Where Carter takes Donovan and Link to the gun range.

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The gray building before Donovan was familiar, it was one of the gun ranges he had gone to when he needed to be reminded of who he was. Carter couldn't have known this, but in some way, she must have understood. They climbed out, making sure not to hit the two neighboring pickup trucks with their doors. Donovan looked over the gun range, already feeling himself returning. Carter led the group to the front door and pulled it open.

The burly man, behind the long, glass counter, with a dark beard and a scar down his left temple, didn't blink an eye as he saw Cater walk in. His surprise showed when his gaze transferred to Donovan and Link.

"Hi Carter, where's Steve?" the man asked, in a voice fit for a bear.

"At work," Carter said, stopping before the counter.

There was something attractive to Donovan about the fact that Carter was so familiar with the gun range and the man who ran it.  Beside him, Link's head swiveled from one side of the place to the other. Every inch of the walls were covered in guns, ranging from sniper rifles to handguns. The wall behind the man was an assortment of selected handguns as well as photos.

Carter turned away from the man to face Donovan and Link, waving a hand between them.

"Mark, meet my friends. Donovan and Link, this is Mark."

Donovan took Mark's outstretched hand and gave a nod in acknowledgment. Mark narrowed his eyes, recognition hovering just beyond his reach.

"You look familiar. You been here before?" he asked.

"Few times," Donovan said.

Mark nodded and shook Link's hand, but barely gave him a second thought.

"What will it be today?" he asked.

"Three ear muffs, glasses and two guns. I'll take the usual." She looked to Donovan, silently asking his preference.

"I'll take an M45," he said. It was the gun he had first learned to take apart and reassemble.

"You got ID?" Mark asked.

Donovan handed it over and Mark checked it before going to work. He pulled out three large ear muffs, that looked like bulky headphones, three sets of plastic glasses, two target sheets and then grabbed two different handguns off the wall.

"How many clips do you want?" he asked.

Carter glanced at Donovan and raised an eyebrow.

"Two," Donovan said. He had the feeling that his thoughts were going to need more than one clip to be drowned out.

Carter tossed Link a pair of headphones and glasses, then grabbed her stuff. She guided them to a side door like she had lived there her whole life. Putting on her ear muffs and glasses, she nodded to Link, directing him to do the same. He followed suit.

She pushed into a long rectangle room. One long metal table ran the width of the room. Spaced out along it were metal partitions, dividing the table into stalls. The sound of gunfire rang off the walls, the sound muffled in their covered ears.

Carter moved down the rows of stalls and stopped at the last ones, far enough away from the room's other occupants. For some reason, she didn't bother setting up her target but stayed with Donovan in his stall. He found he didn't mind, even though her closeness was a mix of agitation and peace. In a matter of minutes, the black outline of a human torso was out in the distance and Donovan had his gun in hand. Link and Carter took a step back. Donovan set his stance, loaded his clip into the gun and brought it up.

The feel of the metal beneath his fingers was calming. The weight of it helped him remember a time before he had taken this job. A time where he was his true age. A time when he felt like the whole world stood before him, waiting to be his.

In quick succession, he fired at the target. The shots exploded in the room as the paper quivered as each bullet tore through it. Before the sounds even had time to die off, Donovan was reloading. The actions were still smooth, the memory of the action still etched into his bones. When he had gone through the second clip, he lowered his gun, releasing a breath. Carter moved towards him. Link remained positioned against the wall, watching the other gunmen. Donovan turned to her, some of the tension in his body released.

She nudged his shoulder with her hand. Donovan hated how much he liked the familiarity in which she showed him.

"Are you going to tell me what today was about?" she yelled over the sound of bullets tearing through the air.

One of the answers to that question stood before him. Her face concerned, blue eyes needing him to open up. He couldn't. Not in this one area. "It's nothing, I just needed to let off some steam."

Carter shook her head at him, her concern morphing to anger.

"Don't stonewall me! I've had enough of that already. Tell me what's going on!"

Finding him lumped with her father and knowing how much that was hurting her almost got Donovan to speak but he couldn't. Carter crossed her arms and stared at him. Knowing she deserved something and wanting to stop the pain he could see in her eyes, he spoke a different truth.

"My brother got promoted," he said, raising his voice just enough so she could hear it.

"I know. So?"

James's words snapped back into his mind, sending a new wave of frustration through him.

"Donovan, just talk to me," Carter said.

The caring tone undid him. Before him was a friend, a part of him had forgotten that, too aware of what he wanted her to be instead.

"He got promoted and I'm still stuck here!" he said, not aware of his volume. "In high school!" Unconsciously, he waved his hand towards Link. "Babysitting as James put it yesterday."

He ran a hand through his hair as the words came out, each of them releasing a bit of his frustration. He had also forgotten what it felt like to share. "My brothers are surrounded by people who can respect them for their work. I have to spend my days entrenched in empty-headed girls and egotistical guys." He crossed his arms and shook his head, unable to believe he was still in this situation after six years and still had more to go. "For two more years, I have to deal with complete lack of freedom." He met Carter's gaze. "Do you understand how aggravating that is?"

She didn't respond for a long moment. The ringing of gunfire continued on around them. Link had taken to looking at his phone, oblivious to their talk.

"I'm sorry," Carter said, raising her voice, a touch of sympathy laced in the words.

Donovan nodded, then took a deep breath.

"I know it's frustrating but this will be worth it in the long run," she said.

He gave a mocking chuckle, too aware of her face, her nearness and knowing the space between the would never be closed. On top of that, feeling the future stretching before him but never reached anywhere.

"Yeah, it doesn't feel that way at the moment," he said. "I just spent hours with my brother, having to listen as he tells me about how great his job is."

Carter playfully hit his arm with the back of her hand.

"You're going to get that. Donovan, at the end of this you get to walk into any place and get whatever job you want. You have to remember that."

He nodded but stared down at the ground. That image was one he had held on for so long, but now it felt so distant. He looked back up at her.

"He talked to me about some of his coworkers. Halfway through I realized that some of the people I interact with are ten years younger than the people he works with."

Carter made a sympathetic face. "Yeah, that part does suck. I still find it irritating and I'm not you."

Donovan let out a breath of a laugh, smiling. A moment later the look fell away, as he focused on the distance targets. Part of the struggle came with knowing that even if he got that job, Carter would be somewhere else, possibly with someone else.

"What you're doing matters," Carter said.

His gaze returned to her, but he said nothing. He could see that she was right, but as he looked at her it didn't seem to matter. This career had brought him to her and would take him away again.

"Link is able to have a normal life because of you," Carter continued. "With all the crap he has to deal with, that's a gift. Don't forget that.

He stared at her, absorbing her words and the caring tone in which she delivered them. It struck him that though she was facing her own problems, she was here, trying to help him get over his. He wanted to kiss her for it.

Also, he simply wanted to kiss her.

"Your job isn't worthless because the people around you are," Carter said. "You don't get a lot of appreciation but you're doing a good thing here."  She waved her hand towards Link. "He is grateful for it and so am I. Try to remember it."

He wondered if she had lingered on the words 'so am I' but realized it didn't matter. He gave a nod in appreciation, and he forced his unwanted thoughts of her away. He straightened his shoulders, knowing whatever he might feel for her, he needed to forget it. As he looked at her a small thankful smile curved the edge of his mouth. Her lips echoed the look and his resolve wavered, but then she nodded him out of the stall.

"Now move aside, I'm not wasting a chance to shoot something."

Chuckling, Donovan stepped out of the stall and stood back to watch. Carter replaced the target sheet. She picked up her gun and loaded the clip. Each action was sure, the gun wasn't a weapon but simply part of who she was. Raising her gun, she fired, shifting it in a planned out motion.

When the clip was emptied, she lowered the gun. She pressed the button and the target came racing back. Donovan walked forward, followed by Link, his gaze trained on the target sheet. He kept his face indifferent, but when he looked at her he couldn't stop the wonder he felt.

In the target's chest was a smiley face made from bullet holes. Link started laughing as Donovan could only stare at Carter. Meeting his look, she shrugged.

"I thought it would cheer you up," she said.

He smiled at her, which she easily return. In that moment he knew he never wanted this girl out of his life. Carter unclipped the sheet as he gathered up his items. They left the ringing sound of bullets and walked back to the quiet storefront.

Mark looked up as they set their gear down on the counter.

"How did it go today?" he asked.

Carter held up her target sheet. "I'm feeling pretty positive about it."

Link chuckled as Mark shook his head in amusement. Donovan looked over the photos on the back wall, stopping at one in particular. It was of Carter and her father. In it, she was slightly gangly and standing by her father, gun out to her side. She looked so different, not the person he knew now. He looked back to Carter.

"Is that the first day you came?" he asked.

Carter gazed over the wall and stopped at the photo in question. Still staring at the picture, she gave a nod.

"He took me here when I was sixteen." A quiet smile appeared on her lips at the memory. "It was a birthday present of sorts."

As she began to turn away she stopped and stepped closer to the counter, leaning forward. She pointed at a photo further down.

"Mark," she said. "Who is that man? The one in the center of the group, with the scars on his neck."

Mark moved over to the wall and studied the photo.

"That's Ben," he said, tapping the picture. "He comes here a lot with this group. They are all retired from the Army." He turned back to the counter. "It's a sad story. He was in an ambush with three other platoons years back. That's how he got those scars. Half of the men didn't make it."

Carter stared at the photo, saying nothing. Donovan eyed the picture, recognizing the janitor from the school. A sense of sadness came to him, knowing so many men fought and came home only to be given jobs beneath what they deserved. 

"You know him?" Mark asked.

Carter looked over at him but didn't answer.

"He works at our school," Donovan said.

Mark gave an approving nod. "Well, he is a good man to have around." He moved to the register. "How do you want to pay?"

They paid and left. The sun was nowhere in sight, leaving the sky dark. They walked towards the car. Link got into the back, but Donovan stopped Carter with a hand on her arm. He stared at her, seeing the distant look in her eyes.

"You all right?" he asked.

She nodded. "I'm just glad he's at a desk and not on the field."

Donovan understood. Carter started to move towards the car, but he stopped her again.

"Thank you," he said.

She met his gaze and smiled. "For what exactly?"

"Listening."

"Anytime." She shifted, her face taking on a curious look. "Is that why you were...off, yesterday?"

For a moment, Donovan didn't say anything, pulling his thoughts back from his face. He didn't want to lie to her but couldn't tell her this truth. Carter took a step back, sliding her hands into her pockets. That movement reminded him that though he couldn't give everything away, he could still give something.

"My brothers haven't ever met," he said, "the people I've made friends with, doing what I do. I wasn't sure how I felt about them getting to know you. It's a different part of my life."

Carter nodded in understanding. "I get it. It's hard to be taken seriously when your friends are high schoolers."

"Yes."

They stared at each other for a moment, before she spoke again.

"Well, if it would ever be fun to surprise them by having a high school girl beat them in a race, let me know."

Donovan smiled, almost laughing at how shocked his brothers would be at that. "I'll keep that in mind."

He moved around the car as Carter slipped into the passengers. Her phone dinged but she ignored it. Link looked up from his screen.

"It's nice that you remembered me," he said.

Donovan started the car as Carter gave a half chuckle. He looked over at her.

"Home?" he asked.

Her phone dinged for a second time. She pulled it out and read over the text. A slight frown came in to play as she read over the words a second time.

"Everything all right?"

She looked up, and he could see the hint of pain that had crept in. "Captain is staying late for a meeting." She gave a half smile. "Either of you have space on your couch I could borrow for a couple of hours? I'm tired of a quiet apartment."

The sight of Carter asleep on his couch darted through Donovan' mind. Before Link could even open his mouth, Donovan replied.

"Yeah, I do," he said.

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Let's throw down!

(What does that even mean? What are we throwing down? If it's ice cream well that is just cruel and waste full.)

So there you go! Donovan loves Carter and is an idiot cause he does nothing about it, but what else it new.

Hope you like it even though there weren't a ton of changes.

This was mainly for TeamFoster-Keefe cause you really wanted it and you've supported me for so long that I really couldn't say no to you.

As usual I'm curious to hear your suggestions though I make no promises.

Vote, comment, follow! Thanks for still wanting more of these chapters! It means you like my characters and that makes me really happy! You're the best!