* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Day Three - Friday

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Early the next morning

Kate's mind was a blur of images and sensations... of fear, of being unable to breathe, of being unable to move, of being trapped, of fear, of that man's hated face, of wanting to run away, of wanting to scream out, of trying to get away, of trying to fight back... She tried to resist, tried to cry out, tried to turn away, but it was too powerful for her. "No... don't..." Powerful hands gripped her arms and shook her, and called out her name, and she once more tried to resist. "N-no... please don't... please..."

"Kate, wake up!"

"Augh!" With a terrified scream Kate sat bolt upright in bed, sweat and tears streaming down her panicked face, and her bedding strewn around her in a violent manner that said she had been tossing and turning for some time.

Clay had a tight grip on her arms, and his eyes shone intense green with overwhelming concern. "Kate darlin'," he cooed reassuringly as he sat on the bed beside her. "It's okay. Whatever you were dreaming about, it's gone now." Kate blinked away more tears and looked him in the eye. She tried to speak but her voice failed her, and only a pathetic squeak came out. Clay gently touched her face, his eyes questioning. The last remnant of her resolve broken, she clutched onto Clay and hung on for dear life. The tears flowed again from her eyes in torrents, accompanied by gut-wrenching sobs. Oh my gosh... Clay thought to himself in shock. At last he found his own voice. "Who... hurt... you?" he whispered. When he got no reply from Kate, he continued to hold her close, stroking her hair and murmuring reassurances. "I'm here, Kate. No one's going to hurt you as long as I'm right here. Everything's all right now."

At last the worst of Kate's anguish subsided, and she smeared the remaining few tears from her cheeks. "Thank you, Clay," she mumbled. "I'm fine now."

Clay shook his head in disbelief. "No, you're not. I can see it in your eyes. Whatever that nightmare was, it really bothers you." He waited for some gesture of agreement or something before going on. "Have you had it before?" A single nod from Kate. "When?" When she bit her lip, Clay rephrased his question. "How often have you had it?" No reply. "You've had it often, haven't you?" She gave another single nod, and Clay pressed on. "How long? Have you been having it a while?" Kate nodded yet again. "Why didn't you tell me about this?"

"I hoped I wouldn't have it while I was here," Kate managed weakly.

"You hoped to hide that you were having nightmares??" Clay asked incredulously. "Why? What was so bad about your nightmare that you would want to hide it from me?"

"Clay..." Kate breathed, "I'm not ready to talk now."

Clay looked at her frightened eyes. "All right," he relented. "I'll give you some time to compose yourself as you get ready for our trip. But I want to talk about this later on the plane, and I'm not taking no for an answer." He gently squeezed her and kissed her on the head before releasing her. He walked out of the room and pulled the door shut behind her, but not without feeling like he was somehow letting her down. Clay stood outside her door, biting his lip in thought. He walked back to his room and penned a note to leave in Kim's room.

Depositing the note on Kim's desk he returned to his own room to finish getting ready.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Later on the plane

Kate yawned as she buckled her seatbelt. "Don't do that," Clay told her, and almost immediately he himself yawned. "It's catching."

"Sorry, hon." Kate lifted her glasses and rubbed her eyes.

I never knew until today that she wore glasses... or contacts, for that matter. Unconsciously Clay adjusted his own glasses. "I'm just glad that we'll have a chance to catch a little shuteye during the flight there... and some conversation on the way back."

"Clay," Kate began, "I've made a decision about that." She looked up at him. "I know you - you will keep coming back to the subject until I finally get the courage to talk about it... whether that's here or whether that's after I go back to Nebraska. Because I care so much for you, I promise that I will find a way to talk with you about this while I'm here and we can talk face to face. BUT that day is not today." When Clay moved to protest she held up a finger. "This is your big day, and I'm not about to spoil it by anything I say. I want you to live the day, enjoy the day. My story can wait."

"Kate," Clay began.

She shook her head. "Not today. You have Regis and Kelly to impress this morning, and the rest of America at the premiere tonight."

Clay snorted. "Thank you, I think."

"You know I'll be there right beside you, every step of the way."

A brilliant smile crossed his face. You are always there... "I know you will, honey. We may have only known each other a year or two, but I know that you are always there for me."

Kate looked at him and blinked at the odd expression in his eye. "What is it?" she whispered.

Uh-oh. Caught. Clay looked a bit embarrassed. "It's nothing."

"No, it's not nothing." Kate shook her head. "You meant something by that. What did you mean?"

Clay sighed and shrugged. "I'd like to keep this one a bit longer. If you can wait with your news, I can wait with this."

Kate frowned. "That's dirty pool." Clay grimaced, but Kate knew she was caught. "All right, all right, I'll let it go for now." She leaned over to drape her arm around Clay's waist, and he put his arm around her as well. Laying her head on his shoulder with a contented sigh, she closed her eyes.

The two slept in each other's arms for the duration of the flight to New York, and woke when the plane hit the tarmac. Clay gently shook Kate. "Kate darlin', we're here."

"Mm, I know," Kate mumbled. "I was just enjoying being in your arms... smelling your cologne, listening to your heartbeat, being close to you... all the little joys of having someone special in your life."

Clay smiled warmly. "I was enjoying having you here... the smell of your hair, the touch of your skin..." When she looked up into his eyes he stroked her cheek. Again his eyes strayed to her lips. Her pace, Clayton, not yours. He smiled again and softly kissed her on the eyebrow. "Let's see if the car is waiting for us outside the plane."

The two stood and walked with their things to the front of the plane where Jerome waited at the door. He yawned. "I must like you two - otherwise I would have told you to forget it this morning."

Clay chuckled. "Thanks, Jerome."

Kate's own yawn followed close on the trail of Jerome's. "Stop that..."

"Should I tickle you awake?" Clay offered.

"No need for that, mister," Kate warned him, and he giggled.

"The car's here," Jerome told them, and the three of them descended the stairs to the limo. Once inside, the car departed for the studio. The drive was surprisingly short - the driver knew the best routes to avoid the rush hour traffic. Outside of the studio the car stopped. Jerome turned to Clay. "Let me coordinate with their security. I'll just be outside." He got out of the car.

Kate peeked outside and her eyes bulged at the large number of people who had already gathered. "Oh my..."

"Yeah," Clay responded. He nodded at the crowd. "This is normal. Some have tickets to the show, some don't. Most of them are here to get a glimpse or an autograph... or whatever." As Kate blinked he sighed. "Welcome to my life."

"This is insane..."

"I know." Clay looked shaken, and Kate took his hand. "You think I'd be used to this by now."

"Clay honey, I don't see how anyone could." Impulsively she embraced him.

Kate was still reassuring him that way when Jerome opened the car door next to them. "We're ready. You know the drill, dude - up and in."

Clay nodded, and the two released each other. He took her hand and backed out of the car, helping her climb out onto the sidewalk. Ignoring the cameras and the clamor around them, he gripped her hand tightly and led her through the crowd into the building.

Jerome closed the studio door behind them, and Clay took a deep breath. "Dude," Jerome began, "you should hear the buzz out there. Everyone's wondering who the woman is. Some of them even saw your little thing in the car."

Clay frowned and turned to Kate. "Kate honey, it's not too late for you to back out now."

Kate raised one eyebrow. "When I said I'm here for you, I meant it." She searched his eyes for some hidden meaning in them. "Unless that's what you want."

Clay took her into his arms. "Not on your life. I want to be yours as long as you want me to be, and I want you to be mine as long as you want to be."

A slight smile crossed her face. "You're stuck with me."

"Good," he said and pulled her closer.

"Well, well," another man's voice cut in, "it looks like the rumors are true."

I know that voice, Kate thought. Is that -

Clay grinned warmly at the owner of the voice. "Yes sir, they are. This is my girlfriend Kate. Kate," he indicated the gentleman behind her as she turned around, "Regis Philbin."

Oh my, she blinked. I grew up with this guy on TV. Between Regis and Fred Rogers, those were the two TV figures she remembered best from her youth. "How-how do you do?" she asked as she offered him a friendly handshake.

Regis smiled and shook her hand. "Good, thank you." He immediately turned back to Clay. "Clay, what, you found yourself a gal and didn't tell your old pal Regis? Shows how I rate." Clay chuckled with amusement as Regis gave him a "good ol' boy" pat on the back. Regis started to lead them down the hall to where Clay's dressing room was. "So, how long have you been hiding this foxy lady? You better not have held out on me very long!"

Clay glanced at Kate, whose shocked eyes had grown to the size of quarters. "We've been dating for not quite 48 hours," Clay admitted. Regis gave him a knowing look and Clay chuckled. "It's going to come as quite the surprise to everyone."

"I guess the question I should be asking is how long you have known each other." Regis looked at Kate with a slight smile, and she blushed.

Clay snuck another look at Kate, who was clearly content to let him continue answering all the questions Regis posed them. Has she turned shy on me? "She's been writing me since shortly after American Idol ended in 2003," Clay offered. "I finally got her first letter about three months later, and we've been writing or calling ever since."

"A little under two years, then," Regis said. He stopped at the door to the dressing room. "Wait 'til you see the color I had them do the dressing room for you... a gorgeous color of PINK!" he said, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

Clay snorted, and Kate barely held in her giggles. "Oh, thanks," he drawled as he clapped Regis on the shoulder.

Regis smiled and returned the gesture. "Anytime, Clay. So, any special announcements I get to make during today's show? Any news I should know about?? No more holding out on me, Clay-man."

Clay bit his lip. "Did my PR guy not tell your people details about what I'm singing?"

All at once Regis smiled and nodded. "Yeah, he did. So you want to do the movie song later on in the show?"

Clay nodded. "That's what I had hoped to do."

"I think we can arrange that." Regis held up a finger as if just thinking of something. "Oh, by the way, remember when you said you'd love to co-host with me sometime? Well, today's the day! You in?"

Eyes wide with excitement and surprise, Clay whistled. "Yeah! It sounds like fun!"

A pleased grin crossed Regis's face. "Knew you would. Uh-oh, here comes Gelman. Tell ya what, get your little lady to a seat, and I'll handle Gelman. Join us in the green room as soon as you're changed and done up."

Clay nodded again. "I'll be looking for you."

"Good. We appreciate you filling in, and I think America will enjoy this show a lot." Again Regis clapped Clay on the shoulder. "See you later." With that Regis went down the hall.

Clay turned to Kate with an amused smile. "Until this week, I would never have figured you as the shy, quiet type of woman."

"Surprise," Kate said with a wry smile. "Until I'm comfortable with someone, that is my true nature. Believe me, it's annoying. And the number of people with whom I am comfortable like that," she snapped to illustrate, "I can count on one hand... and maybe a few fingers..."

Clay smiled gently. Surprisingly, he did understand what it was like to be shy. He opened the door to his dressing room. Much to his relief it was a nice, neutral shade of off-white. "Will you excuse me? I need to quickly get changed."

"Sure," Kate said, and turned at the sound of her phone ringing inside of her purse. "I guess I have something to keep me busy anyway." Clay chuckled and shut the door behind him, and Kate retrieved her phone from her purse. Sarah. Grinning with anticipation, she answered. "Hi sweetie."

"I've got a bone to pick with you," Sarah began.

Kate blinked with surprise. "What'd I do?"

"Let me tell you about it."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Earlier

Sarah shoved the brand-new tape into her video recorder. All right, Katydid - we're ready for action. Out of loyalty to her best friend, she had requested the morning off to both tape and watch the day's Regis and Kelly show. She was up in more than enough time - it was only 7:30 - but she wanted to make sure her recorder was set up and ready before she started to make her breakfast.

Her phone rang, and Sarah heaved an impatient sigh. "Of all mornings..." She knew she had better get it. This early in the morning, few people called her unless it was important. "Hello?"

"Sarah - it's Kim. We talked yesterday. I'm glad I caught you. I've got something that Clay wanted me to talk to you about."

It took Sarah a moment to realize that the phone call was from Kim Locke. Kim sounded like she was barely awake, yet here she was doing a favor for Clay. Sarah glanced at the clock - it was even earlier there in California. This ought to be good. "Sure. What's up, Kim?"

Dispensing with the pleasantries that Kim usually would have done, she went right to the heart of the matter. "Clay left a note on my desk this morning. He said that Kate had a nightmare last night."

Sarah groaned and rubbed her face with her hand. "That stinker. I knew she was still having them, but she refuses to admit it."

"So you know what's going on." It wasn't a question from Kim, it was a statement.

"Darn right I know what's going on. I was there." Sarah wandered into the kitchen to start on her breakfast. "Let me guess - she's kept our man Clay completely in the dark."

"You've got it."

Sarah nodded firmly. "I can remedy that - well, at least I can for you, anyway. Kate really needs to talk to Clay about this herself."

Kim seemed to like that idea. "That works for me. I can always tell Clay that I know, and we can imply to her that I would spill the beans if she doesn't tell him."

Sarah frowned. "You can tell Clay that you know what's up, but that Kate needs to tell him herself. If she doesn't, then give Clay my number and I'll tell him what he needs to know. Kate'll be mad at me, but she would forgive me eventually. You... I don't need to make any waves between you two."

"I appreciate that," Kim responded. "But I agree with you - we need to get Kate to tell him what's causing those nightmares. Clay's worried about her. Here, let me read his note for you." The rustling of paper sounded over the phone, and Kim read Clay's note to Sarah word for word.

"He is worried... and rightly so if she broke down." Sarah blew out a lengthy breath of air and made her decision. "Kim, you'd better have a seat... and make sure that there are plenty of tissues handy in case you need them."

Kim sighed deeply. "I don't like the sound of that."

"Neither will Clay. Sit down." Starting from the beginning, Sarah told her exactly why Kate was having nightmares on a regular basis.

For a while after Sarah finished, there was silence from Kim's end. Finally Kim spoke. "Clay is going to go ballistic when he hears that."

"I know," Sarah said quietly. "Her family was rather upset too."
"And she never got help?" Kim asked.

"Not to my knowledge," Sarah murmured.

Kim responded firmly. "She needs to. Soon. For her sake, and the sake of those around her."

Sarah nodded. "I know." She squinted thoughtfully as she put her finished breakfast onto a plate. "I know that there's still some time before the show. Go ahead and tell Clay that you know the truth behind Kate's nightmares. I'll handle Kate myself, this morning."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Kim acknowledged. She sighed. "Since there's no way I'm getting back to sleep this morning I'm getting up. I'm sorry to disturb you with this on what should be a very special day for both of them - "

"No-no," Sarah said immediately. "Don't be sorry. This was important."

"Thanks," Kim responded. "I'll talk to you later this afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your morning, and enjoy the show."

"I will - once I chew out my best friend..."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Back in New York

"I had an early-morning chat from our friend Kim Locke this morning," Sarah informed her.

Kate moaned and leaned the back of her head against the wall. "He told her, didn't he?"

"Darn right he did." Sarah heaved an annoyed sigh. "That man is worried about you, and he has every right to be! You know how long I've been worrying about you over this... I know you were still having the nightmares - don't forget the walls in this place are paper-thin, and I can hear when you have one - and I also know you haven't gotten any help."

This conversation is not happening... Kate thought, and on today of all days. "You and my mother both. Don't ask me how she knows these things, but..."

"She's your mother - enough said."

"Well, when it comes to me, it's mother's intuition," Kate acknowledged. "But she still knows more than she should about a lot of things that she shouldn't. And it's not done by gossiping."

"I know about your mom's hunches - I've seen them in action, remember?" Sarah went on, clearly upset. "The reason Kim called is that she wanted to know why you were having the nightmares. Clay wanted her to ask me just in case you don't tell him."

Kate's eyes grew huge. "Please tell me that you didn't - "

"I did," Sarah said firmly. "I told her everything."

"Sarah..." Kate moaned. "How could you?"

"Kathryn Joy Kirche, Clay has a right to know the truth," Sarah growled. "In case you haven't forgotten, he's your new boyfriend."

Kate smiled very slightly. "Believe me, that one's hard to forget."

"You need to tell him. Soon, or I will."

"What?" Kate squeaked. "You can't do that."

Sarah heaved another annoyed sigh. "Just watch me. If you don't tell him before you leave, I will fly out there, have Kim pick me up and I'll come out there to his house and tell him myself. You know I'll do it, too."

Kate blew a frustrated noise out of the side of her mouth as she pulled at her hair. She knew better than to call Sarah's bluff, because Sarah (almost) never bluffed. Considering what she knew about Kim Locke, she didn't want to call that one either.

"But, out of the goodness of my heart, I told her that it should be your job to tell him..." Sarah continued with little pause, still working from a good adrenaline rush of anger and concern, "and we're going to give you a chance to come clean before I tell him."

"I appreciate that." Kate sighed. "Clay has already been on my case this morning about it... and you will be pleased to know that I did promise him that I would tell him - sometime later this week, after today. I want him to have his special day in peace."

"Good for you." Sarah's voice was softer, more gentle now. "Both for deciding to do it, and for deciding to be considerate of him. I'll be praying for strength and courage for you to tell him."

"He's not going to be happy..."

Sarah agreed. "Of course not. Who would? But you know how I feel about it."

Kate nodded. "Yes, I do. You accept me anyway."

"That's right. However, that doesn't mean I have to accept what you're doing to yourself by not getting help. But best friends always stick with each other, no matter what."

Another smile crossed Kate's face. Best friends always stick with each other, no matter what.

"You've got a good man going in Clay," Sarah told her, "and if you stand any chance at all making this thing work with him, you need to get yourself help for this."

"I know," Kate whispered. "I've got to do something before I go completely stir-crazy." She knew that she had to find help if she wanted any kind of future with Clay... and she wanted it so very badly she could almost taste it. A tear trickled down her cheek and she wiped it away. "I woke up screaming this morning - I thought Clay was going to have a heart attack."

"That bad? Katydid..." Sarah sighed again.

"He is going to freak..."

Sarah nodded. "He is a redhead - you know redheads and their tempers."

"You're not making me feel any better..."

"Just promise me that you will tell Clay the truth, and that when you get back you will finally get some help. Okay, Katydid?" Sarah begged.

"I promise," Kate acquiesced.

"Good girl. We can talk more about it when you get back. I think I know who you can talk to about this." Mercifully Sarah changed the subject. "I've got my tape in the recorder, and I'm all set to go. I took the morning off so that I could watch it just in case the VCR gets stupid and forgets to tape it for me."

"You won't regret doing both," Kate told her with a grin. "Kelly's gone this morning, and Regis asked Clay to fill in for her."

"You're kidding!" Sarah exclaimed.

"No." Kate glanced both ways and reduced her voice to a whisper. "I actually met Regis! Clay introduced us!"

"Ack! You're kidding!"

"No. I mean... it's Regis! I actually met Regis!" Kate's jaw dropped, and then she went on. "Of course I sounded oh-so intelligent. Gave him a nice greeting, and then did the old clamshell routine." She sighed. "Why am I such an idiot?"

"You're not an idiot," Sarah told her gently. "You just don't happen to be good at making first impressions. Knowing Regis, he was teasing the dickens out of you and Clay anyway."

"You've got that part right." Kate paused before she told Sarah the next part. "But I think I made a good impression on his family last night..."

"AAAACK!" Sarah shrieked on the other end. "You met his family???"

Kate almost burst out laughing at Sarah's reaction. "Clay and Ruben hosted a picnic for their families last night." Kate smiled. "So I met the whole bunch of them, and Ruben and several of the Studdards."

"Really." Sarah clicked her tongue. "How'd you get along with them?"

"Like I said, I think it went well. His mom was really super-nice... She tried to get me to call her by first name, and when I wouldn't she tried to get me to call her Mom."

"She what??" Sarah asked. "Oh my gosh! She totally accepts you, Katydid!"

Kate nodded, relieved to hear Sarah's opinion. "That was my impression." She summarized some of the conversations she had with Clay's family.

"Wow. I definitely want to hear how it goes with them tonight."

Wait 'til she hears what else I have to report. "I've got some other things to tell you about too, stuff I never got to tell you yesterday."

"I'm all ears."

I bet you are... The first tale Kate told her was the naughty trick she played on Ruben's brother Kevin at the family picnic, and how Clay and his family reacted.

Sarah laughed aloud. "Pony Express??"
"We're not in the Wild West anymore, Sarah," Kate drawled, "but you wouldn't know it by talking to some people. I'm sorry, but I don't have much sympathy for that kind of naivete."

"I don't either, Kate, but I usually tell them to their face what I think. But that... that was funny."

"I shouldn't have done it," Kate admitted as Sarah giggled, "but gosh, that was fun."

"We've never had the greatest of opinions about Kevin," Sarah agreed. "So what else happened?" Keeping up with picnic stories, Kate told Sarah about her and Clay's water fight on the lawn and how both of them had ended up completely soaked. Again Sarah found the story amusing. "Soaked, hunh? How badly?" she inquired.

"Clay was soaked all over the front of his cooking apron - "

"Cooking apron?" Sarah asked doubtfully.

Kate giggled. "Yep. I took pictures - you'll see it. His apron, his shirt, and his jeans were all soaked down the front."

"Hm... I bet that made a nice view."

A brilliant blush covered Kate's face. "I... never noticed."

"Probably not," Sarah said, "considering you guys can't ever seem to break eye contact. How badly were you soaked, Katydid?"

"He stuck the hose down my back!" Kate grumbled. "What do you think?"

"So you guys had your own wet T-shirt contest..."

Kate's jaw dropped. She hadn't thought of that last night. "It-it didn't look that bad, I thought. Not that I was able to see my backside to know..."

"It would still have shown... and I know. Remember that club in Germany?"

Instantly Kate recalled the wet T-shirt contest Sarah had won at a nightclub during their semester abroad in Germany - she'd come home fifty dollars richer that night. "Um... yeah."

"So, what color shirt did you wear last night?"

"Navy," Kate offered.

"Not as bad as white, but next time you'd better take them up on their offer to change clothes." Sarah's voice turned impish. "You should be glad that your front didn't get soaked as well."

Kate turned pink. "Yes... I think I am now."

Sarah giggled. "I'm looking forward to seeing your pictures."

Kate made a sour face. She could just imagine Sarah waggling her eyebrows. "You can thank Kim for that one."

"I'll make sure to do just that. In fact, I'll even offer to start working on that album of your embarrassing moments for you."

"You would like that way too much..." Kate mumbled.

"Can't blame a girl for trying. Kate," Sarah reprimanded, "I know there's more. You always save the best for last. Tell."

Kate grimaced sheepishly. "Yesterday while I was making breakfast Clay caught me dancing to my tunes." Sarah started laughing and Kate frowned. "You know, that was his reaction, after he startled me... So I tickled him."

"You didn't." Sarah giggled again. "That's the surest way to get yourself in trouble."

That's an understatement, Kate thought. "Um, yeah. We ended up in a wrestling match."

"A wrestling match?" Sarah asked. "That's usually a good way to get yourself kissed passionately. I know from personal experience. So did he?"

"Well, no."

An audible silence was heard from Sarah's end, and for a moment Kate wondered if she had lost the signal. "No? So what happened?"

Kate bit her lip. "Remember when you asked me if I wanted to be on the bottom?"

"Yes..."

A deep blush covered Kate's entire face. I am never going to live this down... "Um... I ended up on the bottom after all, pinned bodily to the floor by our friend Mister Aiken."

"Oh my!" Sarah's voice sounded concerned. "How did you deal with that - were you okay?"

Kate's blush turned even deeper red. "I, uh... well..." She gave a sheepish giggle.

"You liked it!" Sarah laughed even harder. "Oh, Katydid, you do my heart good."

"He had me good - I wasn't going much of anywhere." Kate blushed again. "And you should have heard what he said." She repeated Clay's faux pas, and Sarah once again broke into laughter. "I told him that I was glad I wasn't the only one to hang my shoes out of my mouth."

Sarah groaned. "Oh, that is just too funny..."

"That's easy for you to say! You weren't the one pinned beneath a smolderingly sexy man!" Sarah giggled again at Kate's choice of words, and Kate placed her hand over her heart. "And how he looked at me was certainly not a laughing matter either. I could see in his eyes how much he wanted to kiss me then and there."

"Oh my... I knew that wrestling match was a kiss waiting to happen."

"He didn't kiss me though - instead he said we should get up before Kim caught us." Kate grimaced. "That would have taken quite some explaining... I'm just glad he got up when he did. His cell phone was nailing me right in the leg."

"Cell phone?" Sarah sounded puzzled. "Why would he have his cell phone on him before breakfast?"

"Beats me," Kate replied, equally puzzled. "Especially since he was wearing his sleepclothes..." Sarah shrieked delightedly and started laughing. "What?"

"Katydid," Sarah gasped, "that wasn't his phone."

Then what...? Kate chewed her lip in thought until - Her eyes suddenly widened and her jaw dropped. "Oh my..." she squeaked, her voice a hoarse whisper. Sarah continued to laugh uncontrollably and Kate covered her open mouth with her hand. "Oh... my... gosh..." she whimpered.

At last Sarah's laughter died down, and she let out a groan. "Oh, I laughed too hard. Now I gotta go to the bathroom."

Kate snickered. That would be Sarah...

"Katydid... you are too sweet and innocent for your own good. You know that?" Sarah asked.

"Um, yeah, if I didn't figure that out until now. Guilty as charged." Kate chewed the pad of her thumb thoughtfully. "That would certainly explain a lot about the way he acted after that," she muttered under her breath.

Immediately Sarah pounced. "I knew there were too many hormones involved. Tell me everything."

Kate didn't go into detail, but she did tell Sarah about Clay's amorous attentions in the kitchen, including how Clay chose to end the encounter. "Sarah... he completely respects me. I have never had a man make me feel that way, and I have never had a man (much less the same man) respect me in the way that Clay respects me. I am so lucky - no, blessed! - to be his lady."

"No kidding..."

"The scary thing," Kate admitted, "is how much I was into what he was doing to me. I wanted him to kiss me, deeply and passionately and for a loooong time. And I probably would have let him, if he had tried."

"Really."

"Says a mouthful about how I feel about him, doesn't it?" She sighed. "But somehow this makes him all the more amazing. When it does happen between us, it will be all the more special because of how he deliberately chose to respect me and wait."

Sarah whistled in appreciation. "Wow. I'm glad you are looking at it that way. Kate," she continued, "it's the third day you've been there. What if he wants to kiss you tonight?"

Kate's heart did a frightful wrench inside of her, and she knew that the nightmare had given her a serious scare. She tried unsuccessfully to shake it off. "I guess I'll take that one as it comes."

The two women finished up their conversation, and within minutes Clay opened the door of his dressing room. Kate glanced at him, wearing a simple blue button-down shirt underneath his navy pinstripe suit. Wow, Kate thought to herself as a smile slowly crept onto her face. He sure can take a woman's breath away.

Completely oblivious to Kate's enchanted state of mind, Clay met her eye with a nervous smile. "Hey, darlin'."

"Hey, handsome."

That's the second time she's called me that, Clay marveled. "D-Do you really mean that? Do you really think I'm handsome?"

"Yes," Kate admitted shyly. "I did already when I saw you audition in Atlanta. You looked like a regular, sweet, everyday guy, and that appeals to me. But you're more than just an everyday guy, so much more. There was just..." she sighed, "something about you that was magical, something I can't entirely put my finger on, even now." Kate looked him directly in the eye. "Since that day I've learned some of the things about you that make you so wonderful... your faith, your compassion and your love for people, your gentleness and tenderness, your integrity, your complete confidence in who you are, your vulnerability, your humility, your sense of humor, your beautiful voice and musicianship... and that's just for starts. It's like that's not all, there's more. And you really do appeal to the eye... or at least you appeal to mine. You have beautiful, expressive eyes, and an absolutely gorgeous, warm smile." She gave him another warm smile of her own. "And those are the first things I notice about a guy's appearance - that and his hands." Kate took his hands in her own and gave the backs of his fingers on each hand the lightest of kisses, barely grazing them with her lips.

"Wow," Clay breathed in awe. He swallowed a lump in his throat, unsure whether he was more moved by her words or her show of affection. "I-I never saw myself anything like that at all. I don't think I'm that good-looking, I don't think I'm anything special... and I sure don't see myself as any kind of catch that a woman would be interested in." A small smile turned the corner of his mouth. "I certainly never believed that an amazing woman like you would be interested in me."

Kate continued to meet his eye. Clay sweetheart, she wanted to say, you're my lifelong dream come true. But she kept the thought to herself, instead looking deeply into his hopeful green eyes. "That would be like us, to believe in the other person but not ourselves."

Clay nodded gently. "That would be like us..."

They continued to stare at each other for several minutes, both not wanting to be the one to make the next move or to break eye contact. Finally Kate shut her eyes and pressed her lips tightly together to keep back the raw emotion. When she spoke, she sounded a bit hoarse. "I'm sorry, Clay. I'm still kind of shaken up by this morning."

Clay nodded. "Of course you are. I'm sorry that it's still so hard for you... whatever it is." He pulled her into his arms, and she laid her head on his shoulder.

A forty-some man with a headset and mike on his head and a clipboard in his hand whirled by them at top speed. "Makeup room, Aiken. Get going."

Clay frowned and sighed under his breath. "Never a quiet moment together. Come on." He took her hand and led her to the makeup room at the studio where Regis was already seated in one of the chairs. "Here we are. Now you get to watch them try to make me look beautiful." The sarcasm was evident in his voice.

Kate chose to ignore it. "Too late," she told him with a smile. "You already are."

"Awww..." Clay said as Regis winked at her.

She grinned. "Now they get to make you presentable for the camera."

"Hopefully I won't break any of them today." Clay sat in the chair they indicated, and was immediately covered by a beautician's apron. He held out his hands in a shrug as Kate snickered.

Kate stood there watching in fascination as they went through the whole process of flat-ironing his hair. "You know, sweetheart," Kate said with mirth in her voice, "this is the first time I've dated a man whose hair required more maintenance than mine."

Clay chuckled sheepishly as Regis grinned. "And she has long hair, too," Regis told him.

The hair stylist working on Clay's hair smiled. "I could have fun styling your hair, miss."

Kate raised an eyebrow. "I bet you could. But I find that I really prefer wearing it down most the time, like I'm doing now. It looks nicer." And it's easier... my only hair tool other than a brush or comb is a combination blow dryer and flat iron. She slipped out her camera and aimed it at Clay and the stylist, making sure to get Regis in the shot too.

"Don't even think of it, honey," Clay began as she snapped the picture. He sighed and made a face.

"This is for my scrapbook," Kate answered. "I'll take pictures of you if I want." Clay groaned.

The makeup artist working on Regis held out his hand. "Here - I'll take one of both of you."

Clay pointed to his half-done hair, which was sticking straight out in all directions. "Not like this."

"Aww..." Kate said, putting her face right beside Clay's. She took a length of hair on the opposite side of Clay's head and held it out as far as she could get it to go. Instantly Clay broke into a big smile. "Ready!" she told the man. He snapped the photo and handed the camera back to Kate. "Thank you."

"Now that you've stuck your hand into my masterpiece," the stylist began, "I should get to play with yours."

Kate grinned impishly and indicated Clay. "You've already got one started," she giggled.

Regis turned to her. "C'mon pretty lady, how often do you get to have a Hollywood-certified stylist do you up?"

Not all that often... Kate agreed, blushing lightly. "It's not like anyone's gonna see me."

Clay turned to her with a smile. "That doesn't matter. You deserve to be fussed over as often as possible. You deserve to be treated like a princess. My princess."

An irrepressible grin covered Kate's face as Clay referred to her as his princess. He is sooo sweet.

As if Clay was soaking up the sunlight in her eyes, his smile grew to match hers and he continued to gaze affectionately at her. Suddenly the stylist whacked Clay lightly but firmly on the shoulder with the back of a hairbrush, and both Clay and Kate jumped. "What was that for?" Clay scowled.

"You," the stylist sniffed, "are holding up the magic."

Obediently Clay turned back to the front, and Kate had to bite down hard on her knuckle to keep herself from laughing. "Come on, honey," Clay coaxed, "let him pamper you a bit. If nothing else, consider it practice for the premiere."

"Well... if you want to put it that way..." She gingerly sat in the chair beside Clay and continued to watch as the man finished Clay's hair before moving over to her. He started fussing with her hair as another makeup artist began putting stage makeup on Clay for the television cameras. "Love the cake makeup."

"Mmm," Clay grunted stoically as his face was smeared all over by a foundation sponge. "I'm just glad I'm not allergic to this."

"Me too. I'm not allergic to theatrical makeup either," Kate said, "but it still made me break out when I was in school plays."

"We'll put it on light then," the stylist told her.

Conversation continued in a similar light vein until once more the man with the clipboard returned. "Is Aiken in here?"

"Yes," Clay answered from underneath a powder puff.

The man pointed to Kate. "This the girlfriend?"

Clay looked annoyed. "Yes, she's my lady. What is it?"

To the man's credit, he turned next to Kate. "People are starting to enter the studio. We should get you to your seat before someone else tries to take it."

"Else?" Kate frowned at that. "That sounds like my cue." She glanced up at the stylist. "Are we done here?"

He nodded. "We're done."

Kate smiled at him. "Thank you. This was fun - I enjoyed it a lot." The hair and makeup man nodded. Giving the man with the clipboard a just a minute signal, she stepped over to Clay. "I want to wish you the best, sweetheart. Break a leg."

Clay grinned mischievously. "Is that a hint?"

"That's a saying, wise guy." Kate rolled her eyes. She glanced over his made-up face. I miss his freckles already. "Is there a safe place to kiss you and not get in trouble?"

Clay turned to her, the mischief still playing in his eyes. He knew where he wanted it, but also knew he'd get in trouble for suggesting it. "Anywhere you want to place it is fine with me, honey."

She glanced at the makeup artist, who nodded approval. "All right." She gently kissed his cheekbone, right underneath his eye. "Always remember that I believe in you." With those last words and a gentle touch of his chin with her thumb, she followed the man with the clipboard out the door.

As Clay smiled broadly and heaved a deeply contented sigh, Regis gave him a sideways glance. "There's an old saying, Clay, that says there are two things a man cannot hide - that he is drunk, and that he is in love. And you, my friend," Regis pointed at him, "are in love."

"I'm working on it," Clay admitted.

Regis smiled with a twinkle in his eye. "So, should we have the hoses out to cool the two of you off after your first song?"

Clay shrugged, trying to hide his amusement at remembering last night's water fight. "Doubt it. Ruben told me that she's either going to cry or kiss me. Either way, Kate's not much into public displays of affection. Hoses won't be necessary."

"Nice choices. Kisses make better ratings." Another impish look from Regis. "I think it'd make you happier too."

Clay blushed lightly before giving it a moment's thought. "I'm betting she'll start crying."

"We should probably do that song shortly after we start your interview," Regis mused thoughtfully.

Michael Gelman, the producer of Regis and Kelly, entered the room. "I have already told our cameramen what's going on so they know to cut to your girlfriend from time to time."

She's going to love that, Clay chuckled to himself. An idea came to him just then. "Maybe I can help with that..."

"How shy do you think she will be if we put her on camera?"

Clay slowly exhaled in thought. "I'm not sure. She had kind of a rough morning, so she wasn't quite herself when Regis first met her in the hall."

"Not herself?" Gelman raised an eyebrow. "Give me specifics."

Clay ignored Gelman and smiled a bit. "What we saw in here a minute ago was more the Kate I know."

Regis nodded at Gelman. "Gelman, man, we'll play it by ear!"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
On the set of the studio

Kate turned off her cell phone as the filled-to-capacity studio audience waited with anticipation. Her seat was front row center, so she would have a good view of everything that went on during the show. She glanced at her watch - two more minutes. Well, Lord, this is it, she thought. Help him do well, and help him to give you glory in everything he says and does. Not in that order, of course. Nervously she chewed on the knuckle of her thumb - why did she have the butterflies today?

Gelman walked out onto the set and turned on his microphone. "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I'm producer Michael Gelman, and I would like to welcome you to today's show of Live! With Regis and Kelly. Unfortunately Kelly is home sick with the flu, so you will only see half of the team." When the audience murmured their sympathies, he nodded. "But we do have someone to fill in for her. Regis will introduce this morning's co-host whom, I might add, he recruited himself. Without further delay, I give you the star of our show, Regis Philbin!"

Regis walked out onto the set to a rousing round of applause from the audience. He acknowledged the applause with a wave and a smile as he took his seat center stage at the desk used for the beginning of the show. "Thank you everyone, and good morning. Gelman has already told you that Kelly is sick this morning. Hope it wasn't something I said." As Regis gave a mock grimace, the audience laughed. "Of course, I'm sure after one day at home with a hyper two-year-old, she'll be looking forward to coming back. But in the meanwhile, the show must go on, and go on it will. I asked one of our guests to fill in for Kelly at the last minute, and he accepted graciously. Here he is, America - Clay Aiken!"

Clay walked out to enthusiastic applause and whistles, raising his hand in a friendly wave as he joined Regis. Kate grinned as she too applauded, her eyes sparkling at him. Somehow he knew exactly where to look, and he met her eye. Immediately he broke into a broad grin of his own, and winked at her. Keeping it subtle, Kate blew him a kiss. He briefly closed his eyes as if to savor it, and waited for the applause to die down.

Regis turned to Clay, and the two men shook hands. "Glad you could join us this morning. I'm told this was kind of an unplanned appearance for you."

Clay gave one nod. "I found out about it two days ago."

Regis shook his head. "That's not much notice."

"No, but you learn to be flexible, and you learn not to be afraid to ask for a few favors in return."

With a nod, Regis went on. "And we'll learn what you asked for in a little while."

As Regis dug through the news clippings on the desk, Clay bounced restlessly in his seat. "I still can't believe I'm doing this." He looked right at the camera. "Mom, look - I'm co-hosting with Regis!" Clay, ever the expressive soul, gave the camera a huge muggy grin.

Kate giggled. He is just too cute...

Regis shot him an amused look. "You're just like an overgrown kid!"

"Yeah!" Clay responded enthusiastically.

With a stoic sigh, Regis turned to the camera. "I feel like I'm in a kindergarten!"

"Only without the hazard pay..." Clay quipped.

"Madonna is expecting again," Regis mentioned, holding up the newspaper clipping. "She is due sometime around Christmas."

Clay shook his head with amazement at the article. "It's still hard to believe the Material Girl has become the maternal girl."

"Hey, that was my line a while back!" Clay shrugged at Regis as the audience laughed. At last Regis shook his head. "She's definitely not Like a Virgin..." The audience laughed harder as Clay gaped. Regis put that news clipping back in favor of another one. "According to the New York Times, Michael Jackson has written his autobiography."

Clay made a sour-faced grimace. "I bet that one's going to be a real Thriller..."

Regis cast a mock glare at Clay amidst the audience chuckles and groans. "Do you mind? I'm trying to have a show here!"

Clay shook his head. "No, I don't mind." Regis gave Clay a double-take as Clay turned back to Kate with a wink and a smile.

With a grin and a sigh Regis replaced the second news clipping and fished for a third. "Why do I have the feeling that today's show might as well be called Live with Clay and Regis? Gelman, some help here!"

Gelman shook his head. "You recruited him."

Clay gave his lip a guilty bite as Regis shrugged broadly. "Isn't anyone out there on my side?" His question was met by hearty applause from the audience and from Clay. Regis acknowledged the audience first before turning back to Clay. "Thank you, Clay. Very gentlemanly of you."

"Anytime."

Regis skimmed the article heading of the news clipping in his hand. "Paul McCartney has dropped the charges against the photographer who published the recent photos of him and his children at the beach."

Clay shrugged. "I guess he decided just to Let it Be."

The audience roared as Regis gave Clay another look of mock disgust. "Who pulled your chain?" Clay met Kate's eye and giggled as she bit her knuckle until her eyes watered from keeping back her laughter. "I would have you co-host more often, but you keep stealing the show!" Clay shrugged with mock guilt and Regis went on. "No one's 'Aiken' for your bad puns, you know!"

Clay let his shoulders and head hang with pretend disappointment. "You've convinced me, Regis. It looks like I have feet of Clay."

Kate groaned along with the rest of the audience. It could be dangerous, she thought to herself, if he and I ever got into a punning match. She remembered back to college where she got into an impromptu pun war with an ex-boyfriend. The two had traded puns for an hour and a half straight before the resident assistant came by to remind her that visiting hours were up and she needed to get back to her own dorm. Who knows how long we'd go at it.

Regis turned back to Gelman. "Why don't we just move on to Travel Trivia?" The theme music for the game began, and the prize wheel glided next to the desk. Regis greeted the caller, and he and Clay passed a little pleasant conversation before Regis spun the wheel. After it landed on a trip to Mexico, Regis asked the caller a trivia question regarding one of the guests from the previous day. Fortunately the caller knew the answer and won the prize. They then picked a number for a random audience member to win a prize of a luggage set, and a woman several rows back and right from Kate stood up to polite applause.

"Coming up next," Regis said to wrap up this portion of the show, "an interview with Clay Aiken, today's guest co-host. We'll be right back."

Ohh... Kate groaned as a group of stagehands removed the desk set and added some other seats. This show is so funny! She glanced up at the two showmen conversing quietly but with animation slightly off to the side. Get Clay and Regis together, and LOOK OUT! With the set rearranged, Regis and Clay wandered out among the furniture. Kate cocked her head in confusion. Instead of the usual high-legged chairs that they normally used, today the set had a pair of upholstered chairs. Odd. She shrugged and waited for them to start the next segment.

With the attention of the audience once more captured by Gelman, Regis began again. "Welcome back, everyone. And let's give another big welcome to our first guest and today's co-host Clay Aiken." The audience responded with enthusiasm, and Clay beamed. He waved away the applause as if to say Cut it out, guys, I don't deserve all that. When it died down, Regis turned to Clay for his interview. "Well, Clay, tonight is the big night. The premiere of your first motion picture. How do you feel about that?"

Clay gave an exaggerated nervous grin. "I'm really excited but at the same time I'm really nervous about it. I believe that it's a good script," Clay said, "but that doesn't mean other people will share my opinions. I mean, look at how many bad reviews my debut album, Measure of a Man, got."

Regis made a dismissive wave with his hand. "They don't know what they're talking about! After all, the album went double-platinum in the first week!"

The audience broke into applause, and Clay nodded his appreciation to them. "I still haven't figured that one out myself. I mean, if all these critics hated it so much, then who was buying it? It's like when the first single went platinum - people were buying five and six copies of the thing." Clay shook his head. "I think they must have done the same thing with Measure of a Man."

Kate chewed on her thumb sheepishly. She herself had purchased four copies of the single and three of the album (most of which she had given to friends and family as gifts). Don't think I'll tell Clay that. Of course that was still better than the woman she had bumped into who had already bought five and was getting her sixth... and that woman had been old enough to be Kate's grandmother.

"A lot of people have been speculating about who you'll take to the premiere, but up 'til now you've been pretty quiet about it." Regis's eyes twinkled with pure mischief, and Clay knew what was coming up next. "What I want to know is who you're taking to the premiere. You have a special lady in mind or something and want to hide it from everyone?"

Clay grinned and shook his head. "No, I'm not hiding anything. I'm going with my mom and my brothers and sister..." He paused a brief moment before dropping the bombshell. "... and my girlfriend."

The audience went wild, and Regis waited for it to die down before going on. "After all this time, you finally found yourself a woman." He leaned forward in the chair and held his hands out imploringly. "You should have brought her with you!"

Clay turned to look at Kate, who was watching him with a shy and embarrassed smile half hidden by one hand. "I did. Her name is Kathryn Kirche, but most of the time she goes by Kate. She's the beautiful lady sitting in the front row trying to go unnoticed." Immediately Kate sensed the eyes of the audience members turning to her, and she turned a brilliant shade of pink. Clay gave a slight giggle. "Don't try to hide like that, honey. Nobody will see you if you do that, and I want everyone to see you and know who I think is the most amazing woman in America." The hand dropped from in front of Kate's mouth and she laughed incredulously, blushing fiercely all the while.

Regis turned to the audience. "You know the woman rates highly when the only way Clay would come on the show today was if he got a front-row seat and all-points access for her while he was here!" He turned back to Clay. "That was a pretty strong-arm tactic you used."

"I know," Clay admitted, "but it wasn't the fault of anyone on the show. One of my PR people seemed to have misplaced his calendar and forgot that this was the week that she was coming to visit me in L.A. He scheduled me for the show after I had already told him I wasn't doing any appearances except for the premiere, and called me Wednesday night when it was too late to back out. I gave him my demands," Clay gave Regis a sly look, "and told him that was the only way I would do it, and if he didn't get the job done then he could call and cancel. I bet he won't lose his calendar again."

Kate snickered to herself. Jeff would have a conniption fit when he knew Clay had told the story here on the show. Serves the man right...

"So you brought her today," Regis began, "and she'll be your date to the premiere tonight."

Clay nodded. "That's right," he acknowledged. "She went shopping yesterday with Kim Locke for dresses for the premiere." He frowned unhappily at Regis. "Did you know that they wouldn't show them to me? What's up with that?"

It's called 'the feminine mystique'... Kate thought to herself as she raised an eyebrow.

Regis shrugged, at a loss to explain, but he didn't let it stop him for long. "Fortunately there will be plenty of coverage by the entertainment shows tonight, and all of America will get to see you and your lovely lady. And all of America will probably be going to the premiere of your film!" The audience applauded, and Clay recognized them with a gracious nod of his head. "So what other projects do you have in the making?" Regis asked at last.

Clay turned back to the audience. "I have another album in the works, yet untitled. A lot of the songs on this one were written by one of my fans, a wonderful woman by the name of Charlotte Walsh. She's an absolute sweetheart, like an aunt to me. And I do call her my aunt, because of all the amazing support she has given me in letters and cards and the songs she has written."

"Do you have any of them ready that you could sing for us?" Regis asked, giving Clay his cue.

"Funny you should mention that," Clay nodded. "I happen to have one along with me today."

Kate raised one eyebrow - this was planned. Clayton Aiken, what are you up to now?

Regis turned back to the camera. "And we'll hear the first song from Clay's next album right after this." With that the show went to commercial break, and both Clay and Regis stood as the ever-present stagehands quickly removed the chairs. Immediately Clay went off to the side to talk with the soundman, keeping his back to the audience. The soundman nodded several times in a row before he handed Clay a microphone and gave him a high-five. Kate shook her head, amused.

When they were ready, Regis once again introduced the next section of the show. "Here to sing the newest song from his upcoming album, Clay Aiken!"

Clay stood quietly center stage as the audience applauded him. Fidgeting briefly with the microphone, he began his own introduction to the song. "As I said earlier, this was written by Charlotte Walsh. She wrote this song with the idea that I would someday want to sing it to that special woman in my life." He looked directly at Kate, and smiled warmly as she gaped at him in shock. "So today I am singing it to my girlfriend Kathryn Kirche. It's called You Are Always There. And believe me, honey, you are." Clay brought up the microphone, continuing to watch Kate as her mouth trembled with emotion and her eyes started misting up. Ruben was right - she's going to cry. After several bars of musical introduction, Clay began the song.

"You have always seen
The very best there was to me
You have always chose
To believe in what could be
And when my sky turned shades of gray
You drove my fears away
I cannot help but wonder
Just what it is you see

"When my daytime turns to night
You are always there
When the tears fall from my eyes
You are always there
When the pain fills up my soul
And I feel no longer whole
You show me just how much you really care
You are always there"

As a brief instrumental interlude played, Clay walked straight over to a teary Kate and knelt down in front of her. Taking her hand, he went on singing the song directly to her.

"You have always been
The one who sees me through
You have always shown
What the power of love can do
And baby now I realize
The treasure right before my eyes
I think the time has finally come
To share my heart with you

"When my daytime turns to night
You are always there
When the tears fall from my eyes
You are always there
When the pain fills up my soul
And I feel no longer whole
You show me just how much you really care
You are always there"

Clay finished the final note, and the accompaniment track ended. As the audience applauded him enthusiastically, Clay squeezed her hand with a smile and started to stand back upright. Without warning Kate leapt from her chair and threw her arms around his neck to hug him soundly. Her sudden motion knocked him off balance, and the two of them tumbled over unceremoniously onto the floor. As the audience shrieked and cheered for the couple, Clay groaned. He looked up into Kate's mortified eyes. "This is getting to be a habit with us..." he grimaced.

Regis was instantly nearby. "I thought you said we wouldn't need to pry you apart!"

Clay sighed, ignoring the hysterics of the audience. "I'm gonna get him for that..."

Blushing brilliantly, Kate immediately rolled off of Clay, and the two of them helped each other stand. "Can I try that hug again, sweetie?" she whispered shyly. Clay smiled and nodded gently, and the two of them embraced tightly as the audience continued to applaud them.

At last Clay pulled back a bit from her. Tenderly he wiped the tears from her eyes. "That was why I wouldn't sing that song for you in the elevator," he whispered to her with a highly satisfied grin. "I wanted to sing it to you here."

Kate smiled warmly and stood on tiptoe to gently kiss his cheek. "You are such a romantic..."

Clay's grin warmed further. She did kiss me. I should sing to her more often. "And you love it," he told her, kissing her forehead in return.

Regis motioned to Clay to return to center stage. Kate started to sit back down, but Regis motioned again. "Bring her up, Clay. I'm sure America wants to meet your sweetheart."

Kate's eyes bulged at Clay, who smiled and indicated Regis with a nod of his head. "I'm here for you, too," he whispered. With a deep breath, Kate took his hand. Transferring it to his other hand so he could place his arm around her, the two of them walked back to join Regis. They stood side by side next to Regis, with their arms still affectionately wrapped around each other's back.

Regis indicated Clay and Kate with his hand as he turned to the audience. "Don't they look good together?" he asked, and the audience once more broke into applause while Clay and Kate exchanged a tender look. "We'll talk more to Clay and his lady Kate after the break."

Kate heaved a shaky sigh as the cameras cut to commercial. Clay gave her a quick peck on the top of her head. "Take deep breaths, honey," he said as another soundman immediately descended upon Kate with a wireless microphone.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this..." she whispered.

"You'll be fine, darlin'," Clay encouraged her. "I believe in you - and I'll be right here beside you." He gave her another affectionate kiss, this time on her forehead.

Once the soundman had the microphone and all its cords tucked discretely out of sight, Kate smoothed her outfit. "Oo, now I'm wired."

"Oh no," Regis groaned. "Not another one!" He pointed at her and turned to Clay. "We're not going through this thing with the puns again!"

Clay giggled. "Give her a chance, Regis. You'll find out just how funny she is."

Regis indicated their seats, and Kate found herself surprised to see one of the same chairs from earlier for Regis and a matching couch for the two of them. Well... this looks premeditated... Nervously, she sat beside Clay, taking comfort in his nearness and the support she knew she had from him.

Clay took her hand. "You'll be fine, honey," he whispered and kissed her on the cheek. "The first time's always the hardest."

Kate smiled at him and laced her fingers in with his. "Thank you for believing in me."

Clay grinned back. "You started it."

"Before the break," Regis introduced the next segment of the show, "we heard Clay sing a special selection from his upcoming album to his girlfriend, Kate Kirche. Since all of America is probably dying to meet this new lady love, we have her here with us now to find out what kind of woman could capture the heart of one Clay Aiken."

A light pink crept up Kate's face. That's a daunting thing to hear. Breathe, girl, breathe... 'I can do all things through God who gives me strength...'

Regis addressed Kate. "Kate, tell us what you do for a living."

"I teach Spanish and German in the secondary school system in Kearney, Nebraska, and I love every minute of it." Kate grinned at Clay. "You have to have fun at your work or it's not worth doing."

"And that, folks," Regis commented, "is the secret to a happier life. So how did you two meet?"

Kate glanced at Clay, who waited patiently for her to answer with an impish look on his face. He's letting me do this... yikes. "I started out as just another fan writing him letters. It was three and a half months after I wrote the first one that I received a letter from him, and that was a short two years ago. We've been writing and emailing and calling each other ever since." She shrugged. "I still haven't figured out what I did to impress him, but here I am."

"Clay," Regis turned to him, "maybe that's a question you can answer."

Clay smiled gently at Kate before turning back to Regis. "Her first letter was a very well-written letter, and I saw a woman who was open, sincere, very real, and funny. It was obvious to me that she was a special lady." He chuckled once and went on. "I barely finished reading her first letter and I started digging through my stacks of fan mail to see if there was more. And there was, a lot more. I read every one of them in one night, in the order she sent them to me. She had been sending me more letters, cards of encouragement, and the like... all sorts of amazing things that just said to me she believed in me and was thinking of me. It was really touching, and I knew that she was someone I wanted to know better. That's when I wrote back."

Kate frowned thoughtfully. "And how is that different from any of your other fans?"

Clay bit his lip, at a loss to explain. "There's just something about you, honey, like you said to me backstage earlier. All the little things that make you beautiful. My other fans are special too, but not in the same way that you are." He looked her in the eye. "I-I don't know how else to say it."

"What are some of those things about her that make her special?" Regis prompted, interrupting what could have been another lengthy gazing match.

Looking Kate in the eye and giving her a gentle smile, Clay started to tell everyone what he loved most about her. "She loves God whole-heartedly like no other woman I've met before. Her faith is absolutely amazing, strong and full of wisdom. She shows complete love and total acceptance to everyone around her, and is so incredibly giving. Three years ago she went on a week-long mission trip with one of her cousins."

"Really?" Regis asked with obvious interest.

"Yeah! I'm hoping that next summer I'll go with her."

Regis nodded at the camera. "You heard it here, folks..."

Clay beamed at her and continued. "She respects people and their thoughts and feelings. She listens to and believes in people and their dreams and ideas. She's thoughtful and considerate. She's the best encourager ever - I know how much of a difference she's made to me. She's good with animals and children and senior citizens. She's intelligent, creative, and very funny. She's very active in her church and community doing all sorts of service-oriented things."

"Like the mission trip."

Clay nodded. "Like the mission trip. She's also involved in a care-giving ministry and teaching Sunday school... things like that." He turned back to Regis. "And that's just a start."

Kate gave a wry smile. "He makes me sound like a saint..."

Regis leaned forward in his chair. "Tell me more about your mission trip. Where did you go?"

Clay gave Kate his full attention, and after receiving an encouraging nod from him she began. "We went to the town of Les Ceyes on the island country of Haiti. Our tasks were to teach bible school and to build a school for the church there. We also helped out in the feeding program there."

"I understand," Regis said, "that there is a lot of poverty there. Give me your impressions of Haiti."

Kate heaved a deep sigh. "You could not be any more right about the poverty situation. Haiti is the poorest nation in the western hemisphere, and with voodoo as the official religion the people have nothing, no hope in their lives or for their future. But we share the gospel of the risen Lord with them, and we help them plant Christian churches in Haiti. And the churches we work with there are working to make education affordable to the children, which will improve their lives by giving them a chance at a future." She went on. "Several of the Haitian pastors believe that Haiti's future lies in education - give the Haitians the tools of helping themselves and changing their own world. And as a teacher, I agree with them."

"You saw the poverty for yourself?"

Kate closed her eyes and nodded. "Words just cannot describe what I saw and experienced. Photos and video do not do it justice." She swallowed and went on. "Eighty percent or better of the population is unemployed. The average yearly wage is one hundred dollars, American. And on this, they try to keep their families going... and they have some large families, some ten or better, living in an eight by ten home. Most of us have a living room bigger than that, and the whole family lives in a home this size." Kate continued describing the horrible living conditions, including the political situation of the country, the appalling crime rate, poor sanitation, and the lack of clothing, food, and clean water for cooking and drinking. "I saw raw sewage in the streets all over town, and animals were eating the sewage. I saw standing water in roadside ditches being used for bathing cars and clothes and people - and I'm sure this is the same water that people took home for drinking and cooking. I saw crowds of children who might have had one piece of clothing each, and they were wearing it." Slowly she smiled. "But I also saw hope on the faces of the children that I taught, when they learned about the love of God. Life has meaning for those who have hope. It was the single most enriching, life-changing experience I have ever had... and I want to go back some day." She glanced at Clay and winked. "Maybe next summer."

Regis pointed at Clay. "And this guy wants to go with you."

Kate's smile grew. "That's what he tells me... and that's what his mom tells me."

Clay looked at her. "She did? What did she say about it?"

"She blamed me for putting the idea in your head." Kate giggled. "As if you need help coming up with any of your mischief..."

Clay gave her a mockingly dirty look as a stagehand slipped up to Regis and handed him a cue card. "I am hurt that you would say that about me."

"Oh," Kate nodded at him, "and who stuck a garden hose down my back last night?"

Clay crossed his arms as Regis and the audience broke into laughter. "Who started it?" he asked her.

Kate raised her eyebrow. "You did - with the spray bottle."

Clay made a face. "You were taking pictures of Ruben and me at the grill."

"So were your mother and sister, but did you squirt them? No." Kate pouted. "Just me."

Regis put the cue card down and broke into the conversation. "I was just told by one of the stagehands that we have a phone call from one of our viewers that we want to take. Hello, you're on the air live with Regis and Clay. Who's this?"

A woman's voice answered. "This is Patricia, but Clay can call me Mom."

Kate blanched - she recognized that voice instantly. Clay's mother wanted me to call her Mom, and now my own is returning the favor... Kate had not yet had a chance to tell her parents about her time with Clay's family - so Kate's mother had no idea that Clay's mother had made the same offer. What are the odds? Of course with Kate's mother, the odds were irrelevant. She held her breath and waited for the other proverbial shoe to drop.

Clay smiled warmly and put his arm back around Kate. "Gee, thanks. That's sweet... Mom. What can we do for you today?"

"I just wanted to tell you," Patricia said innocently, "that you look very good with my daughter."

Clay's jaw dropped as the audience hooted with laughter. Kate sighed. Bingo. "Hi, Mom..."

Patricia replied. "Hi, honey."

Clay turned to Kate with horror written on his face. "Th-That's your mom?" When Kate nodded he let his head drop with embarrassment, and she knew that he was wishing he hadn't just called her Mom. Of course Kate knew he would have been equally as horrified if he had called her by her first name... "I am so sorry, Mrs. Kirche..." Clay stammered.

"Don't be. I told you to call me Mom."

And history repeats itself... Kate thought with amusement.

Patricia addressed Kate next. "You've got a keeper there, honey."

"Thanks, Mom. I think so too." Kate took Clay's hand and squeezed it as he listened to the unfolding conversation. "Glad to hear you're doing well. How's Dad?" she asked.

"He's fine - just giving me funny looks."

Big surprise. Kate snickered. "That's my pop. Tell him I love him."

"You just did." Patricia paused for a moment, and Kate knew instantly that she was preparing another quip that they would both regret. "I see the two of you have fallen for each other..."

Once more the audience broke into laughter as Clay turned bright red. Kate made a face. "Thanks, Mom." She gave Clay a sympathetic glance. "Clay," she indicated the ceiling where they were piping her mother's voice through speakers, "my mother." Keeping his hand in hers, she returned her attention to her mother. "It's not the first time I've knocked him flat on his mm-hm..." She cleared her throat and rubbed her nose with embarrassment.

As the audience howled, Patricia went on. "Oh really...?"

"Yeah. I'll tell you later..."

Clay looked infinitely relieved. "Thank you," he breathed.

Regis again broke into the conversation. "We want to thank you for calling in, Patricia. I take it you have not yet met Clay or his family."

"Not yet," Patricia acknowledged, "but maybe soon we will. After all, Kate's brother Andrew is coming home for Christmas, and we're prepared to have a houseful - hint hint."

Kate nodded, a patient expression on her face. That's my mother... Subtlety was not her mom's strong point on days like these. "I hear you, Mom."

For a few more moments Regis continued to moderate the conversation, asking a few questions that allowed Clay to get to know Kate's mother and vice versa before cutting it regretfully short. "Ladies and gentlemen, give a round of applause for Kate's mother, Patricia Kirche." The audience responded immediately, and Kate nodded her thanks to them. Regis turned back to Kate, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "I'm seeing a trend here - this is the second time you've knocked Clay down?"

Kate nodded with a deep guilty sigh. "Yeah... both times were accidental, of course. I am probably the biggest klutz I know. Even Clay," Kate indicated him with a hand, "doesn't know just how much of a klutz I am."

"Can you give us an example?"

Kate turned to address the camera directly. "Sarah, I give you our canoe trip." She turned back to Regis, knowing full well that her best friend was rolling on the floor laughing hysterically at home. "During my senior year of college, my best friend and I went on the campus ministries' canoe trip down one of the rivers there in Nebraska. Beautiful, scenic river in the Sandhills - great canoeing. She and I were sharing a canoe, and having a great time. Except when the group stopped for lunch. We stopped at this little... clearing, for lack of a better word, on one side where there was this gorgeous, high waterfall, and everyone wanted to do a little swimming in the pond and the waterfall there." Kate gently squeezed Clay's hand, and he squeezed hers back. "The group finally coaxed me under the waterfall, and I got myself drenched."

Clay gave her an impish smile. "Like yesterday."

Kate glanced up at him. "Much worse - from head to toe. When I came out I went to shake my hair," she illustrated with a slow shake of her head, "kind of like the way a dog shakes himself. Somehow I lost my footing completely - fell, and smacked my face on a log in the water." The audience gave a collective gasp as Clay gaped, and Kate nodded. "Yeah - ouch. I was fortunate though... I didn't knock myself out, just knocked myself silly."

"No concussion or anything?" Regis asked, obviously concerned.

Kate shook her head. "If I had one, I don't know about it. But I did have some scrapes and a huge bruise - here," she touched the area just underneath her eye, "and here," she touched her chin on the same side of her face.

Regis gestured with his hand as Clay studied the places on Kate's face where she indicated. "You gave yourself a shiner!"

Kate grimaced, nodding. "Yeah, I did. People were asking me for weeks if I had gotten into a fight or something. I told them, 'Yep, you ought to see the other guy.'"

With a laugh Regis turned to the camera. "We'll be back with more of Clay and Kate after a bit." He smiled at Kate as they took another commercial break and the stage crew made some minor adjustments to the set in preparation for the next segment. "How are we doing?"

Love the royal 'we'... Kate debated giving him a smart answer before deciding it wasn't worth it. "I won't speak for Clay, but I'm still a hair nervous."

Regis nodded with a gentle smile. "Red Skeleton always got sick before he went onstage. He got violently sick before every performance, almost without fail."

"That's what my mom told me once," Kate acknowledged. "It tells me that stage fright happens to a little of everybody."

Clay grinned as Kate wrapped her arms around his waist. "You're doing a great job, honey. You're handling the interview and those TV cameras like a pro."

Kate snorted. "I'm ignoring the cameras... and concentrating on you two or on the audience instead."

"Whatever it takes," Regis said. He leaned toward the two of them. "So what happened when you knocked him down before today?"

Both Clay and Kate groaned. "You had to ask..." Clay complained as he touched his forehead to Kate's. "Kate honey, do you want to tell him, or should I?"

"Take your pick," Kate drawled. "By now we've both told the story at least once to our best friends."

Clay decided to spare Kate the task of having to tell it herself and gave Regis the short version. "Two days ago I picked her up at LAX Airport where we were meeting each other face-to-face for the first time. We had just said hello to each other, and she was getting into the car when she tripped on the edge of the car and went flying. I tried to catch her before she fell... but all I ended up doing was cushioning her fall when I went over too."

"At least neither of you were hurt," Regis said.

"The only casualty of the day was our dignity," Kate nodded with a rueful smile. "First time we met, and I knocked him on his backside..."

Regis laughed merrily. "Kate, I see what you mean when you call yourself a klutz." His eyes twinkled with mischief at Clay. "You hadn't said as much as two words to each other when she threw herself at you!"

Clay's jaw dropped as Kate groaned and hid her face in Clay's shoulder. "Thanks, Regis," she whimpered. "Thanks a lot." Let's just change the subject... "So what are we doing next?"

"We have a few representatives from EARS, Exotic Animal Rescue Society," Regis told her. "Several animals and some of their handlers are here today."

"Oh, wow!" Kate responded.

"You two ready?" Regis asked. When he received an affirmative nod from both of them, he turned to the camera. "Many of you have heard about actress Pamela Anderson's efforts with PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and her attempts to improve the conditions of animals all over. But not many people are familiar with the efforts of Exotic Animal Rescue Society, also known as EARS. Joining us today from EARS are Diane Glover with Mischief, Jack Macy with Rascal, and Steve Biggs with Borka." The audience applauded as a woman came into the studio with a spider monkey, and two men followed with a brightly-colored macaw and a baby Siberian tiger.

Kate nudged Clay. "Oh, look! Aren't they cute?" she whispered.

Clay bit his lip with a chuckle. Only my Kate... He sighed and shook his head.

"Tell us a bit about your organization," Regis requested of the man with the macaw, who stood closest to him. In response the macaw handler gave a little background of the group and how it rescued exotic animals from private homes where the owners were ill-equipped to care for and handle the animals.

While he was talking, Kate slipped over to the man keeping company with the tiger. "May I?" she mouthed, indicating that she wanted to pet him. The tiger handler nodded, and within moments Kate was sitting cross-legged on the floor with a lap full of cuddly tiger. "Oooh, he's so soft..." she cooed. Responding happily to her affectionate stroking of his fur, the tiger nuzzled her and licked her ear. She squealed with delight. "Aaaah! Clay! He's giving me kitty kisses!"

Clay grinned, sighed, and shook his head at her. I wish I could be that tiger right about now... Suddenly he felt a jolt and a weight land on his shoulder. "Oh my gosh!" he exclaimed as the spider monkey scrambled from his shoulder to the back of his head, much to the great amusement of the studio audience. He reached up to give the monkey a friendly scratch, and immediately the monkey's tail curled around his hand. "I think I've been adopted," he drawled.

Kate gave an unbridled laugh at seeing the monkey clutching onto Clay's head. "Look, honey, he's bananas for you!"

"You're cute," Clay told her with a giggle.

Within minutes Regis had the macaw on his arm, having put on a spare bird glove while its handler shared about the organization. "So that," he said, indicating the spider monkey attached to Clay, "is Mischief, and this is Rascal? Such original names," he quipped to the camera. "I hope they weren't given those names for a reason..."

Kate's eyes widened as she glanced over at the macaw. "Uh, Regis... don't look now, but..."

Regis turned back to the bird in time to see it depositing its droppings on the floor to the howls and laughter of the audience. "I think the animals have upstaged us all!" He gave an exaggerated grimace. "You are a Rascal!" he told the bird. As if responding directly to Regis's declaration, the bird bobbed its head vigorously. Regis and everyone else in the room laughed at the bird's comical antics. "Okay, we have Rascal and Mischief..." Regis pointed back to the tiger. "I suppose his name means trouble!"

The lady shook her head. "Borka is Russian for fighter. When we rescued him, he was extremely malnourished and sick. We didn't have much hope for him to live. But we gave him good medical care, a balanced tiger diet, and lots of love, and he has bounced back like a fighter. He earned his name."

The three of them spent a little more time with the animals before the show took another commercial break to rearrange the set and clean up after the macaw. This time the vocal microphone was placed on a stand at center stage, and Clay took up his position. In preparation for the closer, Kate stood beside Regis off to the side as Regis made the last introduction of the day. "Here to do Stand Together, Fall Alone from his movie opening tonight in theaters all across America, Clay Aiken!"

The accompaniment began, and its bright rhythms immediately had the audience whistling and cheering. Getting into the beat, Clay snapped and tapped his foot in time with the music. Barely touching the microphone, he belted out the song, a song about how people need to band together in times of trouble... because "if we don't stand together, we will fall alone." The song ended with a high glory note, which Clay sang with all of his best vocal power and stamina.

When the final note of the music died away, the audience erupted in deafening applause and cheers. Clay waved to the audience, thanking them for their support and appreciation. Regis gently patted Kate on the shoulder, urging her to go over and join him at center stage. Not needing to be told twice, Kate hastened to his side. Her eyes shone as she looked up at him. Wow. He is amazing. Clay turned to her and beamed brilliantly. He caught her up in a tight embrace, twirling her around in a circle before setting her back down on her feet. "Thanks for being here, honey," he whispered hoarsely, still holding her close.

Kate sighed, both deeply touched and perfectly content in his arms. Unwilling to let go just yet, she clutched him tightly. "I will always be here for you, Clay."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The flight home

"You and your doggone deck of cards!"

Kate grimaced and shrugged. "Don't look at me! I lost too!"

Clay sulked. "I know that Regis was the one who invited us to join him for lunch," he grumbled, "but I was planning that at most it would have been Dutch treat... not him trying to treat us." He heaved an annoyed sigh.

"I tried to get the bill from him," Kate protested.

"You would have kept it," Clay complained. "That would have missed the point."

"No, it wouldn't." Kate shook her head firmly. "You guys showed me the best morning of my life, and that would have been my little way of saying 'thank you' for that."

"I want to spoil you!" Clay frowned. "Can't a man do that to his girl?"

Kate sighed and wilted, her shoulders drooping. Aaaaugh... this man is too sweet for his own good. "I...I'm not used to it."

"Obviously not..." he drawled. He shot her a calculating look. "I guess I'm going to have to do everything I can to get you used to it."

Kate's eyes bulged. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Clay listed ideas, counting them off on his fingers. "More flowers. Candy. Perfume and jewelry and all the things that most women go for. More evenings out." He leaned towards her until their faces were inches apart. "I'm going to do everything in my power to spoil you rotten."

Her brain completely muddled by the smolderingly intense look he gave her, Kate's eyes widened as she stared at him in an open-mouthed daze. Ignoring the quickened pace of her heart, she intentionally broke the spell by crossing her arms. "Clayton Aiken, you know I'm not like most women, especially not the typical cutesy-frilly," she made an overly-feminine hand gesture along with a rhythmic hip-rocking motion, "high-maintenance kind of woman named Heather or Bambi or something equally bleach-blonde."

"Do that again."

Kate blinked at him. "Hunh?"

Clay pointed at her hips. "That hip sway thing you did. It was kinda cute."

She gave him an irritated smack on the arm, ignoring his grunt. "You missed the point! I don't care about all the trinkets and the baubles and things like that. Occasionally the thoughtful gift or the romantic bouquet, but not too much, please! I don't want stuff - I want you." When Clay broke into a huge, cheesy grin, Kate chewed her lip. "That didn't come out quite the way I meant it."

"I like the way you said it just fine," Clay answered with an impish look on his face. Kate blew a noisy raspberry at him, and he raised an eyebrow. "One of these days, darlin', you're going to have to make good on that..."

"You'd like that..." she drawled. He shrugged, an impish half-smile on his face. Kate heaved an impatient sigh. "The point," she continued, "is that I don't care about having things. Maybe one or two, as a tangible reminder of you and what we share... but I would rather have the time with you." She looked up into his intense green eyes. "I want to go on long walks together. I want to dance the night away with you. I want to go to movies and shows with you. I want to go places and see things and do things with you, building our relationship with every little moment, every little talk we have together." She took his hand in hers. "I just want to be with you... do all those wonderful little things that lovers do."

Clay gave her a slight smile. "All of them?"

Immediately Kate knew where his mind had taken that. She blushed. "Eventually."

"I'm teasing you, honey," Clay assured her. He pulled her into his arms, and she snuggled close. "That's what I want too, to spend as much time with you as I possibly can." He brushed his lips against her temple. "But I'm still going to try to spoil you rotten."

Kate made a huffing noise. "Clay, you still missed the point..."

"You deserve it, darlin'," he told her.

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do."

"Clay..."

Clay shook his head. "You're not winning this one."

Kate gave him a pretend glare. "Are you suggesting that I have no say in the matter?"

"Yes."

"Clay Aiken..."

Jerome walked past them. "Aw, how cute. Your first lovers' quarrel."

Clay glared at Jerome. "Go away." Suddenly Kate started laughing uncontrollably. Clay blinked in surprise as she bent double in spite of being in his arms. "Glad to see you're finding this so funny." As if such a thing was possible, Kate laughed harder until a couple of unfeminine snorts mixed in with the laughter. Clay stared at her with wide eyes. "Um, honey...?"

Kate gasped for air. "Can't... breathe..."

Jerome glanced at Clay. "You get her?"

Clay shook his head. "Not right now I don't."

"It mus' be a woman thing."

Kate wiped tears from her eyes. "No, no... it's not a woman thing." She groaned happily, a last chuckle escaping her lips. "It just hit me wrong..." She grinned at Clay. "Like the other night when we were trying to touch our feet to our noses."

Jerome blinked. "You did what?"

Clay giggled at the memory as Kate tried to explain. "The toenail thing! I told him that I had tried to see if I could even get my feet up that far, and then we were both sitting there trying to - " She looked up at Jerome, who gave her the most bewildered look she had seen in a long time. "You had to be there."

"Obviously..." Jerome muttered.

"Some jokes are just like that. Not everyone gets them." Kate grinned. "That's how Sarah and I met - we shared a joke that everyone else heard, but no one else seemed to catch."

Clay nudged Kate. "Tell me! I want to see if I get it."

Kate blushed brilliantly. "I don't know if you want it... it's kinda risqué..."

"Risqué?" Clay asked in disbelief. "You? I have to hear this!"

Jerome sat down in a nearby seat. "This ought to be good..."

Lovely... I never thought I'd see the day when I was telling dirty jokes to my boyfriend and his bodyguard. Kate acquiesced. "All right. This was the second semester of our freshman year, and we happened to be in the same beginning German class together. Our professor was one of those drop-dead gorgeous types who had most of the girls in the class wrapped around his little finger." Clay rolled his eyes, and Kate shook her head at him. "Sarah and I were two of the few that weren't. Yeah, we agreed that he was one sexy hunk of man, but that was it. In fact, just that morning we had been talking about it... and since neither of us were doing very well in the dating market at the time, we were in one of those moods. Somehow the class subject got onto grammar." Kate shrugged. "We're language geeks! We ate up all that stuff about prose and grammar and syntax and the like. So we were listening attentively... until he mentioned dangling participles."

The corner of Clay's mouth quivered. "Dangling participles, hunh?"

Remembering what happened yesterday morning in the kitchen, Kate blushed as she tried not to giggle. "Our minds were already two-thirds on the way to the gutter, but that just shoved us over the edge. I... can't explain it any better than that." She snickered and bit her lip as Jerome just shook his head. "We broke into hysterical laughter, and Herr Gutenhaupt lost the two of us for the rest of the class." Kate gave a helpless shrug. "No one else ever got it. But we became best friends shortly after that... had a lot of classes together, even ended up rooming together. We were roommates throughout college, our semester abroad... and even now we share a place in Kearney."

Clay nodded knowingly. "So that's the story of how you and the infamous Sarah met..." He glanced over at her. "I'm going to have to remember this little dark secret of yours... how you act so innocent, but really have a dirty mind." He shook his head. "Kathryn, Kathryn... I would have never known."

If you only knew, Kate thought with a guilty blush, about some of the conversations Sarah and I have had over you.

Seeing the looks they were giving each other, Jerome stood. "I think I'll leave the two of you alone..." He returned to his own seat.

Clay chuckled. "So," he began, "you have a dirty mind..."

Kate groaned and buried her face in his shoulder. "Clay, everyone does at one time or another..." She sighed. "Sarah just happens to bring out it out of me." With a mischievous glance at Clay, she added, "And I seem to bring it out of you."

"Hey, now," Clay protested, giving her a tickle in the sides.

Kate squeaked. "Haven't we been on the floor enough for one day?"

"All right, all right." Clay sighed. "What do you want to talk about now?"

"Don't know," Kate admitted. "Want to play the either-or game?"

"Sure!" He kissed her on the top of the head. "You start."

"Coke or Pepsi?"

"Coke," Clay said, "but I would rather go for Mountain Dew. Coffee or tea?"

"No contest - tea." Kate took his hand in both of hers. "Sweetened or unsweetened tea?"

Clay stuck out his tongue in a distasteful frown. "Who drinks unsweetened tea?"

"Plenty of people," she replied, "unless you're from the South."

"I noticed that. If I get tea somewhere outside of North Carolina I actually have to put sugar in it." He made a face before returning to the game. "Red or blue?"

"Ooh, that's a toughy. I like blue better, but red's one of the colors of our university." Kate studied his hand as she held onto it. I still think he has the most beautiful hands... "Christmas or Thanksgiving?"

"Easy. Christmas." Clay glanced down at Kate. "Which reminds me... what was your mom saying about hoping she'd meet me soon, and your brother coming for Christmas...?"

"Mm!" Kate nodded. "I think I know - I have learned to read between my mom's lines."

"She sure had some good lines on the show today..." Clay drawled.

Kate giggled. "Oh, did she ever! Remind me in a minute to tell you about the time she embarrassed me to death at a friend's wedding over some glasses..."

"All right." He pulled her closer. "Tell me more about Christmas."

"My older brother Andrew has saved up his leave so he could come home for Christmas this year. It's been about..." Kate counted off the time in her head, "two years since I've seen him. His work is so hush-hush that it's nearly impossible for him to escape that often - or for long."

Clay nodded. "Does the Air Force still have him doing all that top-secret intelligence work?"

"Last I knew," she admitted. "He's gonna love finding out that my life has suddenly gone public..."

"Oh!" Clay exclaimed with a surprised blink. He was going to have to talk more later with Jerome about that. He had no idea how dating Kate was going to affect her brother's military career. Hopefully it would have no effect, barring friendly gibes from his buddies.

"Anyway, about Christmas..." Kate began. "Roughly translated, that sounded like my mom hinting that you were invited to join us for Christmas."

Clay looked her in the eye. "Do you want me to come to Nebraska for Christmas?"

"I'd love to have you for Christmas," Kate responded, "if you're open to that idea."

"Sure!" Clay grinned. "You've met my family - it's only fair that I get the opportunity to meet yours."

"You realize," Kate quipped, "that with Nebraska's weather pattern we're doing this backwards. You should come to Nebraska during the summer and I should come out to L.A. during the winter."

Clay shrugged. "I'll make sure to pack warm clothes and a coat."

"Better carry the coat," Kate suggested. "I have it from a reliable source that this winter is supposed to be especially nasty."

"I'll consider myself warned."

Kate nodded. "We'll hash out the details later, once I've found out more from Mom."

"Deal."

An irrepressible grin played on Kate's face. All I want for Christmas is you, she thought to herself. Isn't that the line of some Christmas song?

"So what happened with the glasses?" Clay asked.

Kate began her tale. "The summer my parents and I visited my brother in Italy, he took us to a place where they sold crystal. We were in the 'bargain basement', I called it, buying some of their stray pieces for cheap prices." She smiled. "I had a couple of friends from high school I knew were getting married, so I found them each a set of matching goblets. When it came time to return to the States, I packed them in my clothes, using my clean socks and nylons to put inside of the glasses." Clay nodded and she went on. "At her prenuptial dinner, I gave my friend Chloe her glasses and told them where I had got them." Kate made a face. "My mother told Chloe that she had better make sure to wash them good, because I had packed them in my underwear." Clay giggled, and Kate shook her head. "No one can embarrass the dickens out of me like my mother. Well, except for Sarah, because she knows me too well..." Kate glanced up at Clay. "Does your family ever embarrass you?"

"Well..." Clay began, and started to tell Kate a few stories of his own.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
That afternoon at the house

"Hi, honey," Clay quipped as he opened the door, "we're home!"

"Very funny, Clay," Kim said, entering the room. She gave Kate a big grin. "Did you enjoy yourself today?"

"I'll tell you more about it while we're getting ready," Kate promised, "when I can have Sarah on the line too."

"Oh, thanks," Clay protested. "Leave me out of this..."

Kate reached up to place a kiss on his cheek. "You know girl talk. It'd bore you silly."

"Sure..."

Kim put her hands on Kate's shoulders. "Since we only have a few hours, I'm stealing your girlfriend now." Clay frowned at her, and she started to lead Kate down the hall. "And don't even think of coming by to sneak a look before it's time - you know I won't let you get away with it."

"You're no fun," Clay pouted.

Once in Kate's room, Kim pulled a bag of supplies out of the closet. "The first thing," she said, "is for you to shower up and get rid of all the makeup and hair product they used for Regis and Kelly."

Kate nodded. "You don't have to tell me twice."

The two women took their respective showers and returned to Kate's room. Kim walked over to the desk in the room. "I put a speaker phone in here," she said with a whisper, "so that we could both hear and talk to Sarah while we work."

An evil grin crossed Kate's face. "Good thinking."

Kim dialed, and Sarah picked up. "Hi, Kim!"

"Hey there, girl!" Kim shot back. "I got your roommate here."

"Hey, Katydid!" Sarah said. "Are we ready to get started?"

"We are ready," Kim responded. "We have plenty of hairspray and pins, we have the curling iron plugged in, Kate has her makeup, the dress is in the closet... and Clay is locked out of the room."

Sarah giggled. "Then let's start. I heard you mention an updo yesterday."

"That's right," Kim answered.

"Sounds like a winner to me," Sarah told her. "That'll keep her hair out of the way and leave her arms and shoulders bare." Sarah made a clicking noise. "French braids are overdone, unless you can think of an unusual twist to doing them."

Kim shook her head. "A French braid wouldn't fit with the dress."

Sarah agreed. "It would make her look too much like a schoolgirl when we want her to look more like a sexy supermodel."

Kate raised an eyebrow and snorted. "Good luck with that," she drawled.

"Aw, piffle," Sarah said.

Kim winked. "You just leave it to us, honey."

"She looks good in a French roll," Sarah offered. "It's neat, sophisticated, and works well with a formal like the one she's going to be wearing."

Kim nodded. "French roll it is."

"See if you can't soften it on the sides somehow to frame her face." Kim brushed out Kate's hair as Sarah went on. "I saw you on Regis and - ahem - Clay this morning." Kate heard the mischief in her voice. "Loved the show."

"Wasn't that great?" Kate asked as Kim started rolling up her hair.

"Every moment of it."

Kate grinned. "Which one was your favorite?"

"Hm," Sarah thought. "Too many to choose from. But one of my favorite moments would have to be when you tried to hug him and both of you fell over onto the floor."

How did I know she was going to say that? Kate sighed.

Kim gave a velvet laugh as she finished pinning Kate's hair up. "That was one of my favorite moments too. That, and seeing that monkey on Clay's head..."

Sarah continued. "And Kate's mom calling in to the show..."

Kim nodded, taking a curling iron to a few stray wisps of hair she had left next to Kate's ears. "Telling him to call her 'Mom'..."

As Kate rolled her eyes, Sarah giggled. "Kate telling everyone about our canoe trip..."

"Clay serenading her on bended knee in front of everyone..." Kim grinned, giving Kate a hug.

"Seeing Clay introduce my best friend to the whole world as the most amazing woman in America..." Sarah said proudly and continued, "and telling her exactly what he loved about her." Sarah sniffled, and Kate could imagine tears in her eyes from the sound of her voice.

"Those last two things," Kate admitted, "were my favorite moments, because they showed me Clay's beautiful heart... and his vulnerable soul." She sighed deeply and smiled broadly. After a thoughtful moment Kate shrugged. "Petting the tiger was kind of fun too."

Kim held up a can of hairspray. "Close your eyes, honey," she told her. Kate obeyed, and Kim sprayed everything into place.

"I know you've always wanted to do that," Sarah said. She paused a moment before speaking again. "I really think my top pick was when he told you to your face that you were special... and looked at you like you were the love of his life."

Kate glanced over at the phone, clearly surprised. "Really? He did?"

"Oh yeah!" Kim answered. "It's in his eyes, and written all over his face. I've never seen him look at a woman like he looks at you."

Wow... Kate took a deep breath and exhaled it very slowly.

"All right, Sarah. We've got her hair done. It's in a very stunning French roll except for a couple pieces on the side, which I curled into little spirals to frame her face." Kim nodded her approval. "Looks nice. You know your friend."

"What's next?" Kate asked. "Do you want me to help with your hair?"

Kim shook her head. "I already know what I want to do with it. You go ahead and start putting on your makeup."

"Makeup," Sarah agreed. "You do a pretty good job with that yourself, Katydid." Kate walked over to her own supplies and continued getting ready. "Speaking of good job, you handled your interview with Regis pretty well."

"Thank you," Kate said reverently. "I know how nervous I was, and I know my tendency to stick my foot in my mouth... which thankfully I didn't do this time. Someone upstairs was looking out for me..." With her foundation applied to her face, Kate started working on her eyes. "Clay was so encouraging and supportive. He told me that the first time was always the hardest."

"Mm," Sarah murmured. "I've heard that's true about other things too."

It took no time at all for Kate to figure out what Sarah meant. "Thank you, Sarah, for sharing what I didn't need to hear. This is not the night for my mind to be in the gutter."

"Awww..." Sarah pouted as Kim laughed.

"No. I refuse to go there tonight. Tonight means too much to Clay for me to... get distracted."

Kim mercifully changed the subject back to what they had been talking about. "Did you have any idea that you were going to be interviewed?"

"Not a clue," Kate said firmly, "though I can't say that you didn't warn me, Sarah, because you did." She heaved a sigh before continuing. "I really should have known better though - this is Regis we're talking about, he wasn't about to pass up that kind of opportunity. But of course, I'm always the last one to figure it out. I finally figured it out once Regis told Clay to bring me onstage," she told the others. "Then I knew exactly why those two bugged me in the makeup room to let the stylist give me a makeover, and why the stylist was so insistent that he wanted to play with my hair. They planned that! Those two were in cahoots from the start!"

"I didn't think that looked like your regular hairstyle," Sarah noted. "You had the Hollywood treatment, then?"

"Oh yeah! Clay told me that I should be pampered and spoiled as often as possible..." Kate blushed and smiled. "...and he called me his princess."

Kim and Sarah both made noises of appreciation. "That's Clay," Kim told her.

"Let's see if we can't make you look like one tonight," Sarah purred.

Kate smiled, embarrassed, but she was obviously looking forward to Clay's reaction. Since she was done with her makeup, she picked up her bottle of perfume.

"Hold it right there, girl." Kim walked over to her. "What you do have?"

"Vanilla Musk." When Kim held out her hand, Kate handed her the bottle.

Kim gave it a thoughtful sniff before nodding. "That works. I wouldn't have picked it, but I think it will work for you." Kate grinned and started to apply her perfume lightly to her key points.

"You have the camera?" Sarah asked hopefully.

"Oh yeah!" Kim beamed. "Both of us have our cameras for tonight, and I asked Ruben to bring over his video camera so we could tape Clay's reaction."

"Yipee!" Sarah cheered. "I'm going to have to find some way to thank Ruben later."

"He's just happy to see Clay happy."

Kate shook her head, a light blush on her cheeks. I still can't believe that I am the one making him happy... this is all so surreal... absolutely beyond my wildest dreams.

Kim glanced over at Kate, who had on her makeup and all the delicates that went underneath the dress. "You look like you're ready for the dress, girl."

"I am!" Kate announced.

"This is so exciting..." Sarah giggled.

Kim negotiated the zipper and helped Kate slip into it, closing it up behind her. A little careful pinning and arranging, and all unsightly straps and flaps that weren't supposed to show, didn't. Kim grabbed the shoes from the closet, and placed them so that Kate merely had to step into them. "Where did we put the little bag with the jewelry?"

Kate opened a drawer in the desk. "I put it in here so I wouldn't lose track of it."

"Good thinking."

Sarah sighed wistfully. "I really wish I could see you now, Katydid. I bet you look gorgeous."

Kim nodded. "She looks drop-dead gorgeous. Like I told Clay, he's gonna be eating out of her hand when we're through with her..."

A delighted laugh came from Sarah. "I couldn't have said it better myself."

Kate chuckled as she put on her other earring. "You guys are terrible..."

"We love ya..." Sarah told her.

"I can tell."

"Here," Kim offered as Kate picked up the white ribbon and pearl choker. "Let me help you with that." Very carefully Kim clipped it around Kate's neck. She stepped back to give Kate a critical look. With a pleased nod, Kim held out her hands. "We have ourselves one sexy mama."

"Oh, right," Kate scoffed.

Kim pointed to a nearby full-length mirror. "Go see for yourself."

Kate walked over in front of the mirror and gaped at her own reflection. "Oh my gosh..."

Sarah giggled. "That says it all."

Kate carefully smoothed her hands over the dress. "This thing makes me look like I actually have some curves."

"Girl, you have curves," Kim informed her. "This just brings them to Clay's attention."

With a giggle, Kate grinned and blushed. "I'm just glad that it's not a low-cut dress. I don't have any heavage to cleave. Not that I would if I had it..."

Kim gave her head a shake. "Any what?"

"Katydid," Sarah scolded, "you're going to have to explain that one now."

"Sorry." Kate told Kim about the Renaissance festival she had once attended with her brother. One of the key acts was a storyteller whose claim to fame was using spoonerisms in the telling of his stories - switching around parts of words, whether it be consonants, vowels, or entire portions of words... often to hilarious ends as he retold familiar fairy tales to his listeners. "So 'heaving cleavage' became 'cleaving heavage'... and 'fatal heart attack' became - " Kate giggled, " - 'hatal fart attack'." She gave a guilty grin. "Unfortunately I got the giggles... and when I properly get the giggles, I squeak."

"You squeak?" Kim asked uncertainly.

"She does," Sarah confirmed. "She squeaks when she hiccups too. Both of us do."

Kate blushed. "I wasn't even going to go there..."

Kim's eyes twinkled with mischief. "Has Clay heard you do this?"

"No - he doesn't even know." Kate shrugged sheepishly. "But this storyteller found out in a hurry, and he started playing his material to get the biggest reactions out of me, because my giggles made the audience laugh harder. He even told me, 'Can you come to all my shows?'"

Kim laughed wickedly. "I hope I get to hear it sometime."

"Stick around long enough," Sarah promised, "and you will."

Kate made a face. "Thanks a lot, Sarah."

"Anytime. Say Kim," Sarah purred, "I have an idea for getting the best reaction from Clay. I saw this done at a wedding back in 2002."

"I'm all ears," Kim told her. Sarah shared her idea with her, and Kim nodded. "I like that - I'll do it."

Sarah giggled. "This is going to be so much fun..."

Kim turned at hearing the door buzzer down the hall. "Ruben's here. You ready?"

Kate grabbed her camera and slipped it inside her clutch purse. "I am now."

"Let me go out and prepare the boys," Kim offered, "while you have a last couple of words with Sarah." Kim opened the door just enough that she could slip out and down the hall, closing it after her.

Kate took a deep breath and exhaled very slowly. "Sarah..."

"Just keep up with the deep breaths like that," Sarah soothed, "and you'll be fine. Remember, Clay likes what's inside you... the gorgeous exterior is just icing on the cake."

"Thanks, Sarah," Kate smiled. "I needed that." She took another deep breath. "He is so amazing... I can't believe I'm really going to the premiere of his movie with him. I can't believe that I'm his girlfriend! Someone pinch me, please!"

"I can't help you there," Sarah apologized, "but maybe a nice passionate kiss from Clay later will convince you that it's all real."

Kate's heart raced at the thought. "Sarah, I-I..."

Sarah anticipated what was on Kate's mind. "Only if you're ready." She paused. "Good luck."

"Thanks. I'll talk to you later."

"Okay. Bye."

Kate hung up the phone as Kim opened the door again. Kim put her finger to her lips and beckoned. Kate followed her out without a word.

The two women walked quietly into the living room where a tuxedoed Ruben and Clay were waiting, Ruben with his video camera rolling and Clay with his eyes closed and biting his lip with nervous anticipation. Kate glanced at Clay. Ohhh my, doesn't he look... she thought, and took another deep breath, exhaling it very slowly.

Kim led Kate directly in front of Clay, who sensed her presence and grinned. "Hold out your hands, Clay honey," Kim instructed him. He did, and immediately Kate placed hers inside of them.

"Can I open my eyes now?" Clay pleaded.

Kate giggled. He sounds just like an eager little kid...

"Not just yet..." Kim teased. She waited until the expression on Kate's face had relaxed from amusement to one of bright-eyed adoration. "Now."

Slowly Clay opened his eyes and Kate could hear his breath catch in his throat. Unable to get it to go any farther than that, Clay stared in slack-jawed wonder at her. He scanned her from head to toe, taking in the lavender strapless mermaid-style formal which clung to and accentuated every curve, along with the white pearl accents at her ears and throat. At last Clay remembered how to breathe as he gasped and his eyes sparkled with enchantment. "Wow," he breathed, once more meeting her eye. "Y-You look..." His mouth worked once or twice, the word he wanted escaping him entirely. "...Wow," he repeated.

Kim crossed her arms with satisfaction. "I am good..." she whispered to Ruben.

Clearly noticing no one in the room but Clay, Kate smiled gently at him as she gazed lovingly up into his eyes. "Thank you. You look... pretty amazing yourself."

"Dawg," Ruben informed him, "your limo's here. Better go get your momma."

Clay turned to Ruben with a dazed expression. "Hm?" Suddenly he blinked. "Oh - yeah. That's right." He glanced back to Kate. "We'd better go pick up Mom and the others."

"That's what I said," Ruben whispered to Kim with a chuckle.

Completely oblivious to Ruben and Kim, Clay placed Kate's hand on the crook of his arm and slowly walked her out the door without so much as a good-bye.

Kim snickered as soon as the door was closed. "That was even better than I hoped for."

Ruben turned the video camera to her. "Once he saw her, it was like we weren't even here."

"Sarah," Kim addressed the camera, "you saw it for yourself. We might as well have been Invisible."

"You look nice," Ruben told her, zooming out so Sarah could see her outfit too. Kim struck a few dramatic poses and turned in a circle to give the full effect. Once that was done, Ruben turned the camera off. "Ready?"

Kim took Ruben's proffered arm. "Ready!"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Inside Clay's limo

"Got it?" Clay asked Kate as he assisted her into her seat.

"I think so," she said as she rearranged the hem of her dress so that it wouldn't get stepped on by either one of them.

Clay sat beside her and immediately took her hand as Jerome shut the door behind them. "I finally came up with the word I wanted to describe how you look."

"Oh?"

"Breathtaking," Clay replied, "because you certainly left me breathless." He lovingly looked Kate in the eye, unable to look anywhere else but at her.

Kate smiled, giving his hand a gentle caress. "That's sweet of you to say that."

"It's true."

Her smile grew. "I noticed. Thank you. It's very flattering."

"Maybe now you'll believe me," Clay told her, "when I say that you're beautiful."

"I do look the part tonight," she admitted.

"Serves me right for taking that bet with Kim," Clay chuckled.

Kate raised an eyebrow. "Bet? Oh that's right - Kim mentioned that she won a bet with you." She gave him a pleading look. "So do I get the story?"

Clay giggled. "Um... okay. When I decided to invite you out here to Los Angeles, Kim told me that you were sweet on me. I didn't think so, but she insisted. We got into this whole big debate on whether you saw me that way or not... and then she suggested that I should invite you to the premiere as my date. If you agreed, then she would buy your dress. If you didn't, then I would buy hers." He shrugged. "We were arguing about whether you liked me or not." Clay bit his lip. "Of course I knew I lost before we ever left the airport..."

Kate gaped around an amused smile. "Oh, my gosh - shades of Sarah and me!"

Clay blinked. "Shades of Sarah and you? What do you mean?"

Kate blushed. "We... also had a bet on whether or not you saw me that way. If I won, she was going to Haiti with me next summer. If I lost, which I have..." Kate grimaced, "... I owe her a picture of the two of us from tonight, autographed... by both of us."

Clay laughed with appreciation at Sarah's unique sense of humor and at Kate's obviously-fake annoyed sulk. "Well... then we'll just have to finish up your pictures and get them developed while you're here, if I'm going to sign one of them."

"Either that, or we can wait until you come at Christmas." Sneaking an amused glance at him, Kate snickered. "Aren't we quite the pair?"

Clay nodded. "We don't believe much in ourselves, but we believe in each other just fine." When Kate smiled at him, he put his arm around her and pulled her close.

Shortly they had arrived at the hotel where Clay's family had gathered, and while Jerome waited with the limo, Will brought them out. "Hello again, Kate!" Faye said as she entered the car with Clay's help.

"Hi, Mrs. Parker!" Kate smiled. "Wow, you guys all look great."

"Thank you." Faye sat down on the bench seat closest to Kate with Amy on her other side, while Jeff and Brett sat on the bench seat opposite them next to Clay. "You look really nice yourself."

Kate blushed. "Thank you."

Brett nudged Clay. "That's one way to fix all the gay rumors - show up all over the place with a beautiful girlfriend." He grinned. "It didn't hurt your cause that she flattened you during the middle of Regis and Kelly."

Faye gave Brett a stern look as Kate turned a brilliant pink and Clay had to hide his laughter behind his hand. "Brett honey, that wasn't very nice."

Kate groaned and buried her face into Clay's shoulder. "Why is it that when I klutz out, I have to do it in front of dozens... or in this case millions... of witnesses?!" she muttered.

"I don't know, honey..." Clay eyed his brother with a you had better apologize now glare.

"I'm sorry I embarrassed you, Kate, but it's true!" Brett protested. "We all know Clay's straight. Why don't people believe him?"

Faye shrugged. "People often make fun of things or people they don't understand."

Kate could vouch for that one herself - she had received plenty of her own teasing over the years.

"You remembered to make reservations, didn't you?" Jerome asked Clay.

"Of course!" Clay stated. "I wanted a bit of privacy, and that would be the only way to get it."

Kate gave him a questioning look. "Where are we going?"

"Ca'Brea," Clay told her, "one of the Italian restaurants in town."

"Italian?" Kate asked with excitement.

Clay giggled as he squeezed Kate's hand. "That's right, honey."

"Oh yeah!" An anticipatory grin covered Kate's face. "As long as I eat my meal instead of wearing it, then we'll be in business."

The group in the limo laughed at Kate's self-deprecating wit. With a last chuckle, Faye smiled gently. "I'm sure you'll be fine."

"Considering how many times I've done something graceful this week alone," Kate nodded, "I would not be a bit surprised if Murphy decided to visit. You know what they say: 'Be careful what you wish for - you may get it.'"

"YESSS!" Brett crowed with delight, and pointed at his brother. "What did I say yesterday, Clay? Kate's a keeper."

Clay groaned and buried his face in his hand. Kate gave the two a bewildered blink. "What'd I do?"

Jeff bailed her out of her confusion. "You quoted a Star Trek movie. Brett's a big Star Wars and Star Trek fan."

As Kate's bewildered expression grew, Clay added his two cents worth. "He said yesterday that any woman who could quote one of those was a keeper."

"Oh." Kate raised an eyebrow at him, and Brett laughed all the harder.

"Oh, yes..." Brett nodded. "You quoted Lieutenant Uhura from Star Trek Three." When Kate gave him a blank look he continued. "Captain Kirk and the rest of the crew steal the Enterprise to return to the Genesis planet to look for Spock's body, only he's alive again, and they fight the Klingons, and the planet starts to disintegrate around them, and - "

Kate held up a finger to halt Brett's recitation. "The only reason I saw the movies is because I was the only person Andrew could drag with him. That doesn't mean I remember them."

"Oh." Brett looked clearly disappointed.

Kate thought for a minute. "Is that the one where they blow up the ship?"

Brett smacked his forehead, and Clay giggled. "Yes, honey," Clay answered her. "That's the one where they blow up the ship."

"Oh."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
On the way to the premiere

Kate desperately ignored her stomach as the resident butterflies danced the Cotton-Eyed Joe to the pace of her heartbeat. She knew that no matter how badly she felt the nerves now, Clay was experiencing them twice as strongly. After all, it was his movie. She rubbed his hand in between both of hers, marveling how cold and clammy it had grown on the ride from the restaurant to the theater. "How are you doing, sweetheart?"

With a shake of his head, Clay let out one of a series of deep breaths. "I'm fine. It's not like I have to perform or anything tonight - all I need to do is show up."

Kate smiled at him. "Show up to the cheers of the adoring masses..."

Faye gave Kate a gentle wink. "You know they love you, Clayton honey. This is your night."

Clay squeezed Kate's hand. "This is all so amazing. Thank you, all of you, for being here tonight. This means a lot to me."

The limo stopped outside of Mann's Chinese Theater. Jerome turned to Clay. "You ready, man?"

"If I'm not," Clay quipped, "I'm in trouble."

"Then let's do it."

Jerome and Will took their posts on either side of the car door as crowds of fans and media crews stood with their cameras at the ready. Clay stepped out of the car first, extending his hand to Kate. Very cautiously Kate followed, taking great care not to step on the hem of her dress. She glanced to Clay for her next cue, only to see him beaming brightly at her. His smile was instantly contagious, and she smiled back. Basking in the sunshine of her smile, Clay lifted her hand to his lips and graced it with a light kiss. Kate blushed and bashfully averted her eyes. Unaware of the media scene the two of them were creating, she looked back up at him and reached up to kiss him on the cheek. Clay relished the kiss with a deep sigh as his smile softened. With all the chivalry of the Southern gentleman he was, Clay once more placed her hand in the crook of his arm. Slowly Clay and Kate started to make their way down the carpet, not taking their eyes off each other once during their journey.

"Hold on, you two."

Clay turned at the restraining arm on his other elbow. "Hey Kim!"

Kim held up her camera. "I have mine... and I know that Kate will not be happy with herself if she forgets her own."

"Oh!" Instantly Kate fished her camera out of her purse and handed it to Kim, who in turned handed it to Ruben. With arms around each other in a loving embrace and warm smiles on their faces, Clay and Kate posed for Ruben and Kim to take pictures with the ladies' cameras.

"Hold that pose," Faye ordered, preparing her own camera. The two obeyed, and more cameras flashed... including those of fans and media photographers all around.

"Give her a kiss!" someone hollered from the crowd. Clay ignored them, even as the request was repeated several times.

The group moved into the theater, where a larger crowd of celebrities had gathered. Kim nudged Kate and indicated a blond male standing a little ways away. "Check it out - Brad Pitt."

Kate glanced over and nodded. "Cool." With that single statement and simple reaction Kate returned her attention to the others.

Clay, however, had noticed this. Most women would be absolutely all over themselves over him - and it hardly fazed Kate.

Ruben tapped Clay on the shoulder. "Dawg, Clive Davis wants a moment with us."

Clay's eyes widened. "I guess we have a moment." He turned to Kate and his family. "Would you excuse us? Duty calls."

"Of course," Faye responded as Kate gave him a nod. The two men walked over to join their producer and employer for some conversation, and the group continued to talk amongst themselves.

"Excuse me."

Interrupted in the middle of an enjoyable discussion with Kim, Kate held up one finger and turned to the speaker. She looked up at the sculpted face of one of the newest Adonis in the film world, a muscle-bound action hero by the name of Jacob Haskell. He gave her a killer smile before addressing her. "I saw you on Regis and Kelly this morning." Kate nodded, saying nothing. "You're a very interesting woman."

"Thank you," Kate answered him. "Clay sure believes that about me."

Jacob's mouth turned ever so slightly in a distasteful frown. "He'd have to be awfully blind not to see. Today the whole world got to see the kind of woman you are."

Kate blushed fiercely. "He has definitely made me look like someone special today... like a beautiful princess or something equally as fairy-tale."

Jacob snorted. "Probably because that pansy doesn't know how to treat a woman."

That caught her attention. She glanced at Kim, whose brown eyes were sparking with anger at the star. "Ex-cuse me?" Kate asked.

Immediately Jacob could tell that he had phrased it wrong. "Baby, I'm sorry to break it to you... but the man is obviously... well, not straight." He put a gentle hand on Kate's shoulder as she gaped. "He treats every woman so well because he doesn't know how to make her... feel... like a woman."

Kate knew exactly what he was talking about the moment it came out of his mouth. I can't believe he said that about Clay, she thought, and I can't believe that h-he thinks I'm an easy target. "I-I-I don't believe you...!"

Jacob shook his head gently. "It's alright, baby, it happens to the best of us. In time you'll see that it's all a sham... the whole having a girlfriend thing is all just a sham with him."

Biting her lip to keep from nailing him with a full-fledged smart retort, Kate responded. "I'll remember you said that when he and I have our 25th anniversary celebration..."

Kim snickered and winked at Kate. She obviously liked that subtle reply.

"Baby, you've got so much more to give," Jacob suggested with a wolfish twinkle in his eye, "and all you need is the opportunity to give it and to be with a real man who can appreciate it." Kate raised her eyebrow as Jacob's arm wound its way around her shoulders and started to give one of them a suggestive caress. "All you have to do is let me know when you're ready to be with a real man."

Kim moved to protest, but Kate decided to take matters into her own hands. Kate shoved his arm off from around her shoulders, letting it fall to the ground without ceremony or pretext. "Why?" she asked with a syrupy-sweet tone in her voice as she moved closer to Kim and away from Jacob. "Are you offering to set me up with one?" Immediately Kim shoved a knuckle in her mouth and bit down until her eyes started watering.

Jacob's eyes narrowed at Kate. "I was trying to - " he began.

"I know what you were trying to do, buddy," Kate growled with a glare at Jacob. "You were hitting on me and trying to get me to cheat on my man... and in ways I wouldn't consider in a million years even if you were the last man on earth. Well, let me tell you something." She lifted her chin. "Contrary to what you might think, I am not some cheap little trollop. I am a Christian woman, and a woman of honor. And Clay is a Christian man, and a man of honor who believes in showing women that he respects and admires them. And for your information, he is quite straight; trust on me on that."

Jacob raised one eyebrow. "Has he actually given you a little action? Good for him."

Kate scowled. "And what part of 'respect and honor' did you miss, that you thought he would be so cold and uncaring as to do that with a woman that wasn't his wife? He's a better man than that." Crossing her arms, Kate walked forward to stand toe to toe with him. "Clay Aiken just happens to be the man of my dreams and the love of my life, and I don't want to share my life with any man other than him because there is no one like him. He is exactly what I want and exactly what I need. So why don't you keep your ugly little opinions to yourself and go find another rock to crawl underneath?"

Jacob gaped at her wordlessly. For a brief moment it appeared that he wanted to respond, but Kate saw his eyes dart nervously over both of her shoulders. Apparently I've got some backup, Kate thought to herself. Without a single word Jacob walked away, but not without a backwards glance over his shoulder.

"Congratulations, girl," Kim purred, "you just told off Jacob Haskell."

Joy. Kate frowned, not ready to turn around until her anger had settled a little. "I don't care who he thinks he is! All I know is that he was an egotistical, rude, nasty little creep, and I'm not about to put up with that kind of jerk bad-mouthing my Clay like that."

"Your Clay, hunh?" Kim sounded amused... much more amused than she should have sounded.

Why do I have the feeling... Kate groaned underneath her breath. Slowly she turned around... and up into Clay's stunned and amazed eyes. From the looks on his face and Ruben's too, they had both returned in enough time to hear the whole exchange. Even the members of Clay's family were all looking at her with expressions all the way from shock to admiration on their faces. Great, everyone saw that, Kate sighed. Wonder how much they heard... Deciding to assume they heard all, Kate winced as she looked back up into Clay's ever-expressive eyes. "Sorry, honey. I really shoved my high heels in my mouth this time." With a guilty shrug she continued. "I'd do it again for you in a heartbeat... but that doesn't necessarily mean that it was the right thing to do. Can you forgive me?"

Saying nothing, Clay took her into his arms and gave her a deeply warm embrace.

"I'll take that as a yes," Kate murmured with a slight smile.

"Kate, girl," Ruben said from behind Clay, "you did the right thing... and you said the right thing."

Kate glanced over at Ruben. "Maybe except for the last line... I could have rephrased that..."

"Parting shot or not, I have to agree with Ruben," Faye added. "Not everyone can defend someone and keep the dignity of all parties intact."

"What Mom says goes," Jeff agreed. "You told him off with class."

With class?? Kate marveled. I never thought I'd hear that one.

Clay slowly pulled back, holding her face tenderly in his hand. Kate stood up for me... in ways that are the sweetest torture to my ears... He smiled at her, warmed by the thought. Not caring who was around to see it, he gently placed a loving kiss on the spot between her eyebrows. Once more smiling at her, he caressed her cheek as he gazed into her eyes. Very carefully he bent to place a second kiss, gentle and simple, on her cheek near the corner of her mouth. Ever so slightly Kate turned her head, and Clay stopped abruptly when he realized that it was not her cheek but her mouth he was about to kiss. He blinked at her in surprise, searching her eyes questioningly. A slight blush colored her cheeks, as she averted her eyes. Clay stifled a disappointed sigh and started to pull away. Then before she could change her mind, Kate leaned forward and brushed his lips lightly with hers. He took an involuntary breath as his lips tingled where hers had touched them. Oh my gosh... Clay thought with amazement, gazing deeply into her eyes. His head swam from the unexpected show of affection, and it was all he could do to keep himself from kissing her passionately here and now. With all the gentlemanly consideration he had just heard her talk about moments ago, Clay pulled her close again for a second warm embrace. He felt her slender arms slip underneath his tuxedo jacket and wrap around him, and he sighed with contentment.

A motion nearby caught Clay's attention, and he turned. Walking towards him were the three judges from American Idol - Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell, all with their attention on him and Kate. Clay groaned. "Why is it that we're always being interrupted when we're trying to have a private moment?" he asked Kate.

Kate looked up at him with a wry smile. "A private moment, in front of your friends and family and all the who's-who of Hollywood and the media? Is such a thing possible?"

"You'd better wipe that smirk off your face," Clay warned, "before I kiss it off." He was rewarded with a brilliant blush from Kate.
"That," Brett told him, "would go a long way to showing Muscle-head that you were straight."

As much as I would like to, Clay admitted to himself, I had better not. He leaned over and gave his younger brother an affectionate smack on the back of his head. Brett rubbed his head with mock indignity.

"Hey there, Clay!" Paula beamed and gave him a big hug. "Are you ready for this?"

"Of course!" Clay declared. "It's not like I have to do anything."

"Didn't you hear, dawg?" Randy asked as he gave Clay a brotherly handshake. "You have to give a speech before the movie."

Clay considered Randy out of squinted eyes. "You'd better be pulling my leg."

Randy grinned. "Yeah, but you'd better be prepared to say something."

"Just in case?"

Paula nodded. "But you always were good with the media. You'll be fine." She smiled at Kate. "It's nice to see that you found a lady that suits you."

Clay grinned uncontrollably and kissed Kate on the top of her head. "I found a special lady." Kate looked up at him with a blush and an embarrassed smile.

"You certainly seem to be a fitting match for each other," Simon said with a bored look on his face.

"Thank you," Clay and Kate said in unison. Instantly they glanced at each other in surprise.

"That wasn't supposed to be a compliment," Simon muttered. "The fact that you two have taken it as one only proves my point."

Clay smiled down at Kate. "At the moment, I could not think of a better compliment."

Kate blushed. "That's my line, sweetheart."

"Oh," Paula gushed, "that is too cute. You're reading each others' minds already."

Clay grimaced - he'd had way too many fantasies (both harmless and racy) about Kate to make her reading his mind good for his health. "That's a frightening thought."

"That could be dangerous..." Kate agreed, thinking of her own not-so-wholesome dreams about Clay.

Simon made a face. "Normally I'm not one to get sentimental over things like this... but I really hope that the two of you work out. Too many celebrities have a hard time finding happiness with the right person once fame has found them. And you strike me as the sort of person who believes in sticking it out for the long haul with someone. I wish you the best."

Clay gaped ever so slightly. "Wow. Thank you, Simon. That means a lot to me."

"The same goes for me too, Clay," Paula told him sincerely. "I hope you two share a long and happy life together."

Knowing about Paula's own attempts at finding happiness with the right man, he appreciated her words as well. "Thank you, Paula."

Randy gave Clay a mild punch in the shoulder. "Best a luck to you, dawg." With that the three of them went to talk with Ruben and Kim.

"Wow," Clay breathed. He smiled down at Kate. "Isn't that human nature for you? My movie will be showing for the first time tonight, and those three are more interested in the fact that I have a girlfriend than they are about the movie."

Kate snickered. "I guess I'm a novelty for people."

The announcement was made over the theater loudspeakers that everyone should take their seats for the start of the show. Clay offered Kate his arm. She took it, giving him an amused smile. With his lady at his side, Clay led his entourage of family members to their places of honor.

Once everyone was seated, the movie producers stood and made a handful of introductory remarks, thanking various people among the cast and crew. "And, of course, thanks to the stars of the movie, Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken!" The two men stood to the vigorous applause of the audience, and gave each other a brotherly handshake before returning to their seats with their respective escorts.

Clay sat down and glanced at Kate, who was shivering slightly. "Are you cold, honey?"

"A little," she confessed. "It's air-conditioned in here, and this dress has no sleeves."

As Clay debated the best way to warm her up, the lights dimmed. Good timing, Clay thought to himself. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to close to himself. "Maybe this will help keep you warm," he whispered in her ear before giving it a gentle kiss. To Clay's delight Kate leaned back comfortably against him, threading the fingers of each hand in between his own and pulling his arms even tighter around her. Kate darlin', he thought as his heart threatened to beat its way out of his chest, you are just too beautiful for words. He closed his eyes and drank in her warmth and her scent, all but ignoring the premiere of his own movie.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Back at the house, after the premiere

Kate walked in the house wearing Clay's tuxedo jacket, and turned to Clay. "Thank you for getting the door for me, sweetheart."

Clay shut it behind him. "No problem, honey." He walked over to stand in front of her, a hundred different things going through his mind... how insanely jealous he had been to see Jacob Haskell hitting on Kate... how surprised he still was that Kate hadn't dumped him for Haskell... how honored he had felt when she told Haskell about all the Christian qualities in him that made him a real man in her eyes... how amazed he still was that Kate had called him the man of her dreams and the love of her life... and how shocked he had been when she had told Haskell to go jump in the pond. Am I really the man of her dreams and the love of her life? And then there was the kiss... He kept pondering these things and more as he gazed smitten into her eyes, wanting to ask her question after question but not knowing quite where to start.

"Clay?" Her voice was questioning but gentle.

With that Clay shook himself out of his reverie. "I'm... sorry, darlin'," he apologized. "I guess I'm kind of out of it right now."

Kate nodded. "You've had a long day full of excitement... especially the premiere."

"Well, yeah," Clay agreed, "but that's not what's on my mind right now."

Hunh? Kate blinked at him with confusion. Cryptic responses don't fit you. "So what's on your mind, if I may ask?"

Very gently Clay caressed her face. "You." Kate took in a slight, sharp breath as Clay continued to stroke her cheek and her jaw. He had imagined this moment a dozen, a hundred, even a thousand different times... always ending with him taking her into his arms and kissing her deeply, passionately until time and space itself faded away. Even now, as he studied her full pink lips, he thought he could feel the softness of her mouth and taste the sweetness of her tongue. Once more he shook himself - the last thing he wanted to do was overstep his boundaries. One moment at a time, Clayton. "Is it all right if I kiss you?" he asked quietly, hope turning the corners of his own mouth into the barest hint of a smile.

Kate started trembling as he stared into her eyes with a gaze of emerald-green intensity. What's your problem? This is Clay - you can trust him. Knowing how disappointed he would be if he had to wait again, she nodded.

As if he could sense her feelings, he considered her with a thoughtful pause. At last he shook his head. "No, it's not all right with you. You're scared." Visibly Clay wilted as he looked away. "I can see you're not ready for me to kiss you."

"Of course I am," Kate protested weakly.

Once more Clay shook his head. "Kate honey, I'm no fool. You're telling me what you think I want to hear." He frowned deeply. "Why?"

"I don't want to hurt you, Clay," Kate offered. "I know you would be disappointed if you weren't able to kiss me after such an amazing day."

Clay rolled his eyes. "I'll get over it." He chewed on his lip. "I guess I just have trouble understanding why you could give me a kiss in the theater in front of all those people but now that we're alone you seem frightened of it. Why is that?"

Kate shook her head. "I don't know. I mean, I know that I can trust you of all men but..." She shrugged helplessly, at a loss to explain.

A slight smile turned the corner of Clay's mouth. "Thank you." The smile faded, and he looked thoughtful. "Does it have any connection to your nightmares?"

Leave it to Clay, to read me like a book. Kate winced and nodded. "Probably."

Clay sighed deeply. "It makes it hard to show you affection. I'm never sure how you're going to react." Kate said nothing, and Clay continued to study her. He bit his lip sadly as he looked into her eyes, his own full of pain. "Is this relationship what you really want? Are we what you really want?"

I thought he overheard what I said to Jacob Haskell... Slowly Kate nodded.

"Are you sure?" Clay asked, his eyes showing a heart that was clearly tearing itself in two. "Because if you don't want it..." Clay's voice cracked with emotion and he looked away from her.

Is he breaking up with me? Kate threw her arms around him and clung to him, pinching her eyes shut to keep herself from crying. I can't win - if I tell him the truth he won't want me any more because the truth is ugly and nasty and hard to swallow, and if I don't tell him the truth he won't want me any more because I'll always be keeping him at arms' distance. "You are the only man I am sure about," she breathed as a single tear rolled down her cheek, "the only man I've ever been sure about!"

Clay slowly wrapped his arms around her, knocking his tuxedo jacket to the floor in the process. Ignoring it, he closed his eyes and held her tight. "What I asked you this morning, darlin', I ask you again now. Who hurt you?"

Very quietly Kate made shushing noises. "Not tonight. Our day has been magical, almost perfect. I don't want to ruin it for you now." She carefully chose to ignore the fact that having to divulge details now would ruin her day as well.

Kind of late for that. However, Clay chose not to voice that thought. "Tomorrow then. And you will tell me, or I am going to call Sarah and take her up on her offer."

He would. "You won't have to resort to that. I promised you that I would tell you, and I keep my promises." Kate sighed deeply. "I made myself promise a long time ago that if you ever asked, I would tell you the truth. I just never figured you'd know the right questions to ask."

In other words, you figured you'd never have to tell me. Clay pulled back and once more touched her cheek gently, a somber expression in his eyes. "Until tomorrow, then."

Kate nodded. "Until tomorrow." Wanting to put that hope back in his heart, she gave him a gentle smile. "Have a good night, Clay sweetheart."

"No nightmares," he ordered, knowing full well that it was out of their control.

Her smile grew. "I'll try." Reaching up on tiptoes, Kate placed one last kiss on his cheek before turning to go to the guest room for the night.

Clay watched her until the bedroom door closed and blocked her from his sight. With a deep sigh he walked over to the patio door and gently pulled back the curtain. He gazed up into the night sky, up at the almost-full moon shining down on the well-manicured yard. Clay leaned his head against the glass door, at last allowing his own tears to fall as he wrestled with his thoughts and emotions.

Go to the next day, Day 4

Go back to yesterday, Day 2

TITN series

Home