Substitute

Jason receives Katie's response, at first unable to decipher it, but then understanding, and suddenly realizing how smoothly they'd just communicated. Any other time or place, he would have stopped to comment, but now wasn't the time.

Kyle glances down to Misty and sees the look in her eye that he knew would be there. She felt guilty...she was apologizing. And it made him feel all the more bad.

His eyes narrowing a little, he throws her a warning glance that demanded she not take on responsibility for this. Turning back to Katie, he nods and shrugs a little, indicating that more security might be an option. His expression still implied he didn't want to miss this weekend, though he was giving in a little, his temper having cooled down.

Mike grimaces a little. "I don't know guys...how much are we willing to risk?"

Jason taps his finger on the table absentmindedly. "Kyle, if you got this right...the next time they hit, it's going to be hard. What will they try for next?"

Kyle thinks, then shakes his head. How could he even guess?

Jason, however, knows, and prompts him to figure it out himself. "What's important to you, Kyle? What could they take that would be most devastating?"

Suddenly Kyle's eyes widen and he immediately looks to his sister.

Jen swallows hard. She knew. If the Agency wanted to completely crush Kyle, they would come after her.

Mike reaches under the table to take her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "So we up the security on Jen."

Kyle's face has paled slightly, an he finally sits back down, leaning his forehead on his hand, trying to sort all this out. How much was he really willing to risk? If it were just himself, he didn't care. But Jen? She was the most obvious target. Was he willing to risk that? Yet at the same time, if they didn't stand up and fight, it would just continue.

Jason shrugs. "Well...we can do that...keep a closer eye on things...make sure she's not alone. It's either that, Kyle, or you can quit flirting with the Agency's enemy."

Kyle lifts his head to throw Jason a glare. His relationship with Misty might not be at the deepest level, but it was certainly beyond flippant flirting. To prove his point, he leans back in his chair and puts an arm around Misty in utter defiance of the suggestion.

Jason backs off, realizing the bounds he had just overstepped. "Alright, so scratch that." He gives Katie a sidelong glance and sighs, admitting through his emotions, only to her, his embarrassment for his own remark. "So what are we going to do, guys? Katie? You're the only security we've got right now. Who else would you suggest? And how can we keep Jen safe?"

Phil interrupts them. "We got more than one thing going on here though guys...The Agency is by far the most intense, but we have to think about Kyle's condition right now too." He looks at his brother with concern, knowing how touchy Kyle was about it, but it had to be said. "I'm just not sure you should be up there trying to play right now. And we still haven't decided what to do about backup vocals."

Kyle drops his gaze, the frustration returning. He was supposed to see Rick tomorrow for a checkup...after today's little shouting match, who knew what Rick would say. As for his hand, it would be several months before he could really play the keyboard fully again.

"You could help Jen with sound," Mike suggests.

Phil shakes his head. "We sound better with a keyboard in the mix though. Do we want to downsize to a three-piece until he can play?"

"How about having someone come substitute?"

Kyle can feel heat rising to his face and he refuses to look up. He knew they all meant well, but no matter what, each suggestion just dug the knife in a little further.

"Hey, I know..." Mike nods with enthusiasm. "Cryptic is coming home - I heard something about that the other day. They've been traveling all over the place, but are now going to take a break or there's a rumor that they're even going to disband, I don't know. But anyway, Rocky's always offered to help us out if we needed anything, and you know Taylor could get him to do anything."

Kyle quirks an eyebrow. He glances at Misty. That was the band that had backed him up and recorded his singing.

Mike continues. "We could at least give him a call and see if he'd be willing to sub on short notice for this weekend. He still owes us for the time we bailed him out at that one concert." A slight grin appears at the memory. "Then we can decide more after that..."

Kyle wasn't so sure...he didn't like being replaced...it just felt like salt to the wound. But at least they wouldn't cancel...at least he trusted Rocky...and though running sound wasn't the most fun in the world, at least he could help with that and relieve Jen some too.

Phil looks around at everyone. "Well...we can give him a call. Kyle, you got his number?"

Kyle nods.

Phil shrugs. "What do you all say? Katie...if we get a sub and do this weekend, think you could recruit some more help from TJY? Maybe Nate? Wyatt?"

Jason grins a little. "Con's out of work right now. I bet he'd be glad to play bodyguard for a night too."

Jen sits up a little straighter. "I'm game." She looks to Katie as her friend for support. "And I think Kyle and Katie are right...the Agency needs to know that we're not that easy to knock down."


Carson gives a little sigh and shakes his head at Jess. "What's done in the past is done...I didn't exactly make the right choices either, so...don't apologize."

Hearing the short discussion, Rick's mind wanders a little, wondering what the relationship was between these two, and wondering at Carson's meek demeanor. Rick had heard rumors about all that had happened...he knew Carson didn't have a car or any place to live right now...had he finally broken?

"Alright, Jess... Let's get this overwith so you can get comfortable again." Rick gives her an encouraging nod that everything was going to be okay. "Jamie's right here and Carson will wait right outside."

Carson takes the hint and gives Jess a wink before backing off and leaving the three alone.

It's a while later that Rick is showing Jess the little guest room, letting her know where everything was, and telling her that she could help herself to anything in the break room. Wyatt would go get her vehicle from Mom and Pop's and park it at TJY for the night, and the case would be handed over to Angelica immediately so that legal action could be taken against Peter.

Carson is still there, and left alone with Jess in the room, he looks around, remembering is own time spent here before he'd gotten his own place. "You don't have to worry about a thing as long as you're here, Jess...there will be more than one person here all night."

He glances at the clock. He didn't know what to do... He didn't want to leave her alone if she was going to panic, but he didn't want to stay and have her feel smothered either. "You be alright here now? Or do you need the company?"