Katarina curled up the few pieces of paper in her hand to form a tube as she stood outside the doctor's office. It was not like visiting her normal doctor. This office didn't have the sterile feel, instead the big open windows and pale yellow walls brought a rather homey feel. It wasn't helping with her nerves.

She had made a consultation appointment about her various mods long before recent detailed discussions with Locke. Regardless what their ultimate decision would be with the mods, the bone reinforcers were necessary for dancing; particularly with her sensitive ankle.

Unrolling the papers only to roll them in the opposite direction, she opened the door that had the simple sign of "Dr. Barta" and allowed herself inside. A small waiting room wit a long desk with various office assistance and it continued to have the same homey feel. But there was another item that made this room different - luxury. The simplistic nature did not diminish the value of the furniture. Clearing her throat, she approached the desk to one of the woman with a cheerful smile, "Hello, I go' a' appointmen' wit' Dr. Barta fer 11:00?"

The office assistant looked up from her screen with a well structured smile. "Name, please?" Then passing over a small data pad. "If you will read over the information, answer the questions, we will call you when the doctor is ready." The datapad would have the usual medical history information. Dr. Barta didn't trust records that sifted through who knows how many different databases before getting to her. She wants the information straight from the patient's mouth as well.

"Katarina Smith." Nosiness had her glancing down from her tall perspective to see if she could spot her name anywhere, but the data pad blocked her view and she took it with mild interest, "Yeah, sure. Thanks." Another last smile, Katarina meandered to the closest seat, glancing over her information as she sat down. It was promising that there were only two other people in the room: a man and what appeared to be his young daughter. The little girl seemed too interested in her large picture book to pay much attention to anything else. Sighing quietly, Katarina began the long checks, mostly of "no's" about her medical history. It was times like these that she was thankful for a family history of decent health.

The office assistant continued to tap away at keys first on a keyboard and then on the screen, working her way through files and schedules. "Mr. Thomas? You can take Melanie through now. Ms. Vance will be seeing her today just to check things up." Ms Vance, one would know, was the doctor's personal assistant, and quite skilled in her position.

Katarina's eyes lifted up though her head did not as the man escorted the little girl to the door that would lead to the various rooms and offices. Being alone made her antsy to get this underway. She stood up and handed the datapad back to the office assistant before returning to her seat. Crossing her legs, the foot dangling twitched in a quick pattern, fidgeting. Finished with the paper given to her by the assistant, she pulled out her previously rolled papers and began to try and smooth them out.

The office assistant looked over the datapad, placed it in the dock and let the information load into the system, "Miss Smith? If you will go on through, the nurse will conduct you to Dr. Barta's office." The smile as computer precise as the screen she sat behind.

Looking up at the office assistant, she nodded and offered a polite smile, "Sure yeah, thanks." Standing, she helped herself towards the door that led to the offices, meeting the young nurse. "Follow me, please."

Katarina tried to continue to smooth out her papers a she followed the shorter woman. She led them to an office with an open door, and the nurse knocked on it, "Dr. Barta, your 11:00 o' clock is here."

Dr. Barta's office was strangely comfortable. Unlike the pristine and precision like angle and flat surfaces of the hallways and front office desks, this room had a calm blue paint that drifted from navy to near white as it crept up the walls. Plants were in the corners soaking in light from the window.

Dr. Barta herself was olive complected with hazel eyes that snapped up from the screen she had been reading, twinkled with a forming smile. Her dark hair was pulled back from her angular face in a loose tail of fat, curls. When she stood, her height was revealed to be close to six feet. She immediately stretched a hand out to Katarina. "Good morning, Miss Smith. Please, come and sit." Her free hand gestured to the cushion chairs opposite her narrow, orderly desk. Very few papers, just one datapad to the left of her monitor. "Thank you, Isabella." The nurse nodded and left, closing the door behind her.

Katarina was pleasantly surprised to find the doctor taller than she. It did not usually happen outside of the theatre or her family. The handshake she gave was both gentle and firm, "Good morning, Dr. Barta. Thanks fer seein' me." The warm atmosphere helped calm her irrational nerves a little as she took a seat a comfy chair in front of the desk.

"A pleasure." Dr. Barta sat behind her desk once again, one touch to the datapad then she sat back, relaxed. She wanted the young woman to feel comfortable. "I understand you have some considerable questions, and that is good. It is much easier for us to work together, when one comes with questions and not absolutes. Miss Smith," Dr. Barta paused and smiled, "may I call you Katarina?"

"Sure." She tried to smooth her rolled papers again, having some questions scribbled down in case she forgot to ask them. She found some at a first glance difficult to read. Maybe she should have put more time into making her handwriting more neat, "Umm, yeah, I hav' a lot'ta questions, I guess. The bone reinforcers I kinda know 'bout, since I know lot'sa dancer who hav' 'em. Bu' th' mods... I dun hav' much o' a clue."

A slow nod, she listened to each word, but not only that, the way the young woman moved, spoke; the way she had rolled the papers and then smoothed them down. "Yes, well," the smile was there still, gentle, inducing the lines around her eyes that Dr. Barta refused to have altered. She earned them, she had said. Wrinkles and all, the start of the gray hair at the crown of her head. She had earned it all in her years, and she showed them off more than the diplomas and wards framed on her wall that only could be seen by those who visited her office. "Let me be certain I understand what you hope to achieve with modifications. There is a need to have high resistance to extreme cold temperatures, is that correct?" She had glanced to the datapad only. Mostly, she watched Katarina.

"Yeah, thas righ'." Katarina crossed her legs to buy her a moment, "An' tha'd be... everywhere." It wasn't that she wasn't willing to discuss details, it was just that somehow when they were spoken aloud, it felt different than how it sounded in her thoughts.

Dr. Barta sat forward again and tapped on the monitor, selecting files to open, searches for the machine to execute. "I do not wish to make you uncomfortable, Katarina, but in order for me to answer your questions fully, I do need us to communicate as clearly as we can. Am I to understand then that these modifications must effect all areas and organs that can be reached externally? That would include part of your oral and digestive system starting with your mouth and nose? Also the inner ear canal and..." a few more tappings. Dr. Barta knew she was going to make the woman uncomfortable, but she had to ask, "the majority of your reproductive organs?"

She took in a long breath and and exhaled as a sigh, "Yeah, tha'd be correct." It sounded so more detailed now, but this was why she was here. She offered a light, confident smile.

The touching to the monitor stopped, and Dr. Barta folded her hands and smiled to Katarina. "You may have come to the wrong person, then, Katarina, at least for this part. Skeletal sheaths I can give you, but spells I cannot. Yes, it would seem from my, admittedly, limited knowledge in this particular case, that the child was successful because the spell adapted his mother into a suitable environment for his growth. The body is an amazing creation that will, at its most, do its best to recreate itself. Now, if DNA is not the route you wish to take, you do not wish permanent change, while I do not have spells, we can invest in the possibility of permanent nanites in the required tissues. A simple program trigger would allow them to temporarily alter the code of the affected cells then revert back to normal afterwards. The side effects being nanite failure and replacement."

That last bit didn't quite make sense, and Katarina frowned slightly, "Meanin'.... it'd make conception possible, an' 'n revert back so tha' my body could tolerate it?"

"No, not with what I know. The cells are different there. First of all, it is a particular combination of traits not only that are you, but from your family. Some are dominant in you currently because of the combination. Some are not. When they mix with your fiance those combinations are impossible to predict. What the nanites in this case will do will allow you to continue as you are with your genetic make up intact. It is temporary allowing you the intimacy you desire. At this point, it would also be my recommendation until you are certain you want the DNA recoding. None of my options will make, as we have technology now, possible for your genetic make up to successfully merge with his -- without a spell, and that, as I said, I cannot provide." She felt badly, in fact. There was somehow, some way, a child had been born, but she simply could not give this young woman that guarantee. It would be unethical, even if she felt inferior to the task of giving this young woman a path to her happiness.

She nodded her head vigorously "Nah, I understand. Th' lack o' information o' tha' particular spell is why 'm here." She straightened in her seat then, "So, how long do these nanites last, an' can I hav' them more 'n once?"

"They are meant to last for several years. There can be failures which the body flushes out of its system naturally. It will be like have a cold or stomach flu, depending on the system that is effected. Should you wish to be rid of them, we simple send in a command code to shut down, and again, you will not feel well for a few days, but your body will naturally remove them from your system. If there should be an unscheduled failure, we will ask you to refrain from intimate contact and come to our emergency clinic only so we can make sure no other systems are compromised. It is our safest option as the typical coding failures simply shut the nanites down."

"So I'll know tha' it didn't work if I feel like 'm sick, er 'm gonna feel tha' way fer a bi' anyway?" Katarina just wanted to make sure that she would be able to catch the signs if this was the route she decided to take.

Dr. Barta slowed down as she leaned forward. "The initial procedure will not take long, but we will want to keep you in observation for a few days. You should not feel anything. If the nanites are working properly, they are disguised from your body's natural defense systems. You will only feel sick if they fail. Your body will have recognized them as foreign elements and attacked them. As they cannot digest the materials fully, they flush the system. These are microscopic machines." She touched the monitor, then turned the datapad on her desk around to Katarina. "You are welcome to take this datapad which has not only the options we discussed, but details on the nanite option such as how to access it. It can be chemically triggered when you are aroused, or you can control the trigger with a pressure point. There are pros and cons to both which this describes here. I think it may be best for us to schedule another meeting to talk more again. No charge of course. But you have a great deal to think about and no doubt more questions will come up."

"Okay, tha'd be great." She was quite certain that she wouldn't have remembered things properly anyway, which would only make things more difficult. "Is there anythin' we need ta discuss 'bout th' bone reinforcements? I am nah 'n a hurry er time limit fer th' mods, bu' there is some pressure ta get th' reinforcers sooner ratha 'n later." She picked up the datapad, briefly looking it over to see if she understood how to use it or not.

"Do you have any questions about them? They are polydurlantium which avoids complications of rejection and bacterial growth. There is significant soreness for several days up to two weeks as the tissues around the sheath reattach and adjust. They are guaranteed for life. Are you only focusing on the feet and ankles?"

She nodded, "Yeah. 'm nah gonna go an' git 'em 'n the wrists an' knees. Dun see a reason fer it when those ar' 'n fine workin' condition righ' now."

"Well, it is an entire system. With the reinforced ankles, stress will increase to your knees, your hips, and your spine. However, your profession as a dancer has already toned the muscles in that area, so I doubt that they will be as affected as it would have been say for a diver or a runner. Less recovery time as well. Any questions you have about the procedure?"

She shook her head slightly, "Nah, I think tha' it's a lot more straight-forward 'n th' mods." Not to mention she did not have much of a choice with them, either. With the datapad in hand, she felt more calm about what was ahead of her. Not that the choices were any easier, but at least they had some answers.

"I look forward to our next meeting. When you decide to do the modifications to your ankles, call the office and they will schedule you. We will have some pre procedure tests for you to complete that will not take long, and then you will have the strength you need in your ankles." Dr. Barta stood and offered her hand. "I am sorry I was unable to answer all your questions, Katarina, but I will research more and see if I cannot get those answers for you."

"Perfect." She stood as well, and shook the doctor's hand again, her smile much more relaxed and comfortable now, "Ya were mos' helpful. Gimme some time ta talk thin's ou', an' I'll call yer assistants ta set up anotha meetin', yeah?"

"Thank you, Katarina, and yes. Whenever you are ready." After the hand shake, she came out from behind the desk and not only opened the door but walked with her to where the office was separated from the waiting area and opened that door as well. She wanted to young woman to feel safe here, as it seemed it was one of the few things Dr. Barta could offer.

Following the doctor out, she held the datapad carefully but tightly. The last thing she needed to do was drop and ruin expensive equipment that had been left to her care. Once reaching the threshold of the door to the waiting room, she smiled once more, "Thanks Dr. Barta. Until next we met." Friendly smile in place once more, she made sure to give polite goodbye's to the rest of the office assistance before letting herself out of the building. She had much to think about, but doubted it would be anywhere near her last visit to the place.

"All right." His eyes drifted downwards, to look at his arms, then to try to sneak a peek at the datapad, though it was upside down from where he sat. Finally, he looked up again, straight into her eyes. His voice was slow and deliberate. "What do you think, Katarina?"

"Well..." she frowned and twisted her lips for a moment, "I know it's a lot ta take 'n, bu' there's anotha method she suggested an' recommended. Wanna hear it firs'?"

He attempted to set her at ease with a smile, reaching a hand halfway across the table before remembering he was without gloves. "Sure. Give me a moment to retrieve some gloves?" He scooted the chair away from the table and stood up, moving swiftly out of the room. A few moments later, he returned, wearing his usual black leather gloves. He sat back down at the table, immediately reaching for one of her hands. "Please, continue."

She nodded, scrolling back down on the datapad while she waited. Once he returned, she offered out a hand for him to take with a slight smile. "The las' method she mentioned was using nanites 'n th' required tissues. There's a simple program trigger tha' would allow ta temporary alter th' code o' th' cells an' 'n revert ta normal aftawards. Th' side effects would be if th' nanites failed, I'd feel like I had a flu er cold er somethin', an' 'n they'd shut 'em down an' replace 'em." She frowned as she scrolled some more, "Didn' say how I git 'em... injection I'd assume, " which made her cringe. "Said they last fer a coupla years, an' would still allow me ta keep th' same genetic make-up. Hmm.. said if tha' I shouldn' really feel anythin' if I git 'em, bu' she'd wan'ta keep me 'n observation fer a few days. They ar' lik' li'l machines, so there's a trigger ta turn 'em on, like... arousal er a pressure poin'. Even wit' these though, she said tha' there nah a sure an' safe way ta combine yer genes wit' mine." She hoped that he'd understand that last sentence, and looked up at him, "An' I thin' tha's the long an' shor' o' it."

He squeezed her hand when she was done detailing what nanites were, while his other hand tapped rhythmically on the table. "Well...where should we start? Do you have questions for me, or should I reiterate my earlier question?"

She returned the squeeze, but it was a more automatic action as she laughed lightly and brushed hair out of her face with her free hand, "Honestly, I ain' go' a clue where ta star'. Wha' was yer question?" It seemed like a good as place to start as any.

He chuckled slightly, as the tapping hand lifted off the table to wave in the air. "From the sounds of things, if I ask it, you might not have a ready answer for me right now. But at the risk of that...what do you want to do, Katarina?" His eyes focused on hers, more intently and intensely than usual.

"Well, 'm leanin' towards th' nanites righ' now, 'cause they're nah permanen', an' if somethin' goes array, there's a way ta shut 'em down. It dun sound like I hav' much o' a' option wit' th' DNA mods. Bu'.. I thin' tha' there's a' issue we gotta discuss bahfore choosin' anythin'. Kids." She waited a beat to say the word, not really giving him a chance to guess what that would be.

"Do you want them?" He came right out and asked the question, eyes still dead set on hers.

"I... dunno." She wanted to look away from his gaze, but couldn't bring herself to do it. "Nah 'cause I dun like kids, er anythin' like tha', it's jist... it's kinda th' kiss o' death fer dancin', yeah? Tha's a' leas' a good year bein' ou' o' practice, plus who knows how long bahfore I could get back inta shape. An' by then.. well.. dunno how much longa I could keep up, yeah?" She finally glanced to the side and down at the table, "It's incredibly selfish o' me."

His gaze followed suit, down towards the table, lingering there as he spoke. "I probably come at this issue from a completely different perspective. We both do, obviously, but...it's peculiar for me." He immediately winced after the sentence was spoken. "Peculiar's putting it mildly." He started to wave wildly at the air again, attempting to settle his nerves down. "I'm not really saying anything of substance, am I?"

She glanced over to him under her lashes, a faint grin appearing, "Nah particularly. Bu'... will you?" It was her turn to squeeze his hand, "Ya hav' every bi' o' righ' ta hav' yer say."

He squeezed back, before letting go and standing up from the table. He took a couple of steps away from it, but stayed in the same room. He paced a little as he spoke, looking over towards her now and then, but not making eye contact. "For all practical intents and purposes, I am the last of my kind. Sure, there is the chance, however remote it may be, that some of my ilk made it to another world and propagated the species, so to speak. And I still hold out hope that-that where I am from did not get destroyed the way my mum is so certain it did. But the fact remains that I have been here for nearly 24 years now, and I have not seen another of my kind. Heard rumors there was one in town last year, but it was right around the time all that dream malarkey was happening, and when that was all wrapped up, there was no further talk of her. I just assumed she was...a figment of some bloke's imagination. Maybe my own." He shook his head, as if to say it wasn't important at that moment. "I wasn't-I wasn't prepared for this as a child. I was just like the other elves, if a little paler and whiter of hair. It's different when your mum says it, and then you have to actually live it out. I..." Another shake of the head, as he trailed off and stopped pacing. "There is so much I cannot even begin to bring forth to the surface."

"I dun need ta know th' reasons fer yer answer... only if ya wan' 'em er nah. O' course ya know tha' yer reasons matta to me.. I only mean ta say they dun change yer answer by tellin' me, yeah?" She offered a reassuring smile.

He stepped up to the table, resting his hands on the surface. "I don't know. You grow up poor, with a brother who's a half-" There was a bit of a stutter at the end of the sentence, as if he had nearly caught himself saying something he shouldn't have. "half-elf, and bloody sick all the time, and then you cut out on your family all together, and you live on the razor's edge nearly every bloody moment of every bloody day for four years, and that changes how you look at things. And yet...about a year ago, in spite of all that, I realized that I wanted to be a father." He turned sideways to look at her directly.

She took a moment to process all that, before giving a single nod, "Well... I ain' sayin' tha' 'm nah willin' ta let th' doctor try her thin', bu' th' bes' be' fer tha' would be ya gittin' tha' spell ta make ya warm, yeah? An' even then.... our kids would only be half-elfs too." He obviously knew that, but with the way he discussed him being the last of his kind, she wanted to keep that clear, "An' if I git th' DNA mods, tha's tha'. If ya were ta become warm jist a year later, there's no tellin' wha' could happen then."

Dr. Barta was already standing this time when the couple were brought to her office. The space was no more than three steps to offer her hand out to Katarina in greeting, and as much as she wanted to do the same greeting for the ice elf, she understood well enough that without gloves it may not be possible, so she hesitated in that search before she would offer her hand in a welcoming shake. "Good afternoon. I am so pleased to see you both."

Locke was wearing his usual black leather dress gloves, but he took no notice of Dr. Barta's initial hesitance to extend a hand to him. Enough time spent in his cold condition had taught him not to take offense at reluctance to risk being harmed by his chill. Instead, he tugged a bit at one of the cuffs of his vivid red dress shirt, before smiling brightly at the doctor. "It is a pleasure to meet you and make your acquaintance."

Datapad in her free hand, she shook Dr. Barta's hand with a warm smile, "Nice ta be seein' ya 'gain." She offered the datapad back, "An' thanks fer lettin' me borrow this. Was really helpful tryin' ta explain everythin'."

Greetings completed, datapad claimed, she gestured to the chairs opposite her desk. "Please, take a seat." The desk had little on its surface but large monitor and another datapad at the center where normally files or folders would have been. "Now, then I understand there are some further questions likely you have." Dr. Barta also hoped perhaps some information that might help her help this young couple.

"Well..." Put on the spot, he couldn't think of any questions immediately. He looked sideways at Katarina, hoping she could think of something. He shrugged a shoulder, as if apologizing.

She looked up at Locke as she took a sit, giving him a slight grin before looking to the doctor, "I dunno if it's so much as questions as figurin' it all ou'. We've come ta thinkin' tha' th' nanites ar' gonna be th' bes' thin' fer us righ' now."

It was a smile that communicated much: confidence and support in their decision, promise of success, and desire that it works out for the best. "I see. And you both agree to this." She needed to hear it from Locke as well, even though Katarina had said "we."

He took his seat soon after Katarina did, adjusting the grey, black, and red plaid tie so it hung down the center of his shirt. Even as he was settling into the cushioned chair, he was nodding his head. "Yes. Given what we know of both methods, and given...our desires to keep all options open, we believe the nanites are most ideal."

Dr. Barta sat and began to touch through files and orders on the monitor. A keyboard was not required. There was a pen to the side that she did not touch at the moment. "I think you have made a very good decision. In time, we may be able to give you all you desire with DNA modification," a flick of a glance to Katarina, "but this is an excellent first step. Now then, did you discuss the type of trigger mechanism you wished to use?"

A slight shake of her head, "Nah, 'xactly, an' I did hav' a question 'bout tha'. There's nah way tha' they jist... stay 'n a' all time? An' wha's the duration o' th' trigger before everythin' reverts back ta normal?"

She stopped touching through the files and turned to face the couple fully. Her attention was divided without the annoying bounce of a tennis match between the two. Her eye contact did not waiver. These were important questions not to be taken lightly. "That nanites can stay active continually. I do not recommend it as it increases some risks in the coding. As advanced as these microscopic machines are, they are just machines and can suffer from not being shut down from time to time. Even ones used in hearts and circulatory systems have rotations. Putting rotation schedules in your nanites would mean we would have to increase the number exponentially. The systems you want adapted are vast, much larger than most of the other systems in the body. That being said, if you wish to run that risk, I will allow it."

Locke had wanted to laugh as well, but when she cut her laughter short, he decided against it. Instead, he flashed Katarina a warm smile and laid a hand on her forearm. "That sounds complicated, but then again, I am positively lousy with anything more high-tech than a toaster." The corners of his mouth curled up into a more mischievous expression.

She shared a smile with the couple.? She did not understand whatever secret delight they had, but at least they still were laughing at times and smiling.? Both positive signs.? There was no disruption to their discussion.

She rolled her eyes and grinned, but couldn't argue his point. Instead she turned her attention to Dr. Barta, "I thin' I like th' idea o' it bein' 'n th' eye betta, so I know tha' I hav' control ova it. Now, once th' nanites go inta their restin' period er somethin' like it, will I be able ta know so tha' I dun make any mistakes?"

"It can be programmed so you cannot disrupt the cycle.? The options would still be there only you would have a visual color cue that they are not able if you like."

"Sounds pretty aces to me." He was nodding, more to himself than to anyone else in the room. "Have we missed anything else?" This question was directed to both of them, though he looked at the doctor when he asked it.

"How ar' the nanites distributed? A needle?" She squirmed slightly in her chair at the thought.

?No needles.? Osmosis is efficient for your skin.? For the other organs, I would want to sedate you for your comfort.? I prefer getting the nanites as close to their base points as possible without having them travel through too much of your system.? They can, but I prefer effectiveness instead of ease on my part.? I will want to you keep you, as I said, in observation for a few days after the procedure.? Would you want this to coincide with your ankle sheathes?? That recovery process is significantly more difficult, but this way you do not have to linger around a hospital twice over."

It was Locke's turn to fidget uncomfortably in his chair. Nervous hands went up to bat at dangling snowflake earrings, before he grabbed them and stilled them.

Feeling the same discomfort, she gave Locke a frustrated look, before glancing away and speaking to the floor for a moment, "Nah," another glance to Locke, before she looked up to Dr. Barta, "I dun thin' we hav' a set time fer th' nanites righ' now."

"I see."? There was something there, but in this case, she deemed it was not her business.? "So, for the rest of your systems, did you want the trigger to be manual or chemical?"

Feeling deflated, Katarina tried not to let it show as she shifted in her chair again, "Chemical."

There was more tapping along the monitor and the doctor's hands rested upon her lap.? "The preliminary tests we will run will tell me what level to set that trigger.? This can be adjusted if need be with a simple office visit."

It was Katarina's choice, so Locke couldn't do much more than nod his head and feel helpless. He started rubbing at one of his temples, posture slumping just a little in his seat.

"Also," she looked to Locke, "I am uncertain if Katarina mentioned a hope that I might have a sample of your DNA?? It would assist me in the research and preparing the nanites.? However, it is not required for this to work successfully."?

"We can do that, assuming the needle you would use to draw blood with is cool enough. No warmer than 7 degrees Celsius."

"I will put the order in when Katarina comes for her preliminary test for the ankle sheathes if that is satisfactory?? Otherwise, I can put the order in for you to stop by the lab this evening.? We will not be drawing blood, but simply a sample from the inside of your cheek.? I will make sure they properly prepare the instrument for your comfort."

She listened between the two of them, but remained quiet for the time being. She glanced down at her hands every now and then, before back to them.

Katarina tugged on her simple black dress that was layered over a dark green one with different cuts to show the contrasting colors. More styled for comfort than chic, it didn't show much under the warm red quilt from the Smith family from Hope. It was cold outside, but it was clear and Katarina was set on sitting on the lit porch for the time being. "Yanno.. I dun really know any o' th' star constellations ou' here." She leaned forward on her seat on the porch to try and see more stars.

"I know some of them, but just the large constellations, the ones you can see even when the mage lights and gas lamps and electric lights are on at night. You don't get too many nights like this." Farther away from the Marketplace, West End, and the other city neighborhoods that had busier nightlifes and more safety reasons to keep lights burning through the evening, there was less light pollution in New Haven, and the cloudless sky made the stars all the brighter. He was wearing a pale yellow dress shirt with khakis, simple brown leather belt and a pair of leather slip-ons. He sat on the porch, one leg crossed over the other, with one of his shoes dangling off his foot and threatening to fall.

Pulling the blanket up higher around her neck, she frowned at him, "How do ya liv' here all this time an' nah know?" Her mouth was open to ask something else, but instead closed it. "Maybe I jist know mos' 'cause I planet-hopped a bi', yeah?"

"I'm not book-smart, I'm street-smart, savvy?" His runaway, drop-out past was old hat by now, and he felt that was all he needed to say to get his point across. "Precisely. You traveled across the galaxy to here, and I traveled from a different universe entirely. Different experiences, different knowledge."

"Yeah, is tha' so?" She chuckled lightly, leaning over to rest her cheek on his shoulder as she continued to look up at the stars, "An' wha' kin yer 'differen' knowledge' tell me??

"What is it that you would like to know? Ask and ye might receive." He deliberately emphasized his change to the cliche', eyes drifting down slowly to where she was resting up against him. When he made eye contact with her, he winked.

She rolled her eyes, but rubbed her cheek gently against his shoulder, "I dunno, 'm nah street-smar'. Though... 'm definitely nah book-smart."

"Remember the story in that book you gave me for Christmas? The one about how losedhil were created?" He looked back up to the stars and the moons overhead.

"Yeah, I 'member." It was an odd question to ask, but she shrugged it off and tucked the blanket around closer to her.

"The story was slightly different, from what my mum told me. Could be something was lost in the translation, or could be an entirely different universe those losedhil came from. Anyways, our story spent a lot less time talking about Nazkadio, our creator, and the one who opposed him, 'Kshura." Locke rubbed his nose momentarily, before continuing. "And they glossed over the conflict between them. I never asked mum why."

"Do you believe 'n th' creation o' yer people?" A gloved hand sneaked out to gently tap the nose that was just recently rubbed.

"Sure. I'm here, aren't I?" His comment, coupled with the tap to his nose, prompted giggles that only subsided when he pondered the question more seriously. "It is hard to say whether it happened precisely like it did in Fridmond, or Greyhawk, or any number of worlds where snow elfs, ice elfs, frost elfs, losedhil, whatever you want to call them, have come from. They very well could all be right. It's a large multiverse."

She giggled as well, before quieting down to hear his words, "Well, whateva th' reason is, 'm glad yer here yeah? 'Sides, it's prolly a much more interestin' story than us human-folk."

"I've heard a lot of them. There are a lot more similarities between the tales than one might expect." Now he leaned up against her, pretending to adjust a pillow against her shoulder as if preparing for sleep.

She smiled slightly, but otherwise allowed him to make her more "comfortable". "Jist makes me thin' tha' we're all a lot more similar than differen', yeah?"

"In all the ways that matter. Up here-" He pointed to her head, then his head, then lowered his finger so that it was pointing at his heart. "And in here. Everything else-" He grabbed the tips of his blue ears briefly. "is superficial. And what's not superficial...is not insurmountable."

She reached out to touch the tip of one of his ears briefly, "I like yer ears. Dunno if I eva tol' ya." Feeling comfortable in silence, she tried to bring the blanket closer even after a shiver caught her. The nights were just not warm enough for her yet. But in a few days, it wouldn't matter.

"Well, I like your ears too, so the feeling is mutual." He brushed gloved fingertips over hair to the tops of her rounded ears. Feeling the shiver, he pulled away from her and sat straight up once again.

Guilt placed a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach when he got up and moved, "Did ya wan' ta head inside, er stay ou' here fer a bi' longer?"

"I will leave that up to you. The weather's fine for me, but-" All he had to do was gesture at the quilt to finish his statement.

"Let's go inside then, yeah?" A soft sigh and smile before she stood, keeping the blanket wrapped around her, "Jist a few days I kin prance 'round naked 'n the snow if I wanted ta." She offered a hand down to him.

"Too bad you will have to wait for quite some time for that to happen. The snow, I mean." He blushed faintly, as he took the offered hand and rose to his feet. He climbed the steps slowly and opened the door, holding it so that she could step through first.

"Thanks." Taking care to not drag the blanket across the porch, she stretched her arms and yawned briefly once inside. She wasn't quite tired, and wasn't really looking forward to trying to sleep, with the way her nerves felt about the following day. Still, she asked, "Ya feelin' tired yet?"

Locke pulled himself up off of the bed, and went to look out the window onto the side yard. "I wish I could say the same, but I have had considerably more time to adjust to...this." He touched one of the points of his ears, lowering his head slightly after doing so.

When he moved away from the bed, she sat up and stared at his back, "Does time really make it any easier?" There was some doubt in her tone.

"No." There was a long pause after the word, before he slowly turned back around to face the bed and her. "This is probably going to seem like an odd question, but when you dream, which senses do you dream in?"

She opened her mouth to comment on his answer, but since he changed the topic, she closed her mouth and ran her fingers through her hair as she thought, "Mos' o' 'em, I guess. Usually sigh' an' hearin' more 'n anythin'."

"Correct. Which I would wager is true for just about any bloke or bird who has those senses, or had them at some point. I see things and hear things in my dreams probably about as frequently as any other bloke, but I also dream about touching things. Really touching them. Without these." He pulled the fingers of one glove halfway down, before tugging them back into place. "I've petted cats and dogs, I've eaten cooked foods, I've touched people before. And I can remember what all of those things were like. The way fur feels between your fingers. The warmth of my mum's hug, or sitting next to a fireplace. But when I try to imagine the simplest touch with you, I...I can't." Shame clouded his features, and he kicked lightly at the carpet and stared down at his feet.

She frowned slightly, before looking up at the ceiling, "Ya kin't control wha' ya dream, Locke. Maybe ya dun hav' those dreams cause yer mind's tryin' ta protec' ya fra th' pain..." Glancing down, her hands started to idly braid her hair to give her something to do, "I.. I wish I didn't have those dreams."

Locke shook his head slowly, walking slowly towards the bed and sitting down listlessly. "No...I mean, I can see myself touching you, but it's always with the gloves on. Or if the gloves are off, I freeze you, or I melt myself." He rested his head in his hands, hiding his frown.

"Hmm... I'd ratha nah melt ya er be frozen, yeah?" His distinct unhappiness had her glancing out the window and not looking at him, "Maybe tha's because... ya never hav'? Doesn' give yer brain any memory ta work wit'."

"Possibly. Or maybe I am just as afraid as you were, of not 'being able act out how I feel right.'" He quoted her, glancing to his side with a rueful smile.

Her fingers drummed on the side of a bare arm, "So, where does tha' leave us?" A slight, dark chuckle, "Given th' give o' touch.. finally, an' ta scared ta use it?"

"Bloody ironic, no?" His laugh was almost a bark, as he flopped backwards onto the sleeping bag, perpendicular to it and the bed.

With a deep sigh, she glanced down to his face and frowned, "I dun.. I dun wan' it ta be tha' way. I mean.. there isn' anythin' else tha I wan' more, yeah?"

"Obviously. It is like...winning the lottery, and armfuls of dosh, and not knowing how to spend it." He chuckled at his example, rolling his eyes. "That was probably a poor example. Maybe...we just need to take it slow, like we did at the start?"

A slight half-smile, before she nodded and idly placed a hand over his chest, "I thin'.. tha's a really good idea. Should I introduce mysel 'gain, when ya come ta pick me up?" The smile widened, "I kin make stellar firs' impressions."

Operation rooms are noisy. The doctor or surgeon is surrounded by nurses and beeping machines as they give out orders during the procedure. While Katarina usually wasn?t awake long to enough to know if the noise diminished or not later on, the noise was usually comforting rather than unsettling. Silence meant contemplation and bad new. So when Dr. Barta and only one nurse were quietly setting up the area, Katarina felt more uncomfortable than before.

Some of the discomfort had been warned. Since the nanites were going to enter her various systems via osmosis, Dr. Barta had offered sedatives to make Katarina feel more comfortable during the process. Without much understanding, Katarina declined the offer. No needles or knifes were going to be involved ? it wasn?t like she was going to be in pain. However, being completely naked under a thin sheet was bringing a new sense of understanding.

There were only two machines for this administration. One that was already in operation to measure her heart rate, and other that was put off to the side that was attached to a small facial mask. Instead of needles, knives, or other surgical appliances, several small, labeled containers were already opened, with a new set of gloves for each salve that was sitting inside to avoid cross-contamination. That at least helped calm her nerves a little.

?We are going to go ahead and get started, Miss Smith.? Dr. Barta?s lower face was covered with a small mask, but the smile was evident by the fan of crinkles on the side of her eyes, ?We are going to do the nanites to the skin, first. If you feel uncomfortable at all, please inform me.? When Katarina nodded, the nurse carefully removed the thin blanket from Katarina?s body, and she shivered, ?If you turn over, please, we will do your backside first.?

Katarina rolled over to lay down on her stomach, and almost jumped with the cool, gel-like substance touched her back. Latex-covered hands were gentle as they carefully spread the salve across the long frame of her back, ?Lift your arms, please.? Following orders, the doctor then spread the gel over her sides and under the armpits, getting some unwanted but uncontrollable giggles and squirms from Katarina, ?Sorry.? A quiet mumble as she jerked hard enough to make the doctor lift her hands and pause. Next the hands moved up to Katarina?s neck and shoulders, and even though the touch was only firm enough to spread the gel, she couldn?t help but sigh at the touch and closed her eyes. This wouldn?t be too difficult at all.

Then the gel was placed on her scalp and in her hair, and she crinkled her nose. Still, the doctor was thorough with reaching the back of her head, before continuing around and on the ears. Again, she squirmed, this time with some discomfort, and the gel was swished around and even stuck in her ear. When she turned her head as instructed so that the other ear could be reached, she opened her eyes, stared at her shoulder, and squeaked, ?I?m turnin? purple.?

Dr. Barta?s eyes crinkled again, and her tone was patient, ?The salve is dyed so that I can see if I have missed any spots. It will fade in an hour or two.?

With the news that the color wasn?t permanent, Katarina tried to relax once more. The touches were barely felt, if she was thinking about something else. So once again she closed her eyes and let her mind drift as the doctor finished with her head and went down to her legs. She tried not to twitch when the back of her foot was touched, or when salve was thickly placed in between her toes. It wasn?t until the last area of her backside was addressed that she started to tense up again.

?Miss Smith-?

?Yeah, I know, sorry.? Taking deep breaths, she tried to relax again.

?This is nurse Jane calling from the RhyDin Clinic Center for Locke D?Vestavio. Miss Katarina Smith has been under observation for the past several hours after her initial operation. After three hours, slight complications have manifested and will require an additional procedure??

?Katarina, we are going to have to give you an IV.? A new nurse, one that Katarina did not recognize, began to arrange various utensils on the small tray next to her bed.

A small bucket wrapped in her right arm loosely, Katarina tried to turn over on her side to avoid the needle that she saw on the tray. The contents of her stomach were long gone, but a new bucket remained for the dry heaves. ?I didn? need one a coupla hours ?go.?

?Your body needs to replace the liquids.? The nurse held out her hand and waited for Katarina to extend her arm. She cringed and tensed, making the nurse?s job difficult. It required another nurse to help calm Katarina enough to finally be able to insert the needle effectively.

?The procedure is minimal to the previous operation, and will be completed within a half hour. We do not anticipate that this procedure will extend her stay here at the clinic. You may reach our clinic with this number should you have any questions.?

Katarina scratched at the tape that was delicately attached to her face. After the most recent training of how to control the nanites with her eye through the nervous system, more drops were administered and a large cotton ball was carefully taped above her left eye. It itched and irritated something fierce, but instead of touching it she folded her arms across her chest. At least the salve had been removed from her hair, although it lacked its usual luster and style.

The room looked nearly identical to the one she had just a few months ago, with its lavender paint and its single occupant. Most of the time was passed away with slumber, or she was being tested or scanned. Now, she waited impatiently for her release time to come, looking to the clock on the wall every few minutes or so. Once she tried to run a hand through her hair, but the IV on her left arm tugged and she gave it an irritated look.

The familiar knock at the door to Katarina's room was softer and less insistent than usual, and rather than wait for a response from her, Locke pushed it open quietly and stepped inside. He was dressed in a bright turquoise gingham patterned shirt, khaki-colored chinos with a simple brown leather belt, and suede boots in a lighter shade of brown. He tried not to look too anxious or nervous as he approached her bed, but the speed with which he was walking quite clearly gave him away.

Her eyes went to the door, and a small smile appeared when Locke stepped through. Relief and a new set of nerves had her shifting so that she was sitting up more, "Hey." A quiet greeting, before she looked to the clock again, "Yer a bi' early."

It was all a bit maddening, the whole ordeal. Leaving her at the clinic the previous day, not getting called back until later than expected, falling asleep by himself, and trying to make it through another work day without being distracted. He'd ended up taking a half-day after lunch, and spent the time leading up to his hospital visit cleaning the house. "Can you blame me, melamin?" Add to the list of frustrations the fact that he was sitting in a chair, barely outside of arm's reach of her, and he still couldn't reach over, bridge the gap, and touch her. Doctor's orders.

"Nah, I jist didn'.. yanno, didn' know if it was gonna be harder, yeah?." Her hand went up as if to scratch the tape again, but instead her fingers just touched the bottom edge before falling back into her lap, "I look terrible. Like a.... washed up pirate."

"When will they let you remove the patch?" He looked just about ready to lean forward, closer to the bed, but at the last moment shifted his weight back in the chair again.

"Before I leave. They made sure everythin' was shiny wit' th'.. controls, er whateva ya wan' ta call 'em, before puttin' more drops 'n them... maybe a' hour ago." Another impatient look up to the clock, "Said everythin' else was 'n good workin' order, too."

With her glances up at the clock, he couldn't help but direct his gaze up to it as well, drumming his fingers against the fabric of the chair. "What precisely are we waiting for, then?"

"This," a point to the covered eye, "an' this." She showed the front of her left hand rather angrily and pointed to the IV. "Haven' eaten, so they're makin' sure 'm nah gonna waste away er anythin'."

At the sight of the IV, he winced, knowing her dislike for needles. "Other than that, you're aces though." His tone was somewhere between a question and a statement.

She paused, before giving him a reassuring smile, "Yeah Locke, 'm fine." She squinted her eyes and peered at him closely, "How ar' ya doin'? Look a li'l tired ta me."

"I'm knackered, Katarina." Close examination, even with one eye, would prove that he wasn't lying. He'd burned up most of his adrenaline and nervous energy over the past 24 hours, leaving him a slouching, droopy eyelidded mess. "I took a half-day at work, I was so peaked and distracted."

She looked him over for a few moments more, before placing her right hand over her mouth to try and hide her giggles, but it didn't hide the sounds, "Lor' an' Skies.... ya thin' I was dyin' er somethin'. We look miserable." This seemed to strike her funny as she giggled more.

There was a brief frown when she first started giggling, but after she had spoken, and her words sunk in, he began to laugh as well. "You're abso-bloody-lutely right. We're behaving absurdly, are we not? This-this is what we've wanted for so long and...we almost have it."

"It'll be worth it. 'Sides, wasn' really tha' bad, needle aside." She shuddered even now, not looking at her IV before getting upset about it again. Her eye moved to the clock, "Only fifteen minutes ta go."

He groaned and rolled his eyes at the reminder, even as he looked up to see what time it was. "Don't remind me. I think I've had my bloody fill of patience to last me several lifetimes."

"Okay..." It was difficult, but she managed to break her gaze away from the clock to look back at him. Her mind was almost blank with anything to talk about. Nerves and excitement were threatening to take over, "Well, I know I dun usually condone this, bu'... how would ya feel 'bout playin' hooky fra work tomorra an'... an' just spendin' time wit' me?"

"I think..." He rested a finger on his chin, tilting it ever so slightly in a contemplative look. "that I can convince Gerard to let me take a day off. Exigent circumstances, and all that rigamorale."

"Ya thin'?" She raised a brow and pursed her lips, before giving a sharp grin, "Well, thin' er nah.. tha's wha's gonna happen."

"So if he says no?" Locke arched an bushy white eyebrow at her, something of a challenge hidden in his voice.

"I dun thin' he'll say no." She almost looked to the clock again, but caught herself halfway, "I remember his wife likin' th' ballets, yeah?" She wiggled her brows.

"Are you suggesting we bribe him?" He sat back farther in his seat, a hand clasped over his heart and shock spread out across his features.

"Some novel power
Sprang up forever at a touch,
And hope could never hope too much."
-Alfred Tennyson

Dinner was done, and Locke's nerves had caused him to eat his share of the ceviche that Mason had taught him to prepare much faster than usual. He hadn't talked as much as he usually did, either, but the smiles he sent across the table and the way he dropped his fork a time or two while eating made it clear that he was anxious, not angry. Once he was finished eating, he gathered up their plates, silverware, and glasses, and set them in the sink to wash and dry later.

"Thanks." Katarina's smile was genuine as she watched the nervous Locke gather things to be placed in the sink. The contrast between how they handled their nerves was evident. She would probably be trembling and jumpy too, if it wasn't for having to learn to perform with nerves. They still existed, but manifested in other ways. Usually it meant a better performance, only that had no real application for the nerves she felt now.

Instead she meandered her way to the living room. Clean and comfortable in her normal clothing once more, at least she felt somewhat like herself. And every now and then she would practice turning the nanites on and off, though she seemed to just stare at nothing.

After the dishes were placed in the sink, old habits directed Locke to head back upstairs and retrieve a pair of brown leather gloves to wear. This time, though, he spent even more time than usual selecting the right pair. He didn't change out of the outfit he had worn earlier to pick up Katarina, but he stood in front of the mirror just the same to adjust every last detail he could spot: wrinkles, the lay of his collar, where the cuff of his chinos fell on his brown suede boots. In some ways, it felt like he was trying to make a first impression. In many ways, he would be.

Sometimes she liked a quiet house. It was a place for her mind to just calm down against the normal loud theatre. But for now, it wasn't helping her nerves. When Locke was taking more time than usual upstairs, she grinned slightly and moved towards the stairs to shout up them, "Ya playin' dress-up an' didn' invite me?"

"It is nothing you have not seen dozens of times!" he called back down the stairs, leaning out the bedroom door. The jest helped take some of the nervousness out of his voice. Finally, once he was confident he was looking his finest (and with a final pat and twist to position a particularly unruly strand of mussed-up, non-spiked hair), he headed down the steps once again.

When he came back down the stairs, she studied him and frowned, putting her hands on her hips, "Wha' was tha' all 'bout? Ya look th' same to me." Which was more or less true. Fashion details could only go through osmosis for so long.

He pretended to turn around and make his way back towards the stairs, pausing with his body twisted in that direction. "Do you want me to go back upstairs and change into something else? I can certainly do that, if you want."

She giggled, "Nah, wasn' sayin' tha'. Ya look jist shiny righ' now, er any time, yeah?"

With her comment and laugh, he twisted his body back and headed into the living room. "Well, I appreciate that. And you know that I feel precisely the same way."

As he walked by her, she felt her heart beat jump up and race in anticipation, but as he continued on, the sigh was of mixed regret. Reaching up to scratch her hairline briefly, she followed him back into the living room, "Yeah, particularly wit' th' eye patch, righ'?"

He sat on the couch, patting one of the cushions beside him in an invitation for her to sit. "Definitely. You should try wearing that more often." He shot her a flat look to accompany the dry tone, before winking and breaking into laughter.

She rolled her eyes and laughed as well, "My eyes are too nice ta put behin' a patch!" Laughing, she still tried to sit down while looking indignant, crossing her arms over her chest.

"But I could at least see one, and imagine the other?" He tried to nudge her in the side with his elbow, before pulling down his eyelids to summon a frowning face.

"Nah-uh. They go together." The corners of her lips curled up at the nudge, and she wasn't discreet about nudging him back. "Maybe they're nah exactly th' same as th' otha."

"Yeah? We'll have to examine them closer then." Slowly, ever so slowly, Locke leaned his face in closer and closer to hers, until his nose was just about to touch hers. It was close as he could get to her, and his initial thought of making a funny face or sticking out his tongue or even just winking at her vanished in her gaze. Instead, he just breathed out an awestruck "...wow."

Remaining perfectly still, she gulped as he got so close to her face. It was probably the closest he had ever been, even without the fear of their temperature differences. She allowed her eyes to roam over his face from this proximity, and exhaled a shaky breath, "Tha' differen'?" The question wasn't only meant about her eyes.

"No. Yes?" In that close proximity, he couldn't quite formulate a clear answer to her question right away. He inhaled sharply, his eyes slowly shifting from side to side as they examined her irises. "From here, they seem the same. Beautiful."

She blushed deeply, though more than likely he couldn't see if the same as if he was a few inches away. She wanted to close her eyes, and breach their separation in any way, but didn't. All this time, she took the step forward into unknown territory and couldn't, wouldn't, do it this time. Instead she smiled slightly, "Yeah.. beautiful."

He repeated it in elvish, singing the word out beneath his breath. "Vanima." He wanted so badly to rub noses or rest his forehead against hers, but for the moment, he was too scared to do anything more than still his shaky hands long enough to rest them against the sides of her face.

The familiar material against her cheeks had her closing her eyes briefly before opening them once more.There were unshed tears that made her eyes more glossy. Her throat was too tight for any normal-sounding words to come out, and so she glanced down before slowly lifting them back up to meet his gaze.

Purple started to touch his cheeks, when he saw her blush, but he just shook his head at her apology. "Don't be. No worries, melamin."

She nodded, before taking a deep breath, "I know, bu'... we said slow, righ'?" She put some hair behind her ear as she looked down at him, before starting to adjust and button his shirt back up. However, a few fingers would slip between the shirt and graze the chest and collarbone beneath. It was probably the reason behind her cheeky grin.

"Right-o. Slow and steady, and all that malarkey." He looked up at her warmly, dark blue eyes shimmering with affection and emotion. "It's even better than I could have ever possibly dreamed of, Katarina." He couldn't resist touching the side of her face softly again. Seemingly ready to speak more words, he instead decided to just keep smiling.

Her smile dimmed a bit, knowing the sincerity behind his words. She didn't answer until she pulled his tie back up, though not as snug as he usually had it, "Ar' ya sure?" She settled down slightly so that she was lying on her side, "I know ya hav' quite th' imagination.." Feeling more comfortable and confident, she leaned down to gently press her lips to his once more.

"Well, since you put it that way..." He cut off his answer when he saw her leaning down. His nerves and concern about whether or not the nanites were going to work had vanished completely, and he returned the kiss this time, pulling his upper body up some to meet her and then wrapping his arms around her to pull her closer.

Not expecting to be pulled down, she braced herself automatically even though she was secure in his arms. Relaxing, she placed her hands on his cheeks again and could spare enough attention to really feel his lips against hers.

He broke the kiss off momentarily, so that he could open his eyes and look up at her yet again. He gave a short nod, seemingly for his own benefit more than anything else, and moved in to resume kissing her once more.

Katarina had learned most, if not all of Locke's habits and quirks by now. Kissing him was like re-learning a whole new side of him that was always out of reach. She tested his reactions, and the way that his body moved. Her breath caught in her throat before she abruptly turned away so that she could start to giggle uncontrollably into his shoulder.

He knew that the laughter was good-natured, and he joined in as well. His body shook lightly with his chuckling. "We're going to be so bloody lovey-dovey all the blokes and birds are going to be sick and tired of us." His toothy grin revealed the fact he didn't care one bit what anyone said or thought.

She shook her head in the curve of his shoulder, gasping for air from her laughter, "Th' mods... th' otha mods." It wasn't really that funny, but to feel the chemical trigger go off just felt.. funny, "I thin' they work jist fine."

"Aces." He waggled his eyebrows, before gesturing for her to lower an ear closer to her mouth, so he could whisper into it. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking, salkamin?"

That definitely was not helping. She shuddered when his lips brushed her ear, "Dunno if I'm thinkin' tha' much a' all, ta be hones'."

"Would you rather be thinking?" After years of waiting, countless disappointment, mental and physical pain, he was finding it difficult to keep an even keel. It was almost a sensory overload, and an emotional one to boot.

"No." She turned her face and placed a kiss along his jawline, "So why dun ya tell me wha' 'm thinkin'?"

"I think..." He shivered a little at the kiss, before placing one of his one just underneath her ear. "I think that talking might be a touch superfluous at this moment."

"Hmm." It wasn't really speaking, just a sound that died in her throat. Leaning down she kissed him again, trying to be soft and gentle. She tried to remember that it was the first time he had felt such affection in years; maybe truly ever. This control over her body was not as refined as the rest.

There was a clumsiness to his kissing that came from both an adolescence filled with loveless embraces and intoxicated fumblings and from years without even the simplest of romantic gestures, let alone a kiss. He was erring on the side of tenderness, the old worries about his cold touch still lurking in the back of his mind. Slowly, though, they were starting to fade, and he was starting to remember and learn the basics of affection.

Gently, she shared in the affection with him. It was new and different from the first time she had given her heart to someone. Her other hand came up to his face again, marveling at its soft texture. With her thumb stroking his cheek affectionately, she broke off the kiss, before adding one to the tip of his nose, "Slow." A quiet, gentle reminder, more for herself than for him.

"Slow." He repeated it, letting a silly smile creep across his face. "There will be time enough, to be sure." His eyes squinted shut for a moment, and when they reopened he was shaking his head. He could feel his heartbeat pounding in his ribcage, and he found himself reaching for one of her hands to place on his chest. "Ten' lle,*" was all he could force out in breathy elvish to her.

Her expression softened as she felt his racing heart beat beneath the palm of her hand. She started to curl her hand, but instead laid it flat against his chest. "Mine's just as fast." Reaching for one his hands, she carefully placed it high on her chest, right below her collarbone.

"It is," he whispered, enraptured by her eyes, her smile, heck, everything about her. It was one of those moments where he wanted so desperately to say the clever things he could always come up with in any other situation, but always stumbled over when it seemed to matter most. "I love you."

*For you

In between sentences, he stole a brief kiss from her and smiled cheekily, before letting her finish talking. He, too, was in no hurry to distance himself from her, and his response was spoken so only she could hear, a sigh breathed between them. "Yeah."

"Who knows," she turned her body to face him more and reached up to lightly pinch his cheek, "maybe it predicts th' future, too."?

"Well, one would certainly hope so. Or one can dream, savvy?" He chuckled as she pinched his cheek, casting a brief glance sideways towards their food, before looking back to her.

His looks was enough to have Katarina take a step back and grab his hand before heading towards the nearest table with their treats. "Well, tha' is th' whole thin', righ'? Our dreams an' all." A wink before taking a seat, "Still, dunno if I wan'ta look a' it more 'n... once a year a' most."

"I can certainly understand that, given that you thought it had nearly thrown a spanner in the works before we had even really had a chance to work out our feelings." He sat down at the table and started digging into his danish with gusto. A few flakes of pastry stuck to his face.

A slight frown as she glanced down at her fudge bar, and then back up at him, "I though' tha's wha' ya though' th' globe did, too." A lopsided grin, she brushed fingers over her mouth to try and discreetly send him the message that his treat was sticking to his face. Locke didn't quite get the message. When he saw her wiping invisible crumbs off of her face, he just shot her a puzzled look, eyebrow arched up slightly. Rolling her eyes, Katarina just reached over and brushed at the flakes herself before taking a bite of her fudge, "I mean, I know tha' ya were a li'l more.. aware o' my feelin', bu' I didn' 'xactly thin' ya were ready ta come forward wit' anythin' tha' nigh'."

He blushed a slightly purple hue, as she wiped the food off of his face. "If I hadn't come forward then, when was I ever going to come forward? I...had to be brave, since you were brave as well. And because you kept that bravery up, I had no choice but to follow suit. I would follow you through hell and back, Katarina."

It was her turn to blush and she looked down at her treat again, busying her hands by breaking off a piece to put on his plate, "Ya made me 'n charge o' th' whole thin' before anythin' even started." A slight smile and shake of her head.

"And you have performed admirably in that task, melamin." He took a bigger bite of his danish, grinning even with the large amount of food in his mouth.

"Well, I'm letting ya figure ou' th' res'." A teasing grin as she waved a hand, "I'm jist along fer th' ride." She winked before taking another bite of her fudge.

"Do you really think my loaf is capable of such a thing?" He frowned just slightly, before tapping his fingers against his temple. He clicked his tongue in his mouth, trying to make it sound like his head was hollow.

"Absolutely. Say wha' ya wan', bu' yer awfully sneaky an' know wha' ya wan'. Ya take care all th' time an' jist dun realize it." A slight shrug with a small smile, "I'm ready ta let ya take th' lead fer a bi', yeah?"

He flexed a bicep and winked at her, before breaking into giggles. "I shall endeavor to do my best not to lead you astray, m'lady. You have my word, and my word is my bond, savvy?"

She fanned her face as if she was suddenly faint, before giggling, "Savvy. 'Sides, wha's th' wors' ya kin do?" She pretended to size him up while finishing the last bit of her treat.

"I think it is better for all concerned that we do not consider that possibility." Mock-stern, before he very, very slowly winked at her. Seeing that she had made much more progress with her fudge bar than he had with his danish, he resumed eating his snack.

She laughed, long enough to feel like she needed to cover her mouth even though they were the only ones in the room. "Well, almos' all th' hard stuff's outta th' way. Kin't be too hard, righ'?"

Once he had finished the danish, he wiped the crumbs daintily off of his face with a napkin onto the plate. "Those are famous last words, mate. But I can guarantee you this. If we have made it through everything we've made it through thus far, I cannot foresee any problems that can stand in our way."

Katarina folded her hands on the table, and pursed her lips for several moments, before grinning, "I kin live wit' tha'."

He reached across the table for her folded hands, barely resisting the sigh that always seemed on the verge of creeping up whenever he touched her without gloves. "Aces."

A soft smile, before her hands held his palm up to face her, as if she was studying it. A finger lightly trailed the various lines on his palm, "Do ya remember when I said I was worried tha' ya would hol' my hand th' same way after th' nanites?" She blushed slightly recalling the conversation, because she had meant something else. Still, the question stood as she looked over to him.

Locke exhaled a sigh as her fingertips brushed over the palm of his hand. "Like we were still wearing gloves?" His eyes dipped between their hands and her eyes.

"Yeah." Her smile gentled at his sigh, noticing that he did it often when they touched, even on the smallest degree. "I... think ya've been doin' it jist fine, yeah?" The color remained on her cheeks as her eyes stayed on his hand.

"It's...it's good. Really good. Even better than I could have possibly imagined." He curled his fingers to touch her fingertips, his touch light as a feather on the ridges that formed her fingerprints.

"I wan' it ta be tha' way, yeah? Wit' everythin' else an' fer a real long time." She watched the light touches between their fingers, and the contrast of their color.

The soft touch traced its way up her arm, to her shoulder, until he rested a hand against her cheek. "It will be. Lye tela ilye n'at*."

She shivered slightly as his hand trailed up, but it wasn't from any chill of his skin, "I believe you." The amount of love, hope and trust that could be packed into the simple phrase spoke more than the words themselves.

His thumb traced idle circles near her chin, and he gave a small nod to indicate he had heard and agreed with what she had said. For the moment, though, he was content to sit in silence, in awe, of the love the two of them shared.


*We complete each other