24 Hours Earlier

Lee opened his eyes and immediately knew that Rita was not beside him. He stared at the ceiling for a moment, debating on whether he would get up or just stay down for a while longer.

"Ah, shit!"

His decision was made. He got up quickly and headed down to where Rita was bent over wincing in pain.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Knife slipped," she muttered. She was clutching her one hand with the other. Lee saw drops of blood on the floor leading from the door.

"Let me see," he ordered. She straightened and turned to face him; he took her hand gently in his. She had sliced down the inside of her hand from her thumb to her wrist pretty good. He wondered how she had done that.

"What were you cutting?" he asked, looking around. There wasn't anything in sight.

"I wasn't cooking," she answered, not looking at him. Truth be told, she had been practising throwing knives. Her reminiscing had gotten the best of her. The tip of the blade had sliced her right after she had thrown it.

"I see," Lee said, pressing his lips together to stop from saying anything further. They walked to the bathroom together, Lee still holding her hand. He reached around for gauze and peroxide.

"This'll hurt," he warned, opening the cap.

"It's not my first time," she sighed. Then she grunted in pain as he poured it on her wound. She pressed her face into his bare chest, and Lee was startled for a moment. It was the first physical contact they'd had in a while now. He wondered if she realized it.

"Here we go," he said softly, wrapping it up. When he was finished, she lifted her head and looked at it.

"That was stupid of me," she muttered. Lee moved to put everything away as she stood there staring at her hand.

"You wanna tell me why you were knife tossing?" he finally asked, shutting the drawer and staring at her.

"For old times," she answered sarcastically.

"Old times?"

"I dunno, for fun? It just happened."

"Rita..."

"Don't start," she warned. She went to move away from him when he grabbed her arms and pushed her against the door. Without saying anything, he kissed her hard. Rita was taken aback, and for a moment, she let him. It almost felt like before. Almost.

"Rita," he said when she pulled away.

"I'm sorry." She walked back to the kitchen.

"Do you still love me?" he called after her, making her stop in her tracks. She felt tears threatening to fall. Did she?

...

Rita drove around for a while, thinking.

Do you still love me?

She tried to picture her life without Lee in it, and she knew damn well she couldn't. She did love him, so why couldn't she have just told him so? Instead, she had run away, claiming she needed to get groceries of all things. She thought about their life and how things had changed since Eli was born. She didn't resent her child at all. She sometimes just felt like she'd missed out on something. She found herself at a lake that afternoon, and she sat on the sand and remembered the first time she and Lee had instigated going farther in their relationship. She smiled. It had been amazing. She sighed, looking at the waves. Who was she kidding. She was meant to be with Lee. They were meant for each other. She hoped he wasn't too upset with her right now.

...

Lee had hung up with Barney, shaking his head. His friend was a funny guy sometimes. He was glad the team had been successful in their mission and were on their way home. He had turned down Barney's offer to visit. He wasn't in the mood. Eli was crawling around the living room and playing with his toys. Lee sat and watched, wondering if things would be different if he and Rita had never met at all. He definitely wouldn't be feeling this pain, that was for sure. He looked at the clock. Five hours had gone by.

"MUMUMUMUM!" Eli started to howl.

"She'll be back," Lee promised. He wanted to believe that. He really did.

...

Rita drove up their driveway slowly and parked, sitting and staring at their house. She thought back to the when they had rebuilt it. She had never seen anything more sexier than Lee wielding a hammer shirtless on the roof. She smiled. He was a very handsome man, and smart. He took care of them all with everything he had, and she knew he'd die for them too. She got out, shutting the door quietly. She walked up to the window and looked in, seeing Lee with his head in his hands at the table while Eli smeared around some food on the high chair and his face. She opened the front door and walked in, closing it with a loud bang. She dropped her purse and took off her coat when Lee appeared.

"Hey," he said. Rita noticed he looked uncertain, afraid almost.

"Hi," she said back.

"MUMMA!"

"He's been after you all day," Lee explained. Rita went to see her son, who was reaching for her desperately.

"My messy boy," she smiled, grabbing the cloth to wipe his face off before picking him up and cuddling him. Lee observed from the doorway as Rita kissed Eli's head and playfully bounced him as she walked to the other room. Lee decided to leave her alone, and started tidying up after texting Barney to say she'd come home. They'd talk later.

...

The evening was uneventful. Rita put Eli down for bed after he'd crashed amongst his toys. She went into their room and saw Lee watching the news. She paused when she saw what it was saying.

"A terrorist attack was swiftly derailed today as William Cage took it upon himself to stop the group from attacking the Royals. Police were called to a house where they found a tunnel leading right to them. It's assumed they were going to attack from underground. There were multiple casualties..."

"What are people thinking," Lee muttered, shaking his head. "Honestly."

Rita was staring at Cage's picture, knowing he was vaguely familiar. Good for him to have stopped an attack. She shivered, wondering what would have happened if he hadn't. She looked at Lee then, and took in everything about him as he watched the TV. Eventually, she moved to turn it off, surprising him.

"Is it bothering you?" he asked.

"No," she shook her head. "I just wanted to talk to you."

"Okay," he nodded. He felt tense. He had no idea what she was going to say. Was it over? Was she really done? Did she really not love him anymore? He braced himself for impact. She got positioned on the bed so that she was on her knees beside him.

"Do you regret any of this?" she asked. Confused, he shook his head.

"No," he answered. "I don't. Do you?"

"No," she smiled. "For a while I got lost, but I think...I think it's okay. I'm sorry I scared you. Everything just overwhelmed me. I do love you, Lee. I always will. I love our life. I wouldn't trade it for anything."

She moved so that she was on top of him, crashing her lips into his. Lee recovered from his surprise quickly and pulled her into him. This was familiar. This was his Rita. She really was back.

The Next Day

Lee awoke with Rita on his chest. He smiled to himself as he remembered the night before. He had forgotten just how amazing she was. His phone buzzed, making him look at it.

The boys wanna say hi. All clear? Barney asked.

Give us an hour, Lee responded. He shifted, causing Rita to open her eyes.

"Good morning," she smiled.

"Hey, yourself," he grinned back.

"I missed that," she said, giving him another kiss.

"You and me both," he agreed. She slid off him then, going to their washroom. He sat up and surveyed the untucked bed sheets and clothes everywhere. Yes indeed, it had been perfect.

"The boys wanna say hey," Lee called as she started the shower.

"All right."

He joined her then, hopping in with her and sliding his hands across her stomach.

"We've got time," he said in her ear.

"You read my mind," she replied, turning to face him.

...

Rita opened the door to let Barney and the others inside. He gave her a dutiful kiss on the cheek.

"You look lovely as always," he winked.

"Thanks, Barney," she smiled.

"Where's the old guy, huh?" he asked, moving past her.

"I am not old," Lee retorted "You're the one who's old."

"Says who?"

"Says everyone else," Lee grinned. Toll fist bumped him while Gunner and Doc took a seat at the counter. Eli was in his high chair for lunch. Toll went over and started tickling his feet, making him squeal with laughter.

"You're his favorite," Rita told him as she passed, making Toll grin.

"I told you," he said to Doc.

"I never questioned it," Doc argued, holding his hands up.

"So, how are you guys?" Barney asked Lee quietly as they observed Rita and Toll talking about Eli.

"We're fine," Lee answered. "Just a rough patch."

"It happens. Just never forget what got you guys together in the first place," Barney said.

"I don't," Lee said, looking at her fondly.

"You guys want a beer?" she asked then, making the guys cheer. Laughing, she pulled out the bottles and handed them around. Lee slipped his arm around her waist then.

A knock sounded on the door in that moment.

"I got it," Lee said, pulling away. He opened the door and saw no one. Puzzled, he stepped out, looking around. No one was in sight. He looked down and saw an envelope on the ground at his feet. He picked it up and noticed Rita's name on the front. Turning it over, there weren't any other names on it. He was still looking at it when he went back inside.

"What's that?" Rita asked.

"It's for you," he answered. She frowned, taking it.

"Strange," she said.

"I know."

She opened it carefully and slid out a letter.

Rita,

You won't remember me, but I remember you. Together we stopped the Omega from destroying Earth during the War. Why am I telling you this? Well, because I didn't stop those terrorists alone yesterday. You see, I still have the power to reset the day, and without all of you helping, I wouldn't have known what was going on. They would have used me as their weapon and gotten what they wanted. Don't worry, it only took me one try after the first time to stop them. I hope I'm not scaring you. I promise I'm not lying. Anyway, a long time ago you asked me, "What does it matter what happens to me?" and I didn't know how to respond. I do now. It matters what happens to you because you have a family and a life that you deserve. If I had let you die back in the War or yesterday, Lee would be a broken man. I saw that firsthand. He really loves you, and you really love him.

I'm moving on. I decided to leave England and go back to the States. I convinced Dr. Carter not to publish his book as I don't want the world to know such a power even exists. I made sure no one from Rick's team survived. So now no one else even knows that I still have it, Rita, so please keep it to yourself. Maybe we'll see each other again in another life.

Cage

"Rita?" Lee asked, looking at her when she finished. The others were watching as well.

"It's nothing," she replied, clearing her throat and sliding it into her back pocket. She hoped Lee understood her message she was giving him.

Not here.

"All right," he said casually, getting it. She smiled, and everyone went back to talking and laughing. Her thoughts were racing. Cage had reset the day. She had done yesterday before. She suddenly couldn't breathe.

"Excuse me," she said, going upstairs. Before long, Lee joined her.

"What's going on?" he asked. She turned to look at him.

"Do you remember the man I told you about who said we knew each other in a different life?" she asked carefully. Lee searched his memory, and he found it.

"Sort of."

"I think this is from him," she said, handing him the letter. Lee read it quickly, and he looked up at her when he was done, frowning.

"What does it mean?"

"It means we lived yesterday before. We discovered the attack on the Royals. We were there," she said. "It means that...I died. He reset the day to bring me back." She felt very cold suddenly. Lee stood there feeling shocked. He hadn't ever thought he'd experience this again.

"So, we helped figure out this attack?" he asked slowly.

"That's what he's saying," Rita nodded. He sank down onto the bed.

"You died?"

"I think so."

"I don't believe this," Lee said. Rita sat down beside him. "Why would he tell you?"

"I think he just wanted me to know that he didn't do it alone, either times. So you were right. I did help kill the Omega in the end."

"You died," Lee repeated. He knew he'd never remember it, but he could only imagine what that would have been like.

"I died a lot in the War," she pointed out. He looked at her sharply.

"But I don't remember," he said. "I hate this bullshit."

"He's gone. It won't happen again," Rita told him urgently. "We're here, right now. You and me. That's what he wanted. That's why he reset the day, to give us our lives back."

Lee swallowed hard and considered what she was saying. This Cage fellow obviously couldn't stand seeing him in pain when Rita was killed. He must have cared about Rita as well, which bothered Lee a little bit. Rita took his face in her hands then, making him look at her.

"It's over," she said, searching his eyes.

"I know you're right, but it's going to take me a little bit to process it," he told her.

"Okay."

She went to pull away when he caught her lips with his. He had a sudden urge to feel her on his skin, just to make sure she was really okay.

"We have company," she laughed as he pushed her down onto the bed.

"I don't care."

"I do," she argued, putting her hand over his mouth to stop him from kissing her again. "I love you, but I don't want your friends knowing we're doing it up here."

"They're probably already thinking it," Lee pointed out.

"Later," she promised, squeezing his hips to make her point. He reluctantly released her, wishing Barney would sod off already. He wanted his wife.

"Eli is standing," Barney said when they came back down.

"What?!" Rita exclaimed. She rushed to see. Lee was just as eager. Eli had been crawling for a while, but he had yet to find his legs. Toll was sitting with Eli standing in front of him. He had his hands out in case Eli toppled.

"Look at you," Rita gushed, joining them. "Are you standing?!"

"No, I'm sitting," Toll teased. She swatted him, laughing. Eli beamed at her. He looked around at everyone, and Lee felt his heart twinge. He was suddenly overwhelmed with how beautiful this scene was, his wife and son surrounded by his best friends. Rita caught his gaze and smiled, and he gave her his crooked grin back before she put her attention back on Eli. He wished he could thank Cage for giving them their lives back. Lee leaned on the wall and kept watching. He wouldn't trade any of this for anything, not in a million years.

To Be Continued

Stay tuned for my fourth and final story of this series! Please leave a review!