A/N – Okay you'll probably notice the layout is different, I'll go back and change the other chapter too and thank you to everyone whose reviewed so far, and finally, at long last onto the next chapter.

CHAPTER SEVEN

"It was self defence, Alec, I…I wouldn't have gone after him otherwise" Jesse looked up at him an almost pleading look on her face.

He stood by the door, leaning on the wall his arms crossed "you hunted him…it's been all over the news for the past hour, a picture of you from you're Manticore days has been put up all around the city."  He shook his head "you shouldn't have even been out there."

"Go easy on her, man" Sam spoke up finally after being silent for the past ten minutes "it isn't her fault."  He shrugged "we can't help what we do."

"Don't talk to me about the shit that Manticore put her through –" he shouted before Max got in between them, Alec had walked towards where Sam stood and now Max pushed him back.

"Cool it, both of you, if you two want to kill each other do it later!"  Even though she didn't particularly like or trust Sam, she had to admit he did have a point this time, none of them knew what the upgrades had gone through "how about you take us to you're Doctor friend and get this sorted out" she said to Sam, no one moved "lets go!"

They complied and one by one trudged out and into the dark streets of Seattle. 

*

"Come Steve, just this one, please, you owe me a favour and this is it" Sam walked after his friend as the good Doctor busied himself around this office "I know you can do this you did it for me!"  Sam didn't usually beg but this time, he was desperate.

Steve shrugged and sighed as he turned around to face the upgrade "okay, bring her in to see me –."

"She's waiting outside" Sam sprinted up the cold, bare corridor and out into the open where it had begun to rain, the others where soaked through and less than amused "he'll do it…you're gonna be fine."  He smiled reassuringly at Jesse and gently took her by the arm to lead her back inside the small warehouse where Steve conducted his other business.  "He'll get started in about fifteen minutes and we'll come back and visit you tomorrow."

"We're not leaving her here alone" Alec objected immediately.

"It'll be fine, he'll treat her real good and it's only a few hours we'll all be back in Terminal City before you can say 'degrading the upgrade'."

"Degrading the Upgrade…what do you know we're still here" Alec pushed open the door to the warehouse and stepped inside are we going in or not, Max will you make sure Sam gets back to Terminal City safely…I really wouldn't want anything to happen to him."

Max began leading away a protesting Sam when she saw a man in his early thirties watching them from behind some crates, Sam followed her gaze "whose he?"

"Someone who shouldn't be here " the man upon seeing her watching started to run, Max gave chase.

Steve walked out of the warehouse, he looked around expectantly "I'm waiting" he saw Max running after the watcher "you can't just chase people all over the docks!"

"He could help us…he must've been watching us for a reason" Alec said "Jesse, are you ready?"

She nodded weakly "lets just get this over with, I feel another post hypnotic suggestion coming on."

Alec followed her inside; he turned around once inside and looked at Sam "why don't you go and help Max" he closed the door in Sam's face.  Sam looked at the closed door in anger, after a few seconds he turned around.

TBC