21. Open Hearts

It wasn't long before Sydney awoke. She tried sitting up, but her arms gave out and she collapsed back onto the bed.

Joe jumped up and ran over to her, panic written all over his face. "Are you alright?"

Sydney grimaced. "I'll be fine."

"You sure?"

She looked up at Joe. "Positive."

Joe looked her up and down just to make sure. A nurse had come in a little bit ago and stitched up her forehead. She didn't answer when Joe ask her if Sydney was going to be okay.

"That was a interesting battle. You're really good. I couldn't take my eyes off of you. I mean, because you were so nice to watch." Joe blushed. "I mean-"

Sydney held up her hand. "I know what you mean, Joe." She smiled knowingly.

"Oh, um, that's good."

"Yeah."

"Yeah."

They fell into an awkward silence and averted their eyes. Suddenly, a thought occurred to Joe.

"Hey, um, Sydney?"

"Hmm?" She cautiously looked back at him.

"Do you remember our first adventure here?"

Sydney smiled. "Yeah."

"Do you remember when we went to Greece and had to fight my crazy uncle?"

Sydney's smile fainted. "Yeah," she spoke slowly, not sure where Joe was going with this.

"You sacrificed yourself for me."

"I couldn't let you die."

"But you could let yourself die?"

"Well..." She smiled sheepishly. "I just thought it would be better if it was me, not you. Besides, I survived... sorta."

Joe nodded. He didn't want to bring up Sydney being Shadowed, and he knew she didn't want to talk about it either. "Right. Well, anyway, um, You said something to me, right before you went out. Do you remember what you said?"

"Um..."

"Kinda went something like, 'I love you'."

Sydney blushed and looked away. "Oh, that? That's nothing. Just a little kid crush. Doesn't matter anymore."

Joe frowned, clearly upset. "Yeah, I figured. Just thought I'd ask anyway."

Nicole and Anna came into the room then and broke up the awkward silence that had once again filled the room.

Nicole bent over Sydney and started to examine her. Sydney winced as Nicole poked her cut. "That's going to scar." Sydney smacked Nicole's hand away.

Joe remembered all that Sydney had told him and glared at Nicole. "Why did you bring Nicole? Wasn't Skyler out there?"

"I didn't see him. She was the first person I could find. This place is still crawling with guards. It was hard to get around. Why? What's wrong with bringing Nicole? She is Sydney's mom, right?"

"Sort of," Sydney spoke while giving Nicole a death glare.

Nicole ignore it. "We have too many people we need to get in here. She'll be fine. Can you take her back to her room?" Nicole asked.

Joe nodded. "Sure."

He tried to help Sydney up, but she shoved him away. "I can walk." She stubbornly stood and took two steps before she stumbled and quickly grabbed onto Joe for support.

"Sure about that?" He smirked at her.

She frowned teasingly and lightly hit him in the chest. "Shut up."

Joe set Sydney down on her bed, the deep red, satin sheets were scattered along with a million pillows. Her bed looked like it had not been made in a long time.

"You okay?" Joe asked, concerned.

"Fine." Sydney offered up a reassuring smile. "I've been through worse."

"Really? How worse?"

"One of my ribs broke and stabbed me in my lung once."

Joe stared at her wide eyed. "How are you still alive?"

"I'm a Goddess, Joe. There's only one way to kill us."

"And how is that?"

Sydney smirked. "That's not a secret I'm willing to tell."

Joe smiled and sat down next to her. "I'm really glad your okay. I thought you," he paused and stared into her eyes, "I thought-" Sydney returned his stare, waiting for him to finish his sentence. "I thought you were going to die, and I just- I don't know what I would've done. I-" He continued to look at her, flustered. "I-"

Sydney gave him a look of concern, "Are you-"

She was cut off by Joe's mouth brushing against hers. It lasted for half a second before Joe shot back and stood up.

"I am so sorry. I don't know what came over me. I shouldn't have done that," he talked very fast. "You have every right to slap me or be pissed or whatever. I know you have Skyler and that's cool with me, really. You two are great together. And I-"

"Skyler?" Sydney raised an eyebrow at him, still slightly dazed over what had just happened. "What does Sky have to do with anything?"

"Well, aren't you two, you know, together?"

Sydney threw her head back with laughter. "Sky and I are not together." She looked at Joe and started laughing again.

"You're not?"

Sydney shook her head and squelched her giggles. "No. I love Sky, but Sky and I, we're like brother and sister. That's all."

"But you two act so... close."

"Well yeah, but that's just because we're really good friends. Nothing more."

"So, what I just did... that was... okay? I mean ethically okay, like you weren't cheating on anyone. Not like okay with you, I mean, I hope it was, because I'm really sorry if it wasn't, and-"

"Joe?" Sydney cut him off. "You're talking a lot."

Joe sighed. He sat back down next to Sydney and put his head in his hands. "I know, I know. I'm sorry, I really am."

"Stop saying you're sorry."

"But, I am!"

"Joe-"

Joe cut her off, "I didn't mean to kiss you, it just happened. Honestly!"

"Joe-"

"I just looked at you and I stopped thinking. Everything just happened so fast, I didn't even know what I was doing."

"Joe-"

"Sydney, I'm so sorry. I know you're probably a bit freaked out now and I understand, I do, really, but I- I'm just so sorr-"

Suddenly, her lips were on his. Sydney had cut him off with a kiss. "Joe, you don't have to apologize." She smiled softly at him. "It was... nice."

"Really? Because I-"

"Joe, you're doing that talking thing again."

"Oh, sorr- nevermind." He looked down, then back up again. "So, you really thought is was nice?"

Sydney nodded, then blushed, "Yeah, I was kind of hoping for it actually." She looked away, embarrassed.

"Oh, really?" He sounded like he didn't believe her. "But you said you didn't, you know, feel that way anymore, that all you had was a little kid crush on me."

"I did, and that did go away after awhile, but after seeing you again and how you tried to save me back there, I don't know, something just... clicked."

Joe still refused to believe her. "You're joking. You like me? Really?"

Sydney looked back at him with a playful grin. "Yes, really. Why is that so hard to understand?"

"Well, it's just that you're... you, and I'm... me." He looked down.

Sydney tilted her head to the side and pulled his face back in her direction with her fingertips. She studied him. "And that's supposed to change anything?"

"Well, even I know you could do better."

Sydney chuckled softly. "Better? The broken girl who could mentally collapse or break down completely at any moment or... worse..." She looked down at her hands and traced the scars on the heels of her palms that she had given herself.

"You're not broken." Joe grabbed her hands.

Sydney smiled. She kissed him once more and pulled him down onto the bed with her.

"Sydney?" Joe broke away after a few moments.

"Hmm?" She leaned back into him.

"I, uh, I think I love you." Joe blushed, thinking it was too soon.

Sydney smiled and ran her hand through his hair. "I think I love you too, Joe." She pulled his lips back to hers.