"Do you know how many soldiers melt at a kid?"Kate asked as she pulled each twin out of the sling she was wearing and handed them over to Alicia. She was dressed in her usual wide leg cotton yoga pants and light weight long sleeve jumper with a cowl neckline. Alicia couldn't help but notice how tired and pale her friend look and wondered how much sleep she had lost taking care of the twins.

"Their Taylor's kids" Alicia said as she greedily took her child from Kate and held the baby to her chest taking a moment to bond with her child.

"They are yours as well and seriously all the cooing." Kate rolled her eyes "What was really weird was most of them were guys. Never in my life have I met a clucky bunch of male soldiers" Kate said as Alicia chuckled in amusement that Kate was completely oblivious to the fact that the men were just trying to score brownie points with Taylor and to hit on Kate.

Even though Kate was married and pregnant the two had yet to publically say so and as such many still believed they were just rumours. As it wasn't confirmed of course there were men and women who were interested in Malcolm and Kate and figure it was worth a try. Well, with Kate the soldiers thought it was worth a try as they didn't seem to think Malcolm would be tough competition.

"Awwwh the twins are here" Elisabeth cooed as she came to the bed. She picked up Ava and her whole face melted with baby love and she started cooing nonsense at the baby.

"Just like that" Kate said she tilted her head to Elisabeth who was still going ga ga over Ava. Kate pulled up a seat and sat down. Alicia laughed as she held Ella to her relishing the feel of having her children near her again. "I'm sorry" Kate said sincerely.

"Why?" Alicia asked confused as she was pretty sure the kids looked to be perfect and still in one piece.

"Because I didn't wake up and stop a murderous cow from poisoning my tea that I ended up serving to you?" Kate asked in a mockingly innocent manner. Alicia shot her a serious look.

"Kate, it's not your fault and there was no way you could have known. Anyway I survived and you didn't have any tea so it was lucky. We'll call it even as you looked after my kids for me" Alicia said as she lifted Ella and looked at the baby noting the outfit and trying not to melt so she wouldn't be the butt end of Kate's joke of being yet another soldier melting at a baby even if it was her own.

"Ok" Kate said.

"I hope they weren't too bad" Alciia said referring to the twins.

"Ava was surprisingly fussy but Malcolm managed to get her calm and Ella was her usual self" Kate said, Alicia was amazed as Ava was usually the most content child but also secretly relished that her children missed her.

"Malcolm helped?" Elisabeth asked as she was now finished with her baby meltdown of cuteness with Ava and just holding the baby.

"Surprisingly yes. I think after Ella had a couple of good spews on him. I think he just got over trying to be perfect and relaxed into it" Kate said, Alicia and Elisabeth laughed as Kate smiled.

"Oh Ella, good job" Alicia said proudly of her little girl. Ella just looked at her with wide eyes as if she were memorising Alicia's features.

"Yeah, it was hilarious I went for a lie down and when I woke up he was wearing a different shirt. Two wardrobe changes in one night" Kate said with a laugh.

"Kate before I forget-" Elisabeth started only for Kate to cut her off.

"Three days from now we have an afternoon appointment. I remember!" Kate chirped cheerfully.

"Good" Elisabeth said.

"How many weeks are you?" Alicia asked as she couldn't remember.

"I'll be thirteen then and still not showing… I think it's all a hoax" Kate said matter of factorily. Elisabeth and Alicia exchanged looked as they weren't sure if Kate was joking or just baiting them.

"Right, so what are your plans today as I assume it's your day off?" Alicia asked Kate who nodded as she made herself comfortable in the guest chair by the bed.

"Well Malcolm and I are having a lunch date at Boylan's then I'm going to have an afternoon nap and then I was going to raid your house for food and Taylor thinks he'll need Malcolm and I to babysit again. Unless you've been given a clean bill of health" Kate said looking to Elisabeth.

"See how you are in the afternoon, if you are more mobile I'll be happy to release you" Elisabeth said as she cradled Ava "Hello, aren't you just cutie in your little outfit" Elisabeth said to Ava. The baby girl looked up at Elisabeth and made a huffy noise which was the signal she was about to start crying.

"Uh oh better hand her off to mum before she starts crying. She has a great pair of lungs on her" Kate told Elisabeth with a smile as she had a whole night of hearing that noise.

"I'll trade you" Alicia said in an amused manner as Elisabeth handed Ava to Alicia before picking up Ella and starting cooing all over again. Ava settled immediately once she was in Alicia's arms and went to sleep in seconds.

"Oh that is not fair" Kate said.

"She wouldn't settle for you?" Alicia asked.

"Not that quickly" Kate said with a pout as she folded her arms.

Taylor watched as the technicians installed the surveillance equipment in Kate and Malcolm's home. He'd overseen his own house first but left out the surveillance of the interior as he didn't feel it was necessary and didn't want the invasion of his privacy even if it was temporary.

Jim walked up to his side and stopped, he adopted an old cowboy pose with his thumbs in his pockets and his legs in a wide stance.

"So I've been looking into how the lock was bypassed"

"You said it was remotely hacked"

"I thought it was but I got one of the computer specialists to look more closely at the coding and to see if there was anything to help us"

"And?" Taylor asked as he knew Jim had to have a point to what he was saying.

"The tech said it's the skeleton code written into the security systems of all the houses. The same code we use to open the doors"

"Only 6 people know that code and two of them are women both of whom we can agree is not our killer" Taylor said as the two women he was referring to were Kate and Alicia. While yes they both were capable of murdering someone they also both had solid alibis and no reason to kill any of the victims.

"I know which means that we have to change all the security and override codes"

"We'll do it after this" Taylor said as he was given the signal to step up and punch in the new code. Jim nodded and watched as Taylor disappeared into the house and cleared out the technicians before closing the door and punching in the new security codes. After he was done he dismissed the crew and motioned for Jim to follow him to the Command Centre.

On the Northern Perimeter, a work detail of sixers and civilians was helping the farmers dig yet another aqueduct for the fields to bring more rain water into the area to grow their rice crops. They were glad this was happening in the autumn and not the dead middle of summer as the work was hard enough without the hot sun burning down on them.

"I dunno, I think it needs more brewing time" Hunter said to Josh as they were at the far end of the ditch digging away. They had barely dug a meter down due to their chatter.

"You're just worried about another worm getting in you" Josh said laughing as he stuck his shovel into the ground and tossed the shovelled dirt to the side.

"Well the first one I had was so much fun" Hunter remarked dryly.

"Nothing says friendship like having your best friend pull a 30 meter tape worm from your stomach" Josh said with laugh as he stuck the shovel in the ground and stopped as he hit something. Hunter had stopped as he heard the noise as well. They both exchanged looks before Josh lifted the shovel and immediately dropped it as he jumped back at what he saw.

Hunter on the other hand took a step closer and picked it up "Dude, it's just a femur. I think" Hunter told him.

"I don't think you should be picking that up" Josh told Hunter who was twirling the bone like it was a baton before looking at it more closely.

"I think it's human… Hey look I got a spare now" Hunter joked as he placed the bone by his leg.

"Hey what the hell are you two doing horsing around?" The foreman shouted as he walked over to the boys. Hunter's antics had not been missed as the Foreman took the bones from Hunter

"Ah nothing just having a bit of fun. Getting back to work now" Hunter said awkwardly as he watched the Foreman inspect the bone more closely.

"Where did you get this?" The foreman asked them.

"We just dug it up" Josh said as he hoped they would be stung with another round of punishment for finding a bone and Hunter playing with it.

"Dunham, get over here" The foreman shouted.

Evan knocked on the open doorway to the command centre as he saw Taylor and Jim standing by a large plex screen talking in hushed tones. Taylor turned first and looked at him while Jim turned off the screen, Evan had no clue as to what they were looking at nor did he care.

"Evan, what do I owe for this unexpected meeting?" Taylor asked as he moved to his desk and motioned to Evan to come in and take a seat.

"You're not going to like it" Evan said as he took a seat, he looked to Jim who sat down in the second guest chair before he looked back to Taylor.

"Most of the time I don't. So go ahead" Taylor said calmly though Evan had no idea how calm the man would remain.

"I'm a couple months if not less from completing the repairs and upgrades to the terminus but with the unfortunate demise of Dr Xiong and Goldman work on the calculations has stalled, I would like to talk to your son about having him complete them" Evan said, he was right about Taylor not liking it as the man's eyes turned cold. Evan would have looked to Jim but he knew better than to break eye contact with Taylor.

"Out of the question" Taylor said firmly.

"He's the only person in the colony with an aptitude to finish the work. If he doesn't then we can't tether and close the fracture indefinitely. Unless you want 2149 to reconnect with us and go ahead with all their plans." Evan said as they both knew it was true, at some point 2149 would repair the damage to their power systems and start from scratch to try and come back to Terra Nova. It was the Oasis they dreamed to tear to shreds. But it was years off thanks to Kate and Maddy's handiwork. Taylor lifted his chin a fraction taking a moment before speaking.

"He won't do it out of the kindness of his heart. He'll want something" Taylor told Evan.

"Ok then what am I allowed to give him?" Evan asked Taylor pursed his lips. "How about what I'm not allowed to give him?" Evan asked as he was sure it would be easier to answer.

"Ok, no early release, no visits from Kate. You also don't tell him about the twins or my marriage to Alicia. It's probably best to stay completely on topic with the calculations and not socialise-" Taylor stopped as a soldier knocked on the doorway. The three of them turned in their seats to look at the soldier who had intruded on their unscheduled meeting.

"Excuse me sir, human remains have been found just outside the North perimeter by a work detail" the soldier told them.

"I'll go" Jim said.

"If you need me or anyone else just call" Taylor said to Jim who nodded before leaving the room. Taylor turned his attention back to Evan.

"You were telling me what I can barter with" Evan said.

"You haven't got much to work with and my son is unbalanced for want of a better word. I won't allow him out of the brig for the safety of the colony and for Lucas's safety as there are many people who would like to see him dead" Taylor said.

"My sister one of the people who would be in danger?" Evan asked.

"More like one of the few who would be a danger to Lucas's safety. He has a fixation on destroying me and I prefer not to give him any ammunition" Taylor remarked carefully so Evan understood where he was coming from. Evan nodded as he heard the stories about Lucas and the Occupation not to mention the crazy fixations Lucas had on the portal calculations and destroying his father. He was prepared to sit through a lot of Taylor bashing sessions with Lucas if it meant he could finish the project.

"Ok so I have nothing to offer him" Evan said. Taylor pursed his lips before he spoke considering his options.

"Let me get back to you on that. When did you want to speak with him?" Taylor asked.

"In the next few days, the sooner he gets started the better" Evan said.

"You are going have to be careful" Jim told Kate as they watched Malcolm and Elizabeth with a small group of soldiers sift through the dirt and pull bones from the ground before placing them into containers for transport. Tayor stood to the side watching as he decided to stop by and see the scene for himself. Kate on the otherhand had been dragged away from her morning tea with Alicia so she was already in a foul mood as lack of sleep, anxiety over her home and hunger set in as lunch was an hour and a half away.

"What do you think she used to burn the flesh off? Her oven or the garbage incinerator?" Kate asked Jim in a mocking manner as they looked at the pile of bones that had been uncovered. She hadn't meant to sound so snide but the tone and words slid out of mouth on their own volition as Jim's remark of being 'careful' struck a nerve and flared anger in her. She knew he was giving her friendly advice but it felt patronizing to her like she walked down dark alleys and personally asked the killer to come after her.

"Kate-" Jim started in a serious tone but Kate cut him off again.

"I heard you, but what can we do but look at surveillance videos and hope we catch a glimpse of this woman dumping bones in this area? Maybe we should look at power usage but considering all the doubling up we had in housing two months ago it would be a waste of time" Kate said with a sigh as they were still no where closer to figuring it out.

"We might find something-"

"Yeah right and I might find a cocoa tree and take chocolate baths. What are we doing here? You're an ex narcotics cop and I'm… I don't even know what I am but this is ridiculous. We'll find nothing more than a bunch of dead sixers who will finally be given a proper burial while those of us still alive on her shit list are on borrowed time which is just Fan-fucking-tastic!" Kate exclaimed sarcastically making everyone nearby look at her as she was not one to have such an outburst. She threw up her hands and shook her head in disbelief as she turned her back to the group as she couldn't stand their looks.

"Kate, we'll find a lead" Jim said in a low and patient voice.

"No we won't. Any evidence has been trampled to death by the work detail and on the slim chance that this person wasn't hiding in the shadows while walking to the dump site we might get a glimpse of her on camera. If she isn't working alone and was the one who dumped the bones" Kate told him in an angry low voice to him.

"I didn't think you'd have such a short fuse when I brought you in on your day off" Jim said to her as he watched Kate run her hands over her face and her hair which was pulled back into a low bun, she looked to be on the cusp of a meltdown. "People make mistakes, this person will slip up and we'll be there to catch her"

"Oh is that so because she's offed like 8 people without leaving so much a fingerprint or DNA. The only mistake she has made so far is in poisoning the wrong woman with tea. Maybe I should write my will cause at this rate I'm toast" Kate told Jim in a scathing tone. Taylor moved away from where he was standing to Kate and motioned for her to walk with him.

"Kate, are you ok?" Taylor asked her in a low voice like a parent chastising their child but didn't want to shout their displeasure at their child's attitude problems.

"Yes" Kate said in a slightly petulant manner as she folded her arms and mirroring Taylor's posture.

"You're on paid leave until further notice" He told her as he knew the conversation would disintegrate quickly. Kate and Alicia shared some of the same behavioural traits and mirroring his posture was like a warning sign that if he didn't say what he had to quickly things would get dark.

"What?" Kate asked surprised at how he hadn't beaten around the bush.

"You're too close to this and I can see it is causing you more distress to be here then it should. Take my rover. Go home, go to the infirmary and keep Alicia and the kids company. Walk away from this one." Taylor told her in a low voice. Kate dropped her head and covered her eyes with a hand before she looked up at him and nodded. Taylor clapped a hand on her shoulder and then walked her over to his rover.

He watched her drive away and walked back to wear Jim was standing and stood next to the man with his arms folded looking down at Malcolm and Elisabeth.

"Kate's on paid leave until this is matter is resolved" Taylor told Jim.

"A good idea, I thought she'd be able to handle it better than she is" Jim said Taylor.

"Give her a break, Jim. I doubt being pregnant and married to a man with partial amnesia while targeted by a killer was covered in her occupational training to be a special forces officer or whatever she was" Malcolm drawled sarcastically from where he and Elisabeth were. Taylor chuckled while Elisabeth smiled and continued to work as Jim opened his mouth to speak but couldn't find the right words.

"Is there anything you two can tell us?" Jim asked Malcolm and Elisabeth.

"We have 6 victims but we'll be able to tell you more once we get these bones back to the lab. But considering there are no smaller bones here I'd say they used carved up the remains and used the garbage incinerator" Elisabeth told them as she stood up and dusted her hands.

"That would take a long time to do and make a bloody big mess" Malcolm commented as he stood up from the ground as well. "I'm going to get the geologists to dig up the rest of the soil to make sure we haven't missed any but I think Elisabeth has enough to get started" he told Taylor who gave a nod.

"Sick of playing in the Dirt?" Jim asked him snidely to get back at Malcolm for his early remark.

"As I told you before criminal pathology not one of my numerous fields of study" Malcolm said with a closed lipped smile as he moved away from the site.

Kate pulled the rover up to a stop outside Taylor's house and turned off the engine and walked to her front door. When she got to the door she punched in the new code and opened the door. She had planned on cleaning out the cupboards and making a list everything she and Malcolm would have to replace as it would take at least a good hour or two she needed to lose before her lunch date with Malcolm.

She stepped into the house and closed the door before she paused. She slowed her breathing and listened to the stillness of the house trying to detect any noise that didn't belong. She heard the outside noise carry in, sounds of cicadas, birds and the wind blowing the branches of trees. She heard the creaking of wood as those parts of the wood contracted as a result of the change in temperature. Her heart pounded as her hand wavered over the handle of the gun as all the sounds were playing tricks on her mind. She shook her head feeling ridiculous for fearing her own home but her mind kept telling her all the what if's. What if the woman was lurking in her house even with the upgrades and was waiting for Kate to fall into her trap she set up. Anxiety rose in her to the point of ridiculous as she unholstered her gun and moved a couple of steps further into the house.

Alicia sat cross legged on the bio bed looking down at the sleeping twins wishing she was at home than in the Infirmary as nearly every person who passed her bed made a pit stop to coo at her children and congratulate her which was nice but she was starting to feel like an animal at the zoo with her young.

She heard footsteps coming towards her and purposefully kept her eyes down hoping whoever it was would walk past but sadly whoever it was didn't take the clue as they dragged up a chair and sat down with a thump.

"It's official what little sanity I have is gone" Kate said and Alicia looked up glad for once it was Kate as she would keep the other women away. She looked at her friend who shook her head in disbelief at herself.

"Why do claim this?" Alicia asked being dramatic for amusement sake.

"I went home because Taylor benched me and instead of putting my gun in the safe and taking a relaxing bath or a nap. I unholstered my weapon and searched the rooms for a person who isn't there and even when I knew all the room were clear. I still couldn't relax and I heard a twitch of a noise and shot a vase. Do you know that Guzman lacks a sense of humour?" Kate asked her. Alicia smothered a smile as she knew that Kate's house was rigged with senses to detect weapons fire and set off a silent alarm. She also wished she was on duty to watch the scene go down between them.

"What did he say?"

"If I didn't like the vase then I should have put it away not shot it then gave me a fine for discharging my weapon. He said he would have confiscated it but felt I shouldn't be unarmed at this time. Taylor is going to rip me a new one" Kate said dropping her head into her hands.

"I'm sure he'll understand that you just reacted. I would let you off, there's a woman out there cutting people up like a Christmas Gallosaur"

"Speaking of where's Fogarty?" Kate asked as she looked at the empty bed five over and saw it was empty.

"He died 20 minutes ago from heart failure. They moved his body to the morgue" Alicia told her, Kate cursed under breath and sunk lower in her chair.

"So Taylor benched you" Alicia said hoping to distract Kate from what she was thinking. It was like Kate was turning the invisible cooking timer on in her head and hearing it tick tock down to her imminent demise.

"Yeah, I had a micro meltdown and I blame the parasite. I'm usually cool as cucumber about this stuff but the last few weeks it's like I'm blindfolded riding a psychotic rollercoaster of emotions and horniness. It all started after it started getting bigger…how am I going to survive 6 more months of this?" Kate asked before she gave a sigh. She threw her hands up in the air and slouched back in her chair.

"Maybe you should do more yoga or have more sex" Alicia offered as she along with many others noticed Kate only seemed to be mellow out after sex or yoga than any other time. Considering the woman couldn't have a drink. "Or get a massage" Alicia added as she knew she was in dire need of a good massage.

"I could use a massage" Kate said thoughtfully.

"You just need to calm down, the security systems obviously work" Alicia said with an amused smile.

"Yeah they do. I just hope Malcolm doesn't notice that vase is gone" Kate said as she covered her eyes out of embarrassment for a moment. "So how about you, how are you?" Kate asked.

"I'm good, I can walk as far as the bathroom" Alicia said.

"So can I break you out of here?" Kate asked her eyes lighting up with the idea of helping Alicia escape.

"Yes" Alicia said in relief as she desperately wanted out of the infirmary.

"Awesome, I need a wheelchair, volunteers and a distraction" Kate said as she sat up in her chair.

"You'll get in trouble" Alicia told her.

"The hole is already dug out, why not make it deeper" Kate said in a nonchalant fashion with a smile as she pulled out her comm. and messaged Evan.

TBC~Cya all in a few days