Twenty four months later, Tommy Conlon is free and also a civilian,last time that he'd been a civilian he had to bury his mother; but at least he had the corps after.

Until the bombs fell,

His entire unit died.

Manny died.

And he was the sole survivor.

It's been more than two years and he still get nightmares and vivid flashbacks, sometimes it's like he never left that day and he can still taste the dust on his mouth, feel the blood on his hands and hear the ringing in his ears.

Now, now he has nothing.

twenty four months later and he was only a civilian.

Brendan Conlon is waiting for him on the bus stop in Philly, he'd been here for almost two hours now and after another fifteen minutes more of waiting, there was Tommy. His hair buzzed short and he looked more skinny like the last time he saw him in Sparta two years ago. He had lost a few pounds and he just looked tired but he can still see a phantom of release on his eyes when Tommy saw him on the station, waiting for him.

"Jesus, Tommy," Brendan says and put his arms around his baby brother frame and squeeze him into a thigh hug even lift him off the ground.

"Yeah, put me down now," Tommy grumble and pat his brother on the back with a tight smile, he looks at his brother and fight tears back because he really wanted to see him all this years.

"Screw it, I missed you." Brendan says and hug his baby brother again with tears rolling down his cheeks and so is Tommy.

"Yeah, miss you too." He mumble thinking that he really wanted to hug his brother for the last two years.

"Come on, let's go home." Brendan put an arm around his shoulders and led Tommy into the parking lot of the station and he saw his brand new black SUV escalade Cadillac.

"Really?, Brendan." Tommy points at the car with an amused grin because he never pictured his big brother in a Cadillac. "You in the hood now?" he tease.

"Fuck you, it's a great piece of machinery." Brendan says and Tommy just smile.

Tommy is looking at the burger with extra cheese and fries on the side and he just remembered that he used to eat this with Manny all the time before they were deployed, it's been two years and he just can't shake the feeling off and then Brendan ask him what's his going to do with his life.

"I want to fight, that's what I do." He simply said shoving down the burger down his throat.

"You're going to train with pop?"

"No," He quickly said and sigh deeply. "I was thinking if you could put a good word for me with Campana."

"You wanna train with Frank?," He asked and Tommy nod. "I don't know bro, he's not the typical-"

"I know, but I need a change on my training."

"Are you sure? I mean, I'll talk to Frank but maybe you can go back into colt's."

"Nah, Mad Dog will bitch about it."

"Okay, I'll talk to him." Brendan says and Tommy nod, "You're staying with us?, right?"

With us.

"If you're asking me to stay with in your house, I don't think so Brendan. I had to get my own place I can't... I just... I can't." He said putting the burger down, he doesn't feel like eating anymore. This is the part that his brother didn't understand, Tommy had been trying to get him to understand that he didn't do family anymore, he isn't comfortable sitting on a table with Brendan's family. He loves his little nieces, they're great little girls and it was amazing talking on the phone with them over this two years and even all the drawing that he had of them and he even like Tess but in small dose, but he couldn't do it.

"Tommy I'm not going to let you go again, you're my family." Brendan says with a little hurt on his voice, thinking that he probably won't see his brother anymore. He want to change that, so desperately.

"I'll stay in Philly, Brendan. I just can't live in your house; I'll stay over in a motel until I can find my own place."

"Stay for a while, you know until you can figure shit out." Brendan offered and Tommy just look at him. "You'll have your own bedroom and bathroom, I'm just asking to stay with us for a while nothing permanent, Tommy."

"Brendan..."

"Come on, you didn't have a lot of money and why spend in a motel when you can stay for a few weeks." Brendan says and saw the hesitation on his brother's eyes and he know that if he really wanted him to stay he had to use his girls. "You know, Emily and Rosie will be very happy to have his uncle on the house for a while."

Son of bitch.

"Alright, I'll stay for a few until I can find my own place." Tommy sigh and shake his head with a little smile and look at his brother. "You just use your kids, you son of a bitch." he said before putting the hamburger back into his mouth.

Tommy is standing on the middle of the guest room in his brother's house everything was white and with a touch of light yellow splashed in there. It wasn't really bad, a little girly. The bed was to soft for his taste, but after spending two years sleeping in a bunk bed with a bunch of another guys in the same room, this was luxury.

He sigh deeply and tried to close his eyes for a moment, because it is late and they just arrive a couple of minutes, luckily for him that Tess and the little ones were already sleeping. Tommy didn't want to deal with them right away, he need to rest the last thing that he look was the 'Welcome back Uncle Tommy we love you' with a lots of hearts of every color standing on the bedside table with a bunch of home made cookies.

And he smile.

Camila never really left her home country before, so she was obviously a little bit lost in the airport and just have to keep asking for directions making her become grumpy, she hated the necessary talking with people.

She managed to ask for a taxi and hop in with her medium suitcase and a backpack, that was all her luggage, she trow it in the back seat and closed the door behind her.

"I need to go to this place," Camila handed a pretty rough paper with a street name of Frank's Campana training facility. The taxi driver was an old Italian on his fifties that had to turn around and gave her a look.

"Sure thing, you're not from around here?."

"No." She said trying to stop the small talk but she didn't want to be rude with this old man.

"And where are you from?"

"Argentina."

"Ah, Argentina football. Ah, yeah yeah..." He said and she nod a few times, then the old men look at her again and sigh a little bit. "You're a model?, you look like that one... eh, my son will probably know." He laugh trying to make that girl laugh but nothing.

"I'm not a model, I fight." She said and he just laugh at her, thinking that this little thing couldn't possibly be a fighter.

"Doll, with a face looking like that you can't be a fighter." He said shaking his head and Camila frown.

"Whatever, just drive me there." Camila mumble close her eyes for a little bit, she is tired of traveling because for her sitting still more than one hour was stressful, imagine the eighteen that she had to endure.

"Hey girly, we're here." The taxi driver shouted from the front seat making her blink her eyes a couple of times, she didn't said anything and paid the fare got out.

The first thing that Camila felt when she open the door of the gym was the smell, it was just so different of the shit hole club when she used to train back in her country. It smell good here and there was light coming from the big windows and it was clean.

"Hello there," The blonde girl from behind the counter said at her with a smile. "How can I help you?"

"Ah, yeah right." Camila leave her suitcase and walked up to the girl. "I'm looking for Frank Campana."

"Okay, and you are...?"

"Err, Camila Gonzalez."

The blonde gave her another smile and ask if she needed something to drink or eat, Camila only shake her head and sat down on the chairs with her feet in her suitcase waiting for the girl to come back. She catch a glance of her in the mirror and noted that she haven't changed for the meeting with Frank, she was using her usually gym rat clothes, Nike sneakers and a basketball black shorts that were a little to big on her frame and an old megadeath shirt that was a little to small and had a hole near her belly button and over it had her official hoddie of the gym she used to go back home.

So much for second good impressions.

"You know that this isn't like training with you father, I don't train my guys like that. No more angry shit, no more out of the cage like that. You gotta be Zen and listen to Beethoven." Frank was pacing in front of the two brothers, they were sit down in front of his desk, Tommy was nodding at everything he said and Brendan was trying to picturing his baby brother zen and listening to Beethoven.

"Yes, Frank... I'm-yeah, I will." Tommy finally spoke after a while and look at his brother that gave him a squeeze on his shoulder reassuring his decision.

"Okay, but you're on probation for now. Came by tomorrow morning I arrange to the doctor to come by and check on you and take a few samples and you have to know that I run this gym drug free, my guys are all natural if something came up on the exams you're out, no second chances."

"I understand."

"There's something I should now?, I don't want any surprises."

"I'm clean now. I-" Tommy spoke and look at his brother for a second, because Brendan didn't know this. "I used to take seroquel, trazodone and zoloft."

"That's some heavy shit, They were prescript?"

"Not really. But it helped you know... after, Iraq." He mumble and Brendan gave him another squeeze in the shoulder and Tommy let out air from his lungs feeling a little bit better after telling them this.

"Alright, but you're clean now. Thanks for telling me this, Tommy. It means a lot." Frank gave him a little smile a little more content with the outcome of this conversation because Tommy seem like he did want to improve.

The knock in the door make all of the three men look at the source and it was the receptionist on the other side.

"I'm sorry to bother Frank, but there's a girl looking for you and she doesn't look good. Her name is Camila Gonzalez."

"What?, woow. uhm..." Frank is surprised because he hasn't heard of her in over a year now, and she being here means that something happened. "Okay, send her in. Thank you."

"Okay, I will."

Brendan look at his old trainer with a grin on his face and had to ask.

"Didn't expect her?"

"No, brother." Frank let out a laugh and point at Brendan. "You have to meet her, pretty thing strong as an oak."

"She's a fighter?" Frank nod and laugh again,

"More of a brawler, kinda remind me of your baby brother a little bit." He said and Tommy looks up at him. "Not saying your a brawler, just a little rough around the edges."

"Where you meet her?"

"In the end of the word," Frank said trying to sound cryptic and laugh again. "In the trip I took last year, in Argentina. I was in a bar and I saw her take down another dude with three punches, talk to her and she's been training muay thai and bjj since she's eight."

"woow, she must be ripped out, training from that little."

"No, she's really cute." Frank said and Brendan's eyes pooped out. "You'll see." He said and even Tommy was looking forward to see that girl now and speaking of the devil, there she was knocking the door and Frank didn't smile when he saw her entering the door. "What the hell happened to your face?"

"A fist, mostly." She simply said and shrugged. "Hello to you too."

"Hey, come here and give me a hug." Frank said walking up to her and embrace the young girl with his arms. "Everything okay?" He ask.

"No, not really." She said letting him go and give him a side smile, Frank give her the same smile and then look at the other two in the room.

"Brendan, she's Camila. Cami he's Brendan Conlon." Frank introduce them and she recognize that name because Frank didn't stop naming him when she meet him back in the day.

"Ah, he's the dude." Camila said looking at Frank and he panic for little bit, because Camila wasn't Brendan number one fan. "You're the one that rip-"

"Cami." Frank warned her and she just rolled her eyes.

"Nice to meet you." She muttered and shake his hand anyway.

"He's my brother, Tommy." Brendan said introducing to his brother and she bite her tongue to said that he was the other dude that let his brother dislocate your own shoulder.

"Nice to meet you." Tommy muttered and tried not to looking her in the face, she was pretty messed up but still she was hot, nice body with little muscle definition and he was sure that under that pants were a killer pair of legs and her ass was amazing, round perky and just about the right size.

"Like wise." Camila muttered back and sat her ass down on a table on the side of room and looked around, Frank laugh because this is what he meant with a little rouge about the edges, he mean that she didn't behave like a normal human being and it was either funny or you just hate her. "So... yeah, when do I start?"

"We'll talk first." Frank said and she rolled her eyes.

"Right, Beethoven." Camila said and Brendan let out a laugh.

"He Beethoven you already?" he asked and Camila laugh thinking about how the two of them Beethoven eachother that day.

"Yes, he Beethoven me already. Not the best Beethoven I had, if you ask me." She said with a smug smile on her face and Brendan let out another laugh and Frank just gave her a glare. Tommy was hiding a smile, he didn't want to laugh on Franks face.

Hey, I fix the older chap. It was an early draft and I didin't notice it. English it's not my mother tongue so, if someone wants to help me out im all ears :)

Thanks :)