Dangerous

Upon hearing Maggie's voice, Garret's eyes opened again. He didn't move for several seconds, perhaps not even realizing how hard he was trying not to physically react. He was in such a fog that all his subconscious senses were on high alert - all his muscles were poised to act if necessary. He slowly blinked and shifted his head a little to see Maggie more clearly. The most innocent soul he'd ever met. What was it about her that tore down his wall every single time she was near? 

Her eyes were begging him to cooperate. It wasn't a direct order like from Rick, or a stern request from Nate. Maggie was actually begging him to get better. And he really had no understanding as to why. Why did he see fear in her eyes? What was she afraid of? 

As if on sheer instinct, Garret finally pushed himself up and turned to lean back against the headboard. He pulled one knee up near his chest and sighed, looking at Maggie dimly. Then he threw her something close to a smirk. Glancing over at the bowl of soup, he gestured with his head for her to hand it to him. 

Holding it close and using his leg to steady the bowl so he didn't spill any, he took a slow spoonful, letting the hot liquid roll down his throat. The fever had set his taste buds off, but even so, this...was good. He quirked an eyebrow and looked back at Maggie. "Happy now?" He forced himself to take another bite...and another. Aside from Maggie, Nate had threatened a hospital, and the last thing Garret wanted was to be forced into a place like that where he was unprotected. Even in his feverish state, he still knew it was dangerous for him to be in public where any Agency operative might see him. 

Several more spoonfuls, and he leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Just sitting up was wearing him out. All of a sudden though...he felt more...relaxed. Like maybe he really could fall asleep and actually sleep instead of being on edge. Feeling the bowl shift in his hand, his eyes sprang open and he caught himself right before he dumped the rest of the soup on his lap. He handed it back to Maggie so he wouldn't make a mess, and his little smirk resurfaced. "Tell anyone I almost spilled that, and you'll have me to deal with." There was no malice in his tone - only teasing hidden under his drowsiness. 


Travis chuckled at Ashlee's comment about spacing off too, and he nodded. "Okay." 

He returned to the quietness once more and just let the sunset take over the scene. What a brilliant one it was, too. Bright oranges, pinks and purples, setting the horizon ablaze. The trees cast long shadows on the ground, and the air became cooler. 

Travis' eyes traveled the horizon until he was brought back around to Ashlee, and he cocked his head. "Thanks...for showing me this." A new little smile curled his lips. "You're alright." 


Kirk growled, but he knew Adison was right. Do it. Be done. Move on. Just like any other task. He could do this. "Yeah...yeah...I know. It's just..." He huffed a sigh. "Stupid. Just plain stupid. You know what they shoulda done was lay out clear boundaries to begin with. But instead, they told the Elite to start reporting everything, but no real regulations were made. So now, they're all up in arms about the whole thing and it's their own fault for not doing it right in the first place." 

He nodded emphatically. "They should have just..." His words trailed off as a new thought struck him. "...had more...help..." His gaze swung back around to Adison. "What if there was a solution? What if...but I'm not supposed to... all I was to do was...but..." 

Flopping back down in his computer chair, he started to type - fast. He didn't care how it sounded - he was just going to type and finish this. Now. Tonight. Without realizing it, he fell silent, just focusing on work, and he had no idea how much time had passed when he hit the final period at the end. 

"There. That...is going to have to do." Spinning around in his chair, his eyes went wide. How long had he been ignoring Adison? "Adison?" No response. She was sound asleep. 

Grinning, he stood and wandered over to the couch. She had to be just as exhausted as he was after not having any sleep at all the night before. He just watched her for a moment and sighed. Did she know what a big help she really was to him? All the dollars to pay for coffee in the world wouldn't be enough to make it up to her. 

He reached down slowly, and gently slipped her shoes off her feet, then pulled a light blanket over her. He wouldn't make her get up and go home. Not when she looked this comfortable. If she woke up later and wanted to leave, she could. She knew the way well enough. The lights went off next, and he shut his laptop, now prepared for work in the morning. Heading for his bedroom, he shut the door and was sound asleep himself, almost as soon as he laid down.