Impossible

"You're right." Mick rolled his eyes at Rosetta. "You're always right. " He scooted up a little in the couch and put his arm around her shoulders to tug her close enough to give her cheek a kiss. "Thanks for keeping the level head in this family." 

This topic was always hard for him. Would it always be? "I get so worked up when it involves Dylan," he admitted. "Every time I think about him getting hurt, I see that face watching me as I leave the house." It would be forever burned into his mind. The day he'd been kicked out. The day he'd left. The day his relationship with his kids had been shattered. 

Bringing his attention back, he gave Rosetta another squeeze. "I just don't ever want to see that look in his eyes again. I just gotta make sure he's got a good place to be if he does end up going to Nevada." He paused. "Maybe Reese won't even like the idea with all they've got going on there with the FBI." He could always hope. 


"What?!" Eli's jaw dropped. "I-" He was quickly cut off by Scarlet's kiss, which he willingly returned. His eyes danced with humor and he gave her a smirk before standing up. "Well we better hurry then, before I fall asleep ans wreck my bike."

Feeling Ryan's hand on his leg, Hunter gave her a glance out of the corner of his eye and lightly kicked her shin in a teasing warning to cut it out. "I'm all for snacks." He tipped his empty glass up to catch a piece of ice in his teeth... and also hide his face until he had more control. "Movies are good too." He finally exposed his smile and stood up with Eli, but not before shoving Ryan's shoulder playfully. 

Zan grinned and nodded. "Yeah... yeah, these are some pretty nice people." He never would have guessed he'd be hanging out with this bunch, but he really was enjoying their company and hoped after they thwarted Thunder that this wouldn't just end. 

He gave Destiny a sheepish grin as he heard she'd driven. "Aw... and I was hoping I'd get to walk you home." He stood from the table and offered her his hand. "At least let me walk you to your car." 

...It wasn't much later that Eli was chasing Scarlet around the kitchen and living room with a wet dish rag after trying to do a few dishes before starting a movie. Catching her behind the couch, he wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her close to kiss her lips for a long, passionate moment. "Mm... You can surprise me by coming home early any time..." He grinned. "Do we have to watch a movie?" 

...Snacks were on the table. A movie had been picked. But instead of paying attention to that or eating, Hunter was curled on his side on his own couch with Ryan tucked in front of him, as was their usual position. He tightened his arm around her waist a little and kissed the back of her neck lightly. "I kinda missed you all day," he admitted. "What have you done to me anyway?" 


The right thing to do? Aaron's brow furrowed slightly. He didn't understand any of this. Or... maybe he did... and it was just hard to accept. 

"Happiness is irrelevant," he reasoned softly. "Striving for happiness is... weakness." His gaze dropped as he suddenly had a brief flashback of one of his Agency training sessions. Was he being brainwashed here? Or had the Agency brainwashed him? They had been the most important thing in his life. The only place he'd found purpose. The only people who had believed in him. And now... it was all so foggy. 

He looked back up at Sam again as she mentioned him being a cook or architect. Those passions... those dreams... those were something he'd given up on a very long time ago. It was too late to go back to them now... wasn't it? "If... if the Agency doesn't want me back..." It was hard to say it out loud, but he had a sinking feeling Garret was right - he wasn't important enough for the Agency to want him. "...then they'll want me dead. Which means any kind of life would be... impossible." 

A look of longing passed through his eyes. A look of yearning for a better life than this. A life beyond that of an Agency soldier. And for just a split second, it was that look that betrayed him and revealed himself. Aaron. A man full of hurts that went back years. A man who just wanted to be needed and have purpose.