Sable

"You had a dream," Conor said as they ate that morning. Sable looked up at him from her plate, mouth full of food. She had forgotten about how creepy and invasive his powers were, even if he couldn't read her thoughts due to her blocking him out.

She swallowed her food before she spoke, "Well, I usually do dream at night. But if you're assuming I had a really specific, important dream last night, then you are correct. But I don't know if I want to talk about it. It was... quite a strange dream."

"I won't press for you to tell me," Conor agreed. He set his plate down, and held his hands over the fire, rubbing them together. "I'll let you figure that out in your own time. But I will be here for when you need to talk about it."

Sable stared at him over the fire. She continued to eat her food as she thought about telling him. Then again, there was another dream she hadn't admitted to Conor... She shook her head; she would never tell him about that. And then any thought about letting him read her thoughts again was erased. She quickly finished her food, and then moved to sit next to him.

"I'll tell you," she said. He looked over to her. "But- give me a bit of time. It really was... weird. And confused. And hard to believe, yet it all makes sense."

"Take your time," Conor told her. Sable nodded her head at him. He put an arm around her shoulders, and he pulled her closer. Sable leaned into the embrace.

She wondered where to even start, but then it came to her and she nodded again.

"Well, ever since I can remember I've had these- peculiar, to say the least, dreams," she began. She took in a slow breath, and then released it slowly too. "They- I start out in this dark abyss. There's usually nothing else there, at least not for a while. It's where I started seeing everything- Akeem, Inara."

She sighed and stopped. Conor rubbed her back, and Sable leaned into this touch more. She looked up at him for a moment. Sun had told her that they both had been stars some time ago... Conor had been one turned into a human long before her. And she couldn't tell him that he had been one.

"Well, I came back to the abyss last night," Sable said. "In my dreams. I was so confused, because Inara was already gone, and Akeem was already summoned- and isn't even my familiar anymore. So what was the point of me appearing in the abyss again..."

She gasped and looked up at him again.

"And then- the strangest thing happened. There was this ethereal being," Sable continued. "I went all the way up to it. It claimed to be a star- the sun. It claimed that I had been a star, and had wanted to become human."

Conor stared at her then. It looked as if there were some gears turning, and Sable wondered if there was a chance for him to recall what he had been. But the moment passed, and he looked at her expectantly.

"Doesn't that- doesn't that sound crazy?" Sable whispered. "I used to be a star... And the sun, the freaking sun, spoke to me. How is that possible?"

"Being what I am, and seeing what we've all been through- I can't say that it sounds crazy," Conor shook his head. "Anything is possible now, especially here; don't forget that."

"Yeah," Sable nodded and sighed. "So you really think I could have been a star at one point?"

"Yes," Conor chuckled. He rubbed her back again. "But why would you want to become a human?"

"The sun told me that it was because I wanted to experience human love," Sable said. Conor was silent for a moment.

"And did you? Experience love?" he asked quietly. Sable blinked up at him, and then felt herself grow very warm. She looked away from him.

"I don't know," she said quickly. "I- well, I got to know the love of having a family. I-I had never had a boyfriend. What a waste, right?"

Conor tilted her head toward his, making her face him again. She stared at him wide-eyed as he stared at her, through half-lidded eyes. He leaned closer slowly until their lips met. Sable's heart pounded wildly in her ears.

It felt good. Not as just a pleasant sensation against her lips, but in her heart too there was a pleasant hum. He kissed her again, and again. Each kiss was slow, and slower still. Something else stirred within Sable.

She pulled back with a gasp, her breathing hard and ragged. Conor trailed his fingertips over her chip, and she glanced back up at him again. Was that love? It could have been, so soon. A slow smile took over Conor's face.

"I can hear your thoughts again," he whispered. Sable's face grew even hotter. "At least I turn you into a jumbled mess."

"Don't do that," Sable protested. "They- they're still private. You're invading my privacy."

"I am very much enjoying invading your privacy," Conor grinned wider. He kissed her again. Sable sighed against his lips.

"So you are," she whispered. "I am attracted to you. And I do like you. And I trust you."

"I'll accept that," Conor said. He took her hand in his. "And I should hope that you trust me, after all that we've been through. Sable."

"I do," Sable nodded at him. "I know this time that I'm placing my trust in the right person. And I want to thank you. You never gave up on me this whole time. And as far as I know, you've got no ulterior motives. I'm going to trust that you have none, anyway."

"Thank you," Conor said.

"Especially after finding out that my best friend- wasn't even a human," Sable said. She stared at something off in the distance, chewing on her lower lip. "And now... I don't even have that friend anymore, to go back to."

Conor rubbed her shoulder and leaned his head against hers. He sighed and pulled her closer.

"And we're about to go and end the demon's life," he said. "And then we'll take you back to your home realm."

"What if I don't want to go back?" Sable whispered. "What is there for me back there?"

"Your family, your job, whatever friends you had there," Conor reminded her. "Didn't you have any other friends back there? And once the gateway is sealed- you won't have to worry about being hunted down for your powers for the rest of your life."

"I guess," Sable sighed.

A man burst into their tent then, looking frantic. Sable and Conor looked up at him expectantly.

"Sir, the enemy is approaching us," the man gasped out. "A few of our men are dead due to the surprise attack, but we took quite a few of theirs as well."

"We'll be out shortly, and we'll make our move next," Conor said. The man nodded and exited the tent. Conor turned to Sable. "Are you ready to fight?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Sable said.