Waiting at the door

Justin grins a little - he must be tired if he wasn't able to mask it over the phone. "It's been quite the day," he admits. "But no problem - dinner sounds good and I'd be glad to look at pictures with you."

The phone call didn't need to last much longer than that. It was already well into the evening, so Justin immediately got up to get ready to go. The dogs would stay home this time - it would be good to see how Beth reacted now to just him without the security of her furry friends.

Wandering to his closet, Justin scans his shirts. He pauses though and looks down at himself. His t-shirt was worn but clean. His jeans were a bit tattered with a hole just starting above one knee and they were faded, but for all practical purposes, they were clean too. He really didn't feel like anything else tonight. Maybe it was time Beth saw one level deeper anyway. He was alright enough to go, eat and assist. But he was tired, and it had been a long day. Why pretend otherwise?

Closing his closet, Justin ambles back to the living room to find his socks and sneakers. Fifteen minutes later, he was on the road, heading for Beth's. This time he knew where he was going so he wound up just a few minutes early instead of late. Standing at the door, he rings the bell and waits while fiddling with his car keys.


Hearing what had really happened, Alec's eyebrows rise just a little. The first words that came to mind were, "Well, that was stupid," but he refrains. He knew better than to say that to Gage's girlfriend. And he did feel sorry. Mostly for Sapphire. She was nice and it was obvious she was worried about Gage.

"He'll pull through." Alec nods with confidence. "A bullet to the head is the only way to take down ex-Agency." It didn't seem to come out as well as it had sounded in his head and he clears his throat a bit awkwardly. "Okay, well um... thanks for filling me in. I guess um... I'll check back again sometime."


The time available for the picnic seemed all too short and Sparky didn't want to leave the cozy little spot, but he knew they had to. He had to finish out the work day, whether his head was in the clouds or not, and he didn't want Faith to overextend herself either.

Walking back to the ranch hand-in-hand, it was hard to believe that things were different now. They weren't, but they were. Nothing had really changed, but it was official now and that was good enough. Sparky didn't know how he'd break the news to his brothers, but no matter what they said, he was going to hold his ground. They could think whatever they wanted, and he wasn't going to change his mind.

Ambling back towards Faith's bunkhouse, the first person who sees them is Jade. She was just on her way to the barn to go for a ride, but stops and waves at them. "Hey, you two." She grins, having known that they were going to have their own picnic today. "Have a nice time?"

"Mm-hmm." Sparky nods as they approach, then stops. "Sure did." He smiles, giving Faith a sidelong glance.

Jade catches it and quirks an eyebrow. "Alright, what are you up to, Sparky?"

Sparky chuckles and shakes his head. "Nothing."

"Right. I see that glint in your eye." Jade folds her arms. "Out with it, come on."

Sparky looks to Faith again and shrugs. It wasn't like they could keep this a secret. He lifts up her hand so Jade can see.

Jade immediately spots the ring and her eyes widen. Giving an excited little shriek, she bounces and gives Faith a hug, then Sparky a big kiss on the cheek. "Oh, congratulations!" She claps her hands then takes a closer look at the ring. "It's gorgeous! I'm so happy for you two! This is so exciting!"

Sparky can't help but laugh at his niece's bubbly enthusiasm. "Well we think so," he agrees teasingly.

Jade giggles. "Do you know when the big day is?"

Sparky shakes his head. "Not yet. I figure I better see if I get killed before now and then."

Jade is confused for a moment then rolls her eyes. She knew he was referring to Jim and her dad. "Yeah, well, if I can survive being engaged to Dan, it'll be a piece of cake for you two." Doing a little hop again, she has to give Faith another hug. "If you need any help with anything, just say the word."