"I'm gonna get a pretzel." Miles gestured at the street vendor at the end of the park. "You want anything?"

"I'll pick on yours." Nora responded. She kept her eyes on Alex sitting in the jungle gym but smiled slightly.

"Of course you will." he pressed a kiss to the side of her head as he stood, then started to walk away. She sighed quietly and leaned back into the bench. Alex peered over the top of the bridge that connected the different slides and ladders and scanned the area looking for them. Once his eyes found her, she lifted her hand in a wave. He pressed his chin into the ledge and gave a halfhearted wave. After a moment, he climbed down and made his way to her.

"What's going on baby?"

"Are um, are you ready to go home yet?"

He didn't quite meet her gaze and scuffed his shoes into the dirt. A small, slightly sad and disappointed smile formed on her face as she leaned forward and took his hands gently.

"Are you?" she countered, resulting in a non committed shrug. "It's only been about fifteen minutes."

"It's just," he exhaled loudly, as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. A faint blush formed on his face and he crossed his arms, looking slightly uncomfortable and too much like Miles in Nora's opinion.

"What?"

"I don't know what to do."

"What do you mean?" she was confused and he was clearly embarrassed.

"Here."

"Oh. Oh, honey, you just- it's-" she stopped herself with a deep breath and took a moment to gather her thoughts. This was just another in a string of instances that revealed how sheltered her son had been in Philadelphia. She knew he was shy but she didn't think he would be totally oblivious to interacting with other kids. "You play. Look,"

She knew he could play. He caused enough trouble at home on his own and with the dog. Miles was usually wrestling around on the floor with him and Charlie and Jason were a constant source of entertainment. He was comfortable in his own environment but outside of that, he was socially awkward.

"Everyone is just playing together. Go up to one of them and introduce yourself. They all look pretty nice and a lot of them are around your age."

"What do I say?"

"You say your name is Alex and ask if you can play."

"What if they say no?"

"I doubt they will but if they do, it's not the end of the world."

"I don't want to."

"You don't want to or you're nervous?" she asked, which resulted in another shrug from him. "What's bothering you the most?"

"They're not gonna like me."

"That's not possible."

"They all know each other."

"They've probably been friends for awhile or go to school together. We're new in town so we have to get to know people. Do you want me to come with you?"

"No!"

"Why?"

"None of the other moms are. I'll look like a baby. Can't we just go home?"

"Look over there. That boy in the sand is playing by himself. Why don't you go talk to him? It's not a big group but at least it's something."

"Mom,"

"Honey, I know it's a little hard right now. This is new for you. It's new for all of us. But new is good. It is scary because we don't know what to expect but soon we see that we actually are enjoying it." she paused, waiting for him to object. When he didn't, she squeezed his hands lightly, and continued, "Can we compromise?"

"What's that?"

"We clearly don't agree so we are going to meet halfway, so we both get a little bit of what we want. I know you don't want to stay but I want you to have a little fun so how about if in ten minutes you still feel uncomfortable, we will go home. But I want you to give it a shot."

"Fine." he looked a little dismayed at the idea but nodded reluctantly. He glanced at the boy she had pointed out, then looked back at her. She gave a comforting smile and kissed his forehead quickly.

"I'm going to be sitting right here. No worries."

"Ten minutes."

"Ten minutes." she held back her laugh as he wandered away. She waited as he slowly approached the boy in the sand and watched as he shuffled awkwardly as he attempted to make conversation. After a minute, the boy nodded and Alex plopped into the sand, grabbing a free bucket. Success.

"Excuse me,"

She turned and found a woman leaning in towards the bench, ready to take the seat that Miles had vacated. She smiled cheerfully at Nora and gave a small wave.

"Hi. I'm Sandy Wilson. I just wanted to introduce myself. I live down the street from you. I noticed you moved in a few weeks ago and I've been trying to get over but my husband told me to mind my own business until you were ready to meet everyone. He says I can overwhelm people." she laughed a little, then added, "Anyway, when I saw you sitting here, I thought I'd come by. I'm surprised no one else has. You're all anyone can talk about in town."

"Really."

"Oh yeah! It's been a while since anyone new has come to town. It's rather exciting for us."

"That's... nice." Nora forced herself to smile, though the idea they had inadvertently drawn attention to themselves was disconcerting. Miles would not be happy. She wondered though if it was a gross exaggeration on Sandy's part because no one seemed to be the least bit interested in them and the woman who had helped them with the house had been polite, professional, and didn't ask many questions.

"You're... oh, what did she say- Evie? Lucy said your name is Evie."

Lucy? Nora frowned for a second, trying to give the name a face. Lucy. Sensing her confusion, Sandy offered, "She's our go-to person in town. She showed you the house."

"Right. Lucy." Perhaps she wasn't as professional as she had thought. "But yeah, Evie. Yes, that's me. It's nice to meet you. I'm sorry. I was kind of caught off guard for a moment."

"No worries. I'm sure things have been crazy for you. Where did you move from?"

"Nowhere particular. Been a few places over the years. Georgia... Colorado... Indiana." she said, shrugging. An easy smile finally fell into place. Miles had harped on them to keep quiet, not give away details that could connect them to anything or anyone. What the hell's the point of an alias if you idiots screw it up? That had been more for Charlie and Jason. Nora had been in this long enough to know how to keep herself hidden. Miles could be a chameleon when he wanted. "We traveled a lot before we settled down."

"Sounds like you've lead an exciting life."

"Same as anyone else."

"Right. So, I wanted to invited you over this Saturday," Sandy held up a hand as she saw Nora start to protest, "just hang on, hang on. Every few weeks we have a big get together. This time is at my house. Lots of good food, friendly people. It'll be a chance to get to know everyone. None of us bite, I promise."

"I'll keep it mind. Thank you." she glanced towards Alex, saw he was smiling, and let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding.

"Looks like they made friends quick enough. That's my son Jake. He's eight."

"Alex will be eight in December."

"They'll be in the same class. I have to say, a lot has been bad since the blackout but the teachers around here have really pulled themselves together. I know some areas lack in education but I think you'll be happy with how things are here. It really is a great town."

"That's why we picked it. Some place small, quiet, safe."

"Got all three. Do you have any other kids? I have two more, girls. Sarah and Jillian. Sarah's the oldest, she's twelve and Jillian is ten."

"Oh. No, no, I don't have any. Just Alex. I mean, my niece lives with us but she's twenty so I don't think she counts as a kid."

"That's a big age gap. My nephews are fourteen and nine."

"My brother-in-law was married first, older too. We didn't have Alex for a while after we were married."

"Everyone's different. You're still young. Plenty of time to have a few more."

Nora's eyebrows raised at the comment, finding it quite brazen for someone who had only known her five minutes, but Sandy was busy waving to a group of women, who were now coming over. Oh my God. She always prided herself on being friendly. Back in school, she had no problems making friends but now she suddenly found herself surrounded on all sides by a pack of five women and it was slightly terrifying. It's them, not me.

"These are some of the other ladies in the neighborhood. We're all great friends, spend a lot of time doing play dates, shopping, lunch, those sorts of things. So, we have Gina, Rebecca, Kate, and Christine."

They reminded Nora of overeager teenagers. Half of them talked at the same time, all of them wanted to know her business, and they were all louder than the kids on the playground. She was feeling overwhelmed, was beginning to understand her son's trepidation, and finally spotted Miles coming towards her with two pretzels in hand. One was halfway to his mouth but stopped as he eyed the situation.

She knew the look in his eye, knew the tension in his shoulders. He didn't like what he was seeing and he was gearing up to take off. Oh hell no. She jumped up, pushed between Gina and Kate- or was it Christine and Rebecca?- and grabbed him by the hand.

"Don't even think about it." she hissed so only he heard as they started back towards the women, who were eyeing him with interest. "You don't get to back out."

"You got yourself into this mess. I'm a victim in all this- an innocent bystander." he mumbled, not enjoying the gaze of the women at all. He was a victim. The whole scene had predator vs. prey written all over it. She aimed a glare at him as she used her free hand to propel him forward. There was a bout of silence, she pinched his arm as a prompt, then he inhaled a breath, and in his typical, uninterested tone, said, "Hi. I'm Rick. Real nice to meet you."

He was given all the introductions and was immediately sucked into their conversation. They wanted to know everything about him and they stared at him like he was the quarterback of the football team, or the latest rock star. Nora would have been lying if she said she wasn't amused by their antics.

"How good are you at fixing things? I swear my husband doesn't know a nail from a screw."

"I don't have a husband. It's just me and my daughter in that big house at the end of the road. Place is falling apart."

"Lucy said you were good looking but she never said just how much. She's always likes to understate things."

He caught her eye- stop this madness- and tightened his grip on her hand, ready to drag her off at the next possible chance.

"I think we should grab Alex. It's about time we hit the road." she said, a smile on her face. There were sounds of disapproval from all the women.

"You just got here!" Sandy debated.

"I know but it was only a pit stop. We have to meet our niece in about a half hour."

"Well, alright, but you're coming over Saturday, even if I have to come and drag you out myself!"

"I don't doubt it. Nice meeting everyone!"

Nothing was said as they got Alex and started down the sidewalk. They were almost into the neighborhood when Miles asked, "So, are you still all for making friends?"

"He was okay." Alex shrugged, kicking a pebble ahead of them.

"Not you. Nora?"

"I think that was an isolated event."

"Yeah. Okay. It's like we crash landed in Stepford."

"They can't all be like that."

"I wouldn't get your hopes up."

"You look a million miles away."

"I was just thinking." Nora smiled faintly as Miles slipped his arms around her. She leaned back against his chest and shut her eyes.

"That's dangerous."

"You would know."

"Touche."

"Alex asleep?"

"He's in bed. I don't know if he's asleep. He may have been playing me. Didn't beg for another chapter so I'm taking that as a good sign." he stared out the window, scanning the neighborhood and the ocean in the distance.

Then he focused on her reflection in the glass, saw how relaxed she seemed. Tentatively, he slipped a hand underneath her tank top, and slowly trailed his fingers up along her stomach. She sighed softly, mumbled his name, and tilted her head back to kiss him. She turned completely after a moment and wrapped her arms around his neck, fingers slipping into his hair. She had been so happy when he and Alex had left one morning and returned with matching haircuts- short and slightly tousled. It didn't matter what her husband looked like- she had seen him in a variety of states- but to be honest, he had been looking scraggly and haggard there for a while. The weeks following the Tower had been better for all of them. They were beginning to resemble and act like typical humans again.

"Is this okay?" he murmured against her mouth, cutting off her thought process. Her eyebrows came together in a confused frown and she opened her eyes to look at him.

"What?"

"That we're-"

"You don't have to ask me. If I didn't want to, I wouldn't have reacted the way I just did."

"It's just been a while and every time we've attempted, it hasn't happened, and after this morning-"

"This morning I was half asleep. It takes a minute to come out of it."

"I don't know what was going on but I don't want to... to be a trigger for something."

"You're not a trigger. If anything, I need you. You help forget things." something flashed in her eyes and she looked so pathetic for that second that he pulled her in further for a warm hug and kissed her forehead gently.

"I love you." he brought one hand up to the back of her head and stroked her hair gently. She seemed to melt into him and tightened her own grip on him. "I'm not going to let anyone hurt you again. I'm sorry that I've let it happen in the past."

"I know. I love you too." she lifted her head and kissed him softly. "I don't want to rush things but there's a storm coming in and in about an hour, we're going to have one very upset kid banging on our door."

"I can work with an hour."

"Possibly sooner."

"No problem." he backed her to their bed, she sat down, and he sunk to his knees in front of her. He looked up at her with such a loving gaze in his eyes that it overwhelmed her. "I didn't want it to be like this but it's been almost three months and I think if either of us went one more day, we were going to die."

"Didn't want it to be like what?"

"Us in a house with kids. Should have been more... isolated and romantic... candles... or torches... sand... pirates." he began to nuzzle and kiss his way up her right leg as she frowned and mouthed pirates at the ceiling. "I don't know. Just doesn't seem right."

"As long as it's you, I really don't mind the minor details. But it's sweet that you want to woo me."

"Well, I should hope it would be me and sometimes you deserve to be wooed."

It took an hour and a half before Alex crept into their bedroom. They had hastily grabbed pajamas and unlocked the door only a short while before and were nearly asleep as the door creaked in time with a rumble of thunder.

"Mommy,"

Nora swore her heart melted every time he called her Mommy rather than Mom. To her, it was a sign that a bit of her baby was still there, still needing her for something.

"It's okay." she sat up enough to allow him room to crawl in between herself and Miles. A bolt of lightning lit up the room, showcasing the fear in Alex's eyes. "It's okay baby."

He burrowed against her, burying his face as far into her chest as it would go and tensed as another bout of thunder was heard. Rain pelted against the roof and windows, making it seem as though they were sitting in the midst of it all.

"It'll be over soon." she lied. The rapid succession of thunder and lightning told them the storm was close and it didn't seem as though it was moving out any time soon. "Try to go to sleep, okay?"

"I'm sorry. It's stupid."

"You don't have to be sorry." she tightened her arm around him and shut her eyes. "It's a completely rational fear."

"You and Dad aren't afraid of anything." he mumbled, sounding ashamed of himself.

"That's not true." Miles moved in closer, sandwiching their son between them. He kept his hand on Alex's head, stroking his hair lightly. "Plenty of things I'm afraid of."

"Me too." Nora added. "People are afraid of different things."

"I never see you get afraid."

"You learn to control it better when you get older, especially if you have other people depending on you. You don't let it consume you because you know you can't let it. But right now, you don't have to worry about any of that and we're here to protect and comfort you."

"What are you afraid of?"

She opened her eyes and met Miles's gaze over Alex's head. They knew what the other was thinking. They worried they would be found out, that Bass or Rachel would somehow find their way to them, that Alex would be hurt, that they would get hurt or killed. Plenty of things that were not suitable for a seven year old.

"Spiders." she said, while he responded, "Snakes."

"That's weird." Alex mumbled.

"See? Bet you're not scared of either of those."

"Not really."

"And my point has been proven. We're not scared of storms and you're not scared of snakes and spiders."

"Your mom is always right."

"That's why your dad doesn't argue with me." she smiled slightly as she felt his chest shake with a quiet laugh. "Does that make you feel better?"

He lifted his shoulder for a shrug, then peeled his head away from her, and rolled to his back so he could see both of them.

"Is... is it okay that I come in here?"

"Of course it's okay."

"I just- I know I- I don't want to bother you."

"You're not bothering us. You always come to us, no matter what or when it is. We're never going to tell you no, okay?" Miles gave him a slight poke, trying to get a nod or some sign of agreement out of him.

"Unless you want to go sky diving or swim with sharks. I might have a problem with that." Nora added. "But no, we are not going to tell you to go away when you need us. You're still little Alex. You don't need to act big and brave just quite yet."

She leaned in and kissed the side of his head softly, wrapping her arm around him once more. Then she said, "I want you to go to sleep though, okay? It's very late."

"Just do me a favor and don't kick me again tonight." Miles muttered. A bashful grin formed on Alex's face.

"I love you." he mumbled, looking at them both in turn. It caught them both off guard. Despite the constant hugs, kisses, and calling them Mom and Dad, he had yet to tell them he loved them. He rolled back against Nora and shut his eyes before either of them could respond.

"We love you too." she whispered, hugging him tight. She waited a few minutes, felt him drift off to sleep, and cleared her throat. "Miles?"

"Yeah?"

"I think he's going to be the death of me."

"Yeah, I think so too."

She paused another moment, then whispered his name again.

"What?"

"Do you- have you thought about... another one?" she asked quietly. Sandy's statement from earlier in the day kept playing through her head. "I mean, if everything hadn't- you know, do you-"

"What are you babbling about?"

"Another baby."

"Oh." the thought seemed to stop him. She saw him turn his head and observe Alex, as though he was considering the idea. "I don't know. I didn't- why?"

"I was just wondering."

"It never occurred to me."

"I wonder if things hadn't turned out the way they did, if we would have had one or two more."

"Probably." he muttered. "We... I guess we still could, you know, if you wanted to."

"Do you?"

"Maybe. It's kind of early to say. Obviously I wouldn't be mad if it happened unexpectedly but- I don't know. We're just getting used to him. Why throw a baby into that?"

"Right."

"It's not something we have to worry about right now." he leaned over and kissed her quickly. "Get some sleep."