Icicles

Jared squints a little at Grace, unsure if she really understood what he'd meant, and not knowing if he agreed with her about them being anything alike at all. She was beautiful, inside and out. Her spirit was quiet, kind and gentle, like a warm summer breeze. Her eyes were windows into her very soul - a pure soul. What did they have in common? He saw nothing. 

"You have interesting eyesight," he comments quietly. "'Cause all I see is an amazing woman who deserves a whole lot better than what I turned out to be." 

Drawing her hand closer, he gives it a tender kiss. "You better get back to my legs before they turn into icicles."

Rosalyn grins, listening to Chad. "Sounds kinda like me and Clint... except he was the one always walking that fine line and I was the one rolling my eyes at him." She shakes her head. "I love him though. For a while there, he got off the right path and I was afraid he wouldn't come back. But he did... and he's the best brother I could ever ask for." 

A lump rises in her throat as she thinks about this morning and how Clint had brought her here. She knew that he understood the risks - that their father might very well get upset with him now too. But he'd done it anyway, for her. How many more people would suffer because she chose to have a relationship with Chad? 

Stepping forward, she wraps her arms around Chad's waist, and nuzzles her head into his chest. "Hold me," she whispers. "I have this terrible feeling that when you leave, I won't feel your arms around me again."

"Maybe." Kip just wasn't so sure. He was glad Karla believed in him, but he thought perhaps she was being unrealistic. He was letting the band down, and he knew it. 

It wasn't long before there's a pause in music, and Kyle's voice could just be heard announcing a short break. And when the band appears backstage, Kip automatically gets to his feet. He swallows hard and forces himself to look at the others, even though his eyes wanted to drop to the floor. 

"Kip!" Erik was the first to get to him. "Hey, you alright?" 

"Yeah." Kip manages a small smile. "I'm okay. Stupid, but okay." 

"What on earth happened?" Twila's eyes proved her worry.

"Just... an unfortunate chain of events after... I um... "

Erik's shoulders drop. "After you overslept."

"Yeah." 

Kyle had hung back a little, and takes a swig from his water bottle. "Well... it was a bit hard to get started without you, Kip." 

Kip's head hangs. "I know. I'm sorry, guys. My cell died, I ran out of gas... just... everything went wrong and I didn't have any way of getting a hold of you." 

Theo sighs, but bites his tongue from a sarcastic remark. 

There's an awkward pause until Kyle speaks again. "The night's only half over if you want to join us."

Of course Kip wanted to. With ever fiber, he wanted to get out on that stage with the others. But as he looked at them one by one, he saw disappointment. They were willing to let him finish out the concert with them but he truly had let them down. "You sound pretty good without me," he admits. "Maybe it would be better just to finish without me." 

Silence. It was as if everyone wanted to respond, but no one knew who should speak first. But it was the silence that made Kip realize that his suggestion might really be the best thing.

"Maybe it would be," Kyle finally agrees. His energetic smile was not present tonight. "But it's your call. Your decision." 

The tension in the air told that Kip's decision for this concert might affect much more than this. And he finally looks down at the floor. "I guess I don't wanna interrupt the groove you got going... So um... I should probably just sit this one out." 

Kyle takes another sip of water. "Okay. Axel's helping run sound tonight if you want to go help him out. I gotta go make a pit stop, then we gotta get back on stage." 

"Yeah..." Kip's gaze rises just to meet Erik's then fall again. 

And within minutes, he was alone with Karla once more.