A/N: Sorry this took me forever to post. I know! I'm a horrible person! I'll try not to do that again. But for some reason I've been drained of energy and have no ambition to right. But don't fear, I'm sure this feeling will pass. Hope this chapter is worth the wait. Enjoy, and sorry again!

"Desirable Evening"

Junior Davis

Junior drove his Porsche to Angelo's Diner with Kris in the passenger seat in silence. He tried to initiate conversation here and there during the short twenty minute ride but Kris seemed to dodge the in-depth questions quite easily. She felt a little awkward about what Junior had said to her in her house right before they left. And she really didn't want a repeat of that. It seemed too early for her to be hearing these things. She was still in shock from Junior's unexpected announcement.

Eventually Junior gave up trying to talk to her and drove the rest of the way in frustrated anger. He was upset she hadn't said much after he announced that she could keep him waiting for the rest of his life. Granted that was a little forward, but it was how he felt and he thought a girl would enjoy hearing something sweet like that.

Finally Junior decided to push aside his anger and he came to the conclusion that she was just embarrassed and she wasn't used to hearing things like that. He glanced over to his right and smiled warmly at Kris, who in return smiled back at him, her grin full of emotion. He sighed a sigh of relief and knew that this night was going to go well.

When they arrived at Angelo's, he parked the car and ran around the car in time to open Kris' car door for her. She slipped out gracefully and instinctively thanked him and laced her fingers with his. It felt so right having her hand being warmed by Junior's larger hand. Everything was set into place when she was touching him. Just like everything became clear to her when she was with Wildfire. Junior glanced down at their hands and smiled at them. He never expected for her to do that. But he was certainly glad she did.

They walked into the restaurant and a slightly overweight older woman guided them to their small table at the back and left politely. Kris and Junior sat across from each other and smiled at each other. Kris was upset she wasn't holding onto his hand anymore, but glad she was with him. Junior fumbled with his menu, searching for the right thing to say since he was unsuccessful with conversation topics in the car. Finally he decided to simply say, "Hey."

Kris, who had been glancing over her menu, looked up and smiled at him and said sweetly, "Hey yourself." She let her eyes fall back down to the menu and read over it without actually processing what the words were saying. She was too distracted by what Junior had said. Yet she loved to be with him. Then she looked up from the laminated paper and noticed Junior still watching her. She then said, "I'm sorry that I wasn't very social in the car. It's just, you caught me off guard."

Junior sighed and looked back at his menu. "Yeah, I know. I'm sorry I said that."

"No, don't be sorry at all. It's just, I haven't been in many relationships recently since I've been really busy and I didn't know what to expect with you. You are very different from what I initially thought," she admitted.

"Well, that's one thing you should learn quickly. I'm nothing like what people think," Junior said with a smile.

Kris eyed Junior curiously and asked, "And what would that mean?"

"People think just because I'm a Davis means I am a spoiled brat who gets everything I want. They think just because my dad is evil it means that I'll follow in his footsteps. I'm nothing like my father. Just because I have his name, it doesn't mean I'm not my own person!" he explained, his voice growing louder by each word. He never meant for his emotions to show through so clearly, but that subject always hit a soft spot with him.

"Junior, I know nothing about your dad except from the things the Ritter's told me about. But he doesn't sound like a very pleasant man. And I know for certain that you are much better than he is. And you are your own person," Kris comforted him.

Junior glanced at the wall and asked softly, "How are you so certain? I'm not even certain."

"Because you are a kind, decent, honest guy who was up front with me from the start. Granted, when we first met I thought you were a little strange," she announced with a small chuckle, "but that changed obviously. You are nothing like the man I've heard so much about."

"It's nice to hear that from someone else," he said, still speaking in his soft, unsure voice.

"You mean you don't believe it yourself? Hasn't anyone besides me told you this?" she asked, completely surprised she was the first one to say these things to him.

Junior finally looked back at Kris only to see her confused expression. "No, no one has told me that. I've been telling myself this for years, but I can't believe it."

"Why?" Kris bellowed, utterly shocked by these words.

"When you don't even have an identity to call your own – being a junior your entire life – it's hard to believe you are a separate person. I've been living in the shadows of my father my whole life and I feel like a failure since I'm such a screw up," he explained. This was all new to him. Junior had never opened up to someone with this information before. Mostly because no one cared enough to listen to his family drama – other than Matt that is. Even though Matt was his best friend and would do anything for him, Junior never felt comfortable enough to open up and admit these things to him. He was surprised he was telling Kris all this. Especially since he didn't know her for very long.

Kris leaned forward and rested her fingertips on Junior's forearm. Kris breathed deeply as she searched for the right words. "Trust me, you are not a failure. You are an amazing guy."

"But how are you so certain about all this? We hardly know each other," Junior proclaimed.

Kris looked around the restaurant, only to notice for the first time that not many people were there. She faintly realized that the waitress should have come over by now but that was the least of her concerns. She took one of Junior's hands in both of her hands and looked deep into his eyes. "You've changed so much for me already. You gave up your bizarre game with getting girls for a relationship with boring me. That is not failure. That's bravery."

He put his other free hand on top of Kris' hand and stroked the back of it with his thumb. He watched his thumb make circles on her hand before he said in a sweet voice, "You are anything but boring."

"And how would you know that?" Kris asked playfully.

"Because I've been struggling with my issues with my identity for my whole life. And in one night you have helped me solve these problems and believe I'm worth being around," he told her.

"I thought you and Matt were best friends. And what about your sister?" Kris asked, again becoming shocked again.

"I've never told anyone this," he honestly told her.

"But you told me…" she trailed off, trying to figure out what he was saying.

He looked up from their locked hands and gazed at Kris. "Yes, you are the only person I've ever told. And I'm glad I finally told someone. I'm especially glad that someone is you."

Kris smiled at Junior and he smiled back. "I'm glad I could be of service. At least I'm good for something."

"You are good for so much more than just this. You're amazing. Thank you so much," Junior said, his voice full of genuine emotion.

"Any time June," Kris said as she continued smiling.

"Did you call me June?" Junior asked curiously.

She pulled back a little bit but continued to hold on to his hands. "Yes, is that a bad thing?" she answered cautiously.

"It's fine. But my sister is the only one who ever calls me that, and that's only once in a blue moon," he explained to her.

"Oh, I won't call you that than," she replied, a little sad her nickname for him was already taken.

"No, I like it better when you call me that," he honestly assured her.

"Yeah?" she asked optimistically. Junior smiled back widely and Kris beamed with delight. "My June," she said embarrassingly for she never wanted to say that out loud. Again she blushed but decided not to look away.

Junior locked his eyes with hers and stared into them. He liked the sound of her using possessive words of him already. It made him feel like this relationship really was going to work out. And that made him very happy. Kris stared back for a long time until she knew she had to end the moment. Unwillingly she pulled her hands from his grasp and rested them in her lap. "So, that waitress should be here, shouldn't she?" she awkwardly said.

"Yeah," Junior said in a distant voice, trying to make the moment last longer. But his hopes were cut short by an aging woman waltzing over to their table after hearing Kris' words. She stayed away for as long as possible because she thought they needed privacy. But now that she was needed, she was intruding on Junior's desire. He would have to wait for later on. He slumped back into the chair and ordered a drink, disappointment washing over him invisibly.

Kris Furillo

The waitress placed the two hot plates on the table and smiled contently when she saw how happy the couple looked. Both Junior and Kris were laughing and having an amazing time. Kris abruptly cut off her laughter when her nose smelled the delicious plate in front of her. She smiled at the waitress and dug into her plate of pasta right away. Junior thanked the waitress and when she walked away, he looked at Kris and laughed. "What?" Kris mumbled with food in her mouth.

This only made Junior laugh more. Kris swallowed quickly and wiped her mouth violently. She was going to yell at him but when she pulled the napkin away and saw the amount of tomato sauce on it, she realized Junior was laughing at her mess. She then joined in with his laughter to make a harmonious noise; Junior's deep laugh with Kris' high-pitched laugh.

Kris then felt her stomach grumble, telling her she was hungry, and she dug in again. Junior then joined in, cutting up his thick steak and gingerly placing it on his tongue to savor the flavor. They ate in silence for some time; Kris being too hungry to speak. When Junior noticed her slow down, he figured he could talk now. "So, tell me about yourself? I hardly know anything about you."

She wiped her mouth off again and breather deeply. "Well, it's just been my mom, Jace and I. I never knew my dad," she began.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Junior said softly.

"No, it's fine. When I was younger I always wanted to know who he was. But now it doesn't even matter," Kris explained honestly.

"My mom left when I was really young and I've always wanted to find her. I want to know why she left me," Junior said, trailing off to think about difficult things.

Kris was stunned. She never thought she would date someone with parental issues like her. And Junior seemed to have more difficult problems than she did. "Jace – my brother – and I have different dad's. That's all we know," she said, saying anything that wouldn't upset Junior.

"Dani and I have different moms," Junior told her. They both stared at each other, having more in common than they initially thought.

Kris was speechless. Was there really another man in this world who had similar traits from the roots? He literally was her other half. After catching her breath, she continued talking about her family. "Jace just went into the marines. My mom and I haven't heard from him since the day he left. But I know he's fine," she told herself.

"Yeah, you told me about that. He sounds like a really brave guy," Junior said in a daze. His mind was still clouded with thoughts. He thought he was the only person with a messed up family. Was it really possible to be sitting across from someone who was so similar?

"He is. He's my best friend," she said, tears pricking the backs of her eyes. "Him and Wildfire that is."

She smiled, holding back the tears, but Junior saw right through her mask. "Jace will be fine. And I know he misses you, too. Even if you're just his pain-in-the-butt sister."

Kris smiled genuinely at his humorous sarcasm and Junior smiled back. "Thanks. I really appreciate that," she thanked him.

"I would hate to see you cry," he replied. Their eyes locked for a second until the waitress came over to ask how their meals were. She kindly left when they just nodded their heads and gave one syllable answers.

Kris then continued telling Junior about herself, not letting herself get lost in his eyes. "So when I dropped my brother off at the airport, I was upset so I decided to explore Freemont. When I saw Raintree, I had to check it out. Then I met Wildfire, Matt and you and I couldn't leave."

"I still can't understand how you cured Wildfire," Junior stated, still baffled. "You gave Matt a heart attack when he first saw you petting the horse."

Kris chuckled softly before saying, "I can see Matt doing that. But I just gave Wildfire a chance. It seems like people got scared of him or frustrated and gave up on him. I never gave up," she smiled, getting to her business voice.

"That may be it. But I know Matt and Jean never gave up on him," Junior retorted, sticking up for the people he considered to be his real family.

"But I know they got frustrated. Especially Matt. When something goes off plan, he gets upset. And Wildfire was definitely off plan," she replied, still using her business voice.

"You seem to know Matt really well," Junior said, a bit jealous of their relationship.

"Yeah," she smiled, "we just clicked. He's amazing though. And a great boss. He's like another brother to me."

Junior looked past her, searching for words. "He's like my brother, too. We've been best friends ever since I can remember."

"Isn't he great?" she chuckled from just thinking of Matt.

They then finished eating in silence, occasionally looking up to smile nervously. The waitress cleared their plates from the table and then Junior and Kris ordered a piece of chocolate cake to share. The waitress grinned and placed the cake in between the adorable pair. Kris' fork sliced through the spongy cake first. Junior watched her place the slice on her tongue. She closed her eyes and made a humming noise, savoring the delicious flavor. She opened her eyes to see Junior staring at her. "Did I get it on my face again?" she asked as she reached for her napkin yet again.

"Oh no, no," he quickly answered. "I was just mesmerized."

"Why do you keep saying that? It's only our first date," she asked, not even trying to hide her embarrassment any longer.

"Because it's true. I've never met anyone like you and I really like you, Kris," he honestly admitted, not ashamed of his feelings.

Kris looked away, unaware of what she was about to say. "I'm surprised I really like you, too."

"Surprised?" he questioned.

She looked back at him, ashamed she had said those words out loud. "Well, yes. I never expected you to be my type. And we've only known each other a short time. These feeling are kind of scary," she told him as she went for the cake again.

This time Junior followed her lead, slicing through the cake and taking a delicate bite as well. He then cleared his throat and said, "I know what you mean. I've never felt this way about anybody."

"Because you never gave anyone a chance," she automatically said – her clear vulnerability for saying whatever was on her mind seeping through the seams. As she processed that she said those words, she clapped her hand over her mouth and gasped. "I'm so sorry," she mumbled through her fingers.

"No, you're exactly right. I've been a jerk for so many years and there's no changing that. But I'm just glad you gave this jerk a chance," he said with a laugh.

Kris looked at him seriously and said, "As long as you're trying not to be a jerk, I'll give you all the chances in the world." For some reason, that expression of emotion didn't bother her this time. Typically when she was expressing any kind of emotion, she was very embarrassed by it and would turn a bright shade of red. But saying these things to Junior felt very comfortable and natural.

They smiled at each other and finished the shared dessert, floating away to cloud nine. Their goal for the night was achieved. They both wanted to get to know each other but have a good time. And that's exactly what they did. Kris was happy she changed her mind and agreed to go out with him. Junior was the best thing that happened to her since she got to Freemont – other than Wildfire and the Ritter's of course.

They finished eating, chatting, and laughing about unimportant things. They didn't want the night to end. Junior paid the bill – even though Kris offered to pay half – and he helped her out of the booth. When they were walking out of Angelo's door, Kris said, "I don't want this night to end."

Junior smiled and said, "Well you're in luck then because I have a surprise for you."

"If there's one thing you should know about me, it's that I hate surprises," Kris responded, not excited about getting a surprise.

Junior wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple. He loved the way her warm body fit against his perfectly. "If we're dating, then you better get used to getting surprises."

I could get used to you holding me, she thought to herself contently. "So we're dating?" she asked quizzically.

"Of course we are," he harshly said back, utterly surprised by her piercing words.

"Great. I wasn't really sure what this was since it's technically your first real relationship," she teased him.

"Yes, very true. But you are my girlfriend, right?" he asked with hopefully eyes, wishing he wasn't getting mixed signals.

Kris looked at him through her hair and breathed joyously, saying, "Most definitely."

Junior smiled, then opened Kris' passenger door for her to get in. She slid in and he ran around to hop in the driver's seat. When he turned the car on, he turned his head toward Kris and said jokingly, "So, are you ready for your surprise?"

Kris groaned loudly and slunk farther down into the leather seat, banging her head on the headrest in agony. Junior laughed at her as he drove, smiling to himself the whole way.

A/N: Gah, fingers killing me!! That took forever to write. But all worth it. Well, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I love writing this story, especially since all your reviews motivate me so much. Keep 'em coming and review review review review! Thanks guys!