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Kellie Ross took a moment to admire how she looked in the mirror.  The yellow bikini looked terrific on her, she had to admit.  She had filled out slightly in all the right places in the last seven months, but was still lean and fit, with abs that had actually washboarded a bit more due to her activities as Elevator Girl. She'd gotten her black belt more quickly than anyone ever had in her dojo.  Best of all, she and Dakota had remained a couple.

Kellie couldn't believe how much a help it was that both Dakota and his twin sister, Lakota, knew her secret identity.  Each had been able to help cover for her in some situations, as had her mom with some school absences.

As Elevator Girl, Kellie had begun to make contacts with law enforcement, media and government officials.  Saving the Mayor and Governor from the Planner didn't hurt that any, of course.  Those contacts might be useful down the line, she knew.

The one thing that disturbed Kellie was connected to that rescue.  The Planner's murderer, his mysterious boss who loved ice-themed technology, was still out there, but had been silent since November.  That was six months ago.  It was now May, and the weather was warming up.  Kellie hoped the mystery killer was simply done, but the Planner's murder still needed to be solved, and ice-oriented tech might actually be less effective at a time of year when people around the Great Lakes are used to dealing with the intense winters they sometimes get.  Kellie had a feeling this wasn't over.

But this was a summer-like Saturday.  Dakota was well, and looking the best he'd looked.  They were heading with their respective families to the beach, and she was going to enjoy herself.

Kellie put some light clothes overtop her bikini and went downstairs.  She froze when she saw her mother staring at Stamitos Stone.  The former Granite Man was still very chiseled in terms of his physique, and he was wearing a swimsuit himself.  Kellie smiled.  Her Mom looked smitten; but, then, she was, and everyone who saw her with Stamitos knew it.

Stamitos looked down at his swimsuit.  "Are you sure men wear this much fabric when they swim now?" he said.  "It just seems like a lot.  It'll make for a lot of drag in the water."

"Well, some men wear Speedos, which have a lot less fabric," said Kellie.

"You'd look great in a Speedo," said Gemma.

Stamitos smiled a smile that would melt the hearts of many a woman.  "You just think I look good," he said.

"I know you look fantastic," Gemma said.  "However, Speedos are considered scandalously small on a public beach such as this.  You just remember athletics back in your day, when men competed nude."

"Yeah, you'd just hate him to do that," Kellie said.  She knew her mother and Stamitos were now a couple in every sense of the word, and recalled vividly how red she'd blushed when her mother had told her that he was still a granite man in one sense.

"I'd hate having to share him that way," Gemma said.  "Right now, I've got him all to myself."

"Well, are you two teenagers ready?" Kellie asked jokingly.  "I don't want to keep the Greenes waiting for us."

"You mean, you don't want to keep Dakota waiting," Gemma said.  "All right, let's go."

Kellie looked up at Stamitos, who winked at her.  She grinned.  This was going to be more fun than Gemma knew.

The Rosses arrived at the beach and headed to the area where they were supposed to meet the Greenes.  They found them all there, with Lakota in a black bikini, and Dakota in a set of blue trunks.  He smiled on seeing Kellie, who felt like she was glowing when she saw him.  They ran together, hugged and kissed.

Mrs. Greene was looking at Stamitos and started fanning herself.  "Oh, my goodness!" she said, leaning in beside Gemma.  "You are going to be the envy of every woman at the beach!" Mrs. Greene said.

Gemma chuckled.  "He does look good, doesn't he?"

"'Good' isn't doing him justice," Mrs. Greene said.

Kellie, Lakota and Dakota found Kellie's friend Jenna with a group of other teens.  "Friend" might have become an exaggeration when describing Jenna's relationship with Kellie.  The need to maintain Elevator Girl's secret identity had driven a wedge between the two teens.

Nevertheless, the whole group of teens, including Jenna, played some beach volleyball for awhile.  Then Lakota went trolling for cute guys.  "I baited my hook," she said, gesturing to her bikini.  "I might as well do some fishing."

Kellie took Dakota's hand.  "I've got my catch," she said.

Dakota used his free hand and stuck a finger in his mouth, tugging as if he was a fish on a hook as he made a face.

Kellie laughed.  "You big goof," she said.

Dakota laughed back.

The two of them found a spot away from their parents, where they talked and laughed, and kissed and hugged.  Between that and fun with the other teens, the day flew by all too quickly.

The sun was starting to set when Kellie grabbed Dakota's hand as she stood up.  "Come on," she said.  "Something special is about to happen, and we don't want to miss it."

"OK," Dakota said, sounding confused as he stood up.

As they walked, Kellie asked, "You wanna get together tomorrow afternoon -- assuming, you know, no E.G. action?"

"Even if you don't need to take the 'elevator' tomorrow, I can't," Dakota said.  "Your mom and I have that function with the Greene-Ross Foundation tomorrow, remember?"

"Oh, yeah," said Kellie.  It was a charitable dinner in support of the new foundation, with some high-powered speakers and unveiling the first uses of the technology that Kellie had used as Elevator Girl to bring Dakota to where he was now -- apparently cancer-free.  Kellie was supposed to attend, but Gemma was on the board, and Dakota was the face of the foundation, thanks to its link to the technology Elevator Girl used in saving his life.

"You know, I've always wondered," Dakota said.  "The br- the Elevator Girl tech warps time-space.  Does that mean it could be used to travel in time?"

Kellie shook her head, glancing around to make sure no one else was listening.  "No, it doesn't have enough power.  The time warps are only a few cells in size max -- like maybe the size of the head of an old-style pin for sewing.  The same would be true with making a wormhole for interplanetary or intergalactic travel.  Any major effects that way are way out of reach, and the tech won't scale up enough to produce a big enough field.  Warping time or folding space takes way more energy than the bubble in space my powers use."

"Oh," said Dakota.  He pointed to his family.  "There they are.  But where are your mom and Stamitos?"

Kellie pointed to the water's edge in front of where they were.  "There," she said.

Stamitos and Gemma were backlit by the sunset over the water.  Kellie reached into her tote bag and brought out out a small case.  She trotted partway toward the couple.  When Stamitos saw her, she stopped and tossed the case into the air.  He snagged it and brought it down.

Gemma looked confused.  Then her eyes widened and her jaw dropped as she saw Stamitos drop to one knee.

"Kellie tells me this is the modern tradition for doing this," Stamitos said.  He opened the case to reveal a diamond ring.  "Gemma Ross, will you marry me?"

Gemma brought her hands to her mouth.  As her lower lip quivered, she lowered one hand to her chest, then said, "Oh, yes!  Yes!  Yes!"

Stamitos leapt up and embraced her, lifting her into the air.  Kellie and the Greenes cheered from their vantage points, as did a few strangers on the beach who had spotted the scene.

Congratulations flowed for a few minutes.  Gemma slipped on the ring and stared at it.  "However did you afford this?" she asked.

"I have been working, you know," Stamitos said.  "I just saved what I could each week until I could get this ring.  I'd have loved to get you something bigger, but this was what I could afford."

"I wouldn't change it for the biggest diamond in the world," she said.  "It's perfect.  It's from you."  She kissed him, and he enfolded her in his muscular arms.

Mrs. Greene, Lakota and Kellie all sighed as they watched.

"Hey!" said Mr. Greene and Dakota, each to their own significant other.

Mrs. Greene smiled at her husband.  "Don't worry, dear," she said.  "He's a fun fantasy, but you're my reality, and I prefer reality."

Kellie took Dakota's hands.  "You know, you caught me, too, my fisherman Kota," she said.  "You hooked me that day in the hallway, when you told me what … you told me."  They both knew she referred to the moment when he had realized Kellie was Elevator Girl, simply by looking into her eyes.

Mr. Greene stretched.  "Well, the beach closes at sunset, so we'll need to head for home.  Let's get packed up, everybody," he said.

Kellie and Dakota kissed a few more times.  As the time came for them to part, he leaned down by her ear and said, "I'll say it for both of us again.  I love you."

Kellie kissed his cheek.  She was still afraid to say the words, afraid that admitting her love would cause her to lose Dakota.  But she knew that he knew how she felt, and this had become their running expression since the day Elevator Girl had found a way to cure his cancer.  "Ditto," she whispered to him.

The Rosses, complete with Stamitos, drove back to their house.  Gemma kept giggling, and Stamitos was beaming with a smile that could blind anyone foolish enough to look directly at it.

Kellie was happy for her mom.  Her dad had died years ago, and the teen was glad for the new love she had found with Stamitos, and for her own role in freeing the ancient Greek warrior from his curse and making this engagement possible.

Kellie thought about Dakota.  Maybe, some day, they would celebrate their engagement.

Elsewhere, the Planner's murderer finished work on her latest ice constructs.  These were the final pieces of the puzzle, and were in place just in time for tomorrow.

Now was the time, she knew.  Once her actions tomorrow were complete, it would be time to confront Elevator Girl, and strip her of her power once and for all.

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