Time is a rare commodity these days! I was hoping to have this finished before season 2, but at this rate I don't think it's going to happen. Once more, I kind of skipped editing because I was so excited to post this, so sorry if there are too many mistakes, please feel free to point them out.

She just can't resist. This is her explanation and she will stick to it if asked. Given the quick way things seem to be escalating, at some point, she's going to have to have a serious conversation with the girl, make sure she's on the same wavelength as her son and won't hurt him. But right now, the only thing she wants to do is keep some kind of memorabilia of this scene – she knows that it will forever be saved up in her mind, of course, but a picture is different… And something she can use for teasing purposes if need be.

Instead of waking them up like she knows Leo would probably want her to so that they can start thinking and planning, Mia slips her phone out of her pocket and snaps a picture of one of the very few peaceful moments her son has had in his life recently. They're not entwined per say, but they're lying close enough together to make the most out of each other's body heat, and Leo's hand is resting lightly against Mattie's cheek while hers is on his hip, just a small contact meant to reassure herself that he's here and they're safe for now.

With a small smile, Mia shakes her head as she remembers that this quiet moment is bound to end sooner rather than later, and she sits on one of the chairs to get the two disposable phones she bought out of their packages and start setting them up and securing them. Mattie stirs just as she's getting started on the second one. She doesn't even take a second to get her bearings, clearly already knowing exactly where she is and why, and Mia has to wonder just how restful her nap was. Still, it was probably better than nothing, and she's thankful when the girl leaves Leo's side as silently as she can so as not to wake him, knowing that he needs all the sleep he can get.

Matilda runs a hand through her unnaturally straight hair as she sits across from her and motions at the phone in her hand, keeping her voice low.

"Need me to do the other one?"

"It's already done, but thank you."

Mattie just nods, her head slightly tilted to the side while she ponders something.

"Sorry about… Hm… I mean…"

This is a new experience for her. As Leo's mother, she's never had to worry about any romantic entanglements. There was this thing years ago that quickly got weird and then downright painful, but it was over before she even realised it had begun, and all she could do was pick up the pieces afterwards.

Besides, it wasn't exactly what she'd call actually romantic, and she has a feeling that this will be very different… And if she's honest with herself, she's finding Mattie's embarrassment just a little bit entertaining.

"What are you apologizing for, Matilda?" she asks softly, playing dumb.

Which is a strategy she should have known was bound to fail. Instantly back to the self-assured, smart young woman that she knows her to be, Mattie narrows her eyes at her, letting her know that she's not fooled, and says her next word almost defiantly, though the sentiment is obviously sincere.

"Sorry you found us like that. It's just…" she hesitates, seems to have some sort of internal debate with herself, and ends up settling on a rather vague yet somehow incredibly apt, "Something."

And well, that's honesty if Mia has ever heard it. She doesn't have much experience when it comes to matters of the heart, but she's amazed at Mattie's maturity and insight, knowing how easy it would be for her to get lost in such new feelings. So instead of teasing the girl further, she acknowledges it with a nod.

"I know. Just be careful with him."

"Wow. I get the protective mother speech? Already?" Mattie asks, half teasing, half genuinely worried.

"You know how complicated the situation is, how complicated he is. So please just… be careful, for both of your sakes."

"Yeah, careful, that's me."

Mia has to smile at the sarcasm tinted in self-depreciation in her voice. She wants to tell her more, tell her how fragile Leo really is, how hard he'll fall once he really lets himself, how all she's ever wanted was his happiness and how she thinks that Mattie could help with that, but not only is it not her place when this is just the beginning of a potential something, they simply don't have time for this. As glad as she is that these two managed to find comfort in each other for a couple of hours, they're all about to be thrown back into something much bigger than them and they need to focus.

"Did you two talk about a plan?" she asks, suspecting that they didn't go to sleep as soon as she left despite her advice.

"No. But I've thought about it a bit. Well, more like half-dreamt I guess," Mattie shrugs, confirming that her sleep was definitely less restful than it should have been. "And I don't think we'll be able to do this quietly. I have no idea where in the building Fred and Harun are being held. I'll share everything I know, but I only saw a few rooms and corridors. Plus Hobb will be expecting us."

"And he probably powered Fred down, so he won't be able to help us," Leo chimes in, his voice rough with sleep, prompting the two women to look at him to find him sitting up and running a hand over his face to get rid of the remnants of sleep.

"So we force our way in," Mia concludes. "How much security does he have?"

"Not that much. Fred thought that perhaps my kidnapping crossed a line for some of Hobb's people and that it's why he didn't bring us to his lab. It's probably why there weren't that many guards, he only took the ones he thought wouldn't care about putting a human in danger. Well, that, and he thought Fred would have to be loyal to him."

"You think we can do it, then."

"I…" she hesitates. It's a lot of responsibility they're placing on her shoulders. "I think so, yes. But if it all goes south…"

"We can't all go," Leo decides abruptly. "If they get us all, Karen will be the only one standing between Hobb and the full code, and we can't be sure he won't get to her. We can't make this easy on him."

"Then you should probably stay behind," Mia notes, her voice firm because she knows that he will not go down quietly on this even though her reasoning is flawless and he knows it.

"Mia…" he starts protesting, as expected.

"She's right, Leo," Mattie cuts in. "Hobb wants you more than anyone else. He still hasn't figured out how your father managed to create the interface between your human parts and your synth brain, and there's nothing he wants more. You know what it could mean if he gets his hands on you."

Not only would there be torture, both of the physical and psychological kind, but she doesn't want to think about what would happen if Hobb did figure out David's secrets, the kind of world it would create. The implications are just too much for her to grasp entirely right now.

"I hope you know you're staying behind as well, Matilda," Mia says before Leo can object again.

Mattie gives her a hard glare for reminding her of something she already knew, but she does end up nodding. She hates it with every fibre of her being, but she knows she'd be a liability. She can hold her own, mostly, but she certainly doesn't have a synth's abilities and they'd spend more time worrying about her than focusing on the task at end.

"This leaves you, Max and Niska. I can't picture you or Max storming a building and taking down guards."

Niska, she doesn't have any trouble picturing.

"We will do what needs to be done."

"I don't doubt it. Still…"

Still, as strong and stubborn and determined as they both are, they're also sweet and terribly human. She knows that they can do it. The question is, should they? What kind of impact will this have on them? She knows their lives haven't been easy so far, but this is taking it further. This is akin to going to war, and she's not so sure either of them can handle it. She doesn't think she could, but then nobody is asking her to.

Mia's gaze softens then, going from hard and unrelenting to understanding and grateful as she suddenly understands Mattie's real hesitation. While she is worried about whether they will be able to do it, she's more concerned with the consequences if they do succeed. Taking a step towards the girl, she waits until she raises her eyes to meet hers so that she can see how deeply touched she is.

"Thank you, Matilda."

She snorts, clearly not happy with herself or with the situation. It's a bit unsettling, what with her looking like a synth and supposedly emotionless, but not that much. For someone who's come to know her, it's easy to see the real girl beneath the disguise.

"Yeah, 'cos I'm being so helpful."

"You are. Mattie, we wouldn't know where Fred is if it wasn't for you."

"Another way to say this is, Hobb wouldn't have found him if it wasn't for me."

"And our brother would still be powered down and under our enemy's control," Leo counters impatiently, clearly fed up with Mattie's self-flagellation antics on this.

While he's being more abrupt than Mia would like, he's speaking the truth, and she can tell that his harshness is something that might get through to Mattie more effectively than sweet, comforting words, so she holds back her instinctive advice for him to be nice. After a minute or so, the girl takes a few deep breaths meant to help her overcome her guilt and deal with their support, and she nods resolutely.

"So what now?"

"You two need to eat something, and I have to charge. It's all we can do for now, until we hear from Max and Niska."

None of them likes it, being idle when there is so much at stake, but it's not like they have much of a choice.

Despite their decision to wait until the rest of the Elster family arrives, Mattie and Leo end up bouncing ideas off of each other and exchanging as much information as they can both about the building, the synths' abilities and what they might have to do for the next few hours.

"Do you think they'll be okay? Mia and Max?"

"Like she said, they'll do whatever it takes."

"I know. It's just…"

She trails off, her eyes settling on Mia's perfectly still form. She's not sure how energy saving mode works, to be honest. She always thought synth had no idea what was happening around them when they entered that mode, but when she approached Anita, she instantly woke up, meaning she must have heard her or sensed her presence. The same thing happened when Fred was waiting for her at the gas station. Following her gaze, Leo seems to understand the reason for her silence.

"She can hear us. Not… consciously, but it's all getting recorded and she'll have access to it as soon as she gets out of energy saving mode."

"Great," Mattie huffs.

"It's nothing she doesn't know though, so if you want to say what's on your mind…"

He's got a point there.

"I don't want them to have to go through this."

"You think I do?" he replies, and while it might have come out reproachful, his voice is not unkind, letting her know that he knows this is not how she meant it.

"No, I know. I just wish there was another way."

"Like what? Negotiating with Hobb?"

She can't help but snort at that. They both know that that isn't happening.

"Listen, can we talk in private?"

He raises an eyebrow at that but nods, throwing one last look at Mia before following her out. Leaning against the wall of the building, he watches her as she paces in front of him, obviously gathering her thoughts.

"What is it?"

She sighs and stops to look at him.

"Are we really going to let them go alone?"

He relaxes slightly as he realises that her thoughts have led her exactly where he is right now.

"It would be safer," he starts pointedly, not doubting for one second that she'll pick up on what he's not saying.

"But you don't like it any more than I do."

"No."

Despite the seriousness of the conversation, she suddenly lights up, a mischievous look in her eyes as she lifts a challenging eyebrow at him.

"Have you ever disobeyed her?"

He can't help but chuckle and shake his head playfully, before he stops abruptly as it hits him. Sensing the shift in his mood, she looks at him questioningly. His voice is slightly stunned when he answers.

"No, actually."

"Really?" she asks, and she seems all at once impressed, delighted, and as surprised as he is.

"Really," he confirms, still hardly believing it himself, searching his memory for even one instance of straight-out disobedience.

They've argued, plenty, particularly when it came to him putting himself in danger in the past few months. He's pulled a few pranks as a kid, believe it or not. He's pouted and thrown tantrums as a teenager dealing with way more stuff than any teenager should ever have to. But actually going against something she'd expressly ordered? Doing something she'd forbidden? He can't remember that ever happening.

Hearing an incredulous laugh escape Mattie, he brings his attention back to her, and he can't help but smile at her amusement and obvious enjoyment of the situation.

"Well… First time for everything. You're in luck, Leo Elster. No better teacher than me as far as teenage rebellions go."

"I'm not a teenager," he protests vehemently.

"I'm aware."

Her voice is teasing, and it's like they're not talking about a potential life or death situation. For a brief moment here, he could almost let himself believe that this is for fun, that they're normal and they're just disregarding his mother's wishes because she wants to keep them from going out at night or something.

But then it all comes rushing back, and he turns serious again.

"Listen, we're going to need some ground rules."

She rolls her eyes at him, unwilling to let go of the light, playful mood they got to enjoy for a few minutes.

"That's not how this works. Jeez, you really do need a teacher."

"Come on, Mattie," he scolds gently, prompting her to let out an exasperated sigh but eventually signal her agreement.

"Right. Ground rules. Listening."

"We're staying out of it for as long as possible. None of the others can know. We're only there as reinforcement, staying hidden unless something happens and we have to intervene."

"Is that it?" she asks, seeming relieved by the reasonable demands.

"No. I get that disobedience can be fun and all," he states drily, "But if I tell you to do something, you obey, no questions asked."

"Yeah… No."

Somehow, he knew that that part would not go down too well.

"Matilda. Please. You mother will have my head if I let anything happen to you."

She can't argue with that. However…

"I know exactly how things are gonna go. We'll watch from a distance, things will go south, you'll jump headfirst into danger and expect me not to follow you. I'm not agreeing to this."

Pushing off the wall, he pinches the bridge of his nose as if fighting a headache.

"You couldn't make this easy, could you?"

She sighs and waits for him to look at her.

"Leo… I'm not just tagging along. I'm in this too. I care about you. All of you," she adds in case it wasn't clear, before reconsidering. "Well, maybe not Niska." He snorts at that and she smiles a little before going on. "What I'm trying to say is, I could promise you that I'll do whatever you say. I'd probably even mean it, right here, right now. But once we're there, if something does happen, we both know instinct will take over. It might be to run the other way, it might be to go after you, it might be to stay paralyzed with fear. Who knows? But I do know the promise would be forgotten."

He's thankful for her straightforwardness, but he also kind of wishes she had just lied to him so he could push this problem back to when it will, or may, rise.

"Can you promise me that you'll do your best not to fall into his hands again?"

She beams at him, knowing she's won this round.

"That, I can do."

He sighs in resignation and motions at the door.

"Agreed then. Come on, let's go back inside. I don't want to know what Mia will think once she wakes up and figures out how long we were out of earshot."

She could argue that they've been gone long enough that she will already suspect exactly what he's implying and that they shouldn't deprive themselves of something a bit more fun than their discussion for Mia's sake since she'll assume it's what they've been doing anyway, but she bites her tongue. Leo's been through enough of an emotional rollercoaster these past few days because of her, she's not going to push him on this when he's so clearly hanging by a thread and preoccupied with everything else. No matter how much she wants to.

So she heads for the door, but just as she's walking past him and almost reaching it, he places a hand on her forearm to stop her only to let it fall back to his side as soon as she does.

When she looks up at him, he seems to be struggling with what to say, his mouth opening and closing a few times, the words obviously not coming, before he just lets out another sigh and shakes his head. Though disappointed, she smiles reassuringly at him, letting him know that they can talk more later if that's what he wants.

She's just about to walk away when he leans down and presses his lips to hers. She freezes, caught off guard, but she gets over it quickly when she hears his sharp intake of breath, like he can't believe that he just did that either, and she can't help but smile against his mouth even as her eyes fall shut.

It's short and sweet and so, so soft, just a small contact of their mouths together, a brief catching of her bottom lip between his, nothing to do with the biting and sucking and tongue action and taking and demanding that she's experienced in the past. Yet, somehow, it holds more promise and intimacy than anything she's ever done and it's so him and so them that she can feel her throat closing up with emotion.

He pulls back after only a few seconds, but he doesn't go very far, resting his forehead against hers and murmuring, "Try to stay safe, okay?"

Even though she's still reeling from that quick, innocent kiss, she hears the worry in his voice clear as day, so she leans back to let him see her nod.

"You too."

"I will," he promises.

"Come on. Maybe we can catch a few more hours of sleep before Niska and Max get here."

TBC…