Leaping over the railing, Ji caught a pully chain hanging from a rotating mechanical gear, sending his body hurtling through the air. Hitting with enough force to bend her nearly in half, her limp body had folded around him like a ragdoll. Grabbing her tight with one arm, the violent momentum swung them in a huge arc before the chain snapped taut. Jerked roughly into a tight spin, Ji forced himself to concentrate as he'd shifted her weight between his legs, gripping beneath her arms with his thighs.

Bouncing off the rail sent a hot arc of pain through his right side, his hand going numb as they dropped a dozen feet before he could regrip. Their combined weight joggled the pully, the entire contraption wobbling. Gasping, he'd focused every muscle, pulling them hand-over-hand back to the top. Swinging a little, he'd grabbed the stair rail, hauling Ginny's deadweight through the bars before climbing over himself. Leaning over her, brushing stray wisps from her lashes, he looked into vacant eyes.

"Mouse," shaking her, he'd felt the rippling tide of shock turned to anger. "Mouse!"

No response and he checked to make sure she was breathing, the soft thump of her heart beneath his ear. Jaw clenched, Ji picked her up and carried her back down to the warehouse floor, then back to the bedrooms.

If he'd been even a second later...

"I need a smoke." Covering her with a blanket, he'd gone in search of a fresh pack of cigarettes, and poured another cup of coffee from the stained pot, grimacing at the grounds that slipped in. Bringing several bottles of water along, he returned in time to see Ginny blink. Glazed with confusion as he sat down, her skin deathly pale, her eyes lingered on him.

"Hey."

"Is this heaven?" Her voice was hoarse.

"No." Breaking the seal, he took her hand, putting the bottle in it. "Drink."

"I'm not dead?" Expression faltering, her fingers began to shake.

"No." He was having trouble controlling his emotions now. Did she want to die that badly?

"Why did you stop me? Why... couldn't you have just let me go?"

"Seriously?" Razor sharp, his tone was icy. "You stripped ten hair-of-the-dog years off my life with that impromptu flying trapeze act!"

"I didn't ask you to... I didn't... I don't want your help," defiant, with a hint of despair laced her voice as she kept her gaze to one side.

"Is that what you really want?" Ji hadn't been able to remember the last time he'd been so angry, so frustrated with someone's complete lack of common sense. Abruptly, he'd given up.

"Fine! I don't owe you a thing. You say you're done? Let's end this." Jerking the bottle from her hand he slammed it on the side table, spilling water. Ginny's dark eyes bulged as he pulled the revolver from his waistband and put it to her lips. "Open."

Years of abuse forced immediate compliance, tears springing into her eyes. She could taste the metallic barrel on her tongue and felt the round end pressing against the roof of her mouth. Adjusting it slightly, he'd grabbed her hand, slipping it around the handle, laying her quivering finger along the side of the trigger. When he let go, her hand stayed frozen in place.

"That's the angle to ensure you don't just blow a piece of your skull off. So, get it over with! Pull the trigger already! At least I'll know for sure and won't stumble across your rotting corpse spattered all over the floor. Judas Priest!"

Callous ocean-green eyes stared into her dark, frightened ones. His expression was cold.

"Are you going to do it or what?"

Blinking sent a tear trickling down her cheek, rolling into the hairline at her ear. She slowly pulled the barrel from her mouth, as if frightened he would force it back in. The metal glistened, wet, an acidic metal taste bitter on her tongue.

"I... don't want to."

"Don't play around with me." He'd snarled. "I'm serious! If you think you'll wait until I'm gone to pull another stupid stunt like that, think again! I'm not wasting time on a corpse! So either pull the trigger and be done with it or suck it up!"

A moment passed. Then another, the silence oppressive as they'd stared at each other.

"I'm not drunk enough..." whispering the words, she'd been forced to look away from the intensity burning in his eyes. "I'm... too weak to try..."

"Then don't." Calmer but still on edge, Ji had taken the pistol from her, replacing it with one of his hands. Ginny's fingers had stayed limp in his, her dull eyes lifting toward the ceiling as they filled with tears, but she hadn't cried. She'd just lay there, unmoving until at last she'd fallen asleep. Waiting long enough to assure himself she was truly out, he'd gone to the shower room, soaking in the hottest water he could stand.

Mind churning. Wavering between guilt and doubt. Checking on her periodically, he'd eaten twice, worked out, checked on her again, had several cups of coffee with a half-carton of cigarettes, then hit the training room before another shower. As an afterthought, he decided to call his therapist, careless of the day or hour. She answered on the second ring.

"Busy, Doc?"

A beat of silence, and he could almost hear her frowning as she recognized his voice.

"Mr Masters. This is... out of the ordinary."

"Yeah. Now a good time?"

"For what?"

"My session."

Another beat. Longer this time.

"Do you have any respect for my private life, Mr Masters? Today is Sunday."

"What do I know about your private life?" He retorted. "We never talk about that."

"Haven't we discussed your not calling my private number?"

"Doesn't sound familiar, but with what the Agency pays you for picking my brain, why shouldn't I use it?"

"That is hardly a valid argument-"

"I went too far." Blurting it out, Ji felt himself stiffen, inwardly cringing. What was he doing? He hadn't meant to say it like that, but ease into the confession gradually. The dead silence on the line told him it was too late to go back, so he went on. "With her. Last night. Way, way too far."

The silence was so long Ji thought they'd lost connection, but he waited it out, digging his short nails into the palm of his free hand. Why had he called without a lit cigarette?

"What happened?" Cool, calm, her tone held no judgment. He fidgeted anyway.

"She was blitzed and came onto me like a two buck- um, I mean... she... I should've told her to back off but didn't. Then she was on my lap and tasting like cherry heaven," he dug a hand through his hair, vigorously rubbing his scalp. "After that... Doc... I think I'm losing my mind out here."

"You had sex?" Still no judgment but Ji hesitated to answer. Had he? Possible guilt made his skin crawl.

"I'll plead the fifth for now, but that's not really the problem, is it? You said no intimacy, right? I blew through that like a crackhead with a winning lottery ticket."

"Mr Masters," her tone softened, becoming almost maternal. "I want to help you through this. Really, but I can't do that until you tell me something about her. Something to help me understand the extent of your circumstances."

"Doc," he was tired, his rasp so quiet it was nearly gentle. "I can't even begin to describe her so you'd understand."

"Try me. Please."

He thought about it for a long time, then rubbed his toe against the floor, scowling.

"Broken, Doc. So gut-wrenchingly beautiful... but broken."

"Like you, maybe?"

Ji's snort was dismissive.

"No, Doc, not like me. Nothing like me. There's good in her still. Buried beneath the rubble someone left behind."

"You don't think there's good in you?"

"Nope," crossing an arm across his stomach, he leaned back comfortably. "We talked about it, she and I. Concluded I'm a monster-eating demon. Which works for me. I think I'll add it to my résumé."

He hadn't stayed long on the phone after that. The session had begun to feel suffocating, each word about Ginny seeming like a betrayal. She was his secret, his... his to protect. The less anyone knew about her the better he liked it until they got somewhere safe. Somewhere completely off the radar.

Amped up and restless, he'd gone back to the training room after checking on Ginny again. She hadn't moved and was still sleeping, so he'd taped up and taken out all his pent-up frustrations on the sandbag. A cigarette and a cup of coffee afterwards had settled his remaining unease, so on bare feet, he'd padded back to the showers, his need for cleanliness borderline obsessive.

Lukewarm water washed off more than sweat. It felt a build-up of toxic emotion being pulled from him, swirling down the drain as he stood fully beneath the spray, eyes closed. Only when his heartbeat slowed to a steady, even pace did he crank the heat to shave and wash. The moist air soaked into every pore as he rinsed off, wondering how he smelled like old men's cologne, but Ginny came out smelling like ripe cherries. There was only one soap in there-

As a shadow moved across his field of vision, Ji stiffened, whipping around to see her shuffle into sight. Short hair skewed into a woodpecker nest, rumpled, her face was pale with bloodshot eyes. Majorly hungover. Moving from the water, he braced his forearms on the tiled half-wall separating the showers from the walkway, just watching. Rubbing her toe nervously on the floor she waited for him to speak first. Lips twitching in a grin, he regarded her curiously.

"Hey."

"Salut," not looking at him, her fingers twisted into the fabric of her shirt. Somewhere she'd found a pair of baggy cotton pants, making her look like a child in her dad's clothes.

"Do you want to shower? I'm done-"

"No, it's okay." Reluctantly she shambled toward him. "I just... wanted to say I'm sorry. About before."

Caught off guard, he didn't know how to answer that correctly, his large hands clenching together as she hugged herself. Looking so forlorn that he wanted to curl around her and never let her go. Helpless. Defenseless. He looked away.

"Ji?"

"Yeah."

"Is it too late for me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Am I... too messed up?" Pleadingly she looked at him, but those vibrant turquoise eyes stayed away. The snake tattoo looked menacing, jeweled ruby eyes piercing so she swallowed, throat tight. Shame was making it hard to breathe but desperation kept her rooted in place. Needing him to answer. He took the longest minute of her life, she was sure.

"For what?"

"To... ever, be happy?"

His heart was thumping so hard it sent a physical pain through his chest. Why ask him? What did he know about anything she was dealing with? Sure, he'd had his fair share of problems, but ultimately it was the life he chose. Hers hadn't been a choice but forced down her throat until she choked on it.

Is it too late to be happy? What was he supposed to say to that? No, you're fine? Yeah, you're a train wreck, Mouse. Neither was the truth because she had to decide for herself. It wasn't his business! Jiminy Cricket! How could he possibly answer that?

"Never mind," her tired voice jolted him back to the steamy shower, watching her turn away. He'd taken too long. "Stupid question."

She hadn't made it to the doorway when a strong hand wrapped around her wrist. It brought her to a gentle, immediate, stop. He smelled like spicy musk and citrus, her brain short-circuiting as Ji leaned his head over her shoulder. His bare chest was still dripping, long blond locks falling into sight as he slid his hand into hers.

"It wasn't a stupid question, Ginny. All I had were stupid answers."

"Really...?"

"Yeah. No lies, remember?"

She took in a shuddering breath, fingers clenching tighter around his.

"Was your stupid answer a yes, or no?"

"It was I have absolutely no idea." She absorbed that in silence for a moment, then nodded slowly.

"...at least it's not 'no'."

"Does that make you feel better?"

"A little... yeah." Tilting her head back to rest on his shoulder, she met his eyes, searching them for something he was positive he didn't have. What does she see, he wondered, when she looks at me? A man, a monster, something in between? Or was he really the demon she claimed to need him to be? Her frown was charming.

"Hungover, whacked out of your little mind, and more than a little short of a full barrel of monkeys, you're still the cutest thing I've seen on two legs, Mouse."

Ginny's eyes flared wide as her lips parted, the hammer of her pulse obvious against his thumb. Lifting her wrist to his mouth, he kissed the throbbing vein, never breaking eye contact with her. Her throat worked hard as she swallowed. Shame made his stomach cramp, and he braced himself.

"Ginny, about last night-"

"No, it's okay," her words rushed out as she turned to face him. "You were right. I'm such a mess, and it's better that we didn't do anything."

"We didn't...?" a cold rush of relief surged through him as she shook her head, blindly unaware of the weight suddenly lifted off his chest as his knees tried to go jelly. "Why not?"

"... you don't remember?"

"Tell me anyway."

"Because... you asked me if that's what I wanted, and... and I couldn't lie to you. I don't want to do... that, anymore. I don't... I don't like it, and I didn't want to... feel like that, with you,"

"Like that?" The question was a hoarse croak, still dizzy from relief.

"Like I had to do something I didn't want to. I... I like, just, being with you. Without having to do the other things."

"You like just... being around me?"

"Oui beaucoup."

She slowly backed up as he lifted his hands, framing her cheeks in his hands, feeling the slightest tremble of his fingers.

"Ji," the worry was there, the slight hesitation but it faded as he smiled, tilting his forehead down to rest lightly against hers. "Are you upset with me for saying that?"

"You have no idea how relieved I am, Mouse. So insanely relieved that you said no."

For the first time in his life, he was really feeling. Caring about another person more than himself, actually wanting to protect someone else, made his temples throb with blood. Knowing he hadn't crossed that final line, that he hadn't gone too far made him feel like the indestructible superhero he'd been telling her he wasn't. Gazing into dark eyes, he noticed tiny golden flakes suspended along the oil-slick canvas backdropped by a deep chocolate ocean. Her fingertips were pressed lightly against his chest.

"What's the matter? Are you angry at me?"

"No, I like just being around you too," a gentle finger touched her cheek as the shadow of a smile crossed her lips. "So don't you dare pull any more of that suicide crap. That will seriously tick me off."

"Because you'll make sure I get it right next time?"

"Darn skippy, Mouse."

"I wanted you to think the baby was yours." Her sudden confession froze him in place, everything forgotten but the hollow thump of his heart. "That's why I... why I was s-so drunk. I thought... I thought if you'd thought it was yours, you'd... I- I don't know, that somehow... it would make everything okay,"

"For the love of- Mouse..." bending, Ji leaned forward, his brow resting on her shoulder as his stomach rolled. The idea nearly made him faint. The enormity of what she'd almost done. "Jiminy Cricket..."

"But it's not yours," concerned for him, she tried to offer the comfort she could. "I promise."

Ji's chuckle was strained, his laugh utterly without humor as he tried to process her admission.

"I figured that out for myself, Ginny, but," pushing back, he gazed down into her face, studying her features, the soft, honest look in her eyes, and the promising curve of her lips. "Why in the name of fried eggs would you ever want me to think your kid was mine? Father material I'm not. Not by a long shot. Demon, remember? Besides, we're in the middle of literally nowhere. Are you even sure you're pregnant?"

"Oui,"

"How?"

"...I... I've... from before? Before I... when he would, I mean..." she fumbled for the words, trying to tell him but desperately afraid to say too much. Feeling his bigger hands curl over hers, Geneviève paused, taking a deep, steadying breath. Like his touch had filled her with courage. "This isn't the first time. I can just... tell."

"What happened when you felt like this before?" Her grip became abruptly painful, nail tips digging into the back of his hand, but Ji didn't flinch.

"I had to see a doctor, and... it went away. I was bad," lips quivering, she didn't lift her eyes. "I knew what I was supposed to take, and I tried, but sometimes I forgot. Sometimes, I just... was so mixed up, that I forgot. It made him angry when I was bad, but I didn't mean to be,"

"The father?" When she tried to pull free Ji wouldn't let her go. "Ginny?"

"No, I don't want to talk about that."

"No one is going to hurt you."

"As long as I'm alive, he can hurt me," lips quivering, her eyes squeezed tight against hot tears. "That's why I can't go back..."

"He didn't like that you got pregnant," Ji was trying to piece it together, frowning. "So he... made you get an abortion? He blamed you for getting pregnant, and got angry? Punished you?"

"Please," tugging harder, almost hanging her entire weight against the soft grip on her wrist, Geneviève was shaking. "Please don't make me talk about it,"

"Mouse,"

"Please."

"Okay," pulling her to him, Ji wrapped powerful arms around her shoulders, holding on as he felt her cling to him. He could feel her body heat through the damp clothes mashed against his skin. "I won't ask you again, I promise, Mouse. No more questions unless you want me to ask."

"P-please," she started to hiccup. "Please... please..."

"It's alright," he soothed, stroking her back. "It's alright, Ginny."

"Please," she acted like she hadn't heard him, then Geneviève lifted her head, staring beseechingly into his eyes. "Please don't let go,"

"Ever?" His grin was mischievous as she nodded. "You know I'm naked, right?"

A bright red painted her face from neck to hairline, dark eyes going dinner-plate size as her mouth fell open. Ji couldn't remember seeing anything so funny and laughed hard enough to give himself a migraine.