The air is heavy with its silence. The tension is suffocating and Mike thinks it's as if they are all standing around a ticking bomb, waiting for the explosion to occur.

"Ryan, I'm sorry," Mike pleads, desperate to disrupt the quiet.

"Get out now," Ryan says, and Mike feels his heart drop.

"I didn't want to keep this from you."

"Leave."

That one word makes Mike feel cold and he instantly hardens himself before the sting of tears threaten to form in his eyes. So he leaves as Ryan demands because since when would he ever refuse him anything?

And now Ryan is alone with Claire, staring at her wondering if he should laugh or cry. The kicked puppy look Mike had while leaving the apartment keeps replaying in his mind too, and this is all too much, way too damn much for Ryan to digest.

"Ryan…you okay?" Claire asks.

Silence follows her words.

"Say something," she says with wide eyes.

"There's a headstone with your name on it," Ryan says, finally finding his voice again.

"Ryan…"

"I don't understand…One call. One call and I would have joined you," he says and he knows he means it. If it had been after her fake death then he would have left everything for her…would have left Mike. But now the thing is the thought of leaving Mike sends a physical pain through him and he doesn't know what the fuck to do anymore. His life has become a damn soap opera.

"I know, I'm sorry. But the FBI needs you for this now, just as much as they always have. I couldn't be the one to take you from that," she says. Ryan doesn't know what to say again, but he makes a pathetic choking noise and then Claire is in his arms. He lets the tears fall freely now and holds onto her. He asks if she is a ghost and tells her about the times when he dreamt of saving her. He hasn't had those dreams for a while now, but right after he thought she died…all he could think about was the ways he could have saved her.

She looks like she might cry too as she reassures Ryan she is real and she is here, but she doesn't cry. He always thought she was the strong one through all of this and the determined glint in her eye when she pulls away from him reaffirms that.

"Ryan, I'm here because I know a way to lure Joe out," Claire says.

"What uhm," Ryan has to remember how to think again. "What do you mean?"

"If he thinks I'm alive it will catch him off his guard, throw him."

"No. You gave up your life to protect Joey, you can't do this. It's better to just go back to witness protection."

"Living in the shadows is no way to live," Claire says. "Until we catch him and kill him, I have no life, Ryan. Neither does Joey. We have to end this."

"And we will, but not at the risk of you or Joey getting hurt."

They argue some more on the topic, but Ryan finally changes the focus of the conversation and gets Claire to just talk. He feels like he's drowning on the sound of her voice, like she's still a ghost in his mind and it is all too surreal. And then there are agents in his sitting room telling Claire to wait in the bedroom because Carrie Cooke is here to see Ryan.

She tells him about the attack of Joe's followers to her guards and gives him a copy of the video the followers gave her. She looks honestly terrified and Ryan feels bad for her. Though not bad enough to repeat his drunken night with her, but she seems eager to try. There's hurt in her eyes when he dismisses her and he wonders how many other people he can hurt today. But he doesn't feel that way toward Carrie. She doesn't deserve to be bullied by Joe Carroll, but that doesn't mean he wants to hook up. He isn't even sure how he feels about Claire because now there's Mike and him and Mike just make so much sense, but there isn't even enough time to figure it all out. He pulls his hair and yells a bit in frustration and then Claire reappears in the room.

"Ryan?" she asks tentatively and he tells her about Joe's video, blaming his frustration on that. They watch it together and deduce Joe is going after the televangelist's son, Preston. Ryan texts Mike and Max to meet him outside just as Claire is gathering her coat and telling Ryan she is going with him. He tells her he will get her when the way is clear from her bodyguards and she seems satisfied. Great, more deception on his part.

He goes out to the sidewalk and tells Max to stay with Claire and make sure she doesn't leave.

"What, me? I've never even met her," his niece says.

"Introduce yourself," Ryan says shortly as he gets into the car with Mike.

The car ride is awkward, practically buzzing with the unsaid words between them.

"I want to explain about Claire," Mike says, finding his courage.

"You don't have to." Ryan keeps his eyes on the road.

"Well I want to. Above all else, Claire was thinking of the safety of Joey and I was sworn to protect that too. I would think of all people you would understand that. I wanted to tell you, all the time I wanted to."

"I understand that," Ryan says and Mike isn't sure which part it is that Ryan may understand.

"Ryan…"

"I got it, Mike. We're good." Ryan hasn't even looked at him and now Mike is just pissed.

"Do you, Ryan? Do you understand any of it, what it was like for me? I wanted to tell you and see you be happy again even if that happiness wasn't with me. But I couldn't. All I ever wanted was for…" Mike starts to choke up and looks out the window for a few moments. "…for you to be happy," he mutters, not looking at Ryan this time. There's so much else he wants to say and ask. Are they really still good? What does that even mean? Are they still…what it is they are? A couple? It doesn't seem like the right word for them. There's so much beneath the surface to talk about and Mike doesn't have a clue where to start.

There's always been this fear in him, since the first kiss they shared, that if Ryan found out Claire is still alive he wouldn't give Mike a second glance. And the thing is Mike would never blame Ryan for that. He wouldn't feel angry or betrayed because this is Claire, for God's sake. The love of Ryan's life. The beautiful woman with the beautiful eyes and smile that made Ryan Hardy legitimately happy, made him fall in love with a married woman…

But the thought that everything that has happened between him and Ryan could mean nothing to the other man seems impossible too. And he wants to ask and talk about it, but they're almost at the school and saving the lives of innocent people has and always will come first.

They're waiting at a red light before turning into the school now and Ryan finally looks at him.

"The fact that you care about my happiness, Mike, just further proves it."

"Proves what?"

"That I don't deserve you," Ryan says and Mike looks over at him. He is about to tell Ryan that is complete bullshit when the other man leans over across the seat and kisses him in a hard, desperate way that leaves Mike feeling breathless.

The light changes to green and Mike knows now isn't the time to ask, but he feels a bit better. He feels wanted.

They find the building Preston is supposed to be living in and instead find the place dark and eerie in its emptiness. When they find the trail of blood it becomes clear this is indeed the right place. And then they come across a room of people with masks glued to their faces and Mike shoots the one rushing at him. He's glad the one he shot was an actual follower of Joe's because wow, all they need now is to shoot students.

Ryan sees a flash of movement and is down the hall chasing after another follower before Mike even realizes what is happening. Mike stays with the students, calling for backup, but he doesn't hear anything from Ryan.

Moments later the FBI is here and someone is telling him to find Ryan. He calls his cellphone and Ryan picks up.

"Hey, where are you?"

"Tailing them…they've got to be going back to Joe."

"No, Ryan not alone. Just tell me wh—"

"Yeah, alone. I gotta do this, Mike. The boy could die."

"I'm sorry I lied to you," Mike says, desperation and fear mingling into his voice.

"This isn't about that," Ryan replies softly. "This is about me ending Joe. For all of us."

"Ryan, please wait and let me catch up with you. Just tell me where you are."

"Take care of Max and Claire," Ryan says.

"You can't just—Ryan, please wait...I love you, goddammit it all! I love you," Mike says in a rush. There's a few moments of silence before Ryan replies.

"…Bye Mike," comes the reply and Ryan sounds a bit choked, like he swallowed gravel.

"Ryan, don't!"

The connection ends and Mike is left listening to static and the frantic beats of his heart.