Phil Smith was not in a good mood.

Attempting to undo some of the damage caused by Naecken and the Annunaki, the telepath was prying into the minds of the multitude of innocent bystanders that had been brainwashed into fighting in Naecken's 'army' and trying to restore some semblance of order to the mass of scientists, surveyors, and military personnel. It was tedious work - slipping into the chaotic minds of the victims and undoing the layers of foreign programming. Phil felt like he was peeling onions. Wet onions. With a wooden spoon. Blindfolded.

<'Ey, Philsy!> Grissom called over the comm.

"Yeah?" Phil figured it'd take something pretty important for the mercenary to distract him from this.

<We've got a problem,> the Brit reported. <Priest is down. It looks bad, but I can't be sure how bad just yet.>

Phil frowned. "Is anyone else in the area?"

<Just Kline,> Grissom replied, <and I'm sure you're aware she's right next to you.>

Phil turned to his left and glanced at Leslie, who was giving medical attention to the people whose minds Phil had just straightened out. "Yeah, she's here."

<You might need to bring 'er,> Montag suggested. <Looks like he'll need all the medical help you can get 'im.> He paused. <I'm relaying his coordinates to you now.>

Phil checked the tactical data assistant - a steroided PDA with GPS equipment - clipped to his utility belt. According to Grissom's information, Priest was less than two hundred yards away. The telepath turned to Leslie. "Priest is in trouble," he announced. "We gotta go help him."

Leslie scowled. "What about these people?"

She read Phil's expression and understood. "Okay."

The two hurried off, ducking and dodging through the late stages of the battle without attracting much attention.

"Over there," Leslie said, pointing.

Phil slowed down when he got close enough to see Priest more clearly. "Shit," he muttered. He looked around and saw how much blood the futuristic fighter had lost. "Dammit!" He dropped down to get a closer look at the enlarged and battered hero's fallen form. "Shit. Not you. Not now." He turned to Leslie. "We gotta do something," he snapped excitedly.

Leslie nodded. She dropped to one knee and felt Priest's wrist. "Pulse is shallow... and fading." She frowned. "I don't know."

Phil pounded the ice in frustration. This was his friend - one of the few members of this team he really trusted. And he was dying.

Phil could recall some very basic first aid, but examining the magnitude of Priest's injuries, he found himself realizing the inevitable.

For the first time in a long time, he couldn't think of anything he could do.

"Watch out," Leslie said as she opened her kit of medical supplies. "I've got exactly one trick up my sleeve." She pulled out a syringe of epinephrine. "There isn't anything we can do about the battle damage here. I can try and jump-start his heart with this..." She paused. "But only Priest can fight this and come back." The former bounty hunter shook her head. "And I don't think we can make him do that."

Phil set his jaw. "I can."

Leslie raised an eyebrow. "If he dies," she warned him, "I might lose you in there too."

Phil stopped. He was sitting here next to the unconscious form of Priest... whom he could probably consider a friend. But there next to him was someone he cared about more than anyone he could remember... anyone since Gabriela.

Was it worth a chance of never seeing Leslie again to try and save Priest?

The telepath paused for a moment to gather his strength, then reached desperately into the mind of the dying hero.

The scene was pure chaos. Phil looked around and saw almost nothing in the flickering, fading light. Wreckage and debris was strewn all around him, and there was no sign of Priest.

"Priest!" Phil called. "PRIEST!"

"What the hell are you doing here?" a voice mumbled faintly. Phil turned and saw Priest lying on his back, seemingly unhurt, but unable to move. "It's too late, dammit!" the hero murmured. "Get out while you can!"

Phil squatted down next to him. "No way, man."

He paused. "Remember when we first ran into each other?"

"The hell are you talking about?" Priest mumbled.

"In the old HQ," Phil explained, "before the hurricane when you first showed up. You came in and threw all of us around, went after Danny." The telepath chuckled at the memory. "You scared the piss outta me. I hid under a damned table!"

He looked down. "I'm not scared of you anymore," he said. "I trust you, and you know you can trust me. So come back to us, Priest. Don't give up. The fat lady hasn't even emerged from her dressing room yet."

Phil looked up to see a piece of wreckage drop toward him. He ignored it, and it vanished.

"Don't waste your time," the man from the future growled. "Can't you see I'm finished here?"

"Not on my watch," Phil argued. "I'm not gonna lose you, man."

"Why should you care what happens to me?" Priest wondered.

Phil shook his head. "You're crazy, man. You've saved my sorry ass more times than I can count. We've teamed up to wipe out some nasty bastards." He paused. "Where would the trio be without you, man? Who'd play Mick and Shirley's wedding?" Phil looked straight at him. "The team needs you, Priest. The team needs you to come back. I need you to come back." He looked down. "I've lost enough friends already."

Priest raised an eyebrow. "Friends?"

Phil smiled and nodded. "Friends, man." He turned as there was a burst of sparks from somewhere in the mass of debris. "I'm your friend, Priest, and you're one of my friends. I don't wanna lose you, buddy."

Priest couldn't think of anything to say.

Phil tried his best to glare at him. "So you're gonna get up," he ordered, "and come back with me. Or I'm gonna have to come with you to wherever you go from here and kick your ass." He grinned. "Just try and stop me."

"Is... that... an order?" Priest challenged, amused.

Phil looked around. "Grimm's not here at the moment," he said. "Which, I think, makes me the most senior member of Vanguard present. So, yeah, that's an order." He paused. "And I am prepared to kick your ass." The telepath extended a hand to help Priest up. "Come on, buddy," he said. "Let's get going."

Priest waited a long moment. Then he shrugged. "Orders." He reached up with a shaky hand and grabbed Phil's as everything faded to nothingness.

Phil looked around and found himself back on the ice, where Leslie was poised over Priest with an empty syringe in her hand. She looked at Phil and smiled. "I've got a pulse," she announced.

Phil looked over to see Priest's eyes flicker open. He squinted against the light. "Damn," he muttered, "that was weird." He looked up and saw Phil sitting there. "You..." He foundered for words. "You... brought me back," he said weakly as he raised up a little.

Phil nodded.

Priest nodded back. "Thanks." He laid back and sighed. "I'm gonna remember you threatened to kick my ass," he said menacingly. "Buddy."

"He's out," Leslie said. "He's badly hurt. But he'll live." She began applying tourniquets and bandages to Priest's numerous wounds.

Neither Leslie nor Phil spoke for a long moment.

Finally Leslie cleared her throat. "That was... amazing," she said. "I've seen things that I won't be allowed to talk about until I tell my grandchildren. But that was the most amazing thing I've ever seen."

Phil shrugged. "I did what I had to do." He smiled. "And believe it or not," he said, indicating the unconscious Priest, "he would've done the same for me."

Leslie returned to her work. "I felt you," she said. "When you were in his head... I felt it. We... connected, somehow."

Phil nodded in agreement. "I anchored myself in you," he explained. "I knew that if I started to slip... you'd be there to catch me."

The former bounty hunter looked at him and smiled." I could see things. Things in your mind."

Phil's eyebrows went up. "Really?" He paused. "And?"

Leslie sighed. "I saw you. The way you feel. About me."

Phil grinned. "I'm not surprised."

Leslie Kline closed her eyes. "It felt... so... amazing." She looked up and sighed again. "I suddenly knew your heart, and I knew what's going on behind those eyes of yours when you look at me." She beamed. "It was incredible."

Phil's face flushed. He chuckled. "Well... I'm glad you approve."

Leslie put a hand on one of Phil's and looked into his eyes. "I love you," she breathed.

"I love you too," Phil replied.

"Do you two need to be alone?" a familiar voice asked from above.

Phil looked up. "Oh... Brianna." He laughed. "Ummm... hey."

"Grissom was worried," the winged girl explained. "He sent me to make sure things were okay."

"They're... they're fine," Leslie said, unable to tear her eyes from Phil.

"Priest needs more medical attention," Phil said. "But we're okay."

Brianna shook her head and smiled. "So I can see."

"How... much of that... did you overhear?" Phil asked timidly.

Brianna laughed. "The two of you need help." She winked. "I'll go tell Grimm about the Priest situation."

And with that, the slender, winged Irishwoman fluttered off, leaving an unconscious Priest and a rather embarrassed Phil Smith and Leslie Kline behind.