Observing

"Okay." Justin nods in agreement, not overenthusiastic, but enthusiastic enough for Beth to know he was glad she'd said yes. He was proud of her for not only recognizing that she wouldn't return if she left now, but that she was brave enough to overcome it and stay to force herself to go with him later. "I'll find you when I'm through with Scott."

Movement out of the corner of his eye catches his attention and he turns to see Scott a ways down on the sidewalk, standing and looking towards them as if trying to figure out if it was Justin or not.

"Speaking of which... that's my cue." Justin stands up and looks to Beth one more time. "I'll see you later then." Clicking his tongue to the dogs, both stand and move to his heel, ready to follow.

Ambling down the walk, he approaches Scott, offering a smile of encouragement. "Hey. How are ya?"

Scott shrugs, his eyes so weary. "For being up sick half the night I guess I'm okay."

"Good. You ready?"

Scott swallows hard, hesitating. He looks around Justin to see the young woman going the other way. "Girlfriend?"

Justin chuckles. "Hardly." He tries again. "What'll it be today?"

Scott bites his lip, trying to decide. "Matching game."

"Okay." Justin would neither argue or push. "Let's head over to the table."

It was the same routine as before. Starting out, Scott had difficulty focusing again, and Zora chimed in like a trooper when she was needed to snap Scott out of his ramblings of data.

Scott turns over another card, in the lead as far as matches went, but sweat poured down the back of his neck and his stomach churned. Another face stared him in the eye and he fights as hard as he can not to let the data spew from his mouth. Staring to speak, Justin cuts him off.

"Pineapple."

Scott blinks and looks to Justin before he could react to the data. "What?"

"Fruit. Or whatever your pleasure. Next time you turn a card over and I speak, I want you to say the first word that comes to mind - not in regards to the data, but in relation to what I'm saying."

Scott swallows and nods. He knew Justin was trying to help him divert the data by thinking of something else when he saw the images. Reaching for a card, it's a man who he's now seen several times on the cards. He opens his mouth, but again Justin cuts him off.

"Sleep."

"Uh-" Scott falters and closes his eyes, trying to focus. "Bed."

Justin smiles. "Very good."

A new card.

"Friend."

"Hope." Scott swallows hard.

Justin helps him move on quickly by taking his turn with the cards. This time it was a blonde woman. "Sky."

"Agent four three seven, class-"

"Sky."

"Class two-" Zora barks, making Scott jump.

Justin repeats himself. "Sky."

"Freedom." Scott lets out a slow breath, trying not to get sick again.

An hour later, the table was empty once again. Scott eases down on his bed, lying on his side and closing his eyes. Jenny was going to bring him some juice and crackers in hopes he could keep it down, but he had his doubts. The second session with fighting data had exhausted ever fiber in his body. Clutching his pillow tightly, a tear escapes to dissolve into the cotton fabric. He wanted a hug.


Justin takes a deep breath, trying to regain his own energy after sitting with Scott for so long. Each time Scott didn't have an episode, Justin was relieved. He knew that his tiredness was nothing compared to Scott's though. And though he'd like to go up and make sure Scott was okay, he knew his job for the day was done. Jenny would have to handle it from here until tomorrow.

Heading down the sidewalk, Justin shifts his mind to concentrate on the rest of his day. There was more ahead and he needed to be alert for it too.

Keeping a firm hand on Danitza and Zora's leashes, he heads into the other building where wards were kept under a higher security than where Scott was. After inquiring at the desk and getting approval for his dogs, he wanders down the hall, until he'd reached the quiet rec room.

Standing in the doorway for a moment, he finds Beth and just waits, watching her interact with her sister.


Chance rolls his eyes at Destiny's comment. "The work Toby gives me is always really odd. He likes to throw me the leftovers - stuff nobody else wants to do." A wry grin surfaces. "I guess I don't mind though. Keeps me on my toes. Would you believe he's got me going on three different things at once, even while I'm here?"

Shaking his head, he stands up with Destiny, stretching and yawning. "Sounds like we had quite a productive day," he muses with humor. "I don't think I'll report all this to Toby - he might not think I'm busy enough."

Grinning, he slings an arm around Destiny's shoulder to lead the way back to the SUV. "I'm thinking we might have to stop and grab a movie to watch tonight."


"That's the second time this week." Reese shakes his head in bewilderment. "We've got them cornered, pinned down, everything is set, we get there and they're dead."

"I know." Wyatt throws up his arms in frustrating after having just returned from an assignment to arrest someone they knew was Agency.

Reese paces his office, racking his brain. "But why?"

Wyatt shrugs. "Maybe the Agency wants to make sure they don't talk."

"So they kill their own men before we get to them?"

"It's the only thing I can think of."

"But then... how do they know we're getting close?" Reese searches Wyatt's eyes. "I would stand behind any man or woman in this department, you know that."

"But it sounds like we have a mole."

Reese grits his teeth. "Impossible. There's got to be some other explanation."

"Like what? Twice now, we've finally gotten leads on actual Agency men. That in itself is a feat but we're learning how to track them. And twice, they've been dead before we get there. Somebody knows what we're doing and what our plans are. How else would you explain it?"

Reese sighs deeply. "There's only one person around here that would be feeding the Agency information so they could kill their men to keep from talking."

"Alec."

"Yep."

"What are you gonna do?"

"At the moment? Nothing. We're going to wait until we have another lead, then watch him like a hawk. He'll hang himself if we give him enough rope. And Wyatt... don't tell anybody about this."