A/N: One of the best parts of writing multiple timelines of this AU is being able to make connections between them. I hope the folks who are also reading The Dark Psychic enjoy some of the mirroring.

Also, sorry for the longer upload times. My brain finally overloaded from all of the writing and demanded a break. It might take a bit longer, but they'll both get finished, don't worry.

The sound of ponging balls was fading, and Gus listened carefully, trying to determine which direction Shawn was being taken. By the time it occurred to him to try reading one of the other mercenaries to see where they were going, they were already too far out of range. He shook his head at himself; they were in a stressful situation, but that wasn't an excuse to get sloppy.

The sound of plastic tearing brought his awareness back to the MRI room and he scrambled back without thinking when he saw Rhianna pull a needle out of a small package. If she noticed the movement, she didn't show it as she walked up to him and nodded towards his arm. "Sleeve up. This is just a contrast dye, and yes, I've done this before. There's nothing to be afraid of."

Gus' brain supplied him with plenty of reasons to be afraid as he remembered fire in his veins and seemingly unending screams. He shook away the memory of Dahmer's formula as he rolled up his sleeve, his eyes catching on his faint scar lines as he pushed the fabric up above his elbow.

Rhianna tutted impatiently and reached out, flipping his arm over so his veins were exposed before wrapping a tourniquet around his bicep. Gus focused on his shield to ignore how her electrodes pulled louder when her skin touched his.

"You're going to have to take off any metal, including this." Rhianna tapped the clasp of his bracelet, and Gus had to fight the urge to slap her hand away.

He shook his head and kept his voice as neutral as he could as he said, "It's cheap, it doesn't react to magnets."

Dahmer hadn't been able to take away his protection, there was no way he was going to let Rhianna take it. She eyed up the bracelet before shrugging and finishing her preparations for the dye. "I never understood sentimental things… This won't take long, then we can start learning how you work."

Gus sighed at her cheerful tone and looked away, thinking about Shawn and keeping him safe as he felt a needle slide into his skin. He gripped the edge of the MRI table with his free hand and forced his breathing to stay steady while memories clawed at him: a needle that made his heart race and his body shake, a needle that brought terrifying phantoms into an already terrifying basement, a needle that brought fire and pain.

He wasn't sure if he'd ever not be afraid of needles anymore.

Coolness spread from his elbow, and he held his breath, waiting for the burning that would follow. The feeling faded and the needle was removed before he felt like he could breathe again.

"There, done," Rhianna said as she put a band aid over the needle site. "While we wait, I want you to explain. How do you understand what you see when you're reading someone's thoughts?"

Gus frowned, trying to understand the question. "I… see things and then I know them."

"Yes, but how?" she asked impatiently. "You say you see images, but then you knew things like the name of Jack's dog and the fact that he was thinking about his first hockey game. How did you know those things? They wouldn't have been things you just saw."

"I don't know," Gus answered with a shrug. "I saw an image of Teal as a puppy and I knew the rest."

"So it's not just conscious thought, but subconscious as well…" Rhianna said, her electrodes pulling in fascination. "Is that how you were able to communicate so well with Mr. Spencer when he was gagged?"

"I don't know, it probably helped." Gus rolled down his sleeve and used the action to hide his thumb rubbing along his bracelet. He really didn't like thinking about their time in the basement. "He has a good imagination and we've watched a lot of movies together. He used both to get his point across."

"Movies…?" Rhianna shook off the question before he had a chance to figure out an answer. "And you can see memories, too."

Gus decided to stick with the basics that he'd already told her in the basement. "Only if the person's actually thinking about it."

Rhianna narrowed her eyes and broadcasted an image: A small house on a busy street with a swing set.

Gus made a face as he shook away the image and tried to strengthen his shield to block out anything else she might send. He wasn't sure if he could stop a broadcast, but he was willing to try if it meant not feeling her thoughts inside his mind.

"You didn't react like that when Jack thought something at you," Rhianna said in a curious voice.

"Yeah, well, Jack didn't treat me like a lab specimen either," Gus grumbled.

Rhianna shrugged, clearly not caring if her thoughts were uncomfortable for him. "What's the house's address?"

Gus thought back to the broadcast. "I don't know. You grew up there, that's all I got."

"So, you don't see everything… fascinating. I wonder what determines the information that's processed and what information is thrown out…" Rhianna adjusted her glasses before shaking her head. "But I'm getting ahead of myself; that's not why we're here tonight. Lie down."

Gus sighed and did as he was told, deciding that at least the scan was distracting her from sending more images. The circular machine began to hum and click and the table under him began to move, taking him into the chamber. He could feel the edges of claustrophobia tugging at him and he focused on his breathing and on the fact that he could still see the nice open room down by his feet.

"I need some baseline readings, so just try to not think about anything," Rhianna called out.

Gus closed his eyes and counted his breaths, finding himself wondering what was happening with Shawn. He wasn't sure if it had been five minutes yet, or if Rhianna had sent a text while he'd been distracted. He wondered if he should risk asking about it. And then he wondered if all of that really counted as not thinking about anything.

After a couple of minutes, he finally stopped fighting himself and spoke up. "Did you text about Shawn?"

The smell of lilies soured in annoyance as Rhianna answered, "Didn't I tell you not to worry about him?"

"I'm here to keep him safe, of course I'm going to worry."

"You're here to help with my research and to make the world better."

Gus' patience frayed as he snapped back, "No, that's why you brought me here. I'm here for Shawn, and that's it."

"Well that's very short sighted of you."

He knew he needed to stop, but he also knew he needed an answer. "Is Shawn safe?"

An image suddenly zapped into his mind: Dahmer leaned over Gus' shoulder, the red scalpel moving towards his zip tied hands.

Gus jolted back, breathing hard. His shield hadn't helped keep the image out at all, and he could almost feel the after-image of Dahmer's large grin burning into his mind.

"As I said, do as you're told. Next time you don't, I'll be texting about Mr. Spencer, and it won't be to protect him," Rhianna said in a cool voice. "Now, I need you to sit still for the imaging to work."

Gus gritted his teeth together and laid back, frustrated that even with all of that, he still didn't know for sure if Shawn was safe.

Rhianna's voice was cheerful as she added, "Your brain lit up when you received the message, I wonder if it's the same areas as when you're reading someone's thoughts. I'll have to add that to the tests…"

Gus sighed and tried to think of nothing again as the clock to Shawn's safety clicked uncertainly in the background.

"I think I have everything I need… focus on my thoughts now."

Gus' internal clock told him that Shawn should have been checked on at least one more time as he'd sat thinking of nothing. He tried to push the thought away as he focused on the electrodes pulling on his skin: Fascination, a screen with a lit-up brain, a scientific award with her name on it, a sketch of a brain in a large journal.

"Fascinating. The activity in your parietal lobe is significantly increased, even though it's not the area Jeffery thought the receptors were in…" Rhianna's voice was barely legible over the loud sounds of the machine.

Gus didn't want to know any more about the science of his abilities, but he couldn't stop himself from making several connections at her words. He knew the parietal lobe was the part of the brain that processed the senses, and he knew how he 'felt' other people's thoughts as those senses was unique to him. Jade's words about his mind being a mixing pot suddenly seemed much more literal.

"I need you to keep focusing on my thoughts…" Rhianna called out louder, annoyance tinging her voice.

Gus sighed and focused on the electrodes again, trying to track her emotions instead of her thoughts. It was going to be a long night if he couldn't find a way to not read her mind every time she wanted a reading.

"It's not lighting up as much, are you doing something different?" Rhianna asked.

Gus internally cursed before focusing properly: A list of variables, Rhianna's name next to other names like Hubel, Goldstein, and Watson, a dark voice pointing out how nerve agents affect the brain, excitement.

Gus fought the urge to run from the dark voice as he kept up his focus, telling himself that he might at least see something useful.

"Your mind is so unique; I've never seen anything like it." Rhianna's voice was thick with fascination and Gus' skin crawled as she continued to think out loud. "People will have to listen to me now. You and me, Burton, we're going to change the world…"

Gus wasn't sure which was worse, her thoughts or her words as he kept having to listen to both.

"Alright, that's enough for now."

Gus relaxed, relieved to let her thoughts fade back to the background as she typed on the computer. His internal clock chimed again and he sat up slightly, checking on what she was doing.

Rhianna stared at her computer screen without blinking, her glasses making her eyes look like they took up half of her face, and she absently reached into her pocket to pull out her phone. Gus quickly laid back down, not wanting to pull her attention away from checking in with Shawn.

He focused quickly; if he could unlock the phone, then he could grab it from Rhianna, keep Shawn safe, and call for backup. He wasn't the best fighter, but he was pretty sure even he could win a fight against the smaller woman. Rhianna's thoughts only showed him a string of numbers, and Gus resigned himself to a night of scans without a chance of escape.

Dahmer stroked Shawn's hair before grabbing it and pulling back as his other hand came up, resting his scalpel against Shawn's forehead.

Gus startled and sat up quickly to glare around the MRI machine. "What was that for?"

Rhianna looked at him with narrowed eyes, one hand still holding her phone while the other pointed to her computer screen. "You were trying to read my mind when I didn't tell you to."

A jolt ran through Gus as he realized his brain activity had been visible while he'd tried to see her code. He answered quickly, "I'm always feeling people's thoughts, sometimes they're louder and I can't help but hear them."

"No, I don't think that's what it was," Rhianna said as she finished her text and put her phone away. "You were trying to find a way out of our deal."

Gus clenched his hand around the edge of the table and kept himself from pointing out that a deal usually implied a mutually beneficial agreement for both parties. Instead, he asked, "What did you text?"

"I warned you what would happen if you didn't behave appropriately," Rhianna answered without looking at him as she typed on the computer. "You said that people have different sensations for their thoughts, I wonder if anything changes depending on which you're reading. I want you to switch which one of my sensations you focus on every ten seconds; keep going until I say to stop."

"Not until you tell me exactly what you told 'your associates' to do to Shawn."

Rhianna's jaw clenched and her smell of lilies faded until it was barely noticeable. "I think Mr. Spencer will have a few more bruises the next time you see him." Her eyes stayed locked on the screen in front of her as she pulled her phone back out and held it up. "Do I need to repeat myself?"

Gus shook as he laid back down without another word. He thought about the bruises Shawn already had and wondered how many more he'd just caused. Shawn had been right, he was letting Rhianna get into his head and it was making it hard to think; he should have known better.

"Any time now."

Gus allowed himself a second to imagine Rhianna slipping up and finally being able to punch her in her smug face before grabbing her phone and rescuing Shawn. He sighed and pushed the anger back as he closed his eyes and focused on the electrodes, counting to ten as thoughts that weren't his filled his mind.

Another check in passed by as Gus cooperated, and a headache was starting to form from the constant focusing, stress, and outside thoughts. He wasn't sure if he'd ever spent so much time in someone else's mind before, unless he counted watching a movie through Shawn's memory. And he'd had a concussion then, so there'd still been a headache involved.

He'd been focusing on the faint smell of lilies for several minutes when a new sensation tugged at the edge of his sense. He hoped Rhianna wouldn't notice as he switched his focus to the new thoughts and the sensation clarified into the reverb of a canon. A grin of relief stretched across his face before his expression fell as he realized he still didn't hear ponging balls. He thought quickly, trying to figure out how to keep Shawn from being hurt once the cops came in. He needed that phone code.

"Burton, I need you to keep focusing."

Gus sat up as a plan started to form; Shawn had learned how to censor his thoughts, but he could still be distracted into letting Gus read them. Rhianna probably could too.

"Do you want to know something I never told Dahmer?" Gus asked, forcing his voice to stay even. Electrodes pulled in curiosity even as the smell of lilies twinged in annoyance, and he spoke quickly before Rhianna could decide to tell him to be quiet. "If I sleep near someone, I dream about them. Deeper stuff than just their surface thoughts. Sometimes even bits of their future."

Rhianna's jaw dropped and she stared at him, her thoughts stuttering. "You're… that's not possible."

"I only realized it a few days ago," Gus said, trying to not make it obvious that he was rushing, "I figure, if you're looking for things that can change the world…"

"The deeper thoughts makes sense, we process our subconscious when we sleep, people probably send more signals that you can process during the day…" Rhianna's electrodes pulled frantically, one after another as the canon reverb grew closer, accompanied by fizzing pop rocks. "But to see the- Jeffery did have a note about a man who could do that… the possibilities- and if we know it can be unlocked…"

Gus decided she was sufficiently distracted by the new research opportunities to put his plan into motion. He focused on her rushing thoughts and asked quickly, "What's your phone code?"

A six digit number immediately popped into his mind before it was swept away with a rush of red as Rhianna froze and glared furiously. The smell of lilies disappeared as she snapped out, "I suppose Jeffery had the right idea after all; you really don't know how to behave, do you? We're talking about fixing the world and all you can think of is one insignificant person."

Gus barely noticed the mention of Dahmer as he prepared to snap back that Shawn was not insignificant, but the door burst open before the words could form, and Lassiter and Juliet rushed into the room.

Rhianna spun around and stared at the guns pointed at her with wide, innocent eyes, and Gus started to slide off of the MRI table as Henry entered the room behind the detectives. Lassiter moved towards Rhianna and ordered, "Hands where we can see them."

Rhianna held her hands up in a placating manner as she stammered, "W-wait, you don't understand!"

Gus wished he had more time to savor the moment as he told Lassiter, "She's the one who paid the guys who took Shawn, can she please be arrested this time?"

"Where is he?" Juliet asked as Lassiter reached for his cuffs.

"Somewhere nearby, I think. I need her phone."

Gus took a step towards the desk, ignoring Rhianna's low chant of, "No, no, nononono."

Lassiter grabbed one of her hands and pulled it behind her back as he said, "Rhianna Millers, you're under arrest…"

She started to talk over him as her second hand was grabbed. "Nonono, you don't understand, this is bigger than us, it's the only thing that matters, I need to- it has to- I can't-" A ratchet sounded out as the second cuff closed.

And something in the room snapped, shattering Gus' mental shield as the echo reverbed through his mind, tearing him apart. Fiery pain exploded behind his eyes, and he could feel everything.

Rhianna would do whatever it took to complete her research, Lassiter wondered if prison would actually be safer for Shawn, Gus knew what he was supposed to use his abilities for now, Henry knew Gus wouldn't work with Rhianna unless Shawn was in danger, Juliet was trying to hide the slight tremors in her hands...

His hands came up to press against the agony bursting through his head as his legs collapsed, bringing him to the floor. He was only vaguely aware of his yells of pain as someone else cursed, "Shit, Gus…"

He didn't know which thoughts were his: The smell of warm citrus while he cuddled on the couch, the need to leave a legacy, the sound of metal stomping and clicking on wood, the kick of a gun in his hands, the satisfaction of figuring out the last piece to break a case…

He knew this feeling; he'd felt this before. Never like this. There was something he was supposed to do, to make it stop. Shawn could help him make it stop, but where was Shawn?

"What did you do?"

Someone giggled before snapping out, "It's clearly something to do with his abilities, but you won't let me study him! This is your fault."

It wouldn't stop. It hurt, and it wouldn't stop: the burn of scotch on the back of his throat, his heels sliding just right as he twirled, the sunset stretching across the waves of the ocean, the sizzle of steak, the smell of lavender oil…

He tried to move his hand, reaching for something. Something to hold, something that could protect him.

Everything was blending together: Waves rocking a boat, horses whinnying, rolling skates, numbers, spellings, rules...

Puzzle pieces surrounded him, pressing the other thoughts back, and warmth spread on the back of his neck as beads pressed into his palm.

"Easy, just breathe and focus. Remember, sort out what's important and leave everything else in the background."

He listened to Henry's voice, latching on and using the real sound to ground himself as everything else tried to pull him away. He remembered what the necklace around his wrist was for, and he took a deep breath, focusing on the beads and the people protecting him as he brought his mental shield back up.

Gus breathed a sigh of relief as the pain spiking through his head began to fade and he could feel his own thoughts again, separate from everyone else's.

"You back?" Henry asked quietly.

Gus nodded, not quite ready to talk yet as he tried to sort out what had happened. He absently categorized the thought sensations around him as he waited for the headache to die back down: canon reverb, bubbles, a fishing line, a pulling void. He jolted back at the last one and opened his eyes to look around frantically. Dahmer was dead, he died three months ago, he couldn't be back.

He froze as his eyes landed on Rhianna, and she grinned fiercely at him, the smile showing slightly too many teeth. He suddenly realized what had happened, what had snapped.

Her pulling electrodes were still there, but the smell of lilies was completely gone; it had been replaced by the pull of a void where something had once been before it was ripped away.

"All of that work, Burton. We could have changed the world, but now you won't even be able to save your friend." Rhianna's voice lowered into a snarl. "And it's all your fault."

"Where's Shawn?" Juliet asked. "What did you do to him?"

"I didn't do anything, that's the beauty of it." Rhianna looked at her with wide eyes and a wide grin. "He was a sacrifice for the greater good, one life for millions…"

"Ok, that's enough from you," Lassiter said as he took her by the arm and pulled her away from the computers, handing her off to an officer waiting out in the hallway.

The memory of what had been happening right before Rhianna snapped filtered back and Gus gasped before scrambling for the phone that was still sitting on the desk.

He prayed that he remembered the numbers correctly as he typed in the code and held his breath. The phone unlocked and he let out a sigh of relief before scanning her previous texts to make sure he could mimic an all-clear message. A jolt of anger ran through him at the text that read, "You have one minute to do as you please."

He shook the anger away, there wasn't anything he could do about it now. He looked further down, cursing as he realized Rhianna hadn't checked in for six minutes. He quickly sent out a new text, copying her previous messages: "He's protected for five more minutes."

"Guster?" Lassiter asked.

"I'm ok… Just a weird migraine," Gus lied, relaxing slightly as a silent notification indicated that the message had been read. "Those two mercenaries who tried to grab us a few days ago, Rollins and Rossman, she hired them to grab Shawn. They've got him somewhere around here; she was texting them to keep him safe."

Juliet's bubbles clouded in confusion. "How on earth does that make sense?"

Gus tried to shake away the lingering mental fog as he answered, "It doesn't, not really. She was using him as leverage to get me to cooperate. She texted every five minutes to keep them from smacking him around."

The pulling fishing line flared red, but Henry's voice was steady as he asked, "How bad is he hurt?"

"Mostly just bruises and a cracked rib." Gus chewed his lip and added, "At least that's all it was last time I saw him. I messed up, and she let them hurt him some more."

Henry looked at him worriedly before pointing at the phone. "He should be safe now, right?" At Gus' nod, he turned to the detectives. "You need to start a room by room-"

"I know how to do my job, Spencer," Lassiter said with an eye roll. He walked to the hallway and ordered the officer standing there, "We need to start a room by room search, keep it quiet, we don't want them to know we're here."

"He's not close, I can't-" Gus cut himself off, knowing there wasn't any easy way to explain Shawn being out of his sense range. He flipped through the phone apps and forced his addled mind to cooperate as he thought out loud, "I don't think we can take the time for that anyways; I don't know how she was making payments… they might not listen to the texts if the money stops."

"So we need to lure them here, then," Juliet said.

Gus looked at her in surprise before understanding her idea and looking back down at the texts. Lassiter turned to the officer to issue new orders as Gus decided how Rhianna would word the request.

"You good?" Henry asked quietly next to him.

Gus jumped, having forgotten Henry was there as he focused on the phone. He answered back, just as quietly, "Yeah, I'll be fine. Thanks for the help."

Henry nodded in acknowledgement and Gus typed quickly: "I require his assistance for a test, bring him back."

The confirmation notification was almost instant and he relaxed, knowing Shawn would be safe soon. He listened out as far as he could as he absently asked, "How did you guys find us so fast?"

Henry snorted. "Let's just say she didn't have the makings of a career criminal… She called your phone and I answered, the conversation was weird enough I decided to check up on you two. Especially after neither of you would answer your phones. Or other phone, in your case."

Juliet chimed in, "Henry called us once he got to Shawn's place-"

"He called me," Lassiter interrupted her, "I just happened to be in your hospital room at the time."

Juliet rolled her eyes and continued as if he hadn't said anything, "There was a motion detector there, same as Dahmer used in that house. Between that and the letters you've been filing with us, we guessed it was Rhianna who took you. We started trying to track her down and called a few of her coworkers. And we got lucky."

"Jack says 'hi' by the way," Henry added with a smirk. "It actually didn't take much to convince him Rhianna had resorted to kidnapping. He said you guys would probably be here for the MRI machine. He was right."

He finished his explanation and looked at Gus before sending a broadcast tinged in warning: Jack talking to the police, Gus holding his hand to his temple in the signature psychic move.

Gus sighed and nodded; he'd worry about damage control later. He fidgeted with his bracelet as he continued to listen for ponging balls. It shouldn't be taking so long.

"When they get here, I need you two to stay back," Lassiter ordered. "We don't need more civilians getting caught in the middle."

Henry started to retort back, but Gus stopped paying attention to them as he finally heard the sound he'd been waiting for. But Shawn's thoughts were bouncing too quickly and frantically for things to be ok. Gus closed his eyes quickly, not caring if anyone noticed as he held his hand to his head and listened closer: A picked handcuff, Rollins with a gun, fast turns to avoid an easy shot, determination.

"Damnit, he's running. We have to go." Gus didn't wait for the inevitable questions as he sprinted out of the room and towards Shawn's thoughts. Voices yelled out behind him, but he didn't care as he tried to figure out which hallway would lead him closer to Shawn. He turned and slowed as he saw the new hall split into two directions, cursing the architect who'd decided that people studying brains needed firsthand experience of being a rat in a maze.

He listened for Shawn's thoughts again before picking a direction and running, sensing Lassiter coming up behind him. At the next turn, they were able to hear feet running in the distance, and Gus rushed towards the next intersection as the ponging balls grew louder. He held a hand out and stopped Lassiter, listening carefully before reaching out right at the moment Shawn tried running past them.

Gus pulled Shawn into the hallway as Lassiter rushed by, barking out orders before he'd even cleared the corner, "Hands where I can see them, put your weapon down!"

Shawn leaned against the wall as he panted for breath and called out, "Rossman… ran away. Knew the text… wasn't Rhianna." He looked Gus over quickly. "You ok?"

Gus nodded, breathing heavily from his own sprint. "Yeah. They got Rhianna, it's over."

"Oh good…" Shawn laid his head on the wall and closed his eyes. Juliet stopped by them and gave them a quick look over before rushing past to help Lassiter. Henry jogged up behind them, his thoughts vibrating in relief when he saw Shawn was safe.

Gus remembered Rhianna's texts and scanned Shawn carefully, not seeing any obvious new injuries besides a split lip. "Are you ok?"

Shawn nodded. "Peachy. No new broken bones. All good."

Gus leaned against the wall next to him and breathed out a long breath as his whole body seemed to relax. "You really need to get a better meter for if you're ok or not."

"Why? This one works great… I don't even have to lie."

Gus shook his head and decided he was mentally too exhausted to go digging to see if Shawn was telling the truth. If he could run for his life and still be cracking jokes, then he couldn't be hurt too bad.

Juliet came back around the corner and smiled, "Rollins is in custody, we've got people looking for Rossman now. Paramedics are heading this way to check you two out."

"I'm fine, they never touched me," Gus argued, feeling a small jolt of guilt at the words.

She gave him a look. "You were on the ground clutching your head less than five minutes ago. You're getting looked at."

Gus could feel Shawn staring at him and carefully didn't look his way as he answered, "I told you, that was just a weird migraine thing. Probably from the stress."

"Mmhmm…" Juliet hummed in an unconvinced manner. Her bubbles rearranged themselves around several new thoughts, finding a new pattern that fit. Gus swallowed nervously and decided it was probably safer to just stay quiet and let the paramedics look him over. Juliet moved closer to Shawn. "You promised me you wouldn't be kidnapped for a couple of days…"

Henry snorted in the background as Shawn looked down at her with wide, earnest eyes. "I did try. I almost made it twelve hours…" His eyes grew sharper as he looked at her hands. "Aren't you supposed to be in the hospital?"

Juliet put her hands into her pockets, clearly trying to make the move look casual. "And miss rescuing you two again? That's my favorite part of the week."

Gus relaxed in the familiar thought sensations around him as Shawn and Juliet continued to lightly bicker. Even with the exhaustion pulling at him, and the dull pain throbbing behind his temples, and the promise of a long night answering more questions from the police… his mind felt lighter than it had in months.

He just had to jump through a few more hoops before he could go home and rest.