A/N - Hey, everyone! Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I love you all to pieces! Special thanks go out to Diane Langley. Big thanks to you, because you complimented me on the thing I try to do the most when I write--keeping people in character.

If there is one thing I hate, it's reading a story and realizing that this would NEVER happen with the characters as they are written. It's much more of a challenge (and super fun!) to come up with and work with storylines that work with the characters as they are.

So…enough ranting. And thanks to Diane Langley, who tells me in every review how well I kept them in character. You rock, and I love you for it!

Everyone else, thanks for the reviews and enjoy this update!

-JQ-

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Chapter Four -- Be With Me Tonight

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Everyone turned to look at the table, where Todd was seated, looking both ashamed and worried.

Kerry smiled at the young boy. "Thanks, Todd." Without another word, he glared at the rest of them and stalked out the front door. Moments later, they all heard his car peel out of the driveway.

"Todd!" Matt scolded, anger rising in his voice.

"I'm sorry, Matt. He kept going at Mom," he whimpered, obviously scared.

"I could have protected her. Now you've put Kris in danger."

"I didn't mean to. I'm sorry." Todd looked down.

"Matt," Jean set her hand on his shoulder. "Don't take this out on your brother. We need to call Junior and see if he can keep Kris safe."

"You're right," Gillian piped up from the doorway.

"Stay out of this," Matt warned, directing his rage at her.

"Don't take it out on Gillian either, Matt. She's on our side," Jean scolded her son.

"Is she?" he retorted, heading to the living room phone. He dialed the Davis number quickly, waiting for Junior to answer.

"Hello?"

"Get Kris out of the house."

"What?" He sounded very confused. "Matt? That you?"

"Junior, listen to me. Is Kris there?"

"Yeah, man. She's asleep next to me. Lookin' pretty cute too."

"Junior, stop. Kerry is on his way over."

"I know. He'll be here in the morning. Did you talk to everyone?"

"No, you don't understand." Matt heard a faint sound over the phone.

"Hang on, Matt. Someone's at my door."

"Junior, wait!" he screamed into the phone, but it was no use. Junior had already set down the phone.

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Junior lifted Kris' head off his shoulder and walked to the door, opening it slowly. "Hello?"

"Hey." Junior's eyes narrowed as he saw his visitor.

"What are you doing here, Connolly?" he accused.

"To get Kris."

Junior laughed maliciously. "Fat chance." He started to shut the door, but the other man reached out a hand and stopped him.

"Junior, she's my girlfriend. And she's pregnant with my baby. It's my right to see her." Junior glanced back over his shoulder to where Kris was sleeping. He stepped out onto his porch, closing the door quietly behind him.

"And it's my right to kick your ass," he said, eyebrows furrowed in anger. "How dare you come back here?"

Kerry took a deep breath. "I need to see her, Junior. I need to explain to her what happened."

"You've had nine months to explain what happened. She doesn't want to see you." Junior crossed his arms over his chest.

"Of course she does. I'm the father to her baby! Our baby."

"You will never be the father to that child. Ever," he growled, leaning into Kerry's face heatedly. "Now, go away. And leave Kris alone."

"Make me," he taunted, a sarcastic grin on his face.

"I would. Except killing you would probably wake Kris up." Junior took a step back and spit on the ground in between the two of them. "Get off my property. Now."

Kerry took a step toward the door. "Junior, I need to see her."

"Connolly, before Breeder's, when you brainwashed Kris and took her away from all of us, I kept my mouth shut. She needed to learn for herself that you did not have her best interests in mind. And then you took her to Europe and got her pregnant.

"Now, I could almost have forgiven you for that if you had helped her out and taken care of her…almost. But then you leave her alone to take care of this child? What kind of monster are you? She's twenty years old! And pregnant! And you don't even check in to see if she's okay? You hook up with some hot new jockey and Europe and leave her to deal with all of this?

"Again, I could have forgiven you if you had just made sure she was okay and safe. Then let her raise this baby with her family. But no, you come back and expect to be part of something you abandoned months ago.

"Get a clue, Connolly. She doesn't need you."

Without another word, junior turned around and walked back in his house, slamming the door behind him in Kerry's face.

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Matt heard the door slam and he wished he could be there to see what was going on. Jean, Todd, and Gillian were standing in a circle around him, nervous and anxious.

"Matt?" Junior's voice whispered through the phone.

"Junior, what's going on?" he asked, glad to hear his friend.

"She's safe, Matt." He breathed a sigh of relief and mouthed, 'Kris is safe' to his family. "What happened?"

"Kerry was here. I don't know why he was here today, but---"

"That's why I was trying to tell you, earlier…but you wouldn't listen to me."

"It doesn't matter. She's safe with me."

"Okay. Thanks, Junior. Keep in touch, alright."

"Will do, man." The two hung up and Matt turned to the others.

"She's fine. Junior won't tell me details, but she's safe."

"That's wonderful," Jean sighed.

"I'm really sorry, Matt." Todd muttered. His older brother enveloped him in a big hug.

"It's fine. She's fine. We're fine."

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Junior groaned and sat down in the chair across from his couch, not wanting to disturb Kris. He rubbed his temples, furious at Kerry and worried about Kris.

How was she going to deal with all of this? Kerry obviously wanted to be a part of this baby's life. Was Kris strong enough to say no? Did she truly want to say no? Or did she secretly wish she and Kerry could be a big happy family with this child?

Junior wished he knew the answers to these questions. It would make things a lot easier.

"Hey," Kris soft voice startled him from his thoughts.

"Hey, you," he replied, returning to his seat next to her. She sat up, rubbing her eyes.

"Junior," she mumbled, laying back into his warm body.

"Yeah?" He stroked her hair, breathing in the smell of her.

"Can you come lay in bed with me?" Junior's eyebrows raised in question. She frowned slightly. "Just…to be with me. Hold me. Keep me safe?"

He softened, smiling at her. "Always."

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A/N - Okay, two cutesy chapters in a row. You know something has gotten into me. Must have been that Instant Star episode and the previews for next week:3 Oh, yeah! Anyway, review, please! I love to hear from you guys!

-JQ-