A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I'm sorry this one is a bit late. My schedule is still crazy, and it didn't help that my cold turned into a sinus infection and was then promptly followed by another cold. Ugh. Anyway, the next chapter will hopefully be posted a lot sooner. In the meantime, thank you as always to my wonderful beta reader, Rosalie! Thank you also to BK2U, who has kindly agreed to review chapters when I'm running behind and can't give Rosalie the turnaround time she needs for her busy schedule. I really appreciate the help from both of you!

Chapter 10: Micky – Hard Choices

Luella is nursing Kaylee when I get home, and for a moment I forget all words as I watch the two of them. I don't know what I ever did to deserve them.

Scratch that. I know perfectly well I don't deserve them. If I did, I wouldn't be standing here trying to figure out how to tell my wife that I've never been honest with her.

But I greet them normally, with a gentle kiss on my daughter's head and a firmer one on my wife's lips. I've spent my whole life hiding behind a façade of normalcy, so it doesn't exactly take much effort even now.

"Hi," Luella says softly, trying not to disrupt Kaylee. I smile in response. "Any luck today?" she asks, her voice hopeful.

"In a way…." I reach down to stroke the baby's head so I don't have to meet Luella's eyes. "It's not a job, but…well, it's something we need to discuss."

"Okay…" she says slowly, clearly not sure what to make of my comment. I'm not usually so vague.

"I'll make dinner while you finish with Kaylee," I add, still avoiding eye contact. The upcoming conversation is frankly a bit petrifying.

But by the time I have dinner ready, and Kaylee is sound asleep, I can't avoid this any longer.

"You never asked what work I used to do," I say softly. The tone is an old habit to make sure the neighbors can't hear discussions like this.

"You didn't seem to want to share it," Luella murmurs, and I can't help smiling a bit. So few people respect privacy in our society, and I love that she's always tried to protect mine.

But my smile fades as I scrub a hand through my hair, thinking about how to tell her this.

"It's a long story," I finally say, "and I should probably start at the beginning." She just nods, listening attentively.

"My whole family was resistant to the broadcasts," I begin, my heart hammering at the admission. It would have meant death to say that aloud during most of my life. "My parents taught us to hide it, and to always pretend we were like everyone else, and we did. We were model citizens in public. But in private, I hated it. I hated the whole government, and all the lies they fed us."

It's impossible to hide my disgusted sneer, but Luella just nods encouragingly, waiting for me to continue. So, I do.

"I managed to deal with it until Dad died. You probably don't know this, but he was killed in a plant accident." My voice turns even more bitter. "The company locked everyone in during work days, and one day there was a fire. No one could get out…so they died."

Luella places a hand on my arm. "I'm sorry, Micky," she whispers.

"You're not the one who should've been sorry," I snap, my fury fresh even years after Dad's death. "It was the damned company's fault, but of course no one would admit that in those days." I shake my head. "They didn't do anything for us. They didn't even pay to bury what was left of him. So, we had that cost on top of grieving, and having one less income. Of course we ended up on the streets, like practically everyone else."

My throat closes, and I stare at my plate until I find my voice again. "I was so afraid that my little siblings would show they were resistant to the broadcasts, and then we'd all be killed. And I hated the company that Dad worked for. I hated them so much. So, I found myself watching them, and thinking about how to get even, and after a while…I figured out where they were vulnerable."

I meet Luella's eyes as I finally – for the first time since I met her – tell her what I really used to do. "And then I stole a bunch of money from them."

Something indefinable passes over her face – surprise or maybe satisfaction. It's hard to say, but at least she doesn't look like she's angry with me. That'll do for now, so I continue my story.

"It was enough to buy an apartment for my family. I told them I'd found a job, and they didn't ask a lot of questions. But my sister Mary suspected I was up to something. We were always close, and she was as resistant to the messages as I was. And as furious about what happened to Dad. So, eventually I told her what I'd done." I smile a little at the memory of how she reacted – of how thrilled she was. How proud.

"She suggested we do the same thing to other companies. Ones that were as awful as Dad's. So, we set about figuring them out, too. We'd watch, and talk to people, pretending we were interested in working at that company and wanted to know more about it. Stuff like that. And then we'd strike…. We got away with a lot of cash. A LOT."

Here I hesitate, not sure what my wife will think of the next bit, but if I'm going to ask her to part with her wedding ring, I need to be honest about why it's necessary.

"We used the money to live, of course, but we also gave some away…mostly to the families of Dad's coworkers. The ones who died with him. It felt right to give some of the company's money back to them, though we certainly didn't tell them where it came from." I give a short laugh. "That would have been suicidal."

Luella takes my hand, her fingers linking with mine. I can see the pride in her eyes as she says, "You probably saved some of their lives, you know."

"Yeah, maybe we did. I like to think so, anyway." I look away uncomfortably as I add, "But it used the money up too fast. And then when NUSA was overthrown…well, there wasn't really anywhere to steal from anymore. At least, not that we wouldn't feel guilty about taking from. So, we ended up…." I gesture around with my hands at our largely bare apartment. We've sold almost everything.

"We ended up like this."

I can see the understanding on Luella's face. She knows now why we're poor, why we're on the brink of being tossed out of here.

"Micky…." She stops, at a loss for words. She opens and closes her mouth twice before abruptly leaning over and kissing me. "That's about the bravest thing I've ever heard," she whispers.

I'm damned good at hiding my reactions, but I'm pretty sure my shock shows this time. Luella smiles.

Gesturing around the apartment, she says, "You think I care about any of the stuff we sold? Of course I don't. I love you. You and Kaylee. As long as I have you two, I'm happy." She's smiling even more now, and it lifts my heart more than I care to admit.

"And I'm glad you gave the money away," she insists. "Those people needed it then. A lot more than we do now."

For a moment, I just stare at my wife, so glad that I have her in my life. Then, I nod slowly. "You're right," I say softly, "and I don't regret it. But that's also why it's so hard for me to find a job now. I don't have any real work experience, or contacts, or…anything."

She strokes my arm gently, looking thoughtful.

"What happened today?" she finally asks. "You said you had luck of some type."

I sigh. "I'm not sure I'd call it luck, really. And it's definitely not a job. But…well, I got a really unexpected offer for your ring."

She's more than a little startled. "What do you mean?"

"It's kind of hard to explain…. But, um, well, you know the big broadcast – the one that ended NUSA. The guy who transmitted that, he…found me today." Suddenly, I realize how absurd all of this will sound. Her ring really belongs to the president? She'll never believe me, even though it's true.

But the trusting expression on her face tells me that maybe I'm wrong.

"And?" she prompts me.

I sigh. "This is going to sound strange, but he and President Prior came through here on their way to stop NUSA. And they had to sell some stuff to fund their mission."

Luella gasps, and I know she's figured it out. I'm a bit surprised. She's not dumb by any means, but I didn't expect her to get this so quickly.

"Including my ring?" she asks, looking at me for confirmation. "That's it, isn't it?" I close my eyes as I nod.

"The guy – Tobias – he wants to buy it back. He said it means a lot to them. Enough for him to offer twice what I paid, plus a new ring." I bite the inside of my cheek. "I…told him I'd have to ask you."

For several seconds, she just stares at me without blinking, and then her eyes turn to her ring. She smiles a bit wistfully, but her voice is completely even when she finally speaks.

"Micky, we have to do this. After everything they've done for the country, we have to return what's theirs."

"It's ours, too," I insist. "It's yours. If you want to keep it, you should. We can find another way, somehow."

She shakes her head quickly. "Micky, I love you. You know that. But like I told you before, I only love this ring because it came from you. If you give me another one, I'll be just as happy. And this…this is right. It helps us and them. We'd be fools not to do it."

For another long moment, I watch her closely, needing to be sure this is what she really wants. There's no question it will solve a lot of problems for us, and if I'm honest with myself, part of me wants to do this for the people who brought NUSA down. They did more than anyone else to get justice for Dad, and I never expected to be able to give them something back for that. But I have to know that Luella is truly okay with this.

She takes my hand, gripping it tightly as she meets my eyes. "Please, Micky," she says gently. "Do this for me, and for Kaylee, and for the president. And for what's right."

I nod.

A/N: Please take a moment to let me know what you thought about this chapter. Thanks!