Lee sat in the barn. He didn't know what else to do, but he definitely wasn't leaving. He glanced at his watch, wondering where Barney and Joe were. They'd gone to find Abe and the Gat men, as Joe called them, and he hoped they didn't get themselves killed. Barney had the address of the farm on him to find them later.

He sat there for a long time until he heard footsteps approaching. He looked to see Sara standing in the doorway a moment later. He said nothing as she surveyed him, her arms crossed and a tough expression on her face.

"You're hurt," she stated, and he nodded. He was hurting; he hadn't thought to fix himself up before coming here outside of changing his clothes. She came closer to him, and he saw she was holding a first aid kit in her hand. He still said nothing as she set it on the table next to him, which rocked from unsteadiness due to its age.

"Everything you need is in there," she instructed.

"Thank you."

She reached for his arm, and he let her have it, curious to what she was doing. She slid up his sleeve and traced her fingers over his tattoo, and before he asked, she spoke.

"When I was ten," she said, "I was approached by a man with this exact tattoo. On the same arm."

Lee felt shivers as he realized it would have been Toll. What had he done?

"He told me that I could always trust a person with this tattoo," she went on, still tracing. "I didn't fully understand it, but now you're here, so I'm left wondering if it's all linked." She met his eyes finally, and Lee did his best to not just gather her into his arms because this wasn't the same woman he'd had a relationship with. He feared he would never get that relationship back.

"That would have been my friend, Toll," Lee said when she stopped and waited for him to speak. "I didn't know he was going to do that, but I think he thought it would help me now. We made it clear no one could change the past or else it would alter the future." Sara didn't say anything else as she took in his wounds. Lee wasn't surprised when she started to tend to them. That caring part of her was her nature.

"Anything broken?" she asked, pressing a hand against his chest.

"No," he answered with a slight groan. She took his shirt off anyway and looked slightly nauseous at the sight of the bruises.

"You were really beaten," she said.

By your son at one point, he thought. Out loud: "I wasn't meant to live." She accepted this nonverbally and kept working. He closed his eyes and reveled in her touch. It was hesitant and a bit shaky at times, unlike how she'd touched him in the past. His past, not hers. It was hard to remember that.

Once he was fixed up, she stood in front of him, so close he could feel her breath.

"I loved you?" she asked, holding his gaze. He wasn't sure what to say. He didn't want to scare her or make her uncomfortable, but he didn't want to lie to her either.

"Yea," he answered softly. "But I don't expect anything. I understand that version of you is gone."

"What was she like?"

"Honest," he replied. "Kind. Fun. Hard sometimes. Good marksman."

"What do you know about me?"

"Everything," he answered. She flinched slightly, and he couldn't resist and took her hands in his. "I didn't care about any of it, Sara. We all have a past, and you'd moved forward from yours. Aside from losing Cid, you were in a good place."

She looked down at their hands, and she pulled hers away a moment later. "I don't know what you're expecting, but I'm not that person you knew."

"I get that."

"Who is coming here to hurt me?"

"They're coming for Cid," Lee corrected. "You end up getting hurt because you get in the way, and then Cid runs away thinking you're dead, and you spend the next six years looking for him."

"How did I get to your timeline?"

"Abe told you that if you worked with us, he'd help find your son, but we discovered he always had your son and was trying to get rid of you."

Her hands clenched, and Lee let her process this for a bit.

"You know when this happens?"

"I think the 13th."

"So what are we doing?"

"Not letting anyone get hurt," Lee answered, and she gave him a skeptical look.

"And you can pull that off?"

He scoffed. "In my sleep."

Her lips twitched slightly, as if she was going to smile and then pushed it down. She gave a nod instead. "Well, just stay away from Cid, okay?"

"Is he going to hurt me? I know about the TK."

"You know," she repeated.

"You told me. Well, I saw it on our trip to the future together. He can lift people." He watched as something passed through her eyes, almost as if there was more to it that she knew and wasn't telling him. He felt wary all of a sudden. Had she kept something from him before?

"It's not just that," she said finally. "I just don't want him around strangers." The word hit Lee hard, but he had to accept it because it was the truth. He was a stranger.

"Okay," he agreed.

"You can stay in here. I'll bring you something to eat later."

"Okay. Thank you."

She was still standing there, and he waited, sensing she was going to say more. She shifted on her feet, looking unsure but also determined.

"How did you get me to love you?" she asked, and he stifled a laugh.

"I didn't," he answered. "You did that on your own."

"Oh."

"But if it helps, I was also honest with you, and we spent a lot of time together."

"Why?"

"I was your trainer," he advised.

"For what?"

"You were working with my team," he explained. "We were mercenaries."

"Wait, so I killed people?!"

"You had no choice. Abe sent you back to do three jobs or else never see Cid again." He hated how visibly ill she looked. "You had six years of grief and anger locked inside before you got to us. I think that made it easier to do it."

"I'd never kill people," she stated. "That's not me."

"And I hope you never get to that version of yourself again," he clarified. She looked sicker, so he changed the subject. "I'll be out here figuring out a plan. If you need me, just let me know."

She nodded and turned to leave. Lee was beginning to feel that sinking despair inside that he was never going to have the relationship with her again that he'd lost, and it broke his heart.

...

She'd killed people?! Sara almost retched once she was inside. How was that possible? She didn't kill people! Who was this version of herself that Lee was talking about?!

But then again, if she'd lost Cid for six years, maybe she had become someone entirely different, someone capable of taking a life in order to get her son back. She'd never find out. She didn't want to find out.

"Sara?"

She turned to see Cid standing there watching her. He looked curious and concerned.

"Hi, baby," she said, going to hug him close to her. "I'm alright." She really just wished he would call her "Mom," but he wouldn't. She knew he was convinced her sister had been his mother, and that was her fault for leaving him with her at such a young age. She had so many regrets, but she was trying to do her best now to fix it all.

"Who is that man?"

"He's just passing through. He'll be staying in the barn for a bit."

"He said you were in danger," Cid reminded her.

"No. That was a misunderstanding."

"Don't lie to me," Cid ordered, getting angry. He pulled out of her hug, and she felt a flicker of fear inside.

"I'm not..."

"You're lying! Stop lying!" he yelled. His fists were clenched. Sara knew she had to de-escalate before he lost control.

"I'm just trying to protect you," she said now. "I don't want to scare you. Can you just let me do that?"

"No! Tell me the truth! Why is he here?!"

"Because someone is going to come here and hurt us," Sara finally said. "But he's not going to let it happen. I won't let it happen." She watched Cid study her quietly, slowly calming down, and then he nodded.

"Okay. Can I see him?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I don't know if I can trust him yet," she answered. "And until then, I don't want him around you." She waited for Cid to start yelling at her, but he stood calmly, thinking.

"How can we trust him if we don't spend time with him to find out if we can?" he finally asked. A very good question. Her son was almost too smart for his age.

"I will spend some time with him," she promised. "But until I do and until I say it's okay, please keep away from him."

"Okay."

He left then, and Sara exhaled roughly and pressed a hand to her face. Her head hurt, her thoughts were spinning, and she felt like she'd been tipped upside down and couldn't get back upright.

She wanted this to be over so she could carry on with her life.

...

"Who is this again?" Barney asked. Joe and he were hunched down in a car, watching a young man go into a building.

"Me," Joe answered.

Barney muttered slightly to himself before saying out loud: "Explain it to me again?"

"That man is me," Joe said, gesturing to the building. "That version of myself saw Sara get shot and her son chased into the cane field. That version of me spent the rest of his life drinking and drugging his way through his pain to try and forget about it because he thought Sara was dead and it was all his fault. That version of me is me right now." Joe looked at Barney.

"So...who is the other version?"

"He knew something about the future that I don't know fully about," Joe explained. "I have guesses, but I didn't get to confirm them before I was sent back to 2010."

"Can we kill that version?"

"Yes."

Barney's head felt like it was going to explode, but he went with it. He accepted he was never going to fully understand any of this. "Then what?"

"I'm not sure," Joe admitted. "If Sara doesn't die and her son stays with her, then I don't know what becomes of me."

"Maybe something better?"

Joe felt hope in his chest, but he swallowed it down. "Maybe."

"What's the deal with this Abe person?"

"He's from 2074," Joe answered. "He lives in this year to run the Loopers."

"So, if we kill him, won't his younger self just get right back to it?"

"Not if his younger self dies too."

"You know who it is?"

"I suspect."

Barney nodded slowly. He tapped his fingers on his leg, trying not to get a headache from all of this. Joe was also fidgeting, and suddenly, he started talking again.

"I figured something out a while back I think."

"What?"

"About my loop. I tried so hard to understand why he'd go after a kid, and I put it together that before I had been kidnapped and sent back to your time, I had been looking into someone called The Rainmaker in my timeline, someone who would have been a young kid now. I think my loop figured out who and was going to kill them. That's my guess."

"No..." Barney said, getting it.

"That's why my loop went after Sara's son," Joe went on, understanding more. "He wants to save the future by erasing this kid! What if...what if he should? What if this kid needs to die?"

"Church, snap out of it," Barney ordered. "You were wrong. Her son isn't him!"

"You don't know that!"

Barney reached over and slapped him in the face hard and fast, making Joe yelp and throw a punch back, which Barney dodged. Hands started slapping each other in that childlike, kangaroo fight type of way until Barney got a hold of Joe and squished him into his seat so he couldn't move or barely breathe.

"No kid is dying today, Church," Barney said menacingly. "You hear me? I will end you before that happens."

"Okay, okay!" Joe wheezed. Barney let off, and they both sat up again slightly—eyes on the building once more. Barney was unsettled, and now he was worried about Church going rogue on him. Joe. The man's name was Joe. He really needed to start calling him that.

"I got to that farm too late," Joe said next about his younger self. "By the time I figured out where he went, I was too late. I remember following him there, getting lost in that damn cane...and then seeing it all happen just out of my reach."

"Well, Lee's there now, so if he gets there, he won't hurt her this time."

"If we change everything," Joe said quietly now, almost more to himself than to Barney, "I know where to find her...my wife. I could meet her sooner, have a family...a life...I could be the man she deserves and not the man she picked up off the ground and cleaned up."

"Yea, Joe. That sounds really good," Barney encouraged.

"We gotta kill Abe first," Joe said, running his fingers over his chin. "He'll ruin it."

"Hey," Barney said, reaching to give Joe's arm a shake and make him look at him. "Together. We do it together."

"Okay."

They both gave each other an affirming nod, and then Barney sat there almost holding his breath as he waited for something to happen.

...

Lee was falling in and out of sleep as he leaned against the edge of the doorway in the barn. He had his pistol next to him, just in case. He wished he had brought something a bit bigger and a few more knives. Three just seemed like not enough now that he thought about it.

A noise in the yard snapped his attention to the forefront, and he was on his feet and charging towards the sound when he discovered Sara had beat him to it.

"Clear off!" she shouted, aiming her rifle at the man standing there. "Now!" The man looked at her and then looked at Lee, who was also aiming his pistol at him, and he took off running.

"Who was that?" Lee asked.

"Vagrant," she answered, lowering her rifle now. Lee nodded to show understanding; he was trying to figure out this new world. He wondered what happened in the past to get it to this point.

"You alright?" he asked her now.

"I'm fine," she answered a bit stiffly. She turned to go back inside, and Lee stood there watching until she disappeared. He looked up at a bedroom window and saw the shape of a small boy standing there in the dim light watching him. The boy waved, and Lee waved back. Then he went back to the barn and tried not to think about how badly he wanted to be inside with them.

The Next Day

Sara woke up thinking about Lee. She couldn't stop wondering about him, their so-called relationship, her history with him and his team...all of it. While she couldn't fathom being a killer, she was relieved that she wouldn't become one now. She felt so confused by all of this time travel shit, but he had that tattoo, and that was really what was keeping her from booting him off her property.

"Can't we give him breakfast?" Cid asked her now as he sat at the table. His food was forgotten as he fiddled with something. Sara had long ago stopped trying to figure out what he was doing when he was messing about with taking things apart and putting them back together or changing them.

"I was going to," she replied, slightly defensive. She grabbed a mug of coffee and a bowl of oatmeal and headed outside. When she got to the barn, she found Lee leaning against the doorframe with his eyes closed. She kicked his boot with hers, and his eyes flew open.

"Some lookout," she commented.

"I was awake," he replied. She raised an eyebrow as he met her eyes, and she couldn't deny the tremble inside she felt just looking at him. She cleared her throat.

"You really weren't," she insisted.

"I was going to say something before you booted me," he countered, "to let you know I wasn't sleeping." She felt a laugh bubbling, which surprised her. His teasing, or whatever the hell this was, was cute and funny. When was the last time a guy had been cute and funny with her? She couldn't remember. She handed him the coffee and oatmeal instead of indulging in his goofiness. She stood there, hovering, as he ate slowly.

"How did you get here?" she asked. "Through time, or...or whatever." She watched him dig out a device from the inside pocket of his jacket and handed it to her. She took it gingerly, turning it in her hands and examining it. It looked pretty legit; she was almost scared to touch it for fear of somehow making it turn on.

"When you told me you were from the future," Lee said now between bites. "That thing is what helped me believe you."

"Oh."

"It's kind of ironic that I'm in your shoes now," he added. "Trying to convince you of the truth despite how crazy as shit it sounds."

A slight chuckle did escape her lips now, and he smiled. Oh man. It was sending tingles all the way to her toes just looking at him.

"Can I see that photograph again?" she asked, and he nodded before handing it to her. She looked at it, touching herself lightly and marveling at how happy she looked. Granted, there were lines of sadness and pain in her eyes, but she also looked happy—as if she was living with her pain and not just suffering from it. She sensed Lee watching her. She wondered what he was thinking.

"I have something better," he advised, and she looked at him finally.

"What?"

He handed her his phone, and she took it, pressing play on the video he'd pulled up.

...

To Lee, it was almost like yesterday. It had been two days before Sara died, in fact. As this Sara watched, he closed his eyes and could see it all so clearly.

.

She settled on her side next to him, her fingers tracing his chest lightly. She was smiling at him.

"What?" he asked.

"Are you filming me?" she countered, noticing.

"Nooo."

"Lee Christmas!"

"I didn't film the fun part, although I should have." He laughed as she gave him a playful shove.

"Why the hell are you filming me?" she demanded, giving him her best annoyed look.

"Because I never want to forget you."

"Why would you forget me?"

"I dunno. I might get amnesia or dementia or something, and I want to be able to watch this and remember who you are."

"What about me?" she asked.

"What about you?"

"What if I need to remember who you are?"

"Fair point. Alright, so it works for both of us."

"Well, if I'm going to remember you, I need to at least see you," Sara said, taking his phone and aiming it at him. He made a face that made her laugh, and then he was laughing while she moved in and stole a kiss—one of those breathtaking ones.

"You're an idiot, but you're my idiot," she advised, resting her face against his.

"I guess I'll let it slide that you just called me an idiot," he countered, and she grinned cheekily while he kissed her again.

.

He opened his eyes, finding Sara still there and staring at his phone. Her breathing was slightly quicker. She handed it back to him with a shaky hand, his phone and the photo.

"I, uh, have to get back to...to Cid," she said, not looking at him.

"Okay."

She walked away quickly, and he wondered if he shouldn't have shown it to her. He felt like it had scared her, and he hadn't wanted to do that to her at all. He wasn't sure how to make it right.

...

Sara locked herself in the bathroom, fell against the door, and slid down until she was sitting on the floor and hugging her knees tight to her chest. She felt like crying.

She had a past, a history, with Lee that she could not remember. It was right there on video, and she couldn't deny that it was her. It was her.

She involuntarily looked at her shoulder/chest under her shirt, because that's where the scar had been on that video. She didn't have it, and she wondered if maybe she had a secret twin somewhere that Lee was using footage of to mess with her head.

But...hadn't he said she'd gotten hurt trying to save Cid? Maybe that's what had caused the scar. She had no idea. It all made her head hurt. A lot.

She heard the front door shut, and she leaped to her feet. Cid had gone outside without her. This was bad. She couldn't let him near Lee, not while she was trying to figure all this shit out still. She flew out the front door and scanned the yard, finding Cid playing alone on the ground just in front of the steps. He turned his head to look at her, and she gave a weak smile. Her heart was hammering hard, although she didn't know why. Lee did not give off a murdery type of vibe. Maybe it was more because she didn't want Cid to get attached to him if he was just going to leave. Maybe she didn't want the same thing for herself. Because why would he stay? He wasn't from this timeline.

"Are you okay?" Cid asked her, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"Yes," she answered with as much confidence as possible. "I wasn't sure where you were..."

"I'll be here."

"Okay." She had things to do, so she went to do them—all the while keeping an eye on him. Lee never showed himself, and Cid never went to the barn, so she relaxed after a while. Then she went out to try and tackle that damn stump again.

...

Cid waited for Sara to attack the stump before slipping away to see the man in the barn. He didn't want to upset her, but he also couldn't let this opportunity pass.

"Disobeying your mother, are you?" the man asked when he caught sight of Cid.

"She's not my mom," Cid answered, and this seemed to surprise the man.

"She's not?"

"No. She's lying. My mom is dead."

Something in the man's eyes showed uncertainty, but he hid it away quickly. He cleared his throat. "So, tell me about yourself."

"I'm five," he said importantly. "I can take things apart and put them back together. I don't like math."

"I don't like math either," the man replied, which made Cid like him that much more.

"What's your name?" Cid asked.

"Lee."

"Sara said she wants to trust you first before letting me talk to you. Please don't tell her I couldn't wait and had to find out for myself if I could trust you."

"I won't tell her."

Cid looked down at his feet briefly, feeling a little foolish for what he was about to say next. He was trying to hold it in, but it just wouldn't stay. "I've always wanted a dad."

"Oh yea?"

"Yea."

"You might get one someday."

Cid liked how sure Lee sounded. Maybe he was right. Cid almost hoped it would be him because he was a nice man. He could just tell.

"I made this last night," Cid said now, handing Lee two little frogs.

"What's this?"

"In case we're in trouble. All we have to do is press it, and it'll let you know." He demonstrated, and Lee smiled at him.

"You're pretty clever," he stated, which made Cid beam.

"Thank you."

"CID!"

"Uh oh," Cid said, looking over his shoulder.

"You better go," Lee confirmed. Cid took off running, hoping Sara wouldn't see where he'd come from, but he wasn't that lucky.

"Cid, what did I tell you?!" she exclaimed, catching him by the shoulder and steering him inside. "That's it, you're done being outside for the day." Cid said nothing as he went back to his next project. He heard the thump of the axe against that stump again, and he hoped that she was working out whatever it was she needed to work out on that thing.

...

Lee found Sara swinging an axe against a stump as hard as she could over and over, and he hung back slightly as if she might swing it at him if he scared her.

"Need a hand?" he asked.

"Nope." She swung again.

"You seem mad."

"I'm just confused," she replied. "Lost. Lonely. Pissed off. You name it."

"Cid said he's not your son," Lee dove right in, unable to help himself. "Is that true?" He knew her story, but he was feeling slightly insecure about it for some reason in this moment. She gave a slight laugh and shook her head.

"No. I remember very clearly who knocked me up. I had this ridiculous hope that he would stick around and love me and our son, but he took off like a little chicken shit, which broke my heart. Then I let my sister raise Cid when he was quite young because I didn't want to give up my city life or how it made me numb to the fact no one would ever love me, so he believes her to be his mother and not me. It's just a daily reminder of what a shit mom I was to him." She swung the axe again and yanked it out one more time. Lee hadn't heard that part about Cid's father before. He wondered why she hadn't mentioned it in the past.

"You got lost, but you came back," he said softly, and she stopped and looked at him. "You told me."

"And that didn't make you run for the hills?" she asked.

"No. It made me love you that much more for owning your mistakes and working to make things right."

She didn't say anything as she picked up her axe again and continued hacking away at the stump. Lee watched with his hands in his pockets until she stopped and spoke again.

"Are you just gonna leave? When it's over?" she asked. "This whole thing?"

"No," he answered softly. "I'm staying...unless you don't want me to."

"Well...I..."

"Cos here's the thing," he cut in when she faltered. "I can't live without you, so even if I just get to be your neighbor or friend, I'll take it because things are just so much better with you in my life. So...yea. I'm staying." He could see different emotions flicker in her eyes at his words, and he wondered if she was ever going to love him again.

"Okay," she said. She was still gripping the axe, and he couldn't stand watching her whack away at it any longer without any progress.

"Here," he said, taking it from her. She let it go reluctantly. He took a swing and sliced a piece off.

"Oh, come on," she groaned. "I loosened it for you!"

"Sure," he agreed, smirking. He swung again, taking another piece. She fought him for the axe, and he let her have it because she was laughing a little bit and it was nice to see. She swung again, knocking some more off.

"Ha," she said, giving him a triumphant look. Then she looked over her shoulder at the house and grew serious again. "Cid shouldn't have bothered you. I told him not to."

"It's okay. He gave me this." Lee showed her the frogs, and she took one.

"What is it?"

"You press it if you're in trouble," Lee explained. "Then I get notified and come assist." He could tell she was impressed at her son's skills but trying not to be since she was supposed to be miffed at him for talking to Lee.

"Handy," she stated.

"He's wicked smart."

"I know," she said softly. She looked at the frog in her hand again before pocketing it. Then she ran a hand over her hair, which was held back by a headband. Lee had never seen her have her hair like that before, and he liked it.

"Can I help with anything?" he asked, gesturing around them.

"No, it's okay. I'm going to be heading inside soon anyway."

"Alright." He sensed that she wanted to be alone, so he started to back away.

"Wait," she said, and he stopped. "Have dinner with us."

"You sure?"

"Yes." She looked almost shy suddenly, and Lee felt hopeful. Maybe they could get their relationship back. Maybe this wasn't over after all.

"Okay," he agreed.

"Okay," she echoed. "I'll see you then." He left her alone to think, heading back to the barn and wondering what the hell Barney and Church were up to.

...

Barney was out of breath as he chased after the loop version of Joe. His Joe was wearing a black ski mask so as to keep it straight who was who and to not freak out the younger version of Joe to the point of having a stroke at the sight of two older Joes.

Yea, it gave Barney a headache too.

Barney let out a yell as the loop version managed to kick down the boxes he was climbing. He landed hard on his ass and let out a loud groan.

"Nice work," Joe huffed, catching up with him. "You lost him?!"

"You should know how he thinks! Why aren't you five steps ahead of him?"

"Cos I don't know where he's going! It's too early for him to go to the farmhouse yet!"

"We have to stop him before he gets to Sara," Barney said strongly.

"I know!"

"Who the hell are you?!" a voice yelled, and they both turned to see Joe's younger version standing there aiming a gun at them. Barney had recently learned it was called a blunderbuss, and he was quite interested in owning one should the opportunity come up.

"F***," Joe muttered. "We're in it now."

"Why are you chasing my loop?" Young Joe demanded now, moving closer. "Huh? Answer me!"

"He mugged me," Barney answered. "I wanted revenge."

"Bullshit," Young Joe spat. He turned to Joe. "And you, take off your mask!"

"Not happening," Barney replied.

"I'm not talking to you!"

Barney sighed inwardly. He inched closer to the lad as he faced Church again.

"Take it off!" Young Joe shouted again.

"No," Church answered flatly, irritated. Young Joe stiffened. Apparently he recognized the voice.

"This ends now," Young Joe declared, raising his gun.

And Barney knocked him out.

"Well," Joe said as he pulled off his ski mask and looked down at his younger self. "That's that."

"Are you sure he's really you?" Barney asked. "Because he seems a little bit...reckless."

"I know you were going for dumb, but I appreciate the change of word."

Barney winced a little. "Sorry."

"Nah, it's fine. His is dumb. I was dumb! I had no idea what was going on here back then, but I do now."

"Come on," Barney said, bending to grab the kid's arms. "Let's get him out of here." Together, they dragged him out of sight.

...

Lee couldn't help himself and showed up a bit early. He knocked, and Cid answered.

"Hi," Cid said brightly.

"Hey." Lee smiled.

"You're early."

"I know. I can leave if it's—" he started, but Cid had taken him by the hand at this point and pulled him inside. He was led to the kitchen where Sara was pounding on some chicken breasts with a tenderizer.

"He's here," Cid said, and Sara twisted to see him.

"Oh, you're early," she stated.

"I can go..."

"No! He can stay, right?" Cid asked her. "He can help me with my project."

"I...okay," Sara finished.

"Come on," Cid said importantly, pulling Lee with him again. "It's in my room." Lee took in the house as he walked behind Cid, noticing photos. He recognized Sara's mother in one. A second woman was her sister, he surmised. He realized this version of Sara did not know about the wrong birthday or that her sister was adopted. He wondered when or if he should tell her. Cid led him to his room where he finally let go of his hand and hustled to his desk.

"See? It's almost finished."

Lee praised it and marveled at the work, but part of his brain was thinking about Sara. Cid started showing him other things in his room, that excited child part of him coming out strong now. Lee couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to play the role of this boy's father. He felt a bond with him after just a short time, but he attributed that to hearing stories from Sara for so long that it was almost like he knew him his entire life.

A loud noise and a semi-muted curse occurred downstairs, and Lee looked at Cid.

"You mind if I help her? It sounds like she might need it."

"Okay. I'm gonna do some more work anyway." Cid went back to his desk and got back to work. Lee went downstairs to find Sara shaking her hand and trying to finish chopping up carrots with one hand.

"What happened?" he asked, and she looked at him, embarrassed.

"The knife slipped," she answered, showing him. He took her hand in his to examine it, unwrapping it, and he felt her shiver at his touch.

"Not too deep," he advised. "Not stitch worthy anyway. I've seen worse on you." He wrapped it back up with the cloth she'd used.

"What?" she asked, and he mentally cursed himself for forgetting.

"Nothing," he answered. "Sorry."

"No, it's okay," she said back. "I...I have to realize that this happened and I have no memory of it."

"I'm actually glad," Lee told her, taking her by surprise.

"You are?"

"To some degree," he corrected. Her hand was still in his. "Some bad things happened, and I'm just glad you don't remember them. I'm glad you don't remember the jobs or taking lives or any of that shit. I'm sad you don't remember me or the team, but the rest of it...I'm glad you won't remember it."

"But you will," she pointed out.

"It'll fade," he promised. "I'll always remember the good things, and I'll tell you all about them."

"I want to hear it all," she insisted. "I don't care if it's good or bad...it was my life, and I want to know what I don't remember."

He breathed for a moment, wishing he hadn't told her about there being bad things. He didn't want her to relive them.

"Alright," he finally agreed. "I'll tell you everything."

"Thank you."

He was holding her hand close to his chest now, his thumb on her wrist and feeling her pulse. He watched her watch him, and he could see she was having a mental war with herself. What it was about, though, he had no idea.

"I think," she started, holding his gaze. "I think I know why I loved you."

"Tell me," he said.

"You just have this...way of making me...making me feel calm," she said slowly. "I feel like I can be myself...I don't have to hide. I feel like I could be completely, utterly vulnerable with you and trust you won't hurt me."

"The feeling is mutual," Lee stated, and she blinked. He still had her hand, and she'd moved closer to him by this point.

"You knew all of me?" she asked.

"Yes."

She looked like she was going to say something else when Cid came back.

"Are you okay?" he asked Sara.

"Yes, baby," she answered, taking her hand back now. "I'm fine. See? All good." She went back to cooking, and Lee assisted while Cid watched from the table. It all felt like such a normal thing to do, and Lee loved it. This was what he wanted—a family. He wanted to do the normal stuff, the mundane things, the activities that most people took for granted. He craved it, needed it.

And now that Sara had no memory of doing blood work, he realized that he could have the normal life he wanted with her after all.