"Alright, put your seatbelt on and turn the key." Donnie said. "Good, now adjust your mirrors so you can see."

Lexi was turning 16 soon and Donnie was teaching her how to drive.

"Ok, place your foot on the brake and give it some pressure. Now with your foot on the brake, shift into drive. Great Lexi, you're doing great. Now when you're ready just take your foot off the brake and just coast." Donnie instructed.

Lexi took a deep breath and lifted her foot off the brake. "I'm doing it! I'm driving!"

"That's my best girl, now give it a little gas and try to keep it between 10mph and 15mph." Donnie said proudly.

Lexi smiled.

BANG BANG BANG!

Lexi was jolted awake from her dream by the sound of banging and yelling. It was dark and the sun was just about to rise. Lexi climbed out of bed and went to see what all the commotion was about. She stepped out of her room just in time to see Jakes head-butt Johnny.

"Jakes?" Lexi said.

"What's going on!? What did you do?!" Charlie said as she came jogging out of her room to break up the fight.

Charlie held Johnny back and that's when Lexi jumped in front of Jakes. No matter how mad or drunk Jakes was, he wouldn't dare take a swing at Lexi. Paige and Briggs shortly appeared in the hallway as well, and Paige suggested they take this down stairs.

"So what do ya think? Asleep? Dead? Indifferent?" Briggs said, gesturing to Mike's door.

Paige just shrugged.

"Maybe I'll just go jump on his bed and wake him up." Briggs suggested.

Paige opened her mouth to respond but nothing came out.

"I'll get him!" Lexi said. "You guys go ahead."

"Alright, see you downstairs stray." Briggs said.

When Briggs had turned his back, Lexi gave Paige a knowing wink, as they went downstairs.

Mike snuck out of Paige's room where he found Lexi waiting for him.

"Lexi, I.. I.." Mike stammered.

"Uh huh. If anyone asks, you fell asleep with these on. They're noise canceling headphone." Lexi said.

"T..Thanks." Mike said.

"You're welcome. See you downstairs." She said with a Cheshire cat smile, before giving him a pat on the arm and heading down the stairs.

"Hey, is Charlie in there?" Lexi asked Mike as she saw him leaving Charlie's room.

Mike nodded. Lexi knocked on her door.

"Who is it?" Charlie's voice said from the other side of the door.

"It's Lexi." Lexi said.

Charlie opened the door and invited Lexi in. Lexi sat on the end of Charlie's bed as Charlie was getting ready.

Lexi was looking down at her hands as she twisted them in her lap. "The day before I was liberated... My mother was trying to leave with me. My father found out and stopped us right before we reached the door. He just stood in front of us fuming with anger. My mother tried to talk to him.. to reason with him. I was next to her... holding her hand...when he shot her. I was still holding her hand as I watched the blood and the life just bleed out of her... My father just walked away but, I couldn't move.. I just stood there.."

Charlie had stopped and turned to face Lexi as she had listened.

"I've come to ask you to stop smoking...I've already lost one mother... I don't want to lose you too... I don't want to watch a little bit of life leave you every time you smoke a cigarette." Lexi voice was wavy and tears were forming in her eyes. "I'm worried about you Charlie."

Charlie felt a tear of her own fall from her eye to her cheek. "Well you don't have to worry about that anymore baby girl."

Charlie dumped what was left of the box of cigarettes of the balcony. Lexi smiled through her tears as Charlie came over to hug her.

Lexi brushed Paige's hair while Paige put her makeup on.

"I love this dress." Lexi told Paige.

"Thanks. I'm pretty fond of it too." Paige replied.

"You know who else is gonna like it?" Lexi asked.

"Who?" Paige said.

"Mike." Lexi teased.

Paige spun around to tickle her and Lexi jumped back giggling.

"How did you know?" Paige said.

"I saw him go into your room last night." Lexi said. "Don't worry, your secrets safe with me."

"Thanks." Paige said. "And thanks for running interference for us this morning."

"No problem." Lexi said.

Paige smiled and turned back around to finish her makeup.

"Buses don't run that late." Paige told Mike as she leaned forward and kissed him.

Mike kissed her back and heat quickly build up between them.

"What if someone walks in?" Mike said into Paige's lips.

"Don't worry.. I've got my little sister looking out for us." Paige said with smile.

Mike smiled and kissed her again.

"Hey Jakes." Lexi said as she stood behind him in the phone room.

"Hey... sorry you had to see all that this morning." Jakes started.

Lexi shook her head. "Its ok...Listen Jakes... I know I can't take Daniel's place, I wouldn't dream of trying, but maybe.. I don't know.. maybe you'd like to teach me how to throw a football sometime or... change a car tire?"

At that last suggestion Jakes chuckled. "Yeah.. I'd like that sometime."

Lexi smiled and Jakes went back to looking at surveillance tapes.

"Oh and Jakes." Lexi said before leaving.

"Yeah?" Jakes replied.

"Stop being an asshole." Lexi said and winked.

"No promises." Jakes said with a little grin.

Lexi was glad Mike was going with Jakes over Bates, because despite Jakes's behavior and attitude, at the end of the day he was family. At least to Lexi he was. And it wasn't like she was going to miss Bates's rude, childish, and incentives nicknames for her or his remakes. But.. he was a good agent. So before he left, Lexi told him goodbye and good luck. And before Johnny went on his first undercover mission in a long time, Lexi wished him luck too.

Lexi sat in the car with Jakes and Paige. They had spotted the bus and the girl with the tinker bell backpack. Paige and Jakes were arguing about what course of action to take. The girl looked so afraid as she began to go inside the bus station. Lexi opened the car door and jumped out and turning to stare at her teammates. Paige looked at Jakes with a raise eyebrow.

"Go." Jakes said. And Lexi and Paige took off into the station.

They caught up with the girl and took her into the bathroom to talk. Paige locked the door.

"Is Leena your real name?" Paige asked. The girl nodded.

"And you're from the Ukraine?"

Again the girl nodded, looking more afraid.

"Don't be afraid, we are friends. We've come to help you." Lexi said in Russian, taking the girl's hands and looking deep into the girl's eyes, trying to convey how much she meant what she just said.

Paige talked to the girl and Lexi helped with a few translations. Lexi's heart hurt for the girl. She felt pain in the scars and burns that covered her back. But Lexi quickly shook her head and pushed the false pain away and focused on the girl that she wanted so desperately to help.

"I don't want to go.. I don't want to go!" Leena pleaded. She turned to Lexi and repeated it in Russian. Lexi nodded in understandment before looking to Paige.

"That's what the men said to me also." Leena said when Paige told her that it was going to be ok. "I will find you, I promise."

An image flashed in Lexi's mind. Laying on a table...The door flying open... a DEA agent throwing a jacket over her.. Lexi shook her head again.

"I'm going with her." Lexi said breathlessly. She turned to follow the girl.

"Lexi no!" Paige said grabbing a hold of Lexi and pulling her back.

"Paige please! She's all alone. I have to protect her. I have to go!" Lexi said as she struggled to get free of Paige's grasp.

Paige knelt down and turned Lexi so that she was facing her. "I don't know what awaits in Sylmar. You'd be going in complete blind, with no weapon, and no back up. I know how you feel because I'm feeling the same way, but I am NOT going to lose you."

Lexi looked back at the bus and them back at Paige and nodded. Paige got up and they both ran back to where Jakes was waiting in the truck.

"Yay us." Jakes said sarcastically.

"Hey, where's Lexi and Paige?" Mike asked.

"Sylmar." Jakes told him.

"What's in Sylmar?" Mike said.

"A human-being." Jakes replied.

"Do svidaniya..ya tozhe tyebya lyublyu." Lexi said hanging up her phone. It was late and she and Paige were almost to Sylmar.

"Was that Lauren?" Paige asked. She recognized the Russian. Lexi was saying "goodbye, I love you too" to someone she could only assume that was Lauren.

Lexi nodded. "I was just telling her about Leena.. and what she reminded me of."

Paige nodded. "I miss Lauren."

"Me too." Lexi said.

"You ok?" Paige asked.

"I am." Lexi replied honestly. She smiled.

Paige smiled back and took Lexi's hand in her own and gave it a squeeze. Lexi squeezed back.

Finally they arrived at the place Paige's GPS tracker told them to be. They got of out the car and turned on their flashlightds for the parking lot with pitch black...and empty. Paige called the phone she had placed in Leena's tinker bell backpack. Lexi's heart sank when she heard vibrations coming from inside a trashcan. Paige walked over and inspected it and sure enough... there it was and Leena wasn't. Lexi came up and took Paige's hand as they both stood there, staring out into the darkness.

R&R! :)