Drake helped Bragnae stand up, brushing the sand off his body as she did the same. He looked over at her, the moonlight highlighting the curves of her beautiful, bare body. As she turned to retrieve her clothes, Drake grabbed her hand, pulling her to him. He didn't know what would transpire after they left the beach, so he wanted to soak in one last peaceful moment with her.

"I'm so happy to be home again – to hold you in my arms and look at you with my own two eyes. I'll never take it for granted again." He studied her face as if to memorize every detail.

She shifted, pressing her body squarely against his. A shiver shot through him as he felt her breasts graze his chest.

"Neither will I. It's almost as if life is giving us a second chance. I'm so grateful you're alive," she ran her hands up his broad shoulders to hold his face. "Knowing you were never going to come home was the most difficult thing I had to accept. And now that you're back, I feel like my heart is full, and I can breathe again."

A slow smile spread across his face. "I'm never going to leave you again, Bragnae." His eyes flicked to her lips as she stood on her toes to meet him for a tender kiss. He ran his hands slowly down her back holding her tightly against him – the kiss gradually trying to become something more. Reluctantly, he drew back. "There's nothing more I want right now than to hold you and never let go, but I do need to talk to Liam."

"I understand. Let's go get some answers." She pulled him in for brief kiss before finding her discarded clothes.

Drake shook the sand out of his shirt and pants before putting them back on. He watched as Bragnae picked up the picture he sent her that had embedded itself in the sand at some point during their reunion, placing it in her purse.

"Maybe I should call Liam to make sure he's home before we head over there." She started to rifle through her bag.

"No. I don't want to give him any reason to suspect something's wrong. I want to catch him off guard," Drake told her adamantly.

She stared at him for a moment before dropping her eyes to the sand. Her expression turned solemn. His heart ached for her. Ever since he found out the truth of his attempted demise, he'd targeted both Constantine and Liam with his animosity, but seeing Bragnae react just now reminded him there was more in this for her than he realized.

She and Liam had grown a lot closer than he ever anticipated, and while he still didn't trust or like his best friend at the moment, he couldn't ignore how this would affect Bragnae. Even though he had decided he would not blame her for sleeping with Liam, the whole situation was still unsettling.

In his mind, his sweet, vulnerable fiancée was manipulated by Liam – with the help of his father – and he was itching to confront him about it.

"I'm sorry, Bragnae. I know this is probably difficult for you," he moved closer to hold her hands. "I don't want you to get hurt, but you have to be prepared for Liam to be someone you didn't expect him to be."

"I know, Drake, but I still can't believe it. I just don't think he could have done something like that," she paused, swallowing before speaking again. "And because Liam still thinks you're dead, I need to insist that I'm the first one he sees, so I can ease him into the situation. Speaking from experience, seeing you will be quite a shock."

Yeah, I bet it will. Before he deployed, speaking to Liam about anything was easy, comfortable. He was his best friend – why wouldn't it be? But now, Bragnae had stepped into that role in a way. She would be the one Liam trusted, the one he was closest to. He couldn't decide if he was jealous of them, angry at Liam, or both.

Hesitantly, he nodded. "Okay. Let's get going."

Drake took her hand, and led her through the soft sand and back to the rental.

"You have a car?" She asked, looking at it curiously.

Drake opened her door allowing her to climb inside. "It's just on loan, but a friend gave me this so I wouldn't have to fuck with getting a taxi tonight."

"Oh," she replied with a slight look of confusion.

Closing her door, he walked around the car to get in. He started the vehicle, and put the car in drive.

"Who's the friend that gave you this?"

Drake looked over at her, switching his gaze between her and the road. "His name is Bastien. He works for the CIA, and he was there at Leatherneck when I made it back. He served in the Marines with my dad, so I've known him for a while."

Bragnae sat back in her seat. "Wow. That was fortunate timing."

"You're telling me. I was having a hard time getting the guards to believe me when I told them who I was, and it wasn't until Bastien showed up that my identity was finally confirmed."

She reached over to put a hand on his leg. "I assume they didn't believe you because they thought you were dead?"

Drake clenched his teeth remembering the struggle of getting back onto base. "Yes, however, I didn't know that at the time. It makes sense now why they didn't believe me."

"That must have been awful, Drake. I can't imagine going through all of that. I wish you didn't experience it." Her voice was delicate and somber.

"It's better than dying, which I was very close to," he looked over at her as face fell. Okay, man. Ease up on the death talk. "So, I'm most likely going to get a call from Bastien later. He's orchestrating a plan to hopefully arrest Liam's dad and this colonel I work for. It may be a long night."

She squeezed his thigh, smiling at him. "I'll be by your side the whole time."

Pulling to a stop light, he looked over at her, rubbing his thumb over her chin. "Thank you. That means a lot."

"Of course," she replied, leaning towards him for a kiss.

A brief moment passed before the green glow from the street light flashed in his peripheral view. They were minutes from Camp Foster, and Drake couldn't help but feel nervous again. He got his girl back, but now he had to confront his supposed best friend about his selfish, heinous acts towards him. If he was being honest, Drake was also nervous about seeing Liam and Bragnae together.

Would he try to kiss her right away? Would he speak to her as if she were his? The potential for any of the many thoughts that ran through his brain was high, and he wasn't sure if he could handle it. If Liam were to try anything with her, Drake was afraid he might not be able to control the rage that was already burning inside him.

Drake shook his head, trying to compose his thoughts. I need to hear him out first, though. He looked over at his fiancée who was watching the road ahead. If not for me, I need to do it for Bragnae.

To his relief, they were able to get through the front gate of the base without issue. The new ID Bastien had made him worked as intended. After a few minutes of navigating through base housing, they finally pulled up in front of Liam's house. Drake cut the engine, and turned to Bragnae.

She unclicked her seatbelt, and started to reach for the door handle as Drake put up a hand to halt her.

"Before we go in, I have something I want to say." He rubbed the back of his neck, hesitating. "I may not be able to adequately handle seeing you two in the same room. I meant what I said about accepting that you both had...," Drake cleared his throat. "... been together, but that doesn't mean it's not hurtful."

Bragnae softened her expression, looking at him tenderly as she cupped his cheek. "I'd be surprised if it wasn't hurtful to you, Drake. If I was in your position, I'd be upset as well. I understand if you need time to adjust to this, and I wouldn't blame you for being angry with me. If that's what you need to do, it's okay."

He turned his face to kiss her palm. "Thank you for understanding. I think I'm still trying to wrap my head around this whole situation, but I want you to know that I'm going to do my best to get through this quickly. I can't wait to start my life with you, Bragnae, but this shit is standing in my way. And I may need time to get over it."

She shifted to her knees as she gently held his face. "You take all the time you need. I'll be here to support you in any way that I can. I love you, Drake."

"I love you, too." They leaned forward slowly until their lips brushed together. Her kiss was comforting and familiar. Things had changed since he'd been gone, but her kiss and the love she had for him remained the same. And that was reassuring.

"Shall we go?" She asked.

Drake looked past her at Liam's house, and blew out a breath. "Let's get this done."

They walked up the driveway holding hands. When they reached the front porch, Bragnae turned to him suddenly.

"You should probably lean against the house out of sight when he answers the door. Once I'm inside and I've braced him for the news, then you can come in. Does that sound okay?"

He nodded, sighing. "Whatever you think is best."

She looked at him expectantly before he put his back against the wooden siding of the house out of view from the front door. He watched as Bragnae opened the screen door and knocked. Standing back, but still holding the screen open, she looked down at her feet taking in a deep breath.

He felt a twinge of pain in his heart as he looked at her waiting for the door to open. He knew this had to be hard for her. Two different worlds colliding into one. The man she trusted to keep her safe and help her heal when she thought he was dead, could be a monster. Drake could handle the pain of losing his best friend if it came down to it, but since Bragnae had a more intimate connection with him, he knew this was going to be hard for her.

Just then, the porch light flipped on, and Drake heard the locks being turned. As Liam opened the door, Bragnae looked up at him.

"Bragnae. What a surprise. What are you doing here?" Liam asked.

"Hi, Liam. May I could come in? There's something I need to talk to you about."

Drake watched from the side as she stared at Liam with pleading eyes.

"Uh, I kind of wished you'd called first."

Just let her in, asshole. You know you want to. Why is he hesitating? He better not have another girl in there. Drake was suddenly conflicted. He didn't want Liam to be with someone else while he was with Bragnae, to spare her feelings, but having someone else would also make things a little easier at this point.

"Please, Liam. It's important."

He listened to a moment of silence before Liam spoke again. "Of course. Come on in."

"Thank you," she said. Bragnae briefly glanced at Drake before she stepped inside his house.

Luckily, Bragnae was clever enough to close the door herself, but left it open a crack so Drake could still hear everything.

"You look great, by the way. I've missed you," he heard Liam say with no response from Bragnae.

Drake rolled his eyes. Fuck off.

"Can I get you something to drink?" He asked her.

"No, thanks," she paused. "There's something you need to know."

"Bragnae, if this is about what we discussed the other night, I understand if you need more time. I'm not going anywhere. I want to be with you, but only when you're ready. Unless, that's what you came here to say – that you're ready?"

Drake balled his fists, clenching his teeth together. If you let her talk, she'll fucking tell you what she has to say.

"I didn't come here to talk about that. It's about Drake."

"What about him?" Liam's tone may not have been as cold and dismissive as Drake imagined it to be, but it was enough for him to make his next move.

Without allowing Bragnae to gently break the news to him, Drake opened the screen door and pushed his way inside. Both Liam and Bragnae turned their attention to him. Liam stood there in stunned silence. With his eyes so wide and the color draining out of his face, it looked as if he'd seen a ghost. To his credit, he wasn't far off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bragnae looked at Drake with consternation. What the hell are you doing, Drake?! Ugh! Why didn't he just wait?

"Holy shit!" Liam finally managed to say. "Oh, my God. D-Drake, you're alive?"

Drake stood resolute with a hard expression, saying nothing.

Liam rushed over, pulling him into a crushing hug. Drake did not reciprocate, rather kept his body rigid. After an awkward moment, Liam stepped back to look at him.

"How are you standing here right now?" Liam's eyes searched his face for answers.

"Wouldn't you like to know? Didn't expect to see me again, did you?" Drake asked with indignation.

Liam drew back from Drake's unreceptive demeanor. "What? Of course not. We thought you were dead." Liam looked at Bragnae. "What the fuck is going on?"

Before she could reply, Drake stepped forward until he was toe-to-toe with Liam. Standing an inch or two taller than Liam, he glared daggers into him. "Don't talk to her – you talk to me."

"Drake, what the fuck are you doing? Give me some space," Liam told him as he took a step back.

But Drake didn't back down. He retook the position he had before. "You're an asshole, you know that?"

Bragnae watched Liam's stature change. He now met Drake's intimidating stance with his own. He puffed out his chest, and stared right back into Drake's dark eyes.

"Look, Drake. If you're pissed about me and Bragnae, I get it, but you need to back the fuck up before you do something you'll regret," Liam warned.

The tension in the room was thick. Bragnae was on edge, watching with baited breath at the unfolding events before her. She briefly considered stepping in to corral their attention, but thought better of it. Drake needed to confront Liam about this in his own way, but she hoped it wouldn't lead to physical violence.

Drake smirked, but it didn't resemble any sort of happiness. "Let's talk about Bragnae, shall we? While you were back here fucking her, I was in Afghanistan nearly dead after getting blown the fuck up. My cover was blown because the Air Force was directed to drop bombs on my location, alerting the enemy to my presence. Know anything about that?"

Drake held his position with narrowed eyes as he waited for Liam's response.

Liam pulled back slightly with a confused look. "I had no idea, Drake. All we knew was that you were killed by enemy fire. They weren't specific."

"How convenient. Ask me who signed the order telling the Air Force to drop those bombs, Liam. Ask me." Drake's volume started to increase as rage burned in his eyes.

"Alright, fine. Who the fuck signed the order?" Liam asked, obviously frustrated.

Bragnae grew anxious. Liam seemed as if he knew nothing about where Drake's conversation was leading, and Drake kept pressing on as if he did. This isn't going to end well.

"Your fucking father! That's who!" Drake shouted as he shoved Liam away.

Liam quickly rebounded as Drake slowly stepped towards him. "What? Why the fuck would he do that?"

"I asked myself the same question, and then it dawned on me. You wanted Bragnae all to yourself, so you told your dad to have me killed while I was on my mission," Drake stopped in front of Liam who planted himself on the ground. "It was clever, really. Sick and fucking twisted, but clever. I never thought you'd betray me like that, Liam. But you couldn't help yourself, could you? And to think, I wanted you to be with her if I had actually died. What a fucking idiot I was."

Liam met Bragnae's concerned gaze. She watched for his reaction to Drake's accusation hoping it wasn't true.

"That's not true. Bragnae, I have no idea what he's talking about," Liam pleaded with her.

Drake shoved Liam again. This time, he knocked him to the ground catching him off guard. "Look at me! Explain yourself to me!" Drake pointed to his chest in ire. "Not her."

Liam put his hands up in defense as he slowly rose to his feet again, keeping a careful eye on Drake. "I'm not involved, Drake. That's the truth."

He scoffed. "Tell me, Liam. Did you tell dear old dad how you felt about Bragnae before I deployed?"

Realization dawned on Liam's face. He closed his eyes, and swallowed before responding. "Yes."

"Backstabbing snake," Drake growled.

"I told him how I felt about her, yes. But I did not ask him to kill you," Liam explained. "You have to believe me. I was fully prepared to live with seeing Bragnae, but never being able to be with her because she was with you. My friendship with you means the world to me, Drake. I would never do something like that."

Bragnae could feel the sincerity in Liam's voice. Her heart broke for him as he admitted his plan to live with his feelings, no matter how much it hurt.

"Except that you tried to be with her before. You even tried to convince her that I wasn't good enough to be with her, and that she'd be better off with you instead. Do you remember that? Somehow, as your feelings grew for her, it's very easy for me to believe you'd go to great lengths to get what you wanted."

Liam no longer cowered to Drake's words. He spoke with confidence. "That was a long time ago, Drake. And you and I already settled that. Believe me or don't. But I never asked my dad to do such a horrible thing to you," Liam paused to look at Bragnae before returning his attention to Drake. "I care very deeply for Bragnae. I would never hurt her by having her fiancé killed just so I could be with her. I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

Drake's scowl never left his face, but his silence as he studied Liam proved he was considering the information. Bragnae hoped Drake would believe him to end the tense situation.

"Drake, I'm sorry this happened to you, but I'm happy you're still alive despite my father's attempt on your life. I want to find out what possessed him to make this terrible decision. Can we move past this, so we can find the answers together?"

Liam extended his hand as Drake's eyes flicked between his face and the peace offering. He looked to Bragnae who returned an expectant gaze. She hoped they could move on. Watching them quarrel was stressful and sad knowing how good of friends they were.

Taking a deep breath, Drake finally shook Liam's hand. After two pumps, Drake kept him in a firm grip. "I believe you. But if I find out you're lying, we're no longer friends. You'd be dead to me."

"Fair enough," Liam replied with certainty.

As Bragnae began to walk towards the two men, the sound of a door closing in the back of the house sounded. All three of them turned their heads to the noise.

"Hey, Liam. Do you have a lighter? I want to smoke my stogie. Can't seem to find mine," Constantine announced as he casually walked into the living room.

Bragnae's mouth fell open as she watched the gray-haired man stroll into view holding a cigar and a glass of a caramel-colored drink. Constantine looked at her curiously before turning to Liam.

"Liam, I thought it was just going to be—," Constantine paused, doing a double take when his eyes found Drake. His head jutted forward for a closer look. When he apparently realized who he was looking at, Constantine dropped his drink and the cigar. "Drake?"

As broken glass exploded over the laminate floor, an eerie silence filled the room. If the figurative pin would drop, it would most definitely be heard. Bragnae immediately looked to Drake. There was a new found rage that spilled out of his eyes.

"You mother fucker," he snarled. In a flash, Drake pushed Liam out of the way, and charged Constantine. Drake knocked him down to the ground with ease as he pounded his tight fists into his face over and over again.

Bragnae gasped, bringing her hand to her mouth in horror. She could hear the startling sounds of bone smashing into flesh. "Liam, do something!"

Before Bragnae even had to tell him, Liam had already made his way over to them screaming at Drake to stop. Liam grabbed Drake's arm trying to reel him back, but Drake just shoved him away.

"You'll kill him, Drake! Stop!" Liam shouted.

Drake straddled Constantine's defenseless body as he continued to pummel him into oblivion. "Son of bitch deserves to die!"

Liam dove in to seize his arms again. "You'll fucking kill him. Don't you want answers? Stop it!"

"Drake, please!" Bragnae cried as she caught glimpses of Drake's bloodied fists. From her angle, it was hard to see Constantine.

"Stop punching him, goddamn it! That's an order!" Liam said with authority as Drake begrudgingly let go of the old, battered Marine beneath him.

Liam helped Drake to stand up straight, leading him back towards the front door to give Constantine space to recover from the devastating blows. Drake breathed heavily through gritted teeth as he stared at his enemy. Entranced, Drake made a move to get back to him, but Liam's strength held him back.

He pushed Drake up against the front door, holding him there will all his might. Bragnae watched with fear as Drake's eyes never broke focus. She had never seen him like that before. He couldn't be controlled, and she was worried he'd kill Constantine right there if it weren't for Liam.

"Drake. Drake! Listen to me," Liam yelled in his face. He shoved him back against the door again to jolt Drake out of his fixed gaze. Finally, Drake snapped his head to look at his friend. "That's it," he coaxed. "I need you to calm down. I'm pissed off too, but I won't have you going to jail tonight because of him."

Tears formed in her eyes as Bragnae looked on. Drake regarded her, still catching his breath. He closed his eyes and dropped his head.

"You good?" Liam asked.

Surrendering his blood-soaked hands, Drake nodded at him. Liam cautiously released his grip as Drake sank back down to flat-footing.

"Stand down, Drake. I mean it," Liam reminded him with a stern look.

Liam turned towards his father, sighing. Before walking over to him, he looked at Bragnae. "Watch him," he told her, pointing at Drake.

She nodded before turning her attention to Drake again. His head hung, but his breathing remained ragged. Wanting desperately to comfort him, she felt it'd be inappropriate, especially since he seemed to be avoiding her gaze. Drake's eyes raised to Liam and Constantine, but with a lot less intensity than before.

"Dad? Can you hear me?" Liam asked, hovering over his body. "Constantine!" He snapped, jarring his father out of a dazed state. "Can you move?"

Constantine groaned something awful as the pain had set in. Liam sat him up as he spit blood and a tooth out of his mouth.

"You insubordinate fuck," Constantine paused to spit again. "I'll have you court-martialed for this."

With his gaze locked on his father, Liam snapped and pointed a finger at Drake to remind him not to take the bait. "Now, Father, we'll have none of that. I suggest you don't taunt Drake any further unless you want to meet your maker tonight. And after what I found out, I'm half-tempted to unleash his fury on you again."

Constantine did his best to scoff at his son, but the blood pouring out of his mouth made a gurgling sound instead. "There's no reason for this, and you know it. I did nothing wrong. He assaulted me. Remember? A goddamn sergeant attacking a major general. There'll be hell to pay."

"Apparently, you already paid it," Liam said, before pulling his father up into the standing position. "Now, drop the act, and tell us why you signed an order to compromise Drake's position in the field knowing he was out there."

Constantine did his best to straighten the brown, leather jacket he wore that was now covered with dripping blood. "I did no such thing."

"Bull shit," Drake growled. "You cock-sucker, mother fucker. You know exactly what you did. I've seen the signed order! You even had that bitch, Colonel Karlington cover your tracks, and make it look like I was killed in action."

Bragnae watched Drake carefully. His words were heated, but luckily he stayed put.

"Why'd you do it?" Bragnae asked the general.

The derision in Constantine's stare was unnerving. "Oh, shut up you little whore. It's because of you that we're in this mess."

As Bragnae's mouth gaped open at the insult, Liam promptly punched his father in the gut. Constantine doubled over for a moment, coughing.

"Don't fucking talk to her like that," Liam advised him.

Feeling bold, Constantine stood tall pushing Liam back. "I told you not to get involved with that seductive witch, Liam. Don't you see how toxic she is? She fucked up your brother's life, ensnared poor Drake, and now she has cast a spell on you," Constantine looked callously at Bragnae. "My dear, is there anyone in my circle you haven't fucked?"

Liam put both hands on the back of his father's neck, and pulled him down as he raised a striking knee to his chest. Constantine fell to the ground after the impactful blow.

"I told you not to talk to her like that!" Liam screamed at him before walking back to Bragnae.

He pulled her into an embrace. "Don't listen to him, okay?" Bragnae nodded sinking against him.

Constantine grunted as he stood up again, now on his own. Drake stepped forward.

"The jig is up, asshole. Just tell me why you did it. I want to hear you say why you killed a fellow Marine, and tried to kill me," Drake's voice was steady again.

Constantine reached inside his jacket, and ripped a pistol out, pointing it at the group. Drake put his hands up, halting where he stood. Letting go of Bragnae, Liam took a step forward.

"Dad, why do you have that? Put it down." Liam's voice was calm and assertive.

"I had it in case I ever needed it, son. And apparently I need it now." Constantine's eyes were alive with vengeance.

Fear paralyzed Bragnae as she watched Constantine wave the gun back and forth between the two men and her. Liam continued to approach his father slowly.

"Put the gun down, Constantine. You don't want to do this." Liam tried to persuade his father.

Constantine haphazardly wiped a rogue stream of blood off his face with the back of his hand. "I knew she'd be more trouble than she was worth, Liam. You should have listened to me, and just moved on to the next bimbo. This all could have been avoided."

Now, only a few feet away, Liam was just out of reach as Constantine pointed the pistol at Bragnae. "You've ruined my boys, you useless cunt. You've ruined them all."

Rooted to the ground, nothing stood between her and that bullet. She watched in slow-motion as Constantine moved his finger to the trigger and pulled back.

"No!" Liam shouted.

"Bragnae!" Drake screamed.

Both men ran towards her as a loud shot rang out.