Safe on the Edge

by FictionWriter91

Rita Vrataski prides herself on being tough and emotionless, but one person knows her past and has seen the vulnerable side of her: Luke Wright. An assassin trained from childhood, Luke has always known a fight of some kind, and when he gets the power to reset the day in the War of the Mimics, he's back in Rita's life. Together, they have to fight to save humankind. (Part I of III)

18. Chapter 17: 1997

Songs that I listened to while writing this chapter:

Darkness by Ryan Amon

I'm Here For You by Lucas Vidal

Devotion by Ellie Goulding

Army by Ellie Goulding

Love Spent by Madonna

You Were Meant For Me by Jewel

Out of My Head by Fireflight

Watching As I Fall by Mike Shinoda

Twisted by Design by Sum 41

528491 by Hans Zimmer

Attack by Hildur Gunadottir

Time by Hans Zimmer

And here I thought I could not possibly beat my longest chapter record...ha ha ha. I'm sorry for all the reading! Sooo much going on in this chapter, and yet there's so much left to tell.

---

1997

Montana, U.S.

Rita was in the barn. Devon had come over for dinner (showing off that he was now 17 and could drive), and Rita didn't miss the looks Luke kept giving both of them. She knew he was still thinking about their conversation earlier that day about French kissing. She wondered if he was still thinking about how she'd almost kissed him. He had no idea that she'd already had back in the summer. To be fair, she'd thought he was dead. She thought about how his lips had felt against hers a lot, but she knew it wouldn't compare to truly kissing him.

She intentionally touched Devon more than usual just to see if it pushed Luke over the edge enough to tell her they should both stop being crazy and be together, regardless of what her father said. So far, it hadn't worked. He'd just hidden himself away in his room after a while.

Devon had followed Rita into the barn and wandered around. She finished her nightly routine for the goats, Hank, and Willow and was putting things away when he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. She smiled, turning to face him. Despite his clumsiness at kissing, he was very easy to snuggle with.

"You're very cute in overalls," he commented. He gave her one braid a slight tug, and she felt herself blush. Then he was kissing her. She hadn't had the chance to talk to him about fixing his French kissing, which was something he seemed to really like doing. Rita missed the other kisses if she was honest.

Today, his hands wandered.

"Mm, no," she said, pushing him back. Devon didn't seem bothered, but he wasn't giving up either.

"Come on," he coaxed. "We've been dating for, like, two months now."

"I didn't realize there were time limits on when things progressed," she said.

"You'll like it," he insisted.

"I'm not into that," she replied. "I told you. I'm waiting. You know that. I told you Vince's rumor was bullshit." He sighed but nodded.

"Can I still kiss you?"

"Yes, that's okay."

He moved in again, and Rita tried to enjoy it. She tried not to feel frustrated when he crammed his entire tongue into her mouth again. Not surprisingly, she let her mind wander to what it would be like to kiss Luke the way he'd described.

After a bit, Devon pressed against her, pushing her into the wall snugly. Her brain fired an alarm response, and in seconds, his hand was back on her skin under her overalls.

"Devon," she said, turning her head.

"I really think you'll enjoy it," he said again, his hand going higher. "I just wanna make you feel good." The words rang in her ears, and she felt panic and nausea. Simon's leering face suddenly appeared in her mind.

"Devon!" She was stuck. He was too heavy against her. She felt more panic rise up before remembering that panic wasn't going to help her here. He wasn't showing any signs of stopping. In fact, he was trying to move his other hand lower.

"See?" he said, his breath hot in her ear. "Doesn't it feel good?"

It feels good, right? Yea, I know you like it. I told you I'd make you feel good.

"No," she said, trying to drown out Simon's voice. Then again, loudly: "No!"

Devon wasn't stopping, and he was trying to undo her overalls, so she decided she had no choice. She slapped him in the face as hard as she could. Stunned, he took a step back. She shoved him back hard, and he stumbled. She reached to grab her faithful pitchfork and held it in her hands.

"You need to leave," she ordered. "Right now."

"Rita..."

"I said go!"

"You're being very dramatic," he said, laughing.

"I'm being very serious," she corrected. "If you're not gonna respect me, then this is over." They had a stare down for a moment, and he scoffed.

"Bitch," he said, turning to walk away. "Fine. Then this is over."

"Fine!" she called after him. She was shaking slightly. She didn't want to be with someone who didn't respect her, let alone remind her of her past. She gripped the pitch fork tightly in her hands, feeling tears starting to come. Why didn't anyone respect her? Why did everyone think they could just hurt her and get away with it? She walked over to Willow's stall and went inside it, resting her back on the wall near the back and sliding to the floor, knees to her chest. Willow came to nuzzle her briefly before going back to eating. Rita started to cry.

...

Luke stepped out of the shadows as soon as Devon left the barn. He followed him quietly to his car before he reached out and yanked him around, shoving him hard into the side of the car door.

"What the-?" Devon asked, trying to see in the dark as he stumbled to keep his balance.

"You ever do that again, and I'll kill you," Luke threatened.

"Pfft," Devon scoffed. "I guess you didn't hear. I dumped that bitch."

Luke punched Devon in the face swiftly and with such force that Devon's head snapped back and bounced off the roof of the car before coming back up. Luke grabbed him by the shoulders and threw him down onto the ground. Devon coughed and wheezed in pain as he tried to get up. Luke put a boot on his chest, forcing him back down into the ground.

"Say anything about her to anyone, and you'll wish that I'll kill you," he warned. "Ask Vince how that worked out for him."

"She let on she wanted it," Devon tried. "She was practically mauling me all night."

"I very much doubt that," Luke retorted. "And since when does touching someone indicate they 'want it?' Get the hell out of here before I change my mind and decide to kill you after all."

Devon got up and got into his car. He shot Luke one last look before starting it and peeling out of the driveway. Luke watched him go before heading inside the barn. He could hear sniffling coming from Willow's stall and saw the horse looking at him. He walked over to rest his arms on the gate, scanning for Rita. He saw her near the back corner of the stall, hugging her knees and tears staining her cheeks. She saw him before he could say anything, and she reached with her hand to wipe away the evidence that she was being vulnerable. He hated that she'd started to hide her vulnerability, like she thought it made her weak.

"What?" she asked roughly.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"Did he hurt you?"

"No."

"You sure?"

"Yes!" She gave him an aggravated look, so he dropped it.

"Not all guys are arseholes," he answered matter-of-factly before pushing off and leaving her alone. He went inside and did his best to not think about how right he'd treat her if she was his girlfriend. Ten minutes later, she came inside, and he heard her banging about in the kitchen. He left her alone.

...

Rita was angry. She couldn't stop seeing Simon's face, hearing his voice. She even felt his touch, and she wanted to scream.

So she did.

She screamed long and loud, clenching her fists and leaning slightly forward. She was screaming so loud that she didn't hear Luke until he grabbed her and spun her to face him. Her scream went up an octave briefly in surprise at his touch, and then she stopped. Copper was whining and howling a little, confused as to what was going on.

"What the bloody hell?!" he exclaimed, holding her arms with his hands. "Rita, what are you doing?!"

"Make it stop," she said, starting to sob now. "Make it stop!"

"Make what stop?" he asked. Rita felt herself sinking to the floor, and Luke went down with her until they were both on their knees. He was still holding her arms. He had to keep pushing Copper's head away as the dog tried to comfort Rita in the best way he knew how: with sloppy kisses.

"Rita, talk to me," he urged. "What happened? Did you lie to me? Did he hurt you?"

She just shook her head, crying harder. She couldn't vocalize what was wrong. To say out loud what had been done to her would make him look at her differently, and she didn't want that. She wasn't a broken person. She'd dealt with this with Tammy, but for whatever reason, it kept coming up for her again more and more ever since Vince's rumors. Then there was Trevor's bullshit before Luke shut it down with that race, but he still kept taunting her that he was going to sleep with her...she just didn't tell Luke because she didn't want him to actually kill Trevor and spend forever in jail. Through all of that, though, despite all her efforts, it kept triggering her past pain from Simon.

"Rita," Luke said again. "You're scaring me."

She didn't answer, so he simply wrapped a hand around her head and pulled her against him, holding her close. She hooked her arms under his so that her hands came up his back to hold his shoulders tight. Copper eventually flopped on the floor, but his body was pressed against Rita's leg.

"It's alright," he said. "Just let it out." Rita did just that. She had no idea how long they spent on the kitchen floor like that, but eventually, she wore herself out. She simply held onto him after she stopped crying, and he let her. After a while, she finally spoke.

"Why can't anyone respect me?" she asked, her voice a whisper.

"A lot of people just don't care if they hurt others," he answered, taking his thumb and wiping away a fresh tear gently. "When you find the right person, they'll respect you for who you are. They'll treat you the way you deserve to be treated."

She looked at him, wanting to say the words out loud to him, but she couldn't stop hearing her father's plea to stay away from Luke in her mind. He was also dating someone else. She felt trapped.

"I want to learn how to fight," she said next. She noticed the surprise and wariness in his eyes.

"I don't think that's a good idea..."

"You've already taught me self-defense. Now I want to know how to fight, and not just hitting a bag. I don't want to be the one taking the attack. I want to know how to attack."

"I can't," he said.

"Why not?"

"Because that's not who you are, Rita. I'm not going to make you into something you're not."

"I don't care. I want to learn. If you're still worried about my father, you don't have to tell him. I certainly won't."

"Rita..."

"Damn it, Luke!" she cried, pushing him away from her now and making him fall backwards onto the floor. "I need you to teach me! I need this!"

"Is it Trevor?" Luke demanded.

"No," she half lied. She wasn't afraid of Trevor, but it wouldn't hurt to know how to take him out if she had to.

"Why then?" he asked. "Tell me why, and I'll do it."

He had her there. She certainly didn't want to tell him why, but she was desperate for him to teach her, so she had to choose between her dignity and getting what she wanted.

"My cousin," she managed to say, feeling more tears surfacing again. "Simon...he did things to me. He...he..." She struggled with the words. Her breath was growing shaky. She had to get this out. She had to. It was eating her alive.

"Rita," he started.

"He touched me," she blurted. "Twice. He came into my room and spent I don't know how long mauling me and telling me it was to make me feel good. I was so confused by it. I...I can't stop reliving it right now." It was all or nothing. If he stopped being her friend, then there was nothing she could do to change it. She met his eyes, expecting to find a negative reaction, but she was surprised.

"Aw, love," he said, his voice sounding a bit torn up. He'd never called her that before, and she treasured it instantly. She looked at him, feeling weak and vulnerable, but she knew in her heart he wasn't going to take advantage of that like everyone else seemed to. She'd been a little bit vulnerable with Luke in the past over certain things but never quite this vulnerable, but he wasn't abusing it, which made her think maybe she always could be deeply vulnerable with him.

"He took something from me," she whispered. "And I have no idea how to get it back."

"Have you talked to someone?"

"When I was younger. I thought I had a handle on it, but lately...it just keeps coming back."

"So you want to learn how to fight because you think it'll help you feel safer?"

"Yes," she answered, her voice still a whisper. He reached for her hand, and she let him take it. He held onto it firmly, looking into her eyes.

"As long as I'm around, nothing's going to happen to you," he said. "I promise."

"Thank you," she said, tears in her voice. She cleared her throat and took in a deep breath before continuing. "But I know you're not always going to be there, and I want to get to a point where I don't need someone protecting me. I want to be able to protect myself."

"By the time I'm done with you," Luke said, "you'll be able to do just that."

Rita looked at him, and she trusted him. She didn't know what made her trust him now or in the beginning, but she did. She had no idea what he had in store for her, but she would learn anything he threw her way. She'd practise and get it right. She'd never give up.

"I'm sorry for scaring you," she said.

"Don't be sorry," he replied. "Just know that if you ever need to talk, you can talk to me. I'm a pretty good vault. You know that."

"Okay," she agreed. He gave her a small smile, and she smiled back. Then he helped her to her feet, and she let go of his hand. She gave in and patted Copper's head since he was still trying to comfort her too.

"Maybe it wouldn't hurt to talk to someone," Luke suggested. "Other than me, you know? Get it out."

She didn't respond, but she would think about it. There were counsellors at school. She could reach out to them. Perhaps she needed to talk about this stuff again despite thinking she'd dealt with it. Maybe they'd help her get back what she was looking for.

"Please don't tell my father," she said quietly.

"I won't."

They stood there looking at each other. Rita wished things were different, but they weren't. He could never be hers, and she had to be okay with that.

"Are you gonna tell me about the pain in your eyes now?" she asked, being bold. "Since I told you mine?" She'd always wanted to know.

He pursed his lips into a smile before chuckling. He went to pull out the kitchen chair and sat down heavily into it. Rita sat across from him, waiting. He sighed and ran a hand over his head.

"I killed my father," he said quietly, and she stared at him in shock. She had not expected that one at all.

"Y-You what?" she asked.

"He was going to kill me," he replied simply. "So I took his gun and killed him first. He'd beaten on my mother for years, and I'd had enough. It wasn't how I thought it was going to go down...I was just trying to make him stop, but when he brought that knife down towards my neck, I knew I had no choice. I had to pull the trigger."

"Oh, Luke," she whispered, reaching to take his hand. The gesture made his eyes look almost wet. He cleared his throat.

"He wasn't even my real father," Luke went on. "My real father kidnapped me to save me from my mother because he thought I needed to be saved, but she found me anyway. He's dead now too." He looked at her, and she searched his eyes with hers. He held her hand tightly in his.

"Why did she leave you with us?" Rita asked.

"She has enemies," Luke answered. "I wasn't safe with her. She knew your father from a long time ago, and she knew I'd be safe here with him."

"Well," Rita said when he finished and was quiet for a moment. "I'm glad you ended up here."

"Me too," he agreed, giving her a crooked smile.

"How did she know my dad?"

"From the military I think."

"Oh. Is that where she got enemies?"

He slightly paused before answering. "Yea."

They could hear Lance banging off his boots outside, getting ready to come in. He'd been over at Kenny's helping out with the cows, giving Luke the night off. Rita knew he just needed some guy time every now and then, and Kenny was the closest friend he had. Rita let go of his hand and stood up to go turn on the coffee maker for her father. He came in coughing and spluttering, though, which made her pause.

"Are you sick?" she asked him.

"Yea," he answered, sounding croaky. "I called my boss. He told me not to come in to work until I'm better. Kenny damn near sprayed me with disinfectant. He wouldn't let me touch anything."

"What can I do?" Rita questioned. She noticed Luke disappear quietly. She felt annoyed that their moment had gotten derailed.

"I've got it, luv, thank you," Lance said, patting her shoulder. "No coffee tonight. I'm gonna go to bed after a hot lemon and stay there for a while."

"Okay. Call me if you need anything."

"I will." He paused and looked at her face. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she answered. "I was just...thinking about Mum." It was the easiest thing to blame her tear stained face on. She knew he wouldn't ask any further questions.

"I see," he said. "Anything I can do to help?"

"No. Go rest up and feel better."

"Okay, but I'm also here if you need me," he promised. She smiled at him.

"Thanks, Dad."

After he went upstairs to his room, Rita went down the hall and stood outside of Luke's room, hesitating before going in. She felt like she wanted to finish their conversation, but she didn't know if he would want to. She caught sight of him changing his t-shirt through the crack of his door, and her stomach tumbled as she thought about what it would be like to run her hands over his chest or feel it against hers. She turned away and went back to the stairs, going to her room to sit on her bed and hug her knees to her chest. Sometimes she felt confused because of what Simon had done to her, but she knew it was okay to feel like this for a guy. It wasn't wrong. Well, her father would say it was because he didn't want her near Luke in that regard, but aside from that, she knew she was supposed to have these kinds of feelings and that it was normal. What Simon had done was not normal. She knew that.

She thought about Luke again and felt the longing. Then she sighed. She had to let it go. They were friends. That's all they would ever be.

She had to be okay with that.

...

Luke felt bad for not telling Rita the entire truth about who he was. If he was honest, he didn't know if that was his identity anymore. He kept going back and forth with it. He didn't want to tell her the truth just to have her not want him in her life anymore. He didn't want to lose her. He figured when he made a final choice with what he wanted to do with his life, then he'd tell her.

Six Days Later

Rita's chest felt like she'd been hit by a transport truck. She was lying in bed sweating from her fever and shaking with chills. Her father had gotten influenza and then kindly shared it with all of them, and Rita was in the thick of it. Luke was coughing and shivering in his room downstairs. Lance was slowly on the mend, but not entirely better yet, and he ran back and forth between both of them, trying to help them feel better.

"I have to go to work," he said one morning. "I can't afford to miss anymore time there. Are you going to be alright? Do you want me to have Lucy come over?"

"No, thanks," Rita said, her voice croaking. "I don't want her to get sick."

"I'm worried about leaving you."

"I'll be fine. I'm just gonna sleep. I'll call if I feel worse."

"Okay."

She felt him kiss her forehead before leaving. She fell in and out of sleep for a while before getting up and getting something to drink. She heard Luke coughing and coughing and felt worried, so she went to check on him. He'd gotten sick before her after all. She pulled her Afghan blanket tightly around her shoulders as she nudged his door open. He was under his covers shivering. Copper was lying on his feet. He thumped his tail upon seeing Rita and gave her a doggy smile, tongue lolling.

"Luke?" she said.

"I'm still alive," he croaked back.

"You sound bad."

"So do you."

She shuffled into his room, observing as much of it as she could. She never went in there to hang out, so she never had the opportunity to fully snoop. There wasn't much to see really. She did notice her drawing of him and Copper propped on his nightstand, though. When she got to him, she reached a hand to touch his forehead and noticed it felt cold. It was a contrast to her fever, which made her think he had something else going on other than influenza. He'd gotten sick two days sooner than she had after all.

"Can I get you anything?" she asked.

"No," he answered, coughing and shaking his head. His teeth were banging, and she realized he didn't have many blankets on his bed. She moved around to the other side of his bed slowly.

"What're you doing?" he asked. She answered by climbing in next to him and sharing her blanket with him.

"You're cold," she said simply. "We're both sick and miserable, so we might as well be sick and miserable together."

"I'm too tired and weak to fight you on it," he replied.

"Good. Now move over," she ordered. He obliged, and she turned onto her left side to fit snugly against him. She felt his arm slide over her midsection after a moment as he held her against him. He stopped shivering after a while, but he was still coughing. Rita coughed too, but not like he did. She was worried he was getting pneumonia. Despite feeling like crap from the sickness, she felt swooping sensations inside at being held by him and being so close to him. They fell asleep together, but his coughing kept waking her up.

"Luke," she said when he choked and gagged after coughing this time. "I'm worried about you."

"It's fine," he dismissed, still coughing.

"You should go see a doctor."

"I'll live."

"I'm serious."

"So am I," he replied.

"At least prop yourself up a bit to help with the phlegm," she suggested. He groaned as he sat up and she propped his pillows under his back. He leaned against it afterwards, coughing still. He closed his eyes, his breath wheezing as it went in and out of his lungs.

"Stop staring at me," he said without looking at her.

"I don't want you to die on me," she said, and he opened his eyes again. "I mean, I know you're Cool Hand Luke and all, but please don't mess around with this."

"Alright," he said softly. "I'll get checked out soon."

"Thank you."

"Cool Hand Luke," he chuckled, coughing again. "Took you long enough to say it."

Rita moved to rest her head against his shoulder under his chin and put an arm around him. He ran his fingers over her skin on her arm, and she felt shivers that were not born from her fever. This was as close as she would ever get to him in this fashion because he'd never do this otherwise. It made her feel a bit heartbroken.

...

Luke was not feeling well at all. If he was honest, he was a little scared. His coughing intensified, and at times he felt like he couldn't breathe. Rita never left his side all day aside from getting fluids and using the washroom. Luke felt weak and like he was fading.

"You're so cold," Rita said at the end of the day. "Luke, I really think you're sick with something else."

She looked at him while he wheezed, and he knew she was right.

"When your dad gets home," he said, "I'll have him take me in. I promise."

"Okay."

He looked at her in the fading daytime light and noticed that even when sick, she still looked beautiful. Having her lay on his chest all day was the best thing he'd ever experienced. He wished he could tell her that.

They heard Lance coming home, so she had to leave. He waited and listened as she greeted Lance and explained his condition. Lance was in his room moments later.

"You alright, son?" he asked, concerned.

"Not really," Luke answered, coughing.

"Bloody hell," Lance said. "You sound like you've got pneumonia."

"Great."

"Come on," Lance urged, going over to help him out of bed. "Let's get you to a hospital."

"Okay."

"Call Lucy now and have her call you for check ins," Lance instructed Rita as he helped Luke to the door. "If you get worse, have her take you to the hospital too. I don't know how long I'll be."

"I'll be okay," Rita promised. "I'm nowhere near as bad as Luke is."

"Yea, he's pretty bad," Lance agreed. Luke felt a hand on his shoulder, and he looked to see her standing next to him.

"You're gonna be okay," she said to him. "Come home."

Luke barely heard her. He felt ready to pass out. He managed to get to the car, but then the next thing he remembered was waking up in the hospital.

...

Rita was almost at her wit's end days later when Luke finally came home. She'd recovered slowly in that time and was on her feet. When he came through the door, she threw herself against him.

"Oh," Luke grunted, surprised. Lance said nothing as he hung up his coat.

"You scared the shit out of me," she told him, pulling back to look at him.

"I'm sorry."

"He's up and running again," Lance said, walking past them. Luke firmly moved Rita back from him to avoid Lance thinking there was something going on between them.

"Was it pneumonia?"

"Yea. Bacterial pneumonia. Lucky we got him there when we did. His lungs were quite full. He's all sorted out and has his meds to take. He'll be tip top in a few weeks," Lance answered.

"Lots of bed rest," Rita commented.

"Unfortunately," Luke said with a sigh. She knew he was always on the go and preferred it that way. She watched him head for his room to get settled.

"Don't worry about him," Lance told her when Luke was gone. "He's tough as hell."

"I know."

"You feeling up to school tomorrow?"

"No," she lied. She wanted to be here with Luke to really make sure he was okay. Lance studied her for a moment before nodding slowly.

"Alright. One more day, but then you have to go back."

"Okay."

It was a quiet evening with just her and Lance. It felt like the old days before Luke had come along but not quite. Rita felt more and more lately that she didn't know what to say to her father. She wondered if that was normal for a teenage girl to not know what to talk to her father about. She also felt slight resentment towards him for making her promise to not be with Luke the way she wanted to be. She didn't understand why, and she didn't want to ask him. In the past, it only just aggravated him.

She went to bed early, and she heard him rattling around with things until almost midnight. Eventually, she fell asleep.

When morning came, she said goodbye to her father and feigned going back to her room before he left. Once she was gone, she went to Luke's room.

He was sleeping, so she just stood and watched for a while. Knowing he was going to be okay was a huge relief. She didn't want to disturb him, so after a bit, she went to the living room to read with Copper curled up on her feet. Less than an hour later, she heard him walking out and looked up when he appeared.

"Hey," he said.

"How are you?" she asked, lowering her book. Copper rushed to nuzzle his hand affectionately, licking his fingers. Luke rubbed his head absently.

"Better, thanks," he answered. "You hungry?"

"No."

"Me either. Lack of appetite is apparently a thing with pneumonia," he sighed. He sat down on the couch next to the arm chair she was curled up in. She itched to join him.

"I'm glad you're okay," she said softly. He smiled.

"Me too." He was quiet for a moment before speaking again. "You were clearly able to go to school today. Why stay home?" He was looking so intently at her that she almost forgot how to talk.

"I just...I had to make sure you were alright," she answered truthfully. She watched him digest this answer. His eyes never left hers.

"Rita," he said finally. "We can't."

"I know," she whispered. His eyes held a sadness in them now that made her ache inside. Knocking at the door made him turn his head to look towards it. When he answered it, a voice made Rita cringe inside.

Lisa.

She watched as the red-haired woman followed Luke to the kitchen, barely giving Rita a glance. Luke's voice was low as he talked, and Lisa would reply every so often. Rita gave up trying to read and carefully went to look into the kitchen. She caught them sharing what looked like a tender kiss, and it broke her heart. She left without a sound to her room and shut the door behind her. Then she allowed herself to cry.

Three Weeks Later

Keira was spending the night with the Vrataskis since Lucy was going to visit her sister to attend a funeral with her. She typically spent quite a bit of time over there when she wasn't with friends or at school. Rita knew Keira still had a crush on Luke, which she found cute and sweet. She found it sweeter that Luke would give her extra attention and let her jump on his back for a ride at times. He was always careful about it, though. Rita loved that respectful side of him so much.

"Geez, kid," he was saying now as she hung off his neck like a monkey. "You're getting a little bit big for this."

"I'm only nine," Keira insisted.

"Only nine," he said in an exaggerated voice. "Only nine, she says."

"Don't hurt him," Rita said to her.

"I'm not," Keira said. Then she looked up at Luke. "Am I?"

"Not yet," he answered. In a quick motion, he had her upside down and laughing before he dumped her on the couch. "How about we settle down for the night and watch a movie or something?"

"Okay!" Keira rolled herself upright quickly. Copper trotted over and jumped up beside her, and she grabbed him around the neck and cuddled him close. He licked her face all over in return.

"Snick, snack, snorrel?" Luke asked, looking at Keira.

"Yes!" she exclaimed.

"Oh boy," Rita said, rolling her eyes. The Sword in the Stone was Keira's favorite movie. Rita could almost recite the whole thing from memory, that's how many times she'd seen it. It didn't help that Luke would randomly come up behind her and practically bellow "Alakazam!" into her ear to make her jump in fright. He found it hilarious despite her whacking him in return and then chasing him away.

Tonight, though, as Rita watched the movie tucked to the right of Keira while Luke was on the left, one scene struck her to the core way harder than she thought it could, and why it hadn't hit her before was a mystery. A lump formed in her throat as the girl squirrel cried at the loss of a boy she loved and could not have. When she turned her head slightly to look at Luke, she found him already watching her.

"Excuse me," she said, patting Keira's leg and getting up. "Washroom break."

"We can pause it," Keira offered.

"It's okay, sweet pea," Rita said with a forced smile. "I already know what happens next." She felt Luke's eyes on her as she walked away, and once she closed the bathroom door, she rested her back against it and slid to the floor, hugging her knees tight to her chest. She felt so stupid, crying because of a cartoon squirrel, but it had just unearthed feelings that she spent a lot of time stuffing down. The more time Luke spent with Lisa, the more she knew he'd fall in love with her, sleep with her, possibly marry her, and then leave Rita behind.

Lisa. Rita hated Lisa. That awful woman had been over yesterday and mauled and kissed Luke constantly whenever Rita was in the room. Lisa knew that Rita liked Luke; it really had been obvious, which Rita hated herself for letting it get noticed. She couldn't help it that her face went red whenever Luke touched her, and the first time it had happened, Lisa had cornered her and told her to back off. Lisa was two years older than Rita, and she made sure Rita didn't forget it.

She wiped at her eyes with her sleeve, determined to get a grip. She just had to keep her space from Luke for now. She couldn't keep torturing herself with this. It was time to move on. She wasn't going to get a boyfriend at high school anyway. Devon had pretty much railed on about how much of a tease she was that most guys just ignored her now. She didn't care. She figured she'd meet someone more mature in college or university. If she could even get over Luke.

She stood up and checked herself in the mirror. Then she rejoined Keira, sitting down and smiling when Keira moved to lean on her chest. She looked at Luke over the girl's head.

You okay? he mouthed.

She nodded, giving another fake smile and turning back to the TV. Lance had joined them at this point, commenting on King Arthur facts as always. Her father always loved the King Arthur stories. His full name was Lancelot after all.

When Keira went to sleep on Rita's bed, Rita curled up in her sleeping bag on the floor next to it. After fending off Copper's nose and tongue and shooing him back out the door, she tried to fall asleep.

Tomorrow was a new day.

...

Lance missed the old days. He remembered how he and Rita would play hide and seek tag or Midnight Monster, how much she'd laugh until she couldn't breathe from his antics. Now, she seemed withdrawn and sad. He suspected it had something to do with Luke. He was keeping an eye on the boy, and he was keeping his promise of staying away from her. He was even dating someone. Lance felt relieved at this. He just didn't want Rita to fall in love with an assassin. He didn't want that for her.

Luke was wavering, though. Lance could see that the boy was trying to figure out his path, and he honestly didn't know what route Luke would take.

He sipped his whiskey in the dark, sitting at the kitchen table. He missed Carol. He missed Rosie. He just felt so damn lonely despite not being alone. It was an ache that he figured would never go away.

1997—September

Montana, U.S.

Luke opened his left eye after firing the shot. The sound had cracked through the air and echoed long after, and it had been satisfying. He was practising his sniper skills, which was one of his strengths. He hadn't killed anyone since he was 16. Now that he was 20, Lance had mentioned him needing a "commander" that Luke could report to. He claimed Luke had learned all he could offer, and he would need a handler, someone to assign him jobs. What Luke still struggled with, though, was if he actually wanted to move forward with this. It was still something he mentally played tug of war with. He knew he had to tell Lance soon, especially since Lance was off talking to a former friend of his in Virginia about possibly being Luke's handler. He knew he had the choice to say no even if this guy said yes, though.

Luke pushed himself up off his stomach and surveyed the target with his binoculars. The distance of his targets was getting farther and farther away. Thankfully, both Kenny and Lucy knew he was training for the "military," so they never commented on the gunfire that came from the farm, not that it was a lot or all the time. He knew they were curious as to why he hadn't signed up yet, but Kenny did know he was a bit torn on what he wanted to do, so he didn't ask questions.

He heard her car coming up the driveway, and he moved to put away his rifle. Ever since she got her license, got a car, and had been able to drive alone, she and Bridget went everywhere together. She worked longer hours at the library and spent a lot of time doing schoolwork. It was her senior year, and she was planning on going to college or university after saving up some money for a year.

"Hey, Rita," he said as he walked out from behind the barn about five minutes later. His rifle was tucked away now. She was heading from the house to the barn, having changed into her overalls first. Her hair was past her shoulders now and dark brown. It was wavy and bounced when she walked.

"Hey," she said back. Luke felt a bit frustrated at how distant Rita had become with him. He understood why. He'd pushed her away for starters, and then she'd gotten embarrassed by him catching her drunk (he hadn't even told her what had occurred because he feared it would push her farther away). He ached inside at what she'd endured over the summer, but she wouldn't let him in or talk about it. His hand twitched at the memory of being around Trevor's throat, and he knew he'd gotten really close to doing something he'd regret that night. Rita had been the one to stop him in the end. She'd acted like nothing happened afterwards, that Trevor hadn't almost done the unthinkable to her, which drove him crazy. He knew what happened had really hurt her, and he hated that he hadn't been able to stop it from happening. He hated that she hadn't done anything about it, but he had to accept her decision.

"Good day?" he asked.

"Yes."

He nodded, and she gave a swift smile before disappearing inside to get ready for a ride on Willow. Hank was out in the field with her, trotting alongside her. Luke usually got followed around by the donkey while doing chores if Hank wasn't in the pen with Willow. That donkey was an interesting creature and definitely enjoyed being mischievous. More than once Luke had to chase him to get something out of his mouth or clean up a mess he'd made. Copper was no help either. The dog would wind the donkey up, and then the two of them would get into a bit of a fight, which Luke would have to break up, causing him to scold the both of them and get sad or blank looks back in return.

Luke watched Rita go out to greet Willow and felt a bit sad inside. He'd ended things with Lisa almost two months after his spell with pneumonia, and he knew Rita didn't remember her part in leading up to the break up. He wasn't about to tell her and make her feel bad either, not now anyway. He wished she would just talk to him again. He missed her.

While she rode, he busied himself with bringing in the wood.

...

Rita finished her ride and saw Luke working on the wood. She knew she should help him, but being close to him was hard for her ever since she'd seen him kiss Lisa and had the broad rub it in her face constantly every chance she got. Even when they broke up, she'd kept back from him because it was too painful to be that close and not have the relationship with him that she wanted. She also still felt embarrassed for him catching her drunk a few nights after Keira had been there and she'd been emotional over that damn cartoon squirrel, and she worried that she'd said something to him during that experience that led him to breaking up with Lisa. She couldn't remember, but if she had said something, he never let on.

Then there was the incident with Trevor. Rita hated thinking about it, and she pushed it into the deepest part of her memory to avoid thinking about it. It had been the lowest of the low what Trevor had done, and Rita felt sick inside at what had almost happened. She thanked her training from Luke for being able to escape, and she knew Luke was furious about what happened and wanted her to do something about it or at least talk about it, but she didn't want to, not even with her therapist. She wanted to just forget it. She also wanted to forget the rage in Luke's eyes when he'd just about strangled Trevor to death for doing it, but it was hard. She knew that rage stemmed from caring about her, but it had still slightly scared her in that moment when she'd grabbed his wrist to stop him. She knew he was capable of killing someone after all.

Without a word, she started to help him. Luke was loading his faster, which made her feel annoyed somehow. She couldn't match his speed no matter what she did.

A chipmunk began telling her off, and she took a step back.

"What?" Luke asked, noticing.

"I think I'm demolishing its home," Rita answered, peering at the wood pile. Indeed, there was evidence that something was living and eating there.

"It is what it is," Luke said, throwing another piece on his stacked wheelbarrow.

"You'd be really upset if your home was demolished too," she told him. A shadow went over his face at this, and Rita suddenly realized that in a way, his home had been demolished.

"You're right," he said before she could apologize. He picked up his wheelbarrow and pushed it towards the house. Rita looked around to see if she could re-home the chipmunk somehow. There weren't a lot of options. It was starting to bother her as she brought her wood to the house too. She didn't know why.

...

Luke could see it was bugging Rita to put a rodent out on the street, so to speak. Something about this simple problem made him smile when she couldn't see him. It's what he loved about her: Her empathy for the small things no one else would spend time thinking about. He was glad that part of her was still there after everything. He kept working and watching her fret over it. When they were finished and she had to go inside to start dinner, he took the smaller pieces of wood that were rotten and put them back on the skid in a stacked fashion. It was enough for at least one of the buggers to live in. He gathered up the nesting remains from the wood he'd removed and stuffed it in the cracks. It was up to the damn chipmunk now if it wanted to live in it or not.

"What are you doing?" Rita asked, catching him in the act. He stopped mid-stuff and turned his head to look at her.

"Nothing," he answered. She crossed her arms and lifted a brow.

"Really? Cos it looks like you're making a home for the chipmunk," she pointed out.

"Why would I do that?" he asked.

"Because you care about it," she answered.

"I don't really give a toss about a rodent," he replied. He saw her cheeks start to blush a little, but he kept his expression neutral. He didn't want to scare her off again. This was the first time in a while they'd been this normal around each other.

"I see," she said, clearing her throat. "Um, anyway...I just wondered what you felt like tonight for dinner. I can do rice or potatoes."

"Rice is nice," he answered.

"Ugh, you sound like my father," she said, rolling her eyes. "Alright. It'll be ready in an hour." She started to walk back to the house.

"Okay." He turned his head back to what he was doing.

"And Luke?" she said, making him look at her once more.

"Yea?"

"Thank you."

He just nodded, and she turned away again and was gone within moments. He finished up and went to the shed to tidy up. Before going inside, he looked over and saw the chipmunk disappear into the small pile of wood.

He smiled to himself.

...

Rita felt flushed inside as she cooked. The entire exchange with Luke outside had made her feel things again, and his admitting he re-homed a chipmunk for her made her realize that he still had feelings for her. Why had she wasted all this time convincing herself he didn't? Why had she thought she could eliminate her feelings for him? She didn't want to think about it anymore. She watched him come inside and bang the dirt off his boots while taking off his coat. Her father was away for a few days. He'd claimed that an old war friend of his needed help over in Virginia. She wasn't sure if she believed him, but what else would he be doing? He'd never remarried or even dated another woman.

"Smells good," Luke commented, coming into the kitchen. He tried to steal a piece of cheese she was cutting, and she elbowed his chest to stop him.

"Get your dirty muckers out of it," she ordered. He laughed and obliged, going to wash his hands. She felt butterflies inside suddenly and swallowed them down. They'd spent many evenings together in the last while without this happening. Why was she feeling this way again all of a sudden?

Luke came back and helped set the table. They had a rhythm together when her father wasn't home for dinner. This was the first time they were alone for a few days, though. She was surprised her father trusted them to do it. She figured he'd noticed she kept to herself for the last while and thought perhaps she was over her crush on Luke. Thankfully, Lance hadn't commented on it. She knew he had enjoyed spending more time with her in the interim. They still ran together every morning, and he'd always race her at the end. She was pretty sure he let her win at times, but she did her victory dance all the same anyway.

Once they were eating, Rita did her best to keep her eyes on her plate or off to the right. She could feel Luke watching her every so often, and she wished he wouldn't. She knew he had to wonder what had happened to their friendship, but she knew he blamed the whole Trevor incident for the majority of it. Tonight was the first time in a while that they'd been normal around each other, and she found she had really missed it. The only problem was that she couldn't stop feeling nervous; she had no idea why she was even nervous.

"Are you-?" he started.

"I'm gonna-," she said at the same time. She laughed nervously. "Sorry, go ahead."

"No, you go," he insisted.

"Oh, I just was saying I'm gonna be out in the barn for a bit tonight moving some hay around for Willow and Hank," Rita said.

"Need help?"

"No, I'm good." She waited for him to finish what he was going to ask her, but he was just looking at her carefully, which unnerved her. It was like he was reading her mind.

"Are you okay?" he asked eventually. She wondered if that was his original question.

"I'm good," she answered. "Just tired. Lots of schoolwork."

"Must feel good to be in your last year."

"Yea. It'll be weird not having to go to school every day, but that's what college is for," she said, giving a small chuckle.

"You figure out what you wanna do?"

"I think I want to be a teacher," she answered.

"You'd make an excellent teacher," he said, giving her his crooked smile. She cleared her throat and nodded back. Then she got up and put her plate in the sink after rinsing it off.

"I can do dishes," he offered.

"Okay."

She moved to pull off her sweatshirt, her shirt underneath riding up as she did so. She jolted when she felt Luke's fingers pushing her shirt up.

"What is this?" he asked. She recoiled, but not fast enough so he couldn't see his name tattooed on her side. "Rita?"

"Nothing," she answered quickly, blushing.

"My name is on your skin," he said. "That's not nothing."

"It was just a stupid dare, that's all."

"A dare?"

"Bridget and I were out in town, and she dared me to get a tattoo."

"So you decided my name was the best choice for one?"

"It wasn't just getting a tattoo that was the dare," she corrected, looking away from him.

"Rita..."

She felt embarrassed. He wasn't ever supposed to see it. She hugged herself, cursing Bridget mentally. Her friend had dared her to get a tattoo of something shocking, and what more shocking than putting her secret crush's name on her body?

"I'm sorry," she said, feeling stupid.

"How did you even get one underage?"

"Don't ask," Rita said.

"You don't have a fake I.D.," he said, alarmed. "Do you?"

"I said don't ask," she repeated, and he scoffed. She could tell he was slightly annoyed that she had one. Bridget had made them up, but Rita didn't use it for anything except that tattoo. The guy honestly hadn't even cared, which was surprising.

"Can I see it?" he asked, surprising her. "Properly?"

She felt her heart pound a little faster. It was on her right side along the edge of her rib cage on an angle towards her chest. She lifted her shirt and felt herself tremble as he stepped in to look. She inhaled sharply when he touched it, tracing it lightly with his finger.

"How could you have picked something that describes me so well?" he asked, looking at her. She was frozen, wondering where this moment could go. She was feeling like she wanted to just tell him the truth about how she felt and see what happened, but she just couldn't do it.

"I just know you well," she replied finally.

"Hm," he said, his eyes searching hers. She swallowed. Then he took his hand back and went to find the dish rag. The moment was over. She dropped her shirt and tried to get her wits back about her. Then, she put the leftovers away and made her way to the barn.

...

Lance wiped his mouth with a napkin as he laughed at Dennis Boyle's joke. The man was definitely funny. He just knew he would be a good match for Luke.

"So, tell me about this kid," Dennis said once he calmed down.

"He's fast. He's smart. He's eager," Lance replied. "He needs someone to give him work."

"You don't wanna do that?"

"No, I do not. I'm out of the game, remember?"

"Vividly, Harry. In fact, you're dead, right?"

"Right."

Lance looked at Dennis, who was smiling at him. Dennis had helped him get to Montana after the shit had hit the fan. Lance owed Dennis his life. He figured handing over a newly primed assassin on top of his game would suffice a little.

"I'll pick him up," Dennis agreed, resting his head back against his hands. "If you trained him, he'll be good."

"His mother started training him long before I got him."

"Who's his momma?"

"Jess Wright. Johnny Wright's wife."

"Holyyy shit," Dennis said with a whistle. "He's got good genes."

"He won't disappoint," Lance confirmed with a smile. He felt a slight odd sensation inside, knowing that he was proud of a boy who could kill someone with his bare hands if needed. Then his mind flicked over to the fact this same boy, who cared a lot about his daughter and was freshly single, was home alone with his daughter, who had a crush on him.

Hmmm.

"Another?" Dennis asked.

"Sure, why not?" Lance countered. They signaled the waitress and ordered another round of drinks. Lance didn't get out often outside of Kenny's front porch, and when he did, he liked to live it up a little. There was plenty of time to be home and miserable. Then he remembered something.

"You talked to her a few years ago," he said. "Jess. She came to you in order to find me."

"She did?" Dennis asked, his brow furrowed.

"Yes," Lance said, looking at him with an odd expression now. "She said you helped her find me. I was always gonna give you hell for that."

Dennis was looking at him funny now. Lance felt his mouth go dry.

"I've never told a soul how to find you," Dennis said to him after a moment. "She lied to you, Harry." This had Lance on instant alert. If Jess had found him a different way, then that meant someone else knew where he was. If someone else knew where he was, then he wasn't as safe as he thought. He swore softly, rubbing a hand over his face.

"If they haven't come for you by now, I think it's safe to say they won't," Dennis assured him. "Maybe she just got lucky and found you on her own."

"I always did say I liked the mountains," Lance agreed. "She would have remembered that."

"You've also stayed in one place too long," Dennis added. "Not so smart when you've got highly trained assassins looking for you."

"I guess not."

"Relax," Dennis said, leaning back in his chair. "Like I said, if they haven't come for you by now, you're probably fine."

"I don't like probably," Lance muttered.

"I'm sure you've got a safety plan in place, right?"

"Yea."

"Then you'll be fine. I'll let you know if I hear any chatter, and so far I haven't."

"Okay."

Dennis smiled and took another drink. Lance did his best not to worry whether or not his home was going to be burned.

...

Luke dried his hands off after washing the dishes and reached for the towel to dry them next. He stood looking out through the dark window. He could see the outside light on but not much else. Every now and then Rita's shape would walk back and forth in the glow. He thought about her nervousness and avoiding eye contact with him tonight. He thought about his name on her skin and what that made him feel inside. He thought about how her skin had felt under his fingers. This whole not being able to tell her how he felt about her was starting to really get to him. With her finally being a bit normal with him again, he contemplated on going out there and confessing he loved her. He gave himself a mental shake. He had to think about something else. She was off limits. He didn't fancy Lance murdering him. He had to move on from it. He was 20. She wasn't legally an adult yet, not that he'd do anything that required her to be an adult. He knew where she stood on that stuff, and he loved her more for wanting to wait for that with someone. Still, he had to let it go, despite knowing what he knew and how much he ached to tell her he did too.

He could hear the slight rumble of thunder in the distance, and he knew how antsy Willow got with storms. He knew Rita could handle her, though. Copper, who was lying on his bed by the door, suddenly flipped upright and got to his feet, hackles raised and growling.

"What's with you?" Luke asked, looking at him. Copper growled again, going to the screen door and looking out. Curious, Luke decided to go have a look outside, but he kept Copper inside so as not to have to go chasing him around in the dark.

...

Rita was feeling the pain in her back as she threw the hay bale up on top of the others. Doing this after doing firewood was apparently not the greatest idea. She knew she'd really feel it tomorrow. She wiped the back of her arm across her face, trying to soak up the sweat. Willow was wandering around outside in the background near the door, waiting to come in and join the other animals, and Rita smiled at her as she pranced around and tossed her head suddenly.

"Alright, come on in," she said, leaning her pitchfork against the outside wall and opening the door. Willow wandered around the barn, not ready to go into her stall yet. Hank made an anxious noise next when thunder rumbled.

"Great," she sighed. Another storm. It seemed like there was always one happening these days with the weather changing from warm to cool. She went outside to see how far away the storm was when she heard the door creak open and turned to see Luke standing on the porch, illuminated by the light. He didn't say anything, and she felt the familiar warmth inside of her spread as she took in his features despite trying not to. She forced herself to look away, to stop remembering how it felt to have him touch her bare skin, and not long after, she heard the door again, which indicated he'd gone back inside. Copper barked.

"What?" Luke's voice was saying. "There's nothing out there. It's just Rita, you goon."

Willow and Hank were acting really antsy now, as were the goats, and Rita frowned. It seemed more than just usual nervousness of storms.

She had a strange feeling and grabbed the flashlight, deciding to look. She walked out a bit from the barn to shine the light out into the darkness. She froze when a pair of eyes looked back at her.

"Oh, shit. Shit! Shit, shit, shit." She kept chanting this as she slowly backed away from the animal, which had started slowly walking towards her. Rita had never seen a mountain lion up close, and she wished she wasn't in this moment. She backed into the side of the barn, cracking her head against it slightly and losing grip of her flashlight. It hit the ground with a thud. Under the low outside light from the barn, she grappled for the pitchfork, which was just out of arm's reach. She stood there watching the big cat as its tail twitched, eyes never leaving her. Copper was howling up a storm inside now. She wasn't sure she'd have time to lunge for her weapon.

"Nice kitty," she said quietly. "Good kitty. Just stay where you are..." She inched closer to the pitchfork, her heart hammering. Why was this cat here? Her brain was having trouble understanding it. She was less than two feet from the pitchfork when the cat lunged at her. She screamed, diving for the pitchfork and managing to grab it. She spun onto her back just as the cat came down on her, and she rammed the handle of the pitchfork into its mouth before it could latch onto her neck. Rita gasped and cried out in pain as its claws sank into her left shoulder. She kneed it hard once, twice. She managed to get her foot positioned to kick it off while barely dodging another swipe from its paw, but it was too heavy. She screamed again when it bore down on her, her pitchfork threatening to snap in half.

Willow was shrieking and bellowing, and Rita watched in amazement as her mother's horse charged at the cat and brought her front legs swinging towards the cat's head. The cat yowled and roared as the hooves clipped it and knocked it loose off of Rita.

Her arm and shoulder were killing her as she struggled to her feet, wielding the pitchfork in front of her. She could still hear Copper barking and howling.

"Rita!" Luke's voice shouted, his running steps echoing in the night air alongside the commotion the horse and the cat were making. She barely heard him. She was too shocked as she watched Willow and the mountain lion engaged in a battle. It seemed her horse was losing the battle.

"NOOOO!" she screamed as the cat managed to get onto Willow's back, slashing at Willow's body rapidly. Willow jumped and bucked, but the cat held on. Lightning flashed, and the gunshot from her left milliseconds after it made her jump in fright. She saw Luke aiming the shotgun in the direction of the cat. Unfortunately, because of all the movement, he missed, and the cat managed to get Willow down on the ground, its jaws around her throat while still slashing. Rita was sobbing, and Luke stepped forward, taking aim again. He fired, and the blast skimmed across the cat's back. It screamed and howled, tearing off into the darkness while he fired another shot after it. More lightning showed the field was empty again. Rita was already running towards Willow, ignoring Luke's shouts to stay back.

"Willow!" she cried, skidding onto her knees as she landed next to the horse, whose legs were jerking and thrashing a little as she lay on the ground. Her breathing was ragged and wheezing, and Rita knew she was going to lose her first best friend that day.

"Willow," she said again, grasping the horse's head and pressing her face into it, fingers stroking the muzzle gently. "It's okay, Willow. It's okay." She didn't know why she was saying it was okay. It was clearly not okay. Rain started to fall, and she cried as she listened to Willow's labored breathing and whimpers when it wasn't thundering.

"Rita," Luke said, his hand on her shoulder suddenly. She cried out in pain, and he looked harder at her. "Are you hurt? Rita..." He moved her coat to see the wound and inhaled sharply.

"I'm fine," she insisted.

"No, you're not." He tried to look at the rest of it, but she stopped him.

"Don't," she said, pushing his hand back. "I'm fine. Luke, please don't kill her."

"Rita, I'm sorry. I have to."

"No," she said back through her tears.

"She's buggered up bad, Rita," he went on, kneeling next to her. "She's suffering. I can't leave her suffering."

"No," Rita said again. She hated having him see her cry. She hated that she was losing one of her last links to her mother. She hated that damn mountain lion with all her being.

"Rita," Luke said, more gently this time. "I have to." His hand moved to hold her head, his thumb smoothing her cheek softly.

Willow was clearly struggling. Rita knew this. She knew she couldn't let her best friend suffer any longer. Luke was right as much as she didn't want him to be. She pulled away from him and bent closer to her friend, resting her hands on the side of Willow's face and her snout.

"You did good, Willow," she said, tears sliding off her face and landing on Willow's muzzle. "You did good. Mum would be proud. You're my best friend, and you saved my life. I will never, ever forget you my beautiful girl." She could feel the air from Willow's nostrils against her neck. It was ragged and labored.

"I love you so much," Rita said, kissing Willow's muzzle. "Go be with Mum now. Okay? Go find Mum. She's waiting for you. I'll see you again. I promise. I'll find you." Rita smoothed her hand over Willow's mane and looked into her eyes. She knew her friend understood.

"Rita," Luke said again, more urgently this time.

"I know," she said, forcing herself to release Willow and stand up. Her legs were shaking. Her shoulder was aching. Her arm was aching. She was covered in blood, both hers and Willow's. She looked at Luke, who wore an unreadable expression, but she detected some sadness in his eyes.

"Don't watch," he told her. She clenched her jaw tight. If she was braver, she'd do it herself, but she wasn't. Instead, she behaved like a coward and started to walk towards the house while the rain beat down on her, mixing with her tears. The gunshot went off not long after, and she pressed a hand to her mouth to muffle her cries as she started to run.

...

Luke knew he had to bury Willow, but he also knew that Rita's wounds needed to be tended to, and he put her health and safety first and foremost. He knew Lance would be furious if he didn't. After all, he'd left and trusted Luke to watch out for his daughter. He did wrap a tarp around Willow first. He hoped the mountain lion wouldn't come back before he got a chance to bury her. He was pretty sure he'd put the fear of God in that cat when he grazed it, though. He cursed himself for missing the kill shot.

"Rita?" he said, coming inside the house. He was soaked clean through. He kicked his boots off and followed the water on the floor to the bathroom. Copper was running back and forth frantically, whining and barking. He wished he'd gone out sooner when the dog had started to act up.

"It's okay, boy," he said. "Go lie down." Copper ignored him, though, and ran back to the bathroom. He could hear Rita crying first before he saw her through the doorway. She was sitting on the edge of the tub, rocking back and forth. Copper was pressed against her legs with his head on her knees.

"Rita," he said again, and she looked at him without seeing him. He swallowed. He knew she was really hurting right now, but he needed to make sure she didn't get an infection from her wound or bleed out. He stepped closer to her slowly.

"I can't believe I missed it," she said, looking through him almost. He knew she was visualizing what had happened.

"They're sneaky bastards," he told her, examining the claw marks on her jacket. They looked bad, but he couldn't see just how bad until he got the jacket off her. He knew he probably had to take her to the hospital.

"She was my second last link to Mum," Rita said tearfully, finally seeing him. "All I got left is Hank." He knelt down in front of her, resting a hand on her knee and nudging Copper aside a little. The dog refused to be pushed away and pressed his head into Rita's side instead.

"You still have your dad," he reminded her.

"Yea," she said. "That's true."

"I need to look at this," he said calmly, tapping her arm next to the wound gently.

"I need to bury her," Rita countered, standing up and knocking Copper back. Luke stood up quickly as well and stopped her.

"I'll do it later," he promised. "Right now I need to make sure you're okay."

"I'm fine," she said, her voice tight. She went to push past him when he wrestled her back in front of him. "Luke!"

He was already pulling off her jacket, and just as he figured, her wound was deep. He moved to get bandages to stop the bleeding until he could get her looked after.

"I'm fine!" she said again, louder this time.

"Stand still," he ordered, getting the gauze ready. She punched him with her good hand in the chest, hard. He grunted in surprise and caught her by the wrist before she could punch him again. "Rita."

"Let me go!"

"Rita, stop," he said firmly, catching her other wrist before she could punch him in the face next. She broke down, falling to her knees slowly, and he went down with her. She dropped her head against his chest, and he released her wrists and slid his arms around her to hold her close, her blood mixing with the rain water on his clothes. After a minute, she stopped crying. Copper was whining and snuffling at her head, trying to lick her.

"Stop it," Luke said, shooing him away.

"I'm not going anywhere until she's buried," she told him. "I'll be damned if that cat gets a meal out of her while I'm gone."

"I can't do it by myself," he said.

"I'll help..."

"No," he said firmly.

"Luke, we can't leave her out there like that!"

"Rita, I can't move her by myself. I could barely lift her to get the tarp around her."

She started to cry again and shake, but he knew it was her body going into shock. They had to go now.

"I'm sorry," he said, feeling a little emotional himself. He knew how important Willow was to her.

"Call Kenny," she said. "Get him to come and keep watch."

"Alright."

It was the least he could do. He wrapped her shoulder and arm tightly, hoping it would keep the bleeding to a minimal so he could take her in. She said nothing, and he had to keep looking at her face to make sure she was still with him. He went to make the call and got the response that Kenny would be there shortly. He went back to Rita.

"Kenny's coming," he said. "Come on. We're going." She stumbled as she stood to walk with him to the car, so he scooped her up into his arms. He managed to get his boots back on, keep Copper from going outside with them, and carried her to her car. He set her down in the backseat and was glad she had kept her boots on.

"Hang on," he said to her, getting into the driver's seat. They were roughly half an hour from the hospital. He put his foot down hard on the gas and hoped they'd get there in half that time.

...

Rita opened her eyes and felt woozy. She turned her head to see Luke sitting next to her, watching.

"Hey," he said softly.

"Where am I?" she asked.

"In the hospital. You're all stitched up," he answered. She looked at her shoulder and arm and saw it all wrapped up in a sling.

"How bad was it?" she asked. Her tongue felt heavy in her mouth. The pain killers were definitely working.

"You got lucky," he answered. "You were inches away from having important pieces of your arm and shoulder ripped apart. They said it'll heal up and you'll be fine."

She said nothing as she gave a slight nod. She could hear the beeping from the monitor next to her. She closed her eyes but opened them again when she felt his hand curl around hers.

"You scared me," he said.

"Now you know how it feels," she replied, referring to a few other close calls he'd had himself.

"This isn't the first time you've scared me, Rita."

"Did you call Dad?" she asked, not wanting to relive those memories either right now.

"I tried. He's not available right now."

"Don't tell him. He'll just worry. I'm fine."

"He's your father. He deserves to know."

"Just...delay telling him then," she said, feeling tired again.

"Alright," he agreed. "Get some rest. I'm going to get a coffee." He stood, and she felt him kiss her forehead gently and squeeze her hand before moving away and leaving the room. It had felt nice. She fell asleep again in moments.

...

Luke held onto his coffee without drinking it as he took a moment in the cafeteria. Seeing her in the hospital bed hurt like that made him feel sick inside. He couldn't bear it. He people watched for a bit until he gave up on his coffee and tossed it. He went back to her room and found her sleeping again. He went to stand by her head and reached to shift her hair a little. He touched her face next, feeling her pulse under his fingers. He exhaled slowly. Almost losing her made him feel so panicked inside. She didn't stir, and he didn't know what possessed him to do what he did next, but he found himself leaning down and, light as a whisper, pressing his lips against hers. Afterwards, he held his face against hers for a moment before pulling himself back up. His heart was racing slightly, and he wished he could do that when she was conscious.

"I love you," he murmured, touching her cheek one last time. He knew the meds had really knocked her out because she normally woke to a pin dropping.

He sat back down in the chair and got settled, resting his fingertips against each other as he sat and watched her sleep. He would never leave her side, not so long as she needed him to be there.