About fifty feet from Maedlyn's place, Ellie stops running. She can hear the pants of Tucker and Gina as they pull up behind her, and she's huffing too. She figures she better catch her breath before this… encounter.

She goes to tuck her hair back out of habit, forgetting it's tied up. Wait, should she let it down?

She shakes her head, that's doesn't matter, she needs to get in there, now.

Still, she finds herself hesitating at the foot of Maedlyn's stairs. She takes a breath. Well, hesitating isn't going to help anything. She turns over her shoulder to Tucker. "You'll wait here?"

Still breathing through his mouth, Tucker nods without much expression. He turns to Gina and gestures with his head. She gives Ellie one last look and then goes to take point on the other side of the building. No letting Ellie get away today. She's got no plans to run today, though.

Before she can give it any more thought, Ellie climbs the stairs two at a time, raises her hand in front of Maedlyn's door, hesitates just an instant, then knocks three times.

She's got nervous energy running all through her. She bounces on her heel and shakes out her arms several times, taking deep breaths. For all the times she's imagined doing this, she's nervous as hell.

She waits, but she doesn't hear anything inside. Could she be sleeping? It's too early for that…

Shit. Ellie realizes Maedlyn might be at work. There's no way she can ambush her there again, though. She can not repeat that embarrassment. What should she do? Should she call—

"Oh, shit," she hears Tucker say, accompanied by sounds of him backpedaling in the dirt.

She turns around to see Maedlyn standing at the base of her stairs, looking up at Ellie.

Maedlyn's wearing her red checkered dress, with a white apron with a bulge in the pocket from her notepad. She must have just come from work. She's carrying a basket with a paper bundle in it. Looks like food from Guillermo's. Her hair is tied back into a low braid of some kind. Ellie can tell from the way it slopes down behind her ears to her neck.

Her face is surprisingly neutral. She looks tired. There are strands of hair out of place, unusual for her. Her smooth forehead is slightly wrinkled. She's confused.

Unsure what to say, Ellie turns around completely, one hand on the helmet hanging from her waist.

As they maintain eye contact, Maedlyn's eyes become more lucid. Her lips part. "Ellie?" she asks in a dry voice.

Ellie's heart is beating faster. She has to say something. Anything. What should she say?

"Mads, I—" She takes a step down, unable to finish her sentence. Damn it, she's losing it again. She has to say something! What's the most important thing?

"Mads, I'm sorry," she ends up saying in a rush.

Maedlyn's body starts moving again. She leans forward, drops the basket in her hands and runs up the steps. Ellie runs down them to meet her, and Maedlyn jumps into her arms. Ellie wraps hers around Maedlyn's waist and their lips press together so hard that it hurts.

Ellie clutches her so fiercely that Maedlyn's feet don't touch the stairs. The rose oil in her hair mingle with her scent in Ellie's nose, and she only clutches harder.

Their lips part and Ellie is off balance. Their eyes meet, and Ellie goes to speak but Maedlyn leans in again, kissing her passionately. They part, and then the whole thing happens again.

Ellie has to be careful to keep her balance. The next time they pull apart, Maedlyn speaks first.

"Step aside," she says soberly.

"Huh?"

Maedlyn pushes her shoulder and Ellie turns aside, letting Maedlyn past. Maedlyn fetches her keys from her apron and begins fumbling with them as she runs up the last few steps. She hurriedly unlatches her door, pushing it open.

Maedlyn turns and grabs Ellie's hand, pulling her forcefully the last few feet into her apartment and throwing the door closed.

Before Ellie can speak, Maedlyn grabs the fabric of her suit and pushes her up against the counter, Ellie swearing in surprise.

Maedlyn leans in and kisses Ellie again, urgently. She bites her lower lip before pulling away. Ellie is feeling dizzy.

"Wait, Mads, wait!"

Still grabbing her suit, Maedlyn pulls back with an impatient look.

"Don't you…" Ellie can feel herself flushing. "Don't you want to know…?"

Maedlyn scowls then shakes her head sharply. She leans in and kisses Ellie again.

This time when she pulls back, she looks down for a second. A smile spreads across her lips. "I'll tell you what I want to know." Her eyes are heavy with that feeling. Ellie forgot how intoxicating she could be. She feels dizzy again.

"What?" Ellie mumbles.

"Does this thing come off?"

Ellie looks down. She hadn't really considered that she was still wearing the EVA suit. "Uh…" She looks back at Maedlyn. "It's kind of a process…"

Maedlyn leans into Ellie's ear, her sultry voice laced with warning. "Then you better start talking."

Ellie complies.

Maedlyn traces little circles on Ellie's bare chest, both of them mostly covered with the sheet. It's warm in her apartment, but not smothering. The fan turns in lazy circles, pushing a breeze over Ellie as gentle and easy as the feeling of lying next to her lover.

Maedlyn watches her finger trace the circles, as if it were important work, requiring her attention. Her eyes move up to Ellie's face for the dozenth time, as if double checking she's still there. Her grin broadens.

"What?" says Ellie sleepily.

Maedlyn's eyes move between hers.

"You keep looking at me," says Ellie.

"It's what I like to do," Maedlyn replies.

Her hair's down again, spilling over her shoulders and across her neck as she lays on her side, head tucked under Ellie's arm. Her light blue eyes are mischievous.

Ellie feels warm from her belly to her chest to the top of her head. She feels drunk. And she swears Maedlyn knows it. The redhead giggles again, watching her face.

"What are you looking for?" Ellie asks her.

"Not looking," says Maedlyn, moving a lock of hair on Ellie's face. "Finding."

This feels close to… the subject at hand. After their initial encounter, they haven't done much talking. The time may be soon.

As if sensing Ellie's thoughts, Maedlyn's eyes change. She takes a deep breath, then pushes up off of Ellie.

Feeling a wave of disappointment, Ellie just waits.

Maedlyn props herself up on her arm, tucking her hair over her shoulder. She gives Ellie a long look.

Ellie feels the anxiety welling in her stomach. But she doesn't know what to say.

Maedlyn looks over her shoulder, where the various components of Ellie's EVA suit lay scattered over half the room. Then she looks back at Ellie, her eyes incredulous.

"Ellie," she says simply, "what happened?"

Ellie sits up on her elbows, taking a deep breath as well. She hasn't been looking forward to owning up to everything, but that's what she's here to do.

"And don't say you're sorry again," continues Maedlyn. "Just tell me what happened."

"Well…" Ellie sniffs. This might take a while. "I suppose it starts with the part Abby would have told you. And if there's any doubt, let me clear it up, I never saw anything coming…"

Maybe halfway through, Ellie's talking about the part where Nat was training her in the HARM room. Maedlyn's sitting, listening patiently. She's fully nude, and mostly visible, only her legs under the bundled sheets. Ellie's done pretty well, she figures, but her eyes drift for a moment, and Maedlyn takes her cue.

"Stop," she says simply.

Ellie stops mid gesture.

Maedlyn gets up from the bed. "I believe I'm distracting you." She begins pulling on her panties.

Ellie makes an involuntary sound of dismay.

Maedlyn throws a look of amusement and censure over her shoulder.

Right. This isn't time for that.

"Will you dress, too?" Maedlyn asks.

Ellie tosses her hands in her lap. "I mean, yeah, I guess…"

Maedlyn busies herself making tea. She's pulled on a bra and a slim nightie. It's real cute, but not as cute as... you know… without.

Ellie walks behind Maedlyn, putting her hands around her waist.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, now," says Maedlyn, but you can hear the smile in her voice. She's just finished putting the tea-laden kettle on heat.

"I'm just enjoying what I have in front of me," says Ellie, leaning in pulling Maedlyn's intoxicating hair back to kiss her on the shoulder.

"That's what I mean," says Maedlyn. She turns and gently pushes Ellie's shoulder. Their legs brush together, and Maedlyn sucks in a little breath.

She turns, confirming Ellie's back in her jeans and a long-sleeved shirt from Maedlyn's dresser.

"Wh—" Maedlyn begins. She looks Ellie in the eyes seriously. "You're not leaving."

Ellie screws up her lips. She'd hoped Maedlyn would understand. "Not yet, Mads, but…" Ellie scratches the side of her head. "You saw Tucker out there, right? Maria sent him, Maedlyn. He and Gina are literally watching me to make sure I see Maria before the end of the night."

Maedlyn takes in the information with a long breath then lets out an angry huff. "Of fucking course she did." She sighs again. "It only figures." She turns sharply to Ellie. "You're staying here tonight."

"Of course!" says Ellie without hesitation.

"Can I come with you to Maria's?"

Ellie didn't expect that. "Uh…" She scratches the back of her neck.

Maedlyn's giving her a look.

"What?" Ellie asks.

"You're so subtle," says Maedlyn sarcastically. "It's fine, I don't need to be there, but you need to come straight back here, understand?"

Ellie starts to nod, then hesitates.

Maedlyn expels another breath. "What is it, then?"

"There's one more person I ought to see," says Ellie. She really does feel bad. After everything. She hasn't said half what she needs to to Maedlyn, but… she really does need to pay that visit.

Maedlyn's displeased for a moment, but then her eyes are suddenly glossy. She smiles. "I bet there is. Am I going to get any sleep tonight?"

"You will," says Ellie, pulling in Maedlyn against feeble resistance, kissing her above the temple. She's waited so, painfully long to do it. "Trust me, you will."

Maria's glad she had Montes make her the mug of black tea. Talking to Tony is like talking to a robot.

"The phase sequencing and voltaic resonancy was configured in a few weeks, but Maddie didn't even make the subatomic frequency hypothesis until a few weeks after that, and they went through dozens of soft iterations and live tests before we had anywhere near the confidence we needed that we could send people through."

"Without turning them into a fried egg?" says Maria.

"Huh?" Tony replies. He's removed his helmet but left the rest of his suit on, ankle crossed over the other knee, looking surprisingly comfortable. "You mean… like in Casper?"

Maria smirks. "That's right. So I guess not everything's different over there, after all."

"Doesn't seem so. Ellie got almost half my references. Almost. And I'm pretty savvy, so."

"So," Maria agrees with subtle facetiousness. "You seemed to take care of our girl alright."

Tony cocks his head. "Of… course, we… don't leave people hanging. We don't keep everyone with us on the Chimera, but given that she seemed to be from out of town, we took extra care with her."

"That how she ended up with all those cuts and bruises?"

Tony shifts uncomfortably. "Well, now… Alright, we let kind of put her through her paces, you could say." He winces subtly but Maria notices. "But we had her back the whole time. I mean…" He rubs his goatee. "In hindsight she took on a lot, but—she's a real self-starter, you know? I trust that's not news to you."

"It isn't," says Maria bluntly. "Believe me. But you got her back to us in one piece, and if there's any doubt, let me take this moment to say you have my personal thanks."

For a moment, Tony almost looks humble. He offers a little smile, with sincerity. "Think nothing of it."

There's a knock at Maria's door. She knows that knock, and it makes her heart swell for a second. A little smile shows on her face and she calls out. "Come in."

Ellie pushes through the door, closing it behind her. She must have got a move on, she's back into her Jackson jeans and a long sleeve shirt. Her hair's brushed and tucked behind her ears instead of tied up. She looks a bit in a hurry. Maybe a little sheepish, which Maria expected, but…

Other than that, she looks surprisingly good.

"Hey Maria," she says, and the sound of her voice makes Maria's heart swell again. She walks up to the other chair in front of Maria's desk. She hesitates, and if Maria's not wrong she considers coming around to give her a hug, but she awkwardly changes her mind and pulls up the chair behind her, sitting down.

Head resting on her fist still, Maria offers a snorting laugh. She missed this girl so dearly.

"Welcome back, Ellie," she says. "You two made one hell of an entrance."

"It was my fault," says Ellie with surprising urgency. Even Tony looks over. "I insisted. I didn't want to waste any time. We… arrived several miles outside of town, down south of Hoback Peak."

"Hoback? That's twenty miles at least. When was that?"

"Uh… about ten minutes before we showed up in town."

"Ten minutes?" says Maria. "Wow. Tony, I'm trusting what you said about your safety ratings."

"Oh," says Tony, "take it on good faith." He raps his metallic knee with his knuckles for comic effect.

"Well, Ellie," says Maria, "Tony has been regaling me with the tale of the last few weeks on, uh, your end, over there." She sits up straight in her chair, taking a sip of her tea. "I'd have him committed for a mental break, but his gear does seem to suggest an origin outside my previous understanding. That, and we had some other visitors in recent weeks."

Ellie's expression fades. "What?"

"About a month ago," Maria continues, "one Captain Madkirk and his team rolled up in some very impressive personnel carriers."

"FEDRA?" says Ellie, leaning forward in her seat.

"AIM, actually," says Maria.

Ellie shoots to her feet. "Are you serious? What did they want? Did they hurt anyone?"

"It's alright, girl," says Maria, "sit down now." Ellie complies, still concerned. Her hackles are really up. The name AIM means something to her, now. "They, too, were sporting gear I did not recognize or particularly find feasible given my knowledge of the world we live in. I suspected trouble when I laid eyes upon 'em, but I guess the revolvers in our holsters and rifles on our walls were enough to dissuade funny business.

"Madkirk wished to view our city and, in an exchange for an interview, I allowed it. He was quite interested in the interconnected industries—professions, really—that keep our little world turning. I mean, it said plenty, that all of it was novel to him. When I told him of our on-grid power, he didn't bat an eye."

Maria sniffs. Those dark-suited soldiers came at a vulnerable time for her, a strange omen. She hadn't known whether to be afraid or hopeful.

"It was that that prompted me to go out on a limb. I asked him if he was familiar with a certain phenomenon of many colored lights that had been spotted in the area recently."

"You did?" says Ellie. "Have there been many sightings?"

"There have not, in fact," continues Maria, "but there was one disappearance hard on my mind and you can be assured I'd been ruminating, despite discouraging the rumor via the usual methods available to me."

"What did Madkirk say?"

"He lied," says Maria. "He told me he knew of no such thing. He was a skilled liar, but not skilled enough for me. It was then I knew that something was afoot, and—" Maria stops, her emotions almost getting the better of her. She swallows. "And that we might, just might, yet see you again."

Now Ellie takes a deep breath, then nods slowly in understanding. "I'm sorry I made you wait so long," she says. "But I'm glad AIM didn't give you any trouble."

"Me too, I suppose." Maria looks at Tony. "I hear they do a lot of that."

Tony winces again. "Yeah, they keep our hands full. Frankly, we don't have enough hands to juggle them. They've done a lot of systemic harm where we come from. We're still working to undo it. I don't know what their intentions are here, but I know if you had something they really wanted and wouldn't give it up, they wouldn't hesitate to use force."

"Good thing we don't have shit," says Maria. "'Cept horses and hay bales."

"But just in case…" says Ellie, looking at Tony.

He looks back and nods. "But just in case." Tony leans down and opens the metallic case he's been toting around the whole time. He pulls out a strange object. It's clearly mechanical, with a four legged base and a disc shaped body of electrical components. The center is occupied by a large light, now glowing a dull red.

Tony places it on the desk.

"Is that a bomb?" says Maria.

"No," says Tony with a small smile. "It's a beacon."

"A beacon?" Maria asks.

"Of the electronic variety. If you activate it—like so—the light will change and we will receive a signal back on the Chimera."

"That's your flying fortress?"

"Correct. Once we see that, we'll dispatch a team to come assist you in any way we can, including Avengers if we can spare them."

"And Avengers are…?"

"A select team," says Tony simply. "I'm one of them."

"People you don't want to mess with," says Ellie.

"Ellie's one of us, too," says Tony, pointing at her.

Ellie smiles, biting her lip. It's adorable and a little uncharacteristic.

"That true?" says Maria, eyebrows raised.

Ellie recovers. "Pretty much. My team name is Savagery."

Now Maria's eyebrows climb for real. "That so? How'd you earn that little moniker?"

Still smiling, Ellie sticks out her lips. She shrugs and cocks her head as if to say, eh, dunno.

"So if I push this button, a team of… well equipped and illustrious combatants will fly to our aid from… ah… your side of town?"

"That's right," says Tony. "For emergencies only."

"Of course." Maria takes the beacon, examining it, then placing it back down on her side of the desk. "And is there a fee for this service?"

"None at all," says Tony. "It's another potential AIM mess, and it's our job to deal with those."

"Huh. I take it then you won't be staying with us?"

"Not for long, no. I have many things to attend to back home. However… I mean… I don't know if you can tell already, but I'm a pretty curious guy. I volunteered for this, after all."

"Oh, you're curious…" Maria trails off.

Given momentary pause, Tony continues. "If you don't mind, I'd like to stay for a couple days, see how you do things around here. It would mean a lot to me, and it's possible we may be able to help with supplies or tech from our side."

"For what? Trade?"

"Sure."

"Horses and hay bales?"

"I'm sure you've got more than that. And hey, I'm sentimental. I'm sure you can ply me."

Maria guffaws. "Indeed. Well, I've heard worse deals in my time."

"Actually—not to get ahead of myself—I saw your foundry on the way into town and a part of my brain has been stuck on it ever since."

Sensing a turn in the conversation, Ellie sits up in her chair. "Maria?"

Maria sighs as if Ellie is being insubordinate again, but the truth is she doesn't want to see the girl go. "Yes, Ellie?"

"It's just—you know—there's just one more person I really have to see tonight, and it's getting late, and I—"

"I know," says Maria, "I know." She sighs again. She pulls open her desk drawer, sifting through a few sheets of paper, then pulling out the one on her mind.

She reviews the schedule for a few moments. "Hmm," she hums in surprise, "what do you know? Looks like she's due at South stable in ten minutes."

Ellie tenses up more, understanding. "May I go meet her?"

She even used the words 'may I.' Maria can't help but smile. "You may."

Ellie shoots up the instant the words leave her lips.

"But," continues Maria, grabbing her attention again, "I expect we are to have several more conversations in the coming week, especially while Tony is around. And I may need you present on any tours Tony takes to… ah… translate." Tony smirks in playful chagrin, looking down.

Ellie nods eagerly in an agreement Maria suspects she'll come to regret. It broadens Maria's smile. "Good to have you back, girl," she says more softly.

Ellie's eyes soften, too. "Good to be back."

"Dismissed."

Ellie practically shoots out of the room.

"Special bond between you two," says Tony once she's gone.

"Special bond between Ellie and anyone she befriends, you ask me."

Tony snorts softly. "You know what, Maria? You might be right. So." Tony leans forward, the gears in his mechanical armor whirring. "You really use a hand bellows?"

Maria takes a long breath. This is really his line of questioning. He is curious, isn't he? She looks down at her half-empty mug. "Tell you what, Tony. You have until this mug is empty, and the rest will have to resume in the morning."

Tony smiles broadly. "Square deal."

Abby pulls Streusel Cake into her stall, turning her around. She smiles for the hundredth time at her name. So stupid. Apt, though. She's got a faint yellow coat with a single, horizontal brown line wrapped around, like layers of her namesake cake.

She was grumpy with Abby at first, but they're on good terms after a few patrols together. Abby reaches up and scratches her about the jowls and neck.

"Good job today, hun," says Abby.

Streusel tosses her had like she already knows.

Abby inspects her door trough, and it's clean. She fills it from the oat bag hanging by the entrance, then pulls the creaky door shut, locking Streusel in for the night. The other horses in the stable are all sleeping already, and it's quiet.

Which is what makes it uncanny when Abby senses a presence behind her. She turns sharply, and in the dim lantern light of the barn, sees Ellie standing fifteen feet away, with her hand on a post, watching her.

Forehead creased, Abby stares. She blinks a couple times. She shifts her feet. "Ellie?" she tries to ask, but only air comes out.

"Hey," says Ellie, almost carefully. "I just got back. Not just a little while ago. Maria told me you'd be coming off patrol."

Abby was just donning her pack she'd removed from Streusel's saddle. She pulls it over her other shoulder. "Yeah," she says stupidly.

Ellie takes a couple steps forward. "I ran into Dina. Lev. I saw Maedlyn and Maria, too. I didn't want to leave you out, on the first night."

"Right," says Abby, still staring.

"So I came to tell you I'm back, I guess…" Ellie scratches the back of her head. "I… guess that's all I have to say. I feel kind of stupid."

Abby lets go of the straps of the backpack. She stares at Ellie, drinking her in. This means something. What does this mean? What is missing, here?

She takes a few steps toward Ellie, who goes alert. "Why tonight?"

Ellie's neck and shoulders spasm in surprise. "Uh… I mean… this was… this was as soon as I could make it. This was the soonest I could get back, Abs. Honest."

"Why?" Abby asks, her tone becoming firmer.

"I… shit, it's a long story, Abby. You want to hear now? I mean, there were conditions, okay? I needed help. I couldn't have done it on my own, not in a million years. And the people that helped me couldn't make it happen until today."

"Was it dangerous?" Abby asks.

"What…?" Ellie asks, taken aback.

"Were you in danger?" Abby asks, her town hardening.

Ellie frowns. She shakes her head, then tosses her hands. "Yeah. Yeah, long story short, I guess it was, Abby. What… what the fuck do you want from me? Yeah, it was dangerous, from the moment I got there. I fought. I got… I didn't always win. I probably would have died or something bad if it weren't for the friends I made."

"Friends?"

"Yeah, Abby, friends." Now Ellie is getting mad. "The Avengers. Kamala, Tony, Nat. You want to hear all about them right now?"

"Why did it happen to you?" Abby asks.

"What?"

Abby steps forward until there's only three feet between them and her voice grows louder. "Why did it happen to you?"

At that, Ellie is stunned. She looks away for a second. "I… Abby, I don't fucking know. Shit, why didn't it happen to you? I don't know, Abby, it just did."

"It just did," says Abby, "because you're dense, and stubborn, and you wouldn't just leave when I wanted to leave."

Anger seeps in at the edges of Ellie's expression. "Are you fucking kidding me…?"

Abby jabs a finger at her. "And that's not all, Ellie, because who is it that had to tell everyone in town what happened, that you were gone, and that there was a good chance you were never coming back?"

Ellie's eyes and mouth soften, her forehead wrinkling.

"Who had to tell Maedlyn all that? Do you want to know? What her face looked like? I had to tell her over and over because she didn't want to believe—"

"I didn't know, Abby!" shouts Ellie, surprising both of them. Ellie recovers first. "I didn't fucking know that would happen and you know it, and it could just as easily have been you, couldn't it!"

"Because your ass had us out there to begin with!"

Ellie's eyes widen. "Fuck you, Abby! Don't say all this shit like it was no skin off my back! You don't know what it was like for me! You don't know shit!"

"Oh yeah?" says Abby. "What?"

"Fucking I don't know, I guess to be a trillion miles from home with no way back, surrounded by strangers, and—" Ellie's so pissed but wrestles something invisible with her hands, struggling for words. "Fucking robots and everything else. I didn't fucking know!" She's getting louder. "I didn't fucking know what to do, how to get home! And I was trying! Were you trying?"

"Yeah, I fucking was!" shouts Abby.

Surprised, Ellie takes a half step back.

"Yeah, I was, riding out into the border forests every spare afternoon, scouting out places other people said they saw lights. Yeah, I tracked them down as best I could. One time I had one fifteen feet from my face. Didn't fucking help any. Wasn't worth a shit. Because none of it brought me an inch closer to understanding."

"Understanding what, Abby!" shouts Ellie, growing red.

"Fucking," Abby jabs her finger at her again, "understanding what you—" Abby's face is hot. "Where you—understanding what happened. How you could, how Ellie could…"

Ellie's features are melting one more time, the anger fading as she stares back in fascination.

Abby grits her teeth so hard it hurts. Her vision is blurring. "Understanding what I did wrong, you know? You understand?" Her voice breaks. "Because I don't… because I've lost a lot of people but that… something like that is just not…"

The tightness in her chest. A tear rolls down her contorted cheek. Her throat feels full to the brim. She pulls back her finger finally.

"Fuck it," says Abby, stepping forward and snatching Ellie up in a crushing embrace.

Ellie wheezes at first, but her arms clutch Abby's lower back and shoulder around her backpack, and after a few moments of helplessly crying on Ellie, Abby feels a warm wetness on the back of her own neck as well. For a few, beautiful moments, Abby feels absolutely no hesitation in letting the feelings out. It's making a mess of her face and she doesn't care.

After some time, she really doesn't know how long, it occurs to her that she should let the smaller girl down. Abby releases her, and Ellie lands on her feet, almost stumbling, backpedaling a few steps.

They're both breathing hard. Ellie has tears on both cheeks but Abby would bet she looks worse. After seeing each other like that, they both start wiping them away.

"You're—" Ellie's voice is shaky. She swipes a few more times with a handkerchief. "You're not allowed to tell Lev I cried." She blows into the handkerchief.

"You're not allowed to tell anyone I cried," replies Abby through her own handkerchief.

"Nah," says Ellie, sniffing, "Mads is gonna love it."

"No," says Abby, standing upright and suddenly serious, "no you don't!"

Ellie laughs.

"Fuck you, Ellie! Mads is my friend, too! You can't just—"

"Fine," says Ellie, still laughin, "fine, I'll leave out the details."

Abby huffs. "And for another—"

There's a sharp neigh that cuts through the air, causing both of them to jump. They look over to see Eddard tossing his head a few stalls down, clearly aggravated. Abby guesses maybe the horses weren't as moved by their noisy reunion.

A little embarrassed, they clam up in unison and leave the stable, quietly closing the doors behind them.

Ellie giggles first. "Oops."

Abby's not a giggler but she can't really help herself for some reason. "Ah, he—" She chuckles. "He's just a grump."

Jesus. Five minutes and it feels like Ellie never left. A heavy feeling moves through Abby's chest and she grabs Ellie's shoulder.

Ellie turns around, expectant.

"Dude," says Abby, "please don't do that to me again."

Ellie blinks. "But I didn't know the first time—"

"I know, I know, Ellie, just promise."

Ellie frowns, her lips turning in a slight smile. "Well, I don't really know what I'm promising then, but whatever it is, you've got it."

"Thank you." Abby takes a deep breath.

This motherfucking shit. Is this what it's like to be Ellie's friend?

Ellie's digging in her pocket now.

"What's that?" says Abby. "You got a souvenir for me or something?"

"Not quite," says Ellie. She pulls out a small object, inspects it, then flicks it in the air to Abby.

Surprised Abby catches it. "What's this?" Abby looks it over. It's clearly an arrowhead. Looks authentic. It—

Then it clicks. She looks up at Ellie and her eyes confirm it. It's the arrowhead she gave her, months back now. The last time she saw it it was still caked with dirt and stuff. It's polished smooth, now.

She looks at Ellie in confusion.

"It helped me over there," says Ellie. She looks back at Abby meaningfully, but she can't quite piece her apart. There's just something about those green eyes.

Abby stands there, taking her in.

"That, and your lame pep talk," continues Ellie.

Abby nods. "Really?"

"It did," says Ellie.

"Huh," says Abby. She flicks the arrowhead back to Ellie. "You better hold onto this, then."

"You can count on that," says Ellie, slipping the flint back into her pocket.

"Well how about it, then?" says Abby. "Come back to our place, kick up your feet, tell us some stories? I'll even put on some coffee for you."

Ellie makes a disgusted face. "You have coffee? But seriously, I can't dude!"

"Oh, come on, Ellie!"

"Abs, I have to go back to Maedlyn's!"

That gives Abby pause. She takes a breath an expels it. "Yeah, that makes sense. You could bring her over, too. She likes coffee, I happen to know."

Ellie smiles and shakes her head. "Not tonight. Tomorrow night. Okay?"

Abby points a finger directly at Ellie. "You better not leave me hanging."

"I won't, okay!" Ellie starts jogging away now.

"Where you going?" Abby interrogates.

"I just told you."

"Why you running?"

"I don't know, probably so you don't grab me again or something."

Abby waits until Ellie is looking over her shoulder at her, then she starts, as if she were going to sprint after her.

Ellie pulls into a run. "Fuck you, dude!" she yells, laughing.

Abby's smiling, too, so big it almost hurts. It feels weird on her face and she feels like a goofball. She rubs her hand down her face. God, this is so unlike her. What does this girl do to her?

"You better show up tomorrow!" Abby calls after her.

Without turning, Ellie throws up a peace sign right as she runs around a corner.

Low light from Maedlyn's heavy-shaded lamp spills over the bed, their bodies plenty warm under the silky sheer sheets. It's deep in the night, quiet outside, the only sound being soft night wind and the sound of their legs moving under the covers and against each other.

Maedlyn hums again in satisfaction, smiling with her eyes closed. Their foreheads touch as they hold each other.

"Thank you for not making me wait all night," says Maedlyn without opening her eyes.

"You're welcome," says Ellie, as if she'd rather be anywhere else, "again."

They lay for a few moments in blissful silence. They're sure to drift off soon, and for once, Ellie might not have any bad dreams.

Maedlyn's forehead wrinkles slightly. "Wait."

Ellie frowns. Wait?

"You said something earlier."

Ellie nestles further into the pillow. "Tomorrow."

"No," says Maedlyn, opening her eyes. "I just remembered and I think it's important."

Ellie sighs. "Which part, Mads?"

"When you were in that building and that man… gassed you. You said something happened and you'd come back to it later."

Shit. She did forget about that. She sucks in a breath. "Mads, that's not really a talk for right now."

"Well, it's sounding more and more important," says Maedlyn. Ellie can tell she's rousing from the sound of her voice.

"Look," starts Ellie.

Maedlyn's head hovers above the pillow now.

Damn it, she's not going to get around it.

"Alright," says Ellie, "alright, fine. I'll tell you, but I'm not moving my head from this pillow."

"Well, what is it, then?"

Ellie thinks for several, long seconds before she answers.

"It gave me superpowers."

There's only the sound of wind outside and Maedlyn's slow turning ceiling fan.

"What?" Maedlyn asks.

"It gave me superpowers."

"Don't just say that like that's supposed to make sense to me. You mean like Superman?"

Ellie smiles. "Not quite. You want me to show you?"

"Obviously, Ellie."

"Hold up some fingers."

Maedlyn stares with a dubious expression. Eventually she holds up three fingers.

"Three," says Ellie sleepily, her eyes still closed.

Maedlyn doesn't react. She adds in her pinky.

"Four," says Ellie.

Now Maedlyn frowns slightly. She drops her pinky and ring fingers.

"Two."

Maedlyn closes her hand then raises her pinky and thumb.

"Hang loose," says Ellie.

Maedlyn frowns, clearly not getting it.

Ellie unburies her right hand from the covers and mimics the gesture. Maedlyn reaches up and pushes her hand down.

"What kind of face am I making?" Maedlyn asks. She offers a polite little smile, like she'd make to a stranger at market.

Ellie can't help but grin. "Smile," she mumbles.

"How about now?" Maedlyn's face changes to a move inviting, confident smile.

Ellie's grin broadens. "Smile like you're looking at me."

A spasm goes through Maedlyn's forehead. Then her face changes to a characteristic expression of performative disappointment, lips bunched up and pouted. This one Ellie knows so well she even has a name for it.

She laughs. "Parsnip face."

Maedlyn covers Ellie's eyes with her hands reactively. "You're peeking," she accuses. She's breathing slightly faster, though. "How about now?"

She sticks out her tongue.

"Tongue," says Ellie.

Now Maedlyn bolts up in bed, breathing faster. "How did you know that?"

Traces of fear nibble at Ellie, but she has no intention of hiding this from her friends, let alone her lover. She opens her eyes and looks at her levelly. "I don't need my eyes to see anymore."

Maedlyn stares at her for a few moments, just breathing. She covers Ellie's eyes with her hand again.

"Babe…" says Ellie.

Maedlyn continues the exercise.

"Three," says Ellie. "Four. Two—oh, oh, no, three again. Make up your mind. Tongue. Profile. Um… angry? If you could call it that. Worried. You're biting your nail."

"Oh, stop," says Maedlyn, pulling her thumbnail from her mouth.

"The most beautiful woman I've ever seen," says Ellie. She opens her eyes.

Maedlyn looks back at her with a soft but worried expression. She exhales. "That's for real?"

"It's for real," says Ellie.

"It's permanent?"

Ellie chuckles softly, and nods her head.

Maedlyn bites her lip. She looks down, and frowns. "Does this mean you can see through my clothes?"

Ellie laughs.

"I'm serious!"

"Look," says Ellie, "I don't need my powers to see through that." Maedlyn's wearing her sheer nightie.

Maedlyn grabs her pillow and whacks Ellie.

"Babe!" says Ellie. "No, okay! Not really! I mean, that's just not really how it works, okay?"

"Promise!"

"I promise! But I—" Ellie wrestles the pillow Maedlyn's using on her away. "But I can see behind me. And I can't turn it off."

"You can't turn it off?"

Ellie nods. "That's the downside."

Maedlyn just stares with her head cocked. "So you're all up in other people's business, or what?"

Ellie scoffs. "I mean… not really, I don't know. I don't care, but sometimes I see things I'm not meant to, probably. Look, can we save the details for tomorrow? I'm tired, babe!"

Maedlyn stares down at her. Then, finally, mercifully, she puts her pillow back into place, lays down and covers herself with the sheets again.

She watches Ellie with a new awareness. It worries Ellie a bit. Then Maedlyn reaches up and brushes Ellie's lips with her thumb. "Does this mean you'll be keeping an eye on me while I sleep?"

Ellie's lips curl. "I mean, I've always done that, but…" She shakes her head. "It was hard to sneak up on me before. Now? Psh. Good luck."

Maedlyn smirks. "Good god."

"What?"

"You were something else before. Then you go far, far away for a couple months and come back with even more stories and tricks and the like."

Ellie smirks. "I guess that's true…"

"And I suppose all is well and good," says Maedlyn, finally closing her eyes again, fatigue returning to her voice. "As long as you come home to your baby."

"Mm hm," Ellie replies sleepily. She's thinking about Maedlyn's words. She can sense her Avenger passplate on the nightstand next to them. She thinks about all the things she did over there, and how they changed her. And Nat, and Steve and Kamala and the others. She smiles.

It had hurt, being pulled away. But it had also felt so right, being with those guys. She's going to miss it, she realizes.

She hears Steve's voice in her head.

If you ever feel like helping more, I'm sure we can use you.

Then it hits her all at once.

Ellie's eyes shoot open. "Babe," she says.

"What, sugar?"

"I think I have to go back."

There's a brief, taut silence.

"What?"