Author's Note: Well, I hadn't really intended for this to become a multi-chapter work but it's just so cute and fun to write I guess it's coming out that way. Thanks for everyone who read and reviewed part one! Enjoy!

Part 2

Samus stared at the e-mail sitting in her inbox. She must have read it a dozen times, and she still wasn't sure what to make of it. Her fighting instincts told her to be cautious, but there was another part of her that was merely curious as to why the sender had gone out of the way to write to her. It posed quite the conundrum.

Clicking off her phone, the bounty hunter got up from the blue-checkered couch and made her way across the modest living room and into the hall. Rather than her usual military-styled attire, she was just wearing a long purple blouse with black leggings. Her feet were bare, and her hair was in a messy braid down to the middle of her back.

"Anthony?" she called out as she stepped into the kitchen to see her friend sitting at the table.

"What's up, Princess?" he asked with an intrigued grin.

Anthony was a tall black man whose presence just resonated warmth. His head was shaved bald, and he always had a smile that lit up whatever room he was in. Sometimes Samus thought he was her polar opposite given her cold, stoic demeanor. She was pretty sure her presence was more likely to bring down the mood of any room she was in.

"I got an e-mail from someone," Samus said as she pulled out a chair and took a seat across from him at the rectangular metal table. "I'm not sure how I should respond to it."

Anthony raised an eyebrow curiously. Samus had been staying at his house for close to a week now, and this was the first time he had heard her speak of any contact with another sentient being.

"Someone looking to contract you for a mission?" he asked, although he doubted that's what it was about given how conflicted she looked. Business never seemed to frustrate her quite the same way mundane human interactions did.

Samus shook her head. "It's from Dr. Madeline Bergman."

"Oh. How's she doing?"

"I don't know." Samus shrugged. "But she invited me over to her apartment, and I feel really weird about it."

Anthony thought about it for a moment as he got up, went to his coffee pot, and poured them each a steaming mug before setting them down and returning to his seat. "What's got you feeling weird about it? Didn't you say she came by to thank you when you were both staying at that Federation facility together?"

Samus took the cup of coffee in her hands and raised it just below her mouth. She liked the way the tongues of steam gently licked at her face. It helped her feel more grounded. "She did."

"Okay?" Anthony took a sip of his drink. "You had a nice time together, didn't you? You took her to see your bread things or whatever you call them."

"The loaf animals."

"Right." He tried to suppress a chuckle. "And she liked your loaf animals. Maybe she liked spending time with you and just wants to see you again?"

"I mean… maybe?"

Anthony rolled his eyes. "I swear, Princess, you can be such a downer sometimes. Do you really not get why someone would want to hang around with you?"

Samus shrugged again as she took a sip of her coffee. "I don't get along with people well, Anthony. That's just a fact. You've known that since we were in the Army together."

"Except that you seemed to get along well with Dr. Bergman the other day."

"Yeah… but Dr. Bergman is weird. I mean… not weird in a bad way. She's just… I don't know." Samus couldn't think of the right words to describe the red-haired scientist. "She seems like she'd rather stay in and do stuff in her lab than go out. She probably has almost as hard of a time being around other humans as I do."

"So you've got that in common." Anthony laughed as Samus buried her face in her coffee mug. "You want to know what I think? I think you should take her up on hanging out together. Maybe bring her something nice as a surprise when you go over there. Who knows? You might end up making a friend."

Samus snorted and coughed as she swallowed the coffee the wrong way. "You're ridiculous…"

"I'm being realistic, Samus," Anthony said, his tone a bit more serious. "You spend a lot of time by yourself. It's not good for you, and you can pretend you're okay all you want, but I know it's taking its toll on you. I know you don't like me to bring up what happened on the Bottle Ship, but—"

"Stop!" Samus held up a hand, her eyes getting wide. "I told you, I don't want to talk about that. It's over. Nothing happened."

Anthony frowned. "I won't press the issue, but when you're ready to talk about what happened back there, I'm here for you, Samus. We're the only two left from that unit, and I know you've always had my back in a tight corner. Maybe this is different than actual combat, but I want you to know I've got your back too."

Samus didn't say anything. She just set her mug down on the table and stared into it for a long while. Just thinking about what had happened on the Bottle Ship was enough to make her heart start racing, and thinking about how her own weakness had nearly gotten Anthony killed was too much for her to deal with right now.

"I guess I'll go visit Dr. Bergman," she muttered eventually, standing up and bringing her mug over to the sink. She couldn't bring herself to look Anthony in the eye as she turned and left the room.

Madeline Bergman's new apartment was in a very plain-looking complex. It was in one of the multi-level apartment towers, up on the eleventh floor, and Samus felt awkward as she stood in the elevator holding the large blue Tupperware.

She had agreed to come over to Dr. Bergman's house for dinner, but she wasn't sure why she still felt so nervous about it. She may have never been a particularly social person, but she had been to plenty of business dinners with prospective employers looking to contract her for a mission or two. Even outside of that, she had eaten dinner with Anthony every night since coming to stay at his place.

Still, there was something different about this, and Samus noticed a level of arousal that, while lower than what she normally experienced in battle, was disconcerting. Her stomach felt a little fluttery, and her chest felt kind of tight. Even her muscles were more tense than usual as she watched the elevator count up the floors to the doctor's apartment.

Dressed in a simple lavender blouse, a black blazer, and a pair of jeans, Samus thought she looked normal enough. Her long blonde hair was down and neatly brushed. She had tried to apply a little makeup but got frustrated and washed it off. It just didn't feel like a make-up kind of day.

After Samus had written back, accepting the invitation to dinner, Dr. Bergman had written back to tell Samus that she had a surprise to show her when she got there. The bounty hunter had no idea what it might be, and it intrigued her. As the elevator stopped on the eleventh floor, Samus stepped out into a plane-looking hallway with a worn and dated rug. The faded wallpaper was starting to peel in places, and all of the metal doors looked the same as they stretched across their long rows.

Eventually, Samus found the door with the number Dr. Bergman had sent her. Apartment number 1125. She hesitated for a moment, but then she rang the bell and waited for the other woman to appear. It didn't take long before the door opened, and Samus caught sight of the redheaded scientist.

"Samus," Madeline said with a smile. "I'm so glad you could make it!"

The bounty hunter hesitated, not sure what to do. She could feel her fight or flight response kicking in as she saw the doctor looking so casual in a button down shirt that matched the light blue of the lab coat she had worn on the Bottle Ship. Her hair seemed to have grown out ever so slightly, and it looked softer and more relaxed now. Samus could feel something almost like an energy pulsing over her skin, and she wasn't sure what to call the feeling.

"Hello Dr. Bergman," she said. "Thank you for inviting me to your home." She paused, awkwardly thrusting out the large plastic container she had been carrying. "I killed this for you."

Dr. Bergman's face turned pale and looked mildly terrified as she looked down at the container and then up again at Samus. Realizing her friendly gesture might not have come off the way she had hoped it would, Samus just shook her head.

"I mean… that's not what I meant. This is a prey animal. It's good for eating, and I shot it while I was out hunting earlier. I've already cleaned it and cut it up, and Anthony cooked it because I'm not so great in a kitchen. I thought I should contribute something to our meal."

Madeline smiled awkwardly as she accepted the container into her hands and beckoned for Samus to come into the apartment. "Thank you, Samus. That was a very nice gesture. Sounds like it definitely took a bit more effort than picking up a roast at the market." She tried to laugh, but it came across slightly strangled.

Samus's face felt hot as she stepped into the apartment. She had honestly intended it as a gesture of goodwill but was starting to think killing something for her might not have been the best way to let Dr. Bergman know she appreciated the invitation.

Madeline's apartment was small, and most things were still in boxes stacked about the living room. The walls were bare, and the floor was a very worn down hardwood. There was only a simple black dining table with two chairs. Over in the corner, there were a couple of other chairs that were still yet to be assembled along with a few other odds and ends. The table settings didn't match, but Samus didn't mind. The bounty hunter had never owned a matching dish set in her life.

"I'm just going to put this in the kitchen and cover it for now so it doesn't get cold," Madeline said as she hurried Samus's gift away into a little galley kitchen, leaving the bounty hunter alone in the eerie bone yard of half-assembled furniture.

She was starting to feel self-conscious as she waited for the scientist to return and was just debating going into the kitchen behind her when she heard a soft mewing sound coming from near her feet. Samus turned and knelt on the ground, looking at the tiny little blonde kitten that had wandered up to her.

"Me-ow," the tiny creature said softly as it walked up to Samus and began nuzzling its face against her knees. The bounty hunter stayed still, transfixed at the site of the animal.

"Samus," Madeline called as she made her way back into the living room. "Is everything all right?" She stopped in her tracks and laughed when she saw the bounty hunter kneeling on the ground, staring in fascination at the kitten that was now pawing at her open blazer.

"You went and got one of the loaf animals," Samus said, a small smiling creeping onto her face in spite of her efforts to remain stoic. "A mini one."

"I told you I had a little surprise for you," Madeline said with a smile as she knelt down next to Samus and began giving the kitten soft head scratches.

"It's not even a full loaf," Samus said, turning her attention away from the kitten and over to Madeline. "It's more like a muffin."

Madeline burst out laughing suddenly, and the sound of it made adrenaline ripple through Samus's body, though it wasn't an unpleasant sensation. Her face felt warm but there was actually something nice about the reaction.

"I suppose she is more like a little muffin than a loaf," Madeline said, flashing Samus a soft smile that intensified that fluttery feeling in her stomach.

Samus quickly averted her eyes and turned her attention back to the little blonde kitten. Slowly, she reached out and began to stroke its soft fur. "Hello, Mini-Muffin. It's nice to meet you."