AN: Here it is! I'm glad to see people are reading this I wasn't sure if my readers would like it as much as my Narnia or at all. Leave a comment with critique or just thoughts either works! Love hearing for you guys!

Enjoy!

Chapter 5 - New Routine

May 11th 2020

"You my friend have completely healed and you may now start putting your full weight on your ankle." She told Raleigh who was finally able to come downstairs for a meal. She had helped him down the stairs but upon checking his ankle once last time she discovered that it had healed just fine.

"I have an idea for 'physical therapy'." Raleigh said, mocking her with air quotes as he said physical therapy. She laughed him and nodded.

"What's that Mr. Becket?" She inquired, knowing it bugged him when she used formalities with him.

"Your training!" He was excited about this. But when he said training she gave him a funny look.

"What do you mean by training?" She stood up so she was at eye level with him.

"I want to teach you how to fight. I need a sparring partner." He told her hesitantly. She thought about it for the moment and honestly she wouldn't mind learning how to fight. It would teach her how to defend herself in the case that she was attacked.

"Sounds like fun." She replied with a wide grin.

"Really?" He asked her looking slightly shocked. She smirked at him.

"I've already been conditioned. At least with cardio. Muscular is probably what I need work with." She explained. "Why is it you wish to train me?"

"It's something familiar, something I did with Yancy. He was my co-pilot so we had to know how the other fought. At the academy we often sparred when we couldn't find anything else to do." He told her with a reminiscent look in his eyes. Understanding flooded her mind as she realized why he wanted to teach her how to fight. He needed a sense of familiarity or at least a familiar routine that he could stick by.

"When do we start?" She asked.

"After breakfast." He grinned

True to his word, after breakfast she found herself out in the snow wearing nothing but a tank top, running pants and sneakers. After living in Alaska for so long she had become accustomed to the temperature however that didn't stop a chill from going through her body every couple of minutes. She had been positioned in a fighting stance thanks to Raleigh and he was talking to her about how to properly punch. What she didn't tell him was that he knew all of what he was say before he had decided to train her so when he told her to punch she laughed when he had to shake his hand out.

"You could have told me you knew how to pack a punch." He hissed shaking his hand vigorously. She chuckled and shook her head.

"I can do more than that." She told him. He stopped shaking his hand and looked at her with a whirled eyebrow. "Let's just spar. So you know where I'm at. Take it easy though."

"What? Don't want me to shovel the snow with you?" He challenged and she just rolled her eyes.

"No I'm more concerned about you breaking your ankle again." She chastised putting her hands on her hips. His mouth quickly formed an O and he scratched the back of his head. "Your move Raleigh."

He began circling her and she moved her body accordingly. He just smirked at her before moving fast in attempt to jab her ribs. She dodged out of the way and he stumbled past her. He quickly regained his footing and she gave him a look, urging him to strike again. He took the invitation and aimed a right hook at her. Her left arm shot out and batted his punch to the side and she hit him in the chest with a quick jab to the chest. He stepped back and raised an eyebrow at her. She knew he was testing her. He didn't want to hurt her. He was sizing up her skills. Before too long he began to fight a little harder and she smirked, grateful for the challenge. This went on for about an hour or two before she found herself tiring out. She was ready to get warmed up inside.

"Is that all you got, Mr. Becket?" She taunted as she caught his fist and twisted his arm behind his arm. He grimaced at the slight pain that shot up his shoulder and she loosened her grip, not wanting to hurt him so soon after he had healed. He took the advantage and elbowed her in the gut. She let him go and he ended the spar with a quick swipe to her legs. She landed on her back but as she fell she let her leg whip out and catch him behind the knees. He landed on top of her and all the air was pushed from her lungs.

"It's Raleigh." He corrected her, as he propped himself up on his elbow. She was still catching her breath and letting the pain in her chest ease away.

"I'll remember that for next time." She wheezed. He chuckled at her and got up. She laid there for a moment in the snow looking up at the sky.

"Let's get you inside." He put his hand out for her and she grabbed his forearm. She let him pull her up. Once she was on her feet he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and guided her inside as she shivered from the cold. Her clothes were wet and the wind wasn't helping.

Inside the house he pulled her to the fireplace that was already lit. Shaking violently, finally realizing how cold she really was she pulled off her tank top and sweatpants to eliminate some of the cold that was touching her body. She sat with her arms wrapped around her knees in only her sports bra and underwear. When Ralegh joined her again he was in dry clothes and he had her father's sweater on hand and a thick blanket in the other. He tossed her the sweater and she quickly pulled it on. As soon as she pulled her head through the blanket was tossed over her shoulders. She smiled up at with with chattering teeth. He returned the smile and moved into the kitchen.

"Where is your tea?" He asked her.

"H...h...Hot...hot chocolat….is i...in...in the cupboard….cupboard above the….the stove." She chattered out as best she could. She saw him chuckling at her and she couldn't muster up a glare in her chilled state. She could feel the heat beginning to return to her fingers.

"Here you go. One hot chocolate for you. One hot chocolate for me." He sat down beside her and handed her a steaming mug. She eagerly took the mug and sighed as it warmed her hands. "Better?" He inquired. All she could muster was a nod as she blew on the hot liquid. She wanted nothing more than to take a drink but she knew that the liquid would scald her tongue.

They say there in silence, watching the flames and just enjoying each other's company. She found herself fighting to keep her eyes on the flames. Every now and then she would glance over at him from the corner of her eye but she would look away just as quick when he would catch her looking. Ever since the kiss she had been finding it difficult to keep eye contact with him when they were talking. She would easily find herself lost in his eyes but by looking away she found it easier to ignore the feelings that were beginning to bubble up inside. It had nearly been two and a half months and she was already starting to fall for him. How could she not though? He was attractive and smart and funny when he was in a good mood. He was like her, he knew what loss was on a level that even she didn't know but they understood each other. The more she got to know him the more she found herself wanting to know more. She could only pray that the attraction was mutual. Before the Kaiju had created world panic and chaos she had been rejected one to many times and after a while she found it difficult to put herself out there and risk what little self esteem she still had. In this ending world she wanted nothing more than to have the chance at love, a chance at a happy ending. The moment she realized she was starting to care for Raleigh she had tried to deny it but the feelings were too strong. Now she was in a constant battle with herself. Should she make the first move or wait for him so she knew she wouldn't get rejected? She didn't know and it was killing her.

Sitting in front of the fireplace in complete silence was blissful and she wished she could stay like this forever with him. Just having him near her calmed her down.

"Do you ever wish you could go back and change things? Do anything different?" He asked her suddenly. She looked over at him and once again she could see the regret in his eyes.

"No. Things happen for a reason. We may not understand right now but the things we endure shape each and everyone of us for a reason." She told him. "You wish you could go back and not be a jaeger pilot." She said. He nodded in affirmation and she gave him a sad look.

"Yes. Maybe he would be here still." He sighed. She reached over and grabbed his hand.

"You cannot dwell on what could be, Raleigh. Even if you two hadn't been pilots he may not still be alive. There is no telling what could have happened." She explained. He laced their fingers and she watched his eyes soften as he stared at their hands. She was thankful he wasn't paying attention to her because he would have seen the color in her cheeks.

"I'm glad I'm here." He told her. He looked up at her and gave her a small smile. "I would probably be back at the Shatterdome had I been taken to a hospital."

She didn't say anything. There wasn't any need to say anything. For the next months to come this became their routine. On days she had off from work, they would go for a three mile run and come back to the cabin for lunch. After lunch they would go out onto the beach and he would teach her how to fight. By the time fall came around their sparring had turned into a rhythmic dialogue. They knew each other's fighting weaknesses and strengths and would play off of them. Raleigh began to smile and mess around with her more often and she was glad to see that teaching her how to fight had brought him a sense of normalcy.

He no longer sat in their room and sulked. He helped around the house and when he felt fit enough he had joined in on the construction of the coastal wall. No one had known who he was and for that she knew he had been grateful, but she knew that he was now being watched. The Jaeger program knew he was alive and they intended to keep tabs on him. They would go out for groceries and there would always be the same man watching them. She knew the man wouldn't hurt them but being watched left her unnerved. Raleigh didn't seem to notice, or if he did he didn't let it bother him. So she never said anything about it and they went about their lives like normal Alaskans. For the first time in a long time she felt at ease and normal. She had Raleigh to thank for that, and she dreaded the day he was called back into action, because it was inevitable.

Hope you guys liked this. Let me know what you think!