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[network] @ADMIN; Arrival

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Yes. Jimmy Quidd. I didn't care enough.

[Which is a laugh, because she cared a lot, in her way. Just...not about the right things. The wound is still sore.]

What don't I remember?

Right. Yeah. Um, I'm sorry. That you got fired. [He pauses, not sure how to say what needs to be said next.] My memories go beyond that point. Quite a ways beyond, actually. We, ah... We were together for some time.

[There's a considerable pause. It can't be because she's moving around again, because Wilson didn't message her until later in the first place. By the time they're speaking, she's already settled in the hospital. But...she's so baffled. Maybe this wouldn't seem so surprising if she was anywhere else. But right now, in this situation, it seems nothing short of completely bizarre. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that they're from "different times" in the first place.]

Together as in...romantically.

[Okay...Amber takes a deep breath. Wilson's charming and handsome, a doctor like her. Also House's friend. She can see a few different scenarios where she'd start dating him if he asked. He just...hadn't asked her, yet. And one can't deny the fact that being told "hey, you and me, we're together in the future" isn't exactly much of a turn on.]

Would it be cheating if I asked how, or...when?

[Wilson sighs. He knows before she even responds how crazy he must sound. His heart is thumping hard through every second she keeps him hanging, but her response only quickens his pulse.]

Yes. Romantically. I know, I know, that's got to sound absolutely ridiculous, but, well, in the timeline that I'm from...

[Oh. Oh.]

Amber, listen to me. When we get out of here, I don't know what that will mean for returning to our lives, but once we're home... [He feels his voice about to break, and he's very conscious of House listening in next to him, but this is important. What if this is his only chance to tell her? People die here all the time. Sometimes they don't come back.]

You're going to get a phone call sometime. From House. It'll be the middle of the night, and House will be drunk, and he'll want me to come get him, but you'll want to go instead. Don't. Whatever you do, just, God, don't, you hear me? You leave him there. Don't leave the house, don't go to the bar, don't get on that bus, okay?

Okay. Okay. Calm down.

[She has absolutely no idea what he's talking about, but he's definitely starting to scare her. I mean, it's hard no to feel freaked out when you're having maybe the worst possible day of your life and then your ex-boss' acquaintance is having an apparent nervous breakdown. But you don't tell people to stop having a nervous breakdown when they're having a nervous breakdown.]

Whatever this is about, I won't take any buses in the middle of the night.

[Wilson is quiet for a long time. He's overloading her, he knows this, but how else is he supposed to react in this situation? What's the protocol? There's no precedent for this.]

Okay. Just-- Remember that, please.

[He takes a breath.]

So, um... Are you okay? I know this is a lot. I'm sorry.

I'm fine. It's fine.

[A crack in the shell. Not the calm and collected Amber, but not the fake Amber that she's been showing to everyone else, either. For a second, she's vulnerable, like the Amber he saw when he asked her out on a date: someone who just lost her job, who felt like a failure, who didn't know what to do next, and wished she really was as untouchable as she always pretends to be.]

I just feel like an idiot.

[She runs a hand over her face, silent for a moment.]

I'm sorry if I sounded like I was belittling you. I believe you.

[There she is. Wilson's heart breaks all over again.]

No, no. It's all right. Everyone is lost and confused when they first get here, and I know I'm not helping. But it's going to be okay.

[Maybe. But he can say that more confidently now than he could the last time they spoke.]

Right.

[Of course it will. It's always okay eventually no matter how much it hurts. Amber just needs to take a deep breath and find herself. And now Wilson, damn him, won't get out of her head. Does she want him to stay away after what he said, or does she want him to be with her so she doesn't have to be alone--because she knows now it wouldn't be hard to manipulate him. But also, manipulating him seems wrong. It's hard for her to decide what she wants to do with this information he's given her.]

Where are you?

I'm in Hsiaoke Pass. [He super did not pronounce that correctly. He never will!!] It's the area we're still exploring to the east of the residential area. I'm leaving soon, though. We've been stuck in here for far too long.

[As well as he knows Amber, he also knows that he needs to keep in mind that she doesn't have the same memories as him. He needs to take it down a notch, to not make assumptions. He knows that.] Have you found yourself on the map yet?

Yes. I'm at the hospital. I don't plan on moving for a few days. I really did injure myself, theatrics or not.

[But she's heard the warnings; she won't stay for so long that she'll regret it.]

What? Are you alright? [He stops himself. Take a breath, Wilson. Don't panic. She's capable of taking care of herself. That hasn't changed.]

Staying put is probably for the best. Don't push yourself. That said, though, it's unwise to keep still for too long around here. Cabin fever is very real.

[He's quiet for a long moment.]

Do you, um... Would you like some company?

I'm fine. Just a twisted ankle. I made it sound worse than it was to see how people would respond.

[She already knows more about a few people than she would otherwise.]

I could use some company.

[The response follows her own pause. It's hard for her not to feel the weight behind the words. What Wilson said about their relationship from his time in their world...it changes a lot of things. But her words come out soft, at least, if hesitant.]

You can fill me in on what else I've missed that I should know about. Take your time, alright? I'll rest at the hospital and when I feel well enough I'll meet you halfway.

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