"Do you come here often?"
"Used to. Before prison. After I got out, I've been too busy."
"I'm glad you brought me."
"Me too."
We swim for a while, playing like children. She splashes me, and I retaliate. She tries to dunk me, I let her think she succeeds before lifting her up and tossing her gently into deeper water.
Her laugh is the best sound I've ever heard.
Eventually, we make our way back to shallower water, where we can stand. The sun is starting to lower, casting golden light across the cove.
"Thank you for this," Aurora says, her arms draped over my shoulders. "For trying to give me normal moments."
"You deserve more than moments. You deserve a whole life of this."
"In your world, that's not really possible, though, is it?"
"Maybe not normal. But we can carve out pieces of peace. Places like this where the violence doesn't reach."
She's quiet, tracing patterns on my chest with her finger. "What do you want for our baby? Really want, not just the safe answer."
I think about it. "I want them to have choices. To not be forced into this life like I was. If they want to be part of the organization, fine. But if they want to be a doctor or a teacher or anything else, I want that to be possible."
"You'd let them leave?"
"I'd support whatever they chose. As long as they're safe and happy."
"That's a good answer."
"What about you? What do you want?"
"I want them to know they're loved. To never doubt that, even for a second. To have two parents who are there, present, not just going through the motions." She looks up at me. "I want them to have better than what we had."
"They will. I promise you, they will."
She kisses me, slow and sweet. When she pulls back, there's something vulnerable in her expression.
"I had this bucket list," she says. "Stupid things I wanted to do before I turned thirty."
"Like losing your virginity to someone you chose."
"That was number seven. But there were others. Skydiving. Learning to surf. Traveling to Japan. Swimming naked in the ocean." She gestures around us. "Check that one off."
"What else is on the list?"
"Seeing the Northern Lights. Getting a tattoo. Learning to shoot a gun."
"I can teach you that one."
"Really?"
"Really. Viktor's been wanting to start your defense training anyway. Firearms should be part of that."
"What about the others?"
"When things are safe, when you're not pregnant and vulnerable, we'll check them all off. I'll take you to Japan. We'll find the Northern Lights. I'll even go skydiving with you, though the idea terrifies me."
