** REBEL SIMMONS POV **

Mom, now isn't the time for that!

I just can't help myself, okay?

Oh my god, oh my god, she's going to die isn't she? Then I'll have two ghost haunting my fucking room. 

Mom, seriously?! 

She needs a hospital, NOW!

It's too far, we won't make it in time!

... Voices?

I winced as I shifted over to my side and pain shot up my entire arm.

Shhh! She's waking up!

My eyes fluttered open to see a very worried Florence, Giana, Harry, Natalia, Isa, and Angelo hovering over me. I looked around to see that I was laying in the Vino living room. There was a large, thick blanket under me as I laid on the couch. 

I looked down at my clothing. I was still wearing the white v-neck crop top and my black ripped jeans. I looked up to see Natalia holding my jacket, and Florence holding my shoes. I glanced at my arm, and cringed slightly as I saw the bullet wound. It looked like the bullet was a few centimetres away from hitting anything vital, yet the bullet was lodged deep in the skin of my tricep.

"For fucks sake, give her some space." Dante's angry voice boomed through the house as he entered the living room holding a tray of medical equipment. His family quickly backed away from me. He was still wearing his dress pants, and his white button up shirt was folding up to his elbows. His dirty blonde hair was messy, as if he has been running his hand through it all night.

"It's fine, really. It's just a scratch." I said smiling at them in an attempt of reassurance.

"Oh honey, we were so worried about you. Thank god you're alright. Do you need anything?" Giana asked frantically as she grabbed my hand.

"Yes, she needs some space." Dante growled at her as he placed the tray down on the coffee table.

"What happened?" Florence asked in a worried tone as she hugged Angelo.

"We were attacked at L'Americano. We were surrounded, but killed all of them." Isa explained calmly.

"Who was behind the attack?" Florence asked nervously.

"We aren't sure..." Natalia said as she looked down. "We have men there now gathering all the evidence we can."

"Russians. They were Russian." I said as I attempted to sit up. Dante quickly rushed over and put his hand on my back, helping me to sit upright.

"Are you sure?" Dante asked as he looked me in the eyes.

"They had tattoos of quotes on their necks that were written in Russian." I explained. Dante nodded and pulled up a chair next to me.

"Do you remember what they said?" Dante asked, still softly holding onto my back. I closed my eyes, grateful for my photographic memory.

"Six of the shooters had 'Death before Dishonor' while two had ... 'The Shadows' on their necks." Dante's jaw clenched at the mention of the last two, and a few gasps from Florence and Giana were heard.

"Assassins? In Italy?" Angelo whispered to himself.

"We will discuss this later. Increase security. No one is leaving the mansion this week." Dante said sternly as he let go of my back to face his family. Angelo nodded before he quickly walked away, obeying his orders. Harry held Giana as a scared expression morphed onto her face.

"Now please, give us some space. And grab me some liquor." Dante ordered to the room. He moved his hand and gently started stroking my hair. His eyes were soft, and his once intimidating demeanor now melted into a somewhat comforting and caring man. Natalia and Isa ran quickly to the kitchen, and returned with four different kinds of alcohol. They held the options out to Dante, and he grabbed a bottle of expensive whiskey.

"Rebel," He said softly as he pushed a lock of my hair behind my ear. "We don't have the proper anesthetic or painkillers here, so this'll hurt. We have to get the bullet out now, so drink this, it'll help." He said holding out a bottle of open whiskey.

I have never drank before, nor did I really plan on it. I've always been somewhat afraid, seeing that my father was a raging alcoholic. I know that I'm nothing like him, but I didn't want to take that chance. In this circumstance, I'll take the drunken numbness over the intense discomfort of surgery without anesthetic.

"At least get her a chaser." Harry said as the worried family still watched me.

"She's a big girl, she can handle it." Dante said as he looked over at Harry.

"I can't even drink whiskey straight." Harry said as he raised his eyebrow at me.

"That's because you're a bitch." Dante stated as he looked at Harry, then back to me. 

I grabbed the bottle with my good arm, and took two large gulps. The whiskey burned everything it came in contact with, I coughed for a bit, before drinking two more large gulps. I stuck my tongue out and shook my head as I waited for the burning to cease. The effects of the alcohol hit me rather quickly. My body started to feel numb, and the oak after taste of the whiskey started to become pleasant.

"You've never drank before, have you?" Dante said as he looked at me amused as he leaned back into his chair.

"Nope." I said as I chugged the bottle again. I finished over a fourth of the bottle before I couldn't feel my body anymore... I felt numb... comfortably numb. My mind felt at easy and things were moving slower.

"Jesus, you drink like a sailor." Isa laughed. I looked at her and saluted her before I took another drink, causing everyone to chuckle.

"So, you're gonna stitch me up Dr. Dante?" I said looking at him as he put a doctors mask over his face.

"Okay, That should be enough, lightweight." Dante smirked as he took the bottle from my good hand. Our skin touched briefly as he grabbed the liquor from my hand. His rough touch left a trail of goosebumps on my skin yet again.

Damn you and your electric touch Dr. Dante.

"Lightweight? Is that suposto be another insult?" I said to Dr. Dante, my words slurring.

"It means you get drunk quicker." Dante said seriously as he put on gloves.

"I'm rather disappointed with your insult, Dr. Dante. Stating the obvious isn't very creative. 0/10 stars for you." I said, my words slurring as I looked at him with furrowed eyebrows.

Everyone erupt in laughter before a very serious and angry Doctor kicked them out of our sophisticated operating room.

"Dr. Dante, are you sure you have the proper credentials to be operating on me?" I said as I slightly pouted at the attractive doctor. "I think I need to see some paperwork Doctor."

"If you keep calling me Doctor and pouting out that lip of yours, your arm isn't the only thing I'll be operating on tonight." He seductively whispered in my ear.

"Wow a surgeon and a gynecologist." I said biting my lip to hold back a laugh.

"You're quite entertaining when your drunk, my little vixen. I should take you out drinking more often." He said as he reached over onto the table and grabbed a scalpel.

"Can I tell you a secret Dr. Dante," I whispered as he started to work on my arm

"Depends on what it is." Dr. Dante said as he concentrated on my arm.

"I prefer you much more than regular Dante." I slightly giggled at the tickling sensation on my arm.

"Oh really? Why is that my little vixen." He said as he entered my arm with surgical grade tweezers.

"You are much nicer than he is." I said, still laughing. He looked up at me and raised an eyebrow.

"You might want to watch what you say considering how close I am to your Brachial Artery." He said playfully as if he just didn't threaten to slash open one of the major arteries in my arm. I couldn't help the full blown laugh that escaped my lips at his humor. Oh his dark, twisted humor.

"But regular Dante is much more attractive. Temperamental and angry, but still pretty awesome." I said drunkenly. Looks like my body is so numb it turned off my conscious thought. The words flew out of my mouth without my consent.

"Well what makes him, so 'awesome' if he's temperamental and angry all of the time." Dante said, his eyebrows furrowing as he still was working on my arm. I couldn't tell if he was making that face from concentration, or confusion.

"He's arrogant, somewhat selfish, temperamental, and furious most of the time, but that's what makes regular Dante, well, regular Dante. He's apologetically himself, and he could care less about what anyone thought of him. If someone told him to change, he'd either tell them to fuck off or shoot them between the eyes." I said laughing. A slight chuckle came from Dr. Dante as he grabbed a hold of the bullet with the tweezers.

"But that's what makes regular Dante so awesome. Is that he's himself, something I'd always want him to be. Granted, I can tell that there is more to him than what meets the eye, but one day I'll see another side of regular Dante, instead of the glimpses he allows to slip through occasionally." I said, completely blabbering at this point.

"You are mad woman. Absolutely, horrifically, insane." Dante said as he sat up and looked at me, he was hiding behind the doctors mask, but you could tell by his eyes that underneath that flimsy material was a giant, megawatt smile. He held up the bullet from my arm as I examined it before he dropped it onto the tray.

Did I just make Dr. Dante... smile?

"Normality is a paved road: it's comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow." I smiled as my arm started to tickle again.

"Life is always better a little deranged, isn't it?" Dr. Dante chuckled again as he started on my stitches.

"My goal in life is not to be normal, but to be deranged with knowledge. It is much more entertaining." I laugh drunkenly. As he finishes the stitches and started to wrap my arm with gauze.

"You are quite the unusual woman, did you know that?" He said softly, his grey eyes shined underneath the lights of the room.

"I've been told." I giggled as he finished my arm and took of his Doctor mask.

"Thanks Dr. Dante. Remember, don't tell regular Dante about our talk, yeah?" I said as I stood up abruptly. I immediately regretted my decision as the room started spinning, and I stumbled forward. Regular Dante has returned, and he caught me in his muscular arms.

"Up you go." He said as he effortlessly lifted me up bridal style. My good are wrapped around his neck as he held my bad arm with his hand. I nuzzled my head into his chest as his thumb drew small circles on my arm.

He opened the door to my bedroom and gently laid me down on my bed. I heard him walk into my bathroom and wash up before he returned and stood beside me for a moment. He bent down, and stroked my hair, before hesitantly walking away.

"Stay. Please." I said as I opened my eyes. He instantly nodded his head and took off his shirt and his pants, leaving me with a wonderful view of him in his boxers. He crawled into bed, and pulled me close to his warm, muscular chest.

"Will ...you be here when I wake up?" I whispered.

"Depends on when you wake up." He said, his body slightly stiffening at my words.

"Then I guess I will enjoy you for as long as I have you." I muttered before I interlocked our legs together and nuzzled into his chest.

He kissed my forehead softly, his lips lingers for a few moments before darkness overcame me.