Chapter 6 From Spacy to Lacy

Barney's

Ava woke to a blissful silence. She smiled widely before slowly getting up and grabbing a set of clothes. She made her way to the second floor bathroom to take a shower. When she was dressed she looked at the time to see it was still early. Barney was still sleeping and Ava grinned as she headed for the kitchen. She started coffee for the guys and put a suspiciously new teapot full of water on the stove. She smiled widely at finding her favorite tea in the same area as the coffee.

As the coffee brewed and the water boiled, she prepared her tea to let it steep. She readied her tea and let it cool a bit while she did a mental inventory of the stock in the kitchen. She nodded to herself and rolled up her sleeves. She located a large mixing bowl and measuring cups before pulling down ingredients for pancakes. She quietly hummed to herself as she measured and mixed. She found a griddle and plugged it in. She started frying bacon while she waited for it to heat up. She covered the bacon and started scooping batter onto the griddle. She found a couple large plates to use as platters.

She paused as she frowned into a chest freezer in the corner. She shrugged before smiling again and grabbing some sausage links out of it. She threw them in with the bacon before flipping pancakes. She cracked open some eggs and seasoned them a bit before throwing them in another pan to fry.

Barney woke to the smell of food. Good food. His stomach rumbled loudly and his eyes opened bleerily. He assumed it was his daughter cooking since the guys didn't cook all that well. Sure they could barbeque, but other food. Nah. He got up and took a quick shower before dressing and heading downstairs to the kitchen. Plates of pancakes, sausage, eggs, and bacon greeted him. He took a deep breath and realized his daughter had made him coffee.

"You are an angel Sweetheart," he muttered as he made his way to the coffee pot and poured himself a large mug full of the brown life elixir.

He took a sip to see how strong she made it, "Not bad."

"It's the way mom used to drink it," she said smiling sadly before she finished setting the table.

"Three plates?" he asked confused.

"Lee seems to always be here first thing in the morning," she said shrugging.

Barney watched her with slowly narrowed eyes as he analyzed her, "You know he's taken?"

She looked at him startled, "Of course. Lacy something or other. Can't I feed you guys without you questioning my motives?"

He smirked, "Probably not."

She shook her head with a small smile, "Sit, eat. Breakfast is all I can cook. Better for everyone's safety if you keep me away from the grill or the oven."

A rich laugh sounded from her father making her look back over at him with a warm smile on her face. They both sat and started dishing up just as the sound of a motorcycle came from outside as it pulled up to the building and parked. Ava smiled and Barney smirked as he saw a light in her eyes that wasn't there before. He shook his head as he took a long drag from his mug and started to eat.

Lee walked in to the smell of breakfast making him furrow his brows. He followed the smell to the kitchen to see Barney and Ava at the table with two huge plates of food in front of them. He smiled at the family scene before noticing a third plate.

"I take it you were expecting me?" he asked.

"Of course," she said as she pushed the seat across from her back with her foot, "Sit. Eat."

He laughed softly as he looked at Barney. He lifted a brow at him and Barney just shrugged before returning to his plate.

"She said to keep her from the grill and the oven."

"Mom tried to teach me more than breakfast, but I seem to get easily distracted later in the day so all it resulted in was smoke and charred ruins. I had to buy her a whole new set of pans after one incident involving chicken fettuccine alfredo," she said shrugging before saying cheekily, "I'm good at ordering takeout tho."

Both guys laughed as Lee dished up and said, "An italian who can't cook? I've heard everything now."

They all smiled as they finished their breakfast. Barney grabbed their dishes and stacked them in the dishwasher. Lee followed Ava to her workspace and watched her put the tubs of nuts, bolts, and screws on an empty space by the crates where another crate couldn't fit. She started opening her new tools and flattening the boxes in a neat pile by the door.

"So how fast do you heal?" Lee asked out of the blue.

Ava stopped with a power drill in her hands as she frowned at the floor, "Well it will probably be another week or two before I feel a hundred percent."

He crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned against the door frame, "We can start working on basics and form then."

"Oh for self defense?" she asked setting the drill down in it's new spot.

"Yeah."

"Sounds good to me," she said as she reached for another box, "My schedule is open obviously, but if we get a job you'll be busy too so it's up to you when."

He nodded, "How about Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays to start. Afternoons. Try to eat a light lunch. That'll leave you with Fridays and Saturdays to hang out with the guys. Get to know everyone a bit better. Spend some time with your dad."

She smiled widely at him, "That sounds perfect. Once I get in the swing of things we can add time with the other guys so I can learn different ways to defend myself."

Lee nodded satisfied. The more people she trained with, the better rounded she'd be.

"The guys are going to be at the bar tonight," Lee said as he watched her organize her new tools, "You should come with Barney and meet the rest."

"I thought I met the rest of the team?" she asked pausing and turning to him.

"Well you haven't officially met Dixie. A couple of the guys want to bring their girlfriends or wives over to meet you. You can even meet my Lacy."

She plastered on a fake smile, "Oh yeah, that sounds like a great idea."

He smiled at her before stepping away from the door frame, "Well I'll leave you to your work."

Once he was out of hearing range, she muttered to herself sarcastically, "A large crowd all at once… yippee. To top it off Lacy will be there. I hope she's nicer than Luna made it sound."

She shook her head and furrowed her brows as she got back to work.

Few Hours Later

Barney walked into 'Candyland' and caught Ava staring into space frowning. She was sitting on the floor with an odd piece of junk in her lap. All of her tools were put away, but he noticed she was sitting on a pile of cardboard. He looked around more to see that the floor was filthy and nodded at her foresight.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Barney asked.

Ava startled out of her thoughts and looked over at Barney, "Huh?"

Barney smiled, "You think any harder and steam will come out of your ears."

Ava smiled sheepishly, "Lee told me we're all going to the bar tonight. I'm not too good in crowds. Said everyone wanted to introduce me to their gals."

Barney frowned and crossed his arms across his chest, "Panic attacks?"

"Depends on the crowd. I know the crew now so they shouldn't be an issue, but how busy is this bar usually? Is EVERYONE bringing their gals?"

"Well I think Yang is bringing his guy," Barney said with a straight face.

Ava's eyes widened, "Guy? I didn't think Yang was the type. Well good for him. Let me guess he has someone with large arms and a thick accent."

It was Barney's turn to widen his eyes in disbelief, "How the hell do you know that?"

"Come on! Accents are sexy as hell! Plus all of you have pipes on you… wasn't hard to guess that one."

He chuckled, "What you want for lunch? I have menus for just about everything."

"How about some pizza? I'm craving pepperoni with black olives, extra cheese, and breadsticks with extra marinara sauce," she said before licking her lips.

"Well at least you weren't too specific," he said sarcastically before dialing the local pizza place.

"Does the bar have food or will we have to eat before we go?" she asked.

"They have food," he said shortly before walking out of the room talking into his phone.

Ava smiled as she returned to fiddling with the junk in her lap. She popped out a few screws and concentrated on the wires inside before realizing that it was indeed junk. Completely fried. She scavenged what parts she could and threw the extra bits in their proper can. She made sure that garbage cans had been bought as well. One for metal bits to be later melted down or sold in bulk, one for plastic bits to later be recycled, and one for actual garbage. She didn't like being wasteful.

She reached over to one of the large piles and scooped up another piece of 'junk' to see if it had any potential.

Soon the pizza arrived and Barney tried not to comment on her dirty appearance. Her white t-shirt and medium, blue jean overalls were filthy and she had smudges on her face. He wasn't sure if she'd appreciate him joking around with her about her current appearance. Some women got angry over such things. She washed her hands and sat down at the table pulling a box to her. He ate as he watched her scarf down an entire pizza herself. Impressed, he finished off his own before she thanked him and headed back to the shop. He headed out to his plane to work on some routine maintenance.

Ava lost herself in a pile of junk. She managed to salvage quite a bit of metal, fix a few electronic pieces, and restore an old fashioned hand gun that had somehow ended up in the pile. She looked around looking for the time when she remembered she didn't have a wall clock here. She used a clean rag from her pocket to swipe on her phone and see it was getting close to dinner time. She sighed heavily and pocketed the phone before heading to her room to gather some clothes for the night. She knew she needed a shower so that was next on her list.

Once she was clean, dry, and dressed she held her phone in both hands as she nibbled her bottom lip. Wondering if it was safe to call her aunt on this phone, she wandered around until she found Barney heading towards the bathroom for his own shower.

"Dad?" she asked tentatively causing him to pause and turn towards her, "Is it safe to call Aunt Sara on this?"

"Yeah Sweetheart," he said nodding, "No one can trace you on that except us. Just in case someone takes you."

She nodded and headed downstairs to sit on the couch. She nibbled her bottom lip again before dialing Sara's number. She listened to it ring and hoped she was alright.

"Hello?" Sara's voice asked tentatively.

"Aunt Sara?" Ava asked.

"Ava! Thank goodness you're alright! I hadn't heard from you and I was worried, but then I realized you probably couldn't call me. Are you sure this is safe?"

"This phone isn't traceable," Ava said, "How are you?"

"I've had a few threats, but they seem to know I haven't had any contact with you. Mike showed up with a picture of you taken outside a gas station after you left here. He wanted to know where you were going. I told him I hadn't wanted you to tell me so I couldn't give you up. He believed me I think. Anyhow, how is everything going down there?"

"I'm going to start some self defense training."

"That'll be good."

"Plus a certain someone bought me new tools and clothes," Ava said smiling as she thought of her father, "He let me take over his junk room. I have named it Candyland. There is a ton of potential in that room. He's hired me as their techie. I've made a few friends too."

"I'm so happy for you Dear," Sara sounded like she was holding back tears.

"We're going out tonight to meet some more people," Ava said, "As soon as he's out of the shower and ready to go."

"Well I will leave you to it Sweets. Love you and be careful."

"Love you too."

She clicked the end call button and leaned back in the couch with relief on her face. She hadn't realized how much she truly worried about her aunt until she'd heard her voice. She missed her terribly. Perhaps when this was over she could visit and meet her father.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear, Barney trumped down the stairs in his heavy boots. He watched Ava get up from the couch and rose a brow.

"You're wearing that?" he asked frowning.

Ava looked down to her medium blue sundress that reached mid thigh, "What?"

Barney gritted his teeth, "It's short."

Ava looked at him closely before smiling widely, "You're currently fighting the urge to tell me to go change aren't you?"

Barney simply nodded before waving ahead of him, "We'll take my truck."

"Yeeeaaaah," she said slowly, "I don't think you'd fit in the car I ended up with. I might have to tear that thing into pieces for parts. Not usually my style."

"What is?"

"Jeep."

Rusty's Bar

Barney and Ava shut their doors and headed towards the bar's entrance. She took a big breath and let it out in a large sigh. Barney held the door open for her, allowing her in first. She looked around to see the guys at the same table she saw them at before. She noticed the younger team members were at the table next to it and the conversations flew across both tables.

Gunnar had his arm around his fiancee Dixie who waved her over and pulled an empty chair from the other table to sit next to her. She looked back at Ava excitedly. Ava smiled at her enthusiasm before sitting next to her and Gunnar.

Snuggled on his lap she turned to face Ava and smiled widely, "I'm so happy there is another woman here! Only female friend I have is Connie, Toll's wife. Luna is always out in the field with the guys and Lacy is….well….not the type for a pregnant woman to hang out with."

Ava smiled, "How do you know we'll click so well?"

"I just know," she said winking at her."

Ava shook her head as she looked around. She noticed a few of the guys were missing. Galgo was at the bar talking Tool's ear off as they seemed to be bringing beers back to their tables. Thorn and Mars were prepping the karaoke machine while Luna and Smilee were sitting at their table talking with Gunnar and Doc. Barney sat down next to what turned out to be Tool's chair. He joined a conversation with Caesar.

Toll walked in a few moments later following a petite woman with short, chocolate brown, pixie, hair and glasses. Ava thought she looked like a sexy librarian. Her shyness made Ava want to protect the other woman tho she figured Toll had that covered.

Yang and Lee had yet to arrive, but Ava allowed herself to relax as she listened to Dixie talk about how Gunnar and her had gotten back together. She thought it was sweet how protective Gunnar was since she came back.

Toll sat across from Ava and pulled the small woman onto his lap, "Ava this is my wife Connie. Connie this is Ava, Barney's daughter."

"It's lovely to meet you," Connie said smiling at her.

Connie looked to be only a few years older than Ava's thirty seven. She smiled back and offered her hand. Connie shook it as she positively beamed at her.

"I think we'll be great friends," Ava said as she looked at both Connie and Dixie.

The women smiled at her just as the door opened and in walked Lee… with Lacy. The karaoke started up and some of the people in the bar started to add their names and songs to a list as the person running it tried to keep track of what he was doing.

"Ava!" Luna said popping up right behind her causing said woman to jump a bit.

She turned to see Luna smiling at her, "You should sign up for a song. Even Mars and Thorn do it. Sometimes it takes a lot of booze tho."

Ava laughed as Lee sat down next to Barney. Lacy plopped down in his lap and leaned against his chest. She narrowed her eyes at the new woman not knowing what to think of her yet. Ava however hadn't turned towards them yet as Luna was holding a book with a list of songs available. Dixie and Connie added their input when they came across something that sounded promising. Ava finally agreed on a song and Luna ran off to add her name to the list. She figured she might as well make the most of the night.

Lee turned towards Ava just as she turned back to the table, "Ava, this is Lacy. Lacy this is Barney's daughter Ava."

"Pleasure," Lacy said in a voice that was anything but pleased.

Ava nodded, "I'm sure."

Barney frowned and looked at the two before staring at Lacy's scowl. Everyone knew how jealous Lacy could get. Everyone also knew she had cheated on Lee. Barney didn't like her and had no problems voicing it to Lee when she called while they were on a job.

Luna's name was called and she dragged Thorn up with her to sing a song Ava didn't recognize. When they were done she cheered for them with the others. She noticed Lacy didn't move from her spot, but sent glares to any woman looking at Lee. Ava could understand a little jealousy with how attractive a package Lee made, but this woman was ridiculous. It was always the cheaters that didn't trust their significant others.

A waitress came up to the table to top everyone off and new orders were placed for drink and food. She turned to Ava and stepped closer.

"What about you? Drink? Food?"

Ava thought for a moment, "I'm craving nachos if you got em."

The waitress smiled, "What would we do without nachos during football season?"

Ava laughed annoying Lacy unintentionally, "Well I could go for some nachos and cheese sticks with red sauce. Maybe a Tequila Sunrise?"

The waitress smiled, "Sure thing."

"Tequila?" Lee asked.

"Allergic to hops," Ava said causing some of the team members to look at her like she had some contagious disease.

"But, beer," Doc said, "Honey you don't know what you're missing."

"Actually I do," she said shaking her head gently, "I'm missing three days stuck in bed with horrible stomach pains and having to crawl to the bathroom until my body recovers. No thank you."

They all cringed in sympathy.

Soon Ava's name was called and she jumped up and headed over to the karaoke mike. Doc was prepared to crack jokes at Ava, so he was just as unprepared as the rest of them when a beautiful voice came from her mouth.

"I wanna hold 'em like they do in Texas plays

Fold 'em, let 'em, hit me, raise it baby stay with me

Love Game intuition play the cards with spades to start

And after he's been hooked I'll play the one that's on his heart"

Everyone's eyes turned towards the small stage and the crowd quieted. The only thing heard was her voice singing Poker Face from Lady Gaga. She closed her eyes while she sang. Her voice raised and lowered throughout the song for emphasis. When she was finished, her eyes popped open to see everyone staring. Her eyes widened and she blushed wildly. Clapping started and soon everyone was cheering her on. She looked at the floor and nibbled her bottom lip before smiling at the crowd and rushing off the stage and back to her seat.

Another name was called while everyone congratulated her on a good job. She smiled softly at those who were worming their way into her heart. She looked around and caught Lacy's eye. The woman glared at her and huffed with narrowed eyes.

Ava gulped as she realized she may have just made an enemy, but it wasn't her fault Lacy didn't involve herself with the crew. Ava nibbled her bottom lip again and looked at the table. She wondered how Lacy would react when she found out she was part of the crew now.