Note: I seem to be on a role right now. This was meant to be the demonstration chapter but it blossomed into a whole new direction. Currently starting the next chapter as the story just seems to be flowing today.

Chapter 10 Maybe Baby

Barney's in the Morning

Ava woke earlier than usual with a jolt. She sat up suddenly and pulled her hair out of her face as she tried to get her breathing under control. She shoved the blankets off of her and wandered into the bathroom. She leaned her hands on the counter and bent a bit over the sink. She stared at herself in the mirror before closing her eyes.

"Just a nightmare," she whispered to herself, "No one is here to hurt you. He doesn't know where you are. Deep breaths."

She took a few more deep breaths and after a few minutes her breathing evened out. She hadn't had a nightmare that vivid since she'd been on the road. The only difference this time was that her ex had been trying to rape her in the dream.

"Yeah I got issues," she moaned as she pulled her hair back out of her face again.

She huffed a few strands out of her face before grabbing her brush and attacking the mane of hair that kept accosting her. She split it into sections and made a french braid. When she finished she nodded firmly into the mirror with her hands on her hips. She took one final deep breath before heading back to the bed to try and sleep. After tossing and turning for a half hour she gave up. She sat up with a heavy sigh and pulled the blankets away again. She ran a hand over her braid and sighed again as she discovered parts of it loose. She pulled it out carefully and rebraided it before getting up and changing into running gear. Her legs and feet were still a little sore from yesterday, but she needed something to unwind.

She crept downstairs carefully and tiptoed by Tool passed out on the couch again. She stopped, sighed, and turned back around to cover him with a blanket before returning to her original destination.

She counted the entrance door as she ran her laps. When her breathing got too heavy she switched to light jogging. She didn't want to stop today. She was going to make at least two miles again. It'd be an added bonus if her nightmare was one she could forget.

At forty-four laps she slowed and headed to the mats. Two miles again. She smiled even tho it wasn't her usual five miles. At least it wasn't less. She knew she'd be really sore later today with jumping in full throttle into her running again, but it called her. Her mind was now settled and she toed off her shoes again as she started her slow Tai Chi routine. She opened them again and frowned in concentration as she looked closer at the moves she made. Tool had been right. With a little more speed and the proper application, the moves could be used to attack at an opponent. She nodded to herself as she slowed her movements until she finally stopped her routine. She turned to find a surprisingly alert Tool leaning against the doorframe.

"Little early for you isn't it?" he asked with arms crossed.

"Look who's talking," she smirked.

"This isn't morning," he muttered, "It's late night."

She chuckled softly as her mind went back to the nightmare.

"Flashback?" he asked gently.

"Almost," she said quietly, "Seems my mind makes them worse than they were."

Tool nodded, "That happens more than you think."

"If only I could go back to my dream the other night," she moaned out frowning.

"Good dream eh?" he teased.

She blushed and nodded without looking at him.

"Happen to star anyone we know?" he asked wiggling his eyebrows.

She coughed and cleared her throat while she ignored his question causing him to grin wide and chuckle. He turned around and headed back into the other room. She followed and then went up to take another bath. She could already feel the extreme soreness in her body. She groaned as she slipped into the bath. She settled into the suds with a heavy sigh. She stared at the wall in front of her for a few minutes as her mind blanked out again. She shook her head as she came out of it and she slowly scrubbed her body clean. After the tub was drained, she dried off and changed into pajamas again. She fell onto the bed face first with her wet hair whacking her in the back. She turned her face to the side to breathe and promptly fell asleep.

Few Hours Later

The sound of Barney's plane landing on the strip jolted Tool out of his nap on the couch. He hated sleeping when he knew the team was coming home. He kept an ear out for Ava, but didn't hear her stir. He stood up and walked into the hangar just as Barney cut the power. The team strolled out of the plane with their gear while Tool closed and locked the hangar door. He turned his attention to the cuts and shots the team had received.

"Not many injuries this time," Tool teased, "You sure you did your job right?"

"Oddly enough Church gave us all the details this time," Barney said as he cleaned his equipment, "Tho Ava's watches came in mighty handy for the tracker option."

"I hate being used as bait," Luna muttered, "Job hazard."

The guys chuckled and a few stretched.

"How's Ava?" Barney asked when he noticed she wasn't with Tool.

"Out like a light," he said crossing his arms.

The look on his face made the team stop in their tracks.

"What happened?" Barney asked.

"Nightmare last night had her up at ass crack dawn running around the gym. She won't admit it, but she's awful sore and tired."

"She say what it was about?" Lee asked concerned.

"Flashback made worse by a wild imagination," Tool muttered.

Doc tilted his head as he looked closer at Tool, "Who crunched your face in?"

Tool chuckled, "I was helping Ava practice."

Doc looked a little leery.

"I need to know something?" Doc asked.

"You the volunteer?" Tool asked grinning widely.

"Yeah," he said slowly.

"Nope," Tool said with his smug grin, "Nothing at all."

"You know," Doc said raising his voice, "That don't make me feel any better."

All Tool did was chuckle as he headed over to Barney to help him bandage his arm.

"Lower your voice Doc," Tool said when he stopped laughing, "Ava needs her sleep. Connie and Dixie stayed over here late last night gabbing together like old friends."

Gunnar and Toll's faces softened at the mention of their women.

"They get along okay then?" Toll asked.

Tool nodded, "Thick as thieves. Ava even made enough lunch for everyone and we had pizza from that place a few blocks down."

"Dixie craving pizza again?" Gunnar said with a smirk.

"I'm still bettin she's havin a boy," Luna said suddenly.

"As long as the baby is healthy," Gunnar muttered suddenly sullen, "I wasn't exactly clean when we made em."

"Dixie's genes will clean em right up I'm sure," Tool joked.

Gunnar shook off his mood and sighed.

Thorn clapped him on the shoulder, "Don't worry you'll be a great overprotective dad with a team of equally overprotective uncles and aunts."

Everyone chuckled as Gunnar nodded.

"True," Gunnar said, "If it's a girl she ain't dating until after high school."

"What about if it's a boy?" Luna asked.

Gunnar thought for a moment, "Same. Don't need him knocking someone up before he's finished his education. Hoping the baby is as smart as I used to be."

"And that they look like their Mama," Doc joked.

The guys laughed as Luna shook her head at their shenanigans.

When their gear was cleaned and stashed, they headed to the main room before breaking off to head home. Tool, Barney, and Lee were the only ones left in the room.

"How is she really?" Barney asked.

"Just like I said," Tool said, "Tired and sore. Even with the nightmare she's a spitfire. Tho neither one of us can wait for her little demonstration."

Tool laughed a little evilly making the other two men turn to him.

"What is going on?" Lee asked frowning.

"You'll see," Tool said mysteriously, "You guys wanted to know what she can do."

Tool pointed at his face, "I'd be off worse if she hadn't warned me to put on some padding first."

Lee and Barney's eyes widened.

"What do you mean?" Lee asked confused, "She said she didn't know any self defense."

"Apparently she does Tai Chi for her cool downs after running and something called SING," Tool said laughing as he said SING.

Lee cracked a smile while Barney looked confused.

"I'm actually looking forward to this demonstration now," Lee said smirking as he clapped Barney on the shoulder.

"What's SING?" Barney asked still confused.

"You'll see," Tool said as he made his way to the front door, "Now if you'll excuse me I have some sleep to catch up on. I'd suggest waiting until tomorrow for her demo. Let her sleep."

The guys nodded as Tool left and the door closed with a thud. Both men crossed their arms and leaned against different beams.

"So she can fight a bit," Barney muttered proudly with a smirk.

Lee chuckled, "I'm lookin forward to this."

"You said that," Barney pointed out raising a brow.

"I think Luna's right about her bet, good thing I bet on her too," Lee said still smiling.

"I did too," Barney said, "Didn't feel right betting against my own daughter."

At the word 'daughter' Lee's smile dropped. He kept forgetting Ava was Barney's little girl. He stared at the old rug on the floor as his mind wandered. He had Lacy, but his mind kept wandering to Ava. He wasn't the type to step out on his woman. He had to find a way to push her towards the back of his mind. He sighed heavily drawing Barney's stare.

"You okay?" he asked concerned.

Lee slowly looked up to meet Barney's eyes, "Just wrapping my head around some things."

Barney nodded before standing straight.

"Well, I'm going to go check on Ava and head to bed," Barney said as he tilted his head and cracked his neck.

Lee nodded, "Yeah. I should be getting home."

They separated and did exactly what they said.

Lacy's House

Lee unlocked the front door and carried his bag inside. He shut the door quietly before relocking it and heading upstairs. When he got to the top he thought he caught a whiff of a strange cologne. He sniffed deeply, but couldn't trace it again. He shook his head thinking he'd imagined it. He set his bag down inside of the bedroom and headed to the bathroom for a shower. Lacy didn't like him smelling like gunpowder and sweat.

When he was finished in the shower he dried off and dressed in a pair of black boxers. He slid into bed next to Lacy and wrapped an arm around her. She moved a bit and turned around to face away from him. He moved towards her carefully so her back was against his chest. He rewrapped his arm around her and buried his face in her hair.

He brought his head back quickly as he crinkled his nose. She smelled like cigarettes again. She'd told him she'd quit.

He laid his head down on the pillow and stared over her shoulder at the wall. His mind centered on Ava again and he distracted himself with what he'd do for training her.

Soon he fell asleep and his dreams were not what he was expecting.

Barney's

Ava woke and lifted her head carefully. She was still on her stomach and her hair looked like a deranged lion's mane. She sighed heavily before shifting her body to sit. She groaned as her muscles moved and her joints popped. She stood and arched her back like a cat to stretch out a bit. Her stomach rumbled at her causing her to sigh. She rubbed her eyes sleepily and opened her door before using way more concentration than normal to walk down the stairs. When she reached the bottom, she didn't notice everyone in the main room as she stumbled towards the kitchen.

A few of the guys stared as they watched her walk away in her small cotton shorts that only reached to mid thigh and her cotton tank top. Luna shrugged and went back to tweaking her motorcycle as Lee watched every stride Ava took. Tool looked at Lee and smirked before whacking him on the arm to distract him. Barney looked over at them after the whack and frowned before turning back towards the kitchen. He picked up a couple empty beer bottles from the table next to him and followed her into the kitchen.

He found Ava staring into the opened cupboards blankly.

"You okay," he asked startling her as he set the beer bottles in the recycle container in the corner of the kitchen.

"Hmm?" she asked bleary eyed, "Oh yeah."

She turned back to the cupboard, "I'm hungry but I don't know what for and I don't feel like cooking."

"I was about to order in dinner if you have a preference," Barney said pulling out his phone.

"Dinner?" she asked turning her head to face him, "What time IS it?"

"About six," he muttered as he looked at the watch she gave him.

She smiled at the thought of him wearing it off mission before her stomach rumbled again.

"I'm actually craving sweet and sour chicken with sticky rice I think," she muttered.

"Chinese it is," he said, "I'll go ask what the guys want. Connie and Dixie are here too."

"What?" she asked as her eyes widened.

He stopped in the doorway, "The people you walked by to get to the kitchen."

She sputtered, "I didn't think anyone was here."

She looked down at her clothing and tried to tug the shorts down a bit to cover one of the last bruises on her thighs. Her ribs were still bruised and the one on her face had faded to an ugly yellow.

"They've already seen you, but you can walk behind me to the stairs if you're that worried," Barney said tilting his head.

She nodded, "I'll follow you."

She managed to hide behind her father's large body until she reached the stairs. She scurried up as quick as she could. Barney drew their attention to him as he asked what kind of chinese they'd like. As some of the guys started voicing their orders, Lee watched Ava as she disappeared upstairs.

She dressed quickly and ran her brush through her hair. She did a french braid again and slowly trudged to the stairs dreading her appearance. Her eyes still looked tired and she moved slowly from all the running she'd been doing. Her feet felt heavy as she descended. Connie and Dixie sat on the couch waiting for her. They smiled and motioned at the spot in the middle. She smiled back appreciatively and sat down heavily. She sighed as her body stilled.

"You look worn out," Connie said.

"You almost look like me except the belly," Dixie joked.

Ava snorted, "Yeah I'm definitely not pregnant."

Connie and Dixie furrowed their brows in confusion at her statement.

She cleared her throat uncomfortably and tried not to shed the tears she felt gathering.

"I was pregnant before he found me at the hotel," she said quietly in a warbly voice, "After he hurt me… there was no saving the baby."

Dixie and Connie's mouths dropped open drawing the attention of Barney and Lee. They lunged forward together and hugged her as they guys stared in confusion.

Ava found it hard to stop the tears and soon gave up as she felt the first few slide down her face, "I'm just glad the baby wasn't old enough to feel pain."

Barney and Lee looked shocked at the mention of a baby. It hadn't been anywhere in the file. They looked on as the women comforted her and she had a good cry.

"How far along were you?" Dixie asked her heartbroken friend.

"Ten weeks," she muttered, "I didn't even know I was pregnant, but I've always wanted kids. The fact that I lost one…"

Connie patted her back gently while Dixie rubbed her shoulder. The crew members that had noticed her crying had looked away to give her privacy. Ying looked conflicted. He hated when women cried, but she was obviously being taken care of. His earlier suspicions of her melted away in that moment as he realized she had entrenched herself in their family.

Barney's jaw tightened as he controlled the rage building inside him. With the few pieces he'd heard he'd put the puzzle together. Her ex had beaten her and she'd miscarried a baby she hadn't known about, but wanted. He clenched his fists and narrowed his eyes as he stared at the wall. He seemed to come to a conclusion in his head and he wandered into the kitchen to make a phone call to Bonaparte. He wanted to know everything there was to know about Mike Spears so he could crush him slowly. No one fucked with his family.

Lee's jaw was also clenched as he crossed his arms to hide his clenched fists. He leaned against the beam closest to the couch and closed his eyes. No one had realized her pain went deeper. He felt the need to comfort her. He wanted to hold her and tell her everything would be fine and that she'd make a great mother one day.

Lee's eyes popped open at the thought. Someone's mother meant someone's wife. Barney wouldn't let any man get away with knocking up his daughter if there wasn't a ring on her finger. He shuffled his shoulders at the uncomfortable thought of her being with someone. Why was he obsessing over it tho he wondered. Sure she was attractive and they shared similar interests. He understood the SING reference since he liked watching any kind of movie as long as he had his woman to wrap his arms around. Why did he suddenly think of Ava as his woman when he had Lacy? He shook his head and uncrossed his arms. He followed Barney into the kitchen to remove himself from temptation.

As he entered the kitchen he caught the tail end of Barney's conversation. So Barney wanted to take out Mike Spears. Lee agreed it was the best way to make sure she was safe, but they didn't want to stir up the pot in New York. Ava wasn't kidding when she said her father was connected.

Barney looked at his watch and noticed it was time to pick up their order. He had Lee come with to help carry everything.