CHAPTER 2: Azura, 1 week after Locust/Lambent destruction

As the sun rose the next morning, Anya found herself alone again. Hauling herself to her feet she made her way to the balcony, expecting to find Marcus sitting outside. The door was open, and he was standing with his arms crossed resting on the balustrade, staring out into the ocean as usual. She purposefully dragged her feet, knowing better than to sneak up on a seasoned Gear, and she came up next to him to mirror his stance. "I'm meeting Sam in a bit. We're going to start sorting through some of the rooms, checking for supplies. What are you guys working on today?"

"Still in the rooms that got messed up. Most of the walls are patched, just a lot of shit to clean out. Ripping out chinks of the dead stalks. See what we can use that didn't get too busted up." He never moved his eyes from the sea, and she was starting to feel like he was waiting for a boat to show.

The lifeboats from Sovereign had all washed up near Hanover. Most of the citizens had wanted to set up camp there, seeking out the other settlements along the coast. The lambent problem on the mainland didn't make that the safest choice, though. Not to mention an unknown, seemingly endless, number of Stranded who wouldn't look too kindly on the COG taking any of their land-space or possible resources. It was tense enough with the existing settlements. New inhabitants, let alone a large group, would have raised very unwelcome attention, and spread already thin resources even thinner. When Cole and Baird had found the Gorasni fleet, they managed to pick up much of the Sovereign refugees before meeting with the rest of Delta. A few groups of citizens had decided to live a more nomadic life, and though they found a few stragglers on their way to Azura, there was still endless wondering if they would ever see them again.

"Marcus...I know I've said this before, but, if you ever want to talk..."

"I know." He met her eyes for a moment before returning his gaze to the horizon. That was Marcus-speak for 'I don't'. She nodded and stood, turning back to their room. Pausing with her hand on the door knob, she spoke just loud enough for him to hear.

"I know you know this as well as I do, if not better, but the pain isn't going to just go away, Marcus. You miss them. Both of them. All of them. Maybe you don't need to talk about it, but maybe one day you'll want to. Maybe I want to. If we don't talk about the people we lose, we take a chance of people forgetting just how important they were." She went into the room without looking back. She had made it this long without losing her composure around him, and she didn't want to now. He had enough trouble of his own, and she wasn't about to burden him with her need for comfort. Eventually, she hoped, he would return to whatever semblance of normalcy he had before this. He'd never be like he was before prison, but maybe he could return to what he was before they sunk Jacinto. Before Vectes, and the Lambent. Before they lost Dom, and his father. Until then, she just had to stay by his side; being the one unchanging, constant point in his life. Even war, all he had ever known, was gone. Now all that remained to remind him that there was a life before the immense tragedy was Anya, and she felt bound but not only her love, but what felt like a duty, to be there for him, no matter what.

He rubbed his empty hand over his face and over his head, adjusting his bandana. He leaned over the balcony, scanning the horizon. It seemed eerie, the calm. The sun shined brightly, reflecting off of the ocean. Holding tightly to the only reminder he had of his father, he felt the heavy dread and remorse creeping into his mind once more. He found himself wondering briefly if there was any chance of recovering Dom's tags, but the thought of returning to Mercy just filled him with more guilt. Balling his hand into a fist, he slammed it down on the railing and groaned quietly, screwing his eyes shut. The absence of his brother made life seem as though it was permanently missing something. While he knew this should be a time for celebration, it seemed almost narcissistic to allow himself to be happy. The terrible irony was that his grief was compounded by the fact that he couldn't talk to Dom about it. He suddenly found himself thinking of Cole and the letters he wrote to his mother. Maybe he was on to something.

Looking down into his hands, he sighed heavily. Opening his fist, he stared at his father's cog tags before squeezing his eyes shut. "I won't let anyone forget."

The sunlight woke her. She blinked slowly and rubbed her eyes with her free hand. It was only then that Sam realized her left hand was intertwined with another. Arms were wrapped around her, one under her neck and one resting over her waist. Sitting up quickly, she heard the sleepy grumbles from her bedmate.

"Fuck...Baird, get up!" yanking her hand free, she pushed his shoulder hard. His eyes shot open and he sat up, quickly looking around the room. Instinctively, he put himself slightly in front of her.

"What? What is it?" He seemed to be searching the room for anything that had even a slight glow, or for his lancer.

"This! Oh, this is just fan-bloody-tastic! You better move your ass, blondie, before someone sees you leaving and thinks we spent the night together."

He stared at her for a moment, mind still foggy with sleep, before his trademark smirk crossed his lips. "Hate to tell you this, but we sorta did."

"Ugh! Come on, Baird! Don't do this to me. I don't want people thinking that we were in here fucking all night."

"Because that would be the worst thing in the world, right?" He would have looked hurt if he didn't look so damned amused. She considered reaching for her pistol again before she just fell back on the bed, defeated.

"Fine, go ahead. Wait a bit. Maybe then you can catch everyone in the mess and make an announcement."

"You think I want people knowing I was in here all night with you?"

She sat back up and put her face right up to his. "And just what the fuck is THAT supposed to mean?"

"I don't want everyone thinking I've gone soft." Hearing her try to suppress a giggle, he rolled his eyes. "Alright, bad choice of words. What I mean is, if people find out I came in here to keep you company, it will ruin all my hard work. I've got an image to maintain, you know."

Her eyes softened a bit. "Well you haven't been all that careful about it. Or, at least you weren't last night." He stared down at the bed, and for a brief moment, she regretted saying anything. "I'm sorry. I don't want you to regret last night. I really did appreciate it, Baird."

His eyes met hers, and his expression was surprisingly warm. "I don't, Sam. Don't worry, I'll sneak out and let you keep up your wholesome image." He smirked and strode off to the bathroom and shut the door.

A light knock on the suite door nearly startled Sam out of her skin. She launched herself across the room to the door, trying to catch it before Baird poked his head out to see who it was. Anya was standing in front of her with two cups of coffee in her hands.

"Hey, Sam. Brought you a drink. Ready to go?" She raised her eyebrows, noticing her disheveled hair.

"Oh, fuck. I completely forgot." Reaching out to take her coffee, Sam glanced fretfully back to the bathroom before looking up and down the hallway. "Can I meet you in the lobby?"

"Hey, Sam? Do you have any towels out there? I was washing my face-" Baird had poked his head out and came to a sudden stop when he saw the lieutenant in the doorway, wide eyed and with her jaw hanging open. "Hey...Anya. I just came by to-"

"Oh, don't mind me." Anya tried to suppress a huge smile, but it still tugged the corners of her lips up. "Sam, I'll just see you downstairs. Take your time."

"Anya, I...Oh bloody hell. Fine." Sam pushed the door shut, but not without hearing quiet, school girl-like giggles from the woman walking down the hall. She set her coffee on the end table by the sofa and whipped her heard around, staring daggers at the man standing in the bathroom doorway. "Didn't you hear me talking out here?"

"Sorry. Wasn't really listening."

"Well you were bloody well listening last night!"

Baird put his arms up in mock surrender "Hey, hey hey...It's just Anya. And you're going to talk to her anyway, right? You can set her straight." He had that almost hurt look again, and Sam couldn't figure out why it was softening her so much today. Maybe the sleep deprivation was finally taking its toll.

Sighing heavily, Sam reached into the closet by the door and removed a hand towel. Tossing it to Baird before plopping down on the sofa, she spoke softly. "I'm sorry. You're right. I haven't been getting much sleep, and I'm a little...new at this. You know, the kindness and gratitude thing." She glanced up at him, feeling terribly ashamed of the way she had treated him after his small, though hugely meaningful, gesture of staying the night.

Drying his face, he walked over and sat on the opposite end of the couch. "So, what are you girls up to today? Manicures? Gossip? Pillow fight?"

"No, corporal asshole. I told her I'd help her sort through some of the rooms that are still empty. We're trying to get a better idea of supplies. If we can organize some of the toiletries and personal items, we'll have a better idea of what we need. Plus we can distribute the clothes better so some of the gears can finally get some shit without bullet holes in it."

Baird stared at her for a moment, trying to hold back a smile, but failing miserably. When he saw the annoyance crossing her face, he burst into laughter.

"What the fuck is so funny now?"

Catching his breath, he shook his head and looked down. "Oh, nothing. Just the fact that the war is FINALLY over, and you girls are celebrating by going shopping for clothes!"

Sam couldn't help but smile, but she punched him in the leg anyway. "Yeah, blondie. That's my main goal in this. I'm hoping to find myself some proper ladylike attire."

"Good plan." he said, meeting her eyes finally. "I mean, some guys dig the warrior woman style, but if you want to get a good man, maybe you shouldn't look like you want to rip everyone's balls off all the time."

Sam stood up and chuckled. "Maybe. But that's the last thing on my mind."

"Ripping everyone's balls off?"

"No, finding myself a good man."

Baird tilted his head quizzically. She just shook her head and walked to the closet where she kept her armor.

"It's a new world now. Repopulating and all that. I'm not exactly at the top of the list, you know? Thanks to the Fortification Act, no child-bearing women could enlist, so they had us all tested when we joined up. Only test the COG gave me that I scored 'below average' on" Tossing her armor plates on the bed, she grabbed her clean shirt and pants, and headed to the bathroom, leaving the door cracked slightly. Raising her voice a little, she continued. "Besides, I've got shit to do. Organizing and all that, right? No time to be worrying about seducing someone."

He heard her laugh ruefully as he walked over to the door. Leaning against the frame, he mulled over his words for a moment before finally speaking just barely loud enough for her to hear. "I didn't know that...But, you know, not everyone cares about that shit. Besides, anybody who just wants to get you knocked up isn't really worth your time."

Coming out of the bathroom quickly, she gasped as she ran right into him. Looking up into his eyes, their faces were inches apart. She could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks as she struggled to find her voice. "I, um...I better go." She had to pull herself away and force her legs to move, walking towards the bed to strap herself, yet again, into her armor. "Anya's waiting, and I'm late enough."

"Here." The voice came from behind her. Baird lifted her armor up and put it over her, and as he clasped the top together, she could feel his breath on her neck. Shivering, she turned to face him, again surprised to see just how close he was.

"Thanks, Baird...for everything." She planted a light kiss on his cheek and headed for the door before he could make a smart ass remark. By the time she pulled her door shut, he was standing exactly where she left him with his eyes wide, staring after her.