Ice storm

Alec simply stares back at Ryan as if the whole concept was foreign to him. He'd been in the Agency so long that he'd forgotten what it was like to have a friend or receive a gift with no strings attached.

Finally he drops his gaze, the first time he'd let her win a stare down. He studies the chain again, finding that he liked it very much. He'd always wanted one, but hadn't ever gotten around to buying one for himself. Ryan had good taste. But could he really accept this? Wasn't that a sign of surrender? Was she expecting something in return? Did he really want to take it as acceptance of the friendship she apparently thought existed?

It seems an eternity of weighing options and consequences before finally slipping the chain over his head and tucking it under his shirt. The less attention he drew to it the better - Hal might consider it a danger and take it away.

With his eyes still down, he takes a few more french fries, keeping his mouth busy for the next several moments. Eventually, he sits back a little and pulls his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around his legs and resting his chin on his knees, staring back at Ryan.

"I still don't understand," he comments. His tone still contained the caution. It was almost timid but not quite, with a lack of hostility. "Not only was it bizarre you came in the first place, but then to come back after I dissed you. You say everyone deserves company this time of year but... according to the law, I don't deserve anything but the electric chair. So either you're nuts or... slow in the head. But you don't seem to be either."


"I'm sure we can go see the horses." Ryder nods. "All we gotta do is ask and I bet anybody would show us around and introduce us to a few of the critters."

The lull in conversation is taken over by BJ's enthusiastic greeting to Thirteen and Ryder watches and waits, letting her do the talking. When she finally looks up at him again, he smiles warmly. "Family is more than bloodlines," he mentions softly. "Kids seem to figure that out before the adults do."

Cocking his head, his crooked smile remains. His mind thinks about Trent and all that he knew and Thirteen didn't. "I've found it's not the blood that really matters... it's the relationships we have with others. Family will always share blood, but if there's no love, then it's not really something to be sought after. But friendships... good relationships with the people we love despite no blood connection - those are the ones worthy of being called family."


Trent eyes the other people in the dining room as breakfast is served. His gaze flickers between Ryder and Jasmine, and Katie. It was Katie who he wondered about at this point. After her last visit, he just wasn't so sure how to take her.

As more people filter in to eat, Trent seems to retreat further into his corner. A small tv was set up and he turns his back to the group, switching on the news for just a short while, hoping to catch the weather report.

"Accidents are happening all over the south and east," the female reporter states while standing out in snow in northern Texas. She goes on to tell about specific accidents in Oklahoma, Tennessee and Illinois to emphasize the damage winter weather was causing not only in isolated states, but in many regions.

"We got word of an accident involving a semi and a mother and her baby," the male newscaster comments.

"That's right, Todd. It was on the interstate in Arkansas late last night. A mother and her six-month-old baby were traveling to family when the ice storm hit. Her car stalled on the road and she couldn't get it off to the side. She got out of her vehicle and went to retrieve the baby from the backseat while oncoming traffic tried to go around her. Witnesses say that a semi approached in her lane but couldn't stop. There were two cars to the right of the semi and the trucker apparently opted for the ditch to avoid hitting anyone."

The reporter pauses for just a moment to read her notes. "We interviewed the mother and she said she thought she and the baby would get hit, but it appeared to her that the truck driver purposely jackknifed his rig to avoid hitting her. She's never been so scared in her life and I can't blame her."

"And what happened to the trucker?"

"He did go in the ditch, Todd. Pictures show the rig went off the road then rolled. It looks like we got a report that said the driver was injured and taken to the hospital. No name or condition had been released since then, but there is one mother who says her angels were watching over her this Christmas Eve. Wherever that trucker is, we thank him and hope the injuries were not serious."

Trent blinks as he sees the pictures being shown in the corner of the screen. The cameras had caught an angle that showed the color of the truck in full view. It was red with a custom black stripe that slashed from front to back. Trent immediately recognizes it. "Oh, no..." There was no mistaking it was Eric's truck.

He turns in his seat, scanning faces until he finds Rosetta. He needn't call her over - the look on his face would suffice.


Gage had off today. It was one of the very few, other than Sundays that he didn't have to go work. Lately it had all been ditch work, tree lines and more back-breaking work. He was just as glad he didn't have to go today. It gave him time to wrap his gift to Sapphire at least before she came over.

The whole thing with Scott made him question his relationship with her, but at this point, he was going to trust her that nothing bad would happen if he continued to see her.

Siting at the tiny kitchen table, he fumbles with the brown paper, trying to get the corners folded in just right. It was his third attempt - he wouldn't have crooked corners or wrinkled tape. Eventually the gift is wrapped, not very thick, but had a fairly large surface area. If one fingered it, they might guess it was something in a picture frame.

Gage sets it aside for now and looks at the clock. He'd forgotten if Sapphire said she would come over early today or if she had to work. He wouldn't call though. He didn't want to bother her and it wasn't like he had any plans that would be disrupted if he didn't know exactly when she'd be there.