Summary: Jude and Connor are hanging out, when Jude pops a water bottle back into shape and Connor is sent back to the scene of the shot. (Set after Déjà Vu, but before More Than Words)

The Water Bottle Incident

Connor awoke in a cold sweat. His breath was heavy, and he pushed himself up, suddenly alert. The nightmare of the night he got shot had returned. He had talked to Jude about it a few times, but he had tried to keep it down. He hated that he feared his dreams, looked around the corners, scared he was going to get shot again. It was a pointless fear, and he was embarrassed he had it. He still couldn't bring himself to hang out with Taylor, afraid she would invite them over and he would have to see her father. He knew the man hadn't meant to hit him, but it was still a lot.

The sandy-haired boy ran a hand through his hair, slowing his breathing and allowing himself to remember that he would be going to see Jude today. His best friend. His boyfriend. He could trust Jude and maybe talk to him about this. Connor grabbed his crutches and got to his feet, preparing himself for the day. When he was finished his father drove him to Jude's.

"Bye, Dad!" Connor called over his shoulder as his dad waved goodbye to his son. Connor made his way up the front porch steps and knocked on Jude's door. He smiled when he was met with the face of his boyfriend Jude, his heart speeding up a bit. Jude had always been attractive to Connor and he never even tried. He was in a simple hoodie and jeans, but it fit Jude.

"Hey, Jude," Connor spoke after a moment.

"Hey, Connor," Jude responded. "Careful now," he told Connor as the boy came into the Adams Foster's house on his crutches.

"I got it, Jude," Connor told his boyfriend, rolling his eyes and lifting a crutch and hitting Jude gently with it.

"Sorry," Jude said, laughing a bit and walking into the living room, Connor following. The two had decided to have a movie night. The rest of the family was out, Callie and AJ were hanging out, Brandon was at Idyllwild, and was staying with his friend Tony, Mariana was visiting Ana and the baby, and Stef and Lena were having their own little date night.

"Okay, so I prepared the popcorn before you got here and we have water, too," Jude explained. "There's more in the kitchen, but that's if we run out,"

"Well, aren't you prepared," Connor teased, trying to situation himself on the couch. Jude laughed, rolling his eyes a bit.

"Now, the only thing is that you need to pick the first movie. I am fine with whatever," Jude told him, then began listing the DVD's from the case. "Earth to Echo, Insidious 3, Psycho, Grownups 2-"

"Oh, Grownups 2!" Connor decided, grinning. He had heard great reviews of it and he had loved the first Grownups. Jude nodded, smiling at Connor and putting the movie in the player and turning off the lights. He grabbed the blanket and sat down next to Connor so there wasn't space between them and pulled the blanket over their legs. He grabbed the popcorn bowl and put it in his lap. He pressed play on the remote then put it back on the coffee table.

The last time the two had watched a movie together Connor had ended up holding his hand about halfway through, his crush, unnoticed at the time, taking over his nerves. But this time he wasted no time in grabbing his boyfriend's hand and lacing their fingers together. Jude smiled and squeezed Connor's hand and leaned his head on Connor's shoulder, popping a few pieces of popcorn in his mouth. Connor felt a smile creep onto his face and he kissed Jude's temple, then rested his head on his boyfriend's.

The two watched the movie not-so-silently. They were laughing every few minutes and muttering comments under their breaths. Now and then they would slip into their own conversations as well, but soon focus back on the movie. They were about half way through when Jude finished his first water bottle. It was one of those fancy plastic bottles that didn't crumple easily. He had always hated the way the bottles would misshape, and this one was no different. Jude slipped his hand from Connor's for a moment, squeezing the sides of the bottle so the dent in the center popped back into place. He placed it down on the floor, leaning back on the couch. He didn't realize how loud it had been or how much it sounded like a gun shot until he heard Connor gasp.

Connor's eyes widened, and he was back in Taylor's house.

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Connor handed the bottle of whiskey to Jude, feeling their fingers brush as Jude gripped the bottle. He felt he would drop the bottle, a blush creeping onto his cheeks and a sigh escaping his lips. The taste of alcohol was still fresh on his tongue, burning the back of his throat as he watched Jude sip the whiskey. He felt his heart beat speed up the way it always did around Jude. And now he was getting himself and his friend drunk just to be close to him. Connor bit his lip and felt a small laugh escape his lips as Jude coughed against the alcohol burn. Maybe the alcohol was already starting to affect him. He watched Jude. He couldn't take his eyes off his friend. He had finally come to terms that he liked Jude. Everything about him. His dark hair and eyes. His tanned skin. How he was just a bit shorter than Connor. His style. His kind personality. The way he couldn't make fun of anyone. Everything about Jude made Connor's heart race and his palms sweat. It made his cheeks heat up and his breath catch in his throat. That's what he thought as he watched Jude.

"Who's there?" Connor heard from upstairs. Connor froze, eyes widening as he heard shattering glass. Jude had dropped the bottle of whiskey. The thought of Jude left the boy's mind and fear took over, his heart speeding up for a completely different reason. Nervousness and fear seemed to have the same symptoms, Connor noted. Heavy breathe, sweaty palms, fast heart beat, stuttering, and the significant urge to jump if someone came up behind them. He heard Taylor say it was her dad and the two girls ran ahead, toward the door and Connor followed. Jude followed behind him. They were going to be caught! His dad would kill him! Especially if he found out why he had gone out. To see Jude. No, his dad would never find out. They would never be caught. It was just a mishap. They would make it out the door.

Connor heard the thundering as Taylor's father ran down the stairs. Connor turned his head as his friend's father turned toward the kids, gun raised toward Jude. Connor realized that Taylor's dad didn't realize that the intruders were his daughter and her friends. Connor froze, letting Jude run ahead, the fear of a bullet hitting Jude weighing the fear of being shot himself. He couldn't let Jude be hurt like that. So, he slipped behind Jude and let the bullet hit him as Taylor's father pulled the trigger. Connor let out a cry of pain as he heard the gunfire, feeling nothing but agony in his left foot. He fell to the floor, his foot going numb from where he was shot. "Connor!" he faintly heard Jude's voice as everything went black.

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Connor breathed heavily, his eyes wide and bewildered, the scene replaying over and over in his head. He was frozen in place, but he faintly heard Jude's voice and felt his boyfriend pulling him back to reality. His breath was still heavy, his eyes closed tightly, blocking out the world. His felt Jude's hand in his as Jude spoke quietly in his ear. "Hey, hey, Connor it's alright. I'm right here. We're in my house. We're watching a movie. It was a water bottle, that's all it was," Connor nodded, slowly opening his eyes and slowing his breathing. He squeezed Jude's hand, letting Jude know that he was fine. Jude moved his hand from Connor's and wrapped it around his shoulders, letting Connor lean into him. It was like they were back outside of the shooting range when Connor had first admitted he wasn't okay. Only this time Stef wasn't around to talk to them.

"I'm sorry," Connor whispered, moving his head against Jude's shoulder, letting a few tears escape.

"It's okay," Jude whispered, wrapping his arms around Connor and pulling him closer, rubbing his boyfriend's shoulder. "You don't have to apologize to me. Do you want you talk about it?" Jude asked moving back a bit so he could see Connor's face. The boy's hazel eyes were glistening with tears and his hair was jostled from having been moving against Jude. His eyes showed fear and sadness, and a frown was formed on his lips, his mouth hanging open a bit, his bottom jaw moved to the side like it always did when he frowned. Connor nodded and pulled himself from Jude's embrace.

Connor whipped the remaining tears from his eyes and turned his body so he was facing Jude, his bad foot hanging over the side of the couch. Jude turned toward him as well. Jude took Connor's hands in his, giving him a reassuring smile, letting him know he could talk. Connor took a shaky breath before beginning to speak, keeping his eyes on their hands. "When I got shot... I was in a lot of pain. It hurt a lot. I know it was only in the foot, and it could have been a lot worse, but it still managed to terrify me, Jude," Connor said, finally meeting Jude's chocolate-colored eyes. "After it happened, I tried to act brave. I tried to pretend I was okay. I played the shooting games, acted excited about the guns... but I just didn't want to be seen as scared or weak or whatever. I knew you were there for me, but until the shooting range, I didn't want to face it. I thought if I pushed it away, I would be fine. I would be able to get through it. But at the shooting range it all came back and I'm so happy I have you because I wouldn't be able to deal with it without your help, Jude," He paused, looking down again. "I've had nightmares about it. And anything that sounds like the shot, I freak out. I'm sor-" he paused, catching himself in the midst of an apology, as Jude gave him a joking glare. Connor took a breath then squeezed Jude's hands, finishing what he was saying. "It's just a lot, and I'm just glad that I'm here. With you," Connor finished.

Jude nodded, smiling. He had always been a good listener. "It's okay. It'll pass. It did for my Mom," Jude explained, smiling at Connor, who nodded. Connor breathed a sigh and leaned in to kiss his boyfriend for the first time since they had kissed in Jude's room a few days before the incident. But, this time Jude met him half way. It wasn't the same as their last kiss, which had been quick and confusing. But, it was better. It was longer, and they both smiled against the other's lips. They pulled back and Connor smiled at him.

"Thanks, Jude,"

"Don't worry about," Jude answered Connor. the both turned their bodies to face the movie and Connor leaned into Jude's shoulder, their hands interlocking. "Now, let's watch the movie and have a nice night," Jude whispered and Connor breathed a laugh.

"I'd like that."

It's amazing how you can get ideas for works from the tiniest things. The reason i said that is because the idea for this one-shot came form me popping a water bottle into place and jumping at the very loud noise it made. How you guys liked it!

Disclaimer: I don't own The Fosters, or anything you might recognize.

-HJ