“My favorite part was when we traded places in the car.”

“I bet it was.”

They exchanged stories about the battle with the shells, and laughed as they teased each other. Every time Claire was in Ryan’s line of sight, his eyes lit up, and his grin was so innocent and animated, it was infectious.

Ryan pushed back against the swing, and again they sat quietly, with just a few residual giggles interrupting the still night. Claire held her feet out in front, her tan legs a perfect accessory to her cut off jean shorts and casual pink tank top. The black combat boots just made her outfit more ‘Claire’.

Ryan rubbed the back of his head, trying to seem casual. “I gotta tell ya. I’m a little nervous about the trip.”

Claire turned to him, squaring her shoulders. “Are you scared, little girl?”

Ryan huffed, playing off her taunt. “Scared. Psh. I can handle it. I’m nervous about how it’s going to turn out. What if something bad happens?”

Claire’s playful smile melted, and she faced forward. “It won’t.”

“But, what if it does?”

“Then I’ll fix it. I always do.”

“What if something happens and you can’t fix it?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “That’s only happened once.”

Ryan squared his shoulders, facing her completely. “You mean your dad?”

She only nodded.

“Have you ever been up against something like this?”

Claire paused for a long time. I wished that I could see her expression. I wasn’t sure if she was annoyed at his line of questioning, or she was afraid of the answer.

“Hey,” Ryan said. When Claire ignored him, he tapped her shoulder. “Hey.” She looked at him, then. “I’ll be right behind you. And I don’t mean that you can’t take care of yourself, because we all know you can. I just mean if something happens, I’m not going anywhere. Whatever you need.”

Claire took a breath. “I just assumed you already knew, but now I realize you don’t. Jared is the last line of defense, so if we lose them, we won’t know it. Do you understand?”

After a pause, Ryan nodded.

Claire continued, “The baby she is carrying is the most important thing. We have to protect it until we can’t.”

“The baby is important,” Ryan agreed. “But you are the most important thing to me.”

Claire watched him, and then her eyes fell to his lips. Ryan’s eyes turned soft, and then he leaned in.

Watching them suddenly felt wrong. I turned, trying to find the best way to escape. The way I came seemed to be the best exit, and I took a step back.

Claire smiled. “You’ve watched this long, you might as well stay and watch it play out.”

“I’m...I’m sorry,” I said. My face instantly flushed.