Deep Sleep

Eric was almost knocked off balance by Ashlee's hug, and he tried not to flinch as his shoulder protested. He wouldn't have complained, but he grinned as she apologized. Shaking his head a little, he reached out to pull her close again. "My shoulder can handle a hug," he assured. Hugging her close, he kissed the top of her head. "I think we've got a good start at both of us learning how to be a family." 

Drawing back, his smile widened. She'd been like a daughter to him for a while already, but now... it was going to be official. Without warning, tears started to well up in his eyes and he blinked before swiping at them with the back of his hand. 

"Whoa, Eric, you alright?"

His head snapped around to see Jeff and his face flushed. "I'm fine." He grabbed a sheet of hay and shoved it at his brother. "Here. Make yourself useful." 

"Well but-"

"Go, go, go." Eric shooed him away before glancing back at Ashlee. He bit his lip before starting to laugh. "You tell anyone you saw me cry, and I'm gonna work your butt off next riding lesson." He handed her a sheet of hay too, his eyes still twinkling. "Help me finish up, and we'll go together to meet your mom for coffee, okay?"


Feeling less stressed than he had earlier, Jamison's stomach reminded him he hadn't eaten anything yet, and he stole a fry from Dalton's plate. Munching it thoughtfully, he squinted. "I'd be surprised if the Agency hadn't kept on experimenting, but maybe Jason and Katie were just the only success for some reason. Let's just hope they're the fluke. I'd hate for there to be Agency operatives out there with the same abilities." 

He licked some salt from his fingers, still thinking. "So... where would they go? I'd still bet they ran, because Jason's truck was abandoned - the Agency would have nabbed them somewhere else. And I agree about Hal by the way - I'm sure he was involved, and I'd be interested to find out who he was talking to, but as long as we don't know, we can't give Kirk the information." Not that he wanted to intentionally hide things from Kirk but... he didn't want to make things worse either.

"I'd say they went to Texas but... that's the first place anybody would look, and they'd know that. Did they have any other places they liked to go or find safety?"


Garret knelt on the floor next to Maggie at the coffee table as he watched her color a picture, complimenting her and laughing with her as she'd make funny designs. Laura and Nate were busy washing dishes in the kitchen after supper, making it a quiet evening. 

Taking a deep breath, Garret let it out slowly and sat back to lean back against the couch. "Um... Mags, I... wanted to talk to you about something." He tried to keep his expression a happy one so she'd know this was a good thing. "I really like living here with you guys, you know? But, um... well, sometimes it's good for someone like me to have his own place, too. I've been thinking about finding my own apartment. Somewhere nearby," he added. 


“Hey there, son, you look like you could use some help.”

Alec swallowed hard, his jaw still swollen and sore. It hurt to nod, but he did, grateful the truck driver had pulled his semi over on the highway in response to his hitchhiking thumb. He squinted up into the cab, his one eye still having trouble seeing, though at least he could open it now. “Can I…” He tried to clear his slurred speech. “Can I ride for a while?”

“Hop in.”

Alec slowly climbed up into the cab, gingerly settling into the passenger seat. Everything hurt. He’d been running on foot for he didn’t know how long, and his body was beyond ready to give out – adrenaline was the only thing keeping him going at this point. The sun was setting, and it was getting cold, making this truck cab all the more appealing.

The trucker started forward again, but it wasn’t long before he was glancing at his new passenger. “You in some sort of trouble?”

Alec managed a faint, grin. “Do I look like it?”

“Naw, you just look like you’ve been run over by a herd of cattle, that’s all.”

Alec nodded. “Feels like it.” He studied the trucker for a moment, too tired to be on guard, which he knew was dangerous, but he was simply too weary. He could only hope he’d stumbled onto someone he could trust. “Did you ever make a wrong step for all the right reasons, but…wound up with the short end of the stick anyway?”

The trucker was silent for several moments as he kept his eyes on the road. He eventually reached down by his seat and pulled up an insulated bag. “There’s a sandwich in here and some water. Help yourself.”

Maybe, just maybe, a prayer had finally been answered. It was difficult to chew, but Alec couldn’t resist his stomach’s urges any longer, and bottled water had never tasted so good.

“You need medical attention?”

The question broke Alec’s thoughts as he finished the meager meal for which he was so grateful. “Um. No. I mean…I’ll be alright.”

The trucker quirked an eyebrow. The bruises on Alec’s face were pretty fresh, and the way he was hunched over in the seat suggested he was in pain elsewhere, too. Dried blood stained his tattered jeans and what was left of an old jacket, and the skinned knuckles hadn’t escaped the driver’s eyes either. “Must have been quite a fight.”

Alec’s mind churned with images he’d rather forget…and some he already had. Leaning over to the side, he protected his ribs with an arm while resting his head against the cool window. “You should see the other guy.”

The trucker chuckled. “Son…I wish I could….”

…Alec couldn’t remember when he’d fallen asleep or how long it had been, but the lurch of the cab woke him with a start. It was a frightening few seconds before he gained his bearings again, realizing he was still in the truck. They were at a gas station along the highway.

“Just entered Nevada,” the trucker commented as he cut the engine. “Where’d you say you were headed?”

“I...didn’t.” Alec squinted out the window to the lit pumps. It was dark. He must have slept for several hours. “Nevada? But… you were headed south… I thought.”

“So I was. Gotta turn west sometime though, right?” The trucker descended from the cab. “You just sit tight. This’ll only take a few minutes.”

Alec’s mind felt like it was in a dense fog. He couldn’t think straight. Nothing was making any sense. His head was pounding, and all of his aching muscles seemed to have broken through the adrenaline to release even more pain. He felt…weak…and cold. He shivered. Hadn’t he started out in Wyoming? South… why had they turned west? Wasn’t there a New Mexico license plate on this truck? They couldn’t be in Nevada already anyway…they hadn’t been driving long enough.

His eyes slowly fell shut once more, his head returning to the window. It didn’t make sense. Nothing did. It felt all wrong. But he just couldn’t open his eyes again. All strength was gone…

…The rumbling motion of the truck brought Alec’s mind into the state of awareness once more. But something had changed. He was lying down with a pillow under his head. He was covered in several thick blankets, though he still felt terribly cold as his whole body shivered. That same feeling of something not being right had returned. Yet he couldn’t fight. It was as if something gently held him down, not allowing him to move, and lulling his mind back into a deep sleep. But not before he questioned why he was in the sleeper of the truck, and how he’d gotten there. Strangely enough though, despite his confusion, he felt no fear…

… “Can you hear me? Alec?”

Alec’s pupils finally moved to indicate life, but all he saw was a bright pen light shining in his eyes. “What?” he mumbled. He was still lying down. He was vulnerable. What was going on? “Where…” He found it difficult to form words. “…am I?”

“You’re going to be okay.”

He was being moved. Whose voice was that? His eyes fell shut, but he pried them open again. He couldn’t sleep. He was in danger. He had to move. Panic set in and he sat up straight, fists flying at the first figure he could make out in this strange world of darkness and blurred lights.

“Whoa, whoa, take it easy. Settle down. Alec, lie still. You’re okay. You’re safe.”

“No! Let me go!” Alec fought against the arms that were now holding him down. He couldn’t focus. He couldn’t see his attackers. What was happening to him? “No!”

The prick of a needle was the last thing he felt before his muscles were forcibly relaxed. That strange voice was the last he heard before his mind once more left the realm of reality.

“He’s in bad shape. Get him into the ER…”