Disclaimers: I don't own them. Wish I did cause it'd be a whole lotta fun ;)

This had turned out to be one hell of a day, no pun intended. Graham had never been as scared in his life. When Arcane's experiment went horribly wrong and electrocuted the doctor, it had very nearly short-circuited Graham's own brain. He vaguely remembered shouting for help, but the next thing he could remember clearly was using the cardio-stimulator to revive the doctor. He didn't know what he would have done if he hadn't been able to bring Arcane back. Thankfully, that was a moot point. Now, he only had to worry about the aftermath.

Under normal circumstances, having an experiment go badly would have angered Arcane or at least upset him. The doctor's off-hand dismissal of losing the submersible was eerie. The man had to be in shock. According to Graham's knowledge of first aid, people suffering from shock had difficulty thinking clearly and often suffered from bouts of giddiness. If that was what was wrong with Arcane, Graham hoped it would pass quickly. He didn't know what to do with this friendly version of the doctor.

"I really don't think you should be standing or moving around, sir."

"I'm fine," Arcane said lightly, clearly still too ecstatic about being alive to be bothered by Graham's mothering.

"I'd feel better if you'd lay back down and let me call a doctor."

"I AM a doctor and I say I'm fine."

"You are not fine, sir! Your heart stopped!"

"Yes, well, it's obviously working now."

"I still don't think -"

"GRAHAM! You're fussing."

"I - Sorry, sir. If you won't see a doctor, will you at least let me escort you to your rooms? I -- I'd feel better about this if you'd rest," Graham said in a calm voice, trying to not upset Arcane unnecessarily.

"You're overreacting but if it will make you stop this nonsense, escort away," Arcane said with a sigh as he headed out of the laboratory.

Graham rushed to follow the doctor. His concern was not waning. If anything it was getting worse as he watched Arcane walking toward his rooms. Arcane was still pale and didn't seem steady on his feet. They were almost to the door to Arcane's private rooms when the doctor was caught by a dizzy spell. Graham slipped an arm around Arcane's waist, helping him make his way to bed.

"Lie back, sir," Graham said, pressing Arcane down on the bed and grabbing the pillow from the other side of the large bed to prop up Arcane's legs. "Just relax. Everything is going to be fine. You'll see. I'll take good care of you."

"I felt perfectly fine in the lab."

"Your blood pressure is probably a little low, walking around just made things worse. Let's loosen your clothes a bit, sir. Make you more comfortable," Graham said to a surprisingly malleable Arcane.

Graham slid off Arcane's shoes and undid the fastenings on the doctor's clothing before scooting the man to the center of the bed. Once that task was completed, he carefully moved the doctor to the center of the bed. Sitting down next to Arcane, Graham began to check him for signs of shock. Resistance or not, if the doctor needed it, he would call an ambulance. Graham took the doctor's hands into his own, checking for burns. Doctor Arcane seemed cooler than normal and was sweating profusely, but his breathing seemed to be strong which was a good sign.

"Are you feeling nauseous?"

"No, just a little dizzy at times."

"I want you to follow my finger with your eyes," Graham said as he slowly waved a single finger in front of the doctor to make sure the man's eyes were tracking properly. "That's good. That's real good, sir. Your pupils are a little dilated but you seem to be tracking okay. Let me get you out of that damp shirt. We need to keep you warm."

"Of course. I should have thought of that myself."

Arcane tried to help Graham remove the shirt but his dexterity wasn't all it should be. It didn't take Graham long to get his mentor down to just his fancy silk boxers. He briefly left the doctor alone as he went and grabbed a towel out of the bathroom. When he returned to Arcane, Graham wiped all the sweat off of him and covered him with the down comforter from the foot of the bed. He leaned across Arcane to pull the comforter higher on the other side. When he went to push himself up and away from the bed, much to Graham's surprise, the doctor grabbed his hand.

"Stay. Please."

Graham sat down, staring at his hand held in Arcane's. His eyes nearly bugged out of his head as Arcane moved closer to him so that their bodies were nearly touching.

"Whatever you want, sir. Are you sure you don't want me to get you a doctor? It might be a good idea."

"I don't want to see a doctor. I'll be all right. Besides, who would you call?"

"I could take you to the hospital or -"

"Graham, I'd much rather stay here. All I want is familiar surroundings," Arcane said, faltering as he heard the laughter from his trial.

"Doctor?"

"Graham? Do you believe in life after death?"

"I - I used to, when I was little."

"But you don't believe it anymore?"

"No, I guess not."

"When I was - When my heart stopped, something happened," Arcane told Graham quietly.

Graham saw that the doctor was shivering and went against his better judgement and moved over on the bed so he could wrap his arm around the man's shoulders. He was expecting the doctor to make a scathing comment or to move away. Having Dr. Arcane curl in closer and rest against his chest was not something he had even contemplated as a possibility.

"What - What happened?"

"I saw myself lying there on the floor but, at the same time, I was someplace else. I was walking through the swamp and I, I could hear laughter -"

"Then what happened?"

"I - I found myself in a kind of court room."

"A court room?"

"Tressa Kipp was the judge and the jury was composed of mutants and other people I've - run across in my life. I tried to get a different jury but Tressa said they knew me and were therefore the best qualified to judge me."

"Doctor? What happened in the courtroom?"

"They put on witness after witness, showing all the things I've done over the years. I couldn't make them understand how important my work is, even when it doesn't work."

"Of course your work is important. You make inroads into areas that other people ignore. Don't let this experience make you doubt yourself. Your subconscious was just taking advantage of the situation."

"I was dead, Graham. I saw myself lying there on the laboratory floor, and yet, at the same time I was sitting there, wherever there was, on trial. They put me on trial for all of my so-called crimes and found me wanting," Arcane said, pulling back from Graham so he could look him in the eyes.

"Your heart stopped but you weren't really dead, at least not completely, sir," Graham said as he held Arcane by the chin so he had to look him in the eyes. Then he pulled Arcane back against his chest so that his next words were said into the man's hair. "What you experienced was probably caused by the lack of oxygen getting to your brain."

"It felt real, Graham."

"Of course it did. In a way, it was real. It was your mind doing all of it. As you said, part of you knew what had happened in the lab. You thought you were dying so your mind provided you with what your subconscious thought it should be experiencing," Graham said, slowly letting one hand stroke up and down Arcane's back.

"That does seem a reasonable hypothesis," Arcane said quietly as he snuggled against Graham's chest, thoroughly enjoying the warmth of his assistant.

"Really?" Graham all but squeaked from the combined surprise of Arcane cuddling against his chest and the support of one of his ideas.

"Yes, really. This self-doubt simply won't do, Graham. You are the chief assistant to Anton Arcane not some whining peon working for Woodrue or someone of his ilk," Arcane said, almost sounding like his superior self. "You are surprisingly comfortable, Graham."

Graham blinked. Anton Arcane had complimented him. A barely dressed, muzzy looking Arcane was burrowing into his chest and saying nice things about him. The doctor may have been the one who was electrocuted but Graham felt he was the one trapped in the twilight zone - pleasant though it might be. As if everything that had happened so far wasn't strange enough, Graham couldn't help noticing Arcane's warm breath on his neck. He nearly jumped out of his skin when Arcane's soft lips caressed his neck.

"Uhm, Doctor Arcane, are you sure you're okay?"

"Fine. Why?"

"You kissed me."

"Yes, Graham, I am aware of that. -- Do you know what I've learned from this whole ordeal?"

"Not really."

"I learned three things, actually. First and foremost is that one cannot afford to put things off for another day," Arcane said, beginning to stroke Graham's chest.

"And the second?"

"That even my subconscious trusts you not to betray me," Arcane leaned up to whisper into Graham's ear.

"And the third?" Graham squeaked.

"That you are my constant. No matter what I am up against, there you are," Arcane said as he sat up and tilted Graham's face to his so he could look him in the eyes. "Do you know what that tells me?"

"No."

"That you must care for me a great deal. I certainly don't pay you enough to instill that kind of loyalty," Arcane said, leaning in close.

"I, uhm, well, I --"

"Don't stutter about, man. Say something," Arcane asked, pulling back to glare at Graham.

"I don't know what to say."

"How about 'You are absolutely correct, as always, Doctor. I've wanted you since the moment I first saw you' or something along those lines?"

"I - "

"Do you want this, Graham? Say something now."

"I - You are absolutely correct, as always, Doctor. I've wanted you since the moment I saw you," Graham said, a smile playing at the edges of his lips.

"Good man, Graham, good man," Arcane said before capturing Graham's lips for a mind-numbing, pulse-jarring kiss.

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