Supreme is flying as fast as he can, the red streak behind him flickers with his power. But this time there is no emergency. No, his rush is in the woman he holds tight to him. Gwen aka Aura, his date. He promised her a picnic date, and he's picked a great day in Kansas. The sky is as blue as far as the eye can see. The sun is mild, enough to give light and not burn. The wind sways the corn and wheat so very slightly. He smiles as he slowly descends towards his old home, where he grew up.

Gwen smiles, her arms over Ethan's arms and her hands covering his hands as he holds her in flight. She has the power of flight, herself, but no matter how fast she eventually gets, she will NEVER turn this little pleasure down!
She's humming "Fly Me To The Moon," as they shoot through the sky. One day soon-- once she's learned the secret of making herself impervious to the atmosphere and outer space-- she'll hold him to that promise!
But for right now she's very excited to finally see where Ethan aka Supreme grew up! What kind of atmosphere raised the most powerful-- and handsome!-- man on earth, she wonders.

He touches down just outside his house. The house is two stories and white, and a long porch on the side has a swing and two rocking chairs. The house looks very much what you'd expect to see in Kansas. There is also one lone barn out by the cornfield. It is old and rickety.

"Here it is," Ethan says letting Gwen down. "This is where I grew up. There isn't a neighbor for miles." he says smiling. "The biggest backyard you could ever want."

Gwen grins as she slowly looks around. She puts her hands on her hips and looks back at Ethan coyly. "Not a neighbor for miles, eh?" she grins, wiggling her eyebrows. She laughs, fluffing out her hair, and then starts taking a look around.
"Wow...I would have LOVED this much space to practice in growing up!! I could have designated that area over there to be a track to run on, and that section over there as a section to practice throwing in..." she speculates, her eyes sparkling. "I bet Radar LOVES it here! So much space to play in! So your parents grew corn?" she asks, peering over at the fields. "Does he still farm, or does he hire people to farm it for him?" she asks curiously.

"He hires out now. He used to when I was young, and I helped him." Ethan says. He looks over at the porch and waves. "Speaking of Radar," he says.

Radar jumps off the porch and runs over to Gwen and Ethan. He yips and barks happily by their side. James waves from the porch. "Hey kids!" he says.

"My dad and Radar came home the other day. No need to keep them at the Denver center now." Ethan says.

"Ooh!" Gwen laughs, covering her mouth. "I didn't know that!" She's blushing a little. She hopes James didn't hear her suggestive little comment about she and Ethan being the only ones around for miles!
"Hey Radar, hey!" she exclaims, squatting down and hugging Radar. "I bet you're glad to be back at home! Not a lot of space to run around in over at the center, huh!" she smiles. She looks up and waves back at James.
"Hello James! Welcome home!" she calls with a big smile.

"Thanks, Gwen! I've got some lemonade for your picnic," James says and winks at Ethan. "And the fried chicken is warming in the oven!"

Radar hugs her with his head and licks her face. Images of the cornfield, running, flying, and James in his rocking chair enter her mind.

Gwen closes her eyes and smiles at the happy images. He really IS happy to be home! She wishes her family dogs had been able to do this! Then she'd have known when they were happy or sad or any other emotion a dog can feel!

Ethan laughs. "He really likes you," he says. "Let's go in and get our food." he says. He takes her arm and leads her towards the house. In the distance, Gwen can see a small grave on top of the hill.

Gwen glances over at it and her expression turns somber. It's exactly as Radar had shown her in her mind. She holds Ethan's arm as he leads her to the house, but keep sneaking glances at it. It must be so hard on James, Ethan AND Radar to have her grave right in plain sight all the time. Sad...but maybe comforting, too? Maybe. She glances back at Radar and gives him a tiny nod to let him know she saw it.

Radar nods at her sadly and then follows them up to the porch.
James sits there with a big smile on his face. "Two dates in one week." he says. "Should I be cleaning the shotgun and asking your intentions towards my son?" James says with a big grin.

Ethan laughs, "Thanks Dad. I think I'll go get the food. Be right back," he says as he walks through the screen door.

Gwen watches Ethan go into the house with a big grin on her face, and then turns back to James and laughs loudly. She sits down in the other rocking chair and scratches behind Radar's ears. She likes that James is treating her like a suitor rather than some delicate flower!
"So you heard about our little cruise on Lake Superior I take it!" she grins. "All right I confess. I'm very smitten with your son. Shall I sign something in blood swearing that I have nothing but the best, purest intentions towards him? Well...BEST intentions, anyway!" she grins, holding out her arm as if she really intends to open a vein on this promise!

"Ok," James says trying to get up. "I'll get the pen." he chuckles. He sits back down and pats her on the knee. "And my son is very smitten with you it seems. But don't worry I'll keep your secret," he says with a wink. "So what do you think of the old homestead? It isn't much to look at, but we get by."

"Isn't much to look at??" Gwen cries incredulously. "It's fantastic! NO one in southern California has a yard THIS big! Not even close! I would have died to have a yard like this! And it must have been so fun growing up on a farm...getting to run the big tractors and things before you're even 16! And your house is huge!" She smiles at James. "Now I see who Ethan gets his humility from!"

James chuckles and pats her knee. "You I like." he says. He looks out at the cornfield and points to a particular patch. "That's where he saved me. He was just a little guy, about seven or eight at the time. We were thrashing the corn during the harvest and I hit a dip in the way. I fell off and the thrasher was about to fall on me, when he lifted it right up. The whole thing!" he says proudly. "That's when I knew he was supposed to do what he's doing now."

Gwen gazes at the place James pointed out to her and nods her head. "He told me about that..." she says sounding a touch solemn. "And he loves doing what he's doing right now. He's living his dream...his passion. He's so lucky he landed here with you and Mrs. Crane where he was a baby instead of in Russia or something...I don't know how Divis got the way he did..." Gwen shakes her head, still gazing out at the spot.

James chuckles. "Well nothing compares to having a good mother," he says. "So tell me about your family. Are they as proud of you as I am of Ethan back there?" he says jerking his thumb at Ethan.

Gwen smiles. "Yes they are. They came to visit me at the Denver Center when my brother Pete was under protection there. My mom has a scrapbook she's been making of me ever since I erupted and joined with Caestus-- all these newspaper articles and things! She gets worried everytime I'm sent out on a mission!" Gwen chuckles.
"And me and Dad had a really good talk and he told me how he never misses a newscast or show that I'm on." She gives a little sigh. "I hadn't seen them in 5 years because of a fight me and Dad got into about what high school I should attend. I was so nervous about seeing my dad again, but Ethan talked to me and helped me calm down and gave me the courage to approach Dad, and that's how I found out Dad wanted to reconcile just as much as I did! So now everything's back to normal-- BETTER than normal-- with my parents!" she smiles. "Who I know would love to meet you and Ethan some time!"

James smiles, "That's wonderful to hear, Gwen. Parents and children shouldn't stay mad at each other." he says. "So this Denver center. Is it some kind of protection base or something? They sent Pete there then me. Is that what it's there for?"

Gwen shakes her head. "No...but it was the closest Aeon-place to San Diego when my brother's life was being threatened, so when I asked Caestus if we could shelter my brother for a while he suggested he be brought there instead of all the way out to New York. Then when YOUR life was being threatened, Denver was still the closest place to take you so that's why you were taken there, too." Gwen explains.

"Ah..." James says. He looks around to see if his son is within ear-shot. Satisfied he's not he leans forward. "My son is extremely smitten with you you know." he says. "I've never seen him carry on with a girl like this. Ever. It took him so long to bring home that other girl in high school. I never liked her."

Gwen's mouth falls open a little and she feels a burst of excitement race through her at this revelation! Then a huge smile lights up her face.
"Really??" She sits there beaming for a moment, her eyes sparkly. "Thank you, James. You don't know how much that means to me to hear...all of it." she says placing her hand on his arm. "I've..." She glances back at the house, herself, and then turns back to James.
"I had a crush on him from the moment I met him back in Geneva. He was so quiet and almost shy, but I knew what he was going through-- feeling swarmed and overwhelmed after the media finds out you're a nova and then broadcasts it 24-7 on every channel! We became friends immediately, but I always assumed he had a girlfriend so I didn't do anything. Then he told me what his girlfriend did...how she left him after he saved her life on that plane and she found out he was a nova. That just boggles my mind! Not only that someone would dump Ethan at ALL, but that it would be over such a stupid reason! I mean, what girl DOESN'T dream of having her life saved by a hero?? None that I've ever heard of! There must have been something wrong with her..." Gwen shakes her head. "Although I can't complain now! She did us BOTH a huge favor!" she smiles.
She glances back at the door again and leans in even closer to James. "I'm..." She gives a little laugh. "I'm so in love with your son, James!" she whispers, cheeks pink.

James smiles, and pats her arm. "Good to hear. Yeah there must be something wrong with her. Damned fool giving up my son." he says.

Radar sits up hearing James get all excited. He looks between Gwen and James and decides everything is OK and settles down on the porch. Ethan walks out of the screen door with a thermos and a basket in his arm. "Who's a damned fool?" he asks.

"No one." James says smiling.

Gwen grins and stands up. "Ah good! You're back! I was getting worried that you'd started the picnic without me!" she teases, taking the thermos from him to be helpful. "You know...as much as the cafeteria back in New York is incredible with their fancy chefs, I haven't had a home-cooked meal in you-don't-want-to-know-HOW-long! Probably 6 years! And that's only because I'm not counting me or Pete's cooking!" she grins.

James chuckles. "Alright you two kids have a good time. Take Radar with you. I'm going to have a nap while you're gone." he says getting up and walking to the door. "It was nice to see you again Gwen. Hope to see you back real soon." he says with a wink.

Gwen smiles and gives him a little wink back. "Thank you James!"

Ethan watches his father and Gwen and when his father's inside he turns to Gwen. "What was all that about?"

Gwen takes his arm with her free arm and starts him walking. "We were just bonding! It seems we share some viewpoints about certain issues!" She gives him a toothy grin.

"Right," Ethan says looking over at the door. He shrugs. "Alright ready to go? I got the fried chicken, the lemonade and the blanket. Anything I'm missing?" he asks.

Radar jumps up and trots to his side happily. He sits next to Ethan. "I didn't forget you, Radar."

Gwen smiles. "Cups? Or did you want to share the thermos?" she asks with a coy glance up at him. "It's interesting how whenever I show up your dad suddenly needs to 'take a nap,' don't you think?" she asks, trying to sound nonchalant.

"It is interesting, isn't it?" Ethan says. "Perhaps he's just tired a lot." he says. "We can share the thermos." he says. "Alright follow me. There's a tree just over that hill. It has a really nice view of the valley." he says. He puts his arm in hers and walks her towards the hill.

Gwen wonders if Ethan's distracted. He's not catching any of her little flirty remarks at all! 'What if he's secretly annoyed by them,' she wonders in a sudden panic.
"Hey Ethan? Is everything OK?" she asks worriedly. "You seem a little distracted."

"Hmm?" Ethan says. "Oh," he says shaking his head. "I'm sorry. Yes, I'm a little distracted. I was thinking about what to do about our next date. I mean this is nice but how do I top our last one." he says with a smile. "I don't want you to be disappointed." he says.

Gwen smiles with relief. "Oh you silly guy! It doesn't matter what we do, as long as we are together and having fun!" she laughs, giving his arm a little slug. "Speaking of dates, I met with some of our lab-techs about how to train myself to be tougher so I could survive in space, and they've got brain-scans of what parts of your brain you use to do that, and they're going to help me try to stimulate those parts into functioning! I was serious when I said I wanted to fly to the moon with you!" she smiles excitedly.

Ethan smiles. "I would love that." he says. "I could show you all the constellations and planets. It would be so wonderful," he says. "And you get such a clear view. Thanks, Gwen that would mean a lot to me," he says.

Radar jogs along besides them panting and smiling.

"To me, too! Hey-- and if you ever had a mission where you had to fly into space to do it-- like the space station mission-- you'd finally have someone who could go with you as back-up!" she smiles brightly. "Not that you need back-up, but...you never know!" she smiles. Then she remembers something.
"Bad news...Dylan McShane's father died while we were in the Mediterranean fighting. It seems the McShane Christmas party has been cancelled, and I don't think any of us know Dylan well enough to do more than send him our condolences." she says with a sigh.

"I met him at the party. He seemed nice." Ethan says. "His father died...I should send a card." he says. They finally reach the top of the hill and Ethan spread out the blanket while Radar frolics around in the grass. Gwen and Ethan sit down to enjoy their picnic.
"Ever see the sky this blue? Or have you always lived in the city?"

Gwen smiles. "The sky NEVER gets this blue in southern California! Even the sky over the ocean has a bit of a haze to it! It's because of the smog," she says with the resigned shrug of a California native. "Living in Chicago must be a complete change for you! How are you adjusting?" she asks curiously.

"The city is alright. But if I need to see a blue sky, I just fly up to the clouds." he says. Ethan looks over to her. "Just how high can you go up? Have you tried to go far?"

Gwen nods, looking sheepish. "I'm not sure how far I got, but there came a point where I started getting light-headed and uncomfortable, so-- as much as it killed my pride-- I came back down. I'm sure I was getting close to the atmosphere. I just figured it would be a million times more embarrassing if I kept going and ended up passing out and falling to the earth, or else burning up in the atmosphere! Talk about blunders, hehehe!" she jokes.
Ethan still feels like he's a little off to her...like he's making small-talk because he's thinking about something else. She doesn't want to keep asking him if everything's all right. What if he overheard she and his father talking and heard something he...didn't like??
She looks at him for a moment. Sometimes it's not words, but physically connecting that a couple needs. She takes his chicken out of his hand and places it down on his napkin, and then scoots close to him. She sits cross-legged and motions for him to put his head in her lap.

Ethan smiles and scoots over and lays his head in her lap. He looks up into her eyes and sighs. "Now this is nice." he says. "I love you Gwen. You know that? I really do. I love you." he says with a smile.

Gwen's heart stops and her eyes actually get a little teary. This is the first time he's said those words to her!! She stares at him wide-eyed for a moment, and then beams a bright smile down on him. Bending forward and holding his head in her hands, she kisses him in a sort of upside-down position that's a little exotic-- her bottom lip touching his top lip and her top lip touching his bottom lip. "I love you, too." she whispers and then kisses him again, joy flooding her soul.

Ethan smiles as they kiss. This feels nice, just her and he on top of this hill and no one except Radar around. The whole world could just disappear and that would be fine with him. He reaches up and touches the back of her head to bring her just a bit closer.

Radar stops frolicking to look over at the two kissing. He yips in happiness and sits there smiling.

Gwen shifts around so that she's laying next to Ethan on the ground-- all the while never breaking the kiss-- and then puts her arms around him and pulls him to her so that they're both laying on their sides facing each other. She runs her fingers through his hair as she kisses him and just enjoys being pressed to him comfortingly while everything else disappears inside the kiss. She sends Radar a quick thought that she's so glad he's happy, and she's not ignoring him on purpose!

Ethan holds her even closer, still not breaking the kiss. He lets her on top of him as he moves his hands down her back to the crest of her buttocks. Finally he breaks the kiss. "Wow..." he sighs. "That was great." he says. He smiles at her dreamily. "Would you like to stay the night?"

Gwen almost melts away into a faint in his arms right there! She'd had no idea how long it would be before she heard those words, but she'd been quite prepared to wait however long it took. So to hear those words now...wow!!
She shivers a little in his arms as she looks down at him, brushing his hair back with her fingertips and smiling. "I would like that...very much..." she says, feeling her body flush with heat. This is all SO different than her experience with Andre! When Andre asked if she wanted to sleep with him it was more of a relief because she was finally going to experience something she'd never experienced before. But with Ethan it feels like the culmination of something deep and beautiful that has been building up to this moment.
She touches his face softly, feeling every curve and angle. "I'm...having a little trouble catching my breath!" she laughingly admits. "You seem to have that affect on me!"

"Tell me about it," he says with a little laugh. "I was wondering if I could even talk after that kiss." he says. He smiles and hugs her tightly. He breaks the hug and shifts over for her to lay in the crook of his arm. He looks up at the clouds happily. "I miss this place sometimes. Ever miss your home?"

Gwen snuggles next to him. 'Can it get any better than this??' she wonders to herself, and then feels herself flush again when she realizes that later on it can and surely will!
"Yes...I do. I miss the weather...the beach...that familiar way the air feels and smells when I'm home...I miss our neighborhood with the houses that all look like they were built by someone with a wood and plaster fetish!" she laughs. "And I miss how physically active everyone is-- people jogging or skating or cycling by all day long! And now I'm free to finally go home and see everyone in my family again! And I'm dying for them to meet you, but I have a bit of a quandary! My brothers are a little braggy. Not Pete so much, but the other two. At least back when they were in high school. Could we trust them with the secret of who you are?" she asks, her forehead wrinkled.

"Well we could always lie and just say I'm Ethan Crane." Ethan says. "They don't really need to know right now. I'm sure Pete and your parents could handle the secret. Pete especially." he says. "What do you think?"

Gwen nods her head. "Yes...in fact why don't I call them and have me, you, Pete and my parents go out to dinner! That way Richie and Nick won't accidentally walk in on it! Hey-- we could even fly those three out to the center in New York and have dinner in the building! That way you wouldn't have to worry about being incognito because it wouldn't be out in public, and then I can show off my little penthouse to everyone!" she grins a toothy grin. "We can tell those three everything, and just hold off on Nick and Richie until I get a feel for how trustworthy they are."
"Speaking of that, I've been thinking. It's only a matter of time before Supreme and Aura are seen flying around together-- if the Teregen are spying on us. I think maybe we should reverse our original plan of having Aura date Ethan and have her dating Supreme instead. With the Edgar-threat removed, Aura dating Ethan would only bring unwanted attention to Ethan. Think of how the press will mob you everytime you arrive at or leave the courthouse...your apartment...your office-- just like what happens to most novas right now-- all wanting the scoop on what kind of lover Aura is!" she grins.
"I think Ethan should be able to function as anonymously as possible, and not link him to Aeon or Project Utopia or Caestus more than we have to or he might get unwanted enemies in the form of the Teregen or others. Whereas if Aura was linked with Supreme, it couldn't bring anymore Teregen-hatred to either of us than we already have-- what with me killing Frost and refusing Divis Mal's threat to join the Teregen, and you just being you!" she laughs. "What do you think? Does this sound like better logic?" she asks. She's actually been thinking hard about this ever since watching Edgar Wright be escorted into the prison and realizing that Ethan was safe now.

Ethan thinks a moment and nods. "Good point. I would never be able to do anything with the press hanging around me all the time." he says. "Alright it's decided then." he says with a wink. "You must have given that some thought, Gwen. I never would have thought about the press. You must have to deal with them often."

Gwen nods her head exaggeratedly, rolling her eyes. "God, Ethan-- you wouldn't believe it! Next time you're at our headquarters in New York, take a peak at the front of the building! They never leave! That's why we have the secret exit in the back to drive out of! And when we were at the prison, the paparazzi showed up only an hour after we got there! Somehow they found out we were going to be there! Oh boy...they would NEVER leave poor Ethan alone! I actually made a list in the back of the plane on the way home of the pros and cons for linking Ethan with Aura vs. Supreme, and in the end it just seemed like Ethan was going to get the worse end of the stick!"
Gwen snuggles closer to Ethan, rubbing his chest slowly. "However...Gwen can still call in on Ethan in Chicago! I can always create a disguise, too, you know!" she wiggles her eyebrows. "Or fly up to your window at night and tap-tap-tap to be let in..." she laughs.

Ethan laughs. "Wait wait...you made a list?" he says, he hugs her close again. "You made a list. It must have been really important." he says chuckling. "Alright alright you've convinced me. Supreme and Aura will date, and Gwen and Ethan can meet as well." he says smiling. "You made a list?"

Gwen laughs hard, squeezing him tight. "I did! Because YOU are really important!" she says tickling him in the ribs. "And it was a pleasure to spend the whole flight home thinking about you-- no matter WHAT the issue in question!" she grins, trying to tickle him again.

Ethan laughs and squeezes her tighter. "You're really important too," he says. He kisses her on the lips-- just a peck-- and smiles at her. "You know Dad's going to be very upset. He made all this chicken and we haven't even touched it yet. You hungry?"

Gwen grins, and then pretends to look thoughtful as she puts her hand on her stomach. She waits for a moment and then nods. "Hmmm...yes! I believe I am!" she smiles. "Besides...we'll need to build up our strength, right?" she grins a big grin, and then blushes a little and laughs, sitting up and handing Ethan's plate back to him, and then getting her own.
"Speaking of your dad...do you think he'll be a little...mmm...shocked if I come downstairs for breakfast tomorrow morning?" she says, an indirect way of asking how his father's going to react to her sleeping with Ethan in his house...or at all!

Ethan chuckles. "I'm not saying anything about that." he says with a wink taking his plate. He opens the basket and takes out the big plate of fried chicken and potato salad. "All I'll say is that he made up my bed today and threw on another pillow." he says.

Gwen squeals and slugs Ethan's arm, eyes staring incredulously but giving him a huge-- if surprised-- smile!
"You SNEAK!" she laughs hard, slugging his arm again. Wow! Now she doesn't feel so risqu� for telling James that she had not-so-pure intentions towards his son!
"You two are quite a pair!" she grins. "How did I get so lucky!?" She reaches over and pulls his hand to her mouth and takes a bite from his chicken, giving him mischievous eyes.

"By being so great. How did I get so lucky?" Ethan says. He takes a bite from the chicken as well. "Hey this is good...hmmm...this doesn't taste like Dad's chicken." he says. He looks at the plate and lifts it up and looks at the bottom. He sighs and pulls off a receipt from the bottom. "KFC. I knew it! And he harassed me all day about how he slaved away at this!"

Gwen laughs hard. "I wasn't going to say anything, but I KNEW this tasted familiar, and I had no idea your dad knew the Colonels' Secret Recipe!" she winks. "But I can forgive him! We'll just make him cook us something from scratch NEXT time! And we'll be over early to watch!" she laughs.
She opens the thermos and takes a swallow of the lemonade. "Don't tell me-- he said he squeezed the lemonade himself from fresh lemons!" she teases, handing him the thermos. "It tastes good though!"

"It's probably Crystal Light!" Ethan says with a laugh. "I'm going to get him good for this," he says. He looks at Gwen sneakily. "Should we play it up that it was really bad chicken and tasted awful?" he says. "Or we could say it gave us food poisoning."

Gwen laughs. "Maybe he just didn't think we'd GET to the food!" She wiggles her eyebrows at him. "So he didn't want to waste the effort on making it from scratch! But I like your food-poisoning idea! Maybe we just don't come down for breakfast...he'll probably think we're just enjoying our privacy...but he'll eventually come check up on us, and then we can be moaning and clutching our stomachs in pain!" she laughs. "That could also explain all the moaning he'll hear during the night!" she grins, raising an eyebrow and letting her fingertips trail lightly down his arm.

Ethan laughs. "I like that." he says. "I'm sure he'd know we'd eat the food, just because he said he made it." he says. "But still we'll come home and start talking about our stomachs and then go to bed. He'll think it's an excuse for us to go to bed early. But then like you said in the morning we can pretend to be really sick!"

Gwen laughs. "I like it! Then maybe he'll be horrified thinking he ruined our romantic evening, and we'll get the last laugh!" she grins a toothy grin. "I have to ask. Have you two always been like this? You know...trying to get the sneaky upper-hand? Your mother must have been constantly entertained!" she laughs, taking another bite of her chicken.

Ethan laughs. "Yes. We're always pulling tricks on each other. It's like a family tradition. I once put baking soda paste in his shampoo, the next day he put cottage cheese in my yogurt, knowing how much I hate cottage cheese. We do things like that. You're not weirded out are you?"

Gwen gives him a look with her eyebrow raised. "You forget. I have three brothers! Three OLDER brothers!" she grins. "Why do you think I got so buff?" she asks, flexing her biceps. "Self-defense!" she laughs. "Never knew I'd be fighting super-villains one day! I got quite the training for it at home!" she laughs.
She pauses. "I talked to Andre. He took it really well! In fact, he looked a little guilty! Then he confessed that he'd developed a crush on SLIDER! Now we know why he was keeping THAT a secret! She's only 17!" she laughs.

Ethan nods, "Really? She seems like a good girl. I like her. She seems very dedicated to helping those who are less fortunate than her." he says. "Dad thinks she's a hottie," he says shaking his head. "Not something you want to hear from your father.'
"This is good lemonade. He may have made it himself."

Gwen rolls her eyes. "Hottie, eh? She's just a child!" she says before she can stop herself. She doesn't understand what all the commotion is about Slider! She seems so boring! All into her little causes and things! Whereas Gwen finds HERSELF rather exciting! Always sent on the most dangerous missions! Posing for Maxim and Playboy! Getting her hands dirty in the blood of the enemy!
She shrugs and takes the thermos from Ethan, taking another swallow. "Sorry...your dad's opinions aside, she and Andre WOULD make a really cute couple...in a year or so..." She closes the lid on the thermos. "It's just too bad Slider put in for a transfer to StormWatch and Caestus is going to accept. If it had been Songbird transferring, then maybe Pumpkin could finally get the guts to get with her! But now neither Andre NOR Pumpkin are going to be happy!"

Ethan laughs and looks at Gwen. "Are you jealous? You seem it. Aren't you glad that Andre let you off so easy?" he asks with a little worry. "I mean Slider is a great person, and she has all these causes, but she's not as exciting as you are. She's just a girl, you are a woman, and the most lovely exciting woman I've ever met."

"Oh stop..." Gwen says, pushing Ethan's shoulder with a little smile. "I'm really not jealous-- except maybe of your dad thinking she's hot! *I* wanted to be his favorite nova-girl!" she grins. "I admit I was taken off-guard by the fact that Andre already had his eye on someone. I mean, if I'd never had the guts to ask YOU out, it would have been ME getting the 'special talk,' and here I was so worried about giving HIM the talk! No but seriously, he and Slider would be cute together. Once I got over my initial shock of betrayal, I was excited for him! Well...'betrayal' is a harsh word considering MY reason for sitting down with him in the first place!" she laughs. "Oh just tell your dad not to talk about Slider being hot in front of me and all will be well!" she laughs.

Ethan sighs a little in relief and chuckles, "That's a deal." he says. He looks back to the house and sees his dad get in the truck and flash his lights at him. He then pulls out and heads down the road.

Radar looks up at the sound and watches James leave. He stands up deciding whether or not to go, but then settles down when he decides not to.

"My dad is gone. Want to head back to the house?" Ethan asks with a bit of a smile.

Gwen looks at Ethan in surprise again, and then glances over to where Ethan's looking and gives a laugh. "So he is! You sneaky Crane men!" she laughs. "You think of everything!" She takes Ethan's hand and looks into his eyes.
"I'm sorry if I brought the mood down before. I didn't mean to. Andre is a good friend but...I guess I'll never forget that he turned me down and told me I was 'too much woman for him' the first time I asked him out. A girl never quite loses her self-consciousness after that...wondering if he still thinks that and he's just with me to pass the time until the next girl. You know? With you I feel like a complete woman...not TOO much woman. It's just so far better with you that I can't even begin to explain. And we haven't even...well..." she laughs and blushes. "We haven't even gotten back to the house yet!" she smiles, lowering her eyelids. "And it's STILL better!"

"It IS better," Ethan says. "Of course, we could always wait and see how better it gets before we go into the house," he says with a wink. "Yeah let's do that. Let's wait a few months and see how good it really is," he says in all seriousness, he tries to hide his chuckling knowing what she'll say.

Gwen's mouth falls open and she smacks his arm. "Oh no you don't!" she laughs. "You've already got me to the point where I'll carry YOU into the house MYSELF if you try to pull THAT!" she grins, poking at him, trying to tickle him again. She puts down her plate and climbs into his lap, facing him and wrapping her legs around him. She leans in and kisses him deeply, and then breaks the kiss.
"Hmmm...weeell...we could always just sit here and kiss instead. Kissing just seems to get better and better...right?" she asks, pressing her chest against his and pretending to look wide-eyed and innocent.

"Yes, oh yes kissing is oh so much better and better each time we do it," Ethan says. "Let's practice for awhile," he says. "Before we get to the real thing." He leans in and kisses her softly and then passionately, the heat rising in his skin. He trembles as he touches her back and runs his hands through her hair.

Gwen moans softly. They're pressed so close together than she can tell he's just kidding about staying out here. She can feel him tremble and feel the heat rising up between them. She gives a shuddery sigh against his mouth.
"Nevermind...I give in...let's go to the house..." she whispers, feeling light-headed and flushed.

Ethan nods mutely. He stands up and picker her up with him. He turns to the house and flies there straight and lands on the porch. Radar watches them fly off. And gives a little yip. He lifts up and flies straight towards the porch as they head in through the door, Radar behind them.
Ethan smiles at her. "Upstairs..." he breathes and carries her towards his bedroom.