Author's Note - Moving swiftly on, a chapter about the girls. Just to prolong Wilks' agony a little further.

Chapter Seventeen - This Woman's Work

Considering her expertise, Aidie had always struggled to play the waiting game. Her stubborn, impulsive nature wanted nothing more than to just finish it. However, a part of her that had been trained by Wilks had become increasingly dominant in her decision-making process. And it was this part that made her wait out the confrontation below. She watched as the Lambent ripped and tore apart at the attacking Locust, timing each of her shots to coincide with that of the battling creatures. Dropping out of sight each time one of them would look her way. She assisted both parties for her gain until the final Locust glanced backwards and caught her. It let out a roar and charged towards the church.

She leapt to her feet and grabbed a Gnasher, her feet fumbling their way down the stairs as she raced to beat the Locust to the door. She heaved it backwards just as the Drone caught sight of her. It let out a snarl and swung itself towards her. She lifted the Gnasher and pulled the trigger just as it grabbed for her, causing the shot to swerve off target at its face. She fell, knocking the weapon out of her hands, as the spray of blood and bone splattered back at her. The Drone let out a gurgled scream, half of its cheek blown apart, it clutched desperately to protect its damaged face. Then fixed her with its unblinking eyes and lunged angrily at her weapon. Aidie scrambled on her hands and knees to get to it, but the Locust's huge boots stomped heavily on her fingers to stop her. She out a yelp, wrenching her hand away from it. It grabbed hold of her, roughly hoisting her to her feet and slamming her against the wall as it reached down for the Gnasher. She heaved out a breath at the impact then fixed on its bloodied face with steely eyes.

"Go on then," she sneered, "I dare you."

It bore its teeth at her in response, panting out blood from between its fangs. It staggered forwards lifting the Gnasher and pulled the trigger.

Aidie braced herself, closing her eyes and tilting her head to the sky in prayer.

I'm sorry I let you down, Wilks.

Silence

She chanced a glance. The Drone stared at the weapon confused and outraged that it dare jam on its shot. It let out a growl as it pulled the trigger again and again at her in frustration, angling it upwards to see if something had jammed within the barrel. Just as the weapon misfired blowing its head off.

Aidie stared back in disbelief feeling her knees go weak as her strength left her.

"How..." she panted, "How was that even possible."

As if in answer the floorboards creaked above her from the weaponry room, even though she knew there was no one up there.

"Thank you," she whispered to the silence.

It took her a minute to gather her nerves. She closed her eyes in silent contemplation, trying to comprehend the possibility of what she had witnessed. There was no way the Allfathers had somehow prevented the gun from going off. It was an old weapon that hadn't been used for a long time. Plus she could have knocked something when it flew from her hands. And yet, it misfired at a perfect opportunity.

"Archer's so going to laugh at me if I ever get the chance to explain that to him," she muttered to herself as she finally drew to her feet to stagger unsteadily out of the church.

Out in the courtyard, she was able to take in the extent of the battle and her place in it. The danger had passed. They were safe. For now.

The women waited for her signal before they carefully picked their way over to her, Freja taking the lead in case any further threat arose. Emma took in Aidie as they entered the courtyard, she gently guided her by the arm to one of the pews to assess her injuries.

"Oh child, look at you,"

Aidie flinched slightly, "I'm all right, it's not my blood. At least I don't think it is."

Freja entered the church in curiosity, allowing Emma to attend to Aidie while she went in search of the promised firearms. The door was still wide open otherwise she would have easily missed it. Eagerly she rushed up the stairs and took in the weapons in excitement.

"Well I'll be," she nodded in approval, "little COG girl did well for herself."

She retrieved an older version of the Torque Bow, a little on the rusty side but it still seemed to do the job just fine. Then dug around for added extras through the ammunition box, adding a few grenades to her arsenal.

Aidie had grown impatient of Emma's attentiveness.

"Please Emma, I'm okay," she placed a hand on her wrist to stop her.

"Let me clean you up,"

"Emma, I'm fine," she stood up abruptly and ushered the older lady to her seat, "Please, it's okay."

She grumbled in disapproval but accepted the chance to sit and rest a little. It gave Aidie the opportunity to finally have a breather from the attention. She entered the courtyard in reluctant search for Sofie and instantly wished she had come sooner.

Sofie stood outside the courtyard walls on her knees staring at the four graves of her children, with the baby clutched protectively to her chest. Her eyes drifted from one to another in a lost gaze as she battled with her demons. Aidie drew silently behind her at a loss as to how to approach her.

Thunder rumbled somewhere in the distance, its boom rolling through the wasteland enough to shake the ground.

"He proposed you know," Sofie quietly spoke, aware of Aidie's presence without even announcing herself, "several times over. And each time I turned him down."

Aidie had a feeling they were no longer talking about Sofie's unrequited feelings for Wilks now, the emotion in her voice. The pain she was going through was all too real and all too fresh.

"The first time we gazed upon our beautiful twins, he gathered us in his arms and asked me. He swore he would never stop asking until the day came that I would say yes. After everything I did to him, despite how much I hurt him. He still forgave me, and he still asked. I was never good enough for him." she looked down at the child that wasn't hers and felt a tear streak its way down her cheek.

"I am so sorry," Aidie gently responded, "how can I help?"

Sofie paused then half twisted to face her, "get me home so I can promise Tate I will never leave his side again."

She nodded in agreement, "of course."

Sofie turned back to stare at the graves, "now please leave me, I need to spend some time with my children one last time."

The women left the church at sundown, using the cover of night to their advantage. Aidie led them to the rope ladder, untwisting it from the hiding place and shaking it out for them. Freja volunteered to go ahead, now readily armed to protect them from above while Aidie stayed below to ensure Emma and Sofie made it up safely. The baby cradled into a sling against Sofie's chest, now allowing her full use of her hands to protect herself should any situation arise. They scaled the cliff carefully and quietly, Aidie pulling the rope ladder up after them to prevent anyone from tracking them.

Emma took the lead, knowing the route better than the others and sensing the urgency for them to get home. Together they were lighter on their feet, allowing them to scale the harder to manoeuvre pathways and cut through a quicker route again. Aidie felt herself flagging for the first time, finding herself an excuse to stop. She scoped the route as she caught her breath.

As they reached the peak of the incline into the later part of the afternoon, Emma stopped to take in the scenery. She paused as she caught movement and indicated for Aidie to take a look. Aidie drew the sights to her eye and tracked along the canyon.

"What the hell?.." she frowned, passing the scope to Freja to assess the situation.

A breath hitched in Freja's throat as she caught a glimpse of what Aidie and Emma had seen.

"Formers, lots of them," she confirmed.

"You mean those creatures we saw back in those cells?" Sofie asked worriedly, placing a hand on the baby in protection.

"Yeah but they aren't alone," Aidie concentrated further, adjusting the clarity of the scope, "those mercenaries are with them."

"I don't know which one is more of a monster," Sofie muttered, "they all need destroying."

Aidie couldn't help notice Freja flinch at Sofie's candidness. She opted to save her response for a moment where she could inquire later.

"But why are they all the way down here?" Emma asked, "they're about a day out from the village. Surely you don't think they're heading to it?"

"Those Formers will tear the place apart," Aidie said, "we need to get back. How far off are we now Emma?"

"A few hours away but it's a steady drop so the faster we go the more chance of breaking something,"

"I think it's a risk we're going to have to take. We have to warn the village before those creatures get close,"

They pushed ahead down the steady gradient that would eventually lead them back to the village. The earth was dry and loose underfoot, and a few times one of them would stumble and slip until they were caught and righted again. They pushed their pain to the back of their minds as they fought off aching cramps in their tired muscles. The conversation had dropped to the bare minimum.

The baby let out a yowl of protest as Sofie stepped awkwardly on a rock sending her downwards. Aidie quickly reached out and grabbed her by the arm, righting her before she hit the ground. Sofie kept her arm linked through hers longer than either were aware until she glanced across at the younger blonde and let out a tired sigh.

"Do you need to rest?" Aidie asked, realising how much Sofie had taken on by herself to feed and protect the baby "or eat."

"I'm just tired, is all, I just want to get back now,"

Aidie nodded, trying to work out how she could help her, "I can take the baby a little while if you'd like."

"No, I don't," Sofie tried to bite the sharpness back, "I failed my children, I couldn't protect them. So I'm sure as hell not going to fail this little one."

"Fair enough," Aidie gently guided her forwards a few steps, "I don't blame you. But if you do need me to help, you only need to ask."

"Thank you," she winced as the words left her mouth, she had never said it to her before, so it seemed so abnormal.

In normal circumstances Aidie would have suppressed a smirk, but after everything they had gone through she was in no mood to gloat. Instead, she supported Sofie down the slope until the group reached the flat and the final part of their journey.

With the village nearly in sight, Emma almost forgot the need to travel in the group, pushing forward with a renewed need to be within safety. The others had to jog to keep up with her. Until the sound of shouts alerted them to the guards running towards them.

"Oh thank the Allfathers!" Emma cried out in joy as she waved frantically back at them.

They met the guards as they surrounded them in disbelief. They ushered them quickly towards the gates of the village.

"We can't believe you're still alive!" they exclaimed to Emma, "Burn's going to be so happy to see you."

They rushed to shut the gates, a mass of civilians and guards milling around the returned the women. Until Aidie felt herself strangely separated from them, she looked around wondering where the others were only to find herself staring back at a group of burly men she didn't recognise. Before she could even respond one threw the butt of his rifle at her head knocking her out cold.

Aidie was thrown towards Burn's knees as he sat watching her, his response heavily guarded. She hadn't seen the girls and the baby since they had been whisked away by the guards.

They were her proof that she was still a part of this community, that she had done everything in her power to protect the women of his village. And now as she gazed up at the Stranded leader, the sound of his people shouting at her in outrage, she felt very much like the filthy traitorous COG they accused her of being.

Eventually, after what seemed forever listening to her name getting dragged through the dirt, Burn cleared his throat and the room silenced in an instant.

"Where are my people?" he asked, quiet yet authoritative.

Aidie opened her mouth to speak, allowing a small squeak to emerge before letting out a cough and finally answering.

"Dead,"

There was no point sugar coating the story.

"And you dare return here without them?" he questioned, "What about your Sergeant, your squad, Archer, where are they?"

"Likely dead,"

"So why did you return here if all you bring me is news of death?"

"I came back to help protect your village, my Sergeant made an oath to you, and I still aim to honour that,"

"What makes you think that I'd even want you back,"

Aidie lifted her head and fixed him with her best steely-eyed stare, "aside from the fact that I returned your wife and granddaughter. I come with information regarding an imminent threat. I hope to assist you in taking them down."

"And what makes you think I even need you,"

"Because I know how desperate you are,"

"Insolent child," he roared rising from his seat and striding over to her. He lifted his arm and backhanded her across the face, the rings on his fingers slicing her cheek.

She lunged forwards at the force, hands placed on the floor to steady herself. She spat out blood, fighting every part of her tired body so she could just kneel back up again. She coughed, wiping her sleeve over her mouth as her face burned and straightened up.

"I'm no child," she responded, aware of the response it may encourage, "I am every part a soldier as my squad mates. My skills may differ from those of my Sergeant, but I am just as able. There's danger coming to this village, and I want to help protect it because my family live here too."

"You're just a girl. Girls have as much place protecting this village than I have producing children. I made this abundantly clear to your Sergeant."

"In my Sergeant's absence I will be acting on his behalf," she said, plucking up the courage to vocalise the secret she and Wilks had kept from Stranded Leader, "as his wife. Which I believe allows me as much control as he had."

Burn growled at her, "nonsense."

"My only proof is likely dead. Now you can either continue beating me until you feel like you're satisfied I've suffered enough, or we can approach this tactically and use me to protect your home,"

The room filled with shouts and jeers at her audacity to defy him. She stared back at him resolute in her decision to remain. Burn had never approved of her being a part of Wilks' team when they had first bargained for safety, but the Sergeant had been adamant that if she weren't a part of the team, they would keep walking.

A commotion from the back of the room alerted him to Emma's arrival. She gave him a worried look before rushing over to them.

"What are you doing Burn?" she asked concerned, positioning herself in front of Aidie.

"Negotiating my sweet wife," he answered, "now please you need to rest you've had a long journey. Leave this to the men."

"So you can do what? Beat a woman to death? Not again Burn,"

"Emma," Burn's harsh exterior cracked slightly at her strength.

"What's wrong with her Burn? She too much of a woman for you to comprehend? Do you not like the idea of a woman saving your family from monsters?" Emma took a step towards her husband, "what happened to us was beyond her control. What happened to Camille she couldn't stop. But those that she could protect she made sure she got us here regardless of what Locust or Lambent got in her way."

"Emma..."

"I'm also aware that you weren't overly forthcoming at sending a party out to find us. How is it then that the Gears you despise so much were the only ones willing to risk their lives. I didn't see you out there Burn," Emma flashed him a look he knew would stick in his mind for a long time to come. His wife gave him the strength to continue and he had been blind in grief to consider that she would ever return to him.

"As you seem to be the one making the decisions now wife, what do you suggest I do with her then?" Indicating to Aidie who had been watching the exchange carefully.

Emma turned to her and gave her a warm motherly smile, "she's a soldier, let her be a soldier. There's danger approaching, and none of us will be safe for long."

The advantage of looking Stranded gave Freja the opportunity to vanish into the shadows when the crowds of villagers descended upon the returned women. She was able to walk the alleys and streets in silence, marking out areas of importance in her head. As an unfamiliar face she opted to remain hidden, the less the village knew of her arrival, the more chance it gave her to sabotage their stronghold.

She made her way back to the main gate, following along the perimeter until she caught sight of a slight weakness in the wiring along the corrugated panel. She retrieved her knife to start cutting away at the hinges on one of the panels. She pushed on it to pry it away from its hold and open the only protection out to the wilderness.

For her next task, she unhooked an Imulsion lamp off a building, lit it and positioned it just outside the opening to alert her people of a way to enter unseen.

Sofie hesitated a moment outside the hospital room, unsure of what to expect the moment she opened the door. The ghosts of her past reminded her of the day Wilks had been in a similar position, a broken man. She wasn't going to allow this to break Tate.

The doctors had apprised her of his condition, preparing her for the worst. He was stable, but this was mostly due to a cocktail of drugs in his system. He was lucky to be alive. And he was never going to have any more children. The final revelation like a knife through her heart, she loved him no matter what, but she loved their children more.

She took a breath. She needed to be strong. He was the same man that pulled her out of a derelict building years ago. Cast out and damaged he took her in his arms and promised to protect her. He had remained her strength when she was weak, and now it was her turn to repay the favour.

The door creaked at her arrival causing her to flinch slightly. Each step she made sounded like thunder as she approached him.

He lay on the bed facing the window. His face angled towards the light with his eyes closed. Sofie could hear his breathing, a sound she had grown so used to over the years; it broke her heart to hear it so shallow and laboured.

"Tate?" her voice faltered slightly.

He hitched a breath before slowly turning his head towards her.

"Sofie?"

She fought back every part of her that wanted to be repulsed by him. Tate's eye had been bandaged up, and the other one remained swollen and bruised. A bandage over the side of his face reminded her of the moment the monster had first swung his blade, his blood had splattered her as she screamed in terror. She fought back the image and concentrated on the man in front of her as he reached out an arm, she noticed the missing digits and her soul wept for him.

She pushed herself toward him until she was at his side and flung herself over him. Placing her head against his chest just to hear the thump of his heart against her ear.

"Oh Tate," she whispered into his chest as tears flowed down her cheeks, "I never thought I was going to see you again."

He weakly wrapped his arms around her, holding her with as much strength as he could muster.

"My beautiful Sofie, they brought you back to me," his bandaged hand ran through her dark hair, something he never thought he would ever be able to do again, "I can't believe it's you."

She took a moment to steel herself, inhaling his distinctive smell mixed with the harshness of medical cleaning fluids. Her fingers grasped and played with the fabric of his hospital tunic. She remembered the time they had once lain together as they cradled their first born. Such happiness shared in such a brief moment. And now as they clung to each other they wept with joy and grief so deep that both thought they would never recover.

After a while, Tate gently placed his hands on her face guiding her towards him to examine further.

"Please tell me you weren't hurt, that you're okay," he asked.

She nodded, "I'm fine, the doctors checked me over and asides a few bruises I'm okay, we're okay."

He let out a sigh of relief, "you don't know how happy that makes me."

"We get one last chance to do it all over again,"

"Are you sure you even want me by your side after everything?" he said uncertainly, "I failed my beautiful family, and I'm in no fit state to protect you any further."

She leant over him and planted a gentle kiss on his lips, "there is no one else that I can think of by my side."