A/N: I struggled somewhat with this, and ended up cutting about half the story as it didn't fit into the flow. I think it came out fairly well though; not my top work, but solid nonetheless. It's partially inspired by another story somewhere on this site. (I'd say which one, but I forgot.)

21. Walk
Summary: This walk was something Chell had put off for too long.
Genre: Friendship
Characters: Chell, GLaDOS
Warnings: None

"Are we there yet?"

Chell sighed, rolled her shoulders and looked down at her five-year-old daughter.

"Mummy?"

"Soon," she murmured. The day was crisp and clear. The sun shone down on the wheat field, turning the stalks of grain into a bright, shining gold.

This walk had been something Chell had put off for a long time; too long. Next week, next month, after she married, after she gave birth, after her daughter was old enough to walk...

No more procastination. Her daughter entered school next week. If Chell didn't do it now, she never would.

"Mommy, where are we going again?"

"To visit an old friend of mine."

"Who?"

"You'll see."

They had already walked for a mile, across the sea of wheat. Chell figured if she wanted, she could have made it to the shed in half the time this one mile had taken, but her daughter was only five and Chell didn't want to tire her out too much.

The sun was now high in the sky. Chell estimated it was noon, but since she didn't have a watch, she wasn't sure.

"Mummy. I'm tired."

Chell rolled her shoulders again, then crouched down. "Piggy-back, then."

It was another half-hour before Chell, with her daughter's arms around her neck, finally spotted the shed.

"Mummy, is that where your friend lives?"

"Yes."

As she approached, she began to have her doubts. Doubts that perhaps the door wouldn't be open. Doubts she wouldn't be welcomed. Doubts that maybe, just maybe, this wasn't such a good idea in the first place, especially if she was bringing a child along.

"Mummy, can I get down now?" Chell obliged; relieved of the burden on her back, she stretched her arms out again, reaching into the bag she had brought with her. She took off her hiking boots, replacing them with the all-too-familiar white and black ones. Then she took out a smaller pair; something her husband had insisted on. As little protection as they provided, they were better than nothing, he had said as he took the original pair into his workshop so he could design and create a smaller pair; a pair that would fit a five-year-old.

"Mummy, what are these?"

"Special boots that keep you from ..." She paused, attempting to find the right words; something she still sometimes had trouble with, more than ten years after her release. "Getting hurt when you fall."

"We're not going to fall, are we?"

"No, your father's just a big old worrywart." A small hand clasped in her own, and she felt a new surge of confidence. No, nothing would go wrong.

When they approached the shed, the camera - one of those smooth, white, rounded cameras with the red lens, a camera which still gave Chell the shivers after ten years - swiveled towards her. With a loud, resounding clang, the door slowly opened.

The elevator was waiting. Somehow, Chell knew it would be.

"Come on," she said to her daughter, and together, they entered the lift.

"I thought I told you never to return," GLaDOS said, looking over the two unexpected visitors. Chell's daughter clung to her anxiously, nervously, wary of the giant supercomputer hanging from the ceiling.

"You did," Chell said.

She didn't make a comment about Chell's sudden powers of speech; instead, she said, "You have a child now." It wasn't really a question; more of a statement of fact.

"Yes," Chell said. "GLaDOS, meet Caroline."

"Hi, big computer lady," Caroline said, peeking out from behind her mother's legs, a little less shy.

GLaDOS suppressed a sigh. Whether she liked it or not, these humans had her wrapped around their fingers.