Stay

Sam/Nate: My take on the end of Thursday's episode and what could have happened next. Pretty much AU. Sam learns about the game uniform has been playing and Nate is in for a surprise.
Dedication: For Beccy! My fellow SNate lover!
Please review guys! Us SNaters need to stick together! Xx

"Nate, this is some sort of way of asking me out, is it?" DI Samantha Nixon said, feeling an overwhelming sense of exasperation. Just as she thought this day was coming to an end, she was now being chased by a man who could fairly easily have been her son. That thought scared her a little, she didn't like this feeling of growing older.

Nate felt a warm glow spreading to his cheeks but he forced himself to meet the elder woman's probing green eyes, instantly regretting the conversations that had been taking place earlier. It had seemed such innocent fun at the time, well maybe not innocent, but it definitely made him feel umcomfortable now.

"No, honestly ma'am, there really is a case." He assured her. "I really wouldn't lie to you about something like this."

Sam smiled a little at him. "Okay, fine, but there's a whole office of senior officers upstairs, Nate."

"I know, but..." Nate stuttered, frankly to him there were no other senior officers at this station, unless none that occupied his mind for more than five seconds at time. He certainly didn't imagine any of the other senior officers naked. Nate shuddered at the thought and remembered that Sam was still there, waiting for him to continue the sentence he had stopped in the middle of. "I'll call someone else."

Sam rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Thanks, Nate." He smiled, as he reached for the phone to call up to CID. "By the way, I heard."
Despite the banging of his heart against his ribcag, Nate tried to maintain a look of innocence. "Heard what ma'am?"

Sam smirked, looking around to make sure everyone had already left for the Seven Bells. "I think you know what I mean, PC Roberts." She said, stepping towards him.

Nate tried to breathe as Sam approached him, praying she didn't see the effect she was having on him right now. "Uh, okay. Look, I'm sorry ma'am, I didn't mean anything by it."
Sam laughed, the grin spreading across her face. "If you say so. If you're not in the Canley Arms in five minutes, I'll know you were telling the truth." She turned away from him and headed for the door again.

"I thought everyone was getting together at the Seven Bells," Nate replied to her retreating back, a look of confusion on his handsome face.

Sam threw him a look over her shoulder. "Exactly."

Nate watched her go, his hand still resting on the phone he was supposed to be using to call up to CID. This had to be a set up, didn't it? There was no way a woman like Samantha Nixon could be interested in a guy like him, could there? He quickly placed the call to CID and headed to the men's locker room to change out of his uniform and back into jeans and a white t-shirt. As he left the station and walked towards the Canley Arms on the corner of the street, he hoped he wasn't going to regret this and have to live it down for the rest of the year.

When he arrived at the pub, Sam was sat at the bar, only a small measure of white wine remained in her glass. She saw him approaching and she ordered another white wine and a pint of beer for Nate.

"Thanks," Nate said, appearing behind her as Sam took a ten pound note out of her purse. "I'll get these." He insisted despite Sam's protests.

They picked up their drinks and moved to a table in a quieter area away from the bar. Nate could feel the butterflies of nervousness and anticipation in his stomach and he longed to start drinking his beer.

"Are you okay?" Nate asked tentatively. There seemed to be something different about Sam tonight and he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Yeah," Sam smiled. "Tough day."

"I'm sorry if you were offended by what we were saying earlier, I didn't mean anything by it." He assured her again.

Sam smiled softly. "It's okay, Nate, actually it's pretty flattering."

Nate blushed, swallowing a mouthful of beer a little quicker than he had intended. "It was meant as a compliment, seriously." He said.

Sam laughed into her wine glass. "Do you call all the women in your life 'hot stuff'?" She hadn't been able to resist although she knew torturing Nate was unfair.

Nate brought his hand up to his forehead and blushed again. Eventually he looked at her and she tried to keep a straight face. "Only the really special ones," He finally said, downing the last of his beer while Sam tried to think of a response to that.

Nate set his empty pint glass down and pushed himself up from his chair.

"Thanks for the drink, Sam," Her name felt a little awkward on his lips after all of the 'ma'ams' and 'guvs'. "I probably should be going." The words also felt foreign coming from his mouth and he could not believe that he was blowing off the chance to spend more time with Sam Nixon outside of the work environment.

She looked at him, her eyes fusing with his. He sat back down, suddenly unable to think of one good reason to leave.

Sam laid her hand over his, her voice little more than a whisper. "Stay."