He placed his hands on hers and held them there for a long moment. Then he gently pulled them away. Without thinking, he realized that he was smiling. "I don't know… Dan," he teased as he turned around.

Her eyes flared in mock anger for a second, then she smiled.

"Oh, it's you," he said.

"Yes, it's me," she said. Then she just looked at him silently.

"Working late?" he asked, his voice rough. Surprisingly, he found that he was nervous.

She shook her head. "Dan's Web site. You're going to have to help me with that," she said.

"Maybe tomorrow… or…," Kyle began.

"I didn't mean tonight," she said. "I'm sure we can come up with something better to do tonight.”

Kyle's throat went dry. She watched him with a look of mild amusement on her face.

"What do you think, Kyle?" she said.

As it turned out, Kyle found that his mind was com- pletely blank. Then all he could think of was how good she smelled. What was that perfume? he thought.

And then she was moving. She leaned into him and put one hand around the back of his neck. As she pulled his head down, she extended her own neck.

Then she was kissing him. Soft and then open. For a moment, Kyle felt it. Sweet relief. This was exactly what he had wanted from the first second he had seen her sitting at her desk. There were no aliens, no Special Unit, no bullets slamming into his chest, no secrets… only her. And she was sweet.

For what seemed like a long time, Kyle lost himself in her. He kissed her firmly, and she answered back even more forcefully. This was what he needed. He wasn't a monk. And Buddha's Middle Way did not ask him to be.

Dawn was what he needed… but what he wanted was…

Isabel.

Not Dawn.

When the realization hit him, it did so with a sudden force that he felt in his stomach. He pulled his mouth away from hers. For a moment, she pulled him back with her tight grip. Then he was free again, pushing himself away gently but firmly.

"What is it, Kyle?" she asked, a light still on in her eyes.

"Ah… I can't, Dawn," he said weakly.

She glanced down and smiled at him again. "I know for a fact that isn't true," she said. She was still smiling, but the smile was getting tighter by the second.

"I like you. I really like you, but I won't be staying in Stonewall," he said, gaining more confidence in his own voice. The light in her eyes was almost completely out now. The look on her face hardened.

"I didn't ask you to, did I?" Dawn reminded him.

"And the van's full. I can't take anyone with me," he said.

Her eyes cold, she said, "I didn't ask you to do that, either.”

"I'm sorry, I…," he began.

"I know, you can't," she said sharply.

"Please understand," he said.

"Understand what?" she asked.

"I mean, I do like you," he said.

Her cold stare told him that she was expecting some- thing more. From him. But how to explain? How could he explain that it meant more to him to sit next to Isabel than it did to kiss her? How could he explain that he would rather talk to Isabel than… anything with her. Isabel was an impossible situation. She was still married, and up until days ago had been living happily with her husband. She wouldn't care what Kyle did with this girl.

But he would care. It would matter to him.

He couldn't make Dawn understand all that that. And she probably didn't really want him to try.

"I'm sorry, I really am. But there is someone else in my life," he said.

He saw a brief flash before the side of his face exploded into red.

Smack! His hand was touching his cheek before what had hap- pened registered on him. As he rubbed the place where she'd slapped him, she began shouting.

"Then why have you been playing with me, Kyle?" she said, drawing his name out like it was a curse. He thought she was overreacting. He felt compelled to try to calm her down.

"I…," was all he could say.

"This whole time, this whole game!" she said, her voice getting louder still.

Kyle kept silent. He had nothing to say. At least, there was nothing he could say that wouldn't make things worse.

"You've just been playing with me. Having a good joke at the local girl's expense!" she railed.

It had been a long time since he had seen a girl truly angry. And even longer still since he had been on the receiving end of that rage. It was unsettling. "I'm sorry," he said again. He knew it was lame.

Apparently she did, too. She was still angry, but some- thing was changing. Her eyes were beginning to get red.

Uh-oh, he thought. Angry was better.

As she started to sob, she turned and stormed away. Kyle let out a long sigh, glad it was finally over.

But before he had taken another breath, Kyle heard Gomer's voice.

"Dawn," he called out. Kyle could hear concern in his voice.

Gomer stepped into the garage. He didn't even glance Kyle's way and said, "Your dad said that you told him not to pick you up. I just wanted to make sure you got home okay.”

Yeah, and make sure she didn't work too late with me here, Kyle thought.

Dawn didn't respond, she just kept walking across the shop floor toward him. When she was just a few steps away, Kyle could see that Gomer had finally seen her face.

"What's going on here?" he asked, looking first to Dawn, then to Kyle.

"We were just talking," Kyle said.

Then he saw Dawn's shoulders shake and heard her first sob. Gomer looked both surprised and confused. Great, Kyle thought.

When Gomer looked at Kyle again, Kyle saw that some- thing else was brewing there.

"You," Gomer said, glaring at Kyle. Kyle saw that the only thing that kept Gomer from coming after him was Dawn falling into Gomer's arms. Whatever control she had fell away, and she sobbed openly into his chest.

"What did he do to you?" Gomer asked.

Kyle had thought Gomer sounded dangerous before, when he had trapped Kyle under the car. But now Kyle knew that Gomer had just been playing then, because now he was hearing what Gomer sounded like when he was really dangerous.

Well, Kyle had faced bigger and tougher guys on the football field. He could be pretty dangerous himself.

And he wasn't stuck under a three-ton car now. Kyle felt a shot of adrenaline race through his system.

Gomer was holding Dawn, but looking up at Kyle with murder in his eyes. Buddha only knew what he was thinking.

When Dawn's sobs began to subside, Gomer pulled back a little and said to her, "What happened here?”

"Nothing," she squeaked. "I just want to go home.”

"Sure, in a minute," Gomer said, completely disentan- gling himself from Dawn. He immediately headed for Kyle.

Kyle squeezed the fist on his right hand into a ball, ready. He was tired of running, and decided that he was going to give Gomer a surprise. It was almost too bad that he and Gomer would be getting into it over Dawn. Though Kyle knew that he had done nothing to her, Gomer didn't.

Kyle was tired of being a victim. Nevertheless, if Gomer kept his head, Kyle wouldn't make a move against him.

But it looked like Gomer was going to make the first move. Without stopping, he reached out with both hands and shoved Kyle hard.

Expecting it, Kyle didn't hesitate. He stood his ground and shoved back even harder. That surprised Gomer. The fury in his eyes dulled a bit, and uncertainty began to dawn there.

"What did you do?" Gomer said.

"Nothing," Kyle said. "At least nothing to Dawn. Touch me again and I will take you apart, though." Kyle saw that Gomer was buying his bravado. The uncertainty in the bigger man's eyes was growing.

"Dawn, did he hurt you?" Gomer asked, not taking his eyes off Kyle.

There was a long pause, and then Dawn said, "No, he's just a jerk. Take me home, Gomer.”