Disclaimer: The Tomorrow People is the property of the CW. No copyright infringement is intended.

~ X ~

Jedikiah swore and ducked as that last shot nicked his cellphone, sending it spinning out of his hand. He plastered his back against the rough wooden crate he used as a shield. Panting heavily, he fought to get his breathing under control. He risked a quick peek to see where the phone landed.

Too far away!

No way could he reach it without getting shot, not to mention that it could very well be damaged and unusable. At least he had hung on to his gun.

That phone represented his only chance to call for help since the TP with him had been the first one his pursuers killed. But going for it was tantamount to committing suicide.

He was pissed that he let himself get separated from his strike group and ended up holed up in this warehouse. He had managed to shoot one of his three attackers in the leg, disabling him and then he was almost certain he had killed a second one as he broke into this building. He thought he recognized the third one. The blonde girl had been one of the ringleaders that captured Roger and fought for the Founder. Nancy––no, Nettie,––no, Natalie. Yeah, that was it. Natalie.

Calm down.

It was a tough juggling act – keeping your human senses heightened – on the lookout for danger, while suppressing emotion. He clamped down on his thoughts, keeping a rigid control on them. Excitement, agitation, any type of heightened emotion was a beacon to a telepath. It would guide her directly to him.

He slowly edged away, crouching silently between the rows of wooden crates. He abruptly stopped as he felt a tug on his pant leg accompanied by a ripping sound. He reached down to feel a nail sticking out of the crate. He quickly freed the material without ever looking down, eyes constantly shifting, on the alert for signs of his pursuer.

He neatly skirted a patch of gritty dirt, wary of making a crunching sound if he stepped on it.

He cautiously peered around each corner before creeping as quickly as possible, going deeper into the maze of containers inside the warehouse. Instinct urged him to go back outside, while intellect told him he would be a sitting duck out in the open.

He wondered if he was missed yet. Probably not. The trap had been perfectly set, and he walked right into it. John would search for him as soon as he realized something was wrong, but Jedikiah was certain he was being kept busy with the decoys. The real target had been him.

John.

He didn't want to die, but even more than that, he hated the thought of leaving the kid alone. Made him regret he had wiped the kid's memories when he gave him Roger's powers. But the thought of losing him to Cara had been unbearable.

Concentrate! He berated himself. Be in the moment or you are going to die!

This Natalie was really good. No hesitation when she shot, no fight with her conscious. She had actually worn a little smile as she killed the TP that accompanied him. Jedikiah had to admire their strategy. Kill off the TP before he could reach out for help and then hunt down the human at their leisure, except he had no intention of being easy prey. He'd make her work to kill him.

He poked his head cautiously around the next corner. This was an open area leading to a different section. The crates were smaller there and stacked askew. He would be able to climb up and have a better vantage point then blindly wandering the tall crate canyons he was currently hiding in.

He weighed the risks and decided to go for it. Decision made, he darted across. He had almost made it when he heard a shot and felt a hot, searing, burning pain in his upper arm. The force spun him around, pushing him into a crate. He scrambled, trying to stay on his feet, but failed. As he tumbled to the floor, he looked into Natalie's coldly malicious face and knew there was no escape.

He watched as she smiled and raised her arm.

Roger! His mind automatically reached for his brother as he always had in times of deepest need.

He heard the shot ring out.

Aw, John! In that same thought he mourned everything he had done to John and all the time they had lost that should have been spent together.

As if in slow motion, he tracked the bullet heading for a spot between his eyes.

Is this how it ends?

He blinked to clear his eyes as he realized he could see the bullet heading towards him.

So, time slows when you're going to die!

Simultaneously, he saw a red flower blossom on Natalie's forehead, and he felt himself being pushed aside, as the bullet whizzing by ruffled his hair.

Then time was normal once again, and he was on his butt, his arm hurt like hell, and Natalie was facing him on the floor, eyes open and glazed, jaw slack.

Dazed, he tried to get his bearings, struggling to climb to his knees. He shrank back as he realized someone was standing over him. He groped on the ground, hoping to find the gun that was knocked out of his hand when he was shot. When he felt a presence near him, he instinctively put up a hand to ward off this new attacker only to realize it was John, re-holstering his gun and squatting down on his heels next to him.

He watched in astonishment as John's tongue darted out to moisten his lips, a habit the kid had when he was upset or uncertain.

"I heard you." He sounded shocked, as if unwilling to believe his senses.

"You heard me?" Jedikiah repeated, bewildered.

John nodded and tapped his forehead. He still seemed incredulous. "Here. I heard you here."

A smile slowly broke out on Jedikiah's face as he grasped the implications. "You've got my brother in you. Roger always knew when I was in serious trouble."

John, noticing the blood spreading on Jedikiah's suit sleeve, wasted no more time speculating. He reached into an inner pocket of his jacket, whipping out a pocket knife. He deftly opened it and cut the suit jacket and underlying dress shirt using the bullet hole as a starting place.

Jedikiah grumbled. "Hey, my suit."

John's brow wrinkled. "Are ya crazy? It's got a hole in it already and blood stains." He looked around. "Not to mention the grease on your pants from the floor." He stuck a finger in the rip caused by the nail. "And this? How did you plan on salvaging it? Patches?"

Jedikiah, realizing he was being foolish, decided the best course of action was to ignore John and maintain a dignified silence.

John's little smile indicated he knew exactly what Jedikiah was up to, but he refrained from teasing him.

Jedikiah gritted his teeth as John probed and jerked when John felt around the back of his arm.

"Stay still."

"That hurts!" Jedikiah complained.

"Of course it does." After a moment, John, greatly relieved, said, "It went clean through. Just a flesh wound."

He deftly reached into Jedikiah's suit pocket and snatched his handkerchief. In response to Jedikiah's put upon, long suffering look, John smiled. "No sense ruining mine."

He tied the cloth tightly around Jedikiah's arm. As he pulled the last knot Jedikiah winced. "Easy!" he protested.

"Has to be tight or it won't stop the bleeding." John, now that he knew his mentor wasn't seriously hurt, decided to take some minor revenge and threw some of his own words back at him. "Don't be such a baby. Toughen up."

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Jedikiah said sourly.

John couldn't suppress a grin. "I have to admit I am." Once he was satisfied his tourniquet had stopped the bleeding, he stood up and reached a hand down to his boss. "Ready to head to the hospital?"

"Ready for same painkillers." Jedikiah grasped the hand held out to him, and John pulled him to his feet with a discreet wave of his other hand. Jedikiah could tell John had given him a telekinetic boost, but he didn't object. He was feeling weak and welcomed the help.

John steadied him with an arm. He was ready to teleport when Jed cupped a hand around the back of John's neck. "You heard me." Jedikiah repeated with deep satisfaction. "Just like my brother always did." He looked deep into John's eyes. "We're family, kid. It's the only way you could have heard me."

John searched Jed's eyes while at the same time he felt the emotions welling inside the man that was the closest thing he would ever have to a father. The love there warmed him in a way he would never be able explain. He nodded. "Yeah, I guess there's no doubt. We are. Now stop rambling on and let me get you to a hospital."

John, mindful of Jedikiah's wound, put both arms around his waist, and Jed moved his good arm to John's shoulder. "Hey, make a big whoosh when we get there. I love the breeze. Roger could really make it a hoot."

John grinned. "I'll try my best, boss. Anything to make you happy."

"And that thing you did with time. Awesome, John. Just awesome. I think we're gonna have a talk with 'Mr. Smarty Pants I Saved the World' Stephen when I'm feeling better."

John just rolled his eyes, and they were gone.

~ FIN ~

And in case you wondered, John landed them with such a clap of noise and whirlwind disturbance that Jedikiah's whoop could be heard for two blocks.