A Couple Days

Alec glanced at Misty, fully expecting her to address the obvious - he had a problem. But he was surprised when she didn't. Maybe he shouldn't be though. She'd obviously had not lost her soft touch.

He took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah... yeah, I preferred a picnic, I just... thought I'd make a scene so I didn't have to say so." He was in no frame of mind to be able to laugh about it, but he did give her a little smirk before heading back to the car. She was a good sport at least... he'd get over this whole new panic thing, right? A couple more day's rest and he'd be good as new... right? 

Doubts clouded his mind as he buckled himself in, and he fell quiet once more. What if this didn't really go away? What if the Agency really had won, in that he'd never be able to overcome this whole new set of insecurities? He hated the way he felt. Weak. Vulnerable. 

He closed his eyes, trying to block those thoughts and the emotions that accompanied them. At least by the time they reached the park, his heart rate had slowed back to normal and his hands had quit trembling. Finding a nice, shady, quiet table to sit at with Misty, Alec really did feel much better out here than he had in the restaurant. There were still people, traffic and noises, but there were also plenty of escape routes, which made him less tense. 

He ate slowly, still needing to take it easy for his stomach's sake, but the hamburger tasted far better than it normally would, simply because it wasn't Agency or hospital food. Eventually he did look across at Misty, giving her an apologetic look. "Thanks, by the way... for bringing me out here. I, um..." He shrugged as his eyes dropped again. "You always did know how to make me feel better."


Ashlee's news came as little surprise to Dylan. He knew she was a good student and wanted to be done with school. He'd wondered if she'd try to graduate early.

Nope, you hadn't told me.
Not surprised tho. For you?
Piece of cake. 

Enjoy breakfast. I should
head inside myself. 
Have a good one. 

Finally standing up, he gave a little yawn. Now that he'd sat down for a while, his body wanted to relax instead of get to work. But he'd just seen several more cars pull up and knew he should get inside...


"Hey, Nate?" Garret leaned on the cubicle wall, his expression a thoughtful one. It was early yet, but he wanted to broach this subject before he forgot. The day before, he'd found a suitable apartment not too far from Nate's own house, and was just waiting to hear back about it. Even though he wasn't technically an Elite agent, the reference helped, making the deal just a little ironic. He'd been thinking about it ever since though, and had one more thing he wanted to put in place for his own peace of mind. 

"Um... I know I'm not in Elite custody anymore but... I didn't want to just disappear without warning. Do you think anybody would have a problem if I was out of town for just a couple days? There's... some business I need to go take care of." 


Seeing Ashlee, Travis grinned and headed her direction as he took off his work gloves. "Hey there." Instead of sitting across from her, he chose a seat next to her so he could be closer. It hadn't escaped his notice that she'd been texting again. He certainly didn't care - it was just... odd for her, that was all. It was none of his business though. 

Leaning over, he gave her cheek a kiss, not caring they weren't alone. He'd get a real kiss later. His eyes twinkled as he held his smile. "Busy all day, or got time this afternoon for a ride? Eric suggested I give Casper some exercise and... riding alone just isn't any fun at all."


Jeff gave Katie's hand a squeeze and he smiled. "Ya know... I'm not sure how I got so lucky. With all my stupid decisions, I never should have had the privilege of having you in my life at all... yet here we are." He sighed deeply. "I love you too, Katie... And I guess I'm glad things were tough there for a while... otherwise I might never had had the guts to tell you who you really were."

He fell quiet for a few moments as he continued to think. "Jay asks about you pretty regularly, ya know. He doesn't contact you directly 'cause he doesn't want to bother you or he thinks it's weird for you, even though I tell him it would be fine."

He glanced at Katie and searched her face. "As much as I love having you in my life as my daughter, I can't help but feel a little guilty, too. I know you guys had your differences, but... sometimes I feel like I stole you from him after all he did for the two of us when you were a baby."


Alright. I'll put a bug in Wes and mom's ears to see if they'd be up for the bonfire idea. You gonna eat lunch at the main house or hide away with your dad?

"Jase!" 

Jason's thoughts to Katie were cut short as a teddy bear hit him in the face. Scrunching up his nose, he smirked at his little sister. "Did you just do that on purpose?" 

Kaylee gigged and pointed at Wes.

"Oh no." Jason shook his head. "You can't blame it on him. His aim isn't that good." 

Even though she didn't get the joke, Kaylee laughed anyway and buried her face into Wes again.