With one solid kick, Cable dropped the soldier in front of him. He whirled to find himself another opponent, just in time to see Domino and the man she was struggling with topple over the edge of the bridge towards the frozen Volga river below.

"Dom!" The cry burst from him before he could stop it, as if it had been wrenched from his very soul. The moment of inattention cost him; another soldier, howling a curse in Russian, smashed the butt of his rifle into the side of Cable's head. Stumbling, his vision filling with stars and going dark around the edges, Cable struggled to get free of the swarm of soldiers who leapt to take advantage of the opportunity. Instinct took over; he fought half-blindly, desperately, but it still seemed like an eternity before he won through to the side of the bridge. "DOM!"

In the split-second before he had to turn and defend himself again, he saw her, struggling back to her feet to defend herself, but limping, one arm guarding her left side. Her opponent was already on his feet, circling her slowly. The ice itself was thick enough to dance on, not surprising for mid-January in Volgograd. Cable ducked a blow from a man nearly his side, using the soldier's momentum to throw him over the side of the bridge. There was another momentary gap, a heartbeat of space to choose whether to turn and keep fighting, or to make the leap himself.

The soldier facing Dom pulled something from his belt, and bright winter sunlight glinted off metal. She backed away a step, hobbling. Her gun was lying a fair distance away on the ice; the only one she'd been carrying, the only weapon she'd managed to snatch up when their cover had been blown and they'd had to get out of the hotel as quickly as possible. He'd discarded his already, having used up all his ammo when they'd first run into the roadblock here on the bridge. There was no way he could help her from here.

The soldier made a feint at her. Domino jumped back, stumbling, and Cable leapt, timing it perfectly.

His last thought, before he landed on top of the soldier and they both went crashing through the ice, was to wish that their informant had called just five minutes earlier to warn them that the authorities were on their way. Five minutes more and they'd have been clear, along with the information their employer needed. This would've been just one more on the list of the Pack's successful ops.

Instead, he was trying to hold his breath, fighting to get back up to the surface as the freezing water tested even his T-O augmented tolerance for extreme cold. While a Red Army soldier who was too flonqing stupid to die was trying to stab him.

And it had started out to be such a nice day.

***

"Cable!" Domino cried out frantically as he and the soldier went through the ice. Shit! What a bone-headed move! She started forward cautiously, intended to grab whatever body part was immediately obvious and pull him out of there. But the water was murky, and she couldn't see either of them. Only a few stray bubbles, floating to the surface.

The second soldier, the one Cable had thrown over the bridge, was getting unsteadily to his feet. Domino swore again, rolling sideways, ignoring the pain in her side, until she reached her gun. She took him down with one shot, and then crawled back over to the hole, not quite trusting the ice to hold her weight. Even crawling hurt. Damn ankle's broken or something--

Cable suddenly erupted out of the water, gasping for air, and she grabbed a flailing arm, pulling with all her strength. It took three tries and several ominous grinding noises from the ice below them before he finally heaved himself back out of the water, coughing and sputtering. Meanwhile, the soldiers had given up on simply standing up there on the bridge and shouting at them. Some were clambering down across the bank, starting out across the ice.

Not shooting. She didn't like what that implied. They want to take us alive-- "Cable," she gritted, biting her lip at the stabbing pain in her side as she pushed herself up to a sitting position. He was on his hands and knees, still coughing, dripping wet and shivering violently. Somehow, she managed to pull herself to her feet, biting back a scream as she put weight on her ankle. Definitely broken. "Gotta go, Nate--" She reached down with some half-formed, not very feasible idea of pulling him to his feet.

"Professor," he choked out hoarsely, before she could even touch him. "Emergency override, bodyslide t-two, local s-sanctuary point--"

What the-- She didn't have time to think, let alone spit a curse before the river, the soldiers, the deep blue winter sky were all gone, replaced by a dark, dingy hallway lined with door. Her stomach attempted to turn itself inside out, and she staggered sideways, grabbing onto the nearest wall for support.

She stared down at Cable, still on his hands and knees, dripping icy water all over the floor. "What the fuck did you just do?" she asked, the question coming out a little more shrilly than he liked. The answer hit her almost as soon as the question was out of her mouth, the memory flashing through her mind of how he'd appeared out of nowhere that night, over a year ago, when they'd been trying to get out of the Mandarin's territory.

The night she'd accidentally shot him. To be perfectly honest, there was an outraged, bewildered part of her that wanted very much to shoot him right now, but she seemed to have lost her gun somewhere in transit. "You TELEPORTED us?" she almost shouted.

"B-Bodysliding," he muttered, struggling up off the floor with obvious effort. "T-Told you, after C-China."

He had. He'd also told her to keep her mouth shut. That, besides G.W., she was the only one who knew about his teleportational technology, and that he wanted to keep it that was until he was ready to incorporate it into the Pack's operations.

At the moment, she didn't give a shit about any of that.

"Don't you EVER do that without my permission!" she snarled at him, knowing she sounded irrational but not really caring. The idea of having her molecules disassembled made her skin crawl, and her head was still spinning from the transition. "You son of a bitch, you could have warned me!"

Cable stumbled forward, grabbing her by the arm. His grip was uncomfortably tight, but he didn't seem to notice her wince. For the first time, Domino saw the blood matting his hair on the right side, and realized she hadn't been the only one injured in the fight. He was still shivering violently, and his eyes didn't seem to be quite focused.

"S-Shut up," he said quietly, with surprising firmness considering that his teeth were chattering so loudly she could hear them. "K-Know it's a stretch, but I d-don't know how s-safe this place r-really is--"

Domino pulled away from him with a curse that turned into a soft cry of pain as she put too much weight on her ankle. Damn it all-- She eyed him measuringly as he leaned against the wall, looking around as if he was trying to orient himself. She did the same, trying to think straight, past the pain.

"Where are we?" A hotel, maybe, but she couldn't see anyone, couldn't hear any noise, except in the distance, probably from the street. Was the place abandoned?

"S-Safe for now," Cable said slowly, as if coming to some kind of a decision. He pushed himself away from the wall and staggered over to her, where he stood, swaying for a long moment, blinking at her as if he'd forgotten who she was. "Room at--the e-end of the h-hall," he finally said, his words faintly slurred, and took her arm again, this time with exaggerated care.

Together, the two of them somehow managed to make their way down the hall, to the last door. Cable let go of her and she leaned against the wall, pain shooting up her leg in a steady, pulsing rhythm, even from those ten or so steps.

She watched as he reached out with his left hand, simply laying it on the doorknob, not turning or pushing. His left eye suddenly blazed in the dimness, but only for a moment, The glow faded, and he let his hand fall to his side.

The door swung open, seemingly of its own accord.

Domino was quite sure she didn't want to know the details of what he'd just done. Besides, she'd gotten accustomed to weirdness from him, and there were more important concerns at the moment. Hobbling past him, swatting away his hand as he reached out to support her again, she glared at what lay beyond the door, and then gave him a killing look.

"It's a room." That seemed to be all that it was. One very sparse hotel room. Definitely cleaner than out in the hall, but it hadn't been used in quite a while, to judge by the layer of dust on the few pieces of furniture.

She'd expected some equipment-packed bolthole, somewhere with facilities and supplies they could use to get themselves out of this. Not a hotel room. Domino, cursing under her breath, limped over to the chest of drawers pushed against the wall and opened it. Blanket. Some clothing, in assorted sizes. A box of what looked like MREs.

Not a replacement weapon to be seen.

"Get in here and shut the door," she gritted, digging through the drawers, her back still to him. "And get out of those wet clothes." This was all his fault, she decided. He'd been so sure the two of them could handle this part of the job on their own, and now he'd teleported them here to this freezing cold empty hotel room. She should let him freeze. It would serve him right, the arrogant, overconfident--

She heard the door close, and a few unsteady footsteps. "Y-You're hurt."

"I'll live," she snapped, but nearly bit through her lip as she straightened, her arms full of blankets. Her vision swam as she stared up at him, and it took an effort to focus. He was just standing there, staring at her, still dripping on the floor. "Nate," she said, very slowly and patiently, even though part of her wanted nothing more than to throttle him at the moment, puppy-dog eyes or not. "Take off your clothes."

He kept staring. She fought the urge to throw back her head and howl in frustration. Even healthy, she wouldn't have had a shot in hell at wrestling him into submission. Now, she was half-afraid she was going to fall flat on her face if she so much as took a step forward.

"Listen to me," she said. Patiently. "You can take your clothes off, get over there on that bed and let me try and get you warmed up. Or you can stand there giving me that charmingly vacant look and let your temperature continue to drop until you collapse. And I swear to God, Nate, if you pass out before you get over to that bed, I'm going to leave you on the fucking floor. Got me?"

He looked almost hurt. "D-Don't have to shout, Dom," he said weakly, hands fumbling ineffectually at the fastenings of his soaked parka. Hobbling forward, a few stray tears of pain trickling down her cheeks no matter how hard she tried to hold them back, she laid the blankets on the bed and tried to help him.

He was getting worse, she knew, his core temperature dropping towards even more dangerous levels. Stupid son of a bitch--next time he decides to go for a swim, I hope he drowns! His coordination was going, and he kept forgetting what he was supposed to be doing. With a combination of sharp words and gentle coaxing, she finally got him more or less undressed and over to the bed. He laid down, curling into a fetal position and shivering so violently that she was half-afraid he was going to dislocate something. She managed to get the blankets unfolded and arranged over him, but pulling off her own clothes and crawling into bed next to him took the last of her strength.

"Stupid, brainless lummox," she muttered weakly, edging closer to him and flinching slightly at how cold he was. "Dumb-ass thing to do, Cable--could've broken every bone in your body. Thought you hated to swim, you idiot?" She closed her eyes, listening to his heartbeat. Strong, if a little fast.

"You w-were in trou-ble, Dom," he slurred. "C-Couldn't jus' let him--"

"I could've taken care of myself, you bastard." The words lacked heat. She was too tired, too sore, to shout at him. "Always tell you that, and you NEVER listen."

"'Cause y'r ALWAYS getting into t-trouble, that's why--" An even more violent spasm of shivering shook him, and she slid her free arm around him, drawing him closer.

"Sanctimonious asshole."

"S-Shrew." A long, long silence. She was about ready to shake him back into consciousness, thinking he'd passed out, when the recollection that it was bad to jostle hypothermia victims penetrated her pain-fogged brain. Before she could think of anything else to do, he spoke again. "H-How bad are you hurt?" he asked in a hoarse whisper.

"Ribs, ankle," she said tersely. "Nothing that won't heal up." She'd had worse, in the last year and a half. So had he. This profession of theirs was never easy on the body.

"S-Should have been w-watching your back better."

"Bite me, Cable," she growled. Man's hypothermic and STILL giving me lectures.

"'Cause you n-need them."

"Stay out of my head!"

"C-Can't," he muttered, pulling away from her sharply. "T-Thinking so flonqing loud, can't--b-block it out--" His voice was rising, an almost desperate edge to it, and Domino swore as he threw aside the blankets and slid from the bed.

"Nate!" she snapped in a low voice as he stumbled across the room, still shaking so badly that he could barely stand up. A distant, semi-amused part of her reflected that it was still a hell of a view, but she shoved the thought away, appalled, and started to get up. "Where are you going?" she demanded hoarsely, already wincing as she anticipated how much it was going to hurt to stand up.

Cable whirled, almost falling over. "S-Stay there!" he growled, the look in his eyes a little too wild for her liking. He turned back around, rooting in the same chest of drawers she'd gotten the blankets from--and came back out with a first aid kit she'd somehow managed to miss. "C-Can't lay there and feel you hurting," he muttered dazedly, stumbling back to the bed.

"Nate--" She swallowed, strangely touched by this, even though his reaction might just be due to him being unable to relax with a constant stream of mental 'ouches' coming from her direction. "Not that I don't appreciate it, Cable, but it can wait until you're a little warmer, don't you--OUCH!"

He had half-knelt, half-fallen in front of her, and was probing her ankle as gently as he could, considering how his hands were shaking. "Not t-too bad--"

"Speak for yourself," she said, a bit gruffly, and took the opportunity to get a closer look at the gash on the side of his head. It didn't look too bad--the bleeding had stopped--but there were already bruises forming. Judging by the way he was acting, he was probably concussed.

Cable paused in the midst of wrapping her ankle, giving her a tentative look. "Too t-tight? It's s-swelling up al-already." He stared up at her, still shivering, eyes anxious, questioning beneath still-damp silver-streaked hair. The look on his face, an expression of such intent focus that it was as if she and her needs were, at this moment, the absolute center of his universe, gave Domino a decidedly odd feeling.

"It's fine," she said, more gently.

He nodded jerkily and finished wrapping. "I should c-check your ribs, t-too."

She started to protest, but it didn't do any good. Downside of dealing with a telepath, she supposed, especially when you supposedly thought so 'loud'. She couldn't tell him she wasn't in any pain, because he wouldn't believe her. Domino just wished he'd pay attention to how worried she was about HIM and react to that, rather than fussing over her like a mother hen. Irritating man.

His hands were like ice, and she gave a soft yelp, almost pulling away before she reminded herself that the sooner he satisfied himself that he'd done everything he could for her, the sooner he'd calm down and get back in bed. Despite how cold they were, his hands were also surprisingly gentle. It was a strange, strange contrast, she thought to herself, staring up at him. She'd seen him kill with icy efficiency in a fight, but he was touching her, right now, as if she were made of porcelain. Which really should piss her off just on principles, but it didn't.

"J-Just c-cracked, I think," he said finally.

"Good," she said, grabbing his hands in her own and swinging her legs back onto the bed, pulling him along with her as she shifted over awkwardly. "Now that you've stopped playing my knight in shining armor, would you please get back under the blankets, you moron?"

"B-But--"

"No buts. Lay down," she said in a softer, slightly unsteady voice. He blinked at her for a moment, and then, miraculously enough, did as she told him. Domino rearranged the blankets over them both, and stretched out next to his chilled body, skin-to-skin. "You scared the shit out of me with that stunt, you know."

"S-Shouldn't have fallen off the bridge. Sloppy. G-Getting too s-sloppy lately, Dom--"

She could have wrung his neck for the 'performance critique'. Instead, she just slid her arms around him, holding him tightly. "Oh, and as if crashing through the ice in some hare-brained attempt to 'rescue' me was all that bright?" she asked a little mockingly.

A strange, shuddering sigh came from his direction. "N-Not going t'win an ar-argument with you, am I?"

"Nope. Especially when I'm right."

A tremor seemed to go through him at her words. She realized, almost in amazement, that it was a laugh. "D-Don't know h-how I put up with you, D-Dom--"

"It's my charm."

"M-Must be." He was still shivering. "N-Never been so c-cold," he said almost planitively. "Not used t'it--"

"Oh?" She smiled faintly as she felt him stiffen next to her. "You know, if you don't want me to ask questions, you shouldn't keep dropping all these enigmatic little hints."

"C-Curiosity c-cursed the c-cat."

"Killed the cat, Nate."

"S-Sounds better the other w-way."

***

/Nathan?/ The voice in his head was soft, questioning, somehow managing to convey concern and gentle amusement at the same time. Cable muttered a curse under his breath, wishing he could cover his ears and block the voice out, ignore it. He didn't want to wake up, didn't want to so much as stick his nose out of the comfortable warmth he was enfolded in. Especially when it was so damned cold outside.

#Go away,# he shot back.

/Nathan./ More amusement in the Professor's synthesized voice, this time. /You really shouldn't be sleeping with a concussion. Something I'm sure your lovely young partner would tell you, more forcefully, if she hadn't dozed off herself./

Dozed off? Partner? Cable tried to lift his head, biting back a groan. His head did hurt, rather impressively as a matter of fact. He tried to sit up, thought better of it, and settled for turning over onto his other side.

Only to see Domino, curled up beside him, frowning a little in her sleep.

Oh. That partner. He blinked at her, his vision a little blurry. Right--the roadblock on the bridge. He remembered now.

/Well, I'm glad to hear that. Especially when you're stuck down there, unable to get up here to Greymalkin's medical facilities./ A bit more worry in the Professor's voice, this time. /This really is an unacceptable state of affairs. I shall have to speak rather sharply to Blaquesmith when he returns./

#He'll be back with the replacement power core,# Cable sent back wearily, relaxing back against the bed. #He told us it might take a while to get the equipment he needed.#

Six months now, since the power core on Greymalkin had begun to fail. They'd had to shut down most of the station's systems, even life-support, while Blaquesmith went back to their time for a replacement. Temporarily decommissioning Greymalkin had been--difficult, to say the least. The technology in the safehouses could take up some of the slack, and they'd been careful to teleport down enough supplies and weapons before the power situation had gotten critical. But he was too used to having his own, private base of operations--his own personal retreat. #Professor, he hasn't really been gone for THAT long,# Cable pointed out, wondering rather muzzily why he was trying to reassure a computer program.

/I realize that. I simply don't like you being on your own down there,/ the Professor said, its flat voice sounding almost fussy. /I can do so little to help you when you get into trouble. That site-to-site bodyslide, even to a pre-cleared sanctuary point, drew down the station's energy reserves considerably./

Cable stiffened. #Greymalkin's orbit's not compromised, is it?# He hadn't thought about that, when he'd ordered the emergency override out on the river. All he'd been worried about was getting himself and Dom out of an impossible situation--

/No, no, Nathan, you needn't be concerned. You did the right thing. And I did use a small amount of reserve power placing an anonymous telephone call to Bridge. I'm tracking them--they should arrive in Volgograd to retrieve you and Domino within the next six hours or so./

Cable couldn't help a smile. #G.W. just took your word for it?# Oh, he hoped the Professor had recorded that conversation. Might be good for a laugh.

/Well, I tossed around a few pieces of information that only you and he would know,/ the Professor said archly. /I seem to have managed to convince him. He and the others just left Moscow, as a matter of fact./

#Thanks--# His eyelids were drooping shut again, despite his best efforts.

/Nathan,/ the Professor said sternly.

So tired. G.W. and the others were coming, that was all that mattered. No one who hadn't been directed here specifically would find them, not with one of Blaquesmith's own telepathic wards around the room. It wouldn't hurt for him to rest his eyes, just for a couple of minutes--

/NATHAN!/

He nearly jumped out of his skin. The movement was enough to wake up Domino, who sat up like a shot, and immediately cursed, cradling her side, even as she reached instinctively for a gun that wasn't there.

"What?" she demanded groggily, looking around the room. "What is it?" Her eyes finally focused, and she looked down at him suspiciously.

"Nothing," he said, as meekly as he could. "Didn't mean to wake you up." She'd thrown the blankets into disarray with the sudden movement, and he started to shiver again, involuntarily. It was damned cold in this place.

Of course it was. Abandoned hotel--that's why it was a sanctuary point. The odds of anyone with a 'critical role' in anything he himself would ever do in Volgograd showing up here, at least uninvited, was next to nil, according to Blaquesmith's calculations. So it was safe. Cold, but safe.

Really, really cold. And there was an entirely too attractive and entirely too young woman sitting there next to him, giving him a peculiar look that he didn't really like. Especially since he couldn't hear what she was thinking at the moment. That made him nervous. VERY nervous.

/You're rambling, Nathan./

#I'm not WEARING anything, Professor!#

/Ah./

He could swear that the damned computer program was laughing at him.

Domino's eyes narrowed. "You're still shivering," she noted, lying down and pulling the blankets back over them both.

"I'm fine," he said awkwardly as she slid closer to him. A little too close, actually. Oh, he certainly appreciated the gesture. It was certainly a lot warmer, nestled up next to her slender, muscled, soft-skinned--mind OUT of the flonqing gutter, Dayspring!

"Mmm. You're still cold. How's your head?" Her tone was almost, but not quite clinical. There was something else in it, an undercurrent of what sounded a great deal like suppressed laughter.

"Oh--fine." He turned over on his back, and started to count the cracks in the ceiling. A much safer view, all things considered, than those ever-so-faintly speculative violet eyes. "Are you--um, feeling all right?"

***

Domino tried very hard not to smile. "Don't change the subject."

"I wasn't changing the subject," he protested rather weakly, his eyes still darting back and forth as if he was looking for an escape route. She bit her lip, struggling to compose her expression, and laid a hand on his chest, experimentally. His heart rate jumped noticeably at the contact, and Domino told herself firmly that she really shouldn't be enjoying this so much.

"You act like I'm going to bite or something," she said easily, not breaking the physical contact but not pursuing things, either. Something was telling her that she needed to be very cautious about how far she pushed him, here. Sure, she'd been attracted to him almost since her 'interview' that night in Toronto, but there were all kinds of issues here. Not only hers, but his, which she still knew next to nothing about. Not to mention the effects indulging her impulse might have on their working relationship.

"I--wouldn't put it past you," he said, sounding oddly distracted. He'd stopped trying to squirm away, though.

She snorted. "Should I take that as a compliment?"

"Take it however you want." The words were classic Cable; distant, somewhat cool, but the tone was just a little bit--off.

"Don't tempt me," she said teasingly, before she could help herself. He stiffened, something that sounded like a groan wrenching itself out from behind clenched teeth, and tried to sit up. But the color drained from his face as soon as he moved, and he slumped back against the bed with a muttered curse. Domino pushed herself up on an elbow, regarding him concernedly. "You sure you're all right?"

"Just a headache," he gritted, closing his eyes. She frowned at the lines of pain in his face, and leaned over to look at the gash on the side of his head again.

"I should look after that," she muttered, looking around for the first aid kit. "God only knows what's in the water in that river--"

His eyes flew open and he gave her a thoroughly baleful look. "Leave it alone. It was your fault, anyway."

"MY fault?" she said incredulously.

"You distracted me, falling off the bridge."

"Oh, GOOD excuse," she scoffed. "Isn't it you who keeps telling me that anyone who loses their focus in a fight deserves what they get?"

"So I should have just ignored it and kept doing what I was doing?" he growled, glaring up at her. The effect of the glare was somewhat diminished by the fact that his eyes kept unfocusing as he stared at her. It was actually kind of cute. "Let you fend for yourself--"

"Like I couldn't have, you misogynistic shit--"

Rather than getting angry at the insult, or even brushing it off like he usually did, he stared up at her, his expression strangely troubled. "Don't ask me to stand back and watch you die, Dom," he said hoarsely. "I can't do that--I won't do that. And if that offends your sense of honor for some flonqing reason--" He swallowed, looking away. Breaking eye contact, one of the few times she could remember him doing that during an argument. "So be it."

She stared at him, deprived of her power of speech by this remarkable recital. So, she did the only thing that popped into her mind.

And kissed him.

***

/Nathan, your vital signs just rose alarmingly,/ the Professor pointed out helpfully. /Are you quite all right?/

He did not need a sentient computer stating the obvious. He needed to go jump in the Volga again, in lieu of a cold shower. Taking Domino by the shoulders and trying as gently as he could to detach her, Cable stared up into violet eyes dancing with mischief, and cast around wildly for something to say.

"Um--Dom. This isn't really--"

She rolled her eyes, turning over onto her side but still leaning over him. Her pale skin was flushed, her breathing heavy. "Nate? Shut the fuck up, already--"

"No, Dom," he said insistently. "This isn't--oath, I'm old enough to be your father!" Now, there was a depressing thought--

One elegant eyebrow arched. "And?" she asked acidly. "What does age have to do with anything, Nate? I'm not proposing or anything, damn it. What is it going to hurt? You're supposed to be a telepath--you've got to know that I've been attracted to you almost since the first moment I laid eyes on you--"

"Dom--" If only the feeling weren't so damnably mutual, he wouldn't be having so much trouble here!

She was too young. It would damage their working relationship, maybe even create tension that could get her, him, and the rest of the Pack killed--

--oath, he wanted her. Had for months. And recognizing that the desire was wrong and misplaced really didn't do much to make it go away.

"I've seen you watching me, too," Domino continued ruthlessly. "I may not have your 'gift', but I damned well know there's more to your interest in me than just the senior partner keeping an eye on the new kid to make sure she doesn't screw up." Her eyes narrowed, and a strange, almost feral smile grew on her face. "Or is THAT the problem, Cable? Do I screw with your focus?"

/Very insightful for someone her age./

#Professor, shut UP!# Cable swallowed hard. "Domino," he said, as levelly as he could. "We shouldn't do this. We don't need the complication."

You mean, YOU don't need the complication, Nathan, his conscience said mockingly. Oh, it wasn't as if he'd been celibate since he'd come to this time. The odd casual encounter here and there--it was part of the 'cover', and a need even Askani discipline couldn't subsume entirely.

But it couldn't be just that, with her. He knew it instinctively, understood the danger he was in if he let things go too far, this time. If he let her get too close. He'd seen too much in her, since she'd joined up with the Pack. Too much complexity, depths that could reach up and snare a man's soul forever if he let himself get lost in them.

She was barely more than a girl. Callow, brash, overconfident--

Beautiful. Witty. Loyal. Wiser than she had any right to be, at her age.

Beautiful--so beautiful. Like a man hypnotized, he reached up and brushed a stray lock of ebony hair out of her eyes. Her challenging expression vanished, softening into something wry and warm and thoroughly irresistable.

"Besides," she said, almost nonchalantly. "We're both freezing our asses off here."

/She does have a point, Nathan./ The Professor's voice was very soft.

#That's all I need, you playing matchmaker--# He bit his lip, remembering all the 'advice' the Professor had given him while he and Aliya had been doing what Tetherblood had always jokingly referred to as an 'extended and overly violent version of a mating dance'. What was he doing here? he thought, conflicted. This was--this was--

/A betrayal?/ the Professor asked gently. /Oh, Nathan. You know perfectly well that Aliya would never have thought any such thing./

But this was different. If he let this happen--he didn't know if he would be able to walk away afterwards and pretend it didn't mean anything.

"Dom--" he said softly, trying to keep his voice steady, and then surprised himself with a bemused grin. "You do."

"What?"

"Screw with my focus. Every minute of every day."

She positively beamed at him. "Flatterer," she said, her eyes sparkling as if he'd just paid her a compliment of the highest order.

Perverse woman. Still, for some reason, he couldn't quite banish the grin.

***

Domino liked the grin. It softened his usual harsh expression, made her realize just how attractive he really was. She laid back, trying to ignore the tell-tale flutter of nervousness in the pit of her stomach as he turned over onto his side and leaned over her, studying her so intently that she was almost taken aback.

Was he having second thoughts? She really hoped not. Aches and pains aside, this situation was just too delicious for words. Here she was, alone in a hotel room with her titular 'boss', a man she'd always found enormously attractive, while the Red Army undoubtedly scoured the city for them. And, nap or no nap, she was still on a bit of a high from their near escape.

You are SUCH an action junkie, girl, she scolded herself. He probably saw right through her, too. Didn't look like it bothered him, though. Something had been, she knew. It was gone now, what she'd seen in his eyes, but the key was KEEPING it gone. I suppose here's where I find out how good I really am at distracting him--

He murmured something in her ear as he leaned down to kiss her, and she smiled, nodding. Even considering her past--experiences, she'd never had any desire to live life like a 'warrior nun'. Domino bit back a reminiscent chuckle as she remembered Logan trying to give her the Talk. She'd been about fifteen years old at that point, and it had been all she could do not to laugh in his face. As if anyone could live the life she'd lived and not know how to safeguard against unwanted 'complications'.

A gravelly laugh came from his direction, but before she could ask him what was so funny, he had claimed her lips with a passion that stole the breath from her lungs and set her heart racing, as if it wanted to burst out of her chest. She had never felt arms so strong--and yet so paradoxically gentle--as the ones that enfolded her now.

"You're still cold," she whispered, shivering slightly, when they drew apart for a moment. She pressed herself against him, willing some of the heat to travel from her body to his. She certainly felt like she had plenty to spare, as if there was a fire burning just below the surface of her skin.

"Feeling warmer by the minute," he said, almost gruffly, tracing the line of her spine. It made her shiver.

"Glad to hear that," she said, with a wicked smile. "Now, you can find something better to do with your mouth than talk, right?"

"What, like this?"

"Um--yes. DEFINITELY like that."

***

The sentient computer program known as Professor shut down his sensor link to his 'student' to allow Nathan and Domino some privacy. It was a shame that computer programs were incapable of whistling, the Professor thought, offhandedly beginning a diagnostic program. He certainly would have enjoyed some tangible way to express his satisfaction at this latest turn of events.

It was a beginning, in any case. /And not before time,/ the Professor mused contently, going about his usual tasks while Greymalkin's cloaked bulk moved calmly through its orbit.

Even a computer program could see the obvious.

fin