It's been a while, and I'm so unbelievably sorry! But I've had so many fics on the go that it's hard to keep up, especially if you have writers block and other bad things happening.

Anywho, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter – it's a little less depressing now ;)

It took time, but slowly and surely, things started to return to the way they once were; the pain wasn't completely gone nor forgotten – it never would be – but they learnt to live with it, to accept it and gradually move on.

Within the first couple of weeks of January, Daniels started to smile properly again. They had been working together in his greenhouse, finding that tending to the plants was rather therapeutic for them both, when he noticed it; her smile was involuntary, natural and not forced in the slightest, as she listened to him talk about the various flora he was growing. It made him smile too, and he was glad to see her feeling better.

By the last week of the month, she was eating regularly (helped in part due to his uncontested skill in the kitchen) and there was no awkwardness or hidden misery present when she curled up against him at night. Perhaps it was merely because he had regulated his body temperature to be warmer during the winter, but Walter preferred to think that it was because she actually wanted to be close to him again. Either way, he enjoyed it more than he cared to admit.

They were both back to work by February; rumours flew amongst the colonists as to why they had both been missing for so long, but they both decided to ignore it. It felt good to be getting back into a normal routine, to be doing things as they had before; Daniels especially enjoyed getting to spend time with Tennessee again, finding that she had missed seeing him.

Walter worked as efficiently as he always had, of course, but he found that it was something else that was proving difficult for him; the children of the colony had been thrilled to see him again, and they had flocked to him in groups for several days to spend time with him. He smiled and said the right things, as he usually did, but he couldn't help the sudden and unwelcome rush of something akin to melancholy that arose in him as he interacted with them. A few times, he had seen Daniels watching the exchanges from nearby; there were no smiles then, only longing and miserable looks that he understood all too well.

It got easier with each day; soon he found that his smiles weren't so forced when he spoke to a child, that it was slightly easier to spend time with them even if the ache never did truly go away. He noticed Daniels opening up more and more when children started coming to greet her too; a frequent visitor was the little girl named Bella, the one who had once stated she wanted to be a terraforming expert. His lover always seemed pleased to see the little girl, and he knew that she was genuinely pleased whenever any child came to say hello; Walter always watched, feeling a strange warmth growing in his chest at the sight.

He knew now more than ever that Daniels would be a wonderful mother someday.

Almost halfway into February, as they settled into bed together on a cold night, she kissed him; she hadn't done it in so long, and it was surprising but pleasant for him. When she pulled away, he noticed that she was gnawing on her lower lip and giving him an almost shy look – he had never seen it on her before, and it took him aback.

"I want to… Can we…? I mean, only if you feel comfortable too, I don't want you to feel pressured into it…"

After a few seconds of pondering, he realized what she was most likely talking about. "You want to resume sexual intercourse?"

Despite herself, Daniels laughed loudly. "I was gonna call it something a little more romantic than that, but sure."

He deliberated for a brief moment before giving a nod. "Yes. I want to do that too."

It was somewhat awkward and strange at first; Walter noticed that his lover didn't appear to be nearly as comfortable with her body as she had once been, that her cheeks flushed when he removed her clothes and took her naked form in. He merely pressed kisses to her skin, marking a trail down her body and gently touching as he went along.

"I think you are beautiful," He informed her, voice low and serious. "You're beautiful, and I love you."

Her eyes glistened with tears, but they didn't seem to be the unhappy kind at all. "I love you too," Daniels whispered, reaching for him in the dark. "So fucking much."

They had made love slowly and carefully that night, taking their time as they moved together; this wasn't about achieving some kind of relief but rather relearning each other and how to be intimate again. Afterwards, as they lay sated and satisfied underneath the sheets together, Daniels pressed herself into his side and simply smiled; it was the kind of smile that seemed to be half of a giggle, a blissful show of affection as she looked at him. Walter could only return it, grinning so widely that he couldn't stop his teeth from showing – a shark-toothed grin that unsettled so many people but never her.

One night shortly after, whilst they were both sitting by the fire whilst curled up together, Daniels tentatively brought the subject up once more.

"I think…I think I'd be okay with us trying again now," She said softly, and her fingers slowly intertwined with his own. "So…whenever you want to…I'm ready."

His usual protocol was to analyse and think, to spend time making important decisions – but this time he didn't need to consider, didn't need to process or judge. The answer came almost naturally.

"I'm ready for that too," He informed her, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "Just as much as you are."

She had beamed – a most beautiful expression that he found he enjoyed to see on her face – and pressed a kiss to his mouth before settling back against his side.

Even though it seemed silly and impossible, Walter found that he had what could only be described as a 'good feeling' about what was to come.

There were only a few tests to endure this time around, just to be sure that Daniels was physically healthy and healed after what had happened; there were more than a few conversations to discuss her emotional well-being too, to be sure that she was in the right mindset for such a thing. It became clear that the doctors were more than satisfied, however, as they allowed the treatments within just a week.

After the experience of their attempts before, Walter had decided that keeping Daniels as stress-free as possible was of the utmost importance; he knew that she was independent and more than capable of doing things by herself, but that still didn't stop him from trying to help in whatever way he could. He made her healthy meals while they were in their cabin together, made sure that she stayed active – the lake had thawed now, and she had taken to swimming – and was always sure that she was feeling comfortable with everything that was happened. Indeed, she was smiling and more like herself with each day that passed, a fact which relieved him immensely.

The first month yielded no positive results in terms of pregnancy, but there was little use in dwelling on it; instead, Daniels had merely taken a deep breath and decided there was no need to depress herself over it. She could get pregnant, there was no doubt about it, it was just about finding the right time again – it would happen, she just had to wait. Walter seemed to be thinking along the same lines, judging by how cheerful he remained; there was no tension or awkwardness between them, just the mutual understanding that it would come if they were patient enough.

The second attempt was done just as spring arrived on Origae-6, and they had walked home together afterwards whilst holding hands and taking in the new plants that blossomed. It was difficult to feel sad or anxious when there were so many beautiful flowers around, and they spent the rest of the day outdoors to admire how alive everything looked. They spent the next week and a half appreciating the flourishing plants, doing as much as possible outside; the best day, Daniels found, was when Walter had prepared a small picnic for them to enjoy down by the lake.

On the day they were to return to the doctor to find out if it worked, neither of them were tense or particularly anxious; sure, they both wanted it to happen, but stressing over it wouldn't help at all. Instead, as they made their way to the office, they discussed how Walter's greenhouse was doing, the various plants that were growing under his gentle and capable care.

To be honest, Daniels knew it was more for Walter's sake than her own – she knew that he was using the topic of plants to keep his mind from worrying (though he would always deny that he worried, of course).

As the doctor set everything up, Walter felt Daniels slip her hand into his; when he looked at her, she merely smiled, somewhat nervously, and squeezed. Smiling back in what he hoped was a reassuring way, he squeezed her hand as tightly as he dared – no matter what the outcome was, they were going to deal with it together.

The machine hummed to life, and the doctor started the examination; Walter noticed Daniels conceal a small grimace at the feeling of cold gel spread over her skin, and he ran his thumb over her knuckles to reassure her that he was still there. He felt her pulse quicken as the doctor scanned, and he knew that if he'd had a human heart then his own pulse would have done the same thing; instead, one of the components inside of him was whirring at a faster speed than usual, his mind overrun with curiosity and – dare he say it – hope.

When the doctor smiled and turned the screen towards them so that they could see, he felt his lover squeeze his hand tighter than ever, her heartbeat racing for an entirely different and much more wonderful reason. He felt somewhat light-headed as he gazed at the monitor, at the living image that was so perfect and small – it was all so overwhelming.

Once the doctor had left to give them some time to themselves with the scan, Daniels started to cry – they were joyful tears, uncontrollable and inevitable.

"That's ours," She muttered, utterly speechless. "Look at it…ours."

"I know," Walter said quietly, and his voice sounded almost hoarse. "It is…perfection. Or, at least, as close to perfection as is possible to be."

"You're a sap," She laughed tearfully, turning to face him now. "I'm so happy, Walter…it's happening."

It was as if the awful events of the previous year had never happened; there was only a radiant exuberance, complete elation as they experienced this together. Walter had to blink the moisture from his own eyes before answering, overcome with emotion that he hadn't been aware he had possessed. "Yes, it's happening; I'm…I'm happy too," He agreed, and she didn't miss the way his voice seemed to waver. "I love you, Danny, and I…I think I already love this baby, even if that seems implausible."

"It's not implausible," She assured him, and he turned to gaze at her. "I love you too; I can't wait for this, for…for us to be a family."

Family. The word sent a rather pleasant feeling through his circuits, and his grin was completely involuntary as he leaned over to press a kiss to her mouth. It wasn't often that he initiated such contact – he usually worried that it would be unwanted, and the last thing he wanted was for her to be uncomfortable – but it seemed right In this moment.

Both of them were far too happy and emotional to say anything else – instead, they watched the tiny image of their baby on the screen together, the future impossibly bright and full of possibilities.

They had made their way back to their cabin afterwards, the day now turning to evening, both of them thrilled and unable to keep their hands off each other; Walter had no qualms whatsoever when she pulled him to their bedroom, pressing kisses to every inch of him that she could reach and tugging at his clothes. He could only return the favour, kissing her feverishly as he undressed her and laid her out on the bed before him.

He had always found Daniels attractive– she was the only human he had ever felt such a way about – but suddenly she seemed to be beautiful to him; it was almost definitely the knowledge that she was pregnant, the fact that he knew she would grow and nurture their child (a thrill ran through him at the thought). He couldn't help himself from wanting to worship her, wanting to please her and satisfy her – she deserved nothing less.

Walter kept her eyes on her as pressed kisses to every inch of her skin, marking a trail down her body; she moaned softly, spurring him on further, and he could feel her warming up beneath him, her arching and growing desperate. He lingered for a few moments longer than necessary when he reached her abdomen, and when she looked at him, she realized that his expression was tender and loving: it was all she could do not to cry again.

Eventually, he reached that part of her that was always so warm and ready for him, her legs parting to allow himself to situate himself between her thighs. Without hesitating, he slowly inserted a finger inside of her, delighting in the way she groaned for him; her soft cries got louder with a second finger, and then at the feel of his thumb brushing against the small bundle of nerves that lived there. It took just a couple of minutes for her to fall apart before him, and he watched in fascinated awe as she came down from her high; she always looked so wonderful when she climaxed, her skin flushing and every part of her arching for him. He sucked at the skin on her hip bones as she relaxed, waiting for her to recover completely before continuing; once he was sure that she was ready again, he smiled and slowly lowered his mouth to her slit.

Immediately she moaned loudly, her entire body awash with pleasure. "Jesus fuck, Walter…yes…"

It didn't take long before Daniels was panting and shining with sweat as she bucked her hips up against Walter's mouth, hands reaching to tug at his hair.

"Walter…yes, fuck!"

Keeping his eyes on her, the synthetic ran his tongue up her slit and to the small nub he had located on several previous occasions – her clit, his data informed him just as he sucked hard.

She came hard against his lips almost immediately, tossing her head back and crying out his name loudly; he continued to lap at her wet heat as she slowly came down, filing her response away for future reference. She looked enticing like this, he decided, bare and as close to perfection as it was possible for a human to be.

As her breathing started to slow, he carefully moved away from her heat to hover over her; he could feel her smile against his cheek as he pressed small kisses to her neck, her hands coming to rest on his back.

"Danny…"

"C'mon," Daniels urged eagerly, and he realized that she was still wet. "Now, I'm ready now."

Walter gave a nod, reaching one hand down to grip himself in hand, hard despite not having been touched; even with her bucking against him and begging, he was slow and precise as he sank into her – he didn't want to hurt her, even if they had done this many times before.

Immediately she groaned, her nails digging into synthetic skin as her hips bucked. "Fuck, I'm not gonna last."

He tilted his head, only somewhat surprised by this, and started to move over her; the sensors on his body could detect that she was tight and wet, a perfect heat for him, and it made his own groin tighten in anticipation.

It didn't take long for her to finish at all once he picked up the pace, and she whimpered as her orgasm came over her quite suddenly; she called his name as she arched into him, her entire body tightening and spasming beneath him. He was sure to continue kissing her throughout it, whispering words of adoration for her to help and settle her.

It was only when Daniels looked up at him, biting her lip, that he realized what else she wanted.

"Come on, Walter," She sighed blissfully, dragging her nails over his back. "You need to finish too."

"I don't need-"

"I want you to," She requested firmly, reaching up to cup his face. "Please?"

Walter was never one to deny her anything; he started to thrust again, this time a little harder, as his hands tightened on the sheets of the bed. It was with a low moan of satisfaction that he came, releasing fluid into her to make the experience seem more genuine before lowering himself over her.

"Three orgasms isn't bad," Daniels reflected, quite satisfied.

He hummed in thought. "We've achieved more beforehand – however, I think that from now on we should take extra care not to over-exert you, Danny." Slowly, his hand came to cup her still-flat abdomen.

She grinned fondly. "I don't think having sex is gonna hurt the baby, Walter."

"No, it probably won't," He acknowledged. "But multiple orgasms could over-exert you, and in such case then that might possess a slight risk to the unborn baby's health in the later months of your pregnancy."

Daniels shook her head, still smiling as she combed her fingers through his hair. "I love you, you know that?"

"You've told me before," Walter stated – but she could see a small smile pulling at his features. "I know. I love you too, Danny."

Ah, nothing like a time jump, fluff and smut to fill a chapter, 'eh? ;) Next chapter will probably be more of the same – and those of you who have ever seen a particular part of "The Light Between Oceans" will be in for a REAL treat. :D

The last half of that sex scene was actually a prompted drabble I wrote for something else – I just thought I'd add it in here :3

Reviews are heaven!