Chapter 1

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Detective Kai Mendoza finished her report and attached it to the file, sending a copy to Ocampo. She leaned back, crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the computer. A bicycle theft ring? Tracking down those who were responsible only to find out it was just a bunch of kids who weren't even selling them, just having what they described as 'some fun'? Seriously? Boring! It felt like all the cases they'd been assigned to recently were like this. She heaved a heavy sigh.

Her partner, Detective Ernesto Alamares, looked up and had to hide a smile. Truthfully, he knew how she felt. Speaking quietly, he said. "I miss him too. I think even Ocampo is missing him." The chief of the Cebu police department had been sulky for the last few weeks. They had all felt…off.

Kai looked at him in pretend shock. "Miss who?"

"Kai." He admonished.

She knew exactly who he was talking about. "You mean Walker? Why would I miss him? It's been lovely not having him stick his nose into our business all the time where it's not wanted, all smug and condescending."

"Kai." Same tone, one she knew only too well.

She huffed out another sigh. "Fine. I…I guess I do kind of miss him. It's been three months! He was only supposed to be gone three or four weeks." She knew she sounded like she was whining.

"He let us know he was going to be longer than expected. And you know he was going to Indonesia to see his daughter on the way home. It's not like he hasn't kept us up to date on what's been going on." Alex had been texting them sporadically since he went back to the states, keeping them up to date on Todd Carpenter's trial and some of what he was up to.

Ernesto was still surprised by the fact that the high-strung ex-DEA agent had wormed his way into their lives. The American had gone from being a nuisance to a begrudged asset to a good friend over the course of the last year. He was really good at what used to be his job, something that had surprised both of them after their first disastrous meeting. The man could become someone else at the drop of a hat, weaving a plausible story out of thin air that fooled the people they were after, with little to no effort. The way he'd taken Kai's new information about Paul Montrose's activity during the Cebu elections and woven it into the sting had been a work of art.

A part of him was worried that the DEA would realize just what they'd lost after hearing about the cases he'd worked on here and offer him his job back. After all, he'd helped to save an Assistant Director's life. If that happened, he wasn't sure Alex would ever come back to Cebu and that bothered him more than he wanted to admit. Both because it meant he'd lose a friend and that he might be small enough to not want his friend to get his life back, if that meant him leaving them. He was a bit shaken when Kai voiced the same concerns.

"What if they offer him his job back now that Carpenter is in jail? You know his doctor said that most of his medical issues were due to what happened between them and because of his estrangement from his daughter. With Carpenter finally paying for what he did to Alex and Evelyn agreeing to work with him on getting their relationship to a better place, he told us that the doctors were very pleased with his progress. If he's healthy enough, why wouldn't they want him back?"

"If they do, then it will be up to him to accept or not. We don't have any say in the matter." He tried to keep the worry from his voice.

"Do you really think he'd agree to go back?" She sounded troubled by the idea. "After the way they treated him? The anger he always expressed about the way they give these dangerous criminals plea deals, let them become informants in exchange for walking? You weren't there when I found him passed out drunk just before we were supposed to take down Jimmy Teo. The anger he had towards the whole drug war, what it took from him. What it took from others. He was so sure the DEA would do the same with that murderer." She'd relayed some of what Walker had told her to her partner. What she hadn't been able to convey was his passion and absolute conviction that taking down Teo would have no effect on anything. The plan they'd eventually come up with had seen the man arrested for murder instead of drug smuggling and had pissed off Zivic, the DEA agent in charge. Something that she was big enough to admit that she'd thoroughly enjoyed, especially after listening to Alex pretend to be concerned about the other man's health as he threw an apoplectic fit over the results of the operation and their part in it.

"I don't know Kai. The only thing I do know is that being here has been good for him. The cases he's been involved with us on have resulted in people actually going to jail, paying for their crimes. Hopefully, he'll see that."

She sighed again. "I don't know. He's kind of an adrenalin junkie. It might be too much for him to turn his back on." Ernesto's eyebrows shot up at her description of their friend, knowing it was just as apt a description of her. He was saved from making a snarky comment that would probably just piss her off, by his phone pinging that he had a text. Kai's went off at the same time. He unlocked it, saw the text was from Alex and looked over at his partner to see a surprised expression on her face that was probably mirrored his own. He was about to say something when Ocampo erupted from his office.

"Did you two get his text?" The smile on their boss's face was contagious.

"Yes, can we…" Kai started.

"Go, go! Take the rest of the day and let me know how he is." Ocampo said.

Smiling, Kai looked down at her phone and read the text again. 'Hey! Surprise! I'm home. Come by and say hi when you get the chance.' The fact that he said he was home, warmed all their hearts, although Kai would never admit it.

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Kai and Ernesto walked into the still closed gift shop, not surprised that the door was unlocked. The shop front was empty, and Kai called out.

"Walker?"

"Hey! I'm in the back, be right out." Alex yelled back as he finished his unpacking, not that he had much. He smiled down at the packages on his bed. Things he'd had shipped from the states and that had been waiting for him when he walked into the shop for the first time in three months. The fact that it felt like home had made him realize he'd made the right decision coming back here. He'd missed this place. The people and their beautiful island had woven a spell over him. He walked out and stopped at the sight of the two people he'd missed the most.

"Hi guys." He fought the smile that wanted to take over his face at the sight of his two friends staring at him in shock. He reached up a hand to smooth down his hair, a little self-consciously.

Kai shook off her stunned reaction at her first sight of him in three months and closed the gap between them, pulling him into a hug. He blinked a few times and finally put his arms around her, returning it. She stepped back and Ernesto pulled him into a bro hug, clapping him on the back as he said. "It's good to have you back, Alex."

"Thanks Ernesto. It's good to be back."

Hugs and welcome backs over with, Kai and Ernesto stared at the man in front of them. He looked like he'd dropped a good ten or twenty pounds but had bulked up in the muscle department. The thing that threw them the most was the hair that hung down to just above his shoulders, the soul patch and, were those earrings peeking out from behind the curtain of hair? They'd both seen the holes in his ears, so knew that he'd had them pierced at one time, but neither had ever seen him use them.

Kai spoke first. "What the hell, Alex?" She blushed a little when she realized what she'd said and thanked her darker skin tone for hiding most of it.

Alex opened his mouth to retort when the door was flung open, and a small darkhaired whirlwind entered the shop and headed straight to Alex. He dropped to his knees and held open his arms, uttering a quiet oomph when she barreled right into him.

"Alex! You're home!"

"Hey short stuff. It's good to see you!"

"I missed you!"

"I missed you too." He pressed a light kiss to the top of her head.

Rita hugged him hard and then leaned back, taking in the changes. She reached out and ran a finger along the strip of hair on his chin and then tugged on the long hair with her right hand. He waited to hear what she thought. A big smile formed on her face as she said. "I like it!"

"Well, that's a relief! Can't have my best girl not liking the way I look." She grinned up at him and gave him another hug. He returned it and then pushed her back a little. "Wait here, I have some things for you." He stood up and hurried into the back where he ripped open the boxes sitting on his bed, finding the right one on the second attempt. He also scooped up two small packages off the table and made his way back to the front, hands behind him.

While waiting for him to return, Rita greeted Kai and her 'Uncle' Ernesto, getting more kisses on the top of her head from both. When Alex came back, hands behind his back, she practically danced in place with excitement, wondering what he'd brought her. Dropping to one knee he made a production of slowly moving his right hand from behind his back, teasing her until finally revealing a small cowboy hat that he gently placed on her head. She reached up and felt along it, a huge smile lighting up her face. She ran to the mirror that leaned against the wall for customers to use and stared at herself in it.

"I'm a cow girl! I love it!" She squealed and raced back to hug him again. "Thank you, thank you!"

"I'm glad and you're very welcome. I have this for you too." He opened a small velvet bag and brought out an Indonesian glass bead necklace. He clasped it around her neck. "This is from Evelyn. She said it was a present for her kindred spirit. You have any idea what she meant by that?" He asked with a smile.

"I do, but that's between us girls." She replied in her best grown up voice as she stroked the beautiful piece of jewelry that was all hers. He had to swallow the laugh that wanted to escape. He handed her the other velvet bag he held in his hand.

"One of the women in the village Evelyn is staying at, makes them. She's very talented. This one is for your mom and matches yours. Tell her it's a thank you for allowing you to help me out around here." He smiled down at her. "You know I couldn't run this place without you, right?"

She puffed up with pride at his words. "Someone has to keep things going around here." Alex blinked a little and bit back a retort. She tucked the velvet bag carefully into the ever-present purse slung across her body. She kept all her prized possessions in there and the bag nestled next to the piece of amethyst crystal he'd given her after her father had died. When Alex was in the hospital and she'd first met Evelyn, she'd offered it up to her friend's daughter, even though it was one of the hardest things she'd ever done. When Alex had given it back, telling her that it had not only helped him get better but that it had helped heal a little of his relationship with his daughter, she'd been pleased. Not only that she'd made the effort to give it up but that she'd gotten it back in the end.

She went back to the mirror, admiring both the hat and the necklace. The adults in the room smiled at her. Suddenly, her eyes widened. She whirled around as she said. "I have to go! I'm going to be late getting back to school." She raced to Alex, gave him another hug and whispered, "I'm so glad you're back!" and then she was gone as quickly as she'd arrived, the door swinging shut behind her, leaving three bemused adults in her wake.

A few seconds passed in silence before Alex broke it. "Hey, I got you guys something too." He headed back to his room, coming out seconds later with two more cowboy hats, his own more worn one already on his head. For some reason, it looked exactly right with the longer hair. He placed the black one on Kai's head and the dark tan one on Ernesto's, happy with the pleased looks on their faces that he'd thought of them. He had one more velvet bag tucked into his shorts pocket. The last box on his bed contained a hat for Ocampo as well. He wasn't sure how the other man would take getting a present from him, but he did know he'd pout if he was left out.

Kai frowned at him as a thought crossed her mind. "Alex, I appreciate the gift, I really do. And I love it, but should you really be spending that kind of money?" She knew he was always broke, having to cadge rides off them to get to appointments because he didn't have cab fare and couldn't afford his own car. Ernesto frowned as well, not having thought of that. A big smile appeared on Alex's face.

"That's a long story. Let's head over to the hotel bar, have a couple of beers and I'll fill you in on how things went at the agency and a story about how I broke up Evelyn and her boyfriend." He headed towards the door.

"Alex! You did what?" Kai yelled at him as she followed.

"He was a douchebag." He replied over his shoulder, not even slowing down.

"Still doesn't give you the right to interfere! Did you learn nothing when Evelyn was here?" She increased her pace to catch up to him.

"Hey, it wasn't really my fault!"

"You always say that!"

Ernesto just shook his head and smiled as he followed his two friends out the door. Yup, things were back to normal.

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A/N – So this popped into my head when I heard about Leverage Redemption and saw the photos from the first season. Eliot Spencer is back (YAY!) and his hair was longer than Alex Walker's. I wondered what would happen if Almost Paradise got renewed (fingers crossed) and Redemption also got picked up (also fingers crossed). Would Christian Kane cut his hair for AP and then have to grow it out again for LR? Seesawing back and forth? Would they let Alex keep the long hair and weave it into the story? Or would they have Eliot cut his hair again? Those thoughts led to more and finally led to this.