The Law of Attraction [Chris Beck]

Chapter 34

Nick and Shauna were both on the screen when it booted up, and in Nick's arms was Andrew, fast asleep, to which Alice was thankful. That last thing she wanted was for her video chat time with him to be ruined by a crying baby; Alice herself wasn't entirely fond of kids, and while she wouldn't admit it to Nick, she hadn't developed that Aunt feeling yet because she hadn't met the kid yet. But seeing him in Nick's arms, such a tiny human, she felt a little something.

"You guys are disgustingly cute," Alice said with a grin. "You look like you need a watermark stamped over your stock-photo faces."

"Good to see you too, Al," Nick said after joint laughter with Shauna. "And this is...?"

"Oh," Alice flushed slightly, "this is Beck- I mean... Chris."

Nick raised an eyebrow. "And...?"

Beck smiled widely, but his lips were pressed closed. "I'm quite fond of your sister."

"Oh," Nick replied, and then chuckled. "Well, you're certainly better looking than the last one."

Alice widened her eyes and let out a shameful laugh. "Nick!"

Beck smiled. "When we get back, I'm making you your favourite dinner. What is it? Steak? Prawns?"

"Why not both?" Nick offered.

"Done."

Nick addressed Alice now, who was shaking her head. "You can bring this one home."

"Thanks, Nick." She looked at Shauna. "This is not how I expected this to go."

"You treat her right, Chris," Nick said suddenly.

"I always do." He replied. "Besides, Alice is the toughest person I know."

Alice scoffed. "Are you kidding me? Have you MET Lewis?"

"Oh yeah... Yeah, Lewis is. But you're up there. Let me guess, you're the one who toughened her up, hey Nick?"

"You bet I did." Nick laughed. "She used to be quite the punk."

"That was like... eight months of my life." Alice rolled her eyes playfully.

Andrew suddenly woke, his quiet, short-burst cries startled Alice and Beck, both of whom had not been around babies much before in their lives. They both awkwardly watched as Shauna took Andrew from Nick's arms, wished Alice a very safe extended trip through space, and then it was just the three of them. Alice's time with Nick and the video chat was coming to a close soon, but she felt as though it was a really good chat. They hadn't talked about her staying in space for so much longer, and Alice knew that Nick was going to be upset about it; of course he knew, the whole world was aware of it, but he hadn't mentioned it yet.

"Listen, Chris," Nick started, "could I get a minute with her?"

"Of course." Beck stood up and nodded. "I'd give you a hand shake, but I'm a few light-minutes away."

"Good to meet you," Nick said, and then Beck disappeared after squeezing Alice's shoulder for a brief moment. 

When he was gone, Alice took a deep breath; she knew that Nick was going to talk about her going on this extended trip. Of course he would have to understand why she and the rest of the crew agreed to it, but being the fatherly-brother he was, he was going to be worried about her. She knew the conversation had to be had, and this was it. Alone again, Nick ran his hand over his face, pulling at his features. He had stress lines, but was in perfect physical fitness; he looked amazing for his age, but he looked tired. With the new baby at home and his little sister in space risking her life, Nick looked like he needed a break.

"I know you're probably upset I'm going back to Mars." Alice decided she had to start the conversation, to show Nick that she was ready for it.

"Oh, no." Nick shook his head. "I'm really proud of you. I wanted to talk to you about Patrick."

Alice stiffened. "Why?"

"He's been calling, a lot." He inhaled deeply, and the time it took him to speak again had Alice gripping the arms of the chair tightly. "Says he's sorry, that he's an idiot, that he regrets everything. I told him not to call again, although I didn't say it that politely. Just... Prepare yourself for a message from him, I'm sure you'll be getting one because I've been ignoring the calls and emails he's been sending me. He said something about wanting to fix it... Al, don't give him that."

Alice felt flustered, bothered, frustrated. But she composed herself swiftly. "I won't. And not just because I have Beck, but because he hurt me. If he emails me, so be it. I'll answer anything he wants answered, I'll clear all that up. I'm sorry that's been on you this whole time. How long?"

"Basically since the break up," Nick stated firmly, showing his distaste of Patrick in that moment. Obviously Nick had a hatred for him given that he had cheated on Alice; but he hadn't always disliked him. There had been a time where he liked the guy, respected him, but that time was long gone now. "And this Chris guy, he's alright?"

Alice smiled then, the conversation change going in the right direction. "Yeah, he's more than alright."

"I thought you were allowed any... relationships on board."

"That's my secret, I'm still a bit of a punk." Alice grinned. "My time is up, though; I love you, Nick."

"Love you too, Al."

Alice leaned back in her chair; there was a smile on her lips as she thought about Nick's approval, and the way Beck had been. It all went smoother than she expected, not that she would put up with Nick being protective; she was an adult, after all. Crossing her arms over her chest, she wondered how she might react to an email from Patrick. After all this time, and a lot of time had gone by, she wondered if she might still feel hurt when she responded to him. Or if she might feel sympathy and pity for the guy; either way, she knew that she wouldn't go back to him. She also couldn't let him know that she was already with Beck; she felt no need to hurt him in return, and she felt as though if he knew, she would be the promiscuous slut in his mind for the rest of her life. She just wanted both of their lives to move on, and he was making that difficult even while he was on another planet.

Sorry for the bombarding of pictures. Just look how adorable Frank Grillo is holding his spawn.