Quinn

Scott fiddles with the hem of his blanket, his eyes down as Dalton speaks. Part of him wanted so badly to embrace those thoughts.... the thoughts that there really was hope... that he wasn't alone... that here was a friend who understood at least for the most part. Yet part of him continued to wage war, trying to convince him that the fight wasn't worth it.

He'd felt like he belonged once... it seemed so long ago. He could still recall the most perfect time in his life. He'd had a stable position at TJY... he'd been happy... he'd been engaged... he'd known what he wanted and the world didn't seem so scary anymore. He'd gone from a nerd to being himself and it had felt wonderful. Then everything had fallen apart and it never had been quite right anymore. Could those feelings really ever be regained? Was Dalton right?

A silent tear rolls down his cheek and he quickly swipes it away. "Tell Sapphire hi from me when you go back, okay?" It was an obvious topic change, but he did it anyway. There were too many things to think about... too much crowding his mind... he couldn't keep talking about it all now.

Reaching out, he takes another small sip of Mountain Dew. His nausea was returning and so was a headache. "And... and tell Hope I say to get better too."


Enjoying the meal and the movie, Justin remains relaxed, eventually setting aside his empty plate and leaning back, still cross-legged. Laughing at the humor in the movie, he notices Beth's quiet laughter too, and he's glad to hear it.

As the credits finally roll, Justin knows that Beth still has the pie waiting, and he wonders if the dessert will end the evening, or if she would open up to him any more. Either way, he would go with the flow. He had all night, or could go home too, if that's what she wanted.


"Your boyfriend?" The man's eyes widen just a little bit more, seeming to be more from awe than plain surprise. "Were they his?"

"Excuse me." Carson steps closer, his arms folded over his chest. He look to Jess and gives her a little nod to let her know it was okay. "Can I help you?"

The man rises and turns to see Carson, noting the uneasy look in his eye. "I'm sorry - I was just inquiring about this woman's dogtags and where she got them."

"Why?"

"Well..." The stranger backs off a little, his eyes narrowing slightly. "What's it to you?"

Carson doesn't budge, but simply lifts one eyebrow. "This is my restaurant. Anybody causes trouble, I ask them to leave." He wasn't threatening, and his tone was not angry. This guy could be perfectly innocent, but around here, Carson didn't take any chances.

"Hey, I wasn't trying to cause any trouble." The man holds up his hands. "I just noticed the dogtags and wondered where they were from."

"What's it to you?"

The man looks between Carson and Jess for a moment. "Are you... are you her boyfriend?"

Carson can't suppress the slight laugh that surfaces. Yes, a while back he had been. But anyone who didn't know them wouldn't see the humor. "No, I'm not. But I am her friend and as such, I tend to look out for her wellbeing. See... a strange man approaching a pretty young woman like this..." He purses his lips. "Innocent or not, you're not doing yourself any favors."

"Look, I'm sorry." The man looks to Jess, apology in his eyes. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I just... I needed to know about the tags."

By now, Carson was more concerned for Axel than he was Jess. There were still crazies out there, after him for his past, and if someone had found him here, Carson wasn't willing to take a backseat. Axel was probably his best friend and he wouldn't want to find out later that this guy had bad motives. "How about you tell us why you wanted to know about them? Then maybe we can trust you."

"Carson!" Dani calls from the kitchen. "Your-"

Carson holds up a hand but doesn't turn around, and hollers over his shoulder. "Busy! Take care of it." His eyes remain on the stranger. "So... who do you think those dogtags belong to?"

"Well, I don't know who this girl's boyfriend is, but those tags originally belonged to Axel Thornton."

Carson looks to Jess, then back to the man again. "Are you looking for him?"

"No. Well..." The man hesitates, a confused mixture of emotions in his eyes. "I wasn't. But... that's only because I thought he was in prison."

Carson thinks for a moment, then nods towards the door. "I think you better leave."

"No, wait... please. I'll just find out somewhere else, but I can tell that both of you know Axel, and apparently you're trying to protect him. It's commendable, but I have no ill intent. Believe me. Please... I don't want to spend my time digging when I could just hear it from you."

Carson's eyes narrow as he studies this stranger. There was something familiar about him... He looks to Jess again, wondering how she felt about all of this, then back to the man. "Who are you?"

The stranger hesitates. "My name is Quinn." Reaching into his t-shirt, he pulls out a set of dogtags that matched the ones Jess was wearing. "Quinn Thornton. Axel's my brother."

Carson can't stop the surprise that passes over his face. He knew very little about Axel's brother... only that they'd been best friends up until Axel's conviction. Carson had never even known a name, but that was always a very private part of Axel's life that he didn't talk about and Carson had respected that. But as little as he did know, he wasn't convinced that there was no ill intent here. Quinn had abandoned his brother years ago... what good could he possibly want now? Carson's gaze drifts back to Jess with question... did she want to tell this man more? She knew Axel's story too. Did she trust Quinn? Or should Carson send him away?