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"Loves you?!" Tommy mocked, bursting into laughter and making Atticus jump slightly. "Oh darlin', that's funny!"

Atticus looked at him curiously.

"Why do ya' look so dumbfounded, Ghost?" Tommy sneered, then he looked at Heather. "Darlin', you can ask any girl in new York... They'll say Atticus Soprano once loved them too!"

Atticus blinked as Tommy's smirk grew. "Attie sure loves the girls-"

"I'm not like that anymore!" Atticus snarled.

"Of course not... You're in love this time!"

"Yes, I am..." Atticus answered instantly.

"So you say... You don't care about her!" Tommy began, signaling toward Heather. "You just keep her because she knows your secret!"

"What?! No! I-"

"Stop denying, Soprano!" Tommy challenged, pushing Atticus roughly away from Heather. "You've only been in love once... my what was that little beauty's name?... Chelsea? Now I know you really loved her... It's a shame though... Taken from you by a drunk driver... She was what? Not a day over 19... Hmmm... Young love-"

"Shut your mouth!!!" Atticus boomed, he had never gotten so mad in his life.

Tommy laughed again and shoved Atticus against the wall, then he turned to Heather. "See darlin', he don't care about you. He's got you convinced he loves you! Truth is, no one can tie down the handsome young detective... Except his lost love of course. But you... not a chance. You're still here because you know about Ghost. Nothing else!" Tommy grinned as he circled Heather.

"Heather! He's lying!" Atticus whimpered. Tommy was, he wanted to make them doubt eachother, and bringing up Attie's past was the best way to do that.

Rage. The emotion was angry and bitter, it didn't belong to the timid, sweet natured girl. But there it was, turning her vision to read as she watch the man before her form his words. She didn't care if Atticus used to be a player, she didn't care that almost every girl had loved him. All that mattered now was that they loved each other. What did this...Horrible, vile, disgusting man know? Of course Atticus loved her! He had told her over and over.

Heather clenched her fists, the whites of her knuckles showing. He gritted her teeth and glared at him, her eyes smorlding with nothing more than the allient emotion she knew as rage. She looked at Atticus, and her expression softed. No, he did love her, she knew it.

"You son of a b*tch, you think that using those past tricks will work on me?! You think that I care if Atticus used to be the city's heart throb? I don't care what you say. You're a f*cking rat. For all I know you could be lying. So I'm not going to believe you, because Atticus wouldn'y lie to me, and if he says it's not true, than it's not." Heather growled, trying to contian herself from yelling.

Tommy's hand connected powerfully with Heather's face. Before she could hit the ground, Tommy clamped his hand around he throat and slammed her into the wall, holding her by the throat.

"Heather!" Atticus exclaimed lunging for her, but some of Tommy's friends came from the shadows, grabbing him and holding him back.

Heather gasped, her hands flying to his wrists and trying to weakly pry him off of her. She felt her lip sting, and then warm, metallic tasting blood oozed out of it. She gulped and held his gaze, trying to think her way out of this. The world simmered into an echo, and all that she could hear was her breathing. She plotted her actions as she stared into the lifeless eyes of Tommy, calculating and thinking through the horror that shrouded her like a cloak.

Suddenly her knee connected with his groin harshly, and before he could double over, her fist crashed into his jaw. She pushed the man off of her, her breathing ragged. “Never every again will you touch me you do*che!” Heather hissed.

Tommy's companions chuckled amonst themselves as they still held the smirking Atticus. Tommy glared at them and made them fall quiet, all except Atticus who smiled.

"You think that's funny?!" Tommy asked.

"Yeah, I do." Atticus replied with a smile.

Tommy was quiet then he smirked and looked at Heather. "Now I know what would hurt you more than anything!" he said darkly. He walked over to his companions. "Let him go!" he ordered.

They realeased Atticus who was about to race to Heather, but Tommy suddenly hit him across the face, wit a gun he pulled from his jacket. Atticus fell and Tommy kicked him in the side, then as he tried to get up, Tommy pressed the gun to his head. "Now tell me darlin', what would you do if I killed the man you loved?" Tommy asked wickedly.

Heather stood in disbelief. It swirled around her like a vortex, and she felt as if she were in a dream. Yes. It was all a dream. Atticus was sleeping next to her, and she was about to shoot up screaming. But it wasn’t a dream, this was real. Heather gulped and slumped her shoulder. Blood dripped down her chin and she felt herself sinking.

“What do you want?” She asked, her voice rasping against her throat, “What will it take to keep him alive?” She clearified, looking disdainfully down at the floor.

Tommy smirked "I think you know what I want!" he sneered wickedly.

"No!" Atticus snarled, making Tommy look at him. "Don't you touch her! You want me! You want Ghost! Leave her alone! Let her go!"

Tommy looked at his companions who nodded slowly. Tommy grinned and looked at Heather, "Seems like, luck is one your side darling!"

Atticus looked at her sorrowfully.

Heather didn't quiet understand the 'luck' part. It took her a few moments of thinking it over to finally realize: They were going to kill Atticus. Heather shook her head frantically. She needed a gun, anything. She needed her words, but they weren't coming out clearly.

"No, don't take him from me. He's all I got. Please Tommy, please..." Heather said pathetically, saying his name stung, it made him sound too human for what he was. She stood stiffly, her knees locked, her eyes pleading. She knew he wouldn't just let Atticus go due to her pleads, but she couldn't think of anything else to say.

Tommy chuckled and hit Atticus in the back for the head with his gun. Ignoring Heather, "Say your goodbyes Ghost!"

Atticus looked at him slowly, then he scrambled up, and walked slowly over to Heather. He looked down at her and gently wiped the blood from her face. "You know I love you?" he asked softly, feeling Tommy's glare on him. He didn't believe this was happening either, but as long as she was safe, he didn't care.

Heather looked at Atticus, breathless. She wouldn't believe this would be the last time she'd ever see him. She couldn't. If she didn't save him, if she let him die and then just walked away, she wouldn't be able to live with herself. Her body would leave, but her mind would stay in the greenhouse, trying to think her way out where both she and Atticus could have survived.

A flicker of light casted off of Atticus's belt, she looked down, ready to glare at the light. Only to find that it was Atticus's gun, shining in the rays of sun the filtered through the greenhouse. She studied it, not responding to Atticus. Her eyes strayed to a very impatient Tommy, and she knew what she had to do.

"Forgive me." She begged, before snaking her hand around the gun resting on Atticus's hip and pointing it at Tommy. She didn't hesitate, she pressed off the saftey and pulled the trigger. Fire erupted from the gun and the recoil caused Heather's grasp to loosen, she dropped the gun.The bullet twirled in the air and connected with Tommy's chest.


((I can change this if you want...)

Atticus jumped when the gun fired. A second later, Tommy fell and his friends jumped back. "Tommy!" one of them yelped. The other glared at Heather and pulled his own gun "You little b*tch!" he snarled. Atticus punched him, "No ya' don't!" he snarled. He fired and Atticus yelped, falling to the ground and clutching his shoulder.

"C'mon!" The man growled to his friend. Both criminals turn and bolted away. Atticus sat up slowly, holding his shoulder.

(it's okay )

Heather didn't realize how bad her plan would backfire on her, but now Atticus was shot. She cursed and ran to his side. "Oh God, Attie!" She whimpered, clutching his hand. "I'm so sorry." She said despratly.

"Hey, hey! It's alright Heather, I'll be fine!" he assured he looked at her bleeding lip. Atticus sighed "Heather... I don't deserve you... You always get hurt when you're with me..." he whimpered softly.

Heather shrugged indifferently to her bleeding lip, “I could care less.” She said simply, letting her eyes look at his wounded shoulder.

Atticus smiled and wiped the leftover blood from her lips, then he slipped his hand out of hers and placed it on her cheek. "Do we even need to be together? I mean... I can't let you keep getting hurt, you don't have to stay with me... I'll always be... Just a criminal..."