Elliot's Apartment, Dallas, 1963 | Early, early morning

[defenderofdesmoines]

Was it a good thing that Annie now had so much experience cauterizing wounds that it hadn't taken her much time at all to get the skin on Diego's abdomen fused back together? For right now, it felt like good thing, at least. To her surprise and concern, he hadn't woken up in the process -- he'd stayed completely out (though breathing), all throughout the removal of his clothes (and when she was less worried, those institution-issued tighty whities were getting some commentary), and cleaning and dressing and briefly burning the wound.

Eventually, Annie had fallen into a restless doze at his side, though the slightest movement had her waking up and reaching to check on Diego every few minutes. And good thing, too, since this most recent time when Annie woke with a start as Diego shifted on the mattress, she noticed immediately that his wound had reopened.

"Shit." She should have gone back over that once she'd established he wasn't badly hurt anywhere else, really. Guess she'd have to do it now.

She moved to press a hand into Diego's chest, prepared to hold him steady in case this time he actually did wake up when she burned him, and moved her other hand low to his abdomen. The lamp in the room gave a soft hum, and Annie's hand illuminated, white-hot enough to re-seal that wound for good this time.

Sorry, Diego. Hopefully he stayed out for a little bit longer.

[for the stabbed guy who is, unfortunately for him, not staying out a little bit longer.]

Comments

[knife_bender]

Well that was a hell of a wake up call. It was a good thing Annie had a hold of Diego otherwise he would have bolted up and made things worse on himself.

"Fuck!"

[defenderofdesmoines]

Oh, thank God. Not how she wanted to learn he wasn't actually in a coma, but still. Annie would be thankful, all the same. But she could be thankful after she finished what she was doing. Couldn't lose focus mid-way, here.

"I've got you," she promised quickly, keeping Diego still with her free hand and glancing up at him with glowing eyes. "Almost done -- there!"

She was fairly confident it wouldn't reopen this time, but that had probably hurt a lot. Explained why it woke him up, probably.

[knife_bender]

Diego did his best to stay still but holy shit, this one hurt way more than the time she did it to his arm. When it was over he sort of melted back into the bed, breathing heavily.

"Not the greatest way to wake up, for the record."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I know," Annie murmured apologetically, inspecting her handiwork and deeming it acceptable before scooting up to sit by him on the bed. "You stayed out the first time I did it a few hours ago, when Five first got you here. I don't think it'll open up again, though."

And she'd been worried, so there was kind of a little bit of an adrenaline dump happening now as she reached out to gently brush his hair off his forehead with a tiny smile.

[knife_bender]

"I can't believe he stabbed me." Diego...honey...you're the only person who is surprised by that.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Yeah, it sounds like a pretty eventful evening," Annie replied softly, glancing at the door. Either everyone had heeded her warning that screaming was normal, or they'd gone out. Hopefully. "Do you think he was expecting you?"

Probably not in terms of expecting his future adoptive sons, specifically -- though with Sir Reginald, Annie kind of expected anything as long as it was awful -- but just in general.

[knife_bender]

"He knew I was following him," Diego said. "But I don't think he knew who I was. He looked younger."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I mean, that makes sense. It's 1963," Annie said slowly. "Five ran into Pogo, too. Like, little Pogo, I guess. Also younger."

Scratches or no, Annie was kind of sad to have missed that. But she'd been busy having her own adventures with other Hargreeves, and bonding ("bonding") with Lila.

[knife_bender]

"I wish that's who I ran into," he said, lifting his head to look at his stomach. "How bad was it?"

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Bad," Annie said simply, glancing down at his stomach again and biting her lower lip. "I think it'll hold now, though. And I'll bandage you up once it's had a chance to breathe a little." Right now, the idea of touching that recently-burned skin seemed like the last thing he'd want, but that was fine with Annie, who was busying herself with carefully settling down on her side next to him. "Five got away with some scratches."

And good thing, too, since Annie wasn't sure she would have been able to patch them both up, or whether Five would have been able to transport them both with more serious injuries, himself.

[knife_bender]

Diego smiled slightly. "Good for Pogo."

"Didn't meant to scare you."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Of course you didn't," Annie replied, her smile widening a little as she reached over to carefully run a fingertip along his jaw. "I bet you didn't mean to get stabbed at all. I'm just glad I was here."

God, what would the alternative have been? Stitches? Maybe Elliot knew a shady vet? Or, like, one of them could have shoved a hot piece of metal against it, that would have done the exact same trick, but -- yikes.

[knife_bender]

"God I don't even want to know what Five would have done to patch me up." Not to mention what Elliot and Lila. One would experiment on him and the other would probably punch him in the face and tell him to suck it up.

"Did you end up finding Luther?"

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I did," Annie replied, nodding slightly. "He gave me a hug, even."

Annie, you did not have to tell him that. But it had been nice, honestly, after being yanked all over the place by Five and her reunion with Diego being what it had been.

"But he super doesn't want to be involved," she added. "Very, like, down on Five and heroism and everything right now."

[knife_bender]

"Really?" That did not sound like Luther at all. "1963 really changes a man."

Said the new Kennedy conspiracy theorist.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Seems like it," Annie replied, reaching up to again play with his hair a little. Look, it was new, and she was really into it, but she also was just enjoying that there was a new way to affectionately touch him now. "Guess who Luther found, though? Vanya. She's living on a farm and she has, like, total amnesia."

Like you do.

[knife_bender]

Diego was sort of enjoying her playing with his hair, but then amnesia got brought up. It was more than a little distracting. "Wait. That actually happens?"

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I guess. She said she had an accident," Annie said, shrugging a shoulder. She'd had time to get used to the amnesia thing, though, so she was going to keep up with the hair-playing. "She had no idea who we were. And then the woman she's staying with -- I guess? -- chased us off her property with a shotgun so we didn't have a ton of time for, like, follow-up."

[knife_bender]

"That still was a better ending than either Five or I got yesterday." Being chased off with a shotgun would have been a joy in comparison.

So that was two siblings out when it came to stopping the apocalypse. Five must be having a panic attack.

He tilted his head towards her hand. "Enjoying yourself?"

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Very much," Annie replied, sighing a little as she traced her hand down to lightly run her fingertips through his beard. Things had been so hectic for days, and she hadn't really realized until just now that this was the first time she and Diego had actually been alone together since they landed in the past. The quiet was nice now that she wasn't checking his breathing constantly.

And for that matter, it had been days for her. She had to keep in mind that it had been so, so much longer for him. "This is my favorite thing I've done in the past, so far."

Ugh, gross.

[knife_bender]

Diego grinned. "When the kids mentioned the long hair thing I never thought this would be the cause."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Oh my God, Diego, me neither," Annie replied, eyes wide. "Also -- it was just seventy-five days? Your hair grows so fast."

Like, she took hair vitamins and her hair didn't grow that fast.

"But I like it," she added, idly twining her hand up to twirl a lock of his hair around a fingertip.

[knife_bender]

"Thanks," he said, smiling. "Not sure how I feel about it yet."

So far the memories associated with it was not being allowed near sharp objects for three months, so...

[defenderofdesmoines]

"It looks really good," she added, soothingly running her fingers through his hair. "I'd get it if you wanted to cut it all off, but I could also help you tidy it up a little."

A shave, a trim, and he'd really cut down on the wolfman factor.

"Seventy-five days," she added softly, scooting a tiny bit closer and staying mindful of his injury. She didn't really blame Five anymore, but she'd never not be sorry for what Diego had had to go through.

[knife_bender]

The wolfman thing was a bit much, wasn't it? That definitely screamed "I just escaped from a mental institution".

"Yeah. It was--it was pretty confusing." Understatement. "I hated not knowing where you were."