xp_logs | Nathan and Moira, Sunday night

After returning from Florida, Nathan goes back to their suite to find Moira. The two of them relax together and the conversation wanders. Poetry and gelato and candlelight are discussed. The insufficiency of words is touched upon.

They're both very happy.

There were more adorable sights in the world, Nathan thought, smiling wearily as he stood in the bedroom doorway and watched Moira, but right at the moment he was a little too tired to come up with any. They would have to go some way to beat this, he decided firmly. She had clearly fallen asleep reading; 'The Dream of Scipio', the historical novel they'd been passing back and forth for the last few days, was lying open against her chest, and she was clinging to it as if it was a security blanket.

The slight touch on the link was woke Moira up and she moved slightly, blinking slowly. Turning her head, she smiled as she watched Nathan get undressed. "Back late," she murmured, taking in the time. Sitting up, she moved the book to the side and rubbed her eyes. She wasn't sure when she had fallen asleep, though it must not have been too long again.

"Worthwhile use of the day, though." Once he had changed into a t-shirt and sweatpants, he joined her, unable to help a sigh as he relaxed against the bed. "But damn, it's a mess down there. Mother Nature in a very, very bad mood..." He raised a hand, rubbing at his eyes.

Sliding over and up, she managed to pillow his head in her lap and slowly started to massage his temples. There was a dull ache on the link that she had learned a while ago meant he was suffering from a headache. No wonder he had one today. "Everythin' work out alright?" she asked, bending down to kiss his forehead.

"Mm... yeah. Kids handled themselves well. I wound up doing a lot of scanning... I think that's what gave me the headache, not the heavy lifting." He smiled a little, closing his eyes. "You keep doing that, I'm going to be the one falling asleep..."

"'Tis late, we're supposed ta be asleep," Moira teased, easing her fingers into his hairline. "Ye look exhausted, anyway, so sleep is probably good for ye."

Oh, that felt very, very good. "Uhh... point. Don't want to be faceplanting into my plate at lunch tomorrow, huh?"

Giggling, she leaned over again but kissed him on the lips gently this time before pulling back. "While tha' would be really funny, it would possibly be verra bad." She paused. "Entertainin', though."

"Cruel woman. You would laugh, too." She went right back to massaging his temples, and Nathan made an appreciative noise that came out sounding rather sleepy. "I could get used to this," he murmured after a moment. He heard her chuckle, and he smiled again, not opening his eyes. "Well, not this, although I know I could get used to this, too. I meant what we were doing today..."

"Really?" Moira asked, smiling and feeling pleased. Her hands slide down to his shoulders and started to work on the knots she found there. "Felt good, aye?" There was a reason she pushed herself so hard for other people. It was that feeling you got when you went to bed at night after helping people, that pleasent feeling in your stomach.

"Very good." His eyes opened and he stared up at the ceiling for a moment. "Could've done more if I'd actually been there during the actual hurricane, though." The thought had kept occurring to him, seeing the damage done. It had been all too easy to imagine a shield for a home here, a breakwater there.

Another smile, this time a knowing one, and she moved so that she could nestle against Nathan's side. "Cannae do everythin'," Moira told him, knowing he had told her the same thing on more than one occassion. "Especially if'n it involves Mother Nature."

The massage had felt good. The warm pressure of her body against his as she settled down beside him, laying her head on his shoulder, was possibly even better. "Strange, though," he murmured, staring up at the ceiling. "How useful my powers are for something like this... I'm not used to thinking of them that way."

"Expandin' yer mind is always a good thin'," she responded, smiling as she snuggled closer. "There are many thin's ye can do wit' yer power."

"I'd better be careful," Nathan said sleepily. "Next thing I know, I'll be thinking of them as a blessing or something..."

"God forbide." Snickering, she kissed him on the cheek and yawned. "I'm glad everythin' worked out. Was gettin' worried 'bout ye lot."

"Just a lot to do," he said reassuringly. And they certainly hadn't done everything that could be done, but... "I think I'm getting the hang of this whole not-pushing-too-far thing," he said after a moment. "Not that there wasn't part of him that wanted to stay and keep going, but it struck me that the headache was probably a sign that I really should stop." The medical staff in the affected area had had enough to do, after all, without treating the people who were supposed to be there to help.

"We're bot' learnin'," Moira mused, pleased that he had stopped before he had done any damage to himself. "We're so used ta pushin', though, tha' it may take some time ta get us ta stop completely." She grimaced, remembering being kicked out of the MedLab after hours upon hours of staring at the same experiment. Evil people.

The Askani were murmuring in the back of his mind and Nathan frowned a little, trying to listen. "I don't think we ever want to stop completely, do we?" he asked hesitantly. "Sometimes you have to push the limits..."

"O' course, I dinnae mean we were supposed ta stop. We jus' need ta learn where our limits lie, love. I've been told tha' burnin' ourselves out is generally considered a bad idea."

"Mmm," he said a bit sheepishly. "Of course you meant that... I'm just being a little slow tonight."

"Yer cute when yer tired," Moira said, giggling into his shoulder.

"Not cute," Nathan grumbled amiably. "Many, many things. But never cute."

"Adorable," she argued.

He laughed suddenly, the arm around her tightening. "You have strange tastes," he countered. "I'm sure people keep telling you that..."

"Actually, I've been told I 'ave rather good tastes." She knew she sounded smug--because she was. "So, nyah."

Nathan grinned wearily. "You're going to give me a swelled head, you know," he said affectionately.

"Figured tha's part o' me job." Yawning, Moira propped herself up and leaned over Nathan to turn out the light. His arms tightened around her and she found herself snuggled on top of his chest. "Miss me?" she asked, teasing.

"In the twelve hours I was gone? Profoundly," Nathan said, his grin fading, turning thoughtful. "But you know, I think I could still feel you? Even in Florida... which surprises me. Didn't think the link had that kind of range."

She blinked and thought about it, pillowing her head on one arm. "Now tha' ye mentioned it--I could ta. I dinnae even give it tha' much thought, so used ta feelin' it I guess." A small look of amazement crossed her face at the thought. "Wow."

"I don't think I could have made you hear me at that distance," Nathan confessed, "but I did feel you." This lingering sensation of warmth at the end of the link, distant but still very much present. "We ought to experiment at some point, you know," he said speculatively, coming a little more awake as he turned over the question in his mind. "I really don't know what my receptive range is."

Already, Moira was building ideas in her mind for experiments to try. "Hmm, good idea. Dinnae know why we never thought ta try tha', especially since ye've been doin' more wit' yer telepathy. Wouldnae be tha' 'ard ta work on it, nay really."

"Now that I don't get into quite so much of a panic at the idea, huh?" he asked, a slight self-mocking edge to the words. No real heat, though. Charles had steadfastly refused to let him kick himself for being afraid of his powers.

When she heard no edge to his words, she relaxed. "Pretty much," Moira said, softly, reaching one arm over so she could link fingers with him. She thought about it for a second and blinked at him. "Was it th' link tha' 'elped?" The question was sudden and it was obvious that she was thinking as she talked. "When it first got established, I 'onestly expected ye ta freak but ye dinnae..."

"It did," Nathan confirmed, smiling as he squeezed her hand gently. "I really think it did. Not just with my comfort level with the telepathy, but my comfort level in general. I mean, look at what I was doing this week. Ever think you'd see me wandering around hugging people at random?"

"Nay. 'Twas a verra pleasant surprise." She smiled back at him, pleased with all the progress he had made. "Glad th' link's there," she said, not sure if she had actually told him that before.

Nathan just smiled, for a long moment, as he tried to come up with the right words. "I'm not 'glad' the link is there," he said finally, serious despite the smile. "I'm... there aren't words, Moira. There have been so many times over the last six months..." His voice caught a little, but he kept smiling. "I could be telling you how much I love you, how much... joy there is in this for me--" Joy. That was the word. "--every five minutes for the rest of my life, and it still wouldn't be enough."

Moira smiled and scooted up a bit so she could look down at him. "I know," she said, meaning she understood the lack of words and how much he cared. "I can feel it, even when th' link is quiet." Leaning down, she kissed him and then pulled back a little, almost bumping noses with him. "Words sometimes get in th' way." The link opened in her mind and her smile grew as she felt it and Nathan in her mind.

"I could write you another poem?" Nathan suggested softly.

"Really?" she asked, unable to help the spark of pleasure at the thought. Even a cranky Scot like herself still loved romance.

"Well, the last one had you grinning for what, about two days straight?" he teased gently, tracing the line of her back with his free hand. "Hell, I'd even post them on the journals if you wanted. That whole shouting from the mountaintop idea..."

Moira relaxed against him, enjoying the feeling on her back. "Tha'd be...nice," she admitted, laying her head on his chest. "Th' kids would either try ta stab themselves wit' eyeforks or giggle at us."

"And either would be highly enjoyable to watch," Nathan said firmly. She giggled, and he grinned. "I'm an evil man, aren't I?"

"Verra. One o' th' many reasons why I love ye."

"Is that on your list?" Nathan asked curiously, still smiling. "I keep wondering about that list..."

"Aye, 'tis on me list." Moira smirked at him. "Be nice an' one day I'll actually write it up an' let ye see it."

"Tempting... very tempting." The sleepiness had receded a little further, and he couldn't help a bit of a frown. "I'm waking up again, damn it."

"Blast. So am I. Ta damned late ta be wakin' up."

"Still running on a bit of a psionic high, I guess," he said after a moment, still rubbing her back. "Which is probably coming down the link at you... there are drawbacks, you know."

"Nay many, though," Moira pointed out, smiling at him. "Many, many perks, though."

"Did you eat?" he asked thoughtfully. "Properly, I mean. Since I wasn't here to watch you..." He couldn't help the dry edge to the words, and chuckled as she poked him in the ribs.

"Bully," she grumped. "But aye, I ate. *Properly* before ye ask again. Th' doctors left me food an' them made me go get a proper dinner."

"We're all bullies," Nathan said firmly. "Bullies, conspiring against you... how's the stomach?"

Moira poked him in the ribs again. "Better," she admitted. "Still miss my coffee." Much to her relief, since it'd been seven years since she'd had a drink there had been no cravings. That's what she had been afraid of.

"You seem to be having fun sampling all the different teas?" Nathan offered. "I'm getting sort of partial to the ginger, to be honest... GW would be laughing at me." GW, the consummate tea-gourmand...

"'oney, GW is always laughin' at ye. But aye, 'tis verra different. Jus' nay me coffee." She grimaced. "As soon as th' medicine really kicks in an' th' ulcer starts goin' down, I'm startin' me coffee again."

"You and me both," Nathan said with a snort. "Not that I'm regretting the whole solidarity thing, but I miss the coffee, too." He grinned apologetically. "I, um, did cheat this afternoon. Do you hate me?"

This time she swatted him and pouted slightly. "Nay. 'Tis nay fair ta ask ye ta suffer th' same way. Still..."

"I just needed the caffeine, badly," Nathan confessed sheepishly. "Helped keep me going for a few hours more."

"I know." Leaning over a bit, she nuzzled his neck and smiled. "Like I said, ye shouldnae 'ave ta suffer because I cannae 'ave it."

"I'll make it up to you," he offered, grinning. "Forfeit of choice..."

Laughing, she raised their joined hands and kissed his. "My 'ero," she said, grinning at him.

"You could get all creative," Nathan suggested whimsically. "Get me to make a spectacle of myself... not that I wouldn't, gladly, if you wanted me to." He laughed suddenly, remembering their abortive tryst in the library. "Or sometimes even when you don't."

A faint blush crossed her cheeks as the memory bounced down the link. "Hmm. Decisions, decisions, then, I guess," she said, laughing.

"Try not to enjoy it too much," he suggested, still chuckling.

"Who, me?" Moira asked innocently.

Nathan's arms tightened around her. "You, evil woman," he said firmly. "I love you to death, but you're every bit as evil as I am."

"Isnae tha' one o' th' reasons ye love me?" she asked, leaning in for a kiss.

#One of the many,# he sent back as he kissed her. "And ow," he muttered ruefully as she drew back. His head was beginning to throb. "Really shouldn't have done that..."

"Anythin' I can do ta 'elp?" Moira was frowning and she raised her free hand to smooth his hair down.

"I think I just need to let my brain have the rest of the night off," he said with a faint chuckle, closing his eyes. "And, well, sleep."

"Aye, good idea." Turning, she rolled over onto her side, tugging Nathan along with her and she snuggled against his chest. Even if sleep would take some time, this was also nice.

Nathan decided he heartily approved of the heather shampoo. "Do you remember that storm on Muir four years ago?" he murmured, keeping his eyes closed. "And we sat there by candlelight because the power to everywhere but the clinic went out..."

Moira thought back and smiled. "Aye, I do. One 'ell o' a storm, tha' was. Enjoyed it, though. Especially th' candlight part. It was verra nice."

Nathan was silent for a long moment, remembering. "So peaceful," he whispered finally. "Even with the storm trying to bring the castle down around our ears."

She giggled. "I remember 'avin' ta convince ye nay ta put up a telekinetic bubble 'round th' mansion," Moira said. "An' convincin' ye tha', aye, 'tis tradition in a black out ta eat all th' ice cream from th' freezers."

"Ah, right," Nathan said wisely. "That's when I discovered your secret love of gelato."

"Tha' stuff is addictin', really."

The memory of her face in the candlelight, laughing, came back to him with a sudden vividness, and he smiled. "And I told you that awful story about Dom and the African medicine man and dysentery..."

Snickering, she shook her head. "An' if'n Dom ever finds out ye told me tha' story, she'll find many, inventive ways ta 'urt ye. Probably wit' dysentery involved."

"What can I say? I like to live dangerously..."