"If there is one thing that stands out the most," thought Sam Guthrie as he  observed his former colleague, "it's that she doesn't cry nearly as much."

 Rahne stood at the counter in Harry's Hideaway, getting a straw for her Diet Dr. Pepper.  Her back was turned to the rest of the team as they  talked and caught up with each other.  Their reunion was impromptu, being a  reaction to Rahne's mugging and theft of her invaluable necklace, but with the thugs defeated and the loss restored, they sat at the table and chattered away like they had when they were all teens.  Sam faked attention  to the conversation while staring at Rahne once he had the chance.

 She was taller, healthier, and -- he had to admit -- prettier than before.  Rahne had grown up while Sam had been time-jumping all over creation.  He was still trying to make himself believe that the lovely  figure in that black leather outfit was the scared little girl whose  affection he had always brushed off as childish crushes.  She'd seen a lot of misery since they parted ways, and though her speech was still soft and  her eyes tender, there was a maturity in her now that made Sam both sad and enthralled.

 "Damn!  She saw!"  Sam tried to look back at Bobby as if he had only been glancing at Rahne.  She came back to their booth and sat down next to Dani.

 "How's your head?" asked Dani.

 "It hurts," replied Rahne without the least bit of emotion.  She took a  long drag on her soda, and the puckering of her lips made Sam stare again.

 "Well, it's already a lot better.  You'll heal faster if you eat something,  mutant power or not.  Anybody hungry?"

 "Oh, God yes," replied Bobby.  "There's a new five-star place close by.  My  treat."

 "Good thing," joked Shan, "the only stars I've seen lately were adorned with the word 'Hardees.'  Feeding the twins puts quite a strain on the budget."

 "Make sure to get something you can take home to them too.  I'll never be able to spend all this."

 Sam watched in silence and laughed as the group slowly got up.  Rahne continued to drink quietly.  The light now hit her face in such a way that  it was almost as if it washed years away before Sam's eyes, and the cute young redhead was standing in front of him again.  Her face was peaceful  yet vulnerable, with eyes like enormous, thin windows to a wonderful but  dangerous world.  Even the way she drank her soda made it seem like she was enjoying the kind of comfort only a child knows.  In an instant, the light changed, and back again was the young woman.  Sam decided to himself that  although he would miss the little girl, hardship and grief had made Rahne into a woman who was as strong as she was beautiful.

 "Wait a second!"  Dani stopped, turning around to face the others.  "When's the next time all of us will be here together?  We should eat here, for old  time's sake!"

 "Oh, yes, she's right," agreed Rahne emphatically.  "We can't just stroll out of here like we'll be back next week!  Let's stay!"

 Roberto groaned uncomfortably.  "Man, do you know how hard it is to burn fat anymore?  A belly full of burgers and fries doesn't look so good in spandex, you know.  I haven't had pizza in years."

 "That's true," Dani conceded with a laugh.  Shan was silent.  She wasn't about to pass up a free meal in a fine restaurant.

 "But...but...we won't be back," Rahne pleaded.  "This is where we always went.  It was our place, you know?  Our place."

 Sam wanted to go with the others, but couldn't voice an opinion at the  moment.  The five of them looked around Harry's from where they stood,  recalling the years.  Sneaking out.  Trying to be normal.  Feeding their faces as only kids can.  Spilling shakes on Rahne's head.  It all came back to them, and especially to Rahne.

 Her eyes looked to Sam as if tears were on the other side, beating down the doors to break free from the sadness within her.  Twisting her eyebrows and  clenching her jaws, she struggled not to cry.  In a moment the battle was over, and she smiled grimly at the booth where they had been sitting.

 "Well, we will just have to come back some time then," she declared to them.  The matter was settled in her mind.

 Sam threw both arms around Rahne and held her close.  "We'll be back, Carrot-Top.  We'll be back."

 The glass door closed behind them as they left, the bell making a brief jingle as their forms drifted from sight.  Someone's pepperoni and double cheese was taken from the oven, and the warm smell filled the room from corner to corner.

 kd