"Let's see...I've got cards, some comics, and a game console," Sebastian said, pulling the items out of a backpack. He spread them out on the edge of Abigail's bed at Harvey's clinic. It was Fall 11, nearly a week after their cave adventure. It would be a while before Abigail could walk on her leg, but she was otherwise, thankfully, alright. Just bored with being bedridden.

"Ooh, games, please. Gimme gimme," she said with a laugh, stretching down as best she could to reach it.

"You've had a lot of visitors," Sebastian said, looking around at all the gifts scattered and stacked in her curtained-off room.

Abigail looked up from the console. "Sam brought the radio and some movies. Vincent is letting me keep an eye on his pet snail. All the flowers are from my mom, she won't stop bringing them. And Penny and Evelyn made the cookies-you can help yourself."

Sebastian didn't need to be told who had made which cookies; he pulled back the plastic wrap and took one of the drier, more burnt-looking ones.

"What happened here?" He pointed at the desk, where a few ink splotches had been unsuccessfully cleaned up.

"Ah...Elliott's been doing some writing here during the day. He seems to be worried that something will happen to me if I'm left alone for longer than five minutes." Abigail absentmindedly picked up a piece of coral from her side table.

Sebastian would usually tease Abigail for her sudden closeness with Elliott, but he felt too thankful to the man to say anything about it.

"Look what Alex lent me." She laughed and held up one of those hand squeeze-y exercise things. "I might be skipping leg day for the next month or so, but I'll have the grip strength of a gorilla!" She squeezed it a few times to demonstrate, but had to use both hands.

"Are you ready to go home tomorrow?" Sebastian asked.

She shrugged. "Yeah, but it's been kind of fun having so many visitors popping in. It'll be weird to be in my room again. Although, dad says it'll drum up business since anyone who wants to see me will have to walk through the store."

"That's Pierre for you," Sebastian said.

"You're coming on Saturday, right?"

"For pumpkin carving? Wouldn't miss it."

"And you won't be weird if Elliott's there?" Abigail asked suspiciously.

Sebastian scoffed. "Weird? When am I ever weird?"

"You know what I mean." She rolled her eyes. "You don't always want to hang out with random people you don't know, which I get."

Sebastian shook his head resolutely. "You know what I always say. A friend of Abby's is a friend of mine."

"You have never, ever said that."

"Really? I could have sworn..." Sebastian pondered sarcastically. "Ah, I meant, 'A friend of Abby's, who holds her hand while she's waiting to be rescued in a cave, is a friend of mine'."

Abigail couldn't roll her eyes harder if she tried. "Oh, right, I have heard you say exactly that." She shook her head and spoke more seriously. "He's kind of an odd duck, but he's a really nice guy, and I'll think you'll like him if you give him a chance."

"I'm sure I will," Sebastian said genuinely.

Abigail looked out the window. "It feels lately...like things are changing. I don't know if it's good or bad...but it feels unstoppable." She sighed. "You and me and Sam, we spend all this time talking about getting out of the valley, or getting the band off the ground, or just doing anything. But we don't. And I think maybe I was afraid of things actually changing."

"And now?" Sebastian asked. "Are you still afraid?"

She laughed. "Yes. Definitely. But I don't think there's anything I can do to stop it, even if I wanted to."

Sebastian nodded. He'd been feeling it too, like there was something in the air. He was ready for things to change, and he was ready to make things change the way he wanted them to. "Speaking of which," Sebastian started, but he was interrupted by the sound of someone entering the clinic.

"Knock knock," Penny said before sliding open the curtain. "Hi, Abigail. Oh, hi Sebastian."

"Pen-nay! Lucky Penny! The Pen-meister," Abigail said excitedly. Then to Sebastian's critical look, she said, "What? I'm workshopping nicknames."

"I've got your paper, Abigail. It looks good, I just marked some grammatical things and spelling." Penny handed her a small stapled packet.

"Are you making her do your homework now, Abs?" Sebastian asked.

"Oh, no of course not!" Penny said earnestly. "I was just reading it over before she turned it in."

Sebastian smiled at her sincere protestations, but raised an eyebrow at Abigail.

"She offered! Scout's honor." Abigail held up her hand in a peace sign.

"Okay...but don't let her take advantage just 'cause she's injured," he said to Penny. "She hurt her leg, not her head."

"You're right, Sebastian, I'd better get on this." Abigail grinned playfully. "So you two had better shoo and let me work in peace."

Penny frowned. "Did you want to look at it together? We can-"

"No no, I am sure you were very clear. No, I'm in the mood for some peace and quiet," Abigail insisted, waving them out. Sebastian moved the stuff on the bed to the desk then followed Penny outside.

"She really didn't make me help her," Penny insisted.

"I know, I was just teasing," Sebastian said. "Are you-what are you up to today?" He hadn't been able to see her much since the night in the mines. Pam was furious with her about the whole thing, and seemed to have decided that Penny's new group of friends were a bad influence. He had only been able to see her when they happened to run into each other like today. But this time he didn't want to let the moment pass.

"Nothing," she answered quickly. "Well, my plan for the afternoon was to help Abigail with her schoolwork if she needed it, but...it looks like she doesn't need it."

Sebastian didn't know what to do with his hands, so he shoved them into his pockets. "We could, um, go for a walk? If you want."

"That sounds nice." She smiled warmly at him. "Let me just drop my tutoring stuff off at home and get a proper jacket."

They walked past the General Store and the Mullners' house on the way to Penny's trailer.

"You can come in," Penny said. "My mom's out shopping."

She didn't need to elaborate; they both knew Pam would not be thrilled to see him hanging around. Sebastian followed her in, and stayed by her bookshelf as she unpacked her bag. The house plant they'd "rescued" from the old farm was on her desk, and seemed to be thriving. It had doubled in size at least.

Then he spotted the two books he'd gotten her for birthday, displayed neatly on the center shelf.

"Did you get a chance to start Way of the Wind?" he asked.

"Start? I've finished!" she said. "I couldn't put it down. I guess we haven't had a chance to talk about them with everything that happened."

"Damn, you're fast."

Penny laughed and came over to him. "I think it's what I'm best at. Really, it's the only thing I'm good at."

"Now that's a lie and you know it." Sebastian lowered his voice to match her closeness.

"You're right, I'm also an excellent baker," she said sarcastically.

Sebastian shook his head. "You're good at teaching. At caring for people." He nodded toward the potted plant with a smile. "And for plants. You've never had a harsh word for anyone. You're clever. You're honest. And...unfalteringly sincere."

As Sebastian spoke, the color rose in Penny's cheeks. He loved the way she blushed; how it spread all over her, like there wasn't an inch of her that could conceal what she was feeling.

"I didn't mean like that," she said softly. "I meant like real stuff." But she broke into a smile.

"Penny, I..." Sebastian tried to get his words out, but they were standing so close together now that he couldn't think straight. "To me, you're..."

She looked up at him with something like concern, waiting intently to hear what he had to say. The light green of her eyes was subdued, almost gray. You couldn't make out their color from far away, but up close, they were captivating. Everything about her was; her soft red hair, her skin flushed with emotion, her dusting of freckles.

Sebastian caught Penny's hand with just a finger. Little by little, he leaned in closer until he was hovering just inches from her barely parted lips. His heartbeat rushed in his ears, but he could still hear her soft breaths.

He closed the space between them and gently pressed his lips to hers. The touch was tender and light as a whisper, and then he drew back just far enough to meet her eyes again. Her brow was creased in an expression he couldn't read, but she leaned forward as he moved away, as if pulled by a string.

Sebastian reached his free hand up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. He cupped the side of her face under her ear and brushed his thumb across her cheek.

It felt like he was pulling her forward, but really, Penny was the one leaning into him. He met her, pressing their lips together again.

Like a wave, desperation and attraction and want and need crashed into Sebastian. He let go of her hand and brought his arm around her back, pulling her against his body. The yellow fabric of her shirt was thin, and he could feel the warmth of her skin beneath it, and the rapid beat of her heart. He felt her hands wrap behind him, gripping his sweatshirt.

"Penny..." he murmured as they parted for a moment. He kissed her again, feeling her lips separate beneath his.

Clang!

The outer trailer door burst open, and they could hear Pam entering loudly.

Penny gasped and drew away, leaving Sebastian stumbling toward her, still magnetized by their kiss.

"Penny, come help with these groceries!" Pam called from the other room.

Penny looked panicked and looked around the room wildly. This was different from when Sebastian had helped bring her mom home; Pam was sober now.

"Please, I'm so sorry," Penny whispered, and pointed behind the foot of her bed. Sebastian hesitated, thinking it might be best to face Pam directly. But Penny's earnest look changed his mind. He squeezed her arm once and hurried behind the foot of her bed to hide, sitting on the floor and crouching down.

"Penny? Are you gonna help or not?" he heard Pam say. She had come into Penny's room. "Are you alright, kid? You're all red."

"Um, I might be coming down with a cold." Penny said. "Or maybe I got too much sun."

"Hmm, you do burn easily," Pam said. Sebastian pressed himself even harder against the bed frame, not daring to breathe.

"Well, help me put this crap away and then you can take a nap or something," Pam said.

He heard them both leave, and the door to Penny's room shut behind her. He let out his breath and relaxed. The panic was over and he had a moment to think.

The memory of Penny's skin against his lingered. Had that been real? Had he really kissed her...and had she kissed him back?

The door opened and closed again, and Sebastian slouched down out of sight.

"It's just me," Penny whispered from above his head.

He turned up quickly to look at her, and found her much closer than he expected. She pulled back in surprise, looking away and fidgeting with her hair. But she had to get close again so he could hear her. He stood up from his hiding spot.

"I don't know how long she's going to be here," Penny said quietly.

"It's okay, I can wait." Truthfully, there was nowhere in the world he would rather be. Preferably without Pam right outside the door, of course, but that couldn't be helped. The TV turned on in the other room. She might be settling in for a while, but at least she probably wouldn't hear them.

"Do you want to sit?" Penny said, gesturing at the bed awkwardly. He sat, and she joined him. Close, but careful not to touch.

"Um, Sebastian, I think..." She couldn't look at him; she just fiddled anxiously with the hem of her skirt. He waited silently, suddenly feeling his heart ready to drop at any moment.

"I think I need some time," she finally said. "I'm a little confused, and..."

He waited until he was sure she wasn't going to finish that sentence. "Okay," he said simply. There were a million more things to say, but whispering them all was a challenge, and they probably wouldn't make a difference. But he understood her; how could he not? She had liked someone else for so long, and that doesn't change overnight. Especially not for someone like Penny.

"Not that-not that I didn't...like it," she said, saying the word 'like' in so hushed a tone that he almost couldn't make it out. Then more assuredly, she said, "I did really like it." She reached out to his hand as if by instinct, then remembered herself and pulled away.

Sebastian's mind was still caught up in the kiss, but he did his best to understand what she was saying. His feelings for her...might not be reciprocated. This was a rejection, of sorts.

But he knew how that kiss had felt; and at the very least they shared a physical attraction. Maybe she wasn't ready now, but someday...

"So," Sebastian said, twiddling his thumbs to keep his hands occupied. "What should we do? While we wait, I mean."

Penny looked around her room. "Sorry, I don't have much to do here except read... Oh, I think I have a chess set." She hopped up and rummaged in a desk drawer. It was one of those fold-in-half boards where the pieces are stored inside.

Sebastian pulled off his boots and they sat cross legged on the bed, facing each other. Neither of them would be winning any chess tournaments, but they both knew enough to get through a game. Or they would, if Penny would stop glancing up at him through her lashes and blushing as he met her eyes. It was downright distracting! How could a warm-blooded man focus under such circumstances? Penny won the first game, but Sebastian managed to pull himself together for the next.

Pam was still watching TV in the next room. Penny snuck out at one point to check if she had fallen asleep, but she hadn't. Apparently there was a special gridball game that she didn't want to miss, so she was drinking at the trailer instead of the Saloon.

"I'm sorry, I'm sure you had better things to do tonight," Penny said.

"When are you going to stop apologizing?" Sebastian laughed as quietly as he could. "Believe it or not I actually like spending time with you."

"Do you wanna read? Although I'm not sure I have anything you'd like. At least nothing you haven't read already."

Sebastian followed her to the shelf, trying to put out of his mind what had happened the last time they had stood in that spot. "What's your favorite book that you think I wouldn't like?" he asked.

"Hmm..." Penny searched the shelves, then pulled out a worn copy of The Diamond Hunter. She pressed her hand lovingly to the cover as she described it. "It's based on the true story of an adventurer who used to explore the Republic in its early days. It's part biography, part romance, because it focuses on how he met his wife on his travels."

Sebastian took it and flipped through it. He would never have picked it out himself, she was right about that. But as Abigail had said earlier, things were changing. He brought the book back to her bed and sat cross-legged again on one end. Penny brought over a book of her own and leaned against the headboard opposite him. For the first few minutes they fidgeted and whispered a little, but soon they were each absorbed enough in their books that the remaining awkwardness dissipated.

Sebastian had to admit that The Diamond Hunter was a compelling read. It lacked the thought provoking coolness of science fiction, but the characters were so interesting and well-written that he couldn't help getting invested.

As they read, they stopped minding each other so much and just got comfortable. Penny moved forward so she was laying on her stomach, with her head next to where Sebastian was sitting. Eventually he switched too, so he was lying on his back with his head down by her feet. Or, where her feet would have been if she weren't kicking them absentmindedly in the air. They sat like this for a while until Penny accidentally dropped her foot down on his book, hitting it into his face.

"Ah, sorry!" She turned around so their heads were on the same side. She lay on her back next to him with their shoulders almost brushing. Her bed was not particularly wide, so it actually took some focus for them to stay separated.

Sebastian kept his book glued in front of his face. Making eye contact with Penny at that particular moment would have been the death of him.

Then, unfortunately, he reached a chapter where the author went on a tangent about historical mining practices. His eyes began to droop. He let them drift shut and rested the book against his face, blocking the light of the lamp.