The first thing that Jensen noticed was that he was laying on something soft. That was a nice change and a bit surprising, after everything he'd been through. He'd been expecting to spend a few hours in a cargo hold with only a few crates to snuggle up with. Wherever he was now wasn't so bad. Maybe he could even get a little more sleep before he had to deal with reality again.

"You're an idiot, you know that right?" So much for that idea.

"Pooch, is that the best way to greet me after our time apart?" Jensen grumbled, turning his head toward his friend's voice and cracking one eye open.

"What kind of idiot walks around the desert with a skull fracture and doesn't say anything?" Pooch hissed, pointing to his head that Jensen just now noticed was wrapped with bandages. He really hoped they hadn't had to shave his head, but he wasn't prepared to find out at the moment. "And then on top of that, you get shot two times!"

"In my defense, how the hell was I supposed to know I had a fractured skull? I must've missed the rock that doubled as a CT scanner while on our journey," Jensen scoffed. He was good at slapping things together from nothing, but that was a little bit out of his depth. "And I'd like to blame the gunshots on that as well, since the head injury threw me off my game. So basically, you aren't allowed to lecture me."

"Okay, so explain that," Pooch said, pointing across him to the corner of the room. Jensen turned, finding Roque handcuffed to a chair with tape over his mouth. Well, at least they hadn't killed him already. Cougar was sitting a few feet in front of him, with a gun pointed directly at his head.

"Um, that's Roque," Jensen mumbled.

"No shit! But how?" Pooch exclaimed.

"It's complicated," Jensen sighed, running a hand down his face. "I was gonna come up with a good explanation on the plane ride back, but you guys showed up so I didn't get the chance. By the way, what are you all even doing here? How did you know where we'd be?"

"Clay changed the plans last minute and had us all fly out early. I think he wanted to get in on the action in case you actually brought someone connected to Max back with you," Pooch explained, shaking his head in amazement. "Had no idea it would be Roque."

"It's not like that. He's not working with Max."

"You can't be serious!" Pooch spat.

"Didn't Aisha tell you what happened?" Jensen asked.

"After you fell out, Clay flew into a rage. I'm not exactly sure what happened, since I was trying to figure out if you were alive and drag you out of the line of fire. Aisha ended up taking Clay somewhere to fight or screw, probably both at the same time. I brought you here and Cougar dealt with Roque. I don't think he likes people he thought he killed coming back from the dead."

"Of course they are," Jensen groaned. Why would Aisha stay and help when she could be making the beast with two backs with Clay? If she didn't bring him back at least a little chilled out in a post-orgasmic daze, he was going to be pissed. "Cougs, I don't think the gun is necessary. You can relax." Cougar just grunted in response, not moving a muscle.

"Don't think that's going to happen anytime soon. The only reason he hasn't pulled the trigger already is because he doesn't want us kicked out of the hospital before they can replace at least some of the blood you've lost," Pooch snorted, gesturing to all the IVs that were attached to him.

"Dude, I'm fine. I was about to walk across the desert," Jensen brushed off, flicking at the tape on the back of his hand. Roque scoffed from behind his tape, giving him a look. "Shut up, I totally was! I was basically using you as a giant, sentient crutch."

"You're joking with him now?" Pooch growled.

"Man, a lot happened out there. I don't know how to explain it."

"Yeah, I know," Pooch replied, pointing at his various injuries.

"He didn't cause any of these though. Roque even got shot trying to help us escape. Did you at least let him get checked out too?"

"He'll live," Pooch grunted.

"For now," Cougar added menacingly.

"How did you end up the worst off?"

"Well, I got the head wound thanks to Aisha not being able to shoot for shit. The first gunshot wound was her fault too. I'm never going to try to protect her again, rest assured," Jensen scoffed.

"And the second shot?" Cougar asked, the threat of violence clear in his voice.

"Uh, well…" Jensen trailed off, rushing out the rest of the explanation when he saw Cougar's trigger finger twitch. "Roque didn't shoot me! I was just helping him escape when I caught a stray bullet. It was no one's fault."

"Right," Pooch sneered.

"How is it that Aisha is the only one who came out unscathed? God, that is so like her, isn't it? Lucky bastard."

"No, I'm just good at what I do," Aisha bragged, sauntering in with Clay right behind her.

"How you doing?" Clay asked, keeping his gaze locked on Roque.

"Not bad, but the doctors said I could possibly backslide in my recovery if I'm subjected to witnessing any violence," Jensen responded with a hopeful look on his face.

"Nice one," Pooch snorted.

"We'll take it outside then," Clay growled, stalking closer to where Roque was a sitting duck.

"Wait!" Jensen called after him, trying to climb out of bed. The pain that had been numbed by drugs came back to life and he cried out in pain, doubling over and making everything worse. Cougar abandoned his watch and jumped up, pushing Jensen back down into his former position. He moaned as he rode the waves of pain, feeling like his brain was about to burst from all the pressure.

"Stay still, you idiot!" Pooch admonished, straightening up the tubes and wires that had gone into disarray.

"He didn't have to help us, you know?" Jensen said directly to Clay as soon as he could breathe normally again. "We were sitting ducks out there and while we might've made it back eventually, it would've been in a lot worse shape. Just give him a chance to explain."

"Explain?" Clay spat, storming over to the side of the bed. Jensen stopped himself from flinching back. Clay had threatened to throttle him multiple times over the course of knowing each other, among other things, but he'd never actually hurt him. Right now though, he wouldn't be surprised if Clay took out his frustrations on him. "I think the doctors are going to have to check you for brain damage again, because you must've forgotten what that bastard did to us!"

"I didn't, I just think-"

"Oh, I don't think you're thinking at all!"

"You know, this is part of the reason we're all so fucked up! You're too damn stubborn to listen to what other people have to say!" Jensen shouted, surprising everyone, including himself, with his outburst.

"Are you really blaming me for what he did?" Clay growled, clenching his fists at his sides. Would he survive another hit to the head in his condition? He was probably about to find out.

"No, that was Roque's own decision, but none of us are innocent. We were all dealing with that mess in our own ways, instead of helping each other. We were fractured, just like we are now. Instead of sitting down and talking about things like rational adults, we're fighting," Jensen sighed, feeling his surge of righteous anger seeping out of him with every heartbeat. "Clay, I was ready to kill him too, I swear I was. But that's the problem, isn't it? Acting without thinking first. Making decisions without considering the repercussions. Roque made his choice, and then you did too, irrevocably. But he's here. Maybe it's a sign? Maybe it's a second chance for all of us? But we'll never know unless you give him a chance."

"Are you really willing to take that risk? To trust that he won't turn his back on you the moment the opportunity presents itself? To put the life of your niece, of Pooch's son, in danger, in the hopes that you're right?" Clay challenged. When had the fate of everything been dropped on his shoulders? How was he supposed to answer that? Could you truly ever trust another human being completely? Roque had already proven that he was capable of betrayal, so history wasn't on his side. But was redemption impossible?

"Don't put this decision on me, Clay," Jensen whispered. "I'm not saying we bring him back in completely, just that we talk to him before you shoot him without question."

"Well, I'm making it yours. If you don't think I'm leading this team properly, why don't you show me how it's done? Is Roque in or is he out?" Jensen helplessly looked around the room at his teammates. Aisha looked entirely unaffected, so that was no help. Cougar was in full sniper mode, but Jensen knew him well enough to know there was a trickle of doubt making its way into his mind. It probably had nothing to do with Roque, but how much Jensen was fighting for him. Pooch looked the most unsure, probably thinking of his family back home. Jensen couldn't blame him, since he had people to think about too, but did that justify Roque's execution.

Jensen looked at Roque last, finding the man staring back at him. There was no pleading or worry in his eyes, only acceptance. He'd known this was most likely to happen the second he stepped out of the shadows and exposed himself to Jensen and Aisha. And yet he'd helped, instead of escaping when he had the chance. Roque had chosen to march into his own slaughter, all for the possibility of redemption.

Jensen could still wash his hands of the whole thing and tell Clay to shoot him. It would be the easiest option and soon enough this whole ordeal would be forgotten. But sometimes the easiest thing wasn't always the best thing. Trusting Aisha when all signs pointed to that being a terrible idea had worked out well for them. They'd trusted Clay's judgement, so why not trust Jensen's? It might end up being the biggest mistake of his life, but Jensen knew what he had to say.

"In."