Chapter Eleven

THURSDAY MORNING 7:05 AM

CJ and Danny, still lost somewhere between the Tennessee and North Carolina border, had no idea where they were as they continued walking. They had found some berries and half of a Powerbar in Danny's pocket, but they were still hungry and thirsty.

"I work for this country and now I'm lost in it!" She looked at Danny who had stopped to watch her. "Any references to irony and I scratch your eyes out with an acorn."

CJ almost tripped over a few twigs, but regained her balance without Danny noticing.

"If we just continue walking west we're bound to hit something eventually-- "

"How do we know we're going west?" CJ swatted away a fly.

"Follow the sun."

"I knew that." CJ said in her definite tone.

"Why do you do that?" Danny stopped, tired and irritable and not in the mood for anything.

"Do what?" CJ had no idea as she threw her hands up at him.

"Say you know something after it's been made perfectly obvious you don't know."

"I knew that---and no, I don't—." CJ defended herself.

"Right now?" Danny was getting sarcastic, something CJ seemed to be able to bring out in him when he was tired.

"I'm kidding when I do that?" CJ couldn't stop safe guarding her pride.

"Why?" Danny continued walking ahead as CJ followed in pursuit of her truth.

"'Cause that's what I do. I'm sarcastic! CJ. Cregg I don't believe we've met!" CJ let her arms go with the words in a gesture toward Danny who stopped and turned to her.

"You know you're exasperating—you know that--?!"

"Yes, I do know that!" She yelled in his face.

"---Exasperating!"

"Then why the hell did you come traipsing after me?"

Danny stopped cold and looked at her. They caught eyes and CJ knew what she had done and knew they both knew the answer. Danny took a breath looking hurt by CJ's actions.

"Well, if you don't know." He put his hands up. "I'm not gonna tell ya." Danny continued ahead. CJ stood still for a moment not knowing what do to. Her only response was to deflect him.

Her divert and deflect mechanism quickly tried to get him off her scent.

"You know, I don't like sports." CJ caught up to Danny trying to show him how he didn't need her.

"I mean I like them---I like playing them. But I guess it's more about the fact that I want to learn everything. And I'm competitive---I like games--- I like puzzles---knowledge---I don't have to be good at it---ok, I have to be good at it—I have to be great at it, but even if I'm not I want to at least say I tried---you following me here?—."

"Yeah." Danny looked her way for a moment before looking forward again. He pushed a branch out of his way.

"I tend to be a klutz----going back to the sports question—."

"I don't think I asked a question---you just brought it up." Danny really had no idea what she was doing. The truth was he was hungry and losing consciousness from lack of sleep.

"Yeah, well back to my sports thing---."

"And the fact that you're a klutz—." Danny did the re-cap.

"Yeah, so I tend to be very." She took a breath. "Very, bad at sports and when I--- or anyone is bad at something—which if you tell anyone I admitted- --"

"Yeah, I got it"

"---You're a dead man."

"Yeah, I figured that's what you were gonna say. I'm psychic that way---." Danny smiled at how her cockiness was so attractive to him. Danny noticed he couldn't feel his hand for a moment. He shook it off.

"So anyway I'm bad at sports."

"Yeah, you said that---." Danny smiled at her sweetly.

He couldn't be mad at her for long, not when she was well, CJ. Plus he was beginning to see what she was doing. Trying to make herself seem undesirable. CJ had no idea that was something she could never do.

"--Which makes my knowledge of them—sports--- pretty petite—unlike myself."

"I'm ok with that."

"I mean I can't play. I'd love to, but I'm just bad."

"Ok." He looked at her and she looked at him.

"I just am—Whoa!" CJ fell flat on her face in the dirt. Danny turned to see CJ lying on the ground with her face flat on the ground. Danny lifted his eyebrows at her.

"You all right there, CJ?"

"Yes." She said in a muffled tone.

"Ok." He paused and took a step closer. "Is there a reason you're not moving, there?"

"I'm embarrassed."

"Do you need help?"

"Yeah?" CJ lifted her head and Danny took her hands.

"Don't be."

"Don't be what?" CJ looked him in the eye as he took her hand.

"Embarrassed." Danny smiled at her.

"I should be used to it by now." She stood and wiped the dirt off her pants, which really by this point in their journey was fruitless. "It is after all the beauty that is me."

"Do you think you have a perceptual problem of some kind?" They continued walking.

"I wouldn't put it past me."

They walked for a moment.

"I could teach you how to play you know--."

"Toby once tried to teach me to throw a basketball—"

"---You got to pop it."

"That's what he said?" She wondered if sports had its own language.

"What happened?"

"I popped it right through a window." CJ seemed pretty proud of her enviable nature. Being a klutz, one must have a sense of humor about it.

"Oh, yeah Josh told me about that one." Danny laughed remembering the tale.

"Josh wasn't even there?"

"Word gets around." Danny shook his head and squinted his eyes. CJ didn't notice.

"So, I'm sayin' I'm bad. You like sports? I'm bad."

"I can teach you." Danny smiled and walked a few more paces ahead. He shook his head as he stumbled for a moment.

CJ smiled and lowered her head for a minute. "What do you and Josh talk about in your emails?" CJ looked around as she issued her question, but couldn't find Danny.

"Danny?" CJ saw Danny sitting on a large rock a few feet away. He was breathing a bit too much and rubbing his eyes. "Danny?"

"Yeah?" Danny took a breath, feeling lightheaded. CJ walked over to him to take a better view.

"When was the last time you slept?" CJ asked standing over him.

"What? Yeah."

"Since none of my questions required yeah as an answer--- I'd say a long time."

"I'm—yeah. I'm ok. I just---huh? Yeah."

"Danny didn't you get any sleep last night?" She knelt down and put her hands on his legs.

"Sleep? No. A little? I think?"

"Danny?"

"One of us--- had to stay awake---"

CJ took a breath, letting her shoulders drop.

"You're right. Go to sleep?"

"What?"

"I'll stay awake."

"I'm with ya—I'm with ya. What?" Danny lowered his head, trying to lift it but failing.

"Danny, you can't even raise your head!"

"Huh?" Danny slipped off the rock and CJ caught him.

"Whoa." CJ took hold of him.

"What?" He perked up. "I'm here I'm awake—"

"No, you're not!"

'---I heard everything you said—."

"Huh?"

"I couldn't sleep, I had to find you—" Danny shook his head. "Ahh—it's like I'm drunk."

"Why do you do this to yourself?" CJ sat against the rock while Danny laid his head against it.

"I can't sleep—"He yawned. "Until I've...finished something—" He let out a breath and squinted his eyes. "I'm determined."

"I'll say." CJ turned to see Danny was falling asleep against the rock.

"Makes a good reporter—" He mused like he was quoting someone slowly fading toward the final decline into dreams.

"Makes a really stupid man." But Danny was already gone. "A really sweet man." CJ said softly.

CJ looked around knowing she would need to keep an eye out. CJ looked over at Danny. He looked so tired. What he had done for her, she thought. CJ took a breath and lifted her knees up and wrapped her arms around them.