-sized beads of water began to shoot up from the floor. "What the?" Adam asked.

Commitment!
Someone who'll go the distance
I need somebody who'll stand power
Who'll make me go weak in the knees
Commitment
And everything that goes with it
I need honor and love in my life from somebody
Who's playin' for keeps

"Try and catch one and see what happens!" Tanya laughed. She stood poised on a blue square of light, waiting for a bead of water to shoot up from the hole directly in front of her.

Yeah, I've had promises broken
Three words left unspoken
They just left me achin' for more
But I've found temptation
I won't be impatient
There's one thing that's worth waitin' for!

"I got it!" Adam shouted, running toward a bead of water that was launched from a red square. He caught it in his hand. "Now what?" However, he had no more than said it when a stream of water shot out of every square on the grid. Shrieking with laughter, Tanya ran at Adam and pulled him to dry safety.

Commitment
Someone who'll go the distance
I need somebody who'll stand power
And make me go weak in the knees

"Tanya, I still can't figure you out!" Adam laughed. He grabbed her hand and pulled her close. "I know... never mind."

Commitment
And everything that goes with it
I need honor and love in my life from somebody
Who's playin' for keeps

"No, what were you going to say?" Tanya asked.

"Tanya, I don't really know what you have planned, but I have never had this much fun in my entire life!" Adam cried. "I don't know what's come over me, but..." He took her hand in his and dropped to one knee. "Tanya Sloan, will you marry me? Tonight?"

With wide eyes, Tanya pulled Adam back to his feet. "Adam, I-," she stammered. "Look over there." She pointed his gaze to the far end of the room. On cue, in bright neon green letters, a message lit up.

Adam Park, Marry Me?

"Tonight?" Adam asked hopefully.

"Yes!" Tanya laughed as she began to cry. "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

"C'mon, let's go to Vegas," Adam said, smiling happily and pulling her away.

~*~

"I am so glad you asked me first," Tanya told him, taking his hand and kissing it gently. "You have no idea how happy you've made me."

"This... I mean, everything we've done today, it was all building up to you proposing to me?" Adam asked. "But, there are so many things we're going to have to deal with. Where are we going to live? What-?"

"Adam," Tanya said, "don't worry about that now. We'll deal with everything later." She pulled her blazer into a parking spot and said, "Ready?"

"Ready," he agreed.

~*~

"Oh yeah," Adam answered. "I'm very nervous. But..."

"Wouldn't be anywhere else in the world?"

"Not for any amount of money," Adam agreed. Then, the older man pointed at the door in a guarded gesture. Adam turned around to see Tanya enter the room in a gorgeous white dress. It wasn't a wedding dress, but it didn't matter. "You're beautiful," Adam whispered.

Tanya smiled as a woman escorted her to her place beside Adam.

"You kids ready?"

Tanya slipped her arm inside Adam‰s. "I've never been more ready," Tanya smiled.

~*~

"You think my surprises are finished yet?" Tanya asked. She ran up the final flight of stairs, and then, the pair found themselves atop the building. All of Las Vegas stretched out before them.

"Tanya, I'm-?"

"Do you trust me?" she asked, wrapping her arms around him.

"Of course I trust you," Adam answered. "I'm just... well, I was kind of hoping we'd go get a hotel room."

"If you trust me," she said, smiling, "then trust me. Look." She pointed up as the wind began to pick up and a roaring sound approached them.

"A helicopter?" Adam asked.

"It's gonna take us to the jet," Tanya answered.

"Je-?"

"Trust me," she repeated, placing a finger on his lips. "We'll be there, soon."

~*~

After they landed in Angel Grove, Tanya gave him a brief, "We're almost there."

"Where?"

"There," she said, flashing him another of her secretive smiles. As they left the jet, Adam saw a long, black limousine waiting for them. "Is this ours?" he asked.

Tanya smiled again. Their driver nodded at them both and opened the backdoor. Adam helped Tanya inside and flashed a questioning look at the driver. He only tipped his hat with a smile and returned to the front.

"Adam, I need you to do one thing," Tanya said as they drove into a section of Angel Grove Adam had never been to before. "I just need you to open your mind as wide as you possibly can. Okay?"

"Yeah," he agreed, looking out the windows. The sun was starting to come up over the horizon. "I can do that. Are you going to-?"

"I'll explain everything, I promise," she insisted. Then, they turned off of the main highway and began to drive up a long driveway. Beautiful trees lined both sides, and Adam found himself getting more and more confused.

"Here we are," Tanya said, pointing ahead. Adam looked out and caught a glimpse of the largest mansion he had ever seen. In front, there was a gargantuan fountain that the limousine parked by.

"Where is here?" Adam asked as Tanya pushed him out of the limo. After the couple got out of the limousine, it drove off, leaving them alone.

"Come on in," Tanya smiled.

"Tanya?" Adam asked, following her up the steps into the house.

"All right, before we go in, there's something huge I have to tell you," Tanya said. "Are you ready?"

"I'm ready," Adam assured her.

"Well, here goes," she said. "You know how I've been going to UK. In Kentucky, they have this... contest. It spans several states, and it's called the PowerBall. It's a lottery, and it has really big prizes. This past summer, I won their biggest cash prize ever: one hundred and seventy million dollars. Adam, we're rich."

"You won the lottery?" he asked slowly.

"Yeah," she repeated with a smile. "And, after I bought this house, it occurred to me. I have all this money, and nobody to spend my life with. I wanted someone who would love me for me, not my money. So I called you up."

"Oh my goodness," Adam sighed. "I mean...."

"You aren't upset I didn't tell you the whole story, are you?" she asked.

"Never," he promised, pulling her close so he could kiss her. "I hope I didn't put a kink in your plans by proposing first."

"That just made it so much better," she smiled. "So..."

With a twinkle in his eyes, Adam scooped Tanya into his arms, causing her to squeal happily. He carried her over the threshold into their home, and the two lived happily ever after.

The End