Author's note: Clay owns himself and his own name. I only wrote the words to the story.

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Day Four - Monday, December 26

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That morning, shortly after breakfast in the kitchen

Sarah hung up the phone in the kitchen. Turning to Kate and Clay, she sighed with annoyance. "I have a nine o'clock appointment with Doctor Kelley."

"Good," Kate replied, absentmindedly stroking Clay's hands wrapped around her waist. "I know you're thrilled about the whole idea, but I'm glad you made the appointment. That way we know for sure whether it's broken or just a sprain."

"I've broken bones before," Sarah shrugged. "This isn't broken."

"Good to hear that, Doctor Daniels."

Sarah stuck her tongue out at Kate but made no reply. "Either way I'm going to be out of commission for the week. I was planning on commuting back and forth from the apartment and work to here... but that's out now." Sarah frowned, ignoring the glance that Will gave her from his seat at the kitchen table. "It looks like everybody's stuck with me for the week."

"Woo-hoo!" Kate cheered, eliciting a weak smile from Sarah. "So it looks like while you're in town you're going to need to pick up some more clothes and things for while you're out here."

"Yes," Sarah grumbled. "But since my cases are too important to just walk away from for the week, I'm also going to bring some files home to work on them."

Kate crossed her arms. "Sarah Caelin Daniels..."

Clay's eyes widened at hearing Sarah's middle name. Interesting. From the look on Will's surprised face, he'd never heard of it either. "What kind of name is Caelin?" Clay asked innocently.

Raising her eyebrow, Sarah glared mildly at him. "What kind of name is Holmes?"

"English," Clay told her and waited for her response.

Studying his sincere eyes for a moment before answering, Sarah gave him a slight smile. "Gaelic. It was my mother's idea."

Clay nodded slowly. "It's pretty."

"Thanks." Sarah smiled broader knowing that Clay probably had no idea how close he really was to what it really meant.

"So," Kate began, counting things off using her fingers. "You have your doctor's appointment. You need to pick up clothes for the rest of the week from your apartment."

"And work..." Sarah added.

Kate scowled and rolled her eyes. "And whatever work you think you'll get done around all of us trying to distract you and get you to relax."

"Guess I should get going," Sarah announced as she began to hobble towards the coatrack.

"Hold it," Clay broke in, restricting her progress with a hand around her wrist. "You just said that the whole reason you're getting all this stuff from your apartment is that you're going to be out of commission for the week." When Sarah gave him a patient nod, he continued. "You're going to need some help getting all of that."

"Why would I need help?" Sarah asked.

"You might be able to manage both a suitcase full of clothes and a briefcase full of files under normal circumstances, but you're never going to get them with a bad foot." Sarah scowled with agreement, and Clay let go of her wrist. "Someone obviously has to go with you... especially since you won't be driving a car with your bad ankle."

Sarah didn't even try to argue with the last point. Instead she turned to Kate. "You game?"

"Don't recruit her!" Andrew exclaimed. As everyone's attention turned to him with mixtures of surprise and annoyance, he explained. "She's doing all her last-minute stuff for the wedding, and getting all cuddly with Clay, so you don't want either of those two along." Grinning wickedly as the couple blushed brilliantly, Andrew continued. "What you need is a real strong, muscle-bound man..." he struck a muscle-man pose as Kate snickered, "someone who can grunt, and can lift heavy things, and can give you his arm to help you around town and up and down the stairs to your apartment. You know... someone who can be a gentleman as well as being manual labor."

Kate nodded as Sarah crossed her arms with annoyance. "Works for me. Who do you suggest?"

Andrew jerked his thumb towards Will. "Him." Will choked on his coffee, and Andrew leaned back in his chair. "Here at the house Will doesn't have to worry about someone to be responsible for like I do with Holly and the munchkins. But if he goes along with Sarah, then he's doing his job."

Sarah glared angrily at Andrew as Clay and Kate choked back their amused reactions. "I don't need his help."

Will lifted up his cup again. If she really wants to be that way about it... let her get her stuff all by herself. Pausing with it right in front of his mouth, he shrugged. "You heard the lady. She doesn't need my help."

"Will, I'm shocked at you," Andrew moaned, turning to face him. "A big, manly man like you is afraid of one tiny little woman? She needs your help, man. There's no way she's driving herself all over town and lifting all those really heavy things without a little muscle to help her out. So what do you say, Will? Are you gonna let her tell you that she doesn't need your help when you know she does?"

Clay clamped his mouth shut to stifle the laughter that threatened to burst forth at Andrew's attempts to goad Will into going along. Shaking with the effort to hold it in, he pressed his face up against the back of Kate's head to hide the tears sliding down his face. Oh my gosh... Judging by the way Kate squeezed his hand, she was having a hard time keeping a straight face too.

Very slowly Will turned to glare at Andrew, considering him through half-closed slits. He knew that if he refused, he was going to receive more ribbing at Andrew's hands. But if he went with Sarah... he was in for several hours of the ice princess at her charming best behavior. Will simmered for a moment before putting his cup back on the table with a loud clunk. "I'll go... but only if she asks me nicely."

Immediately all eyes in the room turned to Sarah. As much as she relished and relied on her independence, she had no choice but to admit that she needed help. Worse, in order to get it, she now had to ask for it. Making a sour face, Sarah swallowed and took a slow breath. "Will... would you be kind enough to take me around town and help me bring my things back to the farm?"

Will blinked at her, obviously surprised that Sarah followed through. But he was a man of his word. "I'll be with you as soon as I put on my shoes," he growled, slipping by the others to go upstairs.

Sarah clenched her fists, scowling angrily at Andrew for manipulating the scenario so masterfully. In the spirit of peace, Andrew grabbed her coat from the coat rack and brought it over to her. He held it out for her to slip her arms in. Giving him one more dirty glare, Sarah smacked him hard on the arm before yanking her coat from his hands. Hopping into the living room, she slipped her coat as Will joined her at the bottom of the stairs. Taking a minute to grab his own coat, Will extended Sarah his arm. Heaving an annoyed sigh, Sarah took it, and the two of them walked out the door.

As soon as they were out the door, Clay and Kate couldn't take it any more. The two of them burst into uncontrollable laughter as Andrew nodded with pride and sketched a little bow. "Oh my goodness," Clay giggled. "That was perfect. They both saw it coming and still couldn't stop it."

"Andrew..." Kate gasped, "Drew, brother dearest... that was pure poetry."

"Thank ye, thank ye," Andrew grinned as he kept bowing to them and the kitchen in general. "It was one of my better jobs, if I do say so myself..."

Kate snorted as Clay wiped delighted tears from his eyes. "Drew... modesty has never been one of your stronger suits."

"Who needs modesty," Andrew struck a pose, "when I'm so gosh-darn handsome..."

Clay and Kate exchanged an oh-please-spare-us glance with each other before setting about the things they had to do for the day.

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Outside the house

Ignoring the snow falling lightly around them, Will and Sarah stood between their two vehicles, glaring each other down. "And what's wrong with us taking my car?"

"For one, your foot. We've already agreed you're not driving with your bad foot. For another, I'm not on your insurance." Will jerked his head at her tiny car. "For another, if you're planning on bringing back half the junk you said you wanted, that rattletrap won't carry it all. And last..." Will made a thoughtful noise with his mouth as he looked at her car again. "I probably shouldn't tell you this reason. It would make you madder at me than you already are."

"What? Is something wrong with my car?" Sarah questioned. When Will slowly nodded, she scowled. "Not your color?"

"That's not it." He pointed towards the back end. "You're not going anywhere like that."

Sarah turned and groaned loudly at seeing the flat tire. "I must have picked up a nail somewhere." She wilted and turned back to glance at the SUV. "I guess we can take your car."

"Good. 'Cuz it's either that, or we borrow someone else's." Will unlocked the door and lifted Sarah up into the SUV. "You're going to have to show me to this doctor's office," he informed her. "But this time try to point out the turn in advance."

Sarah directed him to the collection of medical practices down around the Good Samaritan Hospital close to the middle of town. Doctor Kelley had his practice in one of the newer facilities, sharing it with four other doctors. A little over twenty minutes after the two of them arrived and checked in at the clinic, Sarah was called back.

After what seemed like ages, Will put the newspaper back down on the nearby table when at last Sarah hobbled back out of the maze of examining rooms, using a set of crutches tucked under her arms. "That bad?"

"Bad sprain, yes," Sarah informed him with a huff. "But nothing's broken, thankfully."

"That's good to hear," Will agreed. Glancing at his watch, he took note of the time she had taken once she had been taken back. Forty-five minutes? Doctors... He picked up her coat and started to hold it out for her when he once again caught sight of the crutches. How is this going to work? he wondered.

Sarah seemed to have the answer to that. Placing both of the crutches together, she handed them to Will in exchange for her coat. After putting her coat on, Sarah took the crutches back from him. "I'm ready if you are."

The two walked outside the clinic, blinking with surprise at how much the snowfall had increased and collected during the time they were in there. Will glanced at the ground. Bet there's an inch or two of that white stuff already. Unsure as to how to help her, Will walked awkwardly beside her, occasionally reaching out a hand to brace her in case she fell.

Sarah heaved an annoyed sigh. "I am not a china doll, Will. You don't have to do that."

"I seem to remember how little it took for you to fall the first time," Will grumbled.

Fine, Sarah scowled as he unlocked the door to the car and helped her in. Placing her crutches on the back seat, he walked around to the driver's side door and climbed in. "Do you need directions to the apartment, or do you think you remember how to get there?"

"I'll find it," Will snorted, starting the car. He put the car in gear, taking the SUV to the exit from the parking lot. Pausing there, he glanced back and forth while Sarah sat quietly. At last he sighed. "All right... which way do I go from here?"

With a pleased smirk, Sarah gave him the directions to go until they were in territory that Will recognized. Navigating the rest of the way without guidance, Will parked in front of the complex. Once he brought Sarah her crutches, he helped her down from the SUV and up to the apartment that she and Kate shared. "Might as well have a seat," Sarah suggested. "I might take a while finding everything."

"A while?" Will asked. "What should I do until then?"

Sarah pointed at the most recent copy of Reader's Digest sitting on the table. "If you finish reading that, I'm sure I can find something else."

Will snorted. What a way to kill a morning...

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At the Kirche farm house

Kate watched over her mother's shoulder as she and Holly measured and pinned adjustments into the lavender flower girl dress Alyssa wore. "You're doing really good, sweetheart. Now if you can hold still just a few minutes more..."

Just as the women finished with Alyssa's measurements, Clay bounded up the stairs out of breath. "K-Kate," he panted, a worried expression on his face. "It's snowing."

"Really?" Kate turned to the window and pulled back the curtains. Sure enough, white flakes the size of a quarter fell silently from the sky. "Wow..." Kate cooed at the layer of snow coating everything in sight. She turned to Clay with a gentle smile. "Relax, hon. As long as it doesn't snow more than an inch or two, three at most, everything will be fine." Kate's smile turned impish a moment later. "If it's a good enough snow, we can always go sledding, making snowmen... having snowball fights..."

Clay's eyes twinkled. "Snowball fights... I'll take you up on that one, hon. After we give Pastor Sullivan a call to go over final details for Saturday."

Clay and Kate gave Pastor Sullivan a call, and once Patricia had logged them on to her Internet account the three of them discussed the upcoming wedding service, sending printed information they needed back and forth via email. The conversation took approximately an hour, and Clay felt pleased about what they had accomplished when they hung up. He wrapped his arms around Kate's waist. "Well... looking forward to this, honey?"

Kate put her hands over the top of Clay's and smiled contentedly. "Yes. Yes, I am."

"Want to go outside and play in the snow?"

Giggling at how much he sounded like an overgrown kid, Kate nodded. "Sure. Let's take a peek outside at the thermometer so we know just how heavy we're going to have to bundle up."

The two of them descended the stairs and walked into the kitchen. Kate walked over to the window and pulled back the curtain. "Looks like we're going to need to bundle up," Kate began with a glance at the thermometer. "It's reading about ten degrees." She turned back to Clay, blinking with surprise at his wide eyes and jaw. "Hon, what is it?"

"Look again," Clay pointed, "but not at the thermometer."

Kate opened the curtain back up and looked out. "Oh my..." She whistled at the snow, now about four or five inches deep. "Dad wasn't kidding when he said we were getting a storm." Kate glanced at Clay. "Don't suppose you thought to bring snow boots?" When he shook his head, Kate sighed. "I don't think we have anything in your size, hon."

Clay blinked. "I guess I'll just have to go without."

"Hold on," Kate told him, putting up one finger. She walked over to the coat rack and crouched down to inspect one of the pairs of snow boots there. Walking to the edge of the stairs to the basement, she called down them. "Hey, Pop!"

"Yah!" Arthur called back.

"What size shoe you wear?"

A minute passed before Arthur yelled out his response. "Size 13."

"Good," Kate winked at Clay. "We're going to go outside for a snowball fight. Is it all right with you if Clay borrows your boots?"

"Sure," Arthur responded. "I have a better pair than the one up there, if you want."

Arthur told Kate where his spare boots were stored, and after getting both Arthur's boots and her own she rejoined Clay by the coat rack. The two of them quickly put on the snow boots before bundling up warmly in their coats and other winterwear.

"Aaiiiyyyeeee!!!" Clay cried out once they got outside where the snow and the wind were. Kate gave him a wide-eyed glance. "It's cold out here!" he told her.

"Welcome to Nebraska!" Kate laughed. "It's not like I like the winters here either."

"Talk about your cold receptions!" Clay joked.

Grabbing a handful of snow, Kate flung it at him. "Get used to it, city boy!"

"City boy?" Clay pouted, flinging his own handful of snow at Kate. "City boy?" As she giggled, he quickly formed a snowball. "That's Mister City Boy to you, hon!"

Kate shrieked as he pelted her with the snowball. "Just don't go calling me a cowgirl, and we'll do just fine." Hastily she made and threw her own snowball back at him.

As the snow continued to fall and collect around them, Clay and Kate happily hurled snowballs and witty remarks at each other for the better part of an hour, laughing and giggling the entire time. Finally Kate ducked behind her car for safety as Clay's snowball flew over her head. "Missed me," she teased.

Clay quickly created another snowball and snuck closer to the car. He quickly flung it over the car towards where he had seen her duck back down.

Kate peeked her head back up again. "Missed me, missed me," she taunted in a sing-song voice.

But Clay knew the rest of the song. "So now I have to kiss you?" he asked, his eyes twinkling. Kate gaped as Clay began to circle the car. Getting to her feet as quickly as she could in the growing snowdrifts, she stepped through the snow in the other direction. Although she tried hard to get away from him, Clay's long legs gave him the advantage in the deep snow. Tackling her bodily, Clay shoved both of them over into a nearby snowdrift.

"Oh, that's cold..." Kate complained as she lay directly beneath Clay in the snowdrift.

"Get used to it, honey," Clay giggled, sticking his cold, wet glove as close to her warm, dry neck as he could manage with her thick scarf.

"Augh! Clay, stop!" When he pulled his glove back away, she bopped him in the side. "You are a naughty man!"

Clay gave her a wicked grin. "Wouldn't you like to know just how naughty I can really be..." At Kate's wide-eyed expression, he slowly leaned down to kiss her on the lips.

When Clay broke the kiss a moment later, Kate slowly blew out a deep breath. "Well..."

"That's just a sample," he purred. "There's a lot more where that came from."

"I'll look forward to seeing that," Kate replied, "when I'm not sitting in a snowdrift." Clay giggled and helped her back up. "Though Sarah did tell me on Christmas Eve that I should go sit in one."

"Really?" Clay smiled wryly. "And why would Sarah tell you to sit in a snowdrift?"

Kate filled him in on Sarah's reaction to Will at gift opening, grinning as Clay gaped and laughed with delight. "She was none too happy with me..."

"So that's what you were torturing her about." Clay nodded. "Good for you."

"I know Sarah - she may be an honorable woman, but at times she's got a shockingly dirty mind." Kate flushed. "If they wouldn't embarrass us both, I'd tell you about some of the things she's said during our conversations about you."

Clay flushed. Considering what he did know about Sarah, most of them would indeed embarrass him. Maybe he'd get some of them out of Kate once they were married. It would give him a better idea of how badly she had been crazy about him before she had come out to California. "Want to build a snowman?"

"Sure!" Kate answered, and the two of them began as the snow continued to fall around them.

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At Sarah and Kate's apartment

Will looked at his watch for what seemed like the hundredth time. It had been two hours since they had arrived at the apartment, on top of the hour plus they had spent at the doctor's office. "I know you're tired of me asking, but how much longer are you going to take?"

Hobbling on one crutch tucked under her right arm, Sarah pushed a suitcase into the living room. "If you're so impatient, you can start with this. It's already packed. I've also been collecting the things I need for the wedding, and the files I need to get some work done while I'm at the farm."

Finally, some progress. "I'll go take it out to the car." Putting his coat back on, Will took the suitcase down the stairs and out the front door of the complex.

Once outside Will got a better look at how much snow had accumulated since they had been inside. On top of the one or two inches he had seen at the doctor's office, an additional three or four had fallen. Worse, it was still coming... Will grimaced as he took the suitcase and placed it in the trunk of the SUV. If the two of them didn't get going soon, they wouldn't be going much of anywhere for a while.

Shaking the snow off at the doorstep, Will reentered the apartment. "Princess - I don't care what you think is so gosh-darn important that you have to pack it now. If we don't get going - "

Sarah crossed her arms and looked up at him. "Are you trying to tell me that this stuff isn't important? I saw the snow outside! I'm trying to keep it light and still get what I need."

If this is light, Will groaned, I hate to see her regular packing job. "So what do you think you still need?" he asked her, coming over to watch over her shoulder. "Maybe there's some way I can help."

Frowning, Sarah studied the plastic tub carrying wedding supplies and the two plastic portable file cases that she was placing her case work files in. "I just finished the tub," Sarah told him. "At the moment I'm sorting through my work papers to see what I need and what I can leave here."

Will rolled his eyes. Hope it doesn't take too much longer. "I'll haul this thing out to the car." Picking up the plastic tub, Will took it out to the SUV as well. Several minutes later, Will returned to the apartment. "Is there any way I can help you to make this go faster?"

Sarah heaved an annoyed sigh. There had to be something. "Fine. I'll hand you the files, you put them inside my cases."

At last - something useful to do. For the next forty-five minutes Sarah continued to sort through the files, handing certain ones to Will to place into her portable file cases. After a bit Will got restless and stood. Walking around the apartment, he wandered over to look outside the window. "Sarah - unless you're ready NOW, we're not going anywhere."

Sarah looked up at him with shocked eyes. "What do you mean?"

He pointed out the window. "We're talkin' a foot of snow out there. I'm gonna have to dig us out before we can get out of here. You got a shovel?"

"Um..." Sarah began. "No. The landlord might..."

"Might?" Will snorted with annoyance. "Better be able to get a hold of your landlord, or we're stuck here for the night."

Sarah reached for the phone on the nearby table. Her hand was halfway to it when the lights flickered out. "Oh great..." Sarah picked up the phone and dialed a number. After listening for a minute she returned the phone to its cradle. "Not home."

Will put his head in his hand and groaned. This can't be happening... I'm stuck in a blizzard with the ice princess herself. "It looks like you have plenty of time to go through those files now."

"Yeah," Sarah said weakly. "Will, there's something you should know about this apartment complex." Taking a deep breath, Sarah went on. "The stove and the heat are both electric."

"Let me get this straight," Will sighed. "You and I are stuck here together in a place with no lights, no heat... and no way of making warm food?"

"Warm food, no," Sarah acknowledged. "But we do have plenty of dry goods, both canned and other things, to pick from."

Will was almost afraid to ask. "Your can opener electric?"

"Mine is," Sarah admitted, "but Kate has a manual can opener in the drawer. We agreed to keep it around in case we needed it."

"Well, we're gonna need it."

Sarah picked up the phone again. "First things first. I'm calling out to the farm to tell them we're spending the night here." She dialed the number for the Kirche farm.

Patricia's voice answered on the other end. "Hello?"

"Hello, Mom Kirche? Hi, it's Sarah."

"Sarah! Good to hear your voice," Patricia sighed with relief. "We were starting to wonder about the two of you, with this blizzard and all. Are you guys somewhere safe?"

"We're at the apartment," Sarah told her, "but the electricity is off. Do you know if it's city-wide, or a localized area of town?"

"I don't know the answer to that," Patricia admitted. "The snow that has fallen is pretty thick. We had to brush several layers of it off Kate and Clay when they came back in the house."

"Back in the house?" Sarah raised her eyebrow. "What were those two doing outside in the snow?"

"Playing," Patricia giggled, "like a couple of kids. They made snowmen and snow angels and had a big snowball fight. Those two had the time of their lives out there. They're both taking a couple of hot showers now."

Sarah snickered. "That's Kate. Only my best friend would be crazy enough to play in a blizzard." She sighed as Will hid his laughter behind a hand. "I'm sorry I missed it."

"Not entirely," Patricia said quietly. "Andrew caught it on tape."

"Be sure to thank him for me."

"I will," Patricia told her. "And you guys take care of yourselves. Don't break your necks to come back out here until it's safe. Even if that means you have to wrap yourselves up in three or four blankets just to stay warm."

Patricia's words sobered Sarah immediately. With the electricity off, the apartment was sure to get cold in a hurry. "I'll remember that. Thanks." Sarah finished the call and hung up.

"Those two goofballs were out playing in this weather?" Will asked.

Sarah nodded. "Making snowmen and snow angels... and having a snowball fight."

Will chuckled warmly. "Wish I could have seen it."

"Andrew taped it."

"Good. That means we won't miss out entirely." Will shook his head. "What a couple of crazy kids..." he muttered.

"Kids?" Sarah raised an eyebrow. "Are you that much older?"

"Naw," Will assured her. "That'd be Jerome. I'm only a couple years older than Clay. So I harass him from time to time about it." He glanced at her. "Now I know it's not polite to ask a lady how old she is, but if you can give me a ballpark figure..."

Sarah snickered at Will's curiosity and the delicacy with which he asked. "Clay, Kate and I are within a year of each other age-wise. Kate's the baby of the bunch."

"Good to hear." Will smoothed his hair sheepishly. "As long as you're actually willing to answer personal questions, I've got another one." Looking up at her eyes to see if there was any resistance, he found none. "Clay was right when he said your middle name was beautiful. Caelin. What does it mean?"

A slow smile crossed Sarah's face. "Exactly that. It means 'beautiful' in Gaelic."

"It fits you."

Really. Sarah blinked slowly. "Thank you."

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At the Kirche farm house

Clay stared dolefully out the window of the living room at the deep drifts of snow covering the landscape, watching as the wind made some banks bigger and some smaller.

"Look at it this way," Kate said quietly as she wrapped her arms around his waist. "By this snowstorm hitting early in the week, we stand a chance of being able to dig out of it in time to pick people up from the airport."

"As long as it doesn't snow any more," Clay murmured.

"I hope it doesn't either," Kate admitted.

Andrew leaned on the wall beside them, eating an apple. "Even if your family and your American Idol friends can't make it, it won't stop you from getting married." Andrew indicated the snow with the hand holding the apple. "Heck, the snow won't even stop you. We could call up Pastor Sullivan on Saturday and put him on the speakerphone. He could conduct the ceremony over the phone, you'd say your vows, and ta-da! You're married." As Clay slowly smiled, Andrew took another bite of his apple. "Then we'd put the two of you in the basement for the night so that you could actually get some privacy."

Clay snorted his amusement as Kate raised an eyebrow at her brother. "The other night Mom and Dad did it in the barn..."

Giving her a surprised look, Andrew slowly swallowed. "The barn... where we've been... doing chores all week." He cleared his throat. "Needed to hear that, sis."

"Hey, I already know that you guys were... you know... in the back of your minivan. Didn't hear Mom and Dad or your kids complaining about riding to church with you."

Andrew's eyes grew huge. "How..." When Holly started snickering from the couch, Andrew pointed his finger at her. "We talk about this later, doll."

Kate rolled her eyes. "Bro... you have two kids. I'm not naïve - I know how a person gets kids."

"You get them at the supermarket," Andrew told her, once more taking a bite of apple. As Clay laughed and Kate snorted, Andrew continued weaving his tall tale. "They have them in all shapes, colors, and sizes... blondes over there, brunettes over there. Redheads you have to special order."

Clay nodded, giving Andrew an amused smirk. "Oh, so my mom had to special order me, right?"

"Yep," Andrew told him. "Especially since you're a green-eyed redhead. Most of the redheads out there are the brown-eyed variety. Your mom probably had to put down a little extra deposit so that they'd know she'd actually come back to pick you up. They probably had to order you direct from the manufacturer." He studied his apple before taking another bite.

"Speaking of brown eyes, Drew," Kate raised her eyebrow, leaning her face into Clay's back as she held him tighter, "I know the reason you have brown eyes. It warns people that you're full of it."

Andrew stared at her with wide eyes. "I resemble that remark!"

Clay laughed warmly, holding Kate's arms close to himself and stroking her hands gently. "Well, Andrew, thanks for sharing your idea as to how we can get married even if the weather stays bad. I was getting worried there for a while."

"Anytime, bro." Andrew glanced at Clay. "I've seen how you look at my sis. You may be an honorable man, but you really need to marry her soon."

"Hey," Kate protested in defense of her fiancé, smacking Andrew on the arm. "In case you haven't noticed, I look at him the same way."

Andrew nodded, his jaw trembling in mock sadness. "I-I-I-I noticed, sis," he squeaked. "You guys need to get married. Fast."

Believe me, Clay thought as he lightly hugged Kate's hands closer to bask in the sensation of her warm, enveloping love, I know.

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In Kate and Sarah's apartment

"All right - if we're here stuck in a powerless apartment that's going to get colder by the hour, we've got to be prepared. And we need to do it now while it's still warm and light in this apartment." Sarah listed items one at a time, counting them off on her fingers. "We need to get out candles and matches. We need to find flashlights. We need to get out blankets and a pillow or two. We need to figure out what we are going to be eating for dinner and maybe breakfast too. We need to turn off our cell phones while we're here to preserve the batteries in case we really need them." Sarah frowned thoughtfully. "Do you wear contact lenses that you need to worry about?"

Will shook his head. "No, I've got twenty-twenty."

"Me too. Since Kate and Clay both wear contacts, I knew that was a possibility." Sarah took a deep breath. "Are you diabetic, do you have any allergies I need to be aware of..."

"Are you planning to spend a night here, or a siege?" Will snorted.

"It's a blizzard in Nebraska," Sarah shrugged. "It could go either way. This blizzard shouldn't affect the water, so we should be fine with drinking water and using the bathroom. Kate just bought toilet paper last week, so we should be fine there." She made a thoughtful face before turning to Will. "Can you think of anything that I missed?"

Will gave the matter a few moments of thought before shaking his head again. "Basic survival needs - food, water, shelter, and heat. You've thought of those."

"I try." Sarah pointed to the linen closet in the hall. "Blankets are in that closet. I'll let you get those while I go for candles, matches, and food."

"Why do I just get the one task while you have several?"

"Because everything we need but the blankets are in the kitchen," Sarah explained. "We don't keep blankets in the kitchen - just the linen closet."

Will snickered. "Got it." He walked to the linen closet that Sarah had pointed to and opened it to see cleaning supplies, a couple piles of towels, and several board games. The rest of the closet was filled with blankets and comforters. "Why so many?" he asked.

Sarah called back to him from the kitchen. "As my grandma used to say, 'You never know who you'll be stuck with in the cold, and it might not be someone you want to share a blanket with.'"

Will nodded with understanding. "Ah." That would do it.

"But you don't have to get them all down," Sarah told him with a real hint of softness in her voice. "We can share."

For a moment Will wasn't sure his ears heard her right. He slowly turned towards the kitchen, seeing Sarah visible through the door to the kitchen. A shy smile played on her lips as she ducked back to look through one of the cupboards. Will's eyes widened. Is she flirting with me? Deciding to take the chance that she was, Will grabbed only two blankets for the two of them to share and layer around themselves. His younger brother was not a religious man... but even he had a favorite bible verse. It fit him perfectly like no other verse in the whole bible - Ecclesiastes 4:11 (one verse before the three-strand cord verse Clay had used for his proposal). "Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?" Only his brother would choose a verse like that... but today it was surprisingly fitting.

Will brought the blankets over to the couch. Placing them there, he walked into the kitchen to see how he could help her. "Anything you want me to carry in there?"

"Sure," Sarah agreed. She had placed on one tray several candles in holders, a box full of kitchen matches, and the can opener. On a second tray she had placed boxes of crackers, small bags of chips, and several cans of things that were heat-and-eat foods... vegetables, and complete soups and pastas. There were several cans of no-heat foods there too - namely fruit and Vienna Sausages. Will picked up a can of the sausages, and Sarah chuckled. "They're not much, but they're meat and they don't need heated."

"I don't mind them. I wouldn't want to live on them," Will admitted as he put the can back on the tray, "but I can survive one or two meals worth." He picked up the tray of canned goods, taking it to the living room to place on the coffee table in front of the couch. Returning to help with more, he picked up the tray with the candles, noticing that Sarah had added some napkins and eating utensils. Will took them out to the coffee table too, placing them there as Sarah hobbled out to join him. As long as it was still light and warm Sarah continued to sort through her files, adding to her portable cases until the cases were full. "Looks like you're done with that," Will told her as he closed the case.

"Looks like it. I could always get another case from the bedroom, but I'm already pushing my luck." Sarah looked up at the window, noting that it was already getting dark. "Are you hungry? It's getting closer to the dinner hour."

"I could eat." The two of them sat side by side next to each other on the couch, keeping the supplies close by. They looked up at the food. "What sounds good to you?"

"What sounds good is not an option. Of these..." Sarah grabbed one of the cans of Vienna Sausages. "Since there are so many of these things, I'm starting with one can tonight to give ourselves a chance to mix things up a bit before I have to eat them again." She cracked open the can, laying the lid on a bare part of the tray. "My grandmother often said that if variety is the spice of life, then one should have Mexican every night." Will blinked with confusion, and Sarah explained. "She wanted all the variety she could get, because she knew any given day she might not have many choices to pick from."

"I think I understand now," Will nodded. "This grandma of yours sure has a lot to say. What's she like?" he asked.

Sarah paused with a thoughtful stare into her can of sausages, debating how much she really wanted to open up with Will about details of her family life. Finally Sarah decided to take the plunge headfirst. Popping her first sausage in her mouth whole, she finished it before answering. "She was the only person in my family who recognized and cared that I existed at all."

Will blinked and breathed deeply, remembering his own not-so-perfect home life. "You really mean that?" he asked her gently.

Noticing that his voice was completely devoid of doubt but merely asked for confirmation, Sarah answered honestly. "Yeah, I do. My father's family hated her and my mother's family hated him, so when they got married practically everyone disowned them. Only my mother's mom didn't. I never did figure out why. But my parents worked together at the same architectural firm." Taking care of another sausage, Sarah continued. "That's how they met. He was an architect, she was the designer and decorator who worked with him. They decided after getting caught one day doing the nasty on the desk in his office that it would be much easier if they just married each other." Ignoring Will's surprised expression, Sarah kept talking. "The two of them lived for their work and for each other, so you can imagine how they felt when I came along. Supposedly my mother wasn't able to get pregnant. Surprise." Sarah opened up one of the cans of vegetables, offering to split it with Will. He agreed, and Sarah went on with her history. "After that they weren't taking any more chances - my father had a vasectomy and my mother had her tubes tied. One child was more than they wanted."

Will couldn't help but notice Sarah's complete detachment from her parents, refusing to call them the familiar "Mom" or "Dad" nicknames. He had a sneaky suspicion he knew the answer to his next question. "So what was it like for you growing up?"

"You're heard the term latch-key kid, right?" Sarah asked. Upon receiving Will's nod, Sarah smirked. "It was created for kids like me. I grew up at daycare centers and different babysitters' homes until I was old enough to be on my own. Since a lot of my playmates were Hispanic, I grew up bilingual. I learned all my Spanish from my playmates and schoolmates, and I learned all my English from the adults caring for me." She swallowed a bite of cold green beans. "Summers were pretty much spent at one camp or another - a Girl Scout camp here, a horse riding camp there, a couple of sports camps and camps for gifted kids filling in the gaps. I hardly ever saw my parents - and when I did they were either too busy doting on each other or they were picking me apart for my clothing or my grades or my tastes in music or TV or art. They never had anything good to say about me at all." Sarah stared off into the distance. "They never said 'good job' or 'I'm proud of you' or the one phrase I wanted to hear the most - 'I love you'."

Rough childhood. No wonder she's so independent. Will considered her with quiet sympathy. "Did anyone ever tell you those things?'

"My grandma did," Sarah admitted. "When my parents died the summer before my senior year in a car crash, she took me in. Before I lived with Grandma, no one ever said those things to me. I only lived with her three years after my parents died, and she made a big difference in my life. But after only three years with her she died too, of cancer, and I was on my own again."

Will took a drink of the water Sarah had placed there for him. "If you never learned how to show love and stuff from anyone but your grandma you only had three years with, then how'd you learn it so well? The way Kate talks about you, you obviously learned it from someone more than just your grandma."

A slow smile crossed Sarah's face. "What I didn't learn from Grandma, I learned from Kate and her family. They took me in, Will, seeing a loving and capable woman when no one else saw anything beyond a tiny little girl. I was involved in a little of everything growing up and going through college, I knew lots of people and they knew me - but everyone wanted to mother me and take care of me. They had no idea how long I had basically been on my own taking care of myself." Sarah chewed her lip thoughtfully. "What's sad is how many people didn't take the time to get to know me long enough to discover that... to find out that I didn't need mothered or worse, babysat. Kate is one of the few people who accepted me as I am without trying to make me change or mothering me or anything else like that. Her parents also accepted me as I am, treating me like their own daughter, telling me that I was smart and practical and... and... you get the idea." Blinking back the slightest hint of tears, Sarah went on. "And Andrew - he's treated me like his own sister. He gives me a hard time, he includes me in things, he shares Star Trek conversations with me as an equal, and he actually cares about my opinions on things." Sarah sighed deeply. "I learned a lot about love from Grandma, but since it was just her when I lived there I didn't get to see how a real family loves each other. I saw it up close for the first time when I met the Kirche family." She smiled again. "That was the first time I decided that I really did want to get married and have kids. When all I saw was my own family and the broken families of the other daycare kids I didn't know there was anything different and I didn't want something like that. But now that I've seen what it's like to have a husband and wife who love and cherish each other... two parents who nurture and support their kids... and kids who respect and affirm their parents... I can honestly say, yes, I want that." Sarah snorted. "I sound pathetic, don't I?"

"No," Will said simply. "You sound like you were hurt and love-starved as a child. Believe me, Princess... I know about that."

Sarah glanced up at him. "You know someone else who had no real childhood?"

"Yeah. My brother and me." Will glanced down at his hands. She trusted me with her entire sad life story... the least I can do is share mine in return. "The reason I get along so well with Clay is one he doesn't know about. We both had an alcoholic parent and a broken home."

"You haven't told Clay this?" Sarah asked with surprise. "If you feel you understand him, then he would probably understand you. I guess I don't understand why you haven't shared it with him."

Will shrugged. "He's still fighting his own demons with that. I don't want to bug him."

"What about yours?" Sarah gently placed her hand on his. "You still fight some of your own?"

Taking a deep breath, he blew it out slowly. "Yeah. I'm still fightin' them. Maybe I could fight them better if I told you about it." Will continued to look down at his hands, marveling at her small hand resting on his with gentle reassurance in its touch. She's gonna be the first person I've told since - He took another deep breath and began. "Like I said, both Clay and I had abusive, alcoholic parents. His was his dad. Mine was my mom. She'd yell at us, beat us, and Dad too. You can't tell me that only women and kids are the ones getting abused, 'cuz I saw for myself. She was abusive without the alcohol in her system, but get her drunk and look out. Let's just say not too many people see me wearing something other than long sleeves." Will chuckled. "I always call them my battle scars. But I never tell them what kind of battle I got my scars from." He frowned and went on.

"For years Dad put up with it because he loved my mom and us so much. But one day Mom went too far, and Richie ended up with a broken arm." Another frown. "Dad flew off the handle. He told my mom, 'Either you get help, or I'm leaving and taking the boys with me.' He never expected what she did next." Will made a thoughtful smacking noise with his mouth as Sarah waited quietly for him to go on. "She told him that she wanted a divorce from him and she was ready to leave right then. It took her less than an hour to pack. It would have taken her half that if she hadn't been tankin' up on booze while she packed." Will scowled. "She was good and sloshed when she left the house. It was the last time the three of us ever saw her again."

"Because she divorced your dad?" Sarah asked quietly.

"No," Will told her with a light growl, and somehow Sarah knew he wasn't mad at her. "Because she got her sorry, drunk butt killed when she pulled directly into the path of an oncoming semi truck." Sarah winced, and slowly Will shook his head back and forth. "Dad was crushed. He really did love her, and he didn't want to drive her away or see her get killed. He just wanted to scare her into getting some help and changing for the better. I guess some people just can't change."

"She could have," Sarah told him. "She just never got that chance."

"I suppose. Dad took care of Richie and me by himself after that. He never found anyone else, never remarried. He died of a broken heart." Will made a face. "I've been trying to stay away from girls who drink more than once a week because of it. Alcoholics don't make good parents."

Sarah shook her head. "No, they don't. I see plenty of that with Social Services."

Will glanced at Sarah. "Considering what you went through with your parents, I bet you didn't date much until college."

"That's where you're wrong," Sarah mused. "I dated, and I dated often... I just didn't date seriously. Grandma teased me that my dating life was like a buffet - I tried a date or two with this guy, a date or two with that guy, until I had gone on quite a lot of dates but had not had any serious boyfriends at all. Part of that was due to the way they treated me. Either I was some glass bauble that you had to handle carefully or it could break at any minute... or they treated me like someone who had to be taken care of, which usually meant they ended up ordering me around and telling me what to do... or else they treated me as little more than eye candy that they planned on eating up whole later. So I ended up having one or two dates with a guy at most. It really was like a dating buffet."

"Buffet?" Will snorted. "More like the sampler platter. You never had more than one or two dates with the same guy?"

"I had three with this one guy in college," Sarah told him defensively. "But ever since my semester abroad I've changed my habits. I want the real thing."

"The real thing..." Will mumbled under his breath. "A serious relationship that is between two people and only two people. A relationship that stays true and faithful."

Sarah raised her eyebrow. I smell a story here. "That's right," she told him with a nod. "I take it that's what you want."

"Yeah," Will agreed, "and for a while I thought I had it. I had a relationship that I thought was something special back when I was 19, 20. I doted on her, and she ate it up. For the longest time I thought that we were meant to be. Even proposed to her." A scowl crossed his face. "Of course it fell apart when I caught her doin' the nasty with the guy who used to be my best friend. It turns out she'd been cheating on me with him for a long time. Almost as long as she and I were together."

"Ouch," Sarah winced, letting her breath hiss out between her teeth. "You were right to dump them both. You don't need a woman or a friend like that."

Will snorted. "She was one of those women who liked having all the men wrapped around her little finger. I found out later that my best friend wasn't the only one she was doin'. I was about the only one she wasn't doin'!" he muttered under his breath. He snorted again. "She gave him a... goin' away present that made me quite glad I never did it with her."

Sarah snickered. "Will... it would appear that life has, to use the term lightly, screwed us both."

Laughing appreciatively for several minutes, Will covered his face with his hand. "Oh..." he groaned at last. "I needed that, Princess." Suddenly Will blinked. "I suppose I shouldn't call you Princess. Your life hasn't come anywhere close to that spoiled-rotten kind of thing."

"It's okay, Will. I-I-I don't mind when you call me Princess, if you do it gently like you just did." Sarah blushed shyly. "In fact I kind of like it."

Will stared for a moment at her, considering both her blush and her words until he noticed that she was shivering. "Are you starting to get cold?"

"Yeah," Sarah said. "I can already feel the temperature starting to drop." While it was true that she was noticing the slight chill in the room, she was not yet uncomfortable with it. What Will had mistaken for chills was something else entirely. "We can start to get under the blankets."

Grabbing the two blankets from where he had placed them off to the side, Will shook them out and wrapped the first one around Sarah. He paused a moment with the second blanket in hand. "How serious were you when you said we could share? Were you just flirtin' and pullin' my leg... or were you really serious about it?"

The blush on Sarah's cheek deepened. "I really am willing to share the blankets with you. It is biblical, you know."

Will chuckled with amusement. "Oh man... I thought Richie was the only one who knew about that verse. You know about it too?" When Sarah nodded, he laughed some more. "Why not? It's probably going to get pretty cold tonight." He placed the other blanket over the top of the first one around Sarah before lifting up the other end and placing it over his shoulders. Immediately he felt Sarah's body heat, and closed his eyes. "That helps."

"You don't have to sit all the way over there, Will," Sarah scolded mildly. "I don't bite - unless you ask me to."

Will's eyes sprang open. "All right, now you're flirting with me." He gave her a slight scowl. "Don't flirt with me unless you plan to deliver on that. Remember I've been on the receiving end of the flirt-and-fly game. She two-timed me, and I don't want anything that has no chance of becoming serious. Got it?"

"I'm sorry that she hurt you," Sarah whispered. "I would never treat you the way she did. You deserve better than that."

"That's right," Will said, his voice trailing off. "We both... deserve..." Did I hear her right? "What was that again?"

"I said you deserve better than that, and I would never treat you the way she did."

Dang, Will thought to himself. I did hear her right. He glanced over at her, studying her eyes. "You mean that, don't you?"

"I don't lie," Sarah told him bluntly. "I don't have time or patience for lies."

"I believe you." Will looked into her hazel eyes a little more deeply this time. "You deserve a lot better than you've been getting in your life, too. You deserve to be loved and cared for. You deserve to have someone to look after you."

Sarah blinked slowly. "Looked after... but not smothered."

Will considered this. "Well put." He smiled lightly. "Have I smothered you today?"

Snickering gently, Sarah shook her head. "No. Hovered, yes. Smothered... no." She raised an impish eyebrow, a flirty look in her eye. "Why, are you planning more of this doting behavior of yours?"

Catching both the look and the eyebrow, Will waited a moment before replying. "Why? Do you like it?" he asked cautiously.

Carefully Sarah ignored the question. She shivered, noting that in the little while they had been talking that it had become noticeably colder. "I wonder how cold it's going to get in here."

"I don't know," Will admitted. He placed his hands on her shoulders, vigorously rubbing her shoulders and back to help keep her warm. "Hopefully not too much colder. Here, lean up against me like this," he said, encouraging Sarah to lean with her back up against his chest. "It will keep you warmer."

Sarah reclined up against him as he wrapped his arms around her. "If worse comes to worse, we could always get another blanket or two." She smiled to herself as a wicked thought streaked through her mind. And if worse really comes to worse, I can think of at least one other way to generate some more heat. Sarah allowed her head to drop back until it rested on Will's chest. Will bent down to look in her eyes, surprised by her change of heart in how she acted with him. Sarah's vulnerable eyes flickered up to meet his, and the two of them gazed at each other for a moment in silence.

Will was the first to break that silence. "If you've never had more than one or two dates, then you probably haven't... ah..."

"No," Sarah told him, rescuing him from his attempts to stumble through asking her the indelicate question. "During my 'sampler platter' dating phase, I never met anyone worth doing it with. So I didn't." Sarah shrugged. "I'm not quite as lily-pure as Kate has tried to keep herself, but I still have the best part for a future husband. You?"

Once again there was silence. "I've actually done it. And I regret it, too - but not for the reasons you'd think." Will mulled over the way to say it. "I regret that I had my first time with who I had it with... because of the kind of person she showed herself to be."

"Ah." Sarah nodded. "You wish you had given it to someone different."

Will frowned, his eyes dark with hurt as he recalled the memories. "Yeah. I was young and horny and stupid... high school kids often are. But I regret that now. Wish I had waited for someone different. Wish I had waited for someone who wasn't so vain... someone who knew how to look beyond herself." Will glanced at Sarah. "Someone more like you."

Sarah took an involuntary breath as she met his vulnerable eyes. He... would rather have waited for me?? She blinked up at him, surprised that those words had come out of his mouth with the way they had treated each other since he had arrived. Sarah gently squeezed his hand, reassuring him with that simple gesture that she forgave him everything.

Will gave her a slight smile, understanding completely without either of them saying a word. Then ever so slowly, he leaned down to give her a kiss... sweetly at first, then with increasing depth as the moments went by. He took her face in his hand, caressing it gently as their mouths danced a slow and steamy samba against each other. Completely forgetting about the cold, Sarah wrapped her arms up around his neck. Breaking the kiss for a moment, Will held up a finger. Gently he pulled her up into his lap so that their faces were on the same level before starting to kiss her more intently. Again Sarah wrapped her arms around his neck, running her fingers over and through his hair. Will responded by pulling her closer and closer until they were pressed against each other tight enough to sense the full extent of their attraction to each other.

"Wow," he gasped when they finally broke for a moment's breath. "For being inexperienced with other things, you sure can kiss."

"Thanks," Sarah panted. "And just think - we haven't tried that hard." Seeing Will's wide eyes, she smiled. "Parlez-vous Francais? Or as I like to tease Kate... do you speak in tongues?"

Will shook his head sharply. Somehow I think that Clay got the raw end of the deal when he ended up with sweet, gentle Kate instead of this little tiger. His loss, and my gain... "Baby... I'll try anything with you that you want," he offered with a low rumble.

Sarah raised her eyebrow. "Are you really sure you want to make that offer? I just might take you up on it," she purred as she took his bottom lip in hers.

Oh my - Will began as the kiss started off even steamier than the last one finished. The blood pounded in his head, and he parted her lips with his. The instant his tongue entered her mouth, hers was there to meet it. Feeling the raw passion between them, Will growled deep in his throat as the kiss heated up farther with the swirling and dancing of their tongues. Their heads quickly became adjusted to the same undulating rhythm and his hands became restless, just holding her. He wanted to explore her, to warm her with his touch, and feel her hands on him, but wasn't sure how fast to go. As though reading his mind, Sarah's small hand became busily involved with his shirt buttons, pushing the fabric aside to run her fingers over his chest muscles. A low moan erupted from the back of Will's throat as he tensed and Sarah could feel his reaction to her touch beneath her legs. Will took his cue from her and reached for the fabric of her blouse, tugging it from the waistband of her slacks. Tentatively, he slipped his hand beneath the shirt and caressed her flesh from her ribcage to her back and she made a noise that let him know how much she was enjoying his touch. Twining the fingers of his other hand in her hair, he tore his mouth from hers. She looked into his eyes, questioning and he whispered to her, "Do you have any idea just how amazing you are?"

Sarah shook her head and he took advantage of the movement to lean closer and nibble along her neck to her collarbone until a sigh slowly escaped her lips. It's true, she thought, as almost-liquid warmth coursed through her to pool in her belly, there is a fine line between antagonism and adoration.

After several hours of alternating between serious talk and serious kissing, Will and Sarah curled up together under the blankets for the best sleep they could manage under the cold winter conditions. Sarah smiled to herself at Will's light snore, noting that he was already asleep. And if worse really comes to worse, I can think of at least one other way to generate some more heat. Again laying her head on his massive chest, she closed her eyes.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Late that night in front of the fireplace

Clay stared into the fire, listening to it crackle as he soaked in the warmth that it radiated. While everyone else had gone off to bed, Clay and Kate arranged to spend just a little private time together in front of the warm fire. Already clad in his pajamas for the night, Clay waited there for her to come back down the stairs. At the soft footfall on the stairs, Clay looked up and broke into a huge smile. Kate wore her long-sleeve knit shirt and flannel sleep pants from earlier in the week, which Clay still found very attractive on her. For his own comfort during his stay in Nebraska Clay had brought a pair of flannel pajamas with long pants and long-sleeve button-down shirt. In this cold, windy weather the warm flannel felt really good.

Clay picked up a spare blanket that he had pulled from the Kirche's linen closet. Unfolding it, he invited Kate to join him sitting on the floor close to the fire. When she did, he draped the blanket around their shoulders before pulling Kate into his arms. He sighed deeply, closing his eyes and burying his face in her hair. For several minutes they sat in silence, enjoying each other's presence and the closeness they felt in each other's arms. "Kate?" he whispered at last.

"Mm?"

How do I ask this? he debated. Taking a deep breath, he went for the blunt approach. "How serious were you when you said you didn't need a honeymoon?"

Kate sighed - she had known that he would bring the conversation up again. "I wouldn't mind one," she admitted, "but with our schedules we wouldn't get one until June... and that's the trip to Haiti."

Clay blinked with confusion. "Why wouldn't we get a honeymoon until June? I'm sure there will be a week between now and June that we can sneak off together somewhere."

"I doubt our schedules will allow it," Kate mumbled. "Most of this break will be taken up with the family and the wedding. During spring break you'll still be on tour... and before you know it, June will be here... and to schedule a separate honeymoon when we have the Haiti trip," she shrugged, "defeats the purpose. I mean, we're already going to be traveling... we're already going to have our own motel room..."

"But we'll be with everyone from your cousin's church," Clay protested. "The idea of a honeymoon is that the couple gets to spend time alone together."

"We'll have our time together once summer hits," Kate agreed, "but not until then. So we might as well use the Haiti trip for our honeymoon."

"We are not counting that as our honeymoon," Clay stressed. "The whole idea of that mission trip is that we're building relationships with our teammates and the local Haitians. We'll be spending most of our time teaching bible school and building... whatever we build... with the others. We won't get much time for the two of us to be alone together."

"True," Kate admitted. "But once we're done with Haiti, we'll be together. I don't need a special trip just for that."

At last Clay understood - her I'm-not-worthy-of-this mentality was showing itself again. "I know you don't believe that you deserve to be spoiled, but I do. I want to spoil you and romance you and spend time with you in some... at least pretend it's exotic - " Kate snickered at his suggestion, " - location. I'm doing all right, honey. As long as we don't go living extravagantly or anything like that, I think I can afford to take you on a honeymoon. It doesn't have to be anything big as long as we go on one... as long as we go together." Clay studied her eyes. "All right?"

Kate could tell she wasn't going to win this one - Clay was obviously planning on getting his way. She sighed and gave in, knowing that he really did have their best interests at heart. "All right... as long as I have some say in where we're going."

"That's my girl." Clay kissed her on the cheek. "So when would you like to go?"

Taking a deep breath, Kate made an exasperated noise with her mouth. Was he listening to me at all? "I've already said that we can't take one until June. It's not as if we can just pick a week and sneak off as you've already suggested."

Clay frowned. He couldn't imagine what would stop them. "Why not?"

Kate sighed again. "Hon, it's not going to work that way. Our schedules are going to be a bit hectic for the next six months. You've already said you're going to be on tour again this spring, so Spring Break is out..."

"Spring Break?" Clay asked. "Why wait until spring when we can go after we get back to L.A.? There are plenty of places that won't have half the signs of winter this one does."

"This is true, but since I'll still be teaching - "

"Teaching?" Clay asked with surprise in his voice.

Ah, she thought to herself. That explains a lot. Patiently Kate told him where she was coming from. "There's no way they could get someone to step in for the rest of the year even if I had given Principal Elliott notice today," she answered. "And I'm not leaving my classroom in the hands of a long-term substitute." She heaved a resolved sigh. "As much as I want to move out to California with you after this break, I can't - I'm responsible to those kids. I have to finish out the rest of the school year with them."

As much as Clay hated to admit it, Kate was right... she needed to stay true to the rest of her teaching commitment. I hadn't thought of that. What was even more surprising was the fact that no one had suggested it to him either... and now here he was, stuck trying to figure out the logistics of their first six months as husband and wife. The more he thought about it, the less he liked it. He chuckled once, but it was without humor. "Our first six months won't feel much like a marriage, if you're still here in Kearney and I'm out there in L.A. I want to wake up next to you every morning... I want to feel your body next to mine and listen to your heartbeat. I don't want this marriage to be in name only until June."

"I hear you there." Kate winced. Just the idea of sampling married life for a couple days and then going on a months-long famine drove her crazy now - how was it going to feel once they were already married? Moreover, Clay's spoken desire to wake up every morning in each other's arms didn't help matters any. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. Even though she loved him beyond anything she had ever imagined and trusted her life and more in his hands, she couldn't help wondering what had been on Clay's mind when he made this decision that would alter their lives forever. "I know you wanted to surprise me and all... but I really wish you would have talked to me first instead of just going ahead with wedding plans."

Oh really? Clay raised his eyebrow at her. He couldn't imagine what was giving her cause for concern. "Why? You've always trusted me before."

"Well yeah," Kate admitted with a nod. She trusted him... but this was their future they were talking about. They dared not make assumptions with each other about things like that. "But this is serious. This is ever-after serious, until-death-do-us-part serious. It's a decision that should not be made lightly, and only after much discussion between the couple involved. I know for a fact that I want to marry you, or I wouldn't have said yes... but I can't help feeling like I was left out of the discussion, as if I didn't have a say in the matter."

What??? Clay gaped at her. Is she having second thoughts about the wedding?? "Are you saying that you don't want to get married on Saturday?"

Kate shook her head firmly. "That's not what I'm saying."

"Then tell me, Kate, what are you saying?" Clay's anger was starting to get the best of him, and he knew that it was his sexual frustration talking more than any real frustration he had with her. "You want to marry me, but not right now. You want to go on a honeymoon, but not before our trip to Haiti. You want to keep teaching for the rest of the semester, but you want to be with me in L.A. Honey... can you please clear this up for me before I start to rethink my proposal?"

Gaping in shock at him, Kate shook her head. Her emotions were becoming more and more muddled in her head by the moment, and she fought to sort between her desire to be with Clay versus her fear of losing him... versus straight, solid logic. "Clay... do you really hear what you're saying? Quit putting words into my mouth, or we're going to start sounding like Will and Sarah."

Clay snorted - the last thing he wanted was for them to go at each other in a manner like the quarrelsome twosome. "We're on our way..."

"Will you please listen to me? I still want to marry you, Clay Aiken..." she began, "but what I'm saying is that the timing's off, simple as that, and if you would have discussed it with me I could have told you as much." Kate shrugged. "We should have waited until the summer when I was done with school and we could marry knowing that I had properly closed the door on that chapter of my life rather than throwing everything together and dealing with the repercussions later."

"Throwing everything together?" Clay asked with amazement. "Honey... I've been planning this over months and months, ever since you left L.A. Our two mothers and Sarah and Kim and Ruben have been helping me with all the details over the past six months. I have not thrown everything together! In fact, I've given the matter a lot of thought - in between everything else I've had to do!" Slowly he shook his head, still in shock that this conversation was happening. "We've both said to each other time and time again that we want to spend the rest of our lives together, and when I started making these plans I thought you would be happy with the idea. I had figured everything out... at least I thought I had."

"Well..." Kate shrugged again. "You missed a point. Or I'm missing something else altogether." She looked into his eyes thoughtfully. "Not that I'm going to complain about being married to you sooner than later... but why do you seem to be in such a big hurry for us to get married?"

A brilliant blush colored Clay's cheeks as his mind returned to the thoughts and the bible passage he had considered when making this decision to go ahead with the plans. How do I tell her? His cheeks still flushed with heat, Clay leaned in to whisper the truth to her. "Isn't it obvious to you? My Motorola should be making my reasons quite clear to you right now." Holding her tightly enough that she could indeed feel it pressed up against her, he growled in her ear. "Kathryn... I want very much to make love to you and with you... and I'm afraid my hormones are slowly getting away from my rational control."

Suddenly lightheaded, Kate swallowed a lump in her throat and prayed that he wouldn't notice that she was trembling. Before Clay, Kate would have been shocked by such a statement... but after months and months of therapy and years of getting to know and love the real Clay she found herself responding in a way that she had never experienced before. Kate knew in the depths her heart and her soul that she desperately wanted him too... and right here at this moment, those emotions and desires were trying to take over her rational mind. She knew that she had to defuse this situation NOW before they did something they would regret later. Kate scowled, making an annoyed noise with her mouth. "Just like a man... thinking with the wrong head..." she muttered under her breath.

Clay's eyes widened. What?? He couldn't believe his ears. "Excuse me?? Did I hear you right?"

Kate shook her head, still annoyed at him. By his reaction, she knew he had heard every word. "I didn't say anything."

"Yes... yes, you did," Clay growled, feeling his anger rising at the insinuation. He would never have believed that his Kate would ever sound like the sarcastic Sarah. "You said... that I was thinking with the wrong head. Is that really what you think?" Taking her face in his hand, he turned her so that he could make sure they had eye contact for what he had to say next. "That I'm capable of that kind of... sick behavior that German loser pulled on you? Is that what you think?" Closing his eyes to keep back the tears, he shook his head. "I thought you trusted me."

"Clay..." Kate sighed. "I do trust you. It's just - "

"No, Kate! I don't think you do," Clay told her, his voice shaking with emotion. "Maybe you're right... we shouldn't get married yet. Maybe we shouldn't get married at all." Kate's jaw dropped. Knowing that his temper was getting the best of him, he closed his eyes. Make your point and calm down, he ordered himself. Clay trembled visibly as he continued. "If after all this time and therapy you still don't trust me... and everything I've done to show you honor and respect... then maybe we shouldn't be getting married."

"Y-Y-Y-You-you can't be serious..." Kate gulped, unwilling to believe her ears. "If I didn't want to marry you, I wouldn't have said yes."

"That doesn't mean you're ready," Clay sniffled. "I love you, Kate Kirche, and I know that you love me. Look at how we've both been acting since I arrived. We can't seem to keep our hands and our mouths off each other and it's only getting worse. The 'dip' in the classroom... the other night with the mistletoe and the couch... the back of the SUV, complete with Titanic-like steamy windows! And all the other little moments we've had together as well..." He laughed once, a miserable, desperate sound. "I'm ready to go crazy! Don't you know what you do to me?"

Kate stared open-mouthed at Clay, shocked and dumbfounded by his words. But she knew exactly how he was feeling right now - because she was at this minute falling victim to her own raging hormones.

Unaware of her struggle, Clay continued unabated. "I'm ready to go crazy..." he choked. "I'm aching to hold you...explore every inch of your beauty and have you completely understand the depth of my love for you..." He reached up and stroked her cheek, the only part of her he dared touch at the moment, as an all-consuming fire burned in his eyes. "I either have to have you or walk away from you." His hungry, pleading eyes riveted to her quivering lips. Clay leaned towards her, hoping that she would finally put him out of his misery.

Her face flushed at the heat she felt coming from him. Kate wanted to know Clay in every sense (including the biblical one) but had talked herself into thinking that she had it under control. Until now. Knowing now that Clay's resistance was breaking down made her wonder if either one of them was trying hard enough. "Clay... this isn't the time..." she protested half-heartedly, her eyes slowly closing as she anticipated the kiss that was sure to come.

"Kate..." he breathed, his lips tickling hers, "don't you want this as much as I do? Your body is saying that you want me... but you're saying something different. What do you really want? I'll do whatever you tell me."

Clay... she moaned to herself. I want you so much it hurts. We need to wait... but I want you so badly that I'm going out of my mind... She wanted to speak these words but knew that she would set events in motion that she might not be able to stop. However, the fire in her eyes betrayed her very thoughts and Clay saw just what he wanted to see. Feeling that her emotions had reached the same fever pitch as his, he took her mouth with his and pulled her body as tightly to his as possible.

Pressed up close against him, Kate felt herself falling under Clay's passionate "spell" as her awakening body kept urging her on. Somehow this felt natural to them, a deeply moving expression of their love and devotion for each other. Clay lowered her slowly and deliberately to the floor in front of the fireplace, never breaking the kiss they were enveloped in.

His mouth moved from her lips, and Clay heard her gasp for breath. Encouraged by her reaction, he slowly moved down her neck, alternating between nips and kisses as he gently caressed her arm and shoulder. Kate sighed deeply as her hands began to mimic his motions. Suddenly, she realized that Clay's touch had become more deliberate and urgent, moving to parts of her that he had never explored before. Her mind began to overrule her body and she tried to gain control of the situation by moving Clay's hands back up to her face. When he started to resist her non-verbal instruction, Kate attempted to push Clay away, but he pulled her back into his eager embrace.

Suddenly overwhelmed by her desire to do what was right versus her desire for Clay, Kate panicked. Reflexively she slapped him hard on the side of the face, sending him backwards stunned by her actions. Staring as Clay shook his head to clear it, Kate gaped. Did I... do that? With a choked sob she stumbled to her feet and ran to the kitchen. I've hurt him... Why did I do that? How could he forgive me for hurting him like that? The tears ran down her face as she wildly looked around her with a frantic moan, seeking escape. Still not thinking clearly, Kate ran out the back door of the house and waded her way barefoot through the snowdrifts and the blowing snow towards the barn.

"No, Kate!" Clay cried out, scrambling to his bare feet. "Not outside!" In this weather any exposed skin was vulnerable to frostbite - and Kate was only wearing her sleepclothes. He grabbed the blanket off the floor, knowing that his state of dress for all points and purposes matched hers. Placing the blanket around his head and shoulders, he hurried to follow her out the door. Kate... He had to get her back inside before she froze. Biting his lip, he braced himself against the wind and the bitter cold. This is all your fault, Clayton... your fault.

Heading into the wind, Clay went through Kate's tracks towards the barn. A light cut a swath through the snow in front of him as Kate entered the barn. Relieved that she was at least out of the elements, Clay pressed on. Shivering heavily from the cold, he smiled when he finally found the door. The smile, however, was short-lived as he opened the door to the barn and entered. He knew he had better start practicing his apology or else he would be practicing his packing.

Once inside Clay started scanning for Kate. He found her within seconds, shivering and pacing and crying madly up in the hayloft. "Why? Why?" she moaned and sniffled, frantically wearing a path in the floor of the hayloft. "Lord, why'd I do that to him? You know how much I want to be with him, how much I want to have that amazing, loving kind of marriage that both of us have dreamed of all our lives. You know how much I want to do it with him. I know we need to wait until we're married..." Kate rubbed her hand over her tear-streaked face, "but I want him so much. And he wants me and..." Continuing her babbling, she turned and resumed her pacing as Clay made his way over to the ladder unnoticed. "We both want to wait, but it's so hard. You know how hard it is." With a loud sniffle Kate moaned. "And then I went and did that. I hit him and totally ruined my chances with him. Oh why..."

The remorse for his actions by the fireplace hit Clay as a sucker punch to the stomach, and he knew beyond a doubt that he had earned that slap. Kate... Immediately Clay climbed the ladder to the hayloft, hoping and praying that he could convince her to forgive him. He would beg on his knees if he had to - she deserved far better than he had given her. Once in the hayloft, he started walking towards her, his heart aching to comfort her and reassure her that he was the one who had acted like an idiot... she had only given him what he had deserved.

Kate did not notice his presence. "Why did I do that to him?" she sobbed.

"Because he was a jerk," Clay responded quietly.

Kate whirled around at his voice, staring wide-eyed as he kept walking towards her. "No, Clay... I-I did that..." She took a shaky breath and exhaled it again as he stopped about a foot away from her. "I did that... because I knew how much I wanted you, and it scared me," she admitted. "And I reacted without thinking and I hurt you..."

"Oh, Kate..." Clay melted at her tears, taking her in his arms and stroking her hair. "You had every reason to be scared and react the way you did. I don't know what I was thinking in there." He shook his head. "I don't think I was thinking in there..."

"I still shouldn't have slapped you," Kate sobbed, holding him tightly. "I shouldn't..." she moaned as Clay held her close and made gentle shushing noises to soothe her.

Neither one of them would remember later who started it... but within moments the fire of passion that had been snuffed out momentarily by the trek through the snow rekindled itself as soon as Clay and Kate melded together in what started out as a seemingly innocent kiss. Their teary reconciliation turned blushingly steamy as the kiss that started out so innocently quickly moved to one of fierce passion. They kissed each other on the mouth over and over again, their emotions building towards and ultimately past what had just happened in front of the fireplace. Hungry for even the merest of soft touches, Clay pulled her bodily up against him until the heat they produced quenched their chills entirely. He wanted so desperately to fill her, to be filled by her, in ways that completed them both that his only thoughts at that moment were of finally fulfilling their most intimate dreams. Hoping to bring her at last to the same frenzied point where he had already arrived, he thrust his tongue deep into her mouth. At Kate's sharp intake of breath and the moan that followed, Clay felt a gradual crescendo to the fervor of her touch. He heard a low growl from his own throat as his head began to spin. Encouraged by his response, Kate ran her hand back and forth along the base of his neck, alternating between kneading and caressing until he slid his hands around and under the folds of her sleepshirt to massage the flesh of her bare back. Feeling the swell of her own hormones feeding the fire, Kate's other hand strayed to the buttons of his shirt and slowly released their hold one by one, providing a bigger area of sweet exploration. Clay trailed his mouth slowly down her neck once again, this time with a more urgent purpose of driving the woman he wanted to make his lover insane with desire. He allowed Kate to slide his open shirt over his shoulders and down his arms, feeling the chill on his freshly exposed back and shoulders as Kate's hands slowly traced down his chest. Eager to reveal and see and experience firsthand every inch of the natural beauty that was Kate, Clay brought them down onto the blanket that had fallen from his shoulders onto the hay directly beneath them. He looked into her eyes for any kind of signal that he had gone too far and found none - the expression in her eye told him that she was willing to see this all the way through. This is the night where we capture forever and all our tomorrows begin... he thought to himself. The answer to all of his dreams was right here and now, just a touch away from him. "Is this really what you want?" he mouthed.

Pausing for a brief moment to look into his eyes, Kate took a deep breath and swallowed. "Yes," she answered at last. "I want you, Clay, and only you."

Having heard the words from her own lips, Clay once more captured her mouth with his, knowing that after tonight there would be no turning back, no changing their minds. In five days they would marry - they would become husband and wife. No one ever needed to know what went on between them tonight. Clay continued to shower her with ardent kisses, moving down from her lips and face to her neck as his hands once more began to roam. He nibbled passionately at her neck, kissing her in ways that made Kate gasp and shudder at the warm and tingly feelings he was creating in her.

In the middle of the delightful sensation of Clay exploring the back of her neck with his mouth, Kate suddenly cried out in surprise and pain. Clay pulled slightly back and saw her confused eyes. "I'm sorry," he breathed. "I bit too hard, didn't I?" When she shook her head, he blinked with surprise. "Then what..."

"I don't know," Kate confessed, reaching for his hands once more lodged up her back. "Something scratched me." She slowly pulled them out, testing the surface of each one with the tips of her fingers to discover the source of the scratch. All at once her eyes widened as her fingers paused... on the clasp of his "W.W.J.D." bracelet. Kate took in a deep breath as she immediately remembered the meaning behind those letters... What Would Jesus Do? Holding the bracelet in her fingers, Kate met his serious gaze with her own. "Clay... right now I still want very much to be intimate with you, and I want so very badly to be intimate with you right here and right now. But..." She glanced down at the bracelet and felt herself tearing up. "But that's not what God would want us to do... and if we really are serious about what we believe, we have to wait. I know how much I want for us to finally be together like that... but..."

The enormity of their situation focused sharply in Clay's mind, and he knew it was true. "I... know. I want to make love with you even now, but you're right, we need to wait. It's going to be the hardest thing we've ever done in our entire lives," he admitted, "but if we take our beliefs seriously..."

Keeping hold of the clasp with her fingers, Kate took his wrist in her other hand, lightly running her thumb over the surface of the bracelet. "After tonight," she breathed, "we can't let ourselves be alone any more. It's too risky with the way we feel about each other."

"Kate..." he began, and suddenly realized that he wasn't quite sure what to say.

Kate's gaze fell on her engagement solitaire, still on the hand that clasped the bracelet. She chewed her lip thoughtfully as the silence between them lengthened. "Is that... marriage proposal still good?" she asked somberly, returning her gaze to his deep green eyes.

Very slowly Clay nodded, his eyes never once leaving hers. "Do you still want to marry me Saturday?" he breathed, even though he could already guess the answer. She nodded with equal deliberateness. "Good," Clay sighed with relief, "because... after we both broke the rules... after what nearly happened tonight..."

"I don't think we should wait any longer than Saturday," Kate mouthed agreement, the words barely sounding forth in the still of the hayloft.

Clay smiled weakly. "We'll figure out the details as we go. But we dare not wait any longer to exchange those vows to become man and wife." Very slowly he put his pajama shirt back on and buttoned it up as Kate rested on her haunches to recover her wits. Picking up the blanket, Clay extended his hand to Kate to help her up. The two of them worked their way down the ladder and to the door of the barn. Wrapping up together in the blanket, Clay and Kate ran towards the house. The back door to the kitchen drew them toward it as the needle of a compass pulls towards north.

Once inside the house Clay shook the snow off the blanket and dusted it off of both of them. Shivering from the cold, the two of them walked through the living room, carefully ignoring the crackle of the dwindling fire as they passed. Clay escorted Kate to the room that she and Sarah were sharing. "Well," he whispered with a slight smile. "Goodnight... my one and only."

"Goodnight... love of my life."

His smile broadening, he pressed the tip of one finger to his lips. Slowly, gently, he placed the fingertip containing the "kiss" to Kate's lips, and she gently pursed her lips as if receiving it before Clay pulled the fingertip containing her "kiss" back to his own. Knowing that had better be the last bit of affection exchanged between them tonight he winked at her and walked to his own room.

Kate closed the door of the bedroom behind her, silently giving thanks that Sarah was not here to wrestle an explanation out of her. She didn't think she could handle a game of twenty questions from Sarah tonight. She quickly slipped under the warm covers with a wistful sigh. Five more nights, she counted off in her mind, and we'll get to say goodnight while falling asleep in each other's arms. Kate warmed to that idea, curling up for another night's sleep.

Five more nights, Clay sighed as he burrowed under the covers, and we'll never have to say goodnight at each other's doorstep again. He listened to the howl of the wind outside his window. Provided this dumb snowstorm doesn't keep us holed up in this house. Remembering Andrew's suggestion to put Pastor Sullivan on the speakerphone if the storm didn't blow over, Clay warmed at the idea that even the weather couldn't stop them from getting married. With a deep sigh he closed his eyes for another night's sleep.

Go to the next day, Day 5 (December 27)

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