The strum of the guitar caught Nora's attention as she climbed down the stairs. She followed the sound through the kitchen to the sliding doors of the deck and found Miles sitting on one of the chairs. He was frowning in concentration as he fingered chords and tuned the guitar to his liking. Stitch sat at his feet- a lone but attentive audience- and laid his head on his knee.

"I missed that sound."

He smirked but didn't look up from his work, saying, "It doesn't sound like much yet."

"When was the last time you played?"

"Ah… before Alex was born, I guess."

"No guitars in Chicago?"

"Never felt like it." He muttered with a shrug. He meant to play it off but she gazed sadly at him, knowing those seven years were the lowest point of his life. She knew because it had been the same for her. Do what it took to survive. They hadn't lived. They had existed and it wasn't until recently-when he had found her- that she had realized that or understood there was a difference. She had thought she had been hardened by her losses but instead had been numb and mechanical. "Don't look at me like that."

She sat down next to him, took his face in her hands, and gave him a comforting kiss. He nearly dropped the guitar but gripped it by the neck in one hand to maneuver the other behind her head. Stitch broke the moment by giving a simple bark and when they pulled away, she looked down to find him staring at them, as though to say what the hell are you doing to him?

"Shush. He was mine first." She gave him a gentle nudge with her toes and he yawned at her, settled his head back on its perch. Miles gave a low chuckle, scratched the dog's ears, and then turned his attention back to the guitar. "Play me something."

"Doubt that's going to happen. My mind is a little rusty."

"Don't give me that. You've been out here for hours. Never known you to have stage fright before."

"It won't be perfect."

"It never was. You're not exactly Jimi Hendrix."

He looked offended by her teasing insult but sighed and messed with the strings a few more times. After a moment, he asked, "Anything in particular?"

"You know the one I like."

"You like lots of songs."

"Do you like irritating me?"

"I do take a small level of enjoyment out of it."

"Jerk."

"It's a bit rude to be mean to the troubadour, isn't it?"

"Did you stumble upon a dictionary?"

"All I'm saying is I'm going to serenade you and you badmouth me."

"If you ever get to serenading."

"Patience." He strummed the guitar a few times, trying to find the proper chord to begin on. "Do you want to go out tonight?"

"With you?"

"Seeing as I'm doing the inviting, I kind of planned on it. Seriously," he looked up, meeting her eye, "you want to?"

"What about Alex?"

"We have two built-in babysitters. They could do something that works in our favor rather than simply mooch off our kindness. Come on, when was the last time we went somewhere by ourselves?"

"We went to Culpeper by ourselves."

"When was the last time we went on a date and had a good time by ourselves?"

"Oh. Then never." She smiled teasingly at him.

"Oh, well then this will be a first. Glad to see you enjoyed the first eight years of our life together." He smirked back at her, then turned his attention to the guitar. She settled into the swing and smiled as he began to play Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing." Her smile widened as he began to sing and kept his eyes locked on hers.

"Thank you." She murmured once he had finished. He shrugged bashfully, rubbed the back of his neck, and set the guitar gently onto the porch. He was fully aware that she was watching him and anticipated her reaching for him. They settled easily into each other's embrace, exchanged a few kisses, and then she sighed a little and laid her head on his shoulder. He turned his face into her hair and laced his fingers through hers, gave her a gentle squeeze.

"See, this is nice."

"Yeah."

"So… we'll be getting rid of the others more often?"

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"It would be nice once in a while." His mouth curved into a grin as he moved his fingers lightly up along the inside of her wrist. "Remember when I'd come home in the middle of the day and surprise you?"

"You were just trying to avoid your responsibilities." She snorted into his shoulder, even as she pressed further into him, trying to prompt his touch further.

"No. I'd sit in meeting after meeting with boring old men or stupid grunts and think there were so many other things I could have been doing right then. Or I'd see you walk by a window, hear you talking in the hallway. I could have probably accomplished a lot more if you weren't always on my mind."

"Sure, blame it on me."

"I think we had sex in every room and on surface of that house. In broad daylight too. This place is in serious need of catching up. Kitchen… bathroom… I always enjoyed the living room, right in front of the fireplace."

"Shh. Charlie and Jason are right there." She whispered, having spied their niece from the window. He nodded but felt her grinning.

"I'm not interrupting am I?" Charlie asked as she hovered in the doorway. She scanned them with a skeptical eye as she waited for one of them to respond. Miles gave a small shake of his head. "Okay. Um, were you going to come to the meeting?"

He was ready to answer when Nora responded for them.

"Yeah. When is it?"

"They said twelve-thirty."

"We should probably get going then."

The gymnasium was filled wall to wall with townspeople. Miles supposed he shouldn't have been so surprised. The United States popped up in town? Everyone was going to be curious or skeptical. Rows of folding chairs had been set up along the floor and most were filled, though some people were still standing along the walls and chatting with each other.

There weren't four seats together so he led Nora to two chairs near the back of the room while Charlie and Jason walked towards the front. He turned slightly towards her once they sat and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close.

"Look, this means nothing. Whatever they say, that's it." He whispered into her ear. She kept her face neutral but shrugged her shoulders to show she acknowledged him.

They spent the next forty-five minutes listening to Peter McCallister, the mayor, talk about pre-Blackout life and the old United States. Then Jonathan Grant was introduced as the new government's ambassador in the town. He went on an eloquent speech about the strength of their nation, explaining the expansion that was taking process all across the country in towns just like theirs. Miles carefully watched the faces around him, trying to gauge reactions. Some looked pleased, others looked perturbed.

"Why did it take so long for the government to come back?"

"For a long time, our numbers were weak. We did not have the greatest Army in the world. How were we supposed to fight against the likes of Sebastian Monroe and Kelly Foster? We never had plans to sit back and let them destroy themselves. But that, paired with the return of the electricity simply worked out in our favor."

"Why did you pick Pacific Grove?"

"It's not a matter of picking towns. Eventually, every town will have an ambassador. Right now, we are working in areas. For myself and my colleagues, this town will be our base but we will reach out to other towns as time progresses."

"What are your plans?"

"We are going to be providing communities with necessities they may not otherwise have. We are going to work together with your current officials to make sure the transition to the old government is as smooth as possible."

"Governor Affleck is all right with this?"

"Governor Affleck has been notified and is cooperating with our efforts." Grant gave a wide smile and held his hands out, "Folks, I understand your hesitancy. The Blackout has been a time of great change for all of us. The world was turned upside down and we were all thrust into scenarios we would never have to confront otherwise. Now, we have a chance to return to normalcy. Nothing has changed for the United States. We will work together to achieve common goals. This nation will be great once more. You will see how easy it is to return to our old ways of life. You've done that with the restoration of the electricity. You watch TV and your DVDs, play video games, and listen to iPods and CDs. The same will happen with the government. We are here to make the transition simple for everyone and create a layer of protection."

"Why do we need protection?"

"A sense of law and order- a police force if you will. There are still people out there that are criminals- the Fosters, Monroes, and Mathesons of the world. We know for a fact that Sebastian Monroe was not killed in the attack on Philadelphia. Our people received word days before that he had left the city. What is stopping him from coming here? We know that the clans in the mountains have been pushing their boundaries since the power has come back. We are an extra sense of security to work with the Commonwealth Army. We do not want anything to jeopardize the reuniting of our nation. We do not want our children- the future of this country- to be threatened and forced back another step. We want to thrive, to succeed, to regain our greatness."

"It just seemed…" Charlie trailed off slowly, trying to find the proper words to express her opinion. Miles glared at her over the top of his glass but she ignored the look. "…fake."

"Get it out now before she gets back. I'm serious Charlie. This is not going to become a thing."

"So we're not going to be going on reconnaissance missions?"

"They're not doing anything."

"They bombed the Eastern part of the country."

"Was this how it used to be?" Jason asked, "I mean with the politicians. It sounded really like a load of nothing."

"Basically. Politicians did a lot of talking and nothing else and things were getting shitty before the lights went out."

"Do you know who he is? Was he a politician before the Blackout?"

"Not one that I've heard of. I wasn't really into politics. I knew the President, Vice President, and a few important others but only because I was in the Marines. That guy could have been the mayor of Podunk, North Dakota."

"They couldn't have taken everyone with them. Who did they pick?"

"Maybe it wasn't everyone. Maybe it was a small faction. DC was a battleground those last few years. No one got along with anyone. Both parties thought they were right and everyone else was wrong. There were smaller, more extreme divisions that popped up. Maybe someone got a little too egotistical and took things too far. Whatever happened, it was deeply embedded in the government."

"And what he said- they were told Monroe wasn't in Philadelphia. How?"

"I would imagine over the years, they sent teams to investigate the situation. They had to know what was going on somehow. If Flynn was a Patriot, he could have been in contact with them. Who knows how many people are involved."

"And that doesn't concern you?" Charlie asked. Miles sighed and set his drink onto the kitchen table. He ran a finger around the rim of the glass. It did concern him. The more he thought about it, the more possibilities he came up with. How long had they been back in the country? Had some of his own people been these Patriots? How long had this been in the works? What was the end goal?

"It does but it's not our problem. Keep your heads down and your noses out of trouble and things will be fine."

"You're just going to sit back and let this happen."

"Charlie, if I hadn't created a republic and I was just a typical, ordinary citizen, would you be harping on this? Just because I have military experience and poor leadership qualities does not mean I get involved. I swear, I'm going to wake up one morning and find you and Nora out starting some knock-off version of Post-Blackout Charlie's Angels."

"Who?"

"It doesn't matter."

"You were the one who wanted to know what they were up to."

"I know what they're up to. Killing everyone with kindness. I found out. Now I'm over it. I get it. There's nothing I can do without blowing our covers and that's more important to me right now." He glanced at Jason, nodding at the doorway. "Want to give us a minute?"

The younger man nodded and left the room. Charlie waited patiently for her uncle to continue.

"I know their arrival means nothing good. I get that, I do. I'm not stupid, contrary to popular belief." He looked towards the hallway, listening for Nora's arrival. "I'm worried. There, I said it. I don't want something to happen to you, Alex, and Nora. Maybe I'll even spare a shred of concern for Jason. Yet, you and Nora are practically humming with energy and ready to bomb half the town. Stop. If I think things are going south, I will make the decision to fight or leave. Sniffing around where we don't belong or causing a panic in the neighborhood isn't going to accomplish anything but getting us killed. Do you understand that?"

"Yes."

"Would you really want to fight or whatever you're planning?"

"I want the truth to be out there. I don't want the people who ruined half the country and countless lives to swoop in like the heroes."

"Honestly, if the expressions I saw today were any indication, they're going to have their work cut out for them. They're going to have to lay it on pretty thick if they want to gain friends quickly. You can't disappear and pop up like fifteen years haven't gone by."

They could hear Alex talking animatedly through the open window as he and Nora made their way up the sidewalk.

"Alright, this is over. I don't want to hear any more about the United States or Patriots or whatever. Got it?"

"Yeah."

"Good. We want to go out tonight, just the two of us. Think you can handle Alex for a night?"

"Yeah. We'll be fine."

"Alright. Thank you."

"I'm home!" Alex burst into the kitchen, looking red and breathless. Nora appeared behind him, a look in her eyes that made Miles slightly nervous. "Can we play?"

"Ye-ah-no?" he tilted his head questioningly at the gestures his wife was currently making. "No. No, we can't. You… have… homework?"

"That's exactly what I said." Nora commented.

"But I have all day!"

"And you have all day to play. It'll take you a half hour tops. You don't want to get in the bad habit of procrastinating."

"What's procrastinating?"

"Your father."

"I do not procrastinate. I didn't do work at all."

"Even worse."

"Well excuse me Miss Smarty Pants, Chemistry Brain, Early Admission to A&M."

"What's that?" Charlie looked puzzled, as did Alex, who seemed more concerned with skirting by his homework.

"It was the college I went to- Texas A&M." Nora turned her attention back to Miles and glared over the top of their son's head- a direct warning that he better agree with whatever she said. "Babe, don't you think it's better to get the work done now?"

"I… yeah. I wouldn't want you to be stupid, buddy."

"It builds character and teaches you responsibility and restraint. While you may want to do something, you can't always do it right away because other, necessary things have to be finished first. It's just like when it's your turn to feed Stitch. These are good life skills."

"So is hitting a home run and catching a pop fly." Miles retorted.

"And Dad is going to help you."

"I am?"

"You are. I'll be upstairs." Nora tilted Alex's chin up gently and kissed his forehead. "I know you're smart enough that you'll be done in ten minutes. Plus, another good way of thinking of it, this is all still fresh in your brain from school. If you wait until later, it'll be harder to finish. Can I see you in the hallway?"

Miles rolled his eyes but stood up and followed her outside. Immediately, she punched him in the shoulder, making him grimace and hold the wounded area.

"We're supposed to be a united front." She hissed. "How would you like it if I took off in the opposite direction in the middle of a battle?"

"I didn't know we were in the middle of a battle! I think good cop, bad cop would work better."

"And who do you expect to be the bad cop?"

He gave her a pointed look, which made her glare at him.

"I'm kidding. I've got your back. Maybe next time, you'll give me more warning than this," he mimicked her wild gesturing from earlier, "because we both know how bad I am at reading minds. But, you know, maybe, throwing him headfirst into homework isn't the best thing."

"I don't want him turning into a slacker."

"He's seven."

"Exactly. He's impressionable at this age. Bad habits will form and in ten years, we're going to be looking at a mess and we'll wonder where we went wrong and I'll blame you."

"Of course. You know, I was a slacker and I turned out find."

"Yeah, you're just the embodiment of perfection. As much as I complained, my mom did the same thing to me, and I was not a slacker and look at me."

"Because you're obviously Jesus."

"Obviously. Go help him."

"I will because I'm not slacking at fatherhood. Can't say the same for you."

"Touché but I'm sacrificing motherhood for wife duties and I'm taking this time to get myself ready for our date."

"So I'm not being punished."

"Not fully."

They separated and went in their opposite directions. Alex was already seated at the table with a faded workbook and a notebook in front of him. Miles waited until he heard Nora's footsteps fade.

"Alright, what do you have?"

"Spelling and math."

"Okay. I can work with that."