Disclaimer: I don't own Red Dawn.
"Matty," Toni said one afternoon, when looking at an old photo they'd managed to keep of his older brother Jed. "I miss him so much..."
Matt came up behind her, rested his chin on her shoulder, and glanced down at the photograph in her hand.
It wasn't often that they'd have a moment of peace and quiet to reflect on past people they'd lost during the war.
"I know, I do too," he said, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tight.
"I just don't know how much more of this I can take..." she sniffled.
"I know, I know..."
"I mean, Jed's gone...and - and...and Erica!" she choked.
"I know..."
"I mean she was like - like a sister to me! Matt, she was-"
Matt nodded and tried to console her.
"Shh...I know, I know."
"And to you, she was..." Matt closed his eyes as a lump formed in his throat. To him, Erica was everything. She was what kept him alive, kept him going. After he lost her, he nearly lost himself as well. Had it not been for Toni, he didn't know what would have become of himself...
He shook his head at the thought.
"Everything will be fine. We'll get through this, O.K.?"
"Yeah, but for how long?"
"How long?" he asked, furrowing his brows in confusion.
"Yeah, how long until you're gone too, Matt?" she explained. "How long until then, huh? What am I going to do if I lose you?"
"Keep moving on, I guess. You'd have to..."
"But what if I can't, Matt? What if I don't want to?"
Matt pulled away from her then, and turned her around to look at him.
"Wha-?"
"What if," she began, tears sliding down her cheeks. "After all this is over, nothing will be worth living for anymore?"
He brushed a few of her tears away with his thumb, and smiled down at her sadly.
"But it will be. And we'll get through this, and everything will be fine. No matter what happens, we have to keep going. You know that right?"
"This - this whole time...I've tried Matt. I've tried to forget about everything that's happened to us. Everyone we've lost, innocent people that have been hurt. But...I can't...Matt...I can't. I've tried to be strong for the sake of the group, but you know what? We don't have a group anymore!" she cried, throwing a hand in the air.
"Toni," he grabbed her hand and held it his lips, giving it a slight peck. "Don't...don't say that."
"No, I mean it!" she cried again. "Now that no one else is around...I don't have a reason to be strong. I don't have a reason to hide these tears, or look the other way whenever someone else is gunned down! I mean," she sighed heavily, her voice hoarse. "Now that no one else is left...it's just - it's just you and me, you know? It's just us. That's it. There's not gonna be anyone else out there willing to lay their lives on the line for the sake of saving one of ours."
"You don't know that," he tried assuring her.
"Yes," she nodded sadly, a few more tears coming down. "I do! And you do too. You know it!"
"..." Matt was silent for a moment.
"I - Matty - It's just - If I lost you..." she cried as he pulled her into his chest.
"You're not gonna lose me, O.K.?" he held her tight and kissed the top of her head.
"Mhm..." she sniffled, though she knew he couldn't guarantee that.
"Ok? I'm not gonna leave you."
"No matter what?"
"No matter what."
"Matt..."
"Yeah...?"
"If anything happens-"
"It won't."
"I know, but if anything does-"
"It won't."
"I love you..."
"...I love you too."