Emma sat on the Dojo steps, staring into the darkness. She'd spent a lot of time in the past two weeks just sitting, watching. The almost uncontrollable panic she had first felt upon hearing Adam's 'prognosis' had subsided. She submitted without protest to the countless tests he wanted to run, not just to try futilely to save her, but to diminish the fatal consequences of her death. She knew he had little hope in the former, but she wished-prayed with every fibre of her being he could save himself and the others. She couldn't bear the idea they'd die because of her.

She'd broached the idea of her leaving, finding some remote place where she wouldn't hurt anyone, but Adam had refused to even consider it. He said with the kind of power she had, distance wouldn't make a lot of difference, and did she really think he, they would even contemplate letting her face this alone? She appreciated that, she really did. But if there was any way she could prevent it, they wouldn't die for her, because of, and with her.

They didn't know of course. Adam had wanted to tell them, but she stopped him. Let them have a while longer before she burdened them with this. It wasn't a purely selfless decision. The closer she got to the day appointed, the more highly tuned her powers became. She could barely cope with the day to day fluctuations of their emotions, not to mention Adam's constant grief. Adding more pain to the mix could drive her insane.

Adam thought it would be a comfort to have them to help her through this, maybe he was right. But their support couldn't change the outcome, and she knew exactly how they'd react to the news.

Shal wouldn't accept it, it wasn't her nature. She'd try and force her to fight it till the very end, however hopeless it was. She'd watch Emma die telling herself it was all her fault, that she could have done something, before she died herself. Shalimar was never a true believer in science, she needed proof in the physical world, needed something she could fight. The helplessness to do anything but wait for her friend to die would hit her hard.

Brennan wouldn't know how to react, he was like Shal, a fighter. Her acceptance, and she had finally accepted it, would confuse him. Of course he'd cover up his pain with anger, against himself, against Adam, even against herself for giving in. But his temper would burn itself out, then he'd have to face his grief, and that of the others.

Jesse, oh God Jesse, he'd be the hardest to comfort. Unlike Shal and Brennan he would believe her, but he wouldn't know how to begin to deal with it. He'd stare at her with that dazed hurt expression that reminded her of a kicked puppy, and then he'd turn all of his efforts to comfort her, while he sank deeper and deeper into despair. How could she do that to him? To any of them?

Let them spend what could be their final days in blissful ignorance, she wished she could.

"Hey, what are you doing up?" Brennan was there, she hadn't even heard him approach. "You made me jump, sitting around in the dark like that. Lights!" Sanctuary lit up obediently.

She smiled at him, "Getting nervous in your old age?" He snorted,

"Yeah right." He sat beside her, in that comfortable silence of old friends.

"So where are you off to at this time of night?" she asked finally, he was fully dressed, obviously not intending to turn in any time soon. He reddened slightly,

"Just, you know, going for a drive." he jangled the keys in his hand, grinning in that goofy but wonderfully cheerful way only Brennan could. She was going to miss all this so much.

"Meeting up with a lady-friend I suppose?" she teased, the smile on her face only slightly forced. He grinned again, "If I'm lucky." They settled back into silence, he apparently wasn't in a hurry to leave.

"So, you still haven't told me what you're doing up?" Trust Brennan to notice when someone avoided a question. He was a lot more shrewd than he was given credit for. She flashed a smile at him again, willing him to believe her, "Just couldn't sleep, too much to think about I guess."

"Like what?" This was going to be harder than she thought. When did Brennan suddenly become so chatty?

"Just, you know, things." He raised his eyebrows,

"Like?"

She'd have to give him something, or they'd be there all night. She should have been expecting this, she had been avoiding them all for the past couple of weeks, afraid her worries would somehow transmit themselves to her friends. She'd known it was silly, but she felt their anxieties and fears so intently, it was hard to imagine they couldn't feel hers. Inspiration struck her,

"Do you ever worry about…your powers?" she said carefully, keeping her tone even, Brennan frowned,

"What do you mean?"

"Like, do you ever worry sometimes you're getting too powerful? Maybe even out of control?" His expression cleared, she could feel his confusion dissipate,

"Emma, is this about what happened with that other pysonic? The reality twisting one?"

Of course, that hadn't been too long ago, maybe a week before she got the…news. It had been another example of her powers changing. She'd shattered his mind with barely an effort. At the time it had felt like justice, now it frightened her. But it was something she could talk about. She turned to him, meeting his concerned gaze, "A little."

"Emma, he totally deserved it, he was driving people insane for the fun of it." He truly believed what he was saying, comfort radiating from him like sunlight. "You shouldn't worry about it."

She nodded slightly, "I guess I'm more worried about I'm losing control, that I could hurt someone one day," she shuddered inwardly, "maybe even one of you guys."

"Hey," her team-mate wrapped his arm round her in an unusual show of affection for Brennan. "That'll never happen. You'd never let it." His faith in her was so strong it hurt. She blinked back tears,
"But if it did," she paused, bit her lip, "if I lost control, hurt one of you…" she swallowed and made herself look at him. "Would you forgive me?"

A question was forming in his head, she could tell. But whether he decided it would be useless to ask, or just sensed how important this was to her he never asked it, just squeezed her shoulder once more and stood up, "Always."

She closed her eyes briefly, and looked up again to meet his eyes in a smile. He gazed back, his expression unreadable even to her, "We done?" She nodded,

"I think I can sleep now." And it was true. She had known somewhere at the back of her mind her friends would never blame her for what was happening. But somehow, having Brennan say it aloud had brought it home to her. And reminded her, that for however short her time with them had been, she was truly lucky to have had her team. Brennan nodded again, puzzled but satisfied to let the matter drop, for now.

"Good, then I my friend, have a man to see about a car." He grinned, and smiling back, she watched him walk out of the hall.

Thanks to her friend, her demons might leave her alone tonight at least.