Monster

Jesse's head made contact with the brick wall.

There was a sickening thud and he sank to his knees, dazed and confused. Something warm and thick began to run down the side of his head, annoyingly slow. His ears began to ring sharply. His vision blurred and tunneled. There was a throbbing sharp ach; it was somewhere in the back of his mind though. His breathing came in haggard gasps. His stomach grew queasy and he felt bile rising in his throat. His body began to sway and titer. He was suddenly tired and wanted nothing more then to close his eyes and sleep. And the only thought that he could hold on to was, 'This is not good.'

He started to fall forward, no longer able to remain upright, but before he hit the ground, arms caught him. He was pulled back up, his back pressed against another's chest. He could feel the man's breathing, steady and even. A strong arm wrapped around him, supporting his weight and pinning his arms to his side. The other hand removed the com ring on his right hand. The absence of the ring made Jesse gasp.

His last link to safety was just snatched from him.

"Shhhh…" the man whispered behind him, using his free hand to smooth back Jesse's hair. The man reached for the injector at his back and pressed it against Jesse's neck. Again Jesse gasped, but this time for the coming invasion. The governor tore through his skin, sinking into his neck and making contact with the nerves around his brain steam. Any chance he had for escape was stolen away as soon as the governor began to hum, interrupting the natural flow of his body.

The man tossed the injector away and wrapped his free arm around Jesse's chest. He then helped the blond stand, taking most of Jesse's weight. It was clear that the blond would be unable to walk anytime soon. The man scooped Jesse up into his arms causing the blond's head to flop onto his shoulder. That was, apparently, all Jesse's head could take, the blackness closed in on him, taking him away.

Jesse awoke in agony. He could feel his brain slamming into his skull. The ringing in his ears was still sharp. His vision was still blurry. His stomach was still queasy. And the pain in his body was so intense; it made him forget how to move. He was still dazed, his mind still foggy, himself still groggy.

He looked around, moving slowly so he wouldn't jar his injuries. He took in his surroundings with a disassociated interest. From what he could tell he was in an average sized closet. The door couldn't have been more then two feet away. He was lying on his side, his hands were shackled behind him and his ankles were shackled to the floor.

The floor was cold and rough against skin and cool air teased his skin into goose bumps. It was then that he realized that his clothes were gone, all of them. Jesse whimpered as he laid his head back down.

He knew, somehow through the fog, that he was in serious danger. He knew that he should be terrified of the man who held him. That something bad was going to happen to him if he stayed here. And he knew that all of that meant he should be trying to escape but he couldn't remember why. And without the why, he couldn't find the motivation.

Then the blackness was there again, reaching out for him. It was closing in on him, and calling out his name. He couldn't help but submit to it.

Jesse had disappeared at 11:20pm the previous night. At 12am, the picture had arrived in Adam's inbox from Jesse's cell phone.

Jesse, blood oozing from a cut on his head, chained like an animal, stripped naked, and confined. It was an image that was now, and would forever be, forged in the minds of Mutant X.

"You weren't suppose to let him out of your sight!" Adam had yelled in a very rare show of temper. But Jesse was gone. Jesse was taken. And the carefully laid out plan had all gone to hell.

"He was already in the bathroom…" it was no excuse. No justification for this, but Brennan had to try. He had to make sense of how he had fucked up so badly.

The plan had been so simple; the target had been so dangerous. Too dangerous?

He liked, what Shalimar called, pretty boys; men who were slender, but packed with lean muscle. But most importantly, mutants; he loved mutants. He would take them from the clubs and keep them for days. Pictures of the victims were always sent to the first contact in their phones when they were first taken, and then nothing. They were in the hands of the monster and that was it. Some lived longer than others, but all suffered the same. All died the same.

And Jesse was the bait to draw him out.

Shalimar had dressed him up perfectly. No one would be able to miss him. Jesse in a blue that highlighted his eyes and jeans that hugged his legs just right; it was an unforgettable sight. Brennan was supposed to watch him. Shalimar and Emma were supposed to watch the crowd. But somewhere in between the dancing and the searching, Jesse had disappeared.

The monster had him now.

"It's not your fault Brennan," Shalimar says, "We were all suppose to watch him. Adam's just worried. We'll find him. We'll get him back."

Brennan wants to believe it, but he can't.

This time when Jesse opened his eyes, he was unable to see. A light had infiltrated his darkness and it caused him a great deal of pain. Silhouetted in the light was the man, staring down at him. Jesse whimpered and tried to scoot back, farther into the closet. But his back was to the wall, so he tried to phase.

He screamed both from the explosion in his head and the lava now coursing through his veins. The governor in his neck hummed for a few seconds before stopping, leaving Jesse gasping. The man approached him, reached out and touched him, but Jesse didn't comprehend.

In his head was a woman standing over him, hitting him carelessly all over. And somewhere in the closet a small boy cried out, "I'm sorry mommy! I'll be good! I won't do it again mommy! I'll be good!" But he could never be good for very long.

And then Jesse was back. He was back in his body and in the present and he was being touched by unfamiliar hands that were freeing his legs from the chains. His mind, the part that could still function through the pain, told him to kick out. To fight and run, but his body was too consumed. The pain was everywhere and everything to his being and he could not escape. He had no choice but to let the man scoop him up.

He was carried into a bathroom where a tub was full, and he knew this was bad. Carefully he was placed into the water and he whimpered because it was freezing. The man supported his head, held it above the water as Jesse fought to cope with the temperature. His body shivered and began to grow numb as the heat was robbed from it. And Jesse knew that by the time the man was done with him, his lips would be blue. But he couldn't remember how he knew or what would turn his lips blue. The thought occurred to him that he should, and he should be scared.

And then his head was pushed under water.

"Have you traced Jesse's cell?" Adam asked. He was calm again, determined. He had apologized to the others. He didn't blame them; he blamed himself. He should never have allowed this to happen. It was his fault, no one else. But he would berate himself later, after they found Jesse.

"Bastard turned it off," Shalimar growled, "I'm trying to hack the into the gps chip now, but it's going to take time."

Adam sighed; they didn't have time.

"The security footage, anything?" Adam asked.

"Nothing yet," Emma replied, eyes glued to the screens in front of her.

"Brennan?" Adam asked, hopeful.

"He's being kept in a basement," Brennan said, looking away from their only evidence of Jesse. "A crawl space maybe, instead of a closet. Some older houses have them. I'm running a search in the guy's comfort zone."

Adam nodded and prayed.

He couldn't stop shivering. He was still soaked, the water dripped from his hair onto his chest. He looked more like a drowned rat than a person. He was re-chained to the floor and left to shiver. He huddled in the corner of the closet, terrified.

His body was now in even more pain as the cold set into his bones and the repeated suffocations reeked havoc on his lungs and head. He was losing his sight; it kept cutting in and out. He knew that was bad, that it could be permanent. He just didn't know what to do.

He was so cold; so very, very cold.

"I'll be a good boy mommy…I won't do it again," a tiny boy's voice whimpered from somewhere in the closet. "Let me out…please…I won't do it again…." But Jesse couldn't see him; couldn't tell where the voice was coming from.

The door opened and Jesse tried to hide from the light, but failed. It stabbed at his eyes in sadistic humor, farther damaging his sight and searing his head with pain. The man again stood in the doorway, staring down at him, a towel in his hand.

He approached slowly, watching for any sign of rebellion. But Jesse was in too much pain to rebel. The man crouched down in front of the huddled boy and began to dry him. First his hair and then his body were tenderly wiped down. Jesse was almost grateful for it; it helped with the cold.

The man finished, and tossed the towel out of the closet before returning his attention to the boy. Jesse was huddled far into the corner, in such a way that much of his boy was turned away form the man. But the man moved him. He took hold of Jesse's knees and used them to turn Jesse's body towards him. Still, Jesse looked away, his eyes closed tightly.

Once the man had maneuvered Jesse into the position he wanted, he forced Jesse's legs apart as far as the shackles would let him. Jesse whimpered, fearing what would happen.

"Shhh…" the man soothed as he fitted himself between Jesse's legs on his knees. He ran his hand lightly through Jesse's hair, watching Jesse's reaction. Jesse simply whimpered and pulled his head away. The man let him; he was in no rush. He let his hand fall on to Jesse's knee and watched the blond for a moment.

Jesse was in distress. He was confused, in pain, and clearly terrified; he was just the way the man wanted him. The man brushed his fingers along Jesse's chest, tracing obscure patterns into the skin. Soft skin, the way he liked it.

The man leaned in, brushing his lips against Jesse's neck and nipping the skin there. His eyes lids fluttered as he got his first real taste of his toy.

Jesse whimpered and pulled away again. His captor frowned in annoyance at the denial, and smacked Jesse hard, leaving a nasty red mark and causing Jesse's ears to ring. Jesse lolled his head to the side, dazed and reeling in pain. He offered no resistance as a hand roughly gripped his penis.

He could barely feel it as the monster molested him.

The club was packed with dancers. They pushed and pulled on each other in time with the music. Brennan still managed to find him, Jesse, dancing alone but with everybody watching. Brennan was the only one who managed to get in close to the blond; only one who managed to dance with him.

The music sent pulse waves through the crowd and drove them on. It was so easy to get lost in the rhythm. So easy to forget why they were there; especially when Jess was pushed closer to Brennan by the crowd….

He fell forward and Brennan caught him. Jesse laughed and allowed the older man to steady him. If he was surprised when Brennan didn't let him go, he didn't show it. He just continued to move to the music, letting Brennan guide him and when the song faded he leaned in close to Brennan's ear so that only Brennan could hear him.

"Bathroom," he said, and Brennan had to laugh because Jesse blushed.

"Want company," Brennan teased, his hands drifting down to Jesse's ass.

Jesse laughed and blushed while stopping Brennan from groping him. "I think I can hold my own cock, thanks," he whispered into Brennan's ear, "But if you want to try and grab my ass again, you may need help holding yours…"

It was Brennan's turn to laugh as he let Jesse go.

He let Jesse go.

Brennan woke with a start. He looked around franticly searching for Jesse. But Jesse wasn't there. He wasn't in Sanctuary where he belonged.

Brennan sighed both tired and angry, caught in his frustration. He ran his hands through his hair, messing it up. He looked around his room and wondered when he had gotten there.

He climbed out of the bed and stretched. A quick glance at his clock told him it was 8pm. Jesse had been missing for twenty-one hours and here Brennan was, sleeping.

'But Adam ordered you to…' Brennan's mind told him.

Brennan sighed again and moved to his bathroom. He splashed water over his face in an attempt to clear his head before he went back out to join the search.

The early lead he had found had only narrowed down the search area to several neighborhoods. It was still too big of an area to search. Shalimar was still hitting a wall with the GPS chip. It was there best lead, the best chance but nearly impossible to activate the chip if the phone was off.

Meanwhile, the monster had Jesse.

Jesse was alone in the closet. The darkness of the closet surrounded him, held him hostage. He could feel it, the darkness, sucking away all his air, all his strength. He could feel the walls closing in, inch by inch, crushing him. He was suffocating slowly and the panic aggravated the pain in his body. The throbbing in his head had receded some, but the ache was still there. His vision was still blurry and his ears were still ringing. He was still cold, but he was too weak to shiver.

He wanted to sleep, but there was screaming in his head.

"You little freak! Look what you did! Look!"

And then the little boy who was haunting him answered; "I'm sorry mommy…I didn't…no please! Please don't! Please mommy! I'm scared of the closet…"

Over and over again, the women and the boy screamed in his head, pressing the darkness closer and closer in on him. He couldn't escape it. He couldn't escape them.

He was trapped in this hell until the man came back for him….

"Adam! I got something!" Shalimar's voice rang out over the com channel.

In what seemed like an instant, everyone was gathered around the terminal that Shalimar was working at. On it was a satellite image of a map with one blinking icon.

"Jesse's GPS…" Shalimar explained.

"All three of you, go. I'll monitor here…" Adam said, taking over Shalimar's seat as the others headed for the Helix.

The closet opened and a light pierced the darkness. Jesse whimpered as, once again, pain flared in his head. The man stood there, above him, staring down. Jesse couldn't see him, he couldn't see anything but pin-pricks of light, but he felt him remove the chains.

He flinched as he was hauled to his feet. The sudden movement rattled him, causing his headache to return with a vengeance and making him heave into his gag. The room around him spun wildly as he was dragged over to a wire mattress. He was almost relieved when he was tossed onto the bed…almost….

Jesse was rolled onto his stomach, the man then began to free his hands. Jesse held still as the man worked, he didn't have much of a choice. The man was straddling him, pinning him down with his superior weight. Once he had freed Jesse's hands, he rolled Jesse over onto his back, forcing Jesse's hands above his head.

Jesse moaned in pain, trying not to retch again. His head was swimming and reality was cutting out. In his head he could see a child's bedroom and hear a man entering the room and then he was back in the basement dungeon, his hands being chained to a wire mattress. The springs dug into his back. The chains were too tight, he could feel them cutting off his circulation. It was the same case for the ones that were being fastened around his ankles.

Once he finished securing Jesse, the man moved over to a strange looking device just off to the side of the mattress. It was a car battery, with wires running from the battery to the bed. The circuit ran through an old fashioned egg timer that the man picked up and began to wind.

It was the ticking that drew Jesse's attention from the pain in his body. It was too loud, too close. He couldn't see the source, but he thought it was a clock of some sort. He had no idea why it would be there or what purpose it held until the timer went off and completed the circuit.

Jesse's body twitched and jerked as electricity flowed through the mattress into his body. The pain tore at him; leaving him so helpless he couldn't even scream. It lasted for what felt like a lifetime.

It only stopped when the man reset the timer.

"Adam," Emma called, "we found the phone."

"And Jesse?" Adam asked, hopeful.

"He's not here, but Shalimar thinks he's close. She can smell him."

"Be careful."

"We will. Emma out."

Jesse stopped twitching. His strength was gone and he lay limp and panting on the mattress. He was completely blind now and completely helpless. His mind was cutting in and out of awareness, all he could feel was pain.

The man approached him, sitting on the edge of the mattress. He ran his hands along Jesse's stomach, drawing a sobbing whimper from his victim. He smiled when he heard it, enjoying his game.

In Jesse's head, another man was standing over a boy. One hand pressed to the boy's chest, the other molesting him. "You like this. This is good," the man told the boy, "you won't tell your mom, cause you're a good boy."

Jesse shook his head from side to side as the man began to molest him, the memory in his head merging with his present. Jesse whimpered as his movement increased the pain in his head. He wanted to be unconscious, if he had to be here, if this had to happen, he wanted to be unconscious for it. The man must have caught on to this plan because his free hand caught Jesse's hair and held his head straight.

Jesse moaned, and, on reflex, shut his eyes as tears started to fall. The man leaned in close, shushing him before he kissed Jesse's eyes. He moved his lips to Jesse's neck, kissing the skin lightly before biting. Jesse cried out and tried to pull away, but the man bit harder and yanked on Jesse's hair. Jesse whimpered as blood began to ooze from the bite.

The man sucked on it, forcing the blood to come out faster. At the same time, he increased the pressure on Jesse's penis and his hand's pace. Jesse started to moan as his body responded. He could feel himself hardening and he knew it wouldn't be long; moleculers were so easy to jerk off. And sure enough, a minute or two later, Jesse came, his back arching slightly.

The man continued to milk him, until Jesse became boneless on the bed. He then released Jesse, but continued to suck the cut at Jesse's neck. That was when Shalimar found them.

Shal had arrived ahead of the others. The moment she had caught Jesse's scent, she was off. To hell if Brennan and Emma followed.

When she had reached a rundown house, she had instantly made a b-line for the cellar. That was where she knew she would find Jesse. She never even paused to assess the situation before she attacked the man on top of Jess.

Discovering that he was a feral didn't faze Shalimar in the least, she had already suspected as much from his scent. Discovering that he was stronger than her was a bit of a surprise though, but Shalimar was still quicker. And Shalimar was pissed.

She matched the man blow for blow with neither of them gaining any ground. It would seem that they were too well matched and this fight would have no victor, until Brennan sent a bolt of lightening into the man's back. The man fell to the floor dead.

Brennan and Emma had arrived just minutes after Shalimar. They too did not bother to assess the situation before charging in, Emma making her way to Jess and Brennan ending the fight. Shalimar glared at Brennan and hissed, angry that she wasn't the one who had killed the man. Brennan shrugged and moved to join Emma with Shalimar at his heels.

It was a few hours later that Adam found his team hovering outside the med-bay waiting for news about Jesse.

The scientist looked tired as he exited the room, but there was also a fair amount of relief in his features. "He wasn't raped," Adam told the others, his voice soft. The sigh of relief was deafening at the news, but there was still the question of what condition he was in.

"He has a minor skull fracture and a pretty bad concussion. He's running a fever and there's water and vomit in his lungs. He's got some bruises and there's evidence of electric burns. But over all, I think he's going to be alright."

"Adam…" Emma asked softly, her voice betraying her worry, "what about his sight?"

"My hope is that it's only temporary blindness, all evidence seems to point to that. But only time will tell."

Both Brennan and Shalimar breathed another sigh of relief, though Emma couldn't. There was something else that she needed to tell Adam, but not now. She would have to wait until the others were busy and she could speak to him alone.

"Can we see him Adam? Can we go in?" Shalimar asked, her eyes wide and teary.

Adam gave his 'daughter' a tired, but reassuring, smile, "go a head. Just try not to make a lot of noise. He's really sensitive to sound, and no lights on for that matter either."

Shalimar and Brennan nodded as they moved passed Adam and Emma and went straight for Jess. Adam watched them for a moment, reassuring himself that everything was ok before turning to face Emma.

"Is he broadcasting?" Adam asked the empath.

Emma gave a soft smile and a small shrug, "Can't really hold it against him." Then Emma grew serious, "Adam, he's mixing memories with what happened…and there are some that are really bad…"

Adam nodded sadly; he knew Jesse's nightmares all too well. "By all accounts Em, Jess was kept in a closet. Throw into the mix a concussion and torture…It's only natural that he would merge certain memories."

"That's not…I figured that, Adam," Emma stammered. She really didn't know how to explain this to her mentor but decided just to be blunt about it. "I saw him when he was ten…and there was this man…"

Adam nodded, he knew where this was going, "It happened, Em. From the time Jesse was eight until he was sent to Genomex. Jesse never told me who, but I do know that it happened."

"He wants it kept secret, right?" Emma asked softly, tears in her eyes. This was the part she hated most about her powers, accidently discovering the painful secrets.

Adam nodded, "I don't think Shalimar even knows. The only reason I know is because I was there when Jesse had that particular nightmare. He won't talk about it."

"What about now? Will he…?"

Adam shrugged, "Jesse will cope the way that he decides. He may not even remember the majority of what happened. We'll just have to see."

Emma nodded and turned her gaze on to the blond lying in the bio-bed. She hoped that he knew how loved he is and didn't try to block everyone out.

Jesse's head was fuzzy as he woke, but for the first time in days it didn't hurt. That was a good sign. Lazily, Jesse stretched, fully enjoying the fact that he was in his own room, in his own bed, and alone. It had been entirely too long since any of those three things had happened.

With a tired sigh, Jesse pushed himself up and leaned against his headboard. He glanced at his bedside clock and scrunched up his face in annoyance. It was three in the afternoon; he had been asleep for almost fifteen hours. The worst part was that he still felt exhausted. Adam had assured him that it was only the last little bit of the concussion and in a few days he'd be feeling more normal; but it was times like these Jesse wasn't so sure. Though, he had to admit, being allowed to sleep all day was rather nice.

A knock on his door snapped Jesse from his thoughts. "I'm awake," he called lightly, biting back a sigh.

Ever since he woke in the med bay the first time, the others had barely let him out of their sight. Not that Jesse could really blame them, from what he had been told it was a pretty rough forty-eight hours for everyone. Still, some privacy would be nice, at least then he could have his nightmares in peace.

"Hey," Brennan said softly, a small smile on his lips, "'bout time you woke up."

Jesse returned the smile and gave a lazy shrug, "it's not everyday that Adam gives out vacation time."

Brennan chuckled and sat on the corner of Jesse's bed, "how you feeling?"

Jesse sighed and shifted on the bed so that he was sitting straighter, "stiff and tired."

"Still dizzy?" Brennan asked, his eyes scanning Jesse, looking for any signs that Jesse wasn't telling him the whole truth.

"You're starting to sound like Shal," Jesse sighed as he stifled a yawn.

"I've been taking lessons. Still dizzy?" Brennan persisted.

Jesse closed his eyes and sighed, trying to tap into his body to better get a sense of how it was feeling. Was he still dizzy? Yeah, probably; it was, after all, a long-term side effect of a skull fracture. Was he going to tell Brennan that he was still dizzy, hell no.

"I'm fine," Jesse said as he opened his eyes, meeting Brennan's gaze. He held it for a moment taking in the warmth in the brown eyes. The thought accord to Jess that Brennan's eyes were the exact color of espresso and he wondered why he had never noticed before. Or maybe he had, and he had just forgotten? But how could one simply forget such an elegant thing?

"Hey, Jess, did you hear me?" Brennan asked, cocking an eyebrow in amusement. The older man couldn't be sure, but he had the sense that Jesse was daydreaming.

"Sorry…what did you say?" Jesse stammered, breaking eye contact and looking away to hide a slight blush.

"I said, if you aren't feeling dizzy, Adam says you can finally get out of bed by yourself. Maybe even shower," Brennan said with a smirk.

"A shower? That sounds grand," Jesse sighed.

"Yeah, but I'm not too sure…you did just zone out on me just then. I don't think a shower would be a -" Brennan began, only partially joking.

"Can it Bren. I want a shower," Jesse declared stubbornly.

"Alright, alright…jeez…" Brennan said with mock exasperation. He stood gracefully walking over to Jesse's dresser. "Sweats?" he called over to the younger man.

"Top left…I can get it…" Jesse said, attempting to swing his legs off the bed. The movement was sloppy however, and his legs kept getting tangled in his blankets.

"Just stay where you are until I tell you to move," Brennan ordered retrieving the pants. "T-shirts?"

With an annoyed sigh, Jesse lay still, giving in to Brennan's order, "top right."

Brennan pulled out what seemed to be a well loved oversized t-shirt and then, with a mischievous twinkle, turned to Jesse and asked, "Boxers or briefs?"

Jesse glared at his friend, trying desperately not to blush and failing at it. "Don't start…."

"Fine, boxers. Where?" Brennan snickered.

"Ugh…" Jesse groaned, "drawer under the sweat pants…."

Brennan laughed and retrieved the last article of clothing before disappearing into the bathroom. He reappeared a few seconds later and moved over to Jess. Pulling back the blankets he asked, "You ready?"

"Yeah…" Jesse grunted as he clumsily got to his feet. He was disgusted at how weak he felt and even more so at how much he needed to lean on Brennan for support. But Brennan didn't seem to mind, and together the pair staggered towards the bathroom.

"So, I'm going to let you take it from here," Brennan said as he leaned Jesse against the shower wall, "however, I will be right outside and you have a time limit of twenty minutes."

"Only twenty?" Jesse sighed as he reached over to turn on the water.

"Only twenty," Brennan said with a smirk, "any longer and I'm going to come in after you."

"Great…" Jesse sighed as the first hints of steam reached him.

Brennan laughed and exited the bathroom, leaving Jesse alone.

Jesse yawned and began to undress. Sticking his hand under the water he grimaced when he found it still wasn't the right temperature and took the opportunity to study his appearance in the mirror. He was disturbed to see how pale and sickly looking he was.

The cut on his head was healing, but it was going to leave a scar. The wound had been infected and so Adam hadn't been able to stitch it. Jesse didn't want to admit how much that bothered him. It wasn't that he was vain or anything, but the scar was now a permanent reminder of what happened. Then again, it wasn't like he could remember much; just vague out lines of what happened.

Jesse looked away from his reflection to the water. The water was steaming now, Jesse could feel it by the sink. He sighed, suddenly tired. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea? Well, he wasn't going to back out now.

Jesse stepped into the shower, under the spray, and sighed in relief. The hot water cascaded down his body, wrapping him in warmth. Jesse closed his eyes and stuck his head under the shower head, letting the water wash his hair. The water splashed down his face, into his nose and mouth, and the feel of it ignited a memory.

Jesse was staring up into the face of man. He was surrounded by an icy cold. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't…. his head was going to explode if he didn't open his mouth, but if he opened his mouth he'd breathe in water. He couldn't breathe… he was going to die… he couldn't reach up for help. He couldn't get out. He was going to die…. Something was holding him down. Holding him under. He was drowning.

"Jesse!" Brennan's voice broke through the nightmare in Jesse's head as the older man pulled Jesse out from under the water and into his arms. "You're ok, you're ok…" Brennan soothed as he wrapped a shaking Jesse into a towel.

Jesse could barely hear Brennan as his mind filled with memories he was better off forgetting. "He held me under water," Jesse said, softly, causing Brennan to pause.

Brennan looked at Jesse. The fear that he saw in the young man's made him hurt. "Jess, you're safe now," Brennan said, cradling Jesse to him. He could feel the tremors in the younger man's body ease slightly in his grip. "He can't hurt you now," Brennan added, kissing the top of Jesse's head.

"I couldn't breathe. I tried to… I tried…. I… I knew I should fight him, but I couldn't… My head…" Jesse stammered.

"I know you did, Jess. I know. It's not your fault," Brennan said.

"I couldn't keep anything straight. Nothing was right… He held me under the water and when I stopped breathing he… his mouth… no, I tried… I didn't want…" Jesse shook, and Brennan knew he was crying.

"Come on, let's get you dressed," Brennan said gently

It was a little while later. Brennan had tucked Jesse back into bed and was preparing to leave him alone when Jesse spoke for the first time since the bathroom.

"I'm sorry," he said so softly that Brennan almost didn't hear him.

Brennan looked at him, confused, "Jess, you have nothing to apologize for."

"Except for losing it in the shower," he said as he pushed himself up against his hear board. He drew his knees up to his chest, wrapped his arms around his legs, and stared off into the distance. He looked like such a beaten puppy dog that, again, Brennan hurt.

The older man moved over to Jesse's bed and sat down next to him. Gently, he forced Jesse to rest against him, almost cradling him like in the bathroom. Jesse didn't put up much resistance; he wanted to be held. He sighed as he rested his head against Brennan's chest.

"Jesse, we keep telling you that you have nothing to apologize for. None of this was your fault," Brennan said.

"It feels like it," Jesse whispered.

"It's not. And I'll keep repeating that until you believe me."

"I just… I want…" Jesse started, but he couldn't complete the sentence.

Brennan shifted Jesse in his arms so that the molecular was looking up at him. "You want, what?" Brennan asked him, absentmindedly running his fingers along Jesse's jaw line.

I want to feel safe again," Jesse whispered, turning his face away from Brennan, ashamed.

Brennan gently turned Jesse's face back to him. He tried to meet Jesse's eyes, but Jesse couldn't look Brennan in the eye. Brennan decided right then and there, that Jesse had spent enough time pouting. He tilted Jesse's head back, leaned in, and kissed him. He felt Jesse stiffen, and his heart fluttered for a moment of fear. Was Jesse going to be offended, or frightened? Those fears were quickly relieved when Jesse deepened the kiss.

Brennan broke the kiss moments later, and smiled when he saw that the beaten puppy look on Jesse's face was now replaced with surprise. "You are safe, Jesse. I promise," Brennan assured.

Jesse gave Brennan a small smile, "Can you stay? Just a little longer?"

"Yeah. Get some sleep. I'll stay," Brennan promised as he watched Jesse's eyes drift close. And Brennan couldn't think of any place he wanted to be more than right there.