Morning

As Ryan touched his face, Hunter's breath caught in his throat. He hadn't expected that, nor her soft palm to stay long enough to make him lean slightly into it. As her thumb caressed his cheek, his eyes locked with hers.

Then, the moment was gone. "Yeah, okay..." He nodded. "I'll wake you up." He turned and aimed for his own bunk, but stopped as Ryan called to him. Looking over his shoulder at her, he smiled again, understanding. He'd miss her company too. "Goodnight, Ryan." He waited until she'd disappeared inside to continue his own route. Once in bed a few minutes later though, he found himself staring at the ceiling, his mind too preoccupied to sleep. He kept feeling her hand on his face. Seeing the look in her eyes. 

He rolled over onto his side and beat his pillow until it was the shape he wanted, then jammed his head down into it and scrunched his eyes shut. This... this would not get out of hand. Ryan was in a very vulnerable position right now, and probably on an emotional high after having such a good day. And he couldn't assume anything or analyze it any further than that. He needed to keep his head on straight and remember just why he'd brought her here - to help her, not to be anything but a friend. It just wouldn't be right...

...Morning dawned clear and crisp. Hunter woke with the rooster and sent Ryan a text message to tell her he was up before he showered and dressed for the day. Once his boots and jacket were on, he wandered outside and next door to step up on her porch. He knocked on the door and waited, wondering if she really was going to get up this early. He hoped her absence during the night meant she had slept better. She deserved a good night's rest after such a good day yesterday. Sleeping in though, was always tempting and he wouldn't blame her if she wanted to sleep longer.


Hal nodded his agreement to Sam. "Okay. We've got some extra cameras, I'll install one today somewhere it's not too noticeable." 

"Won't take him long to realize it's there," Justin commented. "Just know that. He's super observant and super calculative. He's a real thinker, which makes him a good agent, and... a challenge."

Hal rolled his eyes. "Why does Reese always keep those ones?" 

Justin smiled a little. "Because he probably recognizes what an asses Aaron could be. Not to mention, Garret did all but beg to keep him out of prison. It's still worth our time. There's just got to be a way to convince him the Agency would kill him if he went back. I may have a talk with Garret about it." He thought for a moment, then nodded. "I gotta go. Feel free to call me any time." 

Once he was gone, Hal sighed and looked to Sam. "Well... at least Aaron's knee won't let him do anything yet and... he's not really causing any trouble." 


Carson sat on the porch of the house and tucked his phone in his pocket after texting Misty the address so she could still come over her lunch break. He was feeling a bit better, but still somewhat woozy, which was limiting his work. He wished things looked a little better for Misty... deep down, he was afraid she wouldn't like it. The porch still needed a lot of work, a couple windows still needed to be replaced, and part of the roof needed to be re-shingled. Inside, he'd finished painting the entryway and hall and living room, but that's as far as he'd gotten. The kitchen still had wallpaper that needed to be torn out before it could even be painted at all, and the bathroom needed a new sink, not to mention a lot of cleaning and paint as well. The bedroom didn't really look like a bedroom at all with just his air mattress and his few belongings spread about. He had one camping chair and...that was it for furniture.

Leaning his head against the wobbly porch railing, he looked out at the yard. He'd managed to mow it, but the trees and bushes needed some tlc as well. The garage? It wasn't too bad if all it would be used for was a car. Otherwise it would need some work as well. For working alone, he'd really done a lot already but... what would Misty think? What if she didn't like any of it? What if she thought it wasn't worth the effort? What if she didn't like this part of town even?

He sighed. He'd just have to wait and see. He'd told her it wasn't much to look at yet...hopefully her expectations wouldn't be too high. In truth...he really loved this place. There was just something about it that felt...good.