Title: Everything Changes
Rating: PG13 for 1 tiny little swear word
Author: Kharma (Emma)
Disclaimer: Sadly, Nigel still does not belong to me (nor Sydney). I have no idea who they do belong to but I intend no infringement with this, so please don't sue me.
Summary: Late at night and Sydney comes to a realisation.
Dedication: To Rachel and Jac, who although not RH fans, still offered to beta this and did a fantastic job of it. Thanks girls.
A/N: I honestly have no idea what happened with this. The first few paragraphs started going of in 1 direction (I was attempting to write my first NC17 RH fic) and ended up somewhere entirely different. Oh well, we writers are at the mercy of our muses (not to mention stubborn characters who just will not do what you want them to) and we must follow where they lead.
Feedback: The very stuff of life for those of us who like to pretend that we are actually authors. Seriously, this is very different from my usual writing style so I would be interested in knowing what people think. If it sucks, you can tell me, all I ask is that you tell me nicely.
Whisper soft touches of lips against skin are all it takes for Sydney to feel like she's losing her mind.
She never thought he would the one to make her feel like this, but lately, all he has to do is glance at her over the top of his glasses from behind his desk in the outer office, and she's planning how to get Karen out of the office for as long as possible.
His hands skim down her arms at the same time as his mouth trails across her collarbone, coming to rest at the curve where shoulder meets neck and Sydney sighs and melts back into his embrace.
"Nigel!" she gasps as his teeth graze the spot that he had quickly discovered made her knees turn to jelly and she can almost see the smug smile that she knows is on his face. "Bastard," she breathes when he does it again and he chuckles, the sound sending a flood of desire through her.
In the 8 months that they have been together, Nigel has learnt all the places on her body that turn her into putty in his hands and he shows absolutely no compunction about using that knowledge to his advantage.
With a light kiss to her ear, he turns her around so that she's facing him and brushes her long hair from her eyes so that he can see what she's feeling. He smiles when he sees the happiness shining in her eyes and gently kisses her before dropping to his knees.
Undoing the first few buttons of the shirt that she has stolen from his closet to sleep in; he parts the fabric and reverently rests his cheek against the almost invisible bump that conceals where their child rests, safe and protected. With a sigh, he wraps his arms around her waist and closes his eyes, revelling in the knowledge that the marvelous woman in his arms is giving him the most incredible gift that a woman can give to a man. In 6 months time, he is going to be a father and he knows that nothing in his life will ever be the same again.
One of her hands move to run through his hair and he looks up at her. The love she sees shining in his eyes makes her heart jump and her breath catch in her throat and she realises something. She's in love with him. For some reason the emotional impact of it catches her by surprise. On an intellectual level she has known that she loves him practically from the day they met and she threw a spear at him in her classroom, but this sudden rush of emotion is new to her and at first she doesn't know how to react, then she smiles.
She drops gracefully to her knees and catches his face between her palms. "I love you," she whispers before gently kissing him and Nigel smiles. Being better with actions than words, it's the first time that Sydney has actually told him that but he doesn't care. She has always shown her love for him in ways that mean more than words ever could.
"I know," he whispers and she smiles. Sydney takes his hand and moves it to her stomach, covering it with her own. "Our son," she says and Nigel frowns.
"Our daughter," he contradicts and they both smile. Over the weeks since Sydney discovered she was pregnant, it has become a common argument, both insisting they are right. The truth is that neither of them cares whether it's a boy or a girl, all they care about is that it exists at all.
Nigel suddenly bends down and kisses her stomach before looking back up at her. "Marry me," he says quietly, making it more of a statement than a question and tears spring to Sydney's eyes.
She rises to her feet, takes his hand and leads him back to bed, the tearful smile on her face all the answer he needs.
The End.