"NO ONE IS PERFECT" Max yelled, gripping Ciara tighter, "That's my point! It's never going to BE perfect! You have to deal with what's thrown in front of you and that's it, take it and move on. You talk about moving on Horatio, but you're stuck in the past, you're trapped in some fantasy you'll never find!"

"If there are infinite realities then one of them is my perfect one" Horatio snapped back, "One of them is made just for me. If I have to make it myself then so be it!"

"Your perfect world can only exist WITHOUT YOU" Max retorted hotly, "and these, these are the consequent you leave behind" he dragged the blade across Ciara's throat.

---------- Post added 09-13-2012 at 09:30 PM ----------

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Horatio found himself leaning back against the car as Ciara walked out from the Zoo with the brotherhood. Just like before, he told himself that this was probably just another girl he would have to say goodbye to. He had to try and stay composed, to remain calm and stoic. He could hear the sound of Toad giggling happily as he hopped along, his shoes soaked with the water from the fishtank because he hadn't had a towel to dry off with. Freddy was hugging a large stuffed animal that looked small in comparison to him, Pietro was bouncing around-high on sugar and even Lance was laughing at the shenanigans. It had been such a good day for them.

Ciara giggled away, an octopus stuffy in her arms, "I can't believe we rode the giraffes! Can you believe the look on their fac-..." Ciara stopped dead in her tracks when she saw him. Standing there, was the time mutant... The one who had helped her out of a paradox type situation.

Her face lit up and she ran over to him, "Mr. Time Reaper!!!" A wide smile came across her face. "Do you remember me? You helped me out of a paradox! Oh it's so good to see you again!"

"Ah... yeah..." Horatio replied, he could feel it welling up inside him. His hand trembled briefly but he tucked it away in his pocket, "Good to know things worked out for ya." This wouldn't do at all, he needed more time-but he'd already wasted so much in getting here. A tear slipped down from beneath his sunglasses and he turned his head away, quickly stopping time in hopes Ciara wouldn't see it.
The moment things froze, Horatio dropped to his knees, hurling the sunglasses from his face he broke down and wept, "Please" he begged the immobile Ciara, "Oh God please... please forgive me"

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Much, much later in Genosha....

She sniffed, sitting on the sidewalk in front of his grave, "I'm sorry I didn't stay to bury you... I just couldn't... not after burying Logan in the future... I hope you understand. Probably rather selfish of me. But I know you'll still be around... wandering through time. I hope I get to see you again. Horatio."

"Ciara McCoy?" A familiar voice appeared from the sidewalk. Horatio had his head cocked to the side curiously, "Were you trying to talk to me?"

Ciara spun her head around and stared in silence at the time mutant for a good min. She sniffed, leaping into his arms and holding him tight. "Time Bug! I'm sorry... I-I couldn't save you. I tried, I did everything I could but... I couldn't save you." She bawled.

Horatio hugged her back, a small smile crossing his face, "hey, what are you going on about? Everything's fine." He'd saved her, at least, for now. He just had to see her to be sure.

"You got-...dead!" She said whaling away. "I tried to save you but But... I couldn't."

"O.o wait, what?" Horatio blinked, stopping time while he held her so he could look down at her, "I died? When? How-what the hell is that?" his eyes turned up to the memorial built for him, "Woah..."

She nodded, "Spoilers.... But I guess I can tell you that you died at an old age.... Do you like it? I wanted to build a monument to you for awhile. Because well... you do so much for all of us and we never really get to thank you properly. I wish you could stay around more often..."

Horatio let go of Ciara and circled around the monument, a giant smile growing on his face, "That is... This is so COOL!" he exclaimed, "What color is it? what's it made of? How'd you get it so lifelike?" he climbed up, leaning back to back against the one nearest his current age, "What do you think? I'm not sure my chin's quite right"

Ciara blushed, rubbing the back of her head "It's made from Octiron, a dense black metal. When negatively charged it can absorb magic radiation aka make magic near it useless. Which this has been... The statue was a bit rushed tho so Papa didn't get all the details right. This is actually my first time here...I... I didn't deal with your death very well..." She chuckled, "You're right. It's a little too small. So maybe if you didn't push your head forward, it would look more like you!" She tensed, tickling him for a moment. "Hey, do you think you can stay for a visit?"

Horatio chuckled and hopped down from the statue, "That's pretty awesome." he paused as her question, "hm... stay? I dunno, I was really just sort of... checking in" he hesitated.

She looked a little disappointed and shuffled her feet, "Oh. Well, I just thought you might want to stay the night and check out my cool new apartment house thingy and hang out... I also need to talk to you about something.."

"... You have a new house? SHOW ME!" Horatio grinned and hooked his arm with hers as time returned to normal.

A huge smile came across her face and off she led him.

One chat and walk later.

"Isn't it great? I mean, there's no furniture of anything but, I HAVE MY OWN PLACE! Even if it is a small walk back to the main house. Gah! I feel like a new person. So free and ready to take on the world. Oh wow, I didn't even notice the window in the ceiling. That'll be perfect to light this area..." she rambled on, cheery and happy. Happy Horatio was around.

Horatio took Ciara's hands and spun in circles in the main area, "It's amazing! I like open places with nothing to run into" he laughed.
"alright then" Horatio slowed down and got serious, "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Oh rrrrright...." She went over to her small bag and pulled something out. "Logan... your dad ummm..." She rubbed the back of her head, "Asked me to marry him." She took his hand and placed the box in his hand.

Horatio blinked, he was rather stunned actually. Slowly his hands ran over the box and he opened it, lightly touching the ring inside, "... and what did you say?" he asked.

Ciara sat down on the floor, and sighed. "There was a lot of shit going on when he asked me. He'd been rather distant, the whole Gotham thing had just ended... I was getting ready to go to Atlantis... I didn't have an answer for him. He told me to take my time. That he didn't need an answer right away. I... I wanted to know what you thought. After all, he is YOUR father and you're one of my dearest friends.

I don't think I could bare not having you around cause you disapproved of my choice."

"I see..." Horatio replied, thinking things over carefully. Finally he nodded, holding out the ring box back to her, "Do whatever makes you happy. As long as you are happy and safe, I will always be here for you."

"D'aw. Thanks Time Bug." She kissed his cheek. "Now, how about a nice cup of tea?"

*
Ciara took a deep breath and knocked on his door and unlocked the door. Logan's building hadn't been hit during the attack so it was still in one piece. "Wolfie? You here?" She called out softly.

All the lights were off and the shades were drawn so it was rather dark and stuffy. There were sounds coming from the other room but no real response to Ciara.

She closed the door behind her. She dropped her keys in the key bowl and her bag on the table. She opened the windows in the room and moved into the den of the Wolverine. It was always tricky if he was asleep... You had to make sure not to approach him from behind. Though he'd gotten a lot better at not tackling her to the floor, thinking she was a burglar.

She opened the curtains a crack so that she could at least see and crawled into bed in front of him. Slowly inching herself closer, till she was close enough to rub her nose against his. "Wooooolfie..." She called quietly, kissing his lips gently.

"Itsu..." Logan mumbled, his hands wrapping around Ciara's waist but as he breathed in his expression turned confused, it didn't smell like her. His eyes shot open and he startled awake, sitting up abruptly, "Ciara... damnit" he took a breath, running a hand through his messy bed-head, "What are you doing here?"