Summary: More detailed scenes of moments between Lee and Linda throughout the events of The Warriors Heir and The Wizards Heir

Authors Notes: Again, a collection of drabbles that follow after the first set related to their past. These scenes are all taken from moments they've had in the books (even if they were just represented in one or two lines). Some of the dialogue I have lifted directly from The Wizards Heir - they have not been quoted but of course all the credit is to Cinda William Chima for writing about these two wonderful people. Edited for grammar but left largely untouched otherwise.

Linda stared at the phone on the wall of the kitchen. She contemplated whether to phone Lee, after what she had done… tears gathered in her eyes, blurring her vision for a moment before she furiously wiped them away with the back of her hand.

Several minutes passed, she held a scrunched up paper in her hands and walked slowly towards the phone as if it would bite her if she came to close. Slowly she picked up the phone, holding it in her hand, she had to breathe several times to calm down. In the back of her mind something whispered you can't do it, you can't… and maybe she couldn't.

The phone rung, Linda had to breath for long moments, once… twice… maybe he wouldn't pick up, three times, four-darn, he did.

"Hello? Leander Hastings speaking," his voice sounded exactly the same as 15 years ago. She couldn't speak; she felt tears sliding down her cheek. She coughed and heard an intake of breath on the other end, but before Lee could say anything she composed herself and spoke.

"Hello Lee, it's Linda, could you come down to Ohio and train my nephew Jack, he's a warrior," she paused wondering if she should just hang up, but that's not how people discussed things.

The pause went on for a long time, Linda was afraid that he had hung up. "L-," her voice squeaked, and a cough was heard on the other end.

"Sure, I'll train him,"

"Good, he's taking weirsbane though so he might be a bit sluggish. I'll try to keep him out of it,"

"You should also retrieve Susannah's sword," Hastings said, his voice void of emotion.

"Good idea, thanks a lot Lee," she said trying to keep any trace of old emotion out of her voice.

There was a pause, and then, "Bye," Linda broke down on the wall, she curled into a ball and cried until she couldn't cry anymore. It took lots of self control to stop her from crying while hearing his voice. She could almost detect his pain, and soon… soon she would probably have to see him again. The thought of that brought both pain and joy into her mind. This isn't working… she thought desperately, then after a moment Linda composed herself and grabbed her suitcase and walked out the door. Lee or no Lee, she had to continue with her work.

0000

As Lee stepped off the plane he was half expecting to see Linda waiting there for him, what a surprise when she wasn't. When she had phoned he was so tempted to tell her how much he missed her but that just wasn't him. And, many years of not having seen her had made it considerably easier for him to hide his emotions. Before if he had heard her voice he probably would've cried for hours and hours, or if he saw her he probably would ran to her and hugged her until she died of lack of oxygen. Now he could control his actions, hopefully.

When Lee saw Jack at the high school, he couldn't help but think how much he looked like his aunt.

He was disappointed when he learned that she had left Trinity, but he wasn't surprised. Why shouldn't she keep avoiding him, she had been doing it for 15 years, and even then, she always knew where he was. Maybe that's why he could never find her, because she was always one step ahead of him, the thought annoyed him and hurt him at the same time.

0000

As she sat on the plane, Linda wondered whether she should turn back and see Lee, she hadn't seen him in a long time. No, she needed to compose herself, at the moment she was vulnerable. Linda clutched the folders in her hand and sighed, flipping through them to look at the pictures of a boy, he looked so much like Lee, his eyes were like hers. He was 15 now, a year under Jack… how she wished that her little boy could experience the same loving family her nephew had.

0000

"Thanks Lee," her voice, her touch, it felt like he was standing under a waterfall. He was distinctly aware of Jack staring at him and of Linda's touch and he felt very uncomfortable. Being near her made him uncomfortable, thoughts always crept through his head at night about 'not being good enough' and now they screamed through his head. You're not good enough! You're not good enough! How he wished he could just close off all hearing and hold her in his arms, if only.

Linda felt nervous, his hands held hers, she ached to move closer but… it didn't feel right anymore. She didn't belong in his arms anymore, after what she had done, she didn't deserve him.

Far away, in their rooms they both sighed, massaging their hands. They longed to feel each others touch, but knew they couldn't, it was almost as if an invisible wall had appeared in between them over the years. A wall that Linda had set up and Lee couldn't break. A wall that only Linda could take down but wouldn't, WHY She wouldn't frustrated the wizard and he ached to know why.

They saw each other lots, many times in fact. Those many times were quite awkward. When Jack was receiving his things, Linda would be in the kitchen eating, sometimes they talked but it was as if in those many years they had become strangers. Long awkward silences would end their heated debates and little discussions, and it was in these silences that they both wished for the same thing.

Lee and Linda were acutely aware of each others presence and sitting beside each other didn't help. They did small talk, but the questions that Lee really wanted answers to stayed inside his mouth and Linda was glad. If she was going to be interrogated by Hastings, she'd probably break out crying right after his first question, and she did NOT want that to happen. Not in front of Jack and especially not in front of Becka.

0000

When Jack was hit with the wizards graffe, she felt like kissing Hastings when he healed him, and it wasn't just because she loved him, it was also because of what he did for her even after what she had done to him.

0000

His sweater was right there. She picked it up and instinctively breathed in his scent. It filled her nose and smothered her senses, and then she was brought back to reality and felt completely embarrassed. The only thing stopping her from breaking into tears was the fact that after seeing Lee so many times, she had learned how to keep the tears in.

0000

Lee slightly hoped Linda would stay, but he knew she wouldn't. Still…, with Jack here, never mind, he was still rejected.

0000

He stared into the fire, she had been in his home, he had held her hands, well… kind of. Okay, maybe it was more like gripping, and he was being a bit rough, maybe he should – enough! Hastings sighed, love was a very strange thing. That scene in which he held her wrist, explosive with anger… he smiled, when he had realized what he was doing he half wondered whether he should have kissed her. Jack was there though, and maybe she wouldn't accept him like she did last time. He would never know now.

He couldn't take Jack out now, but the anger and hatred in her voice. He prayed silently that Jack would win, he didn't want Linda hating him, avoiding him was fine but out-right hating him was not what he wanted.

0000

Linda held her wrist as she sat in her hotel room. She looked at Becka's peaceful sleeping body and couldn't help but feel slightly jealous at the attention Hastings had paid her sister. She glanced at her wrist, remembering the time he had kissed her for the first time. She felt her face grow red and stepped out to the cool night air.

"Lee…" she murmured, she tried to hate him, but the anger didn't come. She hoped with all her heart, Jack would survive.

0000

Jack had won, well not exactly, the battle had come to a draw but at least Linda wouldn't kill him and he got to see Carrie and Susannah.

Maybe he should drop by the Downey residence more, now it was his turn to follow Linda around.

0000

Lee could not find out about Seph, hopefully she had lost him but that guy was persistent. The only good thing about him stalking her was that he was being called the dragon, not her. And… she got to see a lot more of Lee. Linda glanced at Seph feeling horribly guilty, was this what it felt like to be a mother?

0000

As she entered the Downey home she thought she heard voices on the side porch. Oh god… Linda stepped out onto the porch to see Seph and Lee talking to each other. To her the resemblance was quite easy to tell but she didn't know about the two of them. "Lee, what are you doing here?" she managed to choke out. Lee gave her a look but she couldn't read it.

Lee stood up, her heart was pounding, that look. "It's good you see you too, Linda," he replied smoothly in return. Linda was very aware of Seph at the moment. Nick probably told him, like he told Jack. A brief moment of fear entered her heart.

"I hadn't heard you were coming," she said feeling slightly annoyed, she added in a very dry tone, "what a surprise."

Lee answered back but Linda chose not to reply and instead spoke to Seph. "I thought you were supposed to be at the beach."

"I came back early," Seph replied, wishing he was at the beach.

Dinner was very awkward, why Lee had to sit beside her, Linda didn't know why and when he grabbed her hand and told her to escort him out…

Sitting in his car was strange at first but that strangeness disappeared when Lee basically accused their son of working for Leicester. If only she could explain, but she couldn't and so she fought back. She felt like crying after that. If only Lee knew… but at least he hadn't made the connection. That night she didn't sleep to well. He was going to find out soon… that was bad.

0000

Who was that boy? Why did Linda care about him so much, he was just a boy after all correct? Yet, there was something nagging at the back of Lee's mind and he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Something about the boy, about his looks, his eyes, what he said. What Linda said. His guardian since birth… if only he had some sort of clue.

Well the clue came sooner or later in a ransom message, 'We've got you're son.' How he hadn't managed to guess was beyond him but finally he understood.

Hastings entered the home of what would've been a nice family, had the families son, not been taken away. He found Linda weeping in the middle of Seph's would-be room and his first instinct was to wrap his arms around her and murmur comforting words, but years of little to no comfort changed a man.

He dumped the folders on her lap when she noticed him and waited for her to sort through everything. "Gregory Leicester sent me a message saying he was holding Seph," he paused and squatted so his face was barely inches from Linda, she backed away and more then a bit of hurt appeared in Hastings heart. "Here's the strange thing, he said he had my son and I was confused because I don't have a son," Linda was speechless, what could she say? He hadn't really expected much of an answer.

"I'm sorry Lee," was all she could muster out. She was cornered and Lee knew it to.

"You disappeared, I searched for you for more than a year, I nearly went crazy! Then suddenly, last year, as from the grave you give me a call. All business as if the past never happened, can you help me train my warrior nephew Jack and save him from wizards," Hastings made an irritated noise, "I guess you knew where I was all the time," he muttered bitterly.

"Well you have to admit, you cut a rather wide-path," Linda said hesitantly, he waited for more. "A bit of research helped to," she added smiling wryly but never looking into his face. Always past his face, she never looked at him. Not anymore.

Hastings sat down beside Linda and looked sideways at her, "You never even told your family, not even Becka?" Linda shook her head.

"She was a godsend," Linda said after her reason, Hastings was angry and annoyed but he could see her point, if barely. His next words were meant to be harsh.

"So you just left him with a stranger and ran off?" her lack of response told him he had hit a sore spot.

"It was the right thing to do, with us as his parents…" Linda murmured feeling dejected, like a little kid who couldn't get her way. "I gave up everything for him, first you, and then him…" she paused as tears poured out of her face, but he made no move to stop them. It felt awkward now, to wipe away tears from someone's face, especially hers.

By the end of it, Hastings found himself holding Linda in his arms and murmuring comforting words to her as he wanted to do from the start.

"Lee…" was all she could make out as she sobbed her eyes out. She soaked through his t-shirt and made it look like the man had been working out in the gym for hours on end.

"I have to go soon," Lee murmured, his chin resting on her head. For once, in many long years, he felt content. "He has to know who his parents are," he felt Linda nod and tilted her head up to look at him, she furiously tried to wipe her eyes, but he held her hands and did something he didn't think he'd ever do again, kiss her.

Linda was glad Lee was holding her up, she probably would've fallen down if he hadn't. Her whole body was practically numb, first from crying, then from his kiss. He was still soft, she dimly remembered how when he first kissed her, she had expected a rough pushy person, but no. Lee was always a soft person by heart, and that was something only she knew. "Lee…" she whispered holding him, in a few hours both him and Seph would be in the hands of Leicester, she might never see the two again.

The felt tears dripping from her eyes again and smiled slightly.

"It seems all I can do is cry these days…" she whispered, listening to Lee's heart beat. He felt his hands stroke her hair softly and buried her face in his chest, taking in his sweet scent. Then she felt him rise and those few minutes of silence and content seemed to shatter and reality slammed back into Linda with full force. She tried to grab him, hold onto him, but he easily detached her numb fingers from his shirt and looked at her. He bent down and caressed her face, he held her in his strong arms. "You should really stop, or you're never going to leave," Linda said, hiccupping slightly as she was the one to detach Lee's arms from her. He looked at her strangely and smiled, kissing her warmly on the lips again, she backed away first.

"I guess you're right," he said at last, "I have to do something for the boy after 16 years," Lee whispered he stood, Linda stood with him, finally finding the strength to support herself. It was an odd pair, Tall and cold Hastings with bright and lovely Linda Downey, but they seemed to fit.

0000

Spending the small quality time with Seph was very awkward for Hastings. He wasn't meant to be a father, or well, he was, but he was a very strange father. Instead of football it was wizardry, that's how Seph or Jack would put it.

Now it was just him, alone, and somewhere right now Linda was thinking that he killed his son and was probably crying her eyes out right now. Oh wait, the meeting was probably going on, she was probably letting out her rage and anger. on the council members, would she say Seph was her son? Random thoughts like that ranged through his head but most of the time he just thought about Linda and Seph, mostly Linda, sometimes Carrie, sometimes Susannah, but now it was just Linda. Linda Downey, the only person to have stolen his heart away. "I don't think I even felt this way towards Susannah," Hastings expected to feel the bitter taste of regret at the back of his mouth but to his surprise he didn't. And he smiled, she was a magical wonder, it was either Linda or the love he felt for her.

Then, he was free… and he was being led right to her.

When Linda saw Lee enter the room her emotionless mask slipped and one thing pounded through her head Why? That was it, that one question.

Lee ignored Linda's gaze and waited until Leicester stopped talking, he was waiting for his head to fall off. Then he heard Linda spoke, "god damn it!" he muttered. "Just get on with chopping my head or whatever thanks much!" Hastings grumbled, he did NOT want Linda to die, if only he could tell her Seph was alive.

Well he didn't have to, after a great blow which he just managed to dodge, he watched with half closed eyes the battle before him and tried hard not to smile.

"Lee?" Linda whispered, Lee glanced at her, forgetting he was supposed to be unconscious and smile weakly at her, he felt a steady drip of tears land on his face.

0000

Well it was settled Lee was the strangest father in the world. Seph had proof, he had always wanted parents and now he had them. The strangest pair of parents, but all in all, he was happy. They all were.