open_flame | Liz Nathan AIM log 8-24-11 (Reply)

Nathan: Nathan is sitting with his back to the entrance of the clearing. His eyes are closed and his staff is leaning against the rock he is sitting on. But just because he seems unaware doesn't mean he isn't. He smiles. "I know you are there."

Liz: That makes her freeze, of course. Liz had gotten so good at blocking the intrusion of other people from her thoughts that sometimes she forgot that if the other person wanted it badly enough, they could break though that wall she built with little effort. She sighs, switching off the perception filter she makes use of more than she likes to. "I just..." Liz had no idea how to explain the reason for her visit. She really should have thought this through a little more. "Hi?" She tried again, laughing nervously.

Nathan: Nathan reached for his staff and stands up turning around to face Liz. "Hello Liz," he says with a wink as he walks/limps over to hug her. "it's been a long time."

Liz: "Has it?" She's not really sure when she ended up, to be completely honest. Time never was her strong suite, and using the Vortex Manipulator she just happened to take from the sink when Jack was showering? She was even worse at that. "So...you're still...?" Liz nods to the fact Nathan is limping. She really had hoped the injuries of this reality were enough for him to heal from but, perhaps not.

Nathan: "Wounded yes," Nathan says with a smile and nod, "Apparently you can change some things but others stay the same. 'You've been a naughty girl," he says nodding at the wrist computer, "Jack is going to be upset you took that....again."

Liz: "Yeah, something like that." Liz says softly, staying very close to Nathan for some reason. She knows how hard it is to change time. Or at least to change time accurately. "He won't even know it's gone." Liz nods to the wrist strap that's nearly falling from her arm. Even at the smallest size, it's still far too big for her. "And what the hell do you mean, again? He told me to use it during that 456 mess." She says defensively.

Nathan: Nathan winks and grins. "Spoilers as Mel would say," he says, "so what brings you to me? The Doctor didn't get crabby about my visit did he. I tried not to punch him him this time."

Liz: "What...no. I don't even talk to the Doctor, really." Liz does her very best to avoid the Time Lord at all costs. Sure she's pleasant enough but she doesn't go out of her way to spend time with him. "I..." she scowls, growing more confused by the moment. "How's Jack...? Your...Jack? Or this Jack or...whatever. How's he doing?"

Nathan: "Good," Nathan says with another smile, "I'm not used to this whole time travel thing and I didn't want to piss him off." The comment about Jack makes him look sad. "He's doing well enough I suppose. You know how he can get,"

Liz: "He doesn't stay pissed long, unless you..." Liz trails off, shaking her head. "Never mind." She says, hoping Nathan will take the hint and drop the topic of the Doctor. The statement about Jack makes her raise a brow, though. "Yeah...he gets," Desperate. Foolish...exactly the way she'd expect anyone to get if they were in his situation. Exactly the way she got when she felt how badly the lose of her wounded his heart and soul. "How exactly is he...being?"

Nathan: "Stony is how I would describe him," Nathan says bluntly, "he's fine when he focused on the kids and the organization. But his nights...they get lonely....and he tries to deal with it when he think we can't see."

Liz: "Nights?" Liz's thoughts immediately flash back to what the future version of Jack said about how lonely he was, how the nights were the worst. She can hardly bare the idea of her Jack following that same path. "What does he do? You know when he thinks no one is watching?"

Nathan: Nathan sighs. "He paces, he watches tv and he cries.....when he can't hold it back anymore."

Liz: Liz stares at him, shaking her head. Jack's doing exactly what her mother did when her father left them. "But..." Liz blinks, the crushing guilt that she once again was the cause of someone crumbling into a shadow of their former selves weighing on her. "It's been...um...how long has it been?"

Liz: Nathan shakes his head. "Twenty years."

Nathan: "What?!" It's far louder than she intended it to be, but then...it's a lot farther in the future than she intended to go, too. "That's longer than we were together in the first place..." Liz says weakly. "How...how often is he, bad? You know...like a percentage?"

Nathan: "I would say 50 when I don't drag him on a mission with me."

Liz: "That's too much..." Liz still doesn't understand what's so amazing about her that the fact she's not around is so debilitating. "How...how often was he bad ten years ago?"

Nathan: "80 percent without a mission," Nathan replies sadly and softly, "Amy and I try to help but we can't always be there."

Liz: "Are you seriously telling me that Jack Harkness just stays at home with the TV on pacing and crying about some stupid girl for half his LIFE?!?" Liz said as her jaw hangs open. "Not only that but this is...what, thirty percent better than he was a decade ago?"

Nathan: Nathan flips his staff so he can tap Liz's shoulder with it. "Don't call yourself stupid," he says sternly, "you know what what Jack is like when he is in love."

Liz: "Hey." Liz's hand snaps out quickly, grabbing the staff as se scowls. "I have my moments, more than my fair share." She says as she remembers badgering Jack into the idea of using a Flesh made double to 'fix' things. Honestly, she probably only made matters worse. Never mind that Jack could have easily said no at any time. Liz still holds to the idea that this is all her fault. "And I know but...he's loved before, and he's going to love again. He's had wives, and children and...all of it. Why the hell am I so different?"

Nathan: "Because he feels like he failed you...."

Liz: "Yeah well, people fail other people, Nathan. It's called life." Liz snaps back bitterly. "You know that as well as I do. How come he can't figure it out and just move on?" Yes, she is actually getting angry with Jack for pining over her for decades...centuries...millennia.

Nathan: "Jack tried......a bunch of one night stands, but they didn't work out."

Liz: "Then he didn't really try." Liz says flatly. She knows Jack, and the effect he can have on people. He's damn near impossible to not want to be with, one night stand or other wise. "What kind of idiot's gonna say no to Jack?"

Nathan: "That wasn't the issue," Nathan taps her shoulder again, "Jack never wanted to stay."

Liz: "Quit it before I jam that thing up your ass, Petrelli." Liz snaps with narrowed eyes. "So he's running...just not very far."

Nathan: "I'll do what I like Fire Lady," the Lord of the Wilds replies calmly, "and would you open you eyes...Jack adored you the way I adore Amy. He is never going to forget you."

Liz: "Don't say I didn't warn you," Liz shots back with an exasperated sigh. "I'm not saying he has to forget me. I know that's not possible. But I'm the be all, end all of people to love? I can't be."