Standard disclaimer still applies.
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Mort held Nadine close. It was the same way he'd held her on New Year's Eve, but this time they were both conscious. And naked. His brain was drifting in post-coital bliss...thank God he hadn't had to make the first move -- the thought snagged in his head, and he focused on it, frowning. He hadn't made the first move. He had no idea how they'd wound up in bed -- and not knowing the details was going to make him crazy.
How could he ask her, without sounding like a nutcase? The fact that she'd written "Gemini Descending" worked against him; she knew enough to piece things together. (If she hasn't already.) That stopped him in his tracks. How much did she know or suspect? What were the odds she could actually deal with his weirdness? She had her own demons, he'd seen the scars.
"Rainey? How you doin'?"
He hugged her. "Good."
"You're handling this better than I thought you would."
Mort started. "Handling -- ? ....You know -- ?"
"About Shooter?" Nadine nodded, still watching him closely.
His throat double-clutched for a moment. "Shooter? You KNOW about Shooter?"
She smiled wryly. "Come on, Rainey, I really hope you don't think I'm that dumb."
"You're not, but I didn't think you knew -- I mean, you wrote the book -- "
"The book on dumb?" she drawled. "Or maybe you were refering to 'Gemini Descending'?"
"That one," he agreed, tongue-tied and stunned. She knew about Shooter, mentioned him as casually as if he were a mutual acquaintance and not the terrible secret Rainey had harbored for so long.
"Yeah, and I spent quite a while trying to convince myself that that was fiction and couldn't possibly be happening in real life."
Mort had to know. "How long have you known?" He could see her biting her lip at the question, thinking about it.
"Since Chapter Four," she finally answered.
They were well into Chapter Nineteen. "Fifteen chapters!" Rainey exclaimed in shock. It dawned on him then; he finally understood why he'd been drawn to Nadine. He would never have had this conversation with Amy, who could have told him the date of their first coupling, probably to within a few minutes, and included details of what they were wearing and what they'd had for dinner -- but in a million years the former Mrs. Rainey wouldn't remember the occasion the way Nadine had -- because Amy wasn't a writer, and Nadine was.
"Chapter Four?" mused Rainey, and smiled at her. "Where's that on the calendar?"
"Mmmm...I dunno....You remember that night when you came downstairs and flashed me? I barely made it downstairs ahead of you! I was playing possum on your couch, I don't think I'd been lying there more than ten seconds when you came out of your room."
Mort remembered that sleepless night all too well. Had another memory out of left field, them tearing each other's clothes off in the loft. Felt a surge of heat at the thought. "You must've thought I was a total idiot."
Nadine shook her head slowly. "A problem like that doesn't just pop up out of nowhere. I knew you had to be dealing with a lotta heavy stuff. Figured I'd hang in there and sooner or later you'd get to where your head needed to be."
"And Shooter?" Even though he was starting to remember some of the things Shooter had done, Mort didn't take that individual lightly.
"He's still you, Rainey." With gentle fingers, she combed his hair out of his eyes, looking deeply into them. "Don't worry about it." Don't worry? How could he not? He didn't want anything bad to happen to her. Enough bad things already had.
(How many times do I have to -- ?
--- Are you sure that's what she said?
--- I don't know.
--- You know what that bastard did to her. Do you really care, if she did?
--- No, no, I don't care, even if I'll always wonder....)
It was on the tip of Mort's tongue to ask if Shooter had ever hurt her, ever scared her, but he thought of how she'd responded to his attentions. Not frightened of him, concerned for him. Big difference. Remembered, then, how channeling Shooter had calmed Nadine on New Year's Eve when he hadn't been able to. The concern he'd been carrying for months left him; the terrible things he'd feared hadn't happened. He had no more guilty secrets. He wasn't afraid of the past, or the future.
Rainey gazed down at her. Her chin was resting on his chest, and she looked steadily back. Something else tickled at his memory. "Miss Nadine...."
"Gotta work on your accent...." Her lips twitched.
He gave it another try, attempting to lower his voice an octave. "Now, Miss Nadine, don't you be making fun of the way I talk."
Nadine burst out laughing, and he discovered -- or had he already known? -- how ticklish she was. Soon, she was giggling helplessly and begging him to stop. He did, mostly because it was too hard to kiss her while she was squirming.
===============================
Next installment: Wednesday
Final installment: Friday
Coming attractions: A "Pirates of the Carribean" stand-alone featuring a much younger Captain Jack Sparrow and his first run-in with pirates. (Still being beta-ed, will hopefully be up by early next week.)
.
==============================
Mort held Nadine close. It was the same way he'd held her on New Year's Eve, but this time they were both conscious. And naked. His brain was drifting in post-coital bliss...thank God he hadn't had to make the first move -- the thought snagged in his head, and he focused on it, frowning. He hadn't made the first move. He had no idea how they'd wound up in bed -- and not knowing the details was going to make him crazy.
How could he ask her, without sounding like a nutcase? The fact that she'd written "Gemini Descending" worked against him; she knew enough to piece things together. (If she hasn't already.) That stopped him in his tracks. How much did she know or suspect? What were the odds she could actually deal with his weirdness? She had her own demons, he'd seen the scars.
"Rainey? How you doin'?"
He hugged her. "Good."
"You're handling this better than I thought you would."
Mort started. "Handling -- ? ....You know -- ?"
"About Shooter?" Nadine nodded, still watching him closely.
His throat double-clutched for a moment. "Shooter? You KNOW about Shooter?"
She smiled wryly. "Come on, Rainey, I really hope you don't think I'm that dumb."
"You're not, but I didn't think you knew -- I mean, you wrote the book -- "
"The book on dumb?" she drawled. "Or maybe you were refering to 'Gemini Descending'?"
"That one," he agreed, tongue-tied and stunned. She knew about Shooter, mentioned him as casually as if he were a mutual acquaintance and not the terrible secret Rainey had harbored for so long.
"Yeah, and I spent quite a while trying to convince myself that that was fiction and couldn't possibly be happening in real life."
Mort had to know. "How long have you known?" He could see her biting her lip at the question, thinking about it.
"Since Chapter Four," she finally answered.
They were well into Chapter Nineteen. "Fifteen chapters!" Rainey exclaimed in shock. It dawned on him then; he finally understood why he'd been drawn to Nadine. He would never have had this conversation with Amy, who could have told him the date of their first coupling, probably to within a few minutes, and included details of what they were wearing and what they'd had for dinner -- but in a million years the former Mrs. Rainey wouldn't remember the occasion the way Nadine had -- because Amy wasn't a writer, and Nadine was.
"Chapter Four?" mused Rainey, and smiled at her. "Where's that on the calendar?"
"Mmmm...I dunno....You remember that night when you came downstairs and flashed me? I barely made it downstairs ahead of you! I was playing possum on your couch, I don't think I'd been lying there more than ten seconds when you came out of your room."
Mort remembered that sleepless night all too well. Had another memory out of left field, them tearing each other's clothes off in the loft. Felt a surge of heat at the thought. "You must've thought I was a total idiot."
Nadine shook her head slowly. "A problem like that doesn't just pop up out of nowhere. I knew you had to be dealing with a lotta heavy stuff. Figured I'd hang in there and sooner or later you'd get to where your head needed to be."
"And Shooter?" Even though he was starting to remember some of the things Shooter had done, Mort didn't take that individual lightly.
"He's still you, Rainey." With gentle fingers, she combed his hair out of his eyes, looking deeply into them. "Don't worry about it." Don't worry? How could he not? He didn't want anything bad to happen to her. Enough bad things already had.
(How many times do I have to -- ?
--- Are you sure that's what she said?
--- I don't know.
--- You know what that bastard did to her. Do you really care, if she did?
--- No, no, I don't care, even if I'll always wonder....)
It was on the tip of Mort's tongue to ask if Shooter had ever hurt her, ever scared her, but he thought of how she'd responded to his attentions. Not frightened of him, concerned for him. Big difference. Remembered, then, how channeling Shooter had calmed Nadine on New Year's Eve when he hadn't been able to. The concern he'd been carrying for months left him; the terrible things he'd feared hadn't happened. He had no more guilty secrets. He wasn't afraid of the past, or the future.
Rainey gazed down at her. Her chin was resting on his chest, and she looked steadily back. Something else tickled at his memory. "Miss Nadine...."
"Gotta work on your accent...." Her lips twitched.
He gave it another try, attempting to lower his voice an octave. "Now, Miss Nadine, don't you be making fun of the way I talk."
Nadine burst out laughing, and he discovered -- or had he already known? -- how ticklish she was. Soon, she was giggling helplessly and begging him to stop. He did, mostly because it was too hard to kiss her while she was squirming.
===============================
Next installment: Wednesday
Final installment: Friday
Coming attractions: A "Pirates of the Carribean" stand-alone featuring a much younger Captain Jack Sparrow and his first run-in with pirates. (Still being beta-ed, will hopefully be up by early next week.)
.