Peter Branch followed the fresh tracks as fast as he could, Kate had to be somewhere near by. Slowly he pulled his horse to a stop, before him stood an old abandoned cabin. As quietly as he could manage he hitched the horse to one of the two huge oaks that stood in front of the building. From the broken window he heard the sound of bullets spilling onto the floor and a softly mumbled curse. Yes, the voice was Kate's. Feeling slightly better about approaching the door Peter quickened his stride, taking the steps two at a time. With little hesitation he lifted his fist and knocked, "Kate, it's Peter!" he yelled, making sure she wouldn't shoot him. Silence answered him and he turned to walk back down the stairs, Kate wasn't about to trust anybody, not even him. Suddenly he heard the door unlatch and open, causing him to turn on his heal.

"Peter?" came Kate's shaken voice, "What are you doing here?"

"It's a long story, but right now all you need to know is that Trout's after you."

"You're here to help me?" her confusion was obvious. "After all I've done?"

"Yes, why wouldn't I?"

"What about Jenny, and the baby?"

Peter stiffened at the mention of his late wife. "Jenny's dead, Kate. Trout killed her." He didn't want to mention the reason behind Jenny's death; it would make Kate feel at fault.

"Dead?" she suddenly slumped, leaning heavily on the doorframe. Without warning her face became pale, "What about the baby?"

"Sam's fine, I left him in Anne Hayward's care."

Slowly the woman smiled and a small amount of color returned to her face. Despite the death of her sister Kate let out a soft laugh.

"What?" Peter asked, confused about her reaction. Without a word Kate flew down the steps and hugged him, then she whispered, "You named him Sam."

XXXXXXX

Kate shook her head groggily as the bugle sounded and the camp began to come to life. Sitting up she stretched, trying to remember the night before. It all seemed like such a blur. However, when she looked down at her wrapped wrist everything flooded back with a painful rush. She could see Zigzag, leaning over her arm, wrapping it, telling her he understood. For a moment Kate's clenched hands released at the thought of the boy's help. Then, seemingly out of nowhere she saw his face harden, his features replaced by the mask that everyone at Green Lake wore. How dare he accuse her of what he himself did! Kate rose from the bench in a flurry of anger only to calm when she realized that she had not fallen asleep there. In fact, she had bedded down in a hole. Glancing around her she noticed Mud leaning against one of the rotting wooden posts.

" 'Morning," he mumbled in an accent that was somehow thicker than Squid's.

"What do you want?" she snapped, wishing that everyone would just leave her alone.

"Just wanted to know what it's like, sleeping in a hole I mean."

"It was you, wasn't it?" Kate said, pointing an angry finger in his face.

In one fast movement Mud grabbed her extended arm and pressed it down against her side. She stiffened at his touch but felt relief when he released his grip. "Keep you finger outa' my face, Katie."

"Don't call me Katie. Now what do you want?"

"Why'd you go jumping into a hole?"

"Because I'm friends with the lizards." He was about to say more but Kate stomped off in search of breakfast. First Zigzag, now Mud. So what if she had wanted to sleep in a hole! Who cared anyway? With a huff Kate marched into line behind Armpit and X-Ray. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Zigzag looking at her wrist from his place by the sloppily parked water truck. Sighing she grabbed the syrup covered tortilla and slowly followed the rest of A Tent toward where they were digging. Slowly she altered her course enough to speak to Zigzag. "Quit staring!" she quietly hissed before catching up with her group. However, the boy paid her no attention, he still stared after her, the ragged bandage drawing his attention.

"What's up with crazy boy back there?" Mud asked as they began to put their shovels to the sun baked earth.

Kate shrugged, "Why should I care?"

Mud just shook his head, "Okay, fine."

Suddenly she stood stiff, giving Mud a hard look, "How did you know I was in the hole last night?"

"Oh, I went to use the bathroom and saw you fly by the tent and jump in."

"That's all you saw?"

"Yeah, why?"

Kate shook her head, "No reason. Just making sure that it was you poking around last night. I heard something move when I was down there but I was too tired to check." Then, deciding that she had talked long enough, Kate pushed her shovel into the dirt and began to dig.

XXXXX

Zigzag watched as Kate walked away from him, as proud as ever. When would she learn that she wasn't fooling him? He did have to wonder: why hadn't she gone through with it? Even as he asked the question he knew the answer. In all reality Kate could've easily sealed the deal with the first slice, you didn't have to cut that deep to reach the vital area. But she hadn't done it that way. Why? Because Kate didn't want to die, not really. Last night had simply been the illusion of her pain. She had allowed herself to drown in the dark side of life. But after considering that, he had to ask why he had stopped her. He reminded himself that he had known the reason since she had thrown herself into that hole. He had stopped her because no one had stopped him all those years ago. He wasn't saving Katherine, Zigzag was saving himself. Selfish as it might have been, it was true. If Kate was alive then so was he and that was all that mattered. Stiffly he followed D-tent to their assigned spot, pulling in alongside Squid. His friend glanced at him before muttering,

"What's with you?"

"Huh? Nothing. Why?"

Squid shrugged, "I dunno, but you haven't said a word all morning."

"You know I don't talk a lot."

"Yeah, but at least I usually get a 'Good morning, Squid, welcome to Hell.'"

Zigzag looked down at the shorter boy. Squid was right; he had said that every morning since his friend had acquired a nickname. "Sorry, I didn't get a lot of sleep last night." The excuse was lame and he knew Squid saw right through it.

"You never get enough sleep, man. If I looked up insomniac in the dictionary your name'd be next to it."

"If you'd even touch a dictionary," He retorted. His companion shook his head.

"Sometimes it's scary how well you know me."

At this Zig rolled his eyes. Squid was pretty easy to figure out, most times. However, instead of voicing his thought Zigzag pushed his shovel in the ground. Squid got the message and did the same. Zig was done talking for now, after all, they had holes to dig.

XXXXX

X-Ray looked up as Kate walked into the wreck room. She was the last to come in for the day; even Caveman was better at digging than she was. And though he didn't really care, it bothered him that she could take on Trip and still be the last one done. At the thought of Trip X looked over in the boy's direction. His face still had a bloodied appearance to it along with a fat lip. He also noticed the way which Trip watched Kate before turning to join the rest of D-tent around a foosball table. Zigzag had told them about the fight during lunch, no doubt with some embellishment. However, it seemed as if he was right for the most part, Kate really had done Trip in. Magnet looked up as he approached and became puzzled.

"What?" X asked.

"You worried about something?" Magnet asked as his team lost the game.

Glancing at Magnet, X –Ray then looked pointedly at Kate "I've got a feeling something's gonna' get ugly real soon."

"I don't know man, even Trip's not that stupid. I don't think he wants to get pounded again."

"And I don't think that's how he'd get back at her anyway," Zigzag stated coming up behind them.

Magnet gave him a confused look, "Huh? What else is he gonna' do Zig?"

"What's the one thing that would get to Kate no matter what?"

"The Warden," X-Ray said flatly as he continued to watch Trip's face contort into different masks of hatred.

"Exactly," seemed to be all Zig could think of.

Finally Squid, who had been listening in, spoke up. "Why do we care?"

X-Ray glared at him, "We don't."

"Okay, just making sure!" Squid raised his arms in surrender.

Zigzag gave the D-Tent leader a withering glare, "Then why were you worried about it in the first place?"

"Because a war between anyone here is bad news for everybody, and there are some people who tend to get caught up in the middle of things." With that said X-Ray turned and left, heading for the tent. He knew Zigzag had more to do with last night's scuffle than simply observing it. It was that mere fact that had him worried. If Zig wasn't somehow part of it all then Kate and Trip could nuke each other for all he cared. Whatever Zigzag's connection with all this was it had to be severed. Until then X would have to make sure the dogs didn't get out of their cages. Nobody got to his boys, especially Little Miss Katherine.

XXXXX

Zigzag watched X-Ray leave and then looked down at Squid as Magnet wondered off, "I always knew he had control issues."

Squid shook his head and picked up a pool queue, "What's going on, Zig?"

"X has got something up his rear."

He broke and tried to hand his friend the stick, "I meant with you."

"Me? Nothing's going on."

"Don't lie to me, man," Squid put the queue down and looked at his friend, no longer bothering to use the game as a cover up.

"Squid, there are just some things that are best left alone."

"Don't give me that junk!"

"You want to know what happened, go ask Kate."

"Somehow I doubt that the little angel will talk to me. After all, I'm just some kid who belongs in juvie!"

"What do you think she is?"

That stopped Squid short, "What?"

"I don't think she's as innocent as we all believe."

"Not another conspiracy theory, Zigzag! I suppose she's an alien too!" Squid cringed knowing what he had just done.

Without a word Zigzag punched the wood frame of the table and walked out of the wreck room.

Slowly Squid let out the breath he had been holding, "At least he didn't hit me," he muttered laying the queue across the table.

"Good one, genius."

The boy stiffened, he knew that voice, "I'm not in the mood, Kate."

"Who is?"

Squid turned and glared at her to make his point, "What part of that did you not understand?"

"Does he ever talk about aliens when you're the only one around?" she asked, ignoring his bad mood completely.

"Huh?"

"When it's just you two does he act as insane as he does in here?"

It took a moment for Squid to think about it before realizing that Kate actually had a point, "No. But why do you care?"

Again she continued without giving his question notice, "Did you ever think that the psycho thing was just an act? I mean, I've no doubt he's got a paranoia problem, but he's not crazy. Everyone expects him to act nuts so he gives them just that, it keeps people from getting too close." As she finished she gave him a look that pinned him to the spot.

He was quiet for a moment before he answered, "Let's say you're right…the question still remains: Why do you care?"

Kate only shook her head and began to make her way toward the couch, "I don't, but you do."

Suddenly deciding he was not going to stand getting dooped a second time he followed her, "Nice try, but there's a reason you were listening, not to mention standing up for him."

Quickly she shot him a baleful look before conceding, "I was returning a favor, alright? Now beat it!"

"You're something else, Angel."

"What is up with that?! Zig called me that and now you? You wanna' tell me why I'm suddenly nickname worthy?"

From behind her she heard a laugh, glowering when she realized it belonged to Mud, "Well, you've actually got a got a good resume."

At this Squid nodded, "You dig holes, you humiliated Trip…"

"Then you beat him into hamburger." Mud finished for him.

"Don't forget nearly having your ear ripped off," Caveman chimed in, looking up from a letter he was writing.

Kate's hand went up to her hear. After the night's other events she had nearly forgotten about it. It had only really bothered her when she ran her head under the spigot and accidentally bumped it. Amazing what life could do to distract you from the little things. Sighing she realized that she was too tired to argue over the irony of it all. "Fine, but why Angel?"

Squid shrugged, "It's kinda' like why Zigzag, or Mud. I mean it doesn't even rain out here."

At this Mud snickered, giving Kate the feeling that there was a sensible story behind the name. However, she only cracked a small smile and sunk onto the couch before looking at Squid, "Don't you have a disgruntled giant to go find?"

The boy shrugged and turned to leave, Mud following him out onto the porch.

"I still can't get used to that split-personality thing she's got going on."

Squid looked at him with raised eyebrows, "What do you mean?"

"One minute she hates you, the next she's defending you."

"Don't tell me you were listening to my conversations too!"

"I'm only looking out for Kate."

"Why?"

"Hey, anyone with Trip on their back needs a partner in crime."

At this Squid smiled, Mud had a good point. "I guess. Don't worry about the split personality. I've got a feeling there's a real person in there…somewhere."

Mud laughed, "I'm sure that's what Dr. Jekel thought too."