For notes and disclaimer, please see part one.

Here's a couple things you might need to know or maybe you just forgot: Ellie and Casey continue to care for their adopted kitten Downy in the laundromat at the apartment. In addition to hanging out with Downy, they start taking notice of each other.

Missing in Action

She looked at the empty machine, finding it troubling. Casey should've been there. It had become rote, pattern. Sundays at two in the afternoon, he was there, with one load already finished and one more to go. It troubled Ellie so much she wished she hadn't started both her loads at once. Because, she'd hate to leave him alone if he were to come later.

Of course, he wouldn't be alone. Downy was there.

And, technically, she wasn't alone either, as she held the squirmy kitten in her lap. It had been a month since she and Casey had found her. "Where's John, huh?" she asked as Downy attempted to crawl out of her hands. She smiled a little, but there was a sadness to it. "You miss him, too, don't you?" After all, Downy was usually curled up in Casey's laundry basket by now.

She eased the cat onto the floor and moved to glance out the window. The familiar Crown Victoria was still parked at the building, so surely that meant he was there, didn't it?

It was silly, she decided, shaking her head. There was no need to go getting all bent out of shape. The man was a grown adult. If he didn't want to do his laundry, or didn't need to do it, that was certainly his prerogative. It was just that it was a nice way to kill part of her Sunday afternoon.

But, his absence was still bothering her later that night, as she tried desperately to fall asleep. It just wasn't like him, to miss out on something. He had a schedule, a regimen. She didn't know much about Casey personally, but she knew that he was dependable like clockwork and the fact that, that day, he hadn't been... It was upsetting.

Unable to lay awake and stare at the ceiling any longer, she quietly climbed out of bed and, after grabbing her robe, she headed down the stairs. She pulled a glass from the cabinet in the kitchen, and filled it with water from the dispenser on the fridge. She took a long sip, but it did little to settle her racing brain.

She sighed heavily, realizing she was losing sleep over someone who was completely capable of making his own decisions about when to do his laundry.

It didn't ease her mind enough, however, to make her think she could go to bed.

Fighting a sigh, she decided to check on Downy. It would give her a purpose for being up so late that didn't include wondering about her neighbor. She stepped into the sandals by the door and decided her pajamas with the robe were courtyard-appropriate for a brief trip.

As she crossed towards the laundry room, however, she noted that Casey's apartment was still dark. Maybe he was out for the night at a girlfriend's house. Or, out for a beer with the guys from the Buy More.

She just couldn't see the latter option as particularly likely or even plausible. She was well aware of the caliber of people that worked at the electronics superstore. And she just couldn't see him choosing to spend his off hours with any of them, with the lone exception of her brother. But, Chuck had been off with Sarah all that afternoon and into the late evening.

And, surely, if there was a woman in Casey's life, she might've seen an inkling of it. Leaving his apartment with a bouquet of flowers or a nice bottle of wine. Chatting with Chuck about a double-date. Something.

She paused when she realized the light was on in the laundry room. She knew she'd turned it off when she'd left earlier that afternoon.

His face hurt. His back was sore. All of his muscles just screamed out in agony as he loaded all three washing machines. His normal care and concern for the rest of the apartment complex was gone by a quarter to midnight. The mission that day had taken a lot more out of him than he initially realized.

He stiffened, abandoning the task at hand when the door to the laundromat opened. Ever at the ready, his hand was on the gun in the back waistband of his jeans, his nerves still on-edge from the battle earlier in the day.

His bravado, his strength, however, faded when he recognized her.

She gasped when she saw the angry, swollen lump on his cheek. "John..."

He went back to casually filling the machines. "Hey."

"What happened?"

He didn't answer. He merely focused on getting his laundry started as quickly as possible, because he had an annoyingly early shift at the Buy More in the morning.

She slowly crossed to him. "John."

He glanced at her, his blue eyes guarded, even a little nervous.

Downy moved between them, rubbing up against Ellie's leg.

She realized, the more she looked up into his blue eyes, the less likely he was going to be telling her anything. "At least, let me get you some ice..."

"Ellie, you don't..." He drifted off, realizing he was talking to the back of her retreating form. He sighed, adding soap to the machines and starting each of them. He dropped into one of the incredibly uncomfortable folding chairs, his back protesting vehemently. His recliner in his apartment sounded so much more comfortable.

Downy wasted no time before climbing up in his lap, padding around on his blue jeans before she found the spot that was most comfortable and curling up.

He smiled a little, letting his fingers drift through the calico's soft fur. "Sorry I missed our normal time," he told her.

Ellie returned a few moments later with an ice pack, a bottle of aspirin, and her glass of water. "Here," she murmured, crossing to him. She held out the painkillers first.

He reluctantly took it, opening the bottle and pouring four tablets out into his palm.

Downy seemed intrigued by the sound the pills made within the bottle and even tried to paw at it.

He tossed all four into his mouth before accepting the glass, downing them all with a big gulp. "You didn't need to bring the ice. It's fine," he assured her.

Except, as she took the bottle and the glass back, she eased the cold compress onto his cheek.

He let out a slight, contented grunt, closing his eyes at the relief.

"That's what I thought," she murmured.

He reached up, to take the ice pack from her, their fingers barely touching for only a hint of a moment.

Ellie tucked her dark hair behind her ear. "I'll see you next Sunday?" she asked. "Regular time?"

He looked up at her. "Barring any other unforeseen disaster."

She nodded. She was desperate to keep asking him what had happened until he relented and told her, but she was feeling surprisingly tired now that she knew he wasn't off in the great unknown. "Take care of yourself, John," she murmured.

Stay tuned...