Kate glanced down at the place where her stomach curved outward slightly and she sighed, touching the area gently with a soapy hand. Thirteen weeks. Jack had stopped spending his nights staring out the window and now spent them lying next to her in bed again, his arm wrapped protectively around her. She'd stopped feeling nauseous and started asking more questions during the book club meetings. She also spent more time talking with Juliet afterwards about random things they'd never talked before.

Juliet and Ben were seeing one another at night, trying to work through problems they'd had before. It made Kate feel more comfortable, having normal conversations with the woman about HER. Finally Kate was able to ask questions and feel in control of the situation. She admitted to the woman that she'd been afraid of not fitting in, but that now she was ready to.

And it was that easy.

Somehow she didn't think the feelings inside her would have changed, but somewhere inside it's all she really wanted. Kate wanted a normal life, a normal marriage and a normal job and the possibility of normal kids. Having a family, growing old, and dying a peaceful death. No running or scavenging for food or being afraid for her life. Somehow Juliet telling her there was nothing to be afraid of made her feel better.

She stepped out of the shower when she heard the banging on the door. Kate threw the nearest shirt over her head and rushed out, her wet hair slapping against her back as she went. When she tore the door open, Alex flew past her, straight into the middle of the living room looking as flustered as she must have looked. Kate took a long breath of relief and closed the door behind her, leaning against it as she watched Alex turn slowly and stare at her, wide-eyed.

"I interrupted your shower," she managed.

Kate nodded, then pushed off the door. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, but," she pointed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean…" she trailed, her arms crossing over her chest. "I just needed to talk to someone and you're the only person who doesn't make me feel like I'm being examined."

Walking towards her, Kate ushered her towards the couch, sitting next to her and touching her arm. "Hey, it's ok, what happened?"

"Karl and I had sex last night."

Kate nodded slowly and waited. After a moment, she asked, "And?"

Alex raised an eyebrow at her. "And? That wasn't supposed to happen. Ben's going to be furious."

Kate was tempted to laugh. She remembered when she was a teenager, the first time she and Tom had sex in her bedroom on a night when her mother had a double shift and her father was out somewhere getting drunk. At the time it seemed like the right thing to do, but the next day? She thought her mother could see it on her, smell it on her. The only thing she could really see though was her guilt.

"Ben always talks about timing, about time." Alex rubbed her head. "I'm always waiting for him to tell me the right time to do something. Like when it was the right time to have you join us, or the right time to make the list, or the right time to eat dinner. Everything is a waiting game, waiting for the right time. I'm sick of waiting around for him to tell me what to do."

Kate brushed a hand over Alex's hair, understanding her frustration. "If it was the right time for you, then it was."

Alex glanced up at her and considered. "It is my choice, isn't it," her voice wavered, as though she wasn't so sure. "I'm old enough to make my own decisions about when things happen."

Kate nodded, watching her fold her arms over her own stomach. "Do you love Karl?" She asked her gently.

The girl nodded to the ground, then glanced up at Kate. "Yeah, I do."

"Ben can't do anything about how you feel," she offered. "And as much control as he thinks he has over everything here, everyone still has their own free will to make the choices that determine their paths. He can't control everything." Kate stood and moved towards the kitchen. "You want some breakfast?"

Behind her, Alex stirred on the couch, following her. "I'm sorry I interrupted your shower," she said softly, leaning against the island as Kate began to pull bread from the fridge.

Kate smiled, turning back towards her. "I was done, just in there daydreaming."

She watched Alex grin, her cheeks glowing red. "About Jack?"

Putting the bread down, she touched her stomach and sighed. "Actually, about the baby." Her eyes drifted back up at the girl who rounded the counter and stared at her curiously, unsure of what to say. "Is this what they wanted, Alex? I know they were trying to take Claire…"

Alex shook her head. "It's not what you think. They wouldn't have hurt Claire's baby. Aaron, right? She named him Aaron?"

Kate nodded slowly. "But they would have hurt Claire."

"They didn't want Claire," Alex told her, taking a step forward, her hand clutching onto the sink. "But it's different with you and Jack. It's safe; you're safe."

With a sigh, Kate grabbed the bag at her side and undid the twisty tie, pulling out two slices to toast. "Why did they bring us here, Alex?"

She bit her lip, not speaking as Kate crossed her arms over her chest, waiting patiently. "You're good people, good people they needed to protect."

Kate scratched her head and turned to look out of the window just above the sink. "Why do we need protecting?"

"I don't know all the answers," Alex mumbled and Kate looked back at her, watching her scratch at nothing on the counter.

"I'm sorry," Kate told her. She waited, smiling when Alex raised her head and nodded, understanding.

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