Secrets Part 2

A/N- Thanks for the reviews! It's great to hear that you guys are loving the story.. As always some questions will be answered some new ones will be revealed. Let me know what you think!

She closed her eyes trying to catch her breath. She could hear the wavering in her voice as she talked, but she didn't stop. She knew if she stopped, the crying would start again.

"Junior asked to meet me, he said he had something really important to talk about that he couldn't discuss on the phone."

"But why would you lie about it Dani? It just doesn't make sense."

"Matt," she sighed "because I figured we all had been through enough. I figured I could let these things stay in the past."

"Dani," he stated "Why do I have a feeling I'm not going to like what you have to tell me."

"Because," she replied letting the word settle before she continued "your not."

"Dani you have to promise me, you won't tell anyone."

"Junior, are you sure you know what you are doing?"

"Dani, promise me."

"I promise Junior, just be careful."

He could hear her breathing again; she seemed lost in her thoughts. He was getting concerned now, what secrets had Dani been keeping?

"I guess," she sighed "I should probably start from the beginning."

He sat and patiently waited as she collected her thoughts. He wasn't going to interrupt her no matter what, because he knew if he bombarded her with questions she would never finish.

"Junior had been acting off for a while."

His mind began to race, what did she mean he was acting off? He was Junior's best friend he would have noticed something, anything. He thought as hard as he could about the weeks prior to Juniors death, and nothing stuck out.

"He was really occupied with work, getting the geothermal project going and getting sponsors for the wind-turbine. I honestly hadn't seen him that dedicated to a project, ever."

"When he called me that morning, he sounded, he sounded urgent. Almost, pleading. He said I had to meet him. When he came in, I barely recognized him. He looked worn out, exhausted, he admitted to staying up the whole night with Kris, but something was off."

"He asked me to deliver the package to Kris, the one that she must have found today. I had wondered why nothing had ever been said about it till now. I guess I have my answer."

He could hear her voice wavering again.

"He-he," tears started to fall as she continued "he told me Kris was pregnant. Which looking back is interesting since that was the night he got her pregnant. He was so excited Matt, almost ecstatic. He couldn't sit still. When I questioned him further on it, he admitted that she wasn't pregnant yet, but that he wanted to try."

Matt could feel his throat closing up. The day Junior had gotten Kris pregnant he was telling Dani how much he wanted to be a father. He could feel a few tears slip down his cheeks as she continued speaking; this was going to break Kris' heart.

"He talked about seeing Kris pregnant, about how cute the baby would be. I-I brought up Kris' Jockeying trying to be honest. He got really upset, Matt. But then he looked at me and told me it had always been her and if he had to he would wait."

Hearing this was slowly breaking Matt's heart. The one thing in life Junior wanted more than anything in life at that moment was happening and he had had no idea. He wondered if images of the life he had planned with Kris flashed past Junior's eyes- he stopped himself he couldn't think like that.

"I-I didn't bring it up because I thought it would be too hard for everyone to hear, to deal with after you-know. The last thing I said to him was that I would promise to take care of Kris while he was gone. I couldn't do it to her Matt."

He realized that Dani had been trying to protect them, and in doing so had been carrying this huge burden. He still didn't get why she thought he would be so upset about it, though. He heard her take a deep breath and then she continued.

"But that's not why I lied about it, Matt. I was keeping a secret for Junior. I promised him I wouldn't tell anyone. Not even Kris or you."

"Dani," he asked "What are you trying to say?"

She sighed again and he could tell she was contemplating her next move.

"Matt, Junior wasn't on a plane to deal with wind-turbine issues."

As Dani continued to explain Matt could feel the anger burning in him. After she had finished he pulled the phone away from his ear and sat staring at it for a long time. He could hear her breathing, waiting for his response. Rubbing his face with his free hand, he reached over and hit the end button. What made Dani think that she could keep this from him, from Kris?

Looking at the wall, Matt realized that he would have to be the one to tell her, to break her. He could feel the tears start to fall as he gripped the phone in his hand. Pushing himself off the kitchen floor he looked at the picture of the two smiling people and suddenly felt sick.

As his phone rang in his hand, he looked at the caller Id and hit ignore. Dani had done enough damage for the day, to him and to Kris. Taking a deep breath he began the climb up the stairs, stopping at the top. He sat at the top step for a long time staring down the very same stairs he had just climbed. How the hell was he going to tell Kris?

P.S. (another author's note!) - I know Junior is starting to sound bad.. Don't fret!! ;)