Moira/Amanda

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Moira paused outside of the student common room, tray balanced carefully on one hand. The tea set rattled threateningly as it started to slide and she righted it with a curse. She stuck her head in, this was the third place she had thought to look for Amanda in and hopefully third time was a charm. "Amanda?"

A parti-coloured appeared around the edge of a battered arm chair that had been dragged over the window. "Here, doc," Amanda replied, her voice tired and flat.

"I'd ask how ye were doin' but...ye dinna look so hot there," she remarked as she walked over. She set the tray down and gestured at the tea. "Thought ye could use some o' this, especially after what 'appened. Also..." She fished in her lab coat pocket as she settled herself across from Amanda and pulled out a bottle of painkillers. "These."

"Yer a marvel," Amanda said, only barely restraining herself from grabbing the bottle from Moira's hand. The headache was definitely trying to set up residence, settle down, and raise a whole family of little headaches. The act of reaching over caused the over-large t-shirt she was wearing to slip again, exposing her shoulder, and she hitched it back with an impatient noise. "I got sick of stayin' in me room, an' I'm all in. Just needed somewhere quiet for a bit, an' since everyone else is at classes, this was a good place."

"Aye, quiet is somethin' that we seem ta be runnin' out o' supply 'ere lately." Moira shook her head. "If'n 'tis nay one thin', 'tis another around here." She looked at Amanda, worried. She had known the addiction was going to be hard to break, any addiction is, but after everything that happened with Limbo...that did -not- help, in the slightest. She wanted to help but she knew Amanda would only let her if she knew the truth. As it was, she knew Moira had had a drinking problem, but probably didn't buy much into it since, to her, Moira was boring and responsible.

"It'd help if McCoy didn't drag me t' medlab everytime I get a nosebleed. I told him, it's usual after usin' that level of magic." Amanda looked hopefully at Moira. "You couldn't tell him I'm fine, could you?"

"Henry? Listen ta me? 'ardly." She smiled. "I wish but we're all worried. I jus' show it wit' tea an' talks, Henry shows it wit' needles."

"Think I like your way better." Amanda took the cup Moira offered, trying not to spill as her hand shook. "I just need t' rest up a bit. If I'd know there was gunna be so much power there, I would have..." She stopped, and looked at Moira. "T' tell the truth, I ain't sure I wouldn't have gone in there any way, if I'd known."

"A fix is a fix no matter how much it 'urts ta get it." It was blunt, simple but the truth. She winced and rubbed her arm. "Went through a bloody window tryin' ta get a drink when I started tryin' ta stop..."

Amanda nodded and sipped the tea; it was hot and strong and it soothed her jangled nerves. Romany was a great believer in the restorative powers of tea, even the plain, ordinary kind. The first thing she'd done after bringing Amanda home with her was make her a cuppa.

"That place was killin' me, an' I knew it, but I didn't want t' leave. I told meself it was because I was keepin' the portal open, but then even after Cain wedged himself in it, I didn't go. Jake had t' talk me int' comin' back."

"'Tis 'ard lettin' go somethin' yer body is tellin' ye ye -need- even when mentally ye know tis nay true." She paused. "I want ta 'elp, anyway I can, ye know this, aye?"

"I'm... trying t' know. That you want t' help. It's not somethin' I'm very good at, lettin' people help me." The girl winced as her head throbbed again, and set the tea down to open the bottle of painkillers and tip out a couple. She took them, washing them down with a mouthful of tea, grimacing as the hot liquid partially dissolved them before she got them down. "It's hard, trustin' people."

Moira set her forearms on her knees and nodded. "Aye, I know. 'Tis why I'm 'bout ta tell ye this." Her gaze hardened for a minute. "I dinnae share this easily, Amanda, 'tis verra painful. But I feel 'tis necessary tha' I trust ye ta keep this ta yerself an' trust me in return." She shifts her gaze away slightly before locking back on. "I was married ta a man named Joe MacTaggart an' 17 years ago I 'ad a son. Kevin." She sighed and rubbed her eyes. "'e was a mutant an' unlike many others, 'ad 'is powers from th' get go. Nearly died givin' birt'. Joe left an' I was left ta raise Kevin wit' an uncontrollable mutant power."

She leaned back. "'e was a reality manipulator. Strongest mutant I've ever seen. But ye've 'eard me go on 'bout a mutant's body adaptin' ta their power? 'is didn't. 'is power was willful, 'e took Rory's leg on a whim, jus' because. 'e wasn't malicious, 'e was a normal three year old wit' abnormal powers. We were tryin' ta build somethin' to contain 'is powers when 'e passed away ten years ago, a few mont's before we were finished buildin' th' technology." Moira was stiff. She hadn't told anyone the full story in quite a while. "I opened th' clinic less than a year later an' found th' bottle even quicker. I was a workin' drunk, fine while workin' but once I wasn't, it was back in I went. Three years as a stron', constant drunk. Three."

Amanda was silent, processing this. The impact of Moira telling her about her son wasn't lost on her - and she had to bite her lip to stop it from trembling. Trust was something she had trouble giving, yes, but it was also something she rarely received. Even moreso after the potion incident; she'd broken the trust people had given to her freely, and too late she was learning the value of that gift. And the woman knew from bitter experience, to judge from the pain in her words, how it was, how hard.

"I'm sorry. 'Bout yer son," she said quietly at last. "An' I appreciate it, you tellin' me about him."

"Thank ye," Moira replied as quietly. "An' yer welcome...ye deserved ta 'ear it. Trust...aye, 'tis an easy creature ta lose."

"An' fuckin' hard t' get back, once you do." Amanda's hands tightened on the cup, and she took a deep breath. Moira had been straight with her - perhaps she could help. "How'd you cope? With the cravin's? It's not like I can go out an' get what I need down at the corner shop, but I've been a basket case this week. An' then this whole demon dimension thing... it's gunna make things harder. I'm already startin' t' get twitchy again. An' cranky. Had t' get away from people 'for I started in on 'em."

"Dinnae tell anyone 'ere tha' I'm sayin' this but...smoke. Yer body is cravin' right now. Give it somethin' in it's stead. Smokin', tea. I excerised every bloody day until it started goin' away." She smiled. "Friends. Nathan was th' one ta 'elp get me through it. I focused so much energy on 'elpin' 'im wit' some thin's tha' it took me mind off o' it. I'm nay goin' ta lie, 'tis nay goin' ta be easy." She dug once again into her pocket and pulled out a large pack of cinnamon sticks. "Oddly enough, I ate enough o' these bloody thin's ta make me blood smell nice. For some reason, it 'elped."

Amanda took the box with a smile. "Hank'd have you struck off for tellin' me t' smoke. 'S a good thing I'm not gunna tell him, is it?" She opened the box, sniffed at the contents experimentally. "This should shut M up with her remarks 'bout hygiene, any way." She pulled out a stick, offered the box to Moira. "You've know Nathan a long time, ain't you?"

Moira smiled and took one before answering. "Aye...'bout 7 or so years know." She crinkled slightly. "Ye know ye've known someone a lon' time when ye can say '...or so' attached ta a number."

"I met him the other mornin'. He seemed all right." Amanda nibbled reflectively on the cinnamon stick. "He... helped you? With the drinkin'?"

"Aye." She facepalmed. "'e...uh...dumped me in th' lake th' first night 'e saw 'ow bad I really was. In January. In Scotland."

"He never?" Amanda shivered at the thought, but grinned at the mental image. "Thought he had a bastard streak - has to, t' get along with Pete an' Rom."

She snickered. "Aye, tha' 'e does. But 'is kickin' me in th' ass is what got me through th' worst bits."

"Well, if you think a kick in the arse will do me good, I'm givin' you permission." The witch grinned wryly. "Just keep the man with the obsession with cold water away from me."

Moira grinned. "I'll keep 'im from dunkin' ye into th' lake. An' I'll remember tha' ye told me I could." She winked at her. "Tis goin' ta be a lon' road, but I'll make sure ye reach th' end."