This story is a missing scene from the episode "In Between." I was watching that episode, and thought about what would have happened in his mind as he lost consciousness, and what his friends would have done after. This story also has a small reference to the episode "Hard Time."

Disclaimer: I do not own "Mutant X", although one night with Jesse would be nice ;) . I am not making any money off this.

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"Guys! Gun behind you"

Jesse heard Shalimar yell, and quickly looked around for the gunman. He saw him standing there on the steps, and ran to cover Brennan. He knew the moment the bullet hit him and he fell back against Brennan instead of feeling it bounce off that it was going to be bad. As he felt Brennan gently guide him to the ground, he felt confusion. How could this have happened? He was massed. This was never supposed to happen while he was massed. He felt the foreign object suck the energy out of him and keep him massed. Brennan had been right when he said way back at Hillview that Jesse was always weak after using his powers. He felt his body hit the ground, with Brennan's hands under him. He felt airy, as if he were dreaming. He thought quickly that maybe this was all a dream, and he would wake up at home in Sanctuary, sweating but fine.

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"Jesse," Lexa screamed as she saw that the bullet had gone through him instead of bouncing off him as all the other bullet had done. He was supposed to be invincible when he massed, and here he was dazed and confused, being guided to the cold concrete outside of some random bar by Brennan. Even as she ran, she knew it was bad. They needed to get him back to Sanctuary so that they could get him help, keep him warm, that kind of thing. She froze for a moment, thinking about how the only person in the past that had meant anything to her was her brother. How had these people wormed their way in?

He had been laid down on the ground. She heard him cry out in pain for only a moment before his eyes glazed over and closed. She got to him, standing there in a circle with Shalimar and Brennan, watching over their fallen comrade. Brennan kept on shouting to him to wake up, but for the time being he was lost to them.

"Guys, we have to get him back to Sanctuary!" She told them, inserting reality into a situation that felt too surreal, even to her. If they just continued to stand here, he would most likely die right where they stood.

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"Guys, we have to get him back to Sanctuary."

Brennan heard Lexa's words through the haze that had seemed to take over his mind. Guilt tore at his heart in ways he never knew it could. He had just stood there, as he watched his teammate get shot, take a bullet that had obviously been aiming at him, had been meant for him. If Jesse died, he would be at fault! He cradled his best friend's head in his hands, and felt the warmth leave him. They did have to get him back to Sanctuary. It was the only thing that might save his life. Maybe Lexa knew someone at the Dominion who could come and help them. It was moments like this that he desperately wished that Adam were there, to help them through this.

Carefully, he shifted positions, never letting go of the fragile body that lay there, growing weaker in his arms. Gently, he picked the other man's slim form up into his arms and started walking back to where they had left the Double Helix. On the way, Jesse didn't make even a whimper to let them know he was still there. If frightened Brennan more than anything ever could. He felt the shallow breaths that Jesse was making, felt him get weaker. He needed his friends so bad now, and Brennan would never let him down. Not after the sacrifice that had been made for him

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Shalimar had felt her feral instincts to protect one of her "litter mates" rise the moment she saw the man with the gun, and now they had only multiplied. She knew that Jesse was in pain, probably going into shock, growing weaker, and there was nothing she could do but follow blindly after Brennan. He had picked up their young friend, her baby brother, and was making his way to the Double Helix. It struck her as odd that there was no blood. He was dying, and there was no blood to show that the bullet had even touched him, to even show that he was hurt. Perhaps it was the best. Those bikers- they had to have seen what had happened. They were probably talking now about some drunk woman that had thought she saw a gun and the dude they were fighting had passed out drunk. Hopefully, they would see it that way, and leave her tiny family alone.

All she knew was that they needed to get him to the safety of home.

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