I so love the enthusiasm! Thank you! I haven't actually revealed who is still alive yet, though. You'll have to keep reading to find out...the end of Part II is coming soon! :)

Two Weeks Later

"Are we sure this is a good idea?" Doc asked, lifting a brow as he surveyed Maya getting ready to don her helmet with a look of pure fanaticism.

"It was her idea," Lee replied almost defensively. It had really taken him by surprise, but she'd hounded him about it until he caved.

"I don't think I can do this," Gunner stated. Toll was chewing his gum slowly, surveying the other people hurrying to get ready.

"You do this all the time," Caesar pointed out, pulling his gloves on.

"I do not," Gunner said affronted.

"I think he's forgotten he's a mercenary," Doc loudly whispered to Barney, who smirked.

"This is not the same!" Gunner exclaimed, waving his gun around at the group of kids off to the side. "I have never shot a child."

"Everyone was a child once," Caesar reminded him. Lee scoffed and Toll chuckled after snapping his gum.

"Relax, Gunner," Barney said, shouldering his gun as he started to walk forward. "It's only paintball."

"It's not even regular paintball," Doc chimed in. "It's low impact."

"Like getting a mosquito bite," Toll said with a smirk.

"Come on!" Maya called, waving her hand emphatically at them now. Louis was standing next to her. "Let's goooo already!"

"She has had no sugar yet today," Lee confirmed when all the men looked at him.

"Oh boy," Caesar chortled.

"I still don't feel right about this," Gunner said as he was practically corralled forward by Doc and Caesar. Lee looked to see Toll dawdling with his phone in his hand.

"The missus?" he asked, and Toll looked up with a sheepish expression.

"Yea," he answered. "She wanted to come but got stuck at work."

"Things are going well then?" Lee inquired as they fell into step side by side.

"Yea," Toll said again with a smile. "I mean, it's only been two weeks, but we get along really well, and she makes me laugh. She's smart. She's sweet."

"But...?" Lee said, knowing it was coming.

"I keep feeling like I'm cheating on Serena. How stupid is that?"

"It's not stupid, but it's probably something you should work through so you can have a good relationship with Cheryl," Lee advised.

"I know. You're right. I'll bring it up in my next session." Toll sighed and pulled his goggles down now since they were at the edge of the field.

"Good plan."

"You doing okay?" Toll asked him now. "I mean, with her birthday and all?"

Lee took in a breath as he watched Maya charge ahead while laughing. Of course Emily was on his mind. When was she not?

"Yea," he answered finally. "I'm fine." He knew Toll didn't entirely buy it, but he didn't press. He just clapped Lee's shoulder and trotted after the group. Lee pulled down his goggles and looked over his shoulder, expecting to see Emily's ghost watching.

But she wasn't there, and he didn't know what to do with that.

...

Barney kept to the sidelines for most of the day. He smoked a few extra cigars too. He sat and watched everyone eat and talk now, and he wasn't entirely sure why he was feeling off.

Well, that was a lie. He knew exactly why he was feeling off. It just wasn't right to see Maya without her mother.

"Penny for your thoughts," Gunner said as he sat down beside him. He was nursing a cola, which Barney was glad to see. At least sobriety was still something the big man was gunning for, no pun intended.

"Ah, just thinking about how easy life was when you were a kid and just messed around for the hell of it."

"Cheers to that," Gunner chuckled, clinking his soda can against Barney's beer bottle.

Barney knew all about being a kid and an orphan. He was glad that Maya ended up with them and not in the system. Hell, if it had ever come down to that, he would have taken her in himself no questions asked. That's how much she meant to him.

"Now tell me the rest of it," Gunner instructed, and Barney snorted out a laugh. Apparently, he was not good at keeping things from Gunner. He gave a sigh, knowing he had to tell someone sooner than later.

"Fred was in Azmenistan," Barney said finally.

"What?" Gunner was surprised.

"I think he was working with Stonebanks."

"He got away?"

"I saw him runnin'," Barney confirmed.

"Do you know where he is now?"

"No, and Drummer hasn't gotten back to me yet."

"We should go look..." Gunner started.

"Don't think I haven't thought of it," Barney interrupted.

"You gonna tell Lee?"

They both watched as Lee was laughing with Maya as she tried to jump and get the plate of cake from his hand he was holding over his head.

"No," Barney answered. "I'm not."

"Good call?"

"I think so."

"I agree."

Barney sipped his drink again as he watched Maya hug Lee tightly and close her eyes with a big smile on her face. The guilt was never too far away for what happened.

He didn't think it would ever go away.

...

Maya was giddy from her special day. She'd pleaded to stay up a bit later, but she was shot down. After saying her goodnights and crawling into bed, she waited to hear the men talking and being occupied before slipping out and padding over to her window. She pushed it open to hear the night sounds and rested her arms on the sill.

"Hi, Mum," she whispered, tracing a finger over the hair on her arm lightly. It was a cool feeling, and she liked doing it. "I missed you today. I think you would have liked everything. It was so much fun, and I only got hit once in paintball. Dad says I'm a natural." She paused, slowing her finger down to a stop. Then she pressed down on the two inch scar on the side of her wrist that she'd gotten when she was younger by accident after tripping and falling and smashing through glass. She'd been told she was lucky nothing worse had happened, and she felt lucky.

"I wish you were here with us," she went on. "I know you can't be, though, so I hope you're okay that I want Dad to meet someone eventually. He's lonely, and I don't want him to be sad forever. I'm not trying to replace you. I just want him to be happy again."

She felt somber suddenly, and she swallowed the lump building in her throat.

"If you're somehow still out there," she whispered, "please come home soon." She looked out at the night and felt a tear slide down her cheek. It was silly to hope that after this long, her mother was somehow miraculously alive. She really had to let it go, but she just couldn't yet.

She pushed off the sill and closed the window, hopping back into bed and wishing for a dreamless sleep.

...

Lee gave a quiet groan as he sank into bed. He was stiff and sore and exhausted, but it had been a good day. He'd found Maya being quiet a few times here and there, but he knew why. It was understandable. He really missed her too.

He closed his eyes now, imagining Emily sitting on his stomach, her breath on his cheek and her fingers digging into his shoulders.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here," her voice said, and he opened his eyes and turned his head to see her on her side looking back at him.

"You should have been," he told her. Emily lowered her gaze slightly.

"I know."

"Does she see you too?" He had to know. Maybe she really was a ghost and not just something from his mind.

"I think we both know the answer to that."

He sighed and moved his head back so that he was staring at the ceiling. Emily didn't say anything else, and he tried not to feel gutted that she was gone so quickly. He chalked it up to his mind slowly accepting the truth and not needing to visualize her so much to get through the day anymore.

But it still hurt to have her go.

A Few Months Later

Barney was chewing on his pencil absently as he scanned the map in front of him. He'd called out to some contacts for some favors and was coming up empty. He was getting annoyed.

"What are you doing?" Tool asked, coming into his office and eyeing the map.

"Hunting," Barney answered.

"And who or what are we hunting?"

"'We' aren't doing anything."

"I'm not invited to the hunt? That's cold," Tool said, hovering over the desk and map now. "Erm, isn't that where you killed Stonebanks?" He rested a finger on the one section.

"Uh huh."

"Why are you looking at that? Oh, God...he didn't get away again did he?" Tool asked, sounding a bit on edge.

"No, no, no," Barney answered, shaking his head. "I'm looking for his accomplice."

"Accomplice?"

"Yea."

"How do you know he has one?"

"I saw him take off."

"Oh."

Barney sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. It was time to come clean to Tool as well. He had no way of getting out of it. The man would plant a bug on him if he suspected something big was going down and Barney was keeping it from him.

"It's Fred."

"Fred?!" Tool yelped, looking shocked and horrified.

"Yea."

"You've been holding onto that for this long?! What is wrong with you?!"

Barney instinctively pulled back out of fear that Tool would whack him with something again, but nothing happened. He relaxed again.

"I was waiting for Drummer to get a lead. He's not, so I'm on my own with it."

"Don't tell Lee," Tool said quickly. "He's just starting to be okay again."

"I know. I'm not planning to...not until it's taken care of."

"Good."

"Gunner and I are gonna take a look around at some places," Barney said next. "I'll be in touch if we find anything."

"Alright."

Tool tapped his desk and left him alone. Barney stuck his pencil back into his mouth, brow furrowed, as he got back to work.

...

Toll was watching Cheryl sleep as the sun's late afternoon rays hit them both on his bed. He felt a mixture of emotions about this, but he mostly felt good. Cheryl had understood that losing Serena had been a hard hit, and she'd been nothing but patient and supportive.

And now, he was ready to move forward.

"Like what you see?" she asked without opening her eyes. He chuckled.

"Maybe."

"Maybe?" she repeated, faking outrage. She opened her eyes now and reached to poke him. "What does that mean, mister?"

"It's more like I love what I see," he advised, and she sucked her teeth and shook her head playfully.

"Nice save," she commented. "Very nice."

He laughed and moved to kiss her. Her hand on his cheek was soft and loving. He could see himself with her in the future. They were good together, and he was thinking more and more that Lee and Caesar had the right idea: To quit while they were ahead.

"Am I saving our asses again for dinner?" Cheryl asked now, and he exclaimed in fake outrage and pinched her sides playfully, making her shriek and laugh.

"I believe I won first place in a chili cook off many years ago," he told her.

"That was then," she insisted. "This is now, and the best I've seen is hot dogs."

"You take that back," he ordered.

"Absolutely not."

One of the things he enjoyed about her was their back and forths. She was funny and could give it back to him.

"Then show me what you got," she instructed, moving to sit on his stomach now and resting her hands on his chest.

"You know I can," he replied, catching her hips with his hands.

"Well, yes...in that area you definitely can." Her eyes were twinkling now. "But tonight, I expect a four course meal, buster. Wine included."

He sighed heavily, faking dismay. "If I have to."

"You have to. Otherwise, this shop is closed for the night," she said, gesturing to herself.

"Well, we can't have that," he replied. She laughed as he pulled her down to kiss her, breaking her threat within moments.

Toll had never felt happier. He just wished it wasn't tainted with the small feeling of guilt for moving on from Serena.

...

Lee was waiting for Maya outside the school. Tia had picked up Louis earlier for a dentist appointment, so it was just the two of them. Caesar was at home trying to catch up on some sleep from his migraine the night before. Lee had tried to locate one of their bail jumpers but didn't have much luck. He'd save it for tomorrow.

The bell rang, and he leaned against his truck and waited. Kids were everywhere, laughing and talking and racing towards either a waiting car or the line for the bus. He recalled being that age and carefree about everything. He wished he hadn't grown up so fast. He shifted on his feet, still waiting.

No Maya.

He frowned. Where was she? He pushed off the truck and loped to the front doors and slipped inside past a group of excited kids. He stopped in the entryway and tried to remember where her classroom was. He made a left and walked down the hall slowly, hands in his jacket pockets. Through a door at the end of the hall, he heard the sound of a piano tentatively playing. He headed towards it, having a feeling. Sure enough, there was Maya sitting at the piano with a woman leaning over and showing her finger placements.

Lacy.

Different feelings went through him as he leaned against the door jam and watched the two of them talking and giggling a bit. Lacy was a patient teacher, always had been. Lee remembered her trying to teach him to play once, and it had ended rather differently than she'd anticipated, but she'd enjoyed it all the same. The best he could do was chopsticks, and it was clumsy at that.

"Oh, shoot," Lacy's voice said, breaking him out of his memory. "Did the bell go? Gosh, I didn't even hear it. I'm sorry."

"It's alright," he replied. Maya slid off the bench and hurried over to him.

"I'm learning Fur Elise!" she exclaimed. "It's usually for older kids, but because I'm doing so well, Miss Lacy is letting me learn it early!"

"Wow," Lee said, ruffling her hair as she hugged him. "That's cool." He looked at Lacy now, and she was tidying up the books quickly and keeping her head down low. He knew things had ended poorly between them, mostly because she couldn't keep her hands to herself, but they did have good times together. He couldn't forget those.

"Maya is an excellent student," Lacy said now, pushing her hair back and smiling at him finally. "I love having her."

"She's offered to teach me privately, Dad," Maya said eagerly. "I can get even better at it faster!"

Lee lightly chewed on the left side of his inner bottom lip, thinking. That meant seeing Lacy more often. He wasn't sure what to make of that.

"I see," he finally said, knowing he had to say something.

"Please? Pleeeaaase?" Maya begged, tugging at his jacket lightly now.

"It's okay," Lacy said, noticing his hesitation. "It was just an idea, but I get it."

"No," he countered. "If she's as good as you say, and she really wants to do this, then who am I to stop her?" He couldn't let his history with Lacy prevent Maya from advancing at something, especially if she loved it so much.

"So...that's a yes?" Lacy confirmed.

"Yea," he answered.

"YES!" Maya jumped up and down now. "Yes, yes, yes!"

"Go get your things," Lee instructed, and she scurried off to do so. He pushed his hands back into his jacket pockets again. Lacy hugged herself and looked down at her feet.

"I really am sorry, Lee," she said after a moment, meeting his eyes again. "I did a horrible thing to you, and it was a huge mistake. I don't think I'll ever forgive myself."

Lee said nothing. He didn't know what to say anyway. Maya returned at this point ready to go, so he simply gave Lacy a nod and ushered Maya to the door.

"Bring her by on Saturday morning," Lacy said as they went. "I'm still in the same place."

"Alright."

"Bye, Miss Lacy," Maya said.

"Bye, sweetheart."

Lee kept his eyes ahead as he walked to the exit. Maya looped her thumbs around the straps of her backpack as she trotted next to him.

"How do you know where she lives?" she asked, curious.

"She was a friend of mine," Lee answered, telling a half truth.

"Oh. You seem upset with her."

"How can you tell?"

"Your jaw was tight. You only do that when you're mad or upset."

Clever girl. She was too smart for her own good sometimes. He gave a small smile and pinched her cheek playfully.

"How about you stick to paying attention to other things, huh?" he suggested.

"I can read people...what can I say?" she replied. They were at his truck now, and he opened the door for her. She pulled her bag off and climbed in, twisting to put it on the floor behind her. He shut her door and went around to his side, getting in.

"Is Uncle Caesar okay?" Maya asked as they drove. "Louis said he was yelling in his sleep last night."

"He's alright. Just a bad night, love."

"I get it."

"How was your day?" Lee asked.

"Good. What about you? Did you get your guy?"

"Not yet. Maybe tomorrow."

"Shucks."

Lee chuckled, and Maya reached to turn up the radio. He listened to her belting out the current song playing as he rested his fingers against his lips, thinking.

...

Caesar was trying to figure out where the hell he was when she suddenly appeared from his left. He jumped back, startled. The surroundings changed, and he tried to reorient himself.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed. "It's you!"

"Did you forget about me?" she asked.

"Wha-?"

"Come find me, Caesar," she interrupted. "You need to find me." Then she was gone, and Caesar woke up with a start. His heart was pounding and his brain was racing.

For now he knew who the woman from his coma was.
He grabbed for his cell phone on the nightstand and pulled it to his ear as he hustled out of the bedroom and to the bathroom so as not to disturb Tia. It had been a long day dealing with his migraine, and he hadn't slept well despite trying for hours, so when bedtime came, he was more than eager to try sleeping again now that his brain didn't feel like it was in a vice anymore. He dialed and gripped his head tightly with his hand.

"Hey, Tool," he said between breaths. "I need your help, man."

"What's going on?" Tool asked a bit groggily since it was late and all. It was one of those rare nights he wasn't out on the prowl.

"It's Serena," Caesar said all at once, remembering her vividly now. How could he have forgotten?

"What about her?"

It was definitely her. He replayed all those times in his coma dream and saw her face over and over. It was her, and he couldn't shake the feeling. Knowing he would probably sound insane, he said it anyway:

"I think she's alive."

Is he right? Is he wrong? Keep reading to find out!