6 Coming Home

"Coming Home - Einar K Five Chill Out Mix by Boom Jinx, Fatum, Katrine Stenbekk"

"What time is it?" I ask as we exit the station.

"Twenty Three Hundred," Paige answers.

"I was delusional for an pectro?" I feel her fingers poke me in the side. We're walking side by side, not holding hands but rubbing against each other.

"Deenergized," she corrects dryly, "And you're barely able to walk still."

"What do you mean? I'm walking fine," I say and turn my head to her but the movement makes me dizzy. Paige's hands are on me before I timber.

"Mhm," she sounds pleased that I've just proven her right. She bounces a little and I feel her eyes on me but I've learned my lesson and keep looking forward. The road isn't too far now.

"I don't think you should be left alone, at least for the next three cycles."

"What!?" I sputter and this time I can't help but snap my head to look at her. The dizzy spell that hits me is rather harsh and I see spots in my eyes before I stabilize.

"Doctor's orders. You need serious treatment Beck. You're on the verge of collapse. And I mean that more metaphorically but also literally," Paige insists and the look in her eyes... It's there again, that one that triggered those memories. It's strong enough where I have to close my eyes and lean on her as more memories flash behind my eyelids.

I feel her hands on my hips grounding me and keeping me to reality.

"Maybe you should stay with your friends. I seem to be too stimulating," her voice is caught between joking and concern.

"It's okay. As odd as this is, I think this is another form of healing I need to undergo."

"Does that mean you're accepting my orders?" she teases and I can feel her breath against my face again. Heat rises to my chest and I have this instinct to crush her to my chest and never let go.

"For now," I smile as she pinches my sides, "Ow," I grimace.

We decide on her apartment, which was the only option to begin with. Keller will be okay in mine, bored, but safe.

Paige's apartment is nearly as barren as mine. Instead of a recoder lying on the kitchen table, it's a… monome? I'll have to ask if she'll play it for me later. The only other personal item is a framed picture of what must be her, Rox, and Unix. She's holding her monome like a teddy bear, clearly attached to the object. Funny, I feel the same way about Bodhi's recoder.

"Lie down. I'm going to brew you a softer source energy,"

I follow her orders as she begins prepping in the kitchen. I sit on the couch and nearly burst into laughter. It's the same as mine! These apartments are quite literally mirrors of each other. I look out the shades and realize they're only barely open. I won't admit to her that I'm getting exhausted again but I stand back up and open the blinds. It's night so there's no light, but I can see the world from her place. I unlatch the door and I'm about to open the sliding door, but stopped by her.

"Hey!" Paige barks behind me and I jump, "Were you going to lie down on the balcony?"

"No, just open the door for fresh air," I answer meekly, a hand coming to rub the back of my neck.

She shakes her head, "You just don't know when to stop do you?" She takes my hand and pulls me back to the sofa and pushes me with one finger. I fall into a seat and silently resent my current state. She must have read my thoughts or expression because she runs a hand through my spikes and walks back to the kitchen.

I look out the window and see my apartment and a pinch of the skyline above it. I feel the urge to stand out on the balcony and look out at the sky, and then almost do it. My hands try to lift me off the couch but don't have the strength to do so.

Okay, so I may not know when to stop.

I do my best to relax on the sofa and wait for this special brew, which doesn't take long.

"Here, it's hot," Paige holds out a steaming cup.

It's soothing in my hands and I blow on it. It smells wonderful and my eyes droop just at the scent. I hear a soft giggle next to me and the cup is removed from my hands and placed on the table.

She sits next to me.

"Take a minute and relax Beck," her hand is pressing me back into the couch. I slouch and lean towards her. My head finds her shoulder and soon enough my eyes close. Her head rests on mine and I can hear her heart beating. It's slow and steady, like the waves of an ocean.

I drift off again, but she stirs and it wakes me. This whole drifting in and out is starting to annoy me. I move and she lifts her head to let me up. I reach for the cup and find the contents ready for consumption.

A few tentative sips allow me to enjoy the rich flavor but I'm ready for sleep and down the rest. Paige wordless takes the cup away and returns once she's put it away.

"Come on," she lifts me up and I find myself in a new type of delirium.

"Did you drug me? I feel… odd," the sensation is similar to at the station, some mix between reality and lucid imagination and void.

"It's just the brew. It's a mixture of blends. It's the only one I had that would help start your recovery but it's not the best," she answers and steps next to her bed.

"I can sleep on the couch," I say automatically. I'm hoping for anything but that to happen, for multiple reasons.

"I'm sure you could, but you seem to need someone with you to help you relax. It's not big enough for the both of us," she matter of factly says. Again, she pressed a finger into my chest and I fall into the best bed I've landed on. I laugh.

"You enjoy doing that, don't you?" This delirium is so oddly dangerous but enticing. Part of me is afraid I'll tell her I want her to be my Partner, and the other part of me is feeling the connection already. I hope she feels something similar.

"I do."

I feel her weight as she climbs up and lays next to me. Our arms are touching and the pattern of her breathing is the last thing I can focus on.

"Goodnight Beck."