For the second time in two days, Kit was woken up by a pounding on her front door. Her body was stiff and her muscles creaked as she lifted her head. She reached to find the time and her muscles complained. She groaned and slowly stretched her legs. She got a quick lesson in how stiff your muscles become after sleeping for thirteen hours.

The pounding on the door continued, but she ignored it. She let out a long yawn and rolled back over in her bed. The good night's sleep had cured her exhaustion, but she could still feel echoes of the feelings from the day before. Melancholy, with a hint of panic. 

Along with the pounding on the door, she could hear Edison calling her name. But she couldn't rally any motivation to get out of bed, and she didn't know if she wanted to see him. When the knocking stopped after a few minutes, she let out a relieved sigh until she remembered the events of the day before. She cursed herself for not locking the back door as - like déjà vu - footsteps sounded on the stairs and then, a pounding on her door

"Kittery Maine!" Edison shouted. "Get up! I got the day off! We're going out!"

She pulled her blanket over her head as he continued to pound.

"I know you are in there. The Porsche, moped and golf cart are all here. If you don't respond by the count of three, I'm coming in!"

"No," she called out. 

"Three!"

Her door banged opened, but she refused to move from her cocoon. 

"I don't want to see you. Was that not clear when I didn't answer the door?" she said. 

"The back door was unlocked. And you didn't want to see me?"

He laughed loudly at the very thought. Then it went silent. She could only hear his footsteps on the wood floor and after a few minutes, she couldn't resist the urge. She peeked out from beneath the blankets. She found him leaning close to the few picture frames she had on her dresser. 

He turned to her. "Is this you?"

He held up the picture of her with her parents when she was only eight. They were standing in front of the Eiffel Tower. 

"No," she said flatly. 

He smiled and put the picture back. She watched silently as he continued to the study the other pictures. Her and Jaxon when they were kids. Her with her grandparents. After a few more minutes, he shifted his focus back to her, his excitement returning.

"Kittery! What are you still doing in bed? Get up!" he said loudly.

She just yawned and rolled away. A moment later, her bed sank under his weight as he climbed up and began to jump.

"Kittery Maine! Wake up! Wake up!" he yelled as he jumped up and down.

She pulled her legs to her chest, to avoid getting jumped on as he bounced her entire king size bed.

"I'm not going to stop until you get up," he warned.

She just curled into a smaller ball and tightened her hold on her pillow. He began to hop over her, jumping from one side of her bed, to the other. After a few minutes, he ran out of steam. He plopped down on the bed next to her, out of breath.

"Kit, you've got to get up," he said. 

"Why?" she mumbled. 

"Because, I got the day off and we should celebrate."

"You get two days off every week. What's so exciting about this one?" She kept her voice monotone and uninterested.

"It's unexpected and deserves to be celebrated. Waffles?" 

"Not today," she said. 

"What? Did Kit St. James just turn down waffles?" He jumped off her bed dramatically. "Is the world ending?" He gave her a big grin but she just looked at him flatly. "Kit," he said more seriously. "What's wrong?" For the first time since he had burst into her room, there was a hint of worry in his voice. "Are you sick?" 

"I'm fine," she said, annoyed at his worry, although he didn't deserve all her annoyance. It wasn't his fault she had already received a heavy dose of it from Jaxon the day before. 

He frowned. "Okay," he said, sounding deflated. He walked to the armchair in the corner of her room and sat. "What do you want to do today?" He looked at her expectantly. 

"Nothing Edison," she said. "If you want to do something, go hang out with your other friends."

"But they aren't as much fun. And they aren't as pretty as you."

He gave her a playful smile, but it fell flat when she didn't even react to the compliment. A small part of her felt guilty. She was sure even an eye roll would have made him happy, but she didn't feel like mustering the energy to even do that. 

"Sorry you wasted your time coming over here," she said. 

"But..." His sentence dropped off as he looked at her, dumbfound. 

"Please make sure the back door is shut when you go," she said, before she rolled over and closed her eyes.

There wasn't any movement for a moment, then she heard him slowly walk towards her bedroom door. He paused. He took in a breath, as if he might say something, but then left. She listened to his footsteps on the stairs and waited until the backdoor clicked shut. 

Letting out a deep sigh, she rolled to her back, staring up at the white ceiling. She tried to focus on the dull color and push all other thoughts away, but she wasn't completely successful. Her thoughts still managed to creep in along the edges, everything she wanted to avoid.

Edison, her grandparents, Jaxon, the reason she had come to Lighthouse Point. 

One by one, they seemed to announce themselves to her, demanding she pay them attention. But she didn't want to. She wanted to bury herself and all her thoughts in her blankets, and hope the next time she woke up, they would be gone.

But she never got the chance to test her idea because she was startled from her thoughts when her back door banged open. She had a moment to guess who her intruder was before Edison appeared in her doorway, a determined look on his face. 

"Kittery Maine, you are going to get out of bed and come eat waffles with me. I insist. And I'm not taking no for an answer," he commanded, crossing his arms and puffing out his chest. 

She studied him for a moment, before she threw back her blankets and stood up.

"Okay," she agreed in a bored tone.

He looked at her in surprise. He had clearly returned, ready for a fight and she hadn't presented him with one. But she didn't want to put up a fight. It would take too much energy, and victory would only mean quality time with her thoughts, so she surrendered.

He watched as she moved to her closet. She turned and looked at him expectantly. It took him a moment to realize she wanted him to leave.

"I'll, just...I'll be downstairs," he said, stumbling over his words. She only nodded, and watched him leave her room, scratching his head. 

She was slow getting ready. She pulled on the first shirt and shorts she found and tied her hair into a messy ponytail. She paused in front of the mirror for a moment to look at her reflection. Leaning in closer, she studied her face, looking for signs that reflected the state she was in.

But she looked the same. Her cheeks still round, her eyes still bright and blue, her lips a soft pink. She pulled her lips up into a big smile, but it felt out of place and she let them fall back into a somber line. She gave herself one more tired look then left her room. 

Edison was impatiently drumming a beat with his fingers when she came down the stairs. He turned when he heard her, giving her a hesitant look. She reached the bottom of the stairs and stopped, looking at him silently. They stared at each other, one of them unsure what to do with the other, the other unsure coming downstairs had been the right choice. 

"So..." He clapped him hands together and rocked back on his feet.

"You're the one who dragged me out of bed," she said flatly.

She crossed her arms and leaned against the banister. 

"Right. Breakfast," he said.

He shook his head and put on a bright smile. Giving a little bow, he offered her his arm. She just walked past him to the door. 

The car ride to the diner was quiet. Edison tried to fill the silence with some throwaway comments about the weather and the upcoming Fourth of July events. But he gave up after a few attempts when Kit only responded with empty looks. 

It was late enough in the morning they had missed the breakfast crowd. Only a few groups remained at Al's, spaced throughout the diner. Edison didn't hesitate as he led the way to their corner booth, signally to the waitress as he went. Kit's eyes went to the kitchen as she slid into her side of the booth. 

There was a noisy clatter coming from the kitchen, but she could still make out Roger's gruff voice. When he appeared in the order window, his features were rough until he spotted her and his face brightened with a smile. She returned it with a small one of her own. He shouted something over his shoulder as he disappeared. 

She looked down to see the waitress had delivered their menus, but she didn't bother to reach for hers. She looked across at Edison, who had disappeared behind his. He must have sensed her eyes on him because he peeked over the top of his menu. He raised his eyebrow questioningly and put his menu down.

"What are you going to get?" he asked. 

The door to the kitchen opened and they both looked over as Roger walked out into the dining area.

"Kid," he called with a smile.

"Hey Roger," she said, attempting to put some energy in her smile for the first time that day. 

"How you've been? Getting this one into trouble?" he nodded towards Edison. 

Edison scoffed at the idea. "Excuse me, but..." he started to say. 

"You're excused," Roger said, cutting him off. Edison started to act offended, but caught the small smile on Kit's face and stopped. "What'll you have today?" Roger asked her. 

She reached for her menu and handed it to him.

"Surprise me," she said. 

He grinned. "My pleasure."

He turned to Edison and looked him up and down, before walking back into the kitchen. Kit's smile settled into a soft line as she listened to Roger bark out orders. After a minute, she turned to find Edison studying her. She stared back blankly, sure he had questions he wanted to ask and uncaring whether he ever got answers. He held her look, squinting his eyes slightly in thought. 

"He didn't ask me what I wanted," he finally said.

She shrugged and broke eye contact. The waitress appeared at their table a few minutes later, delivering two mugs topped with a large pile of whipped cream, a drizzle of syrup and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

"We didn't..." Edison started to say. 

"Roger sent them," she said. She didn't wait around for any more questions, but returned to her post behind the counter. 

Edison looked at Kit questioningly, but she didn't hesitate in reaching for the mug in front of her. She took a sip and her shoulders relaxed a bit. The taste was indescribable. Rich and warm and sweet and buttery with a touch of coffee bitterness. She licked the tower of whip cream then took another sip. Edison seemed convinced it wasn't poison after her third sip and tried his own cup. His eyes grew big in stunned amazement and he quickly took another sip. 

Roger followed up his amazing drink concoction with an even more delightful meal. A French toast sandwich with eggs, hash browns, bacon, and his special cinnamon butter topped with syrup. Edison licked his plate clean and when Kit couldn't finish her sandwich, he finished it for her. 

Roger returned to their table, after their dishes had been cleared, with a triumphant smile on his face. "Did I do good kid?" he asked. 

"That was the best breakfast I have ever had," Edison said. He leaned back against the booth and rubbed his belly.

Roger gave him an appreciative smile. "I'm glad to hear it."

He looked at Kit. 

"You out did yourself," she said. 

He smiled and gave a small bow.

"Keep up the trouble," he told her.

He gave Edison a look and headed back into the kitchen. Once he was out of sight, Edison pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket and slide it across the table to Kit. She looked at it blankly, then looked at him.

"Read it," he said, nodding to the paper.

She slowly picked it up and unfolded it. It was pink on the inside, with a boarder of stars along the perimeter and fancy, curly type. She looked up at him. He looked back with an excited gleam in his eyes. Focusing back at the paper, she read the large print scrolled across the top.

"Princess Party Hunt?" she said.

Beneath the title was a list of several different activities. She read through them quickly. Normally, she thrived on challenges like this. She loved trying to decipher why he had given it to her and what he had planned. But she didn't feel the usual spark she got when on the edge of starting something unknown or exciting. She just felt tired. She looked at Edison.

"Was this for your sister?" she asked. 

"It was for her birthday party last month," he said. "But today, we are going to complete all the tasks. Now get up, out of the booth."

He grabbed the piece of paper and began to pull her to the register. He paid and pulled her out to the car.

"Alright, as you seem less than enthusiastic about this Princess Party Hunt," he shook his finger at her disapprovingly, "I will be captain of this hunt. But if you ask nicely, I'll let you be co-captain." 

He gave her a goofy grin. "Now, first on the list."

He spoke in a serious tone and frowned in concentration as he read. Kit watched, her interest piqued by the amount of effort he was putting into the whole thing. She couldn't help but find him cute, no matter how tired she felt. He peeked sideways at her, then back at the paper. He cleared his throat loudly.

"Alright, co-captain St. James, it looks like our first stop on this hunt is to obtain head ornaments of the royal variety."

She looked down at the paper but he snatched it out of her sight and tucked it into his pocket.

"Follow me," he ordered. 

He began to walk away from the diner and his truck, along main street. There was a jaunty skip to his step and he looked like a man on a mission. She watched him go, then slowly followed after him. He led the way down a few blocks and stopped outside a children's store. Holding the door open, he waved her through with his hand. 

The store was small, with an open front space and a few aisles leading to the back. It was clean and bright with kid's clothes, accessories and toys. A lone worker looked up as they entered, but upon seeing who it was, she deemed them unworthy of her greeting and time and looked back down at her phone. 

"Alright, I believe what we are in search of is this way," he said. The aisle they went down had shelves filled with toys. Edison scanned them. "Aha!" he cheered loudly, coming to a stop before a part of a shelf filled with crowns, swords and shields. He turned to her with a gleam in his eyes. "What'll you have m'lady?" 

When she gave him a blank look, he pulled out the piece of paper and showed her the list. The first item was to find a princess tiara and buy it. You were then required to wear the tiara for the rest of the hunt. 

"This one looks good," he said.

He pulled a pink and purple tiara out and put it on. The absurdity of Edison wearing a little girl's tiara pulled a smile out of Kit without her even trying. He smiled triumphantly and reached for another.

"Or what about this one?"

He placed the gold and blue tiara jauntily on his head and struck a pose. She bit down on her grin and shook her head.

"Or this one?" He tried on a tiara that had hot pink feathers sticking out of the top. 

A small chuckle escaped her lips. Before she could make any further comment, the music in the store changed and a familiar, happy upbeat song began to play. Edison grinned.

"May I have this dance?" he asked, as he pulled her into his arms.

With the pink feathery tiara still atop his head and his strong arms around her, he began to spin her up and down the aisle. 

Kit couldn't fight her smile anymore, and she didn't fight the dancing. She placed a hand on Edison's shoulder and matched his speed as he twirled them up and down the aisle. She let the music and Edison's smile sweep her along, every step energizing her. She laughed as he spun her, dipped her, then kept dancing. When the song reached its last note, he dipped her low and she threw her head back and her arm out. 

Someone cleared their throat at the end of the aisle. They quickly righted themselves and found the store employee looking at them disapprovingly.

"Please take all ruckus behavior outside," she said. Her voice came out reedy like an old woman's, although she didn't look a day over thirty.

Edison and Kit both looked down repentantly, but exchanged mischievous smiles once the woman was gone. 

There was a hint of hesitation in the look Edison gave her, like he couldn't believe her smile, but she put his worry to rest as she reached for a white and blue tiara.

"I think this one matches your eyes better," she said.

She grabbed the pink feathery one off his head and replaced it with the one in her hand. She smiled and it didn't feel forced. Somehow Edison had managed to chase away the dreary cloud that had been holding her hostage. She widened her smile, finding joy in the simple action. 

He grinned back at her and stole the pink feathery tiara back, placing it on her head.

"It's perfect," he cheered. She tilted her head and gave a cheesy smile. "Now, for my crown," he said. 

"What are you talking about?" she asked. 

He gave her a patronizing smile.

"You didn't actually think I was going to walk down main street wearing a tiara, did you?" he laughed. He threw the white and blue one back on the shelf and reached for a majestic crown with points and jewels. He placed it on his head and smirked. "This suits me better, it's fit for a King. But, a crown is not complete without..." he grabbed a plastic sword and tucked it into the belt loop on his shorts. 

"I want a sword," Kit said. She reached for one, but he stepped in her way.  

"But my fair lady, why do you need a sword?" he asked. "I will protect you."

He pulled the sword from his belt loop and dramatically jabbed the air. 

She rolled her eyes and pushed his aside. "I've always said never have someone do the job when you can do it yourself."

She grabbed a bigger sword and made a few swift strokes with it, before hooking it into one of the loops of her shorts. Crossing her arms, she gave him a defiant smirk. 

He smiled and straightened her tiara.

"You with a sword does seem more fitting," he said, pinching her nose playfully. She pulled back, but he only smiled bigger. "Alright, co-captain St. James, I believe we have completed our first task. Shall we check our list?"

"We shall captain Reigns," she answered, feeling her usual carefree lightness return to her as she joined in with his posh accent and silly game.

She moved closer and smiled gratefully as she watched him check off the list. She hadn't known how to pull herself out of her mind. It had felt too big and overwhelming, but he had somehow managed to do it. 

After he was done, he turned towards her and suddenly, their faces were close enough that she could feel his breath. Before she could even question what his next move would be, he playfully kissed her nose and started to move towards the front of the store, taking her hand and pulling her along.

**********************************************************************

Ice cream!
(Gosh it's forever since I mentioned it, I just had to!)

Opinions of Edison at this moment, go!

On a scale of 1-100 red m&ms how adorable is Edison? (Be creative)

Anyone else want to go a princess quest with Edison? Because I'm so down for that!

So in Sherlock he has this thing called a Mind Palace where he stores all his information. I decided that instead of having a Mind Palace that I have a Multi-Verse (Flash reference). This pretty much means I have an infinite amount of universes in my head, which honestly I do! (Including the GPG universe)

Each story idea is like it's own little universe and when I move from one story to the next I'm traveling into different dimensions....okay yup I've totally lost it. I've completely lost my mind. Well, it was bound to happen. I should probably go look for it. I'm guessing it's somewhere in the Multi-Verse. Maybe Cisco will help locate it.

Do you ever feel like running away? Like getting in a car and just driving until you're lost?

I see planes fly overhead and wish to be on them sometimes. That just might be the dreamer/adventurer in me though.

Barış, Aşk, Dondurma (Turkish)

Yup, that's my brain. 👇🏼