Waiting for you

Listening to Trent Rosetta cant help the air that seemed to get caught in a throat as her eyes watered. Words wanted to come but for a moment they wouldn't as she just searched her brother's face for anything, any kind of confirmation he would be ok.

"Did they say where they took him or anything so we can call and find out where, and how he is?"

Though Rosetta was worried, she tried to stay calm for everyone else sake. She didn't want to work everyone up on Christmas eve unless she had too.

Sitting back in her chair Thirteen smiles at Ryder. She was happy his words made her feel good, but even if he said them a thousand times her heart could never rest till she new who her dad was.

"Keep telling me that ok Ryder? Maybe sooner or later I will be satisfied not knowing my dad, but till than...I still want to find him. He's not the only one who chooses, this is about me too."

Letting out a long sigh Thirteen turns her head to look out the window. She'd find her dad some day after giving him a hug she'd ask why he didn't know to know her, and even after that if he didn't what to see her again it would be ok. At least she could say she new who her father was.

"Should we get something to eat?"

Smiling back at Gage, Sapphire's own eyes had light to them hearing he would never tire of her coming over. For that she was thankful.

"I'd never tire of coming over myself. Who else would actually let me have a key to there front door."

Giving a laugh Sapphire takes the package from Gage holding it for a long moment. Turning it over once in her hand she looks up at him her eyes twinkling before back down at the package. Starting to unwrap it Sapphire does it with care untill finally the frame was unwrapped. Turning it over Sapphire is quiet for a long moment just looking at it. Her fingers running over the two faces. There were drawn perfectly and the detail was amazing.

"Gage...this is amazing. I...this is beautiful."

Continuing to look at it, Sapphire finally looks up at Gage beaming brightly. This is one of the best gift she had ever gotten and it came straight from the heart.

"This is the second picture of use, and I will cherish this one the most. Thank you Gage, I love it."

Setting the picture down gently the smile never left Sapphire's face as she stands going over to the small tree she pulls one of the medium size gifts out from under it and brings it back to the table. The paper was a sparkling blue color, with a nice little bow on top. On the inside was a silver watch custom made, with a brilliant orange tiger on the face, above it was his name. On the back was ingraved a message that said "Put one foot in front of the other, look forward and not behind. I'm proud of you Gage. -Saph"

Moving forward on the best herself Ryan once again takes in Alec's words. It amazed her how much he had built his walls, and yet there was a crack, how he could deny his feelings he new were there. Something held they at bay, pride, thinking it was a weakness..whatever it was it was holding Alec back from so much more.

"You eyes betray you Alec, you can still feel you just hold it at bay."

Thinking for another moment Ryan process the info about the Agency that must have been who Alec worked for. She didn't understand everything Alec went thought but she new what he ment about not feeling anything. She'd felt like that a long time after there father had died.

"The people you worked for, they don't have you anymore Alec. You not brainwashed, just confused. But life is still waiting for you when your ready."

Forgotten

Trent looks to his sister, the worry coursing through his eyes. "I just... saw on the news. They were reporting on weather-caused road accidents. They talked about a semi that went into the ditch, avoiding hitting this woman and her kid."

He swallows hard. "The driver was injured and taken to the hospital... it was late last night. They showed a picture of the truck... I know it was Eric's."


Ryder chuckles at Thirteen's comment about him being family. "You're pretty important to me too," he agrees.

But reverting to her previous statement, he shakes his head. "Love is complicated, Thirteeen. It shouldn't be, but it often is. You'd think if someone didn't want to see you that they didn't love you... but that isn't always the case. You can't really assume anything. But one thing you can do is be satisfied with who you have around you... and with who you are. Because you're important and you are loved."


Gage returns Sapphire's hug and grins at her as she sits down. "You kidding me? If I get tired of you, I get tired of the only company I got, so I better not."

His eyes twinkle to show that teasing aside, he could never get tired of her coming over. "Hmmm... the whole day?"

He fingers the package he'd just set aside before Sapphire had come in. "Well.... we could.... start by giving you this."

He scoots it over to Sapphire, slight color in his face. He didn't want to give her her gift in front of her parents tomorrow. He didn't even know if he'd done a good job or not. But it was all he had. He'd never given someone something like this before either, so he didn't want it sitting on his mind all day. If she didn't like it, or laughed at it, then he could get it over with and they'd have the rest of the day.

Gage hadn't had money for much of a gift, but he'd been able to find a deep blue and black picture frame that was just the right size and he'd emptied his loose change jar to get it. And framed was a sketch done with his own hand that had taken him hours under his dim light at night, trying to perfect it. He'd sketched a closeup headshot of Sapphire and himself together, working from memory and a mirror. Captured in the delicate pencil strokes was life in the eyes, as if they could shine right from the paper. Depth showed in the shadows and even the smallest details were captured ever so carefully with the one pencil he had. Facing each other, the faces were smiling faintly and an invisible wind toyed with loose strands of their hair.


Alec squints, trying to figure out where Ryan was coming from. It was hard to understand though. But after being brainwashed by the Agency, how could one expect him to understand simple kindness anymore? It was an act, an emotion that had been stripped from him, the day he'd joined the Agency. He wasn't an Agency baby... he'd had a life before that and during his service, he hadn't been like Gage, sheltered from the world. Yet there was so much he'd still missed out on or forgotten. ...And that was a hard fact to realize, let alone accept.

But maybe on a day like today... when loneliness had made its mark... when kindness had been shown regardless of the past... when a heart had just taken a small blow just enough to cause a tiny crack... maybe the hard facts could be recognized.

"I didn't believe them when they told me I'd been brainwashed or made into a robot by the Agency," he mumbles, still with his arms around his legs. He searches Ryan's eyes. "That's where I come from... the 'bad guys.'"

Shifting his weight, he finally scoots his legs down and picks up the rest of his french fries to finish them off. "Maybe they were right," he finally concludes. "I can't feel anything anymore. I know I did once... but I guess I've forgotten what it was like."

Finger Tips

Thinking for a long moment on what Ryder said Thirteen frowns her brow. Trying to process his words, and understand what they meant. Picking at a spot in the table Thirteen finally talks a little softer

"Sooo...My dad doesn't love me? Thats...why he doesn't want me to know who he is?"

Letting out a long sigh the words that had slipped from her mouth seemed so sad. How could a parent not love there child? It seemed strange to think about it, and it even hurt a little. Finally looking up at Ryder again Thirteen gives a small smile. He always made her feel good, his soft look, his eyes, and the things he said to her. He defiantly made her feel special.

"Mmm...I...want you to defiantly be part of my family, because right now your the most important person to me."

Helping BJ with his food and forming a place for Katie to sit next to her Rosetta can't help but laugh and joke with the others. Though all the family was not here, most of it was and though it was sad some were missing, Rosetta was happy others could make it.

Feeling a strange sensation go down her spin Rosetta looks up to meet her brother's eyes. He was all the way on the other side of the room but it was easy to read the look that screamed something was wrong.

Letting Katie know she would be right back and to help BJ with his food Rosetta excuses herself from the table making her way over to Trent. Looking down at him her eyes filled with worry.

"Trent, whats wrong?"

Giving a knock on the door before letting herself in like normal Sapphire had a few bags in hand containing clothing for when Gage and herself went to her parents. IT was probably going to be a long night tonight and Sapphire would end up crashing on the couch.

"Hunny I'm home!!!!!"

Giving a giggle as she enters Sapphire drops her bags and purse by the couch before poking her head around the corner to find Gage. Giving a big grin she goes over to him and gives him a nice big hug.

"I think one of these days you going to be tired of me being here all the time. I'm hardly at home anymore, not that I mind at all."

Slidding into the chair next to him Sapphire puts her arms on the table and leans on it a little but. She new she could never tire of Gage's company and after spending almost all day with him at the amusement park the other day she felt even closer to him.

"So...what should we do today since the whole day is at our finger tips?"

Ryan could see the sparkle in Alec's eye even if he hadn't said it. He liked the necklace and that made her happy.

Continuing to just study Alec Ryan looks away for a moment glancing around the room. She couldn't help but feel a little bad for him having to be locked up like this all the time. Thought she understood and new why she still felt bad.

Giving a shrugs and a smile Ryan looks to Alec again as he talks. Just listing to him and thinking for a long moment.

"I guess, I bend the rules to an existent in more ways than one. Some people would say I was crazy too. But if you ask someone who really knows me they would simply say, I took after my father who had an extremely kind heart."

Ice storm

Alec simply stares back at Ryan as if the whole concept was foreign to him. He'd been in the Agency so long that he'd forgotten what it was like to have a friend or receive a gift with no strings attached.

Finally he drops his gaze, the first time he'd let her win a stare down. He studies the chain again, finding that he liked it very much. He'd always wanted one, but hadn't ever gotten around to buying one for himself. Ryan had good taste. But could he really accept this? Wasn't that a sign of surrender? Was she expecting something in return? Did he really want to take it as acceptance of the friendship she apparently thought existed?

It seems an eternity of weighing options and consequences before finally slipping the chain over his head and tucking it under his shirt. The less attention he drew to it the better - Hal might consider it a danger and take it away.

With his eyes still down, he takes a few more french fries, keeping his mouth busy for the next several moments. Eventually, he sits back a little and pulls his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around his legs and resting his chin on his knees, staring back at Ryan.

"I still don't understand," he comments. His tone still contained the caution. It was almost timid but not quite, with a lack of hostility. "Not only was it bizarre you came in the first place, but then to come back after I dissed you. You say everyone deserves company this time of year but... according to the law, I don't deserve anything but the electric chair. So either you're nuts or... slow in the head. But you don't seem to be either."


"I'm sure we can go see the horses." Ryder nods. "All we gotta do is ask and I bet anybody would show us around and introduce us to a few of the critters."

The lull in conversation is taken over by BJ's enthusiastic greeting to Thirteen and Ryder watches and waits, letting her do the talking. When she finally looks up at him again, he smiles warmly. "Family is more than bloodlines," he mentions softly. "Kids seem to figure that out before the adults do."

Cocking his head, his crooked smile remains. His mind thinks about Trent and all that he knew and Thirteen didn't. "I've found it's not the blood that really matters... it's the relationships we have with others. Family will always share blood, but if there's no love, then it's not really something to be sought after. But friendships... good relationships with the people we love despite no blood connection - those are the ones worthy of being called family."


Trent eyes the other people in the dining room as breakfast is served. His gaze flickers between Ryder and Jasmine, and Katie. It was Katie who he wondered about at this point. After her last visit, he just wasn't so sure how to take her.

As more people filter in to eat, Trent seems to retreat further into his corner. A small tv was set up and he turns his back to the group, switching on the news for just a short while, hoping to catch the weather report.

"Accidents are happening all over the south and east," the female reporter states while standing out in snow in northern Texas. She goes on to tell about specific accidents in Oklahoma, Tennessee and Illinois to emphasize the damage winter weather was causing not only in isolated states, but in many regions.

"We got word of an accident involving a semi and a mother and her baby," the male newscaster comments.

"That's right, Todd. It was on the interstate in Arkansas late last night. A mother and her six-month-old baby were traveling to family when the ice storm hit. Her car stalled on the road and she couldn't get it off to the side. She got out of her vehicle and went to retrieve the baby from the backseat while oncoming traffic tried to go around her. Witnesses say that a semi approached in her lane but couldn't stop. There were two cars to the right of the semi and the trucker apparently opted for the ditch to avoid hitting anyone."

The reporter pauses for just a moment to read her notes. "We interviewed the mother and she said she thought she and the baby would get hit, but it appeared to her that the truck driver purposely jackknifed his rig to avoid hitting her. She's never been so scared in her life and I can't blame her."

"And what happened to the trucker?"

"He did go in the ditch, Todd. Pictures show the rig went off the road then rolled. It looks like we got a report that said the driver was injured and taken to the hospital. No name or condition had been released since then, but there is one mother who says her angels were watching over her this Christmas Eve. Wherever that trucker is, we thank him and hope the injuries were not serious."

Trent blinks as he sees the pictures being shown in the corner of the screen. The cameras had caught an angle that showed the color of the truck in full view. It was red with a custom black stripe that slashed from front to back. Trent immediately recognizes it. "Oh, no..." There was no mistaking it was Eric's truck.

He turns in his seat, scanning faces until he finds Rosetta. He needn't call her over - the look on his face would suffice.


Gage had off today. It was one of the very few, other than Sundays that he didn't have to go work. Lately it had all been ditch work, tree lines and more back-breaking work. He was just as glad he didn't have to go today. It gave him time to wrap his gift to Sapphire at least before she came over.

The whole thing with Scott made him question his relationship with her, but at this point, he was going to trust her that nothing bad would happen if he continued to see her.

Siting at the tiny kitchen table, he fumbles with the brown paper, trying to get the corners folded in just right. It was his third attempt - he wouldn't have crooked corners or wrinkled tape. Eventually the gift is wrapped, not very thick, but had a fairly large surface area. If one fingered it, they might guess it was something in a picture frame.

Gage sets it aside for now and looks at the clock. He'd forgotten if Sapphire said she would come over early today or if she had to work. He wouldn't call though. He didn't want to bother her and it wasn't like he had any plans that would be disrupted if he didn't know exactly when she'd be there.