Disclaimer: We do not own GI JOE. Lyrics are from Far Away by Nickelback and are used without permission.

Can't Let You Go

Chapter 2: Old Feelings

A couple of hours later Scarlett was walking through into the bar feeling pretty good about life. She looked good, like herself but a slightly more put together self. Lady Jaye and Cover Girl hadn't gone crazy with the scissors and makeup like she'd feared. Instead they'd somehow erased the circles under her eyes, which she hadn't told Jaye were more from pre-wedding jitters than from work, made her hair shine, and had picked out an outfit they deemed "dressy casual" but without the dress. She decided the ballet flats they'd picked out were ok since this was somewhat of a special occasion. She would have preferred her boots but they'd nixed that once they'd seen the state hers were in. She'd made a mental note to buy a new pair.

Duke sat at the bar and ordered a drink. He waved to the Joes already scattered around the bar but sat on a stool and sipped his beer, thinking about how wrong the whole situation was and wondering what, if anything he could do to fix it. A Kenny Chesney song played on the radio and took him back to the last days of his relationship with Scarlett. They'd wrapped up a mission and he'd gotten them leave. He'd taken her to the beach because she loved the beach. She loved the beach, she liked the mountains but she didn't love them, not like she loved the beach. She liked to be warm-not cold. They'd chased each other in and out of the surf, laughing like idiots until they'd dropped down on their blanket, breathless with laughter. She'd told him she loved him just before she'd kissed him. He didn't think she'd even realized what she'd said. He had. He'd gotten scared, had put distance and time between them and like the idiot he was, sent her to Snake Eyes.

"You know Snake Eyes asked you to keep an eye on her, not stare at her all night." Flint came up to Duke at the bar.

"God Flint, why the fuck did I let her go?" Duke asked slamming back a shot. He ordered another from the bartender. "This is wrong. All of its wrong! She doesn't want to get married on base-she wants to get married in Ireland, in the church her parents married in with all of her family around, not just her dad and her brothers. And she sure as hell doesn't want to honeymoon in the damn fucking mountains! She hates being cold! He should know that! He should know all of it!"

Flint eyed his friend warily. Duke was in a bad place but it was too late for second chances, "Maybe it's time to focus on the friendship you want to have with her in the future. You can't rewind time and change things." Flint suggested.

"Maybe I should tell her how I feel." Duke slammed back another shot watching Scarlett from afar as she danced with her friends.

"Maybe you should keep your mouth closed. She's getting married tomorrow. Be happy for her. Don't mess things up." Flint advised.

"Things might change…" Duke countered not taking his eyes off of the bride to be.

"Duke, no good will come of this. She's not going to change her mind. She's going to marry Snake Eyes tomorrow. Telling her how you feel is only going to complicate things. You made the wrong choice and now this is how the story plays out. I hate to be so blunt but maybe you need to hear it." Flint argued.

"She needs to know," Duke stated flatly and began to walk towards Scarlett.

Flint put his hand on Duke's shoulder and pulled him back forcefully, "Don't do it."

"Flint, I already have so many regrets…" Duke trailed off closing his eyes for a moment hoping to shut out some of the hurt, "I need to do this or it will be just regret."

Flint opened his mouth for rebuttal but closed it quickly seeing in Duke's eyes how much agony this situation was putting him in.

"This is going to end badly…but do what you have to do." Flint sighed pulling his hand back. Duke nodded and made his way towards her. Flint followed hoping Duke would change his mind.

"Hey, Scarlett." he acknowledged his presence. She had been in a small huddle with Lady Jaye and Cover Girl.

"Oh, I'm so happy it's you!" she exclaimed and hugged him briefly. She handed him what looked like a playing card.

"Jaye and Cover Girl have these cards and I have to find people to do the task on the card. Some of them are pretty embarrassing." Scarlett explained blushing slightly.

"If you are at a place with music, the next person to talk to you has to request a song for you and dance with you for the whole song."

"You're the first victim of this crazy game, I'm afraid." Scarlett nervously laughed hoping Duke would go along with whatever the card said.

"Hey, that's not fair! It's supposed to be someone you don't know!" Jaye cried.

"It doesn't say that on the card." Scarlett argued.

"I think she has you on a technicality." Cover Girl agreed with Scarlett.

"Fine, but for the rest of them it has to be someone you DON'T know." Jaye crossed her arms.

"What card did you get, Duke?" Cover Girl asked

"I have to request a song for Scarlett and then dance with her for the whole song." Duke told them.

"Ugh, that's a lame one!" Jaye cried as she sorted through the cards, "Let me see if I can find the one about getting the person to give you their underwear …"

"Oh god…" Scarlett groaned mortified.

"Jaye, let Duke do this one…Keep the underwear one for next. She'll have to ask a complete stranger." Cover Girl deviously grinned.

"Good thinking, Court." Jaye high fived her.

"This night is going to be really interesting." Scarlett sighed afraid of what was to come.

"Of course it is! It's your bachelorette party! You're supposed to get wild and crazy!" Jaye exclaimed.

"I'm going to request that song now. I'll be back." Duke told her.

"Make sure it's a good one!" Scarlett warned teasingly.

The current song died down and the DJ took to the microphone and made the dedication to Scarlett. Lady Jaye and Cover Girl hooped and hollered as Duke took her onto the dance floor.

"They've had way too much to drink." Scarlett shook her head at the scene her friends were causing.

"They just want you to have a good time." Duke smiled as the music started. It was a slow song, which startled Scarlett, but she went along with it since it was Duke's choice.

"You're right." Scarlett nodded and put her arms around Duke. He wrapped his arms closely around her, pulling her tightly to him. She felt a little nervous dancing with him this close. She knew she shouldn't be nervous because they were good friends, but she was. It felt all too familiar…like when they had dated. Scarlett felt her stomach flip flop like she was on a roller coaster. Was it butterflies or pre-wedding jitters or both? Scarlett decided to concentrate on listening to the lyrics to keep her mind from analyzing her feelings any deeper.

"This time, This place
Misused, Mistakes
Too long, Too late
Who was I to make you wait
Just one chance
Just one breath
Just in case there's just one left
'Cause you know,
you know, you know…

I love you
I've loved you all along

I miss you
Been far away for far too long
I keep dreaming you'll be with me
and you'll never go
Stop breathing if
I don't see you anymore"

Scarlett blinked a few times trying to give herself a reality check. Did she hear the lyrics correctly? Was Duke serious when he picked this song?

"On my knees, I'll ask
Last chance for one last dance
'Cause with you, I'd withstand
All of hell to hold your hand
I'd give it all
I'd give for us
Give anything but I won't give up
'Cause you know,
you know, you know

I love you
I've loved you all along
And I miss you
Been far away for far too long
I keep dreaming you'll be with me
and you'll never go
Stop breathing if
I don't see you anymore"

She felt his breath in her ear. It made her shiver slightly. Now her stomach was churning like she was in rocky seas. She had no idea Duke still felt this way. Her mind felt hazy. She still wasn't even sure she was hearing the lyrics correctly. This had totally blindsided her.

"So far away…so far away
Been far away for far too long
So far away…so far away
Been far away for far too long
But you know, you know, you know…

I wanted
I wanted you to stay
'Cause I needed
I need to hear you say
That I love you
I've loved you all along
And I forgive you
For being away for far too long
So keep breathing
'Cause I'm not leaving you anymore
Believe it
Hold on to me and, never let me go
Keep breathing
'Cause I'm not leaving you anymore
Believe it
Hold on to me and, never let me go
Keep breathing
Hold on to me and, never let me go
Keep breathing
Hold on to me and, never let me go"

The music faded away and Scarlett held her breath not knowing what to make of all this. She didn't know what to say to him or how to act. She wasn't even sure if this moment was for real.

"Scarlett don't do it…" Duke begged pulling back from her slightly so he could see her eyes.

"What?" Scarlett asked, still feeling foggy.

"Don't marry Snake Eyes." Duke almost pouted.

"What?" Scarlett asked again as a knee jerk reaction to Duke's unbelievable request. Were her ears working tonight?

Duke didn't answer again. Instead he pulled her back to him and kissed her hard.

Her mind went reeling. She felt like someone had just thrown a bucket of cold water on her, demanding her to realize that this was actually happening. He knew the way she liked to be kissed and was using that information to make this moment all the more intense. The shock of the situation was wearing off and she was able to regain control of her mind and body. Duke was kissing her and he had no right! She was getting married tomorrow! She began to struggle against the kiss and was able to get her arms in between them to shove him away.

"How dare you!" she cried venomously and slapped him across the face. She stormed out of the bar without looking at anyone.

Duke was suddenly aware of the eyes of his friends on him. He turned to look at their stunned faces. He then bolted after her.

"Scarlett..." he called stepping outside looking to see where she had gone.

"Don't talk to me!" she snarled almost choking on a sob. She felt so dizzy from what was transpiring.

"I'm sorry but I had to tell you. I already made the mistake of not telling you how I felt. I wasn't going to make that mistake again." Duke explained himself.

"Of all the selfish, pig headed things…" Scarlett muttered through tears.

"You want to talk about selfish?" Duke asked getting riled up, "Who goes off for weeks at a time never letting you know where he is or what he's doing? Who always chooses his ninja clan over everything else, including you? If that's not selfish, I don't know what is. I even have my doubts that he'll show up tomorrow." Duke fired. By now, most of the Joes had made their way outside to witness the confrontation. Jaye was at Scarlett's side trying to calm her down. "Just tell me you didn't feel anything for me when we kissed." Duke challenged.

"I'm getting married tomorrow." Scarlett answered angrily.

"That doesn't answer my question." Duke narrowed his eyes.

"I love Snake Eyes and after I tell him what you've done you'll be lucky if he doesn't skin you alive," Scarlett spat.

"Still not answering my question."

"You know what? I'm done with this. I'm done with you. Thank you for ruining my night and don't even THINK about coming to the wedding tomorrow. I don't want to see you ever again!" Scarlett screamed. She turned towards Jaye and softly whispered, "Get me out of here."

The group was silent as they watched Jaye and Scarlett head towards the parking lot. Once the two women were out of site, the rest of the crowd dispersed, some heading back into the bar others heading into the parking lot.

"I think we need to go." Flint softly decided. Duke nodded and the two headed for Flint's car.

Back at base, Duke felt like the walk to his quarters was extra long tonight. Just everything seemed to be in slow motion. He swiped his passkey in the lock happy at the thought of crashing on his bed. He turned on the light and Snake Eyes was sitting on his couch.

Duke jumped back, "Geez, Snakes. How'd you get in here?" He asked more out of shock than really wanting to know. Snake Eyes was a ninja; of course he had ways of getting where he needed or wanted to be.

"Give me one good reason I shouldn't take you out right now." Snake Eyes signed furiously as he stood up and stalked toward Duke.

Duke stood his ground, watching Snake Eyes warily but determined still he had done the right thing. "I had to tell her. I regret not telling her before. I just couldn't let her go without making sure"

"What? That she didn't still have feelings for you? Do you think she'd be marrying me if she had feelings for someone else?" Snake Eyes interrupted Duke with signing.

Duke glared and gritted his teeth, "I don't know. I just had to do it. I figured this was my last chance to let her know how I felt."

"Damn straight this will be the last chance! I don't want her to see you ever again!" Snake Eyes yelled with his hands.

"Don't worry; I won't be seeing her again. She made it clear that I am no longer a part of her life and I'm certainly no longer invited to the wedding!" Duke spat out, suddenly disgusted with the whole conversation. He just wanted to go to bed and pretend he was somewhere else.

"Oh no, I want you at the wedding." Snake Eyes nodded slowly. Duke raised an eyebrow in question. "I want you to have a front row seat to watch Scarlett become mine forever. Why do you think I picked you to be best man in the first place?"

Duke jerked back as if he'd been hit, "Wait, so this whole time your reason for having me be your best man was to twist the knife in my back? To show me what I foolishly lost?" Duke asked trying to digest the fact that Snake Eyes was being so calculating.

"You mean what you threw away! That knife has been in my back since Scarlett and I got back together. Do you know how hard it is to love someone who can't give you their whole heart? Do you know how hard it is to be in a relationship where you know you were the second choice? "

"Snakes, that's crazy. Scarlett loves you. Her world revolves around you." Duke shook his head sharply in disagreement.

"You rejected her. She wanted you. I could see it in her eyes when she came and told me we were taking the assignment. She seemed so lost, so unsure of herself…I'd never seen her like that before."

"What's done is done. You should focus on the future. She'll be walking down the aisle tomorrow for you. She made it pretty clear tonight that she wants to spend the rest of her life with you."

"She will, and you can be sure that I'll never give her a reason to go back to you-ever! After tomorrow if you lay a hand on her or so much as glance in her direction I'll rip you apart piece by piece and no one will ever know what happened to you."

After the ninja had left as suddenly and silently as he had appeared, Duke sat down on the couch, head in hands, and wondered how the hell his life had gotten so mixed up.