Trigger warning activated for this chapter.


Just after dawn, Toll heard the movement in the bush first. They had been walking and searching all night, and then suddenly they were upon a camp. He signaled to Gunner, who nodded and cocked his gun. Within moments, Kate appeared into sight from under the trees.

"Lee?" she asked hopefully. "Oh, Toll. You found us."

"Thank God," Toll said, moving to hug Kate. He noticed she was stiff in his arms.

"You all right?" Gunner asked her.

"Yes, but Lee's gone," Kate answered anxiously.

"What?" Toll asked.

"He left in the night, and he hasn't come back. I think something has happened to him," Kate explained. Gunner and Toll shared a look with each other.

"When did he go?" Gunner asked her.

"It was still storming. I didn't see which way he went," Kate told him.

"They probably got him," Gunner said quietly to Toll.

"I can hear you," Kate said, disgruntled.

"Sorry," Gunner apologized.

"All right. We'll find him. I promise," Toll said to Kate, squeezing her shoulder. She gave a tight smile and a nod. If something had happened to Lee, she'd blame herself forever for chasing him away. She can add him to the list of people's deaths she blamed herself for.

Gunshots went off then.

"Shit," Gunner groaned. Toll grabbed Kate's hand and pulled her to cover. Gunner shot back.

"I'm not useless," Kate said angrily as Toll blocked her from the whizzing bullets.

"I know," he said. "But I just got you back. I don't want to lose you again."

Kate stood there looking at him, and she knew right there and then that her feelings last night were confirmed. She could not stay with Toll. She was flattered at being protected, but Toll wasn't letting her do her job, and she needed to be with someone who was able to let her work. She also needed to be with the person that she had feelings for, and right now her feelings were largely for Lee despite what she had originally thought and that was because she now knew for sure Lee had just as much feelings back for her. She felt bad. She couldn't fall for Toll like she had promised Barney. She dreaded hurting him, but now wasn't the time.

"I wasn't trained to sit out when there's trouble," she told him firmly. "Give me a gun." She had lost hers in the river unfortunately. Toll hesitated.

"Come on, man!" Gunner shouted at him. "Let her fight back! We need help!"

"Fine," Toll said, handing over his pistol. Kate took it and went to find cover that also gave her a vantage point. It was chaos until it grew silent.

"Did we get 'em all?" Gunner asked, looking at Toll.

"Somehow I doubt it," Toll answered. He tentatively stepped forward.

"Toll!" Kate shouted, seeing the man too late. She fired off a shot, but she missed.

"Urgh!" Toll grunted, being tackled and thrown to the ground. More men swarmed from the bush. Gunner and Kate did their best to keep them at bay while Toll fought with his attacker. He managed to fire his gun, and the man fell.

"There's too many!" Gunner shouted. About 20 men stood in front of them, guns raised.

"What do we do?" Kate asked.

"Surrender," Toll answered, putting his hands up. Kate was stunned when Gunner followed suit.

"Just like that?" she asked.

"If we wanna get out alive, yes," Toll answered. Before long, they were rounded up, disarmed, and taken away.

...

Barney, Caesar, and Doc returned to find no one waiting for them. They hadn't gone far to deliver the bombs. One of Barney's contacts had met them across the border and took the bombs from his plane back to where they belonged.

"Oh, that's not good," Barney commented.

"I've got a signal from Gunner's GPS watch thing," Doc called, scanning his tablet. Gunner had him using new technology too, thanks to the new kid, Thorn. He held it up for them to see.

"I have a feeling we're in for a big fight," Caesar stated. Barney just gritted his teeth and marched forward. He knew better than to leave his men behind. Now he was paying the price.

...

Kate was terrified. She imagined it wasn't the first time for Toll or Gunner to be captured and awaiting their fate, but it was for her. They were all pushed together into almost a huddle by their captors.

"Who is the leader here?" a white male asked as he appeared, his hand resting on his gun in it's holster.

"I am," Toll said without hesitation. Sometimes it was lucky being in the background, but today he had to step up for the sake of Gunner and Kate.

"Where is my truck?" the man demanded.

"It's long gone," Toll answered.

"Well," the man said. "Then we'll have to find out where it went." He snapped his fingers, and they were ushered towards what looked like a holding pen. Toll was kept behind. Kate felt frantic almost, knowing what was going to happen to him. He tried to look brave, but she could tell he was a little scared.

Is this really what you wanted? Liam's voice sounded in her ear. She shook her head hard. This was not the time to be having doubts of joining the Expendable team.

Gunner grunted when the door was slammed shut, and he and Kate were left alone. He tested the strength of the bars with his hands, thinking. Kate hugged herself and stood there feeling frozen and unsure of what to do next. Then, they heard a cough behind them. Both Gunner and Kate whipped around to see a figure slumped on the ground in the corner. Kate moved toward the person carefully, kneeling in front of them.

"Oh my God, Lee," she whispered, gripping his chin with her hand and looking at his face. He had been worked over for a long time it seemed. His face was bloody and bruised.

"Hey," he croaked.

"Not your day, huh?" Gunner asked, also kneeling beside him. Lee gave a small chuckle and then winced from the pain of it.

"Apparently not," he answered.

"What happened to you guys anyway?"

"Went for a swim. Tried to dry off but it kept raining like a bastard. Then I took off," Lee replied. "And now here we are."

"I'm so sorry," Kate started.

"My fault, not yours," Lee cut her off. He made to sit up straighter, groaning and wincing while doing so.

"Barney will be back today," Gunner said quietly.

"There's more of them than us."

"When has that ever stopped us?"

"Touche," Lee nodded. Kate pressed her hands on his chest, looking for broken ribs. He grabbed her wrists hard when she found one that made him give a strangled cry.

"Don't," he ordered, breathing heavily. "Just don't."

"You're probably bleeding internally," Kate said, feeling afraid.

"I know."

They could hear Toll getting worked over by this point, and Kate wanted to cry. She sat beside Lee, trying to stay calm. Lee watched her, knowing she probably had never experienced this before. He took his foot and rested it against her leg, trying to convey some kind of comfort to her. She rested her hand on his boot, but she didn't look at him.

"Come oooon Barney," Gunner said more to himself than anyone. Kate prayed he would come quick. She didn't think they'd survive this.

...

"Okay, it's time for another round," a voice said. Kate looked to see the man back, standing by their cell. He looked at her intently for a moment, and she just knew he was going to call her out.

"Her," he said.

Just perfect.

She was dragged out kicking and hitting for all her worth. Gunner sustained a blow to the face for trying to intervene. Toll was still being held across the way, but he did try to break loose only to get pounded on some more. It was Lee who managed to get to his feet and take out two of the guards before he was grabbed.

"So dramatic," the man sighed. "But I have to do this because none of you are giving me what I want. It's my experience that the woman breaks the easiest or else it makes the man break faster." He turned to look at Kate. "You understand. It's just business."

"Go to hell," she snarled at him.

"I already know that's where I'm going, sweetheart, and I'm quite all right with that," he smirked. He got serious again as he reached for his gun.

"Okay," he said. "Ever played Russian Roulette?"

Kate was silent as she watched him take out his bullets except for one. She quivered inside from fear as he rolled his barrel, locking the bullet into place.

"I'll take that as a no," he went on. "So here's the deal, you tell me where my truck is, and I don't shoot you. You don't tell me, and eventually you die."

"How about you pick on someone your own size?" Lee asked.

"Wrong answer," the man said, swiftly punching Lee right in the face, causing his head to snap back sharply. Kate inhaled sharply and bit down her cry.

"I've had better," Lee commented, looking back at the man. He was given another blow.

"You think you're funny, huh?" the man asked.

"Could I have another?" Lee countered. The man grabbed Lee's neck and slammed his knee into Lee's stomach, making him grunt and bend over panting. His broken rib had been nicked again, making him feel incredible pain.

"Stop it, Lee!" Kate shouted.

"Lee is it?" the man asked. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Mark."

"You hit like a girl," Lee replied. Mark slugged him again, making Lee start to bleed from his wounds again now.

"Shall we get on with it?" Mark asked, turning his attention towards Kate.

"She's a lost tourist. She's not with us," Lee said to him, stalling. "She has no idea about anything."

"Really?" Mark asked, not buying it. "A tourist you say? Armed and helping you fight?" Mark looked between Lee and Kate. His face showed amusement.

"A tourist with skills," Lee shrugged. "We got lucky."

"You're not a very good liar, Mr. Lee. In fact, you've just shown me your weak spot," Mark commented. "I now know how to make you hurt without even touching you."

"You have three punching bags right here," Gunner piped up. "Why her?"

Mark reached to touch Kate's face, making her pull away angrily.

"Because it's always fun to play with a girl," he answered. He raised his gun slowly. "Where's my truck?"

"I don't know," Kate answered.

The gun clicked. Kate flinched.

"Let's try again. Where is my truck?" Mark demanded. Kate tried to stay calm, but she was struggling.

"I said I don't know."

The gun clicked again.

"If I knew I would tell you," Kate added. "I swear."

"I'm sure," Mark sneered. "I know you're lying. Tell me, sweetheart, where is my truck?"

"I don't know!" Kate shouted. The gun clicked again, and she started to panic. She knew it was going to be a real bullet coming out of there soon.

"It's at the border," Lee blurted out, making Mark look at him. "You'll have time to catch it still, but you'll have to hurry."

Mark surveyed Lee carefully, and Lee never broke eye contact.

"At the border, you say?" Mark clarified.

"Yes," Lee nodded.

"How many men with it?"

"Three."

"What did I tell you? It works every time," Mark said, satisfied.

Kate knew that Lee had no idea where that truck really was, that he was lying. She hoped Mark would buy it long enough for Barney to come help get them out of this.

"Bring them," Mark instructed as he walked away. Kate and Lee were marched behind him. Toll was put in with Gunner, and Kate wondered just what was going to happen to them all.

...

"There's a lot down there," Caesar said quietly as he, Doc, and Barney surveyed the camp below them.

"We'll have to plan this out just right," Barney told them. "One wrong move, and we're all screwed."

"I hate to say this, but I wish the young'ns were here," Doc sighed. "We could use the extra bodies."

"We can do this," Barney said. "Once we get our guys armed, it's game over."

"I hope you're right," Caesar said, feeling a little worried "I'd still call for back up, though. Those kids would be handy right now."

"I already called them," Barney told them, loading his pistols. He just hoped they'd get here fast enough.

...

Mark stopped in front of a small cabin and went inside. Kate and Lee were settled into chairs and tied to them while Mark poured himself a coffee. It was clearly his office from the way he acted.

"Okay," he said. "Cut the shit. Where is my truck really?" Kate felt her heart sink. So he did know Lee was lying.

"At the border," Lee insisted. "What, you think I'd make that up?"

"Of course you would," Mark laughed. "It's what I would do if my girl was threatened."

"And why do you think she's my girl?" Lee questioned.

"Oh please," Mark scoffed. "Do I really have to answer that?" No one said anything, and Mark sipped his coffee for a moment.

"It doesn't matter anyway," Mark said after. "I've got GPS on it. I'll find it."

"So why beat them up then?" Kate demanded. "If you knew how to find it all along?"

"It's part of the game, darlin'," Mark drawled. "I like to have some fun with my guests. You two in particular."

He sighed then and finished his coffee. Lee was still staring at him, waiting. Mark might find his truck, but there was certainly not going to be any bombs in them. Either the thought didn't cross his mind, or Mark didn't care.

"It's been fun, and it's always amazing to see people care for someone else when they're getting hurt, but we gotta bounce," Mark announced. He stepped past them towards the door but paused in the doorway. "I should also say that I really loved the way you lied." He chuckled to himself and left. Kate tried to see behind her. She could hear voices outside, and for whatever reason, one of those voices sounded familiar to her. She just couldn't place it. Perhaps she was imagining it.

"He's just going to leave us here?" she asked.

"No," Lee answered, understanding Mark's last words and recognizing them as lyrics from a song. "He's gonna light it up."

"What?!" she freaked. The glass shattered from the only window in the room that was up high, and she could smell the fumes of gas as it was poured in. She struggled to free herself.

"Stay calm," Lee ordered. When the flames started, though, he had trouble keeping calm himself. Fire was what he was scared of. He was usually pretty good at keeping it inside, but he was tired and beaten and drained. It was hard this time.

"Shit, shit, shit," he chanted, straining hard. There was no give. He closed his eyes for a second. He had to stop the panic first before doing anything. He had to think.

"Lee," Kate said, trying not to cry.

"I got it," Lee said. He stood and awkwardly walked over to the desk, getting on top of it with a lot of effort.

"What are you doing?" Kate asked. The fire was growing quickly. Lee jumped and managed a front flip, smashing the chair into pieces on the floor when he landed. He made a strangled yelling noise from the pain, and he lay there feeling like he'd never be able to get up, but he knew he had to. He somehow managed to get up and keep moving. He untangled himself, ignoring the searing pain from his broken ribs as best as he could and quickly set to work on freeing Kate. Smoke was getting thick by this point. They were both coughing. Once Kate was free, she and Lee tried the doors only to find them locked. Lee did his best to break it down, but he wasn't strong enough. Even with Kate's help it was futile.

"We're gonna die," she said, starting to freak out. "We're gonna die in here, Lee."

"Stop it," he ordered. "Think!" He couldn't get near the window as the flames were right there and burning hot due to it being the entry point. Their only option was to go up. He surveyed the ceiling. There was a skylight he hadn't noticed before. Just their luck.

"Come on," he urged, pointing. Kate could barely think straight.

"Lee, I'm scared," she whimpered. He grabbed her shoulders, giving her a shake.

"You think I'm not?" he demanded. "You think I want to die? You think you're the only one feeling this way?"

"N-No," she stammered, shaking her head.

"Then snap out of it," he ordered. "I need you, Kate. You gotta stay calm. Help me." He released her and went to put her chair on the desk. It was almost there.

"It's not high enough," she said. Lee knew this, and he knew what he had to do next. He rooted around the desk first, finding a gun. He aimed at the skylight and shot the glass. The new air fueled the flames, which put more urgency on their escape.

"Get up here," he told her. "Come on. Now!"

She obeyed, climbing onto the chair with him.

"When I push you up, you climb out," he commanded.

"What about you?" she asked.

"Don't worry about me. You get out. Do you understand?"

"I'm not leaving you..."

"That's an order, Kate," Lee said, gripping her arms tightly. "As the Second in Command, you have to do what I say. Now, stop arguing with me."

Kate realized there was a very strong chance she wasn't going to see Lee again. It broke her heart. It made her want to stay and die with him, but she knew he'd never let her.

"Kate," he said loudly. "Now!" They were running out of time. He could barely breathe, and it was getting very hot in there.

"I love you," Kate said, grabbing his face and pressing her lips against his hard. Lee hated that their first kiss tasted of blood, dirt, smoke, and tears, but then again, it almost seemed to make sense. He forced himself to end it, but her hands stayed on his face, her forehead against his.

"Seven years too late," she lamented.

"Better late than never," Lee said. Then he forced her up onto his shoulders and up towards the window. She managed to grab the edge and climb through, sustaining some cuts to her hands from the broken glass. Then she hung down through the hole, extending her hand to him.

"Come on," she begged. Lee swallowed and shook his head. He'd never make it. He'd only succeed in pulling her back down in there with him, and he needed her to live. He stepped down from the chair, feeling his heart break when she started to scream his name. It was as he started to pass out that he realized he hadn't told her he loved her back, and that was the first time he realized just how much he did.

...

"Come on, come on!" Barney shouted as they ran towards the burning building. Galgo, Thorn, Smilee, Luna, and Mars had arrived in record time to help, having been close by on their other mission that was now wrapped up. They had killed many of Mark's men in no time. Mark himself had disappeared, and the rest of the men had disappeared with him. They rescued Toll and Gunner only to find Kate and Lee were missing. When they noticed the fire, they knew who was inside.

"KATE!" Toll shouted, seeing her on the roof. She was banging her fists and crying, screaming through the hole in the roof, and Barney knew that Lee was still inside. He didn't even think. He kicked down the now weak, burning door with all his strength and scanned the room until he saw the curled up body on the floor.

"Kate, you gotta jump!" Toll shouted up to her. She finally noticed them, and she hurried to the edge of the roof.

"Lee is in there!" she shrieked.

"Barney's got him. You gotta jump, now!" Toll ordered. "I'll catch you!"

Kate didn't hesitate as the building was starting to crack and show signs of collapse. She jumped, and Toll managed to catch her to break her fall, but they still ended up falling backwards from impact. They hurried to their feet, looking for Barney. Caesar and Doc were standing back, shielding their faces from the heat. Gunner was scanning for any signs of them. The others held their breath, waiting.

"There!" he shouted, seeing a figure coming through the door. Barney emerged, carrying Lee fireman style over his shoulder. He hustled away from the fire just as the building collapsed, and they all followed him. Barney set Lee down carefully, who was coughing and choking. Doc hurried to them, his medical bag in hand.

"Can you hear me?" Barney asked him. "Hey, Lee!"

Lee didn't respond, and his eyes stayed closed.

"He needs oxygen," Doc said. "Among other things. We have to get out of here now."

Barney looked up to see Drummer finally arriving with another helicopter in tow. He had notified him earlier about what was going on, and he was coming to help. Too little, too late. Caesar ran over when the second helicopter landed, telling the paramedic inside what was needed. Bless Drummer for realizing there would be a need for medical assistance. They set to work on Lee instantly.

"Are you all right?" Barney asked Kate, who nodded. She had a couple of burns herself, but she wasn't complaining.

"Smoke inhalation," Toll said.

"Go get checked out," Barney ordered. She numbly followed, and they let her on the helicopter. Barney hopped on Drummer's helicopter. He would get dropped off at his plane. The others followed suit. Kate was emotional looking at Lee lying there unconscious, and she blamed herself for getting into it with him the night before as it caused him to get out and get caught.

"Stay with me," she begged, her hands on his face now. "Please. Don't go, Liam, I mean, Lee. Lee, please stay with me!" It was hard to differentiate between the two men in that moment because she felt she was back in time looking down at her brother, Liam, and begging him to stay in the exact same way.

"Hang on, miss," the paramedic said. "We'll get there soon."

Kate just hoped they wouldn't be too late.


I hope someone out there is still enjoying this story.