A/N: When I started writing Deviation, my mind came up with several mini-stories set after Booker rescues Elizabeth - here's the first of them. This is intended to be a series of drabbles detailing the lives of the DeWitts, not necessarily in chronological order. I hope you enjoy it! I certainly had a great time writing this.

It was one of those days where the hours seemed to go by at a snail's pace, without nothing to do. Booker DeWitt stifled a yawn, stretching at his desk as he mulled over his expenses, which he had to recalculate now that he had an extra mouth to feed. Anna was fast asleep in the adjacent room, the cool weather lulling her into an almost comatose state.

Elizabeth was seated across from him, facing the windows, engrossed in a book from a pile of belongings the Luteces had dropped off, explaining that the assorted clothing and books had come from Elizabeth's tower in Columbia. While somewhat discomfited at owning something from Columbia, a place she'd rather forget, Elizabeth had acknowledged the necessity of having fresh clothes to wear – the one she'd worn in Rapture was far too damaged and anachronistic with the current time period. She could have made her own dress, of course, but that would have taken time and materials she didn't yet have.

The books were an added bonus.

Elizabeth smiled to herself as she raised her gaze from her book and peered at the spines of the volumes the Luteces had picked for her. She'd always enjoyed reading, absorbing whatever knowledge of the world that was available to her, and she had already made plans to head out and browse whatever books were available to her in New York.

All thoughts were cast aside, however, when there came the low rumbling of thunder from outside. Elizabeth looked up at the window, her eyes widening as she saw the first few drops of rain splatter against the glass panels.

"Booker…" She breathed softly, setting her book down (The Principles of Quantum Mechanics, Booker noted absently, thinking it a familiar-looking volume for some reason), "Is it raining?"

"Huh?" He said in response, twisting his body to look at the windows. "Yeah, I guess it is. Why?"

"I've never really seen it before." Elizabeth said, a tone of excitement in her voice as she stood up and declared, "I'm going outside!" Booker raised an eyebrow at her.

"Are you sure?" He asked, frowning slightly, "You'll get wet and catch a cold."

"I'm sure! Besides, I don't fall sick that easily." Elizabeth practically skipped her way out the door, not giving Booker a chance to come up with another counter-argument, much to his consternation. He stared as she closed the door behind her, and stared at the door for a few moments, trying to process what had happened. He supposed it was not too surprising, considering the circumstances. Despite all that she had gone through, Elizabeth was still very much innocent in many aspects, having been isolated from the rest of the world most of her life.

"Huh." He mumbled.

Rain, Elizabeth decided, was amazing. Having been locked up in Monument Island most of her life, her only exposure to the outside world had been when Booker DeWitt had quite literally dropped into her world, busting her out of her tower.

Their adventure in Columbia had seen decidedly fair weather, and her first real encounter with rain was when she was on a boat with the Luteces and Booker, as they headed for a lighthouse to show Booker the truth of what had happened to Anna DeWitt. She didn't quite pay attention to the rain then, her mind filled with visions from the infinite number of doors and with thoughts of breaking the painful and grim truth to her father.

And Rapture was, well, underwater. There was water leaking and dripping everywhere, but that hardly counted for anything.

Elizabeth laughed in delight as she walked down the streets, basking in the rain that fell on and around her. She relished the cooling sensation of the water against her skin. She jumped in puddles and giggled at the splash that went everywhere, ignoring the questioning gazes of other people on the street who were hurriedly searching for shelter.

She felt free, she felt alive, turning her face towards the sky even as the downpour got heavier. It was as though her senses were heightened, and she keenly felt the delicious sensation of rain droplets falling onto her face.

This is real, she thought to herself delightedly, This is not a dream. I'm here, in New York, with Booker and Anna.

Elizabeth hadn't dared to dream that this would even be remotely possible – all she'd known her entire life back in Columbia was that she'd been locked in a tower for reasons she did not know then. Her life in Monument Island had been incredibly dull – surrounded only by her books and canvas, with her meals delivered by Songbird. She'd hardly gotten much of a chance to see the real world, as her tower had but a view of just the clouds.

Rapture was worse – much like her time in Columbia, she'd been alone, but she felt the loneliness far more keenly than before, having tasted sweet freedom, and having known the companionship of a friend. It was made worse in the underwater city, knowing that she could not trust anyone, having to constantly remain guarded and careful.

Now that she was out of Monument Island, out of Columbia, out of Rapture and far away from the nightmares of her life, Elizabeth felt liberated. The rain was like a healing balm, gently washing away and cleansing the bad memories.

Elizabeth jumped in another puddle, laughing as she did so, and came to a stop, noting that she'd gone quite a distance away from the apartment. The streets were almost empty by now, the deluge heavier than ever. Shrugging, she was about to continue down the street when the wind blew, and Elizabeth shivered violently. She glanced downwards, and sheepishly realized that she wasn't quite dressed for the weather. Her mind brought up images of the people who'd stared at her a while ago, wrapped in their long coats. Her blouse and skirt were thoroughly soaked, and she shivered again.

"I may not have thought this excursion through well enough." She muttered to herself, her teeth chattering. She started to look around, to get her bearings and make her way back to Booker's office, when a shadow fell across her. Elizabeth blinked, and looked up, barely suppressing a sneeze as she did so.

"Told you." Booker said with a sigh, holding his long coat over her. Elizabeth smiled sheepishly, sneezing again. "Here." He reached out an arm, gripping Elizabeth's shoulders and pulling her next to him as she made a feeble squawk of protest. Her protests died out almost immediately, however; Booker's body was warm, incredibly so, and she quietly put her arms around his torso, soaking in the warmth.

Booker smiled, wrapping his coat snugly around the both of them, and they made their way back to the office slowly, hunched over to fit as much of their bodies into the coat as possible.

"Where's Anna?" Elizabeth murmured after they'd walked for a while.

"Got a neighbor to look after her for a bit – don't worry, Anna's in good hands." He replied, hugging Elizabeth just a little tighter when he felt her shudder as another gust of wind blew down the street. "So, how was your first encounter with rain?" He asked wryly.

"Wet." Elizabeth laughed. "And cold."

"I could have told you that without you leaving the apartment."

"True," Elizabeth admitted, "But where would the fun be in that?"

"So now it's fun getting wet and cold? News to me." Booker said dryly. Elizabeth stuck her tongue out at him, and he rolled his eyes.

"Thanks for coming to get me." Elizabeth said softly after a while.

"Seems like that's my lot in life now." Booker chuckled.

Elizabeth grinned in return. "And now that we've established that, I'd like to go back to being dry and warm, if you'd please."

The duo continued down the street back to their apartment, their laughter ringing through the rain.