MAX

Katara grew quiet after a little while. She had cried herself to sleep.

Max sighed and closed his eyes as the door opened.

"Is she okay?" Jonathan asked.

"She's asleep now." Max answered. "John, we've got to figure something out. She is more scared of Kyle than she is of Jarrod, and that is bad, considering what he's done to her." Jonathan sighed. He agreed. It wasn't that hard to tell that he wanted to help her, even though she had killed his brother. This just wasn't a life for her. Her life's mission was to take care of people, not take their lives. She wasn't meant to be a killer and even though she hadn't gone on any missions to kill, it was taking a toll on her to just be associated with assassins.

"I can work on keeping Kyle away from her right now, but I don't know how long it will last, assuming it works at all." Jonathan said and Max opened his eyes. "I get why she is scared... but I don't understand why. I mean, yeah, he's been trying to hurt her, and all that, but she can't be that scared of him, not after what happened-"

"That just made everything worse for her." Max sighed. "Before, she could handle it, but after, she was just so scared, that she hasn't really recovered." Max looked at Katara and then at Jonathan again. "I think she's starting to think more and more about Corrie now that she has killed someone else."

"She was protecting herself." Jonathan sighed and Max just watched him a second. "I don't see why she can't just get that-"

"It's probably because she would have to really accept the fact that she has you."

"What?" Jonathan scowled.

"She has you, because Corrie is dead." Max started slowly, not sure how to finish what he had started. "She was protecting her nephew and brother and that cost yours, the man that she loved. You were so angry with her, that you would have gone against all orders to kill her-"

"But I didn't."

"Right, so..." Max sighed. This was harder than he thought it would be. Now he wished that he hadn't said anything. "Caleb was supposed to be dead to her." Max said. "I think that she would have to accept the fact that he was really dead and not missing."

"So you think that she is having all this trouble coping, because she thinks Corrie is still alive, and she wants me to help her find him?" Max groaned.

"Just forget I said anything, I confused myself." he said and looked at Katara again. "I just don't know anymore. She is so complicated to read, and I am not anywhere near as good as my mom at this sort of thing." he sighed at the thought of his mom. "She would have been able to tell what was going on with Katara."

She'd once told them that she hadn't meant to kill Corrie, it had just happened. Things had happened so fast that some of it was a blur. She didn't talk about it much and Jonathan only talked about it when she was around. The only time that they ever talked about Corrie was when they were together. Max had never heard them say anything when it was just him and Katara or just Max and Jonathan. It was only when they were together.

Katara moaned and curled in on herself. She mumbled the word "no" a few times, and then settled down again, relaxing and breathing almost evenly. Suddenly, she sat up gasping and crying.

"Katara?" Max whispered. She looked around, trying to find out where she was. "Katara." he grabbed her shoulders and she started too settled down almost instantly as she looked at him. "You're okay." she was breathing hard and there were tears in her eyes, but they never fell. "It was just a bad dream." she leaned into him and he sighed.

She was scared again and there was really nothing he could do for her other than just hold her. He knew that would never be enough for her. The only way that she would be okay again, was for her to be out of there and the people she loved were out of danger. That was the only way that she would ever feel good again. She didn't have to say it for him to know, it was just the way she was. She wasn't happy if her family wasn't safe.

Katara pulled away and stood up. She walked over to the window and just stood there quietly. Slowly, she leaned her head against it and her body shook as she cried. She looked so scared, as if the dream had been more terrifying than reality. Something was wrong, more wrong than usual, and Max was worried it may end up hurting her.

Throughout the past couple of weeks, she had become a little distant, not so trusting. She trusted them yeah, but he knew that she didn't really. She slept with them, because they protected her. Ever since that night with Kyle and the day that she killed the guy that had tried to kill her, she didn't say much and when he slept with her, she didn't sleep well. She was scared. She'd have bad dreams, wake up gaping and crying and when he'd ask what was so scary, she'd bury her face in his chest and cry.

"Katara?" Jonathan said stepping forward to touch her shoulder. She flinched and turned. He'd scared her. "Hey, whoa. You're okay." she shook and closed her eyes as she leaned into the wall and slid down it. She was so pail. She looked like she hadn't slept for days (not very well anyways), or eaten in weeks, she was so skinny, and Max wondered if that was why she was having those dizzy spells. You could only go so long without those things.

"Katara, when was the last time you got a good nights sleep, or food?" Max asked her. She didn't answer right away and it almost seemed like she was asleep again, but then she drew in a deep, shaky, breath, and slowly opened her eyes.

"I don't know." she said simply. "I haven't eaten today... and I don't eat much when I do... I'm just never hungry... as for sleep..." her voice trailed off and he knew what that meant. She didn't sleep very well at all. "You know how that is. I don't think I've ever been so scared to sleep."

"Why?" he asked her.

"D-dreams." she said slowly as she closed her eyes again. He knew that, but he wanted to know what these dreams were. "I-I'm scared to dream." she was quiet again and she shivered as she started to nod off again. Her breathing slowed and she just sat there. A single tear ran down her cheek as she let out a slow shaky breath.

"Katara." Jonathan touched her shoulder as he knelt in front of her and she jumped. She looked around, then her eyes settled on Jonathan again as he moved his hand away. They were filled with fear and tears. "Hey." he touched her cheek and wiped away her tears as they started to fall. "You're going to be okay. I promise."

"I-I don't... want to be alone." she said and looked down. "I don't... want Kyle to..." her voice trailed off.

"Your dreams," Max said as he stood up and went to her. "they are about Kyle?" she looked at him and slowly nodded.

"Some." she said the word so quietly that Max wasn't sure he'd heard her say it. She looked away again, and breathed more shaky breaths. "Others are about Dell and others are about Tonnie..." she paused and looked at Jonathan again. "And Corri." she closed her eyes and let another tear fall. "Then there is that guy..." she leaned into Jonathan as he pulled her close. "I feel like I'm going insane. Maybe. I wouldn't know how it would feel..." she breathed a humorless laugh. "They say that the brain will shut down without sleep... that you start hallucinating, then you finally sleep... but you can't wake up." she ran a hand over her face and opened her eyes again. She was trying to keep herself awake now. She needed sleep and she needed it now. "A coma. I... I don't want that to happen, but I don't want to fall asleep... because I don't want to dream."

In a way, she was just rambling on, but in another, Max could see that she was in control of what she was saying. Just barely. She was right. Her brain would start playing tricks on her, freak her out even more, then shut down and she wouldn't wake up. He could tell she wasn't far from the hallucinating part. She was running out of time.

"Katara." Max said slowly, and took her hands. Her hands tightened on his almost instantly. He squeezed hers in response. "Do you want me to stay with you for the night, make sure you are okay?" she didn't answer right away, just stared at him like he'd spoken another language.

"What about you?" she said finally. She looked him in the eyes and he saw something flash in them. He wasn't sure what it meant, but it wasn't something that she wanted to share.

"I'll be okay." he said squeezing her hands a little tighter. "It's you that I'm worried about right now. You need sleep, and if it's the only way to get you to, the only way to make you less afraid, I'll do it." she stared at him quietly again. They'd slept together before, why was she so afraid to now? Why was she so unsure now? Maybe it was worse than they thought.

He had to protect her, whether it was from others, or herself, he had to protect her. He had to protect her for Cordel. It was the least he could do for doing this to her.

"O-okay." she said and looked down. "I need a shower." he nodded and stood. She looked at him as he pulled her up, slowly, so as not to hurt her. He let go of her hands and looked at her. She stumbled a little and he wrapped his arm around her waist so that she wouldn't fall. She buried her face in his chest and gripped his shoulders tightly. She breathed a small cry and shook.

"You're okay Katara." he rubbed her back and squeezed gently. "You're okay."

"I-I don't feel okay." she breathed into his chest. "I feel... like one step... would be too much work... and I'll just fall over-" without hesitation, Max bent down some and wrapped his other arm around her legs. He lifted her up and she clung to him. "W-what are you-"

"A shower can wait." he told her and carried her to the bed. He lay her down and covered her up. She looked at him as he sat down. "Katara, you need sleep and I'm going to make sure you get it. I'm not leaving, until you do." she watched him quietly as he watched her. She closed her eyes slowly.

"I don't-"

"I understand that you don't want to, but you will hurt yourself." he said simply and moved the hair out of her face as she turned her head to the side. "I don't want your brother to lose the one person that he cares about more than anything in the world."

"Did... did he ever talk about me?" she asked. Max was quiet. No he hadn't talked much about her. Every once in a while, something about her slipped, but he had never said anything to get her into this mess. Jarrod found out about her because he'd sent Corrie after Danial.

But she was talking like she hadn't seen her brother only a month ago.

"He tried to protect you." he sighed finally. "He said that you were the only thing he had after they found out about you-"

"They've always known about me Max." she said. "Dell was holding me in his arms when Jarrod came in. He carried me out the window as Tonnie fought Jarrod. 'Get her out of here.' Tonnie yelled-" she cut herself off as she choked on tears. She turned on her side and buried her face in the pillow. She cried into it and that was all she did for a while.

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I am so sorry that it has taken me so long for me to post this. I'm kinda not getting a lot of time to myself lately. Sometimes school sucks. haha!

I know that I suck and I'm just making excuses, but it's all true. School has certainly gottin in the way of my writing. not to mention, iv'e kinda run out of ideas for my other book and I am contemplating whether I should delete it still. I don't wanna leave people hanging, but I don't know what to do yet.

Anyway. I am gonna post two more chapters for ya! How does that sound? Does that make up for the loss of time to give them to ya?

Thank you, those who have stuck with me by the way. I wouldn't have a reason to be on here if it weren't for y'all.

Anyway. here y'all go.