Caesar felt bad not going. After all, Fred had harmed his family too, and he wanted some revenge, but he didn't want to risk losing his life again. He knew it had hurt Tia too much and didn't want to put her through that again.

He watched as Toll loaded up with weapons, and he suddenly felt the urge to come clean about his dreams of Serena.

"I might be crazy," Toll said first, "but I think I want to ask Cheryl to marry me."

Caesar closed his mouth and blinked. Toll gave him an almost sheepish look, and Caesar changed gears very quickly.

"That's great, man," he said. "When did you know?"

"I just keep looking at her every time we are together, and I see us having a future, you know? I see it all," Toll explained. "Maybe I'm crazy, but she's helped me to feel okay after everything, and I don't hurt as bad anymore. I mean, I still have times where it hurts, but I feel like I'm going to be okay, and I'm not gonna ask her tomorrow or anything, but it's nice to know that I want to, if you know what I mean."

"Yea," Caesar agreed. "I get it." All thoughts of telling him disappeared. Caesar didn't want to reopen wounds for Toll. If he was moving on and finally starting to feel better, then he didn't want to ruin that.

"I'm even thinking of retiring," Toll said with a smile. "You and Lee need a third in your business?"

"There's always room for you, brother," Caesar promised. Lee walked in at this point, and Caesar felt surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm going," Lee answered, filling his backpack with ammunition and things.

"What about Maya?"

"Tia said she'd look after her."

"But...I thought you quit so as to always be there for her?" Caesar inquired.

"I need to do this," Lee told him, giving him a level stare. "I need to, Caesar."

"I get it," Caesar said softly.

"Have you told Maya?" Toll asked, zipping his bag shut now.

"No. I will tonight."

Gunner, Doc, and Barney came in last. Caesar noticed Lee was giving Barney and Gunner a look. The two of them had disappeared for a while after all. Knowing now that they'd been looking for Fred made sense.

"You'll be alright to handle work while I'm gone?" Lee asked now, making Caesar look back at him.

"Oh yea."

"I don't think we'll be long."

"You think going on this mission will help give you closure?" Caesar asked.

"I bloody well hope so," Lee answered, moving away now. Caesar listened to his former team talk amongst themselves, and he suddenly had a very sinking feeling about this whole thing.

...

Maya felt a sinking stone in her stomach when her father asked her to pack for a visit at Tia's. She just knew he was leaving her again.

"You promised," she said almost fiercely. She was still a bit mad at him for not dating Lacy and then Lacy sending her off to a different piano teacher at school. She had no idea what happened, but obviously it was big enough for Lacy to say goodbye to her, and it hurt.

"Maya, I have to," he started.

"No! You don't!" she cried, feeling tears starting. "Please don't go!" She hugged herself tightly as he knelt down in front of her so that she was slightly taller than him. He held her shoulders gently.

"Maya, it's the man who hurt your mother."

She froze, her lip trembling. "W-What about him?"

"That's who I'm going to find," he answered.

"You know where he is?!"

"Barney does. I have to go, Maya. I have to finish this." He looked so intense that she knew he really did have to.

"Okay," she said finally.

"Then I'm really never leaving again," he promised. "I swear." She nodded, and he pulled her into a tight hug that made her almost stop breathing. She felt scared and nervous, but she wanted him to go and finish this entire scary thing once and for all. After he released her, she went to pack and tried hard not to think about what her father was going to do to that man when he found him.

...

Barney stood there in the dark smoking and waiting for his team to arrive. They trickled in one by one with Lee being last. At first, Barney thought maybe he was having second thoughts, but he knew it was really because he'd been saying goodbye to Maya. Barney really hoped to be bringing Lee back home to her when this was over.

"I really wish you'd told me you were looking for him," Lee muttered as he walked past. Barney dropped his cigar and stamped it out on the ground with his boot before following him.

"What for? So you could have come too and left Maya alone all this time?"

"No, but being in the loop would have been nice."

"You are now, aren't you?"

Lee just shot him a look before stepping up into the plane. Barney took one last look around before going in after him. Tool had said his goodbyes earlier, making Barney promise to not turn kamikaze again this time. He made his way to the cockpit and took his seat in the pilot's chair. Lee was in the co-pilot's seat already, staring straight ahead.

"Not too late to get off," Barney said as he leaned forward to begin takeoff procedure. Lee just gave him a look.

"You're kidding, right?" he asked.

"I'm just thinking about Maya," Barney replied.

"So am I. I want him gone so he can never threaten to or hurt her again," Lee said fiercely.

"I got news for you," Barney said. "Church says we can't kill him."

"What?!"

"We are just getting the asset out. Fred is wanted for a lot of things. He's to be taken alive."

"Like hell!"

"I'm just as irritated, but that's our orders."

"I'm gonna kill him, Barney," Lee said slowly, meaningfully. "I don't care what Church wants." Barney could see the vengeance in Lee's eyes, and he knew there was no point in arguing about it right now. He had to just leave it alone and hope that when the time came, he got to Fred first.

...

Toll looked at Gunner and Doc and felt an unease spreading throughout his stomach. Something was off about this job, and he couldn't figure out what. Maybe it was the fact he was going to see Fred again. He wanted to tear him limb from limb for killing Serena and Emily, but apparently they weren't allowed to kill him. Toll sometimes really disliked Church.

"I wish Caesar was here," Gunner said suddenly. "It doesn't feel right without him."

"I know what you mean," Toll agreed. They were finishing off this chapter in their lives without a key player, and maybe that was why he was feeling uneasy. They were down a man. It wasn't like they hadn't done jobs without Lee or Caesar, though, but this one just felt different.

He thought about Cheryl. She had no idea that he was a mercenary. She just thought he hung out with former military buddies and took trips with them. After this, he was very certain he was going to hang up his pistols and never look back. She was becoming someone who was worth that for him, and he wasn't about to run away from it.

Now, he just had to make it back home.

Hours Later

Lee strapped his Kevlar on securely and began sliding guns and knives into holsters. He looked around at his team gearing up as well, and he began to feel unsettled in his chest. Something felt sinister here, and he couldn't explain it.

"Alright," Barney said now as they gathered together. "Church doesn't know which room the asset is in, so I'm gonna have us break off into pairs and search. Fred could be in there too."

"We're an odd man out," Doc stated, gesturing.

"I'm fine solo," Lee said.

"I don't think..." Barney started.

"I'm going solo," he interrupted, and Barney sighed before giving his head a slight shake.

"Fine, but I'm warning you, if you kill Fred, you're getting us all into shit," he replied. Lee kept his stony silence, and Barney looked at the others.

"In and out," he said. "We've done it a thousand times before. You know the layout. You know the job. Let's do this."

Lee began to walk towards the building, his heart pounding. He was curious about who the asset was. Obviously, they were very important to Church. He went in the back way, keeping his own breathing level as he swept the area, rifle aimed ahead.

"Clear," Toll's voice said into the comms.

"Clear," Doc's came next. Lee ignored them as he went, spying a staircase to his left. Something in his gut said to go that way, so he did. He climbed the stairs carefully, wondering if Fred was even in here with the asset or if this was all an elaborate hoax. He kept his rifle trained in front of him as he went. The whole way, he thought about Maya. What would happen if he died? Who would look after her? He knew the guys would, but what kind of life was that for her? Why was he even here right now?

Oh right. Fred.

He began checking rooms carefully, but it wasn't until he reached the last room when he found something. He kicked the door open, and at first, nothing seemed to comprehend in his mind what he was looking at. There was a gun and a knife tossed onto the floor. On the table there were bloodied rags and what looked like instruments of torture.

And hanging from the ceiling by their wrists in dark blue jeans and a black tank top was someone he never thought he'd see again, who was staring back at him with wide eyes.

"Lee," she said, muffled by the gag.

There was just no way. He stood there, lowering his rifle slowly and staring at her. She stared back.

"Great," he muttered. "I'm f***ing hallucinating again." It was really piss pour timing, but he couldn't control them. He gave his head a shake and went to back out when she shouted his name again. He stopped and looked back at her. He hesitated. He owed it to himself to really make sure she wasn't real because why would she show up here of all places? He walked over to her and pulled the gag down, his fingers resting on her face.

"Lee!" she gasped. "Cut me loose!"

He blinked. There was actual heat coming off of her. In all his other experiences, that had never happened. She was also solid to touch. He swallowed. He felt confused. Then he got angry.

"What the F***?!" he shouted.

"Lee, we don't have time for that. He's coming back," Emily urged. "Cut me loose, damn it!"

"You're dead," he said, ignoring her. "I held your dead body. I have your ashes underneath my bed!"

"That's a very odd place to keep someone's ashes," she noted, raising a brow at him.

"I'm hallucinating," he said again, pacing slightly and gripping his head. "This isn't real."

"It's real!" she exclaimed. "Okay? I'm real."

"So you toyed with me, faked your death, and pawned your kid off on me?!" he said, outraged. "That's supposed to make me feel better?!"

"I did it for her!" Emily shouted angrily. "Okay? I did it for her. I had to!"

"You could have told me," he argued. "Just said, oh I don't know, 'Hey, Lee, I'm secretly an agent of some kind and need you to watch my kid while I go to work for the next 22 months!'"

"I'm sorry," she said sincerely. "I am. You have no idea..."

"You're right, I don't," he cut her off. "You got yourself into this, you get yourself out of it."

"No," she said as he reached to put her gag back. "No! Don't leave me here, Lee. Please, don't leave me here, Lee. LEE!"

He gave her cheek a pat after he put it back and started to walk away. She screamed through it, and he went through the door. His rage was almost at its boiling point. Emily was alive. Emily had faked her death. Emily did blood work just like he did. Emily had lied to him.

He stopped in the hallway a few steps from the door. She was still screaming his name. His breath was shaky, and his hands were trembling. After all this time of longing and wanting, she was right there in the other room.

"Clear down here," Barney's voice came. "Lee? What's up there?" He evened his breathing for a moment, and a thought trickled into his mind. It was a ridiculous idea, a crazy notion, but it started to take root and took over Lee's thoughts.

"Lee?" Barney urged again. He took in a breath and reached for his comm.

"A ghost," he answered. "But you already knew that, didn't you?"

"What? What the hell are you talking about?" Barney demanded. Lee growled in anger and frustration and gripped his rifle tightly as he went back. He found Emily doing her best to yank free from the ceiling. He pulled out his knife and threw it, slicing the rope and making her hit the floor hard. She barely managed to use her bound hands to stop herself from face planting on the floor. Lee didn't even wait for her as he marched back out. Moments later, she was running behind him, gun in her hand. She'd cut herself free with the knife from the table since his had stuck to the wooden beam in the ceiling, and it was strapped to her waist.

"Lee," she said, catching up to him.

"Stay away from me," he retorted, going down the stairs fast.

"Let me explain..."

"I don't want to hear it," he said, getting to the bottom and striding to the back where the team was waiting. His mind was reflecting on what was on that knife. He'd recognize it anywhere.

Their logo.

Barney turned when he heard Lee's footsteps, and the surprise on his face upon seeing Emily behind Lee wasn't enough to convince Lee that he hadn't been in on it.

Lee felt rage flowing through his veins, and he was seeing a bit of red. He walked right up to Barney, and he didn't even hold back. He swung, connecting his fist to Barney's jaw.

"Whoa!" Gunner exclaimed. Toll jumped in to hold Lee back before he could hit Barney again. Gunner stepped in between them. Doc looked back and forth between all of them.

"What the hell is going on?!" he demanded.

"I trusted you!" Lee shouted at Barney. "You're my best friend, and I trusted you!"

"What are you talking about?" Barney asked. He was rubbing his jaw gently where Lee had hit him.

"You knew she wasn't dead!" Lee shouted, pointing at Emily.

"I'm sorry, I think you're reaching," Barney said. Lee made to try and lunge at him, and Toll held him back.

"Bullshit! You lied to me!" Lee shouted. He jammed his finger in the air toward Barney. "You were in on this! What? Did the two of you just have a good laugh behind my back as you planned this?!"

"No," Emily tried.

"Shut up," Lee snarled at her. She closed her mouth and kept silent. He didn't even care that she had tears sliding down her cheeks.

Barney chewed on the inside of his bottom lip, knowing there wasn't really anything he could say that would fix this. He sighed.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I couldn't say anything..."

"Bullshit!" Lee shouted again. "I'm your best friend! You don't keep secrets like this from your best friend!"

"I..."

"You promised me you'd keep her safe!" Lee was raging now. "You promised, and I find out after all this time that you not only let me believe you'd failed to keep that promise but that you intentionally let me hurt and bleed and scream in agony for all this time!"

"Lee..."

"Give me a good reason to not fillet you alive right now," Lee threatened.

"I can't," he said. "I don't have one."

"WHY?!" Lee roared. "Why did you do this to me?!"

"I just helped her fake her death, that was all," Barney started. Lee jerked out of Toll's grip and went over to Emily, reaching to yank out her knife from her hip holster, which made her flinch. He held it up for Barney to see, the raven and skull glaring out at them all.

"Explain how she got this then," he hissed. "How does she have one of your knives that you didn't have on you when she 'died'? Explain that!" Even Gunner was looking worried at this point. Doc was watching helplessly. Toll still stood in between them to stop Lee from tackling Barney.

"If you're going to be pissed at anyone, be pissed at me," Emily said now, making them all look at her again. She was standing firm and straight.

"I am still coming up with words I want to say to you," Lee promised.

"We are wasting very valuable time here," Emily went on. "You can rage and scream at me later, but we need to get out of here right now."

"I'm out," Lee said, heading for the exit. "I'll find my own way home."

"Christmas," Barney called after him. "Don't be an idiot."

"Oh, just like I've been this entire time, right?" Lee asked, walking backwards for a moment and looking at his friend before turning away again and walking outside. He just wanted to run and run and run until his lungs exploded. He almost wished someone would come and blow his brains out. He couldn't handle this. He just couldn't.

"Lee," Emily said, but he didn't turn around as he heard her run after him. She grabbed his arms and spun him around. He knocked her grip loose easily.

"Leave me the hell alone," he spat at her.

"Listen to me," she said, grabbing his face whether he liked it or not and holding him still. "I was going to tell you, but things escalated faster than planned, and Maya was in danger. I had to save her. I know you understand that."

"Don't," he tried, but she gave his head a shake to stop him.

"We don't have to get along, and you don't even have to speak to me, but we need to stick together in order to get out of here alive, do you hear me?" she asked. He said nothing, grinding his jaw and knowing she was right but didn't want to admit it for a second.

"I promise I will tell you everything when we have a chance," she said softly.

"Was it all just a lie?" he asked. "A big, funny game to you?"

"No," she answered sharply. "Me falling in love with you was completely, utterly real. I can promise you that."

"You have no idea," he said, his voice becoming ragged with emotion. "You have no idea what Maya went through after losing you. What I..." He stopped, not wanting to give her that. He cleared his throat and ground his jaw again. He watched fresh tears emerge from Emily's eyes, and she blinked them away while nodding slowly.

"I can only imagine, and I hate that I did that to her...to you, but it saved her life," she whispered. "Please, you have to believe me when I say that's the only reason I did what I did."

"And what if I hadn't been there?" Lee asked. "Where would Maya have gone?"

"I would have disappeared with her and lived on the run for the rest of our lives," Emily answered, "but I didn't want that for Maya. She deserves better. She deserves a life."

"Church knew too?" Lee asked.

"He's my handler."

Lee saw Barney standing over Emily's shoulder and watching them. He knew he needed to smarten up and move forward with the team in order to get out of there. He took his hand and removed Emily's from his chin.

"You don't come near her until I find a way to explain this," he ordered. She looked at him, and he couldn't read her expression.

"Lee," Barney said. "We gotta go. Now."

Lee reluctantly walked back towards Barney, but he didn't look at him. He was very angry inside towards his so called friend.

"What's the plan?" Toll asked warily, looking back and forth between Lee and Barney.

"Fred isn't here," Barney said, looking at Emily now. "Where is he?"

It was then that Lee registered in his brain that Emily had been tortured. He saw bruises on her cheek and arms. He noticed she was holding herself a bit too. Despite being so angry at her, he wanted to kill Fred all over again for doing that to her.

"He left," she answered. "I don't know where he went. He...he wanted information on you...all of you. I didn't give anything."

Lee's nails dug into the palms of his hands. He didn't look at her, though.

"This is a trap," Barney said suddenly. "Move out. Go, go, go!"

Lee went to step left when he saw movement in the bushes. He didn't even stop to think as he grabbed Emily by the back of her neck and threw them both onto the ground, bellowing, "DOWN!"

Bullets flew. Lee craned his neck to look for cover. They were too exposed here. Emily was crying out and burying her head under her arms. He took this to mean she wasn't a fully trained field agent because a fully trained field agent would have their gun aimed at the targets and fight back. She simply had the gun and knife for self-defense.

Lee wasn't sure what to make of that.

"Come on," he said urgently, aiming his rifle and firing for cover as he hauled her up and dragged her to an abandoned car. Without being told, she slid across the hood and landed on the other side with Lee following suit behind her. The rest of his team had scattered and were behind various cover.

"What are we going to do?" she asked, huddling tight against the more solid part of the car. Bullets whizzed overhead, pinging the side of the car every so often. Lee was thinking hard. He didn't really know what to do. They didn't have much cover to get to the other side of the woods. He was eventually going to run out of ammo.

It really wasn't looking good.

Emily was watching him, and he met her eyes. Here they were going to die probably, and he was angry at her.

"I meant it," she said, reading his mind. "I love you, Lee. That was real. It's still real."

Glass shattering overhead from a bullet striking the windows made her shriek and him dive on top of her out of reflex to shield her from the glass.

The sound of a loud truck engine made him lift his head, and he saw Barney had managed to find an army truck and was barreling towards his team. Lee popped up from behind the car and took out some enemy militants, helping the others as they hopped into the truck one by one.

"What are we doing?" Emily asked as he grabbed her hand and pulled her into a sprint with him as Barney came for them. "Lee, I can't jump onto that!"

"You don't have a choice!" he shouted back. Barney got alongside them, and Toll reached for her out the side while Doc and Gunner fired from the back and other side to give cover. Emily grabbed his outstretched hand while doing an attempt at a jump. Toll managed to haul her up and grabbed the back of her jeans when she almost pulled him down after Barney hit a bump. Lee ran hard, slinging his rifle over his shoulder and catching the side of the truck to pull himself up. Gunner grabbed his rifle on his back and yanked him in the rest of the way when he got stuck.

Barney stepped on it now since he had all his teammates. Lee got into position and helped provide cover as they fled. Emily curled into a tight ball and kept her arms over her head.

"Argh!" Gunner shouted as a bullet struck his leg. He lost his balance and toppled onto his backside. He roared and kept firing. Emily was jostled and jerked around by the bumps, so she moved to have better footing. Lee caught the back of Gunner's Kevlar and pulled him back out of sight a bit more. Toll and Doc closed the gap to keep giving cover until Barney made a very sharp right hand turn.

Emily yelped, getting thrown to the left, and Lee instinctively grabbed the front of her jeans to prevent her from falling off. He yanked her back at the same time, making her crash into him. Out of instinct, she wrapped her arms around him tightly, and he could feel her shaking. For a second, he almost held her back, but then he remembered he was angry.

"Sit down," he ordered, and she obeyed. He stuck his head through the hole in the back to look at Barney. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"It's called evasive driving!"

"No one's following us!"

This was true. The military men had been on foot, and no one had come after them in any vehicles. This just didn't sit well with Lee. Something was going on.

"Just give me a minute! I'll pull over somewhere safe!" Barney yelled back. Lee moved to sit down and rest against the back of the box. The others were kneeling or sitting now too. Gunner was groaning a bit and looking at his leg. Doc moved to patch him up while Toll kept watch.

"What happens now?" Emily asked.

"We get the hell out of here," Lee answered. He said no more as Barney kept driving. When he finally stopped, Lee knew it had to almost be three in the morning. He was still full of adrenaline but was beginning to feel tired and sore. He listened to Barney get out and come around to the back.

"What's going on?" he asked, seeing Gunner.

"Just a nick," Gunner answered.

"He'll be fine," Doc promised, and Barney gave a satisfied nod.

"What's the plan, Barns?" Toll asked for everyone. Barney climbed up into the box and came towards Emily, who shrank back slightly when he gave her a level stare.

"Are you working with him?" he asked. Lee snapped his head to look at her. That idea had not crossed his mind at all.

"What do you mean?" Emily countered.

"Are you working with Fred? Are you setting us up?"

"No!" she exclaimed. "How could you even suggest that!"

"I have to make sure, because that was sure as hell the biggest trap I've ever seen, and I really should have paid more attention, which is pissing me off."

"I am not working with Fred," she insisted.

"He used you as bait," Barney went on. "He knew Church would have us come and get you. He wanted to take us all out."

"I'm not working with him!" she cried, standing up now. "Would he do this to me if I was?!" She yanked up her shirt, and Lee felt very nauseous suddenly at the sight of all the bruises and taser burns.

"I'd say no, Barns," Toll said, looking a bit green himself. Lee noticed Emily was shaking a bit now, the adrenaline most likely wearing off. He could see she was in pain.

Barney reached for the knife holster next, examining it. He held up a small device a moment later.

"He's tracking us," Gunner said, recognizing it.

"He is," Barney confirmed.

"Squash it," Doc ordered, looking agitated. Barney met Lee's eyes, and as much as Lee wanted to give him the silent treatment, he knew what Barney was thinking.

"Let him come to us," he said, and Barney nodded.

"He'll think he's ahead, but he's really behind," Barney added. "We'll get him this way."

"Take it," Emily said to him, and he looked at her. "I don't want it anymore."

"You're with us now," Barney reasoned. "We'll keep you safe."

"What about Maya?" Lee asked, angry again. "How do we tell her that her mother isn't dead? That she's mourned for nothing?"

"We'll find the right time," Barney promised.

"We should go," Doc said, gesturing. "In case he comes to finish us off while we're chatting."

"Yea," Barney agreed, taking the knife from Emily in its holster now. "Hang on." He left and went back to the cab to start driving again. Lee closed his eyes, trying to deal with his thoughts and feelings right now. It felt like forever until they were back at the plane. Lee was weary as he went inside and found his seat. He said nothing to Barney when he came next. Once they were in the air, the silence remained.

Lee could feel Emily in the back of the plane. He could feel her emotions, feel her wanting to talk to him. It made him want to turn away even more. He wanted her to hurt as much as he did.

"Lee," Barney tried a few hours into the flight.

"Save it."

Thankfully, Barney stopped talking, and Lee stared out the window to his right. He ground his jaw, trying to process everything. Emily had betrayed him. He'd trusted her, and she'd gone and broken it.

What was he supposed to do now? How was he supposed to tell Maya? How would she even react? He could just see her broken face and confusion. How could Emily have done this to her?

When they finally got home and landed, Lee waited for everyone else to leave first. Barney gave him one last look but didn't try to talk, which made Lee feel relieved because he couldn't think of anything to say to him still. He waited long enough before finally getting up and going to get his bag.

Apparently Emily had waited for him.

She stood there blocking the door, her hands held in front of her. He stopped and looked at her, wrestling with the urge to just take her in his arms and hold her like he'd been dying to do for the last 22 months. His anger kept stomping those feelings down.

"Lee," she started.

"I don't want to hear it," he interrupted.

"I gave myself a year," she said anyway, "to find Fred and finish it." She paused, and when he didn't speak, she continued. "It took longer than I planned, and then he found me. And well...you know the rest."

She stood there with her bruises and burns, and he could only imagine the pain she'd felt, especially if she'd never been tortured before.

"I really thought I was done for," she said quietly. "And all I could think about was how much I'd hurt you and Maya. I thought that maybe I deserved it."

He stood still as she moved closer to him. At about a foot apart, she stopped and hugged herself lightly.

"You didn't hear it," Lee said a bit hoarsely after a moment. "You didn't hear her crying herself to sleep or talking to you when she thought I couldn't hear. You didn't hear her begging you to come back. You didn't watch her barely eat or sleep or almost fold into herself and sink in depression."

"I'm so sorry," Emily said tearfully. "I really did just want to keep her safe. I didn't mean to hurt her."

"You should have just told me," he said, feeling the anger resurfacing now. "I would have understood and helped you, but instead you lied to me and had my best friend cover it up and keep your secret while helping you out. You've hurt me more than anyone has ever hurt me, Emily. I don't think I can come back from that."

She stood there mutely, tears sliding down her cheeks. Lee moved to walk around her now, and she didn't stop him.

"Barney will tell you when you can see Maya," he said over his shoulder. "Give me a day or two to figure out how to tell her about this."

"Okay."

Lee stepped out of the plane now and slung his bag over his shoulder. He felt his own eyes burning because he'd missed her and was so happy she was alive and yet so torn up about her betrayal too. He had no idea what to do or think.

He felt so lost.

...

Emily sat down on a crate and put her head in her hands. She heard steps approach a bit later, and her heart leaped from thinking it was Lee coming back, but it was Barney she found there instead.

"I told you it was a bad idea," he stated.

"I know."

"Give him time," Barney went on. "He'll eventually see why you did it and not be so mad."

"I love him, Barney," Emily said, her voice emotional. "I never wanted to hurt him, and I don't want to lose him. Or Maya."

Barney reached out and rested a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it comfortingly. Emily didn't know what else to do or say. She really just wanted to go back in time and tell her past self to not do such a ridiculous thing.

Maybe everything would have been different and she wouldn't be sitting here with the world's worst heartache happening in her chest at the thought that, outside of Lee, her own daughter might never want to speak to her again.

And this concludes Part II. I will be posting Part III in the near future, just have to get more written out first.

I was inspired by boldlygoingtomidgard's comment on The Devil's Assistant is Expendable about reversing whose death Barney faked in one of our messages a long while ago. Sorry it took me so long to write it!

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned...