Wow, thanks everyone. For those of you who are not fans of Miranda, don't worry – keep reading.

Miranda looked past Jesse again to the car. She had a terrified look on her face that grew worse when she noticed the dried blood on Jesse's shirt.

"Oh my God, Jesse! What happened? Are you hurt?" Miranda began fumbling with Jesse's t-shirt. Jesse grabbed her hands and stopped her. His urgency was obvious in the tone of his voice.

"Miranda, I am fine. The blood is Brennan's." As Jesse said that, Miranda gasped. She struggled out of his grip and ran for the car. She screamed once she was able to look in the window. "Brennan!" She whipped the car door open and climbed in the back seat to get a better look. Jesse was right behind her, as was a 12 year-old boy who had come out of the house when Miranda screamed. "Jesse, my God, what happened?" Miranda was cradling Brennan in her arms. She pleaded for Brennan to wake up.

"Miranda, a lot has happened. We need medical attention for Brennan and a good hiding place. Can you help us?" Jesse asked.

Miranda looked from Brennan and then to the boy standing behind Jesse, then Jesse. She shook her head "Jesse, of course! We have to get him into the house. Jamie, go get your dad. Tell him to bring his bag. Just tell him that one of my friends from out of town is at the house and hurt."

"No ambulance and no cops," Jesse interjected, "I mean it."

Miranda looked at Jesse and then at Brennan. "OK," she said while looking back at Jesse, "Jamie, tell your dad to bring the works, OK?" With that, Jamie, the 12-year-old boy, ran for his bicycle and peeled out as quickly as he could. Jesse looked at him puzzled. Miranda noticed Jesse's confusion and told him that she would explain later but they had to get Brennan into the house. Miranda climbed out of the car and Jesse leaned in and drug Brennan into a position where he was able to lift him. He gently carried his unconscious friend into the house. Miranda ran ahead into one of the bedrooms and turned down the sheets. Jesse laid Brennan onto the bed and removed his shirt to get a better look at the wound. Jesse had placed a makeshift bandage on it earlier that he removed gently. Miranda gasped when she saw the hole. "My God," she whispered.

"I have some medical supplies in the car," Jesse told Miranda as he departed the room. Miranda ran into the bathroom and ran some warm water into a bowl. She grabbed a towel and came back to Brennan. She began wiping his face with warm water and speaking in soft tones to him. She was afraid to touch the wound. For that, they would wait for Michael. Jesse cam running back in as Brennan began to stir. "Brennan?" Miranda asked. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it repeating his name.

"He's been doing that," Jesse said as he moved to the other side of the bed. "He's not conscious."

Miranda looked up at Jesse while she continued to wipe Brennan's face and arms with the water. "Jesse, what happened to him – to you?"

"It's a really long story, Miranda. I am so sorry to involve you in this but so much has happened and we didn't have anywhere else to go," Jesse said as he collapsed into a chair he had pulled next to the bed. "Adam and Emma are dead, or at least we thought they were. Shalimar is missing and Sanctuary has been taken over by people who are trying to kill us – very bad people."

Miranda was in shock. "What do you mean Adam and Emma are dead? And Shalimar is missing? Jesse, what is going on?" At that moment, Miranda heard a car pull into the driveway. "Michael's here!" she exclaimed as she ran out into the hallway. Jesse got up and looked out the window. A very clean-cut gentleman was getting out of the driver's seat of a Jeep and the boy Jesse had seen earlier was getting out of the passenger seat. He watched as Miranda ran up to him and he embraced her in his arms. They both looked toward his window as they spoke and the man reached into the Jeep and grabbed two very large black bags and began running towards the house with Miranda. Jesse met him standing up as he entered the room. The man froze as he saw Brennan and Jesse and the dried bloodstains on the clothes.

"My name is Michael. I'm a doctor – a surgeon – please, let me look at your friend."

Jesse stepped aside and allowed Michael to begin examining Brennan. Jesse could tell by the little noises Michael was making that he was fairly disgusted with the wound that Brennan had suffered. He looked back at Jesse, who was standing with Miranda. "What shot him?"

Jesse knew that question was coming. He decided to be frank. "Look, I don't know how much you know about my friend and I. I can tell that you and Miranda have some sort of relationship so it's possible she has told you about us."

"That your genetic makeup was altered and that you are part of some elite police unit. Beyond that, I know nothing. Now, what hit him?"

"A laser," Jesse answered.

"What?" Michael asked. "A laser? Are you sure?" Michael asked puzzled. Miranda looked on and asked, "What's a laser?"

Michael looked at Miranda and Jesse answered both of them. "Yes, a laser. A very powerful laser. A laser, Miranda, is a very concentrated light that is able to burn through almost anything."

Michael looked back down at his patient. "Miranda, take Jesse and get him cleaned up. I noticed he has a gash on the back of his head that I am going to need to take a look at. Have him put on some of my clothes and give him some fluids. I need to get Brennan stabilized. You said no hospitals." Michael said as he looked at Jesse. "He needs a hospital. I do not think that I can save him without a hospital. Is this his choice?"

Jesse looked at Michael without knowing exactly what to say. "It is his choice," he found some words. "The people who are after us will find us and kill him in a hospital. They are very powerful people. We cannot risk it."

"It is more of a risk not going," Michael stated as he got to work on Brennan. Jesse and Miranda left the room and Jesse kept looking back. The tears finally began flowing down his face as he broke down. Miranda escorted Jesse into hers and Michael's bedroom and sat him down on the bed. She helped him undress as he sat there and sobbed. He had been through so much. He had been up for the last 30-some hours. He thought he'd found Emma, heard from Brennan that he hadn't, then heard from Brennan that she was alive but missing, fought with Shalimar, now she was gone, found Brennan laying on the floor of Sanctuary bleeding, been trapped in the dojo and nearly killed while escaping from it. Now, he was being told that his last friend on this earth whose location he knew wouldn't survive the day. He simply could not take anymore. As Miranda began cleaning the back of his head where the gash was, he started to come back to reality. It really hurt what she was doing. He didn't even know he had hurt his head until just now. It must have happened when Brennan blasted him out of the dojo. Jesse drank some tea that Miranda handed to him. Jamie had brought it into the room. He was feeling quite tired and laid back onto the bed. Miranda told him to rest and that Michael would come and get him when he was done with Brennan. "You can trust us, Jesse," Miranda said as she exited the room. Jesse prayed that she was right and closed his eyes. He just couldn't keep them open any longer. Soon enough, he was fast asleep.

XXX

While Jesse and Brennan were escaping from Sanctuary, Emma, Shal and Adam left the diner and returned to the hotel room. As soon as they got inside, Emma began talking. "Adam, you have to let me contact Jesse and Brennan the same way I contacted Shalimar."

Adam looked at Emma. "No, I can't risk it. Emma you shouldn't have contacted Shalimar. You put us and her in a very dangerous position."

Shalimar approached Adam. "No, Adam. That would be you who put us in a very dangerous position. I don't care how much you thought you were protecting us and doing us a favor, Adam. You should have told us the whole story. We deserved to know."

Emma interjected. "Adam, something is wrong with them. I am getting very strange feelings from both of them. Please, Adam." "Emma, I said no. Not now. You shouldn't even be trying to hook up with them. We never know where the Dominion has placed other psionic trackers. They could find us. Now, we have work to do. Shalimar, you have to go back to Sanctuary."

"What?" Emma and Shal said in unison.

"You have to go back. If you don't, they will suspect something. Just go back and leave a note that you have decided to leave for a while. Say that you will contact them at a later date. Pack your clothes and leave your ring on your desk with your note. You still have your ring don't you?"

Shalimar was shocked at this request. She pulled the ring out of her pocket where she had placed it as soon as she saw that Emma didn't have hers. "Adam..."

"Shalimar, please. I know that I haven't done much to gain your trust lately, but this you must do."

"What if I run into Jesse or Brennan?" Shalimar said with tears running down her cheeks. She couldn't bear the thought of leaving them.

"Tell them that you will call them tonight and not to worry." Adam answered. "Now go, Shalimar. Emma and I have a meeting with a mutant this afternoon. We will be back here by 2 PM."

Shalimar looked at Emma and gave her a hug. "Hurry back," Emma said as she squeezed Shalimar.

"I will," Shalimar confirmed. She looked over he shoulder as she exited the room. Adam was just standing there with Emma. This was so strange. It was like a really weird dream. She understood why Adam was having her do what she was doing but she still didn't like the idea of leaving the guys. She climbed on her bike and peeled back out onto the road.