Distribution: Here only
Notes: More of Hiss and Purr. Kat comes home with Ray and finds that things have changed.

Shane was bouncing on the balls of his feet next to Norman who was picking at invisible lint on his suede jacket.
"How long does it take for them to get their bags and through customs?" Shane asked for the nth time. "I mean, they were in Switzerland, not Columbia."
Norman pinned his friend with a sharp look and resumed picking at lint.
"You ignoring me now?"
"Oui mon petit chéri, je t'ignore," Norman replied in French, "parce que tu m'écoeure à poser la même maudite question." (Yes, my little darling, I'm ignoring you because you're getting on my nerves asking the same damn question.)
Shane groaned and started staring at the doors again. Then, his fingers curled into Norman's arm.
"I see them! Norman, I see Ray."
"Let me see Ray," Norman replied, "at least I know what I want to do with him."
"You are so vile."
"I know what I want. Do you?"
Shane made a face at Norman and started moving toward the doors, making it there just in time to be the first face Kat saw when she came out. She dropped her bags and went straight into his comforting arms. She closed her eyes and tears came rolling down her cheeks.
"I have missed you," she whispered.
"You have been missed."
Shane held Kat in his arms, trying not to focus on the fact that she felt so much smaller in his arms. She'd lost a lot of weight. She'd fattened up from the last time but she still wasn't back to her original weight. He pulled her out of his arms and looked at her face. The weight loss showed there too but she made it work. Her features were sharper, more defined and it made her look more exotic, specially with her high cheekbones and full lips.
"You've lost weight," he stated very matter-of-factly, "but you make it work."
"I know."
"What about me damn it?" Norman demanded. "I've said my hellos to Ray and all but I came here for you."
"Come here," Kat smiled, opening her arms to Norman.
They hugged for a long time, Kat not even minding the stubble of his chin scratching her cheek. She'd missed him so much.
"I have something to ask you," she whispered into his ear.
"What?"
"I'd like to audition for your dance troop."
"You don't have to audition. You'll always have a place in..."
"I want to audition Norman. Please. I need to do this."
"All right then. We'll set something up when we get to the arena. It'll be easy enough."
"Thank you."
In the limousine on the way to the hotel, Shane took Kat's hand in his and rubbed it gently.
"Ray tells me you are in the best shape of your life."
"I am. Norman'll see in the morning. I'm going to dazzle you baby."
"You do that kid."
Kat said nothing for a long time, watching as Miami sped into a blur in front of her eyes.
"So, how come Steph didn't come with you?" she asked, turning to Shane. "I thought for sure that she would be there."
"Well, Dad's been a bit busy with the XFL and Mom had a press conference to handle and someone had to stay at the arena."
"Oh, OK. I can't wait to see her. I can't wait to see a lot of people."
All three men heard Kat's sigh, knowing she was thinking about Steve. With Kat so lost in taking in Miami, she didn't notice the guilty looks on Shane and Norman's faces. But Ray did. He frowned at them and they shook their heads. They would explain later.
br At the arena, Shane was quickly pulled into a meeting by JR and Kat went off with Norman to see her former coworkers. As for Ray, he made his way through the backstage area until he found Stephanie's office. He knocked on the door and found her talking on the phone while she checked things out on her laptop. He watched her from the doorway with a smile. Now that they were back in the States, this was an avenue he definitely wanted to pursue.
"Should I come back later?" Ray asked.
"Ray!"
Stephanie almost dropped the phone as her blue eyes went wide with pleasure. She quickly dispatched the other person on the other end of the line and made her way around her desk to him. Ray bent over her and pecked both of her cheeks.
"Hello Stephanie," he said with a huge grin.
"You guys are back from the airport already?" she asked, drawing him to the couch.
"Yes."
"Where's Kat?"
"With Norman. She wants to audition again."
"Why? Norman will take her back, no questions asked."
"It's a little something she wants to do for herself."
"I see."
Stephanie looked at Ray and her heart clenched. He still looked the same, completely at peace with himself and oh so incredibly handsome, a casual smile on his lips. She finally had him exactly where she'd wanted him to be, alone with her in a room with the door closed and his interest in her as plainly written in his eyes as it would have been written in a novel.
She wanted to reach out to him and touch him intimately, pull him in for a kiss, let him know... Let him know what? She hung her head.
"What's wrong?" Ray asked her. "I've been getting a weird vibe from Shane and Norman and now I'm getting it from you. What's happened? I know it has to do with Steve and Kat. What is it?"
"You're right, it has to do with Kat."
"What about her?"
"Well..."
"Steve's found himself a new woman," Ray stated matter-of-factly.
"Yes," Stephanie whispered, her blue eyes unblinking.
"Kat's ready for that. We talked about that. She understands how it could have happened. She's not going to be happy about it, she's still in love with him, but his happiness is her main concern."
"Is it?"
"You have doubts?"
"I think Kat doesn't realize that she might be biting off more than you can chew."
"What does that mean?" Ray asked, his eyes narrowing on Stephanie.
"Ray..."
Then it hit him like a ton of bricks, "You," he whispered, "it's you."
"Ray..."
"I have to tell Kat before someone else does," Ray said, getting up quickly.
"Ray, wait!"
"You should have at least told me. She needed to be prepared for this."
"Ray..."
It was too late, Ray was already running out of the office to find Kat.

"You have lost so much weight," Christine said, looking at Kat as she changed, "and you make it work."
"Thanks."
"How's your hip?"
"Better than it's ever been," Kat grinned. "I can do things with it I couldn't do before. I can't wait to try out my new skills in the bedroom with..."
"Ray, right? I knew it! The two of you are a match made in heaven! And it works out so perfectly, you and Ray, Steph and Steve! I bet you guys will be..." Christine droned on and on while Kat kept on tying her dancing shoes.
Steph and Steve. Steve and Stephanie. Austin and McMahon. Vince's little girl and Vince's enemy.
"I think I should go and stretch now," Kat whispered, rushing out of the dressing room.
She stumbled into the room reserved for the dancers and blindly went through her stretches. Norman watched her, in silence, until the rest of the dancers came bouncing in.
"Who invited you?" he asked sharply.
"You are such a bitch," Tamara hissed, "we're here to watch."
"Children..."
But Norman let them watch as Kat finished her stretching exercises. "You ready?" Norman asked her.
"Yeah."
"Any song in particular?"
"Anything's good. I'll improvise."
With a nod, Norman slid a CD into the portable player and pressed PLAY. Kat counted the first measure and started to move. Within a minute, Norman knew he had to have her back. She was dancing at the top of her game, showing more flexibility and flair than she ever had.
But then, she kicked it into high gear and Norman's heart almost stopped as she did a full line of back flips without breaking a sweat. She finished the song with a pirouette finish and came to stand in front of Norman.
"So," she asked, "am I in?"
"Fuck baby, you're so in I'm afraid you're going to push me out."
"Never that Norman, never that."
With a grin, Kat walked out of the room and ran smack in Ray.
"We have to talk," he told her, starting to steer her away from the other dancers.
"If you're going to tell me about Steve and Steph, I already know."
"Kat..."
"I'm okay, Ray. Really. We talked about this maybe happening and it has. I'm cool. I promise."
"Kat..."
"Changes make life Ray. This is nothing more than another change in a series of other changes."

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