He Stoll My Heart - Connor Stoll.

Ch.32: Rose's Parents.

"Connor?"

Connor was startled awake. He was immediately aware that Rose was still on his lap, sleeping soundly in his chest.

He looked to the side and saw that Jinny was standing beside him, eyes big and red in the dim lights of the city.

The sky was still dark outside.

"Yes, Jinny?" he said softly.

"I'm scared," Jinny whispered.

Connor gently picked up Rose and moved her onto his seat. Strangely enough, she didn't wake. Connor had overheard the Demeter kids saying she was a very light sleeper. She had to be really exhausted. That, or she felt particularily safe in his arms.

He took Jinny's hand and sat her down in the driver's seat. The wheel kept turning on its own. He kneeled down onto one knee in front of her.

"What are you scared about?" Connor said softly, although he had a guess.

"Your teacher. He said my gran's... a bad guy. But I know my gran. She's not a bad guy..."

Jinny's voice was trembling. She was hesitant. She was trying to hold onto the image of her grandmother that she knew. An image that Connor knew was false.

Connor sighed. He didn't let go of her hand.

"Tell me, Jinny, did you ever watch Scooby-doo?" he asked.

Jinny looked slightly taken aback. "Um, yeah, my gran had the dvd."

"Well, at the end of the episode, who does the bad guy usually turn out to be?" Connor said.

"Uh... I don't know... someone they meet at the start?"

"So someone they trusted, right?"

"I—I guess..."

Connor sighed quietly. "Well, sometimes it's like that in real life too," he said softly, gently rubbing her hand. "Sometimes, the people closest to us are the ones who turn out to be the bad guys and, like in Scooby-doo, it's always more surprising when you find out it's them and not some stranger."

He spoke like he personally knew what he was talking about and hadn't come to terms with it. Hadn't accepted it.

Jinny started crying.

"Oh, Jin," Connor whispered.

He opened his arms to her and she buried her face in his shoulder, sobbing quietly. Her little hands gripped the fabric of his shirt.

Connor picked her up and placed her on his lap in the driver's seat, where she kept crying into his chest. She kept whispering the word Gran.

Rose placed a blanket over them and gently tucked Jinny in Connor's arms.

She'd gotten woken up when she started feeling Connor's lack of warmth. She'd heard everything.

Connor smiled up at her thankfully. Rose nodded with a sad smile.

And Jinny kept crying wrapped up in Connor's arms.

Connor knew he didn't have to say anything. He just needed to be there.

Rose gave him a proud little kiss on the forehead and one on the top of Jinny's head.

Go back to sleep, Connor mouthed, indicating the passenger's seat with his chin.

Rose nodded thankfully. She grabbed her own blanket and curled back in the seat. 

At first, she thought about Connor and Luke and how much his betrayal must've hurt Connor and Travis. She decided she'd never hurt him that way. Never.