don't wanna fall another moment into your gravity, tag; rob ryker

HERE I AM

AND I STAND SO TALL, JUST THE WAY I'M SUPPOSED TO BE

BUT YOU'RE ON TO ME AND ALL OVER ME. OH YOU LOVED ME CAUSE I'M FRAGILE, BUT I THOUGHT THAT I WAS STRONG. BUT YOU TOUCHED ME FOR A LITTLE WHILE, AND ALL MY FRAGILE STRENGTH IS GONE. SET ME FREE, LEAVE ME BE. I DON'T WANNA FALL ANOTHER MOMENT INTO YOUR GRAVITY. HERE I AM AND I STAND SO TALL JUST THE WAY I'M SUPPOSED TO BE. BUT YOU'RE ON TO ME, AND ALL OVER ME. I LIVE HERE ON ME KNEES AS I TRY TO MAKE YOU SEE THAT YOU'RE EVERYTHING I THINK I NEED HERE ON THE GROUND. BUT YOU'RE NEITHER FRIEND NOR FOE THOUGH I CAN'T SEEM TO LET YOU GO. THE ONE THING THAT I STILL KNOW IS THAT YOU'RE KEEPING ME DOWN. --------------------------------------------------------------------

NOTES: team badass back again / WORDS: not enough

It was done. Whatever prophetic vision the seer in New Orleans had warned him about came to pass, and as far as he was conerned it was all taken care of. Granted, there was the rather large question of how the hell the folks in Hart planned on covering up a zombie attack in the middle of a high profile gala, but alas, it wasn't Ausitin's problem anymore. God knew the psionic ha done his fare share of mind wiping and crowd control in his past, but he wasn't a cleaner anymore. His work here had finished. He neutralized the zombie attack, had some pretty valuable intel on the origins of it all, and now the plan was to get back on a plane to Sacramento and work on his father's campaign. That was the plan...

Leaning against the receptionists desk in the lobby of the Hilton Hotel just outside of Hart, all Austin could do was think back to that instant at the gala. His ass had been on the line. He had been this close to becoming zombie food, and he showed up... out of nowhere. He had, hadn't he? It had taken him the longest time to convince himself it wasn't just a hallucination. Ever since he'd been back in Hart, Rob had been all he could think about, Rob and the rest of the guys. The four of them used to run that town like it was their own personal playground. Everywhere he went he saw the four of them in his head, sneaking into King of Harts, investigating magical incidents at the school. Still, as much as he'd been thinking about the old days, nothing could have prepared him for the sudden appearence of Rob himself, in the flesh. Had it not been for the fact that he remembered him and Ryker performing a spell to pull shit off exactly like this, he probably wouldn't have believed it.

Now here the twenty-eight year old was, standing at the receptionists desk, telling himself he was going to check out, to get the hell out as soon as possible before anymore blasts from the pasts shot him back. When the young girl finally looked up to make eye contact with him, however, all he could muster was a simple "Hey, Sweetie. Can I get a scrap piece of paper, and the hotel address please?" he inwardly hated himself for what he was about to do. His common sense had been telling him not to, he'd done everything right up until now, followed the book by the letter, but seeing Rob tore all of that down, just like he knew it would. Jotting the address to the hotel down, Austin sent the receptionist a wide grin and a gently flirtatious wink, and moved over to the bar just next to the lobby.

It hadn't taken him long to find a stool in the corner. After ordering a vodka tonic, the psionic sat silently at the bar, emerald green eyes staring fixed on the piece of paper. All of this went against his better judgement. Letting go had been his life's creed for the past ten years, to separate himself from the other three, cut ties with them. Still, there was something in his gut that prevented him from running. He couldn't knowingly be in the same town as Rob Ryker and not see him, could he? After their history, after the rush of seeing him earlier that night, it wasn't possible. Taking long swig of his drink, Austin grabbed a book of matches and lit one, setting the piece of paper with his name and the address of the hotel on it on fire. As it burned, he muttered a silent incantation, sending the slip of paper to it's recipient. now the ball was in Rob's court. Would the guy even want to see him after all these years? Part of Austin wouldn't blame the guy if he did brush it off. God knew he deserved it. Taking another sip of his drink, he tightened his jaw and waited anxiously. It was only a quick meeting. The Cabal wouldn't have to know.

CODE BY NICK AT ATF

Rob swam back to the shore and as soon as his feet hit the sand he made quick work of getting out of the water. It was odd, the way the ship and the fog and god knows what else all faded into nothingness as if it had once been conjured out of thin air. It made sense though, if it all had in fact been conjured, that once the spell was broken that it might all dissipate. He frowned for a moment as he considered the kind of person who might do this. It took balls to practice magic so openly and whoever it was had to know that such a stunt would bring down the Cabal upon Hart once again. Wondering who could have done this or have been willing to risk wrath made his frown deepen slightly.

Only when Alex did join him on the shore did he smile and say, "Looks like you've got a mess to clean up here." He patted his friend on the shoulder and said, "I'll do what I can, but I'm not supposed to be here." He was true to his word, cleaning up what he found along the way back to the Country Club. By the time he got there Austin was nowhere to be seen and all he could sense of Ryson was an increasingly faint magical trail. Austin seemed to be fairly adept at picking up after himself and masking his presence, Ryson on the other hand was more or less leaving his magical scent behind where ever he'd been, like a dog or cat marking his territory.

The country Club was a mess, broken glass and over turned tables everywhere. Like the street he'd walked to get here, there were signs of the night's struggles. Outside, cars replaced the chaos of tables and chairs, having been driven into stop signs or buildings when the driver had been either overcome or panicked in the fog. He wasn't sure how the Cabal was going to spin this one, but already he could sense the number of agents increasing in the area to begin the clean up in earnest. He felt bad for those who had lost loved ones tonight, worse that many if not all of them wouldn't know the truth of why they had.

The streets were quiet and for the first time Rob had the time to collect his thoughts. He had a fairly good idea of why he was here but with no wallet and no cash he didn't have a lot of options in terms of getting home. Austin had seen him briefly but was gone. He should have thought to ask Alex for help in getting back to London but the thought of being stranded hadn't occurred to him at that point. There were still people to save. Outside of any loses, his biggest regret for the evening was that he hadn't had more time with the others. Knowing that they were all here or had been and were now out of his reach was almost heartbreaking.

The piece of paper lit up like a match in his hand. Had it not happened before he might have dropped it in panic as he had thr first time he'd gotten one of these missives. Instead, the agent lifted the paper to the light of the moon and read it. At first the thought that it might be a joke came to mind, then he noted the actual handwriting. Austin. "The Hilton?" Rob muttered and shook his head, "That's not even in town. He smirked, knowing that Beaumont too much be trying to keep a low profile. The Hilton was outside of town, along Coast Highway south of Hart facing the water - a real tourist hotel if ever there was one. It was also close to the only airport within fifty or more miles.

Getting there would take more than walking, it would take some creativity on his part. Ten minutes later he'd managed to convince a local taxi to pick him up and drive him to the Hilton. He asked the driver to park outside and then used a simple glamour spell to mask his appearance, providing him with a fresh suit of clothes in the process. Inside he found it easy enough to find Beaumont. The guy was a symbol of affluence sitting there with his drink in hand, immediately he reminded Rob of Austin's father. It wasn't a bad connotation by any means, Beaumont men were known for their looks, only increasing as they grew older. Rob hesitated, conflicting emotions rebelling against his calm facade, "Order an old friend a drink?" Resulting to the same innate charm that had made him popular in school, he motioned toward the lobby, "And make sure that guy in the taxi gets paid well, won't you, Beaumont."

HERE I AM

AND I STAND SO TALL, JUST THE WAY I'M SUPPOSED TO BE

BUT YOU'RE ON TO ME AND ALL OVER ME. OH YOU LOVED ME CAUSE I'M FRAGILE, BUT I THOUGHT THAT I WAS STRONG. BUT YOU TOUCHED ME FOR A LITTLE WHILE, AND ALL MY FRAGILE STRENGTH IS GONE. SET ME FREE, LEAVE ME BE. I DON'T WANNA FALL ANOTHER MOMENT INTO YOUR GRAVITY. HERE I AM AND I STAND SO TALL JUST THE WAY I'M SUPPOSED TO BE. BUT YOU'RE ON TO ME, AND ALL OVER ME. I LIVE HERE ON ME KNEES AS I TRY TO MAKE YOU SEE THAT YOU'RE EVERYTHING I THINK I NEED HERE ON THE GROUND. BUT YOU'RE NEITHER FRIEND NOR FOE THOUGH I CAN'T SEEM TO LET YOU GO. THE ONE THING THAT I STILL KNOW IS THAT YOU'RE KEEPING ME DOWN. --------------------------------------------------------------------

NOTES: sorry for the delay / WORDS: not enough

As the young mage sat at the bar, fingers idly swirling around the rim of his rocks glass, he couldn't help but second guess his decision to reach out. As much as he missed the guys, what they had all had, he knew what seeing even one of them again meant. They were part of his past, a crutch, a weakness that he was supposed to have shirked off years ago. It was what his father and all of his other superiors had told him. He was stronger on his own, without having to worry about his brothers and their well being. It had been ingrained in his head that he was better off. Still, despite his better judgement there was a part of him that ached for them. There was a part of him that felt incomplete, like he was missing an arm or leg. Seeing Robert again so unexpectedly had only intensified the feelings. For an instant he'd been taken back to where things were simpler, where he knew where he belonged, and who to trust. In all honesty Austin couldn't even recall the last time he'd even had a sense of clarity like that.

Above all else though, Austin missed his best friend. Robert Ryker was, without a doubt, his best friend. Even after ten years of not so much as talking to the guy, he still considered the guy the closest person to him. While he'd no doubt changed incredibly since his time at high school, nobody knew him like Rob did. Nobody knew how he worked, how he thought, and how his emotions worked like Robert Ryker. While his father no doubt would have liked him to believe it was a vulnerability, Austin thought it made them stronger. So, there he sat. His leg nervously tapped against the stool he sat on.

He could feel the change of energy before anything else. A familiar force crashed into his senses, much like the one he'd sensed back at the gala. It was Rob. Almost immediately goosebumps erupted all over the surface of his skin. Clenching is jaw tight, he waited for his estranged brother to make his presence officially known. "Would if I knew what you drank now. I'd order a jager bomb for you, but I'd hope you're taste has changed since high school." Rich green eyes flickered from their place on the glass, settling on the strong, handsome, aged man standing just beside him. It had caught Austin off guard, just how different, yet undeniably the same Rob looked. He still had that smile that managed to brighten a room, as well as those warm, youthful eyes he'd envied in high school. Rob had always been more of the wholesome, boy next door type, at least he was in high school. His smile was one of those smiles that everyone felt comfortable around, safe, welcomed. It contrasted Austin's more regal look in a way that complimented both of their presences. While Rob seemed to have maintained that air, he was older now. His eyes, though maintaining their warmth, were a lot less naive, they were wiser. He was bigger now, if that were even possible, and the stubble on his face gave him a much less polished look. Even still, it took Austin's breath away. Not that he'd show it.

"Get my friend a vodka tonic, would you please? Put it on my tab." With that, he stood up. "I'll be right back then. Apparently my friend here has turned into a mooch." He jogged quickly out of the door to the cab driver, who had been patiently waiting for his fair. Pulling out his wallet, he paid the cabby the necessary fee, with a generous tip for his trouble, and headed back inside to the bar. He took his time, trying to figure out just what to say to get over the inevitable awkwardness that would ensue as soon as he sat down. As much as he missed Rob, and as good as it was to see him again, he wasn't entirely sure how his long lost best friend would feel about the unexpected reunion, especially since it was Austin who had cut him out. Still, despite himself, and the blame he knew he held, he decided to play it casual. "So...." he began, nervously running a hand through his hair as he slid back into his stool next to Ryker. "It's been a while, Robby." It was the understatement of the decade, but it was all he had. He chanced a glance at the man and looked him over before grabbing his own glass and taking a sip, forcing his eyes forward. "You look good."

CODE BY NICK AT ATF

"I drink what our dad's used to, Beaumont." Rob answered with a wryness that seemed to recall numerous conversations about the two of them never becoming their fathers. The drink was known to both of them. They'd spent a weekend full stop trying to acquire a taste for vodka tonic, polishing off two bottles before they realized they should have twisted a wedge of lime to make it go down easier. Vodka martinis were the same for Rob now. There had to be a few olives to get it all down, dirtier the better actually to give it more flavor. Not mentioning what he wanted to drink by name was a test. A test to see if he was the only one holding on to the past.

Deep inside he needed to know if the only thing still connecting the two of them was a blood pact made by school boys. He'd been torn naked from his bed in the middle of the night in London. The only thing keeping him from calling his secretary and getting the hell out of Hart was the fact that he knew that Austin, Rys and Alex were here. Things like this could be written off as coincidence however in the magical community it was common knowledge that everything that happened did so for a reason. Looking away from the guy who had always been his best friend and whom he'd never found a replacement for, Rob said, "My tastes haven't changed all that much since school though. Not too much anyway."

Rob didn't want this to become some big fight and knowing how his own moods had affected Austin in school he was trying to keep himself on an even keel. He was dealing with a lot though, beneath the surface. On one hand he was pissed off, angry at being dropped from the life of the person who had been arguably the most important to him. From the time he could remember spitting or standing to piss, he and his brothers had been one. He and Austin had hit it off immediately and so that bond went a bit deeper. Not to mention that the two of them had fucked a few times, Austin took Rob's cherry and in some ways still had it. Ryker couldn't deny that Beaumont was just as hot, if not hotter. He was different, older, more experienced. Part of him wanted to experience those differences first hand, feel and see how they had both changed.

The agent was grateful when Austin excused himself to pay for the cab. He would have, had he actually had a wallet. While he could have conjured it easily enough he'd expended a good deal of energy tonight and he didn't want to push it. Besides, he might have to make his presence scarce if this event mushroomed into something the big wigs felt the need to step in on. He made it a habit to know where the Covenant members he was aware of where, even if he didn't know why. It was something he would have to know when he one day lead them. It was good practice. And there was nothing wrong with covering your ass.

"Thanks," Rob offered back to the bar tender as he was served. He turned the glass, running the lime around the edge before dropping it into the still fizzing liquid. For a moment, he watched the way the light caught the bubbles before they released what was pent up within them and disappeared. He waited, purposefully, trying to decide how to handle this with Austin, 'Next time you bring me halfway around the world to save your ass, make sure that I'm at least wearing pants." He knew that wasn't the way these things went down.

"So...we're resorting to small talk?" Rob said, lifting the drink to his lips and sipping some down. He didn't yet know whether or not to strangle Beaumont or fuck his brains out. He set the glass down, relaxed into the stool beside Austin's and turned to look at him once more. "You look stressed." He grinned, teasing, "If I was going to kill you, you'd be dead. Stop fidgeting man."

HERE I AM

AND I STAND SO TALL, JUST THE WAY I'M SUPPOSED TO BE

BUT YOU'RE ON TO ME AND ALL OVER ME. OH YOU LOVED ME CAUSE I'M FRAGILE, BUT I THOUGHT THAT I WAS STRONG. BUT YOU TOUCHED ME FOR A LITTLE WHILE, AND ALL MY FRAGILE STRENGTH IS GONE. SET ME FREE, LEAVE ME BE. I DON'T WANNA FALL ANOTHER MOMENT INTO YOUR GRAVITY. HERE I AM AND I STAND SO TALL JUST THE WAY I'M SUPPOSED TO BE. BUT YOU'RE ON TO ME, AND ALL OVER ME. I LIVE HERE ON ME KNEES AS I TRY TO MAKE YOU SEE THAT YOU'RE EVERYTHING I THINK I NEED HERE ON THE GROUND. BUT YOU'RE NEITHER FRIEND NOR FOE THOUGH I CAN'T SEEM TO LET YOU GO. THE ONE THING THAT I STILL KNOW IS THAT YOU'RE KEEPING ME DOWN. --------------------------------------------------------------------

NOTES: sorry for the delay / WORDS: not enough

Austin tried to avoid delving into the past as much as possible. When he thought about the past, he thought about his brothers, and when he thought about his brothers he questioned his decisions. 'What would Newbury do in this situation?' 'Would Winstead have the guts to do this?' 'What would Ryker think?' He put too much stock in his relationship with the other guys, it was what his father and the rest of the higher ups had been saying all along. It was why he separated himself from them. Still, when he thought about how things used to be, it was easy to regret, and in the line of work he was in, regret and second guessing could get you killed. Still, the fact that Rob hadn't been afraid to pull him back and make the jab about their drink selection wasn't unwelcome. All he could do was smile and offer that knowing wink he'd been famed for back in high school.

Austin arched an eyebrow at Rob's comment. "Trust me, man, I was just as surprised about that as you were," he assured him, taking a sip of his drink, savoring vodka's kick in his mouth just a bit longer. Austin hated the taste of vodka. It had bitter, chilling taste that burned all the way down. The only reason he'd even claimed it as his drink of choice was because it was what his father had done. It was his father's drink, and to some degree austin felt as claiming that drink as well went with walking in his footsteps. The fact that he noticed Rob's wrung out lime in the drink gave him the impression that the feeling was mutual. "And I was handling myself just fine back there. I don't know why you were dragged into it. That spell was faulty." A smile tugged at his lips, his tone fighting a hint of a chuckle. He knew Rob knew he was full of shit. Had his best friend not shone up when he did, Beaumont would have been zombie food.

Austin could only shrug. Wasn't small talk all they had now? What did best friends who hadn't seen or heard from one another in ten years talk about? Even Austin, the king of wordsmithing, the charismatic Beaumont, was at a loss for words when it came to Rob. Still, the tone in the other man's voice aroused a glance from him. For the first time since they first saw each other earlier that night, Austin allowed himself to make eye contact. "I look stressed? Well if you haven't noticed Robby, it's been kind of a stressful night. With zombies crashing the Lambert Gala, an apparent ghost ship kidnapping kids on the beach, the fact that I'm back in Hart after ten years, topped off by the fact that you literally pop out of fucking know where... I've kind of had a lot to deal with," as he spoke, the glasses and plates on the bar began to rattle, the lights began to flicker above, and a glass on the other side of the restaurant spontaneously shattered. "Fuck..." he grunted to himself in a whisper. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath to calm himself, to reign in his energy. Gradually, the rattling and flickering subsided. "Sorry. Like I said... I've had a lot on my plate."

Raising the glass to his lips, he took another long swig of the contents, downing the rest of the it in one gulp, vodka be damned. Clearing his throat, he took another deep breath, and ordered another drink. "If you were going to kill me, I'd see it coming a mile away. No offense Robby, but you're not all that great at hiding your emotions. It's been ten years and I can still read you like a book." He shrugged. "Granted, I have a bit of an unfair advantage."

CODE BY NICK AT ATF

"Trust me, man, I was just as surprised about that as you were,"

Rob avoided joking that he was happy that he hadn't had a quest in his bed at the moment. That would have been awkward to say the least. Even if it had been ten or more years since they'd been with each other, Austin had been his first. He teased, "Doubtful." It had been jarring to find oneself serendipitously supplanted from one continent to another in the blink of an eye.

The idea of word itself, serendipity, was quite fitting given the current situation. Based on a Persian fairy tale, The Three Princes of Serendip, the uniting of Beaumont and Ryker and Winstead and Newbury together in Hart was by all accounts an accident. Whether it would prove a happy one was any man's guess.

"And I was handling myself just fine back there. I don't know why you were dragged into it. That spell was faulty."

"I'm sure it was. I remember, keenly, how we constructed the spell to work in exactly that way. After all, it's happened so many times before." Rob was still teasing his one time friend, one time best friend, but there was an edge to his words. He was the least likely of the four to rely on elaborate spell casting, preferring instinct and morals to guide him as much as intellect. The spell he had constructed with Beaumont was about as complex as he liked to get after all that had gone down here. Call him cautious. Call him a company man. Call him mindful or perhaps wary. Whatever the case, he'd purposefully avoided delving that deeply again.

"I look stressed? Well if you haven't noticed Robby, it's been kind of a stressful night. With zombies crashing the Lambert Gala, an apparent ghost ship kidnapping kids on the beach, the fact that I'm back in Hart after ten years, topped off by the fact that you literally pop out of fucking know where... I've kind of had a lot to deal with."

"Should I call a musician? Sounds like you're a bit overwhelmed there Beaumont." He smirked. He took a sip of his drink. It felt good to release a little bit of the tension he was feeling. He was finding himself as pissed off as he was happy to see Austin. He hadn't known what to expect, only that he'd wanted to see him. Maybe coming here had been a bad call. "We handle shit like this every day. Or at least I do." It could have been nothing more than conversation. Or it could have been a jab. The jury was still out. That included the conscience that normally kept Rob's sharp tongue in check.

"Fuck..." he grunted to himself in a whisper.

"Nice choice of words," Rob replied, choosing to drink again. It wasn't just the word, but the grunt that accompanied it that got under Rob's skin. It reminded him of what it had been like to be with Austin, the just be. No expectations beyond the need to feel good, no parental judgments, no future. No future... Rob mused, how à propos.

"Sorry. Like I said... I've had a lot on my plate."

"Sounds tough," he replied, finding it difficult to be sympathetic given the fact that he'd always felt that friends existed to lighten each others loads. If Austin hadn't cut him out so completely their lives could be different. So very different.

"If you were going to kill me, I'd see it coming a mile away. No offense Robby, but you're not all that great at hiding your emotions. It's been ten years and I can still read you like a book." He shrugged. "Granted, I have a bit of an unfair advantage."

"How so?" It was small talk now. Maybe he should simply finish his drink and call his assistant, make his way home and forget he'd even been here tonight. And forget that seeing Austin made him yearn for the things his life lacked. Things that he'd never have as long as they were all connected to the Cabal.

HERE I AM

AND I STAND SO TALL, JUST THE WAY I'M SUPPOSED TO BE

BUT YOU'RE ON TO ME AND ALL OVER ME. OH YOU LOVED ME CAUSE I'M FRAGILE, BUT I THOUGHT THAT I WAS STRONG. BUT YOU TOUCHED ME FOR A LITTLE WHILE, AND ALL MY FRAGILE STRENGTH IS GONE. SET ME FREE, LEAVE ME BE. I DON'T WANNA FALL ANOTHER MOMENT INTO YOUR GRAVITY. HERE I AM AND I STAND SO TALL JUST THE WAY I'M SUPPOSED TO BE. BUT YOU'RE ON TO ME, AND ALL OVER ME. I LIVE HERE ON ME KNEES AS I TRY TO MAKE YOU SEE THAT YOU'RE EVERYTHING I THINK I NEED HERE ON THE GROUND. BUT YOU'RE NEITHER FRIEND NOR FOE THOUGH I CAN'T SEEM TO LET YOU GO. THE ONE THING THAT I STILL KNOW IS THAT YOU'RE KEEPING ME DOWN. --------------------------------------------------------------------

NOTES: sorry for the delay / WORDS: not enough

It didn't take an empath to see that Rob wasn't feeling all together jovial about their reunion. Truth be told, Austin didn't know why he was surprised. Perhaps he still pictured his best friend as he was ten years ago: noble, kind, understanding, blissfully naive, and more or less wrapped around Austin's finger to an extent. This Rob was harder, colder even, less forgiving than he'd hoped, but not more than he deserved to be. It took all Austin had to not go on the defensive, to not start spouting out excuses and explanations. No, that wouldn't do. Beaumonts weren't grovelers, they always had control, and they never asked for forgiveness. Still, despite Austin's feelings on the matter, he did have to recognize the impossible position he'd inadvertently pulled his childhood friend into.

Rob was right, Austin was falling into some slump of self-pity. He clenched his jaw tight for a moment after realizing his folly and sighed, forcing a smile. "You're right. I've dealt with things more chaotic than that," he breezed, taking another sip of his drink. "It's just been a while for me. They've taken me out of the front lines. I've been working more in the strategic and tactical development projects. You know, along with social and political influence. Dear old Dad's footsteps of course." His jaw clenched again at the mention of his father. "He says: 'A Beaumont's place is as the commanders. Not the foot soldier.'" He attempted his best Damien Beaumont impression, one he was sure Rob would recognize, even after all of these years. "The gala incident wasn't supposed to go down like that." It was as close as he was going to get to admitting his failings. Anyone who knew Austin knew that wasn't something he took lightly.

He considered Ryker's question for a moment. He supposed his empathic abilities weren't as strong when he was in high school. With a light shrug, he let his chestnut gaze shift back to his friend. A hint of a twinkle flashed in his eyes as he offered a light grin. "Let's just call it a best friend's intuition," he tapped his temple before raising his drink to his lips, finishing it's contents. Had he wanted to get drunk, he would have ordered another round. Somehow tonight, hwoever, he wanted to keep his wits about him. As easy as it was to give in to Rob, fall in to old habits and let his guard completely down, he knew better than that. He was taught better than that. "But enough about me. That's not why I messaged you." Why exactly Austin had messaged him, he still honest to god didn't know.

To say there was a thick tension in the air would have been an understatement. Even Rob was closed off, defensive, something he had never experienced from the other. He could sense bits of resentment, a coldness radiating from the other mage like a freezer. Despite himself, Austin couldn't help but feel guilty. He knew he was responsible for it, and he would have given anything to be able to change it, to some how be able to make up for what he was forced to do. "Do you have a place to crash tonight? Or were you planning on just taking that taxi back to where ever it was you came from?" It went against all of his training, everything his father and his superiors had instructed him to do. Still, his instincts contradicted that training. However long the two of them had been apart, however cold the energy was between them, Rob was still apart of Austin. He couldn't just get a glimpse of the guy after ten years and send him off on his way as if nothing had happened. There was too much water under the bridge, too much history.

CODE BY NICK AT ATF

"You're right. I've dealt with things more chaotic than that."

"You have." Rob said. It was a simple statement benefited by the awareness that he was speaking of fact versus conjecture. He might not have seen Austin for ten years but he had made sure to keep tabs on him. If he couldn't be a part of his friend's lives in a direct way then he'd enjoy their successes vicariously through the reports they submitted. He thought of the time he'd read about Austin taking on a three headed Medusa underneath the ruins of the Parthenon. He could only imagine the thrill of facing down such a creature and living to tell about it. Rob wasn't surprised that Austin had come out of the situation on top. He was always good at getting and giving head.

"It's just been a while for me. They've taken me out of the front lines. I've been working more in the strategic and tactical development projects. You know, along with social and political influence. Dear old Dad's footsteps of course."

"Of course." Rob nodded and took another sip of his drink. Like father, like son, it seemed - for the both of them. He'd inherited the use of his family's cottage on the coast of Maine for his personal use. Cottage was a misnomer by today's standards. With it's twenty rooms, seven acres and three hundred feet of private beachfront it was hardly just any property. He hadn't been back to it more than once since he'd been a boy. A summer visit without his friends just wasn't the same. Therefore the place no longer held the same appeal for Ryker.

"He says: 'A Beaumont's place is as the commanders. Not the foot soldier.'"

"Your dad would know. Mine has always felt the need to take matters into his own hands. I guess I get it honestly." It didn't matter that he was adopted. He'd been raised as a Ryker and so considered himself to be one. He'd considered exploring his past, his mother and her family, especially, but the lure wasn't there yet to seek those skeletons out. One day they might be, but for how those old secrets were safe.

"The gala incident wasn't supposed to go down like that."

"I imagine the Lamberts would agree." There was a reason behind everything. Even in the world of the magical and the spiritual there was a logic to it all. Truth could be ferreted out by simply following the aether trail. That usually lead back to motivations as human and as old as magic itself. "What do you know?" Chances were that if he hadn't been invited to the party that Austin hadn't either, otherwise he'd be writing up one of his famous reports by now. That must be what Winstead and Newbury were up to. If not, then why weren't they here too? Maybe things have devolved and fallen apart to the point where the past no longer mattered. Rob wasn't made that way. He couldn't just turn it all off.

"Do you have a place to crash tonight? Or were you planning on just taking that taxi back to where ever it was you came from?"

"You mean my bed? I was asleep, Austin." he replied. The words were accompanied by the clinking sound of ice in his glass. It had been a quick drink. "Let me borrow your cell?" When Austin handed it to him he accessed the private line to his assistant and typed in a series of requests. When he was finished he handed back the device, "Thanks." Behind them, at the other side of the lobby the phone rang at reception and Rob smiled, "I don't. But I will."