Beginning Anew

The big question

Ever since their midnight flight in Canada, Barbara noticed Walter's mood improving. He was more at ease now than she could remember.

As he recovered from his wounds, Walter again started talking about all the amazing things there were in the world, and when they would pass something interesting, he encouraged Barbara to take it in. And she did – as well as she could.

When they came to one of the last cities on their journey, Walter went off by himself for several hours. Barbara didn't know what he'd been doing and when she asked, he claimed it was nothing, but the look on his face reminded Barbara of all the times she'd caught Jim sneaking cookies before dinner. It made her smile, and she didn't pry any farther.

Not long after that, Barbara realized there were only two children left in the cradle stone, a baby girl, and Emil.

They came to their final stop and Walter took the girl out of the stone. Once she'd been fed, she curled up in his arms, asleep.

"The last one..." Barbara breathed.

Walter nodded. "We did it – at least, once we've dropped her off." He indicated the little girl.

"I knew we could do this." Barbara smiled warmly. "Working together, we can do anything." She elbowed Walter. "Partner."

Walter gave her an amused smile and cleared his throat. "So... I wanted to ask. Would you mind doing the final drop-off?" He held the little girl out to Barbara.

Barbara blinked, surprised. Normally Walter did the night-drops himself since it was easier for him to stay out of sight as he could climb buildings and creep through shadows much more readily.

"Sure." Barbara accepted the baby. "I can do that."

Walter pulled a slip of paper out of his pocket and handed it to her. "When you're done, please meet me at this address."

Barbara took the slip, unsure of what was going on. "What's this?"

"It's... nothing," Walter replied, avoiding her gaze.

Then the thought occurred to her. Was this... it? Was this what he'd been doing when he went off alone?

"It's an apartment building," Walter said. "Part of the top floor used to be one of the Janus Order's meeting places, but that's not important. There's a flat roof. You can take the elevator to the top floor, and from there the stairs will get you to the roof."

Barbara eyed the paper, then looked up at Walter. "Okay... And what are we supposed to be doing up there?"

"You'll see when you get there," Walter muttered, sounding slightly frustrated at her continued questioning.

This earned a chuckle from Barbara.

"Alright, I get it." She smirked, then pushed up onto her toes and kissed Walter's cheek, as she'd taken to doing every day now. "I'll see you there." She smiled and left with the baby girl.

Walter shook his head at her.

Once Barbara was out of sight, Walter hurried to the apartment building. His time was limited, and he had a lot to get done before Barbara returned.

Barbara didn't know what to expect as she came to the top of the stairs. She opened the exit door and stepped out onto the roof. She was greeted by the pleasant night air and a slight breeze brushed through her hair.

She shut the door and waited for her eyes to adjust. The flicker of a lit candle caught her eye and she walked toward it. Then she saw the elegantly set table with two chairs, one on either side of it. There was a single plate – covered – a bottle of wine, and the candle she'd spotted from the door.