ic contact; MoM

[coppelganger]

Hey, it's Sarah. Leave a message.

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[coppelganger]

Is that where you went? I was wondering.

[ She had a lot of time to think over Christmas, okay, especially after she called him and learned that he was out of town probably just to avoid running into her. ]

[puppydoctor]

[His eyes dart away from her, and his smile falters just a little.]

Yeah. I, uh, wasn't super excited about being alone. It was nice, though. We saved some puppies.

[coppelganger]

Cute.

[ And not to get super depressing, but she does feel like she ought to let him know this sooner rather than later. ]

Helena got Ported out. I found out a couple days before Christmas.

[puppydoctor]

[Oooooh shit, and now he feels awful.]

Oh my god, Sarah... ["You should have told me", he almost says, but he doesn't want to seem critical. He knows why she didn't.] I wish I'd known. I'm so sorry, that sucks.

[coppelganger]

It's alright. Shit happens, yeah? She didn't even remember most of what we've been through. It's probably better...

[ She takes a sip of her drink, even though the ice has mostly melted, just to have something to do. ]

She really is my twin, you know. That wasn't a lie. She's left-handed, I'm right-handed. Like a mirror.

[puppydoctor]

[He threads his fingers through hers, listening aptly.]

You're allowed to be sad and miss her, okay? You don't have to rationalize it. I only met her a couple of times, but I know you care about her, and I'd be pretty gutted if I was in your position.

[Of course, putting himself in her shoes just makes him think of Ronny and Jerry, and he tries to imagine what Sarah would even think about them. They'd probably drive her crazy in under an hour.]

[coppelganger]

Yeah. I guess I thought if we were both stuck here we'd have a chance to get to know each other better.

[ Since they haven't exactly had much of a chance to do that at home. ]

[puppydoctor]

Well, one day you're gonna get out of here, and you'll see her again. Hope, remember?

[Except, there are a lot of implications there that he either doesn't know about or doesn't want to consider. But they can talk about those later, right? Right?

He pushes back in his chair a little, and gestures into the living room.]

Couch?

[coppelganger]

Yeah.

[ She gets to her feet, still holding his hand. ]

[puppydoctor]

[He lets go of her hand only so he can slide it around her waist, and as soon as they get to the couch he pulls her down close beside him.]

I'm so glad I spilled my beer.

[coppelganger]

[ She sinks down onto the couch, leaning up against him and resting her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. ]

Oh yeah? Even though you ruined those scrubs?

[puppydoctor]

I like you a little more than I liked those scrubs.

[He presses a kiss against the top of her head.]

[coppelganger]

Good.

[ She closes her eyes for a minute, just breathing and listening to George's heart. ]

I missed you.

[puppydoctor]

I missed you too.

[He can feel his heart thudding where her head rests - that heart that should have stopped beating before he ever met Sarah. Somewhere in another universe he's buried six feet under, but here he is living, across the stars. And of course there are nights when he wonders if this is just a dream, just some endless hallucination that comes after death. But he doesn't think he could make her up.]

[coppelganger]

[ She pulls one of his hands into her own, stroking his fingers lightly. This is nice. No worrying about getting called away to deal with something dangerous, no worrying that George's mood is going to shift, no worrying about how to explain this whole thing to Kira, just... relaxing. With her boyfriend. ]

You wanna stay here tonight?

[puppydoctor]

Yeah, of course.

[And feeling like he has permission now, he moves his free hand to gently tilt her head up from his chest. Still smiling, he leans down to finally kiss her.]

[coppelganger]

[ She kisses him back, shifting closer and making a pleased humming sound in her throat. ]

[puppydoctor]

[Sliding his hands down to her waist, he slides and hoists her up onto his lap. There isn't any urgency to his motions, though. He just wants to hold her close, to be gentle and warm with her, to show her how much he cares. This is where his nerves slip away, and all he can think about is making Sarah feel safe and happy. That's all he wants.]

[coppelganger]

[ And she's happy to sit on his lap and kiss him, slowly and deeply... for a while. Then she breaks apart and leans back, catching her breath. ]

Bedroom?

[puppydoctor]

God, yeah.

[He adjusts their positions until he can scoop her up bridal style, still smiling like a kid on Christmas. Yep, he's still a sap.]

[coppelganger]

Very romantic.

[ But she'll allow it this time. ]

[puppydoctor]

I know, right?

[He kisses her again just for that - and for the record, he does not lose it and drop her. Instead, he carries her into the bedroom, not even stopping to turn on the light. He sets her down on the edge of the bed, leaning over to continue the kiss.]

[coppelganger]

[ She kisses him back, reaching up with one hand to pull him closer by his collar. At the same time, she slides her legs around his waist. She has every intention of making up for the two weeks they spent not doing this. ]

[puppydoctor]

[Oh, he has the same intentions. Gripping her thighs, he pushes her back onto the bed and climbs on top of her, settling his hips firmly against her and trailing open-mouthed kisses down her jaw.

This is his life - his new life with her - and he's not going to be passive about it. And as he slides his soft hands up her stomach and hums a satisfied noise against her skin, it's probably about time to step away for a bit.]

[coppelganger]

[ The next morning, Sarah gets up early, even before George is awake, a rarity for her. She pulls on a tank top and underwear and heads into the kitchen to make some tea—which is such a stereotype, she knows, especially when your boyfriend (boyfriend, she can still hardly believe it) has infinite coffee powers. But she has a lot to think about. Last night was amazing, but she admittedly did get a bit caught up in everything. There are still consequences to making things with George official, even if nothing from her universe follows her here. He still needs to know about her. What she's dealing with. What might happen.

Once the tea is made, she sits at the kitchen table in the still-dim room and sighs. ]