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xp_logsAt the Vegas safehouse, Nathan helps Amanda pack and tells her about the handy mystic site nearby that Strange suggested as a perfect locale for a recharge. They leave Vegas behind quite gladly.
"Just to let you know," Nathan said from the doorway, watching Amanda pack her things, "I had to grit my teeth but good when he told me about that part of the plan." She turned around to face him, and his jaw clenched at her bruised face. Of all the people to throw back into the figurative line of fire, yet again...
"Nate, 's all right. I knew goin' in that there'd be some rough stuff, an' as much as Le Beau's a pain in the arse, he weren't about t' let me get really hurt." At least, she'd hoped not, if only because he had needed her for the rest of the plan. The room swam around her again, and she paused in her packing to lean against the wardrobe.
"I suppose that's the price you pay for having abilities that are so damned useful," Nathan said with a certain amount of irritation directed at Arcade's psi-suppressant gear and himself. This would have been infinitely simpler if he'd just been able to... no. What is, is. He swallowed the irritation and managed a tight, weary smile as he moved forward into the room. "You know, why don't you sit down? I can pack for you. Not like you had much here."
"If I sit I'll end up passin' out," Amanda protested, but moved to sit on the bed any way. She was so tired. "I think I did more magic tonight than I have for the past month," she said wryly, watching him float possessions into her duffle bag - the magic books and components outnumbered the actual clothes. "No problems either, tho' that last glamour was a bit touch an' go. Wasn't sure it was gunna hold long enough."
"I talked to Strange," Nathan said crisply, ignoring her surprised look. "He thinks you need a recharge. Had a suggestion, too - a mystic site outside the city. You up for a bit of a road trip?" He smiled a little. "Or would you rather just head to the airport and figure out something when we're back in Westchester?"
Recharge? Goddess did that sound good. And there was nothing at Westchester she could use apart from the amulet which was already stretching as far as it could. "Can't go 'gainst the Doctor's orders," she said with a grin. The movement of her facial muscles pulled at the gash in her eyebrow and she winced. "Y'know, 'm re-thinkin' this whole piercin' thing. People like grabbin' 'em way too much."
"Ask Garrison the next time you see the Pack about what happened to his tongue stud," Nathan said dryly, telekinetically rearranging the items in her duffel bag to cushion the magic components with clothes. "Or don't, you know, if you plan to eat anytime in the immediate future."
"Ugh, an' I only just got 'em re-done after Asgard, too." Amanda sighed dramatically, watching him pack for her. He really was good at that. "But if yer not in a hurry t' get back t' Moira, I really could use a break that doesn't involve death threats an' guns in the face," she added, this time the sigh a lot less dramatic. "Manuel's doin' all right by the sound of things, an' that recharge sounds like a really good idea..." She was starting to slump, she realised vaguely, trying to sit up again and failing.
Nathan smiled a little, thinking about Moira. "I wouldn't want to be away too much longer," he said, "but I talked to her, too, and she agrees that it's important to get you recharged. And yeah," he went on more softly as the duffel bag zipped itself up. "Away from death threats and guns, too."
"Sounds like a plan then." Amanda attempted to get up, but her knees buckled. "Okay, maybe not." She looked up at him. "Looks like you get t' do that carryin' thing yer so good at again."
"Such a tall order," he mocked gently, coming over and scooping her up into his arms with ease, levitating her duffel bag behind them. His was already in the car. "I told the others, too. They know not to expect to see us at the airport."
"You sure you weren't ever a boy scout? Yer've sure got that whole 'be prepared' thing down," she teased, even as she leaned her head tiredly against his chest. He really was good at the carrying thing too.
"No, I picked up my self-sufficiency and organizational skills the hard way," Nathan said wryly, heading down the stairs. "You know," he told her in a bantering tone, "you really are such a drama queen. You've got the dramatic semi-swoon down just perfectly. You ought to teach your classmates."
"They couldn't manage it - takes talent t' manage a really good swoon. 'Sides, you still win for dramatic collapses," Amanda replied, words starting to slur slightly with tiredness. "An' you look better in the tiara."
"I get points for the impact, not the fall," he corrected her meticulously. "After all, when I fall over I look like a toppling tree. Or so I've been told. You, however, do the ladylike wilting- trick." She gave a tired little chuckle. "You do! I half-expect you to drag out the Scarlett O'Hara accent..." Okay, so he was a little punchy from lack of sleep himself.
"Frankly my dear, I don't give a fuck..." she murmured with a faint grin. "An' I bruise too easy for the dramatic tree thing." She took a breath of vaguely-fresh air as they left the house, and her nose wrinkled. "Hate this place. Stinks."
"Air should smell a little better where we're going," he reassured her, heading for the car. The passenger's side door opened and he got her settled inside, checking the seatbelt. Her duffel bag floated around and deposited itself in the trunk, which closed neatly as he came back around to the driver's side. Starting the car, he gave the safehouse one last look, then glanced sideways at Amanda with a smile. "Wave goodbye to the nice safehouse. Tell it thanks for the memories."
With effort she gave it the finger. "Here's t' not havin' t' share a room with the mall rat who snores like someone Cain's size," she said, dropping her hand down again and glancing wearily over at Nathan. "Let's get the hell out of Dodge, yeah?"
"Gladly," Nathan said, quietly but somewhat vehemently, and pulled out of the driveway without a second look.
Out at the Seven Sisters in the Valley of Fire, Amanda gets her overdue magical recharge - which also happens to take care of the residue of Selene's power from the incident at the Hellfire Club. Then they decide to go to New Mexico.
Funny, that the ancient site that was apparently Amanda's best bet at a recharge was also a tourist attraction. Then again, Nathan thought in amusement, glancing sideways at the girl curled up in the passenger's seat of the car, this is Las Vegas.
Though not Las Vegas proper, not anymore. They'd left the city behind miles ago, after telling the others they'd see them back at the mansion. The job was done, in any case, Nathan told himself, and their asses were officially covered. LeBeau and Haroun and Wanda could make sure the kids got back to Westchester okay. He had other responsibilities at the moment.
A faint blue glow was peeking through the tattered duct tape wrapped around the amulet, and Amanda was having trouble keeping her eyes open, she was so tired. Her face hurt too - she'd understood the need for the usual bad-guy threats and casual violence, but it hadn't hurt any the less. But Nathan was there, and that made things a lot easier to manage. "My turn... for the brain sprain..." she murmured, lifting heavy eyes to look at him briefly.
"And have no doubt that I'm going to tease you about it from now until about Christmas," Nathan said firmly. Necessary or not, it had very nearly been too much; he didn't need to know much about magic to know that. All he had to do was look at her. "It's so rare that someone else gets to be the butt of that joke."
A highway sign just ahead told them that the exit to the Valley of Fire State Park was coming up, and Nathan changed lanes, mentally running over the directions and instructions Strange had given him.
There was something... Amanda lifted her head a little, feeling the first faint stirrings of a lot of mystical energy somewhere up ahead. "Wouldn't be fair... if it was just you," she said, a tired smile touching her face. "Still... worth it. All of it."
Nathan made a quiet, skeptical noise and took the next exit. The desert stretched out around them on both sides for as far as the eye could see, nothing but dirt and red standstone. So familiar, he thought with a pang. Not quite his desert, but almost. And his desert wasn't all that far away, was it? A few hours' drive...
"I'm glad there's not much ritual to this," he said quietly. "Otherwise I'd probably bungle it."
"Pretty much dumpin' me... in the middle of the hot spot... an' standin' back." Another faint grin, although her eyes had dropped closed again. "No shakin' yer magic gourd an' doin' the hokey pokey."
"Pity. I have a good sense of rhythm, you know." They drove on in silence for maybe ten minutes, Nathan well aware of the fact she was dozing and content to let her do just that. Although kind of envious. He hadn't had much sleep in Vegas, and the waiting around had been hell on his nerves.
The light doze was well on its way to becoming full sleep when Amanda's eyes snapped open. "We're close," she said - it was fortunate he was a telepath, or the sudden shift might have startled him off the road. Up ahead a series of tall, thin rock formations were projecting from the desert soil into the sky - The Seven Sisters. The sensation of power had been growing stronger, and she managed to push herself a little more upright as Nathan pulled into the small parking lot, empty of other vehicles, fortunately. She really didn't want an audience for this.
Nathan got out, then came around to the passenger's side and, ignoring her token protests, scooped her up in his arms and set out for the Seven Sisters at a brisk walk. "You need to eat more, trouble," he said lightly. "The whole light-as-air thing? Not really working for me." The joking was to cover a sudden surge of fear. She really did seem too light. Like she'd blow away in the wind if he let her go.
"Bottomless Pit, remember?" she murmured, closing her eyes against the sudden wave of dizziness changing position had set off. She could feel the site up ahead, the thrumming of power buzzing through her, making her teeth ache and her blood fizz. "Too much magic... burns up all me energy..." Her head rested limply against his chest, his heartbeat somehow reassuring - a steady counterpoint to the quickening of her own.
"Tell me when we're at the hot spot," Nathan said and kept moving towards the rock formations. He almost imagined that he could feel something as well. Really, probably just his imagination, though...
"Nearly there..." There was a spot, just up ahead, between the two tallest spires. Cloaked in shadow to Nathan's eyes, to Amanda it was incandescent with energy, so bright it almost hurt to look at. Hot spot indeed. She straightened a little, muscles fluttering as waves of that energy washed over her, triggering her mutation. "Just between those two rocks," she instructed, her voice growing stronger.
Nathan carried her over and then set her on her feet, astonished by the sudden, obvious increase in her energy levels. "Should I back away or something?" he asked hesitantly.
"A little bit - need a bit of breathin' room for this..." There was a smell of burning glue, the amulet glowing hot enough now to burn away the duct tape she'd had to use to cover it up in the cold room while she recharged. She dropped to her knees, resting her hands on the ground either side of her, burrowing her fingers into the warm, loose red soil, and jerked suddenly as the contact increased the rate she was absorbing power tenfold. Even as Nathan watched, the residual bruising from the Hellfire Club, the new injuries from Arcade's office, healed themselves, a small scar left where the eyebrow piercing had been ripped out.
He could feel something. It wasn't just his imagination. Eyes widening a little, Nathan continued to watch her, as the amulet blazed incandescent. He took another, half-reluctant step back, every part of him ready to lunge forward and pull her away. Instinct, he told himself, just instinct... she was fine, and she needed to do this...
Every nerve was firing, her skin literally glowing with the power she was channelling, but this wasn't Asgard, or Limbo. This was Earth, where she was supposed to be, and she welcomed the sensation, feeling the surge of untainted power burning out the residual effects of what she'd taken from Selene, light driving shadows away. Lifting her head, she concentrated, and slowly lifted herself into the air, fingertips trailing glimmers of light as they lost contact with the ground. The glow around her increased, then stabilised as she floated upwards, the energy coming to her now from more than just the ground but the rocks, the vegetation, the air itself. Hovering at about twenty feet in the air, she looked down at Nathan, a smile of pure release on her face. "Whee," she said, giggling a little.
Nathan grinned suddenly. Her mind was open, and the euphoric thoughts she was radiating were infectious. "Drama queen," he accused her fondly, reveling in how happy she looked. The insubstantial feel about her was gone completely. "Are you coming back down, or should I come up?"
There was a warning pulse from the amulet, and she looked down at it. "I'll come down," she said, still smiling broadly. "Done me dash - 'm gettin' cut off, by the looks." She let herself drift down towards him, stopping at his eye-level and hugging him fiercely, arms wrapped around his neck. "I could eat a horse," she said with another giggle. "Jockey an' all."
She was impossible. Absolutely impossible. Still grinning, Nathan hugged her back for a long moment before he set her reluctantly back on her feet. "Then feast we shall," he said firmly. "Although, what do you think about hitting someplace take-out and eating in the car?" She gave him a curious look, and his smile faded to something softer and more tentative. "We're not that much of a drive from New Mexico, you know. I'd love to show you some of the places I remember, and I didn't give anyone a definite ETA as to when we'd be arriving back at the mansion..."
He wanted to. Very badly. She tilted her head at him, considering his aura, which was blazing at her. Mind you, so was everything else - if she concentrated, she could see the lines of energy running through this place. Even with the masking effect the Askani had on his aura, she could see how much he wanted to go. "Road trip with one of me favourite people in all the world? Gee, let me think about that," she replied, pretending to ponder the question.
Nathan laughed aloud at her. "Tease. I can get us a flight out of Albuquerque, or Santa Fe... hell, we could go to Roswell if we wanted. What do you say, Scully?" he asked with a grin, deliberately reminding her of that peaceful afternoon out, before the disaster at the Hellfire Club or the whole mess with Arcade.
"The alien place? Sounds like a laugh," Amanda said, bouncing a little on her toes. It was very hard to stay still with the energy of the site coursing through her. "We'll have t' bring Moira back a present so she don't kill us for not comin' back with the rest..." She skipped a little way away from him, spinning a couple of times, leaving the faintest glimmer of a light contrail. "I feel so good, Nate! Like I could fly home all by meself."
"Ah, but then you wouldn't get the thrill of airline food," Nathan said wisely. He half-turned, gesturing at the car. "Shall we?" he asked. "It is quite the drive."
"We shall," Amanda replied with another of those irrepressible grins, and half-ran, half-skipped back down the path to the car ahead of him.
On the road somewhere in Arizona, Amanda contemplates American magic, she and Nathan talk about the events of the week, and he tells her a little (and implies more) about the last time he was in this part of the country.
It was all so big... Amanda reflected, staring out the passenger window at the plains and desert flashing by. Big, and flat, and the sky seemed to stretch forever... They were driving east with the twilight fast descending around them, the Bottomless Pit of Brighton satisfied for the moment with a scary amount of take-out from a small local roadside stand. Power still thrummed through her, but not the high-voltage charge of earlier- it was settling down into the familiar warm glow she always got in the presence of anything mystical. Which, in this case, was the land around them. It might have been colonised and constrained and civilised, but power still ran deep, unseen rivers and wells making themselves known to her, quicksilver flashes at the corner of her eye... "An' Rom said this country didn't have any mysticism t' speak of..." she murmured, mostly to herself.
"I don't know if Romany's ever been out to this part of the country before," Nathan said quietly, hearing it anyway. "There's something... different about it. I always felt like there was, anyway." He had forgotten what the sunset was like out here. Almost... delicate, in how it descended over the desert sky. "Maybe it's just because it was home."
"'S old, but it's more 'n that..." Amanda glanced over at him, enjoying the softening of his expression - he'd been so tense, so on edge, for far too long. "'S free. Even with people livin' here, the roads, there's still somethin' of the old spirit left. Quite a lot, actually." Her look turned considering. "Maybe it's why it feels like home. Like callin' t' like, even back then." She didn't mention Mistra - she didn't need to.
"The astral plane remembers," Nathan murmured, and smiled at the look he got. "Or so I'm told. It retains traces, echoes of psi-patterns of people who aren't around any longer."
"Seems t' me yer psychic plane and my mystic energy ain't always different things..." Amanda said, grinning briefly. "Like the Askani, you mean?"
Nathan paused, caught oddly by the parallel for a moment. "Except in reverse," he said after a moment, his voice still low. "Or sort of, I suppose." They drove on in silence for a while longer, and it was him that finally broke it again. "I was very proud of you this week, you know," he said, eyes on the road, but smiling.
"Needed doin'," she replied, but she sounded pleased. "Besides, had t' show Le Beau I could do it after all those talks 'bout how it could mean the end of the school an' all, an' how it weren't a bloody field trip we were on." Reminding herself that yes, she could feel pleased with a job well done, she allowed herself a grin. "I did kick arse, tho', didn't I?"
"You mean, Remy hasn't got a second career as a motivational speaker ahead of him?" Amanda just grinned, and he laughed. "But yes. Yes, you did. You all did, actually." His expression grew a little more serious. "I just hope none of you have to do it again anytime soon."
"Well, maybe some of 'em needed remindin' how serious it was, but 's not like I've never done anythin' like this before. Well, with less gettin' shot in the face an' all, but you know what I mean. With Dom." She nodded, echoing his serious tone. "An' yeah, 's not somethin' most of 'em should even be thinkin' about. Still, we did it an' without anyone gettin' too hurt." It was a sad thing that she'd been hit in the face so often lately she wasn't even considering Arcade's efforts as being hurt. Although she would miss that piercing - the eyebrow bell had been one of her favourites.
"Think of it this way," Nathan offered easily. "He's working on memories of you from the better part of a year ago. He doesn't know what you've done with Dom, or with me. Hasn't adjusted to the new you just yet." He glanced sideways at her with a small, teasing smile. "I was still very tempted to hit him, after you came back looking like that. Just on principle."
She snickered. "You weren't the only one. Think he enjoyed that whole shootin' me thing way too much." Looking out the window again at the deepening dusk, she was quiet for a long time. "He was right 'bout one thing, tho', when he said I'd do anythin' t' get people out if anythin' happened. Like that thing with the Hellfire Club... After Columbia, Manuel felt horrible, thought he'd hurt me an' I wouldn't want t' be with him again. I barely gave it a thought, even tho' I knew usin' him t' drain Selene like that would hurt him more 'n it'd hurt me. I just did what I had t' do." Her tone was matter-of-fact, no trace of upset. Just reflection. "I dunno if that's a good thing."
"Dom would tell you that women are more practical than men," Nathan said after a moment, thoughtfully. "In some ways, I think she's right. As for whether it's a good thing--" He paused, shrugging. "Depends entirely on the situation. There really are no absolutes, Amanda, but I think you know that already."
"Yeah," she replied wryly. "Can't not know otherwise, with you an' Pete an' Dom an' the magic an' all." Squirming around so she was facing him a little more, legs curled up beneath her on the seat, she changed the subject: "So, you an' the desert. How long's it been since you were last here?"
Nathan didn't answer for a moment. "Seven years," he said finally, very quietly. "I left with Aliya and Tyler, then came back about four months later to... wrap up some business. This is the first time I've been back since." He glanced at her. "Mistra's not here anymore," he thought to reassure her. "They haven't been here since then either." And whoa, that was a little more than he should have said. Amanda was far from stupid. She would at least be able to make a guess at the implications.
Oh, she'd guessed all right - she spent far too much time with Pete to not know what 'wrapping up business' meant. Like the thing with Patches... "Just as well," she said evenly. "One less place they're doin' damage." She leaned her head against the seat's headrest, watching his hands on the steering wheel. "'S not like England at all, all this. So much space, no trees... 'S like the anti-England, actually. Not big on deserts, we ain't. Still, I like it. Even without the big ol' power happy."
"I did a lot of survival training," Nathan said a bit vaguely. "Out here. You'd be surprised by how much life there is, if you know where to look." He shrugged a little. "It's not the harshest sort of desert, this one. Not one of those places where everything living hides itself from the sun." Now he was sounding weird and poetic. Definitely not enough sleep.
"You could show me, if there's time?" Amanda suggested, intrigued. Nathan's brushes with poeticism didn't really phase her, given the whole magic thing - early spell designers had thought themselves creative geniuses, although some of their rhymes were dodgy in the extreme.
"Maybe once we're a little farther," Nathan said after a moment, smiling faintly. "We're still in Arizona. It's not quite my desert yet." He thought about it some more. "We should be well into New Mexico by dawn. Why don't you try and get some sleep?"
The idea appealed - even after the recharge, the demands of the last few days' worth of magic were making themselves felt. "What about you?" she asked, frowning a little. "Don't you need t' sleep too?"
"I can easily go another night," he said amiably, with a shrug. "Worst comes to worst, I'll sleep on the plane." He glanced sideways at her again. "Go to sleep," he urged her, still smiling. "You think the sunset was something, wait until you see the sunrise. I'll wake you up for it. And breakfast."
She could sleep for a week, really, Magic buzz and all. "Pancakes?" she asked hopefully, even as she tipped her seat back a bit - she really hadn't needed much in the way of convincing. The angle meant she got a view of the broad desert sky, the first stars starting to peep through the dark. On a whim, she touched the still-fragile link to Manuel, sending the briefest sensation of love down it. A goodnight kiss. "Talk t' me 'til I fall asleep? One of yer stories 'bout the Pack?"
"Pancakes, if you like," Nathan agreed. "As for stories... hmm. Something desert-themed, maybe. Did I ever tell you the one about the time Dom and Mina and I wound up trekking across the Sahara for six days on foot?"
Tomorrow: Pancakes in Albuquerque, walks down memory lane, Roswell, conversations about Significant Life Decisions, fine Southwestern cuisine, and souvenirs of the non-kitschy variety.
"Just to let you know," Nathan said from the doorway, watching Amanda pack her things, "I had to grit my teeth but good when he told me about that part of the plan." She turned around to face him, and his jaw clenched at her bruised face. Of all the people to throw back into the figurative line of fire, yet again...
"Nate, 's all right. I knew goin' in that there'd be some rough stuff, an' as much as Le Beau's a pain in the arse, he weren't about t' let me get really hurt." At least, she'd hoped not, if only because he had needed her for the rest of the plan. The room swam around her again, and she paused in her packing to lean against the wardrobe.
"I suppose that's the price you pay for having abilities that are so damned useful," Nathan said with a certain amount of irritation directed at Arcade's psi-suppressant gear and himself. This would have been infinitely simpler if he'd just been able to... no. What is, is. He swallowed the irritation and managed a tight, weary smile as he moved forward into the room. "You know, why don't you sit down? I can pack for you. Not like you had much here."
"If I sit I'll end up passin' out," Amanda protested, but moved to sit on the bed any way. She was so tired. "I think I did more magic tonight than I have for the past month," she said wryly, watching him float possessions into her duffle bag - the magic books and components outnumbered the actual clothes. "No problems either, tho' that last glamour was a bit touch an' go. Wasn't sure it was gunna hold long enough."
"I talked to Strange," Nathan said crisply, ignoring her surprised look. "He thinks you need a recharge. Had a suggestion, too - a mystic site outside the city. You up for a bit of a road trip?" He smiled a little. "Or would you rather just head to the airport and figure out something when we're back in Westchester?"
Recharge? Goddess did that sound good. And there was nothing at Westchester she could use apart from the amulet which was already stretching as far as it could. "Can't go 'gainst the Doctor's orders," she said with a grin. The movement of her facial muscles pulled at the gash in her eyebrow and she winced. "Y'know, 'm re-thinkin' this whole piercin' thing. People like grabbin' 'em way too much."
"Ask Garrison the next time you see the Pack about what happened to his tongue stud," Nathan said dryly, telekinetically rearranging the items in her duffel bag to cushion the magic components with clothes. "Or don't, you know, if you plan to eat anytime in the immediate future."
"Ugh, an' I only just got 'em re-done after Asgard, too." Amanda sighed dramatically, watching him pack for her. He really was good at that. "But if yer not in a hurry t' get back t' Moira, I really could use a break that doesn't involve death threats an' guns in the face," she added, this time the sigh a lot less dramatic. "Manuel's doin' all right by the sound of things, an' that recharge sounds like a really good idea..." She was starting to slump, she realised vaguely, trying to sit up again and failing.
Nathan smiled a little, thinking about Moira. "I wouldn't want to be away too much longer," he said, "but I talked to her, too, and she agrees that it's important to get you recharged. And yeah," he went on more softly as the duffel bag zipped itself up. "Away from death threats and guns, too."
"Sounds like a plan then." Amanda attempted to get up, but her knees buckled. "Okay, maybe not." She looked up at him. "Looks like you get t' do that carryin' thing yer so good at again."
"Such a tall order," he mocked gently, coming over and scooping her up into his arms with ease, levitating her duffel bag behind them. His was already in the car. "I told the others, too. They know not to expect to see us at the airport."
"You sure you weren't ever a boy scout? Yer've sure got that whole 'be prepared' thing down," she teased, even as she leaned her head tiredly against his chest. He really was good at the carrying thing too.
"No, I picked up my self-sufficiency and organizational skills the hard way," Nathan said wryly, heading down the stairs. "You know," he told her in a bantering tone, "you really are such a drama queen. You've got the dramatic semi-swoon down just perfectly. You ought to teach your classmates."
"They couldn't manage it - takes talent t' manage a really good swoon. 'Sides, you still win for dramatic collapses," Amanda replied, words starting to slur slightly with tiredness. "An' you look better in the tiara."
"I get points for the impact, not the fall," he corrected her meticulously. "After all, when I fall over I look like a toppling tree. Or so I've been told. You, however, do the ladylike wilting- trick." She gave a tired little chuckle. "You do! I half-expect you to drag out the Scarlett O'Hara accent..." Okay, so he was a little punchy from lack of sleep himself.
"Frankly my dear, I don't give a fuck..." she murmured with a faint grin. "An' I bruise too easy for the dramatic tree thing." She took a breath of vaguely-fresh air as they left the house, and her nose wrinkled. "Hate this place. Stinks."
"Air should smell a little better where we're going," he reassured her, heading for the car. The passenger's side door opened and he got her settled inside, checking the seatbelt. Her duffel bag floated around and deposited itself in the trunk, which closed neatly as he came back around to the driver's side. Starting the car, he gave the safehouse one last look, then glanced sideways at Amanda with a smile. "Wave goodbye to the nice safehouse. Tell it thanks for the memories."
With effort she gave it the finger. "Here's t' not havin' t' share a room with the mall rat who snores like someone Cain's size," she said, dropping her hand down again and glancing wearily over at Nathan. "Let's get the hell out of Dodge, yeah?"
"Gladly," Nathan said, quietly but somewhat vehemently, and pulled out of the driveway without a second look.
Out at the Seven Sisters in the Valley of Fire, Amanda gets her overdue magical recharge - which also happens to take care of the residue of Selene's power from the incident at the Hellfire Club. Then they decide to go to New Mexico.
Funny, that the ancient site that was apparently Amanda's best bet at a recharge was also a tourist attraction. Then again, Nathan thought in amusement, glancing sideways at the girl curled up in the passenger's seat of the car, this is Las Vegas.
Though not Las Vegas proper, not anymore. They'd left the city behind miles ago, after telling the others they'd see them back at the mansion. The job was done, in any case, Nathan told himself, and their asses were officially covered. LeBeau and Haroun and Wanda could make sure the kids got back to Westchester okay. He had other responsibilities at the moment.
A faint blue glow was peeking through the tattered duct tape wrapped around the amulet, and Amanda was having trouble keeping her eyes open, she was so tired. Her face hurt too - she'd understood the need for the usual bad-guy threats and casual violence, but it hadn't hurt any the less. But Nathan was there, and that made things a lot easier to manage. "My turn... for the brain sprain..." she murmured, lifting heavy eyes to look at him briefly.
"And have no doubt that I'm going to tease you about it from now until about Christmas," Nathan said firmly. Necessary or not, it had very nearly been too much; he didn't need to know much about magic to know that. All he had to do was look at her. "It's so rare that someone else gets to be the butt of that joke."
A highway sign just ahead told them that the exit to the Valley of Fire State Park was coming up, and Nathan changed lanes, mentally running over the directions and instructions Strange had given him.
There was something... Amanda lifted her head a little, feeling the first faint stirrings of a lot of mystical energy somewhere up ahead. "Wouldn't be fair... if it was just you," she said, a tired smile touching her face. "Still... worth it. All of it."
Nathan made a quiet, skeptical noise and took the next exit. The desert stretched out around them on both sides for as far as the eye could see, nothing but dirt and red standstone. So familiar, he thought with a pang. Not quite his desert, but almost. And his desert wasn't all that far away, was it? A few hours' drive...
"I'm glad there's not much ritual to this," he said quietly. "Otherwise I'd probably bungle it."
"Pretty much dumpin' me... in the middle of the hot spot... an' standin' back." Another faint grin, although her eyes had dropped closed again. "No shakin' yer magic gourd an' doin' the hokey pokey."
"Pity. I have a good sense of rhythm, you know." They drove on in silence for maybe ten minutes, Nathan well aware of the fact she was dozing and content to let her do just that. Although kind of envious. He hadn't had much sleep in Vegas, and the waiting around had been hell on his nerves.
The light doze was well on its way to becoming full sleep when Amanda's eyes snapped open. "We're close," she said - it was fortunate he was a telepath, or the sudden shift might have startled him off the road. Up ahead a series of tall, thin rock formations were projecting from the desert soil into the sky - The Seven Sisters. The sensation of power had been growing stronger, and she managed to push herself a little more upright as Nathan pulled into the small parking lot, empty of other vehicles, fortunately. She really didn't want an audience for this.
Nathan got out, then came around to the passenger's side and, ignoring her token protests, scooped her up in his arms and set out for the Seven Sisters at a brisk walk. "You need to eat more, trouble," he said lightly. "The whole light-as-air thing? Not really working for me." The joking was to cover a sudden surge of fear. She really did seem too light. Like she'd blow away in the wind if he let her go.
"Bottomless Pit, remember?" she murmured, closing her eyes against the sudden wave of dizziness changing position had set off. She could feel the site up ahead, the thrumming of power buzzing through her, making her teeth ache and her blood fizz. "Too much magic... burns up all me energy..." Her head rested limply against his chest, his heartbeat somehow reassuring - a steady counterpoint to the quickening of her own.
"Tell me when we're at the hot spot," Nathan said and kept moving towards the rock formations. He almost imagined that he could feel something as well. Really, probably just his imagination, though...
"Nearly there..." There was a spot, just up ahead, between the two tallest spires. Cloaked in shadow to Nathan's eyes, to Amanda it was incandescent with energy, so bright it almost hurt to look at. Hot spot indeed. She straightened a little, muscles fluttering as waves of that energy washed over her, triggering her mutation. "Just between those two rocks," she instructed, her voice growing stronger.
Nathan carried her over and then set her on her feet, astonished by the sudden, obvious increase in her energy levels. "Should I back away or something?" he asked hesitantly.
"A little bit - need a bit of breathin' room for this..." There was a smell of burning glue, the amulet glowing hot enough now to burn away the duct tape she'd had to use to cover it up in the cold room while she recharged. She dropped to her knees, resting her hands on the ground either side of her, burrowing her fingers into the warm, loose red soil, and jerked suddenly as the contact increased the rate she was absorbing power tenfold. Even as Nathan watched, the residual bruising from the Hellfire Club, the new injuries from Arcade's office, healed themselves, a small scar left where the eyebrow piercing had been ripped out.
He could feel something. It wasn't just his imagination. Eyes widening a little, Nathan continued to watch her, as the amulet blazed incandescent. He took another, half-reluctant step back, every part of him ready to lunge forward and pull her away. Instinct, he told himself, just instinct... she was fine, and she needed to do this...
Every nerve was firing, her skin literally glowing with the power she was channelling, but this wasn't Asgard, or Limbo. This was Earth, where she was supposed to be, and she welcomed the sensation, feeling the surge of untainted power burning out the residual effects of what she'd taken from Selene, light driving shadows away. Lifting her head, she concentrated, and slowly lifted herself into the air, fingertips trailing glimmers of light as they lost contact with the ground. The glow around her increased, then stabilised as she floated upwards, the energy coming to her now from more than just the ground but the rocks, the vegetation, the air itself. Hovering at about twenty feet in the air, she looked down at Nathan, a smile of pure release on her face. "Whee," she said, giggling a little.
Nathan grinned suddenly. Her mind was open, and the euphoric thoughts she was radiating were infectious. "Drama queen," he accused her fondly, reveling in how happy she looked. The insubstantial feel about her was gone completely. "Are you coming back down, or should I come up?"
There was a warning pulse from the amulet, and she looked down at it. "I'll come down," she said, still smiling broadly. "Done me dash - 'm gettin' cut off, by the looks." She let herself drift down towards him, stopping at his eye-level and hugging him fiercely, arms wrapped around his neck. "I could eat a horse," she said with another giggle. "Jockey an' all."
She was impossible. Absolutely impossible. Still grinning, Nathan hugged her back for a long moment before he set her reluctantly back on her feet. "Then feast we shall," he said firmly. "Although, what do you think about hitting someplace take-out and eating in the car?" She gave him a curious look, and his smile faded to something softer and more tentative. "We're not that much of a drive from New Mexico, you know. I'd love to show you some of the places I remember, and I didn't give anyone a definite ETA as to when we'd be arriving back at the mansion..."
He wanted to. Very badly. She tilted her head at him, considering his aura, which was blazing at her. Mind you, so was everything else - if she concentrated, she could see the lines of energy running through this place. Even with the masking effect the Askani had on his aura, she could see how much he wanted to go. "Road trip with one of me favourite people in all the world? Gee, let me think about that," she replied, pretending to ponder the question.
Nathan laughed aloud at her. "Tease. I can get us a flight out of Albuquerque, or Santa Fe... hell, we could go to Roswell if we wanted. What do you say, Scully?" he asked with a grin, deliberately reminding her of that peaceful afternoon out, before the disaster at the Hellfire Club or the whole mess with Arcade.
"The alien place? Sounds like a laugh," Amanda said, bouncing a little on her toes. It was very hard to stay still with the energy of the site coursing through her. "We'll have t' bring Moira back a present so she don't kill us for not comin' back with the rest..." She skipped a little way away from him, spinning a couple of times, leaving the faintest glimmer of a light contrail. "I feel so good, Nate! Like I could fly home all by meself."
"Ah, but then you wouldn't get the thrill of airline food," Nathan said wisely. He half-turned, gesturing at the car. "Shall we?" he asked. "It is quite the drive."
"We shall," Amanda replied with another of those irrepressible grins, and half-ran, half-skipped back down the path to the car ahead of him.
On the road somewhere in Arizona, Amanda contemplates American magic, she and Nathan talk about the events of the week, and he tells her a little (and implies more) about the last time he was in this part of the country.
It was all so big... Amanda reflected, staring out the passenger window at the plains and desert flashing by. Big, and flat, and the sky seemed to stretch forever... They were driving east with the twilight fast descending around them, the Bottomless Pit of Brighton satisfied for the moment with a scary amount of take-out from a small local roadside stand. Power still thrummed through her, but not the high-voltage charge of earlier- it was settling down into the familiar warm glow she always got in the presence of anything mystical. Which, in this case, was the land around them. It might have been colonised and constrained and civilised, but power still ran deep, unseen rivers and wells making themselves known to her, quicksilver flashes at the corner of her eye... "An' Rom said this country didn't have any mysticism t' speak of..." she murmured, mostly to herself.
"I don't know if Romany's ever been out to this part of the country before," Nathan said quietly, hearing it anyway. "There's something... different about it. I always felt like there was, anyway." He had forgotten what the sunset was like out here. Almost... delicate, in how it descended over the desert sky. "Maybe it's just because it was home."
"'S old, but it's more 'n that..." Amanda glanced over at him, enjoying the softening of his expression - he'd been so tense, so on edge, for far too long. "'S free. Even with people livin' here, the roads, there's still somethin' of the old spirit left. Quite a lot, actually." Her look turned considering. "Maybe it's why it feels like home. Like callin' t' like, even back then." She didn't mention Mistra - she didn't need to.
"The astral plane remembers," Nathan murmured, and smiled at the look he got. "Or so I'm told. It retains traces, echoes of psi-patterns of people who aren't around any longer."
"Seems t' me yer psychic plane and my mystic energy ain't always different things..." Amanda said, grinning briefly. "Like the Askani, you mean?"
Nathan paused, caught oddly by the parallel for a moment. "Except in reverse," he said after a moment, his voice still low. "Or sort of, I suppose." They drove on in silence for a while longer, and it was him that finally broke it again. "I was very proud of you this week, you know," he said, eyes on the road, but smiling.
"Needed doin'," she replied, but she sounded pleased. "Besides, had t' show Le Beau I could do it after all those talks 'bout how it could mean the end of the school an' all, an' how it weren't a bloody field trip we were on." Reminding herself that yes, she could feel pleased with a job well done, she allowed herself a grin. "I did kick arse, tho', didn't I?"
"You mean, Remy hasn't got a second career as a motivational speaker ahead of him?" Amanda just grinned, and he laughed. "But yes. Yes, you did. You all did, actually." His expression grew a little more serious. "I just hope none of you have to do it again anytime soon."
"Well, maybe some of 'em needed remindin' how serious it was, but 's not like I've never done anythin' like this before. Well, with less gettin' shot in the face an' all, but you know what I mean. With Dom." She nodded, echoing his serious tone. "An' yeah, 's not somethin' most of 'em should even be thinkin' about. Still, we did it an' without anyone gettin' too hurt." It was a sad thing that she'd been hit in the face so often lately she wasn't even considering Arcade's efforts as being hurt. Although she would miss that piercing - the eyebrow bell had been one of her favourites.
"Think of it this way," Nathan offered easily. "He's working on memories of you from the better part of a year ago. He doesn't know what you've done with Dom, or with me. Hasn't adjusted to the new you just yet." He glanced sideways at her with a small, teasing smile. "I was still very tempted to hit him, after you came back looking like that. Just on principle."
She snickered. "You weren't the only one. Think he enjoyed that whole shootin' me thing way too much." Looking out the window again at the deepening dusk, she was quiet for a long time. "He was right 'bout one thing, tho', when he said I'd do anythin' t' get people out if anythin' happened. Like that thing with the Hellfire Club... After Columbia, Manuel felt horrible, thought he'd hurt me an' I wouldn't want t' be with him again. I barely gave it a thought, even tho' I knew usin' him t' drain Selene like that would hurt him more 'n it'd hurt me. I just did what I had t' do." Her tone was matter-of-fact, no trace of upset. Just reflection. "I dunno if that's a good thing."
"Dom would tell you that women are more practical than men," Nathan said after a moment, thoughtfully. "In some ways, I think she's right. As for whether it's a good thing--" He paused, shrugging. "Depends entirely on the situation. There really are no absolutes, Amanda, but I think you know that already."
"Yeah," she replied wryly. "Can't not know otherwise, with you an' Pete an' Dom an' the magic an' all." Squirming around so she was facing him a little more, legs curled up beneath her on the seat, she changed the subject: "So, you an' the desert. How long's it been since you were last here?"
Nathan didn't answer for a moment. "Seven years," he said finally, very quietly. "I left with Aliya and Tyler, then came back about four months later to... wrap up some business. This is the first time I've been back since." He glanced at her. "Mistra's not here anymore," he thought to reassure her. "They haven't been here since then either." And whoa, that was a little more than he should have said. Amanda was far from stupid. She would at least be able to make a guess at the implications.
Oh, she'd guessed all right - she spent far too much time with Pete to not know what 'wrapping up business' meant. Like the thing with Patches... "Just as well," she said evenly. "One less place they're doin' damage." She leaned her head against the seat's headrest, watching his hands on the steering wheel. "'S not like England at all, all this. So much space, no trees... 'S like the anti-England, actually. Not big on deserts, we ain't. Still, I like it. Even without the big ol' power happy."
"I did a lot of survival training," Nathan said a bit vaguely. "Out here. You'd be surprised by how much life there is, if you know where to look." He shrugged a little. "It's not the harshest sort of desert, this one. Not one of those places where everything living hides itself from the sun." Now he was sounding weird and poetic. Definitely not enough sleep.
"You could show me, if there's time?" Amanda suggested, intrigued. Nathan's brushes with poeticism didn't really phase her, given the whole magic thing - early spell designers had thought themselves creative geniuses, although some of their rhymes were dodgy in the extreme.
"Maybe once we're a little farther," Nathan said after a moment, smiling faintly. "We're still in Arizona. It's not quite my desert yet." He thought about it some more. "We should be well into New Mexico by dawn. Why don't you try and get some sleep?"
The idea appealed - even after the recharge, the demands of the last few days' worth of magic were making themselves felt. "What about you?" she asked, frowning a little. "Don't you need t' sleep too?"
"I can easily go another night," he said amiably, with a shrug. "Worst comes to worst, I'll sleep on the plane." He glanced sideways at her again. "Go to sleep," he urged her, still smiling. "You think the sunset was something, wait until you see the sunrise. I'll wake you up for it. And breakfast."
She could sleep for a week, really, Magic buzz and all. "Pancakes?" she asked hopefully, even as she tipped her seat back a bit - she really hadn't needed much in the way of convincing. The angle meant she got a view of the broad desert sky, the first stars starting to peep through the dark. On a whim, she touched the still-fragile link to Manuel, sending the briefest sensation of love down it. A goodnight kiss. "Talk t' me 'til I fall asleep? One of yer stories 'bout the Pack?"
"Pancakes, if you like," Nathan agreed. "As for stories... hmm. Something desert-themed, maybe. Did I ever tell you the one about the time Dom and Mina and I wound up trekking across the Sahara for six days on foot?"
Tomorrow: Pancakes in Albuquerque, walks down memory lane, Roswell, conversations about Significant Life Decisions, fine Southwestern cuisine, and souvenirs of the non-kitschy variety.
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