February 2020- Seven and a Half Years After the Blackout

Their separation lasted until the end of February- almost March, which drove them both nearly to their breaking points. A snowstorm had stopped Miles from venturing to Atlantic City, postponing their scheduled meeting until the weather had cleared. Only a few letters had passed between them during the month, which only made the distance between them worse. Nora often wondered if she was spiting herself by staying away. She missed Miles terribly, missed her home. There had been several points where she thought of turning around and going back to Philadelphia. Then, Bass would creep into her mind and she remembered the point of all this. Miles's letters were vague, rather short, and only mentioned that he was "taking care of things and they were better." The rest of the paragraph or two was devoted to his loneliness, how he loved her, and an example of what they would be doing once they were reunited. She had blushed fiercely as she had read it. It was atypical of him but knowing him as she did, he probably felt confident no one would be sneaking a glance at any of his correspondence. This has been as hard on him as it has been on you.

She kept busy by working with Mia on her schoolwork and fighting skills. Their relationship was getting better- about the only thing Nora was grateful for over the past month. If only you had thought of taking Mia away sooner. Maybe a lot of this could have been avoided. It seemed to Nora that this latest stint had made her sister realize the struggle with their father as well as Bass. It had taken Mia's cockiness down a peg or two, which Nora appreciated, but she didn't appreciate the hurt that came along with it.

It felt like Philadelphia had been a problem for them all. Now that they were away from their problems and able to see things clearly, the tension had left and Mia was able to converse like a rational being, rather than a snotty teenager. It reminded Nora of how they were before she had come to live in Philadelphia with them. Or is it she doesn't feel like Miles is here to overshadow her?

"I'm going to be with Alicia today. Figured you wouldn't want me around." Mia said the afternoon Miles was expected to arrive.

"You can stay."

"Yeah," she let out an exaggerated breath, rolling her eyes, "you and him haven't been in the same room in a month. I'm going to stay far away from this place. I'll be back tonight. Will you have your sexual needs sated by then?"

"Mia!"

"Oh come on! I'm not stupid. I know what you do when you're married." She rolled her eyes again and grabbed her bag from the table by the door. "I'll see you later."

She opened the door and froze as she found Miles climbing up the porch. She heard Nora audibly inhale from behind, as though the latest A-List celebrity had just walked by. Miles froze in his tracks, gave Mia a fleeting glance before his eyes locked on his wife.

"Like I said, see you later." Mia said, bounding down the porch. She glanced up at her brother-in-law, muttered, "Hey," and kept on walking. He mumbled a faint hello after her as he continued up the steps. He had barely crossed the threshold when Nora jumped and pushed him against the door with a hungry kiss. He dropped the bag in his hands in order to hold her as they grappled over control of their kiss. She moaned his name into his mouth, raked her nails down the front of his jacket, and allowed him to turn them so it was she who had her back against the door. They separated for a moment to breathe and he pressed his forehead against hers, laughing slightly.

"Hello to you too."

"God, I've missed you."

"Hopefully for more reasons than my talented mouth."

She laughed as she stripped him of his jacket and pulled him down by the shirt collar for another kiss. This was just as frenzied as the former and she arched into him as his hands ran along her sides, then under her sweater. It took a moment to realize he had pulled the garment off and even then, it was only when her back pressed into the wood of the door.

"Baby, the windows are open."

"We're facing a closed beach. You think the seagulls are going to say anything?" his hands roamed over her hips, then hooked under her thighs to lift her up. She braced her hands on his shoulders to balance herself as she locked her ankles behind his back. He carried her down the hallway, blindly making his way towards the stairs as he kissed a wet path down her neck and onto her breasts. Her hands tightened on his hair as her breathing rapidly increased and he let out a quiet "fuck" as she squirmed against him. His plan of action was scrapped immediately and he turned into the nearest room.

They wound up on the living room floor.

Later on, he found her standing in the kitchen, busy stirring what seemed to be tomato sauce in a pot on the stove. She was dressed in only his shirt, which explained its mysterious disappearance, and did not realize he was in the room.

"Smells good in here." he whispered as his mouth brushed faintly over the curve of her ear. She smiled as he wrapped his arms around her waist and tipped her head back to kiss him. "I'll forgive you for leaving me alone."

"I figured you had to be hungry."

"Definitely." He mumbled into her shoulder as he pushed the collar of his shirt aside to get to her collarbone. She giggled lightly as she craned her neck away from him.

"That's not what I meant."

"Seems to be the best idea. It's been too long baby." His hand slid up to the front of the shirt and slowly began to pop the buttons open.

"We need to eat."

"Plenty of time for that." He put the flame out on the stove, though she gave a small squawk of protest, then led her upstairs to their bedroom.

"Are we ever going to sit and have an actual conversation?"

"We can but I have a to-do list that I need to follow through on." He grinned down at her as he backed her onto the bed. She blushed deeply at his insinuation, which made him chuckle. "Look at that. I can still make you blush."

"I'm blushing at the thought of those couriers using your love letters as their latest porn."

"If they were brave enough to attempt opening one, I hope they enjoyed themselves. I would have done the one thing in the kitchen but figured if Mia happened to walk in that wouldn't work out too well."

"She said she'll be gone until tonight."

"We've got some time to kill then." He positioned himself over her, ran his hands along her arms to her hands, and laced their fingers together. "I've been going crazy without you."

"That makes two of us."

Their earlier lovemaking had been quick, eager, and release of pent up sexual tension. This time was slow and, in Nora's opinion, worth the wait.

"I really missed you." She whispered later. She laid on top of him, head resting on his chest so she could hear his heartbeat. One of his hands was tangled in her hair, the other ran idly along her spine.

"Come home with me."

His simple request made her sigh. She kissed the center of his chest gently, then tilted her chin up to meet his eye. The look on his face made her insides twist.

"I talked to him. Kind of beat the shit out of him. I'm trying. He's… better."

"You don't sound so sure."

"I've been trying to talk him down, get him to step aside for a while. He won't but he's been… more agreeable than usual. I think if we keep on him, he'll be okay."

"It's not my job to look after him."

"I know. I just- I want you home, y'know? I miss you."

"You're here now. We've got a week together."

She felt him tense underneath her and sighed, "What?"

"I have to be back for Monday."

"Monday is your birthday."

"I know. I'm leaving for Maine on Tuesday."

"So you want me to come back but you're not going to be there. How long are you going to be gone?"

"I don't know. We're trying to expand into Canada."

"I can't do that."

"He's-"

"I know. I can't be there- without you, I mean."

"You couldn't be there with me either."

"That's not- it wasn't like that. I was angry and needed to clear my head."

"You needed a month to do that?"

"This has been hard on me babe."

"You said you didn't feel safe."

"I didn't. I still don't but I didn't leave because of that. I trust you more than anything. I left so I had space and time to think. Then things started changing with Mia and I think this has been better than I planned. I can't go back if you're not there and sit there for months on end, not knowing when you're coming back, and only having him there. I'll go crazy, constantly looking over my shoulder." She sighed and dropped her head back to his chest. Her hand roamed along the inside of his arm from his wrist to his elbow. "Do you ever think he may be plotting something more? I thought about the guard watches and wonder if he has them in his pocket. I don't trust anyone except you. I thought I knew him and I never expected this. Who else could be planning things? He could have people helping him."

"Well, if he does, just know I have people who are more loyal to me." He felt her smile slightly and he stroked her hair gently as he held her. After a while, she began kissing along his shoulder and collarbone. "I've thought about what you said- about leaving it all behind. You didn't think I could. But being here, not having any worries, just… living- I could get used to it."

"How long would that last?"

"I would make it last."

"I thought you said things were going okay."

"They are. I'm not always going to be in charge. I could start training someone to take over. It would be a while but… maybe one day."

"That's for you to decide. I don't want to push you to make any decisions or force you in any particular direction."

"We're not living separate lives. Whatever one of us does affects the other. This past month all I thought about was how I couldn't stop him. I couldn't stop you from leaving. It shouldn't be like this. We shouldn't be putting us second."

"Does he know that you know?"

"No. I tried to keep you out of it. I mean, besides Mia. I think he gets it though, that he's been wrong."

"I still don't trust him. It's going to take a lot of work to get to that place with him again."

"I don't blame you. I… I have a hard time with him. Whatever. I really don't want to talk about Bass right now. I have two days with you. That's not a lot of time for that to-do list." He grinned as he finished and she chuckled softly in response. He rolled them over and gave her a kiss. "If this is what retirement will be like, you can bet I'll hurry it along."

"You have high expectations."

"Very."

"Hungry?"

She lifted her head slightly and smiled at the sight of him in the doorway, a plate of spaghetti in his hands.

"You have to cook that General."

"Is that what it's called? Good thing I did it then."

"You can eat first."

"Haha." He sat down on the edge of their bed, twirled the fork through the pasta, and then held it out to her. She chewed thoughtfully for a moment, then gave a small nod.

"Not bad."

"Glad you approve."

"Is Mia back yet?"

"Yeah, she skulked in about a half hour ago."

"Were you cordial to each other?"

"You didn't wake up to a bloodbath."

"I'll take that as a positive sign."

He snickered quietly as he took a forkful of his own. They spent a few moments eating in silence before he cleared his throat in an attempt to get her attention. When she glanced up, he ran a hand over his hair and spoke in the same, soft tone as before- like he was afraid to beg for her.

"I was thinking, I could use you in Canada."

"A hunt? Bombs? You have an explosives team."

"Nothing particular. I could find something for you."

"You can't do that."

"I can do whatever I want."

"I'm not tagging along like some pet. There's no reason for me to be there. I'm going to take up space, be a distraction, and the men are going to say shit."

"I don't give a damn what they think."

"If you think an excursion is your way of being romantic, you need to step up your game."

"It's not being romantic. I can't stand another three or four months without you."

"We've done this before."

"This is different."

"I can't go. Even if you had a legitimate reason other than needing a warm body for your bed, I'm not leaving Mia. I feel like I've finally made some progress with her. I can't just up and leave with no one to look after her. I won't drag her into a battlefield either."

"Why would you say that?"

"Because I'm worried about my sister."

"No- a warm body for my bed. You're not- Nora, why do you keep… I don't even know- downgrading, is that the word I'm looking for? I don't know but I can't stand hearing you talk like you don't fucking matter."

"You just admitted you don't have a concrete plan for me."

"Not right now. We work well together. I like having you on my side and knowing you have my back."

"You have others you work well with. I'm going to be there to keep you company."

"Yeah, as my wife. You're not a whore filling my bed, or whatever the hell you said."

"Well, thanks. Are all the other wives coming too? No. You sound stupid and petty and you know it. You don't need me. You want me, just like I want you but we both know that's not going to happen."

"Right." He tipped his head back against the wall and tapped it a few times in irritation.

"Miles-"

"I feel like I'm losing you."

"You're not losing me."

"You won't stay in Philly, you won't come with me, you're happy being out here away from me."

"You sound like a whiny baby right now and I appreciate you twisting everything we've talked about. I would stay in Philly if you weren't heading to Canada. I left because I felt like I was losing my mind. I needed a break. I won't come with you because there's no point. I'm happy because I don't have to deal with Bass and I don't have to look over my shoulder and Mia is actually getting along with me. If you were here, I'd be a million times happier. You talk about me acting like I don't matter, you're having insecurity issues."

"Do you blame me?" he pinned her with a dark glare that made her sigh. She took the plate from his hands, set it on the nightstand, and then situated herself on his lap.

"I love you. I don't know how else to say it or how to prove it. I've told you time and time again that this has nothing to do with you. I don't want to be away from you. I would love to go to Canada with you but it wouldn't look good and Mia would have a relapse into Irritable Teenager Syndrome. I'm thinking about what's best for everyone."

"When do we start thinking about ourselves?"

"I think we forfeited that right when you decided to build a militia. I appreciate you trying to find every option to keep us together but right now, it's not working. We're both mature enough to handle this. We don't have to like it but we'll deal with it."

"You'll come home?"

"As soon as you turn around and start heading back, send me a note, and I will meet you there." She promised, then leaned in to kiss him.

Nora wasn't expecting the harried messenger on her doorstep that Monday with a hastily written note from Jeremy- the only other person to know where she was, according to Miles- letting her know about the bombing in Philly and Miles's injury. She had Mia packed and ready to leave within twenty minutes. The ride to Philly seemed longer than usual, with her mind being entirely focused on worrying about her husband. It was nighttime before they reached the city but she didn't care. Mia had enough sense to keep quiet and follow obediently. By the time Philly came into view, Nora had never felt more relieved.

She made her way through the streets, passed the blown-out windows of the restaurant they frequented, and continued on to Independence Hall. There was a heightened sense of security but she had no problem entering the building. She was just starting to climb the staircase to the second floor when she heard footsteps coming towards her.

"What are you doing here?"

Her back tensed at Bass's voice but she turned to face him.

"I'm here to see Miles. What happened?"

"Where have you been?"

"I was away with Mia. It's none of your business. What happened?"

"We were having drinks. Bomb went off. Hannigan says he'll be okay. He has a concussion, a couple bruised ribs, cuts. Nothing too serious. He's sleeping now. Or, still unconscious. Hannigan said he didn't expect him to wake up tonight." Bass eyed her calmly through the candlelight and walked forward, but made sure to stay a respectable distance away. "How did you know what happened? I didn't know where you were. I would have contacted you immediately."

"Jeremy."

"How did he know?"

"I don't know Bass. Is it a crime that you weren't included in something? Now, excuse me, I need to check on my husband." she turned on her heel and continued up the staircase. She refused to even glance towards him even though she knew he was watching her every move. There was no point in it. It would only accomplish upsetting her more. She made her way to the guest room and locked the door as soon as she entered the room.

It was dark inside but she quietly went to the bed and lit the candles sitting on the night stand. Miles didn't stir whatsoever, which concerned her. She scanned him with a worried eye but told herself to calm down as she watched his chest rise and fall evenly. He would be fine. He seemed to be a magnet for trouble but he would be fine. As she sat on the edge of the bed, her exhaustion hit her. She stripped down to a t-shirt and laid on the empty side of the bed, making sure not to jostle him in any way. She closed her eyes slowly but was hit with the image of Bass lurking out in the hallway. No, she took a deep breath and felt for Miles's hand, tangled their fingers together loosely, you're not letting him control your life any longer.