No More Swedish Meatballs Pt. 03

Leslie drew back a bit.

"I'm not saying we need to jump in the sack right away," he paused and caressed Leslie's face. "We can take it step by step. This afternoon's just perfect as it is."

Leslie laughed but had tears in her eyes. "That great. I really loved necking with you in my car the other night. I almost forgot what were there to do."

"Me too."

"And I love necking with you here. I could get used to this."

"Well, we'll have to do it more often, won't we?" Tom gave a low growl of a laugh."

They spent the rest of the afternoon watching the river, kissing and touching and talking. The might have stayed well into the evening but a summer storm kicked up and they ended up running for the car laughing like children in a downpour. Tom drove Leslie home and they lingered for a while in the car. They set another date for more of the same.

Kristen was spying on them and was well pleased to see Leslie getting some tender loving care from Rita's big brother. I knew it, she thought happily.

Over the next few weeks Kristen had a great time caring for Ryan and getting to know him. They were amazingly compatible. It was completely different than the relationships she'd observed when she was a child. They found that they could be friends as well as lovers. They weren't competitive with each other and loved learning and teaching. Leslie watched, somewhat enviously, as they formed a bond that would last a life time.

As Ryan healed, he began to training Kristen and Leslie in martial arts. It helped him regain strength in his upper body and was great exercise for the women. Always at the back of his mind was the fact they were beginning Kristen on the path of a Guardian.

Leslie decided to take a vacation time towards the end of July. She added a metaphysical element to the training which opened pathways Ryan had only suspected existed. As Kristen grew in knowledge and strength, Ryan became more well rounded. Leslie learned about the threat of the New World Order and sharpened her craft. They established a formidable triad.

Kristen and Ryan made a camping trip to the Jersey Shore one weekend in late August, leaving Leslie with a free weekend for Tom.

Sitting on the beach under a pale moon with a small fire they felt the season begin to turn. It was just a slight shift in the wind. But there it was. They knew their summer coming to an end. Kristen shivered a bit in Ryan's arms. Then she leaned back and looked at the night sky. It was the time of meteor showers. They started counting the falling stars and making silent wishes.

I wish this feeling would never end, Kristen thought sadly, knowing that time was going to speed up again once they returned to Germantown. Ryan's getting restless. I can't do anything about that. I've got school to think about. And we still don't know what happened to Dad. Ryan sensed her pensiveness and brushed a stray lock of hair off her face. He looked at her questioningly. She shook her head and smiled. "Summer's almost over," she said. Two weeks from now I'm going to be a freshman at Antioch. God. I'm going to have a roommate. Hell. I thought I was done sharing a room when Lizzy and Ned went off to school. And they're all going to be older than me."

"Older than you?" Ryan said wonderingly. "Kiddo, you're older than most of us. Just relax and enjoy the time you have at school. That's what it's all about – college, I mean. It's a transition period. A training camp."

"But you won't stop my real training, will you?" she asked plaintively."

"I've got to get back to work. But I'll be around. You can call me. And there's always the holidays."

Yeah. I gotta establish a whole new Christmas tradition.

Epilogue

Kristen's college years flew by. She majored in psychology and sociology, made some friends and even dated a bit. She never got that zing with anyone but Ryan. Her vacations were spent at Leslie's house with Tom and Rita and Ryan, always Ryan. After the first year Ned and Lizzy started coming for the holidays as well. They became a new family. The Cabal and the Company had their sights set elsewhere. The Guardians kept up the mortgage on the Hanson home and turned it into another safe house. It was perfect because it had that little secret room.

A week before graduation Kristen got a card in the mail from someone named Alphonse Guitti congratulating her on commencement. Inside the card was a picture of a silver haired man with a wonderful mustache standing next to a store front. "Inventions, by Guitti," was the placard.

I'll be damned. Good going Dad, Kristen thought with a laugh.