The storm has returned over the small town, thunder and lightening booming overhead as he takes care of the young mother. Using a wash rag, he gently wipes the sweat from her face, knowing that she was coming down with a fever.

Her vitals are getting stronger, making him worry a little less over the sudden fever that has come on. Wiping her down, as much as is respectable, he covers her up with the blanket and settles in with one of his books. His brother had been angry, to say the least, that he had bailed on them.

Normally he'd be right there along with him if it had been their mother, but she's safe with their baby brother and - to him - that's all that mattered. His life didn't really mean much, as far as he was concerned, death was a constant threat that it barely registered to him anymore.

"I can't believe they wouldn't let me come!" Robin exclaims, storming into Emily's house, catching her by surprise.

"Jesus, Robin!" Emily snaps, setting her tea cup down on the table. "What are you trying to do to me, woman? I'm too young to have a heart attack."

"Oh...uh, sorry." Robin shuts the door, feeling badly for startling her. "That sounds really good right about now, though."

"I put out a cup for you." Emily gestures to the empty tea cup beside hers. "There's a doorbell for a reason, Robin."

"I know...sorry." Robin walks over and sits beside her. "I take it you're mad about them going without you, too, huh?"

"What do you think?" Emily counters, picking up her tea cup once Robin was settled into the couch. "I'm on the verge of a nervous breakdown with all of them out there."

"And, as usual, we're stuck here worrying about them." Robin sighs, running her fingers through her hair. "I don't know how much more I can take of this."

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Wonder who that could be." Emily comments, rising to her feet to look through the peephole. "No way."

"Who is it?" Robin jumps up, truly curious by the look on Emily's face, wanting to see who it was for herself. "Holy crap!"

"Should we let her in?" Emily looks at Robin curiously.

"Up to you." Robin holds her hands up in surrender, walking backwards to the couch. "Your house after all."

"Gee, thanks." Emily rolls her eyes before pulling open the door. "Carly...hey."

"Jason called me." Carly said as a greeting. "Got room for two more?"

"Sure." Emily steps aside. "Come on in."

Together, the three women and Michael, settle in for the long night day ahead of them. Their hearts were" all with the men they loved, hoping and praying that they find Elizabeth and bring her home safely. It wasn't just Jason that would be devastated by the loss of the brunette. All three of their men would be. They would be. Elizabeth couldn't die now. She just couldn't.

While the women are keeping themselves together, altogether avoiding Sonny's death and the police, the men are searching the entire town in Guatemala for Elizabeth. In such a small town, there weren't many willing to talk to them. The doctors that treated Elizabeth were killed during the hospital crisis.

The nurses won't talk and neither would the rest of the town. Knowing the kind of mobs they had in that part of the country, Jason wasn't at all surprised by their lack of willingness to help out. He will find her, regardless of the kind of help he receives from the locals. He will find her. He had to.

"We need to stop for food." Francis speaks up, knowing the other two wouldn't.

"We keep moving." Jason states, walking through the streets.

"We're no help to Elizabeth if we run ourselves into the ground." Francis states firmly, trying his best to play the role of his best friend until they find her. Knowing she'd kill them if they didn't take care of themselves along the way.

"He's right, man." Johnny slips in. "We need to keep ourselves fueled to go."

"Fine." Jason relents, his own stomach shouting at him to eat something. "Ten minutes. Not a second more."

"Fine with me." Francis says as they walk into one of the food shacks.

Grabbing something quick to eat, Jason sits, thinking about Elizabeth and overcome with a feeling that she was close. He hasn't had a strong feeling about Elizabeth in a while and that gave him hope. He'll find her soon, he knows it. He can feel it in his heart and his gut. From the look on Francis's face, he believed it, too. The overshadowing emotion was an emotion Jason chooses to overlook.

Johnny watches as the other two men eat their grub. His mind travelling back to his conversation with Emily. He wanted nothing more than to marry her and give her the family that she wants. Knowing that, in spite of how well she argued to the contrary, she wanted it in the foreseeable future. Not in the distant future.

Watching Jason, the way he's searching frantically for the woman he loves, it gave Johnny pause. He never wants to be Jason, searching for Emily and their unborn child, it would damn near kill him. He's surprised that Jason hasn't fallen apart yet. Doubting that he'd ever have that kind of strength if Emily was the one missing.

Right now its just his friend that's missing. Someone he cared a lot about, but not someone he's in love with. If Emily were to ever be caught in the crossfire and he was forced to search the world for her...Johnny doubts he'd have the strength to keep himself together for as long as Jason has. He'll revisit the idea of marriage and kids later, for now he'll keep his mind on Elizabeth and bringing her home safely.

Meanwhile, back at the cabin, the man is working hard to feed Elizabeth something. She needed to keep food down, for the sake of her health and her baby. She was still very weak, unable to sit up on her own, but she didn't fight him.

After much convincing, she allowed him to feed her, accepting that he wasn't a threat to her or her unborn child. Although it was only soup, he felt relieved that she had kept it down. Laying her back in bed, he stands by her side, watching her as she falls back into a peaceful slumber.

She was slowly regaining her strength, her mind clearing up more and more, and soon she'd be strong enough to feed herself. The fever was starting to break, having to do it without medication, for fear of harming the child.

He hopes that her recovery speeds up, wanting to get the hell out of dodge once she's strong enough to make it back to her loved ones on her own. He knows it was the right choice, taking her from the hospital. She'd be dead had he not done it.

He feels bad, of course, that his retrieving her cost other's their lives. His family's enemies not one to mess around, but it came with the territory. Each and every local knows the risk of living in that town, none of them innocent, so he didn't feel too much guilt.

Elizabeth is his one and only concern right now. After finding out that his mother and baby brother made it out of the country in one piece, it has freed up his focus to put it on the young mother. Once he gets her back to normal, he'll send her on her way and find his way to his family. Back to where he belongs.

A/N: Thank you for the reviews, we hope you keep up with them.

-ROCkER & The Jackal's Vixen-