Subject: [OTL]: Atomic (Xi'an, Kitty) [3:6] Date: Sun, 23 Feb 2003 09:22:19 -0800 (PST) From: D Benway Atomic [3:6]: White Clouds ex Benway This story kidnaps a tiny detail from Mekanix and takes it for a ride. Certain characters are borrowed for not-for-profit use from Marvel. Many thanks to Luba K and Sevenall for their editorial comments. ______________________________________________________________________ "They've just had dinner. They're watching 'The Simpsons'." "They're fine." "But the storm-" "It's just snow. It's already stopped, and they said they'd have the trains running by 11." "But what if-" "They're fine. They're at the sitter. You trust her, she said it's cool, she knows we can't get back up there without a snowplow. As long as they don't go out, it's just like every other day you've been out late." "But I'm not usually this late." "I know." "We're out." "I suppose we are, now." "I didn't mean it that way." "You said it was OK. I mean, my friends all know I've got someone special." "You have nice friends." "Big step for you, huh?" "Well..." "You could have stayed home. I could have done it all by myself." "I wanted to go. I was so proud of you." "Did you understand any of the talk?" "Only the parts you explained to me last night." "Huh." "I'm sure the others understood it." "Half of them were staring at my abs all the way through." "Perhaps I was part of that half." "Hmmm." "They asked a lot of questions." "Yeah. Silverstein pointed out how the proof of my main result was totally fucked up." "He did? Oh, no!" "Not a biggie. It's something I can fix in two lines tomorrow. I hope." "Does this mean-" "That sort of thing always happens. Like I said, not a biggie. But after-" "I'm sorry." "Don't be. You were brave." "I couldn't think of anything to say." "Well, maybe I shouldn't have been holding your hand when I introduced you." "If you hadn't, I might have run from the room." "Oh." "Sometimes, I feel that if you had someone smarter-" "Stop. Stop stop stop. Enough of that." "Je m'excuse." "C'mere, you." "..." "I was proud of you." "Of me?" "Proud to show them all this beautiful woman I've found." "Oh." "You'll like them when you get to know them. They're no better or worse than anyone else out there, even if they know more about the insides of stars than anyone else alive." "Your supervisor was very nice." "He's cool." "Where are we going?" "Just around. You cold?" "No." "I love being outside on a night like this. All the white. The silence." "White is associated with death, at home." "Uh..." "This is different. I like the sounds, when you walk on it. And the way that you can never be sure if you're going to sink down deep. Like that." "Shit. Soaker. Hey, there's no-one around. Let's airwalk." "An excuse to take your arm." "Hmmm." "What's that?" "What's what?" "Over there, by the bush." "Snow angels." "Snow angels?" "Don't the kids do them?" "Just hold on, let me call-" "They're fine." "But-" "You lay down in the snow and plough it away with your arms and legs." "Blasphemous." "I'm sure-" "Joke." "Want me to show you?" "I have an idea." "What?" "Airwalk us over there, over to that slope. Make sure you leave no footprints." "Why?" "Just do it." "OK. Here?" "Now, drop me here, but you stay up there. Go over there, not too far, just far enough to hold my hand." "Oh, I get it." "Now we lie down in the snow?" "Yeah. Arms at your side, feet straight out." "Right. Cold." "Now, raise your arms from your sides." "I've got your hand." "Hmmmm. Now spread your legs. Now you've made a snow angel." "I've still got your hand." "I've got snow on my tummy." "So, take us up." "OK." "They'll think it really was two angels, down from heaven." "Two angels holding hands." "Car's coming." "Back to earth. Whoa! Big hug!" "I wanted to warm you. I wanted to feel you." "Let me undo that. Here. Closer." "Mmmmmm. You're shivering." "Yeah. All that snow got up inside my jacket." "I'd like to help you melt it." "Mmmm. Need somewhere warm." "But where could we go?" "I've got an idea." "Oh?" "The lights're off in the President's office. I know for a fact that there's no security cameras in there, and there's a really nice couch. It's a lot like yours." "Kitty!" "C'mon. You know what fees are like around here. I'd like to get something for my money. Or we could always just go down to the compressor room under Ryerson, or go up in the observatory tower." "DOC Films is all finished." "Or we could make out in a theatre." "I've always wanted to do that. Just let me call-" "Shhh. Later." "Later." __________________________________________________