Excitement colored Eddie's cheeks. He met them at the door when they arrived and was now nearly bursting at the seams as they closed the door behind them.

"I've got something," he told them in a rush. "We don't have a lot of time."

They followed him up the stairs and his words were still hurried. "After you called I changed some of the variables I used to detect the pattern of portals." He brought the map up on the computer screen. "If you make the day care central then a new pattern starts to form."

The other two watched the display as it ran through the whole sequence but neither could spot it.

"Ok, I give," Raine said with irritation.

"Well, if you assume the day care center is an infinite number, then -"

"English Eddie," Foster grumbled.

"I know where the next portal is opening."

Two sets of eyes snapped up to look at him. He offered a big, cocky smile.

"You know for sure where it's going to be?" Raine demanded.

"Not the exact location," he amended, his smile faltering a bit. "But I don't think it will be a problem."

Cade frowned, "What do you mean?"

"The portal is going to open up around the baseball field next to the park."

"You're sure about this?"

"Positive."

"But you don't know exactly where around the field it will be?"

"I don't have to." The smile was big again and he turned his attention to Raine. "You should be able to see it."

She blinked at him in confusion but it was Cade who asked. "How the hell is she going to see it?"

"She senses energies, right?" She nodded. "There will be a large surge of energy right before the portal appears. After that pulse, it fades. The initial blast should be easy to get a direction from. The fade will make it possible to pinpoint it."

"How much time do we have?" Cade asked as Raine processed the information.

"Only a few hours."

Shaking her head, looking between the two of them, Raine objected. "Not enough time." Cade could practically see her mind working. "Eddie, can you figure out where the portal after this one will open?"

"Sure, but why not go now?"

"Because I want to go in with a plan," she told him. "Find out here that portal will open." She looked at Cade. "Call Jordan. This is going to be a two team operation."

"What have you got in mind?"

"You and I will go into the Pocket. Find the kids. Eddie and Jordan will find the generator. As soon as we come out they destroy it. These things are unstable as it is and destabilizing fast. If we're lucky it will stick to the pattern Eddie identified. If not, we could end up stuck there."

"I might be able to help you find the way out." Eddie told her. "You'll just need to take a few things with you."

She nodded. "Ok, great." Saying no more, she turned on a heel and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" asked Cade.

"Recon," she replied over her shoulder. "Want to take a look at something. I'll be back later."

*******

The toe of her white leather sneaker dug a line in the dirt as she made a slow small arc in the swing. She held the chain loosely in her hand as she stared blankly down at the disturbed earth. He watched her a moment, the sun sending rays of fire around her as it set. Something lurched inside of him at the picture it made but he feared putting a name to it.

The swing made a soft squeak as she moved in the plastic seat. At the sound, he moved toward her and took a place in the swing next to hers.

"Thought maybe a portal opened up and ate you," he said more lightly than he felt. When she hadn't returned in an hour he had begun to worry about her.

A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "Not yet," she replied, "I'm sure it will happen one of these days."

They sat in silence until the sun was nearly gone.

"You were right to want to go in with a plan." Cade told her softly, her troubled thoughts like giant blinking signs to him.

"Maybe," she said without conviction. "But if twelve hours means one of them dies, I'm responsible for that."

"You would be no more responsible for that than Aaron was responsible for that maniac cutting you open. You both made judgment calls. Good ones in my opinion. That's all you can do."

She was silent for a while as the first of the stars appeared in the sky above them. Then, "We could have gone this time and blown the generator later."

"True. We could. But once you get back with the kids the cops will keep you occupied for hours. That many officers around, you think we could actually even get in to shut it down?"

"No," she reluctantly admitted.

"And if they detain you too long and someone else goes missing?" He didn't really expect her to say anything and she didn't. "That thing has to be shut down the instant we get back. Maybe sooner. Otherwise we're risking a whole lot more than we are if we wait a few more hours."

A heavy sigh. "I know. I just keep thinking that one of them could be dead."

"That would be horrible," he agreed. "But even if that happens some of them are still alive. Alive and probably terrified at what has happened to them. And there's only one person here who can find them. Who has any chance of finding them."

"You and Jordan could go."

"Even if we managed to find the Pocket, what's on the other side is a surprise. We'd have no way of finding any of them. But you can track them. You know his aura remember?"

"It's still here," she breathed as her hand slid down the chain link by link. "He was so happy sitting here. It was the fist time in a long time that his mom had brought him here. His birthday is in three days." The night sky seemed to stretch out forever over them. She looked up to it then closed her eyes. "His mother must be frantic."

Stretching the chain so he could rest his forehead against her temple he smiled. "I'm sure she is." His voice was soothing to her. "And I imagine when you bring him home tomorrow she will be elated. You'll probably be the hero of his birthday party."

"None of them know that's why I'm here. To find their children."

"Why not?"

"The cops feared that too many hysterical parents would distract me."

"Would it?"

"Possibly. But I wish I could tell them something."

"You can tell them when you get their kids back."

Tension faded from her and he could feel it ebb away even though she said nothing. Like a child, he let his swing move to its place then began to push himself to put it in motion.

Raine watched him with amusement a moment then shook her head. "You're not in grade school anymore you know."

"See, that's your problem. You're too serious." He flew past her as she snorted. He thought he heard her mutter something to the effect of "pot, kettle, black". He swung past her and back again. "You're never too old to enjoy the swings."

She rolled her eyes but couldn't stop the laugh that escaped her. "And people think I'm a freak."

Feet skidded in the dirt, dragging him to a stop after a few passes.

"I never said you were a freak."

"No, you never said I was a freak."

"Has anyone ever actually called you a freak?"

"A few people."

"Would you trade it if you could?"

The admission was slow in coming but he got the feeling it was something she had thought a lot about. "No, probably not."

"So then why do you care?"

"Right. This coming from the man who had to go and get all twice blessed and take on an alien invasion. Like you have any room to talk. Those who believe you worship you." Cade snorted and nearly missed her next comment.

"I think I worshipped you too once."

A stunned pause. "You mean before I got you shot?"

A hand reached over to whack him on the shoulder. "You didn't get me shot. And no. Before then, before now." A whisper. "Before this lifetime."

He blinked. "You're trying to tell me you've lived before?"

"What, you believe in aliens but you don't believe in reincarnation?" Her tone was as dry as the look she gave him.

"I've seen aliens."

She slid from the swing smoothly and stood in front of him. Snatching one of his hands from the chain of the swing she held it against her belly. Even though he wasn't touching skin he could feel the scar, feel the connection move every time he came near her.

"That wasn't created by one healing, as intense as it was." Fingertips tingled and he could feel the scar as if it were an entity all its own. "But I think it opened it up."

After dropping his hand she returned to her swing. "At least that's what a friend of mine thinks. It guess it explains the dreams."

"You've dreamt about it?"

"Sometimes. After I got out of the hospital the first time. I feel like they're memories instead of dreams when they happen. You're always there. Neither of us looks the same. But the colors of your aura, just the way you feel, is always the same."

The information was a shock to him, but deep down he knew it was true. "You think you've always been psychic?" The question was turning around in the back of his mind. Turning over and over, becoming new questions.

"The friend I mentioned senses past lives. Helps open them up for other people. He said I've always had gifts but he thinks they are the strongest this time around."

Why? How? The questions tumbled around in his brain. He couldn't shake them completely so he tried to just shove them aside to be examined at a later date.

"We've known each other before?"

"Several lifetimes. You knew Eddie before as well."

The enormity of what she was saying staggered him. Made his heart thump painfully in his chest.

"Are they all the same? The lifetimes?"

"You mean are you always fighting some war?"

He hadn't thought of it that way before. "Yeah."

"No, not always. But you do carry a few traits with you every time. Most of us do."

He was scared to ask what those might be so he didn't. But one thing nagged him, left him with a hole inside.

"I always thought Hannah was my soul mate."

Realizing he might be missing the point she nodded in agreement. "She might be. Probably is. We don't always find our soul mates early. Some people never find them." Unable to look at him, she looked to the stars. "I never saw her alive so I don't know what her aura looks like. How she felt. She could easily have been around too. Or maybe she's a new soul that yours attached itself to. Joshua is one of those I think. Probably because he's just gained a soul."

"Joshua has a human soul?"

"Souls are souls. There really doesn't seem to be a human or alien soul. Maybe aliens don't normally have them and that's why." She shrugged. "Souls just are."

"And souls will find each other again?"

"Sometimes. Sometimes the connection is so strong they seek each other out. And sometimes they keep passing by one another."

"Is that what happened when you found me?"

"I don't know." A frown crossed her features. "Before I would have said no. But looking back, I felt a connection the first time I saw a picture of you. I knew you weren't a killer. Maybe somewhere in the back of my mind I knew."

Reaching over, he gently stroked her cheek with the backs of his fingers. "I'm not sure if I believe in other lifetimes," he told her quietly, "But I know I'm happy you found me in this one."

A smile caught her mouth and she looked at him. Even in the dark her violet eyes were intense. He felt the connection stir inside of him again. It made him nervous. Opened up doors he wasn't sure he wanted to explore. Change was always hard for him. It was a fact he recognized and accepted, but that didn't mean it was easy to deal with. A finger traced the line of her jaw and she closed her eyes.

"I'm glad you found me," he whispered, "Even if you are always getting me into trouble."

Her eyes popped open. Before she could say anything he shot out of the swing and tore off across the park. He didn't have to look back to know she was in hot pursuit.

*******

"We've got a problem," Eddie said as they walked through the door.

Fingers slipped apart and Cade looked at his friend. "What problem?"

Eddie ran a hand through his dark curly hair in frustration. "It opened early."

"The portal?" Raine asked.

"Yeah. And this one was only open a few minutes." He looked at his friends. "If you go in, it might close before you can get out."

"We don't have any choice," she quietly replied. "We can't leave those kids there."

"I know," Eddie sighed. "I'm working on finding out where a return doorway might be. But you might be going in blind."

"Wouldn't be the first time," Cade noted dryly. "You've shown me how to find one. Even if it closes we'll just have to find another one."

Raine nodded in agreement. "He's right."

The hacker didn't look happy about it but nodded once as well. "All right," he said, "I'm going to see if I can pinpoint the next one a little better." He started towards the stairs. "Jordan called. She said she'd be here in the morning with supplies."

"Supplies?" Cade echoed.

"Dunno man. That's just what she said."

Without saying anything else he went upstairs.

*******

The light kiss to her shoulder made her groan in protest. "Do I have to?" she whined in a voice gravelly with sleep. "I'm comfortable."

Her words were muffled by the pillow that most of her face was planted in. He smiled and kissed the shoulder again, this time noticing a small scar there. Jagged and white with age, it was hard to spot.

"I wasn't a graceful child," she muttered into the pillow. "I fell out of a tree when I was seven."

Cade snickered at the image. "Didn't your mom ever tell you climbing trees wasn't very lady like?"

"Oh she did," Raine yawned. "Didn't stop me though. After that incident, however, I didn't climb a tree for a few months. Sliding out of a tree several stories up will do that to you I guess."

His hand stroked her bare back lightly. When she stretched he could feel the muscles move under her skin. The sensation sent a surge of desire through him.

A sly grin spread across the half of her face that wasn't pressed into the pillow.

"We've got a long day ahead of us," she said lightly.

"We do," he agreed.

"We should be going over the plan. Looking for flaws."

"We should," he agreed again. Stretching out against her, skin slid against skin. The bolt of passion that made her skin tingle spilled over his skin as well.

"We might want to check the list Eddie made of stuff to take."

"We might."

Rolling onto her side so she faced him, she wrapped her arms around his neck. Her lips brushed against his when she murmured, "We've got a few minutes."

"A few."

His arms wound around her waist, pulling her to him as their lips met.