(A/N) Chapter is finally up! Enjoy...Kat

The sound of her heartbeat was pounding in her ears and she felt her blood quicken in fear. Then that smirk appeared and she felt herself fall into his eyes for the first time in ages. When he caressed her cheek, she allowed her eyes to fall closed and then it happened. Everything changed just by his one action and now she felt every emotion in turmoil as he slowly touched her lips with his. It all happened without her seeing it coming and it ended the same way.

She took a deep sigh and slowly opened her eyes to take in the view of the waves down below her. It was now a year later, but the aftermath of her weakness wouldn't die away. Each time she closed her eyes it was the same thing she saw everytime. She could still feel the fear that had almost choked her into tears as he kissed her. When he had left afterwards, she had curled back into a ball and tried to calm the storm but only failed.

She had laid like that for the rest of the day with a few tears escaping down onto her pillow and the turmoil shaking her until she finally fell asleep. The next time she had come around, she found Star sitting next to her. When he glanced to a piece of paper in his hand, she knew. Time passed too slowly for her the next few weeks and when she was finally released from therapy with a clean bill of health, she escaped to Texas. This past year she had been trying to focus on finishing school and getting a descent-paying job to stop her mom's money support.

Sure the woman knew she was okay and begged her to come back home, but she kept the woman in the dark about her whereabouts or anything else. She had Stef send word to Cheri that she was doing well, but that was all. The freedom she had needed for so long was now hers, but now she had to figure out what to do with it. Her eyes drifted down to the letter she had in her hand and she reread the last paragraph. He had disappeared a few weeks ago and Stef had a feeling that he was on a hunt for her.

A crack behind her made her fold the letter up and slip it into her pocket before she looked over her shoulder. No one was there, but she wasn't stupid enough to fall for that. Ever since she had found a small town next to the Gulf, she had become the label of everyone's attention in one way or another. Her watch struck noon and she picked up her bottled water. She slid her strap onto her shoulder and she headed to her next class.

The walk was half an hour long, but it gave her plenty of time to think of things. When she reached the door to her class, she silently slipped indoors and closed the door. She found her seat in the far corner of the room with the window next to it and she sat down. A few young people were already waiting in their seats and they sent her looks. One even opened his mouth to say something, but she looked out the window.

After five minutes of waiting, the far back door opened and her professor entered with his black brief case. He was a rather lanky man and his skin was a rich brown, which clearly stated that he had been born in the South. His hair was cleanly trimmed and stopped at the start of his neck. His red hair made him look much younger and his hazel eyes were always making the students laugh when he got too much involved in his work. Today's outfit consisted of a white dress shirt and a pair of blue jeans and hikers.

He placed his brief case on his desk and said, "Now that everyone is here, let's get started. I hope you did your assignments and have them interestingly written or expect a zero."

The class opened their books and the sound of flipping pages contained the atmosphere for a few minutes. Then, the professor sat at his desk and called the daily role. Once attendance was taken and posted on the door for one of the office goody too shoes, class started. Slowly the subject changed from the day's assignment to the events over the previous week. When the bell rang, everyone stopped talking and packed their bags.

As she walked to the door the professor said "Kat, just a minute. I need a word with you."

She walked over to his desk and he said "Your paper was rather good. Why are you not taking a writing class? You have some unseen talent."

She shrugged and said "I just didn't feel up to taking another class."

He let out a snort and said "I highly doubt that."

She shrugged again andhe asked "Are you okay?"

Her eyes looked to the window and she said "Yeah, I'm okay."

"Then why do you seem like you want out of here so quickly?"

"I just hate being cooped up when it's nice outside. That's all."

"You know you can tell me or any other member of the staff if something is wrong or bothering you."

"I know, but really I am okay."

"All right. I'll see you next week then."

"Good day, Professor Daniels."

She walked away from his desk and quickly left the room. When she stepped into the sunlight, she let her mind calm and began a walk back to her apartment. It was on the other side of this little town and the walk was the best part. Even if she did have a registered license in this state, she preferred the walk. As she walked through the downtown, she watched little kids chase each other around and laugh while enjoying the day.

She kept walking down the main road and when she reached the apartment complex, she made her way up to the second floor. When she found her keys, she unlocked the door and quietly stepped inside. Then she flipped the light on and found the mail bundled and lying on the table next to the newspaper. Soft music came from down the hall and she knew her roommate was up and working. The woman got the best type job that allowed you to stay at home, but work on the pc.

Kat took her bag to her room and as she unpacked from the day's classes, she could hear what song the woman was listening to. Of course it was her favorite band, but sometimes it seemed like it was all the woman lived off of. However, this only made Kat cherish the woman more. Then she put her bag in her closet and walked back to the kitchen. She grabbed a soda and started going through her stack of mail.

Eventually she tossed everything into the trash and walked onto the small porch suspending off the complex wall. She took a drink of soda and let her eyes float to the reflection of the setting sun on the water. Her hand bumped her pocket and she remembered the letter. With one last look at the water, she walked back inside and closed the door. Then she made her way to her room and sat down on her bed while going over the letter once more.

She couldn't understand why he had disappeared and if Stef was right, why was he looking for her? He was the one that hadn't come back to see her after that day in the hospital, but she knew it was going to happen. She was glad to hear that the relationship between him and Ash was actually over, but she knew the woman was hurting and it was because of her. If she hadn't allowed him to find her while she was back there, none of this would be happening. Maybe it is for the best that things did turn out this way for her though.

The type of life she had was one kind of life she had wanted since she was a little girl. Of course, it was the same dream she had shared with her dad and now that she was on her own she felt like she had to fulfill it to please him. A knock on her door made her come back to reality and she put the letter away. Kari entered her room and Kat looked at her. The woman had to be a mixture between a high school girl and a young woman spreading her wings for the first time.

The poor thing had a bad background surrounding her family, but since Kat didn't tell her anything about her past, she didn't think Kari had to talk of her problems either. She sat on the bed and Kari made her way over to the chair next to her window. She sat down without a word and then she looked at her.

"Did you have some fun at that god awful school?"

Kat nodded and said "You know, if you would have signed up with me, then you would have gotten some rather good courses."

Kari snorted and said "Please. I don't need to have my brain exploding trying to understand that deep shit. All those authors write about the same crap day in and day out. Who needs a book to know what is going on?"

'Trust her to say the truth,' she thought.

Then Kari smiled and said "Anyhow, I got a message from the company you applied to. They want to have an interview with you Monday at three."

She rolled her eyes and said "Of course it has to be right after my last class. Oh well, a job's a job."

Kari nodded and said "I'm getting us a pizza to celebrate. Same as always?"

She nodded and the woman left the room without another word. She sighed and fell back into the soft covers on her bed and her arm pulled a pillow up to her chest. Her mind started to slow down its pace with being high strung and she allowed her eyes to close. When a chill ran up her arm, she moved under her throw and closed her eyes again. Exhaustion had finally gotten the best of her for the day and she slipped into a light sleep.

@#$%

She froze as she watched the two talking quietly. Her eyes remained on the man and then she saw his eyes drift over to her. He smirked as he looked her up and down and then he looked back at her dad. She turned her back to the two and opened the door. Then she heard a struggle behind her and she turned just as the gun echoed.

"Hey! Wake up!"

Someone shook her with some force and she opened her eyes though she couldn't see anything clearly. When her eyes began to focus, she saw Kari sitting next to her on the bed and watching her with some concern. She rubbed an eye free of sleep and felt the wetness on her cheek. Then she realized what had happened and she let out a groan. Kari sighed and moved over to the door.

She left the room and Kat took a deep breath as she tried to come up with some excuse for the tears. When she gave up, she climbed out of bed and walked to the kitchen. She found Kari sitting on the counter eating a slice of pizza reading the paper and she leaned against the wall. The woman was unbelievably childish when she wanted to be and right now it was a good thing she was acting so. Silently Kat grabbed a slice of pizza and sat at the bar hoping to enjoy getting something into her stomach before she had to explain anything.

Luck turned against her when Kari asked "What had you so upset that you were crying and jerking in your sleep?"

Eyes downward, she mumbled "It's nothing really. Just a bad memory."

Then her cheeks turned slightly red and she asked "Did I scream?"

Kari looked at her and asked, "You mean at the top of your lungs shouting "no"? No, you didn't scream and scare the shit out of me."

She groaned and said "Sorry about that. I guess I should've warned you."

"Not like it's the first time it has happened though."

Kat looked at her and asked "I've done this before?"

Kari nodded and said "You have, but I didn't wake you up. I am always about to and then you just go quiet as if the dream is over, or something."

Full and embarrassed, she put her trash away and said "I'm going back to bed and this time I'll try not to scream."

She left the kitchen and as she entered her room she heard Kari laughing "Like you can prevent it if you wanted to."

PGS