Everly slammed the door and fell against it while the panicked tears streamed down her face. The world was spinning. The letter had been too much; too real. Even surrounded by the guys she didn't feel safe. Safety had been slowly stripped away from her. It was cruel. Sick. Vile. And there was nothing she could do about it.

Despite everything that had happened between them throughout her life, she suddenly wanted her mom. She wanted to be little again, small enough to fold against her moms chest, to be sung to sleep by a voice that vibrated within her very soul. Children are nurtured by the hum of their mother's voice long before they ever even take their first breath. Everly longed for that comfort as the words from the letter replayed in her mind; it was a cold voice- violent, deadly. She loathed it. She cupped her hands over her ears and rocked herself slowly on the floor against the door, quietly sobbing and tasting the stream of salty tears as they flooded over her lips.

I will be with you, always.

She shuddered. She was in a room alone, the blinds drawn tight, the door closed behind her, and she still felt like those words held true. And they were. That was the torment; the curse. She might never feel alone again. Her mouth opened as though to sob but no sound escaped. She heaved and cried and shook while her chest grew cold and numb. Prickly barbed vines spread from her chest and wound around her body, a painful and protective hug, hurting her just for the chance of hurting him. If she didn't let anybody close, then maybe he would never stand a chance. She certainly would never have to hurt. The vines tightened around her and her heart pounded in her chest. It wanted freedom from the burning wounds of the thorns, but her mind knew better than her heart. There was no room for her to be free when her life depended on the opposite.

—-

Lee was still reeling from the conversation with Lacy but took a step towards his closed door anyway. He felt cold and exposed without Everly at his side. It was a new feeling, and he really wanted to fix it by going to her and trying to make things okay.

Barney took him by the shoulder and stopped him dead in his tracks. Lee turned back to him, annoyed, grinding his teeth and preparing to mouth off.

"Don't," Barney said, feeling the tension in Lee's body and predicting his rage. "We need to keep our heads clear if we're gonna get this guy and end this thing. That includes you, Romeo."

Lee frowned and pressed his lips together as though he was preparing to argue. Barney sent him another stern look and after a moment he sighed. Barney dropped his hand from Lee's shoulder and crossed his arms.

"This letter is evidence. Hard evidence. And it's our only real lead right now," Barney said.

"We already have Hale staking the place out," Lee said. "What else do we do?"

"He knows about us," Barney said. "He could be here. We gotta keep a lookout."

Lee sighed. He knew where this was going. Barney didn't want Lee to get distracted from the mission.

"Barney, I'm not gonna play watchdog," he said.

"Too bad," Barney grumbled, patting his chest. "You get the first shift."

Barney moved by him and towards the stairs. Lee let his head hang. He considered ignoring Barney and going to Everly anyway, but he sighed and shook his head. The soldier in him knew that what Barney said made sense and he couldn't ignore his orders. He was only diffusing a potentially complicated situation and trying to solve the problem at hand. What had Lee been thinking, anyway? He had just cut things off with Lacy. He didn't need whatever Everly was becoming to him. What he needed was some time to himself.

Watchdog it was. He followed Barney down the stairs and left his door closed, Everly tucked in behind it.

—-

Caesar walked in after being replaced by Doc. He yawned and stretched his arms high up above his head. He had nothing interesting to report. There were a lot of people walking their dogs, moms will strollers speed walking here and there, and the usual coming and going of people in the neighborhood. There was nothing he tagged as weird.

"How was it?" Tool asked, not looking up from his sketchbook.

"Boring as hell, like all the other stakeout jobs," Caesar said, grabbing a beer and settling into a seat across from Tool. "Nothing really came up."

"Lee's keeping watch on the shop. We're thinking he knows she's here," Tool said.

"That's fucked up, man," Caesar said, shaking his head and sinking back in his chair. His mind wandered to his family. It was too often that he saw how messed up the world could be. The bravest thing he had ever done was his family. It made him a better man. A better soldier. A better mercenary. It was funny how wanting to live could keep a killer going.

"We'll get it done. We always do," Tool said, chewing on the back of his pen. "But I think she might be sticking around once we do."

Caesar raised a brow and looked up at the ceiling. "Lee sink his teeth into this one?"

"He's a real charmer," Tool said, letting out a half hearted laugh. "Had a bit of a show with Lacy not long ago."

"Damn," Caesar said. He let out a breath.

"Tell me about it."

"What are you two going on about?" Barney asked from the stairs. Caesar glanced up at him and held up his beer bottle in greeting.

"What do you think?" Caesar asked. "The latest gossip, man."

Barney scoffed and tossed his head over his shoulder. "He's outside. Might hear you."

"Good, let him," Caesar said. "If he comes at me with a knife, it'll be considered self-defense."

Barney chuckled. Lee really did have a way of grinding everyone's gears, but they all came to love him. Eventually.

It was up in the air, really.

"Where are the rest of the boys?" Barney asked.

"They'll be around soon," Caesar said. "Toll texted me. Said he was on his way."

Barney grunted in response. Some thunder sounded in the distance, loud and echoing, the crash nearly startling Caesar to a fully upright position. Tool chuckled at him, pulling the pen from his teeth and making a mark in his book.

"Looks like Mr. Christmas is gonna be even more ticked off," Tool said, turning and wagging the pen at Barney. "Havin' him out there in the rain and such."

Barney waved him off and settled in the chair next to Caesar. He didn't care how grumpy Lee would be after his shift. He just didn't think Lee or Everly were in a spot to get to involved with each other, and the best way to keep her safe was to make sure they all had clear heads. After they got the stalker, whoever he was, the both of them could do whatever they wanted. Barney had to keep the team afloat somehow, though. If that meant sitting Lee in the corner for a little while then so be it.

Thunder boomed again in the distance. Barney could hear the sprinkle of fresh rain on the sizzling hot sidewalk. He checked his watch.

—-

Lee groaned and pressed his back hard against the building to try and avoid the drizzle as it began to fall. He held out his hand and watched the drops collect on his skin before he ran it over the back of his head. He checked his watch and knocked his head back against the wall while a flash of lightning lit up the sky.

"Great," he muttered to himself. "Just bloody great."

There was the sound of a car door slamming shut just down the road and Lee stuck his hands back into his pockets and straightened his arms while he squinted through the growing downpour. He tried to make out who it might've been, but all he could see was a figure tapping the top of a car and waving before turning in the direction of the shop and slowly getting closer. As the figure neared, Lee took note of the dark clothing. The hoodie with the hood up and pulled tight. Dark pants, dark shoes, hands tucked into pockets not unlike the way he was standing. He stiffened and stepped out from under the slight overhang. If this was the guy, he was gonna end this right there. The storm would wash away the blood.

The figure got closer and Lee fingered one of his knives in his pocket. Just one little flick and this could all be over. He steadied his breathing as the distance between him and the person shrunk, and his fingers tightened around the handle of the blade. He pictured Everly's cries, the hopeless way she looked at the letter, the way she debated if it was even worth dealing with… Lee thought he had seen the worst of humanity in the field, but this was somehow making him feel worse than any of that. Maybe because it was supposed to be safe here. No wars in the streets, no dense jungle fights, no militia vying for control at any cost. It was supposed to be home base. This was his backyard. He cracked his neck and shook out his shoulders.

The figure got closer and Lee started walking towards it, too. He tightened his grip on his knife and in one swift motion grabbed the person and slammed them sideways into the wall. He tightened his forearm against their neck and reached up, knife clenched in his fist, and tugged the hood down. Rain was pouring around them now, soaking them both, and Lee's face was drenched. He breathed out hard and some raindrops flew from his lips.

"Hey man, what the fuck?"

Lee paused. He furrowed his brows. His forearm was still pressed tight against the man's neck, the tip of the knife just a centimeter away from his carotid. He let up just a little, confused.

"Henry?" He asked, dumbfounded.

"Lee? What the hell are you doing?" Henry asked, holding his hands out to the side. Lee looked him over for a minute before groaning and pushing himself back. He tucked the knife back into his pocket and kicked at the puddles forming on the ground.

"Fuck!" He yelled. If the actual guy had been there, that had definitely scared him off. He pressed his fists against his head.

"What is it?" Henry asked, a bit more angry.

"What are you doing here?" Lee asked, turning on his heal and facing Henry. His hair, a similar shade to Everly's, was drenched in the rain already. "Aren't you in Florida?"

"I was," he said, running his hand along his face to clear the rain from his eyes. "It seemed like there was something going on here."

"We got it covered," Lee grumbled, shaking his head. "How's her mom?"

Henry raised a brow. He could sense something in Lee's voice that he didn't really recognize. Sure, he didn't know the man that well, but it triggered something inside of him and he tensed up.

"Doesn't matter right now," he said. "I came here to check on Eve. Where is she?"

Lee let out another exasperated sigh and grabbed Henry's upper arm. He muscled him towards the door to the shop and flung it open, shoving him in first before locking the door behind them both. Rainwater pooled at their feet and all of the guys turned their heads to them, looking them up and down.

"Henry's the stalker?" Gunner asked, burping as he slurred.

"What?" Henry asked, eyes wide and brows raised. Lee let him go with a little shove and slapped his hand against his forehead. Barney gripped the bridge of his nose in his fingers and shook his head. Caesar gave Gunner a slap on the back of the head.

"Well, this is going well," Tool said, chewing on the end of his pipe and kicking his feet up onto the table in front of him. "Please, by all means, do continue."

Henry glanced around the room and then back to Lee, and then around the room again.

"Stalker?" He asked. "Where's Eve?"

"She's fine," Lee said, aggravated. "We've been keeping an eye on her. She's safe. Some guy won't leave her alone. We got it."

That was definitely an understatement.

"You got it?" Henry asked, finally finding his anger. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You seemed busy," Barney said, standing. "It's alright. Really."

"No," Henry said. "It isn't. It really isn't!"

"Oh," Gunner said. "He didn't know."

"Way to go, big guy," Toll said, crossing his arms. "You really figured something out there. Fulbright scholar my ass."

"Where is she?" Henry asked again. "I need to see her."

"She upstairs and she's fine," Barney said. "Did something happen?"

"I need you guys to explain what is going on here," Henry said, stepping away from Lee and the door.

"Kid's got a freak on her heels and we're playing bodyguard," Barney said. "Nothing happened to her. Nothing is gonna happen to her. We've got her."

"I need to call my dad," Henry said.

"You need to catch us up on Florida," Lee said from behind him, crossing his arms. "What's going on with Eve's mom?"

"She-" Henry started, sighing and smoothing down his hair. "She's not doing great. The doctors don't think she's got a whole lot of time, and the home is expensive…"

The group quieted. Henry drew in a breath and shook his head.

"All of the doctors are saying early onset dementia. It could be partly because of all the drugs, or not at all, and it would be hard to know, but she needs to be in a long term care facility and after you guys called I figured I could deal with that over the phone."

Lee looked down to his feet. He wondered how Everly would take the news, and then he wondered why he cared so much, but then he decided he didn't even want to know the answer to that. He just wanted to be there for her and that was that.

"Dementia?"

Lee snapped his head up and caught everyone in the shop looking up towards the stairs. His heart skipped and he took a few steps forward to get a better view of what was happening.

"Dementia?" She asked again, tightening her grip on the railing.

"Eve-" Henry said, relieved to see her. "Christ, I was so worried-"

"She's sick and you didn't call me?" She asked. Her voice was sore and worn from crying.

"I was going to. And I'm here now," he tried.

"You all knew?" She asked, ignoring him, and she looked around the room. Her eyes found Lee last. "You knew?"

Lee opened his mouth to speak but he couldn't think of what to say. He couldn't lie about it; he did know. He felt bad for not telling her but it wasn't his secret to confess to.

Everly let her mouth hang open in disbelief and she looked over all of the men below her for another long, shuddering moment before she turned and hurried away from the railing. They all looked after her, shocked and confused and sorry, but nobody moved. Henry glanced sidelong at Lee, but he was looking up at the space where Everly had been.

Lee couldn't be sure, but he felt like he had really just messed something up. Something good. Something he really desperately wanted and maybe even needed.

It was only another second before he sloshed across the floor to the stairs to follow after her.