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[x-mactaggart.livejournal.com]

Moira and Dom talk while Nathan's asleep, seeking comfort in each other. These two are getting along better than even Nathan could have hoped. And then a surprise knock--a good--one interrupts their talks, not that either of them mind.



Domino peered into the kitchenette. "Good," she said briskly, seeing Moira assembling a sandwich and a plate of fruit. "I was afraid I was going to have to force-feed you. Which would have been terribly undignified."

Moira flashed her a quick, but tired, smile. "Missed breakfast, so I figured someone was 'bound ta try an' sit on me. Either 'enry, since 'e threatened, or ye." Even after a night's sleep, she still felt sluggish and exhausted. The shower hadn't helped much in that regard, much to her displeasure. "'ow're ye 'oldin' up?"

"Oh, good," Domino said a bit vaguely, leaning on the counter. "Caught up with some people. Hugged Amanda. Got some air last night. Jumped off the roof."

There was a slight pause in her motions as she caught the last activity. "Busy day. Especially jumpin' off th' bloody roof." She raised an eyebrow at Dom and looked a little worried. "Any particular reason?"

Domino shrugged. "Trying to prove a point to Manuel. Didn't take."

"Remind me ta strike 'jumpin' off th' roof' off th' lists o' thin's ta try wit' tha' youn' man," Moira said, dryly.

Domino shrugged again, then wandered over to the couch, plopping herself down. "He's asleep again?" she asked, her eyes going to the bedroom door, open just a crack.

"Aye, exhausted 'imself again," she commented, scooping up the plate and following Dom to the couch. "Feelin' 'e'll be doin' tha' for a while. Probably good for 'im, nay mattered 'ow frustrated 'e gets." She paused. "Which makes 'im fall asleep."

Domino pulled her legs up under her, stealing a piece of apple off Moira's plate. "I woke up crying this morning," she said, her voice very low. "It was embarrassing."

The plate was nudged closer to the other woman, she looked like she needed the food as much as Moira did. "Cannae blame ye," she murmured. "Only reason I dinnae is because I think, at this point, I dinnae 'ave th' strengt' ta cry. Nay for a while, at least."

"I wanted to come back here, when Pete emailed me," Domino said, nibbling apathetically at the apple. "I really did. But I thought the leads I was following might get me somewhere... and they did, just not anywhere near Nate."

"Ye were doin' somethin', though," Moira pointed out gently. "Sometimes 'tis 'arder ta sit an' wait for somethin' ta 'appen. Doin' somethin'--trust me, many times I wish I could 'ave been doin' anythin' other than sittin' in th' dark."

Domino shook her head at the older woman. "I don't doubt it," she said. "I don't doubt for a moment that it was harder. I just... part of me still thinks I should have been here with you." She colored a little. "Well, that came out a little odd-sounding," she said with a faintly defensive smile.

Reaching over, Moira took Dom's hand in hers and squeezed. "But I understood wha' ye meant an', really, tha's all tha' counts. An' I wouldnae been verra good company--spent all me time either cryin', sleepin', or feelin' like me 'ead was goin' ta come apart at th' seams." A weary look crossed her face. Another round of tests had been ordered for her, to double check on her well-being.

Domino frowned a bit. "Are you going to be okay?" she asked hesitantly. "I mean, not in the general sense. But the link breaking, and all the stress you've been under..." Domino flushed again. "Nate, um, told me about your ulcer. I was worried."

Even after all the questions about her well being, Moira just smiled. After all, not that long ago they would have been throwing insults, and whatever else they could get their hands on, at each other. They'd come a long way. "I...think so. Th' stress 'asnae done anythin' good for me 'ealt' but I think I'll be okay." She hesitated. "Few times found meself cravin' a drink--been a verra, verra lon' time since I've actually wanted one."

Domino hesitated, then reached out and took Moira's hand, squeezing it tightly. "But you kept it together," she said, her eyes stinging a little as she tried to smile. "You know, I used to wonder why he was quite that gone on you... I think I'm beginning to see that at least part of it is because you're every bit as tough as he is."

"Nearly didnae 'old it together this time," she admitted, shaking her head. "I broke down a lot, but I was gettin' pretty damned close to tha' edge..."

"I can't imagine this week could have been much harder," Domino said. "In any way, shape, or form." She took a deep breath, then released it, giving Moira's hand one last squeeze before letting go. "Eat your sandwich," she said firmly, stealing half a kiwi. "I've got to nag you in his place, you know."

She grinned a little and did take a bit of the sandwich, hushing her stomach when it protested slightly. It would feel better once food was down there. "So, ignorin’ yer sudden desire ta fly--really, 'ow are ye doin' today?"

"I'll be happier when GW gets here. Should only be a few more hours, though." Domino smiled a bit wanly. "Think Nate'll be happy to see him?"

"God, aye." She nodded heartily at that. "So will I, tell ye th' trut'. Was damned glad when ye got 'ere, as well." Moira wasn't sure if she had told Dom that, but did want it to be known.

Domino's smile was a little more natural suddenly, making her look quite a bit younger. "Uhh... well, I'm glad, then. We're both glad, that's good..." She ate the rest of the kiwi, then stole one of the napkins Moira had brought with the plate to wipe her fingers. "Did you sleep okay last night? Did he?"

"Nathan did, tha's for sure. Whatever Charles' 'it 'im wit' hasnae stopped 'im from snorin'." The smile she had was an affectionate one, no matter the slight wry tone of her voice. "I think it'll take some time for me ta be able ta sleep well. Bein' kidnapped probably 'as somethin' ta do wit' tha', though."

Domino's eyes went briefly flinty. She took the plate and set it on the coffee table, before Moira could protest, then shifted across the couch and hugged the older woman tightly. "I remember what it was like when Shaw's people had me," she murmured.

Surprised, she nonetheless returned the hug, equally as tightly. "'Tis a bitch, it really is," Moira said. It was always startling to think of how _young_ Domino really was. She'd always been so much older. Not only in how she acted but the look in her eyes, as well. Life had stripped her of that youthfulness and made Moira forget her actual age. "One o' these days, it'll get better..."

"Has to, now," Domino said stubbornly. "It's a rule. Nightmares can come true if they want, but then they have to fuck off."

"We're all gettin' ta used ta good spots ta take th' bad stuff liein' down, I'm thinkin'," she added, hoping there'd be more good times ahead.

Domino finally drew back a bit, but kept her arm around Moira's shoulders. "I still sort of wish I'd been here," she said quietly. "At that art exhibit, at least."

Moira thought about that for a second. "Part o' me wishes th' same thin'. Th' other--I wasnae there but it was so 'ard when they brought 'im back. I dinnae think any o' us 'ave ever seen 'im like tha' before." And it could _all_ have been prevented, a part of her snarled.

"What... was he like?" Domino asked slowly, not entirely sure she wanted to know. "Before the conditioning was broken... I mean, you told me about the link, and that he knew what was happening..."

She sighed. "Verra cold, it seemed. Confused but tha's because o' everythin'. Told me tha' if'n I dinnae let 'im go, 'e'd end up killin' someone. Obviously followin' th' Mistra plan in 'is 'ead."

"I talked to Shinobi about it a little, last night," Domino said slowly. "He told me that when he was in there with him, Nate broke down..."

Moira nodded, tired. "Aye. Like 'e said, part o' 'im could feel everythin' tha' was goin' on an' it jus' got ta be ta much. Nathan said it 'urt ta think o' me because o' wha' they did ta th' link."

"They really shot themselves in the foot," Domino murmured. "Between that, and sending him back out again so soon... I really wish I knew why they made the decisions they did. Seems to me it might be important to understand."

"I dinnae think we'll ever know." She grimaced. "Wish we would know, though, because yer right. It would be bloody 'elpful. But at least th' President knows 'bout them an' 'opefully they willnae be pokin' their 'eads up soon."

Domino grimaced, but before she could register an opinion about just how much she didn't trust the American government to do anything about a group that they had, after all, created in the first place, a knock came at the door. Domino grinned wryly at Moira. "More kids trooping through to see Nate, you think?"

Chuckling, she squeezed Dom's shoulders gently before standing up as the person knocked again. "Probably." Sighing good naturedly, she walked towards the doors. "'old yer bloody britches on," Moira remarked, opening the door and then stopped, blinking in confusion. "Bloody 'ell--G.W.?!"

Bridge smiled wearily at her, part of him tensing at the sight of her bruised face, even as he stepped into the room and hugged her. Domino bounced up off the couch and came running over, and he drew her into the hug without hesitation. "So," he said tiredly. "Four planes later, here I am..."

Moira felt some of her muscles untense in the hug and she leaned into G.W., as if to draw strength from him. "Dom said tomorrow," she muttered, voice muffled from the hug. "Nay complainin', though, nay at all."

"I said a few more hours," Domino said with a strangled laugh. "You really need to sleep more, Moira." She looked up at him. He looked absolutely exhausted. The mission in Afghanistan must have been rough, on top of everything else. "The others pout about being left behind in Berlin?"

"What do you think?" He kissed her on the forehead and then turned his attention to Moira. "Are you okay? I can see the bruises..."

Unconsciously, she reached up and touched the bruises. "Bruised, exhausted," Moira murmured, smiling a little. "An' Dom's right, I need ta sleep more. But--nay, I'm nay really okay. I think I will be, eventually, though."

An arm around each of them, he led them over to the couch, and the three of them sat down. Bridge's eyes went to the bedroom door, almost hesitantly. "Almost afraid to ask about him," he murmured.

"I think 'e'll be fine." The door, and what lay beyond it, had everyone's attention. "May take some time for 'im as well. Charles 'as it so whenever 'e gets really worked up, 'e falls back asleep. Kind o' cute in a depressin' sort o' way."
"
His conditioning's really gone?" Bridge asked, as if he could hardly believe it. Domino nodded, laying her head against his shoulder. "Well, shit," he said, something close to wonder in his voice.

Moira smiled at that. "My reaction exactly--though I think it involved tears."



Later in the day, Moira watches Nathan sleep until he wakes up. They discover he's still jumpy over certain things, no surprise, and work towards getting over those hurdles.



Moira shifted slightly and idly flipped a page of the book that she was reading. Or that she was pretending to read. In fact, she was watching Nathan sleep beside her so intently that she didn't even know what was in her hands at the moment. It was slow going, watching him get his proverbial emotional feet back under him but Charles had reassured her that he was making good progress, so she was content to just help and watch him.

The slight movement of the bed pulled him out of his doze, and Nathan blinked up at her for a moment, waiting for his eyes to focus. And waiting. "What're you reading?" he murmured finally. Book. Yes, that was a book on her lap.

"Nay sure, really," she admitted. "Watchin' ye sleep, mostly."

"Not very interesting, I bet..." He stared up at her for a long moment, thoughtfully. "Can I have your lap, then?"

"Verra relaxin' though." With a quick movement, her lap was cleared and she patted it before reaching out a hand. "O' course, love."

Nathan shifted over, with some difficulty. His body was still a little disconnected from his brain, it seemed. Walking across the room to the bathroom had been a serious challenge, each time, and the less said about the attempted shower, the better. A sigh escaped him as he laid his head in her lap. "Better," he murmured. "Much better than the pillow."

Smiling, she leaned down and pressed a kiss to his temple, pausing to catch her hair as it fell into his face. "Sorry 'bout tha'," she murmured, laying an arm over him. "Feelin' any better?" She'd seen his efforts to do things--it was getting better with each use, though it was slow going and she knew he was annoyed at times.

"Don't feel bad," he protested mildly, then frowned a little. "Sort of sore, still. Burns hurt. Pete and his damned hotknives..."

Silently, Moira ran cool fingers down his neck. He was a little hot to the touch but that was probably due to all the stress he had put on his body. At the same time, on the whim, she did the same thing to the link.

He closed his eyes against the sudden sting of tears. Happy tears, though, so they didn't suddenly make him want to nap. Not much, at least. "I can feel you," he murmured, his voice catching a little.

"I know, I can feel ye ta." She did the motion in her mind again, a little stronger. It felt like something was giving, slowly, but it wasn't painful. "Charles said it'll open up ta wha' it used ta be wit' use," Moira murmured, smiling when she felt the tentative touches from the other side.

"Am I awake?" Nathan whispered, knowing he sounded pitiful but unable to help the need to question. "Are you sure I'm awake?"

"Completely, utterly awake," she reassured him, bending down to drop another soft kiss. A second passed as she sought out his hand but then intertwined her fingers with his. "I feel real, aye?"

"Cold hands, warm heart," he said softly, after a moment. It was something he had said to her years ago, a joke he'd made during an examination. Of course, then she'd given him an evil smile and said something about getting the stethoscope out of the freezer.

Moira blinked down at him. She had completely forgotten that happening but when his memory trickled down the link, it roused hers. "Ye make th' most interestin' noises," she said, giving a small, watery laugh.

"You enjoyed it way too much," Nathan sighed, closing his eyes. "Big old streak of sadism, yours... wouldn't have you any other way."

"Nay, I wouldnae. An' ye wouldnae 'ave me any other way." She bent a little, to pillow her head on his shoulder. It was slightly uncomfortable but she had worse positions before. An image of her curling around Nathan's pillows flashed through her mind and she took a deep breath.

"You were scared..." Nathan opened his eyes, blinking out rather blearily at the room. "I hate them for that," he said quietly. "For hurting you. More than for what they did to me."

She gave a weak chuckle. "Ye know wha'? Feel th' same--'ate them for wha' they did ta ye, but I can live wit' wha' they did ta me." Moira smiled at him for a second. "But, aye, terrified. Ye know I almost slept wit' tha' damned gun o' yers once?" Now she could find amusement in the thought.

"It's a nice gun," Nathan murmured after a moment. "You should've, if it would have helped."

"Figured if'n I did tha', I wouldnae be able ta tell ye couldnae sleep wit' it under 'er pillow," she rationalized. "'Sides, found out 'ittin' people made me feel much better."

Nathan blinked. "Who'd you hit?" he asked dimly.

"Kritzer," Moira said, a trace of smugness in her voice. Since Nathan had been filled in, she knew he would know who she was talking about. "Crossed th' line an' tha' was before th' entire story came out. Made me even 'appier I 'ad 'it 'er."

He reached up, patting her arm where it was still around him. "I'm very lucky," he said with a certain groggy glee. "My girlfriend beats up on evil women who want to kill me."


"Bitch," she agreed and then laughed at the look he gave her. "Well, she is. 'enry nearly 'ad ta sit on me after I found out th' entire story. Lucky for 'er, they were already gone. Though I did 'ave quite th' cheerin' section in me 'ead."

Nathan gave a noise that would have been a chuckle if there'd been more energy behind it. Instinctively, he reached out to where the Askani were curled at the back of his mind, to reassure himself that they were there, where they should be. They murmured softly, comfortingly to him. "They're so quiet," he murmured.

"Probably tired, as much as they can be tired." She started playing with his hair. "Ye need a trim badly." Moira giggled. "Looks like 'tis curlin' at th' ends."

"Don't know about people with sharp objects," Nathan muttered, his forehead creasing. The thought made him very slightly nervous. "Except... scissors, I guess. Scissors are okay."

"I could always do it," Moira offered, tracing the lines on his neck. "Used ta cut Kevin's 'air...do ye know 'ow 'ard it 'tis ta cut a reality warper's 'air?"

Nathan blinked, a little surprised at how lightly she'd said that. "Always knew you were awfully skilled," he said softly. "Cutting hair's new, though..." He shivered, stiffening a little at the touch of her hand on his neck.

Her hand froze where it was. "Nathan?" she asked, frowning.

"I..." His eyelids were drooping again, suddenly. "Don't know," he muttered, troubled. "Tensed up suddenly..."

"Was it somethin' I did?" Moira bit her lip and clenched her hand, not wanting to move or do anything that would make him uncomfortable.

"Don't think so..." He tried to analyze the reaction, to figure out what had happened. "Almost like the conditioning," he muttered finally, bothered by the thought. "Throat's a vulnerable area. Used to get nervous if anyone... but it doesn't make any sense. If the conditioning's gone..."

"Sweetheart? Ye've jus' spent a week in 'ellish conditions. 'Tis nay wonder yer jumpy." Moira paused and leaned closer. #Trust me?#

"I do," he murmured insistently. "Know you wouldn't hurt me."

"Jus' relax then..." Slowly, she returned her hand to his neck and stroke it. She was expecting him to flinch. So she didn't stop when she felt him do that. Humming quietly, she kept up the motions and slowly, she felt Nathan start to relax. A small smile appeared when she leaned down and kissed him on the neck and he didn't jump.

"Could we just stay in here?" he whispered. "I mean, forever..." He felt safe. Twitchiness aside, he felt safe, and he squeezed his eyes shut, breathing out on a shaky sigh.

Moira shifted, sliding her legs out from under Nathan. He made a small disappointed noise and she couldn't help but laugh when it changed as she snuggled up against him. "I wish," she said, sighing.

"Worried about not being in here..." He tried not to tense again, but wasn't all that successful, and his eyes were closing again before he could try and relax. "Don't know... that I can handle it all. After everything that happened..."

It hurt, a little, that he tensed when she touched him but she knew it was Mistra's fault, not his. After all, they had gotten around nearly 7 years of it--a few days would be nothing, right? "Ye'd be surprised at 'ow stron' ye are," she murmured, trying to decide if she needed to distance herself from him a little, give him some room.

"Don't know," he murmured miserably. "So many of them saw me trying to kill Charles.

"An' all of them know why. They know it wasnae ye an', trust me, most o' them understand from Betsy 'bout yer body nay bein' under yer own control." Moira tilted her head. "I can move back, if ye want..."

"No," he whispered. "Don't. I'm okay." His jaw trembled a little. "Shouldn't be this... jumpy. Not even a week...." He was starting to slip again, he could feel it. Back into that comforting drowsiness.

#Does this 'elp?# Touching the link, joining with it. Maybe that would help. She hoped. If not, it did serve to deepen and widen the link back to what they both wanted it to be. So, she kept touching it gently, caressing it like she had his neck a little while ago. #Ye 'ave every right ta be jumpy, Nathan. Every right.#

It did. #More broken-down an old soldier even than I used to be,# he sent back tiredly.

#Perhaps, but yer _my_ 'broken-down old soldier' an' tha's all tha' matters ta me,# she sent, stubbornly.

#I'm so tired,# he sent back along the link, sighing. #So tired all the time these last couple of days...#

#I know. 'Tis okay ta be tired. We can be tired together.# She shifted slightly and the ring he had bought her months early fell out of her shirt, still on that silver chain. She smiled down at it.

The sapphires twinkled in the overhead light. Nathan remembered suddenly that he'd bought the ring that weekend back in May, before meeting MacInnis in the bar. "She gave it back to me," he murmured. "That weekend. I dropped it... she picked it up, told me not to lose it." He reached out with an unsteady hand, fingering the ring gently. "Cruel," he finally said, his voice cracking a little. "If she knew back then what she was doing... that I wouldn't survive it..."

Her hand covered his. "I think she did. I'm glad I told 'er "nay" in nay uncertain terms, even before I knew tha' part." Moira's jaw tightened. "I was able ta blow so many bloody 'oles through 'er plan under ten minutes an' she thought I'd say aye. Moron." What burned her was that they knew about Charles and they hadn't bothered to ask for help. Everything could have been avoid...

Nathan shifted closer to her suddenly, his arms going around her as he buried his face in the crook of her neck, trembling with sudden tension. Too much. It tipped the balances all the way, finally, and he drifted back to sleep, tranquility descending on him like a curtain drifting downwards in the breeze.

Dryly, Moira thought she was going to have to talk to Charles about the falling asleep at the drop of a hat, though she knew why. Shifting slightly, she draped her arms around him. Not tired, she was simply content to hold onto him and watch him sleep.

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[x-avier.livejournal.com]

I promise you, Moira, my decision was in no way an attempt to keep the two of you from behaving scandalously in inappropriate locations.

That was just a side benefit.