Thanks for the reviews!
Here is another chapter, it's also a bit on the short side. Hope you guys still enjoy it!

Chapter eleven

Violet was sitting on her favourite spot on the balcony. She was staring in the distance, deep in thoughts. She suddenly felt someone taking place next to her. She looked up and saw Vinnie sitting next to her, looking at her. Talk about a deja vu.
"Hey you", Violet said with a sad smile.
Vinnie gave her a little smile back. "Hey yourself." He swallowed.
"Listen Vi, I've talked to Carbine and we've decided you can't come on a mission as long as you can't fire a gun. I'm really sorry, but it's too dangerous."

Violet eyes filled with tears. No, no, no, please don't cry, Vinnie thought. He was so not good in handling crying women. He patted Violet on the back, a little unhandy. Violet took a deep breath. "I understand", she said with an unsteady voice.
Vinnie glanced at her and stared at his hands. "When you are ready to talk, let me know. Maybe then we can try to solve this problem. Until then, you stay at the base." Violet said nothing, clearly struggling with herself.
Vinnie didn't know what to say to make her feel better. He stood up and walked to the door. Violet suddenly started talking.

"I grew up in a loving family", she began, and Vinnie sat down again.
"My parents loved each other very much, they were soulmates. I was their only child, so I was everything to them. You can imagine how spoiled I was." She smiled, but it vanished quickly. Vinnie took her hand, didn't say anything. He felt he just needed to let her talk. Sometimes listening was better than talking. What a wise words, where did he come up with that?
"Everything was perfect. Until the war started. My father was called in by the army. He was a very soft and gentle person, violence didn't exist in his world. And now he was forced to fight this horrible war, seeing all those terrible things. It destroyed him." Violet stared at the sky. Vinnie gave a little squeeze in her hand. "That must have been very hard."
Violet shook her head. "You have no idea. When he came back from his last mission, he was a different person. He was extremely paranoid and saw danger in every corner. He was convinced that my mother was working for the Plutarkians. That she was trying to kill him. My mother tried everything to convince him otherwise, but he refused to listen to her."
Violet sighed and prepared herself to tell the next part. Vinnie waited patiently, something he didn't know he had it in him. After a few minutes, Violet continued.
"One night, he came home late. He had been drinking the whole night, to ease his pain. But the alcohol only made his problems worse. I heard my parents fight, my father screaming at my mother that she was a traitor. My mother crying, trying to get this idea out of his head. And then… a gunshot…" Violet's voice broke and tears were streaming down over her face.
"I… I took the gun my mother had hidden in her closet. She had it just in case, to protect us if the Plutarkians came. I sneaked downstairs, to the living room, and saw my father pacing around the room and my… my mother… he'd killed her... "

Vinnie swallowed, feeling sorry for Violet and feeling his own pain. He embraced her in a tight hug. "I'm so sorry sweetheart", he whispered in her ear.
Violet buried her face in Vinnie's chest, crying the eyes out of her head. She never had allowed herself to grieve, to be so vulnerable. But somewhere, it gave a little relief. She trusted Vinnie. When the worst tears were gone, she continued.

"My father saw me, standing in the door opening with a gun in my hand. He used to call me little princess, before the war. Told me stories to get me to sleep. Helped me with my homework. He was that kind of dad, he was everything to me. But it was like he didn't remember all that anymore. Instead of princess, he called me a slut. I don't know why, maybe he was convinced that I've slept with everybody that came in my sight, but that was not true. We've tried to understand it, my mother and I, but there was nothing to understand. Nothing made sense in my father's head anymore. He had literally lost his mind."
Violet stared at Vinnie's bandoliers.
"When my father saw me, he pointed the gun at me. 'You're nothing but a slut', he said to me. I pointed my gun at him, begging him to stop. To come back. To be my father again. But didn't work. It had the opposite effect. He went ballistic, totally lost it. I…" Violet swallowed. "I shot him. I didn't have a choice. He was going to kill me."

Vinnie's heart broke when he heard her say these words. He also felt anger. That fucking war. It was destroying everything.
"There… there was so much blood. What happened after that, I can't remember. I was in shock. Apparently, my neighbour took me in. I've stayed there, to 'recover'." Violet said the last part sarcastically. "Like you ever recover from something like this. After the first shock was gone, the anger came. And here I am. Determined to kill the Plutarkians, who took away everything I loved. But apparently, I can't. I'm weak…"

Vinnie lifted her head up with his finger and looked into her beautiful, green eyes.
"You are not weak, Violet. You are very strong, not everybody who goes through all that survives. But you did not only survive, you want to fight back. You didn't gave up. I admire that", he said firmly.
Violet looked back into his ruby red eyes. She saw pain and guilt but also determination. "Thank you, Vinnie."
In a impuls, Vinnie pressed his lips against hers. Violet took a deep breath, but after a little hesitation, she kissed him back. It felt like coming home.
Suddenly, Vinnie's head became clear. He broke off the kiss. "I… I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that." Every time he gave in, he saw Charley and he remembered his promise. He couldn't make the same mistake again. NO LOVE, remember?! Dammit.
Violet took his hand. "Why are you fighting me, Vinnie?"
Vinnie closed his eyes, his chest tightened. So much grieve. So much guilt. So much sadness. It was all stuck inside him. He couldn't open up, not even to Violet. He refused to be vulnerable. And if that will cost him his relationship with Violet, so be it. It was his plan all along. Be alone the rest of your life. He shook his head.
"I can't do this, I'm sorry. Thanks for sharing your story, thanks for the trust. It's not that I don't trust you, but I… I can't tell you my story. I just can't. We will practice further with your shooting after the patrol tomorrow, okay?", he said with a voice thick of emotion.
He almost ran inside, leaving Violet behind, who was loss at words.

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