Have a life.

The word echoed though Stephen's mind as he walked out of the warehouse. He didn't have a destination in mind, he was just walking.

Have a life.

He did have a life, albeit it was limited to finding his Father, but he did have one.

As he was walking his mind drifted through his memories. When he was seven he lost he father but that was the year that he met his best friend. Her name was Kathleen Walker.

She was seven also and had moved in next door the weekend before his father had reported for that last tour. On Monday she was in his second grade class. At recess, when Mike Thomas decided to pick on him, Kathleen came over and preceded to beat him up.

Of course that got all three of them sent to the principle's office. After they explained it to Principle Clifton he said, "Well, Kathleen, what you did was very nice but we don't do things like that here, But since this is your first day I won't call your Father, Okay."

"Okay." she said. On the way back to class Stephen kept glancing at her.

"Um, you didn't have to do that. I didn't need any help, but thanks."

"You're welcome."

"You just moved in next door to us didn't you?"

"Yeah"

After that they were the best of friends. "The Inseparable pair" is what people called them, and for ten years that's what they were. Over that time his feelings for her had changed and he was just getting the courage to tell her when her Father died in a car accident. Her Mother had died when she was a baby so she was sent to an aunt's. They kept in touch through letters but as things happened they lost touch.

He was told that his father was dead, he watched his Mother slowly closed everything down till she finally died. And then he started looking for his Father and it brought Kathleen back to him. He had been with The Crew for three months when the were waiting for a potential buyer. He was standing in the back of the room when she entered. When he saw her he blinked hard. He couldn't believe it. 'It's just someone that looks like her' was the thought that went through his head. It was also a thought that proved to be false when she called out his name.

"Stephen!" she went over to him and hugged him hard.

"Kathleen?" he asked still not sure that it was her.

"Yeah, it's me."

"Uh, Kathleen" the buyer asked

"It's okay Johnson. Your safe here. Stephen's an old friend."

"I won't be safe if you're talking to him."

"Listen, you hired me to protect you and that's what I'll do, okay." he seemed satisfied with that, but Stephen raised an eyebrow.

"Protect him?"

"Yeah, I'm a bodyguard." When he didn't say anything she asked "What, don't you think it fits?"

"No the opposite, I remember the first time I met you. You beat up Mike Thomas for me."

"Yeah, will some people know what they want to do early in life."

They talked all through the meeting. He learned that this was her last job for Johnson and that she needed a place to live. His roommate had found his gun and then moved out, the wimp.

"You could move in with me. My roommate just moved out."

"Really, you wouldn't mind?"

"No, in fact I'd love it."

She moved in two days later, that was a year ago. A year in which his feelings for her had returned in full force. He looked up and saw that he was at their apartment. When he saw the light on he made a decision. He'd tell her and whether she felt the same was another matter. He walked up the stairs, into the apartment, into his room and over to his desk. He pulled open the middle drawer and pulled out a folded up piece of paper.

He walked into Kat's room and saw that she was lying on her bed. She looked up at him and when she saw the expression on his face she asked, "Stephen, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just want to tell you something."

"What?"

He looked down at his hands "I Uh.... I wrote this for you a while back and I'd like to read it to you now, if that's okay."

"Sure" she said and sat on her knees at the end of the bed.

Stephen took a couple of steps, till he was an arm away. He didn't look at the paper but closed his eyes.

"When I lost my father I gained you, but I didn't realize at the time that would become my best friend. You had already lost a parent and maybe that why we were drawn together. I don't know, we were only seven. You protected me, I protected you. For ten years we were inseparable, I knew in my heart that we'd never be apart. Then you lost your Father and I lost you. I knew that your were apart of me, but till then I never knew how big that part was. They sent you away, so far away That we could only communicate though letters. In them I told you everything except that I was only half a person that was dying without you. Then I lost my Mother to a broken heart, and I knew how you felt Being alone with no one that cares. And I wish I'd told you before you left how much I love you.

He opened his eye to find tears in hers. "I don't know if you feel--" He began but she stilled his lips with a finger.

"Shhh, Stephen shhh..." She pulled him in for a hug and whispered "I love you too." in his ear. She kissed him gently then pulled him back on to the bed with her.

Afterwards, Stephen held her in his arms, he thought that she was asleep and was surprised when she asked " What brought this on?"

"What?"

"Why did you all of a sudden decided that you'd tell me today?"

"Someone told me today that if my Father was the person I thought he was that he'd want more for me, that I should go have a life. I realized that in searching for my Father I was missing out on things. I'll never stop looking for my Father but I'm not going to miss out on anything else. And if I didn't tell you, I definitely be missing something." He leaned in to kiss her.

In his office, Operation took off that headphones and sat back in his chair. At first, he was a little doubtful about placing the bugs in Stephen's apartment, but now he smiled the smile of a happy Father.

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