Do to the fact that
everything and I do mean everything bad happened to me during the month of October I took a break and a breather. So now that I am back in the good vibes and out of the bad energy I am finally back to writing :) Thanks to Kriss, for stepping and beta-ing my stories and as always to Solace who is in my thoughts and prayers.

"Don't tell me what to do, Josiah," Ezra Standish stated angrily to the wounded man lying in a bed in Nathan's clinic.

"Don't tell me how I should feel, because I know how I damn well feel." He yelled it softly as he angrily pushed his trembling, pale hands into his pockets. He turned to look out the window and down at the town.

"I love you, you Big Oaf," he whispered tearfully, his most darkest secret feeling, as he leaned his head against the cool pane of glass.

"So, How. Dare. You!" He angrily stated as he turned around and faced the sleeping figure before him.

"How Dare You, risk everything by jumping in front of a bullet that was meant for me."

"I knew it was coming. I was ready to sacrifice everything. Even my unrequited love for you so that the rest would live. All in order to save a town and its people, a town that sometimes looks at me as if I am the lowest person on earth. Hell, even our fearless leader, Chris, still doesn't trust me. Nathan, still looks at me as if I'm the devil in disguise. They all looked at me as something that crawled out from under a rock.

"All, except you," Ezra said softly as he sat down on the bed. He brushed his hand through Josiah's curly gray hair. " You, who had taken me and loved me for who I was and for who I was slowly changing into."

"I was changing into a person that you were proud of. A person who had fallen hopelessly in love with you. A person willing to sacrifice all that he loved so that you might live. But no, you had to go and be a damn noble son of a bitch and jump in front of a bullet, saving my worthless hide so that I may live.

"Why Josiah?" he whispered tearfully as his hand creased the healing wound on Josiah's bandaged chest.

He gasped in shock as a warm, strong hand grabbed his trembling one. His worried green eyes knew that meant those bleary, deep-blue eyes knew of his secret love.

"Because," Josiah roughly whispered as he fought against the sharp pain of his healing wound. "Because, this old fool loves you. I've always loved you, Ezra, and that will never change."

Ezra's green eyes widened at hearing Josiah's soft spoken words of love. "You really do love me?" He softly asked again.

Josiah smiled up at the younger man and moved his hand up Ezra arm. He gently tugged him down towards his face as he whispered softly against Ezra's lips, "Yes, Ezra, I do love you and I would jump in front of a bullet again to save your wonderful, worthless hide." He said it all with a teasing smile.

Ezra frowned at hearing those words. His eyes once more sought out the bullet wound that came so close to losing him his love.

"Don't." He whispered roughly as his serious green eyes looked into those of Josiah's. "I don't want to go through this again. I don't want to lose you. I love you too much to go through this again."

Josiah smiled up at the man before him as he raised his hand and brushed a new tear from Ezra's already tear-stained face.

"I won't, because I love you too much to leave you," he said as he brought the young man down for their very first kiss.

A kiss filled with love, promise and comfort.

The End