Allam started to open his eyes and the first thing he saw was a leather ceiling. He tried to get up, but a pain in his right side of his ribs forced him to stay lying down. Allam noted that his torso was bandaged, as were his head and arms. The soldier looked around him and noticed that he was back in the Chief's tent, his equipment lying on the side of the room.

Allam: How did I got here? -mutter the soldier, quite confused.

The man gathered his strength and slowly got up from the bed, while he felt his bones creaking and his muscles twitching. Just as slowly, Allam walked out into the common room of the tent, but he didn't find anyone there either. The ancient soldier opened the doors to his tent and the frigid air of the Banuk lands hit him like a bat on his back, making him shiver from the sudden change in temperature.

Banuk: The Chieftain is awake! -a young Banuk hunter yelled out of nowhere.

From one moment to another, the entrance to the tent was completely surrounded by Banuks concerned about the health of the ancient soldier. Those present asked him about his health or brought him gifts for him to get better. The young man was more than confused, until a powerful voice was heard echoing throughout the village.

Aratak: Come on, make way, let the man breathe for a moment -said the burly man, pushing his way through the crowd, Aloy right behind him.

The redhead smiled seeing the ancient soldier awake, confused, but awake.

Allam: Hey, what happened? -the soldier asked the both of them.

Aratak: You can't imagine it, Chief -said the man and they went inside the store again, but not before dispersing the crowd.

Entering the tent, the three of them sat in front of the fireplace.

Allam: First of all, Aratak is sorry for the loss of your sister. She was a good woman -said the soldier and the butly man nodded, thanking the soldier for his condolences.

Aloy: Well, we need to catch up -the woman said, and the old soldier nodded.

Allam: Start where I fainted, please -requested the soldier and they both nodded.

An explanation later...

Allam: Let me see if I understand, I was unconscious for a week and a half, which sounds kind of impossible if I just hit my head. You and Aratak wiped out the rest of the Fireclaws in the region and CYAN is in Ourea's Retreat, supervising Yellowstone and we have about three thousand more years before that mountain explodes -said the man and the woman nodded.

Allam: Huh, apparently, I didn't miss much. Do we have anything else to do here or are you ready to go home? I'm sick of this infernal cold -said the man, which made those present laugh.

Aloy: No, we finished off the last Fireclaw a few days ago, I was just waiting for you to wake up and feel better -explained the woman and the soldier nodded.

The man turned to Aratak and the burly Nanuk placed his hand on the man's shoulder.

Allam: It's time for you to be Chief again, Aratak. You are a better chieftain than I could ever be, besides, this is not my home. It's yours -said the soldier and the man nodded.

Aratak: Thank you Chi...Allam. Thank you -the man thanked.

Allam: It's time to pack -said the ancient soldier with a smile, excited to return home and leave the infernal cold of the Cut behind.

Out of nowhere, he saw Aloy's happy expression change to one of discomfort, then to one of disgust. The redhead quickly left the tent, leaving both men very confused. Allam went back to the room to put on a shirt and a fur coat, to protect himself from the cold, then he put on his winter boots and with Aratak; went out to the outhouse outside of the hut and heard her vomit.

Allam: Hey Aloy, are you okay? -the soldier asked the redhead.

Aloy: No -the woman said lightly.

Aratak left the place and went back into the tent, while Allam opened the outhouse's door and saw his girlfriend kneeling in front of the toilet. The soldier picked up his girlfriend's hair and she thanked him, and then continued vomiting, taking the man by surprise, he simply patted her on the back.

Aloy: This sucks -the woman said with disgust and weariness.

Allam: Maybe you ate something you didn't like, it's over. Aratak went to look for something inside his store, he should be here at any moment -said the man trying to comfort his girlfriend.

Aloy: T-Tell him to hurry -she was going to say but more vomit kept coming out.

Allam: Oh God -said the soldier surprised by the inhuman amount of vomit there was.

Later...

After Aloy stopped vomiting, thanks to some stomach medicine that Aratak had given her, the redhead decided to lie down for a while so she could regain her strength and let the medicine take effect.

Meanwhile, the two men walked through Song's Edge, seeking supplies for Allam and Aloy's journey back to the Sacred Lands.

Allam: Do you think Aloy will be okay? -the ancient soldier asked the man, as he nodded.

Aratak: She'll be fine, Allam. She is a strong girl. If it is what I think it is, it's a natural symptom -the man said, confusing the soldier.

Allam: Natural? That amount of vomiting was not natural -said the ancient soldier remembering what had happened a while ago.

Aratak: Well, she's been overeating for a good couple of days now -the man commented, waiting for the young soldier to acknowledge the hint.

Allam: Oh, now I understand why you say that, she may have been stress eating. Though I've never seen her do that, she's more of a stress hunting -the ancient soldier replied, without any hesitation in his voice.

The Banuk Chieftain looked at him in disbelief. He understands that perhaps he is over exaggerating the issue and that it was actually nothing, but he had seen such behavior in Banuk women who were pregnant.

Aratak: Allam, don't you don't think it could be anything else? -the man asked him, and the soldier just looked at him confussed.

Allam: You lost me Aratak -said the ancient soldier completely confused.

The burly man sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Maybe Allam's too young to notice the signs or he's just overthinking things, he'd never know for sure.

Aratak: It doesn't matter, we're going to finish getting the things you need for your trip -said the man giving up on the young soldier.

Allam just looked at him in confusion, unable to understand what he was even talking about.

Allam: But what-? Hey, wait for me -said the soldier, chasing after the burly man.

Timeskip...

After a few hours, both men returned to the tent and began to pack the supplies for the trip into the backpacks. While Allam was putting his things in his rucksack, he received a call through his Focus, he noticed that it was from his younger sister, Sarah.

The ancient soldier excused himself and walked out of the tent, where he took the call and a holographic version of his younger sister appeared in front of him. The now 18-year-old looked exhausted, with bags under her eyes and her hair was messy and tied back in a ponytail. The woman was wearing brown Oseram overalls with a khaki T-shirt, both dirty with grease and machine oil.

Allam: Hey Sar, is everything alright over there? -asked the old soldier to the minor and she shook her head.

Sarah: No, GAIA had a critical failure and...it was destroyed -said the young woman and the man looked at her with surprise and confusion.

Allam: Destroyed?! How in the hell? -asked the ancient soldier and the young woman let out a tired sigh, already knowing her brother's reaction.

Sarah: I don't know, but by the last GAIA recording, she was making it clear to me that she was very unstable and that she wasn't supposed to be active without at least one sub-function within her code. It had a critical failure and was deactivated. I've been trying to repair it or find a copy, but I haven't found anything yet -explained the young engineer to the soldier, who nodded, letting out a tired sigh.

Allam: Aloy and I will go back to the Sacred Lands in a couple of days, you should rest and when she and I return, we will help you find a place where they have a copy of GAIA and we will recover it -said the ancient soldier, to which the girl nodded.

Allam: Rest until we get there, I don't want you to overexploit yourself -asked the man and she nodded.

Sarah: I'll be fine, I'll look forward to seeing you here. Have a safe trip -said the young woman and he thanked her.

Both siblings said their goodbyes and Allam closed the call.

Allam: Fuck my life -cursed the soldier, letting out a tired sigh.

The man went back inside the tent and continued to finish packing. Aloy woke up a while later and Allam explained the situation about GAIA to the huntress. It fell on her like a bucket of cold water, the easy part had become the hard part.

When the day of the trip had finally arrived, Allam and Aloy said goodbye to Aratak, thanking him for his help at Firebreak and for hosting them the extra days.

The trip back to the Sacred Lands was smoother than the one going to the Cut, taking only about a week to get back. During the last few days, Aloy had not vomited again, as she did in the Cut, but she did get hungry more often, she was too tired to do certain activities, she restroom breaks more often and she had become pickier with the food, which Allam found somewhat strange.

But as they entered the Colorado area again, the vomiting returned; and more often. The young soldier thought his girlfriend had contracted some kind of parasite on the way or something.

And not to mention Aloy, she was sucking most of time, waking up vomiting was one of the worst ways to wake up, according to her, or the fact that she is always hungry is another thing that bothered her, since hunger distracted her when hunting and left her restless. She was so weird that even certain smells made her sick.

But after a long journey and its inconveniences, they finally returned home. Aloy opened the door to the cabin she grew up in and Allam was the first to enter, launching himself onto the living room sofa like a sack of potatoes.

Allam: I missed my sofa -said the man as he sank into the comfortable sofa that he had built with Teb a few months ago. It was his pride, as he loved to say.

The redhead laughed at her boyfriend's actions and moved the soldier's legs, so she could also sit on the sofa. As quickly as Aloy sat up, Allam turned and put his head on the woman's thighs, smiling wide at her. The huntress just looked amused at the man.

Aloy: What are you doing? -she asked him with a smile, the man smiled equally.

Allam: Let's say that I love doing silly things to get your attention -said the man with a smile.

Aloy: Why? -she asked as she brought her face closer to the soldier's.

Allam: Because I'm a guy that loves attention-said the ancient soldier to give the young redhead a small kiss.

Aloy: You're a clown -said the woman rolling her eyes comically.

Allam: I know -said the ancient soldier with a smile.

Allam heard a roar and realized it came from Aloy's stomach. The redhead blushed at what had happened, but Allam laughed like it was nothing.

Allam: Apparently someone is hungry, again -said the soldier with some mockery, but he earned an elbow in the stomach from the redhead.

Allam: I deserved that -said the soldier while he held his stomach.

After Allam caught his breath and collected himself, he got up and looked at his girlfriend.

Allam: Well, what do you want to eat? -the man asked as he walked towards the kitchen.

The redhead began to think for a few seconds what she wanted to eat.

Aloy: Do we have turkey, honey and potatoes? -asked the woman, Allam checked their storage and confirmed that they did have such food.

Aloy: Could you cook a honey glazed turkey with another layer of honey on top, with a cheesy baked potato on the side? -asked the woman and the old soldier looked at her, somewhat surprised.

Allam: Hey, Aloy...isn't that a lot of food? -The man said, but the woman gave him an annoyed look.

Aloy: What are you implying, Allam James Blake? said the woman and the soldier knew very well that he was about to be in trouble.

Allam: Nothing, nothing...Okay, an order of double-glazed turkey with baked potato, on the way -the man said, preparing to cook.

Aloy: With cheese babe, don't forget the cheese -said the redhead to which the man nodded.

Aloy: Thank you, you are the best. I love you -she said, the soldier answered her equally.

As Allam cooked dinner, he couldn't stop thinking about the strange change in Aloy's habits.

Allam Pov

Me: Double glazed turkey with a baked cheesy potato? Ok, that is strange, even for her. I would expect something more... simple and less fussy, like baked turkey, a wild boar kebab or a salad. Well, this isn't that demanding either, but it is unusual for her to ask for something so big, and specific -I said in my mind, trying to understand the reason for her sudden appetite.

Me: I know she can have a big appetite, but that usually happens after spending hours hunting machines. We hardly encountered any problems along the way and we had enough provisions to be full for a long time -I said while looking at my girlfriend out of the corner of my eye.

Me: She has continued to eat three meals a day, nothing to write home about, but what caught my attention was the amount, it seemed like 5 meals a day. She was eating the same amount of food that I eat every day, which is ridiculous. She is shorter and smaller than me, how the hell can she eat so much? -I said to myself as I put the turkey bathed in honey in the oven.

Me: And not to mention the constant vomiting, that's also very strange. I still think it's a parasite, I think it would be better if Janet checks her to confirm and see what we can give her to get it out of her system -I said, to look for some potatoes inside the barrel of tubers that I had next to the counter where I cut the meat.

Me: Unless...it can't be...maybe it is...but I have no way of proving that's true -I said in my mind, stopping short as I thought of the other reason Aloy has been acting so weird.

Me: But when?...oh...that night -I said as I slapped my face remembering the night that Aloy and I were alone in the Chief's tent.

I looked around for the redhead and saw her at the workbench, preparing more traps and arrows for some future hunting. My eyes went from her face to her abdomen, I tried to notice any deformity in the area or some swelling, but it looked the same as always.

I felt like my breathing accelerated and my thoughts began to go to a thousand and one places.

She couldn't be pregnant...I'm pretty sure we're taking care of ourselves...How will Aloy take it?...How will GAIA take it? Wait, she's deactivated...How will the tribe take it?...How will my sisters react?...Would I be a good father or a failure like mine was?...Will Aloy be upset about being pregnant?

These and many more questions ran through my mind, making me more nervous. My mind slowly began to wander back to the war, to that horrible day in Arizona, the most traumatic day of my life, but I managed to snap out of the trance and get that thought out of my mind. I took a deep breath and released it after a few seconds, so I could calm down a bit.

Me: Calm down Blake, maybe she's not pregnant and she's just sick. Don't drown in a glass of water...don't start bringing up the past -I told myself to myself, trying to calm down a bit.

After calming down, I continued cooking the rest of the food, with which I did not have as much problem as I would think. All the food took me about half an hour to cook, and I put it on the table. I was going to call Aloy but she was already staring at the food hungrily.

Me: It's time for dinner -I told the redhead with a smile.

Dinner was turkey breast in honey, with potatoes cut into chunks and dipped in cheese. It was quite a delicacy. The dish had rosemary added, to enhance the flavor and aroma of the meat. We both sat down and started eating the food I made. Aloy looked delighted eating my food. Ever since we met, she has always been fascinated by my cooking, calling it the best in the world.

She knew how to cook, but in her words, "she only cooks to have energy" and I understand why. She is used to always moving and being in the field, so she cooks to have the necessary energy to continue, she doesn't try too hard to look for seasonings or anything like that.

Since we moved in together, I'm the one who usually cooks, if not most of the time. But in the beginning, she did not like the idea that I do it all the time since, according to her, it was abusing my good faith, but as much as I have told her that this is one of my thousands of ways to show her that I love her, she still doesn't understand...she's kind of hard-headed when it comes to that.

General Pov

Thoughts of Aloy's possible pregnancy kept running through the soldier's head. The man was a little nervous that this was the case, but deep down he wanted it, it would be like a small blessing.

After dinner, they both washed the dishes and decided to go to sleep. Allam changed into a brown t-shirt and boxers, while Aloy changed into a thigh-length black t-shirt that formerly belonged to Allam. They both lay down on the bed and blew out the candles that lit up the room.

Allam: I love you, sweetheart -said the ancient soldier to give the redhead a kiss on the forehead, who smiled and snuggled closer to the man.

Aloy: I love you too -said the redhead kissing his chin and cuddling with the man.

In a few minutes, the couple fell asleep, happy to be back home, protected from the elements.

3:00 a.m.

Aloy opened her eyes suddenly, feeling how her entire stomach turned, she separated from her boyfriend's grip and quickly went outside, which was not noticed by the ancient soldier, who slept peacefully like a baby.

The redhead got to the latrine, and she started throwing up all the dinner from a few hours ago. The young woman lasted like this for a few minutes until she felt that finally, everything had come out.

The woman wiped her mouth with some water from a nearby barrel and started back toward the house. The woman sat down on the chair in the doorway, and she sighed.

Aloy: What the hell is happening to me? -the woman asked herself, surprised by the vomiting.

Aloy: Maybe my Focus has some information about some disease -said the redhead as she turned on her little device.

The woman opened the interface of her Focus and started looking for information on diseases that caused her to vomit. She was reading some of the few data that wasn't corrupted. She read each file carefully.

Aloy: It's not diarrhea, I'm pretty sure...Intestinal parasites? I haven't eaten anything raw or rotten as far as I know...I don't think it's a stomach infection either -said the woman in a low voice as she read each file about said disease and its symptoms.

The woman decided to broaden her search and found a file that caught her eye.

Aloy: Pregnancy? -said the woman with surprise.

The redhead opened the file and began to read it carefully, the more she read, the more she became aware of the symptoms she was feeling.

Aloy: The nausea, the hunger, the tiredness, my weird mood swings; everything agrees with the first symptoms of pregnancy -said the young redhead when realizing the symptoms that she has been suffering.

Aloy started counting the days since her last menstrual cycle and realized that she was gone by 3 days.

Aloy POV

It can't be...maybe I am pregnant! But how and when?

I thought back to days gone by and remembered the night before the Thunder's Drum expedition.

Me: I had to let him go -I said with shame as I remembered how I had used my legs to catch Allam, when we were making love.

Me: I'm a goddamn moron-I said, slapping my face.

Me: I can't be pregnant now, I have to focus on rebuilding GAIA, I don't know how I'm going to survive having a giant belly limiting myself. Someone has to reactivate GAIA, I was born for a reason -I said as I walked from one side to the other in front of the house, being worried about my current situation.

Me: I'm going to be a mother...I'm going to be a mom...I'm going to have a baby, a family -I said, realizing the magnitude of the situation and my concern being changed by a sudden happiness.

Me: I'm going to be a mom -I said, with a smile starting to form on my face, while I felt butterflies in my stomach.

My eyes were watering with happiness, but I didn't understand why, maybe it has something to do with those "hormonal changes" I read about.

General Pov

Aloy, who was worried about being pregnant just moments ago, was now filled with inexplicable joy.

Charged with such joy and emotion, she planned to break the news to Allam, she went back into the house and found her boyfriend, who slept with some restlessness and mumbling to himself, one of the effects of that PTSD that affected him. The redhead noticed that it was 4 in the morning, he would not get up for the next two or three hours, as usual.

Aloy: I'll tell him in the morning, for now I'll let him rest -said the redhead, and then went to her bedside and lay down too.

Aloy approached the soldier and hugged him, causing him to stop in his movements and mumbles, for him to hug her in the same way. Allam subconsciously buried his face in Aloy's hair, calming down little by little, until at last, he was calm.

Aloy: We're going to be parents -she said softly, a smile plastered on her face, as she kissed the man on the chin.

The redhead closed her eyes and she waited for her dream to take her back, which didn't take long to happen.