

Dustin Time

By

June Kramin

Dustin Time

By June Kramin

Copyright © 2010 by June Kramin

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All Rights Reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior written permission of the publisher.

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This book is a work of fiction. While references may be made to actual places or events, the names, characters, incidents, and locations within are from the author's imagination and are not a resemblance to actual living or dead persons, businesses, or events. Any similarity is coincidental.

Published by Pau Hana Books

Smashwords edition

August 2014

Originally published in August, 2010 By Champagne Books, Canada

This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of International Copyright Law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines and/or imprisonment. No part of this book can be reproduced or sold by any person or business without the express permission of the publisher.

ISBN: 978-1311233325

Published in the United States of America

Cover Art by Valerie Kramin

Stock images: Dreamstime

Dedication

To Aunt Barb and Lola.

The best beta readers a 'Bug' could ask for.

Yes, I ended a sentence with a preposition, but you didn't catch that one, did ya? ;)
Chapter One

Kaitlyn woke up with a grunt, smacking her hand on the radio alarm clock's snooze button. "Just five more minutes," she moaned as she pulled a spare pillow over her head. The next five minutes passed far too quickly; she finally sat herself up with the radio blaring the Bangles', Manic Monday.

"They think that's so funny every bloody week," she said, turning the music off. Dragging herself out of bed, she walked over to her dresser and gazed closely at the large round mirror hanging above it.

"Happy birthday, you old fart." She sighed and wandered into the bathroom, taking off her silk nightie, then tossing it into the corner with the other discarded clothing items. Someday I'll purchase a hamper.

She turned the water extra hot and leaned into it, trying to warm up. It was November in southern Minnesota, but she was fighting turning on the heat. That was a sign winter was here for sure and she just wasn't ready for that. She was cranky enough as it was this morning and she didn't want to be cold too. She turned into the water to feel it against her face. She didn't hear the sliding glass door open but felt hands reach around and cup her breasts.

"Dammit, Dusty!" she screamed. "You scared the crap outta me!" She didn't normally swear much, but she could tell the colorful expressions would be flying free and numerous today with the mood she was in.

"Happy birthday, my sweet," he said as he kissed his way down her neck.

"Oh, shut up."

"You're only thirty, cupcake."

"You know I hate it when you call me that, and I'm only twenty-nine, jackass." In a mood or not, that was what she called him often. It was lacking the giggle that usually followed this morning, though. "What are you doing here so early?"

"Do the math. You're thirty, puddin'. I brought your birthday present," he said, waggling his eyebrows.

"Let me guess, you're wearing it. Wait. I'm thirty?"

"Yes, I'm wearing it. And sorry, sweet cheeks. You're thirty."

She slowly turned around and let her eyes wander down his naked body. He was standing there just as she thought he would be for her birthday gift. Completely naked. She took a second, admiring his body, before she had to protest about his timing. He was a foot taller than her and had a perfect chest and stomach for claiming to never work out. She loved running her fingers through his short wavy brown hair, and his brown eyes had melted her from the day they'd met. She had to look away from him if she was even going to try to make her protest stick.

"I don't have time this morning, Dusty. I have an early surgery scheduled. And could you at least humor me, please?"

"All right. You're twenty-nine. Why would you schedule a surgery on your birthday? You should have taken the day off," he said as he massaged her breasts, trying to get her to change her mind.

"It's just another day. I gotta pay the bills you know."

His fondling wasn't doing much for her with the mood she was in, although she could see it was doing wonders for him. He kissed his way down her neck, then across her breasts.

"Dammit," she said softly then let out a moan, beginning to change her mind. "You have thirty minutes."

"I won't need a minute over twenty-seven."

"There's my little overachiever."

"I don't know what I'm doing with you," Kaitlyn said as they lay in her bed, the sheets now damp from her shower that was cut short. "You're too young for me."

"I'm only five years younger than you. Four if we're still pretending you're twenty-nine. How come you don't get in a better mood after morning sex? You'd think a guy would stop trying."

"You'd think," she replied as she got up and put on her robe.

"Come on, cheer up. I have reservations tonight at Chez Pauls."

"Chez Pauls? You can't afford that. Is it my treat?"

"Don't be silly. It's your birthday. It's on me."

"You get a second paper route?"

"Ha-ha. I'll be the editor someday and you'll still be picking on me."

Her attention went to the clock. "Crap! That wasn't twenty- seven minutes."

"You're the one that wanted seconds," he said with a devilish grin.

"I'll have to grab coffee on the way now. Would you go pull my car up?"

"Pretty please, oh-sex-god-of-mine," he teased.

"Come on, please? I'm going to be late."

"Katie, you're the boss. Who's gonna bitch if you're late?"

"Please goddammit!"

"Okay, okay. I'll pick you up tonight at seven." He climbed out of bed was walking over for a goodbye kiss, but she had already started to walk into the bathroom and closed the door. He mumbled under his breath, "If you weren't so damn hot in bed..."

"I heard that."

"Seven o'clock. Wear something I want to rip off you after dinner."

Kaitlyn hurried through putting on her make-up. She never did too much of that, anyway. No foundation, just a little eyeliner, mascara, and lipstick were it. She threw her shoulder length hair in a ponytail.

She knew she was handing out an extra dish of cranky this morning to poor Dusty. In all honesty, she'd been thinking about calling it quits between them long before this morning, but just couldn't bring herself to do it. She had mixed feelings about their relationship, but mostly he was just too young. They had great sex, but that wasn't something to build a relationship on. The more time they spent together, the more she realized she was more likely to send him away to summer camp than marry him. He had a steady job at a newspaper, setting ads and working on various columns. He wanted to be a writer and felt he had gotten his foot in the door. He did finish college at least; that should have scored some points with her. Should have. For some reason, though, she still saw him as a frat boy, looking for a beer bong rather than cuddling with a movie and a nice glass of Shiraz.

Glancing at the clock beside the vanity, she let out a heavy sigh of defeat. "Why does he have to be so damn good in bed?"

She grabbed her purse and rushed out the door. After throwing her purse in her gold Mini Cooper, she ran back into the house for her iPod and sunglasses. She couldn't do the fifteen-minute drive without either. Kaitlyn hated morning radio. It was nothing but talking. She needed to blare some loud music to get her pumped for the surgery she had to do in less than an hour. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary, but she always had to get herself in a better mood, especially in the mornings, by losing herself in song lyrics. She hit the play button and Tom Petty's Breakdown came on. Perfect.

She stopped at the local coffee shop and got herself a caramel latte with whipped cream. She decided on just a single shot, not wanting to get too jittery with a double, especially since she hadn't eaten yet. On that note, she added a raspberry and white chocolate scone to her order.

As she hurried through the door to the clinic at 8:02, her receptionist greeted her with a wide smile as always. "Good morning, Doc B. How are you this beautiful fall morning?"

"Can you wait until I finish my coffee before you start your perkiness with me please, Karla?"

"Don't be such a grump on your birthday. You're only twenty-nine." As much as her receptionist's perky attitude sometimes drove Kaitlyn crazy, she was wonderful with the clients and they loved her. She was only five feet three inches tall, but carried herself with more dignity and grace than everyone that towered over her. She wore different color contacts every day. Kaitlyn didn't even know what her real eye color was. Her red hair was always pulled back in a sloppy bun.

"See. I told that little bastard I was only twenty-nine."

"Sorry, hon. You're thirty. I was trying to be perky. My bad."

"Shit."

The phone rang. "Gotta love caller ID. It's your mother," Karla said.

"Can you tell her I'm in surgery already? I'll call her back in a bit."

Karla picked up the phone on the next ring. "Hi, Lola! How's California weather?" There was silence as Kaitlyn listened.

"Sure. She's right here. Hang on." Karla put the phone on hold and folded her hands under her chin and smiled at her boss.

"You're fired."

"You love me. I'll tell Paula to bring Sasha up and get her prepped for surgery." Paula was the veterinary technician and the only other employee at the clinic.

Kaitlyn walked through the door of the exam room then into her office and closed the door. She accepted the gushing of her mother over her baby being thirty and the usual mom nagging, but did her best to end the conversation quickly. She came out into the exam room fifteen minutes later, and went over to the stainless steel operating table where her tech was waiting with the first patient of the day. "Good morning, Paula."

"Happy Birthday, Doctor B."

Kaitlyn sighed and pet the beautifully colored calico cat then felt at her belly. "They think she's pregnant my ass. She's due any day! Why do people wait so long?" Looking up at her assistant she said, "Go ahead and mix up the kitty cocktail. You know what you're doing by now. I trust you."

"Thanks." Paula smiled and went to the refrigerator to mix the Ketamine, Valium, and Acepromazine to anesthetize the cat. After she drew the mixture in the syringe, she asked Kaitlyn, "Do you want it IV or IM?"

Kaitlyn replied, "IC."

"IC?"

"In the cat."

Paula laughed.

"It's your baby," Kaitlyn said. "Do what you want. You'll be intubating her, too."

"You must be getting old and slipping to finally let me. I've been ready for months."

"You two going to make me fire my entire staff today?"

Paula laughed at her again. "I've been nagging you for months to let me do more. They do actually teach you things at tech school these days."

"Nag, nag, nag. Come on, let's decaffeinate this kitty."

"Decaffeinate?"

"Sorry, I guess that would only work if she was a pregnant cow. De-calf-inate. Bah-duh-bum."

Paula grinned. "You got laid this morning, didn't you?"

Kaitlyn scowled. "Oh shut up."

"Really though, Doc. It doesn't bother you spaying pregnant animals?"

"Yes and no. Of course I'd rather them come in before they're pregnant, but it's still better this way than to have a dozen more unwanted cats running around."

"I guess so. You going to hold off a vein for me?"

"You are showing off today. Atta girl!"

Kaitlyn had nothing to complain about. She had a great life, a successful veterinary practice in a small town just a few miles from her home, and a wonderful staff. Her days kept her active and she managed to maintain her size five figure with minimal effort. Her eyes were so blue, some swore they were almost purple. Despising "dumb blonde" jokes, she dyed her hair brown from its natural shade of blonde. It started in high school and it was just something she continued to do.

She was just particularly crabby today with it being her birthday. Thirty was her first major milestone and she felt like she should have accomplished more by now.

"You have a wonderful life, Katie," her mother had said that morning. "You just need to ditch that 'boy toy' of yours and find a proper husband."

"I don't need a husband, Mother." She grew tired of the same conversation, but her mother was right about Dusty. She had to cut him loose. It was going to be hard to do. Although he was a little younger, he was a good intellectual match and by far her favorite eye candy. His body was absolutely picture-perfect, and they fit together just right. Even she had to admit the sex was outstanding; had been from their very first time. She wasn't quite sure just what it was and why she felt she needed to let him go, but she did. Maybe she was trying to let him go before he came to his senses and said goodbye to her first. She couldn't take it if he did. Asking him to leave now would allow her keep her pride. She decided she'd talk to him tonight.

There was a knock at the door at 6:45. Opening it with a lack of enthusiasm, she was surprised to see Dusty actually dressed up in a nice pair of black chinos and a blue dress shirt, complete with a matching tie. He was also carrying sterling roses, her favorite. "You remembered about the roses?"

"How could I forget, my sweet?" he said as he leaned her back before planting a passionate kiss on her lips.

"You look great," he said when he stood her back upright. He ran a hand down the low neckline of the black dress, stealing the opportunity to brush it against her breasts.

"Did you get the heat fixed in your car?" she asked, as she took his hand away then accepted the roses from him. She never minded his touch, in fact it always made her weak in the knees. But she was trying to get herself in the proper mindset for breaking up with him, and that wasn't helping matters.

"Can't get it in until Friday."

"Then let's take mine."

"But the dress would look even better if I could see your nipples poking through the fabric." Not in the mood to be humored, her expression remained serious "You gonna let me drive?" he asked.

"Why not? I let Paula anesthetize a cat today. I must be in a giving mood."

"Wow. I guess my birthday present worked." Again he waggled his eyebrows at her. "Keep that mood thing going for when we get back." He stepped closer to her and whispered in her ear. "I'd take you now but I'm starved."

She stepped away, tugging at his hand. "Come on, Mr. Romance."

Dusty ordered a bottle of Perrier Jouet champagne as they were being seated.

"This is a little extravagant," Kaitlyn said as the bottle was delivered.

He took her hand in his. "It's a special day."

"Not that special. I'll have another birthday next year."

"That may be so, but I don't get a new column every day."

"That's great! You got another column?"

"You're looking at the new 'Ask Eleanor'," he said with a proud smile.

"You're shittin' me."

"I would not shit you, babycakes." He raised his glass up in a toast. They clinked glasses. Dustin took a sip, but Kaitlyn drank almost half of hers.

"Okay. I have a scenario for you, Mister Romance," she said as she put her glass down. "Dear Eleanor. I was on my way to work yesterday when my car stalled just a few blocks from home. I walked back to get my husband's help, but I found him in bed with the neighbor's hot twenty-two- year-old daughter. I am beside myself. What do I do? Signed, Confused."

Dusty cleared his throat, as if carefully choosing his words. "Dear Confused. A car stalling can be a lot of things. I'd check for a clog in the fuel line and the hoses on the intake manifold."

She laughed. "You got that e-mail, too?"

"It's so good to see you laugh, Katie." He leaned over and gave her a kiss. "Let's eat and go to bed."

"You're such a romantic."

"I know what I like."

Dustin pulled the sheet up over the two of them, cuddling close to Kaitlyn. It was certainly warm enough while they made love, but the room seemed to chill off instantly once they'd finished. She'd rolled to her side so he could spoon her, loving the feel of his strong arms around her.

"Dusty?"

"Mmmm," he softly moaned into the back of her head and then planted a kiss there.

"What are we doing?"

"Falling asleep after fabulous sex," was his groggy reply.

"No, I mean tomorrow and the day after that. What are we doing?"

"What do you want to do?"

"Are you totally clueless?" she asked, flipping over to face him. "I mean about us."

"What about us?"

"Exactly."

"Good lord, Katie," he said, flopping his arm down. "We just had great sex and I'm beat. Can we please have this relationship fight in the morning?"

"I'm sorry. I don't want to fight. I really am fond of you, Dusty, but I think we need to call this quits."

"Why would you say that?"

"You're always calling me dessert names."

"And that's why you want to dump me?"

"No. I just think you need to go find yourself a pop-tart."

"A pop-tart?"

"A Twinkie? Someone closer to your own age and interests."

"But I like you."

"You like having sex with me."

"Guilty. What's wrong with that?" he asked.

"I want more. After sex like that and eight months of dating, 'I like you' are not really the words that I'd expect to be exchanged."

"It's not like you've said you love me either."

"I know."

"I get it. You just use me for sex," he said, trying to pull off a pout.

"Maybe I did, but I need more. I'm not getting any younger. I need to settle down and start a family."

"You wanna live together?"

"No. I need more, Dusty. I almost wish I'd met you years ago. Maybe we'd have our act together. We're just too different. I think we need to stop seeing each other."

"I don't want to, Katie," he said, pulling her close and giving her nose a gentle kiss. "I don't know what you're talking about. You were meant to be mine from the start and you know it. I don't know how we didn't meet sooner with our colleges being so close, but it doesn't matter. You're mine now and you're not going anywhere."

"I need to think about having kids before I won't have the energy for it."

"I want kids someday, too."

"You are still a kid. You're not ready for diapers and midnight feedings."

"You're just crabby. I have to admit, even for you, you've had mighty rare form today. Let's sleep, all right? We'll talk in the morning."

"You're not going to change my mind with morning sex."

"Maybe not. But I'll have fun trying."

She turned back over, he fell asleep almost instantly with his arms tight around her. It took her much longer. She lay awake for an hour thinking about what to do with her life.
Chapter Two

Kaitlyn slowly woke up the next morning before her alarm went off. She stretched wide and reached behind her, feeling for Dusty. He didn't sleep over often but when he did, they usually slept in the same position until they woke up. She'd never admit it to him, but she did sleep better when he was there.

As her hand found him, he let out a sleepy moan. She scooted backward to be closer to him. He repositioned his arms around her and gave her a squeeze. Dammit. She did love waking up in the mornings with him. Laying there content, with a smile and her eyes still closed, she heard a sound that took a few moments to register. A baby crying? She sat up to figure out where it was coming from. Dusty's hand grasped her arm.

"I got her, pumpkin. You stay in bed." He gave her a kiss on the forehead and sleepily walked out the door, leaving a confused Kaitlyn sitting in bed.

I'll get her? Get who? As she glanced around her room, her eyes widened. It was her room, but it wasn't the same as it had been for the past few years. The walls were painted a simple off-white with a log cabin border, not the light pink with the rose border that was there only yesterday. Her white-painted furniture was replaced with the same set, only it was now in oak and there was an additional tall six-drawer dresser next to her long eight-drawer one. She had to still be asleep. What was going on?

Dustin entered the room with a baby in his arms. He was beaming as any proud father would. Dustin? A father? Who's the baby? Where's her mother?

He smiled at Kaitlyn as he sat down on the bed next to her. "I love watching you nurse her." He reached for some pillows and placed them behind her.

"Nurse her?"

"I got a dry diaper on her. Might as well let her fill it up," he said, laughing as he handed her the baby.

As she took the baby in her arms and pulled her close, the baby's head turned automatically toward her breast. It was then that Kaitlyn felt a pressure building up in her breasts. I'm lactating? Since when? She just stared at the baby in disbelief. The child began to fuss in Kaitlyn's arms.

"What are you waiting for, sweetheart? Ali is starving." Dustin reached down and unbuttoned her silk pajama top. The baby quickly latched on and began to greedily eat. Kaitlyn let out a gasp as the baby started to suckle.

"What's the matter? She chomp down again?" Dustin asked with a gentle kiss to her cheek.

Kaitlyn couldn't say a word; she could only watch the baby eating. She gave a slight nod to Dustin who seemed to be waiting for an answer. He leaned down and kissed the baby's cheek as she ate.

"She's so beautiful. Just like her mama." He gently stroked the soft blonde hair on the baby's head. "It's hard to believe she's four months old already." He made a few kisses up Kaitlyn's neck and then drew back and gazed into her eyes. "I love you, baby."

Kaitlyn tilted her head in disbelief at what she was hearing.

"You still asleep or what?"

She couldn't reply, just returned her gaze to the baby. After a few moments, the baby began to fuss again while still attached to her breast.

"Don't you usually switch sides about now?" he asked.

"Hmmm. Oh, yeah," she said as she removed the baby from one side and placed her on the other. She couldn't explain in a million years how she felt as the baby began to nurse again. How was this possible? What was going on?

"I'm going to shower then head into the office early. Mrs. Wilkens is being a total bear about this divorce and won't cut poor Bert an inch of slack. We're counter offering again; I sure hope the old bitty bites this time. If this drags on for much longer, we'll pay for Ali's college from this fee alone." He laughed as he closed the bathroom door.

Dusty's a lawyer? This isn't a dream; it's a nightmare!

She rested her head back on the headboard and closed her eyes. She hoped when she opened them that the room would be back to normal and she'd know what was going on. But what about the baby? She quickly opened her eyes again and lowered her eyes to the bundle in her arms. The baby had stopped eating and was smiling up at her. She looked like Dusty, although she did have Kaitlyn's eye color. It was their baby all right. But how?

Instinct told her to burp the baby. After hearing the sound that escaped the little girl, there was no doubt in her mind that this was Dusty's child. She couldn't help but to laugh at the volume that came from such a small body. She sounded like Dusty after a few beers. Kaitlyn climbed out of bed and began to walk around the room, gently bouncing the baby as she paced, trying to make sense out of what was going on. Was this a dream? Was this her future?

Dusty came out of the shower and approached them. He rubbed the baby's cheek again and smiled. He sure was an attentive daddy. Maybe she had him pegged wrong.

"Um, Dusty?"

"What, sweetness?"

"Uh, about what we talked about last night..." She caught herself. She hadn't thought that the last night she remembered wasn't necessarily the last night she was living now, or dreaming as the case may be.

"Honestly, pumpkin, it's up to you. You know we don't need you to rush back to work. Of course I'd rather you stay home with Ali, but I know you miss your practice. I'm sorry if I sounded upset. It's your call. We can start interviewing nannies if you really want to go back to work. Okay?" He leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss at first then stayed, wanting more. He kept his lips planted on hers until she finally gave up her tongue to him. Katie was lost in the sensuousness of the kiss, never remembering him being such a passionate kisser before. She held the baby with one arm and reached up behind his neck with her other one. He seemed surprised by her response and let out a small groan.

Their kiss stopped and they gazed in each other's eyes, each with their own questions in them. "Do we, um...you... have time this morning?" Kaitlyn asked.

"Really?"

She shyly nodded, guessing they didn't do mornings too often in this time...or dream... She wanted him, whatever the case may be.

"I'll put the baby in the play pen. She'll be content for a bit," he said as he took her from Kaitlyn's arms.

"Are you sure?" she hollered after him, missing the baby already. He just chuckled and kept walking. He was back after just a moment and held her by the waist.

"Where were we?" he whispered into her ear before gently nibbling on her earlobe. She didn't even realize before that it made her go insane. "The baby was asleep before I even reached the nursery. I put her in the crib. You really topped her off good this morning." He continued to kiss down her neck and walked her backward toward the bed.

They made love for almost an hour. It was slower and more passionate then she remembered ever being with him. They were usually animals when it came to sex. They were both surprised at her orgasm that occurred almost instantly but neither wanted it to be over. After a brief moment to recompose herself and both of them to stop giggling, they continued with a little more aggression.

Afterward, they lay in each other's arms, breathing hard and slightly sweaty from the workout. "Twice, my love?" He smiled as he kissed her gently. "Where did that come from?"

"I don't know," she said as she blushed. "When did you become such a good kisser?"

"I've always been a great kisser. What are you talkin' about?" He playfully slapped her rear end as he turned to the clock. "Crap. I gotta get going," he said with another kiss as he climbed out of bed. "Call me if you need anything. No point in you going out today. We're supposed to get a good storm. I'd feel better if you stayed in. You know how the drivers are with the first snow."

She sat up and grabbed his arm, reluctant to let him leave. "Should you be going then?"

He smiled at her. "I'll be careful." He held her face in his hands and gave her another strong kiss. "If this is how we make up, can we have a fight again tonight?"

She picked up a pillow and playfully smacked him with it. "I love you." Wait. What? Where did that come from?

"I love you more, cupcake," he said as he walked into the closet to get dressed. He turned around and smiled at her. "Oh, and happy birthday, my puddin' pop. Twenty-nine and still as gorgeous as the day I married you."

She tilted her head again in surprise. "I'm not thirty?"

"All right, you caught me. It's the first anniversary of your twenty-ninth birthday, but who's counting?" He winked. He came out of the closet in a suit and tie after a few minutes then returned to give her a final kiss goodbye. "I have reservations at Chez Pauls for seven. Don't forget to get a sitter."

She could only nod as he walked out of the bedroom.

What the hell was going on?

Kaitlyn heard the baby crying and headed toward the sound. What used to be the guest room was now done up as the nursery. The baby stopped crying and began to smile and kick when she saw her mother. Kaitlyn reached in and picked her up, then immediately began to rock back and forth with her. She noticed by the name on the wall that they had spelled her name "Alyson" with a "Y" instead of an "I". They must have been matching her own spelling. She shrugged, never pegging herself as being cutesy that way. Maybe Dusty insisted on it. She did like the pinks and oranges that the room was done in, though.

A foul odor filled the air. Katie brought the baby's rear end to her nose and gave it a sniff. "Good Lord! What the heck is in that milk of mine?" Milk of mine. That sounded odd even as the words escaped her lips.

After a rigorous diaper change, Kaitlyn decided to explore the house. She wanted to see what other changes there were, still very much in a daze and extremely confused. If this was a dream, it was the most detailed one she'd ever had in her life. If this was reality, where the hell were her memories of it all? She continued to wander the house hoping to spark some memories. Any memories.

The room next to the nursery was still the office, but it was equally divided in half. She and Dusty both had desks with computers on them, although they shared a single scanner, fax, and printer combination between them. They had two filing cabinets each. She'd have to dig through that later to learn which one of them took care of the household bills. Sitting at Dusty's desk, she opened the bottom drawer. She didn't know what compelled her to open that one in particular but after flipping through a few manila folders, she found a manuscript for a book. Dusty wrote a book? He'd never mentioned it before. She put it on her desk to read when she put the baby down for a nap. Having a lot of experience babysitting for her brother as a teenager, she was certain Ali would let her know when she was ready.

After making her way downstairs, she found things pretty much the same, except for a new furniture set and a recliner. Must be Dusty's chair. It seemed to be extra wide; maybe they sat in it together? Their DVD collection was quite extensive. She guessed they didn't visit Chez Pauls very much anymore.

After a couple hours of snooping around and playing with the baby, Kaitlyn sat down to nurse again. Ali fell asleep after only a moment of suckling at her breast.

"I see. I'm also the human pacifier." She took a moment, smiling at the baby and gently stroking her hair before she carried her upstairs to the crib. After she laid her down, she picked up the manuscript from her office, removed a throw blanket from the wooden chest in her bedroom, and went downstairs to curl up on the big recliner and read Dusty's book.

Kaitlyn was fifteen chapters in before the baby woke up. She had gotten so absorbed in it, she didn't even realize how much time had passed. Sci-fi wasn't usually her "thing", but she was surprised by how much Dusty's story pulled her in. Kaitlyn had always enjoyed his articles but didn't know he could write to this extent. As she went up to get Ali, she realized she was beginning to get hungry. After changing and feeding the baby, Kaitlyn made her way back downstairs with Ali to make herself some lunch. As mundane as the routine was already starting to feel, she didn't miss the hectic pace of her veterinary practice. She suddenly grew very curious about that. Dusty mentioned her going back. Did she have a fill in vet? Was her clinic closed? Were patients referred to the other veterinarian in town?

"How would you like to go for a ride, Alyson?" she asked the baby who was sitting in a bouncy chair on the kitchen table while Kaitlyn ate. She smiled and kicked her feet, which Kaitlyn took as a yes. After bundling them both up, they headed for the clinic. She was glad to discover her Mini Cooper in the garage. She really liked that car.

The roads weren't too bad, but she still took it slow getting there. Driving herself was one thing. Being responsible for another life was another altogether. She found herself thinking about getting an SUV. Something with a little more "meat" on it. Something that put her at a better advantage with oncoming vehicles. Something with side air bags. "You're a mom for a day and a wreck already," she chuckled to herself. If she was here tomorrow, she decided she'd stay home. She'd have Dusty take her truck shopping on Saturday.

As she pulled into the parking lot, she recognized her same employees' cars there. She was thrilled she didn't have to close her practice to take maternity leave. Karla squealed the second Katie stepped through the door.

"Doc B! It's about time you brought that baby in here!" Karla ran around the desk and gave her boss a tight hug then unfastened the car seat to take Ali out. "Come to your Auntie Karla, sweet cheeks," she said as she picked her up and began rocking with her.

Paula, obviously having heard the commotion, came rushing into the waiting room as well. "Hey, stranger!" she said, getting her hugs, too.

The three friends sat around and were able to catch up for a few minutes since there were no patients in the waiting room. When Kaitlyn ran her practice, she didn't take patients from noon to two. Her girls rotated watching the counter and answering the phone while the other one took their lunch break. More often than not, they all just stayed there and ate in the break room in the back. Kaitlyn usually stayed there as well, taking the free time to check on the day's surgery patients. She was glad to see the new vet had kept her girls to their routine.

Her employees fought over holding the baby and Katie laughed. The door to the exam room opened. A familiar face smiled at her.

"Matt Hickey?" Kaitlyn said, when she saw her former colleague walk through the door.

"You were expecting someone else?"

She quickly tried to recover. "No. I...uh...just wasn't sure I'd catch you." She shot to her feet and gave him a hug. Matt had just a few inches on her, wore his blond hair a little longer then she preferred on men, and still sported a little bit of a beer belly that he'd acquired in college. She always thought he was handsome, in a California surfer dude kind of way. They'd always been great friends, but never dated. If there was anyone running her practice, she was glad it was him. "I'm sorry. I'm just out of sorts today. How are you?"

"Going good actually. I'm glad you stopped in. Can I see you in my, I mean, your office for a minute?"

"Sure." Turning to the girls, she asked, "You okay with her?"

"Of course," Karla assured her.

Taking a seat across from her desk felt odd. "What's up?" she asked once Matt was settled.

"How are you doing, Katie?"

"Never been better, actually."

"I thought you just said you were out of sorts."

"My mind has been playing tricks on me today, but otherwise I'm fine." She did a horrible job of trying to shrug it off. She hadn't intended on telling anyone anything, and hoped he didn't notice her hesitation. He didn't let it drop.

"How so?" he asked.

"It's nothing. Really. I've just had a few strange dreams is all."

"Do you talk to Dustin about them?"

"I do," she lied. "We laugh about it and move on. I said it's nothing and I mean it. Really, I'm fine. What did you want to talk to me about?" she asked, wanting to change the subject.

"I was just wondering if you had any more thoughts about when you were coming back."

"I don't. I'm sorry. Dustin and I talked about this last night but didn't resolve anything." She knew this was true by what transpired this morning. "Are you on a time crunch? Do you need to know right away? Am I keeping you from another job?"

"Not at all. Do you remember Nick Majors?"

"Of course I do."

"He and I have been talking. He wants in on your little shop here."

"How's that?"

"He's tired of the mobile thing. He wants a real building. We have been tossing around ideas about a way of sharing the space. I'd keep your clients happy and he'll bring in his own."

It did sound like a great step business-wise. "Really?" was the only response she could come up with in her present state of mind.

"He'll pay you for the use of the building, of course. He'd prefer a commission, but that's your call. We can try to find a way to make a flat monthly fee if you'd rather."

"That wouldn't be fair to him. I'd be glad to do some kind of fee basis. Honestly, I miss everyone, but I can't think about much else other than Ali right now. I can't bear to think of leaving her with someone else."

"I'll talk to him some more and give you a shout out when we have an idea of figures."

"I'm sure you'll be more than fair. Did you talk to the girls about it?"

"They love him. Sorry to put the cart before the horse, but I did have him come in, look around, and meet the staff. I wouldn't have even brought it up if anyone was going to clash skulls."

"Who could clash with Nick? He used to make me laugh worse than Dusty does."

"Great," he said, standing up. "I'll get back to you in a few days. And you come see me if you have problems with those dreams. I'm worried about you, kiddo."

"Don't waste your time on that. I'm fine," she said, forcing a smile.

"Come here." He outstretched his arms to her, giving her a big bear hug. "Damn that man of yours for snatching you up before I got a chance with you."

"Oh stop it. You loved me too much to date me."

"This is true." He gave her a kiss on the cheek and left her out of the office. "Don't come out on a day like this. It's going to get nasty. I was going to re-schedule the last few appointments and send the girls home. Get your pretty little fanny straight home."

"Aye-aye, captain," she said with a salute.

Kaitlyn talked to Dusty about Matt's proposal for the business over dinner that night. He seemed pleased.

"You know I'll stand behind you either way, babe, but I'm glad you want to stay home with Ali. Sounds like you'll still pull in decent income anyway."

"I guess so. I don't want to make it rich off someone else's labor, but if I can keep the doors open and my clients happy, I'll be happy."

"I love you," he said with a proud smile.
Chapter Three

Kaitlyn woke up the next morning, once again missing Dustin's arm around her. She reached back but, instead of finding him next to her, her hand hit a wall.

"Shit!" She shot up in bed, clutching her hand.

"Quiet, Katie. I don't have class until nine today."

Quickly shooting her eyes to her right, Katie found a twin bed across the room. In it sat her college roommate, Courtney. Kaitlyn took a quick look around the room and had to put her hand over her mouth to keep from screaming. I'm in my college dorm room?

She got up and went over to her laptop, hitting the space bar to get it out of sleep mode. Before it even booted up, her roommate hollered, "Oh yeah. Happy birthday, Princess. Now turn the heat up, I'm freezing." Courtney rolled over and pulled the covers up over her head.

Kaitlyn maneuvered the mouse over the clock in the bottom right corner and stayed there until the date popped up. It was her birthday all right, but it was her twenty-sixth birthday, if she was getting her math correct this time. She glanced all around the room. Part of her was trying to sink it all in. Once again she was at a loss about how she could possibly be where she seemed to be. At least last time she was in the same year, and things were just different. Now she was in the past? But why? How?

The more she looked around, the sadder she became. She realized she wasn't just getting familiar with her old dorm, she was desperately searching for the dear baby. Where was she now? Who was taking care of her? Was this just still a dream?

Kaitlyn used to jog when she was in college. If she was truly when she thought she was, maybe she could pull off that activity again, without hurting herself. She put on her jogging outfit and quietly headed out the door. A good run to clear her mind was just what the doctor ordered right now. Remembering to stretch well first, she took the stairs instead of the elevator to warm up her muscles. The sunny day was deceiving; it was colder out than she'd expected. As she rubbed her arms, she was grateful that she'd brought the extra jacket with her. She had forgotten how much she loved running and was enjoying herself instantly. Loving her younger body, she decided she was going to enjoy this, whatever it was, for as long as it lasted.

After jogging around the campus and lake, she decided to head into town, slowing her pace to cool down the last few blocks. She decided a cup of coffee sounded good and wished she had brought money along with her. She came to a stop and bent over, taking a few deep breaths, and suddenly remembered something. Opening up her jacket and unzipping the inside pocket, she smiled when she pulled out the twenty dollar bill.

"Mad money rocks!"

Arriving at the coffee shop, she smiled wide again. It was all so familiar. At least this time she'd know what to expect. She noticed her shoe had become untied so she bent down to tie it. When she stood up, she peered into a familiar face, only it was a few years younger as well.

"Fancy meeting you here," the man said, obviously happy to see her.

Kaitlyn fainted.

She woke up on the couch of the coffee shop with Dustin at her side and a washcloth on her forehead. She tried to sit up, but he gently pushed her back down.

"Just lay back there, cupcake. Take a few minutes to gather yourself." He turned to the manager, who was also standing there, as if he worried that there would be a lawsuit coming. "You can go. She's fine."

Kaitlyn stared at Dustin's profile as he talked. He was just as gorgeous four years younger. He looked closer to eighteen than he did twenty-one. His beautiful brown eyes glistened with the same gold flecks. He still had a muscular build, just slightly smaller and a little skinnier. His brown hair was a little longer, too. She did always say she preferred short hair on men, but she wanted to run her fingers through it just the same. Her eyes followed his Adam's apple as he talked; longing to give it a kiss. Never mind, she thought. If this is a dream, let me sleep.

"Was it the shop's fault?" the manager asked, his voice shaking.

"She just fainted. I'm a witness. You're in the clear there, Art. Now scram."

"You law boys have me scared to death," Art said as he shook his head and walked away.

Dustin turned his attention back to Kaitlyn. "You overdo your run or what, cupcake?"

"Cupcake?"

"You wouldn't give me your name last night. I had to call you something."

"Last night?" Lord this was confusing.

"Were you that drunk, or do you have a twin? You gave me quite the brush off at Tricky Dick's."

"I did? Sorry. Maybe I did have one too many."

"Maybe you should have stayed in bed, too. Maybe not. It's really too bad you came to. I was about to give you mouth to mouth." He grinned and gently brushed his thumb at the corner of her mouth.

"Look, Dusty..." she said as she tried to sit up.

"Wait a second. How do you know my name?"

Her eyes widened. Crap. This was really happening. They didn't know each other. What is going on? "I don't know how I remember. You must have told me last night."

"Hmmm," he said as he pushed her back down. "I don't remember that. I'm pretty sure I would have said Dustin. I haven't been called Dusty since middle school. Coming from you, though, I kinda like it. What's your poison this morning? I'm buying."

She tried to sit up again. "That's not necessary."

Once again, he gently pushed her back down. "Double caramel latte with whip it is then."

Him knowing what she drank caught her off guard. "Now how do you know that?"

He grinned. "No shit? Carmel is my weakness. You too?"

"I don't know about weakness. I just prefer it to any of the other flavors."

"I'll be right back," he said as he gently slapped her leg and stood up. "You stay put till I get back. You hear?"

Giving in, she shyly nodded. She hadn't met Dusty on her birthday four years ago. She couldn't recall exactly what she did on her birthday four years ago, but she did remember that much. He came back with the large mugs and set them on the coffee table. Reaching toward her, he offered his hand to help her sit up.

"Just go slowly. If you feel a head rush, lay back down."

Taking it slow, she paused once she was completely up. "I'm fine now. Thanks."

He handed her the large yellow mug with "Sun Riders" written on it and she thanked him again.

"You go to school around here?" he asked.

She nodded as she blew on her coffee to cool it off. Taking a sip she asked, "You?"

He smiled and put his hand on her cheek, then leaned in as if he was going to kiss her. Her heart began to beat faster as her gaze went from his lips to his eyes. His thumb brushed against her lips. "Whipped cream," he said as he leaned back then licked it off his thumb. "Two more years of law school."

"Law school? You don't look the lawyer type."

"There's a type?"

"I don't know. I guess so. You just don't seem like a lawyer. You're too nice."

He laughed hard. "What do I seem like?"

She figured if she was stuck in this "twilight zone", she might as well use information to her advantage. "A writer maybe?"

He spit his coffee across the table, then reached for some napkins. Katie had to fight hard to hide her smirk. "I'm sorry. Did I strike a nerve?"

"No." He coughed as she patted his back. "Well, maybe. Law school wasn't my idea."

"Parents?"

"My dad."

"You look awfully young to almost be done with law school."

"I started school at four and took post-secondary classes, starting my junior year. I had two years of college before I graduated."

"Looks and brains? Bizarre."

"You hittin' on me?" he asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"Just making an observation. Please continue." She motioned her hands as if to say "Carry on."

"I work a few nights and weekends at a newspaper. I started at the bottom, but I'm slowly working my way up. My heart isn't in this law bullshit."

"You want to be a reporter then?"

"No. I actually do a small humor column now, truth be told. I write ad blurbs, too, but my heart is kinda wrapped up in a sci-fi story I'm writing."

She never knew that he wrote until she found that manuscript in the drawer, but now he was willingly talking about it. There were new depths to her young lover that suddenly intrigued her. "I'd love to read it someday."

He shrugged. "Maybe when it's done. I've never let anyone read my stuff before."

"What if I put out?"

Again he sent coffee flying out of his mouth. "Could you give me a warning before you say something like that?"

"I'll think about it," she said with a grin.

"You're not going to give me grief about wasting my brains on writing?"

"I imagine writing takes a lot of brains and imagination. Why would I give you grief about something you enjoy doing?"

"A lot of people tell me to grow up, quit dreaming, and stick to my studies. I'm surprised I even told you about it. I never mention my book anymore." He scooted closer to her and asked, "What are you doing tonight?"

"Studying. That's about as exciting as it gets being me."

"You looked like you were having fun last night."

Taking a long sip of coffee, wracking her brain, Kaitlyn finally put two and two together about the night before her twenty-sixth birthday. She vaguely remembered talking to a young man outside of a bar they nicknamed "Dicky's". Was that Dusty? Placing her coffee on the table she said, "My roommate made me do a pre-birthday crawl with her because she couldn't go out tonight."

"It's your birthday?"

Conceding that somehow it was, she just nodded.

"What are you? Twenty-one? You do the power-hour last night?" Power-hour. Drink as much as you can from midnight when you turn twenty-one until the bars closed at one a.m. Not being much of a drinker, Katie hasn't actually done that. Wait. What? Twenty-one?

Crossing her arms angrily she said, "I'm twenty-six. I don't know if I should be flattered or pissed."

"Twenty-six?" Dusty raised an eyebrow.

"Too old for you, huh?"

"No," he said sharply. "You just look younger. And trust me, be flattered. How old do you think I am?"

"You look eighteen, but I'd have to guess at least twenty-one if you were in Dicky's last night. That or you have a fake ID."

Straightening up he said, "What are you? Some kind of psychic?"

She scoffed. "Hardly." She was having a great time with this younger Dusty, but her thoughts went back to her last night with him in her memory of what was her reality. He's too young, Katie. Don't start something you intend on ending anyway. She stood, leaving half her coffee on the table, unfinished. "I've had a great time but I really should get going."

He shot to his feet. "What just happened? You went from 'putting out' to turning down dinner to study just because you have a few years on me? No way!"

"Dusty—"

He stopped her protest with a kiss. She didn't want to like it, but she did. It didn't have the slow passion of her last kiss with him while she was holding the baby, but he sure knew how to use his tongue. How could she not have appreciated that he was such a great kisser? He held her face with both hands and her arms dropped to her sides in defeat. She turned to putty. Our "first" kiss and you're letting him use his tongue? What the hell is wrong with you! She reprimanded herself.

He stopped the kiss and stared into her eyes. "I'll pick you up at seven. We'll go to Chez Pauls."

How did she not see that coming? "You don't know where I live."

"I'll find out when I drop you off." He extended his arm out to her, she reluctantly accepted.

Kaitlyn didn't want him to see the condition of their dorm room when he picked her up for their date, so she was ready early and went down to the lobby to wait for him. She saw his car pull up a few minutes early and walked outside to meet him. He'd just closed his door when he saw her walking toward him.

"You look ravishing," he said with a kiss to her cheek.

"I'm wearing a winter coat."

"I know. But I have a great imagination and I know for a fact that under all those clothes, you're completely naked."

"You should write for Hallmark."

"There's a thought. You ready?" he asked as he opened the passenger door for her.

"I guess so. You sure you want to go to Chez Pauls?" she asked as she turned to face him. "I heard it's awfully expensive there, Dusty. It's hardly an affordable place for students."

"It pains me to pull the 'daddy's money' card for you, my sweet, but it's well worth it." He smirked as he held her hand and helped her into the car. It was obvious that, for some reason, he loved to hear her call him Dusty.

"Daddy's money, huh?" she said when he joined her in the car. He'd never talked much about his father before. "Is he loaded?"

"Loaded enough. I've been a good boy all semester. I think I'm due for a treat."

"If he's so loaded, why do you work weekends at a newspaper?"

"It's not about the money. It's about the experience. Writer thing-a-ma-job, remember?"

"Sorry, I do. I get it."

"Enough about me. We haven't even talked about you. What are you going to school for, anyway?"

"Veterinary medicine."

He whipped his head to face her. "Animals? No shit?"

"You like that phrase, don't you?"

"Sorry. Do I have a potty mouth?"

She laughed. "Potty mouth? You twenty-one or six?"

The look he gave her told her not to do any more age jokes. "All right, sorry. Don't worry about me. I can hold my own in the swearing department. And no shit, animals."

"Did you always want to be a vet?"

Nodding her head she said, "For as long as I can remember. I was always bringing strays home and trying to nurse baby birds back to health. I'd cry whenever I saw something dead on the side of the road. My dad was mad at my brother for telling me they weren't just sleeping."

That made him burst out laughing. "I did the same thing to my sister, Dana. She was older and beat the hell out of me enough. I had to get my jabs in where I could. What about you? You have more siblings?"

"I was the baby. I have two older brothers, actually. You'd never think we were related if you met them. I'm only five feet and five inches, they're both over six feet."

"I bet it was murder getting you out on a date in high school."

"Why?"

"I think I'd be wise to be afraid of the brothers of someone as gorgeous as you."

She blushed. "Hardly."

"I shit you not. Looks and brains. Bizarre," he said, repeating what she'd said to him earlier.

His company and their conversation had made it easy to forget that she was in another time. There was so much more charm to Dustin than she'd realized. She reprimanded herself for not seeing it before and taking him for granted.

He pulled the car over to the side of the road and put it in park.

"Why are we stopped? What's happening?" she asked him.

"This," he said as he held her face again and began kissing her. She didn't fight him; she wanted to kiss him again, too. The seatbelt was getting uncomfortable so she unbuckled it and slid over on the seat and closer to him. He finally broke off the kiss and plopped his head back against the car's headrest. "We have to stop or I won't be able to."

"I don't know what's wrong with me," she said as she scooted back to her side of the car. "I've never—"

Again, he cut her off with a kiss. "I like it." Finally turning away, he started up the car and put it in gear.

They walked into the restaurant and were greeted by a doorman in a tuxedo. Their coats were checked before they were escorted to their table. A waiter brought over waters and the wine list. "I'll be back in a moment to take your drink order."

Dusty leaned across the table. "Hey, are you a vegetarian?"

She thought that was an odd question. "No. What makes you ask that?"

"The whole animal thing I guess."

Picking up her napkin she said, "Honestly?"

"Of course, honestly."

"If you even think about ordering lamb or veal, I'll walk out right now. I'm not sure it has anything to do with my career choice, but I have to admit I'm not a big steak eater. Hamburgers are definitely on my favorite food list, though."

He reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Gal after my own heart. No veal or lamb for me." Picking up her hand, he gave it a gentle kiss. "To think I'm trying to impress you with fancy French food and I could have gotten away with a fifties burger joint."

"It's not too late to skip out."

"No. This'll be fun. It's not often you have waiters that have their head so far up your ass, they'll break a vertebrae if you turn too quickly."

She laughed out loud then covered her mouth. He smiled at her. "What do you say we try to class ourselves up a bit and order a bottle of wine?"

"I'm game," she replied with a shrug.

"No," he said with a snap of his fingers. "I know. Champagne."

"Really?"

"Sure. It's a celebration right?"

"I hardly celebrate my birthday anymore. After twenty-one, things tend to go downhill."

"I wouldn't say that at all. I'm twenty-one and things are just starting to look up." He kissed her hand again and covered it with his free one.

The waiter approached the table; Dustin let go of her hands and pointed to a picture of a bottle of champagne. "This one here, with the painted flowers on it."

"Perrier Jouet. Excellent choice, sir."

When the waiter left, Kaitlyn leaned closer to Dusty. "That's a hundred bucks a bottle!"

He just shrugged. "When in France." He continued to study the rest of the menu, displaying no reactions to the prices. "You are so advised to make your selections by the left side of the menu, not the right."

She opened up her menu, giving it a quick once-over. "There are no prices on my menu."

"Most excellent," he said, not even looking up.

Kaitlyn quickly decided on a pasta dish. She'd been to the restaurant as a treat before, but wasn't quite up for caviar or escargot, even though they were "in France". She felt Dustin was enjoying playing big, but knew he really didn't have money. Making him complete the game with a three hundred dollar dinner wasn't something she wanted him to do. He scoffed at her selection, but ordered it for her when the waiter came back with the champagne, asking if they were ready.

"We'll have some caviar and escargot for appetizers and," he turned to Kaitlyn, "soup or salad, sugar?"

She sighed. So much for that plan. "Salad. Roquefort dressing please," she said, addressing the waiter.

"You big fibber," Dustin said as he took her hand again.

"What?"

"You've been here before."

"I never said I hadn't, I just said it was too expensive. How did you know anyway?"

"Only hoity-toity's say Roquefort and not blue cheese."

"I'm hardly a 'hoity-toity', Dusty."

"You're more refined then you pretend to be."

"I could say the same about you. Honestly, I don't even like caviar. I don't care if it's what classy people are supposed to eat."

"You just haven't had anyone prepare it properly for you before."

"And I suppose you're my guy?"

"Now you're catching on."

They finished their meal, which Kaitlyn had to admit was excellent from start to finish. It did take longer than she cared for. All she could think about was having Dusty for a second dessert as soon as they were done with their flaming Bailey's cheesecake. She was grateful when he'd reached for her hand as they walked out to the car. She was so giddy and happy, she was afraid she'd float away.

As the valet pulled his car up, Dusty took her by the shoulders. "Can I interest you in an after dinner coffee?"

Reluctant to let the night end as well, she replied, "Sure."
Chapter Four

Dustin drove into a very nice neighborhood and pulled into the driveway of a larger home. "Mansion" would have been a better word for it.

"I thought we were going for coffee?"

"I have great coffee at home," he said with a grin.

"You live here?" she asked in astonishment.

"Close." He continued down the driveway, going past the house. There was a small cottage at the end of it. "The rent isn't as bad as you'd think, and I like the privacy here. There's no peace to dorm life."

"You can say that again," she agreed.

"Do you mind? I'm not going to pull anything. I promise."

I'll make no such promise, she thought to herself. "It's fine. I'd love for the chance to kick these shoes off, actually."

When they reached the door, he opened it and directed her in with a sweep of his arm. He quickly closed the door behind them and helped her get her coat off. "Is it warm enough for you?" he asked as he hung it up. "Want me to turn the heat up?"

"No, I'm fine. Thanks for—" He cut her off with a kiss as she turned and faced him. "You lied," she said when their lips parted.

"That I did," he admitted with a grin. "I'll go make the coffee."

Within a few moments they were sitting at the kitchen counter with two steamy mugs of what Dustin called his favorite blend. "I signed up for some samples. You know, you get the coffee maker free then regular shipments. Anyway, the stuff isn't half bad. I never did cancel it. It just shows up every month." He took a sip. "Jamaican me crazy."

"Am I?"

He laughed. "No. That's the name of the coffee. Of course I added some special powder stuff they sent once, too." He took a sip then motioned to her untouched cup. "Aren't you brave enough to try it? I swear the powder is the only thing I doctored it with." He added a wink.

She ginned. "Of course. You can't go wrong with me and coffee. I was just letting it cool a little." She blew at it for a second, then took a sip. Crinkling her nose, she held the cup up and took a good sniff of it.

"Not good?" he asked.

"Exactly what is in that special powder?" she asked, putting the cup down.

"I really don't know," he said as he leaned for the shaker. He read the ingredients out loud. "White chocolate, dark chocolate, cinnamon—"

"Cinnamon?" she shrieked.

"What's wrong with cinnamon?" he asked, looking up at her. "Katie? You're as white as a sheet. What's wrong?"

She could feel her face slowly begin to break out in small beads of sweat. Clutching her stomach, she let out a groan. "Oh my God. Where's your bathroom?"

He quickly hopped off his barstool, helping her down, and rushed her to the bathroom just around the corner. "Don't tell me you're allergic to cinnamon?"

"Deathly," she said as she ran the last few steps and slammed the door closed in a hurry. There was no graceful way to throw up; she couldn't even pretend to try. She felt a little guilty as her stomach so freely emptied what was one of the finer meals she'd ever had. After about fifteen minutes, she was pretty sure there was nothing left in her stomach.

There was a gentle rapping on the door. "Are you okay in there? Dammit, Katie. I feel like hell."

"You should be me right now." Pulling herself up she asked, "Mind if I use your toothbrush? Dinner wasn't as good the second time around."

"There's a new one in the bottom right side drawer. Ignore the year supply of condoms."

Opening up the drawer, she spotted the box. "It's a twelve pack."

"I don't get around much." She laughed quietly, certain he was full of shit and just trying to lighten things up. She held onto the counter as she brushed her teeth. After adding a second time and some mouthwash that she'd found in the medicine cabinet, she finally felt ready to join Dusty again.

He was quick to take her by the shoulders the second she opened the door and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Baby, I'm so sorry."

She leaned into him; he wrapped his arms around her. Her legs were wobbly and he must have felt it. Bending down, he put an arm under her legs and picked her up. He made his way over to his queen-sized bed, and carefully laid her down. "You want help out of that dress?"

She nodded. Sex was unfortunately out of the question now, but he'd see her naked eventually, or had technically seen her naked already, so what was the harm? He sat her up, unzipped her dress, and carefully helped her out of it. He handed her an AC/DC T-shirt to put on. After she flopped back onto the pillow, he covered her up with the sheet and comforter.

"I know I can't do anything, but do you mind if I join you?" he asked.

"I'd actually like that," she answered, forcing a tired smile.

"I'm not getting fresh, I just don't care for underwear," he said as he unbuttoned his pants.

"I know," she said, then quickly corrected herself. "I mean, I noticed."

"You did?" He grinned as he climbed into bed with her. "I'm so sorry," he said again.

"I'm sorry I wasted such a good meal."

"I don't give a rip about that. Are you feeling okay? Do you need some kind of shot or something?"

"Not unless I start to swell up."

He bolted upright. "Are you shittin' me?"

"Nope. I think it got me sick so fast that it shouldn't happen this time."

"Now I'm going to lay awake worrying about it."

"Don't. It would have happened by now."

"Have I said I'm really, really sorry?"

"Yes. Now hold me." He snuggled up to her back and wrapped his arms around her. "I like the way we fit," he said with a kiss to the back of her head.

"Mmmmm," is all she said before she fell asleep.
Chapter Five

Kaitlyn woke up with a smile when she felt Dustin's arm around her. Scooting backward into him, she tried to wake him up. She felt fine now and was wondering if she'd get some morning action without appearing too "easy". He began to stir then squeezed her tight. She felt something else begin to stir and giggled softly.

"How are you feeling this morning?" he asked with a kiss to the back of her head.

"Much better," she said as she turned around to cuddle facing him.

"Good. You still gonna try to dump me?"

She shot straight up in bed and frantically looked around. Her room was back to normal. No extra dresser for Dusty, no log cabin border. She was back? Briefly studying Dusty, she noticed he was twenty-five again. It was the morning after her thirtieth birthday.

"What's wrong?" he asked as he quickly sat up.

"Dump you?" She was confused as hell, not being able to wake up and process this fast enough.

"Good," he said as he leaned over and gave her a kiss. "I knew you were just crabby yesterday."

She tilted her head. "Crabby?" Her conversation with him was coming back to her.

"I don't care what you say," he said as he stroked her cheek. "I'm not too young for you, my sweet. Hey? Where did you find this?" He he tugged at her shirt. "I didn't even see you put it on last night."

Glancing down, she found herself wearing his old, black, worn AC/DC shirt. "I don't remember..." Her sentence trailed off. Now she was really confused but she had to ask. "Where's the baby?"

"Huh? What baby? Are you feeling all right, sweetness? You even awake?"

"Kiss me, Dusty."

"What?"

"You heard me. Kiss me."

He planted a quick kiss on her lips, then leaned back and gazed into her eyes.

"No," she said. "Kiss me."

He held her face with both hands and gave her another gentle peck. Tilting her head slightly, he began to kiss with a little more pressure. He parted her lips with his tongue and gave her what she'd asked for. She began to slowly fall backward onto the bed, he followed her. He was a great kisser in her current memory of him. How on earth did she miss that? Things were back where they were supposed to be. It had all been just a dream. She didn't linger on the thoughts for too long, however. His hands went from her face to the bottom of her shirt. Their kiss parted only long enough for him to remove it. They made love, but again, not like Kaitlyn remembered. It was slow and gentle, unlike anything she recalled with him before. She liked it a lot. Liked it just as much the second time. Going to work was not at the top of her list right now. They remained cuddling for as long as she could drag it out, then she forced herself out of bed and to the bathroom.

As she walked toward the shower, Dustin called after her. "You want company?"

"Sure," she said, turning around with a smile. As she got the shower started, the phone rang.

"I'll get it," he hollered to her. "You hop in. I'll be right there."

After only a minute, he joined her. She was facing the water. He moved her hair aside and kissed her neck. "Who was on the phone?"

"Karla. Your only surgery this morning cancelled. Something about dumb ass old man Henson fed the dog again this morning, so they had to re-schedule for tomorrow."

She lowered her head to her chest. "I'm sorry. Did you need to take that call?" he asked.

"No. That's wonderful. I could really use some extra time this morning to just relax."

"I can help you with that." He gently spun her around and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. "Why did you ask me to kiss you?"

"I had a strange dream. I just really needed a kiss." Not being able to face him, she lowered her gaze.

Taking her chin in his hand, he stared into her eyes. "There was a baby in this dream?" She dropped her head again, but he picked it back up. "Our baby?"

She nodded and a tear began to roll down her cheek. "Aw, honey," he said as he pulled her close and began to rock with her. "You never said anything about kids before last night. I didn't know you even wanted them."

"Of course I want kids, Dusty. Someday. I didn't talk about it with you because..."

"Because you think I'm too young to want a family." He put his arms down, appearing wounded by her words. "Katie, I don't think this can be put on me. You're a vet who doesn't even own a dog."

"I don't have time for a dog."

"And you'll have time for a kid? Come on. Where is this coming from all of a sudden?"

"It was just a dream!" she said louder than she intended. Stepping out of the shower, she harshly whipped a towel off the rod. "You were in it, so it must have been a nightmare!" Suddenly she was very upset. She ran into her walk-in closet, slammed the door shut, and locked it. She always wondered why the sliding bolt lock was there on a closet. But with the size of it, it was easily a study or another bedroom years ago. At this moment, she was grateful she had never taken it out.

Dustin banged on the door. "Katie! Open this door. Come on. Let's talk about this."

"I'm done talking!"

"For cryin' out loud, Katie! Open the goddamn door!"

"Get out of my house!" She slid down the wall and put her head in her lap and began to cry. After several minutes, she was finally all cried out. Hearing a car start outside, she tiptoed up to look out the small window and saw Dustin's car pulling away.

"Good riddance!" she shouted as she took her robe off its hook and put it on. She brushed out her hair then wrapped the towel around it in a twist on her head. She would just wear it in a ponytail today; she didn't feel like finishing the shower.

The smell of coffee greeted her as she walked downstairs. She didn't remember setting the timer on the coffee pot last night but everything was so scrambled in her brain, she wasn't surprised she didn't remember a small detail that was usually done automatically. Still melancholy about her fight with Dusty and somewhat dragging her feet, she went to the far corner of the kitchen and removed a mug from the cupboard. After pouring herself a cup, she blew into it as she turned around. The sight on the counter almost made her drop it.

"I always did love to watch you do that," Dustin said from atop the marble countertop.

Her heart fluttered. Hating that he always had that reaction on her, she decided she couldn't show him that. She went with anger. "I thought you left."

"I parked around back. We're not done talking," he said as he hopped down.

"Yes, Dustin. I'm afraid we are."

"Dustin? This is serious." He took the cup from her hands and put it on the counter. He reached down, grasped her by the waist, and plopped her up on the island.

"Let me down. Please," she begged. Her tone was mostly that of defeat.

"Your call. You sit here and talk to me or I add some cinnamon to your coffee and we have a civil conversation while you barf."

"How did you..." She was confused now more than ever. That hadn't happened in this "time" with him.

"Our first date, Katie. That was certainly one for the books. You are off today. Something is really wrong. You feeling okay?" He placed his hand on her forehead. "You want me to take you to a doctor?"

Brushing his hand away she said, "No. I'm fine."

"All right, but we're talking. Look, dammit. Heaven help me here," he said as he let out a heavy sigh. "But I'm in love with you."

She stared at him with wide eyes. "What?"

"I'm in love with you, Katie. Although for the life of me, I can't figure it out myself." She continued to stare blankly at him. "You've been pushing me away since our first date. I must be one heck of a glutton for punishment."

"I put out," she said for lack of anything else coming to her mind.

"It's not about the sex." Scooting himself between her legs, he held her by the waist. "Although it is outstanding." He rested his forehead to hers. "I love you, Katie. Game over. I'm not playing the young bachelor boy-toy any more. I want you. Stop trying to throw me away."

Throwing her arms around his neck, she began to cry again.

"You at least like me a little bit?" he asked her as he stroked her back. She nodded. "Maybe love me a little?" He waited for a few long moments before she finally nodded again. "Wanna have make up sex and seal the deal?" She nodded again.

"It was so weird, Paula. It's hard to explain. It didn't seem like a dream at all."

Katie and Dustin had said their reluctant goodbyes after their make-up sex, then she'd dragged herself to work. She couldn't wait to get home to him again. These were going to be the longest hours she'd ever spent at the clinic. She was grateful for an easy day of puppy shots and annual exams.

"But everywhere you went, there was Dustin."

"Right. I was in my past, which he wasn't a part of, but there he was."

"But he was in your future, too."

"But it wasn't my future, it was now, only different."

"Well, I'm no dream reader, but it does seem to me that you like him more than you let on."

"Well of course I like him; I just didn't really see a future with him."

Paula crossed her arms. "Then what were you doing with him?"

Katie shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Just having fun I guess. Until turning thirty hit me in the face, I wasn't thinking about how my life was going nowhere. He was just, you know, fun to be around."

"And good in bed."

"Paula!" Kaitlyn said as she blushed. "Yes, I'll give you that."

"So, Doc B. You really think you're ready for kids?"

"I don't think with the way my life is that I'm ready right now, but the dream did make me realize how much I do want them."

"Maybe you should start with a puppy."

"Dusty said almost the same thing."

Karla interrupted them. "Your appointment is here, Doc B."

"Thanks, Karla. Send them in."

They had just finished making love, Dustin still lying on top of her, when he whispered into her ear. "Tell me, baby."

"Tell you what?"

"You know what."

"I don't," she insisted.

"Yes, you do." He took her arms and held them playfully above her head. "Tell me now."

"Oh." She giggled as she leaned up and gave him a quick kiss on his lips.

"I love to see you laugh," he said.

"And I love...you, Dusty."

A big smile spread over his face. "Not as hard as you think, is it?"

"Finally knowing it and admitting it is one thing. Being able to do something about it is another."

"What's there to do? I love you, you love me."

"I still think I'm too old for you."

His hands ran down her sides. "You're all the pop-tart I'll ever want. I swear it."

She held his face, giving him a lingering kiss. "So what now?"

He climbed out of bed, went over to his jacket, and pulled a box out of his pocket. Returning to the bed, he sat in front of Katie and pulled her upright.

Katie stared at it curiously. The box was too big to hold a ring. He wouldn't dream of proposing already. Would he? "What's this?" she asked.

"Open it," he said, handing it to her.

After removing the lid, she was unsure what to think of his gift. "A gold key chain?"

"Look good."

She scrunched her nose. "Those are my house keys."

"And the inscription..."

"Dusty loves Katie?" She dropped the box in her lap. "So you're finally proclaiming your love to me to the world via a key chain?" She frowned.

He reached below the square of cotton in the box and pulled out another key chain. He held it up; she saw that it matched hers but it said, "Katie loves Dusty".

"You would have wasted the $12.95 if I decided not to say it to you," she said, crossing her arms. He held his smile and lifted the key chain so she could now see the keys on his ring as well. "Those are my house keys, too."

"Exactly."

"You've always had a key, Dusty."

"Not all of them," he said as he jingled them in front of her.

"You copied all my keys? Why?"

"Because I didn't think you'd want to move into my small rented cottage when you own a big gorgeous house."

"What are you talking about?"

"Let's live together."

"Live together?"

"And get a puppy," he added.

"A puppy?"

"You just going to repeat everything I say?"

"This is an awfully big decision." She put the box on the nightstand.

He held her hands. "A kitten?"

"Dusty, be serious"

"I am being serious. I love waking up next to you, sweet cheeks. I want to do it every morning for the rest of my life."

She giggled.

"You think that's funny?"

"No," she said as she took him by the arm. "You and those damn nicknames. You never do pick one."

"I call you sugar tits behind your back."

After playfully smacking his arm, she leaned forward and kissed his chest. She ran her fingers where she just kissed and played with the small patch of hair. She did love waking up in his arms. "All right," she said when his eyes met hers.

"All right?"

"Move in."

"Move in?"

"Now you're doing it." She laughed at the fact that she had him stumped by her answer and rendered him almost speechless.

"Really?"

"Really. You're repeating me."

"No. I mean you really want me to move in with you?"

"You don't?" Now she was confused again.

"I do. I just didn't expect you to let me."

She'd finally admitted to herself that she loved him. There was no going back now. "I want you to. I really do. But let's just get one thing straight. You are not stripping my white furniture down to bare wood and I am not putting up a log cabin border."

"Log cabin border?"

"Never mind," she said as she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him down on top of her again.

"Round two already? Maybe this living together thing won't be such a good idea. You're going to hurt me. I've already lost count today."

"Too late. You've already given me a key chain. That's serious stuff. You have to move in now."

"When do you want me?"

"Right. Now," she said, pulling him closer to her with her hands tight on his rear end.

"I meant moving in."

"Right. Now," she said again, leaning up for a kiss.
Chapter Six

Kaitlyn woke up, felt Dusty's arm around her, and smiled wide. She was really warming up to the idea of having him there every morning. Someday they'd talk about kids again, but for now, this was a start.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

Her eyes shot open as she gasped. Bolting up, she discovered she was at Dusty's cottage.

"It's all right," Dustin said as he sat up quickly and took her by the shoulders. "You got sick last night and stayed over. Remember?"

Closing her eyes, she let out a heavy breath and lowered her head to her chest.

He picked up her chin. "You feeling okay? Can I get you something?"

She flopped back on the pillow. "Do you have any aspirin?"

"Sure, honey buns," he said as he got out of bed. He either forgot he was naked or didn't care. A few minutes later, he sat back down with a glass of water and a couple of aspirin for her. He'd taken the time to wrap a towel around himself while he was in the bathroom. Placing the items on the nightstand, he gently brushed the hair from her face. "I'm really sorry. I never tried to kill anyone on a first date before."

Her eyes opened slowly. It'd finally sank in with her that these weren't just dreams. She and Dusty hadn't met in the coffee shop, but that's what he now remembered as their first date. Somehow she was going back to her past for real and her life was re-writing itself. But how was it possible?

Dusty helped sit her up and handed her the pills and the water. As she reached for them, he pulled his hand back. "Are you allergic to aspirin?"

She smiled shyly and said, "No."

"Okay. I had to check." He dropped them in her hands. "Anything else I should know about?" She shook her head after she swallowed the pills. "I am getting another chance, aren't I?"

"Another chance?"

"At another date. You will let me try to make this right, won't you? Please don't kick me to the curb over this." He placed his hand on her cheek. "I really like you, Katie. I had a great night. Vomit fest and all."

She laughed. "Me, too."

"Can I redeem myself tonight?"

"No, you can't. Actually...I have a date." She thought it was funny that she remembered a date with Rex so many years ago. No, she wasn't surprised. It was her birthday date, even though it was the day after, and she had been looking forward to it all week long. Now she remembered how she was free for Dusty yesterday. She'd waited for Rex to be available. Rex knew she'd never allowed herself much of a social life, and had treated her to quite the night. For it just being just a burger joint date, he'd gone out of his way to treat her like a princess. I had been one hell of a memorable date.

"A date?" Dusty broke her out of her memories. "That's not fair."

"I'm sorry, but it was made last week. I can't just cancel last minute. That's rude."

"But we agreed not to see other people."

She laughed so hard, she snorted. "He's just a friend. At least that's what it is for me." She lied. "He wanted to take me out for my birthday, too, we just had to do it a day late." Her college schedule was hectic to say the least. She couldn't remember it to save her life, but she was sure she'd have some kind of morning class. Normally she did, she just didn't remember which day of the week she had lab and got to sleep in. Motioning to the clock, she said, "I really have to get going. I have an early class." After getting out of bed she tugged at the bottom of the T-shirt, wishing it was just a little longer.

He stood up with her and ran his hands up her thighs and stopped when they landed on her ass. "You sure you have to go?" he said giving her neck a kiss.

"Yes, I do. I'm sorry things were such a disaster. Can I borrow a pair of sweats? I really don't want to squeeze back into that dress."

"I have it bagged up to go to the dry cleaners anyway. You kinda missed last night."

"Gross. Sorry about that."

"Seeing as how it was my fault, don't sweat it. I'll drop it off, and pick it up and bring it to you Wednesday."

"What's Wednesday?"

"Our second date," he said as he walked over to the dresser and retrieved a pair of sweatpants for her. "I don't need these back. They shrunk. You can keep the shirt, too. It looks better on you than me," he said as he brushed her nipples with the back of his hand.

"You are a touchy-feely one, aren't you?"

"Um-hmm," he said as he planted his lips on hers and stayed there for a moment. "I'll get the car warming up and take you back."

When they reached the dorm a few minutes later, he leaned across the seat and asked, "So, where is Casanova taking you tonight? Bet he can't top my date."

"It's not a competition, Dusty. I told you he's just a friend."

"Is it top secret?"

"We're just going to Bottom's Up for a burger and a couple beers."

"Cheapskate."

"It's what I wanted to do." She took a pen out of her purse, grabbed his hand, then wrote her cell number on it. "Call me Wednesday," she said as she gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

Kaitlyn hadn't even made it up to her dorm room when she received a text message.

You have a great ass.

She giggled, but didn't send a reply. Unlocking the door and finding herself alone in the room, she dug through her desk drawer, hoping to find her class schedule. She found it after a few minutes of digging, and was relieved to see she didn't have lab until eleven. She had time to make it to the coffee shop for a bite. Her stomach had begun to growl, seeing how it was beyond empty. After a quick change of clothes, she went back downstairs.

Dustin was at the end of the walkway, leaning against his car with his arms crossed.

"You don't have class until eleven."

"How do you know that?"

"A big smile goes a long way with an elderly school secretary," he said as he opened his car door. "Breakfast?"

"Just the coffee shop," she said as she sat down. "And I'll order my own," she added.

"Fine by me. I'll even buy, even though you tried to lie to me about your schedule."

"I didn't lie, I just lost track of what day it was. Someone got me sick last night, if you recall."

"Ouch."

"Sorry. You're forgiven. And I promise I won't bring it up again," she added before he closed the door.

They were on their way when she decided to comment on his car. "Quite the chariot you have here."

"It'll be a classic in a couple years."

"Is that what they call them these days? Doesn't it ever warm up?"

"The heat comes and goes. I'm taking it in on Friday to get looked at." She spun her head at him. "What?" he asked.

"Um. Nothing." She wondered if he was always just making it up about taking his car in. "We'll have to push the date to Friday. It's supposed to really get cold."

"It's Minnesota. When isn't it cold?"

"You can pick me up when it's fixed, paper boy."

"Ohhh, slam. I'll make them squeeze it in today, princess."

"Are we having our first fight?" she said, crossing her arms.

"Not at all. You can't take any jabbing, can you?"

"I take jabbing just fine. I just hate being cold."

"I've got an idea how to warm you up," he said, stroking her leg.

"I bet, but tea and a bagel will have to do."

He returned his hands to the wheel. "Lost the taste for coffee, huh?"

"I'll get over it. Not getting sex last night should be penance enough."

"I was going to get sex last night? Dammit. Now I am really pissed."

She laughed again, realizing now what her attraction was to Dusty. He made her laugh. It beat the hell out of the stuffed shirts her age that tried to "woo" her with fancy conversation, office get-togethers, and operas.

"I don't know," she said with a shrug. "I'm kinda grateful you forced the brakes on. You probably wouldn't be here right now if you did."

"You got that right," he said with a grin.

"I did?"

"Yup. We'd still be in bed and I'd be getting second breakfast."

"You're a little full of yourself. Don'tcha think?"

He parked the car and stared at her for a moment before leaning in for a kiss. "And then there's always elevensies." He climbed out then ran around to her side to open the door for her.

They enjoyed their drinks and bagels over more laughs. The time went too quickly for Kaitlyn. She stalled as much as she dared. When he finally dropped her off in front of the building for her lab, there were just a few minutes to spare. Another quick kiss goodbye and she was on her way. Much to her surprise, she maneuvered around her old college like she was on automatic. As soon as she was settled, her phone went off again. Quickly switching it to vibrate, she read the text message.

I made death threats. Car is getting looked at now. We're on for Wed.

She spent most of the class time daydreaming. She'd gotten an "A" in it; the course was still fresh in her memory even five years later. Looking back, she was glad for the cinnamon incident last night. Despite what Dusty had said, he would probably look at her differently if she had given herself up so quickly.

Kaitlyn got through the rest of the day, sitting in her classes for lack of being able to think of something better to do. She got back to her dorm at four and got ready for her date. Friends had always called her a control freak, but she was glad she was meticulous about keeping things in order. Her day planner had five o'clock circled with "Rex" written in it and four stars behind his name. With a big red marker, she wrote "Dusty" across all of Wednesday and as a second thought, added five stars after his name.

Her phone went off with another text from Dusty.

Wanna hook up after you ditch your date, cupcake?

Even though she would now rather spend time with him, she didn't think it would be fair to Rex. He had treated her very nice on that date. She wasn't going to go through with having sex with him now, that was a pity, but she had made up her mind. She loved Dusty. She and Rex had only had a few dates before this one, and only lasted for a few months after it. It was a no-brainer. It was obvious that she was meant to be with Dusty, but she still couldn't bring herself to stand up Rex altogether.

No. I'll see you Wednesday. Was her response.

You're breaking my heart, came back instantly. He was fast at texting. She was having a hard time adjusting to the old school method of hitting certain keys three times to make some letters appear. Her full qwerty keypad of her Treo cell phone was dearly missed.

You'll live, she replied.

No, I won't.

She stopped answering him.

When a text came in at five, she thought it was him, but it was Rex.

I'm downstairs.

She hurried down to meet him. As Rex helped her into his car, her phone went off again. She was glad she left it on vibrate.

I'm better looking than that dork.

She ignored it.

"Who's that?" Rex asked.

"My roommate," she lied.

"You can write her back if you want. I'm not uptight about those things."

"It's not important. Thanks, though."

Bet I'm better in bed too, came next. She just grinned.

A few minutes later, they walked into the bar area of the restaurant and found a small table. After a quick glance at the bar, she found Dusty sitting there. He spun around on a barstool and held his beer up to her in a "cheers".

She fought a smile as she let Rex help her take her coat off. "Friend of yours?" he asked.

Damn. She didn't mean for him to notice. "Sorry. Yes, sort of."

"Sort of? Is the guy trouble? You want me to talk to him?"

"No!" she said, grabbing his arm. "He's harmless. Please, just ignore him."

"If you say so," he said, kissing her cheek and pulling out her chair.

If he touches you again, I'm gonna hurt him, was the next text to arrive. Kaitlyn sighed and put her phone in her purse.

"It's him texting you, isn't it?" Rex asked.

"I'm sorry. Yes."

"You want to go somewhere else?"

"No. He's not bullying us away. I want a burger. He'll get bored and quit." She heard her phone vibrate again, but she just ignored it.

Rex scooted his chair back. "I'm going to go talk to him."

She jumped to her feet. "No, please. Let me." Leaving Rex, she strode over to the bar. Dusty had spun his chair around and was facing the other direction, pretending not to notice her. She tapped his shoulder. "Dustin, please stop," she begged with a soft voice.

He spun around to face her, cradled her face in his hands, and planted a kiss on her lips. "No," he said flatly.

Rex shot to his feet and rushed over to the bar. "Look, you!" he shouted, shaking his finger at Dusty.

Dustin quickly spun Kaitlyn around, pulled her back to him, and wrapped his arms around her. "Protect me from your big bad boyfriend, Katie," he teased.

"Dustin, stop it," she said, not doing a very good job of fighting her laughter.

"What gives, Kaitlyn? You know this creep or what?"

"I do, Rex. I'm sorry. It's not funny, Dustin. I'm on a date. Please just let us eat." She'd turned around to plead with him and put force behind her words. She really didn't want to upset Rex any further. He didn't deserve this.

"I'm sorry. No can do, cupcake," Dusty said, kissing the back of her hand. He made eye contact with Rex. "Look, Rex is it? I'm really sorry, Pal, but you're messing with my destiny here."

"Your destiny?" Rex said, taking a step closer.

"Yup. Sorry. The lady is mine. You'll have to find another."

"Rex, Dustin and I have a date tomorrow. He's just being silly. Please don't be mad. You've been such a good friend; I didn't want to cancel with you tonight."

"Friend?"

Knowing by his tone that she'd hurt him, she wanted to make it up to him more than ever.

"I really want to have a nice night with you. Please don't get angry. He'll stop." She turned and addressed him. It wasn't a question. "Won't you, Dustin."

"You're right for not canceling, Kaitlyn, this is much better," Rex said sarcastically. He turned his anger to Dustin. "Real tough guy there using the lady for cover," Rex said as he took her by the arm. Dustin let go and stood up.

"Outside then?" Dustin said, leaning in to him.

"Stop it! Both of you!" Kaitlyn shouted. It was no longer funny. Fuming, she hurried away to get her coat and leave. Dustin went to go after her but Rex planted a solid punch to his chin, knocking him down flat.

"Dusty!" she shouted, then ran to him and dropped to her knees at his side. She gently tapped at his cheeks, but he was out cold. "What did you do that for?" she yelled at Rex.

"Are you serious? The guy's a jerk. Let's go."

"I'm not going anywhere with you." By now the manager had come rushing over and shoved his way through the crowd that was circling the commotion.

"You need help?" the manager asked.

"I don't know," she replied to him and began to gently shake Dusty again. "Dusty! Are you with me? Dusty!"

Rex was now a lovely shade of red with anger. "You leave with me now or you can just stay here with that lightweight, chicken shit."

"I'm staying, you brute!" she said through bared teeth.

"Have it your way," he said as he snatched his coat off the chair and stormed out of the restaurant.

"Dusty," she said, shaking him again. His body jerked awake, but he stopped flailing when he seemed to finally focus on Kaitlyn.

"Not well played, huh?" he said as he began to rub his chin.

She placed her hand on his chest. "Are you going to lay there all night or are you going to take me to bed?"

He smiled and put his hand out. She stood, accepting it, and helped him up. The bar cheered.

"Did he knock my brains loose or did I hear 'bed'?" he whispered as he fell into her for a hug.

"You owe me a burger first," she said. "And not here." They walked arm in arm out to his car. "Give me your keys. I'll drive," she said as she reached her hand out. He offered them to her without a fight. "You sure are something else," she said once they were on their way. "All that fuss for nothing. You could have waited one day, Dusty."

"No, I couldn't," he insisted.

"You shouldn't start a fight you can't finish."

"I got the girl, didn't I?"

"You almost didn't." She frowned, remembering that she was upset just a moment ago.

"Yeah, well almost only counts in horse shoes and hand grenades."

"Good lord. I haven't heard that since grade school."

"Glass chin and a witty little sucker. What more could you want in a guy?"

"Money for dinner," she said as she pulled into a Burger King and opened her hand, palm up. While they waited for their order, she turned to him. "I can't tell you how much I despise fighting."

"It's obviously not my sport of choice either," he said, rubbing his chin again.

She took the bags and drove toward his house. "Do you have beer at your place?" He nodded his head. "Good. You robbed me of that, too."

He unlocked the door to his cottage and put their drinks down on a small table by the front door. Kaitlyn plopped the bags of food next to them and began to take off her coat. She was barely unzipped when Dustin leaned her into the wall and began kissing her aggressively. She wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the kisses with equal force. He pulled her coat off while their lips stayed together. She flung it to the ground, then worked on his. Once his coat hit the floor, they both kicked off their shoes. Dustin picked her up and carried her to the bedroom. He lay her down and wasted no time in pulling her shirt off over her head. He removed his and joined her on the bed, smothering every inch of exposed skin with kisses. When he ran out of skin, he popped the front latch of her bra and worked on her breasts.

She reached for his zipper and helped him out of his jeans. He sat up and slowly removed hers, pausing only to admire her lacy thong just for a moment before removing that as well. He eyed her naked body once more, then wasted no time placing himself on top of her and greedily entered her in one swift motion. She responded with like movements to his. This was the animal sex Dusty, Kaitlyn didn't mind it right now one bit. In fact, she maneuvered herself to the top and took charge.

They were wrapped in each other's arms and breathing heavy when they finished several moments later. Sex with him was usually a good workout. He held her tighter and kissed her gently by her ear. "And you wanted me to wait a day," he whispered.

"Dusty?"

"Hmmm," he replied.

"I'm starving."

"I thought you were going to comment on me kinda forgetting something."

"A condom? That, too. You always use one, right?" she asked, already knowing that he did.

"Always, and I'm telling you, it ain't that often."

"I always do, too. And I will tell you, it's a guarantee it's less than you."

"You safe for your...uh...timing though, right?"

"Positive, or I would have stopped you. I'm on the pill. I didn't want any chances of pregnancy. Even with condoms, you hear horror stories. I want my degree without a kid in tow." She wasn't lying. She'd been on the pill since college. It probably was in her system, regardless of what all this hopping around was doing to her.

"You know, it's kinda nice not having to use one."

"Kinda reckless." She feigned a frown. Of course she'd rather not use condoms either, and technically already knew Dusty was safe, but she couldn't give in so easily and appear careless.

"Not if it's only us."

"Isn't it a little early for that?"

"I know what I want," he said, kissing her. "I don't want to be with anyone else. I'll go turn on the oven and re-heat things. You want a beer?"

"Please."

He got out of bed, again not being shy about being naked. He dug in his dresser for a long sleeve pajama top for her and pulled on the pants for himself, but remained shirtless. Yummy.

He tossed her the pajama top and left the bedroom. She got out of bed and got dressed. The shirt hung almost to her knees. This was much better than the short T-shirt. His place was warm enough that she didn't need the pants. As she joined him in the kitchen, his eyes lowered to her shirt, he smiled wide. "It looks good on you," he said with a kiss and handed her a beer. He spread the fries on a cookie sheet and put them in the oven. He got busy dissecting the burgers to put what he could in the oven as well.

"Don't bother," she said, stopping him. "I'll eat it cold." She sat on the counter as he carried her burger over. She took a very unladylike bite then turned it to him, offering him a bite; he accepted. He rested his arms on each side of her on the counter and gave her a kiss, even though both of their mouths were full. She giggled and had to put her hand over her mouth to keep food from flying out.

"I adore you," he said, nuzzling his face into her neck.

"Prove it," she said, taking another bite.

"How?"

"Don't ruin my fries."

Kaitlyn was almost afraid to open her eyes when she awoke the next morning. She'd scooted back enough to know she was in Dusty's arms and wearing his long sleeve pajama top. She sighed with relief; she was where she'd last fallen asleep.

Smiling with contentment, she turned around and snuggled into his chest. They'd had one heck of a session last night and slept hard from exhaustion. A baby's crying caused her to sit up, suddenly wide-awake. Quickly tossing the covers aside, she ran to the nursery. "Ali!" She squealed with glee and removed the baby from the crib. "You miss your mama, little girl?"

With all her tight hugs and repeated kissing of her head, Ali began to fuss. Upon a brief inspection of her diaper, Kaitlyn realized she was soaked and changed her. After another long hug and several minutes of taking in the wonderful baby smell, she sat in the rocking chair in the corner and began to nurse her.

After a few moments, Dustin appeared in the doorway. "I've never seen you move so fast, baby," he said with a big yawn.

"There's my big strong hunk," she said, smiling wide. "Sorry, I woke you."

"I'm sorry you didn't wake me earlier so we would've had time to...you know," he teased as he raised his eyebrows up and down.

"I'll take care of you tonight, Daddy." She was so giddy to be with the baby again, she could explode now and do it with a smile on her face. "Kiss me," she said. He was all too happy to fill her request. "Do you remember our first time?" she asked when their lips parted.

"How could I forget? You were an animal," he said with a laugh.

"Me? I remember it a little differently."

"Nuh-uh." He grinned, getting to his knees to be eye level with her. She switched the baby to the other breast as he did that. She was getting the hang of this whole nursing thing. "I took one for the team," he said, rubbing his chin. "And you went crazy."

"I had help," she blushed.

He growled and leaned in for another kiss, then gently kissed the baby's cheek before he got up. "I really have to go in early today," he said, leaving the nursery to get dressed.

Kaitlyn stared out the window at the gentle snowfall, thinking about what Dustin had said. His memory was now of last night, the one they'd just had. Again, that was not a proper recollection of the first time they had really slept together. This was definitely getting too confusing. If she wasn't so happy to be here with the baby, she'd be bordering on a breakdown. Her mind strained as she tried to think of someone she could talk to about it, but it sounded silly to even her, and she was the one living it. There had been no clues of why this was happening. Nothing about it made sense. Dusty was the one constant in all the time hopping, or whatever it was that she did each time she fell asleep. But she couldn't even go to him about it. Not yet, anyway. Not until she could piece something together. She hoped it would finally be over and she could stay here with him and the baby.

A few hours later when the baby went down for her nap, Kaitlyn read Dusty's book again. She'd finished it with just a few moments to spare before Ali woke up. Again she couldn't believe how good his writing was. The book drew her in unlike anything else she'd ever read. He had to finish the novel and do something with it. It was too good to sit in a drawer.

Over dinner that night, she decided to bring it up. "Are you happy being a lawyer, Dusty?"

"What's to be happy about? Half of the best jokes put down lawyers, and I have to laugh at them. Did I tell you the one about the lion licking the other lion's ass?"

"No." She sighed. This wasn't where she'd wanted to go, but she was going to let him finish his joke.

"So, the one lion kept licking the other lion's ass and he kept telling him to knock it off. The one lion says, 'Sorry, dude. I just ate a lawyer and I'm trying to get the taste out of my mouth.'"

Katie couldn't help but laugh. It wasn't that funny of a joke but as funny as Dusty was, he could never deliver a joke well. "So answer my question."

"It's a living, Katie. Dad's happy and we keep a roof over our heads."

She walked over to him and sat on his lap. "I don't care if your dad is happy, Dusty. Are you happy?"

"You make me happy, doll."

"A couple hours at night and in bed. What about the rest of your day?"

"What are you saying?"

"I'm asking you if you're happy. When we met, you wanted to write. When's the last time you added to that sci-fi story?"

"Holy shit, Katie. That was a hundred years ago. I haven't picked that thing up in ages. It's crap anyway."

"No, it isn't crap. I think you need to finish it."

"You read it?"

"I came across it yesterday; I finished this afternoon. I put out, I'm entitled."

He chuckled. "I do remember that deal. I can't just walk out on my job and write a book."

"So don't leave your job, but at least make it so you have time for what you want."

"All I've ever wanted was you, and you made me work for that."

"You liked to write. You wanted to go from the small columns in the paper to bigger articles."

"I told you about that?"

"Over dinner that night. Remember?" she asked with a kiss. Somewhere along the line, Dusty quit the paper, finished school and didn't pursue his passion. Was it her fault? "Think about it, okay?" she begged with another kiss to his cheek. "Dinner is getting cold. I'm sorry," she said, standing up.

He wrapped his arms around her waist. "You can sit on my lap and talk about the first thing that pops up anytime."

"That never gets old for you, does it?"

"Nope," he said with a grin. She sat back down in her chair and he said, "Did you really like it or are you just saying that?"

"Dusty, I loved it. It's not a normal genre for me, but you had me on the edge of my seat the whole time."

"I wouldn't go that far."

"I would. As a matter of fact, I think I'm not putting out until you let me know how Captain Skinnard and the crew gets through the nebula thingie without everyone getting killed."

He laughed. "You would not cut me off. You'd go insane." He put his fork down. "Is that where I left it?"

"I would, and yes, you did."

"Maybe I didn't know where I was going either."

"Well, I suggest you figure it out."

"Bully."

"Chicken shit."

"Oh...you so did not just call me that," he said, making his way over to her chair. He gripped it by the top and gently pushed it flat to the ground. She screamed as he did that, throwing her arms around his neck. "I'm not very hungry yet," he said, staring into her eyes. "For dinner anyway."

"I put out, you write a chapter tonight. Deal?"

"I'll do my best."

"Sex or writing?" she asked.

"Both. How long till Ali gets up?"

She grasped his arm and looked at his watch. "About thirty minutes," she guessed by judging from Ali's other naps that day.

"I don't need a minute over twenty-seven."

She laughed uncontrollably. In his memory of their time together, he hadn't said that before.

Kaitlyn fought sleep that night. She didn't understand what was happening to her. It wasn't as if she was making life altering decisions or having to right any wrong. She was always in Dusty's company and things were wonderful. Her favorite though, was where she was right now. She loved him in every time she was in, but she had reasons for wanting to be where she was now: staying with the baby. Her baby.

Dustin fell asleep, so she carefully snuck out of bed. She went to the nursery and watched Ali as she slept. She sat in the rocking chair, looking around her baby's precious room.

"I want to stay here," she said out loud. "Please. Whoever you are, whatever this is, please just let me stay here." She pulled her legs up to her chest and rested her chin on her knees. Her fight with not sleeping didn't last much longer. She drifted away.
Chapter Seven

Kaitlyn woke up with a kink in her neck. She was sitting in a chair all right but when she opened her eyes, she wasn't in Ali's nursery. A hospital? She finally woke up enough to recognize it was the emergency room of their hospital.

She shot to her feet and frantically scanned the walls for a calendar or something that would tell her _when_ she was. There was no nurse when she reached the nurse's station, looking for answers. She wasn't sure how she'd even begin to ask what was going on, not sure who she was here for.

A nurse came through a set of swinging doors and approached her. "Sorry, we're a little busy with all the accidents this morning," the nurse apologized. "I was just going to wake you, Doctor Andrews. Your husband is doing fine. You can see him now."

"How is he?" Kaitlyn asked as the nurse led her down a corridor. She had no idea what happened, but she figured she was supposed to know the answer to that and had to fight the urge to shriek when she found out it was Dusty who was hurt.

"He's going to be fine. His leg just has a hairline fracture and they've found no internal bleeding. The rest is just minor cuts and scrapes from the broken glass. These crazy drivers that don't pay attention to the road conditions sure keep us busy on the first good snow every year. From the sound of things, your husband did his best getting out of the way of the other car. It could have been a lot worse."

They reached his room and Katie ran to his side. "Oh, Dusty." She began to cry.

"Hey, none of that," he said groggily. "I'm fine, little mama." Little mama. She wondered who was home watching Ali. They were married and they had the baby. She wasn't far from where she had just come from.

"Are you in a lot of pain?" she asked.

"Not a lot. I guess you get your wish."

"What's that?"

"Now I have no choice but to sit and write that damn book."

She laughed and gently dropped her head into his chest.

"Is the car totaled?" he asked.

"I don't know," she said. "And I don't care. We're both getting big 4-wheel drive SUV's. Gas prices be damned."

"Whatever makes you happy, my sweet," he said, stroking her back.

"You make me happy, Dusty." She buried her face in his chest. "I couldn't bear it if anything happened to you."

"Good thing the steering wheel didn't get me in the chin."

Again she laughed until she snorted.

They were able to leave after a few hours, which brought them to almost two o' clock that afternoon. By reading the time on the chart and listening to Dusty's recollection of the accident, she'd learned it happened on his way to work, just a day later from where she was last. They'd done all the tests they were going to do and he passed with flying colors. Getting him into her small car wasn't an easy task, which made him very agreeable to the idea of SUVs.

Karla greeted them at the door to their home with Ali in her arms. "How's our favorite celebrity of the hour?" she asked, holding open the door as he came into the house with the aid of crutches.

"Celebrity?" he asked. He was obviously as confused as Kaitlyn at her employee's comments.

"Yeah right, Mr. Andrews, or should I say Rhodes?" She giggled as she handed the baby to Kaitlyn. "I'd better get to work. You know how Paula hates having to man the phones. Call me if you need me to drop anything off after work." She ran out the door with her coat in her hand.

"I'm a celebrity for being the first smash of the year? What's that all about?" Dusty asked. "Rhodes? Is she dipping into the drug cabinet at work?"

"I have no idea," Kaitlyn replied. After helping him get settled into his chair, she handed him the TV remote. "You need anything?"

"Maybe the newspaper instead of the TV for now."

Picking it off the table by the front door, she handed it to him. "I'm going to put Ali down for her nap. I'll be right back."

She leaned the baby into Dustin, who gave her a long kiss on the cheek. "Sleep well, little pumpkin."

Kaitlyn swiped the stack of mail on her way up, too. After putting Ali down for her nap, she went to her desk. She sorted through the mail and opened a letter from the newspaper.

Mr. Rhodes. Thank you for your story submission. This is just the kind of thing we have been looking for to fill a weekly column. Please submit your writing by Wednesday before five o'clock so we have time to set it for Friday's paper. Enclosed is payment. We look forward to hearing from you next week.

What was this about? All of a sudden she heard a shout from downstairs.

"Katie!"

She went flying down the stairs, thinking something was wrong. "What's the matter?" she said as she ran over to Dustin. He was no longer sitting in the chair. He was halfway to the stairs with his arm extended, holding out the newspaper.

"What the hell is this?" he shouted.

"What?" she asked, taking it from him.

"Right there." He pointed to an article with more force than necessary. She almost dropped the paper.

It was titled "So I Passed the Bar", and it was written by "Dusty Rhodes". Kaitlyn's hand went to her mouth with a gasp.

"That's my story. Did you do that?" She could only stare blankly at him. "Did you?" he repeated.

"I don't know," she finally said.

"You don't know?" he said with force behind his words.

"I mean, I don't remember. Maybe I did it a while ago and forgot."

"How could you forget this? That's my story, Katie. You had no right sending that in without asking me. Dusty Rhodes? A little cliché, don'tcha think?"

"I like it," she said, crossing her arms. "And they liked your story. No, they loved your story. Wait here." She ran up the stairs to get the letter from her desk. When she came back down, she thrust it into his face. "Here. See for yourself." She was now upset. "They even paid you for it."

He read it in disbelief. "Weekly?"

"Yes, weekly, you jackass. They like your stuff. You're a big dumb jerk to keep it all to yourself. You're a selfish pig. You can do this. You're damn good at it. You should do something you like for a change," she said as she spun around in a huff. She turned back around before running upstairs. "And finish my goddamn book!"

She fought tears as she ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time. He hollered after her, but she just ignored him. Of course she had no memory of submitting the story, but she had to have done it. She did remember reading them when they dated and she always thought about doing it. Once they were married, she must have gotten brave enough. Unfortunately, he was upset about it, not happy. Now upstairs, she could no longer fight the tears. She flopped down on the bed and cried into his pillow. She'd dropped onto his side of the bed, not hers. She loved the smell his body wash and aftershave left on his pillow. Even angry, she needed to drown in his scent.

The clinking of his crutches gave his presence away, but she only sank her head further into the pillow. The bed dipped slightly as he sat down and placed his hand on her shoulder. "You know what a bitch it was climbing the stairs with these things?"

"Take your hand off me," she said into the pillow.

"No," he said as he began to stroke her back. "I'm sorry I got upset that you sent it in."

"Well good, because I'm not sorry that I sent it in," she said, rolling over. "It's good stuff and they want more, Dusty."

"You're not going to let up on this, are you?"

"No."

"Dusty Rhodes, baby?"

"I like it. At least that way, no one knows it's you if you don't want them to. It can be your pen name."

"Karla knew it was me."

"I must have told her. I'm proud of you, my love," she said, sitting up and wrapping her arms around his neck. "Do it for me?"

"I guess seeing as how I probably need your help taking a bath for the next few weeks, I'll have to do what you say."

"You have dozens of good stories ready to go. You wouldn't have to do much of anything for a while if you don't want to."

"Except finish your goddamn book," he said softly with a smile as he brushed her cheek with the back of his hand.

"Please?" she begged.

"All right."

"Mmm." Kaitlyn was awakened by Dusty's gentle kisses.

"You still taste like French fries," he said. She just sighed and wrapped her arms around him. Beginning to get the hang of this, she knew "when" she was almost right away.

"You owe me a book," she said, sleepily.

"A book?"

"You said I could read your book if I put out."

"No. You said, 'what if I put out'. I never agreed to it."

"That's not fair." She propped herself up on her elbow.

"It needs a lot of editing. We'll talk in a while about it."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"What are we doing today?" she asked.

"I have to get to class. Don't you?"

She reached her hands around, softly cupping his behind. "I was thinking a day in bed would be nice."

He growled and pulled her close. "It would, but I can't afford to skip today. You shouldn't either, missy."

She flopped backward. "Dammit."

"Bum," he said giving her a gentle smack on the thigh. "I'm going to take a quick shower, and then I have to drop you off. Don't even think about joining me. You'll make me late."

"I don't hear that often. You know you want to," she teased.

"Sorry, buttercup. No can do. I'll give you the ride of your life tonight if you behave yourself this morning, though."

"What if I'm busy tonight?" she asked, pouting.

"Then you'll un-busy yourself," he said sternly as he walked into the bathroom and turned on the water in the shower.

"You sure are a bully so soon in the relationship," she hollered after him.

"If my bully tactics don't work, I'll just tie you up in the basement," he said, climbing into the shower and shutting the curtain.

"You don't have a basement," she shouted to be heard over the running water.

"I'll dig one," he shouted back.

She got out of bed and was going to make coffee, but changed her mind. She'd ask him to take her to the coffee shop again. By the time she got dressed, he was out of the shower, anyway.

"I didn't expect you to listen to me," he said, standing there naked and drying his hair with the towel.

"You sounded serious."

"I can do fast shower sex." Glancing at the clock he said, too late now, though." He made his way over to the dresser and pulled on a pair of jeans.

"You're not a shy one, are you?"

"I think if I was, last night would have gotten me over that fast enough."

"I don't know if I'd just strut around naked after a night of sex."

"The only place we didn't have sex last night is the top of the refrigerator, Katie." Laughing, he closed the gap between them, held her by the waist, then caught himself mid-kiss and glanced sideways over at the clock again. "Dammit. We'll have to get that one tonight. We gotta run."

"Can you drop me at the coffee shop? I can walk from there."

"I have time to wait while you get it. I could use one, too. It's only twenty degrees out. I don't want you to have to walk in this."

She ran in for two caramel lattes while he waited in the car. A few minutes later he was dropping her at her dorm, then he sped away for his class.

Kaitlyn was glad to see Courtney in the dorm room. She really loved her roommate. Courtney was in people medicine and Kaitlyn was into animal medicine, so they did share a lot of the same types of studies. They'd discovered animal medicine was very close to people medicine. Kaitlyn had a plaque on her side of their dorm room wall: Veterinarians are better than MDs. A MD can ask their patient where it hurts. Courtney's side of the room read: MDs do it with patients. She had corrected the spelling of patience with a wide black sharpie.

"Hey," she said, giving Courtney a hug. "I feel like I haven't seen you in forever."

"You haven't. Things going that great with Rex?"

"Not exactly."

"What's 'not exactly' mean?"

"Do you remember me giving some guy the brush off the night before my birthday?"

"That hottie with the wavy brown hair? Yeah. I wondered what was wrong with you, but then I figured you were just more into Rex than you were letting me know."

"Well, he and Rex got into a fight."

"No shit? Tell me you're dating hottie now."

"I'm dating hottie now."

"No shit?"

Kaitlyn laughed. "I know, I'm really not sure how it happened."

"So what's he do?"

"He's in law school."

"Hmmm... maybe he'll come to his senses and leave it."

"I'm actually thinking he might." Katie dropped onto her bed.

"He looked a little young."

"Yeah, he is."

"How young, Katie?"

"Twenty-one."

"You cradle robber, you!" Courtney laughed. "You can't be serious."

"I can't believe I am either."

"Well, hell. Does he have a friend?" Courtney crossed her arms.

"I'll find out for you," she said with a smile.

Grabbing her jacket, Courtney said, "I gotta split. Shouldn't you be getting to class too?"

"Don't beat me, but I think I'm playing hooky today."

"You?" Courtney said in dismay. "You've never cut class. You all right?"

"I just need a 'me' day."

"Whatever you need, princess." She took hold of the doorknob, then let it go. "Hey, can I borrow that crazy cow scarf of yours?"

"The one covered in cows?"

"No, the one that has utters for fringe."

"What do you want that awful one for?" Katie laughed as she dug in her closet looking for it.

"The vegans are picketing the cafeteria. They want 'equality' and more selections. I wanna piss them off."

"Have I told you lately how much I love you?" Kaitlyn laughed.

"Back at you, hon," Courtney said as she accepted the scarf. "When I see you next, I want details."

"You can have the condensed version now. Sex. Sex. Sex."

"You floozy!" She giggled. "I gotta run." Courtney opened the door, then turned and blew Kaitlyn a kiss.

Kaitlyn packed up her laptop and headed to the library, wanting to get online and also dig through some books. She had a hard time accepting the fact that she was doing some kind of time traveling, but the whisker burns on her breasts from Dustin's twenty-one year old face stubble was one telltale sign that she wasn't dreaming. He very rarely skipped shaving, even on weekends, since she'd known him.

She could have gotten online at the dorm but she wanted to be around people. Secretly she hoped for an old man in wire rim glasses and a gray cardigan to pull her into a back room of the library and reveal to her the secrets of why these things were happening to her.

After walking in the library and settling on a couch with her laptop, she typed in "time travel". Her first hits were the usual dictionary sites: Webster, Merriam-Webster, Wikipedia. She found only popular movie links and basic descriptions, nothing helpful at all. She read a few more sites of theories and probabilities. She read up on paradoxes and quantum effects, none of which seemed to be of much help. It was all viewed as possibilities, varied opinions, and poppycock. She might as well have been searching for proof on God creating the universe vs. the Big Bang theory.

One site suggested time travel wasn't possible due to the lack of "tourists" from the future here with us. Kaitlyn desperately scanned the library in hopes of finding someone wearing a futuristic aloha shirt with a 100-gig ultra mini-camera around his or her neck. After shaking away the silly notion, she returned to her reading. Her mind began to ache as she read about the speed of light and special relativity. She well understood science and math, having always been a straight A student. Not many things dumfounded her, but each link only made her more confused. Nothing addressed issues like those she was living, not that she'd ready expected it to.

Other than wanting to stay with the baby, she really didn't have many complaints about her time traveling. It was like she was taking a mini-vacation in her own life. She didn't seem to be sent to prevent a disaster; everything was fine with every trip. Dusty had barely broken a leg, not died. There was nothing she would be able to warn him about and change if she went back a day ahead and tried to warn him of the accident. There had to be a reason she was doing this, but she couldn't see what it was.

When she'd finally had enough, she shut her laptop down and rested her head on it for a moment. The sex is outstanding, Katie. What exactly do you want to fix? She giggled to herself as her cheek got warm from the laptop's heat.

Defeated by the internet, she stood and wandered over to the sci-fi section of the library, hoping a title would jump out at her. Maybe through someone's clever imagination, she could find a way to make heads or tails out of it. Maybe she'd find her situation in a fiction book or a similar tale. Maybe she'd find an author who only pretended to be writing fiction and had actually gone through this. Maybe...knock it off Katie. You're probably just off your nut.

As Kaitlyn stood in the fiction section scanning through titles, an elderly man walked by her then bent down to pick up a discarded piece of paper from the floor. She smiled a friendly hello. He was dressed in olive green from head to toe, wore a tool belt, and had a large ring of keys on him. She assumed he was the custodian.

"Finding everything all right there, missy?" he asked.

"As good as I'm going to, I suppose."

"What are you looking for?"

"Just browsing through time travel stories."

"Is that so? I'm quite fond of sci-fi myself. You another nut?"

"Not really. It's just piqued my interests lately." She was being polite and engaging in conversation, but her eyes still scanned book titles.

"I've time traveled," he said to her.

"What?" She whipped her head around in shock, and returned her attention to him.

"Yup. I went to bed one night..." He paused and stared into her eyes, which had gotten wide. "...and I woke up an old man."

Letting out a heavy breath, her shoulders dropped. She suddenly felt foolish for expecting him to have some answers. It was obvious he saw her disappointment.

"I'm sorry to have you going there. You looked like you could use a laugh. You really are into this stuff, ain't ya?"

"Like I said, it's just gotten my curiosity up lately. I have a lot of questions and I'm not finding any answers. It's very frustrating if you want to know the truth."

"Care to go for a cup of coffee around the corner to the campus coffee shop and talk about it? My treat. My eye sight is shot to shit but my hearing is still great."

Not having anyone else she could turn to, she thought that the wisdom of an old man sounded perfect. She smiled. "I'd like that."

He extended his hand to her. "I'm sorry. Where are my manners? My name is Frank. Frank Collins."

"Very nice to make your acquaintance. I'm Kaitlyn Barrow."

Kaitlyn gave the custodian the story from start to finish as they sat in the coffee shop booth. He remained quiet, listening carefully, until she completed her tale. She wasn't sure why she opened up so freely to him. Maybe it was just her desperation, or maybe it was his kind eyes. She couldn't explain why she poured her heart out to a total stranger, but she needed to trust someone, and didn't have anything to lose. Her life was in an unexplainable loop. If he called the men in white coats and they locked her up, her chances were good that she wouldn't be there when she woke up the next morning, anyway. This man wasn't in her present and she wouldn't be affected by his absence if he ran in fear of the crazy lady. If she told Courtney now, it could have affected their future relationship. She wasn't going to let that happen. She needed to talk to someone, though, and this kindly "old coot" and the horrible coffee was just what the doctor ordered.

"So. What you're saying is, you go to sleep each night, but then you wake up somewhere else and in another time?"

"Exactly," she replied to his re-cap of her tale.

"You, but younger, and still for the most part, your life is as you remember it?"

"Other than the baby, not much changes."

"Ever try stayin' awake?" he asked.

"Yup."

"Where's that get you?"

"A stiff neck."

He let out a gentle laugh. "Let me ask you something."

"Fire away."

"Are you happy with your life?"

She stared blankly at him for a moment. "I think so."

"You think so?"

"I'm happy. I have a great life. A great practice, great staff..."

"Got a man?"

"Yes." She smiled, thinking about Dusty. For some reason, she hadn't gone in too much detail in telling Frank about that aspect of her adventures. Maybe it would be too hard to leave out the parts about sex.

"Where does that stand?"

"Now, or where I'm supposed to be?"

"Both."

"Great, actually. I'm not even supposed to know him now."

"But you've come back and met him sooner?"

"Yes."

"Where do you stand in your present?"

"He's moving in this week." She thought he frowned a little at that comment. "I know. It's probably not proper, is it?"

"I'm old, I'm not judgmental. You youngins have a different way of doing things, is all. You love him?"

"Yes," she said without hesitation. "Even more so after all of this. I'm seeing a side of him I haven't gotten to know before. I was actually trying to break up—"

He jumped in at her pause. "You were going to break up with him before you began to take your little journeys?"

"Oh my God...yes. I kept trying to dump him. I thought he was too young for me. I thought he needed a chance at someone younger."

"He fights for you, does he?"

"Literally," she said as she giggled, recalling the fight.

He leaned into her. "You think maybe you did all this 'cause you needed to convince yourself he wasn't too young for you? Maybe you wanted proof of how much he loved you?"

She thought about it for a second. "Did I leave out the part that I'm thirty and not twenty-six? I am not where I'm supposed to be right now. I'm not going to school. I'm already done. I have a veterinary practice." She began to choke up. "And somewhere, I have a baby that I desperately want to get back to. If this was all a mind game I'm playing on myself, don't you think you'd be having this conversation with the thirty year old me?"

"Depends."

"Depends on what?"

"Maybe that's the dream part."

"What? There's no way. I have too many memories, too much knowledge of classes I haven't even taken yet. Too much...everything. That can't be right."

"Then I'm afraid I'm out of ideas and of no help to you."

"So you believe me?"

"Don't see what's not to believe. Sounds like you're in quite a pickle, though." He put his hand on top of hers. "I wish I could have been something more than a set of ears. I do so love a good puzzle."

"It was nice just being able to talk to someone about it."

"You haven't talked to this Dusty about it?"

"Talk to me about what?"

They both turned their heads to the direction of the voice. Dustin had approached the table without them noticing.

"Hey, sugar." He leaned down and gave her a kiss, then extended his hand to the elderly gentleman, who accepted it with apologetic eyes. "Dustin Andrews."

"Frank Collins. Pleasure to meet you, young fella. Quite a little lady you have here."

"You're not trying to steal her away from me are you?" he teased. "'Cause I have a glass chin that might do some damage to your hand if we have to go rounds."

Frank laughed. "She's all yours, tough guy. I best be getting back to work."

Kaitlyn stood and gave him a hug goodbye. "Thanks for the talk."

"If you find yourself back in my neighborhood, stop and see me anytime." He smiled at her warmly, then turned to Dustin. "Take care of her, young fella."

"I'll do that." After Frank had left, he sat in the booth, coaxing Kaitlyn back into it with him. "Talk to me about what?"

"How'd you know where to find me?"

"I didn't. I was just driving by and saw you in the window. Talk to me about what?"

"Nothing. Really, Dusty."

"Who was that anyway?"

"He works at the library."

"And you just decided to go for coffee?"

"He's a sweet old man and asked me to go. I thought maybe he was a little lonely. Is there something wrong with that?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"Don't get your panties in a bunch. Of course there's nothing wrong. It just seems out of character for you."

"You hardly even know me."

"All right. I'll give you that. But it just seems like I know you more than I really do, you know?"

"Yeah. I kinda know how you feel."

"See. You're my destiny," he said with a kiss. "Is it time for sex yet?"

She laughed. "Not even going to try to buy me off with a cheap burger tonight, are you? Going straight for the kill."

"I have a car full of groceries. I'm cooking tonight."

"Really?"

"Really. Did you drive or walk?"

"We walked."

"All right then. Your chariot awaits, milady."

Dustin parked in the driveway in front of his cottage. "It's not locked. Go ahead in, I'll get the bags." After they climbed out of the car, he turned to go to the trunk as Katie turned toward the house.

"Be careful," he shouted to her. "It's bound to be icy. I keep talking to my landlord about that gutter dripping but—" He didn't get to finish his warning. Kaitlyn screamed and hit the ground hard.
Chapter Eight

"Are you with me, Katie?"

Kaitlyn heard Dusty's voice, but she couldn't quite get her eyes to cooperate and open.

"Sweetie? I need you to answer me."

She moved her head from side to side, fighting like hell to open her eyes even slightly. Feeling very thirsty, she was finally able to whisper, "Water."

A straw touched her lips, she heard Dusty's voice say, "Just a sip, baby."

Her eyes hurt once she was finally able to open them slightly; she quickly pinched them closed again. "It's so bright," she said softly.

"Hang on a second. I'll turn some lights off." He came back in a few moments and took her hand. "Better?"

She opened her eyes again and got a better look around. A hospital room? Her arm felt uncomfortable. Looking down at it, she found an IV in her. "What happened?" she managed to ask.

He gently kissed her forehead. "You don't remember? You collapsed at school. Hit your head pretty bad on a desk. You took a few stitches."

"What? Why?" She was straining to remember. She wasn't at school, she was at the coffee shop with Frank, then went to Dusty's and slipped on the ice. Somehow she was back in another time again.

"Courtney called me right after they loaded you up on the ambulance. Why didn't you tell me, Katie?"

"Tell you what?" she whispered. It was very hard to talk.

"You were pregnant."

"'Were?'" She shot straight up in bed. The arm that didn't have the IV quickly went to her pounding head.

He quickly took her by the shoulders and eased her back down. "You didn't know?"

"What do you mean 'were', Dusty?"

"You lost it, Katie."

"No!" she screamed. "No, I didn't! I saw her! She had my eyes... she..." Katie began to gasp for air.

"Slow down, honey. Please. Take slow breaths. You gotta calm down." He held her close and got her to calm down a bit. He gently laid her back down flat on the bed. "Saw her? What do you mean 'saw her', Katie? It was a boy."

"What?"

"It was a boy. Our son. Why didn't you tell me? Weren't you planning on keeping it? Tell me you wouldn't have gotten rid of our baby."

"No! Dusty. No! Never. I...I didn't know." She was more confused than ever. "How old am I?"

"What?"

"How old am I, Dusty? Please."

"We went through this just this morning. You always think you're a year younger than you are. What a shitty thing to happen on your birthday. God-awful thing anytime. I'm so sorry, baby," he said, laying his head on her chest.

"How old am I, Dusty?" she repeated.

"You really klunked your head good. You're twenty-seven, sweetheart. Are you okay? You want me to get the nurse?"

Shaking her head, she said, "No. I'm all right."

"Are you sure?"

She just nodded with tear-filled eyes. What was all this about? She never had a miscarriage! Why could she go back and be so happy, but now this? "What time is it?"

"Around five." Same time it was when she slipped on the ice.

"When can I go home?"

"Not until tomorrow. I don't care what they say, I'm staying with you."

"You don't need to do that, Dusty."

"Yes, I do. I did this to you," he said as he gently stroked her cheek.

"To quote the immortal words of my father, 'it takes two to tango.'"

"I'm staying." He said as he sat on the bed and took her hand again. "What did you mean when you said you saw 'her', Katie?"

Her eyes lowered, unable to face him. Pulling at a loose thread on her gown only delayed facing all of this. She was so confused and her head hurt something fierce, there was no way to explain this to him. Tears began to stream down her face.

"It all seemed too real," she cried, closing her eyes. "I can't do this anymore."

"Do what?"

She pushed at his shoulder. "Just leave, Dusty. Please. I want to be alone."

"No, Katie. Come on. I want to be with you. I need to be with you. Please," he pleaded. "It was my baby, too."

"So let's give you a few stitches in your head and make you feel like a gutted deer!" she shouted.

The nurse ran in and asked, "What's going on?"

"I need to be alone," Kaitlyn cried.

"Yes, you do. I don't know how you snuck back in here, sir," the nurse said, addressing Dustin. "But you're going to have to go now."

"Dammit," Dustin swore as he stood up. "I love you, Katie," he said kissing the hand he was holding. She pulled it away and stared at the wall as long as she could.

Sleep finally took over.

"Are you with me, Katie?"

Kaitlyn opened her eyes and stared into Dusty's. She wasn't in the hospital any more. She was outside and cold.

"Shit! Are you okay?" he asked.

She could only groan. Her head still hurt something terrible; even worse than she remembered when she last fell asleep. "What happened?" she asked, closing her eyes again.

"You slipped on the ice. Let me help you up." He reached under her arms and helped her to her feet. She swayed forward, so he bent down and picked her up.

"You'll slip," she groaned into his chest.

"I have good snow boots on. Yours are for fashion, not function. I don't know how you walked to the coffee shop in those things."

If she felt better, she would have told him the number one fashion rule: It's more important to look good than be functional.

"I'm giving the landlord a piece of my mind. This is bullshit." He turned the knob, then kicked the door open the rest of the way. He set her on the couch. "Let me make sure you don't have a cut. That was a nasty spill."

He gently turned her head to the side then moved her hair away to look at the back of her head. Probing around, he accidentally touched a tender spot that made her cry out.

She spun around and smacked his hand. "That hurts!"

"I'm sorry," he said. "It's nasty. I'm going to get some ice. It appears I'm destined to kill you every time you come to my place."

As he went to get the ice, she began to get choked up. Her memory of being in the hospital was still too fresh. Her heart was ripped out for a baby that she'd lost that, technically, she hadn't even conceived yet. With all that was running through her mind, her head was going to explode. The growing lump wasn't helping matters. She put her hand on it and winced from her own touch.

With the ice pack in his hand, Dusty came rushing to her side. "You okay?"

"No," she said, tears now freely flowing.

"Shit," he said as he sat down and pulled her head to his chest. "I gotta put this on you," he said as he held up the ice pack.

"No!" she cried, pushing it away. It killed her to have her own fingers touch the tender spot; she didn't want hard ice cubes on it. Besides that, she didn't want Dustin touching her. She was so confused about what was happening, but it all had one common denominator: Dustin. She wanted to separate herself from him in the hospital and even more so right now.

"I have to, Katie. It's really swollen. It'll hurt at first but the ice will make it feel better, I promise."

"No! Just leave me alone!" she shouted as she stood up. The head rush that instantly hit her was too much to bear. She fell forward and blacked out.

Kaitlyn began to slowly wake up. Her head hurt, but that's not what started her sobbing. She no longer wanted to fight to open her eyes; she wanted to fight to keep them shut. She was certain she'd wake up in the hospital and have to face having had a miscarriage. There was the weight of a heavy blanket on her, yet she was cold. When she could no longer fight it, she opened her eyes. A small fire was crackling in a corner fireplace. She was still in Dusty's cottage.

There's a first for everything, she thought, although she wasn't thrilled about it much more than if she had woken up at the hospital.

"Hey, babe," Dusty said as he showed up in front of her and sat down. He gave her a gentle kiss on her forehead and took a tissue to her tears. She took it from him and curled her hand to her chest.

"We have to stop meeting like this. People will start to talk," he said, trying to get her to smile. She didn't, nor did she utter a sound. "I'm gonna lift up the ice pack, okay? Don't take my face off."

"Is that why I'm so fucking cold?" Her harsh tone wasn't necessary; her swearing had shocked him bad enough.

He lifted up the ice pack, then placed it back down after a moment.

"I suppose so, but you needed it. I almost called an ambulance after you passed out. You had me scared, Katie. I didn't know which would piss you off more. Me taking care of it, or me sending you to the hospital. I just kept an eye on the swelling; it stayed a small bump. Any bigger and I would have called them. I figured it was probably best that you were out cold. Sleeping through the pain is better than dealing with it." He stopped for a moment and brushed some hair away from her face. "Can I get you anything?"

"No. Just take me home."

"I'd rather keep an eye on you. The bump is as big as it's going to get, but I'd still like to watch it. I'm not so sure you shouldn't have it examined."

"Courtney is pre-med. I can have her look at it. Please just take me home, Dustin."

"Dustin?" He sighed at her being so formal. "I'm sorry, Katie. I'll get a hit out on my landlord for this but please don't be pissed at me."

"I'm not pissed about me slipping. I just want to go home," she said, trying to sit up. He reached his arms out and helped her sit upright.

"I don't want you to go."

"Please," she said, starting to cry again. "I'll call my roommate. She can come get me."

"No. I'll drive you. I'll go start the car," he said sadly and got up from the couch.

Kaitlyn needed help walking into the dorm. Dustin held her arm, offering her support the whole way. The door wasn't locked when he tried it.

Courtney shot to her feet when she saw Kaitlyn's condition. "What the hell happened to her?"

"She slipped on the ice," Dustin explained. "She had a bump that was swollen, but it's come down."

"Honey, are you okay?" Courtney asked, taking Kaitlyn's arm and walking her to the Papasan chair in the room.

"I'm still a little woozy."

"She blacked out for a bit," Dustin said.

"She what?" Courtney shouted. "Did you take her to a doctor? People have died from slipping on ice!"

"I didn't want to go," Katie interrupted them before a fight broke out. Her head had gone from pounding to downright exploding. She didn't want to hear them bickering.

"Let me see it," Courtney insisted.

"It's back here," Dustin said as he carefully lifted her hair. "It honestly didn't look that bad. I would have taken her in. I swear."

"Jiminy Cricket, Katie. Are you nauseous at all?"

"No. Not really. I'm just really tired. Can I please just lay down?"

"You want help?" Dustin asked Kaitlyn, his tone desperate as if he was trying to buy more time with her.

"I'll be fine. Thank you for bringing me home."

"You Dusty?" Courtney asked.

"That's me," he said and then addressed Kaitlyn again. "Are you sure I can't do anything or get you something? Aspirin? This is my fault. You have to let me help."

"Your fault? What exactly happened?" Courtney demanded.

"You two just stop it!" Katie shouted, then put her hand on her head and let out a crying gasp. Even the sound of her own raised voice hurt her head.

Dustin dropped to his knees at her side. "Aww, baby."

"You can't help the ice in the driveway, Dusty, no matter how much you try to blame yourself. Please just go home. I promise I'll call you in a couple days."

"A couple days?"

"Please," she said with her lips trembling.

"All right," he said, standing up. He gave her a long kiss on the top of her head. "Call me." He turned to Courtney. "Please take care of her."

"It's what I do best. She'll be fine." Courtney walked over and held the door open. He took the hint and left.
Chapter Nine

Once Dustin was out of the room, Courtney helped Kaitlyn to her feet and helped get her undressed. She found her roommate's favorite pajamas and fuzzy socks, and helped get her into them. After putting her in bed, she added an extra quilt on top of her 101 Dalmatian's comforter. Once settled in, Katie really began to sob.

"Hon? Are you hurtin' that bad? Maybe we should take you in."

"No. It's not just my head."

"What then?"

"I don't want to talk about it," she said through tears.

"Katie. How can I help you if I don't know what the problem is?"

"Don't let me fall asleep, Courtney. Please. I can't keep doing this. Please don't let me fall asleep." Her sobs grew louder.

Courtney crawled into bed with her and wrapped her arms around her weeping roommate. "What on God's green earth is this about?"

"Please," she said again, softer than before. Despite her protests, she was falling asleep.

Courtney rested her head gently on Kaitlyn's and stroked her shoulder. Kaitlyn lost her fight with sleep and was out in just a few minutes.

Dustin was sick with worry for Kaitlyn. He was sure she would be okay under her roommate's watchful eye but dammit, he wanted to be the one sitting there watching over her. If he couldn't do that, he wanted to sit at a bar and get good and drunk. But first he was going home to rip his landlord's face off.

Instead of using the bell when he got there, he banged on the door. Tony's truck wasn't in the driveway but his wife answered the door. Even as angry as he was, Dustin couldn't bring himself to yell at the elderly woman.

"Well, hello, Dusty. How are you today?" she asked.

"Not good, Vera. Can we talk?"

"Certainly. Please come inside," she said as she stood aside and invited him in the foyer.

As he explained about Kaitlyn slipping and being knocked out, he could see that Vera became seriously distraught.

"Will you wait here just a minute, dear?" she asked, tapping him on the arm.

"Sure."

Vera pulled out a phone list from a small drawer in the phone stand and dialed a number.

"Bernie?" she asked, in a sweet little old lady tone that made Dusty miss his own grandmother. Then all hell broke loose. She hollered into the phone. "What in blue blazes is taking your ever-loving hind end from getting over here to fix this gutter of mine?" After a pause she continued. " Zip your lip and stop trying to interrupt me! Do you know we had a young lady get seriously hurt today?" There was another pause as she listened to the other end of the conversation. After a few nods she said, "You see to it that you do. This could have all been avoided. I can't tell you how disappointed I am with you." Again there was what appeared to be more groveling on the other end. "All right. First thing tomorrow and no more excuses! Thank you, Bernie. Give my love to Evelyn." With that twist, she hung up.

"I'm sorry you had to hear that Dusty but it had to be done. Bernie's a family friend but sometimes those are the ones you get tossed on the back burner by the worst. Are you sure there isn't anything I can do?"

"Just getting that taken care of is enough, Vera. Thanks. She's in good hands. I appreciate this." He was still in a little bit of shock for the firm tone she used on the contractor. There wasn't much more he could think of to say. He felt bad for being angry initially with his landlady and her husband over it. It obviously wasn't their fault either.

No longer feeling like sitting in a bar, he went back to his cottage, grabbed a beer from his refrigerator, ordered a pizza, and turned on the TV. He stared at the screen, but he thought about Kaitlyn. After half of a large pizza, half a dozen beers and one too many episodes of Jackass, he lay on the couch, clutching a pillow but wishing it was his Katie. He reminisced on when he first saw her.

"Check out that one, Dean-a-rino," Dusty said as he and his friend sat at the end of the bar at Dicky's in Dinkytown.

"What one?"

"There." Dustin pointed to two girls standing at the opposite end of the bar. They were both downing shots. The men watched as they slammed the glasses on the countertop, then gave each other a high five.

Dean let out a whistle. "Outta your league, buddy."

"Bullshit."

"The skinny brunette, right?"

"You know my taste."

"Read my lips. Outta your league."

"You're looking at the future Mrs. Andrews right there."

"I think she's a little sophisticated looking for your sorry ass. Hot damn, speaking of ass. Turn around again, sweetheart," he said in the direction of the two women.

"I'll thank you not to look at my future wife's ass in that manner, kind sir."

"Or you'll what? Let me take a cotton swab to your chin for an instant knock out?"

"A guy gets one lucky punch and I have a label for life."

Dean laughed hard as he smacked Dusty on the shoulder. "Best kegger ever, watching Trent deck your ass for mouthing off."

"Suck it, Dean."

Dean returned his hand to his beer. "Would you prefer the glass chin or the lawyer label?"

"Can't shake either one of them anyway." Dustin said as he downed the last of his beer.

Dean picked up a handful of bar nuts and spoke with a full mouth. "You know what they call a hundred lawyers at the bottom of the ocean?"

"A good start. You need new material, my friend."

The bartender came by and Dustin ordered another round. He called the bartender back and had a round sent to the two girls. They watched the girls and waited for the drinks to be delivered. They got a smile and a wave for the drinks but the girls didn't approach them.

Dammit. Strike one.

The dark haired, heavier girl whispered something to the skinny one and they laughed. They turned back around and headed to the dance floor together.

"This is good to watch," said Dustin as he took another sip of his beer.

"Why is that?"

"Because now I can tell the band to put the Electric Slide on the list of songs to play at our wedding."

"You're hopeless. You do realize this, don't you?"

Dusty hollered, "Shit!"

"What?" Dean said as he spun around on the barstool.

"She's leaving. I'll be right back." Dustin put his beer on the bar and ran after her. He turned back around and said, "Maybe," with a wide grin.

He caught up to the pretty brunette outside the bar. "Hey. You guys leaving already? You didn't finish your drinks."

"Sorry. Thanks for those, but we have to get going," Kaitlyn said to him.

He clutched at his chest. "You're breaking my heart."

"Sorry, Romeo. Nice try, but it's girls night out." Giving him a gentle stroke on his face with her fingertips, she said, "You are a cute, young thing. Fake ID?" She giggled, sounding more than a little drunk. "Have a great night. I'm sure you'll have some tarts wanting a piece of you at closing time." Winking at him, she hooked her roommate's arm.

He watched as they walked down the street together then he returned to the bar. Dean took one look at him. "Crash and burn?"

"Crash and burn, but the fat lady ain't singing yet. That girl is mine."

Dustin shot awake on the couch. "I never told her my name!"

"Katie?"

"Hmmm?" Kaitlyn rubbed her eyes.

"Hon, wake up. You were having a nightmare."

"A nightmare?" She opened her eyes and looked into the face of her roommate. It was a little chubby and the prettiest sight she could ask to see.

I stayed!

Courtney sat down on her bed and placed a cool washcloth on her forehead. "You kept mumbling something about a baby. Are you pregnant?"

"No, I'm not, Courtney. I promise. I would tell you. I'm careful."

"I know, but accidents happen. So you going to tell me what's up with the Dustin kid?"

"He's really mature for his age, Court."

"He's a puppy, hon. An adorable puppy, but a puppy nonetheless."

"I know. I think I need to call it quits, anyway."

"You know best, especially when we agree on it."

Kaitlyn laughed then let out an, "Ouch!"

"Your head really hurting?"

"A little...okay, a lot."

"I'll get you something," Courtney said as she stood. She came back with two pills and a bottle of water. "This'll help."

"What is it?"

"An experimental pain reliever that I lifted from the lab. May put hair on your chest, but it'll work."

Kaitlyn coughed as she tried to swallow the pills.

"I'm sorry." Courtney laughed. "I was teasing. It's just plain old generic acetaminophen. I think you need to stay in bed today."

"I think that's an excellent idea."

"Any school work you want me to get for you?"

Katie lay back in bed and thought about it for a second. "No. I'll catch up. It won't be so bad."

"Okay. I'm outta here. I'll take my phone. Promise you'll holler if you need anything. If you have any strange pains or if you throw up, I want to know about it. You hear me?"

"Yes, boss."

"I love you."

"I love you, too. Now get."

No sooner did Courtney close the door than Kaitlyn's cell phone went off. She had gotten a text message from Dusty.

Are you up? How are you feeling?

She turned the phone off. He was sweet, but she just couldn't do this right now. She went back to bed and was woken up by a knocking at the door at eleven. Afraid it was Dusty, she ignored it. There was a kind of scratching noise against the door, then silence. Curious, she got out of bed and opened the door a crack. There were two flower arrangements that had been placed by the door. She brought them inside, then removed the card on a cheery looking bouquet of carnations, daisies, baby's breath and such. It was a welcome sight on the dreary winter day.

We are extremely sorry for your injuries. Please let us know if we can do anything at all.

Vera and Tony.

Confused as to who it could be, she turned over the envelope to find the address. It was from Dusty's. It had to be his landlords. That was sweet.

After pinning it on the corkboard above her desk, she reached for the card on the other arrangement. It was a dozen sterling long stem roses with a card from Dusty.

I never gave you my name that first night. How did you know it?

"Oh shit!" Kaitlyn said out loud, then sat heavily back on the bed. Now her head started to pound again.

She stayed in bed that whole day, resting. She tried not to think about what had been happening, but she wasn't very successful. Leaving her cell phone off all day was the best she could do to try to avoid Dusty. At four o'clock she heard a key in the door. The sight of her roommate made her feel better.

"I tried calling you. You had me worried, Katie. Oohhh, nice flowers," Courtney said as she smelled the roses. "How did lover boy know your favorite color of roses already?"

"Good guess, I suppose. We never talked flowers. Sorry about the phone. Dustin was texting and I shut it off. I didn't think about you trying to call."

"I was afraid I was going to wake you up. I could only hope you were okay and would have called if you needed me."

"I would have, Mother."

"You little shit. How are you? Did you eat at all?"

"Just a granola bar and an apple. I haven't been very hungry."

"Want me to run for Chinese?"

"That does sound good actually. You fly, I'll buy."

"Deal. I'll be back in a jiffy." Courtney stood and glanced out the window. "Uh oh."

"What?"

"Lover boy at twelve o'clock. You want me to let him in?"

"No!" she said quickly. "Go stop him from coming up. Tell him I'm asleep or something."

"You'll have to talk to him sooner or later, Katie."

"I will. Just not today. Please?"

"All right. See you in a few."

As Dusty entered the lobby of the dorm, he was greeted by Kaitlyn's roommate standing there with her arms outstretched, blocking his way.

"Don't go up," Courtney told him. "She's out cold."

"Still sleeping? Is she all right?"

"It's a nasty bump, but she'll be okay in a couple days."

"She's not answering her phone. Is there something you're not telling me?"

"She just needs her rest. Just give her a couple of days, like she asked you."

Crossing his arms, Dusty said, "You don't like me, do you?"

"I don't even know you," Courtney said with a sigh and an over exaggerated eye roll.

"So get to know me."

"Later. I'm going to pick up supper for us."

"Well, my car is outside and nice and warm. By the grace of all that is good, the heat is working today. I'll drive you wherever you want to go."

"That's not necessary."

"I want to do it, anyway."

"Katie is buying Chinese. Take me to the Red Dragon."

"So she's not sleeping then, is she?" he said, busting her in her lie.

"Shit. Look, kid."

"Kid?"

"I'm sorry. You just look so damn young. I know Katie. Just give her some space. She's going through something rough and I can't even get it out of her right now. We've always told each other everything before."

"Everything?"

"Yes, everything," she said with a wide grin.

"Come on," he said. "Dinner will be on me. I could go for Chinese myself."

They walked toward his car. "I gotta bring it back to her, she'll kick my ass if I walk in with you."

"I'll get my own containers and drop you off on the street. I promise. I'll even slow down to fifty before I push you out."

She frowned. "You law boys don't have much of a sense of humor, do you?"

"Sure I do. A guy in a bar stands up and shouts, 'All lawyers are assholes!' A guy across the room stands up and says, 'Hey! I resent that!' 'Why? Are you a lawyer?' he asks the guy. He replies, 'No, I'm an asshole.'"

Courtney laughed. "All right, but you have to promise to leave her alone for another day at least."

"I don't know if I can do that."

"You have to. If you want her to talk to you, you need to give her some space."

Dustin sighed and reluctantly agreed. "All right. For now."

Courtney came home forty minutes later and pulled a small folding table over to Kaitlyn's bed.

"What do I owe you?" Kaitlyn asked.

"Nothing. It was on lover boy."

"What?"

"He insisted. Drove me there, too."

"You're not trying to befriend the guy I'm trying to dump, are you?"

"No, I'm not. He's just a stubborn little bugger. You don't usually go for the pushy type, Katie."

"I know. I don't know what it was about him."

"The sex?" Courtney giggled.

"I was hooked before the sex, Court."

"But you're sure you want to dump him?"

"What's this? You spend a half an hour with him and now he has you hooked, too?"

"I'm not saying that, and you know I'm not going to tell you what to do. I just want you to do what will make you happy."

"He's a distraction I don't want right now. I need to get through school in one piece."

Courtney began to open the containers of food. "I asked them to hold the 'cat' for you."

"That was thoughtful. Thanks," she said with a frown.

"I also said to hold the 'cream of sum young ghai' and told them you've already had your fill."

Kaitlyn threw a pillow at her.

They shared a quiet night together in the dorm watching movies. They didn't want to run out and rent anything, so they settled for the few they had on hand. Courtney won first dibs with _Patch Adams_ , then they watched _Turner and Hooch_ , Kaitlyn's pick. Courtney dreamed of working in a hospital like the one Robin Williams started, and Kaitlyn longed for a cute practice like the one of the small town vet that Tom Hanks fell in love with.

"Who the hell is that girl that plays the vet?" Courtney asked after she got up and shut off the small portable DVD player.

"She was in love with Rob Lowe in St. Elmo's Fire."

"That's it! It has always driven me crazy. You ready for bed?"

Kaitlyn sighed. "I'm tired, but I'm afraid to fall asleep."

"You were saying that last night." Courtney sat down next to her on her bed. "You wanna talk about it yet?"

"I can't explain it. You'll only think I'm crazy."

"I already think you're crazy."

"No, this is a doozie."

"Try me, hon."

"Maybe tomorrow."

"Promise?"

"I promise." It was easy to promise her. Kaitlyn didn't even expect to be here tomorrow.

"Good night then, best bud."

"Good night. You're the best. I don't deserve you."

"You're right. You don't."

Courtney smiled. "Sleep well, Princess."

Kaitlyn had been sound asleep, but was slowly waking up. Someone was shaking her.

"Hey, sleepyhead. You feeling better or are you going to cut class again?"

She opened her eyes and saw Courtney.

"Well?" her roommate asked with a toothbrush in her mouth.

"I...I think I'm okay. I'll get ready. Thanks for waking me up."

"You sure?"

"I'm fine," she said touching the back of her head. It was just slightly tender. She was grateful it wasn't pounding like it had been yesterday. Even if it was, she didn't care. She'd once again woken up in the same place. She didn't understand it, but she could have bounced off the walls with joy. After carefully sitting up to avoid a head rush, she went to her closet to get dressed.

"Bundle up or you'll be cutting glass with your nipples. It's cold this morning," Courtney said as she ran out the door, obviously running late again.

Cold or not, Kaitlyn wanted coffee. The lump didn't hurt so badly, but she was working on a caffeine headache. Hoping Dustin wasn't trying to catch her there, she walked to the coffee shop, got her latte, and settled in the big comfy chair.

"So, two girls walk into a bar and catch the eye of two lawyers."

She turned around at the sound of the familiar voice and saw Dustin standing behind her. He continued. "One says to the other, 'Man I'd like to screw that' and the other one says, 'Outta what?'"

"Is that how it went at the bar that night?" she asked.

"Something like that." He smiled as he sat down on the corner of the chair with her. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. Thanks for the flowers. How did you know those were my favorite?"

"I didn't. How did you know my name that morning in here? I remembered the night we met, Katie. I never gave you my name."

"You must have, Dustin. I didn't pull it out of my ass."

"No, I didn't."

Not offering any kind of explanation, she took a sip of her coffee after blowing on it to cool it off.

"Look, I don't know what's going on with you, Katie. We were hitting it off great, but now you won't even answer my text messages."

"I have my phone turned off. I just needed some time. My head hurt a lot. We had a fun date and I pushed a little early for sex. I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to get wedding invitations mailed out over it," she said as she stood. She approached the counter. "Can I get this in a to-go cup, Art, please?"

Glancing back to the chair, she saw Dusty resting his head in his hands, with his elbows on his knees. She took the opportunity to leave the coffee shop. A few steps out the door, a hand took hold of her arm.

"What's your deal? Why do you have to keep pushing me away?" Dusty asked as he spun her around.

She shook her arm, breaking his hold. "You want to know why? You really want to know why?"

"Yes, I do!" he shouted back.

"I must be crazy," she said to herself, shaking her head. "But here goes. I don't belong here with you, Dustin."

"Why? How can you know that? You didn't even give me a chance."

"No. I mean here. Now. Us. I'm not supposed to even know you yet."

"You have a timeframe on when you're supposed to know me? How do you figure that?"

"You want to know why I know your name? I know it because we met when I was twenty-nine. We met at happy hour at a bar in St. Paul."

"You're only twenty-six," he said, confused. "I haven't been to St. Paul since I've been old enough to legally get into a bar."

"Exactly. Somehow I came back to my college days. I'm thirty, Dusty. I'm thirty and I have a successful vet practice, wonderful employees and a beautiful house. I don't know what I'm doing here and it's making me lose my mind."

He just stared at her blankly. She could tell he didn't know how to respond, not that she thought he possibly could have a response to that crazy outburst.

"You're already thinking I've lost my mind, I'm sure. Goodbye, Dusty," she said as she stomped away.

She'd decided not to go to class again. What was the point? She was done with school. If she did get stuck here, she'd pass any test with flying colors. She arrived at the library after a long walk that unfortunately let her coffee grow cold. As she approached the stairs to the library, Dusty was sitting on them, waiting for her. He stood up and approached her. "So, am I with you? You know, when you're thirty? You say we met when you were twenty-nine. Did I sweep you off your feet then?"

She didn't want to give him that information. There was no way he believed her. She wasn't about to pour her heart out, only to be laughed at. "Actually, I broke up with you on my thirtieth birthday."

"Why? What did I do?"

"It's complicated."

"More complicated than time traveling?"

"Please stop humoring me. You don't believe me and we obviously weren't meant to be."

"Why else would you be here with me now? I don't understand."

"That's just it. I don't understand any of this, either. I go to bed every night in your arms, and I wake up somewhere else. But now, for the first time in a week, I've woken up in my dorm room alone for two days in a row. You have no idea what it's like being afraid to fall asleep, not knowing where you're going to wake up."

"I don't know why that means you can't see me."

"Because, Dusty!" she shouted. "Every time I fall asleep in your arms, I wake up somewhere else. I need to sort this out and from the looks of it, I guess it means I have to stay away from you. This has to stop before I check myself into a padded room!"

He held her arm. "Do you wake up in my arms, too?" he asked. "Somewhere else, but still with me?"

"No." She lied. "Just leave me alone now. Please just go away." She ran up the stairs. Once she was through the doors, she desperately searched for the kind, elderly custodian. When she didn't spot him, she went over to the sci-fi section again and began to browse through titles. One caught her eye, so she flipped it over and read the back. It was a Dean Koontz novel on inter-dimensional traveling. Interesting. She decided to flip through it. Moments later, she heard a voice from the other side of the stack of books.

"How can you tell if a lawyer is well hung?"

She sighed and pulled a book off the shelf and could now see Dusty standing on the other side.

"You can't even get a finger between the rope and his neck," he said.

"What are you doing in here? Can't you just leave me alone?"

"No. You're lying to me."

"I said you wouldn't believe me," she said, walking away from him after placing the book back on the shelf.

He caught her at the end of the aisle. "You're lying about where you wake up. You do wake up in my arms, don't you?"

Her eyes went wide; she immediately hated that she had given it away.

"Gotcha." Taking her by the arm, he pulled her to a couch. They sat facing each other. "Why wouldn't you tell me you wake up with me?"

"Because it's silly. That has nothing to do with anything. Besides, one time you weren't there. I woke in my dorm."

"Once? Out of how many times?"

"I've lost track. It's really scrambling my brains. I don't want to stop and count."

"When you got knocked out after slipping on the ice, did something happen?" She just nodded and dropped her head. "What?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

He pulled her head to his shoulder. "It must be something pretty awful if you're trying to give me the brush off now."

"I told you," she said, sitting back up. "I break up with you, anyway."

"Yeah, but I fight for you, right?"

She laughed. "You do."

"Am I successful?"

She turned away, wishing he would just leave her alone. She didn't want him to know he always melted her heart and won her over.

"Hot damn. I am," he said when she couldn't answer him. He smiled wide in victory then stood up and put his hand out to her. "Come with me."

"I want to stay here, Dusty."

"Come with me," he said, waving his hand in front of her. She finally accepted it and stood up. He drove to the video store and asked her to wait in the car. He ran in for a few moments and came back out with a bag full of movies.

"What are those?"

"It's a good day to snuggle by a fire and watch a few movies. If we're going to cut class together, I can't think of a better way to spend a shitty, cold day."

"I didn't say I'd spend the day with you, Dusty."

"I don't recall asking."

"You can be a real brute, you know," she said, crossing her arms.

"So sue me."

"Do you have any lawyer friends I can borrow?"

"I'll see what I can do," he said as he put the car in gear and headed for his house.

While he drove, she went through the bag of movies. They were all ones she had seen referenced online. Most she had seen before, years ago. Somewhere in Time with Christopher Reeve, Time After Time with Mary Steenburgen, and Timeline with Paul Walker. "We don't have time for all of these today."

"Who said we're limited to today?"

"Dusty..." She sighed as she dropped her arms back down.

"You ever read Plato?"

"Yes."

"Ever watch The Butcher's Wife with Demi Moore?"

"And Jeff Daniels. Yes, I have."

"You're my split apart, Katie."

"That's not even Plato. It was a Hollywood misquote. Imagine that."

"Do you watch Friends then?" he asked her.

"Sure. I used to love that show."

"Then to quote Phoebe, 'you're my lobster.'"

"You're not giving up, are you?"

"Nope. You are obviously meant to be mine, Katie. I have you and I'm not giving you up, and not even you are going to stop me."

They pulled up to his cottage and he asked her to wait until he came around. He opened her door and offered his hand, helping her out of the car. She could see it wasn't really necessary, but still very sweet of him. Someone had chipped the ice off the walkway and salted it heavily. They walked inside and he helped her remove her coat. She half expected to be pinned against the wall in the process again, and was glad he refrained. At least he waited until the coats were hung up. He held her face in his hands and began kissing her.

She allowed him to for a moment, then she pulled away. "Please don't. You're not making this easy for me."

"Then good. Mission accomplished," he said as he pulled her in for another kiss.

She broke apart again. "You still owe me a meal."

"If you'll stay with me, I'll get it started right now."

"I'll stay for a movie, but I can't fall asleep with you."

"How about go to bed?" he said, giving her arms a gentle squeeze.

"No, Dusty."

"All right. One meal, two movies, and hold the sex. I can deal with that. Sound fair to you?"

"You promise to take me home and it's a deal."

"Spit shake on it?" he asked.

"Not necessary. I'll have to take you for your word."

"Not wise, but okay. Deal."

Dusty made a vegetarian lasagna that was very good. If he was trying to impress Kaitlyn, it worked.

"I know you're not a vegetarian," Dusty said. "It just sounded good."

They cuddled on the couch and watched Time After Time. When it was over, Katie turned to him and said, "Kinda funny that Mary Steenburgen was in Back to the Future III, too."

"I didn't even think about that set of movies."

"They'd be no help. Neither was this one, unless you're hiding a time machine on me, Dusty."

"I thought the movie was a big help."

"How's that?" she asked.

He grinned. "It got you to lay in my arms, didn't it?"

"Will you take me home now?" she pleaded.

"Nope. You promised me two movies."

"Then you owe me more food."

"You are a bottomless pit, aren't you?" He laughed.

"I missed a day of eating. I need to catch up."

"Pizza?"

"You ordering or you have some in the freezer?"

"Ordering. What's your poison?"

"Anything but red or green peppers."

"Pepperoni all right?"

"Throw some onions and mushrooms on it and you have a supper date."

"That would be my magic combination. Good call."

"It's my comfort food. I need a little of that right now."

They put in Somewhere in Time as they ate their pizza, then ended up cuddling on the couch again. Kaitlyn loved the movie and had seen it a dozen times, but it didn't stop her from falling asleep while watching it. She woke up a couple of hours later in Dustin's arms, still on the couch, but was now facing him. He smiled at her and kissed her forehead.

"See. You fell asleep in my arms and woke up with me. Curse broken." He stared at her for just a moment before he claimed her mouth with his.

When they stopped kissing, she said, "Did you just..."

"Watch you sleep? Yes. You're beautiful, Katie," he said and kissed her again. "Make love to me."

"I can't," she said softly, but could barely hear herself over the pounding of her heart.

"You're lying to me again," he said as he reached under her shirt and placed his hand on her chest. "I can feel your heart beating. You want me, too."

He began kissing down her neck, there was no turning back. They made love on the couch so slowly and with such wanting, she thought of nothing else. As much as she'd tried to fight it, Kaitlyn longed for the familiarity of Dusty's body. She moved with every move of his and they climaxed together with such force, she didn't want to ever let go of him or move again.

When Dusty could finally speak, he whispered into her ear. "I want that every day for the rest of my life. Stay with me, Katie."

"I can't stay, Dusty."

"You can't still think—" A knocking at the door cut him off.

"Who is it? This isn't a great time," Dusty hollered toward the door.

"I pay your rent. You'll make time, young man," a muffled voice answered back.

"Shit. It's my dad."

"Oh my God," said Katie as she quickly stood, scooped up her clothes and purse, and ran for the bathroom.

Dustin slipped on his jeans and answered the door. "What's up, Dad? Hey, Mom," he said, leaning in for a kiss when he saw her standing off to the side out of the wind.

"You going to invite us in?" his dad asked.

"Sorry, sure. Come on in." Holding the door open, he stood to the side.

His mom looked around the room. It was apparent she was taking in the plates, glasses, and leftover pizza that were obviously not caused by him alone. "Not a good time? You have someone over, dear?"

"Uh, yeah. She'll be out in a second."

His mother was still on the naïve side and didn't think twice about a houseguest. His dad was a little wiser. "Should we leave you alone?" he asked.

"No, it's fine. What are you doing in town?"

"We had tickets to a concert," his dad answered. "It was last minute or we would have let you know. We tried to get away early, hoping to do dinner with you before the show, but it didn't work out. Well, hello there," he said when Katie reappeared from the bathroom. He put his hand out and introduced himself and his wife. "Dustin Andrews, Senior. This is my wife, Norma."

Katie timidly approached them, shook their hands, then she stood next to Dustin.

"Katie, Mom and Dad. Mom and Dad, Katie," he said as he wrapped an arm around her.

Kaitlin nodded. "It's very nice to meet you, but I'm sorry, I have to get going. I'll leave you three alone to visit."

"You can't walk back in this mess, Katie," Dusty said. "Look outside. The snow was falling heavier now."

"I'm not walking. Courtney is on her way."

"You didn't need to call her. I could have taken you back to the dorm."

"I know. She didn't mind. Really."

"I'm sorry if we intruded on anything, my dear," his mom apologized. "We won't be staying long. We need to beat the really bad weather home, too."

"Don't be silly," Kaitlyn said, giving them what Dusty thought was a fake smile. "We just finished the pizza and movie, anyway. I've got to get back to my studies. Term papers don't write themselves."

Dusty reached for her coat.

"It was great to meet you. Maybe next time we can do that dinner."

He could tell she didn't mean it, but she apparently wanted to make a clean get away. She let Dusty help her get her coat on, then she opened the door before she even zipped up.

"I'm calling you tomorrow," Dusty said as he took her hand as it left the door handle.

"Okay," she said quickly and hurried toward the street to wait for her roommate.

Dusty watched her run out to the curb and stand there in the driveway before closing the door. He guessed she really did call her roommate when she got dressed and wasn't lying about that. His parents never did impromptu drop-ins. Of all times to start! He really hated to see her go. They'd only been together for a short time but he really enjoyed her company, and not just the sex. He was determined to get to the truth behind this story of hers no matter what it took.

"Mom, please just leave it," he said, hurrying over to help when he saw his mother start to clean up.
Chapter Ten

Courtney pulled up ten minutes later and gave Katie a good once-over when she got into the car. "Sorry to keep you waiting. I did leave right away."

"That's all right. It's gotta be thirty degrees out. That feels like heaven compared to what it was last week."

"You have fucking hair, hon, and you smell like Drakkar. I thought you were dumping him not humping him."

"Don't start with me, Court. It's not so easy."

"No, but you are. Ba-duh-bum." She laughed. "You know I love ya."

"I know." Kaitlyn sighed. "This is really complicated."

"In any case, I think the sex was good for you. You're positively glowing."

"I think I'm just red from embarrassment. Thank goodness his parents knocked first."

Courtney laughed. Kaitlyn noticed she was still in her pajamas.

"I'm sorry I got you out of bed."

"No worries. Tim was just on his way out."

"Tim? What happened to Hank?"

"Hank's out. You gotta keep up, hon."

"I think you need to get the revolving door off of our dorm room."

"Ba-duh-bum." Courtney laughed again.

Kaitlyn fell asleep within minutes of her head hitting the bed. Sex was the best sleep therapy she knew of, other than a bump on the head of course.

Kaitlyn woke up feeling rested and still had a smile on her face, thinking of the night before. She stretched wide, opened her eyes, and discovered she was back in the bedroom of her house.

White furniture, flower border.

"What the hell!" she shouted as she shot up. Searching next to her, Dusty was nowhere to be found. She ran into her bathroom and there was no sign of any of the items he'd always left there. No toothbrush, hairbrush or deodorant. She sniffed at the shirt she wore; there was no scent of Drakkar Noir at all. Rushing out of the bedroom she ran to the nursery. It was a guest room again.

"Dammit!" she screamed once again. The phone rang, she ran back to her room to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Happy Birthday, sweetheart!"

"Mom?"

"You were expecting someone else?"

"No, I'm sorry. I just woke up two seconds ago."

"You never were a morning person, dear. Oh, wait. Your father wants to pick up the extension. Go ahead, Jon."

A deep voice began singing Happy Birthday. She patiently waited until he was finished. "How's it feel to be twenty-eight, baby girl?"

I'm twenty-eight? "Just peachy, Dad. Really. Abso- frick-ing-loutely peachy." She heard her mother gasp. Kaitlyn forgot she was on an extension. "Sorry, Mom. I have the birthday crankies."

"You have been crabby on your birthday since you were eight. Snap out of it, honey. You going out with friends tonight?"

"I don't think so. I don't feel like celebrating. It's a Monday, I'll have to work tomorrow, anyway."

"You are still asleep. It's Saturday, honey."

"It's Saturday?"

"Don't you work a half day on Saturday?"

"I do. I should get ready. Thanks for the call." She said a quick goodbye and then picked up a small desk calendar. She flipped it to the back where it showed the next couple of years. If she was twenty-eight, it was Saturday. It would be Monday when she turned thirty. She almost patted herself on the back for being able to think in that dimension.

For lack of a better idea of what to do, she showered and got ready for work. At least when she was twenty-eight, it wasn't snowing yet that year. "Let the games begin," she said, leaving for work.

"Happy birthday, Doc B!" Her two girls shouted as she walked in the door. They were holding up a birthday cake. "Sorry, it's not big enough to have a hot guy pop out of it." Karla laughed.

"I need that like I need gray hairs," Kaitlyn said, crossing her arms. "Thanks for the cake, girls. If either of you remind me how old I am, you're fired. What do we have on the books today?"

"It's slow today. You need to go drive around and hit some dogs," her technician said. No wait. Paula wasn't a technician yet, Kaitlyn remembered. She was hired as kennel help and had decided to go to tech school shortly after she started working for her.

"Not funny, Paula," Kaitlyn said. She'd felt bad for giggling at the comment. "How's school coming?"

"Fine. Right now I'm learning more here hands on, but I like it."

"If you need help with homework or need to do anything in the lab, just let me know."

"I'll holler. Thanks, Doc B," Paula said as she went into the back room to tend to the animals that were boarding with them.

After half an hour, Karla knocked on her office door. "Doc?"

"Come in, Karla."

"Where's the cake?" she asked as she opened the office door.

"In the lounge. Why?"

"Because a guy just walked in that would be great to pop out of it," she said, laughing.

"What?"

"A new client. He's a walk-in. Said he found a kitten on the side of the road and didn't know what to do with it. He wanted to get her checked out. Her eyes are all booger-y."

"That is the technical term I've been teaching you, isn't it?"

"Can I send him in?"

"Sure. Give me two seconds."

"You want me to call up Paula?"

"No. I can handle a kitten. Thanks."

Kaitlyn walked into the exam room as the client was entering from the waiting area. She let out a gasp.

"I'm sorry. Did I scare you?" Dustin asked. "Your receptionist said to come right in."

"Um...sorry. No, you're fine. I...just had my mind elsewhere. Bring the kitty over to the table."

They met in the middle of the room at the exam table. He put his hand out and she shook it. "Dustin Andrews. This little guy doesn't have a name."

"It's a little girl, Mr. Andrews."

"You are good. You didn't even check the plumbing yet, and call me Dustin."

"She's a gray tortoise shell. Some would call her a blue cream. That's a calico and is almost always a female."

"No shit? I never heard that before."

"Most men aren't cat people, although I'd have to admit, not many people know that, anyway." She gave the kitten's face a quick once-over. "She does have a bad case of eye boogers, doesn't she?"

He laughed. "Is that the technical term?"

"Apparently around here, yes." She smiled at him as she picked the kitten up and took her over to the sink. Kaitlyn removed a soft cloth out of the drawer, got it wet, then gently cleaned the kitten's eyes. "Karla said you found her," she said, making conversation while performing the task.

"She was curled up in a ball on the side of the road."

"That was very nice of you to stop and get her."

He just shrugged. "Not all lawyers are what they say."

"So, you're a lawyer."

"Yes, ma'am."

"I won't hold it against you."

"Good. How about I hold you against me then?"

"Excuse me?" she said, looking up at him.

"I'm sorry. Did I say that out loud?"

"Yes. Yes, you did," she said trying to hold back her smile.

"I don't see a ring. Is there a Mr. Doctor Barrow?"

"No," she replied. This was moving much too fast, but Dusty always did. She returned her focus to the kitten. It had started to purr in her arms and she had begun to cuddle with it.

"Will you at least go out to dinner with me?"

"I can't date my clients, Mr. Andrews."

"I'm not a client. I'm a walk-in. You don't have a file on me and I don't have any other pets."

"Cute little thing," she said changing the subject. "Do you have any plans for her?"

"Shelter I guess. I just wanted to get her checked out first. I don't really have the time for a cat. Does she need much for medicine?"

"Just some antibiotics will take care of her eyes. She's too tiny for shots yet." Kaitlyn picked her up and nuzzled their noses together. "Don't take her to the shelter. I'll take care of her."

"You will?"

"Sure. She's a sweetheart."

"I bet your house is crawling with pets," he said.

"Actually, no. She'll be queen of the roost."

"Really?"

"I'd have a dozen animals but with my life as it is, I have to live vicariously through my clients and their pets."

"Can I at least pay you?"

"You can pay for the office call and the amoxicillin if you feel so inclined. Otherwise, we'll call it a done deal."

"Not quite."

"How's that?"

"You didn't answer me about dinner."

She stared back at him blankly, unable to think fast enough on her feet.

He smiled. "I'll pick you up at seven. I'll get your address from your receptionist," he said as he shut the door.

"Dammit! He did it again!" The intercom rang as she opened the door to her office. "Yes, Karla."

"It's okay to give him your address?"

She let out a heavy sigh. "I suppose. Go ahead and give it to him."

"Yowza!" Karla said before she hung up.

Dusty was ten minutes early for their date. He arrived with a bouquet of sterling long stem roses. "Happy Birthday," he said as he handed them to her.

She invited him in. "Karla told you?"

"Yes, she did. Somewhere after the squealing subsided. How does a beautiful thing like you not have a date for your birthday?"

"I don't have very much time for a social life. I'm pretty much married to my practice."

"I'd say that's too bad, but it works out pretty good for me." He grinned.

She was dressed and ready to go, but she really didn't want to go to dinner with him. She wasn't sure what possessed her to wear the black low cut dress that he loved. "Look, Mr. Andrews"

"Dustin."

"Dustin. You really shanghaied me into this date. I—"

"Nonsense. You're dressed and, might I say, you look ravishing. Where's your coat? We should get going. I made reservations at Chez Pauls."

Her last dinner there still brought her horrible memories. It hadn't tasted so good coming up and, unfortunately, that was the memory that stuck with her. "I know it is a very fine restaurant and I'm flattered, really. But do you think we could possibly go somewhere else?"

"Sure, doll. Where do you want to go?"

"Anywhere."

"Chinese?" he asked.

"I just had Chinese. How about Italian?"

"Buca's?"

"That's an hour away. Are you nuts?"

"You want the truth?"

"Absolutely."

"Then, yes," he said with a straight face.

"How about just Charley's for a burger?"

"You look too fine to take to a bar."

"You afraid of a bar brawl, Mr. Andrews? What's the matter? You have a glass chin or something?"

"Please call me Dustin, and am I on Candid Camera or something?"

She laughed. "Did I nail it?" She loved having the edge on him and planned on using it to her advantage at every possible moment.

"A guy gets one lucky punch back in college..." He shook his head. "Charley's it is." Just then, the little kitty came running down the stairs and pounced on his leg. Laughing, he bent down to pick her up. "She seems to be adjusting okay."

"Oh, she's a devil all right. I'm not sure what I've gotten myself into here." Kaitlyn laughed. "Her eyes have stayed clear and she eats like a horse. I think she played you for a sucker. Blue, stay outta my plants while I'm gone," she said as she picked the kitten off of Dustin's leg, trying to not let her claws snag his pants.

"Blue?"

"It's the first thing that hit me."

"You did say she was called a 'blue cream'. It fits her."

"I'm glad you approve," she said with a smile.

He took a step closer to her and said, "Oh, I approve all right." He leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. "And not just about the kitten's name."

She looked up at him in surprise. It wasn't just the act of him being so bold, but how was it that it still felt like a first kiss to her every time he did that?

"Sorry," he said. "That was a little forward of me."

"Yes, it was."

"I'll try to behave from now on."

"You do that," she said, putting the kitten down. It darted off toward the kitchen.

"Can I use your phone to cancel the reservation? I didn't bring mine. Under no circumstances do I want any distractions from you tonight."

"Sure," she said, pointing to the table by the stairs with the cordless phone on it. As he made the call, she got on her coat.

They walked into the small bar, receiving a few looks from the patrons that appeared to be regulars. The two of them were a little over dressed for a bar like Charley's. Dustin held out a chair for her at a small table by the window and helped her remove her coat. This was such a different Dustin. Suits and ties were not his style. At least not the Dusty she knew.

A waitress came over to take their order. Dustin motioned to Kaitlyn. "Whatever you have on draft will be fine for me," she said to the waitress.

"Liney's okay?"

"Sure."

"Make it two," Dustin said as he sat down.

As they sipped their beers, Kaitlyn began the conversation. She couldn't piece together how Dusty ended up as a lawyer. He'd never mentioned law school in all their time together. She wondered if what she was doing somehow altered his future, but she wasn't certain it was for the better. He was still witty and handsome, but something seemed to be missing, although she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Did you always want to be a lawyer, Dusty?"

"Dusty?" He smiled. "I haven't heard that in years."

"I'm sorry."

"No. I like it," he said, taking her hand. "Please, call me Dusty."

"So..." she said trying to lead him back into the conversation.

"Does anyone dream of being a lawyer? I mean really, Kait...does anyone call you Katie?"

"Most of my friends do," she answered.

"Okay, Katie." He smiled at her. "I don't know how to answer that. I took college classes early and didn't know what to do with my life. Medicine didn't really interest me, no offense."

"None taken. So what you're saying is, your parents wanted you to follow in their footsteps and footed your bill through college to make it happen. Mom or Dad the lawyer?" she asked, putting her elbow on the table and resting her head on her open hand.

His jaw could not have dropped any further before he caught himself and closed it. "How did you..." He took a long gulp of his beer, finishing it, and motioned the waitress for another round. "Both were, actually. Dad still is. Mom finally quit. She said she wants to see the world before she's worm food."

"Your parents can't be that old. You're not even what? Twenty-five yet?" She pretended to guess his age. She didn't want to nail it and really scare him.

"Close enough," he answered as the waitress dropped off the second round of beers. "Two Bacon Swiss Burgers with the works," he said to the waitress, then looked to Kaitlyn for approval.

She just nodded. "Sounds good to me."

"I like a woman that lets a man order."

"I like a man that likes to order for a woman. It's kind of nice knowing chivalry is not dead yet."

"Where have you been all my life?"

"Closer than you think," she said and began to laugh.

"What's that mean?"

"Nothing really. I just mean if you're from around here, you'd think we would have run into each other here or there."

"Did you ever go to Tricky Dick's in college?"

"I was there a time or two."

Suddenly he sat back in his chair, eyes wide. "Holy Shit. I think you 'dissed' me once!"

"I did not!"

"Oh, yes, you did!" he said, pointing at her. "You were with a chubby brunette. I knew you looked familiar."

"I'm sorry. I don't remember," she lied. This was kind of strange that they did share some of the same memories now.

"I'd know that ass anywhere."

"Excuse me?" She couldn't keep herself from blushing.

"I told my friend Dean you were my future wife." She began to choke on a sip of beer. "Sorry." He laughed as he gently patted her back.

"I'm sorry if I was rude. I didn't date much. I had to concentrate on my studies."

"That's all right. We're here now."

They were here now indeed, but where? She didn't know him from college now, but she was again meeting him earlier than it happened originally, and he was a lawyer. Why was this new wrench thrown into the mix?

Their burgers showed up; he smiled at her as she took a very unladylike bite out of it. "What?" she asked with a full mouth.

"I thought you'd be a vegetarian in all honesty."

She wondered how many times they would have the same conversations before they got old to her. After thinking about it for a brief second she decided. Never.

"Stereotype of a vet. I suppose since you're a lawyer, I should think you're an asshole." It was his turn to start to choke and her turn to be the back patter.

"You're going to give me a run for my money, aren't you?"

"You betcha."

The crowd started to get more rambunctious as they ate, and the jukebox got turned up louder. When they finished, Dusty suggested going somewhere else for dessert.

"It just wouldn't be proper for you not to have a cake on your birthday. Can I take you for coffee and dessert? Some place a little quieter than this?"

"I don't suppose by saying that I'm not usually a dessert eater and that I'm worried your little kitty is tearing apart my house would help sway you to let me out of it?"

"Nope." He stood, took the check and went to the bar to pay.

They were engaged in conversation and laughs on the drive. Kaitlyn hadn't even paid attention to the fact that they were in Dusty's neighborhood until they were right in front of his house. She was surprised when he pulled up to the main house and didn't drive to the back.

"What are we doing here?" she asked.

"I have a wonderful holiday cheesecake inside with your name on it," he said as he got out and ran around to open her door.

She accepted his hand and got out of his car. "You're assuming a lot there, lawyer. What if I didn't trust you enough to walk in your house with you?"

"I'll behave. I promise. Come on," he said, leading her inside. As he helped her take her coat off, he explained about the house. "There's a cottage out back. I used to rent it when I was in school. About a year ago, right after I graduated, my landlords decided to move to Florida so I bought the house. The neighborhood grew on me."

"And the cottage?"

"I rented it to a law student. Little prick kinda reminds me of myself at that age." He laughed. "Arrogant bastard."

"You were never arrogant, Dusty." She caught herself. "I mean, I can't imagine you ever arrogant."

He just shrugged. "Comes with the territory. You hear enough lawyer jokes and you start to become it. You know?"

"No, I don't. I'm not buying it for a second." This time it was Kaitlyn who approached Dustin and gave him a kiss. When she tried to part, he didn't let her. He took her by the shoulders and held her tight. He began to use his tongue in the way that made her legs go weak. When they did finally part she said, "You promised me coffee."

They walked hand in hand to the kitchen. She saw a shaker of flavoring by the coffee pot and remembered all too vividly her last coffee experience in his home. "I'll just take it black since we're having cheesecake, too."

He snapped his fingers as if he just remembered it, and went to the refrigerator. He put two small slivers of cheesecake on a couple of clear glass dessert plates and placed a piece in front of her with a small fork. They sat at the breakfast table. Kaitlyn took a small piece on her fork and put it to Dustin's mouth.

"You first," she said with a smile. "I want to be sure you're not trying to poison me."

He laughed and took the bite. "Not bad. Different. I should have gone for the Bailey's flavor. Your turn," he said as he offered her a bite with his fork. She accepted the bite and instantly made a face. She reached for a napkin and spit it out.

"What's wrong?"

"What flavor did you say that was?"

"I don't remember," he said going for the box. "Holiday something. Is it that bad?" He began to read the heading under the name. "A charming holiday blend of cinnamon—"

"Good God. Not again," she said as she ran for the hall bathroom they'd passed on their way to the kitchen. She slammed the door and barely made it to the toilet before throwing up.

He quickly followed, calling through the door. "Are you okay? Shit! I did try to poison you."

"I guess I should have asked before I took the bite," she said with a groan.

"What is it, Katie?"

"I'm allergic to cinnamon," she said before heaving again. Was it part of her destiny to vomit in front of him on their every first date? If she didn't feel so lousy, she'd almost laugh at the irony of it. When she was finally finished, she opened the vanity drawers until she found a brand new toothbrush that she knew would be there. "I'm claiming a toothbrush," she hollered through the door without asking this time.

"Be my guest. Ignore the—"

"Year supply of condoms," she said, cutting him off.

When she opened the door, he stood there with an eyebrow raised. "How did you know I was going to say that?"

She just shrugged. "Old joke? I need to lay down," she said, leaning into him. He bent down, picked her up, and carried her upstairs to the bedroom. When he placed her on the bed, she asked him to help her out of her dress. "This thing is suddenly very tight and uncomfortable." When he hesitated she added, "We're adults, Dusty. I think you can handle it. Can I borrow a T-shirt, please?"

He helped her undress then slip the shirt on, apologizing at least ten times during the process. "How will I ever make this up to you?" he said, stroking her cheek.

"You'll think of something," she said as she closed her eyes. "You always do," she said softly, then fell asleep.

"Babe? How are you feeling?" Dustin whispered.

Katie opened her eyes at the sound of his voice. It was dark, but she could make out enough to know she was in a hospital room. She knew she hadn't gone to the hospital after the cheesecake incident. Where the hell was she now? She suddenly remembered the miscarriage.

"What are you doing here, Dusty?" she asked softly. "Didn't they ask you to leave?" She hoped she was remembering correctly. Why, after all that had happened, did she have to come back to this time again?

"Yes, and so did you. I say 'tough shit' in your general direction, baby. I love you. I know you're a little irritated with me right now, but I need to be with you."

"A little irritated?" she said. "If you shove a grain of sand up my ass, I bet I can make a pearl before Christmas." As uncomfortable as things were at first, they both broke into laughter. "Ouch," she said, closing her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Katie."

"It's not your fault, Dusty. I should know better than most that these things just happen. I'm sorry it was a shock to you but, honestly, it was a surprise to me, too. I guess things have been too crazy and I didn't slow down enough to realize I was late."

"Marry me, Katie."

"Dusty..."

"Marry me. Please. I need you, cupcake," he said with his boyish smile.

Was this why she had to come back? After a long pause she said, "Maybe, on one condition."

"Anything," he said, taking her hand in his.

"Don't call me cupcake."

"No promises, puddin'."

She pretended to think about it for a moment then said, "Yes."

"I knew you'd see it my way," he said before he gave her a long kiss. "Babe?"

"Hmmm," she said with her eyes closed. She was still very tired.

"What did you mean when you said you saw our daughter?"

"Oh, Dusty." She sighed. "We have so much to talk about. Again."

"Mr. Andrews!" the nurse said when she found him sitting there.

"Shit!" he said as he stood up. He gave Katie a kiss on the forehead. "I'll be back to spring you as soon as they let me, sugar bear."

Kaitlyn smiled. Maybe the next marriage proposal would be on bended knee and with a big fat diamond ring. After being given the once-over by the nurse again, she fell asleep.

Katie woke up in her dorm room. She noticed Courtney's bed empty and unmade; she was already gone for the day. When they were in school, Kaitlyn liked to wake up with her so they had some time together each day. Her roommate's workload was even heavier than her own. Sometimes they could miss each other for days other than the coming and going of sharing a room.

Anxious to check the date, she discovered she was back where she left the young Dusty with his parents at his house. She reached over to her nightstand and picked up her phone and made a call.

Dustin answered on the first ring. "Hey, baby! I was hoping I'd get to talk to you before class. I honestly didn't think you'd call. Sorry about my parents showing up last night."

"That's all right. I got over the embarrassment."

"Your head still doing okay?"

"It's fine. Really." She had given up trying to break up with him. There was obviously something about him. Maybe they were meant to be together after all.

"My parents always did have great timing. Mom really liked you."

"She saw me for ten seconds, Dusty."

"That's all it took for me. Less actually. Hey, did you, uh...stay put last night?"

"We came straight back to the dorm. Why?"

"No. I mean..."

"Oh, that. Truthfully? No. And I really don't know where to go with you with all of this. I can't believe I even said anything. I'm talking about it and not believing it myself."

"Did you try to dump me again?"

"Actually, no."

He questioned the pause that followed her answer. "What is it, Katie?"

"Nothing. Don't you have to get to class?"

"Shit. Yes. We going to finish the movies tonight?"

"If you don't get a better offer, I'll come over."

"You're right. Dean could want to watch paint dry or something. It's going to be a real tough call for me. I'll call around five. Sound okay?"

"Sounds fine. I'll be here."

"Promise?"

"I'll be here, unless I fall asleep. Then all bets are off," she said.

"Then keep yourself caffeined up."

"I'll talk to you at five, Dusty."

"Bye, love puppet."

"Love puppet?" She sighed as they hung up. "Maybe I was sent back to break him of those damn nicknames."

Katie decided to skip the coffee shop and just hit the vending machine for a Coke on the way out. She wasn't going to class again and went straight to the library. Frank was mopping the tile in the entry when she got there.

"Well, hello there, Kaitlyn. You still with us?"

"Well, I'm back, anyway."

He regarded the can in her hand. "That stuff will rot your stomach, you know."

She just shrugged. "I didn't want to take time for coffee."

"Well, I'm taking time for coffee. You can come with me to the break room, if you feel so inclined."

"Sure." She smiled and tossed the half empty can in the garbage.

Once they were alone and settled in the break room, Frank handed her a mug filled with coffee. "I hope you like it strong, little lady."

"The stronger the better," she said, accepting it from him.

"Should you be in class?"

"I've already taken it all, Frank."

"But what if here is where you're supposed to stay?"

"Then I'll show up for finals and ace the exams."

"Got it all figured out, do ya?"

"Actually, I don't have any of it figured out. It was frustrating at first, well it still kind of is, but lately I could just about stay anywhere and be happy. I just desperately want to stop bouncing around."

"This Dustin fella, he makes you happy?"

She laughed. "He cracks my ass up, his persistence floors me, and he's really good in..." She caught herself and stopped.

"Good in bed is he?" The old man laughed until he had a coughing fit.

Kaitlyn blushed so hard, she held her hands up to her cheeks to try to cool them off.

When his laughing was under control, he said, "Okay. Tell me what's happened since we talked last. You can leave out the X-rated stuff." He winked. "Maybe we can figure out which one of these characters you are supposed to end up with."

"But it's always him."

"But a different him. Maybe he's the key to all of this."

Kaitlyn took a deep breath and began to re-cap the last couple of days. After an hour of talking, with not much more input than "uh-huh" and "I see", she was done with her story.

"That's quite a tale."

"Well? What are your thoughts?"

"I don't know exactly. I've seen many things I can't explain in all my years, but this one takes the cake."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"Do you honestly believe me?" she said with tears building in her eyes.

He took her hands in his. "Again, what's not to believe?"

"Gee, I don't know. The whole thing? I'm living it and I don't buy it."

"Maybe that's your problem." Frank said.

"How do you figure?"

"I've done maintenance for over fifty years and if I've learned anything at all, it's that you can't fix what ain't broke."

"This is as broke as it gets."

"But you're not sure exactly what."

"There's gotta be a screw loose somewhere." She sighed.

"But I reckon until you figure out which one, you can't tighten it, my dear."

"Come again?"

"You like him as a 'paper boy' as you called him. You had no idea of what he was other than he worked at a newspaper."

"Correct."

"You liked his charm as your hubby, the lawyer."

"I suppose. Although I haven't spent too much time with him that way. We seemed happy, though. It was almost as if we were happier when I came back."

"Interesting. We'll have to remember that. You also like him now."

"Very much," she said, smiling.

"Then you are in a pickle indeed."

"Ah hell." She sent her head backward onto the chair. "You and those damn pickles. We're still at square one."

"It would appear that way. You did talk to him, though. That is a start."

"I don't know if he really believes me."

"So make him."

"How?"

"You'll think of something." He stood up. "I got a floor that ain't gonna mop itself. You come see me again, you hear?"

"Of course," she said, standing up and giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Who else do I have?"
Chapter Eleven

**K** atie spent the rest of the day at the library, reading miscellaneous books on various time related subjects again. She couldn't get interested in any of them in particular; that brought her nothing but frustration. Loneliness hit her out of nowhere and she thought about calling her mother. Although she had Dusty for comfort, Courtney for companionship, and Frank for his ears, something was missing. As she opened her cell phone, she closed it just as quickly. Her mother would know that something was up no matter what kind of tone she used in her voice. It was best not to even try. Kaitlyn was fortunate not to have lost any close friends over that period of time, so she didn't have the urge to look someone up to make amends, or get to say goodbye. The time passed by slowly until Dustin called at five-ten.

"What are you wearin'?" he teased.

"Long underwear. It's your lucky day."

"Ooh, baby, stop. You're turning me on. Can I come get you?"

"Sure. I'm at the library. I've been here most of the day."

"You cut class again?"

"I've already taken them, Dusty."

He sighed. "That's right." She didn't care for the tone that he gave her. "I'll come get you. It's your turn to cook."

"So, we'll get take out and it'll be on me."

"I'll let you get away with that for tonight. See you in ten minutes."

Dustin carried in the pasta, Kaitlyn carried in the Shiraz and the movie bag. She dropped the bag on the table then reached in for the movie. "We still have a few to see. Why did you grab another?" She read the title. "Groundhog Day?"

"You said you keep going back to your birthday. In this movie, Bill Murray keeps going back to Groundhog Day. Maybe there's a connection somehow."

"You don't believe me," she said, dropping the movie on the table. "After all you said yesterday." She walked over to the window and stared out blankly with her arms crossed. Tears once again building in her eyes.

"Katie, look. I really like you and you really have me intrigued here. I want to know why I'm a big part of this but, as fond of you as I am, it's all really hard to swallow. What would you do if you were me?"

"Probably go running out the door."

"See. You're not even buying it yourself."

"But then I'd realize how much I cared about you and wonder why I was there every time you turned around. Why you met me every stage along the way where we'd never met before. Why no matter what you did and how you tried to push me away, I was still always there fighting for you. Why I was the one that was the mother of your chil..."

"The what? Wait. We have kids?"

"I didn't want that to come out. I'm sorry. I understand it's hard to take. You must really think I'm bat-shit crazy."

"No. I just think we need to find someone for you to talk to professionally. You need a higher rank than a janitor, Katie."

"I don't need a shrink. I have all my marbles; they're just not in order anymore. I wish I could prove it to you somehow." She held her hand to her chin as she tried to think of a way to convince him. "Did you give me that AC/DC T-shirt a couple days ago?"

"Yes."

"Right after you tried to kill me with the coffee?"

"I said I'm sorry."

She paced behind the couch for a few passes then stopped and pointed at him. "So, I passed the bar."

"Passed what bar?"

"No. It's a title, Dusty. 'So I Passed the Bar'. Does that mean anything to you? I know you wrote it around now."

"How on earth do you know about that?"

"That's what I'm trying to tell you!"

"Did you find my article and read it?"

"When have I been here without you? How could I have?"

He raised an eyebrow and tilted his head slightly.

"How's Captain Skinnard doing? You figure out how to get his ass through that nebula thingie yet?"

"What the..."

"I told you, Dusty," she said as he sat down abruptly. "I don't get it, either. You're with me in my...our future. I don't know what I'm doing here in my past. I never knew you then, or rather now." She sat on her knees and put her head in his lap. "Help me figure this out. Please. Jamaican me crazy, my love."

He stroked the back of her hair. "You read my article?"

"I love that article."

"I added the last line this week."

Her head shot up. "I'm the reason you finished law school?"

"I was skipping class the morning we met. Skipping is hardly the word. I dropped out. I told my dad and Dean Hallard to kiss my ass."

"Why?"

"I just got fed up. It's not what I wanted to do, not that I knew what I wanted to do. I just knew it wasn't this."

"Why did you go back?"

"You read the article. I wanted to be someone worthy of having you."

"You don't need to be a lawyer to be with me."

"Well, I couldn't very well have you if I was a bum."

"You could never be a bum, Dusty. Although, actually, you were pretty close to it at our first encounter." She paused. "And I fell for you anyway."

"You also said you tried to dump me."

"But I couldn't do it," she said with a kiss. She leaned into him, needing his arms around her.

"What do we do now, kiddo?" he said, holding her close.

"I wish I knew."

"How about for now, we eat and watch a movie." he said.

"Are those my only choices?"

"I skipped lunch and I'm kinda hungry so yes, but if you're a good girl, I might consider putting out later."

"I can see you're really distressed over this," she said, only half teasing.

"Honestly, Katie. I don't know what to do. I'm sorry. When I'm nervous I joke around."

"I know." She laughed. "You're not always funny, either."

"Do you give me mercy laughs?"

"Of course. I love you." She bit her bottom lip as she said it. It had to have sounded strange to him. They'd only been together for a few days.

"You love me?" he said, putting his hands around her waist.

"I just figured it out a couple of days ago."

He smiled and gave her a kiss. "Maybe we can have sex first, then eat," he said, leaning her backward with more kisses.

"I skipped lunch, too. I think I'll need my strength," she said, pushing him back and getting to her feet.

Every last piece of pasta had been eaten and the last drop of wine had been drained from the bottle. The credits ran on the DVD player while they were naked and on the floor in euphoria from their lovemaking.

"So. We do this often?" he asked, gently kissing her chin.

She nodded. "You're awfully fond of two-sies," she said, rubbing her hands up and down his back, almost massaging him with strong fingers.

"I am the man. Can I get you to stay tonight?"

"Yes," she said without hesitation. "I thought maybe if I wasn't with you, that it wouldn't happen. It only worked once. If I have to go through this anyway, I want to be with you."

"Did you try telling the older me?"

"Not yet."

"I think I'd understand."

"I don't know if I can keep doing it. So far, there have been three other 'yous'."

"Three?"

"Each time I leave, things are different when I get back," she explained.

"Maybe it'll be different now that I know."

"I guess I never thought of that."

"You ready for bed?"

"If you mean sleep, yes. I'm not afraid now," she said, cuddling her head into his chest.

"Let's at least make it to the bed, my sweet."

Dustin walked into the room as Kaitlyn was opening up her eyes. "Hey, Gorgeous. Did you survive the night all right?"

"You didn't stay with me? I was sure I felt your arm around me." She knew where she was. This was a new bedroom for her. It was Dusty's house.

"Guilty. I left early, though, to go check on El Diablo."

"Who?"

"I think Blue needs a new name and you need a new fern."

"The poor thing. Her first night in a new home and she was left alone."

"She looked no worse for the wear. I filled her food and put down fresh water. She seems to have taken to the litter box right away, too."

"Cats usually do."

"There's a mess of gravel around it, but her aim was good."

"You sound like you would have taken care of her just fine, Dusty."

"I only did it for you. I still feel horrible about trying to kill you."

"Accidents happen. I should think about asking what's in something beforehand."

"I know I'll never forget again," he said as he touched her face. "As much as I want to stay here and ravish you, I have to get to the office and get some work done."

"On Sunday?"

He shrugged. "I have some pain in the ass things going on. My job isn't exactly Monday through Friday and nine to five."

"You sure are different," she said, sitting up.

"Different? We just met. Or do you mean as in Minnesota different? 'Oh, that's different', as in you don't really like it?"

"No, Dusty. You're different from the Dusty I know."

"Come again?"

"Sit down," she said. He took a seat next to her on the bed. "I wasn't going to do this, but you told me to," she started to explain.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" he asked as he placed his hand on her forehead.

"I'm feeling fine." She removed his hand and held it in her lap. "I know you, Dusty. Technically I've known you for about four years if we're going by today's date."

"That's sweet. Are you going to be one of those girls that counts our anniversary from the first time you snubbed me?"

"No, Dusty. Just listen to me." She sighed heavily. She really didn't want to do this but the way she saw it, she really didn't have anything to lose. "We have been dating for just less than a year. Somehow I go back to our college days and now we've met then, instead of when I was twenty-nine."

"You're twenty-seven."

"Now I am. See? Technically we don't even meet until later, but here you are again. I'm actually thirty."

"I'm not following you at all," he said, standing up.

"I'm not crazy, Dusty. I've known you long before you came into my clinic yesterday."

"You sure you're not having an 'I'm almost thirty' nervous breakdown?"

"No! Dammit. I didn't even want to say anything. I don't know how it'll help to tell you anyway. I knew you'd take it badly."

"I really need to go. Can we do this later? Whatever this is?"

"It doesn't matter," she said, quickly getting out of bed and reaching for her clothes. "I'll occupy myself today, fall asleep tonight, and hopefully not come back to this 'you' ever."

"This me? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Like I said, I know you. I know the sweet Dusty. Somewhere else, you're a lot of fun to be around."

"You're trying to tell me you take jaunts through time with me and you expect me to sit here and buy it? What do you have to possibly gain by saying this? I don't need to get laid that bad, doll face," he said, suddenly getting angry with her.

"I can't believe I'm in love with an asshole!"

"Wait. You're in love with me?"

"Hell no! Not you. The other you!" She stormed out of the room. "I'll walk home!"

"I didn't believe you?" Dusty asked after Kaitlin had told him what had happened. She woke up the following morning with him at his cottage, grateful to have again returned to the same time frame.

"No. You really have me thrown off guard, too. You've really become a stuffed shirt. I don't know what happened to you. We didn't meet, yet somehow you finished law school anyway, and became an asshole, Dusty. You just let me walk out of your life thinking I was a crazy lady."

"I bet I come back."

"I don't know." Tears were forming in her eyes. "What if I go back and that's where I get stuck. I won't have you and you're..." She flopped her head into his chest.

"Not gonna happen," he said, rubbing her back. "When or if you see that me again, this is what you do..."

There was a knocking at the door of Kaitlyn's home. She opened it and saw Dustin standing there holding flowers.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

It was the day after their fight. She had woken up that morning, once again in her altered present, where she had just met Dusty, the lawyer. She carried on her day as she should have with appointments at her clinic. It wasn't like college where she could skip classes. She at least needed her practice to stay afloat. Although she kept going through different times, with the exception of her college days, she tried to act as if she was going to finally stay put and needed to behave accordingly to keep things "right".

With no expression on her face, she took a step back and motioned for him to come in. He handed her the flowers. She accepted them and took in a deep smell of the sterling roses. "See. It's things like this that confuse the hell out of me."

"What?" he asked.

"I don't know if I've always loved these roses or if I only love them because it's what you always bring me."

"Look. I'm sorry we're getting off on the wrong foot here. I just don't get why you're saying what you're saying, Katie. We had a great date. Why do you think you have to try to pull this?"

"I'm saying it because it's the truth."

"Come on." He sighed heavily and ran his fingers through his hair in obvious frustration.

She turned away in annoyance as well. She didn't want to have to say what Dustin told her to tell his older self. He would be embarrassed and maybe get mad and leave. She didn't want that. She tried to think of another way to convince him she wasn't lying. "What did you do with that four-point deer you used to have hanging over the fireplace in the cottage?"

"How do you know about that?"

"I saw it. You shot it when you were twelve and your uncle had it mounted for you."

"That doesn't mean anything. Lots of kids get four-point deer their first time out."

"And their Uncle Tom has them mounted for them?"

He stared at her blankly. "Maybe I talk in my sleep," he said stubbornly.

"Where's the big ugly flower print couch we used to watch movies on together?"

"Name one college student that has brand new furniture to be proud of? You're not even trying very hard, Katie. You going to pick on the old piece of shit Nova I had?"

"It was a Chevelle and the heat never worked."

His eyes widened a little but his posture didn't waiver at all.

"Man you are a dick," she said, shaking her head. "I don't care if I love you in our past or future. I sure as hell don't like you now." She opened the door and said, "Get out."

He stepped outside. As the door swung closed, she shouted, "Becky Swenson!" before giving it a good slam the rest of the way.
Chapter Twelve

After a minute, Katie's doorbell rang. She opened it and leaned her head onto the frame.

"What did you say?" he asked.

"Becky Swenson."

"Who told you that name?"

"You did."

"No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did. She was your first...um...partner."

"I never told anyone about that," he said, suddenly embarrassed.

"I wouldn't expect you would."

"Why would I tell you about that?"

"It's the only thing you could think of that would convince you that I was telling the truth. It's something only you knew. Well you...and Becky." Upset as she was, she couldn't fight her grin.

"And I decided to use that? That was the most horrible...encounter." He worded it as carefully as he could. "You must think I'm a great stud," he said sarcastically.

"So you didn't quite make it all the way to the gate without...you know," she said as she played with his tie. "It happens. It was your first time."

"Why would I tell you that?"

"You're pretty sure of yourself sexually. I've already determined several times over how good you really are in bed. We needed something good to convince you."

"Can I come in?"

She pushed the door open while still leaning on the frame.

"I'm sorry," he said, placing his hand on her shoulder. "I still don't know what's going on."

"What if I told you I saw your birthmark?"

"What birthmark?"

"Below your left butt cheek."

"I do not have a birthmark on my ass."

"I have a twenty that says you do. It's tiny. Kinda looks like the state of Wisconsin," she said, folding her arms.

"You almost had me with the car and Becky, but now you're reaching." He stood up and dropped his pants, trying to intimidate her.

She didn't flinch. Instead she said, "Exactly when did you start wearing underwear?"

He angrily kicked them off, too, and marched to the hall mirror. He turned around. "See."

She sauntered over and gently lifted up a handful of flesh, exposing where his cheek met his leg. He saw it. "Holy shit!"

"Ta da!" she said with a bow. Kaitlyn thought he seemed suddenly embarrassed, standing there half naked, due to the hurried pace in which he got dressed. Even though she had won, it was like she had been arguing with a stranger. There was no thrill in the victory. She really didn't know this Dusty at all and it made her sad. She sat down on the couch and Blue joined her.

He sat next to her, placing his arm across the back of the couch. "So...what do we do now?"

"I don't know. I'm losing track of where I'm supposed to be, or at least where I think I want to be; not that I have any say in it. All I know is, I can't think of a time when you weren't a part of my life. I really wanted you in it."

"Wanted? As in past tense?"

"You are not the same person, Dusty. I want you, but maybe you aren't supposed to be with me."

"I'm here now, aren't I? I don't know what made me come back. I really thought you were insane."

"Maybe I am," she said, flopping her head onto the back of the couch. "Maybe I should just give up my practice and check myself into the loony bin."

He scooted closer and pulled her head to his shoulder. "You really love me?"

"The other you, yes."

"I am the only me there is."

She grasped his hands. "Tell me a lawyer joke, Dusty."

"Why would I tell you a lawyer joke? Hello. Lawyer here."

"You were always telling lawyer jokes in school."

"I did?"

"How can you be so different? How can you have lost your sense of humor?"

"Maybe without you, I never found it," he said, stroking her cheek.

She sat upright. "What's the difference between a dead dog in the road and a dead lawyer in the road?"

"A vet doing a dead dog joke? You are on something."

"There are skid marks in front of the dog," she finished. Without waiting for a response, she fired again. "What do you have when a lawyer is buried up to his neck in sand?"

"Not enough sand," he answered. "I used that one?"

"Yes."

"Okay, I get it. I used to be able to laugh at myself. It seems that this isn't about me though, Katie."

"How do you figure that?" she asked.

"If it's about me, why am I not waking up in different places? Why you?"

"I don't know."

He was quiet for a moment. "So...you really think I'm good in bed?"

She got up on her knees and leaned into him, giving him a slow soft kiss on the lips. "Yes," she said in a seductive tease then flopped back down. "But I'm not sleeping with you."

"But, it is me."

"No, it's not. I thought you 'didn't need to get laid that bad,'" she said, quoting him.

"I lied. I'm an asshole, remember?"

She laughed hard and covered her mouth when she snorted.

He smiled at her. "I like seeing you laugh."

She titled her head slightly. "You always say that."

"I'm a smart guy and I must know what I like," he said, stroking her cheek again. "Can I at least take you to dinner?"

"You do owe me."

They drove the hour to Minneapolis. They had a lot to talk about and Kaitlyn was craving a Blue Cheese chunk salad at TGI Fridays. Over dinner and wine, she asked him, "Do you write at all anymore?"

"I haven't written anything but work related things since college. And how did you know I wrote?"

"I know everything. You'd be best to remember that," she said, pointing her fork at him. "Dammit," she said as she played with her food.

"What?"

"I'm never going to find out what happened to Captain Skinnard and his crew going into that stupid nebula thingie."

When Dustin dropped his fork, she grinned.

"I let you read that?"

"No. But I did anyway. I came across it..." She had to stop and think. "You were twenty-five."

"So, I take it I didn't finish it."

"Not yet. But I made you promise to for me," she said, batting her eyes at him. "I have my ways."

"I bet you do. I can already see why I love you." She felt her cheeks flush as he said that. "Do we have kids?"

"I don't know how much I should tell you. I just wanted you to know so maybe you could help me."

"The old 'you shouldn't know too much about your own future' line, huh?"

"It's all jumbled up anyway there, Doc Brown."

"Did we watch Back to the Future together?"

"No. We passed on that movie series." She thought for a second. "I don't know if anything I say really matters all that much actually. I could leave tonight and meet a different 'you' again."

"So tell me then."

"We have a daughter," she finally admitted. "It's actually my favorite time to go back to."

"Go back to? So is that where you left originally?"

"No. But I've been back there a couple times." She dropped her head slightly. "I miss her."

"Is her name Alyson?" he asked. "Spelled with a 'y?'"

Kaitlyn's head shot up as he said that.

"I'll be damned," he said. "Let's get out of here and go for a walk."

"It's below zero out."

"We'll go across the street to the Mall of America. I need to walk."

"All right," she said.

They parked in "Hawaii" upon Kaitlyn's direction. She always parked in the Hawaii parking lot. She wanted to go there someday and settled for this for now.

"Maybe some cold February I'll hop on a plane and go," she said as they climbed out of his car. They strolled through Nordstrom's, holding hands, and began to aimlessly wander the levels of the mall, talking.

Dustin finally began with his story after they'd walked past the Rainforest Café and watched the fish for a while. "My best friend when I was growing up was a girl named Alyson."

"Your best friend was a girl?"

"Yup. We'd been friends since we were babies. We weren't thinking sex, we were thinking baseball, riding bikes, swimming at the lake. You know, kid stuff. I had guy friends, but she lived in a house on our property. We used to sneak out a lot and hang out together."

"Where is she now?"

"She died."

Kaitlyn's hand went to her mouth. "I'm so sorry, Dusty. What happened?"

"Her dad got offered a job in Fargo and she took it really hard. She didn't want to move. This was when we were twelve. She ran away, but I found her at one of our forts. It was January, but it was unusually warm for that time of year."

"I remember several years back. A lot of ice houses fell through the lakes."

"That was the year. She tried running from me. I was trying to get her to go home, promising we'd still find a way to see each other no matter what. She took off running over the lake..."

He stopped talking and sat down on a bench. Katie sat next to him, waiting patiently for him to recompose himself and finish the story. She stared into his glassy eyes, fighting tears herself, feeling his pain through his expression.

"I tried to save her. I was even fool enough to jump in, but the current took her under the ice and far away fast. I woke up in the hospital two days later. It was another day before they found her body."

Kaitlyn stood up and brought his head to her chest and began to run her fingers through his hair, trying to offer some comfort. "You never told me that before."

"I always swore if I had a little girl, I'd fight my wife tooth and nail to name her Alyson."

"I guess you won," Kaitlyn said as she leaned back, taking his face in her hands. He took her hands in his and stood up. He went to take a step but changed his mind. He leaned down and placed his mouth on hers, not particularly waiting for an invitation to use his tongue. She moaned and reached her hands behind his neck. When their lips parted a few moments later, she smiled. "It is you!"

"Let's go home," he said, taking her by the hand and heading back the way they came.

"Take me on the log ride first," she said, pulling him to the center of the mall where the amusement park was. "Really? I haven't been on that since high school."

"Then you're overdue and now you're taking me on the roller coaster, too."

"Only if you'll build a car with me and race it down the ramp at Lego Land." He was suddenly grinning like a schoolboy.

"Deal."

They made love when they got back to Dusty's house. They had played like kids at the amusement park at the mall and laughed like they never had together. It was another Dusty and she had fallen in love all over again.

He held her tight as they lay in bed that night. "Don't leave me, Katie. I need you here with me now."

"I'll do my best," she said, returning his embrace and fighting sleep.

Waking up in Dustin's arms was always a good thing, it just took her a moment to figure where and when she was. Looking around the room, she realized she was back in his cottage. By the looks of the clothes on the floor, it was the morning after where she had just left him. The 'him' that gave her the "Becky Swenson" ammo. Besides the trip to see a different future Dusty, she'd fallen asleep and woken up almost like a normal person and was thrilled.

As she stirred, he pulled her tighter to him with a sleepy moan. "Good morning," he said, kissing the top of her head. He stretched then shot up. "Did you convince me?"

She sat up, smiled, and nodded.

"Mentioning Becky did it, huh?"

"I tried not to, but you really played tough. Even after mentioning her, I still had to convince you with your birthmark."

"What birthmark?"

She laughed and flopped back on the bed. "Maybe I won't tell you. I may need to use that info later."

He lay down next to her, propping himself on his elbow. "So," he said running his finger from her forehead, down her nose and stopping at her lips. "Did you sleep with me?"

She kissed his finger. "Is that cheating on you if I did?"

He flopped onto his back. "I don't know how I feel about that."

She laughed. "Dusty. It's you. Actually, I wasn't going to. You were kinda a jerk for a long time."

He put his hands behind his head. She was worried he had really gotten upset. She climbed on top of him and lay flat on his chest. He moved one arm and held onto her. "You told me about Alyson," she said softly.

His other arm reached around her as well and he gave her a tight hug. "I did?"

She nodded and kissed his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Dusty. Have you felt guilty for that your whole life?"

"Pretty much. I scared her off, then I couldn't save her." He rolled Kaitlyn off of him and got out of bed. He stared out the window as he stood there naked.

She went over and joined him, wrapping her arms around him and kissing his back. "It's not your fault. You have to know that. You could have died, too, trying to save her."

"That doesn't help the pain and the guilt I feel."

"You need to heal, Dusty. You need to stop blaming yourself."

He spun around and rubbed up and down her arms as if he was warming her up. "I know. I guess if I told you, that's a start."

"Come here," she said, dragging him by the hand into the bathroom. She spun him around so his rear end faced the mirror. She grasped a handful of flesh again. "Voila. Birthmark."

"I'll be damned." He laughed. "You have a thing for my ass, huh?"

"I have a big thing for your ass," she said, saying each word slowly, grabbing both sides with both hands as she pulled him close.

He gave her a quick kiss then returned to the bedroom and over to the dresser. "As much as it pains me to leave you, I have to get to class. You skipping again today?"

"I really don't see the point in me going to class. I'll go Friday for tests if I'm here. It just seems pointless. All I do is sit in class and daydream anyway." She wrapped her arms around him after he pulled his jeans up. "Not that daydreaming about you is a bad thing."

"At least you're all set in the sex department," he said as he grasped her hands and dropped her arms back to her side. He walked over to his closet to get a shirt.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked as she crossed her arms.

"Nothing," he said curtly. "It just seems we had sex, then you jaunted off and had sex with me again, so you're good."

She flopped down on a chair. "Are you seriously jealous of yourself?"

"I don't know how to feel," he said, sitting and pulling on his socks. If he wasn't upset, he was sure setting a personal record for getting dressed. "I want you here with me, Katie. I want this to stop. I don't know what it is you're supposed to be doing with all this back and forth—"

She interrupted him and shot to her feet. "Well, I don't know either!" she hollered. "You think it's fun for me? You think I'm off to fuck you as often as I can in every stage of your life? You think I'm setting my transporter for your virginity next?"

"I didn't say that!" he hollered back. "I want you to stay with me. I don't care if we didn't meet until you were twenty-nine; I want you now. I don't want to share you with anyone, not even myself!" He strode over and placed his hands on her arms just above her elbows. "Just stay, Katie. Stop this."

She shook herself free of his arms and hurried through getting dressed. "Don't you think if I could stop this I would? You think it's been fun for me? I thought the other you was an asshole. I don't think I'm so fond of this you, either!" She ran to the door and got her boots on.

Dustin stopped her again, holding onto her arms. "Katie, just stop. I'll skip class. We need to talk about this."

She jerked free of him. "Don't skip, Dustin. You need your classes, although you can skip Asshole 101 today. I think you have that one down!" She slammed the door.

She took alleys and side roads to get back to her dorm. She hoped Dustin wouldn't try to follow her but she wanted to be sure she wouldn't be found. She really wanted coffee, but she wouldn't risk going to the coffee shop. A gas station on the way was oddly inviting. It was colder out than she thought. Being angry enough in the beginning must have kept her warm, but the further she walked, the more she got chilled. She almost called Courtney, but she knew she'd be at class. As she sat at the small table by the window of the gas station, she saw an unexpected familiar face at the counter and smiled at the comfort that it brought her. Rex spotted her and made his way over to the table.

"Hey, Katie." He paused and took her appearance in. "Pardon me for saying so, but you look like you got kicked out of the wrong side of the bed there, kiddo."

"You always were a sweet talker, Rex," she said as she pulled another napkin from the shiny metal holder on the table and dried her damp eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he took a seat on the bench next to her.

"I'm fine. Just cold."

"You out walking?"

"Not intentionally," she admitted. She hovered over her coffee and had both hands on the cup, trying to warm them. "You were closer than you think with your guess."

"Are you with that idiot that ruined our date?"

"I ruined our date, Rex." She glanced up at him. "It's complicated. I'm really sorry about what happened that night. I'd do anything to have avoided the whole scene. You were always so nice to me. It shouldn't have gone down that way. I'm so sorry."

"How about you make it up to me?"

"I can't go on another date with you, Rex."

"You owe me," he said, smiling and stroking her cheek with the back of his hand.

She didn't take it as a threat, but took his hand in hers. "I really can't. I'm sorry."

"All right," he said, holding his hands up as if in defeat. "I'm not giving up, though. Can I at least give you a ride home?"

"That would be fabulous."

He dropped her off at her dorm and said goodbye. She was grateful he didn't try to kiss her goodbye, although he did try to get her to set another date. He seemed to accept no as an answer for now, anyway. She didn't remember him as being so pushy. Rex seemed like he always had someone lined up. She couldn't even remember what first brought them together.

Looking up and down the street, she was grateful to not find Dusty. That's all she needed to add to this mess right now; Rex and Dusty getting into another fight over her. After a long, hot shower, she changed into her comfy warm pajamas. She decided to just stay in the dorm for the rest of the day, no longer concerned about a time frame to figure things out. What she needed was a good pout. She was convinced she would spend her eternity bouncing around in her past; only now, Dusty wouldn't be in it. Tears she could no longer fight welled in her eyes. He tried calling her at eleven, but she turned her phone off and hoped Courtney would be home soon to play bodyguard for her.

After an hour of the pout not helping, Katie booted up her laptop and began looking for old news stories that would give her more information about Alyson. For lack of any other ideas as to why she was here, it occurred to her that maybe Dusty needed some kind of closure. She didn't know what she could do now, but it gave her something to do, and beat the hell out of staring at the walls. An hour later, she had enough information to have made her go through another half box of tissues. She knew the year it happened and the town Dusty grew up in, so it wasn't too hard to find the story. A few local papers in surrounding towns had covered the story, including Minneapolis as well as a national news source. Dusty was mentioned in each article and referred to as a "would be" hero. The governor had tried to give him an award, but he had declined. He was quoted as saying, "A real hero would have been able to save her."

Kaitlyn didn't know how she managed to not hear about this story when it happened. She grew up only minutes away from Dusty's home town and had been to that lake often. She was seventeen at the time and probably a little self-absorbed. She was always sought after by the more popular boys but even at that, she more often than not had her face in a book most nights. She was a bookworm and study fiend. Kaitlyn loved her 4.0 GPA and fought to keep it. Not much had changed through college, so it was no wonder she was twenty-nine before finding Dusty and calling that her first serious relationship.

She shut off her laptop and stared at the ceiling.

Serious relationship? She had tried to break up with him just before all this started. Even while reading the articles, it occurred to her again the difference in their ages. She was driving a car, planning proms, and picking colleges when he was still hanging out in a tree fort with his best girlfriend.

Suddenly everything came crashing down on her again. The fight they had this morning pretty much pegged his maturity level. He was even jealous of himself. But in his defense, in all seriousness, could anyone handle this?

With all the emotions going through her, one sensation finally stood out. Hunger. She strained to remember when she ate last. Meals were as much a blur as everything else. She wanted to get something to eat, but she didn't dare leave the security of her dorm room. She couldn't risk running into Dusty. Again she had no idea of what to do about him. Shit. She went to bed hungry and soon fell asleep.
Chapter Thirteen

Kaitlyn slowly began to wake up. It was starting to get dark outside. Winter was her least favorite time; the days were too short. She was sure it was only around five o'clock, yet the day was well on its way to sunset. Placing her hand on her rumbling stomach, she decided if Courtney didn't show up soon, she'd have to risk running out and get something to eat.

She sat up in her bed and gasped from shock. "My teenage bedroom?" she said softly and slowly got out of bed. Walking around her room, she touching all the old posters, stuffed animals, and the few collectable Disney figurines she hadn't packed away yet. She made a mental note to unpack them and buy a curio cabinet if she ever got to stay in one place again.

Suddenly realizing she must somehow be even younger again, she squealed and ran over to her full-length mirror. She admired her figure, even though it wasn't too far from her body in the present. Anxious to see exactly when she was, she lifted up her shirt and giggled when she saw her pierced belly button. Her mom hadn't discovered it yet and made her take it out. Playing with the dangling purse charm, she glanced over to her calendar and saw that it was set to January.

January? That was odd. Every time she time traveled or whatever it was she did, she always stayed within days of her birthday. What on earth? Going downstairs, she found the house vacant. There was a note from her mother on the refrigerator:

Katie,

I have a PTO meeting. Heat yourself up some leftovers for dinner. Your father will be in Chicago another day and your brother has baseball practice. I'll be done in time to get him.

Love, Mom

She took great pleasure in raiding the refrigerator. She missed her mother's cooking. As she sat there gnawing on a chicken leg, she smiled, thinking at least she wouldn't have to avoid Dusty at this age. At first she giggled about her comment about finding him and taking his virginity. Then she thought about what a horrible thought that was. He was twelve. Then she shot to her feet.

He's twelve!

How could she be so stupid! She ran to the electronic clock/calendar on the desk. January twenty-second. The day of Alyson's accident! She stared hard at the clock, her heart pounding. It was a half an hour until the approximate time Alyson was supposed to have fallen through the lake. Dusty couldn't give an exact time in the police report; only roughly, given the light of day and what he could remember.

Kaitlyn frantically searched for her father's keys but she couldn't find them. She wasn't supposed to drive after dark, but she was going to break the rule for this if she ended up staying here and being grounded for a year. After about five minutes she let out a scream in frustration. She went to the kitchen drawer and began riffling through it all again.

She looked at the clock again. It seemed like an eternity, but it had been less than five minutes. She didn't have time to call anyone now. She couldn't believe she could come this far and not do anything.

Her hands came across the snowmobile keys. This would have to do. She was only ten minutes from the lake if she cut through the park. Hopefully there wouldn't be a lot of other riders out tonight. There wasn't much snow; she shouldn't even be taking it really, but she didn't see any other way. She threw on snow pants, a jacket, helmet, and gloves and ran for the garage.

She knew she'd get there quick enough, but Long Lake had its name for a reason. There was a lot of ground to cover if she was going to find Dusty and his friend.

Taking off without warming the snowmobile up, she drove a little more recklessly than usual. She drove over branches she would normally have avoided. She wasn't a big fan of using the snowmobile, preferring to ride four wheelers in the warm and in mud rather than riding snowmobiles in the cold and snow. She had to remind herself to slow down, knowing she wasn't going to do them any good if she was dead. The forest came out at a pavilion area; she drove around that quickly and didn't see a sign of anyone. Remembering Dusty saying they had a fort of sorts; she knew it probably wouldn't be where someone could easily find it. She went down to the lake, hoping to see a sign of anyone around. The sun was down completely now, and it was next to impossible to see very much at all.

Knowing the ice was thin, she thought if she stuck close to the shore, she'd be okay. She gunned the snowmobile and drove around the shoreline. A flash of something caught the corner of her eye across the lake as she quickly swerved out of the way of a dock. Someone hadn't bothered to bring the portable dock in and let it freeze in place. She didn't expect it and wasn't being too careful about looking directly ahead as she drove. She was trying to scan as much of the lake as she could with what little light there was left lingering after sunset and the few yard lights from the scattered homes around the lake.

Seeing the flash across the lake again, she let up on the throttle just a bit. It had to be the reflection tape on a jacket. She decided to head in that direction. It would take too long to go around; she only hesitated for a second before she gunned it, going across what was almost the middle of the frozen lake.

"Fly or die, Kaitlyn," she said out loud. "Fly or die."

If the ice was cracking, she couldn't hear it over the roar of the engine. She'd been on a dangerous ride once before with a boyfriend. They hit a patch of open water and all he could do was gun it. They made it across without an incident, except that she had been afraid to death of snowmobiles for a long time. She remembered slapping a laughing Robby once they got to the other side; she made it home without his company. It was also where she got the term, "Fly or die." At the time, she hadn't thought she'd ever be using it again.

She caught sight of the reflective material again and aimed for it. The strip was indeed down the arm of a jacket and moved as the person walked. She began to scream, "Don't go on the lake!" but the person kept running. She hit the horn repeatedly and continued to shout. "The ice is too thin! Don't go out!" She was less than forty feet from the person. If it was Alyson, she didn't want her to think someone was chasing her. Realizing she was close enough to shore that the ice should be okay so she let up on the throttle and continued shouting.

Kaitlyn was so busy looking the way of the person walking and shouting, she didn't pay attention when the shoreline approached earlier than she expected. She didn't have time to swerve hard enough. She hit the brakes and cranked the handlebars, but the snowmobile planted hard into the bank and she went flying.

She landed a good thirty feet away, but it was just into snow. It was a manmade beach area in the summer and had been cleared of trees several yards back. She heard footsteps running over to her and a girl's voice.

"Are you okay?" the young girl asked.

Despite feeling bruised, Kaitlyn smiled. She had to have found Alyson. She let out a moan and rolled onto her back. She couldn't believe how much effort that took. Another person came running up to her.

"Hey, man. Are you all right?" asked a young boy.

Kaitlyn remained unmoving. She was still in a little bit of a shock. Her mind was slow to calculate what had actually happened. It all came so fast.

The young boy dropped to his knees and began to take off her helmet. "Are you okay, mister?" he asked again, sliding it off of her head. "Holy shit, Alyson. It's a chick. Well, that explains the great driving," he said with a half laugh.

"Dustin Andrews, you chauvinist pig!" the girl said. "I can out dirt bike you any day of the week. Don't pick on her 'cause she's a girl! I swear. Maybe I'm better off moving to Fargo and not having you for a best friend!" The girl began to cry as she screamed at her friend.

Kaitlyn put her hand up in the air as if she was a student waiting to be called on by the teacher. She was in a lot of pain, but she couldn't help smiling when she could finally focus on the face of her twelve year old Dusty.

"Hey, lady. Are you okay? Anything broke?" he asked.

"I don't think so," she said softly. "Can you help me sit up?"

He put out his hand and helped her sit upright. She held her forehead from the slight head rush, but was fine otherwise.

"What the hell were you doing racing across the lake like that anyway?" he said to her. "Don't you have the sense to know the ice is too thin for that?"

"I...um...I guess I didn't think I was so far into the middle. I kinda lost my way after dark."

"Where are you headed?"

"Just home. I was supposed to be home by dark. My dad is sure gonna kick my ass now," she said. She played along well, she thought.

"Did I hear you two fighting while I was out?" she asked Alyson.

Even though Kaitlyn was a total stranger, Alyson broke down. "My dad is making us move and I don't want to!" she cried.

Kaitlyn stood up and brought the girl to her chest. "It'll be okay. Did I hear you say Fargo?" Alyson nodded. "Hell. I can get to Fargo in four hours. That's not so bad. You look old enough to take a bus by yourself soon. I bet you'll be able to come back and visit your friends more than you think. As a matter of fact, I love Fargo!" she said with great enthusiasm. "You can't beat the malls. The Holiday Inn there had the best pool with a shipwreck right in it. That would be an absolute bitchin' place to go when your friends come visit you."

"Really?" she said, perking up ever so slightly.

"Would I lie to you? I know I probably have a head injury, but I would not make this up. I don't even know you. I have no reason to lie. Honestly, I love Fargo."

"There's only one problem," Dustin said.

"What's that?" Kaitlyn asked as she let go of Alyson.

"No one says bitchin' any more. Exactly how old are you anyway?"

Kaitlyn laughed. "Old enough." Can you help me get my sled back on its feet please?"

"Sure." He chuckled as he went to the machine. Probably because she said "feet". He lifted the sled up to its original position and started it up before she even got there. She thought maybe he was showing off for her.

"Can I give you guys a ride somewhere?" she offered.

"No, thanks," Alyson said. "I think we need to walk and talk."

"All right. Thanks for all your help, you two."

She left them there at the lake and headed for home at a much slower pace. She was still mad at her Dusty, but now she couldn't wait to tell him about what happened.

As she drove away, Dusty said to his friend. "You know you're my best friend Alyson, but that girl there is my future bride."

Kaitlyn got home before anyone else and examined the damage to the machine. It wasn't that noticeable at all; there were just a few scratches to the body. That could have happened at any time, but she was going to fess up to it, anyway. She was so excited about what had happened, she could take any kind of punishment. Her parents didn't go too nuts over "things" so she wasn't too worried about what would happen to the "herself" that she was leaving behind to deal with it.

As she went back inside and began putting the heavy clothing away, she wondered for the first time how things worked. If she left here and the old Kaitlyn woke up and had no memory of this, then what? Her head was beginning to spin. Her recollections never changed as she hopped back and forth, but Dusty's did. She woke up a different age each time but when she fell asleep hungry, she woke up hungry. She hit her head on the ice, and woke up after hitting her head in the exam room.

The more she tried to figure it all out, the more confused she was. Emotionally exhausted, she left her mom a note saying she didn't feel well and was going to bed early. She knew her mother would be able to read her emotions and try to pry out of her what was wrong if she stayed up talk with her. There was no way she could hide it or even begin to explain to her mother. As much as she needed her mom's comforting hugs, once again she opted to not have the confrontation. She tried to go to asleep, again hoping to go back to the life she knew, praying again that this was all just a dream.

A door slamming woke her up. She didn't feel rested and her body ached. She remembered the snowmobile accident and sat upright, wincing slightly as she did, and grabbing her shoulder.

"What the hell did you do to yourself?" Courtney asked as she flopped her book bag on the floor.

Kaitlyn glanced around. Yep. Back in the dorm. "I...tripped up the steps is all. It's nothing. I think I just pulled a muscle trying to catch myself."

Courtney laughed. "You are certainly a klutz lately, aren't you?"

"I guess you can say that." Kaitlyn smiled back. "Do you have a date tonight?"

"I do. What about yourself?"

"I can't say whether or not Dustin will even see me after this morning," Kaitlyn said.

"Dustin?"

"Hottie from the bar? Hello?"

"Sorry, hon. You can't expect me to keep mine and yours straight." She applied some lipstick and a little rouge. "I gotta split. If there's a sock on the doorknob when you get back, you know what to do." She winked as she left.

How could she not remember Dustin? What is she, drunk?

Kaitlyn turned on her phone and scrolled through the missed calls and didn't see any from Dustin. Odd. She went into old text messages and couldn't find one there either. What is going on? She was anxious to tell him about Alyson.

She got dressed and decided to take her roommate's car over to his place. But as she drove past his house, she didn't see his car, so she continued to the coffee shop. He wasn't in there either, but she decided to grab a cup before she drove around some more. She had no idea where he could go if he was upset; probably a bar. If she was going to freeze to death driving around, she wanted some coffee.

She sat at a table by the far wall and had an eye on the door, hoping to spot him. After fifteen minutes, he walked in. She hopped up and waved at him. He waved back and made his way toward her. Before he had gotten halfway to her, he stopped. A girl who'd had been sitting on the couch stood up, he went over to her instead. He put his arms around her waist and swung her around, giving her a big kiss on the cheek before putting her down. Kaitlyn realized it was the girl he had waved to and not her.

Taking a staggered step back, she dropped into her seat in disbelief. She recognized the girl. It was Alyson. What did I do, she thought as she fought tears. Kaitlyn started to storm out of the coffee shop. There was no way out except to pass them. She almost made it by the coffee table when someone backed into her. She lost her balance, but Dustin caught her before she fell into his lap.

"Whoa," he said, laughing. "I got you." He helped her regain her balance. When she turned tear-filled eyes to his, he suddenly looked very concerned for her. "Hey, are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she managed to squeak out, then ran for the door.

Kaitlyn was glad to see Courtney wasn't back from her date yet. If her roommate needed to use their dorm for her "extracurricular" activities, Kaitlyn would have nowhere else to go. She lay in her bed, crying for a long time, thinking about what just happened. It never occurred to her that Dusty and Alyson would become a couple had she not fallen through the ice. Even if the thought had occurred to her, she couldn't live with herself if she let Alyson die to keep Dusty for herself. The emptiness and pain she felt now trumped everything she'd felt through this whole ordeal. She couldn't have gone through all of this just to lose Dusty now. Halting her sobbing when she heard the door open, she pretended to be asleep, hoping to discourage her roommate from bringing in her date. No such luck. This was a new low even for Courtney, but Kaitlyn wasn't about to go into a rage about it. She was exhausted from crying and eventually fell asleep to the sound of the squeaking bedsprings and moaning of the couple having sex just a few feet from her bed.

Katie woke up to her alarm clock in her own bedroom: her thirty-year-old bedroom. Once again, she ran around looking for Dusty's things but couldn't find a trace of him. She checked the date on her watch: it was the day after her thirtieth birthday. How could he not be here?

She hopped in the shower, hoping he would show up as he did before. But he didn't. After she dressed, she headed out early and stopped for coffee on her way to work.

"Good morning Doc B," Karla said with a smile when Kaitlyn walked in the animal hospital.

"Do you always get here this early?" Kaitlyn asked.

"Usually I do. I just like some quiet time to get into the 'zone'. You know? That's okay, isn't it?"

"Of course it's okay." She gave her employee a long hug. "I don't pay you enough," she said as they broke apart.

Kaitlyn blinked away tears that were starting to form. She was sick of crying, but it felt so good to be with a familiar face again.

"You pay me just fine. Dental would be nice, though," Karla said with a playful smack to Kaitlyn's arm.

"I'll look into it," Kaitlyn said. "Call me when my first surgery is ready. Anything interesting today?"

"Nope. Just spays and neuters."

"Well, that's something good, anyway. At least everyone is healthy; even though they won't be getting sex ever again, either."

"Are you all right?" Karla asked, propping her head on her hand. "You still in a boyfriend slump?"

"I'm fine. A boyfriend is the last thing I need right now."

"Uh-huh," Karla said as the phone rang.

"Saved by the bell." Kaitlyn smiled and went through the exam room to her office. Once she got everything settled, she opened the phone book to attorneys. She found a picture of Dustin under a large ad for a local law firm.

That's not where he worked before. She wondered if he and Alyson were married now and had the perfect home and family and three-point-two children. She wanted to cry again, but gently slapped her own face on each side. "You did this to yourself, you dip shit. You gotta deal with it."

She rested her head on her desk until Paula knocked on the door. "Boots is here and ready for his castration. I think he's actually excited about giving up 'the boys'. Should I bring him up?"

"Sure. I'll be right out."

"Karla said you were in a mood about men. I figured ripping the balls off of something would help start your day off on the right foot."

"You're such a giving soul, Paula. Thanks." She couldn't help but laugh. If she was staying put in what was her old life, that wasn't so bad, even if it meant Dusty wouldn't be in it. She let her mind wander while she waited for Paula to come back up. Who knows what a great person Alyson would turn out to be? Maybe she was going to be the first female president. What if..? Ah, can it you moron. You miss Dusty. Her mind went where she wished it hadn't. Alyson. Not Dusty's Alyson this time, but the baby. What happened to her?

Suddenly there was a great emptiness in Kaitlyn's heart. How did she not think about this before? What had happened to that precious baby? She put her hands on her breasts, longing to find them engorged with milk. No such luck. There was a knock at the door.

"Your nut-ectomy is ready," Paula hollered from the other side of the door. "I'll get the kitty cocktail drawn."

Kaitlyn slowly ambled out of her office. She tried to put on a smile, but she sensed Paula could tell she was still melancholy. It wasn't like her to be so quiet, especially doing such an important task on her own, like as drawing the medications in the syringe. Kaitlyn had her head down and was holding her shoulder. "You're shoulder bugging you again today?"

"Hmm," she groaned. She didn't even realize she was rubbing her shoulder. "Oh. Yeah. A little, I guess."

"It always gives you problems when it starts to get cold. I'm glad you haven't decided to take up snowmobiling again. You wrench that shoulder any worse and I'll be looking for a new boss. I'm telling Karla to schedule you an appointment with Doctor Gregory when we're done with surgeries."

Her help had just babbled away and didn't pay attention that she stood in awe of her comments. Could she be talking about the accident when she was seventeen? It had never bothered her before but in reality, she only did it a couple days ago. Very strange.

Kaitlyn flipped through a magazine while she waited for the chiropractor. When the exam room door opened, she jumped.

"Katie," the doctor said as he went over to her with open arms. "That shoulder acting up again, babe?"

Babe?

He placed one hand on her shoulder and one just below it on her arm and gave it a firm squeeze.

She winced and hollered, "Ow!"

"Something does feel outta whack. Come here." He held her face in both hands and gave her a hard kiss.

She took a step back. "Doctor Gregory!" she said firmly, just shy of screaming.

"Doctor Gregory? Why so formal? When did you stop calling me Wilson?" When she stared at him, he just laughed "I see. You're cranky again today. Fine. Lie on the table and let me get a better look at it."

She leaned face first into the table, he hit the button to make it lay flat. When the table stopped, he slipped his hands under her shirt and made his way up to her shoulder.

"Is it really necessary to be under my shirt?" she asked.

Again he laughed. "It's better this way. Loosen up, babe." He felt around for a while, pushing on certain areas and pulling back slightly on her arm. It hurt, but she let him. He finally stopped and firmly ran his hands down her spine.

"When was the last time you got a cortisone shot in your shoulder?"

"I...uh...I don't remember," she finally said.

He glanced though her chart and flipped it back a page. "I don't see one here for almost four months. If it's really acting up, schedule another one soon." He returned his hands to her lower back. "Deep breath out," he said, then he pushed on her back. She heard at least six cracks. "What the hell have you been doing? You're really outta place here, Katie."

"Just stuff," she replied into the padding of the table.

"How's your shoulder treat you when you're taking off your shirts?"

She had to stop and think about it. It did hurt this morning when she decided to change her sweater. "I guess I have been undressing kind of funny and babying it."

"Is it still popping when you unzip your jeans?"

Shit! It did pop every time she ran to the bathroom that morning. "Yes," she answered.

He moved the hair from her neck and whispered in her ear. "Well if you need any help undressing from now on, you know who to call." He gave her a soft kiss on her neck.

She sat upright on the table then hopped down. "What exactly is it you think you're doing?"

"Come on, Katie. Give me another shot," he said as he scooted her backward, pinning her against the table with his hip. He leaned down and tried to kiss her neck again but she leaned away.

"Please stop this!" she said firmly.

"You sure are a fickle one," he said, backing away. "Come on. Get back on the table. I'm not done."

"Oh, I think you are," she said, crossing her arms.

"Look. You came back to me. What was I supposed to think?"

"That I needed my shoulder examined maybe? Could that have been a possibility?" She was careful not to shout. She was sure his receptionist could hear anything over a whisper.

He closed the gap between them and put his hands on her arms, "You don't play those games, babe. You still want me." He grinned.

"Um. No. No, I don't. Now if you'll please excuse me." Scurrying past him, she grabbed her purse, and huffed out of the room. She hurried past the reception desk and the receptionist hollered, "You want me to just bill your co-pay, Doc B?"

"That would be great. Thanks," she said, heading out the door without even putting her coat on. Once she got in her car, she screamed and pounded at the steering wheel. "That asshole!"

She wondered what she had done with him to make him feel like he could behave that way with her. It must not have been that big of an affair or her staff would have known about it. To them she was only getting her shoulder looked at. If her "nooner" with him often consisted of more, they would have been ginning ear to ear about it.

She got back to her clinic, saw her afternoon appointments, and flew out as soon as the last one left. She had hoped Dusty would show up with an animal again, or that he would walk in for some reason, but she had no such luck. Whatever she did when she went back and saved Alyson, ruined more than her shoulder. She ruined her chances with Dusty.

On the way home, she stopped at the Goodwill Store and was surprised to find a book she was looking for there. Next she purchased a bottle of wine at an off-sale bar, then drew herself a bubble bath as soon as she got in the door.

She sat in the tub relaxing for a long time; it felt great. When she almost dozed off, she decided to climb out before she became another household bathtub statistic. "You're not drowning yourself over losing your boy-toy, cupcake," she mumbled, chastising herself for being so careless.

Snuggling up with the book Timeline, the wine, and some cheese and crackers, she was settled in bed for the night. She and Dusty never got around to watching the movie and she was more in the mood for a book than a movie tonight. Even Paul Walker, the handsome lead star in the movie, didn't do anything for her. Everywhere she looked, she saw Dusty.

The book proved to be very interesting. She had a hard time putting it down, even when her eyelids became very heavy. It hadn't helped with her situation at all, but it did help her forget her problems for a moment. She put the book down around one in the morning, turned off the light, and finally succumbed to sleep.
Chapter Fourteen

Kaitlyn's eyes opened up when she heard a door hinges squeak. She wasn't sure how she felt, discovering she was back in college and Courtney's date was leaving their dorm room. She thought maybe she was staying put in her old life now that she had destroyed things for good. Her shoulder hurt, and that meant that in this time, Alyson and Dusty were still together. Part of her wanted to cry again, but she just lay there numb. If Alyson made Dusty happy, then she should be happy.

"What a crock of shit, cupcake," she said out loud.

Courtney sat up. "What was that?"

"Nothing. I'm just talking to myself." She flung her blankets aside and sat at the edge of the bed. "Do you mind humping your brains out somewhere else next time I'm trying to fucking sleep?"

"Who the hell pissed in your cornflakes? Shit, Katie. I thought you were asleep. Sorry."

"Well I wasn't," she said as she got up.

"You sure have been strange lately. What's up? You don't get pissy with me."

"Things are just off and not sleeping isn't helping. Go to his dorm next time."

"All right. Just chill out. You're not skipping class again today, are you? Don't you usually have some kind of tests on Fridays?"

"Shit," she said as she reached in the desk drawer and pulled out her schedule. She did tell herself she would go on Fridays and do the tests if she stayed in her college days. Rushing through getting dressed, she headed for the door. Courtney grabbed her by the shoulder, trying to stop her. Kaitlyn cried out in pain.

"What did you do? I can't see how you could hurt your shoulder so bad, falling up stairs, Katie."

"Maybe I had a small snowmobile accident."

"Maybe? Exactly how small?"

"I just landed funny. I'm fine."

"Let me see," Courtney insisted.

"I'm fine. I gotta get to class, Court." She leaned over and kissed her roommate on the cheek. "Sorry I snapped at you. I gotta go, though."

Kaitlyn had three tests that day. She didn't sail through them as easily as she thought she would. It had been a few years since her school days and it took a little more brain wracking than she ever would have admitted. She was sure she was at a ninety-five percent, but that upset her, too. She could never stand to even have one question wrong.

An old joke came to mind. "What do you call a doctor that graduates at the bottom of his class? Doctor." She wasn't going to have the title and not earn it. She insisted on being the smartest. She didn't date a lot because most guys didn't like to admit a woman was smarter than he was. Dusty had her brains, but he never cared. When they met, she didn't know how smart he was. He was happy to be doing what he liked and oddly, that was good enough for her. She didn't mind dating an underachiever, if that was even a fair word to use in this case, but she certainly wouldn't be one herself.

When she finished the tests, she was satisfied things were still fresh in her mind. She was good at what she did and always kept up on the latest Veterinary Journals. She still felt the need to go "tie one on" in a big way and headed for the closest bar.

By nine that night, she was well on her way to a fine drunk. She usually didn't drink shots for a reason, but tonight she didn't care. She was on her forth Titty Twister or Scooby Snack or whatever the hell this one was called. She was washing them down with Long Island iced teas. That was never a good combination for her.

She spun around in her barstool and noticed the familiar face at the other end of the bar. Dustin. He waved to her and smiled. She was just pissy drunk enough to wave back, only she used just one finger. She spun around and drained the rest of her drink and stood, ready to go. She took a stumbling step backward, he was already there to catch her.

"Whoa, I got you," he said again. "Hey, you're the girl from the coffee shop. Did you just get those feet or what?"

"Oh, shut up," she slurred, pushing him back.

"Hey, sorry," he said, holding his hands up. "I just came over, hoping you intended to flip someone else off and not me."

"Noooope," she said, staggering past him.

He caught up to her in a few paces. "What did I do to you? Did I miss something?"

"Where's your girlfriend?" she slurred. It sounded only remotely close to actual words.

He took her by the arm. "I'm getting you into a cab. You're in bad shape." Walking her outside, he discovered two cabs waiting for fares. He put her in one, she promptly flopped over onto the seat.

"Shit," he said climbing in and trying to sit her up. "What's your address?"

"Can't go home," she said. "Why not?"

"'Cause Courtney is probably boinking someone," she answered with a giggle.

"Your roommate?"

"Yuuuuup," she said, flopping into his chest.

"Look, buddy," the cab driver said gruffly. "Get me an address or get her outta my cab. I don't make a living sitting here."

Dustin sighed and closed the door. "How do I get myself in these situations?" he said out loud. "Twenty-nine forty-two Roosevelt Avenue," he said giving the driver his own address.

Kaitlyn sat up when they pulled up to Dustin's cottage.

"Why are we here?"

"Because I don't know where to take you. I have a couch where you can sleep this off."

Kaitlyn was in no condition to argue and knew better than anyone that Dusty was harmless. She got upset at herself for getting so hammered that she had a hard time walking, even with his help. That was very out of character for her and she was embarrassed.

He got her settled on the couch, took her boots off and covered her with a blanket. "Do you want coffee or do you just want to sleep this off?"

"I don't want coffee," she slurred. "You'll just try to poison me again."

"Poison you? Why the hell would I do that?"

"You did it before. First the coffee, then the cheesecake," she said with her eyes closed. She was so drunk and tired, she was forgetting where and when she was. "Where's your girlfriend anyway? Won't she get mad that I'm here?"

"I don't have a girlfriend. What's your name anyway?"

"Kaitlyn. And don't call me cupcake." Her eyes sprang open when she said that, she pointed her finger at him in a scolding manner. "I hate when you call me cupcake."

"Cupcake?"

"Yes. But you know what?" She giggled.

"What?"

"I really don't hate it. I like it. I just tell you I hate it."

"Do I stop?"

"Noooope," she said, snuggling into the couch pillow. Her eyes opened again. "You do too have a girlfriend. Liar. I saw you at the coffee shop."

"That was my best friend. She was passing through town. She's in school in Minneapolis and was on her way back to Fargo."

"Your best friend?" she said, sitting up. "Oh, Dusty." She began to cry.

He hopped up for a box of tissue and offered it to her. As she took a few, he stared at her. "How did you know my name?"

"It's a long story," she said with a sniff. "I don't even know where to start."

"I'll make some hot apple cider while you try to clear your head. Sound good?" She just nodded. "You want anything to eat? I make a mean grilled cheese sandwich." She nodded again and flopped sideways on the couch.

After a few minutes he came over with a cup of steaming apple cider. She went to take a sip and caught herself. "Did you add cinnamon?"

"Sorry. I don't splurge and buy cinnamon sticks for it. It's just instant powder. Is that okay?"

"That's wonderful. I'm allergic to cinnamon. I keep forgetting to check with you and I always end up getting sick."

He sat down next to her. "You know, you really have me confused. You keep saying things in past tense. I've never met you before."

"Like I said, it's a long story."

"Shit!" he said hopping up. "The grilled cheese." He ran into the kitchen. "Caught it just in time," he hollered. He walked in with three sandwiches on a plate, all of them cut in quarters. "I didn't know how hungry you'd be. If you're that shit faced, I figured you didn't have much in the way of food today." He stopped at the couch, glanced down at her, then fumbled the plate, almost dropping it. "Holy Shit!"

She sprang up. "What?"

"You're the chick from the snowmobile!"

"Pardon?"

"You crashed into the bank of Long Lake when I was there with my friend Alyson. This was a few years ago. I'd know that face anywhere. You stole my heart that night," he said, sitting down and taking her by the hand. He laughed. "I told Alyson you were my future wife and she decked me."

"You said that before, too," she said with tear-filled eyes. "You need some new material." Starting to cry, she flopped her head onto his shoulder. "Oh, Dusty. I don't feel so good," she said, quickly sitting up.

"Bathroom?"

She nodded and he quickly escorted her over and closed the door. She cried as she threw up. This was brought on by alcohol, not cinnamon. Why was she destined to throw up with him every time she met him? This was no longer funny, not that it was ever really funny. She bypassed asking for a new toothbrush and just went straight to using his. Opening the door, she said to him, "You're going to want a new toothbrush."

"I have some in the drawer."

"Yeah, I know," she said, flopping into his chest.

Picking her up, he carried her over to his bed. "I have to admit, this is the strangest first date I've ever had," he said as he placed her on the bed.

"Stay with me," she said, taking his hand.

"I'll be right back." He covered her with the comforter and left the room. She heard him placing dishes on the kitchen counter and then the refrigerator opened and closed. The lights went out and she felt him crawl into bed.

She whispered, "Hold me," so he scooted over and wrapped his arm around her. "You feel funny," she said.

"Why?"

"You don't usually sleep with clothes on. She whispered, "I love you, Dusty," and fell asleep.

He held her, wondering what the hell just happened. Since he'd met her, nothing she said made sense. How did she know his name? How did she know he didn't sleep with clothes on? She loved him? She didn't even know him. He'd dreamed for years about coming across the woman from the snowmobile and now here she was. He did enjoy holding her, though, and couldn't believe he'd found her again. He held her as she slept, hoping like hell he wouldn't get clobbered when she woke up and didn't remember that he was there.

Kaitlyn woke up to a pounding head. As she lifted her hand to place it on her forehead, she felt Dustin's arm on hers. He stirred as she did and moved his arm from around her.

"Hey," he said softly. "How are you feeling? You need some aspirin?"

"Please," she replied. She was both happy and sad that she'd woken up where she fell asleep. She didn't know if she'd have to deal with a hangover in another day and time, but she wasn't looking forward to explaining things all over again to Dusty.

He returned with some aspirin and a Gatorade. She sat up and accepted them. "Gatorade. You've done this before, huh?"

"A time or two. I started some coffee, too. I checked to make sure it didn't have cinnamon in it."

"Your powder does, though. Don't use that."

"How in the heck did you know that?" he asked, sitting down on the bed. "You know, you're cute and all but why do I feel like you're my stalker?"

"It's worse than that," she said, standing up cautiously. She held her head and whispered "Dammit!" as the pain intensified.

He got up and held onto her. "How is it worse than that?"

She dropped her hands, grabbed his arm, and pulled him to the full-length mirror. "I'm cutting to the chase here. This is getting old. Drop your pants."

"Pardon?"

"Don't worry, I'm not attacking you. We can't have sex anyway, because you got upset with me last time."

"What?" He laughed. "You are a loon, lady."

"I'll bet you a fifty you have a birthmark that looks like Wisconsin just below your ass cheek."

"You always this much fun on a date?" he asked as he dropped his pants and faced the mirror. "Easiest fifty I ever made."

She sighed as she once again grasped a handful of flesh. "I can't tell you how old this is getting," she said as she lifted it up, ever so gently.

"What the hell?" he said craning his neck, trying to see his ass without aid of the mirror. "So you're a stalker with a telescope?"

Laughing, she plopped on the bed while he pulled up his pants. "You made food last night that I didn't get to eat. What are my chances of getting something?"

"Am I safe if I turn my back on you and cook?"

"Would you feel better if I cooked?" she asked.

"Like I'm putting a knife in your hands. I'll make breakfast," he said as he walked into the kitchen.

"If you saved the sandwiches from last night, just nuke those. I'm really starved," she hollered.

He returned with coffee and a couple of plates after a few of minutes. "At least you are aware of my cooking abilities," he said as he handed her a plate with the microwaved sandwiches on them.

"You're not bad actually," she said, then took a bite of the sandwich. "You even know how to throw together the fancy stuff."

"How's that?" he asked.

"You took me to Chez Pauls once and assembled caviar with some toppings, I actually liked it. Well, as much as I was going to like it, anyway. It still isn't my favorite hors d'oeuvres there."

"So now we went to Chez Pauls together?"

"Yup. Let's see...you have a glass chin, the heat in your car never works and oh, Becky Swenson." She put her plate down and began to sip at the coffee. He had been watching her blow on it and appeared distracted for just a moment. The name she said obviously finally registered with him and he stood up.

"What did you just say?"

"I'm sorry, Dusty. I just get tired of explaining it to you. This isn't very much fun for me."

"And I'm having a party here as well. Do I need to call the men in white coats?"

"I'm not crazy. That snowmobile incident that you remember me from..."

"What about it?"

"That happened two days ago for me."

"How do you figure that?"

"Please sit down. I assure you, I'm harmless. I'm not your stalker and it doesn't make sense to me either. If I could avoid doing this again I would, but we're here now and I'm just going to let you have it...again."

He sat patiently though her explanation. He didn't interrupt, but she could tell by his expression that he was really confused. She left out the part about Alyson dying previously. She thought that wasn't necessary and just made things seem crazier than they already were.

"I'm sorry," he started to say when she was finally done. "I have to admit this is quite a story and I don't know how you know the things you know, but this has got to be the craziest thing I have ever heard in my life."

"I know it is. How do you think I feel? I'm living it. I don't know why I keep going back to you. If I'm supposed to be with you, why don't we just stay together where we were?"

"Good question indeed," he said as he began to pace the room.

She reached onto the table, picked up a pen and a scratch pad, and wrote something down. "If you were going to buy me flowers, what would they be?"

"Sterling roses," he answered.

She opened up her piece of paper so he could see what she'd written.

Sterling Roses

"Why do you always buy me those?"

"It's what my dad always brought to my mother. I figured it was a flower that made points. Does it?"

"Does it what?"

"Make points when I bring them to you?"

"You never need to make points, Dusty. As much as I fight it, I'm crazy about you. Don't you believe me yet?"

"That you're crazy? Definitely. About the rest...can you just let it sit with me for a while?"

"I really don't have a choice," she said, flopping sideways onto the couch. "I really feel like hell. Do you mind if I just kick back for a while?"

"Be my guest," he said as he pulled a blanket over her and sat at her side.

"I'm sorry this is happening," she said softly to him. "If I could stay away from you, I would."

He gently brushed the hair from her face. "I don't think I want you to stay away from me."

Her eyes began to fill with tears again. "I feel so alone."

"I've got you," he said, taking her hand in his and bringing it to his lips. "I'll see to it that you stay put."

"I always leave when I fall asleep."

"I've got you," he said again and dared to give her a quick, soft kiss on the lips.

"I miss you, Dusty," she said, slowly closing her eyes.

"I'm right here," he said, stroking her cheek again.

He didn't know what to make of this. By all rights, he should have gone running out the door screaming. Something about this girl and her story intrigued him. He sat and watched her sleep for a while then did something he hadn't done for months. He opened up his notebook and began to add notes to his story.

"Hey," Dusty said as he sat down next to Kaitlyn after she began to stir.

"Hey," she said, bringing her hand out from under the blanket and taking his.

"See. You stayed put."

"Even if I didn't, you wouldn't have known."

"Did you leave, though?"

"No." She smiled. "The sleep felt good." She sat up slowly, waiting for her head to be pounding, but it wasn't too bad. "Would you mind if I showered?"

"Not at all. You want me to dig up some pajamas for you?"

"Would you mind? I'd really like to just stay in today. Am I keeping you from anything?"

"Honestly? No. I'm not a big social butterfly. It was rare to catch me in a bar last night. I'm sure glad I went, though," he said as he stood up and offered her help off the couch.

Undressing was not the easiest for her. She struggled to get out of her turtleneck sweater and trying to unbutton her jeans made her shoulder pop. She found some aspirin in the medicine cabinet and took them. After she showered, she wrapped a towel around herself and another around her hair. She joined Dusty in the kitchen, he'd started some sandwiches for lunch.

He turned around and said, "Holy Shit, Kaitlyn. What did you do to your shoulder?"

She glanced down at it and shrugged. It had been bruised, but now it was turning an awful shade of green and brown. "I told you. The snowmobile accident happened only a couple of days ago." She reached for a piece of cheese and he slapped her hand away. She laughed at him and said, "And you don't call me Kaitlyn, you call me Katie."

"I thought I called you cupcake?"

She laughed again. "You call me that, too. That and a lot of other names." She was unusually comfortable with him for how awkward it should have been.

"So what exactly were you doing that night? You were driving that sled like a bat outta hell." He handed her a plate with a sandwich and directed her to sit at the table while he retrieved a couple of bottles of root beer from the refrigerator.

"It's more complicated than I think I want to get into right now."

"So, you were supposed to come back to me?"

"I don't ever know what I'm supposed to do. I usually just show up. In this case, I knew what had to be done."

"How so?"

"Please, Dusty. This is hard enough. I really don't want to talk about this. I just can't."

"Then can you please do me one favor?"

"What's that?"

"Can you go put some clothes on? It's awfully distracting with you sitting there half naked."

She laughed. "Sorry. You're lucky I remembered the towel. You usually don't mind."

"I never said I minded. I said it was distracting." He grinned. "I put a set of pajamas on the bed. My mother buys them for me and I never wear them." He added, "And I know you know."

After changing into his pajamas, she returned to the table. "I appreciate you not throwing me out on my ass, Dusty. You are going above and beyond the call of duty here, rescuing a damsel in distress."

"I have to admit I've never done this before."

"Well, I was pretty toasted the night we hooked up when I was twenty-nine too. Technically, you have done this before." She smiled.

"So, this is a habit of yours then?"

"No. I don't drink a lot. That's why I got so hammered."

"Something make you want to get so hammered?" She just nodded at his question and hung her head low.

"That's right," he said. "You flipped me off. What did I do?" he asked, picking her chin up.

"Do you really believe me? All of this?" She needed to know before she answered his question.

"What choice do I have? I don't know how else you would know what you do. There's just something about you...cupcake," he smiled. "Now what did I do?"

They moved to the couch and she explained about the fight they had about sex and how she didn't see him for a couple of days. Then she explained about seeing him at the coffee shop with Alyson and how she thought they were together. Once again, she left out the part about Alyson dying. He didn't need to hear that. "I guess I was just drunk enough to be mad and flip you off. I'm sorry. I don't remember doing it."

"That's okay. You could have punched me and I would have been out cold and you would have walked out of my life forever." He held her face with one hand and leaned in for a quick kiss. It turned into a much longer kiss. She was greedy to accept him and put her hands around his neck. They stopped after a moment and he cleared his throat. "Sorry."

"Don't be." She shyly smiled. "I missed your kisses."

"Nothing like a first kiss," he said, giving her another gentle kiss.

"And I get to keep getting them," she said, leaning into him for one more.

He tucked her hair behind her ear. "I really got jealous of myself?"

She nodded.

"I'd call myself a dick but I can understand why I didn't want to share you with even me." He leaned over and kissed her but he didn't quit with a simple peck. He kept kissing her, leaning her back into the couch until he lay flat on top of her. He caressed every inch of her that he could touch, and she liked it. She didn't want to stop the kisses, but she was really confused about what to do. By being with this Dusty, she could upset another one by doing so; she didn't want that to happen again.

She finally broke their kiss. "I don't know what to do, Dusty."

"Yes you do," he said kissing her neck.

"I can't take another fight with you about this," she said sadly.

He sat up and took her by the hands. "I'm really sorry I behaved that way. I'm not going to push this. Maybe we can make sense of this somehow." Standing up, and taking her with him, he leaned down and gave her a strong hug and rocked with her. "Damn, you feel good," he said with a moan.

"You have no idea how good it feels to be in your arms. I thought I'd lost you forever," she said, holding him tight.

"So let's analyze this for a moment," he said, still holding her and taking ever so small steps toward the bedroom. "We were together now-ish, right?"

"Correct."

"Then you went back to convince me when I was twenty-five."

"Yes."

"I had no recollection of you, but you managed to convince me with my help, then we yadah-yadah'd and you came back, we talked, I got mad and you left."

"I don't know how you can keep it straight. I barely can."

He was still taking small steps with her toward the bedroom. "You went back to you being twenty-nine and you didn't see me at all, so I don't know you then anymore...yet...whatever."

"That's right."

"You're here now and I have you. The me in the future doesn't currently know about us."

"You're making my head spin."

"Yeah, but I can have you 'cause I can't get mad if I don't even know about you." He had now reached the bed and sat down, pulling her into his lap.

"Now I'm lost," she said.

"Make love to me, Katie," he said, kissing her neck.

"You have no idea how bad I want to," she said, tilting her head back, accepting the kisses.

He began unbuttoning the pajama top and started kissing down her chest. "You said you loved me last night."

She stared into his eyes. "I do love you, Dusty."

He held on to her rear end and turned around and laid her flat on the bed. "You're mine and I'm not giving you up. Not ever, or again, or whatever. Make love to me, Katie," he said again and climbed in the bed next to her.

And she did.
Chapter Fifteen

"So?" he said as they lay there cuddling and facing each other.

"So what?"

"Am I what you remember?"

"It's always different with you, Dusty."

"Good different or bad different?"

She playfully smacked his chest. "Good different, of course. Every time we make love it's like the first time."

"Technically, it is the first time for me."

"Even when we're together for a while, though," she said, scooting up to meet him eye-to-eye, "you always made it about me."

"Maybe I saw that you were a prize I wanted to keep. I still don't get why you'd want to dump me."

"I was just being stupid. You made me happy and I didn't think that was possible. That or I didn't deserve it."

"Of course you deserve to be happy. What have you done that was so wrong that you don't deserve happiness?"

"I don't know. I'm confused as hell why this is happening to me. To us. I want to stay with you. I don't care if you're a lawyer or a writer or jobless. I want you, Dusty." She snuggled her head back into his chest and he held her tight. "And not just because you find that one spot on me that makes me go crazy," she said with a giggle.

"I am the man," he said with pride. "Katie?"

"Hmmm."

"Did we ever do it twice?"

She grinned. "A lot."

"Ya wanna?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

They spent the rest of the day in bed. When they finally decided to get dressed, it was after five. Katie put his pajamas back on and decided to go digging through the kitchen to see what she could find to make for dinner. He came up behind her as she leaned into the refrigerator and wrapped his arms around her.

"You want me to just order pizza? I don't have too much here."

"We just had pizza," she said as she dug through his takeout containers. She opened one from The Panda Garden and gave it a sniff. "Good lord, Dusty. When did you have this?"

"I'm not sure," he said and smirked like a scolded child.

She threw it away and closed the door, then opened the freezer. After a quick glance, she closed that as well. "Pizza it is," she said, spinning around and wrapping her arms around his waist.

He scooted her backward a couple of steps and had her leaning against the refrigerator. Holding her hands at her sides, he kissed her using his tongue in a way that she loved. She freed her hands and wrapped them around his back. He began kissing down her neck again. She whimpered in pleasure and then said, "Food first."

He picked her up, and sat her on the counter. "I'd like to know something," he said.

"I'll answer if I can," she said, running her fingers through his messy hair.

"What did I do to deserve you?"

She smiled. "That I can't answer, and I'm not so sure that's how this goes. I remember not being so nice to you where I came from originally."

"I find that hard to believe."

"It's true. Maybe you have a fairy godmother messing with me to be nicer to you."

"Well, then I think it worked 'cause you're fabulous, baby cakes."

"Baby cakes? That one I don't mind so much," she said and laughed. "Now order the food!"

"All right, but I don't know what you like."

"Yes, you do. Just order what you normally do. We like the same things on our pizza."

"And that is...?"

She hopped off the counter, suddenly upset. "You still don't believe me, do you?"

He ran his hands down his face. "Can we please just order a pizza and not do this?"

"I'm going to shower again," she said softly. "Suddenly I feel very dirty." She turned around and started walking to the bathroom. She passed through the door and turned to face him again. "Pepperoni, mushrooms, and onions," she said with tear-filled eyes.

She had her face in the water, enjoying the massaging effect of the stream. She loved showering at Dusty's; the water pressure was great. She heard him open the shower door and softly said, "Please get out," without turning to look at him.

"I'm sorry, Katie."

"I don't care. Please get out," she said again.

"I don't want to. I want to be with you. If what you say is true, I don't want to let you out of my sight."

"If what I say is true? I don't know how else to convince you." She sighed. "It doesn't matter what you do. I fall asleep in your arms and I still leave, Dusty." She was tired of crying about it, but she was still very sad.

"I want to believe you, but it's just still sinking in, okay?"

"And while it sinks in you just figured you'd bang my brain senseless?"

"Or bang some sense back into it," he said.

"Oh, you asshole!" she shouted, stepped out of the shower, and whipped a towel off the shelf. "What did I ever see in you?" She began searching for her clothes.

"Come on, dammit!" Dustin said as he entered the bedroom. "Put yourself in my shoes for just a second, would you?"

"How could you have sex with me and not believe me?"

"I think that's pretty obvious," he said snidely. "You were kinda begging for it, doll face."

"Don't use that! You always use that when you're being a prick!"

"Is this one of those 'don't call me cupcake' lines?" he said as he approached her and took hold of her arms. "You say 'don't' but you really like it?"

She broke free of his hold and slapped him hard. "Don't touch me!" she shouted. Shocked that she had hit him, she put her hand up to her mouth with a gasp. "You've never made me so angry that I hit you before," she said with her voice cracking. "I need to go."

"No," he said, taking her arms. "Not like this."

She was quiet for a long time, fighting tears and staring at the wall. "Can I ask you something?" she finally said.

He released her. "Anything."

"What exactly is a nebula anyway?"

"What?" He took a step back.

"What exactly is a nebula? I can picture one from sci-fi movies but what is it? How is it formed? What does it consist of?"

He stood there with furrowed eyebrows, obviously surprised by her question. "Lots of things, I guess. A supernova explosion could cause one. Mostly they're just an interstellar cloud of dust, gasses and stuff. Why?"

"You're studying to be a lawyer, right?"

"Right?"

"So why do you know that?"

"It's just basic stuff. I did research for a book."

"And how is Captain Skinnard doing?"

"Dumbass is about to send the crew right into..." His eyes went wide. "Now how the hell do you know about that?"

"You weren't listening to me at all, were you? I know everything about you." Her lip was quivering as she said that and it made her mad. She was so sick of crying. "Everything!" she said louder. "I loved you, you asshole! Goddamn you!"

She tried to storm out of the bedroom but he held her arm again. He spun her around and buried her face in his chest and held her tight. "I'm so sorry, Katie. Please forgive me. Please. I do believe you. I do. Please don't go." He stood there rocking with her. "I've never let a soul read that crap. I believe you."

"It's not crap. Stop calling it crap or I'll deck you again," she said into his chest.

He laughed.

"I keep begging you to finish it. I keep hoping one of you will."

"I added some to it today while you slept, actually," he said.

"Really?" She leaned back with a smile. "Can I read it?"

His doorbell rang. "Saved by the bell," he said as he snatched his wallet from the dresser.

After placing the pizza on the table, Kaitlyn took a piece and sat down. Hunger overtook any emotions she was currently having. She never understood how she could go from happy to sad to sex to tears with Dusty all the time. It would be enough to drive a sane person batty. Being sane right now wasn't one of her worries, however.

Instead of taking a piece of pizza, Dusty got on his knees and put his head in her lap. He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tight. "I'm so sorry, Katie," he said again. "I behaved like an ass. I'm sorry."

She put the piece of pizza down and wrapped her arms gently around his head. Kissing the top of it, she then rested her cheek there. "It gets harder every time. I don't think I can do this again, Dusty. If I don't get to stay put somewhere soon, I'm going to go insane."

"No," he said, looking up and giving her a kiss. "We'll figure this out."

He took a chair and reached for a slice of pizza. He put the piece in front of her mouth, so she could take a bite She did so gladly, then picked up her own piece.

"Eat," he said. "Pizza is your comfort food. You'll feel better in a bit."

She stopped chewing and talked with her mouth full.

"What did you say?"

"Pizza is your comfort food." He stopped the slice on the way to his mouth, taking in the surprised expression on her face. "What?"

"Holy crap, Dusty! You have some memories of me!"

"How is that possible?"

"I don't know! This isn't making any sense at all."

"Do you have a black dress cut real low in the front?" he asked with a puzzled look.

"Yes," she said with a smile.

"I just got a vision of wanting to rip it off you."

She flew into his lap with the pizza still in her hand. "That's your favorite!" she squealed.

"Hey. I don't know if I know this or if I just have a good imagination."

"It's a start," she said as she bumped her pizza to his in a toast.

"I'm really, really, sorry, Katie," he said again, giving her a kiss.

"You are forgiven," she said, resting her head on his shoulder for a moment. "Now let me eat my friggen' pizza."

"Yes, ma'am."

After they ate, Katie grew antsy to do something. She didn't want to spend the night in front of the TV or in bed again. "Take me ice-skating, Dusty."

"Ice-skating?"

"Don't even try to tell me you can't. You always skate circles around me."

"We ice skate?"

"We have. A few times. It just sounds like fun. Come on. Please?"

"What about your shoulder?"

"It's fine." She touched the back of her head. "My head is fine, too."

"Your head?"

"Crap. I keep forgetting what happened and when. I'm fine. Get your hockey skates. We'll stop and get mine and go to the park."

"If that's what you want, my love," he said as he sood.

"Thank you. It does no good to sit and wrack our brains. We might as well go out and enjoy our younger bodies."

"Now, see. That's where I'm the most confused," he said as he dug in the hall closet for his skates.

"What?"

"You crashed the sled when you were seventeen, but you're bruised now."

"That doesn't make sense, does it?" she said, putting her hand to her chin, as if in thought. She sat down suddenly, remembering being in the hospital and the miscarriage. Her expression grew sad.

"What is it, Katie?" he said, sitting next to her.

"I had a miscarriage a bit ago."

"I'm sorry," he said, taking her hand. "Who's...um...when?"

"It was yours, Dusty. It was on one of my trips to my past, only it wasn't the past I remembered. It was new. Why does my shoulder hurt, but I don't feel... you know," she said as she rubbed her hand on her stomach.

"I don't know, babe, but that's a good thing." He gently pulled her head into his shoulder and stroked her hair.

"We'll be extra careful so that doesn't happen." He playfully slapped his hand to her thigh. "Come on. I am gonna so whip your butt on the ice."

"Go easy on me, law-boy. I'm stuffed from the pizza."

"Law-boy, huh?"

She laughed. "You'll come to your senses. I have faith."

"There's nothing wrong with my senses. It's the one paying the bills, sweetheart." He offered her his hand and stood her up. "Sure you don't want to just stay here and have sex?"

"I want some fresh air. Sex later."

"I hate it when that happens," he playfully protested. "Let's go."

Kaitlyn was able to make it in and out of the dorm room, grabbing her skates without running into Courtney. She ran back down to Dusty's car and hopped in. "I think it's actually colder in here," she said as she rubbed her arms.

"Sorry. I promise I'll take it in next week. I keep letting the automotive students on campus look at it. They keep saying it's fixed but it just goes out again." He turned to her. "Do I ever get it working?"

She grinned. "Not in my lifetime."

They got to the outdoor rink at the neighborhood park. It was a beautiful night out, but it wasn't that crowded at all. There was a couple that had to be in their sixties, skating together like pros, a handful of boys around ten years old in hockey skates, and two teenage girls practicing their figure skating. Dusty was laced up first and hovering over Kaitlyn, waiting for her to be ready. She was sure he only pretended to put up a fight to go. He used to talk about playing hockey in school, she knew that he loved it. They'd gone skating on several occasions and she got to see firsthand how good he really was.

"Go ahead and warm up. I'll be right out."

"Suit yourself, slowpoke," he said as he walked over and hopped onto the manmade rink.

She finished lacing up her skates, but waited on the sidewall for a while, watching Dusty. He raced along the outside for a few laps, then practiced sliding to a stop. The younger boys approached him, wanting a few pointers; he was more than happy to show off a little. Kaitlyn finally stepped onto the ice and began to skate around, but did nothing fancy. Dustin excused himself from the boys and caught up to her once he spotted her passing him. He took her left hand with his, came up behind her, and placed his right hand on her waist.

"Nothing fancy, Dusty. I can't tell you how much I don't want to fall tonight."

"I won't," he promised. They skated a few laps arm in arm with Kaitlyn giggling almost the whole way. It was great to not be worrying about anything for a while. She was as relaxed as she would ever get. After a while, the boys called Dusty over again, begging for some more tips.

"Go play, Dusty. I'm happy to just do a few laps. The air is great and I could use the exercise."

"You sure?"

"Go," she said, kissing him and almost losing her balance. He steadied her then skated over to the boys again. Kaitlyn laughed as she watched Dusty with the hockey stick and puck, darting circles around the boys. He was quite the crowd pleaser. She decided she was done after a little while, skated off the rink, and made her way to a bench. She continued to watch him for a while when an elderly man sat beside her.

"Hello, Katie."

"Frank?" she said in surprise. "You know me?"

"Of course I know you, child. Shouldn't I? I may be old and my memory is slipping, but I never forget a pretty face."

"But I...it was a different time when I talked with you."

He let out a sound like a tire loosing air. "Pfftttt. Not sure as I know what it is you're talking about. It wasn't so long ago you came to see old Frank at the library."

"But...oh my goodness. I'm so confused," she said, scooting closer to him. "I no longer remember when I came to see you I guess. I was going to come in again. This is all a getting to be such a big mess."

"Did you finally tell your Dustin about your situation?"

"Yes, three or four times now."

"Three or four?" he asked, puzzled.

"I finally got one convinced, then I went back later and had to convince another him. Then I lost him to something I did and I had to do it all over again. That's where I am now so three times, I guess."

"Something you did?"

"Yes," she said as she searched for Dusty on the ice. He had just spotted her talking to Frank and was skating over. "You want to talk about it?"

"Maybe later. I don't want to do this with him here. Things have proved to be hard enough on him. I have to say, he's being a better sport than I'd be."

Just then Dusty slid to a stop in front of them.

"You trying to move in on my girl?" he asked Frank with a playful raised eyebrow.

Frank laughed. "Wouldn't dream of it, young feller," he said with a smile. "I'm just catching up with an old friend. You sure can skate."

"Just clowning around," he said with a shrug.

"Well, I should be going and leave you two alone to enjoy the beautiful night. You two have a great time," Frank said as he stood. He tipped his hat. "Kaitlyn. Dustin."

"Have I met him before?" Dusty asked.

"Actually, yes," she answered.

"But I don't remember him. How does he remember me?"

"It was another you," she said, completely confused. "I don't know how he can remember me from another time, but you can't. This sure is frustrating. I was having a good time for a while there."

"So, don't stop." Hoisting himself over the side of the rink, he closed the gap between them.

"Are you ready to go?" she said softly.

"Nope," he said as he gripped the bench by the back and lowered it until it was lying flat on the ground. Squealing, she laughed and held onto his neck. He leaned in slowly as he kissed her. "I'll have none of that," he said gazing lovingly into her eyes. "You have fun or we go back and have sex."

"That's really a win-win situation, Dusty," she said with a gentle kiss. "I guess some of your antics are ageless."

"I did this to you before?"

"Yup. Kitchen table."

"Damn," he said as he pulled the bench back upright. "I am too slick for my own good. Did we have sex on the refrigerator?"

She laughed. "No, but you threatened it."

He leaned in for a much longer kiss. She got lost in the ecstasy of it and almost forgot where they were.

"Skate with me, baby," he said when their lips finally parted.

"You done showing off for the kids?" Her hands were on her hips, feigning being serious.

"Sure am. I can't give it all away in one night." He offered her his hand and she stood up. They skated around again together until the rink closed for the night.

"That was fun," he said in the car on the way home. "Good call."

"I knew you'd like that."

"It's a bonus that the forces of good have my heat working now, too," he said. "You wanna grab coffee or something?"

"No. Not this late. I don't want to be up all night. Hot chocolate?"

"Sure. I have some powder at home."

"No. Let's go to Perkins. We can get some pie, too."

He laughed at her. "You are a riot."

"What?"

"I can just about touch my fingers together when I wrap my hands around your waist, yet you can out eat most guys I know."

"It's a gift," she said, putting her hands under her chin and batting her eyes.

They slid into a booth and sat facing each other. She ordered apple pie alamode, which brought another laugh from Dustin. "I thought we were warming up and you go and order ice cream."

"The pie will be warm. It's just not complete without the ice cream."

Dustin told the waitress, "Make it two."

"I don't care if it is only twenty degrees out. If there was picketing going on over at Dairy Queen for closing for the season, I'd be first in line."

"Ice cream another comfort food?"

"I think any food for me is comfort food."

He laughed but she was being serious. As the plates were delivered, Kaitlyn's eyes widened. They were much larger slices than she'd expected. She got more than half done with hers then placed it in front of Dustin, claiming he would need his strength for later.

After finishing it in a few bites, he scooted around to sit next to her. "I don't want to ruin the mood here, but I want to know something."

"What's that?" she asked.

"I want to know what you were doing on the lake that night."

She let out a heavy sigh. "Dusty, please."

"Look. From what you say, you may not be here tomorrow and I want to know."

She gestured at the crowded restaurant. "Not here."

They drove home from the restaurant in silence. Kaitlyn was uneasy, thinking about telling Dusty about what happened to his best friend. He was so hard to convince as it was, she worried what would happen if she dropped a bomb like this on him.

"I'm going to change into your pajamas, then I should probably check in with Courtney. You know what a worry wart she can be...or maybe you don't." She tiptoed up and kissed him quick. "I'll be out in a second."

"I'll start a fire," he said as he went over to the fireplace and removed the screen.

After she got changed, she called Courtney. "Hey, roomie. How's tricks?"

"It's about time you get around to checking in with me. How's your shoulder, hon?"

"It's fine. Just wanted to let you know that I'm alive. I won't be coming back again tonight."

"Thanks for the warning. We'll try to stay off your bed."

Kaitlyn laughed. "Thanks. I'm kinda missing you, you pain in the ass. We should try to do dinner tomorrow or something. You free?"

"I'll clear my busy schedule for you."

"Thanks. Love ya."

"Love ya back."

She joined Dusty in the kitchen; he was was turning off the coffee pot. "I didn't know if you wanted hot chocolate again, cider or tea. I figured making hot water was a good start."

"Tea sounds great. Do you have that sweet orange stuff?"

His head tilted to the side slightly, eyes slightly squinted together. "It still surprises me. I don't know why." Turning to the cabinet, he pulled out a box of sweet orange tea. "You know, you should memorize some lottery numbers just in case."

"I would never do that," she said. "That seems so wrong. I couldn't imagine misusing whatever this is in that way. I don't ever know what's going to happen or where I'll be next. I honestly wish it would just stop."

He held her by the waist. "As long as you end up with me, I don't care where you quit." He gave her a quick kiss, then turned around and assembled their teas. After picking them both up he said, "Join me on the couch." She sat next to him and accepted her cup. "Now. You going to tell me about the snowmobile?"

"It's complicated, Dusty."

"Try me."

"When I do whatever the hell it is I do, I've been staying between being twenty-five and turning thirty. A few things have changed, but nothing too drastic. I can still figure things out and carry on with the day as close to normal as possible. The first time, I thought maybe I missed something, went batty, had dreamed it, or whatever, and that was really my life. I was very confused. Correction, I am still very confused."

"But you were what? Seventeen a few days ago?"

"Yes. That really threw me for a loop, but then I realized what day it was and I knew I was there for a reason. Before I fell asleep, I was looking into that day."

"You were supposed to find me by the lake? How did you even know I would be there? I was running after Alyson. It's not like I had a plan to be there at that time."

"It wasn't you, Dusty."

"Alyson? But you don't even know her. Wait, are you friends when you're thirty or something?"

"Are you really going to make me tell you this?"

"Yes. You have my curiosity up now." Taking her cup away, he placed them both on the coffee table and held her hands in his. "Tell me."

"When I had trouble convincing the older you about me, you told me about her." She paused for a long while. "She died on the ice that night, Dusty."

"What?"

"She ran out onto the ice and fell through. You couldn't save her and you blamed yourself for it." His face lost all expression. He could only stare straight ahead.

"I dug around and found the news story after you told me," she continued. "When I woke up in my old house, I knew I had to try."

Returning his attention to her he said in a soft voice, "You did that...for me? You could have died crossing that lake."

"I had to, Dusty." Her lip began to tremble. She didn't know how to take his reaction. "Even after I came back and thought you two were a couple now, I thought I'd done the right thing." He pulled her close as she began to gently sob. "As long as you were happy, I was happy."

He held her tight for a long time without saying a word. He finally leaned himself back and held her face in his hands. "No matter what happens, I don't think I can ever love you more than I do right now."

"You do believe me then?"

"With all my heart," he said before pulling her tight to himself again.

"You can't ever tell her."

He laughed. "She's my best friend, but I think even that has its limits. There's no way she'd believe me, anyway."

Exhausted, they abandoned their teas, got undressed, and crawled into bed. They were both so full of emotions, neither wanted to make love. They each wanted to just be held tight.

"I hope you stay, Katie. I need you."

"I wish I could," she whispered back. She only slightly fibbed. She wanted to be with him, but she didn't want to spend her college years over again. Her thoughts again drifted to the baby.
Chapter Sixteen

They woke up together the next morning. Kaitlyn was still missing the baby, but welcomed the familiarity. She turned to face him. One quick kiss led to another and soon they were making up for what they had missed out on the night before. She may have provoked it by climbing on top, but Dustin soon switched positions to take charge. He was masterful at such a young age and was always certain to bring Kaitlyn to climax before he allowed himself.

"You have no idea how happy I am," he whispered into her ear.

"I have a clue," she answered with a soft giggle.

"You know I don't just mean that," he said, rolling to the side.

"I know. You always knew how to get me just right. Even from the beginning. You take lessons or something?" she teased as she stroked his chest.

"My ego is bad enough you don't need to talk to me like that, my sweet."

"I'm serious. I've never had a partner like you."

He just shrugged. "I'd rather not divulge the secrets."

"There are secrets? I was teasing."

"It's not an original story, Katie," he said, sitting up, obviously upset at the question.

She followed him up. "Dusty, I'm sorry. I was teasing. I didn't mean to get you upset."

He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into his chest. "I'm sorry. I'm not upset. It's just...this is why I keep to myself. Being the rich kid isn't what it's cracked up to be. You have people falling at your feet, left and right, wanting to give you anything just to be with you. I don't think there's a girl I dated in high school that wasn't a gold-digger. Even dad's maid threw herself at me. I don't know what she expected to get from me, but she was hardly something I was going to kick outta bed. Sorry if that makes me sound horrible."

"No, it makes you sound like a man," she said, giving him a kiss on the chin. She sat up. "Wait. Rich kid? You guys had a maid?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm lost. We were dating for about a year before all this started. You work for a newspaper and have the same piece of crap Chevelle. You wear jeans to work. You're loaded?"

"What?" he said shooting up off the bed.

"God, I shouldn't have said anything. I'm sorry, Dusty. I had no idea you came from money." She stared at him blankly, "Holy shit! That's why you knew how to make the caviar for me at Chez Pauls. How could I miss that?"

"Back up. We dated for a year and you don't know about my family?"

"You never said anything about them. The first time I met them was the last time I was here with the other you." She smiled. "We kinda got busted."

He laughed about that then got serious again. "So, I finally grew a 'set' and told the old man to stuff it. Huh. There's a thought."

She leaned into him. "There's so much now that's new, Dusty. You never talked about law school or anything."

He put his hands on her shoulders and leaned her back. "But you love me anyway?"

"Of course. Why would I care if you have money or not? You're a great guy. I admit to thinking you were too young for me, but I'm glad you were persistent about it."

"Do you know that there's a brand new BMW in the garage and I just drive the Chevelle to piss Dad off?"

She laughed. "No."

"I should have used it to drive you around. You should be treated better and in the style that I can give you. Not driven around freezing. I'm sorry, Katie."

"Don't you dare change a thing for me, Dustin Charles Andrews."

"Ouch, the middle name. If you're going to use the whole thing, you might as well add 'the second' after it."

"You wanna talk about what the problem is between you and your dad?"

"Not really."

"I'm not dumb. I catch the basics. You don't want to go to law school but your dad is footing the bill, so here you are. What am I missing, Dusty? We need to talk about this. It all may be tied somehow to why I'm here."

"I don't see how," he said as he stepped into the shower.

After a minute, she joined him. "It has to. In my time, you—"

"Are a bum," he said, cutting her off.

"Stop it. You like what you do. What's wrong with that?" She wrapped her arms around his waist. "You still got me to fall for you."

He took her chin in his hand and gave her a quick kiss as the water poured over them. "There's that."

"Let's try piecing this together. You do what you like in my/our 'now'. The first time things went wacky, we were the ages that we should have been for my normal timeline, but the circumstances were different. You were a lawyer and we had a baby."

"We did...uh do?"

"Yes. You named her Alyson."

"We're married?" he asked.

"Yes."

"You are one understanding wife."

"Alyson had died in that time, Dusty. You made our daughter her namesake."

"I forgot about that."

"I think I still wouldn't mind naming her after your best friend. You two never slept together right?"

"God no! It would be like humping my sister."

She grinned. "Okay. Where were we? Oh, so the next time I come here, you're in law school. Somewhere along the line, things get jumbled up. In one instance, you said you'd quit school, but went back to finish because of me." She placed her hand on his cheek. "I know you're not very happy later. I don't want to be the reason why you stay or don't stay in school, Dusty."

"I still say this can't be about me."

"You have a better idea?" she asked.

"Nope."

"Well then. We're back to square one. We'll just have to take it a day at a time."

They finished up in the shower. Dusty offered her a towel. "Do you want to know about my family?"

"I want to know what you want to tell me. The money doesn't matter, Dusty. That much I can tell you. You make your own decisions. You get along in the future without relying on your father. If you despise his control so much, it's up to you to do something about it."

"I'm going to need to let this all sink in."

"We have nothing but time and apparently second chances," she said, holding him tight. "In the meantime, though, I think you need to get your ass to class."

"Why do I but you don't?"

"I've already done it, my love."

"Crap. But what if I drop out later?"

"Until you decide, you need to do what you would have done before I invaded your life a few years too soon."

"Best damn invasion I've ever had," he said as he leaned in for another long kiss before getting dressed. "I think I need to set up a dinner with Mom and Dad, so you can see what you're up against."

"Do whatever you want. I'll show up."

"If you're here," he added.

"Exactly," she said with a grin.

Dustin reluctantly went to his classes. In between his afternoon classes, he called his mother and asked if it was okay if he showed up for dinner with a guest. She was pleasantly surprised and said, "Of course it's okay, dear. I'll have May hold supper until seven to give you time to get here."

"May? I thought she was quitting."

"Your father made her reconsider." Dustin wondered if that meant a wad of cash, or if his father now made himself scarce around the cook. They never did get along, but he loved her cooking. "She just hasn't been happy since you kids left. It's not the same around here for her just looking after two old farts. I promised her grandkids soon; you and your sister better get on it."

"I'll see what I can do. We'll be there at seven. Thanks, Mom."

He tried to call Kaitlyn, but her phone went to her voice mail. He left a message, hoping the news would go over okay.

Kaitlyn had her phone off when she went to the library to look for Frank. She found him returning books in the sci-fi section.

"Well hello there!" he said with a big smile. "What brings you to see old Frank?"

"Maybe I just like your company," she said, crossing her arms.

"There's that," he said with a warm smile. "Your timing is excellent. I'm ready for a break."

They sat in the small break room, which actually seemed more like it was once a closet. He handed her coffee in an old small coffee mug with a chip, apologized for the chip, and took a chair across from her.

"So, how have things been?" he asked.

"Strange, of course, but I'm getting by."

"Why did you think I wouldn't know you when we met at the ice rink?"

"Everything is so jumbled up; now worse than ever."

"How so?"

"Our memories are becoming mixed up. I went back to my teens and changed something, now things are... different."

"Continue," he encouraged her.

"The two older Dusty's that I was bouncing between..." She took a long pause. "I don't think they exist anymore."

"Why is that?"

"I think I changed the course of our lives. Well, his for sure."

"Is that bad?"

"I don't know, exactly. How could being able to keep your best friend be bad? I thought I messed things up for me when I assumed they became a couple, but we're together again now and things are great."

"So what's so jumbled now?"

"He actually had a couple of memories of me from my present."

"Did he really, or is everything you tell him just kind of suggestive?"

"He pictured me in his favorite black dress."

"Low cut in the front?" he asked. Her eyes became wide, her head tilted in great surprise. Frank laughed hard. "Every woman has a low cut black dress, and it's every man's fantasy is to see her in it. Or more precisely, rip it off of her." That had her choking on her coffee. "Sorry, Katie. I just wouldn't dwell too much on that."

"I guess we're together and fine. I just wonder what's next."

"Has fretting about it ever helped your situation?"

"No."

"Then there's your answer."

She let out a heavy breath and flopped back into the chair. "I can't keep doing this, Frank. I'm going to jump off a bridge if I have to explain this again to another Dusty."

"No, you're not. You've changed something for the better. Maybe that's what you were here to fix and you're done."

"So, now I'm stuck here? I have to re-live the rest of my college days?"

"I didn't say that. I just think it'll work out. Things have a way of doing that."

"I can't say I share your optimism for this."

"I'd love a chance to go back to the twenty year old me. I'd tell myself to stay the hell away from Stacey Trent." He chuckled. Katie just smiled at him as she sipped the horrible coffee. "Did you ever think back to what may have started all of this?"

"I don't know if I can even separate my original reality from what's been going on now."

"Try."

After a long pause, she said, "It was my thirtieth birthday." He just nodded as if to say "continue". "We had just finished..." She blushed.

"You can skip that part."

"I told him I wanted to break up. I said he was too young for me."

"You told me that. There has to be something else. You thought he was too young for you here, too, but he's a persistent little bastard. You obviously get over that."

"He really is mature beyond his years. Even when we have the baby." Again she paused, remembering the tenderness in his eyes when he looked at baby Alyson. "He's such an attentive daddy."

"You are smitten to beat the band, little lady. I can't figure out what you are doing coming back to him when he's younger, when you seem so intent on staying with him."

"But I wasn't. I was really going to break up with him." She went to take another sip and something suddenly occurred to her. "Oh my God!" she said and put the cup down.

"What? You remember something?"

"I do! I remember saying, 'I wish we met a few years ago, maybe we'd have our act together', or something like that. I did this? It can't be that simple, Frank."

"I never said it was simple."

"How often in your life do you utter strange wishes, strange requests? It doesn't make them suddenly happen."

"Maybe this time it did."

"So, I have some fairy godmother, having a laugh at my expense?"

"Possibly. Did you make some deal with the devil?"

"Not funny, Frank. I'm serious. I've been trying so hard just to keep my sanity about where I am from day to day, I haven't even sat down and really tried to figure it out."

"Will it help now that you think you know the cause?"

"Won't it?"

"You seem to be getting more upset, not feeling better."

She let out a heavy sigh in frustration. "Okay, fine. So I stop trying to figure it out, but we're still back at square one. I made some ridiculous wish and it somehow comes true. I'm making me bounce around and screw up my life. Now the question is why." She let out a loud grunt and put her head to her knees.

"Can you still say you're screwing things up, or is it that you're here to fix something?"

"I liked my life, or at least I thought I did. What did I need to fix? To quote you, it wasn't broke!" she said a little loud.

"Apparently it was. You wanted him, but you didn't want to admit it, from what I understand of the situation. You sent yourself back to find out."

"But how could that happen? I don't want to be coming and going! Why do I go to all the different times? Why don't I just meet him, know I love him and then stay put?"

"Because you started complicating things again."

"How so?"

"Think Katie. It's not rocket science."

"Not rocket science? It's fucking time travel! What the hell are you saying? There are people that figure out rocket science. I bet not one of them could help me." Trying to get herself under control, she apologized for her outburst. "I'm sorry, Frank. I didn't mean to curse."

"I can hold my own, missy. I just don't do it in the presence of a lady."

"I think I hardly qualify as a lady."

"Poppycock. Continue. Think, Katie. You changed something other than just meeting a younger Dustin."

She sighed again. "Alyson?"

"Yes, but before that."

She put her fingers to her temples and began to rub them. She was getting a doozie of a headache again. After a minute, her eyes shot open again. "He was a lawyer!"

"Right." Frank smacked his hand on the table. "He didn't seem happy, so you wanted to fix it."

"I didn't set out to do that."

"Maybe not with a vengeance about it, but you knew he wasn't happy so you addressed it in some way. Correct?"

"I guess I do tell him."

"Where does that stand now?"

"I insisted he still goes to class until he figures it out."

"Well then, my dear," he said standing up. "We are at an impasse."

"I'm stuck doing this until he figures it out?"

"It would appear so, unless something else comes up," he added.

"Like I run into Elvis?"

He laughed. "Yes, something like that. I have to get back to work."

She stood and gave him a strong hug. "Thanks again, Frank. I'd go insane without you to talk to."

"It feels good to be needed. Anyone can mop a floor and file a book."

"You're a special man," she said as she kissed him on the cheek. "Don't you ever feel otherwise." She gazed into his kind eyes and saw a twinkle there that made her stare more intently.

"What is it, child? You looking for something special in old Frank's face?"

"I'm just wondering if maybe you have a set of wings under that jumpsuit."

He gave her a hearty laugh. "You're barking up the wrong old fart if you're looking for your fairy godfather, dear. You'd be closer if you were searching for father time." He bent his arm, pointing his elbow toward her, she slipped her hand through the loop his arm made. They walked back upstairs and said their goodbyes.

It was another beautiful day, by Minnesota winter standards anyway. The temperature was in thirties and it wasn't currently snowing. Without any wind, it was actually nice out. Kaitlyn took her time, strolling back to her dorm and wandered around the campus daycare to watch the children playing outside. After leaving the playground, she checked her voice messages.

"Ah hell," she said as she listened to Dusty's message.

Waiting in the lobby of her dorm for Dustin, she didn't recognize the car when he pulled up. He was halfway to her before she realized it was him. "You brought the BMW?" she asked as she gave him a kiss. He kissed back, but he wasn't smiling. "What's wrong?"

"We'll talk about it later, Katie. I just want to get tonight over with. Sorry I'm doing this to you."

He started to walk toward the car, she took hold of his arm. "Katie? No cupcake, no love puppet? What's the matter, Dusty?"

He let out a long breath. "It's just been one of those days. Come on," he said, taking her hand. They got in the car and drove off.

When they arrived on his street, she realized where they were. "I thought we were going to your parents'."

When he pulled in the driveway, she could see his Chevelle parked there, running. "We are. I want you to drive this though. You can follow me."

"Why are we driving separately?"

"I'm leaving the Beamer at my parents' house," he said as he climbed out. She climbed out after him and rushed around to the front of his other car. "Dusty, stop. Please tell me what's going on."

"I've had it, baby," he said, bending down and picking up a small branch that had fallen in the driveway. He whipped it into the street as hard as he could.

"Had it with what? Me?" She was suddenly worried and she stared into his eyes, looking for the answers.

"Oh, God no, Katie. No," he said as he hurried to her side and held her tight. "I'm sorry. It's not you." He leaned back and held her by the shoulders. "Would you believe me if I said that right now you are the only thing that makes sense in my life? Even with all that is going on. I don't want this life. I can't do it anymore. I'll get a job and get by. I can't do this law shit a day longer."

"Why? Did something happen? I don't want to be what changes your mind."

"I didn't change my mind; I've always felt this way. I just finally grew a 'set'. I never wanted this. No amount of money is going to make it worth it."

She leaned in again and wrapped her arms around him. "I'll stand beside you no matter what. You know that."

"Remember you said that when my dad goes through the roof. You sure you want to come tonight?"

"I'm sure. I want to be there for you."

He held her face. "I've said I love you, right?"

"You did now," she said as she gave him a kiss. "Don't lose me driving. I don't know where I'm going."

"We go east until you smell the stench of money." He gave her one last kiss and put her in the car. "Don't get used to it. Sorry, sugar. You deserve better."

"There is no better than you." She blew him a kiss and closed the door. "But dammit, the heat feels nice."
Chapter Seventeen

The drive to his parents' house took almost an hour. Kaitlyn's jaw dropped when she saw the size of their home. It wasn't just a large house, it was a mansion.

Dustin used a keypad to open the gate, then they drove in. She followed him up the large circular driveway, he stopped at the front door then climbed out. He approached her and opened up the car door. "Scoot over. I'm going to pull this in the garage."

"You're sure?" She hesitated before moving.

"I'm the most sure of anything I've ever been my entire life," he said, finally breaking a smile. He bent down and gave her a kiss. "Now scoot."

As he drove around the back, Kaitlyn couldn't contain her gasp. There were twelve stalls to the garage. He just chuckled at her. "Ah, home crap home." He drove to the last stall, used the garage door opener on the visor, and drove in.

"That's nice they leave a stall for you," she said.

"It's for the car, not me." He put his hand on her leg. "Wait for me." He ran around and opened her door then offered her his hand.

"Gee, Dusty. We show up in Snootville and you're all refined."

"Bad habits are hard to break," he said with a smirk.

He turned around and noticed the car they were parked next to. "Holy shit! Dad wrecked the Aston Martin."

"The what?"

He pointed at the car that had a smashed front end. "Now, that's a slick ride," she said. "Maybe if you had that one, I wouldn't let you give it back." He gave her hand a squeeze, they continued to the passage door to the house. She noticed the next car. "Is that a DeLorean?"

"Yup. You can cut coke on it and never notice."

"You didn't!"

He laughed. "No, babycakes. I never did drugs. Not all rich kids are druggies. You?"

"What? Do drugs? Never. I was too into my studies. I didn't need that crap."

"Good. I'd hate to have our first fight. I was referring to the car being stainless steel and the rumors about why the company folded."

"Oh, I guess I remember hearing that. Sorry, I really don't follow cars. Hey!" She stopped. "Build me a time machine, my love," she said, suddenly remembering that a DeLorean was the car that was made into a time machine in the Back to the Future movies with Michael J. Fox.

He laughed and spun her to him, then began to kiss her. It was just gentle pecks at first but they both lost themselves in it within seconds. His hands pulled her closer to him by her ass and her fingers ran through the hair at the back of his head. It was then that Kaitlyn heard someone clear her throat.

Kaitlyn and Dusty broke apart quickly. Kaitlyn's mind raced. She couldn't remember if she had met his parents now or with the other Dustin.

"Hi, Mom," Dusty said quickly and walked over for a kiss hello. He held onto Kaitlyn's hand the whole time. "This is the love of my life, Katie. Katie, this is my mother, Norma."

Whew. Katie thought. Okay...it was a different time when I met them. "Hi," she said with a smile. "It's nice to meet you."

"You too, dear," Norma said with a genuine smile. "Come inside."

They walked through the kitchen, with Dustin stopping to say hello to May and introduce Kaitlyn, then continued to the sitting room. Again, Kaitlyn tried hard to hold her mouth closed. The room was almost bigger than her house. Everything in it was white and it was decorated in a very antique style. Although she knew nothing of furniture, she was certain these would not be reproductions.

Dustin's dad was sitting on an overstuffed recliner with the newspaper. He didn't look up from it when they entered the room. "Did I hear that piece of shit Chevelle pull up into the driveway?" he said gruffly.

"Your hearing is going, Dustin," Norma said. "He parked the BMW in the garage."

He put the paper down, saw Katie, and stood.

"Who's your friend?" he asked as he extended his hand once he'd reached them.

"This is Katie, Dad," Dusty said, wrapping an arm around her protectively. "Katie, this is my father, Dustin Andrews, Sr."

"Nice to meet you," his father said with a warm smile and a firm handshake. "You a law student, too?"

"No. Veterinary medicine," she answered.

"Well, isn't that just adorable," his mother squealed. "How are you with nails, dear?"

"Excuse me?"

"Princess Sophia really needs her nails done and she just doesn't let me do them. I haven't had time to take her in."

"That damn dog ain't dead yet?" Dusty asked.

"No, she's not, you horrible child," his mother said as she smacked his arm.

"Isn't she like a hundred?"

"She's eighteen. Deaf and blind and still a better child then you," Norma teased her son.

"She must be a cocker spaniel," Kaitlyn said.

Dustin's head quickly spun and faced her. His mom smiled. "Yes she is. Would you mind?"

"I'd love to," she said, stepping out of Dusty's hold and giving him a wink. "Lead the way."

After the women left the room, Dusty made his way over to the bar. He stared at the bottles of Samuel Adams Utopia for just a moment before he chose a Tutankhamen Brew. He downed a few long swigs of it before his father spoke.

"Still afraid of the Utopia, huh, boy?"

"No beer is worth a hundred dollars a bottle."

"You're drinking fifty-two right now."

"I'd rather have a cheap draft, in all honesty. No offense."

"Give me a good Cognac any day over beer. I never did have a taste for it, even at your age." He held up his glass as if in a toast. He strolled to the window and peered out to the driveway. "That car is out there. What gives? Why did you two arrive in two cars?"

"I don't want to do this now. We'll talk after dinner."

"Talk about what after dinner? I asked a simple question."

Dusty downed the rest of the beer. "I'm leaving the Beamer, Dad. I don't want it. I don't drive it. It just sits in the garage."

"What the hell am I supposed to do with it?"

"Sell it for all I care. That car just ain't me."

"Ain't? That's twice you've said that. I pay good money for that school. The least you could do is talk proper English."

"And that talk is definitely for after dinner." Dusty went for another beer, but changed his mind. He poured a glass of Captain Morgan 100 Proof and topped it off with just enough Coke for color.

"What the hell is going on now?" his father asked, approaching the bar and putting his glass on it for Dusty to refill it.

"Can it just wait?"

"Why? What's wrong? You getting bad grades or something?"

"You know me better than that."

"Dean Hallard up your ass about something?"

"No, Dad."

"Your girlfriend is a nail clipping genius!" his mother said as they entered the room.

Kaitlyn blushed as she joined Dustin.

"Princess Sophia is a little old to fight. She was really good for me."

"I'm going to check on dinner," his mom said as she left the room.

"I need to make a call, too," his dad said and headed out the French doors.

Kaitlyn's eyes went to the liquor bottle that Dustin was nervously spinning. She picked up his glass, took a sip, and coughed a little. She poured some into the bar sink and added more Coke.

"What are you doing?" she whispered. "You can't get any talking done this way."

"He's gonna shit first then kill me, baby," he said, downing half the glass.

"Stop it," she said taking the glass from him again.

"I thought I could do this. Dammit!" he said, banging his head back against the wall.

"You can," she said nuzzling into his cheek. "But if you need to wait, wait. You know this isn't about me. I'm here for you." She had her hand on his cheek, he took it with his hand and gave it a kiss.

"Let's get through dinner first."

"I love you," she whispered into his ear then gently kissed his earlobe.

He kissed her hand again.

His mother walked in, announcing dinner was ready as his dad stormed in through the other set of doors at the same time. "You dropped out?" he hollered at his son.

"What?" his mother said in disbelief. "You dropped out of school, Dusty?"

"I just hung up with Dean Hallard," his father continued, furious. "Your son dropped out this afternoon. You want to explain yourself?" he said to Dustin.

"I've told you from the start, I'm not cut out to be a lawyer, Dad."

His mother tried to calm things down. "Can we talk over dinner? It's ready."

"I want to talk about this now!" his dad shouted again.

"There's nothing to talk about!" Dusty finally got mad enough to shout back. "Keep your goddamn money. You can't dangle that over me anymore. I don't care. I'm not staying in law school."

Dustin's dad took a few steps toward him, Kaitlyn put herself in front of him. It was as if he were about to be shot and she threw herself in front of the bullet.

His dad started to laugh. "Is this about you? You starting this?"

"Absolutely not. He's a grown man, Mr. Andrews. I don't make up his mind for him. I love Dusty. I'll love him practicing law or shoveling shit. I don't care."

"Well I hope you're happy with that shit shoveling, because there's no trust fund for a drop out."

"He already has a Bachelor's degree. He's hardly a drop out," she argued.

"Baby, don't go fighting him for me. It's pointless." Dusty pulled her aside. "It's always been pointless. This is a dead subject. I'm sorry I ever let you rope me into law school, Dad. I'm sorry I wasted your precious money, but it isn't now nor will it ever be me. I admire you for being able to do it, but I can't." He walked over to his mother and kissed her on the cheek. "Sorry about dinner, Mom. I tried to put the conversation off."

"Don't go, dear. Please stay for dinner."

"Thanks, but no thanks." He took Katie by the hand and headed toward the door, quickly grabbing their coats.

"Don't you walk out that door now, Junior."

"Don't call me Junior," was all he said before slamming the front door. Once they reached the Chevelle, he held the passenger door open for Katie.

"I'm driving," she said. "You've had too much to drink."

"I have not. I didn't even get to finish it."

"I don't care. Give me the keys," she said with her hand extended.

"I don't want to fight any more tonight dammit, Katie."

"Then hand over the goddamn keys."

He plopped them in her hand and sat in the car like a scolded child. She closed the door, went around to the driver's side, and got in. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he mumbled.

"Is that pretty much what you expected?"

"I think it went even better than I expected. Could you just start the car and get us the hell out of here, please?"

She went to turn the key, but his dad was standing in front of the car.

"Come back inside," his father pleaded. It had started to snow. He was standing there without a coat and getting covered in heavy flakes.

Kaitlyn turned to Dusty. "Start the car," he said.

She took the keys out and put them in her jacket pocket.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"We're going back in," she said firmly.

"No, we're not."

"I love you and yes, we are." She got out of the car, walked around to his side, and opened his door.

They returned into the house and shook off the snow. "It's really starting to come down out there," Norma said to Katie as she took their coats. "I'd better check the weather after dinner. Maybe you two should stay over."

"We're not staying," Dusty said.

"You may not listen to me but you'll listen to your mother, young man, or I'll deck you. We'll eat dinner then we'll check the weather. Capiche?"

Dusty just nodded before he returned to the bar. He picked up the glass he had abandoned earlier and held it up to Katie, as if in defiance before taking another long gulp.

"Does he always drink like this?" his dad asked Katie.

"No," she replied. "We rarely ever have a few beers."

"Thanks for bringing him back in."

"I have no say in what he does, Mr. Andrews. You two need to work this out. I just want him happy. Being a lawyer is not what will make him happy. Can't you get past that?"

"How about we get past dinner first?" He motioned for her to go to the dining room. Norma went over to her son and led him to the dining room as well.

The food was set out and waiting. The table could easily seat twenty guests. Their plates were all at one end. Dusty's dad took the head chair and Kaitlyn bravely sat next to him. Dusty took the chair next to hers. May came out with rolls fresh from the oven.

"Can I get anyone anything else right away?" the cook asked.

"Could you bring out two glasses of white shiraz for Kaitlyn and me please, May?" his mother asked and then added to Kaitlyn, "You'll like it, dear."

Kaitlyn really didn't want a glass, but she didn't want to be rude. She was grateful that they seemed to be civil to their help. She was also in awe of the plate before her. It looked like something they'd be served in Chez Pauls. The main dish was simply sliced roast beef, but the side dishes were incredibly fancy.

May returned with the wine and Kaitlyn complimented her on the food. May patted Dusty on the shoulder. "This meal has always been his favorite. I had to whip it up when I heard you were coming for supper." She smiled at him. "He always called it roast beast when he was younger."

Kaitlyn laughed and put her hand on his leg. She leaned over and kissed his cheek, trying to get him to relax. No such luck.

"You mind if I ask you how old you are, Katie?" Dusty's dad asked.

"Not at all. I'm twenty-five."

"So, you're almost done with school then. What are your plans? You want to work for a big chain outfit?"

"My dream has always been to have my own small practice."

"There's more money in the big corporate chains. Good steady work," he replied.

"I'm aware of that, and I've looked into a few. One has approached me, actually. My grades are the highest in my class." She hoped she wasn't lying. It had happened at some point, she just wasn't sure it had happened yet.

"Why on earth wouldn't you go that route? Having your own place is a pain in the ass. The employees, the taxes... I'm telling you, big corporations are the way to go."

"I'm a small town girl, Mr. Andrews. I'd prefer a nice quiet practice. Studying animal medicine isn't about the money for me."

"Boy, are you two ever a match."

"No comments about her age, dad?" Dustin finally said. "Aren't you going to tell her I'm too young for her?"

"Nope."

"No?" he said in surprise.

"You were going on thirty when you were thirteen, boy. Your age has never been the issue. I was grateful to not have had the druggie-playboy-drunkard for a son, but I didn't see you shunning the family business and money your whole damn life."

"I'd rather have happiness than money," Dusty declared.

"I have both," his father replied just as firmly.

"Do you? Do you really? Do you honestly like law or is it just the power and money?"

"Dusty," Kaitlyn whispered, trying to calm him down.

"That's all right," his dad said. "He can speak up. This is what we're doing now, apparently."

Dusty's mother was obviously uncomfortable and took a big gulp of wine. Kaitlyn followed suit.

"Do you want to know what made me walk out today?" Dusty asked.

"I'm dying to know what made you walk out today," his dad said, putting down his fork.

"In one class lately, we've been doing a cluster–fu..., sorry, Mom. A bunch of hard case law stories. Trials about everything a lawyer can pull out of his ass to raise bullshit questions like the OJ Simpson trial."

"Say what you want, but from a lawyer stand point, you need to play every card and that's what they did."

"Whether or not you feel your client is guilty? That's bullshit."

"That's your job."

"Well, it won't be mine. Who the hell am I to decide if someone like Terri Schiavo should live or die? Why does something as delicate as whether or not your wife should live or die become a national event and be put into lawyers' hands?"

"Not everyone can view things from all angles for themselves."

"Again, I cry bullshit. I'm not going to discuss formalities of whether I think any of these are right or wrong, or who should or shouldn't have done whatever about it. All I can say is, I refuse to make that my life." He took a deep breath. "I'm a writer, Dad. That's all I've ever wanted to do. Words leap out at me and that's what makes sense to me. I can make the words do what I want them to. I don't have a judge and jury arguing grammar and commas with me. I don't have someone waiting for me to find the right angle to set him or her free, knowing they are guilty. No one's life is in my hands."

"Except Captain Skinnard and his crew," Kaitlyn said.

Dusty smiled at her. "Except Captain Skinnard and his crew."

"Who's that?" his mother asked.

"He's written the most wonderful book," Kaitlyn said, beaming with pride.

Norma's eyes brightened. "You have?"

"The jury is still out on how great it is," he said. His rant was forgotten for a second, but not by his father.

"So. That's how you see me? A man who keeps guilty men from prison?"

"Look," Dusty said. "I don't mean any disrespect for what you do. I know that's not always the case, but these kinds of circumstances are just something I can never deal with. There were guys and girls alike in the classes, drooling at the chance to be the one big shot lawyer that took on the case that changed the way the world viewed it. That's just not me and never will be. I'm sorry that I'm a big disappointment to you, but that will never be me."

Everyone was quiet as May came back in, filled the wine glasses again, and dropped off fresh drinks for the men. "Sorry to interrupt," she said before returning to the kitchen.

His dad played with his drink for a moment before he spoke again. "You going to make me buy my own copy of this book?"

Dustin laughed. "You can afford it."

"I suppose you'll charge me for your autograph, too."

"That'll be on the house."

"Will you at least do one thing for me?"

"What's that?" Dustin asked.

"For the love of God, take that heap of shit to the dump and keep the Beamer."

"That car is not me, Dad."

"Then trade it in and get something else. You don't need to try to piss me off any more. I accept your resignation and I'll pay your rent through the end of the school year while you find something. Deal?"

"Deal on the rent." Dusty smiled. "But not on the car."
Chapter Eighteen

Dinner continued with a little more talking and a lot more laughs. His dad may not have been happy about the situation, but it seemed to Katie that he was trying to accept it. She imagined that since she'd never met his parents in her present, things had gone down much differently when Dusty had done this before.

When the meal was finished, they moved from the table to the sitting room again. May brought over another round of drinks.

"Oh, May, I can't have another glass. I have to drive us back tonight," Kaitlyn said.

"Oh no, you're not," she said taking the glass off the tray and handing it to her. "We're expecting eight more inches of snow before midnight. You two aren't going anywhere. I've already made up Dusty's room and the guest room.

Dusty took Katie's hand. "One room is all that we need. Thanks, May."

"Dustin Charles, you will not share a room in my house," his mother said firmly.

"You can't be serious," he said, throwing his head back.

"I'm afraid so, son. House rules."

"Dana always had her boyfriends in her room when they stayed over," he said, whining like a child.

"She did no such thing. Only her fiancés shared a room with her."

"Three fiancés?" He laughed. "You didn't catch on? Besides, we are getting married."

Kaitlyn frowned slightly.

"You're engaged?" his mother asked.

"Not officially," he admitted. "But we are getting married in a couple years." He squeezed Kaitlyn's hand. "You know we do," he whispered.

"Well then," his mother said. "That does make a difference. You are not sharing a bed in my house, officially."

"Come on, Dad, help me out here."

His father put his hands in the air. "Don't look at me, son. I'm still afraid of your mother."

Dusty addressed his mother. "What if I promise you no sex? Just let us sleep together. Please?"

"I said no," his mother said. "Besides, you're an Andrews man. I don't believe that no sex crap for one second."

Dusty turned to his father. "Did Mom just say crap?"

"I'm afraid so. Must be the wine," his father said with a chuckle.

After a little more getting to know each other and actual pleasant conversation, Katie began to rest her head on Dusty's shoulder.

"You tired, baby?"

"Actually, I am. Do you mind if I turn in?" she said to his mother.

"Not at all, dear. Come on, I'll show you to your room. You can borrow some of Dana's things."

Kaitlyn gave Dusty a quick goodnight kiss and followed his mother up the stairs. Norma stopped at Dustin's sister's room and picked out a pair of pajamas and a robe. "They'll be a little big on you but it's better than sleeping in your clothes."

"These will be great. Thanks." Norma led her to the guest room.

"You'll have your own bathroom," his mom pointed out as they entered the room. "Everything you need is there."

"Thanks for everything," Kaitlyn said as she leaned in for a hug goodnight.

"No, thank you for helping us through this," Norma countered. "I don't think I've ever seen those men of mine so happy for so long together before. You must be a magic charm."

"I wouldn't go that far," Kaitlyn said with a shy smile.

"We'll let you sleep in tomorrow morning. Things are pretty quiet around here on Saturday."

"Thank you. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, dear."

Kaitlyn washed her face, changed into the pajamas, and fell into bed. She thought she'd be asleep in seconds. She hoped she'd wake up here tomorrow morning. She really liked Dusty's parents. After about ten minutes, the door opened. She thought it would be Dustin's mom again, but she was happy to be wrong. Instead of hearing someone call her name, the door was quietly pushed shut.

Sitting up, she whispered, "Dusty?"

"It ain't the butler."

"Your mother is going to kick my ass. Get to your own room."

He crawled into bed with her. "No can do, puddin'. I'll lay awake all night wanting to hold you."

"I can't have sex in your parents' house."

"Why not? They are."

"Eww, you had to put that image in my mind. You are so not getting any now, for sure."

He laughed. "I just want to hold you. Please?"

"If we get caught, I'm totally blaming you." She rolled over on her side so he could wrap his arm around her.

"I'll be blamed anyway," he said as he pulled her close. "I'm an Andrews man." He behaved for the better part of a minute, then his hands began to roam over her breasts.

"Dusty..."

"Sorry. I can't help it. They're just right there; all in the way and stuff."

She put her hand over his to try to keep them still, but it didn't last long. He could still move his fingers. After another moment, she could definitely tell she wouldn't be going straight to sleep.

"Is that a cigar in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?"

He laughed. "We can't have sex anyway."

"Why not?" she asked, spinning around.

"You make too much noise."

"I do not!" she said a little too loudly, then covered her mouth. "I do not," she whispered again.

"Do too," he said as he began kissing down her neck and trying to get her pajama bottoms off.

She took a hold of his favorite body part and held firm until he froze. "You're not getting me busted by your mother."

"One, I locked the door and B, they're fifteen rooms away. They won't hear you."

"Fifteen rooms?"

"Fifteen. They'll never hear you and kindly release my junk, ma'am," he said as he began to nibble on her ear.

She let go and softly said, "I do not make... mmmm..."

Her talking was taken over by gentle moans as he kissed his way down her body. He made his way over her breasts and down to her navel. He worked the pajama pants off her and kissed his way back up again. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his back. "You win," she said.

"I usually do. At least I assume I usually do."

She giggled. "You do."

They made love to the sound of strong winds against the house. They could hear small beads of sleet hitting the windows as well. They were kind of glad for the storm and being forced to stay at his parents' house. The little bit of danger of being caught added to the wanting. Kaitlyn did catch herself being louder than she remembered being, now that she was told so. She found it extremely hard to keep her moans down, especially when they neared the end. She brought her lips to his chest and gently bit down as she climaxed. He let out a loud groan of his own. She wasn't so sure if it was because of his climax, which she felt instantaneous with hers, or if she bit him harder than she thought.

He slowly relaxed onto her. She could feel his heart pounding on her chest.

"Am I crushing you?" he asked.

"No," she said, stroking his back. "Stay."

"Good, 'cause I can't move." He kissed her neck once more, then buried his face there. After a minute, his breathing became extremely heavy. She could tell he had fallen asleep.

"Well this is a first." He definitely couldn't handle his alcohol. She was able to roll him on his side, but she stayed cuddling in his arms. She, too, was asleep within seconds.

The next morning they both shot awake to a tree branch hitting the window. Dusty climbed out of bed and peered outside. "It stopped snowing, but it's still blowing pretty good." He returned to the bed. "I'd better go back to my room and make my bed look slept in." He leaned down and gave her a kiss. "Hey, you stay put last night?"

She smiled and nodded her head.

"Good," he said, kissing her. "I remembered great sex then I guess I passed out. Sorry, baby."

"That's quite all right. It was damn exceptional."

"Exceptional, huh?" he said, puffing out his chest. "I laugh in the face of danger."

"Scoot! I really don't want to get caught."

He gave her one last quick kiss and walked to the door. He opened it slightly and peeked out. He reached his arm around his neck and pulled himself out into the hall. She laughed at his antics. He stuck his head back in and winked, then lipped, "I love you," and closed the door.

Climbing out of bed then slipping on the robe Norma had given her, Katie went downstairs. Dustin was in the sitting room with his mother having coffee. He hopped up and went over for a kiss. "Good morning, my sweet. Did you sleep okay?"

"Like a rock."

He leaned closer to her ear and whispered. "I have teeth marks on my chest. Any idea how they got there?" She put her hand to her mouth, stifling a laugh.

"Can I get you coffee, dear?" his mother asked.

"That would be great. Thanks and good morning to you, too."

"Tell May nothing with cinnamon, Mom."

"Allergy?" she asked.

"Horrible," Kaitlyn said.

"I'll be sure she knows that for future reference."

She left the room, Dusty held Kaitlyn tight. She said, "The bite is your own fault. You had to tell me I was noisy. That and the fact that you were in very rare form last night. I'll think I'll buy a bottle of that hundred-proof." She kissed his chest.

"You gonna marry me?" he asked.

It caught her off guard. "We're not getting married when I'm still in school."

"Why not?"

"Dusty, technically you hardly know me."

"So you're saying no on a technicality? That's a foul."

"No, I'm saying no because I want to lead a normal life. I do love you, but I'm not looking forward to being twenty-five through thirty again. But," she said, drawing it out, "If I have to stay, I can bear it if I'm with you. We don't even know that I'm staying this time." She sighed as she leaned into his chest and buried her face there. "I want this to stop."

He rubbed her back, refusing to let her get sad. "Move in with me then."

She smiled at the memory that brought, the last time he brought the subject up. "Only if you promise to buy us sappy matching key chains again."

"I did that?"

"It was sweet," she said as she gave him a kiss. His mom returned with the coffee, clearing her throat again to let them know she was there.

She offered the cup to Kaitlyn with a smile. "You two sure have a case of the 'smittens'. Exactly how long have you been dating?"

"A couple weeks," Dusty fibbed.

"And you say you're going to get married?"

He wrapped an arm around Kaitlyn, "You just know when it's the one, Mom." He proudly gave Kaitlyn another kiss.

"Get a room, you two," his dad said when he came in.

"I tried that last night."

"Refresh my memory. Did you drop out of school?"

"Yup."

"Damn. I was hoping I had a nightmare."

"We going to have another fight?" Dusty asked.

"Nope. Just checking. You sleep well, Katie?"

"I did. Thanks."

"Do we know how long you're stuck with us today?" he asked Dusty.

Just then May came in with a tray with a pot of coffee and all the fixings. "Mitchell is checking the weather now. I don't know what to tell you, yet. It still looks nasty, but I think it's done snowing. Should I start breakfast?" she asked around the room then said, "Honey, are you okay?"

Kaitlyn had been leaning against Dusty with her eyes closed.

"Baby? You all right?" Dusty asked after hearing May's question and Kaitlyn not respond.

"Hmmm," she moaned then opened her eyes half way. "I'm okay," she said, rubbing her temples.

"I'm sorry, dear," his mom said. "I shouldn't have pushed the wine on you. You want some aspirin or something?"

"Actually, that sounds good. I guess it is starting to hit me. I'm not really a wine drinker. It was really good, though." She didn't want Norma to feel bad.

"May?" his mom said.

"I'll be right back." She laid the tray down and returned to the kitchen.

"Are you sure that's all it is?" Dusty whispered.

"As sure as I can be," she said with a shrug.

They moved to the couch and sat down. She leaned her head on Dusty's shoulder as he wrapped an arm around her. She felt better almost immediately. May returned with some water and the pills and she gratefully accepted them.

"The storm is over and everyone still has power," May said. "I'd suggest staying through lunch to give the roads a chance to get cleaned up. You two have any requests?"

"Whatever you whip up will be great, May," Dusty said. "Thanks for the forecast."

Kaitlyn was lying back with her eyes closed as Dusty and his parents talked. "Hey, you want to go back to bed?" he asked after a few moments.

"I don't want to be rude," she whispered.

"Nonsense," his mother said.

"You gotta watch out for those hawk-ears, baby." He laughed. "Come on, I'll take you up."

"I'm so sorry," she apologized as Dusty helped her to her feet.

"Don't be silly, dear," Norma said. "Rest up. Come down when you're ready and holler of you need anything. Hit the number one on the phone, and it will connect you with the kitchen."

Once upstairs, Kaitlyn climbed into the bed, Dusty pulled the covers over her. "You sure it's just the wine?"

"I don't know. I've never had so much aspirin in my life as I've had this last week. I just feel...off."

"I'm in no hurry to get back. Dad and I are done sparring, so you take whatever time you need." He kissed her forehead, drew the curtains, and left her to rest.

When Dusty returned to the sitting room, his dad said, "You didn't knock her up, did you, son?"

"No, she's not pregnant. We're just not big drinkers. I'm sure that's all it is."

"You'd never know by the way you were throwing them back last night."

"Liquid encouragement. I knew telling you my plan wasn't going to be the easiest thing to do."

"I suppose," his dad said. "We'll move on; we always do. How's your friend, Alyson doing? You still staying in close contact with her?"

"Of course. She's doing great. I want to get Katie over to meet her next week. I'm sure I'll get the seal of approval from her, but I don't want her to feel out of the loop."

"You be sure to send her our love when you see her," his mom said.

"I'll do that."

His dad started in again. "Did you agree to let me smash that piece of shit and make you take the Beamer last night?"

Dusty laughed. "Nope. Katie liked the look of the Martin though, sans smashed front end. How did you do that, anyway?"

"Sans smash? So now you're talking like a writer." His dad chuckled. "You'd be best off not to ask a silly question like that. And I might add, in your dreams. You'll have to fight your sister for that one when I'm dead. The Porsche?"

"God no," Dustin laughed again. "The Shelby?"

"Now, I know you're high. I'm getting buried in that one. Take the BMW and trade it in. Get your girlfriend something, too, if she needs something decent. But when she wises up and dumps your sorry ass, the car stays with you."

"Not gonna happen. She's my destiny and has succumbed to the fact."

"Whatever. Get a decent car." He turned to Dusty's mother. "Breakfast ready yet?"

"We can make our way to the table. I'm sure if you bang your clubs, it'll speed things up."

The corner of Dusty's mouth turned up in a grin, he saw his mother smile at his expression. She had told him more than once, "You look just like your father when you do that, Dustin Charles. You two are more alike than you think. I wish you would try harder to get along."

As he walked to the table he thought about maybe now, they would. He always thought defying his dad about law school would push them further apart yet somehow it seemed to have already brought them closer.

After breakfast, Dusty made his way upstairs to check on Kaitlyn. She didn't wake up when he opened the door, he was glad he wasn't disturbing her. He just couldn't stay away any longer. He was worried about her.

Part of him had expected to see an empty bed when he opened the door. The anxiety he felt over losing her couldn't be explained. He suddenly realized how tired he was as well and climbed into bed with her. She let out a gentle moan, but didn't wake up. He scooted over and held her tight then fell asleep.

It was almost eleven before she began to stir. She felt his arm around her and smiled. Rolling over to face him, she began gently kissing him to wake him up.

"Hey," he said with a stretch, then pulled her close. "You feel better?"

"I do actually. I'm kinda hungry, too."

"Of course. You are my bottomless pit," he said with a kiss to her nose. "We'll go get May to whip something up for you."

She held onto his arm as he went to get out of bed. "Does your mom know you're in here?"

"No worries, sweetness," he said with a kiss. "They never hit the second floor during the day. Why? Ya wanna?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows.

"No. I'm still good from last night." She grinned and added, "Yes, I know. You da man."

"I'll go get something started for you."

"I think a long, hot bubble bath actually sounds good first."

"All right. I'll be downstairs waiting, unless you want help."

"Tempting, but not here."

"Chicken?" he teased.

"Hell yes!" she admitted. "I'll see you downstairs in a bit."

After her bath, she got dressed and went downstairs. She really wanted to stay in the pajamas, but she didn't want to appear like a complete bum to Dusty's parents on their first meeting. She was surprised to see the three of them playing cards on the coffee table in the sitting room. Sneaking up behind Dusty, she wrapped her arms around him from behind and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

He reached his arm back and held her head there for another second and returned the kiss. "Squeaky clean?" he asked.

She smiled and nodded.

"You better, dear?" his mom asked.

"Much. Thank you."

"Go ahead into the kitchen. May will whip something up for you. I have to finish kicking your darling's behind here."

"Anyone else need anything since I'm going in?" she asked. A round of "no thanks" came at her. They were all too intent on the game.

"Something sure smells good," she said as she entered the kitchen.

"Chicken Kiev in an hour," May said as she wiped her hands on a dishtowel. "Can I get you anything? You missed a great breakfast."

"I bet I did. I don't want to spoil lunch, though."

"You've got to be hungry, child."

"A little, but I can wait."

"I'll bring out some cheese and crackers to hold you over."

"That sounds great. Can I help?"

"Nonsense. Can I get you tea or something?" May asked.

"Do you have Dusty's favorite orange one?"

"Of course. I'll bring that right out, too."

"A gal can get spoiled fast staying here too long."

"Enjoy it, honey. I am. You are the first girl Dusty has ever brought home."

"Really?"

"Really. Not counting a junior prom date."

"I would have thought he had them lined up," Katie said.

"Oh they were lined up, all right. He just wasn't biting. He never took to regular activities with the neighborhood boys. That one friend of his, Alyson, was the only one he liked to hang out with. They were like two peas in a pod. He was always ahead in his studies and took to the piano like nobody's business."

"He plays the piano?"

May lifted an eyebrow in surprise. "He's never played for you?"

"Never."

May hollered. "Dustin Charles!"

Within seconds he came running into the kitchen. "What happened?" When his eyes landed on Katie, she swore she could see a hundred pounds of worry fall from his face. He rushed to her and held her tight. "I thought you passed out or something." He turned May. "What did I do now?"

She pointed a spatula at him. "You take this young lady in the den right now, young man, and you play her a song on that piano."

"You're shittin' me. You gave me a heart attack for that?"

"How could you not play for her?"

"There's no piano bar on campus."

"Scoot," she said, shooing him away.

He took Kaitlyn by the hand and led her to the sitting room. "You two really ought to get new help," he said to his parents. "This one is still too bossy."

"May give you the 'what for' again?" His dad laughed as he put his cards down.

"I have been ordered to play the piano. The game is on hold."

"Oh, do the Somewhere in Time one for me," his mother said, clapping her hands together.

Kaitlyn almost fell over. Dustin still had her by the hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. They walked into the den and she sat next to him. "You ever play?" he asked.

"Not even chopsticks," she admitted.

"I haven't played in a while. Don't expect much."

She gave him a kiss. "Fibber. Play the song your mother wanted. I love that one."

He stretched his fingers for a few seconds then began to play. Kaitlyn was in awe of how beautifully his fingers danced over the keys. She never would have expected that of him. There was obviously so much more to him than she'd ever dreamed. She closed her eyes and pictured scenes from the movie. It was fresh in her memory since they had just watched it. Well, she watched it with one of her Dustys anyway.

After he finished playing, it took her a few seconds to open her eyes. She had fallen in almost a trance at his flawless performance. She slowly turned to face him. "Holy crap, Dusty."

"That bad?"

She placed a hand on his cheek and leaned in for a long kiss. "That was incredible." She whispered, "I don't care if we get stuck here another night. You are so getting lucky tonight."

He just laughed and began to play another song. He played Neil Diamond's Love on the Rocks and sang along with it. She had never heard him sing before. He was incredible. She kissed him again when he was done, immediately wanting the tongue that was so close to that amazing voice. Again they heard a throat clearing behind them. They laughed and turned around.

It wasn't his mom this time; it was May. She had a tray with an assortment of cheese and crackers and some tea for them. She put the platter down on a nearby table and then playfully smacked him in the back of the head. "Shame on you for holding out so long," she said as she left them alone again.

They laughed again and shared another quick kiss. Kaitlyn said, "She's hardly like any help I'd ever picture for a family like yours."

"She's been here forever. She's more like a fun aunt than anything." He picked up their tea and handed her a cup.

"Why didn't you ever say you could play, Dusty?"

"We've only had a few dates and you can barely even call them dates."

"No, I mean ever. Even when we were dating, you never told me you could play. You never even sang along with the radio."

He just shrugged. "I can't answer that. I don't hide it; I just don't do it often. I wouldn't have done it now if May didn't threaten my life. It's just something I did, that's all. No biggie."

"But you're wonderful."

He gave her a kiss. "So, we'll buy a piano."

He sat back down and played My Love by Little Texas. That one brought her to tears. When he was done, she rested her head on his shoulder. He kissed her on the top of the head and teased her with the beginning of Put Your Head on My Shoulder and she giggled again.

"Watch this," he said. He played the intro to Moving Right Along from The Muppet Movie and his dad promptly hollered, "Knock it off!"

They both laughed hard. Kaitlyn realized she loved him most when he was being silly. "I played that whole soundtrack to death for Dana. It drove Dad crazy." He pulled her face close to his and kissed both sides and wiped away the remainder of a tear. "I'll play for you more often if this is how you get."

"Promise?"

"Promise. Come on, I gotta finish letting Mom kick my ass."

"You're letting her win?"

"Hell no! She's a shark!" He carried the cheese platter as they returned to the sitting room.

"I'm surprised you didn't sing Rainbow Connection in your Kermit the Frog voice for her," his dad said.

Kaitlyn turned to him. "You can do that?"

He just laughed. "Later, baby."

"Gives you goose bumps doesn't it, dear?" his mother asked when they got settled back into the sitting room.

"He's wonderful," Kaitlyn said, holding on to Dusty's arm.

"I was the only mother who didn't have to complain about their child not taking the time for practice. We had to pull him off that piano half the time."

Kaitlyn smiled at him. Again he'd surprised her. She was having no regrets any more about having to deal with her time leaps. She felt she was truly meant to have been with Dusty years sooner. Somehow, fate twisted things up and she was grateful for the second chance, hoping this time, she could stay put. She still missed the baby dearly, but she knew they would have her when they were meant to have her.

Cuddling on the floor next to Dustin as he finished the game of cards with his parents, she turned down the chance to be dealt in, saying she wasn't much of a card player and wanted to try to watch and learn.

Lunch was served and was as fabulous as it smelled earlier.

"You kids are welcome to stay another night," his mother said when they were done eating.

"Thanks, but I think we'll head back," Dusty said. He stood up. "I'm going to pull up the car."

"You'll pull up the Beamer," his dad said.

"Dad," he whined ever so slightly.

"We had a deal. Rent. Car. Besides, your little lady friend looks like she's going to fall asleep on you again. The roads are still going to be a little slick. I'm sure there are better tires on it than your heap."

Dusty turned Katie, who just shrugged. "It's your battle."

"All right," he gave in. "Just don't crush my car. I can give it to a kid at school."

"Hide that thing in the garage till you come get it."

Dusty smirked. "All right."

They said their goodbyes and went on their way. Kaitlyn put her head back and closed her eyes as soon as they got on the highway.

"You still sleepy?" he asked her.

"I think I ate until I was tired instead of just full."

"That's impossible. You have no full," he teased. "Seriously, sleep if you want. I don't mind."

She remained in her seatbelt, but lay down so her head touched his leg. She rested her hand on his thigh.

"Since you're down there..." Kaitlyn let Dusty laugh alone at his humor, but she did playfully smack him for the comment. She noticed that he turned the music down for her slightly just before she fell asleep.

A couple hours later, she felt the car coming to a stop and opened her eyes. "Hey, sleepy head," he said. "The heat was nice, huh?"

She just smiled up at him. "Where are we?"

"Just a couple blocks from my place. Do you want to go to the dorm and grab some clothes first?"

She sat upright with wide eyes. "No. Can you take me to the library?"

"The library? What for?"

"I had the worst dream about Frank. I have to see him. Please, Dusty."

"Sure, baby," he said, taking her hand. "We can go."

They were at the library within a couple of minutes.

He was going to park but Kaitlyn hollered, "Let me out here." She barely let him come to a stop before she opened the door and went flying out. She slammed the car door, ran up the library steps, and pulled the large wood door open, hollering, "Frank!" There were only a handful of students there; all of which gave her an evil look or said, "Shhhhh." She ran to the sci-fi section where she'd first found him. When he wasn't there, she ran the perimeter of the library. Dustin caught up to her at the stairs that led to the basement.

"What's the matter?" he asked her.

"I can't find him, Dusty," she said frantically, running down the stairs with him on her heels.

She opened the door to the break room and saw an elderly black man sitting, having coffee from the same mug she'd used earlier. "Where's Frank?" she asked, completely out of breath.

"Who in the world is Frank?" the man asked.

"Frank. He works here. He's a custodian," she said, crinkling her forehead like he was an idiot for not knowing that. They obviously shared a position.

"I'm the only custodian. Have been for the past eighteen years. You got the right address?"

"We sat in this very room. We..." She stopped talking when Dustin took her by the arm.

"Come on, Katie. Let's leave the man to his break. Sorry to have disturbed you, sir."

They climbed the stairs and exited the library in silence. Once they were outside, Kaitlyn pulled her arm free from his.

"Don't treat me like I'm insane!" she shouted. "I sat in that room with him! You've met him, too!"

He put his hands on her shoulders, trying to settle her down. "I don't think you're insane, babe. Just calm down and think for a second. What happened in your dream? Why would you think he wouldn't be here?"

Again her eyes got wide. "No!" she said as she flopped to her knees in tears.

He followed her to the ground and held her tight. "What, baby? Talk to me."

"He told me goodbye," she said, looking into his eyes with tear-filled ones of her own.

"Maybe it wasn't a dream? Did it really happen?"

Her hand covered her mouth as she shook her head. "Could it have been?" She took a moment to compose herself, so she could speak without crying. "Frank said 'It ain't broke no more, cupcake' and that he loved me." She buried her face in Dusty's chest. "I don't want him to be gone, Dusty. I need him. He's the only one I could talk to about this."

"But it sounds like it's over, Katie," he said, picking her chin up.

"That's it? I'm stuck here? I have to be twenty-five again?"

"Didn't you decide you wanted to be with me? Be with the me that I am now?"

She couldn't react at all. She thought back to just hours ago and how happy she was at his parent's house with him. Finally she nodded.

"Sorry, snookums. It looks like you may be stuck with me then."

She threw her arms around his neck and finished her cry. It was both sadness for losing Frank and happiness that it all appeared to finally be over. Her mind wandered to what it was about Frank that drew her to him. At first she believed he was just an elderly, friendly library custodian, but now she knew that wasn't the case. Was he a guardian angel? And if so, Dusty's or hers? None of this made sense to her, but she was certain she'd never forget him. In any case, she was ready to live the new life set in front of her and thrilled to do so with Dusty and anxiously await the arrival of their baby. She was sure that was going to be the hardest part of all.

"Ready to go, babe?"

"My ass is frozen. Take me home, take me to bed, and warm me up."

"You're on."

After he helped her up, she said, "It could be worse I guess."

"How so?"

"I could be married to a lawyer." She laughed when he swatted her behind. "Now I got a drop out with a BMW and the heat works!"

The next day, they moved her things into his cottage. He had matching key chains made for each of them by that night. Courtney wasn't too thrilled about losing her best friend and roommate, but Kaitlyn smoothed things over by offering to pay rent until Courtney could find someone as "charming" as her to fill the bed.

"You know that's never gonna happen, hon," Courtney said with teary eyes.

"You can come over and visit any time; you know that. In fact, I'll be pissed at you if you don't."

"The rest of the year is gonna blow." Courtney sniffled.

They were in a tight hug when Dustin returned to the room for another load of Kaitlyn's things.

"You know I hate you, right?" Courtney said to him.

He shrugged as he picked up a box. "I'll grow on you, or die trying," he said as he walked out.

"He really will you know," Kaitlyn said to her. "I really should be helping him carry my stuff."

"It's his penance for stealing you away from me," Courtney said with a pout. "How's your shoulder anyway?"

"Fine, mother," she said as she picked up a box of sweaters and scarves.

Courtney removed her favorite. "Can I have your cow one?"

"Sure. You gotta keep those vegans in line." Courtney started to tear up again.

"I'm only going to be a few blocks away, hon," Kaitlyn said as she put the box down and hugged her friend again.

"Oh, for crying out loud; just shoot me now," Dustin said as he showed up again.

"Can I? Really? You punk ass kid. Stealing my best friend. I ought to shoot you."

"See, she's warming up to me already."

After another hour, all her things were out of the dorm and half of them were carried into Dusty's. She was putting things away in the drawers that he'd cleared for her when he pulled her onto the bed by the waist. "Sex break."

She let out a laughing scream as he pulled her backward. She spun around and sat on his chest, pinning his hands above his head. "Two rules for me moving in with you, Mr. Andrews."

"What are they?" Dusty asked.

"I get food before sex."

"What's number two?"

"I lied. There's just the one."

He maneuvered out of her hold and switched places with her. "What about my condition?" he asked. "Don't I get to make one?"

"What is it?"

He gave her a long kiss and said, "You make an exception on the first night. I want you now." He continued to kiss her and moved his hands from holding her arms to the base of her shirt. Slowly, he removed it.

"You take me now," she said. "Then you take me to Dickey's for a burger and we have a deal."

"Ah, back to the scene of the crime. You, my love, have a deal."
Chapter Nineteen

Kaitlyn woke up that next morning facing Dustin. She lay there for a few moments contemplating her new life, thinking about all the pluses and minuses to being twenty-five through thirty again. She came to the conclusion that it didn't matter. Gaining five years with Dusty was a bonus. The rest would fall into place. As she lay there with her hand resting on his chest, she could tell that something was different, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Spreading her fingers, she rubbed his chest. He was just a little more built than he was when they went to bed. Slowly opening, her eyes, she saw she was in the bedroom of their house, not his cottage. As she shot up quickly in bed, he took hold of her arm.

"She's there," he said as he sat up and gave her a kiss.

She scurried out of bed and went to the baby's room. The wall still said "Alyson". The baby was sleeping, but Kaitlyn picked her up anyway and began to rock with her.

Dustin joined her in the room.

"How do you know..." She was at a loss for words.

"I've kinda been expecting this. You're surprise gave it away. We had our baby girl, cupcake."

"Is Alyson..." She couldn't finish her sentence. Something threw her off. Dusty knew? He never knew when she came and went before.

"She's alive and well thanks to you," he said with another kiss. "We still named the baby after her."

"What...when am I?" she asked.

"It's a few days day after your thirtieth birthday."

"Wait a second, Dusty. When exactly am I? I know a few days after my birthday, but now my life has gaps. You've never known about my trips at this age...except, ah hell...this is confusing. Are you a lawyer?"

"No, ma'am. I really need to thank you for that."

"You at the paper?"

"Yup."

"How long have we been together?"

"Since I was twenty-one."

"Really? I stayed?"

"You did. It's all I knew, baby. We met the night at the bar when you flipped me off. Remember that?"

"I do."

"You moved in with me at the cottage."

"That's where I left. It was our first night there."

"The rest is...history."

"But I don't have the memories of it. Our wedding, being pregnant...any of it." She sat in the rocking chair with the baby. Staring at Alyson's beautiful face, she eagerly awaited for when she could nurse her again. Everything she was on the verge of getting upset over instantly left.

Dustin walked over and began to rub her shoulders. "We have the whole wedding on DVD for you to watch. I know it's not the real thing, but I don't know what else to do, Katie. Do we even know you're staying this time?"

"I don't know," she said, pulling the baby close to her chest. "I want to stay."

"I wasn't aware of you leaving any other time over the past five years. We just stopped talking about it."

"I can't have lost five years of my life. What about my practice? Do I even have it?"

"You do. You passed through college with flying colors and started your practice right away. I think eventually your memories faded and you adjusted to your new life."

"But what about my clients?"

"I imagine life went on normally for everyone else. Your memories of that should be one and the same for the most part. Do you remember who you have running it?"

"When I was here a few days ago and visited, it was Matt Hickey."

"That's who it is. We were talking about you wanting to take some more time off and stay with Alyson. That other vet wanted to be a part of your practice, too. Do you remember that? You still want to stay home?"

Her eyes returned to the baby again. "I do," she said as she stroked her daughter's cheek. "Especially now that I don't remember anything. I'm really going to need to get to know her." She returned her attention to him. "What was my labor like, Dusty?"

"Well...little missy here was born in the car."

"What?"

"You swore you weren't in labor. You thought you were just having gas pains. By the time we figured it out, we thought it would be quicker for me to drive you than to wait for an ambulance. We didn't quite make it."

"Really?" she said with great surprise. "Did you panic?"

"I didn't have time. You kinda screamed, 'It's coming out!' and I pulled over. After getting hung up on the seatbelt strap, I made it around just in time to play catch. Your water never even broke. The nurse called her a 'caul' baby. Said it was good fortune."

"So where did I have her?"

"Right out in front of the Evergreen Hotel a few blocks from the hospital."

"How'd you break the water?"

"I kind of panicked that she wasn't crying. I flicked at her lip, there was a gush of fluid, and the rest of her came flying out." He stroked Kaitlyn's cheek. "If I live to be a hundred, I don't ever want to hear you scream like that again."

"I was in a lot of pain?"

"You forgot it in a second. We wrapped her in your robe and you held her tight to your chest, smiling. I wish you could forget our fights that fast," he teased.

She was beaming with happiness. "Are we as happy as I feel right now?"

"You bet," he said as he leaned down and kissed her. Ali started to stir so he gave her a kiss as well. "She's going to want to eat right away."

"I'm counting on it." Kaitlyn unbuttoned her pajama top and moved Ali to her breast. The baby greedily latched on. Kaitlyn smiled at Dustin, then a memory hit her. Her head tilted, she asked, "Shouldn't you have crutches?"

"No. You insisted on SUV's. You remembered that much. I got in a car accident, but I didn't break my leg. Everything else happened that you remembered. It must have been in our destiny."

"Do we have Blue?"

"El Diablo? Yes. You were simply giddy the day I showed up with her. You said I had done that in one of your trips back where I didn't know you. Had I known the cat would be such a destroyer, I would have left her on the side of the road."

"What about your article? Did I submit something without you knowing?"

He laughed. "You told me about that, but no. Since I started working for the paper, they were submitted by me. My 'So I Passed the Bar', is under lock and key."

"But I love that one."

"But I didn't pass the bar, remember? It wasn't finished the way you remember. It was something that had started off as a rant to my dad."

"I suppose."

"You did manage to convince me to use the name Rhodes for my pen name, though, and I have a surprise for you."

"What's that?"

"I'll be right back."

He returned with almost a full ream of paper bound with a black comb binding. He held up the cover page. It was titled "Captain Skinnard's Nebula". There was a picture of a nebula and Dusty Rhodes was listed as the author.

"You finished it!" she shouted.

"I did, my love puppet."

"Have I read it yet?"

"Nope. You've been a nag while I put the finishing touches on it. Honestly, I finished it last week. Something told me this day was coming." He handed it to her with a kiss. "I do need to get ready and go to work today. Are you going to be all right?"

"I think so. I guess it's going to take a while to adjust to things."

"Don't hesitate to call me for any reason."

"I won't." She put the book on the changing table and concentrated on the baby. "I'll read it when she naps. I'm going to have to start from the beginning again."

"You should. I've added quite a bit to it." He glanced at the pink clock in the nursery. "I have to get dressed and get going," he said with a final kiss. "It's great to have you back, so to speak. I've loved you every day, you know."

"I know." She smiled. "I've loved you, too. Every one of you."

"I'm the luckiest guy on the planet."

Alyson went down for her morning nap around eleven. Kaitlyn curled up on the big comfy recliner, ready to read Dustin's book. Once she was settled, she glanced around the living room. Things were just as she remembered them, except with one change. There was a piano now in the far corner.

The doorbell rang. She uttered a "crap" and climbed out of the chair to answer the door before the bell rang again and woke up the baby. When she opened the door, she was greeted with a big surprise. "Alyson?"

"I didn't know if you'd remember me," she said as she leaned in for a hug.

Kaitlyn was afraid to say anything. She only had two memories of her. The day on the lake and the day in the coffee shop. Alyson obviously could tell she was uncomfortable. "I talked to Dusty a couple hours ago." She reached for Kaitlyn's hand. "I know everything, Katie."

"You do?" She was still skeptical. "How much?"

"Everything. I even know what you did for me the day at the lake."

"Dusty said he'd never tell you about that. He said you'd think he was crazy. I'm sorry." She motioned for her to come in the house. "Come in and sit down."

Alyson took off her coat and handed it to Kaitlyn, who was waiting with an outstretched arm to hang it up. "I have to admit," she said. "When he first told me, I thought he was crazy, but you know Dusty. He has a way of convincing a person. Are you holding up okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean adjusting. From what he said, you're missing a gap of time. That has to be frustrating."

"It is, but I guess I won't know just how much is missing until I start digging around. I only hope I don't make an ass out of myself in front of someone that knows me, but I don't know them."

"I'm sure it'll all fall into place soon for you."

"Do you want some coffee or tea?"

"Coffee sounds great, if you have some on."

After they made their way into the kitchen, Alyson sat at the bar countertop that separated the kitchen from the dining room.

"Do you live nearby?" Kaitlyn asked.

"I'm still near the cities. I stayed in Eden Prairie after college. I've had enough of the Fargo winters. Where's my namesake?"

"She's napping. I'm counting on her to let me know the schedule around here."

"Babies will do that. I've been here just once since she was born. She sure is a doll."

"And she looks like her daddy," Kaitlyn said with a wide smile.

"She looks like you, too," Alyson added.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Fire away."

"I was afraid to ask Dustin this morning. Things are all scrambled. Did I have a miscarriage that you know of?"

"You did. Dusty called me when it happened. He was really worried about you."

"So it did happen after all," Kaitlyn said in surprise. "I guess I was really visiting my altered pasts and futures."

"You went back to that time?" Alyson asked.

"I did. Of all things to remember. Why can't I go back to her birth?"

"I'm really sorry, Katie. Having your memories all jumbled up like that would be enough to drive anyone crazy. Dusty proposed to you in the hospital. Did he do that for you this time?"

She smiled. "Yes, he did."

"That was just one of the times. He asked you a few times, in all honesty."

"I always knew we would be married, I guess I was just waiting for us to really be ready. Did Dusty ask you to stop by?"

"No. He called on his way to work. We've talked a few times about this. He's kind of been waiting for this day to come. He thought maybe it wouldn't, but since some of your trips or leaps, or whatever you call them, happened in the future, he thought this might happen eventually. I insisted on coming. I thought you could use the ears."

"Thanks. I'm glad he has you to talk to. I'm glad I have you, too. I do feel a little lost."

"Do you know if this is it? Are you here to stay?"

Katie dropped her cup, coffee spilled on the counter. She hollered, "Shit!" at the mess. "I don't even know, Alyson. That's the worst part."

"I'm sorry, Katie," she said as she hopped up and went to the sink for a rag. She quickly wiped the counter and turned to her for a hug. "This has to be it. Right? This has to be the final goal. You two are great together. Little Alyson is great. This is it!" she said firmly with another hug.

The two friends talked for a couple hours, then the baby woke up. Kaitlyn went up to get her, changed her, then brought her down and handed her to her daddy's best friend. The baby took to liking Alyson right away and smiled and cooed. She was entertained for just a few minutes before she realized she was hungry. Kaitlyn fed her, but Alyson wanted to try burping her. After a loud burp and a round of laughs, it was playtime again.

"Can you stay for dinner, Alyson? I'm sure Dusty would love to be able to visit with you, too."

"I don't want to put you out. I'm sure you two have plenty to talk about without me in the way."

"Nonsense. You'll stay. I have to see how well I have this place stocked up," she said, standing up to check the contents of the freezer.

"Can't I take you two out at least?"

"No. I'd rather stay in. It'll be easier to talk that way."

Kaitlyn's cell phone rang; it was Dusty. "How're you doing?" he asked.

"I have a wonderful houseguest right now," she said as she winked at Alyson.

"She did show up, huh?"

"Yup. I talked her into staying for dinner." She paused for a second. "What time do you get home, anyway?"

"Five-thirty."

"We'll have something whipped up and waiting for you then. Did you need something?"

"No, I was just checking in. I wanted to make sure you were all right."

"Are you always a worry wart this way?"

Alyson nodded and giggled.

"Sue me," Dustin said. "I love you."

"I love you, too. See you in a few hours."

After Kaitlyn hung up, Alyson said, "That's why we're best friends. All the other boys were so mean. Dusty always looked out for me. He never had to fight; all the boys were afraid of his family."

"Why?"

"They were the richest family in town. All the kids knew it. Even at a young age, kids just know. Dusty never liked the kids that sucked up to be friends because he was rich. He was always invited to every birthday party, but wouldn't go unless I was invited, too."

"I don't know whether you two sound more like a couple or brother and sister." Kaitlyn laughed.

Alyson tilted her head slightly and stared at Kaitlyn with a puzzled look on her face. "But we are. You know that, right?"

"You are what?"

"Brother and sister. He never told you?"

Kaitlyn was too shocked to answer her at first. "Not that I can remember, anyway. How are you his sister? Why has he just always called you his best friend? Aren't you the same age?" She paused and stared blankly at Alyson. "I need to sit down," she said as she strolled to the couch.

"Katie, I'm sorry," Alyson said as she sat next to her and took her hand. "He must have told you. My mother worked for Dustin's Family. His dad was, let's just say, not the most faithful back then. My mother lived in a cabin on the property. She was one of their employees. The affair went on for almost a year before she became pregnant with me."

"His dad didn't want to leave his mother at that point?"

"Men of our father's status don't leave their wives for the help, Katie. Besides, as fate would have it, his mother announced she was pregnant, too, just a few weeks later. His dad let my mom stay on the property and took care of us. His mother never knew. She loved my mother so she never argued about keeping her on while she was pregnant, and well after I was born. She was always a sucker for charity. Taking on a single mother was right up her alley. It wasn't like they couldn't afford it."

"How long have you known?"

"Since we were about eight. I overheard my parents in a fight. I had always thought Mom's husband was my real dad up until that night. My mother married when I was a baby. Anyway, Dad was hollering about wanting to move out of that house and be away from my mom's past lover and my real father, and out from under his house and his control. It didn't take long for me to figure it out. When I asked her, she didn't try to lie to me. I ran straight to Dusty. He confronted his father later that night; he didn't lie to him, either. He promised he'd been faithful to his mother ever since, and made him promise never to tell her. We ended up moving a few streets away, but Dusty and I still biked to see each other daily. It really only made us closer. It was kind of exciting actually to find out we were related once the shock wore off."

"And his mother never found out?"

"No. His dad has always been friendly to me, but he's never treated me like anything other than Dusty's best friend. He has to know that I know the truth, but he's never addressed it."

"He's never tried to give you money?"

"No. I don't want it. I have a father." She smiled. "And I have Dusty. What more could I want?"

"You do have a point." Kaitlyn smiled. "It's hard to believe his mother hasn't found out after all this time. Now that I look at you, I do see a bit of Dusty's father in you."

"I guess she's just never suspected anything. She really did like my mother. Dusty's dad was just a real sweet talker. Later, Mom said she really felt bad for what she did, but she was just young and fascinated with all the money and expensive gifts."

"You can hardly hold that against her," Kaitlyn said.

"I don't. I got over it long ago. It has just taught me to look out for 'mister right' not 'mister right now', money or not."

"You're not seeing anyone then?"

"Not currently. There's no one else out there like Dusty, you know. You got the last good one, Katie."

She laughed. "I'm starved. What do you say to lunch?"

"That sounds great."

After they had lunch, Dusty called back. "There might be a slight change of plans, unless you are going to hit the roof."

"What's that?" Kaitlyn asked.

"How would you two like to go to my parents' house for dinner?"

"You're kidding."

"Nope. Mom called. When she heard Alyson was with you today, she kind of insisted."

Kaitlyn held the phone down to her chin. "Dusty wants to know if you want to go to his parents' for dinner.

Alyson gave a shrug and a, "Sure."

"Do we meet you there or you want to come get us?"

"Why don't you have Alyson drive and I'll meet you there? It'll be easier for her to split from there anyway. If you don't remember how to get there, she will. Are you sure you don't mind?"

"It's fine. I want to act normal. With a little luck, I'm here to stay."

"Oh, baby. You gotta be here to stay. Get that out of your head. Did you two have a good day?"

"Your sister is wonderful, Dusty."

"You remembered that?" he asked.

"No. She refreshed my memory."

"Good. I did tell you a couple years back. Just don't forget tonight that Mom doesn't know."

"I hardly think it would come up in conversation. See you there."

"Seven o'clock."

Katie and Alyson pulled up at his parent's house at 6:45. Dustin's truck was already there. Kaitlyn soaked in the very large mansion. "I'm glad we were here in the time frame that I remember, otherwise I'd be a little overwhelmed," she said.

Again Alyson shrugged noncommittally. On the way there she seemed a little quiet. Kaitlyn suspected she was more uncomfortable than she'd let on.

Kaitlyn handed Alyson her namesake, then got the baby seat and diaper bag out of her car. Dusty greeted them at the door before they even rang the bell. The baby was eager to go to him and the rest of them got kisses hello.

"You okay?" he asked as his eyes went back and forth between both of them. They exchanged a sideways glance.

"I think we'll be fine if you play guard dog, my love," Kaitlyn said.

Dustin's mom came rushing over and gave them both hugs, then promptly stole her granddaughter from her son. "Breast milk certainly agrees with her. She's growing like a weed!" she said as she brought her to her shoulder. "Thanks for coming on such short notice," she said to Alyson.

"It's no problem," she said. "Who could turn down one of May's meals anyway? She is still here, isn't she?"

"Of course. We'll never let her go."

"You two want a glass of wine or something?" Dustin asked.

"Nice of you to rub it in, dear." Kaitlyn scowled, knowing she couldn't drink wine while she was breastfeeding the baby.

He laughed at her. "You can have one glass. It won't hurt her."

"Thanks, but no thanks. You go ahead, Alyson, I'll live vicariously though you."

"Whatever's open will be fine. Thanks," she said to Dustin.

They sat in the living room to visit before dinner. The room hadn't changed from what Kaitlyn had remembered those few years ago.

"Your dad will be home in about half an hour. He called and said he's running a little late," his mom said. "So, Alyson, how are things? How's your mom?"

"She and Dad are doing great. They still like Fargo just fine, but say the winter gets long there."

"I can imagine. And how have you been, dear?"

Kaitlyn thought that Alyson seemed a little uncomfortable, like she was being cornered.

"I'm all right. I had an opportunity to expand my business, but I guess I haven't been around long enough in a bank's eye, so I couldn't get the loan I needed. The old 'you need money to make money'. I'm doing okay with my small shop, though. It'll happen. I get new referrals all the time."

"There are some pretty snazzy homes in Eden Prairie. I suppose there are some wives that would just as soon hire an interior decorator than do it themselves. Especially if their husbands are loaded." Norma chuckled. The baby began to fuss so she handed her back to Kaitlyn. "What were you looking at by way of funding, Alyson?"

"More than I could chew apparently."

Dustin sat forward. "You know, Mom, this room hasn't changed in years. Maybe you need to hire Alyson for a little facelift for your entertaining area."

"That's not a bad idea," she agreed.

Just then the front door opened. It was Dustin's father. "I said 'screw 'em' and snuck out of there. I said my grandbaby was here and I was leaving. That's why I pay my first in command. He can make a decision or two without me there to hold his balls."

Kaitlyn held back a chuckle. She did recall his dad as being a little rough around the edges for someone of such wealth.

"Hand me that little princess," he said as he reached out to Kaitlyn for the baby. "Come to Pop-Pop, my little sweetheart." He kissed Kaitlyn on the cheek once he had the baby settled. "Thanks for coming tonight, Katie."

"Hi to you too, Dad," Dusty said. He had a grin on his face, and obviously really didn't mind being passed up for his daughter.

"Son." Dustin, Sr. nodded, then went back to cooing at the baby. His eyes finally met Alyson's. "Hi there, Alyson. It's great to see you." He went over for a kiss with the baby in his arms.

"Good to see you too," she said politely back.

They had a reasonably uneventful meal. The small talk was pleasant. Dustin's parents seemed truly happy for the visit. Kaitlyn imagined they didn't go often. There were no arguments and no sour remarks were made to spur a fight.

They went to the sitting room again after they ate. Alyson declined an after dinner drink since she still had an hour to drive. "I'll take coffee though, May. Thanks."

"Me too, but make mine decaf please, May," Kaitlyn said. "Can't have Ali up all night," she said kissing the baby on the cheek.

After May returned with the beverages and announced that Dustin's father had a phone call, he apologized and excused himself to take it. Dustin's mother asked May to give them some privacy. She proudly strode over to Alyson and handed her an envelope.

"What's this?" she asked.

"A little something. You open it later, dear. I was hoping to take you aside, but I didn't want to make Dustin, Sr. suspicious. He'll never miss it and you have it coming, my dear."

Alyson couldn't wait and opened the envelope. "A hundred thousand dollars!" she shouted and jumped to her feet.

Kaitlyn choked on her sip of coffee, Dustin hopped up and swiped the check from Alyson. "What's this, Mom?"

"I'm old, but I'm no fool, Alyson. You and Dustin couldn't look any more alike if I had birthed twins. I've known almost since you were born. You've grown into a fine young woman and I'd like to help you with your business."

Taking the check back from Dusty, she extended her hand to his mother. "I can't accept this."

"Yes, you can and you will. We already have one child not accepting our money." She stopped for a second to frown at Dustin, who promptly stuck his tongue out at her. "It's the least we can do, dear. Please accept it."

Kaitlyn couldn't contain her laughter at Dusty's actions, so she directed her attention back to the baby. She was tickled for the turn of events that were taking place. Dusty's mother was no fool and still held her head high with pride after learning the truth about Alyson. She was more pleased than ever to be a part of this family.

"Pay me back or not, that's up to you, but I want you to use it to get your business on its feet. It's the very least we can do. There's no need to tell your parents if you don't want to."

"I can't believe you've known," Alyson said, sitting back down. "I feel so..." She stopped talking. There were apparently no words for what she was feeling.

"There's nothing for you to feel, dear. None of this was your doing. I've learned to forgive your father. I was angry for a long time, but people in my era don't just get divorced like they do now. Heaven help me, I really love the bastard. He has been true to me since, that much I know for sure. I know he actually was sorry. I don't blame your mother, either. She was my friend; we made our peace years ago. She was, and still is, a beauty."

Norma looked over to Dustin. "I'm no pushover. I think your father suspects I know, and has paid dearly, but we've never discussed it. He's too proud. I'm not, Alyson," she said, addressing her again. "You have this coming to you at the very least. It will be our secret."

"What secret?" Dustin's father asked as he entered the room.

"That you're ugly and your mother dresses you funny," Dustin said with a laugh to quickly cover things.

"You can't do any better than that, writer boy?" his father said as he went to light a cigar. After his eyes lingered for a moment on the baby; he put it back in his pocket.

"I really need to get going," Alyson said as she stood.

"I'll walk you out," Dustin said.

Alyson went over and kissed his mother goodbye. "I don't know what to say," she whispered.

"Just take it and make your family, all of us, proud," she said with a kiss.

Kaitlyn and Dusty smiled at each other at the exchange of words that they overheard. Kaitlyn thought for a brief moment that somehow, maybe this was one more thing her leaping through time helped fix.

Alyson gave Dustin Sr. a hug goodbye as well. Katie noticed he held her just a moment longer than a normal hug.

Dustin walked Alyson to her car. "Did you know that she knew, Dusty?"

"I had no idea. Honestly. She's not taking it like I'd expect she would."

"Well from what she said, it's been years sinking in." She let out a heavy sigh. "I can't take this," she said holding up the check.

"Yes, you can. Kick ass, sis," he said with a hug then opened her door. "Drive careful."

"I will. Thanks. Take care of your wife."

"I will. It's a job I love."
Chapter Twenty

When Dustin came back inside the house, he could hear the baby crying. Kaitlyn was lying on the couch holding a napkin to her nose. His parents hovered nearby, obviously distraught.

"What happened?" he asked as he rushed to her side.

"Don't fuss," Katie said. "I just got a nosebleed."

"A nosebleed? You've never had a nosebleed before." His mother was holding the baby, his dad was standing there, looking helpless, as he was patting the baby's back.

"Is she okay?"

"I think she just wants her mama," his dad said. "Maybe you should try taking her."

"In a second. Are you okay, baby?"

"I'm fine. See to Ali," she said with her eyes closed and her nose pinched shut.

He took the baby from his mom and gave her gentle kisses on her cheek. "Come on now, my mini cupcake. Daddy's got you."

"Dustin Charles, don't you dare start that cupcake crap with my daughter!" Kaitlyn hollered from the couch.

He laughed and swayed with the baby, she stopped fussing within a minute. "See, she likes it." He smiled when he said it but he was really worried about Kaitlyn. "We should get going," he said, giving his mom a kiss goodbye. "I want to get her home."

He hit the button for his remote starter to get his truck warming up.

"You sure you don't want me to have Doc Henry come over?" his mom asked.

"That's not necessary," Kaitlyn said as she sat up. "I'm fine. It's just a nosebleed. You know a doctor who makes house calls?" she said with surprise. "I haven't heard of that in ages."

"Money talks, sweetheart," his dad answered. "You two will figure that out soon enough."

"Aaaaand there it is," Dustin said with frustration in his voice. "I'd love to stick around and fight, Dad, but I want to get my wife home if you don't mind."

"Why does the topic of money always have to become a fight?"

"Not now, okay?" Dusty returned to Kaitlyn. "Can you walk?"

"Dusty, I can walk. I'm fine, really." She stood up and pulled the napkin away, but her nose was still bleeding pretty freely. "Shit," she said as she lay back down.

He sat next to her. "Don't push it. Let's give the car a few minutes to heat up inside for Ali anyway, okay?"

She just nodded and closed her eyes. She uttered, "Crap", and put her arm over her eyes.

As Kaitlyn lay there, flashes of her life with Dusty rushed through her head. She thought it was a little too bizarre. She enjoyed it at first, but her heart began to race when she thought of it as a scene from a movie and "her life flashing before her eyes". She reprimanded herself. No one dies from a bloody nose there, cupcake.

"This has never happened before?" his mom asked Dusty.

"Nope," he said as he stood.

"Do you think the air in the house is too dry, dear?" Norma said to her husband.

"It shouldn't be. I'll have Mitchell do a check on everything in the morning, though."

"The poor little dear was just exhausted," Norma said.

Kaitlyn opened her eyes and saw that the baby had fallen asleep on Dusty's shoulder. She watched him as he placed the baby in her car seat and buckled her in, then she rested her head back down. "I'm so glad you came tonight. I hope Katie is okay. Call us when you get home, all right?" his mother said.

"Will do."

"I'll carry her out, you get your wife," his dad said as he leaned down and picked up the car seat by the handle.

"I can walk," Kaitlyn complained from the couch. She hadn't moved her arm though, which had returned to covering her eyes.

Dusty went to his wife's side, put an arm under her knees and one behind her back. "Just hush and keep your head back. I've got you." At first his jostling made her a little dizzy, but she wrapped an arm his neck steadying herself, and found comfort in his embrace.

When they were settled in the car and on their way a few minutes later, Dustin asked her, "So, what's up?"

"I don't know," she replied while still plugging her nose closed. Her chair was reclined as far back as it could go.

"How do you feel otherwise?"

"Other than frustrated? Fine."

"I hope this isn't from you coming and going."

"If that were the case, I would have had them before."

"That's true enough, I guess. Maybe we're looking into it too much. Maybe the house was just too dry."

"I'm sure it's that simple." She took the napkin away.

"Voila. It stopped."

"Good," he said, although she could tell that he was also worried it meant something more serious.

They made it home in under an hour and spoke very little along the way.

"Do you want me to carry you in?" he asked when they pulled up to their house.

"No. I'm all right."

"You sure?"

"Dusty, I'm sure. Can you get Ali though, please?"

"Sure, sweetness."

Once inside, he carried the baby up to the nursery and Kaitlyn carefully took her out of her car seat, got her into her pajamas, and put her in her crib.

"I can't believe she slept through that. Do you think I should try to wake her and feed her one more time?"

"Usually when she's out, she's out for good," he said as he pulled up Alyson's blanket. They exited the nursery and began to undress in their own room.

"I hate that I don't know these things," Kaitlyn said as she flopped on the bed with one of Dustin's T-shirts on.

"You'll get it soon enough, Katie." He closed the gap between them. "Maybe if you're here to stay, your memories will catch up with you."

Her eyes were tear-filled. "I don't want to do it any more, Dusty. I'm so tired of it."

"This must be it," he said as he dropped to his knees and held her tight. "Why else would we be caught up and on the same page? You have to be done. I won't let you go again."

She hugged him back. She really loved him. They both knew he couldn't do anything about it, but it was nice to hear anyway.

"You know what bothered me most about today?" she said.

"My dad?"

"No, you silly goose. I didn't get to read your book at all. Alyson showed up right as I sat down with it. Not that I minded her visit. I really do like her."

"It may be a sign. Maybe you shouldn't read that crap."

"You going to make me use your middle name again? You know how much I love that book."

"There's no accounting for your taste in men, ether."

She playfully swatted him on the head and scooted back to her pillow. He covered her up and crawled in next to her.

"Crap. I gotta call Mom." He made a quick call to his mother, let her know they got home all right, and that there was no sign of a nosebleed. When he hung up, he lay down again held Kaitlyn tight. "I don't want to have to start beating you. You best stay put now, missy."

She smiled and leaned over for a quick goodnight kiss. For the second time that Kaitlyn could remember, they went to bed too emotionally exhausted to make love. She was again content just to be lying in his arms. She repeated her mantra in her mind over and over before she finally succumbed to sleep. Please let me stay here. Please let me stay here.
Chapter Twenty-One

As Kaitlyn slept, her life played out like a movie in her mind again. She re-lived her explanations to Dusty, the talks with Frank, the dinners and the vomiting. Many of their love scenes played out to such detail, she almost felt dirty, as if she was a peeping Tom to herself. She was as confused in her dream as she was in real life. In fact, she wondered if she was dreaming or if she was traveling back to the same places and times she had visited before.

Suddenly the visions changed and she began to see things she had never lived before. At one point she was watching a wedding take place. She wandered around the wedding party and admired the decorations and dresses, and then realized it was her and Dusty at the altar. From there she began living a honeymoon in a place too beautiful to be anywhere but Hawaii. Although it transpired in what seemed to be an hour to her, it was like two weeks of memories.

Next, she was back in Minnesota sitting on the bench by the ice rink and watching kids play hockey with Dustin. He made a slap shot with the puck, and it hit her in the nose. She shot up in bed with a scream and quickly put her hand to her face. Dusty sat up, instantly awake.

"What is it?" he asked in a panic and then he saw blood coming from under her hand. "Shit, baby. Your nose is bleeding again. Lie down," he said as he leaned her back. He ran into their bathroom for a hand towel and handed it to her. "What's going on?" he asked with obvious worry.

Again her eyes filled with tears. "I don't know."

"We should get you to a doctor."

"And how do we explain this, Dusty?"

"It may have nothing to do with your time hops, Katie. You need to get examined," he insisted.

"No. Listen to me. I didn't think about it at your parent's house; I just thought it was strange. I didn't put two and two together until now."

"Didn't put what together?"

"When I was laying there, I was flashing back to a lot of our times together."

"And..."

"Maybe my mind is on some kind of rewind and it's causing the nosebleeds."

"Is that what happened now?" he asked as he sat next to her on the bed.

"Sort of. A lot was repeat memories, but there were some things I didn't remember."

"Like?"

"Did we get married on a lake?"

"Yes," he said and smiled. "A park off Lake Bemidji. Dad rented a whole resort."

"Did we honeymoon in Hawaii?"

"Baby! You are remembering things!"

"Oh my God!" she said, sitting up and hugging him. "I saw the whole thing. Every beach, every waterfall...a luau! It was real?"

"That was it, my sweet. Your memories are catching up to you!"

"Can this be over?"

"I don't know. I sure hope so," he said. "You've never woken up in the middle of the night like this, let alone have memories of things we didn't do in a normal order. What happened just now that made you shoot awake?"

"A hockey puck hit me in the nose."

"I felt so bad, I bought you a diamond tennis bracelet," he said with a kiss.

"Maybe I'll remember being pregnant and Ali's birth!" she said, suddenly getting excited.

"Let's see...yell at me, dig your nails into my arm, yell at me some more. That pretty much sums it up."

"Really?" She giggled.

"That was the Readers Digest version." He grinned. "No, not really. I told you, you had her in the car, remember? You can re-live it, I think I'll stay put if you go there again." He removed the towel from her nose, made sure she'd stopped bleeding and kissed her. "Welcome back, puddin' pop."

"I guess a little nosebleed is worth getting my memories." She sniffled. "Now if I can just get you to pick one name for me."

"Not a chance, love." He began kissing down her neck. "How about we make waking up worth it?"

"You are so on."

The next day was Saturday. They slept in until the baby woke them up. Kaitlyn was thrilled to be in the same time. That didn't happen often, and she hoped this was truly it.

They stayed in the house that day, enjoying each other and the baby. Dusty filled her in on things when she asked, but otherwise just let her roam around and pretend things were normal. He didn't want to bring it up and make her sad. He was certain she had to be done with the time traveling but of course, there was nothing to judge it by and no one to talk to. At best, he could think of it as some bad dream and their life would just carry on normal from here on out, if they ever were to have a normal life. He'd thought it was over for the past few years, now it was back again. He'd do anything to be able to stop her from going through this.

That afternoon, Kaitlyn put the baby down for a nap then sat on the couch, flipping through a parenting magazine while Dusty read the newspaper.

"How is it that you were ready to commit to me forever when you were only twenty-one?" she asked out of the blue.

"Maybe I just knew a good thing when I saw it," he said, not even looking up from the paper.

"Did my hopping around and always returning to you have anything to do with your decision?"

He put the paper in his lap and let out a frustrated huff. "Why are you even going there, Katie? We're together and I love you...only you. What exactly are you looking for in an answer from me?" He said it in a soft, almost sad tone. "You've tried to dump me before because of my age. You can't seriously be still worried about that."

"I didn't say I was worried and I meant it as a compliment, not the means to a fight. You were persistent every step of the way. I hardly feel worthy of your love, that's all."

He rose and approached her, taking her face in his hands after sitting at her side. "There is no one I would ever want to be with but you, Katie. I knew that when I was twelve years old and saw you at the lake."

"I know when I was twenty-one, I sure wasn't ready to settle down."

"That's because you didn't know me."

"You, my love, would have been jail bait when I was twenty-one."

He laughed. "I was, but it didn't stop the maid."

She leaned back, scrunching her face. "You had sex at sixteen?"

He shrugged. "I told you about her."

"Yeah, but I didn't know you were having sex when you were only sixteen. You also told me about Becky, but I didn't ask you your age."

"How old were you your first time?"

"Nineteen. I was in college. It was hardly memorable for me. As a matter of fact, it was a long time before I did it again."

"I'll say it again, that was because you didn't know me."

She pulled him closer to her face by his shirt collar. "You're getting me hot and bothered there, Mr. Andrews."

"You want to do something about it right now?" he asked.

"Are we playing questions only?"

"Are you sure you're up to the challenge?"

"Do you really have to ask me?" was her giggly reply.

"Do I take you here on the couch?"

"Don't you think it would be time wasted if we walked all the way upstairs?" she said as she unbuttoned his jeans.

"Are you always this forceful?"

"Don't you like it when I take charge?"

"Can't you tell by my...um?" he said and cleared his throat and pointed to his obvious excitement.

"Aren't you ready awfully quick?" She giggled again.

"Does it ever take you long to get me excited?" he said, laying her backward on the couch after removing his shirt.

"Would I remember otherwise even if I could?"

"Do you like what you see?"

"Oh, yeah and I know what I like," she said, pulling him close.

"Ha, I win. That wasn't a question."

"No. I got you naked. I win," she said.

When they finished making love, Dustin was breathing hard. He managed to put gentle kisses on her neck while he tried to regain some composure.

"Now," he asked her, "how could you ever leave that?"

"Are you kidding me? I don't think I ever need to so much as blink again."

"We are kind of a pair, aren't we?"

"I'd say we fit together pretty damn good," she said, stroking his back. She was as happy as she was going to get, but suddenly the thought of going back made her sad. She held onto him tight. "Don't let me go, Dusty. I want to stay here. I want to stay 'now'."

"I've got you, baby," he said, holding her just as tight.

They rested for just another minute before he stood and helped her up. Together, they walked upstairs quietly to the bathroom. They both wanted a quick shower. What was a perfect day now grew sad.

Dustin tried to snap her out of it. "What's the difference between God and a lawyer?" Still sad, she was expressionless. "God doesn't think he's a lawyer." Even that couldn't make her smile. "No mercy laugh?"

"They were funnier when you were the lawyer you were picking on."

"How about plain old 'I love you'? Does that help cheer you up at all?"

She leaned into his chest. "I'll always take one of those." They hugged and rocked for a moment in silence.

The baby began to cry. Dustin kissed the top of Kaitlyn's head. "I'll get her while you hop in the shower real quick."

"Won't she need to eat?"

"She'll be fine for a minute. Go ahead." He wrapped a towel around his waist and left to go get the baby.

Kaitlyn was just stepping out of the shower when he joined her in the bathroom with a fussy Alyson. He was gently bouncing her and smothering her with kisses, trying to get her content. "I guess I was wrong," he said and winked at Kaitlyn.

"Here. I'll take her," she said as she wrapped a towel just around her waist then reached for the baby. Alyson immediately attached to her breast.

"You really love that, don't you?" he asked.

"You have no idea."

"How long do you plan on nursing her?"

"I don't know. As long as she'll let me or maybe till she gets teeth? I guess I have some research to do."

"You've read all the books, but I guess you don't remember that yet," he said.

"Not a word. I suppose I have nothing but time." Again there was sadness in her eyes. "And that will be the last time I ever use that expression."

He gave her a quick kiss. "You are the world's best mother. You know that, right?"

She smiled at him. "Kiss me like you mean it."

Dustin came home from work the next day and was furious. He'd always held his temper before, but Kaitlyn could tell something was wrong with him from the second she'd kissed him hello.

"What's wrong?"

"Who else could make me this insane?"

"What did your dad do now?"

"We have any Captain Morgan one hundred proof?"

"No, we don't. What did he do?" she asked again.

Ali began to cry from upstairs. "I'll go get her," he said. "I need to calm down and seeing her smiling face will help. Make me something, please? Or maybe just grab me a beer?"

"I'll get you a Lineys while you go get your daughter."

He came down after a minute, she could tell he was already calming down. He held the baby close and smothered her with kisses. She offered him the beer, he kissed Kaitlyn again. "Thanks."

The baby wanted to go to Kaitlyn so he handed her over. "She wants to nurse," she said, almost apologetic for Ali wanting her. They sat at the couch together and she let the baby eat. "So, what happened at work?"

"It's not really work. You nailed it earlier, it's my dad."

"What could he do to you at work?"

"He bought it."

"He did what?"

"The son of a bitch bought the newspaper. I don't know what the hell he's thinking, Katie. I want to become editor on my own accord, not because my dad owns the place."

"Have you talked to him about it?"

"No. I'm too steamed. I'm going to drive out and see him tomorrow. I've taken the day off."

"Maybe I should send you with the baby so you don't kill him."

"I don't think I want her hearing the language I'm going to be using. You want to come be my bodyguard?"

"No way. I can't anyway. I have a meeting with Matt and Nick tomorrow."

"Something up?"

"Nothing that they said in particular. I just think they want me to feel like I'm still in the loop. It's nice, actually. I really have no idea what's going on there right now."

"Do you want me to take Ali? I can. You can bottle up your milk for me."

"Don't do that to yourself. I'll bring her with me. The girls will probably have a fit if I don't bring her along, anyway." She paused to switch sides. "I just don't get it, Dusty. Things seem like they've been so good. I don't think he'd do this just to upset you."

"Well, I'm going to find out tomorrow. Sorry to come home in a mood."

She leaned over as far as she could, trying to get a kiss. He met her the rest of the way. "It's understandable, really. I just hope you two don't kill each other tomorrow. There has to be a decent explanation for this. Go shower; you'll feel better."

They didn't talk about it for the rest of the night. They relaxed in front of a movie and played with the baby. After they put her to bed, they made love.

"Feel better, my love?" Kaitlyn asked as she snuggled into Dusty's chest.

"I felt better the second I walked through the door. Sex was a bonus, though." He pulled her close. "What would I do without you?"

"It doesn't seem like you're ever going to have to worry about that now, does it? Apparently I can't get enough of you at any age."

"I think you're here to stay, and now I don't even have to share you with me anymore."

"We can only hope," she said as she spun around so her back was facing him. She scooted back and found where she fit best and went to sleep.

Katie woke up to the sound of the baby crying. You'd think she was told she won the lottery by how happy that made her. She climbed out of bed, hoping to let Dusty sleep, but Ali had awakened him as well.

"Good morning, my sweet," he said with a stretch. She gave him a quick kiss and "good morning" before running into the nursery. By the time she got the baby changed and fed and she came back into the room, Dusty was already dressed and ready to go confront his father.

"You're leaving so soon?"

"I want to get it over with as soon as possible. Dad schedules most of his meetings in the afternoon. He shouldn't have any excuses for me."

"Please drive safe. Don't go heading over there like you're ready to rip his face off and in a hurry to do it."

"I'm a lot calmer today. I still don't know what the hell possessed him to do that. I promise I won't get myself killed getting there."

"Call me when you're on your way home, okay?"

"Will do, my sweet," he said with a goodbye kiss.

Dustin did try to behave on the drive, but he still got there in a hurry and broke a few speed limits on the way. He didn't call in advance and tell his dad he was coming, he just walked up to his office.

"Dusty." His dad's secretary, Grace, greeted him with a big smile. "Your father didn't tell me you were coming today."

"I didn't tell him. Is he in and available?"

"He is for about forty minutes. I'll buzz him."

"I'll just go in. Thanks, Grace."

His dad was hanging up the phone as Dusty entered the office. Dusty knew Grace had called him, even though he said not to.

"Good morning, son. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Cut the crap, Dad. Why the hell did you do it? I thought we were done screwing around. Why the hell do you pick now to mess with my life?"

Dusty's father crossed his arms and frowned at him. "You'd best get your ducks in a row before you come waltzing in here, swearing at me like that, son. Now what the hell has got your dander up?"

The intercom buzzed. "Mr. Andrews?"

"What is it, Grace? I asked not to be disturbed."

"I know. I'm sorry sir, but it's your daughter-in-law's receptionist on the phone. She seemed terribly upset and is trying to track down your son. She said she's tried his cell phone but it must be turned off. It just goes to voice mail. Sir, she sounds desperate to speak to him right away."

"I turned it off to talk to you," Dusty said as he took his phone out of his belt clip and turned it on.

"Put her through." His father left the speakerphone on. "Andrews."

"Dusty? Are you there?"

"I'm here. What's going on, Karla?"

"An ambulance just left with Katie."

"What?" he shouted. "What the hell happened?"

"I don't know," she said, beginning to cry. "She just collapsed. She was laughing and talking with us then she got a nosebleed and just..." She was too choked up to continue.

"A nosebleed? Shit! Where's Alyson?"

"We have her here with us. I was holding her when Katie collapsed, so she's fine."

"Is Matt there?"

"They let him ride in the ambulance with her. He's kinda freaked out. He had a hard time trying to get a pulse on her before they showed up. He was doing CPR. Oh, Dusty. You gotta get here soon." She started to cry again.

"I'll get there as fast as I can. Just watch Ali for me, please."

"I will. There's two bottles of breast milk in the diaper bag. She'll be okay. Just hurry."

Dusty picked up the handset and hung it back up to end the call. Quickly snatching his jacket off the chair, he ran for the door.

"Hold up," his dad said. "You're in no shape to drive."

"I don't care. I've gotta get there fast, Dad."

"Chopper is faster," his dad said, then made a quick call. "On the roof in ten minutes. Come on, I'm going with you."

The elevator couldn't move fast enough for Dusty, and the wait for the helicopter seemed like it took forever. Even the fifteen-minute flight seemed like an eternity. They didn't try to talk over the noise, and Dusty was glad for that. He had no explanation he could give his father for anything that was happening if he'd asked. They were given permission to land directly at the hospital. The legs of the helicopter had barely touched the ground before Dusty was out the door and running to emergency.

He saw Matt pacing the room and ran over to him. "What's going on? How is she?" Matt's eyes were bloodshot as if he'd been crying; that scared Dusty.

"They haven't come out and told me anything. The ride here was rough. She crashed once, Dusty. What's wrong with her? Is there something you guys aren't telling us?"

"No. She's been great. She had a nosebleed at my parents' place a couple days ago, but she wrote that off to dry air in the house. She crashed?"

"Her heart stopped. Scared me to death."

"They get her going again?" he asked with fear in his voice.

"Right away, but she had no color..." He too had to stop talking for a moment.

A nurse called for Dusty just then, sparing Matt from having to recover from his breaking down.

"Mr. Andrews?" she asked.

"Yes," he said as rushed over to her.

"Please come with me. We'd like you in the room."

"Is she okay?" he asked as they headed to the room.

"She's awake and a little hysterical. She won't let us sedate her, she keeps asking for you."

Dusty followed the nurse through a set of swinging doors, then down the hall and into a room. Kaitlyn's eyes were closed but sprang open when she heard him say, "Baby?" before rushing to her side. "What's happening?" he whispered.

She had an IV in her arm and she was hooked up to an oxygen mask. Her color was very pale, but she was still a gorgeous sight to him. Her heart began to beat faster when he showed up. He could hear it over the monitor.

"Well there's a good sign," said the nurse. "Her pulse rate and pressure have been extremely low." She came over and carefully removed a nose plug. "Well, your nose has finally stopped bleeding, too. I was afraid we'd need to give you blood the way that was gushing." She replaced the mask. "I'll get an airline for you now, it'll be more comfortable. I'll leave you two alone for a minute."

"Are you okay?" Dusty asked, kissing her hand.

She tried saying something, but he couldn't understand her. He lifted up the mask and she struggled to say again, "You hollered, somebody help me."

"What, baby? Here? No. I just got here."

She shook her head and struggled to speak again. "The night Ali was born. It was raining. After her head come out you shouted."

He smiled and stroked her hair. "Yes, I did. I told you I didn't want to re-live that again. Is that what all this is? Is everything flooding back to you?"

She nodded, taking short gasps of breaths before closing her eyes. He put the mask back on her.

"Don't try to talk. I'm here with you now. You're okay." Her eyes opened, she motioned for him to pick up the mask again.

"My doctor was gone. The fill in wouldn't come in to deliver my placenta. You held the male nurse by the throat and made him call the doctor in."

He chuckled and put the mask down. "Yes, I did. You didn't see that, though. I did that in the hall."

A muffled, "I saw it this time," came from below the mask. He smiled and kissed her cheek. She closed her eyes again.

"Baby, let them give you what they want to. It'll help."

"No, I want to remember it all." A tear ran down her cheek. "I don't want to go to sleep."

"Not if it's going to kill you in the process. You can't keep doing this."

She motioned for him to pick up the mask again. "It's not like I ever had a choice," she said before closing her eyes again. This time an alarm went off and two nurses came rushing in.

"Sir, we need you to step outside."

"What's happening?"

"We need you outside, now. She's crashing! We need to get at her. Please leave. One nurse shouted, Orderly!" Within seconds, someone Dustin's height, but twice his build, entered the room and escorted him out. Two more nurses ran into the room along with a doctor.

Dusty's heart raced. She couldn't have gone through all of what she did to die now. He couldn't lose her. After being escorted to the waiting room, he found his father sitting next to Matt. The two had met briefly once before.

They both stood. "How is she?" his father asked.

"She was talking to me then she just..."

His dad pulled Dusty's head to his shoulder. "She'll be all right. She's a tough one. Has to be to put up with you," he said as he gave Dusty's back a few manly pats.

Shrugging out of his father's embrace, Dusty ran his palms over his eyes.

"Does she have some kind of condition you aren't telling us about?" his father asked. "She had this nosebleed at our place."

"No." Dusty walked over to a window and stared out at the parking lot.

"I'm going to go call your mother. Let her know where we are. Should I have her call Katie's parents?"

"I guess she should. Tell them I'll call as soon as I hear anything."

Dustin sat in a waiting room chair for half an hour. He couldn't take not hearing anything a moment longer and got to his feet. He was heading toward the swinging door when a nurse came out. She jumped at the sight of him charging toward her. "Follow me," she said before he could holler at her.

They returned to the same room and she pulled back the curtain. The doctor was just taking the stethoscope off of Kaitlyn's chest.

"I don't know what the heck that was all about, but she's fine now." The doctor smiled at Dustin. Kaitlyn was sitting up at more of an angle; her color back to normal. "Her heart rate and pressure are right where they should be. I'm going to want to do some blood work and a cat scan, but she seems healthy as a teenager right now."

Dusty pushed his way past the doctor and wrapped his arms around his wife. He gently sobbed into her neck. "I thought I'd lost you."

"Not a chance," she whispered. "You're not getting rid of me so easily. I'd have to come hunt you down at the age of five." He laughed as he sat up. He wiped his eyes quickly and gave her a long kiss on the lips.

"We'd like to take her down to radiology, Mr. Andrews. We'll come get you as soon as you can come back in. I'll assure you she's fine now," the doctor said.

He gave her one last kiss. "You done?" he whispered.

"I think so," she said and smiled. She held his face with one hand. "When I crashed, I saw Frank."

"Frank?"

She nodded. "He said get the hell back there and stay put, dammit."

"Really?"

"Mr. Andrews?" the doctor said.

"Sorry. I'll be right outside. Come get me as soon as I can come back in."

"We will," the doctor assured him.

"Is Ali okay?" Kaitlyn called out.

"She's fine. Karla has her. I'd better go call. You had them all really scared, baby."

"You know what, Dusty?"

The doctor was losing his patience and motioned for the nurses to just start rolling her bed out.

"What?" he asked.

"I like 'baby' best. Can we just stick with that?"

"Sure, puddin'. Anything my cupcake wants, my sugar gets."

"Oh somebody just shoot me now," she said as they wheeled her down the hallway. Dustin all but skipped out to the waiting room to tell everyone she was okay.
Chapter Twenty-Two

Karla showed up at the hospital at three o'clock with Ali. The baby was happy to see her daddy. "I had kind of a hard time getting her to take the bottle," Karla apologized.

"Don't take it personal. She doesn't really do it for me, either. She's a mama's girl." Dusty kissed his daughter on the forehead and rocked with her.

"She's been an angel otherwise. Can I see Katie?"

"I'll go ask. They kicked me out a while ago, but maybe it's okay now. They should be done poking and prodding at her." He came back after a few moments. "They said it's fine. Fifteen minutes only. I've been driving them nuts, sorry."

"That's fine. I just need a hug. Paula will come later, too. Only one of us could get away at a time. She doesn't really do babies, so I won."

"I'll wait to take Ali in so you have her undivided attention. Thanks, Karla," he said as he gave her a hug.

"My pleasure."

Dusty's parents came in a few minutes later. "There's my baby girl," his mom said as she walked over with open arms to take her granddaughter. "Grandkids are God's reward for not killing your children." She laughed as she took the baby.

"Speaking of killing your children, you want to step outside for a minute, son?"

"I guess we do have a talk to finish," Dustin said as he followed his father outside.

"So are you going to tell me what you were doing trying to rearrange my face before all this started?" his dad asked once they were on the patio of the cafeteria.

"Why did you do it, Dad?"

"Do what?" he asked angrily. "I honestly don't know what you are carrying on about."

"You bought my newspaper! I like it there, Dad. I don't want to go look for work somewhere else. I don't want to be treated like the owner's son. If I wanted that, I would have gone to work for you."

"Back up. My company bought your newspaper?"

"You going to tell me you didn't know?" Dustin said in frustration.

"Look me in the eye," he demanded. Dustin did. "I didn't know. You know damn well the corporation was set up by my father. I'm as much at mercy to what goes on sometimes as any other member of the board. I know there's a lot of buy outs going on, but I had no idea it spread as far as your paper. With the economy the way it is, a lot of people are facing foreclosures, homes and business alike."

"I didn't know the newspaper was in trouble."

"I don't imagine it's anything an employer is about to spread company wide. Anyway, I know you view what I do for a living as pure evil, but not every aspect of it is 'freeing guilty people.'"

"I never called you evil."

His father didn't comment on that. "My company has been buying up mortgages and helping small businesses stay afloat. Businesses like yours."

"You're really doing that?"

"I guess the setting murderers free racket is slow right now."

"I'm sorry, Dad," Dustin said as he gave his dad a hug. His father returned the hug with a couple of quick back pats before the two men broke apart. "Your company is helping, and I rip you a new asshole."

"No one will know that this is connected to you. I'll be double sure of that. But since I guess technically now own the paper, you want it?"

"No!" Dustin said both firmly and with a laugh. "If the day comes, I'll see you. Please just leave it alone for now."

"Suit yourself."

They returned to the waiting room. Ali had started to fuss and his mother was doing her best to comfort her. "I think she really misses her mother," she said. "Karla left. She asked you to update her later."

"I will. Give Ali to me; they should let me take her in to Kaitlyn now." He headed over to the nurse's station, they led him right into the room.

Kaitlyn lit up at the sight of her husband and daughter. She outstretched her arms to take the baby. "She need to eat?"

"Karla did her best but she wants you, baby."

The nurse said, "You're fine to nurse. We didn't give you anything that would affect your milk. Your staff made sure we knew you were nursing when the ambulance picked you up."

Kaitlyn lowered her gown and Ali greedily nursed the second the breast was offered to her. The nurse left the room.

"Did they tell you anything about your test results?" Dustin asked.

"Everything is normal. If I pitch enough of a fit, I bet they'll let me go home tonight."

He laughed. "Then do that. I don't want to sleep without you."

"There was just one test result that you might be interested in, though." Her expression was serious, she had him worried again.

"What's that?" he asked, sitting on her bed.

"I'm a few weeks pregnant," she said, exchanging her serious look for a grin.

"What? I thought you weren't supposed to get pregnant when you're nursing."

"I'm not supposed to. Maybe it happened....you know. One of you knocked my ass up in either case."

He just ran his hand over his face and laughed. She was positively glowing about the news. Now that he knew she was okay, the news was finally sinking in with him as well. He was thrilled to have another baby with the love of his life. "At least it's still mine."

"Are you happy about this?"

He smiled wide and said, "Of course I am." He placed his hand on her stomach. I just worry about you. They'll be only thirteen months apart."

"They'll be best friends."

He leaned in and kissed her again. "I really, really do love you."

"You love that I'm even hornier pregnant."

He laughed hard. "You really do remember everything now."

Eight Months Later

Katie and Dusty brought their son home from the hospital and were greeted by Dustin's parents. They had stayed over to watch Ali for them. His mom took the new baby right away after quick hugs. His dad walked over with a wide smile to see his handsome grandson, but then looked up with a frown.

"And what's wrong with him being Dustin the third?"

"Nothing, Dad. The tradition has to stop sometime. Alexander is a good, strong name."

"Who's the Frank in his middle name?"

"Just a dear friend of Katie's she wanted in there," Dusty answered.

His dad huffed then went back to playing with the baby.

"Where's Ali? Is she sleeping?" Kaitlyn asked.

"She is, the little darling," Norma said.

"Oh, you got a package yesterday," Dusty's father said to him as he pointed to a box in the corner.

Dusty reached it and immediately ripped off the tape. He pulled out the contents and returned to his wife's side. "Here you are, my love," he said with a broad smile as he handed her the first copy of his book in hardcover.

She squealed, threw her arms around him, then planted a hard kiss on his lips. "I especially loved the new part about the time traveling girl," she whispered to him.

Beaming, she admired the cover and thought about the additions Dusty made to the book. Of course everyone would think it was a work of great fiction and have no clue how close to their hearts some of Captain Skinnard's experiences were.

Kaitlyn had come to terms months ago that she would never fully understand why this had all happened to her. She couldn't fathom how merely wishing for another chance at a beginning with Dusty and saying it out loud made it so. When they had first said, "I love you," she would have been content to stay with him then, but without all the trips to his different ages and lives, they wouldn't be where they were now. They wouldn't know each other in such depth, and maybe Alyson wouldn't be alive. She cherished every memory of him in every time and age, and not once regretted what she had been put through, even if she would never fully understand it.

Her mind finally went to Frank; she wandered over to the picture window. Everyone was busy fussing over the new baby so they didn't notice her sudden melancholy mood. She hugged the book to her chest and out of nowhere, tears pooled in her eyes. There was now an emptiness in her heart for the man she only knew briefly. Who was he? she silently wondered again for the first time in a long time. Dusty had never added Frank to his book, so there was no more guesswork or depth to his character, other than what she lived and imagined. She and Dusty never discussed him again after that day the library, at least not that she remembered.

She again entertained the notion of him being some kind of fairy godfather... but how? She shook her head, feeling twelve for having such a silly thought. Being a doctor and basing everything she did on facts and scientific proof, she still found entertaining thoughts of magical higher powers a bit unreasonable. However, there was no denying what happened to her was nothing short of extraordinary. She thought she found him by coincidence at the library that first time, but now she was certain they were destined to meet, whether she went there or to any random grocery store. He had helped her by merely being a set of listening ears, but there had to be more. Did he somehow cause her trips to help her see her true destiny with Dusty or was he merely an angel earning his wings?

"You're in a pickle all right." She smiled at the memory of Frank's saying and wondered how often she would now use that on her own children.

Her heart ached as she stood there missing him dearly, hoping someday their paths would cross again, but she didn't dare say it out loud.

"No regrets doesn't mean you want to go there again, cupcake," she said to herself, softly.

As she looked down the sidewalk, a figure crossing the street caught her attention. It was an elderly man dressed from head to toe in olive green, and wearing a tool belt. He stopped in the middle of the road and bent over to pick up a discarded wad of paper. Her mind flashed to their first meeting that day at the library in the Fiction section. Her hand went up to the glass as she gasped. Frank. His name formed on her lips, but she couldn't even say his name out loud.

The figure raised his head and waved her way, then continued across the street.

"Is everything okay?" Dustin asked.

She turned around and forced a smile his way. "I'm fine." She quickly turned back around, but the figure was gone. Had she imagined it?

Dustin, now beside her, wrapped his arms around her and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"What's so interesting out there?"

Spinning into him and wrapping her free hand around his waist she replied, "Nothing. Things are much more interesting in here." She returned her gaze to the book. "I'm so proud of you." Reaching up and hugging him tight, she whispered into his ear, "I'm so glad now is the time when I'm staying for good."

"You're on Dustin time now, cupcake."
About the Author

June, who prefers to go by Bug, was born in Philadelphia but moved to Maui, Hawaii, when she was four. She met her "Prince Charming" on Kauai and is currently living "Happily Ever After" in Minnesota.

Her son and daughter are her greatest accomplishments. She takes pride in embarrassing them every chance she gets.

Visit http://www.junekramin.comfor more releases.

Time Travel Series:

Dustin Time

Dustin's Turn

Dustin's Novel – Coming Soon!

Romantic Suspense/Thriller:

Double Mocha, Heavy on Your Phone Number

Hunter's Find

Amanda's Return

I Got Your Back, Hailey

I've Also Got Your Front, Hailey

More Hailey Coming Soon!

Romance:

Come and Talk to Me

Money Didn't Buy Her Love

Devon's Change of Heart (Money Didn't Buy Her Love II)

I'll Try to Behave Myself

Contemporary Fiction

The Green Flash at Sunset

Baby, Just Say Yes

More to come!

Visit http://www.beforehappilyeverafter.com for her middle grade fantasy series written under the pseudonym of Ann T. Bugg.

Acknowledgments

The journey writing has taken me on over the past few years have been some of the best times in my life and my experiences have been both wonderful and sometimes frustrating. Needless to say, it couldn't have been done without family and friends. To compile a list would take more words than the novel itself. I'll attempt to put a dent in it here.

Dustin Time was first published in August, 2010 by Champagne Books. I still need to thank Ellen at Champagne Books for being the first one to give me hope at being a writer and giving me a chance. The rest of my original dedications will stand (with a few additions). I may not be active at my forum anymore, but damn...it was a ride. I still heart your faces, AW!

Mom and Dad: because you were there for it all. It's amazing you survived me.

Hubby and daughter for all the support and being able to entertain yourselves while I wrote at home.

Thanks to Dan, the world's best(now former) boss. (Yes, that's including when I was self-employed.)

My son, Darrell. Okay, so you didn't do anything, but without you, I can't imagine where my life would have led me.

Cray, your relentless taunting got me through the roughest of days. Your help meant a lot, especially when you didn't even know you were doing it. I really lurve you. Yes, it's your burden. (^)

Leuk, for once I have no words. Srsly. * smooch *

Jay, your kind words of inspiration, your incredible talent and your sense of humor kept me going when I needed it most. (LYB)

Quickie, you are "teh awesome™"

Lady Jay, the loons would run amuck without you. Okay, we run amuck anyway, but we love you (and muck does need his exercise).

To all my other forum & FB friends: Your daily presence, friendship and asinine posts helped keep me on my path and (in)sane. Here's a shout out to just a few: ToT, Puppy, Stew, Angie, Ray, Hoo & Mel (Thing 1 & Thing 2), Ferret, Turkey, Wayne, April, Adam, Perks, Susie, Janna, Kimmi, Krystal, Kelly, Jason, Tony, Rob, Stacey, Sara, CB, Nadine, Reg, Jen, Hobbes, Ken, DL, and even Meerkitty, Ben, Del, RT & Muse from the early days. I know I'm forgetting many, my humble apologies. (((Hugs))) to you all!

I can't leave out AJ for all his help setting up my websites and blog.

Paula, for letting me steal your cinnamon allergy & name!

And last but not least, Wayne G., for the great character idea.

