Fistfight

Looking into Thirteen's eyes, Ryder knew that it was a woman's heart that spoke, not just a little girl's dreams. He didn't know if this would work between them. He didn't know how long it would last, or if they were really meant to be more than friends. But he was lonely... and she was filling a hole in his life, as he was hers.

A light chuckle escapes. "Yes, now you know how to cook something. By the time I'm through with you, you'll know how to cook a lot more, too."

The sound of the front door startles him, and he leaves the kitchen quickly, his guard up.

"Anybody home?" Jason calls.

Ryder breathes a sigh of relief when he sees it's just Jason and Katie. "Ahh, the invalid has returned!" He grins and winks at Katie. "Welcome home."

Jason peers around the corner, seeing a form in the kitchen. "Company?"

"Uh, yeah. Thirteen is gonna be staying here for a little while... you know, get her out and about from TJY." Ryder looks to Katie. "Figured she could have the other room once Laura is all out... if that's okay with you."

"Not ready to be on her own yet, huh?" Jason inquires.

Ryder shakes his head. "Not yet... she will be. But not yet." He turns his attention to the kitchen. "Hey, Thirteen... Katie's here..."


Gage is still very quiet as he's uncuffed, then led away from Sapphire's cubicle. He doesn't say a word as he's allowed to clean up and change clothes. He'd been allowed some of these things before... it wasn't as though he'd been kept in a dungeon the last month - not like at the Agency when they kept prisoners. He'd been allowed to stay clean and change clothes here... but tonight... something was different. He was in a new room... a room with a bed instead of a narrow cot. A room with carpet instead of a hard tiled floor. A room that was warm.

Sitting down on the bed, Gage sinks down in the mattress a little. His jeans were a little baggy, but the t-shirt fit. He had a bit of a headache, but not bad. Looking up at Sapphire, still he had been silent. This place confused him. He had been trained to fight them - to retaliate. He had been trained to hate these people. But those same commanders who had trained him, had ordered Alec's death. Would they do the same with Gage? If so, then which place was really safer? He didn't know.

Searching Sapphire's eyes for a moment, his lips draw into something related to a smile. "Maybe I... should have hit my head sooner." He swallows hard. "What... what are they gonna do to me now?"


Eric watches Rosetta walk away, his eyes dark and pensive. Finally left alone, he's still sitting in the dim dining hall. Eventually, he rises, wincing just a little. Years on the road hadn't done his back any good. He stretches and sighs, ambling out into the evening air. Whenever he was home, he had a place in one of the bunks, but he went a different direction tonight. Tonight, he headed for the bunkhouse that had a light on.

Hearing a knock at the door, Trent pauses, shirts in hand. Setting them inside his bag, he then goes to see who's there. "Eric?"

His brother nods from his place on the small porch. "Got a minute?"

"Um... sure." Trent steps aside to let Eric in.

Eric enters the bunk and looks at the duffel bag suspiciously. "Going somewhere?"

"Nevada."

"Oh, I see." Eric turns around, hands on hips. "Emergency?"

"Kind of." Trent squints one eye. "What do you want?"

"Why the sudden move after hearing about that girl?"

Trent blinks. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't give me that." Eric's eyes have gained an angry glint. "You got secrets, Trent. And I'm tired of it."

"Look, this is none of your business."

"It is when it involves my family. Jeff has disappeared, our niece almost died, now this girl shows up and you're out on the next flight. I want to know what you know that the rest of us don't."

"I don't know what-"

"Bull crap!" Eric's eyes blaze. "I'm tired of all the secrets! This family has been torn apart time and time again by secrets! When is it going to end?" Not receiving a response, he continues. "Where is Jeff"

"How should I know?"

"I think you do."

Trent throws up his arms. "I know as much as everybody else! Last I knew, we asked Reese about a month ago what was happening, and we got no answers and he said not to ask again. Why would I know more than that?"

"Because you've always been the one with hidden motives."

"So you think I'm still with the Agency or what?"

"Maybe."

"Eric!" Trent shakes his head. "If you just came to accuse me, then you can leave now."

"I just want answers!"

"I don't have any!"

"Then why are you leaving?! Where is our brother, and who is the girl?!"

"Get out!" Trent points to the door, his own temper flaring. "Now."

"Not until I have answers."

"Fine then." Trent moves to grab Eric by the shoulder, manhandling him out the door. Eric resists, and once he's out on the porch, he has a firm grip on Trent's arm, bringing him down off the porch with him.

"Cut it out!" Trent barks.

"Not until you tell me the truth!" Eric's jaw is suddenly hit with excruciating pain. Staggering backward, it takes him a moment to realize that he'd just been struck by Trent's fist. Spitting out some blood, he glares at his brother. "So that's the way it is, huh?"

Trent grits his teeth, the churning in his stomach proving how badly he felt. "I... I'm sorry."

"Sorry don't cut it anymore, Trent."


Mick thinks he hears loud voices, and ambles to the window. What he saw made his eyes widen. "Rosetta, we got a fight out here." He makes a beeline for the door, glad that BJ was already asleep in bed. The boy didn't need to see Eric and Trent throwing fists at each other like they were now.

One thing

Looking up at Ryder, Thirteen nods. This was all so different and maybe a little scary but she knew it would be ok.

"I may not understand everything, but i know this is what I want. The way you make me feel, Ryder, I know I wouldn't want to feel that with anyone else."

Giving another bright smile, Thirteen nods her head. She knew at times it might be rough, but she was ready. "Hey, now at least I can cook you one thing."

She didn't know who she was, where she came from, or anything else about her past, but maybe she didn't have to, to be able to move on.

Really?

Ryder shakes his head, but finally just gives in. Drawing Thirteen into a strong hug, he holds her close and kisses the top of her head. "I didn't plan on this, ya know," he mumbles into her hair. For over a month, he had been with Thirteen day-in and day-out. He had focused on taking care of her and teaching her. But while spending so much time with her, how could he not have fallen for her bright eyes and pure heart? That would be asking too much of a man.

He lets out a deep breath and takes a step back to see Thirteen's face. "You're gonna make it, ya know that?"

He cocks his head and smiles. "And I'll be here for you, even if it's against the rules. Is this what you really want?" He knew that all of this was very new and probably exciting to Thirteen, but he didn't want her misinterpreting her feelings this early in the game, even if this is what he wanted.

Secret

Giving a smile, Thirteen rests her head against Ryder's, juts taking in the emotions and words.

"I guess for now, it can be our little secret."

She gives another smile as she lets out a sigh. For the first time, she felt happy and ready to face anything because she didn't have to face it alone.

Now what

Letting Thirteen return, Ryder can't help a smile as he returns the kiss again. Her fingers in his hair send a chill down his spine. He lets the exchange continue for several moments until he finally pulls away. Looking into her eyes, he bites his lip. "That's how it's done," he whispers.

He lets his hands run down her arms until he can lock his fingers with hers. "Now what, hmm? I'm supposed to be taking care of you, not dating you."

Passion

Feeling Ryder's lips against hers, Thirteen feels a whole new wave of emotions. The butterflies came faster and her head spun, but it was a good feeling and she didn't want it to end.

Bringing her hands to Ryder's back, she shakes just a little as her knees almost felt weak. Pulling away a little, Thirteen smiles as she whispers and bites her lower lip. "That was better than the books."

Going in close again, her lips press against Ryder's again and her hand runs through his hair, just letting the new passion run free.

The right way

Ryder allows Thirteen to come closer, though is a bit surprised by her action. Just looking at her as she backs away again, a soft chuckle escapes. "That's where we are, huh?"

His hand comes up to brush her cheek. He gives her a quick wink. "Then I think I better show you the right way to do this."

Pulling her close, he cocks his head to bring his face nearer to hers. He moves slowly, not to startle her, and making sure he didn't scare her.

Pressing his lips to hers, he doesn't let go right away. His hand moves up to run through her hair as his kiss lingers, softly then a little firmer, but not moving any faster than Thirteen would allow.

Leaves us here

Thinking for a long moment, Thirteen can feel herself move a little closer to Ryder.

Bringing her hand to his face, she runs her thumb over his cheek. "I think that leaves us here." Coming even closer, she brushes her lips against his before pulling away a little, hoping what she did was okay.

Supposed to

"I'm... supposed to... take care of you." Ryder's hands give her shoulders a gentle squeeze. For now, he was finished treating Thirteen like a little kid. Maybe she hadn't been taught much, but she was smart, and she was an adult. "So... where does that leave us?"

You are

Bringing her own arms to Ryder's, Thirteen continues to look at him dead in the eye. Giving a gulp, her heart races as the butterflies were back.

"You are, Ryder. From the moment you said hi to me."

Who

Ryder sets down his towel, then reaches out to take Thirteen by the shoulders. Another sigh comes. He didn't know what he was even doing. "Who's your prince?

Prince

Thirteen looks up at Ryder, searching his eyes for a long woman. "The woman found her prince who rescued her from her silent world." She bites her lip, wondering if that sounded stupid.

Girl or woman?

Ryder stops what he's doing, staring at the dishwater. He swallows hard. Finally he turns around to face Thirteen and look her in the eye.

"Is it the little girl who wants to keep the butterflies? Or the woman who wants to find her prince?"

Role

Picking at the table lines, Thirteen is quiet before looking at Ryder again. Her look was so innocent yet her words were strong as her own heart pounded.

Standing, Thirteen goes to help Ryder with the dishes. She brushes his arm then looks up at him. "Can you stop your role so I can keep the butterflies?"

Before she even knew it, the words had slipped out and her cheeks were red again. Her own heart was pounding in her ears.

Grow up

Ryder's heart pumps just a bit harder, though he tries to stop it. He didn't even really know what his problem was. "Well, Thirteen, like... I understand what you're saying, but... we have to be careful, you know?" He sounded so stupid.

Giving up, he stands to take his plate to the sink. But he feels guilty for not finishing the conversation. Talking again, his concentration stays on cleaning his plate. "People like w... like who we are... we can't just... I mean... my role is to get you back on your feet, not give you butterflies."

He hates his own words, but Thirteen had to grow up sometime. Was he talking to a little girl, or a grown woman?

Together

Once again, Thirteen can feel her face turn red again. Her feelings - what did they mean? Such a simple question with a hard answer.

"I don't know what they mean yet but I am not scared of them." Her words seem so strong. "You're not holding me back when I want you here. The things I want to see I want to be with you. So we can enjoy them together."

What do you think?

"But what if I am?" Ryder shakes his head. "I'm the only person you spend time with. And... and if I don't help you see other people, then... I'm holding you back."

He takes a deep breath, wishing that the butterflies in his own stomach would stop. "If you're so sure your feelings mean something then... what do you think they mean?"

Can't hide

Looking at Ryder, Thirteen quirks an eyebrow. "I don't believe that. I know they mean something and I will figure it out."

Giving another little laugh, she takes a bit of food, quiet for a second. "You're not holding me back from anything.


Smiling as Jason leaves, Katie gives a sly grin.

You can run, but you can't hide.

Shaking her head, she takes out a napkin and just doodles for a second until she hears Carson's voice and looks up to see Jason coming back. "Control him... psh... good luck with that."

Giving a wink as Jason comes back, Katie straightens.

I believe we were talking about...

She thinks for a moment. Maybe for now, a subject change would be good.

Everything I missed while I was gone.

Feelings

Jason shifts in his seat before looking over his shoulder to the counter. "I'm gonna go get a refill. Be right back."

Sliding from the booth, he goes up to Carson at the counter.

Carson is wiping off the counter and he gives Jason a wry grin. "Having fun?"

Jason chuckles. "Yeah."

"You two getting along then?"

"Of course. Why?"

Carson only smiles. "You love her, don't you?"

Jason pauses, handing Carson his empty glass. "Yeah... yeah, I do."

Carson takes the glass to fill it up, glancing in his friend's direction. "Good."

Jason's expression turns a bit sly. "And you and Misty?"

"Hey now, don't go turning the table."

"You wish. Now come on. I fessed up. It's your turn."

Carson hands him his pop. "Misty's the most important person in my life."

"How come you haven't married her?"

"What?!"

Jason laughs. "You heard me. Is it 'cause you don't love her enough?"

"I didn't say that!"

"Is it..." Jason's voice is a little more serious. "...because she's not accepted Jesus?"

Carson stops his cleaning for a moment. "Oh... that's part of it."

"But you do love her."

"Doesn't it look like it?"

"But can you say it?"

"Of course I can!"

"Then say it!"

Carson smirks. "Alright, Hotshot, fine. I l... l..."

Jason starts to snicker.

"Oh, shut up." Carson swings a towel at him.

Jason ducks, laughing. "Okay, okay, I'm gone!" He takes his drink back to the table.

Carson yells to Katie. "Hey, Kat, control that boyfriend of yours before I throw him out!"

Still laughing, Jason sits down and grins at Katie. "Where were we?"


Ryder twists his fork in his food, contemplating Thirteen's question. "Then... that's up to you, I guess. But... I don't want to hold you back from finding another g-... I mean... finding other friends. Your feelings... I mean... they don't necessarily mean anything, ya know?"

But what if

Looking down at her food for a moment, Katie can't help the small feeling of being let down with Jason's answer.

"Then I will continue to ask. I'm letting this one go."

Giving Jason a smile, Katie's disappointment fades. There was still hope and she would hold on to that.


Still looking at Ryder, Thirteen studies him. For a moment, she doesn't even know why he was saying sorry again.

"You can stop saying sorry now. I don't think you did anything wrong."

Taking a sip of water, she holds a confused look on her face for a moment. "But what if I don't want to feel this way about anyone else?

Too soon

Ryder can suddenly feel some heat rise to his face, and he closes his eyes for just a moment before looking back up at Thirteen.

"I'm sorry," he apologizes quietly. "Those... those feelings you have... they're my fault." He tries to smile, his lips pursed together. "I'm... not the only one you can feel that way with. I mean..."

A little laugh escapes and he leans back, shaking his head. A real smile surfaces. "There's so much you've missed out on without having a real mom around. I don't know how to help you with all this kind of stuff."


"Mmm." Jason drops his gaze, desperately trying to control his emotions, so Katie doesn't come to any wrong conclusions. He takes a slow sip of his pop.

Too soon, Babe. Too soon.

Close to death

Looking at her plate, Thirteen moves her food around for a moment before looking up at Ryder. "The world is full of heartache and pain. Why would I bother putting myself through it?"

Thirteen is quiet again for a moment. This stuff was confusing and she wasn't even sure how to talk about this.

"I like how I feel around you. Even if I don't understand why my heart races and why it feels like something is fluttering in it, but I know it's a feeling I like."

Thirteen looks down at her plate again as her cheeks turn red. She felt embarrassed but why, she wasn't sure.


Looking up as Reese walks away, Sapphire can't help but be a bit surprised. She had hoped Reese would let Gage go, but she didn't think he really would.

Turning back to Gage, Sapphire gives a nod then goes to her phone. "Dalton, can you set up a cam in the extra room please? Yeah, thanks."

Hanging up the phone, she waits for Hal to uncuff Gage before helping him up. "Come on, lets get you cleaned up and settled." She offers Gage a friendly and inviting smile. "I think we have some clean clothes for you too. They might be big but will work for now."

Leading the way, Sapphire weaves in and out of cubicles before coming to the extra room. "No more cell. You get to stay in a more comfortable place now."


Giving a smile, Katie doesn't let it bother her that Jason laughed. She was sure that she sounded a little crazy.

Coming so close to death, I guess I just realized life is too short to just stand waiting.

Taking a sip of her water, Katie looks back up at Jason and gives a small laugh. "I guess I just didn't want to wait any longer."

Uncuffed

Rick examines Gage's head while Sapphire talks. "Mm-hmm..." He sighs and nods. "Don't think it's any more than a bump on the head. "Hal?"

"Yeah?"

"Go get permission from Reese to release Gage within premises."

"What? But-"

"Would you please just go ask him?"

"Ask him what?"

All eyes raise at Reese's voice. Reese folds his arms. "What happened here?"

Hal is quick to explain. "We tripped. Gage fell and hit his head. Rick wants him released on premises."

Reese sighs deeply. He'd just been through this with Thirteen. he felt so stuck. He really didn't like it any better than anybody else. Perhaps he seemed rough and uncaring sometimes, but he didn't mean to. He just felt as though he was between a rock and a hard place, and wanted to make the best decisions. The whole thing with Thirteen really did bother him, even if he'd given Ryder a bad time. It pained him to think of the young woman raised by the Agency. Clearly she was intelligent but had been severely held back. And now Gage. He was different. The young man obviously had been involved in plenty of illegal activities and had admitted to assisting with tortures and killings, trained for Agency combat. Yet he'd also been sheltered from the real world.

"Reese?"

He snaps back to attention at Rick's voice. "Um, yeah. Um... Hal, uncuff him and... Sapphire, take him to the spare room. Have Dalton keep a security watch on the room and... as long as Gage sticks around he can stay in there for the time being. Carry on."

Turning, Reese walks away, leaving the others with surprise on their faces.

Gage blinks at Sapphire, almost as if he needed help in knowing what to do. No more cell?


Before Jason can help it, a laugh escapes. "What is with you lately, Kat? Hmm?" He shakes his head in amusement whiel taking another sip of his pop.

I know you went through a lot and it probably got you thinking about a whole bunch of stuff, but...

He leans back in his seat, his eyes still locked with Katie's. "Isn't the question supposed to be one the man asks and not the other way around?"


Ryder takes a few moments before responding to Thirteen. finally he sighs, pausing his meal. "What's wrong, kiddo, huh? I know this stuff might be hard to understand but... meeting other people... making other friends... it's part of living life to the fullest."

He can see something in her eye, and knows that something is different. Was it the topic? Or was it him?