A/N: JXC squishies. Quick change of plans; the rape will wait until chapter 6. I'm sorry for those who were looking forward to it. Here we go.
Caitlin panted hard as she dashed through the dimly lit streets of Edmonton. Her need for rest caught up with her, and she stopped. She bent down and placed her hands on her knees, breathing heavily. Sweat was mixing with her head wound and it burned. Caitlin seethed as the stinging feeling moved from her gash to all around her head. She gritted her teeth and took in a deep breath as she straightened her body and began to run again. Her sprint did not last long, as she needed some more recovery time. She looked at her surroundings; this was Jude's neighbourhood.
Jude was sprawled out on his front lawn, lying belly down and crying into the earth. The crowd had dispersed by this point. Only the firemen remained, picking through what was left of the house. A man stooped over Jude while holding something in his hands. Jude brought his face out of the soil and rested his chin on the ground. The fireman cleared his throat and placed the object in front of Jude. Jude's puffy eyes fell upon it. It was a slightly burned picture frame. Inside was a family portrait of when Jude was 12 years old. He had his mother's arm around his shoulders and his father's hand on his head. Jude bit his lip as it quivered. He took a fist and smashed the glass.
"It doesn't make me feel better you asshole! Get away from me!" He screamed at the fireman.
The fireman backed away, holding his hands out in front of him as if Jude was going to attack him. Jude got up from the ground. He brushed off his clothes and walked towards the pile of rubble. Jude noticed blood trickling down his hand from smashing the glass. He wiped it on his dress shirt and picked out the small shards from the cut. A fireman walked over and handed him a band aid. Jude took it without thanks and placed it on his hand. He rummaged through it until his eyes came upon a ride-able skateboard. Jude whisked it from the blackened pile and threw it on his driveway. He hopped on it and pushed with his right foot hard. He turned around the corner roughly and pushed hard on the sidewalk. Jude had his head cocked to the side, so he couldn't see anything in front of him. He came to a sudden halt and was thrown forward off his board. He groaned and rubbed his head. Jude looked down to see he was lying on a bleeding Caitlin. He gasped loudly and scrambled to his feet. Caitlin brushed off her arm and winced as she hit a patch of road rash. Jude held out his hand and Caitlin took it. He hoisted her up and studied the gash on her head.
"I'm so sorry, your head… I didn't mean to bump into you." He mumbled as he picked some blood stained locks out of the wound.
Caitlin opened her mouth to explain what happened, but something told her to lie. "It's ok, you didn't mean it."
Jude let out a long, shaky sigh and gripped Caitlin's hand harder. Caitlin moved closer and studied his long face. She took her arms and wrapped them around his waist.
"What's the matter?" She asked.
Jude took his arms and draped them on Caitlin's shoulders before answering. "My house… m-my… parents…"
Caitlin placed a finger on his lips. "Tell me when we get to my place."
Jude nodded slowly. "It's a bit of a way though… I have an idea."
He picked up Caitlin and held her as a mother would hold an infant. She wrapped her arms around his neck tightly as he hopped on his board and rode carefully. Jude stared down at Caitlin's face and smiled weakly.
"You're so beautiful Cait, even if you have a gash in your head. I'm sorry…"
Caitlin pressed her lip against his own to get him to shut up. Jude stopped his skateboard and let Caitlin stand on her feet. He shifted his hands down to her hips and returned the kiss. Caitlin ran her slender fingers through his blonde hair and kissed him harder. Jude's eyes shut slowly, as did Caitlin's. They stood like that for several moments, tasting each other's sweet lips. Jude broke away and pressed his forehead against Caitlin's. Caitlin grinned giddily. Jude smiled back and picked up Caitlin as he did before. He jumped onto his skateboard and pushed hard with his leg. Caitlin wrapped her arms around his neck and snuggled her head into his chest. Jude looked down after several minutes of riding and smiled. Caitlin had fallen asleep in his arms. He rode with more caution now, careful not to wake her up.
Jude moved his mouth beside her ear to whisper. "Cait… Cait…"
Caitlin stirred and opened her eyes slowly. She stared up and Jude and smiled groggily. He kissed her nose lightly and set her down on her feet. Caitlin turned to see her house. She took Jude's hand and led him into the white mansion. She opened up the door and was greeted by a man in a black suit with white gloves.
"Miss Cooke, pleasure to see you." He said in a greeting.
She nodded gruffly and brushed past him. Jude followed, questioning Caitlin's rudeness to the butler in his head. They both sat down on an ivory coloured couch in the living room. Caitlin's mother walked in. She wore a long, royal purple dress that moved across the floor gracefully. Her thin, light blonde hair fell to her shoulders. Pearls lined her thin neck and were stuck in her earlobes. Her slightly pale face was brushed with rose-like blush. Deep red lipstick coated her lips and shined in the light. Her feet were bare, but red nail polish that matched her lipstick. She smiled happily as her bright blue eyes set upon Caitlin's friend.
"Hello Jude." She said.
"Hey." He mumbled in reply.
She looked over to her daughter to see the wound in her head. Mrs. Cooke's mouth dropped in shock.
"Caitlin honey! What on earth happened?" She asked worriedly.
Jude stared down at the floor and answered for her. "I bumped into her while riding my skateboard. I'm really, really sorry…"
Mrs. Cooke ignored Jude as she took her daughter into a nearby bathroom to get a closer look at the gash. Jude sat alone in the living room for a moment, until Mr. Cooke walked in.
"Hey there, sport." He greeted.
Mr. Cooke wore a deep blue robe that was tied at the waist. His short, brown hair was slightly grey at his ears. He had a thick moustache with a touch of grey in it. A pipe stuck out of the corner of his lips. His emerald green eyes were slightly baggy, showing his age. His feet sported pristine white slippers that matched the shirt underneath his robe.
"Hey dude." He muttered quietly.
Mr. Cooke joined him on the couch and clapped his back. "How are your parents doing?"
Jude's jaw dropped at the question. His hands gripped the couch angrily as he glared at Mr. Cooke. He felt the hot sting of tears in his eyes as he turned his head away and choked on a lump in his throat. Mr. Cooke stared puzzlingly.
"Jude, how are your parents?" He repeated.
"You wanna know how they are? Go to the fucking morgue, you'll see them there! Good luck recognizing them, the fire probably burned them beyond fucking hell!" He screamed.
With that, he ran out of the room with his face buried in his hands. His cries echoed throughout the large house. Mr. Cooke brought his hand up to his mouth in shock. Caitlin got up from the toilet where her mother sat and followed the sound of Jude's cries, leaving her shocked mother alone in the bathroom.
"Jude?" Caitlin called out.
His response was a choked sob as he sat at the foot of Caitlin's bed. Caitlin walked in slowly. Her hands were linked together nervously. Jude stood up and put strong hands on top of hers.
"I'm sorry about snapping like that… but…"
He trailed off and bit his lip. Caitlin kissed his tear-filled eyes and frowned slightly.
"I don't mean to upset you but… um…" She couldn't finish the question.
Jude knew what she meant and sighed heavily. He nodded slowly and did a few quick hics before letting more salty drops roll down his baby-like face. Caitlin stared at him sadly as she rested her head on his chest. Jude placed his chin on her head as his lip quivered.
"Did you want to talk about it? Sometimes it helps." Caitlin suggested.
"No, but I would like to talk about other things." Jude replied quietly, pointing towards the bed.
Caitlin sat at the edge, as did Jude. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and put his free hand on her thigh. Caitlin snuggled her head into his shoulder and put her hands on top of the one on her thigh. Jude looked at her cut with concern.
"Maybe you should do something about that Cait." He said.
Caitlin shook her head. "I'll clean it up later. It's not that bad."
Jude glared at her slightly. "I think you should do it now."
Caitlin sighed in defeat. "Alright, but come with me. I don't like cleaning cuts by myself."
Jude nodded and gripped her hand lightly as they walked towards her bathroom. You only need one word to describe Caitlin's bathroom. Pink. Jude had the urge to shield his eyes. Caitlin sat down on the toilet as Jude rummaged through cupboards. He pulled out gauze pads and rubbing alcohol. Caitlin winced as she saw the bottle in Jude's hand. He smiled at her lightly and kissed her cheek.
"It'll be over in a minute. I'll be gentle."
Caitlin nodded and squeezed her eyes shut as she heard the metal top scraping against the glass as Jude opened the bottle. Jude dabbed some onto a piece of gauze and held it in one of his hands. He put the bottle down and put his other hand on the top of Caitlin's head.
"1… 2…3."
Caitlin seethed as the burning liquid hit her wound. She wrapped her hands around Jude's arm and squeezed tightly. Jude dabbed the cut several times more with the alcoholic gauze.
"All done bra." He exclaimed.
Caitlin exhaled loudly and let go of Jude's arm. He smiled and began to place a dry piece of gauze on her head. He grabbed some medical tape off the counter and held the bandage in place. Caitlin smiled weakly.
"You are really gentle."
Jude smirked slyly. "That's what you think."
He stood her up and kissed her lips hard while he wrapped his arms around her lower back. Caitlin returned the gesture and wrapped her arms around his neck. Jude shifted closer and kissed faster. Caitlin kept up with his pace and gripped his hair lightly. Jude brushed his tongue along her lower lip, asking to come in. Caitlin giggled through the kiss as she felt the warm muscle glide along her lip. She accepted him and intertwined her tongue with his. Jude pushed her up against the wall and held his hands on the wall, pressing his body against Caitlin's. Caitlin moaned slightly and held Jude's hair harder. She broke away and kissed up his neck and jaw line and back up to his lips. Jude took his body off of hers and held her hand, pulling her into her room. Jude sat down on her bed and pulled Caitlin onto his lap. She sat with her legs dangling over the side of Jude's legs. They embraced and shared a passionate kiss for several minutes. Jude's hands ran up and down Caitlin's back as he broke away. Caitlin grinned slyly and pushed Jude down onto her bed. Jude bit his lip and grinned as she straddled him on the bed. Caitlin rested her head on his chest as she lied on top of him. Jude wrapped his arms around her back and kissed her neck roughly. She inhaled sharply and gripped her comforter. Jude flipped around, not letting do of Caitlin so he would be on top. Caitlin didn't let go of the blankets, so the two of them got tangled. They both laughed and pulled themselves out of the tangled blankets. Jude stood in front of Caitlin and grinned.
"Thank you Cait. Being with you… I just… it feels so right, and I feel a little bit better about… the… uh…" Jude trailed off, turning his eyes to the floor.
Caitlin held his hands in her own. "It'll take time Jude. I'm here for you Jude, no matter how long it takes."
She brushed some blonde locks out of his face. His eyes moved back to Caitlin. He stared deeply into her emerald irises. She looked back. Tears brimmed his ocean eyes and he smiled weakly. Caitlin kissed his lips lightly and squeezed his hands tighter. They stood hand in hand for quite a while, staring deeply into each other's eyes.
A/N: Ugh, I'm sappy. I promise that Nikki will get raped in the next chapter… wow that's an odd thing to promise. Anyway, R&R.