Kate did her best to not throw up every time she looked at Edward. He was eating dinner with her at her apartment currently, and he kept reaching to touch her arm or hand periodically. She did her best to be relaxed, but it wasn't working.

"I've got to work tonight," he told her now. "I know we were going to hang out, but this is important. I can't miss it."

"That's okay," she said, trying not to sound relieved. "I understand."

"When things settle down, we are going to have more down time together," he promised, reaching to touch her face lightly.

"I can't wait," she said, giving him a smile. It was very forced, but he didn't seem to notice. He finished eating and was wiping his mouth when there was knocking on the door.

"I got it," Kate said, getting up. She felt nervous. Lee wouldn't dare show up here again would he? When she pulled open the door to see him standing there, she almost had a heart attack. It was all she could do to not slam the door in his face, which he seemed to recognize since he put his hand on it.

"Hey!" he cried. "There she is!"

Edward turned to look just as Lee wrapped his arm around Kate's neck and gave her a noogie on the head.

"Long time no see!" he exclaimed. "You really need to keep in touch more. You've got my Ma all in a dither."

Kate had never felt so confused in her life. What the hell was he doing?!

"Um, who are you?" Edward asked, giving Lee a scrutinizing look.

"I'm her cousin Danny, ain't I?" Lee countered. "What? She never told you about me?! Bloody hell! We were thick as thieves as kids! Our parents lost many nights of sleep over our antics."

Kate didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He was inserting himself into her undercover life in order to keep her safe. She should have known he would do this. It was a very dangerous game he was playing, and she held her breath as she looked over at Edward's puzzled face.

"Cousin?" Edward asked, raising a brow.

"Unfortunately," Kate answered, managing to get Lee's arm off her now. She straightened her shirt and swiped at her hair, shooting Lee a glare. He grinned back at her.

"This is the fiance?" Lee asked her, jerking his thumb in Edward's direction.

"I am," Edward nodded slowly. "I'm Edward."

"Nice to meet ya," Lee said, going over to shake his hand enthusiastically. "Geez, no wonder she didn't bring ya home. My sister'd be all over you!"

"Danny," Kate said in a warning tone. "Don't scare him off."

"Aw, no," Lee said back, looking between her and Edward. "Wouldn't dream of it. It's a compliment, really."

"Well, thank you," Edward said with a grin, his ego fluffed. "So, Danny...what brings you by?"

"It would appear that I'm stuck here for a few days," Lee said. "So I thought, hey! I'll go see my cousin! It's been too long."

"Stuck here? What kind of work do you do?" Edward asked.

"Truck driver," Lee answered easily. "It broke down on me. Mechanic says it'll be a couple of days depending. Can't really go anywhere without my truck, can I?"

"No, you can't," Edward agreed. "Well, this is a nice surprise. I didn't think I'd ever get to meet Desiree's family. She never talks about them."

Kate held her breath again as she waited for Lee's response to that.

"She doesn't," Lee agreed. "Her parents died tragically long time ago. She's had my parents, my sister, and me. That's it. Course, my parents are wanderers, you know? I never know where they're gonna be. They don't stay in one place long enough."

"Oh, babe!" Edward said, giving Kate a tragic look. "I had no idea! I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," Kate cut him off. "It's why I don't like talking about it. It just hurts too much."

Edward gave her a sympathetic look before he looked at his watch and stood up.

"I'd love to stay and visit, but I unfortunately have to get to work. I'll see you again, though, eh?" he asked Lee.

"Of course!" Lee beamed, clapping him on the back. "Go do your thing. The cuz and I have lots to catch up on."

"Have fun, babe," Edward said, giving Kate a kiss. She saw Lee narrow his eyes at the back of Edward's head at this.

"Oh, I will," Kate said lightly when Edward finished. "Cousin Dan is here. It'll be a raving good time like always."

Edward turned, smiled, and waved as he went out the door. Kate shut it behind him and waited about ten seconds before turning around to face Lee. She had a slight scowl on her face.

"I think that went well," Lee noted, pleased with himself.

"What the hell are you doing?" she asked.

"I decided that you're not going to be here alone anymore," Lee answered.

"So you invented Cousin Danny, did you? You're lucky I didn't tell Ed that I was an orphan that grew up in the foster system!"

"I got lucky," Lee shrugged. She went to clean up the dinner mess, and he moved to assist her. "You're not seriously mad at me, are you? I thought you'd be happy I was here to help."

"I'm terrified you're going to blow this thing for me and get us both killed," Kate answered.

"Have some faith, babe," Lee said to her, mimicking Edward. She reached to punch his arm. "Ow!"

"Do not call me that," she ordered. "I hate that. Absolutely abhor it."

"I'm amazed he still has his teeth then," Lee noted, rubbing his arm.

"Because I have to let him away with shit, don't I? If I don't, we break up and I'm out."

"That wouldn't be such a bad thing..."

"Lee, just stop," Kate cut him off. "Please. I can handle myself."

"Do you realize how afraid I am of losing you?" Lee asked. He caught her hand as she tried to pass him to get the rest of the dishes and pulled her to face him. "How terrified I am of you dying?"

"This is exactly why I did this," Kate replied, looking at him. "Because I didn't want Roger to kill you."

"Then you know how I feel."

"I know exactly how you feel, but a job is a job, and I'm going to do it," she finished.

"Well, now you have me here to prevent him trying to assault you again."
"As much as I hate to admit it, that does bring me a small comfort," she agreed. "But that doesn't mean I'm happy you did this stunt."

"You are a little bit," he said, giving her a scrutinizing look. "See? Right there. Just a little. Right behind that tough gal is the happy gal."

"Lee, stop," she said, trying not to laugh. It didn't work, though, and he grinned at his own cleverness. "I hate you."

"No you don't," he shook his head. "You love me."

"Not right now I don't," she said, trying to return to cleaning up. Lee hooked his arm around her waist and pulled her back, turning her around and hoisting her up in his arms. He set her on the counter and reached to tuck her hair behind her ear.

"We're not kissing cousins," she warned him.

"We are right now," he corrected, grinning again.

"Lee-"

He cut her off by claiming her lips with his, tipping her back slightly and gripping her thighs with his hands. She didn't fight it. Before too long, she was tugging at his shirt. Then, the doorknob rattled, and Lee shoved himself backwards with such force that he hit the fridge with a bang. Kate looked to see Edward open the door and walk through just as Lee yanked open the fridge door.

"Forgot my briefcase," Edward said, looking at Kate with a slight frown. She had her arms crossed and her legs dangling over the edge of the counter.

"There is no beer in this damn place!" Lee said loudly, popping his head up. "Oh, hey Ed! What's with the no beer thing going on here?"

"She doesn't like alcohol," Edward answered. He was still looking at Kate, who offered him a shrug and a smile.

"Damn it. I guess I'll have to go get some then," Lee said.

"I can pick some up," Edward offered, finally looking at Lee again.

"That would be wickedly awesome." Lee beamed at him. "You want some cash?"

"No, no. It's on me." Edward smiled. Kate released the breath she had been holding. He didn't seem any wiser to what had really been going on in there.

"Right on, man. Well, you have a good meeting or whatever," Lee said, waving his hand. "Oohh, leftover pizza!" He dove back into the fridge, and Kate gave Edward a slight wave with a "what are you gonna do?" look, and he chuckled and waved back, leaving again. Lee stopped rooting around in the fridge and shut the door. Kate slid off the counter and went to lock and bolt the door. Edward knew she did that anyway, even when he was there, so it wasn't a new thing. He wouldn't question it.

"Well," Lee said. "What a mood killer."

"Do you see how dangerous this is?" Kate asked. "He almost caught us."

"But he didn't," Lee pointed out.

"If you're going to be here as my cousin, then act like my damn cousin," Kate retorted. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take a shower. Make yourself at home on the pull out couch."

"Yes, ma'am," Lee agreed. She went down the hall, and he felt his phone vibrate with a text. It was Barney telling him Edward was officially gone. He regretted not waiting for that the first time to avoid almost getting caught, but he had been unable to help himself around Kate. He counted to thirty before going after her now. He pulled off his shirt as he went, dropping it outside the door. He chuckled as he found the door locked, and he reached into his pocket for his picks. Within seconds, he was inside, re-locking and closing the door behind him. She was standing in front of the mirror in her undergarments.

"Lee!" she yelped upon seeing him. "What did I just tell you?!"

"My source says Nash has finally left the building," Lee answered, sliding a hand around to her lower back and pulling her into him.

"He's sure?" Kate asked. "Very sure?"

"Most definitely sure," Lee nodded. He ran his fingers through her hair and then cupped her face. She closed her eyes as he kissed her gently. Her hands on his skin was like seventh heaven.

"I really do need to shower," she said after a bit.

"So do I," he replied. He guided her over to it, reaching to turn it on. Of course, he kept distracting her to the point she gave up and finished what he started.

"What?" he asked after when she started giggling. He still had her in his arms.

"You're just an incredible pain in my ass, and yet I somehow love you," she said.

"A pain in your ass?!" he exclaimed, faking outrage. "How could I be a pain in your ass? I save your ass is what. You just don't want to admit it."

She pinched him in return, making him laugh and pin her against the wall so he could pinch her back without her being able to stop him.

"Truce! Truce," she gasped after a bit. "You're killing me."

"Oh, I think you'd know if I was killing you," he teased. "You'd be dead."

"You know what I mean," she said, exasperated.

"All right," he agreed. "Truce."

"Now can you get out of here please? Before Ed comes back."

"Okay, okay," he said, sighing loudly. He dried himself off and put his pants back on, opening the bathroom door and snatching up his shirt. He put it on as he walked down the hallway to the living room. Thankfully, no one was there waiting for them. He checked his phone, and there was nothing from Barney saying Ed was on his way back. He finished with the dishes and had them done by the time Kate returned in her pajama pants and black t-shirt with semi-dry hair. It made him want her all over again.

"Stop it," she warned, recognizing the look in his eye.

"It's your fault," he accused.

"How is it my fault?!"

"You're just too damn irresistible," he reasoned. He smiled when she blushed a little and rested a hand on her hip as he gave her a soft kiss before going to make up his couch bed. It was gonna be a long night.

...

"Any sixes?" Caesar asked.

"Go fish," Toll answered. Gunner banged his head against the side of the van. They were cramped back there, but Doc had called shot gun, and no one wanted to argue with a knife wielding man who was already disgruntled from lack of sleep and annoyance at doing surveillance in such cramped quarters.

"Any sixes?" Gunner asked Caesar, a smirk on his lips.

"Son of a-," Caesar said angrily, throwing his three cards at Gunner's head.

"Chill out, man. It's a card game," Toll snorted at him.

"That I keep losing," Caesar said emphatically. "It's a child's card game, and I suck at it."

"Any nines?" Gunner asked him, and Caesar threw two more cards at him. Apparently, Gunner rocked at the game Go Fish.

"I hate you," Caesar said to him, sulking now.

"Any twos?" Gunner asked Toll, who just handed his card over without a word.

"Keep it down back there, huh?" Barney asked. "I can't concentrate."

"On what? How hard can it be to stare at a doorway?" Caesar challenged.

"Oh, it's pretty hard. If I blink, I miss stuff."

"So you and Doc take turns blinking, then, and you won't miss anything," Caesar shot back.

"Don't take out your losing a card game on me," Barney warned.

"Any tens?" Gunner asked Caesar. He threw all of his cards at Gunner now, huffing in frustration.

"Just take 'em all!" he exclaimed, yanking the door open and stepping out into the night air. Gunner looked at Toll, brow raised.

"You wanna give me all your cards too?" he asked.

"No way. My odds of winning just increased," Toll retorted.

"Any jacks?"

"Nope."

When it was Toll's turn, he proceeded to take almost all of Gunner's cards. His pile of pairs stacked up very quickly. In the end, he destroyed Gunner. Caesar eventually came back, and he got into the most comfortable position he could get into and pulled his fedora over his face to sleep. Doc was snoring in the front seat. Barney was still watching. Gunner and Toll decided to get some rest too. They'd do a shift change soon.

It was gonna be a very long night.

...

They were watching a movie when Kate's phone indicated she'd received a text. She saw it was from Edward saying he was on his way back. She groaned inwardly. She had hoped he wouldn't come back that night. Maybe he was suspicious of Lee after all.

"He's coming back," she told Lee. "Behave yourself."

"It'll be just fine," Lee promised. He turned off the TV. "It's late anyway. I fancy going to bed."

"Really?" she asked. It was only 11.

"He'll think I'm sleeping," Lee shrugged. "Who said I really will be?"

"I get it," Kate nodded, getting up. "Okay, well happy fake sleeping."

"It'll be epic."

She let him kiss her one more time, hating Edward again for coming and ruining this moment. Then she went to unbolt and unlock the door. Edward arrived about five minutes later. He greeted her with a kiss. He was definitely in a good mood.

"Did your meeting go well?" Kate asked in a quiet voice.

"Why are you whispering?" Edward questioned.

"Danny's asleep."

A resounding snore sealed the deal. Kate had to clench her jaw so as not to burst into laughter.

"Right. Well, I got his beer," Edward said, gesturing to it.

"Thank you. He'll really appreciate that," Kate said, taking it and putting it in the fridge. Edward took this moment to put his arms around her and nuzzle the back of her neck. Kate did her best not to recoil. It was hard, especially after being with Lee earlier.

"I got promoted," he said in her ear. "I'm one of the top dogs now."

"That's great!" Kate said enthusiastically in a hushed voice. "Good for you! What all does that entail?"

"A new boss," Edward advised.

"Did you get to meet them?"

"No, but I have their contact information now. It's great! I'm finally getting recognized!"

"I'm so proud of you," Kate smiled. "All your hard work paid off."

"It sure did. I'm not gonna stay long," Edward promised. "I just wanted to tell you the exciting news and drop off Danny's beer. Do you mind if I use your washroom before I leave?"

"Go ahead," Kate nodded. He pecked her cheek and smiled before heading down to it and shutting the door. Kate was on Edward's phone in an instant. She searched through his contacts, trying to find the number. What would he have put the name under? Damn it, he had a shit ton of contacts.

"Come on, come on," she whispered, scrolling. There. New Boss. She clicked it open and grabbed her pen. She heard the toilet flush and knew she was running out of time. She scribbled it down quickly, stuffed it in her utensil drawer, cleared the contacts window from his phone, clicked it off, and set it down in the same spot he'd left it just as his footsteps came back down the hall.

"Much better," he said. "Okay. I'll see you tomorrow. Shall I set up a reservation for the three of us somewhere?"

"Oh, Danny doesn't eat out," Kate said. "The last time he did that...well, he almost put out the entire restaurant."

"With what?"

"You know," Kate said.

"No, what?" Edward asked, confused.

"His...gas," Kate whispered. There was a disgruntled snort from the couch, but Edward took it as another snore.

"Oohhhh," Edward said before starting to snicker. "Gotcha. Okay. No eating out then. I can bring pizza here?"

"Sure."

"Good. See you tomorrow," he smiled, giving her a kiss. Then he took her off guard by shoving her into the wall and kissing her harder. Kate grabbed his wrists when he tried to get handsy.

"Ed, no," she said, twisting her head away.

"Come on," he urged. "I can't wait anymore."

"I'm not doing it with my cousin less than ten feet away," she said. "Sorry."

"I can get us a room," he offered.

"I really wish you could just respect that I have this boundary in place," Kate told him.

"I can only take so much, Des," he said, his voice a whine now.

"Less than three weeks, Ed," she reminded him. "And it's all yours."

He nodded slowly and finally grinned. She felt relief that he wasn't pissed off.

"You'll see why you shouldn't have waited then," he told her.

"I'm sure," she nodded. He gave her one final kiss before finally leaving. She locked up once more and went to phone Drummer. He answered right away.

"I got the number," she said to him.

"Let's have it," Drummer replied. She rhymed it off to him, and he wrote it down and thanked her. Then she put it back in the drawer and went back to sit on the chair in the living room. Lee's phone went off with the "all clear" text from Barney a moment later.

"I want to kill him," Lee commented. She cringed. She had hoped he wouldn't address it.

"It is what it is," she told him. He said no more. He was laying on his back with an arm behind his head, staring at the ceiling. She was about to say something else when he spoke again.

"Gas, huh?" he asked, turning his head to look at her.

"I'm not risking someone recognizing you let alone me," Kate reasoned.

"I'll have you know that you're the gassiest one of the two of us."

"Excuse me?!" she exclaimed.

"I wasn't ever going to tell you..."

"Lee!"

"...but you really know how to let it rip in your sleep," he finished. She opened her mouth in shock and blinked. It was just so embarrassing! He was smirking, and she wanted to die from the embarrassment. Instead, she picked up her pillow and started to beat him with it.

"Argh! Okay!" he laughed. "I'm kidding. I'm kidding!" He blocked her blows as best as he could, but she grabbed another pillow and started beating him with both, one at a time. He eventually managed to sit up and grab her around the waist, pulling her down on top of him and making her shriek.

"No!" she cried as he flipped her over and started whacking her with his own pillow. She caught it and yanked it from his grip, so he moved to get another, giving her the chance to get out from under him and push him down. He was still laughing as she fought for the pillow.

"Okay, okay," he said when she elbowed him in the chest. "You win. I'm sorry."

"I don't really do it, do I?" she asked. She had to know.

"No," he shook his head. "I was teasing you."

"Honest?"

"Honest," he nodded.

"Good," she said, shifting so that she was laying on him and resting her head so that her face was pressed into his neck. He put an arm around her and held her close.

"I love you, Kate," he said, his fingers tangled in her hair behind her neck.

"I love you too, Lee," she replied.

"We'll get through," he promised.

"I know," she nodded. She felt herself falling asleep in his arms, and she briefly thought she shouldn't be doing that, but the curtains were drawn and the door was locked. No one was going to sneak up on them. She was going to allow herself this moment.

She tried not to think that it could be one of her last moments.