In the span of her lifetime, Emily had never truly felt a sense of belonging. Growing in the Victorian era in London, she came from a wealthy family, always knowing she would be a sought after young woman. Her marriage was no different. She neither knew her husband, nor did she care for him beyond obligation to her commitment. Only after she slipped through the gateways, did she begin to feel a sense of belonging. With the other traveling through the gateways, she held a feeling of familiarity. They were all trying to return home. But that was lost with the passing of her good friend Charlotte, and she felt alone once more. Yet Emily couldn't deny the growing feeling of belonging as she walked through the halls of the ARC facility.

In her arms, Emily carried a box full of torches. Since the 'New Dawn' incident nearly a month ago, every employee at the ARC was working nonstop to bring the system back online once again. An unexpected effect of Burton's project had been the disassembly of the ARC system. Nothing could be to salvage the system, forcing Connor and Jess to use the backups from the original system to start anew. But the system wasn't the only new change for the ARC. The entire facility had been moved, to the previous center. In her opinion, Emily preferred the new-well old actually- facility. It was more open, more space.

Emily passed through the large door into the wide open control room. The room, like the entire facility, was dark. For a month, their main focus was returning power to the facility. Until it was up, everyone was using torches while the ADD was running on a generator. To say the least, everyone was getting anxious for the power.

Emily walked to the ADD desk. She set the box of torches down on the desk, turning to the smaller woman in the chair. "These are the last of the torches, Jess."

Jess turned to Emily. Her reddish brown hair was braided up, hanging over her right shoulder. Her usual attire of brightly colored skirts and dresses had been replaces by a simple pair of denim and colorful top. Her heels had been replaced with simple flats to reduce irritating her still sensitive ankle. Jess eyed the box and smiled. "Oh thank goodness. Emily you're a life saver."

Emily looked at the ADD. "How much longer?"

Jess sighed. "Let's see." She reached across the table and picked up a small black device. Jess had called it a 'walkie talkie'. "Connor, how's it coming?"

Suddenly the light flickered in the room. Emily and Jess looked up at the lights. They flickered again, stronger. Then the lights turned on completely. A chorus of cheers and applause burst through the room. Jess laughed brightly in her chair.

"Connor you're a genius." She said.

"Tell me something I don't know Jess." Connor replied.

Emily laughed lightly. "So what now?"

"Everybody goes home for the night. There's nothing more we can do until morning." Jess explained. She rose from her chair with a slight wince. She looked back at the box of torches. "Now I feel bad for asking you to find all these."

Emily shook her head. "No, no I'm glad to help. I have to do something so I'm not useless."

"Emily you've been anything but useless this past month." Jess replied. She turned from the ADD and headed toward the locker room.

Emily followed behind her. She noted Jess' slow, limping pace as they walked down the hall. Compared to the previous facility, this ARC was more spacious. There were few doors that needed to be unlock, and those locked that still required the bands to unlock them. The corridors were wide and well lit compared to the dark narrow corridors. Some rooms didn't even have doors, merely an archway to the area.

Jess and Emily entered the locker room. Like the most of the facility, the room was empty. Only a skeleton crew worked in the main section of the facility, to prevent tampering of the new system. Jess walked to her lock and seated herself in front of it. She winced slightly, easing herself down onto the bench.

"So what happens tomorrow?" Emily asked.

"Well, Connor and I are going to check the ADD's systems and make sure there are no back doors that anyone can hack but us. Becker's going to be working in the armory, setting up the shelving units and cataloging the weapons. Lester's going to oversee everything from his office like always. And Abby will be surveying the menagerie construction." Jess explained.

"Do you think there will be something I can do to help?" Emily asked.

Jess opened her locker. "I'm not sure. But Abby might need help in the menagerie. She said you were well acquainted with a few of the animals."

Emily nodded.

Jess rose from the bench and grabbed her purse from her locker. With summer in full heat, she didn't need her jacket for another few months. Jess closed her locker and sat back down on the bench. "Emily, would you like to stay with me for a while?"

"What?" Emily asked.

"Well, we haven't accommodated this facility with living spaces. And I know you've been spending nights here alone. So I was thinking you could always stay with me. At least until these rooms are finished." Jess offered.

Emily shook her head. "I don't think so, Jess."

"Please? My flat's been so dull and quiet since Abby and Connor moved out last week. This way neither one of us will be alone after hours." Jess explained.

Emily thought for a moment. Her nights alone were anything but comfortable. And her dreams were often plagued by gateways. Still… "I don't want to be a burden."

Jess smiled. "Emily, you could never be a burden."

"Alright, but only until the room are finished here." Emily agreed.

Jess smiled brightly. "Yay!"

Emily had never seen Jess' flat before, however Connor and Abby often relayed stories about it. Their stories were fairly accurate as Emily entered Jess' flat. She walked through the small corridor into the main room. There was a kitchenette to the side, separated from the living area by a granite laid cabinet. The sofa was set in front of the cabinet, facing the telly.

Jess set her purse down on the counter. "Are you hungry? I could order take-out?"

Emily smiled and shook her head. "No thank you, Jess. I think I should turn in."

"Okay. I'll show you to your room." Jess said. She walked around the counter and vanished down a second hallway.

Emily followed Jess around the cabinet into the hall. There were three doors along the hall. On the far end, Emily suspected it was Jess' room. The first door was to the loo. Jess opened the middle door to the spare room. The room was bare, save for a bed and dresser across the room. The spread of the bed matched the décor of Jess' house, brightly colored with spots or stripes. Emily suspected that Connor had purchased his own spread so not to sleep with these. Not that she minded them.

"It's not much." Jess said.

Emily smiled. "It great Jess, thank you."

Jess smiled. "Hey, why don't we go shopping?"

"Tonight?"

"No, this weekend." Jess said.

"I don't know." Emily said.

"No offense, but it's only going to be a few weeks at most until my clothes are too small." Jess said.

Emily looked down at her blouse she'd barrowed. To be honest, her blouse was already a tad snug around Emily's stomach. She'd need proper clothing soon.

"You're probably right." Emily said.

"We can even bring Abby along and make it a girl's day." Jess said.

Emily smiled. "That sounds nice."

"Great. Well, I'll let you get some rest." Jess said. She turned and walked down the hall.

"Jess.' Emily called.

Jess turned.

"Thank you. For everything." Emily said.

Jess smiled. "You're welcome. Good night."

"Good night."

London, England

August twenty-seventh two thousand and eleven

During the past three weeks, I have seen the marvels of healing. There have the physical healing and emotional healing. The visible scars of Burton's actions have faded, only leaving a faint trace upon the surface. If one gazed upon Captain Becker, Jessica, or Connor, one could barely tell they'd come so close to death mere weeks ago. Though Jessica continued to walk with a slightly limp, she assures everyone she'll be dancing in her brightly color high heels in no time. Connor can often be found leaning over a computer of sorts throughout the day. He has always been passionate about his work, but when one watches him work, there is no pain in his eyes. One can assume he shows no one out of guilt. He blames himself for trusting Burton and aiding him with New Dawn. No one blames him. At one point we all trusted Burton. The captain is as pleasant as ever. His wounds continue to take longer to mend. Partially due to his actions continuously reopening his wounds. He has been re-admitted to the hospitals numerous times within these few weeks. Mr. Lester has even taken the extreme measure to place him on medical leave, which end tomorrow, to prevent further injuries. Jessica tells me it is part of his male nature.

I am reminded of a saying, "It's when we start working together that the real healing takes place... it's when we start spilling our sweat, and not our blood." During these past weeks, I have seen this for myself. I have seen these people, shattered by the impossible, band together and rebuild again. There are days where they do not bother hiding their pain, for everyone holds some in their hearts, but they continue to move forward. And I am blessed to have become a part of the healing.

Though the physical scars continued to fade into the background, the emotional scars still linger as fresh as that fateful day. As we continue to move forward, there are always reminders of who was lost. A memorial was set within the walls of the facility. To commemorate all the people who-not only perished in Burton's experiment- but also perished since the creation of this facility. I have been told stories of all those lost. Matthew and Daniel's name are amongst the others. Their names are not permanently engraved like the others. We all still hold hope that they will one day return.

My personal healing is nothing compared to the others. I grow ever more anxious as the days past. I know Matthew's time was through the gateway, but I watched those creatures slaughter countless men before they dragged him through. My hope for his return lessens every passing day. I try to retain some hope for the baby. Hope that their father will return so they will not be abandoned in this time. But my hope can only last so much longer.

please not that these chapters will vary in size. just fyi.