No warning

Alec's lips curl up into a grin and he leans down to give Ryan a kiss on the lips. "Thank you. You're nicer than your brother is."

Eli rolls his eyes. "Well I'd hate for you to show your gratitude like that to me, rather than her." He smirks and shakes his head. "I'm going to bed. The Elite come knocking, don't wake me up."

Alec waves him off before looking back down at Ryan. "Thanks. This couch is more comfy than that cot over at TJY. Not to mention I don't have any hot bricks to keep me warm down there."

Grinning again, he kicks off his shoes and scoots down further into the couch, moving Ryan right along with him. He knew she would need to get up before getting ready for bed and she might not even curl up with him for the night at all, but for now, he'd get comfy anyway.


Scott doesn't return the hug, though he doesn't pull away. It wouldn't be hard to put an arm around his sister, but he would blame the awkward position of sitting next to her on the bench. He gives a nod at her mention of next week. "Okay..." Looking up, he watches as she leaves, feeling his own emotions churning as he sees her wipe away her tears. This was all wrong. How had they gotten to this horrid point?

Putting things away in the bag she'd brought him, he folds over the top and stands up, ready to go back to his room. He didn't feel like fooling around outside today. It had been bad enough that Justin had had the nerve to bring Sapphire here - he wasn't in the mood to put up with anything more.

Watching as Sapphire disappears from sight, Scott starts forward but is stopped by Justin's hand to his shoulder.

"Hey... stick around," Justin prompts gently. "Thought we'd work off some energy."

Without any warning, Scott spins around. Fire blazes in his eyes with an intention that had been there since he'd seen Justin had brought Sapphire. Being asked to stay was the last straw, and there was no hesitation. His fist meets Justin's mouth with enough force to send him sprawling on the ground.

Justin didn't even have time to react. One moment he was standing beside Scott, and the next, he was reeling backward, his world flipping upside down. His head bounces off the corner of the bench, adding to the pain already shooting through his mouth. Instincts cause him to shield his face and head with his arms in case the attack wasn't over. It was though.

Scott stands back, already feeling guilty, but ignoring it. "How dare you bring my sister here," he hisses. He wasn't mad at Sapphire and he wasn't mad that she'd seen him. He was mad at Justin for initiating the visit without telling him first. "You ever pull a stunt like that again, so help me, you'll pay."

Justin winces, catching his breath and cringing at his new headache. Anybody with brains would have let Scott walk away. But not Justin. Seeing Scott leave, he calls after him. "It's not my fault that all you want to do is hide from the world. Your fear of seeing your sister just proves you're scared of the truth."

Scott whirls around with a fresh glare. "I am not!"

Justin slowly picks himself up, wiping his bloody lip and steadying himself on the bench. "Then why do you keep running? You're too scared to face the shadows and you're too selfish to even let your sister in. The Agency data isn't holding you back. You are."

Gritting his teeth, Scott turns and walks away without another word. If Justin wanted to come drag him back outside, so be it. But this visit was over.

Justin scoffs and eases down on the bench, feeling dizzy. Scott had surprised him. He'd been so calm around Sapphire - apparently it truly was Justin he was mad at and not his sister, but he was also a good actor, which made Justin's job all the harder now.

Wiping his lip again, Justin grabs his backpack and stands, wincing again at the pain in his head. His walk to his pickup was slower today, his body language down and out. What was he trying to do here anyway? Any other person would write up this incident in a report and have Scott put on meds to calm him down. Was Justin just too stupid to not do the same? Maybe he'd bit off more than he could chew after all.

Realizing his lip was still bleeding, he stops and fishes in his backpack for some random napkin or tissue.


Dani curls up at the end of the couch, pulling her knees up and sniffing as more tears come. She was glad she was at Dalton's instead of her own place, but it was still quiet and lonely. Blowing her nose again, she looks to the television, but she knew she wouldn't find anything she wanted to watch.

Her mind was battling back and forth with pictures from her dreams and pictures from the new memories that had come to light. She felt miserable and... small. It was the only way she could describe it. She felt small and insignificant. Helpless to stop this barrage of emotions connected with memories no one should have. It was no wonder she had locked them away. She'd always considered herself strong and able to handle herself. But apparently there was more to her childhood than she'd ever known. Apparently she hadn't always been so strong.

Another tear rolls down her cheek and she picks up the phone, then puts it down again. No, her brother was at work. She'd talk to him tonight. She had to. She had to find out the truth.