Title: Sweet Returns
Author: Lisa (It seriously is)
Email: lc7685@hotmail.com
Disclaimer: I don't own the show, characters, etc.
Summary: Lisa and Nash bump into each other at the airport, again.
"Nash?" Nash turned at the familiar voice, shocked. "What are you doing here?"
"Lisa," he managed after some time. "Uh, I could ask you the same thing?" She boosted the bag slung heavily over her shoulder and shifted the smaller one from her right hand to her left.
"What does it look like?" she asked, smiling but wary of his sullen demeanour. "I'm back."
"Holiday?"
"Something like that. You haven't answered my question."
"Oh, just saying goodbye to a friend."
"Just a friend?" He smiled, the result that she'd intended.
"Yeahuh!" They stood opposite each other for a long while. "It's good to see you again Lisa." Nash turned to walk away but Lisa called out to him, trying to catch up.
"Hey! Nash!" Nash turned. "Could you give me a ride? Please?" After a moments hesitation he nodded.
"Sure. Let me," he took the larger of the two bags and led her to his car. Once they were on the road, heading back into the city, Nash allowed himself to catch Lisa's eyes. "Cassidy didn't mention you were coming back- "
"Cassidy doesn't know," Lisa replied softly. "Running into each other at the airport seems to be becoming a habit," she started again after another several minutes of awkward silence.
"Lisa, were am I going? You want to stay with me a while?"
"Oh, no, it's okay. I have reservations at a hotel-"
"Because you're welcome to stay." He glanced across at her. She wasn't usually this nervous around him. She was today. What had changed? Just five years or so, he answered silently.
"I couldn't impose."
"Lisa, you wouldn't be." Her eyes widened.
"I just thought, you know, you'd be living with someone by now, or married- "
"You're right. I am married."
"You are?" she gasped. Nash laughed.
"To you. Remember? You threw the divorce papers in the bin."
"I remember," she sighed, looking out the window as they entered the neighbourhood she remembered so well.
"And at the moment, I have the house to myself. The women found better options."
"I don't see how that's possible-" She smirked, and Nash felt a warm rush fill him head to toe. He glanced at her again.
"Why you really here Lisa?" he asked, pulling up to his address.
"I'll tell you once we're inside," she replied, grabbing her bags.
"You can take Cassidy's old room," Nash said as they entered. "Kind of a guest room now, I suppose, but I still like to call it Cass'."
"I know what you mean-" She walked quickly into the room and returned without her things. They stood opposite each other. Nash got them both drinks and they sat down on the couch.
"How long you here for?" he asked. She shrugged.
"Indefinitely."
"So you're coming back?"
"I don't know. I said indefinitely."
"Exactly." Lisa smiled.
"I don't know, Nash."
"Well, what's work like in Paris at the moment?"
"I quit," she stated quickly, plainly. Nash looked at her in shock.
"What?" This seemed to unnerve her and she glanced away.
"Yeah, I. I quit."
"When?"
"Wednesday night."
"It's Saturday morning."
"Yep." Nash looked at her incredulously.
"Why'd you quit?"
"You know, I'm not sure. It just didn't feel right, and I couldn't do it any more."
"You couldn't do it?"
"I, well, I got homesick." Nash was about to interject but she continued. "And don't start, Nash. I know it sounds stupid. After five years without coming back, you'd think I'd be over it." He watched her silently. "But," she sighed. "I guess I wasn't."
"So you are moving back to San Fransisco?"
"I want to. It depends on whether I can get work and a place."
"You can stay here as long as you like." He paused. "Lisa, this isn't like you. Are you sure there's nothing else?" He made sure he held her gaze.
"Well. I had a, uh, a bad relationship."
"It ended?" She nodded.
"Badly. I just needed to get away, and I didn't know where else to go."
"You're certainly far enough away!" She smiled.
"I missed you Nash. I know it's been a long time, and we've both changed-"
"We haven't changed."
"You haven't?"
"Neither have you."
"Doesn't matter, I guess. I-"
"I missed you too, Lisa." She still hesitated. "You know, a couple of times you've turned up again and, there's always this amazing feeling between us- "
"I know it. We couldn't work again, could we?" Lisa asked, lowering her head and her voice portraying the fact that she believed his answer would be no.
"I'm not sure. How about we try room-mates for a while? Until you get settled again-" He took a deep breath, starting to laugh. "I can't believe you came back!" She smiled, not understanding. "I never thought I'd see you again, you know?" Lisa bit her bottom lip and threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly.
"I knew I'd see you some day. I just hoped it wasn't too late."
"Too late?" She pulled back.
"Cassidy told me you're not around as often as you used to be."
"Work?" She nodded. "Yeah, I've cut down."
"You think we could try again? Now you've got some time for me?"
"I've always had time for you, Lisa." She laughed.
"Liar." He laughed as well.
"Okay, you got me. I always wanted to make time for you Lisa. And I did try. Sometimes not as hard as I could have, but-" She nodded.
"I know. I'm sorry. Listen, um, do you regret anything? Any of the times I've been back and-" He shook his head.
"You were always my first priority, Lisa."
"Personally speaking."
"Then, yes, and now in every sense of the word. You really came back to try it again?"
"Is that so hard to believe?"
"Frankly...yes." She gave him a deadpan look, raising her eyebrows. He laughed, and leant forward, her expression softening as he kissed her gently.
***
"Nash?" Nash turned at the familiar voice, shocked. "What are you doing here?"
"Lisa," he managed after some time. "Uh, I could ask you the same thing?" She boosted the bag slung heavily over her shoulder and shifted the smaller one from her right hand to her left.
"What does it look like?" she asked, smiling but wary of his sullen demeanour. "I'm back."
"Holiday?"
"Something like that. You haven't answered my question."
"Oh, just saying goodbye to a friend."
"Just a friend?" He smiled, the result that she'd intended.
"Yeahuh!" They stood opposite each other for a long while. "It's good to see you again Lisa." Nash turned to walk away but Lisa called out to him, trying to catch up.
"Hey! Nash!" Nash turned. "Could you give me a ride? Please?" After a moments hesitation he nodded.
"Sure. Let me," he took the larger of the two bags and led her to his car. Once they were on the road, heading back into the city, Nash allowed himself to catch Lisa's eyes. "Cassidy didn't mention you were coming back- "
"Cassidy doesn't know," Lisa replied softly. "Running into each other at the airport seems to be becoming a habit," she started again after another several minutes of awkward silence.
"Lisa, were am I going? You want to stay with me a while?"
"Oh, no, it's okay. I have reservations at a hotel-"
"Because you're welcome to stay." He glanced across at her. She wasn't usually this nervous around him. She was today. What had changed? Just five years or so, he answered silently.
"I couldn't impose."
"Lisa, you wouldn't be." Her eyes widened.
"I just thought, you know, you'd be living with someone by now, or married- "
"You're right. I am married."
"You are?" she gasped. Nash laughed.
"To you. Remember? You threw the divorce papers in the bin."
"I remember," she sighed, looking out the window as they entered the neighbourhood she remembered so well.
"And at the moment, I have the house to myself. The women found better options."
"I don't see how that's possible-" She smirked, and Nash felt a warm rush fill him head to toe. He glanced at her again.
"Why you really here Lisa?" he asked, pulling up to his address.
"I'll tell you once we're inside," she replied, grabbing her bags.
"You can take Cassidy's old room," Nash said as they entered. "Kind of a guest room now, I suppose, but I still like to call it Cass'."
"I know what you mean-" She walked quickly into the room and returned without her things. They stood opposite each other. Nash got them both drinks and they sat down on the couch.
"How long you here for?" he asked. She shrugged.
"Indefinitely."
"So you're coming back?"
"I don't know. I said indefinitely."
"Exactly." Lisa smiled.
"I don't know, Nash."
"Well, what's work like in Paris at the moment?"
"I quit," she stated quickly, plainly. Nash looked at her in shock.
"What?" This seemed to unnerve her and she glanced away.
"Yeah, I. I quit."
"When?"
"Wednesday night."
"It's Saturday morning."
"Yep." Nash looked at her incredulously.
"Why'd you quit?"
"You know, I'm not sure. It just didn't feel right, and I couldn't do it any more."
"You couldn't do it?"
"I, well, I got homesick." Nash was about to interject but she continued. "And don't start, Nash. I know it sounds stupid. After five years without coming back, you'd think I'd be over it." He watched her silently. "But," she sighed. "I guess I wasn't."
"So you are moving back to San Fransisco?"
"I want to. It depends on whether I can get work and a place."
"You can stay here as long as you like." He paused. "Lisa, this isn't like you. Are you sure there's nothing else?" He made sure he held her gaze.
"Well. I had a, uh, a bad relationship."
"It ended?" She nodded.
"Badly. I just needed to get away, and I didn't know where else to go."
"You're certainly far enough away!" She smiled.
"I missed you Nash. I know it's been a long time, and we've both changed-"
"We haven't changed."
"You haven't?"
"Neither have you."
"Doesn't matter, I guess. I-"
"I missed you too, Lisa." She still hesitated. "You know, a couple of times you've turned up again and, there's always this amazing feeling between us- "
"I know it. We couldn't work again, could we?" Lisa asked, lowering her head and her voice portraying the fact that she believed his answer would be no.
"I'm not sure. How about we try room-mates for a while? Until you get settled again-" He took a deep breath, starting to laugh. "I can't believe you came back!" She smiled, not understanding. "I never thought I'd see you again, you know?" Lisa bit her bottom lip and threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly.
"I knew I'd see you some day. I just hoped it wasn't too late."
"Too late?" She pulled back.
"Cassidy told me you're not around as often as you used to be."
"Work?" She nodded. "Yeah, I've cut down."
"You think we could try again? Now you've got some time for me?"
"I've always had time for you, Lisa." She laughed.
"Liar." He laughed as well.
"Okay, you got me. I always wanted to make time for you Lisa. And I did try. Sometimes not as hard as I could have, but-" She nodded.
"I know. I'm sorry. Listen, um, do you regret anything? Any of the times I've been back and-" He shook his head.
"You were always my first priority, Lisa."
"Personally speaking."
"Then, yes, and now in every sense of the word. You really came back to try it again?"
"Is that so hard to believe?"
"Frankly...yes." She gave him a deadpan look, raising her eyebrows. He laughed, and leant forward, her expression softening as he kissed her gently.
***
