A/N: During the hypnosis session, all of Sylvia's dialogue will be in italics so as to differentiate it from that of Kristin. I just thought it might help the confusion, but I wanted to explain it.

Also, a quick thank you to everyone who has reviewed thus far. Your support is always appreciated. Thank you, thank you.

Chapter 20

Since she didn't feel like lying down anymore, Ben finally talked her into a game of cards; more like several games of cards.

Yet one hour and a half later, Ben called out triumphantly, "Gin!" for about the fifth time. "I think you're slipping, Doc. I've won the last few hands."

Kristin nodded, trying to stifle a yawn. "Yes, well, I'm starting to get a little sleepy," she admitted. "It's hard to stay focused on the game."

Ben started collecting the cards to shuffle them. "Then you should lie down; take a nap. You did say that Dr. Levin ordered you to rest."

She shook her head. "But then you'll be all alone, and it's only two thirty." She yawned again. "You've been so sweet to keep me company; I don't want to be rude."

Ben waved a hand. "Nonsense. Besides, I've been meaning to brush up on my Solitaire skills." He flashed her a grin. "Go take a nap. I'll be here when you wake up."

Kristin opened her mouth to protest, but changed her mind. She stood and placed a kiss to his cheek. "Just a short one, I promise."

"No worries; sweet dreams," he called as he began laying out the cards to play Solitaire.

Kristin went into the bedroom to lie down, and it wasn't long before she was fast asleep.

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Kristin didn't know how long she'd slept when she heard voices. It took her a moment to realize they were the voices of Nathan, Joshua, and Lucas.

"Just tell her I said I'll see her tomorrow," she heard Ben say. "I don't want to wake her."

Kristin forced herself out of bed; she stood in the doorway of the bedroom. "I'm awake," she muttered, trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes. She looked at Ben. "You're not getting out of here so easily." She wrapped her arms around him. "Thanks…for everything," she whispered, kissing him on the cheek.

"It was no trouble at all, Doc. Glad you got some rest. See you tomorrow?"

She nodded. "Tomorrow," she said as she broke the hug.

Ben then said goodbye to the others and left.

Kristin turned to the others. "Sorry for sleeping so late. I must look a fright." She brought her hand to her hair, knowing it was mussed. She tried to smooth it.

"It's no worry," Joshua told her. "Um, if you want a few moments to relax, however, feel free. Lucas and I need to set up anyway."

"Set up?" Kristin asked.

Lucas, who had been standing behind Joshua, held up a very primitive-looking recorder. "The technology of the 1940's," he said jokingly. "It's not the vocoder, but it's pretty high-tech…at least for this time period. Steel wire magnetic; very cool." He was trying to be enthusiastic, but Kristin could tell he was over-exaggerating.

"Let's go over here," Joshua instructed, and he and Lucas moved by the sofa, talking about the upcoming hypnosis.

"Well, I'm glad you got some rest," Nathan said once they had some privacy. "Ben said you had a relaxing afternoon?"

She nodded. "Much better than the morning," she assured him. "I wasn't even planning on sleeping this late." She looked at the clock. It was after five now.

Nathan waved a hand. "You obviously needed the rest. And don't worry; when we're finished, we can go out for dinner. Or I'll cook for you…whatever you want."

Kristin gave him a gentle smile. She honestly wasn't even thinking of eating, but it was sweet that Nathan was already offering to cook for her. "We'll just play it by ear."

"So, are you ready for this?"

She shrugged. "I honestly haven't had much time to think about it."

Finally, Joshua looked up. "We're ready when you are."

Kristin looked at Nathan, who placed a gentle hand on her arm. "Just remember, we're all here with you."

Kristin gave him a nod and then turned to Joshua. "What if I'm one of those people who can't be hypnotized?" she asked worriedly.

Joshua gave her a reassuring smile. "Would it make you feel better if I told you I've never met one of those people?" Then, he became serious. "Really, it's more of an old wives' tale that certain people cannot be hypnotized. Everyone can. It's just that some people can go into deeper hypnosis than others. But this is nothing you need to worry about. That's my worry. All you need to do is relax. And worrying won't help you there." He motioned her over to him. "Have a seat."

Kristin hesitated for a moment, but did as she was told.

Joshua then knelt before her and held his hands out. "This is going to help you relax. Put your hands in mine."

Again, Kristin did as she was told, but she was feeling rather apprehensive about the whole mess now.

"I can feel how tense you are," Joshua noted.

"I'm sorry; I-"

"Sshh," he said gently. "Close your eyes."

She looked to Nathan, then to Joshua.

"Close your eyes," he said again.

Kristin took a deep breath and did so.

"Now, I want you to think about all your troubles right now. Don't tell me what they are; simply think about them. Try to list them off in your head."

Kristin did so. She started listing them off in her mind as Joshua had said. Number one, this time period. Number two, Richard Mayfield. Number three, the death of Sylvia and not knowing if I will die here. Number four, how the rest of the crew is being affected with all this Sylvia drama. Number five, getting back home.

"Now, I want you to visualize a box. It can be any type you wish," Joshua instructed. "Can you see it?"

"Yes," she replied.

"Good. Now visually take all your worries and pour them all into that box. Let me know when you've done that."

"Okay," Kristin answered a few moments later.

"Excellent," Joshua encouraged. "Now, take that box and seal it up."

"All right."

"Now, visualize that you're passing me that box."

"Okay," Kristin said.

"Now, how do you feel?" Joshua asked.

"Better." And she wasn't lying. She suddenly felt as though a weight had been lifted off of her.

"From now on, you give me all your troubles. I'll take care of them for you. You just relax, got it?"

"Got it," she answered.

"Good…now, I want you to concentrate on your breathing," Joshua continued.

Kristin did all the visualization exercises Joshua suggested. He had her envision that she was walking along the beach in blissful solitude. She had no worries, no cause for concern. And then, she was to lie down on the warm sand, listening to the gently lapping waves. And it wasn't long before everything went dark as she relaxed completely and succumbed to hypnosis.

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"Is she all right?" Nathan asked with sincere concern. He'd just seen Kristin go completely limp, and he hadn't anticipated how frightening it would look.

"She's perfectly fine," Joshua assured him. "Just very relaxed. I had a hunch, and I was right."

Nathan gave him a questioning look.

"You know how we talked about how she might be more receptive to the spirits? Well, I was also hoping that same quality would carry over to hypnosis, and it did."

Nathan nodded. "Well, that's good." He was trying to be enthusiastic, but he suddenly realized he didn't like this…not one bit. All he could do was sit back and be a witness while Joshua continued; but Nathan was worried, and he wasn't sure why just yet.

Kristin was lying on the sofa, her head back, one arm hanging at her side nearly touching the floor; her other arm lay over her stomach. Nathan could see the gentle rise and fall of her chest, indicating she was breathing. That was a good sign; he still couldn't help but worry. He carefully approached her and moved the arm that was hanging and placed it in what he thought was a more comfortable position, placing it on her side. When he'd touch her wrist, he felt her faint pulse, another good sign. He stayed there for a moment, her hand in his. But he then felt Joshua's hand on his shoulder. He motioned for him to sit in the armchair a few feet away.

When Nathan hesitated, Joshua said, "She's fine; I promise you."

Nathan nodded and cast a sheepish look towards Lucas, who was watching intently. He went and sat back down, doing his best to put all his trust in Joshua. But it was difficult.

Joshua turned back to Kristin. "Can you still hear me?"

"Yes…" Kristin replied, sounding as though she was very sleepy.

"Good…you keep lying on that beach, okay?"

"Hmmm…" Kristin muttered. "The sun is so warm."

"I want you to be quiet now, if you can," Joshua continued. "I want to see if I can talk to your friend, Sylvia, okay?"

"Okay…" Kristin replied.

Joshua waited a few moments. He turned to Lucas to be sure he had the recorder set and had enough wire going through it. Lucas gave him a nod. Then, Joshua turned to Nathan and gave him a wink. Then, he took a deep breath and turned back to Kristin's limp body. "Sylvia, are you there? I was wondering if we could talk to you. Please, this is very important, so-"

"I'm here." Kristin was speaking, as per the usual when they encountered Sylvia. However, for the first time, there was a distinct difference for it was not the throaty, husky voice of Kristin Westphalen. Her voice was altered; it was higher, and it sounded completely different.

"Sylvia?" Joshua said, just to be sure.

"Yes."

"Would you be willing to answer some questions for us?"

"It depends on the questions. I'll do my best."

"Who are you exactly? Yes, we know your name is Sylvia Mayfield, but do you have any sort of…connection to Kristin?"

Sylvia laughed softly. "You could say that. You see, I was her…in a past life."

"So my theory was correct?" Joshua said, knowing it needed no answer. "Um, do you know how you died?"

Nathan scoffed. "You're going into that already?" He wasn't sure what he expected, but he just thought there would be a few more formalities before going into the gritty details of her murder.

Joshua approached him and whispered, "I notice you're suddenly resisting this session."

"No, not at all. I just-"

"Look, I know you're worried about Kristin. And you don't think I am?"

Nathan didn't answer.

"If this is going to work, I need your complete cooperation…and your silence. Please, just trust me," Joshua pleaded gently.

Nathan gave him a nod. "Sorry; I'll be quiet."

"Thanks," Joshua replied, approaching the sofa once again. "Now, Sylvia, do you remember how you died?"

Silence. The woman on the sofa hesitated. "I know I am dead…" she said slowly.

"Okay…good," Joshua commented. "But do you remember how?"

"I…I was murdered."

"Sylvia, can you go back to that day?" Joshua pressed. "In your mind, go back…tell me what you see."

"It's morning. I'm with Jack in his apartment," she began.

"Later in the day," Joshua prompted. "An hour before. What were you doing then? Who were you with? What happened?"

More hesitation. "I…well…"

"Sylvia, please…you know why I am asking you, don't you?"

"Because of Kristin, I know."

"Then you know how important it is that you tell us," Joshua urged. "Now go back to that day…one hour before your death. Tell me everything."

There was a long pause. But finally, Sylvia spoke. "It's late…maybe about eight o'clock. Jack had to go back to the base; the admiral called him for an emergency meeting. It's classified, so Jack can't tell me what it's about. I had to stay behind, of course. Jack gave me a kiss, told me he loved me. He told me he'd be back soon and to get some rest. I did lie down, but then I got a phone call."

"Who called you?"

"Richard…he asked me; no, he begged me to meet him at the vacation home. He promised he'd sign the papers if he could just talk to me. He promised he would be good, that he wouldn't hurt me."

"And you believed him?"

"I know Richard is a very…intense person. But he has his good points, although he hasn't shown me those points for a very long time…" She paused for a moment. "I very much wanted to believe him." She sighed. "I needed those papers signed, and it seemed like a good idea at the time…I've since changed my mind about that, however."

"What happened?"

"I left Jack a note, and I called a cab. I didn't think I'd be gone very long."

"Go on," Joshua urged.

"Richard signed the papers like he had promised. He gave them to me. We had a small chat. He apologized…for everything…and we hugged. We said goodbye. And that was it."

"That was it?"

"Between Richard and I, yes," she confirmed. "Richard offered me a ride back, but I declined. I used the phone and called a cab. Richard actually had to attend a meeting on the base as well…the same one as Jack, I assumed. I told him it was perfectly all right, that I would just wait outside for the cab to arrive."

"And he left?"

"I saw that he hesitated for a moment, almost as if he wasn't sure he should leave me alone. But he couldn't really wait, so, yes, he left."

"So Richard isn't responsible for your death?"

There was another long pause of hesitation. "I…I can't remember."

"But yet, you said Richard left. You saw him leave?"

"I saw him leave in his car, yes," she confirmed. "But after that, things get…hazy."

"Sylvia, you have to try," Joshua urged. "We need to know if Kristin will be safe."

"I am trying," Sylvia promised. "Just give me a moment."

Everyone else in the room waited with baited breath for Sylvia to finally reveal the identity of the murderer. The few moments it took for her to speak once again seemed like an eternity.

"I honestly don't remember," she finally said. "After Richard left…everything went dark. I feel…pain. Just pain." She let out a sob. "I'm sorry; I can't remember."

Nathan finally stood. They'd waited so long for this moment, and he couldn't go on not knowing. "You don't remember?" He couldn't help himself from shouting. "How can you say that? Kristin's life is at stake, and you can't remember?"

Joshua placed a hand on Nathan's shoulder. "I thought I asked you to please sit over there and be-"

"No," Sylvia interrupted, her voice still full of emotion. "He's right. I'm the one who brought you all here. And I know you all care about Kristin. I care about her too; we share a soul. And when she found me, found my body…well, I decided that it was her destiny to help me. So I created the vortex." She let out another soft sob. "Please, understand…all I wanted was for someone to know how I died…for someone to solve my murder so I could be laid to rest. All I want is to go home. And Kristin...well, I finally found someone who actually seemed to care about me."

"So you haven't crossed over yet?" Joshua cut in.

"No…not properly. I can't go until I'm at peace. And I can't be at peace until I know. I'm stuck in limbo, as they say."

Nathan was getting impatient, however. "But what does this mean for Kristin?"

"I…I honestly don't know. Look, had I done this before, I wouldn't have had a need to bring you all here. There's not exactly an instruction manual on the matter."

"So, you're saying she could still die?" Nathan was frantic. He had assured Kristin this wasn't the case, that she couldn't possibly die here, but Sylvia wasn't contradicting that fact at all. And he didn't like what he was hearing.

"I honestly don't know, and I am so sorry." She started to cry softly.

But Nathan didn't feel much sympathy for her at the moment. "But you promised her she'd be all right…that everything would be fine. Was it a lie?"

"No," she answered through her tears, her voice trembling, "I've done everything I could to protect her so far. And I intend to do so up until the end. I just…can't guarantee what will happen in the end. Like I said, I've never done this before."

Nathan didn't know what came over him, but he moved to the woman on the sofa, pulled her up into a sitting position. "You call letting her be hurt by that monster protecting her? You call what happened this morning protection? You haven't even been around for days. Kristin's been walking blind. We all have. And now this? You can't just let us go into this blindly! What about Kristin? I can't lose her. I just can't!" He didn't realize he was shaking her as he yelled.

Joshua immediately started to intervene. "Don't listen to him. Don't engage. Sylvia, listen to my voice only, please."

But Sylvia said, "It's all right. He has every right to be angry."

Nathan released her, suddenly realizing how forceful he'd been. He didn't quite expect Sylvia to speak to him.

But Sylvia continued, "If you'll give me a chance, I can explain. All of our past lives… In the year 1620, I was Rebecca Goode; burned for being a witch; age twenty-four. In the year 1718, I was Mary Kensington; prostitute. I died of tuberculosis; age thirty. In 1833, I was Alice Hellman. I drowned at age eight. And in 1896, I was Amelia Markham. I died in childbirth at age thirty-six. In short, every one of us has died early. The choices we made led to our demise. But Kristin has the chance to change that."

"So, we are supposed to prevent your murder?" Nathan said, now a bit calmer.

"No…nothing can be changed. I am supposed to die. The choices I made are already set in stone, and they can't be altered. But for Kristin, there is a loophole-the fact this isn't her current life. I cannot guarantee anything, but I'm hoping I can intervene at the right moment. If I can create a new geomagnetic storm, I can send you back just before my death. And everything would be fine as promised."

Nathan was silent for a moment. It seemed like a long-shot. "And if you can't do that?"

A long moment of silence. "I am sorry," was all Sylvia could say before bursting into sobs once again.

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Joshua continued the session, but Sylvia couldn't really shed much light on her murder. She seemed to know as much as they did. He was about to end the session and bring Kristin back to reality when Nathan stopped him.

"Could I have a quick word, please? Off the record?"

Joshua gave him a nod. He turned back to Sylvia. "You just rest for now, okay?"

"Okay."

Then, Joshua followed Nathan into the bedroom.

"I wanted to apologize for what happened back there. I shouldn't have intervened like that, and I feel guilty," Nathan said.

"Don't worry about it. I know it was just because you wanted answers, and Sylvia didn't seem to mind. I'm not angry," Joshua assured him.

"Yes…well, I still feel bad."

"How are we going to tell her?" Joshua asked after a moment.

"I don't know…but I think for now, what happened here stays here. I'll speak with Lucas as well…" He paused for a moment. "I think perhaps I should be the one to break it to her…"

Joshua nodded. "I think you're right. She responds better to you."

After they'd explained to Lucas that he needed to stay tight-lipped on the matter, Joshua then told Sylvia to rest. Then, he said, "Kristin, are you still there?"

"Yes…" she replied quietly. "Still on the beach."

"Good. I want you to listen to the sound of my voice and I want you to follow it. You're waking up now. You feel refreshed and renewed. Get up off that beach and come back to us now. You're in Nathan's apartment. You're with your friends. You can open your eyes in three…two…one…now," Joshua told her.

Kristin's eyes fluttered open. For some reason, she felt very much awake and alive…refreshed even. She sat up and turned to the others, who were all staring at her intently. "How did it go?" she asked.

"Oh, it went very well," Joshua assured her. "You did wonderfully."

Kristin smiled. "So it worked? You spoke with Sylvia?"

"Yeah, we did."

"Well…don't keep me waiting. What did she say?" Kristin asked excitedly. But she couldn't help but notice the others' hesitation.

Nathan sat next to her and put his arm around her. "The news isn't as good as we'd hoped."

A/N: Many thanks to RedheadedMarina for helping me portray accuracy in the hypnosis session.