Author's note: Clay owns himself and his own name. I only wrote the words to the story.

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Day Five - Tuesday, December 27

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That morning at the Kirche farm

"What are you making?" Clay asked, peeking over Kate's shoulder. He stood very close to her, but after last night did not touch her at all. Even this morning, after a restless night's sleep, his hormones were still very tightly wound. Only the knowledge of four days and counting kept him sane at this point. Silently he thanked God for giving them those critical moments in which they could step back, evaluate what they were doing, and change their minds before they had made a huge mistake. If they had completed the act, that would have gone against much of what both of them said and believed about marriage. Kate deserved the kind of man who loved and respected her enough to wait until their wedding night... he would do what it took to show her that kind of love and that kind of respect. He wanted to give her the loving, supportive marriage relationship that both of them had always dreamed of. Only four more days...

Kate swallowed, feeling the physical attraction between them in spite of having her back turned to him. She understood now why some couples weakened enough to sample the marriage bed before the marriage. Only God and their faith in Him had kept the two of them from doing the same last night. Kate was surprised at herself - she knew she loved and respected him, but for her to come so close to nearly dishonoring him... Clay deserved better than that. She vowed to make sure she would show him that kind of love and respect these last four days. "Um..." she blinked, trying to focus her attention on what she was making instead of his presence behind her. "Oatmeal," Kate told him. "Are you by any chance allergic to raisins?" she asked weakly.

"Not to my knowledge," Clay chuckled.

"Good." Kate peeked over the rim of the pot. "Because I already put them in."

Laughing warmly, Clay placed one hand on her shoulder. At hearing the slow, deep intake of breath from Kate, he removed his hand from her shoulder. She feels it too, Clay knew. Carefully Clay wandered to stand out of arms' reach of her. "Four days, right?"

"Four days," Kate acknowledged with a nod.

"What, you two aren't all cuddly today?" Andrew asked, clapping a brotherly hand on Clay's shoulder. "S'matter? Are we a little horny?"

Kate glared up at her brother. "Drew, you have all the tact of a two-by-four to the side of the head."

Andrew winced. "Ooo, I hit a nerve..."

Clay frowned at Andrew. "We're getting married in four days. What you do you think?"

With an understanding nod, Andrew cleared his throat. "Better find myself some new rabbit jokes. I think you two are going to be worse than Mom and Dad." Clay and Kate shared a look with each other, as Clay blushed and Kate searched for something to throw at her brother. Within minutes a flying oven mitt nailed Andrew squarely in the forehead, and Andrew caught it before it fell to the floor. "Nice throw, sis," he muttered, tossing it back to her.

Kate caught it easily. "I was motivated."

Patricia entered the kitchen with several sheets of paper in her hand. "Kate, Clay... you guys are going to love this." She handed the sheets of paper to Clay.

Clay stared as Andrew snickered at what was on the papers. "Oh my..."

"Yeah," Patricia nodded.

Kate blinked. "What's going on?"

"You said that pictures from your Friday in the classroom were probably going to end up on the Internet," Patricia told her quietly. "Apparently they are."

With a groan Kate shook her head. "If I ever find out who posted those pics, I'm going to have their head on a platter."

"No-no, sis, you should thank them. These are good pictures." Andrew lightly elbowed Clay and pointed at the first one. "I give that one a ten."

Clay bit his lip as he studied the papers, paging through them one by one. "Oh my. I've always wondered what it looked like when we kissed, but this is not the way I wanted to find out." Suddenly he looked up, glancing at the amused faces of Kate's mother and brother. "Did I really just say that?"

Patricia snickered. "Yes, you did, Clay. I'm not mad at you for that. Now if you had wanted to know what it looked like when you two..." she smiled lightly and shrugged, "then I would have gotten mad."

Quickly Clay shook his head. "We're still virgins," he told her honestly, all the more thankful they stopped when they had. "Where did you get these?" he asked, passing them back to Patricia.

"A friend of mine emailed them to me," Patricia told him. "She said she found them on the message boards, with Friday's date on them."

Kate's eyes grew huge. "Someone wasted no time..."

Patricia walked over to her daughter and placed a warm arm around her as Kate also paged through the pictures. "You'd like the caption with them though. The caption that headlined the pictures read, 'Proof that Clay is straight'. The post went on to say how their teacher was Clay's girlfriend and told the story of Friday's question and answer session - making it clear what your beliefs on marriage and waiting were."

Kate hid a wince as she stole a glance at Clay, who looked equally as guilty. Glad we passed your little test, Lord. Thanks for the help.

"Which is why my friend emailed them to me." Patricia winked. "She and I have been scouting the message boards from time to time to make sure Clay's good name doesn't get slandered too badly." She glanced through the pictures with a chuckle. "I'm keeping these. You never know when a good blackmail picture or two could come in handy."

"MOTHER!!" Kate exclaimed as Clay flushed with embarrassment.

"If you really want good blackmail pictures of us," Clay laughed nervously as he pointed to the papers, "those are not the pictures."

"No, they're not," Patricia admitted. "I've seen much worse on the message boards myself. I still say the best blackmail picture is of the two of you on Regis's floor."

Kate groaned and hid her face with her hand, remembering the day the two of them had gone on the Regis and Kelly show together. After Clay had dedicated and sung a very romantic ballad directly to her, Kate had gone to hug him and knocked both of them over onto the floor of the studio. We are never going to live that down, are we?

Patricia pointed to the oatmeal. "Better stir that."

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At Sarah and Kate's apartment

Sarah blinked awake in the chill of the apartment. Wh-where...? She glanced up at Will, slowly coming to the realization that she was still sitting in his lap. And of course she remembered last night... Sarah gently touched her lips with her fingertips, remembering how they had kissed and touched each other (but no more than that) for a good portion of the evening before finally falling asleep. Definitely the best I've ever had. Carefully pulling herself out of his arms, Sarah slipped out from under the blanket and hobbled over to a window. Peeking outside, she looked down at the SUV and the street in front of the complex. At least the snowplow has been by, Sarah smiled, noting that the streets were clearer. Now all we have to do is dig out the SUV.

"Do I want to know what it looks like out there?"

Sarah turned her smile to Will, gazing over at her with an appreciative eye. "It looks better. There is still a lot of snow in piles and on people's lawns... but they've started clearing the streets. All we have to do in order to get back out to the farm is find a snow shovel to dig out the SUV."

Will nodded at the phone. "Landlord ought to be home by now."

Sarah hobbled over to the phone and called, reaching her landlord this time. After a moment of conversation, she arranged for the landlord to bring by a shovel. "He's on his way," Sarah told Will as she hung up the phone.

"Good." Will glanced at the two file cases. "Should I take those out to the car while we're waiting?"

Sarah shook her head. "Better wait. The snowplow buried us a little deeper when he went by."

"Great..." Will rubbed his face with his hand. "Hope you appreciate this, Princess."

"I do... especially since you're the one who has had to put up with the worst of it." Sarah smiled. "After the way we've been snipping at and slamming each other the last few days, I'm amazed that you did it at all."

"I'm a man of my word," Will replied. "I said I would do it if you asked me nicely. And you did."

Sarah snorted. "Ya big oaf, that's what you get for being such a nice guy." A wicked grin crossed her face. "Maybe that's going to be my nickname for you. My dear, sweet oaf..."

Will guffawed with laughter. "Such sweet nothings you say to me..."

"Do they make you want to kiss me?" Sarah asked hopefully.

"No, but that question does." Will brought her close and gave her a meaningful kiss on her lips before breaking if off with a low rumble. "Man, but you're addictive..."

"I try."

Within moments the landlord had brought the shovel, and Will put on his coat to go scoop out the SUV. About a half hour later he came back in, his forehead covered with sweat. "You weren't kidding when you said we were buried."

"Nope," Sarah said. "Want some breakfast before we start, or do you just want to get out to the farm as quickly as possible?"

"It's cold in here," Will answered. "What do you think?"

Sarah nodded. "I'll get my coat."

Will took the cases and Sarah's crutches out to the SUV before coming back in for her. Not willing to trust her safety on a day like today, he carried her bodily out of her apartment. Of course her safety wasn't his only reason for carrying her out to the car - he wanted to keep her in his arms as long as possible, and any excuse would do. After giving her a moment to lock back up, Will carried her to the SUV where he placed her in the passenger seat. Heaving a sigh of relief to finally be leaving, Will came back around to the driver's side.

"Do you need directions to get back to the highway?" Sarah asked gently.

Glancing around him, Will shook his head. "I don't think so. I go that way, right?" When Sarah nodded, he started the SUV and slowly pulled out. Taking twice as long as he would have done under normal conditions, Will drove them back out to the Kirche farm house. "Let me get you inside before I start bringing any of your stuff in."

"All right." Sarah unbuckled, waiting patiently as Will came around to carry her into the farm house.

Patricia heaved a sigh of relief as Will brought her in through the door. "Thank the Lord the two of you are safe and sound!"

"No kidding!" Kate exclaimed, coming over to hug Sarah the moment Will placed her back on the ground to stand gingerly on her one good foot. "It's good to see you," she said.

"Good to see you too, Katydid," Sarah smiled, returning the warm hug.

Clay shook Will's hand. "You made it in one piece."

Will nodded. "Both of us in one piece." He smiled at Sarah, his eyes twinkling warmly.

Clay noticed immediately. "I'm going to have to hear about this later," he whispered.

"After I bring her stuff in the house," Will agreed, heading back out to the car for Sarah's things.

Sarah took off her coat, placing it into Kate's outstretched hand. "It's nice to be somewhere where there's heat..."

"You missed that?" Kate snorted.

A light blush covered Sarah's cheek. "Some."

Kate smirked, giving Sarah a knowing nod. Switching into German, she asked, "I take it things went a lot better between you two?"

Sarah replied in kind. "Much better."

"I'll definitely have to hear about it later," Kate winked.

Andrew squinted at the two of them. "You know I hate it when you do that. For all I know you're telling juicy secrets that everyone would die to know."

"If I told everyone," Kate retorted, "then they wouldn't be secret, would they? You of the top-secret clearance codes, of all people, should understand that."

"That's different," Andrew protested. "That stuff's in the interest of national security. My own wife doesn't even hear about some of the stuff I deal with every day."

Kate nodded. "As it should be."

Clay joined the discussion with a smile on his face. "It would appear Operation Beatrice and Benedict has been successful."

Sarah made a face and bopped Clay lightly on the arm as Andrew laughed. "Oho! That's the secret!"

"Sorry, Sarah," Kate shrugged. "I tried."

"Yes, you did." Sarah glanced up at Clay. "So how many people did you have in on this little half-baked scheme of yours?"

"Hey!" Kate exclaimed. "It was not half-baked." When Sarah raised one eyebrow, Kate shrugged. "Everyone but Pop and the kids, and even then Alyssa still ended up helping."

Will placed the last items on the floor of the entryway. "That's it, Princess. I got everything."

"Thank you," Sarah told Will, accepting her crutches from him.

Patricia pointed to the crutches. "That bad?"

Sarah shrugged. "A precaution on their part. It's a pretty bad sprain... so they want me to take it easy for the next couple of weeks." She made another face. "I really love the idea of being on crutches for your wedding, but I guess I don't have much choice in the matter."

"So my maid of honor is on crutches..." Kate made a noise with her mouth. "Big deal."

"They're the fashion accessory of the season," Clay quipped. "You're right in style."

Sarah snorted. "Cute..."

Arthur walked into the living room, still bundled up warmly from the outside. He blinked with surprise and grinned at seeing Sarah and Will back from the apartment. "Well, look who's here!"

"Hey, Dad Kirche," Sarah grinned, hugging him warmly.

"Glad you made it back safely," Arthur told her gently, shaking Will's hand as well. Turning to Kate and Clay, he addressed them next. "I've got the sleigh pulled out, and if you two want to go on your sleigh ride now I can hook Ginger and Strawberry up for a ride."

Clay's eyes lit up with mischief. Taking Kate's hand in his, he kissed it and knelt on the floor. "My dearest Kathryn, it's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you. Will you come away with me?"

"Oh, gak..." Sarah complained. "Mush alert..."

"Oh now..." Patricia scolded, hugging Sarah. "I think it's cute."

I'd go away with him in a heartbeat, if I could. Holding her other hand over her heart in a melodramatic swoon, Kate blushed. Speaking in a fake Southern drawl, she smiled down at him. "Oh, my darlin' Clayton, I would love nothing better at this moment than to go on a sleigh ride together with you."

"Oh my gosh..." Clay laughed, keeping her hand in his. "Honey, you do that too well..."

"Thank you, darlin'. I've been practicing, y'know." Immediately she dropped the phony accent. "Really, Clay, I would love nothing better right now. Well, except to have the weather clear up a bit in time for our wedding..."

Clay blinked. "I'm afraid I don't have much control over that." He stood back up and turned to Arthur. "We'd love to go."

Arthur nodded. "I'll go hook up the horses. Bundle up and grab yourselves a couple of blankets, and join me in the barn in about ten minutes."

Clay grinned at Kate, his eyes twinkling. This is going to be so much fun...

Kate nodded at the coat rack. "We'd better bundle up." The two of them walked into the kitchen, still holding hands.

Sarah watched the two of them in the kitchen as they put on their coats and other winter gear and walked out to the barn with a couple of extra blankets that Patricia had placed on the kitchen table. Something's different about the way they interact with each other, but I can't put my finger on it... Sarah filed the thought away for now, taking mental notes to watch the two of them a little more carefully later.

"In the meantime," Patricia broke in, placing her hands up on Sarah's shoulders. "We need to thaw the two of you out... and I think a couple of warm showers would do the trick. Will, you take the downstairs shower, and Sarah, you take the upstairs one."

Will looked into Sarah's eyes with a slightly naughty grin. "I can take you upstairs if you want, Princess."

"That's okay, ya big oaf. I think I'll be just fine," Sarah teased, softly using her new nickname for him as he snickered.

Watching the two interact, Patricia immediately noticed the change in Will's tone as he addressed Sarah. Something must have happened at the apartment to soften them towards each other, she smiled, musing how nature had succeeded where the human conspirators had only begun to try. "If she needs help, Will, I think Holly and I can manage just fine. You certainly shouldn't be trying to help her in the shower anyway." She made shooing motions with her hand. "You get going." Will started towards the basement, looking back towards Sarah with longing.

A short time and lots of hot water later Sarah emerged from the bathroom refreshed and ready to tackle some of the work she had brought along. Hobbling into the bedroom, she noticed that Will had thoughtfully brought her cases up to the room when he had unloaded earlier. Probably figured he'd save himself a second trip with them, since he'd likely be the one bringing them upstairs later if he'd left them in the kitchen. Quickly Sarah dressed in clean, warm clothes. She left her suitcase open, thinking that she'd hang up the dresses later. Wanting to make all her movements as efficient as possible, she maneuvered her work materials close to the desk so that she would have everything within arm's reach. Sitting down at the desk, she started to examine one of her recent case files.

Sarah was so engrossed in her notations that she almost didn't hear the soft tapping behind her. Will stood in the doorway as she turned to him, watching her from where he leaned casually. "You're beautiful when you concentrate."

She grinned up at him. "Hey there. You warmer?"

"Yeah. You?" Will asked, still gazing at her appreciatively.

"Most definitely. C'mon in." Sarah beckoned to him, and he left his post to come in and sit on the bed nearby.

After a few awkward moments, Will realized that she sat on the chair with both of her feet on the floor. "You know, you really ought to have your leg up. It'll heal faster." He rose quickly to snatch the other chair in the room, positioning it so that she could elevate her leg.

Stifling a sigh, Sarah slowly lifted her leg and placed it on the chair. "Probably. I just didn't think about it." She hid a slight frown. "You know, I really do need to get some of these cases worked on. I have to call in a report to my boss in the morning. Maybe you could come get me when Dad Kirche is ready to take us? We can spend some time together after that."

"Oh. Um... sure." Will would have really preferred to remain in her company while they waited. While he had been in the shower he had become aware of just how little time he had available to spend with this captivating woman, and he wanted to enjoy every minute he could. He rose, dropping a kiss on her lips before leaving the room. Walking aimlessly around the house for a few minutes, Will wondered to himself what he could do to keep himself occupied. Somehow none of his usual diversions seemed appealing now that Sarah had become that much more interesting - but she sat upstairs working, of all things. Eventually Will wandered into the kitchen where Patricia was making hot cocoa and cider for everyone who would be taking their turn on the sleigh. Hey, Will thought to himself, maybe she'd like some hot cocoa. He approached Patricia. "Mrs. Kirche, could I have a cup of cocoa for Sarah? And do you have some painkillers and ice? Sarah's ankle could use some."

Patricia raised an eyebrow as she gave him a sidelong glance. She wondered whether Sarah had asked him to get these things for her or if he had taken it upon himself to bring her the things he thought she might want or need. Patricia smiled to herself - Sarah needed someone who would insist on being good to her. She directed Will to the painkillers and the ice bags in the freezer as she dished out a cup of cocoa for him to take up to Sarah.

Will thanked her and carried his loot back upstairs to Sarah. He tapped on the door again. "Hey, Princess, I brought you a few things." He entered the room and brought the items to her. "Thought you might enjoy a cup of cocoa or need some painkillers. And here's an ice pack in case your ankle starts throbbing."

He's trying to be nice - remember he's trying to be nice. Stifling another exasperated sigh, Sarah summoned an appreciative smile and attempted to be tactful with him. "Thanks, Will. That was very sweet of you. I didn't know Mom Kirche was making cocoa. Kate and Clay will appreciate that when they come in. I wasn't really thirsty though, and my ankle doesn't hurt just now. But I'll keep that ice and painkiller handy just in case."

He beamed with pleasure at her words, feeling useful as he did these little self-appointed tasks for her. Will knew that she really deserved to be pampered - she just didn't know it yet.

"But, Will," Sarah continued, "I really do have to get these done." In the short time that Will had been out of the room, Sarah had created a stack of files fully six inches high on the corner of her desk. My work never seems to end... If a case ever did close, it usually wasn't a good thing.

Will stood and placed another kiss on her lips. He squeezed her shoulders lightly as he winked at her. "I understand. I'll find something to make myself useful." He looked around the room for something to do. His eyes rested on her own suitcase with dresses still inside. Now there's something I can do. Walking over to the suitcase, he reached for one of the dresses on top. "I'll just hang up your stuff for you."

"Augh!" A frustrated scream erupted from Sarah. "NO, Will. No, you will not hang up my things. No, you will not unpack my suitcase. No, you will not bring me any more goodies - cocoa or soda or painkillers or ice. No, no, no, no, no, no, no!"

Hurt by her sudden change in attitude, Will made a face. He had really thought that he was showing her how much he cared about her. "I was just tryin' to help!" he protested, his frustration clear in his voice.

Sarah tried to soften her next response, but her exasperation still showed through. "What would help is if you'd get out of here and leave me alone for a while so I can concentrate and get my work done."

Are you kidding? Will didn't understand the change that had come over Sarah since they had returned. Now that they had acknowledged they were attracted to each other and even genuinely liked each other, she was pushing him away. Will raised his hands defensively. "Whatever you want, Princess. I'd rather spend the time with you, but if you'd rather work all alone in your ivory tower then I can find somewhere else to occupy my time. You seemed more than willing at the apartment to ignore your work to spend time with me. I don't know what changed that you're biting my head off when I'm going out of my way to be nice."

Equally frustrated by his response, Sarah sighed deeply. "You're going out of your way, all right... but that doesn't mean that it is right."

"Fine - have it your way." Will scowled. "I know where I'm not appreciated. I'll leave, but not before I say one thing. If you'd rather jerk a guy around than appreciate all he does for you, then have fun. You really need to get over yourself and let someone care for you once in a while. No one's an island, Princess." Will turned and walked out of the room, stopping at the top of the stairs. Grabbing onto the banister, he felt the fury building inside of him. Will had genuinely liked the Sarah he had come to know the previous night, but he wanted nothing to do with this push-me pull-me, on-again off-again treatment.

Will breathed deeply for a moment as he tried to figure out where her change in attitude had come from. It took only mere seconds after he had replayed the conversation from the night prior to realize how he had been coming across to her. Including a few moments ago. He should have known better, considering all that she had said about how she had been treated by some of the men she had dated. Will, you're an idiot, he grumbled. She tells you flat-out that she hates for people to give her orders, and here you are getting her things she hasn't asked for, doing things for her that she hasn't even hinted she wants you to do... and telling her how to care for her leg. Will frowned. He had better apologize quick if he wanted any more of a chance to explore what could be between them.

Returning to the doorway of her room, Will tapped on it softly, his face hanging sheepishly as he studied the tips of his shoes. "Um, Sarah...?" Will chose to use her given name, hoping that it would be more likely to catch her attention and sound as apologetic as he felt.

"What now?" Sarah snapped impatiently, keeping her eyes on her paperwork. "Did you decide you needed to tell me more about what I'm doing wrong here? Maybe you'd like to tell me how to write up my case notes..."

"No, Sarah." Using her real name again, he paused. "I just wanted to apologize." Deciding that she might appreciate a more dramatic gesture, he knelt beside her and placed his hands on her left knee.

"Apologize?" Her pen paused in her writing as Sarah turned her head ever so slightly to cast a doubting glance his way.

Will wasn't sure, but he thought he saw tears in her eyes. Aw dang, I even made her cry. He took a deep breath. "Yes, apologize. I was taking liberties I don't have the right to. I got into my old habit of doing things for someone I think is special." He paused, noticing her eyebrow twitch with an oh-really? look. "Yes, I think you're special. Anyway, I started doing things for you, things that I thought you'd want or appreciate, without asking you first. Can you forgive me? I promise I'll try harder to ask you before I do things, but I don't promise that I won't try to do things for you. It's just my way of showing I care a lot about you - already."

Sarah sniffled, wiping away a tear. "I'm sorry too, Will. It's just... um... I guess I sometimes have a hard time telling the difference between smothering and kindness. I'm not used to people doing things for me, except for the Kirches, and it took a long time for me to accept it from them, too."

"I just wanted to make sure if you need something that you didn't have to ask for it or go get it." Will frowned thoughtfully. "I just don't understand why back at the apartment you seemed to really want to be with me and now you're pushing me away. You sure acted like you wanted me earlier today. What gives?" Will was genuinely curious to find out, but he was also more than a little irate about the way she kept telling him to leave the room. He wasn't going to take this kind of treatment from her unless she had a darn good reason.

The tear that Sarah had wiped away earlier was soon joined by a companion rolling down her cheek. "I know you want to be with me, and I know that there's not much to do in a virtual stranger's house. But I want to get the work done so that I can spend time with you and not be thinking about work while I am with you. And quite frankly..." Sarah took a deep breath and looked into his eyes before continuing. "I can't think about work when you're in here."

"Oh really?" Will was taken by surprise by her confession. Well. He grinned wickedly. "You can't concentrate with me around, hunh?"

Sarah looked down at his hands. Such nice hands, she sighed. "No, I can't. When you're in here I want to think about work, but because you're here I can't. But if I try to concentrate on you I can't, because in the back of my mind there's still all this work that has to get done. So I kicked you out in order to get the work done without you to distract me, so that the work won't distract me from you. Does that make sense?" Sarah's voice pleaded with him to understand.

Slowly Will nodded. "Yeah, it makes sense. I just hope you don't distract me when I have my job to do. That could be dangerous." He gave her another wicked glance. "Then again, this could be dangerous too." Will slipped one hand around her shoulder to caress her arm, leaning over to claim her lips.

"Mmmm," she moaned lightly, "yes, it could." Sarah returned his kiss, trying to hold back but failing.

They kissed for a few more moments until Will pulled away. "Okay, Princess. I don't want you think about anything but me when you're with me, so I will let you get back to work. Holler if you need anything, okay?"

"Okay," Sarah told him. "Come get me when Kate and Clay get back, and we'll take that sleigh ride." Sarah tilted her head up for another kiss before letting Will walk away and out of the room.

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Out in the barn

Clay and Kate walked over to Arthur as he made the final adjustments to the harness. Arthur looked up at their arrival. "You two ready?"

"Ready, Dad," Clay told him, offering his hand to Kate to assist her into the sleigh. Once she was in, he climbed in beside her, followed by Arthur on the bench seat in front of them. Arthur gave the horses the signal, and they pulled out of the barn into one of the pastures of the Kirche homestead.

As the sleigh slid silently over the powder-white landscape, Clay spread the blankets over Kate and himself to help keep them warm. Taken in by the romantic setting, he debated whether the two of them would be able to get away with sharing a little bit of their affection for each other. Cautiously Clay pulled Kate into his arms, allowing her to nestle close to him. He took a deep breath as he rested his cheek on her hair, inhaling its light floral scent. Kate's mittened hand grasped his, squeezing just enough that Clay could feel it through his glove. Appreciating her tender affection, he squeezed back and gave her a gentle kiss on her temple. Kate glanced up into Clay's vulnerable green eyes, and instantly their gazes locked. The couple stared deep into each other's eyes, seeing not only their love and total devotion to the other but their passionate desire for the other person as well. For several minutes Clay and Kate read each other's souls through their expressive eyes, not noticing anything else around them. The cold, the snow, the gentle rhythm of the horses' hooves, and even the presence of Kate's father in front of them faded away as they continued to bond through just a look.

"How long do you two want to ride around?" Arthur asked, oblivious to their unspoken dialogue, his voice breaking through their intimate trance with each other.

Clay and Kate both blinked and broke eye contact, carefully looking away from each other. "You're the driver," Clay told him. "However long you want to give us and still be fair to the others."

"Don't make yourself too cold either, Dad," Kate advised him.

"I won't," Arthur replied. "I'm giving Sarah and Will a ride after you, but Andrew's on his own. He's perfectly capable of controlling this thing."

"Good for you," Kate chuckled, leaning back into Clay. Once more Clay rested his cheek on Kate's hair as he kept her close in his arms. Kate squeezed his hand again, holding that squeeze for a moment until she felt him return it. Gently they relaxed their hands, holding tightly and warmly onto each other for the rest of the ride in silence... and carefully avoiding looking back into each other's eyes.

Once back at the barn Clay stepped down from the sleigh to assist Kate. "We'll leave the blankets for the others," Kate offered as Clay took her hand.

"Alright," Arthur nodded. "Send them out."

Clay and Kate walked towards the house, their hands still entwined tightly. Every step of the way Clay wrestled with the almost overpowering urge to take Kate into his arms and kiss her passionately then and there. Four days four days four days... Once on the back porch they brushed the snow from their boots. Clay smiled at his fiancé. "Thank you for riding with me."

Kate smiled, looking up into his eyes. "The pleasure was mine, love."

Love... Clay thought, his eyes wandering to her lips. Instantly Kate's expression turned serious as her own eyes glanced down at his mouth. Kate... he thought to himself, feeling himself weakening by the minute. Gently he reached up and took her chin in his gloved hand, rubbing a thumb over her bottom lip. As Kate slowly closed her eyes and sighed very deeply, Clay's breath caught in his throat. He wanted nothing more at that moment than to claim her entire mouth, lips and tongue and everything about it - and judging from Kate's reaction, she wanted the same thing of him. At last he shook his head sharply - kissing like that was the last thing they needed to do right now. "Let's get inside before I give you the kind of kiss that both of us are thinking of."

"Good idea," Kate whispered hoarsely, also giving her head a sharp shake.

The two of them entered the kitchen hand-in-hand. "Sarah, Will," Kate called out as Clay let go of her hand to take off his coat and boots. "Dad says that he's ready to give the two of you a sleigh ride. Just meet him in the barn once you've wrapped up."

"All right," Will responded. "Sarah's working up in your room. Give me a minute to go get her."

While Will went upstairs to retrieve Sarah, Kate and Clay put their coats on the rack and their snow boots underneath them on the mat. Shortly Sarah hobbled into the kitchen on her crutches. "Don't suppose I could con you into helping me with my boots, Katydid."

"Sure!" Kate grabbed Sarah's boots from the mat and knelt down in front of her, putting the left boot on her foot with ease before grabbing the right boot. Very gently she held the boot still while Sarah carefully maneuvered her wrapped foot into the boot. Kate laced it up snugly but not too tight. "That work for you?" she smiled at her.

Sarah nodded as Clay gingerly slipped by Kate and paused at the door to the kitchen to wait for her. Suddenly something clicked in Sarah's mind - she knew what it was about the two of them that had struck her as odd earlier. They haven't done more than hold each other's hand that one time since I got back, Sarah mused. Something's not right... Sarah gave Kate a keen eye and spoke to her in German. "Is everything all right between you two?"

"Of course." Kate blinked at her with surprise. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"Because you're usually stuck to each other like glue - and I haven't seen that since I returned." Sarah watched as Kate's eyes widened and she swallowed. Bingo. Sarah continued to study Kate's expressions. "Did the two of you have a fight or something while I was gone?"

Kate glanced uncertainly up at Clay, whose expression turned puzzled. What do I tell her? Kate wondered. I don't want to tell her that we did have a fight... and I don't want to tell her about what else happened. She bit her lip as Clay's eyes filled with concern at her apprehension. He was probably guessing the nature of their conversation at this very moment. Quickly she debated her response before deciding to skirt the topic altogether. "We're just trying to keep some decorum these last four days before the wedding."

Sarah didn't buy that one for a minute. "You're a horrible liar, Kate Kirche."

Kate's eyes turned angry as she faced her friend again. She wasn't sure if she was more upset that Sarah had called her a liar or that Sarah had returned their private conversation to everyday plain English for all to hear. "That is no lie, Sarah Caelin Daniels," she growled as Will re-entered the room. Kate stood up and raised her eyebrow at Will. "If you and your girlfriend are ready for your sleigh ride, so's my father." With that Kate stalked out of the room, leaving Clay scratching his head in her wake.

Will frowned after Kate before looking at Sarah. "What was that all about?"

Sarah glanced up at Clay. "She wouldn't tell me. Ask her fiancé."

Deciding to take Sarah at her word, Will turned to Clay. "Trouble in paradise?" Clay gave him no answer - he merely rolled his eyes and followed Kate into the living room. Looks like it to me. Will gave a low whistle. "Trouble in paradise..."

"Yeah..." Sarah frowned. I'm going to have fun prying it from her later...

Clay hurried to catch up with Kate in the living room. "Would you let me in on what happened in there, honey?" he asked quietly, glancing around the room at Kate's mother and brother to see if they had heard any of the exchange in the kitchen.

Kate scowled, heaving a sigh before meeting Clay's eyes. "Sarah knows something's up and asked me if we had a fight," she whispered to keep from being overheard by her family.

Oh no... Clay's breath hissed through his teeth as he winced. "That's not good. What'd you tell her?"

"Nothing useful," Kate shrugged, "just that we were trying to behave ourselves these last few days. And that's when she called me a liar."

Clay frowned. "You didn't lie."

Kate shook her head firmly. "No, I didn't. I just left out the details." Lowering her voice even further, Kate whispered in his ear. "It would just be a really bad idea for anyone else to know."

"I'm not about to tell anyone," Clay agreed. The way he looked at it, everyone had momentary lapses in judgment - and last night was theirs. He would rather not have anyone get the wrong idea about either one of them. "Maybe we should figure out what we are telling people in case anyone else starts asking questions we don't want to answer."

For a moment or two Kate gave the matter some thought. "If anyone else accuses us of having a fight, we can always be truthful about the argument, and that we're still ironing out details about our future. As for the two of us keeping our distance from each other..."

Clay's eyes twinkled with a moment of inspiration. "You know how everyone's telling us how we 'need to get married soon'?" He made air quotes with one of his hands as Kate nodded. "Why don't we use that to our advantage? Like you said, we're trying to behave ourselves these last four days."

"I tried telling Sarah that we were... how'd I put it... trying to keep some decorum these last few days," she recalled as Clay chuckled, "and she didn't buy it."

"It's the truth!" Clay protested quietly with a shrug.

"I know," Kate acknowledged, frowning unhappily. "I'm standing my ground though. She doesn't owe me an explanation about what happened between her and Will any more than I owe her an explanation for our behavior."

"Let's stick to that, then," Clay told her. "You're an honorable woman, Kate, and I don't want to give anyone ideas that you're anything different."

Kate smiled up at him. Reaching towards him, she took his hand. "And you're an honorable man, Clay. I feel exactly the same way about you."

Clay nodded towards the fireplace, inviting her to sit for a while with him. "Let's see if we can't start talking out some of the details about our future while those two are having their own sleigh ride."

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

Will carried Sarah into the living room where Andrew and Holly sat snuggled together under a blanket on the couch while Clay and Kate sat together on the floor in front of the fireplace. Sarah raised her eyes at the latter pair, noticing that as they conversed earnestly they were holding hands but otherwise were not touching. For a moment she studied the marked differences between the couples' displays of affection. Something definitely happened last night. She turned to Andrew and Holly as Will placed her back upright. "Dad Kirche is out in the barn with the sleigh. He's ready to let you take your hand at it."

"Hey," Andrew protested. "How come I have to drive myself but Dad drives you guys around?"

"Because Kate and I never learned how to handle the sleigh," Sarah explained, "and we're not entirely sure these city slickers have seen a real horse before this trip."

Will frowned at Sarah. "City slickers? City slickers! Clay man, she called us city slickers!"

Clay shook his head, not wanting to deal with it right then. "Hey, I'm not complaining. It's a refreshing change of pace from the Mayberry jokes."

Andrew rolled his eyes. "All right, all right... Come on, doll." Extending his hand to Holly, Andrew helped her upright. Within moments they had put on their coats and headed out to the barn.

Sarah sat on the couch, smiling gently as Will draped the blanket over the top of them and took her in his arms. "So," she began in German, "what did happen between you two last night?"

Kate raised her eyebrow and replied in the same manner. "First you tell me what happened between you two last night. Then I might think about it."

Shrugging thoughtfully, Sarah chose to drop it for now - it wouldn't be fair to the guys to have this private conversation now with the two of them in the room. She stole a sly glance at Will, who gave her a kiss on the cheek. "So what were you guys talking about so seriously as we came in?"

Completely oblivious to the kisses that Will and Sarah were stealing, Clay stared into the fire, gently rubbing Kate's hand with his thumb. "Trying to plan our future."

"Starting with the next six months," Kate added, her back also to Will and Sarah's amorous attentions. "I think we've done pretty well so far."

Clay nodded. "So far we've agreed that we're using birth control until June... We've agreed that one week is not enough notice to give a school that they would need to hire a new foreign language teacher... We've agreed that no matter how much it annoys us, Kate is finishing this year at the school... We've agreed that I'm going to sneak to Nebraska to see Kate any free time I can manage."

"And when his next tour comes to Omaha," Kate put in quickly, squeezing his hand with warmth, "this time I am going to move heaven and earth to get there to see him. I'll take a couple of sick days from school if I have to - it's not up for discussion."

Clay smiled at her, shaking his head with amusement at her determination. When he had come to Omaha's Quest Center back in March of 2004, Kate's evening had already been booked well in advance of the concert date announcement. She had been absolutely livid that she had been unable to meet her new friend, but the two of them had dealt with it with the understanding that there would be other opportunities to meet... even if they had to make them. Even now Clay couldn't help but wonder how their relationship would have been different it they had met much sooner than this past summer. "I'll get you and your family tickets, that's for sure - front row if I have my say. And a separate motel room for them."

"Separate motel rooms? Well, that's a no-brainer," Sarah quipped. "You two will still be newlyweds - you need a separate motel room for your sanity."

"No kidding," Kate nodded, wondering who would be acting more like the newlyweds, the two of them or her parents. "What else did we agree on?"

"That I'm helping you move to L.A. after the Haiti trip," Clay reminded her.

"That's right," Kate snapped her fingers.

"After Haiti?" Sarah asked as Will quietly started kissing her neck. "It looks like if I want to spend any decent time with you before you go, I need to be going on the Haiti trip with you."

Kate glanced around at Sarah. "You mean that? You want to go?"

"Sure. You've raved about your experience for years."

Kate smiled at Clay before turning back to look at Sarah with a raised eyebrow. Okay, they're all cuddly and kissy now. Kate felt a pang of jealousy knowing that she and Clay had to remain at a discreet distance from each other these last four days. "Oh, and we've agreed that we are not naming our children Richard, Jim, Phil, Abby or Dee." When there was a puzzled silence from the couch, Kate frowned. "Say each one of those with 'Aiken' and you'll figure it out."

After a few minutes Sarah laughed. "Cute, Katydid... Oh, by the way - I thought about your honeymoon situation. Every woman should have a honeymoon, Katydid. If it's your kids you're worried about, you can get a hold-the-fort down sub for the sake of legalities and I can run your classroom for a week or so while you guys enjoy yourselves at some exotic location of your choice."

Clay and Kate glanced back at Sarah with surprise. "You mean that?" Clay asked.

"Of course," Sarah told them. "Consider it a gift to my best friend and roommate."

Clay frowned deeply as Will nuzzled and cuddled with Sarah under the blanket. I wish I could do that with Kate right about now, he sighed, feeling more and more frustrated by the moment that he didn't dare. From the annoyed look in Kate's eyes, she wasn't any happier about the situation than he was. Finally he couldn't stand it any more. "Get a room," he growled, holding back his emotions over his ever-increasing sexual tension. Keeping their hormones in check for these last few days was proving harder than he or Kate had ever anticipated.

Will blinked. "What?"

"I said," Clay snarled softly, "get a room."

"My, aren't we touchy?" Will shot back at him playfully as he ran his hands over Sarah's arms. "Whatsa matter, big guy? Not getting enough attention these days, or are you saving all your energy for the big night?"

Clay glared at him angrily. "Maybe you need to stick your head in a snowdrift - and I'm not referring to the one I'm speaking to."

Ouch, Sarah thought to herself. It's not like Clay to be that personal about it. "Just what has - or hasn't - gotten into you two lately?" Sarah questioned, taking a break in the action. "Is this some weird pre-wedding ritual, this no-displays-of-affection thing you're doing?"

Kate scowled with annoyance. "No displays of affection?" She held up her and Clay's entwined hands. "What's this, chopped liver?"

Will chuckled. "Well, it's not filet mignon."

"When we left," Sarah explained as Will resumed nibbling on her neck, "you two were all over each other like hot butter on garlic bread. And now, you're like... well, not."

Heaving a sigh, Kate rolled her eyes. "I told you earlier that we're trying to keep some decorum here. Something you two obviously know nothing about..."

At Kate's snide retort, Sarah instinctively knew that she had indeed somehow stumbled onto the truth. Now her task would come to the matter of prying out the details. "And that's stopped you when?" Sarah asked. Kate gaped, and Sarah continued. "You didn't do decorum in front of your 25 eighth-period students on Friday. Why should you start in front of us?"

Kate spluttered, at a loss for words.

"Fine!" Clay exclaimed hotly. "You want displays of affection? Here!" He gathered Kate into his arms, planting a highly passionate kiss directly on her lips. Kate took in a sharp, deep breath and clutched him tight, threading her hand into his hair for the purpose of holding him as close as possible.

"Whoa, whoa, there you two!" Will guffawed as the kiss deepened at a dizzying speed in front of them. "Keep your hands where we can see them and watch the tongue!"

"Oh my..." Sarah squeaked as she watched them kiss each other hungrily. Never in a million years had she expected to see this side of Kate...

After only a couple of minutes Clay and Kate suddenly broke the kiss and scrambled to opposite sides of the room. Will studied both of them as they trembled visibly in their respective corners, careful to keep their backs to one another. "And that would be why we haven't seen them all over each other."

Sarah stared agape at Clay and Kate. "Y-Y-You mean..." She stammered for a moment, her eyes wide as she watched them fight their hormones. "Th-They're keeping that distance because they can't keep their hands to themselves?"

"Yup," Will snickered.

I don't think I want the detail of what happened last night now. Sarah shook her head in amazement. "Katydid," she breathed. "You're horny??"

A tortured moan came from Kate. "Sarah..." she choked. "Shut... up..."

Kate just told me to shut up, Sarah marveled with a low whistle. Her students would have a field day with that one.

Clay swallowed, closing his eyes for a moment. "Sarah, do you ever stop and think about your thoughts before they leave your mouth?"

"Sometimes," Sarah admitted, "like right now." She leaned over and kissed Will suggestively.

Hearing the noise, Clay glanced at them. He groaned at the sight. "This is like having your own R-rated movie..."

"See," Sarah responded after she pulled away, "I thought about that, and thought about how much I'd enjoy it, and then I followed through. So the thought left my mouth anyway." She gave Clay an angelic look before leaning back to kiss Will again.

Kate wrinkled her nose at them. "An R-rated movie without the popcorn..."

Amused by their comments, Sarah broke the kiss and started giggling. "You two... oh Will, I suppose we shouldn't be like this in front of them then..."

"Thank you," Clay whispered hoarsely. He cast a weak glance across the room to Kate. "How many days? Four?"

"Last time I checked," Kate nodded.

Will snorted. "I'm surprised you don't have it down to hours."

"Actually," Kate began, "it's - "

"Sorry I asked," Will interrupted. "Fine, we'll behave..." He pointed to the spot on the floor they had vacated less than five minutes ago. "Go sit back down, guys." Very slowly Clay and Kate walked back over to their original spots in front of the fireplace. Gingerly they sat back down, leaving several more inches between them than there had been before. Will raised his eyebrow, noticing that this time they did not even hold hands. "It's not that bad..."

Clay and Kate glanced at each other to share a wary look. That was their mistake - their gazes locked, and they stared hungrily at each other for a minute before Kate finally turned away with a sharp shake of her head. Immediately Clay looked back into the fire burning bright and hot, his haunted eyes taking note of the symbolism with a weak chuckle of irony.

Will pursed his lips thoughtfully, having caught their little exchange of bedroom eyes. "Okay, maybe it is that bad..." He snickered, shaking his head at the pair. "Clay man, if it's that bad, why don't you two just scratch the itch and get it over with? Your wedding's only four days away."

Clay blinked with amazement as he turned to Will. "I can't believe you just said that..." he breathed. "I am not going to 'just scratch the itch'. Kate is an honorable Christian woman who deserves a loving, respecting marriage relationship. And that's what I'm going to give her if it kills me."

Kate grasped his hand and held it between both of hers. "Clay - you deserve that kind of special relationship too. I don't want to dishonor you any more than you want to dishonor me." Very gently she kissed his hand. "I love you, Clay Aiken."

His eyes softening, Clay squeezed her hand. Slowly he slid closer to sit right by her side. "I love you, Kate Kirche," he told her tenderly. Giving Kate a warm smile, he wrapped his arms around her. Although he knew that the war with their hormones was far from over, for now he knew they could handle it.

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