For a moment, the two just sit, cross-legged, facing each other. In some ways, Skye feels as though an enormous weight has just been lifted off her shoulders, but in other ways, she feels as though she now has a new one. But, she says to herself, this could be a wonderful one. She is drawn out from her thoughts by the shrill ringing of the telephone. She jumps slightly, glancing at Jax. He just shakes his head.

"The machine will get it," he says. They continue to stare at each other. The emotion is so intense that neither is able to break away. Skyes heart is racing. She is more frightened than she has ever been, but she knows, deep down, that she did the right thing by confiding in Jax. Jax slowly drops her left hand and moves his right hand up to stroke her cheek. He shifts her right hand in his, entwining their fingers. Breathless, both from excitement and pure fear, Skye slowly raises her left hand and puts it on top of Jaxs, which is now resting on her cheek. The feel of his hand underneath hers is almost too much to handle. Jax slowly drops his hand from her cheek and traces his fingers along her jawline. By this point, Skye is completely light-headed. When his hand reaches her chin, Jax draws her closer to him and kisses her ever so lightly. Pulling back, he looks into her eyes. He sees a combination of enchantment and fright, the same things he is feeling. Gasping slightly from pure emotion, Skye looks steadily back at Jax. He pauses slightly, pushing aside his fear, before pulling Skye closer. Her heart pounding, Skye runs her index finger lightly along Jaxs cheek. Just the feel of his skin underneath her hand is enough to make her shiver. Hesitantly, she moves closer, until their faces are literally centimenters away from each other.

"Jax?" Skye says in a voice barely audible. Her breath on his face is enough to make Jax feel light-headed.

"What?" he asks softly.

"Im so scared right now," she whispers.

"I know," he whispers back. "I am too. But you dont have to be scared Skye. Ill never hurt you." Something in Skyes heart tells her to believe him. Even though its been such a long time since she has placed her trust in anyone, she just knows that she can trust Jax. Tears welling up in her eyes again, she nods ever so slightly. "Dont cry," Jax whispers, wiping the corners of her eyes. Skye cant help it, though, and the tears begin to fall uncontrollably. Pulling back slightly, Skye takes a deep breath.

"You know," she begins in a shaky voice. "Yesterday at this time, I was just driving around by myself, feeling more alone than I ever have. I really felt like I had nobody in the world I could turn to." When she says this, Jax feels like HE is going to cry. If only he had gone to look for her sooner, if only he had listened to how he felt. Trying to push the guilt away, Jax looks into her eyes.

"You can always turn to me," he says softly. "Even if you feel like you cant, or that you shouldnt, you can always turn to me and Ill always be here for you. I just want you to know that, Skye. I only wish I had come sooner last night. Maybe I could have gotten there in time..." Jaxs voice trails off as his guilt threatens to overtake him. Taking his face in her hands, Skye shakes her head firmly.

"Dont you dare blame yourself," she says. "It was not your fault in the least."
"But I kept feeling like something was wrong," he argues. "If only I had gone to look sooner, if only I had realized it was you sooner."

"Stop it, Jax, right now," Skye scolds lightly. "I mean it. Stop blaming yourself. If it werent for you, Jax, I wouldnt be sitting here right now. I probably would have died out there on the road. You didnt cause me pain, Jax, you saved me from it." Skyes words hit Jax like a ton of bricks. The realization that she very well could have died the previous night, and probably would have if he had not found her, scares him beyond belief. He cant imagine living his life without her, even if he isnt quite ready to admit that yet. Something forces him to say it, though.

"I dont what I would have done if you had died, Skye. I cant even imagine my life without you in it." With these words, Skye becomes so dizzy that she darts her hand out and grabs onto Jaxs arms. Jaxs eyes fill with panic as he looks at Skye. "Are you alright?" he asks urgently. Skye closes her eyes and takes several deep breaths, calming herself. When she opens them, she is still slightly light-headed, but not nearly as much as before.

"Yes," she says softly, loosening her grip. "It was just what you said, in addiiton to the concussion, I guess. Nobody has ever said something like that to me before."

"Well, I mean it, Skye," he says, looking deep into her eyes. "I want you to know that. Ill never lie to you."

"I know," Skye says in a raspy voice. "And from now on, no lying for me either. Its like you opened up a whole new world for me tonight Jax. Youve shown me I dont have to keep up this front all the time." Jax only nods, gathering Skye into his arms once more. Skyes heartbeat quickens as Jax just sits there, holding her. She gasps slightly as he kisses her, deeper and more passionately than before. She kisses him back, completely shutting out the sharp pains shooting through her head. Right now, the only thing in the world that matters to her is Jax. He is all she can concentrate on, all she wants to concentrate on. When he finally pulls away, Jax cant help but notice how flushed Skyes cheeks are. He grins.

"Ive been waiting so long to do that," he tells her. Skye opens her mouth and then closes it again, simply reaching over to hug him. He hugs her back, holding her as tightly as he can. When she finally pulls away, Jax cant help but smile. Even though he is scared, he knows he did the right thing. The phone rings again.

"You better see who that is," Skye says.

"Promise youll still be here when I get back?" Jax asks, half teasingly and half serious.

"Theres nowhere else Id rather be," Skye answers, settling back into the pillows. Jax gets up and walks into the other room. Watching him until she can no longer see his figure, Skye sighs. She cant comprehend how so wonderful a man could be so honest and caring and trusting. Closing her eyes against the wonderful thoughts and the pain in her head, Skye cant help but think about the future. What now? she thinks.