𝙊𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣: 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙚

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐒𝐢𝐱

≫ ──── ≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫ ──── ≪

"Stop the car."

Lloyd stepped out into the sunlight, eyes scanning the horizon landing on the one lone car sitting off to the side. "She's here."

Everyone fell silent as Lloyd's hand rested on the gun nestled in the back of his pants, slowly approaching the car. "How do you know she's here?" Suzanne called as she slowly followed him, halting when he got to the back of the car. "I can feel her presence," Lloyd straightened as the passenger door opened, "she wouldn't leave me without an explanation, she always has to get the last word in."

Addison emerged out of the passenger side and Lloyd almost choked at her state. Dark circles were resting under her eyes, broken skin covering her bare legs, a broken stare facing him as she whispered out the nickname he's longed to hear, "bear," Lloyd carefully moved towards her, taking note of how her legs visibly trembled, "I'm scared." She whispered, blue eyes meeting his in a look of pure fear. Addison wasn't scared of anything, in fact, if she was, she would've never admitted it. But Lloyd knew that look in her eye, she was on brink of collapse, mentally and physically.

"What do you need me to do?"

"I want to go home."

"Sunshine," Lloyd curled his hand around the back of her neck, stroking the muscles lightly, "I can't take you back to Washington, not with Carmichael there, it's too dangerous, where's Six? Why did he leave you?"

"Croatia, I want to go back home bear," her voice broke, wincing when she moved her wrist wrong, "Six is hiding with Claire, we were attacked, BND, CIA, M16, DCSG, they're all coming after me not Six, us staying together with Claire put an unnecessary target on her head," Addison's eyes narrowed on her former boss, Lloyd's head whipping over to look at him as well, he could almost see the sweat glistening on his forehead under the heavy weight of Addison's glare, she had him rooted in his spot, "one that you so graciously put on us Don, you know better."

"What am I missing," Lloyd questioned, pulling Addison into his arms when she swayed slightly, his own guard going up, she was never this easy to persuade, and in truth she was trying to persuade him, "Sunshine what are you up to?"

He felt his gun be pulled out of his pants and sighed, Addison shifting back to press the barrel against his chest, "I'll do it this time."

"I know you will, and I deserve it."

Addison gasped when Lloyd gripped the barrel of the gun, shoving it down at her confused state. The sun was rising quickly, as were Addisons never ending questions. She was fully convinced that Denny and Lloyd were working together, so why was he saying he deserved it? That pained look flashed in her eyes when Lloyd curved his hand around the back of her neck, a comforting touch she hadn't realized she needed from him. His blue eyes locked on hers, a small smile tugged on his lips when she shuddered at his soothing touch. "What do you mean?"

"There's always a plan for things sunshine, but I took it too far. I was trying to figure out a way to not use Claire as leverage, I didn't want to go to that extreme, I figured if I got Donald, Denny would be satisfied," he pushed air out of his lungs when Addison wrapped her hands around his arm, "he wasn't, when you heard he was going after Claire that was news for me too."

"But-"

"But you decided to leave before I could explain things, Denny wanted you dead, I would've never pushed you into the lake if Six wasn't there. I had to convince him that I could separate my feelings from you so I could get him out of Croatia," her eyes filled with tears at his confession, "I've been looking for you ever since."