Nesert

3.13

When she went back to the island, Adaar was gone, but he had left a note next to her phone apologizing. There were several texts as well, asking if she'd meet him, with assurances that it would be somewhere public.

Nes made a pot of coffee instead of reaching for the liquor cabinet and responded to his messages with a suggestion of the restaurant they'd been at before.

He was sitting at the same table with just water in front of him, but gave her a blank stare as she approached.

"How are you, Nes?"

"Unharmed. You?"

"Very ashamed."

"I was stupid, Adaar. I brought Alpha out."

"No...you didn't. I rely on him far too heavily whenever things are even a tiny bit difficult. I'm so rarely myself."

"I don't think this will ever work."

He raised his eyes to hers and his mouth opened to object, but he closed it again and looked down at the table. "No. It probably won't."

"Sekhmet and Alpha will always be there, ready to slit each other's throats. And probably over something stupid like which curtains to hang or where to go out for dinner." She smiled at her joke, even knowing it wasn't really much of a stretch from the truth and he gave her a small smile in return.

"We're the same, though. We can accept each other as we are."

"Which is likely part of the problem. Adaar, with you...I would stay just like this. I don't want to stay like this. I don't want to spend every waking moment fighting Sekhmet for control...but that's what I have to do around you."

"And you don't around him, this man in Atlantis?"

"I do, but...it's easier. Just being around him pushes Sekhmet down."

"And I bring her up."

Nes nodded. "And I bring up Alpha."

He seemed to try to hold him back, but Alpha's smirk still slipped through his efforts. "Yes, you do. It wasn't very nice of you two to trick me last night." His hand took hold of hers. "We could have had so much fun."

Adaar lowered his head and shook it gently. "I'm sorry, Nes."

"I know. Sekhmet still shows up quite a lot for me, too, but I'm much better at reining her in now. You just have to keep working on it."

"So now what? We just go our separate ways?"

"No. We can still help each other, still work together against Ba'al." She squeezed his hand. "If you want. Or I can help you disappear, Adaar, escape."

"No. Not yet anyway." He released her hand. "I think we should start killing them, the clones."

"Can you do that? Can you kill their hosts, too?"

Adaar thought for a few moments and sipped his water. "They'll be grateful...I would have been if you'd killed Alpha." He rubbed his eyes. "I was actually hoping that's what you were planning when you tortured us."

"I'm sorry, Adaar."

He waved away her apology. "Don't be." He straightened and his face went hard. "We can take out Gamma and Epsilon fairly easily. Kappa and Theta...I think Athena is working for them, as well, for Kappa at least. They'll use her while they can."

"If Epsilon is in Seattle, I can deal with him like I did Delta. Gamma...the two of us should be able to lure him somewhere."

"Can I make a request?"