Disclaimer: Though I wish I owned this entire series, I don't. All original characters are mine. None of the songs used belong to me.

Summary: After he loses Gisele, Han finds himself picking up the pieces without her in Tokyo. Tired of living in her sister's shadow, Joanna decides starting over in a new country would be a fantastic idea. Neither of them expects to cross paths, nor do they expect the sparks that come with it. But he's got his secrets, and so does she and when their two worlds collide in a spectacular way, it's enough to leave them shaken, reeling, and utterly breathless.

A/N: This just might be my favorite chapter. That's all I'll say. Enjoy!

Chapter Six

All Shook Up – Avila

Making it through her work week, Joanna was glad for the distraction that the weekend provided. Twinkie and Reiko had been texting her nonstop, pleading for her to come to the races. She was never in the mood, though, often too tired after working all day.

She also still wasn't ready to see Han.

She was tired of his mixed signals, as she was trying to figure out how she felt about him. She had told herself after Madrid that she didn't need a relationship, and yet the Korean dominated her thoughts. Her stomach fluttered when she pictured him. Her breath hitched when he was near. It drove her crazy.

Settling on her couch, she wondered if she really wanted sit at home for another night. Sighing, she picked up her phone to text Twinkie back when a knock on her door interrupted her. Frowning, she stood and walked to the door.

"Who is it?" She received no answer. Great, she thought, she was probably going to be killed tonight.

Opening the door, she was surprised to see Han standing there. His hands were in his pocket and his trademark smirk was on his face.

"Are you hiding from us?" The teasing in his voice grated on her nerves immediately and she all but slammed the door in his face.

Storming towards her bedroom, she shouted for him to leave her alone. It seemed they were making this a habit. Him pissing her off, her retreating to her apartment, him coming to see her, and her wanting nothing more than for him to leave. But did she really want that?

"Joanna, please. Would you just talk to me?" His voice followed behind her as he walked into the apartment.

"No Han, I won't. I'm sick and tired of your crap. One second, you hate me and can't stand the sight of me. The next moment you're taking me out to dinner and dancing with me, only to turn around and treat me like crap again! Make up your mind, Han!" She ranted as she stood in front of her bedroom door.

He stood in front of her and sighed heavily, "Alright, alright, you have a point. I haven't been fair to you."

"Damn right, I already dealt with one jerk in Madrid; I don't need your crap either." The words were out of her mouth before she realized it and she froze. No, she hadn't meant to say anything about him. His name hadn't even crossed her mind since she'd left. Tears stung the back of her eyes as his face flashed in front of her eyes, his smile that she had loved so much, "Oh God…"

"Joanna…" She had nearly forgotten Han was there as she leaned against the wall for support. These were her secrets, her demons to deal with; she had told herself when first got to Tokyo. No one else needed to know, even if it was killing her inside.

She slid the floor and drew her knees closing, hugging them and taking deep breaths. The anxiety would leave just as quickly as it came. "Please leave," She croaked, her voice sounding foreign to her ears.

"No," Her head shot up at his voice, "I'm not going anywhere."

Before she could protest, she found herself being picked up off the ground and being carried into her bedroom. Han gently placed her on the bed before taking a seat beside her, his eyes never leaving her.

"Why do you even care?" She asked.

"I believe we established that we're friends. I'm not leaving you like this," He smiled softly, "Friends don't do that."

Han didn't realize he had fallen asleep until his eyes opened slowly and he found himself staring into the eyes of Joanna. She was smiling softly at him, "Hey."

"How long have I been out?" He sat up straight and groaned his back hurting from being hunched over. Joanna sighed before moving over and making space. He raised an eyebrow, and she gave him a look telling him not make her rescind her invitation.

"Only an hour, I just woke up too. You looked really uncomfortable." She was telling him as he kicked off his shoes and climbed into the bed beside her, "I figured I would be a little more hospitable."

"Letting men into your bed is your definition of hospitality?" Han laughed and Joanna joined him, chuckling softly.

"It wouldn't be the first time," He became silent when he remembered her words from earlier. He'd known that he had upset her the day she stormed out, but he didn't realize that it was to such a great extent. She had nearly had a panic attack, all because of him.

"What was his name?"

She looked at him and he could see pain in her eyes. She didn't want to talk about it, but if it was causing her to suffer, perhaps the best thing to do was to talk. When he told her this, she let out a heavy breath before sitting up slightly.

"His name was Lucas. I met him one night at the races in Madrid. He had just gotten his ass handed to him and he came over with the hopes to impress me," She laughed to herself, "Somehow, though, he got my number and promised to call the next day. In typical guy fashion, he didn't call me for a week."

Han smiled, knowing that he was one of those guys, except he would just never call. No girl ever piqued his interest enough and the only girl who had was dead and gone.

"He did all the cute, romantic things. He brought me flowers, took me to fancy restaurants, and kissed me after every date. I thought I was in love, hell…maybe I was. But then, things started to change. He stopped calling as often, the flowers stopped coming, and he kept cancelling our dates. I thought he was cheating, but then one night he showed up at my doorstep covered in blood. He was a drug dealer, I found out, a rather well known one. He couldn't drive a car to save his life, but ran a million dollar drug ring. Crazy, isn't it?" Tears begin to well up in her eyes, and Han instinctively reached out and wiped them away as they began to fall, "One night he came over and gave me a gun. He told me he was going to bed and if anyone tried to come through that door…he told me to kill them. He wanted me to shoot them in cold blood and not feel any remorse for it. I couldn't…I wasn't made for that kind of life. But I loved him. I loved him so much and I was willing to do anything for him."

"Did anyone ever come through the door?" She shook her head.

"No, and the next morning he simply kissed me before leaving, telling me he would see me soon. I hadn't slept at all that night, I was so scared. And it was so normal for him. I knew I had to get out. So I ran, and found myself here." She finished in a whisper, "Some days I hear people outside and I wonder if it's him coming for me."

He'd never let that happen, Han decided. It explained her fear the night he had left her in the car the night he had to go see Takashi. Sitting up, he let his eyes meet hers, "That's not going to happen, Jo. I promise."

She nodded before leaning into his shoulder, letting him wrap his arms around her. The more he spent time with her, he felt, the more he realized that she was nothing like Gisele. He also noticed with each moment he spent with her, that the pain was becoming less and less. Not because she was replacing Gisele, but because she was becoming just as special to him as Gisele.

"Han…would you...? It still hurts." She said softly and the look in her eyes was pleading, "Han…please."

He swallowed, knowing what she was asking for. A week after Gisele died, he had asked the same thing of a hostess after a race one night. That had been different, though, as he had not known the woman personally and didn't have to worry about seeing her again. This could potentially destroy whatever he and Joanna had, as he no longer wanting to just be her friend.

"Joanna, what you're asking me, if I give it you…you might hate me afterwards." He shifted so that his face was in front of hers. The look in her eyes was nearly enough to break him down and give her the physical comfort she was asking for, to numb the pain of being emotionally raw.

"I know what I'm asking," She whispered, "I trust you, Han."

a/n: I'm going to leave it right there. Review!