a/n: I wrote this for myself, I wasn't going to post it but after talking with my friend decided to, it is a part that forwards other stories also. This was written the day after the shooting last week. I am not looking for praise or anything this is my way of saying what happened is horrible, and my way of dealing with it. It's turned everything upside down, its all anyone talks about now. I had Christmas dinner with both my parents families this week and it was a blazing hot topic, All I ask is you take this to heart, I am not glorifying what happened, I have nothing but the upmost respect for the families, and I can not fathom what they are going through. And I pray for them. So please do not read this if you have a doubt about it.

Beca knew the moment she opened her phone that something was wrong, the message was short and cryptic 'Work call don't know how long, love you… lots'. Even a few days felt like forever to Beca, the only time they had been separated for more than a few hours was when Chloe stayed at her mom's when her brother had returned, that was still only 3 days.

"Beca, turn on the TV." Jesse said breathless, he had run from the other side of the building, he was also ghost white. So Beca grabbed the remote and turned on the television, there were screaming kids, and a headline to end all. 'Elementary school shooting.'

Hours 1 to 12

Beca and Jesse spent all day staring at the T.V. they hadn't gotten up for anything. Within minutes the small room in the radio station was packed with people. No one as going to work today. Jesse had looked at her at some point and said they should turn it off, then Kindergarten class scrolled across the screen. She was ill, physically ill at the thought. Children, little babies were dead. At least sixteen according to the news.

At six forty Chloe had finally rung her on face time. Chloe looked like the dead walking.

"Hey." Beca whispered.

"You've seen right?" Chloe choked out and Beca nodded, that's all it took and Chloe was sobbing. Beca quickly joined her. They didn't talk just listened to the other cry, somehow they found comfort in the other's cries, it made them positive that they were both normal, that this is the right thing. Neither hung up that night, just fell asleep with the other's face on their phone, tear tracks burned into their skin.

Hour 20

"Get up!" Beca heard and opened her eyes. The stepmonster was above her.

"Get the fuck out bitch." Beca snapped jumping up. Needless to say they had not made up from the fight over thanksgiving the previous year.

"Your father sent me to get you on a plane."

"Where the hell to?" Beca was pissed she wasn't about to leave.

"God will you for once not think of him as evil."

"It's you that is evil."

"They brought the children out Beca… the news broadcasted it on all channels… they caught a moment of Chloe… she needs you. They were so tiny… and they put it on fucking tv." Stepmonster grabbed Beca's face. "I may not like either of you but no one deserves that."

"When… when did this happen?"

"An hour ago." Beca was changing into fresh clothes and looked at her clock it was only four in the morning. "Beca…"

"I know how you feel, there are no words ok? No matter what there are no words to be said. There never will be."

"They are babies." Beca stopped in her tracks and turned to the woman.

"I know." Beca walked up to her and hugged the woman, shocking both of them. "You know I prayed all day yesterday."

"I… I did too… but thank you."

"I may not have the same faith as you but I believe in a heaven and hell and a greater being, I do all because if I ended up in the same afterlife as this ass I would fall to his level and just…" Beca stepped back. "So I pray that those babies never have to see anything but kittens and puppies and rainbows." Stepmonster chuckled and wiped the tears from Beca's eyes.

"You know..you aren't so bad."

Hour 21

So Beca had found her way to her seat on the plane to some tiny town. The whole plane was quiet, there was a victims aunt on the plane. Beca had held her hand at one point because as must as Beca wasn't a people person, this woman was dying inside and alone. She hoped that someone held Chloe's hand earlier this morning as she saw those babies.

Hour 23

Chloe was a wreck, she was camped in one of the firemen's rooms, away from all the parents waiting for news on their child, or those who couldn't leave because they wouldn't believe it. She looked up when the door opened, there was Beca, a millisecond later Beca had her arms wrapped around Chloe and Chloe sobbed.

"I can't do this Beca. I just can't. these are real children! They haven't even lived yet." She sobbed and Beca kissed the top of her head.

"You don't have to, we can spin this the right way."

Heroes

David bowie once sung that 'we could be heroes if just for one day.' Yesterday at a tiny town in an elementary school every person was a hero. Every person except the villain.

The events of yesterday will live with me forever, it is another pearl harbor another 9/11. It makes me grateful to have my own heroes all around me.

I look back onto my life and my family, as a child just like those lost yesterday my mom was my hero and my dad. My mom is still the strongest person I know, she held our family together when I lost my other hero, my father. My brother went to Iraq three times, he is a hero to me and many others. Those who put their lives on the line every day, police, firemen, they are heroes. Teachers and students our future, are heroes.

Everyone has different heroes. My hero today besides all those already stated is my fiancé because she joined me in this warzone. So here I sit and write instead of a story about the villain I write to you about the heroes of our lives. Take a moment and thank a hero.

x-x-x

Chloe wasn't expecting her editor to actually print her story but he did, on the front page. He also banned the name of the shooter from their paper saying he is to be referred to as nothing more than a villain, and that all the articles had to focus on the heroes.

x-x-x

Beca woke up a few nights later and found that Chloe wasn't in bed. She pulled her pj pants back on and walked out to the living room to see Chloe staring out the window again.

"Nightmares baby?" Beca asked wrapping her arms around Chloe, resting her head on the girl's shoulder.

"They are getting better but I just…" Chloe turned to face Beca. "Life is too damn short." Beca smiled and kissed Chloe.

"I know." Beca said before walking over to their radio, she flipped through her cds she had laying on the top and pulled one out, turning it on, she grabbed Chloe and pulled her down onto the couch, holding her tight as the voice of Jared Weeks from Saving Abel filled the room. It might have been not what most people would pick but Beca picked it because she knew that Chloe wanted to just let one of those kids live instead of herself.

"Sometimes the pain of what happens to others pushes us to be better human beings. I'm not saying the children died for a reason other than that ass holes crazy ideas but I am saying that maybe people can take it and try being better people from it. Maybe a dad will hug his child tonight for the first time in a long time. Maybe a mom will read her child a book before they fall asleep, or I don't know Chloe but these babies didn't die in vain. Even if no one else in the world changes from it I know I did, I know that if we ever have a kid that I will try my hardest to never take them for granted and I will tuck them in every night and hug them every day and I will try being a better daughter." Tears had started making their way down Beca's face. "So I will try to be 27 times the person I was a few days ago to make up for those lives lost." Nothing more had to be said, nor was it. They wouldn't talk about it for a few more days, till Chloe found Beca on the phone with her dad, Chloe leaned against the wall as she listened to her fiancé and father talk. She didn't need Beca to be 27 times the person that she was, she knew at least half the people that had heard of the story had become a better person in some way. And if you added that all up together that was a lot more than 27 lives.

a/n: I made a promise to myself not to write about this, but well we can all see how well that worked, I don't like it, at all mainly because nothing like this should ever be a thought. I'm not a person of faith of any sorts but I was glued to the tv like most people I know on Friday and I prayed for those babies. I don't like asking for anything but I will ask this of those who read this, even if you don't believe in any religion, say a prayer or send a thought to those little ones and their heroes.