You better....

Ryder doesn't move his angry stare from Dana, nor does he move his arm from around Thirteen. If he had his druthers, he'd tell Dana to get out right now, but he didn't feel it was his place. His hand tries to reassure Thirteen with an extra little squeeze, but he knew it would take more than that to help her over this one. She was growing stronger in so many ways, but there were pieces of her heart that were still fragile, and Dana had stomped all over them.

"Hey, I'm just stating what I see." Dana's voice rises and she backs up a couple more feet. Her pulse was racing now and she could feel sweat running down the back of her neck. Her hands' shaking increased and her face grew pale. "If you've got a problem with what I see, then maybe you ought to take a step back yourself and see what's really going on in here."

"Of all the..." Trent takes a step forward. "You've got some nerve, you know that? You keep it up, you'll never be a part of this family."

"Oh, won't I?" Dana's voice quivered. She staggers back another step. Though she still spat out angry words, inside she was beginning to panic. "I will be part of this family - your brother is seeing to that. You don't want me here, you better take it up with him!"

Jeff eyes her suspiciously, wondering why she seemed so agitated. It was as if she wanted to continue being angry but was scared instead. He then glances to Katie and realizes what's going on. But instead of stopping her, he simply folds his arms and watches. No, he wasn't going to stop this one.

"Maybe I will!" Trent shoots back. "In the meantime, why don't you try sitting down and shutting up?"

"You're telling me to shut up?! How dare you!"

"Me? You're the one acting like some snob, waltzing in here and tearing us apart!"

"Snob!" Dana's voice is close to a shriek. She backs up another step, but finds she has backed up against a wall and can go no farther. "Eric will-"

"I don't care what Eric thinks!"

"Well you should!"

Ryder roll his eyes. "Why should we, when he's got someone like you hanging onto him?"

The words didn't stop, nor did the shouting as the volume rose. It was only a matter of seconds before an all-out war had erupted with pointing fingers, raging eyes and words hurling back and forth across the room. Accusations were flung in both directions and defenses rose to new levels. Dana's voice grew louder and louder and soon she was shaking all over, tears streaming down her face as she tried to control whatever it was that was happening to her.


Outside, Eric finally finds his phone and chides himself for having lost it in the first place. Tucking it safely in his pocket, he shuts the cab and wanders back to the house. Reaching the porch though, he can already hear shouting, and he's immediately on guard. Quickening his pace, he gets inside only to find the verbal battle in the living room. Everyone was on their feet and there was so much shouting going on, he wasn't sure who was saying what.

Stunned for a moment, he stands numbly before realizing that it was a war with the family against Dana. "Hey, what is-" His voice was lost amidst the shouting. "Trent would you... Jeff..." He felt invisible. Hearing some of the words being said, his own anger starts to grow. Then Dana spots him.

"Oh, Eric!" She rushes to him, trembling as her crying turns into uncontrollable sobs. "They won't stop! They wont! And, and, I don't know, it's all too much... too much! Take me out!"

With her panicking in his arms, Eric's eyes shoot around the room and land on Katie. And instantly, he knew why Dana was such a mess. "Katherine Lynn Pent!" he barks. "What in the blazes do you think you're doing?!"

The room falls silent.

"You leave her be this instant, or so help me..." Eric glares at her, his finger pointed as a warning. "You'll wish you never had the guts to pull a stunt like this."

Jeff takes a step sideways, closer to Katie. "Eric, if you'd just-"

"Shut up!" Eric's eyes snap from one brother to the other, to Ryder, then back to Katie. "You better have an awfully good explanation," he hisses.


Misty's words of encouragement really did make Carson feel good, and he smiles up at her. "Thanks... I'd hate to climb this mountain alone."

Finally sitting up and turning around, he settles in next to her, putting his arm around her shoulders so she could nuzzle in to him. Putting his feet up on the coffee table, he grabs the television remote. "Let's see if there's some dumb late night movie on," he muses. "I could do with a bit of stupidity tonight that's not my own."


Alec's fork is halfway to his mouth when he stops and looks across at Ryan as she mentions what he'd done for Gage. Though he didn't want them to, his cheeks grow a bit warm. He wasn't used to doing things like that for anyone, let alone someone else making mention of it.

Still looking at Ryan without much of a response coming to mind, he feels her tap to his leg under the table. Grinning a little, he stuffs his mouth full of beef and rice and shrugs. "Yeah, well... I didn't like him working nights anyway. Always woke me up at odd hours, hearing him moving around when all the smart people were in bed."


"Anytime, Karla." Gram smiles. "You come on over whenever you want. I'll see you then."

Hanging up, she gives a little sigh. Helping these younger people gave her something to do and something to make her feel worthwhile. Sometimes it was hard, but she wouldn't trade it for the world. She just hoped that she and Gramps would be the lights God wanted them to be.


Kip's stomach growls and he ignores it. He didn't really want to get up. He was too tired to care, but too awake to sleep anymore. He hated that feeling of in-between.

Trying to get comfortable in the bed, he turns this way and that, but it was useless. No matter how he positioned himself, it hurt. The pain killers were already wearing off, but he couldn't take anymore for at least another two hours. Another miserable addition to a miserable day.

A note book lay open on his nightstand, forgotten, despite it not being intended for anyone else's eyes. But as it was, it would be hard for anyone not to look and notice that he'd been working on a song. The words though were not the kinds of lyrics he normally wrote. No, this time it reflected what he truly felt.

My eyes rise to see the light,
But my body remains trapped,
Below the surface.
Whitecapped waves rage above,
My sights dim as I sink,
Down to the dark.

I’m drowning in this sea,
This sea of misery.
Drowning without hope,
Hope of better days.
No shore in sight,
No oxygen.
Drowning in this sea,
My sea. My sea of misery.

My hands reach up towards the light,
But I sink further down,
To the abyss.
My lungs scream for air they lack,
But water crushes me,
Taking my life.

I’m drowning in this sea,
This sea of misery.
Drowning without hope,
Hope of better days.
No shore in sight,
No oxygen.
Drowning in this sea,
My sea. My sea of misery.

My body weakens without a will,
Breathing an impossible,
Task to perform.
A watery grave awaits me now,
Chilled, black darkness,
My resting place.

I’m drowning in this sea,
This sea of misery.
Drowning without hope,
Hope of better days.
No shore in sight,
No oxygen.
Drowning in this sea,
My sea. My sea of misery.

Nobody threw me here.
Nobody said to go.
It was all my choice,
My own will to jump.
Nobody brought me here,
Nobody said to swim.
It was all my doing,
My own want to jump.

Now I’m drowning in this sea,
This sea of misery.
Drowning without hope,
Hope of better days.
No shore in sight,
No oxygen.
Drowning in this sea,
My sea. My sea of misery.