Carry You Home.

McKinley didn't answer Josh's question when he questioned who she was exactly. For the most part he knew. She's McKinley Joseph, only daughter to Fred and Angie Joseph, residing in Philadelphia until her eighteenth birthday. Instead she fitted her lips to his, eventually leading him up to his bedroom where she made him forget ever asking that silly question.

After messing around in the bed room, they linked hands and set out to join the rest of Josh's family and friends. They filled their famished stomachs with burnt hot dogs and chips, getting light headed with booze until the sun went down. Bright flashes of reds, greens, blues and yellow fill the black sky as Chris and some of his friends set different types of fireworks off simultaneously. Everyone clapped and gave excited gasps when they saw one they particularly enjoyed. Josh held McKinley close to him from behind for the rest of the night. In the back of his head, he thought that if she slipped through his fingers that she would end up running away from him.

But she stayed, against her better judgment, McKinley stayed. And before the sun had fully risen, Josh and McKinley were up getting ready to leave for Ohio today. They'd be dropping Avan off at the airport on their way to check into the hotel they were going to stay at for the night before heading off to Seattle the following morning.

But now, Josh is rushing the two of them out of their front door just as McKinley slips a a cream colored cardigan up and over her shoulder while thanking Michelle and Chris for their hospitality.

"Text when you land, man," Josh got out to help Avan get his luggage out from the trunk as McKinley slid into the passenger seat from the back. "Give Driver a hug for me and make sure Andre hasn't burnt down my house."

Avan laughed, pulling his black hair into a low pony tail then slide on sun glasses to obscure his face. McKinley found out that he is a main character on a hit new TV show on ABC family, and the ladies have been swooning over him ever even though he's in a serious relationship.

"It was nice meeting you, McKinley. I'd say goodbye but I doubt that this is the last time we see each other," Avan gave her a playful wink.

"It was nice meeting you as well. See you later," she gave a friendly wave as he and Josh hugged one more time before he entered the airport through large, glass sliding doors.

"You ready?" Josh asked once he climbed back into the driver’s seat. "I've got a lot planned for today."

Josh had booked two tours at the Newport Aquarium. The first one being the Penguin Encounter, where he and McKinley got to tour the behind the scenes habitat and they also got to feed some of them while they waddled in and around their feet. The next tour they went on was everything that went on to maintain the quality of the aquarium. They got to see some drivers and the vet lab to make sure all the animals living there were at top health. Josh and McKinley also go to view the jellyfish nursery they've been working on, and see the large sharks during feeding time.

After eating at Sharky's Cafe, Josh and McKinley strolled hand in hand all the different habitats. Everything from the dangerous and deadly to the bizarre and beautiful. By the time three rolled around, and they were getting to the hotel, McKinley could barely keep her eyes open.

She laid on the plush, hotel bed with her arms and legs extending to each corner. She peered up at Josh from behind half closed eyelids. She saw that he was already dressed, his tank top showing off his tanned biceps.

"Come on, we got to leave soon."

McKinley groaned. "I can't get up. Undress me please?"

"We both know that if I undress you, we won't leave this room tonight," Josh smirked, leaning onto the bed, pressing his hands on either side of McKinley's face to kiss her lips.

"Please," she begged like a little kid.

Josh gave a sigh. "Fine but you'll owe me sex when we get back for behaving myself."

"Deal," she giggled as she felt Josh slipping off her shoes then unzipping her jeans to shimmy them off her body. Josh pulled McKinley up by her hands and slid her arms out of her cardigan and finally slipping her loose gray tee shirt up and over her head. "Viola!"

"Now dress me and I'll make sure it's worth your while," McKinley said with a wink.

Josh laughed as he pulled the Reds tee shirt that he bought for her over her head, taking notice that the bruises he left scattered on her chest were finally on the verge of disappearing.

"All done!" Josh said placing one of his old beat up hats onto her head. "You're beautiful. Now come on, we're going to be late."

Josh drove to the stadium and they waited in line for the tickets Josh had waiting for them. He told her that these were some of the best seats but McKinley wouldn't know; this was her first baseball game. Actually this was her first sporting event ever, and Josh claimed that he was glad to be popping her sport cherry.

It was actually fun, Josh caught McKinley who all the players were and what each position they played were. She bought him cotton candy as payment for bringing her to the game. She had the urge to kiss him or grab his hand but he held back. She knew that some of the people they were sitting next to, recognized him from somewhere and she didn't want anybody to snap a picture of them together and find herself on TMZ. So she kept her hands to herself; for now. After the fifth inning and Josh's constant touches that seemed innocent enough, but she knew that they weren't. McKinley's fingers slowly intertwined with his. She could feel Josh smiling at her. She turned to look at him to see that her suspicions were correct.

"Can I kiss you or is that too much of PDA for someone of your status?" She whispered only loud enough for Josh to hear.

"You better kiss me, regardless of my status."

McKinley leaned in, tilting her head to the left so the bills of their hats wouldn't get in the way as she placed a simple kiss on Josh's lips. They shared several more small pecks before being brought back to reality by someone in the stands wondering out loud if "that guy in front is Peeta."

It didn't matter to McKinley that the Reds didn't win after going into overtime, or if Josh was stopped on their way out of the stadium by a group of young girls asking for a picture and his autograph. Josh smiled, not wanting to turn the girls down, but looked to McKinley for permission. She smiled and watches him almost come to life, smiling that crooked smile into the camera, the same one that she's seen when he's doing something he truly loves. She watched him bending down to hug each of the girls before bidding them goodbye, taking McKinley by the hand and continuing on to the parking garage.

"You love it, don't you?" she asked him while making their way back to the hotel.

Josh's hand left the resting spot on the gear shift to place it onto her bare, leg. "Yeah, I've wanted to be an actor ever since I can remember. What did you want to be when grew up?"

McKinley thought, there wasn't really a time that she could remember life before the nightmare. She never thought that she'd make it this far, so there was no point in wanting to grow up to be something. There was one memory though. "A ladybug,” she stated simply. “I wanted to turn into a lady bug. You know, like metamorphism for a butterfly. I used to cocoon myself in all of these blankets and hoped that when I woke up, I'd have transformed into this little, red beetle that could bring luck and fly away."

"And my parents thought my dreams were unrealistic," Josh grinned at her, turning into the hotel parking lot.

In the elevator, McKinley leaned into Josh's chest, allowing him to take her entire weight in his arms. After today she was completely exhausted but she made a promise to Josh earlier today, and McKinley didn't like going back on her promises. She placed several small kisses on Josh's, over the fabric of his take top before reaching on her tip toes to place a wake of kisses up his neck to Josh's ear where she took his earlobe in between her teeth and sucked lightly. Josh gave a satisfying sigh, pulling McKinley closer to him as the elevator doors opened.

It wasn't even before Josh had the door closed, did McKinley have her denim shorts off and was pulling the hem of the red tee shirt over her shoulders and head. She looked at Josh, giving him a playful wink. He smiled, closing the distance between them but didn't attack her with kisses like McKinley thought would happen. Instead he wrapped his strong arms around her shoulders. McKinley dropped her hands to his belt, making quick work of the leather material as Josh continued to hold her.

"Kinley, you're exhausted," Josh whispered in her ear just as McKinley undid the buckle, slipping her small hand in between the waist band of Josh' boxers and his hot skin. The moment she touched him, wrapping each finger firmly around Josh's growing length, he let out another soft sigh that came from the back of his throat.

He removed McKinley's hand from his pants, almost regretting it immediately, but he didn't want to make McKinley think that he expected sex from her, even though she promised it. "Am I not doing it right, or something?" McKinley's question made Josh let out an amusing laugh.

"No, you were definitely doing it right."

"Then what's wrong?"

"Nothing, but I can see how tired you are."

"But I promised."

"Don't worry about that. I plan on collecting the moment we get in the hotel room in Seattle."

Josh kissed McKinley on the lips before leading her to the bed that they'd share. He pulled his tank top over his head, throwing it onto the small chair in the corner before pushing hi cargo shorts onto the ground and stepping out of them to join McKinley on the bed. he pulled her back into his front, wrapping an around her waist, nuzzling his face into the crook of her neck so he could trail kisses up and down her skin until he heard McKinley sigh contently. This moment was almost better than sex, almost. He didn't need to be physical to feel connected to McKinley intimately. This was enough.