Rita Vrataski was propped on her forearms on the floor of the training center when she heard footsteps. A man appeared, and he stopped to watch her. She felt annoyance. Who dare watch her so openly like that? She got to her feet quickly.

"Yes? What do you want?" she snapped. To her further annoyance, he smirked.

"I just wanted to say congratulations," he said. "On your victory in Verdun."

"And you are?"

"It doesn't matter," he answered.

"Do I know you?" she asked, frowning. He smiled.

"Maybe in another life," he answered. He had had full intention of telling her everything, but he had seen something outside that had changed his mind, something that he knew would trump him even if he did tell her he had feelings for her. He tipped his hat and started to walk away, leaving her feeling confused. She turned back to look at the training ground. She had spent so much time here after Lee died. She mourned the loss of him and Misty. She mourned the loss of everyone she had lost in her life. This war would be finished once all the Mimics had been slaughtered, and it was going to be easy since they were no longer even fighting back. Rita was still trying to understand how and why the Omega was killed. This was clearly what had happened, but she hadn't done it, so who did? She watched the man's receding back and wondered if he had something to do with it. Had he possessed the ability to reset the day and had killed the Omega? His comment of "maybe in another life" was obviously a clue.

"Wait," she said, starting to go after him. She had to know.

"Rita!" Aldridge shouted, racing towards her. She stopped, hearing the urgency in his voice. She looked after the other man, but he was gone.

"Rita," Aldridge said, out of breath. He was standing beside her now. "You're not gonna believe this."

"What?" she asked.

"There's someone asking for you," he went on. "Outside."

"Who?"

"Just go," Aldridge ordered, giving her a push. Rita wished she had put on her coat to hide her exposed skin, but she let it go. Her footsteps felt heavy as she reached the entrance. She pulled open the door, and the light struck her hard and fast. Shielding her eyes, she looked for the person who wanted to see her. When her eyes finally rested on them, she felt her insides tremble and her knees grow weak.

"Hello," Lee said, grinning at her. "You won. I told you you would."

"Lee," she breathed, moving closer to him. She reached out to touch his arm. He was real. She met his eyes then, and he gave her his famous crooked smile.

"How did you survive? You were dying. I had to leave you," she said. All the stored up emotion was threatening to explode from her. She felt as though she was dreaming.

"After you left me, I passed out. I woke up with a doctor standing over me. He told me I'd been in a coma for quite some time. It was a miracle I even survived. I don't know who found me and saved me. After they got me back on my feet, I came here as fast as I could. I heard the news that we won," Lee grinned. "I assume you had something to do with that?"

"No. I don't know how it happened. I lost the ability after I left you. I had been rescued and given a blood transfusion and wasn't able to reset the day anymore. After that, I trained for the next battle, which now isn't even happening because we won."

"Do you think someone else got the ability?" Lee asked. Rita furrowed her brow.

"I was just wondering that. I just saw a man who came in here to congratulate me and said that perhaps I had known him in another life."

"Sounds interesting," Lee nodded.

"I didn't get his name," Rita said wistfully. He took her hands into his then.

"Did you miss me?" he asked.

"Every day," she answered. He leaned in to kiss her then, and she relished the taste of him. It was something she never thought she'd have again.

"I love you too," he said after, touching her face.

"You do?"

"Yes. You said it to me before you walked away, remember?"

"I did," she nodded, remembering.

"Well, I'm saying it back. I'm sorry I didn't then."

"You'd said it to me before, though."

"I did?"

"Well, you said it was hard to kill the woman you love one of the times you killed me. I took that to mean you loved me," she smiled shyly. She gripped his coat in her hands tightly as though he'd disappear if she let go. He put his hands over hers and squeezed back.

"You saved Brady's life," she said. "When you broke his foot."

"I didn't personally break it," Lee laughed. "I just shoved him over his trunk, hoping for a sprain. It broke instead cos his damn armor fell onto it after he fell."

"Regardless, you saved him. I have you to thank."

"You just looked so sad," he said.

"It had been a long 300 days," she nodded, remembering.

"I have a secret I must confess," he said seriously.

"What's that?" she asked.

"I fell for you hook, line, and sinker the day I laid eyes on you," he said. "I've always had feelings for you, maybe even love. You were just so full of fire and life. I'd never met anyone like you before."

"So...in all those resets, you still had the underlying feelings for me?" she asked.

"Yes."

"You were so angry the first time you found out we had slept together," she said.

"I'm sorry for that. I guess I was mad that I couldn't remember," he responded. "I am, however, still disappointed I don't remember it, though."

"Well, I'm sure there will be another time," she said playfully before kissing him again. It made her feel so relieved that he had cared for her all along without her telling him so, that it was real. He pulled back and brushed the hair out of her eyes. Then he looked around at the marching troops.

"So now what do we do?" he asked. "Since the Mimics are deemed powerless?"

"We finish them, and this time, they can't fight back," she grinned.

"Excellent," he chuckled.

"Well come on then," she said, pulling him inside. "Let's do some training."

Lee let her pull him along, and he couldn't help but feel elated inside. She had survived. They had both survived. They were no longer on the edge of expendable. Everything was all right.

The End...For Now

As much as I did like Cage and think they could have had a good relationship too, I wanted Rita to have a happy ending, and I felt she really loved Hendricks in the film, so I wanted to keep Hendricks alive for her (well, Lee Christmas lol). Anyway, thanks for reading! Stay tuned for my sequel, Edge of Expendable 2: Ghosts of Lee's Past ;)