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Moira and Nathan are out and about but something's obviously bugging Moira. They finally start talking about what else the future might hold for them: a family.



Moira fidgeted slightly in her chair and pushed her hair out of her eyes. She and Nathan had escaped the mansion for some alone time and had found their way to this little steak place in New York City. He was in the middle of some story that involved Domino, himself and a pack of camels but she couldn't really focus. She'd already talked it over a bit with Alison but the vague feeling that she had from watching Miles the other day was still there and she wasn't trying to do her best to keep it away from the link.

"And then she--" Nathan paused, looking thoughtfully at Moira, who was looking very far away and somewhat unsettled. Not that he hadn't noticed the hints on the link, but he hadn't been willing to push. Though, if she was going to start spacing out at the dinner table... "The ferret is eating my shoe," he said conversationally.

"Tha's nice, dear," she murmured, poking at her steak in a lackluster fashion.

"And the pink elephant outside the window is complaining that this restaurant discriminates against the nasally-challenged."

"Tha's really nay verra nice o' th'..." Moira stopped and raised her head blinking at him. "Th' wha'?"

"Whoops," Nathan murmured, a smile playing on his lips as she gave him a bemused look. "Did I say pink elephant? I didn't think you were listening."

"I...damn, guess I wasnae. I'm sorry, love, jus' a wee bit distracted." She had the presence of mind to blush slightly.

He chuckled softly, reaching across and squeezing her head. "It's been a long few days. You're allowed." She smiled, ducking her head a little, and he gave her a thoughtful look as he drew his hand back and attacked his steak again. "Although you've been a little distracted in an odd way... since we were looking after Miles."

"Ach, ye noticed tha' did ye?" She grimaced at his look. "Well, we 'ad bloody demons, Nathan, everyone was distracted." Moira grew silent again and poked at her food. She really wasn't all that hungry, a side affect of working in the labs for too long.

"Some of us were asleep," Nathan pointed out wryly. "And I think I was a bit groggy the next day, too..." He sipped at his water, tilting his head as he regarded her. "You liked having Miles around," he said, more softly, "but it unsettled you, too."

She was having some problems meeting his eyes, she realized and cleared her throat. "A wee bit, aye. Think I enjoyed 'avin' 'im around a wee bit ta much." The talk with Alison hadn't made this talk any much easier, she realized, grimacing.

"Why too much?" Nathan prompted gently.

All Moira could do was shrug a little and look up at him, a little helplessly. They hadn't talked about this at all. It was even hard discussing about the other children and maybe those wounds were too fresh.

He reached out for her hand again. "We should... talk about it, don't you think?" he asked. "Even if we don't ever... do anything else."

She swallowed hard but intertwined her fingers with his. "Aye, I think 'tis a good time ta talk 'bout it," she whispered, holding onto his hand for dear life.

"I know we both have reasons," Nathan started slowly, not breaking eye contact, "to be terrified at the very idea. Good reasons."

"Terrified doesnae even begin ta describe it," Moira managed, smiling a little shakily. "God knows I was terrified even think' 'bout...any part o' it yesterday. But...ta emotional, arenae I?"

"Do you really think either of us should be cool-headed about this?" Nathan said with a faintly unsteady chuckle. "I think that'd be a good sign that there's something wrong."

"True," she said, slowly, thinking about it. "I'm terrified o' th' idea an' yet..." The idea, a baby, her's and his--her stomach knotted up and not all in the bad way. They were getting older, not younger unfortunately, and both of their boys had--she shuddered slightly.

Nathan gazed at her, trying to interpret the flow of jittery thoughts down the link. "You're frightened of the possibilities," he said very softly. "How your genes and mine might mix."

Moira nodded. "I 'ad a verra powerful mutant at birt' wit' jus' me genes an' Joes," she said slowly, chewing on her lip. "An' it nearly killed me givin' birt' ta Kevin, nay ta mention everythin' else. But I'm nay sure 'ow it would be wit' us."

"Maybe we should look at this practically," Nathan said after a moment, thinking. "How much farther has the science come, when it comes to understanding mutation... handling problems."

She chuckled a little at that. She somewhat had a hand in that, she knew and she felt the muscles in her neck unclench. "True. But after everythin' we bot' wen through? Th' question is would ye, would we bot', want ta try now, wit' us?"

Nathan was silent for another long moment. "I--" He trailed off, gazing at her helplessly, getting the strong sense that she wasn't going to give him her thoughts on the issue until he went first. "The idea, of a child of ours... as frightening as the possibilities are, it just... it feels..." He stopped, sighing, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment. "Right," he finally said, almost inaudibly.

She whimpered slightly and shut her eyes tightly, the room swimming just slightly before she had done so. "It does, at tha'," Moira managed, gulping slightly. "I wasnae sure 'ow ta brin' it up but wit' th' link, I guess 'twas 'ard ta ignore." She smiled slightly. "Never really talked 'bout th' kids before, nay for verra lon' or without pain."

"I know," Nathan murmured. He reached down the link with the barest mental caress. "Kevin and Tyler... whatever we decide, they're always going to be with us. The memory of them. Their ghosts." He blinked a bit rapidly, squeezing her hand. "But damn it," he said a bit hoarsely, "we were good parents. We did our best. The things that were out of our control... they may not be factors at all this time."

Moira's other hand reached over and gripped the hand laying on hers tightly. "Ye know I try so 'ard ta remind meself tha' I was," she said, choking back some of the tears. "An' I keep falterin' on tha' one. But I was, I tried me best an', damn it, we were bot' cheated so 'orribly."

"There's something else to remember," Nathan said as firmly as he could. "It wouldn't be just us this time." He took a deep breath. "If there are medical problems, if there are... other dangers, we wouldn't have to deal with it on our own." A faint, unsteady smile tugged at his lips. "Rather... big and multi-talented family we have back there at the school."

She relaxed slightly at that. "Aye, yer right at tha'. We've got a 'uge support network behind us, one neither o' us 'ad before. Th' rest o' th' doctors three, jus' ta name a few." There was a pause. "Are ye as scared 'bout this as I am? I jus' need ta check an' make sure."

Nathan nodded. "But I think I'm willing to take the chance," he said very quietly. "If you are. The possible risk to you worries me more than anything else..."

"As lon' as ye suddenly dinnae bugger off, I'll be fine." Suddenly, Moira leaned over the table and kissed him quickly before pulling away, blinking back tears.

"Hey," he said very firmly, taking the hand with the ring in his other hand and bringing it to his lips briefly. "Not buggering anywhere. Ever." He traced one of the meditative patterns in his mind, trying to get his emotions to level out a little. "So. Is this us deciding... what exactly are we deciding, here?"

"I'm...nay exactly sure," she admitted, chuckling a little. "Maybe tha' if'n somethin' 'appens, neither o' us will freak. Ta badly. Or at least attempt ta. An' maybe us realizin' tha' we may want, well, a family?"

"Okay," Nathan said with a helpless little smile. "I think I can handle that, if you can..." He shook his head suddenly, the smile growing. "Well," he said a bit more calmly. "For the big scary topic, that went fairly well, didn't it?"

"Aye, it did. We were bein' all mature an' stuff."

Nathan looked down at his steak. "My appetite went somewhere far away," he said a bit mournfully, then glanced at her plate. "And I think yours has been AWOL all evening."

"Left me appetite back at th' lab, unfortunately, even before thinkin' about all o' this." Moira shook her head. "Ye know 'ow I get when I'm down there for ta lon'."
Nathan gave her hand one last squeeze and then leaned back, his gaze and his mind wandering idly around the restaurant. Habit, to check for anyone paying too much attention, or not enough. Nothing tweaked his attention, though. He supposed that meant his defensive-driving skills were still in good order.

"We should go find dessert," he teased lightly, turning his attention back to Moira. "That would restore your appetite."

She tilted her head at him, having caught the look around the restaurant. "Find dessert?" she asked, smiling. "Where do ye 'ave in mind tha' we can find dessert?"

"I figured we could just drive around with the windows down and you could follow the smell of chocolate," Nathan said innocently.

Very lightly, Moira kicked him under the table.

"Ow," Nathan mock-protested, poking at his steak. "Shall we get doggie-bags?"

"O' course! Could ye bear ta leave this much good steak uneaten?"