A mistake

Life had suddenly turned upside down once more. For Carson, it was a taste of what he used to love. He'd become satisfied with his everyday life... but he wasn't going to pass up this chance. The only catch was that the success of this mission was on his shoulders, not someone else's.

Standing back, he watches Misty work with Angel, his mind working overtime.

Jeff paces for a few minutes, then finally wanders out of the infirmary to find something to eat. Luke stays by Angel's side, his hand still in hers, though his eyelids grow heavier and heavier until he's finally fallen into a light sleep.

Carson still watches. It was quiet enough that the ticking clock on the wall seemed to be a loud gong. He had to figure out what he needed. He had to form a plan. He had to figure out where they needed to go in Australia and who they could meet up with once they were there. They would need an ally.

Sighing, he wanders over to Misty's desk where she was standing, and wraps his arms around her waste from behind, leaning so his chin rested on her shoulder. "Looks like this Aussie of yours still has an adventure or two left in him."

Moving around, he gives Misty's lips a kiss. "I'd take you with me, but you need to stay here and help Rick." In the back of his mind, he knew another reason too, but he would probably get into trouble for saying it.

A smile makes its way to Carson's face and he puts a hand to Misty's cheek, running a thumb over her lips. "Behave yourself while I'm gone, will you?"

He wants to stay. He wants this to just be a social call so he could hang around and spend some time with Misty. But he knows he can't. "I need a ride back home to get some things. Can you run me there and back really quick? Anything else I can do over the phone."


Kyle sees Katie's car in his side mirror, but doesn't make a move to leave. He wasn't surprised to see her... if anyone would have noticed his whereabouts, it would be her... she saw everything.

As she comes around to the passenger side of his truck, he doesn't look at her. His eyes remain fixed on the road ahead that led to nowhere. Part of him wanted to be left alone. And part of him didn't want to feel lonely.

"Whether or not I feel alone really isn't the issue here, is it?" he finally answers. His tone was cooler than normal, especially when talking to Katie. But much more was the hurt underneath the tone. "The issue is my selfish nature, getting me into a mess like this and risking friendships over something as silly as a dream."

Shaking his head, Kyle gets out on his side, shutting the door a little harder than need be. Stuffing his keys in his pocket, he trudges down the road, knowing that Katie will follow. Putting his hands in his jacket pockets, he takes in a deep breath. The air was crisp, but the sun was warm.

"I don't even know what I want anymore, Katie." His statement was quiet, but he knew she'd hear. "I know I'm not alone. I know my attitude sucks, and I know I'm taking things way too personally. But I just..."

His voice cracks. His emotions hit him unexpectedly, a sudden low that he hates. But the burning tears behind his eyes don't pay head to his will to hold them back. His attempts to subdue his plummeting emotions had only served to worsen them.

Stopping, he deliberately keeps his back to Katie, taking an angry swipe at his eyes. "Dang it," he mutters under his breath. This really was ridiculous. There was no call for a display like this. But never had he felt so out of control when it came to his feelings.

"All I'm doing is creating a rift between the bands," he mumbles. "It isn't worth it. I should just leave and let everyone be. It was a mistake to get wrapped up in Cryptic... maybe pursuing music was a mistake in the first place."