"Jed?" I called, as I padded down the stairs to his room. "I'm done.." I reached the bottom, seeing him sitting at the desk across from me. I walked over to him, leaning against the desk. "Bathroom's free."

"All right." The boy beside me pushed away from the desk, standing up.

"You okay?" I asked softly, noticing that he had a troubled look on his face.

"Yeah." He turned away and trudged up the stairs. Letting out a breath I didn't realize I was holding, I stepped over to his bed and pulled the covers down. Despite the eventful day and night we'd had, and the fact that it was quite late, I wasn't sleepy at all. My brain was going and going, as it always was.

Why did he look at me like that? Somethin' is on his mind... I sighed, knowing that unless he wanted to bring it up, I'd never get it out of him. That was just the way he was. The boy without the chainsaw was much different from the boy with it. It was difficult to tell what he was thinking and feeling, he was so closed off most of the time. Quiet. Always so quiet.

I pulled the covers up to my chin, the room feeling colder suddenly. I laid there, waiting for Jed to come back downstairs. I closed my eyes, trying to relax and let sleep creep in, but I still felt wide awake. My mind drifted back to just hours earlier when Jed and I were in the kitchen alone. I couldn't believe I actually got him to dance with me. He's so...gentle. I thought to myself.

Seeing all that he had done and all that he was capable of, it was kind of odd to know the sweet side of him. I had watched him kill, over and over, tearing people apart with that damned chainsaw. Some of those people..innocent. Just random strangers that wandered up on the farm, wrong place at the wrong time. They never had a chance and they weren't even aware of it.

But then when he held my hand or touched me or allowed me to sleep on him... Every bad thing he had ever done just melted away and he melted me. I could never see him as a monster. Not after everything. He wasn't what Verna and his family pushed him to be. And yet he was, but he was also someone else and I just hadn't quite figured that part of him out yet.

Footsteps up above pulled me from my thoughts, and within seconds I heard Jed coming down the stairs. He was wearing a t-shirt and shorts, his wet hair slightly messy. I felt a smile forming on my lips that I could not stop. He threw his dirty clothes in his basket, glancing at me with a questioning look. I just looked away, shaking my head slightly. I had never felt this way before, giddy like a little kid.

I moved over in his usual spot by the wall, making room for him. He said nothing as he climbed in bed, laying on his back and pulling the covers over him. His body was giving off heat in waves, warming me almost instantly, even though we weren't touching. He stared up at the ceiling in silence, his expression showing that he was deep in thought over something.

"What was it like? Your life before Verna got you back?" I asked quietly, watching him intently.

"Hell." Jed muttered, glancing at me. "Spent most of it in the Gorman House, those kids were fuckin' crazy." His eyes darted back up to the ceiling. "Staff was just as bad, punished us by fryin' our brains."

"They used electric shock therapy?" I questioned, my gut wrenching at the thought.

"Therapy..pfft." He snorted. "It, uh, made me forget a lot. The meds didn't help. Shit, they placed me in foster home after foster home, each one worse than the last." Jed mumbled. "One time Hartman got mad at me over somethin' stupid that I didn't even do. Broke my nose just 'cause he wanted to.." He shook his head lightly. "Piece of shit."

"I'm sorry you went through all of that." I whispered.

"You?"

"Me, what?"

"Life before here?" He glanced at me again.

"Not much of one." I said, unsure of how much I wanted to tell. "Mom died when I was young. John was abusive in every way a person can be..." I bit the inside of my cheek. "He never actually..you know, but he threatened it many times. I knew he would eventually. So, I ran."

"Glad you did?"

"I'm glad I did." I said softly, moving to snuggle closer to him. "I'm freezin'."

"Ain't that bad." He said quietly, his voice gruff.

"Says the human heater." I muttered, as he moved his arm to allow me to get closer. I laid my head on his shoulder, relaxing against him. "I don't have have any memories of ever feelin' safe.. Until now."

"You feel safe here?" Jed's tone sounded skeptical.

"I feel safe with you." I replied softly. The boy beside me said nothing. I could feel his body rising and falling with every breath and there was something soothing about feeling him breathe. Closing my eyes, I moved my right hand up to rest against the nape of his neck. Comfortable, I allowed myself to drift off to sleep pressed against Jed's warm body.

I was sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee, listening to the radio playing softly. I had awoken that morning and decided not to wake Jed, leaving him to sleep while I began my morning. I made coffee and breakfast, the early morning sun shining through the kitchen window on the freshly cooked food. I could hear stirring coming from the hallway, and I figured Jed was awake.

My thought was confirmed when he came through the kitchen doorway with Grandpa, helping him to his chair. The older man had a happy smirk on his face, his eyes on the food in front of him. Jed, on the other hand... Had sleepy eyes as he sat down in his own chair, rubbing his eyes before putting food on Grandpa's plate. Once he finished, he filled his own plate and began eating.

It was the normal. The three of us ate in silence, listening to the radio. It wasn't their normal, but it had become our new normal. Grandpa seemed to enjoy our music filled breakfasts and dinners, as he gently tapped his foot along to the songs he liked. It felt like we belonged in these moments, and even though I was starting to grow close to the others, I still couldn't help but wish it could be like this always.

That couldn't be so bad. Just us three. Grandpa kept to himself mostly. And that left just Jed and I, which was when Jed seemed to be more of the boy I knew he was. When push came to shove, that killer came out in him, but when no one else was around... He was different, like he had nothing to prove. When Verna or his brothers were around he had to be one of them. But when it was just us... All he had to be was Jed.

I picked at my food with all those thoughts and feelings swirling around, when I felt eyes on me. I glanced up to see Jed watching me with slight concern in those blue eyes. I gave him a quick smile, before scooping up a bite of eggs and shoveling them in. Please don't look at me that way.. I thought. I might actually have to tell you what's on my mind.

I had just finished cleaning the dishes from breakfast, when I heard a sharp knock on the door. My stomach twisted into a knot, my heart beginning to beat fast. "Calm down, Evelyn.. Just.." I pushed away from the counter. "Calm down." I whispered to myself.

"Police! Mrs. Sawyer?" I could hear the muffled voice through the door. KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

"I'm comin', I'm comin'!" I yelped, unlocking the front door and opening it. "Can I help you?"

"Uh, I'm lookin' for Verna Sawyer." The officer was watching me with a curious expression.

"She's not home." I said calmly.

"It'll only be a minute if she-"

"She's really not here." I cut him off with a flat tone. "She and the boys went to the trade thing."

"Oh... Oh, yeah, that's right." He nodded his head. "Maybe you can lead me in the right direction then."

"Right direction?" I asked, leaning against the door frame.

"You one of Verna's kin?"

"Family friend." I replied surely.

"I didn't know Sawyers had family friends." The cop raised an eyebrow, but something about his demeanor didn't seem hurtful.

"I got lucky somehow." I grinned. "My mama and Verna were close growin' up. She wound up in the big city for a job and I wound up..here with the Sawyers."

"That's awful nice of her to let you stay."

"Oh, I help out around the farm, chores and stuff." I explained sweetly.

"Officer Hooper." The cop stuck out his hand. "Sorry for bein' rude."

"Evelyn." I said quietly, watching him wearily. I didn't make a move to shake his hand.

"Well, that's all right, ma'am." He pulled his hand back. "I just need to ask a few questions, then I'll be outta your hair. If that's okay with you?"

"Ask away." I stepped out onto the porch, closing the door behind me. The cold air nipped at my bare legs and I regretted not changing out of my sleep shorts when I woken up. Lucky for me, I was wearing one of Jed's flannels and it was warm.

"Have you seen anything strange goin' on around here lately?" He asked, studying my face.

"Strange? No.. Well, maybe." I glanced out at the pasture. "Somethin' got one of the cows the other night, I thought it was coyotes..but.." I trailed off, baiting him.

"But?" Officer Hooper asked curiously.

"Now I'm not so sure it wasn't.. Somethin' bigger. Better put out an alert for other farmers." I nodded surely. "See all that blood out there?" I pointed at the dried rusty colored spots.

"I did notice that." He glanced back, before returning his gaze to me.

"Wasn't much left of her." I shook my head. "Perfectly good cow, too. Verna's gonna be pissed."

"I'll put out the word 'bout that.." He shifted his weight. "But when I said strange.. I meant more like..seen any people wanderin' around the property?"

"No, haven't seen any people." I replied, keeping my tone even.

"Any officers come knockin' on your door the past few days? We've had some folks reported missin'. Saw their vehicle down the road... And an abandoned police car a few miles down from here."

"I haven't seen any law." I shook my head again. "Maybe he found the missin' people. Maybe they ain't missin'.. Might've run into some bad apples." I gave him a concerned face. "Never know who you're gonna run into out here."

"That's true." Officer Hooper agreed. "I guess that's true... Well, if you're out here all alone, keep an eye out for yourself. Don't want to find yourself in some trouble."

"I keep the doors locked." I gave him a sweet smile. "And, well.. I grew up country. Think I might know a thing or two." That earned a chuckle from the cop.

"Well, Miss Evelyn, you see anything strange...off, give me a call?"

"Will do." I played as he turned away.

"You have a nice day, ma'am."

"Same to you." I countered, watching him walk down the stairs toward his car. I started back inside.

"Oh, and Evelyn?" He turned back toward me, causing me to stop and look back at him.

"Yes?"

"You haven't seen Jedidiah Sawyer around.. Have you?"

"No, not since we were little kids." I said sadly. "I sure do miss Jed."

"Sorry to hear that." The officer continued on to his car, getting in and driving away. I shut the door and locked it, leaning against the wood. Letting out a breath, I opened my eyes to see Jed at the end of the hall, his face questioning.

"It's okay, Jed." I called quietly, pushing myself from the door. I started down the hall toward him. "He's gone."

"Lookin' for that cop?"

"Yeah." I nodded, reaching him. "He was...different..than the others."

"How?" Jed asked, his eyes on mine.

"I dunno, he was... He wasn't pushy like the other cops. Asked me a few questions, then he just..left." I gave the boy in front of me a light smile. "Kinda nice, not havin' to deal with the usual copper bullshit." He snorted at my words.

"Fuckin' cops.." He muttered gruffly, his eyes cold.

"Hopefully they won't come around for a while." I offered, trying to ease his mind.

"Gotta feed the pigs." Jed mumbled, walking past me to head for the front door.

"Need help?" I asked, turning to watch him walk toward the door.

"No." He muttered. I watched as he walked out of the front door without looking back.

I tried to keep myself busy for the rest of the day. Jed's behavior had been odd and I hadn't seen him since he went out to feed the pigs. I washed our bloody clothes and pinned them up to dry, before tidying up the house a little bit. It was cool outside, the slight breeze adding a chill in the air. Ignoring the cold, I snuggled into Jed's flannel shirt and walked out of the house.

I stepped over to the wooden swing and sat down. The day was fading away slowly, the sun still out, but it would be setting soon. Soaking up the beautiful evening, I tapped the porch with my foot every so often to keep the swing moving. I was trying to ease my swirling thoughts, give myself some sort of peace of mind that everything was going to be fine. And even though I enjoyed it being just Jed, Grandpa, and I... I was ready for the others to get back. It made things easier with them around.

It was difficult to handle situations, like the ones we had been facing, with just Jed and I. The constant fear that something would happen to Jed was heavy on my mind. I could only try and fake my way through everything. Lying to the cops every time one showed up, keeping them from sticking their nose into the Sawyer's home. And when they did force my hand, I had to make sure that was taken care of, too. Jed's safety depended on it.

I began to shiver as the sun started to disappear. Standing from the swing, I made my way back into the house and walked into the kitchen. Turning on the radio, I hummed along to the music as I started preparing to make dinner. It had become a normal routine for me, a routine that I didn't mind. The radio played a familiar tune and I felt my lips twitch upward as I began to sing along.

"All alone am I.. Ever since your goodbye." I sang along to the song, cooking dinner. I took my time, enjoying the evening. I set the table and continued cooking as the music played.

"Fly me to the moon. And let me play among the stars." I swayed softly along to the song. "Let me see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars.. In other words, hold my hand... In other words, darlin', kiss me." I moved away from the stove, filling the plates on the table. "Fill my heart with song. And let me sing forevermore. You are all I long for, all I worship and adore." Returning the pan to the stove, I turned back to see Jed helping Grandpa into the room. He glanced up at me as they walked, his blue eyes catching mine.

"In other words, please be true.. In other words, I love you." I looked away as I grabbed my cup and sat down in my usual seat. Jed sat beside me after he got Grandpa into his chair. He said nothing, and I noticed that he was picking at his food just as I was. Something was obviously on his mind and I couldn't deny that my head was a mess as well. I didn't know up from down, every part of my new life confusing me even more every day. I didn't want to be close to Jed. It just happened.

I couldn't help the way I felt about him. The comfort that he brought me for some odd reason. I couldn't help that we had bonded somehow, some way, that neither of us understood. He made me question myself, made me want to... I felt my cheeks flush and I took a sip of water from my cup. Jed glanced at me from the corner of his eye, but I refused to look at him. Jesus, Evelyn! What the hell is wrong with you? I scolded myself, trying to shake the thoughts from my head.

Grandpa didn't seem to notice the awkward tension in the air, and if he did notice it, he said nothing about it. I was grateful for that. He pretty much left Jed and I alone and didn't ask any questions. That made me feel a little better about everything. Surely if Verna or the boys were here, they'd have noticed that something was up and we would have been called out about it. The brothers definitely weren't afraid to speak up about any unusual behavior. That just made me thankful, once again, that they weren't home yet.

Jed finished eating his food and helped Grandpa back to his room. I washed dishes and cleaned the kitchen, before walking over to the coffee maker. I wasn't sure what to do, with the way Jedidiah was acting. I wanted nothing more than to crawl in his bed like our usual nights, but something about him had been off today, and I wasn't sure if he even wanted me in his bed. And I surely wasn't going to mine.

Brewing a hot cup of coffee, I turned the radio up a notch, trying to enjoy the music. The coffee finished brewing and I poured the hot liquid in a mug, adding sugar and milk. Sitting down at the table, I listened to the radio and drank my coffee in the dimly lit kitchen. Time seemed to pass slowly, leaving me to my thoughts, which was the last thing I wanted to be left with. I wasn't sure how long I was in the kitchen, but I was halfway through my second cup of coffee and I was beginning to feel sleepy.

"Pretend you're happy when you're blue," I sang softly, "it isn't very hard to do. And you'll find happiness with odd and end, whenever you pretend.. Remember anyone can dream.. And nothin's bad as it may seem.." I took a sip of coffee, the hot liquid warming my chest. I put the cup back on the table in front of me, as I sat in the kitchen chair, humming along to the song. "And if you sing this melody, you'll be pretendin' just like me-"

"Ev'lyn?" Jed's gruff voice behind me made me jump. I felt my face warm up slightly as I turned in my seat to look back at him. "Uh," he glanced down at the floor, "you comin' to bed?"

"Yeah." I said quietly, relief washing over me. I turned back to the table, grabbing my cup. I took another gulp of my coffee, before emptying the cup in the sink and rinsing it out. I turned to see Jed still standing in the doorway of the kitchen, waiting. Walking toward him, I followed behind him through the living room and into the hall. I stopped at my door. "I gotta, uh..get changed." I murmured, stepping inside and shutting my door. I threw on little pale yellow night gown that Verna had given me. It was small, but comfortable. The only issue is that it was made for summer and it was not summer anymore.

I scampered down the hall quickly, my bare feet on the cold floor making me wrap my arms around myself. I opened Jedidiah's door and took the stairs quickly. The boy was throwing on a t-shirt when I reached the bottom of the steps, and it took all of me not to stare at him as he did so. Trying to ignore him, I moved past him to climb in his bed, pulling the covers up over my body. He walked over slowly to his bed, sitting down before leaning back against his pillow.

"What's wrong?" I asked, propping up on my elbow. I knew something had been bothering him, and I was pretty sure he wouldn't tell me, but it didn't hurt to ask. I was beginning to worry that it was something to do with me. Probably thinks this is all too much.. I thought, trying preparing myself.

"Tired." Jed muttered, sliding down to lay on his back. He rolled to face away from me and I felt brave suddenly. I moved toward him, my hand grasping his shoulder as I leaned over his body. My face was close to the side of his and I frowned slightly.

"Tired? Try again. I know there's somethin' botherin' you." I pressed, leaning into him. He moved back toward me, his body slipping under mine, forcing me to lean back as he laid on his back. His eyes were on the ceiling.

"They just keep comin'." He said gruffly.

"We deal with them." I said surely, trying to ease his mind.

"I like killin' them." Jed said icily, the tone of his voice catching me off guard. I said nothing for a moment, trying to find my words.

"I, uh...understand why." I finally spoke. His eyes darted to meet mine.

"All of them." His eyes were locked on mine. "Not just the cops."

"I don't believe that." My voice was smaller than I had anticipated.

"It's true."

"You only do it because it's what they want." I was referring to his family. He was silent for a moment. "You're not like them, Jed. Not all the way."

"She wants me to be." His voice was cold again.

"But you're not.." I put my head on his shoulder, my left hand resting on the nape of his neck. "..not yet."

"I will be." His body was tense under mine and I wished he'd just relax.

"Maybe not all the way." I closed my eyes, soaking up the feeling of his warm body. "You don't have to be all the way. You can be what they want but not be all the way gone."

"How do you know?" Jed asked, his hand moving to rest on my arm. I felt a curve in my lips at the gesture.

"I won't let you lose yourself all the way. You don't have to.. You can stay. That part can..stay."

"I don't think so." He muttered. I lifted my head to look up at him.

"I know so, Jed." I said softly, leaning up to kiss his jaw. "You're not goin' anywhere." I laid my head back down on his shoulder, my stomach in knots. The thought of what he was saying scared me, but the thought of not being here with him.. Scared me even more.

His grasp on my arm tightened as he moved onto his side, facing me. I pressed myself into him, my face buried in his neck as he moved his right arm to lift the blanket up to cover us more. When his arm came down, I felt it around me as he pulled me closer. I wasn't sure I could get much closer to him, his warm body pressed against mine as he held me.

The knot in my stomach dissolved and I relaxed, feeling his body move with every breath he took. Before I could think about anything else, sleep took over.

I hope you lovely readers are enjoying reading this as much as I am enjoying writing it. You don't know how painfully difficult it is to take this slow with Jed and Evelyn. I'm trying to build it up and keep it as realistic as possible, I definitely did not want to ruin the story by throwing them together too quickly !

Have I told you all how amazing you are ? Because just in case I haven't, you are all AMAZING ! I have been so inspired by the reviews I've been getting and it really encourages me to keep writing. I love writing Fanfiction, but sometimes things in life can mess up the things you enjoy most. Struggling with my depression puts me in a place where I can't seem to find motivation to do the things that make me truly happy. Then I see all the kind words and the enjoyment from this story... And damn, does it light a fire under my ass to keep focused on getting chapters written for you guys !

You are all amazing. Thank you for taking the time to read this story and thank you for every READ/REVIEW/FAVORITE/FOLLOW !

I am so happy to see that you guys are loving Evelyn. I really put a lot of thought into my characters and their development and their stories. So I'm so stoked that she is a likable character.

If you haven't checked out my Facebook page (Kaila Britt Fanfiction) or twitter (kailabrittFF) I try to post updates and when I'm working on chapters, edited promo pics for my stories, and shout outs to you awesome people !

Thank you again, I couldn't ask for better readers.

~Kaila.