A/N: It's been a very long time since I've written fanfiction and only the second time I've published anything. It's been such a long time I had to create a new account. Anyways, I own none of the characters, events, ect. This ran around my head for days and I simply had to get it out. Hope you enjoy.

Shattered Facade

He was not surprised to see her standing outside of his door that night. Having a small inkling of who might be behind the midnight knock, he opened the door to a vulnerable Lucy. He knew he should have hesitated before letting her in but he found himself pushing open the door in silent invitation. The way she clutched the bottle of vodka told him she'd had a rough night already locked inside her own mind and left to battle emotions she could not begin to understand. He understood better than she'd ever know.

"To what do I owe the honor?" he asked teasingly, trying to break the tension of the moment.

"Didn't want to drink alone. Again." The slur of her words gave away the fact that she'd already had a bit of the burning liquor. She gave a wry smile and looked around for a suitable cup to pour a drink for Garcia. He handed her his clean coffee cup and she filled it. She clinked her bottle to his cup and they both took a drink. Garcia swallowed hard and shook his head.

"What?" she asked accusingly.

"Ugh…how do you drink this cheap stuff from the bottle like that?"

"Cheap is all they'll give us down here. I'd much rather have a chilled glass of Dom Pérignon but this does a quick job."

Garcia couldn't help but smile at the memory—one of the first of her. "How funny you say that."

"Hmm? How so?"

"If I remember correctly, those were about the first words I ever spoke to you." He smiled more at the thought of how far he's come rather than where he'd been.

"Tell me about that night?" Lucy's words brought him back to the present. This wasn't the first time she'd ask to hear how the two had met. Garcia was not one to mess with that particular paradox. He didn't want to influence that meeting any more than he already had the last few weeks together. Silence passed between the two as each held the others gaze. "Just humor me, Flynn"

Flynn. Garcia flinched inwardly at the villainous sound his last name made against her lips. Was that how she still saw him, the villain of their story? After several moments he conceded to tell her.

"You found me in a bar doing very much the same thing you're doing now." Drinking was not all he had meant by the statement. "You sat down and ordered your expensive champagne…" Garcia paused remembering the moment in time that changed his life forever, again.

"…I uh I pretended not to notice you but I did and when you asked why the cheap whiskey I said 'because it gets the job done.' I never expected the journal or the story you told and quite frankly would never have believed any of it without the last words you said." There was a glimmer in his eyes as he finished his story. Lucy knew well enough to leave the rest untold. He shook his head out of the memory. He took Lucy's hand and held her eyes with his. "You saved me that night." The words took longer to register than they should. Lucy removed her hand from his and quickly stood up, she looked down at Garcia still seated in his chair.

"How did we get here?" She looked around the room before clarifying her question, "was I really responsible for all of this? Did I send us down this rabbit hole?"

It was clear that she blamed herself. She reached for the bottle and took another long draw of the alcohol. Garcia stood and stepped toe to toe with her, held her by the shoulders turning her to face him. He bent down closer while still holding eye contact and softly asserted, "None of this is your fault, Lucy. None of it." He could feel her façade chip beneath his words but continued, "You've lost so much because of them and none of it is your fault."

His final words shattered the façade she barely held in place in front of him. She leaned into and sobbed through his shirt as he held her tightly to him. He stroked her dark hair and allowed her to completely let go. He had not realized just how truly broken she was until that moment. Seeing her in any amount of pain hurt him and ignited a new flame to bring down those responsible. He made a silent vow to be whatever she needed him to be. He wasn't going anywhere.

They stood in each other's arms for a while as Lucy let go of every emotion she'd kept bottled up for so long. As her breathing settled and her tears dried she removed herself from his embrace.

"I'm so sorry," she spoke obviously shaken as her trembling hand worked to smooth out her hair. "I'll go."

She did not make eye contact as she grabbed the vodka bottle and made her way to the door.

"Wait," Garcia said a little too quickly, surprising even himself. Her hand was on the door where she paused but did not turn to look at him. She leaned her head against the door and waited, eyes closed.

"You don't have to go. We can sit and talk. Or sit and drink." He paused searching for the right words to convince her to stay a while longer. He didn't want her to leave just yet. I guess what I'm trying to say is, you don't have to be alone." His eyes pleaded as she turned to look at him.

She offered a meek smile as she stepped away from the door and sat on his stolen government cot. Lucy knew she should leave. Nothing good ever happens after 2 am, right? But, she found herself fighting her mind to stay. She took a drink from her bottle and then passed it to Garcia. He took it silently from her and pressed his lips to the spout drawing deeply from it as well. It was not lost on him that her lips had recently kissed the same spot and as he passed it back to her it felt oddly intoxicating to see her drink again. He allowed his mind to wander into the dangerous retreat where the two of them could be a possibility.

"I never could bring myself to read the journal." Lucy's words pulled him back to the present. "It felt too…intrusive maybe?"

"They're your words." Garcia offered. Lucy leaned back against the wall and cut her eyes to him. They were soft but dark.

"I'm afraid of what I might have to say." She spoke honestly. "I have started to write one though, so maybe I shouldn't read it. I don't know, it's all just too confusing."

Another long silent pause passed between the two of them. Garcia set in awe of the amazing woman before him. Never did he expect to feel such a way about a person again. He was so very dead inside before she walked into that bar on that night. He had no idea what the future held for either of them, but he was certainly intrigued and looked forward to finding out. Again, Lucy's voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"Tell me a story, Garcia." She asked. The use of his God-given name stirred a new excitement in him as he softly chuckled and began with "Once upon a time…"

It did not take long for Lucy's tired eyes to fall, the sound of Garcia's voice lulling her into a deeper sleep than she'd known in a long time. He gently tucked her in on his cot. His figure traced a line down her soft cheek as she murmured and turned into the touch. He would spend the night on the common area couch that night, and any other night she needed him to. He turned the light down.

"Good night, draga moja," he whispered closing the door to his room behind him.