9/4 Instance: Nec-Romanc(e)-y

[puppygirl]

Timeline - Backdated to a few hours after 'Previously on Lost'

<Selene> Selene ran down an empty hallway, the dilapidated walls seemingly without end, past countless white doors. She knew they were locked without even trying to open a single one - solid and heavy, these closed doors were clearly meant to separate the cells lying beyond. "It's no use to run from me," the angry voice behind her called.

<Selene> “You won't escape from me forever,” the angry boy said. “No one does!” Selene looked over her shoulder, hiding her nervousness behind a taunting grin. A large door lay straight ahead, so she sped up and bolted through, leading her pursuer into an entirely different location. “All you accomplish is making me lose my patience,” he told her with obvious frustration.

<Selene> Selene blinked, taking in her new surroundings. She knew this place, too – just as all the others she had visited before. The mansion's med lab, without a doubt. She tried to spin around to see if he was still behind her, but all she managed to do was almost falling out of bed. Selene flailed her arms and gasped in surprise.

<@Darren> "Sel!" Darren dropped his book and caught her, "babe? It's me, it's okay, it's all over now," he tried to soothe.

<Selene> Selene's eyes opened wide as she fixed her gaze on... Darren? She struggled and flailed some more, but found herself held tightly by... yes, it was Darren. "Am I here," she demanded to know, her voice filled with a hint of fright. "Is this real?" Was that really Darren? It had to be.

<@Darren> Darren petted her hair, smiling, "Yeah, it's real and you're here and I'm here and everyone's back to normal," he demonstrated by letting his energy lines glow through his skin, "you did it love, I'm so proud of you."

<Selene> "Darren!?" Selene stared at him, her hands grasping his shoulders. "It's you, isn't it? Your old you!" She grinned in disbelief as the realization set in that up to this point she had only been dreaming.. "It actually worked? He's gone? He's no longer inside me, is he?"

<@Darren> "I hope not, there's only one guy allowed to be inside you," he bit her ear playfully before pulling away, "Adam managed to get him out of you by ... by stabbing you with a metal knife and then Lorna managed to capture Kevin in a big metal coffin, he'd been taken back to Muir Island by the staff."

<@Darren> He pressed a kiss to her temple, "You were amazing babe, you're a real hero," he stuck out his bottom lip to blow his hair out of his face, then remembered that he had his powers back and it just moved of its own accord back, he wasn't quite his old self, still keeping up the appearance that he'd been forced onto when Kevin had stolen his powers.

<Selene> Selene slowly calmed down and rested against Darren. "Are you sure this is the real world and I'm not in some figment of my own imagination," she asked, looking at him with a frown on her face. "Because I have a hard time picturing me as anything remotely heroic." She paused. "Though, I do remember being stabbed by a knife."

<Selene> She pulled back a little bit and glanced down her own body, placing a hand on her chest. The wound seemed to be gone already. "Which I'm really glad about," Selene added. "Kevin got very close to taking over."

<@Darren> Darren made a noise like an electronic growl and petted his hand through her hair, "Yeah ... he got very close to winning," he nodded, kissing her forehead again and sitting on the bed so he could pull her onto his lap, "but he didn't, and that's what we've got to concentrate on."

<Selene> Selene wrapped her arms around Darren once more, confident that he indeed was more than a mere dream. "Yes, you're right," she said, resting her head on his shoulder. "How long did he possess me? It felt like we played endless hours of cat and mouse in my brain."

<@Darren> "Ahh .. um," Darren shifted a little uncomfortably, "I'm ... I’m not quite sure see, I was ... out for that part, but it couldn't have been longer than a few minutes ..."

<Selene> Selene's expression darkened as more details about the events on the island resurfaced in her mind. "Yes, I remember," she said, her frown deepening. "You were injured, just before Kevin possessed me. No, you..." Pausing, she looked back at Darren's face. "You died! The tree..." Her hand immediately went to his chest.

<@Darren> There was nothing there, his techno-organic body had caused the wound to seal shut as soon as his powers had been restored, "Well ... sorta," he confessed, to be honest he'd tried to avoid thinking about it, just concentrating on Selene.

<Selene> "No no no, I remember it clearly," Selene insisted, her gaze meeting Darren's. "I was there when it happened. Our minds were joined, and I felt your consciousness vanish." She swallowed. "Your remaining life-force, it escaped from your dying body. I felt it clearly."

<@Darren> "Yeah?" He said a little awkwardly, "Well ... I sorta thought that ... well, I couldn't have been really dead could I? Otherwise I would have just turned to dust or something when you undid the ... thing he did ... it takes the body a while to die after all, right?"

<@Darren> He looked into her eyes for a moment before having to look away ... he could remember the pain and the fear and the ... the terrible peace as everything had drifted away ...

<Selene> "Right," Selene replied, mostly to convince herself that everything was alright after all. "Dead or dying, you were clearly departing, however." She gently ran a hand through Darren's hair. "You were almost gone and about to leave me; I could feel it as if it happened to myself." Selene held him tighter. "I remember it all now. I've never been so scared."

<@Darren> Darren petted both his hands through her long dark hair before burying his face in it, "It ... it was even worse then ... with the Phalanx or when I manifested," he said after a moment, letting his eyes slide closed, "I can just remember how much I didn't want to leave you," he confessed.

<Selene> "I know," Selene whispered, keeping her head rested on Darren's shoulder. "Do you remember what I once told you about how my powers work? What happens when people around me are dying?"

<@Darren> Darren nodded, "Yeah ... I can remember it properly now, it's like when I do it, all the thoughts and memories and stuff ... did ... did you get that from me then?" he asked, worrying his lip as he stroked down her back.

<Selene> Selene leaned back far enough to look at Darren's face, hesitating a few moments before she nodded. "Yes, whenever someone dies too close to me, I can't prevent sharing all those things when their energies leave the body," she said. "It happened with you, too. Our telepathic link only increased the effect."

<@Darren> "Yeah?" Darren put his head to one side and lightly tapped on Selene's skull, "That ... that mean you've got some of me up there now?"

<Selene> "For better or worse," Selene replied, her lips forming a small smile. "I can sense your memories inside my head, even though I haven't processed them all yet." She put her forehead to his. "I could have done without your near-death experience, but I've also never got a better impression of how much you feel for me."

<@Darren> "Believe me, I could have done without my near-death experience ..." he stroked some more through her hair, there was a bit of worry at another security breach ... but he could leave that for now, "Well ... you getting my thoughts would probably do a better job of me telling you how I feel than I ever could ..." he said, smiling softly.

<Selene> Selene simply returned Darren's smile in response. "And if you want to understand how I feel for you, I don't think I could have beaten Kevin if it weren't for you being there." She took a deep breath, pausing for a moment. "When I saw you injured, I just couldn't accept the thought of losing you. I'm certain that's what gave me the resolve to make him undo all he's done to us."

<@Darren> "Good, hate to think that my death had been in vain," Darren pulled a face at that where Selene couldn't see ... death ... he'd actually died for a few moments ... that shit fucked with your head ...

<Selene> "Now there's only one thing I still worry about," Selene said, shifting in Darren's lap. "After all, you pretty much died and came back with all your flashy powers restored. Don't you dare grow a beard and start wearing a toga and sandals now."

<@Darren> "... You know, that didn't even cross my mind, and anyways, Jesus was a pussy, flying spaghetti monster all the way!" He looked down at his hands anyway ... that reminded him, "... Babe? Quick question?"

<Selene> "Are you going to ask me to touch your noodly appendage now," Selene asked in return, smirking at Darren.

<@Darren> Darren waggled his eyebrows at her, "Wait until we get back to the bedroom love, but no ... seriously, umm, since I've got my powers back, would you prefer me to stay looking like this or go back to how I looked before Kevin stole my powers?""

<Selene> Selene cocked her head and gave Darren a thoughtful look. "It wouldn't matter to me," she said. "I fell in love with your quirky personality, after all. If I were after looks, I'd just load up some delicious bodies in a DR program." She smiled. "Besides, it's your body and you have to feel comfortable with it. What would you say really makes up your self image?"

<@Darren> "I dunno," Darren shrugged, "I guess one of the nice things about being a shapeshifter is that you end up not really caring much about how you look, I mean, so long as you think I'm attractive and I look pretty alternative ... and have the red hair," he patted his fringe, "the rest can go hang."

<Selene> "Not all of it should be hanging all the time, however," Selene replied, showing Darren a slight smirk as she gave a nod. "You're right, though. The red hair must stay, as does the mohawk."

<@Darren> Darren snorted in reply, "Yeah, yeah, I know babe," he thought for a moment, "You know ... I think I'll stay looking like this for a while, I mean, it's not too bad and it is how I really look, maybe I'll even keep the big nose, in memory of all the times I managed to break it, huh?"

<@Darren> And maybe ... well, maybe it was time to start letting his dad go a little too?

<Selene> "I'm pretty sure we can work on the ideal you bit by bit," Selene said, resting her hands on the nape of Darren's neck. "Who knows, maybe I'll get creative on you."

<@Darren> Darren rubbed his nose against Selene's, "I like the idea of you getting creative on me babe, but don't you need to finish resting first, you've had a hard time of it recently."

<Selene> "Since I know you won't stop trying to get me to rest, I won't even start arguing about it," Selene said, a soft smile on her lips. "Under the condition that I can finish resting someplace less boring."

<Darren> "Well you’re not hooked up to anything so I don't see why not," Darren grinned, before standing up and looping his arms under Selene, picking her up easily, "how about I take you back to our room and spoil you a bit huh? I can cook (a few things) now even and make you tea and stuff."

<Selene> "Mmm, I love being spoiled," Selene replied, shooting Darren a grin as she held on tightly. "You shall serve me delicious treats while I offer constructive criticism."

<Darren> "Maybe I'll even wear a nurses uniform for you too," Darren winked as he carried her out of the room, "but you're not gonna lift a finger till you're feeling 100% better babe, you're the hero of the hour after all," he leant in and kissed her softly, "and I love you too, which is another thing to take into consideration, hmm?"

<Selene> "Fine," Selene agreed, rolling her eyes in an exaggerated manner. "Only because I love you I'll try to be a good girl and stay put for a while." She tilted her head, the smirk returning to her face. "Though, if I really am the hero you say I am, you definitely should go tell everyone else that they'll have to spoil me, as well."

<Darren> "I'm telling ya, if there isn't a big pile of gifts for you in your room 'm gonna go kick everyone's asses, the ungrateful fucks," Darren nodded as they made their way through the school and up to the guy's dorm.

<Selene> "Only if you let me watch while you do that," Selene said, grinning as she stroked a hand through Darren's hair.

<Darren> "Of course, that can be part of their thanks to you, letting themselves get smacked around for your amusement," he waggled his eyebrows at her.

<Selene> Selene let go of him with one hand and tapped a finger against her chin, looking thoughtful. "This is starting to sound really tempting," she said. "There should be fighting for my amusement, and naturally no clothes shall be involved. But plenty of jello."

<Darren> "And a pigeon cam, for your future amusement?"

<Selene> Selene grinned and pressed a kiss to Darren's lips. "You know how to make a girl happy."

<Darren> "All I ask is that I know how to keep one girl happy," Darren replied, kissing her back.

[Edited on 4/9/2010 by puppygirl]