Forever Safe

-CHAPTER 11-

The Warehouse was exactly that, a warehouse that looked exactly like all of the others surrounding it on the block, except from what Lou could tell, Rune's had some very high tech security.

The inside was dingy and dark. It was like a maze, long winding hallways and massive rooms that echoed. Rune definitely kept Lou out of certain areas, and she had a hunch why.

She had actually asked Rune to show her some self defense, and they had been going over some techniques this morning. He had asked if she wanted to learn how to shoot his pistol, and she had agreed, not exactly realizing how difficult that choice would be on her.

Rune always had his gun. She knew that, but as soon as he pulled it out, Lou felt her world spin. Her vision blurred, and she dropped harshly onto the concrete ground.

She could see stars, and she could hear the stars, thick static filling her head. She struggled to swallow air.

She felt herself being moved, and she settled when she realized she had been placed in Rune's lap.

She felt like she couldn't control her limbs. Rune held the back of her head, pressing her to his neck.

She could feel his breathing. The up and down motion soothed her and she tried to match her rhythm to his.

"I've got you, Lou," Rune said, and she realized that her ears had finally cleared.

She finally had the strength to grip his shirt.

"What was that?" she mumbled, still feeling shaky and weird.

"That was a panic attack," Rune said, kissing her forehead. "which means this was a shitty idea. Let's go home. You've had enough for today."

He stood slowly with her, holding most of her weight up.

"Wait, no," she protested.

Rune looked down at her expectantly. She was surprised he didn't say anything about her telling him no, and the thought almost made her laugh.

"I still want to try. I will never get over my fears and nightmares if I don't face it."

"Don't play tough girl with me. I'm still holding you up, and you're shaking so bad you can't even hold onto me. Absolutely not," his words were firm, but she still pushed.

"Please, Rune," Lou said as sweetly as she possibly could muster. 

Rune gave an annoyed huff, and she smiled, knowing she had just gotten her way.

---

The gun felt heavy in Lou's hands. Holding it out in front of her made her arms ache.

"I'm scared," Lou admitted to Rune. It wasn't the type of scared where she didn't want to do this, she just didn't know what to expect when she pulled the trigger.

"You can't be scared. It's going to be loud as hell and it might jolt you a little, but it's good to learn."

She didn't expect it to be so difficult to do.

"Make sure you have a firm grip, and you can pull the trigger when you are ready. If you don't want to fire again after this first shot, you don't have to."

Rune put the soft headphones over her ears. Lou's heart was pounding in her chest.

She pulled the trigger. The loud pop instinctively made her close her eyes.

Rune chuckled softly, taking the weapon from her and flipping the safety on it. She pulled the headphones down.

"How are you supposed to see the target if you close your eyes, honey?"

"It was loud, Rune," she pouted, looking expectantly at the target set out a few hundred feet in front of them."Where did I hit?"

"The floor. You were aiming too low."

She gave a short laugh, proud that she had pushed through.

"That wasn't so bad," she admitted. The adrenaline was still rushing through her body, but it was a good feeling. "Let me do it again."

She tried to line up the next few shots like Rune taught her to do. By her fourth round, she actually hit the target. It wasn't anywhere near the bullseye, but it felt like a big accomplishment.

"I'm very proud of you," Rune said sincerely, putting the weapon away. The praise made Lou feel giddy. She loved making him proud. She loved him. 

"Thank you," she smiled. "You're a good teacher."

He bent his head to kiss her.