"I'm telling you, it's Christendom."

"Chrysalis."

"Whatever. No way is this natural weather for San Diego."

"Hey, I'm not arguing. But unless Golda's got a snowplow attachment, I don't think we're going anywhere."

Bobby got a far-away look in his eyes. It made Darien nervous.

"She ... doesn't have a snowplow attachment, right?"

"Nah. I went for the pontoons instead."

Darien grinned. "Cool."

Darien sprawled on the exam chair, watching Bobby pace back and forth in front of the row of dead computers. The Keep was illuminated solely by a few of the candles Eberts had stashed away against the old building's frequent power failures. At least this time, the rest of downtown San Diego was in the dark with them.

"We should be out there. The whole city's paralyzed, and God knows what those Crystalline bastards are getting up to."

"Could be worse."

"How?"

Darien held up his arm. "We could be stranded someplace that doesn't have counteragent."

"Need a fill-up, there?"

"Not yet. Few hours, though. Or who knows, maybe I'm just going crazy from being stuck here listening to you ranting."

"Ha ha."

"No, really." Darien rose from the chair in a sinuous motion. He couldn't make his eyes turn red on command, so he let a little quicksilver fall over them instead. "Don't make me crazy, Robert," he said in a low tone. "You wouldn't like me when I'm crazy."

"Don't." Bobby looked away.

"Come on, Robert," Darien purred, reaching out to touch Bobby's shoulder. Bobby jerked away.

"I mean it," Bobby said, his voice tight. "It's not funny."

Darien gave it up, let the quicksilver fall from his eyes. "Hey, sorry, man. I was just screwing around."

Bobby resumed his stalking around the lab, carefully avoiding Darien's eyes. "Yeah, hilarious." He aimed a half-hearted kick at the trash can. The noise it made seemed twice as loud in the silence left by the absence of the usual machine hum, and Darien flinched. "You don't think it's bad enough having to watch that when it's for real?"

"You don't think it's bad enough having to live it?" Darien shot back.

And immediately regretted it when he saw the agonized look Bobby turned on him. The shadows there weren't only from the candlelight.

Darien flopped back onto the exam chair, suddenly very tired. "Hey, come here," he said softly, patting the seat next to him. He hung his head, staring at what should have been the floor but instead just looked like a bottomless darkness. After a moment, he felt Bobby settle beside him. Still without looking up, he slid his arm around his partner's back.

"I'm sorry, OK? About all of it."

"I know, kid," Bobby murmured. "It's not your fault. I just ... I hate it when I feel like there's nothing I can do."

Darien tightened his grip slightly and leaned into Bobby. "Our lives really kinda suck."

Bobby chuckled. Darien could feel his shoulders shaking. "Yeah. Could be worse, though."

"How?" But he knew the answer.

"At least our lives suck together." And Bobby leaned back into him.

They sat there like that until the lights came on a few minutes later.