Though a lead weight had been lifted from his chest and shoulders in regards to his feelings for Aslett, Waits didn't feel like much in his life was going to change. Where do I go from here?

They were already friends. They already knew a lot about each other. What more was there to do besides kissing? What did this mean for when his time on LV-112 was up? Would he be able to stay, or would he and Aslett have to be separated for a time?

The lack of major change in their behavior towards each other meant it was easier to hide their relationship from Brooks. While dating was allowed, it meant they couldn't be partnered together on anything, and Waits couldn't think of anyone else he could comfortably work with.

On the other hand, it was certainly difficult for Waits to hide his disdain for accompanying Stein, Naraleth, Brooks, several Weyland-Yutani executives, and a group of geologists out to the mountains when Naraleth drew up plans for an excavation. The day chosen to go just happened to be gray and somewhat cold.

"If I'm such a pain-in-the-ass, why're you taking me along?" Waits hissed to Brooks as they boarded an all-terrain vehicle that morning.

"Because you're the best I have, despite the fact that you're a pain-in-the-ass," Brooks replied. "Go sit, and I don't want to hear a word out of you unless it's important."

Grunting, Waits went to the back of the vehicle, sitting next to Aslett. "Good thing he brought you, too. I'd rather puke up a razor blade if I had to go on this fucking trip alone."

"Good morning to you, too, Jethro," Aslett said. "Did you remember to eat breakfast?"

"Oh, please, you think I'd go on a mountain hike on an empty stomach?"

"I think you would. Unintentionally, because you're too focused on the fact that you hate this trip. And because you care more about getting your caffeine."

Waits gave her a look. "I'm still not sure whether or not I like that you know me so well."

"I've had eight months to get to know you."

"Good for you."

Aslett grinned before looking out the window as they drove out of the colony. She looked at Waits. "It's really pretty here in the summer. Couple more weeks and everything is going to be lush and green." She tugged on Waits's jacket sleeve. "And you won't need this."

"Sounds like you want to go prancing through a fucking field."

Aslett snorted. "Nah. I do want to go to the lake, though."

"The lake I see on the maps in the office? Never actually been there."

"I'll take you."

"Sounds like a D-A-T-E," Waits whispered.

"That's because it is," Aslett whispered back.

"Oh. Should I pack a bottle of wine and a picnic basket?"

"I thought you didn't like wine."

"I don't."

"Then bring your beer."

"Thank you." Waits returned his focus to the front of the vehicle, watching Brooks glance at every mirror. He noticed Aslett looking at him from the corner of his eye, the same way she had been doing for the last several months. At least now he knew what it meant, that it wasn't her excuse of him having a stray hair sticking out from under his cap, or some speck of dust on his face.

An hour went by before the vehicle slowed, and Brooks turned to his passengers. "I want everyone to watch their steps out there. This is very rocky terrain. Easy to trip. No one is to leave the group under any circumstances. Waits, take them outside. Aslett, take the rear."

"Is this so you can keep an eye on me, son?" Waits asked.

"As a matter of fact, yes." Brooks stood up, waiting for Waits to leave the vehicle before joining him in helping the scientists and executives off.

Wind ruffled everyone's hair. Waits held down his cap as he looked up at the snow-covered peaks. The air smelled cold and fresh. To his right, rocky ground eventually turned into shrubs and grass before being enveloped by the dense forests. The colony was out of sight. A sense of remoteness and isolation began creeping in the back of Waits's mind. He hated it, having felt alone for the majority of his life.

Brooks barked orders about sticking together and minding basic safety practices before letting everyone do their work. The geologists led Stein and the other executives to a spot where they had collected small samples several weeks ago. Waits had no interest in their conversations. He stayed close, pacing, loathing the cold and the aloneness, wishing he was doing something more productive.

Sitting on a rock jutting from the base of the mountain, Waits searched his pockets for a carton of cigarettes and his lighter, occasionally looking over at the scientists and executives to make sure everyone was still in one piece. Aslett was several yards away. She paced a little before crouching, picking up a rounded pebble and studying it.

The civilians started moving up the mountain a little, sticking to a crude path. Aslett walked closer to them. Waits stayed where he was, body tense with cold. He knew walking would help, but it felt like the cold was seeping inside him.

"Hey, you doing alright?"

Waits looked up to see Brooks walking over to him. He swallowed his pain. "I'm fine. You?"

"You didn't seem 'fine' a second ago." Brooks glanced over his shoulder to check on the civilians, then sat next to Waits. "Looked like you were in pain."

"Well, it shouldn't surprise you that it's fucking cold here."

"Is that the only reason you look miserable?"

Waits didn't respond. I can't be vulnerable in front of you. Last thing I need is you thinking I'm—

"Waits? I'm trying to help."

"I don't need help."

Brooks sighed. "I'm not trying to search for ways to make you retire, or transferred. Aslett told me about your little interaction with Stein a couple mornings ago, and she mentioned that you weren't happy when I said we don't have the tools for massive investigations. Plus, it's really no secret that you're bored. I want to help."

"You can start by not having me be a fucking doorman for Weyland-Yutani. Not only would it be boring as shit, but do you really think their visitors and employees wanna see me? Honestly. I'm the last person they need to see."

"I think you're being a little too harsh on yourself. In that regard, I guess it's fair I say that I was being a bit too harsh when telling you that standing guard at that building would be your punishment. Obviously, I'd never have you stand for twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and you wouldn't be the only one on shift. It's not a reasonable thing to say. You'll definitely be standing guard at some point, but you won't be the only one. For that, I'm sorry."

"I kinda knew you weren't actually gonna follow through on that."

"No, not at all." Brooks looked over at the civilians, then back at Waits. "Frankly, I don't think there's anything any of us can do to make this place more exciting. I talked to Command about having you sent here because of your accident a few years ago. I figured it would give you a decent place to work so you wouldn't feel pressured to retire, so you can choose on your own terms."

Waits glared at Brooks. "That was five fucking years ago, and they still see me as broken? Did they ever stop to think to, oh, I don't know, ask me how I feel? Am I that unapproachable?"

"They all knew what you were going to say."

"Oh, did they? Big fucking deal. I'm fine. I'm gonna continue till I say I'm ready."

Brooks looked at the ground. "If that was something I could guarantee, I'd tell you, but if your health says you can't continue, you can't ignore that."

"Lace gave me the same speech. I don't need to hear it again."

"Alright. All I'm saying is, I brought you onto my staff so you don't have to worry about anything. Just do what you do best. You didn't get all your ribbons doing nothing."

When Brooks walked away, Waits didn't bother watching him. He took another draw on his cigarette, still staring into the woods and feeling lost in his own head.

The initial expedition was considered a success based on ore samples the geologists dug up. It was Stein who pointed out the ore in question was used in alloys for an innumerable amount of projects, including ships—both civilian and military. It didn't take long for a more extensive dig to be approved.

With that would come more people to LV-112. Much more, and that would require a larger Marshal force.

Brooks sat everyone down in the conference room not too long after the new plans were announced. "We're not gonna see any new people for another three weeks. This is something that has a lot of paperwork. People are going to be bringing their families here, we're gonna have construction crews building more living complexes. It's going to be busy, and hectic."

"Does this mean certain responsibilities are gonna be shuffled around?" Aslett asked.

"Yes. I don't know who we're getting just yet, but I do know we'll probably be taking in some recent graduates of the moon academy—"

"Oh, so, we'll be doing fucking babysitting duty," Waits grunted.

Brooks sighed. "No. We're going to help them adjust to life as a new Marshal. You're probably our best for that."

"What in the ever-loving hell makes you think that? Have you just met me?"

"I mean in terms of experience. You're our department's longest-serving Marshal with thirty-one years under his belt."

"Well, I'm not holding anyone's hand with this. I'll show them how this place is run, and that's it. A lot of those kids come out of the academy thinking they've been taught everything they need to know about this job. That's how a lot of them get killed. They're still learning shit when they get here. I tell them what they need to know without dancing around the details. Are you prepared to deal with more complaints of me being an asshole?"

"If no one complained about you being an asshole, I'd be worried," Brooks replied. "Just... don't be... overly rude, alright? Anyway, yes, duties will be rotated more frequently. It's going to get a lot busier in the coming weeks."

After the rest of the Marshals were dismissed, Aslett walked over to Waits. "I'm actually surprised the fact that we're taking in new graduates is what has you cranky today."

"Oh? Why's that?" Waits asked.

"You didn't hear Brooks say people are going to be bringing their families? That generally means they're bringing their kids."

"I knew that."

"You can't be swearing in front of kids."

"Do you have any idea how many shits I give? As long as I don't catch any on my fucking lawn, I don't care."

Aslett sighed. "I don't know why I expected a different response from you."

Waits grinned. Once they were out of Brooks's earshot, he said, "So, when we get off the clock in a few hours, you... wanna go out for dinner?"

"Do you mean a date?"

"Well, yeah. I know I haven't been putting in any, ah, romantic effort lately."

"I haven't, either."

"I mean, we're still... you know—"

"Yeah. We're still together. We're just busy."

"Right." Waits tried not to blush, but the effort just made him blush more. "I'll see you later?"

"You will." Aslett smiled, playfully pushing Waits. "Don't piss off Brooks for the rest of the day."

Waits shrugged. Well, I can try. I make no promises. He watched Aslett head toward the colony's business district. His shoulders suddenly felt heavy, and that heaviness sank into his chest when his thoughts turned to the last several days.

It was true that everyone had been busy with preparing for the influx of people in the next few weeks, but Waits didn't think that was a good excuse for not nurturing his newfound relationship with Aslett. Going places wasn't enough, though. He needed to do more. He needed to express how he felt, and he didn't know how.

Tired as he was at the end of the day, Waits resisted the urge to take a hot shower and sit outside with a beer can and cigarette. Knowing Aslett, he wasn't planning on dressing nice for dinner. She wasn't going to care.

I should at least bring something for her. Waits wasn't much for gift-giving. He rarely had the chance to do so, and had largely given up on getting things for family during Christmas. He used to burden himself with getting something for everyone, but after so many altercations with his brother-in-law, he decided to just get gifts for his sister and no one else. It made things easier, though it didn't help with the awkwardness and antagonism he faced trying to visit for the holidays. Last Christmas in particular had been a disaster, and he still regretting putting in the time and money to go back to Earth.

A sick feeling crept over him. He hadn't wanted to start thinking about last Christmas. He remembered the stinging cold of snow whipping around him while he stood on Esmeralda's front porch, arguing with Ashton.

"For fuck's sake, do I have to wait for you to die just so I can visit my own sister?!"

He shouldn't have said that. Waits next found himself still on the porch, not welcome inside, not welcome for a long time. He had felt alone before, but not like this. For the next two months, he was certain he would never talk to Esmeralda again. She sent him a message that February, explaining that she would still talk to him, but didn't think it would ever be possible that Waits and Ashton could be in the same room together.

Pulling himself from his thoughts, Waits set about trying to find something to give Aslett. He stopped short of tearing his compartment apart, and put his boots on so he could run to a convenience store.

Out of breath when he got to the shop, Waits ignored the surprised looks of several customers and grabbed a couple of candy bars from a display stand. He was still breathing hard while waiting in line to check out, and looked at his watch, silently cursing himself when he realized he was going to be late.

He didn't even care that he was wearing his Marshal jacket over a gray sweater. Clothes were clothes. As long he didn't look like a circus clown, he felt he looked acceptable.

The sky had darkened, and rain began to fall heavily. Waits's hair was plastered to his forehead when he entered the restaurant, and resisted the urge to swear out loud when the air conditioning struck him. I'm amazed I don't just fucking freeze right here!

Aslett waved him over from a booth, and grinned when she saw his face. "Are you okay?"

"I'm wet and cold. How do you think I feel?"

"Like your usual self: grouchy." Aslett gestured to the plastic bag in Waits's hand. "What's that?"

"Oh. Gifts." Waits set the bag on the table.

Aslett reached inside to discover the two chocolate bars. "That's very sweet of you, Jethro."

"Thanks."

"You didn't have to get anything. I have nothing for you."

"That's okay. I... only did this to be polite."

"I feel like this is the only time trying to be polite isn't giving you acid reflux."

"I actually like you." Waits looked down at the menu, then back over at Aslett. "A lot. That's, um... something I wanted to talk to you about."

"Oh, please don't tell me you're taking advantage of the romantic location and mood to say we should break up like in every fucking romance movie." Aslett smirked.

"No, not at all. You know me."

"I do. Just making a joke. So, what do you want to talk about?"

"The last couple days... I know we haven't done much to really say 'we're a couple,' and I know we can't go public because Brooks could find out and then we can't be partnered on assignments anymore, but I know I should still... be better at being your romantic partner."

"You can definitely be better, but you're not doing anything wrong." Aslett raised an eyebrow. "Didn't we talk about this earlier?"

"We did."

"Any particular reason you're bringing it up again?"

Waits swallowed hard. "I honestly don't fucking know how to express myself with you. I care about you, very much, and yet I don't know how to say it."

"You've said it. That's all you really need to do."

Waits shook his head. "Not good enough. Not for me. There's a lot I feel and it can't be put into words." He looked down at the table, biting his tongue. "Why do you think it's been so hard for me to find someone I can be with forever?"

"Originally, I thought it was because of your bluntness, gruffness, and pottymouth."

"That's part of it. There's also my loyalty to my job, and there's also the fact that I can't tell someone exactly how I feel. I'm open with how I feel when I'm angry, but I don't know how to be open when I feel..." Waits trailed off, unsure of what to describe.

"Affectionate? Loving? Happy? Any number of positive emotions out there?"

"Yeah. I don't know how to express it in words."

Aslett nodded, then reached across the table to wrap her hand around Waits's. "You wanna know something?"

"What?"

"The fact that you told me about this says a lot to me. Tells me you really do trust me."

"I've trusted you for months."

"Yeah, but this is the first time you've really shown that. I showed it to you when I told you about my daughter."

Waits nodded. "Guess I had to repay the favor."

"I wouldn't call it that. We're friends, and now romantic partners. That's what we do." Aslett squeezed Waits's hand. "I'll try to help you with your happiness."

"I might be a lost cause in that department."

"If I can get a bunch of new Marshals into shape, I see no reason why I can't make you smile without looking like you want to beat the shit out of someone."

"I'd say you're more likely to get me into good physical shape."

"Don't challenge me on that, Jethro. I know exactly how to get rid of that beer belly of yours, and you won't like my methods."

"You could never hurt me."

"I won't hurt you, but you'll definitely be begging for mercy. So, would you rather do that, or try to learn how to express happiness?"

"That's a hard call, but I'll take expressing myself over running through the woods any day."