CHAPTER THREE
"Nice going Brennan." Shalimar said, her own anger surfacing after witnessing the clash. "Why the hell did you have to open your big mouth? You should know Jesse well enough to know that he would be the last person who wants to see any of us hurt. He made a mistake. It happens. Let it go. His own guilt on what happened would be punishment enough. He doesn't need anyone else to lay the guilt trip on him!"
Brennan shook his head in disbelief. "Oh what? Now I'm the one getting the heat? Jesse almost kills one of us and he gets to walk away without so much as a slap on the wrist. Unbelievable!!"
"Okay that's enough!" Adam cut in. "We've got enough enemies out there to worry about, rather than start turning on our own. Emma, go check on Jesse and make sure he's okay. The rest of you, just take some time to cool off."
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Jesse rubbed his temples as he sat at the side of his bed, elbows on his knees trying to clear away images of the day's events that kept repeating itself in his head. Brennan's words had stung but what hurt the most was the heavy knowledge and acceptance that it wasn't far from the truth.
Still massaging his temples, he slowly brought his head up, his eyes fixed on the photo frame on his dressing table. He winced as memories deeply buried began to resurface and images that only came in his dreams revisited in his now present wake. He closed his eyes as a barrage of old emotions threatened to overwhelm him. As the dull pounding in his head became overbearing he lurched to his feet and with a forceful swing of his arms sent all the contents of his dressing table crashing to the floor.
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"Jesse." Emma quietly called out as she peered into Jesse's room through the door that was slightly ajar. She was taken aback at the sight that met her. An array of things were scattered on the floor.
Noting Jesse's absence, Emma stepped in to look at the assortment of things only to narrowly avoid stepping on a picture frame near her feet. She bent down to retrieve the broken frame and to look at the picture that lay within.
It was a picture of Jesse with both his parents. Jesse didn't have a lot of pictures of his family, well at least not that Emma was aware of and a sudden feeling of dread crept into her at the thought of the anger and turmoil that Jesse would have had to have been feeling to readily destroy what was thought to be such a treasured item.
Quickly, she ran out of the room and headed to look for Jesse.
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"Jesse, wait." Emma said as she rushed into the garage. "Where are you going?" she queried carefully, relieved to see that Jesse hadn't left.
"Out of here." Jesse answered curtly. Not in the mood to entertain any questions.
"Are you coming back?" she probed quietly putting a hand on Jesse's arm as he reached out to grab the keys to the Audi. The contact of skin between skin came with a sudden barrage of images and feelings invading Emma's mind and thoughts. She flinched at the intensity of the hurt she saw and felt in him. The depth of his pain was shocking and she stepped back reeling from the emotions.
He didn't know the answer to that question. He had nowhere else to go but he knew he couldn't be here, at Sanctuary. Not now... not ever? His own mind questioned. He didn't know. He just knew he needed to get away. Without giving an answer, Jesse started the engine to the Audi and drove off wordlessly.
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"Nice going Brennan." Shalimar said, her own anger surfacing after witnessing the clash. "Why the hell did you have to open your big mouth? You should know Jesse well enough to know that he would be the last person who wants to see any of us hurt. He made a mistake. It happens. Let it go. His own guilt on what happened would be punishment enough. He doesn't need anyone else to lay the guilt trip on him!"
Brennan shook his head in disbelief. "Oh what? Now I'm the one getting the heat? Jesse almost kills one of us and he gets to walk away without so much as a slap on the wrist. Unbelievable!!"
"Okay that's enough!" Adam cut in. "We've got enough enemies out there to worry about, rather than start turning on our own. Emma, go check on Jesse and make sure he's okay. The rest of you, just take some time to cool off."
************************************************************************
Jesse rubbed his temples as he sat at the side of his bed, elbows on his knees trying to clear away images of the day's events that kept repeating itself in his head. Brennan's words had stung but what hurt the most was the heavy knowledge and acceptance that it wasn't far from the truth.
Still massaging his temples, he slowly brought his head up, his eyes fixed on the photo frame on his dressing table. He winced as memories deeply buried began to resurface and images that only came in his dreams revisited in his now present wake. He closed his eyes as a barrage of old emotions threatened to overwhelm him. As the dull pounding in his head became overbearing he lurched to his feet and with a forceful swing of his arms sent all the contents of his dressing table crashing to the floor.
************************************************************************
"Jesse." Emma quietly called out as she peered into Jesse's room through the door that was slightly ajar. She was taken aback at the sight that met her. An array of things were scattered on the floor.
Noting Jesse's absence, Emma stepped in to look at the assortment of things only to narrowly avoid stepping on a picture frame near her feet. She bent down to retrieve the broken frame and to look at the picture that lay within.
It was a picture of Jesse with both his parents. Jesse didn't have a lot of pictures of his family, well at least not that Emma was aware of and a sudden feeling of dread crept into her at the thought of the anger and turmoil that Jesse would have had to have been feeling to readily destroy what was thought to be such a treasured item.
Quickly, she ran out of the room and headed to look for Jesse.
************************************************************************
"Jesse, wait." Emma said as she rushed into the garage. "Where are you going?" she queried carefully, relieved to see that Jesse hadn't left.
"Out of here." Jesse answered curtly. Not in the mood to entertain any questions.
"Are you coming back?" she probed quietly putting a hand on Jesse's arm as he reached out to grab the keys to the Audi. The contact of skin between skin came with a sudden barrage of images and feelings invading Emma's mind and thoughts. She flinched at the intensity of the hurt she saw and felt in him. The depth of his pain was shocking and she stepped back reeling from the emotions.
He didn't know the answer to that question. He had nowhere else to go but he knew he couldn't be here, at Sanctuary. Not now... not ever? His own mind questioned. He didn't know. He just knew he needed to get away. Without giving an answer, Jesse started the engine to the Audi and drove off wordlessly.
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