Nadia rested her head back against the cold, white hospital wall and listened to Eric's steady breathing. Unintentionally, she had timed her blinking to the constant beat of the heart monitor as she watched time creep ever so slowly by. The last time she had risked a look, it was just after five thirty in the morning which was usually the time a soft knock came on her door and she would find Eric on the other side ready to go for a run. He hated to jog. She knew he did. But, still, every morning he would be there. And after their run, they would end up at his house where they took turns fixing each other breakfast and then he'd walk with her back down the street to her and Sydney's apartment where they'd part until meeting again at the office.

It was…strange to be on the other side of five thirty. And there are two, distinct sides to it. The one: waking up at or just before to start another crazy day and wondering if you'll make it through it. The other: painfully waiting for it to come, still awake and wanting to get past it just to see if you can and see if another day will come. Nadia was currently experiencing the latter of the two and almost felt as if she didn't know which way was up.

Her heart was breaking to see him so silent, not telling jokes or putting on a performance. But that was who he portrayed to the world. Only a few people were privy to his other personality. The soft-spoken, thoughtful, and bursting with energy guy that had stolen her heart side.

She kept playing over and over in her mind the first time they had kissed. He had designated himself her official tour guide around the city but instead of showing her all the tourist spots, he took her to the quaint Mom and Pop store in the next suburb over and the flower shop that they run past every morning now. Of course, he took her by a magic shop and helped her lean a trick or two. Then they stopped at the park to watch the old men play chess and the ducks swim lazily across the pond, the children playing by the swings and the other couples laying around on blankets watching the world go by. It was on a park bench that she rested her back against him and he automatically enveloped her up in a hug. They talked about nothing and everything and he showed her yet again how to perform the slight of hand required to perform the perfect illusion. She tilted her head back to smile at one of his jokes and he caught her in a kiss. It was unexpected. Sweet. Perfect.

Now, she clung to that memory and watched helplessly as he wavered in and out of consciousness. But Nadia couldn't remember having a passive moment; she was a girl of action. Really, it was the thoughts in the back of her head that made her climb to her feet and craw over to the bed to do nothing more than wrap her arms around him. And cry. It really wasn't at all like her. But those thoughts, the ones that made her feel like she might never get the chance to be loved by Eric again, made her be more emotional than usual. Love was like that.

She rested up on her elbow and traced the lines of his face with her right index finger, adding them to the memories she had already made of him. Then, leaning closer to his face, she kissed him with her tear touched lips and rubbed his with her thumb. Was it a goodbye kiss? No, even with all the negative thoughts, Nadia couldn't lose hope.

She turned over to her other side and wrapped Eric's arm under her neck and around her and fell asleep too exhausted to think, feel, breathe anymore.

"Nad? Nadia? Wake up. We've got a lot to do."

"No. I want to stay right here."

"I know, but you can't."

Nadia risked opening one of her eyes to look at her half-sister. Sydney had obviously gone home and changed and looked all the better for it. Except for the pile of papers in her arms, she almost looked as she did every other day.

"¿A que hora es?"

"Ten o'clock."

"Eric?"

"I told the doctors not to wake you. They sedated Eric so he wouldn't wake up and hurt you."

"Thanks. That sounds so strange. Eric would never hurt anyone." She paused as she thought of Jack. "Have we found anything yet?" she asked, removing Eric's hand from around her shoulder and rolling out of bed. She took a moment to find her balance and walked with Sydney to just outside the door.

"We've gotten…a few leads. Nothing solid. But there is something that you need to know."

Nadia felt her blood pressure shoot through the roof as a cold chill ran down her spine. "What?"

"Sloane had Weiss working on a special assignment that he wasn't allowed to tell anyone about. Apparently, he uncovered some vital information pertaining to that research while on the mission and we need that intel immediately. Sloane has asked something that you probably won't be too happy with."

"The doctors, they said something about an anomaly in Eric's EEG. That if we tried to recover it, through hypnosis or therapy, that he could lose everything. Be a vegetable. He hasn't asked for that, has he?"

"No. But he wants to send him home. He hopes that it will jog something in Weiss' mind. He wants each of us to reinsert ourselves into Weiss' life and feed him information, slowly, carefully to help him remember. They need to do it now."

Nadia nodded but wasn't completely convinced. "You said early that there were a few leads?"

Sydney's hand hovered over the pile of things in the crook of her arm as she explained, "Sloane didn't want you to see this, but I think you should. One of our listening posts picked it up a couple of hours ago."

The folder Sydney handed her had a manuscript of a phone conversation in it:

Voice 1: It's been delivered.

Voice 2: Good. You promise this will work?

Voice 1: Of course, sir.

Voice 2: Superb. Now, if everything goes according to schedule, they will all be out of my life within a few short days. The girl won't even wonder why she's doing it.

Voice 1: Yeah. It'll work just like you asked. She'll start with the fiancé and the tech guy, work her way through the fathers and then Bristow and Vaughn. He'll suffer the most.

Voice 2: As I have. Excellent work.

Voice 1: Thanks Mr. Sark.