Long night turns into morning

Jade grins and nods, slipping away to get the movie going. She hadn't even noticed the music playing on the DVD menu until now. No wonder Sparky had been drawn to the living room. Shaking her head at herself and putting a hand to her warm face, she flops down on the couch and waits for Dan to return. It would be a nice quiet evening and would help her unwind before heading to bed.


Miles away, Mick lies in bed, staring up at the dark ceiling. It was quiet here... way too quiet. Rolling over, his arm flops down to the empty half of the mattress. A wave of loneliness washes over him as his fingers play with the sheets. His arms felt empty and cold. There was no one to hold close. There was no beating heart to lull him to sleep. Rolling back over, he turns his eyes to the wall. Tonight hadn't been too rough. Tomorrow would be worse and he knew it. But he had to stay... he had to.


Sparky sits down in the comfortable chair near his bed and sips from the bottle of water he'd retrieved from the kitchen. A small grin toys at his lips as he recalls Dan and Jade, and he shakes his head.

Leaning his head back, he listens to the soft music of the CD he'd put in to help him relax so he could get to sleep. It had been a long day. There were a lot of things off kilter right now, and he just hoped that tomorrow would be better.


JT slips into the house, yawning big as he shuts the door behind himself. He'd been surprised to see Bree's car outside - he hadn't thought she'd spend the night, but it was just as well. He liked knowing she was safe and sound.

Yawning again, he hangs up his jacket then trudges through the living room, pausing to see Gunner on the couch. Quirking an eyebrow, he cocks his head and wanders a little closer, finding the body way too big. Then seeing tufts of blonde hair, he realizes that Bree is with him. A soft smile emerges and he turns to leave.

Gunner is roused by the quiet sounds of the door and clanking in the kitchen, trying to pry his eyes open. He had no idea what time it was, but it was getting a little lighter in the living room. Stretching a little, he stops, realizing if he kept going, he was going to shove Bree right off onto the floor. He'd forgotten she was there. He was so warm and cozy though, he didn't want to move. The corner of his eye catches movement and he realizes that JT was home.

"What time is it?" he mumbles

JT turns back around and chuckles. "Seven-thirty."

"Mmm... I gotta get to work." Gunner yawns and props himself on an elbow, trying to figure out how to get up without disturbing Bree.

JT grins. "Don't worry - you could drop her on the floor and she wouldn't wake up. Trust me. I thought she was dead a couple times."

Gunner lifts his eyebrows and gives a sleepy laugh. Managing to get himself untangled and up and over Bree, he leaves her on the couch, pulling the blanket up to her chin. JT was right, thought he was still amazed Bree hadn't woken up.

"Late night?" JT inquires.

Gunner can feel a bit of heat in his face as he reaches for his bag. "Not really."

JT eyes him as he straightens, catching his gaze. "Don't hurt her, Gunner... she's had enough of that in her life."

Gunner purses his lips and nods. "I won't."

"Good. I'm going to bed now."

Gunner watches him leave, then heads to the bathroom to shower and dress, winding up in the kitchen to down a glass of orange juice for breakfast before he left for the day.


Carson moves about the kitchen, pots and pans clanging and rattling. They'd only been open half and hour, and already they were busy. It seemed everyone in town wanted breakfast that morning. Many times, Carson had considered not opening until lunchtime - there were few Italian restaurants that served traditional American breakfasts... it didn't seem to fit at all. But every morning, the business was too good for him to think about delaying the opening until lunch. Mom and Pop's was a unique restaurant for sure... Italian... American... a combination of the two... but it seemed to work.

"Hey, Thirteen, you can go ahead and take the orders at table five," he directs gently. It was only her second day there. Ryder dropped her off early on his way to the zoo, and Carson kept a close ey on her, trying not to overwhelm her.

The front bell rings again and he glances out. Watching the visitor slowly sink into his favorite booth, Carson frowns. Something wasn't right. Towel in hand, he goes to Aerith and points to Wyatt's sullen form. "You got a break. Looks like somebody needs something more than food this morning."

Wyatt sits in the booth, his hair pulled back, and his leather jacket still on. He was cleaned up and recovering from the horrible night before, but he was still tired. The cleanup crew had called in and confirmed that the ambush had been Agency. Men were buried. Everything was cleaned up. But the mental images remained.

He stares down at the table and spins a saltshaker in his hand absentmindedly.


Rick rubs a tired hand over his face as he checks on Katie once again. She was still sleeping. He'd periodically given her pain medication, though was easing off the doses, now not knowing if she was still in pain or not. He had changed the bandage on her hand once, and had started her on a slow iv to give her nutrients. It was all he could think to do, when the symptoms were so foreign. Jason was no exception.

He moves to his second patient, checking Jason's pulse and taking his temperature again. He still had a fever, but it had gone down a little. His pulse was stronger. But he too lay in sleep. Neither had woken since they'd been brought in last night. Rick changes Jason's iv too, then wanders to Misty's desk. "I'm going home for about two hours, then I'll be back and you can take a rest too. If anything happens though, call me at home."


Morning at the ranch moved about as normal. Everyone knew their tasks, but chores did take a little longer. One might not think that losing one set of hands would make that much difference, but Micks' absence only proved how much work he did on a daily basis.

Sparky directs some of them men to fill in the gaps, also pitching in a few places he didn't normally work. Once breakfast is being prepared though, he had yet to see the one person he was wondering about this morning...

...The smell of coffee fills the kitchen as a small cup of the steaming drink is poured. It's carefully carried into the living room as Sparky eases down to sit on the edge of the couch. He lays a hand on Rosetta's shoulder, his other cradling the cup of coffee. "Rise and shine," he prompts gently.