Tool looked up when Lee and Sara walked in to join the others. Barney had summoned for another job merely two days after they'd finished the last one, and both of them were annoyed at their newfound fascination with each other getting interrupted so soon.
"You two," Tool said, pointing his finger back and forth between them. "You two shacked up."
"What?" Sara asked, feigning horror.
"Come off it," Lee scoffed. He moved to sit down two chairs down from her, just in case. He didn't really want everyone commenting on things right now, not while it was still so new.
"I see it," Caesar stated, sliding his eyes back and forth between them, his fingers resting against his chin.
"There's nothing to see," Lee insisted.
"Defensiveness aside," Tool said, ignoring him. "The tension is gone, right? I can't be the only one noticing that."
"No, you're right," Gunner agreed, nodding. "It's gone."
"And that only means one thing," Tool said triumphantly. He grinned like an idiot at the two of them, and Lee looked at Sara with a hopeless expression.
"Bow chica wow wow," Caesar chanted, doing a little dance in his seat. He ducked the knife that came at him hard and fast. Barney stepped around it as he came into the room.
"Christmas, you mind? I just fixed the last hole in the wall," he said, irritated. He pulled out the knife and tossed it onto the table with a clatter.
"Please share the job," Gunner said.
"Yea, we want to talk about anything besides...that," Toll said, waving his hands at Lee and Sara. He almost looked sad, but Lee didn't dwell on it. He did his best to look annoyed and grumpy, but he was also feeling a little bit embarrassed. How could their relationship status be this public?
"You guys done being middle school children?" Barney asked, giving them a stern look over his glasses.
"Not yet," Caesar said before looking back at Sara and Lee. "EWWW, COOTIES!" He looked back at Barney. "Okay, now I'm done."
"Lee," Sara said, putting her hand in the firing range before he chucked another knife at Caesar. He grumbled slightly in response and pocketed it.
"You remember our friend Trey? Well, he got his chemical weapon made in the end, and now we have a missing chemical weapon," Barney said, slapping the files in his hand onto the table loudly to get everyone's attention. "We have a deadline to find it."
"How long?" Gunner asked.
"72 hours," Barney answered. "So shut up and listen. Our last lead for the weapon's location was France. We have to get a move on or else it's gonna go off somewhere and kill a lot of people."
"Okay, so we go to France," Caesar said. "Let's go."
"No," Barney interrupted. "It's not staying there. There are three potential places it's being shipped to: Germany, UK, or Russia."
"Oh, no," Toll said, pressing a hand to his face.
"That's right," Barney confirmed.
"What? Am I missing something?" Sara asked.
"We're getting split up," Lee replied.
"Toll and Gunner, you take Russia."
"Ha, ha," Caesar said. "Wear your woolly hats and mitts, fellas."
"Caesar, you and I are going to Germany," Barney went on.
"Imagine that," Lee said dryly. "The Brit goes to the UK."
"You'll blend right in," Barney retorted.
"I definitely won't be making the news for driving on the wrong side of the road," Lee shot back.
"Liftoff was an hour ago," Barney said, moving to leave now. "Hurry the hell up."
Everyone got to their feet quickly and hurried single file to the armory to load up. Lee could tell Sara was a bit nervous.
"We'll find it," he promised.
"What if it never leaves France?" she asked. "What if we're all on a wild goose chase?"
"I imagine Barney's contact is keeping an eye on France," Lee reasoned.
"Okay."
They got to the hangar and boarded the plane. Barney didn't say much as he got it going and moving. Lee wondered why he was so cranky about it all. He didn't bother to ask. It wasn't worth getting his head taken off.
He and Sara were dropped off first, and he located their contact with MI6 easily enough. He was leaning against a dark SUV with sunglasses and his hands tucked into his leather jacket. His brown hair was spiked a little, he sported a decent tan, and his teeth were gleaming as he smiled.
Lee hated him instantly.
"Well hullo," the man said as soon as he saw Sara. "You must be Barney's friends, right? I'm Gilbert, but you can call me Gil."
"Sara," she said, shaking his hand. Lee stood still, arms crossed. "That's Lee."
"Good to meet you," Gil said, reaching to shake his hand next. Lee didn't move. He did not like the way Gil had practically molested Sara's hand. They were going to have a problem, and soon.
"He's...whatever," Sara said, pulling free and gesturing a hand at Lee when he refused to say anything to Gil. "You have a safe house for us?"
"Absolutely," Gil confirmed, getting over his rejection easily enough. He opened the passenger door for her. "Hop in. I'll take your things."
"Thank you," she said with a smile as he took her bag. Lee deadpan stared at Gil, but it didn't seem to bother him at all, nor did it seem to bother him that he hadn't offered to take Lee's bag. Lee reached to pull Sara back before she got into the SUV.
"What're you doing?" she asked.
"I don't like him," Lee answered. "Get in the back."
"Oh my God, are you serious?" she said, smacking his hand off. "Unbelievable." She got into the passenger seat and shut the door hard and with a look at him. Gil was whistling to himself slightly as he got into the driver's side, a small smile on his lips. Lee swallowed his growl and got into the backseat.
"So, I'm sure you know how urgent this job is," Gil was saying as they drove. He drove too fast. Lee braced himself and tried not to throw up.
"Yes," Sara replied. "You have any leads?"
"Nothing yet, but we have lots of feelers out. We appreciate the assist on this."
"Our pleasure," Sara said, turning to shoot Lee a look as he sat there silent.
"He jet lagged or something?" Gil asked now. "Or am I making you car sick? Sorry, mate, I can slow down."
"I'm fine," Lee retorted.
"Hey! You're a native, just like me," Gil said, pleased to make this connection at the sound of Lee's voice.
"Just watch the road," Lee ordered as Gil dodged a car nearly backing into them. He looked out the window, trying not to think about the last time he'd been home.
"Here we are," Gil said a bit later, pulling up to a flat in an alleyway that was nearly abandoned. He parked and flashed Sara a bright smile. "We'll get you all settled."
Lee got out and dragged his bag behind him. He opened the hatch and grabbed Sara's bag before Gil could, giving the man a look. He wasn't stupid. He knew Gil had taken a big shine to her.
"You gonna act like the man I know you are?" Sara asked as Gil went ahead to unlock the door. "Or are you gonna be a little child for this entire job?"
"I don't like him," Lee said again, childishly.
"Why don't you just piss on me to mark your territory and get it over with?" she asked, taking her bag from him a bit roughly and slinging it over her shoulder. He had no comeback for this, and he just watched as she smiled at Gil and went inside. A moment later, he followed, taking one last look at the street behind them before shutting the door.
...
Sara was incredibly annoyed at Lee right now. Did he really think she was going to entertain Gil's interest? Had he learned nothing about her? She intentionally whacked him in the back of the head with her bag as she turned to go down the hall to her room and he'd bent down to set his bag on the floor. He grunted but said nothing. Smart man.
"Great choice," Gil said when she walked into her bedroom. "I'm just across the hall."
She gave him a smile because she knew what he was implying. She wasn't stupid. "Is that so?"
"Yea," he answered. "Hope your friend doesn't mind the couch."
"My friend can sleep anywhere," she replied. She didn't have to look to see Lee's jaw tight and fist clenched and in a cocked position. She gave him a look over her shoulder anyway, just to prove she was in charge here. She set her bag down and surveyed the room. It was small and simple with a twin bed. She was fine with that. She'd slept on worse.
She joined Lee and Gil in the dining room where Gil had papers and maps spread out on the table.
"My informant thinks if it's coming here, it's going to show up around there," Gil was saying, circling a spot on the map with his finger.
"Do they know who's bringing it in?" Lee asked.
"No. We're still trying to figure that out."
Sara leaned her hands on the table now, looking at everything. She felt Gil's eyes on her a moment later. Then he was leaning against her slightly as he showed her something on the map. It was time to end this before Lee stabbed him. She pushed off the table and went around to Lee.
"You want a drink?" she asked him.
"No," he answered.
"Suit yourself," she said with a shrug. She looked over her shoulder once in the kitchen to find both men staring each other down. This was getting ridiculous. She slammed the fridge door hard, making them both slightly jump and look at her.
"Right," Gil said, clearing his throat and setting out some photographs. "These are the blokes you'll be looking for, if they're the ones involved. They're on our watch list."
Sara noticed Lee's shoulders grow taut and his jaw clench hard. She frowned. Did he recognize one of them? She went back to stand next to him, scanning the photos.
"What is it?" she asked him.
"Nothing," he answered, but she saw his focus was stuck on one man in particular at the far left. She had a sinking feeling suddenly that this was the man who had murdered his mother.
"We'll sit tight until I hear word," Gil advised. "I'm gonna check in with my team leader and then call it a night."
Lee gave a grunt in response, and Sara gave him a tight lipped smile. When he was gone, she turned to Lee.
"Hey, talk to me," she said, resting a hand on Lee's shoulder.
"It's nothing," he said again, stronger this time. She tilted her head at him, giving him a look. He reached to cup her face, running a thumb over her cheek lightly. "I'm good. I promise."
"You can trust me," she added. "I'm not her." She knew Lacy cheating had caused him to be a bit more mistrustful than usual; she didn't blame him.
"I know."
"Good." She kissed him softly. It was still so new to be with him like this. She sometimes worried that he was going to realize she wasn't worth it, especially when he found out the truth about where she was really from.
...
Barney watched as Caesar made himself a gourmet meal in their small kitchenette. He sat at the table with a mug of bad coffee and a hand pressed against his temple. He was agitated because he was mad this weapon managed to get made in the end. He really wanted to find it. He didn't want anyone to get hurt by it.
"You sure you don't want any?" Caesar asked, looking over his shoulder from by the stove.
"Nah, I'm good," Barney replied. "Thanks."
"We'll find it," Caesar reassured him.
"I hope so."
"So what do you think about Lee and Sara being an item?"
"I don't care," Barney answered. He did a little bit. Lee wore his heart on his sleeve, and if Sara hurt him, he didn't think Lee would ever recover. He'd never seen Lee care this much about someone, not even Lacy.
"Didn't you get mega bucks from Tool because of it?"
"Yea."
"Then you must care some."
Barney didn't comment, just stretched back in his chair and put both hands around his mug on the table. Caesar let it go and finished making his meal. Barney looked outside at the darkness and wondered why he felt like something bad was going to happen.
...
It was lights out, and Lee knew that Gil had stuck him on the couch on purpose. He could see the man still trying to flirt with Sara and solicit her, and he waited very patiently for her to make it well known that she was not interested.
It finally came when she went to bed.
Gil was pouring himself a glass of water to take with him to bed, and he looked up when Sara came down the hall in her long sleeved shirt and pajama pants. He smiled at her.
"You look cozy," he commented. She gave a smile back and then walked up to Lee, snagging the nape of his neck with her hand and putting her other one around his lower back. He accepted her kiss easily, appreciating how deep and sensual she was going. He put his arms around her and let her melt into him, wishing they were alone right now.
"Come on," she said to him after pulling back. "We can share."
He couldn't help but smirk as she took his hand and led him down the hall. He wasn't shy in giving Gil a rather smug look when they walked by him. There was shock all over his face along with disappointment and gloom.
Served him right.
Now, he was on his side with Sara pressed against him, sleeping already. He was wide awake. He couldn't stop thinking about the photograph. He had no idea how he was going to deal with this, but he had to. He knew it in his bones that the weapon was coming here, if it wasn't here already. He couldn't explain it.
Sara twitched in her sleep and released almost a whine in her throat. He looked at her in the darkness and knew he didn't know her full life story, that things had happened to her that caused her great pain. He pressed his lips against the side of her head, trying to convey some form of comfort in her dreamland.
"No," she whimpered next. "Don't. Leave him alone."
This was new. Lee moved to gently wake her up when she jerked in his arms.
"Don't shoot him," she said. "Don't, don't, DON'T! CID!"
"Sara," Lee said loudly, putting a hand on her side. She sat up gasping, clutching at the place where she'd been shot and breathing like she'd just run a marathon.
"Cid," she said, choking out his name as she began to look for him in the room. "Cid!"
"Hey." Lee reached to touch her arm, and she yelped in surprise. He moved to turn the lamp on, and Sara was pushing her hand against her head, gripping her hair, as she realized where she was. She closed her eyes for a moment, taking some breaths.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly after.
"It's okay," he promised, pulling her into him. She let him, and he felt her hot tears against his chest not long after.
"I wasn't going to let him kill my son," she whispered against his skin. "I wasn't. I'd failed him enough...I couldn't fail him again."
"Sounds like a really vivid dream," he said, smoothing his fingers over the back of her head gently.
"It wasn't a dream," she stated. He felt a bit alarmed now. Then he realized she was going to tell him about that gunshot wound on her chest.
"It wasn't?" he prompted when she didn't go on.
"No."
"What happened?"
"He shot Cid in the jaw," Sara began. "We were running...he didn't get out of sight fast enough. He went down, and I...I thought he was dead, but then he got back up. H-He...he was so mad, and he...he...I talked him down. I managed to talk him down before he hurt anyone...before he hurt himself. He ran ahead, and I...I stood in the way and...and I got shot. I got shot keeping my son alive."
"Who shot you?"
"I...I don't know," she answered after a pause, and for a moment, Lee was pretty sure she had just lied to him. He debated on challenging her, but then he figured maybe she just didn't feel ready to share that information with him just yet. If it was the men who were threatening her, then she wouldn't want to risk revealing them.
"Is that when your son went to stay with his father?" he asked. Another pause.
"Yes."
"Sara, are you lying to me?" he inquired. She held his gaze, looking conflicted suddenly.
"There is a lot I want to tell you," she replied finally. "But I can't. Not right now."
"Why not?"
"Because it puts a lot of people at risk, myself and Cid included," she said. "Please, Lee, you have to trust me that now is not the time. I promise I will tell you everything when the time is right."
He had no idea how to feel about this. What was she keeping from him?
"I don't like it," he told her.
"I know. I'm sorry."
He moved to sit up now, suddenly having some mistrust back in his system towards her. She sensed it and sat up as well.
"Lee, I'm going to tell you everything soon. I promise," she said strongly. "I really need you to trust me right now." He looked at her, and she was gazing at him earnestly. "Please, Lee. You know I'd trust you if roles were reversed."
"That's not fair," he replied. "You don't know that for sure."
"But I do," she said strongly, moving to kneel next to him and putting her hands on his shoulders. "Lee, if you told me to do anything, I'd trust it. If you told me that you...you were from the future or something, I'd still trust you."
He stared at her. It was just a really odd thing to say, and he didn't know what to make of it. She grew slightly desperate, moving to press her face against his and rest her hand against his cheek.
"Please trust me, Lee," she said almost raggedly. "Please."
The tightness in his stomach loosened at her pleas. He'd known her long enough; she'd never lied to him before about anything. She'd been open about her addiction, her past job, and how she'd let down her son. She never intentionally hurt anyone outside of their jobs. She was his partner and now his love. If she needed to keep information to herself for now, then he was going to have to trust that there was a reason for it.
"Okay," he said finally. "I trust you."
The relief in her was immense. She kissed him hard, pressing herself against him. He kissed her back, hating that a very small part of him still whispered mistrust and doubt against her.
The Next Day
Sara felt shaky inside. Her stupid nightmare had almost cost her Lee, and she knew she was on thin ice with him after revealing she was keeping things from him. She knew it would drive him crazy to wonder, and she knew she could only hide it for so long.
But what would he say when he found out the truth?
It just didn't seem feasible. Maybe she should end things now and claim it was all a mistake. Why had she let herself fall in love with him? Was she crazy? It was like playing with fire, and she was going to get burned.
So was Lee.
Gil went out at some point. Sara didn't care where. She figured he was sulking a bit after realizing she wasn't interested in him. She sat in the armchair in the corner watching Lee sharpen his knives. The level of concentration on his face was intense, and she wondered if he was thinking about their interaction last night or the photograph he'd recognized.
Sara suddenly needed a distraction, so she got up and went over to him, resting against his back and looping an arm loosely around his neck from behind. She smoothed her hand up and down his chest and stomach while resting her chin on his shoulder.
"Talk to me," she said.
"I don't have anything to say."
"Are you mad at me?"
"No. Just confused."
"Well, me too," Sara clarified, making him look at her. His face was close to hers.
"Why are you confused?" he asked.
"Because you know one of those men from the photos, and you won't tell me who it is."
"Sucks to not know everything, doesn't it?" he asked.
"I told you I have a reason..."
"And that's fine," he cut her off. "So do I."
"My thing isn't directly involved with this job."
"I have a reason; you're just gonna have to trust me," he shot back at her.
"Fine," she said, pushing off and standing up. She was feeling irritated now. Clearly her thing and his thing were different, but if he wanted to be an idiot about it...
"Sara." He sighed. She looked to see him twisted in his chair to face her now. He looked a little bit conflicted as he held her gaze and worked his jaw slightly.
"What?" she asked when he said nothing after a moment.
"You're really going to tell me?" he asked. She could pick up on the worry in his tone despite his efforts to hide it.
"Yes," she promised. She wanted to. She did. She was just terrified about what he'd do with the information. She watched him give a nod and turn back to his knives. She went to walk to the bedroom to gather her thoughts when he was suddenly there behind her.
She gave a gasp when he caught her hips and pressed her against the wall. He kissed her hard and fast, making her knees almost give out. She recognized the urgency in him and grabbed his face out of reflex. When he stopped, she rested her head against the wall and caught her breath while he hovered his face next to hers. She held his gaze as he searched her eyes.
"I've never loved anyone the way I love you," he said finally. "I hope you know that."
"I do now," she replied. "And I feel the same way." His hand rested on her cheek, and she flattened hers against his chest.
"Then don't hurt me," he instructed. Sara felt like she'd gotten slightly stabbed in the heart at this. Would he take her truth to be her hurting him? She never wanted to hurt him.
"I would never intentionally hurt you," she promised. He didn't say anything else, just traced her cheek with his finger now before backing away and leaving her there alone. She slid down the wall and hugged her knees, trying not to feel scared or upset.
She didn't want to get hurt either.
...
Lee walked with purpose through the streets once darkness fell. He knew where he was going...without a doubt. He'd just waited for the right time, which involved Gil and Sara being occupied with trying to decipher a code Gil had been given earlier today by his boss.
He walked down the familiar pathway, fighting off memories as he went. He resisted reaching out to drag his fingers along the stone wall like he used to do out of habit. Instead, he slid his hand to his holster and wrapped his fingers around the handle of his pistol, pulling it out and holding it at his side as he kept going.
He walked slowly towards the back door, listening. There were no sounds, which made him wonder if he'd guessed wrong, but he had to know for sure. He picked the back door lock and nudged it open, cringing as the creak echoed loudly. He stepped inside the house, experiencing more memories as the different smells hit him. He made his way down the hall towards the office, and that's where he found him.
"I thought I might run into you," the man sitting behind the desk said. A pistol was on the desk in front of him, easily within reach.
"Oh yea?" Lee said, standing military style, "what made you think that?"
"Because I've kept tabs on you, and I knew you were here." The man shrugged. "Working for the good guys...being a saint, just like your mother."
"At least I am nothing like you, Pops," Lee said, aiming his gun at his father, Leroy, who simply smiled.
"You've got my temper," he corrected. "And my appreciation for a fine woman."
"Stop talking," Lee ordered. "Where is it?"
"I'm not sure what you're talking about."
"Yes, you do. You've got it in this house," Lee said sharply. "Where is it?" Leroy smiled wider.
"I think you'll talk to me a little bit nicer once you see what I've got," he said. Lee lowered his gun slightly, narrowing his eyes at his father, when Leroy stood up and reached behind the desk. His heart sank when Leroy pulled up Sara with her arms bound behind her and tape over her mouth and shoved her down onto the desk onto her stomach. He held his hand on her upper back, holding her still. Sara was breathing hard and angry, trying to free herself. He didn't blame her—his father was fast and unpredictable.
"Put the gun down, Son," Leroy ordered as he picked up his and held it against Sara's head. "Or she's done."
Sara made a sound in her throat as the gun touched her temple. Her eyes met Lee's, and he knew she was scared. He reluctantly lowered his gun, calculating his next move.
"Toss it," Leroy instructed. He obeyed.
"Now what?" he asked almost sarcastically.
"She's really pretty," Leroy said, ignoring him. He reached to collect Sara's hair and tuck it behind her ear gently, making Lee's stomach clench. "I see why you've taken a shine to her. Blue eyes like your mother's."
"Don't you dare talk about her," Lee snarled.
"Why not? You're the one who let her die. If anyone should be angry at someone, it should be me angry at you," Leroy spat at him.
"It was you!" Lee shouted, balling his fists as his sides now. "It was your shit that got her murdered!"
"So they say."
Lee felt rage inside. His father's illegal activities had gotten a target put on his mother's head, and that's why she'd been killed. Lee knew it.
"You really haven't changed," Lee said now. "You just got a whole lot deeper and darker than before."
"You have no idea," Leroy agreed.
"Why don't you and I end this?" Lee suggested. "Leave her out of it."
"I have her because it's the only way I can control you," Leroy reasoned. "And you know it. You shouldn't have left her behind...or at least realized she would follow you."
Sara tried to pull out of his grip only to get slammed down onto the desk harder, making her release a muffled cry. She tried to kick his pressure points, but he angled himself so she couldn't.
"I will give you one chance to walk out of here," Leroy said. "Because you're my son and all, and I owe your mother that much."
"Don't..."
"Leave now, Lee," Leroy cut him off. "Take this girl with you, and don't look back. You do that, and both of you stay alive."
"I can't do that," Lee insisted. "You're gonna hurt a lot of people with that weapon, and I can't let you do it."
Leroy let out a heavy, slow sigh at this, and he curled his fingers around Sara's hair before pulling her up by it, making her whimper.
"Then I'm afraid you've left me no choice," he said, keeping the gun trained on Sara as he came around to stand in front of Lee. He shoved her down onto her knees, holding her the back of her neck firmly while still having the gun aimed at her head. Lee could hear Sara breathing shakily and see her trying not to cry. His jaw twitched and his throat tightened. He could feel the pistol in its holster on his back almost burning a hole into him. He just needed a quick distraction so he could reach for it.
"What happened to you?" he asked, trying something. "You used to be something to be proud of. Now you're just someone who's bitter and angry and lashing out at the world."
"You can't shrink your way out of this," Leroy scoffed. "Last time I checked, you're not a therapist."
"I'm just trying to understand," Lee said, stalling. "Where did it go wrong?"
"The day you were born," Leroy answered sarcastically. "Is that what you want to hear?"
"Not really."
"I've always been this way," Leroy offered now, his voice clipped. "Your mother tried to change me, and that wasn't going to happen. I was devastated about what happened to her."
"You blamed me," Lee reminded him. "You said I should have been able to save her. You disowned me."
"It was for the best. If you were still hanging around me, you'd have been used as leverage or worse."
"So you disowned me to save me?" Lee asked, scoffing. "I find that hard to believe."
"Believe what you want," Leroy said with a shrug. "It's just like now...I don't want to kill you or her, but you're not taking the choice I gave you, so you're making me do this."
"I'm not making you do anything," Lee retorted. "And shame on you for using a person who has no ties to this in order to hurt me. You can't even stand up to me by yourself...what kind of a man are you?"
"Insults don't bother me, Son," Leroy advised. "You know that."
"Worth a try."
Leroy chuckled and shook his head slightly, tightening his grip on Sara's neck and making her grunt in pain. "Last chance, Lee. Walk away now, and you'll both be spared."
"I don't think you really want this weapon to be used," Lee said, still trying to stall.
"Says who?"
"I think you've been bullied into this, and you don't see a way out," Lee went on.
"Nonsense."
"I think you secretly want my help to get you out of it," Lee finished. Leroy furrowed his brow slightly.
"You are very wrong," he stated.
"Yea, I know," Lee said. "I was just giving her some time."
"What?" Leroy looked down just as Sara reached to grab his wrist and disarm him, having used her hidden knife to cut her wrists free while they'd been talking. He let out a cry as she twisted his wrist, making him drop his gun. Lee was on him in an instant, holding him down on the floor.
"You alright?" he asked Sara, looking at her briefly. She reached to pull the tape off her mouth.
"Yea," she answered. He gave a nod and looked back at his father.
"Where is it?" he asked. Sara collected his discarded gun and handed it to him, which he took and aimed at his father's head.
"You have no idea what you're getting into," Leroy stated. Lee figured it was a scare tactic, and even if it wasn't, he didn't care.
"You didn't happen to tell Gil where you were going, did you?" he asked. She shook her head. "Call him." He watched her pull out her phone and do just that, and he turned to look back at his father, whose cheek was pressed against the floor. "Just tell me where it is, Pops."
"It ain't here," Leroy replied, looking at him with his one eye. Lee knew he was lying; he'd had enough of this. He knocked his father out in one swift motion and then got to his feet after securing him. Sara was done on the phone at this point.
"Gil's coming," she told him. He couldn't help himself; he reached to pull her against him in an embrace. She hooked her arms up around his shoulders in response.
"Your father, huh," she commented.
"Yea."
"Is that why you didn't want to tell me? You didn't want me to worry that you were just like him?" she asked.
"No. I didn't want you to stop me because you thought I'd be too emotionally invested."
"Pfft," she scoffed. "I trust you, remember?"
"Next time," he said, pulling back and resting his fingers on her cheek, "don't follow me."
"Next time," she corrected, "don't leave without me." She lifted a brow to dare him to disagree, and he gave a slight chuckle because he knew she was right.
"Fine," he promised. "Come on, we gotta find this thing before all hell breaks loose." He released her, and he led the way to the basement. He reached to yank the light on in the stairwell and went down the stairs. Sara watched as he rummaged through bins and drawers.
"You're sure it's here?" she asked when he came up with nothing. "For sure?"
Lee met her gaze and worked his jaw, thinking. Where else would his father keep it? Then it hit him.
"Shit," he said, rushing back up the stairs. Sara followed, and he burst outside and ran for the car he'd rented. She barely jumped in before he took off.
"Where are we going?" she asked. Lee looked in the rear view mirror and felt relieved no one was following them yet. He drove to the place he never wanted to go back to and parked. He could see Sara watching him as they got out and walked towards it.
His mother's screams hit him hard as he approached the front door. It was abandoned. His father hadn't sold the place for some reason, which Lee didn't care to know why.
"Lee," Sara said softly. "Are you okay?"
"No," he answered, smashing the window and reaching to unlock the door. "But that doesn't matter right now." He went inside, and she followed. He searched everywhere, finally finding a crate in the storage room that revealed the weapon when he cracked the lid.
"Holy shit," Sara whispered, hugging herself. Lee pulled out his phone and called Barney.
"Hey," he said. "I've got it." He listened for a moment, then: "Hurry the hell up then." He hung up and pocketed his phone before releasing a sigh.
"What now?" she asked.
"When Gil gets here, he can deal with it," Lee answered.
"Okay. I texted him the change of address of our location."
"Good." Lee pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to ignore the memories hitting him hard and fast right now. After a moment, he felt Sara put her arms around him, and he let her.
"I'm so sorry," she said. "I really am."
"There you lot are," Gil said, making them break apart a bit later. "Bloody hell, is that it?!" He eyed up the crate a bit anxiously.
"Yea," Lee confirmed.
"Alright. MI6 will take it from here," Gil said. "Thanks for your help."
Lee felt a bit reluctant to leave him in charge, but he wanted out of that building very badly. He took Sara's hand and headed for the exit.
Only to run straight into his father.
"I told you to leave it alone," Leroy advised as Lee halted in his tracks and jerked Sara to a stop with him. Then his father aimed his gun and fired.