Moira and Scott

[x-mactaggart.livejournal.com]

Moira wakes up right as Scott stops in and fills her in on what happened. She tries to stay together as the talk but it doesn't quite hold together.



Moira woke with a moan and sat up, gasping. MedLab, she reminded herself, she was in the MedLab. She clutched her head, the headache had only gotten worse since everything had happened. She knew some of what had happened, Henry had told her when she had first woken up and then--he'd given her something, a sedative. Wordlessly, she buried her head in her hands and tried not to cry out Nathan's name.

They'd get him back, they would have to.

Scott, after exchanging a few quiet words with Madelyn in the hall, lingered in the doorway for a moment, watching the woman huddled on the bed. "Moira," he said softly, coming in slowly, as if he was approaching a wounded animal.

Not expecting anyone, she jerked her head up and then blinked. "Scott." She coughed, surprised at how dry her throat was.

He pulled a chair over to the bed, still moving slowly. "Can I get you anything?" he asked quietly. "Some water?"

"Aye, water would be a good start," Moira said, sinking back into the pillows behind her. She glanced over and figured he had to look as haggard as she felt.

Scott turned away to pour her a glass of water and then brought it over, sitting down. "Here," he said, his voice a bit raggedly as he met her eyes. "Has... anyone told you what happened?"

"A bit." There was a tremor in her voice as she took a sip of water and her knuckles were white as they held the glass. "'e's gone," she whispered tightly. "I know tha' much."

"The warehouse collapsed," Scott said wearily, flinching a bit as he remembered trying to get everyone out. Shinobi, not moving as Paul pulled the debris away... "It was Nathan, Moira. Something happened... the telepath did something to him, and suddenly he was taking orders from them."

"God." She pressed her free hand to her eyes, trying to hold back the tears. "They--damn it, they bloody well triggered 'im," Moira bit out, shaking her head. "Is everyone okay?" Please, she thought, let them be okay.

"Shinobi's the worst-hurt," Scott said, reaching out and taking her hand, squeezing it gently after she had put the water glass down. "Concussion and bruised ribs. Everyone else has mostly minor injuries. Paul and Haroun were clear of the warehouse when it went down and got the rest of us out."

"Thank God." She couldn't bring herself to let go of his hand, not now anyway. "All my fault," she got out, staring up at him. "If'n I 'adnae gone into New York today, or if'n I 'ad 'ad me bloody phone on me instead o' in me car--"

"Stop," Scott said, his voice low but firm. He wasn't going to let her do this to herself. "Stop right there, Moira. There's fault here, but none of it is yours. Or Nathan's. Blame the people who brought this about, but don't turn it on yourself."

Moira shook her head, tears falling freely now. "I wasnae able ta _do_ anythin'," she gasped, fighting for that control of hers. Why was it abandoning her now when she'd had it through the kidnapping? "All I could do was bloody well watch!"

"There wasn't anything you could do," Scott said, his voice catching. It hurt to see Moira in such pain, all of her poise and confidence gone. "You had to depend on us to help you."

Another shake of her head. "I tried, I did, but all it did was ta stir them up some more." The girl in the puddle of water, Case and his arm, but it hadn't been enough. None of it had. "An' now, they 'ave Nathan an'--damn it!" Moira met Scott's gaze. "I told them I would 'ave taken a bullet if'n it meant them nay gettin' 'im."

There wasn't a doubt in his mind that she meant it, not seeing the look in her still tear-filled eyes. Scott held onto her hand, not breaking eye contact. "We're going to do everything we can," he said. Not going to lie to her and tell her it was going to be okay. "I swear, Moira."

"I know," she whispered, voice hoarse from the tears. "I need 'im back, Scott. I dinnae know wha' I'd do without 'im." The knowledge that he was still alive and that there was a possiblity of getting him back was what stopped her from breaking completely. But only that knowledge.

Scott swallowed. "Can you feel anything on your link?" he asked.

Moira shook her head and winced as her headache reminded her it was still there. "Nay," she answered, thickly. "I know 'tis still _there_ but beyond tha', nothin'. They're blockin' 'im an'--in trut', I'm nay sure wha' they're goin' ta do ta th' link."

He hadn't really thought she would be able to tell him anything, but he'd had to try. "I'm so sorry," he whispered, staring down at their joined hands. "Tactical error on my part. We should have found another way, and not sent him in..."

"I know Nathan," she said, quietly. "'e would nay 'ave 'ad it any other way." Another surge of guilt hit her and she knew she was the reason he had gone in first. Moira took a deep breath and shoved it down, deep inside her. She would deal with that another time.

"It's all right... not to be able to handle this, Moira," Scott said after a long moment, the words coming out slowly, reluctantly. "You don't have to be... together."

"'onestly, Scott? I dinnae know any other way ta be." A watery smile crossed her face before she found herself fighting back the tears again.

"He'd be... so glad that you're safe," Scott murmured, his eyes going back to their joined hands. "You could tell, when we were getting ready to head out. It was all he cared about..."

"I s-still cannae 'elp but think--would 'e be better off if I 'ad died or now tha' I live an' 'e's back wit' them?" Moira managed to get out before she reached hand up and covered her mouth, shoulders shaking harder with every passing second.

"You're alive," Scott told her. "He's alive. Moira, so long as that's the case there's hope."

Unable to speak at the moment, she squeezed his hand tightly and nodded. It was taking all she had to try and stop crying so hard and it felt like she would never stop.

Hesitantly, Scott shifted forward and put an arm around her. "Everything we can," he repeated in a hoarse whisper. "I promise."

With a broken cry, Moira found herself clinging to Scott and crying onto his shoulder. "Jus' brin' 'im 'ome," she got out through the sobs and let the tears run their course.