Part XIII

The next morning, she wakes up with less pain than she went to sleep with. Looking around, she finds Klork gone from her side, Lisette still sleeping on her table, and darkness outside the windows.

Hn...wonder what time it is...

Slowly, carefully, she moves her elbows under her. Wincing, she cranes her neck to see the clock.

Erk...five in the a.m...that kinda sucks...still feel kinda sick...

She lowers herself back down and stares up at the ceiling.

"Daughter?"

With a blink at the telepathic question, she looks to the doorway. Quinlan stands there, his eyes glowing a soft green as he gazes at her.

"Yeah...?"

He silently steps over, standing and looking down at her. "How fair you?"

"I'm ok...feeling better, you?"

"I am fine...I've been worried, what with your illness and the danger you always seem to be in."

She pushes herself up on her elbows again, tilting her head to look up at her elven father. "What's on your mind?"

He helps her sit up, blinking when she turns to swing her legs off the edge of the bed. "Erk...you should not be getting up..."

"Oh, sure I should...if I lie there any longer, I'm gonna go nuts..."

He sighs resignedly and helps her stand. "Very well..." Slipping an arm around her waist, he helps her walk up to her room.

"Real clothes," she says out loud. "Oh, how I've missed thee."

He smirks as he helps her change from the hospital gown into a pair of gi pants and a t-shirt before he helps her sit on her bed, claiming a nearby bean-bag chair for himself.

She chews her lip lightly as she watches the way he looks at her. "You wanna ask me something..."

He nods with a frown, picking up her brush and sitting behind her to wrestle the knots from her hair. "Aye..."

"Uhm...ok...shoot..."

She feels him gently working on a snarl in her hair. "My family has decided to accept you into our Clan, and has invited you to live in Underhill with them." He pauses to finish working at the snarls, finally running the brush smoothly through the multitude of golden fire strands. "I would like you to accept."

Delicate brows furrow. "Quinlan...I'm honored...but this is my home."

He reaches around to gently pull the soft curls back from her face and into a loose braid." Aye...that I know; however, you would be safer with the elven."

She bites her lip lightly. "What about the Caedmons?"

He ties off the braid and moves so she can look at him with more ease. "True, they will be after you, but you will be protected."

Her head bows to examine her hands and bandaged forearm. "Mebbe...but would I be happy?"

There's a pause as he watches her. Gentle fingertips reach over to tip her chin up. Green eyes contemplate blue before the elven man sighs softly. "No...no, I don't believe you would be."

She nods slightly, knowing he knows her answer. A slight grin curls her lips as he kisses her brow.

"I wish you happiness, my little warrior child. Be it with the one your heart longs for, or be it not, may you have joy. Know you have a home Underhill if ever you change your mind."

Again, she nods slightly. "Alright...what about you? You gonna be stickin' around?"

"Here? Aye...for a few more days. Then I shall resume my wandering..."

"I'm sure you'd be welcome to stay here..."

He shakes his head with a smile. "No...much as I love you, little warrior, I must continue upon my journey..."

HLM smiles and is about to say something when Hank pokes his head in with a wry grin.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

She shakes her head. "Nah...c'mon in..."

He steps in, carrying a cane with him. "You really shouldn't be up yet." He holds a hand up against the argument she's about to voice and smirks. "But I know how much you've been laid up in the past year, and I know how it drives you mad, so I've brought you this." He hands her the cane, eyes going stern as he examines her wounds. "I do not want you exerting pressure on that injured leg of yours. There's quite a bit of muscle damage, and if you strain it any more, it will not heal correctly. As it is, you'll need quite a bit of therapy to get it back in shape."

"Hmph...just hope IT doesn't fall off like my WINGS did..."

Hank chuckles wryly. "I doubt that will happen, my moronic friend."

"OH good..."

He smirks as he turns to go. "Take it easy today. Now that I have another doctor to help me hog-tie you if we catch you misbehaving, you better be good." He winks with a smirk.

"Oh, c'mon, Bones, me? I'd NEVER do such a thing!" She smirks at his chuckle as he retreats from her room.

That day is spent writing in her journal, once Quinlan disappears back downstairs with the promise to get her if Lisette happens to wake up, and working on Hacker's shrine next to her mother's. She's putting the final touches on it that evening when there's a knock on the door.

She looks up. "'S open..."

Klork pokes his head in with a smirk and a small wave. "Heya...am I interrupting anything...?"

Her lips twist in a grin. "Nah...just about done...c'mon in..."

He steps in, hands pocketed. "Looks nice...I'm sure, were he here, he'd appreciate all the work you've put into it...."

The last small statue is put on the table before she grabs her cane to help herself stand up without using her left leg. "Thanks...I hope so..." Her smile turns sad for a fraction of a second before turning genuine. "You're walking..."

He nods. "yeah...been doing so all day...meds finally wore off..." Dark brows furrow as he leans back and his eyes drop to her legs. "Cane's new..."

Lifting the left pant-leg of her gi-pants, she shows him the bandage running along the length of her leg. "Lil' muscle damage...Hank says it'll heal ok so long as I don't do too much more with it..."

With a grimace, he nods, then gives a small whistle. "Niiice leg...I'll betcha you'd look great in a bikini when you're all healed up." He winks.

She laughs. "I see they didn't ruin your hormones at all..." She returns his wink. "Thanks..."

He chuckles and rubs the back of his neck. "With all of the sperm samples...are you kidding? Sad part is I don't remember any of that part...."

She chuckles softly. "Probably better you don't..." After hobbling over to her bed and sitting down, she pats a spot by her.

I feel like an old lady with this thing...

"What do you remember?"

He sits by her, then "oh"s, taking his pocket-sized journal out. "Not much in all truth...kinda glad I wrote what I did when I did down..."

With a wry grin, she nods. "Good...glad you still have it..."

Nodding, he thumbs through the pages. "Hmm..."

She tilts her head as she watches him.

Hrn...can't help wondering what he's written in there...don't wanna invade, though...

"Hmmm..." he murmurs again.

Now he's just teasing me...

"Sounds serious..."

He laughs. "Goofball...was just thinking on whether or not I should show you...there's really just my thoughts in here..."

She chuckles softly and nods as she scoots back a little. With a smirk, she reaches around him to grab her own journal. "You show me yours, I show you mine?" A lopsided grin spreads over her face.

"Hmm..." He eyes her before handing the book over with a shrug. "I suppose it's a fair trade." His lips curve in a smirk, accepting the binder she hands over with a chuckle.

He leans back as he flips through the pages and she reads.

I...jeeze..."almost more than I did Rose"...heh...man...

"Day one," he comments in a narrative voice, as if reading from the page, "I had the most erotic dream about Klork today." He looks up and winks before going back to reading.

Heh! Ohh brother...

She smacks his shoulder and smirks.

"Agh...hey." He sticks his tongue out, cackling as he reads.

"HUSH!" She snickers and looks back down, muttering, "He WISHES he can read THOSE thoughts..."

There's that cackle again. "Oh, but I cann..."

A delicate brow arches as she looks up with a grin. "Can you, now? Tell me what they are then."

"You're undressing me, I can see it!" He takes up a Ms. Cleo-esque attitude. "It's all in de mind, child...you see me naked wit' de' candles an' de' bubble bath!"

Her laugh rings through the air. "Hmm...that is a nice picture..."

You have no idea HOW nice...

"...but are you sure that's not YOUR fantasy?" She winks.

Beautiful blue eyes blink.

Eh heh...gotcha, did I?

"Oh, de chil' es smaht!"

A chuckle rises from her throat. "I'm not as stupid as I look..."

"Aw..." He winks. "Dang, makes things complicated." He pre-ducks any baps, so she tickles his uninjured side instead, snickering.

"Erk!" A pout crosses his face. "Notickle!"

HLM grins lopsidedly. "Whynot?" With a smirk, she goes back to reading, reaching over to hug him gently once she finishes. "I'm really sorry all that happened to you..."

Makes me wish even more that we got him back sooner...

He smirks and nods a little as he hugs back. "Ditto, chica...our weeks have been hell..."

"No kidding..." She shakes her head a little. "Vacations are more stressful than work, it seems..."

"Very much so..." He continues on with the hug, as if he doesn't want to let go.

Heh...no objections here...he's comfy...

She rests her head on his shoulder. "...do you have a room here yet?"

"Hmm...? Oh, well, dad and I are splitting one currently..."

She nods a little. "I was gonna offer to share this one...but since you already have a place to sleep, guess you don't need it, hmm...?"

He chuckles with a shrug. "I've been sleeping in the med lab, in all honesty...Lisette still hasn't woken up...it's worrying the hell outa me..."

HLM nods, her brows furrowing. "Me, too...I wish I could help her....kinda wish she didn't do what she did..."

Klork smoothes her hair back. "Not much can be done about her sometimes." He smirks slightly. "She's more stubborn than I am..."

She can't help but grin slightly as she looks up at him. "There's something I didn't think was possible..."

"Thbt." He chuckles. "Fine fine...deflate mine ego."

A soft laugh rises from her lips. "Ohyeah...really deflated there....." Gentle fingertips brush soft hair from his brow. "You're gonna burst into tears any minute now." She winks and chuckles softly.

He sniffs.

"Aww..."

The sniff transforms into a pout.

Straitening up, she blinks a little. "You pouting...how I make you stop...?"

"Very carefully?" He winks.

Another chuckle at that. "At least you didn't say 'the same way you get to Carnegie Hall'." With a grin, she gently ruffles his hair. "I'd have to smack you for that one and call you Raph..."

He blinks. "Oy..."

With a lopsided grin, she covers a sudden yawn. "Hrn...gotta stop getting up at five in the morning..."

He blinks again. "FIVE a.m.?? Why so early??"

"Couldn't sleep anymore....just woke up..." She smirks sheepishly.

He chuckles, then erks and yawns. ""Gah...catchy..."

She chuckles in return, reaching back to take the braid from her hair. "Mmhmm...stupid things....."

A smirk curls his lips before he hugs her quickly and stands. "I think I'm gonna crash..."

With a nod, she hugs back. "Ok...sweet dreams...wish your dad g'night for me, too..." She smiles up at him.

He nods, placing a light kiss on her brow. "Will do, chica...take care..."

Icy eyes close briefly as the smile turns soft before opening again. "You, too..."

He turns and heads out the door with one last smile.

At least he seems better....I just hope Lisette gets back up to par...

Part XII
Part XIV
Otherworldly Comforts Index