Sleep Well

Aaron didn't even look up as Sam came into the room. He remained silent for a moment, then shook his head. No, he didn't want to talk about it. He did scoot further back on the bed though so he could stretch out his leg, remove the brace and lay the ice pack on it. He also downed the painkillers without complaint - he was hurting badly​ at the moment.

Still not lifting his eyes, he fiddled with a loose thread on the blanket. "Just leave me alone," he requested quietly. "I know I blew it so just... go back to work or on a date with Hal or whatever you're gonna do, and quit trying to convince me my life's worth living." He finally looked up at her, revealing his dark eyes. "'Cause it's not. Reese can do with me whatever he wants. I never should have suggested talking to him in the first place."


Dylan wandered into the rec room, spotting Garret near the floor mats and punching bag. "Garret?"

Garret turned, giving the young man a once over. "You ready?"

"Um... as ready as I'll ever be." Dylan really had no idea what to expect, and was just a bit nervous. He'd done okay with Jamie but paperwork was a far cry from this.

"Good." Garret nodded. He was already barefoot and had been trying to decide exactly where he wanted to start. "Go ahead and kick off your shoes and socks."

Dylan did as he was told, and leaned back against the wall to slip off his sneakers. A shadow crossed the floor and he looked up quickly to see Reese entering with another man. He was tall and had a rather rough look about him - enough to make Dylan just a little uneasy. Not that being in the same room with Garret wasn't enough to unnerve him.

"Garret?" Reese motioned him over. "This is Eli McKade. He's your second pupil."

Eli shook Garret's hand firmly. "Garret. Heard a lot about you."

"Wish I could say likewise."

Eli grinned. "I tend to keep a low profile."

"Eli has been doing some undercover work for us," Reese explained. "He's not an official agent, although I've been working on that."

Eli quirked an eyebrow. He'd been getting paid, but becoming an agent was news to him.

Garret nodded slowly. "Alright. Got any experience?"

"Just street fighting." Eli shrugged. "I've been in a handful of scrapes and wound up on top, but I've never been formally trained."

Reese motioned for Dylan to join them. "Eli, this is Dylan Henson."

Eli's eyebrows rose as he shook Dylan's hand. "Dylan? As in... just came to stay with Hunter?"

Dylan eyed him warily. "Eli? As in... Ryan's brother?"

Eli grinned. "Quick." He looked to Reese with concern though. "Um, do we need to-"

"Dylan, Eli's position here is confidential," Reese explained. "Right now, his girlfriend Scarlet is the only other person outside the Elite who knows he's working for us."

Dylan put the pieces together quickly and nodded. He didn't know why it was confidential, but they could trust him. "I won't say anything to anybody."

Eli hoped the young man was trustworthy, and he turned to Reese again. "About that topic..."

Reese held up his hand. "I know, I know... Come see me when you're through here. I may have finally made some headway with that. In the meantime... you fellas have fun."

After he'd left, Eli, Dylan and Garret all exchanged looks. They were all from very different worlds, but something about being in the same room provided an air of purpose.

"Alright." Garret thumbed to the mat. "Barefoot. Warm up, then gloves and headgear." He grabbed the pair of fingerless gloves he usually wore down here.

Eli cocked his head. "No headgear for you?"

Garret grinned. "I won't need it. And my gloves... are for your benefit, not mine. Rule number one: both of you are at a disadvantage, so think fast and learn faster. This isn't kindergarten."

Eli wasn't impressed with Garret's arrogance... but soon discovered it wasn't arrogance. It was truth.

... Dylan wandered across the main floor with a sandwich from the vending machine in hand, along with a water bottle. His hair was still wet from sweat, and he wasn't even sure his heart rate was back to normal yet.

He was used to intentionally going unnoticed, and his M.O. didn't change as he slipped outside the building. Sliding down to sit back against the bricks in the sunshine, he closed his eyes for a minute and just breathed. He'd been picked up, pushed down, contorted, choked, had the wind knocked out of him, and he was pretty sure he had more than one bruise on his forearms. But after two hours of brutal drills, he'd also put Eli on the floor, which did give him a sense of accomplishment.

Finally​ opening his eyes again, he unwrapped the sandwich and took a bite. It certainly wasn't one of Becky's, but he was too hungry to care.


Zan laughed again and swayed back and forth with Destiny teasingly. "I'm real. At least... I think I am. I do kinda feel like I'm dreaming though."

Still smiling, he finally let her go, and sighed. Did the night really have to end? "I better get going." He couldn't help but brush her cheek one more time. "Goodnight, Destiny... sleep well."


Hunter leaned back against his car in the parking lot, his sunglasses up on his head. Pulling his phone from his pocket, he shot Ryan a quick message since he wouldn't see her until tonight. 

Looks like you're not
gonna see me quite as
often anymore :(