(Author's Note: Just a little thing I wrote. Lee finds himself going to Dani's apartment because he needs to be near her in some way but who he finds there surprises him and a fight ensues. To Stanton, she was just as a much a daughter as she was for Lee. Just not by blood, obviously. This fanfic was written after If Memory Serves. The whole scene between Stanton, Cameron, and Lee in God's Eye View just happened to be similar to the end of this. I'm sorry it worked out that way. I had to put this A/N in, I'm sick and tired of people messaging me and telling to stop plagiarizing the writers' work on the show. I wrote this weeks before the end of the season even took place. Thanks for reading, guys.)
It was a long, long week. Danielle had officially been gone for four days and it was almost too much to comprehend. It had been pouring out all day but as night began to fall, the rain started to let up. Lee got out of his old car and it took all of his energy just to close the damn door. He jogged for the overhang at his daughter's apartment, or at least, what had been his daughter's apartment. He still needed to make arrangements. He didn't want to sell her place but he knew he would have to. Cameron wasn't about to buy it…
He walked up the steps slowly and he shook off the rain. His hair was wet and he pushed a hand through it, raking it back and off his forehead. "So cold out," he mumbled and pulled his coat closer. Today had been a hard day and he just needed to be here. He didn't know why but he needed this, he needed the comfort of being close to some part of her.
He would give anything to go back, to push Cameron away so he could get to her in time. Life wasn't fair. It was too bad there wasn't a rewind button so you could fix things that needed to be edited. He would have given anything to switch places with her. But alas, no one could change the past. All you could do was deal with present and your never-ending list of regrets. What he would give to his hands on Stanton… He sighed at the thought and he continued on up the steps to her apartment.
When he got to her door, he pulled out his spare key. He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice that it was already slightly cracked. He went to stick his key into the lock but the door opened, surprising him. He pushed it open more, his eyebrows knitting in confusion. He prepared himself to duke it out with some robber or something, but what he saw really shocked him. Standing in the middle of Danielle's living room, looking ragged and exhausted, not to mention teary-eyed, was Stanton Parish himself. He started and looked over at Lee, surprise written on his features.
For a long moment, they just stared at each other, no one moving, no one breathing. "You son of a bitch," Lee growled and he drops his keys, running for the man at full speed. That was the last thing Stanton expected the doctor to do. All he could do was stand there; he didn't even have time to react. Lee ran right into him and they fell to the floor together. Lee landed on top hard, knocking the wind from the taller man. He grabbed his shirt, pulling Stanton up from the ground before slamming him hard against the floor again.
For such a small man, Lee packed quite a punch. During his life, he'd never been one to start fights and he was crazy for starting this one. He was an older man, currently suffering from exhaustion and depression. Stanton was hypercognitive, all he needed to do was buy himself a bit of time and he would heal. Lee didn't care about any of that, though. This man was responsible for the death of his daughter, his baby, his pride and joy. He pulled back and punched him hard, right in the face.
Something about that punch knocked Stanton into the here and now and he gasped a little. He took Lee's face in his hands, pushing him back and away from himself. "Get the hell off of me," he managed to say. Blood rolled down his face from his broken nose and stained his cotton shirt. Lee grabbed at his hands, pushing back just as hard. He was able to get a good look at Stanton, then. A very good look, indeed.
He was run ragged, exhausted. The bags under his eyes were a good sign that sleep hadn't come easy lately. His face was drawn in, pale. He looked like a man who was o having a good time of life at the moment. He looked broken-hearted. He looked regretful.
He struggled to push Lee away from him and he rolled them over so he was on top of him. He grabbed the man's old polo shirt and clenched his jaw, his teeth clenching. "Stop…" Stanton's voice came out raw, like it honestly hurt him to say that. Lee took hold of his shirt, his breath coming hard and fast. "No," he practically shouted and he elbowed the man hard in the face. "You're the reason my daughter's gone." The doctor rolled them over, nearly expending his energy on just doing that. He grabbed Stanton's dark hair, smashing his head back against the floor. The man muttered obscenities, obviously in a good amount of pain. It took him a moment to come-to and when he did, he kneed Lee in the crotch.
"I'm the reason? You're just as much the reason, as I am!" That took Lee by surprise and the stutter in his movement allotted Stanton just enough time to clock him real good. The doctor went tumbling back, groaning loudly. "Lee… I'm bad? You manipulated her, you bastard! You were the reason she turned out the way she did… Addicted to drugs and running away." There was no mask on Stanton's face, no way to stop the way the words left his lips. It was like his heart shattered into a million pieces. His eyes were tear-streaked and Lee saw it. Hell, he couldn't not see it.
They both cared a great deal about her and yes, they both had abused her in some way, shape, or form. Stanton got up, groaning achily as he went. "I was there for her when you weren't, when you were too busy manipulating other patients, bending them to become part of your god damn team!" He hollered at Lee, a finger jabbing in the man's direction as he spoke. Lee, too exhausted to move, let his head fall back against the carpeted floor. "It was me who saved her, me who nursed her back to health and got her off drugs… It was me who gave her the love she deserved! She never got any of that from you!" He kicked Lee hard, the steel toe of his boot making the man almost cry out in pain. "You're nothing… Nothing, Lee. You're just a manipulator. You couldn't even save your own marriage, your own child."
Lee looked up at Stanton, his eyes wild. "Maybe, I did… But, what about you?" Time seemed to stop then, Stanton's eyes seeking out Lee's. "Excuse me?" he asked, his eyebrows knitting with confusion. Lee struggled to get to his knees and Stanto almos felt bad for laying it on him like he had. "I said," the gray haired man began. "What about you? Your family? A man like you… You must have screwed up in-" He never got a chance to finish that thought because Stanton threw him against the wall, his strength incredible for someone who had been fighting for a good while. "Say that, again. I dare you…" His words came out raspy, reminding Lee of a saw blade against punky wood. Lee tried not to look absolutely horrified at his reaction, so he just planted a smug grin on his lips and he put his hand to Stanton's chest to push him away. He didn't budge though, and all he could do was feel the strong, quick pulse that belonged to a man who defied to the laws of nature, living almost three lifetimes, with many more to come. "Found a weak spot, have I?" After saying that, Lee chuckled coldly.
Stanton pulled him away from the wall and slammed him up against it again, a kitchen chair sliding against the floor from the movement. "Don't… Don't bring my family into this. My Jane… She died during child birth, before I even knew what I was." Lee could do nothing but watch him as he spoke. His heart was on his sleeve, venom in his words. "I had four children. Had to watch one of them die by a raider's hand, the rest from old age, along with my grandchildren. Don't tell me… Don't tell me that I fucking screwed up with family, you asshole, because I had it all. I had everything that I could have ever wanted! Life was good… I had it ripped from my hands! I had it taken from me, and you… You gave what you had away! You and I… We're not alike at all, so don't even begin to think we are. When I met your daughter, I took her in. That night…" He shook his head, his eyes closing for a moment. Lee didn't bother fighting back; he just watched a flurry of emotions pass over the man's expression and as his lip healed itself. "That night, when I found her on the side of the road, dying, beaten within an inch of her life… I made a decision to take her home and care for her. I'm not the monster here… Take a look in the mirror, Lee."
Lee's face fell, the stab of Stanton's words finally sinking in. He just stared at the raggedy looking man. There was blood on his face and his beard was in desperate need of a shape up. He didn't even know what to say. Even he knew Stanton was right and all he could do was bring up another flaw the man possessed. "You kill people… Don't you think I understand that we're two entirely different people?" Stanton scoffed, his grip on the man's shirt tightening. "That's got nothing to do with this and you know it. You're just dodging the topic, dodging your own shortcomings. The government wants us gone… Gone, Lee, and all you're doing is aiding them. There's going to be a genocide!"
Lee pushed Stanton back a little. "And, what you did… Killing my daughter… That doesn't make it alright. You wanted to kill millions of people! Millions! Talk about genocide… You're not better than Hitler. And this… This is your final solution. The correction. Adjustment." Stanton shoved Lee against the wall again. "Those people would have been worth it… But not Danielle. I would give anything to not have pulled the trigger, if only to have saved her." He hadn't meant to actually say that last bit and for a moment, he just stared at Lee, shocked with himself. Lee gaped back at Stanton, his own mind reeling.
Lee grabbed the man's denim shirt and he pushed him against the wall, his glasses almost falling off his face. "You loved my daughter? Then, why did you do this? She wasn't a sacrifice… At least not one that was worth it. She trusted you with her life, do you know that? She told me so herself. Not in so many words but she told me. You considered her family? You're just as bad as me! Bullshit! You and me… We're both no good. We both manipulate others." Something in Lee snapped as he said those words. He honestly didn't care what happened to himself. How else could this have ended? He backed Stanton up, his eyes on the window behind him. He just wanted this man dead. That's all he wanted… He could do that much to avenge his daughter.
Stanton struggled to push him back, knowing what was about to come. He dug his boots into the floor, pushing back hard. Lee just didn't have the energy. He was far too tired, beat up, and mentally exhausted. He gave up and they both fell, Stanton landing on top of him. His hands found Lee's neck and he tried to choke him. Of course, Lee didn't fight too hard. Something in Stanton made him stop, though. He just looked down at Lee. "You know what… If I have to spend an eternity thinking over what I did, you'll have to do the same. What's a fate worse than death?" He hovered over the doctor as he spoke. "A lifetime of regret… Try that for size. Maybe, you'll know what it's like to be me for once." He didn't say anything, he just rose to his feet.
"You're just going to leave?" Lee managed to say. His hand flew his throat and he coughed a few times. Stanton turned back to him, no sympathy on his face whatsoever. "I have nothing more to say to you and I'm done fighting. Be that as it may, you're still asking me to stay. Why is that? You haven't had enough?" For a long and painful moment the two men just stayed where they were, gazes locked. There was so much emotion in the air, so much hurt that the air seemed to crackle. Stanton turned away from him again and he wiped his bloodied face on his coat sleeve, making for the door. He could hear sirens in the distance and he knew someone must have called the police. He needed to leave as soon as possible…
Lee stood up, his old bones aching worse than they ever had. "I will find you, I will kill you." Stanton pulled open the door, sighing. "I hope for both our sakes, that you succeed." And just like that, he was gone.