Obsession is all consuming. But it's subtler than you might think. It's a constant companion, demanding attention silently from someplace in the back of your mind. You might try to ignore it, but it will tug at you, plead for attention, until you once again acknowledge it. It's a yearning in your chest, like dampened exhilaration, longing for release. Something living and breathing, biding its time. Sometimes, it physically hurts. If you can't give your obsession the attention it so demands, it becomes a dull ache. And then a raging fire as it fights for your attention. An ever present child, begging you to play. It's an addiction, pure and simple. If you don't feed it, though, it won't fade. You can't go cold turkey and quit an obsession. Obsessions don't go away. They might rearrange and transform into new things over time. But they never go away. If you have this dark companion with you, then it stays with you for always.

She was his.

Marni. Beautiful, ethereal Marni. He can still remember the feel of her hair, the warmth of her skin. He can still remember her smile. And her eyes that burnt so brightly. It was probably her eyes that he first noticed, that which first attracted him to this dark beauty. Because he'd noticed her, watching him. She'd sought out his attention. So few had ever done that. This lovely creature, standing in the glowing light of Rotti Largo's office, to the side of the large desk which Rotti sat behind. Nathan had sat on the two seater couch that faced the desk, his gaze unwillingly wandering to her, as Rotti spoke.

"Nathan, I wanted to thank you for your recent efforts."

Rotti's voice was rich and deep, resonating in the opulent room. His was a voice that demanded attention and respect. He was a powerful man in his manner and his stature. Jet black hair and piercing eyes, double breasted suits. Nathan regarded him, his hands folded in his lap. It was nearly six o'clock, his shift should have ended a good hour ago, yet he'd been held up in surgery as he often was, and then had been called to Rotti's office. He longed to be home.

He had worked for Geneco for a little over six months now, working tirelessly as a surGEN. He performed organ transplants with a precision and skill that few others possessed. Rotti had noticed. He saw a great deal of potential in this young man who was reserved and quiet, yet also driven by a powerful urge for perfection. Rotti Largo appreciated those with determination to succeed. Nathan was young and yet had accomplished so much already.

Rotti gestured to the woman at his side, "This is my girlfriend, Marni." He said, pride evident in his voice.

Nathan had heard him speak of her before, but had never met her. He felt an overpowering sense of disappointment, suddenly. He tried to ignore it, berating himself. He just hadn't expected Marni to be so, well, young. She couldn't have been older than twenty one, maybe twenty two, the same age as him.

She smiled at him, such a beguiling expression, and moved forward to shake his hand, "Hello, Nathan. I've heard a great deal about you."

Her hand was warm in his and he felt quite at a loss for words, his face burning as she looked at him with those expressive eyes. What on earth was wrong with him? It had definitely been far too long since he had been with a woman, he decided. He'd been working so hard for so long, his personal life had certainly suffered. He made a mental note to try and get out more.

"I have a favour to ask of you." Rotti said, as Marni released Nathan's hand and Nathan was brought back to reality.

Nathan looked at him enquiringly, as Marni moved back to stand beside Rotti. She draped one hand on the back of the man's chair, looking down at him with a soft fondness. Nathan fixed his gaze on Rotti, determinedly putting thoughts of her out of his mind. Yes, she was certainly attractive. She wore a deep blue evening gown, which shimmered and clung to her body, highlighting her curves. Her hair was dark and pinned up in an elaborate twist on her head. She looked elegant and sensual. Yes, of course she was attractive – Rotti had a fondness of beautiful things, after all. But there was no need to dwell on the fact; the more important thing was that she was Rotti's.

"I'm afraid my dear Marni and I had plans to go to a show tonight in town." Rotti explained, "But I've got to go to an important conference tonight, it turns out. I wondered if you would take her in my place."

Nathan felt an odd coldness in his stomach, "Me?" He asked.

He and Rotti had a tentative friendship, he supposed. The older man was almost a mentor to him in some ways, always praising his work and offering advice. They'd even gone out for a drink together on a couple of occasions after work, but Nathan still saw the man as his employer more than anything. Nathan tended to keep a distance between himself and others; there was an inherent aloofness in him, even though he was not an unkind man. He was just rather guarded, careful not to let people too close to him. They tended to hurt you if you did that. And Rotti wanted him to take Marni to see a show? This…seemed a strange request.

Rotti smiled, looking at Marni with undisguised adoration, "She's so keen to go and I cannot bear the thought of her being all alone."

Marni giggled and it was a musical sound, "You mean you want Nathan to babysit me." She prodded Rotti's shoulder with her finger, flirtatiously, before looking at Nathan with a grin, "He thinks I'll get up to no good on my own. Come on, Nathan, he'll make one of those vapid GENterns go with me if you don't."

Nathan tried to think of some excuse, longing suddenly for the solidarity of his small apartment, for mindless TV programs and then a good book to read. But Rotti was not a man you could easily say no to, and Nathan found himself agreeing. Sure, what was the harm of it?

Marni and Nathan took their seats in the front row of the large theatre. Blind Mag was putting on a performance tonight, Nathan found out. He had never seen her sing before but had seen her on TV – who hadn't? The recently famous soprano who lent her voice to most of Geneco's commercials and broadcasts was frequently on TV. Television seemed to fail to capture her striking looks though, Nathan mused. Marni clutched at Nathan's arm as Mag took the stage, bright lights illuminating her face – she really was beautiful.

Marni exclaimed, "That's her! That's my best friend!"

Nathan found it oddly endearing that Marni felt the need to point out such a famous person to him. A hush fell over the crowd as Mag began to sing.

She had a haunting and amazing voice. She was blind, once, Marni had told him. Now she had the most unusual pair of false eyes, wide and glassy, which allowed her to see. Mag looked out over the crowd, her gaze resting on Marni, and Nathan saw her smile widely. Marni stood up and applauded after every song. Nathan just smiled and clapped politely, until Marni dragged him to his feet and made him give standing ovations with her. Nathan laughed in spite of himself. He took a lot of care in his life to blend in, keep his head down. He didn't like to attract a lot of attention, really. Always the quiet achiever throughout school and he still was years later. Yet Marni was intent on bringing him out of his shell. She had such an easy joy about her, endlessly smiling and without a care of what anyone else might think of her.

During intermission, Marni spoke softly to Nathan, as they relaxed in the comfortable velvet seats.

"Rotti arranged for Mag to have the surgery, you know." She said, proudly.

Nathan didn't know that, he looked at her enquiringly and she continued.

"The transplant wasn't completely successful though." She looked downcast, "Her vision has been deteriorating the past few months. Within a year she'll need another transplant. But Rotti is going to take care of it, he promised. They have to wait though, they can't operate again so soon after the last surgery."

Nathan nodded, "It's a shame, but it does happen that an organ may be rejected in time."

Marni smiled brightly, eyes shining in the soft light of the theatre, "She can see well enough for now anyway, well enough to perform. It'll just be a relief when she's permanently…cured, though." She began to talk about the new technology Geneco were developing, Cornea Plus, which could actually act as a built in video camera – in your eyes!

"Imagine that!" Marni exclaimed, "You'd never forget anything again, would you?"

Nathan laughed, "I think I should get that, maybe I'd remember where I put my keys."

Marni rolled her eyes, feigning a sigh of distaste, "Look here, babysitter, I'll have none of your corny jokes, do you hear?" She smiled wickedly, "No actually, please tell at least one more."

After the show ended, Nathan and Marni made their way from the theatre, walking slowly and chatting lightly. Nathan found Marni easy to get along with, easy to talk to. He had always been a bit of a loner. It hadn't always been by choice. He often had felt overlooked. But not by her, she seemed…fascinated by him. And she smiled as she talked. Always smiling, in an infectious way that made his mood lift. He found himself laughing with her, as she animatedly talked to him about Mag, about her job, asked about his own.

Marni had heard Rotti sing Nathan's praises often enough, and had genuinely looked forward to meeting this man who impressed her boyfriend more than his own children did. It was a slight worry to her, Rotti's disinterest in his three children. Rotti was a passionate and enchanting man, in his way. He had certainly swept her off her feet, as they say. He'd showered her with gifts, lavished affection and attention on her. She was deeply enamored with him, certainly. But now and then, she seemed to see a slight darkness in him, which made her feel a chill of worry. Sometimes she wasn't sure if she really knew who he was at all. He was the savior of the world, wasn't he? Hadn't Geneco saved everyone? She pushed such thoughts from her mind, but found they invaded her thoughts without warning. Especially spending this time with Nathan Wallace, who was so meek and self deprecating. She found him intriguing, although she refused to let her thoughts wander any further than that. Intrigue was okay. Anything else would not be.

They had a light dinner at a café and then Nathan walked Marni to the cab rank, where they said their goodbyes. Their faces were thrown into sharp relief by the harsh light from the street lamps.

"Thank you for babysitting me." Marni said, her eyes alight with joy.

Nathan smiled at her, "It was a pleasure." It really had been.

Marni liked his smile, she realized. He should smile more, she reasoned. A cab pulled up and he gestured for her to take it. She smiled at him again, lightly laying her hand on his forearm, before turning to climb into the waiting taxi. One more brilliant smile at him through the window, and the cab pulled away. Nathan exhaled heavily, his breath vaguely visible in the still night air. He had really enjoyed himself tonight, he thought, as he pushed his hands deep into the pockets of his trousers. It really had been a long time since he'd been out. He should probably take in more shows. Maybe then he'd meet a woman and wouldn't fall hopelessly in lust with the first one who came along and showed him attention. That was definitely what it was, he decided. He stared up at the looming buildings that stretched up into the night sky. The city was alive with light and noise, the glare of the lights on the cobblestoned roads made the whole scene seem surreal and glowing. A cab pulled up presently, and Nathan abandoned his half-thought musings to approach it and pull the door open.

His final thought as he crawled into bed that night to sleep, however, was of her eyes.

They continued in this way for many months. They became friends easily, Nathan and Marni. She was a very likeable person, animated and warm. Rotti worked so much, that Nathan became a regular chaperone for Marni, seeing plays and going to the theatre with her. They saw Mag perform many times, Marni hated to miss a show. Sometimes they just went shopping. Nathan had never really had many friends. His friendship with her was easy and fulfilling though.

And Rotti seemed to almost treat him like a son. Rotti had two sons, and a young daughter. But he seemed coldly disinterested in his own flesh and blood. He was far more interested in Nathan, who worked so hard and was quietly studious. He once said, "I wish Luigi were more like you." His eldest son, a teenager and prone to bouts of undiluted rage. Always in trouble at school, always causing Rotti undue distress. Nathan had smiled uncomfortably. Marni had confided in him her concerns about Rotti's distance between himself and his children. He hardly ever saw them, she said. Nathan saw the sadness that would flicker across her face when she spoke of those things.

It made him want to embrace her