"With orrr without Taylorrr, the Essence must be stopped." Slink insisted.
"Hey dudes, anyone for some pizza?" said a voice entering the room.
"Mike! Baby, darling! Yes we would love some pizza, I for one, am totally starving." Janet said. "By the way, you're late. We were all busy, fighting fears and you show up now. Gee."
"Sorry babe." Raphael said. "Shreader kidnapped April and we just had to rescue our bodacious babe. Besides, you are aware that he's working for the Essence. So, we were kinda fighting him too."
"Don't listen to them." Leonardo interrupted. "Mike was taking too long cooking the pizza -"
"Well, I knew they'd be a lot of people, I needed more ingredients -" Mike interjected.
"And then we got lost on the way here." Leonardo finished.
"The landscape kept changing." Donatello added. "Hey, save some pizza for me would ya?"
"This is no time for parrrties. This is a council of warrr against the Essence." Slink insisted.
"Hey cool down, short, yellow and furry." Mike said. "Who can think on an empty stomach?"
"Besides, it is true. Shreader has joined with the Essence." Donatello pointed out. "Just like Magneto and the other evil X-men, and the Singh Brotherhood and, well, all our enemies in the natural."
"They're just hoping this way they might actually beat us." Superman replied.
"This coming from someone who has died." Batman sneered.
"Hey, at least I came back."
"Guys, guys? Please, you're supposed to be superheros, not super squabblers." Janet cut in.
**********
Kristin pulled away. Taylor still lay there solemnly.
"Oh, silly me. I should have known that stupid Sleeping Beauty thing wouldn't work." she sighed.
Unbeknownst to Kristin, the kiss seemed to have some effect. For the first time since he went under, Taylor was aware. He felt like there was a force pushing against he body, making any movement impossible. He could hear Kristin talking, and the music playing, although he couldn't open his eyes to see them.
And the kiss itself, well, it lingered. On his lips and in his mind. The sensation continued with an aching desire to kiss her back.