So I'm working on my other stories, and suddenly this idea comes in after watching Life As We Know It for the thousandth time. I wanted to create my own different version of that same idea, so here's what I've come up with and been working on for two months. It'll be sad in parts, funny in others, sweet/heartwarming in the rest. There will be some mystery and a little action eventually as well since the Expendables are involved. I'm also guilty of cliffhangers at times. If you're not into any of that, then skip this story.

For the purpose of this story, the age gap between Lee and Emily is 7 years.

If I'm honest, writing this really helped me with my own grief these past few months. I wasn't going to post it, but in the end, I wanted to share it. Thank you for reading.

Full Story Summary: Emily Charlton and Lee Christmas are thrown together when their best friends suddenly die in a tragic accident and they become guardians to their honorary niece and nephew. While Lee embraces the role, he's concerned about the kids' safety, so the Expendable team helps look into the truth of what happened. Meanwhile, Emily's past is triggered, making her own memories and pain resurface while she tries to juggle suddenly having a family, managing her shaky career, and getting along with someone she barely knows. Having only met once at their friends' wedding seven years earlier, Emily and Lee have to adjust to each other and figure out how to handle family matters while learning that family matters.

The chapters' themes are shaped by songs. For this chapter, it's Slipped Away by Avril Lavigne.

The day you slipped away was the day I found it won't be the same.

2009

Emily Charlton dropped the phone receiver with a bang and pressed her fingers against her eyes, giving her head a shake. How could it have gone so completely wrong? She'd sorted everything out right down to a tee, and now...now they were telling her their photographer took a sick day. A sick day!

Of all days, they had to be sick today.

Emily doubted they were actually sick. She had a lot of mistrust for people, which contributed to that line of thinking.

"Oookay, we are all set," Andrea Sachs said, coming into her office now. "We are just waiting on—" She stopped talking abruptly at the sight of Emily. "What's wrong? Wait, no." She held up a hand, and her eyes widened. "Nooo, they didn't?!"

"They did," Emily said without looking.

"NooOO!" Andy said, getting louder at the end.

"I know."

"What do we do? This shoot is what will get us out there and recognized!"

"You don't have to tell me that," Emily said irritably. She lowered her hands and looked at Andy finally. They had joined up to start a bridal magazine six months ago after Andy had flopped at her journalism job and Emily was sick of Miranda Priestly treating her worse than a dog. They'd run into each other at a coffee shop, and despite Emily not fully getting along with Andy when they worked together before, they'd had a good conversation that sparked the topic of their own magazine, making her deem Andy alright enough to team up with. They had to make this work. Emily did not want Miranda to have the satisfaction of seeing them fail. She could just see the pursed lips now.

"Okay," Andy said, pacing. "We can fix this. We can. We're smart. Who can we call?"

Emily sat there shaking her head. It was over. They were done. They couldn't come back from this...

"Nigel!" Andy exclaimed, snapping her fingers. "He'll have a connection to a photographer!"

"Are you suggesting I poach one of Runway's photographers?" Emily asked dryly.

"Why not? Miranda took one of our models," Andy said back. Right. Emily had forgotten about that in this moment.

"Call him," she said, and Andy bolted across the hall for her phone. Emily got up and went for more coffee. She felt tired and stiff today. She thought about Monica's message that morning. Her former foster sister and now best friend wanted her to come for a girl's night this Saturday night, and Emily wasn't sure she was up to it. She was tired and had a lot of work to do, but it was tempting.

She loved Monica and had since they first met when Monica came into Emily's foster home as a foster child (Emily had been nine and Monica had been 12), and they didn't always get to see each other a lot since Monica was busy with her 13 month old daughter and six year old son. When Monica married Charlie seven years ago, Emily hadn't expected their friendship to change as much as it had, but how could it not have? Emily didn't have a husband. She didn't have kids. She barely had an apartment. Monica had all of those things and a very nice house in the suburbs. She didn't work but instead volunteered at the school often because Charlie was a surgeon and had inherited his parents' estate when his father died two years ago, leaving them very stable. Charlie's mother had died when Charlie was a teenager. He had no siblings, so he devoted himself to Monica and their two children.

"Nigel came through!" Andy called from her office. Emily felt a huge amount of relief in that moment. She and Andy had to keep Bridal Beauties going or else Emily would lose her mind. The fashion world was her world, and she didn't want to lose it. She owed Nigel big time. Again.

She took her mug and went back to her desk.

"Great work, ladies," Craig said as he passed their office doors. He winked at Emily, who flushed. Craig Ward was their other partner in this business, a.k.a. the one who had more cash to help get it off the ground. He was an old friend of Nigel's (the first favor she still owed him for...she was really stacking up the favors apparently) who was very much Emily's love interest and occasional night time pal. She knew it wasn't the best relationship, that she let him call the shots far too much, but she thought if she spent more time with him, maybe he'd feel the same way back about her. Maybe they'd get married and start a family. Even though Emily outwardly made others believe she wasn't into all that family jazz and was fine being alone, she secretly wanted a true family since she'd never really had one (yes, children terrified her a little, but she was confident she could get past that). Her foster parents had been absent and sometimes verbally harsh towards her, and she'd always craved a loving family to call her own. To add to it, Emily trusted Craig, which made him one of the few people she actually trusted. Monica was the only person she trusted 100%.

Emily thought about it more, and she concluded that she did want to see her friend because Monica would help keep her calm about the magazine and would make her forget about it for a few hours. They could have some wine and talk about past memories and watch a chick flick. Emily would get caught up on Monica's life and the kids' milestones. There would be pictures; it would be amazing. It was settled. She smiled and texted Monica back saying she'd come. As she hummed to herself and got lost in a fantasy about Craig, her cell phone rang, and she flipped it open.

And her world was completely shattered.

...

Lee Christmas was feeling it this time. He walked off Barney Ross's plane and winced as his sore feet hit the tarmac. His back ached. His neck ached. His eyes burned. He just wanted to take some pain killers and sleep for a week.

"That was a shit show," Toll Road commented as he came out next. Gunner Jensen, Yin Yang, and Hale Caesar followed him. Barney came out last a few minutes later.

Lee tuned out the conversation happening behind him as he walked towards his bike. Home was on his mind. It was a small apartment, but it was his. After sharing space with five other men for two weeks, he'd take it.

"Leaving without saying goodbye?" Barney called after him. Lee just held up his hand over his head in response, wincing slightly from the effort. He pulled his helmet on and started his bike, tearing out of there like something was chasing him.

He hadn't exactly pictured himself in the mercenary life. He'd finished with the SAS and floundered around unsure of what to do until Charlie Woodsman called him up and told him his father worked with a team who needed an extra body. Lee couldn't say no, so here he was.

Charlie had been Lee's best friend since 16. While Lee ran around dodging bullets for his country, Charlie went on to become a surgeon. Then he moved to New York and got set up there, meeting his wife Monica not long after. Two kids later, he was still trying to make time for Lee, but Lee knew things weren't the same anymore. He did love little Teddy and Jenna, though. It was the closest he'd get to having children in his life. He'd settle for being the cool "uncle," despite Barney insisting he had that title.

He got home to find a message on his machine. He clicked play and removed his coat and boots while he listened to it.

"Hey, man, it's Charlie," his friend said on the machine. "We got the sitter for the whole weekend starting Friday night, and for once I'm not on shift or on call, so I was thinking of coming down there to see you Saturday morning until Sunday. Maybe Tool can give me a new tat while I'm there."

"Absolutely not!" Monica's voice rang out in the background. Lee chuckled.

"Or not," Charlie said. "Fun wrecker! Anyway, give me a shout. Would love to see you and the gang, so you better say yes. Adios, sucker."

Lee leaned his hands on the counter and stared at the now dead plant on his window ledge before reaching to poke at it, making it crumble even more. He sighed. He was terrible at keeping things alive apparently. It went along with his career of killing people. Sometimes he and Charlie joked about their work and how they were polar opposites with Lee working to kill people and Charlie working to save people. Two completely different types of blood work and yet both necessary.

A weekend with Charlie might boost his spirits. The guys would appreciate seeing him too. Charlie's father, Trent Woodsman, had been a well liked member of the team, and his death was tragic and soul crushing to this day. Lee knew Barney blamed himself for that whole mess in Bosnia that had cost them Trent's life and nearly theirs, but it wasn't his fault. He'd done all he could do.

He moved to call Charlie back when the phone rang in his hand. Smiling, he answered it.

"You really oughta not call your friend a sucker if you want him to let you stay at his crummy apartment for the weekend," he said, expecting Charlie.

But it was not Charlie who spoke back.

...

Emily couldn't understand what was happening. One minute she was fantasizing about Craig and feeling happy about seeing Monica that weekend and the next she was being told that her best friend/foster sister since childhood was dead.

Dead.

"What do you mean they crashed?" she asked, still trying to comprehend the words. She was sitting across from the officer who had told her to come to the station.

"They were crashed into," the officer corrected. "It was a driver under the influence who hit them."

"Were they driving?"

"No. They were crossing the street. Charlie died on scene; Monica died in the hospital from her wounds."

"Oh my God," Emily said, covering her mouth with a hand. It made sense. She knew Charlie, and she knew that he'd probably tried to save Monica in those last seconds by trying to take the brunt of the hit. Then she sat up boltright. "The kids?! Where are the kids?!"

"Teddy was at school, and Jenna was with the neighbor," the officer answered. "They're alright."

"Oh, thank God," Emily gasped, clutching her chest. "So...so what happens to them? Where are they now?"

"They are currently in the care of Child Protective Services."

"Well, get them out of there," Emily said urgently. "I...I can look after them." She'd rarely spent time alone with either child, but she was certain she could pull it off if she had to. She'd do it for Monica.

"Unfortunately, we can't do anything until tomorrow morning."

"Oh my God," Emily said with a moan, burying her face in her hands. Craig and Andy had been shocked and promised her they'd look after everything that day after she'd told them and then ran out of the building. Emily had been sitting in the police station for hours. Even though she felt she didn't do well with children and avoided being alone with the kids, she loved Teddy and Jenna. She hurt to know that they were probably hurting and scared right now surrounded by strangers. It made her own past flare up again.

"Where is Officer Michaels?" a loud accented voice was asking aggressively. "And don't redirect me. I'm not in the bloody mood!"

The officer across from her stood up and went out the doorway. He returned with a surly looking man with a closely shaved head, tight jaw, and angry, hazel eyes. Emily swallowed. He was borderline terrifying.

"I'll go wait outside," she said, "and let you deal with this matter." She got to her feet, thinking this man was there for something else, but Officer Michaels surprised her yet again.

"Actually, he's here for the same thing," he said. "Lee Bennett was listed to call as Charlie's emergency contact outside of Monica."

"Oh," Emily said, looking at Lee with an uncertain look. He was vaguely familiar now that she looked at him further. She realized then he was in some of the photos in Monica and Charlie's house that she'd seen before in passing.

"Tell me what is going on," Lee ordered. "I've been on a bloody plane for the last three hours stressing like hell wondering why you've called me, and nothing that comes to mind is good!"

"Excuse me," Emily said. "I just need the restroom." She didn't want to hear the story again. She had to get out of that stuffy office with the awards hanging on the walls and family photos everywhere. She couldn't take it. She flung open the restroom door and locked it behind her, sinking to the floor and hugging her knees as she burst into tears.

...

Lee felt like he was underwater the more Officer Michaels talked. Everything was muffled and felt slower, denser. But the gist of what this officer in front of him was saying was: Charlie and Monica were dead.

"The kids?" he asked faintly, feeling like he might actually have a heart attack if they were killed too.

"Like I told Ms. Charlton, they're alright and with Child Protective Services for the night. You can see them tomorrow."

"Why not now?"

"Because it's protocol."

"To hell with your protocol!" Lee exploded. "Their parents just died! They need to be with people they know!"

"I understand your frustration..." Officer Michaels started.

"No, you don't," Lee cut him off. "Unless you've been exactly in my position, you have no idea." The officer opened and closed his mouth before pressing his lips together and nodding.

"You're right. I apologize," he said.

"So what am I supposed to do?" Lee asked.

"Things will be in motion starting tomorrow," the officer answered. "You'll get more answers then. I'm sorry."

Lee wanted to punch him in the face, but he just clenched his right fist and turned to walk out. He couldn't think. He felt dizzy, and his heart ached. Everything seemed to be too loud and too bright. He stopped and leaned against the wall, pinching the bridge of his nose while he tried to ground himself.

...

Emily came out of the bathroom and ran into a dark haired, gruff looking man who was clearly aggravated.

"This place is a damn maze," he growled to the officer he'd stopped in the hallway. "Where is Lee? I just dropped him off."

"I'm afraid I don't know and can't help you," the officer replied. "Try reception."

"Right," the man said, lifting and dropping his hands to his sides. "Is everyone around here useless?"

"Um, excuse me?" Emily said timidly. The man looked at her, and she cringed a little.

"What?" he asked roughly.

"He was in the office back there," she said, gesturing. The man surveyed her for a moment before his eyes softened.

"Was Monica your friend?" he asked, and she was a bit surprised he figured that out, but she also figured if he was a friend of Lee's, who was a friend of Charlie's, then he'd know that information.

"Yes," she whispered.

"I'm so sorry."

Emily did her best to not come undone again. She walked on stiff legs back to where Officer Michaels was, only to be told to go home and that she'd be contacted tomorrow with further details. The other man followed her as she walked and found Lee leaning against the wall and pinching his nose.

"What happened?" the man asked Lee, approaching him.

"Hit by a drunk driver while crossing the street," Lee answered. Emily felt sick hearing it again. The man sucked his teeth and looked concerned.

"You think...?" he started, but Lee shut him down with a pointed look at Emily. She was now curious as to what he was going to ask.

"I guess it's you and me," Lee said to her.

"I don't believe we've met," Emily replied. "I'm Emily."

"Actually, we did meet seven years ago," Lee corrected, and she frowned.

"Where?"

"Monica and Charlie's wedding," he said, lifting a brow.

"Oh..." Why couldn't she remember? Well, she sort of knew why. That entire night after the ceremony had been a bit of a blur. Having been recently dumped, she'd drank away her sorrows and jealousy (thankfully she'd gotten over her jealousy) and ended up bedding a random groomsman just to try and feel something.

"What happens now?" the other man asked.

"We wait until tomorrow," Lee answered.

"Why do you think they're gonna call both of us?" Emily asked.

"I don't know," he said. "I guess we'll find out tomorrow."

There was nothing else left to say, so Emily said her goodbyes and walked out the door. She started to cry after getting into the cab to go home. She kept crying as she walked to her apartment and went inside. She cried herself to sleep an hour later.

...

Lee opened the side door quietly, slipping in and shutting it behind him softly. He wasn't sure why he was there, but he couldn't sleep, and his feet had led him here. He reached to turn the light on, revealing the dining room/kitchen. The ceiling fan turned on at the same time, and he looked around at the toys strewn across the table and the dishes in the sink. He recognized it as things that Monica probably thought she'd get back to and tidy up later. His throat tightened at the thought. His mind wouldn't stop wondering if they'd been killed intentionally. It was something Barney was going to look into.

He didn't touch anything as he walked to the living room. His heart soon leaped into his throat, though, when a figure holding a lamp popped out at him.

"I'm armed!" Emily shouted, holding the lamp over her head.

"Hey, whoa!" Lee exclaimed, holding his hands up. "It's just me."

"Oh," she said, lowering the lamp slowly. He could see her hands shaking. "Lee. What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

"I couldn't sleep, and I just suddenly wanted to be near them," she answered. "Stupid, huh?"

"No. I wanted the same thing," he offered, realizing it was true and that was the other reason why he'd left his hotel room at three in the morning to come to Monica and Charlie's house, not just to find clues around their deaths. She set the lamp down and hugged herself. Her brown hair was a bit disheveled from her sleep, and her tank top was a bit short and showed off her midriff a little while her pajama pants almost surpassed her feet. He looked at the photograph on the shelf to the left and recognized her in it with Monica's arm around her neck, both smiling wide. She had red hair in that photo, though.

"God," she said, pushing her hair up with her hand. "This is such a mess."

"I know."

"What're we gonna do?" she asked, looking at him. "I mean, are we supposed to help deal with the estate? And what about Jenna and Teddy?"

Lee had a pretty good idea about the kids, but he kept it to himself. His brain was spinning as to why Charlie would pick him as a guardian, but it made sense. They were almost like brothers. But...

Lee was a freaking mercenary.

"Lee?" Emily prompted, making him stop thinking for a moment.

"I think we'll find everything out tomorrow," he said. She nodded slowly.

"I feel so sick," she whispered.

"Yea," he agreed. "I do too." He stood there looking at her as she hugged herself tightly. He barely knew this woman, but he felt care towards her in that moment. He didn't like seeing people upset. He didn't like being upset.

She went to curl back up on the couch, and he sat in the arm chair across from her. He looked at the stairs where framed photos were along the wall. He could see Charlie and Monica and/or the kids smiling and laughing back at him from where he was sitting in the low lighting.

Emily fell asleep after a while, so he got up and draped an afghan over her before going to shut off the lights. He made his way back to his chair and got comfortable in it. Then he fell asleep.

...

Emily woke up with a crick in her neck and a dry mouth. The skin around her eyes was tight and raw. She sat up slowly and reoriented herself. The photo of her and Monica glared at her from across the room, and she swallowed. She remembered that day. They'd gone to the lake together while Charlie stayed home with Teddy (Jenna hadn't been born yet). She recalled them laughing, having a good time, and sharing stories about their time living together in foster care until Monica had moved out at 17. After she'd moved out, they'd fallen out of touch for a while, but then they'd reconnected and made the plan to go to New York together where they shared an apartment for a bit. Monica hadn't made it far in the fashion world, but Emily had. Monica met Charlie not long after they'd arrived, and the two of them had gone from there.

She heard movement in the kitchen, and for one split second, she half expected to see Monica come around the corner, but instead, it was Lee. Her heart sank, and she bit her lip to stop from crying.

"Here," he said, handing her a mug of coffee. She took it and nodded for him to add milk. He went to put it away after, and she sat there holding the mug in her hands, thinking about all the times she'd sat in that living room with Monica. When was the last time she'd been here? It had been about a month ago. She felt bad for not even being able to remember everything they'd talked about.

She choked on a sob, setting the mug down on the coaster on the coffee table and pressing her hands against her mouth. Hot tears ran over her fingers, and the room became blurry. She barely noticed Lee returning, but she did notice the Kleenex box being held out to her after a moment. She took some and tried to compose herself again.

Then her phone rang on the coffee table, and she almost knocked over her mug to answer it.

"Yes?" she said loudly, gripping her hair with her other hand as she held the phone tightly against her ear.

"Hello, Ms. Charlton?"

"Yes?"

"My name is Denny Smith. I'm Charlie and Monica's lawyer. Is it alright if I come by and speak with you this morning?"

"Of course."

"Are you at home?"

"I, uh, I'm actually at Monica and Charlie's house," Emily said.

"Okay. I'll be there in about twenty minutes."

"Okay."

When they hung up, she stared at the phone.

"Who was that?" Lee asked.

"Their lawyer," she answered. "He's coming over now."

"Alright."

She felt nervous suddenly. What was going to happen to the kids? Charlie had no family. Monica had no family except a drug addicted mother who was God knows where and a father still in prison. Had they decided to leave the kids to her? Could she do it? She knew she had to and would, but it scared her. She felt like she couldn't breathe.

"You gonna greet him like that?" he asked, gesturing. She looked down at herself and cringed. She was in her damn pajamas. She'd been so out of it last night that she hadn't thought to bring a change of clothes, and she didn't have time to go home and change. She looked towards the stairs. She knew Monica had some of her clothes here since they borrowed from each other frequently. She just couldn't bring herself to go up there. Instead, she went to the laundry room with the hope that Monica had recently washed something of hers. She spied a pair of blue jeans that were hers and put them on. She grabbed the black long sleeve cardigan and pulled it over her shoulders. She tugged her tank top down after to hide her stomach. She pulled at her hair with her fingers, hoping it made it look semi-normal. She had to forgo the makeup, but she really didn't care in that moment.

Twenty five minutes later, Denny was in the entryway with his briefcase. Emily felt strange leading him around Monica's house to the dining room table. She sat beside Lee while Denny sat across from both of them.

"First of all, I'm incredibly sorry this has happened," Denny said, looking somber.

"Uh huh," Emily said, not knowing what else to say. Lee stayed silent. His hands were folded on the table in front of him. Emily's were in her lap fidgeting. Denny looked between both of them and cleared his throat, moving on.

"So, I'm sure you have questions," he started.

"Yes," Emily cut in. "What happens to Teddy and Jenna? Where do they go from here?"

"Very good question," Denny said, nodding his head. "So, I've arranged for their transfer. The foster family they stayed with last night will bring them in, and you guys can pick them up and bring them home. It's best if they adjust in their own environment, so I'd advise both of you to stay here with them for the time being."

"Excuse me?" Emily asked, looking at Lee and noticing he didn't look at all surprised. "Both of us? Me and him?"

"Yes," Denny answered. "Charlie and Monica named you both guardians of their children if they both died."

"What?!"

"When can we pick them up?" Lee asked.

"Wait, hold on," Emily said, holding up her hand and twisting to look at Lee before looking back at Denny. "I don't even know this guy! I am not living here with him!"

"She knows me," Lee assured Denny.

"Um, no I don't," Emily argued.

"The wedding?" he reminded her.

"Right, so I saw you in passing at a wedding seven years ago," she retorted. "That means nothing!"

"It was more than just 'in passing,'" Lee said, finally looking at her. She stared at him.

"What do you mean?" she asked. Denny was watching them with a slightly amused expression on his face.

"You really don't remember?" he asked.

"No! What the hell happened?!" she demanded, growing frustrated.

"We spent the night together," he said. Her mouth dropped open.

"What?! No! I did not! I...I spent the night with a groomsman..." she trailed off. Lee just looked at her before pointing to himself.

"Groomsman," he confirmed. "To be specific: best man, but I can see how that got mixed up. We were all dressed the same after all."

"Oh my God," she said, pressing a hand against her chest

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Denny said, holding up his hand. "But we, uh, have to finish this up."

"It's fine," Lee said. "You were saying?"

"I assure you we spent time talking over who would care for their children, and since they had no other family or family deemed acceptable to leave in charge, you two were it," Denny said.

"So, if we don't do this, they...they end up where?" Emily asked.

"Foster care," Denny answered.

"Not happening," Lee said instantly.

"But...I...we..." Emily said, trying to string words together. She was supposed to live with this guy? She was supposed to raise two kids with this guy?! Her brain wanted to explode.

"You can opt out if it doesn't work out," Denny said, looking at her. "For the time being, you'll have temporary custody and live here."

Emily opened her mouth, but no words came out at all now.

"Okay," Lee said. She felt ruffled. How the hell was he so calm right now?!

"The house was paid for since Charlie used his father's estate money," Denny went on. "There's some money from their estate for bills and such. You'll be fine for a while."

"Money's not an issue," Lee promised. Emily lifted a brow and looked at him. And just what did he do for work?

"Okay, good," Denny said with a smile and a nod before looking somber again. "I know this is incredibly hard, but Monica and Charlie both seemed to have such faith in you two to do this."

"We won't let them down," Lee assured him. They all stood, Emily a bit slower than them, and Denny reached to shake their hands.

"Good luck," he said. When he was gone, Emily turned to stare at Lee.

"What. The. Hell..." she said.

"You really didn't put it together?" Lee asked. "Neither of them had family. Who else would look after the kids?"

"I assumed it would just be me doing this," she shot back.

"Well, you were wrong."

"I can't do this with you..."

"Tough shit," Lee said a little aggressively. "We're doing this. We. Both of us. Get over it. I'm not going anywhere, and those kids need us. Now come on. We need to get Teddy and Jenna." She was slightly taken aback but said nothing as she followed him to the driveway where the van was sitting. Lee had the keys already, so she got in and let him drive. Her heart was pounding hard and fast as they drove. She had slept with Lee seven years ago. He was the groomsman. Her memory was slowly coming back, and the more she thought about it, the more she remembered his face and accent. His smile. His hands. His lips.

Oh God, it had been him. He was her one night stand, and now she was going to live with him and raise two kids.

How the hell was she going to do that?!

...

They'd signed the papers in the office shortly after they arrived. It felt strange to Lee to use his real last name after not using it for so long. He noticed Emily's hand was shaking a lot as she signed her name. He knew she was in shock. He was just as surprised. How could Monica and Charlie think two people who barely knew each other could raise their children together?

"There they are," Emily said, standing up, and he followed her to the other room. The moment Lee saw Teddy, his heart cracked. The boy had been crying, and as soon as he saw Lee and Emily, he burst into further tears and ran towards them. He dodged Emily's open arms and went straight to Lee, who picked him up easily in one swoop.

"I got you," he said, holding Teddy close as the boy clung to him, almost strangling him with the grip he had on Lee's neck. Emily looked slightly unnerved that Teddy had ignored her, but she soon had Jenna in her arms, and the little girl was vocalizing loudly and tucking into her within moments.

Lee knew he was not leaving these kids unless someone murdered him.

"It's okay," Emily was saying as Jenna fussed. "It's okay. We're here now."

"I want Mummy," Teddy said tearfully "And Dad." Lee felt torn up with emotion in that moment.

"I know, bud," he said. "I know. Let's get you home." He carried Teddy out to the van, feeling anxious about how he was going to explain that Teddy was never going to see his parents again.

"I don't know what I'm doing," Emily said, trying to strap Jenna into her car seat. "Help me, please." Lee went around to show her, remembering how Charlie did it in the past.

"There we go," he said, giving Jenna a smile and a light pinch on the cheek, making her giggle.

"How did you do that?" Emily asked as he slid the door shut.

"It's not rocket science," he scoffed. She pressed her lips together, silently fuming. He knew she was upset about the way he'd revealed their night together. He had known from the beginning that she hadn't remembered him. He wasn't sure why that bothered him.

When they got back to the house, Lee walked beside Teddy, who held his hand, and they went inside. Jenna was falling asleep, so Emily went to put her down for a nap. Lee was left with Teddy.

"The lady said Mummy and Dad are in heaven," he said after a moment. "Is that true, Uncle Lee?"

Lee cleared his throat and wiped at his face with the side of his hand. The bandaid had to be ripped off at some point. He just had no idea how to handle the aftermath.

"Teddy," he said carefully. "I wish I could say it wasn't true, but it is." Teddy's bottom lip started to tremble, and in that moment, Lee wished he was left alone with 20 armed men to fight with his bare hands instead of sitting here having this conversation.

"Why?" Teddy asked, his voice small and teary.

"I don't know why," Lee answered truthfully. "What I do know is that I'm gonna be here, okay? I'm not going anywhere."

"You promise?"

"I will do everything in my power to always be here," he promised.

"And Auntie Em?"

"She's here too."

Lee reached to smooth his hand over Teddy's head and give him a small, gentle shake. Emily was back at this point, and she hovered in the doorway.

"You want something to eat, Teddy?" she asked. The boy turned to look at her before walking over to her and hugging her legs. Emily knelt down to his level and gave him a proper hug, and Lee heard Teddy sniff hard.

"Please don't leave me," he cried. Lee's heart clenched, and he met Emily's eyes, seeing she was trying not to lose her shit.

"I won't leave you, Teddy," she promised. "Not if I have anything to say about it."

"But what if you both die too?" Teddy asked.

"Oh, sweetheart," Emily said, pressing her hands on either side of his face and wiping at his tears with her thumbs. "We can't control that, but we are very careful. It'll be alright."

Teddy didn't look entirely convinced, and Lee felt guilty knowing that Emily had no idea what he did for a living. A noise at the door made them all turn to look towards it, and Lee went to answer as someone started knocking.

"I thought you might need this," Barney said, handing Lee his phone. "And I wanted to see how you were doing. I didn't check out of the hotel yet."

"Uncle Barney!" Teddy called, running towards him. Barney caught him and hoisted him up onto his hip.

"There's my little man," Barney said. "You've grown again. Stop doing that or else I can't pick you up forever." Teddy gave a slight giggle before looking guilty. Lee knew how he felt. He didn't think he should feel happy ever again either, but he knew it eventually would come. That was life.

"So what's going on?" Barney asked when Teddy eventually wanted down and went with Emily to get something to eat. Lee sighed and rubbed the back of his head.

"Emily and I have been granted custody," he explained. "We are to live here together and raise the kids."

"I have to say," Barney admitted, "I'm skeptical."

"I know, but we're all they have," Lee said. "Aside from you and the rest of the team."

"You knew him longer, though," Barney reasoned. "I get that."

"I can't do any jobs right now," Lee added. "Teddy is already scared we're gonna drop dead on him."

"I get it," Barney said with a nod. "It's alright."

"You might as well go back," Lee said.

"Alright. You want me to deal with the hotel?"

"I'll handle it."

"Okay. We'll be here for the funeral."

"Okay."

"You want me to bring your stuff from home?"

"If you don't mind, thanks."

Lee handed him the key to his apartment, and Barney clapped him on the shoulder before giving him a one shoulder hug. Lee could tell he was shaken by Charlie and Monica dying too. Trent had gotten close with Barney during his time on the team. They'd shared a lot with each other.

"You're leaving?" Teddy asked, a bit of despair in his voice as he came to see Barney open the front door.

"I'll be back," Barney promised. "You can't get rid of me that easy." Teddy went to hug him again, and Barney bent to accommodate and kissed the side of the boy's head.

"You be good," he said, hands on Teddy's shoulders. "You're gonna be alright."

Teddy just nodded, and Barney patted his arms fondly before standing up again. He nodded to Lee and Emily before walking out the door.

"Come on, Teddy," Emily said, reaching for his hand. "Let's finish your snack."

"Okay."

Lee watched them go, and he suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe. His best friend was dead, and he was now raising two kids. With a woman he barely knew. This was not at all how he pictured his life going.

He had no idea how he was going to pull it off.