Who: Laura Kinney and Nate Summers Where: Mac's orchard What: talking When: recently Warnings/Rating: PG Status complete
Nate dropped onto the log at the center of the clearing and just sat there, watching Laura work, grinning. Over one arm was a basket and he was enjoying his day. It had been far too long since he last saw her, so here he was.
He knew she would sense him, so he let her do as she was doing until she was ready to acknowledge him.
Laura heard the intruder in the orchard, but one sniff told her who it was, so she wasn’t too worried. She finished the tree she was pruning, then hopped off the ladder and loped over to see Nate, Ginger barking at her heels. “Hi!” She said brightly, hugging the larger man.
“Hi!” He rose to meet her and hugged her hard, grinning as he pecked her on the cheek, then patted the head of her dog. “How are you doing, oh groovy sexy one?”
“You’re such a dork.” Laura said with a wide grin. “Good, I guess. Some stuff happened, but things are quiet now.” She smiled. The orchard was helping her feel more in control of her life and centered again.
“I am, yes, always.” He smiled at her, eyes a little sad, but nodding. “I brought lunch. And I’m glad things are quiet again. Got time?”
“Can you talk to me while I work?” She asked cheerfully. “I have a lot to do before the sun goes down.”
“Sure!” He wandered along after her. He had a bounce in his step, and his picnic basket floated along behind him. Fun times to be had with Laura. She was a good woman.
Laura got back on her ladder, grinning at Nate. “What do you want to talk about?” She popped her claws, smiling at the lack of pain. It still hurt a little, but the metal blades were so much sharper than bone. It was a welcome change.
Nate answered promptly. “Three things, really. First I’m putting a plan together to eventually, if I can figure out how, and then accomplish it, retrieve my alternate future son from the future, if he wants to come here. And I need people who have powers and are willing to go and help bring him home.; No pressure, but I wanted you as my first choice on the team. “
Laura looked serious for a moment, then she nodded. “I will. I know that you would help me if I needed it.”
“Thank you, and Yes, I would.” Then he smiled softly. “The second thing is that I’m putting together, I think, a league of oil wrestlers, who will get a cut of the profits, but most of which will go to charity. Interested?”
Laura giggled, then nodded. “Sure! That sounds like a lot of fun. What charity?”
“It will probably be different ones at different times. I’m looking into the local orphan’s charity for the first one, since a lot of us know what that is like. Whether dream-caused or real life.” He nodded.
“Okay. What’s the third thing?” Laura asked curiously.
“Do you like living here and working here?” He started with that.
Laura looked at him like he’d grown a third head. “The orchard? Of course! It’s beautiful!”
“Good.” He smiled at her. “Someday, if it is no longer to your purposes, I have a job for you. Always open, and never to be considered a requirement.” He smiled as he watched her work.
Laura’s face scrunched up, and she looked down at him. “What kind of job?”
“Nothing bad. There is something precious to me, and I keep an eye on it, and make sure it is safe. If I ever need a second, I want to make sure that person chooses it, however.”
“What thing?” Laura asked curiously as she hopped down the ladder and went to the next tree.
“Humanity.” He spoke the words softly. and seriously, and he smiled at her as she moved.
“You’re going to have to be a lot less dramatic and a lot more specific.” Laura said with a laugh as she set her ladder up.
Nate chuckled. “But that wasn’t Dramatic.” He sighed and opened his hand, and there above it floated the Earth. And slowly it expanded to a holographic sphere some six feet around, with lights, millions and millions of lights, popping up all over it. “I watch over all of humanity. I can’t solve everything, nor should I try, but I can interfere sometimes, when things are bad, when I am there at the right moment, and have the power to nudge things, just so.”
“Uh huh.” Laura looked nonplussed at the hologram before she went back to trimming the tree. “And this is the part where you tell me you want me to be the one to nudge things sometimes.”
“Someday, if you want to, and if I am not available. Sometime, I will show you what I do, if you are willing. “ He smiled wryly. “It’s nothing worth fretting about now.”
“No, just the fate of humanity.” She noted wryly. “No big deal. Move to your left.” She cut a branch and watched it fall. “Why pick me? You’ve got a whole bunch of family and other friends.”
He stepped to the side as the branch fell, wondering if she had done that deliberately. Nah, probably not. She was not dishonest enough.
“Because of your honesty, and you won't interfere for the hell of it. And I believe you will learn it as fast or faster than anyone would.”
Laura shrugged, then started working on a different part of the tree. “I’ll need a better explanation of what you want me to do, but your guess that I wouldn’t do things without a need is right. If it’s too disruptive I’ll have to talk to Jubilee about it.”
“Of course. Essentially what I do is nudge things like hurricanes that would devastate entirely countries, or stop Earthquakes that would make continents break, and a few other things like that. Help keep the geothermal vents going, and so on. And I’m not asking you to do it any time soon. Just someday, if you want to.”
She nodded and lowered herself out of the tree. “Okay. I’ll let you know when you need me. Is that food just there to tease me?”
“Nope. It’s for you. I thought I would bribe you to listen to me with homemade ice cream, chicken pot pie, and fresh melons, all in compartments waiting.” He grinned at her, eyes warm.
Laura laughed. “Lucky me it’s about dinner time. Want to split the fruit?” She took her gloves off (the tops were completely mangled anyway), and sat down on the grass.
“Sure! I’d love to!” He smiled and bounced over to her, then started unpacking things, pulling out the cold compartment with the fruit in it. He smiled to her. “Thank you for listening to me and letting me visit you. I know you’re busy.” He passed out melon chunks.
“I am, but work goes faster with a distraction!” She smiled brightly at him, and snagged a piece of fruit to shove in her mouth. “I’m ‘onna eat the eye ream,” she stopped and swallowed, “Before it melts.”
“Go right ahead!” He had brought vanilla cream and chocolate pudding roll ice cream, both favorites that he hoped she would like. He handed her spoons and nommed some fruit.
She was a good woman and he was glad to know her. She made life simple and was a source of calm.