Gunslingers

Rae snuggled against my chest and sighed. Part of me was thrilled because feeling had returned to her arm and that meant she would be able to perform her physical test. The other half of me was so irrationally upset that I had been the one to cause her so much pain.

She had been in so much agony. I had never heard screams like that in my life, and I had killed several people. Rae didn't deserve that kind of pain; she had suffered enough.

"Matt?" Her voice was rough. She had been crying and screaming for a bit of the day. "Matt, what happened?"

Stroking her hair, I helped her sit up. "Well, you gained feeling back in your shoulder by ripping out your stitches while kissing me."

"Oh," Rae said and took my hand. She held it tightly as she re-positioned herself on the small bed. The nurse who'd replaced Laura had informed us that we had to stay the night. Well, Rae does, and I wasn't leaving her here alone. "Why are you staying the night?"

I placed my arm around her. "I'm not leaving you alone. You've spent enough time in hospital beds alone."
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They'd released her and armed her with pain killers. She wasn't allowed to be alone though. So, I'd invited her to stay with me. Rae had accepted it though she seemed weary about it.

Opening the door to my apartment, I took her pill bottles and set them down in my bathroom. When I came back into my bedroom, Rae was rummaging through my drawers. I wanted to say something, but that's when she found what she was looking for.

Rae pulled one of my old metal tee shirts over her head and climbed into my bed. It was impressive she got dressed by herself considering the condition of her arm. And damn did that woman look sexy wearing one of my Slayer shirts. Smiling at her, I striped to my skivvies and climbed in next to her. Rae snuggled against my chest. I think the pain medication was making her friendlier.

"Matty?" she yawned. "Why did you join the SEALs?"

I put my arm around her and pulled the covers up. "Oh well, I wanted to be a musician. Me and my friends listened to Metallica and Pantera and Dream Theater and thought we could be like that. When I was 17, I started a band called Successful Failure. We were a punk rock band, and I were eyeliner and nail polish.

"I barely passed high school and while my parents supported my band, we weren't making any money. No one would pick us up and we disbanded. I couldn't live off my parents in good faith and California had dozens of recruitment options. I just walked in one day.

"The Marine looked over at me and scoffed, but the Navy guy did everything he could to get me to enlist. I think he saw a misguided kid and thought he could get me back on track. As I was looking over the papers, I saw pamphlet for the SEALs.

"I'm a SoCal guy and they stayed nearish my family. I asked the recruiter about it, and he said I could try after a year. Away I went to best camp and spent about eight months on a boat and applied for BUD/S. Once I passed that, the rest was history."

Rae smiled at me. "So you did it out of boredom? What about sniping?"

"Honestly, that surprised me. I had a knack for it. My first CO saw that and helped me learn. There's a special test you take, and I've got some of the highest records for shooting." I kissed the top of her head.

"Do you see yourself as career?"

"I once did," I said, "Now, with the guys, I actually can see myself in music. We sound good together. What about you?"

She yawned again. "I used to. I don't even know if I can pass a physical anymore." Rae motioned at her injured shoulder.

"We'll get you back to fighting shape."

"We?" Her chocolate eyes met mine.

I nodded. "I want to help."

She sighed and rolled over. I guess the conversation was over. I don't think Rae understood how much she meant to me. While we'd been in that truck, we had bonded. It was more than just sharing stories; we'd connected like we hadn't as fuck buddies. I clicked the light off.
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IRAQ-- SIX WEEKS AGO

"So how would you help me with Force Recon?" Rae asked with her eyes still closed.

She was adorable even though she was in pain. How she hadn't passed out yet was beyond me. "Physically, you'll pass. It's only partially about the push-ups, sit-ups, and miles.The important part is the mental game. In BUD/S, they want the best of the best. A lot of guys wash out we because they can't handle the stress and constant pushing.

"Every guy that made it through had their own personal tactics. Dan made it through by thinking only of his next meal. Cory made it through by refusing to ring the bell. I sang in my head. The time passed by the song I sang. You have to find your thing."

Rae laughed lightly. "So you're worried about my mental game?"

I nodded. "It breaks the toughest of men. The only thing harder than BUD/S are Green Beret phases and DEVGRU."

"What's DEVGRU?"

"SEAL Team Six, babe. Now that's a goal," I said, squeezing her hand. "Hey, do Marines have call signs or Alpha signs?"

"We have nicknames if that's what you're asking. Why?"

The car hit a bump and jolted us causing Rae to scream. "Shit! I'm sorry, babe."

"It's okay. Why the nickname question?" She held onto her shoulder.

"Well, what's yours?"

Opening her eyes, Rae shot me a look. "Lady Reaper." She left it at that and closed her eyes again.

I squeezed her hand. "Don't just leave it at that. Why... how did you get that name?"

Rae laughed hoarsely. "The first tour of combat I had as a Marine was right before the Iraq invasion. I'd just been granted the right to combat zones, and they sent me and my team to the Gulf. Now we weren't technically at war, but it was still active. We had minor flare ups and those jackasses wanted to see how I'd handle actual combat.

"Well here comes a guy guns blazing at my team. I guess they weren't actually expecting that, so my guys froze. Without hesitation, I took him out. They called me Reaper after that because I bring death and Lady cause I am one. What about you?"

I laughed. Marines were a strange bunch. "Mine is Shadows because I listen to metal, and I'm "dark and brooding" according to my BUD/S class."

Rae gently squeezed my hand. "Brooding, maybe, but I don't see the dark part of that."

"I was an emo kid," I said on a laugh. "A lots changed since then."

Rae laughed and closed her eyes. She was exhausted; we both were. We hadn't talked this much at all, and I wished we had. She was smart and funny. We should have been more than fuck buddies.
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PRESENT

Rae rolled into my side and sighed. She looked so young in her sleep. I smiled at her even though she couldn't see it. Was I falling in love with her?

Notes

Long update for y'all. Where my comments at?

RATE AND COMMENT GOD DAMMIT!

Heretic Blood