A/N: Hey all! Thanks as always for reading!

Once again, I have an apology for taking so long. And, another excuse. Somewhere around the time when I was two thirds of the way through this chapter, a brand new idea came to me. So, basically, I've started work on a new fic. It's still MCR, but it's not Killjoys, I am however, pretty excited about it. The first chapter will be up soon and I hope you guys will like it and forgive me as updates ma be a little slower at times (yeah, I know, I take ages as it is!) as I'll be working on two major fics at the same time.

Anyway! We're here about this fic (which, yes, is going to continue, I still have a lot to tell on this one!) And once again I have to thank my lovely reviewers :) Your reviews are so appreiciated guys, they really are!

Gasoline Diamond: Haha! I am actually so curious to see what you think of Jimmy in this chapter... Let's just say, might be seeing him in a slightly different light. And yes Poison and Ghoul love each other :) but... Things never are simple...

MyChemicalLoveAffair: Thank you so much! :D And haha, don't worry about being late, I take so long updating, you get plenty of time to review ;) And thanks so much, yes, it was so amazing. And yep, hope you liked that little moment with Poison and Ghoul! And aww, I'm not sure he really regrets it exactly. Poison's just... A little confused about what it all means :) Again, thank you :D

Anyway, okay! New chapter and lots and lots happening and well I should shut up and let you get on with it!

The title comes from the awesome American Idiot track Holiday (one of my favourites)

As always, and still, I own none of the boys you see here.

Chapter 26 - The Company Lost The War Today

The previous days incident with the drugs had rattled everyone. No one seemed comfortable. That was probably why no one noticed that Party Poison and Fun Ghoul seemed even less comfortable around each other than the rest.

Poison didn't want to deal with it. Not right now. Not while he still wasn't sure what to do about it. What to do about Ghoul. What to do about himself. He kept looking at Rave and feeling a pang of guilt. But what was worse was when he saw Ghoul he felt even guiltier. Why had he kissed him? He knew, he knew how Ghoul felt about him. Now he'd just think Poison was trying to lead him on. Which he wasn't but then… What exactly was he doing?

Ghoul could pretend all he liked that he didn't care about that kiss. That it was nothing. It was the heat of the moment, he was upset and you said the right thing at the right time and he was grateful. He just got a bit carried away. He wished Poison hadn't apologised for it. That gave Ghoul a very clear message. He regretted kissing him. He hadn't meant to do it. Clearly he hadn't really wanted to do it. And there would be no way he would do it again. But… Just for a second… Ghoul had thought he'd seen something, thought he'd felt something. Just for a second he'd felt like, maybe, just maybe, Poison wanted him. Wanted to be with him again.

They would've done it right this time.

But the way Poison was avoiding him… He had to accept there wasn't going to be a this time.

"Ghoul." Startled out of his thoughts, Fun Ghoul almost believed he'd imagined that voice. He looked up and saw Party Poison, standing over him. He looked… Awkward. "We…" Poison glanced away as he rubbed the back of his neck, a gesture he often used when nervous, or thinking. "I think we need to talk." Ghoul tried to keep his expression blank. He had no idea if this was something good or bad, couldn't tell from the look on Poison's face, his was equally blank. "Sure." Fun Ghoul said, standing up. He'd been going through the contents of one of the lower shelves in the cupboard. They were running steadily lower on supplies. He guessed that was another conversation he'd have to have to Poison. It wasn't for now though. "I just…" Poison looked even more unsure than ever. He gaze darting around, his hand kept going to the back of his neck, or shoved in his pocket. "I. Um. I think we-"

Although his heart was in his mouth, waiting for Poison to finally say what he was going to say, Fun Ghoul still heard the sounds outside. He held up a hand, halting Poison's jumble of words for a second as they both listened. Party Poison frowned. "What the fuck is-"The sound of a gun going off cut him off.

All the while, Rave was addressing her own concerns, namely Saint Jimmy. She'd been equally rattled by the incident with the drugs the previous day. She'd already known about Saint Jimmy having them, taking them. That wasn't the issue now. The thing she'd been shocked and distressed about she'd been laying into Saint Jimmy about for the past ten minutes.

"This is our fucking home, Jimmy! This is where we've been trying to keep Poison safe while he recovers, and you've been doing your deals right outside our fucking door! We do not need you drawing attention to us like that!" Saint Jimmy shrugged. "It's Cherry Tops fault we're still here. Not mine. Could've moved on by now if he wasn't being so stubborn about it." Rave ignored him. "And then. I don't know why I'm so surprised, but I am. You offered those fucking drugs to Poison. Taunted him, trying to tempt him. That was fucking-" Rave paused, attempting to calm herself. "That was low, Jimmy. You know how we feel about those drugs. You know how he feels about them. And you know how vulnerable he is right now, he doesn't need-""Well." Saint Jimmy interrupted, with a grin. "Exactly, I was merely offering him some… Relief." Showing teeth now, he looked exactly like a predator. Rave shook her head, she wasn't falling for it. "Stop it, Jimmy. Stop lying. This is me you're talking to. I know you weren't doing that to help him."

She was almost surprised that Saint Jimmy didn't reply to that.

And she was surprised how easy it was for her to say the next words. She should've said them before, maybe even after that first day.

"I think you should go, Jimmy."

A shrug as Saint Jimmy got up from his seat. "Fine by me, I'll just-""I don't mean just from this room."

Saint Jimmy raised his eyebrows at her, honest surprise now. "Oh. Kicking me out of the gang, are we? I don't think you have that authority. And, I think you know Cherry Top is getting kinda fond of me."

"You're insane if you think that, Jimmy."

He moved closer, his voice low. "It is true though. And you can see it. Just like you can see him getting closer to… Someone else." For a brief second Rave's thoughts wandered. Touches, glances, awkward silences. A few days ago Ghoul had almost grabbed Poison's hand but thought better of it at the last second, he thought no one saw, but she'd seen, she'd seen a lot. "Even if I do." Rave hated the admittance in that sentence. "There's no way I'm letting you get any closer to him. I'm not kicking you out, you were never a part of this. Can't be kicked out of something you were never part of.""Really?" Saint Jimmy asked, a look of innocence about him. "I wonder if-""Leave!" Rave cut him off, furiously. "You're a fucking virus, a plague. And I'm not waiting around to let you infect him, any of them." Saint Jimmy stepped even closer, as close as he had been to Party Poison the day before whilst whispering promises of oblivion, "Sure you're not too late?"

Rave pushed him back, she was ready to attack him. Hurt him. She'd never dreamed of hurting Saint Jimmy before, but now, now she knew she couldn't hold herself back. It was her family he was threatening.

She hadn't even realised she'd gone for her gun until something made her pause. "Rave!" Jet Star was in the doorway, he looked flushed, slightly panicked, but had a familiar focus to his eyes. Before Rave could ask, Jet Star was already talking again. "Dracs. Outside. Don't know how many. They've found us." The first thing she asked, "Who's looking after Poison?" Her mind instantly on the plan they'd had to keep Party Poison out of any fights that came their way, at least for now. Jet Star very nearly rolled his eyes as he answered, "Poison is looking after Poison, now come on, we need you out there!"

Without a second glance or thought for Saint Jimmy, Rave hurried out with Jet Star, the adrenaline pumping through her, leaving no room for fear.

Saint Jimmy watched them as they ran off to the aid of the other Killjoys. He hadn't expected them to ask if he was coming, and they didn't.

He wandered out into the diner and settled himself down onto the nearest bench, shifting around, annoyed to find he was unable to get his legs up on the table comfortably. He fidgeted a little more."I suppose I'll go out and give them a hand." He muttered.

Saint Jimmy stood up, and started walking towards the door, he could hear the battle waging outside, certain he could hear Party Poison calling out to one of the other Killjoys. He was getting to know that voice so well.

He hadn't heard the back door open, but then, he hadn't been listening for it, but he did hear the footsteps, and they made him pause. Old habits of caution told him to stay very still, and listen, but don't let on you know something's wrong, not just yet.

He could sense someone had walked into the diner area now, they weren't far behind him.

"Well, now. If it isn't our little thief."

Saint Jimmy grinned. Oh yes, just as he'd thought. Still without turning around, he replied. "Hey Korse. Been a while."

Party Poison and Fun Ghoul were the first outside, Kobra Kid and Jet Star not far behind. For a second they paused, looks going between them, it'd been a while since they'd all fought together. There was a challenge in Party Poison's eyes, daring one of them to tell him he wasn't strong enough for this. They didn't, the fire in his eyes and the sureness of his stance told them he was more than strong enough.

Jet Star had gone back in to get Rave, amazed she hadn't heard the shot too, while the other three had gone ahead, Party Poison front and centre, the other two flanking him. The Dracs were spread out, no way of telling which were going to make their move first. Party Poison took out his gun. A Drac may have been the first to fire, but it was Party Poison who made the first kill.

By the time Jet Star came back with Rave, they were deep into the fight. Each Killjoy locked in with one or more Drac, Jet Star rushed off to the aid of Kobra Kid, while Rave helped Fun Ghoul, before heading over to Party Poison, who was smiling. He directed his smile at Rave when he saw her coming closer. "You're fucking crazy." Rave told him. Party Poison shrugged, then grabbed her, pulling her out of the way as he shot the Drac that'd been coming up behind.

Saint Jimmy finally turned around, grinning big at the Exterminator. It really had been a while since they'd last caught a glimpse of each other. If he remembered correctly, Korse had been pointing a gun at him, while Saint Jimmy disappeared through an elevator door, flipping him and his BL/Ind drones off as he went. Comparatively, that day he'd made a rather pitiful score on drugs, but, as always, Saint Jimmy took what he could get.

Korse smiled ever so slightly, nastily. He stepped forward, and Saint Jimmy knew what he was doing, trying to make Saint Jimmy move back. Jimmy stood his ground, he'd played this game far too often to fall for that. Korse smiled slightly more. "I didn't believe it when I saw the security footage, but… Here you are." He raised his hands slightly, indicating the room, the safe house, the situation. "Running with the Killjoys. How the mighty fall." He sneered. Saint Jimmy shrugged, clearly not the slightest put out by what Korse had said. "They have their uses. And, I'll admit, kinda having fun here." A little wink, which Korse ignored, straight to the point. "You have something of ours." An inclination of the head from Saint Jimmy which was almost a bow, "Don't I always?"

Korse shook his head, "I'm not talking about our… Supplements this time, Saint Jimmy."

That made Saint pause briefly. So they'd finally figured out his full name, had they? Good for them, took them long enough. "Oh? Then I'm afraid you've lost me Korse." Saint Jimmy told him, innocently.

Now Korse was coming closer, starting to get a little too close. "I'll give you a hint." Korse said. "You helped the Killjoys steal him back." At that Saint Jimmy's eyes grew, "Oh!" Finally getting it, though, in truth, he'd wondered if this was what this was about. "It's him you want, huh?"

"You're a dealer, I'm sure you'll respond to this."

Saint Jimmy's eyes went even wider, and now he could get away with it, feigning surprise, he stepped backwards, and slightly to the side, forcing Korse to turn also if he wanted to keep Saint Jimmy in view. "Now I'm intrigued." Saint Jimmy said, one eyebrow kept quirked up. "After all this time trying to get the better of me, now you want to make a deal with me? Alright." Crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm listening."

Fun Ghoul spared a glance at Party Poison, he couldn't help it, he was nervous for his leader. Party Poison looked like he was holding his own nicely, but Fun Ghoul also noted a paleness creeping over Poisons face, he was draining, almost literally. Fun Ghoul positioned himself so he had a slightly better view of Party Poison, a wary eye out for him, more than usual.

Korse's smile grew, the confidence he always seemed to have somehow managing to swell. "I am willing to give you all the drugs you want, when you want…" He paused, letting Saint Jimmy take that in. Saint Jimmy nodded, not an agreement, merely an ascent to continue. "In exchange for the rebel leader."

Saint Jimmy didn't answer for a while, clearly making a show of thinking about it. Then, finally. "It's a tempting offer. But I'm afraid my answer is going to have to be… Not a fucking chance in hell."

Korse looked surprised, offended, angry. But Saint Jimmy was still talking, "You see, your offer has two major flaws. Flaw number one" He held up his hand, one finger raised. "What you're offering me. You may not have noticed, but I get the drugs I want, when I want, just fine. And flaw number two." Now it was Saint Jimmy's turn to move forward, advancing slightly on the Exterminator, he smiled as he said, in a calm, low voice, "What you're asking me for."

Korse sneered then. "Don't tell me the Killjoys have sucked you into their merry gang so far you've actually developed some kind of loyalty to them?" He looked Saint Jimmy up and down briefly, appraising him, then shaking his head slightly. "I'd be so disappointed in you." Saint Jimmy didn't falter. "Oh no, no. Korse, now I'm offended that you'd think that. It's just… I'm afraid that Party Poison is my favourite toy. And you didn't play very nicely with him. So, you can't play with him anymore, see?" Another wink and Saint Jimmy backed off, confident he currently had the upper hand.

Korse was clearly barely containing his anger. "This isn't a game Saint Jimmy! He is a filthy rebel, he-""So take one of the others then!" Saint Jimmy told him. "Take Jet Star, take Fun Ghoul. Actually, no, don't take Fun Ghoul, he's kinda, ha! Fun. Hey, why don't you take Kobra Kid, that'll upset Cherry Top nicely. Go on, what fucking difference does it make? You'll still have a Killjoy for fucks sake."

Korse didn't reply. "Oh." Saint Jimmy said, smiling, understanding. "I see. It does make a difference, doesn't it?""He is the leader, the pillar of the operation."

Saint Jimmy shook his head slightly. Not certain if he believed him. Not that it mattered.

"In any case, you're not getting him." Saint Jimmy said. "You know full fucking well you can't get to him again unless you have someone on the inside, and your only hope for that was me. But, as I already explained, I'm not willing to give him up. End of conversation Korse, you loose."

"Very well." Korse said, regaining some of his earlier control. "You carry on playing your little game. But sooner or later, you will slip up, and we will catch you. This was your one chance at immunity Saint. Next time I see you, I promise our encounter will end in your death." Korse turned, heading towards the door. Then he paused. "I hope you got a good look at what we did to Party Poison, you'll be going the same way. Only, of course, we won't try to keep you alive. And you won't be so nicely displayed. You will die alone, in the dark, and no one will notice."

Saint Jimmy snorted, rolled his eyes. "Gonna fucking bore me to death, huh? Run along Korse, haven't you got a fight out there to watch from the sidelines?" Korse smiled again, "And what side will you be on? Saint. Jimmy."

Grinning brightly, confidently. "The winning side, naturally."

"They're not going to win, the Killjoys, they can't win. You do see that, don't you?" Korse said, "We will recapture the rebel leader and we will-""You're so fucking stupid, aren't you Korse?" Saint Jimmy suddenly exploded, taking both himself and Korse by surprise. "You don't fucking get it. They will never give up on him! They will never stop coming for him. You can take him a hundred times, you can take him a hundred thousand times. They will come for him again and again and again. And you know something else? You can keep on beating him down, doesn't matter how many times, doesn't matter how many different ways, he will always get back up, always keep fighting." Saint Jimmy paused, smiling to himself. "Must be why I have so much fun with him." He concluded.

Korse was glaring at him. "Everyone can be beaten." He insisted. "Even the great Party Poison." Then, with that nasty smile again, "Even you, Saint Jimmy."

Saint Jimmy rolled his eyes, turning his back on the Exterminator. "Boring me, Korse." He sang. "You're boring me."

He knew it was foolish to turn his back on The Exterminator, but Saint Jimmy stood his ground, his final show of defiance. He waited until he heard Korse leave, then he looked behind him again.

"Well." He muttered. "That went well."

Party Poison looked briefly behind him, he saw Kobra Kid off to the left, doing well. He could tell that in some strange way, his brother had missed getting caught up in a good fight. There was a fire, an energy to him.

Poison was glad for the small amount of re-training he'd gone through. His aim was near perfect and his reaction time was good. Some of that though was just natural. There had never been any denying that Party Poison was a good, a great fighter.

He could feel himself dwindling slightly though, his aches were aching badly, his strength was slowly fading. He didn't like to admit it, but he was looking around to the others, hoping one of them would notice, cover him.

They were all caught up in their own battles, but they'd all stayed close, closer than usual to their leader, one eye going to him at any spare moment they had, seeing he was still doing okay.

Somehow though, they'd all ended up slightly scattered, none were close enough to Party Poison, who also didn't realise he was in trouble until it was too late.

The last Drac he'd faced had almost overpowered him, knocked Party Poison down, onto his back, his gun leaving his hand as he fell. But still he'd fought back, catching the Drac off guard with a well aimed blow, stealing it's gun, shooting it in the head.

With more effort than he'd care to admit, Poison pushed the Drac's dead body off him, telling himself he did have the strength to keep fighting, he rolled onto his front, reaching out for his gun.

His fingers barely touched the handle before a foot came down on his hand. Not hard, just enough pressure to keep him still.

Party Poison froze.

The world felt very, very still. And very, very quiet.

Until,

"Poison!" Rave's voice rang out, sounding obscenely loud. The other Killjoys, all Drac's now defeated, looked over at her, startled. Then they turned their attention to the direction that she was staring, terrified.

Finally Party Poison looked up, to see exactly who had trapped him, why Rave sounded so scared.

He found himself looking straight up at Better Living's very own favourite Exterminator, and personal enemy of the Killjoys.

"Hello again, Party Poison." Korse said, his voice pleasant, and completely at odds with his nasty grin. "We've missed you."

A lot of things happened at once then. The Killjoys grouped together, with Fun Ghoul out front, they began to advance, but stopped as soon as they saw what Korse was doing.

He took his foot off Poison's hand, only to snatch him by the arm, dragging him up, on his knees, facing the Killjoys. While one hand kept a tight hold on Poison's arm, twisting it behind his back, sharply, making Party Poison cry out, the other hand retrieved his own gun, and he placed it, carefully, to Poison's temple.

"Wait." Fun Ghoul hissed as he saw Kobra Kid still trying to move forward. Kid glared at him. "He has Poison." He stated, as if Ghoul didn't already know. "Yes, he also has a fucking gun on Poison, what do you think he'll do if we get any closer?" Still scowling, Kobra Kid quietened then, once again feeling helpless as he stared at his brother.

No, not again. Please don't take him again.

"I'm glad you boys" Korse paused, then with a small nod at Rave added, "and girl, got the message. I'd rather take this rebel alive, but if you force my hand I will not hesitate to dispose of him." In the back of their minds, The Killjoys guessed he might be bluffing, of course he wanted Party Poison alive, wanted him as a trophy again. None were willing to risk it though.

Party Poison was trying to keep calm, trying to think of a way out of this. But his head was a mess of fear and panic and memories of the place he was now certain he was going back to. He knew he needed to be able to look up at his friends, at his brother, meet their eyes and give them some hope it was going to be okay, he was going to be okay.

But he couldn't. So he stared at the ground, wishing he were stronger, wishing he had the knowledge that he could overpower Korse, get himself out of this. Of course, it was Better Living itself that'd seen to that, he was still recovering, and Korse knew it.

Korse's gun was put away, then he took out a length of wire. Grabbing Party Poison's other arm, he pulled that behind his back too, tugging painfully, he wound the wire around Poison's wrists, binding him, making it ever clearer to Party Poison that he was already Better Living's prisoner.

Poison tested the wire, pulling his wrists apart slightly, winced as the wire cut into his skin. "Nice try, Party Poison." Korse told him, "But I think you realise you'll end up a bloody mess if you try too hard to get free" Poison didn't respond. Didn't move. He could feel the others watching him, he just wanted to tell them he was sorry, he didn't know what else to do.

Party Poison was aware of Korse's hand in his hair. "Still haven't dyed it back?" Korse said. "Did you like what we did to it?" Poison tried to pull himself away from that hand, but Korse was quicker, snatching up his hair, yanking his head back, forcing Party Poison to look up at him. "You remember me, don't you?"

Poison forced himself to look at Korse, to appear confident. "We've met in the zones before." He said, his voice slightly strained, but strong. Korse smiled. "That's not what I meant. You remember me from our Headquarters, what I did."

A flash of steel, glimpses of syringes' filled with strange liquids, hands grabbing and pulling and

"I don't remember anything."

"You're lying, Party Poison." Korse insisted. "I can see it in your eyes." He bent down slightly, leaning in close to Party Poison now. "You're terrified of me. And you know exactly why." Despite the hand gripping his hair, Poison shook his head, his lips tightly closed, he didn't want to know what words might leave them if he didn't.

"You're a liar and a coward, Party Poison."

As he stared up, defiantly at the Exterminator, Poison now tried to find the words to say he wasn't. That he wasn't lying, that he wasn't afraid.

Hated that he couldn't.

"Don't you fucking dare! He is not-" Kobra Kid's voice startled Party Poison, he'd almost forgotten the others were there.

Watching.

"Kid!" Fun Ghoul hissed, once again reaching towards his fellow Killjoy, grabbing his arm as he saw his intent to run forward. Kobra Kid shook him off. "You expect me to keep back, you expect me to keep quiet" He snapped, anger flashing in his eyes "What the fuck is wrong with you, Ghoul? I thought you fucking cared what happened to Poison, now you-""Desert rats with targets on them should really learn to keep quiet." Korse drawled, not taking his eyes off Party Poison. Before they had time to fully process what Korse had said, four Dracs appeared, apparently from nowhere. They each had their guns trained on the four of them.

Party Poison saw it, groaned slightly, as the small glimmer of hope he hadn't even realised he'd had suddenly disappeared.

He was going back, and this time Better Living would up the security even more. The fact they'd got him out once was nothing short of a miracle. This time, he knew, if they tried, they'd be dead.

"You know something, Party Poison?" Korse was talking again, bearing down on him, "We really have missed you, and, well. We were only just getting started."

"You're not taking him!" Kobra Kid, again. Fun Ghoul didn't try to silence him this time. In truth, though he knew he had other, much more important things to be worrying about right now, Kid's last words to him had hurt.

How can he think I don't care? This is fucking killing me. His mind flicked back, remembered the kiss. Remembered the conversation Poison had wanted to have. Fun Ghoul couldn't take his eyes off Party Poison, wishing he could tell him he wanted to save him.

I just don't know how to save him!

Korse looked up from Party Poison, smiled at Kobra Kid, then looked over the rest of the Killjoys. "You're all so protective, so loyal to him. Why?" He asked, though not giving time for a reply. "How does he deserve this… Respect you give him? Look at him." Korse, again, jerked his arm, pulling on Poison's hair, making him cry out again. "Huddled on the ground, in the dust." Then he crouched down, far too close to Party Poison. "Are you shaking?" He asked the Killjoy. "Are you that scared? Are you that weak?" Poison turned his face away, from Korse, from the other Killjoys. He wasn't even trying to get free, he just didn't want to see Korse's look of triumph, the Killjoys disappointment. And yes, he was shaking, badly, he couldn't help it. He knew how pathetic he must look. On his knees at the feet of the Exterminator, his hands tied. And now he was shaking. "No point trying to hide it, not from them." Korse told him. "They see you." Poison didn't argue. He knew. "And not from me. You know I've seen you at your lowest. I've seen you squirm and writhe. I've seen you stripped, and beaten and torn. I've heard you scream and cry and beg and gasp. I've watched you choke on your own tears. I've watched you bleed. And you know something else?" He paused. "Thousands of others saw you too. They all know how pathetic you are."

Party Poison's head was down, each word Korse said feeling like it's own physical blow. Flashbacks of so many things, so much pain. He felt his eyes stinging, but that was the last thing he had in him to fight against. He couldn't stop what the others had already seen, what they'd heard, but he wouldn't make them see him cry.

"STOP IT! LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Of everyone, Fun Ghoul was the most surprised when those words left his mouth, loud, forceful, desperate. He couldn't stand it anymore, he couldn't watch this, he knew he was about to do something crazy, but how could he not? Poison looked up, met Fun Ghoul's eyes. And for a second, just a second, Ghoul saw the old Party Poison, the real Party Poison, fire in his eyes, Ghoul knew Poison could see something similar reflected back in him too, maybe that's what he'd needed to see?

Fun Ghoul didn't know what he was going to do, but in the moment he took to act, he saw something that made him pause, and Party Poison watched as his eyes went wide, reacting to something behind Korse. He briefly had a chance to see the others look equally surprised.

"What did I tell you about being boring, Korse?"

Party Poison barely had time to register whose voice that was before all hell broke loose. He turned just in time to see Saint Jimmy, having somehow snuck up behind them, Poison saw a flash of something long, thin and shiny in Saint Jimmy's hand, before he thrust his hand forward, into the Exterminators back.

Korse roared with pain, instantly letting Party Poison go, who attempted to scurry away, finding his progress hindered by his bound wrists. Then he felt hands on his shoulders, he tried to get away from them, but Saint Jimmy held him firmly, "Calm, Cherry Top, it's okay. Calm down, I'm on your side." He was aware that Saint Jimmy was pulling him back, away from Korse, who was still howling, more in anger now. But he wasn't coming any closer, he didn't seem to be focused on anything other than the bleeding wound in his back, seeping through and staining the back of his coat.

"Poison!" He looked up, saw Fun Ghoul coming towards him, couldn't help but smile slightly. Fun Ghoul threw himself to his knees as he got to Party Poison, sliding across the sand the last of the way to him. "Poison, fuck. Are you-""I've got him, Ghoul. Go back to the others." Saint Jimmy interrupted, and Poison was vaguely aware of his grip tighten slightly. Fun Ghoul glared at Saint Jimmy, and didn't move. "I said, I've got him! I can deal with Korse, the others still need help." It was then that Party Poison looked past Fun Ghoul, and saw that the Dracs had launched their attack on the Killjoys, he guessed it'd started the moment the blade had sunk into the Exterminator.

He looked back, looking intently at Fun Ghoul now, "Go, Ghoul, I'll be fine."

Fun Ghoul stared at him, shocked. Was he… Accepting Saint Jimmy's help?

"You can't protect Poison and fend off Korse." Fun Ghoul challenged Saint Jimmy. "Yes, I can." Saint Jimmy argued. "Ghoul!" Poison pleaded, "Just go, they need you!" Then Fun Ghoul looked behind him, all four Dracs were still standing, and two were focusing on Kobra Kid.

Fun Ghoul looked briefly back at Party Poison again, "I-""GO!"

Fun Ghoul didn't hesitate any longer, he had his orders. He jumped right in, quickly dealing with one of the Dracs advancing on Kobra Kid, allowing him the time to finish off the other.

Korse finally focused back on the two rebels, now a considerable distance from him. Saint Jimmy pulled Party Poison slightly closer, and Poison was struck by how protective the action felt, like Saint actually cared about if he was hurt.

Saint Jimmy raised his hand that was still tightly clutching his knife, smirking at Korse as he told him, "You loose." Korse looked to the fight happening not far away. That had been happening. There was little movement now, The Killjoys, after regaining Fun Ghoul, had worked quickly. And now they were coming for Korse.

A final, furious look at Saint Jimmy and Party Poison, then Korse took off at a run, they saw the black, BL/I car way out on the road, watched as it sped away, taking the Exterminator with it.

The four of them headed quickly towards Party Poison, all talking at once, asking if he was alright, saying they hadn't known what to do, they'd been so scared.

Poison didn't say anything, the shock of everything really, truly hitting him. He felt Saint Jimmy's hold on him loosen, then let go completely, vaguely aware that the other man had stood up.

"And, Jimmy, I-""What the fuck is wrong with all of you?" Saint Jimmy snapped, cutting Rave off as he did. Stunned into silence, the Killjoys stared at him. "You let him get fucking captured, by Korse, one of the most fucking dangerous people out there, and then you do nothing to help him?""I wanted to help him!" Kobra Kid snapped. "But-" He was already glaring at Fun Ghoul when Rave interrupted, "This is not the time to blame anyone." She said, firmly. "The important thing is, Poison is safe now."

Party Poison barely heard what any of them were saying, the shaking seemed to have gotten worse, why was he finding it hard to breathe? Suddenly aware his hands were still tied, he started to struggle, desperately trying to get free. "Hey, hey." Saint Jimmy said, gently, crouching down beside him again, one hand going to his wrists, holding him still, the other placed gently on Poison's face, an attempt to calm him. "Careful, Cherry Top, you'll cut yourself to pieces like that."

Fun Ghoul watched, furious, and jealous as he saw Saint Jimmy touching Poison, and so… Carefully, lovingly.

"Hold on, I'll help you." Saint Jimmy said, again, soothingly. Party Poison nodded, making himself keep as still as possible, while Saint carefully unwound the wire binding him.

Once free, he flexed his hands, winced as he felt his wrist sting, as he brought them into sight, the marks and the fine cuts were easy to see, he was bleeding slightly. He began to panic again.

"Okay, c'mon." Saint Jimmy said, helping Party Poison to his feet. No easy task, the rebel leader was unsteady and, at first at least, unresponsive. Once upright, Saint Jimmy continued to keep a gentle hold on him. "Let's get you inside."

The Killjoys watched as Saint Jimmy led Party Poison back into the building, he wasn't looking at any of them. Was he mad at them? Did he think they didn't care? That they hadn't wanted to help him?

"Poison." Ghoul said, suddenly finding his mouth horribly dry, "Do you need me to-""I'm fine, Ghoul." Only this time Party Poison didn't even look at him.

Saint Jimmy threw one last glare at the Killjoys, the accusation clear in the look, he wanted them to feel guilty.

He didn't have to worry about that. They all felt sick to their stomachs.

Party Poison had nearly been taken again.

And what exactly had they done to prevent it?

"First things first." Saint Jimmy said, after leading Party Poison to his bed, getting him to sit down, "Let's get those wrists seen to, huh? Just what you needed, wasn't it? More fucking injuries, ah well. Not much blood this time. I've seen worse. A lot worse. Hey, hey, no, no." Saint Jimmy had been rifling through the first aid kit, then he saw Party Poison touching his wrists, frowning. Saint grabbed his hands, making Poison look up at him. "You'll make it worse, sweetheart." He said, gently. "Hold them out like this." Taking Party Poison's hands, turning them palm up, held out in front of him. Poison stayed perfectly still as Saint Jimmy knelt in front of him, cleaning up the thin wounds, bandaging them. "You'll only need that on a little while, just to protect it." Jimmy said, getting to his feet again. "Thanks." Poison said, as Jimmy sat down next to him. "And thanks for… Out there." Saint Jimmy shrugged, then grinned. "Anything to prove to Korse he isn't as big and scary as he thinks he is."

Party Poison stayed silent at first, then, he looked up. "You've had run-ins with him before, haven't you?" "Yep." Jimmy nodded. "Got a real thing for me that one. Even liked me enough to take me home with him." A little wink to make it seem like it wasn't a big deal. "You've been held at Better Living." It wasn't a question, and Jimmy didn't reply, and that was answer enough. It took a long time again for Poison to say anything. "Did he… Did they do the same things to you, as they did to me?" Saint Jimmy raised an eyebrow, "Thought you didn't remember what happened to you."

Party Poison stared, suddenly wide-eyed, suddenly realising what he'd just said. "I- I… I don't. I just-""Cut the act Cherry Top." Jimmy interrupted. "I know you remember more than you're letting on. I know you're protecting them. If they think you don't remember then they don't have to worry so much, right?" Saint Jimmy shifted closer, already making Party Poison slightly uncomfortable. "But this is me you're talking to." Jimmy continued, his hand reaching out, resting on Party Poison's knee. "I don't need protecting." His hand slowly moving, running up and down Poison's leg. Party Poison was getting more and more agitated, uncomfortable. He couldn't make himself stop Saint Jimmy, told himself he was overreacting. "You can tell me." Saint Jimmy said, somehow getting even closer. Was it Poison's imagination or did Jimmy sound… Breathless? "You can trust me, angel."

He couldn't handle it.

Poison pushed Saint Jimmy's hand away, pushed Jimmy away, pushed himself back, away from Saint Jimmy, moving further up the bed, almost up the other end of it. He stared at Jimmy, scared, that weird safety he'd felt earlier had disappeared entirely. "No." Poison said, quietly, though he wasn't sure exactly what he was saying no to.

Saint Jimmy just looked at him, he didn't look surprised, or angry. There was an eerie calm about him that made Poison even more afraid.

Why did I come in here with him alone? Where're the others? Where's Ghoul? Fuck. What've I done?

Saint Jimmy could clearly sense his fear, and he smiled. Then, he stood, headed to the door. "You've had a rough day, Cherry Top. Better get some rest."

Party Poison stared at the door after Saint Jimmy was gone.

He felt even more confused than ever.