Lay Down Your Guns

Third Ficlet Challenge

Theme: Comfort

August 2010

"Come on now," he said gruffly, from his hospital bed. "Don't cry. This ain't your fault."

"You keep saying that but I made the war between you and my Dad worse."

He reached out and wiped a tear from her cheek. "I hate your Dad for what he did to my sister. He hated me long before I ever was your friend. We both screwed up when we provoked him by pretending to be dating. So if you're guilty then I am just as much to blame. And the bullet I took I had coming. I knew it could happen. Your Dad never hid how little use he has for me."

She sniffled. "I just don't want you to die."

"Hey now, I ain't dying. Look at me. I look damn good."

She chuckled. "Not really."

"Well, okay, I had better days but I'm gonna be all right." He gave her a small grin.

She clutched his hand. "I wouldn't blame you if you didn't wanna be my friend anymore."

"That would be the smart thing to do but I have never been accused of being smart."

"I just want everything to calm down. I can't take much more of shootings and bombings and people hurting each other."

After a long moment he said "I'll tell you what. If your Dad will go for it...I'll make a truce."

"You would? But you want to get him back for abusing your sister."

"Claudia wouldn't want to see you suffer. She may have had her problems but deep inside she did care about people."

"So you would give up your vendetta for me?"

He smiled at her and squeezed her hand. "Looks like it, huh. Shocks me too."

She smiled brightly. "Thank you, Johnny!" And then she lay on his chest. He yelped in pain and she sat back up.

He said "You'll have to save that hug for when I'm out of here and not held together by glue and staples."

She smiled sweetly at him. "I'll owe you one."

Johnny would have sworn on his life there was nothing that could make him stop going after Sonny but that was before he had Kristina as part of his world. Now what she needed came before what he did. And it was an easy choice to make.

(One, twenty one guns.

Lay down your arms.

Give up the fight.

-x-

One, twenty one guns.

Throw up your arms

into the sky

for you and I) (Green Day)

THE END

This was written for A Forbidden Temptation: A Johnny and Kristina site. To find the exact address go to Yahoo search and type in Johnny Kristina invision. We are looking for members who want to post about Johnny and Kristina's friendship and the possibility that when she is older they could date. Anyone who does not like this two as friends, at the least, need not stop by. We've had haters already posting there and its not needed.