Running

Joined by Beth, Justin grins. "Forever can be hidden in a moment if we just look hard enough."

Watching her sit down, he cocks his head, his grin widening. "Yeah... yeah things went pretty good today, actually. I think Scott finally had a breakthrough... seems he wants me to keep coming back again. Maybe he'll get out of here one of these days after all."

Still grinning, his eyes twinkle. "You're looking awfully cute today."


Hearing the door open and close then movement in the kitchen, Eli slips from his bedroom and wanders down the hall. Reaching the kitchen, he leans on the doorway and just watches Ryan for several moments.

"Hey, Speedy..." He hadn't been sure she'd even come home tonight. He'd been worrying about her all evening. "You alright?"


Carson sits at the little kitchen table in the apartment, shuffling the deck of cards absentmindedly. He didn't know why he still had them. It was the deck taken from Alec's place. If anything, he should have left them at TJY, but he'd forgotten to take them out of his pocket. He should have given them to Misty to take back, but for some reason, he found himself fiddling with them instead.

It was late at night. He and Misty had gone to bed a couple hours ago, but he'd been unable to sleep. Finally getting up, he'd read his Bible for a while then gotten something to drink, but was still restless. Finding himself at the table with the cards, he had nothing else to keep his mind occupied at the moment - other than that which he didn't want to think about. The subject of Alec weighed more heavily on his mind than he'd thought it would. He'd have his car back tomorrow, so what more was he supposed to be concerned about?

Laying out the cards, Carson stacks seven rows to play solitaire. Yes, what more should he be concerned about? Alec was a half-brother, but that didn't matter. Right? Ever since he'd arrived, Carson had battled with that thought. For sure, he didn't trust Alec, nor did he want to socialize with him as part of the family - especially after Alec got Dani in trouble so early on. And yet there was a small voice way deep down that reminded Carson that family was family, no matter what. He remembered what it was like to have a family... to be close to his sisters, even if their circumstances hadn't been the best. As far as he knew, Alec had never had any of that. But was that Carson's fault? Alec was still someone he didn't trust.

Three... three... jack of hearts... three... Carson turned over the cards three at a time, fishing for cards to play. Six of spades... ten of clubs... ace of.... wait, what? Carson frowns. He'd already played the ace of diamonds. Sifting through the cards in his hand, he realized he had two extra. He knew he'd counted the stacks right so... why were there extra? Confused, he gathers up all the cards and turns them over, sorting through them one at a time. In the end, he had one full set, plus two extra aces. That was odd. If Alec liked to cheat at cards, he certainly wouldn't have stored the two aces in the deck, lest someone find them.

Carson's mind automatically reverts back to finding the deck in Alec's apartment. The phone, the chain, the note... everything had all made sense. But why the deck of cards? The phone - a signal that he no longer wanted to be reached. The chain - a sign that he was done with his girlfriend. The note - his reason for taking off. The deck of cards - .......? Carson drew a blank. Come to think of it, he didn't even know why they hadn't questioned that in the first place. He and Reese had been so busy putting other pieces together that they hadn't asked each other why Alec would have left the cards there. Unless they went along with the chain and it was something between him and Ryan. But... why the extra aces?

Then a new thought strikes him. He wasn't sure he liked it, but what if it were true? He studies the cards for a few more minutes. Why would he be thinking this? It didn't make sense, did it? Surely, it didn't add up. But the more he thought about it, the more it did. The watch. The car. The deck of cards. The voicemail message.

So which theory was right? This one, or the one he and Reese had from the start? Alec siding with the Agency was the most reasonable, simple answer. It was obvious. This new theory was...

Carson shakes his head. No. It couldn't be. It was a silly thought. Stacking the cards all together again, he returns them to the box, including the two extra aces. But as he continues to sit at the table, his thoughts continue to wear on him. He needed to go back to bed before Misty woke and missed him, but his mind seemed to not allow him that luxury. No, sleep wasn't going to come easily tonight, no matter what.


Passing under light after light, the drive down the highway droned on and on. Alec kept one hand on the steering wheel, the other taking care of his cigarette. Yvette's words bounced off the inside of the car, some registering in his mind and some not.

Old habits never die,
Heading back to what I was.
Choices lead to gallows high,
But I don’t care.
Robbing hearts and stealing faith,
Hope don’t mean a thing.
Renegade on the loose,
I’m running… running.

"This wasn't part of the plan."

"So plans change." Yvette hands Alec the gun. "They want proof."

"Aw come on." Alec takes the gun and cocks it, flicking his cigarette out the parked car window. He looks out at the night sky before his eyes return to the little gas station. "They want to get me caught is what they want."

"They want to make sure you still know how not to get caught."

"Are you kidding me?" Alec scoffs. "I haven't been gone that long."

"Mm... I'd say you have." Yvette yanks him closer to plant a deep kiss on his lips. "Now go rip off the poor sap, shoot him and let's go. We're running out of time."

Alec's eyes narrow, still only inches from her face. "I call the shots," he hisses. "And I'll go when I'm dang ready."

Three minutes later, a shot shatters the peaceful night air.

Don’t look back. Shadows ahead.
Darkness fills my heart.
Fear breeds hate and hate I love,
Fighting unseen enemies.
Kill the one that holds the law,
It don’t mean tears for me.
Chains of guilt bind my soul,
But I run anyway.
Vengeance slays with bloody hands,
And I run anyway.

"Hotel Luxury. Here we are."

"I have eyes." Alec steers the car into the lot, checking the clock. "Five minutes early. And they thought I was rusty."

Yvette throws him a sly look. "You're anything but rusty, hot stuff."

Alec quirks an eyebrow as he parks the car. "Don't get used to it. We got work to do."

"What's a little work without a little pleasure?" Yvette gets out of the car first, starting to grab their bags.

Alec follows suit and within minutes, they're inside, checking in. "Yes, we're Mr. and... Mrs. Barrington."

"Oh yes." The man at the counter smiles. "The new couple. Welcome." He hands them the key cards to the newlywed suite and tells them where it's located. "If you need anything, please feel free to take advantage of room service."

Yvette grins. "I don't think we're going to need a thing." She links arms with Alec. "Come on, Honey."

It doesn't take long to be on the fifth floor and into the large suite. Yvette dumps her bags on the bed and takes a look around while Alec investigates windows and vantage points, setting up their laptop. "And... we're set to go. Twenty-four hours from now, the target will be down and we'll be gone."

Yvette leans over his shoulder as he sits at the computer desk, then moves her attention to kissing his neck. "That's an awfully long time from now."

History repeats itself,
Shouldn’t be surprised.
Lighting splits the worlds apart,
But I don’t care.
Crushing peace, loathing truth,
Freedom beckons me.
Renegade on the loose,
I’m running… running.

Don’t look back. Shadows ahead.
Darkness fills my heart.
Fear breeds hate and hate I love,
Fighting unseen enemies.
Kill the one that holds the law,
It don’t mean tears for me.
Chains of guilt bind my soul,
But I run anyway.
Vengeance slays with bloody hands,
And I run anyway.

Waking up at four a.m., Alec can feel Yvette sleeping soundly in his arms. Slipping noiselessly from her, he slides out of bed and pulls on his jeans before wandering to the kitchenette for a drink of water. Padding quietly to the bay window in the living room area, he looks out over the city lights. His course had been laid.

Fear an option never taken,
Love forgotten evermore.
Time means nothing,
Heart of steel.
Useless dreams erased.

Don’t look back. Shadows near.
Darkness fills the air.
Fear breeds hate and hate I love,
Defying unseen enemies.
Kill the one that holds the law,
It don’t mean shame for me.
Chains of guilt bind my heart,
But I run anyway.
Vengeance slays with bloody hands,
And I run anyway.
I run anyway.