Moira and Gideon (and Nathan and Rachel), Thursday afternoon

[x-mactaggart.livejournal.com]

When Nathan and Rachel go to take a look at the fish in the pet store, Moira goes shopping by herself. Unfortunately, her luck is proving rotten enough for her to have an 'unexpected' family reunion with one of the last men she wanted to have it with. After the verbal sparring and a warning from her, she goes to retrieve and get her family out of the mall as soon as possible.



Moira peered thoughtfully into the window of one of the men's suit stores. She was supposed to be Christmas shopping but he needed a few more regular items as well and getting him to actually shop for those was like pulling teeth.

From Cain.

Tapping her chin, she eyed the black suit in front of her. She liked the cut of it and it would suit her husbands bulk--muscles were all fine and good but hell on suits--well. Making a note to bribe him into coming, she started to head to the next store to see if something would jump out at her.

The mall was crowded, not at all an unusual thing on a December evening. A large number of people had bumped into her in the course of the shopping expedition thus far, so when one more person did it, it wasn't anything particularly startling.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry," came an utterly calm voice, a hand touching her arm to steady her. "How very clumsy of me."

It took a second for that voice to cut through her mind but she immediately pulled her arm out of his hold and backed up a step. "Gideon," she hissed, immediately slamming down on her end of the link, though careful not to rouse suspicion from Nathan. He would assume she was buying him a present she wanted to keep secret and not staring up at the bastard of an uncle he had.

Her purse was next to her side and she rested a hand there, ready to slip it in and press the emergency button on her pager if necessary. "Wha' are you doin' here?"

He gave her a faint smile, his eyes very intent on her. Assessing. "Christmas shopping, perhaps. By the way," he said conversationally, half-turning, "I believe that gray suit would suit my nephew admirably."

Under his scrutiny, Moira's back stiffened and she held her head up as straight as possible, staring him down. This man was dangerous but he'd be even more dangerous if she ran. Who knew if he was synched up to a mutant near by? "I wasnae aware tha' souless men celebrated Christmas," she said, the words nearly an odd, cold purr. "Gets in th' way o' bein' evil, tha' kind o' thin'."

"An' th' gray one would look 'orrid wit' his shirts but I wouldnae expect ye ta know tha'."

"I wasn't aware you were qualified to judge the state of my soul, Moira," Gideon said mildly, examining a shirt on the rack next to them. "And please, let's not waste time indulging in gratuitous insults. I believe you'd prefer me to be gone by the time Nathan returns from the pet store with your lovely daughter?" He smiled faintly at her. "Rachel seemed very taken by the fish."

"I would suggest tha' ye dinnae let me daughters name pass from yer lips again," Moira warned softly, clenching her hand around her purse as fury raced through her veins. "Wha're ye doin' 'ere? Checkin' up on yer 'experiment', Gideon? Or come ta see 'ow far ye can push me?"

"Nothing so crude. I merely thought it was time that we met," Gideon said, shaking his head with some disapproval at the shirts. "Terrible quality. I've been very remiss, you see, in making the proper introductions. We are after all family."
"I'd say by marriage only but Nathan would 'ave nothin' ta do wit' ye. An' blood only flows so far." Bracing her other hand on her hip seeing as she lacked anything better to do with it and assaulting him in public would not be a good thing, she gazed at him as coolly as she could. "Considerin' wha' ye've done, why would I want ta 'ave anythin' ta do wit' ye? Ever?"

Gideon's expression was almost contemplative as he gazed down at her. "Our lives are connected, Moira, whether or not you want to acknowledge that. From the moment you married Nathan, the connection has been there. When you bore his child, it was only strengthened. Your business..." He paused, smiled slightly again, "is my business. There's something inevitable about all of this." The smile lingered, but his eyes were suddenly cooler. "You're just as Esther saw you."

Rearing back at that, nostrails flaring and eyes flashing, more than a few people edged away from them. "I dinnae subscribe ta tha' line o' thinkin'. I work wit' precogs so I know tha' th' future can be, will be, changed based on our actions. An' I refuse ta be a puppet for a sick, twisted version o' th' future tha' ye hold dear."

"My sister-in-law's vision of the future was not anything I held particularly dear," Gideon said, then eyed Moira. "I'm not telling you anything you don't know," he said. "I doubt the map was the only thing she left for her son in Namibia."

Shrugging, Moira ran through all the exercises Nathan and Charles had taught her about shielding, just in case. Pitiful compared to a telepath's shielding but better than someone completely untrained. "I'd say I wouldnae know 'bout tha' but I'd be liein' an' ye'd know so I'm eliminatin' tha'. I'm jus' nay goin' ta say. When does this game end or do ye expect ta dog th' heels o' my family forever?"

"The game ends when Nathan understands what's expected of him," Gideon said, almost casually. He moved to a rack of ties, examining its contents carefully. "Then it becomes his game."

Chuckling under her breath, she shook her head. "I 'ave ta wonder if ye've been like this always," she said, reaching out to feel one of the silk shirts on a near by rack. "If nay, wha' caused ye ta fall so far as ta really view this as a game. I used it as a term, ye used it as if tha's wha' it really is. But 'tis nay an' I refuse ta see ye drag me family further inta this mess. I'll do whatever I can ta see tha' ye dinnae get yer filthy 'ands near me 'usband or daughter."

"Your husband has been in this 'mess' from the day he was born. So has your daughter." Gideon's eyes flickered to her, cool and impassive. "An astounding mind, she has. Even at such a young age."

Leaning in, Moira's eyes suddenly got as cold as they could humanly get. "I am a doctor, Gideon, as ye well know. I am nay a medical doctor an' therefore I was nay required ta take th' Hippocratic Oath. If ye think for one nanosecond 'bout touchin' me daughter, physically or otherwise, keep tha' in mind. I may be human but ye'll be in a world o' 'urt if ye underestimate wha' I can do."

A subtle cough drew Moira's attention and her eyes flickered to the side where a nervous looking sales clerk stood. "Excuse me, is there some problem here?"

"Nay any problem. I believe I got me point across."
"Oh, quite," Gideon said, a flicker of humor in his cold eyes as he turned his attention to the sales clerk, who blinked, swaying a little, and then turned around and walked away. "Apparently the fish have grown tiresome," he said, looking at Moira. "I believe I'll be going." He started to walk past Moira, but paused beside her, the smile returning. "Have you considered a second child?" he inquired, almost lightly. "I'm sure Rachel's development would be much assisted by the presence of a brother or sister. And your genes seem to combine with my nephew's in such a pleasing way."

"Do ye really think I would tell ye if we were?" she responded, over her shoulder as she turned, almost pleasantly. Unless you knew her and all her undercurrents and those wise people would be running for the hills at that point. "Keep away from us, Gideon, I dinnae wish for anyone else ta be 'urt. Unless, of course, tha' would be ye."

Without looking back, Moira made her way through the crowd towards Nathan and Rachel. She had to get them out of there, now.

---

Rachel was doing very well in the crowds, Nathan thought contentedly. He and Moira had debated a little over bringing her out with them, but he'd been fairly sure he could shield her properly, and she needed to start seeing a little bit of the world beyond the mansion. She'd be six months old in another few weeks, after all.

"Oooo," came an equally contented reply from the baby snuggled against his chest. She was sleepy, Nathan thought with a little smile, kissing the top of her head and then turning his attention back to where he was going. He could feel Moira shielding still. Christmas presents, maybe, he thought - and then froze as the shield came down and terrible rage and terrible fear surged down the link.

Meticulously, he thickened the shields around Rachel's mind and then strode through the crowd to where he could sense Moira coming in their direction.

Dropping the shielding over the link had been necessary if she wanted to find him in these crowds, where even Nathan's height didnt' work to his advantage. Moira turned a corner, hand outstretched to meet his as he reached for her.

"Leavin', now," she breathed, tugging them in the direction of the exit of the mall. "Need ta get th' bot' o' ye out o' 'ere about ten minutes ago."

Nathan didn't resist. He slid an arm around her, drawing her in closer. Would make a TK shield easier if one was necessary. "What is it?" She was guarding her thoughts again, struggling with control.

Lips in thin lins, she glanced up at him. "Ye cannae panic...well, cannae panic much," Moira warned, slipping her arm through his. "I ran inta Gideon when ye an' Rachel were at th' pet store."

Nathan's jaw tightened. Suddenly, people were stepping out of their way, like a sea parting to allow them easy passage. "I don't sense him anywhere," Nathan muttered, "but I don't know that I could tell. Not in this crowd." Rachel stirred against his chest, making an unhappy little noise. "Shh," he soothed her, his eyes moving across the crowd. "It's all right, sweetie."

"I dinnae think he'll try anythin' in this crowd but we need ta be careful. God, he scared me somethin' fierce an' made me so verra angry." Careful not to let any spill to Rachel, though she leaned over to kiss her on the head, Moira showed him the conversation.

Time to react later. Things could be reduced to their component atoms, later. Once Moira and Rachel were safely at the mansion and far, far away from his uncle. "When we get outside, I want you to take Rachel," he said, "and wait at the end of the row where we parked while I check the car."

Opening her mouth to question what he was doing, she shut it as her eyes widened. "Wants ye alive," she murmured, still a bit shaken at the thought going through her head. "Hell, wants me alive so I can brin' him another lovely neice or nephew ta 'play' wit'..."

"He won't ever touch her. There's no way he could get past the people who would tear him limb from limb if he tried."

"I'd kill him wit' my bare hands," Moira said, simply, turning as they got into the parking lot to gently lift Rachel into her arms. "Come on, Sunshine, come to mummy. Be careful, Nathan."

"Don't move," Nathan said, almost curtly, and wrapped the two of them in the strongest TK shield he could manage before he went to check the car. No signs of tampering, he established swiftly, and nothing inside that hadn't been there when they'd pulled in. He straightened, waving Moira over. #Hurry. I'm leaving the shield up until you get here,# he said, then leaned into the back seat to make sure Rachel's carseat was ready for her.

#Comin'.# Tucking Rachel as securly as she could under her chin, she gave a brief smile to the woman who cooed "Look at the redheads!" as she went by. #Oh, now people want ta admire our baby.#

#Well, she is the most beautiful baby in the world.# If there was a touch of hysteria in the humor, he thought Moira would probably forgive him. Only when she and Rachel were safely inside did he get in, and he drove out of the parking lot at a reasonable, careful speed. Baby on board, after all.

Hands shaking a little, Moira kept one hand on Nathan while he drove and an eye on Rachel. Just to be sure they were safe.