I so appreciate the reviews :) Thank you!
The next couple of days went by, and Barney started to feel like he was getting into the groove of vacation. His muscles were loosening up a bit, and his jaw wasn't clenched as often as it used to be. He was feeling years of pent up stress slowly work its way out of him, and he wondered why he hadn't done this sooner. Did he want to be dead before he got to enjoy life? He thought of Billy. The kid wanted to have a life, and it got stolen from him. Here Barney was with ample opportunity, and he never took it. Life never made any sense. Barney felt the guilt regardless.
"Getting low on supplies, boss," Toll said, searching the cupboards. He pulled out rice cakes, opened the bag, and gave a sniff. "Who the hell eats these?"
"Caesar was looking for those. They're Louis's favorite," Barney answered, pulling out the binoculars from their place under the magazine on the fireplace hearth.
"He can have them," Toll said, closing the bag up. "That's rabbit food right there."
"Well, we're all waiting on you and Gunner to catch us a big fish," Barney said, rubbing it in. He was watching a boat on the lake curiously. Fred and Ethan were on it, both talking animatedly.
"It's a work in progress," Toll reasoned.
"What the hell are you doing in here mooching off our food anyway?" Barney asked, realizing suddenly. "Aren't you staying over there?" He gestured to the cottage next door with his hand.
"They're low on supplies too," Toll said sheepishly.
"Well, quit eating us all out of house and home," Barney retorted, looking through the binoculars again.
"I can run into town," Toll offered.
"I'll go," Lee said, coming inside at that moment. He caught the screen door before it slammed. Barney had scolded them one too many times about it.
"Bored, Christmas?" Barney asked absently, watching Fred and Ethan come closer. He lowered the binoculars when they were in front of the cottage. He didn't want them seeing him spying on them. He was still waiting to hear back from Tool about who they were.
"A little bit," Lee answered. Barney chuckled. Emily had backed off a bit since their afternoon together a couple days ago. Maya came to play with Louis, but Emily kept her distance. He knew it was driving Lee nuts.
"Make a list. Go crazy," Barney said. "Let Caesar know too."
"On it," Toll said, going out the door. Unlike Lee, he didn't catch the door in time, and it slammed loudly.
"DON'T SLAM THE DOOR!" Barney bellowed on cue, making Lee flinch.
"Sorry!" Toll called back, trotting down the steps without looking back.
"God," Barney huffed. "How hard is it to catch the damn door?"
"You're turning into your aunt," Lee noted, circling his finger in the air in Barney's direction. "You're soon gonna have your own notes all over this place if you're not careful."
"Hey, it's a helpful reminder to bring in the barbecue utensils to wash," Barney reasoned, referring to the one he'd written recently. "It's one note."
"For now."
"Just write the damn list, alright?" Barney ordered. "Leave me alone."
"Alright, alright," Lee grumbled, pulling out a piece of paper and a pen. He started going through the cupboards and the fridge next, writing down things they needed. Barney turned his head as pounding footsteps sounded. He heard the giggling before he saw them, and sure enough, Louis and Maya were running past the deck and down the trail over to Caesar's. He smiled. This place was the best when you were a kid. He would know.
...
Tia was finishing up with her list when Lee came inside. She noticed he seemed a bit withdrawn lately, and she wondered if something had happened between him and Emily.
"You seem grumpy," she noted. "Everything okay?"
"Just fine."
She rolled her eyes. Men. They hated to talk for whatever reason. Didn't they know it could help them feel better?
"You need me to assist you?" she asked, handing him her now completed grocery list.
"Nope," he answered. "I got it."
"Alright. Well, have fun," she said, leaning against the counter.
"Yea," he said, moving to leave.
"English?" she asked, stopping him.
"Yea?"
"I just want you to know that Caesar and I are doing better. Just in case you're wondering," she added. "This trip has been really good for us."
"Glad to hear it," Lee said with a smile finally. She thought about his fear from earlier and gave a snort of laughter.
"I can't believe you-" she started.
"Oh, stuff it," he cut her off, looking embarrassed.
"You wouldn't be able to handle me, English," she said fondly, and he gave a bark of laughter.
"You're right about that," he agreed. "Too high maintenance for me." He ducked the flying pen, laughing as he scooted out the door.
"What's going on?" Caesar asked, passing Lee as he came inside. Lee's cackling laughter echoed briefly as he went down the deck steps.
"Just Lee being an idiot," Tia sighed. "He called me high maintenance."
"You say that like it's a bad thing," Caesar said, moving to hug and kiss her.
"You think I'm high maintenance?!"
"Baby, I love maintaining you," Caesar said, smiling. "I'd hate it if you were low maintenance. I'd be bored."
"Oh my God, I'm surrounded by idiots!" Tia exclaimed, laughing. "Don't you know you're not supposed to call your women high maintenance?!" Caesar grinned and picked her up to spin her around, making her shriek with more laughter.
Things were definitely going a lot better. She hoped it would only keep building from here.
...
Toll was sitting in a chair on the dock watching the water when Serena paddled by in her kayak. His heart leaped into his throat, and he lost the ability to speak when she smiled at him.
"Hey," she said.
"H-Hey," he managed to choke out. "How are you?"
"I'm alright," she answered. She was beautiful in the sun. He noticed a mark on her cheek, though, and his stomach clenched. It would appear as though someone had struck her.
"You sure?" he asked. A slight shadow crossed her face, but then she smiled again.
"Definitely," she replied. "Nothing like a good paddle to boost your energy."
"Yea," he agreed.
"Have a good day," she said, paddling on.
"You too."
He watched her go, and he wished he knew what was going on over there. He cracked his knuckles. He wanted to keep her safe. He wanted to flatten whoever it was that was hurting her.
"Whoa!" Louis cried, barely dodging Toll's knees as he ran past with Maya hot on his heels. Toll was jerked back to the present moment, and he watched them run and laugh together. He'd have to worry about Serena later.
"Careful!" Emily's voice called, and Toll turned his head to see her coming his way. Then he saw Lee coming down the hill towards them.
...
Lee came across Emily walking towards him as he approached the dock where Toll was watching Louis and Maya playing. Maya had already greeted him with a big hug when he first got there. She was now immersed in trying to catch a frog with Louis, who was explaining the technique to her. He'd bragged about the one he'd caught at the falls with Toll the other day.
"Hey," he said as he met Emily's eyes.
"Hi," she said back. He didn't know what else to say. After their last afternoon together, they'd kept their distance.
"How are you?" he asked.
"Um, good," she answered. "I just, uh, need to talk to Tia for a second."
"Yea, sure."
"Great. I'll see you later," she said, walking past him.
"Okay." He turned to watch her walk up the hill, feeling an ache in his chest. Maya and Louis were exclaiming excitedly now, chasing a frog across the dock as it tried to get away.
"What the hell was that?" Toll asked, breaking into his thoughts.
"I have no idea," Lee sighed.
"You guys seemed like you had chemistry."
"I thought so too, but apparently not."
"Yes!" Maya shouted, making Lee turn his head to see the girl holding a frog in his hands. "I got it!"
"Awesome job, kiddo," Toll praised.
"He's slippery," she giggled.
"Let's take him somewhere more sheltered," Louis suggested, and they walked over to the more marshy area that was shaded.
"You want company?" Toll asked, nodding at the lists in Lee's hand.
"Nah. I need some alone time."
"I hear you."
"See you later."
"Sure."
Lee walked along the path back to Barney's, and he was trying to start the eight horse motor when Emily walked by.
"Do you need a hand?" she asked, her voice teasing.
"No," he answered, panting slightly. "I'll get it."
"Choke half out works," she pointed out, "and turn the throttle a bit. I heard Barney explaining it to Gunner the other day."
Lee looked down at the choke full out and pushed it in a little bit. He already had the throttle twisted. He gave a yank, and it spluttered to life. Blue smoke was soon wafting everywhere, making him cough. Barney really liked his old equipment.
"You heading to town?" Emily asked over the motor.
"Yea."
"You'll probably see me there," she said.
"You want a lift?" he offered. She stood there contemplating it as he got out of the boat to unclip it from the front of the dock. He stood in front of her as she crossed her arms and hugged herself.
"I guess that would make sense," she agreed.
"I can keep it platonic, if that's what you're worried about," Lee said. "I'm not really one for getting it on in the produce section, you know? Too big of an audience."
She burst out laughing, covering her mouth with a hand quickly to suppress it. He chuckled himself, glad to see her loosen up a little again around him.
"You're too much, Lee," she said, calming down finally. "Alright, just let me get my bag."
"Okay."
He waited for her, feeling warmth inside at the idea of spending some time with her again. He knew nothing was going to happen, but he still liked her company. She looked really pretty in her deep blue halter dress. He was glad he'd changed out of his grease stained clothes. He and Barney had been messing around with the lawn mower that morning for a bit before calling time of death on it at 9:32am.
Emily came back with a black bag that looked heavy enough to flatten someone. He made sure she got in okay before lifting a brow at it.
"Did you forget anything?" he asked, teasing and gesturing to the bag.
"You will never say I'm not prepared," she answered defensively. "And if you don't stop picking on me, I just might not offer you anything from it if you needed it."
"Fair enough," he said, getting settled on the seat and reversing out of the slip. They both ducked their heads as they went under the beam. They were across in a few minutes, and he offered to drive to town, which she accepted. She was surprised when he opened the car door for her but didn't say anything. She was quiet for most of the drive into town, but eventually she talked about Maya since he asked some more questions about her.
"I can totally see that child in university before she's 18," Emily said when he asked about school.
"Oh yea?"
"Yes. She's advanced past most of her classmates now as it is."
"She's gonna be the next Einstein, eh?" he asked, parking the SUV in the lot of the grocery store.
"I hope she knows the world is her oasis and she doesn't have to be limited to certain things," Emily said, getting out. They walked in together, and Lee snagged a cart on their way in. Emily took one for herself.
"I did not take you guys for veggie lovers," she commented as he loaded up on carrots and lettuce and other garden objects.
"We have to be good role models for the boy," Lee answered. "We can't just eat meat all day long."
"I see."
The banter went back and forth as they continued on. Lee was enjoying himself greatly. She was so easy to be around, and he didn't have to worry about judgment. It also helped him to not think about Billy.
At one point, something was out of her reach, and before he could offer to help, she was climbing the shelf to get it.
"You really are something, you know that?" he said as she reached to the back and pulled out what she was after, one hand holding the edge of the shelf.
"I'm independent," she retorted. "There's a difference."
"Whoa," he said as she went to come down and lost her footing. She fell against him on her back, and he wrapped an arm around her waist to secure her as he got her on her feet again. She was clutching the jar in her one hand and his arm with her other, still pressed against him.
"I totally had it," she said, her voice wavering a little.
"I hate to burst your bubble," he said, "but without me, you'd be wiped out on the floor with a possible concussion right now." She turned her head slightly to look at him, her lips close to his.
"That's what you think," she said back.
"I guess we'll never know," he commented.
"No, we won't," she agreed. He seriously contemplated kissing her, but he respected her, and if she wanted platonic, then he'd give her platonic.
He let her go and took a step back, consulting his list again. They were about halfway through. He noticed Emily looking a little distracted, and he wondered if she was having difficulty with her decision to keep things platonic between them. His mind flashed to her nails digging into his arm, and he knew she had felt the same electric shock he had at their contact.
"Hard to believe in a week or less this will all be gone," she sighed when they were finished and loading the SUV.
"Yea," he agreed, shutting the hatch. "At least your company aren't a bunch of wood chippers with their food."
"Ha, true," she said with a laugh. When she returned from taking the carts back, he opened the door for her again.
"Did your mother teach you that?" she asked in a slight teasing tone.
"Yes, ma'am," he answered.
"Ugh, don't call me that," she said, wrinkling her nose. "I'm not sixty years old yet." He smirked and chuckled as he shut the door after she got in.
He checked his phone before driving and saw Barney was requesting pizza for dinner. He sighed.
"What's wrong?" Emily asked.
"Gotta pick up dinner," he answered. "The cooks are on strike tonight."
"That's not a bad idea," she mused. "I'm not going to feel up to cooking when I get back either."
"Alright."
He drove them to the nearest pizza place and took care of ordering and paying. He waved off Emily's money, much to her dismay.
"I don't like charity," she started.
"Then you can make it up to me in another way," he interrupted. To his surprise, she blushed. He tilted his head at her, wondering just what way she had been thinking of.
"How?" she asked, clearing her throat.
"Foot massage," he answered seriously. She stared at him before smacking him in the arm. It didn't hurt at all, and he laughed and fended her off as she tried to smack him again.
"Anything but that," she said afterwards.
"Anything?" he challenged, and she went red in the cheeks again.
"Keep it professional," she instructed.
"Alright," he agreed, deciding not to make her feel more embarrassed. She settled back into her seat, satisfied. He kept looking at her, finally feeling brave enough to do what he did next. He reached to cup her face, turning it back to him. She was a bit startled and then looked nervous when she saw what he was looking at.
"Who did this?" he asked her, running his thumb across the faint mark on her cheek. He'd wanted to ask her all afternoon but hadn't known how. It made him feel very angry.
"No one," she said.
"Emily," he said seriously. "Please don't lie to me."
"He was throwing her around," Emily whispered. "I...I couldn't just stand there."
"Fred?"
"Yes."
He exhaled hard and loud, taking his hand back. He really hated this Fred guy.
"It's why I stayed away," she offered next when he didn't speak. "I didn't want you to see it."
"I really think..." Lee started.
"No," she cut him off quickly. "Please, Lee, stay out of it. You'll only make it worse."
"I really hate to think about you in danger over there," Lee said. "And Maya. It bothers me."
"I can handle myself, and Maya is safe," Emily promised. "Please, just leave it." Her eyes were begging him, and he didn't want to put her at more risk. He hated being told to sit on the sidelines, though.
"Okay," he said finally, softly. "But please, if you need help, come get me."
"I will," she promised. She held his gaze, and he felt the pull to kiss her, to show her he cared about her more than just platonic friends, but he kept himself in check. He faced forward again, starting the engine. He rested an arm on the edge of the window as he drove. He wondered if she was thinking about kissing him the way he was thinking about kissing her.
...
Barney was just out for a walk, that was all. He followed the trail around the island before coming up to the crown land piece at the one end. He stood and breathed it all in, hearing his own laughter and shouting and picturing himself running past with his cousins.
No one ever told him how much you started looking back at your life when you hit a certain age. It was difficult sometimes.
He started walking again but frowned as he noticed some disturbed dirt. He looked around before walking over to it casually, bending down to scrape some of it away with his hands. He revealed the corner of a crate. He dug a bit more and faster, revealing the rest of the crate, and he pulled out his pocket knife to help open it. His heart sank as he saw what was inside.
"Shit."
...
Emily was in a bit of a dither. Spending time with Lee was reinforcing her feelings for him, and she knew she couldn't allow them to surface. She couldn't afford to be vulnerable with someone. She didn't want to end up getting hurt, and she was certainly not letting Maya get hurt. She also didn't want to hurt Lee.
The way he touched her cheek, though, and asked her to come for him if she needed him...it made her realize how much he cared about her already. It was slightly unnerving yet sweet and thrilling.
Ethan met them at the landing as they were unloading. She groaned inwardly. She knew he wouldn't be able to help himself. He'd been slightly indignant when she'd told him she was going shopping with Lee.
"Took you long enough," Ethan commented as he took the bags from her and put them in their boat.
"Next time, you go," she retorted.
"I wanted to..."
"By yourself," she cut him off, glaring at him. He just gave a shake of his head back. Lee was quiet, and Emily knew he didn't like Ethan one bit and was holding himself back from doing or saying something in return.
"Oohh I like the way you think," Ethan said as he took the pizzas from her next.
"Barney's idea," Emily replied.
"Well, what would we do without him?" Ethan asked sarcastically. He set them on the seat and waited while Emily went to check to make sure she'd gotten everything from the SUV. Lee was shutting the hatch when she approached.
"Thanks," she said to him. "For the ride and everything."
"No problem."
She stood in front of him, and she could feel the tension between them crackling. She swallowed. She could also feel Ethan's eyes burning holes into her back.
"I'll see you around," she said after a moment, not knowing what else to say.
"Sure. You still owe me," he reminded her, his eyes twinkling. She pursed her lips slightly before smiling.
"Keep it PG, alright?"
"Of course," he said, faking outrage. "Who do you think I am?"
"Definitely a comedian," she commented, turning to go. He surprised her by stepping into her and slipping an arm to rest on her bare shoulder blades while his fingers slid gently up her neck to hold her head still as he kissed her cheek softly. He ran the backs of his other fingers down her opposite cheek and jaw lightly, making her break out in goose bumps.
"I'm just me," he said quietly after. "See you later." She stood there feeling shocked as he released her and went to get into the SUV to park it. She stumbled backwards slightly before turning to walk down the dock. Ethan looked pissed.
"Did you two go shag in some motel somewhere?" he demanded.
"I have a little more class than that," she replied, getting into the boat and doing her best not to relive that kiss. Her cheek felt slightly burned from where his lips had touched it. She resisted touching it with her fingers as Ethan started taking them across the lake. She was pretty sure he'd done it just to make Ethan angry, but a small part of her was thinking he'd done it because he wanted to.
She wasn't sure how to feel about that.
...
"That's two more for me," Toll said as he clipped the boat to the dock in the boathouse. Gunner was grumbling.
"It won't matter when I pull out the monster," he reasoned. "Size beats quantity in the end, remember?"
"You keep dreaming," Toll snorted. They walked out single file, Toll carrying his catch of the day. He took them up to the shed to fillet them while Gunner sauntered over to see what Caesar was up to. Barney was using the weed whacker to cut the grass. Toll figured they must not have managed to fix the lawn mower.
He pulled out some old newspaper, chuckling as he looked at the year they were from. He was discovering a lot of vintage things here, which was kind of cool. He slapped the fish down on them and sharpened the knife before starting.
"Toll."
He snapped his head up to see Barney standing there. He'd completely missed the weed whacker shutting off. He'd been lost in his thoughts, them being mostly about Serena.
"Yea?"
"I found something. I need you to come with me."
"Give me five?"
"Yea."
Toll felt worried because Barney looked concerned. He finished quickly, rinsing the fish off and disposing the heads and spines into a bag to be dealt with later. He wrapped the fish up and washed his hands thoroughly before taking the bundles to the fridge. Then he found Barney in the backyard standing near a path.
They walked quietly together, and they soon arrived to the one back corner of the island. Barney knelt down to sweep dirt off a crate and pulled it open.
"Holy shit," Toll said, seeing all the automatic guns in there.
"I give you three guesses who these belong to," Barney offered.
"Fred," Toll said immediately.
"Tool got back to me an hour ago. He confirmed Fred is an arms dealer."
"And the other guy?"
"He's not on any database. I think he's just Serena's creepy brother, but that doesn't mean he isn't helping Fred and just hasn't been identified yet," Barney reasoned.
"Do you think the girls are in on this?" Toll asked, feeling nervous. His mind flashed back to Serena. She didn't seem the type who would be involved in this. Neither did Emily. They were too innocent.
"I doubt it."
"So what do we do?" Toll asked. Barney sighed and put everything back carefully. He stood up slowly and looked at Toll.
"Not really much we can do. We can keep an eye on them and see where they go and if they take this with them."
"Just let the authorities know?"
"I think so. I don't want to be making waves up here and let everyone know who we are."
"I'm sure Fred already knows."
"It'll take him a while to figure out unless he's got CIA connections," Barney reasoned. "Which he might."
"So much for a vacation, huh?" Toll asked. They were walking back to the cottage now.
"Nothing's happened yet," Barney answered. "No need for us to get involved unless we have to."
"Alright."
They returned to find Lee back and hauling bags to the cottage. He barked out something about help being nice, so Toll started to haul too. He saw Barney filling Lee in quietly once they were inside together.
He had a twisty feeling in his stomach that things were going to get bad and without warning. He worried that they wouldn't be prepared.
He worried someone would get hurt.
...
"Okay," Serena said, joining Emily outside on the deck later that evening one Maya was in bed. "This is long overdue, but what's going on with you and that guy over there?"
"Nothing," Emily answered, looking around for Ethan or Fred. She found them both watching TV and gesturing while hooting and hollering every so often. She hoped they wouldn't wake up Maya.
"Babe, I can see it all over your face," Serena laughed.
"See what?"
"You get all dreamy looking when you're gonna see him."
"I do not!"
"There's nothing wrong with it. I think it's sweet."
"We're just friends," Emily insisted. She looked out towards the darkness, not wanting to talk about this anymore.
"You know it's okay, right?"
"What is?"
"You being with someone else? I know I said it'd be cool if you got with Ethan, but I understand that it's not going to happen."
"I just am not interested. I'm sorry," Emily apologized.
"It's all good, babe. Ethan is an acquired taste...I get that."
Emily felt surprised. She wondered what was making Serena share this with her now of all times.
"I'm fine being alone," she said after a moment.
"I don't believe that for one second," Serena said, smiling, "but you tell yourself that."
"I am..."
"If that guy wants to be with you, then let him be with you," Serena interrupted, pointing towards Barney's place.
"No..."
"Ah, ah, ah!" she cut Emily off. "I mean it. You deserve to have some fun and spend time with someone, Em. You're alone way too much."
Emily closed her mouth, giving up arguing. There was no point. She folded her arms across her chest and crossed her legs, looking out at the dark water. She knew Serena was right, but it was hard to accept the idea.
Keep it platonic, her thoughts whispered, leaving her to feel torn. She had no idea which voice she should be listening to right now: the one in her head or her best friend's.
Oye vey.
The Next Day
"Are we finally doing this?" Caesar asked, standing legs apart and arms crossed. He was looking up at the tree in the backyard that Barney had been saying he wanted to cut down since they'd arrived, but something always came up to sidetrack him.
"Yes," Barney answered.
"It's big," Gunner commented.
"And windy," Toll stated, looking around at the other trees swaying.
"I'm not climbing to the top to limb it," Lee said.
"Coward," Barney shot at him.
"Not a coward," Lee corrected. "I'm smart."
"You're the smallest," Gunner said to him. "You should do it."
Lee was about to open his mouth with a snarky comment back when Louis bounded into view.
"Can I climb it?" he asked hopefully. "I'm the smallest!"
"No!" all the men answered at once.
"Aww," Louis whined. Tia appeared then and put a hand on his shoulder to steer him out of harm's way. Lee noticed she and Caesar were extra smiley around each other lately, which he was happy to see. Their time together and date night the other evening had been good for them.
"You really are the best man for the job," Barney said to Lee, who sighed heavily and hated that his friend was right. He was smaller and lighter. If Yang was there, he'd be the one doing it instead.
"Fine," he conceded gruffly. He picked up the chainsaw and headed for the tree, putting his headphones on as he walked. He went up the ladder and then pulled himself onto the tree, climbing up slowly. He felt slightly dizzy the higher he went. He stopped on a good, sturdy branch and started the chainsaw. He cut off limbs slowly and methodically, working his way down. When he was finished, he shut off the chainsaw and climbed back down. At this point, Emily and Maya were standing next to Tia and Louis. His heart jolted at the sight of Emily.
"Thanks, man," Toll said to Lee as he approached.
"You wanna head back up and tie it off?" Barney asked, holding up the rope.
"You couldn't have given that to me earlier so I could have done it when I was already up there?" Lee retorted.
"It's fun watching you be annoyed," Barney replied with a smirk.
"Why are you cutting it down?" Maya asked, making them all turn to look at her. Lee met Emily's gaze, which was rather intense. He hadn't stopped thinking about their last exchange, and he'd spent the night listening hard for any signs of distress at her place, feeling thankful when he heard none.
"It's dead," Barney answered. "Rotten. I want to take it down before it falls down and causes damage."
"Oh," Maya said, studying the tree carefully.
"Be careful, Lee," Tia warned as he started to climb back up it again. He looped the rope around the trunk and some branches securely before coming back down. He was sweaty and tired now, his arms complaining from all the work and climbing he'd been doing. He handed the rope to Gunner on his way by.
"We ready?" Barney asked, looking at the others.
"Let's do it," Toll replied.
Lee walked with Barney over to it. He was going to wedge it while Barney cut. Toll, Gunner, and Caesar were going to pull it as it fell to keep it from doing damage. He felt Emily's eyes on him as he walked.
"Alright," Barney said, snapping his headphones on. Lee followed suit. "Here we go." He yanked the chainsaw to life and started to cut. Lee stuffed the wedges in after a bit, and they both looked to see the other three pulling the tree hard one way. Barney finished cutting and pulled his headphones off, as did Lee, and then Lee hit him on the arm to indicate it was still trying to go the other way with the wind.
"Damn it," Barney said, throwing his weight against the trunk. Lee did too, and a moment later, he felt Emily pushing on him to help. Caesar gave a roar and a final yank with Tia, Gunner, and Toll pulling behind him, and the tree finally fell the way it was supposed to with a very loud crash, the three men and Tia having scattered before it landed on them. Maya and Louis whooped and cheered, jumping up and down on the sidelines.
Lee was panting and trying to get his breath back, and not just from pushing a tree over. Having Emily against his back had made him breathless.
"Thanks for the assist," he said to her.
"Are we even now?" she asked.
"Oh no," he answered. "Not in the slightest."
"Shoot," she said playfully, but she looked almost relieved, which made Lee feel intrigued inside.
"Thanks for helping," Barney said to her next. "I succeeded in what I set out for: no damage."
"Glad to help," Emily replied. Barney went over to join the others and talk more about it while Lee hung back with her.
"You've got a..." Lee trailed off, reaching to remove the hair from her cheek, "...eyelash..." He swept it off his fingers and suddenly felt like an idiot.
"Thanks," she said, pressing her own fingers against her skin briefly where he'd touched her.
"Mum! Louis and I are going swimming!" Maya called.
"Alright," Emily said back. The two kids ran off with Tia going after them. "I guess I should help supervise."
"I should help cut this beast up," Lee said, nodding to the tree.
"I want to get Maya swimming better," Emily went on, sighing and running a hand over her hair. "She isn't as strong as I'd like her to be, but she hates doing drills."
"If you ever need assistance, I don't mind," Lee told her.
"I might take you up on that," Emily said. "She likes you."
"For now," he said with a laugh. She smiled back.
"For always I think," she stated, and he felt that warmth inside again. Even though it seemed impossible to have Maya and Emily in his life after their time here, his brain was working to figure out a solution. He didn't want to just never see them again.
"Come on, slacker!" Toll called to him now, and Lee resisted flipping him off.
"I'll see you later," Emily advised, resting her hand on his arm briefly before walking past him. He watched her go, unable to stop thinking about what it would be like to properly hold her in his arms.