Lucy didn't sleep much that night. Even with Alex's arms wrapped around her. Usually the safety of those arms would lull her into a nice restful night's sleep but with Maggie calling and telling her what the apartment looked like and what she had witnessed during Alex's conversation with her father she was scared.

She knew her father had pulled some strings at the pentagon to get her put on certain assignments and hadn't been right since her mother died. But to go as far as being connected to people that would try to harm her she hadn't thought was in the realm of possibilities. She knew she had to keep her hands out of the investigation, but she couldn't sit on the sidelines while this train wreck was happening.

Untangling herself from Alex she made her way to central command. Vasquez was still on duty she made her way toward their station to see if she could sweet talk them into giving her access to a computer.

"Morning sleeping beauty." Lucy glared at her friend, Vas only felt a tiny bit sorry. It wasn't Lucy's fault her father was quite possibly clinically insane. Then there was the whole child abuse thing. The few times they had come into contact with Lucy's father at the dessert base they hadn't liked him. He was an arrogant pompous military type, but they had detected something more under the surface but had never been able to put their finger on it. "What brings you out and about this early and don't answer with the 'I couldn't sleep' bit. I know you couldn't sleep that's the main reason you're here."

Lucy chuckled, "I was going to see if you would give me access to a computer. Since I can't sleep I wanted to do a little digging. See if I could find anything on my dad and his people."

Vas gave Lucy the most disapproving look they could muster. "You know that isn't a good idea. I don't even need to give you access you work for he DEO you can use any of the computers here at any time. If your hell bent on doing some digging look over what I put together of your mission to Russia. See if there is anything out of the ordinary in the official report submitted by your dad. Was he even in Russia the whole time?"

"No, he wasn't. Why do you have his official report? I didn't think Alex would have put you on the investigation considering we're friends."

"Perks of being the best researcher at the DEO. Also helps that I was part of an investigation in my time with the Air Force and Marsdin wasn't the president at the time, but she was one of the senators involved and was impressed by my very thorough and put together notes that she requested me to be a part of the team that investigates your dad."

"Is there anything you're not good at?"

"Knitting or anything similar."

Lucy threw a pen at her friend, "That was a rhetorical question but good to know that there is something I can do that you cant." Lucy watched Vas's eyebrows shoot up so fast you would have thought they would fly off. With a hint of laughter to her voice Lucy responded, "Yes, Vas I know how to knit. It was something my mother and I would do together. I haven't done much of it since being in the Army."

"With all due respect Lucy, I don't believe you."

"You know that black, grey and maroon scarf Alex has? I knitted that. It was supposed to be a gift for someone else but once it was finished I felt like Alex deserved it more than the person it was supposed to go to."

"It was for James wasn't it?"

"You know me so well."

"That I do. But I still don't believe you."

"Fair enough. Where is that report of my fathers?"

Vasquez hit a few keys on their keyboard, "The file is on the server just search Lane Investigation and all the files I've gotten so far are there."

"Thanks, Vas." Lucy walked off to the conference room to use one of the computers in there. She didn't want to be in the way of the agents but she also wanted some privacy. She was surprised her log in still worked. Pam could have reinstated her despite Alex telling her it would be a good idea to wait to bring Lucy back or Pam had never taken her out in the first place.

She pulled up her father's report and started reading. She got halfway through and she couldn't help but shake her head. Lucy had been in Russia the entire time and was one of the soldiers who had infiltrated the lab. But reading this report you would think her father had been there as well, but he wasn't. Lucy suspected that he would have someone to corroborate his version of events.

She turned away from the computer screen and stared out the window. It wasn't a good idea, but Lucy would have to interrogate her father. She should probably ask Wilson Peters to accompany her. He had been with her in the lab. What did her father have to gain from falsifying reports? Why had he done anything that he had done over Lucy's military career?

Alex woke around 5AM to an empty bed. She wasn't surprised. With everything that had happened yesterday she knew Lucy wouldn't be able to sleep, too much on her mind. Alex was tempted to call Maggie just to give Lucy a break from all the drama. Maggie probably didn't know much, if anything, about the last 72 hours. Well didn't know anything other than their place had been ransacked. Maggie had emailed Vasquez some pictures and the place looked like a tornado had blown through it. Whoever had come in there had probably gotten pissed that the place was empty.

Alex picked up her phone, opened her contacts and hovered her thumb over Maggie's name. She tapped the screen and lifted the phone to her ear. She didn't have to wait long for Maggie to pick up.

"Alex if this about me not calling you to tell you about your place I'm sorry I figured you already knew based on Kara being in the apartment when I got there."

That was news to Alex. She knew their place had been before Maggie had called Lucy she just wasn't aware that it was Kara who reported it to the DEO. "No Maggie that isn't why I'm calling I'm actually calling for Lucy. I know she ran into you the other day and wants to stay friends with you. I'm all for it because Lucy needs all the friends she can get right now. I don't know if she said anything to you about what is going on, but she really needs a friend right now. One that isn't associated with the DEO."

"I actually have to stop by the DEO to have you sign some paperwork. Because your neighbor called I had to file a report but I need your signature on it to close the case. After that I'm free for the rest of the day. You want me to see if Lucy wants to go to breakfast? Or in the very least get her out of the DEO and talking about something that isn't what has been going on the past 72 hours."

"Yeah that would be great. She might not take you up on either offer and if she doesn't I wouldn't push her too far."

"Got it. I'll be over around 8. Am I going to have any issues getting into the DEO?"

"As long as you still have your DEO issued badge you can enter with no issues."

"I've got it somewhere. I'll see you soon Alex."

"Yeah see you soon Mags."

Alex hung up her phone and decided she would search out Lucy. It hadn't taken her long to find her. She was in one of the conference rooms looking out of the window. She walked up behind her slowly and wrapped her arms around her neck and placed a kiss on her cheek.

She felt Lucy lean into her touch. What Alex wouldn't give to make all of this go away. "Penny for your thoughts?"

Lucy watched Alex pull out the chair next to her and take a seat. Lucy turned to face her, "My father submitted a report on the mission in Russia. He put enough information in there to make it believable to anyone who wasn't directly involved. I know I should be keeping my distance from this investigation, but I'll have to interrogate my father. I know I can't do it alone, Wilson Peters was with me in Russia, he would be able to back me up on what really happened there. Probably wouldn't hurt to have someone from the DEO watching from the outside. Knowing my father he would try to twist things around to make Wilson and I look like the bad guys."

Alex shook her head, "This keeps getting crazier by the minute. I agree if your dad falsified that report you interrogating him will be the only option. Having Wilson there will help. Given everything that happened last night I have to call the president today and see where we should go from here."

"All I wanted was to live my life free of the Army. Now I've been put in the middle of a shit storm because my father might actually be insane. I've started remembering things he did to me as a child that I honestly would prefer I didn't remember. But the real icing on the cake is my father's people, whoever the hell they are, are coming after me. I don't know if they want me dead or if they are just trying to scare me."

Alex could tell the exhaustion was finally catching up with Lucy. She was practically yelling but Alex understood where she was coming from. She didn't say anything just let her go. She needed this almost as much as she needed sleep.

"I finally have a chance to live a relatively normal life. With you. My best friend and love of my life but now your caught up in this shit storm too. Alex, we haven't been together for more than three days. Remember that little black dress and the heels I mentioned a few days ago? I want to put on that dress and those heels and take you out to a nice dinner. Maybe show you off a little and make some men and maybe a few women jealous. I know we're both capable of taking care of ourselves, but we would never see a sniper.

"Yes, my father's people would probably do that. I don't know how deep things go but it wouldn't take long for them to figure out about us and I wouldn't put it past them to kill you just to try and get me to do what they want. I just want it all to go away."

Lucy sighed heavily. She looked at Alex and that's when she broke again. She got out of her chair and climbed in Alex's lap. She blamed her rant on lack of sleep, but all of those things had been weighing heavily on her mind since Preston had called her last night. She was more than ready for all of this to be over.

Maggie had finished up at the station early and decided to make her way to the DEO. She had told Alex she would be in around eight. She didn't think Alex would mind that she was early. Knowing Alex, she would be happy that the paperwork was out of the way quicker, so she could get on with her day. A few months ago she had heard through the rumor mill that Alex had been made Director of the DEO. She was insanely proud of Alex. They may not be together anymore, but she knew Alex would make a fine Director one day. She didn't think it would happen so soon.

She hadn't been to the DEO in a year and a half. But you wouldn't have known that when she walked through the doors. John was still at the front desk and gave her the same warm smile and asked her how things were going at NCPD. They chatted for a few minutes and then she made her way upstairs.

She had spotted Alex walking toward one of the conference rooms and she followed her. Part of her wishes she hadn't. She heard Lucy yelling at Alex about living a normal life, something to do with her father, his men and possibly a sniper. Then she heard Lucy call Alex the love of her life and the normal life she had hoped she would be able to have with Alex post Army. She shouldn't have listened in on this rant but she couldn't really escape it.

Hearing Lucy talk about what she wanted with Alex brought back some painful memories. She pushed them down as quickly as she could. She had known Lucy had feelings for Alex when she had been dating Alex. But Alex chose her so, she let it go. Now she was watching Alex as Lucy was yelling at her and she had nothing but love in her beautiful hazel eyes. If Maggie hadn't known Alex so well she would have just assumed that Alex was just looking at Lucy with a sympathetic look that also said I love you.

But Maggie had experienced the look Alex had on her face right now multiple times. It was a look that definitely said I love you but was also the look of Alex giving you her undivided attention and studying you at the same time. Only because she wanted to figure out how best to help you. In this case Alex had figured it out fairly quickly. Lucy needed to rant so she let her.

Once Lucy had finished her rant she guessed that Lucy had reached her emotional limit. She climbed into Alex's lap and let her hold her. The look Alex had in her eyes said a lot. It broke her heart, but if Alex wasn't going to be with her, Lucy was the only other person she didn't mind Alex being with. She knew she should interrupt them or give them some privacy, but she couldn't take her eyes off the couple.

If Maggie hadn't been the one to coax Alex out of the closet she would be wondering how Alex had been blind to Lucy's flirting. Other than Lucy, Maggie knew Alex so well. She hadn't been completely blind to it. Somewhere in the back of her mind Alex knew that Lucy was flirting with her but wasn't aware that the things she was feeling for her best friend were valid. Apart from the disagreement on kids they could have spent the rest of their lives together and been completely happy. Or would they have? Seeing Alex with Lucy she was beginning to question whether she and Alex really would have been able to have the life Maggie had suggested when Alex was stuck in that tank.

But that was a life that she would never get to live. If she hadn't missed Lucy so much she would have avoided her in the grocery store that day. Alex and Lucy had been her only friends in National City, but Alex wasn't exactly in a position to be friends with her now. Maybe one day they could be friends again. After the awkwardness of their breakup went away.

For now it was just going to be Lucy and she was ok with that. She knocked on the open door to get their attention, she had spent enough time reminiscing. Lucy didn't stir in Alex's arms, but she had gotten Alex's attention. "Sorry to interrupt, but I finished up early and figured I would come by now. Figured you would appreciate getting the paperwork out of the way earlier."

"Yeah thanks Mags."

Alex couldn't keep her eyes from holding Maggie's gaze. God, she missed that woman. But it never would have worked. What she felt felt for Maggie had been puppy love. If you take the kids issue out of the equation would she and Maggie have lived a full happy life together? Since Lucy came back, as unhealthy as it might be, Alex has been comparing her relationship with Maggie to the one she had been building upon with Lucy. Was the constant flirting between them before a factor? Absolutely, but Alex felt that the love she had for Lucy was so much more than anything she had ever felt for Maggie.

Being with Maggie would have been easy. She did love her, and they had a great time together and made each other's lives better. Would it have been forever? Hard to tell. With Lucy eventually coming back would Alex have slowly started realizing her buried feelings for Lucy? Maybe, maybe not. But it didn't matter anymore all that mattered was Lucy and the future they couldn't start building until this mess was all cleared up.

Lucy had stopped crying, Alex gently pushed her into a sitting position. "Lucy, I promise we will figure this out. There will be a light at the end of the tunnel. It may be an extremely long tunnel full of unexpected twists, turns and unexpected obstacles but we will get to the end. I'm also not the only one you have to lean on. You've got Vas, Kara, Lena, Sam and Maggie. I know you don't know Lena and Sam very well, but they know what you mean to me. They'll do anything they can to help.

"Honestly Lena might be a really good person to talk to about the child abuse. Her mom was more of an emotional abuser, but you might be able to work through some things. Right now though I think you need some sleep more than anything. If you want I can give you some sedatives and you can sleep, or you could go get breakfast with Maggie or go for a walk. Getting away from all this for a bit might be good for you. Give you a chance to take a breath."

Lucy turned toward the doorway, Maggie was leaning against the door frame clutching an envelope. "Hey Maggie. Sorry I'm such a mess."

Maggie walked over to Alex and Lucy. Placing the envelope on the table she took the chair that Lucy had vacated in favor of Alex's lap. She put a hand on Lucy's, "Lucy you don't have to apologize. You're going through so much right now, if you weren't a bit of a mess I would have to worry. Alex is right you have a huge support system. What do you say we get out of here? We can do both of the things Alex suggested. My favorite food truck is a couple of blocks away, we can walk there, get breakfast and come back."

Lucy ran a hand through her hair and contemplated her options. On the one hand being sedated sound amazing right now. But then again getting out of the DEO for a bit would also be amazing. It's not like she could go back to their place.

"Let's go for a walk, get breakfast, and Alex when I get back to the DEO I want that sedative."

"You got it Luce. I'll sign these Maggie and have them waiting for you at security."

"Sounds good Alex."

Lucy took in a deep breath of fresh air. She still felt like her world was falling apart around her but getting outside was a good choice. At first, she wanted to say no to Maggie, but she had a feeling Alex and Maggie had conspired to get her out of the DEO for a bit. Alex was always taking care of her. When all of this was over she would have to find a way to thank her.

"Thanks for this Maggie. I know Alex probably asked you to do this, but I still appreciate it."

Maggie smiled those two knew each other so well. "Even if Alex hadn't asked me I would have offered the moment I saw you. I take it you didn't sleep last night? I mean given everything that happened it is completely understandable."

"Yeah, sleep wouldn't come last night. Too much going through my head and because I'm a glutton for punishment I read my father's report from the mission I was on last year. He falsified that report, well parts of it. Which is just another piece of the ever-growing evidence that my father has been doing shady things for years."

Maggie didn't know the extent of what Lucy was talking about and probably would never know. Classified info was something Maggie didn't have access to. Lucy had hinted years ago that she suspected her father was the reason she had moved up the ranks quickly in the Army and was placed on certain assignments.

"Wow, I know you had some suspicions about your dad pulling strings to make things happen for you that shouldn't have happened as quickly as they did. You think any of it has been illegal?"

"Some of it has been, we just have to find proof beyond any doubt. I know we can get him on the report. Myself and my partner for that mission know what happened. We were in deeper than my father was. We were also there the entire time. My dad only came to check on us twice. He states in his report he was there for two of the smaller intel gathering missions. He was only there at the beginning before Wilson and I went undercover and a few days after we had finished.

"As for everything else we have to find what we need to get a conviction. The only thing we have him on now is unauthorized entry into the DEO. Which at this point isn't enough for me, if we can't find proof of everything else I guess I'll have to live with it."

They walked in silence for a bit. Maggie took Lucy's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "You don't have to talk about this with me and I will respect it if you don't want to. Your dad really abuse you as a child?"

Lucy took a deep breath and squeezed Maggie's hand back. "I had blocked it all out. It had stopped when I was 15 or 16, most of the memories are fragments. When he attacked me at the DEO full memories started coming back. I've only told Alex about the first incident that I have memory of. With everything going on now, we have bigger fish to fry than my past child abuse. Which honestly as far as child abuse goes probably isn't as bad as some kids have been abused."

"True but abuse is abuse. It gets especially nasty when it is from a parent. It fucks you up worse than if it was a stranger. The only thing worse than parental child abuse is sexual assault on a child from anyone. I worked a case last month were a 10 year old boy had almost killed his father because he had been sexually abusing him. I may not want to me a parent, but I still don't understand how a parent can harm their own flesh and blood."

"Along the same lines Maggie if you don't want to talk about this we don't have to. Was your choice of not wanting to be a parent influenced by what your parents did to you?"

Maggie hadn't talked about her reasons for not wanting kids since she and Alex had bet the subject to death. She would never freely admit to anyone that she still thought about that question on really sleepless nights. Usually the nights she missed Alex more than usual.

"It's a complicated answer. On the one hand I know I would be a better parent than mine were. I almost gave in and agreed that I would have kids with Alex but then I remembered what our jobs were. You can't have two people trying to raise a family when they put their lives on the line every single day. It's not fair to the kids nor is it fair to the other person.

"I knew when I was 10 years old that I wanted to be a cop. One day be a detective which is safer than being a street cop these days but still dangerous. Growing up I never once thought about the possibility of having a family because I never had it in my cards. When I was faced with the decision of do you want to have kids it still wasn't a part of my future. I like kids I just have no desire to be responsible for one."

"Fair enough. Some women just flat out don't want to be mothers your one of them and I completely respect that. I'm just glad you made your decision based on what your parents did to you. Despite you not wanting kids I think you and Alex would have made some great parents."

"We probably would have. I think she's better off with you though. I heard your rant earlier. Made me think about some things and my break up with Alex is in no way your fault but I think you would have been the down fall of us at some point. Alex would have realized what she had missed out on with you and things would have eventually ended. It would have been a lot messier than all the arguments about kids."

"You really think so?"

"I saw the two of you. When you were ranting the look, Alex had on her face, I've seen it many times before but when she was directing it at me there wasn't that much love in her eyes. She also called me today to ask if I could offer to take you out of the DEO for a bit. We haven't talked to each other for months and the last time was via text. I could tell it hurt her to hear my voice but she called me for you despite it being difficult."

Lucy took everything in. Maggie had observed them as friends for the better part of a year and had known Lucy had feelings for Alex. Now she was getting to see them as an actual couple she had a different perspective than most.

"She did love you though Mags and to a certain degree still does. I hope for both of you, you can get past this and be friends one day."

"We will, one day."

They walked the rest of the way in comfortable silence. It was a lovely day in National City and Lucy wanted to soak up as much of it as she could. This little reprieve would only last so long.