Muahaha…another chapter…

It's shortly after midnight…and my parents think I'm asleep…

This could be interesting…

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Licorice's face was inches from mine, his eyes mad to match his smile. With one grotesque finger, he reached out and stroked my cheek, softly trailing along my cheekbone. I flinched away, and he pulled back quickly, his face darkened; angry at my fear of abhorrent touch.

His face distorted, and he raised his hand back to strike me. The moment before his palm met my cheek, a loud gasp escaped my throat.

My eyes flashed wildly open, and I jerked myself into an upright position, blood rushing to my head and momentarily blinding me.

"Genny!" I heard someone familiar say, and, without quite knowing why, I burst into tears. "Genny, what's the matter?"

I shook my head and cried harder, covering my face with my hands.

Their arms folded around me, and I felt myself being lifted and set gently next to him.

I threw my arms around him and buried my head on his shoulder, sobbing like a child.

"Genny, please, what's the matter?" He insisted, and I shook my head pitifully.

"Licorice…" I stammered, and I felt his shoulders tense underneath me.

"I should have killed him when I had the chance…" He muttered angrily, more to himself than to me.

With stiff fingers, he rubbed my back, making gooseflesh erupt all over my body and the air in my throat catch.

"Jack…" I managed, my voice barely a whisper.

He pulled away gently.

"What's wrong?" He asked, and I smiled.

"Nothing…I just wish that you could hold me like this forever…" I said, sighing and leaning into him to draw all the warmth I could from him.

With one arm still around my waist, his other hand tilted my chin up so I faced him. And completely and utterly with no reason, he leaned down and kissed me.

Gone away were all the fears and worries of before, for new thoughts and emotions made room for themselves, occupying my mind and throwing away every other rational concept.

My heart sped up, and for whatever reason, be it the fact that I was situated on his lap or the fact that I was vulnerable from the confusion of the past weeks; we kissed more intense than the first and second time combined, and I had feelings I hadn't ever felt before, or at least much stronger than before.

My hands crept from his lapel to his neck and then to his head, entwining my fingers in his hair.

Slowly, he gently lowered my body, until he was completely on top of me.

In the back of mind, I heard a tiny voice scream a warning, but my emotions bade me ignore it, and I obeyed them without putting up a fight.

Jack pulled away, and I opened my eyes and saw him staring at me with mixed emotions struggling across his face.

"Genny…" He said, his voice huskier than I remember it being. "We can't…"

I only nodded, my rationality still blurry and out of focus.

He paused for a long moment, and various expressions danced in his eyes as I willed myself not to pull him back onto me.

"I was…wondering…Genny…" He said haltingly, and then he took a quick breath before continuing. "Wouldyoumarryme?"

It took me a moment to understand what he said, but soon realization hit me like a slap in the face.

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes!" I cried, giggling like mad.

He broke into a relieved grin, and he leaned back down to kiss me. It was a light chaste kiss, and he sprang right off the sofa and pulled me up with him, spinning me around.

"I should have gotten a ring…" He said, and I smiled.

"Don't worry…there'll be time enough for that…" I assured him, and he grinned the same crooked smile that I loved.

"Oh, plenty…but for now, I've got to go…it's late…" He concluded, pulling his hands from mine and reaching for the door.

I paled and curled my hands into fists over my chest; my joy immediately vanished with anxiety.

"Please don't! What if...he…comes back?" I pleaded, and he hesitated his hand on the door handle before drawing it away.

"Alright, but when Gramma comes home…"

"I'll tell her it was my idea…" I finished for him, and that seemed to satisfy him.

He led me back to the sofa, and I sat again in his lap, my head cradled back against his shoulder. We talked for a while, long enough for me to feel drowsy, and long enough for me to fall asleep in the middle of a sentence.

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Sorry for any mistakes…it's late and I'm sleepy…

Please review!