Weak Heart

You could always dump him. 

After sending his reply, Hunter wasn't so sure he should have. Taking another swig from his bottle, he types out another quick text. 

Sorry. We be thick headed most of the time. 

Id buy u a drink but u dont drink.

Every morning always has a sunrise. 

Just wait for it. 

Hitting "send," Hunter rolls his eyes. Finding his bottle empty, he waves for another one. Every morning always has a sunrise. That had been something he'd been told once... a long time ago. He'd quit believing it. Yet now he was passing it along. Did that make him a hypocrite? Or did he, deep down, still believe it? 

Kaylee gives Trey a hug around his neck and a sloppy kiss on the cheek, giggling for reasons only she knew. 

Having Trey pull her close too, Cindy returns his hug warmly. For the first time, she was holding the son she had not even known existed. And nothing could replace that feeling. "Yes... I'll call you." 

It wasn't until she was driving back to the hotel that the tears finally spilled over. She wasn't sure whether there was more pain or gladness in her heart right now. No matter. She must go on. She must go home. She must survive. 

Justin doesn't let go of Beth's hand yet and he gives her a soft smile. Seeing that shy little look in her eye made his own eyes twinkle. Maybe he'd known all along that she'd been waiting, and that's what had scared him the most. It felt rather silly now. 

"Yeah, you make sense." He nods. Lifting one hand, he rests his palm against her cheek. "I'm not disappointed," he reassures quietly. "I'm proud of you... no matter what you decide." He meant it too. He was jealous, and he did care for her, and he did want more than friendship, even if he hadn't been able to admit it until now. But... in the end... even if she opted for Zach... he'd be proud of her. 

"Just don't leave me in limbo too long, okay? I've got a weaker heart than most people know."

Garret looks down at Victoria, his fingers moving to interlock with hers on the swing's chain. A sigh finally emerges. He felt weary today and wasn't even sure why. "Good... because I haven't had enough of those walks yet." 

Finally letting go of her hand, he moves slowly around to sit beside her - there was just enough room for two to sit together if they didn't mind being cozy. Slipping his arm around her shoulders, Garret holds Victoria close. They had known each other just over seven years now. And from day one, they had known their futures would not easily be separated. Some would call it fate, but Garret wasn't sure he believed in that sort of thing. What he did believe was that over the last few years, he'd fallen in love. And forced to keep it a secret had become a curse they shared. 

Setting the swing in a slow motion, Garret controls it with his leg. "Funny," he muses quietly. "We're sitting here, hiding from the world in our own little peaceful corner. And the rest of the world hides from us." 

They rarely spoke of the conflict. The conflict between what they did to survive and what they knew was right. It wasn't easy to maintain any kind of conscious or conviction in a place like this. And if Garret were truly honest, he would admit that it was because of Victoria that he'd learned to have a conscious again. She was the one that had taught him there could still be good... that there could still be right and wrong, even if they were forced to do despicable things to survive. She'd put up with his stupid moves and he'd loved her for her stubbornness to maintain the lines her mother had taught her to draw. And in the end, Victoria had not only won the battle but she had won Garret's heart. And for the last few years, they had kept their promise of keeping their own relationship pure. No matter what they had to do on the job, when home again, together, alone... what they had would not be marred by bad decisions. And they had kept that promise. But the question they never asked was if they would ever know more. Their love was forbidden. And as such, they were locked in the prison of the shadows. 

Turning his head, a small smile finally creases Garret's lips. "You look beautiful today." He always told her that - but he always meant it. His free hand reaches over and his finger runs lovingly down the side of her face. 

"Maybe the next time you're sent out, you should insist on a bodyguard," he teases. "That way I could keep you in my sights." Still smiling, he shakes his head. "You showing up for the party tonight? I hear there's some high rollers that are supposed to show up."