The shower was divine. 

The shelves were stocked with soap, shampoo, conditioners, cleansers, and moisturisers. Hera wanted to pinch herself to make sure she was actually alive. Whoever stocked this house was an angel, she thought dreamily. 

As she peeled off her grimy clothes, Hera imagined she was removing all the baggage and crap she had been carrying for weeks. The clothes hit the floor with a disgusting slap, and she climbed into the scalding hot water. She scrubbed off the last month in that shower, and when she finally got out, she was glowing. 

Squeaky clean, she thought, staring into her foggy reflection. The moisturisers were so hydrating, and her skin drank it up greedily. The robe she put on was soft and heavy. She contemplated sleeping in it but thought otherwise, still hoping she would see Theo arrive safely before permitting herself to rest. Hera recalled how they still hadn't finished the conversation back at the cabin and pondered what they would say when he returned. 

The bathroom was an en-suite to a cosy bedroom with a fully stocked closet. The clothes were secondhand, but to Hera, they were perfect. She found a cotton T-shirt and thick men's track pants, which she pulled on gratefully. They were a little loose, but the inner drawstring cinched just enough for them to hug her waist comfortably. 

The fluffy socks in a small side drawer were a bonus, and she decided on a sky blue pair with puffy clouds. Things almost felt normal again. There was even a calendar marking off the days. She was shocked to realise she had missed her birthday. "Yikes..."

Once she was dressed, her stomach growled loudly, eliciting a brief laugh. Out of the bedroom was the open plan living area and kitchen. To her delight, every cupboard was packed, and she settled for a few cans of baked beans. Sitting in the centre of the kitchen island was a small sourdough loaf. Hera nearly swooned. She felt guilty that she wasn't sharing this with Theo. 

He was probably still flying through the freezing rain with Monroe. 

A pang of anxiety shot through her. What if the weather got too bad and they crashed or something. A reverberating thunderclap increased her fears. The beans heated on the stove quickly as Hera tore off some bread. She didn't give it a chance to cool down before shovelling mouthful after mouthful. It didn't take long for her stomach to feel full, and she had to sit down to let it digest. Fatigue settled in as she snuggled down on the couch. 

She only closed her eyes for a moment- just resting her eyes. 

She was not sleeping. She wanted to wait for Theo. 

Theo.

...

When she awoke, the sun was up, and the sky was finally clear. 

"Fuck." She grumbled. She had missed Theo's return. She wanted to make sure he got in safely, but no one woke her up. She was grumpy as she brushed her teeth and threw on a thick pullover. She shoved her feet into her stolen boots and trudged over to her dad's cottage. The door was open, and she could smell something delicious: cinnamon, allspice, bananas.

"Oh my god. Pancakes." Her mouth watered as she spied the stack with maple syrup alongside. "No way." 

Joseph heard her murmurings and smiled as she walked through the door. "Good to see you're up. Come and eat."

"Yeah, we're hungry. Keep us waiting, sleeping beauty." Jeans' raspy sarcasm called from the table, and Hera almost forgot she was mad with them.

"Why did none of you wake me? Where's Theo?" Everyone looked busy all of a sudden, and Hera got a sinking feeling. "Is he okay?"

"He's fine, Hera. Calm down. I sent him to the other settlements to organise training with Monroe..."

Confusion replaced her anger, but only slightly. "Why would you do that? You let me sleep in and feed me pancakes, but he has to go straight back to work?"

Joseph held up his hand to silence her. "He requested it."

"What? Why didn't he..." Hera couldn't deny the hurt that clawed through her. Energy skittered along her fingers, aching for release, but she stifled it.

"He's told us his story. All of it. I think he wanted to make amends with everyone else. Find his place again..."

"I don't understand. I needed to talk to him." Her anger flared as she tried to piece it together. "What did he say?"

"Nothing Hera. Nothing we didn't already know. But you've both been through a lot, and truthfully as a parent, I thought some space would do you good. Give you both time to heal." He stressed the words both, which only annoyed her more.

"I'm an adult. I had my birthday on a fucking murder ship. Why are you trying to make these choices for me?"

"He chose to go. I just agreed. Hera, I'm sorry. Please sit and eat." She scowled at him before sighing dramatically. 

"I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at this stupid situation." She sat with a huff and started shoving the warm deliciousness in her mouth. Everyone joined her with smiles playing on their lips. She only frowned at them as she swallowed the last piece on her plate.

"When will he be back?" Zeke gave her a knowing look before her dad spoke up again.

"Few days. Maybe a week. It depends on how long it takes to set up their training regime. Azrail is still looking for us, and we will be ready." 

She felt heartbroken truthfully. She had been with him or at least near him for such a long time that the distance was physically painful. Her dad invited her for a walk outside, and she obliged. 

 "The road that leads to each settlement is impossible to access by vehicle, and the mountain range makes aerial assault difficult and easy to anticipate. I believe this time, Azrail will attack with evolved. He saw how easily you destroyed the mods so ordinary agents would be useless against us. This gives us the numbers, but they may be more powerful and have abilities we have never seen. Thus why starting training now is so important. I expect you to also start your training again tomorrow morning with Jean and Joel."

"What about you?" Hera piped up. "And Zeke..."

"Zeke has his training. But, yes. I will join once you are stronger. I wouldn't want to hurt you."

A smile pulled Hera's lips, and she scoffed. "Okay, old man..."

They shared a small laugh before he spoke again, "you may have noticed your cabin has a greenhouse attached. It's perfectly regulated to keep the plants alive and has its own watering system. So don't mess with the control panel, please. You can help yourself to the vegetables and fruits but don't forget the rest of us, alright?" 

They stood outside her place and looked appreciatively at the structure that would keep Hera from going insane after eating so many canned goods. 

"All the settlements are hooked up to sustainable power sources so we will never lose power. Solar, wind, and hydro."

Hera was impressed. "How did you have time to do all this?"

"These settlements have been planned for many years. Jacqueline had many secrets." He smiled ruefully. "Monroe found the place and met with the indigenous peoples to ask permission to do this. It turns out they had quite a few evolved of their own. They helped build these homes with Jacqueline's money so that Panacea couldn't persecute any of us again. They chose to live on the fringes of each settlement. Closest to the wilds."

Hera was shocked and impressed at the revelations, especially the fact that "Jackie had money?"

Joseph made a face. Was it pride? "She did a lot of questionable things before she had to raise you. Stole from the rich, invested and gave money to those in need. And squirrelled away some for herself."

"Huh..." Hera was surprised and glad that her 'questionable choices' led to the safety of her people and those like them. She wished she could tell her how proud of her she was. How grateful.

"Anyway, if you have any more questions, just come to find me. Rest up today. I expect to see you training at dawn." A severe tone passed his lips, and Hera rolled her eyes.

"Yessir." She went to head inside when he pulled her into a bear hug. Tears sprung to her eyes immediately as she squeezed him back.

"I'm so glad to have you back here safe. I love you, kid." He let go and wiped his own eyes quickly as he turned away.

"I love you too." She whispered back too quietly for him to hear. She could feel herself choking up as she went inside and took a few deep breaths, flopping on the couch.

She already needed a nap.