Laura still remembered the huge pile of laundry Rebecca brought home with her the first Christmas break. Reportedly, half the machines in her building were broken and everyone else was trying to get theirs done before they left.

She'd wondered at the time if the entire "trunk" area of the months-old SUV had been filled with it; so much for the new car smell. They'd both been just about the cliché amount of excited and nervous when Rebecca left for college. It probably took six weeks or so for Laura to be convinced Rebecca really was settling in okay, which was when the empty nest syndrome kicked in hard.

So, it was almost a relief to move the load Rebecca had forgotten in the washing machine overnight to the dryer before she woke up in the morning, sleeping off the anxiety-riddled sleep deprivation of her first round of university final exams. Laura found comfort in the old familiar habits of taking care of someone. Cracking open Sue's cans of food, and filling the recirculating fountain that was the only thing keeping the fussy bastard out of the sinks didn't really scratch the itch. It was only that morning, Rebecca's first day home of a real break, when Laura realized she might have been responsible for how annoying Sue'd been about that after her departure.

She resolved to interrogate Rebecca about if she'd been letting the faucets run for him in her adolescence, but she could at least wait until after breakfast. If that was the worst thing from her teens to hold against her, poor early choices in boys aside, Laura told her self at the time that she must've done at least a few things right over the last decade. Clearly, since Rebecca trusted her enough to bring up the potential STD scare with that little shithead.

All that time Laura thought she was just trying to ensure Rebecca would feel safe calling her from a party she wasn't supposed to be at if the vibe got weird. Guess that message got through, and then some.

Laura did occasionally wonder over the years which of the two of them would hold onto their bitterness over that son of a bitch longer, but never wanted to poke the wound to find out. She wasn't usually one to wish harm upon others, but lately she did admit some satisfaction that the same lying boyslut who didn't use a condom charming the pants off her daughter and her friends probably wouldn't wash his hands during a plague outbreak either. Go, karma. Hope he drowned on his own... something or other.

Laura shook her head back to the present as the girls waded towards the shore, one last fleeting thought of the past replacing the grim scowl on her face with a smile. It was an amused recollection of Rebecca's expression when Laura told her she had been on a second date with one of the store regulars. Her daughter had nearly fallen out of the perfectly stationary chair at the breakfast table and flattened the cat!

After a barely suppressed giggle, the same smile lingered at the sight of her holding Sam's hand as they picked their way through the submerged rocks and logs. If Rebecca had such a hard time just sitting still, Laura wasn't sure what Sam, probably a good twenty pounds lighter than her, would be able to do for her in the event of a stumble. Still, Rebecca had repeatedly implied Sam was not to be underestimated.

A good trait for a protective mother to be aware of in her daughter's chosen, she noted. Sam certainly looked confident with that weapon as she slung it over her shoulder again, incongruously lamenting that she'd have brought sandals if she'd known there was a beach on their road trip's itinerary. It occurred to Laura as they brushed off their feet and let them air dry that Sam must clearly be able to handle herself to have hurt Rebecca in that fight. That they both must, given the numbers of opponents Rebecca said they faced in that house. Both bittersweet thoughts that she chewed on like unpleasant gristle that she couldn't spit out in polite company while they walked again.

She started working through it by asking how they'd learned to defend themselves. It sounded like Rebecca was actually the one with more training, under the tutelage of this "Ronnie", their Marine friend, who seemed to have taken Rebecca under her wing for several months. It sounded like Sam had mostly been focused on the technical side of life after civilization, until trouble landed on their doorstep. Maybe she felt like she needed to be able to pull her own weight, not depend on Rebecca to keep her safe.

Ironic, that.

It was abundantly clear it had been an accident, one Sam would take back in a heartbeat, but she'd still hurt her daughter, her only child that she'd raised practically solo after her father died. Laura really tried to not resent her, to focus on how much she meant to Rebecca, but it was a challenging task.

Well just think how hard it is for the two of them, you egocentric old biddy. Protective is one thing, possessive is another.

Eventually, Laura was in the vague neighborhood of the specific topic she really wanted to investigate. She hoped the next jump wouldn't be too large as she brought up how they seemed to get along really well, and hoped they didn't mind her asking, but was wondering if they'd fought before.

Rebecca shook her head emphatically. "Never for real." She glanced over at Sam with a sweet look on her face. "We tend to work things out pretty well, even arguments are short and considerate. 'Assume positive intent', someone had told me once? Also like you said, never argue hungry."

Sam laughed. "Definitely that one. Thanks for the wisdom, Mrs. C."

Rebecca nodded in agreement and continued. "Ronnie did drill us pretty hard before we first went out into dangerous circumstances without her being right there. She had us spar against each other and lectured us about how pulling punches too much was a disservice to someone we cared about. It was very mama bear making sure her cubs could fight."

"Hrmph." Laura grumbled silently to herself for a moment, then found words for the sentiments stirring around. "That might be good for combat training and being a Marine, but I'm not sure it's what's best for your relationship."

Rebecca was clearly taken aback. "Mom! A huge part of it was about trusting the other person we were practicing with."

"Be that as it may, that woman—"

"No, Mom." The way Rebecca flatted her lips together reminded Laura of one of Walt's bows drawing taut. "You only just met Sam and have only seen us together for a little while, but remember you're seeing us in a rough spot that is totally outside the norm for us. 'That woman' definitely kept me safe in a number of situations, and sure, okay, they might have been fights that I wouldn't have been in if I'd stayed with Allie and Leonard, but mom, I can guarantee you she's why I was alive to be in those fights in the first place, being so adrift after losing Jaime. I have no doubt in my mind she kept me breathing. And, we helped people!" Rebecca turned back towards the trail so fast her hair swished and quickened her pace, easily gaining a wide lead on her longer legs and younger lungs.

Laura sighed. Well, shit. Good job there, Mom.

Sam looked back and forth between them briefly. "Mrs. C, you're not wrong, but... be gentle. She looks up to Ronnie, and she's right, she definitely kept our girl on her feet well before I was around." She unslung her bizarre submachine gun and handed it to Laura, who held it by the strap awkwardly while Sam took off at a trot after Rebecca.

Laura saw her tentatively hover a hand near Rebecca's shoulder, then seemingly receive approval to let it land. Sam managed to get Rebecca to slow her pace enough they weren't actively outdistancing Laura, so she was careful to hang back at a respectful distance. Clearly Rebecca wanted some space right now.

She followed them for about half an hour, kicking herself for how things had just gone with Rebecca. There had to have been a smoother way to handle that, but she was out of practice talking to her. Maybe that was part of the problem - talking to, not with?

When they stopped and sat at a bench with a view out over a valley, Laura made it a point to lean against a tree a few yards away, and flash an apologetic half-smile to make it clear she didn't want to escalate matters. When Rebecca looked at Sam with a confused look and said something Laura couldn't make out, she was able to hear Sam's reply about not wanting to leave her unarmed. That seemed to prompt Rebecca to glance back with a similar sheepish expression. After they had time to catch their breath, Rebecca rose and approached Laura.

"I don't want to talk about that more right now, but I still want us to have a nice time out here."

"Me too. Consider it tabled for now. Maybe we should take some of our own advice and find a spot for lunch."

The corner of Rebecca's mouth twitched. "Yeah, that's probably not the worst idea. Lead on?"

Laura nodded. Normally she might have apologized and tried to hug Rebecca, but she got the feeling it was too soon and wanted to respect the request to set the whole thing aside for the time being. Along with never arguing hungry, she'd also always had a house rule about either of them having the option to request a time-out until they could talk about something more level-headedly.

**

Rebecca appreciated, even while they were apparently renegotiating elements of their relationships as adults, that her mother still operated by some of the same practices that had governed their earlier conflicts. It wasn't always easy to keep it "about the issues, not the people", and having those rules of engagement helped keep things civil.

Even while she was miffed at her, the fact Laura respected her request meant a lot to Rebecca. It let them both show that even during the disagreement, they wanted things to work out eventually. That definitely couldn't happen yet, her defensive feelings around Ronnie were still running hot. She did manage a little introspection, wondering if that was because it might have felt like an attack on how she'd survived, been living her life, and tucked the idea away for later.

For the time being, they swerved exclusively into much safer topics. Rebecca knew there was a damned good chance Sam was meddling when she asked Laura to tell her about their trip to Thailand. She gave her a knowing look, which was met with the innocent smile she pretty much expected. It wasn't worth embarrassing Sam, but if she knew Laura had heard them getting it on the night before, maybe she'd have felt brazen enough to ask if there were any pictures of Rebecca in a certain infamous bikini on Laura's phone. It certainly would have flustered Rebecca and scandalized her mother out of any lingering moods, but the odds of any that weren't well-covered-up being in her mother's possession were comical. About on par with Santa Claus showing up in post apocalyptic rural Virginia, in spring, with a platter of mango and coconut sticky rice accompanied by three Thai iced teas.

Oh god, what a thought. Rebecca lost herself in several seconds of salivating heartbroken fantasy that she was only able to divert herself from when she remembered Sam was still holding out on her with those Ren Faire pics. She had to stifle another accusatory look her way and refocused on the conversation and their far less delectable lunch fare.

Yeah, okay. Several hunks of leftover cornbread actually went surprisingly well with MRE chili, especially once they let the water-activated heating pouches do their thing. The apples were a nice touch, and the presence of fresh carrots outright confused both Rebecca and Sam until Laura explained how you could "overwinter" them in the garden beds as long as you got to them before they flowered. They both shared a look that wordlessly agreed this was mind-blowing news they wish they'd known six months ago and had to share with the folks back home.

Rebecca realized she was still being a bit standoffish with her mother in conversation and tried to check herself. They hadn't even been back together for twenty-four hours, and she didn't want this to become a big lingering fight. Laura seemed to be waging her own internal balancing act — Rebecca noticed her overreaching, trying too hard to be nice, and then dialing it back to realistic levels two or three times during lunch, and once on their return trip towards the house.

Sam continued her antics too, including traipsing into a meadow to pick a handful of wildflowers which she tucked behind her, Rebecca's, and Laura's ears with intentional, but not necessarily unwarranted cheer. Rebecca didn't entirely resent her machinations, but did consider telling her later that she needn't worry about a catastrophic mother-daughter rift. She didn't want to have friction with her mother and Sam though, and recognized this very well could be a product of Sam's grief — "if I can't have it, you're damned well going to" — so she let it ride.

It was pretty damned cute, anyway. Rebecca was aware she was left grinning like an idiot after Sam kissed her on the cheek with an exaggerated "Mwah!", and even shared a little knowing glance of acknowledgement with her mother in reply to the adoring smile coming her way. It only got worse when Rebecca realized the sight of Sam looking back over her shoulder abruptly took her breath away.

Something about the small strand of blue and white flowers, their contrast against Sam's freshly washed hair, and gun slung over her shoulder hit Rebecca with some kind of stunning warrior goddess vibe. Maybe the pleasant outdoor setting and natural light played into it too. Either way, Rebecca was left speechless until she remembered how to ask Laura for a picture of them in front of the meadow. Laura seemed all too happy to do it with each of their three phones, ignoring Rebecca's muttering about showing her how to transfer the photos later. Maybe it was a good multi-directional peace offering.

Rebecca sighed to herself behind one of her smiles, and tightened her arm around Sam's waist, pulling her close enough to feel the warmth of their body heat lingering where their sides touched. Dammit, Rosie. You little manipulative troublemaking, lovable trouble-fixing sneak. You know damned well what you're up to, and probably what I'm thinking right now too.