xp_logs | Sam, Nathan, Moira, Domino, Bridge - A New York Minute, part 3 (Saturday night)

As everyone meets up at the Blind Tiger, Sam and Nathan cross paths at the bar and talk about why it would be a good idea for Sam to have a little more fun in life.

Sam nodded and smiled at the bartender as he paid for his beer. "Cheers," he said to the man, raising the glass and then glancing back at the table, watching the interplay between Doctor MacTaggart and Pete and Mr. Bridge and Domino with barely veiled fascination as the four of them shared some fairly cringe-inducing story about a Bedouin, a traveling circus, and a hijacked shipment of medical supplies.

#They're still at it, I see,# Nathan's voice echoed in his mind, and Sam looked around to see the older man ambling towards the bar from the general direction of the washrooms.

"Yeah," Sam said with a grin. "I'm getting an education, that's for sure."

"I love corrupting the young." Nathan leaned against the bar, nodding at the attentive bartender. "I'll have another Orval," he said, and then looked back at Sam. "Glad you came?" he asked lightly, hoping the answer would be yes.

"Oh, you bet," Sam said, pushing Paige out of his mind. It wasn't such a bad thing that she was home, he tried to convince himself. Even if she had run off like that. "Good end to a good day," he said, and couldn't help a smile thinking of the mission and Colleen. Hope you're having a better night tonight, girl, he thought. Things had been looking pretty good for her by the time they'd left. "Thanks for inviting me."

Nathan shrugged. "No problem," he said, although he wasn't precisely sure why he had done it himself. Other than the fact that he had liked Sam and enjoyed their first conversation, and he got the definite sense that he had been spending far too much time on his own lately. "It's good sometimes to put everything else aside and just listen to tipsy people telling disgusting stories." Sam nodded in agreement, and Nathan went on, more thoughtfully. "Seems to me like you and some of the others are sort of stuck in-between, back at the mansion," he ventured. "Not really students, not really staff..."

Sam snorted. "Sure feels like that sometimes," he said, but then shrugged, smiling again. "Still, could be worse."

"It can always be worse," Nathan said with a perfectly straight face, just to get a laugh out of the younger man. "But seriously, from the sounds of what you told me out in the quarry, you ought to be getting out more, Sam. Walking the middle ground can be exhausting."

Sam contemplated the idea. "I think you're right," he said and grinned. "Wouldn't mind coming back here sometime," he said. "Just to see if I could work my way through the beer list..."

"See? You're getting the hang of it." Once the bartender came back with his beer and he paid the man, Nathan inclined his head in the direction of the table. "Come on. Let's go see if we can turn the conversation to something that doesn't involve inappropriate behavior with animals, shall we?"

Back at the hotel, Dom and Moira finally sit down and have The Talk. It goes exceedingly well.

Domino slouched on the couch, glancing sideways to make sure that the door to the balcony was safely closed. "So," she said, turning her attention back to Moira and unable to help a smile. "Shall we start throwing stuff around so that they think we're killing each other?"

Moira leaned her head back and thought about it. "Unfortunately, I dinnae 'ave a spare coffee pot on me. Seems I left it in me lab coat alon' wit' any sharp, pointy objects a doctor may 'ave on 'and."

"Pity," Domino said idly, playing with the zipper on her boot for a long moment. "I spent a week or two there hating you pretty fiercely," she confessed finally, not looking up at the older woman.

"I figured as much," she replied, quietly, closing her eyes for a second. "Ye know, I'm surprised ye stopped. 'Tis nay like we 'ad th' most lovin' relationship there."

"Well, no, but I have grown up a little since the last time you and I threw things at each other's head." Domino sighed, slouching further on the couch. "Growing up sucks," she said darkly.

Moira couldn't help a small smile. "Aye, it does. On th' other 'and, ye get ta laugh at younger people when they're bein' stupid. It 'as 'tis perks." She paused to think about what was going on at the mansion. "Or it makes ye want ta drown them, one o' th' two."

"Drowning annoying people, on the other hand, is fun." Domino looked up at her, silent for a long moment. "Is he going to be all right, Moira?" she asked, and could have kicked herself for the way her voice wavered.

Moira moved her head and looked back. "I think 'e is. 'e's lettin' Charles 'elp 'im wit' 'is telepathy an' tha' seems ta be 'elpin'. 'e's a ways from bein' back ta 'is ol' charmin' self again, Dom, but 'e'll get there." The look that came across her face could only be described as one of amused stubbornness. "'elps tha' whoever in th' future is communicatin' wit' 'im doesnae care for me much. I ground 'im, brin' 'im back." She grimaced. "It 'as its downsides but it 'elps."

"It's pretty awful, isn't it?" Domino asked quietly. "What he sees... it would have to be, to unsettle him this badly after everything he's seen and done in his life." Nathan hadn't talked much about it, although she planned to try and rectify that tomorrow.

"It is. Sights, sounds...'e livin' someone else's life through their eyes an' 'e experiences wha' they do. Th' smells are th' worst." There was a haunted note to her voice during the last sentence. "But wit' Charles givin' 'im a 'and, I think 'e's bein' able ta seperate tha' again."

Domino took a deep breath, nodding. "That's good to hear," she said, mustering another smile. "Whatever problems we've had, Moira, I always knew I could trust you to be honest about things like this."

Moira nodded, smiling a little herself. "Thanks. I know ye care 'bout 'im, an' 'e ye. Keepin' wha's goin' on wit' 'im to myself...nay fair t' ye. Makes it easier fer me ta talk 'bout it. I tend to keep most o' Nathan's progress quiet, mainly because tha's wha' I've done all these years." She scowled. "Good bloody thin' t', wit' Muir bein' th' way it 'tis now."

"I'm very glad he didn't just go there looking for you." Slipping off her boots, Domino folded her legs up under her. "Anyhow," she said with a sigh, running a hand through her cropped hair. "I'm... dealing, Moira, is what I wanted to tell you. With, um, you and him."

The cushion of the couch gave a little as Moira turned to face the young mercenary. "I'm glad." And she discovered she was. She'd been worried about it since she had found out Bridge and Domino were coming. "Again, th' worry wit' th' throwin' thin's. An', generally, worried." Truthfully, she'd never wanted Domino hurt.

"I imagine G.W. has probably told you his theory about my hopeless crush," Domino said a bit bitterly.

"Some, aye. Mainly because 'e's probably concerned 'bout ye. Jus' a wee bit protective, I think."

"They both are," Domino said darkly. "Pair of paternalistic bastards, the two of them..." Moira didn't even blink, and Domino reflected that conversations like this were a lot more fun when you could actually get a rise out of the other person. "I won't lie to you, I probably am a little fixated. But I can't help it." Her voice dropped in volume as she went on. She didn't want G.W. or Nate to overhear anything. "I still remember him opening the door of my cell and telling me I had to come with him now. I thought Ku... that was the man who had my contract... had sold me off because I'd lost my fight that day."

For the first time since meeting her, Moira was struck by just how *young* Domino was. She always acted much older than her actual years, a by product of the life she lead. Moira's gaze softened slightly. "'onestly, it makes sense." There was understanding in her voice. "'e saved yer life in a way ye werenae thinkin' anyone would. An' 'e 'as 'is own...set o' charms, as stupid an' stubborn as 'e can be."

"Yeah, he does, doesn't he?" Domino moved her head from side to side, trying to work out the kinks in her neck. "I thought for sure he would want the same things from me that Ku had," she went on, more slowly. "To the point where I sneaked into his bed, about six weeks after he and G.W. took me back to Europe with them." She couldn't help a tiny, wistful smile. "He told me to get my clothes on, and then took me out to the kitchen and made me hot chocolate. Then just started to...talk to me, about stupid things. I had no idea what the fuck he was on about, but he just kept talking, and watching me..." Domino blinked, tilting her head away and rubbing her eyes surreptitiously. "I don't know how I wound up on the floor crying, but he held me for a while and then put me back in my own bed. I woke up the next morning and he was still sitting there watching me."

"'e's good like tha'," she murmured. With a start, she suddenly realized that was more information about Dom that she'd ever gotten out of her before. It was, also, probably the longest thing Domino had ever said to her that hadn't included a curse directed at her. It was a weird feeling realizing she could get used to that. Well, fair was fair, after all. She could guess how hard that had been for Domino to tell her. "After all th' shit went down wit' Nathan, one o' th' first few times 'e came back t'Muir 'e found me pretty goddamn fucked up. I think tha' night 'ad been whiskey, third bottle by th' time 'e found me by th' lake. Next thin' I know, th' bottle's bein' launched int' th' water, I'm swingin' at him, an' then I'm in th' lake meself."

She grimaced. "It was in the bloody middle o' winter, mind ye. 'e dragged me back inside an' we proceeded ta scream at each other until I'd damned near popped blood vessels in me neck. An' th' next thin' I know, I'm fightin' 'im off because I'm cryin' so bloody 'ard an' wanted t' be left alone wit' a bottle. 'e dinnae let me go."

"That's what scared me the most about all of this, you know," Domino confided, unable to deny the fact that she was rather touched - and more than a little astonished - by Moira's revelation. Made her feel a little better about the woman, to be honest, knowing she wasn't perfect after all. "The fact that he ran." She smiled mirthlessly. "But then, I figured out a long time ago that he can happily fight for everyone except himself."

"God, tha' man needs some sense beaten int' 'is 'ead," Moira sighed, shaking her head. "Insists everyone look after themselves but when it comes t' 'imself?" She threw her hands up in experation. "Like talkin' ta a wall. Tha' blows shit up."

"He's a big hypocrite," Domino agreed cheerfully. "And he snores."

"Yer tellin' me. 'ow th' 'ell did ye all get anythin' done wit' 'im soundin' like an elephant on crack?" Moira smirked. "On top o' bein' Mr. RantyPants at times."

"Mr..." Domino told herself to close her mouth, but couldn't help grinning. "Oh, I love it. That's absolutely bloody perfect. Because he does go off so much, and it's always like it's the fucking Sermon from the Mount... I think he has delusions of godhood, deep down."

Moira couldn't help the sudden bout of giggling. "I wouldnae be surprised. 'Tis really entertainin' sometimes, watchin' 'im get goin'. 'e gets tha' crease between 'is eyes an' goes completely red."

"Oh, the 'Listen to me pontificate' look. I know that well. Still... it's always made me wonder, you know," Domino said more quietly, her eyes flickering in the direction of the balcony doors. "The sons of bitches that did a number on his head sure didn't manage to carve out his ability to care about people." She had always wondered why.

Moira's gazed traveled as well to the balcony. "Nay, they dinnae. Shows 'ow much strengt' o' personality 'e really 'as an' 'ow much 'eart 'e 'as as well."

"I hope you don't intend to ever say that where he can hear you," Domino said dryly. "His more or less complete lack of self-esteem is part of his charm."

"Actually, 'tis kind o' funny sayin' tha' stuff t' 'im. 'e gets th' silliest looks on 'is face." Moira snickered. "'e's so bloody easy t' make fun o'."

Domino laughed, letting her head fall back against the couch. "You know, if they hear us giggling it'll probably scare them just as badly as if we were throwing things at each other."

Grinning, Moira shook her head. "Then by all means, let's keep doin' it. God knows we need t' keep those two on their toes."

Domino smiled rather vaguely at the ceiling. "Surreal," she proclaimed. "Just really surreal."

With a small laugh, Moira nodded. "Verra. But oddly...nice."

Out on the balcony of the hotel room while Dom and Moira talk, Bridge and Nathan do the manly-bonding thing and get a few important things sorted out.

"Nice night."

"Yeah," Nathan murmured, leaning on the balcony rail and staring out at the city. Bridge wordlessly handed him one of the bottles of water he was carrying, and he took it with a smile of thanks. "I never spent much time in New York. Hell of a town," he quipped.

"I was stationed here for a while," Bridge said, joining him at the railing and chuckling at the questioning look Nathan gave him. Still some details the two of them hadn't shared with each other, even after all these years. "Only about six months, before I went out into the field. Back when I was young and green."

"The good old days, huh?" Nathan asked, unscrewing the lid on the bottle of water and taking a long sip. None of them had overindulged at the Blind Tiger, but it wouldn't hurt to try and avoid any hangover symptoms.

"Eh, in retrospect, not really." Bridge opened his own water and followed suit. He had no intention of flying with a headache tomorrow. "I was so naive back then. Thought God and country were all that mattered."

"Idealism's not such a bad thing," Nathan protested half-heartedly. He didn't like to see G.W. having fun at his own expense, at least not on that subject. Being betrayed like that was a wound that had never quite healed for him, and picking at it certainly didn't do any good.

Bridge snorted. "Except when it gets you shot in the back and left to die beside a dirt road in Cambodia." He gave Nathan a sideways look, deciding that a little push might have interesting results. "Or cut loose in some godforsaken corner of China."

Nathan stared steadily out at the city, not at all willing to talk about that. Sometimes he thought he had told Bridge just a little too much about his experiences in Mistra, or at least allowed G.W. to get him drunk far too often over the years. "My head," he said after a moment, "is a mess these days." He did look over at Bridge then, smiling tightly. "Not just because of the damned visions, either." And that's all the admission you're going to get, partner.

Bridge shook his head slowly, reading it all in Nathan's eyes. You didn't need to be a telepath, not when you'd known a person this well for this long. "It's okay, you know," he said, quietly enough to be reassuring, lightly enough that Nathan could brush it off if he decided that his pride really couldn't handle hearing this. "You don't have to have it together, Nate. You just have to want to get it together."

A strained laugh slipped out before Nathan could stop himself. "People keep telling me that," he said. And there was still a part of him that kept insisting that admitting weakness was a mistake, that it would get him killed in the end. It was a difficult voice to ignore.

"You could always try listening to them," Bridge suggested.

"But that would make too much sense," Nathan said, losing his grip on the bantering tone. He could hear the thin veneer of humor cracking, revealing the truth beneath. "I feel like I hit the wall, G.W.," he said abruptly, almost harshly. "Like I hit the wall and now there's nothing left to do but slam my head against it and hope it breaks."

"The wall, or your head?"

Nathan shot him an aggravated look. "I'm not that far gone."

I'm not so sure. Bridge took a step closer, reaching out and laying a hand on Nathan's arm, feeling him tense at the contact. "Nate," he said steadily, waiting until Nathan looked at him. "You're one of my best friends - hell, you're the closest thing I've got to a brother." The words came out easily, naturally, mostly because he'd known, deep down, that he would have to say this at some point this weekend. "But I look in your eyes and I don't like what I see. I haven't for a while."

Nathan shifted, his eyes narrowing. "Cut to the chase, George," he said, in a voice that would have convinced anyone else to drop the subject right then and there.

Except he wasn't anyone, Bridge told himself, and he had been pushing Nathan's boundaries with some success for a while now. "I don't think you're coming back," he said calmly, and caught Nathan's too-rapid blink. "Even if you get these damned visions sorted out."

It felt like someone was tightening a vice around his chest. "Is that what you want?" he asked, having to force the words out.

Bridge grimaced. "Fuck," he said with a sigh. How did I know he was going to do that? "No, that's not what I want." He wanted to step back eighteen months or so -- or maybe he didn't. His eyes narrowing, he stared right at Nathan, challenging him silently. "What do you want?"

Nathan smiled humorlessly. "I've never liked that question," he said, his voice tight.

"No shit." Bridge regarded him for a moment longer, until he was fairly sure he wasn't getting an answer to that question, and then shifted tactics. "You and Moira - it's a good thing, Nate." Nathan made a monosyllabic noise, and Bridge sighed again. "Listen to me," he said as persuasively as he could, not removing his hand. "You wouldn't be running out on us. No one would think that." He snorted suddenly. "Well, except maybe Hammer, but who the hell cares?"

They weren't having this conversation, Nathan tried to convince himself. This didn't need to be discussed right now, so they didn't need to do it. Except it seemed that they were. "I just don't know," Nathan said, hating the hollow sound of his voice. "Don't know what the hell I'm doing."

"Then you need to give yourself a chance to figure it out," Bridge said, more than a little exasperated. "Hell, Nate, it's not like you can't afford to take a year off. Or retire, if that's what you decide you want to do. Don't think I don't know how much money you've got stashed away here and there." Nathan fidgeted again, leaning more heavily against the railing, and Bridge let his hand fall back to his side. "And I think there's a redhead in there who'll help you sort things out if you ask her," he teased, hoping to lighten the mood a little.

Nathan wasn't biting. "She is," he said quietly, and then glanced back over his shoulder, frowning a little. "I wonder what she and Dom are talking about."

"Trust me," Bridge said, mock-gravely. "I don't think you want to know." But there were no raised voices or other alarming noises coming from the adjacent room, so that was promising.

Nathan looked back out at the city. "I fucked things up with her," he said after a long moment. "Dom, I mean."

"A little, yeah," Bridge agreed. "It's not irreparable, though." He raised his water bottle and took a sip before he went on. "It helps that you're being straight with her now."

"I'm trying to be straighter all around," Nathan said, with a flash of real - if dark - humor. "The results have been--mixed."

"Hard for us old dogs to learn new tricks."

"I'll drink to that," Nathan said and then did. They stood there in more-or-less companionable silence for a few minutes before. "Wish you didn't have to go tomorrow," Nathan said abruptly.

"Me too. I suppose I'm just testing the water. All goes well, I'll come back." Bridge took a deep breath, staring out over the city. "It is--kind of good to come home," he admitted, surprising himself by the confession.

Nathan nodded, and the silence resumed. Eventually, though, he was the one to break it again, with the words he hadn't wanted to say but which needed to be said, no matter how much part of him still resisted the idea.

"I'm not coming back, G.W.," he said hoarsely, and refused to notice how the lights of the city blurred a little in his sight.

There was no answer beside him for a moment. "I know," Bridge said finally.

After another moment, the hand reappeared on his arm.

Back at the mansion, Nathan and Moira have one last gloaty moment about poor Pym.

It was late when they got back and Moira let out a tired noise when she shut the door behind them. The day had been a long one but a good one just the same. Even the mess with Pym had ended nicely. Or, well, as nicely as Domino would let it end. Her gaze darted down to her arm as she started putting stuff away. The redness was all but faded and she was pleased, it didn't look like it would bruise much, if at all.

And on top of everything...she and Domino. Friendly talk? It was the end of the world, she mused, surprised at the pleased feelings that stirred up. But it would be interesting, and different, to say the least.

"Dom will be here around nine tomorrow, she said," Nathan said, flopping down in the armchair as he watched her empty shopping bags. "Ah, the energy of youth. I may still be asleep when she gets here." He kept watching her for a few moments, enjoying how relaxed she seemed. Still, it had taken hours for her to entirely settle down after that business with Pym, and although he was content to let Domino get the bastard in a way that would be much more satisfying for Moira, part of him still wished he hadn't let G.W. and Moira hold him back at the bookstore.

"Ye an' me bot'," she answered. "I ache from all th' walkin' we did. We're gettin' old, Nathan." Moira blinked as the thoughts on the other side of the link got slightly growly. Oh dear. With a frown, she stopped putting the shopping away and headed over to the chair. "'ey, ye okay?"

"I'm fine," he said evenly, but then reached out and pulled her down onto his lap, smiling slightly as she gave a little yelp. "Just wrestling with lingering macho tendencies," he said, pushing her hair back over her shoulder and kissed her neck. "Feeling a little territorial..." he murmured as she shivered. "Forgive me?"

"God, ye keep tha' up, I'd forgive ye for almost anythin'." Laughing, she snuggled closer and relaxed. "'Twas rather cute, really. Especially since I thought Bridge was actually goin' ta sit on ye."

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her as she settled against his chest. The anger at Pym was ebbing away, pushed out by a powerful wave of protectiveness.

"Mostly, aye. An' by tomorrow, I'll push th' rest o' it away." He was radiating safety and she sighed happily as she nuzzled slightly. "Really, got me more angry than anythin'. Though grabbin' me was somethin' I dinnae expect out o' 'im."

"Revealing, though," Nathan said, and then shook his head, a bit exasperated. "With as big as New York is, you'd think we could avoid a coincidence like that. Small world be damned." He grinned a bit evilly, letting his hands roam a little. "Although I suppose it didn't turn out so badly. Once Dom gets finished with him, I doubt he'll be bothering you any more." He gave a rumbling laugh. "And if he does... well, then we go to Plan C."

"Wha' 'appened ta plan A?" Moira whimpered and wiggled a little bit. He was teasing her, she thought, trying to get her thoughts back in a semblance of order. Besides, she was curious about Plan A and Plan C. "An' wha's Plan C?" She yelped slightly when he found her ticklish spots and she swatted at him gently. "Evil!"

"Plan A was expecting Pym to smile and move on like a sane man," Nathan said, and quite deliberately blew in her ear, just to hear her giggle. "Plan B... well, Dom is Plan B. Plan C would be that man-to-man talk I was mentioning before."

Moira ducked her head back against his neck and shivered. He was cheating, she decided, but so could she. With a small smirk, she moved around, pretending to settle down in a more comfortable position. "I 'ope Dom does th' trick," she murmured into his ear. "Though th' talk would prove...interestin'."

"Mmm," Nathan said, sliding his hands up under her shirt and deliberately projecting an image of himself dangling Pym off the Empire State building.

A giggle escaped at the mental image. She arched slightly and sighed happily, closing her eyes. Moira smiled as she kissed his neck, enjoying the rumbling noises he was making at her.

Screw Pym, Nathan thought, but then remembered that was already taken care of.