"What was that all about," Kay asked. She, along with her sister and everyone else in the Book Cafe, had been witness to Noah blowing up at Gwen Hotchkiss. The other woman had taken it surprisingly well, Kay thought. Noah, though, seemed to still be angry over whatever words had been exchanged between the two and was now in the process of taking his anger out on them.

Kay walked faster, trying to keep up with Noah as he stormed out of the cafe's door towards the parking lot. "Hello," she called out, positve that he had heard her the first time. "What did Gwen do to piss you off so much," she asked, finally catching up to his side, but having to maintain a light jog to keep up with his long strides.

"That's none of your business, Katherine," were his growled words, his gaze never moving from his target - the truck.

"Well then you shouldn't have been so dramatic about it back there. Everyone was staring at you two, you know that right?" When she received no answer, she decided to try another tactic. "Boy, whatever she did or said must have pissed you off. I don't think I've ever seen you this mad. I mean, I'm sure I've seen you this mad, but I don't think I've ever seen you this mad over some girl, much less Gwen Hotchkiss. I didn't even know you two knew each other."

"We don't," Noah mumbled. He reached in his pockets for his keys, slowing his steps as they finally reached their destination. "And, you should shut up right now or I'm going to find out your deepest, darkest secret and advertise it to the whole town."

"Good one," Kay said, folding her arms in front of her. "Remind me to start shaking in my perverbial shoes."

Noah turned around, ready to attack his sister with another threat, only to find Jessica not with them. "Where the hell is Jess?"

Kay looked behind her, turning back to shrug her shoulders in answer. "I guess she's still saying goodbye to everyone. You did want to leave in a hurry. Miguel and I were having an interesting conversation and you totally ruined it, may I add."

Noah looked down at Kay, a smile finally breaking through his dark mood. "So, you're still in love with Miguel," Noah stated with a raised eyebrow.

Immediately, Kay noticed the conspiratory look in her brother's eyes. Three words ran in marquee through her mind. Deny, deny, deny. "What," she started on a high tone, probably too high. "You're crazy Noah! When was I ever in love with Miguel? We're just friends, silly." Her eyes scattered off Noah's face to focus on the cars parked behind him. If she looked into his eyes, he'd know she was lying. Heck, he probably already knew!

"Right," Noah said, nodding his head up and down. He quckly checked behind Kay for Jessica, but of course she wasn't there. Returning his gaze to Kay, his smile widened. This was going to be fun. "I think you were twelve...no thirteen. I remember it clearly now. You had just turned thirteen and were anxious to show the world just how adult you were."

Kay's laid back demeanor abruptly became defensive. She turned to see if anyone was within hearing distance of her dumb brother. When she had determined the coast was clear, or clear enough, she turned back on him. "I don't want to hear anymore of your stupid story, Noah. So, I'll shut up about Gwen if you shut up about Miguel."

"Oh, and the first thing you did was get into mom's makeup bag. I think you had on lipstick, and that cheek stuff... Blush? And goop all over your eyes. A real looker," Noah waggled his eyebrows. He was happy to see that Kay's once inciting nature had turned wary of him. "Yeah, you had it all planned out. Corner Miguel and get your first kiss."

"Okay, okay," Kay yelled, sprinting forward to slap her hands over his mouth. "I get your point. I won't bother you about Gwen, you won't bother me about," she lowered her voice to a whisper, "Miguel."

Noah pried eight fingers and two thumbs from his mouth with a restrained gleam in his eyes. "Jesus, Joseph, and Mary! You'd think it was highly classified information I'm talking about when the truth is, everyone knows about your crush. Even mom and dad know. In fact, the only person that wouldn't be aware is said crush, and frankly, he's just too dumb to notice or too caught up in his current relationship."

"Mom and dad do not know," Kay defended quickly. How could they? Her mom was always talking about how cute a couple Miguel and Charity made. If her mother knew she loved him, or even had a crush on Miguel, why would she say things like that, and straight to her face no less? She was horrified at the very thought. But if Noah's statement was true, then...

He noticed the instant change in her facial features and berated himself silently for having divulged the information she obviously hadn't been aware of. Noah knew how hard it had been for Kay to adjust to Charity's presence in the family. She'd written him countless letters, and spent even more money on long distance phone calls, begging him to rescue her from the torment she faced everyday.

At the time, with the position he was in pertaining to his career, Noah had not been able to do much more than offer his little sister words of encouragement to help her through her struggles. But he guessed now, just by looking at her downcast expression, that those words had not nearly been enough.

He instantly felt bad for not being the brother Kay had deserved during this time in her life. He remembered how it was to feel as if your whole existence depended on another person who didn't even realize you were alive. The only difference between him and Kay was that he had gotten over it. Obviously, she hadn't.

"Kay, I'm sorry," Noah began. He stepped closer to envelope her in his arms. At first she fought him, the tears already streaming down her face. "Sweetheart, he doesn't deserve you," Noah pleaded with her. Finally, he was able to wrap his arms around her and offer her some comfort. She stood still for a moment before embracing him with a soft sob.

"But he's the one I want," her choked words reached his ears.

She clung to him, crying quietly, and Noah wished for all the world he could do something, anything, to ease her obvious pain. And at that moment, he realized how glad he was to have this time off to be with his familly. Now, he'd be able to look after both Kay and Jessica, as well as help his parents out in anyway he could. His boss had been right. It had been time to come home.

Stepping back slightly, he looked down into Kay's face and his heart broke again. "Kay, I'm going to start crying in a second," Noah said, trying somewhat to brighten her mood. It worked when a small smile appeared on her lips, but the tears continued to fall. "Really, stop crying right now," he demanded. He used the pads of his thumbs to wipe away her tears the best as he could.

"One day, Katherine, you'll find some guy who will make you happier than Miguel ever would."

"But..." Kay began, only to be silenced with Noah's next words.

"No buts, Kay. I know it's hard, really I do. But you can't base your whole life on something that may never be. And that's a great possibly with you and Miguel." He watched her gaze at him in horror, as if he'd just said the worst thing in the world to her. But the truth was, it needed to be said. She needed to know that sometimes, no matter how much a person wished for something, life couldn't be helped.

"He'd be a fool not to realize what a wonderful person you are, inside and out. But that would be his loss Kay, not yours. Because whether he notices you or not, you have to keep living your life. Do things, meet people... Boys. Everything and anything your heart desires because you can't let someone's view of you change your life. You have to live that for yourself."

Kay smiled, wider this time. And the tears had subsided. "How'd you get so smart being a cop," she asked, wiping her tear streaked face with the back of her hands.

He shifted from one foot to the next, momentarily uncomfortable with her words. "You know," he shrugged a shoulder. "I guess its because I've been dumped so many times."

"Oh, right," Kay said, now closer to a normal frame of mind and body than seconds before. "Noah of endless girlfriends and even more dates, dumped? I'm sure." She sniffled, trying to regan her composure before Jessica, or anyone for that matter, made her way out here. "All that drama aside," she began, hoping Noah would just let her momentary lapse go, "I'm really glad you're back, kid. I guess I didn't realize how much I missed you."

Noticing her attempt to escape the episode they had just shared, Noah decided to play along with Kay. At least now, she wasn't upset and crying. He'd just have to make sure he spent more time with her while he was in town. "Yeah, so I am kid," he returned. He stepped up to give her a hug, but his eyes caught Jessica and... "Gwen," he muttered, seeing the two women exchange words before the blond turned and walked in the opposite direction.

Kay immediately turned around to watch her sister walking towards them as Gwen Hotchkiss made her way in the opposite direction. She looked back to Noah, only to find him scowling, and not at Jessica. She almost said something, but remembered her own promise to him before. She didn't want him going around telling people, even if the already knew, that she was in love with Miguel Lopez-Fitzgerald.

That would be just one more complication in her already complicated life. Throwing one last forlorn look at her brother, she made her way to the back of the truck. Jessica would probably get reamed for whatever her conversation with Gwen was about, and that alone managed to brighten Kay's mood somewhat. Even as she climbed over the back gate of the truck into its bed, she heard him start in on Jess.

"Where the hell where you, Jess," Noah asked his little sister before she even made it to the truck.

Jessica's face instantly became confused as she looked to her sister for help, but only received a small shrug from Kay. Great. What had she done, anyway, she wondered, choosing her words carefully. "Well, since you decided to leave so quickly and Kay just followed after you, I was left to foot the bill. I didn't have any money on me and..."

Noah saw red. "You let Gwen pay for it?"

Jessica shrugged. "I didn't let her. She offered, really. You can ask anyone in there. She even paid for Miguel and Charity's breakfast. She said you'd have something to say about it and to tell you it was no problem. Just neighbors being neighbors." She watched as her usually sweet brother seemed to ignore her words, walking quickly to the other side of the truck. "What did I do wrong, " Jessica asked, instantly worried that she had upset him somehow.

"Nothing," Noah muttered as he unlocked the doors, signaling Jess to open hers. Slamming the door after he was seated, Noah started the truck and drove out of the parking lot back towards home. If Gwen thought she had somehow gotten the last word, then the little Princess had another thing coming.

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