Toll tapped Louis's head gently to wake him up. The boy groaned and opened one eye, seeing him quickly.

"What?" he asked, burrowing under the covers further.

"Come on," Toll said, poking his shoulder firmly. "Let's go on an adventure."

The word piqued Louis's interest slightly, and he lifted his head to look at Toll properly. "Adventure?"

"Yea. We got some waterfalls to explore."

"Okay!" Louis said, excited now.

"Shhh," Toll warned, putting a finger to his lips. "Let's leave your parents to sleep in, eh?"

"Okay," Louis whispered exaggeratedly. He crept out of bed as Toll slipped out and shut the door behind him. Moments later, Louis joined him on the deck. Toll handed him a muffin and a juice box, which he took readily.

"I packed more food," Toll promised, lifting the backpack to show him. "Let's go."

"Is Maya coming?" Louis asked as they walked down the hill and over to Barney's on the trail.

"Nope. Just us, buddy."

"Oh. She might like them too."

"We can go again," Toll promised.

"Okay."

Toll untied the smaller wooden boat Barney had tucked under the slanted shelter attached to the boathouse. He knew they'd need a smaller boat to get close to the falls, and this would do the trick. Louis climbed in after Toll snapped on his life jacket, and Toll reefed on the motor until it spluttered to life. He coughed from the smoke it emitted as he unhooked them from the dock and got back in.

"Geez, Barns," he muttered. He was tempted to offer to buy a new motor, but he didn't want to overstep. He put the eight horse motor into reverse, ducking his head as he went under the beam from the shelter. Louis ducked too.

"Alright," Toll said with a grin. "Here we go."

"Woohoo!" Louis shouted as they set off at full speed. Toll was laughing as Louis stretched his arms out wide, throwing his head back in the perfect Titanic pose.

This was his contribution to Operation Caesar and Tia, and he hoped they would use their time together wisely.

...

"Hey, Gunner," Barney said, looking out the window with a coffee mug in his hand. "I think Toll's going fishing without you."

"What?!" Gunner exclaimed, leaping up from his chair too fast and almost tripping over his own feet. He caught himself barely, and he went to look out the window too. "He wouldn't!"

"Maybe he thinks you're bad luck," Barney said, resisting a smirk. He knew losing that big fish yesterday was still a sore spot for everyone.

"He had his tension too tight," Gunner retorted. "That was all him, not me."

"Gunner?" Barney said.

"What?"

"I'm kidding. He's taking Louis to the waterfalls to give Caesar and Tia some alone time."

"Oh..."

Barney chuckled as he sipped his coffee and went to sit back at the kitchen table. Lee was still sleeping. He had an idea that he was up all hours again. Hell, he had been awake most of the night too, plagued by memories. The only person who seemed to sleep well was Gunner.

"What's on the agenda for today?" Gunner asked, joining him at the table after a moment. He pulled one of the old car newspapers towards him and flipped it open.

"Not much, Gunner," Barney replied. "Kind of the point of a vacation."

"Right."

They heard Lee's bedroom door creak open, and he appeared around the picnic table moments later. He caught his toe on the bench and swore, bending over at the waist for a few seconds to growl and mutter before straightening up again.

"Mornin'," Barney said.

"How many tables does this place need exactly?" Lee asked, annoyed. He hobbled over to the coffee maker.

"My uncle made it, and my aunt had a hard time letting things he built get used outside," Barney offered.

"Your aunt isn't here," Lee pointed out, pouring coffee into his mug now. He gave his foot a shake for good measure to help get rid of the pain faster (as if that actually worked...he didn't know why he thought it would). Then he decided he wanted some water first to get rid of his dry mouth.

"I know, but I feel like if I make any changes she won't be happy with, she'll make me pay for it," Barney said.

"You don't believe in ghosts, do you?" Gunner asked, surprised.

"I don't want to risk it," Barney stated, getting up to rinse out his mug. He noticed Lee starting to take a big swallow of water from his glass he just poured from the tap. "Don't drink the lake water, Christmas, remember? Unless you want the trots and a gut ache all day. I don't have a filter system on there yet."

Lee instantly spat it all out in the sink, spitting a few times as well to make sure it was all out before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Gunner snickered.

"Great," Lee sighed.

"I'm gonna head over and visit some old friends on the back of the island for a bit," Barney said, going to pull his boots on. "It's been a while."

"You really spent summers here as a kid?" Gunner asked, watching him.

"Yea. They were some good times." Before the Incident. Before he went to Vietnam and became who he was. Before he got a black heart.

"Have fun," Lee said absently, sipping his coffee now after wiping his tongue with his hand a few times just to make sure he got all the possible bacteria off.

"Will do." Barney gave a small salute before stepping outside and walking towards the path. It would be good to see Bruce and Gladys. It really had been too long.

...

Caesar woke up to his wife dangling a note at the end of his nose. She was smiling.

"What's that?" he asked, propping himself up onto his elbows. She handed it to him, and he read it.

Took Louis to the waterfalls for a few hours. Use the time wisely.

He recognized Toll's handwriting. He looked up at Tia.

"Seriously?" he asked, a smile growing on his face.

"Uh huh," she replied, nodding slowly.

"Well come here then," Caesar said, catching hold of her arm and pulling her down, making her squeal. She laughed as he rolled onto her and started to kiss her.

"I can make all the noise I want," she noted.

"You most definitely can," he encouraged. She giggled as he kissed her again. It felt like the first few years of their marriage. Caesar was beginning to think that this vacation just might save his relationship after all.

...

Emily heard her phone vibrate with a text, but she didn't pull it out to look at it. She was on the deck trying to read with Fred next to her reading the paper. Ethan was doing pull ups on the bar he'd set up outside, clearly trying to show Emily he had muscles too. Serena was on her back on the dock in jeans and a t-shirt, so Emily gathered she was hiding a bruise. Maya was doing a logic problem for fun. Emily loved that her daughter enjoyed doing school-type homework just for the hell of it.

Her phone vibrated again, and she saw Fred looking at her in her peripheral vision. She didn't want him to ask who was texting her. She didn't want him knowing that she was constantly talking to Lee. She had a funny feeling it would cause a problem.

"Someone trying to call you?" he asked her.

"No. It's just a wrong number. I've been getting a lot of texts for someone else lately," she lied smoothly. Fred didn't comment as he went back to his paper. Emily felt nervous around him. He didn't give off the best of vibes, and she'd experienced his anger before.

She looked up as a boat went by, and she saw it was Lee and Gunner. Lee was sitting on top of the seat while Gunner knelt on one knee on the seat to drive the boat, turning the wheel slightly. Emily watched Lee look in at her, but she didn't wave. He didn't either, getting the message. Maya didn't notice him, which Emily was grateful for. Her daughter was too immersed in the problem in front of her. Her brow was scrunched as her fingers held the pencil tightly.

Ethan came up the steps to the deck, panting slightly. He was soaked in sweat.

"Not hanging out with your boyfriend today?" he asked her snidely.

"He's not my boyfriend," Emily answered automatically. "Maya just plays with the boy next door is all."

"I heard you creep in late," Ethan said, nodding towards the upstairs window where his room was. "It was past two at least."

"Not that it's any of your business, but I went for a walk because I couldn't sleep," Emily replied, crossing her legs tightly.

"Uh huh," Ethan said sarcastically, but he said no more as he went inside. Fred glanced over at Emily again.

"You should watch whose company you keep," he warned.

"You don't get to tell me who I can and can't talk to," she said tightly back.

"I'm looking out for Maya," Fred stated.

"That's my job."

"Well, see to it that you do it right."

Emily bit her tongue as he went back to his paper. She knew better than to start a fight with him. She knew what he was capable of. She looked over at Serena again. She didn't know why her friend put up with it so much. She got up and went down to sit on the steps beside Maya. She felt Fred's eyes on her back for a bit until he got up and went inside. Serena hadn't moved or said anything. Emily didn't know what to say to her anyway. How could you tell someone they should get far, far away from someone like Fred when they claimed they loved him?

"I'm hot," Maya said. "Can we go swimming?"

"After lunch," Emily said absently.

"Okay."

She couldn't hear the boat anymore. She wondered where Lee was going and what he was thinking. Then she gave herself a shake. She couldn't be doing this, thinking about him. It was dangerous.

Keep it platonic, she told herself for the hundredth time. Bloody hell, Em, keep it platonic.

...

Louis was balancing on a rock as he climbed up. Toll had a hand out ready to catch him if he fell off. The waterfall was running fast, the roar making it hard to hear much else around them. They climbed until they reached the top where a beaver dam was built. Louis sat down on a rock and heaved a sigh while wiping his brow.

"Good job," Toll said, sitting down next to him. He kicked off his sandals and put his feet in the water. It was refreshingly cold. He found himself thinking about Serena. He hadn't had an opportunity to see her again since their run.

"Do you wonder who discovered these waterfalls first?" Louis asked thoughtfully.

"It'd be cool to know," Toll said. Louis leaned back and bent his knees.

"Are you ever afraid to die?" he asked after a moment. Startled, Toll tried to find words to answer, but nothing was coming to mind. In the end, he decided to be honest.

"Yes," he answered.

"Mom says that God takes us to be with Him after we die," Louis said matter-of-factly.

Toll hadn't really given it much thought, but he liked to think there was something after all of this rather than nothing. The idea of nothing is part of what scared him.

"I really like Maya," Louis said, changing the subject easily. Toll loved that about kids. They didn't dwell on things for too long.

"I do too."

"Do you think her and I can stay in touch after we go home?" His tone was hopeful.

"Maybe," Toll answered. "I don't see why not."

Louis sat up now, and he eyed the backpack. Toll started to laugh as he pulled it over and unzipped it. He pulled out a banana and a bottle of water and handed them to Louis, who took them eagerly. Toll grabbed an apple for himself and bit into it, wiping the juice off his chin after. He had two towels in the bag too, in case Louis wanted to splash around and get wet.

"There aren't any cougars or wolves here, are there?" Louis asked, looking around a bit nervously now.

"I think they keep out of the heat," Toll answered, hoping he was right. He'd never hear one sneaking up on him with the roar of the water.

"Oh, a frog!" Louis said, jumping to his feet and going to investigate. Toll stayed sitting, watching him. He'd never had kids, and a part of him regretted it. He'd been there since the day Louis was born, but sometimes he wished he had gotten out of the game, met a nice woman, and had a family of his own. His mind wandered again to Serena. Her Brazilian accent intrigued him. He wanted to know more about her, but he had overheard Lee talking about her fighting with her boyfriend, so he knew she was taken. It didn't matter anyway. Toll was pretty sure no one would want to be with someone like him. He had to let the dream go, but it was hard.

"I caught it!" Louis called, his hands cupped in front of him. Toll got up and went over to look, praising Louis for his speed and agility.

He sure as hell hoped the boy would not grow up to be a soldier like the rest of them had.

...

Sorry. I didn't want to draw attention to our texting.

Lee read Emily's message back to him and sighed. What the hell was going on over there? He'd gotten back with Gunner about ten minutes earlier from their joyride. Toll was back with Louis and was making his famous grilled cheese (apparently cheddar and mozzarella cheese together made it famous...Lee wondered why he didn't just use marble cheese).

All good. How's your day?

Good, her reply coming back quicker this time. You?

Peachy.

Lol...well, better than rotten, eh?

Ha, true.

He was smiling when Barney came up behind him. He'd returned from his visit, and Lee noticed his steps were a bit lighter. Bruce and Gladys were a good influence on him apparently.

"Emily?" he asked Lee.

"Yea."

"I got Tool looking into Ethan and Fred."

"Anything come up?"

"Not yet."

Lee just nodded, not knowing what else to say. His phone vibrated again, and he was surprised to see who it was from.

Hi, how are you? I know it's been a while, but I can't stop thinking about you today. Thought I'd check in.

He stared at it. Why was Lacy texting him? What could she possibly want from him? Hadn't she ripped out his heart enough?

He deleted it without another thought, his hand shaking slightly. He didn't like past ghosts coming back to haunt him. When it vibrated once more, he almost didn't check it for fear Lacy was being persistent, as if she knew he'd deleted her message. He looked at it, though, because he also knew it could be Emily, and it was.

Maya wants to know if you'd like to go out in the paddleboat with us.

He smiled. The little girl's effervescent personality was catching, and it made him think less about Billy and more about the good things in life.

Sounds fun, he wrote back.

We'll pick you up in ten minutes?

Sure.

He shut his phone, stuffing it into his back pocket. He grabbed his aviators from the table and tucked them into his shirt. He reached to snag a sandwich from the plate Toll was carrying as he walked past to go outside where Louis was waiting at the picnic table.

"Hey!" he said, but Lee was already moving to go out the back door, the sandwich stuffed in his mouth despite how hot it was. He succeeded in burning his tongue.

"Don't go in there," Gunner warned, coming out of the outhouse as Lee looked over at him.

"Thanks," Lee said dryly. He wasn't heading there anyway. He was looking for Barney, who had gone out the back door moments earlier. He found him in the shed. He was just standing there, looking at everything.

"What's up?" Lee asked, feeling slightly worried for his friend.

"Nothing," Barney answered. "Just remembering."

"Was this a bad idea? Coming here?"

"No. It's been too long, and I had to do it sooner than later," Barney answered. "I'll be fine."

"If you say so." Lee finished his sandwich and wiped the crumbs off his hand on his shorts.

"No Emily today?"

"I'm heading off to spend time with her and Maya right now," Lee replied.

"Be careful."

"Careful is my middle name."

"No, it's not. Impulsive is your middle name," Barney retorted.

"You're confusing me with Gunner."

"Nah, don't think so."

"See you later," Lee said, done with the conversation. He went down to the lake and waited. A few moments later, Emily appeared with Maya being pulled on a small, yellow tube. Her feet were in the air, and her hands were trailing in the water. The life jacket was bunched up under her neck.

"Hi," he said, smiling.

"Hey," Emily said back, also smiling.

"Hi, Lee!" Maya called, waving. He waved back.

"Hop in," Emily said, coming alongside the dock. Lee grabbed the paddleboat and climbed in. She had two lifejackets in the back and three bottles of water.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"Exploring," Emily answered, shading her eyes with her hand to look at him. "You okay with that?"

"More than okay." He turned to see Ethan sitting on the dock next door glowering at them.

"Don't mind him," Emily said. "He's just jealous."

Lee chuckled as he put his feet to work moving the pedals. He let Emily steer as he folded his hands behind his head and leaned back. It was a nice day.

"Faster, Mum!" Maya called.

"Sorry, love," Emily called back, "I can't go any faster than this."

"Awwww."

"She's talked about nothing else but tubing all day," Emily explained.

"We could have taken her," Lee offered.

"Maybe later."

"How's your head?"

"Fine. Barely even a bump there now."

"Good."

They moved along slowly, but Lee didn't mind. Any time with her was good in his mind. He was glad he'd brought his sunglasses; he put them on and felt his forehead relax as he stopped squinting. Emily had a pair of black, rectangular ones on.

"So, you're an art teacher?" he asked, curious. "You mentioned that before. What led you to that?" She chewed on her lip absently, thinking.

"I used to work in fashion," she started slowly. "I had my self-esteem slowly ripped to shreds by my boss over a period of four years, and when I finally got fired for not doing well enough, I was at an all time low."

"I'm sorry," he said automatically.

"What really makes me feel ashamed is what I did after that," she went on, her hand curling around the steering mechanisms tightly.

"I won't judge," Lee started, having an idea. His heart hurt a little bit imagining what it could be, but he'd meant what he said: he wouldn't judge.

"I stepped out into traffic," Emily said quietly, proving him wrong and making him feel stunned. He turned his head to look at her, and she eventually looked at him.

"You wanted out," he said softly.

"Yes," she whispered, "and my daughter was two years old at home with Serena. What kind of mother does that?"

He reached to put his hand on top of hers while she moved her left one to wipe at the tears escaping down her cheeks.

"Obviously it didn't work," he pointed out.

"No. Not a single car hit me," she said, clearing her throat. "I walked unscathed across the busiest street of New York. When I got to the other side, I realized what I had done, and I fell apart. I went to get counselling and rebuilt my self-worth. I decided to get a job in the field I had originally gone to school for before deciding to switch into fashion. I now teach art to adults."

"I can see that," Lee said, picturing it.

"That's because you know me now," Emily reasoned. "If you'd known me before, you wouldn't have thought so. I wasn't always this nice, but that's what the job and my past with my aunt reduced me to. The counselling helped a lot, though. Maya also had an effect on me. It's hard to be a bitter bastard when she's around." Emily started to laugh a little then, and he squeezed her hand.

"I love her," Emily said, turning to look at her daughter in the water behind them, a permanent grin on her face. She was far enough away to not hear them. She waved, and Emily waved back before turning around again. "If anything ever happens to her, I don't think I can go on."

Lee didn't know what to say. He wanted to promise that nothing would ever happen to Maya, but unless he was in their lives, he couldn't guarantee that.

"What adds to my guilt," Emily added, "is the fact that I would have doomed Maya to the same fate as me if I had killed myself but worse. She'd have gone into the foster system. I can't believe I almost did that to her."

"It's hard to think straight when you're feeling that much pain," Lee pointed out. She looked at him again, and he wished he could see her eyes.

"I need you to remove your hand," she said after a moment. "It'll give Maya ideas."

"Sorry." He pulled his hand off of hers, and he felt slightly chastened. He hadn't realized she would think Maya would get excited about it.

"As much as I think it would be fun," Emily said, "we need to keep this platonic."

"Okay..."

"Maya wants a father badly, but I'm not looking for a husband. My heart has been shattered enough times in my life; I don't need to add one more break to it."

Lee knew better than to say he wouldn't break her heart. She was right. Once they left here, it was done.

"Platonic it is," he said, nodding.

The truth was: he didn't want his heart to get shattered again either.

...

Barney was thinking about his visit with Bruce and Gladys. They were in their late 80s/early 90s, and both were still spry and sharp minded. He had honestly thought they'd be long dead by now, but people kept surprising him. They'd talked about his aunt and uncle, which had felt both good and difficult at the same time. Aside from his cousins, he didn't have anyone left alive who knew them to talk about them to.

Bruce had fished with his uncle numerous times. They'd always had some sort of competition going, which Toll and Gunner reminded him of regularly as he watched them do the same thing. Gladys had played cards with his aunt and helped round up the kids for meals. Barney remembered her laughing with his aunt about their husbands being late for everything except dinner.

He looked up when Caesar strolled over looking extra happy today.

"Hey," he said. "Good morning?"

"Yea," Caesar answered. "It was."

"That's good."

"I think everything is gonna be okay," Caesar went on, coming to sit on the chair next to Barney on the deck. They watched the water flow by together.

"That's great, man," Barney said, looking at him. "Happy to hear."

"I know you had a hand in this morning," Caesar advised.

"No..."

"I appreciate it," Caesar interrupted, holding his hand up. "I really do. I'm actually asking another favor from you."

"What's that?"

"Can you watch Louis this evening while we go out for dinner?"

"Of course."

"Thank you."

Barney smiled. He loved that kid. He wished he'd had his own, but it was too late now. He'd made his choice to do what he did, and there was no going back.

At this point, Toll was returning with Louis, who was bouncing up and down in excitement over something. Caesar got up to greet them, and Barney stuck a cigar into his mouth and lit it.

He closed his eyes and enjoyed the sound of Louis's laughter in the air.

...

Emily was sweating in the sun as they approached a smaller waterfall behind the second island. There was no wind back here, and her shirt was sticking to her skin. Lee was pulling Maya in by the rope as she reached for the small tree on land to pull them a bit closer.

"I feel like an explorer," Maya said as Lee helped her out. She was dripping everywhere.

"Don't go far. You don't have shoes," Emily warned. Maya hopped out of the paddleboat now, splashing both Emily and Lee in the process. Lee was laughing; he'd turned away to spare his face in the nick of time. Emily found herself looking at him and wondering how long she was really going to keep this platonic. She climbed out next, glad she'd worn sandals. She walked cautiously towards the small falls and up the rock to see what was beyond it. Lee was behind her a few moments later. Maya was climbing the rock through the waterfall, giggling and shouting with joy as she did so.

"Not much excitement going on up here," Lee commented as they stood side by side and looked around at the marshy area. She smacked a mosquito on her neck and killed it.

"No," she agreed.

"I'm sorry if I overstepped today," Lee apologized, and she knew he was referring to the hand holding thing. If she was honest, she liked having his hand on hers, but it was too complicated to do this with him. She just couldn't.

"It's fine," she told him. She looked at him looking at her, and she could feel the tension between them, the desire to hold each other and be physical. She wanted to know how his lips would feel against hers.

"Mum!"

She snapped her head back to look at her daughter standing ankle deep in water.

"Yes?" she asked.

"What are these black things on my legs?" Maya asked.

"Uh oh," Lee answered. Emily almost gagged but kept it together.

"Um, well...they...they're leeches," Emily answered.

"Cool!" Maya exclaimed, looking down at them. Only her child would think blood sucking leeches were cool and not scream or freak out, which Emily was on the verge of doing. Sensing this, Lee moved towards Maya.

"Here, let me," he said, removing them. Emily had to look away before she hurled. Maya was fascinated by it. While Emily stared up at the trees and around at anything other than the damn leeches, Lee finished removing them and picked Maya up into a piggyback.

"All clear," he told Emily.

"Thank you," she said, feeling a bit stupid. She was Maya's mother. She should have been able to take leeches off of her daughter's legs.

"Don't worry about it," Lee replied. "We ready to keep moving?"

"Yes!" Maya stated loudly, bouncing on Lee's back and making him grunt slightly from the sudden impact.

"Easy," Emily said, reaching out to steady her daughter with a hand on her back.

"Ya, mule! Ya!" Maya ordered, giggling as she banged her heels against Lee's sides. Emily was about to admonish Maya for kicking him when Lee suddenly took off running towards the water. Maya was shrieking and screaming in delight and then laughing and shrieking when he went into the water up to his waist and dumped her off. Emily stood on the edge of the bank watching while Maya continued to laugh and giggle as Lee dodged her splashes and dragged her back by her lifejacket handle.

"The mule bucked me off," Maya said as Lee lifted her up and put her back into her tube.

"Maybe he doesn't like to be called a mule," Emily suggested.

"I've been called worse," Lee stated simply. He climbed back into the paddleboat and offered his hand to help her. She knew it was just him being cordial, so she took it and stepped in. She felt the tingles again, though. It left her feeling a little bit breathless.

"Where to?" he asked once she was settled in her seat.

"Anywhere," she answered. She couldn't see his eyes through his aviators, but they still almost pierced her soul. She still felt surprised at herself for sharing so much about her past with him. He just let her feel like she could, that she could trust him.

"Anywhere it is," he confirmed.

The rest of the afternoon was spent talking about general things. Emily enjoyed his company, and she knew he enjoyed hers. Maya definitely enjoyed being around him. It made her worry about her daughter's reaction when they eventually parted ways after their vacation was over.

Evening

"On your marks, get set, GO!" Louis shouted. Toll, Gunner, Barney, and Lee instantly started to race each other. The challenge was to build a burger and eat it entirely first before anyone else.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Toll exclaimed. "Gunner's just doing cheese and ketchup!"

"Cos that's what I like!" Gunner said back. He crammed it into his mouth. Barney was regretting sharing this memory with Louis. He hadn't actually thought the boy would suggest they do it let alone have Toll, Gunner, and Lee agree with it. It took him back to age 10 where his uncle won every time. He never figured out how he'd done it.

"Less whining and more working," Lee ordered, slapping his together as fast as he could.

"And Uncle Gunner is in the lead!" Louis called. Barney started inhaling his next. He at least wanted second place.

"Damn it," Toll groaned, coming in last. He shoved as much into his mouth as he could. Louis was giggling and having the time of his life. Gunner started to cough and had to pause, which gave the rest of them an advantage.

"Uncle Lee and Uncle Barney are neck in neck!" Louis advised, taking his role as the announcer/judge seriously. Barney reached to jam his fingers into Lee's ribs and making him grunt loudly in his throat.

"Interference!" Lee exclaimed after, his mouth full. He brought his foot up and nailed Barney in the lower back, making him cough and splutter.

"Let's keep it clean, guys," Louis commented, shaking his finger at them. "Or I'll disqualify you both. Hey, Uncle Toll is catching up!"

Barney almost started to laugh. Here they were, four grown mercenary men, trying to win an eating contest. There was just something comical about that.

"Uncle Gunnar wins!" Louis exclaimed as Gunner swallowed his last bite and banged his fist on the table. Lee was second. Barney and Toll were closing in.

"Chew, chew, chew, chew!" Lee and Gunner were chanting now. Louis chimed in with them. "Chew, chew, chew, chew!"

"Aaaaaaagggghhhhh!" Toll cried in his throat as he crammed the last piece into his mouth. Barney was chewing fast. He banged his fist on the table seconds before Toll in the end.

"Ha HA!" Barney exclaimed, raising his fists up in the air. "Take that, sucker!"

"If I'd known we didn't all have to build a proper burger, I'd have won," Toll pointed out.

"Oh yea?" Gunner asked.

"Yea."

"Put up or shut up," Gunner ordered.

"Oh it's on."

"Round two!" Louis called eagerly.

"Oh man," Lee groaned.

"And a cheeseburger is a proper burger," Gunner insisted.

"A cheeseburger has more than just cheese and the meat," Toll insisted back.

"Doesn't have to. See? Cheese...burger," Gunner said, demonstrating by holding up his patty and cheese slice.

"Oye," Lee sighed.

"Here we go," Barney said, reaching for another bun and meat patty. He watched Louis laugh and get right into it. He watched Lee's amused smirk grow bigger as Toll and Gunner continued to razz each other. He did his best not to think about how quickly this moment would be gone, that one of them could be gone tomorrow or the next day or the next. He tried not to think about the pain that would come with it.

He focused hard on the moment, and the anxiety lessened in his chest the more he did. When Toll beat Gunner this time and stood up to do his winner's dance, he laughed along with everyone and did his very best to just stay here.

...

"What do you think those boys have got our son doing?" Tia asked as she rested her foot on Caesar's leg under the table. It was a simple restaurant, but she loved it. The pizza was raved about, so they were going for it. So far, they weren't disappointed.

"Probably some sort of wrestling match by now," Caesar answered.

"He sure loves the boys."

"He does."

Tia smiled at him, and he smiled back. They'd had a really good day today. She felt happy. She could tell Caesar was happy too. This was how things used to be between them. She really hoped that they could get it back.

"Do you remember when we got locked out of the house in the rain?" he asked, and she smiled even bigger. They got lost down memory lane for the rest of dinner.

...

She was so tired of the fighting. She dodged his hand, trying to keep some sense of control in this situation, but he was bigger, faster. Then, in a blink of an eye, he had her against the wall, fingers closing around her throat. For a second, she thought he was going to kill her, and the look in his eyes almost confirmed he wanted to, but he let go. He smacked her face hard, causing her to fall to her knees. She hated that she was crying. He called her a bitch and told her to mind her own business, to stop asking questions. He told her to stay out of it.

She curled up on the floor, holding herself tightly and still crying. She wanted it to be over. Why couldn't it just be all over? She wanted her life back. She didn't want to die before she could live. It had been too long doing this. She wanted to stop. She wanted out.

She prayed to God that day would come soon.