Paige, Nathan, and Rachel, Wednesday afternoon

[x-cable.livejournal.com]

Out for some fresh air with his daughter after yesterday's excitement, Nathan is semi-flopped-upon by a Paige who's been working with her mutation a little too enthusiastically. The three of them have one of those odd yet entertaining conversations.


"Oooo! Ooo!"

"Sparrow," Nathan said to Rachel as she waved her hands, wriggling in her baby carrier. He'd had to make a few adjustments to it, switching it to sling-mode rather than the regular against-the-chest position that Rachel did tend to prefer. But his ribs were just a little bit too sore for that today.

Okay, entirely too sore. Didn't mean he wasn't going to take his daughter out for some fresh air, though.

"Cute little bird, no? Kind of like you."

"Oooo!"

Apparently she highly approved of birds, Nathan thought in amusement, despite the whole 'attempting to eat Bella's tail' incident. Although he still thought that had been more curiosity than anything else. Curiosity was one of the characteristics Rachel had in spades already.

Paige felt like she had a hangover. Not that she had a clue what a hangover felt like, because she was underage and therefore had never had a drink before, no, never, but if she knew what a hangover felt like, it would feel like this. Squinting, Paige wandered around, attempting to find her way down to somewhere that wasn't so bright and cheerful. Funny, coming outside had felt like a brilliant idea when she had been in the sterile white rooms of the medlab.

Over to her left she could hear the sound of birds. Birds and... cooing? And people? Why did she feel like she was Snow White all of a sudden? Shading her eyes, Paige made out the profile of Nathan, although, an oddly shaped Nathan, and, even better, a bench. Oh, Paige liked benches. They were very nice and pit-stop-like. Dragging herself over, Paige flopped beside him, hiding her eyes in his shoulder.

"Dying. Hold on."

"Ooo?" Rachel inquired, reaching out a little hand to grab some of the blonde hair that had happened to fall in her general direction.

"Nathan, why is your voice high and feminine and your hand tugging my hair?" Paige mumbled into Nathan's shirt, not bothering to raise her head.

"Because that would be Rachel trying to say hello," was Nathan's patient, somewhat amused reply.

"Meh?" was Rachel's plaintive corollary to that. People weren't supposed to ignore her. That was very wrong. People were there to admire her!

Ever-so-slowly turning her head, Paige tried to make out shapes through nearly closed eyes. "Why is it so bright outside? Hello, Rachel. I hear you're a baby. You look small enough to be one. How do you do? My hair is blonde in case that's what you were wondering."

"Ooo," Rachel cooed. That was better. She giggled softly at Paige. #Ooo?# she tried telepathically.

"Oooh," Paige winced, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Sweetie, I'm sure you're very cute, but the blonde hair owner feels like she's dying at the moment. A little bit more gentle with the in the head voice, please. Good job on the really fast learning curve, though."

#Shhh,# Nathan hushed Rachel, then smiled at Paige. "At least she's not trying to bounce anything off your head. She got me with the baby powder bottle this morning." And with truly spectacular aim, to boot.

"Heehee!"

"Oh, honey. When I'm feeling better, let's be very good friends," Paige replied in a lighter tone, temple now resting on Nathan's shoulder and really much too tired to care so much. "And you were right. Her hair is really quite red."

Rachel let out a series of interrogative-sounding chirps and squeaks, blinking wide dark blue eyes at Paige. Nathan merely smiled and slid a hand around to support her head so that she could look at Paige more squarely. "You all right?" he asked Paige, casually.

"Oh yeah. Never better," Paige answered in a dry tone, giving Rachel a look that translated roughly to 'You are so much more brilliant than your daddy'. "Was working on some mutation nonsense, a splendid and educational distraction from my own journal. Except, I thought I'd try something tricky, since I'd already advanced past normal instant bath skin husking. And now my brain is attempting to push it's way out of my skull."

"Take it from someone who's a past master in overstraining his mutation," Nathan said wisely. "Pushing too hard always leads to your brain exiting your skull in unnatural ways."

"Oh, sure. Now you tell me." Gently prying her hair from Rachel's grasp, Paige gave her a finger to hang onto instead. "And it wouldn't have been a strain under any other circumstances. I just haven't been husking much since... ah, she probably already read my brain and knows, but I'd rather not say it in front of the cutie. You know. The secret thing everyone knows about."

"You're out of condition, in a sense," Nathan said simply.

"Fweee!" was Rachel's oddly emphatic contribution as she made another grab for Paige's hair. Telekinetically, this time.

"But you already have my fin-" Paige tried, before giving up and letting the little girl play with her hair. It was a really good thing she was cute. Not that Paige thought she was cute, she hated babies, right. Blinking up at Nathan, she attempted to continue their somewhat normal conversation, as if it was one. "Exactly. I am not a happy Paige. In fact, I think I'm irritated and now in pain."

Nathan extended a few tendrils of thought towards Rachel, a small if enticing pattern. His daughter immediately left Paige's hair along and started to coo softly at him on their developing link. "Do you need help getting back inside?" he asked Paige, aloud.

Paige stared a moment, watching the two of them interact, and felt something like an excruciating pang in her chest, before deciding to let it go and turn it towards a gentle, even warm, smile. "No, I'm being a, excuse the phrase, hon, big baby. Just a bit of a headache that I'm going to sleep off somewhere over there in the shade."

"So long as you're sure," he said with a smile of his own. "I have carried people back inside from time to time. Did it to Moira once."

"Is this a story she's allowed to hear?" Paige whispered, darting her eyes towards Rachel. She was a psychic baby. It was really easy if you just thought of her as... a really cute bomb that could hear and understand pretty much everything you said.

"Oh, well, I'm not going into detail." Rachel squeaked as Nathan stroked her hair. "Just making the point. Even if I don't quite have arms free here, TK is handy that way."

Making the clucking noise she generally reserved for Nemesis at Rachel, Paige twirled her finger about, watching her grab hold and let go, over and over. "Well. Hm. I'm considering it; it's just that my room isn't all that great for nice, relaxing naps unless you happen to be knocked unconscious. That isn't me asking, by the way. Not to mention, you're such lovely conversation."

Rachel gave a wide yawn suddenly, then an indignant meep as if she hadn't planned on that and was having entirely too much fun awake, thank you very much. Nathan smiled down at her tenderly, utterly unabashed at doing so, even with Paige sitting right there.

"Nap? Did someone say the magic word?"

"Meh!" It was almost scornful. "Meh!"

"Uh oh. I do believe someone is sleepy. Someone other than me I mean." Paige surprised even herself by miming the yawn, before chuckling. "A reminder that I said other than me..."

"Back in for a nap?" he asked Rachel. "So you can make all your stuffed toys levitate in your sleep...." He slid a look at Paige. "She hasn't quite done that yet. Only one or two at a time."

Paige blinked very slowly in a Look that more than indicated, 'oh, and that makes it perfectly fine right?' along with 'you are a lunatic sometimes and by sometimes I mean pretty much always'.

"Still. She's very talented," Nathan pointed out.

Rachel preened, just a little.

A second blink was offered. This time she was even nice enough to translate it out loud. "That doesn't make you less of a lunatic."

"What? Because I'm so proud to have such a talented, beautiful daughter?" Rachel gave a very distinct giggle, waving her arms madly. "Yes," Nathan said, "I am complimenting you, my little prodigy..."

"OOO! Heeehee!"

"No, that just makes you able to see. What makes you a lunatic is, well, being you. You're just a lunatic in general. Mass lunacy and whathaveyou." Paige smiled a little at the two of them, feeling another little heart pang and this time deciding to just let herself feel it, if carefully.

Rachel gave him a kick and Nathan winced. "Ow... sweetie, mind Dad's ribs, okay?" He shifted her around gently in the sling, ignoring her indignant squeaks. "In any case," he said to Paige, mock-severely, "I am not a lunatic. I'm just endearingly cracked."

"You are soooo getting another Look, mister," was Paige's easy reply before she giggled, not really caring if he thought she sounded less like a future doctor, professor, defender of the innocent and more like a very amused girl who should possibly own a pleated skirt. "We are quite silly, did you know? Clearly we need to be in pain more often. Less grr more absurdly silly. If only there was a short cut..."

Rachel made a sound that was very distinctly a raspberry, and Nathan raised an eyebrow at her. "I think we're being mocked," he said to Paige. "Probably rightfully so."

Paige very carefully moved her gaze towards where she thought Rachel was, trying not to wince. "But... we're cute. Perhaps it is actually jealousy. Oh, is that what this is? Don't worry, pumpkin, I have no desire to steal your daddy away; he just makes a very nice pillow. Occasionally we snark at each other. Nothing more."