Norah
She looked at Lee sitting beside her. He was leaning forward with his elbows resting on his legs, hands folded. He was watching people coming and going down the halls of the hospital. Oscar was on her other side, swinging his legs as he frowned over a book. Rose was off trying to find out the status of their father.
"Lee," Norah said, making him look at her. She saw in his eyes that he cared a lot about her. She felt sad inside that he was refusing to try a relationship with her. She wished she knew why.
"Yea?" he asked.
"Thank you for being here, for coming when I called."
"You'd do it for me," he reasoned. She knew he was right. They were there for each other. She contemplated saying something else, something about their relationship, but Rose came back then, and Norah turned her head to look at her, losing the moment.
"He's out," Rose told her, smiling. "He's okay."
"Thank God," Norah said, exhaling roughly. She ran a hand over her hair and gave a slight laugh. Rose sat down beside Oscar and put an arm around him as he leaned into her. He was happy too.
"We can see him in a bit," Rose added. "He can come home in a few days."
"Good."
Norah caught sight of Lee getting to his feet, and she felt slightly alarmed. He wasn't going to leave was he? The look on his face said he was. She got to her feet quickly.
"Lee," she started.
"I gotta go," he interrupted. "Caesar needs me. There's been an incident." Norah felt her heart drop.
"Sasha?"
"She's fine. Char's taken the kids to her mother's and is staying there for a bit."
"What happened?"
Lee gestured for them to get out of earshot of Oscar, so Norah followed him down the hall until he stopped.
"Someone was watching the house," Lee answered quietly.
"What? Do you think it's the same person who hit Sasha?"
"I don't know."
"What're you gonna do?"
"We're gonna find him and deal with it." He was giving her a level stare, and Norah wondered if by "deal with it" he meant kill the man. She shivered.
"You have to leave now?" she asked.
"I wanted to make sure your father was okay before leaving, and he is, so I gotta go. Barney is waiting for me."
"Okay." Norah took in a shaky breath. She wasn't ready for him to go, but she had to deal with it.
"I'll see you when I see you," Lee promised.
"Okay," she said again. He pressed his lips into a tight smile before moving to leave. She grabbed his hand to stop him, pushing herself against him to hug him before he could protest. She closed her eyes as he rested a hand on the back of her head and hugged her back.
"You'll be alright," he promised. "Take your time here."
"Is there something you're not telling me?" she asked, pulling back slightly to look at him.
"No," he said, and she could tell it was a lie. It made her feel afraid. What was he keeping from her?
"Promise me you'll be safe," she said, searching his eyes.
"I'll do my best," he replied. She wanted to kiss him, but she knew it would only make it harder. She had to accept that they weren't going to be more than friends. She had to get past it, and she would. She just needed time.
"Good luck," she said softly.
"See you soon," he said back, touching her cheek gently before releasing her and walking away. She hugged herself as she watched him go.
Toll
He wanted to be with Yang, Gunner, and Caesar helping, but he knew how important it was for him to be here with Victoria too. Gunner gave him updates and promised all was fine for now. Barney and Lee were on their way back, and soon they'd be helping with the search. They would be all right without him.
"Relax," Toll said now, resting a hand over Victoria's. They were sitting in a coffee shop waiting for Bobby, and her leg was bouncing hard with anxiety.
"I can't," she retorted. "I'm meeting the son I threw away 18 years ago."
"You didn't throw him away," Toll corrected, exasperated. "Do we need to go through this again?"
"Shut up, shut up," she said quickly, growing tense and sitting up straighter. Toll looked to see Bobby coming through the door and spying them near the back. His face lit up as he hurried towards them.
"Mom?" he asked, pausing in front of Victoria. The word itself seemed to undo her. She choked out a sob and pressed a hand to her mouth. Toll squeezed her other hand protectively and reassuringly.
"Hi," Victoria managed to say a moment later, her voice thick with emotion. She pulled from Toll's grasp and stood up. She went to shake Bobby's hand when he threw himself into her arms. Toll watched as his sister and nephew cried together. His heart ached with happiness that she'd agreed to do this.
"I'm so glad you came," Bobby said when they broke apart. Victoria rubbed his arms with her hands, nodding and smiling.
"Me too," she said.
"Hi, Uncle Nick," Bobby said, catching sight of Toll.
"Hey. I'll leave you to it," Toll said, getting up. Victoria seemed okay. He figured she didn't need his support anymore.
"Thanks, Nick," she said, giving him a meaningful look. He knew she was telling him thanks for pushing her to meet her son. He refrained from telling her, "I told you so."
"See you later," Toll said, touching her shoulder as he passed and then patting Bobby's shoulder as he passed him next. He looked back when he was at the door to see the two of them sitting side by side and talking animatedly. He smiled.
Rose
She looked at Norah and could tell her sister was sad. After Lee left, Norah kind of just turtled into herself and stayed quiet. It was unusual to see her sister quiet for more than a few minutes at a time. Even Oscar looked worried.
"Hey," she said, making Norah look at her. "Are you okay?"
"Yea," she answered.
"I know you're lying."
"I'm worried about Dad," Norah said, still lying. Rose resisted pushing it. If Norah didn't want to talk about Lee, then she wasn't going to force it. She'd play along.
"He's gonna be fine," Rose promised.
"Today maybe," Norah said absently, picking at her sweater.
"Norah," Rose warned, shooting her a warning look. She didn't want her to upset Oscar, who was paying attention to the conversation. Norah stopped talking and lowered her head again. Rose sighed, but her frustration didn't last when the doctor finally came to tell her they could go see Joe. She went first, leaving Oscar with Norah. Her father looked small in that hospital bed, and Rose didn't like it one bit.
"Hi, Dad," she said, smiling at him. He gave a weak smile back.
"Hi," he said back. "See? All put back together again."
"Good. Now stay that way," she warned, and he gave a tiny laugh.
"I'll do my best."
"No working for a while. Lots of bed rest."
"I can't do that. You know I don't do well idle..."
"Dad," Rose warned, lifting a brow. "I mean it. You are to rest."
"You can't watch me all day," he said defiantly. She inhaled and exhaled loudly, resting her hands on her hips. He just gave her a cheeky smile and folded his hands over his stomach.
"Watch me," she replied.
"Can you send Oscar in? I'm feeling like I need to be around someone a little less intimidating right now." He was still smiling, and she rolled her eyes. She still went to get her son, though. It was all she had not to shake while looking at him in that bed.
Tool
Toll had texted to say that Victoria and Bobby were having a good time talking. He smiled. Bobby had been understanding when Tool had explained why he'd fibbed about not being able to find her. It had been a complicated spot to be in, and Bobby had reassured him he wasn't mad. It was no surprise to see his daughter call him. Her voicemail said she was looking for Bobby; it said nothing about how long it'd been since Tool and her had spoken. He'd ignored it. Let her stew for a while.
He owed it to Bobby to give him some time with his birth mother.
He was whistling to himself as he opened the door to his shop. He'd spent a while out and about. When he got in, he stopped in his tracks.
"What the bloody hell?" he asked. "WHAT THE BLOODY HELL?!"
Barney & Lee
They got home to find an aggravated Tool greeting them as soon as they walked in. Lee noticed that Rupert was hiding, and he instantly knew that something had happened. Rupert only hid when he'd done something bad.
"Oh no," he said.
"Oh yes," Tool corrected, glaring. "'Leave the animals with Tool,' they said. 'It'll be fun,' they said. Well, your mutt decided that my pipe was the perfect toy to play fetch with."
"Uh oh," Barney said, resisting a snicker.
"I think he's telling you to quit smoking," Lee said. "Dog's are smart, you know?" He felt his lips twitch with a smirk as Tool held up a mangled piece of wood full of teeth marks that used to resemble a pipe.
"This was hand carved," Tool said, his tone low and menacing. "Hand. Carved."
"Yea, hand carved, Lee," Barney chimed in.
"Shut up," Tool ordered, jabbing the mangled pipe in Barney's direction.
"Okay," Barney said, bowing his head and walking past Lee towards the armory.
"I'm sorry," Lee said. "I'll buy you a new pipe."
"Oh no," Tool stopped him. "You will not."
"Okay...I won't," Lee said, confused.
"No, no," Tool said, shaking the pipe at him now. "You're gonna carve me a brand new pipe. You're good with knives, right? Should be pretty easy for you."
"Tool, I don't have..." Lee started, but the look he got back made him shut his mouth very quickly and bite his tongue. Tool walked up to him slowly and stopped right in front of him. For a moment, Lee thought he might end up with a mangled pipe shoved into his esophagus, but Tool just stared at him before jabbing it into his chest slowly with each word he said.
"You. Are. Going. To. Make. Me. A. New. Pipe," he said, each jab getting harder as he went.
"Okay," Lee said quickly.
"And if I don't like it, you make me another one."
"Okay."
"If I get a sliver in my tongue, you're a dead man."
"Understood."
"Actually, scratch that," Tool said, examining Lee's head with that look Lee hated to see. "If I get a sliver, I get to tattoo whatever I want on your head."
"Oh, no..." Lee would rather be dead, if he was honest.
"You better do one hell of a good job then," Tool said, pulling out Lee's hand and slapping the remains of his pipe into it hard. Lee winced as it rammed into his skin. Tool stalked off, and Lee released the breath he'd been holding. Then he looked around the room.
"Alright, you," he said. "Get your ass out here right now." He saw Rupert's nose poke out from under the couch slowly, sniffing. Then the dog's eyes appeared, and he looked mournful.
"You're in big trouble," Lee commented, gesturing with the pipe. "And if he ends up tattooing my head, you're gonna get sent to the pound." Rupert gave a whimper and tucked himself back under the couch. Lee sighed roughly and stuck the pipe into his bag. He'd deal with it later.
"Oh, and one more thing," Tool said, returning with Sassy in his hand. The cat wasn't even struggling, sensing she was in deep shit. Lee grunted upon the impact of Tool shoving her against his chest. "If I ever see this...thing...again, you can bet on me tattooing fake mascara on your eyes." He left once more, and Lee looked at Sassy in disbelief.
"What the hell did you do to him?" Lee asked. The cat didn't respond. Barney returned at this point after the door slamming from down the hall confirmed Tool was finished threatening him.
"I'm amazed you're still standing," Barney commented. Lee blinked at him.
"Why?"
"Oh boy," Barney said with a snort and a laugh. "Go have a look." Lee walked slowly down towards Tool's office with dread growing in his chest more and more the closer he got. He stopped at the door and pushed it open with his free hand, the other still holding Sassy. The sight before him was like a scene from a nightmare. It looked like a tornado had hit the office. Everything was everywhere.
"You little bastard," Lee said, looking at Sassy, who mewed at him finally.
"I wouldn't even bother trying to clean it up," Barney said, coming up behind him to look and laugh some more. "If you don't put it all back right, you're dead."
"I'm dead no matter what...after he doodles on my face."
"Pretty much. Better make sure that pipe is as smooth as silk," Barney said, clapping Lee's shoulder before going back to the exit. Lee followed, handing Sassy to Barney before going to drag Rupert out from under the couch. He got them into his truck and took them home with Barney following. Once he got them all set up, he got into Barney's truck, and they went to Caesar's.
Caesar
Watching his wife and kids leave the house because they were afraid was one of the hardest things he'd ever seen. Char had been reluctant, but he'd made her go without him. He needed to stay here and find this bastard and put an end to all of this.
"This is a nice couch," Gunner said in the darkness.
"It is," Caesar agreed. "Keep it that way."
"Are you implying I'm going to mess it up?"
"I've seen you eat, Gunner."
"Fair enough."
Caesar looked around the home in the growing darkness. This was so not what he wanted to happen here. Then he caught sight of Gunner reaching over his head.
"Careful," he barked at Gunner, who was starting the process of wiring up a new camera in the midst of some china plates.
"It's gonna get wrecked anyway. Remind me why we're making your house a warzone again?" Gunner asked, ignoring the snappiness of Caesar's voice.
"If he thinks we're all here vulnerable, he'll strike, and he'll soon find himself facing more than he bargained for," Caesar explained. Gunner stubbed his toe on the coffee table and grunted.
"Is that why we're working in the dark?" he asked after getting his breath back.
"Yes." Caesar suddenly sensed someone behind him, and he whipped around to deliver a blow when he was deflected easily and had his cheek lightly slapped in return.
"Mother fu-," he stopped before collecting himself and breathing. Lee was grinning back at him in the low light. "What the hell, man?!"
"I thought you were supposed to be on high alert?" Barney asked, walking by him next. "A monkey banging cymbals coulda come in here without you noticing." Lee gave a scoff of laughter in return.
"How the hell did you get in here?!" Caesar demanded. "And why didn't you tell me you were here!"
"I texted," Lee said, making Caesar pull out his phone to see the message on his screen. He'd forgotten that he'd silenced his notifications.
"I see it now," he huffed. "But how...?"
"I let them in," Yang answered before he finished, coming into view as he carried more guns to the kitchen table. "You were busy scolding Hulk."
"Not good, Caesar," Gunner commented before grunting again after stubbing his other foot.
"Feels like Home Alone meets Die Hard," Lee mused. "With a dash of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. I like it."
"You break, you buy," Yang stated as he walked back.
"Seriously?" Lee asked Caesar, lifting a brow.
"I'm boxing up the valuables," he insisted, feeling impatient.
"'Bout time you guys showed up," Gunner commented now.
"Had some interference," Barney replied.
"What did you guys do to Tool?" Gunner asked, knowing what interference meant. It was their code word they'd come up with a while ago for Tool's anger.
"Not me. Him," Barney said, gesturing to Lee, who was standing there quiet.
"The cat?" Gunner asked.
"And the dog," Barney added.
"Oh shit," Gunner sniggered.
"Can we just get on with this?" Lee asked, annoyed. Caesar chortled slightly as he got back to work, carefully setting Char's nice things into boxes and tucking them away. He hated to do this, but he felt it was the only thing he could do. The team was talking in low voices as they worked, and he tried not to think about what was possibly going to happen here later tonight or in the next few days. He hoped it wouldn't take too long. He wanted his family back.
Rose
She could tell that Norah missed Lee a lot, but she still didn't know if she should bring it up or not. She was walking back to their father's hospital room after sending Oscar off with Winston to go home when she heard her father and Norah talking.
"I don't want you talking about him to your sister," her father was saying.
"Why not? She deserves to know," Norah was insisting back.
"I'll say it again: he's dangerous. I don't want you going back there."
"You can't tell me what to do. I'm an adult."
Rose was both irritated and curious, but her worry about their father getting stressed out after surgery won. She went into the room, and they both instantly stopped talking.
"What's going on?" she demanded.
"Nothing," Norah answered.
"Who are you talking about?" Rose pressed. "Is it worth upsetting Dad over? He just had a stent put in after having a heart attack!" She didn't miss her father shooting Norah a glare as a warning.
"We aren't talking about anyone," Joe advised.
"Oh good grief," Rose said, tilting her head back and growling in frustration. "I heard you say this person was dangerous and that you didn't want Norah going back. I ask again: what's going on?"
"Norah," Joe warned, but Norah was already launching into it.
"We have an uncle," she told Rose. "I found him in New Orleans. Dad sent him away after Mom died so we'd never know him." The words settled in the air, and Rose frowned as she searched her memories. Something niggled there, something she hadn't thought about in a long time.
"He taught me to blow a bubble with gum," she said. The images of a man laughing as she spat a wad of gum across the room over and over again.
"Yes!" Norah exclaimed excitedly. "I remember that too!"
"Uncle..." Rose said, thinking. "Uncle Arnie. No, Uncle Barney. Right?"
"Yes," Norah confirmed, still excited. Rose looked at their father, who was clearly struggling with emotions of some kind.
"What happened to him?" she asked.
"He left," Joe answered.
"No, you sent him away," Norah corrected. She looked at Rose again. "Dad didn't want Barney around cos he was a 'bad influence.'"
"No, because he's a mercenary, and he's dangerous, and people in his life are put at risk because of what he does," Joe corrected.
"A mercenary!" Rose exclaimed, shocked. She suddenly had a thought. "Norah, is Lee...?"
"They keep people safe, Rose," Norah said quickly. "They're not the kind who are in it just to make money."
"Oh my God!" Rose cried, feeling horrified. "You're living with a mercenary?!"
"He's so much more than that!" Norah cried back. "You guys keep getting stuck on the fact he does mercenary work. You're not taking into account who he is outside of his work!"
"Norah! Listen to yourself!" Rose yelled, feeling panicked and scared. "You're living with a murderer!"
"No! He's not..." Norah stopped talking, pinching the bridge of her nose with her fingers. "You know what? I don't have to explain this to you."
"You're not going back there," Rose tried.
"Yes, I am! I care about him, and I've become friends with all of them. I'm not leaving them."
"You said you weren't staying there! Norah, it's time to move on."
They stood squared off, and Norah was clenching her jaw and glaring at Rose while also looking hurt.
"Norah, we're just looking out for you," Joe started.
"No, you're not. You're telling me that you don't trust me."
"How is this saying we don't trust you?" Rose demanded.
"Because you're not listening to me when I tell you Lee and everyone are good people! You're not trusting my judgment, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised."
"Norah..."
"You know what? I'm out of here," Norah said, moving to leave.
"Norah," Joe called after her. She stopped at the doorway.
"I'm really glad you're okay, Dad," she said through her tears. "I'm sorry I caused it. I'm sorry I keep messing everything up. I'm...I'm sorry. I won't cause anymore trouble."
"Norah," Joe said again urgently.
"Norah, don't," Rose pleaded.
"Goodbye," Norah said, stepping out the doorway and disappearing.
"Go after her," Joe ordered. "Now." Rose didn't need to be told twice.
Gunner
"That's great," he said into the phone. He was leaning against the back wall and watching the others still moving around to set up booby traps and loading guns/sharpening knives.
"Yes," Victoria said back. "I'm so, so glad I did this. I hate to say that Nick was right."
"He knows you well, Vic."
"I know," she sighed. "Anyway, Bobby is gonna stay over with us tonight."
"I hope you have a great time," Gunner said sincerely.
"Are you alright? Nick is freaking out a little that he's not involved in your party over there."
"I'm fine. He ain't missing much right now."
"Is Char okay? Caesar?"
"Char's unsettled, but she's gone with the kids now. Caesar is pissed," Gunner answered truthfully, craning his neck to see Caesar talking to his knife and making intense faces at it while slightly bulging his eyes, which indicated he was uttering death threats to his invisible opponent.
"Please be safe."
"Ha, please," Gunner scoffed. "You know that's my middle name."
"True," she said. He could hear her smile over the phone, and he smiled back. He wanted to say it. It was on the tip of his tongue, but he was afraid of scaring her off if he did. It kind of scared him a little that he felt that way towards her, but it had snuck up on him and struck him out of the blue whether he was ready for it or not.
He loved her.
If only the fear of her possibly relapsing the other night would leave him alone. It was keeping the words at bay too.
"I gotta go," she said now. "I'll text you later."
"Okay. Have a good time."
"I will."
They hung up, and Gunner slid his phone back into his pocket. He looked over to see Yang carefully wiring up a window.
This was gonna be a whole lot of fun.
Norah
"Norah!"
She didn't stop as her sister kept hollering her name down the hospital halls. She made it outside before Rose grabbed her arm to pull her back.
"Let me go!" Norah exclaimed, yanking her arm back.
"You're being unnecessarily dramatic," Rose chastised, and Norah bristled.
"You're the one being dramatic," she shot back. "You're jumping to conclusions and assuming the worst about Lee and my friends."
"You just got confirmation that he...they...kill people," Rose said. "I'm sorry, but I think that warrants me being a little bit upset!"
"You're not changing my mind, Rose," Norah said strongly. "I'm going back."
"At least stay until Dad's home," Rose insisted.
"No," Norah replied. "I caused this whole thing. I'm upsetting Dad and making him sick. I can't do that to him anymore. I have to leave."
"You didn't cause his heart attack, Norah..."
"I was yelling at him when it happened!" she burst out. "I got him angry and upset!"
"It's been building for a while," Rose advised. "He was talking about a pulled muscle not long ago, and now I think it was his heart starting to have trouble. You didn't cause it."
"But I stressed him out to the point it did happen," Norah said. "Therefore it's my fault. I'm sorry, Rose. I can't stay. Dad needs to heal, and I need to not be berated for my life choices." Her sister looked frustrated and sad, but she didn't say anything else. Norah felt conflicted about it all, but she knew she couldn't bear to hurt her father again. She also just didn't want to listen to them try to convince her to stay.
"Norah," Rose said again. "You're being irrational..."
"Goodbye, Rose," Norah said strongly, cutting her off. She started walking again, feeling the tears burning in her eyes. Did no one think she could make good decisions? Did no one trust that she could figure shit out? Did no one realize she was struggling inside with so many things?
She didn't voice it to Rose, but she didn't even know if she would stay in New Orleans for long once she got back. Everything was upside down. She didn't know where she fit anymore.
She just knew she couldn't stay here.
Barney & Lee
It was their shift. Gunner and Yang had gone home to rest and clean up. Caesar was trying to sleep, but they knew he was probably wide awake and fingering his pistol next to him in the bed. Barney knew how anxious he was from missing his family. He blew the smoke from his cigar out the open window. Caesar had pointedly set an entire can of air freshener in front of him while giving him a meaningful look earlier. Barney would make sure it didn't smell like cigars in there. He knew what Char was capable of.
"I don't think this is the same person," Lee said eventually from his corner. Barney could see him sliding his knife in and out of its holster repeatedly as if that soothed him. Then he pulled it out and started on a piece of wood. It was his third attempt to start carving a pipe. It wasn't going well.
"Why's that?"
"Just don't think he'd waste his time playing games. He wants what he wants. He's always gone for the jugular."
"Hmm." Barney paused to think some more. Lee hadn't told the others about his past yet and had decided against it. For whatever reason, he didn't want to. He just kept insisting this was not related to it. Barney hoped to hell he was right.
"I'm sorry," Lee said next.
"For what?"
"Making Norah sad."
"Well, you're being incredibly stupid," Barney pointed out, turning his head to look at him now.
"You know me," Lee insisted. "You know how much I'd hate myself forever if I loved her and she got hurt because of me."
"I do, but maybe that wouldn't happen if you got out of the game."
"You want me to get out of the game?" Lee asked, feeling incredulous. Was his friend really suggesting that to him?
"Is she worth it?" Barney inquired. Lee pondered this question for a moment, but in his heart, he knew the answer.
"Yea," he answered. "She is."
"Then consider it."
"Alright."
"Keep in mind I will gut you like a fish if anything happens to her on your watch," Barney warned. He heard Lee scoff slightly.
"Okay, but I think Tool will beat you to it if I don't do this pipe right."
"No, he's not gonna kill you. He's gonna tattoo something real pretty on your head," Barney reminded him.
"So maybe I should piss you off first then."
Barney smiled to himself in the dark without responding. Lee and his niece. It was a weird concept at first, but he could see how good Norah was for his friend. He knew Lee would treat her like gold if he'd just get his head out of his arse and allow himself to fully love her. If they nailed the guy threatening him, he could see Lee making it right with her. He put out his cigar and picked up the air freshener, spraying it around in the air like mad.
"Thank you!" Caesar called from the other room.
"Bat-like hearing," Barney muttered, setting it down when he was finished. "Who knew?"
"I did," Lee retorted.
"It's a gift and a curse," Caesar chimed in. Lee rolled his eyes. "I heard that!"
"Yea right," Lee scoffed.
"It is kinda loud when you do it," Barney reasoned. "It's like a clicking sound as you go all the way around."
"Shut up," Lee growled. Caesar was snickering now.
"I'll do a perimeter check," Barney stated, getting up. His knees creaked and cracked as he did so. He just needed to walk around for a bit. He disliked being stuck in one spot for a long time.
Lee watched him go, and all he could think about was Norah.