2035.
Return.

Doug barely had time to yell before Chell disappeared in a flash of excruciatingly bright light. He squeezed his eyes shut with a brief exclamation of pain. Barely a second later, the room dimmed beyond his eyelids, but it took a moment for his vision to return to normal. The ship was gone, along with the gangplank and the two workbenches that had been closest to it. Chell was gone too.

He felt numb. Knees giving out, he sank down, lowering Wheatley to the floor. His mind raced as he tried to process everything that had happened. It had happened far too fast, had stolen his breath. She was gone.

She was gone, and he had no idea what to do.

He felt a sudden urge for the companion cube's silent support, but he'd left it in the back of Gordon's truck. He was lost. All his plans for the future had involved her in some way. How was he supposed to go on alone?

But then there was a cough.

He looked up with wide eyes, acute hope elbowing its way past his defences, halting all coherent thoughts.

A pair of hands reached up to grip the edge of the dry dock. Chell hauled herself up on wobbly arms, soaked to the skin and shaking badly.

Doug shot clumsily to his feet, accidentally kicking a yelping Wheatley in his haste to help her. Ironically, the dry dock was full of water, the surrounding area wet. Chell's trembling limbs were making it difficult for her to scramble up, and he clutched her arms, helping her pull herself out of the dock. She was breathing hard, looking to be teetering on the outskirts of shock. Heart in his mouth, he placed a hand either side of her face, studying her stunned expression.

"Chell," he said in a choked voice. "Are you hurt?"

She shook her head slightly, muttering, "Bruised."

Letting her go, Doug shrugged out of his jacket, draping it around her shoulders. She clutched it, nodding her thanks.

Gordon appeared in his peripheral vision, and he turned to see what the bespectacled man had to say.

"Get her outside," he ordered quietly. "The sun's still pretty warm for this time of year."

Doug nodded in agreement, reaching out to help Chell to her feet. Before they could stand, however, an irate Kleiner stormed up, followed by Alyx, who was plainly trying to calm him down.

"What have you done?" Kleiner demanded, glaring angrily at Chell. "Do you have any idea of the time and research that went into that thing? The experiments aboard are–"

Doug lashed out with a growl of irritation. "Back off, old man!"

Chell's hand on his arm stopped him from saying anything more, but there was a glint of amusement in her eyes.

Gordon stepped in to talk evenly with Kleiner, giving them an opportunity to leave the hangar. The sun was gentle on their skin as they left the shadow of the doorway, and Chell turned her face towards it, eyes closed. Doug sat with his back against the wall, knees bent, while Chell settled between his legs. He traced paths up and down her arms, trying to warm them.

"It was like before," she mumbled, breaking the peaceful silence away from Kleiner's ranting.

"Before?"

"When I…shot a portal on the moon and I was pulled out. The only thing I had to hang on to was Wheatley." Her voice grew quieter as she recalled. "I never told you this, but right before GLaDOS saved me, Wheatley…told me to let go."

Doug glanced at her in disbelief, a sharp flare of anger darting in the pit of his stomach. "He did what?"

"He panicked," she explained with an awkward shrug. "That's no excuse, I know, and I still find it hard to forgive him, but…he doesn't handle panic very well."

"Even still, that doesn't mean he gets to order you to die."

Chell nodded in acknowledgement. "I know. But it's done. I only mentioned it because this time he yelled at me to hang on. After you did it first, admittedly, but he did it. But even still…it just brought all those memories rushing back. I fell unconscious almost immediately after GLaDOS dragged me in the last time, I never had time to really deal with what I'd gone through. So this time…" She shivered violently, and Doug pulled her closer. "I guess that's why I can't stop shaking now. I wasn't in the water long enough for it to have an effect like this."

"It's okay," he soothed her.

At his words, she shook her head, and he turned her face towards him with one hand.

"It is," he assured her, meeting her gaze. "You're the strongest, most tenacious person I've ever met," he told her, drawing a smile. "But it's okay for you to feel like this. Everyone does sometimes. It's not weakness, it's your body dealing with what it needs to deal with in its own way so that you can carry on being strong."

"And I haven't had a near-death experience in a while," Chell put in quietly.

"Uh…no, I guess you haven't," Doug agreed. "Which is…always good."

Chell gave a snort of laughter, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I was so lucky," she said thoughtfully after a moment of silence. "The portal closed just before it would have pulled me through. I think the water pouring in knocked me off course."

Doug said nothing, his mouth set in a grim line as he considered what might have happened, what almost had happened but for circumstances. They sat in silence for a long while, until Chell's trembling lessened, then stopped altogether.

"Are you okay?" he asked her when she fidgeted and sat upright.

She nodded, wrinkling her nose. "My butt is wet," she complained.

Doug raised his eyebrows. "Not really sure how I can help with that. You'd better hope that Kleiner will let you use his shower."

Chell shot him a wry look. "After you shouted at him and called him an old man?"

He grimaced, already regretting his brief annoyance. "I probably shouldn't have done that," he admitted.

"It's okay," Chell said with a grin. "It was very…chivalrous."

By the time that the others joined them, Kleiner had calmed down enough to listen to what the former Aperture employees had to say. Despite his obvious interest in Wheatley, (who did not seem to appreciate being fawned over), his face was pinched in a steady expression of disapproval, which only let up when Chell invited him to the labs. Taking advantage of his apparent intrigue, she took the opportunity to ask about the shower. While she was gone, Doug told Kleiner all about GLaDOS, making sure to leave nothing out. If Kleiner, Gordon and Alyx were going to insist on accompanying them to Aperture, he wanted to make sure they did so with their eyes open.

The plan worked a little too well. Already impressed by Wheatley's technology, Kleiner was unable to contain his fascination with Aperture, and spent the entire journey talking about it, pausing only for food, sleep, and necessary human functions. By the time the group reached Ishpeming, Doug could have quite happily strangled him. Chell kept diplomatically silent, but he could sense her annoyance. Wheatley, who spent the journey perched on Doug's lap, was suspiciously quiet too, clearly disliking the fact that he was no longer the mouthiest personality in the vehicle.

They attracted a lot of attention when they drove into Ishpeming. Doug wasn't at all surprised by that. There were few cars in the town, and none that looked like Gordon's modified Jeep. Still, the thought of the blur of faces peering at them all when they emerged had him grimacing. His medication kept him clear-headed, but large crowds still made him nervous, and he avoided being the centre of attention where possible.

At Chell's direction, Gordon pulled up not far from Trevor and Gerry's house, and the group scrambled out of the car, stretching their stiff limbs. Doug glanced around for familiar faces, spotting curtains moving in several windows. Then the front door opened, revealing Gerry's frowning countenance. Doug offered him an awkward wave, and the older man's expression cleared at once.

"Doug?" he called out. "It is Doug, isn't it?"

He wasn't sure if Gerry was having trouble recognising him or if he had forgotten his name, but he smiled warmly. "It is."

"I thought so! We never thought we'd see you again." Leaving the front door open, Gerry jogged over.

"There's some business to clear up," Doug explained. "At Aperture."

Gerry nodded in understanding. "Well, you know Trevor and I considered leaving after what you told us, but this is our home. We decided to take our chances. And truthfully, nothing's really happened since you left. Brad and Trish went out looking for the entrance to Aperture, but they couldn't find it."

"Good," Doug said succinctly, frowning.

Gerry sent him a smile. "I know. You told them not to. Did you come alone or did you bring lovely…"

Chell jumped out of the back seat right on cue, prompting Gerry's grin to widen.

"Chell!"

She beamed back. "Hi, Gerry."

"You can talk!" he exclaimed, making her laugh. "Oh, that's wonderful!"

"It's certainly easier than writing everything down."

He appraised them both with a searching glance. "You both look well," he commented, sounding pleased about the fact.

"We are, thanks," Chell replied. "Although," she added with a shrug, "it wouldn't be hard to improve on how you first saw us."

"Well, I didn't like to say," Gerry shot back, eyes twinkling. "Neither of you are bleeding this time, so I'll take that as a plus."

They shared a laugh, then Gerry froze, his mouth falling open in stunned surprise.

"Is that…? Oh my god, it is!"

Chell and Doug exchanged an amused look.

"Gordon Freeman!"

Gordon turned at the mention of his name, hiding his pained expression admirably well. He gave Gerry a cordial nod.

"Ohmygosh!" Gerry squeaked, hurrying around the car to shake Gordon enthusiastically by the hand. "Mr. Freeman, I am such a huge fan. It's an honour to meet you."

"Thank you," Gordon muttered politely.

Chell stepped up to Gerry's side, cutting in and stealing his attention to give Gordon a few moments' grace. "We're all heading to Aperture in the morning. We were hoping you'd know of a place we could crash for the night."

Gerry managed to tear his star-struck gaze away just long enough to tell them about a new guesthouse that a friend of his had opened. The group followed him to a large house in good condition, its open doorway guarded by a sleepy-eyed cat. They fully expected to trade work or goods for their rooms, but Gerry's friend settled happily for Gordon's autograph. Alyx quietly fumed about the attention, knowing how much Gordon hated it, but Kleiner seemed openly amused. Doug felt a pang of sympathy for the famous man, but he couldn't deny that it was a good price to pay for three rooms.

They all gathered in the dining room in the morning for breakfast and disputes. It had been decided that Chell and Doug would leave Wheatley with Trevor and Gerry, but Gordon was arguing that Alyx should also stay. Alyx was, of course, in vehement disagreement. Doug sat cradling his coffee cup between his palms, listening to them fight it out while trying to seem invisible. An equally silent Chell and Kleiner had apparently decided on the same tactic.

"I'm not trying to belittle you," Gordon said for the third time, his quiet voice weary. "I just think we need to put the baby first."

Alyx pulled a disapproving face, but she seemed to be in partial agreement. Her hand hovered over the bump beneath her shirt even as she stood up for her independence.

"I know better than anyone how capable you are," Gordon went on gently. "But we said things would change when we became parents. This is one of them."

"I'm not far along enough for it to make drastic differences to my lifestyle," said Alyx.

"No, but if this place can be as dangerous as Doug and Chell have said, I don't want you or the baby anywhere near it."

Alyx opened her mouth to retort, but the newest Freeman took matters into their own hands and stopped the argument in its tracks. Alyx gave a gasp, pressing her palm to her stomach.

"What?" Gordon said, instantly on alert.

"It kicked," Alyx told him, eyes wide. "It's never done that before."

She seized Gordon's hand, placing it on the spot where the baby had made its presence known. Gordon smiled as he felt it.

"I think our child agrees with me," he said softly. "Don't you?"

Alyx gave a heavy sigh, but nodded. "Okay, fine. I'll stay here. Happy?"

"Yes."

She glanced away, and Doug tried to look engrossed in his coffee, aware that Chell was doing something similar next to him.

Wheatley spoke up from his position in the fruit bowl. "You're definitely leaving me behind, right?"

Doug nodded. "Yes, don't worry."

"Oh, I wasn't worried, mate, wasn't worried. Just, uh, you know, wondering."

"Of course," Doug said dryly.

Following Wheatley's accidental talent at ice-breaking, chatter started up around the table. Doug turned to Chell.

"What about you?" he asked quietly. "Are you worried?"

Chell swallowed the mouthful of toast that she was chewing, turning to him with a thoughtful expression. "Um…no, I don't think so. I'm wary, but not worried exactly."

He nodded in understanding. "I feel the same way. Sort of…anxious to get going and get it over with."

"Yes, exactly."

"Do you think we can find that hut again?" he spoke up, swirling the dregs of his coffee around his mug.

"Guess we'll find out," Chell said with a shrug. "It's not like we have a choice anyway, GLaDOS specifically told us to go in that way. There must be some structural issues with main reception."

"I, uh, think that might've been my fault," put in Wheatley. "From when I was…redecorating. It's entirely possible that I may have accidentally melted the stairs in that part of the facility."

"Melted the stairs?" Doug repeated incredulously. "How do you accidentally melt something? You know what, I don't want to know."

"Actually it was for security reasons."

"Security reasons?" Chell queried, one eyebrow raised.

"Yeah. I thought if anyone tries to break in, a whopping great hole in the floor would be a good deterrent. I tried to move the stairs elsewhere, but it didn't quite work out. Turns out the incinerator doesn't make for a good storage room."

"No kidding," Chell muttered.

"Oh, don't mock me, lady," Wheatley said irritably. "You're just sitting there smugly with your cup of…whatever that is, you've never tried to run a bloody massive science facility, have you? You've never, y'know, thought to yourself 'you know what, there's this great big room with loads of free space, perhaps I could store things in it', then found out that said room is actually full of fire. Melted six flights of stairs, two small offices, and a bunch of water coolers that were just hanging around. Bit of a pain, really. I had plans for those."

Chell backed down with a quirk of an eyebrow, choosing not to ask what sort of plans involved multiple water coolers. She fell silent for the remainder of the meal, clearly lost in her own reflections in anticipation of the trip ahead. Doug found himself doing the same, although he chose not to dig too deeply. He was afraid of what he might find.

Before long, they were bidding Alyx and Wheatley farewell and climbing back into Gordon's car. Alyx's expression was once of severe disapproval, but she didn't argue.

"If you can't talk to this thing, kill it," she commanded firmly. "I'm not bringing up a half Freeman child on my own."

Gordon valiantly repressed his smile, nodding instead. "Deal."

Wheatley eyed Chell and Doug with a small, nervous movement. "Um…just…be careful, I suppose. And, uh…maybe tell Her that…I'm sorry for what I did."

"Are you actually sorry or are you just trying to make her stop wanting to kill you?" Chell asked with obvious curiosity.

"Both," the core answered at once.

Alyx shot him a bemused glance, and he shifted to look up at her.

"What?"

"Nothing," she replied with a sigh, lightly tapping her fingertips on his outer shell. "At least I'm going to be entertained while we wait, right?"

Gordon starting the engine drowned out Wheatley's indignant reply. He leaned out of the open window to shoot a quick "See you later" to Alyx.

"You better," she responded curtly, her tight smile taking the edge off the words.

Gordon nodded to her, then pulled away from the guesthouse. Doug felt a flutter of apprehension as they finally got under way, casting a glance back at where the companion cube sat silently as ever. He didn't miss having to rely on it, but it did seem quiet without its voice sometimes. Chell wasn't quite as talkative, although her advice was just as sound, and she put his mind at ease much more effectively.

In the front, Kleiner started up his enthusiastic speculation once again, but as Gordon picked up speed, the rush of wind through the Jeep's open sides snatched his words away. Doug was grateful for that. He needed to focus on staying calm, and silencing the small part of him that was aghast at the thought of trusting GLaDOS.

If we don't show trust in her, she has no reason to trust us, he reminded himself.

But at the back of his mind, he knew he would never quite forget who had killed his co-workers, just as he was sure Chell would not forget who killed her father. GLaDOS, he was sure, would not forget their betrayals either. As starting points went, it wasn't a particularly promising one, but at least they were on somewhat equal footing.

Beside him, Chell was equally quiet, the breeze whipping strands of hair out of her tidy braid and sending them dancing across her face. She scowled but let them be, knowing that trying to tame them would be a losing battle until the car stopped. Her thoughts looked as solemn as his own, and he hoped he hadn't made a huge error of judgement about GLaDOS's sincerity.

Well, I guess we'll find out soon enough.

A/N: I'll be taking a break for a week or so. We're fast approaching the end, and I've reached the point where I don't have chapters already completed, so I'm afraid you'll have to bear with me. Also, I apologise for leaving you with a filler-ish chapter.