Everly shut the door tightly behind her and flicked the lock closed. She was breathing heavily, nearly panting, and felt like she would suffocate at any second if she couldn't calm down or get away. She reached up and raked her fingers through her hair while tears poured down her cheeks, confused and numb and overwhelmed.

Her mother was sick? That's where Henry had been?

And Lee knew? All that time with her the last couple of days, and he never said a word?

She clapped a hand over her mouth to muffle a cry. She needed to react. She needed to knock something over or throw something or scream. She sucked in a few more panicked breaths and turned to the dresser, mostly empty, and knocked the few things off of the top of it with a crash. She fell forward and leaned on the bare surface, hands shaking and hair falling into a curtain over her face. She didn't recognize her life anymore, or even herself for that matter. It was like she had made a crucial mistake, or maybe a wrong turn, and ended up in some alternate reality where life just crumbled and broke apart. Her ears were ringing and her nose was stuffed up and sore. She could hardly breathe. She wanted to run.

She knew she couldn't, though, and that it made it that much more difficult to stay. The walls were suddenly closing in and she stumbled backwards until her clammy palms clasped around the foot of the bed frame to steady herself. She tugged loosely on the covers as she caught her balance, too, and they slipped from the mattress and onto the floor with a subtle thump. She drew in another wheezing breath and gripped her chest with her free hand, balling her fingers up in her shirt. She didn't know exactly what she wanted, but it was definitely to be anywhere but in Lee's room in that place that was nothing like home. She wished she had been to see her mother. Would she even remember her? Why hadn't Henry told her something was wrong? Didn't they trust her?

She swallowed and tried to sniff her nose clear but it was no use. It was sore and raw from days of nonstop crying. She wiped frantically at her cheeks but more tears kept falling. Then she heard the knock on the door.

Her head snapped towards it and she held her breath. Like every other sudden noise lately, it made her jump and made her skin crawl. She tightened her grip on the bed frame and watched the closed door anxiously, expectantly.

"Eve?"

She tightened her jaw and tried to muscle against her frown to no avail. She didn't want to hear his voice. Why hadn't he just been honest with her? She was tired of all the deception surrounding her. She wished somebody could just be straightforward for once.

"Eve, I'm sorry, can I just explain?" Lee asked, trying the door handle. It rattled slightly but stuck. She wiped at her nose with the back of her hand and tried not to let anymore tears fall. She didn't want anybody to bother her. She felt unsafe around everyone. It wasn't just the one person out to get her; suddenly it was the entire world. She pressed herself into the bed frame, away from the door, and her breath caught in her throat.

"Everly," Lee said, voice thick and worried. "Just open the door, at least. I don't wanna break it down."

She turned from the door and tucked her hair behind her ears. She gripped the sides of her head for a moment and looked around, frantically searching for somewhere safe. Somewhere small and cozy. There was nothing. The room was just one small square with furniture, walls, windows, and a door. Her eyes flicked to the window and took note of the fire escape right outside of it.

"I will," he said, knocking again. "Break it down, that is."

She looked over her shoulder at the door and knew without a shadow of a doubt that he would break in at any second. She was too torn up to speak or fight and she couldn't bear the thought of dealing with just one more thing anymore. She pulled herself haphazardly towards the window and quietly unlocked it, sliding it up and open so that the warm breeze caught her hair and slapped her skin. She took in a deep breath before she climbed fully out of the room and onto the rickety old fire escape. She turned back and quietly slid the window down so that it was open just a crack, effectively blocking out the noise from inside that was driving her insane. She sighed into the rank city air and slipped herself across the platform so she would be out of view of the window. She needed something to be hers for once. Just hers. Something nobody could see, learn about, or take away. Places were temporary. People were finicky. She had herself and the fire escape, which rattled against her added weight and the breeze.

She looked out at her low view of the city and wished she was home in her own bed. She wished a lot of things; she wished there wasn't anybody stalking her, that her mother had been healthy enough to raise her, and that her mother wasn't sick and probably forgetting the few important moments they actually had together.

She looked down. There was nothing stopping her from climbing down and leaving, was there? She could be anonymous leaving from the alley. She could cover herself up well enough and just walk wherever her feet took her. It sounded better than staying in that stuffy room and trying to cope with everything from somebody else's bed. She pressed her lips together and sniffed. Her eyes were dry now but they hurt regardless. She reached for the ladder and swung herself around, gripping the bars tightly in unsteady hands while she tried to outrun her problems.

—-

Lee rested his forehead against the door and closed his eyes. He jiggled the handle again, a bit more aggressively, and let out an exasperated sigh when it was still locked firmly in place. He didn't want Everly to lose her trust in him. They would get the job done, and then he kind of wanted to keep hanging around her. He wanted to know what she was like when things were normal, who she was without the fear.

"Everly, please come out," he said, knocking his head lightly against the door. "Can we just talk about it?"

He was still soaking wet from the rain. There were drops of water under his feet, making his shoes squeak as he shifted.

"Can I please explain?" He tried again, softer still, his hand resting on the door knob. There was no answer and he sucked on his teeth, frustrated. He was still angry over the earlier situation with Lacy and irritated from the note the stalker had left for Everly. He was about to step back and brace himself to knock the door in when Tool hobbled up behind him.

"You like her," he said casually, leaning on the wall behind Lee and jutting out a hip. "How longs it been since you met her?"

Lee closed his eyes and drew in a breath. He knew Tool was just trying to distract him so they could all get a better handle on the situation, but all he wanted was to make sure Everly was safe and okay and that she understood.

"Sod off," Lee grumbled, pulling his hand away from the door knob and settling it on his waist. He let his head hang between his shoulders.

"So it's a yes," Tool said, humming to himself while his chains rattled as he shifted. "There's an awful lot goin' on right now. Maybe some space to let her breathe wouldn't be the worst thing in the world."

Lee huffed and spun on his heal, turning to Tool with an irritated twitch in his eye. "Ah, so you're an expert on women now, are you?"

Tool bowed his head with a chuckle and swept some hair out of his eyes. "You have this habit of talking yourself into your own grave," he said with a hoarse chuckle. "Go on, Lee. I'll hang around here and try to coax her out. Talk to Henry. Make a plan to get this guy. Get busy, be useful."

Lee tightened his jaw and stared at Tool for a long moment before he slapped his hands down against his legs and walked away. He scratched at the back of his neck and grumbled to himself as he made his way to the stairs. Tool watched his with a perked brow before he let out a quiet laugh and turned his attention back to the closed door. After a second he pulled a key out from his pocket and examined it, a smirk on his lips.

"Damn brit didn't realize I have a master key," he said to himself, proudly approaching the door and lifting his hand to knock. "'Sod off,' he said. What the hell does that even mean?"

—-

Everly's feet hit the ground with a splash. She hadn't even processed that it was raining until she was already soaked, and she decided it was too late to turn back. She had some money in her pocket so she hurried over towards the road, mixing in with the few people around like just somebody else caught in the storm. She lifted up a hand and hailed a cab, waving a bit nervously as her eyes darted around out of instinct. She just wanted to feel totally alone for once. She had no idea how to do that, though. She didn't want that stupid man following her, and she also didn't want Lee or Henry or Barney or any of those guys from their group hanging around her, either. Wasn't there still one watching her apartment? She couldn't think straight but she didn't really care either way. Maybe he wouldn't realize it was her.

A cab pulled to the side and splashed a little bit of dirty water up onto her shins. She didn't care. She pulled open the door and climbed in, her hair sticking to the sides of her face, and balled up her cash in her fist as she leaned towards the partition and gave her address.

"Will this cover it?" She asked sweetly, holding the money out.

He took it and glanced back at her for a moment, running the calculation in his mind. Then he nodded.

"Just about," he said. "Not far, eh?"

"No," she said. "Thank you."

He nodded and put the cash down in the console before he put the car back into drive and pulled out into the storm. She watched the raindrops race down the window, caught in the wind, and realized that soaking wet, nobody could tell she had been crying. She tightened her jaw and swallowed. She had a lot to think over, and possibly, for once, a place where nobody knew who she was, even if it was just for a short drive.

—-

Tool fumbled with the key for a second before he slid it into the lock and turned it with a rattle. He sighed and cleared his throat, glancing over his shoulder to see if Lee had gone downstairs, and then nudged the door open just slightly.

"Everly?' He asked, peaking straight through the crack, knocking slightly. "Hope ya don't mind. Worried about you, is all, and I have a key for every room in this place."

There was no answer. He sighed and pursed his lips, bobbing his head back and forth as he considered his options. He could just stay there until she decided to react to him, or he could walk away.

He had walked away once before. His eyes went cold and dark as he remembered that scene on that bridge. That woman, her sad, desperate eyes meeting his in one last desperate attempt to right whatever wrong had occurred in her life. And he turned away until he heard that splash. He had hardly ever felt any guilt about his job before, but that day changed everything. He never forgave himself for not giving that one woman the hope she needed to keep living. He sucked on his teeth and made up his mind.

"What're you doing?" Lee asked suddenly, making Tool jump with a little groan. He turned to him with a scowl.

"Got a master key, Christmas-time. Did you really think I'd let you idiots lock yourselves in my rooms?" He muttered, lowering his voice.

"This entire time, you had a key?" Lee asked, incredulous. "What about all those times-"

"Bah-humbug," Tool grumped, shaking his head and waving Lee off. Lee let out a huff and crossed his arms.

"Fine, whatever. She alright?"

"I would know if you stopped pestering me," Tool hissed. "Now git."

"Git?" Lee asked, holding his arms out. "Git?"

"Barney, call off your attack dog," Tool called, rolling his eyes as he turned back to the door.

"Stand down, Lee," Barney said from the stairs. "Your face is probably the last thing she wants to see right now."

Lee frowned and dropped his head. He knew they were right, but he hated it. His whole body was shaking from the pressure of the last few weeks. This was supposed to be a safe space for all of them. A refuge. He ran his hand over his head and shrugged.

"Fine, fine," he said, irritated. "But tell her I'm sorry. And that I can explain."

"She doesn't need your explanations right now, man," Caesar said, standing besides Barney on the landing of the stairs. "Just time and space. Trust me on this one."

"The man gets married and suddenly he's a couples counselor," Tool teased.

"Do you hear this?" Lee said, smirking towards Caesar and glancing sidelong at Barney.

"Oh, so you'd rather take relationship advice from Mr. Mail-Order-Bride over here?" Caesar frowned, clicking his tongue and shaking his head.

"Enough, enough," Barney said. "Tool, would you just go in there?"

"Mail order bride?" Tool asked, holding the door knob in one hand and perching his other on his hip as he turned to look back to Caesar. "Where in the hell did you-"

"For Christs sake," Lee growled, shouldering passed Tool and knocking into the door, sending it open and slamming into the wall. It bounced back slightly, but Lee paused in the doorway, stuck.

Tool turned to him, about to make another snarky comment about his last name and leading the charge like Rudolph, but he stopped short too.

The window was cracked and the rain was getting in. The floor was collecting a puddle of water and the bed was a mess, empty except for the pillows and blankets.

"Shit," Tool said, blinking and pressing his palms to his scalp. "Mother-"

"What is it?" Barney asked, coming in behind them.

"She's gone," Lee said, his voice sick and panicked. "I swear to god if that asshole gets his hands on her-"

"Shit," Barney said, echoing Tool and scratching his beard. "I'll call Doc. I'll let him know to be on the lookout. She can't have gone far. Everyone else, let's get out there on our feet and scope out a few blocks in every direction. If she's there, we'll find her."

"On it," Caesar called, hurrying down the stairs with a rumble. Lee turned back towards the door but was stopped by Barney standing in the way, looking down his nose at him with one eyebrow raised.

"What?" Lee barked, lips pressed into a deadly scowl.

"Nothing," Barney said with a shrug. He stepped aside and Lee barreled passed, hurrying to the ground floor so quickly that he might've just flown down the stairs.

"This ain't good," Tool said, turning to Barney. They both wore the same knowing look. Barney dipped his head and nodded slightly.

"Yeah, I know."

"What do we do about Christmas?" Tool asked, glancing back at the open window and then to Barney.

"Nothing, yet," Barney said.

"And if-"

"We'll get there when we get there," Barney said. "We're far from it for right now."

"Are we, brother?" Tool asked, meeting Barney's eyes with a serious, stern frown.

Barney pressed his lips together and grunted. Tool made his way out of the room and towards the stairs. Barney knew he was right. They were closer to a mess than they were to a solution. This blow up might just cost them a life, and one that hadn't even signed up to die, at that. He didn't like the cold feeling that left in his chest.

He turned from the room and closed the door, pulling out his phone to call Doc as he made his way to the stairs.