Hey everyone! I hope you liked chapter 2. Thanks for reviews! Please review
this chappie too!! Peggy, Becky, B-chan.... I love all three of you! Thanks
for the never ending support as I work my way through. Frostygirl, I
appreciate the help! Kaiyote, thanks for dropping in to let me know you
like my work. ^_^
Maybe Someday
Chapter Three: Research and History
Hunter was sitting on the table of Ninja Ops when Cam got back from Storm Chargers the next afternoon. He'd wondered where Hunter was. 'Man, I wish I could help him more. It's really not fair, what happened to him. Let's hope he doesn't make me want to murder him again. It's hard to feel rage and pity for the same person at the same time. Then again... Hunter is certainly unique.'
"Hey," he said, not sure where to go with it, but plunging on anyhow. "Did you talk to Dad?" Scratching the back of his head, he sat at his desk, with the chair facing Hunter.
Hunter shook his head. "Not yet. I don't know if I'm ready to. I mean, what do I say? 'Hey, I've been having nightmares, please help.'? I don't think so."
Cam took a deep breath. "Well, you could always say that you've been having flashbacks and that you think you're a victim of incest." Hunter gave him a wide-eyed look, and he blushed. "What can I say? I looked it up on the net."
"Y-you mean there are other people out there who go through this?" the crimson rager asked, and could only imagine the horrors of more people like the 'Jake' in his dreams.
Cam nodded. "Thousands of people, Hunter, who know what it's like. Some have been victimized by the same person. Some haven't. Incest can be by someone you know and trust, but aren't necessarily related to. It doesn't even matter how old you are. If you trust someone, and they do that, you're a victim." He cleared his throat. "It's not always brutal for some people. You and Blake have computers, right?" At Hunter's nod, he continued. "Well, there are message boards online, and chat rooms, and even just sites in general, to help incest survivors. If you want, look it up at home, and it might help you."
Hunter's eyes were unfocused. "W-why did you do this for me, Cam?" He was thunderstruck by his teamate's kindness. He wasn't sure how he felt about it. Butterflies and dread curled into a ball in his stomach.
Cam's eyes held an unfamiliar, but comforting, affection. "Because you're you. And I wasn't sure if you were going to be comfortable talking to Dad. So, I researched it before I went to sleep. I was looking for you earlier to tell you, but I couldn't find you, so I came back here." He had to force himself not to blush at Hunter's scrutiny.
'"Because you're you." isn't the normal, "Well, hey, you're a friend." response. But I think I'll take what I can get,' Hunter thought, and shrugged. "Well, thanks. You were right. I don't even know how I told you."
Cam looked down. "Well, I'm glad you did. I hope the info online helps you. I'm here when you need me." He repeated what he'd said the day before. With a half smile, he changed the subject. "I need to get more work done. So, if you'd like to stay, you're welcome to."
Hunter snorted, grateful for a way out of their somber discussion. "Nah, man, I think I'll go to the track." With raised eyebrows and a glance at the terminal, he said, "Well, hope you have fun!" With a quick grin at Cam's usual 'I can't believe how immature you are' roll of the eyes, he jogged out of Ninja Ops. But rather than head to the track, he headed home. He had some research to do.
Signing on as CrimsonBiker250, he checked his email, frowning as he saw that Blake had emailed him. 'Have I been avoiding him so much that we resort to talking online? Nah, couldn't be,' he thought. Opening the email, he read:
::Bro, what's been going on? I've noticed that something's been wrong. You can talk to me, or not, it's your choice. I respect either one. Love ya, I'm going to see if I can find Tori. Later!::
Hunter smiled, then hit the reply button. With a hunt-n-peck typing style, he slowly wrote back.
::Blake, hey. I'll just bet you went to find Tori. You should ask her out, I mean, she's totally into you. Unless of course-:: he stopped, and grinning widely, finished the sentence. ::- you're chicken. Anyhow, I can't tell you about what's wrong yet. It's not anything really good, and it scares the hell out of me. But it's from my past. The past before Mom and Dad adopted me. Let me work it out, and then I'll tell you about it. Alright? Love you too. Hope you found her. Later!::
He stretched his arms upward, and looked at the screen with trepidation. 'Guess there's nothing else to do but to do it,' he thought, scowling. 'I can't believe I'm doing this... I don't want to do it.'
Going to the search bar, he entered the words 'Incest Survivors', and waited for the page to load. Forcing himself to stay calm, he scanned the list the search engine had some up with. 'Gotta start somewhere. But I don't know if I want to,' he admitted to himself.
He clicked on one of the choices, and read as much as he could. ____________________________________________________________________
Tori walked back to her towel, finished with her surfing for the day. She felt tired, and worried still about Cam and Hunter. She sped her pace when she saw Blake sitting on her towel, and a familiar warmth went through her when she realized he'd been watching her. She liked him so much, and smiled involuntarily. He waved, and she jogged the rest of the short distance.
"Hey, Blake," she gushed, and set her board down as he made room for her to sit. He couldn't keep his eyes off of her, but tried to keep them focused above her neck. Tried was the operative word there.
"Hey Tor.... How were the waves?" he asked, and slipped his shades on so that his roaming eyes wouldn't show so much. He felt the draining worry leave him as he let her friendly chatter roll over him.
Tori frowned, seeming to sense his relaxation and remembered what would have him tense in the first place. "How are things with you and Hunter?" she asked, in a rather abrupt change of subject.
He sighed, and thought for a minute. "I just really worry when he doesn't talk to me. I mean, we always talk to each other. If something was going on, I'd be the first to know about it. From what you said the other day, Cam's the first to know this time." He stopped, and rubbed his forehead, letting his frustration and hurt show as he yanked of his glasses.
Tori hesitated, and then rubbed his arm a little, saying at the same time, "Blake, has it ever occured to you that he would want an objective ear before he went to someone who's opinion and love mean the world to him? It may be that things aren't as bad as he thinks, and he'll come to you sooner. But you know him. What would he do first, try to fix it on his own some, or team up?"
Blake tried to smile, but didn't pull it off. It just hurt too much. "We used to go to each other. We used to count on each other." He took a deep breath. "Don't worry Tor, I'll just leave him alone for another couple of days. After that, I'll talk to him. Just-- well, just to get it out in the open that I'm worried. That I care. I sent him an email earlier, but I want to talk to him in person. You know?"
Tori gave him a one-armed hug, and replied, "Yeah, I know. I won't worry ... Or, I'll try not to. I can't--" She broke off, and continued in a softer voice. "I can't seem to help it when it comes to you."
Blake pulled back, and looked at her for a minute. He felt a tug in his lower abdomen, and gave her a full hug, not ready, or just too nervous to kiss her. He wasn't that sure yet, but he felt better about it. She always seemed to make everything feel better lately. ______________________________________________________________________
Cam leaned back in his chair, his arms stretched over his head as he tried to get the kinks out. 'Man, between battles, managing Ninja Ops, and worrying about the love of my life, I don't seem to HAVE much of a life. Gee, what else is new?' he wondered sarcastically. He nearly jumped out of his seat as his father flipped onto the desk in front of him.
"Cam, I'm worried about you. You're working too hard," Kanoi commented, noting the dark circles under his son's eyes.
Cam finished stretching, and replied, "Dad, remember what happened the last time you said that?"
Kanoi chuckled, "Yes, but I also recall you taking more of an interest in your own life. Too much work is very taxing on the body, as well as the state of mind."
Cam shook his head, "Alright Dad, I'll go see what Shane and Dustin are up to, I guess. Thanks." He didn't sound very grateful, but he sent his dad a slight smile and made his way out.
With a sigh, Kanoi made his way back to his hopefully temporary home. He worried deeply for his son. His growing lethargy and constant working wasn't healthy. He knew this, and went to pray and meditate. ______________________________________________________________________
"Is that my camera you're using again Dustin?" Cam called out, making his way to the area where Shane was pulling off tricks that he'd always wished he had the talent for.
"Dude, um- you see, I know I promised never to use it again, but I'm still saving up for one of my own, and well, Shane wanted to-" Dustin was cut off as Shane stopped and had a reply.
"Hey, don't blame me for that! You just can't keep your hands off his camera! Welcome back to the land of the living, Cam." the red ranger carried his skateboard over and unclasped his helmet.
Cam rolled his eyes, "Gee, thanks. Dustin, just don't break it, or lose it. You seem to have a knack for doing one or both." He shrugged as sweat trailed down his back. He felt like someone was watching him, but couldn't seem to find anyone else in the park taking much of an interest in them. "I'm just going to sit and watch, if you don't mind. Dad wanted me to get out for awhile, but now that I am, I'm not sure what to do."
Dustin and Shane traded looks. "Sure, man, feel free. If you want, I'll teach you how to use one of these," Shane held up his skateboard.
"Not now, but thanks," Cam deferred, and sat on the bench. Shane went back to the half-pipe and Dustin followed, handling the camcorder much more carefully now that Cam was there to watch.
Cam wasn't paying much attention to either of his fellow rangers. He didn't give himself much of a chance to think before, but now that he was out and there was no more work to be done, he let the thoughts and emotions of the past week roll over him. 'At least, it seems like it's been a week,' he thought.
Except for looking the different sites up online related to Hunter's particular situation, he only thought of the crimson thunder ranger at night. Not always about comforting him either, but that was his main focus. While he'd felt this way almost from the start, he didn't want to alarm Hunter, or worse, drive him away. 'When did my life get so complicated? Get up, learn, train, go to sleep. Now, it's get up, train, train, work at Ninja Ops, work at Ninja Ops some more, battle Kelzaks and monsters, and worry about Hunter for the night rather than sleep. Well, at least I'm consistant,' he considered. He was so deep in thought, he didn't notice that Shane and Dustin had stopped taping and were getting their things together.
"Yo, Cam! Why don't you go to sleep or something? It's starting to get late," the yellow ranger called to him, and he tried to get his eyes to focus. He admitted to being tired, but only to himself.
"I'll go home in awhile. Thanks Dustin. See you guys later," Cam picked himself up, and managed to walk along fairly well. He wasn't lost in thought anymore, but his emotions weren't holding up very well.
He wished he could tell his dad about his ... orientation. He'd figured it out when he was younger, and felt no attraction whatsoever towards girls. It'd confused him for a few months, well, if he was truthful, more than a few months. Then he'd seen Jamie. Jamie had been a good student at the acadamy, taller than Cam, with curly blond hair and sea green eyes. That's when he'd finally realized that he was gay.
He felt bad, remembering the time when Jamie had asked another student out, a girl. The samurai ranger stopped by the pond, and threw in a few stones. He'd never really talked much to the other students, Cam realized. He didn't want anyone to know, and he'd been so unsure of himself that he just stayed in the background, doing his schoolwork, helping his dad however he could, and practicing.
He sat there for a couple more minutes, and finally giving in, went back to Ninja Ops, to his room, and to his bed. 'Hopefully this time I'll get some sleep,' he told himself. ____________________________________________________________________
Tori pulled up to his house, and put the van in park. "I had a good time today," she said, smiling at him. They'd spent the day discussing various things, school, motocross, surfing. She didn't remember all of it, but then, she'd gotten distracted by the way the wind ruffled his hair, the way he'd felt when he hugged her, his smile, his voice. She loved listening to him talk.
Blake put his hand over the handle of the door. "Me too," he said, and tried, as he'd tried all day, to work up the nerve to kiss her. "See you tomorrow?"
Tori nodded, "Of course. I'll drop by Storm Chargers or something." She really wanted to kiss him. What was more, she wanted him to kiss her. His eyes were a warm chocolate brown, and she loved the way he looked at her sometimes. 'But what if I'm just imagining things?' she asked herself.
Blake opened the door, and turned to get out. He paused, and rolled his eyes. 'I need to just do it,' he thought, and not giving himself much time to analyze it, turned towards her again and leaned over.
She met him halfway, letting her lips brush his and feeling the butterflies already in her stomach do aerial maneuvers that could make any pilot jealous. Their lips brushed again, and settled more firmly the third time.
Warmth infused his body, and he brought his hand up to her cheek as he drew a few inches away. "Man, I've wanted to do that for a long time," he said very softly, not wanting to destroy the moment totally.
Tori licked her lips, and felt a blush stain her cheeks. "Yeah, believe me, I've wanted you to do that for a long time," she said in the same tone. When he grinned, she did too, and he let himself out of the van, slamming the door shut, but leaning through the open window.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Tor," he said in a normal voice, and jogged in, turning back when he reached his front porch.
She waggled her fingers at him, put the blue van in drive, and pulled away from the house. She couldn't wait to get home and mark her calendar, or at the very least write it down in her journal. ______________________________________________________________
Blake sighed as he shut the door. He headed for the kitchen, needing a drink, and called out for his brother. "Hunter, you home yet?"
When there was no answer, he headed for his room, putting his soda down on the sandstone coaster that his mom had given him one day. He'd taken it with them when they'd moved here. He sat at his computer, and checked his mail. 'Well, Hunter wrote back today,' he thought, surprised.
As he read the email, he scowled at the reference to his uncertainty of his and Tori's relationship. 'Well, if I wasn't sure before, at least I am now,' he thought, making a mental note to tell his brother of the latest development. He read the rest of the email, and felt more worried now than he had over the past couple of weeks. 'At least he said he'd talk to me, but I wish I knew what he was talking about. Oh well, I'll talk to him when he gets home.'
The navy ranger stretched out on his bed. He tried not to think about what could be wrong with Hunter, tried to just think about kissing Tori finally, and how it made him feel, but he couldn't keep his mind focused on it. He fell into a troubled sleep, waiting for Hunter to get home. _______________________________________________________________
Hunter woke up at 2am, his neck stiff from his head hanging all that time. He'd searched several sites, and found comfort in some. The fact that some mentioned nightmares and having mental blocks of the abuse made him feel-- well, he wasn't sure if it made him feel better or worse. But at least he had something to think about now, besides the nightmares themselves. He rubbed his hands over his eyes, and made his way over to bed, falling in fully dressed and hoping, praying, for no dreams.
Okay, that's it for chapter 3. I hope you guys liked it! Please review! It'll make me happy. Blessed be, Chero
Maybe Someday
Chapter Three: Research and History
Hunter was sitting on the table of Ninja Ops when Cam got back from Storm Chargers the next afternoon. He'd wondered where Hunter was. 'Man, I wish I could help him more. It's really not fair, what happened to him. Let's hope he doesn't make me want to murder him again. It's hard to feel rage and pity for the same person at the same time. Then again... Hunter is certainly unique.'
"Hey," he said, not sure where to go with it, but plunging on anyhow. "Did you talk to Dad?" Scratching the back of his head, he sat at his desk, with the chair facing Hunter.
Hunter shook his head. "Not yet. I don't know if I'm ready to. I mean, what do I say? 'Hey, I've been having nightmares, please help.'? I don't think so."
Cam took a deep breath. "Well, you could always say that you've been having flashbacks and that you think you're a victim of incest." Hunter gave him a wide-eyed look, and he blushed. "What can I say? I looked it up on the net."
"Y-you mean there are other people out there who go through this?" the crimson rager asked, and could only imagine the horrors of more people like the 'Jake' in his dreams.
Cam nodded. "Thousands of people, Hunter, who know what it's like. Some have been victimized by the same person. Some haven't. Incest can be by someone you know and trust, but aren't necessarily related to. It doesn't even matter how old you are. If you trust someone, and they do that, you're a victim." He cleared his throat. "It's not always brutal for some people. You and Blake have computers, right?" At Hunter's nod, he continued. "Well, there are message boards online, and chat rooms, and even just sites in general, to help incest survivors. If you want, look it up at home, and it might help you."
Hunter's eyes were unfocused. "W-why did you do this for me, Cam?" He was thunderstruck by his teamate's kindness. He wasn't sure how he felt about it. Butterflies and dread curled into a ball in his stomach.
Cam's eyes held an unfamiliar, but comforting, affection. "Because you're you. And I wasn't sure if you were going to be comfortable talking to Dad. So, I researched it before I went to sleep. I was looking for you earlier to tell you, but I couldn't find you, so I came back here." He had to force himself not to blush at Hunter's scrutiny.
'"Because you're you." isn't the normal, "Well, hey, you're a friend." response. But I think I'll take what I can get,' Hunter thought, and shrugged. "Well, thanks. You were right. I don't even know how I told you."
Cam looked down. "Well, I'm glad you did. I hope the info online helps you. I'm here when you need me." He repeated what he'd said the day before. With a half smile, he changed the subject. "I need to get more work done. So, if you'd like to stay, you're welcome to."
Hunter snorted, grateful for a way out of their somber discussion. "Nah, man, I think I'll go to the track." With raised eyebrows and a glance at the terminal, he said, "Well, hope you have fun!" With a quick grin at Cam's usual 'I can't believe how immature you are' roll of the eyes, he jogged out of Ninja Ops. But rather than head to the track, he headed home. He had some research to do.
Signing on as CrimsonBiker250, he checked his email, frowning as he saw that Blake had emailed him. 'Have I been avoiding him so much that we resort to talking online? Nah, couldn't be,' he thought. Opening the email, he read:
::Bro, what's been going on? I've noticed that something's been wrong. You can talk to me, or not, it's your choice. I respect either one. Love ya, I'm going to see if I can find Tori. Later!::
Hunter smiled, then hit the reply button. With a hunt-n-peck typing style, he slowly wrote back.
::Blake, hey. I'll just bet you went to find Tori. You should ask her out, I mean, she's totally into you. Unless of course-:: he stopped, and grinning widely, finished the sentence. ::- you're chicken. Anyhow, I can't tell you about what's wrong yet. It's not anything really good, and it scares the hell out of me. But it's from my past. The past before Mom and Dad adopted me. Let me work it out, and then I'll tell you about it. Alright? Love you too. Hope you found her. Later!::
He stretched his arms upward, and looked at the screen with trepidation. 'Guess there's nothing else to do but to do it,' he thought, scowling. 'I can't believe I'm doing this... I don't want to do it.'
Going to the search bar, he entered the words 'Incest Survivors', and waited for the page to load. Forcing himself to stay calm, he scanned the list the search engine had some up with. 'Gotta start somewhere. But I don't know if I want to,' he admitted to himself.
He clicked on one of the choices, and read as much as he could. ____________________________________________________________________
Tori walked back to her towel, finished with her surfing for the day. She felt tired, and worried still about Cam and Hunter. She sped her pace when she saw Blake sitting on her towel, and a familiar warmth went through her when she realized he'd been watching her. She liked him so much, and smiled involuntarily. He waved, and she jogged the rest of the short distance.
"Hey, Blake," she gushed, and set her board down as he made room for her to sit. He couldn't keep his eyes off of her, but tried to keep them focused above her neck. Tried was the operative word there.
"Hey Tor.... How were the waves?" he asked, and slipped his shades on so that his roaming eyes wouldn't show so much. He felt the draining worry leave him as he let her friendly chatter roll over him.
Tori frowned, seeming to sense his relaxation and remembered what would have him tense in the first place. "How are things with you and Hunter?" she asked, in a rather abrupt change of subject.
He sighed, and thought for a minute. "I just really worry when he doesn't talk to me. I mean, we always talk to each other. If something was going on, I'd be the first to know about it. From what you said the other day, Cam's the first to know this time." He stopped, and rubbed his forehead, letting his frustration and hurt show as he yanked of his glasses.
Tori hesitated, and then rubbed his arm a little, saying at the same time, "Blake, has it ever occured to you that he would want an objective ear before he went to someone who's opinion and love mean the world to him? It may be that things aren't as bad as he thinks, and he'll come to you sooner. But you know him. What would he do first, try to fix it on his own some, or team up?"
Blake tried to smile, but didn't pull it off. It just hurt too much. "We used to go to each other. We used to count on each other." He took a deep breath. "Don't worry Tor, I'll just leave him alone for another couple of days. After that, I'll talk to him. Just-- well, just to get it out in the open that I'm worried. That I care. I sent him an email earlier, but I want to talk to him in person. You know?"
Tori gave him a one-armed hug, and replied, "Yeah, I know. I won't worry ... Or, I'll try not to. I can't--" She broke off, and continued in a softer voice. "I can't seem to help it when it comes to you."
Blake pulled back, and looked at her for a minute. He felt a tug in his lower abdomen, and gave her a full hug, not ready, or just too nervous to kiss her. He wasn't that sure yet, but he felt better about it. She always seemed to make everything feel better lately. ______________________________________________________________________
Cam leaned back in his chair, his arms stretched over his head as he tried to get the kinks out. 'Man, between battles, managing Ninja Ops, and worrying about the love of my life, I don't seem to HAVE much of a life. Gee, what else is new?' he wondered sarcastically. He nearly jumped out of his seat as his father flipped onto the desk in front of him.
"Cam, I'm worried about you. You're working too hard," Kanoi commented, noting the dark circles under his son's eyes.
Cam finished stretching, and replied, "Dad, remember what happened the last time you said that?"
Kanoi chuckled, "Yes, but I also recall you taking more of an interest in your own life. Too much work is very taxing on the body, as well as the state of mind."
Cam shook his head, "Alright Dad, I'll go see what Shane and Dustin are up to, I guess. Thanks." He didn't sound very grateful, but he sent his dad a slight smile and made his way out.
With a sigh, Kanoi made his way back to his hopefully temporary home. He worried deeply for his son. His growing lethargy and constant working wasn't healthy. He knew this, and went to pray and meditate. ______________________________________________________________________
"Is that my camera you're using again Dustin?" Cam called out, making his way to the area where Shane was pulling off tricks that he'd always wished he had the talent for.
"Dude, um- you see, I know I promised never to use it again, but I'm still saving up for one of my own, and well, Shane wanted to-" Dustin was cut off as Shane stopped and had a reply.
"Hey, don't blame me for that! You just can't keep your hands off his camera! Welcome back to the land of the living, Cam." the red ranger carried his skateboard over and unclasped his helmet.
Cam rolled his eyes, "Gee, thanks. Dustin, just don't break it, or lose it. You seem to have a knack for doing one or both." He shrugged as sweat trailed down his back. He felt like someone was watching him, but couldn't seem to find anyone else in the park taking much of an interest in them. "I'm just going to sit and watch, if you don't mind. Dad wanted me to get out for awhile, but now that I am, I'm not sure what to do."
Dustin and Shane traded looks. "Sure, man, feel free. If you want, I'll teach you how to use one of these," Shane held up his skateboard.
"Not now, but thanks," Cam deferred, and sat on the bench. Shane went back to the half-pipe and Dustin followed, handling the camcorder much more carefully now that Cam was there to watch.
Cam wasn't paying much attention to either of his fellow rangers. He didn't give himself much of a chance to think before, but now that he was out and there was no more work to be done, he let the thoughts and emotions of the past week roll over him. 'At least, it seems like it's been a week,' he thought.
Except for looking the different sites up online related to Hunter's particular situation, he only thought of the crimson thunder ranger at night. Not always about comforting him either, but that was his main focus. While he'd felt this way almost from the start, he didn't want to alarm Hunter, or worse, drive him away. 'When did my life get so complicated? Get up, learn, train, go to sleep. Now, it's get up, train, train, work at Ninja Ops, work at Ninja Ops some more, battle Kelzaks and monsters, and worry about Hunter for the night rather than sleep. Well, at least I'm consistant,' he considered. He was so deep in thought, he didn't notice that Shane and Dustin had stopped taping and were getting their things together.
"Yo, Cam! Why don't you go to sleep or something? It's starting to get late," the yellow ranger called to him, and he tried to get his eyes to focus. He admitted to being tired, but only to himself.
"I'll go home in awhile. Thanks Dustin. See you guys later," Cam picked himself up, and managed to walk along fairly well. He wasn't lost in thought anymore, but his emotions weren't holding up very well.
He wished he could tell his dad about his ... orientation. He'd figured it out when he was younger, and felt no attraction whatsoever towards girls. It'd confused him for a few months, well, if he was truthful, more than a few months. Then he'd seen Jamie. Jamie had been a good student at the acadamy, taller than Cam, with curly blond hair and sea green eyes. That's when he'd finally realized that he was gay.
He felt bad, remembering the time when Jamie had asked another student out, a girl. The samurai ranger stopped by the pond, and threw in a few stones. He'd never really talked much to the other students, Cam realized. He didn't want anyone to know, and he'd been so unsure of himself that he just stayed in the background, doing his schoolwork, helping his dad however he could, and practicing.
He sat there for a couple more minutes, and finally giving in, went back to Ninja Ops, to his room, and to his bed. 'Hopefully this time I'll get some sleep,' he told himself. ____________________________________________________________________
Tori pulled up to his house, and put the van in park. "I had a good time today," she said, smiling at him. They'd spent the day discussing various things, school, motocross, surfing. She didn't remember all of it, but then, she'd gotten distracted by the way the wind ruffled his hair, the way he'd felt when he hugged her, his smile, his voice. She loved listening to him talk.
Blake put his hand over the handle of the door. "Me too," he said, and tried, as he'd tried all day, to work up the nerve to kiss her. "See you tomorrow?"
Tori nodded, "Of course. I'll drop by Storm Chargers or something." She really wanted to kiss him. What was more, she wanted him to kiss her. His eyes were a warm chocolate brown, and she loved the way he looked at her sometimes. 'But what if I'm just imagining things?' she asked herself.
Blake opened the door, and turned to get out. He paused, and rolled his eyes. 'I need to just do it,' he thought, and not giving himself much time to analyze it, turned towards her again and leaned over.
She met him halfway, letting her lips brush his and feeling the butterflies already in her stomach do aerial maneuvers that could make any pilot jealous. Their lips brushed again, and settled more firmly the third time.
Warmth infused his body, and he brought his hand up to her cheek as he drew a few inches away. "Man, I've wanted to do that for a long time," he said very softly, not wanting to destroy the moment totally.
Tori licked her lips, and felt a blush stain her cheeks. "Yeah, believe me, I've wanted you to do that for a long time," she said in the same tone. When he grinned, she did too, and he let himself out of the van, slamming the door shut, but leaning through the open window.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Tor," he said in a normal voice, and jogged in, turning back when he reached his front porch.
She waggled her fingers at him, put the blue van in drive, and pulled away from the house. She couldn't wait to get home and mark her calendar, or at the very least write it down in her journal. ______________________________________________________________
Blake sighed as he shut the door. He headed for the kitchen, needing a drink, and called out for his brother. "Hunter, you home yet?"
When there was no answer, he headed for his room, putting his soda down on the sandstone coaster that his mom had given him one day. He'd taken it with them when they'd moved here. He sat at his computer, and checked his mail. 'Well, Hunter wrote back today,' he thought, surprised.
As he read the email, he scowled at the reference to his uncertainty of his and Tori's relationship. 'Well, if I wasn't sure before, at least I am now,' he thought, making a mental note to tell his brother of the latest development. He read the rest of the email, and felt more worried now than he had over the past couple of weeks. 'At least he said he'd talk to me, but I wish I knew what he was talking about. Oh well, I'll talk to him when he gets home.'
The navy ranger stretched out on his bed. He tried not to think about what could be wrong with Hunter, tried to just think about kissing Tori finally, and how it made him feel, but he couldn't keep his mind focused on it. He fell into a troubled sleep, waiting for Hunter to get home. _______________________________________________________________
Hunter woke up at 2am, his neck stiff from his head hanging all that time. He'd searched several sites, and found comfort in some. The fact that some mentioned nightmares and having mental blocks of the abuse made him feel-- well, he wasn't sure if it made him feel better or worse. But at least he had something to think about now, besides the nightmares themselves. He rubbed his hands over his eyes, and made his way over to bed, falling in fully dressed and hoping, praying, for no dreams.
Okay, that's it for chapter 3. I hope you guys liked it! Please review! It'll make me happy. Blessed be, Chero