'She looks so… different when she sleeps, more peaceful, I s'pose,' Jesse thought, looking down at the woman laying beside him on the bed. He had carried Briallen in. She had tried to claim that he didn't need to, that she was fine.

But he could tell otherwise.

When she came back from the therapist she was trembling, avoiding eye contact, and scratching at her neck where he had seen the bruises fade. Her stutter had gotten worse, to the point where he had trouble understanding some of what she said, and she teared up more than once. Eventually, he just wrapped a blanket around his shoulders, scooped her up, and took her to bed, letting her cling to him on the way there. She tried to tell him that he didn't have to do this, but the way she clutched at his shirt said otherwise; she was scared, and he'd burn in hell before he left her alone like this. This was not the natural kind of fear, but a kind manufactured in her subconscious. Whatever had happened to her in that kitchen cut her deeper than it had seemed.

Now, though, the fear seemed to ebb away, leaving her relaxed and at peace.

'I don't think I've ever seen her this content before,' he mused, gently running his fingers through her hair. It was softer than he expected, falling back to reveal a small scar right below her ear. 'Wonder where she got that.'

A smile grew on her face as she shifted, attempting to bury herself in his chest. It was adorable and knowing that he made her feel safe enough to seek him out in her sleep was touching. It also reminded him of Hanzo once he got a bit of liquor in him. Cuddly as a cat, one could say.

'Shit, I forgot to let Hanzo know everything went okay!' Gritting his teeth, he gently pulled away from Briallen, trying not to disturb her when he knew she needed this sleep to reset. 'Hanzo's gonna be pissed! He hates it when I don't call after a mission, even a small one like today's…' Successfully out of the bed without having disturbed the still-sleeping Briallen, he grabbed his phone and hurried into the living room, closing the door behind him.

"Hey, Hannybear, how's it going?" he asked, laying on the sweetness a little thick to avoid getting yelled at. It didn't work.

Hanzo's voice was as stern and tense as Jesse had expected it to be when he interjected. There was no getting around this one. "You usually call right after a mission, is everything okay?"

Jesse sighed, rubbing at his face. "Yeah, everything's fine… now. Briallen… had some kind of a run in with Hetland's Omnic. I don't know exactly what happened, all I know is that one moment the meeting was going as normal, and the next, there was a crash and a scream from the kitchen. When I came running in, she looked as if she was going to faint and there were finger-like bruises on her neck. She- She claimed the Omnic had thrown her against the wall, but it looked to me like she hadn't moved an inch since she dropped the tea jar…"

There was a pause. "And how did she fare?"

Jesse frowned a bit. "She's… fine now. She visited her therapist and came back about a half an hour ago all shaken up again. I hope it's just from havin' to relive the whole thing."

"That is good." Hanzo's voice bordered disinterest, but there was something else there, something coated with a venom.

"Okay, what's got your panties in a twist, Han?" Jesse asked with a sigh, rubbing his face. "I can hear that tone of yours and it ain't friendly."

"I dislike how much time you have spent with her recently. It feels like you are trying to replace me."

'He always has been the jealous type…' "And what makes you think I would go and do a stupid thing like that?"

"I do not know, you tell me, Jesse," Hanzo's words came back cold, almost angry.

'Oh shit, what did I forget… It wasn't his birthday, 4/20 is easy enough to remember, and I've got calendar notifications on my phone so I don't forget our anniversary…' He cringed. "Ah, shoot, I forgot about our dinner today, didn't I?"

"Should I even dignify that with a response?" came the hissing retort Jesse had been waiting for.

"Listen, Hannybear, I am so sorry, I promise I had planned on meeting you there today, it's just that so many things happened today and I-"

"Save your breath, Jesse," Hanzo sighed, the shake of his head audible through the phone's speaker. "Just make sure you come back at some point." And with that, and a soft click, the conversation was over, leaving Jesse dumbfounded in the middle of the living room.

"Boyfriend problems?"

Jesse jumped and turned to see Briallen standing in the doorway, looking over with the duvet cover around her shoulders and a sympathetic smile on her lips. He returned it with a half-hearted one of his own. "Yeah, I kinda messed up today, forgot about some plans we'd had for a while now… But, that's my own fault and I will deal with the consequences when they come. What matters right now is you, are you doin' okay, darlin'?"

Her eyes softened and he could have sworn he did too, though he tried to hide it. 'If Hanzo would take the time to get to know you I know he'd take a shine to you just like I have…' Hanzo really hadn't taken a liking to Briallen, or even the concept of her presence since he'd learned of it, but that really wasn't a surprise. He was slow to trust, especially when it came to intimate details about himself, of which she would learn plenty doing what she did.

"I'm doing a bit better, though I'm still a bit shaken up, but is e a th 'ann," she said with a shrug and a thin smile which did very little to hide her discomfort, gesturing in the air with her wounded hand.

'Gaelic,' thought Jesse, watching her gaze drop to the ground and her teeth catch the meat of her lip so she could chew on it while she thought. 'I didn't know she spoke it…' He let out a soft sigh, moving closer so he could gently tug the lip out from her teeth with his thumb. "What are you thinking about, darlin'?"

She looked back up at him, honey brown eyes clouded with confusion and worry. "Jesse, if I… can I show you something without," she hesitated, looking away again to work something out in her head. After a few seconds, she shook her head, took a deep breath, and looked him in the eyes. "Can I show you something important? You have to promise not to tell the Commander."

His eyes widened. 'Not tell Jack? What- Is she hiding something?' "I don't know, Bri, I-" but the look she gave him cut his words right off. She looked so desperate and so earnest… "Uh, I mean, s-sure, go ahead." 'Damn. She melts me like a pat of butter on a pancake…'

"Whoah," Jesse breathed, looking over the folders and notes she was spreading out over the coffee table. There were nearly enough manilla folders stacked together to make a fort, and it looked like each paper contained within was carefully documented, highlighted, and labelled; she had clearly spent plenty of time organising this information. She was dedicated. "That's… that's a lot."

"Mmn," she hummed, nodding as she went to stand beside him, fingers playing with a strand of her hair. "It took me weeks to compile all of this, but I know that there's more info in the database. Winston's just too good with his tech and I can't get Athena to let me see any more than this. There aren't any hard copy files in the records room down on floor fifteen, but there's a gap where they should be, almost like the files were removed and never put back."

He furrowed his brows, picking up the folder she handed to him, the one that started it all, and read through it. 'Morrigan? Why does that name sound familiar?' "But that don't make a lick of sense. You're Winston's assistant, ain't ya? Wouldn't that mean you've automatically got a higher authorisation level than most of us? I mean, you are the one cross referencin' the agent files, right? Can't you just ask Winston to let you read them?"

She shook her head, chewing on her lip again. It seemed to be a developing habit. "It's not that simple, Jesse. The files I'm missing require an authorisation level of five. What's your current level?"

"Four, I believe."

She nodded. "So's mine. So's Lena's, and Lucio's, and Hana's, and pretty much everyone else. You all have a higher authorisation level than anyone else, especially Dean. All of you except Jack, Angela, Anna, and Winston. They all have level five, the highest I've been able to find, which means they can see everything. These files, the ones I've been trying to access and the ones that will give me most of the information I need, they're under the tightest lock and key, restricted to only the most senior Overwatch members, and most likely on a need-to-know basis. The fact that I came across that first one was probably just a fluke, some dolt putting a file away in the wrong place…" Her hands came up and she rubbed at her face, shaking her head. "Anyway, Jack already told me to drop it, but, I mean, just read the files! I can't, in good conscience, just drop these files and forget about it! It doesn't look like anything was actually wrapped up!" Her voice had risen in volume enough that her cat let out a soft chirp of concern, looking up at her.

Jesse raised an eyebrow at her before looking back down at the files, shifting through them and scratching his cheek. "I hear ya.. What these files are suggesting… We could have a whole 'nother big baddie on our hands. Sure, the lab was destroyed, but it looks like most of these scientists weren't incarcerated, especially this Dr. Morgan and her pet Black Wasp…" 'Black Wasp… why does that name sound so familiar? Why does this all sound so familiar?' "Do you know if Morrigan's been found yet?"

She shook her head again, exasperated. "No, I don't. The last mentioned sighting of Black Wasp was about six years ago when she was identified via the CCTV cameras of an airport in Switzerland…. After that it-" her voice, having gradually slowed and softened, cut out altogether with a weak sob.

Turning, Jesse was surprised to find her eyes welling up with tears. "Woah, woah, woah, hey now," he said, dropping the files to pull her into a hug. "What's going on, what's got you teary eyed, sweet pea?"

She shuddered, another weak sob running through her as she struggled to push herself away. "No, Jesse, don't! Please," she whimpered, backing away in horror as he loosened his grip. Her eyes were wide with fear, her entire body trembling. "Jesse, I woke up five years ago in a coma… that-the hospital I was in was only a few miles from that airport." Tears dripped quietly down her cheeks as she hugged herself. "Jesse, what if… what if I'm Morrigan?"

Jesse opened his mouth to speak, to dispute that ridiculous point, but the door slid open and a body came hurrying quickly into the room. It was Dean Rose, his face contorted with worry as he hurried up to Briallen, gently grabbing her arms by the elbow.

"Briallen! Are you alright, love?" he asked, reaching up to push away her bangs as he looked into her eyes. "I only just heard what happened and came as soon as I could."

At the way she looked up at Dean, all wide-eyed and open, Jesse felt a spark of… what was that, jealousy? No, it couldn't have been. He couldn't be jealous, he had Hanzo, he had nothing to be jealous of. Nevertheless, Briallen had expressed a very clear desire to not be touched, and she seemed on the verge of yanking herself away from Dean. He could tell from the look in her eyes that she wasn't about to stand up for herself, so Jesse would have to do it for her.

"Hey pal, Bri's not really in the mood to be touched right now, maybe you should take a few steps back," he said, reaching out to gently lay a hand on Dean's shoulder.

Dean yanked it away, glaring up at him. "I think if Briallen wasn't in the mood to be touched, she'd let me know," he said, almost tightening his grip on her arms, pulling her closer. "If anyone should take a few steps back, it's you."

Jesse looked to Briallen, urging her to stand up for herself, but she just looked away and let herself be pulled into Dean's chest. "It's…. It's fine, Jesse," she murmured, not at all sounding like she actually believed herself, but meek and surrendering.

Dean's glare didn't fade as Jesse took a step back, almost looking him up and down in a challenge. "What are you doing here anyway, McCree? Isn't it a bit inappropriate to be alone with another man's girlfriend?"

Briallen's eyes jumped open in shock, as if this was news to her, but she didn't argue the point, which made Jesse frown.

"Dr. Zeigler asked me to keep an eye on her after her accident," he said, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest. He stood a few inches taller than Dean and certainly had a bit more muscle on him, but made no move to intimidate. If Briallen wasn't going to object to being held so closely after explicitly asking to not be touched, he wasn't going to argue. Maybe she felt more comfortable in Dean's arms than in his. Again, that twinge of envy twitched in his chest, making his frown deepen.

"It's okay, Dean," Briallen murmured, pushing herself away from his chest enough to look up at him, but not enough to break his embrace. "He's just a friend, don't worry."

"Still, I think he should leave," Dean responded, not taking his gaze off the cowboy.

She seemed to hesitate, looking between them before looking away and down at the floor. "Maybe… Maybe you should leave, Jesse. I'll-I'll see you later."

"Are you sure, darlin'?" he asked, cringing as the endearment slipped out, making Dean's glare sharpen.

"Yes."

"Alright, then. Just let me know if anythin' happens, okay? Don't forget to call Dr. Penn as well," he said, his frown softening in disappointment. 'One day… hopefully one day she'll stand up for herself…' With a bow of his head, he turned and stepped out of the apartment, attempting to bury the little green monster that was rising in him. 'Stop it, Jesse. She ain't yours and you've got Hanzo…. I just hope she's happy…'

Almost as soon as Jesse had left, Dean had turned to you, his expressions dancing between concern and irritation. "What was that all about, love?" he asked, gently caressing your cheek, his hand warm and large against your face.

"I don't know…" you murmured, closing your eyes and surrendering yourself to the touch. It had been forever since someone had touched you like this, and you revelled in the feeling. "Jesse really was just trying to look out for me, Dean…"

He frowned a bit, tilting your head to the side to make you look at him. "Still, I don't want you hanging around him by yourself. I've heard stories about McCree, and I really don't want you to end up being one of them, ok?"

You furrowed your brow, looking up at him in confusion. "Stories? What are you talking about?"

He looked away, seeming to waffle between his options before he sighed and pulled away, leaving you feeling cold from the shock of how quickly he did so. You wanted to run after him like a puppy as he walked to the couch, but only just managed to hold yourself back and followed at a reasonable pace. You wanted to be wrapped up in that warm embrace again, the one you hadn't felt in years.

"Do you have anything to drink?" he asked, his eyes scanning the files you had splayed out on the table.

"Uhm, I mean, I've got some water," you said, your anxiety starting to build. 'What kind of stories has he heard about Jesse?' "Would you… like some?"

He smiled, a charming glint of teeth that gave you a sense of whiplash. "Yes, please, if you wouldn't mind. I am a little parched from running down here."

You nodded, wrapping your arms around your chest as you walked to the kitchenette to grab a glass. "Speaking of which, how did you get down here? I thought this floor was restricted access to the heroes and me only. Here."

His smile widened a bit as he took the glass from you and proceeded to down nearly half of it in one gulp. "It is. I convinced the Commander to give me special access after we heard what happened. We were both very worried about you, you know?"

"No, I didn't. But… I'm glad you were." You watched him for a couple seconds, waiting for him to continue with the subject from a few moments ago, but it was clear he wasn't going to without being prompted. "So, um, about those stories concerning Jesse…"

Dean frowned, pinching the bridge of his nose in a sigh. "I really didn't want to tell you about them, Bri. I know he's your friend and I didn't want to ruin your image of him… But, if you insist." He looked up at you, his eyes serious and angry, at what you couldn't tell. "Jesse McCree is a womaniser and a pervert. He will do everything within his power to get close to you, to make you think you're his friend, hell, maybe even love him, and then he'll use you, and once he's done doing that, he'll drop you like a stone and never speak to you again. It's happened to plenty of women on this base, a few of my friends included."

Your heart twisted in your chest and confusion wracked your brain. "No, that can't be true. Jesse is a sweetheart, he-"

"That's exactly how he gets you, babe," Dean interjected, standing up and taking your hands into his, caressing one of your cheeks again. "See? He's already starting to get under your skin. You're lucky I came and warned you in time or you might have had your heart broken."

A few tears welled up in your eyes. 'Could Jesse have been using me? He was getting awfully close today... ' "Are they… are they really true? Is he really a bad guy?"

Dean clicked his tongue and ran his thumb over your cheekbone, wiping away a tear. "Oh, baby. He's not a bad guy necessarily, he just does some bad things. I want you to be careful around him from now on, ok? Try your hardest not to be alone in a room with him. I don't want you to get hurt. Ok? Promise me that you'll try?"

You nodded, nuzzling into the touch. "I promise."

He smiled, that brilliant grin that always made your heart skip a beat. "That's my girl." He leaned in, pressing a kiss to your forehead and pulling you into an embrace. "That's my good girl."

Angela was sitting back and reading a book, relaxing with a cup of tea in her apartment when Jesse came knocking. She was almost tempted to send him away, to tell him to come back later, and she almost did, but the urgency with which he spoke, and the mention of Briallen's name, bade her not to. She was quick to answer the door after that.

"Doc, we really need to talk," he said, stepping into the apartment after she opened the door. "And I want you to tell me the truth, no lyin'."

She frowned, confused. "Jesse, when and why would I ever lie to you? What's going on? Is Briallen okay?"

"She's fine, for now. She's got Rose." He rubbed angrily at his face, as if that fact upset him.

"Well that's good," she said, turning to get him a cup of tea. "I'm glad to hear they're getting along well! He is her instructor after all. Didn't I hear something about them going to the Halloween party together? Oh! Are you and Hanzo finally going to go together this year?"

Jesse turned a frustrated glare her way, shutting her up quickly.

"Ah, yes, not the point of the conversation. What's going on, Jesse? What's bothering you?" she asked, handing him the cup and settling down on her couch.

Jesse took the cup almost hesitantly, but sat down anyway, cradling the warm porcelain in his hands. "Who is Briallen?"