In Sage's eyes, it felt like time stopped. It was as if the bullet that was heading straight towards Jett was in slow-motion and the gun shooting was louder than anything she ever heard in her life.

Sage's breathing stopped when she looked down at Jett's now lifeless body. The bullet Hench shot had landed a direct shot to Jett's head. When Sage's scream filled the room, everyone froze at the sound of it.

Sage instantly pushed Jett's head onto her lap and hastily pressed a healing orb to the back of her head. Something wasn't working, it was as if the healing to Jett was completely ineffective. Tears dripped onto Sage's face, how many times was she going to fail to bring Jett back to her.

"She lived a good life-" Hench started but instantly closed his mouth when he heard Sage.

Sage glared at him with fury in his eyes, "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! You- You killed-"

She couldn't get the sentence out because when she tried to finish it, her hand covered her mouth in disgust. The reality of the situation was beginning to sink in.

Jett was dead.

~~

Reyna watched Hench in disgust as she walked over to his frail body. Once he noticed that she was coming over, he growled and attempted to move away. Though, the limbs in his body were too weak from the core in his hand being blown off.

"I-It's over! I won! You gain nothing from killing me..your precious Jett is gone!" He yelled but it was muffled when he felt the end of a gun crash against his jaw. The cold metal burned against his jaw as he cried out.

Reyna raised her foot and kicked the side of Hench's head as if he was nothing but a soccer ball. She continuously kicked him to the floor, stopping when she felt a hand at her shoulder. Raze could tell Reyna was angry and that she was hurting.

"He deserves this" Reyna hissed, staring at Hench's face which was beaten to a pulp. His face was covered in thick red blood and bruises.

Hench was beginning to accept his death, knowing that he was going to see Jett soon. He couldn't hope for his death any faster as his face curled into a smile.

He closed his eyes and coughed up the last ounce of blood. The last thing he remembered was seeing Jett's lifeless body after the final kick to his face sent him unconscious.

~~

Sage continued clenching her chest as she could feel the bile taste of vomit rising up her throat. She managed to gently push Jett off of her to throw up all the disgusting remains in her stomach.

As the guttural noises from Sage echoed and bounced off the walls of the room, Raze walked over to them slowly. Raze dropped to her knees and rolled Jett over so that she was facing upward. Her heart seized in her chest when she saw the look on her face.

It was a look of content.

It was as if she was ready to die..and accept anything that happened to her tonight. Her face was relaxed and all the remanents of suffering were washed away.

"Do you...think she wanted this?" Raze mumbled.

Sage stared at Raze with disgust and clenched her fists, "No! Jett wouldn't want this! You saw what happened, she- she was shot by that nasty man. She didn't ask to die!"

"But...she looks so peaceful"

The loud pounding of footsteps became audible as Cypher approached the women who huddled around Jett's lifeless body.

"Hey, everyone. I think we have a clear exit to leave now, is everyone okay-" Cypher began but instantly zipped his mouth when he saw Jett's body.

Cypher's eyes widened and opened his mouth but it felt dry. Nothing came out as he looked at the lifeless body. Instead of speaking, he slowly approached the surrounding circle and kneeled to observe Jett.

"There isn't anything we can do?"

Sage shook her head and slapped her hand over her forehead, "I- I can't. I've tried everything. My healing orbs aren't doing anything. She's dead, Cypher. I'm useless and I can't do anything"

She knew she was pitying herself, but what else was she supposed to do? She was supposed to be Valorant's best healer, and here she was. Sitting here, uselessly crying with her best friend..and lover, dead in her arms. How could she not feel useless?

"You're not useless, Sage. You can't save everyone, and this is one of those times. Jett's death wasn't in vain and I'm sure you made the last few weeks of her life worth it"

Sage wouldn't accept those words and began to cry harder, "No! I won't ever forgive myself for-..for being so careless. I froze-..and didn't even do anything when Hench raised the gun to Jett. I practically let her die! This is all my fault!"

"Shut up" Reyna muttered, "Criticizing yourself for something that was out of your control won't do you any good. Let's just head back to HQ and report to Brimstone. Jett wouldn't want us mourning over her anyway. She'd want us to slap a smile on our faces and continue on as if nothing happened"

Sage glared at Reyna and snatched the collar of her shirt. Reyna stared at the hand clenching her clothing then at Sage, "You think something like that is easy for me?! You don't understand what it's like to lose someone important to you! I can't move on with life knowing that I was the reason Jett is gone now!"

Reyna looked at her closely and carefully took Sage's hand off of her to hold it, "My sister. A couple of years back...My sister passed away due to a terrible accident. It was something that I felt was in my control, yet I let my sister be careless and do what she wanted. And because of that, she ended up dying. So, right now...I do understand how you are feeling. But I learned that blaming yourself over something that can't be fixed..is plain dumb. All you can do is move forward...even if it takes time. You will overcome it and for you to do that, you have to accept what happened"

Sage began to regret her words of telling Reyna that she didn't understand the situation. She hardly knew Reyna's past and she was already making judgments. Sage knew Reyna was right but she didn't want to hear it. She wanted Jett here..alive with her, kissing her, hugging her. She would give up anything to see Jett move an inch of her body, even if it was just her stupid smirk.

Reyna could tell Sage was having a battle in her mind. She was thinking over anything that she could've done better and the reality it could've been if she had done better. Reyna stood up and looked at Raze and Cypher, "Prep the ship. We need to head back to HQ before Brimstone starts to panic"

Cypher and Raze reluctantly got up and trotted their way back to the ship. Reyna went to follow them but looked over her shoulder one last time to stare at Sage's frame that was shaking. She clenched her fists and refused to look at Hench's body on the way out.

~~

"Please, Jett. Wake up" Sage pleaded, pressing her forehead to Jett's. Her body still felt warm but it was starting to get colder as the minutes passed. "I need you. I can't continue living without you. Please don't leave me, again"

"I can't" She chanted over and over, reaching downwards to squeeze Jett's hand. Her other hand weaved its way into Jett's hair and the cries grew louder as her breathing became erratic.

"Didn't you say we were in this together? Isn't that what you promised? You're such a liar, Jett. You always promise me things like this, and you never go through with them. Why..." Sage whimpered.

Sage found it hard to watch Jett's emotionless face do nothing. It didn't react or do anything to comfort Sage. She pulled Jett's head into her chest as she couldn't take the heavy emotions anymore.

She let out a gruesome yell and weakly pounded her fists into Jett's back as her lifeless form slumped against the front of Sage's body.

The emotions were too much and she didn't know what to do. It was only when she stared at Jett's face one last time that she started to realize that there was nothing more she could do. She sniffled a few times before capturing Jett's lips for the last time.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry I couldn't do anything right"

Sage slowly began to raise herself off her knees but fell backward onto her backside when she felt a powerful surge of energy go through her body. Her breathing seized as she felt a warm glow surrounded her body.

Her hands shook as she stared at them. The bright glow around her body seemed to flow even toward her hands. It was as if the stream of light was guiding her towards something. Her eyes widened as she inched back to Jett's body.

The glow that was around Sage's body slowly wrapped around Jett's form as if it was a warm blanket. She was surprised when she saw the continuous light pour into Jett as her body slowly ascended into the air.

Sage scrambled to her feet when the light disappeared and Jett was now back on her feet. Her heart almost leaped out of her chest when she saw Jett's eyes flutter open.

"Jett!"

~~

Jett was confused when her eyes opened. She didn't have much time to think or process where she was because the moment she tried to look around she was being tackled to the ground.

"Jett!" She heard Sage say with a heaved sob.

Jett leaned up a bit on her elbows as Sage buried her face into her stomach, "S-Sage?"

"I-I can't believe it. Y-You're alive" She whispered, slowly climbing up Jett to desperately press kisses to Jett's lips. "You're here..with me"

Jett still was confused about what happened but accepted the kisses she was being given. She softly patted the back of Sage's head and smiled, "Of course I am. I promised you didn't I?"

Jett didn't know if what she said was good or bad because the reaction she got from Sage was only a cry that was louder than the previous ones. She didn't know what words to say at that point, only wrapping her arms around Sage and whispering.

"It's okay, I'm here. I'm not going anywhere"

~~

Jett found herself growing a bit worried when Sage's clinginess was happening more than usual. She didn't mind the usual hand rubs or hugs but the whole flight back to HQ she was forced into Sage's lap and held tightly against the front of her body.

Jett wiggled a little in Sage's lap and noticed the way her arms clenched even tighter around her body. She leaned back a little and nudged Sage's cheek with her nose, "You know... you can loosen your grip on me"

"...Don't want to" Sage mumbled, pressing Jett closer between her legs.

Jett opened her mouth but closed it. She put her head down to think back to the conversation she had with Reyna before they boarded the ship. She was informed that she was shot in the head and killed. Though, by some chance, Sage was able to resurrect her. She curled into Sage, feeling guilty about what Sage probably had to go through while watching her dead body. She didn't even want to imagine what it would be like if she watched Sage die.

Sage nosed Jett's hair and was saddened when the smell of her was faint. It always made her feel warm when she was able to inhale the sweet scent Jett always gave off. She settled with resting her forehead on Jett's shoulder and sighing.

Jett continued to stay silent and watched the clouds from the outside. It suddenly made her wonder if Sage still had her Radianite. She tried to shuffle and turn her body to find Sage's bag and was a bit annoyed when she was being tugged back into the same position.

"Sage-"

"Please don't go"

Jett's eyes softened as she pressed her hand to Sage's cheek, "I'm not going anywhere. I just want to see your bag"

Sage seemed hesitant but decided to release Jett from her hold. She watched from behind, Jett crawl away from her and grab her bag. Sage played with her fingers nervously and waited for Jett to sit back down.

Jett opened the bag and smiled when she saw her Radianite in there, "It's here! We were able to get my Radianite back!"

Jett wanted to celebrate, but her mood was dampened when she saw Sage looking down at the place she was sitting at before. She felt a bit bad and threw herself back into Sage's lap, "Look, It's even glowing"

Sage was surprised when she saw Jett grinning at her. Her eyes wandered to where Jett's hand was pointing to, "Yes.. we were able to successfully get your Radianite back. Though...It was definitely a pain to get"

"Tell me about it! I didn't think that we'd even make it out alive-"

Jett slapped a hand over her mouth and decided not to finish that sentence. She knew right now wasn't a time for jokes, especially seeing as that Sage's mental health wasn't so great right now.

Sage carefully took Jett's hand away, "It's okay, I know what you meant. I'm glad that both of us are okay and no one else was severely injured"

"Are you okay though? You aren't acting yourself right now"

Sage's hands clenched tightly at her sides, "I watched you die, Jett"

"I know...but I'm here now-"

"That's not the point! I watched someone shoot you! Do you not how traumatic that is for me to remember?"

Jett looked down at in shame, "I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to make you feel that way"

Sage cursed at herself for yelling at Jett. It wasn't Jett's fault that she was shot while injured, in fact, she still blames herself for reacting so poorly to Hench's movements

"I know. I'm sorry as well. I don't know why I'm taking my frustrating inner thoughts out on you. It's not fair"

"You're just venting. There is nothing wrong with telling me what's going on in that big head of yours. Gotta release it eventually or your head will explode" Jett said.

Sage stared at her and flicked the middle of her forehead, "I do not have a big head"

"Mm, I beg to differ"

Sage clicked her tongue and smiled behind Jett so that she couldn't see it. She was always amazed at how Jett was always able to make her laugh or smile when she wasn't at her best. She always found that attribute of Jett admiring.

"We're landing. Is everyone ready to go?"

Everyone nodded and waited for Jett and Sage to get up from the corner of the ship. They both got to their feet and joined the rest of the group to walk down the incline that led to the entryway of HQ.

"I don't think I'm ready to face Brimstone's wrath" Jett whispered.

Sage completely forgot about Brimstone. Now that they were back and successfully were able to bring back Jett's Radianite, they now had to face the consequences. The plan was to get back before Brimstone found out..but that didn't work out so well. Sage wondered how the team even realized they were gone. Maybe Yoru did snitch after all.

"It's okay, we will face him together" Sage reassured.

~~

"You two are insane!" Brimstone yelled, slamming his hands on the table, "I told you to wait a bit longer but you just had to let your lack of patience get in the way of that. Do you understand how much extra work you put on some of the team?"

Jett and Sage both bowed their head in shame, "We apologize for our course of action. We accept any type of punishment that we receive, including being removed from our position here at Valorantt"

Brimstone rubbed his face tiredly, "I'm not going to fire you. You two are very important people to our team and I wouldn't switch you both out for anyone else in the world. But that doesn't mean that I'm going to let you off the hook. I won't allow you outside of HQ at late hours until I trust you and you're on lunch duty for the next two months"

Jett struggled to hold back a groan but was glad that Brimstone wasn't considering at all to get rid of them, "Thank you for your kindness. It means a lot to me that even with my selfish acts and going against your orders... you still consider me a part of the team"

"Of course, Jett. You will always be family now. I wouldn't ever take someone away from the place they call home willingly"

Sage glanced between the two and found the conversation heartwarming. It wasn't often Jett let out her vulnerable side and Sage was glad that Jett was comfortable enough to share that side with Brimstone.

"But anyway, I know you two are both tired. Get some rest and I will tell Viper to prep the laboratory to reinfuse your Radianite"

They both nodded and exchanged one last round of 'thank you's before leaving and shutting the door behind them.

~~

Jett held the piece of Radianite between her index and thumb, observing the rock as she laid comfortably in Sage's bed.

She continued to inspect it but stopped when she saw Sage emerge from the bedroom with nothing but a sleeping robe.

Jett blushed and shoved the rock on the bedside table, "H-Hey"

Sage flipped her hair behind her shoulders and crawled onto the bed, laying one arm over Jett's abdomen to pull her closer, "Hey"

Jett turned her body so that she was laying on her side, "How was your shower?"

"Would've been better with you" Sage winked, adjusting the bathrobe that kept getting stuck on her knee.

Jett's face turned deep, "I-I already took a shower, but we can take on again together.. right now if you want"

Sage laughed and squeezed Jett's cheek softly, "No, I was just kidding. You can come and join me in the shower some other day. I don't think I can stay awake for another steamy shower"

"You should sleep"

Jett nuzzled her nose to Sage's and tried to ease her to sleep but Sage didn't budge, "I don't want to sleep"

"Why's that?"

"Because..what if you're gone again? What if something happens to you while I'm asleep and..and I can't do anything about it"

Jett's eyes softened, "Sage, I promise nothing will happen to me. Hench is gone and we're safe in HQ. I won't let anything happen to us again"

"How can I trust you?"

Jett chewed on her lower lip, "Is there anything I can do to get you to trust me?"

Sage squeezed her eyes shut and dragged Jett's hands to touch the skin of her stomach under her bathrobe, enjoying the way Jett let out a gasp when she did so.

"I want you.. to touch me"