"So, where are you staying?" Tommy asked the beautiful girl sitting next to him.

"Uh, I'm not sure." Tanya said as she squeezed his hand.

Tommy grinned. "Then you can stay with me. I am staying at my foster mother's house."

Tanya laughed. " I'm not sure what she would say to that. I mean she doesn't even know me! You just met me!"

"Ah, who cares? I know I can trust you." Tommy said kissing her hand.

"This is so weird!" Tanya suddenly burst out.

"I know what you mean." Tommy replied, looking at the brown-eyed beauty next to him. He had just met her an hour ago and already he knew that she was the one. How he knew that was beyond him. All he knew was that when he first looked into Tanya's eyes he had seen something. It was like the missing half of his soul. He loved her; he just wasn't certain how he knew he loved her.

She smiled at him. The love she felt toward this man, whom she had just met for the first time surprised her. She had never believed in love at first sight but this went deeper than any mere physical attraction. She could honestly say that she loved this man more than anything else in her life.

LA Bus Stop…

"I can't wait to see Tommy!" Jade Ling giggled. Her mother smiled, softly.

"Me see Daddy! Me see Daddy!" Three-year-old Luna Oliver enthused to her family. Luna had been about two and half the last time she had seen her father. She missed him a great deal.

"Look, there's his bus." Caitlin pointed out to her daughter and grandchild. Luna had always called her grandma. That was mainly because Tommy called her his "little mother".

Jade scanned the people getting off the newly arrived bus for her older brother's long dark hair and six-foot frame. She spotted him the moment he got off the bus.

"Look!" Jade called, pointing. "There he is!"

At that moment…

"There they are Tanya." Tommy said turning to take her hand.

She grinned at him. "You weren't kidding when you said that they were small women were you?"

"Nope." Tommy laughed.

"Daddy! Daddy, I missed you!" Luna squealed running to him.

"Baby! Oh my baby!" Tommy cried sweeping the tiny child up into his arms.

"Tommy!" Jade called, running up to her brother.

"Jade! Look at you! Gotten so grown up looking. Bet you have to beat those boys off with a stick!" Tommy laughed; switching Luna to one arm so he could give Jade a one handed hug.

"Hey baby!" Caitlin called to her adopted son. Caitlin had had a soft spot for Tommy since Jade had brought him home when they were in the first grade. As time went on she had grown so attached to him that he was like a son to her.

"Momma!" Tommy cried hugging, the little woman tightly.

Through all of this Tanya stood back and watched Tommy with his family. She couldn't help but wish for a family like the one her beloved had.

Tommy turned around and reached his hand out to Tanya. Smiling she took it. "Mom, Jade this is Tanya."

Jade looked at her brother in surprise. He had never said anything about having a new girlfriend after Kim. She looked at her mother and saw her smile.

"Hello Tanya. It's so nice to met you." Caitlin said, reaching out a hand for Tanya to shake. Smiling, Tanya took it.

"Hi-hi!" Luna squealed to the girl. "Me Luna! And this is my dada Tommy!"

Tanya grinned at her. "You are even more adorable than your picture!"

"Thank yoo." Luna said in her little baby voice.

"So, Mr. Oliver when were you planning on telling us you were bringing some one with you?" Caitlin asked smiling at the pretty black girl clinging to Tommy's hand. She seemed ill at easy for some reason.

"Oh, well, I didn't think I was going to bring her with me."

"Actually, we just met." Tanya cut in.

"Oh. When?" Jade asked.

"About 15 minutes ago." Tanya said, smiling a bit at Caitlin and Jade's dumbstruck expressions.

"Alright then. Well, I always said you fell in love fast Tommy." Caitlin grinned, walking over to collect the luggage. It also gave her time to think. She knew her son, knew him better than almost anybody, and she knew that if Tommy truly had feelings for this girl than, there really must not be anything wrong with her. She could tell by looking at him that Tommy truly cared about her. She smiled. How bad could she be?

"Tanya, where are you staying? We could give you a ride." Caitlin asked the nervous young woman.

"Actually I really don't have a place to stay. Do you know a good motel to go to?" Tanya asked turning to Caitlin.

"Hmmm. A good hotel in LA. I don't think there is such a thing." Jade piped up.

"Okay. How about a cheap one then?" Tanya laughed.

"Why don't you just stay with us?" Caitlin suggested. "We have plenty of room."

" No, I couldn't impose." Tanya argued.

"Nonsense. I won't take no for an answer." Caitlin laughed at the girl's expression.

"You'd be better off just agreeing with her." Jade advised. "Mom can be rather hard headed at times."

"Okay." Tanya said tentatively.

Sometime Later, at the Ling's House

"So, Tanya, where are you from?" Jade asked the young woman sitting across from her. After a nice dinner at a small café, the group had returned to the Ling's two-story house. Tanya had been quickly liked by the two women after they had a chance to talk to her a bit. Tanya and Tommy were sitting on the couch holding hands, with Luna falling asleep in her father's lap.

"Well, originally I am from Kenya but I moved to San Jose when I was about seven." Tanya replied grinning at the younger girl. She had asked a whole slew of questions through dinner and hadn't stopped yet. Tanya got the impression that this was normal behavior for the girl, and even though it was a little annoying at times, Tanya could tell it was just Her way oh getting to know people.

"Coo." The nearly asleep Luna spoke up from Tommy's lap.

"Come on, sweetie. It's time for you to go to bed." Tommy told his daughter.

" 'Kay dada." Luna said, rubbing her eyes.

Tommy lifted his daughter up, and cared her to her bedroom. Tanya and Jade looked on as Tommy and Luna left the room.

"She really is adorable." Tanya told Jade.

"Yeah she is." Jade agreed

"She's a pistol though. Just like her dad was." Caitlin said, from the doorway.

"Well," Jade said, rising to kiss her mother on the cheek. "I got choir practice early in the morning, so I better get to bed now.

"Sleep tight, hon." Caitlin told her daughter.

"Goodnight." Tanya added.

"Well, Tanya, I think I'll put you in our guest bedroom. It's the third door on the left." Caitlin smiled at the girl. Tanya smiled back.

"'Night." Tanya said around a huge yawn.

"Tanya." Caitlin said turning to the girl suddenly.

"Yes, ma'am?" Tanya asked from the middle of the stairs.

"When you saw Tommy for the first time…? Did you feel like you'd be with him the rest of your life?" Caitlin asked her seriously.

"Yeah. Yeah I did." Tanya said, after a moment of the thought. "Weird, huh? Well see you in the morning." And she turned and went upstairs.

"No, Tanya. It's not strange at all." Caitlin said to no one. Turning to a cabinet that was always kept locked, she made a strange maneuver with her hand. Magically the lock snapped off and the cabinet opened.

Lifting an old, old book from the magic cabinet she flipped through the book until she found the page that contained only a single passage:

Red and Yellow
Night and Day
Life and Pain
These two
Will be joined
Heart and Soul
Forever and a Day
Soul Mates

"Red and Yellow. That's you, Tommy and Tanya. Night and Day. That's your personalities. Tommy is the night and Tanya is the day. One can not exist with the other. Life and Pain. Dark days ahead for the both of you I am afraid. Will be joined heart and soul. Joined at the heart and soul, never to let go." Caitlin whispered. "Forever and a Day. The length of time your love will last. Soul Mates."

This is the second story of a series I call "Soul Mates". The next one will continue with Tommy and Tanya, with them going home to Angel Grove. It will be out as soon as I can get it written.

The next part of the series will continue with a more likely couple. Any guess? J