Where We Belong

So I wrote this one shot awhile BEFORE the whole nasty Kola affair began. When I still had lots of hope for Summer and Kyle. Anyway, I thought I'd share it now. Just because.

Where We Belong

"I found her picture on your phone again tonight - right after we made love. This isn't the first time it's happened either," Summer cried. "I just don't want to live in denial anymore. I have to admit the truth that's been staring me in the face all along... You still love her, don't you?"

A tear rolled down her cheek. "I've obviously been keeping you from Lola; keeping you from what you really want. I thought you would realize in time that I'm the one for you, but I know now I was an idiot. I'm the same stupid, foolish little girl I've always been... You got over me a long time ago."

She looked down at her wedding ring. "This is just a simple band of gold to you, isn't it? An expensive little trinket? It's a chain that ties you to a promise you wish you didn't have to keep, while for me... It means everything."

She looked at Kyle, forced herself to meet his eyes. God, but they were pretty. She could get lost in them; could easily forget her fresh resolve to walk away from him. But no, no, she couldn't stay. She didn't want to be the runner up anymore; the one he settled for. She wanted it all with him; she wanted forever; and he was never going to be able to give that to her. Leaving was the mature thing to do. It was the right thing to do... But damn, did it ever cut like a bitch.

She removed her ring as Kyle stared at her. "Summer, no, come on. Don't do this. We've just started our marriage. You can't walk out on me now. We said we'd give it a year and we haven't even come close to the two month mark yet. I don't want to have the shortest marriage in Genoa City history, and I know you don't either. Leaving... it isn't really what you want anyway."

"Of course, it's not, Kyle. I want you. But I want all of you and I realize now we can't go backwards. This is for the best. I am giving you your freedom."

"You're being so dramatic right now, Summer. So noble. Just stop it. Stop this madness and come back to bed. I'll delete that picture, okay. I'll block her number. I'll - I'll do anything."

"Except for love me again."

She moved to him and took his hand in hers. He tried to pull free, but she held on as tightly as she could for one searing moment. Their eyes locked and held as Summer placed the ring into his palm and curled his fingers around it.

And then, she let go.

Because she had no other choice.

xoxoxo

"Summer, I haven't seen you in two weeks! Where the hell are you - Timbuktu? Why are you still avoiding all of my phone calls?" Kyle asked her voice mail. "Can't you just come home already? I know we can work this out. I know we can. Stop being so damn petulant."

Beep!

The message cut him off before he could really read her the riot act. What game did she think she was playing at anyway? Did she think he was going to chase after her again like he always did? No way in hell. He was done with that shit. For good.

He threw his cell phone across the patio in exasperation. "Ohmigod! Be careful!" A familiar voice yelped. He looked up, surprised to see Lola standing in the doorway of Crimson Lights.

"What did that phone ever do to you, huh?" She asked with a teasing smile.

"Hey, sorry. I didn't see you there," Kyle said weakly. He stared at Lola intently; waited for that familiar desire, that familiar ache, to settle into his chest. He wanted to feel the love for her he'd been so sure about before.

He quickly realized that whatever it was he'd felt for her wasn't really there anymore. Maybe it had never truly been there at all. Summer had given him the ultimate out, and while he should take it ... While he'd be a fool not to embrace Lola and tell her they could finally be together... He simply couldn't bring himself to do it.

She wasn't the one he truly wanted.

Dammit. Summer had gotten to him again, obliterated every last one of his defenses. He'd probably never be able to fully let go of her.

Damn her. Damn him.

"It's okay," Lola said. "How are you? You look a little peaked. It is a hot day... Why don't you let me buy you a lemonade? We can sit under the trees, in the shade, and -"

He held up a hand to stop her. "I can't do that, Lola. I'm a married man." In his heart, he was anyway. He was still tethered to Summer in every way that mattered. Once again, she had made it impossible for him to walk away. He loved her. He wanted to kill her, but he did love her. It was total insanity... but there it was.

Lola's smile dimmed. "It's just a glass of lemonade, Kyle. I'm not asking you to run away with me or anything."

"I know. And awhile ago... God, I would have jumped at the chance to have lemonade with you or sit under some trees and just talk... but not now. Probably, honestly, not ever again."

"Oh … It's Summer, isn't it? You love her." It wasn't a question and they both knew it.

He nodded. "Honestly? Yes, I do. God knows, I don't want to. I have every reason not to. She's the most impossible person I've ever met. She's brash, and she's bold, and she's completely reckless. She's this gale force wind - no, this hurricane - that blows into town and destroys everything in her path. She'll probably break me all over again but ... I can't walk away. I don't think I even want to. I actually kind of enjoy this game of chase we constantly seem to play."

Lola's eyes glistened. He didn't want to hurt her, but there was no way to around it either. "I am sorry for hurting you, Lola; for pulling you into my insanity. I promised you my heart ... but it's honestly not mine to give away. It's Summer's... She's always had it."

"I already knew that." Lola tucked a strand of sleek black hair behind her ear. "You should tell her. Use just those exact words."

"I can't," Kyle said mournfully. "She left me."

"Oh, come on now. You're Kyle Abbott. You're not one to give up on what you want. You fight tooth and nail for everything. So I guess ... You have to do the same for Summer."

"You're being so nice and understanding about all of this. I don't get it, but I appreciate it."

"Well, I just want what's best for you, Kyle, and strangely enough, I think that's Summer."

Xoxox

"Summer, it's been three damn weeks now! Stop ignoring me. Can't you just pick up the phone and stop punishing me already? There's something I need to tell you, okay, and I'd like to do it in person if at all possible, so please at least text me. Tell me where you are... Just tell me you're okay."

He threw the house phone across the room when the familiar beep sounded in his ear. He sank down onto the large brocade sofa and rubbed his temples. He had a colossal headache. A Summer-induced headache. She had that curious effect on him.

The door opened and he looked up, half expecting Summer to burst through the door, bringing with her that peculiar mixture of sunshine, beauty, and drama. But it wasn't her. It was his father. Jack's lips were turned down in a grim line.

"Hey, Dad," Kyle said. "Is everything alright? You look a little down in the chops."

Jack came to a stop in front of him, placed his hand on Kyle's shoulder. "I'm fine, son," he said, "but I just ran into Phyllis. She was on the way to the hospital and I guess it's not for the first time. She admitted, after some serious prying on my part, that Summer is there. I gather that she's having complications from the surgery. She might -"

Kyle didn't wait to hear the rest. He was already running for the door.

xoxooxo

Kyle hurried into the hospital. He spotted Victor and Nikki pacing the waiting room. Nick was conversing in quiet tones with Nate. Victoria was there. Even Abby was there. They all looked very worried. His stomach tied up in knots.

"Where's Summer? Where's my wife?" He asked, his voice sounding hoarse to his own ears.

Victor's eyes snapped to his. They were narrowed to thin slits - cold and hard. "It's about damn time you showed up! Where the hell have you been?"

Nikki touched Victor's arm in an attempt to calm him. "I am sure Kyle has a good excuse for being late."

"He does," Phyllis spoke up, walking into the room. She looked tired and haggard. She had seemingly aged overnight. Things must be far worse than Kyle had dared to guess.

"Well, what's the reason then?" Victor asked impatiently.

"Summer didn't want him here," Nick interjected. "And frankly, neither do I. I told you, Kyle. I warned you that if you broke my daughter's heart, you would have to deal with me."

Nick looked about ready to charge Kyle. Phyllis quickly moved between the two men. "I really hate to be the voice of reason here," she said, "but this isn't going to help anyone."

Kyle splayed his hands in defeat. "I didn't come here to fight with all of you. I came here for Summer. I came to be here with her."

"She wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for you!" Nick snapped back. "She had that damn surgery because you pressured her into it. If she ... If something happens to her; I am coming after you with both barrels. You better pray for your pathetic life that she survives this."

"If the worst happens -" God forbid - "I'll deserve that and more... Please just tell me I can see her." He looked at Dr. Hastings. "Can she have any visitors?"

"Yes, but only one at a time."

Kyle looked at Nick imploringly. "Please let me see her," he said. "If you don't, I'm just going to find another way to get in there anyway."

Nick huffed. Phyllis looked at him. "He's Summer's husband," she said.

"For all of about two seconds. Besides, Summer was ending things."

"Nick, come on. He's here to support our daughter. Deep down you have to know that if anyone can bring her back from this, it's Kyle."

Nick nodded slowly. "Fine. Go - but don't you dare upset her. I mean it."

"I won't," Kyle said. "I swear."

"She's in 220," Nate said. "I'll give you about ten minutes."

"Thanks," Kyle said. Rubbing his clammy hands on the front of his jeans, he headed down the hallway. His heart hammered painfully against his ribcage. He didn't know what he was going to find and he was scared. Honestly scared he was going to lose her.

He took a deep breath and walked into the room. It seemed as if Summer was hooked up to every machine in the hospital. The beeping of her heart monitor was the only thing that reassured him she was still there with him at all.

He moved to her bedside and took her hand. He gently pressed his lips to her cheek. "Hey, Summer," he said. "It seems like it took me forever to get here; to figure out what everyone else already knows ... I love you. I always have and I always will."

Summer's eyes slowly opened. She looked pale and weak. She looked around and then up at him. "Kyle?" She said in a scratchy voice. "What are you doing here?"

"I came here to be with my wife. I mean, we did say 'in sickness and health', right?"

"Yes, till death do us part," she said facetiously. "Which may happen sooner than later."

"Hey, don't. Don't ever say that. I can't imagine a world you're not in. I don't want to. I want the messy, chaotic, beautiful person you are to always be around to knock me off my feet."

"Kyle..."

"I fucked up, Summer. I let you leave my family's house that night thinking I didn't care and that I didn't love you. I was foolish, and stupid, and hurtful. I've been so damn blind."

"What are you saying?"

"I am saying ... I love you," Kyle said simply. His eyes burned. "That I always have. I've been stubborn, I know. Not wanting to admit the way I felt. It's the kind of love that never goes away. I can't shake it and I don't even want to, because while loving you makes me crazy, it also makes me complete. It's the biggest part of me."

"Kyle, stop," she said. He saw tears swimming in her eyes. "Please. I can't hear this right now. Not when I feel this sick. Not when I know you're only here because my parents did a royal guilt-trip on you."

"Summer, no, they did not. They didn't even want me to know you were here. No one shamed me or guilted me into coming. I'm here because I've never been very good at staying away from you. I want to be here."

A tear rolled down her cheek, soon joined by another. He gingerly moved to wipe them away.

"Summer..."

"Please don't do this. Don't come in here and give me this whole hearts and flowers speech because you think it's the only thing I have to hold onto."

"I hate that's what you think this is all about. The honest truth is I've been trying to get a hold of you for weeks now. I've been calling you day and night, leaving messages on that damn machine of yours; begging for the chance to speak to you so I could tell you how I really felt."

He sighed. "Of course, now I understand why you didn't call back... You've been sick. That's on me too. If I hadn't pushed you to have that transplant surgery, you wouldn't be here right now."

"Kyle, I did it because I love you," Summer said. "I would do anything for you."

"Even step aside so I could be with Lola."

She looked down at her hands. "Yeah... I mean, I know she's the right girl for you."

"But you see, Summer. That's the problem... She's not... She's good, and she's kind, and so it was so easy to convince myself she was what I needed and wanted... but I think I always knew deep down I chose her because she could never hurt me the way you can."

"I didn't ever mean to hurt you, Kyle."

"I think I know that now," he said. He touched her face, smoothed his fingers along her soft jawline. "It's just... You have that power and I know why now... Because you're the one. The One."

"Kyle, if this is all just some misplaced guilt talking -"

"It's not. I swear, it's not. I ran into Lola last week, actually. I waited for all of those feelings I thought I had for her to drop me to my feet, you know... But they didn't. Because I don't truly feel those kind of passionate emotions for anyone else, but you. I am sorry for the way I treated you."

"Kyle, you don't have to apologize to me. After all I put you through..."

"No, I do need to apologize. I was punishing you for Luca and for Billy by keeping you at a distance. I should have fought harder for you. For us." He feathered his fingers in the locks of her soft, golden hair. "But I will do that now. I promise. You can throw me out of your room today, but you can't throw me out of your life, because I will always return for you. You're not getting rid of me again. I don't want that and honesty, I don't think you do either."

"Of course, it's not what I want. I love you too. So much that it hurts. I just don't want to push you."

"You're not. I am where I want to be. Where I need to be. You just gotta promise me you'll fight this thing - whatever it is - okay? And I will be here, right by your side, fighting with you."

"Do you mean that?"

"Yeah, I do." He smiled at her. "So what do you say? Can we try this thing again?"

She nodded. "Yes. I want to be with you so much, Kyle."

"Good," he said, "because I've been walking around with this in my pocket for weeks on the off chance that you'd want it back." He withdrew her wedding ring from his pocket. She weakly held out her hand. "Summer, will you do me the great honor of being my wife again?"

She smiled. "Yes, Kyle, I will." He slid the band onto her finger, kissed the inside of her wrist. He then kissed her gently on the lips. "You fight this, okay?" He said. "Come back to me."

Summer nodded. "Just try and stop me."

xoxox

One month later

"Kyle," Summer laughed, "where are we going? Will you take this damn thing off of me already?"

"In a minute. Just watch your step."

"How am I supposed to watch my step when I can't see?" Summer asked pointedly as she tried to navigate what seemed to be hilly terrain with only Kyle's hand on her arm to steady her. "How much farther?"

"We're here," Kyle said. "Stop right here."

She felt him slip behind her and unknot the silk blindfold. It fluttered from his fingers as she blinked her eyes and looked around. She immediately knew what she was looking at. It was just a structure of wooden boards at that point, but it had the makings of being -

"A house," Summer said.

"Our house," Kyle amended. "Remember your dad gave us this land to build our new home on."

"I remember," Summer said. "It's really starting to come along... God, are we really going to live here? Together?"

"Well, I am not letting you live here with anyone else," he said faux-indignantly.

"That's fine, because you're stuck with me now." She turned to face him, stared up into his amazing eyes, as she knotted her fingers in the material of his white dress shirt.

"There is no one else I'd rather be stuck with," Kyle said. He pulled her close to his body, tucking her against his chest. "I'm so glad you're out of the hospital and doing better. I was..."

"Scared. You were scared."

"No, no. I don't do scared."

She smirked. "That's right, you were terrified."

"No way." He smiled back. "Okay, maybe just a little. I just knew if you weren't okay... I wasn't going to be... I love you, Summer Abbott."

"I love you, Kyle Abbott." She reached up, and tugged his head down to hers. Their lips met in a passionate kiss.

Summer knew they were still going to drive each other crazy at least a hundred times a day, but when it really counted, they would always come home to each other.

Just where they belonged.

THE END. Comments?