[ By the time things got bad enough in Blackwatch for him to leave, they were real bad. Enough so that Jesse said no goodbyes--long or otherwise--and left nothing behind except a letter of resignation on Gabe's desk. It must have looked sudden to the others. Jack and Gabriel's dispute was well known by that point, but Gabe had started to talk about outright, open rebellion. Jesse wanted no part of it.

Gabe had changed, too, becoming cruel in his anger. His resentment ate him like a parasite, and it spilled out onto everything, sparing nothing. Deadlock days haunt Jesse still, but the latter months of Blackwatch are a poltergeist. Those memories bite and scratch.

He fixes himself coffee without a word, stewing in the mire of ten years ago. He'd known it'd hurt folks, leaving like he did, but he'd seen no other choice at the time. If he'd deliberated too much, or shown any indecision, Gabe would've trapped him. Dragged him right into hell. Jesse's conviction on this remains steadfast.

He stirs in a few drops of cream, just a bit of sugar. As a kid, he remembers how he used to load up til the coffee turned the color of milk chocolate. He's slightly more restrained now. ]

We just had trouble after trouble.

[ He reaches for her hand, covering it with his own. He'd kept up with the news, piece after devastating piece. He'd seen the foundation of Overwatch crumbling, but it still hurt like hell to watch it fall apart so spectacularly. ]

I can't tell you nothin' you wanna hear. I had to disappear, so I did. But I never wanted to hurt you. I hope you can believe that, at least.