'You could be more than just an assistant, Briallen. You could join Lena and everyone on the hero roster. You could do so much more good in the world than you are right now.' Angela's words bounced through your head as you struggled to fall asleep. You were a genetic mutant, apparently, which was a little hard to accept and understand. You had been trained and conditioned by this Aderyn , which might have explained how you were such a sharp shot, even though you hadn't knowingly held a gun in the past five years. You were worried about what you might have done with those skills before any of this.

Now, you were trying to decide whether you should go through with the procedure or not. You had it pretty good right now, a stable job in which you really weren't in any danger, someone to love and hold you when you felt down, friends who felt more like family…

You rolled over, facing Dean as he slept, and reached out to gently run your fingers across his cheek. 'I wonder what kind of combat he's seen… How many people he's… how many he's lost. How long was he in the army for, it couldn't have been that long, he's too young…' You let your hand fall back down to the mattress. 'Should I tell him? We're dating, he should know at least the most major things happening in my life, right? Maybe he'd be able to help me make a decision... But what if it scares him? What if he doesn't like me anymore after that…' You bit your lip and sighed, quietly slipping out of bed. 'I need to go for a run.'

The night air was cooler than you expected as you exited the compound, but you didn't let it get to you as you set off with a slight jog to get started. You hoped the air and the blood pumping through your veins would clear your mind enough to let you get to sleep, but it did practically nothing. Instead of forgetting about everything and focusing on the music and the feel of your feet pounding the pavement, you continued to waffle with your choices and question every thought you had.

Frustrated, you stopped and leaned against the compound's rear wall, gripping your knees. "I am Briallen Marsh, I am twenty-six years old, I am an assistant," you murmured to yourself, trying to revert to old mantras that used to keep you sane back in the old days. It was supposed to help you focus your thoughts on the present instead of the past you thought you might never know. "I have a cat named Euripides, he is five. I have a boyfriend, his name is Je-Dean, he is sweet and he loves me for who I am."

"Briallen? What are you doin' out here?" came the familiar southern rumble as Jesse approached, smiling brightly.

You stood up quickly and smiled, happy to see his familiar face. "Just out for a run, clearing my head," you said, pulling out your earbuds and wrapping your arms around yourself. As you stood still, the cold air clung to the sweat on your skin, making you shiver, something Jesse's keen eyes didn't miss.

"Just clearin' your head, huh? Then why're you out here without a jacket?" he asked, pulling off his serape to wrap it around your shoulders. His eyes took on a serious darkness as he looked down at you. "You ain't runnin' from anything, are you? Does Dean know you're here?"

You blinked, surprised, one at the warmth the serape provided and how his scent swirled comfortingly around you, and two at the sudden shift in tone. "I'm… I'm fine, Jesse. Dean's still asleep, so no he doesn't know where I am. Even if he wasn't, he doesn't need to know where I am twenty-four-seven."

Even with the confirmation, Jesse's eyes stayed dark. "Listen to me very carefully, Briallen," he murmured, his voice so low it was almost a growl. "If he ever lays a hand on you, you let me know first thing, okay? You send me a message or something on your communicator and you let me know and I'll be there as fast as I can."

Your heart beat quickly in your chest with a feeling you couldn't quite place. You liked Jesse, as a friend, you'd thought, but the way he had you almost pinned to the wall… You couldn't tell what this feeling was. Fearing it was more than just platonic affection, you forced yourself to settle on fear. "Jesse," you breathed after a few moments, unable to tear your gaze from his. "Jesse, you're scaring me."

As soon as the words were out of your mouth, the sudden persona he'd gained melted, and his expression read nothing but guilt as he quickly took a step back. "I-I am so sorry, pumpkin, I didn't mean to scare you it's just… I don't know what I'd do with myself if I knew that he'd hurt you…" He turned away a bit, scratching at his neck and rubbing at his face.

Your fear faded quickly, replaced with a warm gratitude. "Jesse… you don't have to be so worried about me, you know. Dean's not going to hurt me, I can promise that. Why would you even think such a silly thing?" you asked, reaching up to place a gentle hand on his arm, drawing his gaze back to you.

His eyes searched yours for a couple seconds before he sighed. "I… I don't know. Sometimes I just worry about my… friends. Let's… let's talk about something else, shall we?" His smile was weak and his gaze begged you to agree, so you let it drop.

"Okay, what are you doing out here so late? I didn't take you for a late night runner."

"I needed a smoke," he answered honestly, turning to stand beside you against the wall. "Hanzo doesn't like it when I smoke inside the apartment, so I come out here to do it. Also helps to get some fresh air."

You frowned. "I wish you wouldn't do it anywhere and just quit altogether. Smoking's no good for your health, you know," you said, looking up at him from the corner of your eye as you kicked at a small pebble on the ground, holding the serape closer. It was very calming, being surrounded by his scent again, enough so that you had forgotten entirely how Dean had warned you about him.

Jesse chuckled, giving you a slight nudge. "Now, look who's worried about who. Trust me, I get enough nagging from Angela to know the whole spiel. You don't need to remind me. Speakin' of Angela, I heard she dragged you into her office earlier today. You okay?"

"Uh, yeah, I uh… Well, uh…" you bit your lip, dropping your gaze to the ground. "I don't know, honestly. I think… I think I'm finally starting to see larger chunks of who I was thanks to Angela but… I'm… Angela- ugh!" you groaned in frustration, kicking off against the wall and beginning to pace. "I'm so tired of not being able to get my fucking thoughts out! Jesse, I'm a mutant, I went through some awful fucking scientific torture because of Dr. Morgan, who planned to use me as a killer but never got the chance because I managed to escape and flee to Switzerland by gods know what transportation only to find myself in the middle of a fucking street like a dumbass and end up in the hospital because I wasn't paying attention to traffic! Half of my brain is Omnic technology and the bones of my entire right arm are some strange fucking metal that lives and feels and acts like normal bone and, apparently, I've been sending out thought waves or whatever to Omnics around me because of what that godsdamned doctor did to me and I-"

Jesse leaped forward, grabbing you by the arms to steady you as you tripped over your feet, letting out an uncomfortable chuckle. "Breathe, darlin', breathe," he murmured, gently rubbing his thumb against the top of your hand. "I don't think I heard you take a single breath during any of that."

He was right; your head reeled a little bit and you leaned against him for support. You were trembling and a few tears collected in your eyes. "Jesse… I'm not human. I… I don't know what I am, Angela didn't explain what the transformation would be, but Aderyn messed with my genetics, she pretty much rewrote the code to my body… I only look human because she managed to mask the changes she made, I think she was planning on unmasking them when I was to be trained but…" You looked up into his eyes, clutching at his arm. "I don't know what to do, Jesse. Angela says she can unmask the code, make me a hero, but, I don't know if I want that. I mean, what if… what if I don't look the same? What if I'm ugly and deformed and just… Not who I am now?"

Jesse took a second, pulling you into an embrace and pressing a kiss to the top of your head before letting out a heavy breath. He held you in silence for a few moments, allowing you to cry quietly into his chest as he rocked you back and forth until, finally, he spoke. "Briallen, you are one of the most beautiful women I have ever met, and I mean that wholeheartedly. I ain't just talkin' about your looks, I'm talkin' about your whole self. You're funny, you're smart, and you're so selfless, I bet you'd try to give your life for someone you just met if it meant savin' theirs. There are a lot of strange people on this base, robots that walk and talk, a cyborg who's gone through a lot more than I think I ever could, a rat with a fetish for explosives."

You chuckled, sniffling and wiping at your eyes as you pulled away a bit to look up at him.

He smiled. "And, hell, even look at Winston, he's a gorilla that can talk," he said, reaching down to wipe at one of your tears, his hand cupping your cheek. "All of us here have one common goal, to help save the world. Isn't that one of your goals?" he asked, watching you nod your head, and chuckled. "Then I think you'd fit right in, mutation or not. I'm not gonna tell you which choice to make, whether you go through with Angela's plan or not is all up to you, I just want you to know that, whatever choice you make I-we will all love you just the same, okay?"

You smiled, leaning into his touch and closing your eyes, your heart swelling as you nodded. "Okay," you whispered, unable to help but relapse into another bout of tears. There was so much pent up emotion inside your chest, so many years of fearing who you were, of uncertainty about your place in the world, and, somehow, being here with Jesse, in his embrace, it made you feel like you had a place where you were accepted no matter what. It made you feel stable for the first time in years.

He let out a sigh of relief and pulled you back against his chest, pressing another kiss to the top of your head as he gently ran his fingers through your hair. He let you grasp at his chest, crying into his shirt just letting it all out. When all your tears had dried, he let you pull away and reorganise yourself, let you stand there and regather your breath, then held a hand out to you.

"Let's get you inside, hon. I think a good night's rest will do you good," he said, wrapping his fingers around your hand when you reached out to grab his. His smile was soft, understanding and warm, inviting even, and you couldn't help but smile back in return.

"Come on, Han, you ain't even met her yet!" Jesse sighed, rubbing at his face as his boyfriend took another drink of his beer. The party had hardly even started and Hanzo was already staking claim to a seat at the bar. "Would you just give her a chance? We've been talking about finding a third."

"Yes, we have, Jesse, but for a third to work, we both have to have interest. You've already stated that she and Rose are together, so why would I have any interest in her? You know how I feel about you pining over people who are already taken," Hanzo shot back, frowning. "It's immoral."

Jesse snorted, shaking his head. "You'd know about immoral, wouldn't you?"

Hanzo seethed. "Do not bring that up. We've talked about this."

"If you would just talk to her, I know you'd take a shine to her," Jesse urged, sighing again and reaching over to place a hand over one of Hanzo's. He looked up at him with imploring brown eyes, reaching up to brush away his bangs. "Han, I'd like you to at least meet her. You don't have to take a liking to her in that way. At the very least she is my friend and I would love for you two to get along." He smiled softly, cupping his boyfriend's cheek. "As long as you give her a chance, she will like you, I promise. She's just got this genuine kindness about her, she's so sweet. Please, Hannybear?"

Hanzo sighed, tilting his head to lean into the touch. He watched Jesse for a few seconds, the cogs turning behind those dark eyes of his, before he closed them and nodded, relenting. "Only because you look adorable when you beg," he said quietly, pulling away from the touch to take another drink. "But I feel like you have an ulterior motive, Jesse. What is it?"

Jesse's smile faded and he dropped his hand heavily into his lap, gripping at his leg as he let out a heavy sigh. "I've… I've heard rumours about Rose. Many rumours from people I trust. He's not a good man, Han," he said, shaking his head. "I'm afraid he's going to hurt her."

Hanzo stiffened, frowning. "Physically?"

"Possibly. Mentally and emotionally are more likely," Jesse admitted, rubbing at his face, almost messing up the skeleton facepaint Hana had done for him. It bothered him that she was so attached to Rose; they had practically been joined at the hip for the past week, and it was starting to seem like that wasn't her idea. "He's already got his eye on me, and I'm pretty sure he's told her some bullshit lies about me seein' as she's been obviously trying to avoid being alone with me after that night. But he don't know about you."

"You want me to keep an eye on her," Hanzo said, understanding what his boyfriend was trying to get at.

"Please, Han. You've already said you got no interest in her, not as long as she's with Rose, he won't suspect a thing. I don't want to spook her or prompt Rose into doin' anything drastic on account of he might hurt her, but I want to make sure she's safe. 'N I trust you the most," he slipped his hand into one of Hanzo's, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Please, darlin', I'm beggin' you here. Truly beggin'."

Hanzo seemed to think for a few moments. "On one condition," he said gruffly, finishing his drink. "I get to top tonight."

Jesse grinned, pushing himself up to press a kiss to Hanzo's temple. "Yessir. Thankee, gorgeous," he murmured, wrapping an arm around him as he stood.

Hanzo chuckled, leaning into the affection. "You were right, she is pretty," he said, tilting his head in the direction of the ballroom doors where people were slowly streaming in.

Jesse looked up in surprise and had his breath nearly taken away. She looked absolutely stunning in her costume; a floor length, cream coloured dress adorned with pink and red flowers clung nicely to her frame, outlining the curves of her waist and torso perfectly while also giving her a look of young innocence - something she really didn't need help achieving -, her hair was pulled to the side in a loose braid, also adorned and intertwined with flowers and little pieces of greenery. Her eyes shined so brightly he could nearly make out their honey caramel undertones from halfway across the ballroom. He was so captivated that it took him a second to recognise the dark figure standing beside her.

Rose was dressed in a very, very dark suit with what looked like blue flames painted professionally up the sleeves and pant legs starting from the cuffs. He was holding what looked like a bident, which was the only thing, in Jesse's mind, that gave away what his costume was.

"Hades and Persephone," he mused bitterly, shaking his head. "How appropriate." He watched as a small crowd gathered around them, knowing it was Rose's own parade of groupies. "Do you think he ever gets tired of having his ass kissed?"

Hanzo snorted, stifling his laughter. "Hush, Jesse, jealousy is not a pretty colour on you." He titled his head, watching how Jesse softened just at the sight of her. "You truly are smitten, aren't you?"

Jesse smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck, his gaze trailing after her as she and Rose drifted further into the ballroom, Rose's friends following closely after.. "You won't blame me once you get to know her, Han. You'll start melting just from the sound of her voice just like I have."

Hanzo rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, Jess… She looks happy. Are you sure you're right about Rose?"

Jesse's smile hardened as she caught sight of him and started to make her way over. "I'm more than sure. Relationships like that never start off bad. Briallen! Or should I say, Your Highness," he said, giving her a dramatic bow as he admired her up close; she glowed even in the dark atmosphere of the bar. "You are lookin' absolutely radiant, as ever. I daresay you don't even need that dress to outshine the rest of the women here tonight."

Briallen blushed, brushing back a strand of loose hair. "You think so? Dean insisted on having a professional do my makeup for tonight, I'm not a big fan of all the layers caked onto my face, but I'm glad it was worth it. How are you, it's been a while!" There was a sadness in her eyes as she spoke, a sort of apology mixed in with their depths; she didn't want to be avoiding him like she had been. He suspected Dean had learned about their late night encounter and had had quite the conversation with her. Jesse both did and didn't want to know how it went.

'He's already started manipulating her, hasn't he?' he asked himself, watching the way her eyes jumped from him to the crowd Rose was still swallowed up in and back again. "Is sumthin' wrong, darlin'?" he asked softly, following her gaze to find Rose watching them, obviously unhappy, either with her current choice in company or simply with the fact that she wasn't currently glued to his arm, completing the costume.

She cleared her throat and shook her head, quickly stepping up to the bar and ordering a drink. There was a nervousness to that lilting Irish accent of hers, making it wobble just slightly. "N-No, why do you ask? Everything's fine. So, did you come stag again this year? Lena said you might've."

Hanzo snorted and moved to stand and walk away, but Jesse hooked an arm around his waist and dragged him back.

"No, I didn't. Briallen, I would love for you to finally meet Hanzo, my boyfriend," he said with a smile, pressing a kiss to the top of Hanzo's head as if to prove a point.

Hanzo frowned a bit. "I am not a trophy to show off, Jesse," he grumped, turning dark eyes on Briallen, who shifted awkwardly but still held out a hand with a bright smile.

"It's, uh, it's very nice to meet you!" she said, cocking her head, as she waited for him to return the gesture. "Jesse has told me a lot about you, all good things, of course!"

Jesse's smile softened with pride. Even under Rose's oppressive thumb, it seemed she'd been working on gaining confidence. He remembered when she'd struggle to get through the first "hello" without stuttering terribly. Now, here she was, standing her ground against his grumpy, glaring boyfriend.

Hanzo seemed to hesitate before Jesse felt him relax against his side, reaching forward to shake her hand. "It seems my partner likes to talk about us both quite a bit, as he's also talked extensively about you."

Briallen's blush seemed to deepen at that and Jesse found some sort of pride in the reaction. "Has he? Well, I'm flattered to be a part of your conversations." Her fingers wrapped delicately around the stem of the martini glass that was placed beside her and she leaned forward to take a drink, her eyes scanning the crowd of people, no doubt for Rose. It seemed she couldn't find him, because they widened a fraction only a second later and she stood stiffly in place, looking around.

'She looks like a frightened fawn… I'm going to kill him if he hurts her, I swear I am.' "Briallen, darlin', are you sure everything's alright?" he prodded again, beginning to reach forward but quickly shoving his hand in his pocket as a tall, dark figure approached.

"Of course, why wouldn't it be?" Rose asked, slipping in behind her and immediately drawing an arm around her waist. The action seemed to startle her as she jumped and took a step forward, only to be pulled back to his side. She had to set the martini down to keep from spilling it on her dress. "There you are, darling, I've been looking all over for you. I told you to stick by my side or you were going to get lost in the crowd, you're so small," he chuckled, drawing her into a kiss that made Jesse's stomach flip in anger.

Hanzo must have sensed the anger building in him because he quickly laced their fingers together, giving his hand a squeeze as if to say 'Be calm. It'll be alright.'

"I'm sorry, I just wanted a drink," Briallen said, pulling uncomfortably out of the kiss. "And I told you I know my way through crowds, I've been to concerts before, you don't have to worry about me…"

"It's my job to worry about you, kitten, you are mine after all. What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't worry?" Something about the way he spoke left Jesse with a nasty taste in his mouth, which only grew in intensity when Rose turned an outwardly disgusted gaze onto the cowboy and his partner. "I see you two are still going strong. How… quaint. After all those years of not coming together, we all thought you two had broken up."

"I don't enjoy parties, for obvious reasons," Hanzo said, glaring back at him.

Rose's look of disgust melted into an aggressive confusion. "I hope you're not insinuating what I think you might be. Are we going to have a problem?"

"No, no problem," Briallen cut in with a squeak, offering both Jesse and Hanzo a deeply apologetic look. "I think I have to… powder my nose. Escort me?" she asked, turning those pretty chocolate eyes on Rose and effectively distracting him.

Rose smiled, brushing his fingers across her cheek. "Of course, princess. It's just this way." His grip on her arm looked a bit tight as he began escorting her away and Jesse caught a soft "I thought I told you" as they walked out of earshot.

"I'm gonna kill him," he growled, holding Hanzo tightly. "I'm gonna fucking tear his throat out."

"Shh," his boyfriend hushed, patting his hand. "I can see what you meant earlier. I'll keep an eye on her."

"I thought I told you to stay away from Jesse McCree," Dean murmured in your ear, gripping your arm just a bit tighter than you thought was necessary. "I only asked you to do one thing for your own good and you couldn't even do that? You promised me that you would stay away from him, Briallen, and you didn't even wait a full twenty-four hours before you deliberately went behind my back and broke your promise."

"What?" you asked, shocked and confused by his words as your mind echoed them back to you. 'He only asked you to do one thing… you made a promise… No, but I've been trying- Trying isn't good enough, is it? You made a promise and you broke it. What kind of girlfriend does something like that?'

"Don't try to act innocent," he scoffed, putting on a surprisingly real smile as someone called his name, nodding his head in the direction of the voice. He never stopped tugging you along though, and you realised you weren't headed for the bathroom. "I know about that night you "went for a run". You came back reeking of cigar smoke and I know you don't smoke, neither do any of your friends."

A sudden fear gripped your chest as he drew you closer to the centre of the ballroom, where a waltz was starting. "Dean, I'm sorry, I-I wasn't expecting to run into him and I-"

"Stop," he said, his smile unfading as he turned you, preparing for the dance to start. "Smile, nod, follow my lead."

Your head swam in confusion at the seemingly quick mood change. "But-but I don't know how to dance."

He drew you closer as the music struck up, signalling the dance to begin, his hand on your waist, digging into your hip, you had nowhere to go, not without looking suspicious. "Then I suggest you learn quickly," he said lowly, his gaze flicking back over to the bar. "We have an audience, you know. Wouldn't want them to think anything is wrong, right?"

Without warning, you were pulled along, stumbling through the first and second iterations of the box step, each time you missed a step, you felt a small pinch on your side; Dean trying to signal for you to catch up. Eventually, you got the hang of it, though you flubbed a few steps when the box began to turn and the speed picked up.

"I don't understand, Briallen, why are you so keen on disobeying me?" Dean asked softly, nodding amicably as you passed by another pair of dancers. "Do you hate me that much?"

You furrowed your brows, shaking your head. "What, no! Of course not I-"

"So you want to see me suffer? Have I hurt you that much?"

"Dean, no! Stop, I-"

"Then what is it? Do you love him more than me? Do you love me at all?" he asked solemnly, giving you the most sorrowful look you'd seen on anyone recently. "Am I not enough for you, Briallen?"

"Of-of course I love you!" you managed, feeling your eyes begin to mist up as hurt blossomed in your chest. "Don't- don't say stupid things like that!"

He raised a brow slightly, his gaze still sorrowful. "Then why don't you listen to me? I only do all of this for your good, to keep you safe, princess. I only want to see you smile, yet you continue to go against my wishes."

"I'm… I'm sorry, I don't mean to…" 'I'm awful… he looks like he's about to cry… and it's all because of me… He tried to warn me about Jesse, and I promised to stay away from him, yet I keep going back to Jesse… I hurt him, I made him feel this way… I did this…' Tears manifested in your eyes, and your nose began to tingle. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

Dean leaned forward, pressing your foreheads together and somehow kept you two within the realms of the dance, moving in perfect time with the rhythm and the other dancers. "Shh, don't cry, kitten," he shushed, rubbing his thumb gently against your side. "It hurts me to see you cry… I know it's hard to break off and stay away from old friends, I know. But McCree isn't your friend, he doesn't want to be your friend, he wants to hurt you, and I don't want to see that happen. So, please, just listen to me, okay? Stay away from Jesse McCree. I don't care if he's got his boyfriend with him, he's probably in on it too, I don't want you anywhere near that man."

You nodded a bit, sniffling and trying to keep the tears from leaking out of your eyes in case they ruined your makeup. "Okay," you whispered, your throat tightening as the tears threatened to spill. "I'll try." 'I'm lucky to have someone so understanding and forgiving…'

Dean smiled, holding you closer as you finished off the dance. "That's my girl."