Beauty

Clint finally smiles down at Wendy, moving one hand to cradle her face. Pulling her up out of her chair, he wraps his arms around her in a strong hug.

"I love you... you know that, don't you?" He leans back to see her face, his arms still around her. "I... I'm sorry I haven't been great company lately.

He bends to rest his forehead against hers. "I'll try harder to be here for you, okay?"


Rocky can't help but laugh as he shakes his head. "Ah, but my punctuality has nothing to do with extenuating circumstances. I am always on time. It's my vehicle that arrives late."

Tossing her a wink, he takes a sip of his water. "Never thought I'd be back in the grind of things like this after traveling with the band. But... I think I like it." He shrugs. "Not that sitting in a delivery truck and running like the dickens all day is my ideal for a job, but... it's not that bad. This is home... can't help but like it."

He cocks her head. "Enough about me though. I want to know more about Jemmm Ferchen."


Scott leans forward a little to see the pictures that Hope had separated from the others. He looks at them for a minute before shrugging and sitting back again, reaching up to rub his blind eye without even realizing it. "I don't know."

He's silent for several long moments. While some might just think he's sitting without a thought at all, those watching closely would be able to tell that his lack of body movement did not signal a lack of thinking - his mind was indeed working, and at a level that most people wouldn't even comprehend. He understood perfectly well about the pictures and Hope's methods. It wasn't a foreign concept, nor was it something he questioned - he was intelligent enough to figure it out, even if he wasn't allowing himself to let his thoughts show.

Finally though, he stands up, taking a step to Hope's desk. Looking down at the three chosen pictures, he points to the one of Misty first, his thin finger mapping it out.

"She's walking away from me," he explains quietly. "Leaving. She has a goal... a destination. But all that's left for me are shadows because..."

Scott stops. He might be able to pretend that he had no idea why he'd taken the pictures. In reality, he really had just taken them on the spur of the moment. But he couldn't fool himself. He knew good and well why he'd taken each one. "...because I'm just standing still," he finally finishes.

Moving to the next, his finger touches the one of the tree branches. "There's light up there... somewhere." The sun could barely break through the limbs. "But it's a tangled mess to get there... a maze... the tree won't open up on its own. If you want to see the light... you'd have to climb higher and higher until all the branches were behind you and you were looking at the sun full in the face, soaking in the warmth, and celebrating the triumph of making it to the top."

He suddenly stops again, his eyes still refusing to meet Hope's. A bit of color comes to his face as he realizes how much he'd just said.

Quickly he gestures to the last picture. "It is beauty. It sits alone... overlooked... forgotten... but it's there, sitting quietly... waiting to be picked up by someone who cares."

Swallowing hard, Scott backs up and sits back down in the chair, stuffing his hands into his hoodie pockets.