Disclaimer: I don't own Leverage…curses!
A/N: Ummm…yeah…just a little fic for the Nate/Sophie ficathon on livejournal. I hope you enjoy!
Refuge
"You did a great job Sophie," Nate said, walking up to her backstage after her latest performance, this time as Hero in Much Ado About Nothing.
"Oh! Really?" she asked, hugging him as he kissed her on the cheek.
"Definitely. Now, how about you finish getting changed and we go out for a late dinner, just the two of us."
Sophie nodded. "Are you sure the others won't try to tag along?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"They're heading out by themselves to give us some time. Now, you finish up back here and I'll go get the car," he said, leaning in and pressing his lips against hers before pulling back and heading out.
Sophie hurried to finish getting changed, and seeing the flood of people she would have to fight past, she turned and snuck out the back door. She found herself in the side alley and started walking for the street.
Suddenly, someone grabbed her from behind. She started to scream, but a hand was clamped down over her mouth. Moving her head, she was able to bite her assailant, causing them to cry out and throw her to the ground. She cried out when she hit the pavement and immediately tried to crawl away. A hand grasping her ankle pulled her back and she screamed as her legs were scraped badly. She kicked out, trying to get away, but whoever was attacking her grabbed her other leg and held tight. Sophie screamed again as he flipped her over, afraid of what was about to happen.
"Get away from her!" a familiar voice roared before she heard footsteps running towards them. Sophie found herself being released and she heard her attacker running away while a second later, Nate was crouching beside her, his face a mixture of concern, fury and fear. "Oh my gosh Sophie, are you alright?" he asked, reaching out for her. Fear and adrenaline still coursing through her, she flinched away. "I need to get you out of here Soph. I'm going to pick you up, alright?" he asked gently. She nodded and fought not to pull away from him this time as he pulled her carefully into his arms and lifted her from the ground. Instantly, her arms flew around his neck and she buried her face there.
Nate felt her shaking as he carried her to the car and placed her in the passenger seat. After buckling her in, he removed his coat and covered her. "Do I need to take you to the hospital?" he asked, climbing into the driver's seat.
"No," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Are you sure? Your legs are scraped up pretty bad."
"Nothing that can't be fixed at my apartment," she answered, her tone flat, but shaky. "Please…just get us out of here…" she begged.
Nate nodded and took off down the road. They drove in silence for a few minutes before Sophie spoke up. "This isn't the way to my place," she said, staring out the window.
"There's no way I'm leaving you alone tonight Sophie. You're staying at the loft, whether you like it or not," Nate replied, his voice almost a growl. Sophie winced at the sound of his voice and just stared out the window.
The rest of the drive was in silence and when they arrived at the bar, Nate got out without a word, went around to Sophie's side and picked her up, kicking the door shut. He carried her in the back way and up to his loft above the bar. "I need to set you down for a second to unlock the door," he said.
"Nate, I'm fine," Sophie assured as her feet touched the floor. The adrenaline rush was fading and she ended up leaning against Nate, who wrapped an arm around her waist for additional support. He didn't say a word as the door swung open and he picked Sophie up again, kicking the door shut once inside and doing the deadbolt very carefully with the grifter in his arms. He then carried her upstairs to his room and set her down on the bed. "Stay right there," he said firmly before walking into the bathroom. Sohpie heard the rush of water and Nate rooting around through the cupboards. A couple of minutes later, he came out with a small bowl of water, a washcloth, a bottle of peroxide and bandages.
"Nate, you don't have to do this," she said as he knelt on the floor in front of her. He soaked the cloth in the water before starting to gently wipe down her legs.
"Sophie, we need to make sure that it doesn't get infected," Nate said firmly as he wiped, watching the cloth to make sure that he got the dirt out of the scrapes. When that was done, he opened the bottle of peroxide and poured some on the cloth. "This is going to sting," he said, and Sophie heard a hint of apology in his voice. As he started wiping again, the wounds bubbled and Sophie hissed, tensing at the stinging sensation that covered her legs.
"There," Nate said after a few minutes, putting the cloth aside and wrapping her legs with the bandages. When he was all done, he set the supplies on the dresser and sat next to Sophie on the bed. "Now, are you okay?" he asked, taking her hand.
"Nate, I'm fine," she insisted, not meeting his gaze. After a few moments, a hand under her chin forced her gaze up until her brown eyes locked with his blue ones. She couldn't look away and soon she was fighting back tears. Silent sobs wracked her body and she found herself being enveloped in Nate's arms. He held her tightly against his chest and rocked her gently back and forth.
"It's okay Soph, I've got you," he whispered softly, stroking her hair gently. "You're safe; no one's going to hurt you."
He kicked off his shoes and lifted her up, moving up the bed and sitting with his back against the headboard, Sophie cradled in his arms. "I'm sorry…" she sobbed.
"No Sophie, don't you dare be sorry, this isn't your fault," Nate said firmly, holding her tighter. "This isn't your fault."
He continued to hold her and rock her until she finally quieted. Looking down after a while, he found that she had fallen asleep and he loosened his grip a little, but not the whole way. Even with the relaxed grip, she whimpered quietly. "Shhh…it's okay Sophie, I'm right here," he whispered and she quieted again.
Nate held her through the night, keeping watch over her. He was her refuge, her protection, her anchor in a storm. And he always would be.