Lucas woke up alone in the silence of his quarters. He wondered for a moment if it had all been a dream, but then his eyes fell on the box of cheese crackers and it cleared his head of any doubt of the reality. He stretched, feeling completely refreshed and relaxed. He sat up, pulling his shoes back on. He wondered where Ellie had gone, and headed out to find her.

Thinking that Kristen must have come for her, he headed toward the MedBay. As he neared the galley, he heard the familiar sound of Sam's guitar and turned the corner to see what she was doing. To his shock, he saw Ellie, playing Sam's guitar and singing. Gathered around her were Sam, Ben, Tim, and Miguel. Not wanting to interrupt, he stepped back and listened. Her voice was lovely, and she was singing what sounded like a lullaby. Lucas felt a pang of sorrow in his stomach, knowing that this, too, was something he would miss.

As she finished, the small audience applauded her. "Thanks, I wrote that when I found out I was pregnant," she explained.

"I think it's beautiful," Sam replied. "Too bad Lucas didn't pick up your singing talent," she quipped.

Lucas froze. Did the whole ship know? They must. There was no keeping Ellie's presence a secret. Strangely, he didn't care who knew. He was happy to finally have a mother, and even happier that it turned out to be this one.

Ellie laughed. "He can't sing? He must have gotten that from Gavin. He couldn't sing at all, unless you count off-key as a note."

"Hey, I resent that," Lucas said, walking into the galley.

"Truth hurts Wolenczak," Sam replied.

"Yeah whatever," Lucas said, unable to think of a more suitable come back at the moment.

"Hey Lucas, did you sleep well?" Ellie asked.

"I did, thanks. What's with the impromptu concert?"

"Oh, well, I went to the moon pool while you were asleep. I met Darwin and Sam. She showed me how the vocorder worked that you invented. Very cool! Then she showed me around and she mentioned that she played guitar. We got to talking about music and I told her that I hadn't played in a while, and well, here we are."

"You met Darwin?"

"Yeah!"

Lucas nodded. "I see you've met the guys too." Ellie smiled and nodded.

"Dude, Lucas, your mom rocks!" Ben said.

"Uh, thanks?" Lucas replied.

"Yeah, fascinating story," Tim said.

Lucas looked at them all quizzically. For once, they weren't teasing him. "Hey Sam, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Cause I need to…" Lucas said, gritting his teeth. Sam recognized the sign and stood up, following him around the corner.

"Why do you always give me grief?"

"Sorry, but it's fun."

Lucas groaned. "Look, that isn't even what I wanted to talk to you about. We have to go back to Chatton, Ellie and I. I want you to come with us."

"Okay, but it seems kind of personal. Are you sure you want me there?"

"Yes," Lucas said, his voice tinged with sadness.

"Lucas, what's wrong? Why do you really want me to come?"

"Because I don't know if she'll be coming back with me."

Sam's breath caught. "What do you mean by that?"

"She dies Sam, right after having me, she dies. I don't know what is going to happen at Chatton, but I feel like she's not coming back, and I don't want to be alone."

"Lucas…"

"She knows Sam, Gavin told us. He just didn't tell us how, but I have a feeling that we'll find out."

"Oh Lucas…I'm sorry…"

"Please don't. I just want to enjoy this time with her. I just wanted to ask you to come to Chatton."

"Of course I'll come." Sam replied.

"Thanks," Lucas said.

At that moment, Ellie came around the corner. "Everything okay you guys?"

Lucas smiled. "Yeah, I was just asking Sam if she would come with us to Chatton."

"Great! Are you coming?"

Sam nodded, straining to keep the sadness out of her face. She looked at Lucas, who didn't seem to be having any problems at all. It was as if he'd forgotten it already. It was evident already how much he loved Ellie. They hadn't known about their relationship long, but the bond was there. Ellie had given him something that he'd never had, and he was cherishing every second he could. Ellie was his mother, he loved her deeply, and it was as if they had never been separated. Sam felt all of this as she watched them talk. She knew that in reality, all Lucas had done was push the knowledge of Ellie's fate into the furthest recesses of his mind so that he could deal with it later. She'd be there when he did.