Chapter 10

The sky had chosen to open up a few days later. Rain in summer has always been a pain in the ass thing. But rain in the south during summer was like a blessed release. The temperature drops and it's almost tolerable, then the sky splits and all the moisture in the air comes rocketing to earth.

I was sitting on my window seat looking outside. I wondered how Crow stayed dry. Hell I wondered how Crow did anything other than stalk my window at night. It's not like there's many places for a guy like him to hide. And the rain was going to soak everything.

I heard a knock on my door. "Hey sis, can I come in?" Logan asked.

"What do you want?" I asked as he opened the door.

My brother leaned there his face drawn into a worried fit. "I've been thinking. About the amount of time you and Crane have been sharing."

"Going back to using his last name now?" I snapped.

"Look, I bet he's nice, in a nerdy, kinda creepy way. But I wasn't here to diss your choice of friends." he looked out the window shaking his head. "You're doing what you do best. Helping people. He needs that. I see it. But are you sure this is the best way to deal with all the stuff you're going through?"

What did Logan mean? I was dealing with things. It's not like I was shoving my feelings down to keep everyone else afloat. No I didn't need to cry. I was like Jon I needed to get things done so everything could go back to the new normal. Once they were I would be better, everything would be better.

Logan shrugged again. "Fine, be all tight lipped. You and Crane have more in common then I thought."

And with that he turned leaving me alone in the pink room of hell. I was going to go after him. Tell him that being like Jon wasn't so bad. But downstairs the phone rang and then Betty shouted. "Lynn It's for you!"

I lugged myself from my resting spot and trotted down the steps. Betty sat in her manicured living room holding the phone out with distaste. My heart skipped. Did Jon try to call me instead of coming over to visit? "It's for you." she said her voice giving a bit of a disapproving tone.

I took the phone. "Hello?" I asked tentatively.

"Lynn," Came a voice I didn't expect. It was David. I let out a held breath feeling disappointed. I had hoped to talk to John. When did I rather want to be around Jon than David?

"Hey I wanted to see how you were doing. Everyone's been asking about you."

That launched David into telling me the social landscape of Gotham. Who was with who, why the idiots from the bad side of town were doing. What my 'friends' were doing. Everything he said was boring, shallow even. Why did the social standing of some underage kids matter when there were bigger things out there. There was a crime spree in Gotham that all of my friends ignored. There were people who needed help, physically and mentally. To talk about their newest shopping spree or who they were dating seemed vapid.

Maybe being around death changes a person.

I was outside while David clued me in. The rain was still pouring down. I watched the corn swayed from the downpour. And then the corn split and a figure appeared. I had seen him first from the corner of my eye and my heart started to shudder. Had Crow chosen to show himself at my house during daylight?

My eyes focused to see Jon fighting his way through the corn a large black umbrella blocking most of the rain from hitting him. David just kept droning on and on in my ear.

"Hey David." I said stopping him in the midst of his fascinating view into the relationship two of our classmates were in. "I need to go. I'll talk to you later." Before he could say anything I hung up.

The phone was out of my hand and I was launching myself off the porch and into the rain. My long skirt catching the water and my tanktop sticking to my lumpy form. "Jonathan!" I shouted running up to him.

He smiled as I made it to the protection of his umbrella. He looked amused seeing me wet from the rain. "You know I was making my way to the house. You could have waited?"

And it hit me. I didn't want to wait. Hell I never wanted to wait again. So what if I had a crush on the nerd next door. At least he had a mind that thought of deeper things than his peers. To call it love was too soon, even for me, but I did care about him.

He got me to the porch, inside I could see Betty shaking her head and going off deeper into the house. Jon closed the umbrella his smile fading. "I've been talking to the agent."

"Agent Coldwell right?" I asked.

Jon nodded. "He's interested in my views of the town. Seems I'm the only one here he thinks has any idea of what's happening."

I leaned closer to him crossing my arms. "What did he say?"

Jon looked out to the rain soaked fields. He was working on something, something big that he didn't want me to know. Did he think I was scared? That I would pull away if something bad happened? He looked back at me fixing his glasses. "There has been another girl, she went missing yesterday."

Another girl? The air around me shifts. No longer is this a romantic moment where I would confess I had feeling for him. No, the rain seemed sinister, the sound of it a laugh at what we were trying to stop. "Where did she live?"

"Not far, a few towns over, but still within the killers range. Also they're identifying the bodies to girls who have either 'run away' or went missing within the last few years. I didn't get that many details. That's when Agent Coldwell stopped talking."

I reached out and took his hand. "We still don't know anything about the killer?"

He gave my hand a squeeze. But thankfully he didn't let go. "This killer doesn't know what he's messing with."

There was that edge again. That hate that I saw when he spoke about this killer. Jon had no knowledge of the monster other than it killed Heather and would surely continue to kill girls just like her. In that hate I saw Jon, saw the passion that was under the surface. I gave his hand another squeeze and his eyes cleared.

"We're going to catch him. Aren't we?" He asked, now his voice was not so strong.

I let his hand go and pulled him into a hug. He was stiff at first, but slowly relaxed. I didn't care what Betty and everyone thought about us. I was going to protect Jonathan from what was happening. I was doing it for my own pain, and my own needs. No one could tell me otherwise.

Dad caught Jon and I sitting on the porch a while later and offered us a bit of a treat. Well to my Father it's a treat. I don't understand how going to Wal-Mart was going to be anything fun. Jon didn't say no and honestly to get out of the small town would do wonders for both of us.

So half an hour later we were in another bigger town, one that had an honest gas station and grocery store… okay so it was just the wal-mart. Logan went in hopes of getting wifi, I just wanted out of the house. Dad on the other hand was looking for fishing supplies. Why he couldn't go to the questionable tackle shop in Hamlet I had no idea.

When we reached the large parking lot for the Walmart. The cars that were amassed by the store were one of the following. A truck that had more tire than it did truck. Another truck that I had to figure out of it was naturally rust red or if it was just rusted all the way through. Lastly there were high end cars, but those were like two out of the whole of the parking situation.

Jon and I got out of the car. Logan was already high tailing it to the store, I think I could smell the mcdonalds that was connected to the wal-mart. At least I would know where to find him. Dad on the other hand held back. "Alright, I'll see you guys in a little while. Maybe thirty minutes we'll meet up in the mcdonalds?"

Well at least my smell was still spot on. "Sure." Then my Dad started off in the same direction at Logan leaving Jon and I standing there the sky darkening.

We walked inside as the rain started up again. Inside the walmart I almost forgot it was raining outside. the big box store had a lack of personality and in that matter class. I know I shouldn't complain walmarts are all the same right? All of it is standardized? Right?

Turning the first corner in the store I saw nothing by camo decorating the 'home decor' section of the store. I took a step back, Jon being more perceptive than me pulled me back as a woman with a cart rushed passed us, her ass as wide as the shopping cart. What kind of hell did I walk into?

Jon steered me to a quiet section, also known as the book iles. Between the newest Nora Roberts and Duck Dynasty I took some deep breaths. "I didn't just see that."

Jon poked his head out the isle. "Which? The shrine to hunting or the patrons of Mcdonald's."

"All the above!" I cried. "Why did I agree to this?"

"Because it's better than sitting at home listening to you Aunt." He said a smile peeking. "Also better than being at my house."

And this is the life he had. Jonathan's only escape was a mass marketed store where he could get a meal that might contain beef product in it. I started to add to my list of things I was going to do once he moved to Gotham, namely showing what real food tastes like.

We started to wander the store. There were some interesting things there, well interesting as in 'I didn't know Walmart sold that!'. They were things like fabric, canning supplies, fish. Why would anyone want to buy fish from Walmart? Looking at the dull goldfish I noticed that one of them wasn't moving anymore and had turned belly up in the water. Eww.

Jon steered me away from the disaster of a pet section down one of the main iles. He stopped quickly a hand flying to my arm to pull me back. I looked farther down to see what was making him so distraught. The answer was a group of guys that I had met once before, outside the church during my first outing into Hamlet.

Our luck was out of the picture because the group had caught sight of us as well. The largest boy gave a sickening grin and walked up to us like this was his palace and we were his unwanted guests.

"So you're still sticking with Scarecrow are you?" He said.

Jon's hand gripped my arm. "Leave her alone Bo." He said through gritted teeth. His accent was coming back with a vengeance.

"I always thought cows were the only things that could stand Scarecrows." Bo said, obviously it was the most cunning remark he could think. He had to pick on my weight. Out of everything he could point out, my hair, my large feet, anything, he had to go for the low blow.

Jon straightened up and I saw him like a cobra fanning his hood out ready to strike. I had only a moment to figure out what I was going to do. I tugged on Jon's arm and did the one thing I knew would break his concentration. I kissed him.

Kissing is a messy thing when both participants are inexperienced. There a bit of coordination that people don't warn you about. As a young teen I was told by my older high school friends that girls should practice kissing. How the hell do you practice an act that requires two people? I didn't know and for my first kiss I think it showed.

Jon was timid and I think I was the one doing any work for the kiss. He had become a stone statue next to me. And when I pulled away his glasses were tilted and face a deep shade of red. But he didn't look angry. If anything I think he was shocked that I had just kissed him in front of everyone who hated him.

He didn't wait to hear the jeers he grabbed my hand and pulled me down a different aisle. When we were out of sight he whipped around to face me. I never saw an expression like what he had. His eyes were wide. His face still red from me kissing him. But there was a small smile on his lips.

"Why did you do that?"

When he said it I had to focus. It was barely a whisper. He looked down at his feet head shaking a little. "Were you trying to prove something?"

Well, yeah I was in a way. I wanted to rub it in the face of those redneck losers that Jon could have a girl who liked him. I'm not saying girlfriend yet, It would be best to take it one step at a time.

My silence didn't help the situation, Jon's smile disappeared. "If you wanted to 'help' me you could have asked. I didn't need you kissing me in front of those idiots to show them I'm not a freak."

"I didn't do it for that." I responded. My heart was racing in my chest. When I spoke next the words came out in a tumble.

Jon paused. "Repeat that, slowly."

"I really like you." I repeated. "This summer has been saved because you're in it. I know we're dealing with a killer out there, but I don't think there is anyone else I would rather be doing this with. You're smart, maybe the smartest guy I know. You have amazing eyes, and you're kind, really kind. And now that's out I'm going to go over to the candy section and devour the total of reeses peanutbutter cups until I die of high blood sugar."

I was about to turn when his hand shot out and pulled me back. At first I thought he was going to be angry. Saying a guys 'nice' is never a winning strategy when you're trying to ask them out. Me I chose all the boring ones to go by. But Jon didn't yell at me instead a wicked smile grew on his face.

"You mean that?" He asked, his voice was soft under the blare of the walmart speakers. "You like me?"

I nodded unsure what else to say about my confession. He started to laugh. "Me?" Is all he said pulling away. "You like me?"

I was worried how I should respond to his question. Yes I liked him. I said it. Shouldn't this be the moment he tells me he likes me too and we kiss and ride off into the sunset on a rainbow unicorn? But me being the dumb idiot I stood there nodding.

He shook his head lookind down at our feet. "I thought I was the only one."

Wait.

What?

"You mean you."

He shrugged now that wicked smile seemed a bit derpy. Who knew genius Jonathan Crane could have a good guy expression like everyone else. More accurately he looked just as bashful as I felt. "You've been my saving grace."

I blushed with that. It was out there, we liked each other. That was out in the open. But with that being out I knew there was one problem that we would have to deal with sooner or later.

"But I live in Gotham." I muttered.

Jon shook his head. " But I won't be stuck here forever. I have an application with Gotham University that I'm waiting on. This time next year I could be up there… a year isn't so bad right?"

There was the hurt look. The kicked puppy look that he gave me. Slightly winced eyes, furrowed brow. His eyes peering from above his glasses. Why didn't he have a violin solo playing in the back group to make it worse! I could give a long distance a try. I mean who else was I going to try it with? And the thought of letting him disappear back into the Georgia wilderness was too much. I needed Jonathan in my life.

"No, I don't think it would."

That when we both smiled like total dorks.

Author's Notes: And the romance finally kicks in! I've been working on the Sequel to First Kill, I'm not sure what I'm calling it yet. But once I do I'll update you guys.

I hope everyone had a great weekend. For me Mother's Day is not my favorite holiday. I scroll on Facebook and everyone is saying how they get to go out to eat with their moms, and at work I see all these mothers come in with their kids and grand kids. It really sucks, ya know? So for those of you who had an awesome mother's day, congrats, and for those of you who didn't, get yourself some chocolate, or a pint of ice cream and remember the good times.

See you Thursday!