Instinct

"You..." Eric stood and took Stacy's hand. "...Are the greatest." As they walked slowly to his bunkhouse, his eyes roamed the ranch. The horses. People. Everything. As much as he'd been addicted to the road, this would always be home to him. 

"Maybe... later tonight... after the girls are put down... we could take a walk? My leg could handle at least that much. As long as you don't walk too fast," he teased. "I've been so busy lately, I... feel like I've deprived us of some alone time."


“I don’t want anything to eat.” Kirk closed his eyes, enjoying Adison running her fingers through his hair, and he sighed deeply. “I wouldn’t mind a movie though.” He paused, thinking. “We could pop some popcorn,” he mumbled tiredly. He didn’t want her to suffer just because he was feeling miserable. “And… watch a super hero movie. ‘Cause the good guy always wins.” 

Finally he got enough gumption to sit back up again and got to his feet. It wasn't long before he was back on the couch, but this time he was sitting up straight, cozied up to Adison, his bare feet up on the coffee table, and sharing a big bowl of popcorn with her. As Iron Man played, he tried to let his mind get lost in the fictional story and leave behind the worries of the day. It wasn't easy, but he knew he needed to give himself a break. 

By the time the movie ended, he'd fallen asleep, and had a hard time getting up and letting Adison go. But at least he was still tired enough to sleep the rest of the night so he was feeling better by morning...

..."You notice Jason and Katie haven't shown up yet today?" Kirk swiveled in his chair and glanced at Adison. He'd let the whole matter drop and hadn't said a word about it all morning... until now, and it was almost noon. "Think they're... 'sick' again? Or think they're just throwing a fit because I confronted them?"


The abandoned brick building was only a couple blocks from the Elite building. They'd searched this entire area, except they'd all assumed one thing: that Aaron wasn't capable of climbing.

Garret stood outside looking up a the fire escape ladder. Even he had made some assumptions, which only proved how much his skills had gone downhill since coming here. He had to get back in the field, or he was gonna lose all his skills. Today though, he was finally following his gut rather than Elite protocols. It was lunchtime, so no one would question his absence. It had become his habit to disappear over the noon hour. Most people thought he was going out to eat, but generally... he just drove until he found a quiet secluded spot to sit and think.

Shaking all the other thoughts from his mind, he grabbed hold of the rusted ladder and started to climb. He kept going until he'd reached the top floor, finding the window easy to force open. He entered cautiously though, on full alert. He wished he had a firearm, but that would happen only in his dreams right now.

The top floor was open, other than steel support beams, and rows of windows provided light - albeit dusty light. Garret stood perfectly still, holding his breath as he listened, and picked up the slightest sound from the other end of the room. Walking quickly but silently, he headed that direction. There was a small corner here that he hadn't seen from the other angle. Slowing and rounding it cautiously, he stopped in his tracks.

Aaron sat on the floor, leaned back against the wall, and held what looked to be a makeshift knife out of a scrap of metal. His clothes looked about as disheveled as they should for not having changed in a week, and bits of wrappers proved he'd gotten hold of some food somehow. Though he was glaring up at Garret, there was surprise in his eyes too. "Get out of here," he hissed.

Garret dared to move a couple steps closer. "Everyone thinks you skipped town."

"Yeah well... that's kinda the point, you know?"

"Why are you still here?"

"Why did you even look here?"

"Instinct."

Aaron scoffed. "Same instinct that brought you to the Elite in the first place?"

Garret sighed. "Still hate me huh?"

"Oh that doesn't even cover it." Aaron's grip tightened around his homemade knife. "How about coming a little closer?"

Garret shook his head. "You might think I'm stupid, but I'm not that stupid. You never answered my question. Why are you still here?"

Aaron gritted his teeth and looked down at the floor.

"You don't have anywhere else to go, do you?"

"You're not taking me back." Aaron shook his head stubbornly. "I'm not going back there."

"You're sitting here in an abandoned building, two blocks from the Elite with no food and no future." Garret rolled his eyes. "Sounds a heck of a lot better than your own room with a warm bed, food at your disposal and real people to talk to." He nodded. "Mm-hmm. Real smart move on your part there."

"Shut up!" Aaron threw another glare at him. "You try to take me back, you'll regret it."

"You haven't even tried to get up since I got here," Garret pointed out. "Your knee is worse, isn't it? Let me guess... you hurt it when you climbed up here."

Aaron's jaw tightened again. Yes. He'd made it all the way up the ladder then had torqued his knee climbing through the window. Walking afterward had been torture. "You think you're so smart."

"Not really." Garret sighed. He squatted down where he was to be at Aaron's eye level. "I shoulda seen this coming, actually." He paused. "So what's your plan now?"

Silence.

"You just gonna... eat twinkies and potato chips til they run out then... die up here?"

"Of course not!"

"So... what then?"

"Why should I tell you? You're just gonna take me back anyway, so what difference does it make?" Aaron added a curse before hurling his knife aside. There was no way he could physically take Garret, and he knew it. "Just kill me now. I'd rather die than go back."

Garret thought a few moments. "You caused quite a stir, you know."

"What?"

"Oh, yeah. We're down two agents now."

"What are you talking about?"

"Sam and Pete. They got suspended."

"What?" Aaron's eyes widened. "Why?"

"Well, duh." Garret scoffed. "For letting you go."

"You can't be serious. The Elite is full of pansies who let their agents do whatever they want. I figured they'd get a slap on the wrist at most."

"Yeah well... things are changing. Kirk suspended Sam, and Reese suspended Pete. It's unknown for how long or if they're even going to be allowed back at all. The FBI is not happy. Agents are still looking for you, and the madder the FBI gets, the less likely it gets that Sam and Pete will be allowed back."

Aaron looked down again. His mind reeled with memories of Sam and how much she cared about her job. How much she loved it. And how kind she'd been. He even thought of eating french toast with Pete.

Garret sighed and stood up straight again. "Well, I hope you find what you're looking for."

Aaron's gaze shot up in new surprise. "You're not... taking me in?"

"No." Garret pursed his lips. "I know what it feels like to feel trapped in that place and... I would have done anything to get out. I know the feeling of going mad staring at those walls. And I know you hate me... but I can't take you back, knowing how it feels." Without saying anything more, he turned and walked away, going back the way he'd come.

Left alone again, Aaron sat, staring at one of the dingy windows. He had no plan. He had no more food. He had no money. He had nowhere to go. And he'd ruined Sam's future. Pete's too. But he felt worse for Sam. If either of them would be allowed back, it would be Pete since Sam was the one in charge. All she'd done was try to help. She'd sacrificed countless hours just trying to befriend him. Trying to help. He hadn't realized his actions would get her into that much trouble. This feeling... this... guilt... it wasn't what he'd planned. Shifting slightly, he winced as pain shot through his knee, only adding to his negative emotions. He'd assumed he couldn't get any lower than where he'd been before... but he was now.


Jason emerged from the small, used car, and he waited for Katie to join him. It was a quiet neighborhood with nice but not fancy houses, and streets lined with trees. The house they'd parked at was a cute little two-story house with a big front porch and flowers the brightened the yard. It was... homey. 

Taking Katie's hand as she came around the car, Jason gave her a reassuring smile. 

It's gonna be okay. Promise. 

They'd traveled the train line just like they'd planned, then had picked up a used car at the first place they could find. Between their own cash, plus what Sam had brought, they'd been able to pull it off with some to spare for other supplies. The rest of the route into New Mexico had gone without a hitch - other than the both of them being exhausted, more from stress than any physical exertion...

...Sarah glanced out the window through the blinds and eyed the young couple. "They're here," she called over her shoulder. At her announcement, three little terriers started barking and running circles around the front door. 

"Hey, hey, shush." Jed came out of the kitchen where he'd been working and quieted the dogs. "You sure it's them?"

"Oh yes." Sarah smiled. "Katie is definitely Rosetta's niece." 

"So we don't know exactly why they're here?"

"Nope." She looked up at her husband. "We've been over this, remember?" All they knew was Katie and her boyfriend worked for the Elite and were in some kind of trouble. They needed a safe place to lay low until whatever it was blew over or until they had to move on.

"I know." Jed sighed. "I just hope everything really is okay. I'm not worried for us, but for them. It's unnerving that Rosetta needed to call us." As the doorbell rang, he moved for the door and hushed the dogs again. He pointed to the hallway, and all three terriers scurried where they were told and sat down to stare at the door from a distance. Opening the door, Jed smiled and stepped to the side. "Katie? Jason? Come on inside." 

See? Rosetta got a hold of them.

In spite of Jason's confident words, he couldn't help his relief. "Thank you." He entered slowly with Katie, still gripping her hand tightly. 

Jed offered them both handshakes. "I'm Jed Kusher, and this is my wife, Sarah."

She stepped forward for handshakes as well. 

"Rosetta called us last night," Jed explained. "We have a finished basement that has a living room and bedroom, and it's got its own bathroom. It's all ready for you." He gestured to the kitchen. "We've also got plenty of food to go around, so don't hesitate to ask for whatever you need." 

Jason's emotions flared again - this time it was gratefulness and humility. "Thank you," he repeated. "This... means a lot to us."