O.O

As Dan speaks the truth, Jade whirls around, her eyes wide. She had suspected there was more to his story, but not this. Her hand goes to her mouth to try and cover her shock. But the tears that form in her eyes were not from anger or hate for what Dan had done - they were from sorrow. The man that stood before her was a soul more tormented than she had imagined. Becca had been more than a mere girlfriend. She had been pregnant... with his own child. And he had lost them both.

Jade's stomach churns as she tries to process the information. She felt sick, now realizing what Dan was going through, becoming angrier with her father, and feeling her heart being ripped in two. There were feelings inside of her that were upset to find out Dan had had another so intimately. That he would have had a family. That he would have had love. Yet he'd shattered his own dream. But greater were Jade's feeling of sorrow for him, and further hatred towards her father for treating Dan like this, when he was obviously still recovering from a tragic past.

She felt like she should be more angry with Dan, yet as she stared up into his eyes, the pain was deeper than that. She wasn't angry with him. As much as it didn't make sense, she just couldn't be. Her mouth opens slightly as tears stream down her face. But she didn't know what to say. Finding this out... the shock didn't want to leave, yet she felt like falling into his arms to grasp for any comfort that might be left. It was a conflicting feeling, but it was there nonetheless.

And looking into those deep eyes as he spoke through his pain, Jade knew... He was more than just a friend to her.

But what could she possibly say to something like this? There was nothing but her stare... her stare of shock, pain and longing. She didn't want to hurt him anymore though. She couldn't say anything, for fear of making his own pain worse. Her heart breaking even more, she turns to leave, only to have Dan pull her back around.

Drawn close to him, Jade could feel his warm strength and her pulse quickened. Like magnets, his eyes drew her in, making it impossible for her to look away. Her mouth had gone dry and she found herself trembling for no explainable reason.

Taken into his kiss, she doesn't even have time to react. For a split second, she finds herself almost struggling, but too quickly, his kiss brings a warmth over her she'd never known. Her eyes close and she could feel her knees starting to buckle.

Feeling herself being picked up, she wraps her arms around him, letting him move her to the workbench. Feeling his hands in her hair made her heart race as butterflies filled her stomach. She could hear her own pulse beating inside her temple as her hands slide up to cradle Dan's neck and head.

Completely overcome with the moment, she doesn't stop to think about who she was kissing and why. It didn't seem to matter anymore. All she knew was this incredible feeling that she didn't want to end.

As Dan ends the exchange, Jade blinks, trying to catch her breath, her arms still slung around his neck. Swallowing hard, a rebel tear escapes to follow the path down her cheek. Dan's words hurt. Not because of him, but because she suddenly saw that they were more than friends, and he was stating the fact that it couldn't be.

As her lip starts to quiver again, her eyes just search his as she takes her hand and runs her fingers through his hair. She wanted to say so much, but the words got caught in her throat. "Dan, I..."

"Alright, Dan." Mick's cold tone shatters the warmth of the barn. He stood before them, his arms crossed, and his eyes blazing. One could only guess how long he'd been standing there. "Step away from my daughter and go pack your bags. You're finished."