Hello! So, if you want to get a backstory, I advise you to read Edge of Expendable first. Otherwise, it's pretty self explanatory (I hope...I did my best to make it less confusing), but I'll fill in the blanks. Rita is from Edge of Tomorrow. She was the Angel of Verdun (and Full Metal Bitch) who had the ability to reset the day 24 hours back, and she fought an extra 300 days to try to end the war. I put Lee Christmas's character in that battle with her as Lee Hendricks. They are together now. Mark, Brady, and James were her other teammates (my creation), so when they're mentioned, that's who I'm referring to. This story is focusing more on the Expendable Team, however, which is why I'm posting it here. It is a crossover, so after I'm finished, I will put it in the Crossover category. Please enjoy! I'm so proud of this story and loved writing every minute of it.

Rita Vritaski could see it all playing out before her, and it felt like a knife to the gut.

"NO!" she screamed when Lee fell. Bullets were flying around her.

"Rita," a voice far away said. "Rita, come back."

"Lee," Rita whimpered, reaching.

"Rita!" the voice said sharply. "You're safe. Open your eyes." Rita obliged, and she saw her therapist, Jenny, looking back at her.

"Sorry," she apologized, rubbing her neck. "I didn't mean to scream."

"It's okay. You were reliving a trauma. I expect that sort of thing. I just didn't want you to get too far into it that you would forget it wasn't real," Jenny said empathetically. Rita nodded slowly. It made sense. Jenny looked briefly at her watch and then back at Rita.

"I think we should stop for today. What do you think?" she asked Rita.

"I think that sounds great," Rita replied, relieved. She wasn't entirely fond of therapy, but Lee had thought it was a good idea. Lee. She couldn't wait to see him. Every time she was apart from him, she experienced panic that she would never see him again.

"See you next time," Rita said after they'd rescheduled. Jenny smiled and said goodbye as Rita went out the door. She got into her car and sat there for a moment behind the wheel, breathing. It had been a year since the War of the Mimics, but sometimes it still felt like yesterday for Rita. The thing was, she had endured that war far longer than anyone due to her stealing the ability to reset the day from an Alpha Mimic. She had lived 300 extra days fighting the same battle, trying to find the Omega to kill it. In the end, someone else had, and she had no idea who. She could picture the man who had congratulated her on Verdun and then said maybe in another life they'd known each other. She didn't know who he was, and she never saw him again after that. Shaking her head, she started the car and backed out of her spot. It was time to go home.

...

Lee Christmas (aka Hendricks) was in the garage underneath a 1970 Triumph Stag working away. Since the days of war, he found himself enjoying the simple things. Fixing up old cars was his new hobby. Sometimes he did it for others, but this car was his. He was proud of it. He heard the rumble of a vehicle coming up the driveway, and he knew it was Rita back from therapy. He heard her get out and walk towards the garage. After a moment, he was yanked out from under the car on his creeper. Rita's face was hovering above his.

"Hello," she said, smiling. He grinned back.

"Hey, you," he replied. She didn't waste any time before kissing him deeply. He refrained from putting his hands on her face or hair because he was covered in grease. He knew she wouldn't appreciate that.

"I missed you," she said after.

"I'm just that unforgettable," he teased. She playfully swatted him.

"How's the car?"

"It's coming along. How was therapy?"

"Ugh," she grimaced. "It was intense."

"Any better?"

"No."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I don't think anyone can fix that much trauma," Rita sighed, bending back on her haunches while Lee propped himself up on his elbows, looking at her. He felt bad that she suffered so much. He hated that he had no clue about all the resets. Unlike Rita, his memory did not stay intact when she reset the day.

"You wanna talk about it?" he offered. She shook her head.

"No. It's enough that I have to talk about it in therapy. I'll leave you to your work. I just wanted to say hi," she said, standing up.

"I don't mind your company," he said as she started to walk away. She flashed him a smile over her shoulder.

"I'll call you for supper," she replied. He slid back underneath the car when she was gone. Yes, the simple life was good.

Evening

Lee came inside to find Rita standing by the stove. He'd cleaned his hands and face out in the yard to get most of the grease and dirt off before coming inside.

"Ah!" she yelped, jolting backwards as grease spat and flew at her face. Lee laughed as he came around and put his arms around her.

"Use a lid if you don't want to get burned with grease," he teased, kissing her.

"How can I flip the meat with a lid on?" she asked after, smirking. He gave her his crooked smile and shook his head, getting a beer from the fridge. He sat at the counter, watching her. She worked away, ignoring him for the most part, but she liked knowing he was there. Jenny called it separation anxiety, but Rita just called it enjoying his company. Yes, she had watched him die 299 times (he survived the 300th time, so it didn't count), but she hated the term "separation anxiety." It wasn't anxiety when she was away from him. It was merely missing him.

"So how was work?" Lee asked after a while.

"It was kind of dull," she replied. She was back teaching history, and despite her PTSD and trauma from the War, she missed running around killing things with a gun sometimes.

"You're a big part of history now. Have they put the War in the curriculum yet?" he asked, curious.

"Not yet, but it'll get in there eventually."

"Imagine your students' faces when they learn their very own teacher was the Angel of Verdun," Lee smirked. Rita shot him a look before giving a small smile in return. She hated that title.

"You know, I just wondered today why you aren't going to therapy," Rita said, changing the subject and putting the spotlight on him instead.

"I don't need it," he shook his head.

"Oh? You lost your entire team. That's traumatic," she pointed out.

"I guess I've just experienced so much trauma that it doesn't bother me anymore," Lee suggested, shrugging.

"Hmm," she replied, letting it drop for now. He didn't know that he shouted in his sleep and sometimes shoved her off the bed in his angst and panic to rescue his fallen team members. She finished with supper, and Lee helped her plate it. She caught sight of his hand and made a "tsk" noise.

"What?" he asked.

"Forgetting something?" she gestured. He looked at his hand.

"Oh right. I got it," he said, pulling out his wedding band from his pocket and putting it on. "See? I didn't want it to get dirty."

"Sure," she smirked. She liked to tease him about still wanting to be a single man out on the prowl.

Lee knew she was only teasing him, but he wondered if she really thought he didn't want everyone to know they were married. Sometimes he worried about his past creeping up on him, threatening to destroy their relationship, but he really did want to show her off. He regretted not having anyone to show her off to. He had felt very aware that he was alone on their wedding day. It had been a very small, simple ceremony, but her mother and brother had been there (her father was dead) and some of her friends. He had nobody. Her brother had to be his best man. Her mum was a wonderful woman, and Lee felt grateful to have her in his life since his own parents were non-existent.

"You're the best decision I've ever made," he said to her, hugging her sideways as she balanced the plates.

"Glad to hear," she smiled. She knew he meant it.

...

Rita watched the sun go down on their back deck. It overlooked their six acre lot. They lived out in the country in England. She hated the feeling of being cramped next to neighbors. Lee had been fine with that. He still had the cottage in France they went to sometimes. Both of them had been fine with living a simple life. The War had taken it out of them.

"Another one bites the dust," Lee said as he came out with coffee for her. She still had difficulty drinking it sometimes, but most of the time she was fine. It was the one thing he had always brought her the day of the Verdun battle. It was, as Jenny called it, one of her triggers.

"Are you sure you're okay with all this?" Rita asked, gesturing.

"Why wouldn't I be?" he asked, puzzled. He leaned against the railing, looking at her.

"I don't know. You had such an intense life before UDF, so I just thought maybe you missed it."

"Well, if I didn't have you, I'd probably be back in that lifestyle, but with you, I don't really have the desire to."

"You're just saying that," she pointed out.

"I'm really not. I mean it," he said. "It's time for a new chapter of my life. A quiet one is perfectly fine."

"Okay," she nodded. He sat down beside her then and took her hand.

"Are you okay with all this?" he asked, wondering if that was the real reason she had asked the question.

"I am," she answered.

"As long as you're sure," he pressed.

"I really am," she repeated. They locked eyes, and he could tell a part of her was lying. The thing was, though, he had been lying a little bit too.

The Next Day

"I'll be back," Lee said into the bedroom. Rita was getting dressed and came into view only in her underthings. He paused to admire her for a moment. She blushed as she caught him looking, and he grinned.

"Where are you going?" she asked, pulling her t-shirt over her head.

"I'm actually reconsidering leaving at all now," he commented.

"Later," she laughed. "I'm meeting Mark for his tux fitting."

"Ah yes," Lee nodded. "That's coming up isn't it?"

"Yes, and Becky is roping me into helping him with things cos he keeps procrastinating," Rita sighed. Mark was getting married now. He had met his wife in the hospital during the war after he'd saved Rita. Becky was the one who had told Rita they'd given her a blood transfusion, thus making Rita lose her ability to reset the day. A small part of her still resented Becky even though it hadn't been her that had done it.

"Typical Mark," Lee said, watching as she tugged on her pants.

"So where are you going?" she asked again, putting her hair in a tight ponytail. Lee wished she'd leave her hair down sometimes.

"Have to get a part for the car. I shouldn't be too long."

"Okay," she said, coming out of the bedroom then. She stopped to kiss him.

"I love you," he said, touching her face.

"I love you too. See you in a bit," she added. He followed her out to the driveway, and they got into their separate vehicles. He let her leave first. He had a smile on his face the whole way he drove to get his part.

Later

Lee was later coming home as he'd gotten caught up in a conversation with the mechanic about his car. He saw that Rita was back home. It was a Saturday, so no school. He got out of his truck and headed for the house.

"Rita," he called. "Sorry I'm late. Got hung up at..." He trailed off as he stumbled upon a man pointing a gun at Rita and Rita pointing a gun back at him.

"Hello," the man said, flicking his eyes to Lee. "Long time no see."

"Lee, who is he?" Rita asked, not wavering her gaze or aim. "I found him in our kitchen when I got home."

"Is she cool?" the man asked Lee. "Can I stand down now?"

Lee couldn't believe who he was seeing.

"John?" he said. "John Smilee?"

"Yup," John nodded.

"Who is he?" Rita asked again. Lee went over and put his hand on her gun, pushing it down.

"He's all right," he told her. He looked over at the kid, the less rookie one of all the rookies that Barney had wrangled up a while ago. Lee had seen him fight and drive his bike in their battle against Conrad. He had to admit the guy was impressive. He was also former U.S. Marine. John lowered his gun and holstered it.

"Why is he here?" Rita asked, feeling angry.

"Why are you here, John?" Lee asked him.

"Because. I got mailed this," John answered, holding out a package. Lee took it gingerly. Rita watched them both, going back and forth between them and wondering just what the hell was going on.

"The rest of the team still together?" Lee asked, not opening the package yet. He was curious.

"Yea. Luna, Thorn, Galgo, and Mars say hello. They regret they couldn't come and see you in person. I was voted to go."

"Why's that?"

"Well, they figured you wouldn't kill me on the spot," John smirked. Lee chuckled.

"They might be right," he agreed.

"We're sorry we didn't help with the War," John said seriously. "Barney wouldn't let us go."

Rita's attention was grabbed then. Barney? As in Lee's old friend, Barney?

"It was for the best. It didn't end so well," Lee explained.

"We figured we'd never be needed again until that came," John said, gesturing to the package. "Open it."

Lee popped the flap and shook the envelope. What came out of it and landed in his hand made his heart almost stop and his blood run cold.

"The skull ring," Rita whispered, seeing it. Lee had told her about it before.

"Barney's alive, Lee," John said. "And he's in trouble."

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