Disclaimer: Not mine. never have been, never will. All Hasbro's, Marvel's, DDP's etc. except for what and who will pop up sometime and you don't recognize from either comic or 'toon.

A big thank you to Desert Fox for the beta and the comments. :-D

Having tissues within reach is highly recommended.


When Tomorrow Never Comes
Prologue: Prelude to Disaster

He couldn't remember if he'd ever run this fast before in his life. But then again, he'd never had a better – or considering their situation, worse – reason than the limp body in his arms.

"Almost there," he whispered softly. "Hold on, baby, hold on."

After what seemed like an eternity, he finally reached the LZ, only seconds after the helicopter had touched down.

"Over here," Lifeline yelled from the open door and waved him over. Holding tighter onto his precious cargo, he picked up his pace even more.

"Gun shot wound to the chest," he yelled as he jumped in and gently placed the woman in his arms on a waiting stretcher. Quickly, he positioned himself at her head, giving Lifeline and the new nurse room to work. He barely took notice of anything going on around him now. All that he could concentrate on was her pale face. Her beautiful, deathly pale face that he had grown to know and love so well.

Her warm, vibrant eyes, now closed. Her short, straight nose that sported freckles every summer. Her soft, round lips, now red with blood.

Carefully, he pushed a strand of hair form her forehead. Her skin felt clammy and… cold?

He looked up, directly into Lifeline's face. The medic's eyes told him all he needed to know. In them, he could read the dreaded answer to a question he had always hoped he'd never have to ask it.

o – o – o – o – o – o – o

Moments like this were what she hated most about her chosen profession. The awful, torturous and seemingly endless wait after hearing that one of her friends had been hurt and not knowing how they were until Wild Bill brought them back.

Scarlett swallowed hard, the only sign of anxiety she allowed herself to show. Freaking out didn't help anybody in situations like this.

Next to her, Duke stood, stoic, all grim business. Scarlett knew well him well enough to see that his calm exterior was nothing but a façade. Inside, he was just as worried as she was.

The moment they heard the distinct sound of rotor blades slicing through the air, time seemed to freeze until the aircraft finally touched down. Medical personnel rushed towards it with their equipment, suddenly stopping dead in their tracks when the door opened.

Without even acknowledging the medics, he stepped off the helicopter, cradling her limp, bloody form in his arms. Staring straight ahead, he walked forward, ignoring anyone and anything around him.

Lifeline was following him at a distance, rubbing his neck. As he was about to walk past them, Duke grabbed him by the arm.

"Ed…"

He never had a chance to finish his question when Lifeline just shook his head.

Duke closed his eyes. When he heard Scarlett's suppressed sob, he reached out and pulled her close, letting her cry into his chest while he shed a few tears himself for their fallen friend.

o – o – o – o – o – o – o

Another one.

Maybe another one would numb the pain the felt. But it didn't, nor had any of the ones before. He sat the bottle back down on the floor next to him. Leaning his head against the wall, he closed his eyes.

Immediately, the horrible moment replayed itself in his mind. He saw her jumping out of her vehicleand running towards him, a smile on her face after another battle won. Suddenly, a shot rang out, and her body was thrown back from the impact of the bullet. Shouting her name, he had watch helplessly as she fell to the ground as if in slow motion.

He opened his eyes again, unable to face this memory again. Bottle in hand, he pushed himself up and stumbled across the room and right into the table. Damn, he hadn't even seen it. He must have drunk quite a lot for his vision to be this impaired. Normally he could hold his alcohol very well. Normally he never drank that much.

Another side effect she'd had on him. Even after her death she couldn't stop messing up his life. She'd already influenced him in so many ways, made him do things he'd never even thought of doing, given him so much. She'd even pushed him so far that he had actually been thinking of committing his life to another cause beside fighting COBRA.

Now she was gone forever. All that was left of her were way too many memories.

And a question he hadn't dared to ask this very morning.

Tears welled up in his eyes as he spotted his jacket and remembered the small velvet box in his pocket. He turned his head away and angrily threw the bottle against the wall before kicking over the offending table.

A primal scream of rage and raw pain rose from his throat. He didn't care if anyone heard him. Nobody knew him here. Her presence had been way too strong in their apartment as well as on base. Besides, he couldn't stand the way the other Joes had acted around him once the news had spread.

Slowly, he dragged himself to the window of the motel room and stared out into the rainy night. She had always loved rain. On rainy days, she'd spent hours staring out, searching for rainbows or waiting for the rain to end so she could go outside and "enjoy the clean, fresh smell of the air", as she put it.

Swallowing hard, he suppressed another painful memory and threw himself back on the bed. He was so tired. Not only physically but also mentally. He felt drained, empty.

For a second he hoped he'd fall asleep and never wake up again. But he knew this wouldn't happen. He would have to wake up the next morning and face his first day without her.

The first of many to come.

Another tear rolled own his cheek as he forced himself to relive the better days. From the moment he'd seen her for the first time, over their first fight and their first kiss to the night before, when she had snuggled up close to him wearing one of his t-shirts after an intense round of lovemaking.

Those memories were almost harder and more painful than the one of her last moments.

He felt his eyelids growing heavier by the minute, realizing he'd fall asleep any minute. As, unbeknownst to him, a shooting star fell from the sky, Wayne made one final wish.

Another chance to save Courtney's life.