With some discomfort Marcus had tugged his pants back on, finding his shirt and using it to dry his hair. He didn't pay much attention to the fact it was damp as he tugged it down over his head and straightened it out.
He caught her hand when it was held out to him, using it as leverage to yank her back in for a searing kiss full of promise. It was a brief one though, and he released her after a moment so they could make their way back up the beach.

Rin let out a soft squeak like sound as Marcus pulled her in. Once again she felt her body tremble with excitement. The wanderlust she felt from experiencing things for the first time was like nothing else. She smiled after being released by him. He made her happier than anything else. Quickly she walk along side him across the beach then up the hill, all the while clutching his hand tightly with her's. As they quietly approached the house she felt herself becoming excited again, knowing what would be coming soon. With as much stealth as possible they slipped through the front door and headed for the stair case. The quiet was shattered, however, by the yelling coming from Charlie's room. Throwing caution to the wind Rin darted to her baby sister's room. There she saw Henry beating her young sister. Rin felt her blood boil as rage, anger, and absolute hate rushed into her body. Like a soldier in battle she rushed to him, pulling him away from Charlie with a great deal of unexpected strength. Much like a ravaged dog she started yelling at him and punching him.

Marcus was a step behind her the entire way, even when she had dashed into her sister's room. He had stumbled once on the stairs but quickly bolted after her when get his balance. It didn't take much to figure out what was going on even if Rin's screaming was deafening.
And as much as he wanted to join her in beating the hateful man to a pulp he ran at her instead and hooked his arms around her waist from behind to drag her bodily off the other.

"Let me go! Let me beat the shit out of that worseless bastard! He doesn't deserve to live! Let me go!" She screamed and pulled against Marcus. It wasn't that she was mad at him, her anger was simply so extreme that it back lashed at everyone. Her teeth gritted and she tried to force her way from Marcus, she was unsuccessful. By this point Piper had come into the room, her body shielding Charlie from anymore harm and trying to comfort her. Henry laid on the floor, bloody and barely conscious. The purest of hate seeped through Rin's veins as she seemed to calm down. "I'll kill him for this..." She whispered to Marcus as she allowed him to pull her away from the man.

"I know, I know,". Marcus said under his breath, eyes locked on the vile man as he continued to hold Rin back. " Not yet though. Come'on, lets get your sister out of here,"

The rest of the night was much less dramatic yet nearly as upsetting. Henry had been drug back to his room where he laid passed out and Piper and Charlie stayed in her room. Marcus had managed to mostly calm down Rin and take her back to her room. She was very upset, feeling a multitude of different emotions. Every time she would leave Marcus's grasp she would start to break down, so he went to bed with her. Simply holding her close all night. He couldn't stop thinking about their incounter on the beach, but he knew it wasn't the time to bring that up. Rin too thought of their passionate moment, but her priority was that of her family. She knew Marcus understood that, but she was still happy he held her close.

Magical time skip

After that fateful night Rin and Marcus returned to the academy, never speaking of their passionate moment. Their relationship returned to more of that of friends, still much more close then most friends. Time went by quickly and before either of them knew it they were graduating and entering active duty. Unfortunately their paths were set in different directions. Rin was assigned to the BattleStar Galen as a Viper pilot. Her and Marcus always kept in touch though. They immediately started planning to meet up the first chance they got, but there was more to their plan. After Rin's monumental first mission and several smaller missions she returned to Tenish when she had a few days of leave.

There she stood, in front of the coffee shop in a town a near her home town. Eyes covered by dark aviator sunglasses but still scanning her surroundings. She wore combat boots, olive drab cargo pants and a tan tank top, and her dog tags resting on her breasts. She had cut her hair after entering active duty, now it was only about shoulder length and almost always in a ponytail. The beating sun warmed her skin as she stood waiting, her stance more serious than ever before. "Where is he? I told him to meet me here." She mumbled to herself. Loosing her patience she glanced down at her watch then back up.

"Damn Monroe what happened to your hair?" Marcus said in way of greeting, having come up behind her. He was still a few feet from her when he spoke, wearing what looked like cargo pants and a long sleeved shirt with the academy logo in dull black letters across the chest. Like Rin, he wore his combat boots which were rather dusty and beat looking and there was the unmistakable clink of tags that hung around his neck.

After graduation Marcus had been assigned to a ground unit on one of the more volatile planets where he ahd quickly racked up 13 notches on the barrel of his rifle as a sniper, and a few more on his combat knife. He had run a few covert missions, some in success and some in failure, but had managed to get through most of it unscathed save for a few scraps and near misses. The trenches, as his unit called them, were as brutal as he had envisioned and as his brother had warned him. It was a lot of sitting around and then a mad scramble, close quarters fighting, then sitting around again. A vicious cycle that got to some people's heads. How Marcus hadn't lost it yet he didn't know, but he knew Rin's messages helped even when they were about how much of a pain her squad leader was.

"I mean I know you said you cut it but this is a bit more then I thought," Having reached her now he looked over her with a critical eye as if studying her to note the differences and changes.

Her slightly stern stare softened to a kind smile when she saw Marcus. "Monroe is what those in my air group call me, I don't need you doing it too." She teased him as she stepped closer. She suddenly realized how her demeanor had slowly changed. She hadn't noticed till she was around him, someone she trusted and could relax around. But she also felt he had changed. There was something about him, more serious, more experienced. Undoubtedly he had taken many lives, just as she had. Her on the ground experience was still minimal, only having done a mission or two on the ground. Her superiors wanted her in the cockpit, where her real talent shone through. Laughing lightly she flicked her ponytail. "I may have cut a few more inches off." She remarked. Finally she was no longer able to resist. Stepping in close she hugged him tightly, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"More like a foot" Marcus grinned, hugging her back tightly and briefly lifting her off the ground. "Its been too long Rin, how've you been? I mean really been, not just in a note been." He asked, holding her at arms length now. His grin was still crooked and clear, but it didn't reach his eyes as fully as it had used to. They were warm still yes but there was something almost cold behind them.

After hugging him she removed her sunglasses and slipped them into her pocket. Her smile faded back to a more serious face, but also one of sadness. "I've really missed you. So much. I could have really used you, it's worse out there than they ever taught us in the academy." She explained. Her eyes darted around, scanning their surroundings. "Come on, lets get some coffee. " She said stepping towards the door of the coffee shop.

There was a certain spark that she had been missing, and now that she was back with Marcus she felt it again. he was her missing piece, he made her complete. For the sake of her sanity she had denied how much she really missed him, but now that their together again she knew she really needed him.

"You have no idea," Sighed Marcus, slipping his hands into his pockets. "Yeah coffee sounds good," He looked up at the name of the shop before following her in a bit apprehensively. Six months had already taken it's toll, and he was a bit more cautious when going in and coming out of buildings.
This felt good, being with Rin again. Like the old days even though they had so much more behind them now. Still, it felt like they had a natural rhythm between them. From the way they walked to the way they talked and interacted. It was comforting Marcus realized, familiar.

Once they had ordered and received their coffee they sat at a booth in the corner. Rin slid in close beside Marcus, touching him was still one of the most comforting things she knew. "What about you, how have you been?" She asked softly, her whole demeanor continuing to soften the more time she spent around him. It had felt like forever since she had seen him, but knowing that he was always waiting for her made the time bearable. Gently she rested her head on his shoulder.

Marcus sighed, unconsciously putting an arm around her shoulders and hugging her close to him. "Oh I've been better. Things in the trenches are, intense. It's nice to get out for a bit." He scratched his ribs with his free hand, seeming to not be very excited when it came to talking about how things were in his deployment zone. "How about in the sky? What's it been like up there?"

Rin slowly sipped her coffee and carefully listened to Marcus. She knew he was being purposely vague, but she couldn't blame him. If there was something he needed to talk about she knew he would talk to her. She took a long deep breath before speaking. The smell of coffee filling her senses. "It's a fucking mad house." She chuckled. "I know that's crude but it's honestly the best way to describe it. You have a few big ships duking it out with heavy weapons then a couple hundred of us Viper pilots doing the close up dog fights with their fighters. Despite being in ships it's still pretty up close and in your face. If you pause for even a split second your dead." She explained then sighed. "But damn it all if I don't love it, the flying at least. " She added. After taking another sip of her coffee she looked up at Marcus.

"Im never gonna understand how you can manage those things," Marcus said as he brought up his coffee to sniff it experimentally before taking a long sip. "Last time I was in a carrier I had a hard time keeping my food down, no idea how you last in a Viper! Specially in combat, shit..." He chuckled, shaking his head before taking another taste of the coffee.

"Yeah thus far I've managed to not throw up in my helmet." She laughed. "I've seen people who have, it is not pretty!" She added. Clearing her throat and moving about slightly she thought more on why she really came here. "On a more serious note though, we need to get down to why we came here, to Tenish. " She said, her voice seeming almost hollow. Regardless of what was happening she would want to see and be with Marcus but there was a serious reason as to why they chose to come to Tenish. "The beatings are getting worse. Mom said he broke Charlie's arm last week." She said, her voice beginning to seethe with anger.

"Then I think we've waited long enough." Marcus said, noting the anger in her voice. "But Im gonna ask again, are you sure about how you want to do this Rin?" It wasn't that he thought they shouldn't, he had been for doing this a long time ago. He just wanted to make sure she was certain about this. Marcus had no idea how air combat was but when he had killed his first up close it had had a rather twisted and sickening effect for him. Of course it had been with a knife in a closet. But he couldn't help but be protective of Rin, wanting to shield her as much as he could.

Sitting up straight and staring down into her coffee she thought for a brief moment. "He is no good. There is literally nothing good about him. I have let this go on far to long, it's time I step up and take care of my family." She said with a deep seriousness, then turned her head and looked at him intensely. "I am sure, beyond any doubt am I sure." She stated plainly. Her eyes then broke from his as she reached for her coffee.

Marcus, seeming to be somewhat satisfied, nodded. "Okay then. Lets consider it done." He said with a sigh, pushing his cup away from him now that he had finished it. Then after a long pause he asked, "Does your mom know about this? Or Charlie?" As much as he wanted this to happen, he wanted to make sure they had everything covered like if her family was prepared and if they had a plan for dealing with things afterward.

Rin huffed. "they don't need to know. It could put them at more risk if they knew. But believe me, they won't miss him." she insisted, aalmost bitterly. "the family will support them. What little money I make is already going to them so that will help out." she said, leaning forward onto the table. Her hand wandered to her dog tags, absent mindedly fidgeting with them.