Who: Carol and Malcolm What: A weekend at the Sag Harbor house When: Backdated to Saturday, May 30th Where: Merlyn house, Sag Harbor, Long Island What: Training, talking about their pasts, and generally being cute Rating: PG-13
If there was one thing that he enjoyed as CEO, it was generally having his weekends free. Malcolm was getting some time in on the range, firing arrow after arrow at the targets. Music was playing quietly in the background from the iPod and he was dressed down in a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. After finishing his end, he set the bow on the rack and walked down to retrieve his arrows.
Carol had been out patrolling and had managed to catch a few muggers and gang bangers. But after a few hours she decided to call it quits for the day and headed for Malcolm's. Landing discreetly she slipped in and headed for the range, knowing he liked to shoot when he had the time. "Heya handsome," she said, grinning as her mask slid off.
Malcolm finished sliding the arrows back into his hip quiver and smiled, striding back across the room towards her. "Hello gorgeous. How was patrolling?" he asked, taking note of her uniform. He opened the mini fridge and took out two bottles of water, handing one over to her.
"Not too bad," she returned, smiling. She reached out and took the water offered, letting her uniform change into a pair of jeans and a tank top. "Few muggings and a couple gang types trying to cause problems." She took a sip of water and looked him over. "How's shooting been going? Dead center every time?"
"See for yourself," he replied, nodding towards the target. For each of the targets on his 3-Spot, the small X ring was now a gaping hole, but the rest of the targets remained intact. "All tens, all day," he replied with a cocky smile. Malcolm sipped his water, stepped closer, and wrapped am arm around Carol's waist to pull her close so he could kiss her.
Carol glanced over and chuckled some before looking back at Malcolm. She wrapped her own arms around his neck and gave him a kiss. "So. What should we do for the rest of the day?"
He glanced upwards as he pretended to consider the options. "We could just spend the rest of the day in bed," he joked. Malcolm wrapped his other arm around her and smiled warmly as he leaned in to kiss the tip of her nose playfully. "Whatever you'd like. It's the weekend and I don't plan on dealing with anything from work unless it's an emergency."
She grinned at the kiss to her nose and chuckled. "How about you show me how to shoot one of these things?" she asked, nodding at his bow. "I've only ever fired missiles and bullets when I was military. And photon blasts. Never had the chance to try archery."
"Alright... with your strength, you shouldn't have a problem with the draw weight of my bows." Malcolm smiled and took hold of her hand, leading her over to the rack. He selected one of the compound bows, handed it to her, and grabbed one for himself. "We'll start you out at the 9 meter line and run you through the steps."
Malcolm pulled four arrows out of the holder, placed them into the hip quiver, and showed Carol how to belt it around her waist. "Alright... see the line on the floor? You're going to stand with one foot on either side of it," he instructed, demonstrating what he meant.
Carol followed and studied the bow he gave her. While she didn't know much about bows she knew it was well made and top of the line. She paid rapt attention as he showed her how to wear the hip quiver and when he demonstrated how to stand she copied him perfectly. "And to think I just thought it was a stick with a string to fire other sticks," she teased, her voice playful.
"Not even close. Cissie shoots a recurve, but the basics are the same for both. I prefer the added accuracy of a compound, but I can shoot a recurve as well." Malcolm set both bows on a nearby rack and stood directly behind Carol. He placed his hands on her hips and helped to show her how to center her body. "Hold your left arm straight out," he said, moving to stand in front so he could show her the position. "Arm out, elbow slightly rotated, and keep your shoulder relaxed. Now bring up your right like this, with your fingers near the corner of your mouth."
She nodded. She lifted her left arm and held it out as instructed. Her right arm followed his words and she looked at him. "Like this?" she asked curiously. It did seemed like a lot of work but then again she didn't get accurate with a gun right away either.
"Good... make sure not to stick your elbow up too much. Let's try it with the bow." Malcolm handed one of them to her, moved to stand beside her in the next box, and demonstrated each step with his own bow. "Never dry fire... releasing the string without an arrow nocked." He pulled one of his arrows from the quiver, demonstrated how to nock it, then brought the bow up, drew back the string, and fired.
She watched him and rather liked how he looked when firing the arrow. "You're not really suppose to dry fire a gun either. Granted it's because there could always be a bullet in the chamber but I was always taught you never pull the trigger unless you intend to shoot." She picked up one of the arrows from her hip quiver and studied it. "Is there a difference between these arrows and old fashion wooden arrows?" she asked, the curiosity clear in her voice. Archery seemed important to him and she wanted to learn more about it.
"In form and style? No, not really. Most people these days shoot aluminum or carbon fiber arrows. Some prefer actual feathers like these, while others use the rubberized vanes. It's mainly up to personal preference really. The tips you use will also vary depending on your use. These are fitted with field points for target shooting," he explained. Malcolm fired his two remaining arrows, then set the bow back onto the rack. "Your turn, beautiful. For now, just aim, draw, and release. Then after a few shots, I can put a sight on it to help you aim better."
Carol nodded and watched him fire off the other two arrows before she shifted to stand on the line. She notched the arrow and drew back, noting the draw strength required. An easy feat for her given her abilities but still. And while she didn't have a sight on the bow she did her best to aim the arrow towards the bulls eye before letting the string go and watched the arrow fly.
"Not bad... you hit the target," he teased. "Fire off the other two and I'll get you a sight."
She stuck her tongue out at him. "Watch it Merlyn or I'll kick your ass," she mock threatened. She drew the next arrow back and did her best again to take aim with the next two arrows. "Takes skill to be good with this," she observed. "A lot more than firing a gun."
"You're right... it does." Malcolm pulled out his extra arrow, knocked it, and fired it off. He hadn't used a sight in years, but that was due to countless hours of training and muscle memory. When the new arrow reached the target, it broke the knock and split the shaft of one of the arrows already there. "And that's called a Robin Hood." He smirked and gave her a wink, then motioned for her to follow him down to retrieve their arrows. "I tend not to show off with that move very often because after a while, you get tired of having to buy replacement arrows."
Carol chuckled a bit. "I bet," she returned, following him. "Hand guns were easy to get use to. The kick from the rifles and shotguns less so. And I won't even get started on the few times I had to use a Barret sniper rifle." She tugged the arrows out carefully and looked at him. "This is also a lot quieter than a gun range."
"It's relaxing. Even when things were at their worst when I was a kid, I could lose myself for hours out on an archery range." Malcolm looked at the ruined arrow and checked the tip on the one he'd used to split it. While Carol made her way back to the firing line, he selected a basic sight for her, showed her how to attach it to the bow, and how to make the proper adjustments. "You want to chase the arrow with your sight when adjsting it. So if your arrows are too low, dial it down. Too high and you dial it up. Just a bit at a time though. Then you fire three more and check your grouping. If necessary, make another adjustment. If you're not grouping at all, then don't bother adjusting the sight."
Carol nodded. It was the same for her with shooting a gun. It was cathartic and stress relieving. As he spoke about the sights she paid attention and nodded some. "I understand." Scopes were often the same way. She drew and fired off one arrow, hitting a little low and left of the bullseye. Carefully she adjusted the sight and fired again, hitting just above and to the right of the target. "If anyone says archery is easy they need a punch to the face."
He chuckled at her comment, but nodded in agreement. Malcolm moved into his stance and fired off three arrows in quick succession. Each hit the center x ring and he smiled. "When you get pretty good at shooting 9 meters, then we'll move you back to the full 18 on another day."
Carol nodded. "I may never get as good as you but I gotta say I do like the...zen of archery." She fired off the rest of her arrows and smiled at the slightly better grouping. Even though it was still a bit far from a bullseye. She looked over at her fiance. "So. What's the limit of the range you can shoot at and still hit your mark?"
"About 200 yards. But anything past about 140 loses a lot of effectiveness. For the majority of archers, they'll never shoot anything past 50 yards or so." After hanging up their bows and quivers, he walked over towards the wall, placed his hand on the coded panel, and stepped back as it slid aside to reveal a large assortment of trophies... most of them with the name 'Arthur King'.
Carol followed him over the wall and her eyes widened a bit at the trophies. "Impressive," she commented. Seeing the name, she arched a brow and looked over at him. "Arthur King?" she asked curiously.
"The name I used when I competed on the archery circuit," he explained. "I couldn't go around using my real name, hence the alias." He shrugged and stepped aside so she could take a closer look. "Cissie hasn't even seen these yet."
Carol nodded some, an amused smile on her face. "And Arthur King had absolutely nothing to do with your last name being Merlyn, right?" she teased, reaching out to tug him in for a quick kiss.
Malcolm grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "Believe it or not, you're one of the few to actually make that connection. For a while early on, I was making a bit of a name for myself as 'Merlyn the Magician'."
She smiled and wrapped her arms around him. "You are adorable Malcolm," she informed him. "Ever find any swords in the stones?"
"Sadly, no... but I do know how to fight with one. As Cissie puts it, I've got eclectic tastes in hobbies and forms of self defense." He nodded towards the weapons racks lining the far area where the practice mats for sparring were.
Carol chuckled a bit, looking over at the weapons. "I had to use a machete once to escape from a pack of drug dealers I was chasing in an Asian jungle," she commented idly. "Pre-powers obviously." She pulled away from him and wandered over to the weapons to look them over. "These are beautiful."
"Feel free to use anything in the room whenever you'd like. Cissie and Tim aren't allowed to use anything bladed without me present, or unless you're around." Malcolm stood back and watched as she looked over the weapons racks and their contents. "How did you get your powers?"
She nodded some and picked up a sword, admiring it's balance and edge. Hearing his question though she put it back and glanced back at him. "That's...a story," she said slowly. "You remember my telling you how I worked at NASA?" Spotting a bench she moved over to it and sat down. "Well let's just say that the Skrulls weren't the first unfriendly visitors we've had to Earth." She wrapped her arms around herself. "There was a device that...changed me. Made me absorbe some of the Kree genetics."
Malcolm sat beside her on the bench and nodded when she mentioned Nasa. "Was it NASA that did it, or the Kree?" he asked curiously.
"The Kree but not on purpose. I was exposed to some weird device of theirs. And there was a Kree superhero called Mar-Vell who could do what I did and...well I guess I was envious of his powers and between that desire to be like him and the device..." She shrugged. "It took me a while to figure out I had powers at first. Whenever I first used them I'd black out. But eventually I got the hang of them and became Ms. Marvel." She shifted and showed Malcolm her old costume that seemed more like a swimming suit with a large yellow bolt and leather thigh high black boots.
Malcolm arched his eyebrows and he did his best to refrain from smiling as he took a good look at her costume. It was even more revealing than the Cheerleader Barbie one he teased his daughter about. "I think I like your other costume better... more protection and not so... revealing."
She gave him a small grin, changing back into her civilian clothes and shifted closer to her. "Good answer," she teased. The smile faltered on her face though. She knew she had to tell someone about the next bit given she did still have nightmares about it. "I retired that outfit after I nearly died..."
"What happened?" he asked, noticing the immediate change in her expression and demeanor. Malcolm reached out and gently took hold of her hand, giving it a light squeeze.
She took his hand and carefully squeezed it, not letting go. "There was a woman. A shapeshifter. Sent someone after me who...she just touched me and it felt like I was dying. I tried to get her off but..." She wiped at her eyes with her free hand. "Next time I woke up it was a year later and I found out I was considered brain dead since they couldn't get any scans or whatever of brain activity."
"But you're okay now..." the look of concern in his eyes was impossible to miss as he asked the question.
Carol reached up and cupped his face. "Physically yes. Mentally...mostly. I still have nightmares about that fight." She looked down. "I got cocky...thought I could handle anything but turns out I'm no Superman...woman...you know what I mean."
"So those times when you'd wake up in the middle of the night... it was nightmares about this?" Malcolm placed a hand over hers, turned his head, and tenderly kissed her palm. "I know what you mean. If there's anything I can to to help, you know I will. Right?"
She nodded. "A few months before I met you there was screaming involved with those nightmares." Hearing his words about being willing to help her, she smiled and shifted so she could rest her head on his shoulder. "Just having you in my life has helped. And now, having someone to tell..." She smiled faintly. "I think that'll help more than anything. Before I've not had anyone to tell."
Malcolm pressed a kiss to the top of her head and wrapped his arms protectively around her. "You can tell me anything, love. Trust me... I'm good at keeping secrets."
She nodded. "I know. And I have been trying to find a way to tell you this. I just never knew how to bring it up before until now." She was silent for a few moments. "You know you can tell me anything too." She looked up at him and smiled. "I'm also very good at keeping secrets."
"There is one thing you should probably know..." Malcolm hesitated for a moment before continuing. "I had a one night stand and fathered a daughter with a woman who's pretty much a walking nightmare."
She studied him a moment. "Is this daughter of yours Cissie?" she asked. "Or is there a second Merlyn daughter out there I've yet to meet?"
He chuckled and shook his head. "Just Cissie. You haven't got any kids, do you?"
She grinned and shook her head. "Not unless you count the man size kids from my squadron when I was in the Air Force," she laughed, nudging him playfully. "So long as you supply them beer they usually behave."
"I think I could handle that." He grinned and nudged her back. "Have you told any of them that you're getting married?"
She shook her head. "Not yet," she admitted. "Part of me still likes it just being us and Cissie who know." She kissed his cheek. "But I'll probably tell them next I see them. We try to get together once a month to drink and reminisce."
"Speaking of flying... we still need to go replace the plane at some point," he reminded her. "And I was hoping my favorite pilot would want to give me a hand again."
Carol smiled warmly and ran her fingers lightly through his hair. "Oh, I think your favorite pilot is more than happy to give you a hand with that."
"What else would my favorite pilot like to help me with?" he asked with an impish smile.
Carol shook her head in amusement before she moved over to him and slipped her arms around his neck. "I can think of quite a few things but it would require a more...secluded...location," she purred into his ear.
"This place is secluded," he pointed out, still smiling impishly. "Cissie's at her apartment and none of the staff are allowed in here." While she was distracted with playing with his hair and teasing him, Malcolm quickly swept her leg and rolled Carol carefully over his hip and down onto the mat in a jiu-jitsu throw. He winked as he quickly straddled her legs and placed his hands on either side of her head on the mat.
The move surprised her and she mock glared up at Malcolm. "Who says you get to be on top?" she asked, her eyes glinting playfully. She shifted quickly to reverse their positions, making sure she had grabbed his wrists so he couldn't use his arms to keep from being flipped over.
"No one. Besides... maybe I wanted you on top." Malcolm made no move to stop her when she rolled them over, just smiled up at her. He arched his hips upwards and chuckled softly. "I don't have any problems with women in dominant positions."
She chuckled some, her long blond hair curtaining her face. "Oh I know you don't," she chuckled. She leaned down and gave him a small kiss.
Malcolm rotated his wrist, breaking free from Carol's hold and bringing it up to thread through her hair, cupping the back of her head. He pulled her back down for a longer kiss and smiled against her lips. "I'm at your mercy, beautiful..."
She smiled against his lips and stared at him, her blue eyes warm. "What ever will I do with you..." she mused. "Too many things to do at once after all," she grinned.
"Then start with the first one and work your way down the list," he suggested in a low, husky tone. Malcolm craned his neck and captured her lips for another quick kiss.
Carol chuckled some and kissed him before pulling back. "Careful what you ask for," she whispered, her fingers slipping down to remove his shirt.
"Why... do I need to worry when it's you?" he asked, lifting his shoulders up off the mat just enough so Carol could remove his t-shirt. Malcolm slid his hands down over her sides, coming to rest on her hips.
She grinned as she tossed his shirt away and admired his chest. "I plan on worshipping this lovely form of yours for a while," she informed him.
Malcolm hooked his fingers beneath the bottom of Carol's shirt and began sliding it upwards. "So far, I like the sound of that. Especially if I get to do a little worshipping of my own."
Carol helped him get her shirt off and grinned. "That is more than allowed," she agreed, leaning down to kiss him heatedly.
He tossed her tank top aside and closed his eyes as she kissed him. With his lips otherwise occupied, Malcolm let his hands do the talking for him as they lightly skimmed over her warm skin. "Good... because otherwise, I'd have to protest."
She gave a warm laugh at his words and looked at him. "Protest and then I think take matters into your own hands," she winked. She shivered a little at his touches, enjoying his hands on her skin.
"If you insist, my dear..." he replied, grinning as he popped her bra open with one hand. "Have I told you recently how much I love you?"
As he opened her bra up her own hands were trailing down to his pants. "Define recently. Today, yesterday, this week..." she trailed off.
"Today," he replied, sliding the straps down off her shoulders and smiling as her hands reached his jeans. Malcolm gazed into her eyes, marveling once again how on earth he'd managed to have someone like her fall for him.
"Hmm...." she made a big show of thinking it over. "Not since after noon I think," she informed him. "So how are you going to remedy that?"
Malcolm slowly sat up and wrapped his arms around Carol's waist to keep her steady. Her warm blue eyes met his own as he gazed into them. "I love you," he said softly, leaning in and tenderly brushing his lips against hers. "And it makes me happier than I can put into words that you want to marry me."
She returned the kiss, leaning into his embrace. A small flush formed on her face at his words and she rested her head against his. "You took the words out of my mouth Malcolm." She stared into his eyes and smiled wider. "I love you."
He nodded and pressed his lips to her forehead, drawing her back down with his arms still around her. "I'll be in debt to that kid of mine forever for introducing us," he murmured with a soft laugh.
She stretched out over him and kissed his cheek. "Not a bad thing. Depending on how she intends to collect on that debt," she teased. "Maybe in making sure you take it easy on Tim in regards to the father glaring of disapproval."
Malcolm opened his mouth to protest and rolled his eyes. "I think I've treated Tim more than fairly! So long as he doesn't hurt my daughter, then I don't have a problem with him. Like I said before, he seems like he's got a good head on his shoulders."
Carol giggled some and kissed him. "You're adorable when you're a protective father." She let her hands trail along his sides lightly. "But I know now what shirt to get you for Father's Day," she grinned, thinking of those "Dad's Against Daughters Dating" shirts.
He laughed and shook his head, placing a hand over his eyes for a moment. Here they were, both half naked on the mat, and joking about t-shirts. "Less talking, more worshipping," he teased, drawing her back down for a heated kiss.