[9 MONTHS LATER]

"Was it cold?"

"It was Antarctica; of course it was cold."

"You didn't need to bring it back with you."

"I'm sorry." Gendo leaned forward and accepted Yui's kiss. "I'm just looking forward to relaxing someplace where there isn't any snow for a little while."

Yui smiled, and that was as much warmth as he needed. "There's no snow in the bedroom."

"The homecoming I was looking forward to..."

The phone was off the hook, and all pagers and cellular phones and other means of contact were turned off. It was just the two of them.

"I missed you. I missed coming home at night and having someone here," Yui whispered, using Gendo's shoulder as her pillow. She lay close to him, missing his presence in bed. It was... cold, and lonely, without him there.

The gentle breeze coming in the window made her want to pull the covers up, but after being in Antarctica, the mild Fall must have been a picnic for Gendo.

"I'd think you'd be used to it by now." The one arm around her squeezed briefly, pulling her closer.

"There's a difference between you working late and not coming home at all. You were half a world away. That's nothing like just being down the hall in a different office."

"You didn't visit that office enough."

"I know. But you're always busy... and I'm busy. It would be inappropriate for us to... in the middle of work."

"Yui, you're too concerned about propriety. We could just..."

"Get caught by someone, and I think I would probably die from embarrassment. Just stop with those silly ideas. Besides, we're here together; we don't need to worry about any of that."

"Mm, very true."

Yui looked at Gendo's face, not moving her head at all. "Just after you left, I stopped taking the pill," she said quietly.

"Oh really? Planning on something?" he answered with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Perhaps. Why don't we just... see what happens?"

Gendo turned his head and looked down at Yui. "You mean it this time? You're sure?"

"No, but I'm willing to take the risk. What about you? Are you ready to change some diapers?"

Instead of answering, he kissed her, rolling her on to her back and pinning her to the bed.

"I know," she said, short of breath after the kiss had ended, "that you won't disappoint me."

"Have I yet?"

Running her hands across his back, she shook her head and smiled. "No."