Kyrano kissed his daughter tenderly as the tears fell.

'Sleep, my precious Tanusha. I will see you in the morning.'

John dried his eyes.

The team with him – men and women who apparently had known him for years – had tried to be understanding, but who could understand a man who suddenly claimed that two days ago he had been on Earth, with an alive eldest brother and dead mother when they knew he'd been on Mars for the past two years, his mother was very much alive and spoke with them once a week but his eldest brother was not…

And now his family had once more gone into the danger zone, but this time without him. He couldn't do anything. His Dad had made sure John knew what they were doing but the wait and the not being able to do anything…even on Five he'd been able to be involved, to help his family.

He checked his watch for the thousandth time. If everything had gone to plan then they should have secured the stone and undone everything. But John wouldn't know. He wouldn't know if they had succeeded or not until tomorrow. They could all be dead and he would not know until he woke up tomorrow still on Mars.

Biting his knuckles, John grieved for his brother, for his mother and grandfather, for his daughter and for both the life he missed and the life he would miss tomorrow.

Whichever life that would be.

He awoke with a start, a crick in his back and a sticky line of drool down the side of his mouth. He stretched carefully, blinking in the dark room. The few blinking lights didn't do much to cast light, but John was used to working in the dark. He had woken up with what felt like the dregs of a headache and thought he would go find something to drink.

It wasn't until he reached for the door handle that memory hit him all at once. John pulled back a hand that was now trembling and reached to turn the light up, before turning to see what kind of room he had woken up in…

Virgil snorted in his sleep and turned over. The sensation of falling woke him up almost as fast as the klaxon used to…and that thought hit him even harder. He hit the floor awake but lay there winded for a second.

Where was he? Where was he! This was important, but all Virgil could see was the legs of the table he had fallen under and the legs of others around him.

Goddamn it, he was still in the café! It – it hadn't worked, everything had been for nothing. Virgil didn't want to crawl out from where he was, didn't want to face seeing everyone's disappointment. Didn't want to see Kyrano's face. Or Kayo…

He curled up where he was and closed his eyes against the pain and the world and wept.

Alan woke up in much the same way as Virgil had, falling off one of those horrible hard plastic chairs. He blinked, all disorientated for a moment, before memories flooded back. With a gasp he struggled up. The corridor was empty but he remembered last night he had fled outside, needing air. He'd returned to the café but sat just inside. He'd felt like a coward abandoning his family even for just ten minutes, but he'd pulled himself together and headed back in. He must have slipped back out and fallen asleep. Alan ignored the pain in his heart and stood up.

Time to get back to his family.

Gordon woke up in a bed. They had stayed at the café all night, and it was the early hours of the morning when Adella, the lady that had taken pity on them that night, had suggested he'd be more comfortable in the sleep room, one set aside for night staff if they needed a kip due to the 24-hour opening hours. Apparently they had a good boss. Gordon's back had been playing him up, and his Dad had insisted he take it.

It had been uncomfortable, but he'd been so exhausted from the stresses of the day coupled with, well, everything, he'd fallen immediately into a deep sleep. It wasn't restful at all, but he'd slept.

The bed was as uncomfortable as he remembered, and wasn't that just a knife to his heart.

Jeff woke with a start, sitting bolt upright. His heart was beating so fast and there was the bitter taste of old bile on his tongue. He breathed carefully, aiming to lower his heartrate.

He was sitting in a room he didn't quite recognise and confusion warred with memories for a moment as he tried to orientate himself in whichever world he had awoken in.

There was only one way he was going to find out which world that was.

He took a deep breath and opened the door.

He stepped out into a sky just turning blue from the sun rising.

The building before him gave him more hope that he had held since that fateful day. It was only three night ago, but it felt like he'd aged a lifetime.

Jeff was almost hit by a car as he rushed across the road, needing to get there had him forgetting basic road safety. Arms across his chest hauled him back just in time. They fell to the floor.

'Ow.'

'Gordon?'

'That's the last time I save your ass, Dad, if you're gonna repay me by using me as a cushion.'

He scrambled off his son, remembering that his back had been playing up last night, then turned and helped him up. Jeff looked over Gordon carefully, then placed both hands on Gordon's shoulders and pulled him for a quick hug.

'Thanks, son.'

'Anytime. Looks hopeful, Dad.'

'It does, but I'm not holding my breath.'

'Wise. Have you seen the others? Virgil? John? Alan?'

'No – but then that night I returned to the hotel and left John and Virgil with Scott. You and Alan were already there with Ma.'

'Where is Grandma, anyway?'

'I'm right here.'

They both turned to see Sally, arms crossed and frown on her face, regarding them disapprovingly. No doubt she'd seen Jeff's almost run-in with the car. But then she smiled and laid a hand on each of her boy's arms.

'Let's go see what we shall see.'

Jeff kissed his mother's cheek and the three set off.

They paused at the entrance to the hospital. At this stage they were still a little unsure. Mount Sinai hospital was on the borders of Central Park. The café was in Central Park. The hotel was also on the borders of Central Park.

Which world had they woken up in was still in dispute.

'Dad! Grandma! Wait up!'

They turned to see Alan jogging over to them. They all hugged tightly but briefly, and Alan asked with his eyes. Gordon shrugged and Grandma smiled. Jeff pulled his youngest into a one-armed hug and they approached the hospital together.

There wasn't many around that time in the morning, and they made it through the entrance hall and past the hospital café entrance before the next voice stopped them.

'Mr Tracy, please, Sir. You cannot stay there. Let me call someone to help you.'

The group stopped, but there was no audible reply from Virgil. Holding his hand up to stop the others coming, Jeff made his way into the café and headed straight for the worker trying to coax someone out from under a table.

The man backed away at Jeff's appearance, and he knelt down to see Virgil curled around the foot of the table. His son's eyes were tightly closed and he had been crying.

Jeff laid a gentle hand on Virgil's shoulder and squeezed.

'Son, let's go see your brother.'

'Da-Dad?'

'Come on, let's not keep everyone waiting.'

'Scott?'

'We'll see. Come on.'

Virgil scrambled up and enveloped his dad into a hug before they walked out to join everyone else. There was some good-natured elbowing, but no one mentioned the tear tracks.

It was at the elevator that the second-to- last member of the family joined them. The doors were almost closed when an arm slipped through the small gap left, causing the doors to open.

There was gasps of delight as Kayo slipped into the elevator. The massive group hug was as tight as they could manage, Virgil and Kayo in the centre. It lasted the entire journey, they only broke apart when they reached the floor Scott was on.

The room door was open and John was standing in the doorway. But of Scott there was no sight.

John turned as his family entered the room, one by one they filed in until everyone was there. His legs turned to jelly as everyone gathered around him, and they collapsed as one onto the floor, this time with John in the centre.

Eventually they broke apart, but each one was still in some kind of physical contact with someone else. Jeff had one hand on John's shoulder and the other around Virgil's bicep.

The room was silent for all that it was filled with people.

'John, where's Scott?'

'I – I don't know. He was gone when I woke up.'