xp_logs | Nathan and Moira, Tuesday night

Despite the lateness of the hour, Nathan places a call to a certain Scottish island. A certain Scottish fiancee is very glad he did.

Nathan settled himself on the couch before reaching for the phone. He glanced at the clock, then decided to take his chances with the castle number instead of the clinic. It would be very late there, and surely she wouldn't still be working... well, if she was, they were going to Have Words, oh yes, he told himself as he dialed.

"Wha' th' bloody 'ell are ye doin'?" came a tired but very much not Moira voice. Anna was sprawled half-way on her cousin as she struggled to keep her supposed to be sleeping relative, well, asleep. "Whoever ye are do ye 'ave any idea wha' time 'tis?"

"I'm a very bad person who got stuck in a psi-shielded room and drugged and somehow lost track of the day?" Nathan said very meekly, shifting a little on the couch and rubbing at his side. "If she's asleep, Anna, I can call back..."

"Nathan...GAH!" There was some not-so-muffled cursing as Moira suddenly grabbed the phone from her. "Give me tha'! I can sleep later!" A few minutes of playful scuffling came through the other line before she managed to plant her foot in Anna's behind and shove her off the bed.
"'ello, love."

"Hi. Are you beating up your cousin?" Nathan asked, smiling. "That's really not very nice, you know... you have a natural advantage. You're more devious than she is."

"I'm nay sure 'bout tha'," she said, leaning against the pillows as the other woman left, giving her a slightly rude gesture on her way out. "Brat. I 'ave a natural advantage because she cannae 'it me back right now. 'ow're ye?"

"A little groggy, actually. Hank said he'd email you?" He heard her murmur of confirmation and sighed. "Didn't mean to be alarming you while you're all the way over there," he said dryly. "I have the worst timing in the world. But we know this."

"Aye, ye do." Rolling over, she put one hand on her stomach. No huge difference yet but she was noticing all the small ones. And she'd eaten about a dozen deviled eggs the other day. In one sitting. "All better now? I was worried."

"Better," Nathan confirmed quietly. Over in her cage, Bella cooed softly, as if saying hello. "Twelve hours in the Box was precisely the ticket, I think. It was just the lack of sleep and the stress about the memorial. Mostly."

"Mostly? But good, I'm glad ta know th' rest did ye well. Did Henry's hug work as well?" There was a little bit of teasing in Moira's voice at that.

Nathan gave a rueful chuckle, ignoring the stab of pain in his side as he did. "Told you about that too, did I? I think I needed it. Not so much the hug as the nice, soothing thoughts he was projecting." He hesitated for a moment, but then went on, choosing his words carefully. "I'm done with the worst of it in the Danger Room, after this morning. I figured out what they were trying to teach me, finally."

"Really? Wha' where they doin' an' do I need ta stomp inta Scott's office an' be all mad fiancee at 'im?" she asked, tilting her head slightly. "Because I would ye know."

Nathan smiled again. "You love me enough to beat Scott up for me? What did I ever do to deserve you..." He heard her chuckle, but even at this distance, there was a touch of something... expectant, on the link. She still wanted an answer. "They wanted to make me retreat," he said finally, his voice still soft. "And to make me see why I don't... do that, generally. That it's not just about not wanting to fail, but being afraid of being... punished, if I do."

Moira didn't answer at first, thinking that over as she played with the cords. "Well..." She paused and then started up again. "I can see why tha' would be important. Really, verra important. 'Tis somethin' ye've needed ta know for a verra lon' time now. An' from th' sounds o' it, maybe this was th' best way ta go 'bout it. Did ye accept wha' they were tryin' ta teach ye?"

"I'm... not sure yet?" Nathan said, a bit bewildered. "I see the sense of it... I just haven't had much time to process it. I've been awake for all of an hour." He sighed. "The implications are starting to hit me," he confessed quietly. "Lots of stuff to talk to Jack about on Thursday."

"Good, I bet Jack will be thrilled. An' give yerself time ta process, love. Tha's a lot ta take in."

"Hard on the pride. Seeing that you've got a blind spot like that." He smiled. "Hence why they had to rub my nose in it. It was a good strategy, really - Alison's idea, from what I've gathered."

"Alison's sneaky like tha'," Moira said, smiling. "An' knows ye verra well. Yer ta stubborn ta take th' suggestion on face value, Nathan. Ye need sometimes ta be shown it, several times, before ye'll admit 'tis th' right way ta go." She paused and giggled. "'ow lon' did it take for us ta get together?"

"Hey, now, that was as much you as me, woman. Don't go pointing fingers." Bella giggled from her cage, and his smile lingered. "Feathers says hello, by the way."

"Tell 'er I miss 'er. Oh, are ye takin' care o' my mouse for me?"

"Scrupulously," Nathan reassured her. "I think the poor little thing's been missing you too, though. Keeps looking out the bars of her cage with this perplexed little expression."

"Awww. I need ta name th' poor thin' an' soon. I'm almost tempted ta jus' name 'er Meeces..." Her stomach rumbled and she scrunched her nose up. "Hmm...think I'm 'avin' a cravin'..."

"Uh-oh. And you drove Anna away..." He stopped, blinking at the faint flicker on the link. "Huh. I can feel the craving. Bacon and... cake frosting?"

"Maybe." She thought about it, mentally poking at the rumbling in her stomach. "Sausage and salsa, actually. Cake frostin'? Lord, distance does do thin's ta th' link. At least I can still feel ye."

"At least there's that," Nathan agreed quietly. "How are you feeling? Apart from the cravings, I mean..."

"Still gettin' mornin' sickness an' I'm tired an' irritable. But I'm normally tired an' irritable, so they really dinnae count. Or so says Anna."

"Mmm. I've been just miserable to be around, I think... especially over the weekend." He sighed. "Have to see what I can do about fixing that. At least the damned memorial's over and done with."

"Bein' social will probably do wonders. When yer ready, tha' is."

Nathan made a noise of agreement. "Probably. How are things going over there? No sudden problems since we talked yesterday, I hope..."

"Nay, luckily. Th' new nurses 'ave been a godsend. An' tha' local doctor is makin' calls every other day. 'is expertise can only go so far but wit' th' bot' o' us, we're makin' due. Henry says he's lookin' around for me, so there is that'."

"He'll find someone," he reassured her, not having to fake the confidence. He had a strong suspicion that the problem wouldn't be finding someone who wanted to work on Muir, but finding the best possible person. Someone Moira could trust. "You're... pretty much stuck there until he does, aren't you?" he went on, a bit reluctantly. They hadn't said that aloud, either of them, yet.

Moira sighed, clearly unhappy. "Aye. I tried ta leave it in th' 'ands o' th' nurses but it dinnae work. They're great an' th' staff is great but tha' only goes so far. I need at least one 'ead person 'ere, nearly all th' bloody time. On top o' tryin' ta get tha' foundation set up, I'm swamped 'ere."

"Oh!" Nathan sat upright, ignoring the protest from his ribs. "I didn't even ask... did David and the others get there?"

"Ach, sorry I completely forgot ta tell ye. They'll be gettin' in in about an 'our. A rather nasty storm blew in an' their flight was delayed for a while. Safe an' sound, though Theo sounded like 'e wanted ta eat a rather irritatin' pilot. I think they said they sent ye an e-mail 'bout it."

"Huh. David must be bringing more gear than he expected if they didn't just hop in the helicopter. Ah, well," Nathan said with a sigh. "So long as they get there okay." He paused for a moment, thinking. "I haven't checked my email since Sunday," he said with some chagrin.

"Well, ye've been a wee bit distracted as o' late," Moira pointed out. "Stress, bein' unconscious..."

Nathan laid back down on the couch, taking a careful deep breath. "He'd laugh at me. I'll feel a lot better when I know the castle's security system's been upgraded again, though."

"I dinnae think 'e'd laugh. I think 'e'll feel better 'bout tha' as well."

"Mmm. They fret about you too, you know," Nathan said fondly, then fell silently again, considering something. "I'm trying to figure out if I could justify getting away for the weekend."

"Theo threatened ta carry me every where while there 'ere," she groused. "Oh? Come over 'ere?" She started to perk up at that suggestion.

"I wonder if I could talk Illyana or Clarice into it..." Nathan mused. "Save on the travel time. Might have to be just for the night." He made a face. "I can't afford to miss any more classes," he muttered, "and I don't know where the training goes from here yet."

"Ye could always talk them inta it Friday night or right after classes," she wheedled, not whining. Really. Or pouting at him over the phone. "Stay until Sunday night. Wit' me. An' David et al. Most importantly wit' me."

Nathan thought about it. Muir, and Moira, and half the Pack... "One way or the other," he said finally. "I'll be there for at least part of the weekend."

Moira squealed softly at him.

He smiled at the delighted noise. "Of course," he said firmly, "you realize that I'm going to be underfoot. Terribly. You'll be trying to work, and I'll be dragging you away whining at you to pay attention to me..."

"Ye can be underfoot all ye want, I willnae complain." Moira paused and thought about that for a second. "Much. Promise ye'll come?"

"I promise, love. Even if I have to swim." He glanced at the clock again. "It really is getting late there. And you said your stomach was demanding bizarre combinations of food..."

"Aye, I should go an' get somethin' ta eat. An' then sleep. Sleep well?"

"You too. I love you," Nathan said, and tried to send that down the link as well.

"I love ye ta," she murmured, feeling the link warm in her mind. "An' I'll see ye soon."