Like a bolt of lightning chapter 34

Chapter 34: New York, New Year finale (part 7): Zone of discomfort


As Sam sat at the dinner table, she couldn't help looking at her lover – her fiancé, she mentally corrected – with a sense of unease.  He looked at her uneasily as well, so she guessed he had the same things on his mind as she did – but fortunately those looks of unease were few and far between, unlike the loving glances he cast her and she cast him.
"Sam, Archie, you can have the house to yourselves today – Paul and Thierry, my two chief developers, need my presence on-site today, so I'll be gone most of the day."

"On New Year's Day?!", Sam said incredulously, causing Damien to nod.

"There's a new machine being installed in the plant up river, and that takes a week or three, so yes, even on Christmas Day and New Year's Day...  I might have dinner with them as well, so count me out for that as well...", he said as he rose from the table, checking his shirt for juice stains.

"You look fine.  Good luck with the on-site survey... we'll try not to burn the house down."

"Please do, my insurance might have issues when you turn arsonist...", Damien replied just as playfully as Sam had spoken before walking back to his own bedroom, from where he exited a minute later tying his tie, his vest on his arm.  "Does this look okay?", he asked, and Archie nodded with a grin.

"Ya look like one'a them fancy directors... ya dressed for bossin', Damien..."

"I'll take that as a compliment, thanks, Archie...  Behave, you two!", he added as he exited, and Sam grinned as she ushered him out, sighing when the door clicked shut behind her brother.

"...He's such an arse...", she said softly, shaking her head.  When she turned to Archie, he found her serious, even frowning slightly, and he nodded.

"Sam, love... we need ta talk maybe...", the scout said, turning serious as well as he led her to the living room, where they sat down side by side in the loveseat.  "'s Time ta talk about stuff."

"Damien's worried about us.", Sam admitted, and that one simple sentence startled Archie so much he got sidetracked off the subject he'd thought of all morning.

"Damien's worried 'bout us?  How's he gettin' worried about us?  Ya mean he's worried 'bout you, right?", he said, but Sam shook her head.

"Us.  Damien told me I could get my old job back when I want – Katchan's CEO sent him a mail.  I don't know what favour I ever did Lucian Parnell, but he's repaying me in spades apparently.  ...But he asked what you were going to do, and that's when I realised maybe we should start thinking about what you'd like to do when you're out of the company..."

"What I'd like ta...", Archie started, falling back against the couch, looking at the ceiling.  He hadn't given his future much thought – especially not in the previous few weeks, when all he'd thought about was how and when to propose to Sam.  Yet he got a vivid image of his future that made him grin.  "I think I might wanna learn engineering.  Dell's line'a work's so interestin', an' the ol' hardhat's showed me some'a his schematics too.  He said I have a good mind for it too, so..."

"An engineer?", Sam said, surprised.  "...Hm...  You do have a good head for figures, and you've got a steady hand...  You've got a practical mind, too...  But you are aware that an engineering master's degree takes five years, right?", she said, and Archie nodded.

"I know, but if it gets me where Dell's gotten, that ain't no problem.  ...Heh...", the scout chuckled softly, "I respect Dell for his job... he's like the dad I ain't nevah had."

"He is kind of fatherly, isn't he?  Must be the fact that he's well in his forties...", Sam said with a smile.  "And he respects us, too.  He has a tremendous amount of respect for my expertise in explosives and pyrotechnical devices... and he loves your eager mind and your quick thinking.  You should tell him you want to become an engineer, maybe he can give you some tips..."

"Yeah, I'll tell him.  ...My mom asked me where we're gonna end up livin' when tha time's there...", he then said airily, and Sam nodded, turning serious again.

"Damien asked the same thing.  He says he can take on two more tenants... but I told him you'd have to be okay with that."

"Well, Boston's only a three hour drive from here...  An' it's kinda nice here... but I need ta get ta school an' stuff..."

"Hey!", Sam suddenly said, sitting upright.  "Why don't we live near Boston?"

"Ya mean it?  I mean... 's closer to my fam'ly... but it's farther 'way from Damien...", Archie said, but Sam shook her head.

"Not because of your family, that's an added bonus, but because of school!  Why not go to MIT?"

"W-whah?  Sam, ya crazy!  MIT's, like, top'a tha line!", Archie said, looking at his fiancée wide-eyed.  "Not that I wouldn't like it, but... I mean, I ain't gonna have a job, an'-"

"Money's not the issue, my parents kindly donated two million dollars for me to use as I see fit – I think I could send you there on the interests alone.  And Dell's only regret, he told me once, is not going to MIT when he had the chance.  You should attend.  You're smart enough, and you'll do great there...", Sam said, and Archie felt faint.

"...Holy fuckin' hell, MIT... my mom's gonna throw a fit when she hears that...  Ohohow, an' Ricky's gonna die, he went to MSU...", the scout said with a grin that grew steadily until it was almost manic, a grin that Sam mirrored.

"Yes, well, you'll just have to show your brother that you can rise high...", she said before falling silent, looking at the opposite wall without actually seeing it, and Archie knew they'd ended up at the one subject that they still needed to discuss.  However, to his surprise, Sam unceremoniously spoke up again after a moment's silence.  "...You'll be a student... a husband... a father?"

"I'll be a dad by the time my first year ends, huh?", he answered, nodding before taking her hand.  "Sam, I wanted ta tell ya...  I want it if you do.  An', ta tell truth, not entirely 'cause of the work thing anymore, either...  I wanna have kids with ya, Sam.  I want mini-Sams an' mini-Archies runnin' around, makin' my life the most enjoyable hell evah..."

"So we're going through with it?", Sam said eagerly, and when Archie nodded, she threw her arms around him and kissed him with abandon, not sensuously but in pure happiness.  '...A family of our own...', she mused, feeling Archie smile into the kiss, and it seemed the scout guessed her thoughts, for he spoke up:

"Yeah, we're gonna start our own little family..."

"...There's only one hurdle, and for that we'll need a bit of help.", Sam admitted, and Archie looked at her in confusion until she elaborated.  "The IUD.  Chances of me getting pregnant while on IUD are one in a hundred thousand... pretty slim..."

"Yeah, no kiddin'...", Archie said, sighing.  "So whose help are ya gonna need?"

"Siegfried's.", Sam said, and Archie sat up straight again, shaking his head violently.

"N-no, Sam, doc Steinheim's tha most awkward doctor evah... what if he blabs to tha Administrator-General?  Ya could end up payin' for it for tha rest of ya life...  Can't ya doctor Harvey help?"

"No.  Damien contacted him with a similar question – something about acute appendicitis – and apparently doc Harvey had to sign an agreement to brief the company of every medical procedure executed on me.  ...But doctor Steinheim's different.  He's got a contract with the company, but no legal or moral obligation to brief them about the procedures he executes – if he doesn't tell them, it falls within his professional oath of secrecy.  Also, he cares.  He knows you're getting out this year-"

"Holy shit, yeah, this year...  's like it suddenly got a lot closer...", Archie interrupted with a smile, and Sam chuckled as well.

"Yes, it is, isn't it?  ...Anyway, Siegfried knows you're getting out soon and he's already asking me how our relationship is going to go on.  He's a discreet man, an excellent doctor – even if he's sometimes a bit awkward – and a great colleague.  I'm sure he'll help us if I ask."

"...We kinda need him ta help, don't we?", Archie said meekly, and when Sam nodded, the scout did so as well.  "Fine.  But only he gets in on our plan... feels sneaky 'nough already..."

"I know it does, love... but we won't have to sneak around for long.  And I guarantee you there will not be any lies involved on your part, okay?"

"...Okay... I'll leave that awkward conversation up to you, though – I ain't have no desire ta tell stuff like that to doc Steinheim..."  He then yawned.  "...So, what's there ta do today?"

"...Well, there's a New Year's parade in town...", Sam suggested, and the two of them started discussing ways to spend their afternoon, feeling relieved that they'd discussed the things that were on their minds.


"Uh, Archie?"  It was Friday morning, the day Sam and Archie were leaving for base again, and Damien had helped the two carry their baggage to the car when Sam suddenly announced she needed to use the bathroom before leaving.

"Yeah, Damien?", Archie said, feeling a bit anxious.  It was the conversation he'd felt looming over him for the entire week – and he didn't look forward to it one bit.  Yet Damien didn't seem tense, and his words defused the scout's nerves somewhat as well.

"Sam and you'll do great, and you'll have a happy family.  ...Just..."

"I know, I know...", Archie said with a grin.  "If I dare hurt her, ya'll come after me, right?  My brothas would, too, an' my mom, an' the entire frickin' team... an' the entire RED team too, startin' and endin' with Dante...  Don't ya worry, she's in good hands... an' don't ya worry 'bout that otha thing, either... I love her, an' I ain't gonna stop lovin' her evah...", he added in an urgent whisper, which caused Damien to nod.

"...You two are so alike in so many ways, it's scary and reassuring at the same time...", his brother-in-law admitted before looking at the car.  "She's going for her future with you one hundred percent-"

"Just like I am, brotha, I'm tellin' ya...", Archie added.  "I'm one hundred percent committed, to her, to whatevah plan we hatch up, to my future studies... but most of all to her, 'cause she's incredible..."

"She is indeed – I wish I could have videotaped that display, it was brilliant...", Damien said, and Archie meant to comment when Sam's voice cut across the both of them.

"Oh, Damien, you're too kind...  Now, let's get going!  It's a long drive and I intend to get there when there's still people awake...  Damien, take care... give Kat my regards and tell her I'd love to be her maid of honour.  Tell Pieter and Neeltje I'll see them again, and that I'm sorry I didn't see them anymore...  Well...", she said, suddenly shy and nervous, looking at the ground.

"Aw, c'mon, just hug ya brotha and say 'oh Damien, I'll miss you!' already!", Archie said after a short silence, causing all three to start laughing uncontrollably as the imitation had been spot on.

"...Oh, Damien, I'll miss you...", Sam said with a wink to the scout as she embraced her brother, who hugged her back tightly before letting go.

"I'll miss you too, Sam... have a safe trip, don't forget to call when you arrive...", he said with a grin, which both the scout and the pyro mirrored before they got in the car and drove off.  It was silent for a while, but as they left Damien's house a bit further behind them, Archie turned around to look and chuckled.

"He he... ya brotha has a nice house, but it's so frickin' huge... who's he hopin' ta fill it with b'sides ya friends and his girlfriend?  's He want ten children or what?!"  Sam giggled as well before answering.

"Nah, he always said he'd only stop at twenty...", after which the two started chuckling again, lightening the road ahead with jokes and jibes.