xp_logs | Angelo and Rachel, Wednesday

On Muir, Angelo's brooding over the events of the week. Then one of Moira's henchwomen sics the Secret Weapon on him.

Angelo was sitting on the dock, trying very hard to force the memories of Smichov out of his head and not really succeeding. It would have been so much easier, he thought ruefully, if he could have a cigarette... but lungs and throat still recovering from spending time in a burning building weren't quite up to that yet, and his supply had been confiscated just to make sure.

"Angelo?" It was one of the nurses from the clinic, a pretty redhead by the name of Christy. Smiling at him, she set down the much smaller redhead she'd been carrying, and Rachel squealed and ran over to do a very graceful flop across Angelo's lap. "Doctor MacTaggart thought you wouldn't mind watching her for a wee bit."

"...well, look at you runnin' around!" he said to the little girl, unable to restrain a smile, which he then shot at Christy. "'Course I don't mind. Thanks for bringin' her out."

Christy merely waved cheerfully at him and turned to head back to the clinic. Rachel righted herself and peered up at him with inquisitive gray eyes. "Ange?" She reached up with one chubby hand and patted his cheek.

"Yeah, Ray", he said, a little less raspily than the day before but voice not fully recovered yet, smile turning rueful as he guessed what she must be picking up. "'s Ange."

Rachel made an odd grumbly noise and plucked at the front of his shirt, borrowed from a staff member around his size. She burbled something incomprehensible, and then looked up at him almost furtively. At the same moment, Angelo felt a delicate presence brush his thoughts, almost tentatively.

His shields were pretty good, by this point, but for her... he let them drop where the presence was, carefully. New trick, chiquita?

#Ange?# She gave him one of those enormous happy smiles and then curled up on his lap, humming at him telepathically.

There was nothing quite as soothing, he discovered quickly, as having a toddler humming inside your head, especially when soothing was what she wanted to do.

Then she broke into the Battle Hymn of the Republic.