A sigh escapes her lips as the Alpha stares up at the grey clouds above. After nearly thirteen hours on her feet in a busy ER Elizabeth is happy to have some breathing room. Soon a jet of lightening crosses the sky as water starts to pour down in to a cascade of water that's nearly deafening. She watches from a moment from the safety of her apartment building alcove before disappearing into the lonely building.

Ten more floors before she's finally home. With any luck her mate left her dinner in the microwave before heading off to bed. It being nearly two in the morning she doubts he'll be up but, to her surprise Elizabeth opens the door to see him standing by the stove.

The Omega looks over with a wide smile as he hits the wooden spoon gently on the pot. "Hey mornin'." He says in a delighted tone. "You hungry?"

Elizabeth blinks looking him over unsure if she's really home or back in her office sleeping away. "A bit." She answers removing her jacket and throwing it over a nearby chair. "What are you doing up and...what are you making?" She rolls up her sleeves out of habit before placing them on her hips.

Alfred chuckles, licking a bit of cheese from his thumb. "You pretty much answered your first question with your last one and mac and cheese cause I can." As he laughs his dog tags jingle against his chest. "Plus the kid was hungry."

"Ah," She answers kicking off her heels hearing them hit against the closet door. "And how is our baby tonight?"

"Besides hungry?" Alfred rubs his swollen stomach with his free hand, feeling a kick in return. "Good though I'm sure he missed you." As he says it he can't help but notice a look of sadness in his mate's eyes. "You okay?"

She waves him away, walking towards their bathroom. "Nothing a warm shower won't fix...I'll be back in time for dinner." She closes the door before giving him a chance to say a word. Thunder above rocks the building but she doesn't care as the warm water hits her back. It's not the long hours or the walk home that's left her exhausted but who she saw earlier that day that's left her emotionally drained.

Every word said in that hour with him, replaying over and over in her head. "So do you miss us?" He had said with that same smile that had once gotten her heart racing. His glasses where broken, not that the Omega needed them anyway so he threw them aside as she took his hand.

As she wrapped his sprained wrist Elizabeth refused to meet his eyes. "Rodrick we're both mated again."

"Who said I was mated?" The Omega male said it with such ease it was almost enough to send her heart into her chest. "And does he know about us? Me?"

In that moment Elizabeth turned his arm getting a whimper from the man. "I'll write you a prescription for the pain and you should be back playing in two weeks." She let go of his hand, quickly wrote out a prescription and sent him on his way. Even after he was long gone she sat there unable to move until one of her nurses finally called her away.

"I don't miss him." She mutters turning off the water, watching the steam evaporate above her. "I don't miss us." She says louder wrapping the towel around her waist. Yet as she says it again she still feels an ounce of guilt that refuses to go away.

"You sure you're okay?"

She looks up to see him in the doorway of their bedroom. The apron he once was wearing gone, giving her a better look at the camo boxers and white t shirt he's wearing thought she can tell it's a tight snug for the Omega. "I'm fine Alfred but I suggest a different shirt."

The Omega looks down, tugs on the fabric for a moment and shrugs. "It's fine for now but dinner's done whenever you're ready." He extents a hand, thankful when she lets him pull her up into a bear hug. "And you know I love yah."

She chuckles wrapping her arms around his strong neck. "I love you too." Elizabeth kisses his jaw, feeling that it's his Omega instincts kicking in trying to comfort her. "Let's go eat than go to bed." She whispers in his ear hoping to make a chill run down his spine.

Again the blonde Omega wraps her in a hug before taking her hand and guiding her back into their dining room. "Ta da." He says with a proud smile showing off the candle light dinner he had prepared while she was in the shower.

Just as she lets out a light laugh another rock of thunder echoes as every light goes out. ""Well..."

"That was timing." He answers taking a seat. "So how was your day?"

She takes her seat adjacent from him hoping to avoid the usual small talk. "I saw someone I haven't seen in five years." She pauses, moving the noodles around on her plate.

"Oh?" He takes a bit of his dinner watching her. "A friend?"

"Once he was." She lays her fork down, the same guilt rising in her heart. "I was mated once, before the war..."

The man nods taking another bite. "So you saw your old mate? Okay so what?" Her head shoots up as he gives a warm smile. "Remember that time when I was on leave and we had a little too much to drink in that tiny bar off of base?"

"I told you?"

"Everything." Alfred answers. "And god, were we sick the next day but, yeah so what was wrong with him?"

She doesn't know what to say for a moment before finally the words come out. "He sprained his wrist. It wasn't anything horrible and he was in and out in and hour..." Elizabeth smirks, picking up a fork full.

"What's so funny?"

"He asked if I missed him, us in fact but," She takes a bite amazed by how gooey and hot it still is.

For a moment he waits with a hand subconsciously on his stomach. "But?" He's known since the very beginning that he wasn't her first, that his mate gave her heart away once before though it's never bothered him until now.

His fears are quickly dashed when she takes his hand. "But that was then."

"And this is now." He answers leaning over to kiss her softly. "His loss really."

She leans in closer to deepen the kiss. "Yes because who else would make me dinner at three in the morning?"

"Like I said, it's cause I love yah and I always will."

As the thunder rolls and the rain turns into a light drizzle the Alpha leads her mate back towards the bedroom. "I love you too Alfred." She stands on her tip toes and plants a kiss before pulling him back towards the bed. "And thank you for dinner."

A/N: This was just a little plot bunny that wouldn't leave me alone for a few days. I might turn it into a two shot but only if the plot bunny returns.