Forgive me?

Maggie's sudden and enthusiastic appearance caused Garret's eyebrows to rise. He'd known Nate had a sister but hadn't known anything about her. Now though, it only took a couple seconds for him to catch her childlike behavior and realize that she wasn't the typical sibling.

The apparent conversation about his good looks forced a completely unintentional smile to the surface, as a genuine look of laughter entered his eyes. He swallowed a chuckle and cocked his head at Maggie as she hid her face against Nate. "Hey, Maggie, it's nice to meet you." He threw her a wink. "I think I know who got the good looks in your family, too."

Interrupted by Nate's phone, Garret wondered at the strange look on his face, or why he'd made eye contact. He just nodded though. It was none of his business, and he wasn't going anywhere. Funny thought, that...here he was, a virtual prisoner, with no desire to take advantage of being left alone. Or at least...with Maggie. 

He glanced at her again, and his smile returned. "I'm not sure where to put all these tools back...you wouldn't know where they go, would you?"


Seeing Scarlet, Eli's heart skipped a beat. The way things had been lately, a part of him feared she might not come. All he wanted now was to pull her into his arms, hug and kiss her. But he knew he had talking to do first. So he settled on reaching across the table to take her hands instead. 

"Things are...alright. And Ryan is...okay." He gave her a half smile, trying to sound positive. Cutting right to the chase, he explained the whole thing, about Ryan's separation from reality, to the accident, to now. "She's seeing a counselor - it's a guy who's been involved in the Elite, and actually worked with Alec before too. I...think there's been some improvement. She's just so...listless." It even hurt to say it. His fingers ran over her hand absentmindedly, the emotions showing in his eyes. "I'm just worried about her and miss the old Ryan." 

He paused. "Oh yeah. And Tal broke up with her too, 'cause he found out she still loved Alec and got his feelings hurt. So...yeah. That doesn't help things, and...he and I are kinda tense right now too."

A little grin surfaced. "Welcome home, babe." And...he still had yet to come clean about his secret. He sighed deeply, tired and worn out. But he couldn't stop now, and he wasn't going to wait any longer, even if it meant throwing everything at Scarlet at once. 

"So on top of all that, I've been working for the Elite. Just contract labor as a set of eyes." He paused. "I've...been watching certain targets on and off now for quite a while. It started with Alec. The chief - Reese - wanted me to keep and eye on him and I turned in reports every week. Since then, I've had a few other targets too - mostly people thought to be with the Agency crime system, so I could confirm or lay to rest any suspicions."

He gave her a look of apology. "I signed a contract that included ultimate secrecy. I gave my word not to tell anyone - it was the only way to assure my safety and keep my cover. And then...I made a few mistakes and got caught being secretive." A wry grin emerged. "I just couldn't tell you everything until I'd cleared it with Reese. I couldn't break my word or my contract. But while you were gone, I got clearance to come clean. To you. And only you. No one else can know at this point. I'll probably end up getting Ryan approved for the information, but for now, you're the only one."

He searched Scarlet's eyes. "Forgive me?"