Lee woke up in the late afternoon and his head felt light, like he had slept for way too long. He lifted a hand to his face and dug his thumb and pointer finger into his eyes, trying to clear out the crust and sleep. He felt a stir besides him and he hesitated, thinking for a second that it was Lacy and the last few weeks had been a dream. Then he opened his eyes and realized he was on the couch in Tool's living room, and more than that, Everly was the one tucked against him. The memories flashed through his mind and he let out a heavy sigh. At least she had gotten some sleep.

Hell, at least he got some sleep. He'd been miserable since he started sleeping by himself again. That damn bed was too soft even though the mattress was harder than the floor, and even though he would sweat while he slept it was too cold in that room without someone next to him. His mind felt a little bit more clear, too. He didn't want to move and disturb her, but he really needed to get up and stretch his legs.

He tried to sit up, but her fists were clenched around his shirt, and he stiffened. Somewhere on the other side of the couch, Tool let out a huff and rapped his knuckles against the table. He looked at his watch.

"And that make it six hours and…" he looked up at Barney, who was fiddling with his skull lighter across from him, "seventeen minutes. I'll be taking that."

He slipped the bills from the table and tucked them away. Barney rolled his eyes.

Lee furrowed his brows and glanced back down at Everly before he heaved himself up and stretched out. She squirmed for a second but settled eventually, her face going still and peaceful. If Tool and Barney weren't watching Lee so closely, he might've watched her for another second longer. She looked like a different person without the lines of worry on her face and the fear and pain in her eyes.

"You were taking bets?" Lee snapped quietly, padding towards them and grinding his teeth.

"What else were we supposed to do, Romeo?" Tool asked, pulling a toothpick from his mouth and looking him up and down.

"Yeah, care to explain yourself, Christmas?" Barney asked.

Lee huffed and settled down in a chair across from them. He glanced over his shoulder towards the couch, but Everly hadn't moved, and he could hear her steady breathing still.

"She couldn't sleep, we got to talking, and then we passed out," he said. He conveniently left out the part where he had offered to hold her while she slept.

"Well it doesn't matter. She probably needed it," Tool said.

"Have you gone by her place yet?" Lee asked.

"For a little. Caesar is there now," he said.

Lee grunted and scratched his head. He felt awake, and for the first morning in a while, he didn't feel the need to spike some coffee just to get through the first half of the day. He was only thinking about Lacy because he noticed he hadn't woken up immediately thinking about her until he felt Everly beside him. He didn't know if it was woman making him feel better or just the sleep and clear head, or maybe just having a warm body beside him had been comforting. He knew it was a gross thought, but he kind of hoped Everly would be sticking around a little while longer. He chocked it up to just desperately needing the company of somebody that wasn't one of the guys. Maybe it was selfish, but at least in return for her presence he could protect her.

"Stalkers aren't that uncommon," Barney said. "I've been looking into it, and it's a bigger problem than I thought."

"So that's what this is?" Lee asked.

"What else could it be? She's a small southern girl that works in her uncle's bar," Barney said. "If you ask me, it makes sense."

"If you ask me," Tool said, glancing between them and lowering his voice. "She should be able to work wherever the hell she wants without some creep following her home."

Lee hummed. He suddenly regretted never walking her home. Maybe he could've scared the guy off. Maybe he could've stopped it from getting so far.

"How does it usually end?" Lee asked.

Barney's face darkened. He sighed and looked down at the table. "Not well."

"But she's got us on her team," Lee said.

"Right. Yeah, she's got us," Barney said.

"We might scare him away," Tool said. "Or we might make him panic. He doesn't know us. He doesn't know that if he sets foot near us, all bets are off. Louisiana is a stand-your-ground state."

"Hopefully the guy gets scared," Barney grunted.

Everly was starting to stir and they fell silent. Barney excused himself and headed for the stairs and Tool popped the toothpick from his mouth and brought the cups to the sink. He mock-saluted to Lee as he went towards his bedroom.

Lee sighed and watched the back of the couch while he worked his jaw. He was angry that this was happening but he wasn't sure what to do about it. After another second Everly pulled herself to an upright position and rubbed at her eyes. She seemed confused, and he didn't want to scare her so he cleared his throat. She turned to look at him.

"Lee?" She asked, her voice heavy with sleep.

"Yeah," he said, glancing around. "You good?"

"Was I here all night?" She asked, fighting back a yawn. Her face was a little bit red and puffy from crying, but her eyes were clear of tears now.

"Yeah," he said. He wondered if she even remembered that he'd slept right next to her. "Want something to drink? Or eat?"

"Um, water," she said, standing up and taking in her surroundings. "I'm-"

"Don't say sorry," he said quickly, standing and heading to the fridge.

She pulled her lips between her teeth and nodded. They were quiet for a few minutes while she drank most of the water. He leaned against the counter and watched her.

"Do you need anything?" He asked after a bit.

She shrugged and looked down at her clothes. She really wanted a shower and something warm to wear, but she already felt like she was overstepping whatever boundaries existed in whatever situation she was in.

"I can see if we can swing by your place," he said. "We've had guys staking it out."

"You guys really don't have to put yourselves out like that," she said. "Really-"

"I already told you. This is what we do, alright?"

"Alright."

"So what do you need?"

She sighed and placed her water down on the table. She could feel the old makeup at the corners of her eyes scratching and burning her skin. She ran her hands over her hair.

"A shower would be nice," she said.

"I think we can swing that," Lee said with a chuckle. He pulled himself up from his spot against the counter and headed towards the bathroom. She followed a few steps behind, her memories of the night before becoming more sturdy in her brain. Her heart leapt at the fact that she had let herself fall asleep next to Lee and stay there for- god, how long had it even been? She felt like she'd been asleep for years.

"Thanks," she said, pressing her lips into a kind, grateful smile. He smiled back, studying her for a moment. "Somethin' wrong?" She asked.

"No, no," he said quickly, shaking himself out of his stare. "Clean towels are there," he pointed to a small cabinet in the wall next to the shower, "and for right now I can lend you a t-shirt until we get some of your things."

"Okay," she said. "Thank you, again."

He nodded and turned to leave. She stood and watched the door for a second after it closed, wondering why he had been looking at her that way. Sure, she was a whole mess, and it didn't help things much that last night had transpired. She had needed to get it out, though. She felt better now that somebody else was helping her bear it. She thought it would feel like a burden, but really, it just felt light and free. Weightless. Better.

But then there was the matter of the guy that had been watching her. That didn't feel any less heavy than it had last night. She felt a little bit safer in Tool's apartment with Lee just outside and whoever else was there, but every time she caught herself sinking into contentment, she would jump and feel that prickle on the back of her neck. It was like she was in a garden of roses, and the smell was so comforting, so fresh and sweet, that she was on the verge of forgetting how bad the thorns would hurt if she leaned in a bit too close. That man was her main problem, and he was still out there. How close or how far, she didn't know. She wondered if anywhere would ever feel far enough away. She wondered if safe was a thing of the past.

She turned the water on and let it run over her fingers for a second. It was cold, slowly warming, forcing the old plumbing to creak and groan. She shifted to the closet and pulled out an old, rough towel that smelled like fresh laundry and dust. Then she braced herself against the sink and looked into the mirror.

Her makeup was smeared under her eyes, but even without that, she still looked tired and sad. There was a bit more color in her cheeks than there had been the last few days, a bit more hope in her eyes, but she couldn't help but frown. Then there was the matter of the bar, and how much income they'd be missing out on if she wasn't working, and what would that mean for her family? Her uncle would be kind about it, and Henry would be kind but a bit more honest, and she'd beat herself up over it for a month or so. She wondered about her mom down in Florida briefly, but she shook the thought. It wasn't the time to worry about those things. She had to worry about herself. If Lee and Barney and Tool hadn't caught on to her problem, she might've lost her mind from exhaustion or maybe worse.

She slipped off her clothes from yesterday and ducked into the warm water. It felt good on her skin. Comforting. When was the last time she showered?

She made a face and reached for the soap. Her hair was slicked back along her scalp, her skin red from the heat and pressure of the water. She didn't know how long she had been in there, but she was just standing there under the steaming water when she awoke from her trance. She pressed her palms to her cheeks and sucked in the humidity. Her belly was hollow from not eating and vomiting, but she didn't feel hungry. She could eat when this whole mess was taken care of.

What would that even mean? How would she know if that guy was gonna leave her alone?

She turned the water off and wrapped herself in the towel. She dried off the best she could and tried not to leave a mess, but most of the bathroom had fogged up and was covered in a film of condensation. She opened the door and found Lee about to knock on the other side.

"Oh!" She said, squeezing the towel and gripping her chest over her heart. "Lee! You scared me."

"Sorry," he said, squinting as the steam rolled out into the hallway. "Just wanted to make sure you didn't drown in there."

She couldn't help it. She laughed a little.

Lee found himself smiling. It was another thing that felt foreign to him since the breakup, but he welcomed the change of pace. He held up a t-shirt and a pair of old sweatpants for her.

"It's not designer, but it'll get the job done," he said.

She took the clothes in her free hand and smiled. "Well it's a good thing I've never been much into designer," she said.

"Ah, I should've known," he said.

"These'll do. Thank you, Lee."

He nodded as she slipped by him and into his room, closing the door behind her. He could smell the soap from the bathroom all over her, and it was the same soap he used everyday he'd been there, the same soap he'd smell on Tool or even Barney sometimes, but on Everly it was different. It was better. It felt more clean.

He left the bathroom door open to air it out. It was leaking humidity into the rest of the apartment, but he figured nothing could be as bad as the actual jungle.

—-

Everly was fingering the knots in her hair when she padded out of Lee's room and towards the couch. Lee had the TV on low, some fight flashing across the screen while an announcer oofed and wooed. He glanced over at her and found her drowning in his shirt and sweatpants. She tried to knot the shirt at her stomach, and it was barely staying, and the pants were tied as tight as they could possibly go. They dragged under her feet when she walked. He had an image of Lacy in his mind suddenly; she would wear his shirts sometimes. He shifted on the couch and felt suddenly sad. If he was being honest, he knew all along that Lacy hadn't been "the one," whatever that meant. He just didn't think he'd ever find that person, not with who he was and what he did.

"Is there anyone else here?" Everly asked sweetly, dropping herself down onto the sofa a few feet away from him.

"Uh, Tool should be around here somewhere," Lee said. "Some of the guys are probably downstairs. Caesar was out at your place when I woke up."

"Oh, but Hale's got a family to look after," she frowned, still working her hair. "He shouldn't be bothered with me."

Lee raised his eyebrows and watched her. She didn't notice, so he just shook his head and went on.

"I told you. This is what we-"

"What you do, I get it," she huffed. "But I don't have much to offer you all in terms of payment."

"Free drinks?" Lee teased, flashing her a smile.

She looked up and smiled back. Her cheeks flushed a slight pink and she shook her head, letting her hair loose from her fingers finally. A little bit of water gathered on the shoulder of Lee's shirt.

"I might be able to arrange that," she said. "But you all are kind of our main clientele."

Lee chuckled. "Right. How about free beer?"

"And that's just about all you drink!" She laughed, turning to him. "I think I could swing it, though." Lee noticed her play on his own choice of words from earlier and laughed. She seemed a bit more lively, a bit more like her old self that he knew from the opposite side of the bar, and it was good. It felt right, like he was doing something good for a change. The argument could be made that the Expendables weren't the bad guys, not really, but sometimes it just didn't feel that way. A bullets a bullet no matter who shoots it, and blood is blood no matters who bleeds it. Lee had shot a lot of bullets in his life, and those bullets had lead to a lot of blood. Sometimes he could feel it all on his hands, or all around him, thick in the air like the steam from the bathroom.

"You alright?" Everly said after a moment, and Lee looked up and caught her eye. He nodded.

"Yeah, sorry," he said.

"I know you've been having a rough go of it," she tried. "You can still talk to me about it if you want."

He shook his head. "You have enough on your plate as it is right now. Either way, it feels wrong. We're not at a bar. It's light out."

She chuckled, and Lee found himself thinking again about how much he enjoyed it when she laughed or smiled. Then he thought about Lacy smiling or laughing, usually when she was a bit tipsy, and even though it felt different with her, he really missed it.

"And here I thought we were friends," she joked.

"I think so," he said without thinking. He figured it was the truth, but he preferred to limit his friends to the idiots he worked with. Kept things clean and simple.

"So, spill," she said. "I can't just sit here all day an' worry about my own problem. Let's stew together, huh?"

He smiled and let out a sigh. His smile quickly faded as he thought back to the image of Lacy wrapped in their bedsheets and following him as he grabbed his things to leave.

"I miss her," he said solemnly, turning his head to the ceiling. "I shouldn't. But I do."

Everly shifted just slightly closer to him and matched his pose. She folded her hands up on her stomach and tilted her head back.

"I don't want to miss her because I'm so angry at her."

Everly listened carefully. She didn't know all the details, but she had a pretty good idea of what had happened.

"And then I get more angry because it seems like that's the best I was ever gonna get. This job we do, it blurs a lot of lines. We do bad things for good reasons. For a long time I tried to force myself to believe I could deserve some kind of normal life, but now I just feel like I was kidding myself."

"So is it her that you're mourning," Everly asked, turning her head slightly to look at him while he stared upwards, "or the idea of her?"

Lee let out a breath. Lacy was good and all, but what Lee wanted was a life. A wife, a family, a home. Maybe a dog or two, a backyard and the holidays.

"Maybe both," he said eventually. "I think I loved her."

"Enough to forgive what happened?" She asked.

He glanced towards her but then settled his eyes back on the ceiling. Looking at her made him feel weird. Vulnerable and weak, maybe. It was uncomfortable.

"Wasn't the first time, wouldn't be the last," he said finally.

Everly hummed and looked back up at the ceiling. She figured that nobody deserved what Lee was going through. Of course he was worth his dreams; they were his dreams, and that's all that mattered.

"She's the one who lost somethin' special," she said softly. She reached over and placed her hand on top of his, and he stiffened for a moment, but then he realized it was nice. He liked it. He turned his hand over and took hers in his. He laced their fingers together. It was comforting; human. He really needed something human.

—-

They didn't notice that Tool had wandered out from his bedroom and heard most of the conversation. He crossed his arms and took a few steps backwards.

They were good for each other. They each needed somebody. Tool tried to resist the smile that was creeping across his face, but he was already fighting tooth and nail with the jokes and the teasing he so wanted to throw Lee's way. He wanted to be kind and let the guy have his moment, though. He backed up far enough that he could reopen and close his door a bit louder so that they would hear it. He made a show of walking through the hall towards the kitchen.

When he saw them, they had pulled their hands apart, but they were still sitting close. Everly had her eyes closed like she might fall back asleep, her wet hair draped over the back of the couch. Lee was just staring up at the ceiling, blinking slowly in time with his breaths.

He couldn't wait to tell Barney all about this.