"I don't do this much, but do you want to pray sweetheart? Maybe someone will hear our prayers and take care of you the way you should be taken care of," Jax said quietly to Kristina and smiled when she handed him the popsicle stick, completely bare now. He put the stick to the side and grabbed both her hands, holding them up between his own. "Let's see, what should we ask God for?" he asked, watching her giggle at him. "It might help if you act serious when you ask Him for things, so He knows that you're sincere," he lectured, chuckling. Gazing down at her adoringly, he said, "On the other hand, you're so pretty and sweet that I think He will forgive you for anything."
Focusing his concentration back on the task at hand, he prayed, "Please God, give Kristina the strength to make it through this ordeal. She is so young, she hasn't had a chance to experience all the beautiful things that life has to offer her." He paused when he saw Kristina gazing up at him steadily, as if she was trying to figure out what he was doing. He sighed wistfully and continued, "She hasn't experienced all the beautiful things or any of the bad things that will inevitably come her way. Please don't let this be the only bad thing she experiences. Please let her have a chance to share her story in this world, to leave her impact on other people and to lead the extraordinary life that I know is in store for her. Each obstacle that comes her way will only make her stronger. But she won't be able to prove her strength, to showcase any of her talents, if she can't make it through this. I want so much for her. She is loved by many and I want her to be able to grow up knowing that, feeling that love everyday- from her mother, from me, from all those around her. I want to watch her grow up into the beautiful woman I know she is going to be and find her way through life- hopefully burning her own path. And then I want her to be able to find that one true love- the one man that will cherish her forever, who will respect her for who she is and treat her as his equal. One who will appreciate all the wonderful things about her, one who will love her with all his heart just as I hope she feels for him. Love can be painful and hurt beyond any measurement- but it can also fulfill one's life and make it worthwhile. All I am asking is that You give her the chance to experience all that."
Kristina seemed to sense his sadness as she laid her head against his chest and asked, "No happy?" He stroked her hair lightly and said, "It'll be okay, sweetheart."
Courtney heard his prayer and felt his words. He amazed her with his undying optimism. Even when he was hurting and battered from his own brushes with love and lost, Jasper Jacks still couldn't let it go. Even if love did him wrong, he held no resentment towards it- he still wished it on someone else, because he believed that love could make them happy even if it could not him. She walked quietly into the chapel towards them.
Jax heard footsteps and looked up when a shadow loomed over him. He felt his heart wrench painfully when he saw Courtney's familiar blue eyes and beautiful face. "Hi," she said softly, afraid that he would cut her dead but wanting desperately to talk to him. Jax stared at her for several seconds in silence, trying to decide how to deal with the situation. "Hi," he finally said back. Relieved that he wasn't angry, she sat down tentatively next to him and asked, "How are you feeling?" She saw Jax's eyes watch her warily and the amount of guilt in her heart doubled. "I'm worried about Kristina," he finally answered, deciding to just ignore their past and focus on the future. Courtney knew what he was trying to do so she said, "I know you are, but the best thing to do is stay positive." Jax smiled feebly at her encouragement and felt Kristina turn her head to look at Courtney. "Yellow?" Kristina asked, pointing at Courtney's hair and causing her to laugh. Jax tried not to wince at how musical it always sounded to him.
"Kristina, this is Courtney. Want to say hi?" he asked, taking her small hand away from the koala. "Hi," Kristina said automatically and Courtney smiled at her intelligence. "Hi. That's a very cute koala. What's his name?" she asked, pointing at the stuffed animal in her hand. Kristina gazed at her, completely enraptured, and said, "Jaxers." Courtney raised her eyebrows at Jax and he grinned as he said, "What can I say? The kid's got great taste." Courtney rolled her eyes at him and they both started laughing. They stopped quickly though when they both remembered what had transpired between them. Jax shifted uncomfortably and stood up, holding Kristina protectively in his arms. "Well, I should go. Alexis is probably back by now and worried about where Kristina is," he said, trying to smile at her and turning to walk away. Behind him he heard Courtney say hesitantly, "Jax- wait."