Heroes...And The Rest Of Us.

The day after the meeting in Chigago with Adam, I'm at my place. It's a Thursday and every Thursday, I go to the shooting lanes with my dad and Brayden when he's home, and we shoot guns for a couple hours. Yeah, I know what you're thinking, yes I have a gun, I know how to shoot it and yes, I have a concealed weapons permit. My parents wouldn't have let my sister and I move out if we didn't have some way to protect ourselves. A little overprotective at the time, but now I'm glad I have these skills. So, it's six thirty and I'm getting ready to go to the range. I wear jeans and a hooded sweatshirt. I reach under my bed and pull out my gun case. I open the case and check the gun to make sure it's not loaded. I put it back in the case and count how many bullets I have, thirteen, I'm gonna have to have my dad buy me some more. When I get out to my car, I receive a text from Adam.

'Going to the bar with Tobin, call u later' It says.

'Have fun, b safe' I reply.

I drive to the range listening to my Vains of Jenna CD, my gun, in it's case on the seat next to me. I dare a cop to pull me over for breaking noise ordinance. That could be interesting. When I get to the range, I see my dad and Brayden standing outside waiting for me.

"Glad to see you could finally join us" Dad says when I walk up to them.

"Whatever, I was only a couple minutes late" I say, propping my case up on the tailgate of his truck. I give Brayden a hug.

"I need you to buy me some bullets" I tell my dad.

"Of course you do"

We walk in and rent three lanes and one hundred paper targets. Dad buys Brayden and I a box of bullets and we get started. Dad first, he shoots six rounds into the targets forehead.

"Jeez, setting the bar a little high, don't ya think?" Brayden says to him.

"Don't cry soldier, just shoot"

Brayden shoots all but one shot perfectly.

"They let you in the Army with that type of shooting, Bray?" I taunt. Oh yeah, did I mention that trash talking is a must while shooting with the boys.

"Your turn girlie girl" My dad says, inspecting his target.

I put on the safety headgear and aim. I shoot three at the chest target and three at the forehead, all of them hitting the bullseye.

"Haha, I beat both of you"

"What the fuck Brayden? She killed her target, yours just has brain damage. They'll never send you back to Iraq with that kind of shooting"

"Whatever. Let's shoot all at the same time and see who's going to Iraq" Brayden replies.

We line up and start shooting at the same time.

"Oh my fuck!" I yell when were done, rubbing my ears, "That was so fucking loud, I had my ear protectors on too. Fuck!"

We pull in the targets. None of mine were on the bullseye. Brayden hit all of them, Dad missed two.

"Thats only because you're used to combat shooting" My dad says.

"I'm blaming the noise" I say.

"If that helps you two sleep at night"

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It's about 10 o'clock when we get done shooting. My dad and Brayden go home and I'm alone again. I decide that I'll go to Rodi's, a little bar I used to go to a lot, but i haven't been there in forever. Rodi's is set up so that you have to go down a set of stairs to go in, like a subway in New York. I sit on one of the steps about halfway down and text Adam to see where he is. I send the text and light a cigarette. I hear the door open and I look up to see John. I haven't seen him since he left me on the side of the road way back when.

"Hey" He says. I'm stunned.

"Hey" He sits on the step next to me. I offer him a cigarette, he takes one, I hand him my lighter.

"So, what are you doin tonight?" He asks.

"Just got done shooting" He smiles and hands me my lighter back.

"How'd you do?"

"Good" Were quiet for a second.

"I want to apologize for leaving you on the road the day" He says.

"It's fine, I deserved it"

"No you didn't, I was an asshole to think that we could ever be the same again"

"We had the most immature, mature relationship ever" I say, he laughs.

"Isn't that the fuckin truth" I nod, still smoking.

"So, I heard you're going out with...Adam, is it?"

"Yeah"

"Hows that going?"

"Good, I mean it's early still. How about you? Are you seeing anyone?"

"Not really, I haven't really been looking. Taking a break from the relationship thing. It's kinda fun being single" He says, "I only ever wanted for you to be happy, Sophie, I'm glad that this guy can make you happy"

"Thank you, I never wanted to hurt you. I was just feeling..."

"Sufficated" He finishes.

"Exactly"

"I kind of felt the same but, I didn't expect it to end the way it did. It broke my heart"

"I'm so sorry" I say.

"I'm sorry too, for putting you in the position that you felt you had to cheat on me"

"That wasn't your fault, John"

"Yeah, it kinda was, I was totally different then, I don't even recognize that person anymore"

"We've both grown a lot since then"

"Yeah" I put out my cigarette.

"I'm glad we can talk like this. I don't think we were ever able to have a talk like this after we broke up" I say.

"So unhealthy" He says, trailing off. I look at him and before I even know what's happening, he's kissing me. He puts his hand thats holding the cigarette on my face gently, so as not to burn me with it. I pull away finally.

"John" I say.

"Just, enlighten me for a minute please" He kisses me again. Everything about this feels wrong, but I just can't seem to stop it. A strange sensation washes over me and I hear an all too familiar voice.

"What the fuck is this?!" Adam yells. John and I jump away from each other.

"Adam!" I say, "This isn't what it looks like, just let me explain"

"Explain it to me then, Sophie!" I see Tobin standing behind Adam. I start rambling, I can't even make sense of what I'm saying.

"Who saved your fucking life, Sophie, when this fucker left you? And now you've got your tougue down his fucking throat? Are you fucking kidding me?" He screams at me. I'm crying and I'm going into hysterics. John speaks up now.

"Hey man, it wasn't her fault. I kissed her and-"

"Oh really? Is that how it went down, fuckwad?" Adam yells, backing John into the side of the bar. I'm standing behind Adam, yelling into his ear.

"Baby, I'm sorry, I love you, this just happened! I don't love him anymore, I want you, only you!"

"Shut up!" He spits.

"Don't do this man, come on, she loves you more than she ever loved me, I can tell" John says, before Adam shuts him up by punching him in the mouth, causing John to go down to his knees. Tobin pulls me back from Adam.

"Adam!" I yell.

"Get up, fucker!" Adam screams at John, who is holding his mouth, making his way carefully up the stairs. Adam is following him to the parking lot.

"Go ahead coward, hit me!" He yells at John.

"I'm not going to hit you, Adam" John says quietly.

Adam lunges at John, hitting him again. John stays up this time. Tobin has his arms wrapped around me from behind, keeping me from getting in the middle of the fight.

"Adam stop!" I'm screaming and crying and hating myself for letting this happen. John is leaning against someones car, Adam is in his face yelling.

"You're a coward, John! Hit me! What you can't hit me, don't have the balls? You had the balls when you put you're tongue down my girls throat!"

I see a cop car pull in the parking lot, someone from inside the bar must have called them.

"Adam, cops" Tobin says. Adam glances at the car out of the corner of his eye. The cop comes over to us, on his radio calling for backup.

"What seems to be the trouble here?"

"This fucker had his hands on my girl, and now he dosen't have the nerve to fight me" Adam yells.

"Hey now calm down, no one needs to fight anyone here"

The back up shows up and takes Adam to one area away from John to make a statement. Tobin and I follow them, when we get to the car, the cop is asking Adam a bunch of questions.

"Have you been drinking tonight Adam?" He asks.

"I had a few drinks but I'm not wasted"

"OK, are you under the influence of any other drugs?"

"No"

"Have you ever been arrested before?"

"Yeah once" He looks at me and laughs a little to himself, shaking his head. The sound gives me chills.

"What for?" The cop asks.

"Misdemeanor drug possesion"

"What kind of drugs?"

"I don't remember, probably Oxy or heroin"

"And, you're not on either of those tonight?"

"No, I don't do drugs anymore"

"I see" The other cop who was with John comes over and says something into this cops ear, and he nods.

"The other individual does not wish to press charges against you for assualt and battery" Adam snorts in response.

"We still want to take you to the station for an officail statement"

"Whatever"

"Alright, we'll take you in the patrol car. If you two want to follow us, your more then welcome" He says to Tobin and I.

"We'll be right behind you" Tobin says to Adam.

Adam comes over to us and stands in front of me, touching me under my chin so that he's looking in my eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Adam" He rubs my lips roughly with his thumbs, wiping John off of me.

"I poured my heart out to you, more than once. Loved you and yeah, I've hurt you, but not like this" He says.

"I know, I'm sorry. You know how much I love you"

"Don't do it again" I nod quickly.

"Take her home, then come get me" He tells Tobin, walking to the cop car. Tobin grabs my arm and pulls me to his car.

"What the fuck was that, Sophie?" He asks when we get in the car. I don't say a word, I just put my head in my hands and cry. I'm totally numb the whole drive home, I barely feel Mike come out to the car and take me inside to my bed.

"My truck, my guns in my truck at the bar" I say, starting to panic.

"I'll get your truck. I'll have Tobin take me so I can bring it home" Mike says. I nod.

How could I have been such a horrible person? How could I have let John kiss me? I should have left as soon as it happened. Now I've probably lost the best thing thats ever happened to me.

The next day, I wake up with a knot in my stomach and a headache. I get out of my bed and walk through the living room to the bathroom. I see Mike asleep in the chair in the living room. I heave my guts into the toilet when I get to the bathroom. Mike must have heard me because he's now rubbing my back gently. When I'm done, I brush my teeth and walk back out to the kitchen. Mike hands me a cup of coffee that I don't really want, puking didn't help my stomach much, I still feel sick.

"He didn't call" I say.

"He will, I'm sure he was busy after Tobin picked him up"

"He was so mad. He deserves to hate me"

"He dosen't hate you, Soph. He loves you to pieces" I nod.

"Why would I let John kiss me? Am I that self destructive?"

"You were confused. You haven't seen John in how long and then there he is. I don't think you're self destructive at all, probably the least self destructive person I know" Mike says.

I hear my cell phone short ring in my bedroom. I run to answer it. It's a text from Adam.

'We need 2 talk' It says.

'I know. R u alone?" I reply.

'I can b. How soon can u come over?'

'I'm on my way now'

'OK'

I run out to the kitchen and tell Mike I'm leaving. He wishes me luck as I run out the door. I speed the whole way there. When I pull in, Adam's car is alone in the driveway. I park and go to the door. I ring the bell and when he answers my stomach does a summersault.

"Jesus Sophie, you could have changed your clothes" He says, moving to the side so I can come in.

"I guess I just didn't get around to it"

We sit down on the couch and he looks at me and starts talking first.

"I wanted you to know that I'm not giving up on us. I'm commited here, I love you so much. And for whatever reason that you let John kiss you, I'm willing to forgive and forget about it"

"Oh my God, you don't know how happy I am to hear you say that, Adam" I say.

"I know that we've probably rushed into this thing that we have, so I think we need to slow down. Have a normal dating life, learn about each other a little"

"I agree, I'll do anything to make us perfect again"

"Come here" He says, I move closer to him and he wraps his arms around me in a hug.

"I love you" I say into his chest.

"I love you, Sophie. It killed me to see another man with his hands on you"

"I'm so sorry. I'll never be able to say it enough"

He kisses my lips and stands up, offering me his hand. I do and he leads me into his bedroom.

"Will you make love to me?" I ask him. He kisses me on my lips, neck and shoulders. He pulls my shirt over my head and kisses my chest and stomach. He unsnaps my jeans, letting them fall down around my ankles. I step out of them as he stands up. I pull his shirt off and lay down on the bed, pulling him down on top of me. He reaches under me and unhooks my bra, moving his tongue over me. I reach down and unsnap his pants, stroking him gently.

"I love you" He says, moving his mouth downwards.

"Mmmm"

"Does that feel good?" He asks, pulling my panties off.

"Yes, please don't stop" I beg him. He complies and soon moves up and seperates my legs, moving in between them. Once he's inside me I feel right again, there is nowwhere I'd rather be. I feel him fill me up and we climax together. He falls off of me and lays on his back. I lay on my side and wrap my arm around his stomach, with my head on his shoulder.

I feel like were going to be OK, like were strong enough not to let this come between us.

"I don't ever want to hurt you again" I tell him.

"Then you won't. You aren't going to do something you don't want to do"

"How can you be so sure?" I ask.

"Well..." He pauses, "Baby, I don't know how to tell you this, but I know everything" I'm silent, I can't tell if he's being serious.

"What?"

He starts laughing his ass off.

"Oh my God, ass"