Something caused Marcus to wake up from his afternoon nap. At first, it disoriented him, but the moment he got his surroundings in place, he realised that the sound of Jade screaming woke him up. Marcus quickly jumped out of his seat and rushed over to Jade who was thrashing around and shouting incoherent things.

"Jade wake up." Marcus knew from last time not to touch her and he jumped back in surprise when Jade quickly sat up and drew in a deep breath before she let out a blood-curdling scream that sent shivers down his spine.

"Fuck it," Marcus said, and he quickly pulled Jade onto the floor with him, and started rocking her back and forth as she kept screaming. He tried to calm her down, and wake her up, but she just kept screaming.

"Shhhh, you're safe." He whispered in her ear, and after about 20 minutes Jade finally stopped screaming and was fast asleep in his arms. Marcus knew all too well what it was like to have night terrors. They would keep you up all night, but the moment you wake up, you would have no recollection of what happened or why you were so tired.

He suffered from them after a bad tour a few years ago, and he had his brother there to help him through it, but Jade had no one. He sat there on the floor with Jade, wrapped protectively in his arms until she started to stir awake.

"Why are we on the floor?" Was the first thing Jade asked when she finally came around. Marcus didn't say anything as he helped her up and back onto the lounge.

"You had a night terror." Was all he said as he walked away into the kitchen to grab a glass of water. It confused jade. She remembered nothing, the last thing she remembered was falling asleep, but she guessed it would explain the sore throat and headache that had become present.

"Thanks," Jade stated when Marcus came back with a glass of water and aspirin.

"I will cook dinner, you make yourself at home." Jade tried to get up to help, but the sharp pain in her knee told her to sit down and relax.

"Would you like a beer?" Marcus yelled from the kitchen forgetting Jade just took some aspirin, but Jade still agreed. She asked for Marcus to grab her crutches that were sitting in her room, so at least she would move around. Jade decided before dinner she would take a shower and get the days sweat off her and wake her up.

While Jade took a shower, Marcus continued to make dinner while humming quietly to himself as he moved around the kitchen with ease. Marcus finished dinner before Jade finished so he took a quick shower himself before going into her room and knocking on the door.

When he didn't get an answer, he called out her name and frowned when he got no reply. Worried for her, Marcus walked into the room with caution and found the shower still running, but no sound from Jade. Worried she was hurt, Marcus all, but ran into the bathroom and found Jade sitting on the floor rocking back and forth muttering to herself and tears ran down her face.

With extreme caution Marcus bent down to her level and reached out a hand, causing Jade to flinch and look up to Marcus with fear in her eyes.

"Jade?" Marcus questioned, wondering if she was with him in this world, or lost inside her own head.

Jade looked around and found that she wasn't in an abandoned building with her comrades dying around her, but inside the bathroom still in her clothes and the shower running hot water behind her.

"I'm fine." She whispered in a hoarse voice, rubbing up and down her arms making sure they were there.

"You are not fine," Marcus stated and Jade nodded knowing she was far from fine. She did not understand what set off the flashback, but it was something she wished she never again had to experience. It was what nightmares are made of, and unfortunately something she had to experience.

"I'm not fine Marcus, I am losing my mind. I can't do it anymore. I can't keep reliving the experience repeatedly. It is killing me from the inside. I feel like my mind is eating away at any sanity I have left." She broke into tears and Marcus struggled, knowing all too well what it was like to have your mind fight against you at every waking moment. To struggle to find yourself in the mess of your own mind.

"Come here." Marcus picked Jade up and turned off the shower and walked out of the room and into his, where he placed her gently on the bed and went into his closet to get some clean clothes for her.

Jade cried the whole time and hated for being so weak and crying over something she thought she had more control over.

"Here you put these on while I put dinner away." Jade wiped away the tears on her face and managed a small nod before Marcus left the room. By the time Marcus came back, Jade was under the covers with her closed eyes, but not asleep.

Marcus slipped into the bed and Jade gasped in surprise when Marcus drew Jade in close and wrapped his arms around her, hoping to give her some comfort. They both stayed like that for a few minutes before Jade rolled over to face Marcus.

"You want to talk about it?" He asked gently when she finally faced him.

"I was on my last tour and everything went to shit." Marcus placed a hand on her arm and rubbed it giving Jade some comfort and warmth. Marcus knew how hard it was to talk about overseas experiences, so he said nothing and gave Jade the time she needed if she wanted to talk or not.

"I won't say much, but, what was meant to be a routine perimeter walk turned into what became a shit fight to get out and get out alive." Jade closed her eyes and could still hear and smell the sounds of screams and burning flesh, as bombs exploded and the heat and pain of shrapnel embedding deep into her skin.

"Hey, you're here, not there," Marcus said as he pulled Jade into him, giving her the comfort that was needed and much overdue. Marcus stroked Jade's back until she fell asleep in his arms. She fit perfectly into his arms, her head tucked under his chin and her body moulded around his own. Marcus thought he would feel uncomfortable being so close to someone, instead, he found it comforting, like coming home. So, he wasn't surprised when his eyes started to become heavy and he fell asleep with his body wrapped around Jades.

When Marcus woke the next morning, he knew he would be up before Jade, as she had a restless night of tossing, turning and waking up a few times. Marcus took the opportunity to look at Jade without her feeling self-conscience about her body.

Marcus knew all too well what it was like to have scars, but he wasn't ashamed or worried about what people thought. He knew how he got them and that's all that mattered something Jade needed to learn. He wondered how she came to her scars. He wanted to know the whole story and for the first time in a long time, Marcus felt like he could confide in someone who wasn't his brother.

He always had trouble trusting women, so he used them for his own sexual pleasure. It was something he wasn't proud of, but it the only way to keep his heart safe and the only way to keep his true self-hidden. He never led women to believe they had a chance with him, they knew from the start what he wanted. It was something he wanted when he saw Jade the very first time, but he found himself growing fond of the strong woman before him and found himself liking her more than he wanted to.

Jade stirred, and Marcus got out of bed quietly to let Jade sleep more. He shook his head hoping to get rid of the feelings that he knew he couldn't afford to have. So, he got dressed hoping to outrun whatever feelings that were running through his body and mind, hoping to escape the growing feelings for Jade inside of his chest.

Jade eventually woke to an empty bed and sighed at how little sleep she got, and how tired she was feeling now. Jade rolled over onto her stomach and settled into the blankets and closed her eyes hoping to get an extra few hours of sleep.

However, she sighed when she realised that wasn't going to happen. So, Jade rolled out of bed and found her crutches next to the bed, grabbed them and went to find Marcus. Walking into the kitchen she couldn't find Marcus anywhere, so she figured she would start on breakfast hoping by the time he got back from wherever he was breakfast would be ready.

While Jade cooked, it took her back to a time in her childhood where she would wake up early to make breakfast for her father while pleasing her mother at the same time. She remembered when her father's breakfast presentation wasn't up to her mother's standard, so her mother made her remake the whole meal until it was perfect. Jade sighed at the memory, she wished her mother had left her alone and didn't try to create her into the perfect child she wasn't.

She remembered on Father's Day, most kids could wake up their fathers early and get them to open their present or make them a silly breakfast in bed. However, she wasn't allowed to do any of that because a man had to sleep in to bring in the money from a days' worth of work. Shaking her head, she got to work on breakfast humming softly to herself.

Marcus came back from his run to the smell of something delicious coming from the kitchen. He wiped away the sweat from his face and walked into the kitchen surprised to see Jade awake and moving around. He said nothing as he sat down at the island bench and watched quietly as she moved around his kitchen at ease, getting everything, she needed for breakfast.

Jade knew the moment Marcus came into the room, what kind of person would she be if she didn't notice his presence? She always knew and was aware of her surroundings, something that was much needed when on active duty.

"How do you like your eggs, Marcus?" She asked without turning around and Marcus smiled to himself that she noticed him, without him saying or making a sound.

"I don't really care. However, you are doing them." Jade turned around and placed her hands on her hips with a spatula in one hand.

"I don't care isn't an answer." Marcus stood up and walked towards her until his chest was up against hers. Jade took in a deep breath and felt herself gulp when Marcus put his hands on her hips and turned her around so she was facing the stove again, with her back pressed against his front.

She felt Marcus lean into her and felt his breath along the side of her neck causing her body to tense up as she all but shivered at how close he was.

"I like my eggs cooked, not burnt." Jade didn't realise something was burning until she looked at the pan and saw the eggs she was cooking, turning black.

"Shit!" Marcus took a step back smiling to himself as Jade flustered around the place disposing of the burnt eggs before cooking some fresh ones.

Jade scrambled eggs as it would be easier and once the eggs were cooked she placed the plate in front of Marcus. They both ate in silence neither of them saying anything. When they were both finished Marcus got up and started washing knowing it was only fair considering Jade cooked.

"So, what are we doing today?" Jade finally asked bored with this silence that had been created between them.

"You are doing nothing. I am fixing the fence out the back." She crossed her arms wondering what the hell she was meant to do all day.

"Well, what the hell am I meant to do all day Marcus. Sit around and be the housewife." Marcus sighed and turned around to see a furious Jade.

"Well, what are you going to do with your fucked-up leg?" Jade knew there wasn't much she could do, but that didn't mean she couldn't try to help.

"Well, me and my fucked-up leg can do lots of things, thank, you, very, much." Marcus raised an eyebrow at the stubborn woman that was standing before him.

"Fine, you want to help, go feed and water the horses." Jade huffed and stomped her way into her room knowing Marcus would not let her do anything today.

Jade changed into comfortable clothing and when she walked out of her room, Marcus was nowhere to be found. She huffed to herself and went out to the barn to feed the horses as Marcus wanted.

When Jade reached the barn, she was drawn to the beautiful creatures and was tempted to take one for a ride considering her mother made her take lessons.

"Oh, fuck it." She muttered to herself. After she fed the horses she walked over to where the saddles and reins where and grabbed what she needed to go for a ride. She wanted to take out the beautiful black stallion, but went for a horse her size and saddled up with no problem.

"You ready to go for a ride girl," Jade said while patting the horse lovingly. She rode the chestnut horse out of the barn in a slow trout as they both got used to riding together. After walking around the barn a few times Jade kicked her sides softly, and they took off into a steady gallop.

Marcus was fixing the fence when he looked up surprised to see Jade riding on one of the many horses he owned, in a steady gallop as if she was born to ride. Both she and the horse rode gracefully and Marcus watched until he could no longer see Jade. Shaking his head, he knew Jade wouldn't be able to sit still all day, but he didn't expect her to get onto Rosie and take her for a ride.

Jade was enjoying herself as the wind glided through her hair creating a sense of freedom she always felt when she rode. She slowed the horse down as they came to a small clean pond, where Jade let the horse take a drink before they trotted back towards the barn. Jade didn't realise how long she had been out until she pulled up to the barn to see Marcus in the waiting for her.

"Nice ride," Jade said nothing as she dismounted with ease and gave the horse a carrot and took the equipment off.

"You still annoyed that I wouldn't let you help." The look Jade gave Marcus was all he needed to know that she was still pissed.

"I'm not disabled Marcus. I don't need you telling me what I can and can't do. I know my body and I know when enough is enough." She raised her voice a little, as her frustration was starting to leak into the tone of her voice.

"You couldn't even walk yesterday." Marcus also raised his voice, and he stood tall and mighty as if he would win this argument.

"Yes, I know that, but I still could have helped you out." Jade threw her hands up in the air and to prove and point stormed over to where Marcus was.

"I bet I can do the run from yesterday and be perfectly fine." Marcus raised an eyebrow and followed Jade as she walked back into the house to prove a point that she was fine.

Marcus followed behind and watched as she put her running shoes on and still followed behind her as she started stretching outside.

"You're not going for a run Jade." She turned around and saw the smug look on his face.

"Watch me." Jade took off on the run and Marcus started to run with her wondering what the hell was going through that stupid women's head.

"You sure this is a good idea," Marcus said like the pace was nothing to him.

"Fuck off Marcus." He laughed as if it amused him and let her do her run to prove her point. even though he was worried, she would hurt herself. Halfway through the run, Jade felt a sharp pain through her leg, but she didn't stop because she had a point to prove. That she was capable of doing things herself and that she wasn't weak.

Marcus watched and saw Jade shift to the right leg to take the weight off her leg which he guessed was hurting.

"Jade, you going to stop." When she said nothing, Marcus sighed and picked up her body and slung her over his shoulder.

"Let go of me." She struggled and started hitting his back, while he walked, but she did little damage.

"You are being stupid. I'm taking you back to the house." Marcus put her back on the floor after a while, but kept a firm grip on her arm, and dragged her back to the house.

"I said stop. I am fine." Marcus stopped causing Jade to crash into his back. Marcus was mad by now. This woman was taking a stupid risk, just to prove a stupid point.

"No, you are not fine and I'll be dammed if I let yourself hurt yourself even more to prove a fucking stupid point." Marcus grabbed her face roughly causing Jade to momentarily stop thinking about how stupid this was.

"I'm fine. I'm can keep going, I am not weak. I am not fucking weak." She broke down into tears at the realisation that she was weak. A weak, pathetic, useless woman. Marcus wiped away the tears with his thumb and let her cry because he knew she would not listen to him in this state.

"Come on, let's go back to the house." They both walked back slowly as Jade had a slight limp and the fact that she still had a few tears that needed shedding. When they finally got back Jade had calmed down and Marcus knew he could finally talk some sense into the stupid woman.

"You know what you did was really fucking stupid," Marcus stated when they both went into the lounge room.

"I know," Jade said shamefully knowing it was really fucking stupid, and if Marcus didn't stop her when he did, she would have done more damage than good.

"Good, you realise that you were a fucking idiot. Oh, don't look at me like that." Jade looked down at her lap knowing Marcus would tell her exactly what he thought.

"Even though what you did was incredibly stupid, you didn't need to prove a point to anyone, no don't interrupt me." Jade closed her mouth and kept quiet.

"Jade you are not weak, you are far from it. You are a fighter. From everything you have told me, and everything I have seen shows a fighter. So many people in your situation would have given up, but you haven't. You still fight each day, and you need to see for yourself that you aren't weak. I see a strong woman who is far from weak." Jade felt like crying again, even though she thought she was weak, it was nice to hear someone say she wasn't.

"I am weak though, look at what happened. I nearly killed myself, I wanted to kill myself Marcus that is not the actions of a strong woman. I wanted to die." She held out her arm that held the red lines that marred her skin, as tears fell down her face.

Hearing Jade say those words broke something inside of Marcus. Hearing that she wanted to die caused his stomach to churn in ways he hasn't felt in a long time and an unsettling feeling grew in the pit of his stomach.

"Everyone is allowed a moment of weakness Jade. You think I haven't thought about ending it all?" Marcus lifted his shirt and lowered his pants a little and turned to the side and Jade saw thick raised white lines resting on his bronzed hips. They were old wounds something Jade never thought she would see on such a strong man like Marcus.

"You did those." Marcus felt his throat tighten up so all he could do was nod his head. It was something he was very ashamed of and if you weren't looking you wouldn't really know what they were unless you had seen the lines of self-harm yourself. It was when he was younger and it was something he still regrets doing to this day. However, now he wasn't ashamed because he fought through it and made him into a stronger person.

"It happened after one of my very first tours. There was so much death and destruction that when I came back I wasn't the same. A moment of weakness." Marcus quickly put his shirt back on as he was feeling too vulnerable with Jade looking at the scars.