OK sorry about how long this took. I am studying for a big test and just didn't have it in me. Sorry Meg.

Brennan woke up in a dull haze. He tried to figure out where he was and whether he had been dreaming. He wanted the events of the last 24 hours to be gone. Hell, he wanted the events of the past year to be gone. But when the pain in his side hit him, he knew that it was all true. He opened his eyes and closed them again. The light was too much for him. He opened them more slowly this time and noticed that he was in a bedroom. It seemed familiar to him but he couldn't quite place why. He lulled his head to the right and saw Jesse sleeping in a chair next to his bed. He looked so peaceful. Brennan thought about what had happened in the past few hours. So much had changed again. God, Emma was still alive and so was Adam. But everything had gone so bad so fast.

Suddenly, Brennan felt sick to his stomach and began to gag. Jesse woke up in time to see him attempting to sit up. He was choking. "Michael!" Jesse yelled as he got to Brennan's side. Brennan grabbed Jesse's arm. "Jess," he cried. "I'm right here, Brennan," Jesse replied.

"What's going on?" Michael asked as he came running into the room. Miranda was close behind.

"He's burning up and choking," Jesse said as he held Brennan.

Michael came over to Brennan and placed a pillow across his abdomen and instructed him to hold it tightly against his stomach as he coughed. Brennan did as he was told and began puking into a bucket that Michael held in front of his head. He screamed as he heaved. Jesse rubbed his back to soothe him. He struggled to maintain his own composure and not panic. It got harder with each strained breath Brennan dragged in. Michael got a hypodermic ready and plunged it into Brennan's IV tube.

"What is that?" Jesse asked as he looked up to see what he was doing.

"Valium," Michael replied. "It will calm him down. Miranda, go down to the refrigerator and get an IV bag of vancomycin." She nodded and exited the room. Brennan looked up when he heard her name. His convulsions were beginning to subside and Michael and Jesse eased him down onto the pillows. Michael propped them up so Brennan was in a prone position. Jesse grabbed a wet rag and began wiping Brennan's face.

Michael looked at Jesse. He got an ear thermometer out and took Brennan's temperature. He cast his head down when he read it. "What?" Jesse asked already knowing the answer.

"His fever is quite high," Michael explained.

"How high?" Jesse asked. He knew that when Brennan ran fevers, they were always too high.

"104," Michael replied. "I'm afraid he is getting peritonitis from the contamination from the bowel."

"What do we do?" Jesse asked.

"Feed him antibiotics and keep his head cool. That's all we can do. Jesse, I won't let it go any higher. If it does, we are calling an ambulance."

Jesse nodded his head in agreement. He knew in his heart that that was where Brennan belonged. It's just that with the Dominion out there, he didn't know who he could trust. Miranda came running back into the room with the antibiotic. Michael hooked it up and pulled a chair up next to the bed. "Miranda, could you go and get all the ice from the freezer and place it in a bowel and bring it up here – make more OK?" Miranda looked at Jesse and Brennan. She had tears in her eyes as she turned to go get the ice.

Jesse looked at Michael as he continued to wipe Brennan's head with the damp cloth. Jesse had not spoken to Michael since he told him his wife had worked for Naxcon before she died. He had been too worried about Brennan and was even more so now. "He's going to die, isn't he?" Jesse asked. Michael let out a sigh and didn't look up from his duty. "Jesse, your friend is very sick. I just want to make sure that he is comfortable right now and that the fever does not affect his brain. If it goes any higher, we run a real risk."

Jesse remembered the last time Brennan had run a fever like this. It was when he had been stung by that scorpion mutant. Emma saved him that time. But now...

Michael got up and gave Brennan an injection of Tylenol for the fever and told Jesse he was going down to check on Miranda. Jesse shook his head in agreement without taking his eyes off of Brennan. Michael slowly walked down the stairs and saw Miranda in the kitchen. The two of them needed to talk.

XXX

Adam and Emma quietly stepped out of the car. They were in the Step Off Bar's parking lot. Emma had a very bad feeling. "Adam, are you sure Tina said to meet her here?"

Adam looked at Emma as he came around the front of the car. "Yes, but with the looks of this place, I would say that it wasn't very likely." Adam scrutinized the parking lot. It was deserted and the building looked too quiet. "It doesn't open for another two hours," Adam said looking down at his watch. "Maybe no one is here yet."

"No, Adam," Emma replied as she moved slowly towards the building. Her eyes were moving in all directions, looking for danger. She looked back at Adam. "Tommy was always here, Adam. I think he lived in the back. Something isn't right."

"Amazingly perceptive of you Ms. DeLauro," a voice mocked from the vicinity of the building. Both Adam and Emma whirled their heads in the direction of the all too familiar voice. Adam ran up and stood in front of Emma as Mason Eckhart showed himself from around the side of the building. Several of his GSA henchmen surrounded him. He sneered at the two of them.

"Stand behind me, Emma," Adam said as he looked at Eckhart and his enterage. "What do you want, Mason?" Adam commanded.

Eckhart looked at Adam and then physically leaned to make his look at Emma more obvious. "Why, I thought you would figure that one out on your own, Adam. I want her."

Emma tried to make her way around Adam to go after Eckhart. Adam held her back. "Mason, you know that is no way in hell I will ever let you have one of my kids. You said in your email you wanted to talk. So talk."

Emma looked at Adam at this last revelation of email correspondence with Eckhart. "Adam? Email?"

"Yes, Ms. DeLauro. Email. You see, your Adam and I have been in constant communication since the explosion at Naxcom. We have been trying to find out a way to get the Dominion to release your friends."

"That's a lie," Emma said.

"Emma!" Adam silenced her.

"What, you don't know about the Dominion and what they want?" Eckhart asked Emma.

"Of course I know!" Emma relplied. "But that has nothing to do with you."

"Oh, I think it does. You and Adam trying to move mutants, honestly. Do you really think you can protect them from the Dominion? Eckhart sneered.

"What do you want Eckhart?" Adam interjected.

"Well, since your friend in the bar can't really tell me anything anymore, I need to find out from you what the Dominion's next move is. And, well, my dear, you are the way I will do that," Eckhart smiled as he looked at Emma.

"What do you mean the person in the bar can't tell you anything? Tommy didn't ever tell you about us or any other mutants! He is on our side!" Emma yelled.

"Was," Eckhart clarified.

"What?" Adam and Emma exclaimed in unison.

"Allow me to clarify," Eckhart said. "Tommy was on your side. He is on no one's side any longer. I was trying to find out what exactly he told Mr. Mulwray when he inexplicably expired."

Adam's eyes were as big as saucers. "You killed him? And what about Brennan?"

Eckhart just smiled when he saw the look of sheer terror on Emma's face and the look of concern on Adam's. "Yes, Adam, Tommy is dead and Mulwray is missing. I need to find him immediately. We need to find him, Adam. We need to find them all."

XXX

Shalimar was crouched behind the fried control panel in the dojo room when the lights suddenly came back on. She squinted at the invasion and her eyes turned feral yellow. She heard someone advancing in her direction from the hallway that led to the garage. She listened.

"Why do you suppose Ms. Pierce has not answered any of her calls?"

"I have no idea, but we had better find out before this thing goes south on us. If we do not find DeLauro soon, the Dominion will have our heads."

Shalimar crouched as down as far as she could as the two unfamiliar men entered Sanctuary. They paused in front of the dojo and looked at the blood and destruction that lie around them. "Well, it looks like Lexa couldn't hold them after all."

Shalimar continued to watch the two of them inspect the damage to the dojo as she waited to see if any other people had invaded her home. It appeared after a few minutes that none did. Shalimar snuck slowly around the back wall and managed to sneak within 5 feet of one of the men. She tapped on his shoulder. As he whirled around, Shalimar took him down with one well- placed kick to the midsection. Just as quickly she flew across the room and landed on top of the other man before he could even react. Both of them were unconscious. "I have to get back to Adam," Shalimar whispered to herself as she ran out of Sanctuary and towards the garage.