Emily was fairly confident Caesar was cranking the boat on purpose to make her continuously bump into Lee. She'd almost lost her balance in the beginning, causing Lee to snag her around the middle and pull her back up, which had made her crash into his chest before she could get herself back on the seat next to him.
It was hot enough out here without that happening. She gripped the seat tightly with her fingers as Caesar brought them around a tight turn once more. She could see Maya and Louis shrieking with delight out on the water, and she was glad her daughter was having so much fun.
They suddenly hit waves head on hard and fast, and she bounced right up and onto Lee's knees, making her grab his shoulders and him grip her arms to prevent her from toppling overboard.
"I'm so sorry!" she said loudly over the wind, moving to get off of him quickly.
"Caesar! Don't make me take over!" Lee shouted. Caesar just smiled and waved, so whether he actually heard him or not, Emily didn't know.
Another wave jolted her, and Lee's hand gripped her shoulder to stop her from knocking her head into his. She decided she needed to sit somewhere else, so she stood up to do just that when Caesar suddenly slowed right down.
She shrieked as she lurched forward face first, and Lee grabbed her shirt to haul her back, making her fall backwards onto him on the seat. Her heart was racing from the sudden movements and from Lee's arms around her stomach. She was gripping his arms back.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Uh huh," she answered.
"Man down," Caesar said, making them both look to see Maya in the tube and Louis splashing in the lake as he kicked to get himself back to the tube.
Emily untangled herself from Lee and pushed her hair back as she went to the seat across from Caesar.
"Too rough?" Caesar asked innocently.
"Just a bit," she answered. He just smiled as he went to pull the tube in slowly, Louis hanging onto it and getting dragged with it. Once they were closer, Caesar reached to pull Louis out by his life jacket.
"That was so much fun!" Louis exclaimed, dripping everywhere after Caesar set him down. Maya was helped out next.
"Mum, you go!" Maya cried.
"Oh, no..." Emily started.
"Pleeeeaaaase? It's so much fun!"
"Not a chicken, are ya?" Lee asked, pulling off his t-shirt. She blinked. Oh God. It was so distracting. She did, however, notice a few scars on him, scars that looked like knife and bullet wounds.
"Mum, please?" Maya said again. Lee was now snapping on a life jacket. She stared at him, suddenly seeing him in the midst of combat and fighting for his life. She blinked, trying to shake the image. It unnerved her.
"She's too chicken," Lee said now, interrupting her thoughts. She narrowed her eyes at him and twisted her lips to the left. So it was like that, huh? She looked at the tube, seeing that if she went with him, they'd be in very close contact with each other. Maybe that wasn't so bad after all.
"No shame in being a chicken," Lee egged her on.
"I just don't want you to feel bad after you fall out and I'm still going," she retorted.
"Ha! Okay," Lee said with a snort. He went to jump off the end of the boat when she put her foot on his back and shoved him. He let out a sound of surprise as he went over and landed managed to still land feet first. He bobbed up, spluttering and wiping his face before squinting up at her.
"Remind me to never make you angry," he noted.
"Damn straight."
"You going?" Caesar asked her.
"Alright," Emily said, making Maya cheer. She tugged off her tank top and shorts, very aware that Lee was watching her. Caesar handed her a life jacket, and she put it on. She lowered herself off the boat and got in without soaking her head. She swam to the tube, and when she got there, Lee grasped her arm fireman style and hauled her up onto her stomach next to him.
"We already know his driving style," he told her. "We got this."
"I know I do," she said back.
"There's no 'I' in team," he retorted.
"No, but there's 'me' in team."
"How so?"
"Just rearrange the letters," she said with a smirk.
"You're hilarious," Lee said sarcastically. She felt the rope jerk them forward, and she gripped the handles tighter.
"I don't got this!" she said loudly as they started moving faster and faster. She screamed as Lee whooped and hollered. She squeezed her eyes shut, the wind and water making it too hard to see anyway. After the second sharp corner and bouncing waves, she lost her grip and fell off. She hit the water hard and went under before coming back up moments later. She coughed and spluttered, watching as Caesar came back for her. Then she noticed Lee was also in the water a little ways ahead of her.
"Go again?!" Caesar called. Lee was already swimming for the tube and hauling himself up moments later.
"Sure!" she called back. Caesar towed Lee closer, and Emily reached for his hand.
"All good?" he asked her once she was back in position.
"Of course," she answered.
"Like riding a bull," Lee said with a smirk. Emily was more prepared when they started going again. She saw Maya and Louis fist pumping and laughing. The second time she felt herself falling off, she took Lee with her.
"What the hell?" he asked when they surfaced, but he was laughing.
"If I'm going down, then you're doing down with me," she insisted. He reached to dunk her, and she came back up spluttering.
"That was so uncalled for," she told him.
"Just like you taking me with you."
"You would have fallen off anyway."
"You don't know that," he insisted.
"Oh, but I do."
He splashed her, and she splashed him back. Then Caesar brought the tube back, and they were at it again. They went two more times, but the last time Emily fell off, she got Lee's elbow in the side of her head as he fell with her.
"You alright?" he asked, noticing her dazed expression. "I know I hit something."
"Just my skull," she replied.
"I'm sorry."
"You had no control," she said, feeling her head start to throb. Lee signaled to Caesar they were done, and he pulled the boat close. Emily tried to pull herself out but almost fell back in, so Lee put his hands on her waist under her life jacket and boosted her up. Caesar caught her hand and pulled her in. She stood there feeling a bit disoriented as Lee climbed in and Caesar examined her.
"That's gonna swell a bit," he said, looking at the side of her head.
"Mum?" Maya asked, sounding scared.
"I'm okay," she promised her.
"Let me see," Lee said, taking her face in his hands and turning it so he could look at it. She closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of his hands on her skin. Her waist was still burning from where he'd touched it moments ago.
"Definitely gonna leave a mark," he said, touching it lightly with his fingers. She grimaced.
"Okay, so you won this round," she commented. He chuckled lightly.
"Sit down," he instructed, guiding her to the seat.
"Mum?" Maya said again, standing in front of her.
"I'm really okay," Emily assured her. "Just a bump on the noggin."
"You're sure?"
"Yes, love."
"Can we go for the ride home?" Louis asked.
"Sure," Caesar answered. He helped get them situated. Maya hugged Emily first before joining Louis. Lee went to sit in the front again. He'd taken his life jacket off. Emily didn't let a sore head stop her from secretly admiring him.
Once they got back to the dock, Caesar helped the kids out and dealt with the tube while Lee stood in front of her in the boat and started unsnapping her life jacket for her since she was unmoving.
"Put some ice on it," he instructed. "Did you black out at all? See stars?"
"No."
"Okay. Probably no concussion then."
"I don't believe so."
He helped her out of the life jacket and handed her a spare towel. She pulled it around herself tightly, reaching for her shorts and shirt. Lee helped her out and onto the dock. Maya and Louis were already racing up to get a snack from Tia.
"I need a beer," Caesar said. "You want one?" He looked at Emily and Lee.
"I'm good," Lee answered.
"I need to lie down," Emily said honestly.
"Can you bring back an ice pack?" Lee asked, and Caesar gave them a nod and went up after the kids.
"Ugh," Emily said.
"I can walk you back," Lee offered.
"No," she said quickly.
"I'm pretty sure I put Ethan in his place..."
"He doesn't need to see me like this," Emily said. "I'm good to just chill right here for a bit."
"Okay."
She walked to the end of the dock and got situated on her back, closing her eyes from the sun. She felt him sit down next to her, putting his feet in the water. He pulled his t-shirt back on as well.
Maya was back not long after. She padded over to them.
"What did you get?" Lee asked her. Emily opened an eye to see.
"I got a freezie," Maya answered happily.
"Nice."
"And an ice pack for Mum's head."
"Thanks, baby," Emily said, taking it from her. It felt good against her sore spot.
"Em?" a voice asked. She lifted her head to see Serena standing there in her red sundress.
"Hi," she said.
"What happened?"
"Just a tubing accident. I'll be okay."
"Oh. Ethan is wondering when you'll be back."
Emily resisted laughing out loud. He'd sent her rather than come back here himself. Coward.
"I'll be back when I get back," she answered.
"Okay. Um...Fred is coming back this evening," Serena went on.
"What?" Emily asked, sitting up now. She noticed Lee listening carefully.
"He's early, I know. He finished up quicker than he thought."
Emily felt anger at her best friend. Why did Serena not see that she deserved better? It was confusing.
"Okay," she sighed. There wasn't anything else to do anyway. Then she realized Lee was sitting there looking at both of them with a slight smile on his lips, knowing she'd forgotten to introduce him.
"Oh, this is Lee," Emily said. "Lee, that's Serena."
"Hello," Serena said, her tone indicating she also admired Lee.
"Hey," Lee said back.
"I caught minnows, Aunt Serena," Maya said, going over to her.
"Oh boy," Serena said, wrinkling her nose a bit.
"Then we went tubing."
"Well, I'm glad you're having fun."
"I am!" Maya beamed at her. Serena smiled and reached to ruffle her hair.
"I'll see you later," she said, turning to go.
"Nice to meet you," Lee said.
"You too."
Emily held her breath, waiting for Lee to ask about Fred, but to her surprise, he didn't. Maya distracted him by talking about her favorite books. Emily rested back down on her back and held a hand over her eyes. She'd rather stay over here for the remainder of their vacation, but she knew that wasn't possible.
She couldn't avoid Fred and Ethan forever.
...
"I can't believe you guys," Barney said as Gunner sat on the deck railing and Toll sat on the picnic table with his head in his hands. They'd finished telling him about Toll's fish getting away.
"Let's not talk about how much of a failure I am anymore," Toll suggested. He lifted his head. "We had someone watching us."
"Who?"
Gunner pointed to the cottage next to them, and Barney turned to look. He frowned.
"Was it Emily?"
"No. It was some guy," Toll replied. "I saw him through our binoculars, which, by the way, has a big note on them saying they aren't to be outdoors."
"Too late for that," Barney said. "Alright, so what do we do?"
"I dunno. I have no idea why he was even watching us."
Barney snapped his fingers, realizing who it was. He hadn't liked the look of the guy who'd walked by with Emily earlier that afternoon.
"It was that guy," he said.
"What guy?" Gunner asked.
"The one with Emily today. I bet he had a run in with Lee, and now he's checking us all out."
"You think he's a cop?" Toll asked, sounding concerned.
"Maybe. I don't know. I'll find out who he is and do some digging of my own," Barney promised. Just then, Emily appeared with Maya, who was chatting to Lee as he followed.
"Can he come for dinner?" Maya asked Emily now. Barney watched something pass between Lee and Emily at this question, and his interest was piqued. What was happening?
"Another time," Emily promised.
"Awwww!"
"I'll see you again," Lee told her, pinching her cheek lightly and making her laugh. Emily noticed Barney and the others and nodded at him.
"Who are you?" Maya asked Toll.
"I'm Toll," he answered. "That's Gunner and Barney."
"Nice to meet you," Maya said politely. Barney chuckled softly to himself. She was definitely a sweetheart.
"Mr. Jensen, Mr. Road, and Mr. Ross," Lee told Maya.
"Hey, no misters around here," Barney said. "We don't like feeling old. First names only."
"It's alright," Emily said when Maya looked at her. Barney thought it was the cutest thing ever, her getting permission to call them by their first names.
"Did you have fun with Louis today?" Toll asked.
"Yes! I can't wait to see him again!"
"Right on," Toll said with a smile.
"We should get going," Emily said, "but thank you. This was nice."
"Anytime," Lee replied. Barney, Toll, and Gunner turned away to give them privacy. Barney knew it was pointless, though. Lee wasn't going to make a move in front of Maya. After they left, he walked up the steps and joined them.
"Why the long faces?" he asked, looking at Gunner and Toll.
"The one that got away," Barney explained.
"Fish or girl?"
"Fish," Toll answered, holding his hands apart. "This big."
"Line snapped," Gunner added.
"Oh, shit," Lee said, laughing.
"It's not funny yet," Toll said grumpily.
"Sorry."
"Alright, boys," Barney said, clapping his hands. "Let's get some grub cooking."
"Tomorrow is Operation Caesar and Tia, right?" Gunner asked.
"Right," Barney agreed. When he went inside, Lee followed him.
"You need to check out this Ethan guy," he said.
"I know," Barney replied. "He was watching the boys fishing."
"What?"
"Might be a fed, Lee."
"I doubt it. I bruised his ego, so he's getting back at me."
"Well, just keep an eye on him."
"The other guy is coming back. Fred," Lee added. "I think he's the fighter."
"Keep an eye on that too."
"Should I intervene?"
"If you think you have to."
Lee didn't say anything else as Barney pulled out the meat he was going to cook. He looked out towards the windows at the lake. Barney knew he was thinking about Emily. He hoped his friend would get a chance for some alone time with her. She seemed really nice, and Lee really needed someone nice after getting his heart broken by Lacy.
...
Emily was on edge whenever Fred was around. You couldn't tell from looking at him that he was mean. He had sandy brown hair, green eyes, and was slightly muscular. He was tall. He didn't pay much attention to Maya or Emily, but when he was drinking he definitely noticed Emily.
She paused outside Ethan's door, listening to him talking. She knew Fred was in there with him.
"Expendables," he was saying. "Not sure who they are, but they're all branded."
"I'll look into it," Fred said back. Emily stepped away from the door quickly. She had noticed that Caesar had the same tattoo on his shoulder, as did Gunner. She hadn't seen Toll's or Barney's, but she assumed it was there somewhere.
She turned as she reached the end of the hall and Fred emerged from Ethan's room.
"Hi," she said.
"Hello."
He said nothing else as he walked past her towards the kitchen. Emily felt Ethan's eyes on her back, but she didn't look at him. She went to assist Serena with meal prep and wondered when the volcano was going to blow.
...
"I think Emily is perfect for Lee," Tia said as she rubbed moisturizer on her hands before climbing in next to Caesar. Louis had gone down for bed an hour earlier, and they'd spent some time watching a sitcom together.
"I agree."
"How do we get them to have more time together?" she asked, cuddling against him. He put an arm around her and held her close.
"Not another Operation Christmas," Caesar complained, his tone teasing. He was just as bad for getting involved, and he knew it.
"He deserves a good girl. Come on, help me think of something," Tia said, nudging him.
"I know you'll have it all figured out without my help. You probably already have ten ideas, don't you?"
"Shut up," Tia laughed.
"Let's worry about them later," Caesar suggested, kissing her cheek.
"Mm you're right," she agreed, kissing him heartily. Seeing him having fun today was a relief, and she was enjoying this side of him. They hadn't had much time to talk, but the time they were having together was a lot better than it had been for a while.
"I love you," he said after a moment.
"I love you too."
She pressed her face against his, breathing him in. There was nowhere else she'd rather be.
...
Lee sat on the dock and listened to the shouting. He now knew that Fred was responsible for this. Serena too. He was waiting for something to get him involved when he heard footsteps behind him. He turned to see Emily holding a sleeping Maya in her arms.
"Oh," she said. "I didn't realize you'd be awake."
"I don't sleep," he told her. "You okay?"
"Yes," she answered, kneeling down and lowering Maya onto the dock. She placed her sweater underneath Maya's head. It was warm enough she didn't need a blanket. Then she went to sit beside Lee.
"How's your head?"
"Oh, it's fine now," she answered. "Thanks."
"What are they fighting about?" Lee asked, gesturing to the sound.
"I don't even know anymore," Emily answered with a sigh.
"How long has this been going on?"
"A long time."
"Want me to sort him out?"
"No," she said quickly. "That'll just make it worse."
Lee felt frustrated, but he respected her wishes. He surprised both of them by reaching to take her hand in his. She let him, which he took as a good sign.
"Why can't you sleep?" she asked.
"Nightmares."
"That's hard," she said sympathetically. He tried to focus, but it was hard when her thumb kept tracing circles against the back of his hand.
"It's been that way for a long time. I don't expect it to change anytime soon," he said with a shrug. He watched in almost fascination as she turned his hand over and traced his palm with her index finger slowly.
"You wanna tell me why your eyes hold so much pain?" she asked after a moment. He lifted his eyes to meet hers in the semi-darkness. His brain was working on a way to tell her about Billy without revealing who he was and what he did for a living. He wasn't ready to share that just yet.
"I've already guessed you're former military," she went on. "The way you hold yourself...it's very obvious."
"Is it really?" he asked, faking intrigue. She reached to give him a slight shove, making him chuckle.
"Not to mention the scars."
"Ah, yes," he said. "Can't really hide those, can I?"
"And Tia mentioned you guys were all in a unit together before retiring."
"Right."
"So you've seen and done a lot," she noted, still playing with his hand. She now was pressing all her fingertips against his.
"I have," he agreed.
"But that's not the kind of pain I'm seeing," she went on.
"It's not?"
"No. What I'm seeing is a recent loss," she said, still looking him in the eyes.
"How would you know what that looks like?" he asked.
"Because I used to see it in my own reflection in the mirror every single day," she answered. "It's faded over the years, but it's still there if I look hard enough."
"I'm sorry."
"Tell me yours, and I'll tell you mine," she offered.
"You really wanna know?" Lee asked. He held back his sharp inhale as she lifted his hand to hold against her cheek.
"Tell me everything," she answered, her voice gentle and soft. Lee breathed slowly a few times before speaking. Her cheek was cool against his hand.
"A friend of ours was killed," he said slowly. "Almost a year ago." He paused here. He wasn't sure how to explain it, but in the end, she filled in what she thought were the blanks.
"He was a part of your unit?" she asked.
"Yea." He wondered how angry she would be later at finding out their unit was a mercenary team that still actively did missions.
"Were you close?"
"He was still a bit new, but he was a good guy. Young. He was engaged."
"That's terrible," she said quietly, squeezing his hand a bit tighter. Lee smoothed his thumb across her cheek slowly, gently.
"It just kind of made us all realize life is too short, you know?" he finished.
"I know."
"So...that's me," he said, moving his hand to slide his fingers across her cheek and tuck a piece of hair behind her ear. She slid her hand down to hold his wrist as he did this. He traced his index finger down her jaw from behind her ear down to her neck before pulling it back.
"Your turn," he said.
"My turn," she agreed, shifting so that she was hugging her left knee with one arm and her right leg was extended on the dock. There was no more shouting next door, but neither of them seemed to notice. Maya was still sound asleep.
"My parents died in a bank robbery gone bad," she told him. "I was eleven. I went to live with my one aunt who hated me. She made it very clear she hated me every chance she got. She was the only living relative I had, otherwise I'd have asked to live with someone else. Anyway, I left as soon as I could and have been on my own ever since. Well, until Maya."
"How did you end up in New York?" Lee asked, feeling hurt for her knowing how she grew up.
"I got an opportunity, and I took it. I wanted to be as far away from my past as I could," she answered with a small shrug. "It wasn't the best job, and it gave me a lot of stress, but it's behind me now."
"Fair enough."
Emily sighed and looked at Maya, a smile blossoming on her lips now. She reached to smooth the girl's hair softly. Maya shifted but did not wake up.
"Who's her father?" Lee asked.
"The random guy I slept with after Ethan. I don't remember his name."
"I see."
"I haven't been with anyone else since," she said quietly. "I didn't ever want Maya to have a bunch of men traipsed through her life. I didn't want her to get attached only to lose them over and over again."
"You never dated?"
"A couple times, and they only ever got one date each. They all wanted something I couldn't give them in one way or another," she answered, pushing her hair back and leaving her hand against the side of her head. "Or they found out I had a daughter and ran for the hills. I'm better off alone."
Lee didn't say anything to that. He was working very hard to keep his feelings in check, but something was happening here between them, and he didn't know what it was or how to handle it.
"Well," he said after a moment. "Maybe you've just never met the right person."
"Maybe," she agreed. She noticed the silence then and cleared her throat. "Sounds like the coast is clear." She got to her feet and then bent down to pick up Maya carefully. Lee stood with her, and he walked her to the edge of the path. She paused, turning to face him again. Maya was resting against her shoulder, legs dangling.
"Nice talking to you," she said.
"You too."
"See you soon?"
"Absolutely," he answered, smiling.
"Good," she said, smiling back. "Good night."
"Good night."
He watched her walk away slowly, and he waited until he couldn't see her anymore before turning and going back inside the cottage. He crawled under the sheet and tried to sleep, the memory of her hand in his vivid in his mind.
...
Barney tossed and turned. He gave up trying to sleep after a while and went out to smoke a cigar. There was no wind, leaving the air stagnant and sticky. His pajama pants clung to him, as did his white tank top. He blew smoke slowly, trying to see in the darkness.
See that? That's the Big Dipper.
I see it!
If you watch long enough, you'll see a shooting star, which is a meteorite.
That's so cool...
Barney's eyes burned as he swallowed and felt the memory fade away as quickly as it had come. He finished his cigar and put it out in the ash tray he'd stashed out there. He coughed and walked back to the door, turning to take one last look at the dark lake.
If he focused really hard, he could see himself and his uncle on their backs on the dock, arms pointing at the sky. It made his chest hurt.
He cleared his throat and pulled open the screen door, hooking it behind him before going back to bed.
I hope you all are still enjoying :)