A soldier's mind is a tricky thing. Months, years after service there are smells, visuals, sounds that can twist one's mind into a ball and hurl it backward, sending the soldier tumbling along in its wake into the past. When Jason came awake to shots fired in the distance, he opened his eyes in a bedroom that seemed alien, jerking away from the body pinning him down to sprint for the door, bare feet slapping loudly on the floor.
Reality came with the crash of a floor lamp that had a place in his living room, not the dessert, and was reinforced when Apollo caught him in a tight embrace, lifting Jason off the floor completely and holding fast until the fighter became aware enough to know where he was and who held him. The sound of sirens cut through the night air, screaming loudly enough to cover Jason's labored breathing and a shadow flashed past the window, dark outline visible through sheer curtains, starkly outlined by the streetlights.
Jason and Apollo yanked on pants and stumbled outside, Jason's hand aching for a weapon, but the other neighbors were up as well, dotting lawns on either side of the street, and the police careened around the corner and into their neighbor's drive. Along with the rest, they watched them enter the house, the arrival of the ambulance minutes later confirming everyone's worst fears and Jason approached one of the cops stringing police tape across the porch. He was explaining what he'd heard and seen, that one of the guys had likely run through his yard, when they wheeled Alison out to the waiting ambulance, her face pale and drawn.
After that, there was no sleep. Jason shot Kelly a text with an abbreviated version of what happened and the telephone call after lasted until the sun had begun to rise, because, yeah, it was that neighbor, the one who bothered Natasha because she seemed too clean. After, Jason sent Apollo back to bed with promises and kisses and took off to run, pavement disappearing under his feet in a blur.
On impulse, he ducked into the small bakery that sat on what passed for the town square and bought a variety of pastry and when he got back to the house, he showered, the box left beside the door. It was almost noon when a taxi pulled up in front of Alison's house and Jason grabbed the box, approaching at an angle so he was clear in her line of sight to avoid surprising her.
"Hey, I don't mean to intrude, but I thought you might need some help after last night. I'm Jason Scott from next door... I think you've met my housemate, Kelly."