Enticing

Justin waves back to Beth, then settles back to wait for Jenny's call.

He was almost dozing when his cell phone buzzes and he's summoned inside. Scott seemed to be in fair spirits today and Justin was pleased to find out that he'd not only seen his sister but had eaten a little bit of breakfast too. Keeping that in mind, Justin doesn't want to push things too much today - not when it was starting out to be a good day. Unfortunately, he knew they couldn't stop their progress.

And so, almost an hour was spent simply playing frisbee and exchanging some small talk. Though Scott said little, Justin was able to gently advise as always while at the same time, helping Scott get some physical activity.

Once they're back at the same table beside the grassy lot, Scott is staring at the overturned cards. It was the memory game again, and again his stomach gave a little lurch. "I don't want to do this today," he mentions quietly, his eyes down.

Justin sighs and formulates an answer. "Why not?"

"This morning was so good and..." Scott picks at some chipped paint on the table. "...and I don't want to ruin the rest of the day with all this garbage."

Justin purses his lips. "This garbage is the only way to gain control."

"Well, maybe I don't want to," Scott defies. He really didn't want to do this today. He really did want to end on a good note and he didn't want to stretch himself to do this.

"So you're going to what? Just give up for no good reason? You were doing great yesterday and you just want to throw that away and pretend we weren't making progress?"

"No, I just... I'm tired."

"And you're going to be more tired. But what would you prefer? Being tired of this, or being stuck in a dark hole the rest of your life because the Agency data took over your mind?"

Scott swallows hard and keeps his eyes down. He didn't know why he felt defeated today. Maybe it was just being tired after seeing Sapphire. His time with her had been good, but it still wore him out emotionally, and after playing frisbee, he was physically tired as well. "I may never leave here anyway, so what does it matter?"

Justin shakes his head. Scott was just being stubborn, but it wasn't good. Justin had one tactic left. He'd saved it for what might be a more major time, but he might as well use it now. Reaching into his backpack, he withdraws the two nameplates from TJY and tosses them over to Scott.

Scott jumps a little and stares at them before looking back up to Justin. "What are these for? They're not mine anymore."

"Well who else's would they be? They're not TJY's anymore, remember? You walked away. If you're going to go bury yourself in misery now, just take those right along with you and bury everything."

Scott looks back down again. He knew he'd resigned from TJY before coming here. He knew he'd walked away without the intention of going back. Yet he also knew that a part of him deep down had always hung onto the hope that he might return. Having his nameplates thrown at him now though, sealed his fate of never going back. "They don't belong to me," he reiterates. "Take them back."

"What if they were given to me?"

Had Reese given them to Justin? Scott wonders. "Then throw them away."

"Why?"

"I don't want them!" Scott raises his voice.

"Why not? Because they remind you of what you're letting go?"

Scott falls silent again before shoving the nameplates back over to Justin. Still quiet, he flips over the first card...


...Justin ambles through TJY's hall, stopping a ways before the office door that was his destination. Thinking a moment, he takes his cell phone out of his pocket and dials, leaning against the wall out of anyone else's way. "Hi, Dalton, this is Justin Hawks. I wondered if you had just a quick moment to see me."


Reese pauses in Angelica's doorway, seeing her deep in thought. Her worry was evident on her face and Reese knew it must be about more than one thing.

He finally knocks softly. "Hey." He wanders in a few feet, not wanting to invade her space, but knowing also that he was welcome. "Thought maybe you'd like to drive around a bit before heading to the airport."


Chance chuckles and nods. "I'd like some tea whether it's one-handed or two-handed. Thanks."

Moving to the refrigerator, he looks inside, scanning the contents to figure out what would go well on sandwiches. Straightening again to glance back to Destiny and ask her what she thought sounded good, he stops midway to speaking. Watching her for a moment, he gives a little sigh then gives up on the sandwich idea for now.

Walking back over to her from behind, he gently wraps his arms around her. "You okay?" he asks quietly.


Having Ryan come up behind him, Alec laughs again. "Mmm... you know I live for danger. I think you just want to entice me."

Feeling her hands on his chest, he leans his head back a little, just enjoying the moment here with her as the water lapped around them. Reaching up, he takes her hands in his and just holds them, running his fingers up and down her arms.

Quite suddenly and without warning, he takes hold of her arms and stands up, throwing Ryan off his back. Skirting around the splash, he falls back into the water again to swim out far enough that he has to tread to stay afloat. His laughter echos off the surface as he shakes his head, spraying water in all directions. "Don't sit there too long," he hollers. "You might boil the water."

Play with fire

Stepping into the house her arm wrapped and in a sling for a few weeks Destiny does her best to give a smile to Chance. She wasn't that hungry and everything still seemed so fresh in her mind, not having time to continue the grieving of her parents there just didn't seem like closure there yet. But if she didn't eat something Chance might worry and she didn't want to worry him with anything else right now.

"Yeah, sandwiches sounds good."

Giving a small smile Destiny ambles over to the table and puts her purse down before making her way into the kitchen. Taking down two cups from the cabinet she turns to Chance. She might not be able to do a lot with her arm up like this but she had to do something or she would do mad.

"Would you like some one handed tea?"

Continuing to watch Alec Ryan gives a laugh. Seeing him strip his shirt Ryan's eyes widen a little but than turns into a soft look as he splashes in the water. Letting out her own laugh it just seemed Alec's was contagious but it felt good.

Jumping out of the way as Alec sends a splash her way Ryan throws a playful look at him before dropping her sandles next to his shows and the shirt.

"Your in for it now mister."

Taking a running start Ryan lets the water splash on her legs before she jumps in and goes under water. Staying under Ryan turns around and comes back twords Alec before coming up up behind him and bringing her arms around his neck laying her hands on his chest.

"Mmmm...playing with fire can be dangerous you know, even if your in water."

Giving Alec a big kiss on the cheek Ryan laughs again as the soft waves lap against them both. Her hands gentily running over his chest.

Standing and giving a small smile to Justin again Beth gives a nod. Tomorrow...a new ruteen had been added to her days now and that was seeing Justin. Thought the time was always different it was nice.

"See you tomorrow Justin."

Turning and heading inside Beth turns once to give a little wave and than goes in the building to spend a little time with her sister before heading to work.

Sitting at her desk and staring at an open folder Angelica just continues to look not really reading anything as her mind was far away. In about an hour Reese and herself would be off to the airport to pick up Trey. Though Reese was going to be with her Angelica couldn't help but worry anyways about this whole thing. If this didn't work out, if Trey got into trouble and made thing worse around here she would feel like it was her fault even if Reese told her different. Angelica could only hope she was over reacting and everything would be ok.

On top of dealing with the whole Trey thing Angelica was worried about Charlotte too. She was still in labor and having to head to the airport today what if something happened? The Dr. said Charlotte was ok and sometimes being in labor for a while was normal but still there was that feeling in her stomach that was worry.

Leaning back in her chair Angelica lets out a long sigh just trying to relax. She never use to over react this much but things had changed now. Things were different and the only cold heart she had was not filled with warmth and that thought alone put a smile on her face.

She just needed to relax, everything would be ok. There was nothing to worry about and if something didn't work out than she could deal with it than. Taking another deep breath again Angelica sits up at her desk looking down at her paper work again. She had to get something done before they left.

Playful

Justin gives a little nod. He wasn't completely sure Beth wasn't just avoiding interaction with him, but by her slightly disheveled appearance, which was unusual, and the fact that she'd already said she was late, he was going to believe that yes, she simply didn't have time for frisbee right now.

"Okay. I'll bring it a long tomorrow. I'm a mean player though," he warns, followed by another warm smile. His eyes search hers once more. Every day she came. She had to be tired. Yet she still came. In a way, he pitied her. In a way, he admired her.

"Take Care, Beth. I'll see you tomorrow." He didn't say "if" this time... it just didn't seem necessary.


Alec bites his lip as a smile seeps out. He looks down at the sand again and wriggles his toes as a child would their first time allowed to play outside with bare feet. Alec was a rough, tough ex-Agency man. But there were still things that he had in common with Gage, even if he didn't want to admit it. He hadn't been sheltered from life - but he'd been sheltered from living.

Looking back up at Ryan, his smile grows. The morning sun catches his eye and bounces off with a sparkling glint. Glancing to the water again, then back at Ryan, the glint increases, now with more mischief.

Taking hold of his borrowed t-shirt, he pulls it up over his head and tosses it a few feet away on dry sand. Then backing into the water, he falls backward with a glorious splash, enveloped in the cool summer water, jeans and all.

A fresh laughter rings out. A laughter quite possibly never heard from Alec's lips since he was just a boy. Curling up his legs so he could sink up to his chin in the water, Alec shoots a splash at Ryan, his eyes shining with playfulness.


"Next few days..." Kyle glances over the papers Jackie had passed around the table. "That's pretty quick. Not sure we can do it that soon."

All eyes widen and look in Kyle's direction, a dreadful silence taking over for several long moments.

Kyle looks up as a grin forms. "What? I'm kidding."

Russ whacks him in the arm. "Behave yourself."

As several start to laugh, Wayne chuckles. It was good to see that this group got along so well and could joke amongst themselves. It was obvious they weren't just out for the money. They were doing this because they loved it. "Fill out the paperwork here, or if you want more time to read it over, take it home - you can bring it back in or fax it to us. Soon as Jackie and I take a second look at our schedule, we'll be in touch."


"Home sweet home." Chance closes the door behind him and Destiny after he'd already given the safe house a once-over. Setting the keys down, he goes to the computers and switches the monitors back on to keep watch.

Turning around, he cocks his head at Destiny. "Want some lunch? I could make us some sandwiches."

Pressed for time

Returning the small smile at Justin Beth looks down at her watch for a moment. She was running late, and her time with Sarah was going to be cut short as it was already so she could make to work on time.

"Oh...I'm running late as it is and I probably should have stopped to talk but I couldn't just walk past you and say nothing. Maybe tomorrow....if you bring it again we could throw it around for a little bit."

Beth hopped Justin wouldn't think this time it was to much of an excuse she wouldn't mind playing but she really didn't have much time today. But with no work tomorrow she would have more time and wouldn't have to rush even if she was running late.

Watching Alec it makes Ryan's smile grow even more. It was great to see how he was acting and how much he was enjoying it. It made Ryan thingy inside on its own.

Following behind Alec Ryan stands back for a moment just enjoying watching him. To see a smile on his face that he was enjoying something new was nice. How Ryan wished she had a camera right now but these memories would stay locked in her own mind to remember.

Coming up to the edge of the water were the soft water was rolling in Ryan looks out at the water before looking back at Alec. Hearing his searous tone she gives him a little nudge.

"You don't have to be so serous. Its ok to laugh and have fun. I promise I won't tell anyone and it wont make you a softy."

Hidden child

Justin smiles. "I like the rain too. I like fishing in the rain once in a while. Tonight it's over to Ma's for supper though. If I skip on account of fishing, she'll whack me upside the head so hard I'll probably still be black and blue come tomorrow."

His eyes sparkle teasingly. "So I guess the thing to do is let it rain while I go over there for supper."

Reaching into his bag, he pulls out the blue frisbee, running his finger over the few dings and notches in it that had been made by dogs' teeth. Glancing back over to Beth, he lifts one eyebrow. He knew she probably didn't have time, but he might as well ask. "Wanna have a round before you head in?"


Having his leg sprayed with sand, Alec grins, his eyes narrowing playfully. He kicks back, sending a wave of sand onto Ryan's legs. Glancing towards the water, he shrugs. "Okay." He picks up his socks and shoes to carry with him and wanders ahead next to Ryan, still getting used to the feeling of the sand.

Once they reach the water's edge, he ventures close enough that the quiet lapping of the water brushes over his toes. His feet sink into the wet sand leaving footprints that slowly disappear as the water takes them away. He doesn't realize he's smiling.

Eyes down, he wanders along the edge of the water, making footprints and stepping into the shallow water just enough to cover his feet. Then turning around, his face wears a sheepish look as he glances to Ryan. Surely he must look funny, like a little kid on his first day out. "You were right," he agrees, trying to maintain seriousness. "It does feel good."

Better than Flour

Beth lets a chuckle slip from her lips at the mention to her pie being better than his moms. It just seemed to hit a funny bone. Beth was happy though that he liked it. It made her feel good.

"I don't bake often and I am use to my own cooking so its nice to hear someone else say it was good so I really know it was."

Taking the small container from Justin Beth looks down at it for a long moment before looking up at Justin again. She felt a little more comfortable today than she had in past of seeing him. Maybe going out to the fishing spot with Justin had helped more than Beth admitted and that was where the comfort came from now.

"I hope your friend will like playing frisbee with you. Its a nice day out for it, for sure. I think it might rain a little later though, not that I'll complain. I like the rain."

Watching Alec for a long moment Ryan just watches him as he stands there wondering if everything was ok. Seeing the look in his eyes though she knows all is ok, and than seeing him take his shoes and socks off she gives a little grin.

Reaching down Ryan takes her own sandles off and holds them. Coming over to Alec Ryan gives a small laugh as the warm sand moves over her own feet. The warmth was nice, and the tingling sensation that ran through her foot made her smile grow a little more.

"This might be more fun than playing in flour. It's warm, and thingly."

Using her foot Ryan playful kicks a little sand at Alec hitting him in the leg. Giving a laugh she did it again the playful look just sparkling in her eye. This was new and seeing Alec hadn't done it before made Ryan feel good she got to be the first one to expectancy it.

"If we go down to the water the sand is even softer and feels mushy. Its an ok feeling as long as no seaweed is there."

Sitting next to Kyle Alice gives thoughtful nods as she listens to everything being said. She new a little bit about business and deals working with the paper she had gone through it alot. Most of what was being said sounded good to her. She was so excited for everyone and was happy she would be the one reporting on it all.

Giving a glance at Kyle and catching his eyes she gives a smile and a nod "I love you." Was her silent whisper. Her own excitement so clean in her eyes.

Being added in everything and having Wayne look to her and talk about her being the manager made Karla feel good. She felt useful and not just dead weight. It was nice to be wanted, and included into something so important.

Looking to Kip she beams brightly. She felt so good right now, almost on top of the world and she didn't even play that magor of a part she could only imagen how the others must be feeling.

Turning her attachen to Wayne as he talks Jackie just lets him take over for a moment. They had been teamed up for quite some time now and they worked well together. Both had there strong points, and when work needed to be done it was. Jackie liked working with Wayne even if he goofed off sometimes. It was a nice partnership and she couldn't have asked for anything better.

As Wayne continues to talk Jackie pass out some paper work that each person would have to fill out. It was normal work stuff, along with a few others things that were added in like not selling music to another company unless through them and so on. They didn't want to be the only ones for the band but they wanted to make sure other people didn't try to take advantage of them ether.

Once Wayne was done talking Jackie took a sip from her water bottle before starting to talk again herself not going to fast, or jumping from one thing to the next.

"We will probably want to start recording a CD in a day or two just to get things moving. It will only be a soft copy for now just to get the feel for it and what not, but than when you guys feel comfortable we can do the real deal. This can go as slow or as fast as you guys want as long as your comfortable."

Looking around the table again continuing to smile Jackie's air was professional, yet the twinkle that lit her eyes really showed she enjoyed what she did her and her excitement for her work. It was something she liked from the start and seeing other rise to the top was an accomplishment she loved.

Sandy Sensation

The band listens intently to Jackie. Each one knew a little bit about how things would work, but it was still a new experience. And, as Wayne had pointed out, their situation was different from others, so most likely, the process would be a bit different for them as well. This wasn't a huge big-name corporation that could make them stars overnight. But they were reputable, they did have known labels out there and they had the capabilities to make a name go far.

Kyle lets Jackie's words sink in, still hardly able to believe they were actually here. God truly was amazing. From the beginning of this adventure, things had been terribly impossible and even backwards. But how much greater was God shown then?

Erik leans back in his chair, his eyes never leaving Jackie's face. He remained rather expressionless, though was taking in everything and paying close attention. As her eyes meet his, he lets them, not dropping his gaze but just staring into her own eyes as if trying to see if she really was who she said she was.

Wayne nods at Jackie's statement and joins in. "She's right. We may advise you and help you tweak some things, but overall, we like uniqueness. We're not going to try to get you to sound like so-and-so down the block who's sold millions. Now... there are no guarantees here, as I'm sure you're aware. Just because you're here doesn't mean that you'll sell more than ten CDs when we're through. Hopefully, you will. Our goal is to get your music out there so that you make enough money to support yourselves and we make enough money to keep our jobs."

He smiles. "You guys have already been approved, so here on out, it's no more trials - it's just trying to get the best sound the best way we can. We're going to have contracts for you guys to sign to make sure that we're both in this together."

Pausing again, he glances around the faces, taking note of Karla too and what Kyle had said about her. "Jackie and are are going to be more like your agents than anything. We're going to find good spots for you to go and we're going to set up the deals and tell you where the best places for you to show up are at. Now you've said Karla's your manager, so we'll respect that and filter things through her if you like. If she keeps track of your schedule, that's one less thing we have to worry about."

Kyle raises his hand. "So what happens first? I mean... concerts or...?"

Wayne shakes his head. "First thing we want to do with you is produce at least two CDs. That way we can start getting your name out there more places and quicker than pushing you off to a bunch of concerts where only ten people show up because they've never heard of you. With CDs, we can get them into music stores and we'll also be trying to get at least one song on the radio - and I'm not talking your little local station here that plays local bands - I'm talking a bigger station and more than one station. Then come the concerts."

"Where will they be?"

"Local at first but not for long. We'll go statewide, feel out the attendees and see what they like. We'll have you open for other bands until you've established your name, then the roles will be reversed and someone else will open for you."

Kyle grins at the thought. "Sounds almost too big."

Wayne chuckles. "Not as long as your head doesn't get that big too." His eyes roam around the table again. "I'm sure you all know that there are days when this business is not so glamorous. This is going to be hard work on all our parts and there are going to be long hours and probably disagreements happening. You're going to get frustrated and at some point, each of you will consider quitting. There's also a chance that this will be as far as you go - there's a lot of new bands out there now to compete with. But... If you stick with it and are patient and are willing to make sacrifices... then I'm confident we can make this work. Especially seeing how you've been led this far already."


Alec looks down as Ryan takes his hand, and he lets her lock her fingers with his, giving them a squeeze. The cutsie little affection wasn't something he did often... it wasn't something he used to do at all. But with Ryan... he'd grown to like it. Someone cared about him for real, and he cared about her too. It was different than anything else he'd had and deserving of holding hands or whispering sweet nothings, unlike other "relationships" he'd had.

Sitting back, Alec grows quiet, just enjoying the ride to the lake. He liked being on the road - both being the wheel or a passenger. There was just something about watching the scenery go by and feeling the road beneath the wheels. Maybe that's one reason he'd fallen into the Agency trap - they'd had him travel and he'd liked it.

Finally reaching the lake and parking, it's decided that ice cream would come later. So they head for the little beach instead where thankfully, there were only a few people scattered about. Reaching the sand, Alec looks down at it for a moment. Glancing at Ryan, he looks at the sand again where his sneakers had sunk in.

Reaching down, he takes off his socks and shoes and lets his barefeet slide into the warm sand. Moving his toes around a little, his feet were enveloped by the soft feel of the grains as they rolled over his skin.

Just standing there in the sand for several long moments, one might think something was wrong. But as he looks at Ryan, a strange twinkle laid behind his eyes - almost like a little boy discovering some fun new adventure. He'd never walked barefoot in the sand before and the feeling almost wanted to make him laugh.


As Beth joins him, a smile creases Justin's lips. Letting her study him, he doesn't say anything until it's his turn to respond. A chuckle slips out. "I'm feeling alright - a frisbee fits in my backpack so I can hide my clown-ness for a day."

Still grinning, he shakes his head. "No dogs today. If they saw me playing frisbee without them, they'd have a fit. So we're going to try it without them today and see how it goes. But most likely they'll be back tomorrow."

Taking the empty container he'd remembered, he passes it to her. "I'm glad you liked the fish and... I thoroughly enjoyed the pie. Don't tell my mother, but I think yours was probably the best I've ever had."