Songs I listened to while writing this chapter:

The Spectacular Quiet By Lights & Motion

Flood by Goo Goo Dolls ft. Sydney Sierota

It's You by Michelle Branch

Lee walked into the FLWP office that afternoon. Even though he'd seen Emily that morning, he needed to see her again. He also wanted to see the others too. Andy ran to hug him, as did Alison. Jane hugged him too. Nigel started with a handshake and then turned it into a sideways man hug.

"So glad you're back on your feet," Nigel said, clapping his shoulder. Lee grinned.

"I've got nine lives," he answered.

"That's why the cats are so drawn to you," Andy said, snapping her fingers. "You're one of them!"

"You should see me land on my feet when I fall off a building," Lee said with a smirk. Andy gave him an uncertain look, and he laughed. Then Emily came out of her office, and he had eyes for no one else.

"Hey," she said as he walked towards her. "Sorry, I was on the phone and just had to deal with-" Lee cut her off by kissing her, and she let him. It felt so good to be able to do this without feeling guilty or knowing it was wrong.

"Now that's more like it," Nigel said, clapping his hands together before going back to his office. Andy and Jane left to give them privacy after a moment as well, but not before commenting on how adorable they looked.

"You were saying?" Lee said when he finally stopped. He loved how dazed she looked after he was done kissing her.

"I don't remember," she answered, her eyes finally looking into his. He smiled.

"What are you doing tonight?" he asked, reaching to tuck her hair behind her ear.

"Probably looking through flower arrangements."

"Did you actually take any time off like you said?"

"I took two days," she said defensively.

"Wow," he laughed. "Two whole days? The world must have almost fallen apart in your absence."

"Shut up," she said, lightly shoving his shoulder. He grunted in pain, and she slapped a hand to her mouth and reached to press a hand against his chest. "I'm so sorry! I forgot..."

"It's okay," he said, resting a hand over hers and playing with her fingers gently.

"Does it hurt a lot?" she asked.

"Pain killers help."

"You're not overextending yourself, are you?"

"No, ma'am," he answered, shaking his head. She looked like she didn't entirely believe him, so he grinned for good measure. This wasn't his first time healing from wounds like these. He knew the drill. He touched her cheek lightly with his other hand before running it down the back of her arm that was resting against his chest.

"So, what did you plan for tonight?" she asked.

"Is that your way of saying you're free?"

"I guess the flowers can wait."

"Don't sound so enthusiastic," he joked. "It's too much to handle." She rolled her eyes as he chuckled and tilted his head to look at her.

"Pick me up at six," she said.

"You got it."

She couldn't help but smile, and he couldn't help but kiss her again. Feeling her mouth under his was still so intoxicating for him. He didn't think that would ever end. They heard Nigel's polite cough a moment later.

"Sorry," Emily said, pulling away from Lee and running a hand through her hair. She looked embarrassed.

"I hate to interrupt, but I've got Julie on line one looking for you. Alison accidentally put her through to me."

"Okay."

"I'll see you later," Lee promised, and Emily blushed a little and gave him a shy smile. Nigel was smiling as he shook his head while walking away. It was hard to leave her, but Lee knew she had work to do. He waved at Alison on the way out and got into his truck.

He couldn't wait to see Emily again.

...

Emily could barely think straight for the rest of the day. She couldn't help but wonder what Lee had planned. This would be their first official date, and she was surprised to feel nervous.

"Sooooo," Jane said, coming into her office a while later. "How does it feel to be in love with Lee?"

"I'm starting to think that you want to be in love with Lee," Emily teased. Jane held up a hand quickly.

"Oh no," she said. "I already got the best man in the world. Lee's a close second, but no one compares to Kevin."

"I see."

"I heard that!" Nigel called from his office. "I'm a little offended!"

"Okay, Lee's the third best man in the world," Jane corrected.

"Thank you!"

"To answer your question: It's surreal," Emily said, ignoring Nigel. "I mean, I keep catching myself thinking that it's wrong or that he's still with Lacy, and then I remember everything."

"He is so smitten with you," Jane said, smiling. "Honestly, I could kick him cos he's been that way since he met you."

"I think he's finally figured it out."

"Yea, you're right."

Emily smiled at Jane, who smiled back. She was glad to be friends with her. Andy too.

"Okay, well I'm gonna go and get a late lunch. You want anything?"

"I'm good," Emily answered.

"Have fun tonight," Jane said in a tone that suggested what kind of fun Emily might be having. It made Emily blush all over again. She doubted they would be doing that on their first date. He was still injured, anyway, not to mention the fact they were building up this relationship slowly.

It didn't stop her from fantasizing about it, though.

...

Lee found Emily standing on the sidewalk waiting when he pulled up at five to six. He chuckled to himself before getting out to open the door for her.

"What?" she asked, seeing his face.

"I could have come to your door to get you," he said.

"I was too excited to wait inside," she admitted, and he smiled. It made him feel glad that she wanted to spend time with him. He resisted starting a make out session right there, but she still hugged him. Feeling her in his arms made him feel very relaxed.

She hopped into the truck after, and he got in on the other side and started to drive.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"You'll see."

...

Kevin laughed as Jane checked her phone for the tenth time. She shot him an annoyed look.

"What?" she asked.

"I really doubt Emily is gonna text you while on her date to tell you how it's going," he answered, teasing.

"You never know!"

"I really think you need a distraction," Kevin said, putting his hands on her shoulders and steering her towards the couch.

"What are we doing?"

"Watching a movie." He pushed her down onto the couch, and she didn't argue. After everything that happened, she needed to spend some time with him that didn't involve crying or fretting. She curled against him after he sat next to her, and she did her best to not think about anything and focus on the movie. Her phone made a noise, and Kevin beat her to it by grabbing it first.

"Come on," she wheeled. "I need to know!"

"There's a match to your profile?" Kevin asked, raising a brow. She snatched the phone and looked.

"Oohh," she said. "She looks really good."

"She? Honey, is there something you wanna tell me?" Kevin asked, sounding alarmed.

"Not for me," Jane said absently. "For Barney."

"You made a dating profile for Barney on your phone?"

"Yes. Look at her," Jane said, holding up the phone. "I think Barney would like her."

"Magdalene Shaw," Kevin read, squinting at it. "Um, does he like long distance? It says she lives in London, England."

"Oh," Jane said with a frown, looking at it again. "Whoops..."

"I think maybe you should leave him alone," Kevin said with a nervous chuckle. "If he wanted to date someone, he'd find them himself."

"He doesn't know what he wants," Jane said dismissively. Kevin reached and took the phone from her again, making her protest.

"Do me a favor and stop thinking about everyone else for an hour and a half," he instructed.

"Alright."

She resumed cuddling against him, and he kissed the side of her head. For the first time in a while, she felt content.

...

Emily started to laugh the moment Lee parked the truck. She shouldn't have been surprised that he would remember this was her favorite thing to do. She hopped out of the truck after he opened the door for her and took his hand once they started walking.

"Isn't this too vigorous of an activity for you?" she asked as they went inside.

"Nah," he said, waving his hand dismissively. "I don't need to move fast. Plus, I can use you as a shield."

"Ha, ha," she commented sarcastically.

"I've been wounded in the field and had to carry on fighting. Don't you worry about me," he said. She tried not to think about that. He grinned at her as he checked them in. Then they were strapping the vests on. Emily thought about her grandfather the way she always did when she played laser tag.

"I hope you tell me more about him soon," Lee said, reading her mind.

"I will. You never told me much about your mother either."

"You're right."

"Perhaps you will after I mop the floor with you," she said, pressing her tongue into her cheek to stop from smirking at him.

"You can try," he said, giving her shoulder a shake before disappearing quickly right as the bell rang. Emily went in after him, ducking and side stepping others' attempts to take her out. She tried not to worry about him overexerting himself. She was pretty sure he knew what he was doing since this wasn't his first time being injured, like he'd said. She didn't want to know about all the injuries he had in the past. She'd never seen him shirtless without bandages all over him, so she didn't know if he had a lot of scars.

She shrieked as an arm snaked around her waist and pulled her back into a dark spot. Disoriented at first, she grabbed the arms of the person who had twisted her around and pressed her against the wall. Then she realized it was Lee, and she relaxed as he kissed her softly at first and then more urgently as it went on.

"Interference," she gasped after a bit. She felt him smile against her skin as he kissed her again, harder. His one hand was resting on her shoulder as his fingers rested against her throat. She heard steps approaching, and he broke the kiss to aim and fire at the teenager trying to sneak up on them.

"Damn it!" the teen exclaimed when he was out. Lee gave a groan as Emily pressed her lips into his neck.

"If you think this changes the fact that I will eliminate you at the end, you're sadly mistaken," she whispered into his ear.

"Catch me if you can," he murmured back, sliding a hand on her waist under her shirt before kissing her again. She felt herself melt, and then he was gone. Feeling flushed and happy, she moved out after him.

...

Tool looked up when Barney came into the parlor. He smiled.

"How's Christmas?" he asked.

"On his feet," Barney replied, sitting on the stool and resting his elbows on the bar top. "Finally with the right girl."

"That's good."

"How is everything here?"

"Just fine. The boys are ready when you are."

"Alright." Barney knew Tool was referring to the job they were going to embark on. It was an extraction, and it seemed easy enough. Barney knew life would go on; he just missed having his best friend at his side. He knew Lee was retired for good, though. He wanted his friend to be happy anyway.

"Come back in one piece, eh?" Tool called after him when he got up and headed to grab his bag of weapons.

"Yea, yea."

Another day, another dollar. Time marched on. He smiled as he cocked his gun and turned the safety on.

It was time to go to work.

...

Lee was looking around the corner for Emily, knowing she was the last player standing aside from him, when he felt the butt of her laser gun in his back.

"I really hope you were better than this in real life," she commented. He chuckled.

"I wouldn't be standing here if I wasn't, would I?"

"I suppose not."

"Maybe I'm just letting you win," he added.

"Please," she scoffed. "I'm a ninja." In seconds, he had her disarmed and aimed both laser guns at her. Her jaw dropped slightly in shock.

"I'm better," he said, smirking.

"Alright," she said, putting her hands up. "We can talk this out. What do you want?"

"I want to win," he answered with a laugh.

"I haven't lost a game since my grandfather died."

"Oh no," he said, shaking his head. "You're not using that to make me feel sorry for you and let you win."

"What if I offered something else?" she asked coyly.

"Nope."

"Argh, come on, Lee!" she cried, her voice a slight whine now.

"Time's running out," he said, gesturing. "Let me end the pain for you."

"If you shoot me, you'll never get to kiss me again," she threatened. He laughed out loud.

"I think it'll be harder for you to not kiss me," he countered.

"You really want to chance that, soldier?" she asked.

"Twenty seconds," Lee said, looking at the timer. She went for her gun, but he held them both up out of her reach. He started laughing again as she did her best to get hers back while on her tiptoes. He took his other arm and wrapped it around her, holding her against him.

"What're you doing?" she asked right before he kissed her. She let him, and he eventually lowered his other arm and put it around her too. The buzzer went off, indicating the game was over, and he reluctantly stopped.

"You didn't shoot me," she said, realizing.

"No," he replied. "Cos we're a team, and team members don't take each other out."

"Well, aren't you just so damn sweet," she commented, and he grinned. They walked out together, his arm around her shoulders. When they returned the gear and were back in his truck, she turned to look at him, a questioning look on her face. He knew she wanted to know where they were going next.

"You'll see," he said again with a smile.

...

Nigel was a bit surprised to see Andy at his doorstep. He invited her in, and she sighed heavily before sinking into the arm chair in his living room. He sat back down on his spot on the couch. The TV was muted on Family Feud.

"What's up?" he asked her.

"Kyle broke up with me," she answered.

"What?!"

Andy started to cry a little, and Nigel stood and went over to give her a hug. He felt surprised to hear this news.

"I don't know what I did wrong," Andy said tearfully as he patted her back.

"It's his loss," Nigel assured her. He pulled back, and Andy wiped at her eyes with her sleeve.

"It was going so well, and then he just decides it was too intense too fast and said we shouldn't see each other anymore."

"Aww, I'm sorry."

"I guess I just got thinking that since I help make others' love stories come together with a wedding, I should be able to create my own love story," Andy said. "How stupid is that?"

"It's not stupid. It's called hope. We're allowed to have it."

"I'm gonna be a crazy cat lady," Andy groaned, leaning back in the chair and pressing her hands into her eyes.

"No, no, no, no," Nigel said, shaking his head. "You're gonna be just fine. Now, buck up and realize that you are one of a kind and will find your soulmate when the time is right."

"That feels like an autopilot type response," she said, not looking at him.

"Well, feeling sorry for yourself only does so much for so long. It's okay to feel sad, but you can't quit looking for the positives."

"Okay."

"I have whiskey," Nigel added.

"Now you're talking," Andy said, removing her hands and looking at him finally. "You really should start with that before your pep talks."

"Ha, ha," he said, getting up and going to find it. He poured two glasses and handed her one. She chugged it.

"Hit me," she said, holding her glass out again.

"Ever played Crazy Eights drunk?" he asked, lifting a brow.

"No, but I bet you'll still kick my ass at it, won't you?"

"Let's find out," he answered, downing his drink.

...

Emily shouldn't have felt surprised as they got to the same park where they'd shared their first late night walk together. She held his hand as they went, thinking about how different it was then versus now.

"None of us knew my mother was sick," Lee offered after a bit. She listened avidly, knowing this was the first time she was hearing this. "She hid it from us so well until the day she died of a heart attack."

"You were there," she said, remembering how bad she'd felt faking pain in her chest in order to win the last game of laser tag they'd played together after finding out he'd witnessed his mother die the same way.

"Yea," he said, nodding slowly. "I was visiting while on a leave, and sometimes I wonder if surprising her is what killed her."

"Oh, Lee..."

"Her last words to me were: 'Take care of Tyler.' I mean, I hate to say it, but I was angry about that for a long time."

"She knew who the strong son was," Emily said, touching his arm with her other hand. "But she shouldn't have put that pressure on you."

"She'd die all over again if she could see us now," Lee said bitterly.

"I really am sorry for going out with him," she started, but he stopped her.

"Don't," he said. "I understood why you did it. What I don't understand is how he could have slept with Lacy on Christmas day."

"What?!" She was horrified. She knew Lacy had cheated again but hadn't known Tyler was involved. That was a detail Jane had conveniently left out.

"Yea," Lee said. "He's a real peach of a guy."

"He was a shit," Emily told him. "I told him off for speaking badly about you right before dumping him."

"I don't even want to know what he was saying about me."

"Well, they deserve each other," Emily said, shuddering to herself at the close call she had with Tyler's behavior.

"Yea."

"Wait, was it Tyler's baby?" she asked. He scoffed.

"There was no baby at all."

"Wha-? Are you serious?" she asked, shocked.

"She lied because I was in the midst of breaking up with her to be with you," Lee added, looking at her. They stopped walking. Emily was trying to process all of this information. So he had tried to end it with Lacy that night before she'd told him about the baby. Somehow knowing that hurt more.

"She knew you'd feel obligated to stay," she finished for him.

"Yea."

"And during that, she knew she'd slept with your brother."

"I'm assuming she slept with the guy from work too. 'Just a kiss' my ass," Lee said angrily. "I was such an idiot, Em. You should have hit me in the head with a two by four."

"I think Jane was going to hit you with her car at one point," Emily teased. He laughed.

"She should have. We could have avoided all of the pain."

"Well," she said, turning to face him fully. "We're here now." He was looking at her with what she now recognized as love, and it was her turn to kiss him first. She slid her arms around his neck as he wrapped his around her back.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly when they stopped for a moment.

"I'm sorry too."

They stood there kissing for a while, alternating between soft and slow and hard and fast. Emily could feel the fire between them and wanted more but also knew it wasn't time yet. A sudden blast of a horn honking in the not too far distance made her jump and pull back from him. Then she laughed nervously at her own jumpiness. She was still struggling with the memory of David grabbing her and trying to shoot her. She had nightmares at times too. She was pretty sure she might need some professional help soon to work through all of this.

"It's alright," he said, taking her hand in his again before walking once more. They were back to his truck before long, and she dreaded the night ending. He parked outside of her building and shut off the engine. They sat there quietly for a moment, and she knew he was waiting for her to talk. She'd promised after all.

"My grandfather was my best friend," Emily started, looking out the windshield. It made her sad to talk about him sometimes, but she needed to. "I didn't really know my father's parents, just Mum's dad. Her mother, my grandmother, died before I was born, so I never met her. He loved her, though. He told so many stories about her. He never got with anyone else because he claimed he had his love story and wouldn't trade it for anything or start a new one." Lee was quiet when she paused, and she worked her jaw a little to keep from crying. "He'd take me with him everywhere when he was babysitting. Erica always preferred to be with Mum's sister or with friends, but I wanted him. He taught me so much. He actually is the first person to teach me about photography, and when David came along, I thought it was meant to be because he loved it too and helped me even more and gave me his first camera as a gift when mine broke. I can't believe I told him about my life, that I was so vulnerable with him."

"Em," Lee said gently. "Don't."

"I'm trying," she said, sniffing hard and wiping at her face with her arm. "Anyway, my grandfather got cancer, and I watched him slowly die. I remember crying so hard on his deathbed, but he told me that it was okay and he was happy because he was going to see my grandmother again. I was 19. I lost my best friend. I could tell him anything, and he always had some words of encouragement or some saying that made me smile if I was having a bad day. I had a hard time with photography after that, and then David got me back into it, and when I lost him, I gave it up entirely because it just hurt to be reminded of two people I'd lost."

"You're back into it now, though," he pointed out.

"Because after everything, I had a dream of my grandfather, and he told me everything would be okay. Then he handed me a camera. It was...strange," Emily said with a slight laugh. "Dreams are strange, though, I know. It made me feel okay about it basically. I want to be reminded of him more now than before. It still hurts, but not as much as before."

"I wish I could have met him," Lee commented.

"I do too. He would have loved you. He was in the military when he was younger, so he would have had lots of stories to share with you," Emily said. "Not to mention his constant teasing and joking."

"Ah," Lee said. "I get it now." Emily finally looked at him, knowing he understood. All his joking and teasing had reminded her of the person she'd lost. It had made her feel even more drawn to him over time whether she had wanted to or not.

"So," she said. "That's the story."

"Thank you for sharing."

"You too." She gave a small smile to mirror his.

"The picture," he said, making her crease her forehead.

"What picture?"

"The one on your wall. The little girl laughing," he said. "It's you."

"Oh," she said. "Yes, it is."

"You said you took them all."

"All but that one," she said. "Sorry. I should have been more specific."

"Your grandfather took it," Lee went on. "Right?"

"Yea," she said, nodding.

"I can see where you got your talent from," he said. She gave a slight laugh before nodding. Then she unbelted herself and moved to kiss him. She hadn't burst into tears after talking about her grandfather, so that was a bonus. It felt good to share about him with Lee. After ten minutes, she knew she had to go inside. He insisted on walking her to the door, so she let him.

"Thank you," she said, looking at him as they stood in the hall. "I've never had such a great first date before."

"Me either."

"I'll see you soon?" she asked.

"Of course."

She smiled, feeling like a giddy teenager inside. Her crush liked her back and wanted to see her again. It was heartbeat skip worthy. What made it even more intense was his kiss goodnight. As his fingers tangled in her hair with his body pressing hers against the door and his mouth on hers, she wanted to let him in and move things along.

"Goodnight, Em," he said after finishing taking her breath away.

"Do you have to leave?" she asked.

"For now," he answered. "But I'll be back." She made a half groan, half growl sound in her throat from desire, and he smiled before giving her one last kiss. "Hold onto that. It'll be ten times better if you do when we finally get there."

"You're still so infuriating," she noted.

"Yet you love me anyway."

"I do," she agreed, hugging herself and feeling cold when he stepped back.

"I'll never stop loving you," he told her before flashing another smile and walking away. Emily fell against her door, missing him badly. Then she forced herself inside and relived everything that happened before looking at her phone and frowning.

For the love of God, please tell me how it went! I'm dying over here! Jane had texted. Emily burst out laughing. Her poor, romantic-at-heart friend.

Well, she started to write back, he took me to laser tag...

Laser tag?! the response came back quick. Emily smiled. Then she told her the rest while keeping out personal things.

Yes indeed, it was very nice to have a friend again.

...

Lee settled himself on his bed, groaning in pain. He never let on to anyone how much things did hurt him if he was injured. The dull throbbing was intensifying a little, so he was doing his best to ease it after taking a pain killer. Soapy came to settle on the pillow next to him.

"You know," he said, looking at her. "Eventually, you're gonna have to find a new spot, because while I know Emily loves you, she isn't going to want to share her pillow with you." Soapy just stared at him, unblinking. "Don't look at me like that. Eventually, that will be her pillow." He reached to rub her ears, and she closed her eyes and purred as he moved along her jaw and then under her chin. He thought about the day he'd rescued her. He smiled thinking about Emily's reaction. Look at her now, owning a kitten of her own.

He closed his eyes too, feeling exhausted suddenly. He also felt content. It had been a long time since he'd felt that way.

He could definitely get used to it.