Fate Can Be Kind [Jon]

[Jonathan Whiteman]

   The intensity with which she kissed Jon back surprised him, catching him off guard with the most pleasant of unexpected blushes. It was cheesy to say so, for sure, but it was true- they were like the yin to each others' yangs, the ice to their fire, the... macaroni to their cheese? Point and case: nothing had ever felt better to him than her lips on his, and his pulse was beginning to race once again as she wrapped his arms around his neck, the passion between them licking at him like flames to an old book.

   Dang it, BREATHE, he laughed at himself mentally when she broke the kiss. He was still totally taken with her as she bit her lip, but there was no use bothering to remember his name this time around. Besides that it was hard enough to remember to breathe, he'd just forget it again next time he kissed her- and the fact that there would be a 'next time' nearly had him at her lips again. Slow down a little, man. She's not going anywhere... he cautioned with totally ecstasy.

   "You know," he murmured in reply, "it's... funny. It's almost exactly like that with me with you, but I didn't have some... jerk-" he growled the word, but didn't let the anger linger as he continued- "treat me badly. I really never had a really bad life... but being with you makes me feel like I've never really lived, y'know?" To be honest, he may as well have just been born when he met her, but that seemed like a little much at the moment- just like saying "I love you". It was almost redundant to actually make a point of realizing it since he'd never felt such a way about a girl, but he was never so sure of one fact: he loved her. He loved her, he'd been loving her, he'd always love her.

   Her hands held his then, but, even then, it felt as though he still had her in his arms. Just the mere contact with this alluring breath-taker was more than enough for him. He felt her hands warm under his body temperature, and he watched curiously as she suddenly stepped across the room, pressing a button on some remote he hadn't noticed before she was back.

   Oh crap. Dance?! This he hadn't seen coming. Well, if he was going to list things he didn't see coming, he'd actually have to start at 'seeing Kenzie again at all', but that was beside the point. She had guided one hand to her waist and the other to her palm, but, for the first time, he was unsure of the contact between them. The instinct he'd frankly grown to love that cried out for Kenz's absolute happiness was yelling at him (DANCE, FOOL! DANCE!), but...

   Jonathan bit his lip anxiously, expression apologetic as he looked into her eyes. Awkward fire burnt angrily at his face, and a muscle jumped in his neck as he swallowed accidentally noisily. But those darn eyes! "K-Kenzie," he said, throat dry. "I-I... sort of... don't know how to dance. Not, erm... n-not like this." The words, almost a whisper through the desert in his throat, tripped out of his mouth with the shame of being unable to do what she wanted.

[Kenzie Karter]

Just being around him made Kenzie feel so alive once more. He was her sunlight after the long dark night. Even his eyes sparkled with the joy that both of them were feeling in this moment.

Feeling Jon's hand on her waist sent her nerves into a crazy frenzy. Jerron had not ever danced with her either. Watching his face almost made Kenzie laugh; she knew he probably couldn't dance, but hearing him stumble through his words about it confirmed her suspiscion. Giggling, she said, "Don't worry, this dance isn't hard. I'll teach you." Slowly she took a step back and brought him with her, then a step to the side, then another back his direction, and to the other side until they were going in a little circle formation. Looking back up into his eyes, she smiled and murmured, "See, it's not so hard once you get the hang of it."

Going around in circles in her living room with Jon felt almost as natural as breathing for Kenzie. Her eyes were locked with his as they waltzed together. Dance was such an intrigal part of her life that she wanted to share it with Jon; it was only natural to her. Her heart belonged to him and she wanted to show him all the parts of who she was, hoping he would understand each one. The more they danced, the more comfortable she became with letting him take the reigns on the dance. After all, men were supposed to lead the ladies.

As the song came to an end, she looked into his eyes and smiled again. Smiling was something that was beginning to come naturally for her when he was around. It was inevitable that they would fall in love; with Jon's irresistable charm and genuine concern for her well being. What was there not to love? Jon was a sweetheart in every sense of the word and Kenzie could tell that just by the little time they had spent together. "I'm glad you came back," she said, drawing his lips into a soft kiss. "So very glad."

[Jonathan Whiteman]

   Jon's face was scarlet once more as she giggled, but this moment, the first time he'd heard her laugh, made an impression on him that outweighed the embarrassment. The sound was charming, melodious, and he knew without a doubt he'd have to make her laugh more. Even now, after he'd known her for as long as he had, it seemed that she always had a new way to get him totally addicted to every moment he'd get with her.

   "Alright..." he replied awkwardly. Her feet led them in a boxish-circle-y... thing, but, in his fear of a misstep for her foot's sake, he couldn't dare look into her eyes as he awkwardly jumbled around, glancing and staring frequently at his feet. An accidental step on her toes would snap them! And, of course, it so happened that his size would work against him in what she loved to do most- which he couldn't even do himself to begin with! But... something was happening. Sooner than he could have hoped to ask for, he was catching on. He even could dare to glance up at her now- what was happening? And then it clicked- the Kenzie instinct was at it again. She wanted to waltz, so he could waltz from her touch.

   He could freely look into her simply perfect eyes now, and he even dared to begin to take the lead, little by little. The old movies always tried to show that there couldn't be two leaders in a dance, but it seemed that nothing wouldn't work for those two. Both equally were choosing the directions as they spun blissfully round and round to the peaceful sonata, and the blissful pull of her eyes had him entranced once more- and seemed to tell him his next moves better than the instinct itself could have begun to teach. With a deep breath, Jon took the reins of their waltz, spinning blissfully to the piano's soft melody for what felt like a perfect eternity...

   ...and yet also no time at all. Before he knew it, the song had come to a close, and he found himself staring alluringly into her eyes more strongly than he ever had before. A soft grin broke on his face at her words, and, before his lips met hers just as flawlessly as before- and yet better than he'd ever kissed her- he murmured softly, "I love you, Kenz."

[Kenzie Karter]

Feeling Jon's lips touch hers again, she found bliss; something she had not felt in over a year. There was an inexplainable reason for how she felt with Jon right then, like there had been something missing the entire time and now, suddenly it was there when he was near. Nothing made sense about that, but she didn't care. Hearing him say the words 'I love you' just confirmed the insanity of it in her mind since they had known one another less than a week. "As crazy as this is...I love you, too," she murmured softly.

Standing in the middle of her living room, just being held by him, was the best place she had ever been in her entire life. In his arms, she felt safe and protected from the world and everything that could hurt her. Her heart fluttered involuntarily with every slight touch of his skin against hers. The last time she had felt this giddy was when she was five-years-old and her parents took her to her first dance lesson. She still remembered that clearly because she was so excited to finally be able to dance for real. Thinking about that, she knew that there was something special she wanted to show Jon.

Grabbing his hand, she smiled and said, "Come with me, I want to show you something." With that, she led him to the backdoor of her kitchen and out into her backyard where she had the perfect view of the mountains and forest behind her house. Under an old tree was a swing but beyond that was where Kenzie was aiming to go. There was an open space that was at the edge of the yard with the mountains in the background. It was perfect. She stopped and smiled again. "This is where I come to invision a lot of my dances. Back in Seattle, I had a place in my backyard like this that I would dance in. My dad and mom would come watch each one as I choreographed them, so proud as they were when I started dancing at five. It was one of my favorite places. And when we moved here, I was glad to find something similar in this yard."

[Jonathan Whiteman]

   "As crazy as this is...I love you, too."

   Never before had words so simple hit Jonathan so wonderfully and magically. He thought his heart was swelling before? Hah. Tingles shot from his ends of his toes to the very top of his head as his heart- frozen for the briefest of moments before soaring into a race like never before- nearly burst from his chest. His mind whizzed and whirled like never before; yet, it was doing so with merely copies of the same thought: She loves me back! She loves me back! She loves me back! In this moment of pure bliss, he could have done quite literally anything without a second thought- and he very nearly proposed to her on the spot in his moment of mental unpreparation. Whoa, whoa! Chillax! he laughed at himself in his head. One step at a time, sir...

   'One step at a time'. As if on cue, Kenzie was then leading him through the house, to the back door, and into her yard by the forest- which was seeming less and less horrible a place as time went by. Nothing seemed bad, honestly- because... She loves me! his heart sang again. It was a pleasurable torment, trying to beat down the uber-ecstasy that came with knowing that she loved him.

   She had led them to a small grotto in the very corner of her yard where the trees arranged themselves in a perfect frame of the mountains beyond. It was a picturesque place, the sort of place where all the really amazing stuff happened in fairy tales that usually made all the girls in the theater go "awwww" after they made the story into a movie: and it was perfect. And yet, however, nothing could ever replace or even compare to the stunning beauty of her face and the way her smile always made it glow.

   "I think I know what you mean about this place," he replied, glancing sideways from his gaze towards the mountains to see her impeccable face as his hand blindly found hers, his fingers timidly twining between hers. "There's just... something about it. Like, I swear I'm not being sarcastic, but I feel like I could write a song or a poem or something just by being here... which should mean a lot, since I flunked English once in high school," he explained, letting out a few low chuckles. Truth was, he'd never much of a knack for it. But now that he knew her, he felt so... empowered. He felt as though he could sit and write sonnets- novels- encyclopedias- for days as long as they were about her. There was just so much he loved about her; the only challenge would be to find the words. How far could one go just trying to explain unexplainable beauty?

   But something felt wrong. Well, not really 'wrong', since that insinuated some wrongdoing on her part; it was more appropriate to say he felt like he was failing her. Don't fail her, barked his instinct for her. "Hey, listen," he murmured calmly, turning to face her with fingers still wrapped around hers. "I don't know what sort of people your parents are-" He froze, realizing that that could sound horribly accusatory. "Whoa whoa whoa whoa, that's not what I meant," he apologized quickly, feeling the rush of fire graze his face. "I just meant- well, I can honestly tell you I've never felt this way about a girl like I've felt about you. And... well, I sort of want to do this the proper way." His mildly sober expression broke into a grin before he murmured, "Hah, that sounds so cheesy. But... seriously. I think I should meet your parents. I just don't want anything serious to come between us."

   Yeah. It's official. Dad officially would not recognize you if he saw you right now.

[Kenzie Karter]

Giggling happily as Jon intertwined his fingers with hers, she could think of no other place she wanted to be than right there with him; sharing this perfect moment of her past, present, and future. Hearing his words describing her place just brought out something inside her that made her feel like she could...fly or something crazy like that. With Jon, she could fly. For too long she had been a wounded bird on the ground, struggling not to get crushed. The moment she met him, he scooped her up and began to mend her wings and now they were ready for flight again. And being in her place just made that feeling that much more potent, like a drug of some sort. It was like breathing a while new life into herself.For some reason, she just wanted to shout it to the world that she was elated.

Feeling his hand turn her gaze toward him, she saw it...in his eyes. There was unexplainable love behind them; both unconditional and every growing with every moment they were together. His eyes were brighter, definitely a sign that he was as blissful as she was in that moment. A small laugh escaped her lips when he started talking about her parents. She knew that this would come sooner or later. And she was glad he wanted them to know who he was right off the bat because with Jerron, he wanted their relationship to be secret..."so Romeo and Juliet" as he called it. That loser had been right...their relationship was doomed to start with. Although no one ended up committing suicide, he sure killed the relationship with his cheating and drinking.

With Jon and her, it was like Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, a rough start with a happy ending. And she could think of no better love story to describe them than that of the great Jane Austen. For once in her life, Kenzie's love story was worthy of such comparison. Jon was her Mr. Darcy to a tea, both stubborn and incredibly persistant. That she found to be completely sweet, despite some beliefs that it was annoying and bull-headed. Jon just knew what he wanted and went for her.

"Of course you can meet my parents," she giggled softly. "And I know that they are going to love you because you are utterly charming." That was the truth of the matter; her parents would adore him simply because of the way he loved Kenzie. They would see that right away because he was always so...attentive to everything she needed, almost like he was in tune with her every whim. It was weird for Kenzie to have this much attention showered on her, but she found that she loved it because it came from Jon. "They probably will be home later tonight if you want to stay and meet them then. Tonight is my dad's early night off and my mom should be home anytime from the meeting she went to."

And what a way to come home, she laughed to herself, just thinking about what her parents would say. But I know that they will love him, especially Mom. He is such a sweetheart, so how could anyone refuse?

The thought of Jon meeting her parents sent butterflies through her stomach. Guys only wanted to meet the parents if they were serious about the relationship. Technically she had only been his girlfriend for less than an hour, so he obviously was serious about their relationship. Thinking about that, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed his lips again, her fingers still intertwined with his. When she broke their kiss a few moments later, she asked, "So, if you're meeting my parents...when do I meet yours?" She wondered what his mom was like and if they would like her. Hopefully, they would like her and see her as a perfect match for Jon because she believed that there was no one else for her but him.

[Jonathan Whiteman]

   Her laugh: officially my favorite sound ever. Her soft, light giggle drew in Jon's attention- get this- even more than her eyes, making it even harder to remember his name. The death of me. This girl. She's going to be the death of me, he couldn't help but chuckle woozily in his head as he inhaled slowly.

   Nothing made him more happy than to see the gentle calm in her eyes as she looked back, quietly agreeing with his plan. Aw, now this is hardly fair, he playfully groaned in his head as a small grin crossed his expression. Eyes and laugh?-- breathe, you IDIOT, breathe! For, once again, Kenzie had stolen both his breath and his instinct to breathe with just the slightest of natural reactions. I'm tellin' ya, girl's gonna be the death of you! laughed his better sense. But, still... you know of any better way to go? he laughed right back. There would be nowhere Jon would go without her now, and anywhere she wanted to go, he'd follow her if she so pleased. And no matter where they went, pleased is how he'd do anything to keep her.

   "Oh, really?" he replied back with a sly raise of the eyebrow. "You sure you won't just stun them with your impossible beauty until they fess up and say they like me?" It seemed there was no thought of his that he'd not share with her, no action of his that he'd hide. She literally owned his every cell now, and there was no reason he'd ever find in himself to object to it. "At any rate," he pushed on, chuckling, "if you don't mind me hanging around, I'd like that. I can only imagine, though, what those two must be like... I mean, together, they made an angel." His small grin spread slowly across his face once again, and her eyes were doing their thing once more as he leaned towards her nearing face to give her a short (though still identity-robbing) kiss on her ever-alluring lips.

   Oh. He felt his grin subconsciously fall a bit at her question; her immaculate aqua eyes were shimmering with the obvious thoughts she was having about his parents... most of which were probably a lot more hopeful than he'd be able to provide. His instinct for her was wary, but he had to reply... but he'd not thought of his mom in so long...

   "My parents...?" Jon repeated slowly. "Well, my dad... he's a doctor in Seattle, and, well... the whole reason I moved to La Push was because we don't really get along... like, at all." His expression was apologetic as his eyes met hers once again- apparently he'd shied away from them amidst the rampant memories- and he bit his lip as the more painful of the two subjects rose to the surface. "And, uhm... my mom..." he trailed off, those moments so long displaced rising to his mind's eye as he once again found himself looking downward at his feet...

   "They've breached the gate!"

   "Run! Get out of here, missus Whiteman!"

   Jon was so out of breath, but he had to run... for himself, for his mom, for his dad. He couldn't give up for them. If only he wasn't so friggen gangly! His breath ripped like fire in his lungs, roaring in torrents as he gasped wildly in fear and exhaustion. Up stairs, down stairs- it seemed the escape path was never ending! The hot Turkish sun roasted his skin as they sprinted into the extreme right of the central plaza of the base. He glanced back- Dad's still got her covered, he noted in his head, the relief lost in the waves of adrenaline and panic- but then the gunshots were so much louder.

   "THEY'RE HERE!" he'd heard his dad yell- the sound would have been shocking if not for their situation. "SHANDRA- GO! GET JON AND GO!" His dad's gun flew to his shoulder as he turned just as Jon saw the turbaned target fall backwards over the wall, crimson glinting freely in the stagnant air above the victim--

   "DAD! MOM!" Jonathan's voice broke crazily in the intense strain.

   "Come ON, baby!" His mother's hand suddenly had his shoulder, pulling him along the hidden escape path as his dad leaped out of sight. Even in moments like that, she was somehow able to keep her hand from shaking. "He'll be fine! Just run! It's going to be okay!"

   Unashamed tears were screaming down his face as he reluctantly obliged, sprinting towards the open doorway with his mother nearly dragging him there. But... DAD!

   That moment he'd never forget. The moment he lingered.

   They'd just reached the doorway. Just inside it, Jon spun around towards where he'd seen his father disappear. "MOM! I CAN'T LEAVE HIM!" he'd shrieked as soon as she'd let go, apparently assuming he would run alongside her...

   Like lightning, his mother was in the way of his view, both hands gripping his shoulders like death.

   Like death. How tragically fitting.

   "GO, JONNY!" she'd yelled, panic finally truly reaching her tone. "HE WILL BE FI--"

   Whether if by mental self-protection or if by the shock of the moment, Jon never really could remember the sound of the sniper's bullet striking its accidental target. But what did stick in his memory with disturbing clarity?

   The sudden shock of crimson growing across his mother's shirt, the way her eyelids drooped without warning, the way her grip on his shoulders suddenly lost its strength...

   "NO...!"

   Jon was back in Kenzie's yard again, suddenly aware that tears were now silently gliding down his cheeks, his gaze still permanently fixed on their shoes. He was just glad his voice still sounded remotely calm, albeit hushed, as he finally replied, "...my mom died when I was twelve... when we were in Turkey while my dad was still in the army. " He gave a quiet sniff, wiping the tears quickly with a shaky hand as he forced himself to look into Kenzie's eyes once more. "Sorry," he explained after a pause, coughing out a chuckle at the thought of how dumb he probably looked. "I just know... how much she would have loved you. I'm pretty sure she was always after me getting a beautiful, smart girl; I just always thought she was crazy. Well, till last Saturday, at least." He forced out a watery grin, sniffing back another set of waterworks.

   "Gah, sorry," he cough-chuckled again as another tear snuck out of his eye. "Bet you weren't expecting all of this, were you?" he halfheartedly snickered, motioning vaguely with his hand towards his face.

[Kenzie Karter]

Another giggle escaped her lips at Jon's ever impressive ways of flattering her, including using her parents. He never seemed ashamed of it either, which was very laughable in her mind. He really has no boundaries that he won't cross for me, she noted to herself. "Actually, I take after my mother a lot. My dad says that I look just like she did at my age and of course, she agrees." Then he did it...again. His kisses were becoming harder and harder to refuse at all; not that she ever wanted to refuse them again. It was going to be the talk of the town by the time everyone figured out that she was dating again. However, she wanted to let her classmates figure it out on their own, including the girls she danced with in company.

They're in for quite a surprise when they see him, she mused to herself. I've got this perfect person...and he's all my own. How in the world did I get so lucky?

Kenzie watched as Jon's face fell at her question. She knew she had said something wrong. She listened compassionately as Jon told her of his failed relationship with his father, who lived in Seattle. Internally she wondered, What in the world could have happened that would make him leave his father and come to La Push? Kenzie could not imagine life without her father there and she wasn't even a boy. Fathers were supposed to be the most important part of their sons lives.

Then she saw it, when he mentioned his mother, his face falling even more so that he could not meet her eyes any longer; as if he were reliving some memory in his mind about his mother. For several moments, she stood by quietly while he was going through whatever it was he was reliving. She saw the tears gliding silently down his cheeks that he was trying so desperately to hide. Then he explained that his mom had died when he was a kid; just a kid. Oh god... she cried quietly in her mind. I can't imagine what he's been through.

Quietly she continued to listen as he explained that his mom would have loved her and that brought tears to her own eyes. She felt such reverence for a woman she had never known. By the way Jon spoke of her, she must have been a beautiful woman that loved her family very much and only wanted the best for her son. The woman who had left such an amazing little boy behind who had become the man standing before Kenzie. Despite his loss, he was still able to love and give his heart to her. Suddenly, she felt incredibly blessed to have Jon as her boyfriend. Most would not share their lives the way he had just then.

Then he started to apologize for crying. Oh no you don't... her mind argued against it. You deserve to allow your emotions to show themselves. Seeing the newest tear slip from his eye, she instinctively reached out her hand and brushed it away, leaving her hand on his cheek and stepping foward to bridge the gap between them. "Don't you go starting to apologize for that," she softly replied. "You lost your mother and I can't even begin to wonder what that feels like for you." And she couldn't. She was still fortunate to have both of her parents still living and not divorced. They were still totally as in love as they were the day they met. In today's world, that was almost unreal.

Softly, she reached on her tip-toes again and kissed his cheek to give him some ounce of comfort and letting him know that she cared. "And no, I was not expecting any of this when I first met you, but I know that it is so much better than anything I could have ever expected because you are open and honest with me; willing to share your life. And I know that I can do the same with you."

[Jonathan Whiteman]

   In his embarrassment, Jon couldn't help but lean his head back and cough-chuckle once more, shaking his head softly for a mere moment with another watery grin. You look like such an idiot, standing here and bawling, he barked at himself. She just asked an innocent question, and now you're weeping like you just walked into an onion factory.

   Face burning once again with shame at the sudden emotion, he forced himself, straining against his embarrassment like he was a shy five year-old all over again, to look into her eyes, the only things beside the rest of her that made his past seem so far away. Through all the pain that his history was dragging through him, he found what he never thought he'd find in another person: true compassion. Tears were welling in her pristine eyes locked on his watery green ones: she cared. She cared almost as if she'd had the whole freaky love-at-first-sight thing happen to her, too. But he knew it hadn't. She really did love him. They literally shared each others' pain now, soaring when the other soared and crying when each other cried. Right now, he was bruised and bleeding, and Kenzie was there, mending every wound as if each were a mere papercut.

   He sniffed, twitching his nose accidentally as he always did, as she spoke. Her empathy was... overwhelming, to say the absolute least. I can't even begin to deserve her, he murmured quietly in his head. She cares. I don't deserve perfection like this... What was I thinking?

   But then she was on her toes once again, and the impossibly amazing kiss brushed away his doubts like they didn't even exist in the first place. She did love him, and, though he still was nowhere near worthy of her, he loved her back more than he could fathom. But she was wrong- he wasn't just going to share. He was going to give it to her, though, even then, that statement was short of the truth. His life was totally and irrevocably hers now. She'd already owned it every last moment since that first day on First Beach.

   She had even wiped away his need to cry now, and he murmured, wrapping his arms tightly around her at the small of her back, "You're wrong, you know. I don't want to share my life." He leaned his head in towards her, kissing her flawless cheek softly before nearly whispering into her ear with how low his voice was, "It's already yours. I don't deserve you, but I'm yours." He kissed her cheek once more, even more softly, before murmuring once more, still near her ear, "I love you so much, Kenzie."

[Kenzie Karter]

Kenzie felt him wrap his strong arms around the small of her back. He was so big compared to her, but that didn't matter because she felt protected in his arms. Hearing the words he uttered in her ear made her melt in his arms like putty. Her heart ebbed and flowed around every syllable he said, like it was reforming itself just for him. With each kiss on her cheeks, she felt the butterflies forming in her stomach again. How he did that to her so easily...she would never know. "And my life is yours," she replied. "I love you."

I've given my heart so easily to him, she thought to herself. How can I trust so easily without any thought to it? There was no rational part to her and Jon's relationship other than they cared deeply for one another. Being held there in his arms, she never knew such tenderness from another guy like this. A little more confidently, she drew his lips into another kiss, much more passionate than before, wrapping her arms around his neck. This time, she didn't let go or break their kiss seconds in, she held it there for a while.

A cough came from the side of the yard, however, that broke her concentration and ubruptly, their kiss. Blushing profusely, Kenzie backed away from Jon and turned to see both of her parents there. "Mom...Dad, I thought you weren't going to be home until later," she stuttered, somewhat flushed.

"I got off work early and your mother's meeting ended, so I went to pick her up," her father responded, looking from Jon back to Kenzie in a curious manner. "And who, might I ask, is this?"

Immediately Kenzie looked toward Jon and then her parents, "Well, this is Jon," she replied slowly. Just say it stupid before things get out of hand. Declare your ground now so they know. "...he's my boyfriend." There. She said it. It was official.

[Jonathan Whiteman]

   Jon could only softly grin in appreciation as she replied. I so don't deserve her, he murmured mentally, but she loves me nonetheless. Fate's done me such a favor... Of all the people this sort of thing could have happened to me with, it was Kenzie. I could just as easily have gotten stuck to some other girl not half as amazing or kind, but it was Kenzie. Fate can be kind after all...

   A fire within him, a stranger to his species, began licking at him somewhere deep inside that he couldn't quite pinpoint as she began kissing him. The intensity slowly creeped upwards as she finally didn't pull away after mere seconds, and his hand found the back of her neck as the fire slowly consumed more and more. So entranced was he in the kiss, in fact, that, when the sound of a cough suddenly resonated nearby, Jon nearly jumped a foot back from Kenzie in his surprised. Head flying quickly around to face the source, his face turned all shades of scarlet as it hit him- Kenzie's parents!

   Jon coughed, glancing quickly back to Kenzie to see that, by backing away, she obviously hadn't expected them to be home quite so soon. Coughing in hopes of giving his complexion a moment longer to clear, he turned quickly back to her father, giving an awkward, businesslike grin as he extended his hand towards him to shake. "Mister Karter," he greeted, a slight blush still lingering in his cheeks. Crap, crap, crapcrapcrap. You go to make a first impression, and they walk up on you making out with their daughter. Splendid. Simply splendid.

[Kenzie Karter]

Kenzie watched with a baffled amusement as Jon turned oh so many shades of crimson. Jerron had never been that embarrassed when he first met her parents, but then again...they never walked in on them making out either. However, she found it terribly adorable that he was so embarrassed at being caught the very first time he met her parents. She watched as Jon shook her father's hand and her father replied, "Please, call me John."

That was a definite good sign. Her dad never let Jerron call him 'John' ever in the entire year she dated him. Right off the bat, he liked Jon. Even her mother chimed in, "And please, call me Mariah." Her parents liked him already. This had never happened before and totally caught her off guard, but at the same time made her incredibly happy. Her heart skipped about three beats before starting again with the speed of a race horse. Had that really happened?

"Mom, would it be okay if Jon stayed for dinner?" she asked tentatively, not wanting to push her luck with her parents, but at the same time wanting them to get to know Jon. "Of course honey," her mother replied, looking toward her father.

Her father nodded in unison with her mother before turning to Mariah and saying, "Alright, let's give the kids some privacy for a while. We'll let you know when dinner is ready Kenzie." Kenzie nodded in understanding and watched as her parents retreated into the house. Five seconds after they were inside, she wrapped her arms around Jon enthusiastically. "They really like you," she whispered and kissed his lips softly. Knowing that her parents liked Jon eased everything in her mind about dating him, but then again...who wouldn't love him? He was adorably charming and had that smile; the one that was unbearably cute and at the same time, so alluring.

As her lips gently pressed to his, her thoughts were going ninety miles an hour in all different directions. They like him...I can't believe this! Can you die of happiness, because I think I'm within inches of doing exactly that. Focus Kenzie...focus.... Her attention snapped back to the amazing boy she was kissing.

[Jonathan Whiteman]

   Jon's eyebrows raised slightly in a silent sigh of relief as her father corrected him before her mother chimed in. Whoo, they don't hate me! he celebrated mentally, relief soaring to his every cell. The scene could have been disastrous so easily, but it seemed Kenzie got her calm spirit from the ones closest to her. To think, he could have just as easily had this happen with any other girl, with any other parents that wouldn't have been half as okay with walking onto such a scene... I really owe fate big time.

   "Alright," he timidly grinned, firmly shaking Kenzie's father's hand. His heart was aching in relief. They don't hate me! he chorused once more. And the kicker was that they really seemed to mean it, especially when Mariah so warmly agreed to Kenzie's proposal. They seriously seem to like me! They walk in on us making out, and they like me! His stomach had nearly turned to water when her parents had walked up, but now it was doing ecstatic backflips.

   But, murmured his conscience in the back of his mind, don't press your luck. You got lucky this time. Make sure they don't end up walking in on you next time you kiss her, alright? Jon didn't dare disagree with the notion.

   He watched with a pleasant expression the exchange between the Karters, calling after them as they turned to walk back to the house, "It was nice meeting you two!" Relief still flooding him, he watched as they reentered their house and continued to look towards their back door until Kenzie wrapped her arms around his torso. Chuckling through a sigh as she explained while he returned the favor, he replied, relief still flowing freely through every syllable, "I think I just about died there. I really wanted to make a good first impression, so I go with the eternally splendid standby of 'have them find you kissing their daughter in the back yard before they've even met you'." The relief once again washed over him, pushing out a few more chuckles that he just couldn't hide. I don't think I've ever been this lucky before. A beautiful, brilliant girl with two amazing, understanding parents. Mom would definitely love her.

   The kiss was nearly as amazing as the last for Jon- until, in a turn of events, he was the one to break the kiss a few seconds in. A sly grin brinking on laughter crossed his face as he cautioned, "Wait, do you have any brothers or sisters I should be watching out for? I don't think I want to try another near-death experience like just now again." The laughter broke free, but, to be honest, Jon hoped that she did have siblings. Without a doubt, if they were anything like the other Karters, they'd get along just fine.

[Kenzie Karter]

For the first time, Jon broke off their kiss. Things were definitely getting better by the minute for the two of them as she was not the one to always end kisses now. And it was definitely adorable how he was concerned about being snuck up on by someone else in her family. Being caught off-guard while kissing him was not exactly how she pictured her parents meeting Jon, but it seemed to work out just fine. "Actually, I'm an only child," she softly replied, taking his hand and leading him over to the swing that was dangling from the tree in the middle of the yard.

The wooden swing had been there from the house's previous owner when Kenzie and her parents had moved in two years ago. Instead of taking it down, she decided to keep it as some place to come and think. As she sat down, she looked into his eyes and smiled. "When my parents first married, they wanted lots of kids, but they found out early on that it was going to be difficult for my mom. They went through several rounds of invitro and conceptive drugs. None of which worked. And then it came down to their last round of IVF, their last chance to have a child and by some miracle, I was born. After that, they didn't want to tempt fate and saw me as their biggest blessing," she explained.

Kenzie had never minded being an only child, despite all the unfair notions that they were completely spoiled and bratty children. In fact, she was raised to be the exact opposite by her parents. They had always instilled a sense of compassion for others and willingness to befriend almost anyone she met.

"And I think of the other girls I dance with as my sisters," she giggled. "Especially the ones back in Seattle because we grew up together dancing. Most of us started around when we were four and five. In fact, my two best friends Lucy and Katelyn started in the same class I did when we were five." Thinking about her friends in Seattle pulled a heartstring in Kenzie. It had been a few months since she had seen either of them, although they were planning to come visit her over Christmas break, which she was even more excited for now so that they could meet Jon. "When you meet them, they are like my sisters so you have to pass their test; but I'm sure you will charm them just like you have my parents."

[Jonathan Whiteman]

   "Only child? For real?" Jon asked with innocent curiosity, angling his head a bit without realizing the irony of his action as she led them over to the tire swing he'd not noticed earlier. I guess that goes to show that, once again, I owe fate everything. So easily could she have been some brat with dance shoes... Is there any aspect of this girl that isn't absolutely perfect? he wondered blissfully.

   He nodded thoughtfully, gripping the chains that held the tire at a point above her head, listening to her story as he looked just as deeply back into her eyes as she was into his. "Wow," he breathed involuntarily, realizing the severity of just how nearly impossible it was that he and Kenzie should ever have met. So, so much could have held them apart: he could have just as easily died- he gulped silently as the pain of the memory snapped at him for a moment- in the attack on the base, she almost never was, and life had handed them both near unbearable heartache. Yet, they had met. When life chipped away at them in ways that stole their vitality, it seemed now that it was merely fitting them as two puzzle pieces that came together perfectly.

   "Really?" chuckled Jon at her description of this 'Lucy' and 'Katelyn'. It seemed that he hadn't jumped all hurdles of Kenz's society, but he'd probably have a better chance at feeling good about the first meeting so long as they didn't walk in on them making out, he decided, amused. "So when do I get to meet them?" he asked, eager despite his anxiousness. Every step further into her world was only seeming thus far to make her that much special, so there was no need to linger nervously on first impressions. It would be what it would be, he decided with a silent deep breath.