Meanwhile...
"Alyx?" Judith peers in. "If you have a minute, we should talk."
Alyx doesn't look up from the computer screen. "If this has anything to do with the fact that I'm pregnant, then no, I don't have a minute."
"Alyx, please. I just want to--"
"Yeah, you and everyone else on site," Alyx grumbles. "I'm busy."
"Doing what?"
"I'm trying to convert the data dump from the Abrams Island facility into something our computers can understand." Alyx pushes away from the console, running her hands over her face with a grimace. "And it'd go a lot faster if people didn't keep interrupting me."
"When was the last time you ate?" asks Judith with a frown. "Or slept?"
"Oh, here we go." Alyx sighs. "I had some jerky an hour ago. I'm fine."
Judith gives her a Look. "Alyx..."
"Don't 'Alyx' me. I know my own body. I can handle this."
"It's not just your body right now, Alyx," says Judith. "If you insist on going through with this, you need to take better care of yourself. That means getting a full night's sleep and eating real meals, not just whatever happens to be handy."
"'If I insist on...'?" Alyx frowns deeply. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"I just want to make sure you've thought this through. Parenting is a big responsibility, not something to be taken up on a--"
"Will you stop lecturing me?!" cries Alyx. "You're NOT my MOTHER!"
Even as the words are leaving her mouth, Alyx knows it was a mistake to say them. The way the color drains from Judith's face only confirms it. "Are we still doing this, Alyx?" the older woman asks. She sounds sad and tired.
"...no." Alyx sags in her heat. "I'm sorry. I'm not really mad at you, I'm just--really stressed right now, y'know?"
"I know. That's why I wanted to talk." Judith takes another step into the room, hesitates, then sits down in the chair nearest Alyx. "I'm worried about you, Alyx. You've been under a lot of stress lately, and now you're willingly imposing even more on yourself. First you take up leadership not half an hour after your father died--"
"Somebody had to," interrupts Alyx. "We can't afford a power vacuum right now, you know that."
"I don't dispute that. But now, on top of that, you're pregnant by a man you've known for all of two weeks! You're a strong, capable woman, Alyx, but I worry that you're taking on more than you can handle right now."
"Judith, I--" Alyx blinks. "Wait. What?"
Judith blinks back. "I'm... sorry? What part don't you understand?"
"You said I've only known Gordon for--" Alyx stops in mid-sentence, freezing on the spot for exactly two and a half seconds. Then she bursts out laughing. "Oh my God. You think we just--oh, Jesus--" She buries her face in her hand to stifle another wave of laughter.
Judith stares, utterly bewildered. "Alyx...? Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I--yeah, yeah, I'm fine." Alyx lifts her head and wipes tears of mirth from the corner of her eye. "Sorry, Judith, I should have told you sooner... you had no way of knowing."
"Knowing what? What do you mean?"
"That Gordon and I have been together for a lot longer than that." Alyx takes a deep breath. This is going to be Interesting. "To start with... does the name 'Milliways' ring a bell?"
Alyx doesn't look up from the computer screen. "If this has anything to do with the fact that I'm pregnant, then no, I don't have a minute."
"Alyx, please. I just want to--"
"Yeah, you and everyone else on site," Alyx grumbles. "I'm busy."
"Doing what?"
"I'm trying to convert the data dump from the Abrams Island facility into something our computers can understand." Alyx pushes away from the console, running her hands over her face with a grimace. "And it'd go a lot faster if people didn't keep interrupting me."
"When was the last time you ate?" asks Judith with a frown. "Or slept?"
"Oh, here we go." Alyx sighs. "I had some jerky an hour ago. I'm fine."
Judith gives her a Look. "Alyx..."
"Don't 'Alyx' me. I know my own body. I can handle this."
"It's not just your body right now, Alyx," says Judith. "If you insist on going through with this, you need to take better care of yourself. That means getting a full night's sleep and eating real meals, not just whatever happens to be handy."
"'If I insist on...'?" Alyx frowns deeply. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"I just want to make sure you've thought this through. Parenting is a big responsibility, not something to be taken up on a--"
"Will you stop lecturing me?!" cries Alyx. "You're NOT my MOTHER!"
Even as the words are leaving her mouth, Alyx knows it was a mistake to say them. The way the color drains from Judith's face only confirms it. "Are we still doing this, Alyx?" the older woman asks. She sounds sad and tired.
"...no." Alyx sags in her heat. "I'm sorry. I'm not really mad at you, I'm just--really stressed right now, y'know?"
"I know. That's why I wanted to talk." Judith takes another step into the room, hesitates, then sits down in the chair nearest Alyx. "I'm worried about you, Alyx. You've been under a lot of stress lately, and now you're willingly imposing even more on yourself. First you take up leadership not half an hour after your father died--"
"Somebody had to," interrupts Alyx. "We can't afford a power vacuum right now, you know that."
"I don't dispute that. But now, on top of that, you're pregnant by a man you've known for all of two weeks! You're a strong, capable woman, Alyx, but I worry that you're taking on more than you can handle right now."
"Judith, I--" Alyx blinks. "Wait. What?"
Judith blinks back. "I'm... sorry? What part don't you understand?"
"You said I've only known Gordon for--" Alyx stops in mid-sentence, freezing on the spot for exactly two and a half seconds. Then she bursts out laughing. "Oh my God. You think we just--oh, Jesus--" She buries her face in her hand to stifle another wave of laughter.
Judith stares, utterly bewildered. "Alyx...? Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I--yeah, yeah, I'm fine." Alyx lifts her head and wipes tears of mirth from the corner of her eye. "Sorry, Judith, I should have told you sooner... you had no way of knowing."
"Knowing what? What do you mean?"
"That Gordon and I have been together for a lot longer than that." Alyx takes a deep breath. This is going to be Interesting. "To start with... does the name 'Milliways' ring a bell?"