Tom Baldwin took off the glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his fingertips. He had to idea how much time had passed since he took the folder with information about Alana from the drawer and started reviewing it again as he already did lots and lots of times before. He was tired and his eyes sore from long hours of reading.

The shot of promicin left by Kyle some time ago lay on the edge of the table. Tom's gaze slid to it every once in a while and then trailed back to Alana's face on the picture. "Alana in repose". Not really famous artist, dead long ago who painted six pictures. Unknown woman named Alana who posed for him. No information about who she was, how she lived, what happened to her. Nothing! Like she was a ghost. It still hurt him to think of all the happiness they might have had and of how unfair the life was to them. But it wasn't that sharp and overwhelming pain that consumed him during the first weeks of her disappearance. He knew he could live with it, and he even knew how.

A knock on the door made Tom jerk his head and nearly made him jump on the coach.

"Meghan?" Her appearance at his door shouldn't have been a surprise, he realized, but it was.

"Hello, Tom!" She gave him a weak smile. It seemed like by opening the door he surprised her, too. "I was just… I didn't… I didn't think it was probably too late for the visit." She cleared her throat.

"Oh, no, not at all. Come in."

He thrust the door open. And as she stepped in Tom remembered immediately that first time when she stormed inside with crazy eyes and shaking voice. The war against promicin and deaths it was causing had just started then. And Meghan looked so sure of herself even if she didn't realize she did, so determined, so keen on wining.

She was different now. He couldn't say in what way but something had definitely changed about her since the last time they met several days ago. Tired, he noticed, although her smile was genuine. Dark circles under her eyes indicated bad night sleep and long hours of stressful work. But still, she was beautiful, and stunning, and her presence in his living room made Tom's heart jump and fall down. Everything inside him twisted into a knot. It made him feel… alive.

"Listen, I know I gave you a couple of days out to take a rest, to sort out what had happened," she started but her voice trailed off as she laid her eyes on the pictures on his coffee table.

Meghan took a deep breath and turned to face Tom who was still standing behind. She decided to omit the details of driving around his block for almost two hours uncertain if she should pay a visit to him. All the words she rehearsed during this time vanished and it was only emptiness left in her thoughts now.

It still seemed not so bad decision when she knocked on his door. Although now she wished she didn't. Seeing all these pictures of Alana made her feel awkward.

"Maybe it wasn't such a good idea," she murmured more to her self rather than to him but was sure he heard her words. "I should probably leave. It' too late now and…"

"No," Tom stepped in her way. "I'm glad you came."

"I didn't mean to intrude," Meghan tried to keep her voice firm but it was clear right away that she failed. Her gaze stopped on the open album again and she hurried to look away. "But I needed… Tom, I was preparing a report… no idea why or for whom or how to make it sound reasonable and official and not a science fiction story. Guess it was the best way to keep myself occupied somehow. I'm not sure what they are going to do in Washington with it if I send it there – read it or burn it first. And then suddenly one of my "Theory room" agents just disappeared into thin air! I found it out when he appeared in my office, just across the table, looking a little bit insane."

"Who?" Tom frowned, not really surprised. He knew it was a matter of time for all of them to develop one or another ability.

"Marco," she sighed suddenly realizing how desperately she needed to talk to someone about it. Someone close and understanding. "He told me he was looking at the picture of Promise City and suddenly found himself standing in the middle of it, with people all around, and no one even paid any attention to him come and leave like it was… like it was something natural."

"Come, take a sit," he gestured towards the coach and sat next to her as she sank into the pillows. "We knew it's gonna be like that. We knew it from the very beginning."

"Yes, we knew," she voice trembled just a bit now and Meghan forced herself to take a deep breath. "But no one told me I was going to meet at least three Garrities on my way to the rest room. Who knows how many of them were wandering around NTAC." She raised her eyes to his face, probably for the first time since she came. Tom heard confusion in her voice. "I wonder what am I supposed to do if he asks for salary for each of his duplications."

Tom gave her a short laugh. The thought of having an army of Garrities to defend NTAC and the city was pretty much amusing. Although he was glad his ability had nothing to do with something like mind-control.

"I talked to Diana this morning. She said that all kinds of abilities appear now and again. Most of them are quite harmless for their owners and everyone around."

Meghan shifted her gaze to the fireplace before them. And then to her hands clutched on her lap. What's going to happen with them all now?

"I know, Tom. It's just weird. If you see what I mean."

"Pretty well."

"We try to register them all, to be prepared in case if some emergency happens. Or to be ready for disorders. The situation like the one with that boy, Graham, shouldn't repeat again. This "perfect-society" thing will definitely need some time to settle, who knows how people will react when they start to realize their power."

"The whole new life. The whole new… everything." Tom shook his head.

She nodded.

"Collier is full of plans and ideas. He visited me this morning, together with Kyle. It's hard to accept some points but in general… you know, it looks promising. And I can't deny that they are more prepared to what's happening now than all NTAC people. He has a better view. I don't know what's gonna be next but for now I stick with the thought that we've got to work together."

"It is promising to hear something like that from the head of NTAC," Tom smiled.

"I don't really believe I said it. What's the most surprising – I mean it."

Meghan rubbed her temples.

"You know, I…" they started simultaneously in a minute. And laughed awkwardly forced to break off.

"You go first," Tom offered.

"No, you." Meghan shook her head.

"Okay," he looked out of the window for a moment before turning to face her again. "Kyle came to visit me, a couple of hours ago. He left this." Tom waved his head towards the promicin shot. Even in the dim light of reading lamp its green substance was glowing at the far end of the table.

"Oh," she sounded puzzled at first. "I almost forgot you missed all the fun of not knowing whether you will live or die," she snored. "So, what are going to do now?"

"I don't know," Tom shook his head. "Not that I have a big choice," he met her eyes looking for support. "If everything was true, about the prophecy and the future – and we can't deny it after everything that happened lately – then Kyle's right and I'll survive. I can even let myself hope that I won't become infectious or obtain dangerous ability. Maybe I will even be able to ease this guilt that eats me up inside for all I've done being someone… something else." His sighed at the memories. "I keep seeing it every single night, Meghan. I keep seeing how I killed people. How I hit you. It felt like I was trapped and unable to control my own body and something very evil was in my mind. It was terrible to see all these things like from outside… I never meant to hurt you, in any way."

"It wasn't your choice, Tom, or your fault," Meghan took his hand and intertwined her fingers with his. The touch of her skin was like an electric charge running through his body. "It's not right to blame yourself for that."

"But I will never forget."

"Maybe you shouldn't, as a reminder of what we must never let ever happen again," her voice was soft and full of urge to help him get rid of demons in his soul. "Just remember that you're human now, human with feelings, capable of love and compassion. It means more than you can think. It will take some time to… to accept it inside, but you'll cope. I know. And I… I will always be there for you, Tom, no matter what."

Tom kept silence for several long minutes, scrolling her words in his head. His gaze stopped on their joined hands. He still felt the touch of them on his skin, he remembered the taste of her lips on his, the warmth of her body near his when she sleep next to him, heard the sound of her whisper in his head. Back then, some days ago, a single thought of her made his "marked" nightmares disappear. He missed her! God, how much he missed her all this time! He didn't even realized how much he wanted her to come, how desperately he wanted to see her. Meghan became his bond to reality. His bond to his real self.

He squeezed her hand.

"Thank you," he whispered. Meghan gave him a comforting smile. "That's what I've been trying to assure myself of. But I needed to hear that from someone else. I guess I needed to hear it from you. I'm glad you came around."

He couldn't help but lean and kiss her on the forehead.

She reached her hand out and brushed away hair from his forehead still quite sure that given a chance she's drown into his deep blue eyes.

"You look tired, Tom."

"No, it's nothing, I'm okay. Just had a couple of nights of bad sleep and… I keep thinking of what would happen if we accepted Collier's plan from the start? Do you think anything could be different now?"

"I think that result would be the same."

"But these people died, Meghan. They died because I killed them," a quick glance towards the articles caused pain in his eyes. "And Alana is gone, maybe because of me."

They both turned to look at the coffee table where the thick album with famous painting reproductions laid open on the page with "Alana in Repose".

"Didn't you think she might be back now?"

"How?"

"I don't know, Tom, it's just a guess." She paused and took a deep breath. "Alana is the only one of the 4400 who was re-abducted so far. I don't see a reason for that except for punishment for you. And I don't see a reason for them to keep her any longer."

He didn't say anything, just kept looking at her as if waiting for her to continue.

"I was thinking… about lots of things lately, and it wasn't hard to put one and one together," Meghan's gaze was on the reproduction of the painting again. "It turns out your son and Collier were right. Feels like this prophecy was meant to come true, no matter if we wanted it or not, like it was the general idea. Everything's gonna come to a norm now, whatever norm that might be. And you…" she looked at him trying to choose the right words and also keep her voice from shaking. First of all they were friends and she was ready to offer whatever support he needed. "If you are a part of a big plan they might send Alana back. You said they took her because you didn't kill Isabelle as they ordered. But she's dead now, the whole thing worked out anyway. There is no need… They knew what she meant to you, Tom, otherwise they wouldn't take her."

"I don't know what to say, what to think," Tom rubbed his face with his hands. "Everything changed so fast, the whole world turned upside down and it's a hell sure we can never know what to expect next. Tomorrow is a total mystery."

"It probably depends on you in a way," she continued. Damn! Why should I be that bloody generous? Shut up, Meghan, before he is stuck with the idea for real. "On whether you want her back." Shut up NOW! This is too damn much even for you. You ARE insane, Meghan Doyle!

"I've been thinking of it - no, desperately wishing for it! - ever since I came home several months ago and found her missing but now… Now I wanna let it go. I really do, honey. And, um, I just hope that Alana is safe and happy wherever she is."

Tom gave her a long look. Then he turned on the coach to have a better view of her. He looped a lock of her hair behind her ear and caressed her cheek. And then, following the sudden impulse he pulled Meghan close to himself and hugged her. God, he needed it! He needed to feel her in his arms as if he didn't believe she was real. He wanted to be sure she wouldn't pull away. He needed her. And it was a relief when he felt her hands slide around him. She pressed her cheek to his shoulder, holding on to him like he was a life buoy.

It was a surprise to hear what she said. And it touched him deeply how much she cared for his feelings. She was right about everything, damn right! Alana meant the whole world to him. Just not anymore.

When Meghan first came into his life she was like a ray of light in darkness. The right person in the right time, in the right place. She taught him how to live with what had happened to Alana, she made him feel alive once again – something he didn't even dare to dream of. Tom was endlessly grateful for her for being there for him when he found out about Kyle taking a shot and about his cooperation with Collier and Isabelle Tyler. She was compassionate and supportive as only a few people in her place would. Her smile started driving him crazy the first moment he laid his eyes on her. It still did. He wanted her to be a part of his life, always.

"I saw you die, Tom," she whispered so quietly that he could barely hear her. "I thought you died. I have never been so scared in my life." The words came out before she could stop them. Meghan pulled away. "Oh, God!" She buried her face in her palms and let out a bitter chuckle. "How could I let it happen?"

"You were trying to save me."

"No, I mean how could I fall in love with you?" When she raised her face to him this time she looked confused and so terribly lost, so vulnerable. A weak smile touched her lips.

"Hey, come here," he pulled her into the circle of his arms again and rested his cheek against her soft hair, stroking the back mindlessly. I love you, too, he thought. I love you so much. "Maybe it's not such a bad idea now that we have the whole new life ahead, don't you think so? Maybe we can give it a try. I don't know where it might lead us, but I'm definitely keen on finding out. There is some of your stuff left upstairs…"

"You mean my toothbrush and a couple of your t-shirts that I'm not about to give back to you?" Meghan mumbled and Tom felt her smiling.

"Well, yeah, that's probably what I meant. And I was going to ask what do you think about moving something else, something more personal, in here?"

She pulled away once again, only not in a defensive gesture now.

"Let me show you, something, Tom. The reason I came here tonight."

Without waiting for his response Meghan reached into the pocket of her jacket and took out a plain pencil. Tom was about to ask what was that all about but all the words trailed out of his mind when he saw in mere seconds that she was holding a rose in her fingers. He barely had time to blink. It took a moment for flower's gentle scent to fill the room.

And this time it didn't take even a slightest effort, Meghan noticed.

Tom took the rose from her hand and brought it closer to his face. He was sure it would disappear the moment he touched it. It didn't. Sharp thorns felt more than real to his fingers. It was like a miracle. He raised his eyes from the flower to Meghan's face.

"It is beautiful," he said in amazement. "You'll never cease to impress me, do you?"

"It wasn't exactly the miracle I was waiting for while writing a report," she grinning. "But the surprise was pleasant in a way. And, well, I hope you can guess that most of my 'personal stuff' will be something very much like this."

"You know, my sixth sense – let's call it an intuition – tells me that maybe that world of the future is not as bad as we first thought." He leaned in and kissed her lips. "It's gonna be strange, no doubt."

"And scary."

"And together… we have no other choice but to handle it."

THE END!