if once was great, why not a second time through?

[called_lioness]

It's warm--well, hot, really--and Lucy's been tree climbing again.

Some things you don't get tired of, and hanging from a limb like a monkey is apparently one of them.

She's terribly mature, really, but she's also enjoying the pull under the knees and the rush of blood to her head.

Maybe not terribly mature.

Comments

[last_adam]

"It'll be okay."

He insists it, just a bit too loudly.

"Just stop-"

Moving, hurting, anything.

He opens his eyes, taking deep breaths. Here, I'll just-

what? Lay hands on her? He doesn't know what to do, and it seems stupid just to go snap, you're better, but that's essentially what he does, only putting a hand on her shoulder.

[called_lioness]

It's warm

and then it's

warm

and for a moment Lucy isn't under a tree, she's in a train and there's smoke and there's fire and she can feel everything shutting down and then

(reboot from start)

it's warm again and heavy and her hand shoots out and grabs Adam's wrist.

Her arm doesn't hurt, and her back doesn't hurt, and nothing hurts and something's different and her voice is terrified as she asks, "Adam, what did you just do?"

[last_adam]

His voice echoes her fear and he grabs her arm a little too tightly.

"I fixed you?"

[called_lioness]

Let go. Let go. Let go, stop digging your fingers into his shoulder if you let go you'll fall and now you don't know where you're going to land.

"What did you do?" she repeats, staring at him. "I've been healed before, Adam, but what did you do?"

[last_adam]

"I fixed you."

He keeps repeating it, in his brain, out loud, it's all he can think, it's all he can say, it's all he can hear.

[called_lioness]

"You fixed me." Bewildered.

And the thing is, she's utterly and completely aware of her heartbeat.

"You fixed me."

And she still doesn't know what that means, entirely.

[last_adam]

"I didn't mean to."

And then Adam's backing away, just a bit, keeping his hands and hand and oh god his hands away from her, and there's more than a frightened look on his face.


"I'll fix it. I'll make it better. I'll fix it."

[called_lioness]

"How? Shove me in the lake and hold me down til I stop breathing?!" and it's entirely possible she's entered the realm of panic because her voice isn't supposed to be that high.

"How do you fix me being alive? That's what you did, isn't it? I'm not crazy, am I? Because I think I just remembered dying, Adam, and that hasn't happened before when I had a limb healed, and my--it--"

Panic. Shock. Panic.

What now?

[last_adam]

"No. No! I can-

I did it. I can k-"





He almost chokes.

"I can undo it."

[called_lioness]

"Oh, for God's sake, just say it. Kill me, wasn't that it?" and now she's standing and pushing her hair back desperately from her face.

"Oh, Adam, what did you do?" It's the only thing she can think or say.

[last_adam]

"I don't KNOW."

He's nearly yelling, and then he's up and pacing.





"Please, I'm sorry. I just- you needed to be fixed, and so I went to fix you, and I....





god."

[called_lioness]

"Well, you fixed me damned well!" she yells back, whirling, "and now I'm alive!"

It's a moment where she just breathes and then tries that again, in a softer tone. "I'm alive."

[last_adam]

Adam flops onto the ground, burying his face in his hands.










"I'm sorry."

[called_lioness]

She sits down again, slowly, next to him.

"I'm alive?"

And she's not entirely certain she's not half-smiling.

[last_adam]

"I'm sorry."

And it's small and quiet and all he can say, because really, what the fuck do you say to your ex when you've brought her back from the dead?

[called_lioness]

...There is perhaps not an etiquette book written that covers this.

"...Adam? I'm not entirely certain I'm not going to pass out," she says calmly.

And then giggles, briefly, before biting the back of her hand to stop it.

[last_adam]

He doesn't look up at her right away. It's slow and it's painful, and he has his eyes half shut, as if he expects her to look like a zombie or something.



...she doesn't. You know. For the record.



"Don't pass out. You might hit your head again, and I'll turn you into a fucking angel."

[called_lioness]

"Wings would be exciting?" she tries, and half smiles, unsteadily.

"It's--it's okay. I'm not--I don't know. It's okay. You know?" Lucy's not sure that she knows, but she's talking, and talking means she's not passed out. Right? Right.

[last_adam]

"It's NOT okay. God, Lucy, what'll people do when they find out? This isn't exactly..."

His hands flail around a bit, trying to explain words he hasn't even brought into his head.

[called_lioness]

"--Oh bugger," the terrified look back on her face, "Caspian."

[last_adam]

"Caspian. Alanna. AZIRAPHAEL."

He nearly shrieks the last, and is suddenly utterly and completely glad that this happened here, and not back in his world.

[called_lioness]

"Can we go back to Caspian? Personally, Aziaraphael can go molt for all I care right now! I'm not s--in--I'm not dating Aziraphael!"

[last_adam]

"Right. Right."

Adam physically makes himself focus.

"Caspian. Won't he-








oh."

[called_lioness]

Lucy proceeds to bury her face in her hands.

"Oh."

[last_adam]

"Um."