Dreamweaver: Part Sixteen
Regina shrank back against the wall at the sound of someone outside her door. Logan had put her in this bedroom almost as soon as they'd gotten off the plane. He'd told her to rest, but she hadn't even been able to close her eyes. She'd just sat here on the bed, waiting for someone to come and check on her. No one had.
She didn't even want to try the door, in case it was locked. If she was a prisoner here, she didn't want to know. From what she'd seen of this place, it seemed--more pleasant than the cabin and its underground rooms, but even if she wasn't a prisoner, she wasn't sure if this was really an improvement. Nathan had been kind to her, but some of his friends were frightening. Jean, the red-haired woman, had scared Regina right to the bottom of her soul. She wished she knew what she'd done to earn such anger from someone whose mind felt so much like Nathan's.
She wished Bishop would come back. He'd been kind, like Nathan, and somehow she hadn't been quite so afraid when he was there. Watching the doorknob slowly turned, she realized that the door had been unlocked after all. So she hadn't been trapped at all. Part of her raged at her own timidity in not checking. She could have gotten well away from here in this length of time.
But no, she couldn't have gone. Not when she wasn't sure if Nathan would be all right. He'd gotten hurt protecting her, after all, and she felt responsible.
The door opened, and Regina bit back a gasp as the strangest-looking girl she'd ever seen walked in, looking around warily. Her skin was a strange pinkish color, and her hair was purple. She had bones sticking out of her body at odd, painful-looking angles, and the expression on her face as she saw Regina was mocking.
"So you're the new one?" she said in a harsh voice. "Pretty, too. You'll get to play nice with the other special ones at the White Queen's school, I guess. Not like me. Have to keep an eye on Marrow, you know. I might start chewing on the carpet--or worse."
Regina scowled, her fear washed away by a sudden surge of irritation. This 'Marrow' was obviously trying to scare her, and that was something she'd had quite enough of with Andrew and Essex.
"I don't know who you are," she said, forcing herself to slide off the bed and stand up straight. "But I'm not particularly scared of you, so why don't you go find someone else to intimidate? I'm not impressed."
Marrow sneered. "Brave words, pretty girl. Care to test them?" Almost too fast for Regina's eyes to follow, she tore a pair of long, knife-like bones from the abdomen and leapt at her.
Regina instinctively lashed out with her power, pulling Marrow's worst memory from her mind and wrapping her in it. The older girl's howl was deafening as she fell to the floor, shivering. Regina felt slightly ill at what she'd done, and hurriedly withdrew the illusion. It had been as terrible as any she had ever woven, a confused tangle of dark tunnels and foul-smelling water and terrifying, monstrous shapes--
She heard someone running down the hall, and all of a sudden Bishop was there, the expression on his face thunderous as he saw Marrow lying on the floor, her two bone-knives a short distance away. He reached down and pulled Marrow to her feet.
"What is going on here?" he asked in a dreadful voice, looking from her to Marrow and then back again. "Marrow, is this your doing?"
"J-just wanted to play a little," Marrow managed, giving Regina a wicked grin. "Turns out the pretty girl's got a little more fire in her than I thought." She wrenched free of Bishop's grasp. "Lay a hand on me again, future-man, and you'll pull back a stump," she said in a tone of honest warning.
"This is neither the time nor place for such behaviour," Bishop grated. "If I find you trying to intimidate Regina again, Marrow, you and I will 'play', and I can guarantee you will not enjoy it."
Marrow bared her teeth at him. "Name the day, Bishop," she said almost sweetly. Then a curious look came over her face, and Bishop frowned down at her, almost puzzled. "How's Cable?" she finally said. Bishop's expression made it quite clear that he wondered why she cared, and Marrow growled something under her breath. "Don't mistake me for some soft-heart. But he did the Ceremony of Light--twice. Showed respect, not like the rest of you. And he's not one of the pretty ones, either." Another baring of teeth that might have been mistaken for a smile, and Regina shivered. "Fellow-feeling for a fellow freak, you might say."
Bishop still looked skeptical, but when Marrow didn't look away, he relented. "He's better," Bishop said shortly.
"He'll live, then?" Marrow asked. Bishop nodded, and there was a brief flash of relief in her eyes as she went down to retrieve her knives. "Good," she said briskly, and left before Bishop could stop her.
Regina blinked. "She's--odd," she said hesitantly.
Bishop sighed. "You have NO idea, child." He looked down at her, his expression strangely hesitant. "Regina," he finally said. "I know you have very little reason to trust any of us. I can only imagine what your life must have been like with Taylor and Sinister--"
"But I do trust you!" Regina protested. "You and Nathan." It was a hard thing to say, but it was true. Both of them had been kind to her, even when they had no reason to be. After what she'd done to those people in the bank, most people would have treated her like a monster. "Is he really going to be all right?" she asked desperately, and Bishop actually smiled.
"With time, yes," he said, looking touched by what she'd said.
"Can I see him?"
"Not for a while," Bishop said. "He's in surgery right now. Hank and Cecilia--our other doctor--are removing the amplifier." He looked down at her gravely. "They'd like to remove the one Sinister implanted in you, as well."
Regina felt a sudden surge of terror at the thought of someone operating on her. It was strange, because she couldn't consciously remember ever having any kind of operation before, but something about the idea--
"No one's going to force you into anything, Regina," Bishop said patiently, correctly interpreting her hesitation. "But we don't know the effect the amplifier is having on you. It would be safer to remove it." He sighed, laying a hand on her shoulder. "You said you trusted me. Will you trust me when I tell you that this is the best thing for you?"
Regina thought for a moment. "I do," she said in a quiet voice. "Will--will you be there?"
Bishop smiled again. "Try and stop me," he said softly. Feeling much better, she reached out hesitantly and took his hand. Together, they left the room.
***
What a headache, Dana thought, biting back a groan as she opened her eyes and light seemed to stab into her brain. Natural light, she realized dimly. So she had to be in one of the above-ground rooms.
"Someone shut those damned curtains," she muttered. There was a horrible taste in her mouth. She heard movement, and then the light dimmed to an almost bearable level.
"That better?" she heard Sam ask. She blinked to clear her vision, and watched him walk back across the room and sit down in a chair beside the bed. Her bed, she realized; she was back in her old room, which appeared much the same despite all the damage the mansion had suffered since she'd left.
"Much," she groaned. "Dare I ask what day it is?" Sam was wearing different clothes, and as she sat up, the stiffness in her muscles suggested she'd been lying in the same position for quite a while.
"About forty-eight hours since you healed Cable," Sam said. She groaned again, this time in disbelief. She'd been lying here for two whole days? He saw her expression and shrugged. "Not bad, really, considerin' all the energy you expended."
"I guess so," she said unenthusiastically. She yawned, stretching cautiously, and half-smiled to herself as she felt Sam's discomfort. This is awfully petty of me, but I'm glad I'm not the only one feeling this way.
"Ah'll--let you get changed," he finally said. "Then you should probably get somethin' to eat, before Hank gets on your case."
"No--wait, Sam," she said as he rose from his chair and headed for the door. "Sit down," she said firmly. The headache was making her blunt, she knew, but perhaps the direct approach would be the best. "We have to talk. Now." He obeyed, and she sighed at the apprehensive look on his face. "Before we do that, I need to know how Cable is."
Sam frowned. "He hasn't woken up yet. And he's runnin' a pretty high fever--Jean and Hank say it's got somethin' to do with what's going on in his mind." He gave her a faint smile. "Hank and Cecilia were running around looking grim for the first twelve hours after y'healed him. They weren't sure how well it was gonna take--kinda like what happened when Rogue used your powers to heal you when you were shot." He saw the alarmed look on her face and rushed to reassure her. "But only for awhile, though. He's gonna be fine, Dana, it's just gonna take time."
"Thank God," Dana said, quietly and sincerely.
"Ah know," Sam said, and the relief she felt from him was almost overwhelming. "It's still hard t'see him like this, though. I went down to the medlab last night and sat with him for a while. Ah couldn't--feel anything from him, Dana. Ah'm no telepath, true, but ah've always been able to tell when he was in the same room with me. It was like his body was there, but his--spirit was a million miles away. Accordin' to Jean, his mind's got t'heal the rest of the way on its own. She's done all she can." He gave her a sudden grin. "You said somethin' like that too, actually."
"I did?" she asked curiously, running her fingers through her tangled hair. "When?"
"Right after y'healed him."
"I don't remember," she sighed. She peered at him intently, frowning. "I must have said something about the hairdo, though. What the hell's with the ponytail?"
Sam flushed. "Ah just thought ah'd try somethin' different," he grumbled. "Ah'll cut it if you don't like it."
"You don't have to do that," she pointed out uncomfortably. After five months away, she had no right to be dictating to him about anything, even something as minor as how he wore his hair. "If you like it--"
"Ah don't want to be givin' you any more reasons to go back to Muir Island," he said with a flash of irony. She winced, shaking her head. "Are you going back?" he asked, his expression suddenly serious. "Ah don't mean to be forcin' a decision on you, Dana. If you don't think it's any of mah business--"
"It is your business," she said firmly. "And I'm not--leaving again, I mean." She sighed at the sudden flash of joy in his eyes. "Don't get all excited until you hear me out, Guthrie." He raised an eyebrow, but kept his mouth shut. She was silent for a moment, trying to figure out the best way to say what had to be said. It would be easier if my head didn't feel like it was about to explode. I hope I don't say anything I regret. "It's like this," she said finally. "Meggan and I have solved my problems with my empathy, and I feel like I can make a full contribution to the team again. I've learned a lot from Moira, but I can't really help her with her Legacy virus research, so there's not much reason for me to stay in Scotland. I'll miss them all, true, but I think my place is here." She met his eyes steadily. "You and I, though--that's an entirely different matter."
He went quite pale. "Ah understand," he said quietly, starting to rise. "Ah have to admit, though, it would've been easier if you'd told me this before. Ah suppose it must have been so much more satisfying to do it in person."
She gave a frustrated growl and reaching out, grabbed his hand and pulled him back down again. "Sam, shut up!" she growled. "I wasn't finished, you idiot!"
"It sounded pretty conclusive t'me."
She nearly screamed with frustration at that point. "MEN! You and Wisdom would make one hell of a pair, you know that?" He stared fixedly at the floor, and she sighed, trying to get her temper back under control before she continued. "Sam, look at me." He kept staring at the floor. "I said look at me!" she snapped. He did, finally, and the second he made eye contact, Dana tried to project some of what she was feeling at him. Projecting her own emotions was difficult for her, even after all of Meggan's training, but some of it must have gotten through, because Sam suddenly looked less depressed. Even hopeful, she thought wryly.
"You do--"
"Love you?" she asked with a sigh. "Obviously, stupid. But we can't just pretend that all of this didn't happen. Maybe I overreacted to what happened with Tabitha, but that doesn't change anything. She wasn't the real problem, Sam. We were. Our relationship. We need to recognize that before we can take this any further."
"Fair enough," he admitted.
"We're not kids anymore," she continued. "I feel like I've grown up a lot, helping Moira with her research and learning how to control my powers. You've changed, too. I suppose you couldn't really help it, with Onslaught and Zero Tolerance and everything." She scowled, trying to think of how best to put this. "We can't--relate to each other the way we used to. There's been too much water under the bridge for that."
"So what're you saying?" he asked. "Is this a 'let's be friends' thing?" He was cute when he was bewildered, Dana thought fondly.
"Not, it's a 'let's try again' thing," she said patiently. "If we deal with our problems like adults, I think we can make this work." She sighed. "I've missed you so much, Sam. I don't want to give up on this thing between us just because we've hit a few rough patches. What's worth having is worth fighting for."
Sam cocked his head. "Y'know," he said in a conversational voice that didn't fool Dana for a moment. "That brings t'mind somethin' Ororo told me Forge said to her once. It was after they'd broken up. He told her that he wanted her back in his life, and that they could discuss the terms later." He fidgeted in his chair. "Ah wish ah were that eloquent, Dana. But all ah can say is that ah feel the same way." He looked up at her again, and seeing the glimmer of tears in his eyes, Dana loved him more at that moment than she ever had before. "Ah missed you too, Dana Hawkes. A lot o'times these last few months, ah've thought ah didn't have the strength to carry on. Life's not the same anymore. The world's gotten a lot colder for people like you and me. The only thing that kept me goin' through Onslaught and Zero Tolerance was thinkin' of you."
Dana cleared her throat, rubbing quickly at her eyes. "So, do I take that to mean you want me to stay?" She knew she sounded coy, but she couldn't help it. She'd gotten herself into trouble before for relying on her empathy too much. She wanted to hear from his own lips that he still felt the same way about her.
"Are you kidding, girl?" he asked, his eyes suddenly sparkling. He leaned forward and kissed her.
For a moment, she thought of boxing his ears, but her anger swiftly faded. Oh, hell, she thought blissfully. You always hear that reality never lives up to the dream, but whoever said that had NO idea who they were talking about.
After what seemed like eternity, he drew back, grinning at her. "Your shields still okay?"
Her heart was racing, but she felt happier than she had in months. This is where I belong, she thought contentedly, staring up into his blue eyes. She felt her lips curve in a wicked smile.
"Why don't we try it again, and I'll let you know?"
***
The medlab was quiet, save for the faint chirping of the monitors. The noise was beginning to irritate Domino. She had perfect pitch, and when you combined the sounds of the several different monitors Hank still had Nathan hooked up to, the result was dissonant enough to seriously grate on her nerves.
Or maybe it was just the inactivity. Domino had always hated waiting. Swift, decisive action was more her forte. Except when it comes to you, Nathan, she thought in sad amusement, leaning forward and smoothing the hair back from his forehead. With you, I can dither and dally and second-guess myself from here to eternity.
His skin was still hot to the touch, despite everything Hank had done to try and bring his temperature down. Even a doctor as brilliant as Hank McCoy could do little to treat a condition whose root cause was psychic, rather than physical. Nathan was as still as the dead, despite the high fever. She couldn't get anything coherent from their psi-link, either--just scattered impressions, flashes of vivid emotion that Jean said were symptoms of delirium. She wished she knew what was going on in his head right now.
If--when he came out of this, would he still be the man she knew? The comment Jean had made to Dana, about his mind being damaged, had sent a chill through her as she'd considered the possibility. Quite frankly, she didn't much care about how any lingering disability on his part might prevent him from fulfilling the destiny the damned Askani had forced on him. She just wanted her Nathan back.
My Nathan? Domino sighed. "Why is it so much easier for me to make some smart comment than to tell you how I really feel?" she asked rhetorically, staring down at his flushed face. "Am I that detached from my emotions?" She fell silent for a moment, thinking of Milo. "I suppose if I am, it's by choice. It seems like every time I'm happy, the world decides to kick me in the teeth. So I use sarcasm as a coping mechanism." She chuckled wryly, shaking her head. "I wonder who I learned that from, Nathan? I think I got involved with you at an overly impressionable stage in my life."
"Oh, I don't know, darlin'," came a gravelly voice from the vicinity of the doorway. "If I remember correctly, you picked up a number of bad habits long before yours and Nate's paths ever crossed."
She looked over her shoulder at Logan, and frowned to see him smoking. "Hank'd have your head if he saw you doing that here, you know," she said reprovingly. Logan shrugged, looking faintly amused.
"Wasn't planning on coming in, if that's what you're worried about," he grumbled. He looked over at Nathan, and Domino frowned at the strange expression in his eyes. "He shown any signs of waking up yet?"
Biting her lip, she shook her head. With a sigh, Logan looked around in vain for something to serve as an ashtray. Finally, he ended up using a Petri dish. Domino laughed weakly, and he gave her an odd look as he came over to stand beside her.
"What's so funny?" he asked, laying a hand on her shoulder. She shook her head again, fighting back tears, and laid her hand over his. "Hell, darlin', I don't know what to say," he admitted. "I had no business getting him mixed up in that whole mess. I should've knocked him over the head and locked him in the car as soon as I saw what kind of shape he was in." She raised an eyebrow, and he chuckled. "Okay, probably not."
"Probably?" she said drolly. "If you'd tried, you'd probably have been the first Canuck to walk on the moon, Logan. His grip on his temper gets a little shaky when he's sleep-deprived."
"I was joking, Dom," he pointed out. "Don't worry, I'm not a total idiot. I've kept my eyes open the last year or so. I know better than to think an equal fight between him and me's anywhere within the realm of possibility now. But saying that doesn't make up for me not having done what I should've. If I'd just sent him on his way after he found Regina--"
"Be serious, Logan," she said tiredly. "Telling Nate what to do is probably the most futile thing any human being could possibly attempt. And you know that once he found out about that girl, it would've taken an army to keep him out of it." She gave him a keen look. "It's not like you to second-guess yourself. What's with all the self-flagellation?"
Logan's expression went very strange, and Domino scowled, wondering what was going on. Jean had seemed pretty sure that there was something Logan and Bishop weren't telling about what had happened before the Blackbird had gotten there. She started to ask him about it--she and Logan had never been anything but painfully direct with each other (the cornerstone of a relationship more lengthy than anyone but the two of them knew)--but Sam chose that moment to show up. Dana was at his side, looking a little pale but fully alert.
"We were beginning to think you were going to sleep forever, darlin'," Logan said, and Domino smiled at the obvious affection he had for the young woman. Another one, old man? she thought, remembering when he'd taken her under his wing. "How are you feeling?"
"Like the top of my head's going to blow off," she said with a wince. "But I'll live." She went over to the bed and stared down intently at Nathan, reaching towards him tenatively. But her hands did not glow, and after a moment, she gave a frustrated sigh. "There's nothing left to heal--nothing my power will work on, anyways." Her expression as she turned towards Domino was almost apologetic.
Domino shook her head. "Don't beat yourself up about it," she said firmly. "What you accomplished was next door to a miracle, Dana. I've heard of mutant healers before--the Morlocks had one, if I'm not mistaken--but never one with your ability." Belatedly, she remembered her manners. "I don't think I introduced myself two days ago--"
"You were a little distracted," Dana said quickly. "Besides, I knew who you were, Domino. Sam speaks very highly of you."
"Oh, really?" Domino asked, amused. "I suppose all the names you used to call me after tactical exercises were just a sign of affection, then."
"Domino!" Sam protested, his face scarlet. "That was Rictor, ma'am! Not me!"
"I know, Sam. I was just teasing." She gave Dana a sly smile. "You'll have to bear with him, Dana. His sense of humor slips every so often--Nathan's influence, I'd imagine."
Dana's answering smile was brilliant. Logan coughed, giving Sam a significant look.
"Let's go get Dana something to eat, Guthrie," he suggested, and then grinned at the two women. "That'll give them the chance for some 'girl talk'."
"Oh, Lord," Sam groaned, looking green. For the first time in nearly three days, Domino laughed in honest delight. Logan gave her a reproving look as he pushed Sam from the room. Looking back at Dana, Domino saw that the young woman was grinning.
"I should get the two of you to teach me how to do that," she said. "It could come in handy."
"You don't want to base your relationship with Sam on the habit of keeping him off-balance. It's fun, but it's not particularly healthy." Dana looked from her to Nathan, a skeptical look on her face, and Domino chuckled. "Oh, dear. I see Sam has been telling you stories."
Dana looked uncomfortable. "I just--" She shook her head ruefully. "Maybe this is none of my business, but while I was healing him, I couldn't help but sense how he--felt about you." Visibly floundering, she flushed, looking away. "It just surprised me, that's all. He was so big on emotional independence when he was teaching me, and yet he--well, I mean--" She groaned. "I'm going to shut up now."
"Interesting," Domino murmured, although part of her wanted very badly to know exactly what Dana had seen in his mind. "I had you pegged as the direct type, but you're dancing around this subject fairly well."
"I'm prying," Dana said repentantly. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," Domino said offhandedly. "We're all family here, more or less." She frowned thoughtfully. Part of her wanted very badly to talk about this with someone, and a relative stranger, especially one with Dana's empathy and obvious maturity, might be the best choice. "Why don't you sit down and I'll satisfy that raging curiosity of yours. Provided I can trust you to be discreet, of course--"
Dana blinked, obviously surprised, but obediently pulled a stool over from the monitoring station and sat down to listen. Haltingly at first but with growing confidence, Domino told Dana about the Six-Pack and its last mission. About Stryfe and Tyler. Dana went pale at the more horrific parts of the story, but seemed to briefly recover her composure as Domino moved on to the time she'd spent with X-Force, when her friendship with Nathan had gradually evolved into something deeper. Still, by the time she had gotten to Zero Tolerance and her decision to leave after her encounter with Gryaznova, Dana had tears in her eyes.
"What's wrong?" Domino asked curiously.
"Nothing," Dana said, taking a deep breath and rubbing her eyes. "It's just that the problems Sam and I have seem so inconsequential compared to what you and Cable have been through." She shook her head, her expression faintly sickened. "But what he did to those friends of yours--"
Domino sighed. "Don't judge him too harshly for that, Dana. It was almost ten years ago. He was very different back then." She felt silent for a moment. "I hated him for a long time for what he did to Hammer and Kane. But I also recognized very early on that he couldn't take all of the blame for what happened." Dana looked surprised. "No, let me finish. Hammer is a very stubborn man. He has--certain convictions about right and wrong that don't take into account the kind of ambiguity someone like Nathan has to deal with every day of his life. Nathan warned him that night, he told him that there was more going on than he knew about. But Hammer chose to ignore him."
"But still," Dana protested. "He shot him! How can anything that Hammer did justify that?"
"It doesn't," Domino said softly. "But put yourself in Nathan's place for a moment. Your worst enemy, the man who killed your wife, kidnapped and brainwashed your son, and slaughtered millions of people, has just appeared in front of you. He's followed you back across two thousand years--essentially, you're responsible for setting him loose on a whole new time period." She sighed. "I think Nathan must have snapped on the spot when Hammer ignored him and tried to give that disk to Stryfe. I know it doesn't justify what he did, but it does explain it. Forgiving him wasn't easy, but it was something I had to do. Especially after Kane came back from the future and told me what he'd discovered about Nathan's life there."
Dana looked stricken. "I never knew--I never knew about any of that."
"It's not something he talks about, Dana. Would you?" Domino looked up at the ceiling for a moment, thoughtfully. "I think that--coldness you still see in him sometimes is his way of protecting himself from the pain he still feels over what happened to Aliya and Tyler--and the rebellion, of course. All he's ever told anyone is that his Clan lost the war they were fighting. Nothing about when, or how. But I've seen his time, Dana, and it's pretty brutal. What the Canaanites must have done to his people--"
Dana groaned. "God, I'm such an idiot!" Domino waited patiently for an explanation. "When he gave me that lecture on self-sufficiency, I got angry with him and accused him of being anti-social and brooding. I'm surprised he didn't hit me. I just got so irritated, I didn't stop to think about what I was saying--"
"Nathan tends to have that effect on people," Domino said dryly. "I wouldn't worry about it. He thinks very highly of you." Dana looked pleased, and Domino went on. "Because of the X-Force kids--and finding out about Scott and Jean--Nate stopped trying to manipulate the world and just started to live in it. He came out of his shell, you could say. And I liked what I saw. He might be obsessive, cryptic, and perpetually cranky, but I can't be--complete without him." She smiled faintly at Dana. "I'm sorry to be dumping all this on you."
"Don't apologize!" Dana said hurriedly. "You and Cable are a huge part of Sam's life. I want to know both of you--the good and the bad. And he'd never tell me anything like this about himself."
"He doesn't tell anyone things like this," Domino said dryly. "We have to find out on our own. Then we get to feel like heartless idiots, because we misjudged him so totally." She smiled fondly at the young woman. "You know, I see why Nathan was so impressed by you. I have to admit, I wasn't sure how I was going to react when I finally met you. I'm fond of Tabitha, for all her quirks--"
They turned as one at the sound of the door sliding aside. Domino was surprised to see that it was G.W. rather than Sam and Logan. He looked thoroughly irritated.
"What's the matter?" she asked, although when she saw he had his uniform back on, she suspected she knew what it was.
"I have to go," he said disgruntedly. "Some crisis or another--Val wouldn't say. She told me if I wasn't going to tell her where I was, she wasn't going to tell me what was up until I got back to headquarters." He glanced uncertainly at Dana. She got the message quickly.
"I should go find Sam," she murmured, and left the medlab. G.W.'s expression as he watched her go was oddly admiring.
"Guthrie's got taste, I'll give him that. That young lady is one class act."
Domino rose and walked over to stand in front of him, taking his hands in hers. "I'm surprised you could stay this long," she said teasingly. "SHIELD's mutant affairs liason is a busy man, after all." He still looked troubled, and Domino sighed. "I will call you with any news, you know."
"I know," he sighed, embracing her. "I just wish I didn't have to leave in the first place." He kissed her lightly on the forehead. "Take care of yourself, Dom. Try to stay away from those psychopathic Prime Sentinel females for a while."
"I can't make any promises," Domino said dryly. "You know what kind of trouble he gets himself into on a regular basis, and since I intend to stay right here to keep an eye on him--"
"I'm glad to hear that," G.W. said quietly. "There's nothing I'd like better to see the two of you happy." She squirmed at that, pulling away, and he gave a long-suffering sigh as he went over to the bed. He stood there for a moment, staring down at Nathan, and Domino cocked her head, intrigued by his expression. "You'd better pull through this, old friend," he said softly. "Because if you end up breaking her heart, I'll follow you into hell itself just for the pleasure of kicking your ass."
After she had seen G.W. out, Domino returned to the medlab, settling back in to wait. She sat in silence for quite some time, and then, out of the blue, started to laugh softly to herself.
"Well, Nate. It looks like our little 'secret' isn't quite so secret anymore." She shook her head, still chuckling. "Just as well. If there's one thing I've learned from you, it's that time is too precious to waste."
to be continued...
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