Restored

"I love you too." Clint knew he wasn't very enthusiastic about much lately. He knew his energy was depleted. He knew that when Ryan had been here and he had enjoyed laughter, that was a rarity as of late. He didn't like it...but he felt stuck. He'd felt it for a long time now, but it seemed like recently it had just gotten worse, making him feel even more stuck. 

His hand absentmindedly ran through Wendy's hair. Maybe it was more to soothe himself than her. It took a while, but he finally drifted off into a shallow sleep...

...It was early morning. Earlier than it should be, for as little sleep as Clint had gotten. But he was up, having slipped out of bed without waking Wendy or the kids. He quietly dressed and made a pot of coffee, leaving enough for when Wendy got up, too. After he'd had a cup, put his boots on and donned his jacket, he scribbled out a note and left it by the coffee. 

Sorry for ditching ya. Ran into town for a bit. I gotta find work away from here. Talk to you when I get home. Love ya. -Clint 

He hadn't talked to her in earnest about finding another job. He'd mentioned it in passing just when he'd been irritated, but that was it, so she might be a bit confused, but he really didn't want to discuss it right now. He just wanted to go - get away from here - and see what the day found him. All he really knew was he couldn't keep doing this. He wanted nothing to do with this garage any more or working on cars. He'd had it. 

Grabbing his keys, he headed out to his old pickup. It was just before chore time, and he was glad there weren't too many people up yet, so he'd avoid any questions. Within minutes, he was driving down the driveway and hit the road.


As Thirteen sat down, Garret cocked his head, his eyes showing a little bit of curiosity and a little bit of amusement. She wasn't like Maggie - she didn't have the mental disabilities Maggie had - but she had a similar innocence about her... something that hinted she had had a different kind of life, and one that had robbed her of much. He could tell she was still scared, but was obviously very brave to sit down with him... although he couldn't help but wonder why. What was of such interest to her that she'd put herself through this? 

"I... am trying to help the Elite." He worked some more on his shake before he shrugged. "You know I was in the Agency so... sometimes it's hard to convince people I want to change my ways and help. A few people trust me but... most don't." 

He studied his shake for a few quiet moments as he thought about his position. It was harder when Nate was gone. He at least had Sapphire, but nobody else wanted to work with him. They were either scared, didn't trust him, or both. "I guess that means I don't know how long I'll really be here."


Eli's smile widened as Ryan and Hunter approached, and he waved his sister to the doors of the building. "C'mon. We'll show you." He exchanged a look with Hunter to double check if this was still a good idea, and receiving a nod, he moved forward. 

Sliding open one of the big doors, he also flipped on the overhead lights. It was obvious that a lot of projects went on in here - it was just a basic garage filled with tools, and mainly a lot of open space to work. And in the center, parked on the concrete, was Ryan's car. The paintjob made it look different, but it was obviously her car that had been restored with a lot of work and a lot of hours. 

Eli stood to the side and just let his sister figure it out while watching her face. "It doesn't mean you have to race," he mentioned quietly. "But whenever you're ready... at least you'll have your wheels back." He chewed on the inside of his lip, hoping that it would excite Ryan and not upset her. "I did the body work and the paintjob but Axel gets the credit for getting the engine in shape. I wanted him to be here, but he didn't want to intrude on family time." In reality, Axel just didn't like the spotlight, and Eli knew that - although he also knew good and well how many hours Axel had spent in here, and how hard it had been with his hand the way it was.

Hunter set a hand on Ryan's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. The car was beautiful, and he just hoped she was ready for this.