The waning light of day fell across Evelyn’s form as she scaled through the back window. Her movements were automatic and cold as always, and her beautiful face remained locked behind the respirator she dared not remove. With the grace and silence of a mouse, she furled up the rope that had worked for her stealthy escape, then closed the black-out curtains behind, waiting for just a moment as she once again scanned the exterior for followers or threats.

Only once again hidden in the dark of their room, did she remove her costume. First, the respirator affixed to her mouth, then the sunglasses over her brown eyes, then the shawl that wrapped around her black hair. She continued, unfastening the clips around her leather hardsuit that protected them from bites and the camouflaged fatigues beneath.

Liam stood from where he’d been waiting on the couch and walked over.

Her eyes flicked his way, hard and calculated as ever. “Managed to get more from Nathaniel today. Should be able t–”

Liam kissed her, his arms wrapping around her form.

She leaned back. “What are you doing, honey? I just got back.”

“Shut up,” he said, planting another kiss. “You don’t have to talk about what happened out there, love. You don’t even have to think. Just relax and let me do the rest.” He hugged her tighter still, once again leaning in for a kiss.

For a moment, Evelyn merely stood frozen in place, her body locked up. But as Liam’s lips mingled again with hers, her muscles relaxed, and she slipped her gloved fingers around his back, sliding for his midsection. He looked into his wife’s eyes and saw tears formed, their brown irises quivering back and forth for fear of surrendering her guard further.

She did not deserve such fear. Not with him.

Liam continued where Evelyn had left off, deftly removing the clips that held her armor in place. One after another, he discarded the ugly, toughened shell that hid her pure form beneath. His lips moved lower, pecking her on the neck where she was exposed.

He did not stop there. Liam proceeded with all the delicacy he could muster, probing deeper with both fingers and tongue.

“Wait… What abou– Ohhhh.” She gasped, Liam now kissing her breast.

He grabbed between her legs, feeling wetness grow. Though Liam still could not yet feel the spark himself, it did not matter. This moment was not for him. It was for her. And as he continued to unravel the wall around his wife, he did not forget that for a second. Massaging the tension from her limbs, biting tenderly where able, and always disrobing her further. It wasn’t long until she was naked completely.

Without more force than needed, Liam brought his wife to the nearest couch and placed her down. Evelyn lay in front, her naked body finally exposed. The scars of her past snaked around her torso, and her dark breasts sagged a beat in the dim light, but that could not concern him in the slightest.

Liam stiffened himself, and he quickly removed his own clothes. Old age coupled with the nature of “the mission” had been a beast for his libido, and it had been a point of contention in their relationship, but the power of raw passion overrode every other sense. Oh, how beautiful Evelyn became when presented in her exposed, unarmored form.

He removed his underwear and climbed on top.

Evelyn cringed a beat. “I haven’t prepared,” she squeaked, referencing their fertility regiment.

Liam knelt low. “Who cares?”

He entered her. The two moaned in shared ecstasy as Liam performed his duty.

This was not sex. It was not procreation. This was love. Together. As a couple. In the most natural sense of the term. The fate of humanity and the burdens of their world were so paltry compared to what they both gained in this moment. Their souls entwined as one, forging the eternal bond they’d established anew. How foolish Liam had been in forgetting why he agreed to marry this woman. Not because the world ended and no other options remained, but because he’d come to love her so deeply after all their time together. He devoted himself to her, and she’d been there for him. Nothing else mattered but the relationship they’d built. Not as mere partners but as equals.

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And she did not deserve to shoulder these burdens alone.

Their love eclipsed, and the two reached their climax as one.

Liam rolled over, his body extinguished from the exchange. Evelyn curled back up, calmly sliding a throw blanket over her chest. As quickly as the tryst began, it was over.

“Where the hell did that come from?” she asked.

He exhaled deep. “Been thinking a lot about you, is all, my love. Does it need to be more complicated than that?”

For a moment, his wife said nothing. She merely clung to her blanket, eyes averted from his. So soft and vulnerable. But the faint flicker of a smile across his lips was all Liam needed to see to know that he’d broken through her wall, if only briefly.

“Now you can tell me how this day went, love,” Liam said, making room for the distraction she craved.

“I’ve got a better handle on how the Beholders work,” Evelyn explained, again slipping back into the survivalist. “Nathaniel’s a foot soldier for Aaron, who reports to Abraham.”

“How goes the mind games?”

She beamed. “Good. He corrected himself mid-sentence today, though one of his friends called me ‘Evelyn’ too… It will take some more doing before the Hollowing wipes them of the memory of my name.”

Liam brushed a lock of hair from her cheeks. “As long as you keep yourself safe, they can call you whatever the hell they want. You’re more important to me than them.”

“I know, and thank you. For this. I didn’t know how much I needed it.”

He slid his fingers around hers. “You and me both, love. Not every day can be spent fighting to stay alive. We have to remember who we are and why we’re here. Let’s never forget that. No matter how much we may feel separated.”

Again, Evelyn fell to silence, the shadow over her face. Liam could only speculate the impact this had left on her. She might have been his second chance at love, but he’d always be her first.

“How’s Leah doing?” she asked.

“Put her to sleep an hour ago. We should be good for a few more.”

“I’m gonna look at her for a bit, honey.” She turned to him. “Want to come?”

Liam feigned shock. “I’d say ‘just for you, love,’ but now that you mention it, I’d like to see her too!”

The two walked across their suite, hands locked together.

Whimpering leaked through the walls as they drew near.

Liam grunted. “Not again.” He opened the door, where Leah rolled around in her crib, bawling her eyes out. His nose wrinkled. “And I think she pooped herself too. Can’t she just take a break for a change?”

“How many times has that been?” Evelyn asked.

“Six times today, I’d reckon.”

“But she still hasn’t been eating?”

Liam groaned. “Afraid not. At this rate, Chantelle’s will have to get more diapers than food, yeah?”

But Evelyn watched on in silence, her brow furrowed as she studied their daughter. Without saying a word, she rushed across the room and pressed her palm against Leah’s forehead. The color flooded from her face.

“Liam, come here!” she ordered.

He closed in without question, the hairs raising on the back of his neck. His palm met hers on their daughter’s forehead while she rolled around and cried. His heart skipped a beat, and he locked eyes with his wife. No more words were needed.

Leah had a fever.

Oh, sure, a baby’s cold was the type of matter that no adult overlooked. Liam had once abandoned an episode in the Everglades mid-shoot after hearing that Lilith was in the hospital with a cough that wouldn’t go away. To have this level of concern was natural for any loving parent.

However, that fear came from an era where children had access to modern medicine. The days of pressing a button on the phone and having them air-dropped in were long since gone, and the anatomy of a rezzer relied on a completely different set of chemicals and reagents to function, so none could be found here.

Divorced from the amenities that Liam and Evelyn grew up with, reality became far starker for the future. Even if they ruled out the Hollowing, there was no denying where this could easily go.

Leah would perish if this illness went untreated.