Orion had taken off running. He didn't even know where he was going. He just had to get away from Mercy. Everything she did reminded him of his past.

Orion dreaded his past. It was coming back to haunt him. It was driving him crazy. Every move and every damn thing Mercy did made him remember her... Felicity... how much he hated the name. All it did was bring him pain.

Orion finally stopped running and sank down to his knees. He then proceeded to pound the ground, screaming, "Why damn you, why did you have to die?" After all these years, he was still blaming himself for her death. The death that he should have prevented. He knew he should have been there for her... but he hadn't.

Meanwhile...

"Orion, where the hell are you?" Mercy screamed. Damn him. She hadn't gotten out of the Mori fast enough to see which direction the Guardian had run. Mercy thought she heard screaming, but couldn't tell where it was coming from. Mercy kept on running, not even knowing which way to go. She decided to head toward a cluster of trees. Mercy slowed down and continued to jog before coming to a complete stop.

There was Orion, sitting down, leaning against a tree.

"Orion, are you okay?" Mercy asked in a quiet voice.

Orion just looked up at her and said in an angry tone, "Go away, I don't want you here."

"Well that's just too bad, because you're my Guardian and you have to stick with me," Mercy stated. "What was with that disappearing act? Why did you run out of the Mori?"

Orion just looked at her and then looked back at the ground. "It's something personal. I'd rather not go into it, if you don't mind."

A confused look came across Mercy's face. She didn't know how to respond to this. She didn't want to badger him about it, but she didn't need her Guardian losing his mind either. What am I going to do? she thought to herself. I hope that Orion isn't ...

"Orion, you aren't going to start drinking again, are you?" Mercy asked defensively.

"No, I'm not going to start drinking again. I made a promise to you and I intend on keeping it."

"Okay, I'm just checking."

Mercy decided to let her Guardian just sit there and brood. But she wanted to do something more constructive. She would train. She needed some brushing up after the Disneyland battle... she had to be ready, just in case. She reached into HammerSpace and pulled out a pair of workout pants and a T-shirt. There was no way she could work out in jeans. Choosing weapons training first, Mercy took out her lightsaber and began practicing. She went through her drills and exercises over and over again. Panting, she turned off the lightsaber and laid it on the ground. She cleared her mind and began to work on her kata.

Orion looked up and watched Mercy train. He was amazed that she would actually have the initiative to train. He pulled himself up and decided to help her train. He approached her slowly watching where she was moving through her kata. It was best to be cautious when she was in such deep concentration... he didn't want get slammed against a tree again. He stepped in front of her and cleared his throat. Her eyes focused on him and he asked,

"Would you like a training partner?"

Mercy just looked at him "You want to train with me?"

~tbc~