Prompt by the Tumblr user a-kabby-k;
"AU Post 1x09, After the Exodus' disaster, about 150 people survived and found a way to repair the Ark. They don't know if the 100 are still alive, so the council decided to do what it takes to ensure that the human race will survive and edicts a new law: Each person between eighteen and fifty years are obliged to have a new child."
Much thanks to Lydia (charmingly-evil) for all her help.
Unbeta-d. So beware.
"Hello Jaha. Yes, our consummation date is scheduled for today."
"I know, I was just checking in to make sure you have everything you need. How are you feeling?"
"How do you think?" Abby rolled her eyes and balanced the phone between her ear and shoulder before grabbing up her plates and taking them to her makeshift kitchen. Her room was devoid of any sound. Her husband was floated first then her daughter was sent down for a suicide mission.
"I know that we're asking a lot from you," Jaha spoke from the other end of the line. "But I would like to thank you for doing this. I know how difficult it must be for you, especially with Kane…."
"I'm not doing this for you Jaha, I'm doing this for our people, for the Ark." she mumbled as she turned on the faucet and watched the cold water rain down on her dirty plates in the sink. "I can't believe it's come to this. It's funny, isn't it? Our ancestors had fears that we would over populate the ark. Never would they have imagined that we'd have the opposite issue."
"You're right, that's why we're all doing it." Jaha, the voice of the reason, kept talking. "I should be seeing Callie tomorrow."
"I just find it idiotic how I'm stuck with Kane." Abby sighed and leaned back against the counter. "When there are plenty of other men on the Ark…"
"Abby, we've been over this. You two are-"
"Genetically compatible, yes I know." She looked down on the ground. Did she even have a choice?
She swallowed before making her way to the bathroom, switching the phone from her left ear to the right. On the other end of the line, Jaha continued. "It is necessary for the survival of the human race."
Abby had heard these words before. Yes, she had been hearing the Chancellor repeat them over and over again for the past couple of the days, ever since the Exodus Accident. Too many people were lost, thanks to Diana. If they weren't careful, the humanity was going to become extinct. Abby understood the consequences. This was Jaha being careful.
"We need to repopulate the Arc." Jaha spoke.
Abby stood in front of her mirror as she listened to the man reason with her. One hand absentmindedly went up to fix her braid. "Don't you think it's a bit too sudden? Passing that bill and telling everyone that if they're older than 20, younger than 45, they need to have a kid?"
"You might think it is but the population has reduced down to 300. Post-Exodus Repopulation Policy is our best shot. If everyone's matched up, that should give us 150 kids. 150 more people to ensure our survival."
"And if the earth is habitable?" She leaned down and examined her face. Then her gaze fell down to her shirt. She straightened it with her hands. "The kids are alive and well?"
"Then we find a way to go down there." Jaha swallowed. "But for now, we need to make sure that we will survive."
Abby heard a knock on her door. Her heart skipped a beat.
"I'll call you back."
The line went dead in a matter of seconds and she was left in the company of her own silence. She watched herself from the mirror, noticed her parted lips and dilated pupils. Was she excited? No, nervous would have been the correct term. Nervous because Marcus Kane, the man she was expected to have a kid with all of a sudden, was at the door.
They were both there, in the meeting room when Jaha had announced his decision. A brief eye contact was made but Abby knew it was due to worry that had sparked up their attention towards each other. Later on, when singles were matched purely due to genetics, it was once again Jaha who informed them of their partners. Abby remembered how she had trouble believing it first and then asked Jaha, repeatedly, to reconsider. But it had been no use. It was for humanity, he had said.
Since then, Abby imagined how Marcus had reacted to the news. Was he as shocked as she was? She doubted it. He was a man of business; professional and pragmatic. That man would be willing to float himself if he thought it was necessary for their survival.
The knock was heard a second time and Abby jumped. Right. The door.
She took one last look at herself before running for the door. Then slowing down her pace, because why was she even running?
"Hi," she breathed out as she swung the door open and faced the future father of her child.
Marcus turned around as quickly as he could, taking in a sudden breath the seconds they made eye contact. He looked the same, she thought, the same with all those times she had seen him in council meetings or around the Arc. His hair was combed back and he was clad in black and grey clothes, looking as sharp as ever. It always surprised her seeing him that way, in the middle of space where everyone wore torn out clothes; he always managed to look clean and well-kept.
"Hello," he nodded. "May I…?"
"Oh, please. Come on in." Abby opened the door wider and watched as he made his way in with quiet steps. She breathed in his scent, harsh truth slapping her in the face.
He was there. In her room. Ready for…
"Abby?"
"Oh, right." She shook her head and closed the door.
The lights were dimmed in her small room. For one, wasting energy was frowned upon, but also she did not know how comfortable she would be facing him with bright lights shining above them. She turned to him, to a sight she never would have imagined she would see. Marcus Kane, in her quarters. When they faced each other, they evaded each other's gaze.
"So," he cleaned his throat and looked around the room. He did not take up much space, did not walk around or occupy a corner he wasn't welcomed in. "How are you?"
Kudos to Marcus for attempting small talk… "I'm good, you?"
"Excellent." Then he froze. "Uhm, not because of, you know," he gestured the invisible tension between them, "Because uhm… I'm-"
"No, it's fine." She held up her hand. "Do you want to take a seat?"
He nodded then looked around the room. Apart from the bed, the only place available consisted of two chairs around the small table, located right next to the wall. One chair was vacated, the other had her clothes on it. His gaze lingered on the chairs then shifted to the bed.
She panicked. "Sorry," She made her way to one of the chairs and emptied it, placing her clothes on the bed.
"Thank you." He nodded before making his way to the empty spot.
She sat down on the other chair, facing him. Both of her hands were placed on the table, then she decided against it and moved them onto her lap. Was she breathing heavy? "Can I get you anything?"
"No, thank you." He replied, still looking around the room. Watching everything like a hawk, except for her eyes.
She desperately tried to silence the voices in her head. The air was thick with tension and someone had to refer to the elephant in the room. "Marcus, I…"
"Look, Abby." He interrupted her. "Before we do… this,I need to say something."
"O-okay."
"I asked Jaha if we could try artificial insemination."
"A Turkey Baster?" She couldn't help but let out a giggle before imagining herself in a room with her legs raised up high, waiting for the…
"Well, yes," he raised his eyebrows. "But he told me it wouldn't be wise to,"
"Waste the Arc's resources." She completed his sentence for him, having heard their chancellor use those words at least a million times.
"And that it should be used for couples who fail at conceiving… the natural way." He replied, letting out a long breath.
His lines sounded like they were rehearsed. She just rolled her eyes and watched the man before her, who all of a sudden, did not know what to do with his hands.
"No, it's fine."
"Is it?"
It wasn't but did they really have any other choice? She closed her eyes and lied. "Yes."
She could feel him visibly relax on the chair before her. However it only lasted a mere second now that they had another, more important issue at hand. "So," he swallowed. "How do you wanna do this?"
"As in… positions or?" She gulped.
"No!" He coughed. "No, no, I meant, how do you want to start."
"That's okay, I can answer both questions." She could feel the blush creeping up her cheeks and took in a deep breath. "Studies show that entering a woman from behind leads to deep penetration and helps the sperm reach the egg quicker. For your second question, your sperm count will probably be increased if you are stimulated. Foreplay will get the engine running, so to speak. So, whatever turns you on, that's how we will start."
She watched the man before her go pale. His lips parted in surprise and he raised his eyebrows to give her his best stunned expression. Even if it wasn't the right place nor the right time, she couldn't help but smile.
"What.. turns me on?" He managed to choke out. Never in her life had she seen him at a loss of words. "Well, this is certainly not information you share with your co-councilors every day."
"You don't have to tell me." Abby looked down on the table. Since when she was this courageous? "You can show me."
"I can?" He looked at her. Really looked at her as if years of knowing her, decades, this was the first time he was noticing that she was a woman. Then he repeated his words, stripping them of the question. "I can."
She nodded. Then she stood up.
She let her legs carry her to her bed and sat down. Butterflies danced around in her stomach and she tried her best to focus. Speaking was easy but practice? Suddenly, she felt shivers run down her spine.
"May I?" Marcus gestured the bed and she nodded.
She watched as he, ever so gently, stood up, pushed the chair back towards the table and took a couple of steps before sitting himself down on the bed with her, making sure to leave at least a little distance between them. Their thighs were close enough to touch but not quite making contact.
Her breathing sped up and she focused on the little crease of his shirt on his collar.
"Abby?"
"Hmm?" She forced herself too look up and meet his gaze.
He extended an arm towards her, as if she were to let him, he would pull her closer and crash her body against his. Her eyes moved from his face to his arm, hovering over her back but being careful not to touch it. She nodded and scooted closer to him on the bed, their legs now finally touching. His hand landed on the small of her back and she pretended not to notice the electricity shooting up from the parts of her that was in contact with his.
What was this? Since when was she ever this nervous? When she had first agreed to this, it felt like it was going to be a professional business. She had always imagined Marcus Kane the type to come in, do his thing and leave. But now, he was urging her to relax around him and drawing invisible circles on her back with his thumb. It was not helping. The sentiment she felt in his actions caused her to panic, fill her chest with anticipation strong enough that it was difficult to even breathe.
"You okay?" He asked, trying to hold her gaze.
She nodded. Why was she lying? She was nowhere near okay. Her body was on fire.
He moved an inch closer and she could feel his breath against her cheek. It felt too intimate, too much for her to take. So she did the only thing she could and closed her eyes, trusting her instinct. She breathed in his cologne. Something woody, a touch of something floral with the scotch he had gulped down earlier that day. It reminded her of all those times he had walked past her in the hallways. Never would she have thought she would be exploring the depths of his scent.
His fingers shifted to the side of her waist and her senses started burning once more under his touch. She was hyperaware of her surroundings; every move he made, she felt it deep in her core. Her hand went to rest on his thigh before she could stop it. His jeans were rough, worn out, the color faded.
This man. This man she had argued, fought with, disagreed every day since she had commenced her duty as a council member. This man existed to oppose her. He was her contradiction. Everything she was, he wasn't. Everything he couldn't be was her essence. It got to her. Curiosity filled her lungs and the will to explore had her slowly lifting up her chin to take a good look at him.
She watched him swallow and mimicked him. He was closer now, the ghost of his lips hovering right above her jawline. It sparked up the fire, and she felt her breathing speed up. She tried to control it.
He was going to kiss her. She was in charge.
She felt wetness pooling between her legs. The control fled from her grasp.
What.
"Abby?"
"Oh my God," she breathed out and abruptly stood up, putting a few feet of distance between them. She couldn't do this. She couldn't let her body react to his touch that way when this was strictly business. She couldn't let herself get excited over his presence. She needed to clear her mind and put her head in the game.
Marcus looked up at her from the bed, with worry crossing her features. "Abby, I know this is not easy,"
"You think?!"
"Look, we don't have to do anything you don't want to.
"What do you mean? Of course we do. We have to."
"These things can take time. Would you like me to come back tomorrow?"
She frowned and looked at him, still seated on the bed. However, he looked a lot tenser now. "You can't, we're scheduled for today."
He sighed and finally got up, taking a step towards her. He chose not to take more than two steps and she was grateful to have her personal space preserved after that out of place adrenaline rush. "I know, but I can talk to Sinclair. He'll change it."
"Why?"
"Because I am not going to do this unless you are comfortable with it."
She froze and looked up to meet his gaze. He looked a lot softer under the bedroom light, lot more humane compared to all the times she had found herself arguing with her over the council table. There was understanding in his eyes, and respect for the thing they were about to do.
"Really? You don't mind?" She asked with a quiet voice.
"Of course not." He shook his head. "I'll be back tomorrow. In the meanwhile, try to get some sleep."
She nodded and under her watchful gaze, his lips curved into a compassionate smile before taking a step back and heading for the door. Seconds later, she was alone in the privacy of her room.
She let out a breath she was holding the minute the door was shut closed.
Next day. She could do this.
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