I was looking at her again, for the first time in way too long a time. I'm such a fucking idiot, I can't believe it. I was letting her get away!

Tex was standing there up in front, before just a few people. I was surprised to see that so many of the old Agents had shown up. Carolina and York were right up at the front. York must have dragged here there, she hated Tex. I could see the guns strapped to their hips. Of course they came to an event life this armed, it would be ridiculous not to. We all had too many enemies not to go around without our weapons. Too many would love the chance to pick us all off as we were standing in once place.

She was across from someone. I had never seen that person in my life, he wasn't an Agent.

"She's choosing a guy like this?!" I snorted under my breath. She was obviously too good for him, I couldn't believe the bullshit.

I could barely believe my eyes at all of this. Tex would never want to have this sort of ceremony. Not with people around, and a backdrop, and all that fluffy stuff. No, that wasn't my Tex.

He was smiling at her, and she was smiling back. What the hell kind of crap was this?

In my looking around, I had missed that somebody was addressing the little gathering. Fuck, they had started!

The official was babbling on about being gathered here today, blah blah blah. I stopped paying attention to words.

This wasn't right. None of this was. That should have been me up there, not some other stranger. I should have been the one making her smile. We were meant to be together. Not even death and AIs and idiotic SIM troopers could keep us apart.

"…Alright now, you just hold the fuck up!" I burst out, stepping forward. A collective gasp rose up, and I quickly had a dozen pistols pointing my way. Everyone there immediately saw me as a threat. The only one not trying to kill me was North's little wife. He had her pinned so tightly to his side that she could barely move, much less fire a gun.

"Church?" Tex stepped forward, a look of sheer disbelief splashed across her face. She reholstered her gun. "He's unarmed, you dickwads. Stand down!"

"Miss me?" I chuckle, walking forward to meet her. But, instead of hugging me like I wished she would, I received a fist to the jaw that knocked me backwards onto my ass. "Ow, what the fuck?!"

"You were dead, you son of a bitch!" Her face is livid, she's practically growling at me. "Do you have any idea how fucking badly you are messing with my head? You weren't around anymore, and I was finally getting over it. Getting over you. And now, here you are! Not dead, and wondering if I missed you." Her voice is starting to shake. "It took so fucking long…to break away from you…"

I slowly haul myself back to my feet, trying to see if she had broken my face. I was lucky. At worst, I would be getting away with a very nasty bruise. "Sorry to disappoint you." I grumble at her. "But it's nice to see how you replaced me with some random jackass. Does he know anything about you? Does he know your history, how you feel? Does he know what you fear most, or the one thing that could make you cry at night?"

"Holy shit, would you just shut up?" Her hand has flown to the grip of her gun. "Everybody else needs to get the fuck out of my sight."

"I still don't follow your orders." Carolina scoffs at her.

"Now!" Tex roars. York seizes Carolina by the shoulder, giving her a firm tug. With some coaxing by the more reasonable members of her old team, the guests moved inside to the shelter of a nearby bar. Even her stupid-looking man moved away. At least he knew not to mess with Tex when she was this angry.

Finally, I was alone with her. I couldn't help but grin. It was so like the old times. Tex was glaring daggers at me, but then again, that was her default expression.

"Do you have any idea of how weak you just made me look?" She snarls.

"You're not as tough as you make yourself out to be." I reach out to try to place my hand on hers. She, of course, pulls away immediately. "I know you."

"Not anymore." She turns away from me, to the side. The wind picks up a little, causing her dress to flutter up. Tex, in a dress. Now that was a sight to see. I glanced down at her feet. Her skin was marred just slightly by a myriad of faint scars left over from old battles.

"I've always known you, Tex. That's why Alpha and Beta tried so hard to always be together. They knew it, so why are you denying it?"

"They're just parts of you and your mind, Church. They aren't me! The reason those two AI always want to be together is because that's what you want to see happen. Have you even thought about what I would want?" Her voice is becoming tense. "I have been living my own life, and I was happy with it until you showed back up just to cause me trouble." Tex's fists are clenching again, her nails almost slicing into her flesh.

"How long have you been with this new guy?"

"A few months…"

"You're marrying somebody after just a few months? Tex, I know you've always been lonely. But I think you're making a big mistake in filling the hole in your soul with this guy. We both know that he can't give you what you need."

"Shut up!" She shouts at me. "And you think you're so fucking good for me? You've always been an asshole, and you can't even deny that. But to believe that you're supposed to be my perfect other half or something? No. There is no way in hell that I could believe that."

"You're going to have to." I move quickly forward to grab her hand, uncurling her fingers so that I can entwine them with my own. "I know how hard it is. Believe me, I know. I know you so well what you're going through, because… when you're away from me, I just feel so empty. I feel like you don't even care anymore. But, I know…I just know that it isn't true." Her shoulders are twitching, and I'm surprised that she hasn't decked me again. "Don't disappear from me again, Tex. Don't do that to me."

"Damn you…" She can only whisper. "I was so happy…"

"Tell me straight, Tex. Would you really be happy without me?"

I was suddenly pulled into an embrace that nearly strangles me. "If you leave me alone again…I will fucking end you and everything you love."

I couldn't help but smile through the pain. There was the Tex I knew so well. There was the woman I loved.

"I need to go call this whole thing off. You stay out here." She loosens her grip so I can take a wheezing breath. But, since I don't feel like listening to her, I headed into the bar with her. The old agents and Tex's man were sitting at a table, each of them with an empty glass or two in front of them.

Her man stood up, bumping the table and making his three empty glasses shake. "What took you so long, woman?" His words were slurred as he tried approaching Tex.

"I have the worst fucking taste in men." She rolls her eyes, and then shoves him on his ass as he gets too close. "Let me get a few things straight here. First of all, I am nobody's woman. I belong to myself. Secondly, I'm calling this damn thing off. I'm not spending my life tied down to one person just because I think I need someone. I don't need anyone. And it wasn't until I talked to this asshole again" she jerks her thumb at me "that I realized this."

The man, having been slightly sobered by his fall, scrambles back up onto his feet. "Did I just hear that right, bitch?"

"Ooh, I'm so scared." She sarcastically waves her hands, an intense look of disgust written on her face at his language. "Yes, you heard that right. I am done with you. Go find someone else to get hitched to."

"You fucking-!" Whatever resolve he has breaks, and he pulls his gun off his hip. "I oughta shoot you right here for even thinking about leaving me!"

"It's too late. I've already left." She calmly states.

The people around us are in a panic, all fleeing the bar and screaming. The only ones who stay are the Agents. They are too used to being shot at. They have their own guns trained on this man, but Tex raises her hand to call them off. This fight is hers.

His gun hand twitches, and quickly fires three shots at her. Tex dodges easily, just by spinning to the side. It allows her to move swiftly towards him, ducking down slightly in order to build up the power she needs to slam a ferocious uppercut to his chin. A sickening crunch echoes throughout the room. Tex's fist comes back covered in blood, the ring on her finger having pierced his skin. He twitches, knocked out from the hit. Tex pulls off her ring, dropping it onto the man's stomach before walking out of the bar.

"Hey, wait up!" I run after her, chasing her all the way over to a storage pod hidden behind the bar. "Are you going to fucking blow this place up?!"

"No, what the hell is wrong with you?!" The pod opens, revealing her characteristic black armor. "Can't believe I wore a dress for all this bullshit…" She easily straps herself into it, her body obviously relaxing in that comfortable garb.

Sirens are swiftly approaching "Let's get out of here." I try to sound cool, grabbing her wrist to pull her away.

She sniggers. "Why, you gonna propose or something?"

"Uh…"

"No way in hell. I'm not going down that road again." She suddenly grabs me and starts running, having seen flashing lights. I can't help but smile. Classic Tex.