Lee was currently watching a fugitive, who thought they were wearing a good enough disguise, through his binoculars with Caesar cracking his knuckles in anticipation in the truck seat next to him when his phone rang. He gave a grunt of annoyance, briefly looking at it where it was sitting in his cup holder.

"Uh oh," Caesar said, noticing who was calling. "You might want to get that."

"Keep an eye on the target," Lee said, handing the binoculars to him and grabbing his phone. "Yea?"

"Mr. Romano?"

"Yea." He had to adjust to the fake name, but it was better than Christmas. It got less attention.

"I'm calling to let you know that your daughter was involved in a fight, and you need to get down here."

"Ah, geez," Lee said. "Alright. I'll be there soon."

"Thank you."

He hung up and growled. What was Maya doing getting into fights? He'd made it very clear that fighting was not a peaceful solution to problems, which he knew was ironic given what he used to do.

"What happened?" Caesar asked.

"She got into a fight," Lee answered with a heavy sigh. "You want to take this one?"

"Yea, I can do it."

Lee was about to start the truck while Caesar began to step out when his phone rang next. Lee lifted a brow as he looked at his friend, and Caesar frowned at his phone screen.

"What the...?" he said before answering it. "Hello?"

Lee turned his head and saw their fugitive had spotted Caesar and was standing frozen across the street. Without really thinking, Lee burst out of the truck and began to run towards her. She shrieked, chucking the bag of groceries in her hands and starting to run. Lee easily caught up to her (who wore heels when they were on the run anyway?) and had her cuffed in moments.

"Let me go!" she yelled.

"Not today," he answered, pulling her wig off. "Hello, Karen."

"I'm innocent! I didn't do anything!" she hollered as he guided her back to the truck. Caesar was finished with his call and was waiting.

"Damn," he said. "You're like a rabbit, you know?"

"I know." Lee put her in the back and got in. Caesar joined, and they drove her to the jailhouse before going to the school. Lee was surprised when Caesar also got out to walk inside.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Apparently Louis was a victim in a fight today," Caesar replied. Lee stopped dead, feeling nervous suddenly.

"It...it wasn't...?" he tried, not able to voice it. Surely Maya wouldn't attack Louis would she?

"No," Caesar answered. Lee felt relief, but now he was curious. They both walked to the office where they found Maya and Louis sitting on one side and five boys on the other. Lee took in the bruises, cuts, and Kleenex stuffed up noses of the five boys and had to swallow laughter. Then he saw Maya's black eye and bruises and Louis's arm in a sling with cuts on his face, and the laughter died instantly.

"Come on in," the principal said, gesturing to him and Caesar. "Might as well tell you together."

"I'm sorry," Maya said as Lee walked past her.

"We'll sort it out," he promised, reaching to touch her head lightly before going into the office. He felt like a kid again, reliving some memories of his own time in the principal's office. He sat down beside Caesar, and the principal let out a very big sigh.

"So," he started. "It would appear that Louis and Maya were minding their own business when approached by Noah."

"Uh oh," Caesar said quietly, unable to help himself.

"Noah began berating both of them for their fathers taking his dad back to jail," the principal continued, "and some names go thrown around before Noah struck Louis and called him a very vulgar name while saying something very inappropriate about his father...well, you, Hale."

Lee's jaw was tight, and he could see Caesar's fists were clenched.

"Noah's four friends came to help, and Maya assisted Louis in self-defense. A teacher finally saw what was going on and broke it up, but, as you can see, some injuries were sustained."

"Surely you're not suspending Louis or Maya," Caesar said. Lee still had no words yet. He was processing.

"There is zero tolerance for fighting at this school," the principal explained. "I can't suspend one and not the other."

"They were the victims!" Caesar exploded.

"I know, and that's why suspension is all they're getting," the principal said. "The others are looking at possible expulsion. This is not the first time for them."

"So the message you're sending is that if you defend yourself to keep yourself safe, you're punished," Lee said finally.

"No..."

"That's what it sounds like to me," Lee interrupted. "So what was the better option? Get beaten up so badly to the point of barely moving and congratulate them on not dying?"

"Mr. Romano, I assure you that's not the message we want to send out."

"Then send out the right one," Lee insisted. "Tell everyone that it's okay to stand up for yourself and defend yourself."

"Not with violence as a solution."

"Oh, so if Maya or Louis had given a lecture to the bullies, that would have prevented them getting attacked?"

"I'm not saying that..."

"But you are saying that you'd just take a beating and hope not to die if it happened to you?" Lee argued. "Have you ever been in that position? Have you ever had to save your own life?"

"No," the principal answered quietly.

"So you can't say with certainty that you wouldn't fight back either?"

"I guess not."

"So how about you rephrase it that Maya and Louis are taking some time to heal from this brutal attack instead of roping them in with the bullies out there, huh?" Lee suggested.

"I can do that."

"Good. We done here?"

"Yea."

Lee stood up, but Caesar remained sitting.

"Is my son's arm broken?" he asked.

"No. It was just a precaution after he said it hurt a lot. I advise taking him to get that checked by your doctor when you leave here. And Lee, Maya doesn't have a concussion or anything. She seems to be alright."

"Okay."

"What did that ignorant little tart say about me?" Caesar asked. "I don't want to have to hear it from my son."

The principal looked as though he'd wished that piece of information had been forgotten. He swallowed and cleared his throat.

"He, um, he said he hoped that...that slave traders would come for you and take you away like you took away his dad."

Lee dug his nails into the palms of his hands. He didn't have to look at Caesar to see what his face looked like.

"Well, I hope you deal with that accordingly," Caesar said. Lee could tell he wanted to go out there and pulverize the little shit disturber. Lee didn't blame him. He'd be right behind him.

"I will. Of course."

"That's all then?"

"Yes."

Caesar got to his feet now, and he loomed over the principal sitting at his desk.

"Might I suggest that if you're so against fighting and bullying that you spend some more time teaching those, uh, peaceful solutions instead of having a good time with your secretary in your office?"

"Excuse me?" the principal spluttered, and even Lee felt confused until Caesar gestured to the silky looking fabric poking out from under the stack of books on the desk.

"You should really hide the flung panties better," Caesar stated, and the principal's face went scarlet red in shame and embarrassment before Caesar turned to leave. Lee gave him a disdainful look with a shake of his head before following.

Maya and Louis stood up when they approached, and Lee could see Maya had been crying. She looked like she expected him to yell at her, so when he simply held out a hand, she started to cry again and hugged his waist tight while he put an arm around her.

"Come on, son," Caesar said, putting his hand on Louis's good shoulder and guided him out. Lee looked at the five bullies and saw that all but one looked scared. He took the stone cold one to be Noah. As he met the kid's eyes, the boy flipped him the finger. Lee turned his head away, doing his best to forget about it. Like father, like son apparently.

In the hallway, he ran into the last person he ever expected to see again.

"Maya!" Lacy exclaimed. "I just heard...are you alright?"

"I am," Maya answered, her voice small. Lee was staring at Lacy, who finally saw him.

"Oh my God, Lee," she said. "I...I had no idea..."

"You know each other?" Maya asked, confused.

"From a long time ago," Lee answered. "Come on." He said nothing to Lacy. He had nothing to say. She'd hurt him enough that he couldn't care less to be in the same room as her ever again.

"Wow," Caesar said when they were outside. "That was shocking. Did you know she worked here?"

"Nope."

"She's my music teacher," Maya advised. "How come you never said you knew her?" Lee wondered why she had never said this, but he recalled that she talked about her teacher without referencing her name. He also recalled her hinting that her music teacher was pretty, and he felt his stomach clench. Had she hoped he would date Lacy?

"You never said her name, so I couldn't have told you I knew her," Lee said logically.

"Oh. I guess that's fair."

"You mind dropping me at the hospital?" Caesar asked when they started driving. "So we can get an x-ray or something done to make sure nothing's broken?"

"Sure."

Lee felt bad when he dropped them off there. Louis had taken the worst hit. He started to wonder if Maya should get checked out too since she was struck in the head at least once. He ended up doing that, deciding to be safe than sorry.

As he sat in that terribly uncomfortable hospital chair, he wondered what Emily would think of all this. He wondered if he was a bad influence. He'd never promoted fighting, but he knew Maya understood he had fought in the past.

A couple of hours later, they were released and given good news that nothing was broken or severely damaged, just bruised. Lee dropped Caesar and Louis off at home first. When they were inside the house, he set his keys down and pressed a hand to his face. Maya was standing there holding herself with one arm and looking a bit mournful.

"So," Lee said after a moment. "I heard the principal's version of events. Now I want to hear yours."

"We were minding our own business," Maya burst out. The rest of her words came out in almost a rapid fire. "Noah came over and started yelling at us because you and Uncle Hale had sent his dad back to jail, and he blamed all of us for losing his dad. He called me a whore and a bitch and Louis a bastard and a...a nigger and said that he hoped Uncle Hale would get taken away by slave traders, and then he punched Louis really hard in the shoulder, so I punched him back, and then Chase, Niles, Keel, and Derek came and started fighting us and wouldn't let us go get help, and it was really scary but I held my own and then the teacher came and broke us all up...then you know the rest." She finished out of breath, and she had started to cry again at this point.

"Maya," Lee said gently.

"I don't understand," Maya said tearfully. "Why would he say those things?"

"He was angry."

"It was mean!"

"Yes, it was," Lee agreed.

"I don't even know what a whore is."

"It's not a nice word, and I'll explain it some other day, okay?" He watched her nod slowly.

"Are you mad at me?" Maya asked next.

"No, I'm not."

"They boxed us in," Maya went on, "or else I would have gone for help. I had no choice."

"I know," Lee assured her, resting on a knee in front of her now. He took her arms in his hands and held her still. "Maya, I am proud of you for keeping you and Louis safe. I know if you had the chance, you would have handled it without fighting."

"My hand hurts," Maya said now, and he chuckled.

"I bet. Come on," he said, "we'll get you some ice for it." Maya threw herself into his arms for a hug first, and he held her close. It hurt him to hear that she'd had to experience this. He was glad nothing severe had happened to her because of it.

He got her a bag of frozen corn to put on her hand, and she sat quietly as he went to put away the rest of his things. When he came back, he found her resting her head on her arms with her eyes closed, and he let her be.

The Next Day

Barney kept looking at the shiner on that little girl, and it just felt so wrong. He was hammering down the strips on the canoe now, and she was helping while also picking up the little brass canoe tacks that fell. They were special and expensive, so he tasked her with finding every one he dropped or lost.

Lee had filled him in on what happened and why she wasn't at school. It angered Barney that a ten year old would go after someone a few years younger than him to fight. It angered him more what that kid had said.

"G'argh!" he yelped, the hammer missing the tack and hitting his thumb instead.

"Are you alright?" Maya asked, worried. She came over to investigate.

"Just got distracted," he answered, shaking his hand. "I'm alright, don't worry." He gave her his best convincing smile. He was trying not to think about Fred being out there still either, which was hard because Drummer hadn't called him with any updates yet, and he was growing impatient.

"Did you build canoes with your uncle?" she asked now. She was avidly learning everything he was teaching her. She reminded him of himself at that age, when he actually had someone teach him stuff.

"I did," he answered.

"Did you have to pick up the tacks?"

He laughed out loud. "Yea, I did."

"What was your family like?" she asked after a moment. Barney took a bit before answering. He didn't typically like talking about his family. Hardly anyone knew what had happened to him.

"My aunt and uncle were really good to me," he answered. "And I got along with my cousins well."

"What about your parents?"

You little shit! If you ever do that again, I will kill you! Don't think I won't!

"They, uh, they weren't so good," Barney said slowly. He could hear his father raging at him in his mind, could see his mother crying in the corner and then getting angry with him afterwards for pissing off the old man, slapping him to "smarten" him up.

"That sucks," Maya said, and he scoffed lightly.

"Yea."

"Did you have to stay with them?"

"No," Barney said. "My mom took her own life, and my dad disappeared, so my aunt and uncle took me in."

"Were you glad?"

"A little bit."

"Did you miss them?"

"Easy with the questions, kid," Barney joked, but he felt the pain in his heart. He hadn't missed his parents. They hadn't left him with any good memories.

"Sorry."

"It's alright. No, I didn't, and that sounds bad and mean, but that's the truth."

"It's okay. Can I ask one last question?"

"You just did," Barney teased, and she rolled her eyes.

"You're worse than Dad," she said with a sigh. Barney smiled. He was still getting used to Lee being called a dad.

"Sorry. Go ahead."

"How old were you when you went to live with them?"

"Eight," Barney answered softly. He remembered going into their home with his backpack and suitcase and feeling scared and unsure. It took weeks before he realized they weren't going to hurt him or mentally torture him.

"I'm glad you found a family who loved you," Maya said now. "Like I did."

Something about this conversation was making his throat incredibly tight. He looked at Maya, and she was giving him a serious yet compassionate look back. It was enough to break him.

"Me too, kid," he said, clearing his throat roughly. "Me too."

"I miss my mom," she went on. "People don't like it when I'm sad, though."

"People can't handle sad," Barney replied. "Society likes to pretend that grief and loss don't exist, yet it's one of the biggest, inevitable things we go through as living people. No one likes to sit in the pain or feel it very much, if at all, when it comes up. Sometimes that's because they think the pain will make bad things happen or they won't be able to get out of it."

"So people try to pretend it didn't happen?"

"Sometimes. Or they stay so busy that it prevents them from thinking about it. People think being happy all the time is a must, and that puts pressure on someone who is struggling with feeling sad...or any other emotion, really."

"Like me," Maya confirmed.

"Yea."

"People just want to skip over feeling sad and get to the other side where they're okay again?"

"Seems that way," Barney agreed. "But grief is the price of love, kid. Always will be."

"That makes sense," she said, thinking about it. "So how do you know if you can talk to someone when you're sad?"

"They'll never change the subject," Barney replied.

"Can I talk about it with you?"

"Of course. Any of us...especially your dad."

He watched her process this and nod slowly. He marveled that she understood grief was not a quick process and that it was okay to feel sad.

"You'll always be my uncle, right?" she asked next, and he looked at her and knew without a doubt he would die for this child.

"Always."

...

Tia was looking at Louis reading in his chair, and she felt pain inside at how hurt he was both physically and emotionally. She couldn't understand it. What was the point of attacking him? He wasn't the one who committed the crime, tried to avoid doing the time, and got caught for it. She sighed heavily and went back to making dinner. Caesar had been quiet all the night before and pacing. She knew it got to him badly too. The words that child said...it broke her heart to think how he could even say them. She'd gone through her fair share of hate too, and maybe Caesar didn't understand when she didn't lose her cool about it, but what good would that even do? She cried about it on her own, for sure, but lashing out would not help things.

Caesar came home now, dropping his gear at the door and heaving a sigh. She went over to hug him.

"How was your day?"

"Well, Lee landed like a cat on this guy who thought he could get away. It was pretty impressive," Caesar said with a slight laugh.

"But it wasn't enough to forget yesterday," Tia stated, and he nodded.

"Unfortunately."

"How can I help?"

"I dunno. Beat him up for me?"

"If you want to talk to me through bars from here on out, sure," Tia agreed, tilting her head. He gave a grim smile.

"I just hope someone teaches him better before it's too late," he said.

"I know. Me too." She looked up at him. "You gonna be okay?"

"Yea. Eventually."

"Hey, Dad!" Louis called, coming to see him now. "Guess what I learned today?

"What's that?"

"How to take apart a tractor!"

"That's...cool?" Caesar said as a question, looking at Tia.

"He found some old manuals," she explained.

"Gotcha."

"Come see!" Louis ordered, gesturing. Caesar followed while Tia watched from where she was standing. She hoped that their son would take his mind off of things tonight.

...

Toll was at the bar with Gunner and Doc playing pool. He worried about Gunner hanging around so much alcohol, but the big guy seemed to be doing alright. He was cleaning up on Doc, who was claiming he had been hustled. Toll leaned on his pool stick, watching and waiting for his round. He watched other people mingling and talking and laughing, and he felt that pang of loss inside as usual.

Then, he saw her again.

"Hey," Gunner said with a whistle when Toll didn't respond. "Your turn."

"Ooh pretty lady at twelve o'clock," Doc commented, noticing the woman as well. Toll didn't know how to feel. This was the second time seeing her in a short span, so was it fate? He watched her order a drink and sit by herself. He chewed on his lower lip absently.

"Go say hi," Doc encouraged.

"Nah," he finally said, shaking his head. "I don't think so."

"Why not?" Gunner inquired.

"I don't think I'm ready..."

"It's been just over a year and a half, man," Gunner reminded him. "You're allowed to find love again."

"I know, but...it feels wrong."

"Just talk to her," Doc suggested. "That's all. Just a conversation. About anything."

"Books," Gunner added, nodding his head.

"Or therapy," Doc included. Toll shot him a dark look at that, and Doc held up his hands in apology. He looked back at the woman and hesitated. Should he? What would be the harm in having a conversation? He slowly handed his pool cue to Doc, who fist pumped.

"Atta boy," Gunner said as Toll took a step towards the woman. Then another. And another. He could see Gunner and Doc high fiving in his peripheral as he got closer. Then he was there, and the woman turned to see him and broke out into a big smile.

"Hey!" she exclaimed. "I didn't know you came here!"

"I'm a bit of a regular," Toll answered, and then immediately corrected himself. "I mean, I'm not here all the time. I'm here more often than not, but not every day or anything. I'm not an alcoholic." He felt flustered, a bit stupid, and red in the face now. She laughed.

"I get it," she said. "It's like the diner I go to all the time. They joked about charging me rent the other day...but their coffee is just so good! I can't resist."

Toll couldn't help but chuckle because he could see it: her sitting in a booth at a diner with a book or something sipping her coffee. Her blonde hair was in a bun tonight, and her honey colored eyes were warm and happy. She had a slight tan and chipped fingernails with no makeup. She was beautiful.

"Can I buy you a drink?" he offered just as one was set in front of her. "Or reimburse you for that one?"

"It's okay," she said with a slight giggle. "But you're welcome to join me if you want."

"Yea, alright," he agreed, finding the stool easily enough.

"I'm Cheryl," she said, holding out her hand.

"Toll," he answered, and she lifted a brow slightly in interest.

"That's different," she noted. "I like it."

"Thanks," he replied, smiling. He rested his hands on the bar top, curling his left hand over the fingers of his right hand. Cheryl sipped her beer as she studied him.

"Tell me about her," she said suddenly, and he gave her a surprised look.

"What?" he asked.

"The woman you mistook me for and that you lost. Tell me about her," Cheryl said, twisting a little to face him and crossing her right leg over her left. "Then I'll tell you about my husband who I lost two years ago to cancer."

Toll felt sad to hear that, and he realized that if anyone could understand the pain of losing someone, it would be her. Maybe they were meant to meet.

"Okay," he said, nodding slowly. "Her name was Serena..."

...

Lee was putting away the last of the freshly dried dishes when Maya padded out in her bare feet and Snoopy pajamas.

"Teeth?" he asked without looking at her.

"Uh huh."

"You sure?"

"Yep."

He looked at her now, and she gave him an innocent look back. He held her gaze a moment longer, coming to the conclusion that she was telling the truth. Unless she had a really good poker face. It was hard to tell sometimes.

"How was today?" he asked, going back to what he was doing. Maya perched on the stool next to the counter, swinging her legs.

"It was informative."

"In a good way I hope." He wiped the counter steadily, waiting for her answer.

"Yea. I learned some things about Uncle Barney that were sad."

Lee stopped and looked at her again. He felt a little concerned as to what that information might be, but she didn't look alarmed or anything. She just looked a little sad.

"Well, I know he had a bit of a hard life," Lee agreed.

"How come he doesn't have a family outside of the uncles? Like a wife and kids."

"I don't know. I never asked."

"I wonder if he was afraid to because he thought he might lose them," Maya mused. Lee figured this was probably the case. He went to lean his hip against the counter next to her, crossing his arms lightly.

"When did you get so smart?" he asked her, and her face broke into a smile.

"I've always been smart," she answered cheekily, and he reached to pinch her cheek playfully, which made her yelp and pull back out of the way.

"Time for bed," he said, and she heaved a sigh before sliding off the stool. He let her walk a few steps before catching up to her and lifting her up over his shoulder. She laughed and shrieked from surprise, and he carried her to her room and dropped her onto the bed. Once she was tucked in, she looked up at him with suddenly a sad expression.

"I miss her," she whispered. Lee felt his heart clench for a moment, and he steadied his breathing.

"I miss her too," he replied. He reached to rest a hand on her head lightly, and she closed her eyes. He wished with all of his heart that it had been him taken from her life and not Emily. He still didn't understand how it could have happened.

"Can I talk about her sometimes?" she asked, looking at him.

"You can always talk about her, Maya," he answered. "I promise."

"Okay."

Lee smoothed her head with his hand a bit, and she closed her eyes again.

"I love you," Maya said now.

"Love you too."

He stood in her doorway for a moment, watching her fall asleep. Then he pushed off and closed her door halfway, heading to sit outside on the porch and think for a while since he already knew sleep would evade him for a long time.

...

Toll sat down and watched the water for a bit in the moonlight, thinking about his conversation with Cheryl. He dared to say that he felt a bit happy again, and while he was remaining cautiously optimistic, he let the seed of happiness burrow a bit deeper inside of him. Then he felt a bit guilty. A slight ache for Serena still twinged in his heart, but even though it didn't feel as suffocating anymore, it still caused him to feel sad.

He stared straight ahead, trying to figure out how he was going to get through this.

...

She watched him, feeling things inside that she'd had to stuff down all this time in order to survive. He was so handsome, but he looked haunted, which she blamed herself for. It killed her to stay away, but she had to. She couldn't afford anyone getting hurt because of Fred, but it left her with a lot of angst inside.

Fred. He angered her so much. She hated him for what he'd done. She was close to finding him. Once she did, she'd end this for good and come back.

If there was even anything to come back to.

Which one which one is she...Serena or Emily? You'll have to keep reading to find out!