Tempers

Scott's initial hesitance to approach Hope only added to his surprise at her reaction to seeing him. Taken completely off guard by her embrace, for several moments he simply stands stunned. But slowly he slips his arms around her too.

Hugging her tightly, his eyes fall closed and a million and one thoughts race through his mind. How long had it been since he'd held her in his arms? Yet it was surely impossible for him ever to hold her again as he once had. Not after all he'd done and said to her. Not after he'd cut ties and all but burned bridges. Her muffled words bring him a strange sense of comfort. She forgave him. No matter the future between them, at least he was forgiven. And that alone made his courage to see her worth it.

Eventually he pries himself away before his emotions got the best of him. Her eyes looked tired... her face perhaps thinner than he remembered. He'd worried so much since she'd been sick. But she did look much better now than she had lying in the hospital bed. There was color in her cheeks... and somewhere deep ran a new spark - the spark of a survivor. One thing remained though, and that was a beauty - in and out - that had captured Scott long ago.

Yet even so, he just now spots the unexpected - tears. Cocking his head in near-bewilderment, he lifts a thin finger to her cheek. Brushing away the tears first on one side then the other, his gaze remains soft. "What are you crying for, hmm?" His voice was barely above a whisper. "You're one of the few people that had faith I'd be back."

He could curse his blind eye - he wanted to see her with whole vision... with completely clarity. He swallows hard. There was so much he wanted to say, yet with no way of saying it. So much he wanted to tell her, yet words just didn't fit. His palm cradles her face for just a moment before it drops and he slips both hands into his pockets. "I, um..." He bites his lip. "I wanted to stop by and see you," he finally manages. "I've been released... from Brookshire, and..." He shrugs. "I guess I wanted to let you know."


Right ahead of Ashlee, Dylan wasn't paying a whole lot of attention. He heard her behind him and hadn't thought about checking his speed. Listening to her explanation of the plant, his eyes remain on the undergrowth around them. As her words are broken off though and Dylan hears her fall, he stops short and spins around just in time to see the book go flying and her hit the ground hard.

Without even thinking, he's by her side in an instant, kneeling next to her. "Aw man, are you alright?" Hearing she was not, he cringes a little. "Here, let me take a look."

Reaching for her ankle, he pushes up her pantleg, trying to be careful. He'd sprained his own ankle once before and it was not a fun experience. Unable to see it clearly enough, he unties her shoe and loosens it as much as possible before slowly slipping it off her foot. As he does, he sees that her ankle already showed signs of swelling.

Glancing to Ashlee's face, only now does he realize that she had tears of pain, and probably embarrassment, streaming down her cheeks. And without him even knowing it, a genuine compassion shows in his eyes. "This might hurt," he warns gently. Using his hands carefully, he cups her ankle and presses ever so slightly, feeling the heat and trying to feel if anything was crooked or out of place. "I don't think it's broken," he concludes, "but I can't tell for sure. At the very least, you're right - you sprained it mighty good." He slips her shoe back on, but leaves it untied so it wouldn't be restricting.

Looking back at her again, he gives her a look of sympathy. "This is my fault. I should have been paying more attention to where I was leading you." Crawling nearer her head, he pulls a bandanna out of his back pocket and wipes her tears. He'd never admit that seeing a girl cry was something he couldn't stand. "It'll be alright. We just need to get you back so Angel can look at your ankle, okay?"

Tucking away his bandanna again, he straightens a little and offers his hands. "Think you can stand?"


"Nope. Ain't seen him since earlier." Eric coils up a rope he'd been using and hangs it in the barn.

Mick sighs and tilts his hat back on his head. Odd. He'd been looking for Dylan for about twenty minutes now and had come up empty handed. He was supposed to be doing his schoolwork, so assuming he was off fooling around didn't sit very well with Mick. "Alright. Thanks." Turning to go, he stops then swings back around again. "What about Ashlee?"

"Um..." Eric thinks, then shakes his head. "I thought I saw her out back with a book a while ago but I haven't seen her since. I was gonna have her help me bringing those horses but when I couldn't find her again, I figured she was busy or something."

"Okay. Thanks." More annoyed than concerned yet, Mick looks for a few more minutes then finally scouts around for Stacy just to be on the safe side. Finding her in the dining hall, he waves to get her attention. "Hey, Stacy. Have you seen Dylan this afternoon? I can't find him." He hoped that Ashlee wasn't missing too, like his gut suspected.


"Burn the eggs? Me?!" JT continues to scramble the eggs, allowing the conversation to move on from his slow-move-ed-ness. He grins. "Never!"

"Mmhmm." Gunner peers over his shoulder. "I see a black spot."

"You watch it or you're gonna be a black spot," JT threatens. "Watch your bacon."

Gunner grins and goes back to his own cooking. "Yes, Papa."

JT waves a spatula at him. "Boy, you're cruisn' for a bruisin' and it's barely morning. Do you always start this early?"

"Early?" Gunner shakes his head. "I'm a vampire. I've been up all night. This is late for me."

"We were all up late." JT's eyes narrow, remembering the commotion Gunner had caused upon entering the tent.

Gunner stifles a laugh. "Yeah, well... didn't anybody ever teach you not to lie in front of the doorway?"

"Eggs are ready!" JT lifts the pan from the fire, while changing the subject. "Get 'em while they're hot!"

Gunner lets the bantering die down for a while, at least so they could have a prayer and eat in peace. It wasn't until the meal was over that Gunner brings up the subject of a walk again. Standing and stretching tall, he nudges Bree. "So you gonna walk with me or what?"

"Hey," JT complains. "Who's gonna do the dishes?"

"You look mighty fine in an apron," Gunner quips. Grabbing Bree's hand, he drags her away from the campsite, yelling over his shoulder. "Amanda, keep an eye on him!"

Watching the two run off, JT shakes his head. Seated on a log and balancing his breakfast plate on his leg, he chuckles. "Those two... If I didn't love them so much, they'd be the death of me." Downing the rest of his coffee, he stands up and starts gathering the camp dishes. "I guess I'm on kitchen duty today."


Once in the trees out of sight from the camp, Gunner relaxes a little and leads the way to a well-worn path. "Mmm... this is nice. Fresh air. Sunshine. Sometimes I feel like the city's closing in on me, ya know?" His fingers lock with Bree's to hold her hand as they walk. "At least I got you to keep me sane..." His sentence drifts off. "Well... relatively sane," he teases.

It's a nice walk through the woods. Taking their time, they see a bit of small wildlife, take note of funny looking clouds, and eventually they wind up at a small cliff looking over a sparkling stream. They'd been walking for about half an hour and Gunner uses that as an excuse to pause. Looking out over the ridge and down to the stream, he points. "The water's so clear, I can see fish from here. I ought to tell JT to bring his rod up here instead of trying the pond."

Letting the silence linger, Gunner falls strangely quiet before speaking again, this time his voice softer than before and perhaps almost hesitant. "Ya know... spending time with you... well, I guess I figured I wasn't ever gonna find someone like you." His hand fiddles with hers, while his eyes remain on the scenery. "You're fun... and smart... and beautiful... and you put up with me and my quirks. I don't know how, but you do."

Chuckling, he finally turns to face Bree. His cheeks were slightly flushed. "I don't know if you realize how much you mean to me. I don't know how I survived so long without you, to tell you the truth." He swallows hard. I guess, um.... well, I guess I wouldn't wanna find out if... if I could survive without you again. That said, um... I... well, see I..."

Gunner's stammering is brought to a sudden halt as out of nowhere he winces and smacks the back of his neck. Bringing his hand back down, he stares into his palm where there lay a killed yellow jacket. Just looking at it for a moment, he blinks. "Hey, Bree?" His voice had changed yet again, but this time it was a strange tone of concern. "I... never told you I was deathly allergic to bees, did I?" He could already feel the immediate formation of a painful welt where he'd been stung.

Dumping the insect on the ground, his eyes find Bree's. There was no playfulness in his gaze this time - only dead seriousness. "I sure hope one of those doctors has something with them back at camp. Otherwise I'm in big trouble." They needed to get back to the campsite - and fast.

Grabbing Bree's hand again, he pulls her back to the path at a fast pace. "If I can't make it all the way, leave me and get help," he directs.


The scent of bacon wafted on the air, filling Justin's nostrils with the tantalizing aroma and awakening his stomach. Shifting just a little, he feels strangely at home yet out of place at the same time. This didn't seem like his bed. He shifts a little more, sensing he was lying on couch cushions. Had he fallen asleep in his living room? If that were true, why was he smelling breakfast? No, wait... he wasn't on his couch... he wasn't in his home at all, was he?

Finally cracking open his eyes, he comes to the full realization that no, he wasn't in his home, but rather, he was in Beth's. And that realization brings an instantly strong feeling of embarrassment. He'd fallen asleep last night, hadn't he? On the couch? And Beth had let him sleep? All night? Now fully awake, he also realizes that he was under a nice warm blanket and resting his head on a regular bed pillow. Not only had Beth let him sleep, but she'd apparently made him comfortable as well. Knowing that did help this embarrassment fade - at least she hadn't been trying to get rid of him or something when he'd fallen asleep. He did remember now how quickly he'd tired while watching the movie. He must have drifted off quite soundly after that.

Managing to sit up, Justin runs a hand through his matted hair. He smells the bacon again and hears Beth moving around in the kitchen. She really was sweet. And thoughtful. And kind. And gracious. And... He shakes his head, grinning a little to himself.

Rolling off the couch, he stretches and tries straightening himself out a little, though he still looked like a wrinkled mess. Hearing Beth continuing to work on breakfast, he slips down to the bathroom to clean up a bit before returning. Wandering back to the kitchen a few minutes later, he feels much more alert than he had in days. He still needed a clean set of clothes and he needed a good shave too, but the good night's rest had done his spirits well and today looked just a bit brighter than yesterday.

Seeing Beth at the stove, he comes up behind her. "Mmm... what do we have here?" Reaching around her, he snitches a little piece of bacon that was done, and pops it into his mouth. "Perfect, just as I suspected." Leaning over her shoulder, he gives her a quick kiss on the cheek, being careful with his scratchy face. "Thanks for letting me stay last night."


Chance's eyes dash between the others, back and forth as the seconds tick by. Nate's threat makes his blood boil and anger flashes in his gaze, but he remains silent, his feet remaining still.

What does make him break his stance is feeling Destiny's hand slip into his. Looking down quickly and seeing it to make sure he felt it right, his eyes then rise to hers, questioning her intentions. Her plea for him to go with them strikes him straight to the heart. Did this mean... she forgave him? It was something he almost dared not hope for.

Nate snaps him back to attention with his gruff order to go, and he looks again to him, then to the car, then to the building where he knew Con was. His face showed a conflict of emotions, still not allowing him to move.

Wyatt sticks his head out the window of the car and yells at them. "Come on, you idiot!"

Con's voice crackles through to Nate and Wyatt. "For all we know, there could be more guys coming - we have to get out of here now before we're all caught."

Wyatt throws an arm in the air. "Nate! Bring him!"

Not waiting for Nate to hold to his threat, Chance straightens, his hand tightening around Destiny's. "I'll come," he relents. "Just don't blame me when we get back to base." Not explaining, he heads for the car, guiding Destiny beside him before opening the door for her and letting her in first.

Wyatt waits for Nate to get in too before pulling out of the parking lot. Once on the road and in the clear, he rolls his eyes. He glances in the rearview mirror. "You wanna explain yourself, Chance? Huh?"

Chance remains silent, his fingers still intertwined with Destiny's.

Wyatt shakes his head. "Did you really think we'd let you off that easy? Go to the enemy? Weasel your way in and do their dirty deeds while you don't have to worry about facing up to the Elite? Is that what you wanted to do?"

Chance lets his gaze move to the window to focus on the passing lights. He doesn't turn to look at Destiny - though hoping she had forgiven him, he wasn't ready to talk about it now... not that the two guys in the front seats would let him anyway. For now, his hand in hers would have to do.

Thankfully, the rest of the ride back to TJY was quiet, even though the air was full of tension. Once there, Wyatt pulls up front to park, getting out with Nate and waiting for Destiny and Chance. As they approach the building, Con's truck pulls up as well and he joins them.

The five of them walk in together and they don't make it halfway across the quiet main floor before being met by Reese. His eyes were wide in surprise at not only seeing Chance back, but Con as well. Surprise is quickly replaced with irritation, though, and while one might think he'd be pleased to see that they hadn't needed to sacrifice Chance, his expression was far from pleased. "What in the blazes is going on?!"

Con quirks an eyebrow. "Before you start yelling, just-"

"You had direct orders!" Reese was ignoring Con and pointing to Nate and Wyatt. His eyes snap to Chance. "And so did you."

Chance looks at him dimly. He still held Destiny's hand. "Your goons wouldn't let me go through with the trade."

"Wouldn't let...?" Reese glares at the others again. "I want to see you three in my office, right now." He points to Chance. "You take care of Destiny and go park yourself somewhere that I can find you." Grabbing the nearest phone, Reese dials Dalton's office. "Dalton! In my office, now!" He was smart enough to know the tech guy had to have been in on this too. Stalking towards his office, he leaves the others, knowing they'd follow.

Wyatt cringes and looks up at Nate then Con. "Well... this is going... well."

Con cocks his head. "What?"

"Nothing." Wyatt smirks and throws Nate another glance. "And here I thought we were doing something good." Starting forward, he makes sure the others are with him before getting to Reese's office.

Once everyone is there, Reese sits down behind his desk, glaring up at all four standing men - Nate, Wyatt and the two giants. "So you thought you'd do things your way, huh?"

"Look, it wasn't like that," Wyatt defends. "We just -"

"I gave you all direct orders," Reese snaps. "What were you thinking?"

Wyatt's face grows hot at being called down. "We were trying to save both of them, don't you understand? We didn't have to lose Chance."

"So you thought my decision was unwise."

"I didn't say that."

"I am sick and tired of you challenging my authority." Reese's eyes blaze. "There's only one reason you would have taken Con - how many people got shot?"

Wyatt would have preferred that Nate be in charge of answering the questions, but since he'd opened his big mouth first and was now the one being spoken to, he tries to remain cool and just reply to Reese. "We used tranquilizers to play it safe."

Reese shakes his head. "Do you have any idea what you risked?!"

"Of course we do!" Wyatt glances to the others for help.

Before anyone else can speak though, Reese cuts in. "It's Wyatt I'm talking to," he barks, keeping his eyes on his son.

Wyatt grits his teeth. "We were all in it together."

"I don't care! I had my reasons for telling you what to do. You, of all people, should have listened!"

"Why are you singling me out?! It wasn't just me!" Wyatt gestures to Nate. "He and I both set it up, and he was in charge!" He didn't want to lay blame, but he didn't want to take it all either.

"That's beside the point." Reese's eyes hold their glare. "I expect you to follow orders."

"Because I'm your son?" Wyatt regretted saying it, but it was too late. He was tired, angry, and just wanted to leave.

Reese stands up from his chair. "While you're in this building, you are a lieutenant. Nothing more, nothing less. If you want to bicker about me being your father, I suggest you save it for a more appropriate time. I expect more out of you, Wyatt. I've always been able to depend on you - until now."

Wyatt was seething. "What is the big deal? Why aren't you pleased we brought Chance back?"

"Because he was supposed to infiltrate the Underground and feed us information! That's why!" Reese slams his palm down on his desk. "We needed ultimate security to make it happen! He was going to be our guy on the inside so we could get a handle on what the Underground is really doing. But now it's all shot to pieces because of your grand ideas about doing things your own way!" His eyes drift between all of the men now. "I commend your ability to pull off this stunt, but I also recommend never doing it again. You're all dismissed."

Everyone was too stunned to leave immediately, and Wyatt only becomes angrier. "Thanks for risking your lives, guys," he comments sarcastically, mimicking what he'd expected to hear. "Thanks for getting Destiny out alive. Thanks for saving Chance from possible torture." His eyes narrow. "We didn't used to run on secrecy. A couple years ago we would have gotten a pat on the back for what we did tonight."

"Is that what you want?" Reese sits back down and stares up at his son. "Starting tonight, you're on probation."

"What?!"

"You heard me."

Shocked and angered, Wyatt spins on his heel and stalks out of the office before he could say anything else regrettable.

Reese points to the remaining three men. "I suggest you all call it a night unless you'd like to be on probation as well. I'll handle Chance and Destiny from here."


Back down the hall, Chance had guided Destiny to the break room where he gives her a chair at the table to sit. Grabbing his own chair, he sits down close to her and leans forward across the corner of the table, taking both of her hands in his. His eyes stare into hers, conveying his sorrow and concern. "Before we do anything else... Are you okay?"