Two Months Later

Kate stood in her new apartment and unpacked her things slowly. She was finally in New Orleans, her transfer having been finalized at last. Reggie had been sad to see her go, but he had understood. She was giving up the kidnap division and was doing more investigative work behind the scenes. She didn't really want to do much field work if she didn't have to.

"Hey," Lee said with a smile as he came up behind her and slid his hands around to hold her against him.

"Hey yourself," she smiled back, pausing what she was doing to put her hands on his.

"I think it's break time," he noted. He kissed her neck, sliding his fingers on the bare skin of her stomach.

"Lee, come on. I have to finish unpacking. It's driving me crazy," she added, trying to ignore the thrill in her body from his touch.

"You're driving me crazy," he noted, turning her around to kiss her properly.

"Mm, after," she said, pulling back from him. "I promise."

"Fine," he sighed, giving up. He watched her continue to work. "You want help?"

"No. You'll just mess it up," she answered.

"You know, it's a good thing I have thick skin," he told her.

"I'm sorry," Kate said. "Did I say something to hurt your feeling?" She raised a brow at him mockingly. She'd heard Barney say he only had one feeling.

He moved to pinch her, but she dodged it easily, laughing. He leaned against the table next, watching her. She did want to just forget unpacking and go get lost with him for a while, but she knew that if she didn't finish this, she would keep putting it off until she found a reason to leave. Taking this leap had been scary, but she knew staying in Arizona was not an option, not after everything. Having this new adventure, though, was just as scary.

"You okay?" Lee asked, breaking into her thoughts. She looked at him, and she guessed she had a worried expression on her face if he was asking her that question.

"I'm just wondering if I made the right choice," she replied. A flicker of concern went over his face.

"With us?" he asked.

"Leaving Arizona. Staying with the FBI," she answered. "I'm a little worried about us because we don't really know each other, but it's not like we're living together, so there shouldn't be anything to worry about."

"What's got you worried about us?" he asked, reaching to take her hand in his.

"I'm afraid that you're going to find someone better," she confessed. "Someone less broken than me."

"Kate," he said, incredulous. "First of all, you're not broken, and even if you were, that makes you perfect for me because if anyone is broken around here, it's me. Secondly, there is no one better than you. Trust me." He moved his hand to cup her face and wipe a tear from her cheek with his thumb.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I don't know why I'm feeling so insecure."

He hugged her in response, and she gripped his shoulders and buried her face into his chest. She remembered when she first met Evan, and she thought they were meant to be together. Then she was told she had cancer, and she lost the ability to have children. Evan became angry at her after the procedure, and he pulled away from her altogether until he finally left, sending her divorce papers a month later. Kate was afraid to give her heart fully to someone again for fear that they leave her and tear her heart open for a second time.

"Kate," Lee said, putting his hands on her shoulders and pushing her back a little so she was looking at him. "I have to tell you something."

"What's that?" she asked, feeling slightly worried.

"I think," he started before pausing to breath. "I think I'm in love with you."

Kate opened her mouth, but no sound came out. He searched her eyes, waiting for some kind of response.

"Oh," she finally said.

"Was it too soon?" he asked. "It was, wasn't it? I'm sorry."

"No, no, no," she said, stopping him from pulling away from her. "Lee, no. I don't know what to say because you took the words out of my mouth."

"What do you mean?" he questioned.

"I'm in love with you too," she said, laughing a little. It was out of relief, really. Lee's face broke out into a wide grin, and he lifted her up in his arms, making her shriek with laughter as he spun her around. Then he set her down and gripped her face, kissing her hard. Kate was giving up on unpacking at this point. She was starting to undress him as he moved to kiss her neck and shoulder when her door opened and the entire Expendable gang waltzed in.

"Hey, oh, whoa!" Doc exclaimed upon seeing them, putting a hand up. "My eyes!"

Toll simply whistled, his arms full with grocery bags.

"Kitchen's this way?" Caesar asked, ignoring the situation and craning his neck around the corner.

"Um, yes," Kate answered. Her face was burning as Lee pulled his t-shirt back on. The rest of the team made themselves at home in her living room.

"You didn't have to stop on our account," Gunner grinned, propping his feet up on the coffee table.

"Ever hear of knocking, you pervert?" Lee asked, annoyed.

"You knew we were coming over," Barney reminded him. "I texted you five minutes ago."

Kate and Lee both looked at Lee's phone on the table, and he reached to pick it up. Indeed, there were three texts from Barney saying they were on their way.

"You still should've knocked," Lee commented, shooting a look at Barney, who simply shrugged. Kate peeked around to see Caesar and Toll taking over her kitchen. She didn't know whether or not to laugh or feel annoyed at the interruption. Lee's team had grown on her in the last while.

"Does it feel like home yet?" Doc asked her, taking her attention from the two chefs.

"A little," she answered.

"Love the view," Barney said, looking out the window, his hands in his pockets.

"And your boyfriend lives right above you," Gunner added. "You should have just moved in with him."

"Refrain from giving me dating advice, will you?" Lee retorted. He gave Kate a bit of a nervous look. They had talked about her moving in with him, but they agreed it would be too soon, and Kate didn't want to ruin their relationship so quickly by moving too fast.

"Kate?!" Toll called. "Where's your fire extinguisher?"

Alarmed, Kate moved to the kitchen to find Caesar batting at flames from the frying pan on her stove top.

"I don't have one yet," she said, growing nervous. Toll grabbed the tap nozzle and pulled it out as far as it would go, turning it on and spraying both Caesar and the frying pan.

"Hey, man!" Caesar cried.

"I'm doing you a favor," Toll insisted. "You were screwed either way. Burnt or soggy. Neither of those options are appealing."

"You didn't even give me a chance to put it out before drenching it!" Caesar exclaimed. Kate backed away, not wanting to be a part of this argument. She moved back over to her still packed box. She'd deal with it later. Her phone started to ring, and she stepped out onto the balcony to answer.

"Hello?"

"Katie!" her mother cried. "How are you?"

"Good, Mum. How are you?"

Kate listened as her mother launched into a story of some spider she'd tried to save only to have her father kill it immediately. Kate smiled. She had gone to see her parents not long after everything calmed down when Carlos had been killed. They had been very relieved, and Kate called them more often.

"How is Mr. Handsome?" her mother asked now, a smile in her tone.

"He's good," Kate answered, blushing a little. She had only sent her mother a picture. They were going to meet him soon, though. It made her feel nervous.

"We can't wait to meet him," her mother said. Kate saw Lee watching her through the window, a smile on his lips.

"He's looking forward to it too," she told her mother, and he was. Having parents was foreign to him since he couldn't remember his own. "Can I call you back later? I've got company over right now."

"Sure thing, honey. Talk soon. Love you."

"Love you too."

She hung up as Lee came out to join her.

"How are your parents?" he asked, putting his arm around her.

"They're good," she answered, resting her head on his shoulder. The men's laughter inside echoed out to them, making her smile. It was like having a bunch of brothers. She liked it.

"I think we should put a deadbolt on that door," Lee went on. "Keep the riffraff out."

"I like the riffraff," she told him.

"If you don't set a boundary with them now, you never will," he insisted.

"That's okay," she reassured him. He didn't say anything else, and they watched the team from outside for a while before going back in to socialize. Kate wouldn't trade it for anything.

She was happy.

A Week Later

"Where are we going?" Kate asked. Lee was guiding her down the hallway carefully. She was blindfolded, which she had protested about at first but then went along with it.

"Almost there," he said. He stopped once they arrived and removed the blindfold. She said nothing for a second, turning to look at him.

"A shooting range?" she asked.

"It's a first date you'll never forget," he winked. She shook her head, laughing a little.

"All right," she said. "It's definitely different, I'll give you that."

Lee grinned as he handed her a pistol. They were calling this their first official date despite being with each other for two months. With everything that had happened, they hadn't actually gone on a real date. Lee had wanted it to be different since she said she didn't really know what she wanted for a first date. So far, it was working.

"Show off," she said as he fired and hit all the targets easily. She went next, putting all bullets in the same hole between the paper man's eyes.

"Now who's the show off?" he teased, nudging her. It became a competition between the two of them. The other people at the range shot them looks as they laughed and egged each other on. Lee could tell Kate was having a good time, and that made him feel happy.

"You're something else, you know that?" she asked when he was reloading. She was leaning on the table in front of her, pistol under her fingers.

"Why's that?"

"You just are."

He flashed her a cheeky smile before aiming and firing again. When he'd unloaded all his bullets, she took her turn. They did this for a while longer.

"So where are we going next?" she asked once they were finished and walking out together.

"There's this place I know. The Tru Tone," he said. "Barney's got a friend there. He's a mean piano player and has a great personality."

"Wait, is that Dwayne Pride?" Kate asked. "I heard of him through Raymond Isler. They'd done some work together over the years."

"The one and only," Lee nodded.

"I'd like to meet him," Kate said.

"You will."

True to his word, she did get to meet him. He was exactly as Isler described him. Kate had a good time talking and swapping stories with him until he went to play his piano. She'd never heard such good music before.

Lee kissed the side of her head next to her ear, his fingers playing with hers on the bar top. She closed her eyes, wanting this to last forever. All good things must end, though, and when he walked her to her apartment door a few hours later, she felt a little sad.

"So," Lee said. "How was that?"

"That was pretty good," she answered, smiling. "You're not bad at this. I even enjoyed the bike ride." She'd never been on the back of a speed bike like that before. He'd coaxed her into it.

"Does that mean I get to see you again?" Lee asked playfully.

"Hmm, I don't know," Kate said thoughtfully. "I think it depends."

"On what?"

"On how good of a good night kiss you give me," she teased. He chuckled.

"All right then," he said. He slid a hand up behind her head and pulled her into him with one quick motion, taking her slightly off guard. He put his other hand on her waist and moved in slow, kissing her lightly and softly. He pulled back a little, leaving his lips next to hers but barely touching as she looked at him. Then he kissed her again, more firmly and a bit faster. He gathered her in his arms and pressed her against her door, finishing his kiss and resting his hands on her hips with his forehead against hers.

"You can call me," she said, trying to get her wits back about her.

"I'll do that," he replied, giving her one last soft kiss before releasing her and moving to walk away. He looked back at her as he opened the stairwell door to go up to his apartment, and she was standing there with a hand on her lips and her other hand on the doorknob. He flashed her a grin, and then he was gone.

...

Kate couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned for hours. She was thinking about Alejandro again, and she was wrestling with the fact that she thought she had seen him the other day. It had been quick, and she chalked it up to a trick of her eyes. She'd been standing on the sidewalk outside Tool's tattoo parlor, and across the street in the crowd, she had seen a figure standing there watching her. He'd had the same build and outline as Alejandro, but when she looked again after a bus had passed, he was gone. She doubted that if he was alive, he'd come check on her. He could claim he cared about her all he wanted, but she knew she wasn't worth the trip to ensure she was okay. That's what she told herself anyway.

After staring at the ceiling for ages, she got up. It was three in the morning, which wasn't good. She was grateful it was Saturday, though. There was nothing worse than going in to work dead tired. She padded out to the living room and grabbed her keys. This was the bonus about living so close to Lee. They took turns going to each other's apartment in the dead of the night when they couldn't sleep. They each had a key to the other's place.

She went out, locked her door, and moved to the stairs. She went up to Lee's apartment and let herself in. She walked carefully to his bedroom and paused to watch him sleep. He had an arm thrown over his head while lying on his back. She went to the other side and crawled in next to him. He stirred and woke up.

"Hey," he said groggily. "Everything okay?"

"Bad night," she answered.

"Okay."

He didn't need anymore of an explanation than that, which she greatly appreciated. She curled up beside him, head on his chest. He put his arm around her, and she listened to his heart beat. His fingers stroking her hair was comforting as well.

"I think we've jumped to fifth date status," he commented.

"Have we?" she asked, playing along.

"I think so."

"You wait that long?" she teased, and he laughed.

"Sometimes," he answered. "Other times I meet someone in a dark hole, and we just hit it off so well that we skip dating altogether and dive in deep."

"Sounds scary," she commented.

"It's been working so far," he replied. "I wouldn't change anything."

"Good to know."

He took her hand in his, and she kissed the inside of his shoulder. After a few moments, she felt herself falling asleep. Lee was already out of it again, and her last thoughts before she succumbed to the pull of sleep were of how lucky she was. This was where life moved forward with her heart full of hope, where she felt safe and loved and knew she'd never be hurt by him. The future looked bright, and even though the past was dark and scary, she really wouldn't change anything about it. She wouldn't be here without it. And besides, this was where she was meant to be and where her future started.

This was where recovery began.

The End