xp_logs | Nathan and Saul, backdated to Tuesday night

Tuesday night, after Saul's visit, Nathan drives his father back to the airport. Saul makes a suggestion, and tells him something that makes it clear he understands his son surprisingly well, even after such a short acquaintance.

"You've found yourself quite the home," Saul said. It was the first thing either of them had said since leaving the mansion, and Nathan gave his father a quick sideways glance, long enough to see the wistful look on Saul's face. He quickly turned his attention back to the road. "There's a lot of support there for you. I can tell. A lot of people who care about you a great deal."

"I was lucky to wind up there," Nathan muttered, then bit his lip. Another thing he hadn't explained - how he had ended up at the school in the first place. And even if he glossed over that, there was still how he'd met Moira, and the virus...

"Nathan..." There was a touch of weary amusement in Saul's voice, but sadness as well. Nathan heard him shift a little in the passenger seat. "I get the sense that this has been very hard on your nerves. Don't think I didn't notice you twitch every time a student said something a little too revealing."

"It's just... so complicated." Nathan swallowed, forcing himself to keep his eyes on the road. "If you were staying for a week, I might be able to make a dent on the story of the last year and a half. Maybe. And that wouldn't even be touching the seven years ahead of that..." Or how he'd left Mistra. For some reason, he really didn't want to tell Saul the details of that.

"Then come back to San Francisco."

Nathan's hands clenched on the steering wheel. "I can't," he said uncertainly. "I have... students. Tomorrow."

Saul chuckled softly. "I didn't mean right now, Nathan. Although there is a holiday weekend coming up, and I can't imagine your students will be knocking on your door wanting to talk about their independent study projects when they could be out celebrating the Fourth of July."

True enough. "But Moira..." Nathan shook his head. "I shouldn't leave right now."

"The baby's not due until August," Saul said patiently. "And if that young purple teleporter we met can manage trans-Atlantic trips, as she said, she can certainly fetch you from San Francisco easily enough." He sighed. "I know I said I wouldn't push," he admitted, his voice very low. "It's just a suggestion, Nathan. The school is a wonderful place, but we didn't have much chance to really talk. And you seemed... ill at ease, so often, when we were around the students or your fellow staff."

There really wasn't much he could say to that. No point in denying it; he hadn't been very good at hiding it. Nathan chewed on his lower lip and took the next left, heading into the city. "A lot's happened," he said finally, reluctantly. "I wasn't kidding about how long it would take me to explain. Some of it... a lot of it's had to do with Mistra. What Forge said about me being off my feet a lot..."

"Son, you don't have to..."

"I want to tell you. About some of it, at least." Nathan swallowed, ignoring the tightness of his throat. He had a death-grip on the steering wheel at this point. "Some of it's worth telling. Some of it..." His throat closed, stopping any further words.

Saul reached out and laid a hand on his shoulder. Maybe it was because he was driving and jumping out of his skin probably would have led to him driving them off the road or into another car, but Nathan didn't feel the instant flash of panic he half-expected, at his father's touch. Instead, the touch was almost... calming, as if Saul's hand was grounding him, pulling him gently back to earth.

"Nothing you could tell me," his father said very quietly, "is going to make me look at you with anything other than pride and respect, Nathan." Saul paused for a moment, then went on steadily. "Being at the school today, seeing the life you've made for yourself... I don't doubt there have been hard times along the way, Nathan, and I imagine you haven't seen the end of them just yet. But you've persevered."

"Survived, you mean," Nathan said a bit hoarsely.

"No. Persevered. Surviving is something that any animal can do, Nathan. You persevered... you fought your way to something better than mere survival." Saul removed his hand almost reluctantly. "Now, I think," he said softly, "you just have to remind yourself of that, from time to time."