Ree let out a soft breath as her gaze wondered over the ocean view in front of here, dark eyes searching the horizon, the sun was gently setting, the waves washing across the shore, it was a peaceful feeling, yet she couldn’t allow herself to feel peaceful. She had spent months worried, waiting for a call she knew she would never get, if Joker had been killed no one would have told her, she would have been left, waiting, wondering, a hole in her heart she’d never know how to make whole, because she would never know what had happened to him, if he was alive somewhere, or dead.

And now? Now she knew, he had been back, and she was happy, had been able to relax, but even she couldn’t pretend nothing hadn’t changed between them…he had changed. There was a life in his eyes, yet this haunted look she knew she’d never be enough to destroy, she’d never be able to fix him, not the way he wanted, he was free and now there was a whole word out there for him.

He had never looked at her with the same wonder he had looked at her with…Faye that was her name, shaking her head she pushed herself away from the railings and jogged down the steps, stopping only to grab her trainers and tie them and then she was out of the back door.

Her feet hit the sand moments later and she ran, ran until her muscles ached, until the stitch in her side flared up and begged her to stop, she ran until everything stopped, the pain, the guilt, everything. Collapsing down on the sand she dropped her head ever so slightly, heaving in a breath she lifted her dark gaze, and slowly pushed herself to her feet, a familiar figure on the shore. Biting her lip she slowly walked towards him, her laboured breathing still trying to calm down. “Hey”

It was the same trail he had been down before, a million times and quite a few times with a friend and lover. For some reason he had gone out for a run today and decided to hit the old place he used to live. As he passed her house he hadn't bothered to look at it, he had messed up big time and although he felt sorry for it he knew it would be better. With a grunt of frustration he picked his pace up and sprinted across the sand in anger.

As he pushed himself he blocked out the physical pain but memories fled into his mind and the sliver of hope coming home to her had been turned into a lifeline and then a splinter under the skin. He had returned to her but he was a new man, she was part of a life he didn't have any more and somehow he had let himself go. He had cheated on her and she did what was good by her.

In his blind self anger his foot caught a root from a near by bush and caused him to lose balance. He braced for a fall and mentally berated himself when he heard a familiar voice. Cautiously he turned around to see her. "Ey," Was all he could muster not sure what he was going to say to her or if she would beat him again. He knew he deserved it.

Ree’s breath caught in her throat at the sight of him, stood tall in front of her, there was a bright gleam of anger in his eyes, that he caught only seconds later and then it was gone from his eyes and an emotion she couldn’t quite place was there instead. Letting out a soft breath she swallowed, hesitating in moving towards him, half wanting to turn around and head back to her home, yet she knew with him so close to her she couldn’t do that, she couldn’t turn from him knowing he was only down the beach.

Drawing her lower lip between her teeth she lifted her hand brushing it through her dark locks of hair, dark gaze wondering over his face. He looked different, free a new life, and she didn’t know any one more deserving then him.

Clenching her jaw she let out a breath, who was she to complain at him, she had taken her anger out on him that night in the gym, and since then she had time to think, he was a different man, he wasn’t the same man he had fallen for, she was part of a life that he know longer wanted, she couldn’t be angry at that. Hurt yes ,but angry, that was long gone.

There was an ache in her chest as she watched him, “How are you Joker” She questioned softly, dark eyes glistening in the gradually darkening night, it was a stupid question, but she no longer knew the man in front of her, not really, he had changed, more then she ever thought he could.

"I'm...I'm doing okay, how about yourself?" He eyed her up and down, he had screwed up pretty bad with her and wasn't sure what exactly he should or could say to her. He rubbed his hands together and shifted his stance slightly.

Ree clenched her jaw, fingers lifting to work out the stitch that refused to leave now she had stopped running. Dark eyes locked on the man in front of her, letting out a breath she continued her movements, her hip throbbing after using it for to long when she wasn’t meant to.

“Im okay” She muttered drawing her lip between her teeth, letting out a breath she looked up at him, “Do you er wanna walk back, we can er have a drink” She shrugged to herself, why was it so hard, once they had been able to do anything, now she had no idea what to do or expect.

"Yeah sounds good," He said calmly as his own pains started to remind him he was still healing from Deon, "You know, I'm glad I've never fought you full contact, that stung like hell." He tried to add his humor to the situation, "I know I fucked up," He talked as they walked "I shouldn't have tried to get us a second chance, I really had wanted to let you know I was alive. As for Faye, it was one time and when you walked in despite what it looked like, I wouldn't let her cheat on anyone." apologize were not his cup of tea and he was horribly fucking this one up.

Ree looked over at him, dark eyes shining, there was a tight smile on her face as she watched him, “What I get paid for” She muttered, but it reminded her just how badly she had gone for him, she hadn’t held herself back, she had pushed every emotion she had felt behind her hits.

His words made her frown, dark eyes turning over to him once more, only now did she notice the pain he was in, but it was clear they weren’t from her, at least not still. “I wouldn’t have hated you for ending it Joker” She stated softly as they made their way back to her home, drawing her lower lip between her teeth she turned her gaze away from him, not wanting to see the look on his face, “So you and her…your not together then” She questioned, before turning her gaze towards him. “Why her” She questioned, “What made you sleep with her”

"We had been training. She had people hunting her down. One thing lead to another during training one night and, I don't know." He blankly looked down, "Between her ex and my stupidity I just got caught in a primal moment. I thought I was above that and I wasn't. Seems I am magnet for trouble. Shortly before I messed up with her I had been living at a co-workers appartment, her ex is a born psychopath and tossed me around like a rag doll." He shook his head again.

Ree looked over at him, she had been stupid to ask the question, god damn it, why would she want to know the answer to that. Licking her lips she draw her lip between her teeth “Now that’s hard to believe” She muttered with a smile, dark eyes shifting over towards him, maybe he hadn’t changed so much after all.

Letting out a breath she detoured left heading up the back towards her house, gaze momentarily shifting over towards what used to be his house. “Your just a natural protector” She stated softly, finally reaching her back door which she pushed open, before stepping into the darkness.

Walking towards the light, the kitchen lit up brilliantly “What do you want” She questioned

"More like a natural born idiot." He said softly as he followed her, "Eh, got any Guiness?" He shot a glance out the window following her look. "I shouldn't have done it and there is nothing I can do now about that. I am sorry for it and I am sorry that I couldn't have just called it off. I changed more then I thought I would when this happened. I hurt you Ree and I don't know how to make it up to you." He said leaning against the counter.

Ree nodded and moved towards the fridge, pulling the drink out she slid it over the counter towards him, heaving in a breath she rested against it for a moment, dark eyes locked on the man in front of her with a small smile she let out a soft breath, “Your right you should have, but things happen for a reason right?” Giving him a tight smile she let out a deep sigh, head shaking as she pursed her lips.

“Im not gonna lie Joker you hurt me, you know that, but it’s the past ya know, it shapes ya, so we move on and deal with it” Looking up at him she smiled.

Joker looked around the house and for the first time saw boxes, "You're moving arn't you?" He looked around the house, most of it was already packed leaving just a bit for comforts. He shook his head and ran his hands down his face.

Ree looked around at the boxes slowly nodding her head, "Yea Davids moving back home and i dont have anything else to stay for any more" She whispered, her carer was all but over her love life with Joker was done.

Sighing she ran fingers through her hair, "Honestly its just hard"

"Your hip healing?" He pointed at it with the hand he was leaning on. "Can't fight if you can't stand." He looked down at her leg and then to the counter top. He had messed up more then just his life on that botched job and knew it.

Shrugging her shoulders she smiled tightly at him, "Its as good as its gona be, doc says i cant fight though, i risk fucking it up permently" Sighing she looked over at him,

"Ya knownot all of this is your fault"

"Bull shit, that injury is because you saw me with that slut and we both know it." He shook his head and stuck his tongue on the inside of his cheek. "Any surguries or anything that can help your leg heal?" He twirled the bottle in his hand spiraling the liquid around slowly.

Ree clenched her jaw, "No the injury is because i was high of pain killers when my sister died and wrecked my car, the injury is because i took my eye of the ball" Licking her lips she deflated.

"Not everything is your fault" SHe stated with dark eyes wide, staring over at him, before shaking her head, "Nope, all they can do is plate it and then theres no way i can fight, this way i can at least have some normal existant, run, stuff like that"

Joker looked up at her, "So what are you going to do?" He ran his tongue across his teeth slowly. As far as he was concerned when it came to her there wasn't enough air in space because he didn't try hard enough.

She watched him for a moment before shrugging her shoulders, “I dunno” She muttered with a shrug of her shoulders, “it’s the first time iv actually had no idea what im going to do…I mean I always looked after my sister, but then she died, then I started with MMA, and now” Another shrug followed as she lowered her gaze, for the first time she was struck with absolutely no idea what to do and it scared the living day lights outta her.

"Yeah, I'm in the same boat. Doing what I can with Brian and the garage. Truth be told I'm on the internet about five hours a night looking up what the hell holds a car together, never been one for building usually just blowing shit to hell...so new experiance for me." He laughed and shook his head still not drinking from the beer in his hand, instead the cold bottle just rolled back and forth between his fingers.