Skye finishes her soup and lightly sets the spoon down in the bowl, placing it on the nighttable next to her. She takes a tiny bite of the bread. Noticing that Jax is staring at her, she lifts her eyes.

"Everything ok?" she asks. He nods absentmindedly and gets up from the bed. Her eyes follow him as he walks slowly over to the big window at the far side of the room. Taking another bite of bread, Skye smiles to herself. He looks just as confused as I feel she thinks to herself. She shakes her head, pushing away the idea creeping into her head. No, she tells herself. Stop it, stop it, stop it! Jax turns back around and walks over to her. He opens his mouth slightly, as if about to ask her something. She looks at him expectantly.

"Like the soup?" he asks, trying to avoid saying what he wants to. He knows that once he says it, he cant take it back or simply pretend it hadnt been said.

"It was delicious," Skye says, narrowing her eyes. She just KNOWS that hadnt been what he was going to ask her. She shifts slightly in the bed, grimacing as her sprained ankle throbs. Worry crosses Jaxs face.

"Are you ok?" he asks her.

"Ill be fine," she says. "My ankle hurts a little, but the medicine should make it feel better." The look doesnt leave Jaxs face.

"What about emotionally?" he asks softly, looking down and fingering the blanket. Skyes eyes widen. She hadnt expected him to say THAT. She pauses for a moment, trying to decide whether to speak with her head or her heart.

"Im fine," she says quickly, averting her eyes from his gaze.

"I dont believe you," he says, staring at her. "Please Skye, just tell me the truth." Her heart racing, Skye takes a shaky breath. Lifting her head, she stares into Jaxs blue eyes. Theres something in them, she doesnt know what, that tells her she needs to be honest. For once in her life, she needs to let her heart take over. Nodding slowly, she opens her mouth slightly.

"Actually, no, Im not ok," she admits. "In fact, Im not even bad, Im worse than bad. This whole thing with Alan was just the last straw. I cant take it anymore Jax. I just dont understand. You know, Ive always prided myself on being able to handle things, but its just becoming too much. When I look back at the way my lifes been going, theres just this big, big...big HOLE there. I guess I kind of thought if I ignored it, it would go away, but it isnt. Its just getting bigger." Skye takes a deep breath to calm herself. Jax takes a deep breath as well. He hadnt quite expected Skye to open up like this.

"What kind of a hole?" he asks gently. By this time, tears are beginning to well up in Skyes eyes. She blinks rapidly, refusing to let them fall.

"The hole where my heart should be," she says softly, almost in a whisper. "All my life, Ive refused to let anyone in. Ive just blocked everything and everyone out. And for the longest time, I thought that was how I was happiest. I mean, if I didnt let anyone in, how could they hurt me?" Jaxs heart breaks for her. He knew she had been hurt many times, but he didnt know just how many or how badly. Skyes words come rushing out of her mouth now, as she tells him all about her life and the troubles she has encountered. His mouth falls open as she goes on and on. Each time he expects her to stop, another horrible story comes pouring out. By the time she talks about what had happened with Alan, the tears are streaming steadily down her cheeks. She no longer makes any effort to stop them. Skye stops talking and silence fills the room. Jax is in a state of shock. Wordlessly, he climbs up next to Skye and takes her in his arms.

"Itll be ok," he whispers, gently running his fingers through her hair. For awhile, he just holds her, neither of them saying a word. Jax cant help but think how natural it feels for Skye to be in his arms. He still isnt sure if he should open his heart again, but he cant help himself. When Skye finally lifts her head, Jaxs shoulder is wet from her tears. Gently wiping the tears from her cheeks, Jax looks at her intently.

"I guess you got more than you bargained for," Skye says quietly. "Im sorry for going on and on like that." Jax shakes his head.

"Dont be sorry at all," he says. "Im more than happy to listen. Look Skye, if theres anything I can do..."
"Ill be fine," she interrupts him, slightly pulling away. Instinctively he pulls her back into his arms, without really knowing why. This time she doesnt resist. "Theres something else I have to tell you," she says.

"Well, I have something to tell you too," he says quietly, pulling back to look into her eyes. For a second, they just stare into each others eyes, preparing themselves for what would come next.