Here's a new chapter of Runaway.
I don't like the chapter much. Maybe it could have been better.
Hopefully it's not too bad.

Thanks for the reviews, etc.
Keep them coming!

I own Marianne, Jack and Joseph.

Marianne's feelings were conflicted. As much as she was enjoying the sudden kiss with Heath, she was very aware that she shouldn't be doing it. Although she had not officially ended her union with Phillip, she was still engaged. Not to mention the fact that she was in her underwear. The New York native thought about her conversation with Mickie, and how she had told the brunette that she didn't see Heath as anything more than a friend. She certainly didn't want to lead him on, but something had happened for him to kiss her. And she was kissing him back…

"Heath, stop…" Marianne paused to get her breath back.

"What's wrong?" the redhead frowned.

"We shouldn't be doing this." The brunette replied.

"Why not? You're not actually gonna marry that guy in New York, are you?" Heath shrugged.

"No, but…I don't want this to affect our friendship." Marianne replied.

"Is that your way of telling me you only wanna be friends?" Heath asked, although his tone suggested that he was already resigned to it being true.

"I just don't want to be like Barbara. I don't want to hurt you like that." She sighed.

"I understand." The redhead nodded, not meeting her gaze.

"Let's go home." She suggested.

The way that he had refused to meet her gaze confirmed to Marianne that Heath was hurting from her rejection. He kept his eyes focused on the road ahead as they drove home in silence. The New York native gazed out of the window as she ran her index finger over her swollen lips. She was inwardly cursing herself for kissing the redhead, although at the time it seemed like a good thing to do. It had felt surprisingly safe and contented, as well as borderline passionate. The fact that she had been wearing only her underwear made Marianne feel as if she should be guilty of more than just a kiss.

Back home, Heath went straight to work in the yard, while Marianne had a wash, heading to the kitchen when she had gotten dressed in some dry clothes. Jack sat eating some bacon and eggs with Rex sitting faithfully at his feet. He looked up as he heard the New York native's footsteps and motioned for her to come in and sit down. Taking the seat opposite Jack, Marianne sat down and waited for him to speak. He slowly chewed a mouthful of food and washed it down with a drink before looking at the brunette.

"So, how did the truck driving go?" he asked her.

"Good, I actually drove a truck!" she admitted proudly.

"Heath must have been a good teacher." Jack nodded.

"He was very patient." Marianne replied, before thinking that patient wasn't an accurate description of the everyday Heath.

"I was talking to Mickie…" Jack began.

"Oh really? About what?" she asked as her curiosity got the better of her again.

"She was telling me that she thinks there might be something between you and Heath." The older man replied.

"Heath? No, we're just friends. I told Mickie that too." Marianne assured him.

"I'm just doing what your father asked and keeping an eye on you." Jack smiled apologetically.

"I understand. I feel bad for him all alone in New York." Marianne sighed.

"He's doing what he believes is right. If I had ever had a daughter, then I would hope she'd be like you." Jack smiled.

"Thank you Jack." The brunette smiled.

"So, what else have you two been up to? I see you came back soaked through." The older man said as he took another mouthful of his food.

"Heath made me swim in the watering hole…in my underwear." The brunette admitted.

"Not chicken, huh?" Jack chuckled.

"No. But I kind of wish I hadn't gone in there…" Marianne frowned.

"Why?" Jack frowned too.

"Heath played a trick on me and then I kind of kissed him." She sighed.

"You kissed him?" the older man raised a brow.

"I don't even know why I did that. I just want us to be friends." Marianne shook her head.

"Does Heath know this?" Jack asked her.

"I told him that I didn't want to spoil our friendship. I don't want to hurt him like Barbara and Paul did." The New York native shrugged her shoulders.

"Is it because of your fiancé? Or do you have your eye on another guy?" Jack asked her.

"It's not Phillip. I do have my eye on someone though. You remember the guy from outside the Post Office?" she asked him.

"Orton wasn't it? I remember." Jack nodded.

"So, do I say anything to Heath?" Marianne asked the older man.

A creaking floorboard alerted them both to the fact that someone was outside the kitchen door. Heath appeared with his fists clenched by his sides and his expression painful. Rex whined from his spot underneath the table as the redhead looked right at the New York native. "No need, I've heard what you have to say." The redhead uttered before turning and rushing from the farmhouse.

"Heath!" Marianne yelled after him before she held her head in her hands.

"Just leave him. He'll calm down sooner or later." Jack shrugged.

"I hope so." She replied, remembering the last time he went missing.

A few seconds later the familiar sound of Heath's truck roaring into life filled the air, before he floored the gas and sped out of the yard, leaving a trail of dust in his wake.

In New York, Phillip Brooks was feeling particularly smug. Even though he had not yet located his fiancée, he was pleased that his suspicions had been confirmed as to her not being in St. Louis. This also meant that Joseph Addison had been lying to him, which was something that he did not like at all. Usually, those who lied to Phillip Brooks were in for some severe punishment, but Joseph was worth more to him in one piece, for now.

With Luke Gallows working on tracking Marianne's actual location, Phillip was continuing as if things were completely normal. He was still overseeing the completion of his and Marianne's marital home, as well as other details relating to their wedding. As far as he was concerned, the wedding was going ahead as planned in two month's time. If he had to resort to dirty tactics to ensure that that happened, he was more than happy to do that. Nobody lied to Phillip Brooks, and nobody said no to him…

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