Kate felt the bullet rip into her, and she screamed in pain.

"Kate!"

Her eyes flew open, and she woke fully to Lee's hand on her shoulder and his face hovering above her. She breathed hard, trying to figure out where she was and momentarily feeling scared. Her hand went to her chest where she'd been supposedly shot, but nothing was there.

"It's okay," Lee said to her. "You're safe." His grip was reassuring and warm. She eventually felt her heart rate slow down the more she breathed.

"Where am I?" she asked.

"Barney's plane. We just landed," he answered. She looked to see Doc jumping out with Gunner right behind him, leaving her and Lee alone. She sat up slowly, feeling stiff and sore.

"Are we in New Orleans?" she asked.

"Arizona," he corrected. "The guys are just stretching for a bit."

"You didn't have to make a stop for me. I could have gotten home another way," she said.

"Don't worry about it," Lee smiled. "It's not that far of a flight home for them after this."

"Well, I appreciate it," she smiled back. She felt sad then, knowing this was where she and Lee would part ways. She didn't want to, but she didn't know how to say that out loud without looking clingy or desperate.

"I discussed it with Barney, and he strongly advises that I stay with you for the next while, just in case," Lee said. He had a cautious look on his face, as though he wasn't sure what her response would be.

"Oh," she said, feeling immense relief in her chest. "Okay."

"If you don't want me to..." he started.

"Yes," she said quickly, stopping him. "I want you to."

"Okay then," he nodded. "I'll stay."

The dread of going to her apartment alone was now alleviated. She got to her feet and walked out of the plane behind Lee, squinting at the sunlight. They went over to Barney, who was standing with crossed arms and surveying the land around him.

"We're going to head out," Lee told him, making him turn to see them.

"All right," Barney nodded. "You take care, Kate."

"Thank you, Barney, for everything," Kate said. He grinned.

"My pleasure. Take care of this guy for me, eh? He needs special attention sometimes."

"Shut up," Lee retorted.

"I'll be in touch," Barney said cheerily, ignoring Lee's scowl. He stuck his cigar into his mouth as Lee started to snort with laughter. They bumped fists, and then Lee and Kate were heading towards the airport office to call a cab.

...

Lee could tell Kate was struggling. She hadn't said much on the cab ride to her apartment, and once they were inside, she moved around like a ghost and still didn't say much. She had gone for a shower, and he was sitting at the kitchen table thinking about the events that led up to this moment. He hoped Tool would find Carlos Reyes soon. He hoped so for Kate's sake because he knew she needed to start healing from this trauma without the fear of more trauma happening.

After she was in the shower for a while, he grew concerned and went to check on her. He nudged the door open cautiously, and he saw her sitting on the shower floor, fully clothed, and crying while hugging her knees tight to her chest. His heart hurt just looking at her.

"Kate?" he said, making her look up at him. She rested her head against the shower wall, fresh tears appearing in her eyes. He set his phone on the counter and went to sit beside her. She leaned into him, and he put his arm around her securely. He didn't say anything as he rubbed her back slowly. He knew she would eventually talk, and after five minutes, she did.

"I keep seeing him," she said tearfully, "lying there. Dead."

"Who?" Lee asked. Then he realized Alejandro hadn't been there when they caught up to her, and she hadn't said he left with Graver. That only meant one thing.

"Alejandro," she whispered. "They shot him in the head."

"Shit," Lee said, clenching his left fist.

"I didn't care for him, but he didn't deserve to die like that," she went on. "And the worst of it is that a kid shot him. A kid, Lee."

"That's terrible," Lee agreed. It was horrifying really.

"I don't think I'm ever going to recover from this," she said, moving to look at him. "Not just his death but all of it. I'm terrified to sleep. I have such vivid nightmares when I do, and every time I close my eyes I just see it all play like a movie over and over again."

"The more time that passes, the easier it gets," Lee promised. "Trust me."

"How do you do it?" she asked. "How do you just forget it all and move on?"

"I don't forget it," he replied. "But I have other ways of getting it out and coping with it."

"Like what?"

"Exercise. Riding my bike. Talking. Drinking, although that's not the healthiest coping mechanism, I know," he chuckled.

"I don't know if I want to stay in the FBI," Kate confessed. "I think this has been the final straw for me."

"Let's not make that decision right now," Lee suggested. "Let's just focus on here and now and how you're going to feel better for the next little while."

"I don't even know how to do that," Kate said. "I just don't."

"I can help," Lee offered. He'd left out one of the things he used to do to cope, and that was being with a woman. It was something that helped him to still feel like a human and not a machine.

"How?" she asked. He kissed her in response, and he could sense her surprise at first until she reached to pull him in closer to her. Then he was on top of her, and she was pulling off his shirt. Her kiss was making him feel alive. It made him feel like he was home. He hadn't felt that way in a long time.

...

Kate called for take out, and she sat on the living room floor against the couch next to Lee, her feet tangled with his, as they watched TV and ate. This distraction technique of his was working, much to her surprise. She answered her landline when it rang. She realized how grateful she was to have it since she'd lost her cell phone.

"Kate?" Reggie asked when she answered. "Is that you?"

"It's me," she replied. "I'm home."

"Thank God. Are you all right?"

"I will be," she answered, looking at Lee, who was still watching the TV and not noticing.

"I'm gonna come by tomorrow," Reggie said. "Is that okay?"

"That's fine."

"Boss said you can take some time off."

"I would hope so," Kate commented. "I wasn't planning on coming in for a bit."

"Nor should you. Kate, I'm sorry again that I couldn't get the helicopter to you," Reggie went on. "I tried so hard. They wouldn't budge. They chastised me for making a promise I couldn't keep, that I should never have told you it would happen."

"It's fine, Reggie. You did the best you could. I know that."

"Sasha was returned to her mother," Reggie said quietly next. "Did you know she was Matt Graver's daughter?"

"I didn't. Not until he took her from me," Kate answered.

"Well, they're all off the grid now," Reggie told her.

"Carlos Reyes is still out there," Kate reasoned. "He's still a threat. Until he's gone, they're not safe." I'm not safe, she almost added, but she didn't.

"We're trying to find him, but he's off the radar," Reggie sighed.

"He'll turn up," Kate said.

"Okay, well...I just wanted to check in. I'll bring over your new cell tomorrow too," he said.

"Okay. Sounds good. Thanks, Reg."

"Anytime. Sleep well."

"Thanks."

They hung up, and she rejoined Lee on the floor.

"Work?" he asked.

"Yea."

"I don't think you should quit," he said suddenly, surprising her.

"You don't?"

"You're just letting Carlos win if you do. You're letting him have power that he doesn't deserve," Lee gestured. "Take some time off, but don't quit. Don't give him that satisfaction."

"I will consider it," she agreed after a moment. It wasn't just the whole thing with Reyes. She had been starting to burn out before all this happened anyway.

She didn't think about it anymore as she started to kiss Lee again. She couldn't get enough of him. She needed him, just like she knew he needed her. He'd demonstrated that earlier in the shower.

After a while, she led him to her room. In his arms, she found herself falling asleep with minimal anxiety provoking thoughts. It was kind of nice.

...

Kate woke up and felt the sun on her face. She shifted and turned her head to see Lee still sleeping beside her. She smiled and reached to touch his face gently. Then she carefully climbed out of bed, put on his t-shirt, and padded to get the coffee started. She stood there watching it, one foot up and rubbing her leg, when Lee came up behind her and encircled her with his arms.

"So that's where my shirt went," he teased. She turned in his arms to find him shirtless in his pants and grinning at her.

"I didn't mean to wake you up," she said.

"I'm a light sleeper," he shrugged. "Don't worry about it."

She kissed him for a few moments until her coffee maker beeped at her.

"Ah, liquid gold," he commented as she stopped and turned to get mugs.

"Anything in yours?" she asked, pouring.

"No," he answered.

"Me either," she said. "Another thing we have in common."

She smiled at him as she held her mug with both her hands. She watched him take in her bare legs until he met her gaze.

"What?" he asked innocently, knowing he got caught looking. She just shook her head, smiling again. He winked at her, and she knew he was thinking about the night before, which she was too.

"So what are we doing?" she questioned.

"We're drinking coffee," he answered.

"Not right now," she said impatiently. "I mean with us. Our relationship."

"Well, when this is over, I can leave here and never see you again, or we could try to see if this goes somewhere," he offered.

"Which one do you want?" she asked.

"I really don't want to leave here and never see you again," he admitted, setting down his mug now and looking at her seriously. "But which one do you want?"

Kate knew it would be long distance if they agreed to keep seeing each other. Long distance was hard unless one of them decided to move. Looking at him standing in front of her, she knew she'd never find someone like him again, so why lose it? What did she have here, really? She could transfer to any FBI field office, or she could quit. She was still on the fence about that decision, to quit or not. She could always take a transfer and then quit if she still wanted to. No harm, no foul.

"I've always wanted to experience New Orleans," she said finally. His face broke out into a slow smile as he realized what this meant. She stepped over to him and put her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a kiss. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her back.

"I have nothing to eat here," she said, realizing after a moment.

"Oh no," he said dramatically. "What are we gonna do?!"

She laughed and gave him a playful shove.

"There's a place up the street," she said. "If you don't mind?"

"I mind very much," he said seriously. "But if I do this, then you owe me. And I need my shirt back."

"Okay," she said, pulling it off and tossing it at him. He caught it with one hand, never breaking eye contact with her. "I'm going to go have a shower while you're gone. An actual shower this time, not just crying on the floor." She started to walk away, smirking to herself. In seconds, he was behind her, catching her in his arms and picking her up from behind, making her laugh out loud.

"I found a way to pay your debt," he said in her ear.

"How so?" she asked innocently. He carried her to the bathroom.

"Letting me join you," he answered, setting her down in front of the shower, and she kissed him slowly for a moment.

"Oh, I guess so," she said in a "if I have to" kind of tone. She reached to turn the shower on and hopped inside. Within seconds, he joined her.

Needless to say, their coffee went cold.

...

"Where is it again?" Lee asked as he shrugged his shirt on. He was dried off and feeling more awake than he had earlier. Kate was dressed and drying her hair with a towel in front of the mirror.

"Two blocks down and to your left," she answered. "You can't miss it. There's a big bagel on the front."

"Big bagel. Got it," he nodded.

"And go fast," she said. "I'm starving."

"I would have gone sooner, but someone distracted me," he said dramatically.

"Sure, blame me," she replied sarcastically. "Like you didn't want it."

"I'll be back," he grinned, kissing the side of her head before heading out. Kate stayed to dry her hair more with the dryer. When she was done, she examined herself closely. Was she really going to move to New Orleans? Yes, she was. She wanted to be with Lee, and she was sick of this place.

When she walked into her kitchen, she froze. Carlos Reyes stood there smiling at her, holding a gun with a silencer on it in his hand.

"Surprise," he said. Then he aimed.

"NO!" Kate screamed, ducking to the floor. Bullets went over her head, and she instinctively grabbed her ashtray from the coffee table and threw it at Carlos's head as hard as she could. She heard it connect, and Carlos yelled in pain. She pushed herself up onto her feet and ran to tackle him, knocking the gun out of his hand. Carlos elbowed her in the chest, and she cried out but held on. She got a few hits in before he picked her up and threw her over the table. She landed on it and slid off the end, crashing to the floor. She saw his gun under it, and went for it until Carlos moved to flip the table. She yanked herself out of the way just in time and rolled twice before stopping. She scrambled to her feet as he lunged for her. He landed on her legs, bringing her back down again. Kate tried to pull herself away from him, but he grabbed the back of her hair, making her cry out. Carlos slammed her down into the ground before rolling her over to look up at him.

"No," she said as he reached for her throat. It was too familiar. She did her best to knee him, but it wasn't working. She decided to ram her finger into his eye next. Carlos howled and loosened his grip, giving her enough time to get out from underneath him. She went for his gun again, but he recovered and grabbed her ankle, stopping her and dragging her back.

"HELP ME!" she screamed, hoping someone in the bloody apartment building would hear and come. He hit her and turned her over again, resting his knee on her chest to hold her down.

"You're gonna die all alone, Kate Macer," Carlos sneered, pulling out his knife now and pressing her left arm down over her other arm so she couldn't hit him. It left her left side completely exposed, which was where he was going to stab her. "I normally get someone else to do my dirty work, but this is personal. You have to die by my hand, and then I'll find your friends. That's a promise."

"No," she cried.

"This is for my daughter," he hissed, and she screamed again as he raised the knife, moving to bring it down into the side of her chest.

The door flew open, and Carlos looked up to see Lee charge in, gun aimed. There was no time to react. Three bullets hit his chest in an instant, and he dropped his knife with a clatter on the floor and fell to the side off of Kate. She gasped and choked, putting a shaky hand on her throat as she turned her head to see Carlos's dead eyes looking back at her. Lee went over to her and grabbed her arms, pulling her away from him and up to her feet. She was shaking and crying as he wrapped his arms around her.

"You came back," she sobbed, clinging to him. "You came back."

"I forgot my wallet," he said, gripping her tightly.

"Oh my God," she whimpered.

"It's all right," he told her. "It's over. He's gone."

"How did he find me?" she asked, her voice ragged.

"I don't know," Lee answered. A noise at the door made Lee snap his attention to it, gun raised.

"Hey! Whoa!" Reggie exclaimed, holding up his hands. "It's just me!"

"Reggie," Kate said, releasing Lee and going over to hug him.

"What the hell happened in here?" Reggie demanded, seeing Carlos dead on the floor.

"He came to kill me," Kate answered. "If Lee hadn't come, you'd have been too late."

"Shit," Reggie said, shocked. "I'm glad you're okay, Kate."

Kate let him go and pressed her hands into her face.

"I'll call it in," Reggie said, pulling out his phone. Lee went to her and put his hand on her shoulder.

"You're okay," he assured her.

"I don't feel okay," she replied. "I don't know if I'll ever feel okay."

"You will," he promised. "Because it's over, Kate. It's over."

She looked at the dead man on the floor and knew he was right. It really was over. She could move away and start a new life and move on. She wanted that very much.

Right now, though, she just wanted him. She moved back into his arms, and he held her close as Reggie finished his call with the FBI office and suggested they get out of there. Lee left his arm around her as they did so. He never let her go when agents came and questioned her. He was there the entire time, and she felt safe. She knew he'd never let anyone hurt her on his watch.

She realized that she was falling in love with this man, and one day, she'd tell him that.