Jeanie sat at the dining room table with a single ceiling-mounted light on above it. She clasped a cup of coffee as she stared off into the distance. Her mother and son had been in bed for some time, but she knew sleep would be hard to come by. Not until Scott came home and told her what in the world was going on. Scenarios and possibilities ran through her mind; most were not good. Her daydream state snapped back to reality as the sound of a key turning the top lock echoed through the silent apartment. She sprang to her feet and felt a wave of emotion ripple through her. The door opened, and Scott stepped through the door and was immediately greeted by an all-encompassing embrace from his wife. At that moment, Scott felt comforted; it only lasted seconds until he remembered the news that he had to break to his wife. That can wait a few seconds though, Scott drew Jeanie in closer, she rested her head on his chest, and he softly stroked her hair, and then he leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss on her forehead. Scott wished his power was to freeze time so he could stay at this moment forever.

Jeanie glanced up at Scott and surveyed his eyes, scanning for any signs of reassurance that everything would be fine, but she couldn't find it. She saw something she hadn't seen since he had come home from prison, fear, and even scarier than that, she could see just a hint of excitement behind it.

"This isn't going to be good, is it?" Jeanie asked as her wide brown eyes peered up at Scott. Her eyes begged for him to tell her that she was wrong and everything was going to be alright, but he just shook his head back and forth.

"I figured. I will get some tea for you and fresh coffee for me. Sit at the table; I want to hear everything." The pair sat at the table, and Scott laid out the events that unfolded that night. He was exhausted but thought carefully and made sure to include every detail he could. Part of him felt that while he was retelling the day's events, it would make more sense. However, the story proved just as confounding during the recap as it did when it unfolded.

"So, that is it, you just have to up and leave tomorrow?" Jeanie asked

"Yeah, we have to meet our N.E.T appointed final team member and head out tomorrow."

"None of this makes any sense Scott. And what about your job and us? You aren't that guy anymore, you..." Jeanie began to fight off tears. The battle was being lost as one tear streamed down the right side of her face, followed by another, and suddenly they all began to cascade from her large brown eyes. "You just pulled your life together and cleaned up your act. This isn't fair."

Scott felt a sickness in the pit of his stomach. He knew he had caused this woman so much grief over the years. He also knew that most women would have left him, son, or not. She probably would have, rightfully so, if not for the promise he made when he went to prison that he was going to change. There was a wasteland filled with the skeletons of the broken promises he made over the years, but the promise he made that day was different. There was never a doubt in his mind he would keep it, no matter what it took. Now he had no choice but to break the promise, get back in with his old team and take on a new job and it wasn't even on his terms. There was no choice to be made; he refused to put Jeanie and Walker in any danger. Not only were the threats insinuated directly to them, but a territory under attack was not something he would want to bring on to them.

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"I'm going with you!" Jeanie blurted out, "Walker can stay with my mom; my powers can help."

"Stop." Scott said in a stern whisper, "We, don't talk about your power. EVER. You know that. You never know who is listening, and we can't afford for anyone to know."

"But, I am not some fragile girl that can't hold her own"

"No! No buts, you stay here and take care of our son. That is what I need from you. You know I am good at what I do, and we will do this job and get back to you. Then everything will go back to normal. I need you to be here and stay strong, Jeanie." Scott shot back at her. A look of disappointment flashed across Jeanie's face. Scott felt terrible, but he couldn't let her entertain coming along as an option if something went wrong during the mission, Walker could lose both his parents. Scott refused to let that be a possibility.

"I was promised that financially you would be taken care of, while I was gone. An N.E.T. representative will be by tomorrow after I leave and they will also send another representative to talk to Mr. Baldwin at the deli to ensure my job is still there when I come back. I need you to hold it down when I am gone. I am going to wrap this up as soon as possible, and we will be back to normal as soon as I get back." Scott also thought of the monetary bonus they were promised for completion and how that would allow him to buy Jeanie the house and wedding she deserved. This was a horrible situation, but if he came out on top, he could at least start to give her the life he had always wanted to provide for her. The saying his grandmother used to also say about making lemonade from lemons ran through his head for some reason. However, he wasn't exactly sure why. He hated lemonade.

The two talked more about the plans for their family while Scott was going to be absent. They moved their conversation to their bed, careful not to wake up Walker, sleeping in the pack n play next to their bed. They laid in bed and held each other silently. Neither of them slept much before morning came. They all had breakfast together as a family and filled Jeanie's mother in with the essential details. Scott spent some time playing cars and watching cartoons with Walker. Despite little in the way of action, the day seemed to melt away quickly. Before he knew it, Scott had to get ready to leave.

He stepped into the shower and turned on the hot water. Possible scenarios began to fly through his head; he often found his best planning and preparation happened in the shower. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts he did not hear the bathroom door slide open and close again, nor did he see or hear the shower curtain slightly part and someone enter the shower. As he stood with his head down and water pouring down on him, a hand reached out and touched his back. He was startled and spun around, his left foot sliding out from under him for a split second before he grabbing the shower curtain rod and steadying himself.

"Are you alright?" The voice of the guest in the shower asked

He gathered his bearings and looked down, and saw Jeanie standing there. He watched as the shower sprayed some water, hitting her just under the neck. Scott watched as the drops rolled down the curves of her body. He thought about how much he was going to miss those curves. He slowly looked up from the water drops he had been following and looked her square in her eyes. Jeanie reached up and grabbed the back of his neck, and pulled him in close to her. So close that no space stood between their pressed bodies. She kissed him passionately, and his body began to tingle, and he could feel his body heating up. She bit his lip and pulled away a just tiny bit. She ran her hand slowly down his chest and then torso and grabbed him firmly.

"If you’re going away, you better make this last. You understand?" She glared up at him with a mischievous look in her eye.

He thought to himself that she was sure, making it hard for him to deliver that promise. He was never one to back down from a challenge, though.