DISCLAIMER: I do not own RUGRATS or "Song For You" by LastPageFirst

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've been itching to write a Phil and Kimi story for days now and this story has been buried in thought for ages. I originally intended this to be a One-Shot but decided to break the song into short chapters. The lyrics of the song will be italicized and bolded.

Please Review! As I find it encouraging to continue stories when I know there are readers who are looking forward to them. Thank You (but please no flames).

Of Hot Chocolate and Snowflakes

If someone had told Phil during his diaper days that his best friend would be Kimi Finster, he would have burst into laughter and probably dump worms in their hair. She was spunky and far to rebellious to follow the norm. He worked far too hard to be his own person and refused to compete with someone who did the very same. Yet, as the two grew older-he found themselves gravitating toward one another.

You let me crash at your place
when things got rough at home

Phil folded his hands behind his head and stared into the ceiling. He glanced at the clock, red numbers glared back at him indicating that it was way too late in the evening to be awake. The door opened slowly and the hallway light peeked through the darkness.

"I had a feeling you were still awake," a voice quietly spoke. Sitting up, Phil watched as Kimi walked into the room.

"I figured you would be sleeping by now," Phil replied as he leaned against the wall, making room on the bed. The petite asian shifted in place before cautiously taking a seat beside him.

Kimi laughed, "Yeah, well . . ." She gazed around the things belonging to her brother, letting her voice trail.

Phil had called the Finster household to speak with Chuckie, but the red-headed boy was away for a over night field trip. So, he found himself talking to Kimi instead. It was not too strange of a request when Phil asked if her parents would mind if he crashed at their place. It was no secret that the DeVille's were having martial problems. So every now and then when Howard and Betty got into a heated argument, the twins would find a place to claim as sanctuary for the night. Tonight, Lil was lucky enough to be at a weekend cheerleading retreat.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Kimi whispered after a few minutes of silence. Both of their backs against the wall. If it were not for Tommy having his cousins visiting for the week, Phil would have taken refuge in the Pickles' household instead.

"Not really," Phil honestly answered, as he saw Kimi nod her head from the corner of his eye. He never liked talking about his parents with anyone, not even Lil. He always felt that talking about things just made everything real and a big part of him wanted to live in denial.

It was quiet for a while before Kimi broke the silence once again, "I catch my parents fighting some times." She paused for a second. "My mom and my 'real' dad. She tries real hard to hide it but I hear her argue with him on the phone."

"What do they fight about?" Phil found himself asking.

Kimi let out a sigh and gazed up toward the ceiling. "About me. My dad wants me to move to Japan for a year. Says it's only fair, but my mom is so upset about him shutting me out of his life all these years she refuses." She took another second to collect her thoughts. "I know they're not together and I love that Chaz is my dad, but it still hurts to know that my parents still fight."

He knew what Kimi had told him was something she never shared, not with Chuckie and not with Lil either. He could tell by the sound of her voice. The way the words left her lips, it made her voice sound foreign and unfamiliar. Knowing that she had probably just told him her deepest darkest secret broke the resolve in him and he felt his entire world crumbling.

"Do you think my parents are going to get a divorce?" his voice nearly cracked and he found himself clinching his fist. He refused to cry. The seconds that follow, passed painfully slow for him.

"No, I don't think so," answered Kimi. He half-expected those words to sound rehearsed or unsure. But her voice sounded truly sincere and hopeful. "Mom says that your parents started seeing a marriage counselor. Your parents must really love each other and they must want to be together if they're trying to find a way to work things out."

Phil nodded his head. It made sense. She made sense. And it didn't sound fake either. "Thanks Kimi."

For the first time that night, Kimi looked Phil in the eyes and smiled. "You want me to make you some hot chocolate?" Kimi offered as she rose from the bed.

Phil chuckled. "Sure." It was as if she knew that they shared enough secrets tonight. That if she pressed him any further, he would break even more and feel too far to be healed.

He followed her into the kitchen and sat next to the counter while she made them hot chocolate. They spent the rest of the evening watching television in the living room and talking about a variety of things. It was the first real long conversation Phil ever had with Kimi without the rest of the gang. It was almost dawn when they fell asleep on the couch. And when Phil woke to see Kimi curled on the other side of the couch, he thought perhaps Tommy being preoccupied by guests and Chuckie being away worked out for the best for him.

-TBC-

A/N: This actually turned out a lot more serious than I had expected. The tone for the remainder of the story is actually completely different from this chapter (at least what I am envisioning at the moment). Anyways, I hope you like it. Please Review! THANK YOU!