Eel

Hal followed Sam's gaze over to the little couch and grinned. In spite of previous hesitations, he couldn't say no to her suggestion. "Okay." Moving away from the railing, he wandered over to the furniture and adjusted the cushion before sitting down. He looked right and left, then up at Sam, suddenly realizing he had no idea where she'd like to sit or what her idea of "cuddle" was. Without being in the heat of the moment, he wasn't sure what she wanted, and he didn't want to assume the wrong thing and disappoint her or make her feel awkward. As some heat crawled up the back of his neck, he gave her a sheepish grin. She'd just have to take the lead until he figured out what she actually wanted.


Eli quirked an eyebrow at Destiny, considering her suggestion. "Say, you got smarts." He turned his attention back to his mic. "You guys hear that?"

Zan glanced out his window at the others, frowning. "She thinks I ought to what?"

"Catch some draft. Get behind Ryan and Hunter and steal their wind. It'll push you all faster so you can get a jump on Thunder. Or Jett."

"Yeah, but no matter how fast I go, I still gotta get around in front of him." 

Eli thought for a minute and glanced at Destiny as he thought. "Make the formation anyway when you start out so you can pick up some good speed. Once Jett rounds the far bend, Zan, you veer off and cut across the course. Pull right in front of him. Hunter and Ryan, you come up from behind and close in on his flanks."

"Cut across?" Zan shook his head as he looked out at the sand. "But-"

"But what?" Eli smirked. "You're in this to take Thunder out, not play by the rules. Rules went out the window the day he decided to race the novices. So all of you quit thinking like nice people and kick some butt." 

Hunter looked left out at Zan, then right over to Ryan and grinned. "You heard the man. Let's kick butt."

Jett was waiting in his car, just watching and not knowing what was going on. He threw up his arms in question. 

Zan waved at him to go again and sighed. "Alright... here we go." 

They let Jett get a head start again before Hunter revved his engine. "Alright, my love, let's go chase us a rabbit."

Watching as Hunter and Ryan took off, Zan immediately took up the rear.

Eli squinted at the dust clouds and nudged Destiny's arm lightly. "How are they looking?"

On the makeshift course, they attempted Eli's directions - they did pick up better speed this time, and Zan cut across as he'd been told. It was still too sloppy and after swerving just a bit, Jett easily got away again. They kept trying though, each time getting a little better. After a while, their practice paid off. Like a well-oiled machine, they sprinted in good time, picked up their speed, broke apart, came around and boxed Jett in. 

"Wooee!" Zan looked in his rear view mirror as they raced towards their imaginary finish line, gradually slowing and forcing Jett to slow as well. 

Eli flinched and put a hand to his ear, cringing at Destiny. "Your boyfriend gets loud when he gets excited, doesn't he?"

Without warning though, Jett suddenly slammed on his brakes, and Zan, Ryan and Hunter all shot away from him. Zan's eyes widened and he geared down. "What the..."

Jett, having realized they'd perfected their little maneuver had decided to join in the fun. Laughing, he saw the others slow, and took advantage, speeding around them again. 

Eli blinked as he watched. "Well what are you guys doing? Go get him!" 

Zan started forward again, growling. "Son of a-"

"Hey now," Eli chided as he grinned. "Jett's just reminding you that Thunder ain't gonna take this sitting down. Now come on - box him in." 

It became a free for all. There was no start or finish anymore. With his radio blaring, Jett smiled from ear to ear as he started swerving, avoiding the pack, slipping out from in between them, braking, speeding up and snaking erratic patterns. 

From Eli's point of view, it looked like a circus and he started to laugh. "He's got an old junker that goes half the speed of your cars with less maneuverability and bad tires. And you guys can't even catch him. Pitiful, just pitiful." 

"For crying out loud!" Hunter complained. "He's slipperier than an eel!" Just as he'd said it, Jett sped past in the opposite direction. "Dang it!"

Eli laughed again. "What's the matter? Can't handle him?" He folded his arms and glanced at Destiny again. "Now this is fun."


Gunner was embarrassed and frustrated by the whole thing, but he tried to cover it up with a small smile anyway. He might not be all with it in the head, but being a grown man incapable of handling small tasks with his hands was pretty disheartening. 

"Yeah," he agreed. "If you don't help, I may never get to eat." He leaned in close so she could help him eat, even if deep down it really was embarrassing. 

"Hey, you two!" JT came in smiling. He immediately took note of what was going on, and felt bad. But he knew it would just take some time for Gunner to retrain his muscles. It would come - he was confident. He just needed to be patient. In the meantime though... "Thought you two might like some dessert after you lunch or... maybe for your lunch."

Gunner looked up and swallowed his mouthful, quirking an eyebrow at the two styrofoam cups. "Straws. I like straws. I can handle straws."

JT chuckled. "Two rootbeer floats, compliments of the cafeteria."

"Did they hold the foam?"

JT blinked. "What?"

"Nothing." Gunner clumsily accepted his treat and grinned. "Thanks."

"Of course." JT handed the other one to Bree. "I gotta make some rounds, but I'll be back. Enjoy."