The clock read 3:45am when Scott descended the stairs into the main living room of the garage. He stopped mid-step as he noticed a figure sitting on the couch in front of the TV. He noted that it was either Dev or Tenaya, as he could see her dark hair from the light that the television was throwing on her body softly. He carefully neared the couch, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the glow of the television in the room. Slowly, he rounded the side of the couch and his breath caught in his throat as he went to greet the person. It was Devlyn. She was wearing a purple sports bra and small black shorts that barely covered everything.

Dev, finally noticing the presence of someone else in the room, shifted her eyes from the television and looked over at Scott.

"Oh, hi," she said. "Is the TV too loud?" She asked, assuming he had come down because of the noise. She scooped up the remote and lowered the volume a couple of notches.

"Uh, no." He finally managed to choke out, shaking his head quickly. He took a breath and willed himself to get rid of the sudden feeling of dry mouth that he had come across. "S'fine."

"Alright," Dev said, nodding slowly. Scott scratched the back of his head, suddenly feeling rather self conscious and hoping his bed mussed hair wasn't too horrible looking.

"So," He commented as he sat down on the couch she was sitting on. "How come you're awake?" Chastising himself the moment question passed his lips. 'Way to impress the new girl' he thought lamely. Dev shrugged as she idly traced the remote control's buttons with the tip of her finger.

"I guess turning it rather early last night made we wake up at a weird hour," she commented with another shrug. "And then I remembered seeing a TV down here and…well, couldn't resist," she chuckled.

"Big TV fan, huh?" Scott asked. Dev snorted and shook her head.

"Not really. I used to barely watch it before, but when you go without a TV for years, its funny how you suddenly need to become full on couch potato the second you see one," she pointed out.

"Years?" Scott questioned. "How long are we talking here?" He knew that Bayview, being one of the larger cities, had been one of the first attacked and brought down. Dev was quiet for a moment as she seemed to need to think back into her memories.

"Five," she finally answered.

"Five years?" Scott breathed in surprise. Dev gave a sad nod in reply.

"Bayview fell just before the centennial celebrations five years ago. A lot of people were killed in the initial attack; And if you weren't killed, you either attempted to go into hiding, or you were taken as a prisoner..." Trailing off, she sighed softly. "Although the people who went into hiding were found and brought in eventually anyway."

"Which group did you fall into?" Scott questioned carefully after a moment. Dev glanced downwards, feeling a burst of emotion clouding her throat.

"I was taken prisoner." She responded after another moment. "My family... Wasn't as lucky." Scott looked down. He felt horrible for bringing the subject up.

"I'm sorry," he softly replied, reaching over and placing a hand on hers. She gave a soft gasp at his touch. It was as if a spark had jumped between them.

"Thank you." Devlyn responded after she caught her breath, glancing up at him. Scott looked up and held her gaze for a moment before his senses returned and he nodded slowly.

"No problem," he replied as he awkwardly slipped his hand off of hers. Tearing her gaze away from him, she could feel her face growing warm with a blush. Something stirred within her when he pulled his hand off hers, and it felt cold. Shaking the feeling off, she picked up the remote.

"So how come you're awake?" She asked softly.

Scott shrugged in response as he passively watched the TV in front of them. "Couldn't sleep, I guess," he replied.

"I know that feeling." Dev commented, giving him a side glance before focusing on the TV. They lapsed into a comfortable silence until Dev shivered slightly.

"Are you cold?" Scott asked, instinctively shifting closer to Dev as he spoke.

"A little yeah." She replied as she shivered again. Scott nervously licked his lips as the impulse to take her in his arms ran through his mind. He cleared his throat, berating himself for thinking something like that when he had just met Dev, and doubted she'd particularly want his arms around her.

"Uh…do…do you want me to try and find a blanket or something?" He lamely asked.

"It's okay." Dev replied with a shake of her head. She gave Scott a small smile before looking back at the TV, trying to focus on keeping the shivering at bay. Her plan failed though, when she began to shiver even more a few moments later. Scott glanced over at her for a moment and quickly shifted closer to her, his arms loosely coming around her frame before he could stop himself. He felt Dev stiffen against him as he pulled her closer, but it only lasted a moment before she relaxed and the shivering ceased.

"Thank you." She murmured softly as the blush reappeared on her cheeks.

"No problem," Scott replied, as he felt his heart hammering in his chest. Biting her lip slightly, Dev pulled her legs up and tucked them under her body before unconsciously curling closer to Scott, her head resting gently on his shoulder. They remained in their position for nearly an hour before Dev began to nod off against Scott's shoulder. "Do you want to go to bed?" Scott questioned, figuring she might be more comfortable. Dev slowly shook her head against him.

"My bed will be cold." She replied. Scott swallowed thickly at that, his mind blurting out I'll go to bed with you! He shook his head and berated himself for letting his hormones nearly make him say something so stupid and inappropriate.

"Oh," was all he could think to say after a long pause. "Um... I could stretch out and you could join me." He mumbled lamely after a while. "You'd be warm then." Dev chewed on her bottom lip as her cheeks grew warm.

"Okay," she softly replied after a moment. Scott could feel his stomach do somersaults as he bit back a grin.

"Okay, give me a minute." He slowly pulled his arms off her. Dev wrapped her arms around herself as the chilly air hit her full force the moment Scott's arms were off of her. Scott returned a moment later with a pillow tucked under his arm. "Okay, back." He smiled. Dev nodded and shifted on the couch to give him room to lie back on the couch. Once Scott had situated himself on the couch, and tucked the pillow behind his head, he smiled at Dev. "Okay." He commented lightly. Dev demurely smiled back at him and carefully shifted on the couch until she was laying half beside him on the couch, and half on him. Once she was comfortable, Scott slipped one arm down her back, and the other across the arm that was draped over his chest. Dev rested her head against his chest and sighed softly. Carefully, Scott began to rub her back gently. Dev moaned sleepily as she relaxed in his embrace. Scott felt his breath hitch in his throat for the second time that evening.

"Uh..g…good night," Scott quietly stammered.

"Night." She murmured softly into his chest. She sighed again and snuggled closer to Scott before drifting off to sleep. It took Scott a while to drift off as well, his mind abuzz with the events that had taken place.

The rising sun's light pouring through the windows of the garage awoke Scott a couple of hours later. He was surprised to see that Devlyn was still asleep against him. Shifting slightly, he cast a glance around the main level of the garage. Thankfully, it seemed to be empty for the time being. Carefully, Scott pulled away from Dev's embrace and moved off the couch. Stretching, he yawned loudly. On the couch, Dev sleepily mewed in her sleep and curled into a tight fetal position as she reacted to the lack of Scott's warmth. Scratching his head slightly, a thought struck Scott. His friends and former teammates would be getting up soon, and would have a lot of questions and comments if they were to stumble across Dev and himself lying on the couch in a slightly compromising position. He couldn't just leave her there on the couch and act like he had never been with her, if simply for the mere fact that the early morning chill in the garage was already making her shiver in her sleep.

Ever so slowly, Scott knelt next to the couch and slipped an arm under her legs, while the other moved around her shoulders. Effortlessly, he lifted her into his arms as he stood upright. Dev didn't seem to notice the movement and simply curled against Scott's chest as she continued to sleep. It took him a few moments to shuffle to the stairs and up to Ziggy's old room. He nudged the door open with his hip before carefully carrying Dev inside and over to the bed. Gently, he set her down on the bed. The moment he set her down on the bed, Dev hummed in her sleep and turned her back to him as she sleepily got comfortable on the new surface. She curled up on her side, her knees practically going up to her chest. Scott found the covers in a heap at the foot of the bed and carefully brought them up and over Dev's sleeping form. As she moved, some of her hair slipped across her face, and carefully, Scott reached over and brushed it away from her eyes. "Night." He murmured softly. The only response he received from Dev was a long deep breath as she slipped back into a deep slumber.

Dev awoke a few hours later, surprised to see that she was back in her own bed... Scratch that, Ziggy's bed. Slowly, she pushed herself into a sitting position and stretched before climbing out of the bed. She stretched a little more before moving over to where she had left her clothes from the day before. Turning her nose up slightly, she began to change back into the clothing. Once she had gotten dressed, she slipped on her shoes and left the room. Dev was surprised to see that the garage was empty, sans Summer who was sitting in the kitchenette, eating her breakfast quietly.

"Hey," she spoke as she walked down the stairs. Summer looked up at her and smiled.

"Good morning," she greeted.

"Have a good night?" Dev questioned as she moved into the kitchen and dropped onto the stool next to her friend.

"Yeah, it was pretty nice," Summer nodded as she popped a piece of bacon into her mouth.

"That's good." Came the response. "What are you gonna do today?" Summer shrugged as she chewed her food and swallowed.

"I'm not sure, I guess catch up with everyone else some more, why?" She questioned.

"Oh just curious." She shrugged. "I was thinking that depending on when I finish my stuff, maybe we could find a clothing store?" Dev finished meekly.

"Oh!" Summer said, a small giggle in her tone, as she came to the realization that Dev would need to flesh out her amount of possessions—clothes included—as the only things she had brought with her to Corinth had fit into just one slightly large duffle bag. "Of course, absolutely" Summer smiled. "There's a shopping district downtown, it has a few clothing stores and some other stuff. We could even find some stuff to decorate your room with after they assign you your quarters."

"Great." Dev smiled softly. "I guess I should head over there then." Sighing, she stood.

"Do you need help getting there?" Summer asked as she swallowed her last bite of food.

"Do you mind?" Came the shorter woman's response. She always hated asking for help, but she knew that it was better to ask Summer, who had lived in Corinth for a long time, as opposed to ending up lost, confused and late.

"I wouldn't have offered if I did," Summer chuckled as she stood up and dumped her plate into the sink. "Just let me run upstairs and change, and maybe see about borrowing Dillon's keys, and we can go," she said as she rounded the counter and made her way towards the stairs.

"Say hi to Dillon for me." Dev giggled. Summer chuckled and rolled her eyes before jogging up the stairs. As Summer entered Dillon's room, she noticed that he was coming out of the bathroom he shared with Flynn, a towel wrapped tightly around his waist.

"Morning." He grinned as beads of water dropped from his hair and slipped down his shoulders and across his chest. Summer bit the corner of her lip as she took in the sight of him. She momentarily thought about forgetting about Dev, going over to Dillon, and yanking that towel from him and let anything else happen after that. She swallowed thickly and shook her head slightly, internally groaning, as she forced herself to get her mind out of the gutter and stick to the original reason she had come to the room.

"Can I borrow your car?" She questioned without preamble. Dillon furrowed his brow as he moved to his dresser to grab some of the small amount of clothes he had left there a year ago.

"Uh…for what?" He asked, confused.

"Dev needs to check-in and the fastest way to get there is to drive her... But I don't have my own car." Summer explained.

"Oh," Dillon replied. "Sure, the keys are in my pants' pocket," he added, jerking his thumb towards where he had left his clothes from the previous day.

"Fantastic." Grinning, Summer moved over to where he had discarded his clothing when they were getting ready for bed the previous night. Kneeling, she dug around before finding his jeans and pulling the keys out. "So, what are you going to do today?" She conversely asked as she stood back up.

"No idea." Came his response as he stopped behind her. "You?"

"Well, figured I'd hang around the military base and wait for Dev to be done checking-in, and then the two of us are going to do some shopping," Summer replied.

"Oh?" Dillon questioned as he brushed a strand of hair off her cheek. "And just what are you going to do when you're hanging around the base, waiting for Dev to be done?" Summer smiled and shrugged.

"I don't know," she replied.

"Can't think of anything?" He asked, giving her a wink.

"There might be other people around who might hear what you're thinking of." Summer blushed as she poked him in the chest softly. "Not to mention I have a day of shopping planned, so whatever you're thinking of, would have to wait until much later."

"Darn," Dillon jokingly groaned.

"You'll get over it." She giggled softly. Dillon leaned forward and kissed the side of her neck.

"Are you sure I can't convince you otherwise?" He murmured.

"Now, that's just playing dirty," Summer sighed as she was greatly tempted to sink into the feeling of his lips on her skin.

"I didn't realize I was supposed to play any other way?" Came his husky comment against her skin. Summer moaned softly, her eyes drifting shut as Dillon continued to kiss her neck. The couple was interrupted as Dev yelled Summer's name from the main level of the building. With a sigh, the blond ranger slowly pushed Dillon away.

"I should go." She murmured softly. Dillon sighed and nodded.

"Okay," he replied. Summer gave him a sympathetic look and lightly kissed his lips.

"I'll see you later," she replied. Dillon nodded as Summer stepped around him to put her shoes on. Halfway through tying her laces, a thought came to Summer and she looked back up at Dillon.

"If you don't have anything to do today….maybe you and Tenaya should talk to Dr. K," she causally commented. A part of her felt bad for in a way betraying Tenaya's confidence with such a suggestion, but another and much bigger part justified that Tenaya had made Summer swore not to tell Dillon the ocular implants were beginning to fail. Tenaya never specifically said anything about barring Summer from idly pointing Dillon into a direction that would no doubt lead him to finding out through other means. "You know…just to check on things, make sure everything's okay after a whole year on the road," she nonchalantly shrugged.

"That's a good idea." He agreed after a moment with a nod. Summer finished tying her shoes and stood up with a confirming nod.

"Great," she replied. She smiled and stepped closer to him to give him one more kiss. "I'll be sure to take care of your baby," she giggled, waving the car keys in her hand to indicate she was referring to his car.

"You'd better." Dillon teased. "Otherwise you'll have to be punished."

"Is that so?" Summer teased right back.

"Uh huh." Grinning, Dillon swooped in for another kiss. Summer giggled and kissed him back for a moment before stepping away.

"Alright, now I really have to go. I don't want to hold Dev up."

"Oh alright." Stepping back slightly, Dillon smiled. "Have fun."

"Will do." With a smile, Summer exited the room and moved back downstairs.

"It's about time," Dev jokingly commented as Summer approached her.

"Sorry." Summer blushed. "I didn't mean to be long."

"Uh huh," Dev chuckled with an impish smirk.

"Hush!" The blond ranger giggled. Dev continued to chuckle as Summer's cheeks kept up their red hue.

"Alright, alright," she relented. "Shall we go?" She asked.

"Yes we should." Her friend agreed.

"Great," Dev replied with a smile as the two made their way towards Dillon's car. The ride over to headquarters was fairly quiet, both girls lost in their own thoughts. The ride over to headquarters was fairly quiet, both girls lost in their own thoughts. Once they had arrived and Dev had been checked in, she was informed that she would be busy for another twenty minutes.

"I'll wait." Summer smiled. "Then we can go shopping." Dev nodded.

"Sounds good," she replied before one of the workers at the base led her away from Summer. "I'll see you in a little while," she commented over her shoulder before she disappeared past the double doors that led to another part of the base that included the employee's private quarters.

For Summer, the twenty minutes seemed to fly past, and before she knew it, Dev was wandering back into the room. "And done." She commented with a smile.

"Great," Summer grinned.

"Shopping?" Dev commented around a smile, noting that Summer seemed excited about the idea.

"Yup!" Summer giggled as the two left the base and headed towards Dillon's car. The trip to the mall wasn't nearly as long as Dev expected it to be. Within a few minutes of getting into Dillon's car, the girls had arrived at their destination.

"Looking for anything in particular?" Dev teased her friend as they climbed out and headed into the mall. Summer shrugged. "Uh huh?" Dev teased with a grin, and Summer shot her a glare.

"Just looking for anything, I guess," she casually replied. "I haven't shopped in a while."

"Sounds like me." Came the reply as the moved into the main part of the mall.

"So, where do you want to go first?" Summer asked as they walked deeper inside the shopping center.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Dev replied with a shrug. She turned slightly to face her friend. "I haven't been shopping in over 5 years." Summer nodded.

"Well, it's been a while since I've been here, but I think everything's still the same. There's a pretty good clothing store upstairs, then there's a home store….they've got linens, lamps, and pretty much anything you might want for your room…..there's a cosmetic store….perfume…." Summer continued on, filling Dev in on what the mall had to offer. "

I... Lets start at the home store." Dev replied after a moment's thought. "Maybe I'll feel better about shopping for clothes after that."

"Okay," Summer nodded, although a little confused as to why Dev seemed unnerved about shopping for clothes.

"Great." With a smile that didn't reach her eyes, Dev linked arms with Summer as they headed upstairs to the home store. They spent the better part of an hour picking out small items for Dev's new room. By the time they were finished, Dev had three full sets of linens in black, white and red, as well as two lamps and a full-length mirror. Thankfully, her bed, desk and dresser were all included in the room she was being given at the base. "I think this is enough for now," Dev nodded as they pushed the cart they had been using towards the registers. She gave Summer a sideways glance. "Maybe we can stop by here again sometime in the future, you know, in case I want to get knick knacks and stuff," she said. Summer grinned and nodded.

"Of course!" She replied.

"Great." It took her a few minutes to gather up her things and pay for them, using a hefty advance that the city had given to her, seeing it as an investment to their newest employee.

"So, where to now?" Summer asked as she picked up the bags holding the few things she had purchased for her and Dillon's room.

"Clothing... I guess." Dev shrugged in response as she pulled her bags off the counter and fell into step beside Summer.

"Great," Summer smiled as they left the store. The girls moved back down to the main level of the mall and it didn't take long for Summer to steer Dev into the Hollister that seemed to be having a slow business day. "This was one of my favorite clothing stores when I was growing up." Summer commented as they stepped into the dimly lit, heavily perfumed store.

"Wow, that's a strong smell," Dev commented as the perfume hitting her senses took her by surprise.

"Yeah it takes a while to get used to." Summer laughed as she began to browse the table where the polo shirts were. "This guy that I knew when I was a teenager used to buy his cologne here... And boy, did he ever smell amazing." With a chuckle she picked up a silver one in a medium and held it out to Dev. "That's why I like this place... Reminds me of before everything went to hell."

"Something tells me you won't be telling Dillon that story," Dev lightly teased with a smile.

"Probably not... But I could pick up a bottle of it for him." Summer mused around a giggle. Dev laughed and idly wandered to a rack by the table to look at jeans. Carefully, she picked through a few different pairs before taking a dark wash, flared jean to try on, along with the silver polo that she had taken from Summer. She glanced at her friend who had moved onto the warmer clothing to look at sweaters and hoodies. Slowly, Dev followed in the same direction. Yet again, Summer grabbed a few different things to try on, while Dev carefully picked through the items.

"Ready to head to the dressing rooms?" Summer asked once she had an arm full of items.

"Sure." Dev nodded slowly as she looked at her seemingly measly pile compared to Summer's. Summer noticed the difference in their loads as well, but simply smiled and led the way to the back of the store where the row of dressing rooms was. The girls stepped into separate dressing rooms. Summer was slightly surprised to see that Dev didn't come out of her change room to show her friend any of the outfits, when Summer had come out to show her own. It didn't take long for Dev to come out and set everything down while her blond haired friend finished.

"Are you finished?" Summer asked as she stepped out of her changing room in a pair of light colored jeans and a yellow tank top.

"Yeah." Dev replied with a nod. "How about you?"

"Almost," Summer replied. "Just have one more shirt to try on," she elaborated.

"Okay." Dev smiled as Summer ducked back into her change room. She leaned back against the wall outside the changing rooms as she waited for Summer. It only took her another moment to finish trying the shirt on, before she reappeared in the outer area of the change room.

"Okay." Summer smiled.

"Are you getting all of that?" Dev asked as she saw Summer exit with all the clothes she had gone in with.

"Yup!" Summer grinned as Dev stood to join her as they moved towards the exit. "Are you going to get all of what you picked out? Or should we keep browsing?"

"I'm good with this for now," Dev replied as she held onto her small pile of clothes.

"You sure?" Summer questioned, her skepticism returning. "We can hit up more stores if you want." Dev shrugged.

"I guess going to some other stores wouldn't hurt," Dev replied. She gave another small shrug. "I don't know, maybe the strong smell in here is making me not want to shop too much."

"It can be overwhelming." Her friend agreed as they headed towards the check out. Pausing mid-way, Summer snatched a bottle of cologne for Dillon before they continued.

"Yeah, it's a bit much," Dev quietly murmured, careful not to be overheard by any of the store's employees as they continued onward to the registers.

"Don't worry, we'll be out soon." Summer promised as they reached their destination. Within a few minutes, the two had been serviced at two cash registers next to each other and paid for their purchases. As they exited, Dev let out a happy sigh as she took a deep breath of fresh air.

"Much better."

"Where do you want to look now?" Summer asked as she led the way further away from the shop to put some distance between themselves and the wafting scent.

"Um, I guess someplace where I could grab specialty clothing." Came the response as a blush crept up over Dev's cheeks.

"Specialty clothing?" Summer asked, confused.

"Underwear." Dev mumbled under her breath.

"Oh!" Summer replied, feeling a little foolish she hadn't realized that sooner. She blushed slightly and cleared her throat. "Right…duh….of course that would be something….needed…" She stammered slightly. "Uh, sure…there's a store over this way," Summer commented as she guided Dev to the right of the wide breezeway in the mall.

"Great." Came the muttered reply as Dev followed her friend. Summer and Dev walked along the wide corridor until they reached a store front with a stripped pink and white sign out front.

"What is this place?" Dev breathed as they came to a stop.

"Victoria's Secret," Summer replied as they walked into the store. "You've never been to one, even before…you know, before everything went crazy?" She asked.

"No." Shaking her head, Dev glanced at Summer. "Never."

"Oh," Summer replied. "Well, I guess there's a first for everything," she smiled.

"Apparently." Giving her a smile, Dev stepped forward. "Shall we?" Summer smiled and nodded as the two walked deeper into the store. Although they had shopped together in the previous store, both girls were thankful to go their separate ways in search of different items. Summer picked up a few basic and mundane essentials, but after a while she found herself gravitating towards the more risqué and showy lingerie. She picked up two different ones. The first was a sheer dot babydoll in black. The item consisted of layers of mesh and lace, with a flyaway back. She noted that it tied in the back with a soft satin ribbon, and had a matching bikini panty to go with it. The second item was a few feet away, and was a push-up bustier that had a matching thong, all in black. Carefully, Summer tucked them under the pile she had growing in her arms, before departing for the change rooms. It took her a few minutes to try on all the aforementioned items that she had picked up, before she exited the dressing room with the items she intended to purchase. Just as she came out of the dressing room, she saw Dev by one of the racks picking up a few items.

"Find anything good?" Summer questioned as she hid the 'special' items she'd grabbed amongst the other things.

"Yeah," Dev replied, looking down at the few everyday items she had in her arms.

"That's great!" She smiled at her friend. "I'm just gonna pay for these while you try those on, okay?" Dev nodded.

"Sounds good," she replied. Summer moved towards the cash registers, while Dev side-stepped her friend and headed into the change rooms. The line in front of the registers was short, within a few minutes Summer's products were being rung up. Just as her items had been packed, Dev rounded the corner from the change rooms, carrying her purchases. She approached a free cash register and set her items on the counter. It didn't take long for the attendant to ring up the small pile, and bag them as well. Once the attendant handed Dev her bag, she moved to the end of the counter to join Summer who had been patiently waiting for her to be finished.

"I think I've got enough to last a while." She commented as they turned to leave the store. "How about you?"

"I think I'm good," Summer smiled, holding her two bags up slightly.

"Okay." Linking her arm with Summer's, the girls exited the store and wandered back to Dillon's car. They reached the car within minutes and loaded their bags into the trunk.

"Am I taking you back to your new place?" Summer questioned as they climbed into the car.

"Yeah, might as well," Dev replied. "I need to put my things in my new room."

"Care for some help?" Came the follow-up question.

"Sure, that'd be nice," Dev smiled as Summer started the car up.

"I aim to please." The blond woman laughed as they pulled out of the parking lot and headed back to Dev's new apartment. They arrived at Dev's new home within fifteen minutes. Summer grabbed the bags out of the trunk for Dev's room, while Dev reached in and took her clothing bags out. The two walked through the army base's grounds until they reached the secondary entrance to the residential buildings. Dev led the way to the middle building in the small cul-de-sac and walked in. Dev continued to lead Summer to the second floor of the building to where her living quarters were located.

"It's not much." Dev commented softly as she unlocked the door to her 'house' and moved inside.

"Don't worry," Summer smiled as she followed Dev. The apartment was very small, barely the size of her now shared bedroom with Dillon. The 'kitchen' was barely that, with a small stove and fridge tucked into the corners across from the cereal bar that closed off the kitchen from what would be considered the living room. Summer did her best not to let her opinion of the lackluster living space show in her face and simply continued to smile.

"I'm glad we bought that partition." Dev commented as she set her bags down on the floor. The rest of the apartment opened up, as one room, with a closed door off of the kitchen. "I figured I'd put it over where the bed is, make it look somewhat like an actual bedroom." Summer nodded as she set the bags she held on the small 'dining' table on the side of the room.

"That sounds like a great idea," she continued to smile.

"You hate it." Dev commented as she turned to face her friend.

"What?" Summer blanched, feeling bad that she had been found out. "No, it's great, really," she insisted. "It's very nice and cozy," she added.

"It's dinky." Dev laughed as she shook her head. "I know that, and it's fine if you hate it, believe me, I know I will."

"Well, all the more reason to hang out with us at the garage whenever you can," Summer giggled, finding the silver lining in the situation.

"That, sounds like the best idea you've had today." Dev smiled in reply. Summer threw her head back and laughed.

"Glad you think so," she chuckled. Slowly, the girls unpacked Dev's purchases and began to set them up. The entire process took three hours to fully complete, thanks to distractions and the ordering of pizza.

"Oh my god," Dev softly moaned as she took her first bite of pizza while she and Summer sat cross legged in her living room, the pizza box set between them. "I haven't had pizza in ages," she commented.

"I figured we could both use some." Summer laughed as she bit into her own slice. "This place has the best pizza in the city."

"You could've ordered from the place with the most mediocre pizza in the city, and I'd still be in heaven right now," Dev giggled as she took a sip from her small bottle of soda. Summer had had the foresight to include a few bottles of soda in the order, two to have with dinner, and a few to put in Dev's refrigerator for later.

"Oh trust me, once you're here long enough you'll figure out that this place is seriously the best... Everything else is crap." Summer laughed as she took a swig of her own drink, her eyes glancing out the small window in Dev's apartment.

"Okay, so this is the best pizza place….any other recommendations you'd like to share with my newbie self?" Dev asked with a small giggle.

"Yeah, a few," Summer replied, her thoughts drifting back to the previous night. "Firstly, if Ziggy ever says that he has a good idea and it involves someone named Fresno Bob, walk the other way."

"Uh oh, I sense there's a story behind that," Dev commented.

"Before Ziggy became a ranger, he was involved in a lot of shady stuff." Summer explained. "One of the people he was involved with was Fresno Bob."

"Wow," Dev commented.

"Yeah, he was in it pretty bad until everything got figured out... But he's still a... Different person at times." Summer felt bad for insulting her boyfriend's best friend, but with the same thought, she knew that Ziggy was special in his own way.

"What do you mean different person?" Dev asked as she took the last bite of her first slice of pizza and moved to pick another out of the box.

"He's very... Eccentric, to say the least." Summer explained.

"I see," Dev nodded. She had noticed he seemed a little 'unique' when she had met him and the others the night before, but she wasn't about to judge him too harshly. He had been kind enough to let her have his room for the night.

"You learn to love him." Summer smiled.

"So, tell me about the rest of your friends," Dev curiously commented as she bit into her pizza.

"Oh god," Summer laughed. "We could be here a while!" Dev grinned and shrugged.

"I don't mind," she giggled.

"Hmm, where to start then." Her friend giggled as well.

"What about Scott?" Dev practically blurted out as Summer continued to consider where to start.

"Scott? He's a really nice guy." She began. Dev nodded and waved her free hand to urge her to continue.

"He's a military brat for one." Summer commented. "He's an Air Force pilot with Eagle Squadron... Colonel Truman, his dad, is the leader of the defense forces." Taking a breath, she sighed. "Scott's an only child now. His mom died when he was a baby, and Marcus, his older brother... He was shot down in the original battle against Venjix."

"Oh…" Dev murmured, looking down as she took in Summer's words.

"Yeah... It was really hard for Scott to accept his brother's death... And his dad didn't exactly help matters." She shrugged slightly. "They seem to be doing better now though I guess, with the help of therapy."

"Well, that's good," Dev quietly commented.

"Yeah, it is." Summer gave her a smile as she chewed on the crust of her slice of pizza thoughtfully. "Scott can be a little stubborn and comes off as cold, but he's incredibly loyal to his friends."

"That's a good thing." Dev acknowledged after a momentary pause. Summer nodded and took a bite of her pizza. It took her nearly an hour to tell Dev about all the others, providing stories about each along the way, which gave the new woman a lot to laugh about, and made her feel like one of the group, as opposed to an outsider.

"I hate to do this." Summer commented as she pushed herself off the floor and streched. "But I really should jet and get back to the garage." Dev looked at the clock above her small stove, noticing for the first time they had hung out well into the early evening.

"Oh yeah," she commented, surprised how much time had passed. "No problem," she nodded.

"Do you want me to toss the pizza box outside on my way out?" Summer offered as Dev stood up as well.

"Sure." The shorter woman agreed. "Saves me the trip then."

"Alright then," Summer smiled as she bent down to pick up the box.

"Hey why don't you come to the garage tomorrow after work and we'll have dinner?" She asked as she gathered the box up and folded it in half. Dev smiled at the suggestion and nodded.

"I'd like that, sure," she replied.

"Awesome!" Grinning, Summer leaned forward and engulfed Dev in a half hug. "I'll see you tomorrow then!" Dev laughed as she returned the hug.

"Yup!" She replied. It took Summer another moment before she exited the small apartment, leaving Dev alone for the first time. Dev looked around her tiny abode and sighed sadly before going back to work on organizing her small living space. The organizing didn't take nearly as long as she expected, and before long, she found herself eyeing her new bed with a cautious optimism. It was nearly another hour before Devlyn managed to talk herself into getting ready for bed. She took a long, hot shower and dried her hair slightly before changing into her new sleepwear and carefully slipped under the fresh sheets. She let out a long breath and closed her eyes in an attempt to will sleep to come. As exhaustion began to seep into her bones, and she slowly drifted off, she half wondered if maybe she'd fully-sleep through the night for the first time in five years.

The tension in the garage was evident to Summer the moment she drove Dillon's car into the garage. She climbed out of the car and found Flynn, Gem, Gemma, Ziggy and Scott in the kitchenette area pretending they weren't listening in on the commotion going on elsewhere, their eyes focused on the counter space in front of them and their shoulders tense.

"What's going on?" Summer asked as she approached her friend.

"HOW COULD YOU NOT TELL ME!" Dillon's agitated voice boomed before any of the others could answer.

"IT'S MY BUSINESS, DILLON, THEREFORE MY CHOICE!" Was Tenaya's equally as agitated response. Summer's face fell, as she had a pretty good idea what had happened.

"They've been at it for around an hour," Gemma quietly stated to Summer.

"K's trying to play ref…but I'm not sure its going so well," Ziggy frowned.

"If it's going at all." Flynn commented, giving Summer a half smile.

"YOUR BUSINESS?" Dillon incredulously shouted. "OH, SILLY ME, HERE I THOUGHT BEING A FAMILY MEANT THIS IS MY BUSINESS TOO!"

"And that makes it four," Scott casually noted.

"Four?" Summer asked.

"This whole conversation's going around in circles," Scott explained. "This is the fourth time Dillon used the 'we're family, it's my business' line or something like it."

"Five, actually," Flynn corrected. "You were in the bathroom when he said 'I'm your brother, you should've told me'," he pointed out.

"Ah... My mistake then." Scott amended with a shrug.

"Six if you count 'how could you confide in Summer, over me your own brother'," Gem commented. Summer's eyebrows rose.

"Dillon knows I knew?" She asked. Gemma gave her a sympathetic look.

"Yeah….and it also came up that….you sort of suggested to Dillon that Dr. K do a check up."

"…Oh no," Summer groaned. She could only imagine how much trouble she was in store for. Dillon would no doubt be upset Summer had kept Tenaya's secret from him for all this time, and Tenaya would be upset that Summer had surreptitiously gone against her wishes.

"It's been fun... Can you tell?" Ziggy stated.

"Perhaps its best if we all just stop before someone says anything they may regret, and continue when we've had a chance to calm down," Dr. K's voice rang out for the first time since Summer had arrived.

"GLADLY!" Tenaya snarled, which was followed by the sound of her stomping footsteps as she came out from Dr. K's lab. "YOU!" She sharply hissed the second she entered the open space of the garage and saw Summer. "How could you!" She growled.

"Tenaya…" Summer sadly commented, hating the anger she saw in Tenaya's gaze. "I'm sorry, I..I thought I was doing the righ-" Tenaya held her hands up to cut her off.

"Save it! I don't want to hear anything you have to say!" She barked before stomping up the stairs. Summer sighed sadly as her eyes drifted shut. She could feel the sting of hot tears prickling behind her eyes. Willing them away, she slowly reopened her eyes. By the time she opened her eyes, Dillon was already exiting the lab with Dr. K slowly emerging behind him.

"Dillon…" Summer began, afraid he was angry at her just as much as Tenaya was.

"Not now, Summer," Dillon replied, his voice tight as he fought to keep it even. Summer closed her mouth, the urge to cry mounting. Behind him, Dr. K carefully brushed past him to join the others in the kitchenette.

"Dillon, mate, listen…if you and Tenaya need help, I-" Flynn began, only to be cut off by Dillon leveling a hard stare his way.

"No offense Flynn, but Tenaya's my sister. We don't need any more interference from any of you," he said, his glare shifting to Summer as he finished his sentence. Before anyone could say anything else, Dillon stormed up to his room. Summer frowned and shook her head to herself and glanced at the others.

"I'll talk to him," she murmured, even though a part of her was dreading anything that would come out of that. She slowly made her way up the stairs and towards the room she now—and still, she hoped—shared with Dillon. She knocked softly on the door. "Dillon, can I come in?" She asked.

"No," was Dillon's reply from the other side of the door. Summer sighed and, disregarding his response and turned the knob, glad to see the door wasn't locked as she walked in. Dillon glanced up at her from his perch on the edge of his-their-bed. "I believe I just said no," he coldly stated.

"Yeah, well, until anyone says otherwise…this is my room too, so I can come in. And you didn't lock the door, so I imagine you weren't too concerned about me coming in," Summer rationalized as she shut the door behind her.

"I didn't think you'd be stupid enough to come in here after what you've done." He shot back, his tone icy and sharp. Summer pressed her lips together in a hard line to stop herself from angrily replying to that. She let out a breath and walked over to the small desk in the room. She pulled the chair out and sat down across from Dillon.

"Alright, you're upset about what's happening to your sister, so I'll let your acts of asshole slide for now," she calmly stated.

"Just like you let the fact that I deserved to know what was happening to my sister slide, huh?" Dillon shot back. Summer clenched her fist and forced herself to take another calming breath.

"Alright, you just tell me when you're ready to have a civilized conversation, Dillon. I'll just be sitting here, waiting," she evenly stated as she sat back in the chair.

"You'll be waiting a while then." He muttered as he pulled his shirt off and tossed it aside. "I don't want to talk to you." Summer simply tilted her head in a challenging manner, as if to say 'I'm not going anywhere'. Dillon rolled his eyes and stood up from the bed. He barely looked at her as he disappeared inside the bathroom that connected his and Flynn's room. Summer felt herself flinch slightly as she heard him violently slam the door behind him. Summer sighed and slumped in the chair, willing the new stress to sink out of her. The room was quiet for a few minutes before the sound of glass shattering in the bathroom made Summer jump to her feet.

"Dillon?" She called out, quickly moving to the bathroom door. Without a moment's thought, she yanked the door opened to find Dillon standing hunched over the bathroom sink. His right hand clenced the side of the sink, while his left hand lay at his side. His knuckles were bleeding, and the mirror over the sink showed obvious signs of a fist slamming into it. "Dillon…" She murmured.

"Don't." He muttered half-heartedly as she reached for his injured hand.

"You're hurt," Summer gently insisted as she carefully took hold of his wrist.

"What a shock." Came his reply as she stretched his fingers out to assess the damage he'd done to his hand. She picked up a small towel by the sink and turned the faucet on to douse it in warm water to clean his hand.

"Stop being stubborn," Summer sighed as she lifted his hand up and tenderly dabbed at his knuckles.

"I'm not." Dillon snapped as he flinched when she pressed on his knuckles. "I can do it myself," he hissed after a moment as he moved to take the towel from her with his free hand. Summer quickly moved her hand away, keeping the towel from him.

"What's that you said about not being stubborn?" She commented. Dillon simply glared at her in response. Summer sighed and shook her head as she resumed cleaning his hand. "You're not alone, Dillon," she murmured after a moment. "So you can stop acting like you can't turn to anyone for help…when it comes to this, and when it comes to Tenaya."

"You leave my sister out of this," Dillon hissed.

"That's exactly what I mean," Summer sighed. "You act like you're the only one who cares about her, that the two of you only have each other."

"Because its true," Dillon insisted. Summer frowned, incredibly hurt by his words.

"You really believe that?" She quietly asked. "So…what, this past year…I was just some unwanted tag-a-long?" She asked, tears trickling down her cheeks. She tossed the towel into the sink and released his hand before quickly leaving the bathroom as more tears slid down her cheek.

"What?" He commented as he pursued her back into their bedroom. He found Summer slumped on the far side of the bed with her back facing him.

"Sum..." Dillon trailed off as he listened to her sniffle from where she was sitting.

"You really are a thick headed idiot, Dillon," Summer murmured. "I really would've thought that after everything that's happened….the three of us in the wasteland together, all of us working together side by side while you dealt with everything Venjix had put you through…you would've gotten by now that it's not just you against the world," she stated. Dillon fell silent for a few moments after she finished speaking.

"It's not that easy." He murmured in response. "I'm... Not sure how to do anything but that." Summer slowly turned to her other side to look at him.

"That's bull," she plainly stated as she wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. "If that were the case, you never would've accepted me coming with you and Tenaya a year ago. You would've…well, been just as stubborn as you are now, and acted like it was something only you and Tenaya could do together." Dillon frowned and looked down as he shrugged.

"Maybe I thought you'd be stubborn and insist on coming with us," was his excuse. Summer snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Puh-leeze," she replied. "You wanted me to come with you, just as much as I wanted to be with you. So, obviously, you not knowing how to think its all just you, is a load of bull." Dillon opened his mouth, but closed it soon afterwards, realizing that she was, in fact, right. He slowly moved closer and sat on the corner furthest from her as he thought of what else to say.

"Fine, yes…the idea of leaving here without you just…it wasn't something I would ever want to do. But that has nothing to do with my sister. You had no right to act like everything was fine if you knew Tenaya's eye implants were beginning to give out."

"Oh yes, and being stuck in the middle of a goddamn wasteland is the perfect time to tell you that, is it?" Summer shot back angrily. "Well, now I know for next time that if I need to inform you of any earth shattering news, it must be done in the wasteland."

"If I had known, I would've brought her back here sooner!" Dillon shot back. "I would've…I don't know….had K catch the problem early…."

"You knew from the start, before we even packed our things to leave here, that the implants would give out in time and there wasn't anything that could stop it. So, don't act like this is some big shocking surprise," Summer argued.

"But it is." He argued quietly. Summer sighed and shook her head.

"You must've known, deep down, it was going to happen," she quietly pointed out. Dillon looked down.

"I didn't want to think about it," he admitted after a moment. "I just…focused on having my sister back, on being with you, on us helping people….so I didn't give myself a chance to think about the things Dr. K said before we left, about how the implants wouldn't last forever."

"You used everything else as a distraction." Summer stated.

"Yeah, I guess I did," Dillon softly replied. Summer sighed and carefully crawled across the bed until she was perched right beside him.

"I wanted to tell you," she said as she gently rubbed his back. "But I couldn't bring myself to betray Tenaya's confidence. I begged her to tell you herself, but she wouldn't. I thought once we were back here, she'd open up, but that wasn't happening." She sighed again.

"So you thought that by suggesting we talk to K, that maybe she'd tell me?" Dillon questioned, trying to figure out her logic.

"Something like that," Summer sheepishly replied. "Either that or you'd just know once Dr. K checked on the implants, regardless of whether Tenaya told you or not."

"Which is what happened." He muttered with a sigh. He sadly shook his head and rubbed his face with his uninjured hand. "I don't understand why she didn't tell me," he muttered. "I thought this past year...I don't know…I thought we were growing closer, regaining our family bond…but-"

"Dillon," Summer quickly cut in, stopping him from doubting himself and his relationship with his sister. "You did regain that bond," she gently assured him as she shifted closer to him. She placed a hand against his shoulder and rubbed small circles on his skin. "It wasn't that she felt like she didn't trust you, or you two weren't close enough," she continued to assure him. "When I confronted Tenaya about the whole thing last night, she said she didn't want you to know because she didn't want you to feel like you had to give up your life to take care of her."

"What?" Dillon questioned as he glanced up to meet her eyes. Summer shrugged.

"That's what she said," she replied. She shifted even closer to him and wrapped her arms around him, laying her chin on his shoulder. "I tried to tell her that…it's not the just the two of you anymore," she pointedly added, subtly telling Dillon he needed to realize that as well, especially regarding what he had said to Flynn downstairs. "We all care about the both of you. We're here to help in any way we can."

"I know." Came his murmured reply as he leaned against her softly. "I'm sorry." Summer gave him a small smile and lowered her head to place a soft tender kiss on the skin of his shoulder.

"You're forgiven," she replied as she laid her head back down on his shoulder.

"Come on," Summer murmured after a moment. "There's a first aid kit in the bathroom, let me clean out your hand."

"Alright," Dillon agreed. The two climbed off the bed and made their way back to the bathroom. Once inside, Summer made Dillon sit on the toilet seat while she pulled the first aid kit out.

It took her a moment to open it and set everything out that she needed on the counter. She filled a small cup full of warm water and grabbed the washcloth again. Carefully, she knelt in front of his knees and took his hand in hers softly. Dillon simply watched as she carefully continued cleaning the cuts on his knuckles. Once she had finished cleaning off the remainder of the blood, Summer took the tweezers and began to remove the small pieces of glass embedded in his skin. It took her nearly twenty minutes to remove all the bits. Setting the tweezers down, Summer reached for the peroxide and poured some onto the cloth she had been using and gently began to dab at his knuckles.

"Sorry if it stings a little," she commented as she worked on tending to his wounds.

"It's okay." He gritted out as he clenched his teeth. Summer gave him a sympathetic look and continued cleaning his cuts a little quicker to have it over with sooner.

"Okay, done." She commented softly a few moments later. "Let me just dry it and then put some antiseptic cream on before I wrap it for the night." Dillon simply nodded in response. Summer grabbed a fresh hand towel and patted his hand dry, careful not to pat too much too close to his wounds to not wipe away the peroxide. Once his hand was dry enough, she picked up a small tube of cream. Spreading it onto a small piece of toilet paper, she dabbed around the wound before grabbing the bandages out of the first aid kit. She wrapped his knuckles with the gauzy material and tore off a piece of white surgical tape to secure the binding.

"There." She murmured softly as she ran her thumb over the bandage. "All better."

"Thanks," Dillon softly replied.

"You're welcome." Summer smiled as she stood up. "Come on... I don't know about you, but I could use some cuddling." Dillon let out a small breath of a chuckle and nodded.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," he replied as he stood up as well.

"Glad you agree." She giggled as she pulled him towards their bedroom. Dillon chuckled again and wrapped his arms around her to pull her into a gentle kiss. With a smile, she leaned against him and gave him a half hug, letting her hand rest above his heart on his bare chest. Dillon rested his head on the top of hers and placed a kiss on her hairline.

"Thank you, for being there for Tenaya all this time," he quietly commented. "As much as I wish she could've told me about what was going on…I'm glad she had you to confide in."

"You don't need to thank me." Summer replied as a brush moved up her neck. "I would have done it anyway." Dillon smiled softly and nodded.

"I know," he murmured, holding her closer for a moment. "But thanks anyway," he added.

"You're welcome." She smiled. She glanced up at Dillon and saw him gazing down at her with a look that suggested he wanted to say something else. "What?" She softly asked. Dillon opened his mouth, then closed it a moment later a small smile forming on his lips instead.

"Nothing," he replied. He ducked down and placed one more kiss on her forehead. "Just feeling tired," he replied.

"Oh," Summer replied, accepting his words at face value. She tenderly stroked his chest. "Well then, why don't you finish getting ready for bed? I just remembered I left some shopping bags in your car, I'm just going to run down and bring them up here."

"Sure, I'll be here." He promised with a soft smile. Summer returned the smile and gave him a quick peck on the lips before she moved away from him. She left the room and descended the stairs to make her way towards the garage.

"Everything alright up there?" She heard Flynn's distinct voice ask the moment she reached the bottom of the stairs. She looked over to the side of the garage that served as Flynn's work space and saw him standing by his work bench, a myriad of tools in front of him. Summer nodded and walked over to him, noticing the others had cleared off and gone elsewhere while she had been with Dillon.

"Yeah, well, with Dillon at least," Summer replied as she came to a stop beside Flynn. He nodded.

"I'm sure things with Tenaya will be okay," Flynn commented, picking up on Summer's unvoiced concerns. Summer blew out a breath and shook her head.

"I hope so," she replied, "but I'm not holding my breath on her talking to me in the immediate future. She has every right to be angry with me," Summer commented. Flynn reached over and gently patted his friend's shoulder.

"You did the right thing," he assured her. "She'll forgive you in time, I know it."

"Thanks Flynn," Summer smiled. Flynn nodded and took his hand off of her to idly work with the materials in front of him. Summer stood by and watched him for a moment before speaking again. "What was it you wanted to say to Dillon?" She asked. Flynn looked up at her blankly for a moment as he tried to remember what she was talking about. He blinked a few times before a look of comprehension crossed his face.

"Oh, right, that," he said with a nod. He paused a moment, lightly scratching the back of his neck with the wrench in his hand. "Well," he continued, "I was just thinking….I mean, Tenaya's eyesight's going to go, right?"

"Yes," Summer slowly replied, urging him to continue.

"And, she and Dillon don't exactly remember everything from their lives before Venjix, correct?" Flynn went on.

"I haven't really thought about that, but…yeah, I guess you're right," Summer nodded. Flynn nodded as well and shrugged.

"So, its safe to assume that Tenaya might not remember being blind? You know, the routines or whatever she might've had to go about her day." Summer stared at him blankly, not sure what he was getting at.

"I….guess?" She replied. "What's your point, here, exactly?" Summer asked, wanting to cut to the chase.

"Ian," Flynn plainly stated.

"Ian?" Summer repeated. She searched her memory for a moment, trying to figure out why that name seemed familiar. "Your friend,, Ian?" She asked.

"Aye," Flynn replied with a nod.

"Okay…" Summer commented. "What about Ian?" She asked. Flynn chuckled and rolled his eyes.

"He could help her," he replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I mean…that is what he does….works in therapy…especially with the blind. Man teaches Braille and everything," he said. Summer blinked as his words finally jogged her memory. She had only met Ian a few times, but she did remember thinking it was very noble of him to help people the way he did. After the initial attacks by Venjix's army, many recruits in Corinth's armed forces had suffered injuries to their eyes from crashes and being too close to blast sites. Ian had worked with the survivors and helped them get acclimated to their condition. He had also worked with those who had lost their sight due to illnesses, or children who had been born blind and had gotten to the age of needing to learn Braille and other important things.

"Right," Summer said. "I didn't even think of that," Summer murmured. Tenaya's words from the previous night, about having to depend solely on Dillon came back to Summer. If Tenaya was taught and helped to learn how to live with her blindness, there was a possibility that she could still maintain some of her independence. Summer had certainly seen it with other people in the city. People who had thought they would be unable to function on their own, were managing to live on their every day life with only minor limitations after some months under Ian's tutelage.

"It might be something to at least consider." Flynn shrugged.

"Yeah, you're right," she replied with a nod. She sighed after a moment and tilted her head slightly. "I think Dillon might still be on edge about all this…and, as much as he seems to understand that we're all here for him and Tenaya….I have a feeling he's still going to be stubborn and insist he can take care of her by himself."

"So, what, just forget it?" Flynn asked with a frown.

"No," Summer quickly replied. "Just…we'll have to be careful with how we bring the subject up with him," she continued. "I'll think of something," she added with a resolute nod.

"Alright... Just let me know." He replied with a smile. Summer returned the smile.

"Will do," she replied. "Well, I better go. I told Dillon I was just coming down to get some bags out of his car."

"Sure lass, have a good night." Came his response.

"You too, Flynn," Summer smiled as she walked across the garage to Dillon's car and opened up the trunk. She grabbed her bags, closed the trunk and headed back towards the stairs. She walked into the bedroom and found Dillon already in bed, sitting up against his elbow as he waited for her.

"Did you buy the whole store?" He teased her with a smile as he eyed the bags in her hands. Summer giggled as she set the bags down by the dresser to deal with them in the morning.

"Almost, there were a few things that just weren't my style," she joked right back as she toed her shoes off.

"Well, I guess that's bound to happen occasionally." Dillon chuckled as she pulled her socks off next. Summer rolled her eyes and chuckled as she pulled a pair of satin pajamas from one of the shopping bags.

"Oh those are new." He commented as she pushed her jeans off her hips.

"Yup," Summer smiled as she pulled the yellow satin pants on.

"Very nice." Dillon murmured appreciatively as she turned away from him and pulled her top off.

"Thank you," Summer smiled as she let her shirt drop to the floor and reached back to unhook her bra. Dillon groaned as he closed his eyes to give her a little more privacy. "Something wrong?" Summer asked as she let the straps slide off her shoulder as the bra tumbled down to the floor.

"No." Came his response as she pulled the tank top on and let the soft material glide over her skin.

"Okay," Summer replied as she turned back towards the bed.

"Well if there's nothing wrong, why did you close your eyes?" She giggled as she looked at him. Dillon slowly opened his eyes and looked at her.

"Uh, just thinking," he replied.

"Uh huh, likely story." Smiling, Summer knelt on the bed and leaned over to kiss him softly. Dillon smiled and wrapped his arms around her. Carefully, she inched down next to him before snuggling close to his body with a content sigh. Dillon drew the covers back and brought them back over her before pulling her closer to his side. With a smile, Summer's arm moved across his stomach, her hand coming to a rest over his heart. Dillon smiled and kissed her forehead.

"Other then the Tenaya incident... Did you have a good day?" Summer asked softly as she drew patterns over his skin using her index finger.

"It was okay," Dillon replied. "I missed you, though," he added.

Blushing, she ducked her head into his chest. "I missed you too." She murmured after a moment.

"Did you have a good day hanging out with Dev?" Dillon asked as his hands idly rubbed her back.

"Yeah, it was fun." Summer sighed softly. "Well... At least I had fun anyway."

"What do you mean?" Dillon asked.

"Dev didn't seem to be all that interested." Came the reply as she lifted her head to meet his gaze. "Girls normally show each other their outfits, get compliments , criticism, thoughts... All that fun stuff... Dev never came out of her change room and just generally seemed like there was some place else she'd rather be."

"Maybe she was feeling overwhelmed," Dillon offered with a small shrug. "New city, new living space, not to mention this was probably her first time shopping to this scale in a very long time."

"You might be right." She nodded slowly after a few moments of thought.

"Of course I am." Dillon grinned as he poked her side gently. "Glad to see that you agree." Summer giggled and playfully hit his chest.

"You're so full of it." She commented around another giggle.

"I'm sure you'll keep me anyway." He laughed as he squeezed her affectionately.

"Oh, I guess I will," Summer said with a faux weary sigh.

"Anyway," Dillon yawned. "I think it's time for some sleep, don't you?" Summer nodded against his chest and yawned quietly.

"Yeah," she replied.

"Go to sleep gorgeous." Came his murmur as he pressed a soft kiss to the crown of her head. Summer smiled and snuggled deeper into his embrace. It took Summer a few moments to drift to sleep. Dillon held her closer and placed another kiss on the top of her head before settling in and drifting off to sleep as well.

It was late the next day when Summer and Dev walked back into the Garage, chatting about the shorter woman's first day on the job.

"So you're enjoying it at least?" Summer question as they dropped down on the couch in the empty garage.

"It's not bad," Dev replied with a small shrug.

"You don't sound that happy." Summer stated. Dev simply shrugged again.

"No, its fine," Dev replied. "Sorry, guess I'm a little tired," she added.

"That's okay." Summer replied with a smile. She had noted that Dev looked a little more tired than normal, but chose not to say anything.

"Hey, I didn't realize you were back already." Dillon commented as he walked down the stairs into the main part of the building.

"Hey," Summer smiled as she looked up at him.

"Hi." Leaning down, he kissed her softly before waving at Dev. "Have you guys eaten dinner yet?"

"No," Summer replied.

"Well, I'm thinking of making dinner, you guys interested in having some?" Dillon asked as he moved towards the kitchen.

"Sure," Dev replied.

"Do you want any help?" Summer asked.

"Nah, I'm good," Dillon replied. "You guys just sit and relax," he smiled.

"We'll put a movie on then." She smiled. "At least then you have something to watch while you make us food." Giggling, she stood and moved towards the bookshelf where the movies were.

"Gee, thanks," Dillon laughed. Dev chuckled and looked around the base.

"Where are the others?" She curiously asked. Dillon sighed as he began taking things out to cook.

"Tenaya's locked up in her room," he commented in a weary tone that suggested she'd mostly been unseen all day.

"Still no change from yesterday?" Summer asked sadly, and Dillon nodded in response.

"She's only come out at breakfast and lunch time, just long enough to come down and get a plate, then go back to her room," Dillon replied.

"Maybe she just needs some more time." Dev commented softly. Dillon looked up, surprised she knew what had gone on. Summer caught the look and bit her lip.

"Sorry, I told her what happened…" She carefully said, worried that he'd be upset by that.

"Oh," Dillon replied. Instead of being upset or reacting to the fact that Dev knew what was happening to Tenaya, he just shrugged and continued on with the conversation. "Maybe, but that doesn't change the fact that I wish she'd at least talk to me," Dillon replied.

"Just give her a few more days." Dev commented, turning slightly to face him. "She's probably trying to process everything before she moves forward."

"A few days?" Dillon frowned. "I was kind of hoping it'd just be a few more hours."

"It's probably going to be a few days." Dev replied sadly. "I know that you wish it wasn't... But..." Dillon shrugged her comment off as he started pulling food out of the fridge.

"I guess it could be worse." He stated. He sighed and continued preparing dinner. The trio lapsed into silence as Summer popped a DVD into the player and settled back on the couch. Within the first half hour of the movie, Dev curled up on the couch and drifted to sleep.

Scott walked in shortly after Dev had drifted to sleep and pulled his jacket off as he stopped.

"Uh, hi." He commented to the two members still awake in the room.

"Hey," Summer quietly replied. Dillon nodding as he continued to cook the food he had on the stove.

"Where've you been?" Summer asked, turning slightly to face them both, keeping her voice quiet as to not disturb Dev.

"Therapy with my Dad." Scott muttered as he flopped down on the couch next to Summer.

"Oh? How'd it go?" Summer asked.

"Same shit, different day." Came his reply with a shrug. "As much as I love my dad... This is like pulling teeth to try and 'be a family." Rolling his eyes, Scott sighed. "We haven't been a family for a very long time."

"I thought you said things were going better with him," Summer commented, thinking back to what he had said the night she and the others had arrived.

"They are in some aspects." Scott commented. "The therapist wants us to start talking about Marcus... And mom..."

"Oh.." Summer replied.

"Yeah." Giving another shrug, Scott looked at her. "Dad still blames me... So yeah..."

"Blames you?" Dillon questioned as he jumped in. "For what?"

"For Marcus…" Scott replied, his voice trailing off into a sigh. Reaching over slightly, Summer squeezed his hand gently. "At least he's stopped blaming me for mom." He commented, giving her a half-hearted smile.

"Why would he blame you for that?" Summer softly asked.

"I never told you?" He questioned, tilting his head slightly. "When I was 13, I feel out of a tree and busted my leg pretty bad. My mom was the only one home; Marcus was at a friends, and Dad was working, so she drove me to the hospital..." Scott sighed and ran his hands over his face. "It was really late and dark out... She was going through an intersection on a green light and was t-boned by a drunk driver, killing her instantly."

"Oh Scott…" Summer quietly said. "I didn't know…."

"Nobody did." He replied with a shrug. "I honestly don't remember much of the accident; Only what I was told a few weeks later." Summer squeezed his hand again as he fell silent. "Dad blamed me for the longest time after that... Saying that I shouldn't have climbed the tree, or that we should have called 911..." Scott shrugged once more. "Doesn't bring her back." Summer looked at him sadly and pulled him into a comforting hug. "Thanks." He commented, returning the hug. "Oh... Dev's here."

"Yeah," Summer nodded.

"And awake too." Dillon pointed out as the woman in question began to stir. It took Dev a few moments to come to and fully wake up.

"Oh... Hi Scott." She commented softly.

"Hey," he quietly replied.

"Dinner's almost ready." Dillon commented, breaking the conversation. "There's probably enough left over if you want some too Scott."

"Oh, thanks," Scott replied. It didn't take long for Dillon to scoop out the food onto four plates.

"Alright, come grab it!" He called as he put the frying pan into the sink and rinsed it out. The other three stood up and made their way to the kitchen. They each took a plate and moved back towards the couches. Summer and Dillon curled up on the one that Summer had previously occupied, while Dev and Scott sank into the second one. Silence fell over the group as they began to eat their food. It didn't take them long to finish eating, and shortly after they had disposed of their plates, the movie ended as well.

"Should we put another one in?" Dillon asked from his position, leaning against the armrest of the couch, Summer nestled against him.

"Sure," Scott shrugged.

"Yeah, that's a good idea." Dev agreed with a smile. "What about a scary movie?"

"Sounds good," Dillon nodded.

"I'll put it in." Summer commented as she moved from Dillon's arms and set about pulling the first DVD out and replacing it with a new one. Once the new dvd was in, she walked back to the couch and settled back into Dillon's arms. By the time the credits began to roll, the group was asleep on the couches. Dev had shifted slightly once she drifted to sleep, leaning her head against Scott's shoulder. Shifting slightly, Scott woke himself up a short while later, noting that the remaining members in the room were all asleep.

He was pleasantly surprised to see that Dev was sleeping soundly against his shoulder. His heart flipped slightly in his chest as she shifted closer to him. He stared at her for a moment, watching her as she slept deeply. After watching her for a while, she began to stir slightly. Scott swallowed thickly and quickly looked away, not wanting Dev to wake up and see he had been watching her sleep. Blinking, Dev slowly opened her eyes and glanced around to figure out where she was. After she established that he was in the garage, her breath caught in her throat as she realized she had fallen asleep on Scott, again. Blushing, she removed her head from his shoulder.

"Hi." She murmured softly. Scott slowly looked over nonchalantly.

"Hey," he replied.

"I keep falling asleep on you." Dev stated carefully as the blush spread across her face. "Sorry about that." Came her nervous chuckle.

"Uh…it's okay," Scott awkwardly replied, unsure what else to say.

"What time is it?" She questioned. Scott peered ahead of them to the neon time display over the dvd player.

"9:30," he replied.

"I should head home." Dev sighed as she ran her hands over her face.

"Oh," Scott replied.

"I have to work tomorrow." Came her mumbled reply. "God that sounds lame." She giggled.

"Could be worse." Scott laughed, his heart flipping in his chest again as he heard her giggle. "Do you want me to walk you home?" Dev looked at him and smiled.

"That would be nice," she softly replied.

"Let me just grab my keys and we can do.. Okay?" He stated, shocked that she had agreed.

"Okay," she nodded.

Within a few moments, Scott had returned to the main room in the garage, his leather jacket slung over his arm. Wordlessly, he handed it to Dev. "It's cold outside."

Dev slowly stood up and numbly took the jacket. "Oh….uh….thank you," she stammered.

"You're welcome." He murmured softly as she stood there and held the jacket. Without thinking, he took it from her hands and moved behind her. "Hold your arms out." Scott commented his voice no louder than a whisper. Dev let out a shaky breath and nodded slightly as she did as Scott said. Ever so carefully, he slipped the cool leather over her right arm, before doing the same with the left, and then settling the jacket on her shoulders. His hands lingered on her shoulders for a few seconds longer than necessary, allowing Dev to close her eyes and sigh softly. Slowly, Scott pulled his hands off her shoulders and forced himself to take a deep breath. "We should head out." He murmured softly.

"Okay," Dev murmured. Moving in front of her, Scott held out his arm for her to take. Dev smiled softly and slowly slid her arm around his.

"Shall we?" He grinned at her.

"I guess we shall," Dev giggled. Continuing to smile, Scott began to lead her from the garage. Dev giggled lightly and walked with him, her strides making her lean into his side ever so slightly. On the trip back to her apartment, Scott regaled Dev with stories of incidents that had happened during his stint as a ranger, keeping most of them humorous. By the time they reached her front door, Dev was practically slumped against Scott, because she had been laughing so hard.

"Well, here we are," Scott commented in between a round of his own laughter.

"Yeah." Dev commented between giggles, sad that they had reached their destination so quickly. "I should…give this back to you," Dev commented as she slipped the jacket off of her shoulders.

"No, it's okay." Scott shook his head as she moved to hand it back to him. "It's gonna be winter soon, so keep it."

"Are you sure?" Dev asked, shocked by his generosity. "I mean…what are you going to use, in the winter?"

Scott shrugged. "I'll figure it out." He murmured softly.

"Oh," Dev breathed out. "You don't have to do that." She whispered, a blush creeping across her face.

"It's okay," Scott softly insisted.

"Thank you." Came the response as she glanced at the floor.

"No problem," he replied with a small half smile. Slowly, Dev rolled up onto her tip toes and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek.

"Night Scott." She breathed softly.

"Night." He stammered out as his breath caught in his throat. Dev slowly stepped away and gave him one last small smile before she opened her door and disappeared inside.