This is my version of what should have happened at the 01x22. This fic was originally made for the "Comfort" challenge on Fan Flashworks community, in LJ.

Hope you all enjoy it! Leave reviews and let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: Revenge and all its characters don't belong to me.

Love Her

As Amanda Clarke she had been a very emotional girl, with all her feelings right into the surface, almost touchable on her skin.

As Emily Thorne, on the other hand, she was cold and indifferent, never letting anything appear on her frozen façade.

However, ever since she returned to the Hamptons, Amanda and Emily were mixing themselves, making it very difficult to define who she actually was, which role was she assuming.

So, when he got into her house to find her crying, Nolan didn't even ask what had happened. He had just hugged her, letting her accommodate on his arms in a comfortable way. He ran his fingers on her hair, trying to calm her sobs. He really wanted to help, but he was also ridiculously glad that she was having such an outburst. The gods only knew how much she needed it.

"Amanda came back." She said. "She is pregnant."

"I'm so sorry, Ems."

He wished he had something else to tell her, but what could suffice? For months he had urged her to put all the revenge plans behind and go live a happy life with Jack, but now... The girl he thought that was his childhood crush was expecting his child. There was no competing there, nothing that she could do.

"The plane crashed, Nolan. With Victoria Grayson and all the evidence to clean my father."

And that. He had wished that piece of news hadn't reached her yet, but knew quite well it was practically impossible. Just when everything was supposed to be right... Hell broke loose.

He hugged her tightly, giving her the support he was sure he would never see her ask for again. She accepted the gesture, tightening her grip on him. Nolan was enjoying it very much, having her on his arms. He always had this special affection for her he couldn't really put a name on. It was love, yes, but what kind of love?

Even though it was supposed to be the other way around, she had saved him. Emily, back when her name was still Amanda, had saved him from the complete loneliness his life had turned into. For that, he loved her. Having to pick her up in the worst bars, scolding her, insisting that she read her father's journals, it all gave his life a purpose like he had never known. For that also, he loved her. For being the daughter of his first benefactor, for giving him the opportunity to pay back to that wonderful man the good he had done to his company, he loved her for that too.

If Nolan were to count, he would find an enormous amount of reasons of why he was so fond of Amanda Clarke/Emily Thorne. And if he was to synthesize everything into one word, he wouldn't be capable of finding the right one.

All he knew was that he loved her, that her friendship was a treasure of no defined value, that helping her on her revenge was priceless to him.

Taking the remote from the centre table, he shut down the annoying woman reporting the plane crush. It was quite enough for one day.

"Let me make you some tea." Nolan suggested, to what Emily just nodded, letting him go to the kitchen.

He was back in no time, holding two mugs with steaming camomile tea. He handed one to her and kept the other, sitting once again next to her on the couch.

"Thank you, Nolan. I promise I will never do it again."

He just smiled at her, on that way that was so his.

"On the contrary, my dear. I think you should be like this every day."

Emily chose to ignore the commentary, knowing pretty well it was pointless to discuss such a matter with him.

For the rest of the night, they just talked about trivial subjects – the kind of subjects that couldn't reach the heart, leaving it painless. They both smiled and laughed, acting like the old friends they had already become without even noticing so much time had passed.

Nolan enjoyed the night greatly, and so did Emily. It was a definitely a first, for both of them. Soon, she was resting her head on his shoulder, deep asleep, led by the excess of tears.

Nolan looked at her with adoration. Yes, he loved her. She was his family, and that was all that mattered. Carefully, he helped her lay down on the couch, delicately placing a pillow beneath her head and a comforter to cover her. Smiling one last time, he left her to the peace of her home.