Authoress Note: Story takes place in the future. Some event changes will be explained in thoughts and all that jazz, so if you get confused, I apologize ahead xD

Authoress Extra Note: Stupid space bar is still glitchy glitchy, so again, I apologize for any meshing words I miss out on. And I think I can now say that this will be about one more chapter long after this one. I really wasn't intending on making this story longer than three, but my creative fairy went crazy on me, so now it'll probably end by chapter five... Maybe... :P

Thankies very much, once again,to cedricsowner, veniceiet, niagaraweasel, and Englishrose2011! Your reviews fueled me to continue and actually stick with the story instead of fully dropping it... Yaaay!

August 1st, 2014

"That wasn't smart of you. I hope you realize that, hun."

Ames winced, staring at the burn on her shoulder. She was lucky it wasn't severe and that the explosion hadn't been any closer. One thing was for sure; she was no pyromaniac like Brody. She'd leave the explosions and large fires to him or someone more capable than herself. She lightly touched her arm as the older woman before her lightly worked at her applying the soothing, pain numbing, ointment.

She was an attractive woman; long blonde hair, blue-green eyes, a kind smile... And Silas's wife and mother of two children; twins. Twins who were currently on the floor playing with blocks. A small dark haired boy with his mothers eyes and a little girl with blonde hair and fathers eyes. Little Aden and Serenity Veder, who Ames loved dearly and was protective of when she needed to be. Along with their mother, who finally finished patching up her arm with the ointment.

"There we go," she sighed, smiling and shutting the bottle of ointment before placing it in her dark blue medical bag. "You should be OK. No severe damage to the skin, so no scaring should occur. If it starts to burn or itch, come find me or go to Silas and we'll put more ointment on it, OK?" Ames sighed and nodded,a sheepish smile. "Thanks again, Kidahi... I really messed up, didn't I?"

Kidahi Veder chuckled softly. "It happens to all of us. Although you've improved a lot since you came with Silas, you're still learning. And you possibly always will. We've all been at this for a long time and even we make our mistakes." By we, Kidahi had been referring to her and Silas and Chance and Guerrero.

Ame's shoulders slumped as she thought of her old team. She missed them. Silas had told her that she may contact them anytime, so long as she used the untraceable new iPhone he'd had costume made for her after her last phone he had used to rig into a makeshift bomb...But she was afraid to. She didn't understand why, though. Hadn't she left to prove she could change for the better? To prove she could be just as useful if given then chance? Calling them would show that she was surviving. But she couldn't do it.

"You miss them, don't you," Kidahi cut into Ames's thoughts, causing her to tilt her head. "How did you-" Kidahi cut her off. "I know what it's like to work with Chance and Guerrero, Ames. They grow on you. And Winston, the one time I meet him, may be a bit grouchy, but he's also kind and protective. Like a big grouchy... A big grouchy bear."

Ames snorted at the image of Winston dressed as a bear, as she stood and stretched her limbs finally. She'd been sitting around for awhile and she'd started getting the twitching feet, something that she now knew Chance must have had. It kept you alive, but it also kept you restless and rash if you didn't work on evening it out. That was what Silas was trying to teach her now. Self-control and knowing when you really couldn't do something.

And there she was thinking of the old group. Again. "Ugh," Ames sighed, rubbing at her temples with her fingers, "my mind lives in the past." She heard Kidahi chuckle as she walked by to pick up Aden, who was chewing contently on his stuffed black fox's nose, gurgling happily in his mothers arms. Ames picked up Serenity who like her brother, was chewing happily on a stuffed, white, fox with big blue eyes. Serenity giggled and pat at Ames's chest as she helped Kidahi walk them to the bathroom to give them their baths before bed.

"Thank-you," Kidahi laughed, as Serenity babbled at Ames, before her mother plucked her from the younger woman's arms and sat them both in the tub after stripping them off their diapers and dirty clothes, letting them splash and squeal in delight at the bubbles.

Ames grabbed their bath toys and gave them to the children, who grabbed them with their happy tubby fingers and splashed around. Ames smiled as the babbled to each other in delight. "Ever thought of having any of your own?" Kidahi asked, opening the closet in the hallway to pull out two towels and sit them on the sink counter. Ames scoffed. "No way," she laughed. "Besides. Having kids requires actually having a boyfriend or husband to work with, and I have neither or."

Kidahi raised a brow as Ames sat on the rug by the sink as Kidahi took to sitting on the shut toilet seat. "I seem to recall you once saying you knew a slew of boys that you found to be, what was it you said, major finds?" Ames snorted and grinned at Kidahi. "Major fine a-s-s is more like it, but yeah I did once upon a time. But it never went anywhere, ya know. I don't know. I've become pretty picky about who I will or will not date."

Kidahi gave her a thoughtful look. "Perhaps it's because you've already found someone and you keep comparing the others to them." Ames furrowed her brow. "I don't think so..." Kidahi sighed, but she gave Ames a warm smile as she looked thoughtfully at the kids, who were now making bubbles fly everywhere, their little hands splashing happily. "Before I meet Silas, I was loved someone else. Did you know that?"

Ames looked up at the blonde, a curious twitch in her eyes. Kidahi continued. "Mmm. It's been a long time now. Ten years maybe," she chuckled. "God I feel old thinking back on this. I was younger and so was he. Dangerous. He was really dangerous. I knew Silas at the time, but not enough to give him another glance. I was so fixated on this man I had. Although we ran in the same circle, I knew he could easily kill me if he wanted to and I don't think I could stop him..."

Her voice trailed off, and instead of looking sad or fearful, she was instead calm and happy. "But I saw that he had other sides. He worked so hard to make this image of himself as this top notch dangerous assassin. And he was... But you can't really snuff out your feelings or thoughts," she looked at Ames with a sort of lost look, before looking at her hands resting on her lap. "He use to have nightmares. He'd scream in his sleep and cry. He was different then. It was like his humanity was angered for being forced down, and lashed out in the most painful way possible; in his mind."

Ames could see faint tears forming at the corner of Kidahi's eyes, and she felt that she was witnessing something private. That maybe she should snap her out of the thought, or leave her to think. But she didn't move. She simply sat and listened, sat and watched. "One night he got drunk. And his nightmares wouldn't leave him. Alcohol opens up everything. It can show who you are and what you fear. He was slipping in and out of reality and I tried to wake him... And he hit me."

Ames felt her stomach drop, her expression a look of horror. Kidahi continued, though,not looking upset at all."I wasn't mad at him for it. I was sad. I was sad because it was then I saw that I would never be able to help him. I wasn't the one who could soothe him. The one who could keep him happy. Because that strike was a show that he couldn't see me with his reality... I left him a year later, and meet Silas then."

Kidahi stood and grabbed one of the towels and softly and quietly picked up Aden, smiling as he cooed at his mother and babbled incoherently at her. Ames quietly got up and removed Serenity, helping get her dry and cleaned up, before following behind Kidahi as she walked to the kids room. She didn't say or think anything as she helped dress Serenity in her footsie pajamas, before putting her in her crib and turning on her mobile of phoenix's and mermaids, smiling as the small girl slowly began to relax and drift off.

Once both children were asleep, Ames followed Kidahi out and to the living-room, watching her turn on the baby monitor. "Do you ever see him, though?" Ames blurted, flinching slightly. That wasn't her business. Wasn't she suppose to work on keeping her mouth closed and learn self-control?

Kidahi's expression became mischief as she laughed softly. "Of course. Him and Silas don't get along, though. He... He partially blames Silas for me leaving. And him and Silas don't have a good record together anyway." Ames's curiosity was dancing and itching, as she opened her mouth to ask. "Who-What was his name?"

Kidahi's smile widened as she chuckled. "Think about something Ames. Who's one of the most dangerous men you know who gives off this emotionless, sometimes cruel, vibe?" Ames's brows furrowed and she pondered the question, trying to grasp at what seemed so simple... Only to let out a gasp of disbelief, her eyes widening as she shook her head. "No, freakin, way!"

The older woman burst into a laugh, doing her best to stifle it so she wouldn't wake the children. "Yes way, Ames. Him." Ames felt like a fish out of water as she processed it all, gaping in disbelief and eyes wide, before she just slouched down back into the armchair she had taken over. "He was a lot different back then, Ames," Kidahi sighed, looking a picture of relaxed. "He's different now, I know. But really, time changes us all... But not everything about us. I bet the old him I knew is still buried in this new man. Buried in this new Guerrero."

Kidahi reached out to grab the picture frame of her and Silas's wedding picture and opened up the back. Ames watched another picture fall out onto the table, before Kidahi picked it up and handed it to Ames. Ames was meet with a picture of a happy, smiling, and cocky grinning Guerrero next to a laughing and somewhat shy like Kidahi. They had to be early twenties or less, holding hands and close. This was Guerrero? This... This didn't remind her at all of the Guerrero she knew now. This was younger Guerreo with smiles and feelings and one who smiled.

"You remind me off him, you know?" Ames looked from the picture to Kidahi, a puzzled expression. "He use to be so easy to provoke and mess with. He liked to talk, but he was shy and awkward about it. But he was also a lot smarter than people gave him credit for back then...I think that's why Silas likes you. Why he took you in."

Ames felt herself frown as she slide the picture onto the table and gave a bitter grunt. "Great... I'm just some charity case to him too." Kidahi shook her head. "No. You misunderstand, Ames," Kidahi began, picking up the picture. "You aren't a charity case at all. To Silas, you remind him of the old Guerrero... The one that was his friend. The one that use to help him get into fights that they didn't need. Your like a link to that past that was lost. Even though he knows you are you and not Guerrero, it's the feeling that he missed that draws him to train you"

Ames didn't know what to think of that. She wasn't Guerrero. She knew that and so did Silas it seemed... But she was a reminder of good times? Was she really like the old Guerrero? It seemed highly impossible... But so probable at the same time. Chance and Guerrero hadn't always been like they were. Like Kidahi had said, it took them years to become who she knew now... Was it the same for her? Was this a way of showing that someday she'd become like them?... Or was it showing her that yes she would follow their path... But she could do it her way?

Her head hurt now. This was all so confusing. Guerrero himself was confusing. She'd known that since day one. When he gave her the creeps, she could still be drawn to him. When he was angry, she could still fear him but want to know more and see more of that anger. He was so just... Ugh, just confusing to her! Geez, of course she'd be in love with a nut job brain fucker-!

Her thoughts came to a slamming halt. Her body numbed just slightly as she quickly grasped at what she just thought. Wait... Did she just say...What? No! Nooo! Hell no! She did not just... That's... Is she stupid? Her body locked up, and Kidahi frowned and looked worried. "Ames? Ames... Are you OK, hun?"

Ames couldn't speak. She couldn't move. Her brain was now a flash of all her times with Guerrero; all their conversations that she could recall. Where-When? When had she... He was hot, yes, but this? The "L" word? No... That wasn't right!

Kidahi, looking very concerned for Ames's sudden shut-down, quickly pushed from the couch to gently place her hand on Ames's shoulder. "Ames! Ames, come on, snap out of it, sweetie... Ames... Ames, tell me what's wrong, OK? Ames!" Her voice was forceful and concerned, and her face a mask of utter lost confusion for the younger girl.

Ames stared at Kidahi, looking confused and scared and hurt. Not him. It was like falling being Eve in the garden and staring at those forbidden apples in the tree. She knew she'd be hurt if she so much as plucked one from the tree branches... Yet couldn't stop the want to touch and taste. She was now Eve and Guerrero the apple that would seal her fate... A forbidden fruit.

She started to cry. She cried tears of frustration and pain. She cried and all Kidahi could do was stand and watch her young friend practically breakdown.

R & R

Let me explain something. If any of you have ever fallen hard for someone, this makes more sense. Fallen for someone who was out of your reach. Someone impossible to touch because you'd be burned. It's like the good girl meets bad boy story. In truth,it's very very rare that it all works out. Because you are putting two people together who are opposites who need to find a balance. And balance isn't always something humans can achieve.

Ames liking Guerrero is one thing. Thinking him hot or attractive isn't bad. Hell even a one night stand if the two had one wouldn't kill. It's love that causes the problem. Because love is unfair and non judging. And you can find yourself loving the wrong thing that in the end could hurt you.

So I feel Ames's reaction is appropriate. -Shrug-

Anyway, will update soon. And next chapter may be the last and longest... Maybe xD