one in a million | dante, riley, and juliet

His ribs hurt but he took his time with the wheelchair he had borrowed from the hospital, he had asked Nathan if he could get out of the hospital he needed to breath and not just on the roof. He needed a day away and knew if anything happened he would call him right away. Reluctantly his older brother agreed seeing as how it was improving, he had only made him promise to use the wheelchair and not crutches so that his ribs could heal. So here he was wheeling up to Juliet and smiling, "Hey I wasn't distraught, more like emotionally and physically tortured...oh alright I was distraught. I figured out somethings, well some feelings, that I thought were long passed. Do you know about anything that happened in the battle, more specifically at the hospital during the battle." He asked nervously as he locked the wheels to ensure he doesn't roll away.

@juliet

"I know that you were injured horribly. I was hiding in the room across from yours whenever Nathan was working on you." Juliet confessed, feeling a little bit bad that she hadn't been back to check on him. The kids had required her attention though, so her guilt didn't fall too far before she reminded herself that she had a job to do. "Other than that, no. I was simply trying to drown out the chaos enough to function. Why don't you tell me about it, and when your done I'll get us some coffee." It wasn't a question, but more of a demand.If he wanted her to help him out, he was definitely going to have to do some talking.

Melanie was too lost in her own thoughts to notice Riley sitting up. Could she really be expected to forgive him so soon? Not to mention that Brax would be furious. Hell, he'd probably be pissed that she was here with Riley in the first place. "The moral of the story here is that somewhere along the line we all screwed up. Two wrongs don't make a right, but what am I supposed to do? If I go behind Brax's back to talk to him it will end my relationship before it really even gets started. I can't and won't ask Brax to forgive him, because he probably never will completely. I won't sacrifice my relationship for this. I can't." The last two words were almost a whisper as she leaned her head against the coffee cup in her hand. Yes she missed Dante, but she could live without her friend. Brax, Tavie, and Alex? Not so much.

Dante sighed having known that was coming, how was he going to tell her that he nearly killed his best friend and in fact was in love with that best friend even though he knew her heart was with another man. Turning away for a moment he tried to calm his racing heart so much had happened and there was just so much pain to sort through. Turning back he clasped his hands together and looked at her, Well to start I was at then Chancellor Bridges' wedding when the fighting broke out, once I knew she was safe I made my way through the island to the hospital once I heard the Colonel was there. Along the way I was injured and my older brother helped me out a bit so that I could make it to the hospital. Once there the Colonel ordered Mel to find anyone who was out there and bring them to the hospital and we would secure the area, I suggested that if she could find fighters we would need them here as well. Several hours passed before the fighting started and then it all went to hell rather quickly, at this point I was facing the normal wear and tear from the fight but still surviving." He took a break to allow her some time to really digest what he had just said before he continued. He scratched the back of his head at all the memories that floated through his head and the cloudiness that was forming around a key memory.

Looking away he continued, "Mel came back with fewer and fewer people and I think she realized that she was now needed in the fight. She was great her skill was amazing, but there was a point I swear I saw her fall and so i wanted to give her the chance to recover so I fired two arrows at the person who knocked her down. In moments she was suddenly the one hit and I ran towards her, I called out to the Colonel that I didn't aim for her, that I didn't mean to hit her. I don't think he heard or wanted to hear, I was surrounded and was stabbed in the side but managed to break free, though as soon as that happened I was tackled to the ground from behind. I was rolled over and fists connected to my face, I couldn't stop them but when they managed to stop I saw that the Colonel had been my attacker. I will be honest with you, part of me felt I deserved it, hell part of me still does. Anyway I don't know how I managed to stay conscious but I stood up and tried to get to Mel. That's where the story gets interesting her attacker wasn't her attacker at all rather her brother Damien was alive and not dead like we all thought, he saw me as the enemy and so attacked me with his staff thus breaking my ribs. I forced myself to stand trying to say I didn't mean to but a spear passed through my left thigh and I stumbled forward. I think I then tried to stand again but then I was shot by three arrows. I fell and could barely drag myself towards Mel. I begged her to forgive me and then I blacked out.

Taking a deep breath he turned back to look at Juliet he crossed his arms then uncrossed them, he was nervous. The next part is where things got worse, or did they get better in some ways. "I slipped in and out of consciousness as my brother and Aza tried to help save me, I nearly died a few times I was told. I tried to pull the spear out and once I flatlined...I think. That part is a bit of a blur for me. When I did come to Nathaniel looked like hell, apparently until I came too he didn't want to leave my side. I told him to go home and get some sleep, apparently I was to stubborn for the boatman to take to the underworld just yet. I fell asleep for a few hours but when I did wake up Mel was there, we talked and it didn't go so well she was angry and didn't trust me. She felt like I didn't trust her in the battle, either way it was cut short by Taze needing her to help the Colonel. After they left I couldn't sleep and I didn't want to stay in my room so I got out of bed and forced my broken body into one of these lovely chairs and went to the roof. I admit part of me wanted to toss myself off the roof and just end all the guilt I felt, but someone else was up there and she and I chatted. She helped me focus a little but still the guilt was there." Smiling he looked at her to see if she wanted him to continued when she nodded he did as she asked.

'So Aza found me on the roof, and took me back to my room. Several hours later they moved me out of the ER and into a room with someone else, I later found out it was the Colonel's sister and that was when a confrontation with him ensued. He told me I was a poison to the unit, that I had failed during the battle and said that I was jealous of him and Mel. After the talk with Rowen, the girl on the roof, I admitted my faults but didn't believe I was the only one to blame and shouldn't be forced to look at it as simply my fault. I explained that he knew who I was and what I believed in before he put my name forward for this job so he knew what I would have believed before I became part of the unit. The worst part though is that I realized that I am still in love with Mel, I think she is the only one who saw me realize that I was still in love with her but I did tell the Colonel I had been in the past but her friendship meant more to me. In the end I sacrificed the friendship so that she could be happy with him. Now it has been three days and I find myself wishing it never happened, any of it. Thats about it, at least the major points." He looked at her sorry it took so long, but felt it should at least help her to get a fairly good view of what had been going on during and since the battle from his point of view.

Riley looked back at her and said, "I wouldn't say anyone did anything wrong to start, but yes once the emotions fuelled the fire there was never any going back. I can't tell you what to do, that is something you will need to face, but you need to be honest with everyone so if you chose to end things with Dante for good on a personal level you will have to tell him in person and without Braxton. If Braxton can't trust you to do that on your own then I think you need to have a chat with him about that. He doesn't have to trust Dante nor does he have to forgive him, but as your partner he has to trust you. That being said, I am not asking you to sacrifice your relationship, just telling you that the relationship needs to have trust to grow not just deep seated love, again I found that out the hard way." He then looked at her and smirked realizing that with Braxton as tightly wound as he was he might not like Mel talking with any man he didn't trust. "Did you by any chance tell Braxton you were meeting with me today?"

"Of course I told him. He may not be the hardass that I'm sure everyone thinks he is, but he is my boyfriend and he at least should know who I'm having lunch with. Plus, he is technically my boss. It's not like he wouldn't find out anyways and then it looks like I'm being sneaky." Everything that Melanie said seemed to be turning back on her to make Brax look like a bad guy. Maybe she should have went to talk to Deacon or maybe Espn instead of Riley. He was Dante's friend after all, more so than he was hers. "And my relationship issues are not expressly up for discussion. Brax and I will work it out in our own. It's only been three days, we haven't had time to hash out the details."

"Alright. I think I see some of the issues here. Obviously you still feel a little uncomfortable about what went down with Melanie or you wouldn't be quite so worried about it." Her eyes closed in concentration as she mulled over all of the information Dante had given her in such a short time. Maybe she should have stopped him at some point. "Though I have to admit, I can see where the Colonel's concern comes from. I remember Melanie from Riley's days in intelligence. Rarely have I seen someone more capable of handling themselves so well in a one on one situation, and I have no doubt that she had everything under control. You also have the issues of his emotions towards her. I'm assuming they love each other to some degree or there wouldn't be a relationship for you to contend with. Even though I am the daughter of Peace herself, I could imagine that the situation he was put in to must have been stressful. Then again, I can also sympathize with the loss of a partner. Even the threat of it is devastating. Sorry that I'm playing a bit of the devil's advocate, but these are things you need to hear before you confront either of them again."

"I'm also afraid that you may need to realize that the Colonel probably knows about your feelings. It's a likely chance, according to how he reacted, that the knowledge may be a factor in how he's handling things. Your a threat to him, his relationship, and the person he cares for in more ways than one. I would be wary of you as well in his shoes." Pausing for a moment, she realized that she wouldn't be helping Dante much at this point, but if no one was honest with him then things would only get worse. "I hope you know that I only say these things to help. The more issues you know about, the more you can be prepared for whenever the time comes."

Dante smiled up at Juliet and laughed a little, "Oh I am sure he knows, and you are right I feel uncomfortable I thought these feelings had passed but I was sorely mistaken." He crossed his arms as he continued to speak, "There is no doubt they love each other and honestly I am really happy and have no desire to break it up and I don't want to confront either of them. I simply want them to know that I am truly happy for them and that I will figure all this out. You also have nothing to apologize for, I asked to meet with you so that I could hopefully get my head wrapped around all of this so that I can move on." Smiling he uncrossed his arms, and shuffled a bit in his chair trying to find a more comfortable spot though he groaned a little as his movements irritated his chest.

"You are right though, I need to hear it from someone else it helps to drive the point home. So besides that how are you doing? I heard a rumor that you an Riley were back together? Is that really true? If so I am happy for you both." Scratching the back of his head despite the discomfort he added, "I hope to find someone who I can connect with as well as Riley and you, ever since camp you both have been so connected."

Extending his hand he shook it as well as his head adding, "I wasn't trying to imply that we were going to talk about that. I just realized that you have only been out of the hospital for a few days and though I know you are looking right as rain I know how I would react if Juliet had been hurt. I'm sorry for implying anything other than a friendly curiosity." Taking a nice long sip of his coffee he smiled softly adding, "So what else do you have planned for the coming days? I know you said you are not really sure about going back to work in the field, do you have any plans of seeing if politics or the normal life of a citizen is more what you are looking for?" He found his eyes moving once again over to the table outside and the pair out there, hoping they didn't come in he wasn't sure if the timing would really be the best. Though he knew the fates were bound to throw Dante and Mel together sooner rather than later, despite their desire to keep themselves apart. Turning back to Mel he listened to her as she spoke sipping his coffee, almost waiting for the moment the fates chose to intervene.

"Yes, Riley has come home." Juliet stated simply, smiling as she said so. "But don't try to change the subject. I think your first step needs to be fully acknowledging why you did what you did, as far as the battle is concerned, and don't tell me training. Honestly look in to the situation. You had to know on some level that Melanie was in danger if you loosed those arrows." Looking Dante over, she barely repressed a sigh. Had no one ever told him that go big or go home didn't apply to battle scars?

"Think about it for a moment and what was going through your head. Why didn't Colonel Wyatt take aim? Why did you? Analyze it and you'll be able to understand it. Understand it, and you'll be able to explain it, because whether you want it to or not this will continue to escalate between the three of you until you can." Dealing with teenagers all day had taught her several inescapable truths, and that was one of them.

Melanie smiled sadly as she put her muffin back on the table. Suddenly she didn't quite feel like eating anymore, mostly due to the subject. Did she want to leave? No, not at all, but she had to. "Actually I'm shipping out tomorrow, again. That's one of the reasons why all of this has me so twisted up right now. There's no way to resolve it all before I leave." Taking a long drink of her coffee, Melanie tried to bite down the regret and sorrow she felt at the notion. "Hopefully being gone will give me some persepective, at least. It should only be for a few days." Anyone else and she would've assumed she said too much. Riley would likely hear about all of the details from Masin tomorrow though, especially if the trip was green lit.

Mel was leaving so soon on a trip he didn't even know about, he knew that Mel wasn't one to go on an unsanctioned trip so Masin did know about it but had refused to tell him about it as of yet. He formed a fist in annoyance, Masin was the chancellor and could do as she pleased but to sanction a trip with someone barely a week out of hospital it seemed crazy. Closing his eyes he looked at her, "So it would seem this trip is of vital importance to the Chancellor then seeing as she gave you the authority to go without taking in to account the fact that you are barely out of the hospital." He felt his anger building, Mel could take care of herself and he had seen that time and again in training but he did't like it, not at all.

"You know I trust you, you know I trust her. You are more than capable but if this is where your head is before you leave? Then maybe you shouldn't be going. You aren't sure if you want to go back into the field but you are green lit on a mission, are you sure that you will be able to focus on the task at hand. I ask because you know what I was like on the last mission I had after the choice I made with Jules, I was a mess and unfocused and I thought I was going into it focused." Sighing he realized that might not be the best thing to say. "I just don't want you to be less than your best out there, you are an awesome force of nature when you are on your game."

"I would analyze it if I could but I honestly can't remember enough of that time, what I can remember was feeling like I can't live with out her. I didn't want her to get hurt even if she could never be with me, I wanted her to still be a part of my life." Sighing he looked at her, "After that it all is a blank till I woke up and I saw her there looking sad and upset so I goofed around like I usually do with her. I flirted with her, I guess as I was waking up I realized I wanted to tell her some how but knew that I was to late because Brax probably never left her side. So I decided to hold it in and never speak my piece until Brax accused me of being jealous, honestly though I don't I'm thrilled she is happy and with the one man she has wanted for years. My heartaches that I can't be that person for her, but I think I realized that means I'm not meant to be with her as anything more than a friend if that ever gets fixed. Through all the pain, that makes me feel better, its getting easier each day but I know it will take its time." Smiling at Jules he turned to look into the shop and for the first time saw someone he recognized, "Hey is that Riley? Maybe we should go say hello?"

"I'm glad you've come to that conclusion. Maybe it would be a good idea to try and set up a mediated appointment between the three of you. I'd be happy to help out, and I'm sure Riley would be too." Juliet pondered, attempting to find a way to fix things for her friend. Right now they weren't looking too promising, but some day he might get things back to right. As Dante pointed out her boyfriend inside the store, Juliet smiled and stood up, walking over to Dante's wheelchair and pushing on it from behind. "Yes we should, and get some coffee while we're at it. Don't fuss at me about the chair, you'll hit someone in the close quarters." She was partially teasing, but Dante knew she was being sincere about helping him out.

Almost as soon as they cleared the doorway, Juliet realized that they had made a grave mistake. Still, it seemed that Riley had already noticed them and that their presence wouldn't stay a secret very long. "I'm so sorry Dante." She whispered as she rolled him closer to the table. This was not what she intended at all. "Good Afternoon Ri, Mel." She greeted, placing a reassuring hand against Dante's back as she did.

"Nothing is going to happen Riley. It's a standard mission and I'm taking an assist. Three full grown demi-gods should be more than enough to handle just about anything." Melanie's voice was confident, even if she didn't feel that way on the inside. Anything could go wrong, and she wasn't ready to go any more. She had things to do, people to love.

Her thoughts were shaken off as the door opened, revealing Riley's girlfriend Juliet and someone in a wheelchair. Much to her ever lasting horror, the man sitting in the wheelchair was Dante, looking just as miserable as ever. Why did this have to happen now? "Hello Juliet." She started, unsure of how to address her complicated best friend. "Dante." His name was the only thing that still sounded appropriate, even if it left a bitter taste in her mouth.