"Just let me explain." said Jack as he accepted his and Brielle's lunch tray from the air hostess by parting the curtain.

"Okay." She said unsurely.

She had been pleading to him to tell her everything. Now that he had agreed, she couldn't help but wonder if she really ready to hear the truth?

She took her tray of food and put the desert plate in front of her. Sugar had always been the perfect stressbuster for her.

"Brielle," started Jack nervously. To him, the task at hand was more difficult than firing an incompetant employee.

"Jack, the suspense is getting rather annoying. Tell me, please...it can't be that bad." she prompted.

"There was a fire at your house last night." He said in a rush.

"Oh. How bad?" Asked Brielle, surprisingly calm.

"I couldn't retrieve anything." said Jack as he looked at Brielle carefully. "Everything was burnt to ash." Jack grimaced at his own words. Honestly, sensitivity was not one of his plus points. Good thing he hadn't considered becoming a nurse, the patients would have hated him.

Brielle sat stony faced, pearly drops forming at the corner of her eyes as she stared into his. He hastened to hold her shaking hands as he relieved her of the fork and knife. The uneaten cake stood solemnly on the pristine plate as fat drops of salty tears fell on them.

Jack didn't know what to do, when she snatched her hands away from his own to wipe her tears.

"What are the other things you haven't told me?" she asked briskly choking back a sob.

Jack knew she needed to know the truth. The pain of a single arrow was often more than the stab of an entire quill.

"Amanda was in contact with Zachary before the...incident. She helped him get you ready for the night. He used a death threat against David to blackmail her." said Jack tentatively. He waited for her to cry, surprisingly she didn't.

"I suspected that." she said her voice quivering. Jack pulled her into a tight hug. " She would do anything for David. But not me. You were right all along , Jack. I really am naive."

She pulled away from his warm embrace and wiped her face on her sleeve.

"What else?" she said suddenly cutting out a large portion of the chocolate cake and stuffing it in her mouth. The sweetness filled her mouth and almost immediately her anxiety reduced.

"Zachary made a tape of you with whatever footage he collected. I don't know what he plans to do, but its probably something sick." Said Jack slowly as Brielle swallowed a large gulp of chocolate icing. "I asked a hacker friend of mine to access Zachary's and my uncle's computer and get rid of the video. He successfully did that, however..."

"Thank you." she said interrupting him. " you went through so much trouble for me."

"I'm not done yet." Said Jack coarsely. "The reason we're headed for Bangkok is to try and catch those filthy scumbags and retrieve your phone. Then I can probably turn that asshole's face into something uglier without fear of having the police misidentify him."

Brielle was too shocked for words. The woman who's honour he was trying to protect was her own. She couldn't help but feel warm and loved inside, despite everything that had happened.

"Well?" Said Jack concern evident in his eyes. "Say something already."

"Uh um yeah." she said limping back to coherent speech. She avoided his gaze as she directed her own at his plate.

"Are you gonna eat that?" she asked pointing at his chocolate cake.

"You can have it. I'll order more if you like. What is it with you and sugar?" asked Jack amused. He was perplexed as to why she was not crying anymore. But he didn't care for the reason so long as Brielle didn't shed more tears.

"Sugar is good." said Brielle savouring Jack's desert. "It lets me postpone my pain. I don't drink, so its kind of like my alcohol. You know the saying drink your pains away...or in my case douse it with sachharine delights."

"Brielle..." saod Jack thoughtfully. "Once we are in Thailand, there is a huge possibility that Zachary will contact you. The bastard might ask foe your forgiveness or try to get back together with you. Do not fall for his charms---"

"Charms my ass." said Brielle stufing another fat spoonful of cake in her mouth. Jack raised his eyebrows. Brielle had never cursd in front of him before.

"I'll kick him in the balls so hard he's never going to be able to do anything to anyone again." Said Brielle angrily. She looked sourly at the two empty desert plates, as Jack pressed the button requesting for an airhostess's assistance.

"Damn it I need more sugar." she said snappishly. "My house burned down. Can you effing believe it? Out of all the shit thats happened to me thats probably the worst. I lost every little thing. " She started shovelling some wierd looking food from Jack's side plate in desperation, barely tasting it.

"I thought I could finally have a home of my own. I'd finish university---damn I left my chemistry reasearch paper at home. Its probably turned as black as my messed up mascara. Then my best friend dumped me with a sick bastard so she could protect her fiance who wasn't even in any real danger in the first place. I'm kind and always thinking good of others Jack, but I'm not an idiot."

" I thought I could have a job and maybe even a family one day. No matter what I do, I seem to lose it all again."

More desert arrived, but just then all Brielle needed was to nestle against Jack's chest, breathing in his comforting, fresh-out-of-the-shower sexy scent. The smell of his aftershave hit her nostrils as he kissed her forehead and held her close. Her sobs appeared and disappeared on the coarse fabric of his shirt. He wished he had worn something softer just so Brielle would be more comfortable.

"I contacted your Professor, Rishi I think it was. He said he has a copy of your research." said Jack stroking her back. He hoped she would cheer up soon. He wanted to kill everyone who had dared to hurt her. Can't kill...just have to settle for critically disfigure.

"Amanda tried to stop Zachary by cancelling your reservation at the restuarant." Continued Jack.

"That was her?" Said Brielle looking up hopefully. Jack was glad beyond words to see her smile again.

"Yes. Brielle you are only 22 you can still have all that you dreamt of." He said wisely.

She reached up and pecked him on his cheek.

"Do you think anyone would marry me? A girl with no family, now thanks to the fire, no memories, no house and after paying for damages, no money for college."

"I would." said Jack quietly. " Now for heaven's sake stop crying. We're going to need Noah's ark soon otherwise." He added quickly when he realized Brielle had heard him.

"Okay." She said letting out a huge sigh and half-heartedly detaching herself from Jack's strong torso. He studied her face. Her skin was flushed and her eyes were red, but at least she wasn't giving away more water to the world.

Brielle pouted as she stared at the mysterious food on her plate that she had unconsciously gobbled from Jack. It was unlike anything she'd ever seen before, and she worked as a waitress at a multi-cuisine restaurant.

"What is this?" She asked. She didn't like it when Jack broke into a hysterical fit of laughter clutching his sides.

A bigger concern engulfed her. What had she eaten?

A/n

: Hi everyone!

I'm so sorry for the late update. I haven't been able to use italics or bold here due to some technical errors. I hope you enjoyed reading.

You have all made me so happy. Love me? Like you do. Has reached rank 104 in romance. I can't believe it. I've been breaking into impromptu dances all day. A lot of people probably think i'm mad, but then what do they know?

Let me know what you think of this chappie in the comments below. Don't forget to vote and share if you like this story.

lots of love,

Andy