AN: Alright, I have absolutely no excuse for the lateness of this chapter (I could always say I was waiting my friend's editing, but it's been long I knew she didn't have time to work on it) and I can't say how sorry I am. I can say that next chapters will be posted soon, but I don't want to lie. The sure thing is, I AM going to end this story, I just don't know when. But I'll do my best to update...well, as often as needed.

The brunette stilled. She closed her eyes and drew a shaky breathe. She, who on daily basis was confronted to life or death situations (for the others), and had to think quickly, was totally and utterly panicked. She drew her knees under her chin, her arms around them, still not opening her eyes.

Startled at the change of behavior, Becker joined her on her side of the corridor, putting his arms around her form to try to comfort her.

"I just became so scared, I didn't know what to do! I was used to the beatings, but a gun, no, I couldn't even think how I would get out of that one. I was feeling so proud and cocky a few seconds before, and then I went downright terrified! I just pleaded him, over and over again, I pleaded him, begged him… You must think that I had no shame, nor self-esteem, that I am pitiful and pathetic, but I didn't know what to do!" she sobbed.

Becker tightened his arms around her, rocking her back and forth, whispering some soothing noises, telling her she was wrong, that he always thought she was very strong, probably one of the strongest women he'd ever met. That he totally understood her and why she acted the way she had, and that there was no shame in how she acted. That he was proud of her now, and of her then, when she tried to stand up to that bastard who only deserved prison for life, when she protected the little one as much as she could. That it was the most heroic action he'd ever about. That she was a heroine.

His calming words and motions finally worked and the sobs subsided. She was still breathing shakily, but who wouldn't be after reliving an experience such as this particular one?

He continued holding her long after she calmed down, silence settling until she broke it.

"I was so scared, I moved oddly. I don't know what triggered it. A moment I was scared to death, the next I felt pain in my shoulder and all went black."

Understanding the meaning behind her words, Becker tightened a bit more, if that was possible, his hold on her. She just kept her head in the crook of his neck, staring into space. Wondering how she could feel so safe while talking about a moment she had felt the opposite.

"I woke up at the hospital, with people fussing around me, all talking at the same time. It was fuzzy around me. I was hearing a thousand things, but all seemed a different language to me. I couldn't remember what happened, my head was throbbing, and I couldn't feel my shoulder. Then a voice was over all those around me, and people went away, leaving just one person, the one who had talked seconds prior. I was feeling dizzy, and thirsty. I just remembered her telling me to go back to sleep, which I did.

"When I woke up again, there was no one. The throbbing had decreased, but hadn't disappeared. I tried to get up when the woman from before stopped me. I couldn't talk, and she gave me some water. Then I remembered Kael, the beating, the running away, the gun, the pain, the blackness… I wanted to get out of there, to see where Kael was, to be sure he was alright, but she prevented me from doing so. She talked me into staying still, examining me, then saying that considering the circumstances, I was freaking lucky. Seeing I couldn't remember things that had happened during after I fainted, she explained everything.

"It had been the manager of the motel who rated us out. He had had no real choice there. Two kids, one accused of kidnapping, and the cops on the other side. It was actually sensible. But seeing only one person coming to the rescue, he had begun to wonder. He'd called back the police station who said that no one knew about the info he'd given a few minutes prior. They'd sent another unit, and during that time, the manager went to our room. He witnessed the whole conversation. Turns out that when I was moving around, I'd subconsciously slid myself between Kael and his father, and that had been when he shot me. The unit arrived around the same time. The father began to tell them I was being threatening, and that he had had to fire to protect his son. The manager, unseen by anybody until then, spoke up. Told them about what he had seen. When the cops hadn't wanted to believe him, he'd shown them the room, Kael crying around me, me not having any kind of weapon, and supporting a stance that could be seen as protecting if I hadn't been on the floor. Seeing he was about to be caught, the father'd lost it. Like, really lost it. The Honor cop had begun to wave his gun around, threatening anyone coming near him, shouting about ungrateful deaf bastards that should be happy to still have a house to live in, about disabled little brats who never knew their place, well, he'd given himself away. Unfortunately for him, he was facing a team, and he was alone. He'd been quickly controlled then detained, waiting for further explanations. As for me, he shot me really really close to the heart she told me. So close that I spent several hours in O.R., and other several ones to wake up. They almost lost me twice in the process, but apparently, all was about to be alright for me. I 'just' needed P.T. for my shoulder, and everything would work fine.

"Social Services had taken care of Kael, who had been traumatized by the whole thing, frantically making the sign for 'shooting' over and over again. Even today, he can't see one without falling into complete panic."

"That's why you prevented me from drawing the EMD" noted Becker, recalling the earlier events, the first seconds upon hearing the growl who almost had had them.

Jess nodded.

"There was already panic at sensing us arguing and panicking, plus feeling the growl. I'm not sure I would have been able to control him then."

"Jess, he saw his father shooting you. He saw you collapsing right after, and a lot of blood. For all he knew, you could have been dead. I think it justifies the repulsion."

"I never said he was wrong. It's just…"

The soldier tilted her head to look at her eyes.

"What?"

She looked away.

"Nothing."

He groaned.

"Jess, not now. Please."

"Alright" she relented. "At first, at the A.R.C…. I mean, I never worked around soldiers before, so I just didn't realize… When you began to be around, with guns… then EMDs… I was pretty terrified too."

"You never showed it."

She laughed.

"That would've been great! The new FC girl is afraid of guns. Really. I needed that job. Moreover, I needed something to force me to come to terms with that. And it did."

Not feeling Becker reacting, Jess looked at him. He actually seemed rather interested in her left shoulder, staring at it, as if he had X-rays to show him what was underneath. Swiftly, she moved away the cloth that was hiding her scar, one of the pair she had collected after the shot. Shocked she'd seen through his silence, but not willing to dwell on it, he gently ran a thumb over the pinkish mark.

"The exit wound?"

"Middle back" she answered, turning her back to him to show.

And indeed, there was a twin mark over her last ribs. He gave it the same treatment as the first one, pondering on bubbly appearances and dark pasts.

"I was crouched when he fired. As he was way taller than I, the bullet went downwards, approaching the heart, but not enough to make irreversible damage."

He closed his eyes, not wanting to think about the outcome of the whole ordeal if had actually approached the heart to make enough damage, if the bullet had taken her way, so that he would never had met her, and she would never had saved their lives on a daily basis. Life hanged on a thread, and it was easy to forget sometimes.

Little by little, he felt her heavier and heavier, until he lain both of them down like before, before knowing the whole truth about this link between the young woman and the boy.

"Jess?"

"Humm?"

"You said that you almost were his mother. What did you mean?"

"Tomorrow, Becker."

Satisfied, he settled himself for the rest, checking one last time on the younger beings tucked at his sides, before closing his eyes and letting sleep call him.