Temper

About to reply to Tal Ryan really wanted to talk with him and have dinner tonight. She missed him, and wanted to work things out. But turning and seeing Alec pull into the parking lot Ryan can feel her own self tense as she moves close to Tal. Why was she here? After she had told him to leave her alone he was now here.

Going to say something Ryan stops as Tal steps up and starts to talk. Letting her eyes go between Tal and Alec, than back to Tal Ryan didn't mind he was speaking for her because he was saying what she felt. What she did mind though was Alec, and the words he was speaking.  

As Alec continues Ryan can feel her own blood start to bubble. Her look was of anger and looking back at Tal and seeing his own anger it pained Ryan even more as fear flashed in her. As Tal turns to leave Ryan takes a few steps forward but stops. 

   "How dare you come here, and how dare you talk to Tal the way you just did. I told you to back off, and leave me alone. What is not clear about that? Mix signals sorry about that but I made it clear to you that I wanted you to leave me be. Do yourself a favor and listen to me or I'll have Eli come and see you because your not listing to me. I though if you'd changed you would of respected my wishes I guess I was wrong."

Ryan's own anger flashed in her eyes as her fists clenched. She wanted to pummle him but there was something more important she had to take care of and that was going after Tal. Turning again Ryan picks up her steps and goes after Tal till she catches up.

   "Tal...wait...please...if your going to leave than take me with you. Alec dosn't speak for me...he doesn't tell you how I feel. Please don't leave angry, I don't want to lose you."

Done

Glancing down at Ryan's hand on his arm, Tal gives her a new smile. Taking her hand in his, he gives it a little squeeze. "I don't care..." 

As he says that though, he looks up and sees several pairs of eyes on him - most of them with very obviously teasing stares. "On... second thought, let's go outside." He smirks. "Too much of an audience in here." Grabbing a rag that was hanging off the mirror of the car, he flicks it at Miles, who had the cheesiest grin on his face.

Leading the way out to the parking lot, Tal stops a short distances from the open bay doors. With Ryan's hand still in his, he toys with her fingers, shifting his weight a little uncomfortably. "I, um... I'm sorry about last night. I needed to think, but I wasn't being very fair." He sighs before nodding. "I thought maybe tonight we could go out somewhere nice... my treat. Just..." Tal shrugs. "...to be together and maybe..." His sentence trails off as the sound of a motorcycle engine interrupts. Turning to look over his shoulder, he rolls his eyes. "You have got to be kidding me."

Could his timing get much worse? Seeing Tal with Ryan in the parking lot, Alec regrets having chosen this morning to come. But he was here now, they'd seen him, and he wasn't going to just turn around an leave. Parking nearby, he takes off his helmet and dismounts before approaching them a bit cautiously.

Tal's whole body tenses with remnants of fear leftover from the attacks. It was bad enough knowing that Alec was around, but to have him come here now was ridiculous. Backing up a step, he prepares for anything.

Alec stops just a couple feet away and looks between them for a moment before settling his eyes on Ryan, giving her a half smile. "I wanted to talk to you. Mind if I wait around 'til you're free?"

Tal knew better than to speak for Ryan, but right now he was fed up. "She may not mind, but I do," he snaps. "What is your problem? Can you not take no for an answer?"

Alec recoils slightly. "I was talking to Ryan," he replies calmly. "And my problem is just trying to make heads or tails out of something that's between her and me. I'm sorry for interrupting but-"

"There is nothing between you and her!" Maybe it was the fear down deep that drove Tal to lose his temper. Maybe it was the fear that he might really lose Ryan. "Get it through your thick skull, Alec! Leave her alone!"

Alec's brow furrows as his irritation builds. He knew he hadn't been invited, he knew that his timing had been poor, but he wasn't going to leave - not without talking to Ryan. His eyes glance back to her before returning to Tal. "It's not my intention to bother her." He tries to keep his tone on an even keel. "I know you hate my guts, but this isn't about you and me. So I'd appreciate a little respect."

"Respect?" By now, Tal didn't even care if he was making a scene, and he almost forgets that Ryan is standing right there. "Why do you even deserve an ounce of respect? You stomp all over somebody you supposedly care about, you act like a total jerk - at the very least - then you start bothering Ryan all over again, and you think you deserve respect?"

"Why does everybody but Ryan say I'm bothering her?!" Alec finally raises his voice. "I've done nothing by try to be nice! It looks to me like she's got a brother and boyfriend who are trying to run her life for her!"

"She doesn't want you around!" Tal barks. "Now for pity sake, leave her alone!"

"If she doesn't want me around, then why did she kiss me? Why did she say she wanted to see me and she loved me?!" Once Alec said it, he knew it had been wrong. But those things were what weighed most heavily on his heart - the confusion, knowing that she'd returned his kiss, admitted she loved him, then had told him to back off. He didn't understand, and that's why he'd come here today. But as the words slipped out of his mouth, he knew he never should have said them to Tal.

Anger flashes in Tal's eyes and for the first time since Alec's arrival, he looks to Ryan. She'd said Alec kissed her - not the other way around. She'd said she'd struggled with feelings for him - Alec was making it sound like something much more than that. Love was different than just leftover feelings. But which version was true? Who was playing games here? "You're crazy," he hisses to Alec.

Alec's eyes narrow. "Crazy for coming here? Yeah, probably. But I came to find out why your girlfriend's been giving me mixed signals. If you got a problem with that, I suggest you talk to her, not me. But for right now, I'm going to walk back to my bike, sit, and wait until she's free so I can talk to her."

Setting his hands on his hips, Tal scoffs. Looking back and forth between Ryan and Alec, he finally throws up his arms. He didn't know what the truth was anymore. "Forget it. I'm done here." Spinning on his heel, he stalks to his car with no intention of stopping. He wasn't sure what was going on between those two, but he didn't like it, and he'd not be played a fool.

Full of adrenaline, Alec's fists were balled at his sides as he tries to make sense of this whole stupid thing. Was it just bad luck on his part or was he really that dumb? Looking to Ryan, his eyes were full of apology... hurt... irritation... confusion. He'd come here to find out the truth, and all he'd done was cause a bigger mess. But why had Tal gotten that riled to begin with? Alec just didn't understand any of this.

Pretend

Hearing Eli was excited and he would go with her Scarlet couldn't help but be excited. It would be something new for them both and they got the share it together. Being pulled into his arms and kiss roughly Scarlet never tired of these moments. Eli has his way of showing affection and she loved every moment of it. 

   "We will be leaving in two weeks, and it will be for a whole week we are there."

Leaning her head on Eli Scarlet couldn't help but continue to smile before looking up at him again. He always made her so happy she couldn't believe she'd found someone in the most unexpected place. God was truly good indeed.

   "I am so happy you agreed to come along Eli. I don't want anyone else being my boyfriend pretend or not either."

Looking up at Tal's voice Ryan gives a smile whipping her hands on her rag. She had a hard time this morning getting going but she was making it and now seeing Tal there she was happy that had to be a good sign right? 

   "I always have time for you. Would you like to stay here or go out?"

Ryan lays a hand on Tal's arm and gives it a little rub. She'd missed him yesterday and was happy he was here now. Ryan's heart beated a little faster as she smiled at him. She just wanted to know they were going to be ok.

Kidding?

Parked in the driveway of Scarlet's place, Eli didn't really want to call it a night, but he knew they had to. It had been a great day with Scarlet though... it always was, but especially when she'd come home from a trip. Eli didn't like it when she was away, but it did make their time together just that much sweeter. 

Straddling his bike as he talks with Scarlet, his eyebrows shoot up in surprise. She'd mentioned a while back that maybe sometime he might get to come along with her, but rarely had he had the time, and even more rare was her own opportunity to invite him. He knew that most of the time she did very interesting - though sometimes intense - work, and every once in a while he got wind of a few scrapes she'd been in - he could just imagine. He often teased her about being Indiana Jones, and while he knew her job was far from it, he also knew that there were times he'd most likely get in her way and be more of a hindrance than a help. This time though... 

"France? Are you kidding?" He blinks, still surprised. Usually she was within the United States, but it wasn't unusual for her to travel internationally. The surprise was that he was invited on one of the international trips - expenses paid, to boot.

"Really?" Realizing how silly he sounds, he laughs. "Well I'm not really sure how I could even say no to that one. I mean, how could I turn down a free trip to France? And besides... I couldn't let some other guy go along and play boyfriend, now could I?"

Dismounting his bike, Eli grabs Scarlet around the waist and pulls her against him roughly before wrapping his arms around her. Smiling, he looks down at her with a twinkle in his eye, then leans in for a passionate kiss on the lips. "I'll get the time off work somehow... when do we go?"

Where had he gone wrong? What had he done? Had he moved too fast? Too slow? What had happened within an hour's time to make Ryan push him away? One minute she was returning his kiss after admitting she still loved him, and then she was telling him to back off. It didn't make sense. He didn't understand. He'd told Ryan he would leave her alone if she asked, but that was before she'd said she was looking forward to seeing him again. Which part was true? That she still loved him or that she really didn't want him around?

These questions had bombarded Alec all day. And now that he was trying to sleep once again, he was no closer to any answers, making it nearly impossible to rest. Tossing and turning for several hours, he knew this had to stop. He had to know. He had to look Ryan in the eye and have her tell him exactly what she wanted. Not over the phone. Not in a note. Face to face. He had to know which was true - did she love him? Or did she want him gone forever? Tomorrow... tomorrow he would find his answers.

"Knock knock." Tal raps a knuckle on the side of the car Ryan was working on. He hadn't told her he was coming this morning, or that he had the day off. He'd been thinking last night though... about a lot of things. About him and Ryan... about things Eli had said. About how he really felt. So on his way to run a couple errands, he'd opted to stop by the auto shop and see the woman he'd missed spending time with yesterday evening.

Waiting for her to look up, he gives her a smile. "Morning... A beautiful woman like you wouldn't have a couple moments to spare, for a common man like me, would she?"

"...Are you sure that's what this means?"

"Yeah." Carson sighs and leans on the back of a chair in Reese's office. He'd shown Reese the note after having spent the night dwelling on it. "They haven't contacted me or Jaz... nothing has happened with Misty... I'm sure something will come up again eventually - Medridge doesn't leave for good. But for now... I think because the damage was done, they're finished. Medridge has messed up my life, Jaz's life and Misty's life. If his goons stuck around much longer, he'd get bored. So yeah... yeah, I do think the note means we're as safe as we usually are at this point." 

Reese purses his lips in thought and slowly nods. "Okay. I trust your judgment. I'll have an eye kept on Misty for a few more days and if things remain quiet, we'll ease off. What are you going to do?"

Carson shrugs, his eyes showing his weary depression. "I dunno. Get back to the restaurant I guess and... see if I can pick up the pieces of my life." 

Say yes

Hearing Tal's message Ryan lets out a sigh as she looks down at the meal she had been cooking. It was normal for Tal to come over for dinner when Eli was going out with Scarlet. It was there alone time witch was nice with just the two of them sometimes.

Looking down at all the food she had Ryan  lets out a sigh. She didn't even want to cook now. But she had already started she needed to finsh. And so slowly she did putting most of the left overs in the fridge.  Going to the couch Ryan sits down flipping through the channels but nothing catches her attachen and finally she lands on a clack and white movie and falling asleep.

   "So I was thinking...I might have a mission coming up that I need someone to come with me on. You wont be in any danger or anything but I have to act like a tourist and have my boyfriend with me."

Scarlet looks at Eli as she leans against his bike. There whole day out together had been really nice. She'd missed Eli more than she would every tell anyone but she had a feeling he new that already. It was good though and now coming to a closing of there night she thought it was the perfect time to ask him to come along next time.

   "It's a little farther than my normal jobs but I guess having you coming would be nice too because I dont want to experience this alone. It's going to be a a museum in France. Everything will be payed for you...so please say you will come too?"