Lucas rubbed his eyes groggily, marveling at the boundless energy all children seem to have. He looked at his watch and noted it was 5:15. He smiled as he heard Marty remark exasperatedly from the other side of their shared wall, "Sweetie, it isn't really morning yet. See? The sun isn't even up!"

Eleanor protested, "But Daddy, it feel like morning!"

Marty sighed, "Feels like, sweetie. It feels like morning." Lucas smiled to himself at the man's correction of her grammar. He thought the girl was doing exceptionally well articulating herself for a three-year-old.

"Uh-huh. I hungry!" Eleanor proclaimed.

"Great," Marty grumbled.

"I'll get up," Bianca yawned.

Marty replied affectionately, "No, sweetheart. You try to sleep a bit more. You must be tired; you were tossing and turning all night."

She sighed, "I'm sorry, Marty. Did I keep you up again? I'm getting sooo big. I can't seem to find any comfortable position. I just want him or her out already."

"It's alright, sweetheart, I know. You try to rest more. I'll make breakfast. I need you to take care of my growing boy in there," he replied playfully.

"Marty, I hope you won't be terribly disappointed if it's another girl." Though Bianca spoke with joviality, Lucas heard the vulnerability in Mrs. Richards' remark and he hoped silently the man would provide the reassurance his wife was clearly needing from him.

Before Marty could reply, though, Eleanor grumbled, "I want a sister!"

Marty exhaled in exasperation, "Yes, yes. I know you do, sweetie. But we are all going to love this baby so much whether or not it is a girl or a boy. You'll see." Lucas heard his smile as he made the remark and he was glad Marty hadn't missed his wife's need.

"No! I only love sisters!" Eleanor protested.

Lucas smiled softly as Bianca laughed, "Well one of you at least will be happy with the outcome."

Marty answered, "No. We will all be elated with the outcome, either way."

Lucas heard their bed squeak slightly before Eleanor protested, "Argh, no kissing! Yuck! Daddy stop! I want eggs!" Lucas smirked, stifling a laugh.

"I should probably get up, Marty," Bianca chuckled. "We do have a guest, you know."

Eleanor clapped, "It so exciting! We never have a sweep-over!"

Marty grumbled, "Well I wouldn't exactly call this a sleepover." Lucas felt a bit bad at his remark, considering he must have put the couple out last night. His arrival most certainly was unexpected.

Bianca replied, "Yes, Ellie sleepovers are for young children. Mr. Howard is an adult, so he's just a guest."

"He Daddy fwiend?" she asked.

"Yes," Marty replied quickly. "He's my friend." Speaking to his wife, he added, "Don't worry about Mr. Howard, dear. I'm sure he'd understand. He seems like quite a nice man."

"He does," she sighed. "But are you sure you have to do this, Marty? Maybe you should just close down for a few days until these men leave the area?"

"Bianca, you know I can't do that. It would raise suspicion. It seems enforcement has been after this gang for a long time, love, and they have a real chance of getting them. So of course I must help."

Crying, she replied, "I just don't want anything to happen to you."

"Nothing is going to happen to me," he answered reassuringly.

"Don't make promises you can't keep," she remarked with emotion. Lucas felt his heart aching at her concern. It was too reminiscent of what he imagined life must have felt like for Elizabeth when she was with Jack. She must have worried about him constantly.

Marty's voice was deep and sure as he answered, "Well I can, at the very minimum, promise you that I will always do everything in my power to come home to you each and every night, until I am old and decrepit and unable to remember my own name."

Bianca laughed, "You won't get away from us so easily even then. I'll remind you of your name."

Marty exhaled, "I'll hold you to that promise, love."

Eleanor grumbled again, "I say no kissing! No more kissing! Yuck! No Mommy!"

Lucas put his hand over his mouth, muffling his quiet laughter. Bianca replied with a bit of frustration, "Ellie, you'll understand one day. I kiss Daddy like that because I just love him so much. One day, you'll probably feel the same way about a boy."

Marty quickly interjected, "But not until you're thirty, sweetie. No kissing boys until you're thirty and it's on your wedding day."

"Oh, Marty," Bianca laughed.

"I mean it!" he huffed.

Eleanor asked innocently, "Mommy, are you thirty?"

Bianca stammered, "I, well..."

Marty cut her off, "Yes, she's thirty and she didn't kiss me until we were married. You're not allowed to kiss anyone who isn't your husband, sweetie."

"Not even Franklin?" Ellie asked guiltily.

"You kissed Franklin?" Marty roared.

Bianca shushed him, "Marty! Mr. Howard's probably still asleep!" Unlikely, Lucas thought to himself, laughing internally at their conversation. He knew Bianca was much younger than thirty, likely in her early twenties. Her husband, on the other hand, was probably nearer to thirty, perhaps a bit above it.

Quieter, Marty persisted, "Ellie, have you been kissing Franklin?"

"Only twice," Ellie grumbled.

"Well great," Marty snorted. "That's just great. No more kissing boys until you're thirty. I mean it!"

"Just a little?" Eleanor protested.

"Nope!" he asserted.

"When I thirty I kiss him?" Ellie puzzled.

Marty sighed, "When you're thirty, you can kiss him, but not in front of me. I don't need to see that."

"Oh Marty!" Bianca giggled.

"But Mommy thirty? She kiss boys?" Eleanor inquired, trying to figure out her father's commandments.

Marty roared again, "No! Mommy is not allowed to kiss anyone other than me!"

Bianca replied calmly, "Ellie, once a person gets married, they aren't supposed to kiss anyone other than their husband or wife. Your silly Daddy knows I would never kiss anyone other than him because he's my husband and, besides that, I love him very much. I wouldn't ever do anything to hurt him."

"Kissing hurt Daddy?" Eleanor asked, bemused.

Bianca answered, "It would hurt Daddy's feelings if I ever kissed another man because he's right, a woman should only be sharing that special kind of affection with a man she loves. But he knows I have only ever loved him, so..."

"Not me?" Eleanor cried out.

"Oh Ellie," Bianca giggled. "I love you too, silly girl, very much, but not the same way I love Daddy. When I see Daddy, I want to kiss his lips because that's how I show him my love but when I see you, I want to hug you and squeeze you so much."

Eleanor sighed dramatically, "But you not. You big now."

Marty laughed as Bianca exhaled, "I promise, after the baby is born, once my body feels better, I will give you lots of hugs again."

"Sit on lap?" Eleanor sniffed.

"Yes, you will be able to fit on my lap again," Bianca laughed. "But maybe not as comfortably as you used to, at least not for a few more weeks."

"Why?" Ellie asked.

This time, Marty answered, "Because Mommy's body is changing a lot because of the baby and her belly will take a while to change again after he or she is born."

"She," Ellie asserted. Lucas smiled again; she was a handful, but very cute.

Bianca inquired, "Ellie, why were you kissing Franklin anyway?"

Eleanor replied with confusion, "He say he love me. Daddy say he love you, you kiss." Interesting, Lucas thought. She had some rationality for it. He pondered how literal children could be, knowing he'd need to be more cognizant of his own words and actions if he and Elizabeth started courting. He wanted to be his best self, not only for her, but for her son, who Lucas very much wanted to set a good example of gentlemanly behavior for.

Marty grumbled, "That is not how this works, Eleanor! You can't just go around kissing any boy who says he likes or loves you!"

Bianca added, "Ellie, if you don't like it when Daddy and I kiss, why would you do it?"

"It yucky but that what you do," Eleanor answered with certainty. Lucas' smile got broader at her conclusion.

"Ellie," Bianca sighed, "you're too young to be kissing anyone. Next time you want to kiss someone, you come talk to me about it first and we will figure out if he's the right sort of boy for you to be thinking about doing that with."

"Okay, Mommy!" Eleanor answered jovially, clearly considering the conversation completed. "Come, Daddy. Eggs."

Marty grumbled, "Bianca, not until she's married." Lucas couldn't help but smile again. He wondered if he himself would be as protective of a daughter as Marty seemed to be of his; it didn't take much consideration for Lucas to figure he certainly would be. He hoped he'd be able to find out for sure someday.

Bianca yawned and replied unconvincingly, "Whatever you say, dear."

Marty grumbled, "I'm not sure I can handle another girl. You two give me enough to worry about already."

"Oh, I know you can," she answered tiredly. "You're so very good with us both."

After a moment, Eleanor protested, "Yuck! No MORE kissing!"

"Alright, alright," Marty grumbled. "I'm coming. Sleep well, sweetheart."

"I love you," Bianca replied.

"Love you, Mommy!" Eleanor mused loudly, running out the door and down the stairs, with Marty bounding after her.

"Careful on the stairs sweetheart!" he whispered, clearly trying in vain to keep the household quiet now they were out of their bedroom. Lucas shook his head at their lack of awareness regarding the soundproofing lapses in their home.

He wondered at how little Eleanor's musing protestations were taking away the sting of being roused so early. There was something magical about seeing into a child's inner workings, though Lucas would have preferred she waited perhaps another half an hour at least before letting him have that glimpse today. He preferred getting a solid, uninterrupted night's sleep but he'd unfortunately never been a very heavy sleeper himself. He wasn't a light sleeper; he didn't awake with every bump in the night, but he certainly wasn't capable of sleeping through an entire conversation held in a neighboring room with paper-thin walls. It was one of the things he most disliked about living at the saloon. He awoke often, hearing the loud movements of other guests and boarders, and sometimes had trouble drifting off back to sleep, particularly when wakened in the early morning hours or when he had a lot on his mind. Like he did right now.

He wondered for a second how quiet Elizabeth's house was at night. How often Jack awoke wanting her in the night. What time he usually rose in the morning. If he'd ever be protesting over their shared kisses or asking Lucas to make him eggs at, or before, the crack of dawn, while Elizabeth slept in the bed they shared, needing extra rest to grow another child, created from her love for him. He shook his head. A man could dream, but he knew continuing to hold onto those visions made the possibility of them evaporating all the more painful.

Rather, he knew he needed to focus on the goal today: garnering evidence on Highton and capturing, or preferably killing, the other members of Terrell's gang in the area. He exhaled, anxious, then said a silent prayer that the day would be successful and that he'd be able to keep safe this loving, respectable family man who'd housed him last night.

Though he knew he'd not be able to get back to sleep again, Lucas waited another twenty minutes before rising from his bed to dress. He didn't want Marty or Bianca to think little Eleanor had awoken him. He didn't want them to realize how thin the walls in this house were, as he'd never want to make a woman uncomfortable for inadvertently sharing knowledge of her intimate relations with her husband with another man. The late night had indeed been awkward for Lucas. He'd certainly overheard plenty of romantic encounters between couples at the saloon, married or not. But none at quite this volume; he might as well have been sitting in a chair watching them for all the unwanted visualizations their loud encounter brought his mind. He marveled that Eleanor could sleep through it. It was one of the odder bedroom conversations he'd ever overheard: the sort of logistical, positional negotiation that apparently had to occur when a man seduced his heavily pregnant wife, or in the Richards' case, when she essentially begged him to. Marty's mocking protestations to his wife for her increased amour in the late stages of her pregnancy and his difficulty in sorting out how precisely to alleviate her need for him while ensuring she was physically comfortable provided a deeper insight into the couple's marital relations than Lucas ever had wanted to gain. He could only hope that his own mortification that evening at overhearing it would perhaps come in useful one day if he and Elizabeth ever had to negotiate such a tryst if she were feeling 'like a brown bear in heat' as Bianca had so eloquently put it.

Eleanor was elated to see Lucas descend the stairs, calling out, "Good morning, Mr. Howard! Daddy made eggs!"

Lucas smiled, "I can see that. What a doting Daddy you have to make you breakfast. You are one lucky little girl."

Eleanor shrugged, taking for granted the love of her father, as children so often do. Marty rolled his eyes, taking a sip of his coffee. He pointed to the stove, "Help yourself. I imagine my wife will make something a bit more elaborate in an hour or so but I try to let her sleep in. She has trouble sleeping these days."

Lucas considered what Bianca would have made for breakfast if she were awake. Their dinner last night was exceptionally good. Marty said the beef lasagna was her grandmother's recipe and it was the homemade noodles and sauce that really brought the flavors together. Lucas loved Italian food. He loved Italy, really; it was one of his favorite countries he'd ever traveled to but it seemed so difficult to find authentic Italian food outside of it. He nodded sympathetically, "I imagine it must be difficult with the extra weight."

Marty threw a hand up, "The weight; her sensitive skin stretching; her hips hurting; the baby moving around, pressing against her ribs, her back; those truly off putting and untimely food cravings she gets; her crazed urges to clean and organize everything in this house before the baby comes. You know I found her at 3 am cleaning the oven two nights ago? The woman is driving me insane, but clearly not as insane as this baby is driving her," he grumbled. Now having a good read on the man, Lucas was only slightly shocked by Marty Richards' impassioned, somewhat improper remarks, but his eyebrows rose nonetheless. Seeing Lucas' face, he remarked, "I'm sorry. Don't tell her I said that! Lord knows I love the woman but truth be told, I'm just as ready for this pregnancy to end as she is! Though I know we're all in for a few months longer of fitful nights because of this little one, at least Bianca won't be quite so hostile towards everyone, even if the emotions don't subside right off." Lucas stood staring at the man, uncertain how to respond to his unexpected candor. Marty exhaled, flummoxed, "Apologies again, Mr. Howard, I'm not sleeping well either these days obviously and it appears sleep deprivation is making my brain forget my manners."

Lucas laughed, "Don't worry about it. I suppose I ought to know your inner thoughts anyway as we're meant to be good friends, right?" He imagined, under other circumstances, he would have been good friends with this man. Lucas found his unconventional frankness and natural ease with himself and the people closest to him very warming. Though he really wished he had not overheard the Richards' interaction last night, Lucas could not recall ever meeting a couple who seemed so in tune or comfortable with each other. And he sensed that loving familiarity they shared had initiated with this man, who showed such tender appreciation for his wife in near every exchange, as she did for him, though there was a gruffness to hers now that Marty seemed to associate with her pregnancy.

Lucas wondered if her condition had really altered her personality that much. It seemed like it may have because he'd heard her apologize to both Marty and little Eleanor numerous times for her huffiness, her emotions, her tiredness, her forgetfulness. And Marty would always smile and laugh, "I'll forgive you in six months when you return to normal!"

Lucas was curious as to what this six month time period was that Marty referred to. Being an only child and not really growing up around many other children, Lucas did not have much direct, personal familiarity with pregnancy or new motherhood or young children. While he loved children, he'd never had the privilege of really watching one grow from infancy. The closest he'd come to witnessing that miracle had been seeing little Jack's progression, but that had, unfortunately, been mostly from a distance. He'd only recently become a daily fixture in the little boy's life, privy to really seeing his mind expand, and Lucas was hopeful he'd be able to remain as involved, or with any luck, even more so soon. He missed witnessing many of Jack's 'firsts': his first cry, first laugh, first word, first tooth, first steps. Lucas didn't want to miss whichever ones were still forthcoming.

He wanted to pick Marty's brain on the topics but felt it would be inappropriate given they just met yesterday, although he somewhat suspected Marty wouldn't mind. Marty was just naturally one of those warmly familiar people who made you feel you'd known them all your life. Lucas suspected there wasn't much the man would've been discomfited discussing, at least if Bianca consented to it. She seemed tolerant of his overly open nature though, as his temperament did not appear to bother her in the least. Perhaps, one day, if Lucas ever felt over his head with Elizabeth or little Jack, he'd give Marty a call. As far as Lucas could tell, he seemed to have the roles of husband and father near mastered, though his little girl was most definitely wrapped tightly around his finger. It was evident she thought she ruled their household already.

Bianca was rather soft spoken, at least publicly, which Lucas figured may be a good thing lest she continually compete with her husband for the platform. But, though soft spoken, she did not hold back from conversing openly with her husband when they were alone. Last night, after Bill, Nathan and Constable Northrop had left, Bianca professed her deep worry to Marty for his safety in this reconnaissance mission they'd conscripted him to, and then promptly burst into inconsolable tears for nearly five minutes. When she'd finally regained her composure, after both he and Marty had tried to reassure her that they'd be careful and it was likely to be safe for them inside the bank, she apologized to him and her husband profusely, blaming her raging hormones. And her husband had responded to her outburst so compassionately, Lucas had to take note. Before politely informing Lucas that she rarely cried when her emotions weren't being driven by 'a presently unknown, yet wholly cherished alternate lifeforce,' he'd told his wife that he'd love her even if she were incapable of ever speaking to him again without harshness or tears. His remark made her cry a moment longer, but those new teardrops weren't born of fear, at least.

When he later told Lucas that night, as she tucked Eleanor in upstairs, that the pregnancy had been accidental, and they'd intended to not have another child because Eleanor's birth had traumatized them both, with Bianca suffering complications that nearly resulted in catastrophe, Lucas understood further why Marty had been so loquacious with his wife. He wanted her to know, without doubt, that he was elated about the pregnancy and loved both her and the baby fully. His remarks reminded Lucas of his own parents' on the topic. His mother apparently despised pregnancy and they found the logistics of traveling and moving so frequently with a small child challenging so, they'd decided not to have any more children after he was born but he knew they both somewhat regretted that decision in their later years, particularly when he'd grown up and moved away from them. Lucas was rather sorrowful for it as well; he'd always longed for that eternal, knowing bond siblings shared. He was glad Eleanor would have a sibling and prayed Bianca's birth experience with this second baby would be a smoother one.

Marty and Bianca did not seem to withhold anything from each other and Lucas deeply admired that. Their home was one where the members within it and their divergent personalities were not just tolerated, but celebrated. Though with little Eleanor, Lucas fathomed her antics might be tolerated a bit too much. He sensed she could benefit from a bit more structure but Lucas doubted Bianca had much skill for disciplining her. She let quite a few small misdemeanors pass last night, though she did scold her once for sneaking off from the dinner table with a second cannoli. Lucas didn't blame little Ellie; those pastries were divine. He hadn't had one in ages and they tasted exactly as he remembered: decadent, sweet, unforgettable. He only wished Bianca had added the tiny chocolate drops to the ends that his favorite bakery near Lake Como did. Lucas was a sucker for chocolate; it was evident Ellie had a shared sweet tooth. Despite her bossiness, overall, she seemed to be developing into a solid little lady. Lucas knew she certainly would have no trouble standing up for herself in the future and he fathomed that was an extremely important quality for a young woman to possess.

He pondered how Elizabeth handled discipline with little Jack. With her students, she talked things out, but toddlers seemed difficult to reason with. He'd never really seen her discipline Jack, but he was almost always very well behaved. Lucas wondered if it were just the boy's natural disposition to be so tolerable or if his mother had influenced him to be. He imagined it was a bit of both and he found himself considering what kind of man Jack would grow into. Lucas thought he was going to be a rather quiet, contemplative person. He was sociable, definitely enjoyed attention, but he seemed to possess a depth and a calmness to him that Lucas found both fascinating and thought was rather unique in a child, at least in the few he'd known very well.

He certainly could not imagine little Jack as he was now, turning into a man as extroverted as Marty Richards was. The man was more informal and communicative than Lucas himself tended to be, particularly with strangers, and it made Lucas curious about how he rose to such a position in a bank. Most bank managers were rather stately, authoritative, dull and inconspicuous; but Marty was polished, vivacious, and insouciant. He was the kind of man who walked into a room and vigorously shook hands with every acquaintance there. Lucas was interested to see what sort of a boss he was, as he'd never met an authority figure quite like him. Even Lee, though always amiable and easygoing, kept a balance with his own employees; they respected him, felt comfortable going to him with any concerns or questions, but knew they ultimately reported to him and that he didn't tolerate a poor work ethic. Lucas tended to be more formal with his own employees. His father had always been very formal in all his business dealings, so Lucas supposed that was where he learned to keep a separation from one's staff.

One of the things he'd quickly learned to love about Hope Valley, though, was the interconnected nature of the town. The other employers there: Ned, Lee, Bill, Abigail, Dottie, Eric, they were all more than cordial with their workers. People didn't overstep their bounds or take advantage of that familiarity, but employees and employers alike were equally ensconced in and welcomed by the community. It allowed such a unique camaraderie there, an absence of class, a sense of family. Last Christmas, Elizabeth had told him that Hope Valley was his family, and he'd come to realize she was right about that. He'd been searching for so long, his entire life really, to find somewhere he could feel rooted, that felt like it were his. His home. And that was Hope Valley now. She'd allowed him, with those encouraging words, to fully embrace the special bond shared by the residents there. He'd softened since that day; softened his heart to the town as a whole, but perhaps more importantly, to his own employees and he was glad for it. He now knew Clark, Wyatt, Gustav, Katherine, Clara, and his other waitresses, on a deeper, more personal level, having given up his need to maintain such striking professional distance and he felt richer for it. He felt richer for now truly knowing those he spent so many hours with. He was still building that bond and understanding with Mike and some of the other men in the oil company, but he imagined they'd get there soon enough. Then, he'd have trouble imagining his life without them, as he now did the staff at the saloon. Lucas' employees now felt a part of his family, and he had allowed himself to care for them in a way he'd never foreseen he would, believing he had to maintain those strong professional limits to hold their respect. But, at least in Hope Valley, he'd learned he didn't need to do that because respect was universally distributed. He was grateful to Elizabeth for that, for encouraging him to understand it was possible to share both necessary professional boundaries and true friendship with someone.

Lucas did not even have to ask to know that Marty would feel the same way, that the man also loved his own employees. He was just that sort of relaxed, amiable kind of man. It could be no other way with him. Marty had a giving spirit and because of that, Lucas had no fear going into this day that he could be trusted to do his part in this: trusted to protect his employees and his customers. The only question that remained was how difficult this would be, what the outcome would be. Would they be able to gather enough evidence on Highton?

The two of them had spoken at length on the topic last night and poured over possible scenarios. Marty had narrowed down the likely schemes Highton wanted to pull off to three. Then, he'd tried to explain to Lucas how each of those would most likely appear and what they'd need to do to fully catch him in the act. Lucas felt he had a decent grip on the concept, though he knew succeeding in his efforts to dupe the customers and Marty's two tellers was going to be a tall feat. It would've been nice if he'd had a week or even just a few days in a real bank, learning the mechanics of the operations, to feel more prepared to assume this role, but he was grateful for the extra hours with Marty sleeping here had provided him with.

Marty seemed to agree that the two of them needed to know each other better. So he replied brightly, "Indeed, we are meant to be good friends." Then, he launched into a forty-minute long mostly one-sided conversation where he recapped the highlights of his life, from infancy to present.

Yes. Lucas quite liked this man and he adored the spunky little girl who'd colored him a picture of her family, complete with a baby sister she named Cake, because that was her favorite food. Lucas hoped he'd be able to find out shortly if the Richards' were able to meet her demands in both the gender and name of this coming child. Marty assured him he wouldn't have to wait long, as the baby was due any day, and he promised he'd telegram Lucas with the news, once their little mission was complete and Lucas could reveal his true name to the man. For now, he was 'George Howard: Junior Northwest Regional Branch Inspector.'

Marty asked him only a few questions, knowing Lucas couldn't give him his real backstory. After recounting his own history, he asked, "So Judge Avery said you're not in the police force. How did you get involved with this anyway?"

Lucas exhaled heavily. He didn't want to lie to this man who was entrusting his life to him solely based on the words of Constable Northrop, himself and two other men he'd never met before. However, he also did not want to break Elizabeth's confidence or do anything that would jeopardize her faith in him. Deciding he had to give at least some version of the truth, he settled on, "Terrell hurt someone I care very deeply for and I want to ensure he can't do that to anyone else. I'm here because I volunteered to be."

Marty looked at him sympathetically and sighed, "Well I am sorry to hear that, George. You've all painted him to be a pretty gruesome character."

Lucas nodded gravely, "He is. I think most of his gang members are really. Bill and Nathan seem less certain about Highton. They don't think he's been directly involved with all the suffering the group has caused but he's behind the financing of it. That's why they want to take him in, for questioning. The others, I think they're rather hoping they won't have to." Marty nodding, seeming to understand Lucas' implication. "I can't tell you how grateful we all are to you, Marty, for your willingness to assist with this."

Marty blew off the compliment, waving his hand about, "Sometimes doing the right thing can be scary or painful, but if it's the right thing, at least the conscience will be at rest from having done it, despite the risk or the outcome. I do care for the good people who live in these parts. I'm happy to help to ensure no one else has to suffer from these criminals." He rose his coffee cup, "May God choose the noble side today."

Lucas swallowed, nodding in agreement, his mind and heart simultaneously both elevated and made heavier from the strong ties he'd already formed with this man over the shared danger they were heading in to. Nonetheless, Lucas felt blessed to spend what would otherwise have been a fraught morning in the jovial company of Eleanor, who kept his mind away from thoughts of the men he was readying to meet, and Marty, who helped him prepare to assume his role as a regional monitor. Bianca did not descend the stairs until just before their departure. Her remorse at actually sleeping that morning and not entertaining Lucas or spending some final moments in conversation with her husband before this uncertain day was endearing to witness. Though he felt he knew far too much about their union now, it was undeniable this couple loved each other deeply, and Lucas couldn't help but smile about that as he watched them part, though he'd be lying to himself if it didn't increase his anxiety. The mission felt harder now that he'd formed this attachment to the man and his lovely family. But Lucas prayed that wouldn't matter in the end, that things would go smoothly, and that none of them would be put in a difficult position of having to choose one cherished life above another.