EPILOGUE - A FEW MONTHS LATER

Rachel groaned as she was awakened to the sound of an object clattering to the floor. Tom winced as he picked up the container that he'd dropped.

"Sorry, babe," he softly told her.

"What time is it?" she wondered as she buried her face in a pillow.

"Almost 0800. I didn't even hear you come in last night."

His room was for all intents and purposes THEIR room now; Rachel hadn't seen her own berth in a few weeks. They didn't always get their schedules to line up, but usually whoever got in latest would inevitably wake up the other when they were slipping into bed.

"That's because it wasn't last night, it was this morning. And I tried to be quiet," Rachel pointedly told him, shooting him a glare. Her bedhead and sleepy eyes significantly softened it, though.

Tom grinned, trying - but failing - to look appropriately chastened. She was just so damn cute when annoyed first thing in the morning. "Sorry. What time did you get back?"

"It was nearly five thirty."

"Ouch. But everybody's okay?"

Rachel nodded. "Baby Girl Green was born just after four AM."

Tom chuckled. "They still can't agree on a name?" It had been a long-standing issue for the young couple, made even worse by a neverending stream of suggestions from the crew.

"Nope. Although the list is getting shorter."

"Mom and baby are healthy?"

"Yes, remarkably so." The ship's newest resident had decided to enter the world three weeks early, which had caused a bit of a panic. Rachel had gladly agreed to assist Doc Rios with the delivery, and everyone was very grateful that no complications had arisen. "She's six pounds, two ounces, and apparently very impatient."

"She's Navy already," Tom replied with a grin. "Early is on time, and on time is late."

"Mmm."

"I'll stop by around lunchtime to see how they're doing." Tom finished tying his boots and gave Rachel a quick kiss. "And I'll let you get back to sleep."

"I was only going to get another hour or so of rest before I head to the lab. I've got too much to do today to lounge about."

He smiled. "Of course you do. You mind the kids coming to say bye before they go to school?"

Rachel shook her head, running a hand through her hair and trying to make herself look more awake than she felt. "No, of course not."

Tom stepped across the hall, and a moment later, Ashley and Sam ran in the room and sat on the bed with her. "Morning, Rachel," they told her. Formalities had been dropped by this point.

"Morning, luvs," she replied. "How are you today?"

"Good." Sam laid down on the bed beside her, and Ashley quickly followed suit.

"Guys," Tom told them, "Don't get too comfortable. You still have school this morning; Grandpop is waiting for you. And Rachel needs to get more sleep."

"Why didn't you sleep last night?" Sam asked. "Bad dreams?"

Rachel shook her head. "No, it was because of a very good thing. I was up late helping Lieutenants Foster and Green with their baby."

"The baby's here?" Ashley wondered, her eyes lighting up. Rachel nodded.

"Is it a boy?" Sam excitedly asked.

"Sorry, darling, it's a little girl."

He looked absolutely devastated. "It is?" he wondered in a small voice. "Are you sure?"

Rachel laughed. "Quite sure."

He sighed. "There's already too many girls here."

"Nuh-uh!" Ashley protested. "Most of the crew is boys, aren't they, Daddy?"

"They're grown-ups," Sam countered before Tom could answer. "We need boy-kids." He thought for a moment, then turned to Rachel. "Can you and Daddy make a little brother?"

Tom nearly choked. Rachel absolutely froze. "What?" she barely managed to whisper.

"I want a little brother to play with."

"No, a sister," Ashley countered. "Then I can dress her up and do her hair."

"No!" Sam cried. "A brother! Please, please, please, please? I'll do anything."

Rachel's eyes were as big as saucers when she looked up to Tom. It had been just about six months since their relationship began. Asking - or rather, begging - for a sibling indicated a level of acceptance that they'd never reached before.

"Maybe," he finally said. "We'll, uh, we'll think about it."

Both children looked crestfallen that their answer wasn't more definitive. "A baby is a big responsibility, you know," Rachel tried to soften the blow. "Especially considering the world we live in."

"At least we have a safe port now," Ashley pointed out. When they had returned from Europe - having left a copy of Rachel's research at an operational production facility in Denmark - they'd finally been able to reach New England. Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on the border between Maine and New Hampshire was still mostly-staffed and functional, despite the Red Flu and a harsh winter. They'd immunized everyone at the base, gained a couple new crewmembers, and decided that Portsmouth would be the Nathan James' new home port.

"We're still living at sea, on a Navy destroyer, constantly traveling to help whoever we can," Tom reminded his daughter. "It's not the most ideal environment for a baby." Or any children, really. He'd recently restarted his internal debate on whether he should be keeping his family aboard the ship, especially since they had a protected place to go now. In the end, he still couldn't bear to part with them.

"But Lieutenants Foster and Green have a baby here," Sam pointed out, his voice turning quite whiny.

Rachel hugged him close. "I think we should let their daughter get to be more than four hours old before we judge how easy it is to raise a baby on a ship."

"Okay... How about next week?" Sam wondered.

Tom couldn't help a chuckle. "Go to school, monsters."

The kids each gave Rachel a hug goodbye, then got up to do the same for Tom. Ashley lingered a little longer with Rachel than her brother did, whispering something in her ear. Tom noticed tears in the scientist's eyes after his daughter got up.

"What happened?" he asked once the children had left.

Rachel shook her head. "Nothing."

Tom frowned. "If she said something to upset you, I want to know." There had been a few bumps along the road to making a blended family, but he thought they were doing okay. He had a plan to find a ring and pay the chaplain at Portsmouth a visit when they headed back north in the fall.

Rachel shook her head again, wiping her eyes. "No, she didn't upset me... She told me not to be scared; I'd be a good mother to a baby because I'm a good mum to them." It was the first time either of the kids had called her a mother. Their mother.

Tom smiled, leaning over to kiss her. "She's absolutely right," he agreed with his daughter. "I'm headed to the bridge; I'll see you later?" Rachel nodded. "Sweet dreams. Love you."

"Love you, too."

As the hatch closed behind him, she curled back up under the blankets and dreamed of the future that was waiting for them.

What do you need that you don't have?

What have you lost that you can't get back?

What if I promised it would be alright?

It'll be alright.

'Cause we got a love,

We got a candy-apple-red sweet,

Steady-as-a-heartbeat love,

Me and you.

We got a love,

We got a will-of-a-tall-pine

Once-in-a-lifetime love,

Me and you.

FIN.

Song Credit: "We Got a Love" by the Stella Sisters

A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who's followed along and supported me along the way. This was a lot of fun to write. I've got some ideas for a sequel, but I think I'm going to see how Season 2 shapes up first. So, until next time... 8-)