Fred had the gun to Emily's head, his arm vertical on Emily's chest tightly from behind with his hand on her throat. Lee had finished off the man inside before coming out to find this scenario, and he had his gun trained on Fred instantly, wanting to murder him for making Emily look so scared.
"All you had to do was stay out of it," Fred snarled. "What happens to her...it's on you." He moved his hand to hold her hair to keep her still.
A flurry of movement to their left made Lee look to see Ethan with Maya. She was screaming.
"MUMMY!"
"MAYA!" Emily screamed back, twisting to get free, but Fred held her firm.
"You can't save them both," he taunted Lee. "Who's it gonna be?"
"Lee," Emily said, panicked. Ethan was starting to walk away with Maya, who was still shrieking and trying to fight him. Lee met Emily's eyes, and he knew what choice she wanted him to make. It broke his heart, but he'd do anything for her. Anything at all.
"LEE!" Maya screamed now. "HELP ME!"
Fred started to back away with Emily, and Lee was forced to watch.
"I love you," Emily said to him, struggling not to trip as she was pulled backwards.
"Shut up," Fred barked, backhanding her hard and making her cry out. Maya's ear piercing scream sounded again, and Lee knew he was running out of time. He was trying to think of how to save them both when:
"We got her," Barney said, appearing with Toll from nowhere and going in the direction of Fred and Emily. "Get the kid!"
Feeling relieved for the help, Lee tore off after Ethan. He found him trying to wrestle Maya into a boat, but she bit him hard and held on. He yowled and tried to shake her off, succeeding in throwing her down into the bottom of the boat and stunning her.
"Maya, close your eyes!" Lee shouted, making Ethan turn to look at him. Maya covered her head with her arms, and Lee unloaded his gun into Ethan's chest. He fell backwards, stunned, into the water. Lee shot and killed the other two men that came to assist right after. When no more came at him and Ethan didn't surface, he holstered his gun and ran to get Maya. She was crying and curled up in a ball on the bottom of the boat. He reached in to grab her and haul her out, and she clung to him hard when he held her in his arms.
"It's alright," he told her. "It's over." He could see Ethan floating in the darkness; he kept Maya's head turned away from it.
"W-Where's M-Mummy?" she asked through her sobs. Lee was trying to think of a good response when a distant scream to his left sounded through the brush followed by two gunshots.
He froze.
Two, three, four more gunshots went off. He instinctively clutched Maya tighter.
"What's happening?" Maya asked, scared. "Is Mummy hurt?"
Lee rushed towards where the sound had come from. He knew it wasn't a good idea, but he needed to know. He was met by Toll and Gunner.
"Where is she?" Lee asked. Gunner took Maya from him and let her bury her face into his shoulder. "Toll, where's Em?"
"She...she's," Toll tried to say, and Lee felt his stomach clench. It couldn't be.
"Toll," he said hoarsely. He barely registered Gunner carrying Maya away from them, away from the pain and death. He barely noticed Church come crashing towards them with a team of men behind him.
"She's gone," Toll finally said. Lee couldn't catch his breath, but then he was trying to push past to see her. He needed to know for sure.
"No, Lee," Toll said, grabbing his arm. "You don't wanna see her like that, trust me."
"Let go," Lee ordered, yanking free. He made it two steps before Toll caught him again, twisting him around. Lee didn't even hesitate. He swung, but Toll ducked his head back to avoid the punch. Lee turned to see Barney kneeling over a body to check for vitals.
Her body.
"EMILY!" Lee roared, his terror evident. Toll had looped his arms under Lee's armpits and hooked him back into his chest to hold him back. Lee still fought to get free. "EMILY!"
Barney twisted on his knee to see him, and the pain on his face said it all.
"No," Lee said. "NOOOO!"
Where was Fred? He didn't see the bastard. He wanted to kill him. He wrenched free and made it about a foot away from her when Toll caught him again.
"Easy," Toll was saying in the background. "Easy." Lee fell to his knees now, making Toll lose his grip. He wanted to throw up. He wanted to scream until his lungs gave out. He wanted to die.
"She's gone, Lee," Barney said softly. "I'm sorry."
"What the f*** happened?!" Lee asked, anguished. He shoved Toll's hand off, refusing the comfort. He didn't want to be comforted.
"Fred wasn't bluffing," Barney said. "He was too fast for me."
"He shot her," Lee said dumbly. "You let him shoot her."
"She managed to push him off, but he shot her. Twice."
"Did you get him? Where is he?" Lee demanded. "I'll kill him."
"He's gone. He fired a round at my head and made me duck, and he dodged and weaved the three I fired at him. I clipped his leg, but that's it."
"You clipped his leg," Lee echoed. He couldn't believe it. He gripped his head, unable to look away from Emily on the ground before him. Barney had closed her eyes already. Lee got to his feet, turned to the right, and promptly vomited.
Neither Barney nor Toll said anything. Lee wiped his mouth, breathing hard. How was he going to tell Maya she was an orphan? How was he going to handle seeing her broken face when she found out she was never going to see her mother ever again?
"Come on," Toll said softly. "We gotta go."
"What about Maya?" Lee asked hoarsely. His promise to Emily seemed like a premonition now. It made him sick. "I'm not letting anyone take her."
"You don't have to. No one knows about her. Serena's dead. Fred thinks Maya's dead. I'm assuming Ethan is dead?"
"Yes."
"Then no one is going to be looking for her. She'll be at the mercy of social services if we don't take her."
"And I'm not letting that happen."
"Then she comes with us," Barney confirmed firmly. "She loves you, and Emily would want you to raise her."
"I have no idea how to be a father," Lee said, his voice full of angst. This fact suddenly hit him hard. He loved Maya for sure, but did he have the skills to raise her?
"You'll learn."
"And you've got us," Toll added. "It takes a village, remember?" Lee said nothing. He wouldn't leave Maya to be put in foster care. She didn't deserve that. She already treated him like a father. He couldn't leave her behind. He'd promised Emily.
"Alright," he agreed. "We're doing this." He was transfixed by Emily's body. How could he have failed her so? He could hear her laugh and see her smile. He could feel her body against his and her nails in his back. Had that really only been hours ago? He wanted to throw up again.
"Come on, Christmas," Barney urged. "We gotta go."
"We can't just leave her here..."
"She's evidence now," Church interrupted. Lee rounded on him.
"Excuse me?" he demanded.
"We need her to help us get Fred. Her friend Serena worked too hard for too long to have it all thrown away because you want a proper burial," Church said a bit harshly. "Just walk away, mutt. Collateral damage happens."
Lee's fists were clenched, and he took one step towards Church before Toll grabbed his arm again.
"He's not worth it," Toll warned.
"I'll be the judge of that," Lee snapped. He hated that smug smirk Church always wore.
"I'm sorry, Lee," Barney said. "We can't take her with us."
"We're gonna get him," Lee said furiously, referring to Fred.
"That's our job," Church told him. "Now, back away."
"She's not just collateral damage," Lee snarled at him. "She's a person who had a life, and it got stolen from her."
"Regardless, she's part of this scene, and we need to process her. Now, back off and give us room to work," Church ordered.
Lee absolutely hated the thought of Emily being buried in a grave somewhere where no one would know how to find her. He wanted to argue, but he knew he wouldn't win. He needed to get to Maya. She was suddenly more important than anything right now.
"You send us her remains once you're finished," Barney ordered Church. "Regardless about how you feel about her, she was important to us, and she deserves a proper send off."
"Fine."
"Come on," Barney said, putting his hand on Lee's shoulder.
"Wait," Lee said, going to kneel next to Emily. He lifted her in his arms, holding her tight against him. He pressed a hand against her head, feeling a few tears slip out and trickle down his cheek.
"Lee..." Barney said.
"I'm so sorry," he whispered, ignoring his friend. "I let you down, but I won't let her down. I'll look after her. I swear. For you."
"Lee," Barney said again, more urgently.
"I love you too." Lee kissed the side of Emily's head for a moment before setting her back down gently. He didn't remember standing up or stumbling behind Barney and Toll to where Gunner waiting. He vaguely remembered Maya crying and asking for Emily. Her howls cut through him like a knife when Barney told her Emily was dead because the words had failed Lee. He felt her clinging to him like he was a piece of shipwreck saving her from drowning, and he held her back just as tight. It was the two of them against the world now, and Lee sure as hell wasn't going to ever fail her the way he'd failed Emily.
...
Caesar felt everyone staring at him, but he didn't care. He was sitting in the hallway with Louis beside him as they waited to find out if Tia was going to live.
"Here," a voice said. "You need to at least drink."
He turned to see Maggie standing there, holding out a bottle of water. She'd met them at the landing when Gunner had driven them across. Church had been there with a team, and Gunner had taken them over to the island while Maggie drove Tia and them to the hospital.
"Thanks," he said, taking it but not opening it. Louis was silent next to him. He felt terrible for traumatizing his son like this.
"Any word?" Maggie asked, sitting down next to him.
"No."
"I'm so sorry."
"We can't even take a vacation," Caesar said, feeling numb. "Is nowhere safe for us?" Maggie didn't have an answer, but she put her hand on his and squeezed, her eyes full of empathy.
Caesar already knew the answer to that question anyway.
...
Barney gripped the wheel tightly in his hands. He stole looks at his team in the mirror and to his right where Gunner was sitting. This whole nightmare had emotionally drained all of them. This was what he'd gone to the cottage to get a reprieve from. If he'd known it would end like this, he wouldn't have come here. The place was cursed, and he regretted not considering that in the first place. He looked at Toll, seeing him look so sad. It broke his heart. Toll was a good man and had the chance to be with someone good for him. Barney had liked Serena from the little bit of time he'd spent with her. He'd sensed she was trapped in something but was working to get free of it. It was too bad that she hadn't succeeded, that she just hadn't told them she was an agent trying to take down Fred.
He looked at Lee next, who had Maya in his grip. He wasn't hiding his tears. Barney almost wished he hadn't gotten so close to Emily. He felt like it only made this pain that much worse.
He gritted his teeth and drove through the darkness, heading for the hospital to see Caesar. He tried not to feel afraid for Tia, who Gunner had said had taken quite a hit. He sent up a prayer that she would at least be spared.
There just had been too much death tonight.
...
Lee was silent as they drove. Maya was in his arms, her tears soaking into his shirt and skin around his neck. Toll was beside him, and Gunner was up in front with Barney. The bumps jostled them every so often, but Lee barely felt them. All he could see was Emily's still body. He hated that he had to leave her behind.
"I'm sorry, Lee," Toll said after a while.
"Me too."
There was nothing else to say. He'd met the woman of his dreams and lost her, so had Toll. He was bad luck. He knew that. How could he have thought he'd be allowed to have something as normal as a family?
And he knew Toll was feeling the exact same way. How was he not a mess right now? He looked to see Toll grinding his jaw and clenching and unclenching his fists slowly. Perhaps he was on the inside. Lee would never know.
"Don't," Barney said sharply, making him look to see his hand wrapped around Gunner's wrist. Gunner was holding a flask.
"I think it's called for," Gunner insisted.
"Drop it. Right now," Barney ordered. Toll leaned forward and wrestled it from Gunner's hand. Lee saw Gunner slump back into his seat, defeated.
"It's not worth it, man," Toll said to him. "It's not worth it."
"I'm sorry," Gunner said quietly. Barney drove on, his hands tight on the wheel. Lee looked out the window, watching the darkness pass by them as they sped along, the little girl in his arms crying muffled sobs as they went.
Hours Later
"Yea, thanks. I appreciate it," Barney said, hanging up. He cleared his throat. He'd just gotten his cousin to agree to go close up the cottage. Barney had no desire to go back there right now, or ever, not after everything. Tia was still hanging in the balance, but Barney knew how tough she was. She wasn't going down without a fight.
He looked over at Lee holding Maya in his arms. She was unscathed physically, but emotionally, Barney knew she was going to have a hell of a recovery ahead of her.
"Did you call Tool?" Toll asked, coming up next to him. He looked exhausted and emotionally drained. Listening to a sobbing child could do that to you. Mourning the loss of a love did too.
"Yea. He's aware of the situation."
"I can't believe she's gone," Toll said, looking at Lee with a pained expression. "That they're both gone."
"Me either."
"He'll never trust us again."
"He will."
"How? We promised to keep Emily safe, and to him, we royally f***ed that up," Toll said. "She's gone because of us."
"She's gone because of Fred," Barney corrected, his fist clenched tight.
"We're not gonna let Church just take over that hunt are we?"
"No. I've already got Tool looking."
"Good."
"Excuse me," Barney said, needing to get some space. He left them all and went outside, gasping for air. It was all just too much right now. He'd taken this vacation to get away from pain and death, and he wound up facing more of it head on.
How fair was that?
"Hi, Barney," Maggie said, finding him. She looked sad. "Are you okay?"
"No," he answered truthfully.
"I'm sorry about all of this."
"Me too."
"Is Tia going to be okay?"
"Still haven't heard anything."
"I'm here if you need me," Maggie said, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Okay?"
"Thank you."
She gave his shoulder a light pat before going to answer her ringing phone. Barney exhaled slowly, trying to ground himself.
They had a very long road ahead of them.
Hours Later Still
Caesar was staring at the wall across from him when someone stopped in front of him and said his name. He blinked, the doctor coming into focus quickly.
"Yes?" he asked quickly. He felt fear in his throat and chest. Toll had Louis outside for a bit to move around and get some air.
"Your wife is a very lucky woman," the doctor said. "She's pulled through and is in recovery. I must warn you that she has a bit of a road ahead of her, but ultimately, she will be okay."
If Caesar had been standing, he would have collapsed. He nodded and swallowed down his sudden onslaught of tears. He cleared his throat and got to his feet slowly.
"Can I see her?" he asked.
"Of course. She's sleeping right now, but you can be there when she wakes up."
"Thank you."
He went to the room the doctor had shared Tia was in, and he stood in the doorway and looked at his wife sleeping in the hospital bed. She looked smaller somehow. Fragile. He hated it.
He went to sit in the chair next to her and reached to take her hand in his.
"Thank you for not leaving me here in this world alone," he said to her, smoothing his thumb over her fingers. "I can't do this without you."
Her breathing was even as she continued to sleep. He listened to the monitors beeping along with her heart rate. He knew he had to find his son and tell him the good news, but for right now, he wanted a moment alone with her.
"I love you," he said softly. "I'm sorry this happened to you. I'm gonna get out of the game I swear. Nothing is worth risking my life over anymore."
He pulled her hand to his lips and kissed it gently. He set it back down and stood, bending to kiss her forehead next. Then he pulled out his phone and texted Toll to bring Louis back inside.
Two Weeks Later
Lee watched Maya as she sat at the table with her elbows resting on the top. Lee felt hollow and numb inside. He barely felt or heard anything. He watched Maya, and she looked so broken that it broke Lee's heart. He didn't know what to do without Emily. He'd never raised a child before. He couldn't do this, but he had to.
For Emily.
Church had miraculously kept his word and sent Emily's ashes after they were finished getting evidence from her. The team had held a somber memorial that ended with Maya freaking out and running away. Lee had found her not long after and had simply held her in his arms while she cried herself out. He'd even joined in for a bit. Ever since, they'd been barely hanging onto their emotions. Neither of them were sleeping well either.
"What about school?" Maya asked him now, breaking into his thoughts.
"We'll homeschool you," he answered.
"How? I'm smart."
"Gunner is too. He went to M.I.T."
"Really?"
"Yea. He can help with the math stuff."
"And the rest of it?"
"One day at a time, okay?"
"Why can't I go to a regular school?"
"Because I don't want anyone finding out about you so that they can try and take you away from me," Lee answered. "Not right now." Tool was working on getting some I.D.s for her, but even still, he had this fear that someone would figure it out and take her away. He couldn't lose her too.
"Why would they do that?"
"Because I'm not your father," he replied. "Not legally."
"But you are now, right?" Maya asked, her voice sounding hopeful. "You're all I have left, and I really want a dad right now. I need a dad..." Her voice broke into tears again, and Lee swallowed.
"Maya," he started.
"No," she cut him off, her voice choked with tears. "Don't say you're not. I don't have one, and I wanted you to be my father since I met you, so please, please say you'll be my dad. Please."
How could he say no to this? She was looking at him with pleading eyes, and he pressed his lips together before closing his eyes briefly. He opened them again and looked at her.
"Of course," he said softly. "I'll be your dad, Maya."
She said nothing as she threw herself off the chair and into his waist to hug him tightly. He hugged her back, picking her up after a while when she started to cry again. He held the back of her neck gently with his arm around her back to hold her close, and she clung to him and cried harder.
"Dad," she sobbed. "Dad."
"I got you," he said, feeling incredibly protective of her in this moment. He'd look out for her from here on out. He'd keep her safe and healthy. He'd love her with all his heart. He'd take a bullet for her.
She was his little girl now.
...
Church looked at her, eyebrow raised. She stared back at him.
"Well," he said. "That was a shit show."
"I didn't realize," she said sarcastically.
"You know what you have to do now, right?"
"I know."
"Can you do it?"
"Of course. I gave it all up to do it, didn't I?" She gave him a scathing look, and he bobbed his head. He knew. She held up the photograph in her fingers to face him. "Fred's mine, Church. You owe me that much after the hell I went through."
"You got it."
She watched him shake his head and walk back into his office. She took some breaths. It was done. She could only imagine the hurt left in her wake, but it was nothing compared to hers. She turned and walked out of the building, pulling the hood up over her head as she did so. It was a long road to get back to normal now, and she wondered if she'd ever get there.
Or if she'd even be forgiven after reaching the end of it.
And this concludes Part I. Unlike what I used to do, I will be continuing this story instead of ending and posting Part II as a separate story. Stay tuned!
