Written by: TVM (mrtvm@mrtvm.com)

Archive: www.asstr.org/~TheVertManArchive/Stories/Celeb/JessieKatie/Index.html

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"Hey I'm not here so, you know, leave a message or call back later" Karen's voice said on the outgoing message for her answering machine, which almost made Jessie slam the phone down in anger. Karen had suddenly decided to change the message they had had for over a year taking both hers and Eli's voice off. As she prepared to slam the phone down, something inside her wanted to wait till the beep, but the beep never came. First there were a few long seconds of apparent silence, but you could faintly hear two voices giggling in the background. Then suddenly the voices grew louder and Jessie heard her Mom scream in a fit of laughter and say "Nooo, you better not, no stop, no you're gonna make me drop this, NOOOOO....." and the outgoing message ended.

"What in the hell is going on?" Jessie asked, hanging up as the beep finally sounded, she redialed Karen's number and listened again more closely. The second time she could hear the second voice a little more clearly as it said "no more first editions for you young lady" and that was followed by Karen's voice and the screaming, then the beep.

"Eli come here and listen to this" Jessie said as Eli took the phone as Jessie dialed and he listened to the message himself.

"Who's that with her?" Eli asked as he hung up.

"Your guess is as good as mine" Jessie said, "I noticed something else too; she took my voice off her message. Can't have your gay daughter on the answering machine for everyone to hear."

"Jess...." Eli said, putting his hand on her shoulder briefly as she turned and abruptly walked outside. Walking to the end of the yard, sitting down on the curb, and looking up quickly, she heard a loud rumbling sound coming from just down the street. The familiar site of Shell's steel blue Corvette zoomed into view a second later as she tore down the street and came to a screeching, rubbing burning halt a few feet away from where Jessie was now sitting.

"I swear Cuz, you should drive for the IRL or something" Sarah said, getting out of the car as Shell laughed out loud. Slamming the door, Shell quickly floored it again and sped off into the distance. "Girl's gonna kill somebody one day with that car, probably herself."

"Ok Jan what's wrong?" Sarah asked, sitting down and bumping her shoulder trying to get Jessie to smile. "Did my Gracey try to seduce you again?"

"No" Jessie said softly and trying not to smile.

"You have to admit she is tempting huh?" Sarah asked in a whisper and followed it by blowing in Jessie's ear softly, "you know you want it Jan."

"Shut up will you" Jessie said, pushing her away and cracking a smile.

"Haha made you smile" Sarah said raising her arm into the air victoriously. "Yes!"

"Sometimes I wonder how I ever got through life without you" Jessie said, smiling.

"I just don't like to see you in pain is all" Sarah said simply. "It's no big secret."

"My Mom took my name off her answering machine" Jessie said, "so I guess its official, I'm abandoned."

"Katie?" Sarah asked as she walked up the block almost completely undetected and was heading up the driveway, not paying any attention.

"Oh hey there" She said, stopping and looked over at Sarah and Jessie right as Grace came out of the house.

"Where did you come from?" Sarah asked.

"My Mom dropped me at the end of the block, she was in a big hurry" Katie said, smiling and turning to see Grace coming towards them.

"And who invited you?" Grace asked playfully, pushing Katie as she looked around and smiled and pushed Grace back and replied, "You did last night."

"Oh I know, I was just checking to see if you did" Grace said as Katie giggled.

"I had fun last night, haven't gotten to do that in a long time" Katie said smiling, "felt really nice."

"Exactly what were you doing with my girlfriend?" Sarah asked as she approached the two.

"Are we a little jealous?" Grace asked Sarah, trying to tease her, but falling miserably she thought. And she was surprised when Sarah touched her cheek and a second later kissed her on the lips softly.

"I love you Grace Manning" Sarah said as Grace smiled, "I've never been jealous of you and I hope I never will be."

"I know that" Grace said just realizing where they were and suddenly became very self conscious for the first time in a long time. "I was teasing you, goofy."

"So you don't love me anymore?" Sarah asked with a pooched lip.

"Yeh she does, you're all she ever talks about" Katie said as Sarah giggled and blushed, "so put away the puppy dog eyes and those lips."

"Anyway, you know my feelings for you are real" Grace said, touching Sarah's lips as they 'depooched' and spread into a smile.

"Ok are you two done making eyes at each other?" Katie asked with a smile, but secretly sneaking a look at Jessie who had her back turned to the pair, appearing to Katie not to care that she was even there. Figuring Jessie didn't, she would act like she didn't. Turning to Grace she asked, "So are you ready?"

"Yeh let me get the keys from Mom" Grace said, running back up to the house.

"What are you guys planning tonight?" Sarah asked as Katie smiled and suddenly clammed up, sneaking another look at Jessie.

"Probably the same thing we did last night" Katie said.

"But you said she was gonna take you home" Sarah asked, stuffing her hands in her pockets and growing more curious.

"She did.....eventually" Katie said with a pause and a smirk.

"What did you do in between us leaving and your getting home?" Sarah asked as Katie tried to stifle a giggle.

"Ask Grace" Katie said as Grace came out of the door and practically bounced down the walk. "She'll tell you."

"Tell you what?" Grace asked.

"What you did last night with Ms. Secret here?" Sarah asked, pushing Katie as she laughed and ducked behind Grace.

"After you guys left, we went to the Orphanage that Katie used to go to a lot and then out for ice cream at Baskin Robbins" Grace said as Sarah breathed a sigh of relief and both Grace and Katie laughed at her.

"That's weird cause we ended back at Baskin Robbins too" Sarah said, thinking back on the previous night, "We were back at my place by midnight."

"Midnight?" Katie asked, smiling with a devilish grin. "We were just getting started by then, huh Grace?"

"Yeh it was about three before we got in" Grace said as Katie pulled her hand and dragged her towards the car. Sarah followed along protesting and wanting to know again what they did.

"We gotta go, we're supposed to be at the orphanage by 3:00" Katie said, circling around the car and climbing in as Grace turned to do the same before she felt Sarah take her arm and pull her behind the car, out of sight of the house. Smiling a second, she put her hands on either side of Grace's face and kissed her, then wrapped her arms around her neck as they quickly started to French. Grace felt herself being lost again in Sarah, as had often happened lately. After what seemed like an hour, but was more like a minute or so, Grace heard the car door open and Katie let out a loud sigh and say "Will you two break it up?"

"Now will you tell me?" Sarah asked as Grace smiled and kissed her again.

"We just drove around ok" Grace said, giggling as Sarah smiled victoriously.

"You're so easy" Sarah said, "one of the many things I love about you Grace Manning."

"After a kiss like that I'm lucky I can remember my name, let alone what I did last night" Grace said, sneaking another kiss.

"I was thinking the same thing" Sarah said, touching Grace's cheek, "you make me forget my name."

"Uhhhhhhh Katie do you think we could postpone our little trip for two or three hours?" Grace said as Sarah looked at Katie and said, "or maybe longer. Maybe you and Jessie can hang out, while we....have some fun?"

"Yeh like she wants to anyway" Katie said as Sarah gave her a strange look and started to say something before Katie went on, making her and Grace crack up at her impatience. "UGH, now come on let's go already."

"Ok ok" Grace said, smiling as she kissed Sarah once more, "Love ya, bye."

"Love you too babe, bye" Sarah said as Grace climbed into the car a few seconds later and they pulled out. Katie's heart nearly stopped when she caught Jessie's eye and saw her smile briefly.

"I can remember when me and Jessie were that much in love" Katie said, Jessie's face disappearing from view as Grace looked at her and remembered that she hadn't spoken to Jessie the whole time she was at the house.

"You mean you're not in love with her anymore?" Grace asked, looking at Katie as they stopped at a street light.

"No not at all" Katie said, "I still love her, just don't think she does me any more."

"She does and you know that" Grace said confidently as they pulled out and Katie again guided her towards the right turns to get to the home.

"Yeh you're right, just, I hate it when she just acts like I'm not there" Katie said, looking out the window. "Like most of last night, she goofs with Sarah and your sister and then gets mad when I tell her I have plans with you tonight. And to top it all off, she goes running off again with Sarah and Zoë later."

"You told her she could" Grace said.

"I know, I just wish she would have wanted to stay" Katie said, looking out the window at the passing houses.

"Katie you have to at least make an effort" Grace said as they stopped at another stop light. "Then if she doesn't wanna be with you then.....you'll know you tried."

"Yeh but what makes it so bad, is all of this is totally my fault" Katie said, "like always. I made a stupid mistake and I'm just realizing it now."

"Stupid mistake?" Grace asked, pulling away again and turning for the final time, headed for the orphanage.

"We slept together, that was my big mistake" Katie said and rambled on before Grace could quiz her about it any further. "Ever since that first time, it's like we've slowly grown apart. First it was Jessie going from being the sweet and innocent girl I fell for, and then it was her fascination with Cori. And now it's Sarah."

"The night you first slept together?" Grace asked, "When exactly was that?"

"That night at the your house when Sarah showed up to apologize" Katie said as Grace thought about how her guard was truly let down for the first time since she had met her. "She caught us in the middle of it and that's why she screamed."

"Holy shit" Grace said, slamming on the breaks, the car coming to a screeching halt in the middle of the road as she turned to Katie, not quite believing how she had totally forgotten about that night. Since it had never come up in conversation with Sarah or Jessie, it's like she had put it out of her mind, and now suddenly the whole truth came to light. "Are you serious?"

"Yeh, I can't believe you didn't know that" Katie said, looking back as a car came near them and blew its horn, forcing Grace to pull away again.

"Sarah never did tell me and after a while I just sorta forgot about it" Grace said.

"Yeh she was pretty freaked out obviously" Katie said. "And that's where all the problems begin. Of course I didn't help things any by getting her involved with Cori and then doing what we did..... UMMMMMM I mean..."

"The three-way you mean?" Grace asked.

"So you do know?" Katie asked in reply.

"Yeh she came home looking like she'd been shot" Grace said, "told me all about it, before she cried her eyes out."

"I should have never let her do it" Katie said, "If I had said no, maybe things would have never gone the way they did."

"I dunno Katie, she seemed to have an intense curiosity about sex after you guys did it" Grace said, "and meeting Cori just made her curiosity worse."

"That and she found out from miss loud mouth Tyler that me and Sarah had did it with Cori before ..." Katie said, suddenly stopping as Grace stared at her in shock.

"My Sarah?" Grace asked as Katie smiled at the way she had said that.

"Yeh your Sarah" Katie said. "And she didn't exactly wanna do it. That's the reason we broke up."

"I don't understand?" Grace said pulling up to the front of the orphanage and turning off the motor.

"Well if you wanna hear the whole story maybe you should" Katie said as Grace quickly agreed and listened as Katie went into the details about her and Sarah's relationship. She talked about how she met Cori and she was always trying to get into her pants, and how the three-way idea Cori struck upon was the beginning of the end for her and Sarah. Then she went on about the night that Cori showed up with some wine coolers, which for some reason reminded Katie of the three-way with her and Jessie and that Jessie was drinking a wine cooler when she come out of the kitchen. She explained about the way they got Sarah drunk, although she was more than willing to drink, and then how they talked her into doing it with them. As much as it shouldn't have, Grace still found herself being slightly turned on as Katie gave a few to many details about the act itself and then blushed, clammed up and skipped to the aftermath of the whole night which seemed weird to Grace who remembered the very detailed conversation about sex they had had a few weeks earlier. When Sarah woke up and found Cori between them, she ran out of the apartment and that was the beginning of the end for them. Before either knew it, an entire hour had passed and they were still engrossed in conversation.

"So I did break her heart but not in the traditional sense" Katie said.

"It was a really bad situation" Grace said, breathing a huge sigh of relief and feeling she now knew Sarah better than she ever had. She then saw Katie look out the window and try to hide the fact that she was about to cry. "I loved her so much you know. And I'm glad she's not hurting anymore."

"I can see that now" Grace said, smiling a very small grin, "How can anyone resist you when you smile at them?" Grace asked as Katie looked at her strangely.

"You really like my smile don't you?" Katie asked as it spread across her face.

"Yeh honestly I do" Grace said, smiling back and enjoying the moment as much as Katie, she thought. But both being quickly interrupted by a pecking on the window and Kendra's hand bouncing up and down telling Katie to roll it down.

"Are you coming in or not?" Kendra asked as Grace noticed Lily shyly hiding behind her.

"Yeh you little snoop" Katie said as Kendra opened the door and pulled her hand leaving Lily standing alone and the door open. Grace smiled brightly at her and got out of the driver's side and locked the car, before circling around and being met by Lily.

"Can you shut the door for me?" Grace asked as Lily returned to the car and pushed it with both hands and watched it slammed shut. "Thank you, you're a good helper."

Lily smiled shyly and fell in step with Grace as they walked back to the front door. Helping her take her coat off as they got inside, she put it away in the closet before rejoining her in the main room. Kendra and Katie were noisily chatting away when Sister Kay came bustling into the room, trailed by five or six others Grace hadn't seen yet. She suggested they go and clean their rooms before mid-day snack which prompted Kendra to excitedly drag Katie off by the hand to show her the new CD she had just gotten. Grace, figuring Lily would be to shy to ask for her help, decided to ask her and Lily happily agreed.

Upstairs, Kendra's room was a mass of clothes, dolls, and everything a girl of 8 would want or could need it appeared. While in stark contrast, Lily's room only contained a neatly made bed and a few colors and markers sprawled on the floor, and a single poster adorning the boring grayish white walls: a picture of a very frazzled looking Albert Einstein, with hair standing on end. The only other thing hanging in sight was a small plaque reading "Lily Marie Stanford. You Rock."

"Lily Marie?" Grace asked, touching the plaque.

"Uh huh" Lily said, smiling.

"You have a pretty name, the same as my Mom's" Grace said.

"You told me that already" Lily said, giggling and for the first time showing a sign of a true personality.

"Well I thought you might have forgotten" Grace said, sticking her tongue out playfully and watching closely for Lily's reaction. She was relieved when she started giggling harder and fell across her bed.

"So do you like these boring empty walls or can we do something about them?" Grace asked as Lily sat up and snuggled close to her.

"I don't have anything else to put up" She said looking at Grace.

"HMMMMM maybe I can let you have some stuff, ok?" Grace offered as Lily smiled. "Maybe a poster and some drawings, and I dunno just whatever I can find."

"Only if you don't need it though" Lily said, laying her small hand on Grace's gently.

"So who do you think is cute?" Grace asked with a wry smile as Lily blushed and muttered in reply "I dunno."

"Is it Mark down the hall?" Grace asked, nudging her in the ribs as Lily laughed.

"NO" She said in mock horror. "He's like totally gross."

"Then who do you like then? Maybe I'll have some pictures of them" Grace said.

"Billy Gilman" Lily said shyly after a quiet moment.

"Oh girl he is a cutie" Grace said giggling, "I'll make sure you get one of him."

Before Grace knew it, an hour and half had passed and it was nearing dinner time for the kids. So Katie and Grace said their reluctant goodbye's with Katie promising to return as soon as possible and Grace promising she'd bring Lily the stuff she was talking about.

"That Kendra's a handful" Katie said as they pulled away from the curb, "I'd hate to be the one to have to keep up with her all day."

"Lily's sweet" Grace said, "amazing how a kid like that can get so lost in the system."

"Yeh sorta reminds me of Cori and her life, you know getting lost and everything" Katie commented.

"Speaking of Cori, how is she?" Grace asked as they turned the corner and soon pulled into the McDonald's parking lot.

"She's doing better every day, she calls me every night at 10:30 and gives me an update" Katie said smiling, "and of course I can always hear Joey giggling in the background about something."

"Joey and Cori huh?" Grace asked as they got out and headed inside.

"Yeh those two are attached at the hip I think" Katie replied. "Joey told me last night Cori's making lists of everything lately, things she likes and doesn't. And she made a list of her friends and Joey was number one on it."

"AWWWWWW" Grace said as Katie giggled.

"I think Joey was blushing when she told me about that" Katie said, "She was like so proud."

"So what do you want?" Grace asked as they arrived at the front counter.

"You order for me, I'm not picky" Katie said, linking her arm with Grace's.

"Why me?" Grace asked quizzically.

"Because you're the man in the relationship" Katie said, giggling, "you are wearing the pants after all."

"Huh you're wearing a pair too" Grace said as Katie looked down at her baggy jeans and realized she was.

"Yeh but yours are hip huggers" Katie said obviously checking out Grace's butt as her companion blushed.

"So?" Grace asked as the attendant at the counter offered to take their order.

"Well mine are..." Katie said not being able to find a reason behind her last statement and clamming up.

"You just wanted a reason to check out my butt" Grace said and blushed a deep crimson when she realized she'd said that aloud and where they were.

"Yep true dat baby" Katie said, giggling out loud as the attendant waited impatiently.

Sensing the attendant would rather they hurry and order, Grace did as Katie asked and ordered for both of them. Katie, hugging her arm and nuzzling her neck, sneaked peaks at both the attendant and Grace as she blushed and tried several times to shrug Katie away. Finally taking the tray and walking away Grace stopped for a second and pushed her away as Katie laughed.

"Was I making you uncomfortable?" Katie asked teasingly as Grace sat down and started eating, trying to act as if nothing had happened. Grace dipped a fry in the ketchup and attempting to shut Katie up, shoved it in her mouth.

"Hey" Katie said, giggling as the ketchup smeared all over her chin and Grace matched her laughter.

"Did you see how that girl was looking at us?" Grace asked in a whisper.

"Yeh so" Katie said, wiping the ketchup away with a napkin.

"You enjoyed that didn't you?" Grace asked.

"AHHHH I was just goofin" Katie said, smiling.

"OK ready for more" Katie said, opening her mouth as Grace looked at her with a confused look. "You mean you ain't gonna feed me the rest?"

"You really want me to feed you?" Grace asked, dipping another fry and holding it up for Katie's inspection.

"Yeh I guess" Katie said shyly as Grace waved a fry in close to her lips and Katie bit the end off. Grace laughed as Katie snatched the rest away, growling like a dog. Picking another one, she repeated the same method, dipping and then letting Katie snatch it from her fingers.

"You love being the center of attention don't you?" Grace asked, feeding Katie another fry.

"No I really don't" Katie said, smiling and taking the next fry from Grace's hand as she offered it. "I just like being with someone who will pay attention to me, because they want to. Not because they feel they have to. That's why I don't push it with Jessie. And it's also why I wanted to come out with you tonight, because last night you wanted to be with me. We had fun and there wasn't any pressure; you paid attention to me when you didn't have to is what I'm trying to say."

"That was a mouth full" Grace said, stuffing another fry between Katie's lips.

"It's true, I mean unless you're just doing it because you feel sorry for me and Sarah's doing her thing?" Katie said, watching her closely for an answer. Grace felt her palms suddenly start to sweat as she tried to remain calm and collected. Looking at Katie and meeting her gaze, Grace said firmly, "I'm here cause you're fun to be with. I'm having fun. So quit thinking to much, that's my job."

"Good cause I am too" Katie said as Grace reached for another fry and realized they were all gone.

"You ate all my fries you big pig" Grace said as Katie laughed.

"You fed them to me" Katie said as Grace pulled Katie's fries across the table and started eating hers.

"Yep true dat baby" Grace said, stealing Katie's line from earlier.

"Oh yeh" Katie said, remembering something from earlier. "Now that I got you all alone and there's no more distractions, you gotta pay up on our bet. You remember?"

"Yeh I know, what I like about you" Grace said, rolling her eyes as Katie smiled sweetly, "where do I start? There's a lot to like."

"Ok my ego's growing" Katie said as Grace stifled a giggle. "But by all means please go on."

"Your smile, definitely your best feature" Grace said as Katie smiled genuinely. "The way you carry yourself, your confidence, your sense of humor, your eyes, and I wish I had your legs."

"Anything else?" Katie asked as Grace could see her literally glowing.

"Yeh, the way you treat Jessie" Grace said, "She's a real handful sometimes. And something I didn't notice until tonight, but your lips....they're very kissable."

"Kissable?" Katie asked, by now stunned to silence as Grace smiled.

"Yeh...." Grace said, getting cutoff when Katie started talking suddenly.

"Now it's my turn" Katie said as Grace listened, thinking this wasn't part of the deal, but not going to argue. "You're so at ease, laid back, at least on the surface. And your eyes Grace, they are so beautiful, that's what first attracted me to you."

"Attracted?" Grace asked as Katie bit her lip nervously, thinking she had let one slip.

"Yeh" Katie finally said with Grace's urging.

"When? Now or recently or what?" Grace asked.

"I have such a big mouth" Katie said, covering her face with her hands. "It was last year in school, before I met Jessie. That's actually when I noticed her, when I was gawking at you."

"You had a crush on me?" Grace asked in shock and put her hand over Katie's on the table absentmindedly.

"Yeh ok I did" Katie blurted out as both blushed a deep crimson, "but I couldn't get up the courage to introduce myself. That's why I wanted to get into Mr. Dimitri's drama class and I was gonna do it one day in his class in the auditorium, the day Jessie sung. But me and Jess started talking and after that I fell hard for her."

"Jessie you sneak, taking my crush away" Grace said as Katie laughed nervously, noticing Grace's hand was on hers now. "Wonder what would have happened if you had never met Jessie?"

"Nothing probably" Katie said, "You remember what you said yesterday about if I had asked you out?"

"Yeh" Grace said, playing with Katie's fingers. "But that was before I knew you liked me, back then I mean."

"So you would have considered it?" Katie asked, finding her fingers being linked with Grace's now.

"Maybe, if I knew you like I do now" Grace replied, tightening her grip slightly on Katie's hand.

"Presents an interesting set of circumstances huh?" Katie asked, sounding like a professor as Grace giggled quietly.

"Yes it does" Grace agreed. ,"You and Jessie might have never happened."

"Then what would they have called this fic?" Katie asked, "Grace and Katie?"

"Yeh GraceKatie.com" Grace said, laughing.

"Well it may have taken us a while, but we're finally on our first date" Katie pointed out.

"Yep, too bad we can't make it a regular thing huh?" Grace asked, teasingly.

"Sometimes I think Jessie wants it that way" Katie said, the smile leaving her face, "I mean to be without me so she could be free again."

"Katie no she doesn't and you know that, stop saying it" Grace said, tightening her grip on Katie's hand and moving across the booth to sit by her as Katie looked out the window and remained quiet for a few long moments and finally saying, "I can feel her slipping away Grace."

"Katie stop...." Grace said before she looked at Katie's reflection in the glass and smiled.

"But being with you... it's not so scary" Katie said as Grace's heart skipped a beat and she felt Katie's finger's relink with hers and tighten her grip.
"She's not slipping away" Grace said firmly as Katie smiled at her.
"Yeh ok I believe you" Katie said, "but you know I think I feel that old crush coming back."

"What?" Grace asked as Katie did her best to keep a straight face, but after a few seconds she cracked a smile and began to laugh as Grace breathed a sigh of relief and got up and pulled her out of the booth and out the front door into the parking lot as Katie kept laughing. She stopped Grace as they reached the car and said, "Look, I know you're right about Jessie, and I was just playin' in there with the whole crush thing."

"Oh OK" Grace replied as a million questions ran through her mind and Katie seemed to pick up on it immediately.

"Wait. I meant I was kidding about that last part, cause I did have a crush on you way back when" Katie said as Grace smiled.

"Cool" Grace said, starting to walk away but feeling Katie still holding her hand.

"Oh and one more thing I like about you" Katie said smiling as Grace felt another joke coming on, "You're fun to be with."

"You are too" Grace replied before really thinking about it. Katie smiled and lifted her and Grace hands and kissed the back of Grace's before releasing it and walking around the side and climbing in. Grace for some reason found herself looking at the back of her hand for a second before snapping out of it and joining Katie again in the car.

"So where to now?" Grace asked, smiling at Katie as they pulled out on the street.

"Anywhere but 'The Deep'" Katie replied.

"UMMMMM how about Book Lover's?" Grace suggested, "Judy's usually working late and maybe she could use some help or something."

"You want me to perform manual labor on a date?" Katie asked as Grace shook her head and laughed. Judy was indeed glad to see them; sighting Joey's sudden complete absence. She was falling behind in her stocking. Grace and Katie gladly volunteered and in only a couple of hours the place was again something resembling an orderly book store.

"I don't know how to thank you guys" Judy said, flopping down on the love seat in the back. "And tell Joey when you see her she's fired."

"Don't be mean, she's just worried about Cori right now" Katie said, sitting down by her.

"I know, I told her as soon as Cori's able, she could come by and help us whenever she wanted to" Judy said.

"Yeh we were just out on our first date huh sweety?" Katie said, giggling as she rubbed Grace's cheek seductively.

"You two?" Judy asked, then realizing as Grace pushed Katie's hand away that she was kidding.

"Sarah and Jess are performing tonight at 'The Deep' and dippy here conned me into going out with her" Grace said as Katie laughed, "But we had fun. She's fun to be with."

"AWWWW" Katie said, hugging Grace from the back, "I love you too."

"Probably" Grace said as Katie pushed her forward and Judy heard the bell ringing, signaling someone had just entered the store.

"So where to now?" Katie asked as they put on their coats a while later and Judy got ready to lock up the store.

Home?" Grace said in a questioning manner, as Judy said goodnight and walked off towards her car.

"Noooooo" Katie whined, taking Grace's arm and pulling her away from the car "You have no idea how bored I'll be at home all by myself."

"OK ok" Grace giggled, "where you wanna go?"

"I don't care" Katie said, linking her fingers with Grace's and pulling her along until Grace fell in step beside her. "I just wanna hang with you for a while....OK?"

"Well I ain't had any better offers in the last 20 minutes" Grace giggled as Katie smiled and guided her further down the street. Katie was looking up at all the signs as she pulled Grace along still by the hand, and suddenly pointed to one as she laughed out loud. Grace looked up and laughed herself as she read out "Those Kissable Lips: A Brankow Production."

"Remind you of something?" Katie asked teasingly as she turned to see Grace still giggling.

"Yeh yeh I know I said your lips were kissable" Grace said as Katie smiled.

"Yep yep I think it's a sign" Katie said, raising her eyebrows suggestively.

"Yeh a neon one if I'm not mistaken" Grace said smiling.

"Smartass" Katie said pushing her gently and moving closer as she asked, "What would you really do if I kissed you right now?"

"We'll never know cause you wouldn't do it" Grace said with a smirk and hoped she was right and wrong all at the same time. "Oh yeah you think you know me so well Grace Manning?" Katie said, pressing her body to Grace's and wrapping her free arm around her neck. "You'd be surprised at some of the things I've done."

"Maybe...."

"Yeh maybe what?" Katie asked teasingly as Grace's mind froze. "Uh huh nothing, that's what I thought."

Katie leaned forward watching Grace closely and let her lips move towards Grace's. It seemed to Grace to be happening in slow motion almost as Katie's head moved into her light and she involuntarily tilted her own head as Katie drew ever closer. Her breath felt hot on Grace's chin and Grace's breathing quickened at the same time as she wondered whether Katie would really do this. There was now only an inch or so between them, and she was coming closer it appeared. Grace's heart beat sped and she could hear it now inside her head as Katie's lips stopped just short of her lips and both lingered for a long moment and Grace swore she could see a smile on Katie's face. Then it happened.....

To be Continued....