Charly is dicing tomatoes and the delicious scent of fresh basil fills the kitchen. While Lena is mixing Mojitos Paige joins her fellow female agents. „So? Ladies Night?"
„For sure, here try that one," Lena hands Paige a glas of Mojito „so, just that I am on track here. You and Briggs," Charly nods „and you and Mike?"
„Yep, Damn, Lena that´s one great Mojito."
„Yeah my dad owns a bar. So ain´t that weird? Honestly if I was Jakes or Tuturro I´d kill myself. All the loving. Urgh."
„Oh trust me, they don´t care about the loving." Charly answers „Jakes is reconciling with the mother of his son and Johnny …" she stops in midsentence.
„Johnny doesn´t care about anything anymore" Paige finishes for her „Can you imagine that he used to be a really funny guy. Always cracking one joke after the other until half a year ago."
„Do you know why he changed?" Lena asks.
„He hasn´t told you? For two weeks now you two have been out on the water every day, hence you have seen Johnny more than all of us combined for the last two months and you don´t know?"
„Well we´re surfing. But really ladies let´s not talk about gloomy men. Another Mojito, Paige?"
„Sure. So Lena you never spilled how you and Mike know each other in the first place."
„Oh I was at the top of my class and got to spend four months in Quantico. International team building. And our road runner on the career path was assigned with showing us around, of course."
„Something going on between you two?" Paige tries to sound casual but fails miserably.
„Ah," Lena laughs loud and heartily „you wanted to ask me that since I called him honey on the first day."
And so the Ladies chat on. When Briggs comes home he finds the three of them sleeping on the couch with empty plates and glases surrounding them.
„Damn, Johnny, I will kill you. You idiot." Mike rushes into the living room. You can tell he is insane with anger. In a few quick steps he is by the couch pulls Johnny up by his hoodie and quickly punches him a couple of times before Jakes and Briggs can sepeate them. „You almost got her killed. What the hell is wrong with you!"
Mike is furious and it takes both, Briggs and Jakes to keep him away from Johnny, who is bleeding heavily from a gash on his left eyebrow. „You know I am so sick of you loosing control of your operation. It´s been six months now. Man up for god´s sake."
„Mike, hey, calm down. I know you´re terrified right now because Paige is hurt. But it is not Johnny´s fault. None of us could have forseen that."
„Lena, Mike has a point though. Ever since that girl got shot half a year ago Johnny has not been on his A-game and frankly this is becoming a liability." Briggs cuts in.
„Exactly," Mike continues „the daughter of Solano himself I might add. Seriously that thing was doomed anyway right from the beginning. What did you think would happen Johnny, huh? Both of you living…"
Lena jumps to her feet quickly like a cat and Balu who had been laying lazily on the carpet is close at her side and slightly growling. She looks really intimidating as she is really close to Mike and speaks in a calm but dangerous tone. „I am stopping you right here. You all have to back off right now. Because this is not about the operation going down, this is about you all being angry at him for mourning the wrong girl."
Now Jakes steps into the conversation „The wrong girl? Lena, honestly, she was Solanos daughter, her brother was a sociopathic killer, who almost shot Johnny over some antiques being french and not mexican."
Though Charly stands quiet on the sidelines Lena senses that she is with Briggs, Mike and Jakes on that one. The only one between Johnny and the rest of the house is her now. And it hits very close to home because couple of months back Lena has been in a similar position. She has to fight the tears while she is standing her ground between them. But she won´t back off, this is not just for Johnny this is also for herself.
„Don´t you think he knows that. Maybe you should come down from your high horse and count your blessings that you fall for the right people. Do you have any idea how painful it is to fall in love with somebody on the wrong side? The constant feeling of betrayal to them, to yourself, to your team?" she pauses for a second to catch her breath when Mike wants to cut in.
„No, I am not done yet. You all listen up here. Johnny has been through hell and back. The woman he loved died in front of him, because of him and his job, he can´t even take time to mourn because he wasn´t even supposed to fall for her in the first place. Seriously, Briggs, Jakes, with what you have been through I thought you guys would be more empathetic. From what I have heard since I have been here is that Johnny used to keep up the spirit in this place. And now he is trying to hold on as best as he can. Instead of helping him you people are mad with him for not being the funny kid anymore. Maybe you all should man up!"
Silence fills Graceland. Charly looks ashamed to the floor. She knows Lena is right, and so do the others. Their helplessness has turned to frustration and then into anger. It had been so painful watching Johnny the last few months that they had forgotten that he was hurting more then anybody else over this. And it had gotten the better of them. „Okay now maybe you give us some space here, I need to stich up that gash."