Kind of like...

"Hey! The shop queen has arrived!" Jed teases.

Miles looks up and gives Ryan a salute with his wrench. "She cometh. Welcome."

Eli grins from where he's still standing at the tool bench. "Take your job? Never. These guys wouldn't know what to do without you around here." He gives her a wink. "Naw, I've been running around all morning and figured I'd just stop in to give you all some guff before heading back to the apartment. Did you hit bad traffic?"

Reese folds his arms and looks over Hal's shoulder a the security camera screen. Alec was still in his room, going through a routine that was memorized to perfection.

Hal gestures to the monitor. "Does it every day, sometimes twice."

It looked similar to karate in some instances, but there weren't many kicks. Some of the moves looked like something a street fighter would pull off instead. Alec had it down pat though, and it appeared to be a long enough routine that one would have to have a lot of practice to memorize it, along with discipline as in any fighting or self defense.

"I asked Scott about it a while back," Hal explains. "He said he recognized it as an Agency combat technique they train most of their Agents with. He said Ryder's been trained with it, probably Gage, and Carson knows it. That's why they're so good with their fists - it's actually a style they've been taught, and by the looks of it, it can be pretty nasty. Someone took a long time to put it together - looks like a combination of many different styles, but the result is lethal."

Reese sighs deeply. "Well... Alec's still got some gumption somewhere then. Someone doesn't put themselves through a daily routine like that if they've given up completely. Now if we could just funnel that energy in the right direction."

"Good luck."

"Jason said he had a visitor today."

"Yeah, a young woman."

"How did he respond?"

"I played back the tape later and he didn't seem too upset. They wound up playing some cards and she left. He was pretty calm though. Didn't spout off like he sometimes does." Hal eyes Reese with question. "He's been here an awfully long time. When are we going to be able to move him on?"

"I don't know." Reese shakes his head, clearly frustrated. "Plans for a facility fell through. There wasn't enough money, so we're back to square one. Brown wants him in prison and I want him released like Gage. But if Alec doesn't shape up his attitude, he's going to force my hand and it'll be prison."

"How much longer?"

"I've been stretching it out as long as I can, hoping we'll see some change. I know he's sick of it here, and it's an expense to us to keep him but... I just know that if we can prove some kind of change, any change in the right direction, there's a good chance I can keep him from prison. I just need to find the right program... maybe something a little more aggressive than what we got Gage into."

"Hmm." Hal nods thoughtfully. "I thought Alec would stretch his freedom to the limit after you said not to lock him up anymore and just use the ankle bracelet. But he doesn't. Once in a while on a late night he'll wander up and take a look around, but ninety-five percent of the time he stays in his room. Kinda feels like he thinks if he can't have real freedom, he's not going to take any at all."

"How's he react to Trooper?"

"Hates him." Hal grins. "Not that I'm too keen on that dog either, after getting bit, but Alec has a healthy respect for those teeth. He never tries anything."

Reese chuckles. "I wouldn't either. Alright, well... keep an eye on things and let me know if anything changes. I'm gonna lay off on making him see Hope. He's not talking anymore, so it isn't worth the time. If you notice a change in his attitude or something though, we might try it again. Otherwise... prison is waiting."

Sparky sets to work on the saddle with Faith, enjoying being able to show her how to do these little tasks that she took so much interest in. Hearing her question, he glances to where she's working and he nods. "Can't do much wrong with this, but you're doing great. Take care of your saddle and it'll take care of you. A neglected saddle can be dangerous as dry and cracked leather can snap under too much strain. But if you take care of it, a good saddle can last a lifetime."

Using his fingers instead of the rag, he massages the oil into the leather, flexing the straps to help them absorb the moisture and soften them up. "There's nothing like a good soft pair of reins either," he comments. "New leather can be pretty stiff, but once it's worked with, it softens up."

A little grin appears on his mouth. "Kind of like a man's heart."


Scott was here. JT wasn't sure if that was good or bad, but he hoped it was good. He nods to Rosetta. "Alright. I'll come talk to them."

Glancing over his shoulder, he throws a look to Amanda. "I'll be right back."

Following Rosetta to the kitchen, he greets Scott and is introduced to Hope. Taking a seat, he learns the latest information about what's been going on in Nevada. "Jail, huh?" He sighs deeply. "I don't want to tell Bree, but I have to. She keeps asking about him and I keep skirting around it. But now that I know, I can't keep it from her."

Pursing his lips, he looks to Hope. "I'm glad you're here though. I've got pictures of some of Bree's injuries to prove abuse. She's still got some bruising today but it's fading so I'm glad I took the snapshots when I did. Maybe if you write up an official evaluation, that plus the photos will keep her safe. If we can make that happen, I want to get her home back to her familiar surroundings. I'm not afraid of anyone harming her - just taking her back to Crescentview. But if we've got proof and the law to back us up, that should be over."

He thinks for a moment, sad but determined. "Once it's over, I'm going to encourage Bree to get a restraining order against her parents and their thug as well. At least then an arrest can be made if anything else happens."

Looking to Scott, then back to Hope, he nods. "Bree's doing alright today... if you're gonna stick around for a while though, you might wait until tomorrow to talk to her. Let her get over the shock of Gunner in jail first... either way though, I know you'll find her quite stable. Just scared right now."