Gonna get

Looking up at Jason as he comes in Misty does her best to give a little smile with the situation. She wasn't sure really how she felt right now with the news of Carson. There were many unanswered question that she wasn't sure she really wanted the answer to because it might just lead to more questions.

   "Coffee sounds pretty good. If I keep you awake all night though don't say I didn't tell you so."

Gathering up her paperwork and everything else Misty puts the folding where they go and the other research in the right area. Keeping everything neat was important to her so she was able to find what she needed when she needed it.

   "Alright I guess this is as neat as its gonna get. You wanna drive me car, your car, or seprate?"

Just letting Carson lean into her Katie didn't mind. That's one reason she was here to bring him comfort. Facing this alone she could only imagine how hard it must be, but she didn't want him to be alone. Even if she didn't know everything she new about to feel sad for her friend and want to try and help. That's just the kind of heart she had.

   "I believe you Carson and even if Reese doesn't now he will. Than he'll do all in his power to help you and you wont have to face this alone."

Giving a light squeeze and leaning her head against his for a second Katie lets out a sigh rubbing his shoulder. Would thing be ok with him and Misty? Would they even get back together since she was dating Jason now? Katie didn't know but for Carson's sake she hoped so.

   "Don't lose sight of God Carson...things will work out and he not left you."

Lies

After making a very brief call to Jaz without explaining what was happening, Carson resumes his position at the table, hiding his face in his folded arms. All the work he'd done these past months... everything... all of it... it had all been for naught. It didn't matter that it had taken this long for the truth to come out - the Agency would know. They wouldn't care if it had been at the beginning, or this late in the game. The whole double charade was over and now meant nothing. He had tried so hard... so very hard... just to have it all come crashing down on him now. It made his gut twist in new was as his emotions threaten to overflow. He'd been so strong for so long... and he was so weary... 

It was rare that Carson ever let his guard down, but he was so lost in thought - so distraught - that he didn't even hear the door open. He sensed no one until he feels an arm around his shoulders. 

His head shoots up quickly and he turns, surprised to see Katie. And for a moment, his eyes lock with hers and he is silent, reading her like a book. He knew without asking that it had been her presence he had sensed behind the mirror. That look in her eye - she had heard his story... but there was more than that there. There was sorrow... pity, perhaps... understanding... compassion. And it was the compassion that drove the lump into Carson's throat. 

Looking away, he sees the food and concentrates on that for a few moments. And a silent tear rolls slowly down the side of his face. 

Reaching for the glass of water, he takes a sip a bit shakily before setting it down again. He was just so very tired. Tired of keeping up the walls. Tired of the lies. Tired of trying to handle the weight of the world on his own. He was good... but he was still just a man. And it had been way too long since he had felt someone's comforting arm around his shoulders. It wasn't like Jaz... Katie was a true friend... he couldn't push her away. 

Too weary to fight any more, Carson leans to the side, resting his head on Katie's shoulder and closing his eyes. He had been so full of lies for so long... in the beginning, he had figured that it wouldn't last too long and it would be easy to tell people that the whole thing had been fake. But now... after all this time... would it still be that easy? "Please tell me you believe me," he whispers. 

Reese purses his lips before slowly shaking his head. "I don't know," he admits. "But there are a lot of things we don't know yet. Once we have some more answers, you'll know."

He smiles and pats her shoulder, unwilling to tell her anything else. "Thanks for indulging me. I'll tell Jason he's on duty for the night." 

It wasn't but ten minutes after he leaves, that Jason shows up in the infirmary. Wandering closer to Misty, he sits on the edge of her desk and cocks his head. "So Reese just told me I'm keeping watch on you for the night...." He knew just as little as she did at this point. "How about you and I go get some coffee somewhere before going home? It's about time you quit working for the day." 

Do you think

Standing in the observation room Kaite waits for Carson to show up and her stomach churns. She new what Carson had told her but she didn't know everything, so now she was just observing.  Feeling her pocket vibrate Katie pulls the phone out since Carson wasn't there yet. Seeing Hunter's text Katie smiles. It had been a long day and getting the text from Hunter really did bring a bright spot.

To: Hunter
From: Katie

Good at least people are looking out for you there
while I can't. I want you to get better not worse 
here.

Looking up again as she hears the door open and Carson steps in Katie lets out a little sigh. Everything inside her hurt for him and screamed for her to want to try and explain what was going on for him. But she hardly new herself what was really going on. There was a deeper reason, meaning and she didn't know it. Not to mention it was her job to not but in and let things play out, not to mentioned she promised.

Starting a new text message Katie lets her ears open while she wrote another text listing to what was going on in the other room. She'd always been pretty ok at multitasking. Though she wouldn't make the text to long so she could focus.

To: Hunter
From: Katie

Paperwork this morning but it seems the 
afternoon and night have become a little more
intrusting. Nothing much at the moment but I 
get to sit in on an interrogation and go from there.
Gotta try and pay attachen now, since you will
more than likely be in bed when I get done,
I'll text you first thing tomorrow. *kiss kiss*

To: Hunter
From:Katie

PS. I still miss you more than you'll ever know.

Putting her phone away and crossing her arms over her chest Katie continues to watch. Just studying Carson. She'd believed him back at the dinner but now she was just confirming everything else he was saying. It was pretty shocking and Katie wondered how He hadn't broken down soon but than again maybe when you loved someone so much like that it was easy to do anything to save them.

Listing to everything Katie could see all the emotions written all over Carson's face. Katie can't remember a time when she had seen him like this before. He looked horrible, even worse now than he did when she had seen him at the diner. She hated The Agency for all the people she had hurt, loved ones, friends torn apart.

...It wasn't long after Carson was locked into the room Katie came alone with a try of some fruit, and a few other things and water. She could guess Carson wasn't to hungry ut he needed to eat something and it gave her an excuse to just come and check on him.

Opening the door and stepping inside with they trey of food Katie sets it on the small table. Sitting down next to Carson she puts an arm over his shoulders and says nothing. She could see the look on his face, and the emotions in his eyes, She didn't need to say anything but be there for her friend.

Looking up at her  Misty smiles and gives a small nod. After coming into work a little later than planned today Misty now decided to stay a little later. She didn't want to fall to far behind on her work. There would be enough of that once the baby was born and she was out for a few weeks.

Hearing about Carson Misty sits up just a little bit in her chair. She could feel the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. She didn't like the way this all sounded and she couldn't help but wonder if it was connected with Jazz? Had Carson reverted back to his old ways? She'd hoped not but he'd already started some bad habits up and thats why they were where they are now.

   "Yeah yeah thats fine. I'd feel safer having Jason around and all three of us are getting alone so well there is no issue there."

Drawing quiet again fiddling with the pen on her desk Misty was lost in thought for a second before looking up at her Uncle once more. There was something more he wasn't telling her that much she could see, but what it was she didn't know and that made her worry more.

   "Do you think the Agency is going to come after me because of something Carson did?"

Tip of the Iceberg

To: Katie
From: Hunter
Sounds to me like u already have
found the balance. Work in the field
and visit the ranch whenever u want.
Pretty sweet deal if u ask me. ;)

To: Katie
From: Hunter
LOL I doubt Id kiss somebody else.
Might be good to introduce me
anyway tho. :-p

Heaving a sigh, Hunter rolls onto his side and closes his eyes. He really was pretty tired from the day. And yet... he wouldn't trade his time here for the world. The longer he stayed, the more he relaxed, and the more he relaxed, the easier it was to think through things that he hadn't even realized needed to be worked through. Mick was helping with that. It felt good here, and he was treated like family. And for the first time, he wondered if it might be harder to leave here than he'd first thought.


...Time has a way of drifting along without notice until it's gone and missed. Nothing can stop it. Nothing can speed it up. It happens whether anybody wants it to or not. And thus, days move on until more than a week passes... 


To: Katie
From: Hunter
Hey babe! Just sayin hi before I hit
the hay. Got yelled at to take it easy 
today, but bein off crutches makes me 
wanna move. Let Clint rev up my bike 
this morning. He had a blast.
Hope ur day has been a good one.

He pauses for a moment in thought. They hadn't exchanged texts all day - he'd been kept busy with all sorts of stuff, and he assumed she'd been busy at work. He knew from previous texts that she still had been stuck at her desk, and he knew it probably frustrated her. There wasn't much he could do though, but try to make her smile.

Keeping that paperwork in line? ;)

Aside from each day's normal routines, his knee was healing nicely. Not as quickly as he wanted, which had tagged on an extra week for him to wait before trying to handle his motorcycle, but he wasn't going to push it - or Angel's advice. He knew it would be dangerous if he took off without being ready, then had trouble on the way home. He could finally walk around pretty well by now and didn't want to make it worse. 

Dying to see you. B4 u know it I'll 
be home. Still miss me?


"Reese?" Pete knocks on his door before entering. "Got that evidence you wanted." He hands him some papers.

Reese stands from his desk and accepts them, scanning the information. He sighs deeply, but nods. "I wish we hadn't found any."

"I know. But we need to deal with it now before we get into trouble." 

"Yeah. Okay, thanks..."


"Yeah, Carson, it's Reese. New case. Need you down here tonight if you can come."

Carson cradles the restaurant phone on his shoulder as he stirs a pot of sauce on the stove. He really didn't want to be on any case right now. He had enough to worry about. "Timing's not so great right now, Reese. Got anybody else you can use?"

"You'd be the best for this one. At least come in and look it over. It's only a weekend case if everything goes right."

Carson looks dimly into the bubbling sauce. Normal... be normal... when had that become so hard? He was supposed to be excited about being on cases so he could get out of the stuffy restaurant now and then. And today he wanted no part of it. "Yeah, okay. I'm closing up early tonight anyway. Eight o'clock okay?"

...The day had been long and Carson was in no mood to go to TJY. But he was there anyway, trudging through the rows of cubicles, making sure he made eye contact with no one. It felt as though he were in the enemy lair, walking to the gallows. Was everyone else around here so perfect? He opted not to ask.

Being met by Susanne and told that Reese and Con were in the interrogation room, he heads down the hall. Apparently there were many people working late tonight - an obvious sign that work was piling up again. Approaching the infirmary, his stomach performs a little flip. And for a split second, he's walking down this hall for the first time, a bullet in his shoulder and just about to meet the woman who would become his wife. Without realizing it, he's stopped at the open door just long enough to catch sight of Misty working. Knowing he mustn't linger, he tears himself away to continue to the interrogation room.

"Carson," Reese greets as he enters. "Shut the door, please."

Carson quirks an eyebrow, but does as he's told. This must be a higher security case than he'd thought. He shuts the door then takes a seat across from Reese and Con. "Alright... what's all this about?"

Reese leans forward and folds his hands on the table. "We have reason to believe that you're working for the Agency."

Carson blinks. "Excuse me?"

"Look, I don't have time to waste, and I really don't want to deal with needing to put you in the holding cell. So it'll be better if you just tell us the truth right now."

Carson was shocked. They thought he was working for the Agency? Seriously? "Wh..." He couldn't even begin to formulate an answer. "I... I have no idea what you're talking about. Why on earth... why do you think I'm working for the Agency?"

Reese squints at him. Was that genuine surprise and confusion? Carson was one of the best actors he knew. "Tell us about Jaz DeMoy."

Carson sits back, his face flushing slightly. "I'm living with her. She's behind the reason Misty wants a divorce. What else you want to know?"

"She used to be Agency."

"So what? So did I. That's where I met her. You got something on her now?"

"We've seen you and her meeting with others whom intel suggests are currently Agency." Reese grits his teeth. "Now I'll ask straight. Are you working for the Agency?"

"No I'm not working for the Agency! What is this?" Carson looks between Reese and Con, confused and on edge.

Reese gives Con a sidelong glance. Con clears his throat and rocks his chair back slightly. "We've had a tail on you. We've seen you with Agency scum more than once. You left your wife for an ex-Agency member. You've turned your life upside down, you've avoided the Elite as much as possible, and we know you've been using a computer here to dig into files. Now... you tell us what we're supposed to think."

Growling, Carson stands up to pace the room. He glares at the mirror on the wall, not knowing who was on the other side, but positive that someone was watching. "Guys leave their wives every day," he reasons. "And you know my track record. It's not like it's a shocker." He scoffs and continues to pace. "And I don't know what Agency scum you're talking about. I talk to tons of people every day. I've avoided the Elite because everybody hates me. And as far as files go, it's my job to know what's going on so I can be yanked in on cases whenever you please. So come on... that's all you got? And you're accusing me? By all means, cuff me and throw me in jail." He holds out his wrists. "You got your chance. If you really believe it, then here. Take me."

Reese shakes his head. "Carson, sit down. Can you blame us for suspicion? We know you better than this. We know you don't meet up with the Agency and not realize it. If you give it to us straight, we can help. So, please... level with us before this gets out of hand and we can't help you."

Carson sinks back down in his chair. "I've told you all I can." His eyes wander the room. "Now if that's why you called me down here, I really have to go. I told Jaz I'd pick up a late supper on my way home."

Reese bristles. "I'm sorry. The evidence is too great. We'll have to keep you." He stands and walks to the intercom. "Hal? Please come escort Carson to the holding cell."

This couldn't be happening. Carson could feel the blood draining from his face and he felt dizzy. It wasn't supposed to be like this. It couldn't. He couldn't be put behind bars - not now. But what choice did he have? If anyone found out he'd been interrogated, he'd never be able to live with the consequences. But which was worse? Being in held by the Elite or taking a risk and speaking? "Wait."

Reese turns slightly.

"Wait. Don't." Carson cringes. He'd never thought he'd be accused of working with the Agency. And he'd never thought it would come down to this. But it had to be done. If he didn't come clean now, everything would be ruined. He would have no chance after this, and lives were at stake. He wished he could continue his charade, but he was also smart enough to know when he'd been backed into a corner. He hadn't expected this, but he had to deal with it here and now. "I'll level with you."

Reese hits the button again. "Scratch that, Hal. Thanks." No one else would know that he'd called a broken phone in the lower level. Returning to the table, he takes his seat again. "Okay... Let's have it."

Carson swallows hard and stares at the table. His thumb rubs a scratch in the surface. He was about to say what he'd wanted to for so long, yet he still could barely bring himself to do it. The fear that ran through his veins still felt fresh. "It's all been a lie." His voice was quiet - almost soft. "From the very beginning."

"What has? I don't understand."

"Everything." Carson's eyes gloss over as his emotions get the best of him. "I... haven't been... unfaithful. Not like everyone thinks."

"Wait..." Reese frowns. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that Jaz and I aren't... we don't have a relationship."

"But you left Misty for her."

"No... No." Carson shakes his head. "I left because I was told to." He still refuses to look up. "I was... met by Jaz and... she relayed the message that I was to leave Misty and make it look like I was having an affair, so that... um... so that... well, just to torture me and Misty... and uproot Jaz, too."

Reese looks over at Con. Con's eyebrows are raised, but that's about it. Was this true? Reese looks back to Carson. He wasn't sure he'd seen such emotion in the younger man ever before... did that mean this really was true? "But... why did you do it? Why didn't you come here? Why didn't you refuse to do it, and tell us so we could help?"

"They said they'd kill Misty... and worse...."

"...they're going to kill her, Carson!" Jaz hisses. She glances out of the small room in the back of Mom and Pop's. Having shown up out of nowhere, she knew it had thrown Carson for a loop, but she was trying to make him understand. "You have to play along this time!"

"No... no, I won't." Carson glares at her, his hands on his hips. "How can you expect me to pretend I'm cheating on Misty with you? It's ridiculous."

"Did I say I disagreed? It's not me you're arguing against, it's the Agency!" She tries to keep her voice down, her eyes wide with desperation. "Look, they came to me and took me from my home." Tears form in her eyes and her voice wavers ever so slightly. "They told me to make sure you did this or I would die and so would Misty. They know your every move, Carson. They told me your daily routine, where you went every day, who you were with, who your friends are and how much time you spend with your wife. They know way too much to be taken lightly." She pauses, having composed herself. "You're just a lab rat and you know it. We both are. But if you love your wife, you don't have much of a choice."

...Carson closes his eyes for a moment, trying to forget. Trying to forget the phone call he'd made after Jaz had given him the number, since he hadn't believed her...

"...or we will kill her."

The voice on the other end of the phone made Carson's skin crawl. "You can't. I'll have her protected and you know it. There's nothing you can do."

"Oh, but there is. Do you know where your wife is right this moment? We do. We know everything. We even know you had grilled cheese sandwiches for supper last night."

Carson's blood runs cold. "I won't do it," he refuses again. "You can tell Medridge that this lab rat found a way out of his cage."

Laughter comes across the line. "Then he will study you after he kills the woman you love. It's a win-win situation for him. The question is, would you be able to live with yourself if you refuse this and you allow Misty to be kidnapped, tortured, then killed a violent, bloody death?"

Carson leans against the wall lest his knees give out on him. Slamming the phone back in its cradle, he turns to look at Jaz.

She is close to tears again. "I'm sorry," she whispers. "I told you."

"Fine." Carson points a finger at her. "I'll do it. But mark my words, I will find those who are spying on me and Misty and they will pay. And when they do, this charade will be over. I'll play along but only for as long as it takes for me to find these guys and take them down. I will not leave Misty - I will find the thugs before I have to. And there will be nothing, I repeat, nothing, between us. Got it?"

"...Carson?" Reese snaps his fingers. "Is that all?"

"There... they knew more. They threatened more."

...The charade had taken too long and not enough "progress" had been made.

"You're not doing a very good job," the voice mocks over the phone.

Carson grips the phone so tightly that his hand cramps. He was glad Misty had gone shopping so he was alone in the house. "Are you kidding? All my friends are suspicious. People are talking behind my back. My wife knows something is up. I'm doing exactly what you wanted me to do."

"Ah, but you're supposed to leave her, Aussie, remember?"

"I'm doing what you told me to do!" Carson was desperate. He still hadn't found the guys who were after them. He'd tried - he'd tried so hard. It was just taking longer than he'd thought it would. He wanted to just keep on doing just enough to keep the Agency satisfied and then be able to expose the whole thing before bending to their more drastic demands. But he'd taken too long. And now they were pressing for him to act. "I have to be realistic you know," he reasons. "Having an affair then leaving a wife doesn't usually happen overnight. I've just been building it all up so no one will be suspicious that it's fake and-"

"You're stalling, Carson." The voice prompts with sickening smoothness. "You've done a good job with your groundwork, I'll give you that. No one would believe you're not having an affair. But it's time for action. You have one more week to leave your wife."

...That dreaded morning had come. Misty was gone and Carson was left staring at the unwritten note in front of him. His bags were packed. But he couldn't do it. He just couldn't. Setting down the pencil, he turns to take his bags back to the bedroom. He'd go in to TJY today. Somehow he'd make it look like he was called in and he'd tell Reese the whole thing. He'd-

"Well go on. Write it."

The voice startles Carson so much that he jumps and whirls around, his hands ready for a fight. He'd been so involved in his inner turmoil that he had not heard anyone enter the house. And now he stood face-to-face with one of the hated enemies. "No," he refuses bravely. "I have played this game, I have made everyone suspicious and have made a fool out of myself. I cannot leave my wife. I won't do it."

"Huh... well, okay." The man shrugs and pulls a knife out of his pocket to test the blade. "I guess I can tell my boss that. I mean, if you're serious. You probably won't see me again. Your wife will, but you won't."

"What do you mean?"

"Well you're not with her twenty-four/seven, are you?" The man grins. "I just got in your house without you even knowing it." He looks at his knife again. "Can you imagine this blade pressed against your wife's soft, warm neck?"

Carson can feel his face turning red as his anger boils. But he knew better than to pounce - not when his opponent had a weapon...and not when he knew taking down an Agency man would just make things worse at this point in the game....

...Carson brings himself back to the present. He'd written the note with the man staring over his shoulder. And he'd left... he'd left the house... he'd left his wife.

"Carson?" Reese was still waiting. "What else did they threaten?"

Carson didn't like his answer. He didn't like telling Reese why he'd been so scared. "Apart from harming Misty, they..." His voice cracks before he swallows and composes himself. "They knew about the baby..."

...A child? A baby? Carson stares at the closed door through which Misty had just walked. Terror seizes him. He had left her only hours prior, and now she'd informed him that she was pregnant. This couldn't be happening. It had to be a nightmare. "No..." He shakes his head. "No. This ends now." Desperation shoots through his veins as he races to the door. There was no way he could carry on this lie now. No. This news changed everything. He'd tried to end this whole thing sooner. It hadn't worked and he'd been backed into a corner. But this... no... no this was too much. Way too much. Any risk far outweighed him leaving her like this now.

It was a mixture of shock and love that drove his feet. Bursting outside onto the sidewalk, he sees Misty just getting into her car. He couldn't let her go - not like this. She had to know the truth. He couldn't follow through with this now. Not now that she was pregnant. She was carrying their child... his child... and the thought of leaving her now was more terrifying than the news itself.

He tries to shout Misty's name but no sound ever comes. A cold fist meets his mouth and he's shoved back inside the restaurant.

"Don't even think about it," the angry voice orders.

Carson lifts a hand to his bloody lip and stares back at his assailant, not knowing whether he was more angry or crushed. "I can't do this. I won't. My wife is-" He stops himself lest he give the agency a greater foothold. "I can't do this."

"But you will." The bigger man brushes off the front of Carson's shirt. "Because if you don't, not only will we kill your wife... but your child as well."

Carson could feel his heart crumbling. How did they know? How could they do this?

..."I tore apart the restaurant." Carson continues, though his mind is still replaying the picture from that fateful day. "I finally found the bugs they'd planted." He had, too. And it had taken him all night to put things back together again for the next day. "I guess that's how they knew the same time I did."

Reese couldn't help it that he had a hard time swallowing this whole thing. He, along with everyone else, had been led to believe some very horrible things - and now Carson was saying it wasn't even true? "So you mean to tell me that all of this has been a lie? From the very beginning?" How could it really be? How was it possible that Carson had simply been acting? It couldn't be that easy. "You really expect me to believe that?"

"Look, I didn't volunteer to come down here!" Carson's voice rises as do his eyes to glare at both men. "You're the one that dragged me in here on suspicion of treason and when I deny it, you still don't believe me. What do you want me to say?!"

Reese sighs, trying to control his own temper. "I want the truth and nothing but."

"The truth, ay? The truth. Alright. Yes, it's been a lie from the beginning like I just told you."

"So you didn't really have an affair?"

"No. I didn't."

Perhaps it was Reese's personal feelings for his niece that drove him further down this line of questioning. "But you have been living with Jaz DeMoy."

"Yes."

"And you really expect me to believe that you lived with her but didn't have a relationship with her?"

Carson's eyes remain on Reese, but his mind, yet again, takes him much further away...

...He sat at the little kitchen table, a half a cup of cold coffee in his hand. He didn't know how long he'd been sitting there, but he didn't really care. Leaning on the table, his eyes were tired, his shoulders bent. He felt old today. Nothing much seemed to matter anymore, other than living in misery... and trying to beat this thing. He had to. He had to find the answers then win back the wife that was slipping through his fingers.

Two hands come to his shoulders to rub them softly. "Hey you," Jaz greets. She stood in her robe after waking from a nap. "You look terrible." She frowns as her fingers dig a little deeper. "And you're awfully tight. How about you take the bed tonight? I don't think sleeping on the couch is doing you much good and-"

Carson cuts her off by reaching around and gently removing her hands from his shoulders. "Don't," he requests quietly.

Jaz recoils before furrowing her brow and coming around to see his face. "I'm just trying to help. You won't even let me rub your shoulders? What's so wrong with that? It's not like we're-"

"My wife is the only woman allowed to touch me," he interrupts.

Jaz sighs. "Your loyalty is commendable but you need to-"

"I need Misty," Carson states flatly. He rises to throw in the sink whats left of his coffee. "And that's all there is to it."

...Carson's eyes bring Reese's face back into focus. "That's correct."

Reese sighs deeply. This was a lot to take in, and it certainly changed everything. "Look, I think we need to keep talking about this, but I don't have time right now. I want you to spend the night here."

"What? Why? You don't believe me, do you?"

"I'm sorry. But there are just too many holes yet to be filled and if you're not telling the truth, we can't afford to have you leave now."

Carson stands up, leaning across the table. "You have no hard evidence that I'm on the Agency's side. You don't have enough to keep me here, so you better not try."

"I'm not going to try. I'm going to do."

"Dang it, Reese!" Carson's hand slams down on the table. The all-too familiar desperation was returning. His voice suddenly drops. "At least put a guard on Misty. I beg of you. If the Agency finds out I'm here and being interrogated, they'll hold true to their word and I couldn't live with it if they hurt her. Please... for her sake. And the baby's."

"Okay." Reese stands slowly. If he had any soft spot, it was for his niece and unborn grand-nephew. "I'll inform Alec to be wary. "

"Alec couldn't look out for a pet rock," Carson snaps. 

"Then I'll have Jason stay with her." 

Carson bristles. "Don't you have anybody else?"

"Reese folds his arms. "Beggars can't be choosers. If all this is true, you're probably pretty unhappy that Misty's got a boyfriend. But he's the best man for the job at this point, so it's either him or just Alec."

Carson sighs, but shrugs his defeat. "Fine."

Con joins them on his feet. "Might I suggest getting Ryder to look after Mom and Pop's? Maybe have Carson call Jaz and tell her he's on a case - just to make it seem like everything is normal?"

Reese purses his lips, then nods. "Okay. I'll call Ryder. Carson, you can call Jaz from here..."

...Left alone in the locked room, Carson buries his face in his hands. It wasn't supposed to happen like this. This was all going wrong. Everything. From the very beginning. What was going to happen now?


Walking down the hall back to his office, Reese stops in the open door of the infirmary. Seeing Misty, he enters quietly, offering her a small smile. "Working late?" He folds his arms and thinks for a moment. "I, um... I need to tell you that we're holding Carson here for questioning. There's... been a connection made between him and the Agency. We're not sure yet what the real story is exactly. Until we figure it out... if it's okay with you, I'd like Jason to bunk down in your house for a night or two just so you have someone close besides Alec." He'd spare her the details for now. He wasn't sure if Carson was telling the truth, and whether he was or not, Reese wanted facts before telling Misty anything more. "Call me an overprotective uncle. How 'bout it?"