"Are you... ready... to... uh, huh." Miles trailed off and fell against the doorway as he entered their bedroom. Nora glanced away from the mirror and caught the beginning of his grin forming.

"What?"

"Nothing. You look nice."

She raised an eyebrow and looked down at her outfit for the day. It was relatively new, or at least new for her since leaving the Tower. She glanced up at him once more, then back down at herself. It wasn't anything particularly spectacular- just a simple, black v-neck tee, a light blue skirt that fell around her knees, and a pair of black flats.

"Nice." she repeated, smirking to herself a little. Even if she didn't think better praise was warranted, she could still tease him for it. She continued to brush her hair, then pulled a small chunk together to form a ponytail while leaving the rest hanging around her shoulders.

"It's just... odd."

"You've seen me in a dress or a skirt before."

"Not recently."

"Well, then I would think I look better than just nice, don't you?" she retorted, setting the brush onto the dresser. He smirked as he walked forward and lingered in front of her.

"Beautiful. Gorgeous. Pretty. Hot. Take your pick."

"You have such a way with words. It's amazing to think you ever managed to sweep me off my feet."

"I don't think I did. You kind of just pushed and shoved your way in."

"Ha ha." she smirked right back at him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Ready to go?"

He made a face at that, shrugging, "Are we seriously doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"Socializing?"

"Wasn't this part of your master plan to move to a small town with a picket fence?"

"We don't have a picket fence."

"Nuances."

"And I made suggestions. Nowhere in there did I suggest making friends. Or, at least I wouldn't make friends."

"Oh. My mistake. Well, unless you want to become a hermit and move to the first deserted place we find, we're going to have to socialize."

"A hello here and there is fine. But... what is this even- barbecuing? Really?"

"We're going to, hopefully, be here a while. It would be nice to be on good terms with some people."

"Let's be real though. What are we going to have in common with these people? The General and the Bounty Hunter."

She hesitated, caught off guard by the titles she had heard Bass use to refer to them as well. Then she smiled faintly, saying, "Like I've told you a million times before, there's more to us than that. I'll... I don't know. You can work in a bar. You know about that right?"

"True."

"Then, end of story." she rubbed the back of his neck gently, smile fading. "I know it's the last thing you want but can you at least fake it? Alex is just as socially awkward as you are and it took a lot of poking and prodding to get him to even make eye contact with another kid the day at the park. If he sees you engaging with others, I'm sure he'll be more receptive to the idea. He looks up to you."

"That's just evil. It's too soon in all of this to have you using him against me."

"Babe,"

"You do look beautiful," he murmured, suddenly switching tactics. He leaned down close, noses brushing together. She sighed quietly, fighting the grin that was threatening to form.

"That's not going to work." she replied. Then, she let out a soft gasp as he squeezed her butt gently. "Neither is that."

"You sure? We could send the kids in our place. Lock the doors behind them. Just me and you all day."

"Tempting but Sandy threatened to drag us over herself. Seeing as all the moms already think you're hot, I don't want to give them more evidence by having her catch a glimpse of you naked." she responded with a squeeze of her own, which only made him smirk wickedly. "Because I completely believe she would blab it all over town and then they'd come for you. I'd have to protect your honor and all that. Besides, I don't like sharing."

"They do think I'm hot, don't they?"

"Judging by their reactions last week, I would say so. Did that give you an ego boost? Are you more willing to face the masses now?"

"As long as they aren't foaming at the mouth or anything." he paused, all teasing now aside, "Seriously though, you know this is going to be a shit show don't you?"

"We'll see."

"What do I get for being right?"

"If it is as awful as you're expecting, I won't make you do this ever again."

"Fair enough."

"Don't get your hopes up though."

"I would say the same to you as well."

"I feel like there should be ominous music playing." Miles muttered as they waited on the Wilsons' doorstep. Nora shot him a look while Alex frowned and asked,

"What's ominous?"

"Ominous. Bad, foreboding. Go back and never return."

"Stop it." Nora hissed, hearing footsteps coming from inside the house. "Remember- be polite, nice, friendly. Don't cause trouble. Any of you."

"Technically, we shouldn't even be here. She doesn't know we exist." Charlie piped up from behind.

"Yes she does and everyone was invited. A few hours of this is not going to kill any of you." Nora turned her gaze back to Miles and tilted her head towards Alex between them. "Remember what I said."

He glanced down, then gritted his teeth, and gave a slight nod of understanding as the door opened in front of them. Sandy greeted them with a wide, cheerful smile.

"Hey! Well, this is a surprise!" she giggled softly. It made them all pause, then she added, "I thought I'd have to come get you myself!"

"Oh. Right," Nora forced a laugh, "no, no, we made it here all on our own."

"Great. Come on in. Oh you made brownies! That's so nice. Everyone is out back. We were just talking about you."

"That's not creepy at all." Miles muttered. It appeared only Nora heard him as she grabbed his hand and dug her nails in as one last warning. Sandy was already leading them down the hallway, talking about who had already arrived but not to worry, they weren't the last ones, there were still plenty of people coming.

Not even five minutes and it was already overwhelming. The rate at which she was talking was almost impossible to keep up with. They stepped out onto a deck with several women- the ones from the park, Nora realized- sitting at a table. Beyond that was a large backyard with another table, a swing set, and various people mulling about.

"So," Jason came to a stop just behind Miles and leaned forward so he could speak quietly in his ear, "what do I get out of this?"

The older man turned his head with a furrowed gaze, saying, "I'm not getting anything out of this. What makes you think you will?"

"True. Would anyone really notice if we- we being, Charlie and myself- disappeared? I mean, we're both good at sneaking around. We could slip out and be gone in a second."

"Yes. Her." Miles gave a rather emphatic point at his wife, who was currently nodding eagerly but had the dazed expression of someone who was completely lost. "And unless you feel like getting castrated in front of everyone today, I suggest you grab a beer and sit down because that's my only advice and the only thing I'll be doing."

They stared at each other for a moment before Jason let out a quiet chuckle, making Miles sigh with irritation. They may have reached a common ground and on most days Miles tolerated him but he was still a pain in the ass and he still didn't understand how he had taken in Tom Neville's son like a little lost puppy.

"What is so funny?"

"She would do that, wouldn't she?"

"I wouldn't put it past her."

"And you being a- uh, you know, you," the insinuation implied was 'you commanded thousands of people', "are scared of her."

Jason finished with a snicker causing Miles to turn completely with a slight smirk on his face.

"Alright, let's correct that assumption of yours. I'm not scared of her. I respect her and am fully aware of what she's capable of doing. When you get to be in a grown-up relationship, you learn to make sacrifices for each other. This is a sacrifice because I know she wants it. I also know when to keep my mouth shut- most of the time- so when something, as ridiculous as this, but obviously important to her happens, I'm going to suffer in silence."

"You haven't exactly been silent about your aversion to this outing."

"Yeah, well, now that we're here I will be." he started to walk forward to join Nora again, then paused and added, "And you should talk. You've been 'officially' with Charlie two and a half months or something? She's got you whipped. You're worse than I was. At least mine was a slow progression over time."

Jason opened his mouth to respond to the retort but closed it as he struggled to defend himself. Miles looked rather pleased with himself and tilted his head in a 'got ya, you're not allowed to criticize me' way.

"I'm not whipped."

"Keep telling yourself that kid. Again," he gestured between himself and Nora, "I've spent a decade of my life with this woman. You've had two months. I think I'm considered the expert in this area."

"What are you an expert in?" Nora turned and wrapped her arm around his waist.

"You."

"Ha, yeah, keep telling yourself that."

"I feel pretty confident. So, did you catch everyone's names, blood types, and family trees? I think there's going to be a quiz later on." he smirked down at her and she smiled faintly. There was a gleam in her eye that said you're right but I'm not going to admit it out loud. This is bad. You're right. "Problems?"

"Now, why are you just standing here whispering with each other?" Sandy suddenly appeared once more and tugged on Nora's arm gently. "I'm sure you get sick of seeing him. You need girl time."

In what seemed to be only a few short seconds, Nora and Charlie were seated at the table on the deck while Miles and Jason had been shoved down the stairs to where several men were huddled around a grill. Alex stood in the center of the deck, looking as though he were lost at sea, and turned his gaze from his mother to his father several times. He slowly crept towards Nora's side and leaned against her, face pressed shyly into her shoulder. This drew the attention of the other women, especially Sandy, who began to chide him gently.

"Oh you don't want to hang around here. Go play with the kids." she smiled widely. Alex only curled further into Nora, who smiled slightly and put her hand on the back of his head, then kissed his forehead gently.

"He just needs a few minutes. It's, uh, been a while since he's had some companions his own age. We've been out of the way." it wasn't a complete lie. They had asked about how life was for Alex in Philly. He had a few, select kids that were allowed to visit every so often. Nora had no doubt they had been handpicked by Bass and every visit had been a controlled setting. Those weren't friends. They were puppets, tooled to do and say the right things.

"You shouldn't coddle him." one woman muttered, taking a long sip of her drink. "Only going to screw him up."

"Angie," another hissed. "You can't say things like that."

"Oh please." she rolled her eyes, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "Matthew was exactly the same way. John and I didn't tolerate that and now he's perfect and fine. It won't traumatize him. In fact, it's just what he needs."

"I'm sorry, have we met?" Nora asked. Her annoyance had built up rather quickly. She was defensive that someone she didn't know would attack her mothering skills. She was a little reluctant to admit it was a sore topic for her. Typically, she was confident in herself but anything to do with Alex was nerve wracking. She was ready to fight at a moment's notice when it came to him. When she added in the fact that people were talking about her and not to her, it only made the conversation more maddening.

"Angie Callahan."

"Well, I appreciate the concern but I think I've got it under control."

The woman, seated directly across from her, arched a finely plucked brow and was silent for a moment. The other women assembled were silent as well, as though they were holding their breath and waiting for Hell to open up below them. Nora got the feeling that people didn't talk back to Angie very often.

"Now, I think that's enough." Sandy said, letting out a small, nervous laugh. "No need to turn us all against each other so quickly. We're all friends. We need each other. Otherwise we'd go crazy."

A few of the others laughed as well and Charlie glanced sideways at Nora, who gave a tight smile. Her hand migrated from Alex's head to his back and squeezed his shoulder comfortingly. She felt him tensing up, knew what was coming. He hated conflict, especially when he thought he was the cause of it.

"You're okay." she mumbled in his ear, causing him to lift his head slightly. Her smile softened as he met his gaze and he gave a weak one in response. "Alright?"

She swiped his cheek softly with her other hand as he nodded and kissed the tip of his nose.

"Can I have a brownie?" he whispered.

"Yeah. Go ahead." at her okay, he reached forward and grabbed one off the plate, then returned to her side and began to chew slowly.

"You met everyone at the park the other day, except Angie. You all remember Evie. This is her niece Emily and her son Alex." Sandy interjected helpfully. Everyone mumbled hellos. "We already sent the men to the others."

She twisted in her seat, pointing out Miles and Jason individually, saying, "That's Rick and um, I didn't catch the other one's name."

"Nate." Charlie piped up. "His name is Nate."

"He looks a little old to be yours Evie." one, Gina-she remembered, teased.

"Oh no, he's not." Nora shook her head quickly, holding back a shudder at the thought of having a child so old. "He's Emily's boyfriend."

"Must be serious for him to have come to a new town with you." Christine commented with a smile. Charlie only smiled back, not sure exactly what to say. "Where are you from originally?"

"Indiana." she replied, prompting a nod from her aunt. That had been the place they had decided for their back story.

"He followed you halfway across the country?"

There was a chorus of 'awws' from the women, causing Charlie to blush deeply. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, a bashful smile on her face.

"How romantic. It's always nice to hear these stories." Sandy sighed dreamily, as if she was being told a fairy tale. "Are we going to be hearing wedding bells soon?"

"Uh, I don't- it, um, wow." Charlie let out an awkward laugh, glancing at Nora for help.

"They're still young." she offered up.

"How old are you?"

"Twenty."

"Oh that's hardly a baby these days!" Rebecca exclaimed. "My sister just got married and she's twenty one. They're already expecting a baby."

"Rebecca, let's be honest. The wedding happened because of the baby." Angie muttered around the rim of her glass. The other woman reddened. "It's not the first time it's happened, especially with Gregory Jones. This just happens to be the first time someone managed to force him into a marriage because of it. It helps when your father is the mayor."

"Angie!" several of them hissed in exasperation. She rolled her eyes with a shrug and finished off her drink.

"Why pretend? That's the problem with people. Honesty seems to be a dying policy." her gaze flicked towards Nora, who remained straight faced. "So Indiana is far from California. What brought you out here?"

"Change of scenery. I visited out here a lot when I was younger and the kids have never been to a real beach. Figured it'd be as good a place as any."

"You picked a good place." Sandy commented.

"What do your parents think about all of this?" Angie asked, looking expectantly at Charlie, who immediately tensed. "I'm sure they miss you."

"Um, well, I wouldn't know about that because they're dead." she replied quietly. A murmur rippled through the women and a few of them gave Angie a look. She huffed defensively and waved her hand in a vague motion.

"I was just curious as to why a grown woman would be following her extended family around the country."

"Why don't you get yourself another drink?" Kate suggested. Angie turned her glare to her but stood up from the table, then disappeared into the house. Immediately, apologies were thrown at Charlie, who managed to smile through it all.

"She loves to gossip. That's just Angie. She likes to cause trouble too. Obviously, she knew your situation wasn't exactly conventional but she feels like everyone's business is hers too." Sandy explained. "She means well though and she has had a few drinks already. Ignore her when she gets like this. That's what we do."

"Seriously though, if you have any secrets, make sure you keep them well hidden because she will find them. She's like a dog with a bone and the next thing you know, the whole town is talking about you." Gina added.

Later on in the afternoon, everyone was gathered around the tables in the yard and finishing up eating. It appeared to Nora that Miles and Jason were having a better time than she and Charlie were simply because of the mere fact that men weren't catty, gossipy bitches. Even Alex had relaxed enough that he was now playing on the swings with the other kids.

She picked morosely at her food, wondering when they had reverted to high school tactics. Not like there's much else to do around here. She tried to remember what it had been like back in Philadelphia. Julia had been like these women but they had managed to tolerate each other once Julia understood Nora wasn't going to take any of her shit and no matter how much she prodded, she wasn't going to learn one bit about the private life of Miles Matheson. Leah was a more sedated version of Sandy- peppy, friendly, helpful, but didn't gossip. They remained in their small circle, though Nora had been polite to any of the military wives she came across.

In the rebel camps, there had been no time for this. They were constantly striving towards a goal, always doing something, or running. They had been comrades, relying on each other to survive. The notion seemed ridiculous when there were more important things to be worrying about.

She was in the midst of wondering if Miles was right- that all they were good at was war and hunting, maybe this was how 'real' life was and she wasn't suited for it at all- when she felt his hand on her thigh. It startled her only because she had been lost in thought and not expecting it. She glanced at him but he wasn't looking at her. He didn't look at all like he currently had his hand up her skirt either. He was slumped in the seat next to her, eyes roaming around the area. They were sitting close enough to the table that their legs were hidden- no one had any idea what was going on- but still, it was very unlike him to do something like that. She looked at him again, saw the curve of his smirk beginning, and held back a sigh.

He used to not do this in public because he didn't want the attention and had an image to uphold. Now, he was bored and didn't give a shit what people thought. And the bastard thought he was sneaky enough to get away with it.

She knew she should tell him to stop. Anyone could have noticed. Alex could have come running up, needing something. She knew if someone acknowledged her, she was going to miss it and they were going to think she was strange or disinterested, which would make her seem rude.

Now, he was looking at her. She leaned over, turned her head so she could whisper in his ear. He turned his head as well, making it seem as though they were cheek to cheek. No one was behind them or on either side of them. No one could see when he lowered his head a little more to kiss the side of her neck, biting and sucking as well. Her hand had already gone to his wrist, ready to pull him off, but her fingers tightened involuntarily.

"Don't."

"Shh. They're so absorbed in themselves they won't realize."

"Yes they will."

"Not if you keep quiet. The risk is half the fun." he straightened up, meeting her eye with a wicked glint in his own. She stared him down- her silent no, absolutely not- but he trailed his fingers once again along the inside of her thigh. She could feel herself reacting to him, which was ridiculous because he was barely even touching her- just grazing the tips of his fingers over the same spot over and over. She shouldn't give in to him. Her hand went to his wrist again, intending to push him away, but her brain was conjuring up other images and she moved her leg a little further towards his, giving him more access, and she pulled his hand closer.

It wouldn't be the worst thing they had done, she tried to tell herself. Now that she thought about it, she remembered a dinner with Kelly Foster and her team of advisers when they had been in (failed) peace negotiations. Remembered Miles in the exact same position- to her left, the kill me now look in his eyes, fingers interested in other things than signing laws and treaties.

She bit the inside of her lip as his fingers toyed with the edge of her underwear. So, so close. So, so wrong.

"You said you were from Indiana O'Connell," a male voice jerked them out of their moment. Miles swiftly removed his hand as he turned to look at Sandy's husband at the head of the table. Nora slumped slightly, face pressed into her hand as she felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment. He was a terrible influence. But talented and hard to resist, added the soft voice in her head.

"Ah, yeah, what about it?"

"Last time I checked, it was still part of the Republic. What do you think about all of this?" Eric asked. That sobered them both up immediately. Miles shifted in his seat, trying to come up with an acceptable answer.

"Don't know. Wasn't really involved. We were out of the ways."

"But you heard about Philly being wiped out. How Monroe is supposedly the one that did it."

"Ignored a lot of what was going on." he shrugged.

"Must have in order to come to California." another, John, commented. A round of chuckles was heard. Miles exchanged a glance with Nora as Charlie looked on confused.

"What do you mean?" she asked, leaning forward.

"Oh please. For years, California has been perpetrated as being full of savage heathens that will slaughter you the moment you cross the mountains. Republic expeditions that never returned to the East Coast. The truth of the matter was California was more advanced than the Republic was and instead of trying to take a leaf out of Affleck's book and fix the mess they made, Matheson and Monroe decided to use propaganda. There was a point where people were fleeing that area left and right for greener pastures. They created stories that they were safer in the Republic because everywhere else, there be monsters. In actuality, those few failed expeditions were because of bands of savages in the Wasteland, just on the California border." Eric explained. Miles scratched the side of his head and leaned forward to grab his beer off the table, making sure to not make eye contact with anyone.

"Anyway, it's about damn time someone burned that place to the ground. Even if it was Monroe himself." John added. "They say he left the city just days before the nukes dropped. Pretty convenient if you ask me."

"That's the way the Patriots want to make it seem at least."

"Patriots?" Charlie frowned again. The adults at the table, minus Miles, Nora, and Jason, all looked at her.

"Yeah. The US Government. Have you guys been living under a rock?" Angie asked. "I would think with all your traveling, you would have heard the news by now."

"Once the bombs hit Philly and Atlanta, the Government decided to make their grand entrance." Sandy explained. "They've been on the East Coast and there are reports they are in Texas now. They're making their way west, trying to repair the damage. They're looking for Monroe too. Foster is apparently dead."

"They won't get Carver and his men to hand over Texas." Miles muttered. He couldn't get them to hand over Texas. Some asshole draped in the stars and stripes definitely wasn't going to.

"I don't know. Depends on what they offer. Plains Nations and the Wasteland, those will fall into their hands like nothing."

"You know, I've heard they're offering a ton for Monroe. Going to make a public spectacle of him. Bounty hunters are everywhere, even out here." Sandy said.

"I wouldn't underestimate Monroe though." Eric tapped the edge of the table. "I wouldn't be shocked if he manages to get himself out of this somewhere."

"He'll probably go crawling back to Matheson, if the bastard is still alive."

"You know if he is, they're going to go after him as well. You're quick to give Monroe credit for the Republic. It was all Matheson. Things went to hell for them when he disappeared."

"Things went to hell before he disappeared."

"Ever wonder if Monroe had him killed? Got tired of sharing the limelight? Can't see someone disappearing into thin air. Especially in the Republic. Place sounded like a prison camp."

"He could. Those were his men. They got him out. I wouldn't be surprised if he's been laying low, gearing up for a fight."

"Well, if the rumors coming from out east were true, he was helping the rebellion and Georgia."

"Why would he want to wreck his own country?"

"Why do any of those crazy bastards do anything? I'm not some sociopath like they are. I have no idea what went down, what any of them did, or why they did it. I'm just speculating. Not that it matters now. Give it a few months, maybe a year, the United States will be completely back and the two of them will be hanging from the White House for all the world to see. They don't let war criminals like them go easy. They may negotiate with Affleck and Carver but the others don't stand a chance."

Miles, Nora, Charlie, and Jason all remained silent during this conversation. Nora's hand fell gently on Miles's thigh, causing him to glance over. She tried to remain as neutral as possible but he picked up on the concern in her gaze. He gave her hand a soft squeeze and kept his head down. As soon as the topic had been brought up, it was dropped, and they began to talk about a family that hadn't been able to attend the party.

"Sorry about today."

Nora glanced over her shoulder as Miles leaned against the bedroom door. She shrugged silently as she stepped out of the skirt and tugged the shirt over her head, then changed into a pair of pants and a loose fitting t-shirt.

"What are you sorry about? You didn't bring up sore topics or make Charlie feel uncomfortable or overwhelm Alex."

"I know. But I know you were looking forward to it and I don't- I don't know." he shrugged, shifting his weight around. "As much as I thought it would suck, I secretly hoped you would have a good time."

"It was good for the most part."

"They're an... odd bunch."

"Not odd. More like, self-absorbed and oblivious to others." she pulled the hair tie out of her hair, then retied it in a new ponytail. "You were right."

"I wasn't."

"You were. It's not a bad thing."

"Maybe it's not us. Maybe it's them."

"So we should start seeing other people?"

"Sure, if that's what you want." he replied, making her roll her eyes at him. "What?"

"It's just ridiculous. I'm trying to impress people and fit in. I feel like a teenager again. I feel like it was easier back then too. Have we been that far out of the loop for that long? I don't even know why I'm doing this!"

"No, I think we're a certain type of people and they're... not."

"But that's the thing. Maybe we're wrong."

"You want to be obnoxious, in your face, and gossip about everyone?"

"No but I don't want to be the bounty hunter either. I'm trying really hard to ditch that and every day I feel like she's forcing her way back in because there are so many times that I feel completely out of my zone now. I'm not used to it. It's all ridiculous because we go to do something and I'm the optimistic one, then it all goes to hell. I don't know." she shook her head, sighing deeply. "I don't know. I'm going to take the dog for a walk. I'll be back in a while."

"Where are you going?"

"I don't know. Probably just the beach. Why?"

"Just want to keep tabs on you."

"How sweet of you." she leaned up and kissed him quickly, then opened the door and disappeared down the hall. He remained standing there for a moment, before following silently to find Alex.