Moira and Nathan, Muir Island, Friday early afternoon

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Backdated to Friday around lunch. Before Amanda and Manuel arrive on Muir, Nathan and Moira share a quiet moment. She tells him a little about the psychiatrist she has in mind for him to see, and they reminisce about that first Christmas of theirs and certain lost opportunities beneath the mistletoe.



Moira shook her head at the dust that had collected in her office at Muir while she had been away. While she liked her office at the mansion, she adored this one. It had been her father's study when he was alive and with the exception of her things, had left everything else the way he had left it when he died. Quietly, she padded over to the fireplace and eyed it with interest. While not cold, it would still be nice to have a fire going. Moira glanced at her watch quickly. Nathan was supposed to join her soon.

When he got there, she was kneeling in front of the fireplace, coaxing the fire to life. Nathan leaned against the doorway, watching her with a smile. "Do I get to nap on the floor again?" he asked lightly.

Setting the poker down, she grinned at him over her shoulder. "If'n ye want ta, though I'd probably join ye this time. I dinnae really 'ave anythin' on me desk right now." Carefully, Moira replaced the grate, not wanting to burn her hands. "'avin' fun?"

"Yeah," Nathan said, still smiling as he went over and sat down in one of the armchairs by the fire. "Although I did go down to take a look at the hall outside the sunroom. Sort of morbid, I suppose." He had been surprised to see all the bullet holes patched over, but he supposed David and the others had taken the clean-up job seriously.

"Glad I'm nay th' only one," Moira admitted, standing up slowly to let her muscles unwind. "David did a fantastic job...I need ta thank 'im an' th' others properly next time I see them."

Nathan glanced at his watch. "The kids should be here in an hour or so," he said. "Were we going over to the mainland to get them, or was Billie bringing them over?"

"Billie's bringin' them over," she responded, heading over to where he was sitting. "Somethin' 'bout them usin' th' one th' taxi can fit on because o' th' luggage."

"Manuel and Rory, both on one island," Nathan said as she sat in the armchair next to his. She reached out a hand, and he took it, squeezing it gently. "This is going to be a great night," he said dryly. "I can tell."

A frown crossed her face at the mention of Rory. They hadn't talked, really, since the last time they'd been at Muir. Mostly because she was still pretty mad at him. She felt a little tug on her hand and she smiled, a little, and let herself be guided onto his lap. "They'll behave," she murmured.

"I'm just being childish," Nathan said, his mouth twitching. "Had you all to myself for a week, and now I have to share again."

She giggled and shook her head. "Awww, poor thin'," Moira teased, kissing him on the cheek. "Cannae live without me for five minutes?"

"No," Nathan said firmly. "Not for even five minutes." He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, filling his lungs with the smell of the woodsmoke, the salt tang in the air, and her. She wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder, and he smiled.

The link pulsed gently between them and Moira smiled into his shoulder. It was hard to imagine that only a short while ago, they wouldn't have been like this. They would have still been completely stubborn and ignoring what was right in front of their faces. Still, the memories here were some she'd never want to trade. "I'm glad we came back," she said quietly.

"Me too," Nathan murmured. He could feel something... easing inside him, just being here. All of the things that had seemed so pressing, so overwhelming during their conversations on Santorini seemed to be receding into the distance, just a little.

Moira nuzzled a bit, muscles slowly unwinding. "I miss bein' 'ere, sometimes," she admitted. "An' nay jus' because Muir's mine. I jus' miss bein' 'ere wit' ye."

"I was thinking," Nathan said softly. "Adding it all up. You realize we've spent nearly a year here together? Spread out over seven years, obviously. But still..."

She blinked and thought about it. "Yer right. I dinnae know why tha' surprises me but...tha's a good deal o' time when ye think 'bout it."

"That's not counting the last few months at the mansion, either," Nathan said, then gave her a mischievous look. "I think we've proven that we can handle day-in, day-out living with each other?"

Moira giggled. "Aye, I think we 'ave tha' part down pat," she agreed cheerfully, still giggling a little. She reached up to give him a quick kiss and smiled.

"We've got more figured out than not," Nathan said firmly, although it didn't sound quite convincing, not even to himself. The things that weren't figured out were so just so huge...

Frowning a little bit, she tilted her head back so she could look at him a little better. "Ye okay?" she asked, concerned. "Yer worried..."

"Moping again," Nathan said wryly. "And here I was trying to convince myself that we had it more together than I was giving us credit for."

Moira twisted a little so she could poke him in the ribs. "Mopin' 'bout wha'?" she pressed, threatening him again.

"Do you really want the list?" he asked with a soft chuckle, kissing the top of her head. "It's nothing new. SOS - same old shit."

"Mmm," she murmured, relaxing on his shoulder again. "Jus' wanted ta make sure yer okay, I worry 'bout ye. Jus' want ye ta know tha' we're goin' ta be fine. We're an "us" remember an' we've survived a lot together." Moira smiled up at him, hugging him tighter.

Nathan let the silence drag on comfortably for a minute or two before he decided to break it. "You said while we were waiting for the plane in Edinburgh that you had an idea for someone I could see?" he ventured a bit hesitantly. "I mean, this, um, professional who's supposed to not run the other way when he sees me coming through his office door."

Moira nodded against his shoulder. "Aye. Dr. Jack Leary, I've known 'im for a few years now. 'e's a Vietnam vet who came back from th' war...changed. Nay in th' usual way, either. Discovered 'e was a mutant 'alfway through 'is go there. 'e can control th' ambient temperature 'round 'im." She smiled a little at the look he gave her. "Came back an' got 'is degree in psychology an' started 'elpin' those with PTSD. 'e also works wit' mutants. I met 'im in Switzerland o' all places. We were there for different but similar reasons. Th' father was a patient o' 'is an' I was called by th' da ta look at 'is son. I got there first, in time for th' poor thin's powers ta go off an' nearly brin' th' 'ouse around our ears. Got meself an' th' kid out but busted a couple o' ribs. Jack showed up an' pulled me out an' we got th' kid out an' then ta Muir."

Nathan blinked. "He sound like a good guy," he said tentatively, and then bit his lip, frowning suddenly. "Wait a minute... the third time I came here, you told me you'd had an accident, cracked a couple of ribs. Was that just after...?"

She nodded. "Aye, tha' was right after." A memory of something he'd told her once reappeared and she smiled. "Wasnae tha' th' year ye wanted ta kiss me for th' first time?" Moira teased, remembering the first true Christmas party and the dance that had been slightly painful because of her healing ribs, but worth it all the same to see him loosen up.

Nathan flushed a little. "That'd be the year," he said, and then chuckled, hugging her to him tightly. "Just give him the chance to run. Just to be fair."

"I'll give 'im fair warnin'," Moira promised, settling down in the circle of his arms. She snickered. "Yer blushin'! Th' memory embarrases ye tha' much?"

"It doesn't embarrass me," he protested lamely, the smile still tugging at his lips. "It's one of those impulsive things I should have done, that's all."

"I was 'opin' ye would," she admitted. "When we ended up under th' mistletoe. We're ta stubborn for our own good, I think, sometimes anyway."

"Well," Nathan offered wickedly, "I can always make up for it now?"

She grinned up at him impishly, one hand snacking around his neck to tug his head down. "Aye, we bot' can," Moira breathed softly, leaning up into the kiss.