Author's Note: So I had a flight a few days ago that gave me a lot of time to work on this. Unfortunately I can't guarentee too much progress on either this or "Variable X" once the school year starts after Labor Day until my applications are done.

Medbay, Hyperion, Haven orbit (music - Mega Man X: Dr. Light Capsules)

Jim sighed and stood from his chair next to Sarah's bed, pacing across the ward. It had been two weeks since he'd carried her back to the Hyperion after the artifact had hit her, and still there was nothing more than feeble, though steady, life readings.

Ariel Hanson stood nearby, watching the commander with a worried expression. "She'll be fine, Jim. Killing yourself over it won't help her."

"I trust your word Doc, but that's not it."

"If this is about her infestation, I had that covered already. You must have known that otherwise you wouldn't come straight here."

"Are you sure about that, Doc?" Jim asked anxiously. "Sarah told me her primal infestation was completely different from the Swarm's."

"It's still Zerg mutagens in her body. Besides, what we've been giving her isn't so much a direct cure for infestation. It's more of..." Ariel struggled for a minute to find the right description. "...a means to help her body reconstruct itself."

Off Jim's gesture to explain, she continued, "As you know, the infestation process is conducted by a virus. The virus works like any other in terms of infection, but it uses infected cells to produce Zerg tissue instead and causes moderate to severe damage to the original body; the specific Zerg DNA that said tissue comes from varies by unknown causes. The human DNA isn't overwritten, but normal cell replication is inhibited in certain parts of the body. It's not completely stopped, so normal cells can still be produced, but certain cells in Zerg have the ability to hunt down, as your scientist Stetmann discovered, any human cells not produced to replace dying ones. Said cells also destroy the body's natural immune system and take over to ensure that the Zerg tissue isn't attacked from within, which is why infested people stay infested." She raised her holopad and showed him a graphic of a cell being infested to make sure he understood.

"Basically, that carapace is still living tissue, but the only thing it shares with the remainder of a victim's original form is their body's circulatory and nervous systems. There's a quirk with infestation in that virus production stops once the subject is infested, but the existing Zerg cells replicate to replace dying ones. That means if the Zerg carapace is cut off from the infested person's circulatory system, it will decay and be able to be removed painlessly."

"Hold on, Doc. What about what infestation does to a person's mind?"

"That's the part that I've been grappling with. When a person is infested the brain grows additional cells that allow for telepathic communication through the hive mind. The problem is that any attempts to remove them so far have ended with permanent and severe brain damage. Fortunately for Sarah, the primal infestation doesn't affect the mind."

"So it was removed the first time? How come she could still control the Zerg?"

Ariel answered patiently, "It wasn't. But it's different in Sarah's case, probably because the Overmind gave her, or at least the Queen of Blades, free will unlike any other Terrans the Swarm infested. I'm not completely sure, but I think the subjects were driven insane by surgical treatment of the mind because of the shock of reverting to their own control immediately. They can't be completely removed by any existing forms of combating cancer or my cure. The cure destroys enough of the tumor to cut off communication with the hive mind over time, but the former infested are "

Jim let that sink in. "So your cure..."

"The 'cure' that I discovered was based partially on Stetmann's studies. It's a complicated mixture, but there's only three functions I had to develop completely new compounds for: stimulate the body to 'cut off' the Zerg carapace from the circulatory system, suppress hunter cell production and help rebuild the body's own immune system, and kill off as much of the Zerg brain tumor as I dared. The rest is a regeneration drug similar to what you and the Dominion use for Medic medipacks, but enhanced based on research into Zerg regeneration, courtesy partially of your man but mostly from my work. I predicted it will take almost a year to finish the treatment on account of the brain treatment, but I removed that component for the medicine I administered to Sarah, so I expect that the treatment will be complete in fully in a few weeks since the parts work relatively quickly."

"That's all fine and dandy, Doc, but how can you be sure this permanently works? The Zerg are known for their rapid evolution to combat things like this."

"The mutagens in an infested's body are what is mostly responsible for this. They're independent cells present in an infested's bloodstream and are basically dormant until needed, and that's when they turn into gene factories, spinning large amounts of DNA. I'm not sure why, but most of it is discarded once they mutagens cease activity again, which suggests that once they find a gene sequence that suits whatever they were awakened for they go dormant again. There are a large number of existing compounds that are capable of destroying DNA with ease, and mutagens don't reproduce by themselves; other Zerg cells have to build them. Since mutagens are cells in themselves once their DNA is corrupted they cease production of DNA to prevent the remainder of the infested from being corrupted."

"So other than the mind part she'll have no Zerg?"

"No. I didn't want to risk destroying the body's own DNA with higher concentrations of compound than absolutely necessary, so a large number of mutagens will persist. They aren't of any harm, and can actually accelerate healing and increase physical strength in short order if awakened repeatedly."

"So you're saying that the remaining Zerg can't harm her, only help her?"

"Correct. It won't re-infest her either, since the mutagens can only produce DNA off of an available base, whether that's human or Zerg. Since it's human, it will only augment her original DNA rather than overwrite it with Zerg genes."

Jim sighed with relief on multiple accounts and turned to the still-sleeping figure on the bed. He felt his heart throb with longing; he wanted Sarah back so badly. They hadn't been separated for very long, but unlike the four years she'd been infested the first time, Sarah had made no secret of her own love for him before they parted ways, and that fact made any obstacle seem doubly painful and insurmountable.

Mindful of his thoughts, Ariel dropped any pretense of continuing the conversation and quietly left the ward after checking with a nurse about the medicine stock. Jim slowly shifted Sarah to one side so he could sit on the bed next to her, taking one of her hands in his.

Jim slowly played out every happy memory they had shared since he and Sarah first met in his head, rubbing her hand gently in his fingers. He looked over at her human face and reached his other hand out, gently stroking her cheek a few times before running his hand slowly through her dreadlocks. He didn't mind them even if they were of Zerg origin; though he preferred Sarah's original red hair he thought her new look didn't detract from her beauty at all. Besides, he'd seen more than enough of the Swarm to learn that they weren't nearly all the Terrans took them to be.

Jim lowered Sarah's hand and was immediately poked by one of the organic edges on her arm. He checked the spot and didn't find any physical injury. Regardless, Zerg still hurt...a little.

(music - Mega Man X: Cast Roll)

A low groan suddenly escaped Sarah's lips and she stirred for the first time since the artifact had hit her. Jim felt his heart jump to his throat and took her hand in his once more, squeezing it gently. Sarah instinctively snuggled closer to him and opened her eyes.

When he saw those emerald irises again, all other thoughts were pushed from his mind. Finally, he had Sarah completely back. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled the love of his life close to him.

But he could sense something was wrong. She didn't return the embrace and gently tried to break free.

Jim let her go after another second, and his face fell slightly upon seeing Sarah's pained expression. He instinctively reached out to comfort her, but she pushed him away, careful not to hurt him with the various spikes on her body but adamant in her refusal.

"Sarah, what's wrong...?"

"Jim...did you...did you try to kill me?"

Jim was caught off guard by the question. He was torn over whether to answer. Though he knew Sarah could read the answer if she really wanted to, he also knew she didn't want it and didn't want to hurt her. He knew she was also implicitly asking why, which opened up another wormhole of matters.

"Jim, please don't make me..." she begged. "I...I just want to know."

He felt as though he were breaking both of their hearts by answering, but he nodded slowly and subtlely. Sarah gently squeezed his hand to show that she understood why he had considered it.

"That's not it..." Jim sighed as he noticed her expression hadn't changed.

"How long was I out?" she asked, trying to figure out how to explain her vision.

"Two weeks." The answer was flat and emotionless. Changing the subject, he continued, "I understand if you want to hide things from me..."

"No! That wasn't what I was trying to do! I..." Sarah cried desperately at hearing Jim's bitterly sarcastic tone. "I...had a..." she couldn't continue. She didn't want to relive everything her two-week dream had shown her, but the recollection of those horrific scenes was too much in themselves and she felt tears burning in her eyes. She reached out for Jim and was relieved as he took her in his arms and gently caressed her dreadlocks and body until her tears stopped.

"You don't have to show me everything now or ever, darlin'. But if you feel like you have to, I'll be there fore you," Jim promised, putting his hands on her shoulders. "I'm here when you're ready."

No sooner had the offer left his mouth than Sarah suddenly pulled him into a kiss, intertwining their fingers and connecting her mind with Jim's as she did so.

Immediately Jim began to see dozens of snapshots of death and destruction, courtesy of a Swarm without Sarah's guidance. He saw the Hyperion destroyed and felt what it had done to Sarah as a helpless spectator. He witnessed the Swarm ravage other worlds after purging the Korpulu Secotr of their rivals. Worst of all, he felt the cooped up anguish within her slowly consume her until only one concious thought remained, weakening her physical links with life. But through it all, the sensation of Sarah's lips against his never diminished in the slightest, the touch of her hands remained humanly soft, and her love for him never left the forefront of her mind, becoming the last stand of her sanity. It was because of Jim that she still found the will to continue after a life so filled with sadness and death. From anyone else, it would have gratified Jim beyond measure, but hearing this from Sarah...he couldn't find the words to describe it.

While Jim saw what she had seen, Sarah lived through his memories of the past weeks. She felt his desperation as he fought to stall her possessed body without fatally harming her as the xel'naga artifact charged. She watched as he struggled with whether or not to give her the release she deserved after all her ordeals. She shared his disgust at seeing the sadistic anticipation of his allies and his elation at seeing that her infestation was partially removed and could be reveresed wholly. She felt a most welcome rush of deja vu when he saw him carrying her back to the Hyperion. And lastly, she read Jim's rush of compassion and love as he processed what she was showing him. Jim's lips never left hers, his hands never let go, and she could sense his passion, defiant in the face of the horrors he was confronted with, now and then. It didn't matter that the road ahead was far from ideal and that they would likely be separated for eternity: At that moment, Sarah Kerrigan was the happiest woman in the Korpulu Sector.

(music - StarCraft II Wings of Liberty Soundtrack: Firstborn)

Zeratul slipped undetected through the Hyperion's hallways. Though he doubted any of Raynor's men would react hostilely to him, they weren't his concern. It was reaching Kerrigan undetected that was, and the chance that any of them might inform their commander of his presence was too high.

The Protoss had been willing to give Kerrigan and the Zerg another chance because they knew what would happen and their predictions of what it would force her to do. Unfortunately, their gauge of the Queen's character had been completely incorrect again. But this time, there wouldn't be a chance for her to exploit it. The settling of the Protoss's most bitter grudge would spark war with the Zerg, a perfect excuse to wipe the wretched aliens out.

With the largest score to settle with Sarah and the most amnicable relationship with Jim, the Nerazim had volunteered to strike on the Daaleam's behalf. There would never be a better time: Aiur had just been completely reclaimed, the threat from beyond was gone, and the Queen was once more weakened, if not completely human.

"At long last, Fenix, Razsagal, Aladris, and all others who fell before her shall be avenged."

Jim smiled as he watched Sarah drift back into sleep under his touch. There wasn't much time for them together, but he'd insisted that she rest. He didn't have to be a doctor or have medical equipment to know that showing him all that was a severe drain on her, emotionally if not physically.

Suddenly, one of the lights on the opposite side of the medbay flickered off, followed by another. Jim tensed and tightened his grip around Sarah with one arm and slowly drew his revolver with the other.

Sarah sensed something was amiss too. Her eyes opened immediately and she sat up, trying to probe her surroundings for intruders. She found only one, but his presence still frightened her; for there could be only one reason for him to be here...

"Z...Zeratul..." she stammered.

Jim's eyes narrowed as Sarah betrayed the intruder's identity. "Show yourself, Zeratul. I won't let you harm her."

"James Raynor, I will not this once. I ask of you to stand down and leave her to me."

"Dammit, Zeratul, you guys promised you would give her a chance to prove herself!"

"And remember what happened the last time we did! Not just to us, but to your kind as well!"

"Have you considered things from her perspective? Imprisoned in her own mind for four years! Forced to give up everything she cares about for the sake of a race that she has every right to hate but doesn't by choice! And she wants to live to keep the Zerg away from you, even though that means she loses everything she cares about!"

"James Raynor, I command you to stand down or, on behalf of the Daaleam Protoss, I will forcibly take her from you!" Calming himself, the still-invisible Nerazim continued; "Regardless of whether she was free during her time as the Queen of Blades, Kerrigan has commited crimes against the Protoss for which she must answer."

"How the hell does that not change anything? She couldn't do a damn about it!"

Suddenly Sarah spoke up. "Zeratul, I understand if you don't believe Jim. But...can I show you?" She seemed almost afraid to ask the question, but her voice didn't waver.

The question caught him off guard. He hadn't expected Kerrigan to do this. She was doing so knowing fully well that it left her open to psychic attack and suspicions that she would brainwash anyone who probed her mind. Yet she was willing to lower her guard and give him the chance to finish her so she could prove her innocence. Zeratul's hatred couldn't be forgiven nearly so easily, but he was also developing a genuine respect for the former Queen.

His tone softened considerably and the Nerazim revealed himself. "I am not your executioner, young Kerrigan. However, the Hierarchy has demanded you be placed on trial, and as you have discovered already many are far more hostile than I am."

"Always something..." Jim grumbled but didn't argue.

"Why not just kill me now?" Sarah asked, hoping it wouldn't provoke the Nerazim.

"We Protoss are not fanatical, young Kerrigan. There are a great many among us who seek a path of rationale and wisdom much as some of your kind do. If your case can be proven, it is by our creed that we shall see it done."

"Zeratul, that's mighty ironic coming from you. How can we be sure your people won't just turn her into psi-blade kabob when we set foot on Aiur?"

"We possess a code of laws like your kind, James Raynor. If a trial is called it is the duty of the Protoss to accept the Hierarchy's decree."

That seemed to satisfy Jim slightly, and he backed down. Sarah looked at him in mild surprise before turning her attention to Zeratul.

"Then...to Aiur..." she mumbled. Though she could tell she hadn't betrayed her fear to Zeratul, physically or psychically, the thought of a trial frightened her, and though mostly because she didn't want to see what had happened during the years in question, it also stemmed from the prosecution. While its members were more open than the Conclave it had replaced they were by no means sympathetic. Even assuming they would interpret her actions against Amon favorably, this would be a difficult persuasion. The fact that other Protoss would be weighing in their opinions didn't help matters. She hadn't associated with many outside of the Hierarchy by their order; given the Protoss's suspicions of her she didn't blame them, but it made persuading the Daaleam as a whole much more difficult. Even if she was acquitted, the Hierarchy's word wouldn't mean anything if so much as a single Zealot decided to step out of line at the right time.

(music - your choice)

"Do not despair yet, Kerrigan." She looked up in surprise as Zeratul spoke. "Though many among us still bear ill will towards you, we do not forget the services of those who have fought alongside us. As much as some may wish it otherwise, there is hope."

The words meant nothing to her; Sarah was sure they had been spoken mostly for Jim's sake. She wasn't optimistic about her chances; the Protoss would be much more eager to take their chances in war without both Zeratul's word to back her case and the threat of hybrids in addition to a Swarm controlled by Amon.

Jim didn't seem too convinced by Zeratul's words either, and the Nerazim was well aware of the fact. Without another word, Zeratul left and the lights flickered back on. Sarah sighed resignedly and assumed a posture that indicated she wanted to be alone, raising her knees to her chest and putting her arms around them.

"Who am I kidding?" She said as much to herself as to Jim. "I should've known better than..." her voice trailed off as she struggled to find a means of conveying her thoughts without hurting Jim.

"Sarah, they can see reason. All you have to do is show them."

"That's all I can do, Jim. They'll be much more likely to take their chances against a Swarm without me...Maybe I should have infested myself the first time I went to Zerus. It would be much easier for us both now."

"What?!" Jim couldn't believe what he was hearing. Anger flooded his voice. "And leave the one person who cared for you through all those years looking at a monster that's taken his love again?"

"We wouldn't have this whole emotional thing getting in the way of what needs to be done!" Sarah shouted back exasperatedly. "It...It would make getting back together impossible, but we would have moved on by now if I did."

"Then you don't care about me. About the man who pined for you for five years! Who gave up everything he had for you! Who could have, and should have moved on!" Jim got off the bed and began to leave the medbay.

"Jim, wait!" Sarah begged, but he paid no attention. "Jim, I didn't mean it!" She tried to get up to follow him, but he had already stormed out.

Sarah stared in shock for a few seconds before she started to cry. This was one of the last moments she would likely have alone with Jim, and she'd completely ruined it in seconds. Not only that but she'd managed to do what five years of chaos and separation hadn't: make him think of giving up on her. "Why can't I just do something right for once?!"

She didn't know how long it was before she cried herself to sleep. But by then, she was sure of two things. One, that even if Jim was convinced otherwise, she still loved him. By her life, she would protect him even if he gave her the cold shoulder. They weren't meant to be together, but that didn't mean she couldn't love him.

The second made no sense to her distraught mind. Her Zerg carapace felt less like skin and more like an organic hostile environment suit. Had she looked closely she would have observed that it looked as though the carapace were separating from her body.

Hyperion Cantina

The bartender raised an eyebrow as Jim asked for a whiskey. The commander hadn't drunk at all since Kerrigan had freed him from the Moros. Nevertheless, he complied with the request.

Jim stared at the shot glass. What he had said to Sarah was nothing short of cruelty, and the guilt was gnawing at him. But he wasn't sure she would accept any apology or even want to see him any more.

He'd been so angry when he heard her regret staying human...it was one thing to do it, and she was probably right in that they would have eventually worked it out. But to not and regret it later on...to Jim that had signified she didn't care about him or what he'd done for her.

Now he was beginning to see that wasn't the case. She did care for him deeply, and it was true that her remaining human had caused more than its fair share of emotional complications over the past months. Did it really signify indifference if infesting herself before she knew he was alive was really to spare them pain further on?

He'd been thrilled that she was still human when she rescued him from the Moros. But now, after feeling almost every emotional consequence of her actions, he wondered if it was worth it in the end.

Jim stood and left the bar without drinking the whiskey. He didn't need it even when they had been separated twice since Umoja. He didn't need it now.

He didn't head for the medbay, though he knew that he should apologize to Sarah. He turned and walked towards the bridge.

Matt Horner got off the comm with Swann as Jim walked in.

"Sir." The captain saluted.

"Matt, set us on a course for Mar Sara."

"Mar Sara?" the captain asked, confused. "I would've thought we'd be going to Aiur." Off Jim's puzzled expression, Matt explained, "Zeratul stopped by here and explained what supposedly said to you."

"I have something I need to take care of first. And try to patch us to that broodmother who's in charge. We need to keep informing her that their queen is safe otherwise there's no telling what they'll do."

Horner nodded. "I'll get us in contact once we arrive over Mar Sara. Shouldn't take more than a few hours to get there."

Suddenly, Tosh, who had been staring out the bridge viewports, walked over as the battlecruiser entered warp space.

"Tosh, I ain't interested right now."

The spectre brushed Jim's objections aside. "You shouldn't be giving up on her so easily."

"I ain't giving up on her, Tosh." Jim already knew that the spectre had a similar relationship with Nova and its outcome.

"But you aren't clear on what you think of her, are you? You're on the edge of a dangerous slope, brother."

"Stay out of my head, Tosh." Jim was past annoyance at the spectre's telepathy but he didn't like it when it was brought up in the presence of others.

The spectre wordlessly returned to his place by the viewport without another word. Jim wondered if he was going through something similar. He'd seemed even more distant than usual from the Hyperion crew since Nova had captured Jim. And he'd spent much more time looking out the bridge windows.

As for what he'd said...Jim wasn't giving up on Sarah. "Why does everything have to be so damn complicated now...things were so much easier when this was all just about Arcturus..."

Jim watched as the stars flew past the bridge viewports. It seemed every happy memory he possessed was repaid tenfold by the painful experiences throughout his life. He'd never been the superstitious or religious type, but for the first time he wondered if someone beyond them was intentionally screwing with his fate.

Author's Note: So I mentioned earlier that I would be revising Chapter 2. Though I understand some of you guys aren't completely satisfied with the chapter, the revision isn't happening any time soon. School starts this week, so this will likely be the last update in a while.