Ambivalence

Epilogue: New Dawn

By: Knowledge Eater

Disclaimer: Ubisoft owns Far Cry 5, I just like to play with their world and characters.

It felt like it had been hours since Aiden and Rachel sat in silence while they listened to the world end above them. Aiden desperately tried to think of something to do or say to distract them from having to hear the crackles of the fire burning down trees or the distant sound of explosions, but his mind was at a loss. Eventually he couldn't stand sitting on the hard concrete floor any longer.

His whole body screamed in protest as he slowly climbed to his feet and pulled Rachel along with him. He pulled her towards the bed and gently pushed her onto the mattress. She watched him with large, terrified eyes. Seeing the blood that caked her hands gave him an idea of something he could do.

"Rachel," he placed his hands on her shoulders. "You stay here. Before things...get worse I need to take care of something."

Somehow her eyes grew wider. "Where are you going?" Her hands gripped onto his wrists.

"Joseph's body, we can't leave it in here. I need to...you know, outside."

"You can't!" She cried. "We've already been exposed to the radiation. If you go out, you can get sick."

Aiden winced. "And we can get sick from having a body decompose in here. We have to dispose of it now while we can."

Rachel bit her lip; her white teeth were a sharp contrast to her dirty face. "I'll go with you."

"Absolutely not," Aiden shook his head. "You stay here."

Her blue eyes narrowed. "No, if it's too much radiation…"

"I'd rather put myself in harm's way. You stay here where it'll be safe."

She slowly stood and swatted his arms away. There was a fiery determination in her eyes, Aiden recognized that determination just moments ago when she corrected Joseph about her real name. "I'm not staying here. If...if the radiation is too much I-I can't stay here alone without you."

Aiden grabbed a hold of her small shoulders and peered into her eyes. They were shiny with unshed tears now. He didn't want their struggle for survival to end here, but he knew there was no convincing her otherwise. With a heavy sigh, he nodded.

"We need to hurry."

He didn't have to ask her where Joseph's body lay. The moment he stepped out into the hallway he immediately spotted the man's corpse in the infirmary. Rachel paused and stared at it. Aiden grabbed her and spun her so she faced away. He didn't know much about shock, but he figured it wouldn't be good for her to look at the body.

"Don't look, okay? I got it."

She remained in the hallway while he tossed Joseph onto his shoulder. His knees threatened to buckle from the added weight, his entire body was stiff and hurting from the car crash. He took one slow step at a time and he reminded Rachel to remain in front of him.

It was a slow trek towards the bunker's exit. At least the bunker had a separate chamber. The chamber was large and spacious, and there was a door that separated the stairs leading to the exit hatch. This was good, they didn't have to technically expose themselves outside, they could just leave Joseph's body at the stairs since the door sealed the tunnel shut from the rest of the bunker.

His question about what happened to Dutch was immediately answered for him when he spotted the older man's body at the bottom of the stairs, a large pool of blood surrounded him. He didn't know the man well, but he owed his life to him. Grief settled deep in his chest, but he quickly shoved it aside and focused on the task at hand. He glanced at Rachel.

"Should we leave them here? Or outside?"

Rachel's eyes remained on Joseph's body on his shoulder for a brief moment too long until she finally blinked and then followed the stairs back up to the closed hatch. Then she glanced down at the bottom of the stairs, her eyes lingered on Dutch's body a moment as well.

"We shouldn't expose ourselves outside anymore. We can just...leave them here."

"Okay," Aiden struggled a bit just to toss the dead weight off of his shoulder, his body moved stiffly. It bothered him to just leave Dutch's body where it lay, he at least deserved some sort of burial. But with the world's current situation, the most important thing was they did what they had to in order to survive. He stepped back into the chamber and sealed the door.

The chamber held a few rows of lockers, a box next to them was overfilled with discarded clothes, and one of the walls had two shower heads and a sink was against the farthest wall. With one problem handled, Aiden realized the state his and Rachel's clothes were in. Their clothes were ripped and discolored from dirt, smoke, and blood. He pulled his shirt off and tossed it on top of the pile of discarded clothes.

He glanced at Rachel and found her staring at the closed door. He touched her elbow to bring her out of her thoughts. She blinked and then her eyes slid over to him where she finally seemed to notice he was without a shirt. Then he pointed to the shower heads on the wall. She immediately understood his insinuation and she began to shed out of her own clothes.

The water was cold, but they had soap and washcloths to use at least. Aiden lathered so much soap he looked like a marshmallow threw up on him. He noticed Rachel focused on cleaning her hands the most. Even though she scrubbed the blood off she continued to scrub until her skin was red, her eyes looked unfocused and blank. Once they were clean, Aiden headed towards the lockers. They were filled with some clothes, but they were mostly outerwear like jeans, cargo pants, button down shirts and jackets. Aiden knew there was a better variety of clothing inside the bunker. He eyed some towels and grabbed those instead. After he and Rachel wrapped a towel around themselves, he led her inside and shut the door behind them.

It felt like it had been years since he set foot in the bunker. The first time he was inside he hadn't realized what the bunker was filled with, he was so shell shocked about the hell that was his first day on the job; barely surviving a helicopter crash, somehow surviving the onslaught of armed men, women and even planes equipped with explosives. But now that his life depended on what was inside the bunker his eyes scanned everything. He spotted a massive generator and what he hoped was some sort of water purifier. Down the hall every wall was covered with large metallic shelves that were filled to the brim with supplies, food, water, toilet paper, and medical supplies. His eyebrow lifted when he noticed bags of ingredients to create gunpowder and explosives.

They passed a few rooms until Aiden found the one he was looking for, it was the one that held two bunk beds, a desk with a bookshelf behind it, a row of lockers, a couch, and even a mini fridge and freezer. Dutch had truly prepared everything in his bunker. The lockers kept a variety of clothing for both genders, everything was mostly in large sizes, and even clothes for children. Hell, there were even undergarments still sealed in plastic. Aiden grabbed a pair of gray sweatpants and a plain red short-sleeved shirt. Rachel continued to stand and stare so he grabbed some clothes for her, the first thing he grabbed were a pair of black shorts and a brown camouflage tank top. She was jarred out of her thoughts when he pressed the clothes against her chest.

Aiden hated to see her like this and he felt utterly helpless. Honestly, if it weren't for her presence he probably would have still been on the floor by Dutch's bed and been very much like her, silent and staring at nothing. His concern for her well-being was a welcome distraction.

But what could he do to help her? When he killed a person for the first time, he didn't have time to be in shock. Because immediately after his first kill, he had to kill another man for the sake of survival. He remembered that day well even though he wished he could forget it.

It was after the helicopter crashed, he and the marshal had escaped into the woods, but were separated. Aiden found a cabin and headed inside to hide from the people hunting him down, but of course the small building was occupied. He tried to knock out the man he ran into, but he was spotted and he had no choice but to kill the witness. It was his first kill, but he didn't have time to ponder over it since his gunshot attracted the others and he was forced to use the cabin as cover and shoot his pursuers.

Aiden cleared the unpleasant memories from his head and focused on the present. Maybe if he helped distract Rachel, keep her head out of her guilty thoughts. Once they were both dressed Aiden finally felt the heaviness of his eyelids. The bunk beds looked inviting, but they were too narrow for two people to share on one mattress. He thought about taking Rachel back to Dutch's room, that mattress was much larger to accommodate them both, but he wasn't sure if being in that room would make her shock worse.

So, he gently pulled her with him onto the nearest bunk bed. It was a tight squeeze, but he laid on his side and pressed his back against the wall to allow her as much room as possible to lay next to him. When they were settled on the bed, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed the back of her head.

"You're okay," he whispered to her. "We're okay."

She wiggled out of his arms. Aiden thought she meant to leave, but she rolled around so she faced him and buried her face into his chest, her free arm draped over his waist. She inhaled deeply and then became still.

As tired as he was, Aiden didn't think he could sleep with the amount of dread that filled him. His thoughts returned to all of the others that were left behind, Jess, Mary May, Hurke, Nick and his family, and so many others. For now, he just had to trust they all were able to find shelter otherwise he would just make himself sick with worry.

To survive Hope County, Aiden not only had to toughen up physically, but mentally he had to learn to numb his own emotions. Worrying for others and feeling guilt over the countless lives he took were things he learned to shut off. He pictured the guilt for leaving so many people behind and shoved it out of his head.

A very weak vibration echoed in his chest that helped knock him out of his depressing thoughts. He returned his attention back to his current position and realized the vibration was from Rachel, her face was still pressed against his chest and she was mumbling something. He was sandwiched between her and the wall so he did his best to pull away slightly. A small smile grew on his face as he watched her, she had fallen asleep and continued to mutter under her breath. Despite her mumbles, her expression appeared calm and peaceful.

Despite everything that happened he was glad that he was able to save Rachel. Both in terms of her finally accepting her for herself and from the apocalypse.

Eventually the exhaustion hit him like a train and he could keep his eyelids up no longer. With one final kiss to Rachel's forehead, he held her a little tighter to himself and welcomed slumber's darkness.

He dreamed of mushroom clouds, fire and death. He was forced to watch countless people screaming, crying and reaching to him for help before they were engulfed in fire and smoke. When the smoke cleared only their skeletons remained, their jaws hanging open in permanent screams.

Aiden jolted awake, his face and hair was drenched in sweat. His body shook and his heart hammered in his rib cage painfully. He blinked uncontrollably as he peered around the unfamiliar room. After several moments he remembered where he was.

Normally after a nightmare he would feel relieved to find himself safe. But this time, knowing what was happening to the world, he couldn't bring himself to feel relieved. He should be happy he had Rachel with him instead of being stuck in the bunker alone, or worse, if he were to be stuck in the bunker with Joseph Seed, but he still felt hollow.

He knew it would take time to accept the way things were. For both himself and for Rachel.

Speaking of, he looked down to check on her and was pleased to see he hadn't woken her up. Her eyes were still closed, her slow breaths warm against his skin. Every so often she would mutter something he couldn't quite understand.

Aiden couldn't return to sleep. Every time he closed his eyes he was haunted by the image of one of his friends, their skeletal remains still reaching out for him. So, he settled for just lying and resting. Not that he would want to move and wake up the woman in his arms, holding her warmed him to his core. The most he could offer her at the moment was a few hours of peace to be away from their current predicament.

Thinking of peace made him think of the Bliss. Could the cult have used it to offer people a peace of mind during the apocalypse? Was that what Rachel ultimately intended? Or was the purpose of it purely for its brainwashing capabilities?

His thoughts were interrupted by a small groan. He looked down, Rachel's eyes were still closed, but her eyebrows were pinched together in a frown. Her mumbling came more frequently and louder. Aiden felt torn, he didn't know if he should wake her or let her sleep longer.

"Please," she muttered weakly, "please stop."

Clearly Rachel's own dreams were unpleasant, so that helped Aiden decide to spare her from them. He gently nudged her shoulder and she woke quickly. Her eyelids fluttered open and then she gasped. She reeled back away from him and would have fallen off the bed if Aiden hadn't been holding her.

"Whoa, whoa," Aiden told her gently, "it's me."

A long moment passed where Rachel's eyes studied his face with terror filled eyes. The wrinkle between her brow smoothed and recognition flashed in her face, but her breathing still came labored. She sat up quickly and looked about her surroundings. Then she looked at Aiden again. Finally, her eyes closed for a moment and she exhaled deeply.

"You're okay," he told her while he rubbed her arm. "C'mere."

Rachel laid back down, but her breathing still hadn't settled. Aiden rested a hand on her neck and felt the rapid beat of her heart. He remembered what she did for him when he woke up in a panic back when they were in Hope County jail, so he took her hand and placed it against his chest. She didn't need to be told to time her breaths with his heartbeat, she closed her eyes and slowly her breathing calmed, and with it her heartbeat as well.

When she opened her eyes again they both gazed at each other in silence until Aiden broke it. "You want to talk about it?"

He hadn't expected her to confess what her nightmare was about. She had always kept them a secret. But things were different back then.

"I dreamt that the Father killed you in the truck. And it was just me and him in here."

Being so close to her allowed him to see just how long her eyelashes were, how they curled ever so slightly. He leaned forward and kissed her brow. "Just a dream, I'm still here."

They laid in silence for a few moments before Rachel spoke. "Did I wake you?"

"No, I had my own unpleasant dream."

He felt her head tilt up so she could look at him. They pulled away enough so they could look at each other.

"What about?" She asked.

Aiden sighed deeply. "I watched everyone burn. They looked to me for help, but I couldn't do anything."

She was silent for a moment until she finally said, "There was nothing you could do. You can't save everyone."

He sighed again. "I know. But for the past several weeks I've always been the one everyone could rely on for help. It felt wrong to just leave them all behind."

Rachel placed a hand on his cheek. "We all become selfish when we're fighting for survival. But you still thought of me and took me with you. You saved me. Again." She pressed her lips against his. "Thank you, Aiden."

Her kiss cleared the heavy fog of guilt and worry that sat heavily in his mind. Desperate for a distraction, he pulled her towards him. Their chaste kiss sent a burning electric current across his body and he desperately needed more. He couldn't control himself this time. It was different from the night before, they weren't just longing for each other, this time it was like they were starved for each other's touch.

The tiny bunk bed wasn't enough room for them, Rachel was quick to climb out of the bunk bed and pulled him with her. The tank top she wore was tight across her chest and offered little to his imagination. Aiden growled deeply and lifted her. She gave a tiny yelp of surprise before he felt her legs wrap around his waist, their lips only parted when they had to take a quick breath, and he blindly carried her to the larger bed in Dutch's room.

Aiden didn't recall falling asleep afterwards. When he awoke the constant crackle of fire above him faded. If he listened hard enough he could still hear it though. Then he realized how cold he felt. The space on the mattress beside him was empty.

He dressed and looked for Rachel. He found her in the main hallway, a notebook in hand and she was writing something down, she didn't notice his presence. His eyebrow lifted as he watched her silently. She would glance at the shelves of food, water, and other supplies before she would write something down.

"What's that?"

Rachel jumped so high her head nearly touched the ceiling. She turned to him and smiled, the dimple on her left cheek appeared. Aiden noticed the difference in her eyes, they were no longer empty and lifeless. Guess their earlier distraction helped her as much as it did for him.

"I'm taking inventory of the food and water this bunker has so I can figure out how long it will last us. So far it looks like it will last us a few years if we start rationing now."

Aiden whistled. "You can figure that out?"

She nodded and returned her attention to the shelves. "Despite the horrible things the Father and his followers did, our ultimate purpose was to survive nuclear war. Being given my own bunker meant I was in charge of ensuring there was enough food and water, among other necessities, for hundreds of people for several years. The Father made sure to educate me well on how to do that."

"How long were you all planning on staying underground?"

Rachel glanced at him before she resumed her writing and stepped towards another shelf. "Six to ten years. The Father and the scientists that supported him estimated a maximum of three to five years for the radiation to fall below lethal levels."

Aiden's eyes widened in surprise. He was no expert on radiation, let alone any of this sciencey stuff, but that was a long time. While that many years spent with Rachel was nothing, the fact that they would be stuck in the bunker with nothing to do but learn more about each other and twiddle their thumbs, the thought was already boring Aiden.

He was an outgoing person, he loved the outdoors, he couldn't go an entire day without feeling the sun on his skin, a gentle breeze flowing through his hair, and he always needed something to do. One of the main reasons he took the deputy job all the way up in Montana was so he could breathe in the fresh scent of the trees every day. He was already feeling stir crazy from the thought of staying in the relatively small bunker for several years. The end of the world would most likely mean no internet. Without the internet it meant no movies and no video games. But worst of all, there would be no fishing. His thoughts immediately went to the fish tank Dutch had in one of the rooms. The fish were much too small to even eat, they were purely meant for decoration. He wondered if he could make a small fishing pole.

Rachel pulled him out of his thoughts. "The man that lived here was very well prepared. It looked like he prepared this place for a family rather than just himself."

Aiden recalled the letter he found in the room with the bunk beds. It was weeks ago when he first met Dutch, he had agreed to his suggestion to change out of his deputy uniform when he came across a letter on the desk. The letter implied Dutch's family wasn't as open to his "prepper" mindset, but obviously the man still prepared his bunker to support them.

"Dutch," Aiden told Rachel. "That's the name of the man that lived here."

Her writing paused for a moment. Aiden noticed that brief far-off look in her eyes as she stared at a large can of pears. Then she blinked and she nodded, the distant look in her eyes was gone.

Aiden didn't need to ask her what had happened. It was obvious Rachel witnessed Joseph murder Dutch the same as he murdered his coworkers.

"Have you explored the whole place yet?" He asked, hopeful to take her mind off her troubled memories.

She continued writing and nodded. "I also found some equipment that will allow us to grow some seeds. Vegetables, fruit and even some herbs. I'm thinking we can turn the map room into a makeshift greenhouse since it offers the most empty space. But that may have to wait for a year or two, I imagine the water the bunker provides is directly from the lake. It may be filtered so it's safe to drink, but it'll still have radiation."

Rachel looked to have remembered something and she pointed to something behind him. Aiden turned and met one of the numerous shelves filled with large jugs of water.

"Speaking of which, since we were exposed to radiation I highly suggest you get to drinking plenty of water. We aren't sick, thankfully, but we still need to help our bodies rid of the radiation we did absorb."

Aiden looked back at the woman with a mixture of awe and curiosity. Her knowledge of just about anything amazed him. "How will water help?"

"Our bodies will naturally flush out the radiation. For now, we have plenty of water to indulge in." To emphasize her point, Rachel pulled out an already opened bottle water from one of the shelves and took a long drink.

Aiden chuckled. "Dutch really did plan this place well."

Rachel nodded again. "His collection of books will be very beneficial as well. He has medical books, in case you or I get sick or injured. Books detailed about medicinal plants. Survival tips, like what berries and roots are safe to eat, how to create traps, how to hunt, the list goes on. It's information I'm mostly familiar with, but it's nice to have the information on hand."

Aiden's first thoughts went to Rachel's leg. "What about medical supplies?" The thought of her leg becoming infected again terrified him. She didn't have the time to heal completely.

With Rachel clad in shorts he was able to see her limb. He glanced at it to see that her usual bandage was missing. The bullet wound wasn't as large as he remembered, the skin around it didn't look swollen or red as it used to, but he was worried that recent events may have gotten the wound infected.

"There are some extra supplies on these shelves," Rachel pointed, "but I haven't checked the infirmary itself."

Aiden had an idea of why she hadn't stepped into that room so he did it for her. He expected the infirmary to be small with minimal supplies, but instead he was surprised to see the place looked like an actual clinic. The infirmary held two small cots with a privacy screen between them, a large set of drawers with a sink beside it, an examination table, and two counters littered with a mess of plastic bottles, jugs, boxes and medical bags. Aiden whistled when he spotted a wheelchair and a bedpan to boot.

Rachel wasn't kidding, he thought, Dutch really did think of everything.

The most glaring thing that caught his eye was a large puddle of blood dead center of the room. Aiden searched the counters and immediately found some cleaning supplies. There was a mop and bucket in the hallway and he fetched water from the sink and worked on cleaning the blood. Once the room smelled as clean as a hospital, Aiden set to searching what else the infirmary held.

He had very little knowledge of medicine other than the basics of first aid and CPR, but he remembered the information Charles told him. Should Rache's leg become infected she would need antibiotics. Aiden searched the cabinets and drawers and was relieved to find several bottles of antibiotics. He frowned slightly when he noticed they were all prescribed to different people, he didn't know Dutch's last name, but the names on the bottles never shared the same last name.

Aiden grinned in relief and shook his head slightly. He was curious what other supplies Dutch obtained illegally. And since he would be in the bunker for years, he had plenty of time to explore every inch of the place.

He returned to the hallway and silently watched Rachel work. The most he could offer to help was tell her of what supplies rested on the top shelves, the ones she couldn't see well from her shorter height. Once she had everything written, they retired to the room that served as a living room and kitchen. Despite their short nap, Rachel looked tired and she sat on the couch in a heap. She continued to write in her notebook and analyzed her list. While she worked, Aiden felt a familiar pang of hunger.

Aiden knew that Rachel said they should start rationing their food, but he assumed she meant the canned and dried food that littered the bunker. He opened the refrigerator in curiosity and nearly cried in relief.

"Pizza!" He announced and pulled out his new prized treasure. The box felt heavy in his hand which brought his hopes even higher. Only two slices were missing. He was about to shove an entire slice in his mouth when he spotted a microwave. He glanced at Rachel, who had been watching him with an eyebrow raised and a small grin. "You want a slice?"

She grimaced and one hand went to her stomach. "I don't...think I'm ready for food just yet. Especially greasy food. You enjoy that."

"You sure?" Aiden picked up the box and shook it. "We're talking about the last pizza we'll see for the rest of our lives."

It wasn't until after he said those words that his heart fell. And like that he remembered their situation. It was the end of the world. All of the things that were taken for granted would be gone. Did Rachel know how to make pizza dough? Or did Dutch have a book about it? He mentally made a plan to check the collection of books Rachel mentioned.

But Rachel looked to ponder for a moment. "On second thought, at least save me one slice? I've seen how you eat. It'll...be difficult from here on out. We may not get to enjoy the feeling of a full stomach for..several years."

Her words made him feel even more depressed. But they had to do what was necessary to survive. With a silent nod, Aiden warmed up the pizza and ate it slowly. If this was the last pizza he was going to eat for the rest of his life he was going to savor every bite. When he finished, he offered the final piece to Rachel. She looked at it worriedly for a moment before she took a small bite. She returned to her notes and wrote for a few minutes before she tried another bite. It must've taken her an hour to finish it, but well into an hour after she finished it she relaxed on the couch with a satisfied smile. The food stayed down. Already things were looking up.

Aiden knew they would have to appreciate the small good things that would come in their future.

The first few days were their busiest. It took Rachel the remaining of that day to figure out how long their supplies would last them. If they rationed their meals their food would last around eight years. That was if they ate three times a day and Aiden would still have slightly larger portions to accommodate his larger size. Then they still had the seeds for fruits and vegetables, but Rachel didn't want to guarantee they would be successful in growing fresh food. If their food supply dwindled too fast she had a backup plan for them to eat only twice a day. Absolute last resort was once a day.

They had a little more freedom with their water. The stored water would last them just as long as their food if rationed, but after seven years the bunker's filtration system would make the lake water safe to drink.

Her knowledge on their survival impressed Aiden and he couldn't feel anymore proud of her.

It was difficult for them to keep track of their days at first. Neither of them had a watch and there were no clocks in the bunker. It wasn't until the end of their first week that Aiden found a laptop in the armory. It was a fancy looking laptop that resembled a crate when it was closed, so he had dismissed it as a box when he first came across it. It was a military type of laptop, made to withstand great heat and impact, but in Aiden's hands it was just like any other laptop that could be factory reset since Dutch had it password locked. For all of the knowledge that Rachel had in survival and plants, she knew little of technology beyond the basics. Aiden, on the other hand, was a pro at locking himself out of his own phone and computer so he was quite familiar with force resetting the laptop. As he predicted, there was no internet. But the laptop at least offered them a sense of time.

Their first few days were peaceful. Between learning more about each other, both Aiden and Rachel read through every book Dutch had. The knowledge in the books was invaluable and eventually Rachel had the idea to create digital copies into the laptop. It kept them busy. But once they ran out of things to do, and when the helplessness of the world's state got to them, they began to argue.

They argued or snapped at each other over small things. Talking too much, talking too little, eating too loud, etc. But a few minutes after an argument they made up. Aiden knew it was the situation of them spending too much time together too quickly into their relationship, but they learned to work through it. They had to.

It was two months through their time in the bunker that they finally experienced their biggest altercation. Being together all the time meant that they knew everything about each other by that point. They knew each other's habits, how they ate, when they felt hungry, when they wanted to shower, the small gestures that implied one was lying, how often and how they slept, and the list went on.

He accompanied her everywhere. She liked it when he waited for her when they retired to bed to sleep and when he remained in bed with her until she woke up.

But he took to being by her side too far when he started accompanying her to the bathroom. Sure the bathroom was communal with two toilet stalls and one shower head. It was one thing to bathe together, but she drew the line when it came to using the toilet. At first she thought maybe they had a similar body schedule, since they were rationing their food they ate and drank at the same time. But there were some times where Aiden would follow her into the bathroom, but he wouldn't use it. He would just wait for her.

It was definitely strange and it made her feel uncomfortable. Rachel could admit she was on the shy side when it came to using public bathrooms and someone else was in there with her. It stemmed from her time in school where the girls that tormented her always seemed to know when to corner her in a bathroom, and after a few instances where she was teased and picked on, she came to fear public bathrooms from her middle school years up to her high school years. Even if Tracey accompanied her she still felt nervous.

Now, as an adult she managed to conquer her fear for the most part, but with Aiden she couldn't help but freeze up. That was what caused one of their first arguments. She snapped at him and asked for a little privacy. Immediately afterwards she felt guilty.

They didn't argue about much since then. Most of the snapping came from Rachel. The only time Aiden grew impatient with her was when he complained about her own complaining. But when Rachel began to feel this strange exhaustion that no amount of sleep seemed to fix of course Aiden noticed. Understandably, he grew worried. She couldn't fault him for that. But when Aiden worried over her he was overbearing. Every time she nodded off he tried to convince her to rest, but oftentimes she refused. She hated to spend most of her days sleeping even if there was not much they had to keep themselves busy.

Rachel had no idea why she felt so tired. She always slept well, no less than seven hours during the evening. She wasn't as reliant on coffee as she used to so it wasn't that she needed the caffeine to stay awake. Her only guess was the stress from the Great Collapse, and maybe the guilt. Why she felt stressed she wasn't really sure. She already catalogued all of their supplies and calculated how to make them last for the next seven years. Essentially she and Aiden had nothing to worry about so she shouldn't be feeling stressed about anything. The guilt, on the other hand, she knew it was because she couldn't fight the lingering feeling that she let so many people down. She was in charge of hundreds of people that were to survive in her bunker. The weight of their deaths weighed heavily on her conscience.

There was another, bigger, reason why she felt guilty. After spending enough time with the Father she came to grow suspicious of his so-called "conversations" with God. And it all came from one of his "conversations" he had at the statue she made for him. She overheard him one night, and it seemed less like he was talking to God and more like he was talking to someone outside of Hope County. There was only so much she heard, but it was enough to make her believe that the Father was willing to orchestrate the nuclear fallout himself. If she had somehow gathered the courage then to stop him the world wouldn't be burning to ash right now.

Despite the happiness Aiden brought her, the stress and guilt slowly ate at her. Sometimes it became too much that she became horribly sick.

One day she searched through one of the psychology books Dutch kept and her symptoms seemed to point towards depression. She supposed it made sense. The end of the world would depress anyone. Her mistake was nodding off with the book in her hands. Aiden meant to pull it away to shoo her off to bed, but he ended up reading the place she was at. His concern for her seemed to grow exponentially.

Rachel truly understood why Aiden hovered over her the way that he did, he didn't want her to feel sad and depressed, as he stated each time she snapped at him, but she felt like she just needed some time alone to brood and get it out of her system. She knew the depression would fade once she came to accept the way things were.

Funny how she loathed loneliness, and now she craved it more than anything. She truly did love Aiden, dearly. Every time she snapped at him she immediately felt guilty, and she had the feeling they both were coping differently with the Great Collapse. She needed time alone and Aiden needed her for a distraction. But the stress of everything was taking its toll on her, and the only time she had peace alone was when she was asleep. She guessed that was why her body seemed to need so much of it.

But their most recent argument had them both going over their limit. The moment she raised her voice at Aiden she could both see and feel the anger in him.

"Just please leave me alone!" She had yelled at him. "For five goddamn minutes, Aiden. Please!"

He was angry and fighting his own demons that came with the end of the world. He didn't yell back, but there was a sternness in his voice that reminded Rachel of her father's anger and she couldn't help but grimace. Aiden's temper immediately cooled upon seeing her reaction and the flash of fear in her eyes. He kept his distance ever since.

It hurt Rachel more than anything to be apart from him. First she wanted time alone and now that she had it she missed Aiden's presence. She hated the instability of her thoughts and emotions more than the constant fatigue. Stressing about it caused a severe wave of nausea to hit her and she just barely managed to get to the bathroom. While she emptied her stomach into the toilet she waited for Aiden's presence to appear, she almost felt the warm touch of his hands on her back. When she was done and while she washed up and brushed her teeth her eyes kept drifting towards the bathroom door, waiting for Aiden to step inside with that concerned expression of his.

It saddened her when he never showed up.

On her way back to the room she claimed for herself, the one with the larger mattress, she spotted Aiden in the other bedroom with the bunk beds. He was slouched over the desk, his attention on a book. She nearly paused at the doorway just to see if he would glance up. Already she missed seeing the tenderness in his cyan eyes and the smile he always had for her. But she forced herself to keep walking. The effort of being sick drained all of her energy.

It was getting late, she and Aiden usually began settling for bed right about now. Maybe some sleep would help clear her head.

Sadly, she couldn't sleep a wink. No matter how long she kept her eyes closed, sleep refused to claim her.

It felt wrong to keep this animosity between her and Aiden.

Unable to continue like this any longer, Rachel forced herself off the bed and headed towards the room Aiden occupied. She paused when she saw him lying on one of the bottom bunks, he was on his side with his back towards her.

Sad that she missed her chance to set things right, Rachel was about to head back when she heard Aiden.

"Did you need something?" His tone was different, it wasn't filled with his usual cheeriness. Guilt hit her anew when she heard the sadness in his voice.

"I'm sorry, Aiden," she said softly. "I-I know you're just trying to help." Her arms wrapped around her middle and she kept her gaze down towards the floor. "I'm just...a mess right now. And it's selfish of me to think that I'm the only one hurting. I'm sorry."

The mattress creaked. Rachel looked up, Aiden was immediately in front of her. She fought the urge to go to him and hug him and instead tightened her grip on her arms. When she felt his strong arms pull her towards him she melted into his embrace and hugged him tightly.

"You have nothing to apologize for," Aiden told her.

A noise came out of her throat that sounded like a mixture between a scoff and a laugh. "Yes, I do. I'm sorry."

She felt his lips on her forehead. She pulled away and looked up at him a moment before she placed her hands on his face and pulled him down for a kiss. They walked back to the other room silently, their fingers entwined with each other. She half expected them to have make up sex, and they probably would have if her body didn't betray her with a yawn.

It was too much to hope that Aiden didn't notice, because he did. He settled on the bed and pulled her towards him. He didn't rub her arm the way he usually did that implied he wanted to have sex, instead he wrapped his arms around her when she laid next to him. Feeling warm and safe in his strong arms, she was immediately asleep.

The next "morning" they remained in bed talking. Rachel finally confessed her guilty thoughts about her suspicions of the Father arranging the nukes to drop just to prove he was right. Aiden confided that he had the same suspicions ever since she warned him that he would be right when she nearly died in the river that day.

"Remember what you told me," he said. "It's not worth thinking about the what-ifs. Things would have been so different if you had tried to stop the Father that day. Whether or not you were successful I don't think you or I would be here right now."

Rachel listened to him while she ran her fingers along his chest. Aiden was one that couldn't stand to sleep with a shirt on, he said it made him feel like he was suffocating. Not that she had anything against it, she loved to caress his skin and feel the firmness of his muscles, though it still sombered her to feel the crude Wrath tattoo that was etched in his skin.

The guilt was still there, but it loosened its grip on her. However, their intimate conversation was abruptly interrupted by another strong wave of nausea that had Rachel rushing for the bathroom. This time she didn't grow annoyed with Aiden's presence as he rubbed her back and held her hair. She was grateful when he led her to the couch beside the fish tank after she washed up. After she sat down he kneeled before her, his hands on top of her shoulders, and he searched her over as if looking for the source of her illness was possible.

"I'm worried," he confessed. "You've been sleeping a lot, and have been sick nearly just as much."

Rachel would be lying if she said she wasn't worried. She blamed the stress and guilt for her symptoms, but now that she felt a soreness and pain in her body she couldn't help but finally admit that she may have just gotten ill. But how she could have gotten sick she had no idea, she and Aiden had spent too much time alone in the bunker to have gotten sick from anyone else. It couldn't be food poisoning, she wasn't excessively sick enough. And she had long since recovered from her drug withdrawal and the bullet wound in her leg was fully healed, she had the scar to show for it.

With a groan, Rachel laid down on the couch and curled up with a pillow hugged against her chest. "It'll pass," she dismissed, "probably just women problems." Already she was feeling tired despite just waking up for the day.

A thought came to her and her eyes snapped open. She abruptly sat up and forced her tired mind to think back.

"What is it?" Aiden asked.

When was the last time she had her menstrual cycle? Missing a month every now and then wasn't uncommon for her with how easily stressed she became. But she remembered her last cycle was way too long ago, it ended shortly before she confronted Aiden. It wasn't normal for her to go this long without her period.

She felt ice travel through her veins and she glanced at Aiden before she jumped off the couch and headed right for the infirmary. It was her first time being in the room ever since she killed the Father, but those memories didn't faze her. Her newfound determination overpowered her uneasiness and she madly searched through every drawer and cabinet.

Dutch seemed to have everything prepared. He had to have one test at least. But he was a man, maybe he hadn't thought of the need for one. Not to mention that he prepared this bunker for his family. It was understandable why he didn't even have contraceptives stored.

The more she thought about it, the more fear traveled through Rachel's body. She fought off another wave of nausea and continued her frenzied search. She was so focused in her search she hadn't noticed Aiden's confused presence until she nearly bumped into him.

"What's wrong?" He asked again.

After a few more minutes when her search resulted in nothing, Aiden grabbed her by the shoulders.

"I can't help you find what you're looking for if you don't tell me what it is."

Rachel realized she was breathing as if she had been running. She opened her mouth, but no words escaped. She was at a loss of how to begin explaining her suspicions. "I haven't-I think...I might be…" Bile rose into her throat and she quickly swallowed it down. She was overreacting, it was very possible it was all just from the stress of the damn world ending.

Aiden frowned as he watched her. "Talk to me, please."

She took a shuddering breath. As much as she wanted to deny it, she couldn't argue against the logic of the cause of her symptoms. Her mind wandered before she could explain and she felt herself beginning to panic. It was one thing to expect this type of problem among the people she would be in charge of with the Project, but her bunker was equipped with better equipment and she had actual doctors and nurses to handle everything. With nothing but a mere book to educate her and Aiden on how to handle their future...obstacles were beyond worrying, she was terrified. She wasn't ready for this.

"Rachel," Aiden called to her. The grip on her shoulders tightened ever so slightly.

The words came out of her mouth before she could panic further. "I might be pregnant."

His cyan eyes grew wide as saucers and his eyebrows shot up to touch his hairline. They stared at each other quietly for a long agonizing moment. "Are you-how do you…" He struggled to form a coherent sentence just as she did. "But we never-I mean I never-"

Rachel took another deep breath both to calm herself and to help ease her nausea. "Statistics have shown pulling out isn't a guaranteed safe method." She pulled away from his hold and sat on one of the cots, a hand lifted to rub her eyes. "What are we going to do, Aiden? We're alone here." With a much softer voice she confessed, "I'm scared."

He simply stood quietly, obviously lost in his own thoughts for a moment. Rachel wasn't sure why she half expected Aiden to walk out of the room and leave her alone. She knew he was a better man than that, not that he could go anywhere, but she couldn't help that fear. The thought of having to deal with this...problem alone nearly brought her to tears. Finally, he closed the gap between them and sat next to her and held her hands between his own.

"I'm...scared too. But we'll get through this just like we got through everything else."

A cross between a chuckle and a sob escaped her throat. While his words didn't exactly bring much assurance, his mere presence was comforting and helped calm her panic. A tear trickled down her cheek, but Aiden was quick to rub it away before he pulled her into an embrace.

"With your brains and my...knack for following directions, you and the baby will be fine."

The baby.

The thought about a child brought the panic back to Rachel tenfold. What if there were complications during the pregnancy? Or worse, during the birth? What if she was a horrible parent like her own? She knew nothing about raising a child.

"What if something goes wrong?" She voiced her fears aloud. "What if I'm the same as my parents?"

"Hey now," Aiden pulled away from their embrace so he could look at her. "We talked about this so stop that. I understand being worried though...I can't help but wonder if I'll be the same type of father as mine."

Rachel shook her head. "I may not know your father, but I know you. You taught me what love is. You're the most caring and loving person I've ever known. You'll be nothing like your father."

A smile grew on his face. "I can say the same for you. Knowing the pain and loneliness in your own home, I can't see you wanting the same thing for our child."

His words stirred something within her. The fear was still there, but her heart fluttered with the way he described the child as theirs. It was starting to settle in her head that she and Aiden would be having a child together.

Aiden seemed to be processing the same information. The small smile on his face grew until his teeth showed. "We're going to have a child!" He squeezed her hand. "A little mini me or mini you running around in here one day. For everything that is holy, I hope she inherits your brain instead of mine."

A sudden laugh came out of her and like that she felt ten times better. She squeezed Aiden's hand in return. "She? It could be a boy."

He shrugged. "I'll be happy no matter the gender of our baby. But I always wanted a daughter to spoil, just like I enjoy spoiling her mother."

Rachel felt heat warm her cheeks when Aiden pressed his lips along her neck and collarbone. She brought a hand to his hair and ran her fingers through the locks. Even though they found hair clippers, Aiden had yet to cut his hair and it already grew two inches. Not that it mattered, she loved running her fingers through his soft locks even though he whined about having his hair messed up.

"Why are you so perfect?" She asked him, a ghost of a smile forming on her lips.

Aiden frowned for a fraction of a second before his lips pulled into a smile. "Oh, I have plenty of flaws. I make a lot of mistakes too. I just hide them too well." With a wink he pulled her by the hand and they walked into the room that served as their kitchen and living room.

"Then tell me about your so-called flaws," Rachel told him as she sat on the couch. Despite the lingering nausea, her stomach growled. She hated feeling nauseated and hungry at the same time.

Aiden stepped into the kitchen area and opened the fridge where they stashed a few cans of fruit. It's only been three months and Rachel was so tired of canned and dried food. What she would give for something fresh. Something as simple as freshly baked bread with melted butter on top made her mouth water.

Disappointment punched her in the gut when her eyes fixated on the opened can Aiden held out to her. She accepted the offering with a small thank you and forced herself to eat the cold canned peaches. They typically ate canned fruit in the mornings, canned vegetables in the afternoon, and treated themselves to a dried meal for dinner. But she was so tired of the canned food, the feel of the peach on her tongue nearly made her gag. She ignored the feeling and focused on chewing and swallowing the food. The nausea made it twice as difficult, but she's had practice for the last few days.

"Then tell me about your so-called flaws."

Aiden just about finished inhaling his canned breakfast. As much as Rachel was tired of their food, Aiden was much more vocal about it. And, like her, they ate so much of the same thing, the texture of it sometimes grossed them out. So Aiden tended to eat his food by practically swallowing it.

"I admit I have a short temper," he said before he drank the leftover peach juice from the can. "I may get angry easily, but I get over it just as quickly, I think. What else?" He paused a moment to think. Then he glanced at Rachel with a small smirk. "I get jealous easily. When we were at the brewery and the hotel, there were a lot of men that looked at you in a certain way I didn't like, and it had nothing to do with who you were. You have no idea how angry that made me."

Rachel smiled. "I didn't notice."

An emotion Rachel couldn't quite place bloomed in her chest. No one ever got jealous on her behalf. It flattered her more than anything. She slid a hand around Aiden's neck and pulled him down for a quick kiss. Even with his flaws he still made her view him as the most wonderful thing to happen to her.

"What else you got?" Rachel challenged, a smirk plastered on her face.

"Hmm," Aiden tapped his chin. "I guess I'm not the greatest singer. I like to think I sound good, but how we sound to ourselves is different than how others hear us."

Rachel nodded with a light chuckle. "You tend to sound a little tone deaf," she admitted. Then her head tilted in thought. "I can try to teach you to sing better, with tempo. Not like we have anything else to do."

Aiden's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Sounds good! Too bad Dutch doesn't have a guitar. Maybe I can make my own if I can find some unused wood."

"So you're a little jealous, short tempered , and you are tone deaf," Rachel listed. "Anything else?"

His response was a shrug.

"You may have forgotten to include that you're incredibly clingy." Rachel teased. "And when you get upset you withdraw into yourself. You become quiet and distant. Though I think I prefer that type of anger over anything else."

Aiden grinned. "Have me all figured out, have you?"

She met his grin with one of her own. It was easy to forget her concerns and fear of her pregnancy with Aiden to distract her. "To make you feel better, shall I go over my own flaws?"

Aiden closed the distance between them and placed his lips on her neck. The only sound in the room was the light buzzing from the fish tank and the soft smacks of Aiden's kisses.

"I think I can figure them out," he whispered into her ear.

It was difficult to concentrate. But she was grateful that Aiden was able to distract her from the nausea. "And...what would that be?"

"You can be insecure," he placed light kisses down her neck and towards her collarbone. His fingers wandered along her body. "You tend to stress under pressure," another kiss and Rachel felt her breathing increase. "You can be a little naive at times when it comes to certain things you believe strongly about."

Rachel had enough. She pulled Aiden towards her into a fierce kiss. Any time he tried to pull away she would bite onto his bottom lip gently and lock her arms behind his neck to keep him in place. If she was pregnant, there was no need for them to hold themselves back from enjoying each other fully and completely. As many times as they've slept together, this moment felt much more intimate and emotional. Aiden was far more gentle than the first time they were together, and it didn't escape her notice how often his hands wandered to her stomach. By the end of it she was so content and tired she didn't want to walk the short distance to their room. But when she awoke an unknown time later she found herself in their room anyhow, snug in a nest of pillows and blankets.

She found Aiden in their reading room, his eyes narrowed in concentration as he read over the medical book Dutch had that detailed pregnancy and childbirth.

As scared as she was about the idea of a child on the way, it warmed her to see Aiden already doing his best to prepare for everything. Even though Rachel had explained to him multiple times that Hope County was blocked off from communicating with the outside world thanks to the Father's outside influences, it was pointless to try to connect to the internet, but he kept trying anyhow. Every single day.

"You never know," he had told her once. "Whatever is blocking Hope County just may eventually break down. And even in the apocalypse, so long as we have working computers I imagine we'd still have the internet."

Rachel lifted an eyebrow. "Do I dare ask what it is you're looking for?"

"Information," he shrugged. "In times like this knowledge is more valuable than money. The nursing book we have is great and all, but I just wish we had more." There was a brief flash of concern in his eyes. "And it would be nice to see if there are others out there."

The next couple of months passed slowly. It had been a few more weeks until the morning sickness faded. Aiden had decided to sacrifice one of his meals so they could stock up on their food. Rachel did the math and agreed that cutting back his third meal and reducing his portions would help. She was against it at first, despite eating three times a day they were still left feeling hungry. She recalled her time in Hop County jail where she was practically starved, that type of hunger was horrible, she didn't want Aiden to have to nearly go through the same thing. But he vehemently refused to allow her to cut back along with him, even after she gave birth.

The only drawback was that he tended to get a little cranky when he was hungry. But every time Aiden became upset he never took it out on Rachel, which she was grateful for. He withdrew into himself and brooded alone. She often felt guilty when he got into those moods because she didn't know how to cheer him up. As prepared as Dutch had been she wished he was able to get his hands on equipment that could measure the amount of rads in water. If she knew the water was relatively safe she could at least begin growing the seeds they had.

While Aiden had his bouts of "hanger," as he called it, Rachel had her own moods and was prone to falling into a panic as the weeks went on. She desperately hoped it had only been the stress that was causing her to miss her period several times in a row, and resulted in her nausea, but after the fourth month she finally accepted that she was indeed pregnant. Despite the little that she ate, and how often she lost it from her morning sickness, it was Aiden who had noticed she gained weight. Specifically, he pointed out that her stomach was no longer flat and developed a small curve.

Of course he had been absolutely ecstatic. The consequence of his excitement, however, was his overprotectiveness. If Rachel had thought that Aiden was overbearing before, it was nothing compared to now. He treated her as if she was made of glass and any slight slip would cause her to break. It was a little flattering at first with how much he spoiled her. But eventually she grew annoyed, she wasn't so helpless that she needed Aiden at every beck and call.

The weeks continued to pass slowly. Aiden still sacrificed one of his meals, and eventually he grew used to his fasting. His mood improved and he was successful in finding some spare wood and cardboard Dutch had stored in the room with the generators and water purifier. It was amusing to walk into the living room one day and find Aiden making not one, but two guitars. One had strings made from rubber bands and the other had its strings made from dental floss.

He grinned at her and puffed out his chest in pride as he showed off his home-made instruments. Of course, they didn't sound anywhere near as beautiful as a real acoustic guitar, but it was a small project that kept them both busy. Aiden taught her how to play and she coached him on how to improve his singing. He improved well enough where he no longer sounded tone deaf, but he still wasn't the most talented. It didn't stop him from nearly driving her mad with his constant singing.

It felt like they were still learning about each other even though they lived together for half a year now. Aiden still had yet to fail to make her laugh and forget whatever troubled thoughts plagued her. Even though her morning sickness eased considerably, Rachel continued to feel tired and spent much of her days napping. One particular morning she was feeling both tired and a little depressed. The more her belly grew and swelled the more she feared about raising the child. So she planned to do nothing but mope on the bed.

She dozed off for a minute or two. When she woke Aiden was next to her, his large hand slowly stroking her swollen belly. "I'm about to head into the shower," he told her, his eyes focused on her stomach and a small smile on his lips. "Want to join?"

Rachel was much too tired, despite just waking up. Her body felt achy and heavy. With a weak groan, she draped her forearm over her eyes.

"No thank you," she confessed before she yawned. "I'm finally comfortable."

"Come on," Aiden whined. "I managed to fix the water heater. I know how much you love your hot showers."

Rachel lifted her arm to expose one eye. After a little more thought, and with how difficult it was just to wiggle closer to the edge of the bed, she chose to remain where she laid. "You go and enjoy a hot shower then."

"Are you sure you don't want to join? You'll miss seeing this."

Rachel lifted her arm again and peeked at Aiden. Her lips tightened to keep herself from letting a laugh escape. Aiden stood with his feet shoulder width apart, his hips pushed to one side, one of his hands gripped onto the waistband of his pants. Once he saw that she gave him her attention, he somehow managed to push his hips to the side even more, and then her eyes were drawn to something yellow. She then realized that Aiden unbuttoned his pants and they slid down just enough to expose the top of his underwear. The yellow that she noticed was the print of a banana on his boxer-briefs. He knew where she was looking because he pushed his butt out even more and she was able to see the full image of the banana.

"Hmmm?" He teased.

Rachel couldn't hold in her laughter anymore. Aiden succeeded in looking absolutely ridiculous, but still managed to turn her on. She wouldn't be looking at bananas the same way again, and it wouldn't be the same as how others sexually implied bananas to represent.

"Okay, fine," she huffed as she struggled to sit up. She followed him into the bathroom and sighed when the shower finally released warm water. She felt Aiden's arms wrap carefully around her swollen belly and a weight pressed on her shoulder.

"See? Told you, you wanted to join me for a shower," he whispered into her ear.

"Don't make me regret getting out of bed," she threatened.

The days continued to pass by slowly. They grew so used to eating the same food it became a chore rather than a pleasure. It was one thing to plan and feel ready for the Great Collapse, but it was a completely different thing to actually experience it. The same could be said about their preparation for childbirth. Aiden practically memorized the medical book, he never went a day without reading it for at least an hour. But when Rachel's water broke it was like everything they read was forgotten.

When she felt a sudden wet warmth slide down her legs at first she thought she had soiled herself. The last couple of weeks the baby seemed to enjoy using her bladder as a punching bag so she frequently had to be rushing for the bathroom. But she had literally just left the bathroom, so she immediately knew it wasn't urine that ran down her legs.

This was it. The beginning of her fears. She called for Aiden in a panic. He had been sleeping, but he was quick to hear her and rushed over. His eyes reflected concern, surprise, and then fear. He was tongue tied for a bit, but he quickly got a handle of himself and led Rachel to the infirmary.

While Aiden scrambled about the room collecting supplies, Rachel could do nothing but wait. When the first contraction hit her she was blindsided by the pain. It was a sharp, tearing feeling that made her cry out. This was only her first contraction and already she was cursing Dutch for not stocking pain medication. He had the idea to collect a medical book detailed with how to deliver a child, but he didn't think to get a hold of pain medication.

"He probably meant to have access to the knowledge of delivering a baby," Aiden defended Dutch. "For the apocalypse and all. He probably just didn't expect someone in his bunker would actually be giving birth."

"Bullshit," Rachel winced and gripped the edge of the cot when another contraction hit. "He has all sorts of medication in here, but he forgot the most important one?"

"Or he was more concerned with keeping a person alive rather than comfortable."

Rachel had no idea how long they waited, but it felt like hours. All she knew was that the contractions hit more frequently as time passed. The best she could describe the pain was as if her hips were being pulled apart. Way too much time later she was in an endless cycle of pain and she couldn't help but still fear for what had yet to come. Her panic grew and she didn't know if she was going to black out or vomit, or both at the same time.

Aiden noticed her increasing fear and managed to get through her heavy fog of pain and talked her into concentrating on her breathing. She swallowed her resentment of his presence, she knew it was stupid to want to place blame on him for her current situation. Her heart threatened to burst out of her chest when Aiden told her to begin pushing.

The delivery was more painful and exhausting as Rachel anticipated. She wanted nothing more but to get it all over and done with, but of course nature wasn't that merciful. When Aiden told her the head of the baby was free she thought the worst was done with, but she was very wrong. Her next push wasn't enough to get the baby's shoulders out. She just wanted the pain to stop, so she tried using the last of her energy to make the next push her final one. It wasn't enough, nothing she ever did was enough, even for something as natural as childbirth. She was so exhausted she didn't think she had anything left in her to so much as breathe let alone push again.

"Just one more." She barely heard Aiden say over the roar of her heartbeat in her ears.

Keeping her eyes open was just as challenging as keeping her breathing steady and paced. She didn't know how she managed to muster the last of her strength and gave one final push. It was done. There was that feeling of wet warmth and she could faintly see the top of Aiden's head as he hunched over. Sapped of the last of her energy, she collapsed back onto the mountain of pillows. She hadn't realized her eyes drifted shut until a cry penetrated the silence of the room. Her eyes snapped open and she was overcome with a sense of curiosity, but she lacked the strength to sit up and get a look at her baby. Her arms were heavy and sluggish, and it hurt to lift them. Her voice came out soft, too soft, she was afraid Aiden wouldn't be able to hear her.

Then she felt something warm and sticky press down against her chest. On instinct her arms wrapped around the object and blinked to clear her vision. The image of the small human being brought an intense warmth in her chest and her eyes watered, all of the pain that blinded her before was washed away and forgotten. It was difficult to describe the pure, unconditional love that struck Rachel as she stared at the small pinched face. The baby's eyes were shut tight, skin red, tiny fingers balled up into fists, and mouth wide open in a cry that showed off a small vibrating tongue.

She was so lost in her emotions that she startled when she felt a hand rest on her shoulder. By instinct she pressed the crying infant against her and curled her body around it protectively. She managed to glance at the source of the touch. It was Aiden, a smile on his face and his eyes solely focused on their newborn. Rachel felt a smile form on her lips as she recognized the tenderness in his cyan orbs.

"He's beautiful, isn't he?"

A boy. Rachel looked back at the crying infant. His eyes were still tightly shut, but she wondered if he would have Aiden's eye color. She noticed his skin was still covered in blood and clumps of...well she didn't want to know what the clumps were. One of her fingers absentmindedly wiped a smudge off his forehead. His skin was warm against her lips when she gave him a gentle kiss.

"We should clean him," Aiden reminded her.

Her heart squeezed at the thought of her baby being taken away, even if it was just for a few minutes. With a reluctant nod, she handed Aiden their son. At that point, she didn't know if the pain decided to hit her at that very moment or she just hadn't noticed it while she gazed at her baby. The pain clawed at her entire body, it seeped into every muscle, bone, and cell. It hurt to breathe, it hurt to blink, hell it felt like if she passed gas that would hurt too. This pain somehow managed to top childbirth. She nearly asked Aiden to fetch her some of the alcohol they had saved, but trying to talk hurt too. All she could do was collapse on the cot and try to breathe and eagerly await for her son to be returned to her.

He continued to cry and Rachel struggled to keep herself from demanding Aiden finish cleaning him faster so she could hold him again. When he was placed in her arms again, clean and wrapped in a towel, he had one of his tiny fists in his mouth. Since they had no maternity clothes, she had to wear men's shirts to allow room for her stomach. She was thankful she decided to wear a button down shirt so it was easy to unbutton the top so she could begin nursing.

Rachel was lost in a trance as she watched him, she hardly noticed Aiden go about the cleaning process. It was then that she realized their son would need a name. Of course they discussed names many times, but Aiden insisted she had dibs on the name in the end. She remembered there was one name in particular that Aiden kept bringing up that he was fond of.

"Mason," she announced.

Aiden paused and stepped next to her, his eyebrows raised to express his unspoken question.

"His name," Rachel finally tore her gaze away from their son and looked at Aiden. "Mason."

The smile never left his face since he handed her their child, it visibly grew as he digested the name. "Are you sure?"

She nodded and welcomed the warmth that came when Aiden wrapped his arms around her and their son. They both watched him for a time before Aiden pulled away and announced his responsibility to finish cleaning them both.

It was so hard for Aiden to tear himself away from his family, but he drilled that medical book into his head. There was a lot to do for the afterbirth, and he was afraid he would forget everything. There was a moment where he felt insecure and may be forgetting important things, vital things that could ultimately hurt Rachel or Mason, but he fought the urge to go running to fetch the book. He memorized everything, committed it to heart and mind so he wouldn't mess up. He spoke all of the steps to himself aloud to help him concentrate.

All too often he found himself pausing just so he could watch mother and child. For something so natural and common, Aiden couldn't help but feel amazed. It felt like not too long ago he was ecstatic just to see the slight bump Rachel developed when she began to show. And now their child was born, healthy with a strong set of lungs and from how he was feeding, a near bottomless stomach just like his own. He couldn't wait to see his son grow. Would he adopt a personality like his or Rachels? His small, thin hairs made his hair color indistinguishable for now. With his eyes closed it would be some time until they could see what color they were, blue like Rachel's or the light blue-green of his own.

As repetitive and boring as the days went in the bunker, he still came to vastly enjoy just being with Rachel. And now they had something even better to occupy their time. By the time he had finished cleaning, he approached mother and child with a damp, warm towel. He had cleaned Mason well enough, but Rachel was soaked with sweat. Even though she kept her eyes on Mason as he fed, her eyes kept drifting shut.

A soft moan escaped her as he dabbed at her face with the towel. He could only imagine how exhausted she was, and the pain she was in. It killed him that they had nothing to help take the edge off. All throughout the delivery it physically hurt him to hear her cry out in pain. He hated to feel helpless.

After Mason finally had his fill, Aiden helped Rachel sit up so the baby could be properly burped. They were both quick to fall asleep, but Aiden didn't want them sleeping on the uncomfortable, dirty cot. Rachel stirred awake when he tried to take Mason. Her hold on him tightened.

"I'm just going to put him aside so I can put you to bed. I was afraid your grip on him would lessen while you slept."

"No," Rachel whispered. "I won't let him go."

He offered her a quick smile before he gently lifted her. She was true to her word and kept Mason between them. After Aiden placed her on their own bed she moved Mason so he was between herself and the wall.

Aiden couldn't get out of his dirty clothes fast enough and into clean ones.

"Do you need anything?" He asked Rachel. "Water?"

She nodded. When he returned with a water bottle he helped her sit up so she could take a few gulps. She nearly choked from trying to swallow all of the water that rushed towards her lips when he tilted the bottle a little too much, the water spilled down the edge of her mouth and down her chin. After she was done, Aiden helped her settle back onto the bed before he climbed in it. Even though he had the easy job of helping with the delivery, he was exhausted. But he couldn't sleep. He remained awake and was content with watching the two most important people in his life rest.

As fearful as Rachel expressed about turning out to be a horrible parent like her own, Aiden could see the love on her face when she gazed at their son. Aiden had a similar concern. He was scared he would turn out to be like his father, indifferent and unloving. But the moment Mason was born, his heart swelled so much it hurt and he had to blink to clear his tears. It was a great relief that he could look at his child and feel overpowered by raw emotion.

He had every ounce of confidence that he and Rachel would do their best as parents, despite how early their blessing came into their lives. Their son would never experience the same as they did as children. His son would never feel unloved and lonely, he would never feel like he had to earn his father's love.

Aiden was not a sensitive man. The only time he ever recalled shedding tears was when his mother passed away, and when he thought Jess would die in his arms. But now he couldn't feel ashamed by how his eyes watered again as he watched Rachel and Mason. He carefully draped an arm over them both and continued to watch them before he eventually succumbed to slumber's darkness.

[][][][][][]

It took Rachel the better of four days to recover. As much as she hated to be practically bedridden and coddled by Aiden relentlessly, she was helpless to do much on her own other than nurse Mason. Aiden felt he could breathe easier when a week passed and Rachel and Mason showed no signs of illness. Aiden often teased Rachel that their son was already taking to her personality with how all they both did was sleep, only times they were awake was to eat or use the facilities, or in Masons case his cloth diapers had to be changed.

Obviously with no diapers in the bunker they had to resort to using bed sheets as makeshift diapers. Aiden offered to be in charge of changing them since only Rachel was capable of feeding their baby. The only thing worse than cleaning a poop filled diaper was having to wash it thoroughly for continued use later on.

It was amusing really, Aiden had been exposed to horrible carnage that the Peggies were responsible for. He had seen corpses mutilated and strung out in the sun, when he was first subjugated to Jacob's conditioning he had woken in a stinking, stifling room filled with rotting corpses and their waste. The first thing he did with Jess was hunt down the Cook where they walked in on the man burning two people alive, thinking about the smell of burning human flesh still made him sick. But when he first started changing Masons diaper, to see the thick, gooey, poop that resembled mustard, the smell and sight had him gagging. It took a few days until he became used to it.

When Mason grew a little older, when he was capable of a few babbles, he always laughed at Aiden's misery when a surprise smell triggered his gag reflex. Not that Aiden minded, however. Hearing his son's laughter was like audible chocolate. He loved the sound of it.

But the whole laughing at someone else's misery? That was all Rachel. She may have been one of the kindest people he's met, but she had a mean streak when it came to Aiden's misfortune.

"You are your mother's son," Aiden told the much smaller male.

Mason giggled again.

Addicted to his laughter, Aiden picked him up and lifted him above his head. One moment he was looking at his son's small face, his cheeks puffed out from his wide smile as he continued to laugh, and then the next thing he saw was white. Then came the feeling of warmth and wetness on his face.

There was another laughter. Booming and relentless that eventually turned into a wheeze.

Aiden blinked until his vision cleared. Mason's lips and chin were covered with milk. The laughter behind him was Rachel. Then he felt and tasted something in his mouth, but he was so shocked he couldn't bring himself to spit out whatever liquid was on his tongue. He could just stand there and slowly comprehend what just happened.

Mason vomited milk and it all landed in Aiden's mouth.

He gagged and quickly offered Mason to Rachel. Tears were leaking out of her eyes and one arm was holding her stomach, the other was holding onto the wall. She looked at Aiden once more before she doubled over and continued laughing.

"Take him!" Aiden begged. Spitting out the regurgitated milk only made him gag more. "Hurry! It's in my mouth!"

Finally, Rachel accepted the baby and Aiden rushed into the bathroom.

Yep, laughing at another person's misery was Rachel. Just his luck that their son took on that trait. The next few years were going to be hell.

As happy as Rachel was, and how natural she was to caring for their son, there was a period where she became moody and depressed. She still expressed doubt in herself. Aiden had walked in on her once where he found her watching Mason sleep in the makeshift bed they made for him. She normally watched him with a small smile, sometimes she would sing softly to him while she caressed his hair with a finger. But this time she watched him with a saddened expression.

"What's wrong?" Aiden asked.

It took some time for Rachel to become used to his near constant presence. Before she would often startle with his sudden approaches, but now she was unfazed by his sudden question.

"I just," she paused and looked back at Mason. It took the better of a few weeks for her abdomen to shrink back to its original flat state, and Aiden hated to see how skinny she still was ever since he noticed her gaunt appearance back when she was near starved at Hope County jail. Even during her pregnancy, and after he gave some of his meal portions to her, she hadn't been able to put on more weight.

Aiden knew a way to comfort her to help her confess whatever thoughts were bouncing in her head. He stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her middle and then rested his chin on her shoulder. If he really wanted her to confess he knew all it took was a gentle kiss on her neck and a small nibble on her earlobe. But they hadn't been intimate since she gave birth. He wanted her to properly heal. And caring for their newborn was intensely time consuming, they were lucky to get an hour or two of sleep.

Rachel sagged in his arms and let out a soft sigh. "I've just been thinking. When Mason was born, that moment when I looked at him for the first time I loved him dearly. I knew I would do anything to make him safe and happy. But…"

Aiden pressed his lips on her neck gently to urge her on. "But?"

"I sometimes wonder if my mother felt the same way when I was born. Were she and my father happy like we are? Did they immediately not care? Or were they actually happy for a time, but I did something wrong."

"Stop that, Rachel," Aiden stepped away and pulled on her shoulder so she faced him. His heart clenched when he saw the sorrow in her eyes. He fought the impulse to tighten his grip on her arms in anger. If her parents weren't out of the picture he wouldn't be able to resist slugging her father in the face and giving her mother a piece of his mind. Even though it had been years since she lived with them, their memory still hurt Rachel deeply.

"From what you've told me about your parents, they were undoubtedly heartless to treat you the way they did. I have no doubt that when you were born into their lives they were already indifferent. Sadly I have seen mothers flat out refuse to hold their newborn child after delivery. When I was working as a prison guard before I became a junior deputy, one time we had a pregnant inmate and she went into labor before she could be taken to the hospital. A lot of us were lowkey watching the birth, and I was astonished to see that when her baby was born and the nurse tried to hand the woman her daughter, she refused to hold her, hell she refused to look at her. It's incredibly sad, but there are people that are like that."

Rachel listened to Aiden's story intently. When he was finished he could still see some of that doubt in her eyes.

"You did nothing wrong, okay?" Aiden reminded her sternly. "You did nothing to make your parents feel the way they did about you. Okay?" He waited until she looked at him with glassy eyes and she gave the smallest nod. "I've seen how you are with Mason. Just the way you look at him warms me. You will always love our son and he will know it. You are not your parents, Rachel. Okay?"

The tears finally cascaded down her cheeks and she nodded again. Then she pressed her face against his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"I love you," her voice sounded muffled against his chest.

Aiden returned the hug. "I love you too."

He pulled her towards their bed. Now that Mason was asleep maybe they had a chance to get some sleep themselves, especially now that he was starting to sleep in longer periods of time. They fell asleep with Aiden holding Rachel close.

As Mason grew, the more his physical features became distinguishable. By the time Mason was old enough to walk and talk he was the spitting image of Aiden, but he had his mother's personality. Aiden could tell it depressed both himself and Rachel that their son was forced to grow up within the confines of the bunker, he would not know what the sky looked like, breathe and smell fresh air, would not know food that didn't come in a can or dehydrated in a bag. But they still had hope, obviously they couldn't live in the bunker forever. Eventually they would run out of food, despite Rachel being successful in growing small vegetables and fruit. They made their small harvests last, and the seeds from the fruit allowed them to continue growing more.

Despite how much they both loved Mason, they still needed time alone, especially by the time Mason turned two. The saying of terrible twos was not an exaggeration. Mason was so full of energy and very curious about everything. Unfortunately, the one trait Mason got from Aiden was his short temper.

Aiden and Rachel did their best to give each other breaks so they could rest. A few times Aiden had to reign in his impatience whenever Mason snuck into his room and woke him from a much needed nap. One time Aiden indulged in a rare sip of whiskey when Mason burst in. Even though the toddler had no concept of alcohol, Aiden still didn't like drinking in front of him.

As a child Aiden developed a slight sense of weariness any time he caught his father drinking, he knew that his father became someone different when he had a drink or two. He didn't want Mason to develop that same sense of weariness and fear. So Aiden tried to indulge in a drink privately. And he didn't want to rely on alcohol to relax, but he just needed something to take the edge off.

"Whoa," Aiden pushed the whiskey bottle out of sight. "Are you giving mommy a hard time?"

The toddler's curious gaze followed Aiden's movement. He hobbled towards Aiden's knee and lifted his arms up.

"Mommy sleeping," Mason stated once Aiden lifted him up onto his lap. His chubby face turned towards where Aiden shoved the alcohol bottle, then he lifted his equally chubby arms towards it. "Water please."

Aiden chuckled and stood. "That's daddy's cup. We'll get you water in your cup." He knew Mason was too young to comprehend what the bottle really contained, but it still made him uncomfortable.

Of course the bunker had no bottles or spill free cups, Mason learned how to drink from a cup or water bottle well enough, but he still tended to spill water everywhere. After his thirst was taken care of, Aiden stepped into the bedroom and found Rachel asleep on the bed. Even though it was her idea to keep Mason occupied while he had a few hours of rest, he couldn't blame her for being the one to fall asleep instead. Since Mason was born they had little opportunities to fully rest. With his mother in sight, Mason leaned away from Aiden and stretched his arms towards Rachel.

Aiden tried sneaking towards the hallway. "Mommy's sleeping. Why don't you and I hang out?" He whispered to the toddler.

Mason wasn't having it. His eyes immediately bunched and he began to whine the more distance between him and Rachel grew.

His whine wasn't loud, yet, but it was enough to stir the sleeping woman awake. "Aiden?" She sat up and rubbed her eyes.

With a smile, Aiden approached the bed and sat on it before he deposited the wiggling child into Rachel's arms. "He's a real mommy's boy."

"I'm sorry," she yawned. "He settled down for a nap. Guess I ended up joining him."

"It's all right," Aiden shrugged.

It wasn't long until their son fell asleep once he curled up on Rachel's lap. Aiden half expected for her to settle back on the mattress and sleep, but she carefully placed the toddler onto the bed and moved their makeshift rail in place so he wouldn't fall off. They headed into the room that served as their living room and kitchen. Now that they were alone, Aiden fetched the bottle of whiskey from the room over.

"You still try to hide when you drink?" Rachel asked. There was no judgement in her gaze or tone.

Aiden shrugged and poured some of the amber liquid into the small cup he also brought. "I just don't want Mason feeling the same way I did growing up." Then he explained the weariness and fear he felt whenever he saw his father drink. "I don't want him feeling like he has to hide whenever I've had a drink."

Rachel nodded, a look of understanding reflected in her eyes. "What was it that you told me all that time ago? I'm not my parents. And you are not your father. As it is you don't even get angry when you drink, quite the opposite in fact."

A smile grew on Aiden's face as he recollected that pep talk he had with Rachel.

"Besides, he's a little too young to understand what it is that you're really drinking."

He chuckled and offered Rachel the cup of whiskey. "When he walked in on me earlier he thought it was water."

Rachel studied the cup for a moment before she shook her head.

"I can't drink."

Aiden raised an eyebrow. "One drink won't hurt. If anything it'll relax you so you can fall back asleep. I don't mind watching over Mason if he wakes."

She shook her head. "No, I mean I can't drink."

He didn't understand her insinuation. They've drank before, they got a little carried away in the Hope County jail. And they shared a few drinks ever since they began living in the bunker. "Why not?"

Rachel sighed and looked away, she wrung her fingers and bit her bottom lip. Something was clearly bothering her which made him feel nervous. "I think I'm pregnant. Again."

Aiden felt stunned. He was split between wanting to feel excited and wanting to feel worried. As exhausting as it's been raising Mason, he was incredibly happy. The thought of a second child brought a smile to his face. He knew the loneliness being a single child could be. But he grew worried when he thought over their limited supplies. As a toddler, Mason didn't eat much. But the older he grew the bigger appetite he would have. A second child meant their food storages would dwindle even faster than they originally planned. Which meant they would have to leave the bunker a lot sooner than they thought. The longer they stayed in the bunker the safer it would be when they finally left it.

"Are-are you sure?" It felt like a stupid question, Aiden had no doubts that Rachel would know her own body, and with the experience of her first pregnancy, he knew not to doubt her suspicions. Still, he felt like he had to give a filler question just to buy him time to digest the news.

"I'm pretty sure," Rachel replied. By the look of her expression, she also appeared to be worried. "I want to be happy, but...another child means we'll have to leave this place sooner than we planned. And what if it's not safe when we do have to leave?"

Aiden tossed the whiskey back and swallowed it in one huge gulp. The burn of the alcohol nearly made him cough. "We can cross that bridge when it comes. For now, the best we can do is make our supplies last as long as they can. The minimum amount of years you said was about five? We can shoot for that number." He poured another drink and drank it. Then he immediately felt guilty. They both should be happy about another child of theirs on the way, but the apocalypse made their reality grim. Then Aiden felt his guilt grow, he relied on the alcohol to settle his nerves, but Rachel didn't have the same luxury. And he felt like having to drink to "settle" said nerves over news of a pregnancy made him weak and pathetic.

He placed the whiskey bottle and cup on the nearby table, where they sat to eat their meals, and joined Rachel on the couch where he pulled her into an embrace. "We'll get through this," he promised her.

A sudden cry tore them from their intimate moment.

Part II

Aiden never reached this level of fear and stress before. There was something different about this pregnancy. Rachel was beyond exhausted. She slept through most of the day, way more often than her first pregnancy, and when she was awake it was like she still had no energy. Her light complexion became even more pale. She insisted she was fine, but Aiden couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that settled deep in his gut. What was wrong was that none of their books had any information that could help shed what was wrong with her.

Obviously Aiden was no medical expert, but he couldn't help but feel that years of eating the same canned food, no sunlight and fresh air, and limited exercise, had taken its toll on her. What Aiden feared the most was that she wouldn't have the strength to go through the delivery, or the baby wouldn't survive to full term.

It took a few days before he finally made a decision. Unfortunately, his decision triggered an argument with Rachel.

"Absolutely, not." Her eyes widened and her skin paled even more. If she lost more color in her skin Aiden feared he'd be able to make out every single one of her veins. He grimly noted how she didn't even have the energy to raise her voice, but he could still see that fire in her eyes. "You can't leave the bunker yet."

"I have to, Rachel," he told her. "We can't stay down here any longer."

"We have enough food and water."

"I know," Aiden replied. "But…" he thought of how to explain his concern as he looked over her appearance. She looked tired. "Being down here for so long hasn't been good for you." He grabbed her hands into his own. "It's been five years, there's a chance it's safe enough for us to leave this place."

"And what if it isn't safe yet? You go out there and you can die! And it will be for nothing. I can't," she looked at him with shiny eyes. "Please, don't leave me alone. Us. What about the kids? Will you really leave Mason and Matthew without a father? And…" she moved one hand over her stomach. It was still mostly flat, but there was still a slight curve developing.

Aiden gripped her hand tighter. "Of course I don't want to leave all of you. But I'm worried about you. Every day it's like you get weaker. You need the sun, fresh air, real food."

Rachel shook her head. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not," Aiden stressed. "It won't take long. I'll pop my head outside to see if everything is nothing but ash. If there's just one chance that everything has regrown, well I'll be out there for an hour or so. I'll be back, you can monitor me to make sure that I don't get sick."

With a heavy sigh, Rachel sat on the couch and cupped her forehead. Once Mason and Matthew fell asleep for the night, Aiden decided to reveal his plans to her.

She studied him for a long, silent moment. Finally, she closed her eyes and sighed again. "Okay, fine. I know I won't deter you once you make up your mind."

Aiden nodded. "I'll leave in the morning then."

Climbing up the stairs of the bunker was nerve wracking. Aiden couldn't help but feel like the moment he opened the door a blast of heat would shove him onto his ass and the radiation would melt his skin off. Sure, Rachel may have explained to him numerous times how radiation would actually affect him, not that it would literally melt his skin off, but he was still worried about melting. His heart pumped so forcefully in his throat he felt like he could taste his heartbeat. His hands shook as he opened the hatch.

He braced for the wave of heat, but instead he felt a cool tingle upon his skin he hadn't felt in years. His eyes widened as he slowly absorbed what he was looking at. He had expected to see the trees reduced to small skinny husks, and nothing but dried dirt instead of grass and shrubs. What he saw instead, however, was a bright intensity of colors. The trees were filled with green leaves, there was more green grass than dirt, and the flowers! There was a heavy coating of pink flowers everywhere. Aiden's thoughts immediately went to Rachel. He could see her being drawn to the new floral life and eager to test what they were and what type of properties they held.

A smile grew on his pale face as he thought about it. He could just picture the intense curiosity in her eyes. When she taught him how to plant and care for their vegetables and fruit in the bunker he could see the passion she held for creating life out seeds. She could talk for hours any time he asked her about herbology in general. Even if he didn't understand most of what she explained, he still asked her about it from time to time just to see how she would light up on the subject. There was no doubt that seeing all of this color from the flowers would bring a lot more life back to her.

Aiden had to see more, just to be sure that the world was safe again. Afterall, he left the bunker for the sake of Rachel's health. He needed to make sure that wandering off the island was safe. Even if it wasn't, Dutch's small island was so much bigger than the small bunker they've lived in for the past few years.

He walked to the edge of the island to scope out the lake. The water appeared cleaner, clearer and blue. His ears perked at the sound of a splash and his heart fluttered when he noticed a fish in the distance hopping out from the water surface. He could finally fish again!

It was almost difficult to keep his mind on track of his purpose out here. He promised Rachel he would only be outside for an hour. Still, he knew he had time to check the small path that would lead him off of the island.

He should have expected it, but he couldn't help but feel his heart drop when he noticed a husk of a rusted car just off the road. The abandoned vehicle shell was a sharp contrast to the rest of the green wildlife. Most of the concrete from the road itself was mostly intact, it served as a great indicator to walk, but driving on it wouldn't be wise. Still, there was so much more life than Aiden expected. The sounds of the land were loud and clear, the buzzing of bugs, the chirps of birds. He felt his heart swell even more with hope when he spotted a distant edible plant just up a small hill.

It would've been wonderful if he could find any animals, it would further cement the idea of moving out of the bunker permanently with the prospect of sustainable resources, but he wouldn't have the time to go hunting for any tracks. But seeing life move on from the nuclear bombs gave Aiden hope.

He rushed back to the bunker with the good news.

It was...difficult to return to the bunker for Aiden. After seeing life's recovery outside he was eager to return to nature, already he missed feeling the sun's warm rays on his skin, the smell of the trees, and the fish were calling his name. His mouth watered at the idea of eating baked fish, it was multitudes better than the current can of beans he forced himself to eat.

Worst case scenario it would take weeks for him to display symptoms of radiation sickness. When Rachel told him it could take hours to weeks his eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets. What made him even more eager to return outside was to see everyone's reaction. He was most eager to see his sons' reactions to everything they had yet to observe.

Giving Rachel the good news made her nearly as eager as him to leave the bunker. Aiden's days never felt so long when he waited the two weeks they decided to observe him for any symptoms of radiation. It was worrying at first, Aiden was honestly scared to fall ill. He truly didn't want to even think about succumbing to radiation sickness and leave his family behind. Thankfully, and Aiden truly found himself giving thanks every night when he fell asleep feeling no different, he never experienced any illness by the end of the second week. He was glad he didn't even experience a single headache, which was a surprise with Matthew going through an even worse bout of the terrible-twos than Mason.

They planned to remain on Dutch's island, Rachel wanted to see if the soil was capable of growing the few seeds they had remaining. And for their own safety, they would still return to the bunker to sleep for the night.

Finally emerging from the bunker was as precious as Aiden predicted. As happy as he's seen Rachel become during their time together, even after they had to survive in the bunker, she appeared to be so relieved and ecstatic to see everything look almost like the bombs never dropped. As he predicted, she was magnetized towards the plant life.

"These...flowers are not native in Hope County," she explained as she looked them over.

She warned Aiden and their sons to avoid touching them, but after they all observed bugs and birds land on the flowers with no apparent ill effects, she began all sorts of testing on them. She tried drying, crushing and boiling them, but Aiden's protectiveness kicked in; he asked her to avoid testing everything she did to the flowers on herself. She was clearly disappointed, but she understood that testing the unknown flowers was not worth harming their unborn daughter.

"What makes you think it's a girl?" Rachel asked him the night they all ventured outside for the first time. Normally, she was the one to rest her head on Aiden's chest and nonchalantly run her fingers over his skin. But since her belly began to curve she tried getting into the habit of sleeping on her back again, so it was Aiden that curled up against her, his arms wrapped around her middle, and his head snuggly pressed against her breasts.

"Father's intuition," he answered simply.

They were still a little sweaty from their nightly activity so Rache's heart rate still had yet to settle, but the rhythm of it rocked Aiden to sleep all the same. He was eager to sleep, the faster they went through the night the faster morning would come and they could return to the outdoors. He hoped they would be more productive this time. For most of that morning and afternoon they both walked themselves ragged chasing after Mason as he pointed and asked about everything.

He smiled as he thought over their sons' reaction to stepping outside. Matthew was too young to really acknowledge the experience of going outside for the first time since he was born, but he and Mason took a long time to adjust to the brightness of the daylight. Mason was four and he was so exhilarated to have a brand new world to experience. It was one thing to explain what a tree looked like from the few posters Dutch had hung on the bedroom walls in the bunker, but to physically see a tree for the first time in his life was different.

Their first day outside and they already learned the hard way not to look away for a single second from a four year old or two year old. While Rachel looked over the numerous pink flowers with Matthew in her arms, Aiden tagged along with Mason to explore. Aiden only glanced away for a moment when his eyes spotted a massive fish in the crystal clear lake just off the shore of the island when he heard a splash and turned to find Mason trying to chase that same fish. He didn't know how to swim, it was difficult to explain the concept of swimming to a child that didn't even experience taking a bath before.

He cringed as he thought back to that moment. Mason swallowed and inhaled a bit of water, and his choking coughs lured Rachel. She nearly tore Aiden a new one for allowing their son to nearly drown under his watch.

"Right," Rachel said through a yawn. "If there's one thing I hope to find or create myself in this new world, it's contraceptives."

Aiden chuckled and lifted his head to place a kiss on her shoulder. "It's the end of the world. And Mason and Matt are very handsome boys, though that may be because of their good looking father." His grin widened when he felt a light slap on the top of his head. "We make good looking babies. So we owe it to the world to repopulate humanity."

"Repopulate, huh?" Rachel echoed. "I don't regret our children, but you try squeezing out something the size of a watermelon through something the size of a lemon and see how you feel about 'repopulating.' After this one I don't think I can endure a fourth child. So either no more love making until we can get contraceptives or you get fixed."

"Well then, I guess you better get to work on figuring out those contraceptives tomorrow. If you could create the Bliss, and use it to save a person from a mortal wound, I'm sure you can figure out something to prevent pregnancy." Aiden joked.

"There were certain herbs that some cultures used as contraceptives," Rachel pointed out.

"How did I guess that you would know something like that?"

Rachel chuckled. "Have you forgotten my parents, as horrible as they were, were very knowledgeable about herbology? We had massive bookshelves filled with books about-," she paused abruptly.

Aiden waited a moment for her to continue, thinking she lost her train of thought. She was speaking too rapidly for her to have suddenly fallen asleep. He lifted his head off her chest to glance if she was awake.

"About?"

His question snapped her out of her thoughts. "Herbology. They had so many books about herbology. I retained some of the information from them, but those books are invaluable to us. If they survived the bombs."

"If," Aiden repeated and rubbed his head against the swell of her chest. When he did it for too long he felt another light slap on his head and he chuckled.

"Stop that, I'm really sore right now."

"Sorry," he mumbled. "But don't worry, we'll make a trip to fetch those books," he promised. Sleep was just holding him in his grasp until another thought came to him.

"By the way, whatever became of your parents? If you don't mind me asking."

Silence hung in the air for a few moments. At first he thought maybe Rachel had fallen asleep, but she began to speak again before he could lift his head to glance at her.

"The Father originally wanted them to undergo John's indoctrination. But...as much as they hated me...and knowing of John's methods...I thought it would be a small mercy if they walked the path instead, so I convinced the Father to have them do that first. I had hoped they would just learn it was better to join the Project instead of resisting. The Father already accepted me into his family so I didn't care what became of my parents after that. I still remember when John told me I was legally the owner of my parent's home and property some time later. I didn't care, it was easier for me to look the other way and not ask what became of them. Ignorance is bliss."

"I see," Aiden replied with a careful tone. He didn't want to sound judgemental. "If they were...if we were to happen to come across them-"

"Don't, Aiden," she snapped with a slight sharpness in her tone. "They hated me. If they were still alive and somehow survived the Great Collapse, I'd just hope they wouldn't recognize me. If they did, I'd just look to get away. And no, I wouldn't want them to meet Mason and Matthew either."

Aiden was silent. "I understand. I was just curious. I'm sorry for bringing back those memories." He closed his eyes when he felt her fingers caress through his hair. "I guess I could say I'm glad you feel that way, about them not meeting their grandchildren. They lost that right when they treated you the way they did."

"If they were alive, I wouldn't allow them to hurt my children the way they hurt me."

Aiden tightened his embrace just a little. Rachel continued to surprise him. He didn't think it was possible to fall in love with a person more and more each day. She had been so worried she would hate her children the same way she felt her parents hated her, but there was no mistake in the pure love she had for them the moment they were born. As both Mason and Matthew grew up she was always attentive, loving, extremely patient, and very protective.

"Would you let your father meet our sons?"

He opened his eyes at that question. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't thought about it. He had way too much time on his hands so he often wondered how his father would be if he were to ever meet his grandchildren.

"Meet them? Yes. Invite him to family bowling night or camping? Sure. But I wouldn't be comfortable having him watch over the kids if you and I needed a date night alone."

"Family night?" Rachel asked. Her tone got softer as she slowly surrendered to sleep. "If the Great Collapse didn't happen, would you still see us like we are now? As a family?"

"Of course," he climbed up so he leaned against an elbow so he could properly look into her eyes. It always warmed him to see the tenderness in her blue orbs whenever they had these sentimental talks. He felt like he had a lot of catching up to shower her with affection to make up for her loveless childhood. "Honestly, I don't think I could have waited longer than half a year to ask you to marry me."

If it weren't so silent in the room he wouldn't have heard the hitch of her breathing. Even though she blinked rapidly he could still see the shininess of her eyes.

"Would you have still wanted to get married if we had Mason as quickly as we did?"

"Yes. I wouldn't have been able to see you only as the mother of my children. I'd need you as both my wife and the mother of my children."

She pulled him down for a kiss. And like that Rachel made a new discovery, a way to get his body as willing as his mind. He was ready for a round two within the same night.

The first week Rachel sought out a flat patch of land to plant some of the seeds they had, but with how many different flowers had bloomed she was confident the soil was fertile for healthy crops to grow. Aiden let Mason follow him when he explored the entire island to make sure they didn't have any more giant mutated animals for neighbors. The two males were both astonished to observe a family of pale white deer, or at least Aiden assumed they were deer, just across the lake. The massive horns of the males were a bright red and made them stand out even more than their pure white fur.

Just like how Rachel assumed that the pink flowers were a result of mutation from the nuclear bombs, Aiden shared his own assumptions about the giant fish and odd looking deer. He wondered if the animal's mutation went beyond their changed appearance.

They continued to live out their days outside, Rachel looked over their crops and did her testing on the other plants, and she ended up eventually finding yucca, a fruit for them to eat. With the mutations in mind, Aiden offered to be the guinea pig when it came to testing if anything was edible. He was so used to eating the same canned and dry food that it felt like his taste buds had once been shriveled up and then came to life when he bit into a yucca fruit. They were dry, but sweet with a hint of a nutty taste. Thanks to his sweet tooth, and resulting from being without anything sweet for the past five years, the fruit was the best thing he ever tasted. Thankfully he experienced no illness, other than a craving for more.

They decided to remain on the island until their crops grew, which took a good two months. During that time Aiden made sure that Mason and Matthew learned to swim, well for Matthew it was more for him to understand the experience of water and why he shouldn't charge right into it like his older brother did. They both took to the water like fish and loved their swimming time which usually came when the sun began to settle.

With no idea of other survivors, Aiden made sure to teach Rachel how to properly use guns. She only tried shooting once and it was with the smallest gun Dutch held in his arsenal, they were unsure how the loud gunfire would impact their unborn child. They were originally worried their practice shots would draw the attention of any hostiles, but their solitude on the small island was a good defense. The only road that connected the island to the rest of the main Henbane region had long since been submerged by the lake.

There was a Ranger station on the other side of the island with its own dock, there they thankfully found a small boat. The engine was dry of fuel, they couldn't find any in the station, but it would be enough for them to finally get to the mainland if they paddled. Rachel was content with the island, their crops were growing well, and there were no animal predators that lived nearby.

"We'll eventually run out of food in the bunker," Aiden pointed out. "The fruits and vegetables we can grow are great and all, but carrots, strawberries and tomatoes can only sustain us so much."

"We've seen deer. And I know I spotted what looked to be a bear on that smaller island near the docks. We have access to wild game for protein."

"I don't know about having to drag a carcass across the lake," argued Aiden. He tapped his chin in thought for a moment. "What if we left to check on Fall's End? We can try to find survivors and rebuild. If it's too dangerous we can return here."

She looked unconvinced, her eyes narrowed as she thought over his suggestion. Aiden kissed her brow. "Just sleep on it, okay?" He placed a hand over her belly. In two months it had grown larger. "Soon you won't be able to travel. And it'll be difficult to explore with a newborn."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "It'll be difficult to travel with a four year old and a two year old as it is."

"Point taken," Aiden replied. "What if I left to find any survivors? Again, I'll return if things are too dangerous or Fall's End is abandoned."

Fear flashed in her blue eyes. "You'll leave us?"

Aiden felt his heart drop. "No, of course not. I'll be back. I won't take long."

"You're still leaving," Rache argued. "What if you don't get back in time when the baby is born? Or what if you get hurt and-and."

He gripped onto her shoulders to keep her from panicking further. Already he was regretting his idea to leave, but he couldn't ignore the desire to go out to find more survivors. "I taught you everything I know about guns. We have enough ammo and weapons to supply an entire police force. If anything you and the kids can lock yourselves in the bunker. I know you'll be safe and protect the kids."

Rachel shook her head and pulled away from him. "Is it really that important for you to leave us just to find other people? I know you want to know what happened to a lot of your friends, but...we need you."

Aiden sighed. "I don't want to leave, Rachel. But there's a lot we don't know that's out there. It's been safe here. I'd rather you and the kids stay here where it's safe and I scope things out. I'll find us a place to settle down for good."

Something stirred in her eyes. The fear was still there, but she looked to have fallen into thought. "If you must go out," she paused and bit her lip. "I think...I think it would be best for you to check John's ranch after you go to Fall's End."

The specific suggestion caught Aiden by surprise. He would assume Rachel would want to check someplace within her ruling region, somewhere most familiar to her. "Why there?"
"John didn't completely believe the Father about the Great Collapse. But he still felt the need to prepare for it, just in case he was right. He wanted to prepare his own home for the Great Collapse should it happen with no warning and he wouldn't be able to get to his own bunker."

Aiden touched his hairline with his eyebrows. "What like he has his own private bunker or something?"

Rachel shrugged. "I don't know the exact details. Only that he was preparing his home to be his own safe haven. Not many would know about it, so hopefully it is worth checking for supplies."

"It would be a bit of a long trip on foot. I can try to push for it though. I just hope I can find a working vehicle."

Aiden felt Rachel's body sag and she leaned onto him.

"Please be careful," she told him, her voice muffled with her face pressed against his chest. "Come back the moment anything happens. I don't care if you sprain your ankle. You march right back here."

He laughed and saluted. "Yes, ma'am."

"Actually," she pulled away abruptly. They were already inside the bunker for the evening, both children knocked out thanks to the energy they spent during their swim time. Aiden followed her into the former map room that was now used as their makeshift greenhouse. They had long since pulled down the maps of Hope County and stuffed them into a random drawer.

Aiden watched Rachel as she searched the drawers and eventually found one of the maps. She studied it for a moment before she showed it to him.

"You can avoid a lot of the leg work if you use the boat to travel down the river. The water has always been calm so you won't be in any danger of crashing. And if you stop around here," she pointed to a place directly south of Fall's End, "it shouldn't take long to travel North and get to town. Or what's left of it. Then you can either walk or take the boat towards John's ranch, it's right near the river here."

Aiden took the map from her and studied it. The river wrapped around Holland Valley, and as much as he would prefer to walk to strengthen his legs, he couldn't deny the appeal of faster travel. But the main reason he wanted to venture out was to see how much Hope Valley had changed. He would only be able to see so much by traveling along the river. Still, he folded the map and pocketed it. He would have a few hours to decide how he would travel.

"Thank you," he told her. "I'll set out first thing in the morning."

In the end, Aiden decided to get to Fall's End through the river, as Rachel suggested. But he planned to walk on his way back. Nervousness prevented him from getting much sleep so he rose early when Rachel was still asleep to pack. The last thing he packed away were a few weapons, a handgun on him and an extra one in his bag, a shotgun and a rifle. Packing such an arsenal with half his body weight in ammo gave him a sense of deja vu. He hadn't expected to find Matthew watching him silently at the doorway, however.

"Hey, little guy," Aiden smiled and approached the toddler. Matthew took more to Rachel's looks, but he had Aiden's eye color. "What are you doing up?"

"Outside," Matthew pointed to Aiden's bag.

Regret hung heavy in Aiden's chest. He didn't want to leave, but he had to know if anyone else survived. He picked up his younger son and retreated into the kitchen for a quick breakfast.

Their farewell was a little more emotional than Rachel expected. She didn't know whether to be angry or upset, and having her emotions in a twist didn't help. It hurt to watch Aiden walk away, she feared more than anything that he wouldn't return.

Both boys were immediately aware of his absence. Since Mason usually accompanied Aiden when they walked around the island, he was quick to tear up when Rachel told him they had to stay in the bunker. Now that it was only her to watch out for them, and knowing how quick they were to get into trouble, she wasn't taking any chances. While she tended to her chores outside she would have to keep the boys in the bunker. Even though the bunker locked from the inside, even Mason was too small to open the door.

Keeping busy to keep her thoughts off Aiden's absence was really all she could do. The first few days were the hardest. For the last five years they've been inseparable. Sure she grew annoyed a few times when Aiden clung to her like glue, she needed some small semblance of privacy, but for him to be completely gone it felt like a part of her was missing. It was difficult to sleep without his warm presence. She often dreamt he was beside her in bed, each morning was a cruel reminder when she woke up alone.

To keep herself from breaking down, she stuck through a strict routine. The mornings she fed the boys and tutored them. Mason was still practicing on writing the alphabet. Matthew recognized letters, but he was still learning his numbers. Like her, they took Aiden's absence hard, but she refused to cry in front of them when they bombarded her with questions on where their father was. She knew it wasn't good to bottle up her emotions, but she needed to be strong for them.

In the afternoons when they settled for a nap she snuck outside to tend to the crops and check the traps that were laid out for fish and small animals. Fish were commonly caught, once in a while a hare was found in a trap. Rachel just wished she could cross the river to seek out any other fruits, vegetables, roots and herbs. She hoped Aiden would return with some.

One day, when she wandered a little farther away from the bunker, her heart leapt when she recognized an abundance of medicinal plants, Bougainvillea and Cistanche. She carefully plucked about half of them and began growing her own near the crops. She couldn't bear to leave the boys alone any longer than it took her to water the crops and check the traps, so when she wanted to search for any more plants she had no choice but to take the boys with her. She couldn't trust Matthew to stick close to her so she resorted to carrying him. Mason understood the concept of consequences, so he knew that if he ever strayed away or disobeyed her he risked being unable to go outside anymore. Together they found a small area in the southern part of the island along the coast that held a few more medicinal plants that would be worth keeping.

By the second week that Aiden left, the boys were really missing him. Nearly every morning Matthew would burst into Rachel's room crying and calling out for his father. Hearing him broke her heart and it was a struggle for her not to cry along with him. Mason developed a bit of resentment against her at first, he surprised her when he accused her of being the reason Aiden left.

"Daddy left because of you!" He cried. "You yelled at him!"

She realized that he must have overheard her and Aiden's argument when he told her of his plans to find survivors alone. Her resolve threatened to crumble then and there. It was the first time Mason displayed any anger towards her. When he refused her attempt to console him she failed to keep her tears at bay, hot tears cascaded down her cheeks. The sight surprised her son, however, it would be the first time he ever saw her cry. His cyan eyes widened in surprise and she could see his anger soften.

"Daddy will be back," she promised him. "He wanted to find more people."

The idea of other people like them was foreign to him. Afterall, all his life he only ever knew his family. His anger dissolved to sorrow. Eventually, he asked her another painful question.

"Does daddy not love us anymore?" He asked her one night when she tucked him into bed. "Did I do something wrong?"

Rachel felt a painful squeeze in her chest and her vision blurred from tears. She knew she blamed herself so many times for her own parents hating her. But to hear her own child think the same thing hurt her more than Aiden leaving.

"No, of course not," she consoled him and ran her fingers through his hair. "We will always love you, you can never do anything wrong that will change that, okay?" It hurt that he looked so much like Aiden, it made her miss him more. "Daddy will be back, it made him sad to leave us."

"Then why did he leave?"

"He wants to keep us safe. We're safe here in our home, but outside it can be really dangerous. There are animals and people that will want to hurt us if they see us."

Mason frowned. His voice cracked with curiosity. "Why?"

Rachel smiled. He was in the phase of asking why for nearly everything. "The animals don't know any better. They can't talk like us. They attack for food and if you get too close to their home."

"And people?"

She paused to think of an answer. "The same reason. Mean people will want to take what we have. And it's easier for them to do that if they hurt us."

"Is that why you and daddy use guns?"

Aiden was the one to show and explain weapons to Mason. Matthew was still too young to understand. Once Mason got a little older she and Aiden would begin teaching him how to actually use weapons.

"Yes," she answered. "We only use our guns to protect ourselves. Or to protect other people."

"What does that mean?"

"Protect?"

The child nodded despite rubbing an eye and yawning.

Rachel leaned forward to kiss his forehead. "To protect is where you keep someone from getting hurt. Daddy and I will always protect you and Matt. Now it's getting late, let's go to sleep."

Rachel's routine continued for another week, each day she grew more and more worried about Aiden's safe return. She was no expert at estimating how long it took to travel through Holland Valley by foot or the river. She only ever traveled through Hope County via vehicles. The most she could do was work on building up their food reserves with the fresh food they caught from the traps. Some of the medicinal plants she harvested she made sure to dry them.

The longer she waited for Aiden to return the more paranoid she grew each time she ventured outside, especially when she brought the boys with her. She hated to not allow them to have their fun and play outside. She was grateful that Mason enjoyed playing with his little brother so it was easier for her to keep an eye on them both.

Her paranoia still did not prepare her for one terrifying encounter. One day, when the sun began to settle, she was quick to notice a massive black mass approaching the kids when they played near the shore. Bears were common in Hope County, and they were just as common on her family's property. Knowing how to deal with them was common knowledge for Hope County residents, but her children were too young and had yet to be taught what to do if a bear approached.

The massive size of the animal quickly spooked both children. "Mommy!" Mason shouted and immediately began crying. Before Rachel could try to coax him into slowly walking towards her, he grabbed Matthew by the arm and together they started running towards her.

Rachel cursed mentally, their running was quick to attract the bear's aggression.

"Get inside!" She gave the boys a gentle push towards the direction of the bunker. They were too far away for them to escape inside and shut the door behind them. Bears ran too fast, this one was no exception.

The most she could do was hope to distract the bear or kill it. She knew playing dead would work on a grizzly or mother bear, but there were no cubs nearby. And with the mutation of the black bear before her, she was unsure how it would react if she dropped down and curled up. She was terrified the mutated bear would be more aggressive than the average black bear she was familiar with.

Rachel quickly pulled her handgun free. She wasn't confident the weapon could do much against the animal, she regretted not bringing a shotgun, but she was still weary of the damage firing such a loud weapon would do to her baby. But now she had a massive, mutated bear that threatened herself and both her sons. Her hands shook and she scrambled to remember all that Aiden taught her on how to use the gun. She made sure the safety was off and aimed the gun at the bear.

"Well, this place is mostly intact." Aiden replied dryly.

His trip to Fall's End wasn't a waste. He was surprised, but ecstatic, to find Grace and Jerome barely surviving in it. They spent nearly an entire night talking and catching each other up on what they all did after the bombs fell. He was saddened to hear that Mary May was one of the first casualties. Grace explained that she refused to go underground. Both she and Jerome found her remains, or what they believed to be her, in the Spread Eagle bar when they left their own bunker half a year prior to Aiden's arrival. They knew of a few others that survived, but mostly everyone went their separate ways in hopes of finding supplies. Food was the one thing that people desperately needed, and it was the reason Grace and Jerome returned to the surface.

Aiden offered them shelter and food, of course, but even if he didn't have anything to offer them they would still accompany him. Safety in numbers, Grace told them. But before they returned to Dutch's island, they took the trip further South to seek out John's ranch, per Rachel's request.

They took the boat along the river towards the Ranch. Jerome hadn't been doing too well for the past few weeks. He had difficulties breathing and walking for too long would trigger coughing fits. His slowly declining health worried Aiden and Grace, Aiden desperately hoped Dutch kept some type of medicine that could help him.

The ranch was surprisingly well preserved, it was only in disarray from the lack of any upkeep.

"Why did Faith want this place again?" Grace asked.

"Rachel," Aiden reminded her. "She doesn't go by Faith anymore. Trust me, you wouldn't want to call her that either. She killed the last man that called her as such."

A smile grew on the woman's face. "Wish I was there to witness it."

To say that Grace and Jerome were shocked of what became of Aiden and Rachel would be an understatement. Jerome was more understanding, but Grace still displayed disbelief sometimes.

"And Rachel said John would have supplies here, apparently he prepared his home as a personal safe haven should he be unable to get to his bunker in time. By the looks of the place it seemed he did do something to the place. I've never seen any building mostly in one piece before. Most are half missing and charred."

"The building itself is huge," Jerome chimed in. He paused to cough, it sounded dry and painful. "And if it does have supplies then this would be a good place to rebuild."

Aiden nodded. "I'd say you two can stay here to protect the place, but I think you both need a good meal or two and a good night's rest first. We have plenty of room and food in Dutch's bunker. We can bring everyone back here once we're all at full strength. Let's just hope no one decides to move in first.'

When they returned to Dutch's island the sun was still out. Aiden was eager to introduce Grace and Jerome to his family. He wasn't so much worried about how either of them would treat Rachel, Jerome was understanding of forgiveness, and Grace seemed too tired to continue hating the Peggies. As they approached the bunker, however, the sight of blood and a half eaten carcass grabbed hold of his heart and lungs and squeezed ever so painfully.

There was no mistaking the carcass belonged to a massive black bear with strange orange fur on its back. What worried him further was the blood that was smeared on the bunker's hatch and on the inner doors. He forgot about Grace and Jerome's presence and he rushed inside the bunker.

The moment he charged into the interior he shouted. "Rachel!"

The greeting silence killed him. But after a painful moment he heard something in the bunk room, a tiny voice. By the time he rushed towards the door he nearly ran into two small bodies and then his ears were assaulted by tiny voices blathering a million things at once.

Aiden felt like he could breathe easier. His boys were okay. He got down onto his knees and hugged them tightly. When he pulled away from them his question about their mother died on his tongue. Rachel sat on one of the bunk beds, a shotgun next to her. But what immediately worried him was the large, red stained bandage on her left shoulder and her skin was too pale.

"Rachel?"

"Of course," she mumbled. Her voice was soft and weak. But she still carried a small smile. "You would come back after you miss all the action."

"What happened?" He wanted to peek at the wound, but just placing a hand on her arm made her wince.

"Curious bear decided to pay us a visit," she explained and then she slapped his hands away. "I'm fine. I've been cleaning and bandaging it. It bled a bit. I wasn't able to give myself stitches so I had to cauterize it."

Aiden felt his jaw drop and he was rendered speechless. Guilt slammed into him hard. If he hadn't left she wouldn't have gotten hurt.

"Mommy hurt," Matthew announced. Aiden realized then both boys were still glued to him, Mason watched him with large teary eyes as if expecting him to vanish again.

"It was a bear! Bigger than you, Daddy!" Mason explained. "Mommy shot it!."

Aiden felt his surprise grow and he glanced up at Rachel sharply. "They were there?"

She nodded slowly. Despite her assurance that she was fine, she looked anything but. She was too pale and slow to move. He could easily see the pain she tried to hide from showing on her face. "They didn't know any better and they ran away from it. That's why it became aggressive. There was no way we could outrun it. I had no choice but to shoot it."

"But it did this to you."

"It could have been a lot worse. I was lucky and managed to land my final few shots in its head."

Aiden cursed and pulled Rachel into an embrace, his heart clenched when she cried out in surprise and pain from the sudden movement. "I'm sorry," he whispered to her over and over. He wasn't sure how to feel. If he hadn't left, Grace and Jerome would still be at Fall's End nearly starving to death. But then Rachel wouldn't have gotten hurt. His kids wouldn't have had to go through that terrifying experience.

Wait, he nearly forgot about his friends. He turned and immediately spotted Grace and Jerome standing in the hallway, awkwardly waiting. Matthew and Mason were obvious with how they stood by the doorway and openly stared up at the two newcomers.

"Why are they black?" Mason pointed and asked.

Rachel choked and Aiden felt his jaw drop. He tried to explain that his four year old had never seen another person outside of their family, so seeing a person of a different race was new to him. But every time he tried to think of an explanation he became tongue tied.

He was at a loss of what to say even when both Jerome and Grace started laughing.

After a quick introduction and tour around the bunker, Aiden left their new guests to shower and help themselves to some food while he took Rachel to the infirmary despite her insistence that she was fine.

"You are not fine, Rachel." Aiden stressed. She swayed the moment she stood so he wrapped an arm around her waist and led her to one of the cots. Then he quickly fetched some new gauze and bandages. "When did you get hurt?"

She was quiet for a moment. "It's been two days, I think."

"You think?" Aiden grimaced as he peeled off the soiled bandage. Her skin was swollen and five distinct gashes wrapped around her shoulder. Looking at the wound nearly made him feel light headed, which was odd considering all the carnage and brutality he witnessed from the Peggies. "You said you cauterized this?"

"Yeah," Rachel winced. "It wouldn't stop bleeding and I was afraid I would pass out if I tried to stitch them. It was easier to just burn it."

Aiden cursed. The more he looked at the wound the more he beat himself over leaving her alone.

"Stop looking like that," she told him. "It could have been a lot worse."

"What do you mean it could have been worse? A bear nearly took your arm off and-"

"The boys are okay. They've been having night terrors about the experience, but they're safe. And the baby is fine."

Aiden's eyes immediately went to her swollen belly. Yes, he was an absolute idiot for leaving his family. He could have easily lost them all just because he couldn't suppress his guilt for leaving his friends behind. As much as he loved his friends, he loved his family more. He was responsible for them. Then he realized that the paleness of her skin made the dark circles under her eyes much more noticeable.

"When was the last time you slept?"

She bit her lip to stifle a yelp when Aiden sprayed a disinfectant on her wound. "The night before this happened. I think."

He didn't know if he should grow more worried with all the things she wasn't sure of. "You've been awake for two days?"

She glared at him, an obvious sign she was in tremendous pain. He wished he had something to give her to dull it, but with her pregnancy he couldn't even offer her alcohol.

"Like I said, it wouldn't stop bleeding. I remembered what you said all those years ago when I was shot, you said with the blood I lost if I fell asleep I may not have woken up."

"I remember," Aiden muttered.

"I was afraid to fall asleep and not wake up. I couldn't leave Mason and Matthew by themselves. I didn't know if you would have returned."

Aiden nearly dropped the gauze and tape he held. "Of course I was going to come back."

"I didn't know that. There's so much out there that could have hurt or killed you."

He swore again and returned to bandaging her shoulder. "I'm sorry. I promise, I'll make it up to you. And the kids."

She shook her head. "Just don't leave us again."

Aiden pressed his lips together so he wouldn't say anything. It would be hard to make that promise. What if he needed to leave to hunt, defend them against intruders, or someone needed his help? "How do you feel now? Other than the pain."

She blinked and gingerly stood on her feet. "I've been feeling fine. I was light headed yesterday, but it faded by the evening."

"Let's get some food in you."

"I've been eating plenty. Remained well hydrated too. We ate not long before you returned."

She tried slapping his hands away when he helped her stand. But he was going to make things up to her, if he had to carry her everywhere then he would do it. "What was with the shotgun?"

Rachel shrugged with her good shoulder. "I wasn't taking any more chances of something threatening our children again. And I didn't want to lock the bunker in case you returned."

He stopped her from leaving the infirmary and pulled her into another tight hug and just held her. She smelled a little bit like soap, but the blood overpowered the scent. "Well I'm here now. If you've already eaten then rest."

She didn't refuse that at least. The moment he helped her to the bed she immediately began snoring softly.

Rachel ended up sleeping for fourteen hours. Aiden thought about waking her by the tenth hour, but Jerome was the one that told him to leave her to rest and recover. With her approaching her final trimester it was important she regained her strength.

The next morning Grace helped him move the remains of the bear far away from the bunker. Thankfully their traps caught a huge fat hare and a few fish. The crops were growing, but it was too early to harvest them. Jerome wanted to help them, but his coughing grew worse and he would sometimes have to sit to try to catch his breath, his coughing fits left him wheezing often.

"Don't worry, I'm not contagious," the priest promised Aiden. "It's asthma. I haven't had to use my inhaler in over thirty years. Figures I would need it now when we've lost most of our medicine, right?"

"We've tried looting a few places for the medicine he would need," Grace explained over lunch. Rachel fixed up the best tasting stew thanks to the hare and some wild vegetables and herbs Aiden found during his trip. Everyone practically inhaled the food, it had been so long since they were able to eat a warm, hearty meal that wasn't canned or dried. "We've come up empty."

Aiden turned to Rachel. She was the one to eat the fastest out of everyone, but Aiden couldn't blame her. She would need the nutrients to heal, and for the baby to grow. The sun and variety of better food had been good for her, prior to her injury she hadn't been as weak as she used to be before they returned to the surface. "There wouldn't happen to be any other hidden stashes with medicine would there?"

"I'm afraid I don't know. Without a hospital in the county, we pooled all of the medical supplies from all of the clinics and split them. If John and Jacob stashed anything outside of their bunkers that's something I'd be unaware of." She looked down at her bowl, a wrinkle between her brow.

"Grace and I can always make a trip to search the area," Aiden offered.

Rachel paled and then her eyes narrowed in a glare. Jerome quickly waved off the idea.

"I appreciate the sentiment," the priest paused to cough. "But there are more important things to do than go on a hunt for a needle in a haystack." He looked at both Aiden and Rachel. "You both have a good thing here. But if you're serious about turning John's ranch into a home, that'd be the more important thing to focus on." His brown eyes turned to Rachel. "Especially with another miracle on its way."

Aiden sighed. "Even with the both of you helping us, it'll be a lot of work to take half of this stuff all the way over there."

"Even by boat?" Rachel asked.

"The boat is old," Grace pipped in. "It wasn't strong enough to carry the three of us. There's no way it can carry four adults, two children, plus whatever supplies we haul."

"So what do you suggest?" Rachel asked them all.

"That will depend on you both," Grace downed the last of the stew from her bowl. She glanced at Rachel. Aiden had been relieved that she held no grudge against the former cult Bliss herald. "Only you know your own limits. Traveling by foot is no easy feat, it's a long way to John's ranch."

"It'll be hard for Mason and Matt too," Aiden announced. "But if we maintain a consistent walk, it'll take us like three days to get there. Obviously we'll need to take frequent breaks, so the trip may stretch to a week."

"Then we'll head out tomorrow morning," Rachel decided. "Unless you all need more time to rest."

Aiden opened his mouth to point out that Jerome could use a few extra days of rest, but he was faster to voice that he would be fine with moving out.

The remainder of that day they packed everything they thought they would need, food, water, and medicine were the first obvious essentials. Weapons and ammo were second, followed by Dutch's reloading press. Being able to reload their ammunition would be extremely valuable if they were to maintain their weapons. Seeds and clothing were lighter to carry, but still important.

The next day they set out. Aiden was amused that his boys were so eager to go out on an "adventure" but less than an hour of walking and they wanted to go back home. Walking for so long was hard on them, everyone took a turn carrying one of the boys so they could rest. As young as they were it was unhealthy for them to be expected to walk so far despite their frequent breaks.

Rachel muscled through quietly yet determined, as she usually did for everything. The fourteen hour rest did wonders for her, she appeared to be doing a lot better, her shoulder was clearly still hurting, but it didn't hurt her ability to walk. Their first night camping out Rachel and the kids slept hard. The walk was also hard on Jerome, who fell into more and more coughing fits and they often had to take breaks for him to try to catch his breath. Luckily, they hadn't run into any trouble, most of the animals they encountered kept their distance and retreated into the trees. It wasn't until John's ranch was within view that wolves approached them, but they were quick to run when Grace fired one well placed shot into one wolf's skull and it went down with a loud squeal.

The moment they arrived at the ranch Rachel wandered off on her own while they unpacked a few things to prepare for the evening. Aiden found her wandering room to room as if searching for something.

"What are you looking for?" He asked her.

"John had to have something here. A bunker or a panic room, something that would've protected him from the Collapse."

Turned out, it was a panic room, small enough for only four people at most to fit inside. It had been small, much smaller than Dutch's bunker, but it was untouched and filled to the brim with supplies. What Rachel was most excited over, out of everything that was inside the room, were the numerous books. Not just survival books, but educational books, history, mathematics, law and science.

Seeing the excitement and happiness in her eyes over mere books, it reminded Aiden about the surprise he completely forgot to give her when he returned to Dutch's bunker. The news of the bear attack distracted him. He rummaged through one of his bags and found the book she had wanted from her home.

"You found it?" Rachel asked that night when he gave her the book.

"I guess it was a good thing your father meant to protect his research. I found it and a bunch of notes in a safe. So the contents were mostly intact." Aiden explained.

Rachel gave him a quick kiss and immediately began looking through the book. Aiden grinned and pulled her towards the bed. "It's been a long day and the next few will be even longer while we get this place fixed up. You can read that tomorrow."

She sat on the edge of the mattress, but kept her head buried in the notebook. She didn't so much as read it from the beginning, she flipped through the pages as if looking for one specific page. When she found it she stood back up.

"There's something I need to make for your priest friend."

"Jerome," Aiden clarified.

"Yes," Rachel bookmarked her page with her finger. "Do you mind taking over my Lookout shift? I have a feeling this may take all night."

Before Aiden could even open his mouth to ask what she meant to do, she gave him a quick peck on the lips and slipped out of the room. He gave a small shake of his head and buried himself into the blankets. For the bed going five years without being cleaned, it took his boys a good hour to beat the mattress with a stick to properly clean it of all dirt, it was still comfortably soft. If he meant to take over two Lookout shifts then he needed his sleep quickly.

Rachel made her way into the bottom floor and into the room Aiden's priest friend claimed for himself. He left the door open, but thankfully he wasn't asleep. The bed had been moved next to one of the windows so he was able to sit and peer out the window. Whether he was able to notice her from the slight reflection off the cracked window glass or she didn't walk as quietly as she thought, he turned towards her with a weak smile.

"What could I-" he was interrupted by a sudden cough.

Now that Rachel had her father's notes and research, she was able to make something to help Jerome. When he mentioned his breathing problems, she remembered there was something that could treat it, but she wasn't completely confident she had the correct plant in mind. Now with her father's research notebook in her hand, she knew exactly how to help. Thankfully she even had the ingredients.

"I made something to help with the cough."

"You don't need to waste your efforts and resources to help me," he gasped.

"Nonsense," Rachel approached him with a steaming cup of tea made from steeping crushed fennel seeds. As she got closer to the older male she was surprised to see the resignation in his eyes. Did he expect not to live long?

She handed him the warm cup of tea. "Drink this. Without sugar it may be a little bitter."

The man grimaced after the first sip.

"Drink all of it," Rachel told him.

The corner of his lips curved before he took another sip. "Aiden was right."

Rachel had intended to leave, but she paused upon hearing his words. "I hope you mean to tell me what he said exactly, considering you're baiting me into this conversation," she remarked jokingly.

"He spoke highly of you and often," he coughed, "he told us you saved his life from Joseph Seed. Without you he would have gone mad in the bunker. You gave him the family he always wanted. I may not have known him very long, but I could see you've been good for him." Warmth spread in Rachel's chest. She watched Jerome pinch his nose and chug the rest of the tea. "Bah, I was never a fan of licorice and this tea tastes like it."

Before Rachel could respond to his complaint, the man offered her the empty cup. "I don't mean to sound ungrateful," he quickly said. "I appreciate your effort."

She took the cup and set it aside, but she continued to look at the priest with an eyebrow raised. "You drank the tea without suspecting me of anything. Didn't accuse my true motivations."

Jerome smiled. "I have no reason to not trust you. Aiden told me you were different. And I can see he was right. Not just from what you're trying to do to help now, but back then before the bombs fell. We heard all the way from Fall's End about who was responsible for creating the Bliss suppressant and the cure."

"Still," Rachel replied, "surely I've done things that deserve your anger or hate."

He gave a weak chuckle but it turned into a cough. "I may have lost a little of my faith, but I still believe that we are no better than the Peggies if we weren't capable of forgiveness. So does it matter what you've done? You wouldn't have created protection and a reversal of the Bliss if you didn't regret your actions, right? If given the opportunity, I'm sure you would have continued to atone for your past decisions. Even if Aiden didn't talk endlessly about how wonderful of a woman you are, you tried to make up for your past mistakes. I'd still have held no malice against you."

It was strange for Rachel to feel relieved. Aiden and her sons were her world and only their opinions of her mattered, but she still felt happy that Jerome would be another person that wouldn't hate the sight of her. Then something he said clicked and she frowned slightly.

"You lost faith," she commented, "why? If you don't mind my asking, it is a personal question."

"I should say it's been shaken, not lost completely." He was quiet a moment before he continued. "I've just been having a hard time believing that He would allow all this to happen."

"The Collapse?"

"Yes. Our God is loving and forgiving, yet He allowed all this death and destruction? So many innocent people have died and for what? To punish the few but loudest that allowed greed and hate into their hearts?"

"But death isn't always a bad thing, isn't it?" Rachel asked. "Death is a release from this world. I'd like to think of the Collapse as a new start, our chance to make up for our past."

Jerome didn't respond, but he hummed his acknowledgement of her words. All too soon his eyelids began to droop.

"I'll leave you to rest," Rachel announced despite her desire to ask him more questions. "Hope you don't mind my checking in every now and then. If you have more difficulties breathing, please let me know." She turned and left.

The next morning, Rachel had another cup of tea waiting for Jerome. She visited him thrice daily to give him his tea, he rarely left his room so as to not aggravate his sensitive lungs. It took a week before Jerome ceased to complain about the taste of his tea, but she enjoyed their conversations. If she wasn't tending to her sons she was found in one of the many spare rooms that they used to store all of their medicine and medical supplies, usually fixing up another home remedy or helping Grade and Aiden clean the ranch. After the building and property were cleaned they decided to build a fence first. They had the tools to do so, but Grace pointed out it would be easier to salvage materials first. Only problem was hauling their building materials long distances. So their project was placed on hold until Grace and Aiden were able to find a working vehicle, which was no easy feat with how often they found cars and trucks rusted and broken beyond repair.

"Check homes," Rachel pointed out to them one day over dinner. "Sheds and garages may have offered better protection to vehicles."

Her suggestion had been correct. Once they had found a working pickup truck it was easier to haul in supplies, so long as they were able to find gasoline. But they had enough materials to at least make a decent fence and patch up the building.

It was hard to work once the sun set, they didn't have much to keep the darkness at bay, so by evening they ate dinner and began their sleeping shifts. Aiden had wanted the shifts to only be between himself and Grace, but Rachel refused. Yes, her pregnancy was well into its seventh month and it was difficult for her to put in as much work as them, but she hated to sit idly, even if doing so did help her swollen feet. Jerome had recovered well with the remedies she prepared for him, but he still needed some time to recover.

One day, Rachel approached Grace when they began to settle for the evening. Originally, Rachel felt a little uneasy with the older woman if they were ever alone and she quickly found some excuse to leave. Even though Grace had never contributed to her mistreatment at the jail, she still was in Jess' and Tracey's company. She knew what they did to her, she may have saved her by stopping Jess from going too far with one of her beatings, but she still never did anything to help either. Rachel held no grudge against the older woman for that, she had long since accepted her treatment from Jess and Tracey, but she still felt uneasy around her.

"Take this," Rachel offered the veteran a small tin box. "Steep two or three pinches of these in boiling water twice each day and drink it."

Grace frowned, but didn't refuse the tin box. "What is it?"
Once she provided her offering, Rachel felt awkward in her presence. "It'll help your eyes."

"Excuse me?"

Her tone was not unkind or offended, it was only filled with curiosity. Rachel cleared her throat. "I've noticed you rub your eyes and blink hard a lot. The tea is just to help strengthen your eyes. And if you ever find sunglasses, it would be best to wear them."

Grace pocketed the box and grinned. "I'm surprised you noticed that," she commented. "And I thought only Aiden noticed every little thing anyone did. Thank you."

Jerome caught her by surprise on another day. His health had improved with the fennel tea she prepared for him each day. He still coughed from time to time, but the coughing fits and shortness of breath rarely occurred now. He had recovered and been well enough to walk about the property again. Rachel had jolted when he walked into their now proclaimed infirmary while she prepared a poultice to help ease the sunburn that plagued Aiden and Grace.

"I didn't thank you," Jerome explained.

She turned to look at him and smiled. "You did. Numerous times if I recall."

The older male returned her smile. "Not just for your foul tasting tea, but for our talks. I've had a lot of time to think, and I think I just had to get some things off my chest. Grace and Aiden are good company, but they don't exactly share our religious beliefs. It's been nice to discuss things with another believer."

"There's no need to thank me for that," Rachel told him.

"Even so, thank you, Rachel."

Her smile grew. It was nice to hear another person other than Aiden call her by her real name again.

"If there's anything I can do for you, I'll do everything in my power to help."

She opened her mouth to refuse, but something quickly came to mind. "Actually, there is one thing."

Building the fence around the ranch's property was time consuming with the work split between three people, not that Rachel was able to do much other than hand Aiden or Grace something. Mason and Matthew were better help than she was. They were two thirds done with the fence when Rachel had heard Grace shouting something from the dining room where she had been helping her sons with their letters and numbers. She quickly ushered the boys into the panic room and peered out a nearby window to see what the threat was. Her eyes widened when she saw two familiar hooded figures speaking to Grace and Aiden. Years later and the two women still sported some type of hood.

There was a moment where she hesitated. Part of her wanted to run down and greet their new visitors, but she also didn't want to make things awkward. Despite the five years that passed she didn't doubt she was the last person Tracey and Jess would want to see again. Her heart sped up when she watched everyone head inside the building.

Aiden was quick to fetch her and the kids. Her indecision to approach their visitors must've been obvious because he gave her a quick assurance that it was safe.

"They won't hurt you again," he squeezed her hand.

Rachel couldn't say if that was what made her hesitant to greet Tracey and Jess. She knew it was stupid to want to avoid them. Chances were Aiden would offer the women to stay, they had plenty of room to spare. They were nearby the river and with the human population being absent for years there was plenty of game in the neighboring woods, plus the ranch's land was fertile, her crops would be ready to harvest in a few more weeks. Food was no issue with two more people living with them.

With a quick deep breath, she followed Aiden and the eager boys to greet their guests. Her nerves flared when both Jess and Tracey were quick to look at her when she stepped into the room, their eyes immediately drifted down to her swollen belly.

Tracey whistled. "Looks like you both got busy."

Aiden's ears turned red and he glanced away. Rachel expected to see anger from Jess, but she was surprised that she only remained stoic as she eyed herself and the boys. She supposed five years was a long time for someone to move on. She found she was able to breathe a little easier.

Their work for the day had been all but forgotten. Aiden, Grace, and Jerome literally spent hours talking to Jess and Tracey. Rachel felt a bit out of place and rarely contributed to the conversation, but at least she had Mason and Matthew to distract her. Any time Aiden offered to help with them she refused.

"What brought you both here?" Aiden asked them while they ate dinner.

Jess was the one to answer that, she scoffed and shook her head. "You all make a lot of noise building that fence. Knowing who owned this place we thought you guys were Peggies, so we snuck over to check if you guys were."

That caught Rachel's attention, but she tried to appear nonchalant. She couldn't picture many cult members still being alive.

"Have you both come across other people?" Jerome asked.

"We have," Tracey replied. "Not too many. And most people stick to themselves."

That night she had just put the boys to bed and felt the need to get some fresh air. That was until she ran into Tracey in the upstairs deck of the main building. Tracey's back was towards her when she first stepped out, she meant to sneak away until her former friend broke the silence.

"When you look at what's left of this place, what do you see?" She asked her.

Rachel was taken back by the question. If she hadn't known Tracey well as she did she would have assumed the question was literal. "Among the cruel reminders of our past, I see life still clinging on. A symbol that we have the chance to start anew."

The taller woman scoffed. "All I see is ashes and dust."

Again, Rachel knew she didn't mean it literally. "Everything can be rebuilt. We just may not live long enough to witness it."

Her former friend was silent for a moment. "Maybe so." She was quick to change the subject. "So I noticed you're no longer being called Faith. Everyone calls you Rachel."

"That is my name."

Tracey chuckled. "Finally, something we both can agree on." She had been leaning on the rail, but straightened and turned so they could face each other. "There's still a lot of places in Hope County that's still charred. Mostly in the Henbane River. Any ideas of why that is?"

"The Bliss," Rachel sighed. She knew Tracey was aware of the answer, but wanted her to admit it. "Those charred areas are probably the answer to the question of how the Bliss and radiation react together."

"All of the Peggie bunkers have been destroyed, so I doubt there's anymore Bliss laying about. Do you mean to create it again?" Tracey's eyes flashed dangerously.

Rachel frowned. "No, of course not. I have no reason to. Everyone's better off without it."

"Really?" Tracey lifted an eyebrow. "Jess told me how you used it to save her life. Would you really let the Bliss die with you even though it's capable of saving lives?"

A slight headache began to bloom just behind Rachel's eyes. It was too late for these types of questions, she was tired and her back and feet were killing her. "It's been used for more harm than good. Maybe one day I can return to it and try to focus on its regenerative properties, but we have bigger problems right now."

A smile grew on Tracey's face and she leaned her head back to give a quick laugh. "It's nice to see that Faith Seed is dead instead of Rachel Jessop."

"It's Rachel Rivers now."

"Rivers huh?"

The shorter woman smiled. "Jerome made it official a few days ago."

"Guess I should say congratulations then," Tracey replied. She crossed her arms and leaned back on the rail. "The rook has been good for you. I've only been here less than a day and I can see you're happier than you were when we first joined the cult."

"That's because Aiden showed me what real love and acceptance is."

"Good, at least he was able to open your eyes," the taller woman muttered. "But I'll tell you what I told him. If he breaks your heart I'll break his knees."

It was so sudden, but Rachel was surprised at the tears that swelled in her eyes. She laughed and tried to be stealthy with wiping her tears away. It warmed her to the core that despite their fall out that small smidge of friendship was still there. "You know, even though we're the same age I always saw you like an older sister with how you've always looked out for me."

They fell into a comfortable silence. Rachel struggled to voice the question that had been dancing on her tongue. She wanted to ask her former best friend if they could start over, if she could ever forgive her for her mistakes. But she was too afraid to hear the rejection.

"I missed you, Tracey," Rachel whispered. She shut her eyes and braced to hear the rejection.

"Yeah, I missed you, too, Rachel." Tracey sighed and dropped her arms to her sides.

"What changed? I mean, do you still hate me?"

Tracey frowned and looked up at the stars. The stars had always been bright in the county, but ever since they returned to the surface they had been even brighter.

"Not all of us were so lucky to hide away from a nuclear fallout with eye candy like the rook and have the opportunity to repopulate the human race, ya know. Some of us had literally nothing to do but think." She turned her gaze back to Rachel. "So was he telling the truth? Was it really you that killed the Father?"

Surprise filled Rachel. She should have expected to be asked that, Jerome and Grace had had asked her the same thing. She squared her shoulders and nodded. Guilt no longer plagued her for killing the Father.

"I did," she admitted. "It wasn't for any kind of revenge or because I was angry for everything he did. It all came down to protect Aiden and myself. And I would do it again."

Tracey looked at her with a smug smile. "And that's what changed. Faith wouldn't have killed the Father. And because she is dead along with the Father," she paused and turned her gaze back to the dark sky, "I can move on. That anger and hate loosened its grip on me. I can't forgive...yet. But...starting over sounds like a good start."

Rachel beamed with her unsaid offer. "You and Jess are always welcome here. I hope one day you can consider it home."

"Let's not get carried away too fast," Tracey warned. "Jess and I aren't exactly the settling type. I may still have a soft spot for Hope County, but there's a lot out there that I would like to see."

It was disappointing to hear that Tracey planned to leave after they agreed to start over and hopefully be friends again. Still, she couldn't bring herself to ask her to stay. "I understand."

The next morning, Rachel had been tending to her crops when she spotted a familiar hood near the fence. Approaching Jess was more daunting than approaching Tracey, but Rachel was determined. She stood and brushed her hands against her pants.

"This is yours," Rachel offered the other woman a hunting knife.

Recognition flashed in Jess' eyes and she quickly grasped the blade. Rachel was never able to find a sheath for it so she resorted to stitching one up herself. It was crudely made, but it did its job in protecting the blade.

Jess critically analyzed her old weapon for any flaws. She unsheathed it and ran a thumb along the edge. "Still sharp. You've been taking care of it at least."

"Of course," Rachel gave a nod. "It...holds a lot of memories. So I couldn't just leave it to become dull."

Jess lifted her eyes to peer at her. Despite the years that passed, Rachel still felt nervous when those cold blue eyes watched her.

"Despite the...troubled memories it brings, it was ultimately used to save my life," Rachel explained. "And in saving my life it gave me the ability to later save my own, and Aiden's. Without it, I wouldn't have been able to kill the Father. Thank you."

The hooded woman slid the blade back into its sheath so forcefully the impact of the hilt striking the sheath gave an audible thud. Then she flipped the knife so she held it by the sheath. Rachel had expected to see her return the knife to her belt, instead she extended her hand and offered the weapon hilt first.

"Then you can keep using it to protect Aiden."

She felt stunned by the offer. Then she felt hesitant to reach for the knife, she expected Jess to pull it back before she could grasp it. "I...I don't know how to use it. I nearly sliced my own leg off when I tried using it against the Father."

Jess never lowered her arm. "Guess you better find yourself a trainer then."

Rachel slowly reached for the blade. "Perhaps. Not that I could afford one if I ever do manage to find one."

"Oh, I don't know," Jess grinned. She suddenly flinched when something buzzed around her face and she slapped at her neck. "Grace and Jerome have those drinks made for them. Maybe if that trainer is given something to keep these damn bugs away that'd be a start."

She turned and walked away before Rachel could respond. The ingredients she would need to make such a balm quickly came to mind. She headed for the room she used to store all of her medicinal plants with a smile.

Rachel hadn't expected to enjoy the next several weeks, originally she felt that with Tracey and Jess around she would be miserable. It was one thing to make peace with Tracey, she seemed to be so tired and lacked her fierce temper. Maybe tired wasn't the proper term, she often noticed Tracey would sneak off to stare at the landscape around the ranch with a saddened expression.

Jess was more difficult to understand. Her anger wasn't as concentrated as it had been before the Collapse, but she was still angry. Rachel was just grateful that she didn't focus that anger on her as she had expected, unless she didn't meet her expectations when they trained. Jess was a good teacher, but she didn't have the patience of one. Training with the knife often left her with many cuts on her fingers which made it difficult to tend to her plants, but it was worth it. Handling the knife was one thing, but it was slow progress to perfect her aim when throwing it. Hitting an idle target was easy, but she struggled to hit moving targets.

As each night and day passed, their resources dwindled. It hadn't been until clouds gathered and it began to rain that they realized the roof would need repairs. No one had the experience of carpentry, so each new project they took a long time to finish. And oftentimes they wasted their materials since a lot of their building would have to be redone. After they had completely stripped Fall's End of all its building materials, they planned to scout out farther locations for resources.

It was perfect timing that when Aiden had gone scouting for supplies with Grace and Jess at the lumber mill all the way in the whitetail mountains that Rachel's water broke while she had been outside practicing her knife throwing. It was both a blessing and a curse that when Aiden returned to the ranch late in the evening Rachel hadn't gone into labor yet. But suffering through the pain all day and the early evening had been torture.

Rachel wasn't able to process much when he returned, she just immediately noticed that he was dirty and bloodied.

"What happened?" She asked through clenched teeth. The contractions were coming on too close together now.

Aiden appeared tired, but thankfully he didn't appear to be hurt. Once he saw her he jumped into action. Thankfully Jerome was taking care of the boys to keep them out of the way, both appeared terrified to see Rachel in distress and of course they were much too young to understand what was going on. Tracey stood about confused and awkward, but her mere presence was supportive and comforting.

In the end, Aiden had been right. They had a girl.

The last thing Aiden expected when he returned home was to find Rachel in labor. To think that he almost missed the birth of his third child hit him hard. But sadly, this was the reality of their new world. And to think that if Grace and Jess hadn't accompanied him on the trip he might not have made it back alive. The thought terrified him.

It took a few days for Rachel to recover, and he wanted to wait until she was better before he broke the news to her. Not that she was in a position to force the information out of him, she knew that something was wrong. But he just didn't want her to be worried and stressed. It was important that she recovered and bonded with little Aria.

The thought of his daughter always brought a smile to his face. She was a little smaller than Mason and Matthew when they were born, but she already had a full head of hair, the same color as Rachels. But for being so tiny she had quite the appetite.

Finally, when Rachel was well enough after a few days, he finally broke the news to her.

"We were attacked on our way here, in the Henbane River region," Aiden explained. "It was sudden and we were taken by surprise. Our truck was destroyed, but we took theirs in return."

He continued on and explained how the men that attacked them were different from the Peggies. It was like these men loved violence so much they weren't at all concerned about their own well being, they would charge at them guns blazing out in the open. That proved to be their mistake with Grace and Jess' near perfect aim. Peggies were violent, some more than others that relished in it, but they were still cautious and avoided making themselves easy targets.

"Were they from the Project?" Rachel asked.

"No, I don't think so. They had an emblem on their car, but it isn't the Peggies cross."

The emblem was of an eye. Rachel knew it wasn't from the Project, even the Chosen, judges and the Angels were still represented by the Projects cross. The thought was concerning, especially now that they needed materials to finish fortifying their home, but a new threat stood literally between them and those materials.

They had a lot to do. One morning they continued their discussion of the next step. The lumber mill had been deserted and had what looked to be a year's worth of the materials they would need. Jerome had been the one to point out the railroad, they could deliver the materials together in bulk by train. Almost everyone was up for the idea, except for Rachel.

"The railroad had no protection from the Collapse," she explained. "Look at most of the vehicles out there, they're all rusted husks. I don't think the railroad will be in any better shape. The railroad travels over the river, we risk losing our materials if we solely rely on it."

"Then what do you suggest?" Jess asked. Despite her willingness to train Rachel how to use a knife, and she appeared to have let go of her mistrust of the woman, she still harbored a small grudge for her past actions.

Rachel thought aloud. "We could always use the river itself, but we would need a reliable boat. The transportation will be slower, but we can save on fuel. And it's quieter, hopefully it won't attract any new visitors."

"Or," Tracey suggested, "isn't Nick's place near here? What if he had a plane big enough to hold supplies? Air travel is the fastest. And you can pilot, right rook?"

Aiden nodded. He owed his piloting skills to his grandfather, who was a proud veteran of the U.S. Air Force. He spent only one summer with him after he graduated from high school, but it was the best summer of his life. "Problem is, I know how to pilot a small plane or helicopter, but I don't know how to fix one up. We've stopped by Nick's place for some tools, but he only has one plane left and it's a mess." The thought of his old friend sombered his mood. When he first picked up Grace and Jerome they made a quick stop at Nick's place, but found it empty. They couldn't find a bunker anywhere near the property either.

"There's a few boats inside the boathouse," Grace pointed out. "We never really tested their durability. Looks like using boats will be our best bet, but we may have to make several trips."

"Mason accidentally found some fuel in the hangar," Rachel announced, "for the boats."

"Then it looks like we have a plan," Aiden grinned. The sooner they got the ranch fortified like Fort Knox the better.

It took a little over a year to improve their property. It was truly a slow process to send their materials through the river, but it had been efficient. Unfortunately, there had been more sightings of those people with the eye emblem. Their numbers were staggered and few which made it difficult to tell if they had a home base somewhere. Thankfully there were no more confrontations or attacks, but the same couldn't be said for other survivors.

Little by little there had been sightings of more survivors, some better off than others. It was rare to find anyone on their own, most were grouped together with their families and did their best to rebuild their home. People were untrusting at first, but it was Jerome that made the effort to take any supplies or food that they could spare to help those that had nothing. With that he slowly built people's trust. That was how they would learn about the happenings around the county, possibly lingering Peggies and people's homes attacked by the people with the eye symbol which most people referred to them as highwaymen. They often attacked anyone traveling and raided homes for supplies.

It was luck that they had yet to attack the ranch, or it was because of their fortifications that kept them at bay. Their weakness was when the sun settled, the evenings were dark despite the brightness of the moon, but thankfully they hadn't seen so much as a scout sneaking about their home.

The next friendly face Aiden would run into was Nick and it had been Rachel who ran into them. Aiden and Rachel often took turns staying with the kids while the other accompanied someone to fetch supplies or hunt. When they needed a specific tool the first place they visited was Nick's place. Rachel had gone on the trip to stretch her legs, since Aria was born she hadn't left the ranch and she was beginning to feel stir crazy. She went with Jerome, and when they returned, Aiden listened intently when they broke the news of Nick's survival.

"I saw his daughter," Rachel explained. "She was outside," her expression saddened," she was thin, too thin. Luckily I had some dried fruit on me and offered it to her, but that's when Nick and his wife saw me. Nick didn't trust me, but his wife recognized me and was livid. If Jerome hadn't been there I think they would have chased me away."

Aiden felt relief that the entire Rye family was alive, but confused that Rachel and Jerome returned alone. "They didn't come with you?"

"They didn't trust us," Rachel sighed. "They thought Jerome sided with 'the Peggies' for survival." She paused to scoff. "They actually offered him to stay with them. But I think if you go they'll listen to reason and come live here. They can't stay there, they're all half starved."

Hearing the state of his friends and goddaughter was enough to instantly bring Aiden to his feet. He had been holding Aria and gently offered the sleeping toddler to his wife. If Mason was his miniature self, Aria was growing to look more and more like the clone of Rachel. Matthew, amusingly, looked to be the male version of her as well.

"I'll go with Grace and Jess. Nick was close friends with Grace and Jess will be our insurance to convince him that we're not in with the Peggies."

"Make sure you take some food for them," Rachel reminded him as she carefully took their sleeping daughter. For being so small, the toddler had quite the temper especially when she was disturbed from a nap.

Aiden always hated to leave his family behind, but it always made for great motivation to head back home no matter how tired and battered he was.

When Aiden and the others left, Rachel couldn't shake the bad feeling in her gut. For weeks she always felt uneasy whenever she left on supply runs, or when she went out to collect fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers. It felt like she was being followed and watched, but she was never able to find proof of anyone else in the vicinity.

Even though the day was early, Jerome wanted to get started on making lunch. Specifically, he wanted to have food ready for Nick and his family when they showed up. To keep the boys distracted since they were itching to go outside and play, Rachel had the boys help Jerome. In the Collapse, they were not too young to learn how to cook, so long as they had someone keep an eye on them. Aria was still napping, and since she was up all night, she would most likely remain sleeping for a few more hours.

Rachel decided to step into the room she claimed as her work space where she experimented with plants. Most of the homemade remedies they had in stock was from her father's notes, but she was still eager to contribute her own work, especially with the mutations radiation brought onto all plant life.

With the males busy in the kitchen, their loudest crier asleep, and half the household gone, the large house was peacefully quiet, but a little warm. Rachel opened up a window and resumed her work.

Was that the sound of a muffled yell?

It was probably just her imagination, or a sound from a wolverine. They were found North East of Holland Valley, but a few still drifted down to their area.

Still, the bad feeling in Rachel's gut hadn't faded yet. She stepped away from her work table and approached the window. There was no sign of Tracey, who had volunteered to keep an eye out. She was always pacing around the front gate, though sometimes she'd patrol around the whole property.

"Tracey?" She called out the window. There was no answer which made her feel all the more uneasy.

She left the room and headed for the exit. Tracey wasn't anywhere. If she had been in the bathroom she would've heard her call her name. Maybe there was a group of animals approaching their fence and she went to go scare them off? Rachel pulled the handgun from her makeshift holster and started her search. But she didn't have to go far, she found Tracey not too far away from the gate. Unfortunately, she wasn't alone.

Rachel felt her eyes widen at the scene. There were two men with her, one of them held Tracey from behind, one arm snaked around her neck. If she tried to speak, the pressure that was around her neck prevented her from doing so. The two men didn't look familiar. They wore dirty and torn black shorts that fell below their knees. Their torso's were bare and were littered with white markings. Both sported red bandanas that hid the bottom half of their faces.

They didn't seem to have noticed her yet, but what could she do? She was a decent shot with a handgun, she had been practicing nearly every day ever since Aria was born, but she didn't want to risk hitting Tracey if she aimed at the man holding her. But Tracey was tough and smart, maybe if she distracted the men Tracey could fight her way out.

The easiest target was the second man with his back to her. Rachel could easily see the shotgun that he held lazily by his side. She aimed and shot the man directly in the center of his back. Chances were if he lived he wouldn't be feeling anything below his waist ever again. Normally, she would have hesitated to fire, but clearly these men meant them harm, otherwise they wouldn't have snuck around and attacked Tracey.

The man she shot dropped like a sack of potatoes, his friend that held Tracey looked shocked for a moment before he pulled Tracey closer to him and snarled at Rachel, who kept her pistol aimed at him. She wouldn't shoot him so long as he held Tracey, but the guy didn't know that. A frown grew on her face when the guy suddenly smiled at her. The creepiness of his smile sent a small shiver down her back.

"Well look who it is," he muttered towards Tracey's ear. She grunted and pulled at his arm, but it was useless. Despite the man's skinny frame, his arms bulged with muscles. "I'm not against an audience. Unless you care to join our little fun?" His last question was aimed at Rachel.

The former Bliss herald voiced her disgust at the suggestion. "Let her go and I'll let you walk away."

The man barked out a sharp, loud laugh. "'Fraid I can't do that, darlin'." He reached behind his waist and pulled out a handgun of his own with his free hand. "You killed my friend there. It's only fair I kill yours."

Rachel's breathing stopped and her heart thumped painfully. She didn't have a shot and she hated to see as the man brought his handgun towards Tracey. Maybe if she fired a wide shot to distract him? Or would that cause him to go ahead with his threat to shoot her?

Her trust in Tracey was fruitful. Before the man could fully aim his pistol at her head, she stomped on his foot and swung an elbow back into his gut. Once his grip on her neck loosened she dodged out of his reach and ran a few paces away.

Now with her friend out of harm's way, Rachel shot at him. She cursed when her shot missed her intended target and the man dropped to his knees when a bullet dug into his thigh.

He was quick to lift his arms up in surrender. "Whoa, whoa, whoa," his eyes were wide with shock. "I was jus' kiddin', okay? We can talk about this. A new deal, supplies for my life. That good? We have food, weapons and fuel."

Rachel's eyes narrowed as she slowly stepped closer. Tracey quickly pulled the handgun out of his grip.

We?

"Where are you from?"

The man winced and lowered one of his hands towards his thigh. It was bleeding and he tried putting pressure on it to make it stop. "That depends. Do you mean where are we holed up at? Or where we're from?"

"Both."

The man grinned. "Greedy, huh? I like that in a woman. Why don't you leave these people, forget those brats of yours. We could use a woman like you in our ranks." He grunted in pain. "Helluva shot you got there."

Tracey walked towards Rachel then. "These guys are a piece of work. But they're not Peggies."

"You never answered my question," Rachel reminded the wounded man.

"Right, right," he muttered. "We ain't from 'round here. Don't got no main camp like you got here, but we do have a few places to crash."

"How long have you been watching us?" Was Rachel's next question. In her peripheral vision she can see the sharp look Tracey gave her.

The man shrugged. "A few weeks. You lot are a lot better at scraping by. Not like those weak people up North that hide in that destroyed bunker."

People in a destroyed bunker? Rachel was going to ask more about that until she heard a chuckle behind her. She turned and only saw a tall blur before something struck her in the chest and knocked the air out of her lungs. She stumbled back from the force of the impact. Tracey was also thrown back, but she wasn't able to catch her balance and fell onto her back, the handgun in her grip flew out of her hand.

It was another one of the highwaymen, he wore the same type of clothes, and had the same white markings all over his torso. He was tall, easily taller than Aiden's six foot frame, and thick with muscles. For a big man he moved quietly. An assault rifle rested in his grip.

This new guy was cocky. He didn't bother to point his weapon at Rachel or Tracey, he rested the gun on his shoulder and smirked at them both. He nodded his head towards his fallen friend and began taunting him for being at the mercy of two women. Given his size and strength it was understandable that he didn't see Tracey and Rachel as a threat. But the great thing about firearms is that they leveled the playing field.

Rachel didn't think her handgun would do much to the man, it might slow him, but unless she aimed at a lethal spot, there was a good chance he would still have the means to shoot back. She remembered the shotgun that the man she killed had dropped. It was within rolling distance. If she didn't act now she would lose the opportunity while the tall man was distracted.

She rolled towards the fallen weapon and was ready to fire it once she was upright again. She would have to do something extra for Grace for teaching her how to grab a weapon properly while rolling, she did secretly enjoy the moonshine Rachel made not too long ago. She vowed to make more for the veteran if she survived.

Rachel emptied the shotgun of all of its shells into the tall man. It may have been overkill, but she was worried that the distance between them would render the shotgun spread ineffective to kill. But it was enough, especially since the target was completely bare chested. The ground literally shook when he collapsed.

It took a moment for Rachel's ears to recover. Then she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. One thing that Jess and Grace drilled into her head was to never turn your back on an enemy.

She turned and barely had the time to register that the injured male had a pistol aimed at her before she felt a burning, stabbing pain in her arm, but it was quickly forgotten as the adrenaline surged through her veins. She nearly dropped the shotgun, but she still forced herself to pull the trigger. The gun clicked empty. The last remaining highwayman grinned, but he didn't fire. He kept his gun aimed at both women and slowly climbed to his feet. Rachel tried reaching for the handgun she put back in its holster.

"Ah, ah," the highman aimed his gun back at her. He was no better than the tall man, cocky and reassured everything would go his way, judging by the large grin on his face. But she could see through his facade, the bottom half of his injured leg was coated in blood and his skin paled considerably.

Walking through his injury had been his mistake. Dizziness must've over swept him because he suddenly paused, shut his eyes and gave his head a hard shake. Rachel had her handgun in her grip before the guy could open his eyes.

"You're losing too much blood," she told him. "I know how to stop it and treat that wound. Instead of supplies, I just want information."

A flash of anger crossed the male's face.

"What do you have to lose, tough guy?" Tracey smirked. "Your buddies are dead. You can join them, or you can live. And all you have to do is answer a few questions."

He didn't have to think long. The highwayman's shoulders sagged and he leaned against a tree, he dropped his arm to his side.

"Yeah, okay, okay. Don't got nothin' to lose." He flipped the pistol so he held it by the barrel and extended his arm out to Tracey.

She didn't trust him. "Drop the gun on the ground," Rachel instructed. But it was too late. Tracey was close enough to him that allowed him to swing the butt of the pistol at her, but that's all the time he had to do before Rachel sent two bullets into his chest. He fell back with a loud thud.

Tracey straightened, one hand on her jaw, and she glanced at the fallen male. Then she turned towards Rachel quickly with her eyes narrowed in anger. The sight surprised Rachel, what did she have to be angry with? Or was she just seeing things? Her head was starting to feel a little light. She must've swayed because Tracey was suddenly close and held her steady by the shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked.

Tracey smirked. "I'm not the one bleeding. But...thanks. I just wish he was still alive so we could question him more."

"Think there's more of them?" Rachel asked. She glanced at her arm, the ruby trail that leaked out of her skin was a small trickle. She had no bandages on her, and it would be best to stem the blood loss now. Disappointment surged through her as she ripped off the bottom of her shirt. She actually liked this shirt. But with blood on the sleeve and now a chunk of the bottom ripped off, it was as good as a rag now.

"I doubt it. These guys were just a scouting party. Any more people would've made it difficult to sneak around." Tracey pulled the torn cloth from her grip and wrapped it around her bleeding arm. Despite the frown on her face, there was concern reflecting in her eyes. She wordlessly draped Rachel's good arm around her shoulders and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Come on, flower girl. Let's have that arm looked at before it goes bad. Don't want a repeat of what happened to your leg all those years ago."

Rachel thought about telling Tracey it was unnecessary to carry her the way she did, it was only her arm that was injured and she was capable of walking just fine. But she kind of enjoyed the attention, it made her feel like they were friends again. She smiled as she trudged along.

Aiden couldn't wait to see the look on Mason and Matthew's faces once he returned with Carmine hoisted up on his shoulders. They loved visitors and he could only imagine how excited they would be to have another child to play with.

"I can't believe you never thought to visit us," Aiden told Nick as they walked along the road that would take them to the ranch.

"We thought about it," Nick's wife, Kim, answered. "But we've only been on the surface for a few weeks and we've immediately been harassed by those people. We assumed they came from the Seed ranch."

"So that's why you thought Rachel was still with the Peggies?"

"Yeah," Nick grunted, "with how crazy things got that day, I wasn't able to see who she ran off with. Only thing on my mind was getting to Kim and Carmina."

The fact that they've been harassed by those same people that attacked them didn't sit well with Aiden. They ran into them in the Henbane River region, but if they've been all the way down here then it was only a matter of time until they drifted towards the ranch. The sooner they returned the better, and now with more people living with them Aiden was confident they could better protect their home.

They left for Nick's in the early morning, and after a promise to catch up over food back at their place, the sun had been straight up in the sky by the time they were close enough to see the ranch in the distance. Aiden paused mid step when he heard the unmistakable clap of gunfire. His heart dropped to his ankles and he quickly pulled Carmina from his shoulders and handed her to Kim before he took off at a sprint.

His lungs burned and his mouth was so dry he struggled not to choke when he swallowed by the time he reached the fence. The makeshift gate was already open wide and a large spot of red immediately pulled his attention. Two bodies laid on the dirt, flies already buzzed about them. He almost missed the third body near the fence as he rushed into the house. The smallest fraction of relief allowed him to breathe easier when he saw that all of the bodies were male, none of them were Jerome. Still, he wouldn't rest until he found his family safe and sound.

The inside of the main building was orderly, there was no sign of any struggle, but it was empty and quiet. He ran for the panic room next; it was hidden in the room that had appeared to be an office or a library. He pulled the bookshelf that hid a long, narrow hatch on the floor. Lifting the hatch revealed a set of stairs, he quickly descended them three at a time.

Without electricity or windows, the room was extremely dark. The only source of light had been an old oil lamp they found in an antique store in Fall's End. Not even a second passed when he stepped into the room that he was suddenly looking down the barrel of a shotgun. He breathed easier when he drank in the image of the inside of the panic room turned personal bunker. Jerome held the shotgun, but was quick to lower it when his eyes flashed with recognition upon seeing him. Movement and sniffling came from the double bed that was placed in the far corner of the room.

"Daddy?"

The boys crawled to the edge of the bed, the light from the lamp revealed their little short legs. Aiden breathed a little easier when they appeared unharmed. A groan next to him caught his attention. He turned and found Rachel and Tracey on the couch that rested just next to the door. They were okay. Well, the proper word would probably be alive. When he stepped closer, he was disheartened to see Rachel was hurt.

Why did everything happen when he was gone?

Tracey and Rachel caught them up on everything that transpired. Tracey explained how she had been patrolling around their territory when she was suddenly attacked. The highwaymen implied what they meant to do with her until Rachel showed up and took them all on. Aiden felt his chest puff up in pride like a bird when Tracey expressed her admiration about Rachel's tenacity in defending her. And of course, Rachel gave credit to her capabilities to Grace and Jess for their lessons.

But they had their growing problem. The highwaymen were spreading out and were now aware of their presence. With three of their scouts dead it was possible they would be attacked again, or continued to be observed, which forced them to be a little more reserved about who they sent out. But with Nick and Kim added, they had a little more help.

Speaking of help, however, Aiden noticed how much Rachel appeared distracted for the remainder of the day and evening. When they were settling for bed, he found her standing out in the balcony that was connected to their room. He had a feeling what was occupying her thoughts.

He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. "Thinking about those people in John's bunker?"

"Not just them, but what if there are others in Jacob's or even my Gate? There were so many people that were my responsibility, and it feels as if they're lost without me and the others."

Aiden recalled the conversation earlier. It was on the table whether or not they should seek out the leftover Peggies. Jess and Nick were the only ones against it, everyone else was willing to forgive and forget if the Peggies posed no threat. But it was difficult to place that trust in the first place.

"There's no doubt we could use their numbers," Aiden kissed her neck. It still scared him to think that he could have lost Rachel that day, again. But he was ever grateful she took the initiative to get better at fighting. Jess trained her to use her knife and a bow, Grade trained her to use a rifle, and Aiden taught her how to use a handgun. "Taking in those people and bringing them back here, is that what you really want? What if they try to harm us? Our kids?"

Rachel was quiet for so long Aiden wondered if she meant to leave his question unanswered. Finally, she spoke up. "Just like how your friends are willing to forgive and forget, I think the people from the Project are willing to atone. The Father and his brothers are gone, there's no one else to entice them to spread violence."

"What if it's too late? What if they're so used to that violence that they'll take what they want from us?"

"If that were true, they would already be out on the surface, taking what they needed from people. The fact that they're still staying in our Gates makes me think they're just scared to leave. I can't leave them."

Aiden sighed, but he could understand Rachel's perspective. "You really think you can rein them in? Keep them from hurting others?"

She nodded. "Yes. We need the people to rebuild Hope County and defend it against these newcomers. The only good aspect about the Great Collapse is the opportunity to start over. And we have a lot to do to make up for our mistakes."

"It's Faith!"

"Faith has returned to us!"

"Faith!"

It was dumb, but Aiden felt a moment of doubt from his small hiding spot. After a group was gathered to make a trip to John's bunker, Rachel wanted to go in alone to speak to the people that were indeed living in the ruins. She had been worried that if everyone went in with their weapons it would cause a panic and would result in bloodshed. Of course, Aiden couldn't let her go in alone so he followed her in secret.

The living conditions were horrid. There was little to no power so every corridor and room was dark. The people didn't even seem willing to venture to the surface to bathe, the air was thick with the scent of unwashed bodies and disease.

But the Peggies were quick to recognize Rachel despite the years that had passed. She looked no different before the bombs fell, minus the infamous dress she always wore. But hearing everyone call her Faith made him worried. Would she accept her old title back? Would she prefer to lead what was left of the Peggies?

"That is no longer my name," he heard Rachel declare.

He breathed easier and smiled. Then he patiently observed while she walked from person to person, promising medicine, shelter and food. The people were split with two different reasons for not wanting to leave, half were too scared to leave the safe shelter they had been promised, the others were determined to wait for the Father to return. Rachel announced that the Father was dead, she emphasized that his anger and need for violence was the cause of his death, she explained that he went against what he had promised about his purpose and murdered harmless people.

Then he saw her walk towards the exit, she folded her hands behind her back, but he could see she kept them close to where she hid her handgun. Some people were quick to stand up and get closer to her, but it was more out of awe than threatening.

"I killed him," She admitted and Aiden felt ice rush through his veins. He didn't care to keep quiet about pulling his slung rifle into his hands, but there were many gasps from the crowd that covered the noise he created.

Weak or not, there were way more Peggies in the bunker. Some had to have weapons as well.

"Why?" A chorus of people asked. Instead of anger, the knowledge of the Father's death only seemed to drive them further into despair.

"He threatened to kill me for refusing his orders to kill someone I love. And because I finally accepted who I truly am. This 'Faith' has been nothing more but a title, a replacement for someone he lost. You all knew this, knew there were other's named Faith before me. He didn't care who I truly was. And when he nearly choked the life out of me, I killed him. I'm not proud of it, but we're living in a different world now. If you can forgive me for killing the Father, I offer my home to you."

There was another round of fierce whispers, some even sobbed at the news of the Father's demise. Luckily, there was no hostility.

"It won't be easy," Rachel explained. "Time may heal all wounds, but we have caused much suffering to the residents of this county. Many still remember our actions. If there is one good thing we may take from the Great Collapse, it is to have a fresh start, atone for our monstrous actions. Our actions weigh more heavily than our apologies." She paused and her hand drifted closer to her weapon. "I understand if you cannot forgive me. However, if you still accept my offer of sharing my home, but threaten my family and loved ones, I will not hesitate to ensure you join the Father in hell."

Aiden was stunned and he almost forgot to keep an eye on anyone that may want to attack Rachel. But long moments of silence passed. Aiden was no expert like Janna. Ever since they found her living with former militia in the Whitetail Mountains, turned out she had been a school counselor before the Peggies took over the county, she rejoined their group and taught Aiden what she knew of psychology. It wasn't the college education Aiden had in mind, but it was knowledge all the same and he used it to help people, they both did. Living in the apocalypse weighed heavily on people's mental health. Combined with his knowledge of the law, he was often the most trusted to judge and settle issues that arose in their community. But from what he was able to theorize with the Peggies, it seemed that they held onto the idea of the Father as their savior. Without him they had no concept on how to survive alone. He wondered how they even lasted as long as they did. Perhaps without the Father they looked to Rachel as their replacement, they would rely more on her for survival rather than be angry with her for killing the Father.

It wasn't much longer until people were practically kissing her feet and promising to protect her and her loved ones instead. Aiden watched as Rachel studied each person critically, she still had her talent for reading people through their physical actions and expressions. If she sensed hostility from anyone, she kept it to herself. She didn't turn her back on the people though, she waited until everyone headed up the stairs towards the exit. Once everyone was gone, she stepped next to Aiden's hiding spot. It was too dark in his corner to see if she was upset that he had followed her.

"How did you know I was here?" Aiden asked.

"I guess you could say I just sensed your presence. Thank you for keeping watch though."

He felt her hand grab his own. Her fingers were no longer as soft, the pads of her fingertips were callused as a result of the work she did tending to her plants and when she helped with building. Aiden squeezed her fingers in return and they walked up the stairs towards the surface.

He felt torn between two emotions, guilt for doubting her, and proud at her display of publicly accepting herself among the people that still saw her for her title.

It took the better of two years before there was truly a sense of a community in the entire Hope County. Kim had been the one to suggest that they spread their influence. If people were too proud to accept handouts, she suggested trade. Even if people didn't have much to offer, they could trade for information. The hot topic, of course, had been the highwaymen. Once people were able to fend for themselves, the highwaymen decreased in numbers.

Rachel had warned it could be a good or bad thing that the highwaymen were dwindling. There was no telling if they would request reinforcements, or if they would deem Hope County not worth the trouble and move on. But their presence always lingered for years.

Then came the day that Tracey announced her departure.

"I've overstayed," Tracey explained to Rachel at the front gate of the Prosperity. Ever since they took in the former Peggies they finally had carpenters that knew the proper way to build a defensive fence and a walkway so they could peer over it. "I would have left a lot sooner, but I admit you may have convinced me to stay a little longer than intended."

Tracey wasn't leaving alone either. Jess also meant to accompany her, along with a former Peggie, Rachel honestly couldn't remember his name. He had been one of the few Peggies that would leave the bunker to scavenge for supplies and when they ran out of ammo or their weapons fell apart from disrepair, he traded in his guns for a bow. When he saw the skill that Jess had with the bow and hunting, he became infatuated with her. Being a former Peggie, even with the cross tattooed to his forehead, though he always hid it underneath a cap or bandana, Jess always found some colorful name to call him and insisted she would hurt him if he didn't leave her alone. He was insistent; however, he always had some excuse to bump into her, but at least Jess never followed through with her threat. It took her some time to get used to having former Peggies live with them, she never seemed to forgive, but she was accepting of them trying to atone.

It had been an emotional farewell between Tracey and Rachel. Their friendship never returned the way it had been before they joined the Project, but they still had a mutual respect for each other. Ever since Rachel saved Tracey from the highwaymen she lost even more of her mistrust and stopped being so distant. Even the kids referred to her as Auntie Tracey. Aria had been the closest to her and immediately teared up when Tracey told the toddler goodbye.

Rachel thought against trying to convince Tracey to stay. It was a selfish request so she tried to be supportive. She couldn't help but feel as if Tracey couldn't let go of her guilt as easily as she let go of her anger.

"You always have a home here," Rachel reminded her former best friend. They hugged for a long moment.

Saying goodbye to Jess wasn't as painful as she predicted. Rachel and Jess simply gave each other a nod, and the hooded woman reminded her to keep protecting Aiden and the kids. Not that Rachel would need reminding for that, but she nodded all the same.

She wouldn't see Tracey and her two companions again until a few years later. She would admit that even though she didn't feel at home in Hope County before the Collapse, afterwards Rachel and the rest of Prosperity helped her feel more at home. They would keep the kids up late at night talking all about their travels, which annoyed Aiden. He was worried their grand adventures would entice the kids to want to leave.

The children grew, of course. Mason and Carmina were inseparable and always got into trouble. Despite learning how to defend themselves at a young age, there were still one or two occasions where Grace and Rachel bailed them out of a close encounter when a mutated predator or the stray highwayman. Matthew took an interest in plants just like Rachel, they both could be found in a room filled with plants where they did their experiments and research. Aria was more interested in the old world and its technologies, she had a natural talent for reverse engineering small gadgets and could always be found questioning someone from before the Collapse, most specifically Nick with his knowledge of planes.

Aiden and Rachel took more of the backseat in running Prosperity. They were always willing to help with giving advice or having discussions, but they preferred to let Kim run their community.

The highwaymen continued to be an annoyance, even if their outposts were taken over, they always seemed to be hiding elsewhere. Their numbers were inconsistent, there were times they would have a boom in numbers and then there were times that they were few and scattered.

Rachel was convinced it was too soon to tell what would be done. Either the highwaymen would call on reinforcements or they would move on elsewhere.

Regardless, they were ready to defend their home that took years to rebuild.

End

A/N: So, finally I will say, sadly, that this is the end. It was definitely more difficult than I thought it would be, but that is how it normally is for me. Once I plan something, it's easy writing. But if I try to force more, it's a lot more difficult. I meant to write this chapter in a heck of a lot less pages, I planned to take a different writing approach like those more narrative summaries, but I just couldn't bring myself to do so. Even if this chapter was more challenging to write, I still enjoyed it and got a bit carried away (as if a 69 page epilogue didn't already imply that). I do apologize for taking so long to get this chapter out as well, between all the craziness that's been happening there was a period of time where I was literally doing nothing but sleeping and working. There's also been some changes at work where I no longer had the freedom to have my phone out, which was how I got most of my writing done. So thank you for your patience.

Why is the Epilogue so long? Well, funny story. It turned out way longer than I expected, again I got lost in the writing. And I decided against releasing it in multiple chapters simply because of how stubborn I can be, I promised a final epilogue so that's what I was going to release.

On to the more important things. All I can say is, wow. When I planned to release this story I honestly was going to consider myself lucky if I had one, maybe two readers. Never had I ever imagined the type of interest this fic would garner.

I'd like to give a huge thank you to Garaki for drawing amazing fanart for this story (the cover image for the fic). Lowkey, it's always been one of my fantasies to have a story worth inspiring fanart. I still proudly show it off to people and may boast about it to some ("yeah, but has anyone drawn fanart for you?" I typically use to taunt my friends, lol). And just as big of a thank you to Deimoz that wrote the perfect lyrics for the song that Faith wrote for Aiden. I was absolutely blown away when I read the lyrics and I tend to show it off just as much. I'm still fighting with the links on my profile, even when I use the feature to insert a link it removes everything but the very ending of the URL, but the song lyrics can be found on my profile page.

One thing I keep forgetting to mention is where I had gotten the inspiration for this story. One of the top 5 links if you Google Faith Seed is an online article. I came across it shortly after I beat FC5 and honestly if not for that article I probably wouldn't have written this fic. I had the idea for it while playing the game, but this article was the final thing to convince me to write it.

This has been my first longtime serious fanfic that I've dedicated so much time into, I've been working on this story for two years. During those two years there have been a few people that have consistently followed and reviewed this story, and a few newcomers in later chapters but the effort is still there and appreciated. Thank you! I would list everyone's names, but I wouldn't want to accidentally oversee a name and offend. Just know that you few that were around for every update are the best in an audience any writer could ask for. If you've only reviewed once or twice, know that I still appreciated your feedback. Thank you, everyone.

I can go on for hours in thanking people, but again, thank you so much. All of the hours that went into writing this fic has been so worth it. I'm happy to have written something that was good enough to take anyone away from real life struggles for a few moments. Thank you!