People believe in me...

Jared wishes there was something more he could do for Grace, but he knew she was right. There really would be no way he could ever repay her. 

At the mention of cocoa, a wry grin emerges. "You kidding? My mom has everything." He thinks a moment and shrugs. "I guess that does sound kinda good..." 

...Lydia was more than happy to let Grace make some cocoa, insisting on marshmallows as well. And by the time Grace returns to the bedroom, Jared is sitting up a little straighter, having moved off to one side. And in his lap was a photo album. 

Nodding for Grace to sit next to him in the space he'd made, he accepts the mug of cocoa before moving the photo album into her lap instead. "Mom gave this to me to look at the other day... I figured..." He shrugs. "After all my ranting and blubbering, you might be interested." 

The album was full of photos from Jared and Justin's childhood, from birthdays, family vacations, holidays and more. Their father was included in the photos as well, until later on in the album. 


A small but genuine smile spreads on Alec's lips as he eases down across from Ryan. She had every right to tell him to beat it, but she hadn't. And she even wondered how he was and had liked the flowers - it was certainly a whole lot more than he'd anticipated, and he wasn't going to miss this chance to spend some time with her, even if it was only a few minutes. 

"I'm glad you liked them..." His smile remains until he lowers his eyes to pop open the lid on his coffee and take a sip. Her question hadn't gone unheard though. 

"Things are going alright." He nods then looks back up at her again, his eyes finding hers and just staring at them for several moments. "Still looking for a job. You know how that goes for a guy with a record like mine." He gives a little scoff and shrugs. "I figure somebody's bound to accept me eventually. In the meantime, Misty's still letting me stay with her and she's got me fixing up a shed out back so I can have my own space."

He purses his lips and nods thoughtfully. "Getting my feet under myself has... probably never been harder," he admits. "But having a couple people believe in me has helped." 

He just wanted her to know he was different. He'd changed. He was trying to get his life back. He wanted to share with her. Let her know he was really making an effort. Not that it would matter though... 

His eyes finally drop again and he takes another sip of his coffee. "What about you?" His gaze rises once more and a lump rises in his throat as he reminds his hand that it was not allowed to reach over and touch hers. "How are things?"


Watching the men leave, Jaz leans on the open door for several minutes until they were out of sight. Closing it again, she locks the deadbolt and takes in a deep breath. There was a side of her that was Agency... she had learned to be tough as nails - tough enough to kill, cheat, lie, steal... whatever was needed to get the job done. But since then, she had set aside those ways... and her sensitivity as a human being - as a woman - had returned. And right now, she did not feel like a strong Agency villain... she felt like a weak and frightened woman. 

Returning to the kitchen, she sits down in one of the chairs before burying her face in her hands and letting the sobs come out. She'd thought she'd escaped the Agency. She'd had her own life. And now it was all gone, all over again. And she was scared. She was scared for her life, or worse, scared they would take her back. 


Carson responds to Nate with half a laugh. "I have a feeling you might have enjoyed knocking me out." 

Making it to the car, he gets in the back seat. Feeling even worse now that he'd been up and walking, he leans over to lie down for the short ride to TJY. Rick keeps a close eye on him, but just lets him be for now. 

Back at TJY, Rick leads the way inside, while Carson still needs Nate's support to walk, his dizziness still very present and his legs still too wobbly to stand. Pointing down the hall, Rick motions to the spare room beside the infirmary. He'd rather use the infirmary itself, but he didn't want to put Misty through that. "Go in there and lie down, Carson," he directs. "Nate, make sure he does it, will you? I've gotta grab some stuff and I'll be right in." 

Carson has enough energy to smirk, but not enough to fight, so he lets Nate take him to the room. Without complaint, he eases down on the bed, closing his eyes to try and stop the dizziness and pounding. Whether he knew it or not, him not putting up a fight in itself was a clue that something was wrong. 

Rick walks into the infirmary and quickly starts to gather some things he needs, throwing Misty a quick glance. He wasn't even sure if she wanted to know what was going on though, so he refrains from explaining. "I'll be in and out," he mentions. "Carson will be in the next room for a while, if I can keep him there."