metamorphotic | you've got to carry your heart like a torch in the night.

[Okay, not the kind of crazy Duke was expecting. For a split second he's not sure whether to be relieved or not. He rubs the sleep away from his eyes while he considers this fount of new information. And he's annoyed, not because he disbelieves her (although it's a lot to take in), but because there's a catch, of course there's a catch, and it's a damn weird catch. Killer robots is about the only type of weirdness he has no experience with.]

"Why not aliens." [He murmurs it under his breath, quoting himself. Why not a killer robot hell-bent on replacing everyone? There's still the possibility that she's lying, of course, but it's such a bizarre story it sets off his "crazy enough to be true" meter, like the high-tech equivalent of Jeanine's cake Trouble.]

Okay. First question: how do you know all this?

[ah, yeah. this is the worse part. nick inhales a deep, steadying breath as she prepares to confess.]

There’s this group fighting back - not really doing a great job, and they’re real dumbasses half of the time, but ... at least they’re trying to save people. I work with them. We’re called the Heart.

[and she rolls her eyes. she won’t deny it’s a bit trite.]

I’m not in charge of anything - I just do some of the heavy hitting when I’m told to.

All right. [Sounds about right, honestly. Small resistance groups tended to be full of well-meaning zealous dumbasses, if his experience with the Guard is any precedent to go by. Recognizing their shortcomings was a good sign, and it lended more credence to the idea that she wasn't making this up. If she was, she wouldn't have been complaining about her own side.]

Are you guys handling this all on your own?

[he’s ... calm. not angry, not yelling and storming out. he’s listening and asking questions like a reasonable, decent person, just like he’s been decent to her since last night - more than decent, really, because nick expected him to bail by now and he hasn’t. she’s stunned silent for a long moment before she can shake herself free enough to speak again.]

Um ... yeah, right now. There was a meeting a while back, we tried to get some of the people from the dorms to help us. Didn’t go over too well. You’re, um ... you don’t seem like you’re mad at me.

[He's definitely not happy, because no one wants this sort of information dumped on them, especially during a nice moment. But Nick seemed genuinely scared, which means she believes everything she's saying, and he's too used to the weird to defensively shut it out. Much better to know all this than not, if she's right.]

Well, that'll have to change.

Why would I be mad?

[nick huffs out a not-quite laugh and lightly shakes her head in disbelief. is this really happening?]

I think most people’d be mad to find out they just spent the night with technically-a-terrorist. ‘Cause - I mean, that’s what they call us. Terrorists. Criminals.

Are you? Because trying to avoid death by Big Brother Xerox isn't what I think of when I hear "terrorism."

[He's not touching the criminal part. Criminal covers a wide range of sometimes noble professions and skills and it should be less of an insult than it is. Terrorism is killing innocent people to advance some radical agenda. He knows in Nick's mind this is not what her group's doing, but that is also what most terrorists would say.]

I mean, if you're right about all this, it sounds like you're just fighting for your lives.

[maybe the heart is a terrorist group, by a certain definition. they haven’t killed anyone, but they’ve set off bombs. they’ve done big, flashy demonstrations meant to scare people toward their efforts. they’ve been rightly criticized on both sides of the issue, too.

but duke’s right. as misguided as the heart’s methods are, their end goal is to simply stay alive.]

We are. We’re fighting for everyone’s lives. That’s why I had to tell you. I wanted you to know, so you’ll be OK ... no matter what else happens.

[even though duke’s taking this exceptionally well, nick still expects that this will likely be the last she’ll see of him in this context. maybe if they run into each other on the street, he won’t pretend not to see her, because he’s a nice, decent guy. but that’s the best she’ll allow herself to hope for.]

I really did have a good time with you last night, y’know.

Do you kill people?

[Without a death toll, what the Heart is doing isn't terrorism, it's running a haunted house attraction. It's like those showy protests where people pretend to die in malls in order to oppose tobacco companies. It's minor vandalism at best.]

I had a good time with you too.

[Good enough that the only way he's walking out of the door now is if she answers yes to that question.]

[she glances up at him and without hesitation, shakes her head.]

No. I wouldn’t’ve signed on for any of this if killing people was part of the deal.

Okay.

[Duke settles back against the pillow, one arm tucked behind his head. He wraps the other around Nick as he looks up at the ceiling, considering this information. He'd need to verify it, of course, before he could make any real plans, but there would be something he could do. If there was one thing he'd learned in Haven, it was that there was always something you could do.]

We should take a shower.

[she's still waiting for the other shoe to drop, waiting for him to turn on her - so much so that she's too stunned to do anything but follow him back down against the bed when his arm curls around her. it can't be that easy, can it?]

What - like, together? [she's not at all opposed to the idea, she just hasn't ever done it before. and more importantly, she's confused by the suggestion.] Are you - you're really OK with me? 'Cause I get it if you're not - we're not exactly well-liked. You don't have to keep being nice to me or anything.

Yeah, why not? Unless you don't want to. [He should probably have one before work, at least. His boss is already going to tease him if he comes in wearing the same clothes as yesterday.

He turns to look at her mildly, still confused by her confusion.] I don't really care who other people don't like.

No, it's not that - I mean, I never done it before. [she typically never stuck around that long, after.] I just didn't think you'd still want anything to do with me, after what I just told you.

We don't have to, it was just an idea. [He doesn't always stick around that long either, but he's comfortable here.]

What part was supposed to scare me away?

Uh ... all of it?

[clearly not the case, though. nick can’t say she’s disappointed to be wrong. she lightly shrugs one shoulder and relaxes a little bit against him.]

It’s a good idea. Sounds like fun, actually. But not right this second, right?

Has that scared people away before?

[He doesn't get it. Okay, the whole "there's an even more sinister side to you being kidnapped here" thing is a little scary, but that wasn't her fault. And maybe he's just not very political, but he doesn't see why "I'm trying not to get replaced by a Stepford wife" was a bad thing.]

No. Not right now.

Not with me personally ... not in this exact situation. [you know, interrupting pillow talk with your hookup the morning after. she smiles shyly.] I guess I just got a habit of thinking anything that’s too good to be true ain’t gonna stay that way for too long.

[and duke definitely falls into that category - gorgeous, funny, smart, affectionate, considerate ... the list goes on.]

I ain’t complainin’ ‘bout bein’ wrong, though. [it’s nice to be surprised in a good way, for once.] So ... d’you wanna pick up where we left off?

Yeah, I know what you mean. For a second there I was worried you were going to say something crazy.

["You don't mind if I keep the condom and some of your hair, do you?" was crazy. This stuff? This was just Dualis, apparently, and the only scary part of this -- at least right now, today -- was that he was going to have to get used to "Dualis things" the way he got used to "Haven things".

Which he could handle. He had Nick to help him, and that rogueish grin comes back. That part does feel a little too good to be true, so even the Dualis things made sense.]

I think we have time for that.

Well, if I start talkin’ crazy, you let me know, yeah? A girl’s gotta watch out for that.

[she returns his grin with one of her own and leans up to slowly, softly kiss him.]

Good. ‘Cause I was enjoying that a lot.

you've got to carry your heart like a torch in the night.

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