Domino and Amanda, Monday night

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After the group from Muir arrives back at the mansion, Amanda finally gets to meet her new 'big sister'.



They had made her wait outside. They had made her wait outside, Domino thought snippily, folding her arms across her chest and pacing back and forth in front of the door. This did not impress her. She decided, abruptly, that she didn't like doctors, especially when they traveled in packs and put her outside in the hall like a misbehaving puppy.

She heard the sound of running footsteps, and turned in time to see a girl with dyed hair and a number of piercings round the corner far too quickly. "Whoa there," Domino said, intercepting her before she could get to the door. "Trust me, I'd prefer to be in there myself, but..." She trailed off, studying the girl thoughtfully for a moment. "Amanda?" she ventured.

"Yeah. How did you... Wait, yer Dom, you have t' be." Amanda cast an anxious look at the door. "How is he? Is he gunna be all right?"

"Come over here and sit down," Domino said, keeping a firm grip on her arm as she led her out to where there were a couple of chairs. Obviously people did do some waiting around in here, she thought. "They're just settling him after the trip. Rory and Moira doped him to the gills, and he didn't so much as twitch the whole way over."

"I can't, I have t' see Moira, I can help..." For a second it seemed like Amanda was about to wrench herself away from Domino's grip, but then higher reasoning kicked in and told her there was no way in hell Moira was going to let her any where near Nate if she didn't calm down. She let herself be led and slumped down onto one of the chairs. "What the bloody fuckin' hell happened?" she demanded at last. "Nate said Muir was fuckin' quiet an' peaceful. He didn't mention anythin' 'bout getting bloody well shot."

"I don't think he was planning on it," Domino said with a strained little laugh, rubbing her eyes, then giving the girl a keen look. Nate, this one's definitely attached to you, she thought, and then focused on giving Amanda as much of an explanation as she could. "We got blindsided," she said frankly. "In the middle of the night. There were special forces still there, shielded by a telepath. Nate went down trying to protect Moira."

"Is she all right?" The question surprised Amanda with how worried it sounded - she hadn't even considered that Moira would had been involved, that Nate would somehow have kept her safe and away from harm. At the same time she was realising Nate and Dom moved in a very different world than the one she knew.

"Concussed, and pretty banged up," Domino said, still sizing Amanda up. "I think they were after her and Rory. Nate shielded her from a grenade... I'm guessing that's probably what got him shot, but he's not precisely been awake for long enough to confirm or deny that." She couldn't help the twisted smile.

Briefly Amanda felt the reassuring weight of the orb in her jacket pocket and decided she'd definitely done the right thing, bollocking later or not. "Why would someone go after a couple of doctors?" she asked, mostly to distract herself from the lure of the mystic object she had on her, but also because she wanted to know. "It ain't like they're a threat t' anyone."

"Because they had the gall to want their clinic back in their own hands, maybe," Domino said with a sigh. "I don't know this Essex bastard, nor do I want to know him at this point. But it's one possibility." She slouched in the chair a little, rubbing her eyes again. Jet lag was catching up a little more quickly than it usually did. Probably because of how little sleep she'd had this weekend.

Amanda shook her head. "Five minutes an' a power source, that's all I'd ask for," she muttered. She glanced over at Domino curiously, putting a face and a personality to the emails. "Things got taken care of?" she asked, although her tone made it clear it was more a statement than a question.

Domino gave her a chilly smile. "Comprehensively. They may have done damage, but none of them are around to gloat." She left it at that, sure that Amanda didn't really want the details. "So," she said, a bit more wryly, "there could have been worse conditions for our first meeting, little sister, but I'm not sure what they would be."

"Good." There was barely a flicker of emotion in Amanda's eyes as she took in what Domino had said. Thne she smiled, somewhat ruefully. "'S sort of par for the course in this place. Least we're both conscious."

"True enough. G.W. and Theo are upstairs talking at Pete - you'll have to meet them a little later." Domino sighed, her eyes flickering around the confines of the little waiting room. She felt restless, like she wanted to go find something to hit. Hard. Many times. "I was looking forward to this visit, too."

"From all the stories I've heard, feels like I know you lot already." Domino's restlessness wasn't lost on Amanda, and she tried to think of ways to distract both of them from what was happening in the medlab. "Still, 's good t' put faces t' names. You look younger 'n I would've thought, considerin' how many stories there are. You must've been a kid when you hooked up with this lot."

"I was fifteen. Well, sixteen when I went on my first real job." Domino gave a bark of laughter. "I didn't really give Nate and G.W. much choice in the matter."

Amanda grinned. "Nah, you wouldn't've, I bet. Did Nate pull that protective 'it's too dangerous' stuff on you? The one with the concerned face?"

"After he figured out that sending me away to boarding school wasn't going to work, yeah." Domino raised an eyebrow. "He's had reason to do that to you already, has he?" she asked dryly.

"Not so much. Mainly when I want t' use the magic an' he don't think I'm up for it. I keep tellin' him I know me limits." She shrugged. "We're 'bout even with the whole 'who's most stubborn' contest, but he gets into more trouble than I do, so I get t' guilt him into behavin' sometimes." Her smile was amused and somehow affectionate. "Daft bugger."

"Oh God," Domino said, breaking into what she knew were hysterical giggles. She covered her face, so that she wouldn't see Amanda giving her the 'I'm staying well back from the insane woman' expression the girl was undoubtedly giving her. "You're trying to reform Nate... oh fuck, that's beautiful... I gave up on that years ago..."

"Not so much reformin' him as tryin' t' stop him endin' up in this bloody place," Amanda said, a little defensively. "'Sides, this whole Askani business, the school, the doc... it's changin' him. Still, you've known him years, an' I've only been here five minutes, so I probably have no idea what I'm talkin' about." The obstinate jut of her chin said otherwise, though.

Domino wrestled herself back under control. No having hysterics, she told herself sternly. "I--I'm sorry," she stammered, wiping her eyes. "Really, I'm just..." She couldn't help the shakiness of the smile she gave the girl. "Tired, and scared, and did I mention really fucking tired?"

"'S all right, I had no call t' be narky at you. I ain't exactly good with this whole waitin' thing, an' in this place besides..." Hesitantly, Amanda touched Domino's shoulder. "You want somethin'? Rom always says there ain't nothin' that can't look better after a cuppa."

Domino took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment and trying one of the visualization exercises Nathan had taught her years ago. It worked, at least a little, and when she looked back at Amanda her response was a little calmer. "Depending on what it's a cup of," she tried to joke, semi-successfully. "Seriously, though... wouldn't mind some water, and have no idea where to look. I think we'll be here for a while, too."

Amanda nodded. "I'll get yer some." She made a face. "I know this place a lot better than some, more's the pity. An' it ain't just 'cause of Nate, either. An' when I get back, you can tell me 'bout this pub in Melbourne, since Nate don't think it's a suitable story for minors." The attempt at distraction was obvious, but Amanda didn't care and doubted Domino would either.