Nathan and Julio / Nathan and Amanda

[x-cable.livejournal.com]

At the BBQ, Nathan stakes out a chair, as befits a semi-convalescent. He and Julio talk about work and the upcoming semester.

Usually there was mingling at these things, but Nathan had staked out a seat and didn't intend to give it up. He was sore today, and unnecessary standing around was something to be avoided. Amusingly enough, various people had taken it upon themselves to deliver food and drink (non-alcoholic, of course). It was almost going to be a pity when he was fully recovered and couldn't work the invalid angle anymore.

"Oi, old man," came a voice just over his shoulder. It was Julio, bottle of water in hand. "How are you holding up this evening?"

"Perfectly well, thank you," Nathan said, his lips twitching in a smile. "It's good pig. You?"

"Pretty good," Julio grinned. "The pig-- not so good as my abuela's, but then again, so are many things." He seated himself next to his boss.

"Strange to think that it's September, and I'm not getting ready to teach anything," Nathan said idly, sipping at his drink. "Whatever will I do with all my extra time this semester..."

"Save the world through paperwork?" Julio said idly. "I can't believe I'll be a sophomore in college."

"Just let Juliette know when you've got your class schedule finalized. She likes to have all her little baby ducks in a row." He actually managed to say it with a straight face.

"She is the one who thought it was cute to get me a stuffed jaguar for Christmas," Julio grumbled. In deference to her, the toy was perched atop Julio's computer monitor. Occasionally he would take it and stroke it like a young Mexican version of Blowfeld, usually for a laugh.

"She has a foul sense of humor. I think that's why she's lasted so long in the madness that is our office." Nathan speared another piece of pig with his fork.

"You should just accept that she's secretly in charge. It's better that way."

"Yes, she's sort of like Satan, that way." Nathan chewed and swallowed, then used another sip of his drink to wash down the pain pill he'd been debating taking.

Julio took a drink out of his own waterbottle. "Anything up on the plate that we should know about?" Although after Guatemala Julio pretty much attempted to weasel his way out of any more Elpis trips. He had been successful so far.

"Not yet. Tel Aviv's been doing most of the field work, as you know -I think David wants to make sure I don't go get myself killed somewhere before I'm properly recovered."

"That is because David is a smart man," Julio deadpanned.

"I do so love how you all seem to forget that I'm actually a responsible adult most of the time..."

"Most of the time."

---


Later, he and Amanda catch up.


He was bored. He was still absolutely content to stay put - besides, if he got up he'd probably lose his seat, and then have to limp around piteously in order to get another - but Nathan was very decidedly bored. What, had everyone decided that just because the old man was looking relaxed that he was liable to nod off and thus shouldn't be disturbed? Sliding his sunglasses a fraction of an inch down his nose, he surveyed the possibilities.

Ah-hah. Amanda was over at the tables filling up a plate, and not currently talking to anyone. Nathan used a flicker of telekinesis to tap her shoulder, lightly - and then, as she half-turned, tapped the other one, from the other direction. Just for fun. But as she turned back in the other direction, her food started to slide a little too close to the edge of the plate, and then the game was up, because of course he didn't want her to wind up with her dinner on the ground, and pushing it back telekinetically was oh-so-obvious. He raised a hand and gave her his best 'I'm old and busted and partially senile, don't kill me' grin as her gaze finally fell on him.

With a slight roll of her eyes, she came over, popping a piece of carrot in her mouth as she did. "Looks like someone's getting stir-crazy," she said, a little indistinctly before swallowing her mouthful and taking a seat next to him. "You want something to eat?"

"Nah, I'm good. I've stuffed myself with pig, and should probably let it settle before I even look at dessert." Although someone had clearly been baking, so restraining himself was hard. He gave her a crooked smile. "It still feels like summer out here, doesn't it?" he asked. "Hard to believe it's September."

"Beats merry old England, that's for sure," Amanda replied with a grin. She gestured with her fork, taking in the scene. "Good party, tho'. Suitable send off for the whole summer hols thing."

"'Goodbye, good luck, never darken our door again, summer of '09','" Nathan murmured, not quite ironically.

She glanced over at him, catching the tone, and grimaced sympathetically. "Yeah, it hasn't been the best summer for you and yours, has it?" She didn't mention it hadn't been the best for Snow Valley either, with the loss of Remy and Pete. "Still, from what Ange tells me, at least that side of things has been settled, for good?"

"Amazing what a pile of corpses will do to resolve a situation," Nathan said, then grimaced and took a sip of his water. "Anyway. Onward and upward. I'm supposed to be taking over Joel's job in a few weeks - not that I ever actually said yes. Should be interesting."

"I've noticed that Joel of yours never actually waits for a yes or no - he just knows what's best for you. Besides, you need something to keep you occupied now you've retired the leathers." Amanda's tone was as casual as ever, but there was a certain degree of relief in her eyes.

Nathan spotted it. "Do you want to do a jig?" he asked with a dour, entirely put-upon expression that didn't hide the glint in his eyes. "Moira did a jig. I mean, she did it out in the hall, but I know she did it." He waited until she had just taken a drink before he went on. "And then she, or some other evil person of my acquaintance -I have my suspicions - bribed Ray to do a jig of her own while shouting 'Dad's not going to get blown up anymore!'"

Amanda snorted her mouthful of beer, coughing and spluttering. "Bastard," she said, when she was able, but it was good-natured, not maliciously intended. "I won't say I'm sorry to know you won't be winding up in the medlab on a regular basis, but no jigs. You did what you felt you had to do."

Nathan smiled, but shrugged. "It was just the realization that nowhere in my contract did it say I actually needed to die in harness. Plus, thirty years of blowing shit up and being blown up in turn ought to be enough for anyone but a masochist. There are other battles to fight," he said, and one of the cupcakes on a tray full of them twitched and started to float towards him, "and other ways of fighting. And they can be just as important, whatever certain people around here may say. Even if they do involve copious amounts of paperwork."

Amanda snorted, amused. "I think they'd be surprised at how much of what the Trenchcoats do is actually paperwork. But yeah, there's different ways to do things and Elpis is a good thing. I'm glad Ange is with you lot - you're giving him a decent future into the bargain, what with the training and all."

"He's content, I think," Nathan said. "One of this days he's going to realize that it doesn't have to be a lifelong commitment, though. There are so many possibilities out there - I'd hate to see him pass up other opportunities out of a sense of loyalty to me."

"He'll realise, eventually." Amanda poked at the food on her plate. "That he can move on and still be close to the ones he loves. That it doesn't mean he loses what he has." She stuffed a mouthful of pork in, cutting off any further ruminations.

"Mmm, true. Maybe someday he'll stop giving me the wounded puppy look every time I bitch out some bastard on the phone, too."

Amanda snorted again. "Yeah, not too likely. He's really into this whole diplomatic thing. You've gone and made yourself a monster there."

"Tell me about it," Nathan said, unwrapping the cupcake that had landed in his hand. "Spoiling all my fun. Shame on him."

"You could always send him off on fact-finding missions?" Amanda suggested with a grin. "You'd have the run of the phones then."

"Yeah, but he's been busy indoctrinating all the others with the gospel of how we don't let Nathan play with the phones unsupervised. Some of them even flick paperclips at me now," Nathan said, with a mock-offended look. "Frankly," he went on, "I think a fact-finding mission is called for, sooner rather than later. Can't be letting Tel Aviv continue to have all the fun."

"Well, sounds like there's only one thing for it - send them all off somewhere and then you can abuse people on the phone to your heart's content." The witch chuckled. "And then you can go rescue them when the inevitable happens and they wind up in a spot."

"Declaring 'I'm retired, damn it!' at the top of my lungs all the way," Nathan said. "Yes. I find your ideas intriguing and would like to subscribe to your newsletter."

The witch laughed outright at that. "You've been spending way too much time on the journals with the kids, Old Man," she said. "You sound just like them."