Pain

By Katianna

Warnings for rape, violence and language.

Author's Note: This is not a nice fic. This is not a pretty fic. There is no romance or happily ever after in this fic. If you're into pink and cute little bunny rabbits, this probably isn't for you. This is an author's stress relief. The more you complain or flame, the more likely it is that I will be posting more of this type of fic. It's a vicious circle. This said, here's the fic...

A Fragile Mind And A Gentle Spirit

~Natalie Imbruglia

Jesse looked up as he saw Brennan check his watch once more.

"How late are they now?" He asked quietly.

"Almost three hours. Adam's going to be so mad when they get back." Brennan chuckled. Jesse scrubbed his eyes and got up from the computer to stretch his legs.

"I don't know. I have a bad feeling about this."

"You think we should check their comm-links again?"

"I've been keeping tabs on it, they're still inactive. It's not like them to..." There was a small beep from the console. He moved to lean over the chair and type in a set of commands. "The car's just got back in, they're back." The guys headed down the stairs to meet the girls at the garage door.

When Shalimar and Emma appeared in the doorway both men took a breath and stepped back. Emma was curled in Shalimar's arms, a blanket wrapped securely around her. Shalimar's face was pale and a large bruise was spreading across her cheek. This wasn't what caught their attention, though. What caught their attentions was the amount of blood. Shalimar was just about covered in it and it was drying on her hands. Dirty marks showed where she had held the blanket that covered Emma. Emma herself was hidden from view, leaving them guessing at where the blood had all come from.

"Shalimar...?" Brennan was the first to recover from his shock and step forward to offer his assistance.

"Back off." The words were growled at him, a feral noise echoing behind them, leaving no doubt. She seemed to hesitate there, in the doorway, before turning to leave with Emma still in her arms, leaving the two men to stare after them, shocked, worried and confused. Brennan made to follow her, but Jesse caught his arm.

"Shal tells you to back off like that, you do it Brennan. No questions asked. If Emma's hurt she'll take her to Adam."

"What if she doesn't take her to Adam?"

"We assume one of two things. We can assume that the blood isn't theirs and that Shalimar had to get extreme to keep them safe, perhaps Emma is knocked out or unconscious."

"What's the other thing?" Brennan asked when Jesse paused.

"That it's too late for Adam to help her."

Jesse, Brennan and Adam sat outside Shalimar's door. She hadn't gone to Adam. None of them really knew what to think. It was more than twenty minutes after they had arrived when Shalimar emerged from her room. She had scrubbed the blood from her arms and face, but she wore the same bloodstained trousers she had arrived in and a loose shirt was worn over the top of the bloodstained top she'd worn out that night.

She seemed to jump back as they stood, her eyes flickering from one to the other. Finally her eyes fixed on Jesse's and didn't leave them. A silent request.

"Guys, could Shal and I talk a minute?" He looked over at Adam for a moment, praying he'd understand. He nodded briefly and headed for his lab with a 'you know where to find me'. Following Adam's lead Brennan headed into his room. Jesse turned back to Shalimar.

"Is that better?" She nodded, moving post him into the small rec. room. "Is Emma... is Emma OK?" He asked as he followed her. She laughed, short and gruff.

"She'll wake up tomorrow morning. She probably won't remember it. It won't make it any better but..." her voice broke and she stopped, sitting down carefully on the sofa. He couldn't help but see the flash of pain that flared in her face.

"You're not OK, though, are you Shal." Jesse sat down beside her and she was immediately up again, pacing the confined space.

"Neither of us are 'OK' Jesse." She snapped. She stopped pacing and rubbed at a point on her forehead for a moment. "They gave her something. Some kind of drug. They must have figured I was drunk enough not to bother. I must have been pretty plastered, or I would have realised sooner." Carefully she sat down again. Unconsciously distancing herself from Jesse, even in the confines of the seat. She tried to restrain her emotions as a sigh became a quiet sob, but soon one sob lead to another and with tears streaking her face she covered her face. A touch on her shoulder made her jump, but she relaxed into Jesse's embrace as she began crying uncontrollably.

She smelt of alcohol and smoke - it would have been smoky in the club, he rationalised - and of something else he couldn't pin down.

"I should have been able to stop them, Jess. I shouldn't have let them..." She couldn't get the word out, but her meaning was clear to Jesse. One, or maybe both of the girls had been raped.

"What happened?" He asked weakly.

"There were three of them. They... they took fucking TURNS, Jesse. And they were all human. I could have snapped their necks."

"Why didn't you?" He asked quietly. He hadn't meant to ask the question quite like that, it seemed so coarse. She didn't because she was one of the good guys. But the question still stood.

"One of the guys had a lighter. I don't think he even knew... what we were, what it would do to me... but he saw. He was waving it around, I think he was drunk..." Jesse felt a terrible sinking feeling as he made the connection with the smell.

"How badly burned are you, Shal?"

"He found it so funny." She continued, not seeming to hear his question. "And I didn't know what to do, and he was just laughing..." Jesse took hold of her shoulders, hoping her sharp intake of breath wasn't because he was hurting her. She met his eyes.

"Shalimar. I need to know how badly you're burnt. We need to go and see Adam." She looked at him blankly for a moment.

"Adam? No, I don't... I can't..." She took a deep shuddering breath. "No, Jesse. Please?"

"Is the blood yours?" She shook her head firmly.

"The blood is theirs." He accepted that. He didn't need, or want to know.

"Does Emma need to see Adam?"

"No, she's asleep. She's not... She's not hurt in any way Adam could help right now."

"You know the faster you go see him, the less it will hurt later."

"Give me ten minutes, I'll go see him then." Jesse nodded his approval.

Shortly after Brennan had joined Mutant X, Shalimar had told Jesse all about how she perceived men. There were three types, she had told him. Alphas, the leaders; dominants, the ones who would argue with the alphas, but follow them; and submissives, those who would follow the leader without question. She had told him that she saw Adam as alpha and Brennan as dominant - and predicted huge arguments between them - and him as a submissive. He'd been quite insulted at the time, but he knew now that the only reason Shalimar had talked to him tonight was because she knew he was submissive and in that she could trust him completely. He wouldn't show her aggression for letting Emma down and he could offer her comfort without it being anything more.

Standing, Jesse pulled Shalimar to her feet. "Let's go and see Adam."

I really don't have a story line for this, so if you do think it's any good and want more, review and leave your ideas. Thanks!