Jessie:
I sat on the bed, one hand cuffed to the bed. They still didn't trust me. I wasn't sure if I trust me either. My other hand held a spoon and I did my best to eat the soup Nana Ann had made. I fround at the mug of soup. My eyebrows pulled together.

"Out loud Ma Hija." Jorge said. He was sitting in a chair beside my bed and had his feet proped up on the bed. He pointed his spoon at me.

"Nana made soup before."

"More specific." He said.

This was a normal thing now. I would have a memory come forwards but I couldn't figure out if it was real. Everything was confusing and it made me angry. Jorge or whoever was in the room with me wouldn't get mad, just tell me to be more specific, explain what I was thinking. It depended on my mood, sometimes I would and sometimes I would start yelling and screaming.

"I...I was also in a bed then." I closed my eyes, squeezing them tight, trying to grasp the memory. "you were beside me...a cup of soup...?"

He hummed. "You were shot and healing at the safe house. Ann made soup, Thomas brought it to you."

"Thomas?"

Jorge nodded again. I frowned with a growl and looked back down. We were quiet for a while again. I finished my soup. Jorge took the cup.

"So. Ma Hija. There is someone who is very exited to see you."

I picked my head up. I had been awake for a few hours now, and I was reaching my limit.  According to Nana Ann my body was going to take a long time to heal, physically.

Jorge got up and went to the door. I watched him, my eyes narrowed, and my muscles all tense and ready for a fight. He opened it and wild blond curls tumbled into the room. My mouth dropped. He was clean, in clothes that fit and he clutched his red bouncy ball and a teddy bear tight in his hands.

"Sammy?" I sputtered.

He made a strangled squeal. His big green eyes filled with tears.

"Sammy!" I whimpered.

He ran across the room and climbed up onto the bed and into my lap. Leaving his things in the bed he wrapped his little arms around my neck and held on just as tight. I wrapped my one free arm around him. Burying my face into his wild curls I just held him.  Jorge had come and sat back down in his chair. He just sat and watched us quietly.

I didn't want to let go. I was scared this was another dream. I tightened my arm. He patted my back with his little face. He made a noise and pushed away. He wiggled away and sat in front of me on the bed. He held his little hand to his chest and then pressed his hand to my chest.

For the first time I could remember...I let a ghost of a smile lift the corner of my lip. I laid my hand over his hand and then placed my hand over his chest, over his heart. He smiled. A big toothy grin. He pulled his hand away from my hand and then held my face. One little hand on each side of my face.

He was up on his knees, holding my face and looking at me. Like he was studying me. His head cocking back and forth. I had no idea what was going on inside his head. But I just sat staring at him. It had been almost a year since I saw him.

He finally pulled his eyebrows together, and his little lips pulled down into a frown.

"What?"

He let go of my face and put his hand into his pocket and pulled something out. He held it up and opened his hand. Frowning again I looked down. Laying in his hand was a necklace. I could feel the tremor in my hand start. My head twitched. Jorge sat up straighter. Sammy didn't move.

"Where did you get that?" I hissed.

I recognized it, I think. It had a leather braided cord, tied in the middle were two metal rings. Sammy growled, his face set and determined, he narrowed his eyes. He held it up, so it dangled in my face. He pointed to the rings and then laid his hand on my chest. Then back to the ring. I raised a shaking hand and took the necklace from him. Looking closer, I could see the engraved names. Sammy moved closer. He punched the ring that had Minho's name. He held the ring up so I had no option but to look. He glared at me, and then took the necklace and pressed it to my chest over my heart. His big bright green eyes didn't look away from me. He was one of the few who didn't finch when they saw me.

He held the ring back up so I had to see it. And then pressed it to my chest with a growl. He was clearly trying to tell me something. My head twitched again.

"I think he's trying to tell you something." Jorge said quietly.

Sammy nodded again.

"What do you think he's trying to say?" Jorge asked gently.

I didn't say anything. My head twitched again. Sammy pressed the necklace into my chest. I tried to jerk away. Sammy growled, showing me his teeth. He grabbed my wrist and put my hand over the necklace. He was rather aggressive for a six year old. Once he knew my hand was going to stay he patted it and nodded in satisfaction and crossed his little arms.

"Jessie. What's he trying to tell you?" Jorge asked again.

"I...I don't..." My hand clenched tightly around the necklace. I raised my hand to my forehead, still clenching it tight I rubbed my forehead, only to start hitting myself. I couldn't figure out what was really going on. It was so fuzzy and clouded. I let out a growl, and slammed my fist into my forehead.

My wrist was grabbed and yanked away from my self abuse. Jorge was holding my wrist. Sammy was fighting too, but he was trying to push my hand back to my chest.

"I don't know! I don't understand! I don't know!"

"Then ask Ma Hija." Jorge said softly. He let go of my wrist and sat at the side of my bed, right behind Sammy.

"It was Minho's."

"Not real. He made it for you." Jorge corrected. "You were wearing it when you and the group came to the Wearhouse."

"Why would he do that?" I spat.

"He wanted to give you a gift. Something special."

I frowned. And shook my head. "He tried to kill me."

"No. Not real."

I growled and shook my head. "Not real? Not real? No...no no no...they say not real. He said it was. But he was wicked. They say not real...Sammy says not real. It's not real?"

I muttered to my self. The hand clutched the necklace tight and I pressed it to my forehead and rocked back and forth while I muttered. A few tears slid down my cheeks. I lay down, my one hand still cuffed, the other one pressed to my forehead, the necklace clutched tight while I tried to keep a grasp on reality. I curled up tight into a ball. I felt a little body wiggle into my tight ball. Sammy's little head snuggled into my chest.

"Sammy. Sammy was Tarzan. Tarzan helped me. Tarzan was taken. I saved Tarzan. We are buddies." I muttered to my self.

I felt a hand on my face and he made me look at him. We were only a few inches away. His big eyes locked onto mine and he nodded. His hand pressed onto my heart.

"I...I...love...I love you too?" I said slowly, confused.

He smiled. He reached for something and then a teddy bear appeared and he pulled it close to his chest. I started at the bear, the necklace still clutched tight in my hand I eventually fell asleep with Sammy snuggled close. This was the first time I had this much physical touch in almost a year.

•×•

It had been days of people slowly coming and talking with me. Ann, Jorge, Bucky or Vince were always in the room with me. They each called me something different. I don't know why, but it was comforting that they used different names.

Bucky had started calling me Jelly Bean again. Jorge used Ma Hija, Vince called me Kiddo and Nana Ann called me Young Missy or Mama's Wolf. Sammy was also a constant in my room. I would sit in the bed, still cuffed, Sammy and I would play with his ball. Someone would bring me breakfast lunch and supper. I was aloud to shower, I needed Nana Ann and Teresa's help the first few times. I had a bad panic attack in the shower. I remember being water boarded. Teresa had to crawl into the shower with me and she sat in front of me, getting completely soaked, and she just held me while Ann washed my hair.

"Tessa..." I had whispered. "Was it real?"

"Was what real?"

"I...I needed help in the shower before..."

"Yes, that was real Jess."

"What happened?" I gasped as I tried to hold it together, the water on my head made me want to flee. "Tell me!" I begged desperately.

"You were recovering from being shot."

"Why was I shot?" I whimpered.

"Saving Sammy and Nana Ann. But you were recovering, and you needed help. Minho helped you. You didn't trust anyone else. He was sweet and gentle. And took great care of you."

"Young hunter loves his wolf." Ann added.

I was getting better with showering. Slowly. Ann and Tessa still needed to come help.

•×•

"Jelly Bean." Bucky nodded as he plunked down into the chair. I nodded back.

"So. Two things."

Bucky was always a straight to the point guy. I raised my head. I still had the necklace in my hand, I would run my thumb over the engraved names.

"One. There's a story you need to hear. And two. Wanna go cuff free for a bit?"

"No." I said immediately, shaking my head. I dropped the necklace and my free hand grabbed the cuff, like he was going to take it away.

"Just thought I'd ask." He nodded. "Okay. Ready for a story?"

I frowned and pulled my eyebrows together.  I had no idea what he was talking about. But I listened. I could feel my heart picking up it's pace. My eyes were as big as possible.

"No no no no... you're lying! You're lying! Why would you lie?" I screamed.

"Why would he lie JayJay?"

I whipped my head towards the door. Tears streamed down my face. Standing in the doorway, his hands shoved into his pockets, but his lopsided smirk on his face.

"Winnie? Is this real? Winnie are you real?"

"This is very real, you over dramatic poser."

"Winnie!" I cried. I reached my bone cuffed hand out for him. He came rushing over and threw himself onto the bed. My other wrist was freed and I threw both arms around him.

"Winnie!" I sobbed into his chest.

"Shhh. JayJay it's alright. It's okay. I'm very much alive and well thanks to Sargent Bucky."

"It's real? This is real?" I hiccuped.

Winston pulled away, "yes. Very real."

He pulled his shirt up. I gasped. Both hands over my mouth. I stared at his torso. He had all kinds of scares cris crossing over his torso. I slowly reached out and ran my shacking finger tips over a few of the scars.

"I'm very real. Very alive and it's been a long week and a half of waiting."

"Why didn't you come sooner?"

"Well...you were as stable as one of Gally's tables."

I sat up straight, my hand dropped to my lap and looked at him blankly. He didn't flinch. He looked at me with a smirk and his dark eyes steady. I blinked a few times. And then my lip twitched. And I snorted. It hit me like a slap in the face, my eyes went wide.

"You told me that in the Scorch... Real or not real?"

"Very real. We were going to both go bat shit crazy. And you said you were stable. And I said ya-"

"-stable like one of Gally's tables." I finished. For the first time in ten long months I laughed. Not out of bitterness, not out of cynicism, I laughed in genuine amusement. Winston laughed along with me.

The rest of the afternoon I lay on my hospital bed curled up beside Winston, my head on his shoulder as he told me his adventures. My brain glitched and Winston had to call in help, Bucky and Jorge came flying into the room, when Winston told me Gally was also alive.

I ended up having to have a sedative injection, my brain wouldn't let me process the information. My wrist was strapped back to the bed. The sedative took over and I had a long nap in the afternoon. When I woke up Winston was still there beside me.

"Anyone else back for the dead?" I mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

"Dunno, anyone else die while I was gone?"

"My soul." I muttered.

"Girl, that was withered and gone long before I even showed up."

I snorted. He chuckled. "I missed you so much." I whispered, trying not to cry.

"Jay, you have no idea how much I missed my Queen."

I snuggled my head into his shoulder. His arm looped around me and I felt a small sliver of piece. We were quiet for a while, his fingers playing with my hair.

"Winnie...?"

He hummed.

"How...how come...."

"Out loud JayJay." He encouraged gently.

"Where's Minho?" I finally spat out. I pushed myself up to sit. "Everyone keeps dropping hints and subtle remarks about him and everything he's done for me and how much he loves me and cares about me. But I haven't seen him once. It's been two weeks. I've seen everyone else. Even Brenda. But not him. Why?" I demanded. My voice was sharp all of a sudden.

He sat up.

"Well." He said slowly, hesitantly, he chewed his lip thinking of what he wanted to say.

"Out loud Winston." I snapped. "And don't lie to me. You of all people."

"Alright. First of all, he comes every day." He nodded towards the window. "He comes everyday and hardly leaves. He watches. He doesn't come in because he doesn't want to trigger anything. He wants you to heal. RatMan shucked with your memories of him."

I ground my teeth.

"Are you sure it has nothing to do with him being ashamed to see me as a fucked up feral animal?"

"Why would he be ashamed? He went through torture too."

"He was never muzzled, shackled and treated like a fucken dog! He wasn't water boarded, or electrocuted or have poison forced into his system, or beat with bats or needles and other things stabbed into them, or whipped or chained and left, didn't have his mind ripped apart, he's not shackled to a fucken bed Winston! I can't be trusted! I'm the monster! I'm the dangerous animal!"

By the end I was screaming, and straining against the cuff. My eyes were wild and deranged, spit flew from my mouth as I screamed about what was done to me.

"I took others torture! Ever day he came and asked if I would! And for some fucked up reason I said yes! Wanna know why? 'Cause I was used, I was used by them to call WICKED. I was the one who had all those kids captured! So I took the blame and punishment! And look what it got me!" I shook the shackl.

"It got me nothing! He's too much of a coward to come see me! He says he loves me? Why isn't he here? Why won't he look at me?"

I broke and the anger turned to hurt. All the horrible things he whispered to me while I was locked up. All the things he screamed at me while I was stuck in my own head. I turned my back on Winston and curled up and cried, trying to protect my head.

The door banged open.

"Jessie!" A voice barked.

I flinched. And cowered, trying to curl up tighter. Hands grabbedy wrists and prayed them away from my face. A mix between a gasp and sob was stuck in my chest.

Minho's stone cold face hovered over me. His jaw was clenching his eyes held mine in place. I was furious and angry a moment ago, but now I was terrified and wanted to curl up and hide.

His hands held my wrists tight, keeping them away from my face.

"Jess." He said quieter. "I'm right here. And I'm looking right at you. And wanna know what I see? I see a broken girl who went through hell. I see a hero who took on extra pain to save others. I see a touch starved human begging for acceptance and reassurance."

He paused and before I could react he grabbed my face and pressed his lips aggressively to mine. I froze. I didn't move and I didn't know what to do. I knew my pupils had dilated huge, and then shrunk back and then expanded again. My heart slammed into my chest so hard and fast I thought it was going to give out on me. My hands were cold and numb. He pulled away enough to look me in the eyes. His eyes looked softer.

"I see the girl I fucken love. I see my whole world."