Disclaimer: Thir13en Ghosts belongs to Steve Beck.

Claimer: I own Natalie Hayes, Jasmine Michaels, and Danny Colton.

Chapter#3: Impact

"Okay, okay. Let me get this straight." Jasmine turned to face her. "You spent all day with him, and all you two did was talk?"

Natalie gave her a strange look from her spot sitting on the couch. "Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't aware I was supposed to slut it up."

"That's not what I meant! Damn, girl…"

"Well, then, what do you presume we should have done? It's a junkyard, Jasmine."

"It's just that I'm shocked he was able to hold a conversation with you for an entire day. My man can barely hold a conversation for ten minutes without becoming sidetracked."

Natalie gave her a suggestive look. "Well, maybe if you'd wear a shirt that actually covered your sweater puppies, you wouldn't have that problem."

"Ugh." She flung a hand at her. "Whatever. So, what did you find out? I'm curious."

Shaking her head, she gave a small shrug. "He's about as normal as any other guy I've ever met. He likes to read. Can you believe that? I told him who I am, and now he wants to read my books."

"Seriously?"

"I know, right?" Natalie smiled.

"Too bad Danny doesn't share his enthusiasm, eh?" Jasmine quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Danny's never been much of a reader. Why, are you suggesting I should dump him for Horace?"

"Hell no. Although, it would be pretty priceless to see the look on Danny's face," said the black beauty smoothly.

Natalie rolled her eyes.

"So, tell me about this guy! What else did you find out?"

Natalie felt her eyes lower to the carpet as she recalled the heart-wrenching story Horace had told her. Just the thought of it was enough to cause her heart to clench with sympathy for the big lug. "It's hardly a fairy tale, I'll tell you that."

"What do you mean?" Jasmine took a seat on the opposite end of the couch. "Tell me."

Natalie sighed. "His mother abandoned him the moment she saw him. She wouldn't even name him. His entire childhood was spent as an outcast. Kids bullied him, ridiculed him, and threw rocks at him. I found out that's how he got the scar on his right cheek. When he became a teenager, his father put him to work in the junkyard. He's been there, alone, ever since."

"You're trying to make me feel like an asshole, aren't you?"

"It's a true story. It's his story."

"Wow. I knew James had some issues with the fam, but I never knew they were that intense. His wife just got up and split? Just like that?" Jasmine frowned.

"That's what Horace told me." Shaking her head, Natalie leaned back against the armrest. "God, can you imagine? Can you imagine knowing the reason your family is torn apart is because of you? Horace is fully aware his mother abandoned him because of the way he looks. I mean, God, the emotional scarring alone…"

"How can someone live like that and not have social problems? Not just social, but mental."

"I don't know. Hell, I don't doubt he had issues. My past is mild compared to his, and I still have some issues."

Jasmine studied her carefully. "Does he know?"

Natalie looked at her. "Know what?"

"About your parents…"

Her lips pressed into a thin line. "Yes. All he knows is that they're gone. I didn't get into how."

"You told him?" Jasmine's jaw practically hit the floor. "Why? You never tell anyone about that!"

"I know…"

"You barely know this guy. What makes him so different?"

Natalie shook her head. "I don't know. I can't explain it. I realize I barely know him, but I trust him. He's not like other people. He doesn't know corruption like we do. Being secluded in that junkyard, as corrupt as that is in itself, it's preserved his innocence. He hasn't had anyone to twist and deform his morals and mindset. Yet at the same time, he's not childlike in any sense. It's remarkable, really."

"Oh, hell no, Natalie." Jasmine's eyes had formed a glint of realization all of a sudden, and she was staring at her friend like she was insane. "You're not thinking what I think you're thinking, are you?"

"What?"

"You're going to write about him, aren't you? Okay, when I said think out of the box, I didn't mean this!"

"Wow… actually, I wasn't thinking that. But now that you mention it…" Natalie grinned. "That's a great idea! Jasmine, you're a genius!"

"Natalie—"

"Nope. You've talked me into it." Jumping off the couch, she strode over to where her bag was sitting on the table near the door. Jasmine threw her arms up.

"Where are you going?"

"Where do you think? I have a book to research!"

"Aw, hell…"

James looked up when he heard the distinct sound of tires rolling over gravel. He saw the sleek blue paintjob and immediately knew who it was. It was her. He watched as the driver's side opened, and a pair of studded black leather boots stepped onto the ground, before she stood to her full height. He remained quiet as she walked past the gates into the yard at a graceful stride. When she looked up at him, he could tell her smile was somewhat forced, and he greeted her with a nod.

"Afternoon, Miss Hayes."

"Hello, James."

"Am I to assume you're here for Horace?"

"Yes, I am."

He stared at her, almost calculatingly. "Can I ask you a question?"

"What?"

"Why are you putting so much effort into this? And before you hassle me for it, I don't mean that because of Horace. I just find it a little weird you're going so out of your way to see someone you barely know."

Natalie let her shoulders drop, holding his gaze with a calm but serious stare. "Why am I bothering? I'll tell you why. The reason I keep coming back is because I know what it's like to be alone. I've been there, believe it or not. Hell, sometimes I still feel like I'm there. Horace is older than me, and it's been this way his entire life." She held up a hand when he went to protest. "I'm not saying the blame is all on you. I've talked to him. I mean really talked to him." Her eyes were solemn, but they were sympathetic as well. "I know about your wife James."

She saw his eyes widen.

"Horace told me. It just kind of happened. I told him my story, and he told me his. He feels guilty, you know. He is fully aware you'd still have her if he was never born."

He frowned at her. "He said that?"

"He's not as dumb or naïve as people portray him to be. For someone who's been secluded their entire life, he's incredibly aware." She let out a small, quiet sigh. "I feel I somewhat owe you an apology, James."

"For what?"

"For what I said in regards to the way you treat your son. I had no idea about the scenario with Mrs. Mahoney. You could have given Horace up to the state, but you didn't, and I admire that."

He stared at her. "He told me what you do. You're some author, right?"

"I am."

"Then I need you to listen to me real careful." He leaned into her. "Horace isn't some article for you to write about and gain profit on. So, if you're only doing this to gain his trust so you can dig up some information—"

"Stop right there, Mahoney," she hissed. "If you're going to stand here and insult me, I have plenty of comebacks that are guaranteed to shut you up. Just because I'm a writer does not mean I'm a profit-seeking vulture. I'm here because I genuinely like your son, and, once again, I am sorry if that is so difficult for you to believe." She straightened to full posture, pushing her shoulders back in a challenging fashion. "Now if you don't mind, I am going to go speak to your son."

"Hey, Flex."

Horace looked up from the car he was disassembling, and when he saw her he seemed to brighten. He didn't smile, but she could see it in his eyes that he was pleased to see her. In turn, it made her want to smile.

"What's up?" she asked, as she came to stand by him. He was kneeling down, but even though a good two feet was taken off his height he was still almost as tall as her. She chuckled faintly when she saw his expression. "You seem surprised to see me," she teased.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to it."

She smiled. "You're going to have to, because once I have my sights on someone it's nearly impossible to de-leech me."

"What about your boyfriend? He doesn't mind you hanging around here?"

"Danny doesn't have any say in who I can hang out with, and I don't have any say in who he hangs out with." She shrugged. "It's not like we never see each other…"

He wasn't so sure. "Does he even know you've been coming here?"

"He's in Canada right now. I haven't gotten the chance to speak with him yet…"

"Canada?"

"He had a job interview."

"How long has he been gone?"

"…Since last Friday."

Last Friday? That was five whole days. "Five days for an interview?"

She looked up at him curiously. "He's visiting an old friend while he's there…. Why do many questions?"

He shrugged. "It's just… I find it a little weird he hasn't so much as called you."

Her eyes shifted down, and he winced when he saw the slightly dejected glint in her eyes, even though she was trying to hide it. It became apparent to him then that he was making her feel bad, which was the very last thing he wanted to do.

"…Sorry. I wasn't trying to—"

"I know." She smiled faintly. "Don't worry about it, hun. Come on. I don't want to keep you from your work."

He stood, and he walked with her towards the rear of the yard. A steady wind had begun to pick up since she had arrived, and the creaks and groans from the cars towering around them made Natalie a little nervous, but she figured it was probably normal sounds around here. The cars probably always made these noises when it was windy out. Grey clouds had begun to slowly move overhead as well. Briefly, she wondered if she should have brought an umbrella.

"Wow, it's really windy today, huh?" she said, as a particularly strong gust caused her hair to whip about madly in her face. She pushed it away in annoyance.

Horace turned his head up towards the sky. "Looks like a storm is headed our way."

Natalie pushed another lock of hair out of her face. "What do you guys do during storms, anyway? I mean—during the winter, for instance—how do you deal with the snow?"

He shrugged. "It's just colder. It doesn't really make it harder to find parts, because we have pretty good ideas where most of them are. It's just a matter of being cold, really."

"I can deal with snow, but on ice I'm a drunken ballerina if I'm not wearing skates."

He chuckled. She smiled up at him, when a sudden noise that sounded like a rusted creak caught her attention. Since the wind had started, the entire yard had been creaking and groaning constantly, but Horace didn't appear alarmed, so she took comfort in that.

She thought too soon, for right at that moment there was a loud, grating groan of metal against metal that made Horace stop short and snap his head up. The movement was so fast, Natalie barely caught it, and before she could so much as react or look up he was grabbing her.

"Look out!"

Natalie released a terrified shriek when she looked up to see a car plummeting right above them, but her scream was cut short as she was pulled away so abruptly she had whiplash. One second two arms were swooping around her, the car was falling, and then she was falling backwards on top of someone. The car came crashing down a mere three feet in front of them, its windows shattering with impact. Quick as a wink, she felt Horace roll underneath her, and she fell to the ground beside him as he used his body to shield her from the tiny shards and small parts that shot out with the landing. She felt so tiny as he held her close against him, as he looked over his shoulder at the wrecked car.

"Holy shit…" she squeaked, still in shock.

He looked down at her. "Are you okay?"

She nodded slowly. He didn't release her until they were both standing, helping her up carefully. Almost the same second she was standing upright, she was jumping up and throwing her arms around his neck.

"Thank you!" she exclaimed, and kissed his cheek.

He stared down at her, still shocked by the fact she had just kissed his cheek.

"That's the second time you've saved me," she said.

"Yeah, I also told you the cars wouldn't fall."

She let out a sort of breathless laugh, but it was also a mixture of a relieved exhale. He lifted his arms and twisted them when he felt a soreness, and he frowned a bit when he saw the problem. The skin had some abrasions from falling backwards on the rough ground, and they were bleeding. Natalie saw this, and her eyes grew concerned as she approached him. He allowed her to gently take one of his arms and examine the damage, his eyes lingering on her face curiously.

"We need to clean this," she said.

"Why?"

Her eyes shifted up to his face incredulously. "Because they're open cuts, and they're bleeding."

He shrugged. "So? Been cut before."

She rolled her eyes. "Men. Listen, I know you're big, and I could probably shoot you with a nine millimeter and you wouldn't feel much more than a sting, but I'm cleaning these wounds whether you want me to or not."

He blinked. She made a shooing motion with her hands.

"Shoo. To the trailer with you."

"I'm f—"

"Horace Mahoney, get your ass to that trailer before I make you."

He quirked an eyebrow at her, and she furrowed her brows when he surprised her by growing a slow, tiny smirk at her words.

"Make me?"

"Yes. Don't let my size fool you. I can be quite forceful when I want to be." She folded her arms over her chest, squaring her shoulders back defiantly.

The look of amusement didn't leave his face. It was clear by his expression he wasn't convinced she could so much as budge him if he didn't let her. "I think that's something I want to see," he said.

Scoffing, she slapped his arm. "Would you just go!"

He smirked at her and held his hands up in surrender. When they arrived back at the front of the yard, James was there waiting for them. The second he saw them, he practically ran over, eyes bright with alarm.

"What the hell was that crash? Did a car fall or something? I've been looking for you two everywhere!"

"Yeah, a car fell, but we're fine," answered Natalie. She jerked her thumb towards Horace. "He's got a few scrapes. Do you have any first aid supplies?"

"Yeah, in the trailer. How did you get scraped?" he asked, looking to Horace.

"Fell," he answered, purposely leaving out all of the detail. "I told her it's not a big deal."

James switched his gaze to Natalie, who still had her arms stubbornly folded over her chest. His eyes lingered on her a moment longer, before he sighed and nodded.

"The medical supplies are in the bathroom."

"Lovely." She gave Horace's lower back a small nudge to urge him forward. He did, but he was shaking his head while smirking the whole time. James watched them go, staring at their backs as they walked. Natalie was literally half Horace's size, and yet she already appeared to be the dominant one between the two. It was humorous, really. This woman, who barely reached Horace's elbow, had him wrapped around her tiny finger, and even though James wasn't sure if he was fond of the woman or not, he couldn't help but shake his head in amusement.

"There. That should about do it."

Horace rolled his eyes, as she finished up wrapping gauze around his left arm. He had allowed her to clean and wrap both his arms, even though he really didn't think it was necessary. Through the entire process, he couldn't help but watch her with an amused stare. As he was rolling his sleeves back down, her cell phone went off, and she pulled it out of her pocket before bringing it to her ear.

"Hey, babe."

Horace glanced up.

"I'm good. Yes. How are you? How was the interview? Yeah? When will you find out if you got the job? Awesome." She smiled held up a finger to Horace's questioning stare. "Uh-huh. Yeah, I think I do know what I'm writing my book on. Yeah, I'll tell you about it when you get back."

James walked over to look at the damage on Horace's arms. "Damn, she has you mummified."

Natalie shot him a "haha" kind of smile, when her attention once again returned to her phone. "What? That's James. I'm at the junkyard…. Yeah, had some trouble with the Mustang a few days ago. They did a great job on her, so I came back to thank them. Yes, them. James has a son. You know that." She suddenly let out a sigh and rolled her eyes. "Yes. Look, I'm not going into that over the phone. Because."

James and Horace exchanged glances when she let out another sigh of irritation.

"I'll talk to you later, Danny. Bye." Lifting the phone away from her head, she pressed the END button. "Sorry about that, guys."

"Everything okay?" asked James.

She nodded. "It's fine. It's got nothing to do with either of you."

Horace knew better. He knew Danny was upset she had been near him. It wasn't surprising. Nevertheless, he could tell she was slightly disheartened from the phone call. He lifted his arm, hesitating a minute, and then gently placed a hand on her shoulder. The contact made her look up at him, and the hesitation in his blue eyes made her smile. Seeing her smile relaxed him, and he allowed a small one in return. Still, he wasn't happy she had been upset by the conversation with her boyfriend.

He already didn't like this Danny guy.

Danny boy better watch out lol. Your reviews are appreciated! Thank you to Mikado X Goddess, SamanthaJane13, and Anonymous for your reviews! They mean a lot. I always keep reviews in mind!