Justified and all noticable characters belong to their rightful owners. If they belonged to me, I would be living on a hundred acres in the middle of nowhere.

******Trigger Warnings******

Also, this is a school massacre fic. If this is likely to cause any triggers, please don't read.

Deputy Raylan Givens sat at his desk at the local police department in Kentucky. He had finally given up being a Marshal and was back with his wife, Winona, watching his now 16 year old daughter, Willa, grow up.

It had been a hard few years after he gave up a job he loved but this was easier and he knew about when he would be home and that he wouldn't be galavanting all over God's green earth chasing after criminals.

All he had to worry about now was the drunks and druggies, and there weren't many of those there anyway. Sheriff Mark McCoy was as good as any, and took care of his own allowing them the time with their families and going out into the field as much as possible.

At this time, he was in the process of going over traffic reports, and the recent prisoner transports. His partner, Johnathan Johnson, was in the middle of going through the wanted list and filing away the ones that had been caught. Basically, another boring day at the office.

Willa Givens was getting her books from her locker for her second period History class, when Derek Williams came by her locker to get to his; "Hey, Derek," she said in acknowledgement. She was honestly the only one who spoke to him, and treated him like a human.

Derek was known as the school punk, with the black clothes, lip ring and bottle black hair with eyeliner.

"Hi, Willa. I have a question for ya."

Looking up from her history book, she cocked her head slightly, "Okay, what's up? Just walk with me to our next class, we can talk that way."

A rare smile spread across his face, "Sure," he closed and locked his locker, following her, "Spring formal is next week, do you want to-,"

That's when the car backfiring could be heard, followed by screams, and the yells of "SHOOTER!" echoed down the crowded hallways.

Derek grabbed Willa by the arm and shoved her into the nearest locker room, "Stay here, and don't come out until the building is clear. Only, WIlla, if it's your daddy or me. No one else, understood?"

Willa quickly nodded as he shoved her into an empty locker, "Derek, where are you going?"

He turned back to her before closing the door, "To try to help others, like you have me."

Willa pulled out her cell phone and quickly dialed a number she knew by heart; her dads work number.

Raylan had his feet up on the desk and hat pulled over his eyes, when his cell phone went off.

"Willa, should't you been in History class?" He had made it a point to know exaclty what classes his baby girl was in at what time.

"Daddy, someone is shooting and I don't know who it is. Derek locked me in the locker room and told me not to leave."

At that, the man went from police officer to dad just as quickly as the blink of an eye, "I'll be right there, Princess."

By the time that the police force and the emergency services had arrived on scene, there were people on the ground and just outside the doors.

Raylan quickly threw on his vest and flack jacket, as he called out orders to start getting the school surrounded and bystanders away from the area.

The gunman walked down the halls, checking classrooms, shooting anything in sight.

He was so tired of people making fun of him. As if his life at home was all that much better. if anything it was worse; He was tired of being used as the laughing stalk of the county, after he lost his teaching job. He wished his wife hadn't taken off when he had drank so much he'd passed out on the couch. He knew where this was going to take him. He had thought it all out and he knew he wouldn't leave the school alive; and he didn't care.

Raylan walked quietly down the hall, gun drawn. He passed a class room and peeked inside the door, a teacher and her students were hiding at the back of the class.

Silently he motioned for them to get up and leave, thankful that he had found a place yet untouched. Shots rang out again, screams piercing the air, and students ran past him. That's when he saw the shooter. An adult, probably no more than his own 41 years, held a shotgun, with extra shells clipped to his belt.

Deputy Givens quickly ran through a list of names of the teachers he knew, before finding the name of the adult behind the gun. "Rick," Raylan said, as he stepped into the line of fire, drawing the attention of the gunman, "why don't you put the gun down? We can talk and can take care of this together. Nobody else has to get hurt."

Rick only looked at the deputy, "You were one of the reasons I lost my job as a teacher here. You sat there at that school board meeting and told them that I had been drinking. Then when I told them that I would be going to an AA meeting, you said nothing when they told me I was being terminated."

Raylan sighed, but never lowered his gun, "Rick, you had one of the kids up against the wall by his neck, choking him. He was unconcious when the paramedics arrived. You could have gone to jail for abuse on a minor."

"He deserved it!" Rick spatted, "he was talking during science class, distracting the rest of them from the lesson. He needed to be taught a lesson in respect."

"Rick, come on, now, that wasn't for you to decide. If you had of reported him, he would have been suspended. Now, why don't you put the gun down and we talk about this? There's no need for anyone else to get hurt."

Rick looked thoughtful for a moment, "No, Givens, I don't think so. You're on my list as well."

Winona slammed on her breaks behind the Sherriff's cruiser, not bothering to shut her door, "Where are they, McCoy?" Sherriff McCoy pulled her behind a firetruck.

"Willa called and is safetly hidden in the locker room somewhere, she's fine. She said that Derek had hidden her and went to continue evacuating the students."

Winona looked over her shoulder, "And Raylan? Where is he?" when no answer was given, her dark eyes flashed, "Mark, where is my husband?"

McCoy sighed, "He went in after the shooter."

"Who do you think it is?"

"Rick Charles."

"Mark, he threatened Ray three months ago when he was termed. He blames Raylan, and will do anything to bring harm to-,"

A shot was heard from outside.

Derek walked down the hallways sending people out as quietly as possible.

Rick pointed his gun at a nearby student who was in the process of evacuating.

Willa screamed from inside the locker.

Raylan shoved the student into the adjacent hallway.

Rick pointed his gun at Raylan, who was getting to his knees.

Winona went to run inside, but was caught by Mark McCoy.

Rick's aim was unwavering, and that was when Raylan noticed that his side arm was 10 feet away, under a water fountain.

Raylan's vision was turning red, having hit the floor hard when he shoved the kid away, and now that he thought about it, his shoulder was on fire.

Rick's face turned triumphant, as he saw his opening.

Derek slid to the gun on the floor and and without thinking, shot quickly.

Raylan walked slowly to the locker room and got his daughter out of there.

Winona saw them before anyone else, and broke away from the sherriff, running to her family.

Willa assured her parents that she was fine, even as her dad had her checked out.

Derek was being loaded into a police car, and Raylan walked over, "Hey, it was self defense, he can go. It was my gun that he used to protect himself and fellow students."

The arresting officer uncuffed the teenager, who then had Willa run into his arms.

It was at that moment, that the injuries that the deputy had recieved finally came to light and caused him to stagger.

Winona barely had time to keep his head from hitting concrete a second time before he completley blacked out.

The steady sound of beeping and the whooshing sound of an oxygen tank slowly pulled Deputy Raylan Givens from oblivion.

"Ray, can you please open your eyes for me?"

The sound of his wifes voice coming out strained and whispered made him try twice as hard to force his heavy lids open, "Hey," he whispered.

At his voice, all the pent up emotions came flooding out, and Winona Givens cried. "Please don't ever do that to me again, Raylan, please. We almost lost you; it's been three days, please, don't do it again."

Raylan, still weak from the meds and blood-loss, clumsily reached for her, "Wi, I'm okay. I'm still here and will continue to bother you for another 80 years."

Willa came in to see her dad sleeping, and her mom holding his hand, sitting as close to him as she could, without being in the bed with him, and a smile crossed her face. Her dad was still with them, and everything was as it should be.

COMPLETE

To those who have been waiting to hear from me after being gone for so long, I'm back. I have more ideas for other stories as well and will be posting them soon.

Thank you,

Nikolettelime