Keeping Up With The Survivors (Previously Zalien Fam One-shot)

Every Birth Comes With Someone Else's Death

It was a lovely evening, and both Chris and Eliza are enjoying their anniversary dinner together at home. Eliza had prepared a lovely steak dinner, and they were also having wine, well, minus Eliza because of her alcohol allergies.

But tonight is different from any usual anniversary nights.

Tonight, Eliza has a particular surprise for Chris. And so after dinner, Eliza took out a present box from inside one of the cabinets they had, and handed it to Chris. Chris smiled and accepted it.

"Eliza, you shouldn't have..." He said while tearing open the wrapping. Eliza kept a smiling façade meanwhile deep down her heart was beating wildly.

'What if he doesn't want to...? What if it ends up like last time? How is he gonna react.... Is it gonna be like-'Eliza shook her head, stopping that train of thought. 'No, no, don't think like that. He's different.' She thought as Chris was opening the box.

When Chris fully opened the small box, a pregnancy test and a small note was inside. Chris picked the note up, and read it. 'Ready to be a father?' was written on it, and Chris' eyes widened, looking up at Eliza, who was smiling fondly. Chris' facial expression screamed 'Is this even true?' and Elizabeth chuckled, walking over to him.

"Yes, dearie, this is true and is going to happen-!" a sudden kiss in the lips cut off Eliza and she smiled into the kiss. After they pulled away, Chris was smiling like crazy, and a few tears threatened to spill. Eventually, some did, and Eliza used her thumb to wipe the tears away.

"I- I'm gonna be a father...?" Eliza nodded, which earned her a huge hug. Chris' hands slowly snaked down to her belly, rubbing it. Eliza smiled, watching Chris.

"I can't wait for them...."

"Neither can I Chris."

::

After the doctor's appointment, Chris went out of the house, carrying his rifle and walking inside the forest. He had some steam to release. He spotted a horde of zaliens and shot at them, killing them in an instant. He sat under a tree, sighing loudly.

"I'm not ready....." Tears welled up in his eyes as he shot an incoming zalien. Tears started rolling down his cheeks as he thought back to his first son. "I can't lose them either. I just can't." He took a deep breath.

The doctor had said that Eliza has a really small window of chance for surviving this pregnancy of hers, considering what had happened in her last pregnancy. And her carrying twins are going to double the risks of her dying. Even if she did survive, the complications after she gives birth are going to- in the worst case scenario- kill her. And that's not even considering the two kids. One single complication and it would literally kill the three of them. And Chris can't take that risk. At this point, Chris was full on sobbing. He was too preoccupied with his sobbing that he didn't notice a certain person approaching him slowly.

"I can't lose another, Liz, I'm sorry." A hand gripped Chris' own, causing him to look up. Dusty, olive eyes stared into Chris' brown ones, and a familiar smile came into sight. Eliza crouched in front of him, her eyes soft. Her hands both had moved to hold Chris'. A small smile appeared on her face whilst tears kept streaming down.

No words were spoken between the two soon-to-be parents, tears were shed and wiped away, but nothing, not even a single sound were made between the two and Elizabeth lurched forward to hug Chris.

"I'll be okay, Chris... I promise you," Elizabeth whispered into Chris' ear. "The little ones are going to be out, happy and healthy, I know it..." She pulled away to look Chris in the eye. Her hand found a place caressing his face. "They're gonna grow up well with both of us by their side, Chris. I'm going to survive this for sure." Chris still had a concerned face.