Lucas squinted shielding his eyes when the bag was removed from over his head. He was bleeding from the back of his head, he could feel the blood running down his neck. Slowly he opened his eyes and winced at the bright lights, he was nauseated and prayed to the gods that he wasn’t about to throw up.

A bottle of water was shoved in front of his face, and he automatically reached for it, only then realizing at that moment that his hands were free. Taking a few sips of the water, he felt a little better, but his head still felt as if a herd of elephants were stomping across his skull. He looked up and saw Daniel sitting across from him.

“Sorry about your head,” Daniel said to him.

“Why? You're planning on killing me, right? I figured you’d enjoy seeing me in pain.”

“You’re still the same sarcastic bastard.”

“Just do it and get it over with,” Lucas told him feeling defeated.

“So eager to die, are we?”

“Isn’t that the reason you brought me here? Taking me away from my family, just do it now.”

Daniel stared at him for a few minutes then stood to his feet and walked over to him. Lucas didn’t flinch or move an inch. "What do you think about the old place? It surprised me when I found out the government had the place of my conception rebuilt."

"What the hell are you rambling about?"

“The least you can say is thank you,” Daniel said to him.

“Thank you for what? You’re about to fucking kill me, and I’m supposed to thank you before I die. Well, fuck you. How's that for a thank you?”

The slap crossed his face and his head whipped to the side, and for a second, he saw stars, but he didn’t show how much it affected him. Instead, he started chuckling and then it turned into laughter.

“My two-year-old hits harder than you, Ritter,” Lucas said wiping his mouth off on the sleeve of his T-shirt.

“Tell me what you know about Doctor Morgan Leap, Lucas?” Daniel asked backing away.

“What the hell does Leap have to do with me being here?”

“Humor me,” Daniel said resting his gun on his thigh.

Lucas had to think back to what he learned in high school. Christen knew everything about Leap, as a doctor, he found the man interested. Lucas on the other hand, didn’t care.

“Morgan Leap, the doctor who invented the Leap XY Gene Serum, also known as the pregnancy serum. He originally developed the serum because he believed human beings had an inner beast living inside them and wanted to find a way to bring it forward. After he was seen as a quack and a failure, his grant money was cut by the military and he was kicked out on his ass. Years later he went on the world's most wanted list for contaminating the water and air allowing men to get pregnant. He was hunted down and killed.”

“Do you know what happened to his family?” Daniel asked.

“Don’t you mean his cult?”

As soon as the words left Lucas’ mouth, Daniel had him by the throat, pinning him to the floor. “I’m trying not to kill you too soon, but you’re really making it very hard.”

Lucas was gasping for air hitting the ground as he punched Daniel in the stomach seemingly unfazed and much stronger than he remembered. He was starting to lose the fight for his life, and it was getting harder for him to breathe. Daniel released the hold on his neck and stepped back allowing Lucas to catch his breath. Lucas started coughing as he tried to get up but stumbled a bit. Gods, I want this to be over. He was able to finally sit up, forgoing the chair and staying on the floor.

“Why?” Lucas asked when he could speak again. “You said you would tell me before you killed me.”

“That night I got shot I thought I’d really died, but I was saved by someone, I don’t even know who it was. I woke up a few weeks later in an Italian hospital all stitched up. They said I lost a lot of blood and had to find a universal blood donor for me. You remember I told you that I was adopted. I lived a good life and never saw the reason to find my real parents. When I found out that I was considered dead, I decided to take the opportunity given to me. It took me a year and a half to find out about my parents.”

“I still don’t get what this has to do with me.”

Daniel snorted. “I found out that my father was a brilliant scientist who gave the world something unimaginable and they hunted him down and his family and killed them as if they were dogs.”

Lucas gasped hearing he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You're Morgan Leap’s son? How? According to the reports, Seeker agents killed all of Leap’s test subjects.”

“They thought they did, but one got away,” Daniel said with a proud smile. “My father hid when the agents burst in and found Leap’s other lovers. Of course, you know what happened to them. My father waited and when he saw the chance, he ran and never looked back. He couldn’t go to Leap because the authorities were looking for him. My birth father died when I was two years old, and after that, I was sent to an orphanage where I was adopted by the Ritters.”

“That’s it, huh?” Lucas huffed then chuckled. “Revenge, you killed Lee, Francis, and Jefferson to get your revenge because they were on the team that killed Leap’s test subjects. I bet you're just making Dear Old Dad proud exacting revenge in the place where they killed the rest of his cult.”

“It’s more than just revenge," Daniel yelled. He was frothing at the mouth showing a side of himself that Lucas had never seen before. "They killed my family. People that were hired to cleanse the world of Leap's mistake now think he’s a genius. You just had two beautiful boys and not once thought there was something wrong with the man being pregnant. Not once did you thank my father, Doctor Leap, for the ability to carry them.”

 “I’m not sure what you want me to say, Daniel.” He shook his head and then winced at the pain. Daniel was right about one thing, he'd never once thought that it was wrong for a man to be able to get pregnant. But even with this revelation, it still didn’t answer the question of how Gianni was involved. “I still don’t get what Leap’s death has to do with me, hell, or Gianni for that matter?”

“Gianni was for fun; besides, he was the reason I was shot in the first place. I was the one that lured him to that warehouse then called the cops telling them where he was.”

“And the hostages?”

“They were incidentals I didn’t count on, but everything turned out all right, didn’t it? Gianni is dead and the hostages went home to their families.”

“So is that what I am, 'incidental,' or did I do something to hurt your feelings?”

Daniel got up, walked over to him and tilted his chin up with his gun. “Truthfully, I need you to get to my real target . . . your father.”

Lucas' eyes widened in shock. “My father? He wasn’t on the mission.”

“Is that what he told you?” Daniel said to him. “Lucas, your father led the mission. Sure, they wore masks back then and only went by code names, but there’s always a paper trail, and your father was there.”

“You’re lying,” Lucas said snapping his head away.

They all had to do things as agents to stay alive, it was a part of their job. A little over forty years ago, when the organization started, their main target was Leap, but they soon realized that the government wanted and needed men like them. Men who were wealthy and could fund their own organization, to help the military and other agencies to take down the terrorists. They were to remain a secret to the population, never to be recognized for their work. Lucas slowly turned his head when the realization hit him again, but he needed to hear it from Daniel.

“What else do you want, Daniel? Because to me, you seem to be going through an awful lot just to get to my father.”

“I want to succeed where my father failed. I want the world to know about all the dirty little secrets that the government is hiding.”

But Lucas and his family were prepared if it came out they were a part of Seekers. They’d laugh it off, of course, but they also made sure that any files containing their names or missions they were part of while working with Seekers had a virus attached that could only be disabled by one of the Hamilton family members. But Lucas knew it wasn’t the same for most agents, and if their affiliation was revealed, it could spell trouble for their families and companies. Lucas tried to remember if he had read the file on the Leaps case and was certain that his father was not a part of the mission. In truth, it wouldn’t have bothered him even if Asher was the one that killed Morgan Leap.

“Was January helping you or Gianni?”

“A bit of both,” Daniel said with a smile.

“He was under Gianni’s thumb, and I found out how far in debt he was and blackmailed him into helping me track down my parents.”

“That’s it, huh?” Daniel grunted but didn't respond. “You know, you’re right about something.”

“Yeah, what’s that?”

“I never once thought to question how Leap made things happen the way it did, because frankly I didn’t care, and I still don’t. So if you’re waiting for me to say thank you.” He paused and smirked. “You can just forget it. Am I happy that I was able to carry those two beautiful boys, you bet I am. But it wasn’t all because Leap, the effects of the serum wore off years ago. What’s happening now is because of evolution. We change, and so do our chromosomes. I might not know a lot about science, but I know that much.” Lucas saw the look of anger cross Daniel’s face. He wasn’t happy that Lucas wasn’t giving his father the credit he thought he deserved.

 “Okay, enough talking.”

He raised his gun and put the barrel on Lucas’ forehead. “Stand . . .” He was distracted when he heard a sound and looked away. Lucas used the opportunity and grabbed his wrist, lifting it in the air then swinging out his leg kicking Daniel in his knee. This move brought him down to the ground on his back with the other man on top of him. He still had a hold on his wrist as they started to struggle. He wrapped his legs around Daniel’s waist hoping to turn them over and get the upper hand.

Daniel punched him in the face intending to throw him off balance, but Lucas didn’t let go. Lucas wrapped his fingers around Daniel’s throat squeezing with all the strength he had, but it wasn’t enough. Daniel went to punch again, but Lucas was ready for him and head-butted him instead. It helped and gave him the advantage he needed to flip them over putting him on the top. He screamed when he was hit in his stomach repeatedly, but it didn’t stop him, he was bleeding but ignored it. He wasn’t going to die, not when he had a family waiting for him. He brought the hand down that was holding Daniel’s gun, forcing it between them.

“You’re not going to get away, Lucas,” Daniel said landing another hit to his stomach. “I was going to let you live, but now you just pissed me off.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. I’m going to live to see my boys and my little girl grow up.”

Daniel pivoted his hips up sending Lucas forward just as the gun went off between them making Lucas gasp then fall forward.

* * *

Tucker listened to Tyler with the phone on speaker as he and the rest of his team rushed to the address that was sent to him. They were less than five minutes away, and he prayed he got there in time. Not only was January working for Gianni he was working for Ritter who turned out to be Morgan Leap's son. When he brought up a picture of Daniel Ritter, Brenden told him that he was the guy who shot Gianni accidentally, which they now knew wasn’t an accident. Tucker wondered why Seabrook left it in his report about the extra SWAT team member, knowing he was negligent in his job.

What made things worse was that Ritter had taken Lucas to the warehouse where Leap’s lover, child, and test subjects were killed. He was so anxious to get his husband, he couldn’t sit through the flight from Providence to Washington. He'd spoken to Zoi and Marilyn checking in on his sons before he left. Worry that he was not going to be able to save Lucas in time nagged at him. Tucker could see the pattern form after hearing that the Seeker agents killed a few weeks ago were a part of the very first mission the Seeker organization had ever done.

After hearing that Asher was on the team since the Seeker organization was started, it made sense why Ritter was after Lucas. They found out that Ritter was Morgan Leap’s son after the government thought they killed his lover and the child he was carrying, along with the rest of his test subjects. Daniel Ritter had killed all the members and informants that were involved in the case, except Ethan Beaumont’s father was already dead. James Beaumont was the man who had killed Leap’s lover and child. Based on the information they had, they were on their way to the warehouse with the help of the Washington D.C. FBI field office. Tucker, Seth, and a few other Seeker agents were following behind them.

 “You know everything is going to be fine, and we’re going to find him alive, right?” Jaxson said as he hung up the phone. Tucker had stopped listening to Tyler about five minutes into their conversation, his only focus was getting to his husband in time.

Tucker nodded unable to speak at that moment, his fear, and anxiety gnawed at him. Mentally he wanted to blame Asher for everything that was happening, but he knew that he couldn’t, he wasn’t the one that pulled the trigger. No, he just gave the fucking orders. Tucker saw how worried Asher was. He loved Lucas and was worried about him, like any father would be in this situation. No one expected that years down the line, one of Leap’s children would seek revenge. But the government should have cleaned up their own mess. Leap was their mess, and they did a piss-poor job of making the situation go away.

Tucker opened the door as the standard utility vehicle came to a stop in front of the warehouse. He couldn’t wait for the truck to come to a complete stop before he was trying to get out.

“Boss, wait.” Jaxson clapped onto his shoulder.

“What? What the hell am I waiting for?” he snapped.

“The rest of the team,” Jaxson told him. “Look, I know you want to run in there guns blazing, but we don’t know how many people are inside.”

Jaxson was right, and that’s what a rational person would think, but Tucker wasn’t in the right frame of mind to think things through. If his husband was in that warehouse, he wanted to get him out of there. He pulled away from Jaxson’s hand and got out of the truck. Checking to make sure his gun was loaded, he fastened his bulletproof vest and got his cap. His head snapped up just as he heard a gunshot. Without waiting for anyone else, Tucker ran inside of the building and up the stairs. He heard footsteps behind him and knew that it was his guys. He gave them the hand signal to fan out and look in the other rooms while he went to the top of the warehouse. He found two dead bodies, both shot in the head.

He kept his back to the wall as he made his way to the only room at the top. Peeking in the room, his breath caught in his chest when he saw Lucas’ body slumped over a body. They both looked unresponsive.

“Lucas, oh gods, please, baby, don’t be dead.” He ran over, turning his husband over and tried not to scream seeing all the blood covering the front of him. Checking for a pulse, he breathed a sigh of relief when he found one.

“Get an ambulance up here,” he called out. “Hurry.”

He raised up Lucas’ T-shirt, and tears rolled down his cheeks seeing how black and blue his chest and abdomen were, noticing the bleeding, signs that his stitches came undone. Pulling off his vest, he ripped off his shirt applying pressure to Lucas’ stomach.

“Come on, baby, open your eyes for me, let me see those pretty green eyes of yours.” He heard loud footsteps and looked up when Tyler and Seth ran into the room. “Where’s that fucking ambulance?”

“They are on their way,” Seth answered as he walked over to Ritter’s body.

Tucker didn’t look. Frankly, he didn’t care. He simply wanted Lucas to open his eyes and say something sarcastic to make him laugh. Tyler kneeled beside him, with a hand on his shoulder. He was getting very impatient because Lucas’ blood was seeping through his shirt and he didn’t know what would happen if he lost any more blood. He kept checking Lucas’ pulse that seemed to be getting weaker by the second.

“He’s going to be fine,” Tyler said, but Tucker heard the tremor in his voice. “He’s too stubborn to die, and I can’t lose a part of me, not yet.”

Tucker went to say something but stopped when he heard footsteps again. He sighed in relief when he saw the paramedics run into the room. One went over to Ritter and another over to Lucas.

“He’s dead. My husband is the one that needs help,” Tucker yelled.

The guy nodded and started helping his partner. Tyler pulled him away so that the paramedics could do their jobs. Tucker looked down at his hands and realized they were covered in Lucas’ blood. He made it in time. He wasn’t going to lose his husband, the love of his life.

“Come on, let’s follow them to the hospital,” Tyler said.

“Yeah, okay, sure,” Tucker mumbled as he let Tyler and Seth steer him out of the room.

* * *

Lucas opened his eyes and knew something was wrong. The last thing he remembered was his scuffle with Daniel and the gun going off. “I guess I’m dead, well, that fucking sucks.” He closed his eyes and struggled to sit up wondering why he could still feel pain if he was dead.

“You’re too stubborn to die.”

He opened his eyes and looked to his right, seeing Rebecca standing beside his bed. She looked different, almost as if she was bathed in an illuminating light.

“If I’m not dead then where am I?”

“Waiting," another voice beside him said. Turning his head to look at Rochelle looking down at him. She was also bathed in the same glowing light as Rebecca.

“I'm seeing ghosts, and you say I’m not dead.”

They both giggled at him. “Never lose that sense of humor, Luc.”

“I . . .” He didn’t know what to say, there were questions he was supposed to ask. “Why am I here then if I’m not dead?”

“For us to say goodbye,” Rochelle told him.

“You and Tucker have finally let us go, and now we can move on,” Rochelle explained. Then she touched his cheek.

“Those weren’t all dreams?”

“No,” Rochelle answered.

“You two held onto us even though we wanted to move on.”

“Did you two force us together?”

Rebecca touched his hand. “No, everything that happened between you and Tucker was natural and how it was meant to be.”

“That’s good to hear,” he said to her. “Next time warn me if there’s trouble coming my way.”

“There won’t be a next time, and we couldn’t warn you about what was going to happen, it was the deal we made to be your temporary guardian angels,” Rebecca told him.

Rochelle touched the side of his cheek. “Thank you for coming into his life, thank you for letting his eyes sparkle again. I enjoyed watching you two blossom, and the love you two share is beautiful.” She leaned forward and kissed his forehead. “Thank you for helping him keep his promise.”

“You’re welcome. He’s easy to fall for.”

Oh, shit, I hope she didn’t watch us having sex.

Her giggle told him she did. “Yes, he is.” She leaned down and kissed him on his forehead before stepping back and standing at the end of the bed as if waiting for Rebecca.

Rebecca took his hand in hers, and it felt warm, not cold like they always seemed in his dreams. “So this is finally goodbye, huh? No more of you showing up in my dreams?”

“No.” She smiled. “I’m so glad you opened up your heart and let Tucker in. He’s good for you and Zoi, and your boys are so adorable. Live a happy life with your family.” She leaned forward then kissed him on the same spot Rochelle did. “I love you, Lucas Hamilton, always.”

“I love you too, Becs.” And he did, it was a love he would never forget, but now he had a new life that he had to live, a new family. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. The next time he opened his eyes he was still in the hospital room. The sounds of machines greeted him along with soft breathing. Looking down he saw Tucker sleeping with his head resting on his arms. He reached down and gently caressed his husband’s face. Tucker slowly blinked his eyes opened then lifted his head up.

“You're awake.” He moved up and kissed Lucas on his lips not giving him a chance to answer. He cupped the back of Tucker’s head and felt the trembling of his husband’s lips and warm tears dousing his cheeks. “I thought I lost you. I don’t know what I would have done if I lost you.”

“Never,” Lucas told him. “You will never lose me.” Nothing else needed to be said. Tucker lay beside him on the bed, and they stayed like that for the rest of the night.

* * *