Walking back to the van about a half hour after Kai left with Xena I tense when I sense Hunter, Warwick, and Talon coming close.

I was honestly expecting them to leave me behind so I’m a little shocked when they step out in front of me, stopping me from going any further.

I can feel the anger radiating off of Hunter, Talon looks annoyed and even Warwick lost his easy smile and is just frowning at me.

“What? Are we all walking back to the van together?” I ask with attitude, not in the mood to deal with a lecture. I start stalking past the men standing in my way, but I don’t make it far before Hunter grabs my arm and whirls me to face them. “Don’t manhandle me, Hunter,” I snarl.

He ignores me. “What the fuck were you thinking? Disobeying a direct order? Then slamming up a gods damn mental shield so I can’t get through to make sure you’re at least alive?” He’s not shouting but the anger in his tone and his red eyes are enough to make me tense and a shiver rolls down my back.

“You weren’t there, you don’t get to tell me what the correct course of action would have been. I did what I had to do.” I snap my arm out of his hand and step away from the group they make.

“You deliberately tortured a human, when killing him quickly would have been just fine,” Hunter sneers.

I narrow my gaze at the three of them, my eyes bouncing from each before finally settling on Hunter. “Have you ever been tortured Hunter?”

He blinks. “What? Why would you ask that?”

“Unless you’ve lived through that you can’t understand how it feels to have it happen when you’re helpless. Each of you are judging me based on the fact that I tortured some poor human that had been torturing one of us. I know demons that are just like that fucking human and they deserve the same fucking treatment. I don’t do it to get enjoyment out of it or to get off on it. And unless you can tell me you’ve never tortured someone for any reason, you don’t get to judge me,” I hiss.

Hunter sighs. “Mercy-”

I hold my hands out and step around the group to go towards the van, still facing them. “No. You know what? Fuck you guys.”

I turn away from them and walk the rest of the way to the van, not willing to let the guys see how much they got to me.

“Damn it,” I hear Hunter mutter before they move behind me, following me.

I slam open the back door to the van and climb in, moving to Xena and giving her a hug, keeping my hold gentle so I don’t hurt her more.

“You’re covered in blood,” Parker points out, licking his lips.

“I’m aware. Can you handle that until we get to headquarters?”

Parker grumbles a little under his breath, something about the smell of blood coming from both Xena and myself might be too much, a second before a blood bag comes flying his way. He catches it without looking and grins.

“There. Eat it and chill the hell out Park. It’s a long ass drive,” War says after the back door closes behind him.

Hunter and Talon go into the front, with Hunter in the driver's seat. While he pulls us back onto the road my phone vibrates in my pocket. I groan and reach in to grab it, careful not to get blood all over it.

I unlock my phone and read the text. “Holy fuck my life,” I moan, running my hand through my hair, not caring about the blood anymore. Most of its dried anyways. It’ll come off in the shower. If it means I look like a horror movie reject in the meantime oh well.

“What?” Xena asks while the guys look at me curiously.

“My fucking uncle is back at headquarters,” I whine.

Xena chuckles. “I don’t see why you’re freaking out. He loves you.”

I look at her with wide eyes. “Dude. I’m covered in blood. He’s expecting me to go straight to the Head Orderly’s office with the whole team instead of giving me a chance to shower.” I turn to look at the guys. “By the way, dude really needs to change his title. I want to laugh every time I hear someone say ‘Head Orderly’. Hell, even Overlord would be better than that.”

Warwick snorts out a laugh and the other two in the back with us shakes their heads with a smile on their face.

Xena says softly, “You act like he’s never seen you like this.”

I sigh. “I know, I just once would like to not be covered in blood when seeing my uncle.” I look at Xena and ask quietly, “How’re you doing?”

She smiles. “I’m great now. I’m healing, albeit slowly. You found me, so I’ve got my best friend back in my life. I’ll be better once I’ve had some real food and some real sleep.”

“You gonna bunk with me like old days?” I ask with a big grin.

“Oooh, like nothing’s changed huh?” She ponders it a minute then meets my grin with a smile of her own. “Hell yes! I think we both need that.”

“You have that right. It’s why I’m here.” She gives me a questioning look and I let out a breath before looking out the window, painfully aware of everyone’s eyes on me. “They found me.”

“They won’t get you,” Xena says reassuringly.

* * *

After dropping Xena off in the infirmary to get looked over before someone takes her to my room, I follow the team to the Head Orderly’s office. I have to hold back my snicker at seeing Head Orderly Nero on the door. That fucking title gets me everytime.

Hunter goes into the office first and the guys file in after him. I walk in last and as soon as I cross the threshold I’m greeted to the sound of my uncles laugh.

“Who the hell is the poor soul that pissed off Mercy?” He booms pushing his way through the men in front of me to wrap me in his arms to give me a hug.

The team looks at him with varying emotions of shock and hilarity.

“Uh, hi uncle,” I say into his ear, reveling in the comfort of his embrace.

“So? Who pissed her off?” He asks, looking to Hunter, ignoring my greeting.

Hunter looks at me for a split second before turning to my uncle. “It turns out the seer we were sent to rescue was a friend of Mercy’s. She was being beaten when Mercy entered the room. Mercy disobeyed my order to leave him be and take care of the seer, instead sending Kai ahead with her while she stayed behind with the human.”

It was said without any of the anger and frustration from earlier. Though, I could tell from the tic in his jaw he still wasn’t happy with me.

My uncle chuckles darkly looking at me in pride. “Then she did what she should have. I’m assuming from the information you all gave me that this is the seer Xena?” Hunter nods. “Then she definitely did what she should have.” He pauses then grins at Hunter. “Good luck getting this girl to follow any kind of orders. If it doesn’t end the way she wants it to, she’ll make it in any way she can, regardless of orders.”

The Head Orderly dude comes forward and speaks to uncle Roderick. “That’s not really how we run things here Roderick, you know that.”

I look at him before my uncle can speak. “I don’t care how things are run. I’m not here to make friends. I’m here to stay alive and, or out of fucking chains. That’s it.” I’m honestly getting sick of repeating myself.

“And if those orders mean you live while others die?” He retorts.

“Then I’ll die along with them. I may be here for my safety but I won’t put my life above anyone else’s.” I shrug. “You can thank my uncle for my view on life since he’s been the one to be my father figure for years and taught me how to essentially be like him. Although, there’s enough of my mom in me to make me less selfish than him,” I add with an grin.

“You little minx,” Roderick scoffs. “You say that as if I don’t care for you.”

“I know you do uncle, but you don’t give a shit about anyone else.”

“This is the truth,” he concedes. “Speaking of your mother…” Roderick stops, hesitating and I tense.

“What? She better be alive Roderick,” I growl, clenching my fists.

“She is. She’s just in hiding now. She went to work today and when she came home your house… I’m sorry sweetheart, they tore apart and tore apart everything in your house. There isn’t anything that was left untouched.”

I clench my teeth. “Is she safe?”

He nods. “Yes. I have her hidden and as long as she stays where she is no one can get to her.”

“Why didn’t either of you call me?”

Roderick shrugs. “I took care of it. She’s fine, Mercy.”

“She better stay that way uncle,” I growl.

He narrows his eyes at me. “You know better than to doubt me, little miss Mercy. Don’t let your emotions get the better of you now. You need to stay sharp and stop thinking of others before you get yourself taken again.”

I roll my eyes. “Whatever. I’m going to bed. You guys can all bitch at me tomorrow for killing the human the way I did if you really want to. Don’t start, Hunter,” I warn as soon as I see his mouth open. “I’m sick of wearing his blood so I need to shower.” I leave the room, my uncles laugh following me out.