"Wait here for a minute." Iliana said as she and Mercury stepped off the
elevator. "I'll call you when we're ready."
"Okay." Mercury responded and leaned against the wall by the elevator door.
Iliana walked into the living room, where Quinn was sitting on one of the couches. "Where's Deacon?"
"Still in his room. What's up?" He said.
"You'll see. Just stay there. Don't go anywhere. I have a surprise for both of you." She walked into the bedroom and over to the closet and started searching through Deacon's clothes. "Deacon, get up." She tossed a shirt over onto the bed then started looking through his pants. She pulled out a pair of dark blue jeans and walked over to the bed. "Deacon. Get up and get dressed."
He sat up and looked at her. "What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing. Now will you please get up and get dressed?"
He got up and changed his clothes as requested. He looked at Iliana and she shook her head. "What?" He asked.
"You look like shit. Comb your hair, wash your face, do...something. Just come out into the living room when you're done." She walked out of the room without another word.
He raised his eyebrow in surprise at her sudden change in attitude. She had gone from warm and loving to cold and bitter in the short amount of time she was gone. What happened at Serenity and Giselle's place to make her so angry? he asked himself as he groomed himself. When was done, he went out into the living room. Quinn was still sitting on the couch and Iliana was sitting in the chair, staring at the floor.
She looked up at him with an unamused expression. "It's about time." She said as she stood up. "Let's get this over with."
"Hold on a minute, what the hell happened to you?"
"Nothing."
"Then what the hell is wrong with you?"
"Nothing. Look, damn it, I have someone who wants to see you so can I bring them in or are you gonna keep asking fucking questions?"
"Okay, fine."
"Good." She looked towards the doorway. "You can come in now." She called.
Mercury stepped around the corner and stood in the doorway. Quinn stood up and he and Deacon stared at her in disbelief. "Deacon?" She said.
"Mercury." Deacon said, confused. He walked over to her slowly and looked her up and down. Then, he hugged her tightly.
Iliana took this distraction as the perfect opportunity to slip out of the room. She went to Phoenix's room and closed the door. "Hi, Nissa."
"Hi, Miss Ana." Nissa said.
"How many times must I tell you that you don't have to call me miss?" She sat on the floor, leaning against the wall, and pulled her knees into her chest.
"Are you okay, Ana?"
"Yes...no...I don't know."
"What's wrong?"
"It's Mercury."
"Mercury?"
"We resurrected her. Deacon's with her now."
"That's a bad thing?"
"No. Not exactly. I mean, Deacon seems happy to have her back. That's all that matters, right?"
"No."
"No?"
"What about you?"
"I'm happy that he's happy."
"You don't seem happy to me."
"I don't know, Nissa. I just...I don't want to lose him, but I want him to be happy. I'm just a little confused right now." She looked around the room as tears came to her eyes. "I'm really starting to think this was a mistake."
"Ana, I'm sorry."
"No, no, it's okay. I just...need to be...alone for a while."
"Okay. If you need anything, anything at all, let me know." She turned and walked to the door.
"Nissa."
She stopped and turned around. "Yeah."
"Thanks."
"Anytime." She flashed a smile then walked out the door, closing it behind her.
Iliana wrapped her arms around her knees, pulling them closer to her. She rested her forehead on them and started crying harder. She didn't even notice Deacon enter the room.
"Ana." He said.
She looked up at him. "Deacon." She said as she wiped away her tears and stood up. "What's up? Why aren't you with Mercury?"
"Because I need to talk to you."
"About?"
"Us."
"What about us?"
"Are you gonna leave?"
"I don't know, Deacon."
"What do you mean, you don't know?"
"I mean I don't know. I honestly don't want to but I don't really have too much of a say in it."
"What's that suppose to mean?"
"It means that my leaving depends on you. If you want me to leave, I'll go. If you want me to stay, I'll stay and finish what I started."
He gently placed his hand on her cheek, brushing his thumb back and forth across her cheek bone. "You know I don't want you to leave. I love you."
"What about Mercury?"
"What about her? A lot of things have changed since she died. She understands."
"But you love her. That's why I brought her back."
"No, I love you now."
"Deacon, I-" She stopped and looked down at the floor. Phoenix whimpered in his sleep and she turned to face the crib. She at her sleeping son and smiled.
Deacon stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Iliana, and looked over her shoulder at Phoenix. "I love you," he said, "both of you. I want you to stay."
She turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck. She gazed into his cold blue eyes. He pulled her into him, brushing his lips against hers. She leaned into him more and kissed him passionately. "I'm not going anywhere." She said.
"Okay." Mercury responded and leaned against the wall by the elevator door.
Iliana walked into the living room, where Quinn was sitting on one of the couches. "Where's Deacon?"
"Still in his room. What's up?" He said.
"You'll see. Just stay there. Don't go anywhere. I have a surprise for both of you." She walked into the bedroom and over to the closet and started searching through Deacon's clothes. "Deacon, get up." She tossed a shirt over onto the bed then started looking through his pants. She pulled out a pair of dark blue jeans and walked over to the bed. "Deacon. Get up and get dressed."
He sat up and looked at her. "What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing. Now will you please get up and get dressed?"
He got up and changed his clothes as requested. He looked at Iliana and she shook her head. "What?" He asked.
"You look like shit. Comb your hair, wash your face, do...something. Just come out into the living room when you're done." She walked out of the room without another word.
He raised his eyebrow in surprise at her sudden change in attitude. She had gone from warm and loving to cold and bitter in the short amount of time she was gone. What happened at Serenity and Giselle's place to make her so angry? he asked himself as he groomed himself. When was done, he went out into the living room. Quinn was still sitting on the couch and Iliana was sitting in the chair, staring at the floor.
She looked up at him with an unamused expression. "It's about time." She said as she stood up. "Let's get this over with."
"Hold on a minute, what the hell happened to you?"
"Nothing."
"Then what the hell is wrong with you?"
"Nothing. Look, damn it, I have someone who wants to see you so can I bring them in or are you gonna keep asking fucking questions?"
"Okay, fine."
"Good." She looked towards the doorway. "You can come in now." She called.
Mercury stepped around the corner and stood in the doorway. Quinn stood up and he and Deacon stared at her in disbelief. "Deacon?" She said.
"Mercury." Deacon said, confused. He walked over to her slowly and looked her up and down. Then, he hugged her tightly.
Iliana took this distraction as the perfect opportunity to slip out of the room. She went to Phoenix's room and closed the door. "Hi, Nissa."
"Hi, Miss Ana." Nissa said.
"How many times must I tell you that you don't have to call me miss?" She sat on the floor, leaning against the wall, and pulled her knees into her chest.
"Are you okay, Ana?"
"Yes...no...I don't know."
"What's wrong?"
"It's Mercury."
"Mercury?"
"We resurrected her. Deacon's with her now."
"That's a bad thing?"
"No. Not exactly. I mean, Deacon seems happy to have her back. That's all that matters, right?"
"No."
"No?"
"What about you?"
"I'm happy that he's happy."
"You don't seem happy to me."
"I don't know, Nissa. I just...I don't want to lose him, but I want him to be happy. I'm just a little confused right now." She looked around the room as tears came to her eyes. "I'm really starting to think this was a mistake."
"Ana, I'm sorry."
"No, no, it's okay. I just...need to be...alone for a while."
"Okay. If you need anything, anything at all, let me know." She turned and walked to the door.
"Nissa."
She stopped and turned around. "Yeah."
"Thanks."
"Anytime." She flashed a smile then walked out the door, closing it behind her.
Iliana wrapped her arms around her knees, pulling them closer to her. She rested her forehead on them and started crying harder. She didn't even notice Deacon enter the room.
"Ana." He said.
She looked up at him. "Deacon." She said as she wiped away her tears and stood up. "What's up? Why aren't you with Mercury?"
"Because I need to talk to you."
"About?"
"Us."
"What about us?"
"Are you gonna leave?"
"I don't know, Deacon."
"What do you mean, you don't know?"
"I mean I don't know. I honestly don't want to but I don't really have too much of a say in it."
"What's that suppose to mean?"
"It means that my leaving depends on you. If you want me to leave, I'll go. If you want me to stay, I'll stay and finish what I started."
He gently placed his hand on her cheek, brushing his thumb back and forth across her cheek bone. "You know I don't want you to leave. I love you."
"What about Mercury?"
"What about her? A lot of things have changed since she died. She understands."
"But you love her. That's why I brought her back."
"No, I love you now."
"Deacon, I-" She stopped and looked down at the floor. Phoenix whimpered in his sleep and she turned to face the crib. She at her sleeping son and smiled.
Deacon stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Iliana, and looked over her shoulder at Phoenix. "I love you," he said, "both of you. I want you to stay."
She turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck. She gazed into his cold blue eyes. He pulled her into him, brushing his lips against hers. She leaned into him more and kissed him passionately. "I'm not going anywhere." She said.