Hidden: In the Dark

The Stakeout

Steve lays in bed, thinking about how things could've gone differently. If only he could've caught up. He closes his eyes and keeps them shut tight, trying to summon the ability to travel back in time but no luck. He's not Superman.

~

Steve finds Vera spying on Louie (otherwise known as Emmy's brother)'s house, from a bush. It's been long enough for Rover to manage a new device to help Vera speak a little clearer but it's not quite perfect, once she gets proper lip surgery then she should be able talk without it.

She turns around. "I guess you're here because you want me to find your sister, right?" 

"Yep." 

"I'm sorry but I can't go back to that life. I've been burned too many times." "I know." She's taken aback but then she remembers he was there for part of it. Steve sits down with her. "You're the one that can track her, you did it before." "Trust me, I'd like to pay her back but I'm in no means capable of that right now." She becomes agitated. "You say that because you're having difficulty moving on from your past. I mean what are we doing right now?" He says harshly, knowing she's stalking Emmy's brother. "That's none of your damn business." She snaps but without feeling. "No, it's not but is it yours? I've lost someone too, someone I loved. It's like a tangled web because I didn't want to blame her for anything so I put it all on me. I mean she must have suffered because of me. Now she's moved on..."

Vera looks him up and down and can tell he's trying to be genuine. He takes a deep sigh. "My life is already ruined, what do I have to lose? So, you want me to go up there and talk to him looking like this?" She suggests with no confidence at all. "No. This is your decision to make in the end but take the time you need to gather yourself. 'What' you want to say and 'how' you want to say it." 

"Don't you know that's all I've been thinking about, yet nothing will make a difference, he'll still do his own thing. He always has." She says with instant regret as if she's one to talk. "So, maybe it's something 'you' need to do. Maybe you can't move on and because of that he can't move on." She remembers that she's the one who left to do her own thing. She never realized that he must have looked at it that way. She was in the loop with everybody and felt like they were leaving her but it was her who was changing and trying to do other things in life, causing her to stray.

"Right." She gets up and brushes herself off. "I'll help you. Just this once, then I'll come back but with enough strength to carry on, no matter what he says." She regains her confidence as Steve gets up and follows her. "There we go...you sure you're okay?" They continue walking. "Yeah..." She rubs her nose. "So, what was her name? I mean the girl you liked." Steve hates playing the name game. Family members ask him what a crush or teacher's name is and he never wants to answer. Seeing as Vera is helping him and she's more of a stranger, he decides to just tell her. "Ruby...she- it's a complicated story but for now let's focus on Maze." He refrains from going into any detail.

"Zip has been looking for her for days, he started as soon as she disappeared and still hasn't come back." "How do we know he hasn't found her? He could be in trouble too." She concerns. "Nah. He's a 'less talk, more action' kind of guy, I can tell. He blames himself for what happened to her and he won't come back until he finds her. It's funny what a bit of determination will do." Steve has only known Zip for a few months and feels like he's known him for half his life.

~

Vera and Steve head into a bar for some local intel on where Maze might be. She's wearing a white t-shirt with a red flannel tied around her waist and seems to be doing a lot better in gaining her stamina back too. "You sure this is alright?" She asks, referring to her scars. "We're in a bar, trust me, you'll fit right in." He can only assume.