Out

Future Mrs. Palmer. It made Jade's spine tingle and she giggles. "Hi there, handsome."

Drawn into a hug, she wraps her arms around Dan's waist and leans her head against his chest, murmuring softly at his warmth. She could stay in his arms forever.

Once he pulls away though, she stands on her tiptoes to give his lips a quick little kiss. "It's spaghetti tonight with garlic bread." Food was far from her mind though and she searches Dan's eyes, her arms still lightly around him. Her gaze was full of questions. "Is Dylan okay? Where did you find him and how on earth did you get him to come back?"


Dylan trudges into his bunkhouse, closing and locking the door behind him. Wandering to the bed, he drags his backpack on the floor before letting it go. Not even taking his shoes off, he falls onto the soft mattress, the pillow catching his head. It was a far cry from a cement block under a bridge. He needed to shower. Change clothes. Empty his backpack. But his body simply won't cooperate.

Unable to keep his eyes open, he falls asleep within seconds after lying down. It wouldn't be until morning that he would wake again.


Justin felt drained. Curled up on the couch as the tv droned, he didn't really feel like getting up and making himself supper. His visit with Jared had been fine. Short. Nothing traumatic. And yet it had sapped all his energy. He yawns. This was stupid. He was fine. The whole thing was fine. He just needed to move on and not think about it.

He still doesn't want to move from the couch though.

Glancing at the wall clock, he wonders if Beth would be home by now. He usually talked to her in the evenings on the phone if they weren't getting together. But she was hanging out with Zach today and he didn't know when their day would end.

Shrugging off doubts, he reaches over his head to feel around for the cordless phone. Dialing Beth, he readjusts his weight on the couch, letting his head stay in the throw pillows. One ring. Two. Maybe her day with Zach had been such a good one that they were spending a night out too.


"I don't want to do it anymore."

"But why? You're doing so well."

"Because it's not real. I don't like it."

"But, Ariel..." Pete throws up his hands. "I don't understand."

Ariel paces on the sidewalk near TJY where they'd met. "It's not fair to him."

"Who said anything about fair? It was a plan, it worked, and now you want to jump ship? I don't get it."

Ariel sighs and finally stops pacing to look Pete in the eye. "Look, you don't have to get it. I'm out. Period."

"You at least owe me an explanation!" Pete shakes his head, frustrated. "If you didn't like it, you didn't have to agree in the first place."

Ariel grits her teeth. "I'm sorry, okay? Just... I don't like arguing with you."

"Well, I don't either." Pete sighs, calming down. "I just don't understand." Studying Ariel's flushed face, the answer suddenly hits him. His eyes widen. "You... care... about him?"

Ariel shifts her weight and breaks eye contact. "I just don't think hiding the truth has been fair, that's all."

"You like him."

Ariel raises a glare. "So what if I do? You had me play the part well enough. I can't help it if I feel compassion."

"It's more than that." Pete shakes his head. "Okay. I give up. You don't have to spend any more time with him."

"If I do, it'll be because I want to, not because I'm supposed to be gaining information." Her expression twists a little. "I didn't think you'd do something like this."

"Like what?"

"When I said yes in the first place, I thought this was some hardened criminal that held important information, vital to TJY. But all I find is a lonely young man, lost and confused. Not a threat to society."

Pete's shoulders drop and he gives her a wry little grin. "I was just doing my job, ya know. We weren't sure if he was an Agency threat or not. He wouldn't talk to any of us, so... we thought perhaps someone like you would do the trick. I..." He stops and shrugs. "I'm sorry if you got attached. I didn't realize it was getting to you."

Ariel bites her lip. "Me too. But you might want to apologize to Trey too."

"I know. Reese has been working with Angelica to find him a place besides TJY to live since the danger seems to have passed. I just, um..."

"What?"

"I don't know how to tell him that I was playing a role but wound up considering him a friend anyway."

"And now you know my own position."

"Yeah." Pete glances back to TJY then to Ariel again. "You gonna tell him?"

"I feel it's only right. And... all I can hope for is that he will still be my friend."

Pete nods. "I didn't like it... acting. I never was good at it."

Ariel scoffs. "As if. You've obviously done a good job. Looks to me like somebody just forgot to call an end to the mission when it was time."

Pete grins. "You ever thought about being an agent?"

Ariel laughs. "What, and do this all the time? No way." She shakes her head and turns towards TJY...

..."Knock knock." Ariel pokes her head just a little around the corner to see into Trey's room in the lower level of TJY. She'd never been here before - she'd always just met Trey somewhere else or at lakeside parties.

A smile creases her lips. "Hope you don't mind me intruding. I just wanted to come see you."