The Times They Are A-Changing

[Anna Fernandez]

Anna eyed the "kitchen" and shook her head. "Nothing for me, but Jamie..?" she looked down at the girl and smiled encouragingly, trying not to make her feel unwelcome. "I could use the bathroom, though," she said, and excused herself for a minute of blessed relief. One could only hold it for so long with a small person trampolining on their bladder.

[Jamie Morrigan]

Jamie's stomach answered for her. She laid a hand over her gurgling tummy and said, "Don't worry, I'll find something. Actually, I brought some snacks, too. I'll go grab my suitcase from the car. Be right back!"

She hurried back to the front door and, before either Anna or Jake could protest, blinked herself invisible. This was a strange place, after all, and you couldn't be too careful.

[Jacob Foley]

Jake watched them go their separate ways with an acute feeling of helplessness. Food and shelter where about the only tangible things he had to offer, and in both of these areas, his resources were limited. He could try to protect them, and the best way to do that was to lie low, and in that, he was overburdened with experience. Truthfully, there was only so much he shared in common with his sister's predicament. The authorities were after him, not bounty hunters, and they were easier to evade. And he wasn't about to bring a baby into the world without a home. He wondered how Anna, mother of the motherless, felt about that.

When she reappeared, she shuffled listlessly into the room, as if the auto-pilot had kicked in. She looked exhausted. His arm draped around her shoulders with a familiar ease. "Whatever this thing is, you won't be facing it alone."

The words came easily enough, but only then did the truth of them hit home. Suddenly, he shared the burden of his sister's woes. Now he had to think about bounty hunters and babies, and just as the dust was beginning to settle in his own life, too. Fatigue sank into his muscles like lead and he sank onto the foot of his bed just in time to greet Jamie, who had rematerialised before him. Without warning, he started raiding her pockets.

"If you don't have any candy for me, you've got some explaining to do."

[Anna Fernandez]

She washed her hands and dried them on a hand towel that appeared clean, and emerged from the bathroom. "Thank you for taking me in. I ... I don't know what I'm doing. It isn't a nice feeling."

As Jamie reappeared she pursed her lips, holding back a comment about candy in the middle of the night. Jake's arm around her shoulder turned her slowly around until she was facing what must have been his room. "Get some rest," he said. "I'll take care of Jamie."

She smiled faintly, and nodded. "Gracias, Jake." Once in bed she somehow managed to fall asleep quickly, despite the strange surroundings and the fear of the unknown.



The smell of coffee awakened her, sunlight trying to peer into the room from around the curtains. Despite being late October, Henderson, Nevada was going to be a warm 75 degrees, and she heaved herself up out of bed to face the day. Jamie was a small lump inside a sleeping bag on the floor, her breaths slow and even, and Anna was careful not to wake her up. Her duffel bag sat just inside the door, no doubt retrieved by Jake at some point before she'd woken up, and Anna rummaged for some clean clothes and a brush for her long hair.

Finally presentable, she cracked the door open and silently chided herself over her apparent timidity. She squared her shoulders and walked into the common area, looking for Jake, or perhaps a member of the Brotherhood who could explain things a little more.