It's been a long while since the event took place at the brotherhood.

It wasn't easy for any of them and certainly not Ripley.

Matt tried to get her to talk about it, but, as always, she's stubborn.

He never got to talk to her about what was bothering him, been too busy, and reflecting what happened.

These days it's been mostly work and it's been hectic.

"Four months until they come back," Ripley noted that in a few months, Karen and Arthur returns from their honeymoon. They're having quite a bit of fun and so far, there's nothing going on that required intervention from Ripley and Matt. It seems that Karen's mastering water sports and Arthur's learning how to mix his own drinks with B'eemix teaching him. From the sounds of it, Arthur's planning on getting his own license to become a mixologist, that is. Arthur's also working on his novellas while away too. In between the merrymaking with Karen, he's written dozens of chapters for various books and working on the ones that interested him the most.

The couple continued to enjoy their honeymoon and soon enough planned to come home to tell all about their trip, well, bits of the trip, as their families aren't aware of the TARDIS and what really goes on in Ripley's shop.

Matt and Ripley passed along any messages given and made sure to let their families know the couple's doing all right. Pictures from the trip would've been difficult, but the couple found a photo place that can-do edits to hide anything that would've incited questions.

On the counter, Ripley worked on refurbishing an old Betamax player while there's a lull in business.

Bought on the cheap, it needed work to repair the motherboard and other circuitry. Suffering from a snafu from a lighting strike, the previous owner thought it's a goner. Ripley thought otherwise.

"If they come back," Matt mentioned that they might've chosen to move to Mars because of how they like it so much, but Ripley disagreed. She pointed out to him that it sounded like while they're happy with their honeymoon, they're looking forward to coming back.

Nodding, Matt continued to work on his project.

It's nothing special, just a VCR that needed cleaning and some screws tightened.

As he worked on the VCR, he kept looking over at Ripley as she worked on the Betamax player. She didn't see him doing this, she's preoccupied with the Betamax.

Looking down at the VCR, Matt tried to concentrate until he couldn't.

"Er, Ripley?" Matt called to her and she stopped what she was doing to look up at him. He heard back, "What's up?"

Chewing on his bottom lip, Matt asked, "Got a minute?"

Ripley rested the heat gun on the counter and wiped her hands with the rag nearby. Unplugging the anti-shock wristband, and went over to him.

"What's on the brain?" Ripley asked.

Matt sheepishly averted her gaze as he struggled to come up with words. It faltered and he haphazardly gestured as he tried to say, "There's another reason why I broke up with Jenna."

Tilting her head, Ripley watched as Matt struggled with words. He continued as he admitted, "It wasn't only because we fell out of it."

Eying him, Ripley saw him doubting himself and she encouraged him to talk to her.

Looking away, Matt said, "I don't know how to even say it… just… I just… I guess someone caught my eye."

While he loved Jenna, someone else stole his heart, and he didn't want to break Jenna's. It was a miracle that his relationship with Jenna lasted long as it did and that it ended mutually rather than the standard one-sided.

With Jenna no longer loving him the way she did when she first met him, with him feeling the same way, and her new job, it was easier for them to breakup and remain friends. Jenna knew in Matt's heart he had eyes for another, but noble as he is, he wouldn't chase them without going through her.

In fact, Jenna encouraged him to follow his heart.

She knew, she always knew, and she kept up appearances for his sake, that it surprised him when she admitted that she's happy to known Matt as long as she did and knew that he's a good man.

"Do they feel the same way?" Ripley inquired as Matt rubbed his chin, thinking to himself.

He admitted to her that he isn't sure, he never brought it up.

"Is it someone we know?" Ripley asked, wanting details on the mysterious woman that vexed Matt so and he frowned instead.

He haphazardly explained that she was and Ripley asked who she was.

"I don't want to say much, in case it doesn't work out," Matt informed Ripley he didn't want to talk about her much just on the off chance that she didn't reciprocate his feelings.

Tilting her head in confusion, Ripley tried to go through the list of all the people she knew. Wasn't much since she wasn't active socially, but she picked up on what the others discussed around her. She kept track of the married, spoken for, and the list shortened until she wasn't sure.

"Well, Matt, do you think she would?" Ripley coaxed him into talking about his crush more and he shook his head, unsure.

He worried that if it didn't pan out, his breakup with Jenna would've been for nothing.

Poking him, Ripley reminded him not to think like that. That he's better than that. The relationship would've ended one way or another, whether or not he fell in love with someone else.

"Talk about her," Ripley coaxed him more.

Uneasily, Matt discussed small details about his crush and he admitted that his heart jumps for joy whenever he sees her. Seeing her puts a smile on his face and he got caught up discussing the details that he'd forgotten Ripley was there.

His smile went away and worry came over him, "What if she rejects me?"

Ripley rubbed his back and comforted him.

She reminded him that he had his friends and family and he nod, frowning still.

Seeing how he worried, Ripley gestured as she tried to get him to tell her the name of his crush. She wanted to know who exactly it was and it'd help her understand Matt's plight. It seemed he's smitten with his crush, but fearful that she may reject him if he told her the truth.

"How am I supposed to help you if you don't tell me the whole story?" Ripley echoed a similar sentiment that Matt shared sometime ago when Ripley wouldn't tell him what bothered her.

Matt rested his hands under his chin, propped up by the VCR and he admitted, "I'm just… I don't know…"

Uncertain, Matt didn't know how else to tell Ripley about his crush. So afraid, he didn't even want to utter their name, out of fear, that it'd too go bad.

"A man once told me that I wasn't alone as I think I was," Ripley echoed what he'd told her so long ago. "I'd think you're not as alone as you think, you are."

It caused Matt to smile and she rubbed his back, comforting him.

Looking down to the VCR resting on the table, his eyes lowered as he struggled to find words.

He worried, "What if this was a mistake?"

Matt worried that he'd given up a chance with Jenna and risked burning himself if his crush rejected him. If it went wrong, he'd be double burned.

Ripley reminded him, "It would've ended either way, even if you didn't fall in love with someone else. I know this isn't what you want to hear. While it didn't work out, at least you two remained as friends. I know you, Matt. You'll pick yourself up from this and find someone. Don't rush to the finish line."

Bringing up that the relationship wasn't going to work out anyway, Ripley told him that while there's a chance his crush might reject him, he'll find someone who'll take him. He's got plenty of time left to find that someone special.

Matt nodded as he agreed with Ripley.

Even despite his efforts with Jenna, the two couldn't reignite the spark that they felt the first time they met, and realized that it's better if they broke up rather than try desperately to light a flame on a wet wick. They're still friends and while it's sad that he couldn't continue the relationship with her, at least it ended on mutual terms.

"Do you think she'd feel the same way about me?" Matt asked Ripley, wanting her input on his crush.

Ripley poked him and mentioned, "If I were her, I'd be over the moon if someone like you said you liked me. Hell, I'd think I'm dreaming!"

Admittedly, relationships and Ripley weren't on talking terms, but someone like Matt would've swayed her to rethink her stance on the whole thing.

If not for the things going on in her life that could've put him in the crosshairs of a dangerous maniac and a military campaign that easily dismantled governments and picked off the entire world population so.

Hearing it from Ripley put it in perspective for Matt and he raised his head. Ripley asked if he wanted the night off to talk it over with his crush and Matt opted to take the offer, saying he'll need it.

"If it doesn't work out, don't forget, alright?" Ripley reminded him that if he's rejected, he had people to comfort him. "She has bad taste if she passes you up."

Ripley knew Matt for almost two years and seen him as his best and worse.

He's a good man and would've made anyone happy. Considering he helped her with her issues and put a hidden smile on her own face, that's a feat of it's own.

Nodding, Matt thanked her.

"Don't worry about telling me the details," Ripley poked him as she told him that if he didn't want to tell her what happened afterwards, that it's his right, and she won't push him.

Sufficiently comforted, Matt worked on the VCR as Ripley returned to the Betamax player.

They worked until they heard the phone in the back ringing and stopped what they were doing, looking at the backroom door.

"Who could that be?" Matt blinked as Ripley lowered her screwdriver.

Ripley replied, "I don't know."

She closed the shop and went with him to the backroom where he took the phone call. It's a familiar voice asking for Matt and Ripley's help.

"Mallory?" Matt blinked.

She replied happily, "Hello, sweetie!"

Holding the receiver, Matt blinked as Ripley stood nearby, crossing her arms. He asked Mallory, "W-what do you want?"

Mallory replied cheerfully, "I found Alexandria's Library!"

Matt stood quizzically as he echoed, "Alexandria's Library?"

Mallory affirmed and she explained that she wanted his and Ripley's help with the excavation. She seemingly knew Karen and Arthur couldn't come and it roused Matt's suspicion on how she knew that information.

"What do we get out of this?" Matt inquired what the end goal was for helping Mallory with her excavation and she delightfully told him that they'll get awarded medals and money for discovering a lost wonder.

Mallory told him where to find the library and hung up.

Holding the receiver, Matt glimpsed to Ripley as she raised a brow in confusion to the call.

"Alexandria's Library?" Ripley blinked as she looked at Matt while he hung up the phone and closed the hidden door. "She's stealing books now?"

Matt shrugged his padded shoulders as he affirmed that's what Mallory alluded to and he's as confused as Ripley over the phone call.

"Do we help her?" Matt asked Ripley's opinion.

Uncrossing her arms, Ripley sighed as she gestured, saying, "Like we have a choice. If we don't, I think she's going to make a big mess for the poor librarian."

While Ripley and Mallory's relationship hadn't improved, it didn't sour as much as once did before the AID incident. Stagnant, it could go either way.

Opened the TARDIS door, Ripley walked inside with Matt as he went towards the console as she closes the door.

"Alexandria's Library," Matt mumbled as he looked over the console. He pushed several buttons while pushing air through his teeth until he finished and the TARDIS sprang to life.

The sounds of sheets of metal rubbing against each other as the TARDIS materialized in a dark library.

Stepping out of the TARDIS, the two glanced around.

The bookcases reached unprecedented heights as the two looked up to see the bookcases reaching to the skies above, with a sliver of it showing through. There's several shelves stuffed with books of various sizes and widths, it's impossible to count them all.

If they had to guess, it could've very been in the trillions!

"Where's Mallory?" Matt looked around, having not seen the femme fatale.

Ripley glanced around, noticing that there's nobody in the library but them, and she wasn't even sure if people ever came to it at all, as she noticed the books near her looked untouched.

Yet, there's not even a thin layer of dust on the bookshelves. Everything's clean and it looked like the books were sorted with reason, something impossible considering there's no one present.

"I don't know," Ripley frowned as she noted the oddities.

Walking with Matt, she noted that the aisles were wide enough to drive buses through them. The floors, freshly waxed with checkered patterns, subtly it looked as if nobody walked through these aisles in a while, but there's remnants of scuff marks from soles.

"It's just like the Librarian's!" Matt flinched as he looked at the books. On a whim, he took one into his hands and opened it, expecting someone's life story, only to find there's no writing.

He showed this to Ripley and she grabbed a book off the shelf and opened it. It also didn't have any writings as she flipped through the pages.

Shoving the book back in it's place, she looked over to Matt as he shared a look on his face.

"Weird," Matt flipped around the book in his hands until he saw faint etchings of the book's title. He couldn't read it as it was in another language and he furrowed his brow. As he was about to put the book back in it's place, he recoiled after getting a paper cut.

Ripley went towards him as he stuck the finger in his mouth, tasting a bit of his own blood as he tried to stop the bleeding.

"You okay?" Ripley asked him and he nodded, with the finger in his mouth.

Pulling it out and rubbing against his trouser leg, Matt sighed as he wasn't sure what to make of their situation.

"Let's look for Mallory and see what she got herself into," Ripley gestured and Matt agreed. He shoved the book back in it's place and walked with Ripley.