Title: Night – 096, Writer's Choice

Fandom: The Moon-Spinners (movie)

Summary: Missing scene in the ruins.


Mark had moved his head from her shoulder at some point during the night. Nikki realizes this when the chill wakes her up. The Cretan night is dark and filled with the sound of animals and the crash of the sea in the distance. It is also cool. The light of the moon allows her eyes to adjust quickly to the dim. She looks over at Mark.

He is slumped over and she cannot see his face. Nikki's heart thuds and breath catches.

"Mark?" she whispers.

No response.

She puts her hand out to touch him and pulls it back quickly in indecision. She bites her lip.

"Mark?" she whispers again, this time actually putting her hand on his neck.

His neck is warm and slightly sandy from his fight earlier with Lambis. Nikki sighs in relief. She removes her hand as he turns back towards her. His eyes are open slightly.

"Haven't copped out on you yet," he murmurs.

"Don't even joke," she tells him. "Shoulder not that comfortable?"

Mark smiles lazily.

"Perfectly. Don't really know why I moved," he tells her, flinching slightly as his bad shoulder pulls.

Nikki turns to look out the mouth of the cave they've found for themselves and yelps a bit as her neck protests the movement.

"Alright there?" Mark asks.

"Yes," she says rubbing her neck and curling her legs up underneath her to lean sideways against the rock. "Silly things really. Necks. May just turn this way for a bit. Feel free to lean on me if you want."

Nikki blushes and closes her eyes in mortification of what she's just said.

'Honestly Nicola Ferris! How forward can you get?' she reprimands herself in a voice that sounds far too much like her mother.

"Well," comes the soft reply. "I may just."

Nikki is completely aware as Mark moves over and presses gently against her back; his head coming to rest along the back of her neck. She finally takes a breath as Mark sighs deeply.

"May I be so bold as to say that this is the softest back I've had the pleasure of leaning against?" his breath flutters her hair and warms her neck.

"You may," Nikki replies softly, but feeling she needs to say something else, continues with, "Just don't get think it'll happen on a regular basis."

"Oh, of course. Only in Cretan ruins then?" he offers sleepily. "With a million cats keeping guard?"

"Exactly," she yawns, suddenly feeling heavy and languid with Mark pressed beside her.

"I feel amazingly privileged," he says.

Nikki falls asleep trying to come up with a reply.