Author's Note: Here there be Fluff. You have been warned. Also, I do write Grace phonetically, just FYI. Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed! I have several one-shots for Wash/Taylor (plus some on the friendship between Wash and Elisabeth), and I'll be posting them next. I also have one more multi-chapter story, which is Wash/Taylor but again has a focus on Wash and Elisabeth as friends.

Disclaimer wise, I just wrote this because I enjoy writing, no copyright infringement intended, and I certainly do not own Terra Nova.

Twenty-Three Months Later

Alicia stands at the sink in the kitchen cleaning the dishes from breakfast. Some might be surprised at the volume of them, but breakfast is part of the deal she has with her soldier babysitters. Every morning since she weaned Gracie from breastfeeding a year ago, she once again goes with Nathaniel on the perimeter walk.

Every day at about thirty minutes before sunrise, one of their soldiers will show up on the front porch of the house, reporting for, as they refer to it, "Gracie Watch." She wondered how they knew who would show up when, so she asked Reynolds. He laughed and pulled out a plex, pulling up a grid called the "Gracie Watch Duty Roster." According to him, they actually have a lottery of who gets to be on Gracie Watch.

The most amusing part to her is that not only do they have the mornings sketched out, they also have a rotation of who is on call when childcare might be needed. Sometimes the soldiers surprise her, but the more she thinks about it, considering that her precocious child has most of the colony wrapped around her little finger, it really isn't much of a mystery.

Even Guz is on the roster. The first time he showed up in the morning, he looked sheepish and just said that he missed the days when Tasha was a baby. Sometimes Mira shows up with him, and Alicia finds herself wondering if she should start a pool about when they will have a baby together.

As a thank you to the soldiers, she makes them a hot breakfast every morning. In fact, she usually feeds anyone who watches Gracie for them because she appreciates it so much. During the day, they don't need sitters as often, as Gracie is now attending the small colony preschool three days a week. On the other days, unless they have a large meeting or a need for focus, they bring Gracie with them to the command center.

The one big allowance she and Nathaniel have made is that they no longer go OTG at the same time. One of them is always here. She's not entirely happy with it, in that she misses going OTG with him, but they agreed that they don't want to risk Gracie ending up an orphan if something were to happen to both of them.

As she finishes washing the dishes, she hears a crash come from the living room. Months ago, when she first heard a crash like that, she went running. Now, she reacts with far less alarm, as they are, without question, a regular occurrence. She calmly dries her hands on a towel by the sink and heads into the living room to see what havoc has been wreaked this morning.

When she gets to the living room, she has to swallow a small laugh and school her face to look stern. Her wayward child is seated on the floor next to a bookcase, several old books from the future scattered around her.

Of course, they aren't her children's books, all gifts from others with now-grown children. They are Nathaniel's and Alicia's books, from several shelves up, hence the crash. A large candle and a few framed pictures are on the floor near Gracie, clear casualties of her morning climb. They don't worry Alicia, as they removed the glass from all of the frames months ago, just as a precaution.

She knows she should scold Gracie, but she also knows it will have little impact from a preventative standpoint. Still, she stands there, hands on her hips, and clears her throat. When Gracie looks up in surprise, her short black pigtails bounce to almost comic effect. Her light blue eyes are wide and seemingly innocent. She blinks once and then gives Alicia a toothy grin. "Hi Mama!"

"Hi Bug. What are you doing?" Alicia's voice is deadpan, a voice she knows Gracie has come to associate with being in trouble, likely because she also uses it with Nathaniel. The odd nickname, on the other hand, came from Boylan of all people, when he said she reminded him of a bug when she'd curl up on Alicia as a tiny baby. It just stuck.

Uncowed by Alicia's look, Gracie continues to grin. She holds up a worn copy of an old book, one of Alicia's favorites, The Red Badge of Courage. "Gwacie wead!"

Alicia raises an eyebrow as she walks over and crouches next to Gracie. She can tell it was Reilly watching her this morning, as Gracie's "Auntie Worwa," the closest Gracie can manage to saying "Laura," has turned out to be surprisingly into girly things. Gracie's pigtails are both adorned with bright purple ribbons, and she is dressed in a purple sundress patterned with small flowers, with a matching diaper cover and little sandals.

Gracie still looks almost exactly like Alicia, except that her black hair is already turning wavy like Nathaniel's, and her eyes are his startling light blue. But as much as she looks like Alicia, her personality is almost all Nathaniel Taylor. She is downright fearless, and she never met a stranger. She climbs, jumps and throws herself into any situation. She has none of Alicia's subtle caution. She also talks a lot more than one would expect of a child of not quite two, another trait she clearly got from Nathaniel.

Smiling at her daughter, she motions to the book. "So, big Stephen Crane fan, are you?" When Gracie cocks her head and looks puzzled, Alicia chuckles. "Is that one of Gracie's books?"

Gracie looks at the book in her hands, clearly weighing her response. She wisely goes with the truth. "Mama's book."

Alicia nods. "And how exactly did you get it?"

That answer is faster and spoken with significant pride. "Gwacie cwimbed!"

Alicia makes a mental note to remind the preschool teacher to work more with Gracie on Rs and Ls, then asks, "So, is that how Mama's candle and pictures ended up on the floor?"

Alicia has to smile as Gracie looks around her, clearly surprised by the mess. An ability to focus on the task at hand to the extent that she actually ignores everything else is something she got, unfortunately, from both of her parents. She looks immediately contrite. "Sowwy, Mama." She then puts down the book and pushes herself up, butt first as is her style, and shuffles to Alicia, throwing her little arms around Alicia's waist as well as she can.

"It's OK, Bug. Help me clean it up, and we'll go find Daddy."

Gracie grins again and toddles back to the mess. Alicia stands and follows her, and as Gracie hands her things, Alicia puts them back on the shelf. As she watches Gracie concentrate on her task of finding everything that fell off of the shelf, Alicia thinks about Nathaniel. She told Gracie they had to "find" him, but Alicia thinks she knows where he is.

He sent her home alone from their perimeter walk this morning, telling her rather cryptically that he had somewhere to go. She'd been surprised, but she didn't question him. It had only been when she got home and thought about the date that she realized where he probably went.

Once the mess is taken care of, Alicia scoops a giggling Gracie up. She takes her to her room, decorated with wall to wall murals of dinosaurs and flowers, an odd combination dreamed up by Zoe Shannon and Leah Marcos, and changes her diaper. Then, after a stop to put a muffin, a piece of fruit and some water for Nathaniel in Gracie's diaper bag, she takes Gracie's hand and they head out.

It's the weekend, and weekends are something they actually observe these days. Until Gracie came along, Nathaniel and Alicia both usually worked seven days a week. Now, they all tend to take weekends off. With the Sixers fully integrated into the colony and the Phoenix Group gone, the only real threats these days are things like natural disasters and aggressive local wildlife. They always have a skeleton crew of military and security on the weekends, but most people are off.

The market is teeming with activity, though, and most people wave and smile at her and Gracie as they pass. Alicia does her usual nod of acknowledgement, while Gracie grins and waves enthusiastically at everyone. A moment later, a cheerful, "Morning, ladies!" gets her attention.

They turn, and with a cry of, "Unca Shannon," Gracie wrenches free of her hand and throws herself at Jim's legs, hugging with all her might.

He bends down and picks her up, settling her on his hip. "Come on, little Gracie Bug. 'Uncle Jim,' you can call me 'Uncle Jim.'"

Alicia snorts, knowing it's a lost cause. She and Nathaniel call Jim "Shannon," and their daughter is no different. With a grin that Alicia swears is slightly evil, Gracie says, quite definitely, "Unca Shannon."

Jim sighs. "Uncle Shannon it is."

"Good idea to be resigned, Shannon. The kid's as stubborn as her parents both are."

"Unca Cotter!" Gracie gives Jim a kiss on the cheek before saying, "Down, Unca Shannon."

"Grace Ayani!" Alicia gives her a look she clearly knows well.

"Sowwy. Down pwease, Unca Shannon!"

Jim laughs and releases Gracie. She immediately throws herself towards Carter, who catches her as she runs to him. Jim and Alicia sit there watching as Carter proceeds to hold Gracie high above his head before tossing her up and catching her repeatedly, making Alicia shake her head as Gracie squeals with delight, saying, "Again!" after every catch.

Jim looks at Alicia and offers, "It's so nice that Carter has found a friend with a maturity level equal to his own."

Alicia snorts, but she elbows Jim in the side. "Be nice."

Jim likes to snipe at Carter, and Carter always gives as good as he gets, but these days it's more for show. He and Carter have actually become good friends, despite their rocky start. Alicia and Nathaniel both think it's because they're more alike than either would care to admit.

As they continue to watch Gracie and Carter, Jim says, "Going out to Memorial Field?"

Alicia looks at him in surprise, and he lifts an eyebrow at her. She shakes her head. "I forgot. Cop." He grins, and she goes on, "Yes. It's the anniversary. I'm pretty sure he's already out there."

"He is," Jim nods. "I saw him headed out there earlier."

At that moment, Carter walks over, a still-giggling Gracie in his arms. "OK, Wash, this one wore Unca Cotter out." He hands Gracie over to Alicia. Once in Alicia's arms, Gracie shifts until she's sitting on her hip, wrapping her arms around Alicia's neck and resting her head on Alicia's shoulder. She's clearly getting sleepy, and Alicia notes that it's close to her nap time.

"We've got to run, guys. See you later." She and Gracie both wave good-bye to Carter and Jim, and she turns and continues her walk. They head, as Jim had correctly guessed, to Memorial Field.

When Alicia gets there, Gracie still on her hip, she quickly moves past the area where most of the graves are. There is one grave that is set apart from the rest, under a large tree on the edge of the field. She moves towards that one, seeing Nathaniel sitting on the ground, back against the tree, staring at the solitary grave.

They pass a small patch of wildflowers, and Gracie asks, "Mama, Gwacie down pwease?"

Alicia stops, putting Gracie down on her feet. She immediately goes to the flowers and pulls a few of them, gripping them tight in her small fist. She looks up at Alicia and says, "For Daddy."

With a smile, Alicia picks Gracie back up, and they once again head towards Nathaniel. When they get close, Alicia puts Gracie down. Gracie keeps going, getting to Nathaniel as quickly as her short legs will allow. "Daddy!"

Nathaniel looks up, definitely not surprised to see them here. Alicia smiles as Gracie offers him the flowers. "For you, Daddy. For bwother."

Nathaniel takes the rapidly wilting flowers and pulls Gracie into his lap, hugging her tight to him. "Thank you, little Bug." Alicia walks over and joins them, settling next to him on the ground. She rummages through the bag to pull out a small blanket, which she spreads on the ground in front of them.

In moments, Gracie is asleep in his arms. Alicia carefully extracts her and puts her on the blanket. She murmurs something, and Alicia places a stuffed dinosaur, courtesy of Zoe, next to her. Gracie grabs the toy and curls up in a little ball, quickly falling back to sleep.

While Alicia was settling Gracie for her nap, Nathaniel got up and placed the flowers in front of the small headstone he was looking at before, the headstone that marks Lucas' grave. He returns to Alicia's side, dropping back to the ground next to her. She reaches out and takes his hand, entwining their fingers.

Eventually, Alicia breaks the silence, knowing that once asleep, Gracie can sleep through a cannon blast. "I can't believe it's been two years."

"I know." He sighs. "I still miss him, miss the boy he was, you know?"

"I do know." She squeezes his hand.

"He'd be 28 by now. How is it possible that he was only 26 when he died, Alicia? He'd been through so much, he just seemed so much older than that."

She slides closer to him, and he raises his arm for her to nestle into his side. Once she's close, he wraps his arm around her, and she drops her head to his shoulder. "I remember when I first met him. He was not quite eight, and I was not quite nineteen," she smiles against his shoulder, "I must have looked impossibly young, because I remember him latching onto me and dragging me away to check out his toys."

He laughs. "You were impossibly young then, Alicia. Hell, compared to me, you still are. I'm surprised the Bug doesn't think I'm her grandfather."

She pokes him in the side. "Stop that, Nathaniel. And as sweet as it is for you to call me 'impossibly young,' at 39, I definitely don't feel that way."

He snorts. "Talk to me when you're 57."

"Touché." She wraps her arms around his waist. Knowing that he's very comfortable with being older than she is, she can't help but tease him a little. "For what it's worth, I'd say you do pretty well for an old man."

She can almost feel him roll his eyes. "Thanks." He pauses. "Jailbait."

"You're welcome." In a conciliatory gesture, she leans up and kisses his neck.

Before she can pull away, he turns his head and catches her lips with his. The kiss starts out playful but quickly deepens into something a lot more heated. Just as she feels him start to shift her to down onto her back on the ground, she hears a small whimper from Gracie. They break apart, both breathing hard.

They look over at Gracie, whose little forehead is furrowed in her sleep. She whimpers a little again, clearly having a bad dream. He reaches out and scoops her up, stuffed dinosaur, blanket and all, and puts her in his lap. She mumbles, "Daddy," and immediately curls into his chest with a sigh, her forehead smoothing out.

Alicia reaches over and brushes a lock of hair out of Gracie's eyes, and she drops a kiss on top of her head. Then, she nestles back into Nathaniel's side, returning her head to his shoulder after pressing a quick, chaste kiss to his lips. Any questions she has about whether or not, later on tonight, they'll continue what was just interrupted are put to rest when she feels his free arm slide down her back. He pulls the back of her t-shirt loose from her cargo pants, and he slips his hand underneath. His palm stretches out flat against her lower back, and a few fingers wander under the waistband of her pants.

They sit there like that for a long time, her arms going back around his waist. They go quiet, the only sounds around them being the breeze through the canopy of leaves above them and the sound of Gracie's muffled breathing against his chest.

Eventually, his voice softly breaks the silence. "Alicia?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

She looks up at him. "For what?"

He smiles. "Pretty much everything for the last twenty years."

"You're welcome. And Nathaniel? Thank you, too."

"For what?" He lifts an eyebrow at her.

"Same thing."

He presses a kiss to her forehead. "I love you, Alicia Washington Taylor."

"I love you back, Nathaniel Taylor." She rests her head back on his shoulder, and they sit like that until Gracie wakes up, just enjoying each other and the quiet morning.