Do I really need to keep saying it? It's on page one. Look at it. Remember it.

A/N: Ok, I'm feeling like avoiding work. So here's the rest...just FYI…there are 4 chapters in this last part and they are all really short…that's why I'm posting them all at once!
Part III

III.1. Ray Is Imperfect Too

It had been a year since the soldiers had come to tell Neela her husband was dead. Not much had changed around the apartment, though. They each had their own trials and tribulations, but life basically just carried on. Neela was turning around on the couch, not staying still for more than a few seconds. Ray smiled as he watched her from the hallway.

"How 'bout you go to bed?" She looked up at him questioningly. He glanced at his watch. 18:24.12. "Okay, so maybe it's a little early for that…Food?" He walked over to the fridge.

"Eh…" She sat up.

"We've got some left over…eww, I don't know what that was…" He tossed the mystery food in the garbage. "Here are some peas. And we have some lettuce…and mustard…okay, we're going grocery shopping tomorrow! Sounds like take-out for tonight."

"Sure." She sounded distracted. "You know what I'd get." He smiled. She always gets the same thing. She returned to inspecting the scars on her thigh while he called the order in. As of today, they were a year old.

"Twenty minute!" he proclaimed, pulling out some plates in preparation. "Did you ever notice that no matter what you get or what takeout place it is, it's always 'twenty minute!'?" The room was silent. "Neela?"

"Mmm?"

"What are you doing?" he asked while walking over to the couch. He saw she had pulled her shorts up, revealing her scars—her right leg burned from her childhood, and the left striped from her self inflicted actions.

"Just looking." She quickly pulled her shorts back down. They were women's shorts though, so they didn't ever cover much of her leg, which was why didn't usually wear shorts around anyone. But as was the case for many things, he was an exception. He stood over her, leaning on the back of the couch. "Sit," she commanded. He walked around to the other side and dropped onto the couch. Deciding he'd rather recline he pulled his legs up too sliding them behind Neela's back. She didn't seem to mind, and remained seated, pushing him against the back of the couch so she had more room to sit. Her shorts had slid back up and he could see the marks on her left thigh. She had been temporarily mesmerized by something out the window and was not paying attention to him. The first time he touched her leg, she jumped. "Geez!"

"Sorry…" He was running his fingers over the scars, looking at them not as a doctor, but rather out of human curiosity. She watched him. It was oddly similar to when she had first seen his scars.

I wonder how that one of his healed up…

The buzz from the door startled both of them, but Neela leaned forward allowing Ray to get up and take care of it. He rolled his eyes and smiled at her. She smiled back.

There's nothing like a Vietnamese family running an Italian pizza place in the middle of Chicago…serving an American and a British Indian! The strange mixture of cultures amused her.

"C'mon up" he said pressing the button, unlocking the door for the delivery man. Looking over at the couch he saw her head bent back down, undoubtedly again looking at her wounds. He paid for the food and grabbing the plates he had gotten out earlier off the table, returned to the couch.

They ate in silence for a few minutes before one of them finally took the initiative to turn on the TV. It was an unusually interesting program on the Arctic, narrated mostly by music and not by any voice. It was rather soothing.

Ray finished eating, and noticed Neela had been so captivated by the program that she had stopped eating.

"Neela" he whispered, "don't forget to eat!" That broke her out of her trance and she smiled at him.

"Thanks" she added and poked him in the ribs.

"Just trying to help!"

"You're a smart ass."

"And that's why you love me!" he joked. That got him a smile too. He was pleased.

All jokes aside, you have no idea how true that statement is…She resumed eating, and he went back to looking at her leg. This time when he touched her, she didn't move, she just leaned back against his thighs behind her. He was totally enveloped in inspecting her wound, her voice startled him.

"Hey…" He jumped, and she smirked at him, and then got one in return. "How did that one of yours heal up? The most recent one…" He closed his eyes and exhaled loudly. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"How about we make sure you're really all better before we start talking about me, 'kay?" He didn't open his eyes.

"Ray…" She was concerned.

"Neela…" his automatic response somewhat mocking.

"I'm fine; I haven't done it in a year. We both know that. Why don't you want to show me…what'd you do?" He obviously did something, or else he wouldn't be so defensive.

I don't want to deal with this right now. Actually I don't ever want to deal with it. Why does her memory have to be so good? And why must she be so curious? These traits didn't really bother him, but frustration made him irrational.

"Talk to me Ray…" It was more of a warning than a comfort measure.

"No, Neela, I—" She turned herself on the couch and slid her fingers in the waist band of his pants. She didn't have to pull them down very far to get her answer.

"Ray!" she cut him off sharply, her eyes wide with shock. Then more softly, but just as urgent, "Ray?"

"They're nothing. I'm fine." He pulled her hand up, letting the waistline settle back where it had been.

"That is not fine Ray. Those were not there a year ago, in fact, they look like they weren't there two weeks ago." He sighed. "Open your eyes, Ray, look at me!" He looked at her. "What happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it right now, Neela." He sounded resigned, knowing he was going to lose this battle, but still wanting to put up a fight.

"Well, you're going to." She shifted her gaze from his face back to his waistline, and pulled down the elastic again. "We can do this the hard way, and I'll keep asking you questions until I think I have the story straight, or you can just tell me and get it over with." He clenched his jaw. "Talk to me Ray…"