Locked up

Mick raised his eyebrows as he too scanned the room for Trent. Upon Rosetta's request, he nodded. "Yeah, sure."

Giving her shoulder a squeeze, he rises from hsi chair to wander outside. It takes him a few minutes, but he finally spots Trent standing quietly by one of the pasture fences. It wasn't all that strange - even though Trent was a part of the gang again, he was still a loner and would often spend quiet time alone. But Mick would check on him for Rosetta. "Hey, Trent."

Trent didn't move.

Mick tried again, leaning sideways into the fence to face his brother-in-law. "Everything okay?"

Trent's eyes hold a strange far-away look, and he doesn't glance in Mick's direction. His jaw muscles try to work out his tension as his fingers pick at some loose splinters of wood on the roughly-hewn fence.

Now Mick was beginning to think Rosetta was right. Something was strange. He tries a third time to start a dialogue, this time more cautiously. "Trent? What's wrong?"

By now, the traces of the one rogue tear were gone, but his eyes still held so much emotion as he finally turns to Mick. "Her name is Jasmine."

Mick had absolutely no idea what Trent was talking about. "What? Who?"

"The girl... in Nevada."

One of Mick's eyebrows quirks. "The one we were talking about who looks like Katie?"

Trent nods, but offers nothing more. Mick is almost frustrated with the lack of information. "And...how do you know her name?"

Trent swallows and shakes his head. "I have to go."

"Well, can't you answer me first?"

"No... I mean, I have to go... to Nevada."

Mick's eyes widen. "I don't understand."

"It was a long time ago." Trent purses his lips grimly as he pushes off the fence, straightening up. "I'll be leaving tomorrow."

"But..." Mick watches in total confusion as Trent walks away, towards his bunkhouse. Sighing, he turns to aim for the dining hall again. By the time he gets there, most of the others have started breaking up for the night. Mick finds Rosetta standing near the kitchen, and he slips his arms around her waist from behind, leaning over her shoulder to give her cheek a kiss. "Trent won't talk to me," he mentions quietly. "He knows something about the Agency girl though, and he says he's leaving tomorrow for Nevada."


Ryder laughs and reaches out to ruffle Thirteen's hair. "Alright... Give me ten minutes, then we'll cook some supper together."

Just as he said, ten minutes later, he's returned, having cleaned up and donned more comfortable jeans and t-shirt. "Ready?" He motions for Thirteen to join him in the kitchen. Setting about gathering the dishware, he moves about, knowing exactly what he wanted. "We're gonna do Italian tonight," he proclaims decidedly. "How does pasta, red sauce, chicken and mozzarella sound to you?"

He scans the inside of the refrigerator. "Don't know what it's called, but it tastes good."

Getting what he needs, he turns to smile at Thirteen. "Pretty soon, you're gonna be self-sufficient, you know that?" He moves about, accidentally bumping into her. "Oh, sorry."

It was the first time he hadn't reached out to steady her.

He hands her a pot then reaches out to turn on the oven. "Okay, lets see what we should do first..."

Soon, the kitchen is filled with aromas that could make anyone's stomach growl. Ryder leans back against the counter, waiting for the timer as he folds his arms over his chest. "If I can get permission, I'm gonna try to build some outside stairs," he muses. "That way, you and Katie can have even more privacy down here."


I'll catch you before you fall in your food.

A smile spreads on Jason's face and he raises Katie's hand to plant a kiss on it.

I missed you too. I would have been lost without you.

Waiting for their food, Jason's mind wanders just a little. Katie hadn't asked him yet today if he'd marry her - perhaps she really had forgotten the notion.

As soon as he'd thought about it though, he knows if Katie had been paying attention, she would have caught on. A month without their connection, Jason had lapsed into not being so careful about his thoughts. He speaks quickly, scattering those rampant thoughts.

"Laura and Nate are gonna be gone for a couple days, but as far as I know, Ryder will be there when I take you home. If you need anything though, on't hesitate to let me know, even if it's small."


Gage is a little surprised by Sapphire's order to sit down, and he doesn't have much choice but to obey. It was hard, giving her access to his wrist, but sitting sideways, he can feel her dabbing away the blood.

He's very quiet for several moments. "I used to be free," he comments. "I don't understand why if you're the good guys, you keep me locked up like this, taunting me with freedom."

He'd enjoyed going outside, but it had fed his loneliness and his desire to be free again... or at least what he had believed was real freedom.