Jason paced the waiting room. Even though Elena had asked them to join her into the operating room, Doctor Miller had overridden her desires and insisted only medical personnel be let in. Jason couldn't say he was disappointed. But he knew, despite everything Elliot had been through, he had longed to be there when his son was born.

Elliot sat in one of the cushioned mauve chairs along the wall, resting his head in his hands. He slid his hand through his hair, ruffling it further.

Jason wanted to comfort him, but he couldn't help but be reminded of the day he lost his son. He'd been pacing the waiting room, praying for Connie's and Jeremiah's safety—

Then the doctor had come in, said he'd done all he could, but the baby had "passed away".

He hadn't realized at first what the words truly meant.

"Your wife is fine; she's resting comfortably. She will heal in no time."

Physically, that was true. But it had taken two months for the worst of the wounds to go away, and he knew they still ran deep.

Now Connie would have more trauma to heal from. There would be a lot for them to work through when he returned. Connie would have to deal with his trauma… with them getting back together, being each other again… And with the fact that he'd… become entangled with his enemy—

A searing blade shot through his heart.

What have I done.

Too far… let myself be touched by her, kissed by her…. Kissed her back…. That perhaps forgivable, but to feel something—

He fled that catastrophe to the less recent pain of losing his child. The wound had begun to heal, but it had been ripped open again by being here…. He strode across to the reception desk and leaned against it, acutely aware that it was Elliot who needed comfort now.

He leaned back against the desk, barbed wire working its way through his heart.

My son… my son….

I'll never get to hold you, never get to kiss you….

He imagined beautiful green eyes, reddish hair…. Sweet little face gazing up at him, secure in Jason's arms…. Connie beaming beside him….

All of that—torn away in one horrifying moment.

Now… perhaps no future to have another child…

What if Elliot's baby didn't survive either? After all Elliot had gone through?

All of this unimaginable pain—for what? At least Elliot should have the comfort of meeting his son… something good from a horrific thing that should not have been….

Dear God, please, please let him be okay…

There was a distance there; it felt like a barrier between him and God. As if he were speaking only in the echo chamber of his mind.

Because of what I did, he realized. I should have sought any other solution… Perhaps something is wrong with me if I let it happen… if I stopped resisting…

But what about Sasha? What could I have done?

Perhaps not make deals with the devil. There would be another way to free her. Escape… was there another way besides getting close to Elena?

Perhaps it was too late in any case, and he should let himself be used in order to free the others… sell himself piece by piece so they would go free…

The door opened. Elliot leaped to his feet.

A nurse stepped through, speaking to someone behind her who replied in a muffled voice. It sounded like the doctor.

Jason realized she was the nurse who had tended to him after he'd been assaulted by Zar. A flashback snapped him into the past—

Horrible pain… soft words, gentle hands… along with the shame of being seen in such a state…

"So—I'd like to give you the news." The nurse stood near Elliot. "Good news first—you have a five-pound, seven ounce baby boy. Big for thirty-five weeks."

"My son—he's okay?" said Elliot breathlessly.

The nurse nodded. "He's in good shape for a late-term preemie. We've got him in NICU just in case. Had to install a breathing tube temporarily— just to administer some medicine. We anticipate he won't need it. He's breathing fine now."

"He—had some trouble?"

"That's normal for this stage. Considering what he's been through—he's remarkably healthy."

Elliot sank into the nearest chair, closing his eyes in relief.

"It's Elena who's having problems. She's been bleeding internally—we had to treat that, it was very tricky for a moment. But it looks like she'll pull through. For now, she's unconscious as she recovers."

"Can I see my baby?"

"Mm… yes, I suppose so. Let me go back and check on him. It would be good for him to have some skin-to-skin contact, since his mother's out of commission… Excuse me." She rushed out of the room.

Jason made his way over to Elliot and sat down beside him.

"I can hardly believe it!" said Elliot, his eyes shining with wonder. "After everything—I expected the worst. It still doesn't seem real…."

"Just a couple minutes… he'll be in your arms."

"Just this much time—seems like an eternity." He leaned forward, eyes shining with unshed tears.

"He's beautiful, I bet."

Elliot nodded. Tear spilled onto his cheeks.

Tentatively, Jason held out a hand and Elliot grasped it. Jason drew him into a gentle hug.

Elliot shook against him, tears spilling onto his shoulder. Jason couldn't tell if he was laughing or crying. Perhaps both.

The nurse returned. "You can come back and see him now." They followed her down the hallway; Jason glimpsed Farah through one of the open doors, lying still and pale, just as he'd seen her last time. The nurse led them past a hint of gleaming lights riven by shadows, the door labeled OR; just across the hallway was the NICU, or something purposed for that, as it had no label.

They stepped into a dim room with incubators and other equipment, as well as cribs and a few soft chairs.

There was only one baby, lying in a little crib. The breathing tube was gone; he looked remarkably normal. He wasn't moving and for a horrible moment Jason thought he wasn't breathing and was about to shake the nurse for abandoning his intensive care too soon. But then he saw his breaths rising and falling beneath the little blue blanket.

Elliot crept close to the crib and looked down at the little one, his expression filled with eagerness, curiosity, concern, anguish… His face was drawn, eyes unnaturally bright, the scratches showing in sharp relief across his cheek.

"He's beautiful." Elliot whispered.

"You can pick him up," said the nurse.

"I don't want to disturb him…"

"He needs his father to hold him."

Carefully, Elliot reached into the crib, hesitated, then grasped the baby and lifted him up. He cradled him close. The baby wriggled a little, opened his eyes.

Extremely gently, Elliot touched the baby's cheek. Then he drew it away, as if afraid to break him. "He's so small." Alarm sparked in his eyes. "Are you sure he's okay?"

The nurse nodded. "They all look very fragile at this age. Trust me, I've seen a lot worse. He's in good shape for all he's been through. We'll give him more checkups, and it'll probably be a struggle at first, but he shows all the indications of growing without any undue difficulty. Of course, he'll have the normal challenges of being born too early."

"What are those?"

"Trouble breathing, low blood sugar, trouble nursing, developmental challenges…"

"So—he'll have trouble as he grows?"

"Sometimes premature birth results in ADHD, learning problems… But with the best care, he'll hopefully overcome them." A glint of concern crossed her eyes.

"Has he been able to nurse yet?"

"Elena won't be in shape to… perhaps for a while. There's formula, of course, but that's not ideal… Which reminds me." The nurse hurried out of the room.

Elliot sat down in the rocking chair beside the crib, holding the baby carefully, without taking his eyes off him.

Jason sat in the rocking chair beside him.

Elliot looked at Jason with an incredulous smile. "He's amazing!"

"He has your eyes."

Elliot's breath caught.

"Are you alright?"

He nodded. "I just… don't know what to feel about that. I didn't want him to look like her but… I don't feel worthy either."

"You're his father. And you're lightyears more worthy than she is. Besides… he's his own person."

"He'll change and grow… His eyes might change, too."

"That's true. But I—I really want him to be like you. She doesn't deserve to have any of him."

"That's the other thing that worries me… I don't want anything to ruin this, but I can't help but wonder what'll she do with him. I just wish… I could keep him away from her."

"Babies usually need their mothers, but in this case…. I… can't help but think how… a lot of problems would be solved if…" His voice fell to a whisper; even this much could be punished.

Besides, I shouldn't want someone I just kissed any ill will, he thought bitterly.

"I know," said Elliot. "But I still… can't wish it. She's the mother of my child… And part of me… as much as I'm trying to get away—I'm still…" He shook his head. "Maybe I won't want to be as close to her now that the baby's born." He looked down at his son. "He's safe, he's here, he's my little boy. Nothing can change that." He caressed his son's cheek. The baby waved his arms, gazing at Elliot intently as if he knew he belonged to him. "At least I have this time with him. And if I can influence him at all… to not follow in her footsteps…"

"He is his own person. Hopefully he'll take after you."

"She'll punish him if he doesn't live up to her expectations…"

"As long as he's here… he'll be in danger." The unspoken implication hung in the air.

"So we're—" Elliot began in code.

Jason shook his head emphatically, letting him know the code was no longer safe.

Elliot nodded grimly. But there was a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

Escape. There's no other option.

Now that the baby is born… we can take him with. He'll probably have to be a little older… And I need more time to gather possibilities… enough to sketch an overall plan… flexible enough it can change at a moment's notice…

Elliot whispered something into his son's ear, then softly kissed his cheek. He gazed at him in awe, his entire being radiating love for the little one.

Tears sprang to Jason's eyes, blurring the room. His heart burned with pain—and he didn't quite know why.

Longing for something he'd never had. To be a father.

He might never get to be one. Not with Connie.

He also longed to do whatever he could to protect this baby and get him and his father out of here. Away from the evil and darkness so they could just be themselves together, safe and free.

The baby cooed. "You're amazing," said Elliot. "I love you so much. No matter what, I'll be here for you. I'll always, always love you." His voice faltered at the last few words.

"I told him his name," said Elliot, still gazing at his son. "I wish I could always call him that, but I can't. I… can't call him what Elena does, either. I'll give him a nickname for now. Dare for short."

"He's very brave, I can tell it already."

Just then, Dare started fussing. It was in fits and starts at first, then he launched into fully fledged crying, his little body bunched up, his face turning red.

Elliot rocked him and hummed a tune, jouncing in his arms.

Dare probably needed to eat. But despite the fact they were both shirtless, they didn't have the proper equipment to feed him. Jason hoped the nurse would be back soon. Perhaps there was a bottle around here… although he seemed to recall, from reading baby books, that babies needed a specific type of milk right after they were born…

He got up and searched the room and found a fridge and some bottles, but no formula. He didn't want to do something wrong. But it was hard listening to the baby in distress and not being able to do anything.

"Doesn't sound like he's having trouble breathing, at least," said Jason.

Elliot looked up and nodded, a distracted smile catching his lips. He paced the room; gradually the cries subsided. Dare made a few soft cooing noises then drifted off to sleep.

Elliot slid cautiously back into the chair, careful not to wake his son. He cradled him against his chest, gazing at him with intense, all-encompassing love.

Jason felt a little like an outsider; in another way, he felt almost like family. But it was probably good to let them have some alone time together.

"I'm going to go look for some milk," Jason whispered.

Elliot looked up and nodded.

Jason pushed the door; thankfully, it responded. As soon as he stepped through, a sense of emptiness hit him. He wanted to stay in that room. Cozy, dim, and safe… a far cry from where he'd been just before.

He felt a strong desire to find out what exactly the situation was and what to expect; on the other hand, he dreaded what he'd find.

He peeked into the OR; it was dim and empty.

The first hospital room after it had a door slightly ajar with several people inside, discussing something quietly. One of them was Doctor Miller; several nurses were congregated around him. In the bed was a still form—Elena, wearing a hospital gown, her eyes closed, hair arrayed around her head like a damaged crown.

A few empty rooms down was Farah's. Jason crept inside; a waterfall scene was playing on the walls, along with a gentle, soothing tone. The images spilled shifting green-and-white light across Farah's face.

Jason sat beside her, took her hand. It was cold. Yet her chest rose and fell steadily, the machines beeping in rhythm with her breathing and heartbeat. Her dark hair was spread haphazardly around her face; it looked like it had tangles in it. He looked in the drawer near her for a comb and combed out some of the knots. "They should take better care of you… at least they've got you in a nice environment." It struck him that might not be for her benefit…. They wanted her to come out of the coma in case he didn't give up the formula for amina.

"I'll try to come back," he said, feeling guilty for leaving her alone, even though he could hardly have helped it.

He squeezed her hand.

She squeezed back.

He thought he'd imagined it… but the echoes of gentle pressure remained.

Her eyes were closed; she was just as still as before.

He didn't want to get his hopes up… and he didn't want the staff to know. It might not be a mercy to wake her. But if she could wake before they fled… maybe she could go with them.

Her eyelids fluttered; he stopped, not daring to breathe.

But it was as if it hadn't happened.

He let go of her hand reluctantly and headed out on his mission, vowing to return.

The next room was empty. But in the room after that, a shadow stirred in front of the fake window. A face turned toward him, silhouetted against the light. A gaunt form shuffled toward him; large dark eyes sought his, brimming with so much anguish he had to fight not to look away.

It was Nalika. She'd been practically glowing during her pregnancy; last time he'd seen her, she'd been in acute distress. But now, she was almost skeletal, her skin dull and grayish, her face haunted.

"Nalika, what happened?" He swept into the room and closed the door, leaving a crack.

"Have you seen my baby?" She looked like she barely recognized him.

He shook his head.

She held out a hand and he took it. It was shaking. Recognition dawned in her eyes. "Jason?"

He nodded.

She squeezed his hand, some life seeming to come back into her. "Have you seen her?"

"Who?"

"Aurora. My baby."

"I'm sorry—I haven't."

She raked a hand through her hair. "They took her away…"

"When did they take her?"

"About…" She looked around for the clock at her bedside. "Five-thirty."

The clock near her bed said eleven-forty.

"That's a while ago…. I'll go find her."

"Thank you, Jason!" Her legs faltered a little. He held her up, wrapped his arm around her. She flinched. He withdrew his hand.

"You should probably get back into bed."

She looked at him uncomprehendingly for a moment, then nodded. He helped her over to the bed and lifted her into it. She was so light….

She gasped a little.

"Are you alright?" he said. "Why are you in Med?"

Anguish etched her features. "They…" She looked away. "They tried to fix me… but… it was too much…" Her voice faded and she pressed her hands to her stomach. "I can't have babies anymore…."

To his surprise she grasped his hand, and he sat in the chair beside her.

"I'm so sorry, Nalika."

"'S okay. Long as I have my baby with me…. Sweet Aura…. She's so beautiful. You should see her!"

"I'd love to. Elliot's son was just born today."

"Really?" Her eyes lit up.

"He's healthy—five-seven I think…"

"Wow!" A smile flitted across her lips. "They can play together…"

"I'll see if I can find her."

Nalika nodded, and Jason headed back out.

Checking the next room, he almost bumped into a nurse who was coming out of it, looking at a clipboard.

"Hey," said Jason.

The nurse, who had brown hair and stern brown eyes, looked at him dubiously.

"I was just wondering—El—Elena's baby was just born. He needs milk."

"That's being taken care of. Now if you'll excuse me—" She tried to budge past him.

"Do you know where Nalika's baby is?"

The nurse looked rather angry he'd barred the doorway. "She's somewhere down in the harem nursery. Now—if you'd let me get back to my patients—"

"Nalika needs her baby."

The nurse scoffed. "That girl is going back down to reconditioning as soon as she recovers."

"The basement!?"

"She's no good as a breeder anymore."

Outrage filled him. "They need each other."

"The baby will be nurtured as a future asset; Nalika will be sold, perhaps discarded if she's too damaged. Now if you don't get out of my way—"

She grasped the shockrod at her waist. He fled, more from the horror that a nurse had such a thing than fear of being shocked.

He found himself out in the harsh lights of the waiting room. The receptionist looked at him quizzically; he slid his hand into his hair, unsure of what to do.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"Do you know where the nurse is? The one with blue eyes, brown hair?"

"Oh, you mean Tayla. Yes, she went down to the harem to look for a nanny."

"Do you know when she'll be back?"

The receptionist shook her head. "I'm sorry, I don't."

Jason turned away from her, exasperated at her nonchalance. He pressed the door; it wouldn't open.

Just then, the door opened, and Tayla strode in, looking rather distraught.

"Did you find one?" Jason asked.

"What?"

"A nanny."

She shook her head. "No one's had babies lately. Elena can provide some but—it's not an ideal situation. And—I don't know who she'd approve of long-term—didn't leave any instructions—"

"He was expected later next month."

Tayla nodded, looking a little calmer. She sighed, a hand on her hip. "At least Evan's okay."

"How is Elena?"

"She… isn't out of the woods yet, but it looks like she'll pull through. It's still up in the air whether she'll be able to have children again…"

"It was that bad?"

"At the very least, it'd be best if she reconsiders getting pregnant again after how dangerous this was. Probably best if she gets a surrogate if she wants to have another child."

A sense of relief swept over him. If she couldn't have a child with him… perhaps she'd be less persistent… In any case, she probably wouldn't bother him for a while. He couldn't dredge up much empathy for her.

"So—is it true Nalika can't have children?"

Tayla nodded. "We did our best. But the damage is just… too great." Sorrow filled her face. Despite the fact the nurse was here, facilitating all this, Jason felt some warm feelings toward her. At least she seemed like a halfway decent person… who actually had some human feeling left.

"Why can't she keep her baby?"

"That's just how things are done. Nalika is out of the harem program, and thus she will be sent elsewhere. The baby will be well taken care of by the harem nannies."

An idea struck him. A way to save Nalika from being sent to more horrors. "Doesn't Elena need a nanny? What about Nalika?"

She laid a hand on her chin. "That is a good idea. Nalika still has milk, so she'll be able to feed the baby when Elena can't… I'll just have to get final approval from Elena when she's up to it. In the meantime, we'll get some milk from Elena. I'll ask her about Nalika as soon as she's coherent."

"Thank you."

He hoped that Elliot would get to take care of his son as well… but you couldn't be sure of anything here. At least he had a reprieve, however long it would last. And Jason had—hopefully—rescued Nalika and given her a position of privilege and comfort.

He headed back into the nursery. Dare was still asleep in Elliot's arms.

Jason sat back down in the rocking chair and told him what had happened. Elliot looked concerned about Nalika, but was hopeful she could be safe, and relieved that Dare would get to eat soon.

"Hopefully you'll be able to stay with him as much as possible," said Jason.

"The only good thing about her wanting me to stay up here with her. But you never know…. She might discard me again. I don't know what I'll do if she… takes him away from me."

"We won't settle for that. I'll do everything I can to help."

"Thank you, Jason."

"Don't mention it. I'm just happy he's healthy."

"Yeah." Elliot smiled. "I still can't believe it… My little son—he's in my arms… No one's even bothering us. I… wish it could always be like this."

Jason nodded, praying that Elliot would get many more precious moments like this.

The door opened quietly, and Tayla crept in, holding a bottle. She handed the bottle to Jason and whispered some instructions for when the baby woke up. There was a microwave in case the bottle would need to be warmed up again. She said to call her if the baby had trouble eating. "Don't worry if he does—that's completely normal, even for a full-term baby. You can come get me from the nurses' station behind the receptionist's desk and I'll make sure he eats. I can show you how, but I might have to be the one to feed him the first few days."

Almost as soon as she left, Dare started crying and Jason handed Elliot the bottle. Dare fussed and spluttered; milk splattered all over Elliot's chest and the chair. He calmly, intently persisted. After about half an hour, Dare began drinking from the bottle! It was rather weak, and he had to be enticed again several times, but he drank almost all of the milk.

Then—to Jason's joy—Elliot let Jason hold his son.

Jason looked down at him, remembering things he'd never experienced. An alternate world where his baby had been born perfectly healthy… A sweet little face gazing up at him.

He didn't realize tears were streaming down his face until some splashed onto Dare's little cheeks. Gently, he wiped them away.

A few minutes later, the liaison, Brianna, arrived, along with another guard. "I'm sorry to interrupt," she said, "but you need to go back down, Jason."

"Couldn't I stay here?"

"Orders are orders. Elena's previous instructions stay until she gives us more, and she wanted us to bring you back down after… Tamara gave you a grace period because of all you've done—saving Elena's and the baby's life. But now—you probably want to get some sleep."

He did need sleep, but he wanted to stay awake as long as possible, stay in this dreamlike state where everything was gentle and calm, no threats… Elliot probably needed some space, though. And Jason was eager to make sure everyone Beneath was okay. With a start he remembered the presents he had bought for the kids.

"I left something at Tamara's," he said.

"She's aware of that," said Brianna. "She will make sure it's distributed. For now—"

Jason nodded, wishing he could give at least one present to Sasha tonight. But she was probably asleep. He couldn't wait to see her reaction tomorrow when the present arrived…

He said goodbye to Elliot and Dare, and then let Brianna and the guard escort him out. Weariness gripped him as soon as he stepped into the hallway. He longed to collapse into bed….

As usual, his heart fell as he descended into the depths. It was dim Beneath and very quiet.

As Brianna guided him down the intake hallway, he realized many of the doors were open. Inside, they were empty.

He looked into the windows of the rooms that were closed and couldn't see anyone there either.

"Where are they?"

"All of the children were sent upstairs."

"What?"

She led him into the main room. "Intake phase is over. The next phase has begun."

"What does that mean?"

"Don't worry, most of them are going to the harem. Only a few are going to the guards, research, or becoming elexes."

"What about Sasha?"

"I don't know who that is. I'm from Above, remember."

"Can you find out?" He dreaded knowing. But at least if she were in the harem… she'd have a reprieve.

Perhaps she would be free after… the deal he'd made with Elena. If only she'd given the order before she went into labor…

"That's what I'm here for."

"Thank you. Could you—make sure she's safe?"

"I'm not sure if I can do that."

"I—made a deal with Elena. You can check with her as soon as she's awake. She said she'd free her."

"That's…unusual."

"She promised me."

"If she did, you can be sure she'll follow through. I'm not sure if I can protect the girl without her orders, though…"

"Elena won't be happy if what she promised isn't honored."

Brianna tilted her head then nodded. "I will try."

Then she strode away swiftly, leaving him alone in the cold and the dark.