xp_logs | Nathan and Moira, Wednesday night

After her talk with Betsy Wednesday evening, Moira is very definitely out of sorts. Nathan tracks her down, hoping to cheer her up. The conversation turns to what Moira wants out of life these days. Then, a tickle fight goes wrong and they wind up exploring the possibilities of telekinetically-created zero gravity. (Maybe a mild PG-13...?)

Moira tapped irritably at her keyboard and then shoved away from her computer. The talk with Betsy had left her frustrated and irritated. At herself, at Betsy, at nearly everything. Snarling, she slammed more paper into the printer and glared at it until it started to print. She knew she wasn't irritated that much at Betsy, she felt helpless and irritated because she saw Betsy at a point where she had been years ago. Teetering on that edge, about to fall off and refusing help at every turn. Oh, she knew it too well.

Why was it that she kept opening herself up like this? Amanda had thrown it back at her and Betsy hadn't, well, believed her. Maybe it was because she didn't want to or couldn't, but still. Moira found herself biting on her lip and stopped, irritated that she'd nearly fallen back into a bad habit.

He had felt her increasing frustration from the other side of the mansion, but as he strode down the hall towards her office, it became almost overwhelming. Nathan grimaced, carefully filtering the link so that he didn't walk in and start snarling at her out of pure reflex. Unlike Manuel, he had no excuse for mirroring her state of mind. His control should be--was better than that. And he wasn't going to be of much help as a shoulder to cry on/convenient venting target if he didn't keep that in mind.

Reaching the door, he paused for a moment, seeing that it was closed. #Moira?# he sent along the link gently. #Can I come in?#

The humming noise of the printer was distracting but Nathan was better. #'Tis always open fer ye,# she replied quietly, drumming her fingers on the table next to her as she glared at her printer in an effort to go faster.

He opened the door and came in, closing it quietly behind him. "Hi," he said, not moving any closer for now. She was practically quivering with frustration, but as much as he wanted to walk across the room and take her in his arms, he wasn't entirely sure how he would have reacted to that in her place. "Bad day," he ventured a bit hesitantly.

"Wasnae until a wee while...god damn it!" Moira threw her hands up in the hair when the printer jammed and started poking at it. She knew she was being irrational but that knowledge really didn't help much. It was probably a healthy dose of her patience being fried from waiting for an answer back from a Parliamentary member (any at this point would do!), mixed in with irritation at herself.

The printer whirred at her as the paper jam got worse and she could have *sworn* it was laughing at her.

"I don't think it's being malicious," Nathan said with a slight smile, moving slowly towards the desk. "Just picking a bad moment."

Her hand covered her eyes for a minute and she sighed. "I'm bein' really pissy, aren't I?"

"Feels like you have good reason," he murmured, leaning over to fiddle with the printer. "Want to talk about it?"

"Maybe I do, but maybe I'm jus' bein' a stupid female." She thought about it. "Probably bot'." With a groan, she peeked through her fingers to see Nathan fixing the damned printer. "Aye," she said, weakly, "I do, jus' get me away from tha' bloody machine." She could run high tech, top notch scientific equipment blindfolded, but a printer turned out to be her undoing. How ironic.

Nathan cleared the paper jam and then straightened. "Come on," he said, reaching across the desk to take her hand and drawing her out of the chair, towards the couch. "I felt you from upstairs," he explained as they sat down. "Seemed like you needed the company," he said with a lopsided smile.

Sighing, she leaned against him and nodded. "I guess I did...do," she amended. "'ad a talk wit' Betsy earlier. It dinnae go so well." That was putting it rather mildly.

"I imagine she's having a hard time," Nathan said. He didn't fully understand what had gone on with Kwannon, whatever the hell she had been, but it didn't take too much imagination to envision the repercussions of something like that. "Let me guess... you reached out and she slapped your hand away?"

"I know 'tis somethin' I shouldna get bothered by," she murmured, closing her eyes. "'Tis somethin' I should 'ave gotten used ta over th' years. But...damn it, I look at her an' I see meself after Kevin's deat', pushin' everyone away. Three years I stayed like tha' and I dinnae want anyone else ta go through tha'. Rory kicks 'imself fer lettin' me get tha' far, fer nay bein' a stubborn bastard right back at me. An' with Betsy, every time I turned, I said somethin' tha' dinnae go over well." And she'd said some things that hadn't sat well with her, either, like the remark about asking Charles about the Kevin MacTaggart Wing at the Center. Moira wearily realized she might be setting herself up for someone to throw that back in her face, like Amanda had tried before.

Nathan raised a hand to stroke her hair. "Sounds like she needs someone to be stubborn for her," he said, then chuckled as Moira stirred against him. "I know that's easier said than done, love. Don't worry."

A smile teased the corners of Moira's mouth when she caught the "love" in the sentence. He wasn't one, normally, for things like that. But it still felt really nice. "I know. It's jus' so frustratin'. 'Tis like I'm kickin' at steel walls. God, tell me I wasna this bad..."

"Actually, you were probably worse. It was worth it, though," Nathan assured her. "Worth it all around."

And she probably had been, she knew... worse, that was. "Thanks," Moira whispered, snuggling closer. "This was so much easier on Muir. Wit' th' exception o' ye an' a few others, I never got really friendly wit' anyone. Never opened meself up this much."

"This place seems to have that effect on a person," Nathan said wryly, relaxing back against the couch. "Look at me, spilling things I've kept repressed for years to all kinds of people. Even in cases when continuing repression might be the best idea. Is it something in the water?"

A small giggle escaped Moira as she shifted to a more comfortable position. "I'm startin' ta wonder. I mean, really, I should 'ave packed up when I first got 'ere, when th' nightmares started up again." If it hadn't been for Alison, she might very well have. And even that had been a temporary measure, finally resolved after the incidents with Amanda and Sarah. "Becomin' soft 'earted in our old age."

"It's been harder for you than you've let on to the others, hasn't it?" Nathan closed his eyes for a moment, blocking out everything except the link and the impressions he was getting from it. "Yet you stayed," he said thoughtfully, opening his eyes again and looking down at her. A smile tugged at his lips again. "If I'd ever doubted your strength of will..."

"It's nay me strengt' o' will I doubt, 'tis most everythin' else." She made a small noice. "Maybe it 'as. Came in all 'ell an' spitfire because o' Muir bein' ransacked by me government, which dinnae 'elp, an' been unable ta tear meself away since. Even when it was easier ta pack up an' leave fer Muir."

"Do you actually want to tear yourself away?" he asked curiously. Although he was fairly sure of the answer, already.

Surprisingly, she didn't have to think about it long. "Nay really," Moira admitted. "Muir's 'ome an' I miss it somethin' fierce. But I cannae brin' meself ta leave 'ere jus' yet."

Nathan shook his head slowly, wonderingly. "It's not just the kids," he ventured.

"Nay, though 'tis in part." Moira linked her fingers through his. "'Tis 'ard ta figure out wha' t' do wit' yerself when ye find wha' ye've been takin' care o' fer so lon' doesna need ye anymore," she said calmly. "I'm nay really needed at th' Center anymore, Nathan, an' tha's 'ard ta deal wit'."

Nathan was silent for a long moment. "Is it that," he murmured, "or is that you've decided you want more than the Center?"

The words hit her like stone and Moira froze. The Center had been her entire world for ten years, broken only by the near yearly visits from Nathan and rarer visits from Charles. She'd leave for conventions and to visit the mainland but she'd always end up hurrying home. For some reason, a memory bubbled up. She and Nathan had been having a fight, an actual fight, not one of their bickering arguments where neither really meant what they said. Oddly, she couldn't remember what had started it. Only that he had made a comment that she was hiding in her "white, ivory tower", away from everything. She'd hit him, actually slapped him for that. And maybe he'd regretted it as soon as he'd said it because he hadn't stopped her.

She swallowed, unsure really how to deal with the prospect that she wanted more than the Center. It was a rather daunting idea.

Nathan felt a pang as the memory came across the link. "I was way out of line that day," he muttered, his arm tightening around her. "It's not as if I have a leg to stand on when it comes to living in the 'real world'."

"We bot' were," she reminded him. "Nathan, wha' do I do? I 'ate ta say it, but th' idea tha' I dinnae need th' Center anymore scares th' 'ell out o' me."

"Start thinking about what you do want?" Nathan suggested.

"I dinnae know." She looked a little panicked. "I've never *thought* 'bout it. I 'onestly thought they'd find me bones wrapped around some obscure equipment in 'bout twenty, thirty years, never thought..." Moira rubbed her head. The idea that the Center wouldn't be at the center of her life had never occurred to her. When had it suddenly stopped functioning as such, she wondered?

"Hey," he said gently, pressing his lips against her temple briefly. "I'm not trying to rush you. I said 'start' thinking, remember? You can't answer questions like that overnight."

"Thought everythin' was planned out," she replied, tucking her head under his chin. Moira smiled a little. "Kind o' glad it isna, else we'd still be 'avin' jus' those yearly visits, eyein' each other from a distance..."

"Life never stops surprising you," Nathan said with a soft laugh. "And I used to think that was a bad thing."

"When did it stop bein' a bad thin'," Moira mused. "I *liked* my life ordered but now I'm so used ta th' disorder, th' surprises, th' emergancies...I'm actually gettin' used ta it."

"Because you think it's worthwhile," Nathan said absently, reacting to what was coming down the link.

Moira started to say she hadn't realized when life started to become worthwhile again but she stopped. No, she knew exactly when it had started. All those times with Nathan on Muir and with her family had made her realize how selfish she'd been. It had taken her a while to find a balance between selfish and running herself ragged, which she still had a tendency to do, but somewhere along the line, she had started to enjoy life again.

"I never did thank ye fer dumpin' me in tha' lake on Muir."

"Yes, you did." Nathan couldn't help the smile. It just didn't want to be stifled, for some reason. "In all the ways that matter, you did."

"Sometimes doensna feel like enough." At that he snorted and she smiled, leaning her head back. "We are th' pair, Daysprin', ye an' I...we'll be repayin' each other until we're old an' grey." Moira paused. "Well, older an' greyer in yer case, anyway..."

"Decrepit, am I?" Nathan teased, and as mischief seized him, used his telekinesis to tickle her.

Jerking, Moira yelped and giggled helplessly. "Damn it, Nathan! S-stop it!" She tried to wiggle away but she couldn't exactly fight against his telekinesis. With some effort, she managed to wiggle enough to poke him back.

Between the poke and Moira's sudden movement, Nathan's balance deserted him and he fell off the couch, hitting the floor hard. It had all happened so fast that he instinctively held onto Moira, instead of letting go, and thus managed to pull her down with him. She landed on top of him, with a string of curses that he didn't have the breath to manage.

"Oww," he said instead, very sincerely.

She grunted and heaved herself up on her elbows. "Bloody 'ell," Moira cursed, with feeling. A lot of it. "...remind me ta 'it ye later, ye great lump, once I get th' feelin' in me 'ands back." She stuck her tongue out at him briefly. "See what ye get ticklin' me?"

Nathan laid there staring up at her as he caught his breath. "I deserved that," he said, wheezing a little. Still smiling, though.

"Aye, ye did," she agreed, shaking her head at him. "Wha' on eart' are ye grinnin' at?"

"What, I'm not allowed to appreciate the view?" He reached up, sliding his arms around her waist so that she couldn't get away. "You definitely have this thing about being on top, don't you?"

Moira blinked down at him and then burst out laughing. "An' ye called *me* insatiable," she chided. An eyebrow quirked up playfully. "Maybe I do--nay tha' ye seem ta mind..." Grinning evilly, she wiggled just a little bit as she got more comfortable.

"I don't," Nathan assured her, which was all he had time to say aloud before she leaned in and kissed him. #I don't think I locked the door,# he sent down the link, smiling helplessly against her mouth. She had been drinking coffee, he thought mischievously.

She mrred at him through the kiss. #Can ye lock it from here?# Moira raised her head slightly and smiled down. "Rather comfortable right now..."

Nathan reached out with his telekinesis to manipulate the lock. "Done," he murmured, smiling up at her as he was struck suddenly by an idea. "Hold still," he said, his arms tightening around her as he levitated them both off the floor and then upright, if still a good foot off the ground. "I wasn't really crazy about the floor," he confessed, spinning them around in a slow, lazy circle.

Moira squeaked a little in surprise and then laughed. He'd never really done this before. It was an odd sensation being off the floor like this, though enjoyable. She'd always wondered it would be like using a power to levitate or fly. Grinning, she looked up at him. "Mmm, I think we're t' old fer tha' without handy pillows or a fireplace," Moira teased, enjoying that memory. "Wha' did ye 'ave in mind?"

"I'm kind of liking this, actually," he confessed, bringing them up nearly to the ceiling. "If you trust me not to drop you, I mean."

She simply brought her arms up and looped them around his neck loosely. "Do ye even 'ave ta ask?" This was nice, very relaxing. The romantic part of Moira was squeaking somewhere in the back of her mind, something about nearly like dancing on air. She ignored it.

"We should be doing this outside," he whispered, ducking his head to kiss her neck as they drifted sideways. #Suppose it's a little chilly, still, but can you imagine? Out among the stars...#

A shiver ran down her back thanks to the kiss. #Mmm, oh tha' be lovely,# she murmured, smiling at the mental image. Moira played with the back of Nathan's neck gently as he spun them around again. #I'd like tha'...# It was getting rather hard to repress the little happy romantic in her who was sighing rather happily at all of this.

Nathan laughed. "I have this bizarre urge to start singing 'Fly Me To The Moon'," he said, grinning.

Moira laughed. "Ye do, ye'll 'ave me completely in yer charms." Well, more, she noted, ducking her head to press a kiss on Nathan's neck. She smiled when she felt him shiver and reached up to nuzzle at his ear. Oh, this could get fun, she thought gleefully, tracing his jaw with kisses before reaching up to kiss him on the mouth. When his arms tightened around her, she purred.

Clothes were going to be an issue here, Nathan thought dimly. Almost unconsciously, he was mimicking some of the practice patterns he had been using with the rocks as he moved them through the air. Slower, of course. Motion sickness would not be a good thing.

"Spring on Jupiter," he whispered as they broke apart, for air. He diverted some of his concentration to using his telekinesis in the same way he had at the inn, touching her everywhere at once with light, feathery caresses. "Always wondered about that," he went on softly as she started to tremble slightly in his arms. "The mind goes strange places."

Moira whimpered softly and let her head fall back. Nathan took quick advantage and leaned in to kiss her on the neck. All while keeping up the touches. "T-tha's cheatin'," she gasped, feeling the touches start to go under her shirt and then up. The same problem occurred to her but she decided to at least start on it. Somehow, despite the distraction Nathan was cheerfully causing her, she managed to have enough sense of mind to wrap her legs around his waist.

He looked up surprised as she steadied herself. "Jus' 'elpin' out a wee bit," she murmured, kissing him before reaching down and with a quick tug, pulled off her t-shirt. Moira smirked at Nathan's leer.

"And it's thoroughly appreciated," he said with some relish, and then focused on getting rid of the rest of their so-inconvenient clothes. It took some doing, as well as some rather contorted aerial gymnastics, but he managed not to drop her or himself, which was the really important thing, he supposed. Moira was giggling steadily by the time they had managed it. "Having fun, are we?" he said wryly, spinning them around again as she wrapped herself around him, moving in a way that had him catching his breath.

"Oh aye," Moira giggled, wrapping her arms around him. She tugged his head down to kiss him and felt him rumble when she ran her nails over his shoulders gently. The gentle movement from being held up was actually rather relaxing, she noted, working her way down his neck with kisses. With an impish grin, she realized her hands were cold and ran them up his back, snickering at the goosebumps.

He yelped, but it turned almost immediately into a laugh. "Watch it, if you don't want me to bounce us off the ceiling," he warned, grinning. She made a noise that suggested her patience for the witty banter was running out, so he set about finding better things to do with his mouth.

This wasn't something he would want to try often, he reflected. If he hadn't been so used to dividing his concentration, it would have been nearly impossible to keep them in the air. She did such things to his focus, he thought with a certain amount of dizzy glee. But she was also enjoying this, not just for the obvious reasons but for the sensation of weightlessness, the feeling of floating. He could feel it on the link, and somehow sharing that made it easier. The part of him that was concentrating on maintaining the TK flows felt very distant, suddenly, and he lost the rest of himself in her, rapidly losing track of what was up and what was down.

She had no idea how he was maintaining this but there become a point she didn't care anymore. It was like her skin was on fire but in a good way. Had it been anyone else, when things got more intense very quickly, Moira would have been afraid of falling. But this was Nathan, who was making places that normally weren't sensitive shiver at his touch, she trusted him. Trust, love, lust, all bundled up and bouncing back and forth between the link, faster as their pace picked up. She couldn't help but look smug when they discovered how flexible they could be like this.

In the end, they wound up floating horizontally, no more than six inches or so off the floor. Trying to catch his breath, Nathan realized just how close he had come to dropping them in that last moment. Which would have been a rather unfortunate end to things, he reflected dazedly as Moira laid her head on his chest with a contented little sigh.

"Okay," he murmured with an unsteady laugh, raising a hand to smooth the hair back from her face. "That--wore me out."

"Mmmm, glad ta see I 'ave tha' affect on ye," Moira muttered into his chest. She rather liked the whole floating feeling, though she really couldn't tell if that was from actually floating currently or some rather nice physical after affects. Not something she'd do *every* time, especially considering how active their love life was. Too many chances of bumping into furniture or falling and that would just spoil the mood.

"Always. Mind if I float us over to the couch?"