Stars

Aaron's gaze dropped as he listened to Sam. He wasn't up in arms about earlier, and he wasn't trying to be a jerk, he just... was having a frustrating day, in spite of the humor he'd found earlier.

He finally glanced back up at her. The idea of having his own place was... something he'd given up a very long time ago. He'd resided with the Agency. Period. He'd been high enough in the ranks that he didn't have the luxury of having his own life with Agency work on the side - it had been his whole focus. Just working for them. They provided his quarters and meals and... that was it. Trying to even think about having his own apartment was almost foreign. And yet... he couldn't deny that deep down there was a desire for that... one he'd buried years ago.

"Never silly," he finally replied. "Stupid. Naive. But not silly." He sighed deeply and handed back the medical supplies. "How do I get there? How do I get from here to that spot? What does the Elite want from me? Proof I won't go killing people at random? Intel? At what point do you say okay, and help find that job and apartment?" He studied her eyes, looking for the answers. "What do I have to do?"


Zan looked to Destiny quickly, then let his eyes go back to the door where Jett was just leaving. He quirked a wry grin. "Jett's always strange." He took another bite of pizza, then glanced back at her before reluctantly explaining further. "More than likely, he's heading out to party, then spend the night at a girl's house. He knows I don't approve, so he knows better than to tell me exactly what he's up to so he doesn't get an earful from me." He pursed his lips a little sadly. He really did hate it that Jett chose that lifestyle, but there really had been little he could do about it.

"So next week?" Hunter unintentionally interrupted them. 

Zan looked over at him and nodded. "I'd say so. Should be up and running by then." 

Eli glanced over at his sister. "What do you think? You be up to it?"


Outside, Jett sat in his pickup for a handful of minutes, able to see inside the restaurant from where he'd parked on the street. They obviously didn't need him in there. They had it all planned out already anyway. He'd had some suggestions but... if they already had plans set, there was little point in him joining in. Zan hadn't had these friends before. It was nice he did now. And Destiny and all that. It was just... different, that was all.

He fiddled with his keys in his lap and finally started the engine. He started driving, bypassing The Griller, bypassing Christy's apartment- where he very well could have ended up at if he'd gotten her loose enough with a few drinks - and kept going to the edge of town. He didn't want to go home. Ronnie would just be there, trying to get him to pay more than his fair share of the rent again. Or telling him to take a hike because he and Lydia wanted to be alone. Zan was right. He needed to get a new place. 

Finding a little roadside park, he pulled into a sandy lot and parked. It was a nice view of the desert from here. If a race was going on, he'd be able to see the lights from a distance, but it was quiet tonight. He got out and climbed into the bed of his truck to lie on his back and look up at the sky as one by one, stars made their appearance. His buzzing phone went ignored for a few minutes until he finally looked at the text message.

Did you decide yet?

He sighed as his thumbs hovered over the virtual keyboard. 
Still thinking.

The reply came quickly. 
You have until tomorrow.
Then the offer ends.
Consider carefully. 

He set his phone aside and looked back up at the stars. Sometimes... sometimes he wondered what it would be like to just... not be anymore. Would anyone even notice? What was it like to be a star, looking down at earth? Everything in the galaxy had a purpose and helped hold everything together with gravitational pulls and paths of orbit. If any piece went missing, it could disrupt the entire universe. What was it like to be that important?


"I don't know what to do." It was after supper, BJ was tucked in for the night, and Mick sat with Rosetta on the couch before bed. He'd just told her about Dylan's sudden desire to join the Elite, and after thinking about it all day, he was still not happy about it. "I know Katie and Jason are going to call Reese. I know Reese will then all me. And I have no idea what to tell him."

He put his feet up on the coffee table and sank down further in the couch as is mind reeled. It was bad enough that his son had been targeted... how could he allow him to go right into the thick of it? "He's only eighteen. If he really wants to go into law enforcement, he should pursue going to a police academy, not go jumping straight into a place like the Elite."