Nathan and Moira, Monday night

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Nathan and Moira demonstrate just why sleep deprivation shouldn't be a couples' activity. Nate makes sense on levels he himself really isn't getting just yet. (Set before Hank's return to the mansion.)



Moira worked on the knotted muscles in her neck as she stared at her computer screen. The lights in her office were dimmed low, she was starting to get a horrendous headache, but the screen was bright and she couldn't tear her eyes from it. All of Alison's files were on that screen and she was forcing herself to read, and reread them, in hopes that something would catch her eye that might help them out of this mess.

Nathan paused in her office door, swaying a little bit as the proximity to her turned their individual headaches into one giant headache. No wonder neither of them were hearing properly along the link. "You," he said, blinking to focus on her, "are supposed to be off-shift. Maddie said. What are you doing?"

"Nnngggh." She waved a hand at him and clutched her head. Ow. That was painful. "I'm studyin' these blasted files, tryin' ta see if'n I can find anythin' I missed."

"You have to sleep," he said, his voice hoarse but the words as forceful as he could make it. "You're not going to do Ali any good if you run yourself into the ground. And you have to sleep." Wait, he'd just repeated himself, hadn't he? Damn it. Not only had Amanda's potion not lasted for more than a few hours, but now he was repeating himself.

"Like yer any better?" With a sigh, Moira realized he was right. But she didn't _want_ to leave. Doing the laundry and taking a shower had been the most she had wanted to spend away from the labs. Downtime meant actually thinking about what was going on to Alison, someone she cared deeply for. "I'll get some rest later, I promise. I jus'...need ta do this."

"You're not going to get anywhere if you don't sleep!" Nathan blinked at the surprised look she gave him and at his own raised voice, then shook his head. "Oh, to hell with it," he growled in agitation, stalking over to her desk. "You're supposed to be off-shift. Asleep. Maddie said."

Maddie had also said SHE was sleeping, earlier, when she hadn't been. But that logic wasn't going to work with Nathan and she furiously back pedled in the chair. Oh yes, if he managed to get a hold of her, he'd force her to sleep. And sleep would mean dreams and nightmares and no way she was going there.

She was trying to get away from him in her chair. Nathan stopped, frustrated, and tried to tell himself that no, pulling out his hair wasn't going to help.

"You won't dream," he said, his voice a bit wild. "I can do that much, you know. Hell, I've been doing things these last couple of days I never thought I could do with my telepathy. And it's really, really weird to be linked to Scott, even temporarily, have I mentioned that? He wants me to be able to hear him if he starts yelling orders and project them to the mansion..."

"An' ye claim _I'm_ pushin' meself ta me limits!" Moira accused, glaring at him slightly. There was still so much work to be done. With Alison, with Betsy. Hell, even with Miles. They were so short handed that even a moments rest could mean barely controlled chaos in the MedLabs. "I cannae?"

"You have to," he said almost desperately. "If you don't... bad things!"

"...bad thin's?" Now he was making even less sense than she was.

Nathan squeezed his eyes shut tightly, trying to concentrate. "I just... think you need to sleep. Maddie's got the medlab covered for a few hours. You can't be thinking straight at this point." Better. More rational at least than the tearing anxiety that was eating away at him every time he'd looked at her for the last couple of days. "If you get some sleep, start fresh... or fresher..."

Moira stopped as he calmed himself down and groaned, rubbing her eyes. "...fine. Only for an 'our or two because Maddie'll need me down 'ere soon " She glanced at him through her fingers and frowned. Something was wrong with him, beyond this whole mess.

"Oh good," Nathan said faintly. "Ani and Mick offered to help in a commando raid, but I figured I would do recon first and see if you were willing to listen to reason. Hurray for you." Before she could react, he had walked over to the chair and scooped her up in his arms. "You don't weigh enough," he protested.

There was a sense of weightlessness as she found herself up off the ground and she blinked at him, startled. "I do ta," she protested back, arms nonetheless snaking around his neck as she settled against him. "Th' girls 'ave been forcefeedin' me all bloody day."

"Not enough," Nathan said stubbornly. "You have to eat properly. It's important."

"...I know 'tis important, Nathan." Moira growled at him under her breath. "Worry wart."

Nathan's arms tightened around her as he headed for the elevator. "I don't like Scott being in my head," he muttered. "He's stewing as much as I am."

Reaching up, she bapped him lightly on the side of the head. "Tha's for bot' o' ye then," she warned. "Share."

"Oh, and now she's beating me," Nathan informed the elevator door as it opened for them. "Very sad. I suppose it's hormones."

"'Tis nay bloody 'ormones!" Moira yelped, glaring at him. "I'll 'ave ye know I'm jus' bloody fine in tha' regard, ye overgrown, typical man."

As the elevator started to move upwards, he shamelessly directed both the puppy-dog eyes and the woeful smile at her and she groaned, burying her face against his shoulder. "What do you want to eat?" he said brightly, having achieved the proper reaction. "I can make anything you like. I think I accidentally absorbed some of Lorna's recipes while I was scanning the mansion on Saturday night. Or maybe it was last night. It's all kind of blurring together."

While she buried her head in his shoulder, she took a second to breath in that familiar, comforting smell of _Nathan_. Relaxing a bit, she smiled and snuggled into a more comfortable position. "Eggs would be nice," she murmured.

"Eggs benedict? Fritatta, strata, quiche... I think I could manage quiche," Nathan rambled. Moira was coming upstairs to sleep and was relaxing and this was all very, very good.

"Jus' _eggs_." The way Nathan was acting was starting to get a little worrisome. "Simple, plain, ordinary eggs. Wit' 'ot sauce."

"But sauce makes the world go around. Or maybe that's friendship. I still think it's sauce, though..." Nathan trailed off at the way Moira was looking at him. "I'm okay," he said almost meekly.

"Nay, yer nay. I'm fine wit' th' cereal we 'ave in our room because ye need ta rest as well."

The elevator stopped and he stepped out, heading immediately for the stairs. They were not going to get stopped by anyone wanting to waylay them, not unless that someone was bleeding in the halls and even then they'd better be bleeding a lot. "I can make you eggs," he said, starting to climb the stairs. Okay, maybe Moira weighed enough after all. "Scrambled or something... won't take me long."

Rolling her eyes, she decided for the one tactic that really would make him listen to her. Tilting her head, Moira said quietly, "But all I really wanted ta do was cuddle...in bed..."

Nathan stopped, blinking at her. "Sneaky woman," he accused her, then started to climb the stairs again. One at a time. Eventually he'd get to the top. "Compromise? Cuddle, sleep, and I'll have eggs for you when you wake up?"

"Mmm, nay goin' ta get ye ta nay cook, am I? Yer actin' verra odd, Nathan."

"I know." Might as well admit it. "I feel a little odd, too. I don't think I've ever used my telepathy this continuously before. But Betsy's out like a light still and Alison needs Charles..."

"Think ye can turn it off lon' enough for us ta get some sleep?" The combined headache thing still was...very painful, she realized, and buried her head into his neck.

Almost at the door of the suite. "Sleep is my first priority," Nathan said. "Unless you want to take a shower or something first?"

"I showered earlier." Moira took a quick sniff of Nathan and wrinkled her nose at him. "But ye on th' other 'and...maybe we could bot' use another one."

"Shower it is, then."

It was a miracle, he reflected fifteen minutes or so later, that neither of them had wound up drowning in the shower. He was fairly sure that Moira had fallen asleep briefly, and had been contemplating carrying her out when she seemed to snap out of it on her own.

They both barely made it to the bed, though, and Nathan half-collapsed beside her, groaning a bit as his exhausted body welcomed the softness of the bed a little too enthusiastically by going completely limp.

"Nice faceplant," Moira commented, curling up under her towel. She wasn't even bothering to get dressed, it was going to take enough energy to crawl under the covers as it was. There was very little muscle tension in her neck and shoulders, she realized happily. Thank God for hot water and water pressure.