Disclaimer: I don't own Fahrenheit/Indigo Prophecy.

Author's Note: Spoilers for the end of the game. This is based on the thoughts I had when I completed the game and isn't supposed to be that serious (but I doubt Lucas ever did bring this issue up with Carla).

In retrospect, Lucas can admit he'd made a bad decision.

The window of opportunity for telling the (almost ridiculously attractive) woman you're about to sleep with that you are, in fact a re-animated dead person is admittedly small, but nonetheless most definitely there.

In Lucas' case, it was roughly around the time Carla mentioned something about "being sorry they hadn't met under better circumstances" and that "maybe things would have been different" if they had. That would have been the perfect moment to -ever so casually- slip in that, yeah it really was too bad, what with him being dead and all.

Failing this, the final chance could even have been when Carla had muttered (sounding strangely aroused by the fact) that his lips were as cold as ice.

But no, for once, Lucas had listened to that selfish part of his brain which whispered that it had been several long months since he'd last got laid (and since when had he EVER had a shot at such a hot woman?), even more since he'd actually relaxed and that it was even less likely to happen in the future because he was going to DIE (again) tomorrow. And he was the only one standing between humanity and the end of the world as they knew it (so no pressure or anything). Man, they were so screwed.

Lucas figured that really, it was for the best; Carla would get what she wanted, he would get what he wanted -everyone would go home a winner. For the night, anyway.

Only things hadn't gone down as he had expected.

No, instead he'd managed to pull some Keanu Reeves-worthy moves and had totally kicked everyone's collective ass (even the cyborg who got off on imitating old women -and he got called 'bizarre'?).

And so it was (through no fault of his own) that Lucas found himself in relationship with the perfect (seriously, she even had handcuffs...) woman. Carla didn't find him weird or boring (or as one disastrous blind date in the not-too-distant past had put it: "a total freak") and actually appreciated his efforts to make her happy. She made him happy -so happy sometimes Lucas would often wonder if it were all a beautiful dream. His optimistic mood couldn't even be dampened (much) by Tyler's 'friendly' (threat) advice not to EVER (ever ever) hurt Carla.

He'd almost forgotten that Carla had no idea of his...'state of existence'...until that fateful day three months later when she had announced (with a bright smile that almost blinded him) that she was pregnant.

So now Lucas realises (with a weary sense of resignation) that he can NEVER bring up the fact that he is 'technically' dead; his body (and soul, if Marcus is to be believed) held together purely by the Purple Clan's power. He's heard that sudden shocks can be fatal for pregnant women (and has absolutely nothing to do with what Tyler might say -and do- if he found out), so it's probably best left unsaid. It's not like it really changes anything anyway, right? Their feelings will still be genuine, the world will still be saved and they will still have the gift of life that is Jade (he and Carla want to honour the Indigo Child's memory) Kane Valenti growing inside his (hopefully) fiancée-to-be. And anyway, he can't be that dead if she's having his child, right?

Yes, Lucas reckons that when all is said and done, his moment to mention the fact he's actually a dead man walking has been and gone; so he'll good-naturedly ignore the complaints about his body temperature in winter (and the inevitable 'requests' that he sleeps on the couch) and enjoy the attention it gets him in the summer when it's so hot the paint is peeling off the ceiling and walls.

"What are you thinking about Lucas?"

It seems like a fair exchange.

"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all."

What price happiness, right?