Pleading her case turned out to be more difficult than Jennifer had expected. Though Vi had protested, she'd made several attempts to meet with William Stanton. However, he had refused to even allow her make an appointment to see him. She had tried several times, but had not managed to get past his assistant.

She then had decided that one way to plead her case was to personally visit each person on the Council in their offices. She'd already visited Vi's friend Martin Hummel. He struck her as a naturally kind man that had no backbone whatsoever…no wonder why Vi had discouraged him when he'd shown an interest in her. He had smiled, shook her hand, and led her to a chair in front of his desk. He had sympathized with her when she tried to explain that she simply wanted a chance to go back and fight so that someday the entire world could be as safe as Eden was. She'd given him a basic explanation of her background, how far she'd come, and how Jon and the team had helped her along the way. Hummel had smiled, nodded, and frowned in all of the right places, and she'd thought that maybe they were getting somewhere. She just needed one of the Council members to support her request for a hearing. But when she'd asked Hummel if he would be willing to do that, the color drained from his face. He'd stammered about being busy, and how many pressing issues were on the Council's agenda. The funny thing was, he wouldn't actually tell her no, either. He'd simply told her he'd consider it. Then he'd claimed he had an appointment, got up, and led her to the door.

"That's Martin," Vi had sighed. "He is a habitual waffler. We know the Council is in Stanton's back pocket…I'd hoped that Martin would grow a bit of a backbone once he'd had a chance to meet you, but apparently I expected too much. You're better off trying one of the others."

So she had. So far, she'd visited four of the Council members, and had appointments with two more. She'd just finished meeting with the head of the Council, Brandon Wright, this morning. He was also welcoming, but Jennifer knew halfway through the meeting that she was getting nowhere. And when the man had started to list off the same reasons for keeping her there that the official document they'd produced when this whole mess started, she knew she was done. As soon as she could, she'd excused herself. That was basically what had happened with the other two Council members she'd seen between Martin Hummel and Wright.

She left Wright's office and was headed out of the building it was housed in when she heard him. "Miss Chase, isn't it?"

She stopped, looking around for a familiar face. She finally realized that the sound had come from an elderly gentleman sitting on a bench near the door to the building. He was thin, with tufts of white hair covering his head. He was dressed formally, and his bearing was that of someone who was well-off. He rested his arms on a cane, and his face wore a bland smile.

"Um…yes, I'm Jennifer Chase. Can I help you?"

The man had simply smiled at her, and looked up at the sky. "Beautiful day, isn't it, Miss Chase? Spring in Eden is just lovely."

Jennifer had looked around her at the green trees, the flowers…"Yes, it is."

"Aren't we fortunate to be able to experience these things?"

Jennifer's senses were telling her that something was amiss, but she continued to smile what she hoped was a friendly smile. "Yes, we are."

"Even though some of us might not deserve it?"

The smile faded from her face. "I'm sorry…have we met?"

The man was still sitting in the same spot, his face free from concern. "No, we haven't met personally met yet, Miss Chase. But I know a lot about you. I'm a thorough man, you know – like to cover all my bases."

Though she was starting to get an idea of what she was dealing with, she remained polite. Temper wouldn't get her anywhere. "And you are…?"

"William Stanton. Please forgive me for my manners," he said, indicating his still-seated position, "but I'm getting on in years, and my knees aren't quite what they used to be. A lot of getting up and down can bother them."

Jennifer was taken aback. This was the man that was behind the mess she was in – the one that supposedly controlled what the Council did. She struggled to reconcile the almost frail-looking man in front of her with the picture she'd formed in her head. She found it hard, but she kept her composure. "Well, I finally get to meet you. I didn't think you had any time for me, Mr. Stanton. What can I do for you now?"

"It's my understanding that you are trying to convince someone to sponsor your petition to the Council. I was disappointed to hear that. One would think that simply being here would be enough to make even a former Dread Youth feel grateful."

Jennifer didn't let herself show any kind of reaction. She'd been treated poorly by people she didn't even know before…it wasn't anything new. There was only one difference: she had expected it then. It had come as she'd entered a new place, or met someone new. But this wasn't that type of situation. He'd taken her by surprise. Every instinct she had was now on alert. She might not be on the type of battlefield she was used to, but she could recognize a fight when she saw one.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Mr. Stanton. We obviously have a difference of opinion."

"Oh, yes. You see, unlike some of the other residents here, I'm not easily swayed by your sad story about how you were taken by Dread before you could even remember, about how you 'saw the light' and escaped. I'm not fooled for a minute by your claims that you've rediscovered what it means to be human, and while the illustrious Captain Power himself might have fallen under your spell, I most definitely have not." The man's face never changed – the benign smile stayed put. Anyone that could see them – but not hear their conversation – might think he was asking her about the weather. She no longer thought of him as frail, however.

Jennifer shook her head. "You don't pull any punches, do you Mr. Stanton?"

"What would be the point of that, Miss Chase?
"Then you should know that I don't, either." She straightened up and looked him straight in the eye. "For the record, it's Corporal Chase. I've earned that rank, by the way. It has nothing to do with any sort of 'spell' that I've put on anyone. I have poured my heart into fighting Dread and everything he stands for ever since I escaped. And it was an escape, no matter what you think. I have found a home – and a family – among people who feel the same as I do. All I want to do is to go back where I belong – back where I can do some good. You may be content to sit here and enjoy this amazing life, but I won't be until my family – and every other human being that's left on this planet – can enjoy it, as well." And with that, she turned to walk away.

"You speak well, Miss Chase. I can see why you have won the friends you have." Despite herself, Jennifer stopped. She didn't turn back to him, but she stopped. So she heard him when he continued. "But you might as well make yourself comfortable in that little repair shack of yours. You'll be working there for quite some time. You can talk to all the people that you want, but you're staying put. I'm going to make sure of that."

Stanton watched her leave, the smile growing and becoming more hateful as the space between them grew.

"You think you've won, don't you William?"

"I saw you standing there, Colonel, even if she didn't. I'm surprised you didn't jump in and help her."

"She didn't need my help," Vi said simply. "She can stand on her own two feet. She's been doing it for a long time now. That girl is stronger than most others I've seen." She walked closer to the bench Stanton sat on. "And she has plenty of people supporting her. You can't poison everyone's mind. And don't try that 'I'm getting old' crap with me. You're just as fit as I am. You've been getting around just as much as she has. If I didn't know better, I'd think you're getting worried."

Stanton chuckled. "Wishful thinking, Colonel."

"Is it?" Vi asked. "You approached her. You tried to ignore her at first, but now you're suddenly seeking her out. Looks nervous to me."

"Think what you want," Stanton said, his voice becoming a snarl. "That woman is a security risk. She doesn't deserve to be here, and she sure as hell can't be trusted to go back to the outside and keep our secret. I won't allow this place to be discovered, and I won't allow our lives to be put in danger just so that a Dread soldier can have her 'happy ever after'."

Vi stared at him. "You are a sad, terrified old man, William Stanton," she said simply. "You cannot dictate policy for this entire settlement. You can't spread your hate and fear to every single person here, no matter how hard you try. And she's going to turn out to be the one that proves you wrong." Stanton scowled even deeper at the confident smile on Vi's face. "You have no idea who you're up against. Then again, if you did, we wouldn't be having this conversation, and she'd be home where she belongs."

...You would have been proud of her, Matt. She still has no idea that I was there, and was close enough to hear what was said. She told us the basics later on, but she didn't make Stanton sound nearly as hateful as he actually was. I hate that she had to experience that, but I tell you, Stanton just put the nails in his own coffin. He did nothing but turn that stubborn streak on even harder than it was before. You know Jennifer. I was a little worried about her when this mess first started, but she's gotten back up on her feet and has come out swinging. When she did tell us the story that night over dinner, the fire in her eyes was almost palpable. She's managed to get appointments with all but three of the remaining Council members. She's even started venturing out a little further from home. She'd been keeping pretty close to my place, or at least Kelly or Barton's, before this. But something about meeting up with Stanton got her moving. She's running more errands for me, chatting with people she meets in the market, and just doing more getting out and less hiding. I think it's good for her. Tell Jon that she's fighting as hard as ever, and if sheer stubbornness could transport her to you, she'd be there already.

Matt finished re-reading Vi's letter and put it down with a sigh. Jon had mentioned that in one of Jennifer's letters, she had described actually meeting Stanton. Jon had seemed frustrated that he hadn't seemed willing to listen to her, but he hadn't seemed upset. Matt was pretty certain that she hadn't shared all the details with him. Not that he could blame her. After all, what could Jon do about hateful people back in Eden? Jennifer would know that he would worry even more than he already did, and there wasn't any point in that.

But Matt worried. He found himself worrying about it more and more ever since they'd gotten word about the mess Jennifer was facing in Eden. Jon was a second son to him, and Jennifer…well, he'd meant what he'd said when they sent her to Eden. He wanted these two people that were so important to him to have a chance to be happy. He didn't think for a minute it would be easy for them to try and carry on a real relationship in the middle of a war. But after the war they'd have a chance for a normal life. He didn't doubt that what they felt for each other was real and lasting – he'd known Jon too long to think otherwise. There wasn't a single person in Jon's past that had touched him the way Jennifer had. And he'd heard the depth of emotion - the certainty - in Jennifer's voice as she said what she thought was goodbye back in December. There was none of the confusion she'd experienced when it had come to emotions in the past. Assuming they both made it through alive – he refused to think of the alternative there, after watching Jon believe she was dead for two days – they'd build a life together, and they'd be happy.

Or at least, he hoped they would. But even after the war, there would still be ignorant, hateful people. The situation with Stanton proved that. Matt knew what would always happen in that type of situation. Jennifer would always quietly and steadfastly continue to work to change their minds. Jon…Jon would get angry with them for judging the woman he loved so much. But they shouldn't have to live that way, not after all the sacrifices they'd made. Matt was realizing now how important it was for Jennifer to win this particular battle. It wasn't just about her being kept against her will. It was about making people think before they made a judgment about something they knew nothing of.

"Hawk? Report to the hangar. We've intercepted a distress call from one of the settlements on the west coast."

Matt looked up at Jon's voice and activated his communicator. "On my way, Captain." He turned off the reader containing Vi's letter and placed it back in his drawer - he'd finish it later. As he headed down the corridor to the jump ship, he thought about Jennifer and how hard she'd fought to get to where she was even before she'd been injured. It was lucky that they'd found her when she'd escaped so long ago. Come to think of it, she'd had quite the string of luck. They'd been lucky that the tech at the Passages had detected the sound of the digitizer in the last transmission from the old base. They'd been lucky Mark had been the courier on duty that day in January or they might not have had any contact with her at all. Jennifer had been lucky that Kelly had been on duty the day she'd arrived in Eden, or she might not have made a friend that had helped her through all the struggles she'd faced. She'd been lucky that Vi had arrived before her and been able to welcome Jennifer into her home... Matt paused. When he thought about it, they'd had an amazing run of luck throughout this ordeal. If he'd been a religious man, he'd have thought that someone, somewhere was looking out for them.

"Whoever you are...maybe you could keep it up for a little while longer?" he thought to himself with a smile as he neared the hangar.