Shiloh lay nestled in Malavai's arms, he was still shivering, his fever burning his body, he was pale with a sheen of sweat covering him. Shiloh held on tighter, his body heat was nearly intolerable to her, but she did her best with the nothing that they had to treat him. After so many years of him looking after her, it was Shiloh's turn to look after him. There had been no visitors since the last, and as the days dragged on, and Shiloh hoped that they might at last be forgotten. Malavai grunted and moaned in his fever induced sleep, she wiped the sweat from his face with a damp rag and lifted his lips to the mug of tepid water, he drank absently.

She couldn't recall how long he had been sick, she remembered how he had collapsed, he had been tracking his daughters, Oriah had made contact with Mitka much to his delight, and neither had shot the other on sight. She had never seen such a look of pure joy on his face before, the pride he puffed himself up with, the Quinn girls they had taken to calling them. Then he had fallen from his chair, saying he was just tired, Shiloh had helped him to bed, and there he had stayed as illness ravaged his body. Some days ago he fell into a deep sleep, he had yet to wake up, no matter how hard Shiloh prayed, or willed him to open his eyes, he remained asleep, deteriorating. She starting singing to him, an old Chiss lullaby she remembered from her childhood, it seemed to calm him, even though they were sung in a language he didn't know.

The cell was flooded with light, as a great many boots filed into the room. She shielded her eyes, one of the figures lowered themselves to her, she lifted her arm up, reflex from so many years of abuse. A hand reached out, and she physically flinched from the touch. Not now, she couldn't be taken now, he needed her, she felt her stomach lurch, what if he died while she was gone.

"Shiloh, my dear, I'm not here to hurt you." She knew that voice, and squinted against the light.

"Lokin." She breathed the word, not daring to hope, had he really come?

"Yes, I'm here." His face cleared up, he had a few more wrinkles but otherwise looked the same.

"You're still alive!" She reached out and touched his face, it was real, he was real, not a hallucination, she pulled him into a hug, fighting back tears. He was real.

"Why is everyone so surprised by my state of health?" He hugged her back, Ainsley might be his biological daughter, but Shiloh was the daughter of his heart. "Come, it's time you left this place."

"Wait, you must help him." She motioned to Malavai, "He's sick, and I won't leave him."

Lokin looked at the man Shiloh had indicated, "I'll do what I can, I promise, but first." He injected her with the anesthetic. "We need to remove that pesky bomb from the base of your skull."

When she woke, she thought her hallucinations had begun again.

"Hunter?" She whispered, it had been so long, her ghosts had left her in peace for years now.

"Call me Ainsley, Hunter was my sister." Shiloh was hit with recognition, Captain Ainsley Isiz, the last time Shiloh had seen her, was the day Malavai had beaten her and left her for dead…

"Malavai?" she tried to sit up but Ainsley held her down.

"Lokin is working on him, how did you two end up here together, and not kill each other? Last time I saw the two of you together…"

"He tried to kill me, yes. Malavai was sent here for failing to kill that same child, and I was sent here because I had hid a certain something from the empire…and failed to kill a certain child." She closed her eyes, and felt the back of her head where a patch of hair had been shaved away. No loose stitches this time, but a plasma seal closed the wound. It was gone, she could almost taste freedom. Lokin came into view with a grim look on his face.

"I can cure him, it will take a week of intensive Kolto tank therapy and antibiotic treatment, but I can heal him." His voice was flat dull, emotionless.

"But, we don't have a Kolto tank ." Shiloh said, a stone in her stomach.

"No we don't."

"So, take the bomb out of his head, and we'll get him to one…" Shiloh was pleading, she looked back at Malavai's sleeping form, and for the first time in almost sixteen years she saw Vector, he was standing over him, a sad smile on his lips, her angel of death. "Get away from him! He's not dead!"

"He's too weak, if the anesthesia doesn't kill him, the surgery itself will. Shiloh, I'm sorry." Lokin spoke gently.

"No! Ekard, please! You have to try, I won't leave him here to die alone, please, I'm begging you please. They took Vector from me, don't let them take Malavai too. Please." She was begging him, like she had begged Lord Ardyth so many years before to spare the man she loved. Vector was still standing over Malavai, she pushed herself from the hard cot and covered Malavai's body with hers.

"You can't have him." She told Vector, who smiled sadly at her. "Now wake up, Mal, wake up, we're being rescued, and you need to wake up, and show them you're strong so that Lokin can remove the bomb. Please, we can be free, and you can see your girls. Wake up, please wake up." She shook his body gently, kissing his face, wiping away the tears that fell on his warm pale face.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, she looked up to see Lokin a determined look on his face. "I can try."

The next few hours were tense as they prepared Malavai Quinn for surgery, Shiloh stayed by his side, holding his hand, willing him to be strong, to survive against the odds. She brushed the soft stubble on his cheek, and tried to sing to him through the lump in her throat. Eventually the tiny bomb was deposited bloody into the metal bowl beside the cot, and Lokin started packing the wound and closing his patient back up again. He cursed under his breath and his deft hands worked quickly to save his patient as his brain started to swell beyond the confines of his skull. Malavai continued to breath, Shiloh focused only on that. Lokin took his gloves off and covered his eyes with one hand, he couldn't look at her. Shiloh kept singing to Malavai.

"He's alive she said, you got the bomb out and he's alive. We can move him now, to a kolto tank, and you can save him." She focused on the rise and fall of his back, he was alive, he could be healed.

"No Shiloh, his brain, started to swell, I can heal him physically, but he'll never wake up, he's brain dead." Lokin said gruffly.

"He's alive, he's alive….please. Mal, wake up. Just give him some time, he'll wake up." Shiloh was lying to herself, but she couldn't let go, she gripped his hand, she couldn't leave him here alone.

"Ainsley there's a patrol of guards with at least one Sith on their way to this level, we've lingered too long." Akaavi informed her Captain, but everyone heard her.

Lokin went to Shiloh's side, and began the process of prying Shiloh away from Quinn. Unlinking her fingers from his. Shiloh looked up, Vector had returned and sat beside him.

"We'll stay with him agent, we promise, he won't be alone, he would be upset if you didn't escape." The ghost urged her

"I'm sorry Mal, I'm sorry…" She let Lokin guide her away, with the rest of the group, Ainsley hung back to cover their escape.

Before leaving Ainsley planted some charges, she walked over to Quinn, and turned him over on his back. "I promised you I would take care of your daughter, and I did, I still do, I'll look after her too. Ok? I'll look after her too." She gave Quinn a quick kiss before shooting him in the head, so that he wouldn't die alone in this place.