Don't Be Reasonable
by Diamonde
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters used or mentioned in this story belong to me, the poor things are still in Marvel's hands. I'm making no profit from this story.
This is an interim birthday present for Alicia McKenzie, beloved archivist, diligent feedbacker, Weasel Queen and all around damn nifty woman. Happy birthday. :) (Just! I just made it in...)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Thanks to Lynx and Persephone for reading through this for me; DuAnn, Lynx, Sarah Cascade, Persephone and Denise for trying to help me find a title and Persephone for giving one to me by accident. :)
A full moon was shining in the window, so bright that it bleached Domino's sleeping face to pure white, like a smaller moon against the dark hair. Light and dark that perfectly complemented each other - there was an analogy of her personality in there but Cable didn't bother to think of it. Instead he noted the deep, slow breaths that characterised a sleep of pure exhaustion and that familiar lines of age had disappeared to be replaced with lines of strain. The sheet was tangled around her waist, leaving her torso bare except for a tiny sleeveless shirt which did nothing to disguise a body that was several years younger and pounds lighter than it should have been.
But Cable knew Domino's sleep patterns better than anyone else and recognised the expression of a relaxed sleep, not an unwilling one. And when she was distressed or worried Domino hated going to sleep.
Sliding out of the room as silently as he'd entered, Nathan shut the door behind himself and padded back out to the kitchen.
Sam looked up from the newspaper that was spread across the table with a questioning look. "Satisfied?" he asked softly.
Nathan sat down across from his one-time student. "She looks like she's getting better."
"She looks fifteen years younger."
Nathan shrugged. "She needs to put on some weight."
"Tell her that in the morning then, Dom always takes comments on her weight so well." Sam smiled at his own sarcasm.
"I won't be here in the morning." Nathan looked at the clock on the wall. It was barely two, he could be gone long before anyone woke up.
Sam frowned and put down the mug he'd been drinking from. "All that and you're going to go without even talking to her? Or anyone else?"
"Why not?"
Making an obvious effort to argue quietly, Sam pointed accusingly across the table. "Because you came all the way out here because you wouldn't believe me when Ah said she was okay! Because you had to sneak in there and watch her for ten minutes while she was asleep before you were convinced."
"So? That's me. Domino doesn't _want_ to talk to me, Sam, and I'm not going to make her."
"How do you know? Or are you just afraid of what she might say?"
"No, I'm afraid of what _I_ might say." Nathan sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I shouldn't have come here at all, but I needed..."
"...to check up on us." Sam shrugged. "We lost one teacher, nearly two, and we're still not completely sure what we're doing but we're okay. Better now that Dom's back, and Ah think she's glad to be back. We can keep an eye on each other that way. But Ah don't think we trust the X-Men to keep an eye on you."
"I'm fine." Well, so he kept telling himself, because there hadn't been any other option than 'fine'. With Kelly and Moira dead, Shadowcat missing in action and the truth about Destiny's diaries bubbling to the surface there was no time to be anything else. Rogue didn't have time to deal with what her 'mother' had done, several people had romantic difficulties that they had no time left for, and he didn't have time to be afraid.
"No, you're not." Sam looked almost apologetic. "If you were you wouldn't be doing the Askani'son thing at me. So if you won't stick around long enough to talk to Dom yourself, at least talk to me."
"I'm not doing an Askani'son anything." Cable slid down in his chair, stretching his legs out under the table. "If I was I'd know what I was supposed to be doing, that was the whole point. But I don't know, because there's too many things I _should_ be doing and I can't do all of them at once."
"So work on one thing at a time."
"Don't be reasonable," Nathan snapped. "If I could, I would. But I can't, Kelly died because of that and we couldn't keep Moira alive anyway. Flonq, _Dom_ could have died or been taken over by whatever that thing was and I wouldn't even have known."
"Moira and Kelly both knew the risks. So does Dom. That doesn't make it any easier, but it's true."
"I know they did." Nathan sighed and rested his face in his hands. Kelly had, but he hadn't cared. You could respect that, and that was part of the problem. He'd _liked_ Robert Kelly. They'd got along well, had a lot in common, and because of that had been on the verge or really making a difference. But the chance of actually changing something, and a friend, had gone because of his inability to be in two places at once and they were back to damage control again. Running as fast as they could and never getting anywhere except further behind. "Oath, I just want to go to sleep for a week..."
"You're more than welcome t' stay here, you know that. Or ask us for help. You founded X-Force, you think we wouldn't help you out if you asked?"
"You speak in we's too much, Sam."
"_Ah_ would, then. And Ah'd make the rest of them come along."
Surprised and touched by the casual force in that statement, Nathan laughed.
Sam grinned. "See, that's better. For a while there Ah thought your sense of humour had died completely. Now, _Ah_ have an ice-cream craving so _we_ are gonna go find some and eat it while _you_ finish telling me what's been going on that's bothering you. And then you can go back to Westchester and Ah'll even not tell Dom that you were here if you like."
"Thank you." And he didn't just mean for the promise of secrecy. There were a lot of things that had been lurking in his head, things about Robert Kelly and Jean and the X-Men that he hadn't been able to talk to anyone else about, that Sam was removed enough to hear and close enough to understand. Even the idea that there was someone to talk to was a relief.
"Because Ah'm sure she'll know anyway. She always knows, she worse than mah mother that way." Sam stood up and put his cup on the sink. "But Ah'll nag you about that another day." And it was definitely a promise.
Nathan,
I admit I'm writing this mostly to get Sam off my back. He says that, and I quote, "you two've been friends, nearly forever, it's downright pathetic that you won't talk to each other just because you're both sulking". So he's decided that I need to write you a letter. Decided for me, that is. He says I'll thank him later. I think I'm going to make him wish he'd never been born later. When did he stop being all cute and shy and turn into a nosy little busybody instead? Like he can point fingers, anyway. I don't know if you know, but there's something very suspicious going on between him and Tab. The fact that they can't seem to stop kissing each other was my first clue. Trouble is, I think they've both changed too much for it to work out. Maybe they're like us and just can't let go.
Whoops, bad Domino. No talking about any of that, I'm supposed to be complaining about Sam. He's sitting here watching me write, as if I'll run off and not do it if he doesn't watch me every second, which means I can't run off and not do it. Cheeky little bastard. Still, I can look at him and write down all the things about him that irritate me. Yeah, that'll teach him.
He can't mind his own business. (I know I said that already, but it bears repeating.) And I don't like his haircut. It's not as bad as Jesse's, but whoever let him do that is in big trouble. Plus he really needs to shave. (You thought you looked bad with a beard.) Really, he's just begging to be attacked with an electric shaver in the middle of the night, although right now I'd be tempted to take his eyebrows off too.
You know what else? He's too understanding. You bitch and complain and call him nasty names and he just pats you on the shoulder and tells you it'll all look better in the morning. Then he has the nerve to be right.
He watches bad television. And he thinks he can like different music than me. Then again, I wouldn't mind so much if he didn't sing along. Badly. It's not his fault he can't sing, but that doesn't mean he gets to inflict it on the rest of us. If I didn't like him so much I think I'd have to kill him.
I'm such a big softie.
Domino
PS If you want to watch me while I'm sleeping you should at least buy me dinner first.
Domino, Of course I'll buy you dinner. You're too damn skinny.
Nathan
Dear Nate, Bite me.
Domino
Sam would like that too much.
Nathan
I'm not speaking to you.
Domino
Good.
Nathan
Fine.
Domino
Fine.
Nathan
Do you realise what a waste of money it is to use a whole stamp to just send one word? So this time I'm gonna draw a picture. Well, I'll describe a picture, since I can't draw. Here is my hand. All my fingers are curled over except the middle one. Don't you like my pretty blue nailpolish?
Domino
PS Is this the closest we've ever got to love letters or what?