Dammit.

Mira let out a grunt as she pushed herself to her feet, lifting her fists in a ready position as she faced Adrian in the ring. He'd woken her up bright and early that morning and the one before to take her down to the training room to work on some self defense.

He lunged towards her, his fist swinging towards her face. She sidestepped him, grabbing his wrist and yanking him away from her, taking the opportunity to kick him in the back of his knees. He stumbled forward, catching himself before he faceplanted into the ground.

"Thank god," Mira let out a huff, wiping the sweat off her brow with the back of her hand. She'd had her ass handed to her by Adrian about fifty times before, and this victory, although small, showed some improvement.

"Not bad," Adrian said as he stood up. "At least everything I've told you hasn't gone through one ear and out the other." He walked over to her, resting a hand on her shoulder as he gave her a satisfied smile.

"Yeah, I got kind of tired of eating shit," She replied back. He smirked, walking over to the edge of the ring and slipping between the ropes.

"Ready to move on?" He asked, and she couldn't help but to bite back a frown. She knew he meant to practice shooting, but after being forced to use a gun to take her father's life, she despised the idea. But it was necessary, she'd have to overcome this mental block, otherwise, she might've been the one taking a bullet to the head.

Adrian lead her into the gun room, the lines of life ending weapons taunting her as they rested against the racks. He plucked one from the rack and walked over to one of the targets, motioning for her to follow him.

He placed a pair of headphones over her head before holding the gun out to her. She hesitated before taking it into her clammy hands. His hands gently wrapped around hers as he guided the barrel of the gun so that it was aimed at the target.

"I think your problem is that your so caught up in the idea of killing someone, you haven't considered that you're not always aiming to kill. In your case, your aiming to keep someone alive. Accuracy can both end and save a life."

He lifted their hands so that the gun was aimed at the targets head.

"A headshot, kills." He shifted their hands again. "If your shooting to injure, not kill, you want to avoid arteries and aim for places where blood loss will be minimal. Arms, thighs, hands and feet are the safest options, but don't hit them directly. Aim off a bit, and you'll have a good chance of harming them without doing lethal damage."

She gave him a slow nod, repeating his words in her head. She wasn't shooting to kill. No more people had to die at her hands.

He released his hands from hers, taking a step back. She sucked in a deep breath as she aimed for the outer side of the targets shoulder, pulling the trigger. The bullet hit the empty space next to the target, and although it wasn't a direct hit, it was fairly close.

Shocked by her own accuracy, she lifted the gun again and aimed for the same spot, the bullet this time, hitting exactly where she had aimed.

She looked back at Adrian, who smiled, nodding his head approvingly.

"Keep going." He encouraged. She focused back on the target, her confidence growing. She shifted her aim towards one of the other spots Adrian had suggested, emptying an entire cart before Adrian came and pulled the gun from her hands.

"A lot better than last time, that's for sure. That's because you weren't afraid when you took the shot. You have to remember that you're the one in control, here. The bullet will go where you want it to, you just have to aim with confidence." He pulled the headphones from her head, hanging them with the others.

"I think that's enough for today." She was relieved to hear those words leave his lips. She was already sore from the day before and if they continued any longer, she'd be barely able to move even if her life depended on it.

Adrian walked over to her as they made their way out of the training room, his arm snaking around her waist as he pulled her towards him and placed a gentle kiss on her head.

"I know it was hard, but you did good these past two days."

Mira smiled at his words, leaning her head against his shoulder as they stepped into the elevator. Ever since their night on the roof, the dynamic between them had changed. It was like the wall they'd created between themselves had been lifted, the one thing holding them back from one another, gone.

"It's because I had a pretty badass teacher," she said, a light chuckle vibrating through his chest.

"My little protégé."

They made their way back into his apartment and Mira made her way over to the fridge, her stomach letting out a loud rumble. Adrian disappeared into his room while she rummaged through the fridge's contents before deciding on a yogurt to snack on.

She peeled it open and plopped down in one of the barstools, Adrian returning to slide into the one next to her.

She looked over and noticed a small velvet box in his hands.

"What's that?" Mira asked, browns knit together. Adrian grinned, pulling open the box to reveal a stunning diamond necklace with a heart shaped gem in the middle. Mira's mouth fell open as he carefully lifted it out of the box.

"Lift up your hair, I'll put it on for you," he said, and too shocked to say anything, Mira did so.

The necklace was cool around her skin as he did the latch at her nape. Once it was secured, she let her hair fall back down over her shoulders.

"Adrian, you didn't have to get me anything, especially not something like this," she stammered, running her hand over the exquisite piece. It was absolutely stunning, she had to admit, but it was too much.

"I didn't get it because I had to. I wanted to give you something. That way you'll always have a part of me with you."

She ran her fingers over the diamond in the center.

"Thank you, it's beautiful," she smiled, leaning forward and placing a gentle kiss on his soft lips. She was still smiling when she pulled away, a look of sheer adoration in Adrian's steely grey eyes as his lips remained slightly parted. The way he looked at her made her heart skip a beat and her cheeks flush red, like a little girl caught having a crush.

"So . . ." Mira started, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she gathered herself from the explosion of warmth that had spread to her cheeks. "We've met with mafia bosses and trained like we're going off to fight in a war, so how about tonight, we do something normal?" She offered, although even if he had something else in mind, she wasn't planning on giving him a choice. They were going to binge watch Gossip Girl whether Adrian wanted to or not.

"Like what, sweetheart?" Adrian asked, smiling slightly as he rested his face in his palm. She grinned, jumping up from her seat.

"A movie night, with candy, and popcorn, and blankets, lots of blankets." She exclaimed excitedly, tossing her empty yogurt in the trash and making for Adrian's room.

"I'm going to shower, then I'll make my famous caramel corn." She slipped into his bathroom and quickly rinsed the sweat from her body, using the new bottles of shampoo and conditioner Adrian had bought after she made fun of him for having a 2 in 1.

When she finished, she slipped into a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt one of Adrian's men had bought her.

She walked back out into the kitchen, motioning to Adrian that it was his turn.

While he showered, Mira excitedly worked on making the caramel corn, rummaging through Adrian's cupboards before finding an unopened pack of twizzlers. She grabbed a Dr. Pepper from the fridge to complete her spread and took everything over to the coffee table, where she plopped onto the couch and grabbed the remote.

She queued up the episode they'd left off on from their last Gossip Girl night, pulling a large blanket from a basket and wrapping it around herself.

When Adrian returned, he let out a light chuckle, tilting his head as he looked at her from the doorway.

"Are you just going to stand there?" Mira questioned, patting the couch next to her.

"Sorry," he apologized as he walked over and took his seat next to her. "I was just admiring your setup."

Mira smiled, starting the episode as she snuggled up next to him.

They had watched nearly three episodes, Mira's head resting in Adrian's lap as he ran his fingers through her locks. She pulled her gaze from the tv, looking up at Adrian.

This. This was all Mira had ever really wanted.

For the longest time, she'd been searching for a way to fill the void that her parents had left her with, to get rid of this feeling of emptiness within her...

"What?" Adrian caught Mira's gaze, his brows furrowing. She shook her head slightly.

"Nothing, I'm just... thinking," she said, letting out a long breath and looking back at the television.

"Tell me," Adrian gently tilted her head towards him, forcing her eyes to meet his. She chewed the inside of her cheek.

"I just... I feel bad. After everything that's happened, I think I've smiled more than I should have. I guess you could say I feel guilty for how happy I am right now." She frowned. She still thought about her father a lot, her heart continuously aching for him, but she was coping surprisingly well. It scared her, the way she was able to function almost normally after such a horrific scene. It made her wonder what kind of person she was...

"Guilty? Mira, you have nothing to feel guilty about. You're healing, that's human nature. There will always be a scar, but you'll go on with life, you'll smile, laugh... everyone does. I've spent most of my life broken, told myself that I didn't deserve to be happy after the things I've done... but you've started to heal me. Now it's time to let yourself heal." He leaned down a kissed her forehead.

Mira intertwined her fingers with his, holding his hand against her chest.

Her scars ran long and deep, any fix she could find to numb the pain, temporary. Now, it seemed she'd finally found the right medicine. Now she'd have to fight not to lose it.