Fighter (Simon Ghost Riley!)

Bullet Holes, Cigarettes and Apologies

It had been six weeks since her first mission.

She was haunted by the image of the girl, her lifeless terrified eyes staring into addy's very core. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw lifeless brown ones staring back at her, she would awake in the night, haunted by dreams of her past, of her father and of the girl.

Price had suggested she sit this mission out, instead the older captain taking her place. Until she sorted her head out, he claimed. Ghost had barely spoke to her, he'd only given her blunt yes or no answers or simply grunted in acknowledgement. Eventually she had given up trying to speak to the lieutenant.

Roach had been healing well, he had a few weeks off and had headed home to see his family, she had hoped with roach being gone the lieutenant might have forgiven her easier without having the constant reminder of her first mistake within the team.

She sat on the sofa in the rec room, legs lazily pulled under her as she tried to relax, the TV played quietly in the background, she lent her head back sighing heavily and closing her eyes allowing exhaustion to overtake her body.

"You look just like your mother" her fathers sighed, whiskey and cigarettes tainted his words and his fingers danced across her cheek.

"Look at you all made up for your daddy" he smiled holding her at arm's length to take in the child's outfit. A small pink sun dress with matching flower printed dolly shoes.

"I don't want to" she whispered, her voice cracking as tears sprung to her eyes. Her body trembled with fear, her hands gripping each other tightly, nails biting into the skin of her palm.

"What?" He asked pretending if he hadn't understood her trembling voice, he saw her head drop as tears threatened to spill from her eyes, a sick smile crossed his lips.

"I said I don't want to" she repeated louder, she lifting her head biting back the tears and finally standing up to the monster that was her father.

"Well... I guess if that's how you want to play" her father shrugged his shoulders, she relaxed slightly believing her father had accepted defeat.

In an instant he grabbed her shoulders roughly forcing her to turn around, taking the cigarette from his mouth he stabbed the burning end into the skin of her shoulder blade. She screamed out in agony, her flesh sizzling and burning as her father laughed pressed the stick further into her.

After a few moments on the intense burning her father threw the now dead cigarette onto the floor, gripping her shoulders and pressing on the fresh wound he turned her to face him. A small Yelp escaped her lips as she faced the monster of a man she once loved.

"Now... "                   

A loud bang awoke Adder with a fright, she jumped from the sofa standing straight, her chest heaving and breathing ragged.

"Oh... you're here" ghost questioned, he'd noticed her absence from the mission, Meat had accompanied him as Price teamed up with Soap. Ghost winced slightly, leaning on the wooden door frame, addys eyebrows pulled together as she watched him.

"Yeah, Price said Apparently I need to sort my head out" she scoffed slightly, ghost nodded slowly eyes glancing around the rec room.

"Price? Soap?" He questioned his head falling back with a quiet thud against the door frame.

"Not back... no one is here just me" she spoke, ghost nodded slowly, wincing again slightly as he pushed himself from the doorframe and across to the sofa, she had been asleep on moments ago, he fell heavily into the old fabric, sighing and lifting his heavy boots to rest against the coffee table.