Set during Haven - season 2, after "Fear and Loathing"

I don't own any of the characters...I just like to invite them to play once in a while!

Audrey sighed as she lowered herself into the tub. It had been a long day. She took a sip of the martini she held, then carefully placed it on the floor next to the tub - within easy reach - and closing her eyes, rested her head back against the porcelein. Unsuccessfully, she tried to clear her mind but her thoughts kept wandering dismally back to Nathan...and what he'd given up today. She would never forget the look on his face when he realised he could once again feel. The wonder in his eyes as he gently stroked the rose across his lips. The desolation as he gave it all up again, his sacrifice allowing a young Troubled girl to have a chance at a normal life.

She frowned as her thoughts drifted, her heart aching for Nathan in a way that she didn't want to acknowledge to herself. If she were to be truthful, she'd admit that Nathan and in fact, the town of Haven itself had gotten under her skin very quickly. She cared about the people she'd met here and her choice to stay was only in part due to the mystery surrounding her mother.

Her frown deepened and she sat up quickly and opened her eyes. She'd heard a noise, like a chair scraping across wooden floorboards. Someone was on her deck. She rose out of the bubbles and threw on her robe, tying the belt as she padded barefoot through the apartment. Cautiously, she opened the door and sighed with relief when she saw who was there.

"Nathan?" She asked curiously. He was sitting in one of her mismatched deckchairs, his head resting in his hands. "What are you doing here?"

Nathan lifted his head and looked up at her. Her heart twisted again when she saw the pain etched into the strong lines of his face. Not physical pain, obviously, since that was once again beyond him. She hated that he was suffering.

"Come inside, Nathan, it's freezing out here!" She took his hand when he continued to just look at her, his face blank. "Your hands are like ice!"

She managed to get him out of the chair and into her apartment. He was moving like a zombie, slow and clumsy, as if he'd been drinking. She smelt no alcohol on him though. Shoving books and blankets aside on the sofa, she sat him down in front of the fireplace. She looked at him for a moment, then went to the kitchen and grabbed a half full bottle of scotch and two glasses. She set them on the coffee table to one side and then perched on the edge of it herself, right in front of Nathan. She pulled the robe around herself more firmly and waited for him to speak. When he didn't, she busied herself pouring scotch into both glasses and quietly handed him one. He continued to stare into space, ignoring the glass she was offering. He was beginning to scare her and as she placed his glass back on the table, Audrey contemplated ringing Julia.

"I'm so tired, Parker" he finally whispered. "Every day, I have to try, to concentrate so hard, just to do normal things. I have to concentrate to walk, for Gods sake! Do you know what that's like? I have to make sure my feet are actually touching the ground before I put my weight down because I can't feel the floor. I have to concentrate to pick things up, to make sure I've got hold of them properly and I have to make sure when I touch people, I'm not hurting them. Now I've even got you testing my coffee for me, so I don't burn myself! Do you know how hard it is to shave, to cook, to take a goddam shower without hurting yourself when you can't feel anything?"

He paused, his head hanging down and his shoulders slumped. A tear rolled down his cheek and dropped to the floor...she knew he didn't feel it, didn't realise he was crying.

Audreys heart was aching. She'd never seen Nathan like this. He was like a wounded puppy that had been kicked while he was still down.

She reached out a gentle hand and brushed her thumb across his cheek, wiping away the tear. He sighed and turned his head, nestling further into her hand. Raising her other hand, she trailed her fingers along his jaw, the rough stubble tickling her. She moved them to his lips, tracing first the top then the bottom. Nathan closed his eyes and some of the tension left his body.

"And then there's you" he continued so quietly she could barely hear him."The only person I can feel. I spend all day thinking about touching you and feeling you touching me. I stop myself from just reaching out and brushing your hair aside, just to see what it feels like. This..." the rest of the sentence was lost on a low moan.

"Do you trust me, Nathan? " Audrey asked softly, her breath whispering close to his ear. Nathan opened his eyes, his lips raised in a tiny smile. "With my life" he replied.

Audrey stood then took his hand and helped him up. "Take off your jacket." She pushed his jacket down his arms and threw it onto a nearby chair. "Now sit back and relax" she breathed, as she pushed him gently down onto the couch "let me take care of you."

He sat back against the cushions and gazed up at her, noticing how the fire reflected off her gold hair and how the robe she wore gaped a little at the neck, giving him a brief glimpse of warm skin.

"Put your head back and close your eyes" she said as she sat down next to him, curling her leg under her and turning towards him. He obeyed, trying to relax - it was proving difficult with her so close.

Audrey waited a moment until she was sure Nathan was settled, then once again raised her hands to his face. She traced his eyebrows, feeling the tickle of hair on the sensitive tips of her fingers. She moved down over his temples, her thumbs gently stroking the laugh lines creased into his face. Slowly down over his cheeks, her thumbs stroked under his eyes, across the sharp edges of his cheek bones. Further down to his strong jaw, her hand scraping against his stubble. She ran a thumb across his bottom lip with the gentlest of pressure and his lips parted on an indrawn breath.

"I watched you brushing that rose across your lips earlier and I wondered how soft they'd be" she whispered and his pulse kicked into overdrive. "I never realised they'd be this soft."

"You feel so much better than the rose" he replied, his voice husky. He opened his eyes and found himself staring into hers. She'd moved closer, leaving just a hairs breadth between them. She moved forward now, slowly narrowing the space between them. He felt her breath on his face and his heart thudded louder as he realised she was going to kiss him again. But not on the cheek this time...this time she was angling for his mouth. Slowly, gently, she brought her lips down on his, the lightest of touches, before pulling away slightly. Again she dipped her head and their lips touched fleetingly and again she was gone. Once, twice, three times, then a fourth, each time just a teasing brush of her lips and breath. It was exquisite and it was torture. He wanted more. He reached out to draw her closer, then hesitated, worried he might hurt her. She took his hand and entwined their fingers, pushing his hand up behind his head to rest on the back of the couch. Her way of letting him know that she was controlling this situation. He could live with that, he decided.

Her lips found his again but this time she deepened the kiss, her teeth nibbling at his lower lip, her tongue pressing for entrance. He opened up to her, melding their mouths together in a deeper kiss, catching her moan as it slipped from her mouth to his. The sensations were overwhelming, his body buzzing with tension. In the past, he'd gone through the motions, his body reacting from instinct but never feeling. This was amazing! He could feel every part of his body tingling to life. He could feel!

To be continued...

Sorry to leave it there but I'm fighting a headache.