LOST - PART 2
CHANGE OF PLANS
Chapter 24
Adam was busy behind the bar of the gentleman's club on a cloudy, misty Saturday when Nate rushed in late. The blond man gave his friend a ghost of a smile, but wouldn't meet his dark gaze as he hurried past and down the back hall to the storeroom.
Shaking his head, Adam's heart filled with a heavy ache for the pain his best friend was going through. He rarely saw him outside of work anymore and it was becoming clear to everyone that Nate had started drinking, and heavily.
The tall, wiry man was losing weight he could ill afford to lose, and with his red-rimmed eyes, pale complexion, and shaking hands it was easy to see what was happening. He took in a deep breath when Nate came back and made up his mind it was time to meet this problem head on.
Nate's head was bowed as he tied a bar apron around his waist and Adam watched his trembling fingers fumble with it out of the corner of his eye while trying to decide what to say. His shaking hand jerked and brushed against a row of shot glasses, knocking several off and onto the floor.
Adam automatically went down on one knee to gather them up and Nate opened his mouth to say he'd get them when the front door crashed open. Everyone except Adam turned to see a tallish, raw-boned man rush in and they froze when he abruptly stopped and drew his gun.
His light gray eyes, bright with rage, fastened on a man sitting in the far corner at a table by himself.
"Pinkerton!" the intruder half shouted, "stand up and take what you've got coming, you nosy bastard!"
The tall stocky man rose easily to his feet and white teeth flashed in a dark beard. "William, as usual you're reacting without thinking and just digging yourself in deeper," Pinkerton said calmly, his deep voice colored with a Scots burr.
"Shut up!" the enraged man ordered and quickly glanced around the room. Nate nudged Adam slightly with his foot and looked down at him without moving his head. Adam nodded, knowing the other man was saying, "Stay down!"
"Hey you! Behind the bar!" William said loudly and Nate jerked slightly. "Get out here!"
Nate kept his eyes down, still looking at his friend as he slowly began to move out from behind the bar. Their eyes met in silent communication and he blinked once in acknowledgement when Adam lifted a pant leg to pull a knife from his boot. He gestured up toward the mirror behind the bar with it and Nate blinked once again before moving away.
The intruder gestured with the gun for Nate to move further into the room and he slowly obeyed, sliding along the far wall toward Pinkerton who sighed in exasperation.
"William you got fired for taking a bribe...you should be glad I didn't bring charges against you as well!"
"I thought I told you to shut up!" William ground out, his entire attention focused on Pinkerton as Adam watched in the mirror over the bar. Nate was still slowly moving along the wall, watching the man's gun hand intently, and when he saw his grip tighten he knew Pinkerton was seconds away from being shot.
Nate turned his head to stare into the mirror for a brief moment and prayed that Adam could see him. Taking a deep breath, he faked a stumble and threw himself to the floor, knocking over a couple of chairs and a small table.
Badly startled, William turned in that direction, squeezing off a shot into the wall, exactly where Nate had been standing a moment before. He never had a chance to react further when Adam suddenly popped up, threw the knife, and vaulted over the bar.
The man shrieked in pain as the knife sank deeply into his right shoulder and the gun fell from his hand even before Adam tackled him hard from behind and he landed face-first on the floor. Nate scrambled toward them and snatched up the gun while Adam held the wildly struggling man down.
"Stop it!" Adam ordered through clenched teeth, but the man continued to struggle, so he grabbed his right arm and twisted it up behind his back. William screamed in agony and went still.
The only sound in the now quiet room was the injured man's heavy breathing and Adam looked up to meet Nate's wide-eyed stare.
"Why don't you go get the police?" he said calmly and Nate blinked a few times then pulled himself to his feet and dashed out the door. Pinkerton took a quick step toward the two on the floor, but stopped when Adam glanced up and shook his head.
"Please don't come any closer," he cautioned and Pinkerton nodded, even as his face turned even redder with fury and his darkly intent eyes never shifted away.
William groaned in pain, but Adam didn't loosen his hold. He just continued keeping the man immobile until Nate rushed back in, followed by two policemen. They quickly took over, hauling the injured man to his feet, and one dragged him out the door while the other motioned for Pinkerton to follow.
The four men were gone in the blink of an eye, leaving Nate and Adam to stare at each other for a few moments until Adam looked down at the blood on the floor and sighed.
"I guess I should clean that up," he said while shaking his head and Nate let out a short bark of laughter.
"I'll help," he offered and the two men grinned at each other, glad that their impromptu plan had worked and started moving toward the back hall.
"Geez," Nate said with a chuckle. "Not even a single, stinking word of thanks," he complained so Adam stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.
"Why thank you Nathan. That fall you took was brilliant as well as a true work of art," he said and Nate started laughing helplessly again.
"And I swear I've never seen anything more beautiful than that knife throw, my friend. Thank you so very much!"
"You are so very welcome!" Adam responded with a wry smile and the two men quickly shook hands before continuing into the back hall. And for the rest of the evening they were elaborately, and laughingly, polite to each other to the puzzled amusement of the regular Saturday night crowd.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Two days later Adam was in Pat's office and Nate was alone behind the bar when he looked up to meet Allan Pinkerton's deeply intense eyes. He stared back, at a loss for words, and the other man smiled at his surprise.
"Where's you partner?" he asked abruptly, and Nate blinked, desperately trying to kick his brain into gear.
"Uh...he's in Pat's office..." he answered lamely, mentally kicking himself for sounding so stupid. Pinkerton's smile widened.
"Would you mind getting him? I'd like to talk to you both."
"Sure!" Nate answered and hurried toward the end of the bar. He cut the corner too close and banged his hip as he turned into the back hall, but didn't even feel it or hear Pinkerton's muffled laughter.
Not bothering to knock first, he burst into Pat's office and was dismayed when he didn't see Adam bent over the account books spread out on the desk.
"Damn it!" he said under his breath then almost jumped out of his skin when Adam spoke from behind the door.
"Nathan...why didn't you knock first?" the other man's voice was more than just tinged with annoyance. Nate peeked around the door.
"Did I hit you?"
"Noooo Nathan, I'm just holding onto my nose because I'm so fond of it..." Adam pressed on either side of it with both hands. "I think you broke the damn thing."
"Geez, I'm sorry, but Pinkerton is here and he says he wants to talk to both of us!"
"Whoopee," Adam said sarcastically, still giving his best friend a dark look.
"Adam please, I swear I will never ask you for another favor as long as I live if you'll just come on out there and be pleasant to the man," Nate was shifting from foot to foot in his excitement and Adam couldn't help but smile at the other man's beseeching look.
"All right, all right!" he said and winced when Nate grabbed him by the arm and began dragging him down the hallway. Adam dug in his heels.
"Nate - calm down!" he said low. "You don't want to look so damn eager! Besides, he's probably just here to say 'thank you'."
Nate took a deep breath and let go of Adam's arm. "You're right, I'm sorry," he said, took another deep breath, and made a huge effort to get himself under control again.
"That's better," Adam's voice was tinged with laughter. He reached out to squeeze Nate's shoulder and turned to lead the way back to the bar. When the two men emerged from the back hallway they saw Pinkerton sitting at a table. He stood and came toward them holding out his right hand.
"I must apologize for leaving without thanking you the other night," he said as he shook their hands in turn. "May I know your names?"
"I'm Nate Anderson and this is Adam...but he doesn't have a last name," Nate answered quickly and Pinkerton's eyes narrowed.
"Ah! I remember reading about you two in the paper. Didn't you both bring in a gang of wanted criminals about a month ago?"
"Yes we did," Adam said quietly, his own eyes narrowed as he took the measure of the famous detective. Nate suddenly had to bite back a laugh - the two looked so much alike at that moment.
"That was a truly inspired plan and a hell of a risk to take," Pinkerton said with a brief laugh and Adam smiled his half smile.
"Not really as big of a risk as most people think," he said, his eyes still narrowed. "Close attention to detail and a carefully thought out plan minimized most of the danger."
"Very true and I wish more of my operatives understood that," Pinkerton answered and chuckled, seemingly amused by Adam's attitude.
"May I ask as to why you have no last name?"
"Actually, I DO have a last name...I just don't remember what it is," Adam answered seriously as his eyes glinted with sardonic humor. This time Pinkerton laughed outright.
"I like your attitude Adam and I have to ask if you would be interested in employment in my organization."
"Yes I would, but I can't accept without my partner." Pinkerton's sharp gaze turned to Nate and the blond man tried to plaster an intelligent, serious look on his face when he really wanted to jump up and down with excitement.
"Very well then," Pinkerton said still staring intently at Nate and carefully noting how hard the blond man was holding on to his control. "Why don't you both come down to my office tomorrow morning and we can discuss the particulars. I imagine you will want some time to give Pat notice before you can start."
"Yes we would," Adam simply agreed and Pinkerton shook their hands again.
"Until tomorrow then," he said before starting for the door, but halfway there he stopped and turned back.
"Tell me...have you ever considered using the last name of Eden?" he asked and chuckled when Adam grinned and shook his head. "Think about it," Pinkerton said, laughed again, and strode briskly out the door.
Both men were silent for a few moments, Adam thinking deeply with his brows raised and his eyes hooded, while Nate raised one hand to his chest - he had suddenly forgotten how to breathe.
"Oh...my...God," he finally managed to gasp out and Adam turned to give him a vague look.
"What?"
"OH MY GOD!" Nate repeated in a shout. "You did it! You brilliant, royal pain in the ass, you did it!"
"I did what?"
"You played that man like a fish! No one, and I mean, no one has ever gone toe-to-toe with Pinkerton and not been knocked back on his heels! Damn I'm impressed!"
"Oh...that...it's not that hard Nate, I just refuse to treat anyone as being superior to me...at least not until they prove it." He smiled, gave Nate a pat on the back and turned away.
"I better get back to the books and you better get back to setting up," he said over his shoulder. "And do me a big favor, would you? Remember to knock the next time you come back?"
Nate watched him go, smiling from ear to ear, and said a restrained, "Whoopeee!" under his breath and got back to work.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
At two-thirty that morning Adam and Nate entered the house and quietly made their way to the sitting room where they knew Thea would be waiting as usual. And as usual she was sound asleep, curled up on the huge old sofa at right angles to the fireplace.
Nate sat down on the low table in front while Adam sat down on the edge next to her. He reached out to gently stroke her cheek with his knuckles.
Her eyes opened slightly and she smiled sweetly up at him for a second before suddenly reaching up to lock her hands behind his neck and dragged him down. Adam chuckled when her mouth found his and he braced his hands on the sofa cushions to push up until they were both sitting up. Nate started laughing helplessly and she pulled back to turn her head toward him.
"Nate! What are you doing here?" she said and tried to rub the sleep from her eyes. Adam answered her instead.
"We have some good news, Thea. Allan Pinkerton came into the bar today to thank us and ended up offering us both jobs," he said and she frowned.
"As detectives?" she said low and her lips tightened when they both nodded.
"Won't that be dangerous?"
Adam was watching her intently and Nate's heart sank, suddenly realizing that her wishes now needed to be taken into consideration too.
"I'm sure it will be at times, but I doubt anymore dangerous than walking the streets of New York City at two o'clock in the morning," Adam answered and she tipped her head to the side.
"Are you sure this is what you want to do," she asked him quietly and when he simply nodded she sighed, put her head on his shoulder and hugged him tightly. Nate smiled, relieved that the question had been settled so easily. But he cautioned himself to be careful from then on to never mention anything that might frighten or worry her unduly. He reached out to touch her arm.
"Don't worry Thea! I promise I'll be watching his back at all times," he said, giving her a huge, goofy smile and crossing his eyes.
Thea actually giggled into Adam's shoulder. "Oh Nate," she laughed, "I feel SO much better now!" Adam laughed too and gave his friend a grateful look.
"Well," Nate went on. "I can see you two are just as wide awake as I am, so why don't I go make some coffee and we can talk about it." He stood, gave them both a wide smile, and practically danced from the room.
The two on the sofa couldn't help but smile at his unbridled enthusiasm, but their expressions sobered when they turned back to each other. Thea opened her mouth to voice her concerns, but Adam stopped her with a hand.
"Wait. Before you say anything else you need to know this. I never considered going into that line of work, but I think this might be something worth doing. To actually make a difference in this part of the world, especially for you and our children." He took his hand away from her mouth to let her speak.
"Our children?" she echoed and he pulled back to meet her blank stare.
"Yes, our children. You do want them, don't you?"
"Good God, I never even thought about that!" she said, truly astounded at herself. Adam started laughing helplessly.
"You never thought about it," he gasped and laughed even harder at her nod. "I can't believe that!" He was shaking his head while trying to rein in his amusement.
"Oh Thea," he said as he pulled her into a tight embrace. "Of course I can't be absolutely sure, but I believe no one has ever made me laugh as hard or as much as you do!"
He pulled back to look down into her face and was pleased to see her eyes shining with happiness at the idea. "I'll take that look as a 'yes'," he said and gently kissed her lips.
"Children!" she said in wonder and her expression turned serious again. "Be prepared mister, I want a whole houseful," she said in a 'no-nonsense' tone, starting him laughing again.
"Yes dear," he gasped and pulled her back into his arms to hug her tightly, shaking them both.
"Children," she said again and joined him in laughter, neither of them noticing Nate standing in the door and the bittersweet smile on his face before he turned and quietly went back to the kitchen to wait.
CHANGE OF PLANS
Chapter 24
Adam was busy behind the bar of the gentleman's club on a cloudy, misty Saturday when Nate rushed in late. The blond man gave his friend a ghost of a smile, but wouldn't meet his dark gaze as he hurried past and down the back hall to the storeroom.
Shaking his head, Adam's heart filled with a heavy ache for the pain his best friend was going through. He rarely saw him outside of work anymore and it was becoming clear to everyone that Nate had started drinking, and heavily.
The tall, wiry man was losing weight he could ill afford to lose, and with his red-rimmed eyes, pale complexion, and shaking hands it was easy to see what was happening. He took in a deep breath when Nate came back and made up his mind it was time to meet this problem head on.
Nate's head was bowed as he tied a bar apron around his waist and Adam watched his trembling fingers fumble with it out of the corner of his eye while trying to decide what to say. His shaking hand jerked and brushed against a row of shot glasses, knocking several off and onto the floor.
Adam automatically went down on one knee to gather them up and Nate opened his mouth to say he'd get them when the front door crashed open. Everyone except Adam turned to see a tallish, raw-boned man rush in and they froze when he abruptly stopped and drew his gun.
His light gray eyes, bright with rage, fastened on a man sitting in the far corner at a table by himself.
"Pinkerton!" the intruder half shouted, "stand up and take what you've got coming, you nosy bastard!"
The tall stocky man rose easily to his feet and white teeth flashed in a dark beard. "William, as usual you're reacting without thinking and just digging yourself in deeper," Pinkerton said calmly, his deep voice colored with a Scots burr.
"Shut up!" the enraged man ordered and quickly glanced around the room. Nate nudged Adam slightly with his foot and looked down at him without moving his head. Adam nodded, knowing the other man was saying, "Stay down!"
"Hey you! Behind the bar!" William said loudly and Nate jerked slightly. "Get out here!"
Nate kept his eyes down, still looking at his friend as he slowly began to move out from behind the bar. Their eyes met in silent communication and he blinked once in acknowledgement when Adam lifted a pant leg to pull a knife from his boot. He gestured up toward the mirror behind the bar with it and Nate blinked once again before moving away.
The intruder gestured with the gun for Nate to move further into the room and he slowly obeyed, sliding along the far wall toward Pinkerton who sighed in exasperation.
"William you got fired for taking a bribe...you should be glad I didn't bring charges against you as well!"
"I thought I told you to shut up!" William ground out, his entire attention focused on Pinkerton as Adam watched in the mirror over the bar. Nate was still slowly moving along the wall, watching the man's gun hand intently, and when he saw his grip tighten he knew Pinkerton was seconds away from being shot.
Nate turned his head to stare into the mirror for a brief moment and prayed that Adam could see him. Taking a deep breath, he faked a stumble and threw himself to the floor, knocking over a couple of chairs and a small table.
Badly startled, William turned in that direction, squeezing off a shot into the wall, exactly where Nate had been standing a moment before. He never had a chance to react further when Adam suddenly popped up, threw the knife, and vaulted over the bar.
The man shrieked in pain as the knife sank deeply into his right shoulder and the gun fell from his hand even before Adam tackled him hard from behind and he landed face-first on the floor. Nate scrambled toward them and snatched up the gun while Adam held the wildly struggling man down.
"Stop it!" Adam ordered through clenched teeth, but the man continued to struggle, so he grabbed his right arm and twisted it up behind his back. William screamed in agony and went still.
The only sound in the now quiet room was the injured man's heavy breathing and Adam looked up to meet Nate's wide-eyed stare.
"Why don't you go get the police?" he said calmly and Nate blinked a few times then pulled himself to his feet and dashed out the door. Pinkerton took a quick step toward the two on the floor, but stopped when Adam glanced up and shook his head.
"Please don't come any closer," he cautioned and Pinkerton nodded, even as his face turned even redder with fury and his darkly intent eyes never shifted away.
William groaned in pain, but Adam didn't loosen his hold. He just continued keeping the man immobile until Nate rushed back in, followed by two policemen. They quickly took over, hauling the injured man to his feet, and one dragged him out the door while the other motioned for Pinkerton to follow.
The four men were gone in the blink of an eye, leaving Nate and Adam to stare at each other for a few moments until Adam looked down at the blood on the floor and sighed.
"I guess I should clean that up," he said while shaking his head and Nate let out a short bark of laughter.
"I'll help," he offered and the two men grinned at each other, glad that their impromptu plan had worked and started moving toward the back hall.
"Geez," Nate said with a chuckle. "Not even a single, stinking word of thanks," he complained so Adam stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.
"Why thank you Nathan. That fall you took was brilliant as well as a true work of art," he said and Nate started laughing helplessly again.
"And I swear I've never seen anything more beautiful than that knife throw, my friend. Thank you so very much!"
"You are so very welcome!" Adam responded with a wry smile and the two men quickly shook hands before continuing into the back hall. And for the rest of the evening they were elaborately, and laughingly, polite to each other to the puzzled amusement of the regular Saturday night crowd.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Two days later Adam was in Pat's office and Nate was alone behind the bar when he looked up to meet Allan Pinkerton's deeply intense eyes. He stared back, at a loss for words, and the other man smiled at his surprise.
"Where's you partner?" he asked abruptly, and Nate blinked, desperately trying to kick his brain into gear.
"Uh...he's in Pat's office..." he answered lamely, mentally kicking himself for sounding so stupid. Pinkerton's smile widened.
"Would you mind getting him? I'd like to talk to you both."
"Sure!" Nate answered and hurried toward the end of the bar. He cut the corner too close and banged his hip as he turned into the back hall, but didn't even feel it or hear Pinkerton's muffled laughter.
Not bothering to knock first, he burst into Pat's office and was dismayed when he didn't see Adam bent over the account books spread out on the desk.
"Damn it!" he said under his breath then almost jumped out of his skin when Adam spoke from behind the door.
"Nathan...why didn't you knock first?" the other man's voice was more than just tinged with annoyance. Nate peeked around the door.
"Did I hit you?"
"Noooo Nathan, I'm just holding onto my nose because I'm so fond of it..." Adam pressed on either side of it with both hands. "I think you broke the damn thing."
"Geez, I'm sorry, but Pinkerton is here and he says he wants to talk to both of us!"
"Whoopee," Adam said sarcastically, still giving his best friend a dark look.
"Adam please, I swear I will never ask you for another favor as long as I live if you'll just come on out there and be pleasant to the man," Nate was shifting from foot to foot in his excitement and Adam couldn't help but smile at the other man's beseeching look.
"All right, all right!" he said and winced when Nate grabbed him by the arm and began dragging him down the hallway. Adam dug in his heels.
"Nate - calm down!" he said low. "You don't want to look so damn eager! Besides, he's probably just here to say 'thank you'."
Nate took a deep breath and let go of Adam's arm. "You're right, I'm sorry," he said, took another deep breath, and made a huge effort to get himself under control again.
"That's better," Adam's voice was tinged with laughter. He reached out to squeeze Nate's shoulder and turned to lead the way back to the bar. When the two men emerged from the back hallway they saw Pinkerton sitting at a table. He stood and came toward them holding out his right hand.
"I must apologize for leaving without thanking you the other night," he said as he shook their hands in turn. "May I know your names?"
"I'm Nate Anderson and this is Adam...but he doesn't have a last name," Nate answered quickly and Pinkerton's eyes narrowed.
"Ah! I remember reading about you two in the paper. Didn't you both bring in a gang of wanted criminals about a month ago?"
"Yes we did," Adam said quietly, his own eyes narrowed as he took the measure of the famous detective. Nate suddenly had to bite back a laugh - the two looked so much alike at that moment.
"That was a truly inspired plan and a hell of a risk to take," Pinkerton said with a brief laugh and Adam smiled his half smile.
"Not really as big of a risk as most people think," he said, his eyes still narrowed. "Close attention to detail and a carefully thought out plan minimized most of the danger."
"Very true and I wish more of my operatives understood that," Pinkerton answered and chuckled, seemingly amused by Adam's attitude.
"May I ask as to why you have no last name?"
"Actually, I DO have a last name...I just don't remember what it is," Adam answered seriously as his eyes glinted with sardonic humor. This time Pinkerton laughed outright.
"I like your attitude Adam and I have to ask if you would be interested in employment in my organization."
"Yes I would, but I can't accept without my partner." Pinkerton's sharp gaze turned to Nate and the blond man tried to plaster an intelligent, serious look on his face when he really wanted to jump up and down with excitement.
"Very well then," Pinkerton said still staring intently at Nate and carefully noting how hard the blond man was holding on to his control. "Why don't you both come down to my office tomorrow morning and we can discuss the particulars. I imagine you will want some time to give Pat notice before you can start."
"Yes we would," Adam simply agreed and Pinkerton shook their hands again.
"Until tomorrow then," he said before starting for the door, but halfway there he stopped and turned back.
"Tell me...have you ever considered using the last name of Eden?" he asked and chuckled when Adam grinned and shook his head. "Think about it," Pinkerton said, laughed again, and strode briskly out the door.
Both men were silent for a few moments, Adam thinking deeply with his brows raised and his eyes hooded, while Nate raised one hand to his chest - he had suddenly forgotten how to breathe.
"Oh...my...God," he finally managed to gasp out and Adam turned to give him a vague look.
"What?"
"OH MY GOD!" Nate repeated in a shout. "You did it! You brilliant, royal pain in the ass, you did it!"
"I did what?"
"You played that man like a fish! No one, and I mean, no one has ever gone toe-to-toe with Pinkerton and not been knocked back on his heels! Damn I'm impressed!"
"Oh...that...it's not that hard Nate, I just refuse to treat anyone as being superior to me...at least not until they prove it." He smiled, gave Nate a pat on the back and turned away.
"I better get back to the books and you better get back to setting up," he said over his shoulder. "And do me a big favor, would you? Remember to knock the next time you come back?"
Nate watched him go, smiling from ear to ear, and said a restrained, "Whoopeee!" under his breath and got back to work.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
At two-thirty that morning Adam and Nate entered the house and quietly made their way to the sitting room where they knew Thea would be waiting as usual. And as usual she was sound asleep, curled up on the huge old sofa at right angles to the fireplace.
Nate sat down on the low table in front while Adam sat down on the edge next to her. He reached out to gently stroke her cheek with his knuckles.
Her eyes opened slightly and she smiled sweetly up at him for a second before suddenly reaching up to lock her hands behind his neck and dragged him down. Adam chuckled when her mouth found his and he braced his hands on the sofa cushions to push up until they were both sitting up. Nate started laughing helplessly and she pulled back to turn her head toward him.
"Nate! What are you doing here?" she said and tried to rub the sleep from her eyes. Adam answered her instead.
"We have some good news, Thea. Allan Pinkerton came into the bar today to thank us and ended up offering us both jobs," he said and she frowned.
"As detectives?" she said low and her lips tightened when they both nodded.
"Won't that be dangerous?"
Adam was watching her intently and Nate's heart sank, suddenly realizing that her wishes now needed to be taken into consideration too.
"I'm sure it will be at times, but I doubt anymore dangerous than walking the streets of New York City at two o'clock in the morning," Adam answered and she tipped her head to the side.
"Are you sure this is what you want to do," she asked him quietly and when he simply nodded she sighed, put her head on his shoulder and hugged him tightly. Nate smiled, relieved that the question had been settled so easily. But he cautioned himself to be careful from then on to never mention anything that might frighten or worry her unduly. He reached out to touch her arm.
"Don't worry Thea! I promise I'll be watching his back at all times," he said, giving her a huge, goofy smile and crossing his eyes.
Thea actually giggled into Adam's shoulder. "Oh Nate," she laughed, "I feel SO much better now!" Adam laughed too and gave his friend a grateful look.
"Well," Nate went on. "I can see you two are just as wide awake as I am, so why don't I go make some coffee and we can talk about it." He stood, gave them both a wide smile, and practically danced from the room.
The two on the sofa couldn't help but smile at his unbridled enthusiasm, but their expressions sobered when they turned back to each other. Thea opened her mouth to voice her concerns, but Adam stopped her with a hand.
"Wait. Before you say anything else you need to know this. I never considered going into that line of work, but I think this might be something worth doing. To actually make a difference in this part of the world, especially for you and our children." He took his hand away from her mouth to let her speak.
"Our children?" she echoed and he pulled back to meet her blank stare.
"Yes, our children. You do want them, don't you?"
"Good God, I never even thought about that!" she said, truly astounded at herself. Adam started laughing helplessly.
"You never thought about it," he gasped and laughed even harder at her nod. "I can't believe that!" He was shaking his head while trying to rein in his amusement.
"Oh Thea," he said as he pulled her into a tight embrace. "Of course I can't be absolutely sure, but I believe no one has ever made me laugh as hard or as much as you do!"
He pulled back to look down into her face and was pleased to see her eyes shining with happiness at the idea. "I'll take that look as a 'yes'," he said and gently kissed her lips.
"Children!" she said in wonder and her expression turned serious again. "Be prepared mister, I want a whole houseful," she said in a 'no-nonsense' tone, starting him laughing again.
"Yes dear," he gasped and pulled her back into his arms to hug her tightly, shaking them both.
"Children," she said again and joined him in laughter, neither of them noticing Nate standing in the door and the bittersweet smile on his face before he turned and quietly went back to the kitchen to wait.