The next day went by too quickly. Amelia didn't want it to but all of the preparation made the time fly past her. Arin made things very uncomfortable and she was glad to get away from him. She ate dinner with Doug in peace, and she tried not to think about the danger that awaited her tomorrow.

"So you leave tomorrow," Doug said quietly.

"Yeah," Amelia murmured.

"And again, there's nothing I can say or do to stop you?"

"Sorry."

"Is there any way I can keep in contact with you?"

"I can give you a long-range communicator," Amelia suggested.

"That would be appreciated."

"Howdy," Nate said. He approached the table with Warwick and helped his son into the seat next to Amelia. "How y'all doing?"

"We're doing alright," Amelia said. "How are you doing tonight, Warwick?"

"Daddy's leaving tomorrow," Warwick moodily.

"Aw, don't worry," Amelia reassured. "Your daddy will come back soon. I'll make sure of that."

"You will?"

"Of course. In fact, I promise that he'll come back. If anyone tries to hurt him, I'll beat them up."

"Daddy can beat things up himself!" Warwick said enthusiastically. "Daddy's so strong! He can lift me up over his head!"

"Wow, that's pretty strong," Amelia said. She looked up to smile at Nate but something was wrong in his eyes. He almost looked like he was about to cry. She turned back to the child. "Yeah, don't you worry. Your daddy will be back in no time."

An hour later, Amelia and Doug were sitting on the couch together and watching more of Mr. Show. Neither of them could laugh at the jokes, though. They both felt uncomfortable and depressed. Amelia was nervous about tomorrow and how she would have to leave Doug behind. Doug couldn't help himself from picturing all the terrible ways that Amelia might disappear in there. Lasers, turrets, spinning-blade walls, endless pits, even fire. GLaDOS loved to incinerate.

There was suddenly a knock on the door, and Doug was so engrossed in his worries that he thought it was turret fire. He flinched.

"I'll get it," Amelia said. She got up from the couch and opened the door to see Nate standing in the doorway.

"Uh, hey," Nate said. He didn't look well. His eyes were red and puffy. "Could I talk to you real quick?"

"Yeah, of course," Amelia said. "Let's speak in the kitchen." She led him into the kitchen where Doug couldn't hear them. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm alright," Nate said, but his voice was trembling. "I just…..I'm so scared, Amelia. What if something happens to me in Aperture and I can't make it back? Who will take care of Warwick?"

"Oh, Nate," Amelia said. She put her hand on his bold shoulder, and he started to sob quietly.

"He's my world, Amelia," he sobbed quietly. "That boy is my world and I can't stand the thought of him being orphaned like all the other kids in the nursery. He needs me."

"I know, Nate," Amelia said. She embraced him. "Nothing will happen to you again. I promised Warwick that."

"If I can't come back," Nate whispered in her ear, "you need to raise him for me."

"Wait, what?"

"He likes you. He trusts you. Please, Amelia. Please make sure he gets brought up right."

"I-I don't know what to say."

"Say that you'll take care of him. I'm begging you."

"Okay, I'll raise him."

"You promise?"

"Cross my heart and hope to die."

"Thank you, Amelia." Nate hugged her tighter before releasing her. "I should go now. I wanna spend tonight with my son."

"Okay," Amelia said. She led him back to the door and could feel Doug's eyes on her back. She opened the door for Nate. "Hey."

He looked at her solemnly.

"Don't worry about Warwick."

Nate smiled at her and kissed the top of her head in a paternal way. Amelia was glad that Doug still couldn't see them or he'd get the wrong idea. Then Nate turned away and went back to his apartment. Amelia shut the door and returned to Doug.

"What was that about?" Doug asked.

"Nate's really scared about tomorrow," Amelia said quietly. "He's scared that he'll…..die. And that Warwick will be orphaned."

"Oh," was all that Doug could say to that. There was an awkward silence while they watched TV. Neither of them wanted to say anything about their worries or Aperture or tomorrow. Why should they? There was no way to prevent her from leaving and they both knew that Doug would be worrying himself sick the whole time. When they finished the disk, they stood up and Amelia turned off the TV.

"Do you want to join me tonight?" Amelia asked.

Doug hesitated before saying, "No. Not tonight. When you get back, but not tonight." He smiled. "It'll give you something to look forward to."

Amelia gave him a weak smile in return. She shuffled to her room and got into bed with all of her clothes still on. She didn't feel like changing into her pajamas. Doug went to his own room and sat on his bed. He put his face in his hands and cried as quietly as he could. Why did she have to leave the next day? What did she insist on it? What was so fucking important?!

"She'll be alright, Doug," the Companion Cube said faintly from his closet. "I think she can take care of herself. And there are all of those people going with her to help her out."

"I'm still scared," Doug whispered. "If she dies, I'll be alone again. I don't want to go back to that."