The Law of Attraction [Chris Beck]

Epilogue

Two Years Later

The ocean waves crashed down on the shore, light music played on the weather-wooden deck of Nick and Shauna's Vancouver home. A large dog lay underneath the table waiting for fallen food, and Andrew sat in his booster seat; three years old now, he easily resembled his father. Alice leaned back, holding her glass of wine and letting the warm August sun kiss her skin. At this point in her life, she could easily say she was the happiest that she had ever been. Beck sat beside her, chatting away easily with Nick; the two got along better than Alice ever expected. They were on vacation, Alice and Beck, enjoying the stunning British Columbia summer for three weeks.

Back home, Alice had sold her small house and moved into Beck's modern condo. Things were simple, and Alice had never been happier. The Ares 3 crew had gotten together many times since they returned to Earth; Martinez even got a spot on the Ares 4 mission to everyone's surprise. The Ares 3 crew would be in history books forever, they would be remembered for generations to come, but they were no different from anyone else. Alice looked over at Beck and smiled, sipping her red wine and taking a long, deep breath. She'd never been so happy to share her life with someone; Beck and her were practically made to be together, it had just taken them a decade to sort it all out.

"So," Nick said, changing the subject, "what are your plans when you're off vacation?"

Alice shrugged. "I'm going to be working with the Ares 5 crew."

"Think either of you will ever go back? Back into space?"

"Maybe." Beck nodded. "I've certainly gotten my fill of it, but hey, I'd probably go back."

"Yeah," Alice agreed. "If the opportunity felt right."

"And any other plans?" Nick was glancing over at Shauna as she fed Andrew another bite. The young child didn't seem to want to eat anything, and kept tossing everything down to the slightly-overweight dog underneath the table. Nick looked back at Alice and Beck. "Ever consider having your own?"

"Our own?" Alice raised an eyebrow.

"Kids," Nick replied.

Beck laughed, but before he said anything, he looked at Alice with a slightly concerned look on his face. Alice grinned.

Andrew hopped down from his seat and climbed underneath the table, Shauna sighing. Nick reached down underneath the table and scooped the small child up with ease, propping him on his knee and holding him there with one arm. He struggled against Nick's grip, seemingly wanting to escape his father. The rebellious stage had already kicked in, and the kid began to squirm, though to no avail.

"No," Alice said.

"Definitely not," Beck agreed.