A/N: First of all, a big apology to everyone on the way too long hiatus I took. I never meant to be away this long but in my own defense, The Man changed his shifts so it ate into my free time, and I took on a second job over the summer and all free time went to zero.

This ficlet is a prequel of sorts to my Apocalypse Horizon series, in that it's the back story for my OC's, Jenna and Marcus. It will be about ten chapters or so, so I hope you enjoy it – Ironangel80

Disclaimer: Big thanks to Kripke for sharing his world with us.

Chapter 1

She had been seventeen. Her family had a small farm on the Louisiana side of the Texas border. They weren't rich by any standard, and they worked the land hard like all the other families in the area, but it was their home. The closest neighbors were the Wells family, and she had been harboring a crush in their eldest son, Marcus, since she was twelve. Her father wouldn't have approved of her choice of a beau. Interracial couples were becoming more frequent in that part of the State, but they were far from acceptable by her father's expectations – even if it was one from close family friends like the Wells'.

Of course Marcus had no idea she was so taken by him. Nearly three years older, he was due back that day from boot camp. He had signed up with the marines several months earlier, and he was getting a few weeks of leave at home before he was going to be posted in Alabama. She had made sure that she went up to visit with Estelle, his mother, everyday since she took in her sister's baby. It wasn't as if Estelle couldn't use the company, or the help. Estelle's youngest sister – barely much older than Marcus – had a baby the year before and decided she couldn't keep it. The alcohol and drug addictions might have had something to do with it too. Estelle took the infant in so that he didn't become a ward of the State and got lost in the system, but the strain on the household of another child was showing on her. Jenna often watched little DeRelle for an hour or so after school so that Estelle could have some time to do other chores around the house, and to start dinner for the family, or to just catch her breath. There didn't seem to be much to go around, and she figured that was why Marcus' father and agreed so fast to sell his land to the oil company that was snatching up property in the area like a greedy kid around a broken piñata. Her dad had flat out told them 'no' and then to get off his property when they started getting pushy. The Wells family would be packed up and gone by the end of the summer and she felt sad and empty about that.

But today was a day to be happy. Marcus was coming home and she couldn't wait to see him. Her jaw nearly dropped to her knees when she let herself in like she normally did, calling out to Estelle, "Mom! I'm home!" only to see Marcus duck his head into the kitchen and grin at her.

He looked even better that he did in her memory, and that was saying a lot. Marine training had been good to him as he was bigger all over and thicker with lean muscle. And the short haircut he was sporting nearly had her drooling on the spot.

He swooped her up into a hug, lifting her five foot one frame clear off the ground and exclaiming, "Hey Jenna-girl! Miss me?"

Duh!

"Of course I did! Your brothers have been driving me nuts without you here to keep them in line," she squealed as she hugged him back, relishing in the feel of the smooth hard muscles of his shoulders under her palms.

Down girl, she chastised herself.

He placed her back on the ground and stood back to look at her. "Hey, mama told me about how you've been helping out with Dee more since I've been gone… Did I ever tell you, you're the best little white girl I know?"

"Not really something I think I've ever heard come out of your mouth," she grinned. Damn it was good to see him.

"Denna!" DeRelle shrieked happily, toddling shakily into the kitchen with his pudgy arms up. She swooped him up onto her hip and planted a kiss on his fat little cheek.

"Hey, little man. You ready for our date?"

"Denna swing!" he demanded, pointing at the wall. It wasn't the right wall – the swing set was on the other side of the house – but she knew what he wanted. He liked to have her swing him on her lap and sing him nursery rhymes.

"You got it, Boss."

"Hey! Ask her nicely, little man," Marcus mock admonished the child, leaning down and kissing the top of his curly little head. His face was so close to hers that she had to forcibly restrain herself from leaning into him and putting a hand on his chest.

Newly well-defined chest, she thought to herself before shaking herself out of it. He was going to think she was an idiot if she didn't smarten up. Nothing more than a stupid little girl with a crush.

God he smells good.

"So how long are you back for?" she asked to keep him talking.

He smiled at her, his white teeth gleaming against the dark skin. "Only for four weeks before I get posted. Just long enough to help out around here and get things ready for the sell and the big move."

"That sucks your family is moving away. And all the way up in Shreveport." DeRelle busied himself during the adult conversation by pulling on her brown hair. "DeRelle, that hurts," she grimaced as she pried a thick lock out of the pudgy hands.

"Yeah, dad's brother is up there, and he's getting the old man a job at the bus depot doing maintenance." Marcus shrugged. "It's a steady paycheck – not like the farm."

"I might have inadvertently heard that you've been sending money home?" she asked shyly. DeRelle moved on to pulling the cheap necklace around her throat.

Marcus looked a little embarrassed at the question and glanced away. "Yeah, well, they need it right now more than I do."

She was so endeared by the look on his face and the modesty that he'd always shown that she dared to reach out with her free hand and placed it on his arm.

"It's good to have you back, Marcus, even for a little while." And she fled the kitchen with the baby after that before she could embarrass herself by doing something stupid and girly; like blurting out her love for him.

She spent more time than ever over at the Wells' place over the next two weeks. While she didn't want to come off as young and eager, there were only two more weeks until Marcus was gone again and she seriously had to grow a backbone and do something, or else she'd likely never see him again. And she'd kick herself for the rest of her life for being such a chicken shit.

He was out in the barn, working on the ancient tractor's engine. They were going to auction it off along with some other equipment and they wanted them in good working order to get the best price. She was taking him out a plate of chicken and greens that his mom had sent out for him. Like the good neighbor she was, Jenna offered to run it out to the barn for her.

"Marcus?" she called as she entered the dimly lit barn. The double door was closed and the only light was sunlight filtering in through the multiple open windows. The tractor was parked in front of one of these windows so that the golden shafts fell on the engine and Marcus's bent over body. She allowed herself the indulgence of admiring the view – he wasn't wearing a shirt and his skin looked like it had been carved and polished from some sort of exotic wood.

"Just one sec, Jenna-girl," he spoke to the engine, voice muffled by his bent over position. She waited patiently and admired the view some more until he stood up and arched his back to work the kinks out of it.

Holy Mother of God…

"I brought you some lunch," she came forward, holding out the plate and fork. He pulled a dirty rag from a pocket and wiped them off on it before taking the plate from her.

"Thanks," he sighed, sagging against the front tractor wheel and digging into the food with abandon. "Mmm, that's good. I can't tell you how much better mama's cooking is compared to Uncle Sam's."

"I still can't believe your family is moving," she sighed. She could hear muffled voices from outside – Mr. Wells and Marcus's younger brothers. The voices got smaller as they moved away from the barn walls.

"Well… it's sell the farm for a less than fair price, and come out with something in their pockets, or hold onto it and have the bank foreclose on it next year and they get nothing." That was the problem facing a lot of the families in the area. It was the reason so many were giving up their deeds to the oil company in the first place. Sure there was a bit of oil here, but not enough to warrant so much attention from this particular company. It was hardly worth the effort to put in the drilling rigs.

"I hear your dad is holding out for a better price?" he asked, raising a dark eyebrow at her as he chewed thoughtfully.

"He's holding out period. He doesn't want to sell at all – he's too attached to the land and doesn't want to see it gutted and drilled."

"I hear that," Marcus mumbled. "It ain't right." He shoveled the rest of the food into his mouth and leaned against the tractor's engine panel from his seat on the wheel. Rolling his head on his neck against the metal, he groaned, "I swear this thing hates me."

"You're good with stuff like this," she said, stepping nearer. "You'll get it working right."

"I hope so."

"Here, let me take that plate back in for you." She leaned down and reached out to take the pro-offered plate. Marcus yanked it back last second, causing her to stumble a step, and grinned at her. "Haha, you jerk," she rolled her eyes, trying to keep her head with that megawatt smile beaming at her. She reached again, and when he pulled it back again, she leaned in and kissed him on the lips without even realizing she'd done it. She'd thought about it a million times, but thinking and doing were two entirely different things, and right now her lips were on the ones she'd dreamt of for years.

He pulled back, a rather amused smile on his handsome face and she just wanted to melt into the floor and die. She didn't believe she just did that – and she could tell he was trying so hard not to laugh at her.

I'm an idiot, she cursed herself, feeling her face turn crimson as she hastily jumped back.

He stood up slowly to his full six-three frame and she tried to swallow the giant lump of stupidity that lodged itself in her throat as he towered over her.

"So it's like that, is it, Jenna-girl?" And that smile was still on his face and she seriously wanted to give into the girly self-preservation trait of running away.

"I-I… I'm sorry, I…" she stammered, backing up and clutching the plate to her stomach like it was a shield that would protect her from the teasing she was doomed to get from the guy.

"How long you been wantin' to do that?" he asked her, the corners of his mouth fighting to keep from turning up.

She loved him for the attempt he was making to not laugh outright at her, but at the same time she just wanted to kick him in the shins and run like hell. And she couldn't think straight enough to lie to him either.

"Jenna?" he prodded, taking another step towards her as she took another one back.

"Awhile," she breathed, retreating again. If she could only get through the door, she could get away from him and hide in her house until he left for Alabama and she'd never have to feel this embarrassed again.

I am so stupid! How could I have just done that!?

She made to step back again, but he was fast and he caught her arm. The plate dropped, but it was only plastic and it just rolled across the floor before teetering onto its face and spinning to a stop face down in the scattered hay and dirt. "Awhile, huh?" he murmured, sliding in close to her so that she could feel the heat of his body radiating out to hers and it made her knees weak. It was a good thing he was holding her arm, and that he was pulling her against his chest.

His bare chest… her mind noted the fact even though the rest of her was frozen with fear and apprehension and… hope? He was pulling her close and guiding her palms against his chest and up to his neck and his hands drifted to rest possessively on the slight curve of her hips.

"Jenna-girl," he paused, running the back of one hand along her jaw, and at the moment, she didn't care if he covered her in grease or not. "…Have you ever kissed a boy before?"

"Only once," she whispered around the heart that had lodged itself in her throat so that she couldn't breathe. Being flat-chested and a bit of a tomboy didn't lead to too many pursuers. "And he kissed me and I didn't like it much." Most boys didn't pay attention to her and the one that had kissed her did it on a dare from his friends. She'd been pissed when she found out and let the air out of one of his tires between classes. It bent the rim to shit and he knew she was the one that did it and told everyone her breath smelled like ass in retaliation. She hated high school and couldn't wait for the ordeal to be over. She only had one year left and she'd be free…

"Well, you're a brave lil' thing for giving it another shot." He ghosted his lips along her jaw and she tilted her head to give him better access. Her heart was fluttering and she was glad that Marcus was holding her up like he was, otherwise she'd be a crumpled heap on the floor. She never actually thought that all those stupid Harlequin romances her mom had stashed all over the house would actually be right about something – what with all the lame swooning always going on. But her heart was pounding and she was light-headed and her chest – or lack there-of – was heaving as he toyed with her.

She was on fire.

"Marcus, I…" she breathed, only to have her words cut off by his lips pressing gently to hers. There was an explosion of light behind her eyes as she leaned into him, her palms flat against his chest and snaking up to loop around his neck. He must have liked that because he suddenly seemed very hungry, pressing against her mouth harder and grabbing her around the backs of her thighs. He lifted her easily, and settled her on a couple square hay bales stacked against a stall partition – the livestock had already been sold off and there wasn't a sound in the barn other than the squeaking of the window shutters, and some birds flying around in the eaves.

He nudged her knees apart and pressed against her, his rough, needy hands gripping her as she arched against him. She couldn't breath and she couldn't think, and she didn't care either way. She was locked around the man she'd daydreamed about for years, and she was in heaven with the feelings he was stirring up inside her.

Voices growing outside the barn wall made them spring apart and he turned his back on her. She was shaking all over, and she stumbled when she slid off the hay bale.

"Marcus?" she whispered hesitantly, certain that he'd come to his senses and realized he'd made a mistake in kissing the silly little girl from next door. She felt embarrassment eat at her, turning her face crimson; and if she wasn't so in shock at the kiss he just gave her, she probably would have been fighting back tears. She walked over to where the plastic plate had come to rest. She picked it up, ready to leave the barn with as much dignity she could muster, when Marcus was beside her again.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kissed you like that," he whispered near her ear.

And here's the apology…

"But I wanted you to." She startled herself with her honesty. Just like the kiss she gave him a moment ago, it slipped out beyond her control.

"But you're young, and Jenna-girl… I ain't new to this, if you know what I mean." He had a hand on the small of her back in a reassuring manner. She knew what he was talking about. He'd been around and she was woefully inexperienced. In other words, she was shit outta luck.

"What if I told you that I didn't care?" she turned to face him, drinking in the sight of his handsome dark face.

"You're a good girl Jenna. Don't get mixed up with someone like me."

"Is this your way of just trying to let me down easy? Cuz you can just tell me you don't want me hanging around here anymore." There was an angry bite to her words she hadn't intended to let loose.

Geez, Jenna. Frank much?

"Let you down easy?" he laughed, deep and low and the sound of it made her knees tremble. "How about you come back and visit me again tomorrow."

A/N: So that was the first chapter, things heat up pretty quickly in this story as it's not very long, so the monsters will be here soon.