The Price We've Paid

You're Welcome

"You're wife?!?" Nile exclaimed.

Andy smirked and nodded as she passed behind you to grab a plate with a cinnamon roll and make herself a cup of coffee.

You smiled sheepishly as she came to sit next to you at the island.

"I'm sorry...you two are married?" She questioned.

You nodded. "Yep...have been for a few hundred years now."

Her eyes widened. "Holy shit..." Her gaze shifted to Andy. "You didn't think that was something worth mentioning in the last 7 months?"

Andy's eyes rose to meet Nile's. She had a bite of cinnamon roll shoved in her mouth and she looked slightly like a deer in headlights.

"It was a sore subject Nile," Nicky interjected. "Zo leaving was hard...for all of us."

A sudden sickly feeling settled in your stomach.

"Sorry," you whispered.

For a moment the room was silent.

"She's Cycle..." Joe said eventually, trying to break the tension. He was pointing toward you while looking at Andy. "And not like working for Cycle, as in it's an organization...she is Cycle all by herself."

Andy nodded, lost in thought for a moment. "Well...you did say you wanted to master technology." She looked around at the beautiful open kitchen with all its stainless steel appliances and luxuries. "Seems it's served you well."

The way she said it made you feel both proud and guilty. Regardless, you forced a small smile. The air between you and Andy felt a little awkward, which was slightly disheartening given the moment you shared last night.

"So..." she said, after swallowing a sip of her coffee. "How long have you been in touch with Copley?"

Her gaze bore through you like a disappointed parent.

"Since Merrick Enterprises," you answered.

She nodded, not needing any more explanation to understand the underlying meaning of what had been said. You'd been watching out for them...protecting them all this time. And honestly, she wasn't surprised; that's just the kind of person you were...one of the reasons she loved you.

"I was there," you said nervously. "At Merrick Enterprises. By the time I got there, Joe was already swinging from the roof and Nile had pushed Merrick out the penthouse window."

Joe and Nicky chuckled but Nile looked at you confused. "Why didn't you-"

"It wasn't the right time," you answered. "I had a job to do anyway."

Nile's eyebrows knit together, not quite understanding what you meant.

"You all killed Merrick, but you left all your DNA samples and research in that building. So I scrubbed it after you left." You answered. "That's where I met Copley. He was deleting the video from Juba off Merrick's server when I found him."

"Good man," Joe hummed.

You nodded. "Agreed. He's been quite a helpful ally. For you all and for me."

"What have you been using him for?" Nicky asked, as he swirled his coffee mug in his hands.

"Little things here and there," you answered. "Mostly keeping tabs on you."

Andy's eyebrows rose slightly as she continued to eat. It looked as though she wanted to say something, but chose not to.

"So you know about Booker then?" Nile asked hesitantly. Booker was a bit of a sore subject for the team. Joe was still very pissed off about it.