Sleep, he'd thought to himself, was a welcome stranger he knew he wouldn't meet that night. After his partner had finally regained consciousness and the disturbing seizures had left his body for good, Mike had spent the rest of the night in sentinel mode, quietly resting his eyes while his remaining senses stayed on high alert.

Keeping his ears cued to the slow and deep breaths coming from the cot next to his, Mike's mind had been doing summersaults trying to piece their case together. When he got tired of doing that, he envisioned the difficulty of their return back to the car.

There was no indication that Jules owned a vehicle, or any type of transportation safe for his partner. On his brief glance out of the window, Mike didn't see any roads leading up to the small cabin either. Short of floating down the small creek on their backsides, getting Steve to the waiting Galaxy would be an agonizing task for more than just the young Inspector.

The rain moved out in time to greet the morning sun and Mike was more than happy to see the first few rays come through the nearby window.

Pulling his stiff arm closer, he checked his wristwatch against the dim light, even though his mind told him that it was around 6am.

It didn't disappoint this time around.

Ever so carefully, he rose from the cot, feeling every single muscle in his sore body protest the motion. Mike knew that once daylight hit, Devitt would be ready to send reinforcements after them, a move he'd promised to protect Jules of.

The small stashes of drugs here and there aside, the Apothecary had been nothing but helpful after their initial encounter, feeding him a full dinner and ensuring that both detectives were well taken care of before retiring to his own bed. Even their gear had been neatly laid out by each cot, the revolvers and ammo returned, now that they had established a relationship of trust.

All in all, he felt that the least he could do to return the favor was to grant Jules the seclusion he so desperately craved.

Still savoring the juicy elk steak he'd shared with the Apothecary over dinner, Mike couldn't help but shake his head at the bizarre turn their investigation had taken.

Slowly standing up, he took a second to inspect the deep wound on his partner's leg. Some crimson stains had shown up on the thick bandages around his calf, but most of the bleeding seemed to have finally stopped. Jules had been firm on wanting to change the bandages before they'd leave in the morning, ensuring that no infection was found in the wound and sprinkle on some more magic powder to encourage healing.

After their encounter with the odd man, Mike stopped questioning his methods a while ago.

He was ripped out of his thoughts when he heard movement from the other room. Carefully tiptoeing his way around, Mike was surprised to see Jules dressed in his fur coat, carrying a small gas can toward the outside door.

Upon his questioning glance, the Apothecary shrugged smilingly.

"I've got an All-Terrain cycle out back with a small trailer. Drove that thing in the Army and loved them ever since. I use this one when I go after big game. I've got enough gas left to take you guys back to your car and get you on your merry way to the City by the Bay. It's time you catch that killer pretending to be me, Stone…and I…well, I gotta get back to hunting for my dinner. Last nights' catch left much to be desired."