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*manages a weak smile*

Wouldn't have it any other way...but I am decent, so sorry to disappoint.

*blushes furiously and reaches out for a hug*

Hey, babe.

*smiles and hugs him, careful to not hug too tight* Nah, it's okay. If I really wanted to see you naked I'd just take Benji up on some rather incriminating drunken frat boy photos of your rowdy days. Apparently you're an animal.

*chuckles and releases him* So this is probably your favorite question but how are feelin'?

*blushes harder and groans, covering his face with one hand* Aw, Jesus...

I'm pretty good. Still sore, but managing. Mostly healed, too. *displays a few shadowed bruises on his face and his wrists, both of which are ringed with pale scars* Picked these up, too...but the verdict is that I'll live.

What about you? How're you doin'?

*Without thinking, her fingertips lightly graze his new scars before she jerks them back quickly with a pained expression* Sorry. Sorry. Do they hurt?

Well, hearing that you went missing kind of sucked. Especially when I got all the way here with guns ablazing only to find out I missed the party. Next time you are kidnapped and brutalized can you at least wait until I shoot something please? *laughs a little*

Seriously though, I'm glad you are okay. *hugs him again* Really glad.

Nah, they're fine. I had worse, but those healed up. These were made by...special weapons, you could say? Those scar. Nothin' else will.

And no shooting for you. I don't want any blood on your hands, you hear? Truthfully, I'm glad you weren't around. It was bad, really bad.

*hugs her back and nuzzles the top of her head, growing quiet for a second*

You sorta remind me of someone...that I used to know...

Really? Nothing? No matter how bad it is? That's lucky. I've got tons of scars.

Tommy... I'm not completely innocent, you know. I mean I've never shot anyone before but I was in the military and now I'm a police officer. I'm trained for this sort of thing. I can help. Please don't feel like you have to protect me.

*rests her head on his chest and just listened for nearly a minute* Benji mentioned someone you used to be serious about. He said you rushed things. Her? Is that who I remind you of?

*hesitates, then nods, still holding her*

Her name was Wilhemina Rahner, but everyone always called her by her middle name: Beatrice, or Bess.

*hesitates*

I...met her in 1893. We dated for two weeks when I asked her to marry me, and she said yes.

*Pauses and just blinks before pulling back enough to look at him* Bess? Houdini's Bess? Okay so did I miss the memo where you went face first off the deep end of crazy? Did you hit your head?

*Makes a show of checking his head*

You are Tommy. *places a hand on his chest* This guy right here. *pats his chest* Last I heard you had a connection to Houdini but I'm pretty sure that doesn't mean you get to claim his spouse.

*shakes his head* There's no connection, Laur. I am Houdini. It's all still pretty fuzzy in my head, as in a lot fuzzy, but it's there. I was born March 24, 1874, and I died on October 31, 1926 at 1:26 PM. I remember asking the time just before I died. I even remember what it felt like to die.

I am me. But that was me, too. It's all me, and right now I'm kinda reconciling the two. I was married to Bess, and I loved her...but bein' with her was one great big happy accident, I'll tell you right now. I ain't claiming Bess, really, just...

I got into things with her too quickly. And my marriage suffered a lot 'cause of it. We loved each other, but rushing things made it hard. I don't wanna go through that again.

*sort of stunned to silence for a moment*

So... This is like a reincarnation deal? *nods slowly* Okay. Definitely not the weirdest thing I've heard but pretty up there. *takes a deep breath and looks at him* So do I still call you Tommy or Harry or what?

Heh. This is completely irrelevant but I did one of those randomized deals for my journal last week. Just goofing around like I do and it was one about seeing my friends naked and for you it said "Who ever dreamed anyone could be as hairy as magic_fratboy". I know it means the other hairy but I don't know. Dreams and Harry. It just seems like a funny coincidence.

*realizes her hand is still on his chest so she removes it* I know. Ben told me that part.

*Lowers her gaze to her lap* I... You know, I've been rejected for relationships tons of times. I..I know how to deal with that but... well, maybe it sounds conceited but I've never been rejected for the physical stuff before. I mean it's always sort have been my curse that guys would sleep with me but not date me but... I..I still ha..d that. Not exactly th..the best thing to be proud of but it was something. *swallows hard*

You are so completely backwards from anything I'm used to and I don't... *finally looks up at him again* ...I don't know how to do this stuff.

*nods and gets quiet for a long moment before reaching up to take her face between his hands*

I'm only gonna say this once, so you better listen good.

You're beautiful. All of you. Period, end of sentence.

*pauses, then leans over to press a kiss to her forehead...then after a moment's consideration, leans in to brush his lips briefly over hers*

*whispers* The good stuff's never quick, and it ain't ever easy. This...I think it's good. I think it's really good.

*Her heart was in her stomach and she felt like she couldn't breathe but in a good way. Her fingers came up to her lips to check if they were as electrically charged as they felt. Then she looks at him smiles.*

You're really only going to tell me that once. *chuckles then leans forward and hugs him* I guess I'm getting a pony.

*nods, then rolls his eyes with a smile* Well...for now.

*hugs her back and laughs*

A pony? Do I even wanna know?

*laughs* I can live with that.

Well... I, uh, didn't think you liked me this way. Ben said I was nuts and that I shouldn't write you off then sweetened the pot by offering to date me himself and give me a pony if I turned out to be right. Only... I guess I was wrong so I'll have to buy my own pony now. *chuckles* I'm sure he'll be real broken up over it.

*laughs and rolls his eyes as he draws back*

Here's a thought: buy him the pony. We'll force him to use it in his act.

*laughs and crawls to the other side of him and lays down next to him*

I don't think I can afford a real pony but I can get him one of those two man horse costumes and then you both could do it. That I would pay money to see.

*rolls his eyes and stretches out on his back, scooting over to make room*

Maybe when pigs fly, babe.

*Her smile grows* I bet you could make pigs fly.

*Laying on her side, using one of her arms as a pillow, she used the other to lightly graze the bruise on his cheek* What all happened to you? You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to but... well, I'd like to know if you'll tell me.

*snorts and grins* Maybe.

*sobers* It was...just got punked out on the street, then they came here and took me. They came into my home and cold-cocked me. Shackled me in chains they forged and dumped me in a building slated for demolition.

I almost didn't make it.

*Chews on her lip and closes her eyes for a moment before sliding closer and holds him. Again trying not to be too tight. She'd asked. She wanted to know but knowing how close he was to dying scared her more than she would have liked. Listening to the steady beat in his chest helped. He was hurt but he was okay.*

Do you know who did it? Were they like you or like that shadowy thing in the alley?

*nods and slips an arm around her shoulders* Human servants of the Darkness. Sold their souls, in a way, or bought the lines they were fed. Problem with the Darkness using humans is that we can't hurt 'em.

*Tilts her head up to look at him* If you tell me what you know about them, I can find them. They could be arrested. I can stop them.

*shakes his head* If they ain't already dead, they will be soon. Not by our hand...by their master's. Besides, what're you gonna pick 'em up on? Magic assault? They'll all have alibis, there's no DNA...you can't fight a war for human souls with the law, Laur. You can't fight this war that way. You can do more damage with a little faith in people than you could ever do by throwin' the book at one of these suckers.

I could throw more than a book. Believe me. *she grumbled and sat up* I want to help. Let me help... please. The only thing worse than having to witness you being repeatedly attacked is your unwillingness to let me fight. You know that I'm not magically inclined but I'm not without my own strengths. I can possess people for god's sake. Can you? Once inside I could get more information from them then 10 years worth of interrogations. Let me help!

You don't understand, but you can't. Not only are these people more powerful than you? They won't fight you. I don't mean they're pushovers, I mean they'll knock you down and move on. Killing you, fighting you, is of no interest to them.

Your death is one. Fun, maybe, but useless. You mean nothing in the larger scheme of things. Killing you won't kill your people. Killing one of my people can. And that's all they care about.

I refuse to believe that. Not the my being insignificant part. That I get. The big baddies want you but I refuse to just sit here and watch you go through all this doing nothing. I'm sorry. Call me a pain in the ass if you want but that's just how it is. Ben doesn't have any power. I could be tech support like he is.

Wrong: Ben has power, more than most of us in some ways. He just can't use the magic that's in him. He's as vulnerable as I am, and he's just as big a target. He's not like you, Lauren: he's not human.

You can defend yourself in a fight. In a row with a human servant, you'll be fine. Learn all you can, Benji knows more about this shit than even the head of the order does. And above all else, live your life well. Faith, love, and justice are the three faces of hope. Serve them, and you'll serve us all.

Just talk to Ben, 'kay? If anybody knows how to serve the cause, it's that guy.

That's it? Someone is repeatedly trying to kill you and the best you can tell me is faith, love, and justice.

*scrubs her face with her hands, fighting the urge to scream or cry then crosses her arms tightly*

Fine. *said quietly as she closes her eyes* It's you job and there's nothing I can do so fine.

It's not a job. It's who I am. I do this free, babe.

People will never stop trying to kill me, Lauren, and I don't just mean the Bringers and the Darkness. Humans'll do it, too. Hope's in our blood, it's what we are. We don't have souls, we're your soul, and if there ain't enough to go around? We die.

*shuts his eyes and turns his head to whisper in her ear*

The faith of a mustard seed can move a mountain...that ain't a saying, that's reality.

*Lays back down and curls up at his side. She didn't like it but she would have to accept it. Everyday his life was going to be at risk. As a police officer, she had to understand that. As a woman, it made a knot so tight in the pit of her stomach she felt nauseous.*

*shuts his eyes and just holds her for a moment, then shifts to try and get comfortable again*

I can feel that.

That's just a banana in my pocket. Ignore it. *chuckles snuggling closer*

*smiles slightly, then frowns*

No, I mean your fear. I can feel that...the pit in your stomach.

I can't help it. I'm sorry.

This is what I mean when I say there's something you can do.

*pauses to examine his arms, finding a bruise on his wrist* *shows it to her*

Close your eyes. Get rid of the fear. Believe.

*takes a deep breath and tries but fails*

Relax. Breathe.

*thinks, then smiles and leans in to kiss her cheek lightly*

*blushes and smiles despite herself as she turns slightly to look at him* It's really hard to relax and breathe when you do that. *said softly then she releases another shaky breath trying again to "believe". Her head moved to his chest and let her own racing heart slow to match the steady beat. It would be okay. He would be okay. She's seen what he could live through. She just had to remember that.*

*closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, channeling her energy*

Watch.

*smooths his own hand over the bruise slowly. When it clears the marred skin, the bruise has vanished completely*

*Her fingers went to the spot on his arm where the bruise and stroked it*

I did that?

You gave me the power to do that.

The limits on my power are few, babe, but in the grand scheme of things? I can only do the things that are within the scope of human imagination. If you can dream it, I can do it...but you gotta have faith, you gotta believe.

You make the magic. I just make it happen. Just...try to remember that, 'kay?

*looks up at him from his chest* I don't think I would have such a hard time having faith in you. You're probably one of the most amazing people I've ever met.

*Moves her hand from his arm to lightly scratch his chest like that of a cat*