FicWad

A/N: All right guys, I promised you that the next Kevin/Ollie oneshot was gonna be a positive one, and here it is! I really like how this one turned out; at first, I was afraid that it was gonna die somewhere in the middle.

Disclaimer: I do not own the lyrics to "Let's Go Back."

Song Used: Everyday Sunday's "Let's Go Back."

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Thirty-Eight: Let's Go Back
Puppet: Paul Jonas Jr.

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I know that you,
You were busy with your own life,
I can't make you make you give me all of your time,
I wish it could be the way it was yesterday,
I think that it stinks that these stupid problems got in the way...

Speed was a good thing, if used in carefully. The quicker one got things done, the more time they would have to either a) take a break, or b) attend to the next task at hand. However, if one moves too fast through whatever it is that they're doing, more often then not they're going to make a mistake of some sort because they're moving too swiftly.

Life was sort of the same way, I think. It was good to have some extra things to do on top of school, like having a job or an important hobby. It kept one from being so focused on their studies that it becomes their life (which was, though my professors probably would've disagreed, not what we were here for). But too much extra stuff and life got busier and busier, until one was at the point of running themselves into the ground.

Which was, obviously, a bad thing.

I couldn't help but think about that as I glanced in the rear view mirror to see an exhausted Olivia Rokit, snoozing peacefully in the backseat. Part of me wanted to smile, endeared by the peaceful, innocent expression on her wild face. I always thought she was pretty, but there was just something about her when she was sleeping that made me want to watch her all the more. Maybe it was the oddity of having the muscles in her face relaxed and at ease. Maybe it was the idea that she actually was capable of slowing down; of slipping into such a vulnerable state.

But the more dominate part of me was worried for her. She was running herself ragged, what with school, her job, soccer, her new car, and her strange late-night visits to that haunting old street. I was concerned; scared that she may get sick and end up losing the job she loved so much, worried that she may strain her muscles and end up seriously hurting herself.

I guess one could say that I was frustrated with her, too. I knew better than to think that she would give me every second of her day, but lately, it seemed that there never was a day when we got to do something together. She had things to do and I did too, what with our second album coming out and tour dates being yapped at my brothers and I by some high-voiced agent.

I pulled the car up into the driveway at her house and shut the engine off, and the slight creaking of the gearshift caused her glass-green eyes to flicker open. She blinked once, obviously confused and unsure of how she'd ended up in the backseat of my car. “Kev?” she asked, sleepily rubbing at one of her eyes, “What happened?”

I chuckled softly in amusement. “I picked you up from soccer, remember? You were almost asleep on your feet when I got there.”

“Oh,” she muttered, sitting up straight and yawning wide so I could see the odd, almost dog-like way her tongue curled when she did, “thanks.”

So let's go back now,
To the times that were fun,
So sick of the lies that someone else's mind has won...

“Not a problem.” I answered modestly, not thinking it much trouble at all. It wasn't as if I'd been doing anything important. It had been a rare moment of peace in my life when she had called (which she must've forgotten doing) and asked me to come pick her up because her coach (who was, ironically, not much older than herself) had forced her, saying she was too tired to drive herself.

I climbed out of the car and opened her door for her, a gesture that made her laugh and roll her eyes the way she usually did when I tried to be gentleman-like. A smile crept across my face; this was the way things had used to be, before the two of us had gotten so busy that our heads spun. She got out and I closed the door behind her, and without giving her a chance to react I scooped her up, bridal style, in my arms.

“Kev!” she whined in protest, even though I could tell that she was trying to hold back a giggle or two, “I'm too tired for this!”

“Then fight it.” I challenged with a mischievous wiggle of my eyebrows, knowing that I may have just sealed my own doom. She might just decide to take me up on that, and then we'd both probably end up on the ground and the moment would be ruined.

She chose not to, though, to my relief. With an exasperated (or, at least, what was supposed to be) sigh she relaxed into my hold, green eyes flickering shut as she threatened to fall asleep again. “You're not invited inside, ya' know.”

I laughed, though I felt awkward at what she might be hinting at. “I'm okay with that.”

I don't care what they think,
I don't care who all cares,
I just don't want you to leave...

I carried her up to the door, then realized that I didn't have the key. I paused uncertainly, not sure where to go from there. She sensed it and laughed, her shoulders quivering slightly against my arms at the effort it took to make the sound. “Way to plan ahead,” she teased, “don't worry, Einstein, I've got the key. But you have to put me down first.”

“Fine with me.” I said with a shrug, slowly easing her back onto her feet and smiling boyishly at her. I really didn't care that every minute I spent with her was one less minute of sleep, which meant one more tic off of her performance level the next day. I really didn't just want to go home. I didn't want us to go our separate ways. Not yet. Not while we were in this moment where time didn't seem to be a problem anymore.

She fished around in her back pocket and unlocked the door, then turned to face me. “G'night, Kev,” she said with the tiniest sign of gratitude flickering in her eyes, “thanks for taking me home.”

Unwilling to let it slip away so easily, I took her shoulders in my hands and leaned in for a kiss. The touch didn't last long, but pleasant tingles rippled across my skin nonetheless.

So tell me what you are,
I'll tell you you're so much more than anything you thought that you could be,
And tell me what you are,
And I'll tell you you're so much more than anything you thought that you could be...

Seconds ticked by. Her arms wound around my neck and her fingers ventured into my hair, while she came to kiss me back with startling energy. I smiled over her lips, trying not to start laughing and make it seem awkward. Still, in the back of my mind, I chuckled silently to myself. It seemed like she wasn't as tired as she claimed a moment ago.

Reluctantly I broke the contact, not wanting to make it seem like I wanted something...else from her tonight. My eyes, which had closed almost as soon as the initial shock of exchanging souls had worn off, fluttered open again and with a small smile I noted how content she looked. Her eyes still hadn't opened and her lips were curled upward into a small, almost dainty smile. She made a soft humming sound in the back of her throat. “Love you.”

My smile broadened. It wasn't very often that I got to hear those words without saying them first, especially when she was tired or busy. I tilted my chin up a little and placed another gentle kiss on her skin, this time on her forehead. I allowed my hands to drift downward a little until they rested on her hips, then snaked them around her waist. I held her close, with little intention of letting go any time soon. “I love you too.”

“That's reassuring,” she replied with a laugh, then with an unusually somber tone added, “I know I don't make it the easiest task in the world.”

It hurt to think that she compared loving her to a task; made it sound like a chore that no one wanted to do. It was hard sometimes, yeah, but it wasn't that bad. “It's easier than you think.”

So can you call on me too sometime tonight,
I don't care what we do,
We can get in a fight,
I'm tired of living in this small enclosed space,
So let me out we'll have fun,
I'll let you let me make the plans...

Ollie looked up at me, an emotion I'd never seen before flaring up in her cat-like green eyes and flashing in a smile bigger than I'd seen in a long, long time. She didn't say anything, but the warmth in both gestures was more than enough. She was happy; flattered even.

“You're not busy tomorrow, are you?” I asked, hoping that maybe we could keep this up for as long as possible. Maybe we could go to the beach, or go for a drive, or go out for dinner, or just hang out at Starbucks...we could even just stay home and watch movies. I didn't care. Anything to keep from having to go back out into the compartmentalized, thoughtless real world.

This time the smile turned into a full-fledged grin, complete with the slight showing of her pearly white teeth. “Now I'm not.”

Perfect. “Then call me and we can go do something.”

Why are we waiting for someone else to tell us how it should be?
I've already found it and God didn't tell me to waste these dreams (to waste these dreams)...

The next morning, she called me up (literally first thing) and asked me if I wanted some coffee.

The two of us were waiting in line at Starbucks about ten minutes later, and I felt like I was on top of the world. It was raining outside and the little coffee shop was a warm, cozy, welcome shelter from the cold water falling from the drab gray clouds. The rich, bittersweet smell of roasting coffee beans was familiar, and it was hard not to smile right back at the cheery barista on the other side of the counter.

As if that wasn't enough, she was content to stand close, let me hold her hand or put my arm around her shoulders the way I'd always wished she would. She was still the blunt, dangerous tigress I was used to, though; she still teased me and she still seemed a little wary of me, but her claws had been sheathed for the time being. That big, bright smile I'd seen last night hadn't changed much and that glow in her eyes hardly ever left, and it was then that I realized what exactly it was.

Freedom.

It was then that I realized that I wasn't the only one who had been feeling bogged down by everything. Ollie had been feeling it too and, guessing from the way she had brightened so, had suffered from it for much longer than I had. Both of us had been waiting for someone else to tell us it was all right to go do something.

But now, both of us realized that we had that power to ourselves.

I sipped quietly at my chai and watched her. She was sitting across from me in one of those big, comfy chairs they often put in the corners, munching on a snickerdoodle and peering outside at the rain.

So tell me what you are and,
I'll tell you you're so much more than anything you thought that you could be,
And tell me what you are,
And I'll tell you you're so much more than anything you thought that you could be...

“Isn't it cool to think that all the water we see now is the same water that was here since the dawn of time?” She asked suddenly without looking away from the window, the musing expression on her face being a quite familiar one.

I nodded, much more interested in what other things went on inside that pretty little head of hers than the fact itself. She had always had a head for random facts like that. I admired it; she was such a smart, thoughtful girl, even if she did do an excellent job of hiding it underneath the guise of a gruff tomboy with better things to do. I don't know why she hid that gift, but she did. “Yeah, but I wasn't really thinking about that until you said it.”

She looked over at me, one flaming eyebrow tilted upward ever so slightly in a question. “Oh really?” she said, “A penny for your thoughts, then.”

I smiled a little to myself and swirled my coffee. “I was just wondering how cold it is,” I said slowly, “and how much I'd really like to kiss you out there.”

I see you trying so hard to run the race to the finish line,
But all this stuff keeps getting in the way...

Her eyes glittered and she started to say something, only to be cut off when her cell phone started chirping away from inside her back pocket. She scowled darkly but answered it anyway. “Yeah? Hi, Mr. Bray...wait, what?”

My heart sank and I was glad for the fact that the outside of the cup was warm, otherwise my hands would've been chilled along with the rest of my body. Mr. Bray was the owner of the mechanic's shop Ollie worked at, so I could only guess as to what it was that he wanted. Probably needs her down there or something...so much for freedom.

Her green eyes smoldered with a look of indignation at whatever it was Mr. Bray was saying. “Yeah? Well, listen: I do a lot more down there than anyone else and I already called in this morning and told you I was sick. I'm sure you can manage without me just this once. Bye.”

She hung up, and to my surprise she started laughing. “He'll think twice before he calls back again.”

I fidgeted uncomfortably, not sure if I liked the idea of her fighting with her boss. That job meant a lot more to her than she let on (as with most things), and if she lost it because she was spending time with me...

Ah, ah, ah...remember, you're free today. You don't have to worry about any of that other stuff.

“What was I going to tell you?” she asked, and though it was obvious that it was a thought given a voice, I was fairly certain that she was talking to me rather than herself, “We were talking about the rain...”

I was about to remind her, but she beat me to it. I doubted that she'd forgotten it at all. “Ah, that's right. You were about to drag me out into the pouring rain just to get a little kiss when you could easily just do it in here, where it's warm, right?”

I chuckled lightly and nodded, Mr. Bray already forgotten. It wasn't as if the sun wouldn't rise tomorrow if she didn't show up for work. “Yeah, pretty much. What do ya' say? Will you come quietly, or am I gonna have to drag you out that door by the scruff?”

She made a face that was somewhere between a stifled smile and a grimace, stretching her hands out, her fingers bent and stiff as if to imitate claws. “Cats don't particularly like water, you know.”

I thought of my nickname for her and smirked. “But tigers do.”

Her eyebrows shot up in pleased surprise. She was quiet for some time, then stood up. I followed suit, putting my drink down and taking her hand. “So I'm a tiger, huh?” she said, “I like the sound of that.”

So tell me what you are and,
I'll tell you you're so much more than anything you thought that you could ever be,
And tell me what you are,
And I'll tell you you're so much more than anything you thought that you could ever be.

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A/N: Hehehehehe...I've always pictured those two as being huge flirts with one another once they're both comfortable. And yes, I totally realize the irony in Kevin seeing Ollie, a werewolf, as a tigress, as well as the fact that she goes along with it.