I'm back! I'm still really busy with school but I decided I should go ahead and publish this chapter. Thanks to everyone for their wonderful reviews!

The shooting range was a mostly bare area along the west side of the property, though the only evidence was a few busted cans Scarlet missed. She preferred to use empty soda cans to target practice, though her grandmére had a few moving targets rigged up. They were stored in the shed now, Scarlet didn't want to waste the electricity to run them. She was usually careful to protect her ears, but when she was especially stressed the noise combined with the shock of the recoil helped her calm down.

The day her grandmére's doctor called to let her know about the results of a recent blood test Scarlet took her pistol out of its safe and stalked out the door without acknowledging Max or Ze'ev.

She chose not to take the truck to the western edge of the property and she ran the whole way. Her feet pounded against the dry earth and her legs started to ache almost immediately, she hadn't run much since she was young. She used to be able to run up and down the property, now she could hardly get halfway across without getting a painful stitch in her side. She'd always been big, she grew up on a hardy farm diet combined with her grandmére's French cuisine that put meat on her bones almost faster than she could lose it. Puberty left her curvy, but still heavy, and she hadn't really bothered to try to lose the extra weight. Her last check-up had been nearly a year ago, but the doctor said she was healthier than most adults her age.

By the time she reached the shooting range her lungs ached and her sides felt like she'd been stabbed, but the exercise helped clear her head a bit. She loaded the gun with the quick efficiency she'd learned from years of practice, and emptied the clip in into the small hill twenty feet away.

"Your grandmother's test results came back-"

Bang.

"-I'm sorry to tell you this-"

Bang.

"-should be prepared for the worst-"

Bang.

"-my sincerest apologies-"

Bang.

"-a month, maybe two-"

Bang.

"-she's near the end."

Click.

Scarlet loaded another clip and shot until the ground beneath her feet was coated in shell casings. Her arms ached from the recoil and her ears were ringing, gun powder burned in her nostrils. She flicked the safety on and stuck the gun in the front pocket of her sweatshirt. Her chest wasn't nearly as tight, but as she started to walk home she realized there were tears on her cheeks. She dried them on her sleeve and kept walking, letting the slowly cooling evening air clear her head.

She locked the gun up the moment she got home, but Ze'ev didn't speak until he put Max to bed. Her hands shook as she heated up a bowl of soup in the microwave, and she tried to concentrate on her food instead of letting her thoughts stray. By the time Ze'ev came back downstairs she was cured up on the couch with a blanket wrapped around her and a mug of warm water clutched to her chest.

"What are you drinking?" he asked, settling beside her on the couch.

"Hot water," she took another sip and curled in on herself further. "Helps me calm down."

"Your grandmother's doctor called, didn't he?"

"Right to the point, aren't you?"

"I guess that's one thing we have in common," his legs jogged up and down with extra energy. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"It's fine," she took a deep breath. "She, um- she's got less than two months before…" she choked and clamped a hand over her mouth.

He reached out and patted her head awkwardly. "Hey, it's okay. I'm here."

Scarlet sobbed and clenched her hands around the mug. "She's not supposed to die like this. She's Michelle Benoit, dammit! She fought in three wars, she became pilot when everyone told her she couldn't, she raised a kid on her own and- yeah sure my dad turned out to be an jack-ass but I wound up pretty okay considering- she's not supposed to die like this! She's supposed to go out in a blaze of glory taking a dozen bad guys with her, not withering away in a hospital bed. Not losing everything that made her great, not forgetting who she was. She's even forgetting me, and I don't know if I can take that."

She felt him move, and suddenly she was enveloped in warmth. His arms were wrapped around her in a tight, comforting embrace and she dropped her head onto his shoulder, finally letting the tears fall freely. It was awkward, like most first hugs, but it was the first comfort she'd accepted in weeks. She let herself breathe him in an

"I'm getting water all over your shirt," she mumbled, finally pulling away. "I need to stop dumping my problems on you."

"I don't really mind," he smiled awkwardly. "You get kind of scary when you bottle things up for too long."

"I get scary?" she laughed and shoved him. "Have you seen yourself? You're over six feet of muscle and scar tissue! If I didn't already know you're a giant teddy bear I'd be terrified of you."

"To be fair half of these," he pointed at the myriad of scars on his face and neck. "Don't have very interesting backstories."

"Well now you have to tell me," she leaned forward and touched a crosshatch on his temple. "How'd you get this one?"
"I think that's from a car accident I was in when I was seventeen. I also broke my collar bone," he tugged his collar down a bit and pointed at another pale scar there. "The car was completely destroyed."
She knew he was just trying to distract her, but she needed to be distracted. "And there?"

He ducked a bit when her knuckles brushed the scar on his jaw. "I got bit by a neighbor's dog as a toddler, I yanked on its tail."

Scarlet leaned in further to get a better look at the scar, and she noticed him swallow. "You can still kind of see the bite marks."
"Yeah," his gaze fell on her lips and her heart dropped into her stomach.

"And here?" she was suddenly breathless as her fingertips brushed the small indent on his bottom lip. "How did this one happen?"

"I got in a fist fight," his bright green eyes had darkened considerably and his gaze still rested on her mouth. "Just a stupid fight."

She leaned forward slowly, giving him a chance to lean back. Her nose brushed his and she felt him gasp just before she captured his lips with her own. She moved her hand into his hair and tugged lightly until he sighed and ducked his head to deepen the kiss. Warmth exploded in her chest, and all she could think was yes, this is good, yes.

And then, as quickly as it had started, Ze'ev ended it with a rueful shake of his head. She whined when he pulled away, and the warmth was immediately replaced with the bitter taste of rejection.

"I'm sorry," he shot to his feet. "I'm so sorry, but this isn't a good idea."

Scarlet sighed and dropped her head into her hands as he practically ran up the stairs. "Stupid," she spat, yanking on the ends of her hair. "Stupidstupidstupid."

She was always doing things like this, jumping into relationships at the worst possible times. She wanted to talk to her grandmére more than anything else in the world, but that wasn't an option anymore. She felt utterly and completely alone.

Yes I know it's sad I promise it'll get better soon. The next chapter will be from Ze'ev's POV, and Max will probably play more of a part. Remember to review!