Two months later

Kay opened her suitcase, aware that they were kicking Jessie out of her own house.

"Nonsense," Jessie said, throwing a few t-shirts and shorts into a duffel bag. "Even if I like this place, you have no idea how badly I want to escape sometimes. A few days in town will do wonders for me."

Kay wanted to believe her, but she still felt guilty. "Really, Jessie, we could go to a hotel. We're only here for two nights anyway." If she was honest, she wished they could all fit in the cabin, but it only had one bed.

"Nope, none of that." Jessie lifted a hand as if to stop any further conversation. "I think two days of peace and quiet are more than needed. When's the last time you and Kyle actually took a break from everything? Got all romantic?"

Got all romantic? That very morning. Took a break? For the first time in their lives, they actually did manage to go on a proper vacation. They've been to the Maldives for two whole weeks and it had been amazing.

No more looking over their shoulders, not having to search for some crazy colored jewel, not having to cater to anyone else. It was nothing but lounging on the beach, eating, drinking and taking long walks at sunset. Which in turn led to a whole lot of romance. It had been heaven. Kay didn't think she'd ever been happier in her life. But she wasn't about to say that and belittle Jessie's sacrifice.

"Thanks so much, Jessie. We really appreciate it."

Jessie winked, but even if she tried for a playful smile, it was obvious that she was exhausted. Maybe she really did need a break from her beach house.

"No sweat," she said. "I'll see you guys tomorrow so we can go and visit Jimmy together."

Kay nodded, though half of her didn't want to go. The idea of seeing Jimmy still in his out-of-it state had her squirming. She'd been spending the past month wondering how much longer it would last. It had been a year since Jimmy had been committed to the Agency facility and there was no definitive improvement.

It had seemed perfectly reasonable at first. She and Kyle would wait until Jimmy got better and then get married. But as the months passed, she started getting a bit restless. How much longer? Was there any progress? Would it all end soon?

Even Jessie, who saw Jimmy daily, couldn't tell. The smile on her face didn't match the sorrow in her eyes. It had taken refuge there, always present, even when she was laughing and joking.

And it was that even more than her delayed wedding that made Kay wish it would be over soon. She'd even spoken to William, the only other person who'd gone through what Jimmy was, in hope of getting any useful information.

William had tried to help, but it was difficult when he could only remember bits and pieces in the first place.

"It didn't feel that long to me," he'd said. "Just like maybe a week or two. I did have times when I was aware of myself, but they were a bit like dreams. And then, when my memory started working properly, when I realized who I am and who I've been... It's not a light just turning on. It's very confusing and takes a long time to accept that maybe... Well, maybe I just lost a piece of myself that I'm never going to get back."

Even if the idea was terrifying, Kay had passed the information on to Jessie and she'd analyzed it thoroughly, but came up with nothing. Unless William's trigger has been the funky water in Montana, they had nothing. Kay secretly wondered if they should try it, but the guys were pretty against it. Fair enough, since they'd actually experienced it.

But then again, if it was anything like the garbage she'd drank in Egypt, she could totally relate.

It left them no closer to finding a cure or a reason beyond "mysterious injection filled with an unknown substance". If Lee Hannigan knew anything, he apparently wasn't talking.

Once Jessie left the house with a wave of her hand, Kay stopped unpacking and headed out to the porch. 

Kyle was there, leaning his forearms on the wooden railing, his inky eyes taking in the ocean. His shoulders had a tension that had become constant, a hallmark of the worry slowly but surely digging into him. Since they'd come back from their vacation, she'd witness it growing each and every day, taking hold of him, digging into his very being. 

At times, it felt like a storm was coming, and this shift in Kyle's mood was only the distant rumbling of thunder. Once it would build up enough, she knew something terrible would happen, even if she wasn't sure what. And it made her want to scream.

"Jessie left," she said, leaning her elbows on the railing as well.

"I know. I heard," he said, his eyes still fixed on the setting sun. "She really needs a break."

Kay agreed, but she couldn't see how Jessie could get one. The only choice was letting someone else watch over Jimmy for a while, but she refused to even entertain such an idea although Kyle had offered. Repeatedly.

"I wish there was some way we could fix this," she said, not even trying to hide the spite in her voice. "Something we could actually do except wait."

He turned to her, his gaze still a little unfocused. "Trust me, I'm five minutes away from just breaking him out. Think about it. William got better once he was out of Agency control. Once the supposed treatment stopped."

She winced. She'd thought about it, too, but William had never mentioned he thought there was something wrong with the treatment, and hadn't suggested they stop it. He claimed it just worked differently for everyone. And in his case, he was taken to a place he'd been before.

"Maybe we should bring Jimmy back to Chicago."

"Or take him to Mexico," Kyle mumbled, turning back towards the ocean and crossing his arms over his chest. The darkness in his eyes was unsettling. "There are too many variables."

"What are you planning to do tomorrow?" she asked, her voice barely louder than a whisper.

He huffed, the resent obvious. "Nothing. At least not yet."

His answer calmed her for a second before her own indignation and frustration took over. "We can't go on like this. I mean, I don't think we should be rash or violent, but we need to do something."

Her outburst caught his attention and he turned to face her fully. "What is this really about?"

Her face caught fire, but she forced herself to keep staring him in the eyes. "I don't like this. What it's doing to you, to everyone, what it's doing to Jessie..." It was true. She just also wanted to get married on top of that.

Kyle narrowed his eyes, the corner of his lips lifting in a smirk. "You want to get married."

It wasn't a question and now that the subject was out in the open, she didn't see the point in denying it. "Yes, that too. I mean I still think it wouldn't feel right without Jimmy and Jessie there, but after Skye died..." Her voice choked.

Just thinking about it clogged her throat because, even with all their adventures and near-death experiences, it had still been one of the greatest shocks in her life. Abrupt, too fast to compute. Before they even knew what was going on, a person they'd grown to love and consider part of their group had gone. A violent reminder that nothing in life was guaranteed. 

It had strange effects on everyone. It made Tom come back and give up on Angie, it made Jerry even more attentive towards everyone, as if he wanted to compensate for the lack of light left behind by Skye. It made her want to live every second to the fullest. It made Kyle a blazing inferno of passion and despair. 

At least Sam seemed to be handling it somewhat fine, and they'd all turned into part time babysitters.

Not that Kay minded. Sammy was an adorable baby which unfortunately triggered all her maternal instincts. Every time she saw her, held her, Kay realized how badly she wanted a baby of her own. But she couldn't tell Kyle that. Not when they weren't married yet and they still had so much damage control to handle.

"I know what you mean." Kyle let out a heavy sigh and leaned back against the railing, crossing his arms over his chest again. "I want all this to be over as much as you do. I want to start a family. I..." He bit his lower lip in a rare show of uncertainty. "I think we should also start considering that we're being double-crossed."

His words made her wince because she's been thinking that for months. It fitted with Jerry's theory that the Agency might want to shut Jimmy up permanently. And yet, they hadn't done anything to discover the potential reasoning of the Agency so far because it was just a powder keg ready to explode and they'd wanted a bit if peace.

"We should see what we can find out tomorrow," she said.

"I'm not going to jump headfirst into anything, Kay. This is too delicate and too much is at stake."

Even if she trusted him, the affirmation drew a sigh of relief out of her. He smirked again and leaned over to give her a kiss. She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, kissing him back with hopefully enough passion to drive the worry out of his head. At least momentarily.

It was predictable by now how deeply he sank into every kiss. She couldn't say she minded. Even if she never thought Kyle could be more intense than he already was, he was proving her wrong with every passing day. The way he completely abandoned himself to every kiss, every touch, it made her follow his lead, do the same.

Because she was never going to forget the words Skye had left her in her final letter.

Appreciate what you have, because even if you have everything, it can always be better. You just have to work for it.

And work they did.

He smiled against her, pulling back a little. "Want to go surfing?"

Was he joking? She pulled away and gave him a playful glance. "I don't know how to surf. Also, I was hoping we'd be engaging in other physical activities." All consuming activities.

His smile only broadened and the naughty twinkle in his eyes made shivers go down her spine. He was way ahead of her, as usual.

"I was thinking I'd teach you. And that could lead to the other activities you had in mind."

"Now that sounds like a plan." She let him go and moved towards the door, but he took her hand and pulled her back against him.

"Where are you going?" he whispered, trailing kissed on her jaw.

"To put my swimsuit on."

"We're alone. You won't need it."

She didn't argue, just followed him towards the water. It didn't sound like a bad idea. And if there was anything she could do to distract him and herself from what they had to do for even a moment, she was game.

The stormclouds could wait.

🏯

The guard stationed at the Agency compound was so used to her, it was only the late hour that had him stopping Jessie at the entrance into the building.

"Isn't it a little late for visits, Miss Jessica?" he asked, his soft baritone as gentle as ever.

He was a polite, soft spoken black man, hired for his height and bulk, but who had never actually intimidated her. If she were honest, he was her favorite guard and one of the few people who seemed to understand the turmoil she was going through.

"I know, George, but I've had a rough day, so I felt the need to be here."

The man raised his thick eyebrows. "You've had a rough day in here. Shouldn't you be taking a break? Go out drinking with friends?"

Jessie knew the man had a point and was also too aware she no longer had nighttime visiting privileges, so she put on her puppy face. "Pretty please? I can't really drink and I've run out of other pleasant things to do."

The man sighed and buzzed her through. "Alright, but if I get in trouble over this, I'm going to blame you."

"Sure, no problem." And she rushed through the door before he could change his mind.

The corridors were mostly dark, with just the odd LED strip lighting up portions of tiled floor. She already knew all the patterns on the walls and floors, where every light source was. Where every camera was, and how to avoid them.

Jimmy's so called room was on the second floor, right across the hall from the research labs were they were supposedly trying to find a cure for his condition. In reality, he lived in a glass cage inside that empty room.

She already knew the day and night codes to his door by heart, so she let herself in with no difficulties. The room itself was also lit by a LED strip on the ceiling, set to minimal intensity. It was enough to see the cage clearly. Three enforced glass walls stuck against the concrete wall, built to contain someone they had no understanding of.

Jimmy had a bed which was nailed to the floor and nothing else in terms of  real furniture. They thought it was too dangerous after he'd once hurled the chair and desk he'd had around and almost broken the glass. They claimed he needed no furniture anyway. His floor was carpeted and he had some giant beanbags for sitting.

As she stepped a little closer to the transparent walls, she immediately noticed that the bed was empty. It took her a second of panic to realize the cage wasn't empty as it first appeared. Jimmy was just on his feet in a more shadowy corner of his room. She'd expected him to be sleeping. He did a lot of that.

"Jimmy?" She took a few steps closer to the glass, wishing he'd turn to her so she could assess if he would welcome her presence.

"Why can't they give me some paper?" he mumbled in response. "Not like I could kill anyone or myself with it."

The chilliness in his voice had her trembling, but she stepped closer because his words made sense. When she came about a foot from the walls, she realized he had a marker in his hand and was actually drawing on one of glass pane.

"What are you drawing?" she asked, keeping her voice as normal as possible.

He pulled back and admired his work, one hand rubbing his chin. "I'm not sure. But I think it's important."

Jessie came even closer and noticed that the drawing of what looked like a tech snowflake was also accompanied by rows upon rows of calculations. Her heart jumped into her throat.

"Jimmy, those are..." She had no idea what they were, but the old him surely knew.

"Calculations for something. I know they're correct, but I'm not exactly sure what they're for." He titled his head as if he could figure it out from a different angle.

"Can I take a picture of them?"

Her question had him turning to her for the first time. She would've run screaming if she hadn't gotten used to how cold and calculated he could look sometimes. Now was no different. But once he analyzed her, his shoulders relaxed the slightest bit.

She took him in, the faced she loved so much, for once showing that there was an intelligent human being behind it. But he didn't say anything, didn't acknowledge her in any other way  than that intense stare.

"Do you know who I am?" she finally asked, no longer standing the silence.

"Yes," he said. "You come here all the time."

It was a start, but not what she meant. "Okay, yes, that's true. But beyond that?"

He frowned the tiniest bit, as if the subject didn't interest him enough for full concentration.

"You knew me before," he finally said.

Jessie nodded and covered the remaining distance to him. They were less than a foot apart. If the glass wall wasn't there, she could reach out and touch him. She hadn't touched him in months and it broke her more than she ever thought possible. Even if it was stupid, she placed her hand against the glass.

Jimmy tilted his head and looked from her hand to her. There was no trace of recognition on his face, but this interaction seems to mean something to him.

"How long have I been in here?" he finally asked.

Jessie swallowed heavily, trying not to get her hopes up. "About a year."

He frowned. "And have I been like this before? This aware."

It hurt to nod, but she did. "A few times."

He cursed to himself and looked away. Jessie watched him thinking, moving away from her, starting to pace. Yes, he'd become aware a few times before, but he'd never looked so focused before. Maybe the treatment was finally working.

He suddenly stopped pacing and charged at the wall. Jessie held her ground, ready for a violent outburst. Instead, he placed his hand over hers.

Her heart skipped and started thumping in her stomach. The gesture seemed to surprise him, too, because he stared at their hands as if it meant something. She bit the insides of her cheeks not to start crying like a moron. He finally raised his eyes and stared straight into hers.

"Why are you crying?" he asked.

"I'm not," she answered, even if her voice was choked with unshed tears. 

He would never understand what it felt like to be her right now. Alone. Unknown. Madly in love with a man who didn't even recognize her.

He squinted at her in a way that reminded her so much of the old Jimmy that the tears actually slid down her face. She sniffed and wiped them away as fast as she could.

"You can take a photo," he suddenly said and moved away from the wall with the writing on it.

Grateful for something useful to do, she pulled her phone out and snapped a picture. It wasn't the best quality because of the light, but the numbers were visible.

The moment she put the phone back in her pocket, Jimmy came back and wiped the writing off with his sleeve.

"How are you--" She stopped because he most likely had no idea why he was suddenly this aware when just that morning he'd been completely unresponsive.

"I'm not sure if I should tell you that."

His answer had her jaw hitting the floor. He seemed to realize he'd let something important slip because he bit his lower lip and looked away. Jessie almost pressed herself against the glass. For the first time, this was Jimmy, the real one. Just with memory issues like William had mentioned.

"I... I guess I can trust you?"

"Yes, of course." She glanced over her shoulder out of well-practiced caution. "I'm not with them. Just you. And the people who care about you."

He narrowed his eyes, but fortunately seemed to believe her. "I'm off my meds. Every three days, I get an injection and everything goes to hell. But between injections, I get meds. And if I don't take them, time makes sense. At least for a while longer. And if I don't let my anger issues overcome me."

The blood seemed to freeze in Jessie's veins at his words. He started pacing again, his hands behind his back.

"Tomorrow is injection day. Sometimes I don't remember that I shouldn't take the meds right after. Also, some of the people in white make sure I do take them. I'm not sure when their shifts are. I also never remember their names or what they look like because every time I feel more like myself, it's like I'm back to ground zero and I have to reconstruct everything." He stopped and raised his eyes. "The only constant is you."

She gritted her teeth, trying to fight the rage inside of her. He was only confirming what she'd suspected, that the Agency were by no means trying to make him better. Just keep him under as long as possible because he knew something. But why not kill him? Why this entire charade?

"I need to get you out of here."

"You can't do it now."

"I have to. You're aware and they're doing this on purpose."

Jimmy shook his head, once again stunning her. "No. I've heard them talking. They're not trying to keep me under. That's just a side effect."

Her eyes widened, his words completely throwing her off track. "A side effect? Of what?"

"They want something else from me."

Jessie could only gawk, aware that she'd made the same mistake as the Agency, never thinking that he was actually listening, processing. And the information they let slip in front of him was now coming back to bite them in the ass.

"What do they want?" Her voice came out shaky.

"Move out of the way."

She obliged and he pulled his elbow back and slammed his fist against the glass wall. Even if it was reinforced glass, meant to block bullets, it cracked the tiniest bit on impact.

"This is what they want," he said on an even tone, as if he hadn't just demonstrated impressive force.

"Um, what? You to hit things?" But as the stupid words poured out, she suddenly understood. "The serum?" It made sense. It made so much sense for them to want more power and take advantage of Jimmy's state to build the perfect weapon. Except... "But you already have that." And no one knew except for them.

"Which is why their experiment is failing."

Except maybe it wasn't failing. Even if they weren't making what they wanted, they could still produce something that drew all feelings out of Jimmy, kept him confused. Then, with the strength he already had, nasty side effects included, they had the perfect, heartless killer. The weapon they were desperately trying to make. Maybe what William had been meant to be all along.

This couldn't go on. Her mind spun, desperately searching for solutions.

"I have to do something."

"Agreed." He walked back to the glass and she rushed to join him. There were only a few inches between them now. "But we have to do this properly. I can only be let out when I'm like this again. If not, I'm useless. Dangerous."

"And how will I know when?"

"Look for signs. Writing..." He looked around as if he too realized that he might forget any secret sign they would agree upon. Unconsciously, he moved his hand over hers.

"Like this?" she asked.

He turned his eyes to their hands, surprise on his face. "Yes, like this. But until that day comes, I will need you to plan this properly. Ways out, getaway car, cameras, personnel schedules. Their lab."

She wanted to ask what about their lab, but she knew. Destroy the labs and the experimental serum they were trying to make. It was too dangerous for anyone to have. Especially a power-hungry secret organization with no morals. 

"Don't tell anyone."

His words snapped her out of her plans. "What? Why? I have so many people who could help."

"People I could hurt. You have to do this. And once I'm out and you are sure I'm safe, then we can think about other people."

Jessie's heart seemed to break in two. Kyle and Kay were there. They could bust him out right then. But she didn't have all the necessary information yet. No security layout, no plan for what would happen once they exited the building.

There was so much at stake. Doing something like that would put everyone in danger from the Agency. It would be a permanent and violent break. She needed to think this through, consult the others, come up with a plan. There was no way she was lying to her friends.

"Jessie," he said. "Promise me."

She couldn't not promise him. Not when he actually said her name, not when he was looking at her like that.

But when she left ten minutes later, she knew this would be a promise she would be breaking. She had a lot of plotting to do and a lot of people would be involved.

They were finally getting Jimmy back.

🏯🏯🏯

And we've finally moved on from heartbreak and misery to more... lucrative things, I guess.

We get to see a bit about what everyone else has been up to, and also we have a two month time skip, so it's like February. Just in case you were getting confused.

I would ask you about the Kyle and Kay section, but I'm sure that pales in comparison to what happened here at the end. What do you think of Jimmy and what he's been through? What about Jessie's feelings and her determination?

And most importantly, where am I going with this?

Well, you'll just have to read and find out. Don't forget to vote for support and leave me a comment with your thoughts.