Chapter 66 (Conclusion)
And here it is. Before you all kill me, I swear there will be a sequel. Just don't ask me when it'll be up :)

I also wanted to say thank you for reading this and keeping up with it. It means a lot to me.

There will be a few changes made in the final draft of TBSOL. I'll post a final version when it's complete. I'm not yet sure what exactly will change, but I don't think I got it all right on the first go. :)

Anyway, enjoy.

~Dreams
dreams@midnightisland.com
===============================================

Kris had been awake when Julianne left the bed that morning. She had listened to every movement and every sound, until the door had opened, and quietly closed. She had listened to the receding footsteps down the stairs, until finally, she felt it safe enough to open her eyes.

She glanced around the strange bedroom, not yet used to the surroundings, and tried to pin down her emotions. As she gazed around, seeing but not registering, she wondered what had led to that moment. One second she had been spying from the shadows, too shy to approach the actress, and the next, she was knocking on Julianne's door, she was admitting things she'd never thought she'd say, she was swept up and away from rational thought.

If Kris had been thinking clearly, she would had paused at the bottom of the stairs, stared up at Julianne's bedroom door, and then continued on to the guestroom. She would have gone to bed, wondering about what Julianne had said. She would have invented, and reinvented a plethora of what-if scenarios that would have culminated with a kiss. But it would have been okay, because it wouldn't have been real. There are no consequences to idle fantasies.

Instead, she had lived out her thoughts. She had stepped up to the brink of possibility and jumped, head first without further thought. She had given herself up to the moment, to the tension and elation and excitement, pushing away the confusion and uncertainty and fear. And now what? Now that everything was out in the open, now that she knew exactly how Julianne's lips felt against her own, what was she going to do?

Everything had changed. She could feel it from the second she'd drifted back to consciousness. She had felt it in the second before they'd kissed, a shift, subtle, yet unquestionable. The entire framework of their friendship had been frantically altered by a simple declaration of love. There was no going back from that moment, no way to return to not-knowing.

Kris closed her eyes at the memory of Julianne's kiss. In that moment, she had lost every inhibition, every worry, every doubt. She had wanted to give everything of herself to Julianne, to rip open the fabric of her previously meaningless existence and pour its contents into Julianne's world. She had wanted to make Julianne see, to feel, the depth of her emotions. It had felt like dying and being reborn again, her entire body reeling from the shocks of pleasure coursing through her. It had been overwhelming, perfect, and terrifying; and she had wanted more.

And then everything changed.

They had stopped for half a second, a miniscule fraction of time, but long enough to bring reality crashing down around them.

What had happened? What had they just done?

Kris rolled over on the bed, and wiped her eyes, feeling completely overcome. It was one thing to admit she had feelings for Julianne, it was another to act upon those feelings. And now that she knew Julianne felt the same way, what did it mean? What would they do?

The sound of the doorbell interrupted Kris' thoughts, and her attention shifted to the sound of undecipherable voices. She could almost make out Julianne's, but couldn't hear what she was saying.

Kris wondered who else was downstairs. She was fairly certain she'd heard a male voice. And maybe another female's, she wasn't sure. She also wondered how long she could hide out in Julianne's bedroom before it became obvious that she was hiding.

After thinking it over for several minutes, she finally decided she really needed to get up. She blamed her bladder, and the fact that she couldn't avoid Julianne forever.

But maybe she'd wait a few more minutes.





"I brought you a copy of Red Like Me," Adrian announced, holding up the tape. "You can add it to your collection of movies you hate."

"It's really interesting," Karen commented. "Rachel loved it."

Julianne glanced over Adrian's shoulder toward the stairs. She was half anticipating, half-dreading Kris waking up. She knew they needed to talk, but it would have to wait until she returned from the premiere later that night. And she had no idea what she would say to Kris when she saw her.

Adrian turned around to see what Julianne was looking at. Seeing nothing, he turned back. "Um, Julianne. I'm over here." He waved the hand holding the tape.

Suddenly remembering she had company, Julianne's mind refocused on her guests. "I'm sorry?"

"Red Like Me," Adrian repeated, handing her the movie. "It's all yours."

Julianne stared at the tape in her hand, and then up at Adrian. "Thanks. But what the hell is Red Like Me?"

"My movie," he reminded her. "Apples? People?"

She stared at him blankly.

Adrian sighed. "The tomato movie."

Julianne finally remembered. She tried not to roll her eyes. She knew how important Adrian's insanity was to him. "Can't wait to see it." She turned to Karen. "So what am I doing today?"

"You're having lunch with Derek and his father, Steven, at noon. Then you've got an interview at two, which shouldn't take too long. There's a cast dinner at six. And the movie starts at eight. And then there's a party at the director's house."

Julianne sighed to herself. She was never getting home. "Okay."

"Isn't it great to be back in L.A.?" Adrian teased. "And Derek. Is that the guy you've decided to dump me for tonight?"

"He's like eight," Julianne informed him.

"That's sick, Jules. It's bad enough you're a lesbian. Now you're a pedophile, too?"

"Not funny," Julianne replied.

Adrian shrugged. "Can't win them all. So you're taking an eight-year-old to the movie? Isn't there like a big hot sex scene in there?"

Julianne shook her head. "No. I mean, we filmed it. You both remember that catastrophe. But the producers felt it would be best if the movie didn't stray too far from the show. So they cleaned it up."

"That sucks," Adrian said. "Will the DVD have the uncut scenes? Will there be an unrated version?"

Julianne ignored the question, and ventured a glance at the stairs again.

Adrian arched an eyebrow as he caught her staring over his shoulder again. "Julianne, what's going on with you?" Then comprehension dawned on him. "Ohhh, that's right. I forgot Kris came with you."

"Ooooooh! Where is she?" Karen asked, looking around.

Julianne wanted to kill them both. "Would you two shut up and try to act like mature adults?"

They glanced at each other. "Are we mature adults?" Adrian wondered.

"No, I don't believe we are," Karen answered. "So is that why you keep glancing at the stairs every two seconds?"

Adrian stared at her in surprise. "She's in your bedroom?"

"Please drop it."

"Does that mean there's something to drop?" Adrian asked.

Julianne started walking to the kitchen, and stopped in her tracks as she saw Kris enter the living room. Caught off-guard, it took Julianne a moment to react. "Good morning," she said, trying not to sound as awkward as she felt. She turned. "Kris, this is my assistant, Karen, and my occasional best friend, Adrian."

"Nice to meet you," Kris said. "I've heard a lot about you." She said it to both of them, but Julianne noted that her gaze never left Adrian.

Julianne glanced at Adrian, whose gaze was completely glued to Kris, and a surge of irrational jealousy took over. She instantly pushed it away. "Anyone hungry?"

"Starved," Kris answered, her gaze drifting back to Julianne. "But I should go take a shower."

"I'll make something while you do," Julianne told her.

Kris excused herself from her new acquaintances, her gaze lingering on Adrian far longer than necessary and disappeared down the hall toward the guestroom

Julianne gave Adrian a look that could bend metal.

"Whoa!" Adrian said, holding his hands up defensively. "I was just thinking she looks really familiar."

"You've seen her picture," Julianne reminded him, unsure of why she was overreacting.

Karen moved away from the line of fire and went to sit down on the couch.

Adrian approached Julianne. "I could've sworn I'd seen her before."

"I'm going to make breakfast," Julianne announced, unsure what to comment because she was unsure what she felt. "Want some?"

"No thanks," Adrian said, looking concerned.

"Karen, breakfast?" Julianne offered.

"Nope," Karen answered. "But, do you mind if I drool over your TV?"

"Go right ahead," Julianne answered. She went to walk away, but Adrian stopped her.

He was frowning. "What's going on?"

Julianne shook her head. "I have no idea," she said honestly. "I'm just really confused right now. And I think it's making me a little … insane."

"This is new?" Adrian teased, trying to lighten the mood.

Julianne bit her lip, and glanced at the hallway where Kris had gone. "We kissed last night."

Adrian's eyes widened. "What?"

"She told me she's in love with me."

Adrian stared at her in disbelief. "Since when?"

"I don't know," Julianne answered. "We kissed, and it was just … perfect. Only, then it got weird and awkward between us. And I asked her if she wanted to spend the night in my room, and she did. But we just went to sleep, or to pretend to sleep, and I … I don't know what all of this means. And now I have to get through today somehow, and I don't know how I'm going to manage that without going crazy."

"Yeah, it sounds like you definitely need to talk to her," Adrian agreed. "I'm bound to not be of great help at the moment. I'm still stuck on the kissing thing. I should really install cameras in this place."

Julianne stared at him. "You know, sometimes I wonder why I bother telling you anything at all."

"Behold the power of the thong," Adrian assured her. "No woman can resist it."

Julianne almost smiled at that, but then remembered her plight. "I don't know what to do."

"Isn't that always your problem?" Adrian asked. "And what do I always tell you?"

"Something about Playboy?" Julianne guessed.

"Ha," Adrian said dryly. "No, do what feels right."

Julianne sighed. "That's the problem, nothing feels completely right."





"One…two… three … four," Karen counted. She hesitantly put her thimble down. "Damn."

"Ha!" Adrian said. "Two thousand dollars, please."

Kris looked at Karen and smiled. "That's what you get for giving him Park Place."

"It seemed like a smart move at the time," Karen grumbled, counting out her Monopoly money. She mortgaged a few properties, sold three houses, and after much mumbling under her breath, gave Adrian his two thousand dollars. "It's okay. I'll get my hotels back, and then he'll be sorry."

Kris laughed, and rolled the dice. She moved safely into one of her own properties. "Whew," she said, relieved. She looked at Adrian as he took his turn. All day she'd been trying to figure out where she'd seen him before, but to no avail. Maybe it had been on television with Julianne. "So, who's this guy that Julianne is going to the premiere with?"

Karen and Adrian exchanged a look.

"It's, um, Derek," Adrian replied.

Derek. Kris tried to remember if Julianne had ever mentioned a Derek to her, but she couldn't recall. "Is he an old friend?"

They started laughing, and Kris looked at them in confusion.

"He's an eight year old friend," Karen told her.

Kris was a little confused. "She's known him for eight years?"

Adrian grinned. "No, he's just eight."

"Eight?"

"Eight," Karen confirmed, with a smile. "Derek's sister wrote Julianne a letter telling her that her little brother was sick. I'm not sure of the disease. Cancer, maybe. And Julianne wrote back to the parents offering to help with money for any treatment necessary, if it was needed. And that regardless, if Derek was feeling better at the time, that she would like him to be her date to the premiere of the movie. She sent four plane tickets along with the letter, so that the family could come along."

Kris smiled, falling in love with Julianne all over again. "That was really nice of her. Does Julianne do that kind of thing often?"

Adrian snorted.

Karen shrugged and looked down at the game board, taking her turn. "Julianne never even read her mail before."

"And she only started cause I made a deal with her," Adrian supplied.

"What kind of deal?" Kris asked curiously.

"Oh I just had to call this girl," Adrian answered. He seemed to think of something and paused. "Um, but anyway, I told her I would as long as she read three letters a week."

Kris frowned. "Why didn't she read them on her own?"

"Some theorists believe it's because she didn't have time to be bothered," Adrian answered. He glanced pointedly at Karen. "But I think it's because it was just easier for her to pretend not to care. She's always had issues with people not seeing who she really is, and I think reading mail from her fans was a like opening a bunch of little mirrors. She'd have to directly face how other people saw her."

Kris pondered that for a moment, not sure it made sense to her. "Does she read it now?"

"I don't know, I have about two boxes for her to take back to New York, if she wants," Karen said with a smile. "Most of it goes through her official fan club, and they just send back a picture with one of those stamped autographs. Oh, and it's your turn."

"Sorry," Kris apologized, and rolled. She drove her little metallic car into Boardwalk, and groaned. "Well, I'm officially out."

"I win," Adrian announced, holding up his fortune. "Oh, yes! Now, where can I exchange this for real money?" He brightened. "You know, when we play with Julianne, we should tell her to give us real money if she loses."

Kris laughed, and started helping to clean up the pieces from the game on the coffee table.

"We should get going," Karen announced. "I have to get back to Rachel."

Kris glanced over at Karen. "Who's Rachel?"

"My girlfriend," Karen answered. "She's depressed about my going off to New York. And I keep telling her, it's only for another month, while Julianne finishes filming, but she's still moping about it."

"You're going to New York?" Kris asked, unable to decide which comment surprised her more.

Karen nodded. "Yeah, it's very hard to be a long-distance assistant. But I was finishing off a screenwriting course, and Julianne was nice enough not to complain about my prolonged absence."

Kris was curious where Karen would be staying, but didn't ask. She also didn't understand what Julianne needed an assistant for. Julianne seemed to get along fine on her own. But Kris didn't mention that either. "I see," she finally said.

Adrian took the lull in the conversation as a sign to stand up. "Well, it was very nice meeting you, Kris," he said.

Kris rose as well. "Thanks for staying around to entertain me."

"Our pleasure," Adrian replied. He stared at her for a moment. "Um, listen, at the risk of it coming off as a pick-up line, have we met before?"

Kris smiled. "I had actually been wondering that myself. You look so familiar."

"Hm," Adrian said pensively. "It'll come to me."





Julianne fastened the microphone to her shirt and waited for the cue. As soon as it came, she put on her interview face, and turned her full attention to the person facing her.

"And welcome back to our Guardian: A Second Chance special. I'm sitting here with the star of the film, Julianne Franqui. How are you doing, Julianne?"

"I'm well, thank you," she answered. "How are you doing, Phil?"

"Fantastic," he answered.

Julianne wondered if anyone who actually used the word "fantastic" to describe their state of being was ever really "fantastic." She waited for him to continue.

"So, have you seen the film yet?" Phil asked.

"No, I haven't actually, I'm heading to the premiere tonight. I'm very excited about seeing the finished product."

"You're currently not filming any new episodes of the TV show. What have you been doing to keep busy during the hiatus?"

"I'm filming a movie called Summer's End, which I believe is due to come out at the end of next year."

"Are you enjoying that project?"

"I'm loving it. It's going to be a wonderful film."

"Well, I'm sure your fans are anxious for its release," Phil replied. "I have here some questions sent via email from some of your viewers."

"Okay," Julianne replied.

Phil held up a note card and said, "Jane Harvey, from Minnesota, would like to know if you're 'still dating that hunk Adrian Cruz'?"

Julianne forced herself to laugh, but the truth of the matter was that she was annoyed by the question. Why did people care about her love life? She was also unsure of what to say. It was one thing to pop the bubble of illusion that her mother and sister carried, but quite another to go public with the news.

And Kris? It had been less than twenty-four hours since they'd kissed, and already things were complicated. It would be a lot easier to hide her relationship with Kris if people still thought she was with Adrian. But were they even in a relationship? She could feel a headache coming on. "No, we're no longer together," she finally answered, deciding that even if the truth was more complicated, it still felt better than a lie.

"Well, Jane, if you're watching this, the hunk is now available," Phil joked.

This time, Julianne did laugh.





Kris walked through Julianne's house, observing every piece of furniture, every object. She loved the knowledge that everything there was purely Julianne. Or was it? Had she hired a decorator? Maybe Julianne had told her, but she couldn't remember. And in the end, it didn't really matter.

She felt sad, being there, unsure of where she stood with Julianne, or if she stood at all. Love was supposed to conquer everything, they'd told her, but was that true? She had never seen any evidence of it. All she had ever witnessed was evidence to the contrary. So, what had really been the point of telling Julianne how she felt? What was the point of getting excited over the fact that Julianne felt the same way?

In a month or two, Julianne would head back to California. She would go on to make her shows and movies, and Kris would return to selling paintings on the streets; to spending all of her time and energy studying to become something she already was.

It was silly, these feelings she carried. It was silly and insane to think anything could come out of it. They could never make it work.

But, still, all of these thoughts of logic and reason did nothing to erase the way she'd felt the moment she'd heard Julianne say 'I love you'. They could not change the way she still felt at the thought of Julianne, however innocent the thought. She wanted more. She wanted everything. She wanted to walk around that same house and not feel awkward or invasive. She wanted to ask Julianne every question she had ever wanted to ask but had been too shy to. She wanted to touch Julianne without being afraid that her touch would be unwelcome. She wanted an ending to all of this painful uncertainty.

Kris sat down at the bottom step of the long staircase, wondering if Julianne had changed her mind; fearing that everything she had ever wanted had appeared and then vanished, all the while, trying desperately to convince herself that she didn't care.





After the cast dinner, Julianne diligently went to pick up her date from the hotel he was staying at. She was already in love with the little boy, and she'd only met him for an hour. Lunch with Derek and his Dad had been pleasant, if a little stranger than she was used to. She had been thanked profusely for her help with Derek's treatment, and she thanked whatever deity was in charge of fate that of all the letters Karen could have chosen at random, it had been Jennifer's that landed in the three-letter pile.

She also had Adrian and his stupid agreement to thank. But mostly, Kris… Kris was at the root of all of this goodness.

As she'd arrived at the restaurant for the scheduled meal, it had occurred to Julianne that Kris should have been there. She had been so busy trying to avoid the awkwardness that she had forgotten what was important. How could she tell Kris she loved her, and then abandon her the next morning?

Starting tonight, something would have to change. It had already begun, this unconscious metamorphosis that had started the moment she'd received Kris' first email. Julianne had changed, she could feel it; but she was still the same. And that worried her.

In the hotel lobby, she watched the elevator doors open, and Derek and his father emerge. She smiled at them both. "You're welcome to come along," she said to the older man. "If you don't feel comfortable leaving Derek in my care."

Steven smiled. "Derek won't let me," he said with a laugh. "You two have fun. Have him back before midnight."

"It'll be closer to ten or ten thirty," she promised. She'd already decided to skip the party at the director's house. All she wanted was to sit through these agonizing two hours of watching herself perform, and then return home, to Kris.

Julianne smiled at Derek and offered her hand. "Ready?"

The little boy nodded and took her hand.

Julianne grinned to herself, feeling happy and giddy, if still petrified about what awaited her at her house. She glanced down at the grinning boy whose life she'd helped save, and felt assured, beyond anything else in this world, that fate did exist.




Kris played with the sand, letting it slide through her fingers. It was soothing, though she was growing restless and impatient by the passing of time. She'd had almost an entire day to contemplate her entire spectrum of emotion, and the only thing she'd managed to figure out was the fact that she loved Julianne.

And that was hardly news.

"Fancy meeting you here."

Kris' heart skipped a beat, and she turned her head to see Julianne walking up to her. "Hi," she said, feeling shy all of a sudden. In her mind, she'd known exactly what she would say the moment Julianne got home. But now she couldn't remember a single word of the extensive monologue she'd mentally written.

Julianne sat down, and Kris noticed for the first time, that she was carrying a bowl. "Hi," Julianne said back.

"What are you eating?"

"An experiment," Julianne declared, grabbing the spoon. She pointed at the contents in the bowl. "It's Cap'n Crunch Berries, Honey Nut Cheerios, and Kashi Go Lean."

Kris scrunched up her face in disgust. "Are you insane?"

"Want the first bite?" Julianne offered.

Kris shook her head, though now she was morbidly curious. "Are you really planning to eat that?"

"Why not?" Julianne asked. "I figure if they taste good separately, they should taste good together."

Kris smiled. "I'm sorry to say your logic isn't very well thought-out. What about pizza with ice cream?"

Julianne looked thoughtful. "You know, that doesn't sound half bad."

"Are you pregnant?" Kris demanded.

"I don't know, I guess it depends on how skilled you are at kissing," Julianne replied with a wink.

Kris wanted to smile, but the comment reminded her of everything they hadn't yet talked about. "How was your day?"

Julianne stared down at her bowl of assorted cereal. "It was okay," she said, playing with the cereal and the milk. She lifted a spoonful. "Do you think this will taste good?"

"Not even a little bit," Kris replied, and couldn't help but smile.

Julianne put the cereal in her mouth, and crunched thoughtfully. "Mmmm," she said, once she'd swallowed. "Not bad."

Kris was skeptic. "There's no way that tastes good."

"Delicious," Julianne said in between bites. "I should mix things together more often."

"And what led you to this new culinary discovery?" Kris wondered.

Julianne smiled. "Well, I realized I had no cereal this morning. So, I stopped to get some on the way back home. And I couldn't decide between your personal favorites and mine. So, I took one of each. And then I couldn't decide which one to eat. So I thought I'd try them all at the same time." She smiled. "Is that weird?"

"Very," Kris confirmed. But it was cute, too. She glanced away, knowing they had to talk about what had happened. "What are we doing?" she asked.

Julianne glanced at her. "Sitting at the beach."

Kris didn't crack a smile, or look at Julianne.

Julianne took that as a hint to be serious. "I think we're acting like idiots. But me, more than you, cause I should've known better than to panic."

"Panic?" Kris asked.

Julianne put the bowl of cereal aside and turned to face Kris. "Do you have any idea how long I've been in love with you?"

Kris froze at the words.

"Forever," Julianne said. "Since before we met in New York. Since before I bought that second painting from you. All of that time I'd been so convinced that nothing could ever happen between us that I never let myself wonder what would happen if it could. And last night something happened. And I panicked because I didn't know what it meant for me to be in love with you."

Kris thought about what Julianne had said for a moment. There were too many things to react to and it was hard to decide which one to focus on. But she decided to go with the one that really mattered. Anything else, she could sort through later, alone. "So, do you know now what it means for you to be in love with me?" The words sounded surreal to her. She still didn't quite understand how she'd come to a point where she could be saying these things to another person, to Julianne Franqui, of all people.

"I know what I feel," Julianne said. "But I don't know what you feel, or what you want."

Kris stared at her. "What do you want?"

"I want you," Julianne said.

Kris wanted to cry, both from happiness and fear, but she managed not to. There were still too many things left to talk about. "I haven't really come to terms with what it is I want. I mean, I know how I feel about you. But, what does it mean in terms of us? You're still Julianne Franqui. You're still famous and always in the public eye. We'd have to hide everything. I don't even know what to tell my parents. And your career… what if people find out? It'll be all over the news. Everyone will find out. Are you willing to risk that?"

"Are you?" Julianne asked softly.

"I don't have as much to lose as you, Julianne," Kris stated. She sighed. "But, the thought of my parents finding out. Knowing how they reacted to William…"

Julianne nodded, but fell silent.

"I don't want to make a mistake," Kris continued, feeling her heart break. Where was she going with this? Did she really want to break up with Julianne before there was even anything to break?

Julianne didn't respond right away. Finally, she asked, "Do you regret what happened last night?"

"No," Kris said quickly. "Do you?"

"I could never regret anything with you," Julianne answered.

Kris didn't know what to make of that comment. "What do you want to do?"

"I want to be with you," Julianne answered honestly. "But, not at the risk of making your life more complicated."

"What about your life?"

Julianne smiled. "My life is already complicated. You're more important than my petty fears."

Kris felt sad. If Julianne weren't famous this probably wouldn't be as complicated. "It's still your life, Julianne. It's going to be you whose life will be under a microscope constantly."

"They'd drag you down too."

"I have nowhere to get dragged down from," Kris said.

Julianne sighed. "So, what are you saying?"

Kris hesitated, unsure of how to proceed. "I'm saying that in spite of the fact that I'm completely terrified about what it would mean to both our futures, it doesn't change the fact that I'm totally in love with you."

Julianne stared at her. "I told my mom last night that I was in love with you."

"What?" Kris asked, shocked beyond belief. "When?"

"When you were waiting outside," Julianne answered. "I actually said the word 'dyke' to my mother."

Kris laughed, still not over the shock of Julianne's announcement. "What did she say?"

"Nothing, yet," Julianne answered. "I just dropped the bomb on her and left. I haven't heard from her, so she may still be standing there with her mouth hanging open."

"Wow," Kris said. She couldn't imagine coming out to her mother. But, thinking about what loving Julianne meant about her sexuality was a different matter entirely. One she wasn't completely ready to deal with. Somehow, love just seemed a lot easier to handle when one didn't think about all the little details that accompanied it.

"I'm really tired of living a lie," Julianne explained. "I'm tired of pretending every day of my life. I just want to be."

Kris smiled. "It sounds good in theory."

"I know," Julianne admitted. "But I'm willing to try."

Kris nodded, wondering how much trying that would take. "Do you think love is enough to make things work out?"

"Do you want to find out?"

There it was, the question she had been asking herself all day. Did she want to find out? Yes. But she was also afraid to. So it really just came down to figuring out what was more important: fear or love? She looked at Julianne, who was staring at her expectantly, maybe hopefully. "Yes," she said.

Julianne smiled. "Do you think we're insane?"

"Certifiably," Kris conceded, with a grin, feeling excited all over again. She was going to be dating Julianne Franqui. What in the world was she getting herself into? And why did it not seem to matter in the slightest bit?

Julianne stared at the ocean for a moment. "So, do you want to go watch a movie or something?"

Kris started laughing. "So is that it?"

"Were you expecting fireworks or something?" Julianne asked with a grin. "I could spend another hour professing my undying love for you, if you'd rather."

Kris considered. "Don't I get some kind of prize for being the one who finally won you over?"

"Um," Julianne pretended to think about it. "I'll share my creation with you." She held up the bowl of now soggy cereal.

Kris took it, and stared down at the big mess of gooey-ness. "Gross."

Julianne grinned. "You're beautiful even when you look totally disgusted."

Kris' heart skipped a beat. She wasn't yet used to hearing Julianne say things like that. "It's going to take a while to get used to this, isn't it?"

"Well, you don't have to eat it if you don't want to," Julianne teased. "It looks a little mushy."

"I meant us," Kris said with a smile.

"Probably," Julianne said.

Kris caught Julianne's gaze, and decided she wanted something besides cereal. "Can I trade this in for something else?" she asked, holding up the bowl.

"I don't know," Julianne said. "It took a lot for me to give you that." She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Alright, but just this once." She took the bowl back, and held it protectively. "What would you like instead."

"I don't know, something else," Kris said, moving closer.

Julianne looked around. "Sand?"

"Um, nope," Kris said, her face inches from Julianne's.

Julianne glanced at her lips, then up at her face. "It's very distracting when you do that."

"Good," Kris said, with a grin.

"I'll give you some ocean water," Julianne whispered. "But that's my final offer."

"Guess I'll just have to take it then," Kris answered, brushing her lips lightly against Julianne's. "Unless you want to change your final offer?"

"You drive a very hard bargain, Miss Milano."

"Better get used to it."

And then, for the time being, all conversation ceased.