Things moved somewhat quicker than expected, and it was just a few weeks later that the first attempt was done; they had to wait a few days before attending a scan, where the doctors would confirm if it had indeed worked or not, and the wait was – in short – agonizingly painful. Both of them tried to distract themselves in the meantime, continuing work and all other normal routine – but it was still on both of their minds.

For Daniels, she couldn't help but wonder – what if it had worked? The doctors had told her it could take a few tries, granted, but there was still the chance it had – that in nine months, she and Walter could have a baby. She wasn't sure whether she was more excited or frightened by the thought, if she was being honest; it was a mix of both, for reasons she didn't want to address – not yet, at least.

Despite trying to maintain a calm façade, it was ridiculously obvious that Walter was occupied by similar thoughts too; he was somewhat anxious to discuss it, mostly because there was little use in talking about it if it wasn't certain yet. However, even those rational thoughts couldn't stop him from looking closer at his lover, couldn't stop his mind from wondering if she was indeed already carrying a child; the thought sent a rather pleasant tingle through all of his circuits, and he couldn't quite place why the idea appealed to him so much.

On the morning of the scan, as they made their way back towards the doctor's office, they were both silent – even without saying anything, it was clear that they were nervous at what the outcome would be. It was only as they neared the door that Daniels stopped walking, taking Walter's hand and gnawing on her lip.

He stopped walking, puzzled. "Danny? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," She said, voice quiet. "It's just…it's stupid, but if it…if it didn't work-"

"Then there will be more attempts," He reminded her, tilting his head.

Daniels looked down at the ground, and he could see that she was struggling to say what she wanted to. "I know. I'm being ridiculous, but I was just…if it hasn't worked, you're not going to…you know." Her cheeks were flushed. "Hate me."

"I don't understand," Walter said, frowning as he took a step closer. "I cannot see any reason as to why I would hate you."

"Like I said, it's stupid," She muttered, shaking her head. "I was just worrying about nothing – I dunno, I just thought it might be like I…failed."

"Oh. I think I understand." His fingers squeezed hers tightly. "Danny, if it has not worked, it would be illogical to blame you because it's dependent on a number of factors; there is your monthly cycle, the health of the embryo even before implantation… These are things out of your control, so blaming you for it would be implausible."

Despite herself, Daniels gave a relieved smile. "Yeah, you're right. I'm just getting worked up about it, you know? I…I really want this to work."

He was silent, considering what she had said, before giving a nod in agreement. "I know, Danny." Walter's voice was much softer now, and he averted his gaze. "I want this to work too."

It hadn't worked.

The doctor who saw them didn't seem particularly concerned, cheerfully reminding them that it rarely worked the first time and then making another appointment to attempt again. If he saw the disappointed looks on their faces, he didn't comment.

Walter noticed that Daniels was withdrawn as they walked back to their cabin, and he reached out to take her hand again; humans found comfort in contact most of the time, and this seemed like an appropriate situation for it. When she still didn't say anything, he forced a smile onto his face and began to speak in a reassuring tone.

"There's a higher probability that it will work next time; the doctor said that there is more data to rely on now, given that he has been able to monitor your hormone levels over the past few weeks, and it will help them pick an optimum time to implant an embryo."

"I know," She sighed, not looking at him. "I didn't think it was going to work this time, to be honest, but still…I kinda hoped anyway."

He had too, but he decided not to mention that to her in case it upset her further. "It won't take long for it to work," He said instead, though he couldn't know this for sure. "The doctors have said that you're healthy and fit, so it's likely to be soon."

She sighed again but lifted her head and gave a half-hearted smile. "You're probably right," She decided. "No use in being miserable over it, I guess – it won't change anything. Thanks, Walter."

Walter didn't think that anything he had said was particularly helpful in any way, but he grinned all the same. "I'm glad to help. For now, it would be best to rest your body – putting strain on yourself, whether physical or emotional, will not help."

"You just want an excuse to make me dinner again," Daniels accused, and she felt slightly better; bantering with him (or Tennessee, for that matter) always put her in good spirits.

His lips twitched, and he found himself chuckling quietly under his breath. "That is true – after your attempts to cook last night, I think it best to prevent you from entering the kitchen again in the near future."

The second month yielded no results either.

Neither of them spoke until they reached their cabin, barely even looking at each other; it was only when Walter had taken her coat and placed it on a coat peg near the door with his own that he heard the unmistakable sound of a sniffle. Alarm bells sounded in his head, and he immediately moved to sit on the couch where she was perched.

"Danny…"

"I'm fine," She dismissed, wiping her eyes. "I'm fine."

He hesitated before moving closer and putting an arm around her. "You're allowed to be sad, Daniels, that it didn't work. It will work eventually, but it is disappointing when it doesn't, of course."

"I'm being stupid," She mumbled, but she leaned into his touch all the same. "I just…I hoped."

"I hoped too," Walter admitted. "We can hope that it happens next month instead – the doctor has already approved of another attempt." He paused, and when he spoke again his voice was gentle. "Of course, if you would rather wait another month, that would be understandable."

Daniels shook her head immediately. "No, no, I don't want to wait another month – the sooner the better."

They sat in silence, her head on his shoulder and his arm around her comfortingly; later he would make hot chocolate for her and light the fire so that they could curl under a blanket together in the warmth, letting her body sag against his own. They wouldn't speak of embryos, babies or treatments, instead leaving the topic for another night. For now, however, they were both content to just sit in silence, arms around each other and a shared pain that needed no words.

The third attempt was just as unsuccessful.

Once they had returned to the cabin, Daniels had fled to the upstairs bathroom, saying she needed a shower; Walter had let her go, deciding that she needed time alone to deal with her misery, and set about making dinner. She would not want to eat, he knew, but he would insist – it was important that she remain healthy, for herself if nothing else.

Half an hour later, he listened to the sounds of the cabin to see if she had finished showering; it suddenly occurred to him that the shower hadn't even been turned on since they'd returned home.

Walter found her upstairs in their shared bedroom, curled up and staring miserably at the wall; when he entered, her eyes flickered to him and glistened.

"I'm sorry."

"You have no need to apologize," He reminded her, slowly sitting on the side of the bed. "You've done nothing wrong."

Daniels looked away, exhaling deeply and trying not to cry again. "What if…What if I'm too old?"

"Danny-"

"What if I missed my chance?" She whispered, and she was now staring at the wedding ring on her finger. "What if that's why it's not working?"

Walter felt a pang run through him, an unpleasant feeling that he didn't particularly like, as he glanced at the ring she was staring at. "You're not too old," He said finally. "There are mothers in the colony who had children when they were older than you are now. If you were too old, the doctors would not allow you to continue the treatment."

"I guess."

He looked away, and he suddenly realized that he was feeling far too much, far more than he should have been capable of feeling; sadness, regret – even guilt. "I'm sorry, Danny," He murmured to her. "If I were a human, I would be able to impregnate you through intercourse, and you would not have to worry about appointments or tests. It would happen naturally." He hesitated. "If your husband were still here…"

Daniels sat up, frowning at him. "Hey, don't. It's not the same, and you know it."

"If he were still alive, you would not be with me," Walter stated. "And you would presumably not be having to endure this every month."

"If he were still alive…he's not," She said, somewhat tersely; after a moment, she seemed to soften. "Walter, I don't want you to be him; I want you to be you, and that's it." She put a hand on his shoulder, trying to get through to him. "You were right before; it'll happen eventually, I'm just…it sucks when I get my hopes up and it doesn't happen. But we'll get there eventually."

Her hand slipped into his, warm and soft, and he couldn't help but feel somewhat reassured by it. "Yes, we will."

They agreed in the days between the fourth treatment and the scan that if it didn't work, then they would take a short break; it was tiring and upsetting to go through the routine of it every month and being stressed was doing no favours in any way. It was November now, and so if it didn't work this time then they would wait until after the Christmas holidays to try again – it was a reasonable plan, they decided.

Truthfully, both of them had expected the same thing to happen again – it was what usually happened, after all – and they'd tried not to get their hopes up. As they sat in the doctor's office, waiting for the scan to load, they prepared for the worst.

But then the doctor grinned, looking extremely pleased. "Aha."

"Aha?" Daniels repeated cautiously. "What does that mean?"

The doctor's eyes were twinkling as he gestured to the screen before them. "It means that it's worked. I think congratulations are in order for you both!"

Walter stared at the screen, immediately taken aback. "That is…a baby?"

"Not just 'a baby'," The doctor said jovially. "Your baby." Seeing that they were both stunned and speechless, he started to point to the different parts of the scan. "That little blob there is it – a healthy embryo, already starting to grow; if you squint, you'll be able to just see that this part here is the head. Everything appears to be going smoothly, the embryo has implanted perfectly… Congratulations!"

Neither of them spoke, instead entirely focused on the small screen. Sensing that they were both overwhelmed and shocked, he gave them a polite smile and stood.

"This is a very emotional moment, I'm sure; I'll give you both a minute or so alone – after all, this is something very special, and I can imagine that you'd like some privacy."

The door clicked shut as the doctor left, leaving the two of them alone with the picture on the screen. Daniels found herself beaming, unable to hold it in, as she gently pressed a hand to her abdomen; her eyes were glistening with tears, this time of a more joyful kind.

"That's it," She said weakly. "That's the baby – our baby."

Walter's hand slipped into her free one, and when she looked at him she realized – with some surprise – that he was close to tears himself. "It looks perfectly healthy," He stated quietly. "Perfection is impossible, I know, but…but it is perfect."

There was no shame when a few tears rolled down her face, only absolute happiness. "That's ours," She reiterated, and a laugh bubbled out of her suddenly. "Jesus, that's ours!"

Walter was grinning widely as he looked between her and the screen, squeezing her hand tightly. "That's ours," He repeated, as if unable to believe it. "That is our baby…I love you, Danny."

Daniels chuckled tearfully, happier than she could ever remember being before. "I know. I love you too, Walter; I love you so much."

Tennessee was the first person they told, of course – it seemed only fair, given that he was their closest friend, the one person they knew they could trust with anything. They invited him over to the cabin that evening, excited to share the news with him and still somewhat disbelieving that it was real; he greeted them cheerfully, accepting the beer Daniels offered him and not even realizing that she didn't have one herself until they were all sat by the fire.

"You feelin' okay?" He asked, somewhat surprised.

"I'm fine," She agreed, unable to keep the grin from her face. "Actually, Tee, we've got something we wanted to tell you."

He glanced between them, visibly confused. "Uh…Alright, sure. Nothing too serious though, right?"

"Well, it depends on what you mean by serious," She laughed, taking her lover's hand. "Nothing bad, Tee, we promise."

Tennessee listened as she started to describe what had happened at the appointment (Walter adding in details with a rather pleased smile), nodding along with her story – and then his jaw dropped, eyes wide.

"You're… You're not shittin' me?" He asked, standing up and looking between his friends. "I'm tellin' you, Danny, if you're tryin' to pull the wool over my eyes-"

"I'm not," Daniels chuckled, standing up too. "We're serious; the doctor said that, by summer next year, we're gonna be parents."

"Holy fuckin' shit, you're actually doing it!" Suddenly he was enveloping her in a large bear hug, laughing jovially along with her. "Congratulations, Danny! And you too, Walter," He looked over Daniels' shoulder at the synthetic. "Get your ass up here so I can hug you too!"

Slightly bemused, Walter allowed Tennessee to pull him into the hug and grinned. "Thank you, Tennessee – we're both very pleased."

"Yeah, I bet you are! Jesus, does this mean I'm gonna be an uncle?"

"Of course," Daniels agreed, rather fondly. "Walter and I wouldn't have you be anything less, Tee – you're our best friend. Besides, someone's gotta babysit so we can have time to ourselves every now and then."

At the wink she sent him, Tennessee howled with laughter. "Figures that I'm gonna be on diaper duty so you two can get it on!"

Even though he was laughing and joking as usual, it was obvious that her words had touched him; the shine in his eyes was hard to miss, as was the way his voice cracked later that evening when he decided to make a toast to them ("and the space-monkey," he added with a glance at Daniels' stomach; she merely rolled her eyes and raised her glass of soda to clink with the beer bottles both men were drinking from). There was no doubt that Tennessee was thrilled for them, almost as thrilled as they were already, as they talked late into the night and celebrated.

As Walter watched his lover and their friend making wise-cracks about babies and parenthood, he couldn't help but feel inexplicably happy; even after reminding himself that there would be a nine month wait for the baby to arrive, that it was still too early to discuss a nursery or similar items a baby would need, he couldn't help it. It went against a number of protocols instilled in Weyland-Yutani synthetics – they were not supposed to love, not supposed to have emotions, certainly not want a life like a human might – but he didn't believe it to be dangerous in any way; there was nothing dangerous in loving Daniels or in feeling joy at the fact that they were to have a child together.

This was not a life he had ever expected to have during all of his time on the Covenant – he had known that he was supposed to be decommissioned upon arrival, once his duties were completed – but it was far better than any life he could have conceived of having.

The next few days were spent in a rather blissful daze that consisted of embraces, kisses, and a number of intimate encounters that ranged from the bed to the kitchen counter (Walter was sure to clean thoroughly afterwards, all too aware of correct food hygiene). Even though it was only early days, it was still exciting and wonderful to know that there was a baby – an actual, physical baby – that was theirs. Several times, Daniels realized her lover was resting a hand on her stomach, gazing adorable at it despite the fact it was as flat as it always was; the sight made her heart feel warm in her chest, love for him flooding through her again and again.

"It's really happening," She would murmur to him, a radiant smile breaking out on her face. "It's actually going to happen."

There were already bouts of sickness (as it turned out, morning sickness did not only occur during the morning but at any and all times of the day), and she even thought she was starting to develop a craving for certain foods that she usually avoided, but nothing could take away from the joy, from the excitement.

It was just a week after when a thunderstorm hit; it was nothing to be worried about, Origae-6 usually experienced storms during the later months of the year, and so they thought nothing of it. They went to sleep that night, Walter curling an arm around Daniels as she drifted off; he didn't need sleep, of course, but he was content to watch her in the dark and contemplate to himself.

After a few hours, Daniels shifted in the bed beside him and rolled onto her other side to face away; he gave her a fond look before deciding he should take the time to recharge and make sure that he was not malfunctioning in any way – just to be on the safe side, after all. He knew that if he was needed, she would 'wake' him and let him know.

It was only a mere half an hour later that he realized she was shaking him desperately, and as he regained full consciousness he realized that her voice was worried – an immediate cause for alarm. For a moment, he thought she had perhaps experienced a nightmare, that she merely needed comforting after the horrors of a bad dream – but then, in the dark, he saw the tears glistening on her face, a sob choking her.

"Daniels-"

"I-I…" She was trembling, clutching at him in the dark like she'd never done before. "Walter, I'm…I-I'm b-bleeding."

I AM SO FUCKING SORRY PLEASE DON'T HURT ME