[center][img]http://i68.tinypic.com/2v18biv.gif[/img]
[h1][color=a187be]Tas[/color][color=brown]Dom[/color][/h1][/center]
[hr][hr]
[center][b][u]Location:[/u][/b] The Rink ( Tas -> The Apartments, Dom -> The Bar)
[b][u]Interacting With:[/u][/b] Each Other in person; Via Text; Claire from Dom, Kip [@rougeLily] from Tas[/center]
[hr]

Inside the diner, the news of Echo's accident had changed the mood almost instantly, everything else had been forgotten. After a short time, everyone had decided to do their own thing. Dom had received a message from Tas and could tell that something wasn't right. With everything going on in her life and now this horrible incident with Echo the poor girl must be in bits. Giving Nat a quick kiss as she departed. Dom soon followed, climbing into his truck and headed off into the cool morning air. The drive onward to their special place was short; in hindsight every place that the gang frequented was pretty close together. The furthest place was the hospital, all of their coffee houses, bars, fast food places and the rink were within walking distance of the apartments, hell even the Golden Gate bridge was fifteen minutes away and it hadn't been destroyed yet so he knew he wasn't in a movie.

Dominic parked outside and wasn't exactly sure what he was going to be walking in to. He knew there was two sides to Tas and it was a flip of a coin which one he was going to meet inside. The big mountain bear turned off his engine and jumped onto the curb from his high truck cab. Even in the fleeting moments, he thought of his fathers offer to help finance the movie. His parents were comfortable in their lifestyle, they didn't have a lot of money but they had enough and yet there they were offering to give him some of what little they had. The man mountain didn't have any idea whether or not he should say yes.

Heading into the rink, there she sat, her heart obviously more torn than even his damaged one. [b][color=brown]"Hey beautiful."[/color][/b]

Tas looked up from her food as she heard Dom's voice, she had tried to eat and had a little but mostly she had just been picking at her food lost in thought since she arrived. Perhaps sitting there in the quiet with just the music going and trying to enjoy some peace wasn't such a good idea after all. Slowing down long enough to actually think only seemed to make her worry more. Then as soon as she saw Dom all of that faded away and her thoughts and worries about herself and everything she was dealing with turned to worry about the big mountain of a man before her. 

Dropping the fry she had been aimlessly running through a spot of ketchup she wiped her hands off on her jeans as she stood up, a small weak smile playing on her lips; obviously more of an effort to appear like everything was alright but around Dom, when they were alone, it was hard to put up any facades. [color=a187be]"Hey hun,"[/color] she said quietly as she stepped over to him and hugged him tight; her arms slipping over his shoulders. Leaning back she looked up at him with a worried expression in her eyes. 

[color=a187be]"Claire messaged me about lunch... with Nat's little surprise... and Eddie.."[/color] she started, pausing a moment in thought before continuing. [color=a187be]"Are you alright? I mean, obviously you are because I'm not getting paged back to the hospital right now but it didn't trigger any problems did it? Physically?" [/color] she rambled, obviously she was a bit more frustrated and emotional than she was wanting to admit.

Placing his hands on her slender waist as she embraced him, Dominic let out a soft sigh. [b][color=brown]"I love you for worrying but I'm fine, I promise"[/color][/b] He said with a smile. [b][color=brown]"As much as every part of my body was screaming put this idiot through a window and straight into traffic, I couldn't let myself lose control like that again. Not again."[/color][/b] 

[color=a187be]"I wouldn't exactly blame you if you did but I'm glad you didn't; if only so you weren't in danger,"[/color] Tas admitted as she stood there. Pulling Tas tight into his chest so she could hear his flawed heart, Big Mountain Mason kissed the top of her head before letting her go mostly, only keeping hold of her soft delicate hands. A genuine smile crossed her lips as she listened to his heart, her eyes drifting close for a moment; glad to hear it was sounding as well as it ever could.

[b][color=brown]"Tell what's going on behind those gorgeous eyes, Tas. I'm worried. Things having been going downhill fast already and now with all this Echo and Eddie stuff. What's happening in that head?"[/color][/b] 

Tas bit her bottom lip slightly and let out a soft sigh as her eyes opened and she looked up at him towering over her. [i]What all was going through her head right then now that she knew he was okay? Everything...[/i]

[color=a187be]"How do I keep from falling apart? Yeah... that about sums it up..."[/color] she admitted in a weary voice. It was one thing to break down for the first time in front of Sam, to show him a small part of her weakness but Dom was different; he knew all her flaws, [i]all of them[/i]. Reaching up she ran her fingers through her damp hair and stepped away from him, her shoulder slumping in near defeat. 

[color=a187be]"How do I help you? Why on earth would Nat pull such a stunt? How do I keep this rag tag family together? How can I make sure something that happened to Echo never happens again? What did I miss that could have prevent Echo from being hurt? Can I help Jeje through that maze of a mind of his? Would it be better if I just packed up and took the job in Chicago next month? How long can I keep fighting this? Can I actually keep flying because I feel like I am in a a death spin. Why does Sam seem to want to keep me hidden?[/color]" she began rambling and then it dawned on her that she hadn't told anyone but Claire that they were dating, about what had happened the night of the party. Did Dom know or even suspect they were a thing now? How would he take that?

[color=a187be]"Guess the cat is out of the bag now... [/color] she groaned as she flopped down on the bench, hunching over as she stared blankly at the floor. [color=a187be]"I feel like I am loosing myself..."[/color]

[b][color=brown]"Tas, I know your a doctor and its in your blood like venom to do so, you can't help everyone. The wait of the world should not fall on your shoulders. It shouldn't but you let it. All the problems you just listed, me, Echo, Jeje....none of that is within your power to control, it's just not, that's the way it is. I was born with my problem, same with Jeje. Echo was an accident, it happens sadly, you of all people in your line of work knows that God, Allah or whoever the fuck controls this shit has a weird sense of timing. None of this was your fault and there is none of it you can help. I'm not trying to be harsh but sometimes Tas, a slap in the face is better than a hug. As for the Sam stuff, honey we all saw that coming. Its in the eyes, every time he looked at you and you at him. Still, him being a bit weird about telling folk, maybe you should talk to him about it. You are the smartest girl I know and if something feels odd to you, odds are it probably is. My humble opinion? You need a break, time away from the world. Listen babe, I'm taking off for a week soon, to go and scout some places for an expedition in a few months. You could come with me? No danger, we're not climbing or anything just gonna talk to some folk, maybe take a ride in a small plane to scout the area. It could be fun....wow that was a lot of words. This is why I don't speak"[/color][/b]

Of course it was only ever around Nat and Tas that Dom unleashed his inner monologue skills. Most others only ever got a few grunts, groans and short words from the mountain and that's the way he liked it.

Tas heard everything he was saying and it hurt to hear; perhaps what he was saying was true but she couldn't agree with at least part of it. It wasn't who she was. [color=a187be]"Maybe you're right..,"[/color] she said quietly, sitting there cracking her knuckles nervously. She half chuckled as she looked over to him. [color=a187be]"And stop that, I like it when you actually speak. It's nice to hear your voice. Better than those neanderthal grunts you give me half the time,"[/color] she said with a tired smirk on her lips. Taking a deep breath she stood up, shoving her hands into her pockets. 

[color=a187be]"But seriously, maybe some time away isn't a bad idea. Least figure out if I should stay here or if I should move..."[/color] she said kicking at the ground. [color=a187be]"I doubt if I stay I can keep from trying though. Not with Echo, or Jeje, or"[/color] she said slowly looking over to him. [color=a187be]"Especially you Dominic."[/color]

[b][color=brown]"Tas, I love you. I really fucking do but you can't fix me."[/color][/b] 

Tas shot him a look as if to say [color=a187be][i]"just watch me."[/i][/color] 

[b][color=brown]"My heart may be defected but it's manageable."[/color][/b] He got up to his feet and placed both his hands on either side of Tas' face. [b][color=brown]"I promise I am going to live a long and happy life."[/color][/b] Dominic looked into her eyes and smiled before pulling away, tracing his fingers across her soft cheek as he did so. [b][color=brown]"Some time away might be your best option right now. Go home for a week or come with me, whatever you want. Just make sure it's exactly that; what you want. You're allowed to be selfish now and again Natasha."[/color][/b]

[color=a187be]"You say go home as if I have one to go to. This is my home, or at least the closest I have to one,"[/color] Tas began but cut herself off before going any further. Yeah, she [i]kinda[/i] had a home back in Chicago but it was in the past. Her father hadn't been able to really look at her or speak to her much since her mothers passing. She had no siblings, and didn't really have any friends to speak of from when she was younger. This group was the closest thing she had had to any family since that day when she was a child. Sighing slightly she leaned against him and tried to figure out just what she truly wanted; it wasn't difficult to decide, she already knew what she wanted. 

[color=a187be]"I'm going to tag along with you and yes, it is for a very selfish reason and a rather arrogant one as well,"[/color] she quipped as she looked up to him. [color=a187be]"Because I want to make sure you are alright and I don't trust anyone else to make sure that you are; especially out in some backwoods wilderness,"[/color] she added as she hugged him once again. [color=a187be]"Is that a selfish enough reason? To go because I want to make sure that the man that has my heart is never far from it?"[/color]

[b][color=brown]"Oh Tas, you made it cute. You're such a nerd."[/color][/b] Tas just smirked slightly, sure she was a nerd but that was just how she was; nothing would change that. A big grin crossed Dominic's stubbled face as he held Tas close in his embrace. That was enough of a selfish reason for him, she didn't have to justify it any more than that.
 
[color=a187be]"A nerd and a neanderthal in the backwoods of the world? Look out Bigfoot,"[/color] she laughed softly as she leaned against him.

[b][color=brown]"Alright then, I'll call my friend Mike and get you a seat booked on the plane. We're not going too far off the map. Alaska. So you better make sure you bring some warm gear. It's only a week, scouting the area see if we want to film there. Now all we need funding, my parents will send us some money but I don't how far that'll get us"[/color][/b] He was rambling at this point, trying to take her tortured mind away from the pain it was feeling. [b][color=brown]"If we like the spot, we'll make sure we fly together there when its movie time."[/color][/b]

Looking up at him quickly she groaned slightly. Alaska? Planes? Oh great, just great. Two of her [i]favorite[/i] things; cold and heights. [color=a187be]"Of course, you couldn't pick somewhere tropic to begin could you?"[/color] she said rolling her eyes slightly. Shaking her head she smiled poking at him slightly with her words. Cold and heights were bad enough but she knew this was something he really wanted to do and she was willing to deal with her fears to help him [i]fly.[/i] Money on the other hand was not something she could really help a lot with. She was a resident, and even though she wasn't drowning in student loan debt she hadn't exactly been in the field long enough to have [i]doctor[/i] money; but as Dom said she was smart and an idea came to mind.

[color=a187be]"Why don't we talk to Claire? She has sponsors for her MMA stuff, maybe she could help you get one for this? I mean, this type of [i]pushing the edge[/i] thing is kind of the stuff those people eat for breakfast isn't it?"[/color] she said with a slight shrug. It wasn't like any of them knew anyone with that type of money, Claire was the closest one of the group to being a [i]celebrity[/i], maybe the Irish Rose had something tucked away in her glove. 

[b][color=brown]"That's not a bad idea, guess it can't hurt to ask"[/color][/b] Dom smiled at her and stroked her cheek once more. [b][color=brown]"Come on, let's get out of here. I could say it's because we need to get away from the pain. In reality, I have a shift behind the bar in like fifteen minutes"[/color][/b] His grin widened as he took Tas behind the hand and squeezed tight. Tas smiled as she laced her fingers with his and nodded. Granted to her, their place was one of the few where she could let go of the pain.

[color=a187be]"Alright, Claire should be at the gym right now. You should text her and ask her to drop by the bar. I would but well, you know why I can't,"[/color] she said gently. She was right, it would be odd if Tas messaged Claire about Dom or messaged anyone else about him for that matter. It would be better if it came from Dom himself; plus she needed to try to get some sleep before she needed to head back to the hospital to be with Echo. She had shift tonight but maybe she could get Kip to tag along; she had been promising him another night of gore reality anyways. Better to get that done before she skipped town with Dom; granted she wondered just how she was going to get out of town without anyone else knowing they were going to be heading to Alaska together? That was going to be interesting.

Leaning up she kissed his cheek softly. [color=a187be]"Take care of yourself tonight and do me a favor; don't end up a patient tonight. I don't think I could handle seeing you like that again right now,"[/color] she admitted before she headed out. Climbing into her car she drove off back to the apartments. 

She parked the car and just let out a long sigh. The thought of getting away with Dom for a while was nice but all it was going to do was postpone decisions she needed to make, not solve them. How could she help Jeje? She would need to set up home care for Echo while she was out of town? What about the job in Chicago? Would she take it or just stay there in California? And what about Sam? Things seemed off there. She understood wanting to take things slow but perhaps with everything it wasn't the right time for them to be together; no matter how much she cared for him. Maybe it just wasn't fair to him. Sighing inwardly she pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to Kip; least she could take care of one thing tonight if he was up for it.

[center][color=a187be][b]To: My Shadow[/b]
Hey, want to meet me around 8 at the hospital for a night of Shadows and Gore?[/color]

Hurrying into HUB, Dom quickly changed into his uniform and jumped behind the bar, sending a quick text to Claire before the doors officially opened.

[b]To: Scare Bear[/b]
Come by the bar tonight. Might need your help with something[/center]