Despite the protestations of one Kate Shephard, Alyx is on guard duty at the mouth of Druid Cave. She feels confident that she can repel any wildlife that tries to encroach on the cave entrance, pregnancy or no. Besides, she wants to be the first to meet Corporal Shephard's scouting party when they return from Greenbrier ( Read more... )

It's not a white Christmas. Not in Druid Cave, anyway. Getting snow that far underground would be problematic.

"Here we come a-wassailing among the leaves so green"The decorations are meager, by pre-Combine standards. Sure, there's a big tree in the town square, and the public buildings are decked out in garlands and lights for the occasion, but ( Read more... )

She first noticed it in the morning, just before breakfast. Alyx was just sitting down to eat when she felt a faint stir of movement in her abdomen. She sat and waited, but it didn't happen again--not that she could tell, at least. Kate told her not to worry, that it was different from one woman to the next and one pregnancy to the next, and she'd ( Read more... )

Alyx is feeling a hell of a lot better than she did when they arrived yesterday, but she's still far from being completely at ease. Among other things, she's preoccupied with that sense of presence that flashed across her mind last night. It was Gordon, there's no doubt in her mind about that. But... but what? Is he alright? Where is he? Is ( Read more... )

Alyx stirs, and blinks muzzily at the wall next to the bed she's lying in. That's not a wall in White Forest, or Milliways. So what ( Read more... )

It took three and a half hours to get the displaced residents of White Forest settled in at Druid Cave. They haven't moved the Borealis yet; it's getting dark and there's enough snow falling to conceal the boat effectively for the night. Also, though Alyx would never willingly admit it, she's just too damn tired to think about moving the damn boat ( Read more... )