7/23/12

Behave

Hunter really had no idea if Katie's theory was right or not. Was it really linked to his past? Was it really linked to things he'd left unfinished, ignoring them until they forced their way in and tried to drag him down? Or was he drowning his own self by not dealing with those same things? Or was this stupid nightmare not really telling him anything at all and it was just his imagination gone wild? It mattered little... the bottom line was that he couldn't sleep and this whole thing was really feeling scary. 

Moving his fingers to intertwine with Katie, he finds her offer sweet... and appealing. "Maybe you can break another spell," he responds softly. It was worth a try. Maybe if he could just relax, he could get some good sleep without the disturbing vision. 

Standing up, he pulls Katie with him without saying anything, guiding her inside the bunkhouse with him. Heading for the bed, he flops down on his side. Looking up at Katie, he pats the empty spot in front of him. "Be my security blanket?" He grins, trying to bring humor into this whole thing. "I promise to behave." 


Getting settled in the car, the scent seems to be familiar. Jared didn't remember anything about it, but his senses did seem to know this vehicle. His eyes look around the dashboard, the visors and the floor as if searching for clues.

"Huh? Oh..." He shrugs at Grace's question. "How should I know where to go? I don't even know the options, let alone how to get there." He smirks and points down the street. "That way... or the other way, if you prefer. You're driving, not me."

Leaning forward, he pops the glovebox and takes out the contents. Registration... insurance information... some napkins... a couple pens... a notepad. Interesting. He flips it open to find a short list of phone numbers in his handwriting. He wondered who the numbers belonged to. Maybe it was connected to his job. Finding a road map, he sees that it's been folded so that the state of Nevada is showing. That must have been from when he came here in the first place. Several other cities were circled though - had he been planning to go somewhere else? Or had he already? Or...? Oh look, a stick of gum. It looked ancient. And... a business card? Wait... a woman's name and... His neck grows hot as he stuffs the card back under several other items. Surely not. He'd never... would he?

Stuffing the contents back into the glovebox, he sighs. Turning, he peers into one of the cup holders in the console. Loose change. Quite a bit, actually. At least he'd been a saver, right? That was good. Looking up at the visor, he flips it down to find a selection of CDs. His fingers glide over the titles as recognition tries to flicker. He could almost hear the music... rock?

Now completely lost in thought, he almost forgets about Grace entirely or where they were headed. Reaching for the radio, he turns it on. A CD was already in. And the volume way up. Cringing, he turns it down as the heavy rock music blares. Apparently he liked things loud. Really? He retrieves one of the CDs from the visor, not liking the artwork. Looked like some metal band. He wasn't so sure he wanted to try listening to it with Grace in the vehicle - he had a hunch it wasn't going to be full of pleasant lyrics.

Flipping the visor back up, he then shuts the radio off again and sighs. His eyes catch sight of an air freshener hanging from the rearview mirror. It was the shape of a star and still smelled a little like vanilla. Breathing deeply, he suddenly sees the inside of a gas station. There was a rack full of different air fresheners. He'd wanted pine but they were all out. So he'd opted for vanilla instead. Turning, there was a woman who smiled sweetly. She didn't have a nametag though. She didn't work there. She liked vanilla too. And she reached for it. No, she reached for his hand, pulling him to the counter. Her smile was more than friendly. It was seductive. He liked it and-

Giving a lurch, Jared is suddenly back in the present, his eyes focusing on the road ahead as his heart raced. That was the second memory he had with a woman. But it wasn't the same woman. A reoccurring thought enters his mind but he shoves it back out again. No... no... he wasn't that kind of man. He was sure of it. He couldn't have been.

Turning his head to look out the window, he hides his face from Grace. He wanted to tell her he'd just remembered something, but for some reason, unknown to him, he was afraid to.


"Mmhmm." Justin takes another bite of his bagel, chewing it slowly. "I gotta go into North Springs and meet with that young girl again." Things weren't going all that well and he was desperate for a breakthrough. 

"After that... gotta do some shopping for Ma and... that's about it. Other than come back here and call a couple people about their computer woes." 


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