Young Guns: Fire and Steel

Chapter 24: A Friendly Heart to Heart

Finally able to speak to Charlie, Kristal hurried towards him. She was quite curious as to what he had sought her out for. Though, she found it hard to keep her mind on satiating her curiosity. Billy's victory in that game of hide and seek made her nervous. Especially since he wanted to take her somewhere to eat. It was strange. Why were Billy and Chavez and now Doc so concerned over her eating habits?

When she had gone most of her life eating sparingly and sometimes scrounging for food, it made someone like her grow accustomed to a smaller stomach. Not to mention, she was a god awful cook. It made meals not very appetizing and so she would rather go without. It was one reason why she was so grateful for learning which plants were good to eat. She loved fruits and vegetables.

However, she had a sinking feeling there was more to this dinner that Billy had planned, but she couldn't quite figure out what. Why did he feel the need to find a place to eat so far? Why not just request something at the Maxwell estate? It made her wary and she didn't like it.

Soon enough, Charlie came into hearing distance and Kristal did her best to cast aside all her annoying thoughts. Maybe she could try and figure out the meaning later. Approaching the curly-haired boy with a half smile, she placed a hand on his arm, warmly greeting him. "Ya wanted ta talk ta me, Charlie?"

Curly hair bobbed up and down as Charlie nodded to her, both in greeting and in answer to her question. "Well... I.... Uh... Yes. I also wanted to introduce someone to you. If that's okay?" He couldn't keep from stammering at his nervousness. This was not something he felt he could talk about with just anyone. Kristal was important to him, a friend that had become more like family.

"Me?" Both brows rose as Kristal eyed Charlie suspiciously. Why her? Who could he possibly want to introduce to her? "An' who might that be?"

"Well... yeah you..." Swallowing, Charlie hesitated. He wasn't expecting her to react the way that she was. "Someone that's um... important to me."

"Okay, I'll bite, why me an' not the others too?" Kristal couldn't keep the words from exiting her mouth.

Charlie sighed, a hand going to the back of his neck, feeling nervous. "Well... 'cause you're you... you won't judge me or be mean." He knew the other boys most assuredly would. "And you're my friend. You're important to me too. More like... um... family." He shook his head. "I thought we talked about this already."

Green eyes widened some and her mouth went slack, visibly displaying the shock on her face. The words were genuine, coming from his heart. "Yeah... But, I didn't think ya meant it so... seriously. Or that ya considered me... Like family..." She hadn't realized how deep their friendship had become. It warmed her, grateful for Charlie's friendship.

With a jolt, she realized she felt the same way towards him. How the hell had that happened?

"Friends are a liability girlie. Attachments that will only make ya weak and get ya killed." Belle's words echoed through her head. But Belle was wrong. None of these boys were liabilities or attachments that made her weak. She was stronger for them, better for them. And Charlie's friendship was no exception. In fact it was possibly the best friendship she would ever have.

"I appreciate our friendship, Charlie. An' I'm grateful that ya feel the way ya do. I guess I can kinda see ya as a brother I ain't ever had." Kristal teased gently. "An' I'm happy ta meet whoever ya wanna introduce ta me."

The fear that had started to curl along the edges of Charlie's face relaxed. He feared that maybe he had misunderstood their friendship. At least at first, but thankfully she had clarified otherwise and it filled him with a great sense of relief. In fact, her teasing brought a bright smile to his face. "Yeah?" At her nod he almost hugged her, but he stopped himself. He wasn't quite sure if she was there yet. "Well, I'm glad you feel the same way, sis." He joked back and felt light hearted as she laughed in response.