Getting rid of the past

"Yeah.... okay." Gunner manages a wry grin as he rubs the back of his head before shutting the car door. Walking in front of the headlights, he waves to Bree, though he can't see her past the glare. Turning, he heads inside and up the flight of stairs to his apartment, greeted at the door by Cat.


Leo's eyes are only partway open, but a smile comes to his face. Had he been more alert, he probably would have laughed. "Okay... I won't kick you off... I'm too comfortable... too..." His voice drifts off, and his grip on Ryan's hand loosens just a little. His body was too exhausted to try staying awake any longer.


Ryder smirks as he slings an arm around Thirteen's shoulders to head out of TJY. "Yeah... yeah, everything is fine. We're not a secret anymore - it was the croc Reese was mad about."
Rolling his eyes, he leads the way outside and to the car. "Mom and Pop's it is. I think Carson will have it open for another hour or so."


Trent's eyes snap up to Katie, growing wide as he realized just what she was saying. He didn't argue with her, but just stared as if speechless. Blinking as she walks away, his grip on his coffee mug increases. He didn't want this to happen... he didn't want Katie to tell Jasmine anything. No. He'd made up his mind. He loved Katie, but as the second ticked by, his frustration grew.
Standing suddenly, his chair is knocked over with a clatter. Ignoring help from anybody, he picks up the chair and takes his mug to the kitchen, throwing out the remainder of his coffee.


Jeff returns Katie's hug lovingly, looking up at her with a small smile. "Yeah... yeah I'll see you soon and we'll talk more. Don't worry about that."

Holding her hand for a moment, Jeff nods. "I'm happy you know now too... very happy."
He pulls her down for one last hug before finally letting her go. "Safe trip. Tell Jason I said to keep an eye on you." He winks, knowing that no one had to tell that to Jason.

Their exchange is suddenly broken up as the sound of breaking dishware comes from the kitchen. Everyone looks, and Becky, who is closest, disappears into the kitchen. The next sound is her voice.

"Let me help. No, look, you're bleeding, just let me-"

"I'm fine!" Trent storms out of the kitchen, holding one hand that was bleeding. Without looking at anyone else, he heads for the back door, letting it slam shut behind him after he exits.

Becky looks out of the kitchen, her eyes a little wide before she goes back to clean up the pieces of the broken coffee mug.


Reese heads down the side of the main floor, getting an early start to the day. He was surprised to have seen Gunner's car here that early as well, having thought the man would at least take a couple more days off work. But as he nears the small cubicle, he's met with flying papers. "Gunner, what..." His voice trails off.

Gunner was on the floor in front of his filing cabinet, sifting through files. Every few pages, he'd pull one out, look at it, then toss it over his shoulder as scrap. Some papers had pictures with them. He takes a whole file and tosses it too, into the growing pile in the doorway to his cubicle.

Reese stares at the mess. "What on earth are you doing?!"

Gunner doesn't pause to look up. "Cleaning."

"I... see that. But what... are you cleaning? And why are you here so early?"

"Couldn't sleep. And..." Gunner tosses aside another bulging file, sending papers everywhere. "I'm doing exactly what you've wanted me to do all along."

Confused, Reese bends down to pick up a couple of the papers to see what they were. It only takes him a few moments to realize that they had information that Gunner had followed on his quest to find his parents' murderer. "You're getting rid of... everything?"

"Yep." Another handful of papers fly.

Reese looks to Gunner's computer, where there was a status bar, indicating it was halfway through deleting a load of data files. It surprised him... he knew the search was over, but this seemed a little extreme. "You could... use a garbage can, you know."

"Hey, I just came from a mental hospital, remember?" Gunner still hasn't looked up at him, continuing to search through files and pulling out every single shred of evidence he had followed the last handful of years. "Be glad I'm not running up and down the hall, screaming like a madman."

Reese cocks his head, a little concerned with the strange behavior. "Gunner, are you alright?"

"Fine, Reese... just fine. I did my time. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm trying to clean." Hearing Reese finally walk away, Gunner pauses his work. Dark circles were under his eyes, indicating he had had a sleepless night - and it was true. He had slept no more than ten minutes throughout the night.

Reese wanders back to his office, turning once more to see another handful of papers fly up from the cubicle. He wondered if this was something Hope should know about, or if it was perfectly fine.


The sound of rattling in the kitchen, and the smell of bacon reaches into the living room. Leo stirs a little and finally opens his eyes, trying to get his bearings. Where on earth was he?

Starting to roll over, he stops - his whole body felt like one giant bruise. A groan slips out and he decides not to try moving again. It hurt too much. Only then does he realize that his head isn't resting on a normal pillow. Turning his face, he looks up to see Ryan - he'd been using her lap as a pillow all night, and she hadn't moved. He felt a mixture of guilt and gratefulness.

Still so tired, his bruised eyes fall shut once more, though his hand does find Ryan's again to hold.