Hi Guys, this is my first FF, so all reviews, praise and critiscisms will be appreciated. This is my first story for the BAMFs and I hit 20K last night so I can't wait to see what everyone thinks of it! A big shout-out to all the Wash/Taylor writers, you all write some amazing stuff and keep my life going. Counted yesterday, and I checked my emails 27 waiting for alerts! Thanks to everyone and to Rebecca, my online bestie, I am sorry this isn't KD, but soon enough!

"Wash."

"Reynolds."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"You already have."

"Wash."

"Sorry, fire away."

Lieutenant Alicia Washington was on the morning patrol with one of her previous trainees, Mark Reynolds. Sitting atop the lookout positioned at the gates entrance, they were alert but both were tired. They had already been here for almost their entire five-hour shift. She was bored and waiting for action, which very rarely occurred, particularly at this hour.

"Are you ever going to settle down?"

"What do you mean?" The question surprised her, she tried not to let it show on her face, nothing was supposed to surprise her.

"As in, find someone, have a house that kind of thing." Reynolds said sheepishly

"Do I look like the domestic kind of woman to you Reynolds?"

"No, I just meant... Sorry."

"No, it's okay. Um, no not really. I haven't thought it about per se, but I guess I kind of just imagine myself doing this" Alicia admitted, having truthfully not thought about her future here at Terra Nova.

"But you can't do this forever, one day you will want to retire, and I think you would want, you know someone to come home to... I guess"

"The Commander is still doing it, what's stopping me?"

"Wash. Did you ever dream of settling down? Realistically you can't do this forever. I know if you could you would be out here fighting the Sixers and the dinosaurs all day long..."

"Sure I had that dream, but now I have this job. I want to take care Terra Nova, and give it the right start."

"Wash, that's great. But come on, when you're off duty what do you do? You are either sleeping or eating? You can't live like this forever, you have to live your life and not chase your life away like the dinosaurs," Reynolds said very brazenly. Usually anyone that tried to breach more sensitive topics with Wash, well... no one really did it. They knew the consequences would not be good. But the relationship she had with Mark was an exception to that, so she let it slide.

"What do you want me to do Reynolds? Quit, start work as a medic and start dating some poor man who couldn't deal with me? I would be restless the entire time! I can't just leave this job, it's my life and I can live with that," Alicia said before looking at her watch.

"We're finished here Reynolds, shift's over." Alicia said with more anger than intended, turning to leave.

"Wash, please." Reynolds said as he caught her arm, turning her to face him.

"What?"

"I'm sorry I just... Care about you. You know? I wasn't trying to imply anything, I was just curious. I also wanted to know if you... You know were thinking about it."

"Thinking about settling down."

"Yeah."

"As in with someone?"

"Uh yeah I would assume so."

"No I haven't been thinking about it. To be honest with you Reynolds, I can't think of to many people who would want to put up with all this." Alicia said as she motioned towards herself, admitting something she hadn't before.

"Wash…" she interrupted him before he could say anything in dispute of her words.

"No it's okay Reynolds, I'm fine. I love my job and that's all I need." Alicia said truthfully. "Speaking of relationships, how's Maddy?"

"Uh, um, yeah she's good." Reynolds said as the heat rose to his cheeks.

"So the courting is going successfully?" Alicia asked with a big smile on her face, deciding to tease him for that bit longer.

"Sure, I guess you could say that"

"Well the shift is over, go take her out for lunch or something"

"Yes ma'am." Reynolds said, really only adding the formality for the sake of it.

"Dismissed soldier" she said with a nod of the head and he was heading down the stairs.

She turned back to the view of outside the gates, glad she had someone like Reynolds in her life. Although they had arrived on different pilgrimages, they had grown close. They were just like brother and sister; she appreciated him especially because he put up with her. Alicia had trained him hard, but only because she believed in him. Although he disliked her originally, once he got to know her and how she expressed her emotions he was more open to her. He was one of her best students, and they had grown close over time as she pushed him physically to his best and he pushed her to open up and relax more.

Although Alicia had finished her shift with Reynolds, all five hours, she felt... Unused. She wanted to be out there and chasing Sixers and dinosaurs, but she knew well enough the day would come soon enough and that she would be ready.

"Wash."

"Sir." Alicia replied to her commander, who when she looked over from her position on the deck of the command centre, was walking from inside his office to stand next to her, leaning on the rails.

"Are you happy here?" asked her CO, yet another surprising question.

"What? Is today 'psychoanalyze Alicia' day?" said in reply, with very clear impatience in her voice. He looked at her, slightly shocked at the reply.

"No, not that I'm aware of. I was merely wondering how my lieutenant was finding her time at Terra Nova."

"Sorry sir, Reynolds was questioning me on my future this morning. It's been a long day." Her commander nodded in reply. She paused for a minute, thinking through her answer.

"Here I get to do a job I love, with people I have great respect and admiration for and I get to protect people who are worth saving. We have a second chance at life, and I get to help give it the right start. I get to train men and help turn them into brave and honest soldiers who I know will protect this world the right way. I get to watch our civilization progress and grow. I am happy." Alicia spoke, with meaning to her words.

"There's nowhere else you want to be? Another job? Different people? Different time?" The Commander asked in reply.

"No, I don't think there is. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I'm grateful to be here. Protecting people has been my job for as long as I can remember, and now I'm protecting something I believe in and want to work for. I get to work with some truly amazing and respectable people. And another time? I don't think I would want to be anywhere else. We get the technology of the future and the unpolluted world of the past, the best of both worlds. I have everything I could ever I want," She said finally.

"Good answer Wash." Taylor said as he looked at Terra Nova below them.

"Thank-you sir." She said as she put her hands behind her back and leaned on the rails.

"Do you ever think about having a family?" The Commander said, asking a question that only he could ask as if he was asking her what her favorite fruit was.

"To be honest, not really. I can't think of to many people who would be able to deal with all this, or willing" Alicia said, suddenly wondering why she had said it to him.

"Alicia..." The Commander warned, a very serious tone to his voice as he turned to face her - she was still staring at Terra Nova. She couldn't face him now.

"Believe me you're worth it Wash, anyone that can rope you in is a lucky man" The Commander replied before leaving her to his words. Standing there, once again, surprised.