Outsider

The back of Alex's hand hit Jason across the face so hard that it knocked him down to all fours. He didn't have time to recover before he was grabbed by the ankle and dragged across the floor. The carpet burned his arms and filled his mouth as he screamed for help. But nobody heard him. Nobody ever heard him. Deposited roughly back in the room, he curled up right where he'd landed and cried, the tears streaming from his eyes. It was early on... eventually he would learn not to cry anymore. Eventually he would learn not to feel anything at all.

Still shaking uncontrollably, Jason groped for reality. He could almost hear Katie's voice. He could feel her words and he could feel her siphoning off his emotions, helping ease the tension. The pain.

Jed blinked at Katie, caught between a desire to do as asked, and a desire to call for help anyway. There was obviously something very wrong here, especially seeing Katie's glowing eyes. He glanced over his shoulder at Sarah, whose face was pale.

"I'll get the juice and toast," she mentioned quietly. She was just as shook up as he was, but at least she had a task, and she could only cling to faith in Rosetta at this point.

Thought reluctant, Jed slowly followed her back upstairs, respecting Katie's wishes.

Fighting hard for at least ten minutes, Jason's energy was way past the point of being spent. Slowly, slowly, his shaking lessened until it finally ceased. His grip on Katie's hand loosened, his breathing slowing as well. For a few more minutes he just lay quietly, in an almost unconscious state as his body tried to recover.

The darkness gradually lifted, bringing reality back like a cold wind. Jason cracked open his eyes, feeling the burn slowly subside. He looked up into Katie's face and knew she had just experienced the terrible memories right along with him. And he hated it. He swallowed hard and let his eyes fall shut again.

Are you... okay?

It was difficult to form words. His emotions were still a jumbled mess and he was utterly exhausted. But as he tried to just relax, his stomach had other ideas.

"Dang it..." He didn't even have time to recover as he struggled to get himself up off the couch. Stumbling for the bathroom, he just made it in time. It took several rounds before his stomach was empty, and he just remained sitting on the floor without the strength to stand. Every muscle in his body ached, and he was soaked in sweat. He knew his sugar was dangerously low as well, which only contributed to his weakness and further nausea.

Leaning his head back against the wall, he closed his eyes. This had been a bad one.

I can't get up myself... I'm so sorry... I need your help.


Jeff opened his eyes again and tilted his head to see his sister. Rolling onto his back and pulling himself up a little, he sighed. He'd gone back to sleep for longer than intended. "Um..." What was the point in trying to lie? "Not really."

He glanced at what she'd brought and reached for the juice to take a long sip. "Thank you. You're always too good to me." He gave her a wry grin before it faded slightly. His pulse was still racing. "I think I should probably go see Angel," he admitted. "I just... didn't want to." He knew she'd put him on bed rest for several days, and he hated that. But he also knew he needed to calm his heart down, and unless a miracle happened and all stress was gone, it was going to require extra medication.


Justin gave Sam a thin smile and he nodded. "Of course. I'll make sure I keep seeing him, an I'll keep you in the loop on my observations. Just let me know if anything else should arise, and I can come in any time in between my normal visits." 

As if on cue, his cell phone buzzed in his pocket and he glanced at it quickly. Ken Truman. Justin sighed. "I apologize. I need to take this. I'll see you soon." Heading out into the hall, he answered the incoming call. "Ken?" He had just been on his way to an appointment with Mackenzie. What had happened? 


At Adison's words, Kirk's mind came to a screeching halt. He recoiled slightly, his eyes widening as he looked back at her. She was actually going to... resign from the FBI? After all this time? They'd been on the same path for so many years now, he could hardly believe she was choosing to do this all on her own. 

For a long while, he was completely silent until he finally looked away and got to his feet to aim towards the kitchen. "I guess I really am the outsider then." He talked over his shoulder as he walked away. "Just convince Sam to follow you and it'll be official." He finished his route at the coffee pot and poured himself a cup, just staring into the steaming liquid. He either needed caffeine to make it through the day, or forget the whole thing and just go to bed. He didn't like either idea. A shot of whiskey would be nice. 

He took too big a sip of the hot liquid and cringed as it almost burned his throat. Smart. Real smart. Turning, he leaned back against the counter, imagining how Adison would always hop up and sit next to him right there. They were always a team. Why did it feel like they were pulling in opposite directions all of a sudden? He didn't like it one bit.