Always and Forever

Zan threw Destiny a look, but there was humor in his eyes. This might have turned out to be a rough evening, but she was making it difficult not to smile anyway.

Myra chuckled and patted Zan's shoulder. "All set. Just take it easy, huh?"

"Yeah, yeah." He reached up to feel the small bandage before he stood again. Glancing around, he didn't see Jett - he was probably off doing who knew what. "Alright, I gotta go talk to Tony." He waved for Destiny to follow him. "Come on. I'll introduce you to our resident tow guy. He kinda sits back like a vulture, waiting for someone to wreck their car, but he's a nice guy."As they walked, they were rejoined by Jett, who just walked behind them, letting Zan lead like usual.

It took quite a while to find Tony, have him drive his truck out to Zan's car, then get it all loaded up and ready to take to the shop. By the time they were finished, a few people had already left the scene, but the crowd was still large and probably would be until the wee hours of the morning. 

"Now that that's done..." The three were back at Jett's pickup again, and Zan was scanning the crowd. It wasn't hard to see where the victors were - it was the loudest group.

Jett held up his keys and jingled them. "Time to introduce Destiny to chili fries!"

"And heartburn." Zan's eyes hadn't moved from the people and he started forward.

"Yo, Zan... come on... let's go..."

Zan waved him off. "Yeah, sit tight a sec. I'll be right back."

Jett shot Destiny a glance and shook his head. Zan was heading for Thunder, and he knew it. Not obeying orders, he followed Zan's route and made sure Destiny was close behind. "Let it go, Zan," he prompted. "There's no point."

"I just wanna talk," Zan insisted as he kept walking. "And I told you to sit tight."

Jett slowed to a stop and sighed as Zan closed in on the group hanging around Thunder. "Once he's got something in his head, it's hard to change his mind." He gave Destiny another little look. Truth was, even if he and Zan were friends, he didn't dare cross him. Around here, it's just the way things worked. He was the sidekick and he took orders, he didn't give them. From here, at least they could see what would happen though.

Zan made a beeline for Thunder, who was telling some grand story, being loud and spilling most of his beer. He was just ready to enter the circle that had formed around one of the burn barrels, when out of nowhere he was blocked, and a hand went to his chest to stop him. Forced to a sudden halt, his first reaction was to glare at whoever this was, but immediately his expression changed.

"Call it a night," Eli warned calmly.

Zan's eyes narrowed. "This isn't any of your business."

"I'm just trying to avoid anybody getting any more hurt tonight."

"Did you see what he did to me?" Zan hissed. "Two weeks in a row! I can't finish a race without him wrecking my car, and I don't even know if I can afford to get it fixed again!" 

Eli crossed his arm, remaining just as calm. "Starting a fight isn't going to solve anything. What he needs is some good old fashioned humiliation, and you know good and well you can't stand up to him in a fight."

Zan swallowed his irritation for the moment. "Got something in mind?"

Eli shrugged. "Go home. Find a way to get your car fixed. And when you come back, you're gonna have one, if not two, racers on your side who want to take him out just as badly." 

"How-"

"Leave it to me." 

Seeing the situation had been diffused, Jett started forward again with Destiny. "So what about those chili fries?" 

Zan's eyes narrowed as he turned. "Is that all you can think about?" 

"Um..." Jett nodded. "Yeah."  

Eli nodded to the three of them, including Destiny. "Go have some eats and chill." 

Zan sighed deeply and finally agreed. "Alright. Let's go."

"Finally!" Jett grinned at Destiny, glad they'd avoided Zan getting into a fight. "I'm gonna fade away."

"You're skinny enough," Zan retorted over his shoulder.

Getting back to the truck, Jett drove back to the outskirts where Destiny's car was, and looked at the two of them sitting next to him. "You guys gonna ride together so you don't get lost?"

Zan quirked an eyebrow and glanced at Destiny. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable. "Up to you. I'll make sure Jett drives slow if you wanna follow him though."


Jason took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Katie's touch did nothing but give him positive feelings, and he gave her a small smile. 
I love you... always and forever... 

Keeping his palms against hers to encourage the connection, he slowly started to open up. It was painful for him because of their imbalance, and he knew it had to be painful for her too. As he gradually increased the amount of emotions, he locked eyes with her, and he knew the pressure had started as he saw the glow. It started out dim and slowly grew to blaze in her eyes, and he knew his looked the same.


Back near the barns, Rick was far enough away to be a safe distance, but close enough he could see where they'd sat down in the tall grass. He was alone - he'd told the others to go their own ways and give the two some space. He wouldn't leave though. If he saw something happen to them, he wouldn't keep his distance any more. 


Jason's hands remained in Katie's, his grip tightening as their emotions intensified. As the pressure built, his muscles started to shake. Sweat poured down the back of his neck, the pain grew worse, and he felt the emotions trying to release into an impossible conduit. But he had to keep going. He knew he had to. A tear entered his eye and slowly ran down his cheek. He could see the pain on Katie's face, but he knew that if he didn't let go now, they were both doomed. 
I'm sorry... for all the pain... for all of this... for what you're going through... 
And closing his eyes tight, he finally let go. 

Crying out in pain, the emotions erupted of his own will this time, aiming at their single target. His heart raced, and every muscle seemed to tighten, fighting against the invisible force. Wave after wave hit, and time seemed to stand still. They were bound together not only by their hands, but by the emotions that raced through their veins. His poison, her life. Just as it always had been. 

As the onslaught finally slowed, Jason could feel an emptiness he had not felt in months. It was an emptiness that brought relief. The pressure was gone. The build-up had finally been expelled. Drenched in sweat, his body trembled and he tried to catch his breath. His head was hanging, and his hands were now limp in his lap. It was over... he'd done what he'd set out to do.
Katie?
He didn't have the energy yet to lift his head or speak.
Are you okay?