"Jax?" Keesha pushed her anger down, worried about the lost look in his eyes. She wanted to help him, but he had to talk to her first... Jax continued to stare at Keesha. He turned around, taking the pot holder to remove the top. He dipped the stirring spoon inside, taking a small taste. "I think it's done."

Keesha turned back around. "Get Mrs. Sellers please while I put some ice on my hand."

Jax nodded, turning off the sauce and leaving the kitchen.

Evening Jax watched as Keesha spoke with Chantel on the porch. She leaned over, waving at Mrs. Sellers and then ran down the stairs, over to the car. Jax reached over, opening her door so she could get in. They drove off. "How's that?" Jax asked as he found a radio station.

"Fine." Keesha said while she continued staring out her window. Jax glanced over at her.

"Where do you want me to take you?"

"Your place please. I'll get some things, and then I'll...go." "Okay..."

Keesha took a deep breath, staring into the darkness as they drove down the road, barely noticing the rain drops easing across the glass. Suddenly she gasped, whipping her head over at Jax as he made a sharp u-turn, pulling off the road.

Jax looked ahead, not speaking. After a second he got out of the car and started to walk.

Keesha rolled down the window. "JAX!" she called.

Jax continued walking down the road, as that night flashed through his mind. Leaving home, speeding down the road completely oblivious to the rain. Seeing Keesha lying helpless, unconcious and wet on the ground...picking her up and carrying her all the way to Mrs. Sellers...he remembered everything. The way she looked, the way she felt against his body, the way her hair smelled, the way he got lost the moment she opened her beautiful brown eyes.

He remembered at that specific moment when their eyes met for the first time, how a part of him knew that his life had just changed. Completely. And now...

"JAX!" Keesha grabbed Jax's arm.

Jax turned around, looking at her.

"You're soaked...come back to the car...." she pleaded.

Jax continued staring into her eyes, unzipping his jacket. She searched his face, not even noticing as he wrapped the coat around her shoulders. "Go back to the car. I'll be there soon." he managed to get out.

"No..." she took his hand. "Come with me...please...you're drenched and I don't want you to get sick...and..." she struggled, wanting to say I love you but what good would it do now? "...just...come with me..." Keesha begged. She watched the water run down his face.

"I love you..." he whispered.

Keesha couldn't hear him through the sound of the wind and the rain. "What?"

In answer he reached up, running his finger across her parted lips, and she felt her heart race.

"Jax...come with me." She took his hand and started walking away, leading him back to the car.

Keesha reached into the back seat, grabbing a sweater for him. "Here...at least put this on. I think we should either go back to Mrs. Sellers or maybe...." she took a handcloth, reaching up and wiping his face. "...we can go into town and get you into a hot shower....what were you thinking anyway? Why would you just get out and walk in the pouring rain?" she stopped, pushing her own dripping hair back with her hands.

"Why would you follow?"

Keesha froze. "Because I love you." she answered simply after a second, reaching into the back to get herself a sweater. "Just because we...didn't work out doesn't mean I want you to catch pneumonia. Besides, Mrs. Sellers would strangle me if I let you get sick out here..."

"You could have driven."

Keesha ttok off her shirt, and then pulled her sweater over her head. "Yes well, I guess I could have. And you could have stayed in the damn car to begin with...you are way too dramatic. What were you thinking...." "I was thinking about finding you out here...and how ironic it was that on a similar night I was on my way to letting you go." Jax finally started to change, so he wouldn't have to look at Keesha. "I was thinking about how unprepared I was...I am...to let you go...how unbearable my life will be without you..."

Keesha continued to look at Jax as he spoke.

"...even though...never mind."

But Keesha did mind. She knew what his even though was now, he had pretty much said it in the kitchen. And suddenly she saw the way out of this mess, out of leaving Jax and any chance of happiness behind. "You must have thought I would wind up leaving anyway....that is what you thought, right?"

Jax finally looked at her. "Remember the...the first night we made love...and all of the talking we did that day...and I asked you, what happened between you and Cameron. You know what you told me?"

Keesha shook her head.

"That it ended because one day he was too controlling. That's all you told me. Now, I've met Cameron, and I don't know...what would....what could he have done that perhaps I wouldn't do...what would make me different....how could you just end things with Cameron the same night you met me, and...have what we had happen so fast?"

"Why didn't you tell me you wondered about that?"

"Because...I've been telling you to trust that I'm different, and here I was wondering just how different I was...I didn't even know....I told you why Bridget left...but I barely know about you and Cameron...except..."

"Cameron and I were fighting in the car. And then he grabbed me...."

"What..." Jax's voice deepened.

"I got out of the car, he followed me, told me to get back in, and when I didn't he knocked me to the ground..."

"What?!"

"He stopped himself....I will say that for him. He felt bad, and he left....and you know the rest....that's how I sprained my ankle and why my hands were hurt, I scraped them when I tried to get up from the ground..." "Keesha..."

"So I know you're different. But I already knew that...I wasn't comparing you to Cameron, and any comparison I did make was between you and my father, because both of you have an uncanny ability of making me deliriously happy or completely insane..." she smiled softly. "But, no you're not like Cameron, you're not like any man I've dated. I would say you're different from any man I've ever loved, but I've never been in love before, and I've never said I love you before. Jax...you are different, and if you had just asked, I would have told you...." "I didn't ask because I didn't want to hurt you." "And I feel so great now..."

"Keesha, don't do that. Listen to me...I never doubted you loved me, not really. But...people leave Keesha. Relationships end, hell...my own father won't talk to me...And I've put you through a lot dealing with them...and you're still here but....I guess...I've gotten so used to living my life alone...that I was scared to get completely used to the feeling of not being alone anymore...do you understand?" he pleaded.

"Jax, of course, I understand that. My immediate reaction when we had this fight was Keesha, why did you tell Jax you loved him...that was stupid. Because I have these...insane urges to tell you everything, to let you into every part of my life..."

"Why is that insane..."

"Exactly. I look into those eyes...and even though my head whispers keep that to yourself...the rest of me is screaming for me to just let myself love you...I know it's not insane to tell you everything, to let you into every part of my life. I look at you and I know that, that I'm supposed to love you and I'm allowed to count on you, and it's okay to trust you...what I need...is for you to know that too. I know you've been hurt...but I didn't have any idea how badly until now...so I can wait...but I'm not going to unless you can promise me that you're going to try...because having you doubt me and not even try...I can't do that...and that means no more *this is my issue* and that means that if you get scared you need to tell me. Because if you start to close up on me, I'm going to do that to you...and then we'll both wind up in the rain and catching pneumonia and Mrs. Sellers will kill us both..." she looked down at his hands, taking them into hers. "Okay?"

"Okay..." Jax nodded.

Keesha looked back up into his eyes. "Promise me..."

Jax let go of her hands, reaching up and craddling her face. He bent over, pulling her towards him and promising her slowly, any lingering doubts drowning in the soft heaven of her lips.