Log // Alison, Nathan // Keeping Watch...
Jan. 10th, 2006 07:55 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
x-dazzler.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
xp_logsNathan finds Alison keeping watch in the Situation Room, looking for reports of any kind of disturbance in Tunis.
Somehow, he wasn't surprised that Alison was the one in the Situation Room. "No word yet," Nathan said from the doorway, almost under his breath. She was watching monitors. News feeds. He moved soundlessly to stand behind her chair. "What are you watching for?" he asked, his voice even, but strained-sounding.
"Tunis monitors we have in place," Alison replied, looking tired and weary. She pointed towards a chair nearby, then looked up to give Nathan a half-pleading look. "Sit down. Please." Even as she spoke, though, she made a motion for him to move the chair to beside her, so that he could see the monitors as well, while they spoke.
"You would have said something if there had been anything." Nathan stood for a moment, then told himself to sit down. He couldn't stay in motion. Much as he felt like he wanted to. "We're almost at the six hour mark," he said. "Someone should check in soon, if they got out all right." They had to have gotten out all right. "We practice. For this. This was always a possibility."
"And they'll get out fine," Alison added, for her own benefit as much as his, really. "There hasn't even been the ghost of a blip on the radar, none of the channels have reported the slightest thing out of the ordinary. Nothing on any of the other warning bells we have set up either." She'd barely taken her eyes off the monitor though, as she spoke, and was doing her best to keep her own grief as muted as possible. He... had enough, already. So much more than enough.
"Did you know..." He trailed off, blinking at the screens, then gave his brain a figurative boot to get it to start working again. "No, you didn't know, because I've been in Kazakhstan and didn't really get the chance to tell you. Mina's pregnant."
Finally Alison turned, giving Nathan a blank look. "Oh." She blinked, taking a slow, steadying breath. "They're going to ask Lien to be the godmother, aren't they?" she asked, not sure what had prompted the leap of logic, but something telling her that now more than ever, they would do that.
"I..." His throat closed. "I wouldn't be surprised. I think... the two of them have always been really close. Lien and Mina." He would have to tell Lien. When she got here. How was he going to tell her? Nathan closed his eyes for a moment, concentrated on breathing until the act of it wasn't quite so ragged.
She'd done her crying, already, Alison reminded herself. More than enough of it, too, with Haroun there to keep her from going to pieces entirely, thankfully. So she reached forward and laid her hand gently over Nathan's, keeping as tight a rein on her emotions as she had ever done before. "Would you mind if I were there when you speak to her?" It was the least she could do. Both for the man she'd know, now gone, for her friend standing there and for Lien herself.
Nathan nodded, blindly, then remembered that a nod wasn't a very clear answer to that question. "If you'd like to be there," he said, his voice very low, "I would really... really welcome the..." Help? Support? He opened his eyes, forcing himself to focus on her. "Moira will be there too. I think. The three of us... it should help."
"I'll be there," Alison just nodded in assent, squeezing his hand, perhaps a bit more tightly than she should have. She needed to be there, more than anything else, but had no illusions about how hard it would be. It was too close a reminder of just how easily it could have been her being told such news, not so long ago - or how easily... she stopped that train of thought, and looked at the monitor once more, still showing only the usual sort of news and events, as opposed to anything indicating the Pack might be in trouble. "Still all clear."
"I don't think I'm going to be able to... stop, until I know they're safely on their way across the Atlantic. Or at Muir," Nathan said, his voice breaking a little again. "I can't... I can't lose anyone else, Alison. I can't."
"Then we'll just stay here until we know," Alison replied gently, as though it were the simplest and most natural thing in the world to do. "Why don't I see if someone's up? They can bring us down coffee or something. The good stuff," she added, with the ghost of a smile.
Nathan closed his eyes for a moment again, then squeezed her hand. "Coffee would be good," he said a bit faintly. "I think the adrenaline's going away." He opened his eyes, smiling wanly at her. "I'm glad you're here," he said almost inaudibly.
Somehow, he wasn't surprised that Alison was the one in the Situation Room. "No word yet," Nathan said from the doorway, almost under his breath. She was watching monitors. News feeds. He moved soundlessly to stand behind her chair. "What are you watching for?" he asked, his voice even, but strained-sounding.
"Tunis monitors we have in place," Alison replied, looking tired and weary. She pointed towards a chair nearby, then looked up to give Nathan a half-pleading look. "Sit down. Please." Even as she spoke, though, she made a motion for him to move the chair to beside her, so that he could see the monitors as well, while they spoke.
"You would have said something if there had been anything." Nathan stood for a moment, then told himself to sit down. He couldn't stay in motion. Much as he felt like he wanted to. "We're almost at the six hour mark," he said. "Someone should check in soon, if they got out all right." They had to have gotten out all right. "We practice. For this. This was always a possibility."
"And they'll get out fine," Alison added, for her own benefit as much as his, really. "There hasn't even been the ghost of a blip on the radar, none of the channels have reported the slightest thing out of the ordinary. Nothing on any of the other warning bells we have set up either." She'd barely taken her eyes off the monitor though, as she spoke, and was doing her best to keep her own grief as muted as possible. He... had enough, already. So much more than enough.
"Did you know..." He trailed off, blinking at the screens, then gave his brain a figurative boot to get it to start working again. "No, you didn't know, because I've been in Kazakhstan and didn't really get the chance to tell you. Mina's pregnant."
Finally Alison turned, giving Nathan a blank look. "Oh." She blinked, taking a slow, steadying breath. "They're going to ask Lien to be the godmother, aren't they?" she asked, not sure what had prompted the leap of logic, but something telling her that now more than ever, they would do that.
"I..." His throat closed. "I wouldn't be surprised. I think... the two of them have always been really close. Lien and Mina." He would have to tell Lien. When she got here. How was he going to tell her? Nathan closed his eyes for a moment, concentrated on breathing until the act of it wasn't quite so ragged.
She'd done her crying, already, Alison reminded herself. More than enough of it, too, with Haroun there to keep her from going to pieces entirely, thankfully. So she reached forward and laid her hand gently over Nathan's, keeping as tight a rein on her emotions as she had ever done before. "Would you mind if I were there when you speak to her?" It was the least she could do. Both for the man she'd know, now gone, for her friend standing there and for Lien herself.
Nathan nodded, blindly, then remembered that a nod wasn't a very clear answer to that question. "If you'd like to be there," he said, his voice very low, "I would really... really welcome the..." Help? Support? He opened his eyes, forcing himself to focus on her. "Moira will be there too. I think. The three of us... it should help."
"I'll be there," Alison just nodded in assent, squeezing his hand, perhaps a bit more tightly than she should have. She needed to be there, more than anything else, but had no illusions about how hard it would be. It was too close a reminder of just how easily it could have been her being told such news, not so long ago - or how easily... she stopped that train of thought, and looked at the monitor once more, still showing only the usual sort of news and events, as opposed to anything indicating the Pack might be in trouble. "Still all clear."
"I don't think I'm going to be able to... stop, until I know they're safely on their way across the Atlantic. Or at Muir," Nathan said, his voice breaking a little again. "I can't... I can't lose anyone else, Alison. I can't."
"Then we'll just stay here until we know," Alison replied gently, as though it were the simplest and most natural thing in the world to do. "Why don't I see if someone's up? They can bring us down coffee or something. The good stuff," she added, with the ghost of a smile.
Nathan closed his eyes for a moment again, then squeezed her hand. "Coffee would be good," he said a bit faintly. "I think the adrenaline's going away." He opened his eyes, smiling wanly at her. "I'm glad you're here," he said almost inaudibly.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}