Hot Chocolate

Jeff chuckled and gave Buttons a pat on the neck. "Well good. I'm glad it was a good first experience for you. Fair warning though... It can get pretty addicting."

Coming back around the corner, Hunter was glad to see Jeff. "Hey! Would you mind helping Ryan get Buttons back where she belongs? I've just been roped into helping with another project."

Jeff grinned and nodded. "My pleasure." He unhooked the mare from the crossties and attached a lead rope to her halter before handing it to Ryan. "Buttons doesn't care, but walking on the left side is recommended." He gave Ryan an encouraging nod. He wasn't going to leave her stranded. 

The afternoon moved quickly, and it was suppertime once again. With everyone in the dining hall, it was just a little noisy but still homey and comfortable. 

Hunter sat at one of the tables with Ryan, Dylan, Jeff, Sparky and Faith, enjoying Becky's chicken casserole. As conversation drifted around, his gaze looked across at Ryan and he gave her a grin. "They're talking card game after supper. You're more than welcome to join in. It's usually pretty fun... If you don't mind Jeff's corny jokes."

"I heard that," Jeff growled teasingly. He threw Ryan a wink. "It's actually Clint who's the worst."


At a nearby table, Travis had managed to settle next to Ashlee at a table with Wes and Cindy instead of their parents' eagle eyes. Under the table, his foot rested against hers. 

"So.... I was thinking... after supper..." He kept his voice low. "Unless your mom insists on you going to your bunk, maybe we could hang out in here. Hot chocolate by the fireplace?" He'd rather do that than join in the typical card game... Now that he could actually talk to Ashlee again, he didn't want to miss a moment.


Garret mulled over Sapphire's words, trying to understand what she was saying. He'd never thought of it that way before... Maybe that's part of what he'd gone through himself... And maybe part of him was still going through it. He'd had to want to change something in his life to get to this point... No one could force him.

He sighed, and finally nodded. "I... wish I hadn't let him go through with the upgrade. I mean, I know he blackmailed me, but still..." He paused in thought. "Do you... think he really would have given me up to the Agency?"


Back down the hall, backpack in hand once more, Justin tried to get his thoughts back on track. He couldn't let Scott mess with his head. 

Getting to the control room, he knocked before opening the door and seeing Hal and Sam. He didn't know they'd just been discussing Aaron, but that's why he was here. 

"Sorry to interrupt. I'm... back to see Aaron. I think I'll be here a while today though, so just wanted you to know and... wondered if anything had changed."