Ever since what happened at the fishing cottage, Peter and Olivia were reaching their breaking point. Olivia's stepfather was one less problem in their lives but the very memory still remained with them. Even Peter was still having nightmares about it. He had never held or fired a gun in his life. Yet it came so naturally to him the moment he pulled that trigger. What finally broke him was hearing the loud shots that came with it.

He was naive to think that they could go through this whole journey without having to kill, and it made him wonder if he would eventually have to kill his own father in order for all of it to end.

It became so nerve-wracking that Peter and Olivia found themselves in the coming weeks falling behind in their task, resting more and traveling less. Because right now, they didn't know how much more of this they could take. They just wanted it to be over. And if it were not for the many who sought them, Peter and Olivia would just drop everything, take their baby girl and find a place to live out the rest of their lives in peace. All of their other dreams for the future had been ruined by the two worlds. This was all they had left to hold on to.

They had been camping out by a lake though at this point, they lost track of where they were and found themselves wanderers as they were before. Olivia heard a strange sound outside the tent, and having remembered that Peter had gone out to get more water, she hurried out carrying Hope with her, thinking that something might be wrong.

But on the other side of the rocks, she saw Peter hugging his knees and shaking and sobbing. "Peter?"

He turned red at the sight of Olivia. "Damn, Olivia." Peter wiped away his own tears. "You don't know how embarrassing it is to have you see me cry."

She approached Peter until she was sitting right next to him. "It's okay."

"No, it's not," he said. "I'm supposed to be the strong one here."

"Peter, you know that's always possible...not after everything." She reached out to hold his hand. "I'm here for you. She's here for you, too."

Peter gave a weak smile but he knew it wasn't enough to get him back to a right state of mind. He hated himself for being this weak, especially since he was now a parent. After staying by Peter's side for a long time, Olivia pulled Peter up and the two of them decided the camp was no longer a comforting place for them to be.

...

A few more hours later, the family sat in a diner, trying to figure out what they were going to do.

"I guess, all we can do is just keep going," said Olivia as she looked at the map.

"There's just too many places left to go," said Peter. "I'm completely worn out."

"I know what you mean."

"Do you ever think about what we'll do after all of this is over?"

"We don't know if it will ever be over."

"I know that," said Peter. "But I'm thinking if Walter doesn't get out of St. Claire's maybe we could go see your family again in Jacksonville. They probably think you're dead."

Olivia looked down. "Maybe it's better that way. I mean, look at how much hurt and trouble I've caused them just by coming home."

"That's not your fault, Olivia."

"I have a baby, Peter. I can't say that shooting someone and becoming a mom at my age makes me a good influence on my sister. I know my Aunt and Uncle wouldn't think so. I feel like I've done nothing but shamed my family."

Peter held her hand. "Well I'm not doing any better. You know when my mom died, her last words to me were 'be a better man than your father'. But I'm a long ways away from accomplishing that."

"That's not true," said Olivia. "Look at all you've done for me, and Hope."

After the meal, Peter was feeling a bit better about himself. He knew that they had to move forward with that they were doing. They still had a baby to take care of and a couple of universes to save.

He went into the restroom to refresh himself, but as soon as he step out of one of the stalls, he was grabbed and pinned against a wall. Peter knew by the strength of the grip that was holding him that the attacker was a shapeshifter. "I have a message from your father."

"What? No greeting card?"

The shapeshifter tightened his grip on Peter. "He wants to have a word with you."

Peter tried to kick at the being. "Tell him to go to hell and stay away from my family!"

The shapeshifter then let go of Peter after raising him a couple of feet, causing Peter to fall to the ground in pain. "I'm here alone. The Secretary has ordered us to not approach them until he has his meeting with you." He pulled out a key from his pocket and dropped it infront of Peter. "About two hours down the road, you're going to see a motel called the Amber Dome Motel. You and your family are going to check in and once you do, you're going to return this key to its rightful owner in one of the rooms. Daddy will be waiting for you there."

"You'll have to do better than that," said Peter.

"I already have. The motel is located across the street from a sniper's paradise, and if he sees your car so much as drive an inch past the entrance, he won't hesitate to shoot anyone and everyone who's in that car with you. I got a couple of others who are keeping track of you on the road. So don't try to do anything stupid. Then again, you're just a kid. You wouldn't surprise me."

Peter growled but the shapeshifter managed to give him a kick in the stomach and walked out of the restroom. Peter struggled to get up and hurried back to the table with the key now in his pocket. To his surprise, Olivia and Hope were still sitting there completely unaware of what had just happened.

"Oh my god. Peter, you look hurt. What happened to you?"

Peter clutched his stomach but gave Olivia an assuring smile. "It's nothing, really. I just had a bad slip in there."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," he bluffed. "Let's just get going."

Peter kept insisting he was fine throughout the drive but told Olivia that he would pull into a motel as soon as he started feeling more pain. It was far from the truth as Peter was feeling better but with shapeshifters now watching him like a hawk, he didn't have a choice but to play along. He didn't want to frighten Olivia with what was happening.

"Peter? Are you okay?"

He was sweating despite his efforts to lie. "I'm fine, Olivia."

Hope was starting to cry. "Oh no, what's wrong with her?"

They were getting closer and closer to the motel, seeing signs for it on the way. In his mind, Peter was weighing his options. He knew the shapeshifters were in sight. He knew the sniper would be waiting for them. Even with a gun, it wasn't enough to fight so many of them. And using Olivia's abilities was a risk, especially while driving.

Before Peter could make a decision though, it was already too late. The motel was in sight, and Peter tried to hold his tears while pulling the Vista into the motel's parking lot. "Stay in the car, Olivia," said Peter. As he got out, a man was casually walking by Peter as if to follow him into the check-in room and Peter knew it was a shapeshifter. The shapeshifter even got close enough to him to say "Good. Now do what we told you to do and we won't go anywhere near your girls." The shapeshifter then walked further away as Peter checked in for the night. He then went to the car and took Olivia and Hope to their room.

"Peter, you're trying to keep something from me."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are! Just please tell me what's wrong."

Peter groaned. "Look, I'll tell you but after I step out for a minute. Just stay in the room and get Hope to calm down." While Olivia angrily went to the bathroom, Peter bent down and pulled out the box with the gun from his things. He placed the box on the table so that Olivia could have quick access to it. He then went over to hold Hope's hand. Unlike, her mother, she knew what was happening and would not stop crying about it. "I'm sorry," said Peter. "Protect your mommy, okay? I love you."

Peter slowly let go and walked out the door. He went up and down the motel building to find the room number that was on the key he was given only to find no such room. But then he saw that there was another building around the corner, an abandoned, desolate building that was partially decimated from what looked like a fire. One of the rooms still standing was room 48, the number on the key. He went up to the door and the key unlocked it, allowing him access.

Sure enough, he was sitting there, the man that Peter could not call father anymore. Indeed, this Walter was nothing like the one that took him. The Secretary looked more together with himself. His hair and attire were smoother and he looked less wrinkled. He gave him an eerie smile from the chair he sat in. "Hello, son."

Peter said nothing but Walternate continued "I never thought I would see you after again so long."

"You had a number of times," said Peter. "...when you weren't trying to kidnap Olivia...or our baby."

"Strangely ironic, isn't it," said Walternate. "I do apologize for it, Peter. It's why I requested a private meeting with you. And I assure you, Olivia and your child are safe..."

"Until, after we're done talking. Is that it?"

"Peter, I've come to you with a proposition, an offer to all three of you that can bring you peace."

"I can't imagine what that could be," Peter said sarcastically.

"I believe that I can forgive the girl for taking you away from me and the man who took you is incarcerated. So there is no need to extract revenge on him. I know that the woman who raised you here is also dead. Therefore, I don't see why you have anymore reason to stay here, in this universe...except for her. I propose that she come to live with us...her, and your daughter. All three of you can return with me and be given sanctuary. You'll never have to worry about anyone seeking them or trying to harm them again. I can grant you and your family all the luxuries and comforts you may desire back in our world. Best of all, you'll get to be with your mother again. She misses you very much, Peter and if she can accept the idea of that girl and the child as family...perhaps I can too."

Peter laughed. "You really think you'll do all of that for us without some sort of catch? I know what you said about Olivia. I know what you want from them, their energy, their abilities..."

"That may be true. However, I've determined that there is a way I can get more of what they possess without resorting to experimentation and it can be accomplished with one simple request."

"What's that?"

"That you and Olivia continue to produce more children."

"...what?"

"The lab was able to determine it, where the source of energy in Olivia's blood came from...where your child received such immense powers. It was a combination of her abilities and your genetic makeup...a natural, physical combination. If it's the only way that a child with such gift can be created, then I'm sure you and that girl will have no difficulty in doing it again. If we keep up with increasing her fertility and accelerating each pregnancy, that should allow her to give birth once each month, provided we keep up with her cycle. In a few years time, we should have the beginnings of an army that can one day destroy this universe and completely reshape our own to our liking."

Peter felt like he was going to be sick. "You're crazy! You can't put her through that. She almost died the first time because of what you did. You put her through that again, you'll kill her!"

"I know that it was a risk when I first gave the injection given her young age and lack of development. But now that she's endured the process once, her body should be able to cope in a few years time."

"The answer is no!"

"Son..."

"I am NOT your son."

"If that's how it must be then..." Walternate brought his arm up and communicated into his watch. "Advance on them."