Title: Guitar Strings and Smokey Bars
Author: Girlygirl
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Kira/Conner
Summary: The beer in his hands works hard to cool him down, a nice offset to the way she's getting him hot.
Author's Notes: First off I need to send a huge thank you to my wonderful beta Dstined4gr8ness without whom everything I write would be unreadable. It's been a while since I've written anything PR related but this came to me suddenly and wrote itself. I've been wanted to write a Kira/Conner piece for a while so I'm happy I didn't have to force my Muse in that direction- she was headed that way too! I own nothing. Remember to comment please.

The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances:

if there is any reaction, both are transformed

-Carl Jung

Guitar Strings and Smokey Bars

He sees her years later- in a smoky bar in some town- enchanting the usually untamable patrons with her smooth voice and raspy guitar. Conner does a double take because he can't believe it's her- but he'd know her anywhere and the soulful rocker in front of him is most definitely Kira Ford.

He orders a beer and finds that it goes perfectly with her voice. She seems to calm the wild animals in the bar around him that pass themselves off as men- she is better then any drug and certainly better then the lonely jukebox in the corner. Conner isn't a betting man but he's willing to bet that it's Kira only Kira that brings in customers, and he can see why.

Her jeans are frayed at the end and low on her hips- her hipbone pokes out and worries him slightly- and the yellow tee-shirt she's wearing is partly hidden by her black leather jacket.

Conner watches her hands as she plays, mesmerized by the strum of her fingers along the strings and the gentle way she cradles her guitar close to her body. This is his Kira, but not all at the same time; she is harder and more seasoned. She is rounded and deep and worldly in her lyrics; she is stunning, and sure and bluntly honest; her eyes draw fire and truth and he wonders if she'd remember him.

She finishes her song and lets the last note die in the air. Her hands are musician's hands- hands of someone who still refuses to give up- with long fingers and short nails.

That comforts him a bit.

He's all too willing to stare, she can't see him and it's been too long since he's seen her, so he gives himself the privilege for a moment. When she catches his eye Conner ducks his head- almost sure that his face is now the same color as his red tee-shirt- but she can't tell him from any other person in the bar.

"I don't know what that little girl does but you're not the first guy to be charmed like that. Don't feel bad." Conner glanced over his shoulder, following the haggard voice until it matched an equally haggard barkeep who hadn't been there before.

"Excuse me?"

"At first I let her play here cause she could play a power-chord just as good as any guy- and let's face it she's easy on the eyes- but now she pulls in her own set of regulars and adds to it everyday. That's why I kept her."

"How long has she been here?" Conner wonders, trying to remember when it was he last heard from her… or about her?

"About a year, give or take- why? You planning on sweeping her off her feet and taking her away from here?" He chuckles deeply before grabbing another beer and setting it down in front of Conner.

"Don't waste your time son, better guys then you have tried. The beer is on the house- a free one for all the money you'll end up spending here just to watch her." And then he's gone, down the bar to help someone else. Conner was using the term 'help' lightly.

Conner follows him anyway.

"What time is she done at?" the barkeep looked up with a twinkle in his eye.

"Whenever she wants to be- she's a little bit of a gypsy that one,"

He's had four beers by the time Kira's done her set but his mind isn't at all cloudy when she pushes her guitar behind her and makes her way to the bar.

"John, can I get water?" She leans her body over the bar, hands rummaging around upside-down to find a clean glass from under the counter- Conner notices the curve of her ass… and then he notices that he's not the only one.

"Help yourself darlin'" Conner can tell, not that there's much of a difference, that the tone John has with her is teasing and he watches his former teammate hop the bar and fill up a glass full of ice-water.

"Something I can get you, buddy?" She takes him in quickly through the wave of her hair as it fall into her eyes. She doesn't recognize him, but then again she hadn't seen him in more then a while and all she did was sweep her eyes over him.

"Yeah, how much is five minutes with an old friend going to cost me?" her head shoots up, the water spilling over the rim of the glass and Conner can't explain the feeling of watching her eyes light up. She doesn't disappoint as she rounds the bar and launches herself at him.

She fits against him like she always did, tucking herself into his much bigger frame and relaxing there. Conner wraps her up in his arms, breathing her in until she pulls back and punches him hard in the shoulder.

"Ouch," he whines, rubbing his shoulder. Kira places both hands firmly on her hips and glares at him and he stands firm that it's perfectly reasonable to be afraid of her when her jaw is set and her eyes are doing the equivalent of what daggers could. "What the hell Kira?"

"That was for dropping off the map and never calling," she tucks hair behind her ears- he notes two extra earrings that weren't there before- and John leans himself against the bar pretending to clean it down with a dish towel.

"I dropped off the map? I've been in every sports magazine and on every talk-show for the past year? If I was trying to disappear I suck at it- maybe if you turned on a TV!" he hissed back.

"I don't have time to watch TV, not to mention I've been traveling- but you still could have called,"

"And ruined this wonderful reunion, never," she punched him in the shoulder again.

"Smart ass," a smile pulled at her mouth and Conner is overcome with the urge to continue making her smile as often as possible just to have it directed at him.

"Listen I have this idea," he pulled her closer, feeling every eye in the place on them; Kira made his job easy.

"I'm listening,"

"How about we ditch this place and go find Ethan? Last I heard he was a millionaire and I could use some new shoes," she laughed at him- he stared at the column of her neck.

"I don't know if I've ever told you this, but I like that way you think McKnight," Her eyes glittered, "Just give me a minute,"

After she'd disappeared to the back Conner turned to find John beside him again, "What were you saying about better guys again?"

"Don't taunt John, Conner." She breezed back with a backpack and her guitar- he should have known that those were her essentials as he took them from her; Kira smiled at the old barkeep affectionately.

"See you around old man," she fell into him and John watched Conner over the top of her head.

"You take care of yourself girly, you hear? And if you need anything, I'm always here." He handed her a wade of cash and glared when she tried to hand it back, "No, it's just in case- I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I thought you had nothing to your name." he kissed her forehead and she wiped away a tear before turning back to Conner.

"Time to move on?" he asked and she nodded,

"Time to move on," she waved at John as Conner held the door open for her.

He sees her years later- in a smoky bar in some town- enchanting the usually untamable patrons with her smooth voice and raspy guitar. Conner does a double take because he can't believe it's her but he'd know her anyway and the soulful rocker in front of him is most definitely Kira Ford.

And he has no plans to let her out of his sight again.

End

-Girlygirl