Out of Reach

By: xXxDaughteroftheKingxXx

AN: I've had writer's block for a while now, so I'm sorry for not posting that much! But, I think that, with this story, I am getting out of this. I have to say, I'm proud of this story. I love the song it's based off of, and I think I did better than how I usually do with Jasper... That shipping isn't my forte. :P So, tell me what you think, because I'd love to hear!

Disclaimer: I don't own PJO/HoO, and Yours to Hold. They go to Rick Riordan, and Skillet, respectively.

To say Jason Grace was stressed was an understatement.

Piper felt sorry for the poor guy—after all, he'd been dropped on a bus with two delinquent kids with no memory, had to go on a quest to save the goddess who stole his memory, and in the end, found out that he wasn't even like his new friends, and would be the leader of a group of six other demigods to fight against the Giants. Oh yeah, and then there was the Argo II he worried about too…along with slowly regaining his memories—including ones of a certain girl named "Reyna".

Piper wasn't jealous. Okay, maybe that was a lie, but she wasn't going to force Jason into liking her if he had a girlfriend. Number one, that'd be dropping to an all time low. Yeah, she had told Drew that he would be hers, but if he was already someone else's… Well, that made things different. Number two, she knew what it felt like to loose someone you love(or, in her case, thought you loved, at least for a little while,) and she wasn't going to let that happen to another girl. So, when Jason started becoming distant, not a two weeks before their departure for the Roman camp, Piper said nothing.

But, it was the middle of the night, and she couldn't help but feel like there was someone waiting for her outside.

Her feet dragged themselves across the grass quietly, and she silently prayed to Aphrodite that the harpies wouldn't find her out after curfew. Considering the fact that the harpies weren't at all afraid to attack the demigods, and the fact that she had left her dagger in Cabin Ten, Piper sincerely hoped the gods were in the mood to save her sorry butt, if needed.

It wasn't long after she had gotten out of the cabin that she saw a figure—a male figure—sitting up against Thalia's pine tree, knees curled up to his chest. Piper figured that was who was waiting for her, so, tiredly, she dragged herself up Half-Blood Hill. She must've been halfway up when she realized that the person was none other than Jason Grace.

The moon shone off of his now-longer blonde hair, and his sad blue eyes were focused on the stars. He wore nothing but a pair of shorts and his favorite purple t-shirt. His brows were furrowed intently, and Piper realized that he was staring up at the constellations—one of her favorite things to do.

Finally, she reached the top of the hill, and Jason glanced at her. A smile spread to her face as she sat down and said softly, "Hey. Beautiful sight, huh?"

He looked at her, his lips curling into a smile. He wasn't even looking at the stars when he answered, "Yeah. Definitely."

Piper tried not to get the fact that he was probably talking about her go to her head. Instead, she just smiled even wider, and continued, "My dad and I used to go star-gazing all the time… It's amazing how many stars there are, compared to how many that are visible to us. It really makes you feel insignificant in this universe."

He let out a soft chuckle, and Piper couldn't help but think about her Mist-induced memories of the two of them, sitting on top of the roof, watching the meteor shower. She felt a pang of bitterness in her heart… Gods, it had all been fake. She'd come to accept that over the last months, but it still hurt.

"Do you ever wonder," Jason blurted out suddenly, "what it would be like to actually be normal? Like, if the thing we worried most about was fitting in, or getting someone to like you?" He let out a dry, bitter laugh. "I wish I could be like that, sometimes."

She wanted to reply, "But then we never would have met," but the words died in her throat. "Yeah," she managed to reply, her voice hoarse. "I wonder that a lot."

"It's hard to be a demigod," Jason continued softly, "but it's even harder being a prophecy child…being a leader. I'm scared that… when we get to Greece—or even when we get to the Roman Camp—someone will end up getting hurt." He said nothing more, but Piper could also hear him adding, "And it would be my fault."

"Jason," she finally sighed. "Look, I'm not going to lie to you. People are probably going to get hurt—it's guaranteed, if we make it to Greece. But, just because you're our leader, that doesn't mean it's your fault. Yes, as our leader, you look out for us, but you can't take the blame if we get hurt. So, don't beat yourself up about it, okay?"

Jason was silent, staring up at the stars, his expression unreadable. For a second, Piper thought she had probably said the wrong thing, until he turned, cupped her cheek in his hand, and kissed her dead on the lips.

The first thought that ran through her mind was, Oh my gods.

Kissing Jason was absolute bliss. It was like all of her troubles and worries melted into nothing, and it felt like she was on Cloud Nine. She felt safe, secure—like, if she was in Jason's arms, no one could ever hurt her. She even forgot about Reyna—about the possible chemistry the two Romans might have had. It seemed like time stood still. At that moment, the only thing that mattered was that she was with Jason.

Then, he pulled away.

His eyes were widened, and his expression was frantic, like, I can't believe I just did that. She couldn't help but feel hurt at that, but she decided not to dwell on it. That would just make things worse.

"Oh gods," Jason choked out, "Piper, I…" His voice trailed off.

"Jason, it's alright—" she tried.

"It's not alright," he interrupted abruptly. His voice was filled with confusion, and he clutched his head like he had a headache. "Gods, Piper, I just… we just… I can't…"

More hurt. Piper felt like someone was trying to crush her heart—trying to make it explode. She almost felt like she was going to cry. It hurt to try and talk to him, but she still said in a croaky voice, "Jason… I get it. You probably have someone back at your old home. I know."

"Piper," his voice faltered, but he managed to continue, "it's not that I don't like you. Truth is, I really do like you—a lot. But, I don't know if I have someone waiting for me… I don't know if we're going to be considered enemies of Rome… I don't even know if we're going to live long enough for 'us' to become a real thing."

Jason took a deep breath, and the two met eyes as he continued, "My point is, I do want to be with you. I want it more than anything, okay? But right now isn't the right time… These aren't right circumstances. Maybe someday… when this is all said and done… maybe we could be what we both want to be." He paused, then added jokingly, "If we live that long, that is."

As much as she hated to admit it, Piper had to admit that Jason had a point. She knew and had come to accept the fact that he might have someone from his old life, but hey, he had just admitted that he liked her and wanted to be with her. And… if they made it through this entire thing… well, things looked pretty bright if they could survive.

She smiled at him. It hurt to think that they were this close to being a real couple, but they couldn't right now. He wasn't ready, even if she was. The timing wasn't right, but… she had faith that he would come around. They would live, and things would be amazing for them. It would be just like that kiss…

"Tell you what, then," Piper compromised. "If we survive this whole ordeal, and you don't have a girlfriend, then we will become what we really want to be, okay? If this Reyna girl turns out to be your girlfriend…" Her voice faltered. She didn't want to think that Reyna might be his girlfriend, but it was a true possibility. "If she turns out to be your girlfriend, then I'll back off. We'll act like this night never happened. Deal?"

She held out her hand, and he stared at it. A moment passed by. Two moments. Three. Then, he grinned, and took it firmly. "Deal."

They spent the rest of the night staring up at the stars, trying to name different constellations, and trying to remember stories about them. It was fun, but Piper still couldn't help but notice that there was that boundary between them… The boundary of him not being ready for 'them,' at least couple-wise.

But, Piper was patient. She could see possibilities, and she liked the looks of them. Jason…he was unlike anyone she'd ever met. He was brave, kind, good-looking, and an all-around good guy. He was special. She knew that as a fact. But, she also knew that whatever it was they had was special as well. And you don't let go of something that special.

So, even though he was so close to her, and yet so far away, she would keep waiting. She knew that, someday, he would come around. And, when he did, she would be ready for him.

I'm stretching, but you're just out of reach

I'm ready when you're ready for me