Think you can

Once Rick was gone does Katie realize she had been holding her breath and finally lets it out. Jason was...slowly dieing? The thought seemed to hit her hard and almost stun her. Her best friend, the man she loved was...dieing? Rick could find a cure though right?

Looking back to Jason Katie's face was weary, and her eyes were sad. How could she deal with the thought of losing Jason? It hurt a great deal, and she was only happy that Jason couldn't feel her right now or it might upset him more than he already might be.

"I'd rather you didn't have this excuse for staying in bed."

Tightening her hand on Jason's just a little she looks down at it for a long moment. There fingers locked seeming not to be separated by any strength. Only now to be threatened once again.

"Rick is going to find this J. He and Misty will find a way, I just know it. They have to."

Pulling into the TJY parking lot Ryan sits in her car for a long moment just thinking. She'd went for a drive, she'd driven fast, and yet...she couldn't get her mind off getting to the bottom of the whole Alec thing. Something wasn't right she just new and she had to find out what happened. Even if that meant going into the lion's den.

Heading into TJY and down the steps Ryan new only a few people would be there still. Coming through the door that lead to the main floor Ryan scanned the area still she saw the one she had been looking for. Walking over to him Ryan sticks her hands in her pockets cocking her head just a little bit.

"It's Ty right?"

Ryan new about Ty a little from Alec and while here once she had met him. He seemed like an ok guy that might be willing to help her. He go to stay here at night alone anyways. He had all the time to try and find something for her.

"I think we met once before. Ryan McKade. Listen I was hopping maybe you could help me out with something."

Leaning aganst the wall for a long moment Ryan's eyes searched Ty's. She held her strong air, and her tough skin but deep in her eyes there was sadness. Maybe she wouldn't say it aloud but she was hurt, sad and angry.

"Recintly my boyfriend Alec has gone missing. Reese and Carson thing he went back to the Agency but that doesn't add up. They wont look into it, and I can't let it go. So I wanted you to get me any information on how one might get in contact with the Agency for me so I can do so and find Alec. No one will know it was you who gave me the information because I wont say a word. So think you can help me?"

Found

Taken by surprise by the dip, Susanne's eyes widen before she giggles. His words amaze her, simply because this whole thing was so unreal. "You're definitely hopeless," she agrees. "Is this the part where I get to swoon?"

She dramatically throws a hand back on her forehead and closes her eyes, suspended in Chuck's arms. "Take me to your castle, oh Prince Charming, where we shall live happily ever after." Opening her eyes again, she frowns. "No, scratch that. You'd probably have to fight off some dragon or something."

Sighing, she rights herself again, her cheeks flushed. When she speaks again, her tone is a little more serious, though not enough to ruin the moment. "When you say forever, I feel like I'm a victim of love at first sight. But since I don't believe in love at first sight, and I don't think you're some serial killer, that only leaves that you're absolutely bonkers."

Taking a step back, her hand slides down his arm to find his fingers and give them a little tug. "Let's walk. At the very least, I'll end this day having walked with a mad man."


Jason sighs and continues to absentmindedly run a hand through Katie's hair. He appreciated her concern, and he was concerned too. But he hated being forced to take actions like this - feeling as if there was no choice. It made him realize this was beyond control and that wasn't something he liked.

"Okay, we'll ask Rick," he relents.

"Ask me what?"

Jason looks over to the door where Rick had just reappeared with a glass of water and some pills. "About the antidote."

"Oh?" Rick approaches and hands Jason the water and pills. "Here. These will ease the pain. I've got someone bringing over some breakfast for you too."

Jason didn't feel like eating, but he wouldn't argue. Downing the pills, he gives back the glass. "Katie and I don't have to stay on the antidote, do we? I mean, since I'm awake and fine now?"

"Fine?" Rick quirks an eyebrow. He glances to Katie then back to Jason. "You're hardly fine, Jason. You've been asleep for two days and you can barely move. Does that sound like fine to you?"

Jason smirks. "Well I will be."

"Look, Jase... it will take some tests to confirm it, but I'm ninety percent sure that you had several seizures. Your entire body basically shut down from an overload, you hurt all over and your knee is in bad shape for apparently no reason. Now tell me how soon you'll be fine."

Jason swallows hard. He wanted to be mad... he wanted to tell off Rick and just power through this like he always did. He wanted to ignore the danger and pretend that everything really was alright. But his gut knew otherwise, and he also knew Rick was right. "So is that a no about getting off the antidote?"

Rick retrieves two syringes from his pocket, his facial expression grim but kind. "Yes. That's a no. I want to give you more time to heal before letting you go back to what's normal for you. If you don't heal and you have another attack... well... let's just not let that happen, okay?" He leans forward and gently takes Jason's arm, prepping it, then giving him the shot. Next, he goes around the bed to Katie, offering her a smile. "You're doing the right thing... I'm proud of you." Giving her a shot as well, he turns to go again. "I'll be back."

Jason's eyes follow him, but he doesn't let him leave yet. Something still wasn't right. Rick just wasn't acting like he usually did, and he'd never reverted to using the antidote like this before. He was usually more willing to experiment and let Jason fight things out. There was something else. Something he wasn't saying. "Rick."

He stops and turns around. "Yes?"

"Level with me."

Rick wanted to ask "about what?" but he didn't. He knew. Jason knew. "I'll have to wait and see the results from your bloodwork, and I've already scheduled you for a list of tests once we're back in Nevada. I won't know anything until then."

"Rick," Jason warns. "Your gut has been better than any test before. Tell me what you really think is going on."

Rick fiddles with the water glass in his hand. He didn't want to say it, least of all in front of Katie. But Jason wasn't giving him much of a choice. "Like I said, I won't know anything until I see test results so I can see what's going on in your body. But..." He sighs. He'd thought he could say it. Now he wasn't so sure.

Jason's arm was around Katie and it tightens slightly without him realizing it. "Say it."

Rick finally nods. "I could be wrong, so I'm not taking any actions until we have those tests. But without seeing the results yet... if forced to make a diagnosis... I'd say that whatever this is lately is killing you. And if you have another attack before you're fully recovered, I'm not sure you'd survive."

Jason grits his teeth. "Thank you."

Rick can't say "you're welcome." It just didn't seem right. "I'll be back shortly. I'll let your mom know you're awake now, too."

Left alone with Katie again, maybe Jason is glad she can't feel him right now. He did his best to hide how upset he was by turning to her and giving her a little smile. "And I thought having a twin brother was the most I had to worry about. At least I have an excuse to stay in bed, right?"


Outside the room in Angel's office, Rick sits at a little table again where all of his books and files were spread out everywhere. Who was he fooling? He knew without the tests what was going on. He and Angel already agreed that Jason had had seizures. They already both agreed his body was weakened and responding lethargically. They already agreed that he had symptoms of general physical failure. It was obvious without any tests that something was attacking Jason with fury. But what?

He slams a hand down on an open book, his frustration bubbling over.

"Rick?"

He whirls around and stands when he sees Cindy. "Cindy. Good morning."

She gives him a weary smile. "I heard Jason was awake."

"Yes... he is."

"Then what's... what's wrong?"

Rick sighs and leans back against he wall. Folding his arms, he closes his eyes, weary and having a headache. Telling Cindy was worse than telling Jason.

Cindy approaches him with worry and places a hand on his arm. Seeing her son would wait. "Rick?"

He opens his eyes and looks back at her, trying to remain strong and encouraging. "Lots of things are wrong but lots of things are good, too."

"What's happening? Is Jason going to be okay?"

Rick gently puts his hands on her shoulders. "If I have anything to say about it - yes."

Cindy isn't convinced. "Tell me the truth." Tears glisten in her eyes. It had been a long time since she'd felt this scared. "Tell me what's really going on."

Rick is silent for several long moments before he moves over to the set of chairs and sits with her. "Slowly but surely, Jason is dying."

One of Cindy's tears escapes to trickle down her cheek. "Why? How?"

"I'm not sure. Each emotional attack he has, makes him sicker and sicker each time. It's beginning to do more damage and eventually that damage will be permanent. Each time he passes out, he's in danger of brain damage. This time, he actually had several seizures which could have numerous side affects. We've got him on pain meds just for his bad knee, and he has no signs of outer trauma to that joint." Rick purses his lips grimly. "This... this emotional power or gift or curse he has, is killing him."

"But... but why didn't we see this before? He's had this condition for a long time now."

"I don't know. The only thing I can come up with is that his condition has worsened after he received that chemical dart a while back. Before that, he'd get sick and of course it didn't do his body any good - but it wasn't life-threatening. At least not as extreme or quickly. Eventually it would have wore on his body, but this is much more rapid and each attack is much more severe."

Cindy swallows hard. "Is there anything you can do?"

"I'm going to try. But it's going to take a lot of blood work and more equipment than they have here. We need to take him back to TJY so he can recover and so Misty and I can start a series of tests."


"Carson, they found your car." Reese paces by his desk as much as his phone cord would allow.

"Where?"

"It was abandoned along the highway up north." Reese's eyes catch movement in his doorway and he sees Ty, hesitating with the cart to gather trash. It was late evening and usually the offices were empty by now. Reese waves him in, letting him clean while he remained on the phone. "We think they switched vehicles so we'd lose the scent."

"They?"

"Yeah, we found some witnesses at a gas station and one other driver who saw them pulled over. Alec is traveling with a woman - probably this Yvette you mentioned."

"Aw, great. So when do I get my car back?"

"Tomorrow. I've got someone lifting prints and the like, then it'll be detailed and brought back here."

"Detailed?"

Reese rolls his eyes. "Don't ask. I will say that Alec is having himself a great time. Got himself a woman, we found cigarette butts and it looked like a bottle of pills had been spilled - looks like that drug he and Gage were on when they first got here."

"Nice. Well, let me know if there's anything I can do."

"I will. I'll keep you informed." Reese hangs up and sighs, standing out of the way as Ty returns his emptied trash can.

Ty finishes but doesn't leave right away. "Went back to the Agency, huh?"

"Mm-hmm." Reese sits down and sifts through a few papers.

Ty lingers, his curiosity growing. He'd heard bits and pieces since he'd gotten here tonight, and none of it sounded good. "The woman... old lover of his?"

Reese gives him a slightly annoyed glance. "If not an old one, she's a new one."

"Weird."

"Why's that?"

"I don't know." Ty shrugs. "Just hearing about him and whats-her-name... Ryan... didn't seem like he'd go off and cheat on her."

"Well, lots of things happen when you're in the Agency. There's no doubt what he's doing with the woman and there's evidence suggesting he's throwing himself back into his old life all the way. Some people never can completely break free. Some people always return."

Ty purses his lips, finding that statement sad. "I guess. You gonna be here late?"

"Um, just a while longer, then you can clean the floor."

"Got it." Ty leaves the office to continue his nightly work. Sometimes he felt left out of the loop as far as what was going on at TJY, but as long as he was just the janitor, it would probably stay that way. He'd learned how to keep his ears open though and had gotten pretty good at figuring out what was happening and who was on what cases just from listening. Came in handy sometimes. "Aw, Gunner." Ty looks at a handful of gum wrappers that had been thrown towards the cubicle trash can but hadn't quite made it. They were scattered over the floor instead. Even if he didn't know he was in Gunner's cubicle, he'd know it was him - he was the only one that chewed cinnamon gum.


Carson sinks down in the couch, tired, even though he'd left the restaurant work to the others for the day. It wasn't the sort of tired that told him it was bedtime though... it was a sort of tired that made him feel weary. He'd been thinking of Alec all day, fluctuating between being angry and being confused. It made perfect sense, yet didn't make any sense at all. Carson wanted to just believe all the evidence and know that Alec had simply returned to the Agency. But why his gut wasn't letting him fully believe it, he didn't know.