Nobody answered the door when Elizabeth knocked with a plate of food. She called Wash on her radio and heard it chiming in the house. 'Great, she left it behind, probably on purpose.' She left the plate on a chair and moved it in front of the door so Wash wouldn't miss it, called and told her who left the food and went home to spend the rest of Sunday with her family.
"Did you talk to her?" Maddy was helping make lunch. Elizabeth marveled at how fast her eldest daughter was maturing and hoped it wasn't because of improper behavior with her young man.
"No, she wasn't home. I took her food as the Commander told me he didn't think she was eating. I asked around and the last time she was seen in the market for food was yesterday morning and no vendor saw her eating during the ceremony.
Jim and Zoe came in, "Guess what, Mommy."
Elizabeth smiled down to her daughter, "What?"
"We saw Lieutenant Washington and she was entering a house so we followed."
Elizabeth looked at Jim for an explanation, which he readily supplied, "She is buying that house in sector J, you know the nice one with all the trees."
"Mark and I wanted that one," Maddy was sick at the thought of that beautiful house taken off the market.
"Aren't you and Reynolds a little young to be discussing houses," Jim snapped at her. "I'm having a talk with that boy."
"Back to Washington. How is she doing?" Elizabeth demanded to know.
"She's non-talkative so I did all the talking while she walked around and looked at things."
They sat down to lunch, "Where's Josh?" Elizabeth asked.
"He took off not long after you to be with his friends," Maddy responded to the open question.
After Shannon and his daughter left, Alicia felt the pressure ease. She really didn't want company and if too many people forced themselves on her, she would be forced to get rude. This place would do nicely as a hideout while she licked her wounds and tried to figure out how she got crosswise of Taylor on such short notice. It seemed like they were doing so well and he'd even flirted with her a little bit, giving her hope that he might see her as a woman also. Her memories slipped to the past and she picked up where she left off.
Taylor put her in charge of all the troops in regards to training, and personal soldier issues. She worked hard to earn his approval. He and Tate worked on merging military and civilians into a workable family. It all changed when the Sixers came. They were in the colony for a few months then Syncillic Fever broke out in the dead of winter. Lieutenant Tate was one of the first to die, leaving the Commander mourning his loss as Mira stole much equipment and many civilians and vacated the colony, leaving them under supplied within a matter of days after the death of Terra Nova's number two. To make matters worse, Mira started attacking them and sabotaging equipment and outposts. Taylor had to use manpower from the colony to put enough people at the outposts to secure and protect them. He revised his length of service from six weeks to three-month stints at a time with no less than four people per building. He requested military above civilians for the future two pilgrimages.
She was promptly promoted to First Lieutenant and took over Tate's duties, but kept her own duties also. With the additional pressure of learning about Mira and the people she took from the colony, like the Marcos family, she asked around and found that Mira brought a dozen of her own with her. Once here, she recruited from the families in the colony with promises of great wealth in the future and told them someone was working on making the portal go both ways and soon they'd go home, wealthy and with the option of returning at will with their own friends and family. A few of the colonists got homesick and wished they could return to the life they knew, and those she targeted and won over. That winter was severe, with snow and a cold north wind that made heating the houses hard. The homes were built for semi-tropical climates and not to withstand a harsh winter. The deaths were many and it seemed not a family was left untouched. Spring was never so welcome.
Taylor relied heavily on her and she didn't let him down, perfectly following his orders to the letter. They grew closer and the colony knew to cross one was to bring the wrath of the other. Days became years as both overworked with something always pulling them apart so a personal relationship never quite got off the ground beyond casual flirting.
Then came the tenth and Shannon's. For the first time since Tate, Taylor seemed to open up to another person besides her. Working with Shannon brought an acknowledgement he was good at his job and dedicated to his profession and would be an asset to Taylor. She was ordered to work with him and together they flushed out Skye, another blow to Taylor. She was always slow to warm up to new people and that's where she was when the eleventh came…"
Alicia stopped daydreaming and looked at the empty house that needed to be furnished and personal touches added. There were large windows overlooking the wooded back yard that was part of her lot. She pushed a door open and stepped onto a large back patio. Whoever designed this house put extra effort into making it a little different from the run of the mill company houses. This was more on line with something Taylor would live in if he chose to vacate his officer's unit. At the thought of Nathaniel, a pang went through her. Once again, she let him down and paid the price for her conduct. Guilt followed and a spark of anger coursed through her. After all these years, he didn't give her one allowance for a personal failure and bad choice that seemed like a good one at the time.
'Let's face it, Alicia. Nathaniel is friendly when it suits his purpose and will never care in that way about you. You saw how he was affected when his mind slipped into the past and he came to the realization he lost his wife again. He still loves her and always will. Stop waiting for him and get on with what life you have left. Don't give him another thought.' She talked to herself like giving another person a lecture. It broke her heart that he felt motivated to humiliate her once again. Now her best defense against the gossips would include a standoffish demeanor and not let anyone get close to witness how hurt she really was. She'd done it once before, until nobody remembered her punishment and would do so again, even if it took years.
She locked the place up and went home. Taylor hadn't taken her universal lock pick. She had stayed in the vacant home for hours and it was mid-afternoon when she cut across the center of the colony hoping to avoid people. She saw couples walking hand in hand on this warm, Sunday evening and they were absorbed with themselves and didn't seem to notice her. She spotted the plate left by a caring soul on a chair. She might have walked by it, but her stomach rumbled telling her to eat or get faint headed again. She put the food in the heater and listened to her messages.
'Hey Wash, Guz here. Raw deal you got. If you need to talk call me.'
'Wash, this is Elizabeth, I brought you food, but missed you. If you need to talk, call me. Oh, and I need to check your head for cranial swelling. Come to the Infirmary in the morning.'
'Washington, heard Taylor used you for a punching bag again. Drinks are on me. Stop by anytime and we'll commiserate your misfortune and let me try and talk you from working for him. Bars always open for you.'
'Wash, this is Jim. Nice place you're getting. Thanks for letting me and Zoe see it. If you need help moving, call me. Josh and I will move you so you don't have to. I'll be in touch.'
'Casey here. That Reynolds kid stopped by to tell me what Taylor did to you. Shades of yesteryear. Don't let him make you go to an outpost. You've done all the outpost time you need to do. Stop and talk when you come to the market.'
Casey was the last one. No message from Taylor. Of course, he didn't care enough to check on her. She ate the food without really tasting it. She read on her plexpad until her neck was stiff and sore. Taking more sleeping-pain combo pills, she turned in early.
Nathaniel saw her light go off from his vantage point on the back of the Command Center's balcony. Soon her place would stay dark. His side hurt and he experienced a loneliness he'd not felt since his wife died. Shannon was good company, but a man. He wanted to look at a woman and not just any woman. 'I just want to take care of you, Wash. Don't make it hard on me.'
"The money has been transferred to the general fund and it is sorely needed with the repairs," the Colony's only banker transferred a deed into Washington's name.
"I haven't been keeping track of my money," Alicia confessed. "I take out a couple hundred for food and clothes. It sure added up fast." She was at the bank as soon as it opened, catching the banker and his one teller opening up. Telling them Taylor approved a house, they pulled up the price. It was a little higher than the average bungalow, but she had plenty of funds to cover the cost and paid in full.
She looked at her smaller balance, which was still adequate and decided on a shopping spree to the warehouse for furnishings would cheer her up, but she needed food first. The breakfast crowd had left for work by the time Alicia finished with the bank and decided to brave the market for breakfast. She saw everyone staring at her and ignored them. Head held high, she bought a plate and looked for a place to sit. She put plenty of distance between herself and the nearest patron and turned her back to the market; hoping people would take the hint. In the distance, she could hear Taylor giving orders to the soldiers, usually her job. Shannon should be doing that if he was so good at replacing her, she thought. The colony seemed almost normal to her ears. In the distance, a school bell rang and kids heard laughing and shouting as they entered the building on their first day back after a long break. Try as she might, she couldn't shake the feeling she didn't belong after losing the colony and Taylor demoting her.
By the end of the day, her new home was furnished completely except for a bed. She didn't see any she liked. On impulse, she stopped by a carpenter's shop. He had a sign saying closed until he wasn't needed for colony repair. Wash knew it would take a long time to fix the colony and decided to make her own bed. She had time on her hands and needed a project. She just needed to go OTG for what she wanted for supplies.
After breakfast, she approached one of her military personnel for the first time, looking for a vehicle.
"I'm sorry, Lieutenant," Corporal Stiles looked uncomfortable, "Commander Taylor said all requisitions for vehicles had to be in writing and the reason plainly stated, he handed her a plexpad. "You can fill it out and when I get an answer, I'll let you know."
That was new. 'How many other changes has he made while sidelining me,' she wondered. She almost walked away, but in a moment of anger took the pad and wrote the reason she needed a rover.
'A. Washington is requesting a rover to find material suitable for constructing a bed for her new house.'
Wash hit send before the Corporal could read the note. It was in the records for requisitions if he wanted to look. "Let me know if I get a rover," she handed the plexpad back and walked off. That was her first dealing with a soldier and he was in the room when she was demoted. To his credit, he was professional.
"Yes Ma'am," she heard before striding out of hearing range.
Nathaniel's mini beeped interrupting his train of thought. He read the message, a smile twitched at the corners of his mouth. He looked at Shannon, "You know what to do today. I'm taking a medical day off, side you know," he rubbed his wound.
"Do you need to go see Elizabeth?" Jim felt the Commander was his personal responsibility. His dual role of Second and Sheriff made him responsible for the health of the Commander.
"No, see you later. Call me if you run into something you can't handle," Nathaniel walked away towards vehicle storage.
"Sir," Corporal Stiles stiffened when the Commander stopped before him.
"Bring me my rover," he ordered.
He parked in front of the officer's units and rang Washington's doorbell.
Alicia was packing. 'I don't want to see anyone.' She opened the door, "Forget to reprimand me for something?"
"I'm here to grant your request, providing you take me as your driver," she looked good to him and he missed her so much. With breath held, he waited for her answer.
"You have a colony to rebuild; it getting damaged was my fault, remember. You suspended me so you don't have to be reminded of my shortcomings and failures to both you personally and the colony," she started shaking; why was he here rubbing salt in her open wounds that he inflicted.
"You didn't fail me or the colony, Wash. I did what I did to deter anyone else. You're more of a pawn in my trying to keep control of our soldiers."
"They're not mine," it was so hard trying not to break down in front of him and cry which is what she wanted to do since yesterday.
"They're more yours than mine. When are you moving?" he tried to change the subject.
"Today, I was packing," why did she tell him that? "I'll go OTG another time; I should get back to packing."
"Wash, I miss you. We need to talk. I thought you were dead and now it's tearing me up, you pushing me away."
After a very bad week, she snapped, "How dare you," and he was confronted with her rarely seen anger. "You demote and suspend me and have the gall to stand here saying you miss me. No more, Taylor. I'm not putting myself out for you or anyone just to get chopped off at the knees. You can take your demotion and rules and violations and shove them up your ass," she had tears in her eyes and this time her voice did break. "I'm getting out of your precious units and away from contaminating your military," a tear trickled down her cheek and she wiped it away.
"Wash, don't do this to me, to us."
"Us? There is no us. There's you and your way and nothing else. You tolerate me as long as I toe the line. I'm not doing that anymore. I was going to submit my resignation in two weeks, but since you're here, consider it tendered."
"No, I'm not accepting. Look, Wash, you're injured and have swelling on your brain. I can't accept your resignation until your certified fit for duty. You have a lot of ideas floating around in your head that is just not true. Come on," he jerked his head towards the vehicle, "give me today and if I can't persuade you to stay with me, I'll let you go. Let's pack a lunch and supper to boot and take a day for us, we need and deserve one."
She knew it was wrong to just dump him cold after all their years, and emotions were running high. "Today, and you won't judge or condemn?"
Before he could reply, Elizabeth Shannon walked up. "Am I interrupting? Lieutenant, you didn't show for your physical yesterday and I was worried you might be forgetting things like appointments."
Alicia felt the tension building again and knew her temper was simmering just under the surface. "I will stop by when I'm damn good and ready," she looked at the doctor. "It's not like I'm being certified for work."
"You might have a bleed or something serious. I haven't had a chance to examine you," Elizabeth held her ground.
Taylor watched two stubborn women stare each other down and was glad they were on his side.
"It won't be today, Doctor," she looked back to Nathaniel, "for you either," she went back inside and slammed her door.
Nathaniel was perturbed, "I almost had her convinced to go and talk with me. Now she might not open up for a long time," he rubbed his sore side as he went back to the rover. While he had it out, he toured the closest outposts and checked in with the soldiers. They missed the action so he filled them in and told them to be extra vigilant and not to go out alone, but in pairs.
Alicia went back to the warehouse, bought a bed and asked Chuck if he'd stop by her unit and grab her bags with his delivery truck. She walked through the small unit one last time, making sure she retrieved all her belongings and locked the door. Climbing into the cab, she went to her new home.
A trip to the local commissary supplied her necessary missing items, like new bedding while they had some in stock. She knew, in time supplies would run low and stocked her place well. That night, she sat in the chill of the back patio by herself, watching the sun set on the mountains nearby and started to unwind from her ordeal.
"Everyone from the local outpost's says hi," Nathaniel let his presence known as he stepped out of the shadow.
Alicia jumped slightly, "I'm going to put a bell on you."
Without an invited, he sat in another chair, "Have you eaten?"
"No, I forgot to go to the market and didn't feel like walking across the colony in the dark."
"Still having problems?"
Why did he have to sound like he cared, "If I get hungry, I'm dizzy around the edges, not that you give a rats ass."
He ignored her jab, "I haven't eaten, want me to get us something?"
She wondered why he was being so kind, "Why are you doing this?"
"You're my best friend and I miss you."
"I thought Shannon was your new best friend?" she tried to not be sarcastic, but heard it in her tone.
"He's okay to be around, but not you," he stood up, "I'll be back." He disappeared as soundlessly as he arrived.
He rounded the house and walked into the street and took off at a dead run. He slid to a halt in the vehicle storage area, "I want Washington's rover."
He parked in the plaza and hurried to the market. Grabbing a sack, he started filling it with foodstuff he knew Wash liked.
"Commander," he looked to the voice.
"Skye," was all he said.
"Mom wants you to come for supper and have a talk."
"Can't she speak for herself?" he looked around for anything he might have missed.
"She doesn't want to offend you further, but would like to apologize for my behavior and I would also. Please, come to supper in a few days when you get time," she resorted to pleading.
Nathaniel remembered leaving the colony that fateful day and not talking to Debora or Skye, still mad at the trouble Skye caused and manpower expended that he couldn't afford. Maybe he needed to make peace with Debora and Skye, "I'll come on Friday and thank your mother for having me," he managed a smile at the girl.
Skye brightened, "Thank you, Commander," she rushed off to tell her mother.
Nathaniel looked around and paid for the food, then went to the vendor who had prepared meals, "Tony, give me two of your best plates to go."
He parked to the side of her house and rang the bell with the hand holding the bag, while perching the stacked plates in his other.
Alicia opened her door and let him in, "You didn't have to get all that," she took the bag held out to her.
Following her into the commodious kitchen, he set the still warm plates on the table. "I like your taste in furniture," he complemented her.
"Water is all I have to drink," she filled two glasses.
They ate in silence for a few minutes before he decided to talk, "Wash, I can't begin to tell you how I felt when I thought you'd been killed, and your brilliant advice about Chula Chaum saved our home."
"I wish I could remember."
"What's the last thing you do remember?" he was gentle, not wanting to alienate her again. He knew he had damage control to do.
Alicia thought, "Jim Shannon sitting at my table in the bar telling me something. He had just regained consciousness I think."
Nathaniel reached out and grabbed her hand, "I'm sure it'll come back when the swelling goes down. I can't even tell anything happened with your hair down, which I like by the way," he reluctantly let go. She stood up and took the plates. He didn't want the night to end, "No, let me," he washed and she dried. "I gave you a rover to keep here. You're so far away from the Command Center; I would feel better if you could get to me fast if I need you."
"You don't have to do that, Nathaniel."
"I want to," he took her hand. "I hope this is the beginning of a new, different path for us. I'll be by for supper tomorrow. Want me to bring something or will you cook?" he smiled what he hoped was a sincere look.
"With all that food you brought, I better cook," it came out before she thought and he pounced.
"Great, say six. See you tomorrow, Wash," he took a daring move, kissed her cheek and made his escape.