Walking away

Luke reaches out to cradle Angel’s face in his hands. His eyes search her own for the truth in the words she spoke. His voice comes but a gentle tone, above a whisper, unable to express the emotions he felt. “You’re one amazing woman, Angel, you know that?”

Leaning slightly and cocking his head, he plants a slow, tender kiss on her lips. Straightening, his eyes dance, despite the pain he’s going through. “I’ll never know how I lived without you for so long.”

His thumb runs along her cheek. “I’ll let you help me…’cause I can’t go it alone.”


Wyatt ambles down the hall, his eyes on the paperwork in his hand. He aims for the main floor, intentional about going to Laura’s desk. Passing Jason’s office, though, he hears a scream.

Stopping in his tracks, he skids to a halt, dropping his paperwork without a second thought. Bursting into the office, the blood drains from his face as he sees Katie on the floor.

“Katie…Katie, what’s wrong?” He’s quick to kneel next to her, looking her over, trying to figure out if she was hurt. Her tears, her sobs…they cut him deep as concern takes over.

Then it hits him. She’s in Jason’s office…a rose is present... He didn’t know what she was experiencing, but he didn’t have to. She was distraught over Jason for some reason, and he didn’t need to know more.

Wyatt sets down on the floor and pulls her onto his lap to cradle her, wrapping his strong arms around her and letting her cry. He rocks her a little, trying to calm her down. “It’s okay, Katie…everything’s gonna be alright. Shh….just relax…

He sits with her a long while, being checked on once by Reese who happened to find them, but then they’re left alone once again.


Jason’s heart races. His pulse pounds in his head, and sweat runs down his face, stinging his eyes. He blinks, trying to bring anything into focus, but the room is too dark. I takes him several minutes to get to a state where he realizes just where he is.

Still curled up tightly on the floor, he tries to stretch out, but cries out in pain, his muscles having been so tense they now resist relaxing. Short on breath, he tries to sit up, but finds it difficult, and finally gives up.

The handcuffs on his wrists seem tight and painful…his right hand feels wet and warm. Jason realizes he must have skinned his knuckles on the concrete wall, and had been fighting his cuffs apparently, his wrists now tender and sore.

Jason lies still for a long while, trying to slow his heartrate and bring himself back to his senses. He knows what just happened, but has no idea that it lasted for over an hour. His body though warns him that it had been severe.

Finally he’s able to sit up, but doesn’t bother trying to find the cot. Instead he just huddles in the corner, no sense of time, no sense of direction.


Looking up quickly, Carson is taken completely by surprise. He had genuinely thought he was alone. He straightens and starts to make a smart remark, but quickly realizes by the look on Misty’s face that not only is she here now, but she heard his conversation.

Carson’s face turns from one of teasing to that of leeriness, waiting her next move.

As Misty’s words come, they hit him like a kick to the gut. His eyes start to narrow and he opens his mouth for a harsh return, but she’s already turned and walked away.

He stands alone, stunned, and unsure what to think. But he had to think. He had to figure out what this meant. Misty’s callous words alone were enough to shock his system…and it upsets him more than he’d like to admit.

Would Misty go to Reese? Would she keep quiet? Would she confront him about it later?

The more Carson thought, the more anger he felt. He was angry that he was stupid enough to get caught, he was angry that he was having such a hard time doing what he wanted to without feeling guilty, and he was angry at basically being called a monster. But maybe that’s what he really was… He’d warned Misty, more than once, and she just hadn’t listened. He was a bad guy… he didn’t know how to be the good guy and was failing at trying. TJY didn’t need someone like him around. He wouldn’t betray them, but they had no use for someone like him.

Spinning around, Carson heads into the holding cell. He grabs his baseball cap and slaps it on his head, pulling the brim low over his eyes, hiding his scowl. Throwing a few rampant pieces of clothing back into his duffle bag, he zips it shut and slings it over his shoulder.

Without looking back, Carson stalks back to the busier part of the building, aiming down the hall with long strides, the exit his destination. He belonged here no more.