"Xara?" Lukas asked hesitantly, exchanging glances with Petra.

The ex-Admin came striding out of the shadows, stopping a few feet away from the group. Her grey eyes still housed that same sorrowful look they've always held, but she no longer looked as emotionless as when they last saw her outside the cabin.

"What, you weren't going to say goodbye?" She asked as they slowly began to dismount.

"We didn't exactly know where you were." Binta pointed out, narrowing her eyes.

"You could have tried inside the cabin itself." Xara said, waving one hand at them as she took out an old, battered looking book with the other. "I overheard some of your conversation, and it made me think of something Fred once told me."

The others exchanged glances, a few of them shrugging. They didn't quite know where Xara was going with things, and didn't know what to expect.

"Fred and I began seeing the signs a while before Romeo snapped." Xara said, looking up from the book. Her gaze was pointed right at Jesse. "That's why he created the golden gauntlet, so I could take Romeo's powers if things went south. It was a last resort, however."

"What does this have to do with anything?" Petra asked, uninterested.

"Taking Romeo's powers would have meant them transferring to me and Fred." Xara responded. "While his powers split between us wouldn't have had such a large effect on either of us, Fred still discussed the possibility of finding a new, worthy, third Admin."

Jesse frowned, folding her arms. She wasn't about to put hope on a word the woman in front of her spoke until she got to the point.

"We discarded the idea, eventually." Xara went on. "Replacing an Admin was one thing, but Romeo was also our friend, and we'd rather continue on as two than replace him. Besides, things didn't go as we had planned, and Fred ended up losing his life in that fight. But I still have Fred's research of the concept."

"Where exactly are you going with this?" Lukas asked, frowning.

"Are you saying Jesse could potentially split her powers with two other people?" Binta asked, her eyes widening as she realised what the ex-admin was getting at.

Xara nodded, her mouth curving into a stiff, yet kind in her way smile.

For a moment, Jesse's face lit up. She looked around at the others around her, all of them looking equally surprised. But that moment passed all too soon as she turned to face Xara again.

"I can't do that to any of my friends." Jesse said softly. "Petra and Lukas are all who I have left and... and I owe it to them to let them go home. They're happy on the surface, building a life together of their own. I'd never ruin that for them."

Petra's heart broke at Jesse's words. She began opening her mouth, only to close it again. As much as she hated to admit it, it wasn't a sacrifice she was willing to make.

"That's a smart decision, Jesse." Xara said, nodding her head. "These powers aren't to be taken lightly, and should never be given to just anybody." She took a deep breath, for the first time that day looking uncertain about her next words. "This is your choice entirely, but I've given this a lot of thought on my way here. I'd be willing..." She stopped herself, shaking her head and sighing. "Actually, I'd really want to join you."

Jesse's mouth began to open, but for a moment it looked like she couldn't find her voice. She looked between the others, who all shared the same look of excitement, giving her encouraging nods.

"I've been back in the Underneath for months, and I've wanted nothing more than to restore the Oasis like I said I would." Xara explained, almost sounding sad for a moment. "But on my own, and without the powers I used to use for everything, the task just seemed unreachable. Together..."

"Yes!" Jesse's voice nearly caught in her throat. "Yes, Xara, of course!"

It was almost too perfect, not only would she be able to split her powers with Xara, but she'd also have an experienced Admin who could teach her the ropes.

"This is so incredible!" Binta sounded like she was bursting with excitement. "Having two admins back down here, Admins we don't have to be afraid of- The two of you could do so many amazing things down here, you could restore both the Oasis and Romeoburg and-" She stopped herself, chuckling slightly.

Xara looked at Binta for a moment, the smile she already wore on her face seeming to grow.

"There's still only two of us, you know." She said softly. "These powers are meant for three Admins. It's not my choice to make, but I know for fact that there is only one person Fred would have willingly passed his skills on to."

"Wait, you don't mean?" Binta looked between them, her blue eyes wide with surprise. "You... you're offering these Admin powers to me? Just like that?"

"Not just like that." Jesse said, already smiling again as well. "I may never have known Fred myself, but from everything I've heard he trusted you with a lot. If Xara says your the person Fred would have chosen, and this is something you truly want, I would love to have you as a part of this team."

Binta leaned heavily against her horse, choking back what sounded like a mixture of a laugh and a happy sob.

"Yes!" She exclaimed, looking up at Jesse and Xara. "I've always looked up to the Admins and dreamed of being able to do the things they did!"

Jesse whipped around to face Petra and Lukas. Just by the expression on her face it was clear that she didn't know if she was dreaming or not. Her brown eyes sparkled with a type of happiness neither of them had seen on her face in a very long time.

Without saying anything, Lukas held one arm out. Jesse jogged up to them, embracing them both in a large hug. All three of them were in tears.

"Don't celebrate this yet." Xara said, grinning as well as she stepped forward. "The powers still need to be split between the three of us, and Jesse's the only one here capable of doing it."

Jesse nodded, pulling away from her two friends and wiping her eyes on her hand. She looked up at Xara with determination.

"What do I need to do?"

------------------------

Petra and Lukas were positioned off to the side, Lukas standing up with the reins of all the horses, while Petra was seated on a rock. They watched as Jesse, Xara and Binta got into positions facing each other, standing somewhat in a triangle. Nobody even needed to ask for them to stop the trip back right there.

"Do you understand?" Xara was asking Jesse, her expression serious.

"Yes." Jesse said, although her voice held a faint wobble.

"And remember what I said." Xara's tone was firm. "You have to fully embrace these powers, or else you won't have the right control over them."

Jesse sucked in a huge breath, nodding. She held out both her hands, Xara taking one and Binta the other. They grasped each other's hands as well, the small group forming a circle.

"Break chain immediately if you start feeling faint in any way." Xara repeated a warning she had already issued twice earlier. "This is going to be a lot of power leaving your body at once, Jesse, we can't take any risks.

"I can't believe we're about to witness this." Lukas breathed to Petra, his dark blue eyes wide.

"You're telling me, I've got butterflies just sitting here." Petra responded, her own voice filled with awe. "I just hope Jesse can do this."

Jesse took another shaky breath, trying to calm the shaking of her limbs. She had to focus, she had to focus. Binta and Xara both depended on her, hell she depended on herself. There was no way she could afford to fail.

What Xara had described for her to do was difficult enough to wrap her head around, much less accomplish. It mostly involved using her mind and her emotions to channel her powers into them, which she still didn't quite grasp.

"Focus, Jesse."

Jesse's grasp on their hands tightened as she squeezed her eyes shut.

"Stop thinking it, you have to feel it."

Petra and Lukas watched with held breaths as Jesse inhaled deeply once more, not opening her eyes. Her long chestnut hair was beginning to move around her, despite the air being completely still.

The two friends subconsciously reached their hands out to hold on to each other, hearts racing as they watched the scene in front of them.

But then Jesse's eyes opened and she let out a large, breathless gasp. Her brown eyes were glowing a bright red, sweat trickling across her pink skin.

"I don't get it, it isn't working!" She exclaimed desperately.

"I told you, you're not going to be able to control these powers if you don't embrace them." Xara told her again, looking Jesse straight in the eye. "You have to accept that these powers are now a part of you, and you have to truly want them."

Jesse's eyes were wide, but then she put on a face of determination and nodded. Closing her eyes again she took another deep, slow and significantly calmer breath. Xara was right, she was scared. She had to let go of all her fears for those powers, she had to stop resisting. It was time to let her walls down and allow them to consume her, like she's been too scared to do for so long.

All other sound had been blocked out, all Jesse could hear was her own heartbeat thumping heavily inside her chest. Her feet were still on the ground, but it felt as if she was afloat. It took every fibre in her body to keep herself from resisting the power that pulsed through her veins, letting it freely flow through her.

"She's embracing them." Xara breathed as a white light began to emit from inside of Jesse, glowing brighter by the second.

Tightening her grip on Binta's hand as well, Xara closed her own eyes. Binta followed the example, both of them focusing their attention on the heat that was seeping into their limbs from Jesse.

Petra's grasp on Lukas's hand tightened as she watched the scene in front of them. Jesse was completely obscured by the white light, while Xara and Binta were quickly turning into mere silhouettes.

Jesse sucked in a shaky breath, her concentration only wavering slightly as she felt her legs suddenly threaten to buckle beneath her, a wave of energy – or power – leaving her body. She refused to let it break her focus, only inhaling another large breath. It felt like the world around her was spinning, shivers running throughout her body as she struggled to remain on task. More power was starting to seep from her.

It felt like Lukas was trapped in a dream, watching as both Xara and Binta's feet lifted off the ground as the light completely engulfed both of them as well. Both he and Petra turned their heads away, shielding their eyes from the bright glow as a rush of warm air blew over them. There were panicked squeals and neighs from the horse behind them.

Then the glow vanished, as quickly as it came. Petra and Lukas slowly looked up, breaths held as they waited, not knowing what to expect. The foggy white light around the three people in front of them was fading, the silhouettes of Xara and Binta both landing back on their feet. Jesse was on her knees on the ground, heaving large, laboured breaths.

The first thing Petra noticed as her vision began to clear, was the waterfall of deep magenta hair that hung down the side of Jesse's head, obscuring her face. Her rosy skin seemed to glow with new life as she slowly looked up, blinking open her eyes. Instead of the copper colour they had always been, her irises were a striking gold.

She no longer looked like a person harbouring unwanted abilities. She was an Admin who had fully embraced her powers.

The last of the light faded away, revealing the two people who stood opposite her. Binta looked as breathless as Jesse, a wide smile spreading across her blue grey face. Her eyes were a light lilac colour, while her black hair had the slightest cool tint to it.

Xara was smiling as she lifted her hands, her bright fuchsia eyes gazing down at the lemon yellow colour of her skin she hadn't seen in so many years.

"You did it." She said, grinning down at Jesse who was still on her knees. "You actually did it."

For a moment Jesse looked up at Xara like she couldn't believe what was happening around her. Then she broke into a tired smile, accepting the hand Xara was holding out and letting herself be pulled to her feet. She wobbled slightly, her legs significantly weaker below her, before steadying.

"Look at you." Petra was grinning despite the fact that she sounded close to tears as she and Lukas approached. "You're an Admin, a full blown Admin!"

"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you two." Jesse choked out, her golden eyes shimmering with happy tears. "Thank you both, so much."

She ran forward, throwing her arms around both Petra and Lukas who hugged her back without a second thought. Another pair of arms wrapped around the three of them as Binta joined in the hug.

Jesse glanced slightly to the side, seeing a smiling Xara standing a few feet away. She wriggled one arm free, holding her hand out to the older Admin. "Get in here!"

For a moment Xara looked like she was going to protest. But then she gave in, hesitantly stepping closer to the group. Jesse grasped her hand, pulling her into the embrace as well.

She closed her eyes, smiling. Surrounded by all friends and with a bright future ahead of her.

Everything did turn out in the end.