Sleep was the enemy. A waste of time that he couldn't afford. Every minute spent in unconsciousness was a minute wasted that could have been used to save his unborn child. Eyes Only was silent. This was not about saving the world or bringing the corrupt to justice, this was Logan Cale, a man, stripped, bare, trying to do what he could so he wouldn't have to face the one he loved and wallow in the abyss of self pity. He's research was hype-intense, even for him. He barely ate, drank or slept. There wasn't enough time. He was looking into every possibility from surrogate mothers to how HIV could be prevented from going from mother to child. Every angle, every possibility he explored, but he was often at a loss. This option had too many risks, this option would ask too many questions, this option was in another country…nothing seemed to work. And Logan figured out something that Sam had failed to mention, probably thinking that he would sound insensitive. If Logan let Max's miscarriage happen, the virus would no longer be in her body. By killing the baby, the virus would have completed its mission and Max's immune system would do the rest. She would be cured and they could be together.

Logan knew that Sam thought that his search for a cure or a way out was useless, but the alternative was worse. Waiting for Max to get sick, feeling helpless and preparing himself for the pain that he knew would follow. With something like this, Logan knew that Max might never forgive herself. She was filled with so much guilt from nearly killing him, releasing the trangenics and most of all, the deaths of her siblings, Ben, Tinga and especially Zack. Max was strong, the strongest woman he knew in fact, but he wondered would this too much? How much could one person take? He knew that she wanted everyone to think that she was super-tough and nearly indestructible, but he knew better. He knew that although her entire life had forced her to be self-reliant, at heart she was just a girl looking for love and acceptance.

Sleep is the enemy, he thought as he remembered the woman he loved. To prevent seeing her in pain he would do more than lose sleep; he'd risk his health and his life.

Max was spending most of her time with Brin when she wasn't working. Although she would prefer to have Brin on the next bus out of Seattle, the fact was that she seemed too close to giving birth that Max did not want to risk it. Despite everything, Max didn't want her to be alone when she gave birth. She still felt a little guilty letting Brin be taken back to Manticore. Somehow Max knew, call it maternal instinct, that giving birth is not something you want to go through by yourself. On top of that, Logan hadn't talked to her for the past few days, not since they were in the parking lot, so she couldn't even call on him for quick passports, new identities etc.

Every day, Brin complained more and more about the child she was carrying. It hurt to sit down, it hurt to stand up and Max and Joshua had to be there for all of it. Being the solider that she was, Brin couldn't keep still and her belly simply an inconvenience to her, impairing her free movement and slowing her reflexes.

"This thing just won't come out!" Brin complained, sitting on one of the Joshua's house.

"What?" asked Max, distracted in her thoughts, sitting in a chair in the living room.

"Nothing I just wish this spawn would get out of my body," Brin replied as she swung the rest of her body on the couch, one leg at a time.

Max huffed, "You know most women consider having a baby a blessing."

Brin turned her face to her, angry, "You want to be pregnant, be my guest."

"No, that's okay," Max said getting up, "I'll just have to live vicariously through you."

"Whoa!" Brin exclaimed suddenly and touched her womb.

Max rushed over to her, "What's the matter?"

Brin shook her head, "Nothing. It just kicked again. A lot harder this time."

"It shouldn't be long, now."

"I hope so."

"So have you thought of a name yet?"

Brin had a surprised look on her face.

"A name? I…aaa…hadn't really thought about it. I just call it whatever the barcode number is."

Max rolled her eyes, "My nephew won't be called 381."

"Shut up, Max!" Brin called, "You act like this thing is yours. If I want to called it by its barcode, that's my business!"

"Your child is not an it! He is going to be a living, breathing human being looking for his mother's love."

Brin looked at Max with cold eyes, "I can't give what I don't have, Max."

Brin took a breath and continued slowly, looking of into space. She placed her hand on her womb.

"I'm going to take care of this baby. Food, clothes and shelter. But I can't… love it," she replied and then returned her gaze to Max, "I don't even know what love is."

Brin's confession broke Max's heart. She took her sister's hand before speaking, hoping that some show of affection would help her sister understand what she was about to say. Brin looked at her suspiciously, but Max continued anyway.

"Yes, you do, you just don't remember. I love you and so did all of our brothers and sisters. We loved each other."

Brin shook her head, "That wasn't love, Max. That was military conditioning. You put a unit together for any period of time, they will bond and be stronger as a team. Psyc-ops 101."

"Then why are you here, Brin? Why did you come to me?"

"Cause I thought I could trust you…enough. I knew it was likely you would take me in."

"Why? Why didn't you think I'd kill you from the moment I saw you?"

Brin dropped Max's hand and looked away, "I don't know."

Max smirked and picked Brin's hand up again, "Because, despite all that's happened, we're sisters."

Brin turned to Max and saw the genuine concern in her eyes. She remembered the last time she had seen Max that way. When Zack and she had left her on that park bench, promising her that they would return and save her. Max and Zack had loved her enough to consent to her wishes and not let her die. She might have been weak then, but she had seen the tears and both their eyes when they agreed to let her be taken back to Manticore. Memories of her and her siblings in the barracks came back to her mind, small games that they would create, support they would give each other with their eyes, stories they would tell; the flood gates had opened and for the first time in months, Brin began to remember who she was. At Manticore, they only focused on what their creation were, not who they could become. Max was right. They messed up along the way and give their perfect soldiers souls. With Max caring for her the past few days, she felt like she was beginning to reclaim her soul. Brin let out a small smile, her first genuine one in a long time. She squeezed Max's hand and nodded.

"Sisters."