I will advise you to watch Expendables 2, if you haven't already, as I don't cover the entire events in my version here. Happy reading!

August 2012

Joe looked at Maggie Chan, and he just knew.

He knew.

"Do you know what a Looper is?" he asked her, and her eyes showed understanding as she gave a slow nod in return.

"Joe?" she asked.

"Yes." He was trying not to stare at her. Why was Abe sending him another woman from the future? Had he tried to kill her too? He couldn't place her, though.

"Abe said you'd need some help with this job since I'm a technical expert," she advised. "I'm to team up with Barney and the other asset?"

"So there's a job?" he asked.

"Yes." She handed him a folded up piece of paper. He felt a bit of relief that this job was real. He'd been starting to think Abe had left him here to rot. The torture of being away from his wife was hard enough.

"I'll round up the mutts," Joe said, putting the paper into his pocket. He hoped they could handle themselves. He was ordered not to tell them about Vilain. The plan was for them to stumble across each other and have Barney take him out all on his own. Vilain was not to get his hands on the plutonium, or else the consequences in the future were dire.

"You'll just show up there?" Maggie asked. "And they'll just do the job?"

"Oh, they owe some money too," Joe replied, waving his hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it."

"Okay."

He got into his car and went to find them, feeling a bit relieved inside to be making another step forward again.

...

"Do you have to go?" Lacy asked as Lee finished getting dressed and zipped his bag shut. She was under the covers in his bed, giving him a look that said if he stayed, it would be worth his while.

"Sorry, luv," he said, bending to kiss her forehead. "I'll be home soon." She caught his hand.

"Then we can finish planning the wedding, right?"

"Right."

She made a reluctant face and let go of his hand. "Is Sara going?"

"Yes."

A dark look went through Lacy, and he waited for her to get into it with him about Sara again. It was no secret that she hated Sara and didn't want him working with her. She hated it even more that they were partners, which was something Sara had taken great delight in telling her one night, effectively making Lee's life a living hell for almost a month.

"If you don't trust me," he started.

"It's her I don't trust," she cut in quickly.

"You don't have to trust her," Lee insisted. "You only have to trust me." He'd never told Lacy about Sara kissing him all those months ago on the rescue job or the one they shared in the rain not long after it. It was not worth the fight because it had meant nothing.

At least, that's what he was still trying to convince himself. That memory would sneak up on him when he least expected it, and it left him feeling conflicted.

"Fine," Lacy said with a huff. "Just remember who's waiting for you at home."

"Always." He smiled at her and left before she could start pouting, slinging his bag over his shoulder. He felt bad that he wasn't as eager to plan their wedding like she was, which was something she always brought up in front of Sara whenever she was around the team (like last night at the bar). He didn't like hearing grief from Sara about it afterwards. He really hated being stuck in the middle of their war.

And he wasn't even really sure what Sara was fighting for. She'd never once said she wanted to be with him, but then again, her kissing him and saying she meant it was probably a good indicator of that. He just couldn't allow it, and he knew it hurt her, which in turn hurt him. It really was just a big mess, and they hadn't quite been the same with each other since.

He arrived at Spiders Aircraft hangar to find everyone waiting for him. He could feel Barney's impatience. He was another person who did not like Lacy and was not afraid to tell him so.

"You sleep in or somethin'?" he asked as Lee headed for the open door of the plane.

"Nope," Lee answered, climbing in. Barney pulled himself up in behind him and shut the door. Lee walked past everyone, avoiding Sara's eyes, and headed to the front. He stuffed his bag under his seat and sat down. He had to admit, it felt a bit strange without Yang, but Yang had left them after a rescue mission earlier that week and hadn't returned. Lee didn't know where he'd gone or if he'd be back. He hoped the guy maybe retired and was someplace nice right about now.

Barney joined him and fell heavily into his seat, flicking switches and getting the plane started. They weren't in the air long before Lee's phone rang, emanating a loud, quacking sound of a duck. He gritted his teeth. Sara had changed his ringtone for Lacy, and he didn't know how to change it back, so he had to deal with the snickers from the men every time Lacy called him.

"Is that the untrustworthy woman calling you already?"

"Will you give it a rest?"

"When I'm dead."

Lee answered the phone with a glare at Barney. He mimicked the gesture of stabbing him, and Barney flipped him the bird.

"I miss you," Lacy said. "Are you gone yet?"

"Yes."

"You thinking about me?"

"Of course I'm thinking about you," Lee said, ignoring the gagging motion Barney was making next to him. "Who else would I be thinking about?" She started to engage in a conversation that made him grip the phone tighter in his hand, and he knew she was doing it on purpose.

"I gotta go," he cut her off. "I'll see you when I'm back home."

"But, Lee..."

He flipped his phone shut, ignoring the pointed look Barney was giving him.

"You sure you wanna shackle yourself to her forever?" he asked.

"Come on, not today," Lee said back, annoyed. He felt like Sara had filled Barney's head full of her issues and problems against Lacy, and now he was going along with the agenda of breaking them up.

"I'm just saying..."

Lee gave a growl, and Barney stopped talking. Even he knew there was a point he shouldn't cross. Lee got comfortable in his seat and closed his eyes, trying to just tune everything and everyone out.

...

Sara had known Maggie was a Looper the moment she met her, well before hearing how Church had demanded she attend the job and couldn't be killed. It was the way she had looked at Sara, her eyes filled with knowing. It had thrilled her to meet someone else from the future who was not a total cranky fusspot like Joe and had some serious skills. When they had a moment alone, Maggie had explained she was sent to check on things and had to go back once the job was over, which made Sara feel disappointed. She had hoped that maybe Maggie was here for a bit longer.

Before she left, though, Sara was going to beg her to find Cid. If Maggie could accomplish that, then she wouldn't have to rely on Abe. If Abe had screwed her over and left her here, then at least someone knew to come back for her.

Gunner made her cringe by trying to get Maggie's attention and show he was interested in her. She left Maggie to fend for herself as she leaned back in her seat and pulled her ball cap low over her eyes, feigning sleep. She was trying not to think about how Lacy had cornered her outside the bathrooms last night in the bar to tell her she was never going to be with Lee. Sara wasn't even sure why Lacy wanted to be with Lee. She was a tart and a drama queen, and she certainly didn't have Lee's best interests in mind.

Sara really just wanted Lee to be with someone who genuinely cared about him. That was all. She looked to where he was sitting, seeing his arm move as he said something to Barney. They were distant lately...ever since their kiss. She knew why, but she missed him all the same. She sighed and tilted her head back, closing her eyes again. She wondered if he thought about it as much as she did.

"Prepare for touchdown," Barney called back to them a good while later. Sara was feeling tired and achy, but she was ready when they finally landed and had to hike. They spread out to begin their walk, and she rolled her eyes when Lee's phone began to quack again.

"What?" Maggie asked, noticing.

"His fiancée," Sara answered, gesturing. "She can't stand it that I'm here with him, so she keeps calling."

"You don't like her?"

"She's no good for him," Sara insisted. "Barney agrees."

"Hello, darlin'," Barney said sarcastically, to which Lee answered the phone with the same words just to piss him off. They both watched as Barney mocked talking on a phone with a dramatic air, and Maggie giggled.

"He's handsome, isn't he?" she said.

"Who? Lee? Uh..." Sara trailed off, feeling her cheeks grow hot.

"No, Barney," Maggie replied. Sara felt surprise, but then again, she'd never looked at Barney that way—had no desire to. She felt relieved that the attention was off of her and Lee, though.

"I wouldn't know. He's not my type," Sara said in response.

"Just smoldering British men, right?" Maggie asked, smirking as she moved ahead now. Sara just pressed her lips together to try and stop her embarrassed smile back before following her. She knocked into Lee's elbow on her way by, jolting his hand that was holding his phone. He shot her a look.

"Are we gabbing or working?" she said.

"Is that her?" Lacy's voice could be heard through the phone, and Sara raised a brow before turning forward again.

"Lace, I promise I'll call later," Lee said behind her.

"Hey, you and Billy go on ahead," Barney said to her when she caught up to him.

"Yes, sir," Billy said, hupping it up the hill. Sara shouldered her bag and hustled after him. She knew how much it bothered Lee to be left in the dust so easily. She could hear Barney telling him that he had short, stubby legs before they got out of earshot. Billy was snickering, having also heard.

"You do it on purpose, don't you?" she asked. He laughed.

"Sometimes," he confessed.

"I heard you're leaving after this," she said. She'd overheard Barney and Tool talking about it late last night, surmising that Billy had told Barney at the bar. It did and didn't surprise her. Billy had a lot of life left to live still.

"Yea. I'm gonna go live with Sophia," he shared. "I haven't told her yet. I think I'm just gonna show up and surprise her."

"That's great, Billy," Sara said with a smile. "I'm happy for you."

"Thanks."

They made it to the top, and Billy radioed in what he saw. Barney told them to stay put while they went to retrieve the item from the downed plane. Sara was a bit grateful for the rest.

"So what about you?" Billy asked suddenly, making her look at him.

"What do you mean?"

"Come on," he laughed. "It's pretty evident you have a huge thing for Lee."

"I do not," she argued. He just lifted a brow at her, and she worked her lips before heaving a sigh. "Fine, I might have some feelings I'm trying to bury."

"Why bury them?"

"It's complicated."

"What's complicated about it?"

"Billy," Sara groaned. "I really don't want to talk about it." He smiled and ducked his head in acknowledgement.

"Well, if you want my friendly advice," he said a moment later, "I think you should just go for it. He clearly has feelings for you too."

Sara just looked at him, and he gave a shrug before lifting his scope to his eye to scan the area. She picked at her jacket, wondering what he knew that she didn't.

"Did he say something?" she finally asked.

"I knew it," Billy said with another laugh. He turned his head to look at her again.

"Just spit it out, Kid," she ordered.

"He didn't say anything," Billy clarified.

"Then how do you know he has feelings for me?"

"Because he looks at you every chance he gets, he always makes sure he is sitting beside you at the bar when he's alone, and he always looks relieved when you come through a shoot out you did without him."

"Those aren't anything," Sara dismissed. "Besides, he's my partner, so of course he looks relieved when I come out in one piece. It means he didn't fail as a trainer."

"Call it what you want, but I'm a guy, and I know he's got it for you bad," Billy insisted. Sara didn't argue. She felt like it was a losing battle on her end anyway.

"If he's got it so bad, then why is he with her?" she challenged.

"I think he's scared, but I think he'll figure it out before it's too late." Billy held her gaze, and she wondered if he was right.

"We should head down and meet them," she said, noticing that the team had finished down below.

"Yea," Billy agreed. They both got to their feet. "And Sara?"

"What?" She feigned annoyance, but she was smiling.

"I really think you should be brave and tell him," Billy advised. "That might help him stop being afraid." Sara digested his words as she thought of a response back. Hadn't kissing him been enough of a sign? Maybe not. She pondered on this.

Then they were both suddenly surrounded.

...

Lee was admiring the guts on Maggie for getting that device before the doors sliced her in half when they started to walk back to the plane. He frowned when Barney was having difficulty getting in touch with Billy. He was about to ask what was going on when Gunner stopped suddenly. The others followed suit, and Lee stopped last, finally seeing what was going on ahead of them.

A group of men were standing there with one man standing a little bit ahead of them, indicating he was the leader.

"Put down your weapons," he instructed.

"Hell no," Caesar retorted.

"Ain't happening," Toll chimed in.

"Not today," Barney added. Lee gripped his rifle tightly, getting a bad feeling suddenly. The man looked around at his crew and chuckled softly.

"No?" he said, looking back at them. "Maybe this will change your mind." He made a circle gesture in the air with his left hand, and Lee's heart dropped when Billy and Sara were pulled forward with their hands bound behind them. Both looked as though they'd fought hard based on the blood and cuts on them. Sara was the only one gagged.

"They jumped us, sir," Billy said to Barney. "I'm sorry."

"So how about it?" the leader said. "Put down your weapons."

"It's alright," Billy said. "Don't do it. I'm not worth it."

"Wow, he's a strong guy," the leader stated, pulling out his pistol and walking over to him. "Let's see how strong he is. You have three seconds to lower your weapons."

"Barney," Lee said.

"One," the leader counted off.

"Don't do it!" Billy shouted.

"Two..."

"Barney!" Lee said loudly, noticing the man holding Sara had a gun under her chin too. Her eyes never left his. Oh God, it was making him realize he shouldn't have been a damn coward.

"You don't owe me anything! Don't do it!" Billy was hollering now. "He'll just kill you all!"

"He's gonna do it," Lee said to Barney strongly.

"Three," the leader finished.

"Put 'em down!" Barney called, holding up his hand and starting to lower his gun. Lee felt like he was going to have a stroke as he and the others followed suit. Billy let out an aggravated growl. The man before them smiled coldly.

"Look at that. Everyone's using their heads and staying calm. Perfect. This will all be over soon," he promised. He came over to Barney now, nodding to the ground where his weapons were. "Give me that knife."

Lee was torn between looking at Barney and looking at Sara. She was still trying to get free, and the man holding her tightened his grip around her throat, making her choke. The rage inside Lee was immense by this point.

"I do like symbols," the man went on after he got the knife and examined it. "What does this mean?"

Barney said nothing, just gave him a dead eye stare. The man scoffed a little. Then he pulled down his collar to reveal a tattoo on his neck.

"This is a goat," he explained. "It is Satan's pet...or so they say."

"Uh huh," Barney said, not impressed. Lee wasn't even sure why this man was trying to find a common interest. What was the point?

"Anyway, you have a case that belongs to me," the man went on. "Hand it over. Now."

"Belongs to you, huh?" Barney asked.

"Yes, like your lives right now in this very moment."

"He doesn't have it. It's lost," Billy tried. He got punched in the face for talking, making Lee flinch a little from the force of it.

"Give me the case," the man said, going over to Billy with the knife, "or I will cut out his heart."

"Go ahead and do it!" Billy snarled at him. The man smiled at him and cut open his shirt a little bit before looking at Barney. When he didn't move, the man sliced the knife across Billy's chest just deep enough to draw blood. Billy grunted and groaned but otherwise didn't give much of a reaction.

"Alright, alright," Barney said, gesturing to Maggie, who had the case. "Give it to him."

"Let me," Lee said, taking it from her. He stepped forward, and the man holding Sara handed her off to someone else before coming to meet him. Lee tossed it down at his feet.

"Pick it up," the man ordered. Lee stared him down until the man stepped into him and held a blade to his throat. "Do it, or you end up like him." He tilted his head slightly towards Billy.

"Come on, Lee," Barney said behind him. It was all Lee had not to rip this man to shreds. He caved and picked up the case, handing it to him.

"Was that so hard?" the man asked. He tucked it under his arm and stepped back a bit.

"It'll be okay, Billy," Lee said to him, intentionally leaving Sara out of it. He didn't want them to think he favored her or else that would land her in more trouble. He rejoined the others, his blood boiling.

"She must just be the candy then, huh?" the leader asked, looking at Sara. He laughed. "Seems they don't really care much about you, sweetheart."

"Leave her alone," Barney ordered.

"Respect is very important," the leader went on. "You and I are both fighting men, and fighting men shouldn't be slaughtered like sheep. However, respect must be taught."

"I'm so sorry," Billy said from his knees.

"It's okay, Billy," Barney replied. Lee did not like where this was going.

"Get on the ground face down, and stay there until we leave. Do not challenge me," the leader instructed. A helicopter was coming in now as Lee followed suit and got to the ground. He kept an eye on what was happening, though. The leader approached Billy and had him stand, but Lee couldn't hear over the noise what he was saying. Then, the man who held the knife against Lee's throat held out Barney's knife over Billy's chest, and Lee shouted as the leader kicked it into Billy's chest. He felt Toll grab his leg to stop him from getting up as the leader took the knife back and walked to the helicopter with his men. Sara was being taken with them.

"BARNEY!" Lee roared. His friend was up and running towards Billy as the helicopter went up into the air. Lee went to aim his rifle at it when Toll grabbed it and yanked it down.

"Are you crazy? She's in there!" he shouted at Lee.

"F***!" Lee yelled. Caesar, Gunner, Toll, and Maggie had joined Barney around Billy, and Lee somehow managed to walk over to them. Barney had cut him loose and was holding him in his arms.

"I'm so sorry," Billy said again.

"Don't. Save your strength," Barney instructed.

"There's...a letter," Billy was saying now. "Front...pocket."

"I got it," Barney said, digging it out. "I got it, kid." Billy gave a last groan/sigh, and they all saw the light leave his eyes. Lee's nails dug into his hands hard as he clenched his fists. Toll kicked at the ground and swore while Caesar hung his head and said a quiet prayer. Gunner stood staring into space, and Maggie went to try and comfort Barney, who had scrambled to his feet.

"I'm so sorry," she began.

"What was in that case?" he demanded, cutting her off. "Tell me!"

"It was a blueprint," she answered. "Of a mine."

"What mine?"

"Plutonium. Five tons of it that the Russians buried after the Cold War. We wanted to get it before it ended up in the wrong hands."

"Well, it looks like that objective failed," Barney said angrily.

"So you're saying Billy died so someone could make bombs?" Toll asked.

"They took Sara," Gunner reminded them, speaking for Lee, who had been about to say the same thing. He noticed Maggie looked quite stricken about that.

Barney swore and walked off. Lee watched him pace and talk to himself, kicking the ground and throw rocks. Then he came back and stopped by Billy.

"We gotta bury him," he said. "I want to take him home, but we can't. We are far from done here."

"We'll dig," Caesar advised, going with Toll to do so. It was a shallow grave, unfortunately, but they all stacked stones and rocks around him as best as they could. Barney read the letter Billy had written to Sophia as a form of a eulogy, but Lee was having a hard time concentrating. How were they going to find Sara when they didn't even know who took her?

"What's the plan?" he asked.

"Track him, find him, kill him," Barney answered.

Then a voice interrupted over the radio, and it was Church. Barney let him have it about pulling strings and not doing any dirty work, that they'd lost Billy and Sara was probably next. Then he told him they were done and cut off communication with him.

"I can track it," Maggie said quietly once Barney was done simmering a bit.

"What?" he asked.

"The case. I can track it," she confirmed.

"Then track it," he ordered. She nodded meekly, setting to work. Lee felt his phone vibrate and saw it was Lacy calling (he'd silenced it earlier to avoid being mocked). He did not answer, not in the mood. He didn't care how upset that made her.

"I got it," Maggie said a moment later. She held it up for them to see, and Barney gave a nod.

"Let's go," he said. They all followed him, and Lee hoped with all of his heart that at the end of this, Sara would be alive.

...

Joe was freaking out. Sara was kidnapped and probably going to be killed. That was not good. That could not happen. He needed her alive because he'd already failed her once; he couldn't fail her again. She also was what was helping to keep his wife alive. It wasn't just Barney's words that struck chords with him. Of course he could get down and dirty into a job. He'd been a Looper after all. He just held back here because he couldn't die, but now...now he had to act. He had to put himself at risk.

He told the pilot to land them somewhere secure as he pulled out his satellite phone. He was going to need some backup.

...

Sara had never endured anything like this before. She'd learned how to dissociate during her time as a working girl, and it came in handy now. Basically, after trying to fight them all again and losing, she'd been strung up by her wrists in some dungeon and drilled for information while getting beaten up for either not answering or being untruthful. She was bleeding and on the verge of crying near the end of it. She couldn't stop seeing Billy fall with that knife in his chest. She'd learned the leader's name was Vilain, and he was ruthless.

Her bully, Hector, was thoroughly enjoying beating her up. She hoped that was all it would be.

"Give her a break," Vilain said now, and Hector went to drink some water and flex his fingers. Sara watched Vilain come closer to her and stop in front of her, standing military style with his hands behind his back.

"You remind me of someone," he said to her. Sara felt a bit afraid. Could it be possible that Vilain knew someone from her family?

"I have a familiar face," she replied. Hector had removed her gag a long time ago; apparently, he liked hearing her scream when he hit her, which she'd held back for as long as she could, but the pain was too much now.

"I don't think they're coming for you," Vilain said softly. "I think you must know how this ends for you, yes?"

"So why don't you just end it?" she asked. He pulled out his gun in response, and she couldn't stop the whimper that escaped her lips as he pressed it against her temple.

"Why don't I?" he asked, watching her carefully. "It would be very easy, wouldn't it?"

She worked to control her shaky breathing, holding his stare.

"But then Hector would miss out on all this fun, and I want you to die a slow death," Vilain advised, holstering his gun again. "I want your team to know you suffered to the fullest, that they failed you."

Sara gritted her teeth so hard she swore they were going to break. Vilain chuckled and moved to the door, gesturing to Hector.

"Don't go easy on her," he instructed, and Sara braced herself as Hector came back at her, his grin cruel and wide.

...

Lee had been instructed to go back to the plane to get their supplies much to his chagrin, and then he'd gotten lost. He'd spent the night in the truck tossing and turning and feeling scared for Sara and grieving for Billy. He paced and threw shit and swore at the sky. He wanted to find these people responsible and kill them all.

He wanted to bring Sara home safe and sound.

The guilt set in. He knew what was probably happening to her, and he knew he should have prepared her for the possibility of torture. Why hadn't he thought to go through that with her? He knew she put on a tough act, but he knew how easy it could be to break, especially if you'd never experienced something like that before.

He was just about back to Barney when he heard the chaos through the phone while talking to him. He got there in time to find dust settling and a stranger telling Barney about the Sangs. It turned out that the stranger was an old friend of Barney's named Booker.

"So we go to this village and get some help," Lee said after getting caught up.

"Yea, sounds like it," Barney agreed. Lee took him aside for a moment; he missed Maggie listening in, though.

"They're gonna kill her, Barney," he said quietly. "And we don't even know where to find her."

"I know," Barney said back. They shared a look, and Lee felt his heart break at the realization of how this would come true sooner than later.

"We going or what?" Caesar called, and they joined the others, starting their journey to the next village to get their help.

...

"Thanks for letting me have the payback so soon," Trench said around his cigar as he rode with Joe down to the mine. He'd gotten his ass saved by Barney a few days ago and felt so embarrassed about it. At least, that's what Joe had put together from what he'd said.

"No problem, Trench." He was distracted. He couldn't find Sara, and he didn't know how to handle that. It was annoying that the Expendable team had gotten themselves buried in the mine with everyone while trying to stop Vilain, but at least they were about to be rescued. Joe stood by as Trench dug them out, and he greeted Barney with a smile after they all exited together.

"What are you doing here?" Barney asked him.

"Someone mentioned a party, and I happen to like parties," Joe answered with a shrug.

"This is my party," Barney advised.

"I did not take you to be a selfish person," Joe retorted.

"He is," Trench chimed in. Barney shot him a look.

"You want Vilain or not?" Joe asked.

"Badly," Barney answered.

"Then let's go."

...

Lee's adrenaline was pumping as they fought their way through that airport. He found Vilain's right hand man, the one who had choked Sara before handing her off and put the knife against Billy's chest to get kicked into it, and they had an intense fist fight.

"Where is she?" Lee demanded when he had the man on the ground under his fist. "Where is she?!"

"You'll never find her," he answered, kicking Lee's pressure points by his knees and knocking Lee over. The fight went on, and Lee was feeling hopeless that he was never going to find out where Sara was. At one point, Lee almost got sliced up by a propeller, but he managed to kill his opponent that way instead. He was breathing hard and feeling heartbroken and lost over not getting the information he wanted. Sara was not here with them, so the only logical explanation was that she'd been left for dead somewhere, if she wasn't already. It made it hard to breathe, and he made a promise to himself that if he saw her again, he'd stop lying about his feelings.

He rejoined the group to find Barney coming out holding a dripping bag that Lee just knew contained Vilain's head. He dropped it at Church's feet, and the man wrinkled his nose.

"That's a bit extreme," he commented as Barney turned away to leave and check on his team.

Lee watched without fully watching as Church answered his phone, his eyes slightly widening as he listened. His head flicked to where Maggie was standing with Barney talking. Lee watched. Was he imagining the surprised look on Church's face?

"Got it. Thanks, Mags," he said, hanging up. Lee blinked. Mags? As in Maggie? But wasn't Maggie over there? He looked, and Maggie was indeed still standing there. Lee felt confused, but he chalked it up to being tired and emotionally drained. Besides, Mags could stand for anything.

"Hey," Church said to him now. "You're the partner, right?"

"What?" Lee asked, trying to pull his brain back from figuring out this confusing thing that just happened.

"You're Sara's partner."

"Yes," Lee said instantly. All the hair on his arms and neck stood up straight. Had he found her? How had he found her?

"Come with me," Church instructed. "Barney, I'm borrowing your man for a minute. Wait here until we're back."

Lee didn't look back to see Barney's reaction. Heart pounding, he jumped into the truck with Church, and they sped out of there.

"You know where you're going?" Lee asked him as they bounced along.

"Yea."

"How?"

"I had people looking, and they found a place Vilain liked to hang out at," Church replied easily. Lee didn't fully buy it, but who was he to argue?

"Mags tell you that?" he asked, and Church did very well to not react.

"Yea. Magdalene," he said. Lee still felt like something was off, but his brain was now thinking about whether or not they'd find Sara alive. Twenty minutes later, they arrived at a building that appeared mostly abandoned. They got out and headed for it, guns drawn and aimed.

"Clear," Church said after a moment. He kept his gun out while Lee kicked in the door. They swept through the building, finding nothing. Lee was about to lose all hope when he saw the trapdoor. He pulled it up, taking the flashlight from Church and going down the steps. Church went down slowly behind him.

Lee swept the light around. Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing...

"Sara!" he exclaimed as the light landed on her in the far corner. Church found the light switch at this point, nearly blinding him by turning it on. Lee tossed the flashlight at him as he pulled out his knife and cut Sara down. She fell heavily on him, and he went down to the floor with her, gently setting her on her back.

"Hey," he said, patting her cheek. "Can you hear me? Sara!" He checked her vitals, and she had a pulse, which was relieving. He cupped her face in his hands gently. "Sara, please."

"Hey, kid, come on," Church said now, crouched on the other side of her. Sara opened her eyes slowly, finding Church first.

"Joe," she croaked. Despite everything, that registered in Lee's brain quite clearly. She knew Church's real name? How?

"No, it's Church," Church said. Lee didn't buy it for a second, but now was not the time to accost him about it.

"Sara," he said, and she looked at him next.

"Lee..."

"I got you. We're going home," he promised. She nodded lightly, closing her eyes again. Lee felt sick at all the bruises, cuts, and marks on her. She'd been worked over hard.

He lifted her up into his arms, slinging her over his shoulder as he went up the crooked stairs. At the vehicle, Church brought out some water and gave it to Lee to give to her while he drove. Lee sat with her in his arms in the backseat, giving her sips periodically.

"It hurts so much," she whimpered.

"I know. I'm so sorry," he said. He felt terrified of what else they'd done to her; he didn't even know how to ask or if he even should. She felt so small and frail in his arms. He pressed his cheek into her temple, and he felt her tears slide over his fingers that were resting on her cheek.

"Billy," she said, and he knew what she was trying to say.

"He's gone," Lee confirmed, and she cried a bit more. He held her close, vowing he'd never let her out of his sight ever again. Better yet, he wanted her to stop doing these jobs, but he didn't know how to make that happen.

"Lee," Sara said, her voice indicating she was either falling asleep or losing consciousness again. "I need you."

"I'm not going anywhere," he promised. "I swear." He looked at her as she passed out again, daring to say the words out loud. "I love you, Sara. I love you. I'm sorry I lied. I'm sorry." He missed Church look at him in the rear view mirror as he closed his eyes and buried his face against hers.

They got back to the others, and Lee carried her out carefully. Barney looked sick at the sight of her. The others did too. She came to again briefly as he set her down on a box to sit so he could get his bearings for a moment. Her arms were still around his neck.

"No hospital," she said to him.

"Why not?"

"Just don't. I don't want to go."

"Why not?"

"Just please," she begged. "You look after me." Lee looked at Toll, who looked nervous.

"I think you should go in," Toll said to her. She shook her head.

"Not yet. Let me sleep. Help me clean up, and then we'll decide," she stated.

"This is nuts," Toll commented. Lee looked at Sara, who was watching him. He was torn on what to do, but if she wanted to delay going to the hospital for a bit, he'd oblige, but if her wounds were serious enough, he was making her go. He picked her up again and headed for the waiting plane.

"Maggie," Church said, making her look at him. "We gotta go." Something in his tone made Lee look at him too and wonder if there was more going on here than they realized.

Maggie nodded, but she walked over to Sara and whispered something into her ear first. Lee thought he caught the word "Cid" in there, and he wondered what Maggie was promising her. Did she ask Maggie for help? If so, how come she would let Maggie help her find her son and not them? How come she even told Maggie about Cid? She didn't know her at all. None of it made sense.

"Come on," Barney said, heading towards the crappy little plane Church had given them since they'd crashed Barney's earlier. "Let's get her home."

After their small tribute to Billy, Lee sat with Sara in his arms the whole way home, hoping that nothing would happen to her because if something did, he'd never forgive himself.