Skunk

Eli grins at Scarlet, more than happy to stay for a while. "Okay... but you have to at least let me take my jacket off so I can get comfortable."

Giving her a wink, he lets her slide off his lap so he can take off his jacket and hang it over the back of the couch. "Alright... what kind of movies do you have anyway?"

...A couple hours later after a movie, cuddling on the couch and almost falling asleep, Eli knows he needs to get home. Scarlet seemed to be feeling a little better, and Eli had simmered down on the inside, though some time alone would be good for him too.

Donning his jacket again, he walks to the door, meeting Scarlet there. Pulling her into a final embrace for the night, he leans down and presses his lips to hers in a passionate goodnight kiss. Drawing away, his eyes twinkle a little bit and he steals one last quick kiss before straightening up. "I'll call you sometime tomorrow, okay?"

His hand reaches up so his palm can slide down the side of her face. "Goodnight, Scarlet."

Finally on his way, he takes a deep breath of the night air and ambles down to the parking lot. Though it was dim, the lights around the lot provide enough light to see easily, creating a safe atmosphere. Getting to his bike, however, Eli felt anything but good. Stopping in his tracks he stares at his bike and the profanity that had been scratched deeply into the paint. Sometimes he let his own language get a little carried away, but having these kinds of words on his bike made him sick. Not to mention, the paint was trashed. Who on earth...

He turns quickly to look at Scarlet's motorcycle and sure enough, hers had been vandalized as well. The new paint job was ruined - hours and hours of labor destroyed by one simple and dastardly act. The words that had been scratched into Scarlet's bike were no better than Eli's - an embarrassing display with which to ride down the street.

As the shock begins to wear off, Eli's calmed demeanor begins to boil again. His fists clench at his sides as he glares at the handiwork. Someone had known exactly what would get to them. Someone had known exactly what to do in order to hit them where it hurt. And there was only one person Eli could think of.

"Roth." His words came out as ice, enough to give anyone listening an instant chill. This... this had gone beyond the limit. This was downright low and dirty. "You skunk," he hisses into the night air. "You'll pay for this."

Turning around and aiming for Scarlet's again, a trashcan is on the receiving end of a deadly kick and it flies through the air, clanging into the sidewalk a ways away. Eli's pulse was racing and he pops his neck, his fingers flexing in his motorcycle gloves. Reaching Scarlet's door, he knocks and waits to see her again. Fire blazed in his eyes. "Get your jacket," he directs calmly. "You need to see this."


Reese nods a little, wishing he knew what to say, but the words wouldn't come. One of his own was suffering, and there was nothing he could do about it.

"Okay... but if you do need anything... don't hesitate to ask, alright?" Unsure whether he should or not, Reese reaches over to give Hope's hand a little squeeze before he stands up.

"Take all the time you need, Hope. We'll... work around your schedule as you need it. Just, um... keep me in the loop, okay?" It wasn't her boss speaking... it was her friend who cared.


Ambling down the sidewalk with a backpack over one arm and a soccer ball under the other, Justin crunches into an apple.

"What were you thinking? You could have been turned in for that alone!"

"Look, I did what I had to do. Scott needs a push, not more pampering. Now you called me in for this job, let me do it or tell me to walk away. The choice is yours."

Justin sighs and relents to his body's desire to sit on a bench near the parking lot. A brief chat with his uncle hadn't gone very well. Nobody had complained about the little battle with Scott, but he'd heard about it and hadn't been happy. He hadn't told Justin he was off the case though, so Justin was planning on returning tomorrow as normal. It was just irritating that he couldn't do his job the way he wanted to do it. He didn't have much to lose though, and he wanted to win this... for Scott. Justin didn't take his job lightly.

Leaning back on the bench, he lets his head fall back so the sun was on his face. Closing his eyes, one might think he was asleep, but his mind was far from it. He was already thinking about tomorrow. He needed to call Alec first though.