Penny groaned. She had been bending over in the attic for more than an hour, and her back was killing her. She straightened, dusted her hands on the front of her pants, and observed the headway she had made. Which is hardly anything, she thought grimly, but brightened when she remembered her promise to Connie about stopping by the shop for an ice cream. She quickly climbed down the ladder, cleaned up, and walked to Whit's End.

"Good morning!" She called cheerfully. Connie looked up from the cash register to face her roommate.

"Oh, hey, Penny." She said, somewhat absently.

"I'll have that Raspberry Ripple now," She smiled. "I deserve it after what I did in the attic."

"Oh yeah? And just how much did you do?" Connie asked skeptically.

"About... Half a wall."

"Yeah, I thought so." Connie rolled her eyes and giggled. She went into the kitchen to make the ice cream, and upon returning handed it to Penny.

"Thank you... this looks delicious!" Penny took a bite, then looked up at Connie, who was again staring off into space. "Connie?"

"Huh?" Connie jerked, then looked over at Penny. "I'm sorry Penny, I'm just distracted this morning." She relayed the previous events to her friend, who gasped.

"Is he alright?" Penny asked, worried.

"Yes, he's fine; he's up in the computer room now researching the watch." Connie sighed and shook her head. "He can be so stubborn sometimes."

"Not unlike some people," Penny winked, returning to her ice cream.

"...what's that supposed to mean? Penny!"

AIOAIOAIOAIO

"WHAT DOES THE FOX SAY..."

"What the-" Jason almost fell out of his chair, in which he had dozed off. He grabbed his phone, turning the volume off. "Connie..." He muttered, shaking his head and smiling slightly. "Hello?"

"Jason!" The voice greeted him. An all-too-familiar voice.

"Hello, Donovan." Jason said, letting a little annoyance creep into his voice.

"Look, Jason, I know that you're no longer an agent here with us, but we need you on this one!" Donovan spoke quickly, as if he was afraid that Jason may hang up on him, which had crossed his mind.

"Donovan, you know I'm done with the agency!"

"Yes, but we thought you might be interested in this one, as it's... more personal than normal."

"More personal?" Jason sat up a little straighter. "Ok, I'm listening."

"We've been tracking a rather mysterious person of late," Donovan began. "He's- or they, rather; more people have joined him since we picked up on him- have been moving from city to city, searching for something, and ransacking entire homes in the process."

"Ok... Why not just arrest them?" Jason was slightly confused. How was this personal?

"Because we can almost never catch them in the act or on tape, and when we do, they seem to have no memory of doing it."

"So?" Jason was completely lost.

"It's weird. We get a call saying that someone is stalking a person. Usually a man. Then his house is turned upside down, and the same man who was being stalked is caught robbing anything from a corner store to a bank. When we bring him in, he denies everything. Says he doesn't even remember leaving his house that morning."

"But Donovan, how is this personal?"

"Because we've been tracking a man for about a week now, and he was last seen about a half hour ago near Odyssey."

AIOAIOAIOAIO

Jason hung up the phone, and sighed. He wasn't sure what he should do, and he told Donovan he'd think about it for under ten minutes then call him back. What would he say to Connie, and his dad…

"Jason?" Connie called brightly, coming into the office where he sat.

"Hey." She bent to kiss him on the cheek, then sat beside him behind the desk. "So… what's with my ringtone?"

She giggled. "Something to wake you up." She handed him a cup of coffee she had brought him.

"Well, it worked." He took the coffee and thanked her.

There was a silence. "Jason... Is there something wrong?" She asked, putting her hand on his arm.

"Well... There is something." He filled her in on Donovan's phone call. She raised an eyebrow.

"Jason... How many times has he said 'this is the last time?'"

"I know, I know, but I feel like I have to help out... And I want to, too." He admitted, smiling sheepishly.

She smiled back at him; she couldn't help it. Sometimes he could be too adorable. "Well, at least you won't be leaving."

"Yep," he said putting an arm around her, "And if I take it, maybe you could help me out."

"We'll see." She snuggled closer into him.

Eugene came in. "Connie, Mr. Whittaker needs you to-" He started, then stopped. Connie sat up, and Jason put his arm down. "Oh... I apologize for interrupting you..."

"It's fine, Eugene; I'll go." Connie left, and Eugene was left standing rather awkwardly in the centre of the room.

"So... How goes the research?" Jason asked, breaking the silence.

"Not especially good; I can't find any watches online that have a pattern remotely close to Mr Whittaker's or Connie's. But I'll keep trying." With that, he hurried out of the room.

Jason picked up his phone, and dialed Donovan's number. "Hello, Donovan? This is Jason." He sighed. "I'll do it."