General Disclaimer Note: I do not own any of the characters, places, references, game material, or book information that is used in this story. All that information belongs to Epic Games, The Coalition, Cliff Bleszinki, Karen Traviss, and anyone else that has had their hands in the Gear of War franchise.

Chapter 2: S/B: Everything is fine, right?

**Flashback**

"Hey, uh…Sam, take care of yourself okay?" I say to her before I even can process what I am saying. I just heard the news of Dom, the man never died, he couldn't be dead, could he? I am so wrapped up in my own head and thoughts that I don't think I caught what she said back. I think I heard "Yeah..You too Baird", but again I am not sure. No time to worry about that, Fenix is giving out orders and I need to know what the plan is. Time to make these fuckers pay for what they did to the world and Dom in specific.

**End Flashback**

The world has just been saved by Delta squad, and we are watching Marcus' dad, Professor Fenix, turning to ash right in front of us and no one can say anything. We are all to shocked by what was going on to say anything, even Marcus is speechless and looks like his world is collapsing in front of his eyes, and it is. He just lost Dom and now is losing his father. This war has taken too much from everyone and I can't bear to see or feel any more pain or loss. The professor has just crumbled to the ground leaving only his COG tags and lab coat behind, when we all suddenly hear a noise and turn around to see none other than that locust bitch, Myrrah, still alive and laughing. I get pissed and want to kill this bitch and cut her to pieces to make sure she can never come back, but before anyone can move Marcus grabs a knife from his belt and walks forward and stabs the bitch, I am too far away to hear what he says but I see him twisting the knife in her before pulling it out and letting her fall to the ground. I stare at the knife swearing I have seen it before….I know I have, its Dom's Commando knife! Sweet fucking payback for Marcus and Dom to kill the queen of all locust with Dom's most precious weapon and the only link Marcus has to Dom now. The war is finally over. The world is save and we have a tomorrow. In the shaky aftermath of a fight and saving the fucking world, a mind can play funny games on you. Mine is doing just that because I am worrying about Sam Byrne and if she survived. I shouldn't be feeling this away about fucking Samantha Byrne right? I mean all we do is bitch and fight with each other, it has to be the aftermath of everything that is going on messing with my brain. Yea that's it I convince myself as Delta squad is walking down from the top of the tower to the beach to meet up with everyone else who survived.

When we reach the bottom of the tower there are lines of gears cheering us on and patting us on the back. I can't stand the touchy feely emotional crap so I shove off the people trying to touch me and walk away from it all. In the back I can hear Cole screaming his head off with cheers and laughter as "winning the big game" as he always called it. Cole was always the best when it came to emotions and getting people to have faith, so he deserves the congrats and back slaps he is getting. I quickly lose sight of Marcus and Anya but that's fine, I know I will see them tomorrow because we finally have a tomorrow, whatever the fuck that will mean with all our fuel sources being exploded around Sera. I am standing on my own watching the events unfold when I feel a shove on my back plate, I turn around and I see Corporal Jayson "Jace" Stratton standing behind me with his normal big ass grin on his face. This time he has earned the right to wear that grin so I don't say anything I just bump lancers with him in terms of recognition. I see movement behind Jace and it's none other than Sam and I feel an emotion I am not used to when I see her. I am not sure what the feeling is so I will need to take it into further study to see if everything is alright with me. I used to be able to not care, but thanks to Cole and Bernie I have begun to care and it's just messed me up.

Sam walks up to me and says "Glad to see you are not dead Blondie….you did damn good to save the world". I am just standing there speechless for a few seconds because I don't know what to say to that. "Yea..thanks….you too." I said. She can tell something is off with me by the way I am speaking, it's not normally how we interact. "Baird what's wrong? Everyone made it right?...Oh god..not Anya or Marcus?" Sam says. "No it's not that. You know how Professor Fenix was alive and working on a cure for Lambency? Well his cure is what worked but he didn't make it..." I manage to stumble through. I couldn't bring myself to give the description of how he died, no one needs to know that outside the four of us up on that tower. "Shit" was all Sam could manage to say to that. The three of us just stand there looking out to the sea for a long while until Hoffman rounds up everyone and has us clear the hotels to hold up in for the night.

It's now been two weeks since the world was saved thanks to Professor Fenix's cure for lambency. The COG has been working around the clock to make Azura more habitable for everyone because no one knows when or if they will ever be able to leave. The gears are tasked with clearing the debris from the storm, clearing the hotels, and searching for whatever secrets the island holds. One gear in particular is busier than the other gears and doesn't get to leave the workshop on the island. This gear is the best mechanic and mechanical mind left in the whole world if you ask him, and that is Corporal Damon S. Baird. Hoffman has tasked him with fixing all the vehicles that are left and servicing them to make sure they are useable ASAP. When he isn't fixing the vehicles he is going around to the buildings and seeing what can be cannibalized to possibly create some power for the island to use. He managed to get some small generators running on vegetable oil and water wheel power to give the hotels power. These generators where not close to being a permanent fix, so Baird kept looking and thinking about what could be done to help get a more sustainable power source that everywhere in Sera could use. Baird's skills where in high demand each and every day for the past two weeks, so he was always busier than the other gears, not that he minded most days. Some days he did get lonely and wished to be back with Delta squad not that he would ever say that aloud.

One day during the second week after the war was over Baird was in his workshop working on a Dill when he heard the metal door to the shop shake and open. "Who the hell is there, can't you see the shop is closed?" said Baird. The person continued to open the door and then wheeled in an old beat up looking rat bike, which Baird instantly placed as being Sam's from back on Vectes Naval Base (VNB). "Hey dickhead, the clutch is sticking and the motor is sounding bad, do you think you can fix it? I need it for the patrols of the hotels." said the Kashkuri gear. Baird shocked at the first person coming to visit him in the past two weeks, besides Cole who came every day, was too shocked to say anything at first. When he finally found his voice he replied "Sure, it's an easy fix that shouldn't take more than an hour or two depending on how fucked the engine is. I needed a distraction anyway from the Dill, it just won't start and I have no clue why." Wait did I just admit I needed a distraction from a problem I couldn't solve, and to Sam of all people? thought Baird in utter shock. Once she has brought in the rat bike and had it set up for Baird he immediately began working on fixing the clutch. As he was fixing the clutch he felt this hovering presence around him and felt totally odd, he was not use to people sticking around and watching him as he fixed things. "Is there anything else you need from me Sam? Because if not you are free to leave, I'll radio you when your precious bike is fixed." said Baird. "No I am good, I just wanted to watch you work and see how you are fixing it so next time it breaks down I can fix it without having to bring it to you and take up more of your already packed schedule. Is that a problem for you Baird?" replied Sam. No one ever had asked to watch him work before in a way to learn from him to keep things running on their own, so Baird was a little shocked and lost his train of thought. He worked in silence for a few moments before answering her "Oh…no one has ever asked to watch and learn before, so I guess yeah, you can stay and watch. Maybe you can even help me out and make it go faster. If you have any questions about what we are doing just ask and I'll answer as best as I can". They worked in what both would describe as a weird harmony, and it freaked both of them out. Baird and Sam at the same time were having the same thought of "Are we actually getting along and working with each other without the nasty comments and sarcasm? So when both of their headsets went off they were both relieved at being given another task to work on that could involve other people.

"COLE TO THE LOVEBIRDS! You receivin' baby?" the aforementioned gear called them on what they both prayed was a private channel. "Cole, what the fuck man? You nearly gave me a heart attack with just a click and then you screaming? Also what the fuck do you mean lovebirds?" Baird shot back a little too fast, only he realized that too late. Sam suddenly heard a loud laugh that could one belong to one man at the front of the shop. "Hey Cole what's the page for?" said Sam. "It's time to head to the meeting spot to wait for the rest of Delta." the large gear said. Baird was still fuming at the comment that his buddy said over the radio but he wasn't quite sure why he was pissed at it. "Seriously man what the fuck was with that lovebird bullshit, it was just me and Sam here, no one here is a lovebird or attractive in any sense besides me" said the cocky blonde mechanic. At the same moment Baird turned around to start packing up the tools, Sam's face took on a somewhat pained and confused look that she was sure no one saw. But as always whenever Cole was around, he missed nothing when it came to emotions or reading people, he knew Sam had a thing for Baird and was using her Rat Bike as an excuse to get more time with him and hoping to start something with him. Cole silently was wishing her all the luck in the world cause he liked Sam and Baird and thought they would be good for each other. He knew both of them were dealing poorly with Dom's death and they needed someone to lean on cause he had his letters he wrote to his dead momma and Marcus and Anya had each other. "Baird just drop it and let's just move already." said Cole. Baird being Baird couldn't let that comment slide at all and kept bitching about it the whole way to the meeting point. Halfway there Sam got really annoyed at it and started fighting back, until it turned into their normal senseless bickering as normal. In her mind Sam was thinking well he seemed off from the moment that Cole made that comment, could that mean something? Why did I react the way I did, if I don't like him? Is everything fine between me and Damon?

Author's note: Okay guys that wraps up the first chapter for Baird and Sam. I hope you guys enjoyed. As always feel free to review the chapter, I read and respond to all comments/reviews that I am able to. I will post the next chapter as soon as I finish it. The next chapter is back to Marcus and Anya.