=== From the Heroes of the Storm intro ===
Nova: Well, look what the Nexus dragged in... Fancy seeing you here, cowboy.
Raynor: Nova? Now, this place is startin' to feel like home.
Nova: Don't get comfortable... you're in for a bumpy ride.
Raynor: Only kind I ever liked...
=== Into End ===
Raynor slumped against the side of a nearby bulkhead, exhausted and weary from the countless battles he'd been forced to participate in. He took a deep breath in and closed his eyes, and felt his armor disappear from his body. He opened his eyes and looked down, wondering what he'd see. He was glad when he realized he was back to his white t-shirt and jeans, and that the red, white and blue stars and stripes armor had vanished.
He briefly wondered how long he'd have until the next battle, but then he forcibly pushed it out of his mind so that he could focus on the peaceful time he had now. He closed his eyes again and it wasn't too long before he found himself thinking about how many times he had died since coming here and wondered what was the point of it all.
"Uther said you shouldn't think too hard about that," Nova advised him as she approached slowly.
"Nova," Raynor couldn't help but smile a little at the familiar voice. He opened his eyes and turned towards the voice before his face fell as he caught sight of Nova, or more precisely the red hair she was sporting.
Nova cringed inside as she realized the red hair was making him think of Kerrigan. She wondered if he'd seen Kerrigan, or even if he knew she was here, but Nova wasn't going to bring it up. "The fights I can handle, but these make-overs are making me sick," Nova said bluntly.
Raynor pushed the thoughts of the red-headed ghost he'd once known out of his head and focused on the fact it was Nova before him. "Do you think it'll ever end?" he asked dryly.
Nova forced a smile, "it never ends. Not for people like us." Her words had more meaning behind them. If her and Raynor went back to their world right now they would still had to fight. "The enemies' names and faces change, but we will always have to fight."
"You really know how to cheer a guy up," Raynor smirked.
Nova grinned. "I know a few ways," she winked and smiled at him. She had found herself attracted to Raynor when they first met, he was a bit of rough but a nice guy beneath it all. She also respected the fact he 'tried' not to look at her ass too often. She was about to flirt with him some more, but before she could she felt her hair shimmer slightly and return to her natural blonde. "About time," she shook her head and hair unconsciously, glad to be blonde again.
Raynor smiled, "welcome back, Blondie."
Nova liked it when he called her that. She could tell Raynor had a thing for blondes, his first wife had been blonde, as well as some of the other women he'd been with and thought of sometimes. The redheaded bitch must just have been a blimp.
"You win?" he asked, inquiring over her last fight.
She nodded, "you didn't doubt me, did you?" She shifted her weight from one foot to another, sticking her hip out to one side slightly.
Jim shook his head to show he hadn't meant that, but he knew she wasn't offended. He knew her confidence was well earned. "I'm glad I haven't had to fight you," he laughed it off, but he really was glad. Last time they fought Nova had won and taken him captive for Mengsk, this time she'd probably just kill him.
"I'd regret having to do that," Nova said softly, reading his thoughts. Her expression fell slightly and she tilted her head. "I regretted having to do that, too," she added slowly as she placed her rifle against the wall and sat beside him on the floor against the wall.
"A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, right?" he echoed the words she had once said.
She paused, thinking of the right words to say. "I thought you would have hated me for that," Nova added.
"What makes you think I don't?" he asked in a neutral tone.
She looked at him and cocked an eyebrow. "Hello? Psionic?" she said cheerily.
He smiled at her before looking away and staring straight forward. "I think I'm over expecting any loyalty from anyone anymore," he stated cynically, he'd been stabbed in the back too many times to not expect any different. "Helping you take out Tosh's Spectres was mutally beneficial. I didn't really think you owed me anythin'."
"It was strictly business," she stated, although she knew that wouldn't give him much comfort. Nova felt sadness at Raynor's self hate, but saying he deserved loyalty and expecting it would have been hypocritical. She also felt sadness that it wasn't her betrayal that hit him hardest, but that Zerg Bitch's. Nova frowned that she had allowed Kerrigan to invade her thoughts and hoped she'd soon have a chance to kill her in one of the fights later. "If it makes you feel better, I knew Mengsk wasn't planning to kill you," Nova smiled at him, hoping to soften the tension.
That was little comfort to Raynor now.
"I would never have done it if he was going to hurt you," Nova added.
Raynor could tell from the tone of her voice that she meant it. He looked at her and nodded to let her know he believed her. For a moment he thought he saw sadness in her eyes, her guard let down for a moment. He wondered if she wasn't as strong as he thought she was. He didn't know a lot about her past, but if her time at the Ghost Academy had been any where near as traumatic as Kerrigan's, he imaged her life was likely full of pain.
Nova could tell what he was thinking. Her instinct was to hide her feelings and make some type of cocky remark, but instead she looked into his eyes deeper, she wanted him to understand her, to know her, to comfort her.
"I don't blame you," Raynor said sympathetically. He really didn't blame her. Not for capturing him. Not even for stopping him from being there for Kerrigan. And not even for Kerrigan's reversion to the Queen of Blades. Raynor could blame the entire universe and it wouldn't make a difference. Kerrigan had chosen what she wanted to do.
Nova looked away, realizing he was always going to be obsessed with that bitch.
Raynor noticed her expression fall.
Nova'd had enough of it at the Ghost Academy. All day long at the Academy, all she heard was how great Sarah was at this, or how wonderful Kerrigan did at that. Kerrigan, Kerrigan, Kerrigan!
"This place is gettin' to you, too?" he asked, not knowing the source of her pain.
"Yeah," it was a half-lie. She didn't mind fighting, it made her feel strong, like she was in control, and she was good at it. But she wouldn't have minded a longer break or two.
"Dyin's weird," he added. "Never get used to that."
Nova giggled, "I don't think we're supposed to. Death is only supposed to happen once."
Raynor forced a smile, "guess you're right about that."
"I'm always right," she smirked. She leaned her head against the bulkhead and relaxed.
Raynor didn't correct her, and to be fair, he hadn't known a time where she'd even been wrong.
"We're gonna get out of here, you know," she stated. "I won't be wrong about that either."
"I hope you're right," he said softly.
"I have to be," she looked down, "or I'm going to go crazy."
Seeing the vulnerable woman beside him, he placed a protective arm around her shoulder and gently rested it there, letting her know they were in this together.
She looked at him and smiled, "thanks, cowboy."
Raynor quickly tried to push away the inappropriate thoughts of riding her whenever she called him cowboy.
Nova smirked and cocked an eyebrow at him to let him know she had read that.
"Sorry," he added.
She smiled. "Don't be," she said seriously. She slowly placed her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes, pleased he hadn't pushed her away.
Raynor wouldn't have chosen any part of the situation he was in right now, but he appreciated the closeness of a woman beside him. He brought his hand up and placed it on Nova's hair, holding her head against him. He realized she needed some comforting as much as he did right now.
Nova smiled as he held her and that spurred her to place her arm around him and hold him tight.
He didn't stop her.
Nova was quite content with the comfortable silence as they held each other, but she decided to speak. "When we first saw each other here," she said softly, "you said it was starting to feel like home."
"Yeah," Raynor added to show he was listening.
"I feel like I'm home now," she closed her eyes as she relaxed against him.
Raynor hadn't known when Nova had developed feelings for him, or if he was reading too much into things. Her confidence covered up a lot and he took her flirting as nothing more than fun, but now he was seeing it went deeper. Raynor hadn't ever imagined she might feel anything for him, sure he liked the girl, found her sexy as hell, but she was closed off to him, cold even. But now? Now things were different, they were here, they had each other and no one else, they had trust and they needed each other.
"I never meant to be cold," she said softly with a grin on her lips, she wanted him to know she was reading his thoughts and wasn't going to say his thoughts were wrong. "I always wanted us to know each other better," she snuggled into his body gently.
Flattered and willing to return the gesture, he placed his free hand onto her arm and started to stoke it. "I guess we have the time," he added, if one good thing could come out of the nexus, perhaps it could be this? It felt good to hold her.
To Raynor's surprise, Nova suddenly pulled away from him slightly and placed a hand on his chest. She looked deeply into his eyes then down to his lips and resisted making the first move, she wanted him to want her. She looked back at his eyes and willed with all her heart for him to kiss her.
Raynor searched her eyes and knew she wanted him. He used his hand to cup Nova's face and he gently pulled her lips to his.
As they kissed, fire rushed through Nova's body, she hadn't felt excitement and warmth like it in a long time. Months of desiring Raynor had culminated in this and it was everything she had hoped for. She felt butterflies in her stomach and her fingers tingled as they held Raynor's body. Moments later the kissed stopped and she signed happily.
As Raynor opened his eyes to look into Nova's he caught glimpse of a purple figure in the corner of his eye. He quickly turned to look at the figure and he froze with guilt. "Sarah," he stated, daring not to believe she was here. He was glad to be looking at her beautiful face once more, relieved she was safe and here, but what she had just seen...
Kerrigan stared into his eyes, hurt that he was holding anyone that wasn't her, kissing her, angry that he was with someone else, devastated, lost, betrayed, so many emotions all at once. But worse that all, sorrow that he was here, in this place of eternal fighting and pain.
He gently pushed Nova back without a second thought for the blonde and opened his mouth to speak. Before the words came out, he watched as Kerrigan shimmered away into the Nexus. He felt a stab in his chest that she'd been taken away from him again, especially under the current circumstances. He couldn't imagine how she felt, and he wanted to explain to her, to make her understand, it's all her, it's always been her.
Nova was angry that Kerrigan had intruded on what was supposed to be her time. Angry that Raynor had kissed her and then still only been concerned with Kerrigan. Nova was grateful when she felt her own body begin to shimmer away, saving her from the awkwardness of dealing with Raynor.
Nova's field of vision was encompassed in bright blue light and as it faded slowly a new world formed around her, one of grey stone and a dark sky. The air blew gently across her skin and through her hair. She knew it was time for another battle and she looked around at her team. "Kerrigan," she said through snarled teeth as she recognized the woman beside her.