Backdated: October 12, Marie and Garrison

[x-traction.livejournal.com]

Backdated. Garrison and Marie arrive in Germany a few days early to take a mini-vacation. Garrison has a surprise for Marie and she's not entirely sure how to take it.

 

"Don't eat the schnitzel. I hear they're using schnauzer." Kane said to the couple that they past in the hall, ignoring Marie's midstate between mortification and hilarity beside him. One major advantage of the superstrong girlfriend was that she carried her own bags, minimizing the embarrassing juggling between bags and pockets to swipe the key card. He did it four times, tapped the monitor and finally got the green light. "You know, I miss being given a room key."

They had gone over to Germany early, before the wedding to settle in and make a bit of a holiday of it. The little hotel was high up, surrounded by dense pine forests and a picturesque vista. There wasn't much to do tourist-wise at the chalet, which had been exactly why they had picked the spot; to get away from the world for a little bit.

"That's because you're old fashioned," she teased as Kane held the door open for her. "Next you're going to call for a typewriter to complete your reports on." Dropping the bags on the floor, she walked over to one of the windows and pulled the curtains apart. "Pretty," she said, a soft smile pulling at her lips.  

"I've been using computers ever since I discovered they were the way to easily accessible porn, you know." Kane tossed his bag beside the bed, tugging off his jacket and draping it over a chair before he joined her at the view. "Hmm... very alpine. Hard to imagine we're in the middle of Europe."

"Oh yes, talking to your girlfriend about your online porn habits. Real smooth sugah," she said, raising an eyebrow as she glanced at Kane over her shoulder. "But Ah'll let it slide since we're taking our first official vacation together."
 
"I assumed you were dating me because of my habits, Beullah. Haven't done much to try and hide them." Kane leaned against the edge of the window frame, looking at the far side of the valley and the other outbuildings of the hotel. "Besides, hiding things is way too much work."

"And Ah appreciate your open book approach," Marie said, reaching out to cover one of his hands with hers. "Ah'm pretty tired of secrets and think Ah've had enough in my life at this point."

 "Babe, we're both costumed superheroes. I don't think we get to opt out of secrets." He grinned, lightning quick. "Besides, I just might have a secret you'll appreciate this vacation. Or even call it a surprise."

Marie groaned, but she was grinning back at Kane. "So long as it's a good surprise. What is it? Where is it?" She bit her bottom lip to stop the stream of questions. She'd always been horrible with surprises.

 "If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?" Kane said with infuriating logic. "Come on. We're in Germany finally. Lets go look around, shall we?"

Rolling her eyes, Marie resisted the urge to tickle Garrison until he told her what the surprise was. As much as surprises unnerved her, she trusted the Canadian and so was willing to let his circular logic pass. "Let me just freshen up real quick," she said, rummaging in one suitcase before disappearing into the bathroom. After a few minutes, she emerged with her looking neater and her makeup reapplied. Smiling at Kane, she gestured at the door. "Ready when you are."

 "Ready? I was born ready." Kane said, taking her arm and leading her out.

 

***

 "The whole point of the top on the stein is to keep the beer from spilling when you make emphatic gestures while singing along with the band. How you managed to twart, what, five hundred years of drinking tradition by pouring beer on me is remarkable." There conversation drifted back into the room as Kane unlocked the door. They'd taken a long walk, down to the lake and around the woods before finding themselves in a small town by a stone bridge. It was obviously commercially authentic, but that didn't stop them from providing an excellent meal and an enthusiastic oompah band for the American and European tourists scattered around the beer hall. After a leisurely meal, they'd made their slightly unsteady way back to the hotel.

"Ah'm good at thwarting," Marie replied, her brown eyes twinkling mischievously. "Plus, it's no less than ya deserve for that thing you said." Her brow wrinkled slightly. "Whatever it was." 

 "I had been complimenting your ass in that outfit. Showing my appreciation for the finer things in life and my attentiveness to your fashion efforts like a good boyfriend should." Kane said, oddly pulling a tube of lip balm from his pocket and running it over his lips. The big Mountie wasn't much for chapstick or skin cream normally.
 
He closed the door behind them and as Marie turned, caught her in a kiss. Not their customary ones; passionate but brief due to her powers. This was a long, deep languid kiss and astonishingly enough, without the surge of memories and abilities from Marie's uncontrolled power.

 Marie was momentarily stunned. When the shock faded, she shoved Garrison away from her, hands flying up to touch her lips, an unreadable look in her eyes. "What the hell?" Her brain was desperately trying to connect the dots, and failing miserably.

 Kane fished into his pocket and held up the tube. "Forge owed me a favour. It's a monomolecular coating. Separates us by a single layer of molecules, so fine that you can't feel it, but it stops your powers from kicking in. At least, that's what he said, and I think we just proved it." He grinned. "Although the cherry flavour was my idea."

 He stowed in back into his pocket and took her hands. "I know it's not much, babe. But maybe a little normality helps?"

Marie squeezed his hands, but couldn't make herself look him in the eyes. <i>Normality? Yeah, having to use some magical lip balm to kiss my boyfriend. That's my definition of normal.</i> "Ah...Ah dunno. Still seems risky." She didn't know why she couldn't trust it - but she'd never forgive herself if somehow one of them slipped or if one day it stopped working with no warning.

 "Considering the world we live in, this is one risk I think is worth taking." Garrison said. "Besides, Forge has yet to kill us with his inventions, and any elaborate traps he might be setting for me would have to involve poutine. I know how his mind works."

"So it's the poutine flavored lip gloss Ah should stress about?" Marie said, trying to fall back into their easy banter, but she couldn't seem to shake the serious mood. "Ah just don't ever want to hurt you."
 
"That's a very safe and prudent decision, but it's also a defense as well." Kane rubbed her hands through the gloves. "There's a very 'hands off' part of our relationship, Marie, and it's not just physical. I know what you've been through with your powers, and what happened in the past. But that's now keeping me at a safe distance too. Caring about someone is risky, because it's giving part of yourself to them with the full knowledge that they could destroy it at their whim, and trusting them not to. I'd far rather risk that hurt from you than stay safe and at a distance that I can never close with you."

Marie forced herself to make eye contact. It was obvious he cared for her deeply...and she knew that she couldn't as long as she kept up the wall between them. She just wished she knew how to let it down. No words came to her so instead she sighed and pulled Garrison towards her, placing his hands around her waist and leaning her head on his shoulder.