The deafening retort of the gun going off reverberated in the small attic. Leo flinched, but it was obvious from lack of holes in his body and the direction of the shot that Mary hadn't targetted them. Bremer collapsed, a round red mark on his forehead. It was blatantly obvious that Mary knew how to handle a gun.

"Drop your weapons!" The order came as around five police officers swarmed the place, Sheriff Tucker among them. Mary had sunk to her knees and she placed the gun on the floor, looking around as if waking from a dream. Leo rushed to Andy. She was deathly pale, looking at Bremer's body with horror. His eyes were open and his stare was fixed on Andy. He turned Andy's face to his shirt and made sure she couldn't see. A blood stain was forming around the body and the officers handled Mary, picking her up and leading her out with hands behind her back. Sheriff Tucker was barking orders, but his team seemed to be efficient enough.

An officer came to offer them assistance. "The paramedics are arriving shortly," he informed them. Andy was sobbing, still in shock.

"M-Mary?" she hiccupped.

"She's fine, honey. It's all over, you're safe now." Leo crooned.

"Y-Yes. I kn-knew that you'd come, Leo. I don't know how, but I just knew." Leo felt his chest lighten at these words.

"Sweetheart, I promise you, I'll always come for you."

"I be-believe you. You make me wanna trust you." Leo tightened his hold on her and promised himself that he would never let her down.

----

Andy woke up in a semi-dark room. The smell, the sterile surroundings and the curtain to give her privacy told her that she was in a hospital. 

Great! She wasn't really fond of hospitals.

The paramedics must have given her something to make her conk out. She would never do anything as girly as pass out, would she?

"Good, you're awake." The scratchy voice came from someone she had least expected. Damian King, her best friend Mia's husband, stood near her bed looking a bit rumpled and bleary-eyed. He had pulled his tie loose.

"Damian?" Andy frowned. What was he doing here? "Oh, how long was I out?"

"Nearly five hours."

"Oh God! I wasn't unconscious was I?"

Damian smiled showing his even white teeth. "Mia's so right about you. As weak as a kitten and in your hospital bed, and you're still full of bravado. She says that you don't like being seen as anything but strong."

Andy smiled. "Well, I AM strong! Where's Mia by the way?" And where the hell was Leo?

"She was by your bedside and I relieved her moments ago. We drove over to see you as she wanted to meet you really badly. After your boyfriend surprised us with a visit, she had to see what you guys were up to."

"My b-boyfriend?" Andy squeaked.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm not very sure what you kids call each other these days. Good-looking guy, sort of has a footballer's build, brown hair. Umm, damn, don't remember his name."

"L-Leo?" When Damian said, "That's it!", she said, "He came to visit you?"

"He wanted Mary's information. He had kind of figured out that she was nuts." He came over and squeezed her shoulder. "We're really sorry about it, Andy. Though I don't know why you let her live with you, so long."

Andy sighed. "I was trying to save her, I guess," she said in a small voice.

"Well, I'm afraid the carbon monoxide has fizzled your brain cells. I'm really sorry, again, I didn't realize that you were in that restaurant, I swear I would've saved you too."

But Andy waved away his concern. "Oh come on, you've apologized a thousand times. And I kind of have someone who'll save me now."

Damian grinned. "Loverboy? So, you're straight after all? I wouldn't trust you around Mia for the longest time."

Andy sniggered. "If I'd wanted her, I would've had her, old man!"

Damian laughed out at that. He kissed her on the forehead. "Welcome back, I'll let Mia know you're-"

"What the hell's going on here?" Leo demanded as he barged into the hospital room.

Eeks, he had probably seen the brotherly kiss that Damian gave her. Damian was like an older brother to her, but Leo didn't know that. 

Damian straightened up, smiled at Andy and departed, giving a brotherly slap on the arm to Leo.

It must be some kind of bro-code, because Leo was noticeably calmer as he came up to Andy. "How're you feeling?" His tone was brisk.

"I'm fine." That seemed so inadequate! "Umm, how's Mary?"

"In jail." Leo snapped. 

"Oh, poor thing!"

"Right. Good for us that she had a change of heart at the last minute." Leo sat on her bed wearily.

For the first time, she noticed how haggard he looked in his rumpled clothes. He scowled at Andy.

She bit back a smile. She was bruised and battered, but she had never felt happier. "How are you, Leo?"

"Well, I spent around twelve hours running around making sure you were safe, then I came here to find you hurt, a mad-woman almost fired at you and I was going fucking bonkers with worry as you took five hours to come back into consciousness. I'm fucking peachy, thanks!" He looked so petulant and adorable! Andy bit back a sigh.

"And you're showing your happiness at my being awake by yelling at me? Smooth move, Knightingale!"

Leo scowled some more, but Andy managed to sit up and press her face close to his. "Stop being a dick and kiss me!"

Leo's eyes darkened as his gaze focused on her lips. But he shook his head like trying to come out of a trance. "Nice try! I don't kiss sick women."

"But you're dying to kiss this one." Andy pulled his face towards hers and joined her lips to his. For the longest time, he didn't respond. She poured her heart and feelings into the kiss, even opened her mouth so he could go to town like he always liked, but still he didn't kiss her back. Disappointed, Andy stopped kissing Leo and started pulling back, when his palms gripped the back of her head. He was kissing her back! Oh, and after so long!

She moaned and leaned into the kiss as his tongue swept into her mouth. He bit her lips in a raw kiss and his hands moved to her back and sides. It had been too long since she had kissed him last.

"God, Andy!" Leo pulled away and pressed her ear to his chest in a tight grip. She could hear his heart thumping away. "You drive me insane!"

"Insane enough to still wanna move in with me?"

Leo pulled back and looked at her with an incredulous expression.

"Well?" she prompted and gave him a puppy-dog look.

"No, Andy. By now you must know that things have changed between us."

God, he couldn't be serious! "I- I really don't see what's changed? Except for the fact that you acted like a dick and told me that you were leaving me!" She was beyond furious. And to her mortification, she realized that she was teary-eyed. "Don't Leo, please don't do this!"

"Oh, and why?" He was staring at her intensely, his fingers absently rubbing against her palms.

"Oh, you're gonna make me say it, aren't you?" She was beyond frustrated.

"Oh no, Red." He cut in smoothly. "I'm gonna make you beg." He raised her hand to his lips and nipped on her thumb. 

She moaned, partly from mortification and partly because her brain short-circuited under the sensory overdose. "What do you want me to say? God, I'll say it."

Leo chuckled. "Pussy! I thought you were made of sterner stuff." When Andy scowled at him, he held up his hands, then pulled Andy into his lap.

"Well, you can start by saying that I'm awesome and that you're crazy about me." Andy let out a disbelieving snort. "It also won't hurt you to say, that you love me, you know."

Andy's breath hitched. "Oh?" That was her only intelligent response.

"Well, so I don't feel like a complete fool when I say it, and then I don't have to say it first?" Leo's eyes glittered as he took her palm in his hand again and raised it to his lips, this time to lay a gallant kiss. "I'm allowed to, aren't I? You aren't going to freak out and start talking about friendships and flings, right? Contrary to public perception, I have a fragile ego. It makes up for my hard-"

"Oh God, stop! I'll say it just so you stop talking!" Andy giggled and smiled, the tears finally rolling out of her eyes onto her cheeks. "God, I do love you! Though you're opinionated, cocky and so full of yourself!"

Leo was grinning widely as he rested her forehead against hers. "Not as much as I love you my wild, rebellious and fierce goddess. I think I must've fallen for you when you dived into the lake to save me."

She happily sighed his name as they kissed again. She was delirious with joy, this day started as one of the worst of her life and now it was the best of her life.

When they pulled apart, she punched him. "What the hell was that about leaving me? You made me miserable, you asshole!"

Leo laughed. "Well, that was the idea! I was hoping to soften you up for my grand declaration!"

"Also, there was something else I realized I had to do." Leo pulled out an envelope from his pocket. "I visited Robin. To shut him up, I guess. He handed me this letter from my mom." He turned it around in his hands. "I'm not sure whether I should read it or burn it."

Andy was shocked. "Well, don't you want to know what she had to say? Maybe she's sorry for what she did."

Leo sighed. "I really don't think that will mend bridges. Maybe she was sorry. So what? She raised me a bastard. Imagine me strutting around cockily calling myself Knightingale and then realizing that may not be my name at all?"

"As Shakespeare said, "What's in a  name?" Now hurry up and open it! You know you want to!"

Leo sighed but took Andy's advice. The first half of the letter contained effusions of love, which Andy thought were a bit flowery, but sincere nonetheless.

The second part was of interest. "Your father and I had stopped having all marital relations, even before your brother was born. But I was desperate for a second child. That's why I visited Robin, looking for a donor to make me pregnant. What happened after that, well, I do want to be sorry about it, but for a twenty-five-year-old woman who was feeling alone and unloved, I was glad that I had Robin in my life. What started out as a transaction, blossomed into much more before I could stop it. Maybe kids think their parents can't make mistakes, but I hope that one day you could learn to forgive me for it. And my mistake gave me you, so I thank god every day for that." 

Leo folded the letter and put it back in his pocket. Andy and Leo didn't speak for several moments.

"Well, that's that." He absently played with the hair at her nape. "She's sorry and all that. Never knew my parents had problems, though. There was no fighting between them but my father was institutionalized quite often."

"Can I say something, Leo? I never knew my father, you're lucky to have two."

Leo gave a wry smile. "Robin will never be my fucking father, but that's one way of looking at it."

Andy linked his fingers with his. "We can move to LA and put this all behind us, you know? Let's run away together!"

"Yeah, and Felicity and from the looks of it, Mia, will kill me for keeping you away from them. They were fighting with me about who gets to see you first, you know?"

Andy smiled. "Leo, you're gonna do great. Extra father or not, we have a lot to be thankful for."

Leo looked at her suspiciously. "Who are you and what have you done with Andy?"

"Well, you made her fall in love!" She kissed Leo on his nose.

After another make out session, Leo pulled Andy back. "So, what are you gonna do about Mary?"

"I'll make sure that she gets the best lawyer. Oh, and medical help as well. Mia would know about this stuff, I'm sure."

"Yeah, we can take the dog with us if you like."

Andy squealed and hugged Leo tightly. "Thank you, and that's a great idea! We can keep him till Mary is better."

Leo nodded and said, "You want to sell the house now, right? No more dragging your feet?"

"Actually," Andy bit her lip. "I have the cash to pay you back for the house. And we can keep it as a second home, right? I've never owned a house and after you worked on it, however shoddily," Leo raised a brow and she giggled, " I could never part with it. Oh, but we need to lock up the attic and never ever open it!"

Leo laughed. "As brave as ever!" 

A knock sounded at the door and Mia, Felicity and Emily barged in. 

"Oh, Andy! You're looking so much better!" Felicity said.

Leo kissed her on her head and gave her a wink, leaving her to talk to her friends.

------

A/N: Ok, so it's done now, well, except the Epilogue. Hope you guys enjoyed it.

This story has 18K reads, but not a lot of votes, will appreciate it if all my readers vote as well. That way, I know who's reading my story and that feels awesome!

Much love,

Sayna.