Realization

Left alone in his apartment, Kirk started to clean up. It hadn't turned out to be a bad night. At least he always enjoyed Adison's company, and Ron really wasn't a bad guy. Kirk did like him. He wasn't sure they'd ever be best of friends, but they did have quite a bit in common. 

He gathered up the empty beer cans and took them to the kitchen, then cleaned up the pizza box. Just walking past his window, he could see the parking lot and paused for just a moment, spotting Adison and Ron. And...Ron...touching Adison's face? The queasy feeling returned to his stomach, and he suddenly identified what it was. 

Slowly moving on to finish cleaning up, now he realized what his problem had been the entire evening. He threw away the trash in the kitchen and glanced at the counter. Boosting himself up, he sat where Adison always did. 

Change. That's what was bothering him. He was so used to Adison being around all the time that...maybe he'd taken it for granted. Ron wasn't the only man who could turn Adison's head. It was just a matter of time, really. And once there was a special man in her life...her time here would be close to nothing. It was perfectly natural. She deserved to find that special someone. She deserved the best, really. And...since that wasn't him, then...he needed to be happy and encourage her. Not be miserable like he'd been tonight. 

He let his legs dangle as he sat, and sighed. He wasn't sure when he'd started having feelings for her. They'd been the best of friends for so long that it had just happened over time, he supposed. But there had always been a silent agreement to not cross any lines. For work sake. For their friendship's sake. And...and... that's the way it should be. She'd never indicated she wanted anything more, so he'd respected that. And he still should...right?

Eventually he got back to work and turned out all the lights. He needed sleep...

...Getting to the office the next morning, Kirk was much more alert and ready for the day. He'd thought about the Elite almost all night and had a few fresh ideas, and felt good about them. Now just to pick up a few things, then head on over. 

He had his hair in a ponytail today, and a collared shirt tucked in with the slweves rolled up just past his elbows. And he had two coffees. 

Slipping past Adison's desk, he set one coffee down in front of her. "For dragging you along with me," he teased, referencing their text conversation the day before. He was determined to somehow make up for his less-than-acceptable behavior last night. 

He grinned and tossed her a wink before going to his own desk for just a few minutes. 


Jason smiled a little and turned his neck so he could kiss Katie's forehead. "You've always been the best, you know that?"

Closing his eyes, he tried to relax, but it wasn't easy. This whole thing worried him...a lot. He didn't understand why this was coming  back all of a sudden, and why it had felt different than before. He knew his flashbacks had never been typical...but that was only because of the Agency-induced element. So...why had he just had an episode now?

In spite of his worries, he was too exhausted to stay awake, and soon and drifted to sleep. At least the rest of the night was peaceful and free of nightmares, with Katie resting beside him...

...Morning. Rick tapped lightly on the half-open door and looked in to see Jason and Katie. No surprise. Hal had met him in the parking lot and had told him what had happened the night before. It was quite a concern to Rick, for more than one reason.

"Katie?" he whispered. "Katie...you awake?"