Part 6:

There she is...

Matthew could see Destiny approaching from the North side of the park. Destiny wore her purple cropped jacket, a white t-shirt with a gradiating purple pink and blue phoenix design. She wore her dark black jeans and black heels. Her black hair flowed freely framing her cherub face. Matthew felt his heart skip a beat. He really missed her these past few days...Didn't she miss him at all...?

Destiny decided to take a shortcut through the small park. She had her head down trying to siphon out her thoughts with the music pumping through her headphones.

Suddenly, Matthew popped up out of nowhere & he looked pissed off. How the heck did he know where to find me? I told Shaun to stay out of it, when he noticed I was dodging Matthew's calls. Apparently, Uncle Shaun felt compelled to meddle.

"Gee, turn that down, you really have that thing cranked" Matthew exclaimed. Destiny took her headphones out of her ears steeling herself for the conversation she had been avoiding all of this time. Destiny avoided eye contact, " Yeah it helps drown out the noise." Matthew noticed she hadn't looked at him yet; like she was really gonna do me this way?

"Or pretend that its ok to walk right by me. I've texted you like a hundred times and I've tried calling you; it's like you just disappeared...", Matthew's voice tried to remain calm though he wanted to grab her and snap her out of this fog she was in. She looked unhappy and stressed, she hadn't smiled once.

Destiny's heart felt like a hand was squeezing it. It pained her to see Matthew, to know that he was NEVER going to feel for her the way she felt for him. There's no way I'm going to stick around and hear that night didn't mean anything; "that they were just 2 friends who comforted each other." That's exactly what he said a couple months back when they first kissed (and no that school play kiss totally doesn't count, he was dating Dani then & besides we were just acting).

She already felt dissapointed in herself..she allowed herself to be used...

She's always the level headed one, the voice of reason. Why did she throw all of her instincts out of the window that night? She never would have done that with anyone else; but Matthew isn't just anyone is he? No matter how hard I try to see him as JUST MY BEST FRIEND, there are times when we look at each other as more... Even when I dated Darren there were moments, like at my birthday party, where Matthew was so...possessive and territorial. He wanted his present to be the most expensive and cherished. He wanted to be the ONLY guy on my radar. It's days like that & especially like last Thursday at his place, where I get so confused. What does he want from me really? How much more can he expect from his best friend when he doesn't treat me as just a friend. Man this is such a FML (fuck my life) moment!

"I've been really busy; in fact I've gotta get going..." Destiny turned around and walked back the way she came. Heck the Buenos Dias Cafe is NOT the only eatery in town.

She was booking it outta the park and away from Matthew so fast that she bumped into Dr. Marty Saybrooke knocking the bag right outta her hand. "Hey! Why don't you watch where you're going?" Marty yelled at Destiny.

"I'm so sorry" Destiny automatically squatted down to retrieve the items and place them back into the good doctor's bag.

"No. It's alright leave it." Marty was in a rush. She was trying to make a hasty eacape and Destiny was costing her precious time!

"No. I dropped it. I'll pick it up" Destiny defiantly replied.

Matthew was momentarily distracted from Destiny when he noticed Dr. Saybrooke with a small infant in a car seat. Everyone knew Marty had a temporary mental setback when she kidnapped his cousin's Natalie's baby. (Hey Nat stole her boyfriend John McBain so I guess paybacks a bitch huh cuz?) Saybrooke spent months at 's, Llanview's mental health facility. Same said ex-boyfriend put in a good word for her and she was recently emancipated. Curiosity got the best of Matthew "Uh, who's baby is that? You baby sitting or something?" Who the hell would let HER watch after their kid?

Marty glanced at him but didn't answer eager to get her bag back from Destiny.

Speaking of, Destiny just found a GUN on the ground. She thought at first it might be a toy but it was metal and felt heavy. WTF is Marty doing with a gun in her bag?

Marty noticed Destiny's discovery and pushed Matthew into her while she bent down to snatch the gun outta the teenager's hand. "Why didn't you leave it. Why didn't you listen to me?" crazy Marty whispered vehemently. Matthew and Destiny instantly raised their hands.

Matthew instinctively stood in front of Destiny, shielding her from the gun pointed at them and the crazy woman holding it. "It was an accident, we're sorry!." He raised his voice. OH HELL NO! This bitch is STILL CRAZY if she thinks I'm gonna let her threaten Destiny.

Destiny's mouth was agape in horror while her hands shook from pure fear. When Matthew stood in front of her, her heart stopped pounding. No Matthew don't!

"MARTY!", a male voice bellowed from outside of the park. All 4 heads turned to the sound of the voice. Marty knew her pursuer was closing in on her. "You'd better be glad I love your mother, next time you may not be so lucky," she threatened booking it out of the park.

Once that psycho was our of sight Matthew turned to Destiny "Why did you do that?, she yelled. "Do what?" Matthew countered. " Get between me and Marty."

Matthew had no time to reply as they saw Brody approaching. He was stumbling towards them and outta breath. He explained that he was pursuing Marty who on the head and stole his son and his gun. Cop of the year he is not.

Matthew and Destiny watched in horror as he touched the back of his head and his bloody hand came back into view. "Matthew he's bleeding!" Destiny screamed. At that moment Brody collapsed. Destiny and Matthew dragged him to Matthew's car and drove him to the hospital.

Destiny was so scared Matthew grabbed her hand while the other steered the car. "Don't worry Destiny, Brody will be ok." Destiny squeezed his hand "I hope so."

While they got Brody admitted and seen by a doctor, John Mcbain came flying around a corner bombarding Brody with questions.

After the inquisition, McBain thanked them & told Matthew and Destiny that he would let them know if they needed to come down to the station and make a statement.

After he left Matthew turned to Destiny "Are you sure you're alright?"

Destiny looked at him "You're the one that almost got shot."

Matthew couldn't believe his ears this was the most she said to him all night.

"I was trying to protect you" his voice dropped an octave looking her up and down. I'd do it again to protect what's mine.

"Do you have any idea how bad I'd feel if you got shot because of me?"

Was Matthew hearing her right? "Oh so now you care about me?"

"I always care about you," Destiny confessed, wishing she wasn't so damn honest.

"Then why haven't you been talking to me?" there let's see what she has to say to that.

"There's nothing to talk about." Destiny stated with finality walking away. Matthew caught her arm spinning her around, "what are you, mad at me or something?"

Destiny decided to play dumb, " Why would I be mad at you?, she chuckled.

Matthew felt exasperated "We had sex!" She's determined to pretend like nothing happened but I'm not letting up Destiny Evans.

"YOU WHAT?"

Their eyes widened as the 6'5", 330 lbs of solid bodyguard came around the corner glaring at them. Destiny's uncle Shaun looked ready to kill as he stared down at Destiny and Matthew, " I KNOW I DIDN'T JUST HEAR WHAT I THOUGHT I HEARD. THAT YOU AND MY SISTER HAD SEX!"

OMG, OMG,OMG,OMG Matthew's eyes darted around the small hospital lounge they were in for an escape route but Shaun was blocking the only exit.

Although Destiny just learned her family lied to her and Shaun her whole life about her father Greg posing as her brother while he let his and Shaun's parents raise her. Her parents were actually her truth finally came out before Greg was sent to jail for drugging Dani's Mom, Tea. On top of that Greg killed her birth mother and covered it up. She's estranged from them and now lives with her uncle/pseudo-brother, Shaun.

Destiny was trying to think of something to say before Shaun murdered Matthew. "What, what you heard was Matthew telling me that HE had sex," she stammered.

"He said WE," Shaun corrected not buying it.

"Yeah, he...and his girlfriend," yes she could see he was falling for it.

"I thought you were his girlfriend?" Shaun was confused. Destiny told him they kissed a couple months back. He just assumed to his senses and realized how great he and Destiny would be.

"ME? We're just friends, at least we were before you EMBARRASSED ME,"

keep it up, he's falling hook-line-&-sinker.

Shaun apologized glancing at them one last time before heading back to the Mannings for work.

They took a collective sigh when they were sure Shaun was gone.

Destiny whirled around Matthew almost bumping into her, "Look I'm sorry about that ok? I'll make sure he doesn't bother you."

Matthew couldn't believe she was trying to walk away, AGAIN. He caught her arm, "Hold on. We're not done here..."

Destiny was beyond annoyed at this point, "Matthew would you just drop it, please. You were upset about Eddie Ford and I just wanted to make you feel better. That's all it was. It DIDN'T mean anything!"

Matthew's eyes widened in surprise then narrowed as he stared into her eyes, "WELL IT MEANT SOMETHING TO ME!"

Destiny knew where this was headed. Once again, he was just trying to say what she wanted to hear right? "DON'T lie to me Matthew."

"I'm NOT lying to you Des." Wow she doesn't believe me, she really thinks I'm using her.

Damn, how could I be such a putz? I always took more than I gave with our friendship. Now that we've had sex why would she think this is any different. I HAVE to prove I'm sincere or I'll lose her, forever.

"You're so afraid of getting hurt that you won't even give me a chance. I'm not going to hurt you Destiny, I love you. If I had been thinking straight that night, I would've slowed things down and told you how I really felt."

Destiny picked her jaw back up off the floor stunned by Matthew's confession. He loves me. He really loves me...

to be continued...