More Fun

Hearing Misty was going to stay, Carson relaxed a little more. He didn't really mean to keep her from work... but it was a whole lot nicer having her around.

Shifting around a little, he slid down and laid his head in her lap, nuzzling his head into her and sighing deeply. A small chuckle surfaced though, and he turned his head just enough to look up at her with one eye, as his lips curled into a sly grin. "It's too bad I'm sick," he mused hoarsely. "Or this would be a whole lot more fun."

Putting his arms around her and just using her lap as a pillow, he closed his eyes again. She'd said she wanted him to go to bed, but at the moment... he wouldn't rather be anywhere else. 


Watching Ryan work, Clint was impressed. Even more so when she found the issue and had a solution. "Hunter was right when he called you an ace mechanic." He wiped his hand on his jeans before going to the bench and finding an empty mountain dew can and a roll of tape. He brought them over to her and nodded. "I guarantee at least three days before I can get a part. So... show me how you do this."

Leaning on the open engine, he watched, fascinated and... deep down... feeling just a little more let down that he hadn't been able to figure this out himself. "You don't want a job, do you?"


Justin hadn't planned on staying much longer, but he appreciated Sam's questions and desire to learn more in order to handle this situation. Grabbing a chair, he sat down and shed his backpack. "I can talk about it, that's okay. There are certain things I choose not to divulge, but in a case like this, most everything I'm obligated to share due to safety reasons."

He leaned his elbows on the table, thinking a moment. "It's hard to say at this point what would be the best action with Aaron. Hal told me some of what you learned about his past, and he implied some things on his own just now. He's got trust issues - which isn't uncommon for someone in the Agency. But he's lacked attention - most likely the genuine kind. Friendships or even romantic interests. If I had to guess, I'd say one of his greatest fears is being rejected, although I'm still evaluating that one."

He pursed his lips, still thinking. Aaron had no idea how much he'd revealed just by his body language alone. "He's bored out of his mind, which isn't helping. So he has nothing to do and sees no one... So if he misbehaves, it might be a negative reaction but at least someone is talking to him. Like a little kid who throws a fit even though he knows he's gonna get spanked. All he wants is attention, even if it hurts."

Justin shrugged. "Obviously the whole point here is rehabilitation, which means rewiring the way he thinks. And right now, he assumes this place is the enemy. Ignoring him is just going to make him more and more hungry for attention. Punishing him is just gonna delay the inevitable - prison. But treating him positively? It might help."

Hal squinted a little. "What do you mean?"

"Basically you've been doing the right thing." Justin nodded to Sam. "He needs a friend. Eventually he'll realize you're on his side and he won't be able to deny you're different than what the Agency told him. I think he's already getting confused about what he sees versus what he's been taught."

Hal shook his head. "If she's his friend, he won't respect her and he'll take advantage."

"Will he?"

"He had a gun to Susanne's head and was going to pull the trigger. Tell me he's safe."

Justin took a deep breath. Listening to his gut was hard when it went against what would seem to be common sense. But it hadn't let him down yet. "He won't hurt Sam. I don't know about anyone else but..." He looked back at her again. "He won't hurt you. He'll complain and threaten and he might still try to get out of here... but he respects you, even if it doesn't seem like it. Giving him things to do, giving him things to challenge his mind - like the lock change?" He'd figured that one out. "Very good idea. I know it can be wearisome when it resembles babysitting like this, but you're doing well. What I want to do is dig deeper. But you're right where you need to be with him."