Good Morning

Eli was just pouring some milk over a bowl of cereal when Ryan walked through, and he raised his eyebrows. "Okay... have fun..." His eyebrows rose even higher at the kiss to his cheek, and he watched her as she went for the door. "Love ya!" And she was gone. Shaking his head, he returned his eyes to his breakfast, although his mind was still on his sister. They didn't often say out loud that they loved each other but... he could get used to it. He could get used to this happy version of Ryan, too. It had been too long and it felt oh so good to see her smiling again. He still had a few reservations about Hunter and how fast they were moving, but he couldn't deny his sister's happiness.


Hunter remained straddling his bike but cut the engine and took off his helmet when he saw Ryan approach. He couldn't stop his smile even if he'd tried. "Aw... C'm'ere and let me see those sore eyes of yours." As soon as she was within reach, he tugged on her jacket to bring her close and pulled her into a warm kiss before his smile broke it. "Here." He handed her the extra helmet. "Coffee awaits."

Putting his own helmet back on, he started the engine again and waited until he felt Ryan situated behind him. "Don't like the face shields but the surround-sound is nice," he mused, introducing Ryan to the mics in the helmets. He revved the engine. "Hang on, Beautiful."

Though starting out slowly, it only took a few seconds for Hunter to pick up the speed, picking up a little-traveled and straight street. "You might wanna tighten your grip," he warned before laughing and kicking it up another gear. The only downside to speeding was they reached the next intersection far too soon, forcing him to slow enough to join the morning traffic until reaching a little coffee shop.

Pulling into the small lot and parking, he killed the engine once again and took off his helmet to look over his shoulder at Ryan. "I don't think I said good morning yet."


"Thanks." Justin nodded to Hope, genuinely thankful for her time. Even he needed someone to talk to sometimes. "I'll talk to you soon." Heading out and across the hall, he took a deep breath and went to the bedroom.

Aaron looked up when there was a knock at the door, and was half-expecting Sam to be back. He was disappointed when he saw it was Justin, and returned his eyes to the Legos in his lap as he sat on the bed.

Justin let himself in and, as usual, grabbed a chair to sit. The partially built death star on the table didn't escape him. "How's it going, Aaron?"

Aaron snapped another piece of the car in place and didn't give Justin the satisfaction of looking up at him. "I'm still a prisoner. I still can't walk. And I still think your visits are pointless."

Justin grinned a little. "Looks like you've got several projects going at once."

"Sam's helping me with the other one." Aaron's focus remained on the Legos.

"You two getting along?"

"She's my handler. End of story."

"Most handlers don't build Legos with those in custody."

"I've come to the conclusion Sam's not like most handlers."

Justin cocked his head. "Still want to return to the Agency?"

Aaron sighed and finally paused his work to look at him. "What happened to beating around the bush?"

"I like changing things up."

"Yeah well, why don't you just think up something cute to say in your report and be done here?"

"Because that doesn't help you."

"You don't care about helping me. You're just doing your job."

Justin pondered that for a moment or two. "Who was the last person you truly trusted? How long has it been?"

Aaron's eyes dropped again. He had to think all the way back to Brooke. She'd been the last person he'd allowed to break his heart. After that, he'd given his life to the Agency but had buried his heart so it would be far out of reach from anyone. Trusting Garret had been as close as he'd come to anything more, and even that trust had been betrayed.

Justin waited without receiving a response. "Who was your last friend?"

Garret? Off the field? No. Brooke? She was a lover, but a friend? Not really. Before that? High school? Nobody there. His sister? She'd abandoned him. Aaron concentrated hard on the blocks in his hand.

Justin pursed his lips. "What's your future look like?"

Aaron scoffed. "You tell me. Once the Elite thinks they got enough out of me, they'll send me to prison. Sam says they won't but..."

"You don't trust her."

Aaron fiddled with a block between his fingers. It felt more complicated than that.

Justin studied every movement. Every muscle twitching. Every breath. Every subtle sign of Aaron's emotional state and his intentions. "What gets you out of bed in the morning if your future is so bleak?"

Aaron swallowed hard and he shrugged. "Breakfast?"

Justin gave him a wry grin. "Maybe you're more normal than you think."

"Look, why don't you just leave me alone?"

"You like that? Being alone, I mean."

Aaron shot him a glare. "Yes."

"Mm." He was lying. Justin could sense it. Aaron was miserable mainly because he was lonely and had learned to trust no one. There was a lot of hurt buried there... and maybe for the first time, Justin was beginning to see why Reese wanted him here. The more men they brought in from the Agency as prospects for the rehabilitation program, the more hurt needed to be healed. Everyone in the Agency eventually had their hearts trampled on, and it was despicable at the very least. "Ever want to try not being alone? Just to see what happens?" 

Aaron kept his eyes on his Legos. "Even if I said yes, there's no one who wants me for company."

"Well, looks like you've got Sam."

Aaron scoffed. "She's my handler." 

"You already admitted she's not like most handlers." Justin cocked his head. "Like it or not, I think you've finally met a group of people unwilling to let you go without a fight."

Aaron's eyes shot up.

Justin met his gaze. "One day... you'll understand how much value you have."

"An an informant."

"No. As Aaron. Just you. For no other reason than being...you."

For some reason - and not at all in tune with Aaron's wishes - Justin's words struck a chord down deep. Deep enough that his eyes lowered again and a thick wall was immediately raised. 

Justin could almost literally see the wall, and stood from his chair. He'd given Aaron enough to think about for today. It was short. But productive, even if it might not seem like it. 


Hal gave Sam a nod and turned back to his computer. "Okay. When you get back with Aaron's lunch, we'll take off."

He tossed a grin over his shoulder. "And we can call it partial work time since we'll be looking at the new place." His eyes lingered on her for a moment, wondering if there was something different about her smile than before. He swallowed hard and concentrated on his computer once more, but movement on one of the monitors caught his attention. Justin was just leaving Aaron's room. "That was a quick visit today."