Wrestle

As Beth spoke, Justin sat up straighter and turned to look at her, his eyes going wide. "What? No." He shook his head emphatically. "That is completely out of the question."

He withdrew his arm and stared at her in disbelief. "The Agency kills people, Beth. It's what they do. Getting yourself killed isn't going to help, or bring your sister back. You may not have family to worry about, but you're what I've got...and I don't want to lose you." He took a deep breath and ran a hand over his tired face. "And whether you like it or not...this is my fault. I never should have gotten involved with the Elite in the first place. Take a lesson from me."

Getting up off the couch without warning, he trudged to the kitchen where he leaned on the counter to try and calm down before he lost his temper. He couldn't risk blowing up at Beth. Not now. Not in her state. But he was angry. Angry with the Agency. Angry with the Elite. Angry with himself. And he did know Sarah's death was his fault  nothing could change that.

Feeling the tears starting to surface, he took deep breaths, trying to stop them. This wasn't his time to mourn. It was Beth's. She needed him to be stronger than this. He had to be. His eyes scrunched shut tight as he teetered on the edge of losing it. No. Not now. 


Kirk laughed and nodded. "Yes. Please resume your habit of coming over. I just knew if you did it this last week, I never would have been able to keep my mouth shut 'cause I..." He stopped, his smile changing ever so slightly. "...I tell you everything." It was true. Keeping secrets from Adison was nearly impossible. She just always had such good perspectives and let him get things off his chest...he didn't know what he'd ever do without that.

His eyes dropped to his food as he cut another bite of steak. "Really though," he resumed talking about work, "I'll need some help deciding how to approach things, and I'll wanna pick your brain for some fresh ideas. It's not gonna be easy, but there are some changes I really think need to be made in order for this whole thing to work." He paused to chew while his brain shot off in another direction. "Actually...you wanna come over tonight? Hash things out? I need to come up with a written plan of action that has to be approved by the board before I can proceed and...I really could use youe help." He held up his hand. "And I promise not to be bossy...unless you get out of hand or something. I'm which case, I'll have to wrestle you to the floor again."