We left the hospital early on the following morning, wanting to have a full day to stop into the Sergeant Jasper and collect fresh clothing and toiletries for the guys, check out the house I had purchased, and work out what work needed to be done immediately so we could move in and organise a temporary apartment so we had somewhere to stay for the immediate future.

The drive to the apartment was quiet and I knew the guys were all deep in thought, just not what they were thinking about. The plan was that everyone would gather what they needed while I pottered around the main apartment. There wasn't much for me to gather, since I had a small bag with some clothing that I had been using while staying here and some now useless tech, since I was compromised again.

My bag had been beside the hall table in the entryway, but not actually touching it. Walking into the apartment and seeing the bag pressed up against the legs of the table I was suddenly overwhelmed with the feeling that someone else had been here.

"Guys, has anyone been in here since the incident?" I called out.

"Not that I know of, why?" Axel responded.

"Huh. No reason. I'm just sure I left that bag in a different position."

Axel moved to grab the bag now that everyone was ready to leave.

"I don't need it and it might be a good idea to have some clothes here. Besides, knowing Gabriel, he would have overdone the shopping and we'll find a mountain of clothing at the house", I reasoned, unable to shake the feeling of someone else having been in the apartment and the thought that they had at the very least been near my bag, if not had been through it; and if they had been through it, whose to say they didn't place some sort of tracking device inside. Though, it could have been the stress of the last few months catching up to me leading to me having these thoughts.

"So what exactly are we expecting with the house? Like what needs to be done before we can live in it?" Marc asked as we hopped into the car and started heading out to the property.

"From what I could see, it is mostly cosmetic. The interior paint needs updating, the carpets could be redone and the hardwood floors refinished. A few of the first floor windows look weather worn and could be replaced, but that won't affect being able to live there. The porch is probably the biggest issue. There is a hole in it, created by vandals, rather than termites so it isn't something that will impact on structural integrity on the home. My property manager had actually already gone over the house, looking at it as a potential future investment and was more than happy to give me his assessment when I called him about it." What I hadn't told them was that Owen was my property manager. He helped me establish a property portfolio when I moved back from New York.

Small talk continued for the rest of the drive and about half an hour later we were pulling into a driveway lined by a variety of fruit trees - an added bonus. You can never have too much fresh fruit. Even more unexpected were the moving trucks and trades vehicles in the driveway. The house had been advertised as being vacant, the previous owners having moved out years ago. As we got closer to the house, I spotted a couple of familiar cars and it instantly dawned on me.

"What are South's team doing here?" Raven asked.

"Mmmm. I probably should have figured this would happen. Owen is my property manager. He would have had Charlie and Silas check over the plumbing, so at least we know that will be in top shape. North would have seen Silas getting ready to come check it out and insisted on helping to check out the structural side of things and as the others caught wind of what was going on, they would have found an excuse to be involved. We grew close after they got me out of New York and we often worked together on a lot of different projects over the years." I replied, suspecting that they had been working on the house from the moment I contacted Owen about it.

"Are we going to be in debt to them for this? I don't have a problem with it, I just would have preferred they talked to us first, so we could plan and help", Corey sounded worried. I knew they weren't exactly the most well off team in the Academy so I couldn't blame them for worrying.

"If they know what's good for them, they will have paid for it all using the account set up specifically for my properties and their upkeep. Otherwise, I will just find the amounts laid out and put it back into their accounts later. We've done this dance a few times before." I told them as I watched Gabe approach the car.

Hopping out, I was greeted with a hug. "Now don't get mad, okay? We wanted to make sure you didn't have much to worry about when you got out of hospital, because Nathan is already planning a training regime. Rav, you will get a call from him about it at some point to talk about and the things he is hoping you guys can do to make sure she is always ready or something like that. To be honest I kind of stopped listening to him after a few minutes.

"Anyway, we know the rules. We used the property account for all of the repairs needed, the place is now fully furnished, but it is all on loan. If you are happy with the furnishings, we can arrange for payment to be made on it all. Clothes, you don't have a choice on, any of you. I got on a roll and after having fitted you all for one event or another over the years, I have been able to gauge your personal styles and sizes and I got on a roll, so I got stuff for everyone. It helped me relax a little after the event at the hospital, don't judge!"

The various looks of shock from my guys had me wondering just how often they had crossed paths with Gabe and the others before, because right now it seemed like they barely knew them. I knew the guys had been out of touch with Academy happenings for a while, before Phil's false mission, but I never would have imagined it would be so far out of touch that they would forget what Gabe and the others could be like.

"Anyway," Gabe continued," Silas and his dad replaced the hot water system, since the existing one was about ready to die. North, Nathan and Kota have replaced the windows and repaired the hole in the deck. Everyone else has been helping with refinishing the hardwood floors and painting. We freshened up the paint upstairs, but didn't do anything too drastic. I can see the potential for some renovations up there and thought you may have too. We can talk about it later if you want any advice or help with it."

At this stage I was tearing up a little. Gabe trailed off, finishing what he was saying and waited for me to reply. I couldn't help myself, I launched at Gabriel, hugging him fiercely, still not used to people being so willing to help me, even with all of my time as a part of the Academy.

"Oh, and Sang made sure the kitchen is fully stocked. She also started a taco soup for you guys for tonight; it's simmering on the stove", Gabriel told us.

I squeezed him a little tighter before letting him go, stepping back and wiping my eyes with the backs of my hands. "Thank you, Gabriel, and pass our thanks along to the members of your team that aren't here. Once we finished the changes we want to make, we will have you all over to celebrate and thank you properly."

The guys all nodded along at my words, also struggling to understand how the team had managed to get through as many of the changes that needed to be done to make it liveable in such a short amount of time. I learned not to question it a long time ago, but it was a lot to get used to for someone who hadn't already experienced it several times over. I grabbed the hands of the two people closest to me, who just happened to be Marc and Axel, and charged forward to the front door, the others following closely behind.

We toured the house entirely, viewing all of the rooms and deciding who would be staying where, which happened to coincide with Gabe's thoughts as well, given he had already stocked the closets with everyone's clothes. We didn't realize this until we looked in them after everyone had claimed their space.

I walked back downstairs and toward the kitchen, the noise and vehicles from outside having all disappeared while we were checking out the rooms. Before I even entered the kitchen the smell of Sang's soup hit my nose. I made a mental note to ask her for the recipe next time I talked with her. Walking over to the pot, I stirred it before replacing the lid and letting it simmer a while longer.

I could hear the guys in the lounge room, caught in some kind of argument, so headed toward them. I laughed as I rounded the corner and found them debating which movies we should watch. Apparently Nathan, North, Kota, and Victor had all contributed to the movie collection, with a wide range of movies from a number of different genres.

"Oh thank god! Make them stop arguing!" Marc begged. "Brandon wants to watch the newest Fast and Furious movie and Raven wants to watch the John Wick movies again! I can't take it! They can't work it out and I'm going insane!"

"Okay, how many Fast and Furious movies are there, and how many John Wick?" I asked.

"Eight Fast and Furious, two John Wick. Why?" Corey asked.

"I have only seen the first three Fast and Furious movies, and that was years ago, so that seems like an awful lot of catching up that needs to be done. Maybe we go with John Wick for tonight and we can make a start on the Fast movies next time?" I suggested.

Raven got all excited and Brandon looked like someone had kicked his puppy at my suggestion. As Raven moved to put the movie on, I grabbed Brandon and Corey's hands and pulled them toward the couch with me.

"Since we are watching your movies, I'm sitting with Corey and Brandon!" I exclaimed, before mumbling to myself, "right in the middle of my very own hot twin sandwich."

Apparently, I wasn't quiet enough with my mumbling because both of the twins started chuckling beside me before Brandon wrapped an arm around my shoulders and Corey grabbed hold of my hand, tracing circles with his thumb across the back of my hand. I squished myself down against the cushions and settled in as Axel turned off the lights and the movie started.

I had a mix of emotions as the movie started, sorrow at the funeral of John's wife, a small amount of joy at the fact she had organised for a puppy to be sent to him so he has someone there for him while he grieves, frustration at the thug that wants John's car, but perhaps the strongest emotion I felt was pure anger when the thug and his companions broke into the house.

"Raven!" I bellowed. "What the hell made you think that watching a movie where someone brutalises a dog like that would be a good idea?"

I had moved so quickly that no one was ready for it and tackled Raven to the ground over the edge of the lounge he was sitting on. I took my anger and hurt at the death of the puppy out on Raven as I hit him several times. It wasn't until he flinched and moved his hand to hold his bicep that I remembered he had stitches in his arm from tackling Roy through the glass. I stood up and walked backward toward the lounge, turning to grab a blanket from the basket that was set beside it before wrapping myself up and sitting down again.

"Sorry. I forgot about the stitches, but please, no more movies where the animals are killed!" Raven just nodded as the others laughed. He also looked a little sheepish, like he had forgotten about that part of the movie.

"Okay Mishka" he replied before someone restarted the movie.

I kept an eye on Raven as he moved his shirt sleeve to check on his stitches. I wanted to be sure that I hadn't caused them to reopen or caused more damage than there already was. I knew he would never admit out loud that his arm hurt, but the cut he had from that glass was deep and I couldn't help but feel guilty for adding to the pain he already endured.

Shortly after, we all decided to pause the movie and have some dinner. This was the first time that they had tried Sang's soup and needless to say they all enjoyed it as much as I do and they were as eager to get hold of the recipe as I was. Conversations turned back to the dates they all wanted to take me on and I told them all that I would be happy to do anything they wanted and that the planning was all up to them.

After dinner, we all settled back in to watch the rest of the movie, before deciding that since no one really wanted to spend the first night in our new house alone in separate rooms, we would all sleep in the lounge room on the various lounges and beanbags that were around. I fell asleep with a smile on my face, surrounded by the men that are very quickly becoming a permanent fixture in my life.