Dakota woke up. Again. With his body attempting to heal at an accelerated pace, he felt extremely groggy. He allowed himself several minutes to wake up, then began to move. He rolled over to the right side of the bed and picked up his phone from the nightstand. The lock screen read eight thirty-two in the morning, and there was a notification for a voicemail he didn't recognize. Out of curiosity he opened it, and he was met with Kara's voice.

"Hi," he heard her say. "We got to Rose's brother's house safely. He lives in a pretty big house outside of London, so there's plenty of room. His wife, Emily, gave me a phone. She said it would help me pass off as human. I wanted to call you to give you the number." There was a slight pause, like Kara was thinking of what to say next. "Alice says she misses you," she added. An awkward silence followed, as if she was about to say something, but didn't. "Please call as soon as you can." There was emphasis on the please. The voicemail ended.

Dakota smiled. He would call her back, but first he needed to clean up. He had not showered since Rose's house, and his clothes were filthy. He grabbed his cane and pulled himself up with a groan of pain. He made his way to the bathroom that connected to the guest room he was staying in, practically dragging his left leg behind him. It had yet to heal enough to support any weight. Reaching the bathroom, Dakota flicked on the light and surveyed the room. Everything had thankfully already been made to be handicap accessible. After letting the water heat up, he stepped in the shower and sat down (being extremely grateful of the seat in the shower), letting the dirt and grime of the past few days run off him. He cleaned himself up and dried off with a towel from a small linen closet, and drag-limped back to the bedroom.

A set of clothes had been put out on the dresser across from the bed, presumably by Markus. That man is too kind, Dakota thought to himself as he changed into the clothes and put on the brace, slipping the pants over the metal medical aid. I'll have to find a way to pay him back. He sat down on the bed and picked up his phone. He quickly added Kara's phone number as a contact and then pressed the callback option on the voicemail.

Kara stood at the kitchen sink, having just finished cleaning some dishes. Rose's brother, James, had insisted on her not needing to do any work around the house, but Kara had continued to help, as she found the monotonous routine of cleaning somewhat relaxing. It allowed her to think. For the past week, she had not givin much thought to anything beyond keeping Alice and herself safe. Now that they were both in Canada, that part had been taken care of. What next? Where would they go? How would she provide for Alice?

Every time Kara considered those questions, her thoughts turned to Dakota. He had always seemed to be there, always ready and able to help. When Emily had given her a phone, she tried calling him, and left a message for him when he didn't answer. In her head, she replayed what she had said. 'Alice says she misses you.' I miss you, she had almost added, but wasn't sure why she didn't. Was it fear? Shame? Embarrassment? She didn't know, as she was still relatively new to emotions and doesn't yet comprehend them all.

"You thinking about him?" Rose asked.

Kara jumped slightly, surprised by Rose's sudden appearance. "What?"

"Dakota. Were you thinking about him?"

Kara blushed, her cheeks gaining a blue tinge. "I… guess so," she reluctantly admitted. "It's just that…" she sighed and put down the towel she had been drying her hands with. "It's been nearly two days now, and I haven't heard anything from him. I'm starting to worry that someth-"

Rose put a comforting hand on Kara's shoulder. "I'm sure he's fine. He likely pushed himself too hard, and has been asleep. He has a habit of trying to do everything."

"Isn't that a long time to sleep?" Kara asked, no longer hiding her worry.

"Not with his… abilities. Especially if he got hurt. It strains his body to heal it up, and it forces him to sleep."

Kara remembered him at Jericho. He had been shot in the knee and told them to go on without him. At the time, she had thought she would never see him again, when Alice had taken her by the hand and led Kara and Luther through the labyrinthine interior of the ship.

Odd. How did Alice know how to get out of a place she's never been?

The thought left her mind as a more relevant question came to her. "How did you meet?"

Rose's eyes grew distant for a moment as she recalled that memory. "About nine years ago I heard a knock at my door. He was standing on the porch wearing worn and dirty clothes. This was before deviants, but I could tell he was running from someone. I let him in, gave him some fresh clothes, and he slept in the same room Alice did. My husband and I helped him get on his feet, and he got a job working as a consultant for the Detroit Police. But just over six years ago, something happened. He never told me what it was, but it changed him. He closed himself off, stopped visiting as often. The last time I saw him before last week was in September.

Kara took in this information and was fascinated. "What was he like?"

"Oh, he was a fine young man. Astute, intelligent, and never missed a thing. He had a sense of humor, and loved making puns." Rose smiled at the memories. "And he loved playing with Adam. I think it reminded him of his home. But you could tell he had a troubled past. He had knowledge and experience beyond his years."

As Kara stood and listened, something Dakota had told her while looking for Markus at Jericho came back to her. "He mentioned to me about having some kind of powers," she probed. He had told her some of her powers, but wanted to see if Rose knew more.

"Yes, he does have abilities that seem supernatural. He was always very reluctant to use them, but when he did, it was to help others."

"What were they?" Kara asked, enraptured by the story of Dakota, intense curiosity in her voice.

"Many different things. He could pull things out of thin air, make doorways lead to different places, he could heal with a touch, sometimes he would know things by just wanting to know about it." Rose smiled. "One thing he would sometimes do is create this little flame in his hand. He would send it around the room, but it didn't burn anything. Adam absolutely loved it when he was younger."

Kara smiled, thinking of Alice. The girl deserved to be happy. Kara envisioned her smiling and was deeply troubled by the fact she had only seen Alice smile once, even then it was only in relief instead of actual joy, after they safely crossed the Canadian border. Glancing at the clock on the wall, she saw that it was eight fifty-two.

"I should go wake up Alice," she excused herself and left. Kara went upstairs and into a guest room where Alice was sleeping. She stood in the doorway for a minute, watching the little girl rest. Safe. Peaceful. She felt immense satisfaction from it. Even if everything else had gone, Kara thought, everything would be right to me if Alice was safe.

Kara crossed the room to the window, where she opened the curtains. She saw Alice shift slightly under the covers. She then walked over to the bed and sat down on its edge.

"Alice," she called softly, gently shaking the young one. "Alice, it's time to wake up." The covers moved a bit. "James kept some breakfast warm for you." More movement under the covers. With a small, sweet smile, Kara pulled back the top of the blankets to reveal Alice's head. The nine-year old opened her eyes, blinking slowly.

"Good morning, Kara," she said sleepily. She sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Did you get anything from Dakota?"

"Not yet," Kara replied.

Alice's face began to grow fearful. "What if something happened to him? Do you think he doesn't want to talk to us?"

"No, no," Kara reassured. "I'm sure he's fine." She gave the girl a hug. "Rose says he's likely still sleeping."

"That's a long time to sleep," Alice said, her head resting on Kara's side.

"He's been through a lot, just like us. Remember Luther yesterday?"

Alice grinned. "Yeah, he fell asleep in the living room. He didn't wake up for anything."

"Right. That's because he was healing. It's the same way with Dakota. He might've gotten hurt more, so he's sleeping for longer."

"I hope he didn't get too hurt," Alice said, her face growing worried.

"I'm sure he's fine," Kara leaned into Alice, enjoying this moment of peace with her. The two stayed like that for a bit, then Kara broke the silence. "Come on," she said. "Time to get up." Reluctantly, Alice got out from under the covers and trudged towards the bathroom down the hallway.

While Alice was gone, Kara set about picking clothes for her. One of Jame's daughters, Mia, was a year older than Alice, and had given the new girl her old clothes. Kara picked out a light cotton sweater and a pair of comfortable looking jeans. As she set the clothes on the bed, her phone in her pocket started ringing. Curious, she pulled it out. The caller ID read "Dakota." Kara was so surprised she nearly dropped the phone. She fumbled with it for a moment before finally managing to press the 'answer' button and put the phone to her ear.

"Dakota, hi," she said, trying to keep her voice steady.

"Hi," Dakota's voice came from over the phone. "How've you been?"

For some reason, him wanting to know how she was made Kara's temperature rise. She could feel her face warm as her thirium lines dilated. "I'm doing very well. Everyone here has been very welcoming."

"That's good. How's Alice?"

"Kara thought about the question for a moment. "She's … okay," she finally said. "She's doing okay."

"Has she been eating okay?" The question seemed to come out of nowhere, but his voice was so full of genuine concern that Kara had to respond.

"Y-yeah. She's been eating fine."

"What about sleep? Has she had any nightmares?" Again, an odd question. Again, the concern in his voice.

"No. She's slept like an angel."

"That's good." Dakota's relief was palpable, even over the phone. "I know the past week has been stressful, and I was worried that she would have some trauma."

Such a thing hadn't occurred to Kara until then. She'd been so focused on getting Alice safe that she hadn't considered the effects of the events that had unfolded for the little girl. Kara recalled Alice's behavior over the past day, looking for anything to indicate traumatic stress. "She's kept to herself most of the time, and hasn't talked to anyone but Rose, Luther, and myself, but there hasn't been anything else."

As Kara finished her sentence, Alice walked back into the room. She saw Kara on the phone and frowned. "Who is it?" she asked curiously.

"It's Dakota," Kara responded, moving the phone away from her mouth.

"Alice's face lit up. "Can I talk to him?"

"Only if you get dressed first.

Alice grinned and ran off to the bed where Kara had set out clothes. Kara turned back to the phone, smiling from Alice's enthusiasm. "I think I've been spotted."

"By who?" Dakota asked.

"Alice."

"Oh no," Dakota said, his voice full of mock disappointment. "I guess I have no choice than to talk to her."

Alice appeared at Kara's side, fully dressed. On top of her chest lay the necklace Dakota had given her just before she got on the bus that hat gone to Canada. It was made of a single ball bearing chain with a single dog tag and a Buffalo nickel pendant. Kara had not seen Alice without it, not even while sleeping, but this is the first time she had seen the girl wear it openly and not tucked into her shirt. "I'm ready," she said, beaming with excitement.

Kara smiled. "It seems so, because here she is," she told Dakota, and handed the phone to Alice.

The young girl took the phone and immediately began talking into it. "Hi Dakota."

"Hi Alice!" Dakota's voice was full of excitement, bright and energy filled. "You still got the necklace I gave you?"

Alice picked up the necklace and shook it slightly, making the dog tag and pendent clink together. "Yep."

Still smiling, Kara walked out of the guest room. She would give Alice some time to talk to Dakota. She deserved it. Kara closed the door behind her as she left.

Alice waited for a moment after the door closed , then continued. "Kara really misses you."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. She doesn't say anything, but I can tell she thinks about you a lot."

"Is that so?" A pause from Dakota's end, as if he was thinking. "Well, then, I want you to know that I miss you both very much."

"Can you come visit?" Alice asked?

A sigh from Dakota's end. "I really, really want to, Alice. But Detroit is still closed, and no one is allowed in or out of the city. I'll come see you as soon as I can, okay?"

"Okay," Alice said, clearly unhappy with the response.

"But there is something you can help me with over there," Dakota said, trying to cheer Alice up.

"Really?"

"Yep. I need you to go to Kara, give her a hug, and tell her how you feel."

"That's it?"

"That's it. At least for now. I might have something for you on a different day, though."

"Okay." A question popped into Alice's head. "Do you really have powers?"

Dakota hesitated. The full answer was too long and too complicated to easily sum up in a phone call. "Yes, I do."

"Like what?" Alice asked with excited curiosity.

"Well, remember when I could talk to you in your head?"

"Yeah?" Alice responded hesitantly, unsure of where Dakota was going."

"That's one of them. I can also heal wounds, and can also make things out of energy." He left out his biggest ability, which was something called reality bending, but it's a rather hard concept to explain, and he didn't even know if it was something he could do anymore.

"Cool! Any more?"

"I used to be able to do many things. But several years ago, something happened, and I haven't used my powers since."

"What happened?"

A pause on Dakota's end. "Something bad. I don't want to talk about it right now. Maybe I'll tell you another time."

"Okay." Alice didn't speak for a moment. "I miss you," she said.

"I miss you too," Dakota replied. "I promise I'll come visit as soon as I can, alright?"

"Okay." There was a knock at the door, and it opened slightly. "Alice?" came Kara's voice. "There's breakfast downstairs, if you're hungry."

"Thanks," Alice replied. She turned back to the phone. "I gotta go now."

"Okay, take care. Make sure to give Kara a big hug for me."

"I will. Bye."

"Bye." Dakota hung up. Alice put the phone down on the nightstand, got off the bed, and walked out the room.

Kara was waiting outside the room, her back to the far side of the hallway. She saw Alice close the door behind her and stop upon seeing the android. "Alice?" she asked. "Is everything alright?"

After a moment, the young girl's face broke into a huge grin, and she ran to Kara to give the deviant a big, squeezing hug. Kara returned the hug and held Alice in her arms, unsure where this was coming from, but welcoming it all the same.

"I love you, mom," Alice said quietly to Kara.

Mom.

The word hit Kara like a truck. The definition of the word was simple: it is a familiar term for a female parent. But the word carries so much more weight than just its meaning. Being a mom means always being there for your child. It meant keeping her safe and making sure she was happy. It meant being there to help her learn and to watch her grow. It meant being part of a family. It was then Kara learned what it was like to belong somewhere.

I belong, Kara thought. I belong, and my place is with Alice.

She was brought out of her thoughts by Alice shaking her lightly. "Kara? Are you okay?"

She realized that she'd stopped breathing, which she now resumed. "Yeah, I'm fine." She wrapped her arms around the girl and hugged her tightly. "I love you too, baby." She kissed the top of Alice's head and realized she was tearing up. She had shed tears before, of fear and anguish, but never of joy. "I love you so much." They both stayed where they were, in an embrace of love and warmth, for more than ten minutes, before Kara finally let go.

"Come on," she said. "You should get something to eat." Alice mumbled something in reply and got up. Kara stood up as well, and the two walked down the stairs, hand in hand.