A/N: This is totally inspired by the awesome series of fics over on AO3 by anarchycox called Knitter Eggsy Universe. Amazing fics, and I highly recommend everyone read them. I just wish my level of world and character building could rise to that level.

Lachie followed Jordan and Chase into their shared apartment; most of the time it was nice sharing an apartment with the two other paramedics. Some days though he just wanted some quiet; well, that wasn't quite the right word. Some time that was not work, sport, or family shite.

He grabbed a small gym bag from under his bed, waved at Jordan and Chase who were arguing over a sport game on the TV and headed out. Cutting across the city and avoiding traffic Lachie headed towards Dulwich Hill and the little shop on the corner: Skein Sisters. A yarn store. A store very specifically picked because it was on the other side of the city from his brothers: No need for his nosy brothers to know about his knitting. And they had a weekly open stitch group, or Stitch and Bitch as Lachie thought of it.

The former SAS-soldier found a parking spot and headed inside, nodding at Geeta who'd saved him his usual usual spot in the corner. Good sight lines of both doors and the windows. Just because he wasn't in the Army anymore didn't mean that the Army wasn't still in him.

"Geeta," he nodded, "how's the family?" As he reached into the gym bag and picked up his circular needles and the heathered alpaca yarn he was making into a blanket. "Janie, Dee." He nodded at the owners.

"Oh, Lachie; thanks for asking." Geeta responded prattling on with normal small talk. Lachie let the talk wash over him, it always relaxed him.

Janie and Dee smiled at Lachie and each other. This was one of the reasons they loved the store, everyone was welcome.

"Lachie, what are you working on?" Claire another newcomer to the Tuesday open work group (it wasn't a knitting circle, they had people that crocheted, and even a cross-sticher) asked. "I love that color."

"Blanket." He grunted. "Alpaca, a friend sent it to me." He concentrated on the border: Knit, purl, knit, purl; and smiled. Eliot was a good mate, he'd been in London for a job and picked up the yarn and sent it. Speaking of which he really needed to drop Eliot a line, he'd heard something about them leaving the west coast and going to New Orleans. "He knows I knit."

Dee eyed the yarn, "That is nice. I love the color. Where is that from?"

"Scotland. How's the boyfriend?

Dee blushed. "He took me on a date to Moore Park." She finished her row and held her phone so everyone around the circle could see the pictures.

"New love." Geeta sighed, remembering when her Morty proposed to her. "You two are so sweet. She smiled looking at the pictures. "Lachie, What color is that yarn?"

"Ummm…" He looked down at slowly growing blanket. "Whatever Eliot picked out."

"Well, it's beautiful. Brings out the color in your eyes nicely."

Lachie blushed transitioning from the border to the heart of the blanket. The color really didn't matter to him; he usually picked yarns by feel. And projects by, well… who needed what; and what the yarn wanted. This was a new blanket for the couch, since Dean had nicked the old one. Called it rent for the time he'd spent bunking on his couch.

"Mmmm… Reminds me of home." Gertie, one of the crocheters in the group added looking at the hat she was working on.

"Adelaide, isn't it?" Geeta asked. Her memory astounded Lachie, hell he couldn't remember what he'd eaten for breakfast today.

"Yeah, the color makes me think of the mornings, I used to stand in the window and watch the sun come up."

The group of eight sighed, each thinking back to a moment of peace in their life.

"Bullshit."

"Geeta!"

"Claire!" The older woman responded. "That color ain't peaceful; it's turbulence. Chaos."

"Huh. I can see that." Gertie leaned across and felt Lachie's yarn. "Nice weight to it. Baby blanket?"

"Alpaca." Lachie mumbled as he concentrated on finishing the row. "Nope, couch blanket. Brother nicked my old one." Deflecting the attention from himself he added "Tarin, you still knitting for the hospital?"

"Oooh, yeah." And she was off. Tarin could always be depended on to talk and talk and talk.

"Nice deflection." Geeta whispered, and Lachie gave her his most innocent look as he finished another row. She chuckled as her fingers agilely worked through the cable on the sweater she was making her grandson. "Don't even try that on me. Your and that patented Special Forces innocent look hasn't worked on me for years."

Lachie flinched and dropped a stich. How in the hell did she know he used to be SAS? Did he need to change knitting groups? He liked it here.

"I won't tell. And you dropped a stitch."

"Damn." Lachie carefully went back and fixed it.

Geeta smirked at little at Lachie, "that is a nice yarn. Good weight, and color variation. Looks like… Well, no one wants to hear the musings of an old lady."

"How many blankets have you made now for the NICU?" Gertie asked as she kept track of stitches in the blue hippo she was making for her nephew.

"This is one hundred twelve." Gertie's eyes widened at the response. "I need to knit faster; my sister is at one hundred forty-one."

"Your sister doesn't work, and doesn't have kids." Deb sniffed. "Just that husband of hers." She'd met Ryne once, wasn't impressed. "It takes time to knit nice blankets. Quality over quantity."

"The husband's an alkie, and a waste of flesh." Geeta whispered at Lachie. Janie who was sitting on the other side of the older woman nodded her agreement. The yarn shop owner had given up long ago wondering where she got her information; just accepted it was true. It had always been true to date.

The talking ebbed and flowed around Lachie as he knitted and didn't think about the shite that had been going on. The old man, Dean, and Chase still weren't real happy about everything that had gone on with the Army. Work was insane, and while some of it was the same as being in the Army – it was so very different. He knitted a couple more centimeters on his blanket and feeling his trigger finger start to cramp decided to call it an evening.

"Finger cramping up?" Geeta asked reaching into her bag and passing him a little tin of balm. "I use it on my fingers, it helps with arthritis.

Opening it cautiously Lachie smelled it and recoiled. "What is in that?"

"Menthol, clove oil, and a few other things. Stinks; but works. Try it, don't be a pussy." Lachie was always surprised by Geeta's bluntness. She reminded him of a few of the guys in his unit. He rubbed the balm into his finger joints, and felt the coolness followed by heat. "Take the tin, my Morty buys them two at time for me."

"Thanks."

"You do all the physio for that?" she nodded at his hand.

"Uhhh…"

"Geeta, you're scaring the poor child." Janie tutted at the circle's matriarch. "How can you tell he hurt himself?"

"It's obvious." Dear Lord, did no one use their eyes! "The second knuckle is slightly larger than the one on your left hand. And the scar."

Janie's eyes got wide at Geeta's response, that made sense; but, why on earth would anyone look for that? "Lachie, bring the label for the mystery yarn next week. I think it would sell well here."

"Yes, ma'am." Lachie responded to both women, it felt like he was being inspected back in basic training. "I did the physio. It's where I learned to knit."

"Hrmph. I'll see you next week."

Lachie just nodded and paid his respects to the ladies. At the rate he was going, the blanket would be done by fall. Which was pretty good. That was one nice thing about Rescue, he could knit more regularly than when he was still active. Now he just needed to remember where he put the dang yarn label. He was probably going to need four more skeins, maybe six for a nice big blanket.