A/N: This idea came to me after last week's episode and the Mitch/Jamie scene at the end. Since I hope that at one point they actually sit down and talk about things, this is my version of that very conversation.
All mistakes are mine. Enjoy!
Picking Up the Pieces
The airplane - or as Jamie had called it, a flying Ritz-Carlton - looked as if a tornado had suddenly stretched down from within the clouds and ripped straight through the interior. From the resting quarters to the lab, everything was a complete mess. Various objects - glasses, beakers, personal belongings - were strewn all over the floor. As she stared at the forgotten shards, Jamie wondered how long it would take to get all of this back to normal.
She knew the current state of the plane was the least of her worries, which is why she attempted to distract herself from the thoughts plaguing her mind by wandering throughout the massive cabin. She'd seen Jackson and Abe on her adventures, however Mitch had vanished. He had half-heartedly mumbled something about retreating to his room, and as she now passed the closed door she could spot a small amount of light filtering out from the bottom which indicated that he was most likely still awake.
As she sat down at the bar where they had shared numerous drinks together, her soft chocolate eyes fell upon the remains of the glass that had slipped off the counter from when she and Mitch were talking. Or at least they were until she had snapped at him yet again. She knew he was trying to help, and she really did appreciate it, but her inner demons were becoming quite powerful. They made her lash out at her colleagues - no, her friends - in ways she had never imagined, and she often found herself avoiding any sort of discussion about what had happened in the Canadian wilderness. Mitch's comment about her not opening up stung (even if she had argued with him) but in her heart she knew it was the truth. She had her tense moments with the others on the team, yet Mitch almost always appeared to be the target of her outbursts. Unbeknownst to the rest of the team, during some downtime one night she had researched "angry outbursts" and other symptoms she was experiencing. Every result pointed to the same culprit: post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. Upon reading what it was - she was aware of it but had never really read anything relatable - she realized the symptoms were practically identical to hers.
On top of all this, she had lost hope in the cause she had so bravely fought for.
She immediately become alert to approaching footsteps, however she instinctively knew it was Abe due to the slightly heavier sound of his boots crunching on the floor. As the man came around to the other side of the bar, he made eye contact with her and she gave him a tepid smile. "How goes the clean-up?"
Managing to locate two small glasses that had survived the attack by Davies' men, Abe poured them both a small glass of vodka and handed one to Jamie. "It'd be more fun if you were there."
She accepted the drink and took a small sip. "Funny how the glasses are destroyed and yet the alcohol remains."
As she lowered the glass onto the bar she noticed he was studying her. "What?"
Abe's voice was normally gentle, but Jamie heard an even softer tone rolling off his tongue. "I am not about to stand here and say I understand what you went through out in the wilderness, because in the end only you and Logan truly know. But I will say that as your friend, you need to understand that we are trying to help you. We cannot do that if you will not help yourself. We are your friends, Jamie, you can trust us."
Her reply contained a hint of doubt. "I'm fine."
Abe offered her a kind smile. "Talking about it, no matter how difficult it may be, is far better than keeping it concealed. If you choose not to discuss it that is your decision, but realize that by doing this you are not helping yourself. In the end that is what matters."
When she didn't respond, he swallowed the last remnants of his drink and lightly patted her hand. "I know it might be hard but you should think about talking to Mitch. He cares for you. When we came to rescue you from that house and realized you weren't there, Mitch sat down on the grass and refused to budge. He said he was not leaving without you. I actually had to pick him up and carry him away. He constantly talked about you, asked our allies if a search team had been sent out to look for you. He was so worried, Jamie, but in his heart he knew you were alive. He did not give up hope."
Jamie's eyes, which were staring at the almost empty glass in her hand, shot up upon hearing this. Her mouth was slightly ajar, and her chest was so still that for a split second Abe questioned whether she was actually breathing. Finally she spoke, and her voice was incredibly soft. "I had no idea..."
"Well," Abe said as he walked around the bar again to where she was sitting. "Before I came in here I saw his light was still on. Just think about it, okay?"
He walked off then, leaving Jamie to consider his wise words.
The moment he had wandered into his room, Mitch felt like tearing the entire place apart. What difference would it make? The plane, like his friendship - or whatever it was - with Jamie, was in ruins anyways. It felt as if their entire situation was just one gigantic mess, what with Davies storming the craft and Logan turning out to be a traitor. He gritted his teeth at the mere thought of the young man who always seemed to have a hint of a snivelling grin on his face, who had successfully convinced them all he was an ally. Mitch felt like an idiot for believing him, and he wondered why he hadn't thrown him in with the lizard or one of the other animals.
He clenched his fists and slammed them down hard in frustration on the small table he used as a desk, ignoring the quick flash of pain from the impact. In addition to Logan being a turncoat, Jamie's numerous angry outbursts were mostly directed at him. He knew she was hurting and that she needed time, but no matter what he did or said she would snap at him and stomp off. She was right in what she had said about him not knowing what she had to deal with out in the wilderness, but he had countered that with the fact that she hadn't actually talked about it. He could tell she knew he was right, but she had masked that by acting confused and retorting that it really wouldn't make a difference. If that wasn't bad enough, she had mentioned his daughter in a conversation that was very quickly morphing into yet another argument.
Mitch sighed heavily as he recalled what had transpired. Despite everything, they had at least acknowledged that there was something between them. Exactly what it was they did not know, but nonetheless it was there. They just had to find it.
He groaned as another wave of frustration swept over his weary body. The feeling of wanting to help her was overwhelming, and he desperately wished he could just hold her until she was no longer hurting. It pained him to see her so tormented, for beneath her tough exterior he could see she was struggling. He had suspicions she was dealing with something far more complex than any animal autopsy, and if that were the case he'd have no choice but to let her approach him.
A sudden knock on the door disturbed him from his thoughts, but he was so irritable and exhausted that he chose to ignore the intruder. Whomever was on the other side of the door obviously had a different idea, because after waiting for a moment to see if he would answer they continued to knock. Mitch was very quickly getting annoyed, however it was clear the person was not about to give up so he rose from his seat and shuffled over to the door.
"Relax," he mumbled as he reached out to pull open the door from its middle. "Or just-"
The words caught in his throat as his eyes fell upon Jamie standing mere feet from him, and redness around her eyelids told him she had recently shed tears. She sniffed lightly and gave him a small smile. "Is it okay if I come in?"
His first instinct was to hug her, but he refrained from doing so and instead stepped back so she could enter. "Sure. I was starting to get a little lonely in here."
He swore the smile on her lips slightly grew, and as she walked inside the small but cozy room he closed the door behind her. He turned to face her, and for a few moments an awkward silence hung in the air as neither said a word. She avoided his gaze, instead staring at the jumbled folders and papers all over his desk and various articles of clothing strewn on the floor. It was blatantly obvious she wasn't here to chide him about the mess, but he allowed her time to gather her thoughts for he could tell they were thrashing violently around in her head.
She remained silent as she made the first move by sitting on his bed, grabbing a pillow, and hugging it. "I just had a chat with Abe. He told me everything."
"Oh." Mitch, who was still standing, looked down at his feet in embarrassment. He usually had quite a lot to say, but right now that was the best reply he could think of.
Jamie's voice pierced the veil of silence again. "Come here."
She must had been reading his mind as he had been internally trying to judge when to sit down beside her. While he certainly wanted to support her in any way possible, he also did not wish to intrude. The bed dipped slightly again as he sat on the comforter, ensuing he kept about an arm's length gap between them. It was important that she initiated the contact, be it physical or emotional. The fact that she had verbalized her want for him to at least be near her was a start.
He patiently waited for her to speak, and as she did fresh tears danced in her eyes. "I was unaware you were so worried about me. It's my fault for not realizing this. I've been so angry since the plane crash, so consumed with hopelessness and guilt, and then learning about Chloe's death, hearing how she died and knowing I never had the chance to say goodbye to her...it was almost too much. I was blinded by my rage to the point where I didn't see, didn't realize, that you've been trying to help me this entire time. I'm so sorry Mitch. I'm sorry for locking everything inside and not trusting you. I've avoided talking about what happened in the woods because those memories haunt me every night and I just want to forget them, but you are the first person I should have come to. Instead I went to Logan, and look where that got me. I was a fool to trust him."
She hung her head and hugged the pillow tighter, allowing the rivulets to flow unchecked down her red cheeks and her voice quivering as she struggled to contain her emotions. "I don't know what this is." Here she paused to gesture in the space between them, indicating she meant them both, before continuing. "And it scares me, maybe in a good way. But I wouldn't blame you if you walked away. Since the day you guys found me in Caraquet I've been yelling at you and shutting myself out. You deserve someone better than that, someone who isn't broken and has given up hope."
It took all of his strength not to wrap her in his arms and hold her close. Reaching across, he used the pad of his thumb to softly wipe away a falling tear. When that had been vanquished, he placed his thumb and index finger underneath her chin and gently lifted her head so she was looking at him. "I'm not going anywhere, Jamie Campbell. You were right in that I don't have a clue as to what happened to you out there, but what I do know is that I will be always be here for you no matter how broken you think you are. I wanted so badly to help you, to be there for you, but I knew you were hurting. My heart ached to see you like that, to know you were fighting something, however I also knew you needed time to heal because you went through hell. I just hope you always remember that when you fall I will be there to pick you back up."
The pillow lay forgotten on the bed as Jamie tossed it aside and shifted towards him, closing the gap between them. She had just exposed all her pent-up feelings, and he sensed she felt totally vulnerable. Silently he wrapped his right arm around her shoulders, and the second he did this her eyes unleashed another flood of tears. She pressed her forehead to his jawbone, again allowing herself to weep openly. He could feel numerous teardrops fall onto his jeans, and when her quiet sobs eventually grew louder his other arm founds its way across her chest where his hands linked together on her shoulder. She seemed to almost collapse then, but as promised he was there to catch her. He remained silent as he focused all his energy on her, placing a loving hand on her head as he held her. She clenched his shirt tightly in her fist, crying uncontrollably until it felt as if she had emptied out all her tears. For the first time since she had reunited with the team, the walls that Jamie had constructed around herself slowly began to crumble.
After quite a while her breathing somewhat returned to normal and she appeared to calm down. Leaning back so she could see his eyes, she flashed a grateful smile. "Thank you."
He pressed his lips to her forehead. "Well that's me. Mitch Morgan, Shoulder to Cry On."
Jamie could not help but chuckle at his reply, and now that he had removed his arms from around her she intertwined their fingers. "Don't forget Mitch Morgan, Totally Awesome Scientist. So you really did sit on the ground and refuse to leave?"
"Pretty sure that if Hulk hadn't picked me up and dragged me off I would still be there. Speaking of superheroes, I heard a rumour earlier about you turning into some kind of badass and pushing Logan off the airplane."
The words escaped his mouth before he realized he was bringing up a touchy subject, and he cleared his throat awkwardly. "Sorry. I didn't mean to mention him again."
Her wavy locks bounced from side to side as she shook her head. "Actually, it felt pretty good to push him...after I shot him with a tranq dart. He deserved it."
"Well," Mitch smiled, relieved that she was not upset. "I may have muttered something about wanting to throw him in with that lizard."
Before he could react she kissed him, and while it was not passionate by any means it radiated comfort and healing. He was taken aback but not disappointed by the sudden move, as since their intimate encounter on the plane prior to it crashing he had longed to drink in her sweet taste. Considering his right hand was currently being held captive by hers - a fact that did not seem to bother him at all - he used his left hand to cup her cheek that still held one or two remnants of her tears. When she had previously entangled his fingers with hers he immediately felt his skin ignite, a sensation he had not experienced since the reunion in Caraquet.
They broke apart then and touched foreheads, Jamie feeling as if her spirit were ablaze with a fire she thought to have been long extinguished. She was fully aware she would still have to continue fighting the monsters in the corridors of her mind, but by allowing herself an emotional release she felt as if, even temporarily, the demons wrecking havoc on her thoughts had been defeated.
Mitch kissed the tip of her nose, his hand still on her cheek. "Jamie, this thing you and I have...it may be complicated as hell but in my heart I know we make sense. We can be scared together and take that leap when the time comes, but right now you need to focus on yourself. I'd say sleep is going to be our best friend tonight, especially considering the less-than-entertaining day we've had."
The young woman nodded in agreement, her eyelids drooping. Reluctantly releasing his hold on her cheek and hand, Mitch grabbed a nearby blanket and gently threw it over her body. Despite the room being his he was considering sleeping on the couch by the bar so that she would not be disturbed, however she clearly did not think the same way as she reached for his hand when he turned to leave.
Her voice already groggy, she spoke a single word. "Stay."
He hesitated for a moment and wondered if it was a good idea, but that doubt swiftly vanished since she had again initiated contact. Granting her wish, he climbed in beside her and ignored the blanket as he thought she needed it more than him. His feet were barely on the mattress when she took his arms, placed them around herself like a cocoon, and buried her face in his chest. She could feel the soft beating of his heart against her cheek and the protective embrace his arms - his very presence - provided. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips when he pulled her close to him (if that were even possible, seeing as how a piece of paper couldn't have fit between them) and kissed the top of her head.
As the silent invader known as sleep stole up on them, Jamie had an inkling the nightmares wouldn't be making an appearance that night.