The drive was coming to a close in deceptive peace. House had come to his senses a long time ago, and was content to ignore everyone. Facing the window, his awful black eye turned the head of every person they passed. Chase and Cameron also gazed out the window, with a growing uneasiness—they weren't seeing the same land they had seen upon entering Canada.

"I-I have to ask," Chase finally said, "Are we heading away from the border?"

"Yeah," Logan said pithily.

"Why? I thought..." Chase stopped when he saw definite irration on Logan's face. "No," he quickly said, "That's fine. You're the driver."

Logan unwittingly mimicked House's decision to ignore them all. As the drive progressed in blissful silence, he suddenly had the strangest experience—like there was a second conscience inside his mind. Knowing only that Kayla was proof of telepathic mutants, he tried to concentrate on the fifth presence in the car and identify the woman he loved on the other side. But before he could, with an undeniable whisper of existence, the conscience went quiet.

Trying to mind his own business, Chase happened to look to his left at a passing car, only to glimpse the severe frown on Logan's face as his hands curled tighter around the steering wheel. He mouthed a partial curse, which Chase barely had time to recognize; then he heard the acceleration of the engine.

Much like Chase, Cameron's eyes flitted to the speed meter as the engine grew ever louder.

Then another sound filled the car—the unappreciated words of Gregory House.

"I'm sure Kayla's fine. The cops are just doing their job. And the bright side is, even if they're brutal, she's innocent. It's all your fault and she knows it. The only question is, how much does she love you? It's easily calculated. Based on how little time you've spent in the bedroom since we met, I estimate you could be seeing the inside of a cell this time tomorrow. See, it's a pretty big problem committally, but not at all mathematically. Mathematically it's...actually quite funny," he said with a scoff.

Cameron's eyes had gone wide, and in the unnerving silence House looked over at her, and they locked eyes. Finally she said, "Kayla's the one who's being detained? Why is she being detained? What did you do?" she added in Logan's direction.

"Enough, alright? It's none of your business."

"Where are you taking us?" Chase asked.

"I told you, I'm going home."

House looked askance at Cameron, dramatically. "Don't worry. I'm sure the boys in blue will be happy to satisfy your curiosity."

Then Chase was addressing Logan again, "With all those policemen around, how is she going to erase our memories?"

"How is she going to what?" Cameron cut in.

"No, guys..." House sighed. "Larry can't talk about it. But...I can."

"It's Logan, you fucking asshole. And I don't want any of you talking about it."

"And we won't, once she erases our memories!" House explained to Cameron.

"And you actually believe she'll conduct this procedure at home? Why, because they have an ECT suite in their secret basement?"

"No, because they're mutants."

Cameron eyeballed him for a moment as a smile slowly spread across her face; then burst into escalating laughter. House shook his head as he gave her the once-over. "Gotta say, you are a weird one. Don't laugh when something's funny... Laugh when nobody's joking."

"It's not a joke. It's a prank. You're building up to something. This is step one, out of a thousand. This time tomorrow, that's what you said. This time tomorrow, I'm going to have serious egg on my face. I'm scared," she added, with another chuckle. "I also can't wait for it to be over."

"Are you saying you don't trust me?"

"Of course I'm not saying it... No, I'm yelling it from the rooftops."

"And you think I'm in on it?" Chase asked, looking over his shoulder.

"I wouldn't be surprised."

Chase snorted, and gestured to Logan. "And this carping SOB? You seem great," he added quickly, looking at Logan with wide eyes.

Cameron was grinning as she fell back into her seat. "Erase my memories? That sounds horrible."

"I've seen it. Huge metal claws breaking the skin."

As Chase sagged in the passenger seat, absorbing the revelation, Logan decided he needed a break. Without warning he suddenly decelerated dramatically before taking a narrow turn into the parking lot of a woodsy park. He roughly opened the door and got out of the vehicle, slamming the door. Reaching into his pocket, he pressed the familiar button on his key fob. He faintly heard the click of all four doors simultaneously locking. Then he liberated a cigar and his lighter.

Turning around, he looked at his nervous and confused passengers staring back at him. Suddenly Logan's face broke out in a smile. He lit up his cigar and walked away... A long ways away, eventually disappearing into the shadows of the forest.

Ah, peace. Greg sure didn't provide anyone that. It was nice to be alone. He almost dreaded going to the cabin. All those damn police officers poking around. And it was all Chase's fault. Of course, if Greg hadn't come into their lives... Logan cracked his neck and tried to talk himself out of tying up everyone still in his car. That was the last thing the policemen needed to see. Still a fun prospect.

He took the last few steps to an abandoned bench by the trail and sat down, content to stare at the rocks and smoke in solitude. There was nobody in sight...but the phantom whisper of the second conscience told him he wasn't as alone as he appeared to be.

It was like a gentle weight on his brain. It was like it was speaking to him. Logan stopped breathing and he tried to tune everything out, even the silent trail. And he was rewarded two small syllables of a thought that wasn't his.

Not them.

Logan dedicated the time it took him to smoke his cigar and beyond to the telepath, hoping it would say more; but again, the voice was quiet. So he sat on the bench, staring at the rocks as he counted off all the mutants he knew; not one of which was telepathic. Or at least not telepathic enough to speak to people without touching them. This wasn't Kayla. She was at home; this mutant could be anywhere... Anywhere in the world. Or close by, too afraid to speak out loud.

He got to his feet, and his eyes roved through the forest. His breathing turned shallow and rapid as he imagined a telepathic mutant sent by Stryker to play games with him. To lure him out into an abandoned spot and destroy him. And then go after Kayla once he was out of the way.

He was so stupid to leave the car. And to bring not one, not two, but three people into the fold. He'd been hard on Kayla, and she had only covered up their tracks. House was right. It was his fault, his own damn doing. It was an accident. And that didn't matter. The facts weren't worth shit.

A dry leaf crackled. Logan had to remind himself that he was practically immortal.

It would take a lot to bring him down. No human had found the means so far. Of course...before Stryker, no human had found the means to turn a man into a monster. Things had changed. But he hadn't.

They could have found a way...

The gravel trail began to crunch under someone's footsteps. Prepared to face all weapons they had previously used, Logan maintained his composure well as he threw his cigar to the ground and squished it with his shoe. He forced himself not to bring out his claws and rage out on his merciless, unprincipled attacker.

"Well, Logan, looks like you got some 'splaining to do," House said.

Logan took a few seconds to recover, then turned around. Too relieved to be annoyed, he greeted him with, "How'd you get out?"

"We all have our secrets. I perform feats of magic; you...hear voices."

At Logan's stricken silence, House smiled at him. Always a pleasure to show off his diagnostic capabilities.

He limped a few steps closer. "Think it's another mutant?"

"Don't use that word out here."

"Okay," House said calmly. "Well, if you're not fit to drive, I can take over. You're cool to ride in the back, right?"

"Never gonna happen."

"Well, then, let's go. Get it together! Kayla's very life could depend on it." House cringed then and pressed his luck with, "You should be there when it happens. Commitment, you know?"

"Do you have any recollection of what you saw?"

Both men were quiet as one lit a cigar and the other popped some Vicodin, as they suffered each other's company.

"Uh," House finally broke the silence, "I believe I told Cameron. Let's see, how did I... How did I describe it?"

"Get back in the car," Logan growled, and as he followed his eyes tirelessly checked their surroundings for listening ears and watchful eyes.

He didn't need to try very hard to fall into step alongside the gimp. "Where'd you get those? They legal?"

"You'll have to ask Chase. See, I seem to recall Kayla promising me my pills, but..."

"Shit happens."

House spared him a brief glance as they walked back towards the car. "They're legal, of course they are."

"I don't trust him."

"That's okay. I trust him, and you trust me."

Logan's only response was a snarl. House grinned and limped along in silence. Leaving the woods, they spotted the vehicle. Cameron leaned against the back with her arms crossed, and she watched them approach.

"Ooh boy," House said. "Get ready to hear that voice!"

"She bad?"

"Awful. Biggest nagging pain in the ass since...asses."

Logan looked at Cameron and quelled a sigh. As they crossed the parking lot, she stood up straight and adjusted her shirt at the hem. She briefly locked eyes with Logan as he walked past, then she looked down and turned away from him without saying a word. She circled the vehicle and got into the car.

Chase still sat in the passenger seat, his elbow resting on the door as he stared out the window. His fist supported his head. Jostled by the sudden weight of Logan getting into the vehicle, he snapped to attention but still wouldn't look at anyone.

House buckled up and Logan put his car into drive, noticing the new scratches on his old truck. He was smiling in well-contained irritation as he swerved out onto the empty road. And the drive progressed in deceptive peace.

House couldn't stop looking at her. The seconds slowly stretched towards an hour. She was absolutely refusing to speak. It wasn't his imagination—she wouldn't even look at House.

The silence was dangerous. He felt like he was sitting next to a bomb.

Finally he took a breath and took the plunge. "Cameron, you're making me nervous."

When no answer came, Chase hesitantly turned in his seat. Seeing movement, his eyes flitted down to her tapping hand.