Church let himself relax as he stood atop the Blue Base, staring out at Blood Gulch. It had been quite some time since Maud's arrival had changed everything within the canyon, and he was trying to figure out if it had been for the better. Sure, he no longer had to worry about one of the Reds trying to kill him, and Tucker was super focused on getting a decisive victory over Grif, which meant two of the biggest headaches of his time there - people trying to kill him, and Tucker - were no longer headaches. Still...change wasn't always good.
The whole dynamic of the canyon had changed. Before Maud's arrival, the two teams had been enemies. Now...well, they still claimed to be enemies, still claimed to hate each other...but Church knew them now. At least, to a certain extent. He knew Sarge, knew Grif, knew Simmons...and that knowledge meant they could never be a faceless enemy again...even if he'd never seen any of their faces. What happened when Maud was old enough to use a gun, and the agreement ended? What happened if one of them actually died? ...what happened if Maud chose to be a Red?
These were the questions that haunted him now...and were the reason he'd left Maud with Doc for more lessons on medicine and come up here to think. He wanted to take care of Maud. He...he didn't really care about any of the others. He knew he should...but he found he could only really care about them because of how Maud felt. When he mentally removed Maud from the equation...the others just didn't matter. Maud mattered.
As he found himself going into these dark, depressing thoughts, a cleared throat drew his attention. Maud sat beside him, staring up at him. "Oh, did you need something, Maud?" he asked quickly, kneeling down to get closer to her level, and to pick her up if she wanted.
"I don't need anything just now," Maud replied in her usual monotone voice.
"Oh," Church allowed, a little confused. "Did you just come up here because you missed me?"
"No," Maud answered flatly. "That's not why I'm here."
"Okay," Church allowed. "Why are you here?"
"That's going to be my life's biggest question," Maud replied, remaining monotone. "Why did I come to this canyon? What is my purpose? Is there some great mission for me? Or am I just the plaything of a mad god with nothing better to do than to throw random things together for entertainment? Does my bond to you or to the others have meaning? Are my actions my own?"
"...you've been spending too much time with Grif and Simmons," Church observed in mild amusement. "I meant here on the roof with me just now."
"I know," Maud replied readily. "But Grif wasn't in position yet."
"Huh?" Church asked in surprise.
"Well, sorry if it took time to convince your Captain to give me clearance," Grif said as he walked up the stairs to the roof, carrying a cake in his hands. He set the platter down between Maud and Church. "This is for you, at her request," he explained to Church as he got back up. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got batter bowls to lick."
"Wait, Grif!" Church called out, turning to face him.
"Yeah?" Grif asked in surprise.
"...thanks," Church offered warmly.
"No problem," Grif replied happily. "I like baking. Now I'd better get out of here before I jump Maud's message for you. Just know it's from me too." With that, he turned and left.
"Message?" Church asked, turning back to face Maud...only to find a single candle atop the cake, burning merrily.
"Happy Birthday, Dad," Maud offered, the slightest hint of warmth audibly in her voice as she gave just a hint of a smile.
Church blinked in surprise. "It's...it's my birthday?"
"I looked it up," Maud answered readily. "Make a wish."
Church smiled under his helmet. "A wish is easy." I wish I can see Maud really smile someday, he thought to himself. I'll bet it'll be breathtaking. Leaning in, he blew out the candle.
"Now we cut it," Maud confirmed, holding up a knife.
"Not just yet," Church corrected. "Maud...I don't know exactly how long it's been since you arrived here-"
"Less than a year," Maud answered quickly.
"Maybe, but you've certainly at least a year old by my estimates," Church continued. "But since we can't know the dates exactly..." He lit the candle. "Happy Birthday, Maud. Now make a wish."
Maud stared up at him. ...I wish Dad will always be with me, she thought to herself before leaning in to blow out the candle.
"Now we cut the cake," Church said softly, taking the knife and carefully cutting pieces for each of them. As he picked up his piece, however, he noticed Maud simply staring at hers. "Is something wrong?" he asked worriedly.
"I asked Grif to make this cake for you," Maud explained calmly. "Sweets aren't...really my preference. I prefer spicy."
"In that case, how about I make you a special spicy dish you can enjoy?" he asked after taking a bite. "Wow. Grif really went overboard with making this sweet." He shook a little. "I feel like I'm going to have a heart attack as it attacks my arteries."
"I asked him to make you a cake as sweet as me," Maud offered mildly.
"Well, he certainly came close!" Church joked as he carried Maud and the cake down into the Base. "Now, let's see about what I can make you..."
"Tabasco Maple Bran Muffins?" Maud requested suddenly.
"An...odd request, but I'll see what I can do," Church replied, setting the cake on the counter and getting to work in trying to bake.
It didn't take long for Church to make the muffins requested, and he tried one as well as Maud devoured hers. "An...odd taste," he allowed as he chewed, "but not bad. I could certainly get used to it-"
"This is terrible!" Doc suddenly screamed out, drawing attention to where he stood.
Church and Maud immediately turned to look. There was Doc, standing next to the cake where the piece Church hadn't finished was nowhere in sight. On the ground in front of Doc was Captain Flowers, laid out flat and unmoving.
"Captain Flowers has died...of a heart attack!" Doc screamed out.
"Aww, crapbaskets!" Church snapped out as Maud's ears went flat.
"Dibs on his armor?" Tucker called out hopefully.
"Tucker!"