Kris felt like a zombie as she sat in her sleeping bag. The things she had found out tonight- They just, changed everything. The way she had felt in the beginning, right after the race, wasn't even needed. It wasn't her fault. She should have been relieved, but there was time for that later. Right now, she was just shocked. And completely and totally tired. After the nightmare she'd had, she almost didn't want to sleep anymore, for fear of another, different nightmare.
She continued to stare off into space, laying on her arm. She could feel herself slowly drifting, drifting off into dreamland. But then she saw the shadow of someone entering the bedroom. She stared straight ahead at the puddles outside the barn as she watched Junior slip off his black jacket as he looked at her, concern evident on his face.
Kris looked to his jacket that was now pooled next to his blue sleeping bag which was barely used. She felt the hay she had been sitting on shift as Junior sat down next to her. He was so close to her. Too close for her comfort, in fact.
He slightly leaned into Kris and when that didn't work, bumped into her with the side of his body. "You okay?" He asked her, his eyes running over her face and body with a look of sympathy.
The emotions Junior was experiencing then were something he just couldn't explain. He was tired. Exhausted, in fact. But, he also wanted to comfort Kris in any way that he could. He knew that she deserved to be mad and upset, but he just wanted to make everything better. To fix her and make her happy.
But when Kris responded to Junior by rolling over, he stared past where her body had been. He shifted his gaze forward and let out a soft sigh, looking forlornly out at the fast-clearing storm.
She knew he was just being himself. Normal, considerate Junior. She just wasn't up for it now. He was her brother. The girl that could have killed her and her brother was sitting next to her. Kris couldn't handle it. She refused to right now. It was too much and she was too tired.
Junior lay down next to Kris, his face looking up at the ceiling. He closed his eyes for a minute and then, before he could think better of what he was doing, he turned over on his side to put his arm around Kris. He looked at her back for a moment before moving his arm. It was moving irregularly and he could tell she was sobbing quietly.
Kris felt Junior's body up against hers and then she lost it. She was being a bitch. Granted, she had a right to be. Just not to Junior. He was the most innocent of all of them. He was a bystander, watching everything unfold. She couldn't be mad at him for being the sibling of the female anti-christ. She felt her chest heave as the first of many sobs came out.
She felt Junior's cool-from-the-air breath floating against the back of her neck and she scooted back a little, snuggling into him. She needed this. Needed the feel of him near her, holding her. Needed his comfort. Just as she thought about how much she wanted to sleep, she felt Junior's arm wrap around her lower waist gently. A few seconds later his grip was more firm and Kris felt like she could sleep well for the first time in months.
Junior felt Kris lean back into him and he breathed in her scent, which was slightly musky now from being around all the hay. He lay his arm around her middle section and held her waist, keeping her cold shell of a body as close as it could get to his warm comfort of one.
Kris woke up many, many, minutes later to a strange feeling. It took a few moments for her, in her disoriented state, to realize where she was and why she couldn't move. She looked down to the blue-clothed arm that was wrapped around her and turned around in Junior's tight grasp.
She looked at his face, knotted up in frustration. She snuggled her head into the spot just under his chin, so it was laying on his chest. She took in a deep breath and smiled when she noticed Junior's scent hadn't changed in the least. She gently kissed the silky smooth fabric of his light sweater and fell asleep again.
Junior awoke a while later to turn over, but when his eyes opened and his senses became alert, he noticed Kris had moved even closer to him. She looked peaceful now, even though he was able to see the tear stains on the soft pink cheeks of her face and the little crusties that had formed on her eyelashes. He smiled at how he still payed attention to all of the details of her body. Then he felt a little chuckle escape his lips.
Kris' eyes immediately opened when she felt something tickling her forehead. When her eyes opened, she realized it was Junior's breath. He had been laughing quietly, although she hadn't the faintest idea why. She looked up at him and noticed his laugh stop and then, eventually, his smile faded.
Her eyes were so full of innocence and honesty. It made him sober up from his happiness quickly. Once Junior had realized Kris was awake he just stared at her. He wasn't really sure what to say. But, after a few moments, he didn't need to think of anything to say.
Her eyes met Junior's and he just stared at her for a few moments and she stared back. They were both totally unblinking and then Kris felt her eyelids start to get heavy. Just as she was about to close them she felt Junior's breath on her lips and then he very lightly kissed her. She opened her eyes wide and drew her head back in surprise.
"I'm sorry," Junior said abruptly. "I shouldn't have- We shou- I'm sorry. It was stupid." He hid his face from her and tried to roll over, but her arms stopped him, grabbing his torso. He scrunched up his eyebrows at her in confusion.
Kris eyed him for a moment, reading his face. He looked somewhat embarrassed. He cautiously looked into her eyes and she kissed him on the lips, letting her kiss linger for a moment before she pulled away from him. She snuggled up into his side and he shifted a little so she was half-laying on him.
Junior smiled at how this was all turning out. It still didn't erase what Dani had done, but as long as Kris wasn't upset with him, he was happy. It seemed as if he had managed to cheer her up, in some ways. But, he would still give a good talking-to to his sister. Kris didn't deserve this. And the sooner Dani found that out, the better.
Junior's smile faded, although only a little. "I can feel your heart beating," he said gently into Kris' hair. She gave a small sigh and looked up at him.
"I just- Don't know what to do, Junior. I don't know how to erase what's happened and how I feel about it. How am I supposed to convince myself, now, that it wasn't my fault? That I didn't cause- Just, everything?" Kris said, staring off into space sadly.
"Kris, it wasn't your fault. You just need to keep telling yourself that, okay? I promise you, everything is going to be alright," Junior said in a soft voice, consoling her with the touch of his hand on her upper arm.
Kris felt her head droop and her eyelids started to drop again. She heaved a gentle sigh and opened her eyes again, trying to look at Junior.
"Go to sleep," he said softly to her, noticing her tired looking face.
"Mmm..." she mumbled into his collarbone as her world faded away. Before she finally fell asleep, she heard Junior whisper something in her ear that made her give a small smile.
"I'm falling in love with you all over again," he whispered to himself. Or so he thought anyway. He noticed her turn over and, not wanting to lose the contact with her body, he pushed up against her and put his arm around her again, leaving his other arm stretched high above her head.
There was an abrupt knock on the door. Junior felt his arm shake and he noticed this woke Kris from her slumber. She turned around to look at him and he raised his eyebrows at her, a happy glint in his eyes.
"Hell of a storm, ah?" Kerry said as he stood in the doorway. "I'm glad you guys are okay. I was worried about ya." The sight that had met him when he had first walked in was enough to make him want to punch Junior. She was his, no one else's. He didn't care what little past they did have together. He and Kris had a future.
Kris looked up at Kerry and gave him a meek smile. He smirked back at her. It was a smirk that held a message.
She felt Junior's hand on her shoulder, firm and protective. His other arm hadn't left the other side of her yet, and it was making her a little nervous. She looked to her shoulder, where his warm hand was, and stared at it.
"Do what's best for you, no one else," Junior said reinforcing each word with a small tap. She looked up into his eyes and he gave her a serious look. She nodded as subtly as she could as Matt and Dani got up to leave.
Junior took his arms, which were as close to Kris' body as they could get, back and stretched them high in the air, groaning loudly with sleep. He walked past Kerry and felt a little jaunt in his step. He could feel Kerry's eyes on the back of his head as he walked back to the house but he kept his eyes focused ahead, not once looking back.
"What's goin' on?" Kerry asked Kris.
Kris shrugged lightly. "Nothing. Umm... Kerry, we need to talk." Kerry nodded at her. He gave her a curious look and she stood up, leading him with her arm to the outside of the barn.
"What is this about?" Kerry paused after he said this. "I know what this is about. It's about us. And Junior. And you." He shook his head vehemantly.
"You know what Kerry? It wasn't about Junior. And it wasn't about us. But now it is. I'm sorry, but I can't be in a relationship with you any more. It's too complicated," Kris looked over his shoulder and sighed heavily.
"Fine," Kerry said. He had a sever bite to his voice. One that scared Kris. But she knew she had nothing to worry about. Deep down, Kerry was a big wuss. And she knew that.
She was the first to walk away. She went up to the Davis' house where she found Matt, Junior, and Dani in the kitchen.
"You have got be kidding me! Is he insane?! You know what, don't answer that. You were gone! I was here. 51 to you!?" Dani spat out in disgust at Junior as Kris walked in.
Junior looked to her with some amusement on his face. But when he saw her ghostlike face, his face became contorted into one of seriousness. He walked over to her and lay his hand on her shoulder, guiding her up to his room. But she stopped him.
Before Kris could think about her actions, she grabbed his shoulders and kissed Junior on the lips. He didn't respond at first, his lips limp. But when Kris' arms slipped around his neck, she felt his arms finally touch her hips, and then settle on her lower back.
He didn't understand. She didn't even explain anything to him, just kissed him. It had caught him off guard at first. But then he became pleasantly surprised and settled in to the kiss, his body slumping against hers. He felt her lips move slightly as she smiled into his kisses.
She broke the kiss when she felt she had gotten her message across. She looked up into his eyes as their foreheads bent together. His breath was heavy and tickling her nose.
"I pick you," she said. He smiled in response and he kissed her with a happy passion that had risen up from deep inside of him.
A/N: Going out of town for a couple of days... Be back Sunday and I'll update my stories... Please review this! I look forward to reading reviews when I get back! Thanks!
