Dinner. It was Kat's decision what was going to be made for her guests, and she had no idea what to cook. Since it was her boyfriend and his mother coming for dinner, her father thought that it would be a splendid idea for her to cook. The tenth time she flipped through the cookbook, she finally decided on something simple, like lasagna.

The food was made and in the oven, and she was putting away the spices when she heard her father walk through the door. "I smell food!" He examined, causing her to roll her eyes.

She was wiping her hands off on the kitchen towel after cleaning up the mess she had made with the lasagna when the doorbell rang. "I got it!"

She ran to the door, wiping her self off and brushing her hair off her face, trying to look presentable. She opened the door, and Patrick and his mother were both standing there, waiting to be welcomed in. Her father was soon behind her, ushering them into the house. The drinks had been passed out when the oven beeped, and Kat jumped up to take the food out and cut the salad. It was not long before she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist, and a muscular chest press against her back.

"Hey," she murmured, turning her head to the side so that he could reach her lips.

After their short kiss, he let her go to roll up his sleeves. "Okay, what can I do to help?" He asked, so sweetly, that she had to look at him like he had lost his mind. She reached her hand up and pressed it to his forehead. Normal.

"Are you sure you don't have a fever, 'cause I'm pretty sure that Patrick Verona doesn't come and willingly offer to help a poor, unfortunate soul like myself," she said, sarcasm dripping off every word, batting her doe-eyes and swooning at "poor, unfortunate soul".

He looked at her, amused by the little show that she was putting on for him, "Why can't I help around the kitchen without being chastised for the great masterpieces I create?"

"Seriously, masterpieces? Can you even cut cucumbers?"

"Watch and learn honey, watch and learn..."

The kitchen was quiet for a moment while they each chopped the different vegetables that needed to be included in the salad. They finished, no one getting injured, and served dinner without arguing or making any sarcastic remarks.

As they sat down, Linda, as she informed Kat and Walter to call her, turned to Kat and asked, "So Kat, got any big plans for the future?"

Kat finished chewing her bite, "Well, I'm planning to go to Brown to get a degree in social policies and change the world. The real world. I want to go big, you know? I figure, why not start now, so by the time I can really make a difference in the world the work has already been started."

"Ah, so an activist?" Linda seemed surprised by this, partly because her son never mentioned how socially conscious his girlfriend was, or the fact that she was planning on moving to the other side of the country if she ever got the chance to.

"Yes, very much so."

"Kat is very conscious and believes in doing what is right for the greater good. Well, now sometimes that greater good does include herself, but I must say she has done a pretty good job of making due for now," Walter added, smiling proudly at his oldest daughter. It was always funny to hear her tell everyone what she wanted to be as she grew up. First she wanted to be a doctor, than an astronaut, a scientist, a novelist, and now an activist. Whatever it was though, it was always the biggest you could get, and knowing Kat, she would do anything in her power to be the one that comes out on top.

"So Kat, what does your mother think of all this? I'm sure she has her opinion on the subject," Linda said jokingly, a laughing ring in her voice. The table became quiet, and Linda looked around the table, not sure why no one would look at her.

Finally, Kat looked up, her eyes sad. "My mother died of cancer when I was ten."

Linda looked shocked and guilty before saying, "I'm so sorry honey. I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine," Kat snapped. More softly she added, "You couldn't have known."

The table was silent for a minute, no one wanting to break the silence.

"So Patrick, what about you? What are you planning to do in the future?" Walter asked calmly, before shoving a forkful of salad into his mouth.

Patrick looked nervously at Kat, who grabbed his hand under the table and gave it a light squeeze of encouragement.

"Well sir, I was planning on eventually getting an engineering degree and opening up my own mechanic shop," he said, as calmly as Walter had asked it. Staying cool was his game, and he knew that he was winning when he noticed Walters face light up in surprise.

"Really?" Walter asked, like he wasn't sure if he was hearing right.

"Well yes sir. You know, Kat has found a passion in social liberties, and I've found a passion in mechanical engineering. It's the same passion and drive, just a different dream."

After that little speech, everyone at the table was looking at Patrick. Kat had a proud and loving look on her face. Linda was looking at her son as if she was just meeting him for the first time. Walter looked taken-a-back and impressed that Patrick would stand up to him like this.

"That's interesting. I never would have pegged you for that type of guy," Walter finally said.

After that, Kat and Patrick zoned off into their own little world of secret smiles and footsies. The rest of dinner was spent with Walter and Linda yapping it off. They talked about their jobs, their homes, and what it was like to raise their kids.

Overall, you could say that dinner was a success.

Later on that evening, while their parents were still yapping- over the second bottle of wine, Kat pulled on Patrick, leading him upstairs. She quietly shut the door as he took his boots off so that he could lay on her bed. She smiled and chuckled as she sat near him.

"What's so funny?" he asked, looking up at her.

"Nothing," she replied innocently, not wanting to say anything.

"No really. I know I'm gorgeous and everything, but you don't have to keep your jokes on the inside," smirking, he lifted propped himself on his elbow, waiting for her answer.

She closed her eyes for a minute and took a deep breath. "I was just thinking how for once, you came into my room through the door and not through the window."

"I've come in through your door before. At your party, when you called me China and accused me of being a criminal."

"You're not China or a criminal, and I apologized for that already. At least you told me I did when I was drunk," she looked at him, eyebrows raised and her gaze skeptical.

"You being drunk wasn't too bad. It was refreshing, just like the time you made out with me on the beach..."

She smacked him in the arm lightly. And let her body sink into her bed.

It was quite, a passing car the only noise that could be heard.

"Technically, you're the criminal you know," he stated randomly.

She looked at him, ready to defend herself when she said, "And why is that?"

He moved so that he was hovering over her before bending down and kissing her softly.

"You stole my heart, Kat. You ripped in right out of my chest." His sincerity floored her and she smiled a genuine, heartfelt smile.

"Really now? I'm sure I left your heart right where it's always has been," she whispered to him, placing her hand on his chest to feeling it's rhythmic pumping.

He looked down at her and smiled, whispering back, "Just don't break it, okay?"

She nodded her head, and gasped- caught off guard when he swooped down to kiss her hungrily underneath her jaw. By now they knew the routine. Her hands wrapped around his neck, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. Her body arched towards his, and no matter how much of a feminist she was, she couldn't prevent how her body reacted to his. He knew better by now then to take over because she wouldn't allow that. She had to have power too, given that they were both so headstrong. They eventually made it under the covers, kissing and sucking at each other. He was underneath her now, letting her take the reigns for a while. They were both panting and breathless and knew that this was not the time to be getting into anything sexual. She eventually brought the kissing to a stop, and rolled off of him. He rolled over to accommodate her, fitting himself into her backside, wrapping his arm around her waist and putting his face near her neck. Even though the kissing stopped, he still traced patterns lightly on the exposed part of her stomach and breathed in her scent. She gently brushed her toes against his legs, just to make sure he was still there. They laid silently, trapped in their own thoughts. Her wondering why she always felt so safe around him, while he was wondered why her warmth was all he needed to get through the night.

Night. It was late now, around eleven. It was too late for family, too late for friends. The only person she wanted to be around this late was him; and the only person he would ever allow himself to be around this late was her. He was hers, and she was his- and the night belonged to them both.