Shut up

Ryan shakes her head and rolls her eyes again at Alec. Men could be so thick somes it drove her crazy. They wouldnt know an offer if it slapped them in the face.

"Shut up, get in the dang car, let me buy you some coffee and we will talk about your sleeping arrangements for a little while."

Cocking her head a little Ryan puts her sun glass on top of her head. She new most would think it not right to invite a boy to stay with you, but she had a big house to herself and figured why not shair it with someone who could use a place to stay for a little bit.

Weaghing her chooses of going with Ryder or stay out here where is scared her even more. Prying herself away from the car Thirteen catches up with Ryder and slips her hand into his.

Giving his hand a little squeeze Thirteen let him know she was there and ready even if she was trembaling a little inside. She had to do this, she just had to.

Lost cause

"Scared?" Alec blows something close to a raspberry as he waves off Ryan. "If I's sc-scared, I woulda j'mped out soon'r."

Continuing to trudge down the shoulder of the road, he stops at her offer. Looking back at her, he suddenly gets the strangest most sorrowful look in his eye, like that of a whipped puppy. Just as quickly though, it's gone.

"And... where would you take me?" He throws his arms in the air. "Whatcha see is what I...I got, lady. You take me back into town an' dr'p me off where? I dnn't live here ya know... I dn't live... anywh're 'cept... not ev'n th'r anymore."

He shakes his head. "I am what you call a l'st cause."


Hearing the siren, even Ryder jumps a little bit, but his attention is quickly diverted away from himself, and to Thirteen instead. "Hey, hey, it's okay, it's just an ambulance." Three quick strides and he's back at her side, taking her arm gently, but firmly to pry her away from the car. He couldn't go back now... he was here and he wasn't driving all the way back to TJY. Not this time. "Come on... it's a safe place unless you give me a heart attack or something, then they'll have to bring out a stretcher and take me in there and keep me, and you know I don't get along with nurses... well... unless they're pretty redheads."

His eyes dance with the humor he was trying to convey as he nods towards the door. "You coming with me?"

Safe

A smile still on her face as she panted for air Ryan looks out the open door at Alec just studying him for a moment. It was a mean thing she had done taking him for a spin when she new he had one to many to drink but she couldnt help it. The day was nice, and she never turned down the chance to show off to someone.

Feeling bad for a moment Ryan could guess Alec had no where to go let alone even be able to think straght at the moment.

Moving stepping on the gas slightly Ryan moves the the car along side Alec the passanger side door open still. Leaning over a little she gives a small taunting smile.

"So I scared you that much that you dont even want a ride back into town. I figured you were tougher than that. I could even throw in some free coffee for you!"

Staning Thirteen grabs a few tissue from the box by the bed and shoves them into her pocket before hurrying out of the door and down the hall with Ryder.

Getting to the front door Thirteen watches as Ryder exits. Slowly peeking her head out the door she looks left, and than looks right making sure everything was clean before exiting and running after Ryder.

The ride to the hospetil goes fairly smooth as Thirteen keeps her eyes on the road. Though she cant help once and a while grabing the door handle and digging her finger in. After a little while she leaned her head back against the head rest and closed her eyes trying to keep her mind clean and thinking of good things. She couldnt freak yet, not now.

Finally getting to the hospetil Thirteen opens her eyes and sits up figgating for a moment before looking to Ryder and givinig a small nod. There was hope in her eyes that she could get through this and be ok.

"Yeah I...I think I am ready? Its safe here right people wont ask me questions?"

Opening the car door and getting out Thirteen makes her way over to Ryder right as an ambulince pulls into the parking lot its syron blairing. Jumping Thirteen's eyes wildly go around the parking lot as she backs herself up to the car.

Intoxicated emotions

Too inebriated to really calculate what he was doing, Alec gets into the car, fumbling just a little with the seatbelt.

As Ryan pushes the gas pedal to the floor, a curs slips out under Alec's breath and he cringes as they fly around one corner, than the next. Though remaining surprisingly quiet, his face pales and once or twice, he puts a hand to his mouth, trying to keep everything down. It's quite a feat, but eventually managed so that he didn't hurl in Ryan's car.

Coming to a stop, Alec jolts a little bit, his hands going forward to rest on the dashboard. One might think he was pondering Ryan's simple question, when in reality, he was preparing for another round of stomach convulsions. Unfortunately, this time he wasn't going to make it.

The seatbelt causes him the most trouble, but within a few seconds, he's got the door out and basically falls out of the car onto the pavement, his body having had enough of the liquor. Another curse comes out as he retches again, unsure if he was madder at himself or the lunatic behind the steering wheel. Part of him wondered if any of this was even real, or if he was too drunk to realize it was all some weird dream.

On his hands and knees already, he crawls to the gravel shoulder of the road, rolling to sit on his bottom, his jeans scraping on the small stones. Staring back at the car, he looks in the open door at Ryan, his eyes still glazed, though a small bit of sense had managed to surface, despite the circumstances he'd put himself through. If he wasn't feeling so lousy, he'd rather like to throw her a flirtatious comment, but as it was, he was in no position to flirt with anybody.

Turning his head, he looks back to the desert. It was a long, winding road, seeming to lead to nowhere. He gestures with a lazy hand. "I guess this is where I g't off." He shrugs lamely. N'wer else to go... an' if they find me out here... less clean'p f'r the cops."

Somehow he manages to get back on his feet, staggering just a little bit. Staring off into the distance again, he swears at himself for the emotions that were rising within him. If it weren't for the whiskey, those ridiculous tears wouldn't have surfaced as a result of his ultimate frustration.

Waving Ryan off, he turns his head so she cant see, and stumbles towards the darkening horizon. It looked like he would finally meet his fate.


Ryder leans on the doorframe of the room and sighs deeply. "Thirteen... everybody gets scared. You just have to learn to do things in spite of it." He shrugs. "If you want to come, I'm glad to have you along. If we run into trouble... I'll bring you back. Come on."

Gesturing to her to join him again, this time it's back down the hall and towards the exit. The late afternoon was warm as a dry breeze blew. As the two walked, their shadows were cast long on the ground.

Ryder slides in behind the wheel and waits for Thirteen to get settled before he pulls slowly out of the parking lot. He drives more cautiously than normal with the precious cargo. No speeding and no lurching. It took a little longer to get to their destination, but he didn't mind. Partway into town, he decides to hit the hospital first and turns in that direction.

Soon they're in the parking lot and Ryder is turning off the ignition. He turns his head to Thirteen with question. "You ready?" His eyes smile their reassurance. "You can hang onto me the whole way."

One Peace

Shaking her head again and lets out a sigh as she rolled her eyes. Another day at the bar interrupted by someone who was trying solve his problems with the bottle. It never failed to run into at least one on her trips to the bar.

Exiting the bar moments later Ryan takes her shades from off the top of her head and puts them on, taking a deep breath of air.

"Defiantly good racing weather."

Staring to make her way twords the red Honda Civic Ryan stops as Alec walks drunkly over her her. Quirking an eyebrow at Alec she was almost eye level with him.

"You relize your not much tall than me right kid?"

Looking Alec over once more Ryan get a mischievous grin on her face as she starts to walk twords the car again.

"I'll give you the ride of your life, and if your not scared to drive with me afterward I'll take you where ever you want to go."

Opening the car door Ryan starts to get in before she stops and looks over the roof of the car again at Alec.

"Dont puke in the car eather or I will make you clean it up."

Getting into the car Ryan puts her seatbelt on running her hand along the leather intearor to the passanger seat and taking the cd's and other random stuff off the seat.

Startting the car it purrs like a kitten obvesly taking very well care of. Pressing on the gas just a little Ryan makes the engin rev before looking over at Alec to make sure his seatbelt was on.

Without warning the tires squeal a little as she takes off down the road. Not to fast at first untill she gets a little ways out of town. Hitting where most cops didnt go Ryan hits the gas as the car picks up speed faster and faster. Moving around the bends and turns most people would consider is dangerus, and a little scarie but Ryan handled it with ease like it was riding a bike.

Taking a fast turn the car spins around a few times before hitting the dessert as she moved over tha terran. Making the car go even faster Ryan aims for a small hill. Hitting it at full speed the car jumps into the air almost as if they were flying before coming down once again.

As she had before Ryan slams on the breaks spinning the tail end around again and getting back to the road.

Coming back to the town again she starts to slow before coming to a stop. Glancing over at Alec for a moment.

"You still in one peace?"

Making her place on the floor Thirteen new it wouldnt be right for Ryder to stay here, but she was scaired.

"I...it scairs me here. Can I go with you for a little while just to get out?"

Thirteen looks up at Ryder hope in her eyes. She wanted to try and get out, get some fresh air. Even if just a little way.

"I promise I will try real hard to...not get scaired."

Finding a place

Alec looks up from the floor, quirking one eyebrow at Ryan. "Eth'r I'm r'lly short or you....re r'lly tall." He shakes his head. "They make'm t'll'r evry day."

Groping for the barstool, somehow he manages to pull himself up to his feet, though he wobbles a bit. "Not wanted anywhere," he mutters, downing the last few drops of his beer. "Lady, you're right." He nods, then sways a little. "Eith'r I get blowed up h-here. Or I get blowed up out th're. I m'ght s'well go out in a...a... a blaze!" He stops, thinking that that isn't quite right, then remembers the rest. "Of glory."

Stumbling out the door, he manages to make it to the sidewalk, then stands dumbly, looking one way, then the other. Despite his drunken state, any part of him that had any sense left, realized that he really did have no where to go. He'd escaped the Elite, finally, called up help from the Agency, was told to meet them across town, and he was met with two hitmen who were paid to kill him. He'd figured out that the Agency must think him now a threat since he'd been with the Elite so long... and he knew that there would be no convincing them otherwise. Suddenly there was no hope. His last glimmer of light was gone. And now he was broke too.

Still standing and wavering just a bit, he squints in the light as his stomach starts to churn. He hadn't had anything to eat all day and it had been a long time since he'd put that much alchohol in himself.

If one passed, they might think he didn't remember where he was, or hadn't a clue where he was headed. They'd be partially right. He was so lost he had no idea whether to go right or left. He knew no one here. He had no friends. He only had enemies.

Seeing Ryan exit the bar as well, he bites his lip and staggers over to her, hie eyes glazed. "You got... sh'rter," he muses, now able to look down into her eyes instead of up from the floor. "You wldn't happ'n to, uh, give a f'lla a ride, would you?" An uncontrolled snicker escapes. "I d'nt even care where you take me!"


Watching Ryder walk away, Reese sighs. Getting up from his desk, he wanders in to Susanne to give her some papers to type up, his eyes still on Ryder and Thirteen disappearing onto the main floor. "What am I gonna do with him?"

Susanne lifts her eyebrows. "You talking to me or yourself?"

"I don't know. I just don't know what to do with that guy. There just doesn't seem to be a niche for him here. I know he's getting frustrated, but... well, we didn't have a position for him when he came to the states. He was filling his role in Australia." Reese shrugs lamely. "There just isn't a place for him to fit into around here and I feel badly but... I don't know what to do about it."

"He seems to be doing well with Thirteen."

"I know." Reese sighs. "She's taken to him and I guess that's good. He said some things today that made me think... I guess I've been hard on the girl 'cause she came from the Agency... but I suppose everyone needs a break eventually. Ryder seems to think she's innocent, so maybe I should trust him. I just don't want him getting too attached. I can't quite tell if he's taken with her, or if he's just a natural caretaker." He shrugs again. "But when this is over, then what? We don't have a line of Thirteen's at the door waiting for Ryder to take care of. He's going to get bored, and he's already testing me. I know he means well, but..."

"You won't fire him will you?"

"Oh no, no," Reese assures quickly. "No, he's got a job. It wasn't his fault that the Agency found him out in Australia and he had to leave. "No... there's something for him somewhere... I just don't know where yet."

Susanne nods, feeling badly for both Ryder and Reese. "Well... in the meantime, I haven't gotten Jason called yet. You still want me to ask him what to do with Trooper?"

"Hmm? Yeah... yeah, I know the dog was just doing his job, but biting Hal was inexcusable. Trooper knows better. Jason either needs to come take care of him himself, or have him taken home."


Ryder hooks his hands in his pockets as he and Thirteen walk back towards the hallway. "Well I can't stay in the room with you," he explains gently. "I gotta go home and take care of a cat and see what Laura's doing since she's taking off tomorrow and will be gone for a few days. I heard Katie's awake and I want to go see her at the hospital. Then tonight... You know as well as I do that it's not appropriate for me to stay in your room." He sighs deeply. "Reese wants Trooper out of here, but... if I can get him to let the dog stay, would that be enough?"