Hard at Work

Travis accepted Angel’s help back into bed, finding himself grateful for her care. She was being so kind, despite the mess they were all in right now. He was embarrassed by his mother, and thankful Angel had taken the whole thing in stride. He wasn’t used to someone reacting that way and it was…nice. He watched Angel leave the room as his eyes started to drift shut again. He was so very tired.

Out in the other room, Lane leaned back against the wall, his arms folding across his chest. His eyes remained down, and he shook his head at Angel’s question. “No.” Unexpected tears sprang into his eyes and his voice wavered. “No, she wasn’t.”

He swallowed hard and nudged a crack in a floorboard with the toe of his boot. It took him a few moments to speak again after he’d swiped away a tear with the back of his hand. “She was quite lovely, actually. I loved her so much.” He said it as if the love was gone, but anyone could see the way he talked about her that even after all these years, he hadn’t been able to let go.

“I guess after we were married, she figured out it wasn’t what she really wanted. She started to be unhappy. Moody. Harsher. Then when she met Dirk…” He shrugged lamely. “He wasn’t good for her. Obviously she made the choice to have an affair with him – how I didn’t see it, I’ll never know. But she changed a lot that year, and seems to have just gotten worse ever since.”

Pain lingered in his voice. It was so obvious how hurt he continued to be by Amber’s words and actions. He still didn’t look up at his sister. “Dirk’s a lawyer and likes to draw blood. So any of Amber’s threats…I have to take seriously. Which pretty much leaves me helpless. To be honest, I have no idea why she let me have as much time with Travis as she did while he was growing up. Either a soft spot still exists, or she was just using me as a babysitter.”

Another long pause followed as his emotions churned, and eventually he pushed off the wall and turned to face Angel. “She likes the money she has now. Likes the power she holds over people like me, and…I don’t see that changing any time soon. I’m just sorry Travis has gotten caught in the middle. He’s the only good thing that came out of my marriage…and now I’m on my way to losing him too.”


Scott stood by for a moment and sighed. No, it wasn’t fair. Reese hadn’t said so, but he had a feeling there was more to Kirk being there than simply checking up on them. Seeing his sister’s tears, he came closer and knelt down by her chair to look up at her. “Hey… It’s gonna be okay. I know Gage has changed.” Those were quite the words coming from him, who had disapproved since the very beginning. But the fact was…he knew Gage was on the straight and narrow, and he couldn’t deny that.

“I know I gave you grief before…and I still have a hard time seeing any ex-Agency men… but you’re not wrong to be with him, and don’t let Kirk make you feel that way, okay?” He looked up into her teary eyes and his heart hurt. It had been a very long time since they’d sat together like this. When they’d been younger, they’d interacted like this often, battling hurt from bullies at school. But as adults…they’d just…drifted.

He remained on one knee, and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “You have nothing to be ashamed of, and Kirk has no proof Gage would even think about turning bad.”


Hearing Katie’s comment, Jason couldn’t help his grin. “Naw. If you weren’t in here, he’d be making a fuss all on his own, so I’m used to it. I think he’s gotten bored lately.”

“Knock, knock.”

Jason looked to the door quickly, a new expression of pleasure crossing his face. “Con! What are you doing here?”

“Oh, just stopped by.” He smiled down at Katie and Trooper and shook his head. It had been a while since he’d been to the office at all, let alone stopped to talk. Even if he did make an appearance, it was usually brief and maybe he’d just give a wave to a few people then disappear again. But not today. “You look like you’re hard at work,” he teased Katie.


Carson slowed and pulled his car to a stop alongside the curb of the quiet street. It wasn't the most fantastic part of town, but certainly not the worst either. The houses in this area were rather nice - old, but at least it was a well-kept community. Then there was this particular house.

Carson sat back and let his eyes roam the two-story house. It was white...or at least used to be. Now it was in dire need of a new paint job. At least one window was broken, and the roof over the front porch had been severely neglected. The yard was full of weeds, tall grass, and branches from two large maple trees. The property had potential though. Nestled in the center of the block, it had a nice-sized front yard and an even bigger back yard. The house's front porch ran the length of the house, and would be perfect for a swing or even some patio furniture. The driveway led up to a garage - small, but could serve its purpose well. Overall, it wasn't a bad property, if one was willing to put some time and effort into it.

A battered For Sale sign creaked in the wind. It hadn't taken much investigation to discover why the house had never sold. Poor management after the owner's father had died, had led to the disarray of the property, and few people had the time or motivation to get a place up and running again. Carson didn't have all that much time himself, although he was trying to take more breaks from the restaurant lately. As far as motivation went, the price on this place was unbeatable.

After a few more minutes, Carson finally pulled away from the curb and continued on his way. Would making a move like this be wise? He was so tired of sleeping at the restaurant. He could rent an apartment but he just didn't want to. Would this finalize his break with Misty, though? He'd been begging to come home. What if he had his own home? What would that do to them?

He stopped at an intersection and ran a hand through his hair. Then maybe she'd just have to come to him. He couldn't keep living in limbo just because he was afraid of what direction Misty might go.