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Vanessa had, by now, become pretty familiar with the path that led from the little apartment she shared with her brother and father to the one that Kam shared with his roommates. He did not live terribly far from her, and she'd found that she could get there within a quarter of an hour if she used her skateboard.

But she'd never made the trip at night before, and strained her senses for any and ever trace of a youma. Or Negaverse officer.

Powered down as she was, Vanessa couldn't help feeling vulnerable, and marvelled at the courage she'd possessed as Super Van. It wasn't gone, exactly. There weren't many things Vulcan wouldn't do for some one in need. But Vulcan was wiser than that little girl in spandex.

On that lonely winter night when Vanessa followed John Jr into the snow ********* had done more than awaken the Senshi of Volcanoes. She'd lifted the veil of obnoxious ignorance away from Vanessa's eyes. And, while she could never regret the decisions she'd made as Super Van, Vulcan finally understood why everyone she'd spoken to was so opposed to her crowbar wielding, justice serving alter ego.

Super Van wasn't strong enough.

As Vulcan, Vanessa still had a lot to learn, but she was not worried about that right now.

Because she was meeting Kam.

Smiling, excited about getting to spend time at his apartment, Vanessa took the steps up to his door two at a time. The contents of her backpack rattled softly.

She knocked. Loudly.

Vanessa, it was true, had arrived a little bit early. She'd waited as long as she possibly could and been driven almost insane by the ceaseless tick-tick-tick of the kitchen clock. It marked the time every other day with little to no problem, but Vanessa couldn't help but feel that it was conspiring against her tonight.

Now had taken forever to arrive.

She'd busied herself with chores, and packing, and had even taken time to apply some of the little make up that she owned. On anybody else the effect might have been subtle. But on Vanessa, who usually marched around au natural, it made a surprising difference.

This wasn't a date.

They were just supposed to watch movies, and eat popcorn, and goof around. Vanessa was certain that this was what would happen. They'd spent a lot of time together, but Kam hadn't demonstrated anything other than platonic interest. And she had more than noticed his preference for pretty girls.

She wondered if she looked silly.

"I thought we'd watch," Vanessa trailed off on purpose, and took a moment to dig inside her bag. When she'd finally found what she was looking for ("Aha!") she pulled it out and smacked it gently against his thigh. "The Shining!"

Now. Where did she put it in?

Kam's gaze was like a lazer beam where it touched her skin. Vanessa was aware of the way he was looking at her, and felt remarkably like an ant underneath a magnifying glass. Her hair was not long enough to hide behind, and she was vulnerable to his stare.

Vanessa had grown so used to blushing in his presence that she didn't even notice the heat in her cheeks now.

"Yeah, sure," she agreed softly, and stood up when he asked to turn down the lights. They were plunged into darkness, and the butterflies in Vanessa's belly protested fervently.

All of Vanessa's senses were on the alert. The smile she offered Kam was a little uneasy. Vanessa coughed and was compelled by anxiety to speak.

"I was really young the first time I saw this movie," she settled easily onto the cushions beside Kam, curling up with her feet underneath her, and grabbed the bowl of popcorn. Not because she was hungry. But because she needed to do something with her hands.

"I remember I didn't really watch it, because it was soooooo long. And the little girls in the dresses always scared me. They're so creepy. Don't you think they're creepy? I think they're creepy."

The show was starting. Oh god, why was she talking?

Vanessa did not start when Kam's arm snaked along the back of the couch, but she was suddenly exquisitely aware of his warmth, and shifted where she sat with an awkward cough. There was a certain cruelty about being so close to him. Alone. In the dark.

If it was torture, it was also sweet.

"I'm not scared of them now," Vanessa was quick to reassure him. She didn't want Kam thinking she was anything other than tough and capable. Unless, of course, these things weren't sexy.

Vanessa didn't really know what sort of traits a man like Kam looked for in a woman. All she had were her guesses. So far, every single one of them had proved wrong.

She flushed three shades darker when he reached out to take some popcorn, but did not cower from the look that he gave her. She did stick her tongue out at him, and stooped to collect the remote from the floor.

"But I still think they're creepy. And so is Jack Nicholson. My favourite part of the movie is when he takes the axe to the door." Vanessa laughed. It was a comfortable sound. Without really thinking about it, she shifted closer to Kam so that he wouldn't have to reach so far for the popcorn. It was easier to forget how nervous she was, when she let her mouth run free. "He looks so ******** crazy."

Thump-thump-thump-thump.

The rhythm of Kam's fingers tapping against the sofa was a little hypnotic. It complimented their movie well.

Redrum-redrum-redrum-redrum.

And the telltale beat of her heart.

When Kam did not shift away from her (or react at all, for that matter), Vanessa settled more comfortably into the open space beside him. She was leaning against Kam, but only a little, and it would have been easy to mistake her bumbling attempt at seduction for anything other than what it was.

An invitation.

"Perfection," she sighed, golden eyes shining on the television screen. There was a wistful note to Vanessa's voice, "is overrated."

Vanessa lapsed into silence as the movie continued, fed herself popcorn one kernel at a time, and waited quietly for Kam to make his move. If he intended to at all.

Vanessa waited.

And waited.

And waited.

For a split second, when that strong arms fell so lazily across her shoulders, she thought that they were finally going to get somewhere.

But Kam seemed more interested in the movie than the other things they could be doing. She wondered if this was typical heterosexual male behaviour and, for a moment, entertained the idea that Kam might not have been into girls. This was a train of thought she quickly brushed aside, if only because it meant any chance she had at getting what she wanted from him was suddenly zero.

What did she want from him?

Vanessa wasn't really sure. She was the queen of rash decisions. This wasn't about trying to hook herself a boyfriend. Vanessa hadn't ever even thought of herself as a girlfriend. It was about an attraction, and a desire to have something in her life that wasn't rooted in obligation.

"Kam," Vanessa whispered, conscious of the way his hair brushed her skin, and inclined her head in his direction. She shifted when he didn't respond, golden eyes shining on his handsome face, and turned her body towards his.

Skin brushed against skin. Vanessa's hand found Kam's chest and, before he probably had a chance to figure out what was going on or push her away, their lips met.

Her kiss was sweet.

Vanessa had never been more aware of someone in her whole life. She felt it under her palm when Kam stiffened and, fearing that he would try to push her away, pressed stubbornly closer to his larger frame.

But then he was returning her kiss, and it seemed Vanessa had been worried for nothing. She made a soft, excited little sound and responded accordingly.

There were kisses in Vanessa's past. But they were nothing like this one. Tonight, she had chosen. Tonight, it was she who'd stepped over the line and into the unknown.

Her heart pounded. Her skin tingled.

And, for a moment, it looked like she was going to get everything that she'd ached for. Kam was going to pull her closer. Oh, Kam was going to forget about the movie and kiss her the way that she needed to be kissed.

Except. He didn't.

Vanessa was too surprised to pull away. It was all she could do to stare at Kam. Her eyes bore into his, and swept over the almost dreamy expression on his face. If she was not mistaken, he'd seemed to enjoy their kiss. She remembered the gentle pressure of his lips against hers, and was confused.

When she spoke, her voice was an uncooperative whisper. "Don't tell me what I want."

Fine.

Whatever.

If she was that repulsive, he didn't have to do anything.

Vanessa fell against the back of the sofa with an indignant sigh as Kam stood up, and was preparing to take up as little space as possible at the other end when he switched on the lights.

She stilled at once, like a cat caught doing something naughty, and blinked in his direction. It took a moment for his words to register. Vanessa had never been good at dealing with feelings. Her cheeks were bright red with humiliation, but she was otherwise calm. Nobody was more surprised about this than she was.

She didn't understand why they couldn't just return to their movie.

But Kam just kept on talking. And talking. And talking. He even sounded angry.

Whatever control Vanessa had over her temper snapped like a twig under the pressure of his frustration. She stood up like a shot, hands balled into fists at her sides because the temptation to throw something at him was too strong. Her fingernails cut into her palms, and helped soothe the rage that boiled in the pit of her stomach.

"What the ******** are you mad for?"

She was not shouting, but she didn't need to. The pain in her voice was plain enough.

"I get it, okay? You can cut it out with the lecture already!"

In Vanessa's whole life there wasn't a single person who hadn't talked down to her at some point. Everybody else thought they knew better than she did. Everybody else thought they knew what she needed. Until this moment she'd thought Kam, who'd backpacked through South America and even eaten snakes, was different.

But he wasn't. And that hurt almost as much as the sting of his rejection.

"Catastrophe aver-

The last thing he said made her breath catch in her throat. For a long time, all Vanessa could do was stare.

And then, blinking rapidly, she spun on her heel and snatched her bag up from where she'd left it on the floor. She stormed across Kam's apartment to the door, mumbling furiously under her breath the whole way.

"God damn, it's not like I was ******** asking him to propose."

Without looking back over her shoulder Vanessa left, and slammed the door behind her.