Hey to all and glad you´re back! I wanted to do a scene between Lee and Christmas for a while, like the "She was just not your type"-scene in the first movie, which I loved, and I thought it would be fitting right here. Hope you´ll enjoy it and things are not too obscure :-)

I had also planned to do some people´s point of view - stuff but I got stuck underway. After thinking about things for some days, I decided to "glue" together what I already had to keep going and I promise to hand that in later :-) Hope you enjoy it so far!

„Morning!" Barney called, watching Christmas entering the garage.

„Morning."

The Brit sounded ill-humouredly at best.

They got into the car.

„Something wrong ?" Barney asked.

„Everything´s fine!" came the grumpy answer. „Just do me a favour and fix unnecessary equipment checks for other days than Sunday next time."

Barney tried to suppress a grin. So that was wrong. Christmas had oviously had a hard time explaining to Lace why he had to get up that early on a Sunday morning - and he had most likely not gotten any breakfast in the process.

They rolled out of the garage only to watch Cathie getting out of Gunnar´s pick-up. She waved a cheerful goodmorning to them.

„He´s given her his car ?" Christmas said in disbelief.

Barney shrugged.

„Looks like it."

„Things must be damn serious! And where the hell is he ?"

„Well, the fact that she´s here tells me that he is most probably already where we should better arrive in the next ten minutes if we don´t wanna be too late."

„Then hit it, no ?!"

„So, Cathie and Gunnar, huh ?" Lee said after a another minute.

He threw Ross a sideglance when he didn´t answer.

„Did you talk to her ?"

„What do you mean ?"

Lee turned in his seat.

„Come on! C. and Gunnar ? The girl has no idea what she´s getting into!"

„She´s a grown-up."

„The man´s crazy!"

„Come on!" Barney placated him. „It´s too early in the morning for such discussions!"

„I - am - worried!" Lee told him.

„You are crabby."

„I am not!"

„Fine. Did you tell her ?"

„No! We both know what that would have looked like!"

Barney chuckled.

„I start to wonder who´s the crazy guy here, you know."

„Can you approve of this ?"

„As I said - she´s a grown-up!"

„And he is a madman!"

„You said that before as well."

Lee grimaced.

„The girl´s a lovely one, that´s all I am saying. Where do you know her from ?"

Barney took a deep breath.

„I knew her oldest brother, David. Good man. Good fighter. Was a marine, died some years ago, must have been just before I met you. Her father was a soldier as well, retired after a serious injury. The youngest of her brothers died on an overdose. Must have been three years since then."

„Why did she leave the Army ?"

„She said something about having been kicked out."

„So why ?"

„Don´t know."

„You don´t know ?"

Barney chuckled. Lee just started to get right into his stride.

„As I said."

„I still think the girl deserves something else."

„I see, we´re back to where we started! So why ? What´s wrong with him ? Besides the madness, I mean."

„You still remember who we are talking about, right ?"

„Yes. So give me the details of your concern."

„Don´t know."„

„You don´t know ?"

„Are you makin´ fun of me ?" Lee asked, sounding offended.

„Give the man a chance. He´s clean. He´s putting his cards on the table. It´s her choice!"

„Are you not worried ?"

Barney raised his eyebrows.

„I think they should take it easy."

„That´s all ?"

„That´s all!"

„What´s wrong with you ? I don´t know you that lethargic."

„What´s wrong with you ? You can say a lot about Gunnar, but in all the years since I got to know him, there has never been a problem with women."

„Yeah! Wonder why!"

„What do you want ? The man´s obviously thinking practical as well!"

Lee raised his eyebrows.

„She´s a medic!"

„Without a licence."

„So what ? Gunnar´s a lucky devil, hasn´t been injured seriously during a job in years! She can take care of the rest and she obviously knows how to take the guy. And he´s been rather stable..."

„Rather what ? Are you using ? Did I miss something ?"

„Has there been any job since that unlucky one he screwed up ? I can´t complain! Since he´s off the drugs, he´s been reliable!"

„I am not complaining about him as a teammate!"

„Well, than stop. He´s not dating your little sister!"

„Well, God forbid! But the man´s a slush. And who knows what´s really going on in his head ?"

„You can be sure of one thing", Barney told him. „The girl knows what veterans and soldiers are like. If she doesn´t care - why should you ?"

„`cause I like her!"

„Well then, talk to her !"

„No way."

Lee turned his head and stared out of the window.

„I only hope he really had a complete decontamination back then!"

Barney chuckled.

„Have you any idea how much shit he took ? Would have killed any ordinary man long before! I wonder if he even still can..."

„Stop!" Barney interrupted him. „That´s not your business and I don´t wanna hear it, okay ? Did Gunnar ever let you know what he´s thinking about you and Lace ?"

Lee turned again and stared at Ross.

„No, he didn´t!"

Barney tried to hide another grin. When in rage, Lee started to pronounce things in that distinguished very British accent of his in a quite amusing way.

„See!"

„Did he say something about it to you ?"

„To me ? No."

„So why are you bringing it up then ?"

„I am just wondering why you´re that agitated. It´s their business. If anyone of them aks for your opinion, tell them. Otherwise - let them go!"

„Though I´d really enjoy hearing you explaining to Gunnar why you think she´s too good for him!" he added after a while. „Could be a brawl worth seeing."

„I am just wondering how such a girl could fall for a guy like him", Lee told him grumpily. „And if she´d know him as we know him...I bet she would think twice about it!"

„Are you jealous ?" Barney asked suddenly.

„Jealous ? Me ? About what ?"

Barney chuckled.

„Well, Cathie looked quite relaxed some minutes ago. Don´t think she gave him a hard time this morning ´cause he had to get up early."

„Oh come on!"

„He maybe even had breakfast..."

„Oh stop, will you ?! You´re disgusting!"

Barney couldn´t else but break into another grin.

Caesar and Jensen arrived at the same time at the old hangar complex, only to find that Toll Road was already there.

„Hey !"

„´ morning!"

„´ morning!"

„So where the hell´s Barney ?" Caesar asked.

Toll Road chuckled.

„Obviously late, though I don´t think it was him who didn´t made it out of bed in time."

A round of laughter followed.

„Talkin´ about gettin´ ouf of bed", Hale teased Gunnar. „What about you ?"

Gunnar grinned.

„I am here, no ?"

„What the hell happened to your face ? Did you have to get that to see your nurse or did it happen while playing doctor ?"

Gunnar only grinned and let them rant.

„Come on!" Caesar teased him. „I imagine she´s hot !"

„Maybe a little too hot", Toll Road threw in quietly, gesturing towards Gunnar´s bruised face.

„So don´t put us on the rack!" Caesar went on when Gunnar didn´t comment.

Barney and Lee arrived at that moment and interrupted the grilling. Caesar tried to revive the questioning, but it took less than five minutes until Christmas lost nerve and asked surprisingly unpolitely for a change of topic.

„Modern crap!" Barney exclaimed.

Gunnar looked up from the weapon he was busy cleaning.

„What´s wrong with it?"

„Doesn´t reload."

He tried again and shook his head.

„Gimme that thing!" Gunnar demanded and the older merc handed him the weapon. „Worked perfectly fine the last time I used it."

He checked the weapon, then reloaded in a flowing movement.

He handed the weapon back to Barney.

„Try again."

Barney frowned, but did as told. A cracking sound told them that the ammo had gotten stuck somewhere underway.

Gunnar frowned as well. Barney handed him the gun again. He unloaded it, checked it again and reloaded. A soft clicking announced readiness.

„As I said!" Barney commented drily. „Modern crap!"

Gunnar chuckled, flicking the safety catch on again.

„I´ll check it again. Maybe she´s just not your type!"

„Talkin´ about types...", Barney remarked.

„Go on", Gunnar encouraged him, suspecting to know where the comment would lead.

Barney watched him disassemble the gun, not knowing how to begin.

Gunnar chuckled after a short while.

„Lost for words ?" he asked.

Barney grinned and tilted his head.

„You´re against it ?" Gunnar inquired when Barney didn´t answer.

Barney raised his hands in a defending gesture.

„No."

Gunnar threw him a wry look, then focused at the weapon again.

„You´re worried ?"

„No."

Gunnar chuckled.

„You´re concerned about confidential information ?"

„Jeez, no !"

"How long are we going to play this game, Barn´ ?"

Barney cleared his throat.

Gunnar leveled the weapon for a moment, then frowned.

Barney rubbed his jaw for a moment.

„I think you´re misjudging her in certain respects", Gunnar said after another moment.

„What do you mean ?" Barney asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

„Maybe she´s not as easy to have as you seem to think."

Barney raised his eyebrows.

„She turned you down ?"

Gunnar laughed this time.

„No, she didn´t."

Not so far.

Barney sighed, once more silently praising the lonely but uncomplicated status of being single.

„She might underestimate what we do."

Gunnar laughed.

„After the Mexican job ? Hard to imagine."

„Have you any idea why she left the Army ?"

Gunnar looked up.

„Thought you knew the details."

Ross shook his head.

„Well, I didn´t tell you all my misdeeds the first night I knew you either", Gunnar added.

„Would have been an impossible thing to do anyway", Barney said with a grin. „You´re going to fill me in ?"

Barney waited. Finally Gunnar looked again at him, deciding that he could reveal what Cathie had told him.

„Something about her superior selling her out ´cause she didn´t let him lay her. Said she had some breakdown after the camp she´s been stationed at had been attacked for the third time within some days. Something about her ´having cracked under pressure`."

„What do you think ?" Barney asked.

„I think she hasn´t lost her nerve when the bullets started flying at this hellhole in Mexico."

„Agreed. Though she freaked out later on."

Gunnar chuckled.

„Well, Kingsley has a talent, hasn´t he. Actually, I think if nobody had kept her from it, she would have done some more damage than only breaking his nose."

„Girl has a temper", Barney said with a smile.

„Let´s call it a strong will", Gunnar commented.

„What do you think about her dismissal ?"

Gunnar frowned, his eyes still on the weapon.

„I think I haven´t heard the whole story up to now."

„But you think she´s trustworthy."

„Yeah."

He peered along the barrel of the gun.

„But I am maybe the wrong person to assess that."

He started to reassemble the weapon.

„You´re thinking of taking her along for a job ?"

„Jus´ wondering."

Gunnar nodded, feigning a sigh of relief.

„Good. If you´d been thinking about taking a nurse along to all our jobs, we should have started to think about retirement."

„Great!" Barney commented with a honestly relieved laugh. Gunnar´s last comment was proof that he hadn´t taken offence.

„You think you owe it to her brother to have an eye on her ?" Gunnar asked.

He reloaded the weapon. This time, the ammunition got stuck again.

He frowned.

„I´ll ask Caesar to have a look at this."

„I think I owe it to her", Barney stated abruptly.

Gunnar nodded.

„Got it."

Barny nodded as well.

„Good."