Samantha silently crouched behind long tables, trying to sneak up on her Uncle. Each loud snore that erupted from Kleiner almost brought the little girl to laugh, but she composed herself, keeping quiet. She peered over the table, spotting a rare treasure: Kleiner's glasses. He had taken them off before falling asleep. She smiled, knowing that if she "borrowed" them, she would accomplish a significant task. Usually, the glasses never left his face, leaving the young girl unable to try them on. Now, she had a chance to test the spectacles.
She crouched forward, silently approaching behind the sleeping scientist. The glasses became within reach and Sam gracefully swiped them off of the desk without making a single noise. She retreated, moving back towards one of the tables. She examined the glasses. The lenses were huge and thick, lined with black plastic. She rested them on her own nose, squinting as her vision became blurry. She was unable to spot the figure entering the room.
"Samantha . . . Eli . . . Freeman." The voice rang out, reprimanding.
Sam's heart jumped, the excitement now gone. Now, she was afraid. She dropped the glasses and turned. Gordon Freeman stood in the doorway of the lab, his lips pursed together and an eyebrow cocked in frustration. Behind his glasses, Sam could see disappointment in his eyes. And he had used her middle name. That was a bad sign.
Her father was wearing a blue jumpsuit with the top half unzipped and dangling behind his legs, revealing the dirty white tee shirt covering his torso. Now she knew she was in deep trouble. These were his work clothes and she had inturupted his job.
Samantha nervously smiled as her father flipped the lights back on.
"Isaac!" Gordon called out. The older scientist awoke with a gasp, unaware of his guests. "Thank you for finding Sam."
Kleiner stared at Gordon for a moment, still confused.
"Um," He stuttered. "Y-your welcome?"
He looked back and forth from Gordon to Sam, trying to figure out what was going on. Before he could ask, Gordon lifted his hand towards his daughter.
"C'mon. Mom's waiting."
Sam rose from the floor and walked towards her father, her head bowed in shame. She quickly placed Kleiner's glasses back onto the desk like before and exited the room with Gordon.
---
Outside, there was no one in the halls. Only Gordon and Sammy. 'D0g had probably gone to tell mom and dad,' She thought angrily. 'That poop-head.' Gordon's long strides were hard to keep up with her short legs. She glanced up at her father's face, which was still hard as a stone and staring only forward. This was a bad sign. She knew. If her daddy was ignoring her, it was for good reasons. Usually, he was very quiet, which annoyed her sometimes, but still loved his caring personality. After minutes of excruciating silence, Sam spoke softly under her breath.
"I'm sorry, daddy. I just wanted to have an adventure."
Gordon looked down at his daughter, but didn't say anything, his face still stern. Sam continued.
"I wanted to have an adventure like the ones you and mommy had."
Now, his face turned into a different emotion Sam didn't recognize. He resumed his staring forward.
"Those adventures were a bit different." He whispered. His eyes directed to his daughter again, a bit more lively now, but his voice still strict. "You can have adventures, just not while you are being punished. I don't want to see you anywhere near those vents again. Understood?"
Sam's nodded her head, diverting her eyes to the floor. "Yes, daddy."
"Okay." He suddenly scooped the girl up into his arms. She giggled at the quick motion and cradled her head on his shoulder. He spoke softer into her ear.
"And I don't want you to tell mommy how you learned about the vents."
A confused look crossed her face.
"You mean, you telling me . . ."
"Shhhhhh." He brought his finger up to his lips, trying to conceal a smile. "It'll be a secret. Okay?"
"Okay."
Gordon gazed into Sam's eyes, grinning. He marveled at how she looked so much like her mother. She was like a little Alyx clone. She had the same coffee colored skin along with the short, black hair that stuck out in the back. The only piece of him in her was Sam's eyes, which were sparkling green.
"C'mon, Dad!" She tugged at his shirt. "Mommy is waiting."
---
Gordon opened the bulkhead leading into their "apartment", beckoning the little girl in. As Sam walked into the room, she spotted her mother sitting at the dinning table . . . angry. Alyx rose from her seat, sporting the same face that Gordon had given earlier. Her arms were crossed over her chest and her eyes followed Sam all the way up to her position. Samantha stood in front of her mother, her eyes still on the floor.
"So," Alyx quipped. "What happened?"
Sam shifted her weight nervously.
"Nothin." She whispered.
Alyx's brow rose, signaling that she was not amused. She knelt to the floor, becoming level with the child. "Nothin' huh? Aren't you supposed to stay in your room?"
Sam knew the answer to the obvious question.
"Yes."
"That's right. How did you get out of your room?"
"The vents." Sam's eyes grew wide as she realized what she had said. Behind her, Gordon grew nervous himself. Alyx just sent a small glare at her husband, but continued to reprimand Sammy.
"Alright. You know you have to stay in your room longer now? You're still being punished."
Sam's lip pouted out as frustration kicked in. But, she knew she had done wrong.
"Yes, mommy."
"Now, go back to your room."
She obeyed, but put a bit of stomp in her footsteps before entering her bedroom. After the little girl's bulkhead door was closed, Gordon shot a nervous smile at Alyx. She didn't respond with the same enthusiasm.
"How did she learn about the vents?" She asked calmly.
The smile melted off of his face.
"Um. I think I told her some stories about Barney and I back at Black Mesa. You know . . . the whole vent . . . thing."
Alyx rubbed her hands over her eyes, giving out a small sigh.
"Gordon, what if she got hurt?"
It was Gordon's turn to stare at the floor.
"I know. It was my fault. I'm sorry. No more stories"
Alyx marveled at how adorable Gordon looked when he was vulnerable. She gave a small smirk and walked closer to her husband, grasping his hands.
"We just have to be careful, okay? We're both new at this parenting thing." She kissed his forehead. "You can tell her stories. Just wait a few years, till she's older. 'Kay?"
Gordon smiled, nodding his head in agreement. He gave out a small grumble.
"I have to go back to work. Are you going to be okay here?"
"Should be. Have fun!" She gently kissed Gordon before he exited the room.
Gordon walked out the door; glad he had escaped an argument. Whenever Alyx was angry, which was rare . . . it was usually bad news for his wellbeing.
---
Sam sat on her bed, the exact place she had been sitting earlier. In her mind, frustration tried to pin her punishment on somebody else. Her mind picked D0g.
"D0g did this." She folded her arms and lifted her nose up in the air. "I will never talk to him again. That will show him."
A soft tap reverberated from her door.
"Come in," she called out.
Alyx popped her head in, making sure she wasn't interrupting anything.
"Hey, Honey. You doing okay?"
The little girl nodded, pitiful. Alyx walked into the room and sat next to Sam.
"So . . . What did you do today?"
Sam shrugged.
"Nothin."
"Nothing, huh? You sure? No adventures?"
Sammy's eyes lit up, hearing the word 'adventure'.
"Well . . ." She spilled the story out, telling her mom about the vent, the kitchen and the heist of Kleiner's glasses. Alyx smiled, remembering her childhood similar to Sam's experiences.
"You know, tomorrow, when you can come out of your room, we can have a day to ourselves. Girls day out."
Sam's eyes grew wide again, excitement taking hold of her.
"Really!"
"Yep. I need to run some errands, so you can come with me." Alyx ran her gloved hand through Sam's hair, giving her forehead a small kiss. "But you have to be good between now and then. Okay?"
"Yes! I will!" The little girl was now practically jumping on the bed. Alyx laughed at the sight.
"Alright, settle down. It's time for bed, anyway."
Sam stopped jumping and gave out a groan.
"Can't I stay up for a few more minutes?"
Alyx shook her head. "Nope."
"What about dinner?"
"What about it?"
"Can I have some?"
"We already ate dinner!"
"I mean, a tasty dinner."
Alyx's hands rested on her hips, grinning from ear to ear. "What are you trying to say?"
"I just want some real food." Sam giggled. Alyx's mouth opened in fake shock, causing Sam to laugh even more.
"Well, I'm sorry, princess. I'll try to make dinner more to your liking next time." Alyx joked as she tickled Sammy's sides. The little girl laughed so loud that D0g peeked his head through the front door of the apartment.
"It's alright, D0g!" Alyx called through the bedroom door, trying to keep her own laughter low. "We're just having fun." She turned to face Sam, bringing her nose close to the girl's nose. "Now, get in bed."
Sam grinned. "Okay."
Alyx watched as her daughter snuggled under the blankets, burrowing her head into some pillows. She flipped the switch, cutting off the light source. Through the darkness, Sam could see the outline of her mother in the doorframe.
"Goodnight, Sam." Alyx called out through the darkness.
"Goodnight."
---
Okay, end of part 1. The next part will go in-depth of what the rebel's are doing after the fall of the Combine. Yes, I know this is more like a children's story, but I still think it's fun. Alyx and Sam are going to run some errands in the next one, by the way. :) Sounds exciting, right?