Fic: Waiting

Nathan awoke with a jolt. 

As his eyes came into focus, he took a look at the White that surrounded him: as far as he could see, everything was White. 

He stood up, wobbling on his feet, disoriented by the White as though trying to walk after sitting on a bus for four hours.

“Where am I?” he muttered out loud.  “Did The Company get me?”

“Not quite,” a voice popped up, “but it this seems like something they would make, doesn’t it?”

Nathan walked toward the sound of the voice, but still only saw White.  “Who’s there?”

“It’s me, Niki.  Walk in a curved path.”

Nathan did as she told and soon the White cut away at a sharp angle, revealing a White TV and a White couch that held Niki Sanders.

She leapt up at the sight of him and tackled him in a hug.

“Too tight, Niki,” he choked out.

“Sorry, my powers work here, no viruses to slow them down.”

“Where is here?”

“That’s a good question.  I mean, last thing I remember, I was helping my niece escape a burning building.  Then there was a flash, and now I’m here.”

“I was giving a news conference with Peter and Parkman.  Then there was a flash, too.  A gunshot, I think.  Ah God, is this?”

“Heaven?  I don’t think so.  I imagined Heaven being happier and less sterile.  I think it’s some sort of waiting room.”

“A waiting room.  For what?”

“Here, let me show you,” Niki replied, motioning Nathan over towards the couch, then pointing to the large TV screen.  On half the set there was a large picture of a fire, on the other half a picture of bullets.  “It was just the fire for awhile, but then when you showed up, the bullets appeared on the screen.”

“So I’m dead then…great.”

Niki threw herself onto the couch.  “I’m not sure that you’re dead, Nathan.  Like I said, I think it’s a waiting room.  I think it’s for people who are in comas or whatnot.  You just wait around, seeing if your body wants to call your soul back or not.  See if it’s in the cards that They want you to live.”

“They?”

Niki twirled her hand around.  “God, Buddha, The Cosmic Universe, modern medicine, I don’t know.”

Nathan groaned and sank into the couch.  “God, it’s just not fair.  I mean, I just found my brother.  It’s been months, and I just found him again.  Now I’ve lost him forever…”

Niki looked at him, eyebrow raised.  “You want to talk about fair?  My son is now an orphan, after his father died less than two months ago, because his idiotic mother didn’t take her medicine.  Two parents in two months – now let’s talk fair.”

Nathan didn’t say anything at first, just let a “huh” escape from his mouth.  But finally, “I’m sorry about Micah.”

“I’m sorry about Peter.”                                     

The two connected eyes and shared a sad smile.  Nathan plastered a fake politician grin on his face.  “So how long do you think we’ll be here?”

“Couldn’t say.  I’m not even sure that there’s a time measurement here.”

“Right.”  Nathan got up off the couch and walked around to the back, tracing the seams with his fingers, while Niki pulled at the buttons. 

“Oh,” Nathan started, breaking the silence.  “I never got to tell you in New York, but you look great.”

“…are you really hitting on me now?”

Nathan laughed.  “No, seriously, you looked great; despite your sickness and everything that you had gone through in the last few months.  Kind of like when I first met you in Vegas.”

“Damn, that seems ages ago.  But we’re both so different now.”

“I suppose we are,” Nathan replied, running his fingers across another seam, rounding the corner, and retaking his spot on the couch next to Niki.  “But you want to know something?  Even through my race for Congress, and Kirby Plaza, and losing Peter, there was still this thought in the back of my mind, Nik.”

“Yeah?”

“The memory of the night we spent together.  I mean, everything was just…perfect.  We were just ourselves, talking.  I opened up to you about flying, and I was vehemently trying to deny that I even had that power.”

Niki’s hand found Nathan’s on the cushion, and let her fingers intertwine with his.  “Well, I think that we’ll have plenty of time to talk up here,” she said, smiling.

Nathan responded with a large grin and tugged on Niki’s hand, motioning for her to shift positions with her head against his chest.  She looked up at Nathan.  “So you think They’re going to let us live?”

Nathan kissed the top of her forehead.  “I’m not sure.  But while we’re up here, do you think this thing gets HBO?”

“Nope, I already tried.  Looks like I’m just going to have to stare at the fire and the bullets for awhile.” 

“Well at least you’ve got some good company.”

“The very best.”

Niki and Nathan relaced their fingers, switched from watching the TV and staring into the White, and waited.