Rhonda always worked Rebecca harder in training and sparring when she was being more protective than usual... the fact that Rebecca had gotten used to the idea didn't leave her any less tired (or slightly bruised) by the time Ronnie was done with her.

A couple of grunts won MRE peanut butter packets or Pop Tarts from their colleagues by betting on how long she would last against Ronnie on any given round. She appreciated the guy who took the long shot and bet on her to win, but... his enthusiasm wasn't going to make her overcome proper training and several years of experience. She gave him an apologetic shrug as she picked herself up from the mat yet again, which garnered a goodnatured laugh in return.

She quickly forgave Sam for being "busy with Rufus somewhere" when Ronnie proclaimed it was sparring time, as she'd prepared a fairly warm bath for her in the meantime. Sam tried to play it off as not wanting to deal with Rebecca being stinky, but the way she sat on the side of the tub and scrubbed Rebecca's back was more tender than pragmatic. Rebecca felt herself starting to drift blissfully in the candle and lantern light at the sensation of Sam pouring handfuls of warm water on her exposed shoulders and let out a long slow exhale. It started to remind her though... of... oh dammit. That time Jaime had prepared a bath for her, just a couple of nights before he was killed. And that wretched anniversary was coming up soon and...

Sam felt Rebecca's shoulders slump and saw her head droop. What the heck? Momentarily, she realized there was a tear running down Rebecca's cheek. "Remy? Sweetheart, what's wrong?"

Sam dropped from the side of the tub to her knees, closer to eye level, and fished Rebecca's hand from the water to hold it, keeping her other hand on her back. "Honey?"

Rebecca wiped a tear away with her free hand and an accidental little flick of water. "I'm sorry. It's just... a memory coming back. Jaime used to get baths ready for me too when he wanted to cheer me up. And... when we came back from the hotel on foot, when we went to check it out together..."

She paused for a sniff, and wiped her eyes again. "He fell in the river on the way back, while we were crossing... and when I laughed, he knocked me in too. Oh, I was so mad at him at the time."

Sam fretted. "I'm sorry, honey. I was just trying to do something nice..."

Rebecca rubbed her hand. "No, it's okay. I appreciate it, I appreciate you. It's good to talk about it too, I guess." She sighed and let out a very slight laugh. "I was so mad. We'd stuffed our bags with fresh clothes, and it was all soaked... and then we had to crawl back through the drainage tunnel... it was dry, but once we were in there on the way back, it was like making mud every time I put my hands down. We were filthy when we made it out, and then he hugged me and rubbed his hands all over, even in my hair."

"Oh man..." Sam was enjoying the bittersweet story as much as one could, really, and she wanted to be there to listen for whatever Rebecca needed to work through.

"He had the sense to get a hot bath ready for me by the time I'd finished emptying out our bags and hanging everything up." She sighed, more nostalgically than sad this time. "And, well..."

Sam picked up on a note to her voice and grinned at her naughtily. "Aaaaaaaand?"

Rebecca chuckled. "... aaaand... one thing led to another, y'know... "

"You don't have to be embarrassed or worry about me being jealous or something. The makeup sex was good, huh?"

Now, Rebecca laughed. "Yeah, okay, yeah. It was a pretty good." But, then some of the sadness came back. "It'll be a year soon."

Sam wrapped her arms around Rebecca and pulled her close. "It's okay to miss him."

"Hey, you're gonna get your shirt all wet!"

"I don't care!" Sam ran her hand through Rebecca's damp hair, cradling her head against her shoulder.

"Right, right. 'Dummy'."

"You know it." Sam kissed the top of her head.

"Thank you, Sam. Really."

"Of course."

"God, I do miss him, even the ways he pissed me off. Is it wrong I don't want to be here on the anniversary? I want to be on the road somewhere. I feel a little bad for that, like I'm not honoring him enough or something."

Sam pressed her cheek to Rebecca's forehead and let out a humming sigh. "Everyone handles grief in their own way, dear. If it feels right for you, then as far as I'm concerned, it is, and I'll have words for anyone who tries to criticize you. Do you think he would be bothered by it?"

"... no, not really."

"See, it doesn't really sound like what you've told me about him. You remember him and miss him and love him in your own way. And, yes, I don't mind, in fact I expect you to still love him." After a few moments, Sam ran her hand down Rebecca's back, and back up again with a handful of water. "Let's get you out and into comfy things before you regret staying in too long, huh? Gotta get you out while the water's still warm."

She passed Rebecca a large towel, followed by a smaller one for her hair, and then hastily peeled off her own shirt and pulled on one of the bathrobes while Rebecca quickly dried herself and donned the other. Out front, she tossed Rebecca's pajamas to her from their folded stack on the stove's "stone" top, and shoved two more chunks of pine scrap into the coals, followed by a hunk of oak, to burn slower and longer into the night.

While that got burning, she lifted the lid on the pot she'd left to bubble after the last batch of hot water for the bath. A quick experimental stir told her she'd improved her timing, the (overnight rehydrated) beans were just about at the right stage for her to add a couple cups of dry rice to.

That done, she ducked into the bedroom to wiggle into a silk thermal shirt while she was still in the robe, tucked it into the sweats she was already wearing (over silk leggings), and pulled on a thin merino wool shirt. Rebecca was brushing her hair close to the fire and looked up when Sam returned.

"I almost forgot. Ronnie and I were looking at satellite photos of my old neighborhood, and it looks like an abandoned Guard armory behind it had a bunch of solar panels over the parking lot. We don't know if they're still there, but... it's a pretty exciting prospect, right?"

"Well. That trip idea just got a lot more interesting. And... my days just got a lot busier. Do you think the new crew has any electricians in it?"

Rebecca shook lingering water out of the brush, apologizing to Rufus when some sprinkled on him as he moseyed over. "Dunno. Are you thinking of sharing your crown as the resident electrical sorcerer?"

"I mean, royalty needs minions, right?" Sam settled on the leather-clad footrest / bench next to Rebecca and scratched Rufus behind his ears.

"I guess. Does that make me your consort, or am I just a lowly harlot?" Rebecca flashed her a little coy smile as she switched hands and tilted her head away from Sam so the hair on the far side would dangle freely to brush.

Sam was glad Rebecca's usual humor was resurfacing, and grinned at her in the fire and lantern light. "Oh, sugar. I'll admit your baking talents keep me hopelessly enchanted, amongst other things. Maybe you can be my secret lover amongst the kitchen staff, who ascends to the throne beside me to the shock and horror of the aristocracy."

Rebecca gestured with her brush towards the pot Sam had just been seeing to. "So, did we meet when you were skulking in the kitchen disguised as a commoner?"

"A girl's got to have her midnight snacks, and what would the court think if they knew of my vices?" Sam had scooted closer, enough that their knees touched.

"Including me?"

"Oh, especially you." They enjoyed a tender flirtatious moment as Sam leaned in and rubbed her nose against Rebecca's. "I'm glad you're feeling better."

"We take good care of each other." Rebecca leaned away to pick up the small towel, and blotted at her hair with the dry side.

Sam straightened again and eyed the pot speculatively, wondering if it was time to lift the lid for another stir. It was such a balancing act, not letting things burn without the convenience of a knob to turn, and making the most of their primitive heat sources. They had a handful of propane tanks, but rationed those pretty heavily, mostly saving them for less hardy community members on the harshest nights. Maybe they could get ahold of a larger supply like Broadway had the year before. "It seems people are always better at taking care of the people around them than themselves. The decent-hearted folks, anyway."

"You know, when we met... you seemed to have such a strong, hard charging personality. I didn't think you needed much of that. It's only been the last few months that I've seen your more vulnerable side." Rebecca draped the towel over the metal case near the fire, and leaned back into Sam.

"I guess maybe that was necessity. If I stopped moving forward, if I lost momentum..."

"You might not get it back?"

"Yeah, exactly. Like, I intentionally didn't have time to think, because who knows what kind of hole I would have fallen into. I think I admire that about you, how you pushed through the worst of it." Sam turned to touch Rebecca's cheek with the back of her knuckles.

Rebecca leaned slightly into her hand. "I didn't do it by myself. I had Allie and Leonard, and then Ronnie, and you, and yes, you too, Rufus!"

He'd started to nose his way into their laps, shoving his snout under hands or resting his chin on their legs. The ladies both laughed and lavished him with attention for a minute or two, enjoying the cozy warmth by the crackling fire, the smell of their imminent dinner bubbling away atop it, and a distinct unspoken sense of not being alone. Rebecca found herself quietly hoping that maybe they might find their families soon too.

**

Rain delayed Ronnie's expectations for Fairbanks being able to allocate some drone time to their request. Valentine's Day came and went, and though Sam was adamant it had become a marketing gimmick for Hallmark and De Beers in modern times, she conceded to a candlelit double date dinner with Christine and Patrick while Ronnie dogsat Rufus, indulging Rebecca's wish to at least dress up a little. They opened a jar of pasta sauce they'd been saving, along with a few bottles of wine. Rebecca was still impressed by Sam's disproportionate alcohol tolerance, as she was feeling quite the flush by the time Sam was only mildly tipsy, giggling more than usual. Pat and Chris just seemed to get friskier with each other as the bottles drew empty. All in all, it was a pleasant diversion, an excuse to shave her legs, wear one of the three dresses she owned those days, and even spend an hour doing her nails and putting on a little makeup.

The couples split off after dinner, with Rebecca and Sam going for a short walk. The chilly air was actually somewhat pleasant on Rebecca's wine-tinted cheeks, and she asked Sam to accompany her to Jaime's memorial. She didn't end up crying, but there was a wistful sigh and her vision blurred as Sam coaxed her to sit on the edge of the planter area for several minutes, holding her hand in quiet support.

Encountering Nate in the hallway as they left helped return her good cheer, especially when he told them they were "the prettiest ladies he'd ever seen". Sam thanked him, and Rebecca told him he was the sweetest, bravest boy they knew. They discussed how adorable it was as they very carefully made their way back down to their apartment, where they changed back into warmer clothing to cozy up for the evening.