"Where are they?" Metal asked as they got out of the car and headed for Trevor who was waiting patiently beside a fenced paddock.

"Right there." Bailey pointed to the ground under the tree near the fence and Metal caught the sounds of Jess and Pauline bursting into song, singing together loudly. Howling at the moon was more like it with the way those two were carrying on, giggling and laughing. "I just convinced them not to try swimming in the water trough."

Shaking his head, Metal growled softly and started to move toward Jess, but Bailey stepped in his way slightly to stop him.

"Look. I don't know what's going on, and I know Jess has been through a lot, but…ah…from what I can piece together the two of you had a disagreement and she's pretty torn up over it…so maybe go easy on her."

Metal stared down at the shorter man and struggled to rein in his temper.

Not deterred in the slightest by the warning glare Metal was trying to melt his brain with, Trevor kept going with impressive calm.

"I just need to know that I'm releasing her into a situation that wouldn't put her in a worse spot, and if you're still pissed off about whatever it is, and it's worse now, maybe have someone else come get her."

Trent passed them both, muttering, "It's not him you should worry about. I'm about to hand that BFF her own ass for giving Jess alcohol in the first place."

"HI TRENT!" Jess called happily, dragging herself up from where she'd been staring at the stars with Pauline. She managed to use the tree to get herself up but then she stumbled and Trevor, who was closest, caught her arm before she could fall on her face.

She looked up at him with a stupid grin as she giggled about nearly eating dirt, said, "You have really pretty eyes!"

Smiling with a quiet amusement, Bailey answered, "Thank you! I got them from my mama. One foot in front of the other there, Jess. There ya go. Your brothers are here to take you home."

Jess's smile faded when she spotted Metal standing just behind Trevor. Discomfort twisted Metal's gut and he put a lid on his ire. Even drunk she grew noticeably guilty and wary as she flicked her attention over him, assessing how angry he was. He hated seeing that kind of hypervigilance directed at him from her. She'd had enough reasons in her life to need that. She shouldn't need it with him and it gave him a heavy sense of failure.

"You gonna yell at me again?" Jess asked him, squinting as she struggled to focus on him and stay standing. Trevor was providing ninety percent of her ability to stay on her feet right now.

"Don't know. Did you do something stupid?" Metal asked with gruff lightness in return, already knowing the answer as he unfolded his arms and moved forward, careful not to come off as threatening. The kid was vulnerable in this state. He knew from personal experience that being drunk didn't exactly erase all the triggers. Sometimes it made them worse.

"No, I didn't do anything stupid!" Jess slurred indignantly, pulling her arms around herself with a subtle shiver. She wasn't really dressed for how cold it was outside right now.

"Really. Riding a horse while drunk wasn't something stupid?"

Jess didn't resist when he approached and stood just in front of her. Instead she peered up at him with that sleepy, drunk, weary attitude as she waited for him to take over for Trevor.

"Charlie wasn't drunk, so it was fine because he was driving, not me. Besides, I texted you and told you where I was," she told him, as if that would fix everything. "So you can't be mad at me for that."

Metal rolled his eyes to the heavens at her logic and swallowed a biting reply, reminding himself he'd lashed out at her enough today.

"Yup. You did. Thank you. Now let's get you home."

"No, Charlie needs treats." Jess protested obstinately, pulling her arm from his grip and starting her way toward the barn. "He was a good boyo. Ohhhh…and I want to see the foal again before we go!"

Suppressing a snarl of frustration, Metal turned to Bailey and asked, "Has she been like this the whole time?"

Trevor shrugged, "Not as much sass with me, but yeah, it's been a bit like herding cats with the two of them. Convincing them down off the horses was the fun part...hang on a sec- No, Jess we talked about this already. Until you're sober, you aren't going into that barn with the foal. Her mama didn't like it last time."

"Awwwwww," Jess whined dramatically and tossed herself sideways into the side of Metal's truck, nearly missing and narrowly avoiding falling to the ground. She slid down the side onto her ass, visibly pouting. "But little Spike is so cute!"

"Which is why you should enjoy her when you can actually see her properly, like in the morning, for example-"

"-Hey! Look at this rock! RJ would LOVE this rock!"

Shaking his head, Trevor turned back to Metal with more visible amusement and muttered, "Like I said, herding cats."

"She's always like that." Metal grumbled. "Just worse when she's drunk."

Meanwhile, behind them Trent was letting Pauline have it.

"You know how sick she gets when she drinks like this and it's not gonna help her in the long run!"

"Aren't you being a hypocrite?" Pauline challenged, slightly more sober than Jess and not in the mood to be lectured. "I've seen you and your whole team getting drunk at bars! You're not the poster child for being responsible! Or did you forget I worked part time at that golf course you guys annihilated that one time?"

"That's not the point! Why the fuck would you give Jess alcohol when you know what kind of place she's in and that her body has already been through hell enough this month without pumping it full of more poison!? What kind of shitty friend are you?"

"She's a grown ass adult! Stop treating her like she's a kid that needs you to be her babysitter!"

"You're supposed to be a grown ass adult too, and yet you are acting like a teenager, going along with her bad decisions that could compromise her health!"

"Poooottttt to kettlllleeee!" Pauline sang, moving to walk away. She ended up tripping over a tree root and Trent was forced to catch her before she could hit the ground and 'cranky Pauline' was replaced with 'giggling like an idiot Pauline', ending the more heated portion of their conversation.

"You good if I head out?" Bailey asked Metal as a call came over the radio. "I might have to take this one-"

"Yeah, we're good," Metal answered. "We'll make sure everyone is looked after. Thank you."

"You got it. Glad I could help. Take care."

With that Trevor got in his cruiser and drove off, leaving Metal to handle Jess while Trent still half scolded and argued with Pauline. He was simultaneously trying to check and see if the blood on her arm was fresh and where it was coming from but the young woman wasn't cooperating with him.

Metal had to admit he would much rather deal with a drunk Jess than her best friend.

There was a balance of annoyance and residual anger along with affection and resigned acceptance when he looked at Jess. She was sitting in the gravel next to his truck, picking through rocks on the ground and humming to herself.

"Alright, pipsqueak," He took long, even strides toward her, letting his affection for her override the frustration, if only for her sake. Tough love didn't work on Jess and he'd already fucked up today by letting his emotions slip. That couldn't happen again. "Let's get you home."

"I don't want to go home yet," Jess informed him without looking up from her piles of rocks. He couldn't for the life of him figure out what the 'sorting' system for them was. "You're pissed off at me and you yelled at me."

"Yup. I sure did." Metal lowered himself to a crouch in front of her. "Not happy I raised my voice and for some of the stuff I said, but I won't apologize for being upset. I have my own shit I'm working through."

"You scared me," Jess mumbled with an injured accusation as she fiddled with a larger stone. "You were loud."

"Yeah, I do have a loud voice. Shouldn't have yelled at you. I'm sorry."

"Was something Jason would do." Jess commented. "Not you. You don't yell. Why did you yell?"

"Frustrated," Metal answered. "And…told ya before. I got shit I'm still trying to work through. Came out at the wrong time and I took it out on you. I was wrong."

"What shit?" Jess asked innocently through the drunken haze

Metal sighed and lowered himself down next to her, adjusting his cap and ruffling his hair. Anyone else who asked he would have told them to mind their own damn business, but this was Jess and he owed it to her after losing it on her.

"Honest answer? Kid…I'm scared ."

That got Jess's attention and she sobered enough that she was completely focused on his words.

"Of what?"

"Of losing you. Of something happening to you that I can't protect you from." Metal leaned his head back to rest on the side of the truck, taking in the stars. They were always more visible and crisp when it was cold. "I told you about Rose once before."

"She died from cancer. Was my age. Loved pandas and mango flavored everything. Sounded like fun." Jess supplied helpfully, her words still slurring.

"Didn't tell you the whole story," Metal clenched his jaw, debating if this was a good time or not. Then he went for it anyway. "She decided to work in the same war zones as me, as a nurse."

"Yeah, you said that too, and she and you didn't agree about all that."

"Uh huh. But I didn't tell you that she got kidnapped by terrorists and that the cancer didn't kill her, she was murdered before anyone could rescue her, or that I never forgave myself for not fighting harder to convince her to go back home where it was safe. To this day I feel like I should have been able to do something to stop it and it kills me that I was helpless to save her."

Jess stayed silent for a long spell and Metal finally glanced down at her. He could just see her serious face in the light coming from the barn and he knew she felt the full weight of his words.

"That's awful." Jess whispered.

"Yeah. I don't like talkin about it much."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You didn't do anything," Scanning the dark surroundings and watching as Trent walked Pauline to the stairs that lead up to her apartment on the property, Metal kept going. "I could curb the need to keep you safe when you went to the amazon. Didn't want to control you, wanted you to feel like you could do anything you wanted and that you had the support you needed to flourish. I did it all right, took every precaution. I didn't try to talk you out of it. I did what I could to keep you safe. And it still all went wrong."

Jess tilted her head as she listened, brow furrowing, "But, you did keep me safe...you're the reason that I was found so fast."

"Maybe. Just…pips, it still went wrong. And now, being involved in this operation to catch your mom and Harold, even Santino? So much more could go wrong and I can't lie...I'm fuckin terrified."

"But, I'm not." Jess told him frankly with a gentle smile. She flopped her head to the side so it rested on his arm. He lifted it before she got too comfortable and some of the taut bands between his shoulders loosened when she tucked in closer.

Instead of dismissing the statement as a drunken announcement, Metal decided to ask, "Why?"

"Because you'll all be there this time, with me, and I'll know it's you, and I know you're gonna keep me safe no matter what. So I'm not scared...like...right now...I probably will be scared a bit later before it all happens...but not right now. I know you'll take care of me."

Clenching his jaw and tightening the arm around her, Metal confessed the remaining fear in his heart.

"What if it's not enough? The measures I took last time weren't enough. What if this time it's not enough? What if we miss something and you get hurt, or worse?"

It seemed silly seeking comfort and reassurance from the drunk kid sitting next to him, but Jess just had that effect sometimes. Sometimes the way she saw the world needed to be how he saw it too.

"It was enough though." Jess protested, tipping her head back so she could study him through half lidded eyes. "You got me out. You found me...and, right up until the end, the whole trip went great! And we aren't alone this time. The rest of our family will be there too!"

"That is true." Metal had to agree. They had back up and people they both trusted.

"See? It'll be fine." Jess dropped her head down and snuggled in, shivering a bit now from the cold and taking advantage of his warmth. "My mom will get caught. You'll get Harold and then beat the location of Santino out of him, and then you get that slimy asshole and we all live happily ever after! Oh! And we get a puppy!"

A half smirk rose at the simple confidence of the carefree, pickled girl. He wished it was that simple and that she could manifest that kind of peace when she was sober, because she was going to need it.

"Wait. Are you still mad at me?" Jess lifted a sleepy, anxious face then and in the light from the edge of the barn he caught the dark red spots around her eyes. She'd cried enough to burst blood vessels.

Drawing an even breath, Metal shook his head at her, saying, "Pips, we've been over this. I can be upset with you and we're still ok. Alright? Doesn't matter what the issue is, you'll always have me, pissed off or not. Not going anywhere."

"You said you were done."

"Done with the argument. More done with myself than done with you. Would have yelled more if I didn't walk away."

"I didn't know that. I thought you were done with me."

"Nope. Not that case."

"You said I was naïve too."

"Oh, you are absolutely naïve about a lot of stuff, kid, but…that's ok. It looks good on you and means the world hasn't shattered you completely."

"It's not a game to me."

"I know that. Shouldn't have worded it like that. I know you're taking it seriously. Just…got caught in my own head and the fact that you can't possibly fathom all that could go wrong."

"But you do. So it'll be ok, because you're looking out for me."

"You put way too much confidence in me, pipsqueak."

"No, I don't."

"Whatever you say."

"I don't feel ok," Jess mumbled, reaching for the rocks she piled near her hip and moving them around aimlessly. "I feel…dirty…and…and like I sold my soul even though I know that it was all a lie and I just said all those things to get my mom, and Harold too, drawn out of the woodwork and…and all that jazz-"

"Come on, pips," Metal tried to ignore the rambling so he didn't get mad again. He held out a hand to her. "Let's go home. It'll be alright. We'll face it tomorrow when you're sobered up."

Jess reached out and took his waiting palm, her ice cold fingers weakly gripping his own as she eased up onto her feet with him. She promptly lost her balance and ended up tipping into him with her eyes closed.

There was a short second where, when his arms caught her and held her up on her feet, Jess went too still. He knew before she spoke again she'd just been triggered by something.

"Scott?" Jess's light, willowy voice ghosted past her hair that was creating a curtain for her face. "You're really you…right? This is all real and-and I'm not somewhere else?"

"You're at the barn. No one here but you, me and Trent's back walking across the yard towards us now. You're safe."

"You have me."

"I have you."

"It's harder to…to not be there…right now. Why is it harder? I don't like it-"

"Five things you can hear." Metal interrupted to growing panic before it could gain momentum. "Go."

"Umm…footsteps on the gravel…that's like when…before the van…walking on the gravel- you have me, right? In the forest? It was night."

"Yes. We can talk about that more later, but yes. I had you. That's a memory. You were safe."

"Ok."

"What else can you hear around you right now."

"You."

"Smart ass."

Jess lifted her head and grinned at him, the alcohol taking back over.

"You good?"

"Uh huh. I can't walk in a straight line. I can't drive home."

"Good thing I'm driving. Up ya get. Trent will drive your car home."

"I like my car."

"Good."

"She good?" Trent asked, hovering halfway to the little two door civic. He had Jess's stuff in his hands, including her wallet and phone.

"She's fine."

"They drank a whole box of tequila smashers."

"Awesome. Jess? Here. If you need to puke, puke in this."

"Ok!" Jess accepted the plastic bag and flopped happily in her seat. "I feel great right now!"

"You won't later."


Scott was right. Jess didn't feel great later.

She puked a lot. So much so that she recalled there was a brief discussion with her, Trent and Scott about if she should get taken to the hospital or not, but she stopped throwing up after that, so she got to stay at home.

The worst part was, despite how hard it was on her body, once she was asleep she didn't wake up once or remember any dreams. Knowing that was filed away in her brain was dangerous. What if she started doing that to herself just so she slept?!

Facing Trent and Scott in the other room was almost nostalgic from the time she'd gotten drunk with Clay and just as humbling.

"Hi." She greeted, shuffling into the room and heading for some water.

"How you feeling?" Trent asked with a surprising lack of judgment.

"Awful. Deserve it though." Jess gulped down half a cup of water and leaned her forehead on the cool door of the fridge. "Just out of curiosity, um…how drunk was I last night?!"

"Well, you referred to Jason as 'dad' multiple times." Said Trent lightly.

"And you told Officer Bailey he has pretty eyes." Scott chimed in.

Cringing, Jess waited to hear more.

Trent snorted in a laugh and said, "You also drunk called Sonny and told him off for all the burping and farting he's done that last year you've known him, lecturing him for a good three minutes on proper etiquette."

Scott looked up from his book and smirked, "We did not attempt to stop that one. It was too funny. Then you told Trent that you and he needed to go to Comic-Con. You'd be Grogu and he can be The Mandalorian."

"I'm actually all for that!" Trent perked up with a grin.

"Oh my gosh." Jess groaned. "I am never drinking again. Besides! What was I thinking!? I would never be a little green, cute baby Yoda! I'd be Ashoka Tano!"

Eyes gleaming as he glanced at Scott, Trent added with a wicked grin, "You said Metal should come as Chewbaca."

Jess's eyes went big, "Ooooh, actually he would make an amazing Chewie!"

"That's what I said!" Trent told her as Scott glared at him. Jess got the feeling there was something more going on between them concerning 'Chewie' and ComicCon but she couldn't for the life of her guess what it was.

"I don't play dress up," Scott grumbled impatiently.

"You play dress up every day you go to work." Trent laughed. "Speaking of which, once you're somewhat functioning, Jess, you gotta come to work with up. We got a bunch of work to do if we're going to pull your mission off."

"Is that…sarcasm or mockery…or suppose to be stabby-"

Trent had already jumped to his feet, heading for the door. He paused at her question, head snapping round, "What? No. I'm teasing you and half serious. It's your mission, kinda. Your idea. You're the one making it possible. You're one of the most important players. So let's go make it an epic one. Right Metal?"

"We'll be there in twenty. Gotta talk to Jess first." Scott had closed his book and was sitting on the edge of the couch now, pinching the bridge of his nose with his head bowed.

"Don't take too long. See ya later, Jess!"

There was an awkward silence after the door closed and them Scott sighed, easing himself up to his feet saying, "My favorite hangover cure drink is in the fridge. Red bottle, second shelf. You should bring that along. I've also got food put together for you to eat on the way."

"Thank you."

Now that she had her inhibitions back, Jess wasn't sure of herself or where they stood right now and it showed.

"Pipsqueak, we're ok. You remember our conversation last night?"

"Yeah."

"What did we talk about?"

Fiddling with the dish towel sitting on the counter, Jess said, "Told me about Rose and how she actually died. You said you were scared of something happening to me and that's why you were mad and yelled at me. And you're worried you guys won't be able to keep me safe this time."

"Sums it up pretty good. You still good? Still want to do all this?"

Nervousness built up in her gut and Jess nodded.

"Ok. Still don't like it. That's not gonna change. Still gonna back you up and support where I can. You want to pull the plug at any point, and Bravo will fight tooth and nail to make sure it happens, got it? You're not trapped into this just because it's happening fast."

"I know."

"I mean it. If you don't feel safe, physically, mentally or emotionally because of that woman, or her husband...call it. We'll be there."

"I'll be ok."

Scott gave her a long look before jerking his head toward the door, stating, "Good. Let's go do this. We go twenty-four hours before your mom comes to get you and I don't want anything to be missed in this plan. More times we go over it, the safer you'll be."


Thursday, The White Rose Café, 5:45pm

"Ok, Jess, just like we practiced and talked about. You go in, take a seat and wait for Ellen to arrive."

Jess sat in her car, frozen in place as she clutched the steering wheel and watched the light, freezing rain fall. The tiny barely noticeable earpiece that Mandy and Lisa spoke to her through was hidden under her hair and she knew once she got moving there would be minimal interaction coming through so as to keep her from getting distracted or giving herself away.

This was it.

So much was hinging on her being able to get out of this damn car and walk into that café.

"Come on, Jess." Jess muttered to herself, hooking her fingers around the pendant around her neck as if it could give her courage. Her thumb traced the flower. "You can do this."

There were people all around her, hidden and in disguise. Even Blackburn had his boots on the ground so he could 'hold Bravo's leash'. This was a delicate situation, apparently, because it was on their own country's soil and everything had to go according to plan.

Jess had been strictly told not to look for any of them or she might give them away. If she did happen to see one of them, she was to pretend she hadn't and that she didn't know them. That was all well and good in the briefing and practice sets, however, right now, Jess desperately wanted to see her brothers. She needed to know they were close and where they were. She knew if she just saw one of them, she could do this. Or hear them.

As if hearing her prayer, the earpiece came to life again and this time it wasn't Lisa. It was Scott. They'd patched him through anyway despite telling her over and over again that they couldn't do that.

"Hey, pipsqueak. I'm only doing this once. Can't risk doing it again. Look to your left."

Heart picking up with hopeful relief, Jess turned her head and her gaze settled on a homeless dude sitting with his back slumped against a wall and head bowed. He was dirty, and pitiful looking with cold water dripping off his hood. The kind of person people tried to avoid because it made them uncomfortable.

"You're looking right at Clay. He's got you. I'm not far either. Lookin right at you. You're ok. We've all got you. You can do this."

The head of the homeless man lifted ever so slightly and Jess caught a flash of Clay's baby blues and the smallest smile of encouragement, confirming what Scott told her.

Gratitude swelled in her chest and Jess fought back the urge to cry.

"Ok." Jess whispered. "I can do it. I got this."

She got out of the car, locked it and stepped onto the sidewalk, moving right past Clay on her way into the café. As she'd promised, she didn't look at him now that she knew where he was. The temptation to hunt for the others was awful so she kept her head down until she was inside.

The café was lively and busy, with comforting sounds and smells that usually made Jess happy.

"Hi! What can I get for you?"

The young woman behind the counter greeted her when she came through the door.

Right. She should order something. That would be smart.

"Ahhh," Jess's mind stalled as she tried to decide. "Sorry, long day. Give me sec."

"Oh, I hear ya, take your time!"

Jess recognized the woman from when she used to come more often, before finding out her mom had her tailed by that PI and she had to find a new place. Kathy? Yeah. This was Kathy. She was always so sweet.

"Um…I'll get a vanilla bean latte with an extra shot of espresso- '' Jess broke off as the idea of being highly caffeinated and nervous mixed in her brain and the reality of how that would go. She forced a smile. "Actually, you know what? Scratch that. I'll get a lavender tea latte instead."

"That's a great one! Have you had it before?"

"No, but I like lavender tea."

"You'll love it. It's one of my favorites. Name?"

"Jess."

"Right! I thought I recognized you! You used to come in here a lot with your housemates!"

"Yeah! It's been awhile." Jess rubbed her hands together, fighting off cold and anxiety, and then dug out her wallet. Talking about meaningless shit with someone who had no idea what was happening around her was kinda nice. Helped calm her down.

"You can use your card when you're ready and then go have a seat. I'll bring it over. Do you need a receipt?"

"No, I should be good, thanks."

"Ok! I'll have it over in a jif!"

Because she wasn't putting herself through enough today, Jess headed through the cafe to the spot that she and her friends usually took, back when she lived at Ingrid. In the process of crossing the warm, cozy space of talking people, Jess accidently spotted Eric sitting at a table nearby where she was headed, head down as he 'worked' at a computer.

Once Jess was sitting down, she didn't know what to do with herself. Looking around the cafe meant risking seeing other people she would recognize, so she drew a calming breath, put her chin in her hand and looked out the rain splattered window instead at the cars drifting past.

That lasted all of a minute before her knee started bouncing and she began to dissociate, going numb and clammy as she waited.

"You're doing great, Jess. Just a little longer and then this is all over."

Jess couldn't answer Lisa without looking crazy. She knew they had eyes on her. She knew somewhere they had surveillance equipment hidden all over the place. Felt weird being watched and monitored. How the hell was she supposed to act normal?

Well. What would normal Jess do?

Normal Jess would people watch.

A glass behind the counter shattered and the co-workers teased the one who dropped it about it with easy smiles. They were safe people to people watch. Maybe she could watch them. Mandy told her to be herself and act as normal as possible-

"Here you go!"

Kathy nearly made her jump out of her skin.

"Thank you!" Jess managed a smile, only just holding in the violent flinch.

"Let me know if you need anything else!"

And with that Kathy was gone, moving about and gathering dishes. She paused at Blackburn's table.

"Need a refill?"

"No, thank you." Eric smiled at the barista pleasantly. "I should be ok. I was told I need to cut back on my caffeine intake."

Kathy made a face and quipped good naturedly as she moved on, "Where's the fun in that?"

Wrapping her hands around her drink, Jess stared at it instead of watching the room again because she really, desperately didn't want to screw this up. On her last scan she was pretty sure she'd unintentionally spotted Ray in the loft above her, sipping away on a drink and 'looking at his phone'.

Knee still bouncing, Jess waited. Another minute and Jess shoved her sleeve up to check her watch.

"I know it's really hard to stay calm right now, Jess, but you gotta take a deep breath and relax just a little."

The knee stopped bouncing and Jess went still. She wasn't breathing though and she just felt like she might explode.

"Ok. I've been corrected. If movement and people watching helps you stay calmer, do that. And Bravo team would like me to remind you that you're doing great, it's gonna be ok."

That cold knot of fear gave way to make room for a flood of fuzzy warm. Jess ducked her nod down into her scarf and smiled a little while studying the pattern in the top of the foam on her drink. Her knee started to bounce again and she took a breath.

Clay outside. Blackburn basically behind her and to her left. Ray above her in the loft, full view. Those were just the ones she could see and could recognize. This was fine. Everything was fine.

Jess glanced out the window again.

Gosh she hated waiting. Waiting for anything was the worst. How did they do it? Scott told her once that some missions over ninety percent of it was waiting. Must be maddening. She needed something to do. Why hadn't she brought something to do?

There was a plant on the windowsill. A sad plant. There was so many dead parts of it still attached to the poor spider plant. It would look so much happier if she-

Jess flicked a quick look around the room to see if anyone was watching, momentarily forgetting that several people were. Then she scooted her chair a little closer to the window and causally set to work gently breaking off the dead parts and making a neat little pile to toss in the garbage later.

The fact no quiet voice was coming through the earpiece told her she could keep going, so Jess let herself get absorbed in the task. A song she liked came on the speakers playing softly throughout the coffee shop and Jess bounced her knee in time to it now instead of her own nerves.

The bells over the door chimed a few times, and each one had Jess's heart speeding up with anticipation of hearing her mother's voice at any moment. She knew it was a toss up if she got a warning ahead of time. Lisa had explained that when her mom arrived they needed her acting as naturally as possible and that someone in her ear, warning her of things about to happen, might have the opposite effect.

At long last, it happened.

"Oh, Jessica, that's not your job. It's someone else's! Leave the plant alone!"

Jess brought her head and she was met with the tall, elegant figure of her mother.

For a second words got stuck in her throat and Jess just blinked at the woman dumbly before she managed, "Hi, mom."

"Hello, darling. Oh, come give me a hug- Just look at you! Your fingers are all dirty!"

"Well, I mean, I was just playing in the dirt."

"Clearly." Ellen replied with distaste. "And I see you went ahead without me."

"Oh!" Jess looked down at her drink. "I was cold when I got here. Sorry!"

Mouth thinning, Ellen tossed her hair, making the expensive earrings clink, "No matter. Let's sit, just the two of us and make this a happy evening."

Every fiber of Jess's being was screaming at her to run, to get as far away from the woman as possible. The last thing she wanted was to be in the same room as her. But her task was clear. Get Ellen to talk if she could, and then leave with her, walking her to the alley where she parked her car under the guise of 'getting her things' and then Bravo would take over from there. They couldn't just grab her. They needed to know if Harold was near by so they could scoop him up too, if possible.

"Just the two of us?" Jess tried, flicking her eyes to the door. "No Harold?"

"Were you expecting him?" Ellen asked, a little sharply.

"Kind of," Jess said in a smaller voice, hating that she was already getting bullied into a corner by the woman and it hadn't even been five minutes. Her instinct was still to retreat and cause as little trouble as possible. "You just hardly ever go anywhere without him, that's all."

Ellen seemed to relax and accept the explanation as she took a seat across from Jess, eyeing the cafe critically.

"He and you didn't seem to get along the last time. You made him very angry with how you spoke to me, so I thought it was best to leave him at the hotel and come get you myself."

"The hotel?"

"Yes, dear, you didn't think we were driving home tonight, now did you?"

"Oh, I guess not."

"Really. I don't know how you survived without me so long. Now. What on this menu is the least insulting to the senses?"

Jess shrugged and gripped her cup, keeping her eyes on the table so her mother wouldn't see the shift in her demeanor. She felt small and angry all at once. "I got a latte. I always get a latte."

"Then I'll try that. I'm sure it won't be any good."

"I like it."

"Oh, of course, darling. Your palette doesn't know any better. I, however, am more accustomed to refined and high quality food and drink."

"Ah." Jess took a long drink and mustered her courage. "So what time are we leaving to go home tomorrow?"

"In the morning, Harold has a few things he wants to do before we leave. Then we're not going home right away."

"We aren't? But I thought we would be going back to Maine?"

"Not yet. We're going to spend some time in Miami! You like Miami! Remember that villa we bought?"

"Not really," Jess said honestly. "What one is that?"

"The one on the water! Breacher Cove? We have a whole strip of land all to ourselves out there. Surely you remember it! You broke your arm there!"

That brought her head up and Jess scrunched her nose up at Ellen, saying, "I've never broken a bone."

"Haven't you?"

"No."

"Must have been your sister then. At any rate, we're headed there. Harold has some business to attend to. I thought we could do some shopping and discuss your schooling options."

"Sounds like fun." Jess lied, taking another drink and latching on to the numb detachment that came rushing back so easily, protecting her and keeping her sane. "Hey, ah, how far is the hotel? I might need to stop for gas on the way. Forgot I was running on a near empty tank."

"Thirty minutes, and why on earth would you need to get gas? I'm driving. I thought we agreed to that already."

"Ah, no…we didn't really have a chance to talk about that."

"I'm certain I told you I would be driving."

"Ok, sorry, I must have missed that."

"Watch your attitude, Jessica!"

Biting back the exclamation of "What fucking attitude' and opting for something that would lull her mother into thinking she was in control, Jess said, "Sorry. It's been a long day. I shouldn't be acting like this. Do you think maybe we could get the drinks to go and head out? My stuff is just in my car."

Sighing, Ellen said with an injured tone, "I thought we were re-connecting."

"Oh. Ok, well we can do that too if-"

"No. No. It's fine, Jessica. If you're too tired, we should really take you back and get you to bed. We have all week to re-connect before we leave."

"Leave?"

"The country dear."

"Ahhh…why are we leaving the country?"

"Oh, many reasons. You want an education, don't you? The best educations are found in Europe!" Ellen got up and held her head high. "Now, come along, Jessica. I'm not sure this place is hygienic enough for me to risk getting a drink anyway. Where is your car?"

"This way."

Heart hammering now, Jess walked past Blackburn and fought the urge to glance up at Ray when she headed for the door.

It was still raining outside and it was dark now.

"Couldn't you have picked a safer place to park?" Ellen asked with obvious criticism. "Good lord, Jessica. It's pitch dark down here!"

"This was the only place I could find a spot when I got here. It's just a little further." Jess tried not to quicken her pace. Almost there. She could see the civic. They were in the alley where they were planning to grab Ellen. It had to be controlled because they didn't want word getting back to Harold or Santino that she was taken in.

"Hey! Where the hell are you going!"

Ice water rushed through Jess's bones and she spun on her heel, spotting Harold stalking into the mouth of the alley behind them.

"I thought you said he was at the hotel?" Jess blurted, losing some of her nerve. Knowing that Harold was a violent criminal made her forget that she had even more dangerous people watching her back.

Ellen ignored her and called up the alley to her husband.

"She's just getting her things, Harold. I told you to wait in the car. This never goes well when you-"

"Shut up," Harold spat at Ellen as he approached. He snapped his fingers and pointed at Jess. "You. This way, now."

"But my bag-"

"You should have grabbed it before if it was important."

"It'll only take a second to grab." Jess pressed, walking backward now as he approached rapidly. Get to the van. There was a van. She needed to get past the van and then this would be over."Mom? I really want to come home, but please, let me bring my things!"

"Harold-"

"NO! I told you five minutes! You've taken longer than that! This was a in and out. You promised , Ellen." Motioning to Jess, Harold ordered darkly, "Jessica. Come now, or I'll lose my temper."

Grasping at straws and valiantly fighting back panic, Jess kept backing up and blurted, "I have a gift! For you. And mom. It's an apology. I-I didn't know what else to do, so I got you both something. Please…I owe you both so much, let me do this one, little thing?"

"What makes you think you can ever make up for the hell you put your mother through, or the trouble you caused me?!" Harold snarled, reaching for her now as he got in arms reach.

The vulnerable teenager in Jess shrunk back, away from the rough grab and she remembered the last time he'd put hands on her. There was a bruise.

He never touched her though. A shadow materialized with terrifying speed, catching Jess from behind and tugging her out of the way while a second came in from the side, crashing into Harold.

Alarm shot through Jess when the arm hooked around her middle, forcing her to forget where she was and what was happening. Her yelping shriek was silenced by a hand over her mouth. That was all too familiar, like when she got taken in Brazil, and Jess nearly lost it until Clay's voice came clearly next to her ear, "Shh. It's us, Jess. It's Clay. You're ok. We'll take it from here, just stay quiet, ok? We gotta do this quiet and fast, remember?"

Instantly, Jess melted and she dropped her hands from where she'd been trying to pry the hand over her mouth off. Clay released her moments later and stayed right by her, hand sitting lightly on her shoulder with his body ready to shield her if necessary.

In the poor light of the alley Harold had quickly gone from looming over Jess to being grabbed roughly and getting his face slammed into the side of the van that was parked innocently in front of Jess's car. Jason wasn't gentle as he wrestled Harold, almost letting him squirm loose just enough to warrant slamming his face into the side of the van a second time, breaking his nose. All the while he had the man in a sleeper hold to keep him quiet and Scott appeared, dressed as a second homeless man and nearly unrecognizable. He zip tied Harold's hands mercilessly tight and then helped Jason gag him and drag him through the now open van doors. Ellen's scream, like Jess, got cut off before it could truly sound and Jess saw her being easily silenced and manhandled by Sonny and Trent toward the van as well. They weren't overly gentle with her either and there was no pity in their eyes in response to her fear.

Jess couldn't decide if it was disturbing or vindicating.

"You ok?" Clay asked, still hovering next to her as the rest of Bravo melted from the shadows and made for the van as well.

"Yeah," Jess managed to say, locking eyes with her mom just before the van doors closed. Realization and betrayal were loud and clear. Ellen knew Jess set her up.

"You're coming back to base with us. Gotta debrief. Brock's driving with you. I have to take Ellen's car so it's not left here. Might be information in it."

"Ok."

"You did good."

"Thanks."

"Ok…we'll talk later, ok?" Clay moved off reluctantly and he shed his 'hobo' coat so he didn't seem so unsavory and the dirty hat disappeared next. In fact, underneath it all he had a nice shirt on and a nice pair of jeans. The difference was amazing.

"Come on, Jess. Let's go."

Flinching, Jess jerked back when she found Brock standing next to her this time. He gave a soft, encouraging smile and Jess blinked stupidly at him.

"It's over?"

"Yeah. We got both of them. Get in the car."

"Can you drive?"

"I was planning on it." Brock answered kindly, taking the keys from her fingers when all she could do was keep gripping them. They'd been frozen in her fingers ever since Harold appeared.

"I didn't think he was here." Jess said softly.

"Neither did we."

Jess climbed in the passenger side and put her belt on, still stunned by the whole thing. It was done. That all just happened. That wasn't so b-

Then it hit her like a truck. All the upset, pain, fury, fear. It washed in without warning and Jess burst into tears as Brock pulled away from the curb.