A/N – because this is my fiction and it's AU anyway, Tex and Cruz are still alive. I also call Cruz "Teylor Cruz" here because that's the name I use throughout my stories and I can't think of Cruz as "Javier".

x

x

Mike stood outside the small cabin, pretending that his eyes weren't wet as he watched Kyoko rock her son, soothing him to sleep with a lullaby. Not that Mike understood a word that she was saying, of course, but some things were universal.

And Kyoko sounded just like Christine used to sound when she sang the kids to sleep.

Andrea set a hand on Mike's arm. "You holding up?"

"It's just..." Mike trailed off.

"Awful," Andrea finished. "Watching a mother say goodbye."

"I keep thinking about Christine and what it was like, at the end, with Lucas." Mike thought back to the brief conversation he had with his wife when he finally got through to Christine from the Arctic. The reception was terrible, of course, made worse by Christine's sobbing as she told him that Lucas – her baby, their baby – was dead. He had been infected while on a scouting trip, a trip that Mike was supposed to go on before the surprise cruise to the Arctic forced him to bow out, a family friend stepping in to take his place. Apparently one of the campers was infected and the virus spread like wildfire in the close confines of the camp. By the end of the weekend, three quarters of the participants were infected.

Lucas never stood a chance.

Guiltily, Mike remembered how tense things were with Christine before he left. She was furious when he turned down the Florida desk job, knowing that a desk job would mean no further career advancement, claiming that he was putting his career before his family. That Lucas needed him, that the girls needed him, that she needed him home more. They fought incessantly those last few days in Norfolk, Mike even going so far as to mention the big D. It was a low he had never sunk to before, suggesting that maybe they would be better off apart after nineteen years of marriage and five years of dating before that. The look on Christine's face, the shock, the devastation, the hurt, transforming almost immediately into a brittle shell as she told him that was a decision he would have to make himself, still haunted him.

Mike had tried to make up for it, of course, once he calmed down and realized how idiotic he had been - God knows he would never find anyone else to put up with his crap the way Christine did. He called Christine several times before the ship went to EMCON, even going so far as to send her flowers, something he hadn't done in years and had resulted in a suspicious email from Whitney asking what he had done to piss Christine off. But his words – some of the last that he spoke to his wife – still gnawed at him.

He had let his family down not once, but twice. First by not being there when Lucas got sick, and second by not getting back in time to help Christine and Whitney and Shaylyn.

Mike glanced at Andrea. "I'm glad that Christine was there with Lucas, even if she was holding his hand through a pair of rubber gloves."

Andrea was staring at Kyoko and Kaito as though mesmerized. "The hospital records showed that Lily went first. It makes it better, knowing that she wasn't alone at the end."

Mike knew that Andrea felt the same guilt that he did. Guilt for not being there when their children needed them; for not protecting them, for not getting back in time to save them, for not being there to hold their hands as they lay dying. It was a guilt that Mike knew he would carry to his grave and he suspected that Andrea would as well.

"Christine said the hospital had Lucas drugged up pretty well by the end. Probably the same thing with Lily," Mike noted. It was a strange conversation to have, but one that was only too common in this new reality. Not whether you had lost anyone, but who you had lost and how they had gone.

The creak of the door announced Takehaya's – Kaito's – entrance, stooped, breathing heavily, walking only with the assistance of one of his men. Kyoko's head rose, her eyes meeting her husband's, an unspoken communication passing between the two. Standing, she moved soundless through the small room until she stood before Mike. She hesitated for only a second before passing Mike her son, the tiny infant barely stirring, completely unaware of the significance of this moment.

That it was the last time he would see his parents.

Kyoko took another moment to stroke her son's tiny head, the tears streaming down her face, before she bent down to press a final kiss to his forehead. Then she turned, slipping her arm around her husband, holding him as he said his own goodbyes to his son in words too soft for Mike to hear even if he understood Japanese.

Straightening, Takehaya held out a small scroll. Mike carefully balanced Kaito in one arm, reaching out to take the paper. "What is this?"

"A letter for Kaito, when he is ready, about his family and his country. He comes from a line of proud warriors. I do not want him, or the world, to forget them," the man explained, his voice choked. He bowed his head. "Thank you."

Mike bowed his head in response. "I am honored."

A minute later they were both gone, and Mike was left standing in the small space with Andrea and the baby.

"About time for my shift but holler if you need anything," Andrea said, then smirked. "Dad."

It hit Mike like a thunderbolt. The realization that, for the fourth time in his life, Mike was responsible for another human being. That Kaito was now completely dependent on Mike for his health, his education, his well-being – for his very life.

Mike had let down Whitney and Shaylyn and Lucas. He would not make those same mistakes with Kaito.

Mike headed down the pathway with his small bundle. After agreeing to Takehaya's request Mike made a few changes to his cabin, having a basket suitable for a cradle installed next to the bed, and asking Rios to locate a supply of formula and diapers. Lucky for Mike, Michener had prioritized the refitting of an old beer factory near St. Louis to produce formula and a supply was included in the humanitarian aid sent to Japan along with the cure, most of which never left the dock. Diapers were harder to source but Garnett came up with the ingenious idea of making reusable ones out of cotton batting and waterproof canvas. So far they seemed to be working and, since Mike wasn't doing the one doing the laundry, he had no complaints about the messier aspect of the process.

Still, changing his first diaper in seven years was a rather monumental moment. From the moment Whitney was born fifteen years ago, Mike had embraced parenthood, and he planned to do the same for Kaito. Not because of his promise to Takehaya, but because Kaito deserved to have a devoted parent. Every child did, pandemic or not, and Kaito was already in the poor position of being stuck with only one person to raise him. Mike didn't plan to slack on the job.

Mike had almost reached his cabin, when he ran into Lieutenant Danny Green, the younger man's expression one that Mike knew all too well. "Any word from Kara?"

Although the Nathan James was running silently, they were still receiving – assuming there was anything to receive.

"Nothing since Dennis said they were headed to Texarkansas," Danny replied, his stiff posture betraying his worry.

"The only reason to go to Arkansas would be to find Tex," Mike reassured the younger man. "And if anyone can keep Kara and Frankie safe, it's Tex."

Danny swallowed visibly, Mike's reassurance obviously less than reassuring. This is the part of the job that Mike always sucked at. He could strategize with the best and knew this ship inside and out, but when it came to dealing with anything personal, well, Mike wasn't known for his sensitivity. That was Tom's job.

Green's eyes flickered to Kaito, his face relaxing slightly. "Kyoko decided to go with the pirates then?"

"Our vampirate population has returned to zero," Mike confirmed. "Just the squirt left."

That actually got a chuckle. "I'm glad you agreed to keep him with us. I wasn't the only one worried about leaving him here with a bunch of degenerates, about half of whom are at death's door anyway. What will you do with Kaito once we hit the States?"

"CNO plans to send a rhib ashore with Rios and his team before we make contact, just in case. If everything goes to hell Rios can get the information on the green mist to Milowsky." That was the hope, anyway. Last Mike knew, Milowsky was still in South America where he had traveled with President Oliver – back when he was Vice President Oliver – on his goodwill tour. Unfortunately, Milowsky remained behind to continue their work when Howard returned to St. Louis, which would make getting in touch with him difficult. And that assumed the official word was the truth. For all Mike knew, Milowsky was dead, killed by the same conspirators behind the sinking of the Hayward and the Shackleton. But until they knew for sure that he was dead, Milowsky was still their best shot at finding someone to back-engineer the green mist and hopefully figure out a way to counteract it.

As if he were reading Mike's mind, Danny noted, "Cruz and Martínez both speak Spanish. In case Rios needs to go south. It would be easier for them to lay low."

"Exactly what I was thinking," Mike replied with a grin. "We'll brief them in the next couple of days. I imagine Cruz will be upset to be out of the action."

"I think that graze to his neck was enough to give him pause," Danny replied. Mike had to agree. It was a close call – too close. They had lost too many people to Peng and his manipulation. "Teylor wants to see his nephews grow up."

Mike found himself looking down at Kaito. "Kids certainly have a way of making you re-evaluate your life."

"That they do." Danny gave a slight snort, and Mike suspected that the man was recalling his conversation with Tom on the deck of the Nathan James the afternoon when they found out that Kara was pregnant – and probably dying. There was no doubt that Green did a hell of a lot of growing up that day. The man who exited that hazmat tent, having barely moved from Kara's side for more than twenty-four hours, was not the same man who entered it.

Conversation done, Danny moved past Mike, heading towards his bunk. At the last minute, Green changed directions, going towards the gym, probably planning to work out until he collapsed from exhaustion.

It was a strategy that Mike never found particularly effective.

"Danny."

Green turned, an eyebrow arching. "Captain?"

"Knowing that your family is out there, in danger, and you can't help them? Well, it's a special kind of hell. But last you heard, Kara and Frankie were alive. Cling to that. It's what will let you keep going."

And, first once, Mike knew that he had found the right words.