Chapter Thirteen

No one but Nathaniel knew and that didn't bother her. She had never seen him so enthralled with an idea and when the mini scanner spat out a reading this morning she was excited to tell him. Alicia had never imagined she would feel so safe with this. Even though she felt rotten right now. She wasn't sure how she had gotten lucky enough to be hit with nausea already, but it passed by early morning. Her reading was clear, she didn't have a bug or cold. Her body was just going to adjust to the child forming within her and she was okay with that.

Setting the mini scanner back in its case she turned to the mirror for a moment, trying to imagine her body swelling with this little life. Alicia had no idea what it would be like but she felt a flutter of excitement at the thought. Even though this was something she had wanted, and they had tried for, believing it could be a reality took a little time.

Pulling on her body armour Alicia prepared to leave for the day, she would check in with Nathaniel before heading out this morning; she knew it was hard for him. She was going fishing with a group of women from the camp, it would be her first time in such a small craft without a threat of combat. It was also her first time fishing from a boat, an activity she had a feeling Nathaniel would enjoy more than she would.

She left the unit, whistling softly for Boxer to follow, the little acrotholus stayed at her side as she headed for the Command Center. Some thought she was crazy for having the little thing for a pet but the kids at the camp loved her; and Boxer seemed to love kids.

Reilly was rounding the compound with Malcolm in tow. The scientist was still on restriction as he had no remorse for his actions and heartily disagreed with how they were treating the residents of the camp. The only good thing was that Reilly seemed to be able to get some things through his head, including the reminder that the people they were trying to build a relationship with were human beings; not research experiments.

She nodded to the soldier, she knew the woman was getting tired of this duty, it had been several weeks week. But it had been a peaceful in the science division, which did nothing to encourage them to reassign Reilly. The woman motioned for her to stop, shooting Malcolm a glare.

Alicia added hers to it but paused. "Elisabeth and I were thinking we would go to Boylan's for a drink tonight, relax for a night. Care to join us?"

She hadn't realized Reilly and Elisabeth were becoming so close and wondered how much the doctor was hanging around the science division. She couldn't drink but she wouldn't feel good about blowing off the invitation, both women were trying to be her friends. "Sure."

She took the steps up to the Command Center, trying not to laugh at Boxer doing her best to keep up but struggling with the movement that was required to climb the steep stairs. She left the dinosaur at the door with Skye who was on watch today.

Nathaniel was settled at his desk but he caught her eye as she walked in. He eased back in his chair and she rounded the desk to stand in front of him, their conversation would be quiet to be kept from any other ears.

"Results?" He murmured, his hands already sliding to her hips.

Alicia nodded, unable to hide her smile. Blue eyes danced with pleasure and mischief, he was a man and she knew there was a certain amount of pride involved for him but she also knew that a part of him stayed locked down. It was that part she knew he was fighting with hard, the protective alpha male her husband entirely was, who could drive her crazy. She admired the fact he was pushing it back and making an effort not to smother her from the second he knew. Even now one of his hands had slid under her armour, it was warm against her skin.

"That's good." His words hardly more than a breath, she didn't know what he felt right now but she hoped he wasn't thinking too much of the past.

She hoped if they were to have a son he would not dwell on the past and what could not be changed; she knew she would never fully convince him that he was not to blame for what Lucas had become. Yet he would be an amazing father to a little boy who would undoubtedly be wild and fearless just like him, Nathaniel would enjoy taking him on all sorts of adventures and teaching him a code to live by.

"Can we keep this as ours a little longer?" Somehow she liked the secret, they had so few things that were theirs, not tied to their duties to the colony or the military. She would not raise their child as a priority or duty.

"I want to." He smiled, his hands moved from holding her to checking the fastenings on her armour, sliding his fingers between them and her skin to ensure the fit. "Please be careful today."

"Always." She ducked to kiss his cheek, she would do nothing to jeopardize this. He'd had an opportunity to start a fight but didn't; she had to remember that. "I will be late tonight, Reilly and Elisabeth want to have a drink at Boylan's, I won't drink but I think I should go."

"Yes, you should. I will try and get ahead on some of the paperwork and see you at home. I need to change up some rosters, I want to keep Reilly out of rotation for a bit; Malcom is actually accomplishing some things."

Alicia smirked and headed out, at least things with Malcolm were moving along. Soon they would begin construction on a reliable source of energy, and she knew that would put her husband in a good frame of mind. That and with what she was learning from their new neighbors would help not only with self reliance but with avenues to learn skills they hadn't planned to need. Without a connection to the future everything had to be sourced from this world; it was a steep learning curve.

Even the concept of travelling via the rivers was new to them, but very effective as Storme and Acadia, a close friend of the woman who seemed to have taken her in, had shown her. They could travel farther in a day moving with the currents of the rivers then bushwhacking in a transport. Fishing was going to be her first experience with that.

Alicia walked to the banks, being ditched by her pet for the throng of children playing near one of the shelters; Boxer loved kids. And in this area she knew the little dino would be safe, she would never take her into the jungle for fear that some predator would decide the little one would make a good snack.

Three canoes waited by the shore, there were six of them going to fish up past the rapids. Alicia knew that the hunters had gone up that way the day before and would be in the area so the women felt safe to go; she still carried her weapons. Though she knew that each person here had their own methods of protection.

With little instruction they set the small crafts to water, Alicia lurched a little bit before finding a comfortable position in the bottom of the canoe. Storme was in hers and Alicia had been told not to paddle, she was alright with that as for the moment she was trying to settle her stomach. It took some getting used to, being so close to the water and at its mercy. They moved quickly, hardly having to paddle as the currents tugged them along.

"The child beneath your heart is feisty so soon." Storme commented, how the woman knew was beyond her and the observation a little chilling.

"How can you tell?" She asked, over the past few weeks she had gotten to know the older woman, listened to her stories and watched carefully as the rest of the group relaxed around her. She wanted an answer to this.

"It is only to look between your eyes and those of your husband. Tis what you've wanted, so you have been given. Does not mean the child will come easy, a life borne of two with such strong spirits and wills shall not be easy to bear. It is already telling you such aye?" Sometimes the woman's spoke surprisingly well, Alicia wasn't sure how she knew when to.

"I am only a few weeks along." She murmured in hardly a whisper, she would keep it a secret from the colony, and from anyone else who asked; but she also needed this woman to do the same. "Nathaniel and I want to keep it quiet for now."

"Tis a gift for man and wife to share, none will hear of it by me." The old woman smiled, and Alicia looked around realized they were alone, the other canoes had pulled well ahead and were rounding the bend. "Know that your first shall make you labor the longest; but when you hold the little one you will forget the pain."

Alicia stared at her blankly, there was very little pain involved in child birth anymore; it was a short bio-sonic procedure. But this woman would not know that, sonic surgery had only been in the future for the last fifty years; for centuries woman had delivered babies without the help of doctors. And had probably never dreamed of the formula that had once been a choice but with the pollution in the food most consumed had become a staple for feeding children under the age of two, a mother's milk could be too dangerous and many never even began to produce; Alicia knew very little about it.

It was something she would have to start to think about, but now was not the time. They rounded the bend and were on the rapids, Alicia gripped the sides of the boat as Storme began to use her oar as a rudder, guiding them into the center of the churning currents and between the rocks. It was a long stretch but as they passed through she learned how the boat moved and began to relax; her stomach wouldn't.

After a few moments they passed through onto the other side and into a small lake that formed where several rivers merged. The woman dropped lines into the water, tying them off to loops on the sides of the vessel. Telling her about the different rivers that ran from this lake, some these people had explored and often used; others were too difficult to pass and had damaged their boats in the past. One man had been killed when they tried the river that ran off the north side of this lake; the undertow was strong.

When Storme pulled up the first line with nasty looking fish clamped onto the line Alicia feared the woman was going to be slashed by the thing's fangs as it flailed. Sliding the combat knife from her hip she stopped its struggles. The creature stilled and Storme freed the hook from its cheek.

There was a bowl of sorts by Storme's feet and hide lined with reeds the woman had picked as they passed through some narrow parts on the way here. Using her knife as Nathaniel had shown her in their first year here she gutted the fish, catching a nod of approval from the older woman, dumped the guts into the bowl and laid the meat on hide.

They settled into an easy rhythm of pulling the fish up and cleaning them, allowing the current to carry the canoe along. For a time they worked in silence, she heard some conversations of the women as they drew close together, using paddles to maintain enough space between them but she didn't understand their words.

The river drew them farther around another bend and the crafts spread out again. Suddenly Storme shifted her paddle and turned them towards shore. Surprised Alicia shifted a hand to the holster on her hip; something had been killed here recently. They didn't land, Storme simply stared a moment and turned the canoe back into the currents. "Our hunters were here."

And had cleaned a catch, that would explain the blood, but Alicia would still be happy to be away from it soon, just as she was sure the hunters had left soon after finishing as the blood would attract other predators. Storme was very comfortable out here, in fact all the women were, considering they carried almost no weapons. In the past week Alicia had seen some of their weapons and while primitive they were effective; the women had brought none with them.

And if her bearings were correct they were headed up towards the valley where she had first encountered one of their young women; and the mercenaries. She was fairly certain the Phoenix had not returned, any who survived had lit out before she had arrived and any who doubled back would have seen the grave her soldier's dug. The fact they were still here bothered her, perhaps it was her husband rubbing off but they had not come to live, they had come to fight and had proven that time and time again.

She was as set against beginning this civilization in the way of the one they left as her husband, but wondered if they were doing any good by letting such a threat continue to breathe? A day would come when none of the military would remember wars the veterans that founded Terra Nova fought, in the way that she and Nathaniel did; the way Phoenix fought. But if nothing was done would those tactics be brought back? Or someday would they end up like Storme and her clan, secretly watching more explorers come to settle this place?

Alicia didn't have the answers, but she knew that alliances with the Sixers and these people were crucial should war come. The colony had the arms, but Sixers had an understanding of how the Phoenix thought and the Seafarers knew these lands and a different way of living. It worried her in the same way it had a year ago, in the way it always would; no one really knew if man kind was capable of putting war and greed behind them. And sometimes it seemed as though someone needed to prove that it wasn't.

They followed the river up to a spot where it forked, and took a turn that would carry them back down towards the colony. These women clearly knew where the water ways would take them. With the bottom of the canoes full of fish the lines were pulled up and they finished fishing.

Alicia caught Storme studying her for a long moment, she frowned. It was this woman who had brought her into the other camp, included her in their activities but today she seemed hesitant to speak of something. They had been out on the water nearly five hours, and she had caught the look a few times now.

She did not get an answer until they were back at the camp, Alicia carried the hide up to Storme's tent. The woman held the flap and Alicia ducked under, setting the load of fish on the table, turning to find the woman in her path. "You and you husband, you do not do things the way we do. You look in the eyes; equals."

"Yes." Or at least they tried to, Alicia was taken off guard by the question; this woman seemed to have a knack for digging into her personal life. Sometimes they had a challenge in the fact they had been CO and Lieutenant so long but in time it was becoming equal ground.

"My son, Terrell wishes to stay here. It will take several seasons to teach our young men to hunt." The woman told her, Alicia knew that many of their hunters had been killed by the Phoenix during the early stages of the failed raid. She had confirmed that earlier, they had needed to decide whether or not to launch a raid of their own; but none had been kidnapped successfully and any mercenaries found that day had died so the colony did not sent a team. "Would your husband allow such?"

"Yes, you are welcome to stay here as long as you like." She did not need to refer to Nathaniel about that, and she knew that should it come down to it he would make good on her word; their marriage was different but it worked for them.