Spare me...

The restaurant had been closed for a couple days, but Carson had come by to check on things anyway, knowing that he would need to open up again - and soon - if he was going to keep it afloat. He'd fiddled in the kitchen a while, checked supplies and decided to lock up again before heading to the apartment. Apparently Jaz was still staying with Con and Jamie tonight - which was just fine with Carson. He'd rather not have to worry about her too right now, with everything else going on. 

Hearing the bell on the front door ring, his senses are alerted. Nobody should be here. It was almost midnight. Cautiously looking out from the kitchen, he sees nothing. No one. Strange. Too strange. Now completely on guard, he makes his way slowly out into the dining area, still seeing no one. When he reaches the door though, he suddenly spies a note taped to the glass. Frowning, he takes it off and brings it to where there was more light. It was just a scrap of paper with a quickly-written note:

Game over. You win. 

Carson's eyes roam the interior of the restaurant again. This didn't make any sense. The Agency had won, not him. They had succeeded in tearing his and Misty's lives apart. Why... would this be from them? Yet there was no other explanation. Who else would leave such a note? And things had been quiet the last few days. Since everything had blown up, no one from the Agency had contacted him or Jaz at all. Would they... really let them go now? Of course... the damage had been done. They probably knew that Misty wasn't taking him back - a bonus to Medridge for sure. And now they'd just... drop the whole thing? Let them go? 

Carson crumples the note in his hand. Yes... yes, the Agency would do that. Because without an end, he would constantly be looking over his shoulder, wondering when they would be back. 

Getting home, Tal found himself sitting for a long time in the living room, kept company by Holly and Tasha. No lights... no television... just him and his thoughts. And though pondering for a long while the things Ryan had said, and his relationship with her, when he finally went to bed, he had come to very few conclusions... other than he was still didn't understand how he'd gotten to this point or why. It didn't feel fair and it didn't make sense...

It was rare that Tal was late getting anywhere, but the next morning, he clocked in at work a half an hour later than when he was supposed to. It was a very quiet morning, with several guys not coming in until the afternoon. Normally, Tal would like it  just being him and Eli, but today he was just a little reluctant. Silently going to help Eli prep a car, he sets to work.

Looking over at his friend, Eli immediately picks up on his friend's mood and decides not to tease him about being late. "Mornin!"

"Mmhmm." Tal sticks to his end of the car, not feeling like much small talk.

Eli quirks an eyebrow but doesn't pursue conversation. On a normal day, the garage would be filled with their banter as they worked. Today, it was silent, and it created an odd atmosphere.

Twenty minutes later though, Tal couldn't stand it any longer. "Did you know?"

Eli looks to him quickly, surprised at the abrupt entry to conversation. But he knew exactly what Tal was talking about. He'd wondered how last night had gone with Ryan - she'd been awfully quiet when getting home - and he was already guessing it hadn't been the best of dates. Now he wasn't sure just how to respond, but the truth was a good place to start. "Yes..." He continues working, as does Tal.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Figured that was Ryan's job."

"So... you don't really care either? That the guy who wanted me dead was hanging around?"

Eli pauses at the car and turns to look at Tal. "You know that's not true."

"Well it sure feels like it." Tal's tone was angry...hurt. "I almost die... you both seem upset about it... then my attacker shows up and neither of you even thought to mention it?"

Eli could feel himself starting to tense, but he still didn't know the best approach to this whole thing.

Tal took advantage of the pause to keep talking. "I mean... Ryan says she loves me... yet she's fighting feelings for a man who put me in the hospital? I understand she was in love with Alec and I get that he had her heart before me. But now? To not only let him close but let him kiss her? Allow him that close? While I'm in the background, the clueless fool, thinking I did something wrong?"

Eli steps back from the car and folds his arms, sighing. Tal had a point, and he didn't know what to say. "A woman's heart is-"

"Spare me the talk about hearts!" Tal raises his voice, throwing his rag to the side. "It's about honesty... loyalty... integrity. If I meant anything to Ryan, she woulda either told Alec to get lost or at the very least, given me a heads up so I could be watching my back."

Eli had sense enough to know that Tal was more upset with the situation than at Eli himself - it wasn't like Tal to yell, and maybe the best thing right now was to just let him vent. "I'm sorry this whole thing has upset you."

"Upset? I'm disappointed. Hurt." And it showed in Tal's eyes. "If Jane Doe hurt Ryan then showed up again, if I really cared for her, I'd tell Jane Doe to get lost! If nothing else, just for hurting somebody I care for. Or is that it? Do I not mean enough to Ryan to have her stand up for me like that?"

"Now hang on," Eli counters calmly. "You didn't see her want to beat Alec to a pulp for what he did to you."

"And now? I'm glad she can forgive a man like him, but obviously I wasn't on her mind when she started falling for Alec all over again."

"Nobody said she-"

"Aw come off it," Tal growls. "If it had been nothing, she wouldn't have felt the need to apologize. It doesn't take a genius to put the pieces together! Alec came along and she still had some feelings left for him."

"Well she can't help it if-"

"If she decides to be good buddies with an ex that tried to kill her boyfriend?"

"She chose you!"

"After she had to stop and think about it? How long did it take for her to pick me over the guy that wanted me dead? Oh, and in the meantime, neither of you even have the decency to let me know what was going on so I'd at least have a fighting chance!"

Eli groans in frustration, trying very hard not to get riled. "Why are you focusing on the bad? Why can't you just realize that she chose to stay with you? So her heart wandered a little, but she didn't do anything wrong, and she did choose you."

"But it was hard for her!" Tal stalks to a nearby shelf for some plastic. "If you had an old flame show up and hurt Scarlet, then later she came back, would you even think twice about not getting involved with her again?"

Eli's eyes were angry, but he controls his tone. "No."

"And thus, the problem." Tal throws up his hands. "And Ryan just wants things to be all great between us now? Like nothing ever happened? If it was just an old ex, I might understand. But it's someone who hurt me. So either I'm off my rocker, or Ryan really doesn't care that I got hurt. And if she doesn't care that I got hurt... then I have a hard time believing she loves me."

"Look, you can't just-"

"Boys!" Sandy appears in the doorway, hands on hips. "What is with you? Take your personal problems off the clock!"

Both men grow quiet and get back to the car, a tense silence reigning again for several minutes until Eli speaks. "You have to be patient, Tal. Ryan and Alec had something special. Things like that don't go away overnight."

Tal's stomach was in knots as he works on covering a headlight. "And sometimes they never do."

Eli sighs and wanders to the front of the car to look down at Tal. "Don't you trust her?"

Tal focuses on his work before glancing up at his friend. "Would you?" 

Eli knew his pause spoke for him before he turns to go back to the rear of the car.

Tal nods. "Yeah. Can you blame me?"

"No. Does this mean you're breaking things off?"

"I don't know what it means. I love her, Eli. I just can't trust that she won't give her heart back to Alec all over again."

"How 'bout marrying her so she's yours?"

Tal glances up with a little smirk. "You think I haven't thought of that? But how can I ask her to marry me when I know that 'something special' still exists between her and Alec? Not that I think she can't bury it if she wants... but I want to be fair to her too. If she and Alec have something she and I don't... I don't want her to wind up unhappy a few years down the road, wishing she would have chosen Alec instead. And to be quite honest... I want her whole heart, not just the part that doesn't belong to Alec."

Eli continues to work for a few more minutes, mulling over this whole thing. He wondered if Ryan even knew the can of worms she'd opened. "There's always risk, Tal. Always."

"Doesn't seem to be with you and Scarlet."

Eli laughs. "She frequently goes out of town for weeks at a time. What's she doing while she's gone?"

"Well, working."

"Is that all?"

"I'd sure hope so."

"Me too. But I don't know for sure, do I?" Eli shrugs. "I just gotta trust she's not shopping around for other guys. Granted, I think I know her well enough now to tell if she was lying to me, but I never know a hundred percent, do I? I just choose to trust her."

Tal fiddles with a spot on the bumper. "So you're saying to trust Ryan after all this?"

"I'm saying you either gotta break up with her or trust her. It's gotta be one or the other. Otherwise you're gonna drive yourself insane... and me in the process too."

Tal sighs deeply before standing and waiting for Eli to finish before they would start painting. "She said if I needed some time, she'd give it to me..."

"And...?"

"I dunno." Since Scarlet was returning today, it was normal for her and Eli to be gone, which usually meant Tal would be at the apartment with Ryan, taking advantage of it just being the two of them. "I think tonight though, I better stay home."

...And the message left on Ryan's voice mail was simple.
"It's me, um... gonna stay home with my two girls tonight, so... yeah. Talk to you soon. Bye."

Sooner or Later

As the night draws to an end it was not how Ryan had pictured it at all. She didn't like leaving on these terms and she didn't like feeling like this, but there was very little she could do at this point. The damage had been done and the hurt caused now she had to pay the price for what she'd done.

Getting the small kiss from Tal Ryan smiles a little and her eyes held so much emotion. She wasn't ready to say good night would there be a tomorrow? Ryan wasn't sure but for once in her life she feared the unknown.

   "Good Night Tal, I hope to see you sooner than soon."

Exiting the car and making her way up the sidewalk Ryan stops and turns around giving a wave before entering the house. Seeing Eli was still awake Ryan enters the room giving him a little wave. Setting her purse down on the couch Ryan wonders into the kitchen to get a drink not really saying much.

Giving Alec's arm another pat Misty stands. She could tell he was trying to change the subject and she understood. She wouldn't push it anymore. He new where she was and that he could talk to her anytime if he needed too.

   "I did, I decided to get fish fry, and fried shrimp. Just something different that still tastes good."

Heading into the kitchen agani and start unpacking the bags Misty called back into the other room to Alec. It was nice having him here with her. It provided her her someone to talk too and spend time.

   "You are more than welcome to join me."

Smile down at Rosalyn and giving her hand a little squeeze. It had only been a day but he was happy to be here adn get to share these moments with Rosalyn. He wasnt going to miss out on a second. 

  "I'll meet you in the kitchen in ten."

Stepping back and letting Rosalyn go  Chad makes his way to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee and wait for her. He couldn't wait to see what today held for them.

Goodnight

Tal holds Ryan close, wishing he didn't feel the way he did. He knew Ryan was doing all she could to keep him... that she did love him and want him... but dealing with the facts right now wasn't easy. 

Looking down and seeing her tears, it cuts him to the quick. Ryan rarely cried in front of anybody, and it pained him to see her so upset. "Hey now..." He lifts his hand to wipe away the tears. "There's no call for that..." 

But did he have an answer to her question? Where did they go from here? Keeping his arms around her, he looks out at the glistening water, wondering how things had become so complicated so fast. "I don't know," he finally responds. "I guess we just take things one day at a time and see where we end up."

Sitting with her for a few more minutes, eventually he prompts her to rise with him again so they could return to the car. Not much else could be said right now, and smalltalk seemed rather trite when compared to the subject that was now hanging thick in the atmosphere. Though Tal holds Ryan's hand almost all the way back to town, he remains quiet, lost in his own thoughts...

...Pulling into the parking lot at the apartment, Tal parks the car and turns to study Ryan for a moment before leaning over and giving her lips a tender kiss. "Goodnight, Ryan... I'll talk to you soon, okay?"


Alec manages a little smirk and he shakes his head at Misty. "There was a time when I thought good looks was all I needed..." He sighs. "Wish I woulda gotten my head on straight sooner."

Finally straightening up to relieve Misty's shoulder, he looks down at his hands. It had helped a little to talk about things. He, like Misty, wished it could be fixed though. And it just couldn't. Could he really move on? Could he really move forward? Would he ever be able to let go of Ryan? Tonight, it felt like he'd never be able to. But as far as she was concerned... he didn't have much of a choice anymore. 

"Did you say you had something for supper?" He wasn't hungry, but he was ready for this conversation to be over for now. 


Leaning into Chad's hand, Rosalyn smiles. She loved his voice... the way he spoke such romantic words while staring into her eyes. "You sir... are a flirt." She giggles and stands on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "But please don't change." 

Taking his hand, she gives it a squeeze before aiming for the doorway. "Let me go clean myself up and then I'll meet you in the kitchen.... if... you want." 

This Moment

Leaning her head on Tal's shoulder Ryan lets out a long sigh as a tear rolls down her cheek. This hurt so bad knowing now that Tal doubted them. It was sad and Ryan felt even worse that she had been the one to cause this.

   "Tal...I'm...I'm sorry."

Ryan didn't know what else to say or do she felt so lost. She'd never been in this position before and she wasn't sure what to do or how to do it now. Maybe if she just gave Tal space things would become ok again.

   "I...I don't know what else to do Tal. Where do we go from here now?"

Listing to Alec Misty's heart cried for him. She could see the pain in his eyes and in his voice. It pained her that he had to keep going through this stuff. She wished there was a way to take away his pain that there was a magic sure but if she had one she would use it on herself too.

   "Oh Alec, I'm so sorry. If I could wave a wand and take away you pain I would."

Laying a hand on Alec's arm and giving it a gentil rub Misty really did feel bad for him. She new what it was like to not have Carson but to have someone who you still cared and wanted back it must be ten times worse. 

   "Maybe Alec...it is time to move on. There are many more fish in the sea even if it doesn't seem like it. Don;t just let one get you down. Learn from it, grow and move forward. You'r far to good looking of a guy to stay down for to long."

Smiling down at Rosalyn Chad thought every with her hair a mess she looked so wonderful to him. Even when she rambled, he loved every part of her and it made his heart thump to see her right now in her true natural beauty.

   "Mmm...Good Morning my Princess."

Bringing his hand to the side of her face again and brushing a hair behind her ear Chad smiles just letting his hand cradle her face and run his thumb over her cheek. So soft under his rough hands, he loved the way it felt.

   "You look as pretty in the morning as you do through out the day. With you each and everyday is a bonus - Whether it be for one moment, One day or a million moments. Being with you makes me, Feel new and bright. Being able to be just us. With you we both create a wealth of warmth rising from our hearts. A happy atmosphere of love. Each and everyday is a bonus. I feel lucky and alive. You fill me with youth and masses and masses of tender loving care. I treasure every moment with you. Thank you for coming into my life."