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HAILING FREQUENCIES OPEN
by Ann Rivers ann.rivers@virgin.net
He'd been quiet since they'd left Los Angeles. Unnaturally, but understandably,
quiet. More interested in watching the passing scenery or pretending to
be asleep than joining in their usual playful banter.
At first it hadn't really bothered him. It was, after all and as his father
had said still early days. After what he'd just been through, no one could
seriously expect Jesse to just bounce back and act as though it had never
happened.
The problem was, as everyone now sadly realised, Jesse had tried to do just
that.
In the sheer relief that he was not, as he'd wryly recalled, going bug eyed
nuts,
he'd thrown himself back into his work with a zest and enthusiasm that would
have fooled most people.
Except Mark, Steve and Amanda knew him a whole lot better than most people
each so proud of their young friend, so grateful and relieved that he was
finally safe. At the same time, though, all three had become increasingly
concerned that Jesse's recovery wasn't quite as genuine as it seemed.
They could see it in his eyes, hear it sometimes in telltale catches in
his voice.
Beyond the jokes about where were Mulder and Scully when you needed them,
they knew the old and much missed Jesse Travis was still dying to get out.
Steve Sloan winced, in frustration and anger at how close to home that thought
was.
He knew from his own, raw experience that almost losing your life was bad
enough, without almost losing your sanity at the same time.
The physical scars were more or less gone now, the cuts and bruises barely
noticeable.
The mental scars, though well, they were proving to be a lot more stubborn.
Of the four of them, no one had tried harder than Jesse himself to heal
those scars.
Perhaps too hard, Steve mused his insistence to return to work typically
brave but, with the advantage of hindsight, sadly unwise.
At first he'd seemed fine, happy to deal with anything the ER could throw
at him.
Then the nightmares set in, fuelled by not knowing what his captors had
done to him.
As the days passed, tempers had become increasingly frayed between him and
Steve,
with neither of them knowing why or, more alarmingly, what to do about it.
Mark's solution, that the best place to find their answers was where it
had all started,
had sounded crazy. But then, desperate times
So now they were heading back to the mountains, back to where it had all
began.
And what wouldn't Steve Sloan give to hear the non stop chatter which Jesse
had subjected him to the first time around, rather than this increasingly
frustrating silence.
Returning to the present, Steve took a deep calming breath to settle himself
down yet another sidelong glance finally easing some of his concern.
Lulled by the gentle movement of the car and the sun's warmth on his face,
Jesse had drifted into a genuine sleep, deeply enough for him to dream without
terror.
He was even smiling now, just a little his face calm, peacefully untroubled.
Steve was smiling too, a lot happier now as he drove on towards the mountains.
Cloudless blue sky, the sun bright and hot on his face - and Jesse was smiling.
Things were looking up
Jesse was still happily lost to the world when Steve pulled up outside the
cabin.
And while relieved to see his friend enjoying such sound, much needed rest,
Steve knew he had no choice but to wake him.
It took several gentle shakes on his shoulder, but eventually Jesse stirred
meeting Steve's amused grin with a sleepily puzzled frown as he looked around.
"Here already?" he yawned, an earlier agreement prompting a rueful
smile.
"So much for sharing the driving"
Strongly tempted to tease him, but not sure if he dared to just yet, Steve
just grinned.
"You can drive us home" he said, studying Jesse's face for any
telltale reaction
breathing a silent sigh of relief as Jesse nodded in equally amiable agreement.
Unplanned it may have been, but that sleep had clearly done him a power
of good.
The eyes that held his were calm, steady - the smile easier than it had
been for days.
Jesse too seemed to sense the change, his eyes still steady as they settled
on the cabin.
His ordeal had started here. Now, one way or another, that same ordeal would
end.
"Okay" he said quietly, taking a deep breath before reaching for
his bags.
"Let's do this"
Taken a little aback, Steve then grinned back at him and nodded in proud
approval
the smile fondly widening as he turned around to pull his luggage from the
back seat.
Amongst their supplies (enough to feed half a full size army or one pint
size doctor)
was a peace offering that could only have come from Jesse.
Beer - his favourite brand, to boot. And lots of it.
Oh yes, he thought in relieved anticipation, things were definitely looking
up.
If Jesse's new found optimism was a good sign, the same went double for
his appetite.
Having devoured his own meal, he still had enough room to scavenge for leftovers
that wheedling smile proving too much for a helplessly laughing Steve to
ignore.
Now, curled up in front of a roaring fire, he was the study of drowsy contentment.
So when Steve left him to make the coffee and returned to an empty room,
he couldn't help but feel a twinge of panic. It was like two weeks ago all
over again. There was something else too, something which he couldn't put
his finger on but which was still bugging him as Steve followed his instinct
and hurried outside
anxiety giving way to exasperation and finally relief at finding Jesse on
the porch.
He was sitting on the seat, arms around his knees, staring up into the starlit
sky.
Steve couldn't help but think how vulnerable he looked as he came to sit
beside him.
Even so, Steve knew better than to smother his friend or badger him into
opening up.
Young he may have been and well, yes, with an uncanny knack for finding
trouble.
Single too, the perfect target for the mothering type.
Anyone who tried to do so, however well, they were wasting their time.
No one, not friends or family, not even his own mother, coddled Jesse Travis.
Except Amanda, of course, who'd somehow been allowed to reorganise his kitchen
and only then, Steve thought wryly, because Jesse dared not argue.
Not only that, but young Dr Travis had a stubborn, independent streak a
mile wide
best handled, as Steve had soon learned, as casually as possible.
"Jess?" he finally asked, wryly thinking he couldn't get more
casual than that.
Jesse's response was just as neutral - a smile, the slightest shrug of his
shoulders.
"I just needed a little air" he said at last, puzzled as he glanced
up at his friend
the smile fading slightly as he understood the cause of Steve's patient
expression.
"Oh, I - I guess you didn't hear me"
To his surprise, not to mention relief, Steve just grinned and winked back
at him.
"Remind this old guy to get his hearing checked when we get back"
he replied,
never more grateful to see Jesse laugh even if it was at his own expense.
Laughing himself now, Steve then nodded upwards to a now dazzlingly bright
moon.
"Besides" he added softly, "I can't fault you for that not
with a sky like this"
His young friend just nodded, thoughtful for several moments before he spoke
again.
"Even before all this happened well, I always kind of wondered if ET
was really well, you know really out there somewhere" he said at last,
his words hesitant -
as if slightly embarrassed by such an outlandish idea.
Steve, though, was nodding once more, in both understanding and agreement.
"Me too" he admitted, pointing up to where the Milky Way trailed
above them.
"I mean, just look at all those stars, Jess think of all the planets
out there
all the civilizations" Thinking for a moment, he then smiled and shrugged.
"Who knows, maybe the scientists are right that's where we're really
from"
"A lot more romantic than evolving from some slimy pool of algae"
Jesse agreed.
His smile, though, hadn't quite reached his eyes and Steve had already guessed
that the shiver he'd felt run through Jesse's body wasn't entirely due to
the chill night air.
"Easy, Jess it's okay, it's all over they can't hurt you now"
he said softly, placing a protective hand on Jesse's shoulder feeling at
least a little happier when,
instead of flinching away, Jesse actually seemed to welcome the contact.
"I just wish I could remember what they did to me, Steve" he whispered
at last - fear and anger in his voice as he added bitterly, "Maybe
I'm as well not knowing"
Hugging Jesse gently closer, Steve just nodded, not trusting himself to
speak -
at least, not till the still raw images of Jesse's bruised and battered
face left his mind.
He was starting to understand his father's reasoning that they both returned
here.
Jesse wasn't the only one who had to find answers to some very difficult
questions.
Steve had also finally placed what had been bugging him throughout Jesse's
ordeal.
Guilt, he now realised his stomach churning as those images still haunted
him.
The same guilt that he'd felt as he'd watched Jesse being rushed into trauma
the memory of three weak, damning words causing him to physically wince.
"You left me"
And there it was the fact that, until now, he couldn't bring himself to
admit.
The horrific ordeal that had nearly cost his best friend his life was down
to him
all for the sake of a lousy crate of beer
Finally that guilt burst out of him in a sudden, totally uncharacteristic
curse
so unexpected, and with such ferocity that he could feel Jesse start with
surprise.
"Damn it!"
Recovering himself, Steve met startled, concerned eyes with a tense, terse
smile.
"I'm sorry, Jess" he sighed, shaking his head - wondering what
the hell to say next.
The truth, he realised, increasingly uncomfortable under those
gentle, quizzical eyes.
The simple truth, short and sweet. That's the least I owe him
"I should have been there, Jesse I should never have left you"
he said at last - breathing deep and slow for some moments, regaining control,
before adding softly, "If not for me and my lousy taste in beer, none
of this would have happened"
Jesse was still staring at him the expressive face, for once, totally unreadable.
Then his eyes changed, disbelief flashing through them as realisation dawned.
"Oh God, Steve, is is that why we've had to come up here?" he
asked at last.
"Is that what's been bugging you all this time? You think I'm mad at
you?"
Perhaps he was imagining it, but Steve thought he could hear a smile in
that voice.
When he finally looked up, he was totally astonished to find just that
a slight, if rather concerned, surprisingly gentle smile.
Hardly the reaction he'd expected - and one that he wished he could accept.
But facts still had to be faced before he could do so.
"I left you, Jess" he said quietly, taking a deep breath as he
shook his head.
"You said it yourself when we brought you in I left you"
"I did?" Jesse looked thrown for a moment, then groaned as he
understood.
After a few moments thought, however, the smile returned albeit a little
sheepishly.
"Steve, when the HP found me it was close to ninety degrees" he
said at last,
gently shaking Steve's arm to make sure he had his friend's full attention.
"I could have been lying in that heat for hours before I came round,
maybe longer.
So for a start I'd have been dehydrated, maybe even had a touch of heat
stroke.
Add to that whatever Trask's goons had been using on me for those five days,
not to mention the fact that I'd had nothing to eat or drink during that
time and
well, you can imagine how all that may have left me kinda flaky"
As Steve nodded in hesitant agreement, Jesse tried to make that agreement
complete.
"Look, Steve, whatever I said at that time well, I would never have
meant it"
Much of his guilt had gone now, enough for Steve to finally return his friend's
smile.
"I know that, Jess" he replied, conceding the point with a grateful,
brotherly hug.
Another remained, though one that, for all Jesse's assurances, continued
to niggle. "But that doesn't change the fact that you were in danger
and you needed my help and I wasn't there"
"Steve, neither of us knew what Trask had planned up here" Jesse
pointed out -
totally serious now as he glanced across at his friend, his voice still
quiet.
"And what would have happened if you had been here when they
grabbed me?
Hating to sound like an egoist, but well, it was me they were after, and
well, God only knows what would have happened to you if you'd got in their
way"
Faced with such simple logic, there was only one thing that Steve could
do.
Smile back at his young friend, marvel at his loyalty - and gratefully accept
it.
Both then fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts as they stared up
into the night.
It was Jesse who finally broke that silence with the words Steve had prayed
to hear.
"No, Steve, it was Trask and his cronies that did this to me, not you"
His voice was still quiet but, Steve noted in proud relief, stronger now
- not so fearful. He'd stopped trembling too another good sign.
"I must have tried to fight them, though or at least tried to get away
from them" he mused, pensive as he met Steve's eyes. "For them
to rough me over, I mean"
To his surprise, Steve found himself smiling slightly as he nodded his agreement.
Brief and quiet it may have been, but this was the best sign yet that Jesse
was starting to come to terms with what had happened to him.
The barriers were coming down. Now, at last, they could start to make some
progress.
"Probably when they first took you" Steve replied, gently squeezing
his shoulder.
"Then once they had you well, as dad said, all they had to do was keep
you quiet where no one could find you"
Jesse nodded frowning slightly as images of his captivity flashed through
his mind.
"A trailer!" he said, excited now as his traumatised memory finally
started to yield.
"I remember, I was tied up on a camp bed in this well, room with drapes
round it when I first woke up they gagged and blindfolded me so I couldn't
see or call out
and your dad was right, they kept me well, pretty much doped up from then
on
but I could feel myself moving and hear traffic when I first came round"
"That would explain how you ended up in Utah" Steve agreed, nodding
slightly both angered and horrified that Jesse had been subjected to such
a terrifying ordeal.
While just as relieved that the pieces were finally starting to fall into
place for him,
he was anxious not to push his still vulnerable friend too fast too soon..
Jesse, naturally, had other ideas. He was on a roll now, finding the answers
he craved. And he was determined to make the most of it.
"And it was the ideal place to hide me" he said, going on before
Steve could cut in, " I mean, as far as you were concerned I was still
lost somewhere on the mountains.
No one would think to stop an old run of the mill trailer heading out of
state"
In spite of his concerns, Steve couldn't help but smile as he studied his
young friend
all bright eyed, tenacious eagerness as he waited for Steve's reaction.
This was the Jesse they all knew and loved. This was his Jesse
Yes, those barriers were well and truly down, and Jesse was heading for
home. There'd be no stopping him now. Steve's only concern now was keeping
up
"I'll make a detective of you yet" he said at last, playfully
ruffling Jesse's hair.
Smiling back, Jesse pulled a face at him turning more serious as he lowered
his head.
"Does that include learning to shoot straight?" he asked, his
voice tellingly quiet.
Steve stared at him, puzzled. Before he could answer, however, Jesse beat
him to it.
"I I can't believe I came so close to shooting your dad" he murmured
glancing across at Steve with a smile that held no humour as he added softly,
"Good job I'm such a lousy shot"
Steve continued to stare at him for several moments, trying to think what
to say.
His dad was, he knew, a father figure to many people none more so than Jesse.
Although he'd saved Mark's life, and in spite of all Mark's grateful assurances,
he was clearly still horrified by how close he'd come to killing him.
Steve sighed, running a hand through his hair. The final hurdle, a tricky
one at that.
And one which, if the tension he now felt in Jesse's shoulder was anything
to go by,
was harbouring a hell of a lot of anger.
One way or another, that anger had to come out carefully, though. Very
carefully.
"Jess, you weren't responsible for that" he said gently relieved,
pleased even, when he saw some of that simmering anger start to flare in
Jesse's eyes.
Come on, buddy he silently thought. Get mad,
Jess. Get even
"Damn it, Steve, that's the whole point!" Jesse said at last,
his voice rising.
Hurling a stone into the undergrowth, he didn't see the relief fleet across
Steve's face.
As a second swiftly followed, so that smile of relief widened.
"That's just it, Steve" he went on, yet another rock feeling the
full force of his fury.
More and more followed, hurled in time to where his anger finally boiled
over.
"I wasn't responsible! Trask was ! He had me drugged
up to my eyeballs,
pointing that gun at your father, and there wasn't a damn
thing I could do about it!"
The tirade then stopped partly because Jesse was now too agitated to continue,
partly because he'd run out of rocks.
Steve, however, was much happier as he placed his hand back on Jesse's shoulder
noting with quiet satisfaction that pretty much all of that tension had
disappeared.
"Yes there was, Jesse" he said at last, smiling as he went on
to gently explain.
"You saw him about to shoot my dad and you were in control enough to
stop him"
As he spoke, he could see Jesse's eyes widen in puzzled, startled surprise.
Seeing the beginnings of a tentative smile, Steve felt a massive weight
lift from him. The message was getting through. That soul destroying anger
was losing its grip.
Just to make sure, though, he gently turned Jesse around to face him fully
stressing his words where he needed to most, as Jesse had done just moments
before.
"You were in control, Jesse. You saved my father's life"
Jesse was still staring at him, thankfully calm now as he considered Steve's
words.
Finally the smile grew wider, a little sheepish though as Jesse shrugged
his shoulders.
"I've never shot anyone before" he explained, hesitant now as
he added softly,
"I mean, I'm a doctor, Steve I've taken an oath to save lives, not
take them"
Now it was Steve's turn to look surprised - by something that none of them,
not even his father, had even considered.
He should have thought of this sooner, he thought, wryly chastising himself.
He was a detective, after all, trained and expected to spot the most subtle
of clues.
Trained, also, to use a gun to shoot to kill if necessary.
Jesse hadn't and Steve could only imagine what a shock that must have been
to him.
As Jesse had said, he'd been trained to save lives rather than take them.
Aware that Jesse was watching him, waiting for his reaction, he smiled and
nodded.
"I know that, Jess" he said, hugging him closer as he added softly,
"Even so"
To his relief, Jesse was already smiling at him - sensing what he was trying
to say.
Their eyes met, a glance shared between grateful and compassionate blue
carrying that unique understanding which had grown so quickly between them,
and which made them such an unbeatable team.
It was Steve who finally broke a companionable, thankfully easier silence.
"As for learning to shoot straight well, let's put it this way, you
got the right guy
took him out in one shot, negated the threat with no injuries to innocent
bystanders"
As Jesse grinned and nodded, Steve knew they'd finally cleared that one
last hurdle.
Able now to lighten the mood a little, he then cast his friend a fondly
teasing wink.
"You know, Jess, you could teach the guys at the academy a thing or
too" he said,
making a show of looking around before explaining to his amused, intrigued
friend.
"Between you, me and that owl up there, some of them couldn't hit a
house"
"Really?" Jesse's eyes widened, before a look of comical horror
crossed his face.
"Gee, that's really reassuring"
Totally unfazed, Steve grinned back at him enjoying this moment just as
much,
but sensing by the way Jesse now stared up at the sky again that he was
still troubled.
"He really covered all the bases, didn't he?" he said at last,
sadly shaking his head.
"I mean, setting me up here, kidnapping me, turning me against Mark
and you and"
The smile then faded considerably, the voice quiet once more as he lowered
his head.
"I said a lot of crazy and stupid things to him, Steve to you, too,
and and"
"And you're not going to tell me that you meant any of them" Steve
cut in gently, sympathising with him entirely but determined not to lose
precious ground now
that determination compelling him to continue before Jesse could answer
him.
"Look, Jess, you said it yourself just now Trask had covered all his
bases,
right down to turning you against anyone who realised what he was doing
to you"
At Jesse's rueful smile, Steve grinned confident enough now to gently tease
him.
"So, Mr Detective, what does that tell you about that guilt trip you
just went on?"
To his relief the rueful smile widened into an all out, if still slightly
embarrassed grin.
"That it sucked" he conceded, with the notorious Travis deadpan
innocence.
"I couldn't have put it better myself" Steve observed, just as
dryly
joining his friend in a prolonged fit of wonderful, tension breaking laughter.
"So what now?" Jesse asked at last, once they'd more or less regained
control.
"Well" Steve replied, feigning great indecision as he blew on
his fingers.
"We could either stay here all night and risk freezing our butts on
this bench seat,
or we could go inside to a roaring fire, Amanda's flapjacks and a big pot
of coffee"
The face that Jesse pulled in response was priceless - as was the change
in his eyes.
Bright and clear, full of life and mischief and, at last, those eyes were
smiling.
"Sounds good to me" he agreed - the mention of food having its
usual effect.
Bouncing to his feet, he then regarded his still seated friend with a wicked
grin.
"Need a hand, old chap?"
The advantage disappeared, however, the second that Steve stood to tower
beside him
"Need a box, shortstop?" he shot back, his grin growing wider
as, not surprisingly, that of his friend curiously vanished.
"Touché" Jesse sighed soon smiling again as Steve's hand
settled on his shoulder.
All teasing aside, they knew the crisis that had nearly ruined their friendship
was over. Friends, partners and LAPD's most unlikely double act were, at
last, back in business. About to comment further, Jesse's face then disappeared
behind a cavernous yawn. While clearly amused, Steve could also see the
tiredness behind Jesse's rueful smile. Remembering his father's advice that
Jesse still needed to rest, he grinned back.
"Or we could even opt for plan B" he suggested with a casually
persuasive wink.
As Jesse frowned sleepily at him, Steve grinned while setting the scene
with his hand. "We hit the sack instead and treat ourselves to a good
old fashioned midnight feast"
"Sounds great" Jesse agreed, allowing himself to be steered gently
back inside
a measure of just how tired he was that Steve was even allowed to do so.
By the time he reached his room and his bed, he barely had the energy to
fall into it.
Unable to resist teasing him, Steve dropped down to his heels beside Jesse's
bed meeting sleepily puzzled eyes with a broad, mischievous grin.
"Sure you don't want me to check for well, you know, snakes or skunks
or
maybe the odd little Martian?" he asked, making a show of doing just
that.
When Jesse didn't reply, Steve naturally assumed that his friend was already
asleep.
So it was with some surprise, not to mention exasperated amusement, when,
as he looked up to check, a pair of rolled up socks hit him square on the
head.
"I'll take that as a no" he added dryly, laughing though as he
tossed them back the welcome sound of Jesse's albeit weary laughter following
him into the kitchen.
Naturally keen for some friendly payback, he made the coffee in record time
but, it seemed, not fast enough.
A whole army of Martians could have entered his room, even bounced on his
bed,
and Jesse Travis wouldn't have known a thing about it.
He was sprawled out on his stomach, more on top of the bedclothes than under
them his face hidden in the crook of his arm, the other arm dangling down
the side of his bed.
"Jesse, if you hate my coffee that much you only had to say" Steve
muttered peevishly, smiling broadly, though, as he gently tucked the errant
arm back under the bedclothes not sure if the mumbled sigh he received in
response was one of gratitude or grievance.
Deciding it was the former, he carefully tucked in the rest of the untidily
sprawled form, making sure that Jesse was as warm and comfortable as he
could make him.
Checking his watch, he considered the time for several moments, before,
still smiling, he sat carefully at Jesse's shoulder and drew out his phone.
"Hey, dad, it's just me yeah, I figured you'd still be up no, nothing's
wrong and I know it's late, but well, I figured you'd like to turn in on
some good news
it's over, dad we've talked it all out and Jesse and I are fine, everything's
fine"
Pausing to listen to his father's reply, Steve glanced down to where Jesse
lay beside him.
Resting a hand on Jesse's shoulder, smiling at his contented expression,
he added softly,
"Yeah, everything's just fine, dad well, no, he's sound asleep at the
moment, but
yes, we've got our Jesse back, dad right down to him hijacking most of my
dinner...
so yeah, I guess you could say that hailing frequencies are now open"
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