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

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Day Seven - Thursday, December 29

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A little before nine at Sally's church in Lincoln

Walking into the office with Clay, Will, and Sarah, Kate greeted the secretary at the front desk. "Good morning! We have a meeting at nine with Pastor Macy."

"Have a seat," the secretary invited, "and I'll let him know you're here."

Within moments a tall brunette man came to greet them. "Hi, Kate. Good to see you again, my cousin." He gave Kate a warm hug.

"You too, Pastor." Breaking from the hug, she moved to introduce the others. "These are some of the others interested in going on this year's trip - the man I plan to marry very soon, Clay Aiken... one of the two bodyguards that will be going along, Will McLeod... and my best friend, Sarah Daniels. Everyone, this is Pastor Thomas Macy."

"Hi, everyone," Pastor Macy said as he shook all their hands. "Nice to meet you." He grinned when he finished up with Clay. "Very soon?" A slight smile turned the corner of his mouth as Clay shrugged. "Will you be needing separate rooms on the trip?" he asked quietly. When both Clay and Kate shook their heads, Pastor Macy nodded knowingly. "Ah. I won't ask any more than that right now."

"That's the way we've been handling it," Kate admitted as the group progressed back to the pastor's office. "Immediate family, grandparents, best friends, and those running the show. No one else."

Pastor Macy smirked. "Under the circumstances, that's probably the best thing." He held up a halting hand. "Don't tell me any more until after it's official. Plausible deniability..."

Will gave Clay a confused look. "Plaus-a-wha?"

Clay leaned towards Will to speak softly. "Plausible deniability. If anyone asks him if he knows when our wedding is, he can honestly tell them no."

Pastor Macy invited the four to sit. "Right now it looks like we're going to Jérémie down in the Grand' Anse district. We're going there to teach bible school and to build an orphanage. We're also going to take part in their feeding program."

As Pastor Macy continued to talk about the upcoming trip, Clay squeezed Kate's hand. The trip might be six months away, but he was already excited.

"Now what I'd like to do," Pastor Macy continued, "is to ask each one of you a little more in private about your own faith walk. This won't affect your going on the trip, but it will give me an idea as to where each of you stands in your journey with the Lord. Kate, you don't have to since I already know where you're at. Who wants to go first?"

"I'll go," Clay quickly volunteered. He followed Pastor Macy next door to a small conference room, leaving the others to their thoughts.

As each one of them took their turn with the pastor, Kate remembered her own conversation with Pastor Macy the year she went on the trip with her cousin Sally. Pastor Macy had wasted no time getting to the heart of the matter, starting by asking Kate who she placed her faith and trust for life in. Kate was ready to vouch for the solidity of Clay and Sarah's Christian faith, but she knew neither Will nor Jerome enough to speak for either of them.

At last Will and Pastor Macy re-entered the room. "Hope that wasn't too painful for any of you," Pastor Macy joked quietly. "Again, it's only for my own understanding of where each of you are at, something which I want to take into consideration when I pair everyone up for devotions."

"Wow," Clay said. "How do you go about pairing people up?"

"I try to mix people up a bit," Pastor Macy told him with a smile. "The chances of you being paired with Kate are almost nonexistent." Clay snapped his fingers playfully to show his discouragement. "You guys have any other questions? So those of us on this end will start planning in January and we'll keep in touch. Kate, is Sally planning on going again this year?"

"Last I knew," Kate told him. "We'll stop by her office on the way out."

Pastor Macy nodded. "If nothing else, we can keep in touch through her. Who's going to be in California the next little while? You two? And are both of you going to be in Kearney?" Upon receiving nods from Kate and Sarah, Pastor Macy smiled at Kate and Clay. "It won't be the first time we've taken newlyweds on the trip."

"Saturday," Kate replied and covered her mouth impishly.

Pastor Macy's eyes twinkled. "I heard nothing. All right then. Thanks for stopping by." He shook hands with Clay and Will and Sarah, giving Kate another hug. "And we'll keep in touch."

Kate took the others down the hall to another office where a forty-some woman was hard at work on her laptop with several hymnals and other songbooks spread out on the desk. The woman glanced up as they walked in. "Kate!" she exclaimed in surprise, almost knocking over her cup of hot chocolate "What are you doing here!".

"Hi, cousin!" Kate called out, and the two embraced. "Sally, I want you to meet - "

"Oh my heck!" Sally stared wide-eyed at Clay for a moment before turning back to Kate. "I never put the two together until this moment. I must be slipping in my old age."

"Hunh?" Kate asked, obviously confused.

"Just how long have you known him?" Sally pointed at Clay, who gave Kate and her cousin a wary glance.

"Two and a half years," Kate answered honestly, puzzled by Sally's reaction to Clay.

Sally shook her head. "I remember reading on one of the boards that Clay Aiken was dating a Nebraska girl, and I remember hearing you talk about 'my boyfriend Clay' - but never in my wildest dreams did I think the two were connected."

You mean to tell me that all this time my cousin's been a Claymate and I've never figured it out? Oops. Kate shrugged briefly at Clay before extending her hand towards him. "Sally, my fiancé - "

"Fiancé??" Sally exclaimed. "When did this happen? Why haven't you told me?"

Quickly Kate shook her head. "He only proposed on Christmas Eve. You're not missing as much as you think." When Sally held a relieved hand to her heart, Kate continued. "My fiancé Clay Aiken, his bodyguard Will McLeod, and of course you remember my best friend Sarah."

"Hey, cous'," Sally greeted Sarah, gently pulling her into a hug.

"Good to see you again, Sally," Sarah told her as she hugged back.

Clay scratched his head. "Are you guys calling everyone in this church 'cousin'?"

"No," Kate chuckled. "Sally's my real cousin, and since Sarah and my family have adopted each other, Sarah gets treated like my sister... which would make her a 'cousin' to Sally." Kate smiled. "Pastor Macy, on the other hand... calls me 'cousin' because I went on a Haiti mission trip. It's a Haiti thing - one of the first few years this church started sending teams to Haiti, one of the tap-tap drivers kept calling all the Haiti team members his cousins, and all of the teams have been doing it with each other ever since."

"So," Clay said with a smile, "once we get back from Haiti, they'll be calling us 'cousin'?" When Kate nodded, his smile grew. "I like that."

"Kate..." Will began. "What the heck's a tap-tap?"

"That's what they call a taxi," Kate explained. "Except their taxis are vans and trucks and whatever vehicle will hold the most amount of people since gas and insurance and car payments are so expensive."

"Not only do the vehicles hold a lot of people to begin with," Sally agreed, "but they pack them in tight. Almost every time we went somewhere, we were packed in like sardines. It reminded me of the infamous VW stuff-and-push contests we had in college - only more odorous."

Clay glanced at Will. "Make sure you pack extra deodorant."

"Har har..." Will drawled.

"Well, everyone, it is a pleasure to meet you." Sally shook Will's hand before moving on to Clay. With a surprised shake of her head, she extended her hand to Clay for him to shake. "And a definite shock to my system to meet you!" When Clay hugged her warmly, she broke out into a huge smile. "It's hard to believe I'm going to be family with The Clay Aiken." She shrugged apologetically. "If you haven't figured it out, I'm a HUGE fan of yours - I won't use the term 'Claymate' because I know it's not a term you like to use for your fans. But if you're going to be marrying my cousin, I'm obviously going to have to get over being 'starstruck' and fast. So when's the wedding?" Catching the sheepish glances exchanged between Clay and Kate, she put her hand over her mouth in time to stifle a gasp. "Oh my heck... When?" she breathed. "Okay, spill it, Kate! You know I've always wanted to be front and center at your wedding. Don't tell me that I won't get to see it because it's him."

Kate heaved a deeply regretful sigh. "I can't tell you when it is. The only people we've told are immediate family and grandparents and very best friends. Not even aunts and uncles know."

Sally closed her eyes tightly, bit her lower lip and sighed. "I guess I'll have to understand."

Sally's been my closest cousin for years - isn't there some way... At last an impish look crossed Kate's face. "It's too bad," she began, "that we can't draft you to play organ for our wedding. You really are one of the best organists I've ever heard, with only that professor of yours from Concordia being better. You playing for church this weekend?" Kate quickly asked.

"Why do you ask...?"

"Are you?" Kate pressed her.

"No," Sally told her.

"Oh really," Kate mused thoughtfully, exchanging another glance with Clay. Catching the slight smile on his face, she continued. "Any of your choirs doing anything?"

"No, not with the holiday." Sally put her hands on her hips. "Okay, Kate. Don't make me read between the lines here. Put it to me in language plain and simple. You've got that look on your face that says you're up to something. Spill it before I make a fool outta myself in front of Clay Aiken!"

Kate knew that Sally could put her foot in her mouth as easily and as well as she could, and she really didn't want to give Clay the wrong impression of her favorite cousin. Knowing that she had Sally's full attention, Kate gave Clay a sly grin before attempting to answer any of her questions. "Do I have your approval?"

"You trust her?" Clay asked simply.

"Yes," Kate replied.

"Then I do too."

Kate nodded. "All right then. But since I don't want to take any chances..."

"Come on, Kate," Sally begged as Kate turned back to her. "You're killing me here! What do I need, an FBI background check or something?"

Smiling, Kate gave her a single nod. "Okay, Sally. I'll keep it plain and simple. Give Josh a call yet this morning, after we leave. Tell him that you guys have been invited out to Uncle Art and Aunt Trish's place for weekend festivities. I'm going to warn you now that there won't be room in the house for you guys to bunk. You'll need to grab a motel somewhere out on the strip."

Sally knew instantly she meant the stretch of road just north of the Interstate on the way towards the downtown area. "Uh, Kate... unless you've lost all track of time since you've been living in 'Clayland', this is the New Year's holiday weekend," she reminded Kate. "You know Josh has already made plans to watch an obscene amount of football with the boys."

"All right," Kate shrugged. "If Josh has made other plans, so be it. But if you do come out, I promise a family gathering to make it worth your while..." she hinted.

"I see... hmmm..." Sally replied. "So exactly what are you doing this weekend?"

Kate took Clay's hand and squeezed it warmly. "We're hanging with our families and a handful of our closest friends," she said simply. "It'll be a nice gathering, so bring good clothes."

Sally's eyes grew in size. "Ahhh... I think the fog is lifting and I can see what's on the horizon. Would this gathering just happen to be a family wedding?"

Knowing that Sally had indeed read between Kate's lines, Kate raised a single eyebrow. "I never said that," she told her with a slight smile.

"Well, well, well... me thinks I understand now," Sally breathed. After a moment's thought, Sally heaved a sigh. "Kate, Clay, count me in. I'll be there if I have to come solo, but something tells me that my darling hubby's plans are about to change quickly. Besides, he can always watch the game at the house with the rest of the testosterone crowd later on."

"Yes," Kate said with a raised eyebrow. "Can't take Josh away from his football..."

"If you say it'll be worth my while - "

" - I promise..." Kate held up her fingers in a Scout salute.

Sally nodded. "Look, I've been married to your cousin twenty years. I'm going to catch on to the Kleinbach family language yet."

"You already are," Kate winked.

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At Westfield Shopping Town, known as Gateway Mall to the locals

Kate parked the minivan under the mall near JCPenney, relieved that she had been able to convince everyone to let her run this errand alone. She didn't want to do it on the way back from the church since Clay had been along for that ride - and that would have been entirely too risky. Both Sarah and Kim had expressed the wish to go with her, but Kate had eventually ended up requesting to go on her own. While she loved both women dearly, Kim would have been easily recognized and Sarah would have had a miserable time getting around the mall on her crutches. Since all Kate needed to do was pick up what she had preordered, she figured she didn't need any help for that.

Kate walked into Zale's quietly, glad that she was still largely unrecognizable. Stopping at the counter, she waited for a moment to catch the attention of a salesperson.

"Can I help you, ma'am?"

"Yes," Kate told the mustached gentleman who came over to assist her. "I ordered a few items by phone earlier this week with the understanding you'd put a hustle on them. Do you have a couple pieces for a Kate Kirche?"

The salesman looked through his files before nodding. "We got them in yesterday afternoon," he affirmed, and Kate heaved a deeply relieved sigh. "A man's wedding ring and engraved ID bracelet?"

"That sounds like my order." Kate felt her heart rate speed up as he placed a small bag with two jewelry boxes on the counter. She opened the smaller box first, the box that contained Clay's wedding ring. "Perfect," she grinned. "This is it exactly."

"Glad we found the right one for you," the salesman told her. "We do get requests for that one from time to time."

"I just hope he likes it." Returning the box to the bag, Kate pulled out the larger box. The item in this box she inspected more carefully, reading over the inscriptions on both the front and the back. Finally she gave a satisfied nod - it too was perfect. "I owe you folks big time."

The salesman chuckled. "Considering you paid part of it over the phone, all you owe us is the remainder of the balance - and that's already set up for you on a payment basis."

Kate nodded. "Thank you, so very much."

"Short engagement?" the salesman quipped as he put the bag in another less see-through bag.

"You have no idea," Kate breathed with a sharp shake of her head. Taking the new bag from the salesman, Kate hurried out of the mall.

Once she arrived back at the motel, she hurried to the room she was sharing with Sarah and Kim. "All right," Kim beckoned Kate over to where she and Sarah were chatting. "Show us the goods."

Still excited about her purchases, Kate obliged. "This is the wedding ring I bought for Clay..."

"Oooooo..." Kim cooed. "Hon, he is going to love it."

Kate grinned warmly. "I was hoping he would. And this is what I picked out as his wedding gift. Aside from the donation I'm making to the Bubel-Aiken Foundation, that is."

Kim gasped as she looked over the bracelet. "Oh my..."

"Katydid... they're both beautiful..." Sarah breathed.

"I'll be the first to admit," Kate smiled wryly, "that I was at a real loss trying to figure out what to get him as a gift. I mean, he doesn't need a lot, or want a lot, so what do you get him? I just..." She shrugged. "I'm kinda winging it, I guess."

Kim gently smiled up at Kate. "The thing that would make him happiest is to finally be married to you and starting your lives together. That is the one thing he wants out of life right now."

"We're on our way," Kate said, her smile growing. "Two more days, two more days..."

"I bet you have it down to hours," Kim teased. Kate nodded, glancing down at her watch. "I'll pass on that, by the way."

Kate snickered, putting her arm back down. "That's fine with me," she admitted. "I prefer conjugation to computation any day."

Kim raised an eyebrow at her. "You're lucky it's the two of us you're talking to - otherwise you might have to explain what you meant by that."

Sarah also raised an eyebrow. "Will's an amazing man... but his vocabulary is a lot less complex than any of ours."

True, Kate snorted. While her word choice would be different for a different audience, she really did prefer languages to math hands down. "If you ladies are done looking at the jewelry, I should put it in a safe place in my luggage so that I can go with Clay and a couple of the bodyguards to pick up his family at the airport."

"How many people are flying in?" Sarah asked.

Kate counted on her fingers. "His mom, one of his grandmas - don't ask me which one, and all three of his siblings. That's five of them to pick up at the airport. But then they're also renting a minivan for that many people - all we're doing is the 'greet and guide' thing."

Sarah looked up at Kate. "You sure you'd rather do this solo?"

Heaving a deep sigh, Kate shook her head. "No, I'm not. I'm still nervous half the time with his family... and now I'll be meeting one more of them. But it's a bad idea to have Kim and Ruben in the airport if they don't need to be, and I don't want you hobbling around any more than you have to." Kate ignored Sarah's scowl. "Yes, I know you could and be just fine - but I also know that the less strain you put on it, the faster it will heal. You don't need to do this. You'll have plenty of time to meet them later."

"All right," Sarah huffed. "I'll hang around here with Kim and Ruben and Payton."

"We'll be back in a short," Kate told them, exiting the room. After walking down the hall a little ways, Kate knocked on the door to the room where Clay and Ruben were staying. Considering how little time Clay and Ruben had to get in any serious talks with their careers going as full-tilt as they were, the two of them were happy to have this opportunity to share a motel room for some of the last few hours of Clay's bachelorhood. Kate also was glad that this time, no matter how brief, gave the two old friends an opportunity to pick up where they last left off. A moment after Kate had knocked, Clay admitted her into the motel room where he and Ruben had been talking. She glanced up at him, noting that he had an odd expression on his face. "Honey?" she asked, stealing a quick look at Ruben for a clue to Clay's expression. Kate blinked as she studied Ruben, who quaked with silent laughter. She turned back to her fiancé, her eyes questioning. "Clay...?"

Clay reddened as he remembered the conversation he had just exchanged with Ruben...

Clay ignored Ruben's renewed laughter from their conversation. I'm not telling her about it as long as Ruben's laughing it up over there. Maybe sometime later... much later. "You ready, honey?" Clay asked, eager to change the subject very quickly.

"Sure am, sugar."

She is too cute. Clay giggled as he smiled at her. "You get what you needed at the mall?"

Kate nodded with a happy smile. "They had it. It's on time."

"All right." Clay considered her from half-open eyes. "What was it you were getting again?"

"Your wedding ring," Kate told him, omitting that she had picked up the bracelet as well.

"Ah!" Clay brightened. "Can I see it later?"

"Sure!" Kate smiled wickedly. "Saturday."

As Ruben chuckled warmly, Clay grumbled. "Everything's Saturday! I don't get to see dresses or rings or - other things - until Saturday!"

"If it's any consolation, Kim says you'll like it."

Judging from the look on Clay's face, that didn't help. "Oh, but you can show Kim?"

"She's going to be my bridesmaid," Kate said with a raised eyebrow. "Deal with it, hon." She turned an impish eye to him. "There are things you bought that you aren't showing me, right?" At Clay's guilty expression, she nodded. "Case closed."

"All right, all right... let's go get the others, and we'll pick up my family," Clay groused, knowing that he'd been beaten. He called the room where Will was staying and let him know that Kate was back. Within minutes Will and George came to their room.

Kate drove the four of them out to the airport. She parked in the short-term lot, and the group entered the terminal. Kate scanned the monitors listing arrivals. "Which flight is theirs?"

"Flight 6740 - the one coming in to Lincoln in about fifteen minutes." Clay cautiously wrapped his arms around Kate's waist. Kate leaned back in his arms with a satisfied sigh, and Clay smiled. "I've missed this," he admitted quietly.

"I have too." Kate smiled up at him. "Safety in numbers."

Clay pointed back to the display. "Let's go find where they'll be coming off, so we can meet them."

The four moved to the farthest point they could go without tickets. Once more Clay wrapped his arms around Kate's waist and held her tight as they waited.

A moment later a fifty-some lady with gently graying hair approached them quietly. "Excuse me - Clay and... Kate, isn't it?" Kate gaped with surprise as the woman continued. "I just wanted to tell you that you are an inspiration to so many people. You, with your work with the foundation and other children's work, and you with - " The lady chuckled. "I guess if you're teaching and going on mission trips, then you're doing children's work too." She gently held her hand to her heart. "I work with a lot of troubled teens here in town... so I have a lot of respect for what you do."

"Thank you," Clay told her reverently as Kate attempted to recover her wits.

"Would it be too much to get an autograph from each of you?"

Kate blinked from the woman's face up to Clay's. "Each??"

"Evidently she wants yours too, honey," Clay told her as he pulled out a pen.

"Why?" Kate breathed. "I'm just - "

"Now, now, sweetheart," the lady chided. "Your young man says all the time that 'it's just me'. And yes, it is. Just Clay. Just a young man with a heart of gold, a faith of solid rock, and a set of pipes that can shake the rafters with their power."

As Clay humbly bit his lip, Kate grinned at him. "Or melt hearts with its tenderness."

"Atta girl," the lady smiled. "You get the idea. But as everyone saw on Regis, you have the same kind of heart and faith. 'Just Kate', my eye. You two are more than you give yourselves credit for."

"Well put," Will smirked.

Clay and Kate obliged the lady with an autograph, marveling at her words when she quietly left them to their waiting. "Fans like those," Clay said gently, "are the ones I really treasure. The ones who try to make the world a better place."

"Those are the ones you don't mind sharing some time with," Kate agreed.

"Fans like you," Clay smiled. "You, I want to spend lots of time with... getting to know you intimately..." he purred, leaning closer for a gentle kiss on the lips.

"Mmmm," Kate replied, savoring the kiss.

"Nice timing, man," Will chuckled. "Your family's here."

Immediately the two of them broke apart. "Um..." Clay mumbled as he looked wide-eyed up into his mother's amused eyes. "Hi, Mom..."

"Clayton, honey, it's all right," Faye said gently as the others gathered around them. "You are getting married in two days."

"And if what we just saw means anything," Brett teased, "then it's none too soon."

Kate flushed and buried her face into Clay's shoulder. Clay gave his brother a mild jab in the arm. "It's a good thing you already have your hotel reservations made, or I'd make sure that you'd be sleeping out in Mom and Dad Kirche's barn tonight."

Clay quickly introduced Kate and his grandmother to each other, and the assembled group moved downstairs to the luggage claim area. Faye placed a hand on Amy's shoulder. "Honey, would you grab my bag while I go sign for the car? I should be just a few minutes."

"I can go with you," Kate quickly volunteered.

Faye smiled. "Why, thank you, Kate. That's very sweet of you."

The two women left the others by the luggage claim area and walked over to the car rental counter. Within five or ten minutes Faye had signed for and received the keys for the rental vehicle, a second minivan. They turned to rejoin the others, only to find that the others had collected the luggage and were standing nearby. "I guess we're ready, then."

"How's the best way to do this...?" Kate wondered aloud to Clay. "We have the others to pick up at the motel, and we want to keep our group together as much as possible. Maybe someone from Andrew's van should ride with your family so that we know everyone finds the motel."

"I'll go," George volunteered, "but someone else needs to ride over there with you guys so that there will be enough room for me."

"Me!" Brett exclaimed. "I want to see if my new sister's any good at driving or whether I get to make fun of her for a while."

Kate rolled her eyes as Clay gave his brother a mild glare. "Brett, if you're gonna make fun of me," she told him, "I want to give you something worth making fun of. Wait until I hiccup or something - then you'll have plenty of ammunition."

Clay laughed warmly. "She's not kidding, Brett. They're worth hearing."

The passenger swap completed, they went to their respective vehicles and drove out of the airport to the motel. Clay had called ahead to let the others know that his family had landed, so the four of them would be packed and ready by the time they arrived.

While Kate kept the minivan warm and running, Clay and Will went in to collect the others. They found the four sitting in the lobby with the luggage, chatting amiably. Sarah and Ruben in particular seemed to be engaged in quite the discussion. Will scowled as Clay walked over. "You guys ready?"

"Ready and raring to go," Kim told him as she stood.

In little or no time the guys got the vehicles packed while Brett stood outside the minivan talking with Kate. "All right," Kate announced once the vehicles had been loaded. "Now we need to figure out the seating arrangements for the way back."

"One of the two of us," Will stressed to Clay, "has to drive the SUV. And Kate gets the van."

Kate nodded. "Right. Other than that, it's a free for all."

Ruben pointed at the minivan. "You know where I want."

"How bad will I get in trouble," Clay asked, "if I go in the minivan with my fiancé?"

"Depends," Will halfway teased, "on how bad you want to chance being recognized again - this time without your bodyguard around."

"I can take 'em," Kate told him, mimicking a boxing stance.

Clay giggled and shook his head with amusement. "Don't forget how easy it was for me to pick you up and carry you through your own house."

"That's because you's manly," Kate drawled, pretending to feel the muscles in his arms as he flushed bright red at her attentions.

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "You got recognized again??"

Clay nodded. "Oh yeah! And Kate too!"

"Because I was with you," Kate retorted, ignoring Sarah's eye roll.

"Don't get me wrong," Clay said quietly. "What that lady said was really really flattering, and I'm completely honored. But I still don't get it. Why me? Why are all the fans so quick to come over and say 'hi'? Why do they tell all their friends and neighbors that I'm something special when it's just me?"

Kate cast a sideways glance at him, frowning slightly. "You are something special, Clay."

"But... my music, my picture... interviews, quotes... it's all over. It's like my fans are trying to tell everyone they know about me. Why?"

Having a unique answer all her own, Sarah smirked gently. "Well, Clay, it's like this... They are like the Borg on Star Trek: The Next Generation -- they assimilate all they meet into their brain trust and they all work for one purpose -- to make sure you are known to everyone on the planet."

Clay blinked with surprise, not quite sure how to respond to that.

His younger brother, on the other hand, was. "Dude!" Brett exclaimed, quickly moving to stand beside Sarah. "She's a Trekker!! Why didn't you tell me?"

As Clay hid his face in his hand, Kate came to his defense. "Because he wanted you to have that sense of joy and fulfillment when you discovered the fact for yourself."

"Kate," Sarah drawled, "you are so full of it."

Kate glanced wryly up at Clay. "I tried..."

"Another Trekker!" Brett exclaimed, wrapping a warm arm around Sarah's back. "Your best friend is another Trekker! This woman rocks!" Quickly he turned to Sarah. "Wherever you plan on riding, I want to ride with you and talk Star Trek."

"Sounds like fun to me," Sarah told him with a smile as she wrapped her own arm around him.

Will simmered in silence as he watched Brett chat animatedly with Sarah. George put a quiet hand on his shoulder. "Will... he's too young for her. No competition there, man." After a moment Will nodded - George was right.

After a few moments of seat-swapping, Sarah joined Clay's family in the rented minivan, Kim took her own bodyguard in the SUV with Will, and Clay joined Ruben and Payton in the minivan that Kate was driving back. "All right!" Clay cheered as he sat in the front passenger seat. "I get to ride with you!"

Kate giggled as he bounced in the seat. "And I thought I was easily amused..."

Clay shrugged. "You know what they say - little things for little minds."

"I've heard another one," Kate informed him. When he looked over at her, she continued. "The more complex the mind, the more simple the play."

Laughing warmly, Clay cast an impish glance at Kate. "So what's that say about us, that we were outside playing in the snow on Monday?"

Ruben spoke up from the back of the van. "It says that you want to spend time together in any way you can, even if people think you're crazy or something."

Kate exchanged a thoughtful look with Clay. "I can go for that."

"Playin' in the snow, hunh?" Ruben shook his head with amusement. "Goofy lovebirds... Y'know, people in love do crazy things and people don't think twice. Just tease 'em."

"I see why you made him your best man," Kate told Clay.

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Two, almost two and a half, hours later at the Kirche homestead

The three vehicles parked where they could find room and spilled out their passengers. Clay closed the driver's side door of Andrew's minivan behind him, hurrying around to help Kate from the passenger side. "Ready for this?" he whispered as he watched his family gathering to enter the Kirche house. They had come almost straight through, with only two stops... one for bathroom breaks, and the other for Clay's family to check in at their hotel and drop off luggage.

Kate heaved a nervous sigh and nodded. "Ready." Squeezing his hand warmly, they walked over to join the others, helping Ruben and Payton to carry in some of their things.

Clay and Kate led the others into the Kirche house, filling what was already a bustling home with even more people. Immediately Patricia entered the living room. "Hello!" she grinned, walking over to join the couple and Faye. "Come on in, come on in, everyone! There's always room for more!"

"Hi, Mom!" Clay greeted, hugging Patricia warmly.

"Hi, Clay!" She glanced over the faces as Arthur quietly entered the room and came over to stand behind his wife. "Who is everyone?"

"This is my mom, Faye Parker," Clay introduced, smiling as Patricia and Faye shared a friendly embrace. "Mom, this is Patricia Kirche and Arthur Kirche, Kate's parents."

Faye's eyes twinkled as she shook Arthur's hand. "Hello there, Art. How often do you answer the phone like that?" she winked, referring to Arthur's impish Christmas Day greeting.

"Often enough to embarrass my wife and kids," Arthur chuckled. Patricia nodded vigorously, and Arthur gave her a mock frown. "Hey now, be nice..."

Clay moved on to introduce Kate's parents to the rest of his family, and to his friends from California. Finally through with making the introduction for Arthur and Patricia, Clay turned a questioning glance to Kate. "Where's your brother and his family? I wanted to introduce them around too, but..."

Almost as if on cue, Andrew clapped his hand on Clay's shoulder from behind. Leaning on Clay with a satisfied sigh, he balanced Alyssa on his hip as Holly stood nearby with Alexander. "Hey there, bro. Who all ya got here?"

Introducing Andrew's family to all his loved ones, Clay went back through his personal roll call, taking secret delight in how many of them cooed and bubbled over the two kids. While Alyssa connected with pretty much everyone, Alexander quickly bonded with Faye. He smiled and giggled happily inside her arms, leaning his tiny blonde head on her cheek.

Clay felt two arms wrap around his waist, and he smiled warmly down at their owner. "Hey, hon."

Kate laid her head on his shoulder, smiling at everyone around them. "Can you believe all this?"

"I know," Clay confessed, placing his arms around her. "Just think," he whispered. "Two days."

Giving him a squeeze, Kate sighed with deep contentment. "Two days, and we're man and wife."

Clay smiled at the thought, gently kissing each of her eyebrows in turn as he continued holding her close. I can definitely handle that idea.

"Grab some seats, everyone," Patricia offered, glancing most notably at Clay's family, "either here or in the kitchen where I'm working, and take it easy for a while. You folks have had a looong trip."

Faye, Amy, Holly, Sarah, and Clay's grandmother quickly gravitated towards the kitchen while the rest of them found either various seats in the living room or a patch of floor in front of the blazing fire. However, Clay kept Kate close in his arms, knowing that he would have limited time with his soon-to-be wife before he had to return to California... without her, for now. Every moment he could spend with his bride... Clay closed his eyes as he held her tight, enjoying her scent and her warmth and her touch. From the way she was holding on to him, he wondered if she wasn't having similar thoughts.

Andrew's voice broke into Clay's pleasant daydreams. "Sure we shouldn't just call up the minister and have him drive on up here tonight? Everyone's here."

Clay opened one eye to give a dirty look at his brother Brett and future brother-in-law Andrew standing next to them with smug expressions on their faces. "We don't actually have the marriage license yet. I've arranged for it to be there and mostly ready at the courthouse for us to pick up tomorrow, but it won't be ready for us to use until then. And for your information, it already has Saturday's date on it..."

"Shucks," Andrew said, snapping his fingers.

"You've got the cuddling thing going on so well, we thought we'd offer to bump the wedding up a couple of days," Brett told him with a wicked grin. "Then we'd send you out to our hotel room, and all of us would stay here. I'm sure we can find the room."

"You and Jeff, they could handle. Everyone else..." Clay grimaced. "I don't know if this house is big enough to fit everyone that's in here right now."

"Oh, we could in a pinch," Kate acknowledged with a shrug, "but it wouldn't be fancy. A few people would have to take the floor. I'd give up my bunk in a moment so that your mother or grandmother could have a good bed."

"Oh, same here!" Clay insisted. "Especially since I'm the only one in it. I've slept a lot worse places than the floor, hon."

"I'm sure of that." Kate gently poked Clay in the ribs. "Wouldn't be the first time you and I have been on the floor together."

Brett gaped as Clay snickered. Clay quickly turned to his brother. "Think Regis, Brett."

"Got it," Brett nodded.

Kate bit back a snicker of her own. Clay had only told him about the one time everyone knew about (as if they could hide that?). He had not told him about every other time they had ended up there through one of their impish pranks - or in too many cases, Kate's graceful moves.

Conversation continued until some of the women in the kitchen started bringing supplies out to the table. "Arthur dear," Patricia called from the kitchen. "Would you grab a couple of those card tables from downstairs? I didn't want them in the way until closer to dinner time."

Arthur excused himself from the conversation he was carrying. "Be right there, Momma." He walked through the kitchen and turned to go into the basement.

Clay's eyes widened as he watched the table being set. "Is your mom really planning on feeding all of us?" he breathed with amazement.

"Oh yeah!" Kate nodded. "I told you that she cooks enough for a branding crew. And we've got... Mom and Dad are two, Andrew's four makes six, Kim and Ruben and their bodyguards make the total ten, your family's five makes it fifteen, then Sarah and Will and you and me make the grand total nineteen." Kate blinked with a frown on her face. "Maybe we should invite Pastor Sullivan. At least that way we'd have an even number for cards."

Amused by her statement, Clay giggled at her. "Honey, you are a card."

"Thank you." A mischievous grin spread across her face. "Joker's wild..."

"I was thinking more of the queen of hearts. You're certainly queen of mine," he told her, giving her a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Aw..." Kate's smile grew as she stretched up to plant a kiss on his jaw.

"Hey now, you two," Kim teased as she walked up to them. "Isn't that the sort of thing that got you lovebirds your marks?"

Instantly each of them put an embarrassed hand over the place on their necks where the other had left the bruise. Clay's eyes widened at seeing the same sheepish reaction from Kate, and he suddenly realized what Kim had just said. "Your marks, as in, more than one? And how did - " Clay clipped off the end of his question, as if he really needed to ask it in the first place. He glanced over at Ruben, who shook with laughter. "You just wait until you get married," he pointed in a threatening manner, "and just see what kind of trouble I give you." Turning back to Kate he winced. "So I gave you one too?"

"Yep." Kate gently pulled her hair out of the way, carefully keeping her neck turned so that neither Andrew nor Brett could see it. "There it is, hon." As soon as Clay's jaw dropped Kate put her hair back down, arranging it so that it be more likely to cover the bruise.

"You mean I don't get to see it?" Andrew protested. "My sister's first hickey, and I don't get to - "

"Drew!" Kate squawked, blushing fiercely as Kim laughed warmly.

Andrew pretended to cry. "My baby sister's all grown up. Her first real boyfriend, and then he's her fiancé, and now they're giving each other love bruises, and..." He gave an exaggerated sob. "She's all grown up."

Kate made a face at Andrew's theatrics. "Can I be ill now?" She glanced back up at Clay. "Where's yours?" she asked sheepishly. Clay pointed it out to her, moving slightly so that she could get a better look but no one else. "Maybe it's a good thing we have less than 48 hours left..." she muttered.

"No kidding." Clay shook his head at the memory of the sizable bruise he had left on her. "I did do quite a number on you, didn't I?"

With a not-so-delicate snort, Kate made a face. "You might say that..."

Brett nudged Clay. "You gave her a hickey? Seriously?"

Kate raised an eyebrow at Brett's question. "No, the hickey fairy brought it for me."

Snickering, Brett grinned. "I see why you two get along so well. So that's yours?" he pressed, pointing towards the area on Kate's neck as she scowled at him.

Clay nodded, still amazed to find it there at all. "Yeah, I have little choice but to claim it. Wow. At least if I gave her one, I made it a good one..."

"CLAYTON!!" Kate buried her bright red face into his shoulder.

"Lemmee see," Andrew said as he reached over to move her hair back. However, Kate felt his hand on her shoulder and slapped it. "Ow!" He whimpered and pretended to nurse his wounds.

Kim smirked. "Now you can say you've slapped your brother..." Turning quickly at the sight of Sarah attempting to help set the table next to them in spite of her crutches, Kim hurried to assist her. "Oh, no you don't, girlfriend. Not when I have two good hands right here."

"Oh my gosh," Kate exclaimed, moving to help as well.

Clay kept his arms firmly wrapped around her, if anything holding her tighter. "Not tonight, you're not. Maybe next week or the week after, but not while I'm still here. I'm keeping you with me."

"Clay," Brett began, "you two are going to be married in about 48 hours. You'll have plenty of time together once you get married."

Slowly Clay shook his head. "Not until she's done with school in June. So I'm gonna be a little selfish this week and steal every moment I can with her before I have to go back."

"You're still teaching??" Brett marveled.

"For next semester, yes," Kate acknowledged with a nod. "I want to give my students and coworkers a real chance to say goodbye. To do any less wouldn't be fair to them."

"And being apart for six months is fair to my brother?"

Kate shook her head. "Not any more fair than it is to me. But you do what you have to do... and we've agreed that it's what we have to do." Kate smiled up at Clay. "After all, it is only six months... we'll get the rest of our lives together after that." Clearly pleased with the idea, Clay placed another delicate kiss on her temple. Ooohhh, I've missed that... Kate heaved a wistful sigh at Clay's tender affection and spoke some gentle words in German.

"Kathryn Joy Kirche!" Sarah exclaimed. "If I hadn't seen it for myself on Tuesday, I would never have believed that those words could come out of your mouth."

Tuesday? Clay raised an eyebrow at her. "Do I want to know what you said this time?"

A light blush covered Kate's cheeks as she glanced down at the floor - this time her words had been shockingly naughty. But not that surprising with their wedding only two days away. "It's not Gilligan..."

Clay's eyes widened as he formed his own opinion of the nature of her words. "Maybe you can tell me later?" he purred in her ear, his voice a gentle whisper.

"Maybe..."

Andrew stared at them. "Do I need to separate you two?"

"You try it," Clay threatened, "and I'll whup you into next week."

For a brief minute Andrew made squeaks of pretend shock. Then he tiptoed over behind Sarah and Kim. "Mommy, he's being mean to me..."

Sarah raised her eyebrow sternly. "You started it."

Andrew pretended to sputter for another few minutes before faking a cry on his way into the kitchen. Kate rolled her eyes as Clay and Brett blinked at him with surprise. "Brett, Clay... my brother."

"He's a character," Brett acknowledged.

Kate nodded. "My whole family is a bunch of characters."

"Do you really want to marry into this?" Brett asked his brother teasingly.

Clay gave Brett a mock glare. "What kind of question is that?" He squeezed Kate's waist. "I want to marry Kate. That means I get everything that goes with her - her not-so-graceful moves, her size-nine-in-the-mouth moments, her funny hiccups," he giggled as Kate rolled her eyes again and made a face at his growing list, "her offbeat sense of humor..." Gently Clay reached up and stroked her cheek. "... her strong Christian faith, her compassionate and loving heart, her kind and gentle spirit, her integrity and her honor, her respect and her good manners, her intelligence, her tact, her discretion, and everything about her that is beautiful and lovely and everyday and plain and even what is weak or bad. I want it all. And yes, that 'everything' includes Kate's family, who are every bit as offbeat and wonderful as she is."

Kate's mouth opened and closed several times in succession as she scrambled for an adequate response for Clay's answer. Giving him a look that told him she loved him even when words failed her entirely, Kate wrapped her arms tighter around Clay. Finally recovering her wits, she spoke again to him in German. "I want to kiss you crazy."

"Well, fine and dandy," Sarah told her, "if you say you want to kiss him crazy. I say take him down in the basement for that. Fewer witnesses."

As Clay gaped around a big smile, Kate heaved an annoyed sigh at Sarah. "I knew I shoulda given you a lump of coal for Christmas..."

"The barn is better," Patricia told them as she placed some of the food on the main table. "You have complete privacy out there, except for the animals."

"And that," Brett said as he turned away, "is why they call it 'too much information'..."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Much later in the kitchen

Clay muttered under his breath as he wrapped his scarf around his neck. He loved each and every one of the people gathered here for his wedding, but right now he just needed a bit of time alone to catch his breath. And with as many people as there were packed in this farmhouse (even with his family already having gone back to their hotel), he knew of only one place where he was going to get any privacy at all.

After wrapping himself up in his coat, he snuck out the back door and walked through the snow to the barn. The last time he had been out in the barn was after the sleigh ride - a very pleasant memory in what was largely a very pleasant week. Opening the door to the barn, he slipped inside.

Much to Clay's surprise, the lights in the barn were already on. Do they keep them on all the time for the animals? Clay wondered. He walked over to the section of the barn where the horses were corralled, taking off his gloves so that they could smell his hand. He held out his hand to Ginger, who sniffed it daintily while Strawberry sauntered over to join them. Reaching up to the head of each horse, he gently pet them as they took turns nuzzling him. Clay may have come out here to be alone, but somehow the company of the horses was a welcome respite to human company.

A high-pitched meow came from another corner of the barn, making Clay jump and whirl around. His eyes bulged as a short-haired gray mackerel tabby rounded the sleigh to get a better look at him. "N-N-Nice, kitty..." he stuttered, holding back a shudder at the sight of the cat.

"Mozzie won't hurt you," Kate's voice called from above. "She's just our resident mouser."

Clay glanced up into the hayloft where Kate sat on a bale of hay. "I don't care if she won't hurt me," he responded. "You know how I am about cats."

"Yeah, I do." Kate motioned with her hand. "Why don't you come on up here? She'll be less likely to bug you up here."

"Does she climb up there?" Clay asked, moving to the ladder.

"Sometimes," Kate admitted, "but not while you and I are here. She's not too keen about strangers." She cast an ornery glance at him as he started climbing the ladder. "And they don't come any stranger than you and me."

"Ha ha, Kate Kirche, you're a riot." Clay scrambled into the hayloft, joining her on the hay bale. "Just for that, I ought to knock you off your seat."

Kate raised her eyebrow. "You mean, give me a roll in the hay?" she purred.

Clay chuckled underneath his breath. "Kathryn, Kathryn, Kathryn... It's a good thing we have only 40-some hours until our wedding, because lately you are being just the naughtiest woman." He smiled at her as he put his arm around her and pulled her close. "Hard to believe we gave each other these," he placed a fingertip on each of the places they had left the love bruises, "only three days ago."

"Hard to believe," Kate added, "that only three days before that, my parents really did have a roll in the hay. Probably in this very hayloft..."

With a gentle wince, Clay made a face. "Way to kill a mood, honey."

"I know. No one wants to think too hard about their parents or their in-laws... yeah." Kate returned her impishly coy eyes to his. "At least in two days we'll be able to take our own roll in the hay."

"If it's the same to you," Clay drawled, "I'd rather stick with doing it in our hotel."

"Awww..."

Clay smiled wryly, amused by the playful mood she seemed to be in. "So, Miss Kate. What was it that you said to me earlier when you spoke the German? Not the 'kiss me crazy' line, since Sarah was so kind to translate that for me. The other one, the one she got all shocked over."

Kate blushed gently. "The translation... I said, 'Kiss me like that one more time and I'll take you down here and now in front of everybody'."

Instantly Clay's jaw dropped. Now he knew why Sarah had been so shocked. "You're right," he responded at last. "It's not Gilligan."

"Definitely not Gilligan..." Kate agreed.

"Closer to Song of Solomon," Clay smiled.

"Nah," Kate shook her head. "Closer to... to..." Thoughtfully, she chewed on her lip. "You know, I can't think of a good example. I'm sure there is one, but I haven't seen it."

"Kama Sutra," he teased.

Kate snickered. "Not until after we've been married a few years..."

Clay laughed warmly for several minutes before his own eyes twinkled with mischief. "So does that mean if I kissed you again, you'd take me down?"

"Nope," she told him bluntly. "The moment passed, so I withdraw my offer."

"Kate!" Clay protested, sticking out his lower lip in a pout.

"Nope," Kate repeated. "You gotta wait until Saturday now, boy..."

Clay gathered her closer. "I can handle waiting until Saturday to make love to you, but I'll be darned if I'm waiting until Saturday to kiss you again!"

Enjoying their light banter, Kate raised an eyebrow. Then again, she was enjoying being back in his arms, too. "Oh really?" she purred again.

Noticing as she gave his lips a subconscious glance, Clay hid a satisfied grin. "Really..." he whispered, letting his breath warm her lips before kissing her gently. While Clay would readily admit to being in a romantic mood tonight, he wasn't about to let his hormones get the best of him. Not with only two more days until their wedding night.

Happy to finally have some last alone time with Clay before their wedding, Kate reached up to caress his cheek and jaw. She enjoyed the sweetness of their kiss for several uninterrupted moments before deciding to deepen it. As Kate threaded her fingers into his hair, her tongue gently extended an invitation to dance. Clay quickly accepted, and the two of them held each other closer as they exchanged affections with each other in the quiet of the barn.

At last they broke to catch their breath, gazing warmly into each other's eyes. "I suppose," Clay rumbled, "that we should head back in before anybody notices we're missing and starts to worry about us."

Kate sighed wistfully. "I suppose."

Understanding her sense of regret in the midst of her sense of duty and honor, Clay smiled. "No scratch by the bracelet tonight, hon."

Her eyes twinkled as a warm smile crossed her face. "No scratch of the bracelet."

Clay stood up, assisting her to her feet and down the ladder to the main level of the barn. Much to Clay's relief, Mozzie was out of sight by the time they got down there. "How did you come up with the name of 'Mozzie', anyway?" he asked, still curious about its origin.

"Short for Mozart," Kate smirked. "Mom's idea."

Chuckling warmly, Clay nodded. "That makes sense." Walking hand in hand, the two of them returned to the house, entering through the kitchen. They hung their coats on the rack, being careful not to draw attention to their arrival. Very carefully they tiptoed back into the living room.

"There you two are."

Clay and Kate blinked at seeing Kim and Ruben chatting on the couch. "Um... hi."

Ruben grinned wickedly. "Hey, Clay dawg. Givin' each other more hickeys?"

Clay glared at Ruben. "Not tonight, we're not."

"Better drop the subject," Kate warned, "or else I might have to start calling you by your first name."

"You do now," Ruben said, puzzled.

"Not that one." Kate's eyes twinkled with mischief. "You real first name, the one that starts with the same first letter as his."

Ruben's eyes widened. "How you know about that?"

Kate smugly heaved a shrug. "I have my sources. And no, Clay didn't tell me."

Kim laughed warmly as Ruben frowned. "That's not fair," he grumbled.

"Neither is telling Kim," Clay retorted, "when you said you'd keep it between you and me. Now half the house knows, about both of them!"

Ruben looked contrite. "Sorry, man. I wasn't expecting that."

Clay sighed and shrugged. "No one ever does. We lucked out though - the knowledge is still among family and friends."

"Where it's safe," Kate agreed. "We may give you a bad time for spilling the beans to Kim, but we know it wouldn't go any farther."

"Thanks, Kate. You're all right."

Kate shook her finger at him. "Don't thank me too soon. I'm not letting you off the hook any more than he is. Got it?"

"Got it." Ruben grinned. "Ya know, all this time you've been datin', I haven't seen you kiss. I've seen you cuddlin' and holdin' hands, but..."

Clay and Kate snickered warmly as they exchanged a tender glance. "Just in the wrong place at the wrong time, I guess," Clay chuckled.

Kim nodded at him. "Trust me, Ruben - they've kissed in public." When Ruben gave her a confused look, she laughed. "You must have been too busy to catch the pictures from Friday that I sent you."

"Pictures?" Ruben asked as Clay groaned.

"Yeah. They're all over the Internet." Kim grinned. "I emailed you copies so you could see. They're great pictures."

Kate snorted. "Give me a break..."

"You ought to consider putting those in your scrapbook," Kim teased. "Along with all those other pictures from L.A."

"Very funny, Kim."

Clay slowly shook his head. "I'm surprised I haven't heard from my PR people on that."

"The difference between Marlene," Kate replied, "and Jeff. One respects your privacy, one did not. One respects your schedule and understands your limits, one did not. One knows what 'vacation' means..."

"I get the picture," Clay chuckled. "In other words, if I'm going to hear about it, she's going to wait until after I get back to L.A."

"That's my understanding."

Clay studied his friends. "So what are you guys doing still up?"

Kim smirked at him. "Some of the bunk arrangements are still up for grabs. We wanted to stay up and talk to you before we claimed any beds."

"What?" Kate asked. "I thought..."

"Someone's going to end up on the couch," Kim shrugged. "Sarah tried to volunteer, but I wouldn't hear of it any more than your parents would."

"That's Sarah..." Kate nodded.

"There's no way Ruben's fitting on your couch so it's down to the three of us."

Clay frowned. "I can take the couch. You guys know I can sleep anywhere."

Kate crossed her arms. "Maybe, but until Saturday you're still a guest. Kim takes my spot with Sarah, you keep yours, and I'll take the couch because I am family."

"I don't think so, honey," Clay shook his head firmly. "One of you two takes my bed, and I'll sleep out here on the couch."

Moving so that she stood toe to toe with him, Kate stretched to her full (non tip-toes) height and attempted to stare Clay down. Clay mimicked her crossed-arms pose, bringing his head down a few notches to meet her gaze. Kim heaved a sigh. "Oh, good grief. Since you guys have been in those beds all week, I'll take the couch."

Instantly Clay and Kate both turned to her. "No!" they said in unison.

Kim threw up her hands in dismissal. "I give up."

"Hold on, dawg." Ruben stroked his chin thoughtfully. "We got two nights before you's married, right?" When the two of them nodded, he shrugged. "You guys take turns on the couch. Easy enough."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Kim broke in, interrupting before either of them could protest. "Clay, we'll let you keep your own bed tonight while I bunk with Sarah and Kate takes the couch. That way tomorrow night she and you can switch beds. We want her to have a good bed the night before the wedding so she can get her full beauty sleep."

"Because I need all the help I can get," Kate muttered.

Clay frowned at her. "You are too beautiful!"

"Prove it."

Kim sighed with a shake of her head. "That's not a fair question. It's an opinion. Opinions aren't right or wrong, they just are."

"I can prove it," Clay insisted. "I have two proofs that she's beautiful."

"Two!" Kate exclaimed. "This I gotta hear. Lay 'em on me!"

She couldn't have given me a better line if I had asked for it. Taking her into his embrace, he gently dipped her in his arms and kissed her on the lips.

Ruben grinned as he watched them. "Now I can say I've seen you kiss."

After several minutes Clay returned her upright. "Well..." Kate breathed. "I like your proof," she told him, running a finger over his lips. "The only problem... is that if you really want to be scientific about it, we're probably going to have to repeat this experiment often."

"Mmm," Clay agreed, holding her close. "I don't want to be accused of not doing my job."

Kim and Ruben both stood, Kim rolling her eyes. "Well, now that you've got it figured out, we're going to bed. Good night."

Clay smiled warmly as his two Idol friends both headed into their respective rooms. "What do you need to do to get ready? Is there anything I can help you with?"

"I need to take my contacts out and change," Kate mused. "But as for what you can help me with..." She gave him a shy look. "Would you tuck me in and give me a good night kiss?"

Giggling gently, Clay kissed her forehead. "All right. I'll be back down in ten minutes, after both of us are changed and ready."

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