A/N: Here is the Soundtrack to the Chapters. The main one for sure inspired Kira's feelings in general.

Gabrielle Alpin 'Please Don't Say You Love Me', Kat Dahlia 'I Think I'm In Love', One Republic 'Let's Hurt Tonight'

Chapter 10

Kira stood outside of Max's office and chewed on her lip, just staring at the door for a few more minutes. She needed to ask a favor and advice and she knew Max and Daria would be the ones to give her both.

It was kind of a big step for her though and she was nervous. Extremely nervous. She sat scolding herself just staring at the door until it opened and Max looked at her with a quirked eyebrow and lips twitching in amusement.

"Zeke called from Control and said he was worried you had slipped into some kind of coma you have been standing outside of my door so long. Get in here Kira." Max said and took a hold of the young woman's arm trying to hold back laughter at her almost petrified look.

He led her over to the small sitting area and pushed into the sofa near Daria then moved to grab her a glass of something to help. When he handed it to her she seemed to snap out of whatever it was that had her dazed and sighed.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to worry anyone I guess I was just lost in thought." Kira said after taking a gulp of the amber liquid he has so graciously provided her.

Daria chuckled and shook her head. "What's going on Kira? You are normally almost unflappable."

Max nodded, his forehead furrowed in worry.

Kira sighed. "It isn't anything bad but it is something I am trying to deal with. I need to ask you guys for advice but also a favor."

Max nods and motions for her to go ahead. "Start with whatever you want first."

Kira bites her bottom lip in thought. "I guess the advice because that might affect the favor." She stops and takes a breath. "So Daria knows this because she had to sign off on the paperwork. I am sure you know too since she does. When Ally gave birth to Nix I was there. I think deep down even then she knew that Ben was never going to be there for him. Because of this...she listed me as her guardian with full legal rights to Nix should anything happen to her."

Max and Daria shared looks and had a feeling where this was going but needed to make sure. "You hadn't told Eric that yet have you?"

Kira shakes her head with a frown. "He isn't handling how close I am to them well anyways. Finding out I will basically become his Mother but not only that…"

Max sighs and runs a hand over his face and nods. "That unless something happens to allow for Ben to be legally removed from being a co-parent you will have to co-parent with him."

Kira's eyes are pained and she nods. "I couldn't tell him at first because I convinced myself that it shouldn't matter and it wasn't like there was a big chance of anything happening. Then it was because of how I see he doesn't like the situation at all. Anytime Nix is around or it is brought up, we either fight or there is this tension. I don't like hurting him but I don't know why it is hurting him. Then there is the fact that this goes beyond just me wanting to help her because of Ben. He was a factor at the beginning but I love them. I have fallen in love with Nix as much as I love Ava and I want to be there for them just as much as the rest of my family."

Daria sighs and tilts her head in thought. It might be best if Max tried to talk to Eric about it. Tried to find out why he has a hard time with it. "Has Eric said anything about why it upsets him?"

Kira shrugs. "We talked about it and he said he can't explain why it bothers him. That he knows it is important to me and he would try. I know he does and I lo…" She pauses at that and with a choking sound and frowns then huffs with a scowl. "I lo…" She throws her hands up in the air huffing when it happens again.

Max bites his lip, lifts his glass and drinks to hide the laugh that is wanting to come out at Kira's obvious issues in being able to say aloud she loves Eric. It isn't like everyone doesn't know and see it and are just waiting for them to get their heads outta their asses.

Daria scowls at her husband and looks to Kira with a soft smile. "It's ok Kira. We see it and I get it. Are you wanting to know the best way to tell him or if you should?"

Kira can only nod, still thoroughly upset with her inability to vocally say it even to someone else other than Eric. This is going to be harder than she thought if that was the case.

Max frowns in thought then nods. "I wouldn't tell him right now. Maybe give him some time to figure out why it bothers him. Maybe I can even talk to him about it if he is willing. We all know Ben isn't involved with Nix especially now that we were able to get him posted to the Fence after that incident a few weeks ago. Maybe it will get easier for him or even he can accept it more now that Ben is removed from the picture. He might be able to open up about it then."

Kira sighs and nods. "I have never lied to Eric. We have always been able to tell each other everything good and bad. This isn't lying but it feels damn close to it."

Daria pats her hand and shakes her head. "It feels that way because it is so important to you. Just like some people aren't ready to say certain things some might not be ready to hear them. It is ok to wait until the time is right."

Daria was trying reassure her that she shouldn't let anyone be pressuring her to tell Eric yet or make that move.

Kira smirked and chuckled as she shook her head. "Is it that obvious? Don't answer that I already know it is. No one is pressuring me, not even Eric. Especially Eric and that is the problem. He is being so fucking patient and understanding about it. More and more though I am fighting against myself and I am just tired of fighting it. I have gotten to the point where I don't see the purpose really of fighting so hard because I am just hurting myself more."

Max internally is gleeful and he knows Daria is too no matter her calm and understanding face right now. She must be tap dancing inside at the moment. "So what is the favor you needed Kira?" He schools his voice to be even.

"I would like to arrange for a getaway for Eric and I but I want it to be a surprise. I worked something out with Johana for where we can go. All of the place, supplies and little things I have already lined up. What I need is to ask for the weekend free for us. I want to make sure that anything that might come up would be covered obviously or neither of us would be able to enjoy it if we were worried about if we are needed. Then I would like your help in tricking him to get him there in the first place. Oh and transport there too because taking the train in the cold and then hiking would for sure kill the mood." Kira added that last part a little cheekily.

The elder dauntless laughed at that but nodded their agreement enthusiastically. For the next hour they went over the plans, who could cover their emergencies and instructions for the people covering them, suggestions and then just visiting.

When Kira left the two remaining made sure she was gone and moved past their door before they let out their own little whoops of excitement then set to work with smug smiles.

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Eric was driving the humvee with a bit of a scowl on his face as he followed the navigation system to the place Kira had put in. He couldn't believe their weekend was going to have to be spend doing this shit. Yeah he gets to be with Kira but it will be stuck doing shit repairs and installs of the new wind turbine and solar power system Kira had developed, patented and started to produce.

He was proud as shit for and of her but he could think of a much better way to show her that other than being stuck out in the middle of Tree Hugger territory over their precious off time doing manual labor. They hadn't even been able to at least enjoy the start of their Friday night and instead had left in the afternoon so they could get to the place before dark.

With a sigh he looked over to Kira who was absorbed in something on her tablet. "So how did we get hoodwinked into this instead of having your head tech doing this shit again?"

Kira's lips twitched as she typed in her thanks to Johana for making sure that everything was in place then sent it and put her tablet away. She looked over to Eric and put on a look of shared disappointment. "Because even though Sean is a genius there are just too many adjustments or corrections that I would need to make personally and it can only be done onsite. I did say you didn't have to come wit…"

Eric scowled at her with a huff and grabbed her hand. "Like I am going to allow not seeing you all weekend Kira. Even if it is spent being some grease jockey out in the middle of god knows where. So you can cut that out right now. There was no way I wasn't going to be coming."

Which is what she had counted on in the first place. She thought that smugly to herself. She sighed and smiled at him, squeezing his hand. "Thank you Eric. You being here with me means more than you know."

Eric smiled back and sighed. "We at least we got Hestia and Horace to make us some good things to take with us. That part should at least be pleasant for us and one less thing for us to worry about. Maybe we can get everything done and be back to enjoy some of the weekend at home."

Kira shrugs and smiles. "Maybe. We can make sure to work our hardest and see what comes of it."

Eric chuckles. "Together baby I am sure we could knock this shit out quickly if we put our minds to it. We make a hell of a team Kira."

In more ways then one, he thinks and doesn't bother to hide his smirk. His eyebrow quirks though when he looks at Kira because she is looking decidedly smug about something and is even humming as she looks out the window.

"We do, don't we?" Kira finally says, still looking out the window.

Eric shakes his head with a smile and hums his own agreement. "We always did baby." He murmurs.

They hold hands as they finish the drive to the location they are headed. Eric didn't really know what to expect. The place they were supposed to be setting up had been remodeled. He knew it was an Amity cabin and he had imagined that there would be huge round logs with barely any windows and shabby or run down. Especially since it it was all the way up towards the mountain part of the Amity sector.

When they pulled up though his eyebrow for sure went into his hairline. He should have known though because Kira had been working on a new type of home with Amity. He just hadn't known they would be going to it.

It is still a log and stone home but instead of the round logs, it seems to be made of the straight and more efficiently made long flat timber. It also was full of windows. It was on a huge wooden stilt foundation on part of it because it was over a fast moving river. That made sense because it would be running on hydropower as one of the sources. It was a modern version of a log cabin and he was already kind of in love with it. There was gravel that led all the way to what was half a barn and half a covered area for vehicles or carts. He pulled into that with a smile and looking over to Kira.

She was for sure looking really smug as shit. "We're working on that new type of house you created for Amity?"

Kira can't help the smile and gods help her is she bouncing in her seat? "That is the new house I created. Come on let's go check it out."

She very carefully avoided saying they would be working on it. Eric matched her grin and got out. He grabbed their bags while she grabbed the big box Hestia had met them at the gate with. He walked behind her up the path, over the gurgle of the water under the bridge they were on and then finally to the porch.

Apparently it was left open for them as she just had to prop the box on her hip to free her hand up and open the door. It opened up into what was a stunning open concept modern version of a log cabin. The floor was a darker wood while the walls were a combination of the planked timber but also plaster. The huge fireplace was round riverbed stone. The kitchen wasn't huge but was open and modern. It was also already fully powered which had him wondering what was up.

He set the bags down and moved to help he start putting the things from the box up into the refrigerator. "The places looks amazing Kira. I know I saw the design plans and blueprints but I guess I didn't think it would look this modern really."

Kira smiles at him and shrugs. "You know that Max and Daria want to see about updating all the Dauntless homes that are in our sector closer to the forest and cliffs like this. This is the trial run for the design in general."

"Really? Babe that's amazing. I didn't know that but we had thrown the idea out there when we saw the plans. No one has used those homes in forever though so it wasn't a real thought." Eric said frowning as he put the last of the food up for them.

Kira was almost nervous and knew she needed to get Eric out of the house to set up the next part. She frowned and chewed her lip, looking around. "Oh. Eric would you mind going to the truck and getting the last two boxes. I'll take our bags to the room and we can get settled in after you get back."

Eric shrugs and smiles before he pulls her to him for a small kiss. "Well I guess it won't be as bad as I thought. I was for sure the place was going to be a shithole. I can deal with being stuck with you here for the weekend even if we will be working."

"I am glad you might enjoy yourself a little. We will see what we can do to make that even better." Kira smirked at him and then pushed him to the door.

He laughed as he walked out and as soon as she heard his steps leave the porch she whirled and got to work. Johana had set the bedroom up for her. Kira had been blushing when she had put in her requests but the Amity Leader had just laughed at her and patted her cheek saying she would make sure it was perfect.

She kept her word. It was perfect. Now all she needed to do was get changed and put the finishing touches quickly.