firstofitskind | MHA #6, The Wee Hours of Tuesday Morning

Liam slept. And as he slept, he dreamt. For Liam to have dreams based on memories was nothing new, but usually when that was the case, they were far more troubling. Dreams of being locked up and cast adrift until he sank to the bottom of an alien ocean. Dreams of being trapped in the magma center of a volcano as lava began to burst forth...

These were- well. They were not happy dreams, exactly, but they lacked violence. They were more... melancholy, if anything.

Sitting in the shuttle with Beckett, discussing family, and wishing that somehow, he could make her see the truth.

"If you could talk to your mother now, what would you tell her?"

"I love you."

"Even after she left you?"

"I know it doesn't make any sense, but there's a bond between us. It cuts across everything else."

The cave floor, holding her body as the last of her life slipped away, and finally, finally able to show her the truth...

"We didn't have our time together here on Earth, but if you ever lose your way, my son, look to the heavens, and I'll be shining a star for you."

Liam's eyes snapped open as the dream faded away and consciousness returned. He didn't know what the dream meant, if anything, but the feeling that lingered behind was strangely peaceful. Which seemed odd, considering he'd just been dreaming of his dead mother. He didn't know what that meant either.

He slipped out of the bed, doing his best not to disturb the other occupant. Thankfully, Verity was used to his sleep habits, so even if he did wake her, he doubted she'd be overly concerned.

Rummaging around in the kitchen until he found what he needed- a candle and a lighter, he headed to the living room. He sat, cross-legged, and then placed the candle on the floor and lit it before he spoke:

"Saqruvi, grant me weak eyes, for things that are of no account, and strong eyes, for all thy truth."

He didn't know if it would actually help him figure out what was going on, but it felt right.

[ooc: establishy, but could be open for the girlfriend!]

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"She died knowing you," Verity murmured. "And promising to always watch over you. I don't know if someone can love in a heartbeat, but if anyone did, I think it was her."

"That was the thought that upset her the most, you know," Liam said quietly. "That she was dying without ever having had children. And then, when I Shared the truth with her... she said that I'd been brought to her when she needed me the most."

That seemed like a weird thing to be regretting at the end, at least to Verity, but this didn't sound like the time to bring it up. Never might be a good time. Yeah, she was penciling that in for 'never.'

"I know I've had that feeling about you once or twice," she said instead, nuzzling close. "I think she'd be proud of the man you've become and everything you did."

No, it wasn't the 'Grand Purpose' or whatever he'd been designed to do, but his Earth was free and he'd moved on, made a life for himself, and been a good man. That was more than a lot of people managed to do.

Maybe it was, but she'd also had an implant that had invaded her brain tissue fail on her, so... perhaps her thoughts at the end weren't the most logical. In any case, not bringing that up was definitely the wise choice.

"I think she'd love you," Liam shared. "Your strength, how passionate you are about the things you care about..."

And Verity had never been gung-ho about having kids. She'd thought about having them one day, when she wasn't able to dance professionally anymore, but they'd never been a driving hope of hers. It could have well been different for Siobhan.

"That's what every girl wants to hear," she said with a chuckle. "That the mom will like and approve of them. Though I don't think she'd want to hear how passionate I am for all the things I care about."

Wink.

"Oh god," Liam groaned. "No, probably not."

"Fair," Verity said. "Let's skip that chat with my parents, too."

Her siblings had already been bad enough, thank you.

"Hopefully they're a little less likely to exclaim 'gross' every time we look at each other," Liam said.

"That's Antimony for you," Verity sighed. "Sorry about her. I think she forgets she's not twelve anymore."

"I think being the baby of the family must be difficult for her, in it's own way," Liam said, because he was nothing if not ridiculously empathetic.

"I mean, she did pitch a fit when Alex and I were allowed to use bladed weapons and she wasn't," Verity mused.

...Probably not what he meant, Very.

“Whereas your own reaction in a similar situation would have been entirely measured and reasonable,” Liam retorted, his tone gently teasing.

"Of course!" Verity retorted, tossing her hair. "I understood why he got to have them first. And, unlike what he'll tell you, I booby-trapped his room that day for an entirely different reason."

“Of course,” Liam echoed, grinning. “I love you, you know,” he added, shifting position so that he could pull her in for a kiss. “So much.”

"Glad to see my boob-trapping capabilities have found a receptive audience," Verity said, before Liam's lips descended to hers.

Dreams about dead women quickly fled Verity's thoughts.

Liam was doing his best to banish them for now, too. Hence the kissing. “It’s on the list,” he said fondly.

Verity would be all-too happy to help with that banishing. In case kissing wasn't enough.

"Is there an actual list somewhere?" she asked. "I'm gonna steal it and read it all. Better be long, too."

See, this was why they kept saying 'gross' at you two.

"It's a pretty long list," Liam confirmed. "Might take you a while."

"I'm willing to take the time," Verity said, trying to bite back a smile. And did so by biting his lip. "You learn to be patient in cryptozoology. Much like being a Companion-Protector, I'm sure."

MHA #6, The Wee Hours of Tuesday Morning

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