Hello again!

I can't even begin to tell you how much fun I had with this chapter. In the first (french version), I thought that we didn't see that much of the good memories the characters were referring to later in the story, so I added this. I hope it will make you laugh as much as I did when I wrote this.

Enjoy your reading!

Pavs.

Chapter Nine: Somewhere Down the Road

[Gabrielle]

Hale definitely could cook. I saw the amused smile on Toll's face and raised an eyebrow as if to ask a question.

''You look like you're about to have an…'' Toll started before he stopped himself.

I could see him blush, and I laughed.

''I might just to see your face,'' I retorted back, and Hale laughed out loud.

''Damn girl, you got sass,'' Caesar said, and I smiled.

''You're going to miss the shy me,'' I said, and Hale looked at me with a devious smile.

''Oh well, if you're not afraid to dare…'' he began, and I felt like I might have spoke too soon.

.

''This is not a good idea,'' Toll said, and I agreed with him.

We all were slightly intoxicated and, between chicken wings and bad karaoke, I had the brilliant idea to tell Hale that I'd always wanted to drive a tank. We'd gone to a building behind the hangar, which had some interesting…toys.

''Barney's going to kill us,'' Toll added, and I laughed.

''No. We got a tank,'' I said, and they both laughed.

''Alright let's do it,'' Hale said, and we got in.

It was glorious. Stupid, but glorious. Hale passed me the flask, and I drank from it while Toll explained to me how to drive it. He then passed me the commands, and I somehow managed to get it stuck canon first in the mud.

Hale was dying with laughter, and Toll was trying to tell me without laughing that it could happen to anyone.

''Fuckers,'' I said, and Toll lost it.

.

I knew my hangover was going to be bad, but my wake-up call was brutal. I ran to the bathroom and threw up the content of my stomach in the toilet.

''You ok in there?'' Hale asked, and I showed him my middle finger.

''Yeah, she's gonna live,'' Toll said, and I got up to take a sip of water from the tap.

''Barely,'' I managed to say, and Toll gave me a towel.

''There is some pain meds under the sink. Do you want something to drink?'' Hale offered.

''Tea, please,'' I answered.

''I see you got the Christmas spirit,'' Hale teased, and Toll snorted.

I smiled and went to join them in the kitchen.

[Lee]

He'd packed his bags and went to Tool's in a cab. He'd have to get his bike later. Lacy apparently only like the idea of being with a bad guy. He entered Tool's and saw the man himself looking at him with a sad smile on his face. Lee squared up, he had a tattoo to cover up.

[Tool's]

''You shouldn't be betting on this with your arm,'' Lee said.

''No, you shouldn't. You're supposed to be resting,'' Gabrielle agreed while entering the tattoo parlor.

''Yeah, I see you applied that advice to yourself,'' Tool said in a mocking tone, and Gabrielle rolled her eyes.

''I am not the one who's been shot,'' she retorted back.

''No, but you've taken some,'' Tool mocked, and Lee laughed.

''Fuck off,'' Gabrielle said before she went to the couch to turn the TV on.

They both went to join her, Lee bringing her a bottle of water. She found an old James Bond movie and turn up the volume.

''Hey! Where's everybody?'' Gunnar asked in a loud voice, and Gabrielle massaged her temples.

''Somewhere you'll never see if you keep being that loud,'' Gabrielle answered, and Lee shook his head while Tool laughed.

The confused look on Gunnar's face changed to an amused one when he smelled the alcohol and saw the bottle of water. He took a chair and joined them, looking at her from time to time.

''Oh, come on it's not that complicated! You love him, you stupid fuck, just take him!'' Gabrielle exclaimed at the TV, and Lee felt the pain come back.

''Sometime it is,'' he whispered, and Gabrielle paused the movie before turning to him.

''Are you ok?'' she asked, and when he said nothing, she insisted. "Lee?''

''Lacy didn't take it as well as you,'' Lee said, and Gabrielle took his hand. ''She just likes the idea of a bad guy.''

''I am sorry Lee.'' She said and he looked at her. ''But you deserve better than being with someone who can't accept all of you. Besides, you're not the bad one. You save people, and it counts you know?''

Lee didn't know what to tell her, but he was touched by her words. She got up from the couch and went to the freezer to get some drumsticks.

''Here, let's eat our emotions while watching a classic. You'll feel better,'' she said and started the movie again.

[Barney]

He'd gone to the hangar to get some work done. He noticed that there were tracks going around it, and he frowned. He went behind the building and saw his tank in the mud behind the landing strip.

''What the fuck?'' he asked before he walked towards it.

He then saw Hale's flask in it and got back to his bike to go to Tool's.

[Gabrielle]

''She doesn't look convinced,'' Tool stated with an amused smile.

It was difficult to believe that someone could fall three levels down and keep running.

''That's because Christmas likes to think that he's a hero,'' Gunnar mocked while Lee stared at him.

''It's all about physics…'' Christmas started before he stopped himself.

Gunnar looked all too pleased with Lee's explanation.

''You want me to verify that?'' Gunnar offered sarcastically.

Part of me knew that Gunnar was intelligent, but that made me realize that I didn't know him that well. Of course, I was beginning to get to really know them, especially Barney, Tool, Hale and Toll, but Lee and Gunnar were still two mysteries.

''You can?'' I asked, and Gunnar looked at me.

He then smiled at me and began to explain how he'd been to MIT and why he got out. I began to ask questions, and he answered them in length, talking to me about parts of his past and hobbies.

The more he talked, the more I could see his personality, his values, his opinions…I was fascinated… I was… Oh. Oh no.

''Gabrielle?'' he asked, and I felt myself blush when I realized that he'd asked me a question.

I saw Lee looking at me in a weird way. I then heard my dad's bike and almost sighed, relieved to have a distraction. I turned to him and saw Hale's flask in his hand.

Oh shit.

I turned pale and could see the questioning looks on Tool, Lee and Gunnar's faces.

''Hey, Dad! I missed you…'' I tried, but he just stared at me before he put the flask on the table.

I saw the amused looks on the guys' faces. There would be no help from them.

''Would you mind telling me why my tank is stuck in the mud canon first behind the hangar?'' Barney asked, looking pissed off.

There was a silence, and then Gunnar started to laugh hysterically.

I took my phone and called Toll, not taking my eyes off my father for one second.

''Yeah?'' Toll answered.

''You were right, it was a bad idea. Run before he gets to you!" I warned.

I could see Christmas and Tool barely containing their laughter as well, and Barney seemed to calm down. He then took my phone and put it on speaker.

''I take it you guys know what you have to do today," Barney said.

''Yeah, we got it,'' Toll agreed.

''You better,'' Barney threatened before he hung up. ''Gabrielle…''

''Yeah, I'll be in my room,'' I said before I got up and left to go to Barney's house.

[Lee & Gabrielle]

A silence followed after Gabrielle's exit. Tool and Barney went upstairs, and Gunnar left, leaving Lee alone in the shop. He thought about Gabrielle blushing and her almost scared look. He got up and went to Barney's place. He didn't know why, but something was bothering him. As soon as he opened the door, he heard her scream and rushed to her.

''It's ok, it was an accident,'' she explained, and he saw that she was trying to make diner.

He got the kit and took a band-aid to give to her.

''I dream of a day when you won't have to try and heal me,'' she said, and Lee felt concerned.

''I've seen worse,'' he said, and she looked at him with a sad smile.

He then proceeded to take her knife and motioned for her to sit down. She watched him cut the meat and vegetables with such precision that she had to wonder…His tattoo caught her attention and she remembered him playing with his knife.

''It's easier to answer a question when it's asked,'' Lee said, reading her mind, and she felt her cheeks burning.

''Why the knives?'' she asked, and Lee put the food in the oven before he took a seat beside her.

''Knives are a bit like a part of me,'' he explained while he got his emergency one out. ''I can rely on them, because I am the one controlling them. They can only fail me if I fail them.''

''What happened?'' Gabrielle asked, and Lee barely hid his surprise. ''I am sorry, I shouldn't have…''

Gabrielle really was intelligent. He almost didn't answer her, but there was something in the way she looked at him that made him trust her.

''It was a bad day. We were outnumbered and had a hostage to rescue. My partner didn't have any ammo left, and I wanted to cover his back but…A default. A malfunction. Both of them dead without me being able to do anything but watch,'' Lee said, remembering that day way too well.

He got up to check on the food when Gabrielle spoke.

''I couldn't be sick,'' she said, and Lee turned to her with a surprised look on his face. ''In my family, emotions and sickness were for the weak. It was bad for the image, you see. You couldn't talk, and you had to follow the rules of the good society. But they didn't include honesty and authenticity, so I couldn't trust anyone. It felt lonely, and it left me with the feeling that I always was out of place and weak. A freak of nature, if you will.''

Lee felt angry at her confession. He could see how hard it had been to talk to him and the pain in her eyes as she recalled her memories. But she'd done this for him to help him not feel too vulnerable. He could appreciate that. He then recalled her being embarrassed in front of Gunnar and frowned.

''You not being able to feel, is that why you looked like you were ready to run from Gunnar?'' he asked, and as soon as he did, he could see her feelings written all over her face.

''Please don't tell him, or Barney I…Shit, I am not ready to face this,'' she begged him, and Lee froze.

The way she looked at the door, the fear, the confusion, the guilt, the embarrassment…

''You love him,'' he stated.

''I…I think so yes,'' she admitted, and before he knew it (or even why), the words were out of his mouth.

''You could do better,'' he said.

''Thank you for your time, Christmas,'' she said with a cold voice.

He got out of the house, wondering what the fuck was wrong with him.