Guilt... Me...

Erik chuckles as he eases down in an overstuffed chair. "We try not to make a big deal of it... My family feels blessed... and we try to bless others with what we've been given. There's cons to living in a place like this but... I've gotten used to it."

"Gotten used to it." Twila scoffs. "I live in a trailer park with my grandma. This is heaven." She grins at Alice. "Which is why I spend half my time here!"

Theo puts his feet up in another chair, smiling. "As if you're the only one."

Erik just grins. "This house is the house of friends," he explains. "Here it's anything, any time, no matter the need or the hour."

Kip perks up to the sound of the doorbell. "Especially the pizza guy." Hurling himself over a piece of furniture, he almost knocks over a table on his way, bumping a vase that Erik dives for, just in time to save it from an awful fate. "Kip!"

All that's heard is laughter as Kip runs to meet William.

Russ shakes his head, remaining serious on the outside, though the humor was evident in his eyes. "Alice... Kyle... get used to this, um... refined... humor?"

"I wouldn't call it refined," Twila corrects. "It's... um... it's..."

Erik sees Kip return with two pizza boxes balanced on his head. "It's unique."

Kip gives a silly grin as he sets the boxes down on a coffee table. "Soup's on!"

"Mmm... dig in guys," Erik prompts. "Oh, and we got drinks... Coke, Mountain Dew, tea, wat-"

"Mountain Dew," Kyle interrupts. He grins. "For Alice and me both."

The next half hour is spent just having fun and eating. The group took to Kyle and Alice like old friends, and even treated them as such. It was as if they'd known each other all their lives. Whether they stayed together as a band or not, it was quickly evident that friendships would remain.

"So..." Erik leans back in his chair, sipping on the last half of his Coke. "How-"

"Are you gonna join us?" Kip interrupts.

"Kip!" Twila chides. "We weren't going to pressure him, remember?"

Kyle laughs and shakes his head. "It's okay. I was just thinking this morning that-"

"Kip!" Erik's mother calls from the other room. "Telephone!" Her tone wasn't upset, but it wasn't happy either.

Kip bristles.

Erik lays a hand on his shoulder. "You don't have to take it."

"Yes I do." Kip stands from his seat on the floor, setting down his plate of pizza crusts. "Be right back."

The others stare after him as if they already know what the outcome of the call will be. Erik clears his throat. "Um, sorry... where were we?"

"Kip was asking if I'd join you guys." Kyle sinks back in the couch and turns his head to Alice. He didn't mind speaking in front of the others. "You know if we get this deal, we might be on the road again... Nevada may or may not be a stop on the list for a while still. I don't want to do this if you'd rather go home... I don't want to go without you." And he meant it. He had no doubt that his feelings for Alice had grown, as had hers towards him. But distance apart would be hard, and he didn't want to risk that loss. If she wanted to go home, he would sacrifice this deal.

The others wait quietly, not wanting to intrude, but all waiting to hear the outcome. They were all at a crossroads, and they simply wanted to know which direction they would be turning.


Jade reaches up to take Katie's phone, but flipping it open, she shakes her head. "That's what I thought. There's a dead zone for about three miles between town and the ranch... we're smack dab in the middle of it."

Jason grabs the spare tire as Clint goes for the jack with Dan's help. Jason chuckles at Dan's comment. "Yeah, the girls seem real scared," he jokes.

"We could always let them walk," Clint suggests. Then he stops. "On second thought... you two get to go to your own bunks tonight, while I have to go home with Wendy... I really don't want to deal with her wrath."

Jason grins as they work on the tire. "Yeah, she seems like the rough type."

Clint laughs. "She does know how to smack me upside the head pretty good. Thankfully she doesn't use that tactic very often though."

"With you? I half expected to find you all black and blue."

"Heeeey." Clint threatens him with part of the jack. "Watch it. I'm in better shape than the last time you saw me."

Jason chuckles. "So I see." He gives Dan a sidelong glance, noticing the other man's nerves. "We can blame this whole thing on me," he assures. "Nobody will die... tonight anyway."


"Heart."

"Beat."

"Stars."

"Light."

"Friendships."

"Foes."

"Memories."

"Television."

The doctor quirks an eyebrow. "Love."

"Spaghetti."

"Hope?"

"Clam chowder.

The doctor tosses his notebook aside and sighs deeply. "Bren-"

"Gunner."

"Gunner... when are you going to stop playing these games?"

"What games?" Gunner picks at his fingernails. "You're the one with the cue cards, not me."

The doctor's eyes narrow. "How long ago did your medication ware off?"

Gunner's gaze shoots up. "What medication? You put me on medication?!" He jumps up from his chair, putting his hands to his head. "No wonder I can't sleep or eat or think straight! You've had me doped up! I should have known! All this time, I've been-"

"Brent, sit down."

Gunner drops his hands, and flops back down into the chair, his mock tantrum halting abruptly. "Chair."

The doctor sighs. "Memories."

"Forbidden."

"Love."

"None."

"Hope."

"Bree."

"Past."

"Nightmare."

"Guilt."

"Me." A lump rises in Gunner's throat, despite his attempts to combat these tactics. But when he let himself go for a split second, feelings rose within him that he wanted to snuff out.

"Life."

"Worthless." Gunner's on his feet again, pacing. "Are we done yet?"

"No. Sit down."

Gunner obeys grudgingly.

The doctor holds up a card. "What do you see?"

Gunner squints. "A... blotch of purple paint?" He shrugs. "Beats me."

"This one?"

He cocks his head at the second card. "Your mother?"

The doctor isn't amused. "What about this one?"

Gunner almost jumps as he sees a shadowy-like form. Except his imagination places evil eyes and fangs where he'd seen them once before. "A monster."

It seems like forever until the doctor stacks up his notebooks and sets his pens aside. "Dr. Garrison may be coming to see you today. In the meantime, if you wish to remain in your room, you may do so. Otherwise there are activities..." His voice trails off as Gunner disappears out the door. "...in the rec room."

...Gunner falls onto his bed face-first, burying his head under his pillow. He felt like such a child. Here he was, as grown man, forced to play these stupid games, and follow curfew rules like some rebellious teenager. He was an Elite agent for crying out loud! He wasn't crazy, and he wasn't retarded. Yet here he was in a loony bin, all because he'd wanted to take a long walk off a bridge.

Turning over, he curls up onto his side to stare at the wall. "Guilt... me..." He scrunches his eyes shut tight. No... he wouldn't let his emotions take control. He wouldn't!