Part Four

"Mph... Hazard, cut that out." She cracked an eye open and swatted at the animal, who'd apparently decided her face needed washing. "Uck... cat breath." There was a gruff chuckle beside her, and she shot a glare at her partner who was watching with an amused smirk. "You don't have to look so pleased," she grumbled, wiping at her cheek with the back of her hand. "Cat spit. Ug."

"Just glad it wasn't me, for once." He unceremoniously dragged her over to him, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head. "Sleep okay?"

"Decently--for me, anyway. You were out like a light."

"Not as young as I used to be."

She snorted. "You were ever young? Here I thought you'd always been a grouchy, middle-aged bastard."

"Better watch it. I know when your birthday is."

"And if you tell another living soul, I'll be forced to kill you," she reported cheerily. "That's privileged information."

"Know your name too," he murmured, lips finding the place along her neck that always made her melt.

"It's not who I am anymore," she sighed, relaxing into him.

"I know." Her hair was soft against his bare skin, and he breathed in the clean scent of her shampoo, enjoying the relaxed silence.

"Whose turn is it to make coffee?" She asked finally.

"Yours. It should have the decency to make itself."

She extracted herself from his embrace and grabbed a purple bathrobe off the back of one of the chairs, belting it around her waist "We could get one of those pots with the timer built in... it'd be made by the time we got up in the morning."

"Shopping again? You're getting worse than Jean."

She gave him an indignant look. "I don't think so. I've seen your mother on a shopping spree. I haven't the attention span for that level of madness. Besides, isn't coffee a worthy cause?"

He got up, pulling on a pair of pajama bottoms. "You make the coffee, I'll make breakfast, and then we hunt down a coffee pot that brews by itself. That work?"

"You've got a deal."

----

"This is cute," Domino commented idly, spearing scrambled eggs with a fork. "You should make me breakfast more often."

"Yeah, I sh--wait a minute." He shot her an indignant look. "Why is it my job?"

"Because you've seen me make eggs. They're not edible."

"Point."

She grinned and took another bite of her food. "So--do I get toast with this?"

He snorted and went back to cooking. "Get it yourself."

"Last time I did that the toaster caught fire."

"Sometimes I wonder if you do it on purpose to get out of having to do anything yourself."

"Oh, please." She stretched her legs out and leaned back in her chair. "As if I don't have better things to do."

He sat down across from her with his plate. "You really want to go out today? I don't think the weather is supposed to be real great."

"The weather has sucked for three weeks straight, Nate. I dunno. We don't have to." She drummed her fingers on the table top.

"I sense a 'but' coming."

"But... if I don't spend some time out of this house soon, I'm going to go absolutely stark raving mad. Um... no offence."

He arched an eyebrow at her as he ate his breakfast. "I'm not a good enough distraction?"

"You know what I mean. You can stay here if you don't want to go. It's not a big deal. I have a few other errands to run anyway."

"Fine. I was just going to take care of the crates in the basement anyway."

"I dunno... those are pretty damned heavy. Why don't you wait 'til I get back, and I can give you a hand."

"I think I can handle it," he grumbled, taking his dishes to the sink. "It's just a few boxes."

Domino snorted. "Yeah, sure. 12 metal supply crates. Just a few boxes. Fine, but don't bitch at me if you hurt your back, you moron."

He muttered something under his breath and she arched an eyebrow at him. "Well, aren't we cranky today." She rolled her eyes and got up. "Anyway, I'll only be gone for a few hours."

"Don't let me keep you."

Domino sighed and shook her head, wandering off towards the bedroom to get dressed.

----

Cable scratched his head and eyed the containers sitting before him on the floor in a narrow annex of the basement. There were twelve, sturdily constructed to put up with just about any abuse, short of being dropped into a volcano. The problem was that they were large, heavy, and taking up a good deal of space at the moment. Eyeing the distance between the floor and the ceiling, then the containers again, deciding that, with a little effort, they could be stacked four high against the wall, freeing up the remaining floor in the space.
In quick order, he had nine of the crates stacked, leaving only a single crate to top off each stack. He grabbed one, balancing it precariously on his shoulder until he could get the bottom edge up on the other crate and used his telekinesis to shove it into place. By the time he had the second one in place, his head was pounding from the strain he was putting on his weakened powers, and he cursed under his breath, pausing to wipe sweat from his forehead. Dom would have been mocking him by now, he thought wryly. Still there was only one box left, so he might as well finish the job. Lifting the last box, he attempted to slide it into place only to have the edge catch. The container started slipping backwards and he tried to catch it with his TK reflexively, only to have it fail under the strain and weight of the crate. He threw an arm up to protect himself as the box tumbled backwards and smacked into him, knocking him off balance. He swore loudly an instant before his head connected with the cinderblock of the opposite wall.

----

Domino carefully eyed the display of brightly colored pet toys in front of her, trying to find exactly what she wanted. Not that she thought for a second that Hazard would care--the cat was just as happy with a dead mouse or a balled up piece of paper as he was likely to be with anything the store had to offer--but there was something here, she was certain, that would drive Nathan completely up the wall. "Hrm... Maybe this one--shit!" She caught herself on the edge of the display as her vision blurred suddenly, head pounding.

"Ma'am? Are you alright?"

She straightened up, blinking to clear her vision. "I--yeah. Fine." She dug her nails into the palms of her hands in a vain attempt to keep them from shaking as she hurried back through the store, heart thumping like a jackhammer at the realization that something was very wrong with the psilink. She broke into a run as she hit the parking lot, throwing herself into the jeep's driver's seat and gunning the engine. It was a fifteen minute drive back from town, but she made it in ten, gravel spraying from the tires as she pulled into the drive.
She dashed up the porch steps and threw open the door. "Nathan?" No reply. "That idiot," she cursed, pounding down the basement stairs. "Nate!" Swearing under her breath, she knelt down next to the sprawled form of her partner, checking vitals while trying to move him as little as possible. The T-O, at least, seemed stable. "C'mon, you blockhead, wake up."

His eyes slid open a crack, blinking rapidly as he tried to focus on her face. "Hello to you too," he mumbled, wincing as he tried to sit up.

"Hey, take it easy. You knocked yourself out cold." She kept a tight grip on his arm--not that she could have held him if he decided to pass out again, but at least it felt reassuring. "I told you to wait for me to come back."

"I had it under control."

"Sure you did, which is why you gashed your head on the wall." She replied dryly. "Think you can stand?"

"Yeah." He hoisted himself to his feet, biting back a groan as he did so.

"Okay now, no more passing out until we get upstairs. I'd hate to have to call the paramedics to haul your ass out of here."

----

"Sit still while I have a look at this." She began dabbing at the blood on his head and neck.

"Ow."

"Sorry. So, you going to tell me why you decided it'd be fun to scare the living crap out of me?"

"I was just trying to--"

She frowned. "I have a pretty good idea what you were trying to do," she replied. "Y'know, when I offer to help with something? I'm really not threatening your masculinity. I'm saying 'Nate, let me help you with that before you drop a hundred pound box on your head.'"

"I didn't--it slipped," he finished lamely, realizing there wasn't much he could say to calm her down. She had a right to be pissed, really.

"Uh huh. Because you were being stupid and macho and failed to consider that your TK just might not be up to the task." She sighed. "You're lucky I was just in town. You were only out for fifteen minutes." She carefully inspected the cut on the back of his head. "Well, I don't think it needs stitches. Let's just hope you haven't concussed yourself."

"I'm fine," he muttered.

"Well, given the fact that you're not singing show tunes, I'm inclined to agree with you." She started cleaning up the supplies on the table.

He eyed her warily. "I don't sing."

She smirked. "You do when you smack your head. Remember the time you tripped over Tabitha's roller blades and fell down the stairs?" She shook her head at his blank look. "Of course you don't. Well, let's just say there's a reason the kids threatened to do away with your Sinatra albums." She finished cleaning up and sat down in the chair next to him. "Awww, poor thing. You look almost pathetic enough to keep me from being pissed off at you. Almost." She brushed a hand across his forehead. "However, if you ever scare me like that again, I'll kill you."

----

"Feeling any better?" Domino seated herself on the edge of the bed in the darkened bedroom. After a few hours with no sign of anything more serious than a good bump on the back of the head and a splitting headache, she'd let him go lay down, though she'd been diligent in checking in on him, just in case.

"Still hurts."

"Not surprised," she murmured, resting her hand on his own. "You scared me half to death, you know."

"Didn't mean to."

"I know," she sighed. "I know you thought you had it under control, and that is the only thing keeping me from being very upset with you right now. God, Nate," she breathed. "Don't ever do that again."

"Hey," he propped himself up, taking her hand in his own. "Dom?"

"Yeah?"

"Calm down. I'm fine."

She rubbed at her forehead with her free hand. "Yeah. Sorry. I'm just--"

"Over reacting?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Am not. You could have been in serious trouble if I hadn't been near by."

"I really am fine."

She sighed. "Yeah. Look, I'm gonna get dinner. You want anything?"

He made a face. "I don't think so."

"Right. Sandwich for me then." She stood. "Let me know if you need anything." She sighed to herself as she wandered back into the kitchen and started pulling items from the fridge. As much as she was loath to admit it, he was probably right. But the link still felt off in a way she couldn't quite place--not alarmingly so, but just enough to set her on edge. "Great, just what I need," she muttered, spreading mayonnaise on a slice of bread. "Over-reacting my ass..." She finished making the sandwich and wandered back to the den, flipping on the evening news.

----

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead."

Cable grumbled, burying his head under his pillow in an attempt to escape the far-too cheery voice of his partner. Domino smirked, and tugged the pillow away from him. "C'mon. It's almost twelve."

He blinked blearily. "Huh?"

"Twelve. As in noon?" Her smile wavered slightly. "Guess you slept good, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess." He sat up and winced. "Ow."

"Still got a headache?"

"You're being disturbingly compassionate..."

She gave him a hurt look. "I don't like seeing you in pain. So sue me. Want something for it?"

"No, I'll be fine." He grimaced as he got up, and heard his partner sigh. "Don't--lecture."

"No lecture." She climbed off the bed and slid an arm around his waist. "C'mon."

He arched an eyebrow. "I'm perfectly capable of showering on my own."

"Well, someone has to make sure you don't slip," she grinned.

"And you're volunteering."

She gave him a salacious smile. "Well, if you'd really rather be alone..."

----

"You're just a bookworm in disguise, aren't you?" Domino commented as she wandered into the den, a book of her own in hand. Nathan was seated on the couch, one leg up on the couch and the other draped off the cushions. With a grin, she dropped down onto the vacant sofa between them, tucking her legs under her. Just enough space, and she could lean back comfortably against his chest.

"Um... what are you doing?"

"Sitting here. Is there a problem with that?"

"...no. You're just usually not--"

"A cuddly-type person? No. But you are, so I'm compromising."

"Oh." He paused. "Why--"

"Nathan, just go back to your book and don't question it."

"Okay."

Domino settled in and flipped open her own book. After a few minutes, she noted with some amusement that Nathan has all but abandoned his reading in favor of absently stroking her hair. "I'm not a cat, you know."

He stopped, looking slightly sheepish, and withdrew his hand. "Right."

"Hey, don't stop on my account. So... what were you reading, anyway?" She peeked over at the cover. "Theology? Gee, don't I feel silly now."

"Why? What've you got?" He arched an eyebrow as she flashed the book cover at him. "Alice in Wonderland? Again? You know, I never really saw you as a Lewis Carroll fan."

Dom shrugged, setting the book aside. "I'm really not." She paused. "I think it's just one of those things... maybe someone read it to me when I was little, or something. Not really a memory, just a feeling."

He nodded, pulling her a little closer. "Think I know what you mean."

Domino closed her eyes, relaxing a little, trying to latch onto that same feeling of reassurance Nathan seemed to get from her proximity. Instead, she was met by the same feeling of 'wrongness' she'd been getting over the link all day. It didn't seem any worse, but it wasn't any better, either, which was disconcerting since he seemed otherwise fine. "So, feeling a bit better?"

"Feel fine." He paused. "I mean it this time. Headache's gone."

"Oh...really?"

He gave her a puzzled look. "Yes, why?"

She shrugged. "Never can tell with you."

He closed his book and set it on the end table behind him and slipped an arm around her waist. "Let's play a game."

"Game?" She gave him an incredulous look. "What kind of game?"

"Talking game." At the sight of her arched eyebrow, he added, "You've done it before."

"You still haven't told me what this entails," she pointed out.

"Just tell me something I don't know about you." He shrugged.

"What, about the past?" She asked skeptically.

"Why not?"

"What is this, story hour?"

"You never talk about any of it."

"None of it was particularly nice."

"So?"

"You never talk about it."

He shrugged his shoulders. "It was different."

"How?"

"The whole world was at war. Wasn't fair to me, but it wasn't fair to anyone else, either. It was just life."

"Damned logic," she muttered. "Okay, but you'd better come up with something when I'm done here. What should I talk about?"

"After Madripoor--what did you do? With Logan, I mean."

"You don't want to hear about that. You'd have to behave and not mock him."

He poked her in the ribs. "Talk. Or we resort to that question game of yours."

She snorted. "Well, it'd be a bit more difficult now. We're...better acquainted then we were then--shit, that was a long time ago."

"You were barely legal," he grinned.

She snorted. "You hadn't gone all grey yet."

"Guess we know whose fault that is."

She elbowed him. "Hey, you want your damned story or what?"

"Okay. I'm behaving."

"Not with that hand there you're not."

"You're stalling."

"Yeah, yeah. Okay. So..." She paused a moment, pulling together her thoughts. "I honestly don't know why he put up with me. I was a mess, and really not terribly grateful at the time. Maybe he knew he was the only thing keeping me from winding up dead someplace. The first few weeks are kind of hazy now, really. I behaved horribly, I know that much. But shit, I was the ultimate in fucked-up. Really, there's not much to tell. We came back to the states after awhile, he helped me pull myself together a bit, cleaned up my fighting skills, pulled a few strings. Moved around a lot... it was like one big dysfunctional father-daughter road trip."

"Guess that explains your fondness for truck stops."

"Oh, shut up." She elbowed him in the ribs. "Your turn now."

"I'm thinking."

"Hey, you got to pick mine..." She paused, thinking. "Um... okay. Wait. How about--what did you do after your parents were gone? I mean, in your time, when Rachel died. I have that right, don't I?"

He nodded. "Yeah." After a pause he continued. "Redd and Slym were gone... Stryfe had been taken by some of Apocalypse's entourage. There was a lot of confusion--well," he amended, "It was a typical revolution. I didn't have anywhere to go, and pretty soon the Canaanites were conscripting as many people as they could find to fight. Desperate enough to snap up a crippled orphan, anyway." He grimaced slightly. "It was hellish. There were so many battles, and most of the people involved wanted nothing to do with them--we just fought to stay alive. There was one--ten thousand troops marched in, and in the end, there we ten of us. Ten. I got out after that. It wasn't long after that I met up with Tetherblood. He was doing the same as I was--as everyone who'd been displaced by the fighting was--trying to stay alive and avoid the armies. We hit it off pretty good... I think he stuck around because he decided it was his personal duty to save my neck--I was pretty determined to get us into trouble at times."

"You? Unbelievable," she smirked, then laughed at the look he gave her. "Hey, I'm just remembering all the lectures you used to give Garrison about being a hothead. Talking from experience, were you?"

"Yeah, well..." He shook his head, an amused smile creeping across his face. "So, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

"No. You were right." She rested her head on her chest and closed her eyes, trying to ignore the disturbance over the psilink. "I wish..." She trailed off, unable to vocalize the subtle feeling of despondency that griped her. "I suppose there's no point in saying I wish none of that had happened--to either of us."

"No... it's the future that counts."

"And what about it, Nathan? What about us?" She turned so that she could see his face. "What do we do now?"

He frowned--his distress was suddenly apparent and she wondered how long he'd been pondering that question himself. "I don't know."

She sighed. "No ideas? I mean, this has all been my game so far, Nathan. I've been keeping myself busy trying to build something--perfect here... but there are two of us in the equation, and if there's something you're not happy about--"

"I'm happy." His arm tightened around her waist slightly. "I just don't know."