xp_logs | Nathan, Domino (and Saul), Friday evening

After the last in a series of chess games, Nathan and Domino talk about her weekend plans, and manage to not-quite-talk about the subject that's really bothering her. Then Nathan is saved by the bell - except that the person on the other end of the cell phone is Saul, and Nathan finds out that GW did not, in fact, pass along that particular piece of news to Domino while she was in the Sudan. Whoops.

"Stop doing that," Domino complained with an extravagant groan, flopping sideways on the couch as Nathan checkmated her for the third time in a row. "Bastard. This is what happens when you leave. I get all rusty at chess."

"So get GW to play with you."

"GW sucks at chess, Nate."

"So beat his ass and enjoy doing it," Nathan suggested innocently from where he was sitting cross-legged on the floor on the other side of the coffee table. "I don't think he'd begrudge you your fun. At least not harmless fun like that. GW has no ego, after all." He glanced at the chessboard. As it started to rearrange itself, he leaned back, regarding Domino thoughtfully. They were alone in the living room - Moira was napping peaceably in the bedroom - and if he wasn't mistaken, Dom was actually relaxing. She was certainly sounding more like herself than she had been. Amazing what lots of sleep and regular meals could do.

Domino stuck her tongue out at him and then relaxed back against the mound of pillows Moira had been using before she'd waddled off to nap. "I miss playing with you."

"I miss playing with you too, tiger. We could play internet chess?"

"It's not the same." And now she was pouting. Domino gave him a too-bright smile instead. "So," she said cheerfully. "Are you going to come follow me around New York this weekend like the worrywart of a pseudo-paternal figure you are if I vanish into the city for a couple of nights?"

"Depends," Nathan said patiently. He'd been expecting this. Domino didn't stay put very well, even when she really should. "What are you planning to do for a couple of nights?"

She shrugged, still sprawled against the pillows. "I'm sure I could find something to do. Or someone." Nathan raised an eyebrow, and she waved a hand at him. "Joking. Really."

"I know, actually," Nathan said after a moment, a bit surprised. But it was perfectly clear that it hadn't been seriously meant - he knew her well enough to know that even without the benefit of telepathy - and he regarded her a little more somberly. "Not that I'm unhappy that you're changing your attitude towards casual sex - "

" - says the man who had none for what, nine years?"

" - but you," Nathan said, somewhat severely at the interruption, "are not someone who can manage without any kind of tactile contact, so try and keep that in mind." Domino sat up, her eyes a little wide at the comment, and Nathan shrugged. "You're not. You need the physical contact for reassurance, and to feel grounded. Go for too long without it and you get twitchy and more prone to violence than usual."

One eyebrow headed for her hairline as Domino regarded him. "You know," she said after a moment, "you're getting downright creepy these days."

"Just calling it the way I see it."

"Well, you're seeing too much. Stop it." Domino contemplated throwing a chess piece at his head, but that would just be petty. And besides, he'd probably catch it. "So was that permission, by the way, or not?"

Nathan shook his head. "You don't need my permission to go into New York, Dom, don't be silly." He smiled very faintly. "So long as you're not planning to go sniffing around a particular upscale establishment." She twitched, and he sighed. "I was really actually kind of hoping not to get a reaction to that," he said pointedly.

"I wouldn't," Domino muttered, her eyes dropping to the chessboard. "Won't say I didn't think of it, but I'm not stupid."

"Didn't suggest you were."

"Just that I possibly might do something stupid."

"Pretty much." Nathan smiled brightly at her as she gave him a threatening look. "You wake up Moira, and I'll take you over my knee."

"Promise?" Nathan rolled his eyes, and she laughed at him - quietly. "You walked right into that one, old man."

"So I did." Nathan would have said more, but was interrupted by the soft chiming of his cellphone. "Crap!" he muttered. "If that wakes her..." He made a lunge for the phone where it was sitting on the endtable beside the sofa, but Domino got to it first, flipping it open and answering it.

"Nathan's phone!" she said brightly. "Who's this?" Her eyebrow arched a little higher as she listened, and she looked at Nathan, her eyes widening a little bit more. "Who? ... right. Oh... um. He's right here, actually..." She extended the phone in Nathan's direction, staring at him. "It's. Um. Your father." Nathan made a grab at the phone that didn't quite connect. "Please tell me 'father' is code for something?" she whispered.

"Dom!"

"Because if I find out you-"

"Dom!" He yanked the phone away from her telekinetically. "Saul?" he said, getting the phone to his ear. "Sorry about that."

There was a bemused chuckle from the other end of the line. "Should I ask?"

"Possibly not." He was going to kill GW. Or possibly just himself. He'd just assumed GW would pass along the news, and every time he'd talked to Dom since then, she'd sounded ragged enough that he hadn't wanted to distract her. You're just a coward, Dayspring, he told himself, eyeing Dom warily. "You're in the city?"

"As of last night," Saul confirmed. "The flight got in quite later and I was in meetings all day, or I would have called you before this. How is everything?"

"Fine. Just fine," Nathan said, a bit distracted by the way Dom was looking at him. Oh, very much not good. Not with the good at all. "Busy. Moira's doing well... complaining about the heat a little, but the house is well air-conditioned."

"It is quite warm, isn't it? I felt like I haven't really left home."

Nathan got to his feet, moving over to the window. It gave him the illusion of privacy, at least, although he knew Dom could hear him perfectly well. "Things looking as busy as you expected?" he asked, for lack of anything better to say. "The job, I mean..."

"More, actually. I suspect we'll be spending the weekend plotting our plan of attack. The data loss is catastrophic, to put it mildly." Saul's sigh sounded almost wry. "I would say something about the folly of not keeping proper backups when you're running a multinational organization, but firstly, that would be redundant, and secondly, I'd be out of a job if people did the smart thing." His voice went regretful as he went on. "I was hoping to have some free time this weekend but we may have to put off that lunch we were talking about until the beginning of the week."

"That's all right," Nathan said automatically, staring out into the dark. He could almost feel Domino's eyes boring into his back. "I haven't sorted out whether... I mean..." He stumbled over the words, then stopped, biting his lip. "Schedule. Haven't sorted out when I'm free yet either."

"... you're sounding a little frazzled again, Nathan," Saul said after a moment, sounding mildly amused and somewhat concerned. "We're not working to a deadline here, son."

"I know."

The words 'You have a lot of explaining to do' come to mind, he heard Domino think at him, very pointedly, and Nathan closed his eyes.

Lovely. He wasn't sure whether he wanted to get off the phone or not.