SOUNDTRACK: "Tiny Light" - Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

MONDAY

Kate looked out of her window at her car parked in the parking lot next to the Hot Wheels car. The late February sun was glinting off of it's freshly-washed roof (Jared had one of the interns take it to a car wash one day). She took the keys from her desk drawer and pulled on a pair of slippers and a jacket before heading outside. She hadn't taken a closer look at the car since Jared had given it to her on her birthday. She had resented him for giving it to her, so she avoided it. There was no reason for her to have it because she only ever went to school and back, so she hadn't really thought much of it. But now that she and Olivia were going out and doing things together, she figured it might be time to at least learn how to drive, even if she didn't get behind the wheel yet.

She unlocked the car and sat behind the wheel, running her hands across the black leather. A sudden sense of power ran through her body and she sat back against the seat, enjoying its feel. There was no sense in the car just sitting in the parking lot (it wasn't really a driveway when fifteen cars could easily fit in it). Kate bit her lip and pulled the visor down to block out the sun. Sure, L.A. had crazy traffic and initially she had been terrified of driving in it. But her daily trips with Samir had shown her plenty of quiet back roads to and from Winterlake that she was totally comfortable on.

She got out of the car with a smile on her face, her mind made up. She locked it behind her and walked back into the house to find Jared. He was in his office with Reni and Emma, discussing something for Camp Mars. She waited by the open door, not wanting to interrupt.

"Don't lurk, Kate. You'll make Reni nervous," Jared said without looking up from his laptop and bringing a smile from both women.

Kate shuffled into Jared's office and stood by the door awkwardly. "I don't want to interrupt anything," she said softly.

Jared smiled. "You're not. We're almost done."

Kate nodded and sat in one of the chairs in the corner, fingering the car keys in her jacket pocket.

"So you'll have those estimates to me by Friday, right?" he asked. "I want to get tickets out by the end of March. Mid-April at the very latest."

"Absolutely," Reni replied. "But it's pretty much a copy of last year."

"I thought we were getting more cabins to accommodate more people?" Emma asked, making a note in her notebook.

"We are. Or, we will. I'm still waiting to hear back from Kylie," Reni said. "But I will definitely have final numbers for that by Friday. If not, I'll climb down her throat myself."

"I didn't know you had a violent side, Reni," Jared chuckled. She made a face at him. "Alright. I think that's all wrapped up for now." He shut his laptop. "Let's plan to pick this up again on Friday. Does one work?" he asked as the two women gathered their things.

"I have a meeting in Malibu at eleven, but I should be back by one," Emma said.

He nodded. "Alright. Good meeting, guys," he said. He looked at Kate as Emma closed the door behind her. "What's up, Gremlin?"

"Um...do you remember when you bought me the car and I told you I didn't have my license yet?" she started.

"Yeah."

"Well, I was wondering if we could go get my learner's permit and I could start learning how to drive," she finished.

"I'm not sure if I should scream in happiness to have Samir back completely or in fear at the thought you being on the road behind the wheel," he replied.

Kate smiled. "I'm not sure about driving, but I feel like a driver's license is something I should have, right?"

Jared nodded. "Of course." He picked up his cell phone and sent a quick text. "When did you want to go get it done?" he asked.

A knock came at his door and Shayla appeared. "What do you need?" she asked.

"Can you tell me when I'd be free this week to take Kate to get her Learner's Permit?" he asked. "Preferably in the afternoon when she's out of school?"

She nodded and looked at her phone. "Uh...it looks like you've got those interviews for a new assistant each morning until noon."

"A new assistant? Are you leaving, Shayla?" Kate asked in surprise.

Jared sighed. "Not for a while," he said. "But yes, she is."

"Where are you going?"

"Oh, I'll still be here with Adventures," she replied. "I...just needed to be more stationary."

"She worked with me during some of the most hectic periods of my life and career," he explained. "I'm just happy she's not running away completely," he joked.

"When are you leaving, though?" Kate asked.

Shayla shrugged. "When we find the right replacement for me and Jared feels comfortable enough with him or her. It's not a rush. And I'll still be around."

Kate nodded. She and Jared's assistant had become close since the Vail trip. "What about me? Don't I get a say in the new assistant?"

Jared looked at Kate. She had a point. Whomever he chose would be a significant part of her life and they'd have to get along with her, too. "It's possible," he replied cryptically. "Shayla, the times?" he asked.

"Oh, right," Shayla said. "Your Friday afternoon is open."

"Only after two," he said. "I've got a Camp meeting with Emma and Reni at one."

She nodded. "I'll put it in the calendar. So you could get Kate from school and head right over. The DMV on Honnacre is open later on Friday afternoons since they open late on Mondays."

He tapped his desk. "That settles it. On Friday, I'll get you from school and we'll head straight over, alright?"

Kate smiled and nodded happily. "Yes. Thank you."

SATURDAY

Jared found Kate sitting on the large sofa in her room, watching TV. He stood by the door for a minute, wondering if he really needed to disturb her that instant. He knocked on her open door and she turned around.

"Hey," he said, flopping onto her bed and earning a sloppy lick across his face from Vedder. "What's up?" he asked with a grimace as he wiped at it.

"Just watching The Great British Baking Show and fantasizing about pastries," she smiled.

He sat up. "I have something I want to talk to you about."

She turned the TV off and shifted to face him. He wasn't sure if he should move closer to her or not.

"I've - uh - I've been asked to audition for a couple films and I wanted to talk to you about them first before I even agreed to audition," he said.

"Why?"

"Because both of them would require me to be away from you for quite a while," he admitted. "It would be one long stretch - three or four weeks in Hungary and then a couple months possibly in Japan." He paused to let his words sink in. "I haven't agreed to anything yet and it's all still really early, but I wanted to keep you informed on everything."

She nodded. "Say you took both roles. You'd be gone for a while, right?"

He nodded. "Probably. But I could work in several breaks to come back home if I needed to."

"How?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Perks of being an Oscar winner," he smiled. "But if I did take both roles, I wouldn't need to leave until September. And I'd definitely be back and forth a little."

"But I'd be here most of the time," she stated.

"Yeah. Not alone, but it would be a while between you and I seeing each other, yes," he explained. "I'd bring you over for Thanksgiving and we could talk every day if that's what you want. You could even stay with Shannon or my mom could come here and stay with you. I just want you to know that you'll have people around."

She nodded, but didn't respond immediately.

"It's a ways off, but I don't want a repeat of a couple weeks ago, Kate," Jared said softly. "I don't ever want to get that call again," he whispered, his voice catching slightly.

She understood why he was asking and the reasoning behind it, but it was still awkward. He was worried about her doing something stupid again because he'd be gone for a while. She knew the honeymoon phase of their repaired relationship wouldn't last forever, and that he wasn't going to just stay at the Compound forever. He was an actor and that meant he'd take roles that would take him places. And he was a musician, which meant that he'd eventually tour. So the day would come when he'd be away and she'd have to stay back in Los Angeles alone.

"Would I have to stay at the Compound? Could I stay with Shannon the whole time?" she asked, the prospect of spending several months alone in the old base quite daunting.

"If you stayed here, my mom would stay with you. Or Emma. Maybe Stevie if he's free," he replied. "And Shannon said you could stay with him for a few weeks, too. But I don't think it'll be the same the whole time I'm gone. We can work all of that out when it gets closer. I mostly just want to know if you'd be okay with me being gone for so long."

"Does my opinion really matter, here?" she asked.

"Yes. It matters a lot, actually. I won't take the roles if you don't think you'll be okay with me being gone," Jared said.

Kate blinked. "Well...what movies are they for?"

He gave her a sad smile. "I can't tell you that. That's another thing that's gonna come up a lot - me not being able to tell you certain things. Confidentiality clauses are a bitch. But I can definitely say that the first one would be a film desperately want to be a part of and the second is something I've never done before and I'd like to explore."

She chewed on her lip. She couldn't forgive herself if she was the reason he turned down roles, especially if they were projects he was really interested in. Her selfless nature won out again.

"Sure, yeah," she said finally. "Go for it."

His face lit up. "You're sure?" he asked.

Kate nodded. "Yes. I mean it."

Jared all but leaped from the bed and ran over to hug her. "Thank you," he grinned.

He had made enough sacrificed for her. It was time she made a few for him.