THREE YEARS EARLIER

I was leaving today, but I needed to make things okay with Rae. Other than my family, she was the most important friend I had. Sighing, I knocked on her door. I didn't even know if I could fix anything.

The door opened, and she looked my up and down. "You're supposed to be heading to Mississippi. What are you doing here?"

"I want to make things right, Rae."

She titled her head, still not letting me in. "How are you going to do that?"

"Just let me talk, okay? We both know you're gonna get a medical discharge. So why don't you come with me? After I finish Green Team, we can move in together. You know, we'd be perfect together."

Rae clicked her tongue and then punched me in the nose, hard. "Go fuck yourself, Sanders. Whether I get discharged or not, I'll find a way back to the Marines. I won't be your wife. Get fucked, asshole!" The door slammed in my face. How had I managed to fuck it up again?
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2007

DEVGRU were my family, and I loved being with them every single day. Although, they did give me endless shit for the two albums I had made with my boys. They all loved Waking the Fallen and thought City of Evil was the perfect description of SEAL Team Six.

Now, I had a month off for medical leave, and I was back to Cornado to record and be Brian's best man. He and Laura were perfect for each other and the last of us to get married. Well, other than me. I was still in love with Rae Martinez.

"Hey man!" ZV hugged me. It was so weird to have them all out of the military. They'd only go back if it was desperately important. Although, Jimbo still flew for them... he'd only told me that and Carol.

"It's good to see you, Vengeance." He led me up to the studio. We were working on our self-titled album.

"You too, Shadz. We've missed you! Oh hey, did you know Jimmy's still flying with Maeve?" He opened the door to the studio. Brian and Jimmy were busy throwing pens at each other while Johnny laughed at their antics.

"Boys, Sanders is here!" Four bodies embraced me. It was very strange to be here again, but I wouldn't change it for the world.

"Let's record," I said.
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Jimmy had paid for an orchestra... an actual orchestra. The lanky bastard had lost his mind but told us he'd been working on this song for two years.

"A fucking orchestra?" I asked, watching them tune their strings.

"He's officially lost it." Johnny shook his head. "Wait til you see the lyrics, Matt. They're... unique."

I laughed. I could only imagine what he'd written. Jimbo was definitely the most depraved of all of us. Johnny handed me a printed piece of paper. The song was called "A Little Piece of Heaven." Already, I had a feeling this was going to be a strange one. As my eyes read over the page, I slowly questioned everything I knew about the fly boy.

"He's fucked up."

Brian laughed. "Just wait. It gets better."

I finished reading his lyrics, my eyes widening. "Why... this is depraved. I mean it's... It's a story about a guy who proposes to a girl who rejects him. So he... he kills her by stabbing her, eats her heart then fucks her dead body. And after all that, the girl returns to kill the dude, eat his heart, and then they get married?"

"Yeah." Brian laughed. "It's rather Pinkly Smooth of Sullivan, to be honest."

"Damn right it is!" Jimmy skipped into the room. "They're recording their part now. You think you can do it, Matty?"

I looked at my best friend. "Do I really have to sing "Come here you fucking bitch" and then laugh maniacally?"

"Yep!"

"Let's do this!"
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Today was the most fun I'd had in awhile. As much as I loved my life and job in Virginia Beach, I had missed California. All my friends and family were here. And I missed them.

"You did awesome," Brian said, "Ready to try on tuxes?"

Brian had made me his best man, and I was thrilled he had. Over the years, we'd become best friends. I honestly thought he'd have picked Jimmy. But I was thankful he had picked me.

"There is something I should tell you." Brian rubbed the back of his head. "Rae is the maid of honor."

My heart stuttered in my chest. Rae? I hadn't seen her in three years, not since she'd punched me. Every time I asked her about, no none had any information. How had they found her? Why did I still have feelings for her?

"Oh." I didn't have anything else to say. She probably still hated me. "Does she know?"

Brian played with his red bow, looking at himself in the mirror. Since I'd been gone, he'd grown his hair out and looked like a porcupine. It was hard to take him seriously.

"Not yet. I'm leaving that up to Laura." He turned to face me. "None of us have seen her in like three years."

"Any contact at all?"

Brian pulled out the bow tie. "She called."

I nodded. "Syn..."

"What?" He tried on a blue tie instead.

"I--" Man, this was hard to get out. "I still am in love with her."

"WHAT?"

Notes

Longer chapter for y'all!

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Heretic Blood