Falling falling falling down...

[filemyclaim]

Look yourself in the eye before you drown...

She feels the impact - hard and sharp - against the middle of her back. It happens just once and Dixie sucks in a loud, alarmed breath, flinging open her eyes and staring into the bright white nothingness of the apocalypse...

....But what greets her is chambray blue.

It's Brisco's back. Heaven knows she's seen it enough times to recognize it even at close range. She lets out a muffled gasp as she watches him slide his coat back on.

Automatically, she sits up, and is immediately assailed by a series of familiar sensations.

She knows what they were doing five minutes ago, but she can't remember it. Not at all.

Dixie starts trying to pull the hay they've gotten layered in her hair out. Only the very observant will notice the way her hand shakes, the slight quiver in her voice.

"Do you know how to get us down?"

Comments

[harvard_bounty]

He sits up, brushing off the hay.

"What just happened?"

[filemyclaim]

She eyeballs him from the ground. Vague memories flit through her mind and she has to shut them away. He likely notices the deliberate steeling of self before she opens them again.

"If you can't remember," she declared with a little grin, "then I'm doing an awful bad job."

[harvard_bounty]

"Oh, you're doing fine."

More than fine, if his slightly blushing smile is any indication.

"But doesn't it feel like something else happened?"

He doesn't like not being aware of the immediate situation.

[filemyclaim]

He'll never be able to pass off that slight dusking of his cheeks as anything but true modesty with her.

She pauses to consider giving him the truth - there are things she remembers - about men with wings consoling her - that he'd probably pass off as momentary delusions. He knows she lies well. "Like the whole world's gone upside down?" She gives him a lazy grin and starts buttoning her blouse. "Me too."

[harvard_bounty]

His sheepish grin doesn't quite fully distract from his wandering eyes.

"Yeah, pretty much."

[filemyclaim]

She's gotten to the top of it now, and glances. "Me too. Right out of focus."

And she knows you're looking, Brisco. She may or may not be letting you peep at a little more than she'd normally show while buttoning up. "You really don't remember anything?"

[harvard_bounty]

"Not since right after we... you know."

Dixie does have a way of making him flustered.

[filemyclaim]

"Oh, I know." Believe me, she knows. And the whole truth won't come out yet, because she wants to forget it. But it won't hurt to ask him while she's replacing her adorable gaucho hat atop her head.

"What's the last thing you remember about Milliways?"

[harvard_bounty]

"Huh. Not a lot, really."

It had mostly seemed like a typical bar to him, albeit one with a stranger than usual clientele.

[filemyclaim]

She'd roll her eyes if she weren't so ladylike. "I meant to ask what you last remember doing there."

[harvard_bounty]

"Riding Comet out by the stables... I was looking for you when I realized I could see the door, but you weren't around."

[filemyclaim]

She leans jauntily against her knee. "Guess I was out riding with Kate." She was, in fact, asleep in their room. Loving him will always tucker her out. "Didn't know you managed to coax him through the door."

[harvard_bounty]

"You know Comet, he'll do anything for an apple."

[filemyclaim]

She chuckles and shakes her head. "Believe me, I know. If I ever wanted to find you, I'd just wave a little chunk of it under his nose."

[harvard_bounty]

"Believe it or not, Bowler already tried that."

Looking back on it, he can grudgingly admit it was a pretty good plan.

[filemyclaim]

"Oh, I remember that," she points out. She HAD been there that day, even though he was more focused on boner jokes sun-related puns. "When are the two of you going to team up for good? You know I hate watching men waste good energy on fighting when they could be making up."

[harvard_bounty]

"It's not a bad idea. But you know how stubborn he is."

Ahem. Pot. Kettle.

[filemyclaim]

"Mmmm. That's one thing you've got in common." she turns around. "Help me clip up my hair?" At least she's dressed now.

[harvard_bounty]

"See, that's the thing. If we teamed up we'd probably spend more time arguing than tracking."

He scoots over to give her a hand.

[filemyclaim]

This may or may not be an excuse to get him closer. "You took care of the Brackmans together." She leans back into his shoulder with subtlety....as subtle as Dixie ever does things.

[harvard_bounty]

He may not actually need to lean in that close to help her with her hair clip.

"He didn't really give me much choice about that."

He's stubborn, but he's also nosy.

[filemyclaim]

Oh, she knows he doesn't.

How many more miles do they have?

"You do make a fine team," she points out. She didn't hear about the Annie part, and likely won't unless she meets the woman.

[harvard_bounty]

"I do okay on my own too, you know."

Aw. Someone's grumpy.

[filemyclaim]

"Mmm." She nuzzles his cheek. "You sure do."

[harvard_bounty]

"Well sometimes a double act is fun."

[filemyclaim]

She smirks and leans her head back against his shoulder - trapping his fingers between her scalp and his coat. "What did I just tell you about the right one always walking out? It's hard to keep double-time when your partner's not keeping up with the beat."

[harvard_bounty]

He sighs and leans against her.

"I'm working on my rhythm."

[filemyclaim]

She rubs her cheek against his stubble. "If you need a few lessons, just ask."

...This is the tiniest hint of an admission that once upon a time she had a husband.

[harvard_bounty]

There's a reason he didn't tell her about Annie when that whole thing happened.

"Any time..."

He leans in tantalizingly close before he finally realizes something's not right.

"Are we slowing down?"

They shouldn't be stopping anywhere for some time yet.

[filemyclaim]

Which someday will bite him in the butt. Hard.

She lifts her head and glances at the door. "It feels like it," she admits. "Brisco, I can't say I've ever felt the earth STOP moving when we were this close."

[harvard_bounty]

No doubt.

"Let's talk about that later."

He instinctively moves in front of her as the train comes to a stop.