The guys had stayed a couple more hours after talking about Sarah. They probably would have stayed even more, crashing for dinner and maybe even playing some pool, but decided against it because they were sure Kevin wanted to talk with Sarah. And they had been right.

Kevin placed the last glass on the counter for it to dry off, his hand reaching back under his shirt to massage his sore muscles of the scapula. It wasn't that washing the dishes actually hurt his neck and back, it had only been five glasses after all, Kevin was sure it was mostly the stress of the day.

Drying his hands on a dishtowel by the side, he walked out of the kitchen. Sarah, as assumed, was still sitting on the couch watching cartoons. Kevin knew he really shouldn't be surprised, because kids love cartoons so much, that time might actually fly for them, but he was a little worried. He didn't know if she hadn't changed channels because she actually liked what she was seeing, or because she just didn't let herself do it.

Kevin tried not to think about it as he approached the couch, taking a seat by her side. She didn't turn. She barely even blinked.

"It's getting late," Kevin said softly.

He paused, waiting. And nothing happened.

"Sarah, it's getting late. It's already..." Kevin checked his watch. Damn. He had had taken his time washing the dishes, more so than he needed. "A quarter past nine."

Kevin heard Sarah sighing, something that let him know she had actually understood him. He waited for another moment before Sarah picked up the forgotten remote from her other side of the couch and looked at it. His initial thought was to tell Sarah which button was ON, but decided against it. He was sure Sarah knew how to use a TV. She was a kid. Kids loved watching TV.

It only took her another moment to recognize the button before pressing it and the TV going off. She placed the control by her side and turned around to look at Kevin, who was wearing the toothiest grin ever, he was so happy. "You're really amazing Sarah," Kevin said softly, grateful from the proof he had just seen that she actually understood him. "You are."

Maybe he had been expecting her to smile at him, or to speak, but she didn't. And that was fine by Kevin. Her actions had been more than enough for today. "It's late," he said after a moment, a grin still plastered on his lips. "We probably should have dinner, don't you think?"

Sarah just kept looking at Kevin. Kevin chuckled slightly, standing up as he did so. "Lets see what's in the kitchen, shall we?"

Sarah seemed to take the hint, following Kevin into the kitchen. She looked at the small place, then at Kevin's back as he opened the fridge. Sarah turned around slightly, placing her hand on the side of high chair, maneuvering as to sit on it. It took her more than she would have liked, but she managed at the end.

When she was up, she turned around and found herself looking right at Kevin, who was smiling softly at her. She would have smiled back, but decided not to. Not yet.

"Well," Kevin said, turning around once again and looking at the half empty fridge. His eyes darted from the appliance to her every other second. "I can tell you now that there isn't much for dinner." Kevin said with a shrug. There was some left over pizza from last night when the guys had staid, orange juice, which Kevin picked up, closing the door after it. Aside from some Gatorade, bottled up water and mayonnaise, nothing there for either of them.

He picked up a glass, and was about to pour the orange juice in the glass when he decided that checking for its perishable date would be a good idea. He uncapped it, smell it, and decided it was drinkable. Passed orange had a very peculiar, and awful, smell.

Pouring the orange juice in the glass, he placed it right in front of Sarah. "You should drink some. I don't remember the last time I saw you drink something." He didn't want to say you haven't had a drink since I picked you up, so he went with the more polite response.

Sarah stared at Kevin for a second longer before placing his hand around the glass and taking a drink. She grimaced slightly, placing the glass down.

"It's overdue?" Kevin asked surprised. "No way! I smell it. It was fine." He picked Sarah's glass and took a drink. It wasn't overdue, he realized, it was just a little bit too cold.

"I don't think you should drink it this cold," Kevin said as an after thought, placing the glass on the counter as he picked up the thermos filled with hot water. He poured some onto the glass, taking a sip. It was just below warm. He gave it back to Sarah, smiling at her. "Sorry. It won't happen again."

He'd make sure that she would never have something that wasn't the right temperature or taste. He was in charge of her as of now. That shocked him in that very moment, right there. Kevin leaned against the counter, his hands going behind him to take a hold onto the edges. He let out a long breath.

He was responsible for someone.

He was responsible for a little girl.

She depended on him.

Somehow, he hadn't realized that until now.

It had been different with the guys. Sure, he had taken charge of the situation and appointed himself their unspoken guardian, but at the end of the day, he wasn't their parent. If something went wrong, it would be his fault for not watching them, not for not being a good parent.

This was different.

In this case, at the end of the day, it would be him who had screwed up beyond repair. It would be him who was the one at fault.

Sarah was his full responsibility. Period.

Kevin turned around to look at the little girl who had the glass of orange juice in her hand, drinking it sip by sip. If the juice had been bad, she could have gotten sick and it would have been his fault. If it had been too cold, she could have gotten a cold and it would have been his fault. His choices now concerned another life -- a life that had no knowledge about the world. It was his position to protect her.

"I'm gonna take care of you," Kevin said softly, his eyes misting slightly as his recent revelation.

Sarah looked up and dark green met similar shade of eyes.

"I'm gonna do my best. I swear." Kevin let out a long sigh, swallowing the lump that had seemed to form in his throat. "I'll take care of you. Don't worry, alright?"

Sarah thought about it for a moment, hearing his words. She could remember very similar words spoken in a softer tone with blue eyes gazing at them instead of green. She could remember being held tightly after those words. She could remember breath pausing, softening and the heartbeat under her ear steadying, lengthening in between moments of silence.

And so, she nodded.

Kevin gave her a lopsided smile and refused to let anything erase that smile from his face. She had acknowledged him. From the first time since he saw her, she had actually acknowledge him.

"Thanks," was all he could say.

Kevin took in a breath, trying to ease that feeling of cartwheels in his chest. He cleared this throat and wished he could do the same with his mind. "Well..." he said after a big pause, "we gotta have something to eat, don't you think?" He turned around, half waiting for a response, half not. When he didn't get one, he just shrugged. "It's alright. You've got all the time in the world to talk with me. I've been told I'm very patience." And something in the back of his mind told him he would have to put that on test.

He opened the fridge again, waiting for something to have magically appeared in there. When that option was shot down, Kevin closed the door and turned around to face the little girl.

"What can we have now?" He wondered out loud. "Take out it's more certainly out the question. I don't think that's healthy for you." He leaned over, elbows on the counter, his face only inches from her. "You will not have take out for as long as I can wipe something out, alright?" Her eyes brightened, and that was enough. He straightened himself, standing before her. "Pizza it's also a no. Too much grease." He thought about it for a moment, snapping his fingers when something popped into his mind.

"I think there is... there should be... it would be more than enough for both of us..." Kevin mumbled, squatting in front of the cupboards under the counter. He opened the doors wide, and looked around.

Instant mash potatoes, a couple more bottles of water and Gatorade and... miracle! Two cans of tuna. He picked them up and showed them to Sarah with a big smile on his face.

"What do you say? I know it's not roast beef, but it's eatable. Of course we could always go to a store..." He checked his watch. A quarter past eight. "But I don't want to take you out. It's too late for you to be going outside. It's probably even after your bed time." Kevin frowned slightly about it, gazed at her and paused. "We'll talk about it. I'm sure we can arrange that." He shrugged. "There's also a bag of mash potatoes. Obviously not like my momma used to make, but I'll try to do my best."

That was enough for Kevin to start the preparations for dinner. He found a small bottle of milk that was probably bought for drinks, there was some rice left from the last time he went grocery shopping and got a start with dinner.

Twenty minutes later, the rice was made, mash potatoes looked considerable similar, the can was opened and Kevin served.

Sarah, on her part, had been staring at Kevin all the while. He made dinner just like her mother used to before she got sick. Always on a rush, getting things from here and there, making magic with few items. She liked it. It reminded her of home.

"Why don't you go the bathroom? You know, wash up before dinner," Kevin said with a small smile and a shrug. He paused as he watched her trying to get off the chair. "Hold on a sec."

Sarah turned around to see him, still on the stool.

Kevin picked up a washcloth from beside the sink, dried his hands and left it by the counter, picking Sarah up from the waist. He put her on the floor and looked at her. "I think I better go with you."

Kevin turned around on the left, and opened the first door on the right. Sarah walked pass him and into the bathroom.

Tilting his head, Kevin found himself on a predicament. He knew it was much better if he went with her. He barely remembered Lizzie's mother going with her to the bathroom whenever they were in the mall or in a shop. That gave him a clue.

But, this was little Sarah, and he didn't have as much confidence with her as Mrs. Grayson had had with Lizzie.

He shook his head inwardly. If he was gonna be a parent, he had to be one through a through.

Sarah walked over to the toilet and brought down her flannel pants, a long with her underwear, and sat down.

Kevin turned his head to the side, not looking at her, thinking that giving her some privacy would be wise. When Sarah was finished, she just sat there, waiting for him.

That was a good of a clue as he was gonna get, so he walked over her, picked up some toilet paper and waited for her to stand up. She did, and Kevin, with his eyes closed and pretty much touching his way through with the paper in his hand, helped her clean up.

Once that was done, and Kevin was very much thankful for that, Sarah brought up her pants and walked over to the basin.

With a sigh of relief, Kevin threw the paper on the wastebasket and joined Sarah by the faucet. He realized she was a little bit too short to reach the basin. With a smile on his face, Kevin opened the faucet then picked her up as she washer her small hands.

In silence, they made their way back to the kitchen. He picked her up once again and placed her on the same chair she had vacated only minutes ago.

That done, he continued serving. Moments later, Kevin thought to himself that it certainly looked good on the plate. And tuna, mash potatoes and rice was always sweet on the tooth. He looked at Sarah, who was staring at her plate like it was about to bite.

"It's all good Sarah. I swear. I had tasted it before pouring it on the plate. It's good."

Sarah took his word and had a bite. And was close to smiling. It was really good indeed.

Kevin sat opposite to her little charge, pouring the last bit of orange juice on her glass. They had dinner in silence, Kevin gazing over Sarah every once in a while. She seemed to be enjoying dinner and drinking orange juice with no trouble at all.

He was proud.

*****

After they had finished dinner, Kevin took Sarah to her new room. Whether this would become her permanent room or just for the night, they could discuss it later on. Kevin walked inside and turned to look at her. He placed her small backpack on the bed, wondering what else he should do.

"I'm not sure if you can manage your pjs alone, but I don't wanna take that chance."

He opened the small backpack and peaked inside. There were two sets of clothes and her pjs. Obviously not enough for all the time they were going to be away. He'd have to fix that. But later, right now, he sat on the bed and got out her small nightgown.

Sarah, apparently knowing the drill, walked over him and lifted her arms. Kevin got the hint and took her small shirt off. He picked up her gown, placing it over her head, being very careful with her ears and nose.

He couldn't help but feel like maybe he should be letting her change on her own. He was slightly scared about what she would think. She didn't have a dirty mind like grown up did, but he was also sure Lizzie had told her what wrong touching meant.

"I just want to change your clothes, alright?" Kevin half said-half asked with an embarrassed smile when he was about to take off her pants. "Just that." He felt like an idiot saying that, but there was nothing wrong in being careful.

As he was pulling her pants down, Kevin closed his eyes slightly. He felt her hands on his shoulder, probably trying to keep her balance. When her hand left, Kevin let out a soft breath, her flannel pants in his hands. He waited a second longer and opened his eyes.

In front of her was the little girl he had first seen, but looking much more comfortable, much more at home. Her soft purple nightgown was thick for her coldness of the night but soft to the touch. Lizzie had always had great taste.

"All done," he whispered.

Kevin stood up, turned around and pulled down the covers. He straightened the sheets. "Come on Sarah, hop in."

She did as told, sitting on the bed in her nightgown. It was a sweet sight.

Kevin kneeled in front of her, sighing softly. He had told her before that he would take care of her. He had told her that he would do his best. What he hadn't told her was that he had a different status than most guys. He sighed again.

"Sarah," he started lowly, trying to find the words to explain what he knew he had to explain. "There's something I haven't told you yet. There's something you should know. I... I'm gonna take care of you, you know that right?" He paused, waiting for her to give him some signal that she had understood that. But she didn't.

"I know you know that. I'm gonna take care of you and you're always going to be with me."

Kevin run his fingers through his short hair as he tried to come up with the precise words for the subject. "My work... is slightly different than your mother's. She thought I could take good care of you. And I won't let her down, I won't let you down." He smiled softly at her clear green eyes. "I have to travel for my work. I sing. Have you ever heard a song you loved? There are very devoted people who sing that song for you to like it. I'm like them."

He paused as he guessed she was probably confused. "Do you remember my friends you met earlier? They sing with me. We're in a band and we sing for people who like our songs."

Kevin let out a long sigh, not really knowing how to explain her. "We travel all the time. We're gonna travel tomorrow too."

It was really lousy timing that the day after she had come to stay with him, they had to leave to resume the tour. He wished it could be different, he wish he could give her time to get used to him, to her new surroundings, but there was none.

"I'm sure you're gonna like where we're going. You're going to play games with my friends, and sing with us in the car and have whatever dessert you want." Kevin smiled softly at her. "I'm gonna make sure you're very happy, that you're feeling fine. If you're not, please Sarah, if you're not, tell me so. Tell me there's something you don't like. Tell me so I can fix it." He paused, hoping she'd understand that he was dead serious about it. "I just want you to be happy."

After a minute of waiting for her to process everything he had told her, he dared to move and run his fingers through her long black hair. It was silky soft, very much like Lizzie's had been. She had had precious hair. Sarah probably had it from Lizzie's side of the family. "You'll like it Sarah. I promise." And he would do whatever in his power to make sure she did.

Kevin smiled softly after a moment, the memory of Lizzie's hair in his fingers, like Sarah's was at the moment, burned in his mind. Kevin let his hand fall, trying not to think about her.

It didn't matter that he hadn't seen her in so long; he still had a sore spot for her. He probably always would. Apparently so had she, to leave him such a precious gift upon her passing.

Kevin shook his head slightly, his memories returning to the back of his mind.

"We're gonna leave tomorrow morning," Kevin continued. "There will be a bus picking us up very early. I'll wake you up, but I don't think we'll have time to shower." He was sure of that. He still hadn't packed and had to get her stuff ready as well -- not that there was much to get ready, but still.

"Don't worry, you can shower later. And you can take as long as you want." Kevin paused. "My friends will come with us. I know they don't look like much fun, but they are. Just give them some time to warm up to you," Kevin finished with a smile.

When she didn't say anything, when all she did was blink at him and stare at him with what he could read as confusion in her eyes, Kevin let out a soft sigh.

"Well, it's really late now."

He stood up and she lay down on the bed, her head hitting the pillow softly. Kevin pulled the covers all the way up, so she wouldn't get cold during the night.

"My room is the one next door. If you need anything, anything, wake me up, all right? Push me until I wake up," he added just in case he was deep asleep. He figured he wouldn't sleep as soundly as usual, for he now had someone who needed his attention even in the late hours of the night.

"Good night Sarah." He paused, thought about it for a second, then leaned over and placed a small kiss on her forehead. Feeling his cheeks burning slightly, Kevin whispered under his breath, "sweet dreams."

With that, he stood up and walked over to the door. He turned around just in time to see her place her hand under her pillow. Kevin smiled once again and turned off the light. Leaving the door ajar, he walked a couple of feet down the hallway, pausing just as his hand reached the switch for the light. Maybe he should leave the hallway light on, in case she needed anything.

Kevin walked over to his room, leaving the door slightly open as well. He didn't want Sarah stopping in front of his door in the middle of the night and not opening it for fear. Maybe if he left it slightly open, then she would trust to enter.

He made his way to his bed, taking his clothes as he did so. He left his underwear on, remembering Sarah's presence.

His eyes traveled to his suitcase by the side of his closet. He should pack. He should definitely pack. He looked at his watch. Ten thirty. Damn, it had gotten late very quickly. Actually, it was rather early for his usual bedtime, but this time it was different. The day had been more than stressful, and he was dead on his feet. That, and they were picking him up at the crack of dawn.

He got into his bed, promising to pack tomorrow very early -- very, very early.

He was asleep just as he closed his eyes. In the back of his mind, where his dreams were morphing into blue eyes and dark hair, pink lips that were grinning at him all the time, he barely heard the door opening.