(Untitled)
The sounds are different and the smells are different and the language is different. By now he's used to only hearing female voices; he doesn't really miss the sound of other men but that's mostly because he hasn't had the luxury to miss a hell of a lot of anything. This has been the most perilous part of their travel, getting across the damn ocean
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It's when they were in New France that they found out Beth was pregnant. He remembers that moment like it was yesterday: the shock, the wonder, the oh fuck feeling of his heart about stopping, asking her to marry him. Maybe if they end up here for good with no sign of going back, she will marry him.
At least he'll be one of the most eligible bachelors in the history of humankind. It would be funny if it wasn't so fucked up.
Taking a moment, he does something he hasn't had the opportunity to do in a hell of a long time: he traces that scar of hers all the way over from her right ear to her left, then follows the line of his fingertip with soft kisses. He can't remember a single moment when he hasn't just loved the hell out of the way she feels beneath his hands.
(He had broken ribs in New France, but that didn't stop him doing anything.)
If they had the time, there's a lot he'd like to do with her. Right now, tomorrow, next week, any time... but as tired as he is of it, he has to stay hidden. So far he's been really good about that and the last thing he wants is to blow it now. Good thing he's got a lot of experience at putting what he wants aside.
Their time will come. It might come in little snatches, in bits and pieces, instead of in this long glorious roadmap of endless freedom like they had back at the bar. If they never get back there... oh well. The only thing he wishes like hell they had with them is the photo book, but that's up in the closet at the House of Arch. And it's just pictures.
(There are pictures of Beth outside the bakery in New France in that thing.)
If they can't get to it again, they'll just have to make a lifetime's worth of new memories. He can always, always write the stories down again for Beth and Junior.
"Venus might be a little more... hospitable, but hell, ma'am, I'm just a humble bounty hunter. I get my romance wherever I can, so long as you're around. I'll give Paris a shot."
He holds her close, now, eyes closed, breathing in the moment. Every single second with Beth in his arms is something to cherish like the most valuable gemstone ever discovered. If it was up to him, he'd never let her go.
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Like... finding a nice little place in the French countryside. If Yorick's doctor friend -- or anybody else -- can make progress with doing something about what's left of the male population, Spike could be as visible as he'd want to be. Her French could use some work, but they'd manage. They're really fucking good at that.
But having a taste of the end of the universe and how good they had it there -- especially at the House of Arch -- has made it even more difficult to readjust to life out here.
She rises on the balls of her feet and gently pushes her forehead against his.
"After we find a place to stay in Paris, I'm getting Junior something I can push her around the city in."
When they first got the baby backpack, she had room to grow into it. Now she's starting to outgrow it.
She is going to be a year old pretty soon, and that's as hard to believe as anything.
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Including finding her a carriage or stroller or whatever they can get. A little red wagon, or her own little spaceship... except... yeah, they don't have those here.
Not yet.
"That's a great idea."
He kind of likes her line of thinking, too, especially that after we find a place to stay in Paris part. It sounds like her mind's a little bit made up and this is the second time tonight she's been making noises about the future. Well, fuck, yeah, he'd like to be able to conceptualize some sort of future. And if they stay here, it might even be a future where no one has to worry about opening the wrong damn door and getting sucked into some other place and time. For all he knows, he was meant to be here, although he's not really sure how he feels about that statement. He's fatalistic, but that's just...
Well, he can think about it some other time. In the past months, he and Beth haven't really had more than five solid minutes at a time to even think about any kind of future, much less have a conversation about it.
"You know, I saw a really nice place a few miles back. Close enough to the city to be able to get shit, but far enough away so a" -- he gives a shifty little look around, as if his voice isn't enough of a giveaway -- "guy could actually walk around without a cloak. At least inside. Of course, we'd have to convince the people there now, if there are any, that it's our house. But I can be a pretty persuasive guy." There's nothing but a smile on his face, though: the statement's entirely incongruous and he knows it. Still, his mind races ahead like it always wants to do, and he sees himself in the unenviable position of fixing up an abandoned French estate with a hammer and nails, muttering merde! beneath his breath in his newly-acquired language, breaking open a loaf of bread and sharing a bottle of wine with the woman he loves while Junior races snails or whatever French kids do.
"Get Junior a little beret and a striped shirt, a poodle, a pack of Gaulloises, her own little lighter. Hell, she's got the nanobots, I'd put money on that." He's teasing, of course: it's been months since he smoked and he's okay with it, although he can't say the idea doesn't tempt him.
This kind of dreaming? A little like uncovering buried treasure. It's about time they had an absolutely carefree moment. They're still forehead to forehead and he's nothing but an opportunist, so he takes advantage and kisses her again.
Just because.
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She has to smile when he kisses her.
"Well, when this is over, we'll just have to come back this way and convince anyone in it that it's perfect for the three of us."
One of her hands curls around the back of his neck, and she almost can't remember the last time they were allowed even this much intimacy.
"Spike. If we do actually find Yorick somewhere in Paris and he's interested in being a part of Junior's life, I'm not going to tell him he can't do it." She thinks he realizes this, but she wants to get it out in the open. "Don't think for a moment that it changes anything."
He doesn't get to say a word yet: in a flash, her fingertip is resting against his lips just in case.
"But I'll be understanding if you feel weird about it. I mean... you know I have no expectations for the poor guy, but don't think it hasn't crossed my mind that if he's here and really does want to take some responsibility and has already found Beth Singular, she could become another mother figure in my daughter's life."
Her daughter. Hers and Yorick's and practically Spike's.
Her smile's a little rueful, and yeah, it's all petty and she knows that. Junior deserves all the love she can get.
But she's still her baby.
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"As long as there's still room for this bounty hunter, Beth." He loves that little girl like crazy. "As long as I don't get shut out of the equation." He has been there since the moment she was born. He did spend half of Beth's pregnancy telling her jokes and stories in the middle of the night. He's held her and changed her and rocked her to sleep. Carried her around, bathed her, bought her clothes, been just like a dad to her.
"Must be a thing about the name Beth that draws in all three of the guys on this planet like moths to a flame." For Junior, he can swallow back the possessiveness and unbidden jealousy and crack a couple jokes.
He won't be as magnanimous with his Beth, though. Yorick can have his Beth Singular or not, but he can't have Beth Durand.
That's where he'll draw the line.
If he hadn't been lucky enough to sneak out the door after Hero when he did, he'd never have known what happened to his Beths. In light of that, he has to be grateful for everything he still has and everything he can get. But he won't lie to himself and say he'd turn down the opportunity to take Beth and Junior back to the bar right now and never come back to this Earth again.
He'd do it in a heartbeat.
And he wouldn't even feel too badly about it.
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"We love you." Despite the fact that he's almost gone and made her laugh after the fact, she has to get it in before the subject changes completely. "You don't get shut out."
Not even a little bit, and as if to seal the deal, she tilts her face up to his and pushes her mouth against his in a kiss that's hardly fooling around.
What's funny is that she actually thinks Spike and Yorick would have quite a few things to talk about if they ever did get a chance to meet. And what she said to Spike was the absolute truth: she's pinning no expectation on Yorick. He doesn't even know he has a daughter, and while she thinks he deserves to know, there are no consequences for it that she's going to throw at him.
It was her decision, and she's never regretted it.
Besides, she has Spike.
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Yeah, he's starved for her. It's such a temptation to kiss the hell out of her right now, return her favor, but he knows where that's going to want to lead and even though Hero's being a great babysitter, this isn't the time for too many overt demonstrations of desire.
It'll have to wait, and... that's okay, in a way, even if it doesn't necessarily seem fair. Because when they finally do get their moment -- in the rain or not -- it's going to be so damn nice.
Still... the cloak's right there; it covers two really well. But...
No. Not now. Not yet.
Some day.
Soon.
When that kiss is finally over and they're forehead-to-forehead again -- a little breathless, a little flushed, just like a pair of kids on their first date who don't know how far they're allowed to go -- he lets out a small happy sigh. "Here's a little story for you, Slim. Once up on a time, there was this guy who thought he didn't need another damn soul the whole rest of his life. Yeah, he went through the motions of living. Every now and then, he actually did a pretty good job convincing himself that everything was cool, that he liked things the way they were. And then he stumbled into the arms of this beautiful, smart, brave, sexy woman. The very first time their hands touched, he knew he was going to fall for her. Hell, she'd already picked him up when he stumbled. And it ended up being the best damn decision he ever made. He'd go anywhere for her, do anything for her. Follow her from world to world to world and love her a hell of a lot no matter what."
It's been a long time since he had a few minutes for sweet-talk; he's missed that, too. Yeah, it's corny as hell, but so what?
He loves her.
A hell of a lot.
No matter what.
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"This guy sounds like a hell of a romantic. Maybe Paris is right up his alley after all."
Letting her hands move up from his shoulders to rest on either side of his neck, she has to lift her chin for one more kiss. She is feeling better for having said the things she has, and she didn't even really think she had anything to get off her chest.
"We should go back soon."
But she could stand to stay out a little longer.
She could stand to stay out a lot fucking longer, but she'll take what she can get. Once they get to Paris, she might manage to grab a little more time alone with him from time to time.
Or... alone with him and Junior, and she'd be good with that.
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He'd steal her away if that was possible, but then he'd kind of have no choice but to go back for Junior, and that'd cause a stir if he just waltzed in with his cloak on and took her out of there. Yeah, that would raise a couple eyebrows.
"Yeah. We can go whenever you want."
(Just a couple more minutes.)
"Think of it this way, Slim: in a world full of women with imaginary boyfriends, you've got a real invisible guy by your side." That's something; it makes him grin and at the same time he reaches for that cloak. This isn't the first time he's given a silent blessing -- as much as he ever does that kind of shit -- to Tom for lending him this thing. If they do meet up with Yorick, he'll pick the guy's brain on how the hell he's managed to stay alive and largely unnoticed all this time without a cloak of his own.
And then he'll compliment him on his taste in women.
Yeah, just like that.
"Just one more thing before we go, Beth." With the cloak draped over his arm, he takes both her hands in his. "I never thought I'd go to Paris; the thought never crossed my mind. I can't imagine anyone I'd rather see it with, though." His voice softens and he gives her one of those smiles that's nothing but appreciation. "I love you. I never thought I could love anyone like I love you, and every day I wake up and realize I love you even more. The past couple months haven't been easy, but one thing's never changed: I'm still that guy who stumbled into your arms that day and I haven't regretted it for a red hot second."
This has been... really nice. A rare moment that's pretty relaxed; he could get used to having these again some day.
"You're something else. There may be a world full of women out here, but I only see one." Leaning forward, he kind of has to give her one more kiss and he does. Then it's time for the cloak; he disappears into it but reaches for her hand.
Invisible or not, she's stuck with him... to the ends of the universe and back.
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"I love you, too."
She hadn't said it yet -- she's always slower to say it -- but it's no less true now than it's ever been.
Her hand doesn't let go of his until they get much closer to joining the group again, and when she steps back inside to discover a barely sleepy baby still awake and playing with an indulgent Auntie Hero, she smiles all over again to see Junior's arms held out for her almost immediately.
It's pretty fucking great to feel wanted.
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