xp_logs | Moira and Nathan, Wednesday afternoon

Backdated to Wednesday afternoon around the time of the Great Disappearance. Nathan sneaks back down to the lab and steals Moira's Pepto-Bismol, as a way of emphasizing just how much he'd like her to have one of the other doctors give her a checkup. He then demands a pat on the head for his efforts to be social. They're just moving into the fun part of the conversation when Nathan senses the kids vanish.

Moira nudged the opened bottle of Pepto Bismal away from her work with her finger tips and then went back to studying the rest of the test results on Manuel. With everything that had happened lately, this had been laid to the side and it was high time she got back to it. She did tell him she would do it and she intended to stay by her word. The results were along the lines of what she had thought they might be and as she took notes she nodded to herself. A type of diet might be a good idea for him because, well, God only knew that he needed to eat more.

Frowning, she bent forward to read the results, cursing the printer under her breath. Looked like another ink cartridge would have to be purchased and soon.

Nathan stuck her head in her office door, regarding her through narrowed eyes. There was the Pepto-Bismol bottle, and he reached out with his telekinesis, raising it a little to check on how much was gone. Not too much - he would have to thank Cecelia later. But it was still there, and he didn't want her getting any ideas. He started to levitate it over towards the door, amused that she was so deeply engrossed that she wasn't noticing him standing there. Of course, the fact that he 'd shielded the link probably had something to do with that...

Something rustled but Moira didn't pay any attention to it as she flipped another page over. She was thinking of exactly what vitimans Manuel would have to take in order to start building up mass again and the list was starting to get disturbingly long. Her stomach gurgled and she took a deep breath, reaching over without looking to grab the bottle of medicine. A frown crossed her face as she hunted around but she didn't bother taking her eyes off the paper in front of her.

Nathan reached out a hand and plucked it out of the air, then realized the cap wasn't on the bottle. Oh, so she had been expecting to drink more of it, he though grimly, his eyes searching her desk.

"Bloody 'ell," she muttered, reaching further across the desk in her search for the bottle. She encountered the cap and slide it under her hand as she moved papers around with her fingers.

Nathan grimaced, leaning against the doorframe. "It's over here, dear," he said dryly.

Jumping, Moira nearly fell out of her chair. "Jesus, Nathan!" Leaning back, she glared at him. "Blockin' th' link isnae fair an' neither is scarin' me 'alf ta deat'."

He raised the bottle of Pepto-Bismol. "I was committing grand theft medicinal," he said sternly, even as he sent soothing thoughts down the link. "You're getting too fond of this stuff..."

"Stomach's a wee bit scrunched up," Moira sighed, shrugging as she relaxed. "An' fond o' it? Love, 'ave ye tasted tha' vile stuff? It 'elps, 'tis th' only reason I asked for it."

Nathan set the bottle safely on top of the bookshelves by the door and went over to the couch, sitting down. "Something's wrong," he said seriously, his eyes unhappy as they lingered on her face. "Your stomach's been a 'wee bit scrunched up' for a while now."

"I'm stressed, love," Moira soothed, putting the paperwork down on her desk so she could join him on the couch. "Nothin' ta worry 'bout, really."

"I want you to get Hank or Madelyn to give you a check-up anyway," he said, reaching out to take her hands in his as she sat down. She looked like she was about to protest, and he shook his head sharply. "No. You are stressed, and that can do any number of unpleasant things to the body."

She grumbled loudly at him even while she threaded her fingers through his. "Bastard," she replied, affectionatly.

"You spend enough time looking after me," he said firmly. "Sometimes the shoe gets to go on the other foot. It's only fair." He gave her a somewhat lop-sided smile.

"O', tha's cheatin!" Moira protested, rolling her eyes at him.

"I never claimed that I didn't cheat," he pointed out with a chuckle, tugging her closer. "In fact, I cheat most of the time. I'm shameless."

"Completely." Forcing herself to relax and calming the voice in the back of her head that was insisting she get back to work, Moira rested her head on his shoulder. "Ye doin' okay?" she asked after a comfortable moment of silence.

He nodded. "Not a bad day," he said easily, meaning it. "Been out and around the mansion this morning, actually - aren't you proud?"

"Verra," Moira murmured into his shoulder. "Any progress is good progress. An' ye leavin' one set o' rooms is most definatly progress."

"Hey, in my own defense, I was leaving our rooms. I was just doing my best to avoid people when I did it." He kissed the top of her head. "They're not mentally 'shouting' about Columbia anymore. At least, not as loudly."

"See, I told ye it would die down. But did ye listen? Course nay." Reaching up, she kissed his cheek gently and smiled to take the sting out of her words.

"Alison said something to me about the world keeping turning," Nathan said dryly. "You'd think I'd have learned that by now."

"Wit' somethin' this bloody difficult ta 'andle, 'tis nay wonder ye forgot tha' it does, indeed, still turn. Amazin', isnae it? But ye'll start ta see tha' yer goin' ta be fine, Nathan, wit' time."

He grinned suddenly down at her. "This isn't getting you out of your check-up, you know."

The retort of "stuffy ol' bastard" was muffled against his shoulder as Moira snuggled in closer. #Meanie.#

"And you hadn't figured that out by--" Nathan went rigid, his breath catching in his chest. Something, there was something...

"Nathan?" Moira murmured, concerned because something zinged off the link and she shut her eyes. "Wha' th' 'ell?" she breathed, hand tightening on Nathan's shirt. "Empty...?"

#They're gone... where did they GO?#