Discliamer: dido

Chapter 21

Tara slammed the door shut, "Ugh, I hate men." She dropped on the bed, spreading out her arms and legs. "Can't live with them, can't live without them." She heard a soft knock at the door.

"Tara? You in there?" Tara heard Jack's voice through the door.

"No!" She yelled.

"Tara, please open the door," Jack pleaded.

Tara groaned and slowly pushed herself off the bed and towards the door. She turned the knob and opened it, retreating back to her bed the second she knew Jack could enter. "What do want, Jack?" Tara said into the pillow.

"To talk."

"Is it alright if I scream instead?"

He sat on the edge of the bed. "If it makes you happy…will it?"

"Noo, so what's your point?"

"Don't have one."

Tara turned around to lie on her back. Despite herself she discovered a smile spread across her face, and before she knew it she was laughing, "Let me guess, you lost a bet and ended up with me?"

"Just the opposite, believe it or not."

"So are you here to listen to me crab about a certain Australian or tell me what to do about him?"

"A little bit of both, I suppose."

Tara sighed, "Where to start?"

"You tell me, this is more of Sue's domain, I'm new at this."

"I'll let you know if you're any good."

"So," Jack changed the subject, "you want to continue with our chitchat or do you actually want to talk about Bobby?"

"Chitchat?" Tara asked in a tiny voice.

Jack rolled his eyes at her, "So, about Bobby…"

"I dunno, I just hate being treated like a kid, is that a crime?"

"No."

"Can't he realize that I can take care of myself?"

"It's Bobby."

"Arg, can't you give me a reason to yell at you?"

Jack shrugged causing Tara to groan and drop back onto the bed, her arms raised above her head. "I just don't know what to say," she complained.

"Don't look at me, I'm just hear to listen."

"Shut up, Jack."

"Make me."

"Oh I will, better yet, I'll get Sue and she'll do a bang up job of shuttin' your trap." Tara warned.

Jack just smiled at the threat. "Any of this really helping you?"

"Ugh, nooo." Tara rolled over, accidentally falling off the bed with a thump. Jack tried to hide his laughter and helped her up. "You're not helping, Jack."

"I know," he said quietly and watched her leave the room, slamming the door shut behind her.

A moment later the door opened a crack and Tara poked her head in. "By the way, thanks for trying, and uh, don't snoop in Sue's stuff." And she was gone.

Sue quietly approached Bobby as he threw another rock into the water. He bent to pick up another one. "Hey, Bobby."

He didn't answer, just threw the rock, watching the small ripple it made near the shore.

"Bobby, you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" he asked sardonically.

"You want to talk about it?"

"Nope." He threw another rock.

"Bobby…"

"I said I don't want to talk about it!" He yelled with a clenched jaw.

Undaunted by his outburst she said, "Bobby, would you be quiet for one second and think about how you made Tara feel?"

He dropped the rock that he held and stared at the rising sun.

"Bobby, you can talk to me." Sue touched his arm, he jerked it away. She sighed. "Bobby." She said sternly, "Please."

"I love her, Sue, with all my heart. I just want to protect her. If anything ever happened to her-" he took a ragged breath, "I would die."

Sue didn't know what to say to Bobby's confession. "I think you're telling the wrong person."

Bobby looked at Sue, "You're right. Thank you," he gave her a quick hug and kiss on the cheek, "you're a genius." He took off running.

"Of course I'm right," Sue said to herself, triumphantly watching the Aussie speed away.

Tara dipped her toes in the water. Sitting on the edge of the large although empty pier Tara stared at a sailboat far off in the distance. She heard footsteps behind her and turned her head to see who was approaching.

"Hey, Tara." Bobby sat down next to her. Tara ignored him and turned her head back to the water. "Look, uh, I," he ran a hand down his face.

"Just spit it out, will ya?"

"I love you." He blurted.

Tara looked at him incredulously, "Huh?"

"I love you," he repeated. "I'm sorry I was such a jerk, but I don't know what I would do if anything ever happened to you! Please, can you forgive me?"

Tears pooled in Tara's eyes as she listened to Bobby confess, "Bobby, I don't really know how to say this, I mean, you can really make me mad-"

"I understand," he stood up and began to walk away, "if you don't feel the same way, I suppose there's nothing you can do."

Tara stood up after him, "Bobby, you didn't let me finish."

"No need, I think I know what you mean," he continued walking.

"Bobby! Stop!"

He did. Tara walked up to face him, "Can I finish?"

Bobby swallowed.

Tara rubbed his arms, with a smile on her face she whispered, "I love you, too." She patiently watched Bobby he studied her. "Did you hear what I just said?"

"It might help if you repeat it."

Tara smiled broadly, "Okay." She jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck tightly, she kissed Bobby with all the heart and soul she possessed. He held her close as she whispered, "Bobby Manning, I love you more than I thought was humanly possible."

Wrapped in the arms of love, they both smiled as they kissed each other under the California sun.

A/N: Thank you Kate for the review. She's the only one who reviewed, sorta makes me wonder if i should continue or not, hmm...hey, i got an idea, if i should continue, review! if i shouldn't, keep up what you're all doing and you won't have to worry about reading the fanfic anymore. ur choice!