A/N: Written for leverage_bingo and leverageland it uses the prompt The Van Gogh Job.
It's the best story.
Sophie snuggled under the bed covers and laid her head on Nate's bare chest. They had just came back from Willamette City when they ended up having one of their "dinners". Things have been progressing rapidly between them, but neither of the two wanted to talked about thinking that it was probably the rush of the first weeks. Maybe it was also the thrill of keeping it a secret from the rest of the team and the fact that, let's face it, they hadn't been having sex for a long time. Particularly for Nate it had been a very long time. Sophie had been shocked when he told her he hadn't been with anyone since Maggie and she sometimes wondered what this detail meant for them.
"So, since you're full of great stories today," she ran a finger up and down his torso following an imaginary path "why don't you tell me another one?"
He chuckled and his deep voice in her ear sent a chill down her spine. "You mean the Charlie and Dorothy story I've made up?" he murmured against her hair.
"Maybe it was true. She was really in love with him and I think you are right; she did keep all those tips for the day he would have come back to her"
"Always a romantic…"
She titled her head to look at him in the eyes "How about a story of the other two characters?"
Nate lifted his eyebrow in question.
"The Sheriff and Cecilia; they would make a beautiful story."
"Ah…" he nodded in understanding. "The American Soldier and his war bride. Of course you would find their story fascinating."
"They met at war and fell in love and he brought her to America for a better future, what's not to love?"
"Nothing to do with the fact that she was British" he lightly smacked her behind with the arm that was holding her against him.
"Oh," she patted his chest. "How do you think they met?"
"Oh Sophie," he groaned in exasperation. He liked it when they cuddled after having sex, but he was tired and he wasn't really in the mood for telling stories. He looked down at his grifter's pleading eyes and sighed. "Okay. Maybe it went like this…"
Sheriff, actually it was sergeant now, James Walker missed in hometown. Willamette probably wasn't a big and fascinating city like New York, but it was his and God knows what mess his deputies were making of it. He didn't really want to be in Europe. He didn't want be at war, but his country called him and it was his duty to serve it. He was sitting on a small camp bed waiting for someone to check his injury. It was a cut on his forehead and he didn't really know why it had to be medicated, but his commander insisted so there he was. He wanted to go back and fight. The faster they won this war, the quicker he could go back to America.
"Perfect, let's see this cut" a woman's voice caught his attention.
James Walker lifted his head and he was awestruck by the beauty of the woman in front of him. She had long dark hair that reminded him of the night sky in the desert and her eyes were so deep that he felt he could get lost in them. He had never believed in love at first sight, but he instantly knew that he had fallen head over the heels for this woman.
"Hi" he gave her a tempted smile.
She started preparing the medication not really bothered by him. Soldiers flirted with her all the time. Sometimes she wondered why she had volunteered as a nurse. Music was her passion. Music was going to be her job, but with war nobody had time for music and she wanted to help the cause.
"This is going to sting a little" she started cleaning the cut.
The soldier hissed, but soon covered it up. "I'm James Walker." He told her.
For the first time the woman looked at him and she couldn't help being mesmerized by his caring blue eyes. "I'm Cecilia Garrett" she finally whispered.
She shook her head and continued tending the wound. "It needs a couple of stiches. You can wait for the doctor if you want, but I could do it, if you trust me." She offered.
He shrugged. "You can stich me up as much as you like"
She lightly laugh at his bad joke. "You don't usually talk to women, do you?"
"What gave me away?" he chuckled.
"Might have been you badly and not so smooth attempt to flirt with me" she smiled at him.
She kept working on his injury, but she could feel his eyes on her and she blushed.
"Here, it's all done" she cleaned her hands on a piece of cloth and started gathering her things.
James quickly jump down the bed. "How about I make it up to you?" He stopped her. "Let me buy you something to drink at the pub nearby."
"I still have to work"
"Tonight? After your shift?"
She sighed. "Look, you seem like a nice guy, but I don't really want to mix with soldiers. A lot of my close friends had their hearts broken by them"
"I'm not like all the other soldiers" he firmly told her.
She was really attracted to this man, even if he was slightly older than the rest of the young American soldiers that she had seen. Maybe his extra few years will make him more reliable.
"Sure, I'll join you for that drink" she finally told him. She saw his grin. "But you have one shot at this. I'm not an easy girl to please."
"I'll try my best. See you at seven?"
"Seven is perfect" and she left for her other patient with a small smile on her face.
"The American soldier and the volunteering nurse?" Sophie hummed. "I like it"
"Glad I could keep up with your expectations. You want me to have Hardison check what really happened between them?"
"Oh no" she quickly shook her head. "It's like you said. It's not the real story, but it's the best one. I can already imagine him courting her while she was playing hard to get. But at the end she had to surrender to his charm and they got married in London. She had to be so worried every time she had to see her husband going away to fight. Just imagine her relief when the war was over and he was still alive."
"Yes, but she had to leave everything and everyone to follow him to America"
"But she was happy to do it, because she was so in love with him that she would have followed him anywhere." She told him with dreamy eyes.
"We are still talking about Cecilia and the Sheriff, aren't we?" he asked her doubtful
"Of course, who else?"
"How about we go to sleep! It has been a long day" he suggested while turning the lights off.
After moving and shifting in the bed, they finally got comfortable wrapped in each other's arms.
Sophie closed her eyes and started succumbing to sleep. "Good night, my Sheriff" she quietly whispered.