Pray

Letting out a small sigh Bree just looks at her uncle before looking down at her food again. She wouldnt be calling her mother back, even if JT hadn't said she didn't have to she wouldn't have. Bree loved her parents still but she would rather not communicate with them.

Sitting on the couch after JT was long gone Bree mindlessly flips through the channels on tv. She really didn't want to do anything else and she was waiting to hear back from Gunner. If there was one thing she wouldnt mind doing it would be her normal float with Gunner.

Nodding off for a second from being bored the sound of her phone reminding her she had a voice mail wakes her. She must have been so deep in sleep she hadnt even heard it go off. Listing to the voicemail from Gunner Bree couldn't help the disappointed feeling she felt. There was something odd about Gunner's tone as well and Bree could only hope what happened this morning had ruined there friendship. Calling Gunner back and getting his voicemail again Bree gives a sigh.

"Hey Vamp. Guess its phone tag now. No prob about not coming out for floats, I kind of didnt feel like going myself. I hope your day goes ok, and I will see ya again soon."

Putting her phone down again Bree continues to flip through the channles just trying to let her mind wonder on what was on tv and not everything else that was going on right now.

Giving another pleasant smile to the group of friends at the table Karla felt welcomed into this home. A feeling of peace was around the group that even though she had just come here seemed to emanate off them.

Offering another small wave as she leaves with Rin following Kip through the swinning doors. Coming up to the counter and sitting down Karla looks at the casserole and her stomach growls.

"It sure does look and smells good. No one could have to much cheese."

Karla gives a small laugh looking around the large kitchen just taking everything in. Turning her head back to Kip as he offered her a drink Karla had to think for a moment. She never had so many chooses on things to drink before.

"Mmmm...some apple juice sounds good. I haven't had that in a while."

Waiting till Kip comes back over with the drinks Karla takes a small sip savering the tast she hadn't have in a long time. Looking to Kip again and folding her hands she gives a smile.

"Would you like to pray for the food with me?"

Raising her own eyebrow at her brother's strange behavior she looks to Leo with question wondering if it was just her or was her bother acting a little odd.

"He's usally not. I guess people can change."

Following behind Leo Ryan sinks down on the couch with him her wrist was throbbing a little after racing to get the car done today. But it had been fun, and she had to let them all know she didn't lose her touch.

Thinking about Leo's qyestion for a moment Ryan does lift her head from the couch but turns it to look at him. Giving a small nod a look in her eye flashes that she did indeed miss racing.

"Yeah, I'll go back soon. One of my loves is racing, I dont know how I couldnt go back. Just wasn't sure if I was gonna tonight or not."

Giving a smile to Leo Ryan takes his hand in her own just holding it. She wanted to go tonight, but maybe even if she didnt say it she felt a little nervouse. It had been almost a month since she had been at the track and who knows what she had missed. Not to mention she wasnt looking forward to seeing Roth again.

Afternoon

"Yes." JT spoke with firm confidence, even though there was a portion of his heart that was worried. He wouldn't show it to Bree.

He looks her in the eye, forcing her to see his assurance. "It will be okay. There is absolutely nothing wrong with you, Bree. You are not sick, and you know this. You don't need help from anybody else, okay? I won't tell you what to do, but you do not have to call your mother back, and you don't have to feel guilty at all if you don't. You're a grown woman, Bree, and your life is yours."

JT gives her hand another squeeze while smiling again. "Ever since you came, we've been a team, right? I'm not gonna let anything happen to ya now."

Letting her go, he turns back to breakfast. "Now, try to eat a little bit so I don't worry about you all day. I gotta get to work, and we'll do spaghetti tonight. I'll see if Gunner wants to come for that." It doesn't take long to finish the morning meal, and soon, JT is on his way to the hospital for a few hours. He did worry though, about Bree. He didn't think anything could happen, but he would be praying about it nonetheless.


Gunner listens intently, still leaning back to see Nate. He doesn't crack a smile, and almost seems to concentrate too hard on what Nate was saying, almost like he was looking for a formula he had to remember.

By the time Nate concludes, Gunner was having a hard time not acting as silly as he felt. He manages a thoughtful nod. "Thank you."

Without so much as another word, he slides back into his cubicle, out of sight, bringing an abrupt end to the strange conversation. Leaning his arms on his desk, he could feel that his face was beet red, and he just hoped that no one came to see him before it decreased by several shades. He liked Bree... he thought about her a lot... he missed her when he didn't see her for a while... and lately he'd been getting all these strange feelings. They hadn't really gone out together, other than meeting for a quick float... they hadn't even known each other that long, once Gunner thought about it. And they certainly hadn't talked about dating or hugged or kissed. Well... they'd come close to kissing one or twice. Did that mean he should ask Bree if she wanted to be his girlfriend?

"Gunner, would you..." Susanne's voice trails off as Gunner jumps so badly that he knocks a stack of his papers all over the floor. "Uh..."

Gunner's face didn't have a chance at returning to its normal color any time soon, and he leans down to pick up the papers only to have his chair slide out from under him, sending him to his knees.

Con peeks around the corner from his cubicle a few feet away, his eyes wide. "Gunner! I didn't know you felt that way about Susanne!"

Gunner looks up at Susanne, still on his knees, and his mouth opens as he blinks.

Susanne starts to laugh. "I think this is the first time you've been at a loss for words. Were you planning to propose or clean the floor?"

"Uh..." Gunner scratches his head, then goes for the papers. "Floor... papers... yes... um... what did you need?"

Susanne, still grinning, shakes her head. "I'm sorry. Need some help?"

"No, no... I can make a fool out of myself all on my own, thank you."

"Well, I think you had some help." Susann shoots a smirk in Con's direction before looking back to Gunner. "I just wanted to drop off these files. Didn't mean to startle you."

"It's alright. Thanks." Gunner continues to pick up his mess, irritated with himself. He had too much on his mind that he didn't understand. He didn't understand what he was going through, and he didn't understand all the different levels on which he was experiencing the strange feelings. He felt silly or stupid or both, and making a fool out of himself just now didn't help much.

His buzzing phone on his desk alerts him that he had a voicemail. Apparently he hadn't heard the call come in. Abandoning his work for a moment, he gets back in his chair and listens to the message from Bree. "Hey Vamp, it's about that time and I was just wondering if you would like to join me for some non ice cream floats."

Gunner looks at his phone for a moment and sighs. Dialing Bree, he waits until she answers, but even when he hears her voice, he hesitates. "Um, hey, it's Gunner. Um... listen, I wound up with a bunch of work today..." He looks down at all the paperwork scattered around him. He didn't want to do any of it. He wasn't required to even get it done today. As a matter of fact, he wanted to get out of the office for a while. But... after this morning... he just felt... he didn't know. "I'm sorry," he apologizes to Bree. "I'm gonna have to skip on today's floats. I, um... yeah. Sorry."


Twila immediately senses Karla's shyness and grins. "Well, if you like scrambled eggs and bacon, you'll probably like breakfast casserole."

Kip notices that Karla isn't making any move, so he gestures to the swinging doors of the kitchen. "Come on. Follow me." It was nice having someone new to show around. Karla had been the much-needed distraction this morning, and she was nice to boot. He already hoped that this morning wouldn't be the last time he saw her.

As the two walk away, Erik throws Twila a look of question. She just shrugs lamely, just as bewildered. "She seems okay," she barely whispers so Kip and Karla couldn't hear.

Erik gives his eyes a bit of a roll. "As long as it isn't Whitney," he comments under his breath. He didn't trust Kip's choice of friends though, so he'd be curious to see what Karla was all about.

In the kitchen, Kip ignores the cook who was busying herself with cleaning and preparing food for later. He knows where everything is, and grabs two plates, setting them down next to the pan of still-warm casserole. "Looks like... eggs, bacon, some green peppers and.... lots of cheese." He grins. "Cheese is always good." Dishing out some for him and some for Karla, he then points to one of the smaller refrigerators. "For drinks we've got..." He opens one side, scanning the contents. "Milk... iced tea... coke, mountain dew, apple juice, cranberry juice... mixed fruit juice..." He looks over his shoulder at Karla. "And water of course. What'll it be?"


"Hey, you two." Eli grins as Ryan and Leo get back from the auto shop where they'd been for the morning. Ryan had felt up to it, and Leo had at least wanted to go in and say hi to the guys. "How'd it go?"

"Miles said I looked worse," Leo comments ruefully. "Wore me out, but it was good to get some fresh air. Not to mention, it was fun to see Ryan try to finish work on a car all in a few hours while Jed and Axel took bets on whether or not she could do it."

Eli chuckles as he dons his leather jacket. "Let me guess... another McKade takes the prize."

Leo grins. "Of course. Looks like you're just leaving."

"I am." Eli tosses Ryan a wink. "Gonna go out for a bit. Grab some lunch and check out a few of those bikes I was looking at yesterday. Met a guy who might wanna go out for drinks later, so I'll probably be back after dark." He pats his pocket where his cellphone was. "Call me if you need me though." Grabbing his cycle keys, he exits before any questions can be asked.

Leo quirks an eyebrow and folds his arms, staring at the closed door. "Didn't figure your brother to be quite the social butterfly." He wanders into the living room to ease down onto the couch a bit gingerly. Feeling up to going out this morning or not, he was still sore. "This morning after breakfast, Eli said you weren't racing tonight... you're gonna go back sometime though, right?"


"So how'd it go?" Wyatt munches on a sandwich, joining Ty in the kitchen.

Ty throws him a withering look. "Take a guess."

"Aw..."

"Just stop, alright?" Ty slams the refrigerator door shut and opens his bottle of pop. "This was the last time. I'm just not gonna be able to get my license. Period. I can't do it."

"Yes you-"

"No, I can't!" Ty glares at him. "Let it drop, Wyatt. I can't pass the driving test without reading, and I can't read so it's a closed case."

Wyatt sighs. "All you need is more time. You can learn how to read if you just-"

"I'm going to bed, I worked all night." Ty takes his pop and trudges from the kitchen and down the hall to his room.

Giving a growl, Wyatt finishes up his sandwich then goes to pack. He needed to get back to TJY by five o'clock to head out with Jason and Katie. The three of them were the chosen team to go in and investigate the case with Dylan. Dalton and Scott would be their main route of communication back here, while they would also be in touch with Mick.

Close

Looking up at her Uncle Bree looks for the comfort in his eyes. She had always been able to count on him no matter the situation and his arms had always been open to the love she had felt no where else.

"She just talked about getting together, and wanted to know why I left without a word and told me I needed help. If I came home they would give me the help I needed because I was sick without even knowing it."

Letting out a long sigh Bree looks down at her food just running her fork through it. She was hungry and the food smelled good but a will to eat just didn't come anymore. Bree was to upset and if she did have something to eat her stomach might bring it back up.

"It will be ok, right Uncle JT?"

Standing outside the house for a moment Karla looks up at what she would call a mansion not a house. Not behing able to help that her mouth was hanging open a little Karla finally looks back to Kip giving a smile.

"What a place to live."

Looking down at her dog and patting her side Rin moved in a little closer looking up at her.

"Stay close."

Finally following Kip inside Karla's eyes moves over the doorway, around the room an far into another. Rin following close and keeping pase with her on guard but very behaved in this place he new nothing about.

Coming into the dinning room Karla once again looks around and over her head at how big it was and how pretty everything looked. It was almost like she had just stepped into a dream. But bringing her eyes back to the large table and seeing the people She couldn't help the color that came to her face as a little bit of her shy nature came into play.

Giving a small wave to the Erik and the other Karla offers a small smile as well to the strangers.

"Good Morning. I've never had breakfast casserole before but it sounds wonderful."

Looking back to Kip Karla dosnt move just waiting for him. She didnt want to be rude even though they had just offered the food to her. The shy side of her just refused to move till Kip did too.

Looking up to the sounds of Gunner's voice Nate offers a smile as he puts his papers down seeing in his eye he wanted to ask something. But hearing the question Nate's eye widen just a little. He'd never been asked that question before let alone from Gunner himself.

"Well, honestly it starts out as a feeling. You like being with the person and you think about them alot. Me, I couldnt keep my mind off Laura. She had been a friend for so long but than out of no where I just started getting butterflys when she was around and started missing her when she was not."

Nate stops for a moment thinking about when he had first relized he liked Laura and everything he had went thought to shower how much he cared. It had been a long hard road but Nate wouldnt have changed it for anything and that thought alone put a smile on his face.

"I started asking her out, to lunch, dinner even for ice cream. We talked about and just shared time together relizing we really did have a lot more in conman than we thought. Than I asked her to be my girlfriend and waited to see if she had the same feelings for me. She did and after that we were more than friends. I couldn't get enough hugs, or kiss and the hours we spent together where never enough.Being more than friends is a feeling that two people share. A warmth, a tinger a skip in ones heart beat."

Searching Gunner's face Nate wondered if he has explained it ok. Though he had a sister he hasnt had to worry about explaining any of this stuff to her, and he had no idea where to start with Gunner. But he hopped that he had done ok.

How?

A laugh escapes JT's lips at Bree's admittance and he just grins, watching her face grow red. Hearing Gunner might have gone to kiss her makes him wonder if maybe his guess had been right - that these feelings weren't just one-sided. "Well... if it's meant to be, it'll come."

Letting her changes the subject, he's hit full force with a reality check. Bree's mother might be his sister, but for a long time now, he had no feelings for that family. They'd mistreated Bree as a child, causing her to go off the deep end, winding up in a mental hospital worse than Northside. It was amazing she was living now as well as she was, and JT blamed her parents for any consequences of the past.

"Alright, don't panic." JT forces himself to keep his voice calm and he reaches out to give Bree's hand a reassuring squeeze. "You're safe, remember? You're a grown woman with your own rights now. They can't bully you like they did when you were underage. Now... did your mother leave a message?"


Kip grins as he stands up and takes a deep breath. "It didn't take me long to get here, but walking, it'll take just as bit to get back, if you don't mind."

Leading the way, Kip does manage to take a few shortcuts through property owned by people he knew, shortening the walk by a little. He remains quiet most of the way. He'd divulged enough dark information to Karla, he really didn't want much more of that for a while. As for his reasoning to invite her back to the house... he had no idea. But she had a certain air about her that he liked... something that told him she was okay.

Finally getting back to the family's house, Kip leads up the long driveway and to the house. Getting to the doors, he pauses and glances at Rin. "He'll be okay inside if you keep him close to ya. Nobody should mind."

Letting Karla go in ahead of him, Kip cocks his head, listening for voices, and he finds them coming from the dining room. He didn't think much of the house anymore... the grandness of it was normal to him, so bringing Karla into the huge room didn't seem anything special to him.

Erik stands from the table. "Kip? What...?"

"Hey, guys." Kip nods to Erik, Twila, Alice and Kyle. "This is Karla and Rin. I asked her over for breakfast."

Erik blinks, trying to figure out what was going on. He didn't trust Kip's choice of friends, but he wasn't about to be rude. He forces a smile to the attractive young woman. "Hi, Karla. I'm Erik and these are our friends Twila, Kyle and Alice. We've got half a pan of breakfast casserole left yet, so please... help yourself."


Jade nods to Dan, knowing they didn't have much of a choice right now. Seeing him gone, she sniffs and wipes her eyes with the palm of her hand, trying to look halfway decent in case Mick saw her. She's surprised by a clean bandanna being offered to her. "Thanks, Sparky."

"No problem." He gives her shoulder a pat. He didn't like taking sides, but right now... he knew too much about Mick to turn a blind eye. Whether he'd admit it or not, he still had ill feelings for his brother right now, and if he could help Jade, well... he would.


"Why?" Gunner looks at Reese, a little upset to be chosen to stay here during the Texas case. Only a few from the meeting had been selected to go, as Reese had wanted to keep the team small and stealthy. But Gunner had thought for sure that he'd go.

"Gunner, don't make me explain myself." Reese sighs as he stares up from his desk. "You're staying here. I think you should be glad of it."

"Well, I'm not. Now why are you making me stay?"

"Alright, you really want to know? Because you're head's not back in the game yet. You know it, and I know it. I wish you would have taken more time off work, but since you insist on remaining in action, I'll keep your busy here."

Gunner grits his teeth and turns to the door. There was no point in continuing this conversation.

"Gunner, wait just a-" Reese stop and shakes his head as his words are met with the closing door.

Gunner wanders back to his cubicle, flopping down into his chair. Swiveling back and forth for a few minutes. He finally tries to concentrate on work, but it's hard. Not only did he have things on his mind about his past and about himself, but about Bree now too.

It's a while later and he's finally had enough of battling his own thoughts. Leaning back in his chair, he scoots towards the cubicle opening and sticks his head back to see the wall of Nate's own space. "Hey, Nate...." He waits until he hears a response, and he keeps his voice at a tone just so Nate could hear and no one else. "I remember you and Laura... worked here quite a while before... well before getting married and all that."

He feels funny talking about this. At the same time though, if he had ever had this experience as a teenager, he didn't remember it now. So whether he had or not, it was all new to him at this point. And no one could blame him for that, right? "How did you... well how did you know you were more than friends?"