Evening Jaunt

Con let’s Jamie’s words sink in, hoping they were true, wishing they were true. Fear holds him back from belief, but he hangs on to hope. She believed in him…could he believe in himself again? Her statement of love strikes his heart, causing his emotions to run rampant.

As she moves to sit next to him, he can feel his pulse quicken all over again as if he’s never been this close to her before. Receiving her kiss, he gently returns it, tightening his grip on her hand. Pulling back, he draws her in for a hug. “I love you too,” he whispers. “Thank you.”

After just a couple moments, he releases the embrace, but leaves an arm around her shoulders for their stay.


Mick chuckles and shakes his head. “No date yet. I want to wait until this war is over first…I don’t want any more strain than needs be… I guess I agree with Luke on that one.” He shrugs. “But I’m thrilled you and Cindy are tying the knot. You both deserve it.”

A bang catches his attention and he looks to see the far pasture gate swinging in the wind, and several horses galloping for freedom. “Aw man.” He quickly moves into a sprint. “I’m getting too old for this!”


Carson tears another advertisement out of the magazine, wads it up into a ball and takes aim, sending it flying through the air to land in the trash can across the room. He remains slouched on the cot, his head and shoulders against the cold wall, his feet stretched out to touch the floor. It wasn’t comfortable, but he was too unmotivated to get up. Finding another ad, he creates another makeshift basketball, but this time it bounces off the rim of the trash can and onto the floor to join several others.

Carson lets his hand drop, bored of this game. Nate had brought him supper several hours earlier, but since then he’d seen no one. He hadn’t expected to, but nonetheless, it was tiresome. The minutes ticked by slower than ever, leaving too much time for his mind to work.

He lets his thoughts wander for the umpteenth time. Had he made the right choice? What would happen now? He’d never dared double-cross the Agency before. But he was in deep this time. They might think he was dead…but if not, they would be out to kill him, or worse. If they didn’t think he was dead, they were already looking for him, for sure.

It was a terrifying thought. One that made Carson question his decision. But he’d started this…how could he not finish it?

The people here were so different…they thought of others instead of themselves…they would give up the world to save one life. It was a new surrounding for Carson, and one that confused him in a way nothing else had. It was as if he wanted to be a part of it, but it was so foreign that it almost scared him.

Sighing, he finally gets himself up to go and pick up the balls that had missed the trash. Glancing to the door, he thinks for just a moment, squinting at the small space between the door itself and the frame. The deadbolt…was it really locked? Odd. Going for a closer look, he figures it’s worth a try, and reaches for the door knob. Surprisingly, it opens. Nate had not locked it.

Raising his eyebrows, Carson begins weighing his options. Stay in this room…get some fresh air… he might even be able to sneak out and come back without anyone else knowing. Or maybe… Perhaps he’d made the right choice to begin with, but did that mean continuing on the same path, or had it simply been a side trip that would lead him back to where he started?

Carson turns and heads back to the cot to sit down and tie his sneakers. Hesitating once more, he finally makes up his mind. Maybe he was run by fear…maybe he really was a coward. But he was tired of feeling vulnerable…having this strange feeling around him. It was almost as if someone was pointing a finger at him, reminding him of all he’d done wrong, when no one really was. Guilt was a new sensation…one that he wasn’t so sure he liked.

The hall was dim, lit only by a few small lights. Ty had not come to clean yet…Carson figured he was out on the floor with Hal somewhere. He might be able to sneak past them if he was careful, though he wasn’t sure he remembered where the exit was.

Moving almost silently down the hall, he sees light coming from Rick’s office. Strange. It was late. Everyone else would have gone home. As he passes, he sees a lone figure at a desk. He doesn’t pay attention to the fact that he’s walking in front of a light from the hall, and his shadow passes through the office, dancing across the floor near the occupied desk.